Princess Elizabeth (Elizaveta) Esperovna Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya, later Princess Trubetskaya (20 November 1834, Saint Petersburg - 30 March 1907, Saint Petersburg), was a Russian noblewoman,

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

and a salonist.

Early life

Elizaveta Esperovna, nicknamed Lise, was by birth member of an ancient House of Belosselsky-Belozersky. She was the eldest daughter of

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Esper Beloselsky-Belozersky (1802-1846) and the

maid of honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditionally, a queen ...

Elena (Helena) Pavlovna

Bibikov Bibikov (russian: Бибиков) is a name of an old and influential Russian noble family. First mentioned in the 13th century, they have descended from Boyars of Tver Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative ce ...

a (1812-1888).

Biography

Elizaveta was the maid of honour of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna. She married in 1851 Prince Pyotr Nikitich

Trubetskoy The House of Trubetskoy (English), Трубецкие (Russian), Трубяцкі ( Belarusian), ''Trubecki'' (Polish), ''Trubetsky'' ( Ruthenian), Трубецький (Ukrainian), ''Troubetzkoy'' (French), ''Trubic'' (Croatian), ''Trubetski'' ...

(1826-1880), True State Councillor and Saint Petersburg district leader of the nobility. By the time her portrait was painted by

Winterhalter Winterhalter is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Albert G. Winterhalter (1856–1920), admiral in the United States Navy, commander in chief of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet from 1915 to 1917 * Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–1873), ...

in 1859, she had already three children: Elena (1853-1917), Sergei (1855-1856) and Alexandra (born 1857 Paris -1949). Other children were: Olga (1860-died at the age of 19 from

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

), Alexander (1867-1912/1917) and Maria (1872-1954). After the death of her husband, Elizaveta Esperovna began to spend more time abroad, lived in France, where she kept a political salon. She hosted a famous

literary salon A salon is a gathering of people held by an inspiring host. During the gathering they amuse one another and increase their knowledge through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "ei ...

in Paris during the

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

, and played a crucial part as a mediator when France and Russia reestablished their diplomatic contacts in the 1870s. Her salon was attended by many famous politicians: Prince Kochubey,

Ivan Durnovo Ivan Nikolayevich Durnovo (russian: Иван Николаевич Дурново, the patronymic is also transcribed as Nikolaevich; – ) was a Russian political figure. He served as Chairman of the Committee of Ministers between 1895 and ...

and others. The princess was in correspondence with many political figures of the time: Francois Guizot, 3rd Viscount Palmerston,

Adolphe Thiers Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers ( , ; 15 April 17973 September 1877) was a French statesman and historian. He was the second elected President of France and first President of the French Third Republic. Thiers was a key figure in the July Rev ...

and Prince Alexander Gorchakov. Her aunt, singer and composer Princess Zinaida Alexandrovna Volkonskaya Beloselskaya (1789-1862), was at one time the owner of a famous literary salon, which was visited by famous writers Mitskevich, Baratynsky, Venevitinov, DeVitte, A.S. Pushkin also visited there. Lise was the owner of the Elizavetino summer estate from 1852 in the Saint Petersburg province, the main building was designed by architect Harald Julius von Bosse in 1874, and a collector of material about the Trubetskoy family. The family grave was situated in Vladimir Church in Elizavetino, where she was buried alongside her husband and children. She was grandmother of Princess Aurora Pavlovna Demidova di San Donato, great-grandmother of Prince Regent Paul of Yugoslavia, through her daughter Princess Elena (Hélène) Petrovna Trubetskaya

Demidov The House of Demidov (russian: Деми́довы) also Demidoff, was a prominent Russian noble family during the 18th and 19th centuries. Originating in the city of Tula in the 17th century, the Demidovs found success through metal products, ...

a (1853-1917). File:Elizaveta Esperovna Troubetzkaya.jpg, Elizaveta Esperovna Trubetskaya, husband Pyotr Nikitich Trubetskoy and daughter Elena, by

André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri André Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri (; 28 March 1819 – 4 October 1889) was a French photographer who started his photographic career as a daguerreotypist but gained greater fame for patenting his version of the ''carte de visite,'' a small photogr ...

, 1859. File:Elizavetino.jpg, Villa Elizavetino near Hatchina

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trubetskaya, Elizabeth 1834 births 1907 deaths Ladies-in-waiting from the Russian Empire Salon holders from the Russian Empire