Ekaterina Ivanovna Nelidova by Dmitry Levitzky 001

Yekaterina Ivanovna Nelidova (russian: Екатери́на Ива́новна Нели́дова; 1756–1839) was a Russian Empire noblewoman and

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 ...

. She was the royal mistress of Tsar

Paul I of Russia Paul I (russian: Па́вел I Петро́вич ; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III of Russia, Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he w ...

. Nelidova graduated from the Smolny Institute in 1776 and became a lady-in-waiting, first to Grand Duchess Natalya and then to Grand Duchess Maria alongside her friend and fellow graduate Natalya Borshchova. She had a relationship with Grand Duke Paul, the future monarch, and acted as a successful mediator between him and people he was in conflict with. Nelidova was also noted for her dramatic talents, which endeared her to the crown prince, who liked to stage operas with the participation of people he was close with. There are sources that refer to her as "Little Monster", a description attributed to Catherine on account of Nelidova's physical appearance. Nevertheless, she was an important courtier and her position also led to her relatives' acquiring positions at court. Paul's defense of Nelidova was even documented amid issues of social conformity at Catherine the Great's court. She left her position at court in 1798.

References

* Дмитрий Григорьевич Левицкий 1735—1822: Каталог временной выставки — Государственный русский музей. — Л.: Искусство, Ленинградское отделение, 1987. — 142 с. * Шумигорский Е. С. Екатерина Ивановна Нелидова. Очерк из истории императора Павла. — М.: Захаров, 2008. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelidova, Yekaterina 1756 births 1839 deaths 18th-century women from the Russian Empire 19th-century women from the Russian Empire Mistresses of Paul of Russia Ladies-in-waiting from the Russian Empire