Ukrainian and Russian Famous Women
Ukraine is an amazing country with a rich, long, tragic and stunning history. It is incredibly rich in outstanding people. And Ukrainian women are the brightest evidence of this fact.
Larysa Petrivna Kosach-Kvitka (Ukrainian: Лариса Петрівна Косач-Квітка), born on February 25 [O.S. February 13] 1871 – August 1 [O.S. July 19] 1913) in Novohrad-Volynskyi, the Russian Empire, better known under her literary pseudonym Lesya Ukrainka (Ukrainian: Леся Українка), was one of Ukrainian best-known poets and writers and the foremost woman writer in Ukrainian literature in her lifetime. She was a political, civil, and female activist as well.
Ukrainka was the second child of the Ukrainian writer and publisher Olha Drahomanova-Kosach (better known under her literary pseudonym Olena Pchilka). Mykhaylo Petrovych Drahomanov, a well-known Ukrainian scientist, historian, philosopher, folklorist and public figure, was a brother of Drahomanova-Kosach and Lesya's uncle. Lesya had three younger sisters, Olha, Oksana, and Isydora, and a younger brother Mykola. Ukrainka's father was Petro Antonovych Kosach, the head of the district assembly of conciliators. Despite his non-Ukrainian (Belarusian) background, Kosach was devoted to the advancement of Ukrainian culture and financially supported Ukrainian publishing ventures. Ukrainka was very close to her uncle M. P. Drahomanov (her spiritual mentor and teacher), and her brother Mykhaylo (who would be known under the pseudonym Mykhaylo Obachny) whom she called "Mysholosie."
Lesya had inherited her father’s features, eyes, height, and built. Like her father, she was highly principled. Despite the fact of many similarities, one respect in which Lesya and her father were different is that her father had a gift for mathematics, but no gift for languages, on the contrary, Lesya had no gift for mathematics, but she knew English, German, French, Italian, Greek, Latin, Polish, Russian, Bulgarian, and her native Ukrainian.
Lesya's mother, a poet, wrote poems and short stories for children in Ukrainian language under the pseudonym "Olena Pchilka". Also she took active participation in women’s movement, and published feminist almanac. Ukrainka's mother played a significant role in her upbringing. Ukrainian language was the only language used in the household, and to enforce this practice the children were educated by Ukrainian tutors at home, in order to avoid schools that taught Russian as the primary language. Ukrainka learned how to read at the age of four, and she and her brother Mykhaylo could read foreign languages well enough to read literature in their original language. Ukrainka had a good familiarity with Russian, Polish, Bulgarian, Greek, Latin, French, Italian, German and English.
By the time she was eight, she wrote her first poem, "Hope," which was written in reaction to the arrest and exile of her aunt, Olena Kosach, who took part in a political movement against the tsarist autocracy. In 1879, her entire family moved to Lutsk.
At this time her uncle, Mykhaylo Drahomanov, encouraged her to study Ukrainian folk songs, folk stories, and history, as well to peruse the Bible for its inspired poetry and eternal themes. She also was influenced by the well-known composer Mykola Lysenko, and the famous Ukrainian dramatist and poet Mykhailo Starytsky.
At age thirteen, her first published poem, "Lily of the Valley," appeared in the journal Zoria in Lviv. It was the first time she used her pseudonym, which was suggested by her mother because in the Russian Empire, publications in Ukrainian language were forbidden, so Larysa Kosach's first collection of poetry had to be published secretly in Western Ukraine and sneaked into Kyiv under the pseudonym. At this time, Ukrainka was well on her way of becoming a pianist, but due to tuberculosis of the bone, she did not attend any outside educational establishment. Writing became the main focus of her life.
Poems and plays by Lessya Ukrainka are associated with her belief in her country’s freedom and independence. Because of that, she became a member of the Literary and Artistic Society in Kyiv between 1895 and 1897, which was banned in 1905 because of its relations with revolutionary activists. When Ukrainka was seventeen, she and her brother organized a literary circle called Pleyada (The Pleiades), which they founded to promote the development of Ukrainian literature and translating foreign classics into Ukrainian. It was based on the French school of poesy, the Pleiade.
Taras Shevchenko and Ivan Franko, famous Ukrainian poets, were the main inspiration of her early poetry. It was associated with the poet's loneliness, social isolation and the adoration of Ukrainian nation’s freedom. Her first collection of poetry, “Na krylakh pisen” (On the Wings of Songs), was published in 1893. Since Ukrainian publications were banned by the Russian Empire, this book was published in Western Ukraine, which was part of Austria-Hungary at the time, and smuggled into Kiev.
Her illness made it necessary for her to travel to places where the climate was dry, and as a result, she spent extended periods of time in Germany, Austria, Italy, Bulgaria, Crimea, the Caucasus, and Egypt. She loved experiencing other cultures, which was evident in many of her literary works, such as The Ancient History of Oriental Peoples, originally written for her younger siblings. It included her early poems, such as "Seven Strings," "The Starry Sky," "Tears-Pearls," "The Journey to the Sea," "Crimean Memories," and "In the Children's Circle."
Ukrainka also wrote epic poems, prose dramas, prose, several articles of literary criticism, and a number of sociopolitical essays. She was best known for her plays Boyarynya (1914; The Noblewoman), a psychological tragedy centered on an Ukrainian family in 17th century, which refers directly to Ukrainian history, and Lisova pisnya (1912; The Forest Song), whose characters include mythological beings from Ukrainian folklore.
In 1897, while being treated in Yalta, Ukrainka met Serhiy Merzhynsky, an official from Minsk who was also receiving treatment for tuberculosis. The two fell in love, and her feelings for Merzhynsky were responsible for her showing a different side of herself in such her works as "Your Letters Always Smell of Withered Roses," "To Leave Everything and Fly to You," and "I'd Like to Wind around You Like Ivy," which were not published in her lifetime. After Merzhynsky had died with Ukrainka at his bedside on March 3, 1901, she wrote the entire dramatic poem "Oderzhyma" ("The Possessed") in one night at his deathbed.
Ukrainka actively opposed Russian tsarism and was a member of Ukrainian Marxist organizations. In 1902 she translated the Communist Manifesto into Ukrainian. She was briefly arrested in 1907 by tsarist police and remained under surveillance thereafter.
Ukrainka married in 1907 to Klyment Kvitka, a court official, who was an amateur ethnographer and musicologist. They settled first in Crimea, then moved to Georgia.
Ukrainka died on August 1, 1913 at a health resort of Surami, Georgia.
Catherine II, often called Catherine the Great, was born on May 2, 1729, in Stettin, Prussia (now Szczecin, Poland), and became the Russian empress in 1762. Under her reign, Russia expanded its territories and modernized, following the lead of Western Europe.
Early Years
Catherine II of Russia, sometimes called Catherine the Great, started out as a minor German princess. She grew up in Stettin in a small principality called Anhalt-Zebst. Her father, Christian August, was a prince of this tiny dominion, but he gained more fame for his military career. He served as a general for Frederick William I of Prussia. Princess Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp, Catherine II's mother, had little interest in her daughter. Instead, Johanna spent much of her time and energy on Catherine's younger brother Wilhelm Christian, but the boy died at the age of 12.
As Catherine grew up, her mother eventually came to see her daughter as a means to move up the social ladder and improve her own situation. Her mother had relatives in other royal courts in the region, and brought Catherine with her on visits to seek out possible suitors. Catherine saw marriage as a way to escape from her controlling mother.
Educated by tutors, Catherine had religious studies with a military chaplain, but she questioned much of what he taught her. She also learned three languages: German, French and Russian. The Russian came in handy when Catherine's mother wrangled an invitation to St. Petersburg from the Empress Elizabeth; Elizabeth had once been engaged to Johanna's older brother, who died of smallpox, and she felt a connection to Johanna's family. She wanted to see if Catherine would be suitable for her heir, Grand Duke Peter (later Peter III).
Becoming Russian Royalty
In 1744, a teenage Catherine traveled with her mother to Russia. She soon fell ill, and her treatment created conflict between her mother and the Russian Empress, Elizabeth. Elizabeth insisted on numerous bloodlettings, while Johanna protested the procedure. When Catherine recovered, she moved forward with her relationship to Grand Duke Peter. The pair became engaged, and Catherine converted to the Russian Orthodox faith, despite her deeply Lutheran father's objections. Along with her new religion, she also received a new name—Yekaterina or Catherine.
On August 21, 1745, Catherine II married into the Russian royal family, becoming a grand duchess. She and Peter proved to be anything but a happy couple, however. Peter was immature and juvenile, preferring to play with toys and mistresses than to be with his wife. Catherine II developed her own pastimes, which included reading extensively.
After several miscarriages, Catherine II finally produced a heir. Her son, Paul, was born on September 20, 1754. The paternity of the child has been a subject of great debate with many scholars, who believe that Paul's father was actually Sergei Saltykov, a Russian noble and member of the court. Others have claimed that Paul looked a lot like Peter, leading them to believe that he was actually Paul's father.
Taking the Throne
After Empress Elizabeth's death in December 25, 1761, Catherine's husband assumed the throne, becoming Peter III, while she received the title of Empress Consort. The pair were leading separate lives at this point, and she had little to do with his rule. Peter was openly cruel to his wife, and often discussed pushing her aside to allow his mistress to rule with him. He soon alienated other nobles, officials and the military with his staunch support for Prussia. He also angered the Orthodox Church by taking away their lands. After six months, Peter was overthrown in a coup orchestrated by Catherine.
Catherine II had conspired with her lover, Gregory Orlov, a Russian lieutenant, along with several others in order to unseat Peter. She was able to get him to step down from power, and assumed control herself. A few days after Peter's resignation, he was strangled while in the care of her co-conspirators at Ropsha, one of Peter's estates. The exact role Catherine played in her husband's death is unclear.
Concerned about being toppled by opposing forces herself, Catherine sought to appease the military and the church. She recalled troops that had been sent by Peter to fight Denmark, and promoted and gifted those who had backed her as the new empress. Early in her reign, she returned the church's land and property. Catherine even styled herself after the beloved ruler Peter the Great, claiming that she was following in his footsteps. Catherine II even had a sculpture made later, known as the Bronze Horseman, built to honor him.
Ruling Russia
While Catherine believed in absolute rule, she did make some efforts toward social and political reforms. She put together on document, known as the "Nakaz," on how the country's legal system should run, borrowing some ideas from others. In the initial draft of the work, Catherine had sought to address the dire situation of country's serfs, workers who owned for life. The Senate protested any suggestion of changing the feudal system.
After finalizing "Nakaz," Catherine brought delegates together from different social and economic classes to form the Legislative Commission, which met for the first time in 1767. No laws came out of the commission, but it was the first time that Russians from across the empire had been able to express their thoughts about the country's needs and problems.
A religious skeptic, Catherine sought to contain the power of the Orthodox Church. She had given them their land and property back initially, but she soon changed her mind. The wealth of the church should belong to the state, Catherine thought. To that end, she made the church part of the state and all of its holdings, including more than 1 million serfs, became state property and subject to taxes.
Foreign Affairs
During Catherine's reign, Russia expanded its borders. She made substantial gains in Poland, where she had earlier installed her former lover, Polish count Stanislaus Poniatowski, on the country's throne.
Russia's main dispute with Poland was over the treatment of many Orthodox Russians who lived in the eastern part of the country. In a 1772 treaty, Catherine gave parts of Poland to Prussia and Austria, while taking the eastern region herself.
Russia's actions in Poland triggered a military conflict with Turkey. Enjoying numerous victories in 1769 and 1770, Catherine showed the world that Russia was a mighty power. She reached a peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire in 1774, which brought new lands into the empire and gave Russia a foothold in the Black Sea. One of the war's heroes, Gregory Potemkin, became a trusted advisor and lover of Catherine's.
Potemkin proved to be a great supporter of Catherine and an accomplished statesman in his own right. Ruling over newly gained territories in southern Russia in her name, he started new towns and cities, such as Odessa on the shore of the Black Sea in the south of Ukraine, and built up the country's navy there. Potemkin also encouraged Catherine to take over the Crimea peninsula in 1783, shoring up Russia's position in the Black Sea. A few years later, Catherine once again clashed with the Ottoman Empire. The two countries battled each other from 1787 to 1792.
Education and the Arts
At the time of Catherine's accession, Russia was viewed as backward and provincial by many in Europe. She sought to change this negative opinion through expanding educational opportunities and the arts. Catherine had a boarding school established for girls from noble families in St. Petersburg, and later called for free schools to be created in towns across Russia.
Catherine was devoted to the arts, and sponsored many cultural projects. In St. Petersburg, she had a theater built for opera and ballet performances—and even wrote a few librettos herself. She also became a prominent art collector, and many of these were displayed in the Hermitage in a royal residence in St. Petersburg.
An avid reader, Catherine was especially fond of the philosophers and writers of the Enlightenment. She exchanged letters with the French writer Voltaire, and writer Denis Diderot came to Russia to visit with her. In fact, Diderot was the one who gave Cathering her nickname, "Catherine the Great." With literary aspirations of her own, Catherine also wrote about her life in a collection of memoirs.
Romantic Life
The love life of Catherine II has been a topic of much speculation and misinformation. The rumors of bestiality have been debunked, but the royal did have numerous relationships during her reign. Catherine could not remarry, as it would jeopardize her position, and she had to appear chaste to the public. Behind the scenes, however, she seemed to have quite the sexual appetite.
According to most accounts, Catherine had around 12 lovers during her life. She had a system for managing her affairs—often bestowing gifts, honors and titles on those she liked, in order to win their favor. At each relationship's end, Catherine usually found a way to get her new paramour out of her hair. Gregory Potemkin, perhaps her most significant lover, spent many years as her favorite, and remained lifelong friends after their passions cooled.
In addition to her son Paul, who may or may not have been Peter III's son, Catherine had two other children: daughter, Anna Petrovna, with Stanislaus Poniatowski, and her son, Alexis Bobrinsky, with Gregory Orlov.
Final Days
By 1796, Catherine had enjoyed several decades as Russia's absolute ruler. She had a strained relationship with her son and heir, Paul, over her tight grip on power, but she enjoyed her grandchildren, especially the oldest one: Alexander. In her later years, Catherine continued to possess an active mind and a strong spirit. On November 17, 1796, however, she was found unconscious on the floor of her bathroom. It was thought at the time that she suffered a stroke.
Catherine, Russia's great empress, lingered on until the following night, but never regained consciousness. At the Winter Palace, her coffin lay in state next to the coffin of her late husband, Peter III. Her son, Paul, ordered the remains of his father to placed there, giving Peter III the funeral honors that he had not received after his assassination. Catherine II and Peter III were both laid to rest at the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul.
Catherine is often better remembered for her romantic liaisons than her many accomplishments. Historians have also criticized her for not improving the lives of serfs, who were the majority of the Russian population. Still, Catherine made some significant contributions to Russia. She brought educational reforms and championed the arts. As the country's leader, Catherine also helped Russia become a great power, extending its borders through military might and diplomatic prowess.
Katherine the Great
Lina Kostenko (Ukrainian: Ліна Василівна Костенко, born March 19, 1930 in Rzhyshchiv, Kiev Region, in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union) is a Ukrainian poet and writer, the recipient of the Shevchenko Award (1987).
Kostenko is a leading representative of Ukrainian poets of the sixties known as Shestydesiantnyky (dissidents). This group started publishing during the 1950s and reached its apex during the early 1960s. It the 1950s Kostenko published her first poems in major Ukrainian periodicals.
Kostenko was born in a family of teachers. In 1936, she moved from Rzhyshchiv to Kiev, where she finished her secondary education.
Lina graduated with distinction from the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow in 1956. She published three collections of poetry in 1957, 1958, and 1961. These books became very popular among her Ukrainian readers, however they also forced her into the publication silence as she was unwilling to submit to Soviet authorities. And this silence lasted for 16 years.
In 1977 (16 years later) her next major collection was published. She followed this with several more collections and a children's book called The Lilac King. In 1979 she published one of her greatest works, the historical novel in verse, Marusia Churai, about a 17th century Ukrainian folksinger. Her most recent collection is Berestechko, a book length historical poem.
Lesya Ukrainka
Lina Kostenko
Anne of Kiev
Anne of Kiev (or Anna Yaroslavna also called Agnes or Anne of Rus') was the Ruthenian queen consort of Henry I, and regent for her son Philip I.
Her parents were Yaroslav I the Wise, the Grand Prince of Kiev and Novgorod, and princess Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden, his second wife. She was born in Kiev, Ukraine between 1024 and 1032 and was the queen of France from 1051 to 1060.
After the death of his first wife, Matilda of Frisia, King Henry searched the courts of Europe for a suitable bride, but could not locate a princess who was not related to him within legal degrees of kinship. At last he sent an embassy to distant Kiev, which returned with Anne (also called Agnes). Anne and Henry got married at the cathedral of Reims on 19 May 1051. Her wedding and coronation took place in May 1049, the Holy Trinity Day, in the Cathedral of the city of Rheims, long the site of the coronation of French kings. During the coronation ceremony, which was conducted by the Archbishop of Rheims Guy de Chatilion, Anna took her oath placing her hand on the Gospel that she had brought from Kyiv. The Gospel was written in old Slavic language. This Gospel since then was used in the coronation ceremonies of the French kings all down the line until Louis XIX. The last French king to take an oath with his hand on this Gospel was Charles X (as king of France — 1824–1830). At present the book is kept in safety at the central library of the city of Rheims.
The new queen consort was not instantly attracted to her new realm. She wrote to her father that France was "a barbarous country where the houses are gloomy, the churches ugly and the customs revolting." Anna complained that the French could not write and read, and did not wash themselves. Anna of Kiev could write and read five languages, including Greek and Latin, while her husband Henry the First and his entire court could not write and read, and signed themselves with a cross. At her wedding banquet, she was shocked to have only three dishes, while at her father's court in Rus', she had five dinner dishes every day. Anna could ride a horse, was knowledgeable in politics, and actively participated in governing France, especially after her husband died. Many French documents bear her signature, written in old Slavic language (АНА РЪИНА, that is, Anna Regina, Anna the Queen). Pope Nicholas II, who was greatly surprised with Anne's great political abilities, wrote her a letter: "Honorable lady, the fame of your virtues has reached our ears, and, with great joy, we hear that you are performing your royal duties at this very Christian state with commendable zeal and brilliant mind." Henry the First respected his wife Anna so much that his many decrees bear the inscription "With the consent of my wife Anna" and "In the presence of Queen Anna". French historians point out that there are no other cases in the French history, when Royal decrees bear such inscriptions.
Anne was the founder of the St. Vincent Abbey.
Anne brought the name Philip to Western Europe. She imported this Greek name (Philippos, from philos and hippos, meaning "loves horses") from her Eastern Orthodox culture.
For six years after Henry's death in 1060, she served as regent for Philip, who was only eight at the time. She was the first queen of France to serve as regent. Her co-regent was Count Baldwin V of Flanders. Anne was a literate woman, rare for the time, but there was some opposition to her as regent on the grounds that her mastery of French was less than fluent.
A year after the king's death, Anne, acting as regent, took a passionate fancy for Count Ralph III of Valois, a man whose political ambition encouraged him to repudiate his wife in order to marry Anne in 1062. Accused of adultery, Ralph's wife appealed to Pope Alexander II, who excommunicated the couple. The young king Philip forgave his mother, which was just as well, since he was to find himself in a very similar predicament in the 1090s. Ralph died in September 1074, at which time Anne returned to the French court. She died in 1075, was buried at Villiers Abbey, La Ferte-Alais, Essonne, and her obits were celebrated on 5 September. All subsequent French kings were her progeny.
