Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova ( rus, Да́рья Никола́евна Салтыко́ва; , Ива́нова; March 11, 1730 – December 27, 1801), commonly known as Saltychikha ( rus, Салтычи́ха, p=səltɨˈt͡ɕixə), was a Russian noblewoman, sadist, and

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

from

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

. She became notorious for torturing and killing many of her serfs, mostly females. Saltykova has been compared by many to the Hungarian "Blood Countess," Elizabeth Báthory (1560-1614), who allegedly committed similar crimes in her home, Čachtice Castle, against servant girls and local serfs, although historians debate the accuracy of these charges.

Early life

Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova was born into a rich and ancient Russian noble family. Her father was Nikolai Avtonomovich Ivanov and her mother Anna Ivanovna Davydova.

Marriage and family

Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova married the nobleman Gleb Alexeyevich Saltykov, uncle of

Nikolai Saltykov Count, then Prince Nikolay Ivanovich Saltykov (russian: Николай Иванович Салтыков, 31 October 1736 – 28 May 1816), a member of the Saltykov noble family, was a Russian Imperial Field Marshal and courtier best known ...

, member of the famous Saltykov family. She had two sons: Theodore (1750–1801) and Nicholas (1751-1775). Darya Saltykova was widowed in 1755, at the age of 25. With her husband's death, she inherited a substantial estate, where she lived with her two young sons and a great number of serfs.

Sadist and serial killer

Many early complaints to authorities about the deaths at the Saltykova estate were ignored, or resulted in punishment for complaining. Saltykova was well connected with those in power at the Russian royal court and with the Russian nobility. Eventually, relatives of the murdered women were able to bring a petition before Empress

Catherine II , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...

. Catherine decided to try Saltykova publicly, in order to further her "lawfulness" initiative. Saltykova was arrested in 1762. Saltykova was held for six years, until 1768, while the authorities conducted a painstaking investigation. Catherine's

Collegium of Justice The Collegium of Justice (also College) was a Russian executive body (collegium A (plural ), or college, was any association in ancient Rome that acted as a legal entity. Following the passage of the ''Lex Julia'' during the reign of Julius ...

questioned many witnesses and examined the records of the Saltykov estate. The investigating official counted as many as 138 suspicious deaths, of which the vast majority were attributed to Saltykova. Saltykova was found guilty of having killed 38 female serfs by beating and torturing them to death, but the Empress Catherine was unsure how to punish her; the death penalty was abolished in Russia in 1754, and the new Empress needed the support of the nobility.

Imprisonment and death

In 1768, Saltykova was chained on a public platform in

for one hour, with a sign around her neck with the text: "This woman has tortured and murdered."Sebag Montefiore, Simon, Potemkin och Katarina den stora: en kejserlig förbindelse, Prisma, Stockholm, 2005 Many people came to look at her while she was being scornfully ridiculed. Afterward, Saltykova was sent for life imprisonment in the cellar of

Ivanovsky Convent Ivanovsky Convent (Ивановский монастырь) is a large stauropegic Russian Orthodox convent in central Moscow, inside the Boulevard Ring, to the west of Kitai-gorod, in the district formerly known as Kulishki. It is the main shri ...

in Moscow. Saltykova died on December 9, 1801 and was buried next to her relatives in the

Donskoy Monastery Donskoy Monastery (russian: Донско́й монасты́рь) is a major monastery in Moscow, founded in 1591 in commemoration of Moscow's deliverance from the threat of an invasion by the Crimean Khan Kazy-Girey. Commanding a highway to ...

necropolis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saltykova, Darya Nikolayevna 1730 births 1801 deaths 18th-century landowners 18th-century women from the Russian Empire People convicted of murder by Russia Criminals from Moscow Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Russia Russian female serial killers Russian landowners Russian murderers of children Russian people convicted of murder Russian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Nobility from Moscow Serial killers who died in prison custody

Early life

Marriage and family

Sadist and serial killer

Imprisonment and death

See also

References