Anna Vyrubova
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Anna Alexandrovna Vyrubova (''née'' Taneyeva; ; 16 July 1884 – 20 July 1964) was a
lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...
in the late
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
, the best friend and confidante of
Empress The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
Alexandra Fyodorovna.


Early life

Anna Alexandrovna Taneeva was born in Oranienbaum as the daughter of Aleksandr Taneyev, Chief Steward to His Majesty's Chancellery and a noted composer. Her mother, Countess Nadezhda
Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using pre-reform Russian orthography. ; ), usually referr ...
(1860-1937), descended from Field Marshal Mikhail Golenishchev-Kutuzov, Prince of Smolensk. These connections allowed her to become attached to the imperial court at an early age. She had two younger siblings: Sergei and
Alexandra Alexandra () is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander (, ). Etymology, Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; genitive, GEN , ; ...
. She was a childhood friend of Felix Yussupov, who later spearheaded the murder of
Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, through whom he gained considerable influence in the final ye ...
. Yussupov found her unattractive:


Life at court

The Tsarina valued Anna's devotion to her and befriended her, ignoring women of more distinction at the court. In 1905, at the age of twenty, she was given a position at court for the first time. She went on holidays with the Romanovs in three succeeding years. In 1907, Anna married Alexander Vasilievich Vyrubov (1880-1919), a Russian nobleman and an officer appointed in the Imperial chancellery. A few days before, she was warned by Rasputin that the marriage would be an unhappy one. According to Vyrubova, her husband was mad and went for treatment in Switzerland. The couple divorced within a year and a half. It is said that her husband was upset after he found out she had contacted Rasputin. In her memoirs, Rasputin's daughter Maria claimed that Vyrubova was raped on her wedding night and that Vyrubov "pounced upon her as one would another man in a bathroom brawl and proceeded to beat her as he shouted all sorts of obscenities, most of which she didn't understand." Vyrubova's mother reportedly told interrogators following the
February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...
that her son-in-law "proved to be completely impotent, with an extremely perverse sexual psychology that manifested itself in various sadistic episodes in which he inflicted moral suffering on her and evoked a feeling of utter disgust." Vyrubova became one of Rasputin's adherents and on the order of the Tsarina, she went on a trip to his home village of Pokrovskoye to investigate the rumours about Rasputin. She visited some monasteries in the area.The Real Tsaritsa by Madame Lili Dehn
Alexanderpalace.org. Retrieved on 15 July 2018.
Vyrubova's importance grew at the court, as the friendship with Milica of Montenegro and her sister
Anastasia Anastasia (from ) is a feminine given name of Greek and Slavic origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe. Origin The name Anastasia originated during the Early Christianity, early d ...
deteriorated. "With the death of Father
John of Kronstadt John of Kronstadt or John Iliytch Sergieff (Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform ; 1829 – ) was a Russian Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Archpriest#In Byzantine Christianity, archpriest and a member of the Most ...
, "Father" Grigori became, in her eyes, the only mediator with God, the only man with effective prayers. He was called to replace Father John." In 1909 she received to
hieromonk A hieromonk,; Church Slavonic, Slavonic: ''Иеромонахъ''; ; ; ; ; Albanian language, Albanian: ''Hieromurg'' also called a priestmonk, is a person who is both monk and Priest#Roman Catholic and Orthodox, priest in the Eastern Christianity ...
Iliodor in her house for a meeting with the Tsar. Around Easter 1912 Vyrubova stashed Rasputin on a train to Yalta, so he could visit the Imperial family in the Livadia Palace on the Crimea.


Rasputin

In early October 1912, during a grave crisis in
Spała Spała is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Inowłódz, within Tomaszów Mazowiecki County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It lies on the Pilica River, approximately west of Inowłódz, east of Tomaszów Mazowiecki, and ...
, in
Russian Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish people, Polish State (polity), state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of ...
, the
Tsarevich Alexei Grand Duke Alexei Petrovich of Russia (28 February 1690 – 26 June 1718) was a Russian Tsarevich. He was born in Moscow, the son of Tsar Peter I and his first wife, Eudoxia Lopukhina. Alexei did not get along with his father and repeatedly ...
received the last sacrament. The desperate Tsarina turned to Vyrubova to secure the help of the peasant healer, who at that time was out of favor. (The basis for the denunciation of Rasputin as a Khlyst was his participation in mixed bathing, a perfectly usual custom among the peasants of many parts of Siberia.)Vyrubova, p. 388. For a long time, she served as a go-between for the Tsarina and Rasputin. In the Summer of 1914, Vyrubova received a cable from Rasputin, recovering from the attack by Khioniya Guseva in a Tyumen hospital. She had to show it directly to the Tsar Nicholas II. Rasputin was fearful of the consequences of war with Germany. Nicholas had been furious, but Anna arranged a reunion. While seldom meeting with Alexandra personally after the debate in the Imperial Duma, Rasputin had become her personal adviser after the Tsar took supreme command of the Russian armies in the field on 23 August 1915 ( O.S.), hoping this would lift morale. All contacts between the Tsarina and Rasputin went through Vyrubova; every morning at ten she phoned Rasputin and he came to visit her lemon-yellow house in
Tsarskoye Selo Tsarskoye Selo (, , ) was the town containing a former residence of the Russian House of Romanov, imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the center of Saint Petersburg. The residence now forms part of the Pushkin, Saint Peter ...
to meet Alexandra. The Tsar's biggest concern was that Alexandra might share information with others. During World War I, she trained as a
Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
nurse Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...
and nursed soldiers along with the Tsarina and the Tsarina's two older daughters, The Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana. Vyrubova was severely injured in a train accident between the capital and Tsarskoye Selo in January 1915; the convalescent Vyrubova found herself a
paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neura ...
, but credited Rasputin with saving her life with his prayers.Vyrubova In September 1916 she, Lili Dehn and Rasputin went to Tobolsk to pay tribute to
John of Tobolsk John of Tobolsk (; 1651–1715, born as Ioann Maksimovich Vasilkovskiy (, , ''Ivan Maksymovych Vasylkivskyi'') was a teacher, writer and clergyman of Ukrainian Cossack origin, who served as the Orthodox archbishop of Chernihiv and Novhorod-Siv ...
, who had been glorified. Vyrubova started a hospital with the money she received from the train company as compensation. Protopopov came to visit the hospital almost every day. She also planned to build a church dedicated to
Seraphim of Sarov Seraphim of Sarov (; – ), born Prókhor Isídorovich Moshnín (Mashnín) ро́хор Иси́дорович Мошни́н (Машни́н) is one of the most renowned Russian saints and is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and t ...
on her property. (Rasputin would be buried on the spot.) On Friday evening 16 December 1916 Rasputin told Vyrubova, who presented him a small
icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...
, signed and dated at the back by the Tsarina and her daughters, of a proposed midnight visit to Prince Yusupov in his
Moika Palace The Palace of the Yusupovs on the Moika (), known as the Moika Palace or Yusupov Palace, is a former residence of the Russian noble House of Yusupov in St. Petersburg, Russia, now a museum. The building was the site of Grigori Rasputin's murder ...
to meet his wife. The next morning Rasputin's disappearance was reported by his daughter to Vyrubova. When Vyrubova spoke of it to the Empress, Alexandra pointed out that Irina Aleksandrovna Romanova was absent from Petrograd. An investigation followed and Prince Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitri were placed under house arrest in the Sergei Palace. The Tsarina had refused to meet the two but was told by Anna they could explain what had happened in a letter. Two days later Rasputin's body was found near Bolshoy Petrovsky Bridge. His body was taken to the Chesmensky Almshouse for autopsy. In the middle of the night, Vyrubova and the Tsarina brought some clothes to the almshouse. On 21 December Rasputin's body was taken in a zinc coffin from the Chesme Church to be buried in a secret location in a corner on the property of Vyrubova adjacent to the palace. The burial was attended by the Imperial couple with their daughters – the
tsesarevich Tsesarevich (, ) was the title of the heir apparent or heir presumptive, presumptive in the Russian Empire. It either preceded or replaced the Eastern Slavic naming customs, given name and patronymic. Usage It is often confused with the much ...
was too ill, Vyrubova, her maid, and a few of Rasputin's friends, as Colonel Loman and Lili Dehn. It is unclear if
Maria Rasputin Maria Rasputina (born Matryona Grigorievna Rasputina, ; 27 March 1898 – 27 September 1977) was the daughter of Grigori Rasputin and his wife Praskovya Fyodorovna Dubrovina. She wrote three memoirs about her father, dealing with Nicholas II ...
was there. On 11 March 1917, following the
February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...
, the coffin with Rasputin was dug up and transported to
Saint Petersburg State Polytechnical University Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, abbreviated as SPbPU, is a public technical university located in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Over the decades, it established itself as a cornerstone of technical education and research, ulti ...
, and cremated in the cauldrons of the nearby boiler shop, without leaving a single trace.


Later life

Sick with
measles Measles (probably from Middle Dutch or Middle High German ''masel(e)'', meaning "blemish, blood blister") is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable infectious disease caused by Measles morbillivirus, measles v ...
, Anna Vyrubova was arrested on 21 March 1917 and underwent five months of prison in the
Peter and Paul Fortress The Peter and Paul Fortress () is the original citadel of Saint Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706 to 1740 as a star fortress. Between the first half of the 1700s and early ...
, which included a medical examination to prove her
virginity Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereo ...
. The interrogation on her political role started on 6 May. Vyrubova admitted she saw Rasputin once or twice a week but feigned a childish innocence.Fuhrmann, p. 237. The investigator concluded that she was too naïve and unintelligent to have had any influence over the Tsarina. In Anna's own memoirs, she describes her perils in prison and her narrow escape from execution when, miraculously, she met several old friends of her father on a St. Petersburg street who helped her escape. She endured much hardship avoiding the Bolsheviks, and she was able to escape to
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
only in December 1920. Before leaving the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, she became friends with the revolutionary writer
Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (;  – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (; ), was a Russian and Soviet writer and proponent of socialism. He was nominated five times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Before his success as an aut ...
, who urged her to write her memoirs; she followed his advice. She met with Zinaida Gippius,
Alexander Blok Alexander Alexandrovich Blok ( rus, Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Бло́к, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɐlʲɪˈksandrəvʲɪtɕ ˈblok, a=Ru-Alyeksandr Alyeksandrovich Blok.oga; 7 August 1921) was a Russian lyrical poet, writer, publ ...
and Valery Bryusov. Her memories of life at court provided rare descriptions of the home life of the Tsar and his family. Vyrubova spent the rest of her life first in Viipuri and later in
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
. She took vows as a Russian Orthodox nun but was permitted to live in a private home because of her physical disabilities. On 20 July 1964, she died at the age of 80, in Helsinki, where she was buried in the Orthodox section of Hietaniemi cemetery.


References


Sources

* *Maylunas, Andrei, and Mironenko, Sergei, eds.; Galy, Darya, translator, ''A Lifelong Passion: Nicholas and Alexandra: Their Own Story,'' Doubleday, 1997 * Nelipa, Margarita (2010) ''The Murder of Grigorii Rasputin. A Conspiracy That Brought Down the Russian Empire'', Gilbert's Books. . *Radzinsky, Edvard (2000) ''The Rasputin File,'' Doubleday. *Vyrubova, Anna (1923
''Memories of the Russian Court''
*Virubova, Anna Taneleff & Irmeli Viherjuuri, ''Anna Virubova: Keisarinnan Hovineiti''. Otava, 1987. . *Gilliard, Pierre (1921),
Thirteen Years at the Russian Court
'. Ch. 13: "Tsar at the Duma – Galacia – Life at G.Q.H. – Growing Disaffection".


External links



by Anna Vyrubova

by an American Reporter, Rheta Childe Dorr
Anna's Grave
in Helsinki {{DEFAULTSORT:Vyrubova, Anna 1884 births 1964 deaths Nobility from the Russian Empire Memoirists from the Russian Empire Ladies-in-waiting from the Russian Empire Russian women in World War I Women writers from the Russian Empire White Russian emigrants to Finland Russian women memoirists 20th-century Russian memoirists Court of Nicholas II of Russia Nurses from the Russian Empire