Ivan Nikolajevich Rimsky-Korsakov, né ''Korsav'' (29 June 1754 in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

– 31 July 1831 in

) was a Russian courtier and lover of Catherine the Great from 1778 to 1779. He was a member of the same family which produced composer

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

Biography

Ivan Rimsky-Korsakov was introduced to Catherine by

Grigory Potemkin Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (, also , ;, rus, Князь Григо́рий Алекса́ндрович Потёмкин-Таври́ческий, Knjaz' Grigórij Aleksándrovich Potjómkin-Tavrícheskij, ɡrʲɪˈɡ ...

after he had been vetted by

Praskovja Bruce Countess Praskovya Aleksandrovna Bruce (Прасковья Александровна Брюс; née Rumyantseva; 1729–1785) was a Russian lady-in-waiting and noble, confidant of Catherine the Great. Life {{unsourced, section, date=October 202 ...

. Rumours that Catherine had her ladies-in-waiting 'test' her potential favorites are unsubstantiated by the historical record. Furthermore, Potemkin played an important role in Catherine's life, but there is no evidence to suggest that he literally picked and presented his successors in the bedchamber to Catherine. Catherine called Korsakov ''Pyrrhus'' because of his classic beauty, his singing and his violin playing. In 1779, Catherine caught him being unfaithful with Bruce. It is believed that she was directed to the right room by

Aleksandra von Engelhardt Countess Alexandra Branitskaya ( von Engelhardt, russian: Александра Васильевна Браницкая, pl, Aleksandra Branicka 'Braɲit͡ska'' 1754 – 15 September 1838), also known as ''Sanecka'' and Countess ''Branicka'', w ...

on the order of Potemkin, who wished for the fall of both Rimsky-Korsakov and Bruce. In that case, he succeeded since Rimsky-Korsakov and Bruce lost their positions at court. Rimsky-Korsakov lived the rest of his life in Brattsevo, near Moscow, in a relationship with the married Countess Stroganova, née Princess Ekaterina Petrovna Trubetskaya, with whom he had four children (Varvara, Vladimir, Vassily and Sophia). They were given the name Ladomirsky, the name of an extinct Polish noble family, and were ennobled by an imperial

ukaze In Imperial Russia, a ukase () or ukaz (russian: указ ) was a proclamation of the tsar, government, or a religious leader (patriarch) that had the force of law. "Edict" and "decree" are adequate translations using the terminology and concepts ...

on 11 November 1798. Varvara Ivanovna Ladomirsky married Ivan Dimitrievich Narishkin and was the great-great-grandmother of Prince

Felix Yussupov Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston (russian: Князь Фе́ликс Фе́ликсович Юсу́пов, Граф Сумаро́ков-Эльстон, Knyaz' Féliks Féliksovich Yusúpov, Graf Sumarókov-El'ston; – ...

References

* Marie Tetzlaff : ''Katarina den Stora'' (Catherine the Great) (1997) (In Swedish) * Simon Sebac Montefiore : ''Potemkin och Katarina den stora – en kejserlig förbindelse'' (Potemkin and Catherine the Great – an imperial commitment) (2006) (In Swedish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rimsky-Korsakov, Ivan 1754 births 1831 deaths 18th-century people from the Russian Empire 19th-century people from the Russian Empire Lovers of Catherine the Great Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)