Mavra Yegorovna Shuvalov,

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Shepeleva, (April 23 (4 May) 1708 – 9 (20) June 1759), was a Russian

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 ...

socialite A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having ...

and

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

and a confidante of Empress

Elizabeth of Russia Elizabeth or Elizaveta Petrovna (; ) was Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular List of Russian rulers, Russian monarchs because of her decision not to execute a single person during her reign, ...

. She was in 1742 married to Count

Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov Count Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov (; 1711 – ) was a Russian statesman and Field Marshal who, together with his brother Aleksandr Shuvalov, paved the way for the elevation of the Shuvalov family to the highest offices of the Russian Empire. He is ...

. She played an influential role in Russia during the reign of Elizabeth.

Biography

She was born in a noble

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

family and was in 1719 appointed maid of honor to Princess

Anna Petrovna Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia (; 27 January 1708 – 4 March 1728) was the eldest daughter of Peter the Great, Emperor Peter I of Russia and his wife Catherine I of Russia, Empress Catherine I. Her younger sister, Elizabeth of Russ ...

. With a cheerful disposition and boldness, she became a favorite at court and a friend of princess Elizabeth. She followed Anna to

Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

in 1727, but corresponded with Elizabeth. Upon the accession of Elizabeth (1741), she was arranged to marry Shuvalov (1742), which was a beneficial match and thought to have been arranged by her influence on Elizabeth. The marriage was not particularly happy: the reports of foreign diplomats from Russia reported stories about the countless' betrayals of Shuvalov. However, with regard to obtaining and preserving power, privilege, wealth, the spouses understood each other and acted together, as a united and energetic team. Elizabeth, although there were times and cooling, retained affection for her friend for life. In particular, she loved and appreciated her clear and sarcastic wit, cheerful character, because she always had in reserve a funny joke. Contemporaries preserved, however, memory of another Shuvalova: being invariably cheerful, witty and searchingly with the powerful, Shuvalova was arrogant and rude to those who lacked power. She willingly helped a protégé, but at the same time, she pursued revenge on people who displeased her. She was known to gather peoples secret, and even

Kirill Razumovsky Count Kirill Grigoryevich Razumovsky or Razumovski (also known as ''Cyril Razumovski''; ; ; Oleksander Ohloblyn. Rozumovsky, Kyrylo'. Encyclopedia of Ukraine – ) was a Russian statesman of Ukrainian Cossack origin who served as the last ...

was sometimes forced to crouch in front of her. She was described as a devoted and loving spouse and parent, loved good food and drink and gambling. Despite never having a formal position in cabinet, she exerted a large influence upon policy.

References

* Шувалова, Мавра Егоровна // Русский биографический словарь : в 25 томах. — СПб.—М., 1896—1918. {{DEFAULTSORT:Shuvalov, Mavra Yegorovna 1708 births 1759 deaths Ladies-in-waiting from the Russian Empire

Mavra ''Mavra'' () is a one-act comic opera composed by Igor Stravinsky, and one of the earliest works of Stravinsky's neo-classical period. The libretto, by Boris Kochno, is based on Alexander Pushkin's ''The Little House in Kolomna''. Mavra is about ...

Countesses of the Russian Empire State Ladies from the Russian Empire