Shakherov Vadim P.,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Three Lives of “Princess Helena”. Personality of E.P. Rotcheva in the Context of Russianand American History
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2019-3-1
In pre-revolutionary Russia it was extremely difficult for women to show their abilitiesand attract any noticeable attention of contemporaries. For the most part, they remained a weakshadow of their husband, completely dependent on them, which fully corresponded to thepatriarchal and Domostroi traditions of family life, sanctified by the Church foundations ofmarriage. Only a few of them were able to express themselves as independent and activepersonalities. One of them was Elena Rotcheva, whose life and activity is the subject of the article.Based on the scattered information published in Russian and American literature, the articleattempts to analyze the formation of her views, to determine the motivation of her participation inthe public life in Russia and the role she played in the history of Northern California and Irkutsk. Inthe history of her life there are three periods different in time and events, each of which is quiteindependent and quite self-sufficient for any woman of that time. At the first stage, we still see ayoung girl, well - mannered and educated, capable of decisive actions and ready to break with hersurroundings. The second, the American period, is a romantic time of acquaintance with the worldand new Russian territories overseas, the desire not only to correspond to the spouse in theperformance of his official duties, but also to somehow arrange, culturally and intellectually the lifeof the family and close environment in the then wild lands Northern California. Finally, her stay inIrkutsk became for her an opportunity to realize ideas and accumulated knowledge in educationaland social life. The salon of Rotcheva, which was visited by the Decembrists and the Petrashevists,became one of the places where the Irkutsk people had the opportunity to get acquainted with theillegal publications of the free press and discuss the latest political news and to criticize the actionsof the provincial administration. Thus, Rotcheva's biography is an interesting example of a strongand integral personality, who managed, despite the class prejudices under the conditions of the pre-reform period, to realize her potential and earn public recognition.
Publishing: 30/06/2019
How to cite: Shakherov V.P. Three Lives of “Princess Helena”. Personality of E.P. Rotcheva in the Context of Russianand American History // Historical Courier, 2019, # 3 (5). Article 1. [Available online:] http://istkurier.ru/data/2019/ISTKURIER-2019-3-01.pdf
Links: Issue 3 2019
Keywords: Elena Rotcheva; Russian-American company; Russian America; Fort Ross; Irkutsk;Siropitalny house