Nikolai Putyatin

Prince Nikolai Abramovich Putyatin, also romanized Putiatin, Puttiatin or Poutiatine (16 May 1749 – 13 January 1830) was a philanthropist, philosopher and eccentric personality from the Rurikid dynasty. Life Born in Kiev, Prince Putyatin joined the Russian army early in his life. After having to oversee a brutal punishment as an officer, he left the service. He learned about architecture and garden arts, and contributed to the Gardens of Tsarskoye Selo. His talent and technical skills earned him a supervising position for public buildings at the court in Saint Petersburg. He was later promoted to Kammerherr and Geheimrat at the imperial court. There he met and fell in love with Elisabeth von Sievers, the daughter of the court's chamberlain Karl von Sievers. Her husband was the influential Russian governor Jacob Johann von Sievers, a relative and protégé of her father. The long-lasting love affair culminated in 1778 into a scandal at the court, followed by her divorce and marriage to Putyatin. Elisabeth von Sievers had three daughters: Cathinca (born 1770), Benedicta (born 1773) and Elisabeth (born 1776). Her divorce allowed her only to keep Benedicta with her. It is likely that the new couple had to commit to keep the new marriage free of new children, as new legitimate heirs would have endangered the heritage of the two daughters, who remained with Jacob Johann von Sievers. The couple and Benedicta left the Russian court and traveled several years throughout Europe.