Countess Yekaterina Petrovna Rostopchina (Russian: Екатерина Петровна Ростопчина; 1776 – 14 September 1859) was a Russian aristocrat and writer. She was married to Fyodor Rostopchin, who served as governor of Moscow during the French Invasion of Russia.
Contents
Early life
Yekaterina was the second of five daughters born to Senator Lieutenant General Pyotr S. Protasov (died 1794) and his wife Alexandra Ivanovna (died 1782). She had four sisters:
Alexandra Petrovna (1774–1842), married Prince Alexei Golitsyn
Varvara Petrovna, died unmarried
Vera Petrovna (1780–1814), married Hilarion Vasilyevich Vasilchikov
Anna Petrovna, married Count Bartholomew Vasilyevich Tolstoy
Yekaterina and her sisters were orphaned at an early age. They were raised by their aunt, Anna Stepanovna Protasova, who was a lady-in-waiting and a personal friend of Empress Catherine the Great. Protasova ensured that her nieces received an excellent education, most notably in foreign languages, including Latin, Greek but neglecting Russian. They were also not so well educated in Russian history and religion. At the time of Alexander I's coronation, each of the unmarried sisters received the title of countess at their aunt's request.