11 Great Women From Russia's History

Apr 04, 2018 - 10:53 am

Yekaterina Romanovna Vorontsova-Dashkova. A close friend of Catherine the Great and a key figure in the Russian Enlightenment of the 18th century, Princess Dashkova was known for her intellect and remarkable knowledge and appreciation for literature. Highly educated and an alumnus of the University of Moscow, Princess Dashkova strived to elevate Russia’s literary status within Europe and at 39 became the first woman in the world to head a national academy of art and sciences, now known as the Russian Academy of Sciences. Beyond this, she also edited a monthly magazine and wrote at least two plays: The Marriage of Fabian, and a comedy entitled Toissiokoff. Public Domain

Saint Blessed Ksenia of St. Petersburg. After the death of her husband at 26, patron saint of St. Petersburg Ksenia spent 45 years wandering the streets and helping the poor, unemployed, homeless and in need. Often wearing her late husband’s military uniform and going by his name, she is said to have given up all her possessions and is now venerated in several countries for her acts of faith. Public Domain

Sophia Kovalevskaya. A pioneer for women in mathematics around the world, Sofia Kovalevskaya was the first woman to receive a doctorate in maths, to receive a full professorship in Northern Europe and one of the first to work as an editor for a scientific journal. All of this was done before Kovalevskaya died at the age of 41, and before the turn of the 20th century. Public Domain

Anna Akhmatova. Anna Gorenko, better known by her pen name Anna Akhmatova, remains one of the most prolific Russian poets of the 20th century. Akhmatova’s life was rooted in loss: her first husband died during the revolution, and her son and spent many years in the Gulag. What came across through Akhmatova’s work is her unique style of self-restraint and composure, which had yet to be seen in any of her peers. Her work was nominated for a Nobel prize in 1965 and the year after, when she died. Public Domain / Olga Kardovskaya

Yevgenia Zhigulenko. Awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ in 1945, Yevgenia Zhigulenko was a navigator in the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment in World War II. As head of the “Night Witches” flying bombers, she performed a total of 968 combat missions. After the war, she remained on active duty and eventually went on to direct two major films. Public Domain

Alexandra Kollontai. A Russian community revolutionary, Alexandra Kollontai was a member of the Mensheviks, then the Bolshoviks. In 1919 she founded the Women’s Department, committed to improving the lives of women in the Soviet Union with education and awareness of laws. A supporter of free love and non-traditional roles for men and women, Kollontai also held international positions that began as diplomatic counsellor to the Soviet legation in Norway in 1923. Public Domain

Valentina Tereshkova. Honorarily inducted into the Soviet Air Force in 1963, Valentina Tereshkova became the first civilian, and the first woman, to go to space. Originally a textile factory worker and an amateur skydiver, Tereshkova gained worldwide fame and admiration as the only woman ever to have been on a solo space mission. Following her success in space with 48 orbits of the earth, she stayed closer to the ground as a prominent member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. RIA Novosti archive / Alexander Mokletsov / CC-BY-SA 3.0

Natalya Gorbanevskaya. Natalya Gorbanevskaya was a Russian poet, translator and a civil rights activist. From 1968, she was involved in the Soviet Union dissident movement and became founder and first editor of ‘A Chronicle of Current Events,’ a privately circulated publication focused on the violation of basic human rights in the Soviet Union. One of eight protesters in the Red Square demonstration against the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia, Gorbanevskaya was put into a psychiatric hospital for two years before leaving the USSR for France in 1977, eventually becoming a Polish citizen in 2005. Youtube

Maya Plisetskaya. A star of the stage, ballerina Maya Plisetskaya was a dancer and a member of the Bolshoi, where was titled ‘prima ballerina assoluta,’ a rare title given only to the most talented and exceptional dancers. With a great interest in new styles and forms of dance, Plisetskaya starred in many roles through her career including Romeo & Juliet, Swan Lake and Isadora. In 1967, Carmen Suite was written specially for her, becoming her favorite role and what cemented her as an icon in the industry. Despite a childhood of political repression that led to the execution of her father and imprisonment of her mother and brother, Plisetskaya refused to defect even in later years, unlike other traveling dancers. She remained a member of the Bolshoi until 1990. RIA Novosti archive / Mikhail Ozerskiy / CC-BY-SA 3.0

Marina Tsvetayeva. Living through the 1917 revolution and the famine that followed, Marina Tsvetayeva is considered one of the greatest poets of her time. One of her own daughters died of starvation in 1919, and even after leaving Russia in 1922 for various European cities, her family continued to live in poverty. Upon their return to Moscow in 1939, her husband and daughter were arrested on charges of espionage, and her husband was executed. Tsvetayeva’s life came to end when, after refusing to act as an informant, she hung herself at the age of 41. Much of her work was republished after 1961, and this has brought increasing recognition to her as a poet. Public Domain

Natalia Goncharova. A founder of the Russian avant garde movement and a part of a generation that relentlessly explored different styles in art, Natalia Goncharova’s work went beyond painting into illustration, set design, costume design and writing. After a number of students were expelled from the institution she was enrolled in, Goncharova became part of Moscow's first radical independent exhibiting group, the ‘Jack of Diamonds.’ Goncharova became known for Rayonism, an abstract style of art she and lifelong lover and partner Mikhail Larionov developed in Moscow in 1911. Today, her work can be seen displayed in exhibitions and institutions around the world. Public Domain

Among Russia’s many great citizens over the centuries, women are often overlooked. From inventors and engineers to musicians and activists, here are some of Russia’s leading women throughout history.

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