Nadezhda Andreevna Durova

Nadezhda Durowa

Nadeschda Andrejewna Durowa ( Russian: Надежда Андреевна Дурова ; * September 6th ^July / September 17, 1783 ^greg. In Kiev ; † March 21, ^July / April 2, 1866 ^greg. In Jelabuga ) was a Russian cavalrywoman and author. She was the first woman to serve as an officer in the Russian army .

Life

Nadezhda Durowa was the daughter of a Russian officer and grew up like a boy. Disguised as a man, she entered the Russian army in 1806 under the name Alexander Durow and took part in the Battle of Friedland a year later . When her father made inquiries about her whereabouts, her identity was discovered. The Russian Tsar Alexander I then personally offered her an honorable discharge; however, she decided to join the army and received an officer license from the tsar .

In 1812 she fought in the Battle of Borodino . After withdrawing from Moscow, she fell ill and had to leave the army. After she was able to work again, she took part in the wars of liberation and was involved in the enclosure of Hamburg . She said goodbye in 1816 because her father had asked her to look after him. She left the army as a staff rittmeister and knight of the Order of St. George.

Biographical contradictions

Her autobiography was translated into German by Rainer Schwarz . The book contains some contradictions. Nadezhda Durowa wrote that she was 16 when she joined the army, but in fact she must have been 23. Viktor Afanasyev mentions in his biographical note that she was married in 1801 and had a son in 1803. She doesn't mention it at all, according to her statements she was only 11 or 13 years old at the time.

Remarks

^ The Officer, page 52

Works

The officer. The unusual life of the cavalrywoman Nadeshda Durowa tells about herself. With a biographical note from Viktor Afanasjew, Leipzig, Gustav Kiepenheuer Verlag 1994; ISBN 3-378-00557-2

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Durowa, Nadeschda Andreevna
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Дурова, Надежда Андреевна (Russian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Russian cavalryman and author
DATE OF BIRTH	September 17, 1783
PLACE OF BIRTH	Kiev
DATE OF DEATH	April 2, 1866
Place of death	Yelabuga

[1] The Officer, page 52