Natalia Orlova (1782–1819) was one of the daughters of Count Vladimir Orlov. She was the youngest child in the family, and naturally, everybody loved her. She got a good home school education: just like her father, she was a voracious reader, enjoyed thinking and reasoning, and had a knack for foreign languages. Another thing she inherited from her father was a love of nature and an ability to see the beauty in nature and enjoy observing it.
Lev Davydov, his wife Ekaterina, and their son Pyotr were frequent guests at the Orlovs'. Pyotr was two years Natalia’s senior. When he saw her, it was love at first sight. The Davydovs still have a story about how Chevalier Guard Pyotr Davydov and the young Natalia Orlova fell for each other. Speaking in French, he asked Count Vladimir for permission to visit his home. The count replied: “You sure can, but why speak French?” Orlov had a good command of several languages but preferred to speak Russian and taught his children to do so as well.
Pyotr soon proposed to Natalia, and she said yes. Since intellectualism was a prerequisite if the young man wanted to join the hyperactive family of Count Vladimir Orlov, he soon started taking English lessons from Natalia but did not excel in it. The wedding was held in 1803. The newlyweds went on to have five children; however, their daughter Lyubov died in infancy. They named their son after his grandfather, Vladimir. Later, he would go on to get permission to use the last name of Orlov-Davydov and pass it on to his descendants.
Pyotr Davydov served as an equestrian at the court of Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna. In February 1812, as a major, he was in the detachment of Count Mikhail Miloradovich, which was supposed to defend the village of Semyonovskoye—home to the Orlovs' Solace family estate—from the French and prevent them from entering it. The French never did, and later, Russian supply trains carrying wounded soldiers and food supplies passed through it.
Like many Russian nobles, the Orlovs and Davydovs left Moscow and stayed in their outlying estates. Natalia and her three children stayed with her parents during this time. In 1817, she got sick. Pyotr retired and took his wife and three children to Italy, leaving their daughter Elizaveta with the old Count Orlov. Natalia died in Pisa, Italy, in 1819, at the age of 37.
Lev Davydov, his wife Ekaterina, and their son Pyotr were frequent guests at the Orlovs'. Pyotr was two years Natalia’s senior. When he saw her, it was love at first sight. The Davydovs still have a story about how Chevalier Guard Pyotr Davydov and the young Natalia Orlova fell for each other. Speaking in French, he asked Count Vladimir for permission to visit his home. The count replied: “You sure can, but why speak French?” Orlov had a good command of several languages but preferred to speak Russian and taught his children to do so as well.
Pyotr soon proposed to Natalia, and she said yes. Since intellectualism was a prerequisite if the young man wanted to join the hyperactive family of Count Vladimir Orlov, he soon started taking English lessons from Natalia but did not excel in it. The wedding was held in 1803. The newlyweds went on to have five children; however, their daughter Lyubov died in infancy. They named their son after his grandfather, Vladimir. Later, he would go on to get permission to use the last name of Orlov-Davydov and pass it on to his descendants.
Pyotr Davydov served as an equestrian at the court of Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna. In February 1812, as a major, he was in the detachment of Count Mikhail Miloradovich, which was supposed to defend the village of Semyonovskoye—home to the Orlovs' Solace family estate—from the French and prevent them from entering it. The French never did, and later, Russian supply trains carrying wounded soldiers and food supplies passed through it.
Like many Russian nobles, the Orlovs and Davydovs left Moscow and stayed in their outlying estates. Natalia and her three children stayed with her parents during this time. In 1817, she got sick. Pyotr retired and took his wife and three children to Italy, leaving their daughter Elizaveta with the old Count Orlov. Natalia died in Pisa, Italy, in 1819, at the age of 37.
