Anna Ivanova, from Czarist Russia to Paris 

Only historical figures are real.

                Napoleon in Russia

On June 23, 1812, the day Napoleon I's Grande Armée crossed the Niemen, Anna Ivanova ^I had no idea that her life would change a few weeks later. Living in the most perfect ease, surrounded by servants, who were nothing but serfs, she led her life as a chatelaine in the castle of Kalouga ² . The age difference with the Count General did not matter to her. For a long time Tsar Alexander I had been expecting an attack from Napoleon which had only one goal: to conquer Europe, so it was not a real surprise.

General Arkadiy Ivanov, like all the chiefs of staff of the army, was quickly called to participate in the development of a defense plan to face the five hundred and seventy thousand men of the army imperial.

The beautiful woman that was Anna Ivanova was not particularly affected by the idea of ​​this departure. At the beginning of the summer of 1812 nature exploded after the long winter which had largely encroached on the spring. Anna had contributed to her husband's departure preparations. He would make the trip to the Tsar's palace in St. Petersburg in less than two weeks if the state of the roads allowed it. He would be assisted by his aide-de-camp Colonel Kropotkin and several coachmen and grooms as well as trusted men-at-arms. It had been planned three sedans drawn by two horses each. The relays (every forty versts) would provide for changes of horses, they would halt for the night every two or three relays.

Anna Ivanova was alone now (surrounded by her servants), the general was heading for St Petersburg, before his hasty departure he had not failed to "entrust" his young wife to the estate steward, was the latter flattered?

She sometimes remembered the good times of her childhood spent on the lands of her father Piotr Fédérov at the castle of Pechora in the Urals. It was in the gardens of this castle that it was permitted, on certain summer afternoons, for the children of Piotr Federov and Natalia Federova, his wife, to invite children of "good rank" alive for games. near. Among them the young Helmut, although German, did not "settle" and was accepted by good Russian society. Anna saw without displeasure the arrival, to share her games, of the young Helmut. As far back as she could remember, she saw the little boy again, first shy, from his childhood, then more sure of himself, from his adolescence. They were the same age. It wasn't until they were seventeen or eighteen that they stopped dating, Helmut's father having to return to his country in 1805 in Osnabrück. They had kissed like good childhood friends but with a certain affection during this separation.

Anna had been surrounded by French and German tutors throughout her childhood and her adolescence also spoke both languages ​​well like many Russians of good society. She was a young, pretty young woman with light brown hair, lovely thin arched eyebrows, sky blue eyes. A small dimple enriched her noble face, she was of average height, the delicacy of her body added to that of her face. Earrings with pretty little rubies and sapphires made her even more attractive and more than one man would have succumbed to her charm. Her slightly rosy cheeks flushed sometimes. Alas for this disparate couple (the general was eighteen years older than her) no offspring had come to brighten up the days, it's more than once that

Anna Ivanova

- I'll never be fat, are you sure you're doing it right?

Arkadiy Ivanov

- I already told you that, you don't want me to do it as I would like and it's failure.

- What do you mean ? Oh no for that thing, I don't want to! If you insist, I'll talk about it with mother...

- I forbid it ! If you want to talk about it with the servants!

- Oh ! You shock me, it's horrible to think that, in your place I would be ashamed to express myself like this. What a lack of respect for these women! Besides, you know why I'm telling you this! You know how to appreciate them, what arrogance!

(Anna had very personal reasons for resenting Arkadiy: she knew all about his affair with a servant: Agnessa, long after their marriage, hence a male child: Filipp, who never left his mother's skirts, Anna's servant! As surprising as it may seem: the latter had become attached to the child...) Agnessa, a pretty twenty-three-year-old blonde with a charming face and a slender figure, had proved incapable of resisting the advances eagerness of his master. It must be said that it was not fashionable to refuse oneself when one was a servant, on the other hand it would seem that Agnessa was unscrupulous about the means of achieving an improvement in her status and the prohibitions taught by Christian morality did not preoccupy her beyond measure! This had made "chatter" as much among the servants as among the good society, the episode of the child's birth was one of those that Anna preferred to bury deep within herself. As for the father, it seemed to no one that he was particularly repentant.

*

Anna's union with Ivanov had been the fruit of long procrastination between her parents and the tsar's superior officer who was still only a colonel, her father especially had bitterly laid down his conditions but her mother had not been without bring her personal touch to the elaboration of this marriage, Anna who was still only a very young person without experience of life had not had much to say but this way of proceeding was not shocking at this era !

Several weeks passed, the summer of 1812 broke heat records, apparently nothing important was happening, apart from some troop movements heading towards the enemy. Anna Ivanova received no news from the Count General who was very busy with the Tsar, the days passed slowly.

And yet! The imperial army continued its march inexorably towards Moscow. General Ivanov's castle would be on his way. On the sunny morning of September 1, 1812, a military courier arrived at a trot on his horse smoking with sweat, carrying a package of extreme importance, intended for the general. Although it was not intended for her, Anna seized it with authority and read this: "The enemy army is moving towards Moscow, which it will probably reach around the 15th of this month if nothing is attempted for the Stop. We need several dozen divisions to stop the enemy advance, Napoleon's armies are three hundred versts from Moscow”. Signed: General M. Lebedeff Commanding the 5th Infantry Division of the 1st Army of His Highness Alexander I,

Anna blanched, a servant noticed her whiteness and eagerly sat her down. Anna quickly calculated that Napoleon and his army were only sixty versts from the castle of Kaluga. They could be there in two days, she told herself, and she felt fear invade her (how would the roughnecks behave? Were they well supervised? Did Napoleon himself have a semblance of humanity?) In fact we didn't know much about him. "They" will not be able to miss the castle! There was hardly any defense here, it was better not to resist…this huge invading army. The soldier who had brought the ticket, after an hour's rest for him and his horse, had returned to report to his regiment.

The next two days were marked, one can easily believe, by great anxiety. Anna Ivanova was distraught, the servants piled up as much food as possible and hid others as best they could. Some were starting to panic. Anna didn't sleep that night or the next.

On the morning of September 4, a rumble at first barely perceptible gradually grew louder: the hundreds of thousands of men of the Imperial Army, standard-bearers at the head (some on foot, some on horseback dragging cannons, canteens ) were approaching. Several dozen men entered the land along the outbuildings, on the lookout for a good deal, shaggy but nevertheless looking good in their red, blue and white uniforms which they obviously kept in fairly good condition despite the difficulties of their life of soldiers.

A little later two officers on horseback arrived in front of the steps. A hussar lieutenant came to introduce himself to Anna Ivanova and, in the purest Russian style, asked her permission to bivouac and set up his company for the midday meal a few hundred meters from the castle. Anna didn't think, perhaps under the spell, but without admitting it, of the immaculately dressed young officer and nodded. They looked into each other's eyes without batting an eyelid, but Anna was slightly disturbed as if she had suddenly realized that this man, although her enemy, was perhaps not a stranger to her. The officer left the steps and as he remounted his horse, a small click occurred in his mind, he saluted respectfully and rode off with the other officers. Anna Ivanova was in the grip of a dilemma which tormented her all the more strongly as her husband the general was deeply involved in this war between Russia and the Imperial Army. She too loved her country very much, but this officer who arrived unexpectedly disturbed her feelings and the idea made its way into her mind that this lieutenant, surely of Prussian origin, resembled this young Helmut Krauss, playmate of his childhood. The fact that he spoke perfect Russian with an Ural accent confirmed her in this idea. But had he recognized her? What went through his head after this short interview? He told himself that he couldn't leave this place without seeing her again. much stronger than her husband the general was deeply involved in this war between Russia and the Imperial Army. She too loved her country very much, but this officer who arrived unexpectedly disturbed her feelings and the idea made its way into her mind that this lieutenant, surely of Prussian origin, resembled this young Helmut Krauss, playmate of his childhood. The fact that he spoke perfect Russian with an Ural accent confirmed her in this idea. But had he recognized her? What went through his head after this short interview? He told himself that he couldn't leave this place without seeing her again. much stronger than her husband the general was deeply involved in this war between Russia and the Imperial Army. She too loved her country very much, but this officer who arrived unexpectedly disturbed her feelings and the idea made its way into her mind that this lieutenant, surely of Prussian origin, resembled this young Helmut Krauss, playmate of his childhood. The fact that he spoke perfect Russian with an Ural accent confirmed her in this idea. But had he recognized her? What went through his head after this short interview? He told himself that he couldn't leave this place without seeing her again. waited disturbed his feelings and the idea made its way into his thoughts that this lieutenant, surely of Prussian origin, resembled this young Helmut Krauss playmate of his childhood. The fact that he spoke perfect Russian with an Ural accent confirmed her in this idea. But had he recognized her? What went through his head after this short interview? He told himself that he couldn't leave this place without seeing her again. waited disturbed his feelings and the idea made its way into his thoughts that this lieutenant, surely of Prussian origin, resembled this young Helmut Krauss playmate of his childhood. The fact that he spoke perfect Russian with an Ural accent confirmed her in this idea. But had he recognized her? What went through his head after this short interview? He told himself that he couldn't leave this place without seeing her again. had he recognized? What went through his head after this short interview? He told himself that he couldn't leave this place without seeing her again. had he recognized? What went through his head after this short interview? He told himself that he couldn't leave this place without seeing her again.