Decembrist L. P. Wittgenstein in memoirs of Amalia Lilienthal

Abstract

This article publishes a translation of the excerpt from Amаlia Lilienthal’s french memoir, “Une famille princière d’Allemagne”. It reconstructs the history, creation, and publication of these memoirs, published in Paris in 1886. It concludes that they represent a text that emerged during A. Lilienthal’s confrontation with the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn family, combining features of a work of fiction, a pamphlet, and a memoir. The second and third chapters of this text comprise an account of L. P. Wittgenstein, likely based on information the memoirist received from her husband, L. P. Wittgenstein’s son, Ludwig. The article presents a Russian translation of these chapters, accompanied by factual commentary. The published memoirs touch on various biographical themes. The memoirist focuses primarily on L.P. Wittgenstein’s efforts to free the enormous fortune he inherited from his first wife, Stefanie Radziwill, from debt and litigation. Much attention is also devoted to Wittgenstein’s efforts to restore his status as a mediatized prince, the founding of the House of Sayn-Wittgestein-Sayn, and the development of his family seat, Sayn Castle in Prussia. But she also touches on the history of L. P. Wittgenstein’s and his father, P. Сh. Wittgenstein’s, relationships with Nicholas I, and offers insights into the reasons for L. P. Wittgenstein’s departure from Russia. It is not surprising that, in retelling information obtained secondhand, Amаlia makes many inaccuracies. Her memoirs are valuable not so much for their factual information as for the image they capture of L. P. Wittgenstein, as he remained in the memory of his son, is the image of a kind and active man