Sofia Kovalevskaya

Poor, unfortunate Vasily Vasilyevich Korvin-Krukovsky. My heart goes out to him. He worked so hard to help his family flourish, and, at least in his eyes, it all went to waste.

The Korvin-Krukovsky noble line can be traced back to the fifteenth century, qualifying the family for a place in the venerable sixth book of the nobility, which listed Russia’s oldest and most distinguished families. For ten years, Vasily and his brothers waged a campaign for recognition of their ancient lineage. Only after years of letters to the Heraldry Department was their claim recognized. By then, Vasily had risen to the rank of general.

Vasily’s brothers led quiet lives on their rural estates, and Vasily also yearned to live out his retirement in nature’s bosom, recovering from the vicissitudes of military life. His father’s lands had gone to his older brothers, and he had only inherited money. So, as he neared retirement, he acquired an estate and got to work renovating it. Or, to be more exact, while Vasily Kovrin-Krukovsky continued serving in Kaluga, his brother Semyon worked on readying a family nest for Vasily’s retirement.