Countess Lieven, later Princess Lieven, is often mentioned in Regency novels because she was one of the seven patronesses of that sacred establishment, Almack’s. However, little, if any, mention is ever made about her contributions to the politics of the day. But, because of her “intrigues”, she was hated by many, feared by some, and loved by a few.
Countess Lieven’s life began in Russia on December 17, 1798 in Riga. She was born Dorothea von Benckendorff. Her father was a military governor, who was favored by Catherine the Great and made a baron. Her mother was an attendant on Princess Sophia Dorothea of Wurttemberg (later known as Marie Feodorovna when she adopted the Orthodox faith), whom Catherine had chosen as a bride for her son, Paul. It was this Princess, later Empress, who was Dorothea’s namesake and godmother. Dorothea’s mother died when she was 11, and the Empress took over her upbringing, so Dorothea grew up in the Royal household. Both her parents were Germans, who spoke French as their primary language, and Dorothea followed in this tradition. Because of the “European” nature of the Russian court, she was fluent in several languages.
During this time, Countess Charlotte Lieven, the matriarch of the Lieven family, found favor in the Royal court through Catherine the Great, who hired her as governess to her grandchildren – Alexander, Constantine, and Nicholas. Countess Lieven prospered under Catherine’s son, Paul, but was made a hereditary princess in 1826 when Nicholas ascended to the throne. At the same time, her son, Christopher and daughter-in-law, Dorothea, inherited the title as well.
At the age of 14, Dorothea was married to Countess Lieven’s second son, Christopher- Count Lieven, nicknamed “Bonsi”. It was not a marriage of love, at least not from Dorothea’s side. Count Lieven enjoyed royal privilege and did well under all the Tsars, despite a brief period of uncertainty near the end of Paul’s reign. He was made an ambassador to Prussia in 1809, but when diplomatic relations broke down in 1811, the Lievens were recalled. In 1812, Napolean invaded Prussia as the Lievens were leaving. In the same year, Count Lieven was made ambassador to England, ostensibly to recruit financial support from the English.
Dorothea’s first impressions of England were not positive. She found polite society far too relaxed and indulgent. On the other side, the British found her haughty and were suspicious of her. She cultivated friendships with the elite, especially those of the Grand Whiggery, whose extravagent lifestyles appealed to her. She also sympathized with their philosophies, which in hindsight was quite contradictory to Russian policy.
Because her beginnings in England were so inauspicious, it is somewhat surprising that she was made a patroness of Almack’s. However, this may have come about through her friendship with Lady Cowper. Lady Jersey, who was mistress to the Regent at the time of Dorothea’s arrival, initially feared a rivalry until she found that Dorothea’s physical appearance (tall and thin) was the opposite of the Regent’s taste in more “mature” ladies. Lady Castlereagh was also a friend when Dorothea intrigued with Lord Castlereagh over the alliances in Europe. Princess Esterhazy, the wife of the Austrian ambassador, arrived on the scene much later, and was a fierce rival to Dorothea. This was most likely due to Dorothea’s haughtiness and envy of those younger and prettier than herself. Dorothea was not known to be beautiful.
Dorothea remained in the background and had difficulty in being accepted in English society until 1814 when Napolean’s reign was coming to an end and the leaders of the quadruple alliance met in England. This was when Tsar Alexander sent his sister, Grand Duchess Catherine, to visit, then later snuck into the country incognito. There was much friction between the meeting of the Regent with Catherine and Dorothea had to serve as intermediary. Similarly, when Alexander arrived, he did not approve of the Regent. The situation was not improved when the public booed their Prince and welcomed the Russians with open arms.
Dorothea became a favorite with the Regent because of her efforts to smooth relations with the Russians. His acceptance paved the way for her to soon become fashionable. But, it was her relationship to the Austrian chancellor, Prince Metternich, which became the most valuable political force.
She had met Metternich casually during the London festivities in 1814 but thought little of him. However, when another congress was called in 1818 to discuss the withdrawal of troops from France, she met him again. He had been advised to cultivate a friendship with her and he went out of his way to entice her. And it worked. She fell passionately in love, perhaps because she was in a position to fall in love. She had been suffering from boredom and depression prior to this fated meeting. Nevertheless, it was a very strong attachment, at least from her side.
It is unclear whether Metternich returned the passion, or whether he simply used it in order to further his diplomatic ambitions. At the time, he was married to an invalid. Dorothea and Metternich began a long correspondence, which was used on many sides. In England, Castlereagh, gained useful information by befriending Dorothea. The Tsar and his foreign secretary also found the correspondence in their favor. On the other side, Metternich benefitted by the association to gauge reactions from both England and Russia. Dorothea became caught up in this and enjoyed her position, both politically and personally.
In England, she became a prominent socialite, holding a very popular political salon, where numerous members of the political elite gathered. While events were unstable in Europe, she was extremely busy with her intrigues, which helped to keep her from feeling bored. However, when she did not get her way, or if she was ever in danger of being reprimanded by those in higher authority (and she did not bow to anyone except her Russian leaders), she became “ill” and took to her bed.
During the years of her intrigue, Dorothea showed herself to be very fickle. This was because she was aiming to influence events to Russia’s benefit. She was a great friend to Castlereagh, the great foreign secretary who organized the Vienna congress. Castlereagh’s policies were in line with Dorothea’s as well as Russian and Austrian interests. However, upon his suicide in 1822, Canning became foreign secretary and relationships began to change.
Though Canning, like Castlereagh, was a Tory, he was universally hated for his extreme views and undiplomatic behavior. Initially, Dorothea hated him, especially because of his dislike for Metternich. Dorothea conspired with Wellington, the Austrian ambassador Esterhazy and the King (George IV) to overthrow Canning. However, Canning sensed the intrigue and was able to outmaneuver them in different ways. Yet, despite of his mistrust of Dorothea, he was intent on cultivating a friendship with her. As was to be revealed later, it was because he wished to break the tie between Russia and Austria. When diplomatic relations between the two countries started to decline in 1825, Tsar Alexander finally turned friendly towards Canning and Dorothea’s allegiance switched. At the same time, her relationship with Metternich became cooler. It was not all political, for nothing was political without it being personal with Dorothea. She had discovered that after Metternich’s wife died, he was courting a younger and prettier woman. In England, Dorothea’s change of allegiance was a matter of gossip and speculation. But, she was so attached to Canning, despite his “plebeian” background (for Dorothea despised anyone beneath her social status), that when he died suddenly in 1827, shortly after attaining the premiership, she was devastated.
At this point, no one wanted to take over Canning’s policies, partly because Canning had kept much to himself and it was difficult for anyone, even his own Cabinet, to understand his thought processes. George IV appointed an ineffective and ineffectual Frederick Robinson (Lord Goderich) to take over. After only a few short months, he begged to be released from his duty. George IV had to call in Wellington in early 1828 because he did not trust Lord Grey and the Whigs. Wellington did not want to follow Canning’s foreign policy, which annoyed Dorothea. His job was not made any easier by having Dorothea intriguing against him. She attempted to drive a spoke in every wheel, even on domestic issues, in order to drive him from government. When George IV died in 1830, she tried to “talk” to William IV, who had been a long-time Whig supporter, about Wellington. He resisted her efforts and kept Wellington in office. However, as European issues became tumultous again, Dorothea suddenly realized the unwisdom of her actions. But, it was too late. When Wellington was finally defeated and it was inevitable that Grey, her long-time friend and one-time lover, would take over, she was faced with a dilemma.
Russia did not want the Whigs in power and Dorothea had to smooth relations on both sides, sometimes inventing things to match how she wanted events to shape up. She had advocated for Lord Palmerston, another one-time lover, as foreign secretary. Palmerston was, at this time, a lover to Lady Cowper, one of Dorothea’s closest friends. Yet, it did not prevent her from intriguing against him when it was to her country’s benefit. It was to prove to be her undoing as Palmerston turned on her in the end. The Lievens were finally recalled in 1834. Though she did come back to visit England briefly after this, it was the end of her intriguing days.
During her time in England, Dorothea was rumoured to have had affairs with all the prominent politicians. It was presumed that was how she exercised her influence. The media hated her and wrote many disparaging articles regarding her meddling in British politics. Though the politicians were aware of this, many of them criticizing those under her spell, they were impotent in disposing of her. Even Wellington was reluctant to ask for her recall. It fell upon Palmerston to finally make it impossible for the Lievens to remain. She switched allegiance many times over, as her political preferences were influenced by her personal feelings.
Dorothea did not appreciate her life in England until the day she was recalled. She was miserable back in Russia and endured several personal tragedies before her husband and the Tsar thought it was advisable for her to go to France to recover. While there, she found herself another lover, a Mr. Guzot, a rising politician. However, she did not meddle in politics anymore. Her relationship with Guzot differed from all her previous affairs. It proved quite serious and she refused to return to her husband. However, even after her husband died, she refused to marry Guzot (unlike her friend Lady Cowper, who married Palmerston two years after Lord Cowper died). It appears that she was reluctant to relinquish her title, Her Serene Highness, the Princess Lieven.
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