Poltava

Research Status: Comprehensive Last Updated: 2025-12-07 Diary Coverage: Book 00 (1884 Preface - birthplace) Type: Place - City

Overview

Poltava is a historic city in central Ukraine that served as the administrative center of Poltava Governorate (gubernia) during the Russian Empire. Marie Bashkirtseff was born near Poltava on November 11, 1859 (though some sources cite 1858), into a wealthy noble family.

Marie's Birthplace

Marie was born at the family estate in Gavrontsi (Havrontsi), a village near Poltava in Poltava county. Her father, Konstantin Pavlovich Bashkirtsev, was a local marshal of nobility. She spent her early childhood in this region before her family moved to France when she was around 12 years old.

The exact birth date is somewhat disputed:

• Marie herself writes in her 1884 preface: "Je suis née le 11 novembre 1859"
• Some sources cite November 23 or 24, 1858
• Calendar differences between Julian (Old Style) and Gregorian (New Style) dating contribute to the confusion

Historical Context - Poltava in 1859

Administrative Status

In the 19th century, Poltava served as the gubernia capital and the seat of the governor-general of Little Russia (Left-Bank Ukraine). The city was completely rebuilt according to an imperial plan approved in Saint Petersburg on February 10, 1803.

The new town was designed around Kruhla Square, a circular plaza 345 meters in diameter, with eight streets radiating at equal angles to other districts. This neoclassical urban planning reflected Russian imperial ambitions for provincial capitals.

Population and Demographics

• 1802: Poltava Governorate created with ~1.3 million people
• 1851: Population reached 1,669,000
• 1859 (Marie's birth year): Population grew to ~1.7 million
• 1897: All-Russian census recorded 2,778,151 people

The bulk of the population were peasants and Cossacks, mainly engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding.

Cultural Life

Poltava played a prominent role in the Ukrainian literary renaissance of the 19th century. Notable writers who lived and worked there included:

• Ivan Kotliarevsky
• Levko Borovykovsky
• Mykhailo Starytsky (1850s)

The weekly newspaper Poltavskie vedomosti began publication in 1838.

Economy

The region was primarily agricultural, with grains as the dominant crop. Poltava region and Chernihiv region were major tobacco producers in the Russian Empire during the 19th century.

By 1900, there were 77,500 artisans in local villages - the province occupied one of the first places in the Russian Empire by number of artisans.

Historical Significance

Poltava is best known for the Battle of Poltava (July 8, 1709 New Style / June 27 Old Style) during the Great Northern War. Peter I of Russia decisively defeated Swedish forces under Charles XII. This battle marked the end of the Swedish Empire as a European great power and the beginning of Russian supremacy in eastern Europe.

Social Context for Marie's Family

As a wealthy noble family in Poltava Governorate, the Bashkirtsevs occupied the upper echelons of provincial society. Marie's father's position as marshal of nobility meant the family was part of the Russian imperial administrative structure that governed Little Russia (Ukraine).

This privileged background provided Marie with the cultural and financial resources that would later support her artistic education in Paris and her cosmopolitan lifestyle.

Connection to Marie's Mother's Family

In Book 00, paragraph 00.46, Marie mentions M. Bachmakoff, a former vice-governor of Poltava, who encountered her mother in Geneva (1870):

"M. Bachmakoff, avec sa grâce d'homme de cour, fut très aimable, se souvenant de maman jeune fille à Poltava où il avait été vice-gouverneur."

This reveals that:

• Marie's mother (Maria Stepanovna Babanina) spent part of her youth in Poltava
• The Babanin family was part of Poltava's noble society
• They knew imperial administrators like Vice-Governor Bachmakoff
• Poltava was the family's social and administrative center in Ukraine

Significance in Marie's Identity

Though Marie spent most of her remembered life in France, her Ukrainian-Russian origins remained important to her identity. In her diary, she sometimes refers to her Russian background and the cultural differences she observes between Russian and Western European society.

%%2025-12-07T14:40:00 RSR: Comprehensive update to Poltava entry with historical context for Marie's birthplace. Research sources: Encyclopedia of Ukraine, Wikipedia, Britannica, Ukraine Trek.%% %%2025-12-07T15:15:00 RSR: CRITICAL FINDING - Marie writes "11 novembre 1859" in her preface, but reliable sources indicate she was born in November 1858. Dorothy Langley Moore documents that Marie habitually claimed to be younger than she was to amplify her achievements. This is a linguistic/psychological insight for translators - she's perpetuating her lifelong deception even in her deathbed preface%%