| Ernestine von Pfeffel | |
| Birth Name: | Baroness Ernestine von Pfeffel |
| Birth Date: | 1810 |
| Noble Family: | Pfeffel |
| Spouse: | Friedrich von Dörnberg Fyodor Tyutchev |
| Issue: | Maria Fedorovna Dmitry Fedorovich Ivan Fedorovich |
| Father: | Baron Christian Hubert von Pfeffel |
| Mother: | Baroness Caroline von Tettenborn |
| Occupation: | Writer |
Baroness Ernestine von Pfeffel (1810–1894), was the second wife of the poet Fyodor Tyutchev.
Born to Christian Hubert von Pfeffel (1765–1834), Bavarian diplomat and ambassador to London and Paris, and Caroline (1789–1811) née Baroness von Tettenborn. After her mother's early death, her father married the children's governess.[1] Ernestine was brought up in a Parisian boarding school.
In September 1830, Ernestine married diplomat Friedrich von Dörnberg (1796–1833) in Paris, (where her father headed the Bavarian Embassy). Shortly before her husband's death in 1833, she met the Russian diplomat Fyodor Tyutchev at a ball in Munich through her brother Karl, who was a son-in-law of Paul of Württemberg (and ancestor of Boris Johnson).[2] [3]
Despite having a wife (Eleonora Fyodorovna), the poet began to court the young widow, dedicating at least eight of his poems to her. Their relationship caused tension within the poet's family, resulting in his wife attempting suicide in May 1836. To avoid controversy, Tyutchev was exiled to Turin, where Ernestine followed him. However, Eleonora died soon after the move in 1838. In December of the same year, Tyutchev proposed to her. They married on 17 July 1839 in Bern.[4] Tyutchev had three daughters from his first marriage, Anna,[5] Daria,[6] and Ekaterina,[7] whom Ernestine adopted.
Ernestne was a rich woman, and it was no secret that Tyutchev lived on her money.[8] She was considered a beauty and her portrait was painted by the court painter Joseph Karl Stieler. Regardless, in the 1850's, Tyutchev began a relationship with Elena Deniseva and began a second family.[9] After Deniseva's death, 14 years later, Fyodor reconciled with his wife and died in her arms.