COMPANIONS from Russia

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Russian Companions of all time. This list of famous Russian Companions is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Russian Companions.

1. Anna Pavlovna of Russia (1795 - 1865)

With an HPI of 68.54, Anna Pavlovna of Russia is the most famous Russian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 44 different languages on wikipedia.

Anna Pavlovna of Russia (Russian: Анна Павловна [ˈanːə ˈpavləvnə]; Dutch: Anna Paulowna [ˈɑnaː pəˈloːnaː] ; 18 January [O.S. 7 January] 1795 – 1 March 1865) was Queen of the Netherlands by marriage to King William II of the Netherlands. She was a Russian patriot who upheld a strict royal etiquette in the Netherlands, where she never felt at home, and identified more as an Imperial Russian grand duchess than a Dutch queen. She had no political influence, but was active within charity.

2. Gala Dalí (1894 - 1982)

With an HPI of 67.68, Gala Dalí is the 2nd most famous Russian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Gala Dalí (born Elena Ivanovna Diakonova, Елена Ивановна Дьяконова; 7 September [O.S. 26 August] 1894 – 10 June 1982), usually known simply as Gala, was the wife of poet Paul Éluard and later of artist Salvador Dalí, who were both prominent in surrealism. She also inspired many other writers and artists.

3. Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg (1599 - 1655)

With an HPI of 65.47, Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg is the 3rd most famous Russian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg (11 November 1599 – 28 March 1655) was Queen of Sweden from 1620 to 1632 as the wife of King Gustav II Adolph (Gustavus Adolphus). She was born a German princess as the daughter of John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg, and Anna, Duchess of Prussia, daughter of Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia. In 1620, Maria Eleonora married Gustavus Adolphus with her mother's consent, but against the will of her brother George William, Elector of Brandenburg, who had just succeeded her father. She bore her husband a daughter, Christina, in 1626, who later became the Queen of Sweden.

4. Olga Constantinovna of Russia (1851 - 1926)

With an HPI of 65.05, Olga Constantinovna of Russia is the 4th most famous Russian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 40 different languages.

Olga Constantinovna of Russia (Greek: Όλγα; 3 September [O.S. 22 August] 1851 – 18 June 1926) was Queen of Greece as the wife of King George I. She was briefly the regent of Greece in 1920. A member of the Romanov dynasty, Olga was the oldest daughter of Grand Duke Constantine Nikolaievich and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg. She spent her childhood in Saint Petersburg, Poland, and the Crimea, and married George in 1867 at the age of sixteen. At first, she felt ill at ease in the Kingdom of Greece, but she quickly became involved in social and charitable work. She founded hospitals and schools, but her attempt to promote a new, more accessible, Greek translation of the Gospels sparked riots by religious conservatives. On the assassination of her husband in 1913, Olga returned to Russia. When the First World War broke out, she set up a military hospital in Pavlovsk Palace, which belonged to her brother. She was trapped in the palace after the Russian Revolution of 1917, until the Danish embassy intervened, allowing her to escape to Switzerland. Olga could not return to Greece as her eldest son, King Constantine I of Greece, had been deposed. In October 1920, Olga returned to Athens on the fatal illness of her grandson King Alexander of Greece. After his death, she was appointed regent (in November) until the restoration of Constantine I the following month. After the defeat of the Greeks in the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–22 the Greek royal family were again exiled and Olga spent the last years of her life in the United Kingdom, France and Italy.

5. Yevdokiya Lopukhina (1669 - 1731)

With an HPI of 63.57, Yevdokiya Lopukhina is the 5th most famous Russian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Tsarina Eudoxia Fyodorovna Lopukhina (9 August 1669 – 7 September 1731) was the first wife of Peter I the Great, and the last ethnic Russian and non-foreign wife of a Russian monarch. She was the mother of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich and the paternal grandmother of Peter II of Russia.

6. Duchess Anna of Prussia (1576 - 1625)

With an HPI of 61.46, Duchess Anna of Prussia is the 6th most famous Russian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Duchess Anna of Prussia and Jülich-Cleves-Berg (3 July 1576 – 30 August 1625) was Electress consort of Brandenburg and Duchess consort of Prussia by marriage to John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg. She was the daughter of Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia, and Marie Eleonore of Cleves.

7. Catharina of Württemberg (1783 - 1835)

With an HPI of 60.50, Catharina of Württemberg is the 7th most famous Russian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Princess Katharina of Württemberg (full name: Friederike Katharina Sophie Dorothea; 21 February 1783 – 29 November 1835) was Queen consort of Westphalia by marriage to Jérôme Bonaparte, who reigned as King of Westphalia between 1807 and 1813.

8. Natalia Pushkina (1812 - 1863)

With an HPI of 58.20, Natalia Pushkina is the 8th most famous Russian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Natalia Nikolayevna Pushkina-Lanskaya (Russian: Наталья Николаевна Пушкина-Ланская; 8 September 1812 – 26 November 1863) (née Goncharova) (Гончарова) was the wife of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin from 1831 until his death in 1837 in a duel with Georges d'Anthès. Natalia was married to Major-General Petr Petrovich Lanskoy from 1844 until her death in 1863.

9. Anna Demidova (1878 - 1918)

With an HPI of 53.70, Anna Demidova is the 9th most famous Russian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Anna Stepanovna Demidova (26 January 1878 – 17 July 1918) was a lady-in-waiting in the service of Empress Alexandra of Russia. She stayed with the Romanov family when they were arrested, and was executed together with Alexandra and the Romanov family on 17 July 1918. She had shared the Romanov family's exile at Tobolsk and Ekaterinburg following the Russian Revolution of 1917 before their execution. She is remembered for staying with the Romanovs to the end. In 1981 she was canonized as an Orthodox martyr by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) but not by the Russian Orthodox Church.

10. Agafya Grushetskaya (1663 - 1681)

With an HPI of 50.77, Agafya Grushetskaya is the 10th most famous Russian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Agafya Semyonovna Grushetskaya or Gruszecki (originally in Polish: Agata Siemionowna Gruszecka; Russian: Агафья Семёновна Грушецкая; 1663 – 14 July 1681) was Tsaritsa of Russia as the first spouse of Tsar Feodor III of Russia. She hailed from the Polish noble family Gruszecki.