Portrait of Countess Darya Petrovna Saltykova (1739-1802) Public Domain
Darya Saltykova was considered one of the most ruthless of Russian serial killers.
Darya Saltykova was born March 11, 1730 (I’ve also read November 3, 1730) as Darya Nikolayevna Ivanova. She was one of five daughters born of Nikolai Antonomovich Inanov and Anna Ivanovna Davydova – a wealthy Russian noble family. She, and her family, enjoyed privileges and extravagances that were reserved for only the wealthiest of Russian aristocracy after the westernization of Russian culture, the material goods and customs from Western Europe. She showed no signs of violence or mental illness in her young life.
At the age of 20 at some point of 1750, Darya married Gleb Alexeyevich Saltykov, an Imperial officer with connections to the Imperial Romanov family as well as Catherine the Great. Gleb’s brother, Count Sergei Vasilievich Saltykov was Catherine the Great’s first lover when she was in Russia – she would imply in one of her memoirs that he fathered Paul I of Russia.
In this marriage, Darya found herself in a new position of, again, this is as a 20-year-old.
In 1755, her husband died of unknown causes and Darya inherited great power within the Royal Court, she was powerful, managing properties in Moscow – in addition to Troitskoe estate, and over 600 serfs At the young age of 25, Darya was the wealthiest widow in Moscow.
Wealthiest widow in Moscow or not, she and Gleb’s children were away at school, so the young widow was alone in her estate. Presumably, she was grieving the loss of her husband and was depressed. She looked for love to fill the void her loss left her.
She took a lover, Nikolay Tyutchev, and she was more serious in the “relationship” than he was. He eloped with a woman who wasn’t named – only noted as a young, red head. Being betrayed unleashed a blind fury in Darya – she ordered her serfs to kill her lover by burning his house down. The attempted murder was unsuccessful – Nikolay and his new wife escaped and fled.
Her rage was unchecked, and her serfs became her victims. She was responsible for the deaths of women, children, and men; she would commit acts of torture on these serfs with a hatred that was -seemingly – without origin. Maybe the serfs spoke too loudly, not kindly enough, breathed too loudly… It’s all speculation as to what was the event that evoked such a violent reaction from Darya, if any event occurred at all.
Her torture included beating them until their bones broke, or having them strip naked to be thrown outside in the dead of the Russian winter, or pouring boiling water on them. No one was safe from her treatment; there are more torture stories including stepping on the bellies of pregnant serfs, beating serfs until the bone was exposed beneath the skin, cutting off ears, and there is speculation of cannibalism. I didn’t find evidence to support this claim. The men she did kill were accidental – she beat them too hard, and they succumbed to their injuries
Men, still, had a different, psychological torture at the hands of Darya. For men, she would kill his loved ones, one by one until she broke their spirit. What “breaking their spirit” looked like to her, your guess is as good as mine. One male serf was supposedly not respectful enough of her, so she murdered his wife. He remarried twice, and she murdered both of his other wives.
Over the years, witnesses would complain to the authorities about the atrocities being committed at Troitskoe, but Darya Saltykova was very wealthy and well connected in the Royal Court. The claims were dismissed, or the individual who complained could also be punished for – by today’s terms – slander.
This abuse continued for 10 years… until, in 1762, her victims were able to escape. One of these escaped victims was the man who Darya killed three wives. They made the claims against her to Catherine the Great. She decided to have Darya investigated and tried in public for these claims. At this point, Darya Saltykova was arrested and an investigation began.
The investigation would span over 6 years, it included an excavation of Troitskoe estate, and eyewitness accounts. The investigation resulted in Darya Saltykova being found guilty of the murders of 38 people and an additional 139 deaths under “mysterious circumstances.”
The punishment started with Darya being displayed in public on Red Square in Moscow wearing a sign around her neck that stated, “This woman has tortured and murdered” and she stood chained on a platform for one hour.
After this, Darya was taken to Ivanovski Convent to serve her life sentence until the end of her natural life – since the death penalty in Russia was abolished in 1754 . At first, she was chained to a wall in a windowless room that was built specifically for her. After 11 years, she was moved to a room with a window with shutters in one of the monastery buildings.
Ivanovsky Convent in Moscow. Main cathedral by Konstantin Bykovsky (Public Domain)
Here, she would display mental illness most likely brought on by her isolation in the dungeon, but whether they started there or were enhanced there will never be determined.) She was noted by more than one source she would spit at and swear at anyone who passed by her window.
She died on November 27 1801 (or possibly 1800 on some documents) at the age of 71. She served 33 years in incarceration. After death, she – or “her remains” – were buried at the Donskoy Monastery Necropolis.
By modern standards and definitions, Darya was not a serial killer. She was suffering from an (obviously) undiagnosed mental illness – various accounts point to her suffering from APD or Antisocial Personality Disorder. We now know how dangerous untreated mental illnesses can be, but at the time, she would have just been viewed as pure evil, and suffer a life sentence in isolation and darkness.
Currently, Amazon Prime has “The Bloody Duchess” available now for streaming based on Darya Saltykova.
References:
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https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8916868/
https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/darya-saltykova-0014028
https://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/history-and-mythology/darya-saltykova/index.html
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