copyedit← Previous revisionRevision as of 05:48, 19 October 2026 Line 1: Line 1: {{Short description|Executed Russian lady-in-waiting}}{{Infobox noble {{Short description|Russian lady-in-waiting (died 1719)}} ⚫ {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Infobox noble | name = Mary Hamilton | name = Mary Hamilton | image = Mary Hamilton awaiting execution. painting by Pavel Svedomskiy.jpg | image = Mary Hamilton awaiting execution. painting by Pavel Svedomskiy.jpg Line 9: Line 11: | known_for = Mistress of [[Peter the Great]] | known_for = Mistress of [[Peter the Great]] | death_date = 14 March 1719 | death_date = 14 March 1719 | death_place = [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Tsardom of Russia]] | death_place = [[Saint Petersburg]], Russia | death_cause = [[Execution]] by [[decapitation]] | death_cause = [[Execution]] by [[decapitation]] | noble_family = [[Clan Hamilton]] | noble_family = [[Clan Hamilton]] | father = William Hamilton | father = William Hamilton | occupation = [[Lady-in-waiting of the Imperial Court of Russia|Lady-in-waiting]] to [[Catherine I of Russia|Tsarina Catherine Alexeievna]] | occupation = [[Lady-in-waiting of the Imperial Court of Russia|Lady-in-waiting]] to [[Catherine I of Russia|Catherine Alekseyevna]] }} ⚫ }}{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} '''Mary Hamilton''', or '''Maria Danilovna Gamontova''' ({{Langx|ru|Мария Даниловна Гамонтова}}; died 14 March 1719), was a [[lady-in-waiting]] to Empress [[Catherine I of Russia]] and a royal mistress of Emperor [[Peter the Great]] of Russia. She was executed for [[abortion]], [[infanticide]], theft and slander of Empress Catherine. She is considered one of the possible inspirations for the song "[[Mary Hamilton]]". '''Mary Hamilton''' or '''Maria Danilovna Gamontova''' ({{Langx|ru|Мария Даниловна Гамонтова}}; died 14 March 1719) was a Russian [[lady-in-waiting]] to [[Catherine I of Russia|Catherine Alekseyevna]] and a mistress of Tsar [[Peter the Great]]. She was executed for [[abortion]], [[infanticide]], theft, and slander against Catherine. She is considered one of the possible inspirations for the song "[[Mary Hamilton]]". ==Life== ⚫ Mary Hamilton was a member of the Scottish family [[Clan Hamilton|Hamilton]], whose ancestor Thomas Hamilton had emigrated to Russia during the reign of Tsar [[Ivan the Terrible]], and was probably the daughter of William Hamilton{{cite web |last=Yegorov |first=Oleg |title=Russia's own lady Hamilton: Why did the first Russian Emperor execute his Scottish mistress? |url=https://www.rbth.com/history/327606-hamilton-why-did-russian-emperor-execute-his-mistress |website=[[Russia Beyond]] |access-date=25 May 2019 |date=15 February 2018}} and the cousin of [[Evdokiya Grigorievna Hamilton]]. She became lady-in-waiting to Empress Catherine in 1713, arousing attention with her beauty and love life, and became the lover of [[Peter the Great]].{{cite book |last=Montefiore |first=Simon Sebag |author-link=Simon Sebag Montefiore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=76YaCgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Mary+Hamilton%22+1719+abort&pg=PT202 |title=The Romanovs: 1613-1918 |date=2016 |publisher=Hachette UK |isbn=9781474600279 |access-date=25 May 2019}} She also had a lover, [[Ivan Mikhailovich Orlov]]. When Orlov betrayed her with Peter's other lover, [[Avdotya Chernysheva]], she tried to win him back by giving him items stolen from Catherine. [[File:The execution of Maria Hamilton.jpg|left|thumb|The execution of Maria Hamilton (1793) by [[Daniel Chodowiecki]]]] [[File:The execution of Maria Hamilton.jpg|thumb|The execution of Maria Hamilton by [[Daniel Chodowiecki]] (1793)]] ⚫ She had an abortion in 1715 by taking a medicine for constipation, and gave birth to another child secretly in 1717, after which she drowned the baby. ⚫ Mary Hamilton was a member of the Scottish family [[Clan Hamilton|Hamilton]], whose ancestor Thomas Hamilton had emigrated to Russia during the reign of Tsar [[Ivan the Terrible]], and was probably the daughter of William Hamilton,{{cite web |last=Yegorov |first=Oleg |title=Russia's own lady Hamilton: Why did the first Russian Emperor execute his Scottish mistress? |url=https://www.rbth.com/history/327606-hamilton-why-did-russian-emperor-execute-his-mistress |website=[[Russia Beyond]] |access-date=25 May 2019 |date=15 February 2018}} as well as the cousin of Yevdokiya Grigorieyvna Hamilton. She became lady-in-waiting to Empress Catherine in 1713, arousing attention with her beauty and love life, and became the lover of [[Peter the Great]].{{cite book |last=Montefiore |first=Simon Sebag |author-link=Simon Sebag Montefiore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=76YaCgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Mary+Hamilton%22+1719+abort&pg=PT202 |title=The Romanovs: 1613-1918 |date=2016 |publisher=Hachette UK |isbn=9781474600279 |access-date=25 May 2019}} She also had a lover, Ivan Mikhailovich Orlov. When Orlov betrayed her with Peter's other lover, [[Avdotya Chernysheva]], she tried to win him back by giving him items stolen from Catherine. ⚫ She had an abortion in 1715 by taking medicine for constipation, and gave birth to another child secretly in 1717, after which she drowned the baby. In 1717, Orlov was interrogated about some of Peter's missing documents. He confessed his relationship with Hamilton and accused her of having an abortion. Avdotya Chernysheva accused Hamilton of spreading the rumour that Catherine ate wax to keep her skin pale. When Catherine had Hamilton's room searched, several stolen objects belonging to Catherine were found there. Hamilton and Orlov were both arrested and imprisoned in the [[Peter and Paul Fortress|Fortress of Saint Petersburg]]. Mary Hamilton confessed to theft and to killing her newborn infant, but refused to testify against Orlov despite torture. In 1717, Orlov was interrogated about some of Peter's missing documents. He confessed his relationship with Hamilton and accused her of having an abortion. Avdotya Chernysheva accused Hamilton of spreading the rumour that Catherine ate wax to keep her skin pale. When Catherine had Hamilton's room searched, several stolen objects belonging to Catherine were found there. Hamilton and Orlov were both arrested and imprisoned in the [[Peter and Paul Fortress|Fortress of Saint Petersburg]]. Mary Hamilton confessed to theft and to killing her newborn infant, but refused to testify against Orlov despite torture. In November 1718, Mary Hamilton was found guilty of abortion, murder of her infant, and theft of jewelry belonging to the Empress; she was sentenced to death. Both Empress Catherine and Tsarina [[Praskovia Saltykova]] asked Peter for mercy on her account but without result. She was executed on {{Ill|Trinity Square of the Petrograd Side|lt=Trinity Square|ru|Троицкая площадь Петроградской стороны}}, dressed in white, by [[decapitation]] on 14 March 1719. She was decapitated by sword instead of an axe, as Peter had promised her that the executioner would not be allowed to touch her. After the execution, the Emperor took up the head, gave a lecture about its anatomy, kissed it, and then threw it away. In November 1718, Mary Hamilton was found guilty of abortion, murder of her infant, and theft of jewelry belonging to the Empress; she was sentenced to death. Both Empress Catherine and Tsarina [[Praskovia Saltykova]] asked Peter for mercy on her account but without result. She was executed on {{Ill|Trinity Square of the Petrograd Side|lt=Trinity Square|ru|Троицкая площадь Петроградской стороны}}, dressed in white, by [[decapitation]] on 14 March 1719. She was decapitated by sword instead of an axe, as Peter had promised her that the executioner would not be allowed to touch her. After the execution, the tsar took up the head, gave a lecture about its anatomy, kissed it, and then threw it away. == Fate of the head == Some sources speculated that the head of Mary Hamilton after her execution was preserved at the [[Russian Academy of Science]] at least until the reign of [[Catherine the Great]]. Some sources speculated that the head of Mary Hamilton after her execution was preserved at the [[Russian Academy of Science]] at least until the reign of [[Catherine the Great]]. Line 42: Line 46: {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Mary}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Mary}} ⚫ [[Category:Russian people of Scottish descent]] [[Category:1719 deaths]] [[Category:1719 deaths]] ⚫ [[Category:Ladies-in-waiting from the Tsardom of Russia]] ⚫ [[Category:People executed by the Tsardom of Russia]] ⚫ [[Category:Year of birth missing]] ⚫ [[Category:Executed Russian women]] [[Category:18th-century executions by Russia]] [[Category:18th-century executions by Russia]] ⚫ [[Category:Infanticide]] [[Category:Child murder in Russia]] [[Category:Child murder in Russia]] ⚫ [[Category:Executed Russian women]] ⚫ [[Category:Infanticide]] ⚫ [[Category:Ladies-in-waiting from the Tsardom of Russia]] [[Category:Mistresses of Peter the Great]] [[Category:Mistresses of Peter the Great]] [[Category:People executed by Russia by decapitation]] [[Category:People executed by Russia by decapitation]] ⚫ [[Category:People executed by the Tsardom of Russia]] [[Category:Perpetrators of filicide]] [[Category:Perpetrators of filicide]] ⚫ [[Category:Russian people of Scottish descent]] ⚫ [[Category:Year of birth missing]]