VORONTSOVA-DASHKOVA, Yekaterina Romanovna

  Princess Yekaterina Romanovna Vorontsova-Dashkova 28 March 1743 – 15 January 1810 was the third daughter of Count Roman Vorontsov, a member of the Senate, and was distinguished for her intellectual gifts.

She was the closest female friend of Empress Catherine the Great and a major figure of the Russian Enlightenment.

She was part of a coup d'etat that placed Catherine on the throne. Vorontsova-Dashkova was the first woman in the world to head a national academy of sciences and helped found the Russian Academy. Not only was she the head of these academies, Vorontsova-Dashkova was also one of the first women in Europe to hold a government office. She published prolifically, in music and literature with original and translated works on many subjects.