The life of Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova (1743–1810) was eventful even by the standards of the turbulent 18th century. Born into the family of one of the most influential dignitaries of the empire, Count Vorontsov, she received an excellent education and made a significant contribution to the education of Russia. Catherine II, who was Dashkova’s friend in her youth, entrusted her with the leadership of two higher scientific institutions at once - the Imperial Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy. The difficult character of “Ekaterina Malaya” forced her to endure disgrace, exile, slander from her enemies and misunderstanding from her relatives. In her lonely old age, trying to justify herself to her descendants, to convey her ideas to them, she created “Notes” - a wonderful monument to Russian literature. The 200th anniversary of the death of Ekaterina Dashkova marks the publication of her fundamental biography in the ZhZL series, written by her direct descendant, the American historian Alexander Vorontsov-Dashkov.