Natalia Trotsky (1882–1962)

Natalia Sedova was born in the Ukraine to the family of a wealthy Russian merchant.
She became involved with revolutionary activities as a teenager. In 1902, she met Leon Trotsky in Paris at an art exhibit, following his escape from Tsarist exile in Siberia. They were married the following year and had two sons.
Trotsky was a major figure in the Bolshevik victory in the Russian civil war and became one of the first members of the Politburo.
Natalia also served in the Bolshevik government.
In 1929, after a power struggle with Stalin, the Trotskys were expelled from Russia and after a few years living in Turkey, went to France, Norway, and then Mexico. Trotsky was assassinated in 1940 -- most historians believe on Stalin's orders. After World War II, Natalia moved to Paris, where she maintained contact with many exiled Russian revolutionaries and was active in politics. Her best-known work was a biography of her husband, which she co-authored with Victor Serge. Her letters to Trotsky were later published. In her writings, she sometimes signed her name Sedova-Trotskaya. Her sons Lev and Sergei both died under suspicious circumstances and were probably murdered by Stalinist agents.