"Get together now."
In cold blood
Not aiming yet, two enemies
With a firm gait, quietly, evenly
Four crossed steps
Four mortal steps.
Then Yevgeny his pistol, Continuing to advance
Began to raise the first quietly.
Here are five more steps, And Lensky, screwing up his left eye, He also began to target - but just
Onegin shot …
Timepiece: poet
Silently drops the pistol"
("Eugene Onegin", A. Pushkin)
The history of firearms. It so happens that the history of firearms is closely related to the history of the people who used them. Here are the dueling pistols … How can you talk about them and not remember the two famous duels in the history of Russia: Pushkin and Lermontov, who robbed us of two talents in the field of literature, which made the glory of their Fatherland. But the duty to the Fatherland is one thing, and the duty to one's noble honor is something completely different. Anyway, a great poet is often one thing, but a man is something completely different. For example, in the same police department of St. Petersburg, no one knew Pushkin the poet. There literally the following was written about him: “A. S. Pushkin is a famous banker. Alexander Sergeevich himself loved not only to play cards, but also … to speak evil. In his diary, for example, he wrote:
“The fact that Dantes was indulging in the sin of Sodom was the first to know, and I happily made this news public.”
And now we will recall once again that in 1837 it was Dantes who killed him in a duel, although formally the duel took place because of a woman. But again, Pushkin lived during the heyday of dueling culture in Russia, and his duel with Dantes was by no means the first in a row, but … 25! And for almost all these duels he was not challenged, but he himself!
And what was the reason or reasons for that? Pushkin's contemporaries noted that he was a cocky and very hot-tempered person. His friend, from the time of his studies at the Lyceum, Ivan Pushchin, wrote about him:
“From the very beginning, Pushkin was more irritable than many and therefore did not arouse general sympathy. He had a mixture of excessive boldness and shyness, both of which were out of place, which thereby harmed him. Most importantly, he lacked what is called tact."
And at the same time, people who knew him noted both his kindness and humanity. And, by the way, his "dueling story" confirms all this well, and it is so interesting that it makes sense to cite it in full here.
Let's start with the very first challenge of 1816. Then 17-year-old Pushkin challenged his own uncle Pavel Hannibal to a duel due to the fact that he beat off the girl Loshakova from him at the ball. The duel, however, was canceled.
In 1817, Pushkin challenged his friend Pyotr Kaverin to a duel because of his playful verses. And this duel was also canceled.
The year 1819 was rich in challenges for Pushkin. To begin with, he challenged his fellow poet and future Decembrist Kondraty Ryleev to a duel. The one, you see, in one of the secular salons made an insulting joke about Pushkin. But this duel was also canceled.
Then, Pushkin himself was summoned to a duel by his other friend Wilhelm Kuchelbecker. The reason was Kuchelbecker's resentment, now at the passage of Pushkin, who wrote: "Kuchelbeckerno and sickening." And then it came to shooting: Kuchelbecker fired, but Pushkin did not shoot at him. And, of course, now we will never know - either he just missed, or deliberately shot past …
In this case, attention should be paid to the fact that during this duel, both Pushkin and Kuchelbecker used flintlock pistols, that is, pistols with a shock battery lock. And it is quite possible that the description of Onegin's duel with Lensky was made by him on the basis of personal experience. And it was with the use of Le Page's pistols. How could it be otherwise? He, Pushkin, and suddenly some second-rate pistols … Without a doubt, the best ones were taken so that no one would say anything bad about this. "The opinion of the world …", but how!
By the way, in the same year, the third Pushkin duel took place, moreover, for an absolutely ridiculous reason, which did not affect Pushkin himself in any way. Judge for yourself: Pushkin then summoned Modest Korf, an official of the Ministry of Justice, to a duel, only because his servant, getting drunk, began to pester Korf's servant, and he took and beat the little one. But, fortunately, this duel was canceled and the matter was resolved by reconciliation.
The same year, the fourth duel and Pushkin defying again. This time it was a certain Major Denisevich who was to blame, who only made a remark to Pushkin when he made some noise in the theater and began to shout at the artists. The duel did not take place.
The new year 1820 was marked by two challenges at once: Fyodor Orlov and Alexei Alekseev were summoned to a duel by Pushkin. And again, because they reprimanded him when, being drunk, he began to play billiards and at the same time interfered with everyone. The duel was canceled this time as well, but both of them could well … end it, and then the career of the great poet simply would not have taken place. But: "Evgeny's fate kept …"
1821 and another duel with the French officer Deguille. The circumstances of the quarrel are unknown, but the challenge was made, but the matter was settled peacefully.
The first duel in 1822 was very special. Now Pushkin is called by Lieutenant Colonel Semyon Starov due to the fact that both of them indulged in card games and … did not share the restaurant orchestra in the local casino. The reason - you can’t imagine more stupid. But it came to shooting, both duelists fired, but missed. Again, flintlock pistols were used. There were simply no others then.
Second duel in 1822. The reason is Pushkin's quarrel with 65-year-old State Councilor Ivan Lanov at a festive dinner. It didn’t come to shooting.
1822 year. Pushkin in Moldova and, of course, found someone to find fault with: he decided to challenge the Moldovan grandee Todor Balsh to a duel, and the owner of the house in which he was staying at that time. You see, the wife of Todor, Maria, answered a certain question asked to her not politely enough. And then the matter did not end in peace. Both the guest and the host fired, but missed. A story that very clearly depicts for us a portrait of the mores of that time and the relationship of men to women. By the way, after all, the owner himself could have simply told the servants to push such a boor out of the house at your own pace, and even give him a good shot, and he went to shoot him, risking leaving his loving wife as a widow. What is selfishness, isn't it? No, after all, the people of that time were clearly not distinguished by a special mind.
Apparently, the hot climate of Moldova went to the detriment of Pushkin. In the same year, 1822, he also challenged the Bessarabian landowner Skartla Prunculo to a duel. He was a second in a duel, and Pushkin was also a second there, and they … argued about its rules. But the duel was canceled.
The year 1822 was rich in a duel, rich. Another duel, which also did not take place, was between Pushkin and Severin Pototsky. We had a debate about serfdom at dinner. But they were reconciled.
Another duel in 1822. Pushkin was summoned by Staff Captain Rutkovsky. Well, he didn’t believe that hailstones weighing 3 pounds could be, he scoffed at the captain, but still the duel did not take place.
All the same 1822, and sultry Chisinau, where Pushkin studied the Moldavian language, wrote "The Caucasian Prisoner", "The Fountain of Bakhchisarai" and most actively danced at balls at the Moldovan "boyars" and local Russian officials, played cards and … Lyudmila Inglezi is a beautiful gypsy woman, the wife of a wealthy landowner. And he did not just fall in love, but was in a love affair with her (in any case, local legends say so!). Well, it's clear that my husband found out about it. He locked his wife in a closet, and challenged the rake-poet to a duel. And it is unlikely that this time Pushkin got away with such liberty, but … the duel was reported to General Inzov, under whose command the poet was, and he took measures to prevent the duel. He put Pushkin in a guardhouse for ten days, and ordered the landowner Inglesi to immediately leave with his wife abroad.
1823 year. The challenge to a duel of the young writer Ivan Russo because of personal hostility towards him on the part of Pushkin. It didn’t come to shots.
In 1826, the poet took offense at Nikolai Turgenev, one of the leaders of the Union of Welfare and a member of the Northern Society, who cursed his poems, and especially epigrams. But the duel did not take place, although the reason was serious, to be sure.
In 1827, another challenge to a duel because of "love". Pushkin began to show interest of a certain quality in the lady of the officer Vladimir Solomirsky. He challenged Pushkin to a duel, but it did not take place.
1828 year. At this point, Pushkin clearly "took a bite at the bit", because he challenged not just anyone, but the Minister of Education Alexander Golitsyn. The reason was Pushkin's audacious epigram on the minister, who summoned him for this and reprimanded him. But this duel did not take place either.
In 1828, Pushkin's duel with a certain Lagrenet, the secretary of the French embassy, could well have taken place, because of an unknown girl at the ball, but it did not take place.
In 1829, an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Khvostov took offense at Pushkin because in his epigram the poet compared him to a pig. And it was not Khvostov who eventually summoned Pushkin, but Pushkin Khvostov. But this duel was not destined to happen either.
In 1832, the poet is already happily married, he has a beautiful wife - well, calm down, sit and write your verses, but no, you can't do without a challenge to a duel. And now Pushkin was summoned to a duel by an officer of the General Staff, ensign Alexander Zubov. Zubov cheated at cards, and Pushkin caught him. And after the duel the matter was gone! However, Zubov, fortunately, missed, but Pushkin even refused to shoot.
1836 - another duel. Pushkin summoned Prince Nikolai Repin. The prince was outraged by the verses written about him, and of course the publicized ones. But the parties came to a reconciliation.
1836 year. Again the instigator Pushkin and again the reason for his poems in relation to one of the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Semyon Khlyustin, who dared to express his displeasure with the poems written about him. And again the duel is canceled. The impression is that the poet is constantly looking for someone to hurt with his poems, and then, when they express their displeasure to him - and who likes it when you are compared to a pig - a challenge to a duel follows, which then ends with a reconciliation of the parties.
All the same 1836. The third duel, or rather, a quarrel between Pushkin and Vladimir Sologub, who spoke impartially about the poet's wife. Here, it seems, it is necessary to fight to the death, because the honor of the beloved woman is hurt. But … and this duel was canceled.
The turn of fatal, in fact, challenges continues. At the end of 1836, Pushkin again decided to fight. The summoned was a French officer in the Russian service Georges Dantes, but the reason for a very delicate nature was an anonymous letter, which stated that Pushkin was a cuckold, since his wife was unfaithful to him, and there was no one to think about except Dantes.
And here is Pushkin's last duel in January 1837, in which Dantes's fatal shot ends his life. Actually, there is nothing to tell further, all the twists and turns of this story are very well known. Although, of course, it is necessary to say about the duel itself. It turns out that the duel between Pushkin and Dantes was … long-lasting. First, he challenged Dantes to a duel. And he accepted the challenge. However, a week later he got married to Ekaterina Goncharova, Natalia's sister, Pushkin's wife, and Ekaterina, being in love with Dantes, said yes. And Pushkin immediately withdrew his challenge.
But peace between them was never restored. Pushkin wrote a very malicious letter to Dantes' adoptive father Louis Gekkern, and he challenged him to a duel on behalf of Dantes.
As a result, the duel between them took place the very next day, January 27, on a vacant lot near the Black River at about 17:00. There was a strong wind, but the weather was clear, although the snow was falling to the knees. The conditions of the duel were as follows: the opponents had to stand at a distance of 20 steps and 5 steps from the barriers themselves, and the distance between them was only 10 steps.
At the signal, the opponents had to go to the barriers and shoot at the same time from any distance, but not to cross the barriers themselves. In the event of a miss, the duel had to start anew under the same conditions, and so on until one of the duelists was killed!
Danzas - Pushkin's second waved his hat, Dantes and Pushkin began to converge. And Pushkin was the first to approach his barrier, stopped and began to aim. And then Dantes, exactly one step before reaching his barrier, fired first from a distance of about 7 meters (11 steps). The bullet hit Pushkin in the stomach, and he fell.
However, the duel continued. Pushkin announced that he would shoot, but since the snow fell on his pistol, Danzas gave him another one. Dantes at this time stood to him, turning sideways and covering his chest with his right hand.
Pushkin got up, fired, and … then Dantes fell. When asked where he was wounded, Dantes replied that he was wounded in the chest, to which Pushkin shouted: "Bravo!" This is how this duel ended.
Dantes was wounded in the arm and shell-shocked in the chest, but Pushkin was not at all lucky: he pierced his tibia and hit him in the stomach, where he remained. Such a wound at that time was fatal, moreover, it was probably contaminated with particles of clothing, and it was itself dirty, which caused him, according to the doctors, "inflammation of large veins in conjunction with inflammation of the intestines."
In addition, while Pushkin was taken home, he lost a lot of blood, since Danzas, who was gathering in a hurry, did not even have bandages with him to at least somehow bandage his wound.
Well, now, at the end of the curtain, there are some very interesting facts related to this duel and the death of our great poet.
Here, for example, what happened after the duel, the correspondent of the German newspaper Blatter fur literarische Unterhaltung ("Leaflet for language studies"):
“Shortly before his death, Pushkin turned to the Tsar with a request to provide for his family, which he left in poverty. Instead of answering, the emperor sent his confessor to him to ask: does he deny God? Pushkin announced that he had repented and freed himself from all doubts. Having received this answer, the Emperor announced that he was granting his widow a pension and accepting children for upbringing in state institutions. Pushkin received a note about this, written in pencil by Tsar Nikolai Pavlovich himself."
And I must say that the Russian autocrat kept his word. A special guardianship was established over the children and property of Pushkin, which was entrusted with paying his debts. Moreover, only the debt to the state treasury of Pushkin was 43,333 rubles 33 kopecks, and Nikolai was ordered to write off this entire amount. As for the many private debts, which totaled 92,500 rubles, the emperor paid for that too. In addition, it was decided to pay the widow and daughter a pension before marriage and give their sons to the pages with payment of 1,500 rubles to each before joining the service, as well as publish at public expense in favor of the widow and her children a collection of the poet's works and pay the family 10 thousand rubles at a time. …
Further, it is believed - and even Marina Tsvetaeva wrote about this in verse that Pushkin was buried almost secretly, and the coffin was accompanied only by an official of the postal department and AI Turgenev, a friend of the poet. However, the correspondent of the German newspaper Frankfurter-Oder-Postamt Zeitung ("Bulletin of the post office of Frankfurt an der Oder") described the farewell to the poet in a completely different way:
“Alexander von Pushkin, the most famous of Russian poets, died at the age of 37. His father is still alive and owns an estate in the Pskov province, to which the body of the deceased was taken after the last church ceremony was performed on him. In the presence of crowds of worshipers on the day of his funeral, one could judge the sympathy of the whole society, which was excited by his death, as a result of his literary fame, acquired by the deceased throughout Russia. Countless crowds from all walks of life gathered for the church service at the Stables Church. Among the worshipers one could notice both the most important persons and many foreign diplomats."
And, let's just say, what was the point for him to distort the truth then?
