Fictions, legends and the truth about Baron Munchausen - a famous adventurer, whom the whole world knows

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Probably, it is difficult to find a person who would not know about the legendary adventures of a literary and cinematic hero Baron Munchausen, a desperate liar and adventurer who flew on a cannonball, pulled himself out of the swamp by the hair, shot at flying fried ducks, and so on … However, many of you will be surprised that in fact it was a real person. But you will be even more surprised to learn that representatives of the venerable family of Munchausen in the whole history have gathered no more, no less, but almost 1300 people, more than fifty of whom are still alive. And our world-famous hero, who was born almost three centuries ago, is on this huge list under the serial number "701".

The pedigree of this venerable family began in the 12th century, and starting from the 16th, its representatives began to various merits to make their names in the history of the country. And the countdown of such names can begin with the landsknecht (German mercenary infantryman) Hilmar von Munchausen, who earned himself money with his valiant sword to buy castles, which during his time there were half a dozen. You can also recall the name of the founder of the University of Göttingen Gerlach Adolf von Munchausen, as well as botanist and agronomist Otto von Munchausen.

Only in the 18-19th century, eight representatives who "got out into the people" of this kind became ministers of the German lands (now the districts). And there were also half a dozen writers in this family, among whom can be called the name of the "first poet of the Third Reich" Berris von Munchausen, whose poems were chanted by Hitler Youth fans, marching through the streets of Germany in the 30s of the last century.

Unfortunately, today practically no one knows these remarkable people of their kind, with the exception of researchers of the biographical history of the Munchausen family. But the whole world knows only one of its representatives - Karl Hieronymus Friedrich von Munchausen, who is located at the number "701" on the family tree.

And, for sure, he would only remain the number "701", if not for two famous writers - R. E. Raspe and G. A. Burger, who, even during the life of our hero, would not have applied their pen to his image … It was with their light hand two and a half centuries ago that amazingly funny stories spread around the world, causing smiles from a variety of people in all corners of the globe.

Of course, over time, Munchausen's name became a household name, denoting a person who tells about incredible stories. For now it is already quite difficult to say what was heard and written down directly from the mouth of the inventor and adventurer himself, and what was invented and supplemented by the fantasies of writers and translators.

I would also like to note that over the eight centuries of the existence of this ancient family, the spelling of the surname - Munchausen has been repeatedly changed. To date, 80 variants are known, including Monekhusen, Munchhausen, Monichusen, Monigkusen, Minnighusen and so on.

The life and adventures of a famous liar and adventurer

The official biography of the famous baron says that he was born in Germany in 1720 in the small town of Bodenwerder. As a 4-year-old child, he lost his father and was brought up by his mother, who, in addition to our hero, had seven more children, and later by his mother's aunt.

At the age of seventeen, young Karl, as a page of Duke Anton Ulrich, the groom and later husband of Princess Anna Leopoldovna, niece of the Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna, went to Russia. A year later, in 1738, under the command of Ulrich, he took part in the Turkish campaign, during which he received the rank of cornet in the Braunschweig cuirassier regiment. And soon, having risen to the rank of lieutenant, he commanded the Life Campaign. An interesting fact is that the Russian military archive contains hundreds of documents that record the legendary life of a company officer Munchausen, whose subordination included almost a hundred soldiers.

He could have gone far if not for the Elizabethan coup of 1741, during which the Brunswick rule was overthrown in the person of Anna Leopoldovna, her husband and son, crowned in infancy. To our hero's deep regret, his brilliantly started career failed, despite his previous reputation as an exemplary officer.

However, during his service Munchausen had a chance to distinguish himself again. In 1744, he was entrusted with command of the guard of honor, which met in Riga the Tsarevich's bride, Princess Sophia-Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst (the future Empress Catherine II). In the same year, the 24-year-old baron met, fell in love and married the Riga noblewoman Jacobina von Dunten, the daughter of a local judge.

And only six years later, having finally received the rank of captain, he and his wife left Russia for their hometown of Bodenwerder and settled in the estate they inherited. It was there that he lived the rest of his life, captivatingly telling his fellow citizens stories about his incredible "exploits" and adventures, and it was there that the fame of a literary hero fell upon him, which he considered an indelible shame. And now about this and another in order …

Living a peaceful life on his estate, the retired officer chose hunting as his main hobby. It is not known for certain how successful he was, but he was a great master at talking about it. Not only friends, but also completely outsiders were going to listen to his hunting fantasies. So, often in the restaurant of a local hotel, one could laugh heartily while listening to the fascinating incredible stories of Baron Munchausen.

One of the eyewitnesses described his impressions as follows:

The fame around the narrator grew exponentially. However, the matter did not go further than oral writing, our hero's writing talent was completely absent. But Munchausen's tales, having already become anecdotes, began to spread throughout Lower Saxony, passing from mouth to mouth. And after a while, the first printed edition of funny ridiculous stories appeared, which was allegedly told by a certain "M-g-z-n". And although the name of the narrator was encrypted, everyone guessed who this mysterious narrator, whose stories allegedly heard firsthand, was written down and published by the writer Rudolf Erich Raspe.

But by the end of 1785, the baron's name appeared in full on the title page of a collection published in London. It was revised, supplemented with his own stories and published by Gottfried August Burger. Having become a very popular publication, this book instantly spread throughout Europe. She reached Russia as well. By the way, in translation, the first Russian edition was published in 1791.

Probably, such unexpected popularity should have pleased the baron, but he, having become the prototype of the book hero, perceived his uninvited fame as an insulting mockery. Considering his good name disgraced, he even intended to sue the publishers. However, as he did not prove that nothing of the kind - neither about the core, nor about the cherry tree sprouted in the deer's forehead - he did not talk, it was already impossible to change the course of events.

This is how the name of the baron went down in history, whose real biography unwittingly mixed with the incredible adventures of an adventurer and literary hero.

The sad end of the story of the legendary Munchausen

The end of the life of Baron Munchausen was no longer so cheerful and exciting … In 1790 his wife Jacobina passed away. A few years later, the second marriage with 17-year-old Bernardine von Brun gave him a lot of trouble and practically brought him to the grave. The young wife, as one would expect, turned out to be a wasteful and frivolous person, moreover, she had absolutely no feelings for the 75-year-old baron. Behind her husband's back, she did not hesitate to start novels, one of which ended in pregnancy. In due time, Bernarina gave birth to a daughter, whom Munchausen, of course, did not recognize, considering her the father of the scribe Huden. And again, finding himself in a scrupulous situation, the baron this time started a very scandalous and expensive divorce proceedings. Legal costs completely ruined him, and his wife fled abroad with her lover. As a result, this whole scandal finally undermined the already frail health of the impoverished Munchausen, and he died of an apoplectic stroke.

Before his death, as eyewitnesses say, he did not miss the opportunity to joke for the last time: when the nurse asked how he lost two toes (frostbitten in Russia), Munchausen answered, not without irony:

Diverse Baron Munchausen

And finally, I would like to say that only one real portrait of Baron Munchausen, corresponding to reality, by G. Bruckner, painted in 1752, has survived for history. All other images, both graphic, pictorial, and three-dimensional - sculptural - are the fiction of artists, illustrators, sculptors. And since the 20th century, with the advent of cinema, the faces of the famous adventurer have become much more.

Continuing the theme of the image of Baron Munchausen in the cinema, read: Behind the scenes of the film "That same Munchausen": Why did they not want to approve Yankovsky for the role, and Abdulov broke his fingers on the set.