The most famous Russian duels: passion, excitement, revelry, cupids and politics

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

On November 24, 1817, on Volkovo Pole, in northern Palmyra, a duel between Count Alexander Zavadovsky and an officer of the Cavalry Regiment Vasily Sheremetev took place. They fired because of the 18-year-old brilliant ballerina Avdotya Istomina. This duel, which went down in history as a "duel of four", ended with the death of Sheremetyev and a duel of seconds - the future Decembrist cornet Alexander Yakubovich and an official of the Foreign Affairs College, poet Alexander Griboyedov. However, Russia knew not such dueling twists and turns.

Tsarist decrees did not save Russia from duels

The first harsh laws against dueling, which included punishment up to the death penalty, appeared in Russia under Peter I. True, in practice these laws were not applied, and duels in Russia were quite rare until the end of the 18th century. Duels became widespread in the youth noble milieu under Catherine II, who was even forced to publish the "Manifesto on Duels", which provided for a life-long exile to Siberia for a bloodless duel, and murder and wounds were equated with a criminal offense. Nicholas I was also very disgusted with duels. Under him, the duelists were sent to serve in the Caucasus, and in case of a fatal outcome they were deprived of the officer's rank.

But the laws against dueling in Russia proved to be ineffective. Moreover, Russian duels were particularly cruel: the distance between the barriers did not exceed 10 meters (usually 7), often duels took place without doctors and seconds, so the fights ended tragically.

"Duel of four" because of the brilliant ballerina

The name of Avdotya Istomina was immortalized by the great Pushkin in the poem "Eugene Onegin":

The famous ballerina Avdotya Istomina, the daughter of a drunken policeman, the same age and friend of Pushkin and the beloved of the officer of the Cavalry Regiment Vasily Sheremetev, once quarreled with her gentleman. Upset, she accepted the invitation of Alexander Griboyedov and went with him to tea with the chamber-cadet Alexander Zavadovsky. The tea party lasted for 2 days. Sheremetyev, incited by the cornet Alexander Yakubovich, challenged Zavadsky to a duel, as a result of which Sheremetyev was mortally wounded and died the next day. His grave is located at the Lazarevskoye cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

But this duel was continued. There was also a quarrel between the seconds, the result of which was a challenge to a duel. Due to the investigation into the Sheremetyev case, the duel had to be postponed, and it took place a year later in Georgia. They were shooting in a ravine near the Tatar grave in the vicinity of Tiflis. Yakubovich managed to shoot Griboyedov in the little finger on his left hand. It was by this sign that the disfigured body of the author of "Woe from Wit" and the Russian ambassador was identified when a crowd of religious fanatics dealt with him in Tehran.

The most famous love fight

One of the most famous Russian duels is a duel that took place on September 14, 1825 on the northern outskirts of St. Petersburg between the lieutenant of the Semyonovsky regiment Konstantin Chernov and the adjutant wing Vladimir Novosiltsev. The reason for the duel was Novosiltsev's refusal to marry Chernov's sister because of the resistance of his mother, the heiress of Count Orlov's enormous fortune. She idolized her son, and marriage with the poor and ignoble girl Chernova was not at all to her liking. Novosiltsev's mother did her best to upset her son's marriage, and she succeeded.

The offended brother of the bride challenged Vladimir Novosiltsev to a duel, which took place on the outskirts of the Forest Park. Chernov's second was his cousin KF Ryleev, who was a member of the Northern secret society of the "Decembrists". Both duelists were mortally wounded, and Ryleev did everything to turn Chernov's funeral into a manifestation.

Novosiltsev's mother, having learned about the duel, still managed to find her son alive and promised the famous doctor Arendt 1,000 rubles for saving her son, but all the efforts of the doctors were in vain.

The inconsolable woman spent about 1 million rubles to purchase an inn where her son shot himself, and built the Novosiltsevskoe charitable institution and the Prince Vladimir Church in this place. The places where the duelists were shooting from a distance of eight steps were marked with two pedestals.

Pushkin is the most famous St. Petersburg duelist

Ekaterina Karamzina, a contemporary of the great Russian poet, stated in one of her letters: "". And Ivan Liprandi, a famous duelist, left a note in his diary: "".

In his first duel, Pushkin fought with Lyceum comrade Kuchelbecker. The reason was a kind of review of Pushkin's epigrams. Kyukhlya fired first by lot, and when he began to aim, Pushkin shouted to his second Delvig: "Take my place, it is safer here!" Kuchelbecker lost his temper, his hand trembled, and he, indeed, fell into the cap on Delvig's head. The comic nature of the situation reconciled the opponents.

It is also known about Pushkin's duel with Colonel Starov, who was a famous sniper. The duel took place on January 6, 1822. According to the recollections of eyewitnesses, on that day there was such a strong blizzard that nothing could be seen a few steps away. Both duelists missed. Subsequently, Pushkin's friends did everything. So that the duel does not resume.

But in the spring, in St. Petersburg, they discussed a new duel between the poet and General Staff officer Zubov. Zubov missed, and Pushkin, who calmly ate cherries while the enemy was aiming at him, refused his shot. "Are you satisfied?"

The duel with Georges de Gekkern (Dantes), which took place on February 8, 1837, in the area of the Black River on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, became fatal for Pushkin. Pushkin himself insisted on conditions that left virtually no chance of survival. The distance between the opponents was 20 steps, the barrier was set at 10 steps, and it was possible to shoot at any moment. Already the first shot of Dantes, Pushkin was wounded in the stomach. Pushkin died 2 days later. For the duel, Dantes was sentenced to death. He hastily left Russia, lived to a ripe old age, and made a successful career in politics.

Ostroslov Lermontov provoked a duel in which he died

The official reason for the duel, in which Lieutenant Lermontov was killed by Major Martynov's bullet, is the sharpness and taunts that the poet regularly released in relation to the officer. Martynov's cup of patience was filled with the case when Lermontov called him "a highlander with a large dagger." Although it was rumored that the reason for this behavior of Lermontov was rivalry over the lady.

On July 15, 1841, the duelists met at an agreed place on Mount Mashuk. What were the conditions of the duel today is no longer known. Lermontov was mortally wounded in the chest by an opponent and died on the spot, not having time to make his own shot. In confirmation that Lermontov's pistol was loaded, a shot was fired from it into the air.

Russian anarchist challenged the founder of Marxism to a duel

The anarchist revolutionary Bakunin challenged the author of Capital Karl Marx to a duel. The reason was the fact that Marx allowed himself a disparaging comment on the Russian army. Bakunin, although he was an anarchist and an opponent of any regular army, decided to stand up for the honor of the Russian uniform, since in his youth he was an ensign-artilleryman. Marx, on the other hand, who fought with swords more than once as a student and was very proud of the scars on his face, did not accept Bakunin's challenge. He declared that his life now belongs not to him, but to the proletariat.

Tolstoy wanted to shoot with Turgenev, and Voloshin with Gumilyov

Many famous people were duelists. It is known that the young Leo Tolstoy threw the glove to Ivan Turgenev. The duel, fortunately, did not take place. The last known duel was the duel of the poets Lev Gumilyov and Maximilian Voloshin, which took place before the revolution. Gumilev was offended by the rally. Then the offender shot in the air, and Gumilyov missed.

However, weapons can be used for very peaceful purposes, and proof of this art objects from casings and bullets from Linton Meagher.