This article was written to commemorate the 170th anniversary of the death in a duel of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov, the great Russian poet, who was called Pushkin's successor during his lifetime. The death of Lermontov and now is still a mystery.
Leave Petersburg
On April 11, 1841, Lieutenant of the Tenginsky regiment Mikhail Lermontov, who was spending his vacation in the capital, received an order to leave Petersburg within 48 hours and return to the unit.
After a duel with the son of the French ambassador, Ernest de Barant, the brilliant Tsarskoye Selo hussar Lermontov was sent, in essence, into exile - to the Tengin regiment, stationed on the Caucasian line. The lieutenant fights heroically, he is twice presented for the award, but the tsar himself deletes Lermontov's name from the list of applicants. But if the poet had military awards, he could have achieved resignation. Mikhail Yurievich was not at all eager to return to military service. He dreamed of starting to publish a literary magazine that would unite the best writers' forces in Russia and where he would publish himself. But since the spring of 1841, Lermontov had little hope that Nicholas I would release him from the Caucasus - this Warm Siberia, as his contemporaries sometimes called him. So the future did not bode well for the poet.
Pyatigorsk
So, Lermontov must get to Anapa - to the location of his regiment. The poet is joined by his relative, Captain A. Stolypin (nicknamed Mongo) and the cornet P. Magdenko. Lermontov persuades Stolypin to turn in Pyatigorsk, where the doctors favor the warriors in the Caucasus and agree to "treat" the healthy.
Promotional video:
Magdenko recalled over the years: “Soaked to the bone, we arrived in Pyatigorsk and stayed together on the boulevard in the hotel, which was kept by the Armenian Naitaki. About twenty minutes later Stolypin and Lermontov appeared in my room … Rubbing his hands with pleasure, Lermontov said to Stolypin: “After all, Monkey, Monkey is here! I told Naitaki to send for him. So Lermontov called Nikolai Martynov, his friend from the time of his studies at the School of Guards ensigns. Lermontov visited his Moscow house and, according to rumors, even courted Nikolai's sister Natalya.
After graduation Martynov (1815-1875) served in the Cavalry Regiment, and then voluntarily sent to the Caucasus in the Grebensky Cossack Regiment. In its composition, he participates in battles with the mountaineers, often tells his comrades that he will rise to the rank of general, and suddenly, unexpectedly for everyone, resigns.
There is an assumption that the young officer was caught playing a dishonest card game and quietly removed from the regiment. Uncle Martynov was known as a famous card player. Yes, and Martynov himself, upon his return to Moscow, played in the English club on a high stakes basis and almost always won. When Lermontov met Martynov in Pyatigorsk, he no longer served, but continued to wear a uniform and did not part with a large dagger.
Lermontov knew how to notice funny features in people and often made fun of his comrades, sometimes quite evil. True, when he saw that a person was seriously offended, he could ask for forgiveness. In Pyatigorsk, Martynov became the target for the poet's jokes.
The Verzilins
On the evening of July 13, the officers' youth gathered in the house of the chief chieftain, Major General Verzilin, who had three bride daughters. This is how Emilia Verzilina, by her husband Shang-Girey, described this evening: “On July 13, several girls and men gathered for us and decided not to go to the meeting, but to spend the evening at home … M Yu gave his word not to anger me anymore, and we waltzed in, sat down to talk peacefully. We were joined by L. S. Pushkin … and the two of them began to sharpen their tongues with each other … They did not say anything evil, but a lot of funny things; but then they saw Martynov, very kindly talking to my younger sister Nadezhda, standing at the piano, on which Prince Trubetskoy was playing. Lermontov could not resist and began to joke at his expense, calling him "a highlander with a large dagger" (Martynov wore a Circassian coat and a dagger of remarkable size). It had to happen that,when Trubetskoy struck the last chord, the word "dagger" spread throughout the hall. Martynov turned pale, bit his lips, his eyes flashed with anger; he approached us and, in a very restrained voice, said to Lermontov: “How many times have I asked you to leave my jokes in front of the ladies,” and so quickly turned away and walked away that he did not even let Lermontov come to his senses, and to my remark: “My tongue - my enemy, "M Yu replied calmly:" It's nothing, tomorrow we will be good friends. " The dancing continued, and I thought that was the end of the whole quarrel. "and to my remark: "My tongue is my enemy", M Yu replied calmly: "It's nothing, tomorrow we will be good friends." The dancing continued, and I thought that was the end of the whole quarrel. "and to my remark: "My tongue is my enemy," M Yu replied calmly: "It's nothing, tomorrow we will be good friends." The dancing continued, and I thought that was the end of the whole quarrel."
Unexpected call
E. Shan-Girey writes that when he left the house Martynov detained Lermontov and repeated the phrase he said in front of everyone in the hall. "Well, will you challenge me to a duel for this?" Lermontov asked. Martynov said resolutely: "Yes!" and immediately appointed the day of the duel - July 15th.
Literary historian A. Yu. Chernov drew attention to the fact that July 13, 1841 marked the 15th anniversary of the execution of five Decembrists at the crownwork of the Peter and Paul Fortress. Lermontov, of course, remembered the mournful date. Many of those who made up the Pyatigorsk society at that time also remembered her. Chernov suggests that the quarrel between Martynov and Lermontov could arise on this basis. However, the historian's hypothesis is not supported by the facts, although it is quite interesting.
Lermontov's comrades persuaded the poet to leave for Zheleznovodsk, hoping that in the time remaining before the duel they would be able to convince Martynov to take the challenge back. However, they did not succeed, and the duel took place on time.
Fatal duel
On July 15, after 6 pm, quite a lot of people gathered at the foot of Mashuk Mountain. In addition to the duelists - two seconds on each side. Martynov - A. Vasilchikov and M. Glebov, Lermontov - A Stolypin and S. Trubetskoy. Just curious ones also came (which, by the way, was a categorical violation of the dueling code).
Further - we will give the floor to the second Vasilchikov: “We measured out 30 steps with Glebov; the last barrier was set at 10 and, having separated the opponents to extreme distances, they were ordered to converge to each of them at 10 steps on the command: "March". The pistols were loaded. Glebov gave one to Martynov, I gave the other to Lermontov and ordered: "Get together!" Lermontov remained motionless and, having cocked the hammer, raised the pistol with the muzzle up, shielding himself with his hand and elbow in accordance with all the rules of an experienced duelist. At that moment and for the last time I looked at him and I will never forget that calm, almost cheerful expression that played on the poet's face in front of the barrel of the gun, already directed at him. Martynov with quick steps approached the barrier and fired, Lermontov fell …"
And here is what the first biographer of Lermontov P. Viskovatov writes from the words of the same Vasilchikov: “Probably, the sight of Martynov walking hastily and aiming at him aroused a new feeling in the poet. His face assumed a contemptuous expression, and he, still without moving from his place, stretched his hand upward, still directing the barrel of the pistol upward. Lermontov did not manage to shoot into the air.
How did Martynov raise his hand against Lermontov? After all, he knew for sure that the poet would not shoot at him. Unlike Dantes, a stranger who had no idea who was on the other side of the barrier, and what Pushkin meant for Russia, Martynov understood perfectly well who was in front of him. After the publication of The Demon and The Hero of Our Time, Lermontov's fame as a writer was enormous. And yet Martynov fired.
Court and verdict
The verdict to Martynov, Glebov and Vasilchikov, according to the current legislation, was very harsh: it was proposed to deprive them of their ranks and all rights of the state, that is, the nobility. However, Nicholas I, who approved the verdict, considered it necessary to greatly mitigate it. The cover of the military court case reads: “It was imperatively commanded: to put Major Martynov in the Kiev fortress in the guardhouse for three months and to commit to church repentance, to forgive the titular adviser Prince Vasilchikov and the cornet Glebov, the first in consideration of the merits of his father, and the second according to the respect received severe wounds to them. The father is Prince I. V. Vasilchikov, chairman of the State Council, the person closest to the tsar. Back in 1825, he played a key role in suppressing the Decembrists' protests on Senate Square.
Lermontov at the time of his death was not even 27 years old. He did not seek death, death itself found him, cutting off the life of a genius when he was just spreading his mighty wings.
Source: "Secrets of the XX century."