In the 18th century, the European practice of dueling appeared in Russia. Kings and queens sought to ban it, and religious and educated people considered it barbaric. Nicholas I said: “I hate a duel. This is barbarism. In my opinion, there is nothing chivalrous in it. Duelists almost always faced hard labor. But this did not stop young aristocrats with hot heads from sorting things out in such a cruel way. The light of Russian society was shooting - aristocrats, politicians, writers, and sometimes even monarchs, so duels influenced the history of Russia very significantly. Everyone has heard about the duels between Pushkin and Lermontov, but there were other very important duels in our history, which, ending in a different way, could completely change the history of Russia.
Duel of Catherine II
Although the practice of judicial fights and other types of resolving disputes through violence was old in Russia and existed since pagan times, duels came to us from the West. The main conductor of this tradition was the European aristocracy, which moved to Russia throughout the 18th century and brought its own customs. The great merit of the great Russian Empress Catherine II is here. At that time in Europe, not only male, but also female duels were widespread, which sometimes resolved the most stupid everyday quarrels. Long before becoming a Russian empress, 15-year-old Sophia of Anhalt-Zerbtskaya, a spoiled German princess, once did not share some childish little thing with her sister. The girls locked themselves in their room and fought with swords for a long time. Let's imagine what Russia would be like,if Anna-Ludwig of Anhaltskaya stabbed her sister!
Duel of Tolstoy and Turgenev
On May 26, 1861, Lev Tolstoy and Ivan Turgenev dined with Afanasy Fet. Turgenev talked about the charity that his daughter is engaged in, mentioned that her new governess advised her to repair the clothes of the poor with her own hands, thereby showing her good will. Tolstoy considered this stupidity and posturing. An abusive skirmish arises between them, and they disperse to their estates. Tolstoy writes a peaceful letter to Turgenev. Turgenev is ready to put up and also writes a letter, in which, however, he proposes to break off the relationship: “what happened this morning showed clearly that any attempts at rapprochement between such opposite natures, such as yours and mine, cannot lead to anything good; and therefore I am all the more willing to fulfill my duty to you because this letter is probably the last manifestation of any kind of relationship between us …”. But it got lost on the road. Tolstoy is angry at, as it seems to him, Turgenev's silence, and therefore writes him a letter, in which he calls to shoot, and shoot "for real", and not "go with champagne," and invites Turgenev to come to the edge of the forest with guns. Turgenev, in response, sends him a letter in which he rejects this method of dueling, and offers to shoot according to the rules. In response to this, Lev Nikolaevich called him a coward. The duel never took place. A few months later, the skirmish between the two writers resumed again: Turgenev found out that Tolstoy allegedly called him a coward in public, and himself, in turn, challenged Tolstoy to a duel, but he refused. After this scandal, the two writers did not communicate for 17 years. Perhaps this is the best outcome of this situation - all the great works of both classics were written after 1861. Tolstoy is angry at, as it seems to him, Turgenev's silence, and therefore writes him a letter in which he calls to shoot, and shoot "for real", and not "go, with champagne", and invites Turgenev to come to the edge of the forest with guns. Turgenev, in response, sends him a letter in which he rejects this method of dueling, and offers to shoot according to the rules. In response to this, Lev Nikolaevich called him a coward. The duel never took place. A few months later, the skirmish between the two writers resumed again: Turgenev found out that Tolstoy allegedly called him a coward in public, and himself, in turn, challenged Tolstoy to a duel, but he refused. After this scandal, the two writers did not communicate for 17 years. Perhaps this is the best outcome of this situation - all the great works of both classics were written after 1861. Tolstoy is angry at, as it seems to him, Turgenev's silence, and therefore writes him a letter in which he calls to shoot, and shoot "for real", and not "go, with champagne", and invites Turgenev to come to the edge of the forest with guns. Turgenev, in response, sends him a letter in which he rejects this method of dueling, and offers to shoot according to the rules. In response to this, Lev Nikolaevich called him a coward. The duel never took place. A few months later, the skirmish between the two writers resumed again: Turgenev found out that Tolstoy allegedly called him a coward in public, and himself, in turn, challenged Tolstoy to a duel, but he refused. After this scandal, the two writers did not communicate for 17 years. Perhaps this is the best outcome of this situation - all the great works of both classics were written after 1861.and therefore writes him a letter, in which he calls to shoot, and to shoot "for real", and not "off, with champagne", and invites Turgenev to come to the edge with guns. In response, Turgenev sends him a letter in which he rejects this method of dueling, and offers to shoot by the rules. In response to this, Lev Nikolaevich called him a coward. The duel never took place. A few months later, the skirmish between the two writers resumed again: Turgenev found out that Tolstoy allegedly called him a coward in public, and himself, in turn, challenged Tolstoy to a duel, but he refused. After this scandal, the two writers did not communicate for 17 years. Perhaps this is the best outcome of this situation - all the great works of both classics were written after 1861.and therefore writes him a letter, in which he calls to shoot, and to shoot "for real", and not "off, with champagne", and invites Turgenev to come to the edge with guns. In response, Turgenev sends him a letter in which he rejects this method of dueling, and offers to shoot by the rules. In response to this, Lev Nikolaevich called him a coward. The duel never took place. A few months later, the skirmish between the two writers resumed again: Turgenev found out that Tolstoy allegedly called him a coward in public, and himself, in turn, challenged Tolstoy to a duel, but he refused. After this scandal, the two writers did not communicate for 17 years. Perhaps this is the best outcome of this situation - all the great works of both classics were written after 1861.and invites Turgenev to come to the edge with guns. Turgenev, in response, sends him a letter in which he rejects this method of dueling, and offers to shoot according to the rules. In response to this, Lev Nikolaevich called him a coward. The duel never took place. A few months later, the skirmish between the two writers resumed again: Turgenev found out that Tolstoy allegedly called him a coward in public, and himself, in turn, challenged Tolstoy to a duel, but he refused. After this scandal, the two writers did not communicate for 17 years. Perhaps this is the best outcome of this situation - all the great works of both classics were written after 1861.and invites Turgenev to come to the edge with guns. Turgenev, in response, sends him a letter in which he rejects this method of dueling, and offers to shoot according to the rules. In response to this, Lev Nikolaevich called him a coward. The duel never took place. A few months later, the skirmish between the two writers resumed again: Turgenev found out that Tolstoy allegedly called him a coward in public, and himself, in turn, challenged Tolstoy to a duel, but he refused. After this scandal, the two writers did not communicate for 17 years. Perhaps this is the best outcome of this situation - all the great works of both classics were written after 1861. A few months later, the skirmish between the two writers resumed again: Turgenev found out that Tolstoy allegedly called him a coward in public, and himself, in turn, challenged Tolstoy to a duel, but he refused. After this scandal, the two writers did not communicate for 17 years. Perhaps this is the best outcome of this situation - all the great works of both classics were written after 1861. A few months later, the skirmish between the two writers resumed again: Turgenev found out that Tolstoy allegedly called him a coward in public, and himself, in turn, challenged Tolstoy to a duel, but he refused. After this scandal, the two writers did not communicate for 17 years. Perhaps this is the best outcome of this situation - all the great works of both classics were written after 1861.
Promotional video:
Duel of Bakunin and Marx
In the first half of the 19th century, there were two almost equal leaders among European left intellectuals - Bakunin and Marx. They constantly quarreled, and it was always Marx who initiated the quarrels. He loved to spread rumors about the Russian anarchist, to try to cheat him. Thanks to Marx, Bakunin was considered a Russian spy and anti-Semite. In general, in all honest and dishonest ways, Marx fought against the authority of Bakunin. And in the end he won, crushing the International under him. Unlike the cunning Marx. Bakunin was an honest Russian man who opposed all these attacks only with his pride and honesty. But one day he could not stand it. and challenged Marx to a duel. The reason was the negative statement of Marx, who was a well-known Russophobe, about the Russian army. Bakunin, a true patriot, who also once served as a non-commissioned officer in the artillery,I could not endure this, and called Marx to shoot. But the father of communism refused, citing the fact that his life belongs to the proletariat. It is even difficult to imagine what the world would be like if Marx had died in a duel even before he became the generally recognized leader of the world left forces, and Bakunin would have taken his place.
Duel of Guchkov and Uvarov
In one of the last duels in the history of Russia, the leader of the Octobrist Party, Chairman of the State Duma Alexander Guchkov, with a deputy from the Progressist faction, Alexei Uvarov, was shot. The reason for the shooting was a free retelling of his conversation with Stolypin, published by Uvarov in the newspaper. Guchkov, a staunch supporter of Stolypin, considered this publication an insult, and challenged Uvarov. The fight itself ended peacefully: Guchkov fired first, slightly wounded Uvarov, and Uvarov fired into the air. But this duel made a lot of noise, became a symbol of the inevitable end of the existing system, the final spoilage of the mores of the Russian aristocracy. The duel, which for many years was considered a rather shameful occupation to sort things out among the "golden youth", suddenly becomes the norm for the centrist deputies of the Duma. Imagine,if Vyacheslav Volodin challenged Vladimir Zhirinovsky to a duel for insulting Medvedev! The death of one of the participants in this duel could severely split Russian society and bring the revolution even closer.
Alexander Artamonov