Lermontov's duels. Who killed Lermontov in a duel

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In the summer of 1841, a tragedy occurred at the foot of Mount Mashuk, which would then shake up all of Russia. This is the place of Lermontov's duel. He was only twenty-six and a half years old. Life has just begun. So much beauty ahead.

Already after the first poems, contemporaries called him the second Alexander Sergeevich. And how similar were the fates and duels of Pushkin and Lermontov! Both had a tragic end not only for their contemporaries, but for all subsequent generations. How many plans of Mikhail Yuryevich were never destined to come true because of that fatal shot … Until now, the real reasons for this tragedy have not been named. And all the participants in that duel took the secret of Lermontov's duel with them to the grave.

Lots of questions about strange duel

This is the most mysterious duel. It often happens in history that subsequent generations do not know the whole truth. There are many different versions, but the fact that this is a murder is obvious. Why were the special conditions of Lermontov's duel concealed from the investigation, under which the opponents did not leave each other a chance to survive?

Could the duelbecome a front for a planned assassination? Who could interfere with the personality of Mikhail Yuryevich? Or, as contemporaries wrote, was the real reason for Lermontov's duel too intimate to be made public?

On the way to the place of service or water in Pyatigorsk

After a fatal shot, the body of Mikhail Lermontov will lie for several hours at the site of the duel in the pouring rain. Only closer to midnight will the servants load him into a cart and bring him home. There they would immediately burn the bloody uniform, as if trying to hide the evidence. From birth to death, this outstanding personality is full of mystical mysteries.

Mikhail Yurievich arrived at the waters in Pyatigorsk in May 1841, on his way to the place of service in the Tenginsky Infantry Regiment. He wants to visit his old friend Nikolai Martynov. Together with their relative Captain Stolypin, they rent a small house.

The most hospitable host and his three beautiful daughters

It all started very romantically. Friends were waiting for a pleasant rest and simple provincial entertainment. No one could have imagined that in two months the poet would be killed. All versions of the duel between Lermontov and Martynov are built around the events that took place in the house where the family of Lieutenant General Verzilin lived.

The owner of the dwelling is famous throughout Pyatigorsk for his rare hospitality and three unmarried beautiful daughters. Therefore, young people come here often, provincial parties are fun and enjoyable.

The reason for Lermontov's duel. Briefly about the events of the day before

On the thirteenth of July, 1841, another youth party does not portend trouble. The young ladies ask for music and dancing. Prince Trubetskoy sits down at the piano and plays a cheerful tune. Nearby stands Martynov, as usual, in a Circassian coat and with a large dagger in his belt. Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov and Pushkin's brother Lev Sergeevich are talking on the couch at some distance.

Behind the loud music no one can hear what they are talking about. But suddenly the music breaks off abruptly and in the silence, Lermontov's fatal remark sounds unexpectedly loud: "Highlander with a big dagger." Martynov turned deathly pale and said: "I asked you not to use your jokes about me in front of the ladies."

People of the same circle and descendants of nobles

From this moment on, versions of the reasons for the duel begin to diverge. More often than others, the opinion sounds that the whole point is Martynov's transcendent touchiness and envy. But he is an old neighbor and friend of Mikhail Yurievich. They were people of the same circle, descendants of ancient noble families. Both received excellent education.

And when Lermontov arrived at the waters, he was obviously delighted to meet a friend of his youth. Therefore, Mikhail did not have any malicious attitude towards Martynov - this is evident. But why does the poet choose him for his evil jokes? From the outside, their relationship in Pyatigorsk seems like an irreconcilable enmity.

The first meeting of the future killer and victim

Judging by many testimonies, Martynov was a stupid man and this insanely annoyed Mikhail Yuryevich. And the fact that he walked in Caucasian clothesand with a huge dagger, it was a profanity. And, of course, it caused laughter. And Lermontov was sharp-tongued, and if he considered something funny or vulgar, he constantly paid attention to it.

But in fact, young people are old comrades. And it is quite possible that the poet read his first poems to the future killer in Serednikovo, near Moscow, the estate of his uncle, where the young people met ten years before the duel. Lermontov liked to come to this house in the summer for vacation.

And the Martynovs' estate was located a few kilometers away, and he was a frequent visitor to Mikhail's house with his sisters. Moreover, they were connected by very warm relations between families. What then caused such a hostile attitude towards the poet? The reason for the duel between Lermontov and Martynov is still mysterious.

Later the paths of Lermontov and Martynov will cross in the cadet school. According to the fashion of that time, both wrote poetry, but pretty soon it became clear where real poetry was, and where simple youthful fun was. Mikhail Yurievich felt his genius early. But Martynov saw it more and more. Perhaps if Nikolai had not understood this, then the duel would not have happened…

Doctor's report on causes of death

The autopsy was not performed then. There was only a superficial examination of the body. And this is what the local doctor wrote in the conclusion: "A pistol bullet, hitting the right side, pierced the right and left lungs and hit the soft parts of the left shoulder."

It turns out that the bullet went from the bottom up at an angle of about thirty-five degrees. Buthow is this possible if the opponents are facing each other. So another version appears that the fatal shot could not have been fired from Martynov's pistol at all. Then who killed Lermontov in a duel? Who was interested in the death of the poet? Whose order did Nikolay voluntarily or involuntarily fulfill?

Jealousy and hatred of the sovereign

A freedom-loving poet is hardly tolerated at court. Especially after the verse "On the death of Pushkin." He, of course, is not published, but he goes on lists and is known to all high society. And Nicholas the First also had a personal reason for hostility. This was due to jealousy for his wife, who was madly in love with Mikhail Yurievich. And it was for what. The light style of his poems and the sad look were simply mesmerizing.

But could the emperor's jealousy cause the wayward poet's death? Why not? In this case, Nikolai Martynov, the one who killed Lermontov in a duel, was fulfilling an order for a political assassination. Then it is easy to explain why all the participants in the duel received quite a symbolic punishment.

Presence of a third person in a duel

In general, Martynov was a bad shooter, and he himself admitted this more than once. But his very first shot led to a mortal wound to the enemy. Maybe it wasn't him who fired, but someone else from a secret hiding place? A theory arose that it was a government conspiracy, a planned assassination disguised as a duel. Shot at Mikhail Yuryevich from a gun by a hidden Cossack assassin.

Why from a gun? becausethe wound was very terrible. She was not like those that are usually received in duels. So, under what circumstances can you get a wound at such an unusual angle of thirty-five degrees? During the shot, the poet raised his hand and fired upwards, and the recoil from the weapon could deflect him back. At this moment, he receives a mortal wound. This refutes the version that another person was sent to the place of Lermontov's duel.

That's what Martynov was waiting for. Shot in the air when the body is not protected, otherwise it could hit the hand or the gun. It is clear that he wanted to kill. And the very next day, the whole of Pyatigorsk was talking about the fact that Nikolai was aiming at an unarmed man. Yesterday he was considered the victim of a daring prankster, and in the morning he is already a killer.

Testimony of witnesses of the duel

In fact, if Mikhail Yurievich shot into the air, it did not change the course of the fight. What happened next was a stain on all the participants. In their testimony, the seconds deliberately increased the distance between the opponents to fifteen steps. In addition, they hid from the investigation the fact that even before the start of Lermontov's duel, his intention not to shoot at the enemy was obvious. He said it himself.

And, as promised, he shot into the air first. So he stood with his hand raised up when the bullet overtook him. And most importantly, they did not say that Martynov pulled the trigger after the count of three. What did the end of the duel mean? They also concealed special conditions, which were very cruel for a trifling quarrel. shootof three attempts, and in case of a miss, the enemy can be called to the barrier again. All this will become known much later. As well as the fact that there were not two, but four seconds.

The reasons for this deadly duel are very similar to how Lermontov's first duel took place. The brief summary of the quarrel between Mikhail Yuryevich and Ernest Barant, who became an opponent of the poet, is very reminiscent of a dialogue with Martynov in Pyatigorsk. Ernest presented to Lermontov that he had heard rumors about the poet's unpleasant statements about him and, despite Mikhail Yuryevich's denial of this fact, on February 16, 1840, the duel still took place and, fortunately, ended bloodlessly.

It doesn't matter for whom the duels between Pushkin and Lermontov were beneficial, and what are the reasons for these fights. The main thing is their consequences. Tragic loss for the Russian culture of brilliant poets, talented individuals who could write delightful works for a long time and delight readers with their creations.