Smart Kalmyk girl Dunya

It is known that Anna Ioannovna had a special favor with the Kalmyk firecrackers Avdotya Buzheninova, Mother Beznozhka, Daria Dolgaya, Akulina Lobanova (Kulema the Fool), Baba Matryona (a master of foul language), Ekaterina Koksha, the Noble Girl, and besides them also dwarfs, Tatars, Kalmyks , Arab women, Persian women, nuns, various old women called nurses. The exotic Kalmyk Dunya was the most noticeable among all. And therefore she was given a lot of attention from the royal person.

Usually, as soon as she woke up, the empress ordered to call the firecrackers, who were obliged to chatter and grimace incessantly in front of her. Dunya performed this, according to some reports, more fun than other jokers, due to the fact that she was very insightful and artistic and felt what the empress needed. Since the time of the Arab Peter I, the Russian court often had curly-haired Arabs, Kalmyks and other “foreigners”. The rich aristocracy imitated the kings. It was considered very prestigious to keep exotic-looking well-trained servants in the family as a pupil, companion, or simply devoted, like a purebred dog.

The Government Manifesto of 1737 regarding the census of peasants and commoners legalized the enslavement of the working Kalmyk people, the black bones. One of the points of the Manifesto allowed persons of all classes and ranks to buy Kalmyks, baptize them and keep them without any payment of per capita money. Then, in 1744, an explanation followed: “Kalmyks who come and ask for freedom without any written form from the landowners will be punished with batogs for such willfulness, because they, therefore, are already just like their serfs.” Trade with Kalmyks began to take place openly in the markets of the cities and villages closest to the Kalmyk steppe.

The Noyons stole and took away entire families from each other. People were sold for a pittance. Apparently, the Kalmyk woman was brought to the court by the organizer of the unusual holiday, Cabinet Minister Artemy Petrovich Volynsky. He began his brilliant career as an envoy to Persia and there he tasted the exoticism of the East. Then, as governor-general of the Astrakhan and Kazan provinces, he continued his study of the ethnography of the Volga peoples. Volynsky took Avdotya into his service not as a child, but as an adult, mature person, judging by the fact that she played the main role of a “lordly lady” in his rich house. This means that she, as a lady, has power over all the servants, but at the same time she is “lordly,” that is, she belongs to the mistress of the house, the legal wife of the main ruler. So, through the Volyn Kalmyk, Avdotya Ivanovna became a hanger-on of the Empress.

Loving Jester Golitsyn

Prince Mikhail Alekseevich Golitsyn was the grandson of Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn, the all-powerful favorite of Princess Sofia Alekseevna. After its overthrow in 1689, Vasily Golitsyn, deprived of ranks and estates, was exiled together with his son Alexei, first to Kargopol, and then to Pinega, to the village of Kologory (versts 200 from Arkhangelsk). Mikhail Alekseevich was born a year before these tragic events. His father soon died, and young Golitsyn spent his childhood and youth under the supervision of his famous grandfather.

It was impossible to wish for a better teacher. Prince Vasily was the most educated man in Russia: he knew several European languages, also spoke Latin and Greek, was well-read in ancient history, and experienced in diplomacy and politesse. In a word, Mikhail received the most European education (later, sent by Peter I to study abroad, he attended lectures at the Sorbonne). However, he did not shine with military-administrative talents and only rose to the rank of major.

After the death of his first wife, Marfa Khvostova, Golitsyn, while abroad, fell passionately in love with the beautiful Lucia (an Italian, the daughter of an innkeeper), 20 years younger than him, who agreed to become his wife, but on the condition that he would accept Catholicism, even if secretly. Mikhail Alekseevich did not attach any importance to the change of faith, which he soon bitterly regretted. In 1732, already under Empress Anna Ioannovna, the young people returned to Russia. Here they learned that the empress was very strict on religious issues.

Therefore, Golitsyn, carefully hiding from everyone both his foreign wife and his change of religion, secretly settled in Moscow, in the German Settlement. However, the world is not without good people: there was some envious person who denounced Golitsyn. The Empress, having learned about the prince’s apostasy, angrily recalled Golitsyn to the capital. His marriage was declared illegal. Golitsyn’s wife was sent into exile, and he himself was ordered to take his place among the court “fools.”

His duties included serving Russian kvass to the Empress and her guests, for which he received the nickname Kvasnik. In historical literature there is an opinion that Mikhail Alekseevich lost his mind from humiliation, which, however, is not confirmed by the surviving examples of his wit, from which it is clear that the prince did not mince words.

In general, there were five full-time fools under the empress. Each of them had a basket in Anna Ioannovna’s reception chambers, on which they had to hatch eggs. The sixth nest was identified for Golitsyn. A greater humiliation could not have been imagined. After all, now he was deprived not only of his ranks and estates, but also of his honor and even his name: assigned to pour and serve kvass to the guests, he received the nickname Kvasnik. So, Kvasnik, he was called even in official documents.

Wedding of the jester Kvasnik and Kalmyk woman Dunya

By order of the empress, “two people of both sexes from all tribes and peoples” were brought to St. Petersburg from all over Russia for the clownish wedding. As many as 300 people arrived! By the same highest expression of will, the remarkable Russian architect, author of the master plan of St. Petersburg, Pyotr Mikhailovich Eropkin, undertook to draw a project for the future Ice House. So, although the reason for the construction was the whim of the empress, it was carried out seriously - thoroughly, according to all the rules of architecture... From the church, the wedding train went straight to the Ice House, where the couple were to spend their first wedding night. In the middle of the Neva, a blue palace made of ice was erected. Next to him are ice dolphins and an elephant, alternately spewing out water and fire (the oil was set on fire).

Inside the palace there is furniture, a fireplace with burning (again, doused with oil) ice-cold wood. Ice candles, flowers, cutlery and treats! Everything that the eye falls on is carved from transparent ice with the most skillful skill. Everything, including the bed on which the newlyweds were to spend their first wedding night. Judging by the fact that the frosts that year were terrible - down to minus 30 degrees, this very bed was supposed to become their grave. Escape was excluded: the bride and groom rode to the palace on an improvised elephant, enclosed in an iron cage. Guards were specially placed at the doors of the Ice House so that fools would not try to escape. According to the empress's plan, the jesters were supposed to defeat the cold with their hot embraces.

The retinue, which, according to an eyewitness, consisted of Votyaks, Mordovians, Cheremis, Samoyeds and other small peoples, rode on deer, dogs and pigs. On the Neva, between the Winter Palace and the Admiralty, the “Ice House” was erected for the young - a creation that was skillful and hellish at the same time. The facade of this building was 16 meters long, 5 meters wide and about 5 meters high. Ice curtains hung in the bedchamber; the mattress, blankets and pillows were also made of ice. There was an ice clock in the living room and even the food in the dining room was carved from ice and painted with natural dyes. Ice firewood and candles smeared with oil were burning...

And this whole “performance” was the whim of one single lady - the queen, bored in her chambers. How exactly they survived this terrible icy night is unknown. Legends say that Dunya Buzheninova, resourceful and diplomatic by nature, bribed the guards and managed to get warm clothes and blankets. Thus, she saved herself and her husband from death. The Kalmyk woman was adapted to harsh conditions from birth. She exchanged a sheepskin coat from the guards for a pearl necklace, the queen's wedding gift. All night she wrapped him up and warmed the prince with her breath. The warmth of a woman's devoted heart melted the ice of despair.

The next morning, when they were rescued from the crystal grave, she busily told her husband: “And now, father, let’s go to the chambers and take a proper steam in the bathhouse.” They wrote that it was she who brought the “jester” Kvasnik-Golitsyn out of a depressive, humiliated state. The courtiers were afraid of her sharp tongue and stopped splashing kvass in his face, as before.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, my dear prince. Therefore, our service is like this...,” she said

And he perked up, although before that he was almost on the verge of madness.

Gave birth to children and died

As historians write, “however, even the half-crazy former prince was a very profitable match for the court foreigner Buzheninova. In 1740 she turned 30: at that time, almost an old woman. So Avdotya Ivanovna walked down the aisle with great desire...”

Anna Leopoldovna, who ascended the throne, banned inhuman “fun” on jesters: the title of court jester was abolished... Golitsyn was given back the title and some property.

Buzheninova, as his legal wife, went with him to the family estate of Arkhangelskoye. Prince Golitsyn was reimbursed by the new authorities for the cost of the confiscated estate. He gained freedom and a family name.

I understand that now you are not a match...,” Avdotya was saying.

Stop doing that. “We are truly married before God and people,” answered the prince.

With Buzheninova, who became a princess after her marriage, they lived comfortably and in harmony on the Golitsyn family estate. However, Princess Avdotya Ivanovna’s health, damaged in the jester’s service, began to fail. Prince Golitsyn unsuccessfully took his wife abroad, surrounded her with honors, fulfilled all her whims...

In Arkhangelsk, in the museum, marital portraits of the first owners of a luxurious, artistically decorated Russian estate were kept. Next to the imposing gentleman in a pink satin camisole and a powdered wig sits a small, very simple, “mongrel” Asian woman. And yet, she rightfully occupies an honorable place in the gallery of the prince’s high-born ancestors, and between the spouses, historians wrote, there was an invisible internal unity. In 1742, immediately after the birth of her second son, Avdotya Ivanovna died... As for Golitsyn, he lived for another 35 years. And he died at 90, according to his contemporaries, being of sound mind and sound memory...

Golitsyn, Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich

6th Field Marshal.

Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn, son of the boyar and Kursk governor Prince Mikhail Andreevich and a descendant of the Gedimins, was born on November 1, 1675. In the twelfth year of his age, he joined the Semyonovsky Guards Regiment as a soldier and filled the position of drummer; in 1694 he was promoted to ensign; the following year - a lieutenant, for the courage he showed during the first siege of Azov; in 1696 he was during the capture of this fortress, wounded by an arrow in the left leg and promoted to captain-lieutenant; in 1698 he participated in the pacification of the archers near the Resurrection Monastery; in 1699 during Peter the Great’s sea voyage to the city of Kerch; in 1700 he was promoted to captain of the guard and near Narva he was wounded through the leg and slightly in the arm; promoted to major and lieutenant colonel in 1701, and the following year, October 12, he conquered Shlisselburg to the Russian state. When the cruel and stubborn siege of this city began, Peter the Great sent a messenger to Prince Golitsyn with the order to retreat. " Tell the Emperor, - The intrepid commander answered the messenger, - that I now belong to God alone"Having said these words, he led the troops on an attack and captured the city. The awards received by Golitsyn corresponded to his famous feat: the Emperor granted him a gold medal, three thousand rubles, three hundred and ninety-four peasant households in Kozelsky district and the honorary title of colonel of the Life Guards Semenovsky regiment.

In 1703, Prince Golitsyn was present at the capture of Neishants; in 1704 during the capture of Narva; in 1705 - Mitava and promoted to foreman; in 1706 he received the rank of major general and was appointed divisional commander of the regiments: Semenovsky, Ingermanlandsky, Vyatka and Chernigovsky, with which he entered Poland; in 1707 he was under the command of General Alart; in 1708 (August 29) he won a glorious victory over the Swedes, near the town of Dobro. The Emperor, having learned that the right wing of the enemy army, consisting of more than 5,000 infantry and several thousand cavalry, had moved a quarter of a mile away from his main corps, ordered Lieutenant General Fluke with thirty squadrons of dragoons and Prince Golitsyn with eight battalions of grenadiers to attack it.

A long detour and difficult crossings prevented Fluke from connecting with Golitsyn; Meanwhile, the conqueror of Shlisselburg, with the fog favorable to him, having bypassed many rivers and swamps, attacked a numerous enemy with such excellent courage that after a two-hour battle he put him to flight, killing up to three thousand Swedes in place. Charles XII hastened to help the stricken, and Golitsyn, in sight of the king and his entire army, returned in formation to the Russian army with six enemy banners. Peter the Great then conferred on Golitsyn, who was only a major general, the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called. [Feofan Prokopovich in his History of Peter the Great mentions that Charles XII, out of annoyance that he did not speed up the help in this battle, tore out his hair and hit himself on the cheeks.] Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich took part on September 28 (1708) in the defeat of the Swedish general Levengaupt near Lesnoye, fought like a lion . Peter the Great witnessed his excellent courage, kissed him at the end of the battle, awarded him a lieutenant general, his portrait, showered with diamonds, and left Golitsyn to ask for whatever he wanted. The valiant hero took advantage of this opportunity to reconcile with his ill-wisher, who was in disgrace with the Monarch. "", - Forgive Repnin

In 1709, he covered himself with new glory at the Battle of Poltava, leading the guard; pursued the Swedish army with small forces; the first reached it near Perevolochnaya, entered into negotiations (June 30) with General Levengaupt, demanding that he surrender to him as a prisoner of war; placed at some distance a handful of soldiers with a small number of horses, so that his army seemed more crowded; with his threats he instilled fear in the enemy. Soon Menshikov arrived with a strong detachment of troops, and more than sixteen thousand Swedes laid down their arms! For this famous feat, Golitsyn was awarded by many villages. He contributed (1710) to the capture of Vyborg; defended (1711) Ukraine against the rebellious Zaporozhye Cossacks, reinforced by the Crimean Tatars; was then with the Emperor at the Prut, where, during the unfortunate situation of our troops surrounded by the Turks, he, together with other generals, declared his desire rather die,rather than surrender to the enemy.

From 1714 to 1721, Prince Golitsyn was in charge of Finland, which he conquered with his excellent courage to the very borders of Lapland. The main victories he then won were the following: at the beginning of 1714, during the absence of Admiral General Count Apraksin from Finland, having learned that Major General Arenfeld with eight thousand Swedes was located near the city of Vasa, near the village of Lapal, Golitsyn took the same number of troops, moved to that place and on February 19 saw the Swedes standing in battle formation. Arenfeld warned him with an attack: firing one volley at the Russians from all four ranks, he struck with bayonets. Meanwhile, Golitsyn, who withstood the fire of the Swedes, met them with the same volley, but with greater success due to the close distance; then he took the enemy with hostility and knocked him over. More than five thousand Swedes died on the spot. 534 people were captured, with 20 banners, 7 cannons and 4 howitzers. The Emperor granted Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich the title of general-in-chief and honored him with a flattering letter. ["Monsieur! We received your pleasant letter through your adjutant here, and we were very glad that the Lord God does not abandon His mercy, and gave us such a Victoria at the beginning of this year. God grant that this color be the beginning of a good world! At the same time We congratulate you on your promotion to your rank for your courage and dignity! but it’s more glorious that there are many of them, and some of them were beaten.”] Following this, Peter the Great, asking Golitsyn where the Swedish troops were, wrote to him: “ Isn't it possible to fight them off further?"In the same 1714, Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich took part in the naval battle of Angut, in which the Russian fleet, under the leadership of the Emperor, received one frigate, six galleys and three sherboats as booty from the Swedish. In 1720, in July, he set out with sixty-one galleys and twenty-nine boats against the enemy squadron, located behind the island of Frisberg and consisting of one ship, four frigates, three galleys, one shnava, one galliot, three sherbots and one brigantine. As soon as Golitsyn, waiting for a fair wind, entered Grenham harbor and made preparations. to attack the squadron, the enemy, joined by the flotilla of Vice Admiral Zeiblat, rushed towards the Russian galleys. Golitsyn retreated to the Frisberg harbor to lure the Swedes there; then the Russian commander suddenly attacked the enemy (July 27) at the island of Grenham; two Swedish frigates, firing back, ran aground; the other two went to leave; but they were overtaken and, after a desperate defense, taken. The Swedish Vice Admiral took advantage of this time and managed to leave the skerries with the rest of the ships into the open sea, so that it was no longer possible to catch up with him. One hundred and four guns, military ammunition, about five hundred sailors and soldiers and thirty-seven officers were taken on four frigates. The number of those killed on our side extended to 82 people, wounded to 246. The enemy suffered much greater damage. The Emperor was so pleased with this victory ["True," Peter the Great wrote to Prince Menshikov, "not a small victory can be honored, because in the eyes of the English gentlemen, who equally defended the Swedes, both their lands and the fleet"] that Major Shilov, who was sent with news of her, was promoted through the rank of colonel; Golitsyn was granted a sword and a cane, showered with diamonds, for his military work and good team. [The Emperor commemorated this victory with a special medal: on one side there was a portrait of him with an ordinary inscription; on the other, a naval battle was presented with the following words at the top: " diligence and courage surpass strength"; at the bottom: " under Grenham 1720,July 27".]

During Peter the Great's campaign in Persia, Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich was in charge in St. Petersburg; in 1723, troops located in Little Russia and Ukrainian regiments were entrusted to him; in 1725, on May 21, he was promoted to field marshal general by Empress Catherine I. Golitsyn then founded the Kharkov Collegium (1726) with the help of Epiphany Tikhorsky, Bishop of Belograd, and for the maintenance of this theological school he strengthened the village of Pesochki with its farmsteads. Emperor Peter II named Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich president of the Military Collegium, senator and member of the Supreme Privy Council (1728). After the death of the Emperor, he was involved by his brother, Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich [Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn was born in 1665; first served as a steward; then renamed captain of the guard; sent as ambassador to Constantinople (1700); was governor in Kyiv; senator; granted actual privy councilor (1625); Knight of the Orders of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called and St. Alexander Nevsky (1727); member of the Supreme Privy Council; imprisoned in the Shlisselburg fortress after being stripped of all ranks and insignia (1737); ended his life there in April 1738. The husband of a great mind, firm, enterprising, but extremely insidious, proud, did not tolerate foreigners and was persecuted for this by Biron. He left a curious collection of historical antiquities in his village near Moscow, Arkhangelsk], in a daring undertaking to limit autocratic power, to introduce aristocratic rule into Russia that was not in agreement with the good of the state. With the arrival of Empress Anna Ioannovna in Moscow (1730), she destroyed the ambitious plans of the nobles who wanted to control the throne: the Golitsyns were removed from the Court, and soon the commander, undaunted on the battlefield, became a victim of spiritual grief, died on December 10, 1730, 55- 10 years from birth.

Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn, intelligent, full of honor, knew the art of war completely, was brave, extremely loved by soldiers, courageous, courageous, generous, courteous; preferring his compatriots to foreigners, together he gave justice to the worthy. Russia lost its hero in him, the unfortunates lost their benefactor and father, as the inhabitants of Finland, who conquered them, called him for his philanthropy and justice. Before the battle, when the enemy was weaker than him, he always reduced his army, not wanting to gain victory by force; bearing the honorary titles of Field Marshal and President of the Military Collegium, being the father of a large family, he did not dare sit with his brother, Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich, who was born ten years before him. The elders in the families enjoyed such respect at that time! Meanwhile, Peter the Great distinguished Golitsyn from other generals and, on his holidays, only he and Field Marshal Count Sheremetev did not force him to drink, and freed him from the punishment of draining the cups of the big eagle. Duke de Lyria claims that the nobles, and even Peter I, were afraid of Golitsyn.

He had two spouses [Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich was previously married to Evdokia Ivanovna Buturlina; then Princess Tatyana Borisovna Kurakina, daughter of Prince Boris Ivanovich, famous for his embassies to Peter the Great] has seventeen children, of whom Prince Alexander Mikhailovich was a field marshal general; Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Acting Privy Councilor, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Vienna and Knight of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called; Prince Nikolai Mikhailovich - Chief Marshal. Of the daughters, one was married to Field Marshal Count Buturlin; the other is for the glorious Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky.

(Bantysh-Kamensky)

Large biographical encyclopedia. 2009 .

Biography

Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn, Mikhail Mikhailovich the Elder(November 12, 1675, Moscow - December 21, 1730), Russian commander, field marshal general (1725), comrade-in-arms of the tsar Peter I. He became famous in the Northern War of 1700-1721. Belonged to the fourth branch of the family Golitsyns.

Born into a family Mikhail Andreevich Golitsyn(1639-1687) and his spouses Praskovyi Nikitichny, nee Kaftyreva (1645-1715). Had three brothers ( Dmitry, Peter, Mikhail Jr.) and three sisters ( Maria the Elder, Maria the Younger, Sophia).

He began his service in 1687 as a drummer in the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment. In 1694 he was promoted to ensign. He showed himself excellently in the Ashturmakhzov campaigns of 1695-96. He took part in the Battle of Narva in 1700, also in Noteburg in 1702, Nyenskans in 1703, Narva in 1704, Mitau in 1705.

In 1708, he brilliantly defeated the Swedish troops of General Roos near the village of Dobroy and distinguished himself in the battle of Lesnaya. In the Battle of Poltava in 1709 he commanded the guard and led together with the prince A. D. Menshikov pursuing the defeated and retreating Swedish troops, forcing them to lay down their arms near Perevolochnaya. Participated in the Prut campaign of 1711.

In 1714 he was commander-in-chief of Russian troops in Southern Finland. Participated in the Gangut naval battle of 1714. In 1720, he led a galley fleet that won a brilliant victory in the battle of Grenham. After the Northern War, he commanded troops in St. Petersburg, and in 1723-1728, with the rank of general-in-chief - field marshal general, on the territory of Ukraine. At this time, he acted as one of the founders of the Kharkov Collegium being created. From 1728 he was president of the Military College, senator and member of the Supreme Privy Council.

As a member of the Supreme Privy Council, Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Senior, participated in events related to the accession of the Empress Anna Ioannovna and Conditions. When Empress Anna, abandoning the Conditions, assumed autocratic power and dissolved the Supreme Privy Council, high society expected the Golitsins to fall soon, but this did not happen. On the contrary, Prince Mikhail not only remained president of the Military Collegium, but was also close to the Court. The initiators of this were the field marshal himself, who asked for forgiveness from the empress, Count Ernst Biron and the Levenwolde clan, influential at that time.

Marriages and children

Was married twice. The marriages produced 18 children.
In 1692 Mikhail Mikhailovich married Evdokia Ivanovna, née Buturlina (1674-1713):
Praskovya Sr. (1695-1719) - married to Prince Alexei Mikhailovich Dolgorukov (d. 1725)
Natalia (1696-1697)
Anna Sr. (1699-1727) - wife of Count Alexander Borisovich Buturlin
Anna the Younger (1701-1748) - wife of Lev Vasilyevich Izmailov (1687-1738)
Peter (1702-1760) - married to Ekaterina Alexandrovna Kar (1724-1802)
Sophia (1712-1759) - wife of Count Pyotr Ivanovich Golovin.
In 1716, he married for a second time Tatyana Borisovna, née Kurakina (1690-1757), cousin of Tsarevich Alexei
Maria (1717-1780) - wife of Prince Ivan Andreevich Prozorovsky (1712-1786)
Alexander (1718-83) - married to Princess Daria Alekseevna Gagarina
Marfa (1720-49) - wife of Prince Sergei Fedorovich Khovansky
Dmitry (1721-1793) - married to Princess Ekaterina Dmitrievna Cantemir (1720-1761)
Praskovya (born and died 1722)
Boris (1723-1726)
Elizabeth (1723-1724)
Catherine the Elder (1724-1779) - from 1748 to 1756 (divorce) wife of Count Peter
Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky (1725-1796)
Catherine the Younger (1725-1744)
Nikolai (1727-1787) - married to Ekaterina Alexandrovna Golovina (1728-1769)
Andrey (1729-1770) - married to Princess Elizaveta Borisovna Yusupova (1745-1770).

Awards

Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (1708)

Prince Mikhail Golitsyn. "Direct Son of the Fatherland"

Catherine the Great taught her descendants: “Study people... look for true dignity... For the most part, it is modest and hides somewhere in the distance. Valor does not stick out from the crowd, does not strive forward, is not greedy and does not talk about itself.”

An antique act
These words seem to have been spoken about one of the best generals in the army of Peter I - Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn. Writing about him is both easy and difficult. It’s easy because his life is a continuous series of military exploits and victories, but it’s difficult because apart from these victories and exploits, nothing special happened in Golitsyn’s life. When he was not fighting, he seemed to disappear, to dissolve in that crowd of high-ranking subjects that Catherine wrote about in the above passage.

A descendant of the ancient Gediminovich family, the son of a boyar, Mikhail Golitsyn began serving with young Peter with the rank of drummer of the Semenovsky regiment (he was almost the same age as the Tsar - he was born in 1675) and from then on he fell immensely in love with military affairs, devoted his entire life to it and knew military craft thoroughly. Contemporaries and immediate descendants unanimously praised Golitsyn: “A man of great valor and selfless courage - he proved his courage with many exploits against the Swedes.” Everyone especially remembered Golitsyn’s act on October 12, 1702, when at the head of an assault detachment he landed under the walls of the Swedish island fortress of Noteburg at the mouth of the Neva, now known to everyone as Shlisselburg (Key City). This was the turning point of the assault, the company of 1702, and perhaps the entire war with the Swedes: after all, after a crushing defeat in 1700 under the walls of Narva, Peter assembled a new army, and if it had been defeated at Noteburg, consider that everything would have been lost, the key to the Baltic coast would be drowned forever in the dark and deep waters of the Neva.

When the first attacks at the base of the wall were choked with blood, Tsar Peter, who was closely watching the assault, ordered Golitsyn to retreat. However, according to legend, a daring answer came from Golitsyn: “I do not belong to you, sir, now I belong to God alone.”

Then, in front of the tsar and the entire army, the military commander ordered the empty boats to be pushed away from the shore, on which his detachment sailed and rushed to the assault, which brought victory to the Russian army. The feat is beautiful, truly ancient, in the spirit of the Spartans or Romans! However, we know that part of his detachment nevertheless caught the boats and fled on them, for which the deserters were hanged the next day.

Defeat the enemy and forgive the enemy
And then in other battles - near Nyenskans in 1703, near Narva in 1704, Mitava in 1705, near the village of Dobro in 1708 - he won victories. The Tsar, who watched the battle of Dobroye, awarded Golitsyn the highest Russian Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, right on the battlefield - the rarest award in the army. In the battle of Lesnoy in the fall of the same year, Golitsyn acted so successfully and with such calm courage that after the battle, Peter hugged and kissed Golitsyn, making him lieutenant general and presenting him with his portrait strewn with diamonds.

As is customary in such cases, the tsar said to Golitsyn: “Ask for whatever you want!”

Usually, taking advantage of the moment, the valiant subject humbly lowered his head and, picking the toe of his boot in the dust, said: “Sir, I have spent too much time in campaigns and in your services, I have become impoverished, perhaps, give me, due to the poverty of your faithful subject and by the mercy of your sovereign, the neighboring my patrimony is the palace parish." Here the tsar usually shouted over his shoulder to his secretary: “Alyoshka! Write a decree!”, and signed it on a drum, as Yeltsin later did on the armor of an armored personnel carrier.

But, according to legend, Golitsyn asked for something completely different: to return the rank of general to Prince A.I. Repnin, demoted to the ranks of soldiers for the defeat at Golovchin in 1707. Repnin was a long-time rival and sworn enemy of Prince Golitsyn, and the latter’s request greatly surprised Peter, who knew the cruel morals of the ruling elite. Be that as it may, Repnin was indeed suddenly forgiven by the sovereign...

Commanding the guard, Mikhail Mikhailovich distinguished himself in 1709 in the battle of Poltava and especially at Perevolochna, where, together with Menshikov, he captured the remnants of the demoralized army of Charles XII that had fled from the Poltava field, and the Russian pursuers were in the minority. In 1714, Golitsyn became the hero of the conquest of Finland, achieved several important victories over the Swedes, including at sea - in the Battle of Gangut - and later, in 1720, he, a land general, commanding a Russian squadron, won a victory over the Swedish fleet at Grengam . In 1725, after the death of Peter the Great, Golitsyn became a field marshal general.

No skeleton in the closet
The experience of a historian suggests: no matter how much your hero sweeps up after himself, no matter how much he cares about the impression he will leave on his descendants, the skeleton will sooner or later fall out of his closet. It seems that despite all my searches, I did not find such a skeleton in Golitsyn’s biography. According to all sources about Golitsyn, he belonged to the rarest type of generals in the Russian army, whom everyone loved: soldiers, officers, and superiors.

Short, stocky, with a dark tanned face, clear blue eyes and a thoroughbred nose, he was always in everyone's sight. It is known that Golitsyn never sat behind the backs of his soldiers and had the habit, as a contemporary writes, “while walking towards the enemy, holding a pipe in his mouth, not paying attention to flying bullets and bladed weapons aimed at him.” He was loved not only for his courage, but also for his “natural kind mind, friendly treatment of his subordinates,” politeness, pleasant, modest manners, which, as we know, among generals is a virtue almost never found.

And Peter I himself highly valued Mikhail Mikhailovich - what sovereign does not love a commander from whose headquarters the Goddess of Victory never flies away! He called Golitsyn this way: “Direct son of the Fatherland,” or, in our opinion, “true patriot.” And he made for him (and even for Field Marshal Sheremetev) a rare - one might say, unprecedented - exception: at the feasts the tsar did not get Golitsyn drunk, like all his other guests, did not force him to drink the Great Eagle Cup with two liters of vodka, after which even the courageous warrior turned into a mooing, vomited beast.

M. M. Golitsyn at the Monument “1000th Anniversary of Russia” in Veliky Novgorod

Brother for brother
We know almost nothing about his family affairs: of course, the prince had a wife, and more than one - first Evdokia Buturlina, and after her death the second - Princess Kurakina. And he gave birth to an incredible number of children: from two wives - seventeen sons and daughters! But is this the main thing in the life of a true warrior? As it was sung in an old soldier's song, "our wives are loaded guns, that's who our wives are!"

Like many outstanding commanders, Prince Mikhail Golitsyn was naive and inexperienced in political and court affairs and in everything he obeyed his older brother - the cunning Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich, a senator, diplomat, old aristocrat and opponent of Peter's reforms, who perked up after the death of Peter the Great, who humiliated " ancient clans."

Contemporaries said that the combat general field marshal Mikhail Golitsyn, all wounded and sick, did not even dare to sit in the presence of his older brother - this is how he revered Dmitry Mikhailovich... Ultimately, proximity to Dmitry ruined Mikhail.

The elder brother was a hardened intriguer and with all his might he pulled Mikhail, an authority figure among the military, into politics. Dmitry made his brother president of the Military Collegium, a member of the Supreme Privy Council, a senator, and had no doubt that Mikhail would be at the same time with him. So it was: Prince Mikhail did not express his independent opinion during the two years of sitting in the Council. In January 1730, after the death of Emperor Peter II, Prince Dmitry, together with other leaders, tried to limit the power of the Duchess of Courland, Anna Ioannovna, who had just been elected empress by them. This idea was almost crowned with success, but the guard, propagated by supporters of the autocracy, rebelled, and Anna tore up the document that limited her power - the Conditions. Russia lived without autocracy for only 37 days!
Mikhail Mikhailovich could not help his brother in any way - he did not dare to go out to meet his drunken fellow soldiers. He knew them and was used to commanding them in battle, and not arguing with them on the palace floor.

After the restoration of autocracy by Empress Anna Ioannovna, the Supreme Privy Council was dissolved, the field marshal was dismissed, and, in essence, expelled from the army he loved so much. After this, Golitsyn did not live long in the world - he died at the end of 1730. I think it’s out of boredom - an old eagle in a cage doesn’t live long.

Evgeniy ANISIMOV
Analytical weekly "Delo"

Prince Mikhail Alekseevich Golitsyn was a grandson Vasily Vasilievich Golitsyn, the almighty favorite of the princess Sofia Alekseevna. After her overthrow in 1689 Vasily Golitsyn, deprived of ranks and estates, was exiled together with his son Alexei, first to Kargopol, and then to Pinega, to the village of Kologory (versts 200 from Arkhangelsk).

Mikhail Alekseevich was born a year before these tragic events. His father soon died, and young Golitsyn spent his childhood and youth under the supervision of his famous grandfather. It was impossible to wish for a better teacher. Prince Vasily was the most educated man in Russia: he knew several European languages, also spoke Latin and Greek, was well-read in ancient history, and experienced in diplomacy and politesse. In a word, Mikhail received the most European education (later, sent by Peter I to study abroad, he attended lectures at the Sorbonne). However, he did not shine with military-administrative talents and only rose to the rank of major.

After the death of his first wife, Marfa Khvostova, Golitsyn, while abroad, fell passionately in love with the beautiful Lucia (an Italian, the daughter of an innkeeper), 20 years younger than him, who agreed to become his wife, but on the condition that he would accept Catholicism, even if secretly.

Mikhail Alekseevich did not attach any importance to the change of faith, which he soon bitterly regretted. In 1732, already under the empress Anna Ioannovna, the young returned to Russia. Here they learned that the Empress was very strict on religious issues*. Therefore, Golitsyn, carefully hiding both his foreign wife and his change of religion from everyone, secretly settled in Moscow, in the German Settlement.

*Later, in 1738, by order Anna Ioannovna The Senate will condemn to burning alive the Smolensk merchant Borukh Leibov and the captain-lieutenant who converted him to Judaism Alexandra Voznitsyna.

However, the world is not without good people: there was some envious person who denounced Golitsyn. The Empress, having learned about the prince’s apostasy, angrily recalled Golitsyn to the capital. His marriage was declared illegal. Golitsyn’s wife was sent into exile, and he himself was ordered to take his place among the court “fools.” His duties included serving Russian kvass to the Empress and her guests, for which he received the nickname Kvasnik. In historical literature there is an opinion that Mikhail Alekseevich lost his mind from humiliation, which, however, is not confirmed by the surviving examples of his wit, from which it is clear that the prince did not mince words.

In one society, a certain pretty girl said to him:
- I think I saw you somewhere.
- Of course, madam! — Kvasnik answered immediately, “I go there quite often.”

They said about one painter with regret that he painted beautiful portraits, but his children were very unattractive. Hearing this, Kvasnik shrugged:
“What’s surprising here: he takes portraits during the day and children at night.”

One day, the empress’s all-powerful temporary worker, Duke Biron, asked Kvasnik:
— What do Russians think about me?
“You, Your Grace,” he answered, “are considered by some to be God, others to be Satan, and no one to be considered a man.”

One elderly lady, being in society, insisted that she was no more than forty years old. The alum, who knew her true age well, said, turning to those around her:
“You can believe her, because she’s been assuring me of this for more than ten years.”

The famous General von Dewitz, in his eightieth year, married a young and pretty German woman from the city of Riga. Being briefly with Kvasnik, he wrote to him about his marriage, adding: “Of course, I can no longer hope to have heirs.”
Kvasnik answered him: “Of course, you cannot hope, but you should always fear that they will happen.”

Duke Biron once sent Kvasnik to act in his place as the son of a footman at the baptismal font. Kvasnik carried out the assignment correctly. But when he reported this to Biron, he, being out of sorts, called him a donkey.
“I don’t know if I look like a donkey,” Kvasnik objected, “but I know that in this case I perfectly represented your person.”

At the end of his reign, in the bitter winter of 1740, Anna Ioannovna, not knowing how else to entertain herself, announced an unprecedented performance - an “ice wedding.” Prince Kvasnik-Golitsyn was appointed groom; The ugly Kalmyk woman Avdotya Buzheninova, so nicknamed for her love for boiled pork, was chosen as his wife.

On the appointed day, the bride and groom were put in a cage mounted on an elephant. The wedding retinue, which, according to an eyewitness, consisted of Votyaks, Mordovians, Cheremis, Samoyeds and other small peoples, rode on deer, dogs and pigs. On the Neva, between the Winter Palace and the Admiralty, the “Ice House” was erected for the young - a creation that was skillful and hellish at the same time. The facade of this building was 16 meters long, 5 meters wide and about 5 meters high. Ice curtains hung in the bedchamber; the mattress, blankets and pillows were also made of ice. There was an ice clock in the living room and even the food in the dining room was carved from ice and painted with natural dyes. Ice firewood and candles smeared with oil were burning...

On the right side of the house stood a life-size ice elephant, on which an ice Persian sat astride; Two icy Persian women stood nearby on the ground. An eyewitness says: “This elephant was empty inside and so cunningly made that during the day it let out water almost four meters high. And at night, to great surprise, he threw out the burning oil. Moreover, he could scream like a living elephant, with which the voice of a man hidden within him was produced through a trumpet.”

When everyone was seated at the festive tables, “Her Majesty’s pocket poet” Vasily Trediakovsky- another unwitting victim of this inhuman fun, announced the wedding verses ordered for him:

Hello, married, fool and fool,
Another whore daughter, that one and the figure!
Now is the time for you to have some fun,
Now the commuters should be furious in every possible way:
The alum is a fool and Buzhenin's whore
They met in love, but their love is disgusting.
........................................ ...............................
Bald-haired women, sluts and nasty whores!
Oh, I see how you are now!
Rattle, hum, jingle, jump,
Be naughty, scream, bald! etc."

At night, a guard stood at the door of the “ice house” so that the young people would not escape from the chambers allotted to them.

Golitsyn and Buzheninova miraculously survived the freezing night on an icy bed and emerged the next morning alive from this icy hell (literary legend says that Avdotya Ivanovna, having bribed the guards, got hold of a sheepskin coat and thereby saved herself and her husband from death). However, Avdotya Ivanovna was ill for a long time after this and died two years later after the birth of her second son Alexei.

The death of Empress Anna Ioannovna freed Golitsyn from his clownish duties. The new Empress Anna Leopoldovna banned “inhuman abuse” of “fools,” forever destroying the shameful title of court jester in Russia.

Mikhail Alekseevich left the capital and moved first to his family’s Arkhangelskoye, and after the death of Buzheninova, to the estate he bought in Kostentinkovo. Here he married for the fourth time to Agrofen Alekseevna Khvostova, with whom he had three daughters. It seems that Mikhail Alekseevich really did not attach much importance to church norms in his personal life - after all, according to the Orthodox tradition, you can get married no more than three times.

Golitsyn lived in Kostentinkovo ​​for another 35 years. He died in 1778, 90 years old.
In the struggle for human dignity and personal happiness, victory remained on his side.

Sources and literature:
Shubinsky S.N. Historical essays and stories. M., 1995, P.69.
A complete and detailed collection of authentic historical, curious, funny and moralizing anecdotes of four entertaining jesters Balakirev, D'Acosta, Pedrillo and Kulkovsky. St. Petersburg, 1869, p. 160.
Starikova L.M. Theater life in the era of Anna Ioannovna. M., 1995, P.615.
Gazo A. Jesters and buffoons of all times and peoples. St. Petersburg, 1898, p.302.
Pogosyan E. “And the impossible is possible”: The wedding of jesters in the Ice House as a fact of official culture // http://www.ruthenia.ru/document/502913.h tml.
Lev Berdnikov. Kvasnin the Fool // “New Coast” 2008, No. 22