A.S. Griboyedov“... on the way to Tehran, he married a captivating Georgian girl, Nina Chavchavadze. Six months later, in February 1829, he was killed.
How did it happen? The embassies were located in the city of Tabriz, the Russian mission went to Tehran to present itself to the Shah. Two Armenian women from the shah's relative's harem and the shah's eunuch, also an Armenian, fled to the protection of the Russians and asked for help to return to their homeland.
An uprising of Islamic fanatics broke out. Woe to the mind! Thirty-seven people in the embassy and eighty attackers were killed. Of the Russians, only one miraculously survived, by the name of Maltsov: he hid like a kid in a fairy tale about a wolf and kids. Griboyedov ran out to the crowd with a saber, got hit on the head with a stone, he was chopped up and trampled on ... There were two of his frivolous waltzes left (Griboyedov was, among other things, a composer and pianist), under which I would have shot shots of his monstrous death, if I were a director . "She was instant and beautiful," wrote Pushkin about this death.
The Armenian women were returned to the harem. The mutilated corpse of the eunuch Mirza Yakub (isn't it strange that the name of this unwitting culprit of the tragedy is so consonant with the name of Yakubovich, guilty of a long fatal story) was dragged around the city and thrown into the ditch. As one Persian dignitary, an eyewitness to the murder, later told, who in 1830 sent his memoirs about it to a Parisian journal, “the same was exactly done with the alleged body of Mr. Griboyedov.” The body of Griboyedov was then identified with difficulty - by the trace on the left hand left after the duel.
Nicholas I favorably accepted the Iranian Shah's apology and a gift - a huge diamond. "I consign to eternal oblivion the ill-fated Tehran affair..."
The coffin was taken for a long time, in the end they caulked it, lowered it into the ground and for some reason filled it with oil.
The widow Nina, tormented by grief, gave birth to a boy who did not live a day. On the grave of Griboedov on Mount St. David in Tiflis, that is, in Tbilisi (where the poet bequeathed to be buried), she ordered the inscription: “Your mind and deeds are immortal in Russian memory, but why did my love survive you?”
Shargunov S.A., Space Map, or One Day of Punk (A.S. Griboyedov), in Sat: Literary Matrix. A textbook written by writers in 2 volumes, Volume 1, St. Petersburg-M., Limbus Press, 2011, p. 18.
Sacred is the memory of diplomats who honestly defended the interests of Russia and died in the line of duty. The most famous of them was also outstanding poet and thinker.
Alexander Griboedov - where does it start? Before us is a classic, bright prodigy. An unusual tenacity of mind manifested itself in him frighteningly early. It is not so important where and what he studied officially - at the Noble Boarding School, and then at Moscow University. It was easy for him to foreign languages and philosophy and mathematics. Poet, musician, politician, warrior - in all his incarnations, he manifested himself brightly. By the age of fifteen, he could safely be considered a man with a university education. Perhaps, early scholarship determined the essence of the most famous Griboedov's creation - "Woe from Wit". It was not easy for him to get rid of the feeling of his own superiority over everyone. It was not easy to adapt both in the service and in the colorful world of art. Alexander Sergeevich was quarrelsome and sharp. By nature - a caustic knight. He participated in the war of 1812, however, by the will of fate on the sidelines, and then he dreamed of writing a tragedy about these heroic events. In the spring of 1816 he left military service without reaching high officials. And in 1817, his brilliant diplomatic career began. On July 16, 1818, Count Karl Nesselrode informed in writing the Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasian Army, General Alexei Yermolov, that “an official Mazarovich is appointed as the Charge d'Affaires of Persia, Griboedov as his secretary, Amburger as a clerk”. Nesselrode loved brevity, but this cursory mention opened a Caucasian chapter in the life of our hero.
At that time, Griboedov was torn between creativity and service, sometimes dreaming of "quitting the diplomatic service and responding from a sad country where, instead of learning something, you forget what you know." He did not like the service in a distant foreign country. But General Ermolov - the wisest of the wise - imbued with deep respect for young talent. It was he - at that time a powerful commander - who rescued Griboyedov from Persia, making him his secretary "for foreign affairs." Loving Griboyedov like a son, according to Denis Davydov, he tried not to load him with daily work. Georgia is not Persia, here Griboyedov breathed freely and wrote to his heart's content.
The diplomat, who was gaining strength, did not forget about literary affairs. Attempts to create an epic drama, a tragedy on a Shakespearean scale remained in sketches. The service distracted Griboedov from creativity, and the mania for perfection prevented him from working quickly. "Woe from Wit" is Griboyedov's only major completed work. The caustic comedy was fully published in the official press several decades after Griboyedov's death. Although by that time she had changed the face of Russian literature, influenced our best writers, caused controversy ... Dozens of witty remarks entered the Russian language, became winged. Alexander Pushkin also remarked: “Half of the poems should be included in proverbs.” And so it happened. According to Chatsky, Famusov and Molchalin they judged social types. Griboyedov's comedy is perfect. We do not have a more refined poetic play. Comedy was considered intolerably free-thinking, but Griboyedov clearly spoke from a patriotic position. He spared no sarcasm for either Famusov or Skalozub. The first attempt to put "Woe from Wit" on stage was stopped by the capital's Governor-General Mikhail Miloradovich. But in the 1830s, comedy saw a scene in both capitals. This enigmatic work, it will be solved for centuries - and with benefit. satirical comedy and psychological drama in one ball, like a smile and suffering.
December 1825 is another milestone in fate. In the testimony of the Decembrist Sergei Trubetskoy, the name Griboyedov flashed, and he was under investigation. And then Alexey Ermolov took the young employee under his wing. The general benevolently prepared Griboedov for arrest, destroyed all his papers so that they would not fall into the hands of the investigating authorities, and wrote to St. Petersburg: “I have the honor to convey Mr. Griboedov to Your Excellency. He was arrested in such a way that he was unable to destroy the documents he had with him. But with him there was nothing of the kind, except for the few that I am sending you. He was under investigation until June 2, 1826, steadfastly denied his participation in the conspiracy, and in the end proved that he was not involved in the rebellion. Free! And again, "I'm glad to serve," although "it's sickening to serve."
He was released from arrest with a "cleansing certificate" - and the diplomat again went to Tiflis. General Ivan Paskevich, who replaced Yermolov, also highly appreciated Griboyedov's abilities, and if he sometimes scolded him for his reckless courage, he did not hide his respect. During negotiations with the Persians, Paskevich fully relied on Griboyedov's diplomatic foresight and openly admired him.
Griboyedov's primary political benefit was the Turkmanchay Peace Treaty, which marked the victory over Persia and secured territorial gains. Russian Empire, Russian hegemony in the Caspian Sea and in eastern trade. Contemporaries did not dispute leading role Griboyedov in the development and signing of this breakthrough document. General Paskevich granted Griboyedov the honor of "bringing the treaty" to the emperor. Nikolai Pavlovich granted him the rank of State Councilor, the Order of St. Anna, adorned with diamonds, and four thousand chervonets. Griboyedov hosted enthusiastic smiles, but was afraid of the court routine, kept independently.
In Tiflis, he was greeted with even greater pomp, even called Griboyedov-Persian. Paskevich arranged a salute in his honor, as was done in St. Petersburg, when all the guns Peter and Paul Fortress fired 201 volleys at the same time. Well, after all, it was he, Griboyedov, who brought Nicholas I the long-awaited and victorious Treaty of Turkmenchay.
It is not surprising that in Persia the same Treaty of Turkmanchay was perceived as a national catastrophe. Russia entered the war with Turkey, and the Persians hoped to evade the implementation of the treaty, taking advantage of the confused international situation. They did not even think of fulfilling many agreements, hoping that the Russian tsar would not start a new war.
A noisy anti-Russian campaign has started in the eastern country. Bazaar speakers kindled fanatical rage among the people, mixed with pseudo-religious yeast. And Griboyedov just had to demand another part of the contribution from the Iranians ... He tried to smooth out the contradiction, urged St. Petersburg to accept silk or jewelry instead of money. However, the emperor's verdict was strict: the contract should be strictly followed. Later it will give a reason evil tongues to reproach the emperor for the deliberate destruction of Griboedov by the hands of the Persian crowd. It is unlikely that such an insidious plan actually existed, but it must be admitted that Nikolai put his diplomat in a deliberately impasse.
The Russian embassy was located not in the capital of Persia, but in Tabriz. In Tehran at the beginning In 1829, Griboyedov stayed temporarily - to introduce himself to the Shah. Of course, the experienced politician felt the nerve of the situation. He asked his wife to leave Tabriz for a while, to return to Georgia, and such a trip was arranged. Griboyedov wrote to his wife every day. “It’s sad without you, as much as possible. Now I truly feel what it means to love ... "- this is the last message of her husband, which she read.
Mujtahids (influential Islamic theologians) convinced the excited people that Griboyedov was the culprit of the introduction of new taxes, an atheist, a conqueror ... Hatred knew no bounds, the Mujtahids aroused the spirit of fanaticism. In addition, Griboyedov was accused of harboring Armenians. He really hid several Armenians on the territory of the embassy in order to smuggle them to Russia. But he acted in accordance with the Turkmanchay Treaty! These hot Persians were ready to abandon their obligations.
Behind these furious speeches was Allayar Khan, the disgraced minister - a politician of an adventurous warehouse, who was trying to regain his lost influence. For the Shah, these disturbances were an unpleasant surprise, a trap from which he tried to extricate himself. Shah tried to avoid new war with Russia, but led precisely to it.
Alexander Griboyedov died in this house
On January 30, 1829, the spiritual authorities declared a holy war on the Russians. The crowd that had gathered at the mosque headed for the house of the Russian mission. A bloody massacre began. On that day, the entire staff of the embassy was destroyed in Tehran, only one senior secretary, Ivan Maltsov, an unusually cautious man, survived. He offered salvation to Griboedov as well. It was only necessary to hide, go into the underground passages ... "The Russian nobleman does not play hide and seek" - that was the answer. His death was proud and bold. I met with a saber uninvited guests demanded obedience from them. After all, he was in Russia! The guards of the embassy - 35 Cossacks - adequately repelled the attack. Dozens of enraged fanatics remained forever on the pavement, but the Cossacks died one and all. Alexander Sergeevich also died. Having received a blow to the head with a stone, he fell. Immediately, a hail of stones rained down on him, sabers screeched over his body.
For the death of Griboyedov and the entire Russian mission, the shah brought an official apology to Emperor Nicholas, to which he attached a unique diamond. The emperor considered it reasonable to be compliant. He accepted the gift and deferred for five years the payment of that same indemnity. On hard days Russian-Turkish war Nicholas did not want to spoil relations with the Persians. He closed his eyes to the opinion of Paskevich, who spoke of the fateful British influence to the Persian crowd. “I consign to eternal oblivion the ill-fated Tehran incident,” the emperor said. It turned out that the pogromists and provocateurs got their way ...
Diamond "Shah"
“Diamond, according to the Persians, was supposed to atone for the terrible guilt of the murderers of the Russian Minister Griboyedov. The stone replenished the royal collection. The courtiers admired him, and foreign ambassadors asked highest resolution look at this rarity. However, in what carats can the damage inflicted on Russia by the brutal murder of one of its greatest creators be expressed?
He loved Mount Mtatsminda, towering over Tiflis. There, in the monastery of St. David, he bequeathed to bury himself. The Liturgy was officiated by the Exarch of Georgia, Archbishop Moses.
“The more enlightened a person is, the more useful he is to the Fatherland,” said Griboyedov. And I followed this program as best I could. His image has not faded through the ages. But, alas, Griboedov's killers seem to have left the front pages of today's or tomorrow's newspapers - they are alive. Here we are talking, of course, not only about Islamic radicals, although primarily about them. There are great provocations and irresponsible manipulation of the worst instincts everywhere. Terrorists "are blissful in the world." All the more instructive for us is the biography of Griboyedov, a writer and politician who combined a subtle intellect with military courage.
The literary world celebrates the anniversary of the death of Alexander Griboyedov. On January 30 (February 11), 1829, an excited mob of Persian fanatics defeated and plundered the Russian mission in Tehran. All employees of the diplomatic corps, 37 people, were brutally destroyed - only one person miraculously escaped.
The “detonator” for the crowd was the fact that two Christian women, a Georgian and an Armenian, asked for asylum within the walls of the Russian mission. "The Russian flag will protect you," Ambassador Alexander Griboedov, 34, told them. He put on his ceremonial uniform with orders and went out to the crowd: "Come to your senses, to whom you raise your hand, in front of you is Russia." But they threw stones at him and knocked him down.
The most sophisticated desecration was perpetrated on the body of the ambassador. The corpse was dragged along the pavements, and the mutilated remains were thrown into the trash and covered with lime. Griboyedov was barely identified by the finger shot in the duel, RIA Novosti reports.
After this incident, the Persian Shah sent to St. Petersburg, together with his son, a gift to Tsar Nicholas I, as a "payoff" for the assassination of the ambassador, the legendary Shah diamond. This is a stone of rare beauty that has walked the hands of many kings for more than a thousand years, as evidenced by the inscriptions on the faces. 90 carats, 18 grams in weight, 3 cm long, yellow color, extremely transparent. Today, the precious nugget is kept in the Diamond Fund of Russia, located in the Kremlin.
Griboedov was killed because of the wives of the Persian Shah
On the occasion of the anniversary of Griboedov's death, a correspondent of the Speed-Info newspaper went to Iran, where he managed to find out unknown details in which the Russian writer and diplomat died.
In the city of Yazd, the reporter met a 65-year-old Iranian named Parviz Husseini-Barari, who claims to be a descendant (great-great-grandson) of Alexander Griboyedov. Parviz, who speaks Russian, has written a book about his great ancestor, which should be published in Iran soon.
According to him, great-great-grandfather was a "big rascal." In Persia, he continued to "play pranks", spat on customs, did not take off his galoshes in the Shah's palace, and frankly used women, says Parviz.
In the book, Parviz describes an episode with his great-great-grandmother, Nilufar, the Shah's wife, who, he claims, had an affair with Griboyedov. Parviz says Fath Ali Shah sought to appease the ambassador and gave him "nights of love."
"On October 15, 1828, Alexander Sergeevich came to an audience with the Shah. But Fath Ali smiled: would you like to relax? In the chambers on the carpets, the thin concubine Nilufar vibrated her hips, smoothly bending her hips. Bracelets rattled on her ankles to the beat of the music. Alexander did not notice when the shah left. The girl painfully resembled his wife Nina: the same black eyes, thin eyebrows. Even her age is 16. Only the pregnant Nina remained in the border Tabriz. Come, dear ... - Alexander touched Nilufar's waist, similar to a stalk esfanda. The girl, bending over, knelt down, and very close by he saw her baby neck with a beating blue vein and tender breasts. And the servants kept bringing dishes with baklava, fruits, melons ... "
In his work, Parviz describes the not entirely personal details of the life of Russian representatives in Tehran: “Griboedov’s foster brother Alexander Dmitriev and servant Rustam-bek started drunken fights in the bazaars, staged orgies at the embassy, grabbed girls, decent Persians and raped them. Do you want to leave the harem?"
ABOUT tragic events, preceding the death of Griboyedov, Parviz narrates as follows:
"On January 1, 1829, there was a knock on the door of the Russian mission in Tehran: I am Mirza-Yakub, an Armenian. Many years ago they castrated me, sent me to the shah's harem. I want to return to my homeland. I will be useful, I know many secrets. Pale Nilufar stood nearby : Oh, please, my lord! Mariam, Shirin, Elnaz are still with us ... Griboedov understood: taking with him such a spy as Mirza-Yakub is a gift to Nicholas I himself. But the main thing ... Nilufar! Leave! Everyone leave at the embassy!" he commanded. In the morning the women were taken to the bathhouse. While Nilufar was basking in Griboedov's bedchamber, Sashka and Rustam-bek piled the shah's wives right on the hot benches. The news that the wives of Fath Ali Shah were dishonored in the Russian embassy instantly spread around Tehran, and an envoy from the palace appeared to Griboyedov: “Mr. Ambassador, you are obliged to return the women. They are his wives. That means property. Like the eunuch Mirza-Yakub!"
Griboyedov responded to the demand of the envoy with a sharp refusal, and on January 30 (February 11) a crowd of enraged Muslims broke into the embassy and beat off the women.
As for Nilufar, according to Parviz, she fled from the harem. She wandered around the villages and then gave birth to a son from Griboedov - Reza.
Parviz regrets that it is not possible to conduct a genetic examination. The fact is that the remains of Griboyedov were buried in Tbilisi in the monastery of St. David and there can be no talk of exhumation.
"In Russia, they did not understand why they dealt with the envoy," says Parviz. "Everything was blamed on politics. And what does it have to do with it? Look for a woman!", he concludes.
Curriculum vitae
Alexander Griboyedov was born in 1795, in Moscow, in an old noble family zealously preserving the patriarchal spirit. Having received good home education, a gifted young man first entered the Noble Boarding School at Moscow University, and soon became his student, studying at once at three faculties - verbal, legal and physical and mathematical. In that educational institution always reigned the spirit of free thinking and new ideals, consonant with the nature of Griboyedov. He turned to literature, began to compose poetry, write comedies, sharp journalistic articles. But everything was just a test of the pen. The first dramatic experience - the comedy "Young Spouses", was unsuccessful and left no trace.
Having received a PhD in Literature after graduating from the university, knowing six languages, Griboedov intended to continue his career as a scientist, but life turned differently, and he entered the service of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs. The young diplomat was sent to Persia, to Tabriz, as secretary of the Russian Mission under the Shah. It was there that he began to write "Woe from Wit". In 1824, when the work was completed, read in the salons, and distributed in manuscripts, its author became unusually famous.
In 1828 he played big role in the preparation and conclusion of the Turkmenchay peace with Persia, which is beneficial for Russia. The king appreciated this and awarded him the title of Minister Plenipotentiary in Persia.
33-year-old Griboedov fell passionately in love with 15-year-old Nina, the daughter of his Tiflis acquaintance, Georgian writer Prince Alexander Chavchavadze. With a young wife expecting a child, Griboyedov went to work. For a while, he left Nina in the border Tabriz, and he went to Tehran, where she was waiting for him. terrible death. Nina, shocked by the terrible news, went into premature labor. The newborn boy on the same day was christened and named after his father, Alexander. But the premature baby did not survive and went after his father.
The 16-year-old widow, whose beauty was compared to that of Natalya Pushkina, never remarried and mourned her grief all her life. She lived for 53 years and did daily hard way from home to Mount Mtatsminda, where her husband and child were buried in the pantheon near the Church of St. David. Nina put a chapel on the grave, and in it - a monument on which she depicted herself crying. Nearby is the inscription: "Your mind and deeds are immortal in Russian memory; but why did my love survive you? .."
NEW MATERIALS ABOUT THE MURDER OF A. S. GRIBOYEDOV
In the archives of the former commander of the Shah's Cossack brigade in Iran, Kosogovsky, extremely interesting material has been preserved, shedding light on the events of January 30, 1829 . t as a result of which A. S. Griboyedov was killed in Tehran. The material, dated July 30, 1897, is entitled: “Information about the murder in Tehran of the Russian Imperial Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Minister at the Persian Court Griboedov, delivered by the sartip (general - G. P.) Prince Suleiman Khan Melikov, whose uncle Prince Suleiman Khan Melikov was killed on the same day ... along with the late Griboyedov and other members of the Russian mission. This information was recorded by Martiros Khan, the chief of staff of the Shah's Cossack brigade. In the available literature, we did not find references to these indications. 1 .
All the literature on this subject, as is well known, has been written mainly on the basis of official data and information b. First Secretary of the Embassy Maltsev 2 , the only person from the entire staff of the embassy who managed to escape. The literature distorts both the role of A. S. Griboedov himself as an envoy, and the role of Fath-Ali Shah, with whose knowledge and approval the murder of A. S. Griboedov and almost the entire staff of the embassy was committed. A purely political and unheard-of terrorist act in the history of international relations is presented by the efforts and efforts of Iranian nobles and dignitaries of the tsarist government in such a way that A. S. Griboedov himself was to blame for everything.
Under other circumstances, the government of Nicholas I, in response to the assassination of the ambassador and almost the entire staff of the embassy, would have declared war on Iran. But at that time Russia was at war with Turkey (1828-1829), and the tsarist government did not want to start a new war. Paskevich, the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops in the Caucasus, wrote on this issue to Nesselrode, the State Chancellor: “For this, it will be necessary to declare an irreconcilable war on him [the Shah], but in the current war with the Turks, there is no way to undertake it with the hope of success.
... Troops ... are not enough even to wage a defensive war with both powers ... Starting offensive war with Persia, it is necessary to carry with you huge supplies of provisions, artillery charges, etc. in the very heart of Persia, but the local region has been in a state of martial law since 1826, and therefore all methods of supplying troops, and especially transportation, have been completely exhausted to the point that even in the present war with the Turks, with great effort, I can hardly lift all the burdens that I need for offensive movements” 3 .
In addition, there were serious fears that in connection with a new war, uprisings against tsarism could break out in the Caucasus. 4 .
Having received such a report, in St. Petersburg they decided to find a different formula for resolving the conflict. This was helped by the same Paskevich, who may have put pressure on Maltsov 5 and presented the case in such a way that the guilt of the Iranian government could be atoned for through diplomatic negotiations. The basis for this plan was the position of Maltsov, who, in a conversation with the shah's dignitaries and the shah himself, out of caution and fear of "saying goodbye to life, pretended to be convinced by their speeches" 6 . In other words, Maltsov, in the presence of the Shah, agreed with the accusations that were made against A. S. Griboyedov in Iranian court circles. The author of one of the works on Griboedov, Malshinsky, remarked at the same time: “There is nothing incredible in the fact that the “cold stream of prudent caution” carried away Maltsov in the presence of the Shah to the accusation of Griboedov of excessive zeal” 7 .
So, Maltsov, guided by personal interests and driven by the instinct of self-preservation, poured water on the mill of the Iranian ruling circles. This, of course, was used by court dignitaries and Iranian historians to compose an official and completely incorrect version of the murder of A. S. Griboyedov and almost the entire staff of the Russian embassy in Tehran.
In the palace of Nicholas I, this version of the murder of Griboedov was welcome news: the tsar and his entourage were ready to “be convinced” of the guilt of A. S. Griboyedov and consider his tragic death in the spirit of this version. On the other hand, such testimonies by Maltsov were very useful for Paskevich, who needed them. Paskevich found in them confirmation of the correctness of his position in order to convince the government of Nicholas I of the inexpediency of declaring war on Iran and the need to accept the solemn apologies of the Iranian government.
Thus, the false testimony of Maltsov was of great importance for the tsarist government, which, being concerned about maintaining its prestige, took as a basis deliberately false information about the murder of A.S. not to start a new war, which in other political conditions would certainly have arisen. As if in gratitude for the service rendered to Nesselrode, in a letter to Paskevich about Maltsov, pointing to “his prudent behavior in such difficult circumstances”, he asked to leave him in his person 8 .
We will talk about Maltsev below, but now we will pay attention to the tendentious characterization that was given to A.S. Griboedov in order to justify the position of the tsarist government in the face of public opinion.
“Alexander Sergeevich,” wrote Malshinsky, “he himself admitted that he was insufficiently prepared to fulfill the difficult duties assigned to him” 9 .
Nesselrode wrote to Paskevich: “... this incident must be attributed to the reckless impulses of the zeal of the late Griboedov” 10 .
A. Berger, chairman of the Caucasian Archaeographic Commission, reported: “Griboedov “went too far” in his demands - and this is his main mistake” 11 .
The “accusers” of A. S. Griboedov could not but know that he knew perfectly well the customs and mores of the country in which he represented the interests of the Russian government. That is why he, deservedly considered the best connoisseur Iran, was appointed to the high post of envoy to the court of the Shah. A talented diplomat, aware of the gravity of the responsibility that fell to his lot, delicate and polite, foreseeing the consequences of his upcoming activities in Iran 12 , who showed due caution and foresight in his actions, he, of course, was not the same as he was presented by the intriguers and conspirators who were with the person of the Shah, and with them the Iranian historians, as well as some Russian researchers, which are mentioned above. In the latter, the story of the murder of A. S. Griboyedov turned out to be completely in the spirit of Iranian historiography 13 .
The above-mentioned "accusers" in every possible way defended the role of the Iranian government in this case. So, for example, on March 30, 1829, Paskevich wrote to Nesselrode: “The purpose of this indignation was not to commit an unheard of crime against Mr. Griboyedov, but it actually followed for the extermination of Mirza Yakub, who, being a eunuch under the Shah for a very long time, knew all his secrets and all the incidents of his harem” 14 .
Nesselrode answered Paskevich: “Apparently. . . the Persian court did not harbor any hostile designs against us” 15 .
IN official letter Nesselrode in the name of Paskevich dated March 26, 1829, No. 605, this idea was again emphasized: “Despite the troubling rumors ... the Sovereign Emperor is still pleased to believe that neither Fatah Ali Shah nor Abbas Mirza were involved in the villainous murder of our minister in Tehran" 16 .
In the same letter, this is stated even more affirmatively: “We are not only far from revenge, but we are firmly convinced of the innocence of the Persian government and are ready to accept its solemn acquittal” 17 . In the same vein, he wrote to Nesselrode Paskevich regarding March 26, 1829, No. 606 18 .
Berger, whose study is considered the most authoritative 19 , wrote: “Fath-Ali-Shah not only did not participate in it [the murder], but did not foresee such an outcome” 20 . Even the researcher of Griboedov’s activities in Georgia and Iran, I.K. Enikolopov, who, it would seem, should have more complete and correct data 21 , wrote that “the events developed so rapidly that their tragic end, obviously, did not have time to foresee not only Allayar Khan, but Griboyedov himself” 22 .
In this form, literature presented the role of the Iranian government and its dignitaries in the events of January 30, 1829 in Tehran.
The hypocritical statements of the Shah to Nicholas I were calculated on the fact that the incident would be resolved peacefully. In a letter to the emperor, which was handed by the Shah's nephew, Khesrow-Mirza, the Shah hurried to tell "the truth about this sudden event and ignorance about it(emphasis mine. - G. P.) the rulers of this (Iranian. - G. P.) states” 23 .
In the same letter, Fath-Ali-Shah informed the emperor about the measures taken against individuals: “We removed from office, punished and fined even the governor and the district overseer because they found out about this event so late and showed dishonesty” 24 .
But the version about the non-involvement of the Iranian government in the murder of A. S. Griboyedov does not hold water. Fath-Ali-Shah himself for more than a dozen years hatched a plan for the war between Iran and Russia, creating an atmosphere of hostility and hatred towards Russia and finding support from England, which supplied him with money, weapons and provided assistance with its military specialists. 25 .
It is known that, according to the Anglo-Iranian treaty of 1809, England undertook to pay Iran annually 160,000 fogs during the entire time of the war between Iran and Russia. The British government, when approving this treaty, increased this amount to 200,000 fogs. In 1811, 30 thousand guns, 20 guns, equipment for forty gun workshops were delivered from England to Iran. Thirty British engineers and military instructors were placed at the disposal of the Iranian government 26 . After the defeat of Iran in the war with Russia in 1804-1813. the activity of British agents in Iran intensified even more. England pursued the goal of inciting revanchist sentiments in Iran, inclining the ruling Iranian circles to the need to start a new war with Russia, inciting hatred of the masses for Russia and Russians, and subordinating the foreign and domestic policy of the Iranian government to the interests of England. These goals were served by a new agreement concluded by England with Iran in 1814. Clause 4 of this agreement provided for Iran to receive assistance (in the form of military forces or an annual subsidy in the amount of 200 thousand fogs) in the event that Iran was attacked by any European powers (meaning, of course, Russia). The meaning of the treaties of 1809 and 1814, concluded by England with Iran, is absolutely indisputable and does not raise any doubts. It is absolutely indisputable that Crown Prince Abbas Mirza made full use of the help of the British in order to strengthen the Iranian army, which he trained “according to the European model”, hastily preparing it for a new war against Russia. The ideological preparations for a new war against Russia were carried out in Iran not without the participation of British agents.
Fath-Ali-Shah, encouraged by England, back in 1808 called on the ulema to give a fatwa declaring a “holy war” against the Russians 27 . According to this call, Sheikh Jafar-Nedzhefi, Aga-Seid-Ali-Isfahani, Mirza-Abul-Kasim, the ulema of Kashan, Isfahan, Haji Mullah-Ahmed-Nerati-Ka-shani, Sheikh Jafar and other ulema drafted and signed an appeal on the announcement "holy war" against the Russians 28 .
After the conclusion of the Treaty of Gulistan (1813), hostile activity on the part of the ruling Iranian circles against Russia did not stop. In 1821, Abul-Hasan-Mohammed-Kazim published his book 29 , in which he, referring to the Koran and the statements of commentators, outlined in detail the foundations and principles of waging a “holy war” against the Russians, trying to justify the need to declare such a war.
In 1825 - a year before the start of a new war between Iran and Russia - Fath-Ali-Shah, on the advice and insistence of Aga-Seid-Mohammed Mujtahed, who was supported by princes and other ulema, agreed with the need to declare a "holy war" against Russia and released 300 thousand fogs from the treasury for this purpose 30 .
The Shah's chief adviser Asaf-ed-douleh, colluding with the most prominent representative of the Tehran clergy, Mirza Masih, provoked a mob attack on the Russian mission in Tehran and organized the extermination of almost all of its members, headed by A. S. Griboedov, which exposes not only hostile actions Iranian government of that time attitude towards Russia, but also the policy of England, which, in the person of Asaf-ed-dole, had one of the most faithful and reliable conductors of its plans in Iran. It is necessary to pay attention to such an important circumstance that in 1826-1828, when there was a war between Iran and Russia, Asaf-ed-douleh was the prime minister. This fact alone is enough to imagine how valuable this man was to the British political agents in Tehran. Therefore, the aggressive position of Asaf-ed-douleh at the meeting with the Shah, which was convened shortly after the first failures of the Iranian army to decide whether to continue the war or ask for peace, was not accidental. While many participants in the meeting were inclined in favor of peace, Asaf-ed-doule, expressing the opinion of his English masters and hoping for their further support, demanded the continuation of the war. 31 .
Thus, there are absolutely no grounds for believing that Fatah Ali Shah and his government were not involved in the murder of AS Griboyedov.
Fatah Ali Shah and his courtiers were convinced that Russia could not declare war on Iran. If the shah did not have such confidence, he would never have risked organizing the assassination of the ambassador and almost the entire staff of the Russian embassy.
The testimony of Suleiman Khan Melikov completely exposes the role of the Iranian government headed by Fath-Ali Shah in the case of A. S. Griboyedov. On the other hand, they paint A. S. Griboyedov as courageous man who stood at the post until the last minute of his life.
The same testimonies shed light on the role of Maltsov, the first secretary of the embassy, who, if desired, could have saved A.S. home of the Russian embassy. By the way, the Russian consul in Tavriz, Amburger, turned out to be the same coward, who, at the first news of the murder of A.S. 32 .
Malshinsky gives an interesting detail that helps to understand the essence of the matter. He points out that when asked whether A. S. Griboedov knew about the alleged attack, Maltsov replied: “I didn’t hear a word from him; none of us knew anything: that is why no preparations for defense were made.” 33 .
On the other hand, from the testimony of Suleiman Khan Melikov, it can be seen that at dawn on January 30, 1829, A. S. Griboedov knew about the impending attack, since Suleiman Khan Melikov, who worked as a translator 34 , on behalf of his uncle Manuchehr Khan, who held a prominent post at the court of the Shah, he appeared personally to A. S. Griboyedov and warned him of the impending danger. It would be strange to assume that the embassy interpreter, knowing about the danger and being in the embassy premises, did not warn other responsible employees of the embassy about it. Yes, and Maltsov himself saw on the morning of January 30, 1829 Solomon (Suleiman Khan) Melikov 35 . However, Maltsov distorted the fact. He wrote in his report that Melikov arrived at the very height of events, while in fact he arrived at the embassy before the crowd attacked him, at dawn on January 30th. Consequently, Maltsov must have known about the impending danger. After all, he, moreover, was warned about her by his acquaintance Khan. Here is what Berger wrote about this: “They say that this khan fell in love with and became attached to Maltsov so much that, warned of the danger that threatened the Russian embassy, he decided to save his friend. In these forms, he managed to persuade Maltsov, on the very day of Griboedov's murder, to climb over the roof and take refuge in his house. The offer was accepted, and Maltsov escaped a fatal fate. 36 .
The elementary duty of Maltsov, who, apparently, was previously aware of the impending attack on Russian embassy, it would seem, was to take precautions and take care of your colleagues and, first of all, of course, the messenger. If he did not do this, then, apparently, because he took advantage of the Khan's refuge before the events began. Therefore, Maltsov kept silent about whether he offered. A. S. Griboyedov or anyone else from the embassy to use the services of the khan. Maltsov sat in the house of his friend, then he was dressed in a Sarbaz (soldier) uniform and taken under guard to the Shah's palace. He was not an eyewitness to all the details of the events of January 30, since he did not take any part in the defense of the embassy.
There he was given a good reception, and as a result, he admitted that the culprit of the events of January 30, 1829 was A. S. Griboyedov. After that, Maltsov was sent to Tabriz, accompanied by a certain Nazar-Ali Khan of Urmia, who was instructed to convey to the Shah's viceroy, Abbas-Mirza, an order to notify the emperor of the non-involvement of the Iranian government in the events of January 30 37 . In Tavriz, Maltsov was also received with due signs of attention. His departure for Tiflis was arranged with the pomp appropriate in such cases. Together with him, a letter was sent to Paskevich, in which it was reported that the Iranian government was not involved in the murder of A. S. Griboyedov 38 .
Unfortunately, V. T. Pashuto in his very interesting and detailed work “The Diplomatic Activities of A. S. Griboyedov” 39 had, apparently, no reason to be critical of those testimonies of Maltsov, which directly related to the events of January 30, 1829. After all, Maltsov could only know about them by hearsay, mainly in the interpretation of biased Iranian politicians whom he, voluntarily or involuntarily, helped with his behavior in the Shah's palace.
The material published below with Kosogovsky's remarks, in our opinion, is the most reliable. He lifts the veil over the incident, which was shrouded in obscurity, and gives out the real inspirers, organizers and perpetrators of this murder. Dignified killers tried to hide the ends in the water. They thought to hide the facts from history by blaming AS Griboyedov himself and the people.
The autocratic government of Nicholas I, which had its own accounts with A. S. Griboedov, not only did not contribute to the disclosure of the true circumstances of this unheard of crime, not only did not expose its real perpetrators, but, on the contrary, hushed them up in every possible way and allowed obvious criminals to call themselves involuntary witnesses to this crime. It consigned “to eternal oblivion the ill-fated Tehran incident”, 40 the political significance of which was nevertheless well understood in St. Petersburg.
FROM THE ARCHIVE OF KOSOGOVSKY
Information about the assassination in Tehran of the Russian Imperial Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Persian court Griboyedov, delivered by the sartipa Prince Suleiman Khan Melikov, whose uncle Prince Suleiman Khan Melikov was killed on the same day in the Russian imperial mission, along with the late Griboyedov and other members Russian mission
Everything I heard from the late father of my book. David Khan Melikov, and from people disinterested and familiar with this case, and from eyewitnesses in the case of the murder of Griboyedov, is as follows.
The late Griboyedov was a fearless man, very brave, honest, direct and extremely devoted to his fatherland and state. 41 . No bribery, no flattery could divert him from the straight path and force him to use someone else's favors. He, like a hero, defended the rights and interests of Russian subjects and those who were under the protection of Russia. These properties and qualities of Griboyedov did not please the dignitaries of the Persian government. They constantly plotted against him, gathered together, consulted and devised means to get Mr. Griboyedov out of Persia. They did their best to slander or accuse him of anything. But the envoy did not pay any attention to all these intrigues and intrigues. He firmly and unwaveringly continued to act in the interests of his state and Russian subjects. When the dignitaries of the Persian government saw that all their intrigues and intrigues were useless, they, on the one hand, secretly turned to the then Muslim clergy and convinced the clergy with oaths and exhortations that if they allowed Griboyedov to continue acting as he had acted until now, then in in the near future, their Muslim religion will be completely outraged and the Persian state will disappear completely. On the other hand, they stirred up Fatah Ali Shah against Griboyedov, and all together every day told the Shah that the Russian envoy, not only in matters relating to Russian subjects and Russia in general, was inexorable, strict, exacting and impudent, but also in relation to to his Shah Majesty, he does not miss a single opportunity, so as not to cause obvious insult and disrespect to the august person of his majesty. Little by little they also restored the Shah against Griboyedov. The Shah, convinced of the need to get rid of such an intolerable envoy, expressed his consent to finding means to curb this indomitable man.
At this time, a Christian from the Tiflis province named Mirza Yakub, from the captured Georgians, who was laid out (castrated) and forcibly forced to accept the Muhammadan religion, addressed Griboyedov with a petition. This Mirza Yakub declared that he would not take a single step from the Russian mission until the envoy obtained a free pass for him to his homeland.
Griboyedov accepted Mirza Yakub under his protection and in an official note declared to the Persian government that Mirza Yakub, from among the captured Christians, had run to the Russian imperial mission in best and declared that he was forcibly forced to accept the Muslim faith and that he wanted to return to his homeland. In the note, Griboedov reminded the Persian government that, according to the treaty, all prisoners on both sides are free and no one has the right to detain them. The Persian government did not want to satisfy Griboyedov's demand and, using various pretexts and empty, unfounded arguments, wanted to force Griboyedov to renounce this demand and insisted that Griboyedov drive Mirza Yakub out of the best of the Russian mission. Griboyedov insisted on his own and at all costs demanded the freedom of Mirza Yakub. A few days later, when this issue had not yet been resolved, the late Griboyedov received another petition from a captive Georgian woman whom Allayar Khan Qajar Asaf-ed-douleh, the uncle of the prince's heir Abbas Mirza Naib-es-saltane, i.e. Abbas Mirza's mother's brother, the most influential of all the then state dignitaries, forcibly converted to the Muslim faith, married her. She also told the late Griboedov that she was forced to accept the Muslim faith and marry Allayar Khan. She begged Griboedov to release her and send her home. The late Griboedov sent this petition to Fath Ali Shah and demanded either to persuade this woman to leave him, Griboyedov, alone, that is, to voluntarily withdraw his petition, or to release her from captivity and give her freedom so that she returned to her homeland. Allayar Khan, known for his deceit, cunning and hatred of Russia, asked to be given a respite for 5 days; as if he would fulfill the demand of the Russian envoy in these five days. But instead of satisfying Griboyedov's request, he, on the one hand, turned to the then Tehran Mujtahed Mirza Masih and persuaded him to raise the people to revolt against the late Griboyedov and the Russian mission, and on the other hand, having come to Fatah-Ali Shah, he reported him that all the Tehran clergy, with Mirza Masih at the head of the Mujtahed, decided unanimously to raise the people against Griboyedov. Fath Ali Shah, who considered himself offended by Griboedov, said that he was not opposed to this either and would like to teach this man a lesson. These words of the Shah encouraged both Allayar Khan and the Mujtahed Mirza Masih, who, in order to please both the Shah and state dignitaries, decided to raise the people against Griboyedov and the Russian mission. Mu "tamad-ed-douleh Manuchehr-khan, from Armenian hostages, brought to Tehran from Tiflis, laid out, forcibly converted to the Muslim faith and earned the trust of Fath-Ali Shah so much that he was appointed chief eunuch of his harem by the shah, learned about On this, in advance and at night, he secretly demanded to see my father as his nephew, i.e., the son of his own sister, and ordered him to go immediately to the Russian mission and convey to Mr. Griboedov all the details of this plot and persuade him and the members of the Russian mission tomorrow they would have gone somewhere from the Russian mission, otherwise everyone would be beaten by the mob, which tomorrow should make an attack on the Russian mission.When my father came home and told this news, my uncle, Prince Suleiman Khan Melikov, volunteered to go to Griboyedov He took with him several people from the people of Mu "tamad-ed-doule Manuchehr Khan and at dawn went to the Russian mission and explained all this to Griboedov, persuading him to gather his mission officials and the Russians living in the mission, he would be absent from the mission and invited them to his place. The late Griboyedov treated these stories with mockery, did not believe it, and said that no one would dare to raise a hand against the Russian imperial mission. The people of Mu "tamad-ed-doule, who escorted my uncle to the mission, later told how stubborn and persistent Griboyedov was in his conviction that no one would dare to raise a hand against the Russian mission. They said that since Prince Suleiman- the khan insisted too much, the late Griboyedov was even angry with him and called him and all the Armenians cowards, declaring that he was not a coward and was not afraid of anything. him on a mission of people to Mu "tamad-ed-doula to report to him about everything that happened between him and the late Griboyedov, and he himself decided not to leave Griboedov and remained with him on the mission. Meanwhile, Mu "tamad-ed-doula, having learned that the mujtahed Mirza Masih had already gone to the mosque in order to gather the people and lead them to the Russian mission, hastily entered the shah's harem department and reported to him about this. Fath-Ali Shah said that he already knew about this and had already given the order to Zill-es-sultan Ali Mirza (one of his sons), so that in case of unrest among the people and if the people attacked the Russian mission, disperse him. Mu "tamad-ed -Dole, who carefully followed the progress of this case, found out that Mujtahed Mirza Masih was already in the mosque and after the sermon gave the people his sentence on the death of Griboyedov, hurriedly went to the shah and reported to him that the people had already received a death sentence from Mirza Masih and went to the Russian mission, and Prince Zill-es-sultan is now standing at Takhte-pol (a wooden drawbridge at the gate), busy with his own business and does not at all think of going to the Russian mission. He reminded the Shah that if the Shah did not take measures now to prevent this scandal, he would be in great responsibility before the Russian government. Fath-Ali-Shah, enraged by these words, quickly left the harem, hastily sent his farrash-bashi (head of the palace guard. - G. L.) Ali Khan with a crowd of farrashes to the Russian mission to protect it, with an order to disperse the people gathered at the Russian mission, with a strict order to catch all the instigators of this disorder. But farrash-bashi, either out of fear or on purpose, like Prince Zill-es-sultan, hesitated. My unfortunate uncle, hearing the screams and noise of the angry crowd, heading for the Russian mission, advised the late Griboedov to gather at least all the Russian officials of the mission in the same courtyard where Griboedov himself lived, so that all together, with common forces, would resist the crowd, which was already breaking into the ambassador’s house, until the arrival aid from the Shah's government. But Griboyedov did not agree to this measure either. The crowd of people, breaking into the yards where the members of the Russian mission were placed, having killed all of them, robbed all their property, returned to the yard where the eunuch Mirza Yakub temporarily lived, and, having killed him, also broke into the very yard where the late Griboyedov lived. Griboyedov saw that things had gone to the extreme and that no one was left with him except my uncle. He began to fight back and defend himself with shots from two guns that he had in the room, and my uncle, as one of the people of Mu "tamad-ed-doula said, loaded these guns and served Griboedov. Griboyedov killed up to 18 people from the crowd, who tried to break into his room.When people saw that there was no way to break into the room through the doors, they climbed onto the roof and, breaking the ceiling of the room, killed the unfortunate Griboedov through a hole made in the ceiling.
After Griboedov was killed, my uncle left the room to go home. The crowd surrounded him, took away his watch, took away all his money and wanted to take away his saber, but he did not want to give it up. Then one of the crowd, a carpenter, hit him on the head with an ax from behind and killed him.
They write and say that the body of Griboedov and the bodies of those killed were thrown into the city ditch and for a whole 1 1/2 years, that is, until the arrival of the new Russian envoy in Tehran, remained unburied in the ditch. It is not true. On the second day of this catastrophe, my late father, with the permission of Fath-Ali Shah, sent my uncle Haji Gorgin Julfa for the body of my uncle. He took the body out of the mission and transferred it to the Armenian church at the Qazvin gates and laid it in a coffin until it was sent to the Etchmiadzin Monastery. On the third day, Mu "tamad-ed-doula suggested to the Shah that he allow his nephew, my father, Prince David Khan, to remove Griboyedov's body and send it to Russia along with the body of my uncle. He reported to the Shah that only in such case, he can say that this accident took place without the knowledge of the government, and that as soon as the government learned about this unfortunate event, it took all measures to satisfy and did not give the bodies of the murdered to the reproach of the crowd.
But state dignitaries dissuaded the shah and advised somehow to hide the body of the envoy and the bodies of the officials of the mission, and when the Russian government demands these bodies, then say that they are not there and that the envoy and other officials were not killed, but fled, otherwise, “if we If we hand over the bodies of those killed, then we can no longer refuse that they were killed.” Fath-Ali-Shah agreed with the proposal of his dignitaries and rejected the proposal of Mu "tamad-ed-doule, who, out of fear that he would not be suspected of being friends with Russia and betraying Persia, was silent that day and did not object to anything.
On the fourth day, Mu "tamad-ed-doula appeared to the shah in the harem and reported that his dignitaries were mistaken and deluded. How can you hide the murder of a man like Griboedov? If the shah does not perform an honest burial of these bodies, then he can double or triple your guilt and irritate even more Russian emperor and the Russian people. Then Fath-Ali-Shah found that Mu "tamad-ed-douleh was right. He ordered him to appoint the same person who removed the body of his nephew, that is, my uncle, to go with a messenger from the Shah, remove the body of the envoy and the bodies of others and transfer them to the Armenian church at the Qazvin Gates.On the fourth day of this catastrophe, Khodja Gorgin Julfa, my uncle, that is, my mother’s brother, went to the Russian mission together with the shah’s messengers, but no matter how much they rummaged through the bodies of the dead Griboyedov's body was not found and returned empty-handed. On the fifth day they again went to the mission and again could not find Griboyedov's body. At this time, one man told Hadji Gorgin in the greatest secret that Griboedov's body, along with several other bodies, had been thrown into the well or a pit in the same courtyard where the envoy himself lived, and these bodies must be pulled out of the well or pit, which had already been filled in. Hadji Gorgin immediately invited cable workers, who found the pit, opened its hole and, pulling out the body of the envoy and the bodies of others, transferred them to the Armenian church at the Qazvin gates. There, these bodies were washed, put in coffins and left there until new orders. When a new envoy came to Griboyedov's place, then Griboyedov's body was sent to Russia. The rest of the bodies were buried outside the city, in Tehran.
They write that Fath-Ali Shah had one captive Georgian woman in his harem and the late Griboedov demanded that Fath-Ali Shah extradite her, but he made excuses, did not want to extradite her, referring to the fact that she herself did not want to return to Russia. Even if Fatah Ali Shah escorted this Georgian woman to the Russian imperial mission to the late Griboyedov, so that he himself would personally interrogate her whether she wants to return to her homeland or wants to stay in Persia, and if this Georgian woman even spent one night in the mission . This is also not true. This Georgian woman was the same one that Allayar Khan Asaf-ed-dole had, to whom he was married. It is clear that Allayar Khan Asaf-ed-doulle killed her.
That's all I know. I guarantee that, apart from this, there was nothing else, and if they tell anything other than this, it is due to lack of accurate information.
KOSOGOVSKY'S REMARKS
made by him while reading the book by P. A. Rittikh “Political and statistical essay on Persia” (St. Petersburg, 1896, pp. 239-246)
1. It is doubtful that he knew the Persian language so thoroughly, but whether he had ever been to Persia before.
2. Griboyedov, on his own initiative, did not demand prisoners, but only those who turned to him with a request. Otherwise, he would have demanded Manuchehr Khan Mu "tamad-ed-doule, the head of all the shah's eunuchs, a very influential and very rich man, who occupied for a long time place of governor in Gilan, who amassed great wealth during pestilence: from those dying from an ulcer, he took their fortune; he was also governor in Isfahan; was taken prisoner under Agha Mohammed Khan, from the Tiflis Armenians; then he was held as a hostage. Griboyedov did not demand Yusuf Khan sepekhdar (“sepya” - an army, “dar” - having; a title inherent only in commanders-in-chief or military ministers) and many other captives.
3. He also did not demand captives. If they did, it's another matter. The body of the book Solomon Melikov was sent through Tabriz along with the remains of Griboedov and followed together up to Erivan. From here, the remains of Griboyedov were taken to Tiflis (buried in the monastery of St. David in Tiflis), the body of Prince. Solomon Melikov was taken from Erivan; in Etchmiadzin.
The body of Griboyedov among the corpses was recognized by a relative of the murdered Solomon Melikov (brother-in-law of his brother David Melikov): only by the long nails of Griboyedov, well known to him, which he kept in the big hall 42 .
Prince Solomon Melikov expresses the following opinion: the report of Mr. Maltsov blames Griboedov himself for many things, while the Persian government was to blame all around. Therefore, he expresses the idea. that, probably, pressure was exerted on Mr. Maltsov in Georgia. Paskevich-Erivansky, so that he would not irritate Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich even more by exposing the truth, at that moment too irritated, so that things would not come to more serious and disastrous consequences.
4. This is also wrong: if they themselves applied and asked, it's another matter.
5. There were not two, but one Georgian woman.
6. They were not called, but they themselves submitted a petition to Griboyedov.
7. Not true. The ambassador did not offer them anything, but she (for there was only one, not two) herself turned to the ambassador.
8a. Not true. He didn't kick them out. He was a very polite person and not one to drive out respectable clerics.
8b. In any case, not “dzhami”, but either “dzhamo” - conciliar, or “dzhoma” - Friday, because on Fridays the imam performs a public prayer in this mosque.
8c. There is no contradiction here, but this is a fact that took place under other circumstances, and therefore requires detailed description. (See Martiros Khan's note from the words of Prince Solomon Khan Melikov, the native nephew of one of those killed on January 30, 1829 at the same time as Griboedov, also named Prince Solomon Melikov).
8y. Firstly, Roset-us-sefa (but not Ruzat-ul-safa, as written by Rittich on p. 240), is not the name of the historian, but the name of the history he wrote, by which the historian 43 and titled his essay. It is considered by the Persians themselves to be the most truthful and impartial, but how shamelessly does he deviate from the truth in reality? The same book. Melikov says that this same historian, describing the wars in Khorasan, in one place says that after the victory won by one of the Persian warriors, the number of the enemy killed was equal to “bagcha” (literally, “garden”) in 120 people standing dead. What does it mean? From the time of Genghis Khan, the count of the killed enemy was kept as follows: after counting 10,000 killed, every 10,000 they put one dead straight, propping it up from all sides; the standing dead were likened to trees and the battlefield with similar signboards was called “bagche”. If there were 120 standing dead, then there must have been 120 x 10,000 = 1,200,000 killed, i.e. more than the population of all Khorasan...
9. This is wrong. Shahs did not use such expressions, at least at that time, especially Fath Ali Shah, who was distinguished by his pride and conceit.
10. At that time there were no carriages in Persia. The first carriage was brought to Tehran by the Russian envoy Dugamel already in the presence of the grandson of Fath Ali Shah (son of Abbas Mirza) Mohammed Shah. And when the envoy Dugamel was with Mohammed Shah in Isfahan, then ... Dugamel stopped there at the house of Prince. David Melikov, brother of Prince Griboedov, who was killed at the same time. Solomon Melikov. For hospitality, the envoy Dugamel presented this carriage to Prince. David Melikov. He, in turn, presented this carriage to his uncle Manuchehr Khan Mu "tamad-ed-doul, the then governor of Isfahan. Manuchehr Khan, considering it obscene to ride in a carriage when the Shah himself did not have a carriage, ordered a carriage for Mohammed Shah from India (Calcutta), which was the second carriage in Persia.
11. Mu "tamad-ed-douleh Manuchehr-khan, at the conclusion of the Turkmenchay treaty, was in Turkmenchay among the Persian representatives from Fath-Ali Shah and took a great part and acted in favor of the Russians, which caused the indignation of the Persian nobles, who Fath-Ali Shah was slandered at him for a long time. The latter, finally, once made a hint to Mu "tamad-ed-doule about this. My "tamad-ed-doula replied that he really did everything, but only in order to save the shah and his state from capture by the Russians.
12. What was conveyed to Griboyedov on behalf of the Shah, as if “hadzhe” (but not a hajj), that is, a eunuch, is the same as the shah’s wife, is wrong. No shah will ever allow himself to allow comparison of a hajj (eunuch) with his wives. And even if something like this was passed on to Griboyedov, they shamelessly composed it.
13a. Mirza Yakub came to the Russian mission with a chest full of jewels and gold coins. At home, that is, in his premises, in the Anderun (harem) of the Shah, only carpets, furniture and some other rubbish remained. As for the statement that he robbed the Shah's treasury, this is wrong: everything that was with him in his chest belonged to him and was not stolen.
13b. It is said: “They resorted to the court. There (i.e., in court) they scolded Mirza Yakub and spat in his face.” This is not true, because from the moment Mirza Yakub sat down in the mission in the best, he did not take a single step from there until the moment he was killed. And how could the Persians again let Mirza Yakub out of court and allow him to return to the Russian mission again? If he could be pulled out of there, he would have been immediately captured and would never have ended up again in the Russian mission.
14a. He repeats again. Griboyedov stood up only for those prisoners who turned to him themselves.
15. There are a number of contradictions. At first it was said that, according to the historian Roset-us-sef, there were also two black-eyed Georgian women in the house of Allayar Khan Asaf-ed-doule Qajar. It also says “two Armenian women”. Then, there were not two at all, but one. Tehran old-timers assure that this one was not brought at all, but only submitted a petition to Griboyedov.
16. Wrong. The ceiling was not burned, but was broken.
17. Not “vezir” (vezier means minister), but farrash-bashi; simply Ali-khan (but not “Mirza Ahmed-Ali-khan”), i.e. the head of the Shah farrash (executive power). This Farrash-bashi Ali Khan, being sent by the Shah to pacify the people, deliberately hesitated and therefore was late ...
18. Khosrow Mirza, one of the sons of the Valiahd (heir) of Abbas Mirza, therefore, the grandson of Fath-Ali Shah, appeared to Emperor Nicholas I with a saber hanging around his neck (a sign of slavish obedience), and with boots filled with earth ( dust) thrown over the shoulders. This custom of such expression of the sign of obedience is borrowed from the ancient religious history Shiites. According to legend, a certain Khor, the first of the commanders of Yezid, who was appointed with the troops of Yezid against Imam Hussein, having repented, in this very form expressed his obedience to Imam Hussein, with his son and slave were the first victims for Hussein and went to fight for him.
Before the war between Russia and Persia, some kind of mujtahed arrived in Tehran from Karbala... He stirred up the people against the Russians... Fath Ali Shah gathered his dignitaries for advice. Abbas-Mirza, who was in Azerbaijan at that time, spoke unconditionally for the war between Persia and Russia. In Tehran, they kept his side (that is, for the war with Russia): 1. Asaf-ed-doule Allayar-khan Qajar, an implacable enemy of Russia, and 2. Amin-ed-doule. On the contrary, Mu "tamad-ed-doula, who at that time was the chief eunuch and a person very close to the shah, was against the war with Russia. When others began to accuse him as a person devoted to Russia, and said that he did not want war because that he is afraid that his relatives would not be brought prisoners from Russia, then Mu "tamad-ed-doule resigned and left the council. When news of the defeats of the Persian army began to be received and the shah began to ask Russia for peace, and after Asaf-ed-doula and others could not think of anything to get the shah out of trouble, then Fath-Ali-shah remembered the words of Mu "tamad -ed-doule and sent his chief eunuch after him, and Mu "tamad-ed-doule was sent to the theater of operations, arrived in Turkmenchay, where he was present at the conclusion of the peace treaty.
Asaf-ed-douleh was beaten with sticks in front of the "dar-bache", i.e. "little door" (that was the name of the former narrow low entrance to the Shah's harem, now converted into a luxurious "diamond entrance"), in the presence of Fatah- Ali Shah, but after several blows with sticks, the Qajars, his tribesmen, rushed to him and, covering him with their bodies, did not allow further beatings and begged him for mercy from the Shah.
19. The contribution was 6 or 7 kurur tumans (1 kurur = 500,000. At that time, 1 tuman was equal to 3 gold rubles, or 4 rubles 50 kopecks in credit. 1 kurur tuman was equal to 2 1/4 million credit rubles). Before sending this money to Russia, all gold and silver were previously collected in the house of Mu "tamad-ed-doul (now the house of Hakim-ul-mulk against the Shah's palace) and money was washed in the pool of this house. Then all these kururs were really sent to Russia , with the exception of only one kurur, who was then forgiven by Russia of Persia before the Sevastopol war.
20. "Kaymaqam" was the title of the Grand Vizier (the same as now sadrazam) during the reign of Fath-Ali Shah and only one first year of the reign of Mohammed Shah. At the same time, this kaymaqam was also a poet, he wrote poetry…
On February 11, 1829, the writer Alexander Griboedov died. Against the background of other Russian literary losses of the 19th century, his death stood out for its tragic absurdity - he did not receive mortal wounds in duels, did not get sick and did not try to commit suicide, but fell victim to a crowd of angry Persians.
Griboyedov was only 34 years old, six months before the tragedy, he married the charming Georgian princess Nina Chavchavadze, he had plans to return to Russia, but fate decreed otherwise ..
Homo unius libri
The Latin expression "homo unius libri" means "man of one book" and is applied to authors who have gained great fame for their only notable work. So you can call Edmond Rostand with the play "Cyrano de Bergerac", Alan Milne with " winnie the pooh”, Jerome Salinger with “The Catcher in the Rye”.
Such authors, as a rule, have other works, but they remain in the shadow of the masterpiece that made them famous. So Alexander Griboedov is known only as the author of the brilliant play "Woe from Wit", although there are several other dramatic works on his track record.A penchant for literature manifested itself in him from childhood, but he himself did not dream of a writer's path. At the age of eight, he was sent to the Moscow University Noble Boarding School, three years later Griboedov entered the verbal department of Moscow University, but he himself later chose the moral and political department, and then the physics and mathematics department. His literary debut was associated with Patriotic War. Enrolling as a volunteer in the hussar regiment, in 1814 he wrote “A Letter from Brest-Litovsk to the Publisher” (“Bulletin of Europe”), an essay “On the Cavalry Reserves” and the comedy “The Young Spouses” (translation of the French comedy “Le secre”).
Arriving in St. Petersburg in 1815, he became close friends with the local circle of writers, but did not devote himself to this matter to the end - he preferred a diplomatic career, taking up the position provincial secretary and translator of the College of Foreign Affairs. In August 1818, he refused to participate in the Russian diplomatic mission in the United States and was appointed secretary to the same position in Persia - a fatal appointment for him, which would play a final role in his fate only 11 years later.
Iran, Georgia and Iran again
Griboedov described his travels on duty in his diaries and some literary works("Vagin's Story", "Ananur Quarantine"). As a diplomat, in 1819 he freed the Russian military from Iranian captivity and escorted them to Tiflis. In 1821, he achieved a transfer from Persia, which bored him, to his more native and close Georgia, where he began work on drafts of Woe from Wit.
Nina Chavchavadze and Alexander Griboedov. The couple were together for only a couple of months. Photo: Collage AiF
A year later he became secretary diplomatic mission in Tiflis under General Yermolov and wrote the drama "1812". But he did not last long in Georgia either - already in 1823 he took a break and traveled around Russia for two years, staying in Moscow and St. Petersburg and continuing to work on the play. Literary exercises had to be interrupted, and the trip to Europe was abandoned. In 1825, Griboyedov returned to the Caucasus on diplomatic business. On the way, he met the Decembrists Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Muravyov-Apostol, Trubetskoy. This acquaintance did him a disservice - a year later, the writer was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the underground affairs of the Decembrists.
True, evidence of his guilt was never found and he was soon released from custody. Thanks to the “cleansing letter”, he managed to restore diplomatic activity and return to Iran already as a resident minister (in other words, an ambassador). On the way to his duty station in Tiflis, he married a young Georgian princess, Nina Chavchavadze, eldest daughter his friend the poet Alexander Chavchavadze. At the time of the wedding, the diplomat was 33 years old, and his wife was not yet 16.
Last business trip
The young couple spent a couple of weeks at the estate of Nina's father in Kakheti, and then went to Persia. There, Griboedov was supposed to appear at the court of the Shah in Tehran to discuss the implementation by the Iranian side of the articles of the Turkmanchay peace treaty and to achieve indemnification following the results of the Russian-Persian war. He preferred to go alone - his young wife hard to endure pregnancy and remained in Tabriz.
This trip was his last. The day he arrived in Tehran went down in history as the Massacre at the Russian Embassy. By that time, dissatisfaction with the actions of Russia was already boiling in Persian society, and with the arrival of Griboedov, it reached its highest point. The Persians did not want to pay the indemnity, and on top of everything else they were outraged that Griboyedov hid several fugitive Armenians from the Shah's harem in the embassy. Islamic fanatics waged vigorous anti-Russian propaganda in bazaars and mosques.
"The Conclusion of Peace in Turkmanchay on February 10, 1828 during the Russo-Iranian War". Diplomat Griboyedov sits with his back to the right. Lithograph of the 19th century Photo: Public Domain Facts were fueled by rumors, members of the Russian embassy also violated the etiquette of the Shah's court a couple of times during their visits. Everything was resolved by a raid of a crowd of religious fanatics on the Russian embassy in Tehran. About 100 thousand people gathered, and soon even the instigators themselves lost control over the angry Persians. Griboyedov could not but see the mood of the Tehrans and the day before that he had informed the Shah that he considered it necessary to withdraw his mission from Iran.
Members of the diplomatic mission were escorted by 35 Cossacks, but, of course, they could not resist the crowd. Of the entire Russian embassy, only the secretary of the mission Maltsov escaped, who managed to hide during the massacre. During the raid, 37 people from the embassy and 19 attackers were killed. The Cossack convoy was later buried in the courtyard of the Armenian church of St. Tatevos in Tehran. The mutilated body of Alexander Griboyedov was carried by the crowd around the city for several more days and thrown into a common pit.
Recognized by the little finger
When the passions subsided a little, the body of the writer and diplomat was removed from mass grave. Only one special sign helped to identify Griboyedov - the little finger of his left hand shot through in a duel. He received this injury in 1818, when he met near Tiflis with the future Decembrist cornet Alexander Yakubovich. They were shooting because of an old quarrel, and Griboyedov did not even want to take part in the duel. The bullet pierced the little finger of the writer's left hand, and Yakubovich remained unharmed, and the rivals were satisfied with this. After this incident, Griboyedov wore a special overlay on his left hand until the end of his days and even managed to restore his piano playing skills.The young widow Nina Chavchavadze found out about her husband's death only two days later and put on mourning, which she did not take off until the end of her life. On the grave of her husband, she wrote: “Your mind and deeds are immortal in Russian memory, but why did my love survive you?” She survived him by 28 years - the widow was buried next to her husband.
In 1912, with funds raised by the Russian colony in Persia, sculptor Vladimir Beklemishev created a bronze monument to Griboedov, which was placed next to the embassy building where the massacre took place.
