Russian literature did not start far from - although he certainly made a huge contribution to its development. However, poetry and prose were written long before him - in particular, Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was very famous in the eighteenth century, his works are still respected by readers.
The initial acquaintance with a writer most often begins at school with the story " Poor Lisa". And what else is Nikolai Mikhailovich known for, and what works belong to his pen?
Early life and works of art
Karamzin was born in 1766 in a military family in the Orenburg region, in his youth he also gave several years of military service, but later retired. Having moved from the provinces to Moscow, he met prominent writers of that time, took part in the publication of a children's magazine. In 1790 he went to big Adventure Europe, and upon his return published his travel notes - and overnight became a famous writer.
It was with Karamzin that the publication of literary magazines in Russia began - the first such publication, Moscow Journal, was his brainchild. He published his own writings and helped young authors get into print, while at the same time publishing his own collections of short stories and poetry. Nikolai Mikhailovich was the most prominent representative sentimentalism in Russia in the eighteenth century - thanks to him, this literary movement gained great strength.
Historical writings
However, despite a number of lyrical works, Karamzin the historian is much more famous than Karamzin the writer. In the early 1800s, Nikolai Mikhailovich gradually moved away from literary activity, fully concentrating on a new work - the study and popularization of the history of Russia. In fifteen years he manages to write eight volumes of the famous History of the Russian State.
The titanic work of the writer still causes a lot of controversy. Some critics believe that "History" gravitates too much towards artistry, and it lacks analytics. But one thing remains indisputable - the talented writer managed to describe the events of centuries ago in such a fascinating way that for the first time Russian history aroused truly massive interest among all segments of the population.
Until the end of his life, he was respected by the imperial family and the scientific community. He also bore the completely unique title of a Russian historiographer - the title was introduced specifically for Nikolai Mikhailovich and was not bestowed on anyone after him. The historian and writer died in 1826 in St. Petersburg.
Nikolai Karamzin - historian and writer of the 18th-19th centuries. Born December 12, 1866 in the Kazan province of the family estate Znamenskoye.
Its genus comes from Crimean Tatars, father - a retired officer, was an average landowner, his mother died when Kolya Karamzin was still a child. His upbringing was done by his father, tutors and nannies. Nikolai spent all his childhood on the estate, received home education, re-read all the books in his mother's large library.
His love for progressive foreign literature had a great influence on his work. It was the future publicist, writer, honorary member of the Academy of Sciences, renowned critic, a reformer of Russian literature and a historiographer, loved to read Rollin, Emin and other masters of the word of Europe.
In 1778 he entered a noble boarding school in Simbirsk, his father attached him to an army regiment, which made it possible for Nikolai Karamzin to study at the prestigious Moscow boarding school at Moscow University. Karamzin studied humanitarian sciences and attended lectures.
The future writer ended up in active service in the Preobrazhensky Regiment. His military career did not attract and he took a vacation for a year, and in 1784 he received a decree on his resignation with the rank of lieutenant.
In 1789 he makes a long journey through Europe. During it, he met with Kant, visited Paris during the revolution, and witnessed the fall of the Bastille. He collected a large amount of material about European events, which served to create the Letters of a Russian Traveler, gained great popularity in society and are accepted with a bang by critics.
At the end of the journey, he took up literature. He established his own Moscow magazine, in which his bright star of sentimental creativity, Poor Liza, was published.
In 1803 he became a historiographer. At this time, he began to work on the great work of his life - the History of the Russian State.
In 1810 he received the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class. In 1816 he received high rank Councilor of State and became a holder of the Order of St. Anne, 1st degree.
In 1818, 8 volumes of the History of the Russian State were published for the first time. He did not finish his enormous work, volume 12 was published after his death.
The first wife of Karamzin is Elizaveta Protasova, married since 1801, his wife died after giving birth to her daughter Sophia. The second wife is Ekaterina Kolyvanova.
After the Decembrist uprising on Senate Square, Karamzin died after an aggravated cold. He rests at the Tikhvin cemetery. Karamzin was a fundamentalist of Russian sentimentalism, a reformer of the Russian language. He added many new words to the vocabulary. He was one of the first creators of a comprehensive generalizing work on the history of Russia.
Pushkin was a frequent visitor to the Karamzins.
Karamzin owns the expression that he said about Russian reality, to the question - what is happening in Russia, the answer was as follows - steal.
Historians believe that Poor Liza is named after Protasova.
Sophia, daughter of Karamzin, was accepted by secular society, became a maid of honor at the imperial court, was friends with Pushkin and Lermontov.
Karamzin had 5 sons and 4 daughters from his second marriage.
Wow! .. Here, yes! .. Be healthy! ..
Minakov A. Yu.
Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, writer, poet, journalist, historian, one of the founders of Russian conservatism
N.M. Karamzin came from the Crimean Tatar family of Kara-Murza (known since the 16th century). He spent his childhood on the estate of his father, Mikhail Yegorovich, a middle-class landowner, in the village of Znamenskoye, then he was brought up in the private Fauvel boarding house in Simbirsk, where he was taught in French, then in the Moscow boarding house of prof. THEM. Shaden. Shaden was an apologist for the family, he saw in her the guardian of morality and the source of education, in which religion, the beginning of wisdom, was to occupy leading place. Schadin considered the best form of government to be a monarchy, with a strong nobility, virtuous, sacrificial, educated, putting the public good at the forefront. The influence of such views on K. is undeniable. In the boarding house K. learned French and German, taught English, Latin and Greek. In addition, K. attended lectures at Moscow University. Since 1782, Mr.. K. served in the Preobrazhensky Regiment. At the same time, his literary activity begins. The first printed work of K. - translation from the German S. Gessner "Wooden Leg". On the death of his father, K. retired in 1784 and left for Simbirsk, where he joined the Golden Crown Masonic Lodge. A year later, K. moved to Moscow, where he became close to the Moscow Freemasons from the environment of N.I. Novikov, under the influence of which his views and literary tastes are formed, in particular, interest in the literature of the French Enlightenment, “encyclopedists”, Montesquieu, Voltaire and etc. Freemasonry attracted K. with its educational and charitable activities, but repelled with its mystical side and rituals. At the end of the 1780s. K. participates in various periodicals: "Reflections on the Affairs of God ...", "Children's Reading for the Heart and Mind", in which he publishes his own writings and translations. By 1788, K. cools towards Freemasonry. In 1789-1790, he made an 18-month trip abroad, one of the motives of which was K.'s break with the Masons. K. visited Germany, Switzerland, engulfed by the revolution of France and England. As a witness to the events in France, he repeatedly visited the National Assembly, listened to Robespierre's speeches, made acquaintances with many political celebrities. This experience had a huge impact on the further evolution of K., marking the beginning of a critical attitude towards "advanced" ideas. So, in “Melodor and Philalethe” (1795), K. clearly expressed the rejection and shock caused by the implementation of the ideas of the “Enlightenment” in practice, during the so-called “Great French Revolution”: “The Age of Enlightenment! I don’t recognize you - I don’t recognize you in blood and flames - I don’t recognize you among murders and destruction!
Upon his return from abroad, he publishes the Moscow Journal (1791-1792), the album Aglaya (1794-95), the almanac Aonides (1796-99), the Pantheon of Foreign Literature (1798), the magazine Children's Reading for the Heart and Mind” (1799), publishes “Letters of a Russian Traveler” (1791-1792), which brought him all-Russian fame, approaches the conservatively minded G.R. Derzhavin and finally breaks with Freemasonry. During this period, K. is experiencing growing skepticism in relation to the ideals of the Enlightenment, but on the whole remains in Western, cosmopolitan positions, being confident that the path of civilization is the same for all mankind and that Russia should follow this path: “everything the people's nothing compared to the human. The main thing is to be people, not Slavs” (Letters from a Russian Traveler. L., 1987. P. 254). As a writer, he creates a new direction, the so-called sentimentalism, carries out a large-scale reform of the Russian language, on the one hand, orienting it to French literary models, on the other hand, bringing it closer to colloquialism, believing that Russian everyday language yet to be created. To the greatest extent, sentimentalism was reflected in such a work as "Poor Lisa" (1792). K.'s desire to "frenchize" the Russian language should not be exaggerated. Back in 1791, he stated: “In our so-called good society, without the French language, you will be deaf and dumb. Aren't you ashamed? How not to have national pride? Why be parrots and monkeys together?” (Ibid., p.338.). In addition, the then cosmopolitanism of K. was combined with a kind of literary struggle for a return to Russian origins. For example, his story “Natalya, the Boyar’s Daughter” (1792) began with the words: “Who among us does not love those times when Russians were Russians, when they dressed up in their own clothes, walked with their own gait, lived according to their custom, spoke their own language and according to your heart..? (Notes of an old Moscow resident. M., 1988. P.55).
In April 1801, K. married Elizaveta Ivanovna Protasova, who died a year later, leaving her daughter Sophia.
The accession to the throne of Alexander I marked the beginning of a new period in K. favor of autocracy. K. launched an active publishing activity: he republished the Moscow Journal, undertook the publication of the Pantheon of Russian Authors, or a collection of their portraits with comments, and published his first collected works in 8 vols. The main event of the first years of the 19th century was the publication of the “thick” magazine Vestnik Evropy (1802-1803), which was published twice a month, where K. acted as a political writer, publicist, commentator and international observer. In it, he clearly formulates his statist position (earlier, for him, the state was a “monster”). It is also noteworthy that in his articles K. quite sharply opposed the imitation of everything foreign, against the education of Russian children abroad, and so on. K. unequivocally expresses his position with the formula: “The people are humiliated when they need someone else’s mind for education” (Bulletin of Europe. 1802. No. 8. P. 364). Moreover, K. calls to stop the reckless borrowing of the experience of the West:<...>to the people who will be an eternal student” (Coll.: In 2 vols. L., 1984. Vol. 2. P. 230.) K. is critical of the liberal undertakings of Alexander I, forming a position that can be described as proto-conservative, since K. himself still remains a "republican at heart." K. does not leave literature either - in 1803 he publishes “Marfa Posadnitsa” and a number of other works. It is especially worth highlighting “My Confession” (1802), where he sharply argues with the entire educational tradition - from “encyclopedists” to J.J. Rousseau. His conservative-monarchist views are becoming more and more clear.
Back in the late 90s. 18th century K.'s interest in Russian history was indicated. He creates several small historical works. On September 28, 1803, K. addressed the Ministry of Public Education to the trustee of the Moscow educational district M.N. Muravyov with a request for his official appointment as a historiographer, which was soon granted by a special decree of November 31. In the same year, A.S. Shishkov’s book “Discourse on the Old and New Style of the Russian Language” was published, in which a prominent Russian conservative accused Karamzin and his followers of spreading gallomania (See Shishkov). However, K. himself did not participate in literary controversy did not accept. This can be explained by the fact that K. was not only occupied with historiographical developments, “he took the veil of historians” (P.A. Vyazemsky), his position, including linguistic, under the influence of studies in Russian history, began to converge with the position of Shishkov.
In 1804, K. married a second time - to Ekaterina Andreevna Kolyvanova. His life was filled with hard work, in winter he lived in Moscow, in summer - in Ostafyevo.
From 1803 to 1811, K. created five volumes of the History of the Russian State, simultaneously discovering and using for the first time the most valuable historical sources.
At the end of 1809, K. was first introduced to Alexander I. By 1810, K., influenced by studies in Russian history, became a consistent conservative patriot. At the beginning of this year, through his relative F.V. Rostopchin, he met in Moscow with the leader of the then “conservative party” at court, Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna, and began to constantly visit her residence in Tver, where her husband, Prince of Oldenburg, was a general -governor. The salon of the Grand Duchess was then the center of conservative opposition to the liberal-Western course, personified by the figure of M.M. Speransky. In this salon, K. read excerpts from the "History ..." in the presence of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, at the same time he met the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, who has since become one of his patronesses. In 1810, Alexander I granted K. the Order of St. Vladimir 3rd degree. On the initiative of Ekaterina Pavlovna, K. wrote and submitted in March 1811 to Alexander I, during the readings in Tver of another fragment from his “History ...”, a treatise “On ancient and new Russia in its political and civil relations”- the most profound and meaningful document of the emerging Russian conservative thought. Along with an overview of Russian history and criticism public policy Alexander I, the "Note" contained a whole, original and very complex in its theoretical content, the concept of Autocracy as a special, original Russian type of power, closely connected with Orthodoxy and the Orthodox Church.
From the point of view of K., the autocracy is a “smart political system” (Note on Ancient and New Russia. M., 1991, p. 22), which has undergone a long evolution and played a unique role in the history of Russia. This system was “the great creation of the princes of Moscow” (Ibid. p.22), starting with Ivan Kalita, and, in its main elements, it had the quality of objectivity, that is, it weakly depended on the personal qualities, mind and will of individual rulers, since was not a product of personal power, but rather a complex structure based on certain traditions and state and public institutions. This system arose as a result of the synthesis of the autochthonous political tradition of “autocracy”, which goes back to Kievan Rus and some traditions of the Tatar-Mongolian khanate power. The conscious imitation of political ideals also played a large role. Byzantine Empire(Ibid., p.23).
The autocracy that arose in the conditions of the most difficult struggle against the Tatar-Mongol yoke was unconditionally accepted by the Russian people, since it not only eliminated foreign power, but also internal civil strife. “Political slavery” (p.22.) did not seem in these conditions to be an excessive price to pay for national security and unity.
The entire system of state and public institutions was, according to K., “an outpouring of royal power” (Ibid., p. 24), the monarchist core permeated the entire political system from top to bottom. At the same time, autocratic power was preferable to the power of the aristocracy. The aristocracy, acquiring self-sufficient significance, could become dangerous for statehood, for example, in a specific period or during the Time of Troubles of the 17th century (Ibid., p. 28). The autocracy "embedded" the aristocracy in the system of the state hierarchy, rigidly subordinated it to the interests of the monarchical statehood.
According to Karamzin, the Orthodox Church played an exceptional role in this system. It was the “conscience” (Ibid., p.36.) of the autocratic system, setting the moral coordinates for the monarch and the people in stable times, and especially when their “accidental deviations from virtue” occurred (Ibid.). K. emphasized that spiritual authority acted in close alliance with civil authority and gave it a religious justification. In his “History ...” K. emphasized: “history confirms the truth<...>that faith is a special power of the state ”(History of the Russian State: In 4 books. M., 1989. Vol. 6. P. 224).
The autocratic system of political power, according to K., was also based on the traditions, customs and habits generally recognized by the people, what he referred to as “ancient skills” and, more broadly, “the spirit of the people”, “attachment to our special” (Note on the ancient and new Russia, Moscow, 1991, p.32).
Karamzin categorically refused to identify "true autocracy" with despotism, tyranny and arbitrariness. He believed that such deviations from the norms of autocracy were due to a matter of chance (Ivan the Terrible, Paul I) and were quickly eliminated by the inertia of the tradition of “wise” and “virtuous” monarchical rule. This tradition was so powerful and effective that even in cases of a sharp weakening or even complete absence of the supreme state and church authorities (for example, during the Time of Troubles), it led to the restoration of autocracy within a short historical period (Ibid., p. 49).
By virtue of all of the above, the autocracy was the “palladium of Russia” (Ibid. p. 105), main reason her power and prosperity. From the point of view of K., the basic principles of monarchical rule should have been preserved in the future, only supplemented by a proper policy in the field of education and legislation, which would lead not to undermine the autocracy, but to its maximum strengthening. With such an understanding of autocracy, any attempt to limit it would be a crime against Russian history and the Russian people.
K. was one of the first in Russian thought to raise the question of negative consequences the reign of Peter I, since the desire of this emperor to transform Russia into the likeness of Europe undermined the “spirit of the people”, that is, the very foundations of autocracy, the “moral power of the state”. The desire of Peter I “to new customs for us crossed the boundaries of prudence in him” (Ibid., p. 32). K. actually accused Peter of forcibly eradicating ancient customs, a fatal sociocultural split of the people into a higher, “Germanized” layer and a lower, “common people”, the destruction of the Patriarchate, which led to a weakening of faith, the transfer of the capital to the outskirts of the state, at the cost of enormous efforts and sacrifices ( Ibid., pp. 32-37). As a result, K. argued, the Russians “became citizens of the world, but ceased to be, in some cases, citizens of Russia” (Ibid., p.35).
The main elements of the concept of the autocracy of K. in one form or another were developed by subsequent generations of Russian conservatives: S. S. Uvarov, L. A. Tikhomirov, I. A. Ilyin, I. A. Solonevich and others
In the “Note” K. formulated the idea of “Russian law”, which has not yet been implemented in practice: “the laws of the people must be extracted from their own concepts, customs, habits, local circumstances” (Ibid., p. 91). “Russian law also has its origins, like Roman law; define them and you will give us a system of laws” (p. 94). Paradoxically, to some extent (but far from complete) K.'s recommendations were used already in the reign of Nicholas I by his ideological opponent M. M. Speransky in the process of codifying Russian legislation.
Among other things, the “Note” contained the classical principles of Russian conservatism: “we demand more preserving wisdom than creative wisdom” (Ibid., p. 63), “any news in the state order is evil, which should be resorted to only when necessary” ( Ibid. P.56), “for the firmness of being a state, it is safer to enslave people than to give them freedom at the wrong time” (Ibid. P.74).
The "note" was coldly received by the emperor, but later, he clearly took into account its main provisions. After the fall of Speransky, K.'s candidacy for the post of Secretary of State State Council was considered along with A.S. Shishkov. Preference was given to the latter, as a military man, which was important in the context of the impending war with Napoleon.
K.'s work on the "History of the Russian State" was temporarily interrupted by the Patriotic War of 1812. K. himself was ready to fight in the Moscow militia and left the city in the last moments before Napoleon entered the capital. 1813 K. spent in evacuation, first in Yaroslavl, and then in Nizhny Novgorod. K. returned to Moscow in June 1813 and continued to work on the “History ...”, despite the fact that his library burned down in the Moscow fire of 1812. In early 1816, Mr.. K. came to St. Petersburg to ask for funds for the publication of the first eight volumes. With the support of Empresses Elizaveta Alekseevna and Maria Fedorovna, after a reception with A.A. Arakcheev, Alexander I awarded K. the highest audience, as a result of which the necessary funds were allocated and the written volumes of “History ...”, uncensored, were published in 1818 . (The 9th volume was published in 1821, in 1824 - the 10th and 11th, the last, 12th volume was published posthumously). "History of the Russian State" was a huge success. From 1816 until the time of his death, K. lived in St. Petersburg, communicating with V.A. Zhukovsky, S.S. Uvarov, A.S. Pushkin, D.N. Bludov, P.A. Vyazemsky and others. At the suggestion of Alexander I, K. began to spend every summer in Tsarskoye Selo, which more and more strengthened his closeness to the royal family. The sovereign repeatedly talked with K. during walks in the Tsarskoye Selo park, constantly read the “History ...” in the manuscript, listened to K.'s opinions on current political events. In 1816, Mr.. K. was granted a state councilor, awarded the order St. Anna of the 1st class, in 1824 he became a real state councilor. In 1818, Mr.. K. was accepted as a member of the Imperial Russian Academy. In 1818, eight volumes of "History ..." were published with a circulation of three thousand copies, which quickly sold out in 25 days. The significance of this grandiose work was accurately expressed by P.A. Vyazemsky: “Karamzin’s creation is the only book we have, truly state, popular and monarchical” (Vyazemsky P.A. complete collection compositions. SPb., 1879. V.2. S.215).
The death of Alexander I shocked K., and the rebellion on December 14 finally broke K.'s physical strength (that day he caught a cold in Senate Square, the disease turned into consumption and death).
The role of K. as a cultural figure and Russian historiography as a whole is recognized in Russian thought. However, historians and philosophers have yet to discover the significance of K. as a conservative thinker who had a decisive influence on Russian conservative-patriotic thought.
Works by N.M. Karamzin:
Bulletin of Europe. M., 1802. No. 1-24; 1803. No. 1-22;
Note on ancient and new Russia, Moscow, 1991.
Notes of an old Moscow resident. M., 1986.
History of the Russian State, 2nd ed., vol. 1-12, St. Petersburg, 1818-29; 5th ed., kn.1-3 (T.1-12). St. Petersburg, 1842-43 (reprint - M., 1988-89);
Works. T.1-11. M., 1803 - 1815.
Unpublished writings and correspondence. SPb., 1862. Part 1.;
Letters to I.I. Dmitriev. SPb., 1866;
Letters to P.A. Vyazemsky. 1810-1826. SPb., 1897.
Bibliography
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Bestuzhev-Ryumin K.N. N.M. Karamzin: Essay on life and work. SPb., 1895.
Bestuzhev-Ryumin K.N. Karamzin N.M. //Russian biographical dictionary. SPb., 1892. V.8. Ibak-Klyucharev.
Bulich N.N. Biographical sketch of N.M. Karamzin and its development political activity. Kazan, 1866.
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Gulyga A.V. Karamzin in the system of Russian culture//Literature and art in the system of Russian culture. M., 1988.
Degtyareva M.I. Two candidates for the role of state ideologist: J. de Maistre and N.M. Karamzin// Historical metamorphoses of conservatism. Permian. 1998.
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Zavitnevich V.Z. Speransky and Karamzin as representatives of two political trends, Kyiv, 1907.
Kislyagina L.G. Formation of public political views Karamzin. M., 1976.
Kozlov V.P. “History of the Russian State in the Estimates of Contemporaries” M., 1976.
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Pypin A.N. Social movement in Russia under Alexander 1. Historical essays.-St. Petersburg, 1908.-588 p.
Sakharov A.N. Lessons from the “immortal historiographer”//Karamzin N.M. History of the Russian state: In 12 volumes. Vol.1. M., 1989. Applications.
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Pointers:
Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin: Index of works, literature about life and work. 1883-1993. M., 1999. -
Black, Josef L. Nicolas Karamzin and Russian society in the nineteenth century: a study in Russian political and historical thought. Toronto-Buffalo Univ. of Toronto Press, 1975.
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Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was born in 1766 in Simbirsk (on the middle Volga) into a family of provincial noblemen. He received a good secondary education at the private school of a German professor at Moscow University. After school, he almost became a dissolute nobleman looking for some entertainment, but then he met I.P. Turgenev, a prominent freemason who took him away from the path of vice and introduced him to Novikov. These Masonic influences played leading role in the design of Karamzin's worldview. Their vaguely religious, sentimental, cosmopolitan ideas paved the way for the understanding of Rousseau and Herder. Karamzin began to write for Novikov's magazines. His first work was a translation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar(1787). He also translated Seasons Thomson. In 1789 Karamzin went abroad and spent there, wandering around Germany, Switzerland, France and England, for about a year and a half. Returning to Moscow, he began to publish a monthly Moscow magazine(1791-1792), from which the new movement begins. the materials placed in it belonged to the pen of the publisher himself.
Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin. Portrait by Tropinin
His main work, published there, were Letters from a Russian traveler, accepted by the public almost as a revelation: a new, enlightened, cosmopolitan sensibility and a delightfully new style appeared to her eyes (see Karamzin's article as a reformer of the Russian literary language). Karamzin became the leader and the most prominent literary figure of his generation.
Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin(December 1, 1766, the Znamenskoye family estate, the village of Mikhailovka, Simbirsk province, according to some sources, the Orenburg province) - May 22, 1826, St. Petersburg) - an outstanding historian, the largest Russian writer of the era of sentimentalism, nicknamed "Russian Stern". The creator of the "History of the Russian State" (volumes 1-12, 1803-1826) - one of the first generalizing works on the history of Russia. Editor of the Moscow Journal (1791-1792) and Vestnik Evropy (1802-1803).
Karamzin went down in history as a great reformer of the Russian language. His style is light in the Gallic manner, but instead of direct borrowing, Karamzin enriched the language with tracing words, such as “impression” and “influence”, “love”, “touching” and “entertaining”. It was he who introduced into use the words "industry", "concentrate", "moral", "aesthetic", "epoch", "stage", "harmony", "catastrophe", "future".
Biography
Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was born on December 1 (12), 1766 near Simbirsk. He grew up in the estate of his father, retired captain Mikhail Yegorovich Karamzin (1724-1783), a middle-class Simbirsk nobleman from the Karamzin family, allegedly descended from the Tatar Kara-Murza. Received home education. In 1778 he was sent to Moscow to the boarding house of Professor of Moscow University I. M. Shaden. At the same time, in 1781-1782, he attended lectures by I. G. Schwartz at the University.
In 1783, at the insistence of his father, he entered the service in the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment of St. Petersburg .. It was during these years that Karamzin first tried himself in the literary field, in 1783 he translated from German. In 1784, after the death of his father, having retired with the rank of lieutenant, he finally left military service. During his stay in Simbirsk, he joined the Masonic Lodge of the Golden Crown, and after arriving in Moscow for four years (1785-1789) he was a member of the Friendly Scientific Society.
In Moscow, Karamzin met writers and writers: N. I. Novikov, A. M. Kutuzov, A. A. Petrov, joins the "Friendly Scientific Society", settles in his house, and subsequently collaborates with members of the circle in various publications , in particular, takes part in the publication of the magazine "Children's Reading for the Heart and Mind", which became the first Russian magazine for children.
Nikolai Karamzin was not disposed towards the mystical side of Freemasonry, remaining a supporter of its active and educational direction. Perhaps the coolness towards Freemasonry was one of the reasons for Karamzin's departure to Europe, where he spent more than a year (1789-90), visiting Germany, Switzerland, France and England, where he met and talked (except for influential Masons) with European "rulers of minds »: I. Kant, I. G. Herder, C. Bonnet, I. K. Lavater, J. F. Marmontel and others, visited museums, theaters, secular salons. In Paris, he listened to O. G. Mirabeau, Maximilian Robespierre and others in the National Assembly, saw many prominent political figures and was familiar with many. Apparently, revolutionary Paris showed Karamzin how much a person can be influenced by the word: printed, when Parisians read pamphlets and leaflets, newspapers with keen interest; oral, when revolutionary orators spoke and controversy arose (experience that could not be acquired in Russia).
Karamzin did not have a very enthusiastic opinion about English parliamentarianism (perhaps following in the footsteps of Jean Jacques Rousseau), but he highly appreciated the level of civilization at which English society as a whole was located.
Returning to Moscow, Nikolai Karamzin began publishing the Moscow Journal, in which he published the story Poor Lisa (1792), which had an extraordinary success with readers, then Letters from a Russian Traveler (1791-92), which put Karamzin among the first Russian writers . In these works, as well as in literary critical articles, the aesthetic program of sentimentalism was expressed with its interest in a person, regardless of class, his feelings and experiences. A number of philologists believe that modern Russian literature is counting precisely from the "Letters". Be that as it may, in the literature of Russian "travels" Karamzin really became a pioneer - he quickly found both imitators (V.V. Izmailov, P.I. Sumarokov, P.I. Shalikov), and worthy successors(A. A. Bestuzhev, N. A. Bestuzhev, F. N. Glinka, A. S. Griboyedov). Since then, Karamzin has been considered one of the main literary figures in Russia.
The story "Poor Liza" strengthened the literary authority of Karamzin. Subsequently published collections and almanacs "Aglaya", "Aonides", "My trinkets", "Pantheon of Foreign Literature" opened the era of sentimentalism in Russian literature, and it was N.M. Karamzin was at the head of the current; under the influence of his works, they wrote V.A. Zhukovsky, K.N. Batyushkov, as well as A.S. Pushkin at the beginning of his career.
The year 1793 arrived, when the Jacobin dictatorship was established at the third stage of the French Revolution, shocking Karamzin with its cruelty. The dictatorship aroused in him doubts about the possibility for mankind to achieve prosperity. He condemned the revolution. The philosophy of despair and fatalism permeates his new works: the novella "Bornholm Island" (1793); "Sierra Morena" (1795); poems “Melancholy”, “Message to A. A. Pleshcheev”, etc.
In the 1790s, his interest in the history of Russia increased; he gets acquainted with historical works, the main published sources: chronicle monuments, notes of foreigners, etc.
Karamzin's response to the coup on March 11, 1801 and the accession to the throne of Alexander I was perceived as a collection of examples to the young monarch "Historical eulogy to Catherine II" (1802), where Karamzin expressed his views on the essence of the monarchy in Russia and the duties of the monarch and his subjects.
In 1801, Nikolai Karamzin married E. I. Protasova, who died a year later. The second marriage Karamzin was married to stepsister Pyotr Andreevich Vyazemsky (father of Pavel Vyazemsky), E. A. Kolyvanova (1804), with whom he lived happily until the end of his days, finding in her not only a devoted wife and caring mother, but also a friend and assistant in historical studies.
In October 1803, the emperor appointed the writer as an official historiographer, and Karamzin was given the task of capturing the history of the Russian state. His genuine interest in history, the priority of this topic over all others was evidenced by the nature of the publications of Vestnik Evropy (this country's first socio-political, literary and artistic magazine Karamzin published in 1802-1803). At the same time, 2 thousand rubles were added to the title. annual salary. The title of a historiographer in Russia was not renewed after Karamzin's death.
In 1804, literary and artistic work was completely curtailed, and the writer began to work on The History of the Russian State (1816-1824), which became the main work in his life and a whole phenomenon in Russian history and literature, "he took the veil of historians." In this regard, he refused the government posts offered to him, in particular, the post of governor of Tver.
Interest in the history of the world and domestic, ancient and new, the events of today prevails in the publications of the first in Russia socio-political, literary and artistic journal "Bulletin of Europe", published 
Karamzin in 1802-03. He also published here several works on Russian medieval history (“Martha Posadnitsa, or the Conquest of Novgorod”, “The News of Martha Posadnitsa, taken from the Life of St. Zosima”, “Journey Around Moscow”, “Historical Memoirs and Notes on the Way to the Trinity” etc.), testifying to the intention of a large-scale historical work, and the readers of the magazine were offered some of its plots, which made it possible to study the reader's perception, improve the techniques and methods of research, which would then be used in the "History of the Russian State".
Until the last day of his life, Karamzin was busy writing The History of the Russian State, which had a significant impact on Russian historical science and literature, allowing us to see in it one of the most notable cultural-forming phenomena not only of the entire 19th century, but also of the 20th. Starting from ancient times and the first mention of the Slavs, Karamzin managed to bring the "History" to the Time of Troubles. This amounted to 12 volumes of a text of high literary merit, accompanied by more than 6 thousand historical notes, in which historical sources, works by European and Russian authors were published and analyzed.
In 1811, at the request of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna, Karamzin wrote a "Note on Ancient and New Russia in its Political and Civil Relations", which reflected the views of conservative strata of society dissatisfied with the emperor's liberal reforms, outlined his ideas about the ideal structure of the Russian state and subjected him to sharp criticism policy of Alexander I and his 
immediate predecessors: Paul, Catherine II and Peter I. In the 19th century. this note was never published in its entirety and was scattered in handwritten lists. Karamzin in this document criticized unprepared bureaucratic reforms carried out from above. The note remains in Karamzin's work the most complete expression of his political views .. "A note on ancient and new Russia in its political and civil relations" also played the role of sketches for the subsequent huge work of Nikolai Mikhailovich on Russian history.
Before the publication of the first eight volumes, Karamzin lived in Moscow, from where he traveled only in 1810 to Tver to the Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna, in order to convey to the sovereign his note “On Ancient and New Russia” through her, and to Nizhny, when the French occupied Moscow. Karamzin usually spent his summers at Ostafyevo, the estate of his father-in-law, Prince Andrei Ivanovich Vyazemsky. In August 1812, Karamzin lived in the house of the commander-in-chief of Moscow, Count F.V. Rostopchin and left Moscow a few hours before the entry of the French. As a result of the Moscow fire, Karamzin's personal library, which he had collected for a quarter of a century, perished. In June 1813, after the family returned to Moscow, he settled in the house of the publisher S.A. Selivanovsky, and then - in the house of the Moscow theater-goer F.F. Kokoshkin. In 1816, Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin moved to St. Petersburg, where he spent the last 10 years of his life and became close to the royal family, although Emperor Alexander I, who did not like criticism of his actions, treated the writer with restraint from the time the Note was submitted. Following the wishes of Empresses Maria Feodorovna and Elizaveta Alekseevna, Nikolai Mikhailovich spent the summer in Tsarskoe Selo. In 1818 Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was elected an honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
Chronology
Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was born on December 1 (12), 1766 in the village of Mikhailovka, Simbirsk province (now it is the Buzuluk district of the Orenburg region).
Karamzin's father was a landowner in Simbirsk; he also owned the village of Mikhailovka.
Nikolai Karamzin received a good education at home, as a teenager he knew several foreign languages: German, English, French, Italian. According to the tradition that existed then, as a child he was recorded in the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment.
1775 - 1781 - Karamzin in Moscow, lives and studies at the boarding house I.M. Shaden, professor at Moscow University. At the same time attends lectures at Moscow University.
1783 (or 1781) - 1784 - Nikolai Karamzin, at the request of his father, serves in the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment in St. Petersburg. Having retired at the beginning of 1784, he left for Simbirsk.
In Simbirsk, soon after his arrival, Karamzin joined the Masonic lodge of the Golden Crown. One of the founders of the lodge advises a talented young man to go to Moscow.
Autumn 1784 - following the advice, Karamzin leaves Simbirsk for Moscow. Here he is accepted into the "Friendly Learned Society" of Freemasons. At the same time, Nikolai Mikhailovich began to collaborate with the magazine "Children's Reading", the editor of which was one of the members of the society N.I. Novikov.
1789 - Karamzin publishes his first story "Eugene and Julia".
1789 - 1790 - after leaving the Masonic society, Karamzin goes on a trip to Europe. Visits Germany, France, Switzerland, England. This trip finally formed Karamzin the writer. The literary result of the voyage was Letters from a Russian Traveler. The significance of this work is that here for the first time Karamzin pointed out that Russia is following the same path of enlightenment as other peoples of Europe. 
1790 - Returning to Moscow, Karamzin begins to publish the Moscow Journal. It was a very serious publication by the standards of that time - more than three hundred subscribers. The peculiarity of the journal was that Karamzin himself was often its only author. “Letters from a Russian Traveler” were published from issue to issue, and the novels “Poor Lisa”, “Natalia, the Boyar's Daughter”, “Frol Silin, a Benevolent Man”, “Liodor” were first published here. All these works were innovative in terms of literary language. Karamzin did not focus on the beautiful sublime style, but on its vitality, grace, and emotionality. The author of "Poor Lisa" is rightfully considered the founder of a new literary movement that replaced classicism - sentimentalism. In addition, the magazine published critical articles and reviews written by Karamzin on literary and theatrical works.
1792 - N.I. was arrested on suspicion of Freemasonry. Novikov. Karamzin reacted to the arrest of his teacher with the ode "To Mercy" by publishing it in the Moscow Journal. The result was that suspicions also touched Nikolai Mikhailovich himself - the investigation became interested in his trip to Europe (whether it took place on the instructions of the Masons?). The Moscow Journal had to be closed. Karamzin leaves Moscow for the countryside.
1793 - 1795 - Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin waits out the scandal with the accusation of Freemasonry in the village. He publishes two poetry collections "Aglaya", is engaged in journalism.
1795 - Returning to Moscow, Karamzin collaborates with the Moskovskie Vedomosti newspaper. During this period, the writer became interested in Russian history. He reads a lot, writes articles, publishing them in European magazines.
1796 - under the editorship of Karamzin, a collection of works by Russian poets "Aonides" was published.
1798 - Karamzin again begins to publish a magazine, this time entirely devoted to translated literature. The magazine was called "Pantheon of Foreign Literature".
With his works - both literary and journalistic - Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin managed to reform the Russian literary language, encourage authors to "write as they say", bring the written language closer to the living spoken language.
1801 - Karamzin marries Elizaveta Ivanovna Protasova.
1802 - Elizaveta Ivanovna dies, leaving Karamzin's daughter Sophia.
The same year - Karamzin founded the literary and political journal Vestnik Evropy. Many authors collaborated with the journal, among which were G.R. Derzhavin and V.A. Zhukovsky. The magazine existed until 1803. The novels “Marfa Posadnitsa”, “My Confession”, etc. were published here.
October 1803 - Karamzin was appointed official historiographer. His assignment was to write a complete history of Russia. 
1804 - Nikolai Mikhailovich begins work on the History of the Russian State. In the same year, he marries Ekaterina Andreevna Kolyvanova, the natural daughter of Prince A.I. Vyazemsky.
1812 - Patriotic War. Karamzin intends to join the militia. He sends the family to Yaroslavl, handing over to his wife the "best and complete" copy of The History of the Russian State. During the famous Moscow fire, the personal library of the writer was destroyed. Nikolai Mikhailovich himself left Moscow a few hours before the city was occupied by the French.
August 1813 - Karamzin returns to Moscow.
1816 - the first 8 volumes of the "History of the Russian State" were published. The 3,000th edition sells out in less than a month. Karamzin and his family moved to St. Petersburg, drawing closer to the imperial family.
1818 - Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was elected an honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. He is the initiator of the creation of a monument to Minin and Pozharsky, installed on Red Square in Moscow.
1821 - the 9th volume of the "History of the Russian State" was published.
1824 - the 10th and 11th volumes of the "History ..." were published. (The 12th volume was published after the death of the author.) The fundamental work is not only scientific, but also artistic; the author set himself the task of creating a work of the epic genre.
In the same year, Karamzin received the rank of real state councilor.
December 14, 1825 - Karamzin on Senate Square. None political consequences for the famous historian, this circumstance did not entail, but became the cause of a severe cold, from which Nikolai Mikhailovich never recovered.
The beginning of 1826 - a cold turns into pneumonia. Doctors advise to go to Europe for treatment. The emperor provides funds and transport for this, but Karamzin is no longer able to leave Petersburg.
May 22 (June 3), 1826 - Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin dies. Buried in Petersburg.
Karamzin - writer
Collected works of N. M. Karamzin in 11 vols. in 1803-1815 was printed in the printing house of the Moscow book publisher Selivanovskiy.
“The influence of the last Karamzin on literature can be compared with the influence of Catherine on society: he made literature humane,” wrote A. I. Herzen.
Sentimentalism
The publication by Karamzin of Letters from a Russian Traveler (1791-1792) and the story Poor Liza (1792; a separate edition in 1796) opened the era of sentimentalism in Russia.
Liza was surprised, dared to look at the young man, blushed even more and, looking down at the ground, told him that she would not take a ruble.
- For what?
- I don't need too much.
- I think that beautiful lilies of the valley, plucked by the hands of a beautiful girl, are worth a ruble. When you don't take it, here's five kopecks for you. I would always like to buy flowers from you; I would like you to tear them up just for me.
Dominant " human nature Sentimentalism declared feeling, not reason, which distinguished it from classicism. Sentimentalism believed that the ideal of human activity was not the "reasonable" reorganization of the world, but the release and improvement of "natural" feelings. His hero is more individualized, his inner world is enriched by the ability to empathize, sensitively respond to what is happening around.
The publication of these works was a great success with the readers of that time, "Poor Lisa" caused many imitations. The sentimentalism of Karamzin had a great influence on the development of Russian literature: it was repelled, among other things, by the romanticism of Zhukovsky, the work of Pushkin.
Poetry Karamzin
Soon after leaving abroad, Karamzin begins to test his strength in poetry; rhyming was not easy for him, and in his verses there was no so-called soaring at all, but even here his style is clear and simple; he knew how to find new topics for Russian literature and borrow original and beautiful meters from the Germans. His “ancient Gishpan historical song”: “Count Gvarinos”, written in 1789, is the prototype of Zhukovsky's ballads; his "Autumn" at one time struck with its extraordinary simplicity and elegance.
The poetry of Karamzin, which developed in line with European sentimentalism, was radically different from the traditional poetry of his time, brought up on the odes of Lomonosov and Derzhavin. The most significant differences were:
Karamzin is not interested in the outer, physical world, but in the inner, spiritual world of man. His poems speak "the language of the heart", not the mind. The object of Karamzin's poetry is "simple life", and to describe it he uses simple poetic forms - poor rhymes, avoids the abundance of metaphors and other tropes so popular in the poems of his predecessors.
"Who is your sweetheart?"
I'm ashamed; i really hurt
The strangeness of my feelings to open
And be the butt of jokes.
The heart in the choice is not free! ..
What to say? She... she.
Oh! not at all important
And talents behind you
Has none;
…The Strangeness of Love, or Insomnia (1793)
Another difference between Karamzin's poetics is that the world is fundamentally unknowable for him, the poet recognizes the existence different points view of the same object
One vote
Scary in the grave, cold and dark!
The winds are howling here, the coffins are shaking,
White bones are clattering.
Another voice
Quiet in the grave, soft, calm.
The winds blow here; sleeping cool;
Herbs and flowers grow.
Cemetery (1792)
Prose Karamzin
Two stories by Karamzin appear in Moscow Journal: Poor Liza and Natalya, the Boyar's Daughter, which serve as the most striking expression of his sentimentalism. The first one was especially successful: the poets praised the author or composed elegies to the ashes of poor Lisa. There were, of course, and epigrams. Karamzin's sentimentalism proceeded from his natural inclinations and the conditions of his development, as well as from his sympathy for literary school that arose at that time in the West. In "Poor Lisa" the author frankly declares that he "loves those objects that touch the heart and make the tears of heavy sorrow shed." In the story, apart from the locality, there is nothing Russian; but the obscure desire of the public to have poetry close to life has so far been satisfied with this
few.
There are no characters in Poor Liza, but there is a lot of feeling, and most importantly, she touched the soul with the whole tone of the story and brought readers into the mood in which they imagined the author. Now “Poor Liza” seems cold and false, but in theory this is the first link in the chain that, through Pushkin’s romance: “In the evening in a rainy autumn”, stretches to Dostoevsky’s “Humiliated and Insulted”. It is from "Poor Liza" that Russian literature takes the philanthropic direction that Kireevsky speaks of. Imitators brought Karamzin's tearful tone to an extreme, which he did not sympathize with at all: already in 1797 (in the preface to the 2nd book of Aonides) he advises "not to talk incessantly about tears ... this way of touching is very unreliable." 
“Natalya, the Boyar's Daughter” is important as the first experience of sentimental idealization of our past, and in the history of Karamzin's development, as the first and timid step of the future author of the “History of the Russian State”. The Moscow Journal was a success, very significant at that time (already in the first year it had 300 “subscripts”; later its second edition was needed), but Karamzin achieved especially wide popularity in 1794, when he collected all the articles from it and reprinted his own in a special collection: “My trinkets” (2nd ed., 1797; 3rd - 1801).
Since then, his significance as a literary reformer is quite clear: a few lovers of literature recognize him as the best prose writer, a large public only reads him with pleasure. In Russia at that time, all thinking people lived so badly that, in the words of Karamzin, “the magnanimous frenzy against abuses of power drowned out the voice of personal caution” (“Note on Ancient and New Russia”). Under Paul I, Karamzin was ready to leave literature and sought spiritual rest in the study of the Italian language and in reading ancient monuments. From the beginning of the reign of Alexander I, Karamzin, still remaining a writer, occupied an unparalleled high position: he became not only a “singer of Alexander” in the sense that Derzhavin was a “singer of Catherine”, but was an influential publicist, whose voice was listened to and government, and society.
Of Karamzin's literary works in Vestnik Evropy, the autobiographical story A Knight of Our Time, which noticeably reflects the influence of Jean-Paul Richter, and the famous historical story Marfa Posadnitsa are more important than others. In the guiding articles of the journal, Karamzin expresses "pleasant views, hopes and desires of the present time", shared by the best part of the then society. It turned out that the revolution, which threatened to devour civilization and freedom, brought them great benefits: now “sovereigns, instead of condemning reason to silence, incline it to their side”; they "feel the importance of an alliance" with the best minds, respect public opinion, and strive to win the love of the people by eliminating abuses.
In relation to Russia, Karamzin wants education for all classes, and above all literacy for the people (“the establishment of rural schools is incomparably more useful than all lyceums, being a true public institution, the true foundation of public education”); he dreams of the penetration of science into high society. In general, for Karamzin, “enlightenment is a palladium of good manners,” by which he means manifestation in private and public life all the best sides of human nature and the taming of selfish instincts.
Karamzin also uses the form of a story to convey his ideas to society: in "My Confession" he denounces the ridiculous secular education that is given to the aristocracy, and the unjust favors shown to it. Weak side journalistic activity of Karamzin is his attitude to serfdom; he, as N. I. Turgenev says, slips on this issue (in his “Letter from a villager” he directly speaks out against giving the peasants the opportunity to independently manage their farms under the then conditions). The department of criticism in Vestnik Evropy is almost non-existent; Karamzin is now far from having such a high opinion of her as before, he considers her a luxury for our still poor literature.
In general, Vestnik Evropy does not coincide with the Russian Traveler in everything. Far from being as before, Karamzin reveres the West and finds that it is not good for a person and the people to remain forever in the position of a student; he attaches great importance to national self-consciousness and rejects the idea that "everything of the people is nothing before the human." At this time, Shishkov begins a literary war against Karamzin and his supporters, which comprehended and finally consolidated Karamzin's reform in our language and partly in the very direction of Russian literature.
Karamzin in his youth recognized Petrov, an enemy of the Slavs, as his teacher in the literary style; in 1801 he expresses the conviction that only since his time in the Russian syllable has “a pleasantness called elegance by the French” been noticed. Still later (1803), he says this about the literary style: “A Russian candidate for authorship, dissatisfied with books, must close them and listen to conversations around him in order to fully learn the language. Here is a new problem: best houses we speak more in French ... What remains for the author to do? Invent, compose expressions, guess the best choice of words. Shishkov rebelled against all innovations (moreover, he takes examples from the inept and extreme imitators of Karamzin), sharply separating the literary language, with its strong Slavic element and three styles, from the spoken language.
Karamzin's language reform
Karamzin's prose and poetry had a decisive influence on the development of the Russian literary language. Karamzin deliberately refused to use Church Slavonic vocabulary and grammar, bringing the language of his works to the everyday language of his era and using French grammar and syntax as a model.
Karamzin introduced many new words into the Russian language - as neologisms ("charity", "love", "free-thinking", "attraction", "responsibility", "suspiciousness", "industry", "refinement", "first-class", "humane ”), and barbarisms (“sidewalk”, “coachman”). He was also one of the first to use the letter Y.
The language changes proposed by Karamzin caused a heated controversy in the 1810s. The writer A. S. Shishkov, with the assistance of Derzhavin, founded in 1811 the society “Conversation of the Lovers of the Russian Word”, the purpose of which was to promote the “old” language, as well as to criticize Karamzin, Zhukovsky and their followers. In response, in 1815 formed literary society"Arzamas", which ironically over the authors of "Conversations" and parodied their works. Many poets of the new generation became members of the society, including Batyushkov, Vyazemsky, Davydov, Zhukovsky, Pushkin. The literary victory of "Arzamas" over "Conversation" strengthened the victory of the language changes introduced by Karamzin.
Despite this, later there was a rapprochement between Karamzin and Shishkov, and, thanks to the assistance of the latter, Karamzin in 1818 was elected a member of the Russian Academy. In the same year he became a member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences.
In his opening speech, he expressed the bright idea that “words are not invented by academies; they are born together with thoughts.” In the words of Pushkin, "Karamzin freed the language from an alien yoke and returned its freedom, turning it to the living sources of the people's word." This living element lies in the brevity of periods, in colloquial construction and in a large number of new words (for example, moral, aesthetic, era, stage, harmony, catastrophe, future, influence whom or what, focus, touching, entertaining, industry ). While working on history, Karamzin realized the good aspects of the language of monuments and managed to introduce many beautiful and strong expressions into use. When collecting material for the "History" Karamzin rendered an enormous service to the study of ancient Russian literature; according to Sreznevsky, “Karamzin said the first word about many of the ancient monuments, and not a single word was said inappropriately and without criticism.” "The Tale of Igor's Campaign", "Monomakh's Teaching" and many other literary works of ancient Rus' became known to the general public only thanks to the "History of the Russian State".
Karamzin - translator
In 1787, fascinated by the work of Shakespeare, Karamzin published his translation of the original text of the tragedy Julius Caesar. About his assessment of the work and his own work as a translator, Karamzin wrote in the preface:
“The tragedy that I have translated is one of his excellent creations ... If reading the translation brings Russian amateurs literature sufficient concept of Shakespeare; if it brings them pleasure, then the translator will be rewarded for his work. However, he was prepared for the opposite.”.
In the early 1790s, this edition, one of the first works of Shakespeare in Russian, was included by censorship among the books for seizure and burning.
In 1792-1793, N. M. Karamzin translated a wonderful monument Indian literature(from English) - the drama "Sakuntala", authored by Kalidasa. In the preface to the translation, he wrote:
“The creative spirit does not live in Europe alone; he is a citizen of the universe. Man everywhere is man; everywhere he has a sensitive heart, and in the mirror of his imagination contains heaven and earth. Everywhere Natura is his teacher and chief source of his pleasures. I felt this very vividly when reading Sakontala, a drama composed in an Indian language, 1900 years before this, the Asiatic poet Kalidas, and recently translated into English by William Jones, a Bengali judge ... "
The first edition of Karamzin's "History" in Polish
Karamzin - historian
Karamzin's interest in history arose from the mid-1790s. He wrote a story on a historical theme - "Martha the Posadnitsa, or the Conquest of Novgorod" (published in 1803). In the same year, by decree of Alexander I, he was appointed to the position of a historiographer, and until the end of his life he was engaged in writing the History of the Russian State, practically ceasing the activities of a journalist and writer.
Karamzin's "History of the Russian State" was not the first description of the history of Russia; before him were the works of V. N. Tatishchev and M. M. Shcherbatov. But it was Karamzin who opened the history of Russia to the general educated public. According to A. S. Pushkin, “Everyone, even secular women, rushed to read the history of their fatherland, hitherto unknown to them. She was a new discovery for them. Ancient Russia seemed to have been found by Karamzin, just as America was found by Columbus. This work also caused a wave of imitations and oppositions (for example, "History of the Russian people" by N. A. Polevoy)
In his work, Karamzin acted more as a writer than a historian - describing historical facts, he cared about the beauty of the language, least of all trying to draw any conclusions from the events he describes. Nevertheless, his comments, which contain many extracts from manuscripts first published by Karamzin, are of high scientific value. Some of these manuscripts no longer exist.
His principle is to follow the truth of history, no matter how bitter it is. “History is not a novel,” writes Karamzin, “it depicts the real world.” There are "difficult pages" in the history of every nation - such is the thought of the historian Karamzin. He creates the history of society as a whole, describes everything that is part of "the civil existence of people: the successes of the mind, art, customs, laws, industry." Such an integrated approach to history, with the identification of causal relationships of events, forms the basis of his historical concept.
The history of Russia, according to Karamzin, is divided into the “most ancient” (from Rurik to Ivan III), middle (from Ivan III to Peter I) and “new” (from Peter I to Alexander I). The main feature of the first period was the system of appanages, the second - autocracy, the third - "change of civil customs". Karamzin argued that during those periods of its history, when Russia relied on a strong central government, she achieved great success, both in the organization of internal life and in the sphere of foreign policy. The destruction of autocracy led to anarchy, internecine strife, bloody struggle, ruining the people's forces, and in the external sphere - to defeat and loss of independence. “Russia was founded by victories and unity of command, perished from discord, but was saved by autocracy,” writes Karamzin.
For the author of The History of the Russian State, the order in which “the people work, the merchants trade, the nobles serve” is sacred. Autocracy was for Karamzin not a primitive understanding of power, intended to suppress the "serfs" and support the nobility, but was the personification of the idea of \u200b\u200border, the safety of subjects, the guarantor of the disclosure of all the best human qualities, civil and personal. The main purpose of strong government is to create conditions for the maximum development of human abilities. It is this state of society that leads, Karamzin believed, to true progress, not only individual peoples but all of humanity.
Karamzin attached particular importance to the fulfillment by the monarch of his high duties of leading the country; his main duty is to "observe the people's happiness" and strictly follow the law. “Autocracy is not the absence of laws, and the Sovereign, no less than his subjects, must fulfill his sacred duties,” ? says the historian.
Defending the idea of autocracy, Nikolai Mikhailovich nevertheless did not spare the real bearers of this idea. He denounced Yaroslav the Wise for introducing a system of destinies, Yuri Dolgorukov - for deceit and cruelty, the son of Alexander Nevsky Yuri Alexandrovich - for "vile intrigues" in the Horde. Karamzin frankly wrote about the cruelty of Ivan III, and using the example of Ivan the Terrible, the historian shows what a monarch should not be like. The description of the time of the reign of Ivan the Terrible is, in essence, an endless chain of atrocities against all strata of Russian society. Karamzin is also critical of the rule of Boris Godunov and Vasily Shuisky. He evaluates Peter I very contradictory. On the one hand, this is a sovereign who has done a lot for the greatness of Russia, strengthening autocracy in it, and on the other hand, he went to such a “perfect appropriation of European customs, which caused enormous damage to the country. Everything Russian was eradicated, we became citizens of the world, but in some cases we ceased to be citizens of Russia, and Peter is to blame for this.
In the well-known epigram, whose authorship is attributed to A. S. Pushkin, Karamzin's coverage of the history of Russia is subject to criticism:
In his "History" elegance, simplicity
They prove to us, without any partiality,
The need for autocracy
And the charms of the whip.
On December 1, 1766, son Nikolai was born on the estate of the Simbirsk landowner Mikhail Karamzin. A calm, inquisitive, sensitive child received the usual upbringing for a provincial nobleman and early became addicted to reading. At the age of 13, the boy was sent to Moscow, where Nikolai improved social manners in a private boarding school, and also studied foreign languages.
At the age of 16, he entered the military service, but quickly realized that this was not his path. A year and a half later, Karamzin retired. Freemasons had a great influence on the future writer. For four years, Nikolai actively attended Novikov's Moscow circle. This period also includes the first literary experiments Karamzin. Disillusioned with Freemasonry, Nicholas set off to travel. France, Germany, Switzerland and England gave the inquisitive young man rich material for travel notes.
Returning to his homeland, Karamzin began to publish the Moscow Journal, where he published many of his articles, essays, stories and novels. Among them is "Poor Lisa", which brought the author wide fame. Today this work would be called "cult". The story of a peasant girl who was seduced and abandoned by a young nobleman caused a real delight of readers. They arranged a pilgrimage to iconic places: the pond in Kolomenskoye and the Simonov Monastery. Many came to Moscow only to see their favorite writer, at least from a distance.
After the trial of the Freemasons, Karamzin was forced to leave for the countryside, where he began compiling a three-volume almanac of Russian poetry, and then published the collection My Trifles. Increasing censorship made it almost impossible to publish the following works. Karamzin decided to take up journalism. He especially succeeded in articles on historical topics.
A friend of the writer Muravyov arranged Nikolai for the position of court historiographer under the young emperor Alexander I. Here Karamzin gained access to state and church archives. He set to work on a colossal work - "The History of the Russian State" in twelve volumes. Karamzin gave twenty-three years of his life to this cause. The last volume was published after the death of the author. The grandiose historical study was a huge success with readers. The release of each new volume was eagerly awaited even by secular ladies. Nikolai Karamzin was called Columbus, who opened their past to the Russians.
But the scientific value of this work is not so high, since the author retold the well-known materials of other historians. Karamzin did not conduct an analysis, did not formulate conclusions and generalizations, but presented the facts in a living literary language, making dry scientific research very exciting. "History of the Russian State" is more like a popular science work than a serious work of a scientist. However, the writer managed to stir up patriotic sentiments and arouse public interest in the history of his homeland. Numerous references and notes opened for the general readership "The Tale of Igor's Campaign", "Instruction of Monomakh" and many other primary sources.
Nikolai Karamzin spent the last ten years of his life in Tsarskoye Selo, where he became close to the Tsar's family. The events on Senate Square, witnessed by the writer, greatly undermined his health. Doctors advised a trip to Italy, the king even allocated a frigate for this, but it was too late. In May 1826, the famous writer died.
The significance of the work of Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin for Russian literature is very great. He was not great master words, but produced a real creative revolution. For the first time, the heroine of a popular work was not a princess or countess, but a simple peasant woman. The writer created a new literary language: simple, easy, close to colloquial. He introduced many new words into everyday life. Before Karamzin, the Russian language did without “communication”, “impression”, “influence”, “improvement”, “catastrophe”, “representative”, “attraction”, “charity” and many other modern concepts.
Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was born in 1766 in the Simbirsk region. He was from a family of provincial nobles. Nicholas was educated at a private school. He served in the Preobrazhensky Regiment from 1781 to 1784, retiring with the rank of lieutenant.
Literary activity and innovation of Karamzin
Nikolai Mikhailovich was engaged in translations, wrote critical articles, published magazines and almanacs. Peru owns several stories, among which there are both historical and lyrical works. The direction of his work is permeated with sentimentalism, and his style was elegant. He brought a lot of new things to the literary language, moving away from church word usage.
Karamzin moved from Simbirsk to Moscow in 1785. There he met I.P. Turgenev, who influenced his activities. Through him, Nikolai also met the freemason Novikov.
Karamzin's story "Poor Lisa" gained wide popularity. It was also his first work of this genre. Later, he will write several more stories. The first translation that marked the beginning of his work was Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
Being engaged in poetry, he was the first in Russia who resorted to it as a way of self-expression. This is how its development began with Karamzin.
Travels of Karamzin and publishing of magazines
In 1789 Nikolai Mikhailovich went on a trip abroad. He visited England, France. He also visited Germany. His trips around Europe lasted for about a year and a half.
Returning to Moscow, he took up publishing magazines. Most of the material published in them was written by him. "Letters of a Russian Traveler" were published. Karamzin earned himself the fame of an outstanding writer of his time.
But, the short time of Paul's reign, from 1796 to 1801, temporarily forced Karamzin to stop his activities. Later, under Emperor Alexander, he again returned to the pen. Now he published Vestnik Evropy. This magazine focused more on politics.
Since 1804, Nikolai ceased this kind of activity and completely went into historical research. He writes "History of the Russian State". This work of his consists of a large number of volumes, the last of which was published after the death of its creator. Karamzin wrote a history from antiquity to the events of the Time of Troubles.
He was recognized not only as an outstanding writer, but also as a historian and politician. This gave him the opportunity to move to St. Petersburg and approach the emperor and his court.
In 1826, the life of Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin ended. Shortly before his departure, the emperor also died, which was hard for Karamzin, since they were on fairly friendly terms. It is believed that the cause of death of the famous prose writer and historian was a terrible cold.
8, 9 grade for children
Biography of Nikolai Karamzin about the main thing
Nikolai Karamzin was born in 1766 in the Simbirsk province.
At the age of 5, Nikolai studied German with a 50-year-old doctor. He acquired his initial knowledge in a separate boarding house. Later, the boy was sent to Moscow, where he continued his studies at the educational institution of Mr. Schaden, who was considered by everyone to be one of the most educated professors at Moscow University. The young man studied historical sciences, literature and various languages. Then he enters the service in the Preobrazhensky Regiment.
After the death of his father, Karamzin left the service, and returned to his homeland with the rank of lieutenant. He no longer intended to serve, which was considered a challenge to society in those days. A cheerful and carefree life with his friends did not last long. Soon Ivan Petrovich Turgenev persuaded Karamzin to go with him to Moscow. young Nicholas there Turgenev introduces Nikolai Ivanovich Novikov. The young man is one of the authors of the first magazine for children called "Children's Reading".
With Nikolai Ivanovich, Karamzin becomes close to brilliant writers, loves to listen to Professor Schwartz's lectures, during which he spoke a lot about the knowledge of God and the high destiny of man.
In 1789, the restless Karamzin went abroad, where he had the honor to communicate with the famous philosophers I. Kant and I. Goethe. He was often at the National Assembly of Mirabeau, M. Robespierre, and experienced the pleasure of meeting many political activists. The bourgeois revolution in Paris conveyed to the writer such moments that publishing can greatly influence the beliefs of the common people.
Returning to Moscow, Karamzin publishes the story "Poor Liza", which everyone really liked. In the "Letters of a Russian Traveler" the writer reflected all his impressions of a trip abroad.
The way of life in Moscow was correct. Every morning was dedicated to writing a great manuscript. Every day I was engaged in equestrian sports, or went on foot. In the evening he hosted guests.
During the release of the journal Vestnik Evropy in 1802, Karamzin increasingly writes works on a historical theme.
Thanks to his friend M.N. Muravyov, in 1803 Karamzin was awarded the title of a historiographer with a special salary with a specific goal - to create complete history Russia, although he has practically already begun to study.
Since 1804, Nikolai Ivanovich plunged into the creation of a colossal work, having managed to create only 11 volumes. The sovereign often took Karamzin's manuscript with him on his travels, where in his spare time he read it, making notes in the margins, especially in volume 9. When the writer asked if these passages should be edited, Alexander I answered that he did it for himself.
In the summer, Karamzin stayed in Ostafyev with his father-in-law Vyazemsky. In the last years of his life, Karamzin became friends with the family of the sovereign and lived in St. Petersburg.
At the invitation of the empresses, Nikolai Ivanovich often came to Tsarskoye Selo, where he had long conversations with the sovereign on various topics. He recommended that the ruler reduce taxes, revise the Ministry of Education, reduce the army, create correct civil and state laws.
The death of the sovereign struck the health of Karamzin. In a bad state, he visited Empress Maria Feodorovna every day, in conversations with whom he not only recalled the late Alexander I, but discussed with the lady about the plans for the future state.
In 1826, Karamzin fell seriously ill and, on the advice of doctors, was going to go to southern France and Italy for treatment in the spring. Since, they did not have enough funds, the emperor allocates the necessary amount and ship to Karamzin. But Karamzin understood that he had no time to continue his life, he refused such an offer, and on May 22, 1826, he died.
Essential for 9th grade
Interesting facts and dates from life
"History of Russian Goverment"
is not only the creation of a great writer,
but also the feat of an honest man.
A. S. Pushkin
Karamzin Nikolai Mikhailovich (1766 1826), writer, historian.
He was born on December 1 (12 n.s.) in the village of Mikhailovka, Simbirsk province, in the family of a landowner. He received a good education at home.
At the age of 14, he began to study at the Moscow private boarding school of Professor Shaden. After graduating in 1783, he came to the Preobrazhensky Regiment in St. Petersburg, where he met the young poet and future employee of his "Moscow Journal" Dmitriev. Then he published his first translation of S. Gesner's idyll "Wooden Leg". After retiring with the rank of second lieutenant in 1784, he moved to Moscow, became one of the active participants in the magazine Children's Reading for the Heart and Mind, published by N. Novikov, and became close to the Masons. Engaged in translations of religious and moral writings. From 1787 he regularly published his translations of Thomson's The Seasons, Janlis's Village Evenings, W. Shakespeare's tragedy Julius Caesar, and Lessing's tragedy Emilia Galotti.
In 1789, Karamzin's first original story, Evgeny and Yulia, appeared in the magazine "Children's Reading ...". In the spring, he went on a trip to Europe: he visited Germany, Switzerland, France, where he observed the activities of the revolutionary government. In June 1790 he moved from France to England.
In the autumn he returned to Moscow and soon undertook the publication of the monthly "Moscow Journal", in which most of the "Letters of a Russian Traveler" were printed, the stories "Liodor", "Poor Liza", "Natalia, the Boyar's Daughter", "Flor Silin", essays, short stories, critical articles and poems. Karamzin attracted Dmitriev and Petrov, Kheraskov and Derzhavin, Lvov Neledinsky-Meletsky and others to cooperate in the journal. Karamzin's articles asserted a new literary trend - sentimentalism. In the 1790s Karamzin published the first Russian almanacs, Aglaya (parts 1 2, 1794 95) and Aonides (parts 1 3, 1796 99). The year 1793 arrived, when the Jacobin dictatorship was established at the third stage of the French Revolution, shocking Karamzin with its cruelty. The dictatorship aroused in him doubts about the possibility for mankind to achieve prosperity. He condemned the revolution. The philosophy of despair and fatalism permeates his new works: the stories "Bornholm Island" (1793); "Sierra Morena" (1795); poems "Melancholy", "Message to A. A. Pleshcheev", etc.
By the mid-1790s, Karamzin had become the recognized head of Russian sentimentalism, opening a new page in Russian literature. He was an indisputable authority for Zhukovsky, Batyushkov, the young Pushkin.
In 1802 1803 Karamzin published the journal Vestnik Evropy, which was dominated by literature and politics. In the critical articles of Karamzin, a new aesthetic program emerged, which contributed to the formation of Russian literature as a nationally original one. Karamzin saw the key to the identity of Russian culture in history. The most striking illustration of his views was the story "Marfa Posadnitsa". In his political articles, Karamzin made recommendations to the government, pointing out the role of education.
Trying to influence Tsar Alexander I, Karamzin gave him his Note on Ancient and New Russia (1811), irritating him. In 1819 he filed a new note, "The Opinion of a Russian Citizen", which caused even greater displeasure of the tsar. However, Karamzin did not abandon his faith in the salvation of the enlightened autocracy and later condemned the Decembrist uprising. However, Karamzin the artist was still highly appreciated by young writers who did not even share his political convictions.
In 1803, through M. Muravyov, Karamzin received the official title of court historiographer.
In 1804, he began to create the "History of the Russian State", on which he worked until the end of his days, but did not complete it. In 1818 the first eight volumes of History, Karamzin's greatest scientific and cultural achievement, were published. In 1821 the ninth volume, devoted to the reign of Ivan the Terrible, was published, in 1824 the 10th and 11th, about Fyodor Ioannovich and Boris Godunov. Death interrupted work on the 12th volume. It happened on May 22 (June 3, NS) 1826 in St. Petersburg.
It turns out that I have a Fatherland!
The first eight volumes of The History of the Russian State came out all at once in 1818. They say that, closing the eighth and last volume, Fyodor Tolstoy, nicknamed the American, exclaimed: "It turns out that I have a Fatherland!" And he was not alone. Thousands of people thought, and most importantly, felt this very thing. Everyone read the "History" - students, officials, nobles, even secular ladies. They read it in Moscow and St. Petersburg, they read it in the provinces: distant Irkutsk alone bought 400 copies. After all, it is so important for everyone to know that he has it, the Fatherland. This confidence was given to the people of Russia by Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin.
Need a story
In those days, at the beginning of the 19th century, ancient, age-old Russia suddenly turned out to be young, a beginner. Here she entered Big world. Everything was born anew: the army and navy, factories and manufactories, science and literature. And it might seem that the country has no history was there anything before Peter, except for the dark ages of backwardness and barbarism? Do we have history? "Yes," answered Karamzin.
Who is he?
We know very little about Karamzin's childhood and youth - neither diaries, nor letters from relatives, nor youthful writings have been preserved. We know that Nikolai Mikhailovich was born on December 1, 1766, not far from Simbirsk. At that time it was an incredible backwoods, a real bearish corner. When the boy was 11 or 12 years old, his father, a retired captain, took his son to Moscow, to a boarding school at the university gymnasium. Here Karamzin stayed for some time, and then entered the real military service it's 15 years old! The teachers prophesied for him not only the Moscow Leipzig University, but somehow it did not work out.
Karamzin's exceptional education is his personal merit.
Writer
Military service did not go I wanted to write: compose, translate. And now, at the age of 17, Nikolai Mikhailovich is already a retired lieutenant. ahead whole life. What to dedicate it to? Literature, exclusively literature decides Karamzin.
And what was she, Russian literature XVIII century? Also young, a beginner. Karamzin writes to a friend: "I am deprived of the pleasure of reading a lot in my native language. We are still poor writers. We have several poets who deserve to be read." Of course, there are already writers, and not just a few, but Lomonosov, Fonvizin, Derzhavin, but there are no more than a dozen significant names. Are there too few talents? No, they do exist, but it's up to the language: the Russian language has not adapted yet to convey new thoughts, new feelings, to describe new objects.
Karamzin makes an installation for live colloquial speech educated people. He writes not scholarly treatises, but travel notes("Notes of a Russian Traveler"), short stories ("Bornholm Island", "Poor Lisa"), poems, articles, translates from French and German.
Journalist
Finally, he decides to publish a magazine. It was called simply: "Moscow Journal". The well-known playwright and writer Ya. B. Knyazhnin picked up the first issue and exclaimed: "We did not have such prose!"
The success of the "Moscow Journal" was grandiose as many as 300 subscribers. At the time, a very large number. That's how small is not only writing, reading Russia!
Karamzin works incredibly hard. Collaborates in the first Russian children's magazine. It was called "Children's Reading for the Heart and Mind". Only FOR this magazine Karamzin wrote two dozen pages every week.
Karamzin for his time is the number one writer.
Historian
And suddenly Karamzin takes on a gigantic task of compiling his native Russian history. On October 31, 1803, Tsar Alexander I issued a decree appointing N. M. Karamzin as a historiographer with a salary of 2,000 rubles a year. Now for the rest of his life historian. But, apparently, it was necessary.
Chronicles, decrees, lawsuits
Now write. But for this you need to collect material. The search began. Karamzin literally combs through all the archives and book collections of the Synod, the Hermitage, the Academy of Sciences, the Public Library, Moscow University, the Alexander Nevsky and Trinity-Sergius Lavra. At his request, they search in monasteries, in the archives of Oxford, Paris, Venice, Prague and Copenhagen. And how much was found!
Ostromir Gospel of 1056 1057 (this is still the oldest of the dated Russian books), Ipatiev, Trinity Chronicles. Sudebnik of Ivan the Terrible, a work of ancient Russian literature "The Prayer of Daniel the Sharpener" and much more.
They say, having discovered a new chronicle Volynskaya, Karamzin did not sleep for several nights for joy. Friends laughed that he had become simply unbearable only talk about history.
What will she be?
Materials are being collected, but how to take up the text, how to write a book that even the simplest person will read, but from which even an academician will not wince? How to make it interesting, artistic, and at the same time scientific? And here are the volumes. Each is divided into two parts: in the first a detailed story written by a great master this is for the common reader; in the second detailed notes, references to sources this is for historians.
This is true patriotism
Karamzin writes to his brother: "History is not a novel: a lie can always be beautiful, and only some minds like the truth in its attire." So what to write about? To set out in detail the glorious pages of the past, and only turn over the dark pages? Perhaps this is exactly what a patriotic historian should do? No, Karamzin decides, patriotism is only not due to the distortion of history. He doesn't add anything, he doesn't invent anything, he doesn't exalt victories or downplay defeats.
Drafts of the 7th volume were accidentally preserved: we see how Karamzin worked on every phrase of his "History". Here he writes about Vasily III: "In relations with Lithuania, Vasily ... always ready for peacefulness ..." It's not that, it's not true. The historian crosses out what was written and concludes: "In relations with Lithuania, Vasily expressed peacefulness in words, trying to harm her secretly or openly." Such is the impartiality of the historian, such is true patriotism. Love for one's own, but not hatred for someone else's.
Ancient Russia seemed to be found by Karamzin, like America by Columbus
Is written ancient history Russia, and around it a modern one is being made: the Napoleonic wars, the battle of Austerlitz, the Peace of Tilsit, Patriotic War 12th year, the fire of Moscow. In 1815, Russian troops enter Paris. In 1818 the first 8 volumes of The History of the Russian State were published. Circulation is a terrible thing! 3 thousand copies. And they all sold out in 25 days. Unheard of! But the price is considerable: 50 rubles.
The last volume stopped in the middle of the reign of Ivan IV the Terrible.
Some said Jacobin!
Even earlier, the trustee of Moscow University, Golenishchev-Kutuzov, submitted to the Minister of Public Education, to put it mildly, a document in which he argued in detail that "Karamzin's writings are filled with free-thinking and Jacobin poison." "It's not the order that he should be given, it's time to lock him up."
Why so? First of all, for independence of judgment. Not everyone likes it.
There is an opinion that Nikolai Mikhailovich never in his life lied.
Monarchist! exclaimed others, young people, future Decembrists.
Yes, the main character of Karamzin's "History" is the Russian autocracy. The author condemns bad sovereigns, sets good ones as an example. And he sees prosperity for Russia in an enlightened, wise monarch. That is, a "good king" is needed. Karamzin does not believe in revolution, especially in an ambulance. So, we really have a monarchist.
And at the same time, the Decembrist Nikolai Turgenev will later recall how Karamzin "shed tears" upon learning of the death of Robespierre, the hero of the French Revolution. And here is what Nikolai Mikhailovich himself writes to a friend: "I do not demand either a constitution or representatives, but by feeling I will remain a republican, and, moreover, a loyal subject of the Russian tsar: this is a contradiction, but only an imaginary one."
Why is he not with the Decembrists then? Karamzin believed that Russia's time had not yet come, the people were not ripe for a republic.
good king
The ninth volume has not yet been published, and rumors have already spread that it is banned. It began like this: "We proceed to describe the terrible change in the soul of the king and in the fate of the kingdom." So, the story about Ivan the Terrible continues.
Earlier historians did not dare to openly describe this reign. Not surprising. For example, the conquest of free Novgorod by Moscow. True, Karamzin the historian reminds us that the unification of the Russian lands was necessary, but Karamzin the artist gives a vivid picture of exactly how the conquest of the free northern city took place:
John and his son were judged in this way: from five hundred to a thousand Novgorodians were presented to them daily; they beat them, tortured them, burned them with some kind of fiery composition, tied their heads or feet to a sleigh, dragged them to the banks of the Volkhov, where this river does not freeze in winter, and whole families were thrown from the bridge into the water, wives with husbands, mothers with babies. Moscow warriors rode in boats along the Volkhov with stakes, hooks and axes: whoever of those plunged into the water surfaced, that one was stabbed, cut into pieces. These murders lasted five weeks and were committed by general robbery."
And so on almost every page executions, murders, burning of prisoners at the news of the death of the tsar's favorite villain Malyuta Skuratov, an order to destroy an elephant that refused to kneel before the tsar ... and so on.
Remember, this is written by a person who is convinced that autocracy is necessary in Russia.
Yes, Karamzin was a monarchist, but at the trial the Decembrists referred to the "History of the Russian State" as one of the sources of "harmful" thoughts.
December 14
He did not want his book to become a source of harmful thoughts. He wanted to tell the truth. It just so happened that the truth he wrote turned out to be "harmful" for the autocracy.
And here is December 14, 1825. Having received news of the uprising (for Karamzin, this, of course, is a rebellion), the historian goes out into the street. He was in Paris in 1790, was in Moscow in 1812, in 1825 he was walking towards the Senate Square. "I saw terrible faces, heard terrible words, five or six stones fell at my feet."
Karamzin, of course, is against the uprising. But how many among the rebels are the Muravyov brothers, Nikolai Turgenev Bestuzhev, Kuchelbeker (he translated "History" into German).
A few days later Karamzin would say this about the Decembrists: "The errors and crimes of these young people are the errors and crimes of our age."
After the uprising, Karamzin fell mortally ill - he caught a cold on December 14th. In the eyes of his contemporaries, he was another victim of that day. But he dies not only from a cold - the idea of \u200b\u200bthe world collapsed, faith in the future was lost, and he ascended the throne new king, very far from perfect image enlightened monarch.
Karamzin could no longer write. The last thing he managed to do was, together with Zhukovsky, persuaded the tsar to return Pushkin from exile.
And Volume XII stopped at the interregnum of 1611-1612. And so last words the last volume about a small Russian fortress: "Nutlet did not give up."
Now
More than a century and a half has passed since then. Current historians are aware of ancient Russia much more than Karamzin, how many were found: documents, archaeological finds, birch bark letters, finally. But Karamzin's book history-chronicle is the only one of its kind and will never be the same again.
Why do we need it now? Bestuzhev-Ryumin said this well in his time: "A high moral sense makes this book so far the most convenient for cultivating love for Russia and for the good."
