A brief synopsis of Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin. Karamzin N

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was born on December 1, 1766. in the family of a Simbirsk landowner, who came from an old noble family. He was brought up in a private Moscow boarding school. In adolescence, the future writer read a lot of historical novels, in which he was especially admired by "dangers and heroic friendship." According to the noble custom of that time, as a boy, recorded on military service, he, "entering the age", entered the regiment, in which he had long been listed. But the army service weighed on him. The young lieutenant dreamed of doing literary work. The death of his father gave Karamzin a reason to ask for his resignation, and the small inheritance he received made it possible to fulfill his old dream - a trip abroad. The 23-year-old traveler visited Switzerland, Germany, France and England. This trip enriched him with various impressions. Returning to Moscow, Karamzin published Letters from a Russian Traveler, where he described everything that struck him and remembered in foreign lands: landscapes and appearance of foreigners, folk customs, urban life and political system, architecture and painting, his meetings with writers and scientists , as well as various social events that he witnessed, including the beginning French Revolution(1789-1794).

For several years Karamzin published the Moscow Journal, and then the journal Vestnik Evropy. He created a new type of journal in which literature, politics, and science coexisted. A variety of materials in these editions were written in an easy, elegant language, served lively and entertainingly, so they were not only accessible to the general public, but also contributed to the education of literary taste among readers.

Karamzin became the head of a new trend in Russian literature - sentimentalism. The main theme of sentimental literature is touching feelings, emotional experiences of a person, “the life of the heart”. Karamzin was one of the first to write about the joys and sufferings of today, ordinary people, and not the heroes of antiquity and mythological demigods. In addition, he was the first to introduce into Russian literature a simple, understandable language, close to colloquial.

The story "Poor Liza" brought Karamzin a huge success. Sensitive readers, and especially female readers, shed streams of tears over her. The pond near the Simonov Monastery in Moscow, where she drowned herself due to unrequited love the heroine of the work, Lisa, began to be called "Lizin's pond"; real pilgrimages were made to him. Karamzin had long intended to seriously study the history of Russia, he wrote several historical novels, including such brilliant works as "Marfa Posadnitsa", "Natalia, the Boyar's Daughter".

In 1803 the writer received from Emperor Alexander the official title of historiographer and permission to work in archives and libraries. For several years, Karamzin studied ancient chronicles, working around the clock, ruining his eyesight and undermining his health. Karamzin considered history to be a science that should educate people and instruct them in everyday life.

Nikolai Mikhailovich was a sincere supporter and defender of the autocracy. He believed that "the autocracy founded and resurrected Russia." Therefore, the focus of the historian was the formation of the supreme power in Russia, the reign of kings and monarchs. But not every ruler of the state deserves approval. Karamzin was indignant at any form of violence. So, for example, the historian condemned the tyrannical rule of Ivan the Terrible, Peter's despotism and the rigidity with which he carried out reforms, eradicating ancient Russian customs.

The huge work created by the historian in a relatively short time was a stunning success with the public. All enlightened Russia was reading the History of the Russian State; Creating the "History of the Russian State", Karamzin used a huge number of ancient chronicles and other historical documents. To enable readers to get a true idea, the historian has placed footnotes in each volume. These notes are the result of a colossal work.

In 1818 Karamzin was elected an honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

Nikolai Karamzin is a Russian historian, writer, poet and prose writer. He is the author of "History of the Russian State" - one of the first generalizing works on the history of Russia, written in 12 volumes.

Karamzin is the largest Russian writer of the era of sentimentalism, nicknamed the "Russian Stern".

In addition, he managed to make many important reforms in the Russian language, as well as introduce dozens of new words into everyday life.

Feeling confident in his abilities and inspired by the first success, Nikolai Karamzin begins to actively engage in writing. Many interesting and instructive stories come out from under his pen.

Soon Karamzin became the head of the Moscow Journal, which published works by various writers and poets. Until that time, there was not a single such publication in the Russian Empire.

Works by Karamzin

It was in the Moscow Journal that Nikolai Karamzin published Poor Liza, which is considered one of the the best works in his biography. After that, “Aonides”, “My trinkets” and “Aglaya” come out from under his pen.

Karamzin was incredibly hardworking and talented person. He managed to compose poetry, write reviews and articles, participate in theatrical life, and study many historical documents.

Despite the fact that he liked creativity and, he looked at poetry from the other side.

Nikolai Karamzin wrote poems in the style of European sentimentalism, thanks to which he became the best Russian poet working in this direction.

In his poems, he primarily drew attention to the spiritual state of a person, and not to his physical shell.

In 1803, a significant event took place in Karamzin's biography: by personal decree, the emperor granted Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin the title of historiographer; 2 thousand rubles of annual salary was added to the title at the same time.

Since that time, Karamzin began to move away from fiction, and began to study historical documents even more diligently, including the most ancient chronicles.

During this period of biographies, he was constantly offered various government posts, but apart from Karamzin, he was not interested in anything.

Then he wrote several historical books, which were only a prelude to the main work in his life.

"History of Russian Goverment"

His work was appreciated by all sectors of society. Representatives of the elite tried to acquire the "History of the Russian State" in order to get acquainted with a detailed history for the first time in their lives.

Many prominent people sought meetings with the writer, and the emperor openly admired him. It is worth noting here that as a historian, Nikolai Karamzin was a supporter of absolute monarchy.

Having received wide recognition and fame, Karamzin needed silence in order to continue to work fruitfully. To do this, he was given a separate apartment in Tsarskoye Selo, where the historian could carry out his activities in comfortable conditions.

Karamzin's books attracted the reader with clarity and simplicity of presentation. historical events. Describing certain facts, he did not forget about beauty.

Proceedings of Karamzin

For his biography, Nikolai Karamzin performed many translations, among which was the work "Julius Caesar". However, he did not work in this direction for long.

It is worth noting that Karamzin managed to radically change the Russian literary language. First of all, the writer sought to get rid of outdated Church Slavonic words, as well as to modify the grammar.

Karamzin took the syntax and grammar of the French language as the basis for his transformations.

The result of Karamzin's reforms was the emergence of new words that are still used in everyday life. Here is a short list of words introduced into the Russian language by Karamzin:

Today it is already difficult to imagine the modern Russian language without these and other words.

An interesting fact is that it was thanks to the efforts of Nikolai Karamzin that the letter “ё” appeared in our alphabet. At the same time, it should be recognized that not everyone liked his reforms.

Many criticized it and tried their best to keep the "old" language.

However, Karamzin was soon elected a member of the Russian and Imperial Academy of Sciences, thus recognizing his services to the Fatherland.

Personal life

In the biography of Karamzin there were two women to whom he was married. His first wife was Elizaveta Protasova.

She was a very literate and flexible girl, but she was often sick. In 1802, a year after the wedding, their daughter Sophia was born.

After giving birth, Elizabeth began to develop a fever, from which she later died. A number of biographers believe that the story "Poor Lisa" was written in honor of Protasova.

An interesting fact is that Karamzin's daughter Sofia was friends with and.

The second wife of Karamzin was Ekaterina Kolyvanova, who was the illegitimate daughter of Prince Vyazemsky.

In this marriage, they had 9 children, three of whom died in childhood.

Some of the children have reached certain heights in life.

For example, son Vladimir was a very witty and promising careerist. He later became a senator in the Department of Justice.

The youngest daughter of Karamzin, Elizabeth, never married, although she had a great mind and was an extremely kind girl.

Karamzin was buried at the Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Photo by Karamzin

At the end you can see some of the most famous portraits Karamzin. All are made from paintings, not from life.

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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 work was greatly influenced by his love for progressive foreign literature. 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 the humanities and attended lectures.

The future writer ended up in active service in the Preobrazhensky Regiment. His military career was not attractive and he took a year off, 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 the high rank of state councilor 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 adopted secular society, at imperial court became a maid of honor, was friends with Pushkin and Lermontov.

Karamzin had 5 sons and 4 daughters from his second marriage.

Wow! .. Here, yes! .. Be healthy! ..

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 in private school 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 Masonic Lodge"Golden Crown", and after arriving in Moscow for four years (1785-1789) 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 Liza (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 the literary critical articles the aesthetic program of sentimentalism was expressed with its interest in a person, regardless of class affiliation, his feelings and experiences. A number of philologists believe that modern Russian literature is counting precisely from the "Letters". Be that as it may, Karamzin really became a pioneer in the literature of Russian “travels” - 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. Griboedov). 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 came, 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 essays in Russian medieval history(“Martha Posadnitsa, or the Conquest of Novgorod”, “News about Martha Posadnitsa, taken from the life of St. Zosima”, “Journey around Moscow”, “Historical memories and notes on the way to the Trinity”, etc.), testifying to the intention of a large-scale historical work, and the readers of the journal were offered its individual 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. Then 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 - Russia is coming along the same path of enlightenment as the 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 Liza" is rightfully considered the founder of a new literary movement, which 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 (did it take 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 implications 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

Karamzin's publication of "Letters from a Russian Traveler" (1791-1792) and the story "Poor Liza" (1792; separate edition 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 hands beautiful girl, cost 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 big success among readers of that time, "Poor Liza" 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; rhyme 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 external, physical world, but in the internal, spiritual world person. 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 of different points of view on the same subject:
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 the 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 took 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, remaining still a writer, took an unparalleled high position: he became not only "Alexander's singer" in the sense that Derzhavin was "Catherine's singer", but he was an influential publicist, whose voice was listened to by both the government and society.

Of the works of art by Karamzin in Vestnik Evropy, the autobiographical story A Knight of Our Time is more important than others, which noticeably reflects the influence of Jean-Paul Richter, and the famous historical tale"Marfa Posadnitsa". In the leading articles of the journal, Karamzin expresses “pleasant views, hopes and desires of the present time”, which were shared the best part society of that time. 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 (“an institution rural schools incomparably more useful than all the 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 the palladium of good manners,” by which he means the manifestation in private and public life of all the best aspects of human nature and the taming of egoistic 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. The weak side of Karamzin's journalistic activity is his attitude towards 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 misfortune: in the best houses we speak more 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, Karamzin later became closer to Shishkov, and thanks to the assistance of the latter, Karamzin was elected a member of the Russian Academy in 1818. 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 remarkable monument of 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 in those periods of its history, when Russia relied on a strong central government, it achieved great success both in organizing 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 look after national happiness and strictly obey 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. The first literary experiments of Karamzin date back to this time. 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. Turgenev introduces young Nikolai there to 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 a complete history of Russia, although he had 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

December 12 (December 1, according to the old style), 1766, Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was born - Russian writer, poet, editor of the Moscow Journal (1791-1792) and the Vestnik Evropy magazine (1802-1803), honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences ( 1818), full member of the Imperial Russian Academy, historian, the first and only court historiographer, one of the first reformers of the Russian literary language, the founding father of Russian historiography and Russian sentimentalism.

Contribution of N.M. Karamzin in Russian culture can hardly be overestimated. Remembering everything that this man managed to do in the brief 59 years of his earthly existence, it is impossible to ignore the fact that it was Karamzin who largely determined the face of the Russian XIX century - the "golden" age of Russian poetry, literature, historiography, source studies and other humanitarian areas. scientific knowledge. Thanks to linguistic searches aimed at popularizing the literary language of poetry and prose, Karamzin presented Russian literature to his contemporaries. And if Pushkin is “our everything”, then Karamzin can be safely called “our everything” from the very capital letter. Without him, Vyazemsky, Pushkin, Baratynsky, Batyushkov and other poets of the so-called "Pushkin galaxy" would hardly have been possible.

“Whatever you turn to in our literature, Karamzin laid the foundation for everything: journalism, criticism, a story, a novel, a historical story, publicism, the study of history,” V.G. Belinsky.

"History of the Russian State" N.M. Karamzin became not just the first Russian-language book on the history of Russia, available to the general reader. Karamzin gave the Russian people Fatherland in the full sense of the word. They say that, slamming the eighth and last volume, Count Fyodor Tolstoy, nicknamed the American, exclaimed: “It turns out that I have a Fatherland!” And he was not alone. All his contemporaries suddenly found out that they live in a country with a thousand-year history and they have something to be proud of. Before that, it was believed that before Peter I, who opened a “window to Europe”, there was nothing in Russia worthy of attention: the dark ages of backwardness and barbarism, boyar autocracy, primordially Russian laziness and bears on the streets ...

The multi-volume work of Karamzin was not completed, but, having been published in the first quarter XIX century, he completely determined the historical self-consciousness of the nation on long years forward. All subsequent historiography could not give rise to anything more in line with the “imperial” self-consciousness that had developed under the influence of Karamzin. Karamzin's views left a deep, indelible mark on all areas of Russian culture of the 19th-20th centuries, forming the foundations national mentality, which, ultimately, determined the development of Russian society and the state as a whole.

It is significant that in the 20th century, the edifice of Russian great power, which had collapsed under the attacks of revolutionary internationalists, revived again by the 1930s - under different slogans, with different leaders, in a different ideological package. but ... The very approach to historiography national history, both before 1917 and after, in many respects remained jingoistic and sentimental in Karamzin's style.

N.M. Karamzin - early years

N.M. Karamzin was born on December 12 (1st century), 1766, in the village of Mikhailovka, Buzuluk district, Kazan province (according to other sources, in the family estate of Znamenskoye, Simbirsk district, Kazan province). Little is known about his early years: there are no letters, no diaries, no memories of Karamzin himself about his childhood. He did not even know exactly his year of birth and for almost his entire life he believed that he was born in 1765. Only in his old age, having discovered the documents, he “looked younger” by one year.

The future historiographer grew up in the estate of his father, retired captain Mikhail Yegorovich Karamzin (1724-1783), a middle-class Simbirsk nobleman. He received a good education at home. In 1778 he was sent to Moscow to the boarding house of professor of Moscow University I.M. Shaden. At the same time he attended lectures at the university in 1781-1782.

After graduating from the boarding school, in 1783 Karamzin joined the Preobrazhensky Regiment in St. Petersburg, where he met the young poet and future employee of his Moscow Journal, Dmitriev. At the same time, he published his first translation of S. Gesner's idyll "Wooden Leg".

In 1784, Karamzin retired as a lieutenant and never served again, which was perceived in the then society as a challenge. After a short stay in Simbirsk, where he joined the Golden Crown Masonic lodge, Karamzin moved to Moscow and was introduced into the circle of N. I. Novikov. He settled in a house that belonged to Novikov's "Friendly Scientific Society", became the author and one of the publishers of the first children's magazine "Children's Reading for the Heart and Mind" (1787-1789), founded by Novikov. At the same time, Karamzin became close to the Pleshcheev family. For many years he was connected with N. I. Pleshcheeva by a tender platonic friendship. In Moscow, Karamzin publishes his first translations, in which interest in European and Russian history is clearly visible: Thomson's The Four Seasons, Janlis's Village Evenings, W. Shakespeare's tragedy Julius Caesar, Lessing's tragedy Emilia Galotti.

In 1789, Karamzin's first original story "Eugene and Yulia" appeared in the magazine "Children's Reading ...". The reader hardly noticed it.

Travel to Europe

According to many biographers, Karamzin was not disposed towards the mystical side of Freemasonry, remaining a supporter of its active educational direction. To be more precise, by the end of the 1780s, Karamzin had already “been ill” with Masonic mysticism in its Russian version. Possibly, cooling towards Freemasonry was one of the reasons for his departure to Europe, where he spent more than a year (1789-90), visiting Germany, Switzerland, France and England. In Europe, he met and talked (except for influential Masons) with European "rulers of minds": I. Kant, J. G. Herder, C. Bonnet, I. K. Lavater, J. F. Marmontel, visited museums, theaters, secular salons. In Paris, Karamzin listened to O. G. Mirabeau, M. Robespierre and other revolutionaries in the National Assembly, saw many outstanding politicians and knew many of them. Apparently, the revolutionary Paris of 1789 showed Karamzin how much a person can be influenced by the word: the printed word, when the Parisians read pamphlets and leaflets with keen interest; oral, when revolutionary orators spoke and controversy arose (experience that could not be acquired at that time in Russia).

Karamzin did not have a very enthusiastic opinion about English parliamentarism (perhaps following in the footsteps of Rousseau), but he highly valued the level of civilization at which English society as a whole was located.

Karamzin - journalist, publisher

In the autumn of 1790, Karamzin returned to Moscow and soon organized the publication of the monthly "Moscow Journal" (1790-1792), in which most of the "Letters of a Russian Traveler" were printed, telling about revolutionary events in France, the novels "Liodor", "Poor Liza", "Natalya, the Boyar's Daughter", "Flor Silin", essays, short stories, critical articles and poems. Karamzin attracted the entire literary elite of that time to cooperate in the journal: his friends Dmitriev and Petrov, Kheraskov and Derzhavin, Lvov, Neledinsky-Meletsky, and others. Karamzin's articles asserted a new literary direction- sentimentalism.

The Moscow Journal had only 210 regular subscribers, but for late XVIII century - it's the same as a hundred thousand circulation in late XIX centuries. Moreover, the magazine was read by those who "made the weather" in literary life countries: students, officials, young officers, petty employees of various government agencies (“archival youths”).

After the arrest of Novikov, the authorities became seriously interested in the publisher of the Moscow Journal. During interrogations in the Secret Expedition, they ask: did Novikov send the “Russian traveler” abroad with a “special assignment”? The Novikovites were people of high decency and, of course, Karamzin was shielded, but because of these suspicions, the magazine had to be stopped.

In the 1790s, Karamzin published the first Russian almanacs - Aglaya (1794-1795) and Aonides (1796-1799). In 1793, when the Jacobin dictatorship was established at the third stage of the French Revolution, shocking Karamzin with its cruelty, Nikolai Mikhailovich abandoned some of his former views. The dictatorship aroused in him serious doubts about the possibility of mankind to achieve prosperity. He sharply condemned the revolution and all violent ways of transforming society. 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.

During this period, real literary fame comes to Karamzin.

Fedor Glinka: “Out of 1200 cadets, a rare one did not repeat by heart any page from the Island of Bornholm”.

The name Erast, previously completely unpopular, is increasingly found in noble lists. There are rumors of successful and unsuccessful suicides in the spirit of Poor Lisa. The venomous memoirist Vigel recalls that important Moscow nobles had already begun to make do with “almost like an equal with a thirty-year-old retired lieutenant”.

In July 1794, Karamzin's life almost ended: on the way to the estate, in the wilderness of the steppe, robbers attacked him. Karamzin miraculously escaped, having received two light wounds.

In 1801, he married Elizaveta Protasova, a neighbor on the estate, whom he had known since childhood - at the time of the wedding they had known each other for almost 13 years.

Reformer of the Russian literary language

Already in the early 1790s, Karamzin seriously thought about the present and future of Russian literature. He writes to a friend: “I am deprived of the pleasure of reading a lot in my native language. We are still poor in writers. We have several poets who deserve to be read." Of course, there were and are Russian writers: Lomonosov, Sumarokov, Fonvizin, Derzhavin, but there are no more than a dozen significant names. Karamzin was one of the first to understand that it was not about talent - there are no fewer talents in Russia than in any other country. It’s just that Russian literature can’t move away from the long-obsolete traditions of classicism, laid down in the middle of the 18th century by the only theorist M.V. Lomonosov.

The reform of the literary language carried out by Lomonosov, as well as the theory of "three calms" he created, met the tasks of the transition period from ancient to new literature. A complete rejection of the use of the usual Church Slavonicisms in the language was then still premature and inappropriate. But the evolution of the language, which began under Catherine II, continued actively. The "Three Calms" proposed by Lomonosov relied not on live colloquial speech, but on the witty thought of a theoretician writer. And this theory often put the authors in a difficult position: they had to use heavy, outdated Slavic expressions where in spoken language they have long been replaced by others, softer and more elegant. The reader sometimes could not "break through" through the heaps of obsolete Slavic words used in church books and records in order to understand the essence of this or that secular work.

Karamzin decided to bring the literary language closer to the spoken language. Therefore, one of his main goals was the further liberation of literature from Church Slavonicism. In the preface to the second book of the almanac "Aonides" he wrote: "One thunder of words only deafens us and never reaches the heart."

The second feature of Karamzin's "new style" was the simplification of syntactic constructions. The writer abandoned lengthy periods. In "Pantheon" Russian writers"He resolutely declared:" Lomonosov's prose cannot serve as a model for us at all: its long periods are tiring, the arrangement of words is not always in accordance with the flow of thoughts.

Unlike Lomonosov, Karamzin strove to write in short, easily visible sentences. This is to this day a model of a good style and an example to follow in literature.

The third merit of Karamzin was to enrich the Russian language with a number of successful neologisms, which have become firmly established in the main vocabulary. Among the innovations proposed by Karamzin are such widely known words in our time as “industry”, “development”, “refinement”, “concentrate”, “touching”, “entertainment”, “humanity”, “public”, “ generally useful", "influence" and a number of others.

Creating neologisms, Karamzin mainly used the method of tracing French words: “interesting” from “interesting”, “refined” from “raffine”, “development” from “developpement”, “touching” from “touchant”.

We know that even in the Petrine era, many foreign words appeared in the Russian language, but they for the most part replaced words that already existed in the Slavic language and were not necessary. In addition, these words were often taken in a raw form, so they were very heavy and clumsy (“fortecia” instead of “fortress”, “victory” instead of “victory”, etc.). Karamzin, on the contrary, tried to give foreign words Russian ending, adapting them to the requirements of Russian grammar: “serious”, “moral”, “aesthetic”, “audience”, “harmony”, “enthusiasm”, etc.

In his reforming activities, Karamzin made an installation for live colloquial speech educated people. And this was the key to the success of his work - he does not write scientific treatises, but travel notes (“Letters from a Russian Traveler”), sentimental stories (“Bornholm Island”, “Poor Liza”), poems, articles, translates from French, English and German .

"Arzamas" and "Conversation"

It is not surprising that most of the young writers, modern Karamzin, accepted his transformation with a bang and willingly followed him. But, like any reformer, Karamzin had staunch opponents and worthy opponents.

A.S. stood at the head of Karamzin's ideological opponents. Shishkov (1774-1841) - admiral, patriot, famous statesman that time. An Old Believer, an admirer of Lomonosov's language, Shishkov at first glance was a classicist. But this point of view requires essential reservations. In contrast to the Europeanism of Karamzin, Shishkov put forward the idea of ​​the nationality of literature - the most important sign of a romantic worldview far from classicism. It turns out that Shishkov also adjoined romantics, but only not progressive, but conservative direction. His views can be recognized as a kind of forerunner of later Slavophilism and pochvenism.

In 1803, Shishkov delivered a Discourse on the Old and New Syllabus Russian language". He reproached the “Karamzinists” for having succumbed to the temptation of European revolutionary false teachings and advocated the return of literature to oral folk art, to popular vernacular, to Orthodox Church Slavonic book learning.

Shishkov was not a philologist. He dealt with the problems of literature and the Russian language, rather, as an amateur, so Admiral Shishkov's attacks on Karamzin and his literary supporters sometimes looked not so much scientifically substantiated as unsubstantiated and ideological. Language reform Karamzina seemed to Shishkov, a warrior and defender of the Fatherland, unpatriotic and anti-religious: “Language is the soul of a people, a mirror of morals, a true indicator of enlightenment, an unceasing witness to deeds. Where there is no faith in the hearts, there is no piety in the tongue. Where there is no love for the fatherland, there the language does not express domestic feelings..

Shishkov reproached Karamzin for the immoderate use of barbarisms (“era”, “harmony”, “catastrophe”), neologisms disgusted him (“revolution” as a translation of the word “revolution”), artificial words cut his ear: “future”, “readiness” and etc.

And it must be admitted that sometimes his criticism was apt and accurate.

The evasiveness and aesthetic affectation of the speech of the "Karamzinists" very soon became outdated and went out of literary use. It was precisely this future that Shishkov predicted for them, believing that instead of the expression “when traveling became the need of my soul,” one can simply say: “when I fell in love with traveling”; the refined and paraphrased speech “variegated crowds of rural oreads meet with swarthy bands of reptile pharaohids” can be replaced by the understandable expression “gypsies go towards the village girls”, etc.

Shishkov and his supporters took the first steps in studying the monuments of ancient Russian literature, enthusiastically studied The Tale of Igor's Campaign, studied folklore, advocated rapprochement between Russia and the Slavic world and recognized the need for convergence of the "Slovenian" syllable with the common language.

In a dispute with the translator Karamzin, Shishkov put forward a weighty argument about the “idiomaticity” of each language, about the unique originality of its phraseological systems, which make it impossible to translate a thought or a genuine semantic meaning from one language to another. For example, when translated literally into French, the expression "old horseradish" loses its figurative meaning and "means only the very thing, but in the metaphysical sense it has no circle of signification."

In defiance of Karamzinskaya, Shishkov proposed his own reform of the Russian language. He proposed to designate the concepts and feelings missing in our everyday life with new words formed from the roots of not French, but Russian and Old Slavonic languages. Instead of Karamzin's "influence", he suggested "influence", instead of "development" - "vegetation", instead of "actor" - "actor", instead of "individuality" - "yanost", "wet shoes" instead of "galoshes" and "wandering" instead of "maze". Most of his innovations in Russian did not take root.

It is impossible not to recognize Shishkov's ardent love for the Russian language; one cannot but admit that the passion for everything foreign, especially French, has gone too far in Russia. Ultimately, this led to the fact that the language of the common people, the peasant, began to differ greatly from the language of the cultural classes. But one cannot brush aside the fact that the natural process of the beginning evolution of language could not be stopped. It was impossible to forcibly return to use the already obsolete at that time expressions that Shishkov proposed: “zane”, “ubo”, “like”, “like” and others.

Karamzin did not even respond to the accusations of Shishkov and his supporters, knowing firmly that they were guided by exceptionally pious and patriotic feelings. Subsequently, Karamzin himself and his most talented supporters (Vyazemsky, Pushkin, Batyushkov) followed the very valuable indication of the "Shishkovites" on the need to "return to their roots" and examples own history. But then they could not understand each other.

Paphos and ardent patriotism of A.S. Shishkov aroused sympathy among many writers. And when Shishkov, together with G. R. Derzhavin, founded the literary society “Conversation of Lovers of the Russian Word” (1811) with a charter and its own journal, P. A. Katenin, I. A. Krylov, and later V. K. Küchelbecker and A. S. Griboyedov. One of the active participants in the "Conversation ...", the prolific playwright A. A. Shakhovskoy in the comedy "New Stern" viciously ridiculed Karamzin, and in the comedy "A Lesson for Coquettes, or Lipetsk Waters" in the person of the "ballade player" Fialkin created a parody image of V. A Zhukovsky.

This caused a friendly rebuff from the youth, who supported the literary authority of Karamzin. D. V. Dashkov, P. A. Vyazemsky, D. N. Bludov composed several witty pamphlets addressed to Shakhovsky and other members of the Conversation .... In The Vision in the Arzamas Tavern, Bludov gave the circle of young defenders of Karamzin and Zhukovsky the name "Society of Unknown Arzamas Writers" or simply "Arzamas".

IN organizational structure of this society, founded in the autumn of 1815, a cheerful spirit of a parody of the serious "Conversation ..." reigned. In contrast to official pomposity, simplicity, naturalness, openness, great place given to jokes and games.

Parodying the official ritual of "Conversations ...", when joining "Arzamas", everyone had to read a "funeral speech" to their "deceased" predecessor from among the living members of the "Conversations ..." or the Russian Academy of Sciences (Count D.I. Khvostov, S. A. Shirinsky-Shikhmatov, A. S. Shishkov himself, etc.). "Tombstone speeches" were a form literary struggle: they parodied high genres, ridiculed the stylistic archaism of the poetic works of the “conversators”. At the meetings of the society honed humorous genres Russian poetry, a bold and resolute struggle was waged against all kinds of officialdom, a type of independent Russian writer, free from the pressure of any ideological conventions, was formed. And although P. A. Vyazemsky, one of the organizers and active participants in the society, in his mature years condemned the youthful mischief and intransigence of his like-minded people (in particular, the rites of the “burial” of living literary opponents), he rightly called Arzamas a school of “literary fellowship” and mutual creative learning. The Arzamas and Beseda societies soon became centers of literary life and social struggle in the first quarter of the 19th century. Arzamas included such famous people, like Zhukovsky (pseudonym - Svetlana), Vyazemsky (Asmodeus), Pushkin (Cricket), Batyushkov (Achilles), etc.

Beseda broke up after Derzhavin's death in 1816; Arzamas, having lost its main opponent, ceased to exist by 1818.

Thus, by the mid-1790s, Karamzin became the recognized head of Russian sentimentalism, which opened not just a new page in Russian literature, but Russian fiction in general. Russian readers, who had previously absorbed only French novels and the works of enlighteners, enthusiastically accepted Letters from a Russian Traveler and Poor Liza, and Russian writers and poets (both “conversators” and “Arzamas”) realized that it was possible and must write in their native language.

Karamzin and Alexander I: a symphony with power?

In 1802 - 1803 Karamzin published the journal Vestnik Evropy, which was dominated by literature and politics. Largely due to the confrontation with Shishkov, a new aesthetic program formation of Russian literature as a national identity. Karamzin, unlike Shishkov, saw the key to the identity of Russian culture not so much in adherence to ritual antiquity and religiosity, but in the events of Russian history. The most striking illustration of his views was the story "Marfa Posadnitsa or the Conquest of Novgorod".

In his political articles of 1802-1803, Karamzin, as a rule, made recommendations to the government, the main of which was the enlightenment of the nation in the name of the prosperity of the autocratic state.

These ideas were generally close to Emperor Alexander I, the grandson of Catherine the Great, who at one time also dreamed of an “enlightened monarchy” and a complete symphony between the authorities and a European-educated society. Karamzin's response to the coup on March 11, 1801 and the accession to the throne of Alexander I was the "Historical eulogy to Catherine II" (1802), where Karamzin expressed his views on the essence of the monarchy in Russia, as well as the duties of the monarch and his subjects. "Eulogy" was approved by the sovereign, as a collection of examples for the young monarch, and favorably received by him. Alexander I was obviously interested in the historical research of Karamzin, and the emperor rightly decided that great country you just need to remember your no less great past. And if you don’t remember, then at least create anew ...

In 1803, through the tsar’s educator M.N. Muravyov, a poet, historian, teacher, one of the most educated people of that time, N.M. Karamzin received the official title of court historiographer with a pension of 2,000 rubles. (A pension of 2,000 rubles a year was then assigned to officials who, according to the Table of Ranks, had a rank not lower than that of a general). Later, I. V. Kireevsky, referring to Karamzin himself, wrote about Muravyov: “Who knows, maybe without his thoughtful and warm assistance, Karamzin would not have had the means to accomplish his great deed.”

In 1804, Karamzin practically departed from literary and publishing and proceeds to create the "History of the Russian State", on which he worked until the end of his days. Through his influence M.N. Muravyov made available to the historian many of the previously unknown and even "secret" materials, opened libraries and archives for him. Modern historians can only dream of such favorable conditions for work. Therefore, in our opinion, to speak of the "History of the Russian State" as a "scientific feat" N.M. Karamzin, not entirely fair. The court historiographer was in the service, conscientiously doing the work for which he was paid money. Accordingly, he had to write a history that was in this moment needed by the customer, namely, Tsar Alexander I, who at the first stage of his reign showed sympathy for European liberalism.

However, under the influence of studies in Russian history, by 1810 Karamzin became a consistent conservative. During this period, the system of his political views finally took shape. Karamzin's statements that he is a "republican at heart" can only be adequately interpreted if one considers that we are talking about the "Platonic Republic of the Sages", an ideal social order based on state virtue, strict regulation and the denial of personal freedom. . At the beginning of 1810, Karamzin, through his relative Count F.V. Rostopchin, met in Moscow with the leader of the "conservative party" at court - Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna (sister of Alexander I) and began to constantly visit her residence in Tver. The salon of the Grand Duchess represented the center of conservative opposition to the liberal-Western course, personified by the figure of M. M. Speransky. In this salon, Karamzin read excerpts from his "History ...", at the same time he met Empress Dowager Maria Feodorovna, who became one of his patronesses.

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”, in which he outlined his ideas about the ideal structure of the Russian state and sharply criticized the policy of Alexander I and his immediate predecessors: Paul I , Catherine II and Peter I. In the 19th century, the note was never published in full and diverged only in handwritten lists. In Soviet times, the thoughts expressed by Karamzin in his message were perceived as a reaction of the extremely conservative nobility to the reforms of M. M. Speransky. The author himself was branded a "reactionary", an opponent of the liberation of the peasantry and other liberal steps taken by the government of Alexander I.

However, during the first full publication of the note in 1988, Yu. M. Lotman revealed its deeper content. In this document, Karamzin made a reasonable criticism of unprepared bureaucratic reforms carried out from above. While praising Alexander I, the author of the note at the same time attacks his advisers, referring, of course, to Speransky, who stood for constitutional reforms. Karamzin takes the liberty in detail, with references to historical examples, to prove to the tsar that Russia is not ready either historically or politically for the abolition of serfdom and the restriction of the autocratic monarchy by the constitution (following the example of the European powers). Some of his arguments (for example, about the uselessness of freeing peasants without land, the impossibility of constitutional democracy in Russia) look quite convincing and historically correct even today.

Along with an overview Russian history and criticism of the political course of Emperor Alexander I, the note contained an integral, original and very complex in its theoretical content concept of autocracy as a special, original Russian type of power, closely connected with Orthodoxy.

At the same time, Karamzin refused to identify "true autocracy" with despotism, tyranny or arbitrariness. He believed that such deviations from the norms were due to chance (Ivan IV the Terrible, Paul I) and were quickly eliminated by the inertia of the tradition of "wise" and "virtuous" monarchical rule. In cases of a sharp weakening and even complete absence of the supreme state and church authority (for example, during the Time of Troubles), this powerful tradition led to the restoration of autocracy within a short historical period. Autocracy was the "palladium of Russia", the main reason for its power and prosperity. Therefore, the basic principles of monarchical government in Russia, according to Karamzin, should have been preserved in the future. They should have been supplemented only by a proper policy in the field of legislation and education, which would lead not to undermining 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.

Initially, Karamzin's note only irritated the young emperor, who did not like criticism of his actions. In this note, the historiographer proved himself plus royaliste que le roi (greater royalist than the king himself). However, subsequently the brilliant "anthem to the Russian autocracy" as presented by Karamzin undoubtedly had its effect. After the war of 1812, the winner of Napoleon, Alexander I, curtailed many of his liberal projects: Speransky's reforms were not completed, the constitution and the very idea of ​​\u200b\u200blimiting autocracy remained only in the minds of future Decembrists. And already in the 1830s, Karamzin's concept actually formed the basis of the ideology of the Russian Empire, designated by the "theory of official nationality" of Count S. Uvarov (Orthodoxy-Autocracy-Nationhood).

Before the publication of the first 8 volumes of "History ..." Karamzin lived in Moscow, from where he traveled only to Tver to the Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna and to Nizhny Novgorod, while Moscow was occupied by the French. He usually spent his summers at Ostafyev, the estate of Prince Andrei Ivanovich Vyazemsky, whose illegitimate daughter, Ekaterina Andreevna, Karamzin married in 1804. (The first wife of Karamzin, Elizaveta Ivanovna Protasova, died in 1802).

In the last 10 years of his life, which Karamzin spent in St. Petersburg, he became very close to the royal family. Although Emperor Alexander I treated Karamzin with restraint from the time the Note was submitted, Karamzin often spent his summers in Tsarskoye Selo. At the request of the empresses (Maria Feodorovna and Elizaveta Alekseevna), he more than once conducted frank political conversations with Emperor Alexander, in which he acted as a spokesman for the opponents of drastic liberal reforms. In 1819-1825, Karamzin passionately rebelled against the intentions of the sovereign regarding Poland (submitted a note "Opinion of a Russian citizen"), condemned the increase in state taxes in peacetime, spoke of the ridiculous provincial system of finance, criticized the system of military settlements, the activities of the Ministry of Education, pointed to the strange choice by the sovereign of some of the most important dignitaries (for example, Arakcheev), spoke of the need to reduce internal troops, about the imaginary correction of roads, so painful for the people, and constantly pointed out the need to have firm laws, civil and state.

Of course, having such intercessors as both empresses and Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna behind her, one could criticize, and argue, and show civil courage, and try to set the monarch "on the right path." It was not for nothing that Emperor Alexander I and his contemporaries and subsequent historians of his reign called the “mysterious sphinx”. In words, the sovereign agreed with Karamzin's critical remarks regarding military settlements, recognized the need to "give the fundamental laws of Russia", as well as to revise some aspects of domestic policy, but it just so happened in our country that in reality - all wise advice government people remain "fruitless for the dear Fatherland" ...

Karamzin as a historian

Karamzin is our first historian and last chronicler.
By his criticism he belongs to history,
innocence and apothegms - the chronicle.

A.S. Pushkin

Even from the point of view of Karamzin's modern historical science, no one dared to call 12 volumes of his "History of the Russian State" scientific work. Even then it was clear to everyone that honorary title a court historiographer cannot make a writer a historian, give him the appropriate knowledge and proper training.

But, on the other hand, Karamzin did not initially set himself the task of taking on the role of a researcher. The newly minted historiographer was not going to write a scientific treatise and appropriate the laurels of his illustrious predecessors - Schlozer, Miller, Tatishchev, Shcherbatov, Boltin, etc.

Preliminary critical work on sources for Karamzin is only "a heavy tribute brought by reliability." He was, first of all, a writer, and therefore he wanted to apply his literary talent to ready-made material: “select, animate, colorize” and, in this way, make Russian history “something attractive, strong, worthy of attention not only Russians, but also foreigners." And this task he performed brilliantly.

Today it is impossible not to agree with the fact that at the beginning of the 19th century source studies, paleography and other auxiliary historical disciplines were in their very infancy. Therefore, to demand professional criticism from the writer Karamzin, as well as strict adherence to one or another method of working with historical sources, is simply ridiculous.

One can often hear the opinion that Karamzin simply beautifully rewrote Prince M.M. family circle. This is wrong.

Naturally, when writing his "History ..." Karamzin actively used the experience and works of his predecessors - Schlozer and Shcherbatov. Shcherbatov helped Karamzin navigate the sources of Russian history, significantly influencing both the choice of material and its arrangement in the text. Coincidentally or not, Karamzin brought The History of the Russian State to exactly the same place as Shcherbatov's History. However, in addition to following the scheme already developed by his predecessors, Karamzin cites in his essay a lot of references to the most extensive foreign historiography, almost unfamiliar to the Russian reader. While working on his "History ...", for the first time he introduced into scientific circulation a mass of unknown and previously unexplored sources. These are Byzantine and Livonian chronicles, information from foreigners about the population of ancient Rus', as well as a large number of Russian chronicles that have not yet been touched by the hand of a historian. For comparison: M.M. Shcherbatov used only 21 Russian chronicles in writing his work, Karamzin actively cites more than 40. In addition to the chronicles, Karamzin attracted monuments of ancient Russian law and ancient Russian fiction to the study. A special chapter of "History ..." is devoted to "Russian Truth", and a number of pages - to the newly opened "Tale of Igor's Campaign".

Thanks to the diligent help of the directors of the Moscow Archive of the Ministry (Board) of Foreign Affairs N. N. Bantysh-Kamensky and A. F. Malinovsky, Karamzin was able to use those documents and materials that were not available to his predecessors. The Synodal depository, libraries of monasteries (Trinity Lavra, Volokolamsk Monastery and others), as well as private collections of Musin-Pushkin and N.P. Rumyantsev. Karamzin received especially many documents from Chancellor Rumyantsev, who collected historical materials in Russia and abroad through his numerous agents, as well as from AI Turgenev, who compiled a collection of documents from the papal archive.

Many of the sources used by Karamzin perished during the Moscow fire of 1812 and survived only in his "History ..." and extensive "Notes" to its text. Thus, Karamzin's work, to some extent, has itself acquired the status of a historical source, to which professional historians have every right to refer.

Among the main shortcomings of the "History of the Russian State" is traditionally noted the peculiar view of its author on the tasks of the historian. According to Karamzin, "knowledge" and "scholarship" in the historian "do not replace the talent to portray actions." Before the artistic task of history, even the moral one recedes into the background, which was set by Karamzin's patron, M.N. Muravyov. The characteristics of historical characters are given by Karamzin exclusively in a literary and romantic vein, characteristic of the direction of Russian sentimentalism he created. The first Russian princes according to Karamzin are distinguished by their "ardent romantic passion" for conquests, their retinue - nobility and loyal spirit, the "rabble" sometimes shows discontent, raising rebellions, but in the end agrees with the wisdom of noble rulers, etc., etc. P.

Meanwhile, the previous generation of historians, under the influence of Schlözer, had long developed the idea of ​​critical history, and among Karamzin's contemporaries, the requirements for criticizing historical sources, despite the lack of a clear methodology, were generally recognized. And the next generation has already come forward with the demand for philosophical history - with the identification of the laws of development of the state and society, the recognition of the main driving forces and laws of the historical process. Therefore, the overly “literary” creation of Karamzin was immediately subjected to well-founded criticism.

According to the idea, firmly rooted in Russian and foreign historiography of the 17th - 18th centuries, the development of the historical process depends on the development of monarchical power. Karamzin does not deviate one iota from this idea: the monarchical power glorified Russia in the Kievan period; the division of power between the princes was a political mistake, which was corrected by the state wisdom of the Moscow princes - the collectors of Rus'. At the same time, it was the princes who corrected its consequences - the fragmentation of Rus' and the Tatar yoke.

But before reproaching Karamzin for not contributing anything new to the development of Russian historiography, it should be remembered that the author of The History of the Russian State did not at all set himself the task of philosophical understanding of the historical process or blind imitation of the ideas of Western European romantics (F. Guizot , F. Mignet, J. Meshlet), who already then started talking about the "class struggle" and the "spirit of the people" as the main driving force of history. Karamzin was not interested in historical criticism at all, and deliberately denied the "philosophical" trend in history. The researcher's conclusions from historical material, as well as his subjective fabrications, seem to Karamzin to be "metaphysics" that is not suitable "for depicting action and character."

Thus, with his peculiar views on the tasks of the historian Karamzin, by and large, remained outside the dominant currents of Russian and European historiography of the 19th and 20th centuries. Of course, he participated in its consistent development, but only in the form of an object for constant criticism and the clearest example of how history should not be written.

The reaction of contemporaries

Karamzin's contemporaries - readers and admirers - enthusiastically accepted his new "historical" work. The first eight volumes of The History of the Russian State were printed in 1816-1817 and went on sale in February 1818. Huge for that time, the three-thousandth circulation sold out in 25 days. (And this despite the solid price - 50 rubles). A second edition was immediately required, which was carried out in 1818-1819 by I. V. Slyonin. In 1821 a new, ninth volume was published, and in 1824 the next two. The author did not have time to finish the twelfth volume of his work, which was published in 1829, almost three years after his death.

"History ..." was admired by Karamzin's literary friends and a vast public of non-specialist readers who suddenly discovered, like Count Tolstoy the American, that their Fatherland has a history. 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 be found by Karamzin, like America by Columbus.

Liberal intellectual circles of the 1820s found Karamzin's "History ..." backward in general views and unnecessarily tendentious:

Specialists-researchers, as already mentioned, treated Karamzin's work exactly as a work, sometimes even belittling its historical significance. It seemed to many that Karamzin's undertaking itself was too risky - to undertake to write such an extensive work in the then state of Russian historical science.

Already during Karamzin's lifetime, critical analyzes of his "History ..." appeared, and soon after the author's death, attempts were made to determine the general significance of this work in historiography. Lelevel pointed to an involuntary distortion of the truth, due to the patriotic, religious and political hobbies of Karamzin. Artsybashev showed the extent to which the writing of "history" is harmed by the literary techniques of a non-professional historian. Pogodin summed up all the shortcomings of the History, and N.A. Polevoy saw the common cause of these shortcomings in the fact that "Karamzin is a writer not of our time." All his points of view, both in literature and in philosophy, politics and history, became obsolete with the appearance in Russia of new influences of European romanticism. In opposition to Karamzin, Polevoy soon wrote his six-volume History of the Russian People, where he completely surrendered himself to the ideas of Guizot and other Western European romantics. Contemporaries rated this work as an "unworthy parody" of Karamzin, subjecting the author to rather vicious and not always deserved attacks.

In the 1830s, Karamzin's "History ..." becomes the banner of the officially "Russian" direction. With the assistance of the same Pogodin, its scientific rehabilitation is carried out, which is fully consistent with the spirit of Uvarov's "theory of official nationality".

In the second half of the 19th century, on the basis of the "History ...", a mass of popular science articles and other texts were written, which formed the basis of well-known educational and teaching aids. Based on the historical plots of Karamzin, many works for children and youth were created, the purpose of which for many years was to instill patriotism, fidelity to civic duty, and the responsibility of the younger generation for the fate of their homeland. This book, in our opinion, played a decisive role in shaping the views of more than one generation of Russian people, having a significant impact on the foundations patriotic education youth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

December 14th. Final Karamzin.

The death of Emperor Alexander I and the December events of 1925 deeply shocked N.M. Karamzin and negatively affected his health.

On December 14, 1825, having received news of the uprising, the historian goes out into the street: “I saw terrible faces, heard terrible words, five or six stones fell at my feet.”

Karamzin, of course, regarded the performance of the nobility against their sovereign as a rebellion and serious crime. But there were so many acquaintances among the rebels: the Muravyov brothers, Nikolai Turgenev, Bestuzhev, Ryleev, Kuchelbeker (he translated Karamzin's History into German).

A few days later, Karamzin will say about the Decembrists: "The errors and crimes of these young people are the errors and crimes of our age."

On December 14, during his travels around St. Petersburg, Karamzin caught a bad cold and fell ill with pneumonia. In the eyes of his contemporaries, he was another victim of this day: his idea of ​​the world collapsed, faith in the future was lost, and a new king, very far from perfect image enlightened monarch. Half-ill, Karamzin visited the palace every day, where he talked with Empress Maria Feodorovna, from memories of the late sovereign Alexander, moving on to discussions about the tasks of the future reign.

Karamzin could no longer write. Volume XII of the "History ..." stopped at the interregnum of 1611 - 1612. Last words last volume- about a small Russian fortress: "Nutlet did not give up." The last thing that Karamzin really managed to do in the spring of 1826 was, together with Zhukovsky, he persuaded Nicholas I to return Pushkin from exile. A few years later, the emperor tried to pass the baton of the first historiographer of Russia to the poet, but the “sun of Russian poetry” somehow did not fit into the role of the state ideologist and theorist ...

In the spring of 1826 N.M. Karamzin, on the advice of doctors, decided to go to southern France or Italy for treatment. Nicholas I agreed to sponsor his trip and kindly placed a frigate of the imperial fleet at the disposal of the historiographer. But Karamzin was already too weak to travel. He died on May 22 (June 3) 1826 in St. Petersburg. He was buried at the Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.