Novels, Tales, Journeys

1 Yazykov: The poet Nikolai Mikhailovich Yazykov (1803–1846) was an acquaintance of Pushkin’s. The epigraph is from his historical tale in verse Ala, published in 1826. “Peter” is the tsar and later emperor Peter I, known as Peter the Great (1672–1725), who carried out major political, social, and ecclesiastical reforms in Russia, mainly following European examples.

2. Dmitriev: Ivan Ivanovich Dmitriev (1760–1837), poet and statesman, was minister of justice under the emperor Alexander I (reigned 1801–1825).

3. the military school in Paris: Pushkin’s error: the École militaire de Paris was founded only in 1750, thirty years after Ibrahim’s service. Ibrahim attended the school of artillery in La Fère in Picardy.

4. the Spanish war: The War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) pitted England, the Dutch Republic, and Austria against the France of Louis XIV and ended with the Treaty of Utrecht. Conflict broke out anew in 1718, when England and France joined in war against Spain, leading to the defeat of Spain in 1720.

5. The duc d’Orléans: Philippe d’Orléans (1674–1723) was the nephew of Louis XIV and regent of the kingdom of France during the minority of Louis XV.

6. Law: John Law (1671–1729), Scottish economist, moved to France, where the duc d’Orléans, during his regency, made him general controller of finance. His monetary theories, put into practice, caused enormous speculation quickly followed by panic and total collapse. Law fled Paris in 1728.

7. the duc de Richelieu…Alcibiades: Armand de Vignerot du Plessis (1696–1788), marshal of France, grand-nephew of Cardinal Richelieu, was a notorious womanizer. Alcibiades (ca. 450–404 BC), of the distinguished Athenian family of the Alcmaeonids, was an orator, politician, and general during the Peloponnesian Wars, in which he changed allegiances several times.

8. Arouet…Chaulieu…Montesquieu…Fontenelle: François-Marie Arouet (1694–1778) wrote under the pen name of Voltaire; Guillaume Amfrye de Chaulieu (1639–1720) was a poet and wit, prominent in French high society; Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron Montesquieu (1689–1755), lawyer, writer, and philosopher, was one of the major figures of the French Enlightenment, as was Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle (1657–1757), a member of the French Academy, who wrote on a wide variety of subjects.

9. on leaving the convent: i.e., on leaving school; aristocratic girls were sent to convents to be educated, as there were no secular girls’ schools in Russia before the mid-nineteenth century.

10. Derzhavin: Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin (1743–1816) was one of the greatest poets of the generation preceding Pushkin’s. The epigraph is from his ode “On the Death of Prince Meshchersky” (1779).

11. Poltava: The battle of Poltava, fought on July 8, 1709, was a major victory of the forces of Peter the Great over the invading army of Charles XII of Sweden, during the Great Northern War (1700–1721).

12. Menshikov…Dolgoruky…Bruce…Raguzinsky: Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov (1673–1729) was a close associate and friend of Peter the Great; of humble origin, he rose to great eminence but died in disgrace and exile. Prince Yakov Fyodorovich Dolgoruky (1639–1720), of old Russian nobility, was also close to Peter; his ancestor, Yury Dolgoruky, was considered the founder of Moscow in the twelfth century. Count Yakov Vilimovich Bruce (1669–1735), born James Daniel Bruce, of the Scottish clan Bruce, commanded the artillery at Poltava. A learned man and an author, he was rumored among the people to be an alchemist and magician. Young Raguzinsky is probably the son of Count Sava Lukich Vladislavich-Raguzinsky (1669–1738), a Serbian count and merchant who served Peter on important diplomatic missions.

13. Küchelbecker: The poet Vilhelm Karlovich Küchelbecker (1797–1846) was a schoolmate and friend of Pushkin. The lines are from his anti-tyrannical tragedy The Argives (1822–1825).

14. Preobrazhensky regiment…Sheremetev…Golovin: The Preobrazhensky regiment, founded by Peter the Great, became and remained one of the elite regiments of the Russian army; it was formally disbanded in 1917. Count Boris Petrovich Sheremetev (1652–1719) was made field marshal during the Great Northern War and was the first Russian to receive the new title of count in 1706. Ivan Mikhailovich Golovin (1672–1737) was admiral of the Russian fleet.

15. Buturlin: Alexander Borisovich Buturlin (1694–1767), of old Russian nobility, became Peter’s court chamberlain.