War And Peace

11 the 18th Brumaire: The date on the French Revolutionary Calendar (9 November 1799) of a successful coup, following which Napoleon became First Consul. ‘Brumaire’ was the second month in the French Revolutionary Calendar, 22 October-20 November. Brume is French for ‘fog’.

12 all those prisoners . . . killed in Africa: A reference to Napoleon’s authorization of the brutal killing of 3,000 Turkish prisoners at Jaffa in September 1799.

13 Jacobin: Popular name for one of the French revolutionary societies, which met in the hall of a Jacobin convent.

14 Napoleon on the bridge at Arcola . . . plague-victims: At Arcola in 1796, leading the French against the Austrians, Napoleon had risked his life by rushing on to a bridge carrying a flag. In Jaffa in 1799 he had taken another risk by visiting a plague hospital.

15 Caesar’s Commentaries: Julius Caesar’s Commentaries on the Gallic War, one of the foundation stones of military history written by a highly successful general.

16 a freemason: Freemasons were a byword for liberal thinking, but were also regarded by the authorities as proto-revolutionaries. It isn’t clear here which way Pierre is thinking.

17 typical of Petersburg in June: It is actually July; Tolstoy must mean it is like the best nights in June.

18 name-day: A saint’s day celebrated by Russians who were named after that particular saint, here St Natalya’s Day.

19 Catherine’s time: Catherine the Great was Empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796.

20 Salomoni: An Italian opera-singer resident in Russia and appearing with a touring German company in the winter of 1805 – 6.

21 Madame de Genlis: Félicité Ducrest de Saint-Aubin (1746—1830), a French writer of popular romances with strong moral content, a byword with the children for boring grown-up repectability.

22 Count Orlov: Count Alexey Orlov was a popular and generous Moscow grandee, famous for his lavish hospitality and entertainment.

23 errare humanum est: It is human to err (Latin).

24 his last duty: This duty is to receive extreme unction, be anointed with consecrated oil by a priest.

25 Mr Pitt: William Pitt (1759 – 1806), one of Britain’s finest prime ministers, was a bitter opponent of the French Revolution and now of Napoleon.

26 Boulogne expedition . . . Villeneuve: At this time Napoleon was gathering his forces at Boulogne, on the English Channel, in preparation for an invasion of England. Admiral Pierre-Charles de Villeneuve (1763 – 1806) was ordered to leave the Mediterranean and join them. In the event Villeneuve was blockaded, and Napoleon’s navy was destroyed at the Battle of Trafalgar.

27 a thousand roubles to get Taras: Even by Count Rostov’s extravagant standards this is a very large sum of money, which suggests that the serf, Taras, must have had special training under a French chef.

28 boston: A popular variation of whist.

29 Cossack: The Cossacks were free peasants living in southern Russia, renowned for their wild behaviour. The countess is virtually (and affectionately) calling her a little savage.

30 Suvorov: A. S. Suvorov (1729—1800), a Russian general who, after many successful campaigns, ended his career in ignominious retreat over the Alps from Italy into Austria (1799).

31 ‘The Spring’: A song dubiously attributed to Mozart that Tolstoy used to sing to his pupils.

32 Nikolay’s my cousin: The Russian Orthodox Church normally prohibited marriage between first cousins, though this prohibition could sometimes be circumvented by obtaining special permission.

33 écossaise . . . Daniel Cooper . . . anglaise: The ‘écossaise’ is a lively country dance (not to be confused with the ‘schottische’ (German – both mean ‘Scottish’), which is a round dance akin to the polka) in which the performers stand opposite each other, often in couples. ‘Anglaise’ is a vague term often applied in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to country dances of putative English character. It allowed for many variations, of which the ‘Daniel Cooper’ was one.

34 ‘Our eagle!’: Peasant language, and Russian folklore, often used birds – eagle, falcon, dove, etc. – as terms of endearment or pride in family members.

35 Voltaire armchair: A deep chair with a high back associated with the French writer and historian F. M. Arouet (Voltaire) (1694 – 1778).

36 the reign of Paul: Catherine was succeeded by her son Paul. His short reign (1796—1801) ended by his being murdered in a palace coup.