Georges d'Anthes: Biography

The name Georges Dantes has always entered the history of Russian literature. Everyone knows the characterization of this man, which Lermontov gave in his famous work "The Death of a Poet." However, if everyone knows about his life before the duel with Pushkin and the sudden departure from Russia, then his further fate is a mystery to many. Meanwhile, Dantes made an excellent political career in France and died at the age of 84 years.

Youth

Georges d'Anthes was born in 1812 in Alsace in a half-ruined large family of nobles. He was the first child of a male, and the father, who held the title of baron and, despite poverty, who is a member of the General Council of his department, had given his son a military career. After receiving his primary education in Alsace, the young man was sent to study at the Bourbon Lyceum in Paris, and then entered the Royal Military School of Saint Cyr. In this prestigious university he studied for only 9 months, after being expelled for legitimist views.

Like many other young French who did not want to serve Louis Philippe, Georges left France and went to seek fame in a foreign land.

Georges d'Anthes in the military service in Russia: the beginning of his career

Initially, the young man, who at that time was only 20 years old, went to Prussia. Despite the patronage of some members of the royal family, he was offered only the rank of non-commissioned officer. The prospect of starting a career from scratch Dantes did not suit, so he decided to offer his services to a more generous Russian monarch.

In order to ensure a warm welcome in St. Petersburg, the young man even came up with the legend that in France he participated in the Vendian uprising and fled the country, fearing persecution by the authorities. In addition, he brought letters of recommendation from Prince William of Prussia and the Duchess of Berry. The latter was addressed directly to the Russian Emperor Nikolai the First. Thanks to the efforts of his patrons, Dantes George Charles entered the Guards. And he did not even have to pass compulsory exams on Russian literature, military justice and statutes. The highest order of Dantes was enrolled in the Cavalry Regiment's regiment of the Empress. Moreover, the empress, having learned that the young man can not count on the support of his relatives, persuaded the spouse to appoint him an annual unofficial allowance.

Strange adoption

Georges d'Anthes in military service in Russia did not show much zeal and did not intend to commit any feats. Two years after his arrival in the regiment, he received the title of Lieutenant, but all his efforts were directed at achieving success in secular circles. And this was brilliant for him, because, according to his contemporaries, he possessed an exceptional ability to "like at first sight" and find patrons.

Even so, the St. Petersburg higher society was amazed to learn that an adult young officer, who had his own father alive, wished to adopt the Dutch envoy at the Russian court de Haeckern. Began to go gossip, supposedly Dantes George Charles is an illegitimate son of a diplomat. However, the version of the homosexual relationship between the 44-year-old Baron de Haeckern and the 24-year-old lieutenant seemed more reliable.

Bypassing all laws prohibiting the adoption of adults, and also not allowing foster parents to become younger than 50, an exception was made by the highest decree, and the young man adopted the surname of the new father. In addition, he was accepted into Dutch citizenship by permission of the King of the Netherlands.

The new relationship allowed Dantes to occupy a higher position in the light than he had before, and receive invitations to the homes of famous nobles, where the units were similar.

Acquaintance with Natalia Pushkina

Despite rumors of a connection with the "father", Georges Dantes (portrait in his youth see above) was a famous heartthrob and enjoyed exceptional success with the ladies. He was unusually handsome, courteous and courteous. However, friends noted the lack of his habit of telling about his victories on the love front.

His fatal meeting with his wife AS. Pushkin took place in the Anichkov Palace. The most beautiful woman in Petersburg could not remain unnoticed by such a famous ladies' man as the adoptive son of the Dutch envoy. At the same time Georges Charles Dantes, whose biography tells about the life of a darling of fate, began to look for meetings with Natalia's older sister - the unmarried maid of honor Catherine Goncharova, who lived in the house of Pushkin.

Scandal with a "diploma"

A year and a half after the acquaintance of Dantes with Natalia Pushkina, her husband and several other friends received anonymous lampoons in which the poet was awarded the "cognitive diploma" and was ridiculed as a husband whose wife betrays him not only with Dantes, but also Nikolay the First. Who was the author of the message is not known to this day. However, it is established that they could not have been either the father or the son of Gekkerna.

Pushkin, who suspected precisely these two people, who had long been disliked, sent Dantes an unmotivated challenge to a duel. The letter was delivered to the house of Heckern. The diplomat accepted the call on behalf of the adopted son, who was on duty in the barracks, but asked for a reprieve, to which the poet replied with consent.

So Dantes George Charles and Pushkin were in the center of attention of the Petersburg society. Secular lions, among whom the poet had many envious and ill-wishers, began to ridicule the "cuckold" in all.

An offer of marriage

Natalia Pushkina, as well as Zhukovsky and Aunt Goncharov's maid of honor Zagryazhskaya, who enjoyed influence at the imperial court, began to make attempts to persuade the poet to abandon the duel, but he was unshakable. The situation changed when it became known about the offer of the hand and heart made by Dantes to Natalia's sister Catherine, who accepted him. Then all of Petersburg again began to discuss the personal life of the young Baron Haeckern. Some of the gossipers believed that the loving officer in this way wanted to avoid the fight, since after the wedding Georges d'Anthes for Alexander Pushkin became a relative, and there could be no talk of a duel. There were also those who called as a reason the possible pregnancy of Catherine, who simply shone with happiness or convincingly portrayed the enamored bride.

As for Pushkin, he was told that Dantes had met with Natalia in order to be able to be closer to her sister.

Marriage

To conclude a marriage between Goncharova and Dantes because of the difference in their religion, a special permit was required, which was received without problems. At the same time, the bride was allowed to remain Orthodox, but she agreed that her future children from Heeckerne would be Catholics.

Georges d'Anthes did not like Pushkin, especially since he did not believe in the stories about his insane passion for modest Catherine. However, he had to withdraw the call. And the poet told his friends that he did not consider the venture with the marriage of Dantes on his relative a reason to evade the duel, since he learned that the enemy was going to postpone the wedding until a duel took place. So the incident was exhausted, and everyone was engaged in preparations for the wedding ceremony, which took place in a close family circle.

Duel

After the wedding with Ekaterina Goncharova, Georges d'Anthes continued the life of a secular lion and a ladies' man. As a relative, he continued to communicate with Natalia Pushkina, and her husband constantly heard rumors that in the light of laughing at him and making puns about the love family quartet of two sisters and their husbands.

Unable to withstand ridicule, on January 26, 1937, the poet wrote an angry letter to Baron Heeckeren Sr., in which he reported that he did not want to see the representatives of the family of the Dutch envoy in his house.

In response, he wrote that his son takes the challenge to a duel, which was made by Pushkin earlier. Followed by a meeting of seconds, who agreed on the place and time of the fight.

The next day, a duel took place between Georges Dantes, the adopted son of Baron Haeckern, and Pushkin, which ended in the wounding of Pushkin. Two days later, the poet died.

Departure from Russia and life in Sulce

According to the laws of that time, duelists-officers were deprived of ranks and sent to serve as private soldiers. However, Dantes was a foreign citizen, and Nicholas I decided to take his officer's license from him and expel him from the country. Together with him, his wife, Ekaterina, left.

First, Georges d'Anthes and his wife went to their native Alsace, where the young man, like his own father, became a member of the General Council of his department. By this time he already had three daughters, and during childbirth his wife died. He did not experience any particular grief, and, having taken care of the children for their relatives, the Baron went to Paris as a member of the Constituent Assembly.

In 1852, Louis Napoleon, who decided to carry out a military coup, chose Heeckerne to carry out a secret mission. Its purpose was to elucidate the attitude towards such a variant of development of events on the part of the monarchs of the leading European powers. Dantes brilliantly coped with the task, and, taking the throne, Napoleon the Third appointed him an irremovable senator.

His successful career in politics lasted until 1870 and ended with the proclamation of the Third Republic. After a while, Dantes, who was left out of work, returned to his family estate, where he died in 1895, surrounded by daughters and grandchildren.

Now you know what kind of life Georges d'Anthes lived. The biography of this man is an example of a successful career for which beliefs and beliefs are repeatedly changed, which are difficult to call noble.