Incognito is easy. From Harun al-Rashid to nikneima

What does "incognito" mean? The first association that arises in most of us is intrigue, Dumas's novels, the secrets of the Madrid court and other attributes of the life of the crowned individuals and their associates. The word comes from the Latin "in cogito" - "do not recognize" and denotes the individual's concealment of his real name, the use of his fictional or borrowed instead. But there is an important caveat: it is called incognito only if the purpose of name concealment is not criminal. A person simply wants to avoid publicity for some reason.

In earlier centuries, the crowned persons and their approximate people actually resorted to incognito actions. They had their own reason: a high-ranking, and even more so a royal person must follow a certain etiquette. It is not permissible for him to do anything that is permissible for a mortal. And this is sometimes uncomfortable, indecent, and simply dangerous. But more often still incognito acted to observe decency.

Especially it was convenient to travel incognito. This, by the way, did not mean at all that the host party did not know who was visiting them. But decency is observed, and that was enough.

One can recall Garun al-Rashid, who put on the clothes of a poor man and set off to travel around his country to find out how the common people live. Monarchs of the Middle Ages also resorted to such actions. Walter Scott colorfully describes the journey of incognito Richard the Lionheart in the novel "Ivanhoe" and does not so much sin against the truth. For the sake of justice, it should be noted that Richard was forced to do so because of fear for his life.

In 1696, a carpenter Peter Mikhailov went from Moscow, as part of the Grand Embassy, to Europe. And only a limited circle of people had to know that it was King Peter I.

In 1781, the Count and the Countess of the North traveled from St. Petersburg. They were widely received in Europe, and, in principle, everyone knew that under this pseudonym lies the future Russian Tsar, and at that time the heir to the throne, Paul I and his wife. Firstly, it was fashionable to travel under pseudonyms at that time; secondly, it allowed a little to depart from the obligatory and strict etiquette.

It may seem that the actions of incognito are the prerogative of titled or crowned persons. However, this is not necessary. Suffice it to recall the three musketeers: Athos, Porthos and Aramis. Fictional names did not prevent them from serving in the privileged Musketeer regiment. Another typical example of incognito actions is described in the Pushkin story "The Young Lady-Peasant Woman". The noblewoman Liza pretends to be a peasant woman to Akulina, in order to get acquainted with the young man who has interested her. Strict then-etiquette forbade an unmarried noble girl such actions. Turning into a peasant woman, the girl was able to realize her dream.

With the advent of the Internet, forums and chat rooms, the real era of incognito activities began. The value of nicknames, nicknames, userpics is exactly the same: hiding their name with a goal that does not go beyond the legal field. The author, writing on the Internet, does not always use his real name and original photo. People can communicate for years, reporting only a minimum of information about themselves, without revealing their name and person. We can say that now incognito is an everyday reality for many.