Davydov Denis Vasilievich - a truly unique person. During the Patriotic War of 1812 , he was the commander of the partisan movement, his ideological inspirer. Denis Davydov is known for writing beautiful poems mainly on military and partisan topics. In his literary works, he loved to sing the exploits of the Russian hussars.
Facts from life
The biography of Denis Davydov is conditionally divided into several stages. Each of them can be attributed to a separate branch of the life of this great man. In the article we will get acquainted with the childhood of Denis Davydov, learn about his military career, about literary work and personal life.
Childhood
The first years of life passed on the territory of Ukraine. Denis's father was a military man, perhaps this fact subsequently determined the poet's choice of the creative genre. Military affairs attracted Denis from childhood, and the ideal commander was for the boy Alexander Suvorov, who was the commander of his father. Acquaintance with Suvorov at Denis occurred at the age of 9 years, and then the great commander noticed in the boy the future noble military. During the reign of Peter the Great, the Davydov family was forced to sell the estate and acquire a small house in the village of Borodino. In the same period, Denis Davydov joined the ranks of the cavalry guards (thanks to his father).
Military career and literary work
Service in the guards regiment of cavalry guards of St. Petersburg was given to Davydov with great difficulty, since the growth of the guy did not meet the requirements for admission to the service. Only modesty and natural charm helped Denis join the ranks of the guards. A year after entering the service, he received the rank of cornet, and in 1803 he was elevated to the rank of lieutenant. In the same year, Denis Davydov first discovered the talent of a writer.
Denis Davydov's fables were satirical, with elements of mockery of politicians and statesmen. This led to the fact that the military was transferred to the regiment of hussars. The young poet liked the service, and now his work more and more was reduced to composing ballads and poems about hussar life. At the same time, Davydov dreamed of participating in battles with the French troops, but for some reason their regiment was not sent to battle. Denis wanted to get to the front by any means.
Bagration and Davydov as two symbols of the same era
In 1806, a hussar secretly infiltrates the chief commander of the Russian army in order to get sent to the front. Such an act, however, did not provide Davydov with a successful solution to the problem. The fact is that the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops Kamensky was removed from office during this period, since he became weak in reason. And yet, Davydov managed to get to the front, largely thanks to the patronage of one of the Tsarâs favorites - Naryshkina. Mary accidentally found out about the brave and bold hussar. The girl decided to help him.
In 1807, Denis Davydov became adjutant to General Bagration. More recently, in his fables and poems, he taunted Bagrationâs main flaw in appearance - a disproportionately large nose. That is why a meeting with the general caused Davydov some fear. But the acquaintance was successful, largely thanks to a sense of humor and resourcefulness of Denis. Naturally, the general remembered the rhyme about his nose, but the poet managed to turn the conversation in his favor. The poet did not deny the existence of a poetic cartoon, but noted that such creativity is due to envy. In one of the battles under the leadership of General P. Bagration, Davydov received a distinctive pleasant award - the Order of St. Vladimir.
Bagration himself for a brilliantly held battle near Preisis Eilau gave his student a cloak and a horse from the collection of trophies. After other battles, held no less successfully, Denis managed to get a few more award orders and a saber of pure gold. Davydov took part in the battles as part of the Finnish army, was the commander of the Moldavian troops, participated in military operations against the Turkish troops. In 1812, a few days before the battle with Napoleonâs troops, Davydov proposed to his commander, General Bagration, the idea of ââcreating a partisan detachment that would help to quickly defeat the French army. Davydov became enemy number 1 for Napoleon, about the brave hussar composed ballads and songs. Denis emerged victorious from the battle on the approaches to Paris. He received the award in the form of the rank of major general.
Post-war time
A brief biography of Denis Davydov in the post-war period is not too rosy in terms of career. For some reason, his rank of Major General was erroneously issued, Davydov was transferred to serve in the Oryol province, where he was to command a brigade of horse rangers. However, Denis did not like the new position, as rangers were not allowed to wear a mustache - the main feature of all hussars. Outraged Davydov wrote a letter to the tsar himself, where he outlined the essence of his problem.
The result of the correspondence was the return of Davydov to hussar activity and his restoration to the rank of major general. Throughout 1814, Denis served as commander of the hussar regiment, successfully conducting a battle near La Rotiere. In 1815 he was admitted to the Arzamas circle; his famous allied poets Vyazemsky and Pushkin became his allies. In the same period, Davydov was appointed the chief of staff in the infantry corps.
From 1827 to 1831, Denis Davydov conducts several successful battles against Persian troops and Poles rebels. By the way, the battle with the Poles was the last in his career for Davydov, since he did not want to fight anymore and take part in bloody battles.
Literary work
Poems by Denis Davydov were fanned with a military spirit. He wrote not only poems, he wrote several articles in prose. Denis Davydov composed songs, thanks to which he gained fame as a warrior-singer. On his career, he had several helpers and loyal friends, among them Alexander Pushkin. In his creations, Davydov loved to sing the hussar spirit and life. In the work of a warrior writer, all the delights of a hussar's life were reflected: love, wine rivers and wild hussar evenings. Among the poetâs most famous poems dedicated to the hussarâs life, the following can be identified: âSong of the old hussarâ, âHussar feastâ, âSongâ, âMessage to Bursovâ.
In his declining years, Davydov was increasingly fond of writing beautiful verses filled with romance and love. The works of this period include âWaltzâ, âSeaâ. Davydov also worked on translation articles by Delil, Arnaud. Denis Davydovâs prose included memoirs (âMeeting with the Great Suvorov,â âTilsit in 1807,â âMemoirs of the Battle near Preisit-Eylauâ) and articles with elements of historical controversy. In his work, professional stamps were first noticed. Later, professionalism resonated in Pushkin's poems.
Personal life
In the life of Denis Davydov there were several beloved women. First love is Aglaya de Gramont. Unfortunately, this beauty preferred his cousin to the brave hussar. Tanya Ivanova, a successful ballerina, also captivated the heart of a hussar. But here, Davydova was also disappointed - the girl chose not her brave warrior as her companion, but the choreographer. The next chosen one is Lizaveta Zlotnitskaya. Parents of the young lady on extradition demanded from Davydov to work on obtaining a state estate. Denis fulfilled this request, but then another amorous disappointment came - Elizabeth preferred Prince Golitsyn to him.
The meeting with the next darling, Sonya Chirikova, happened thanks to Denis's friends. Already in 1819, the couple was married, and after the appearance of the child, Denis completely stopped thinking about military battles. The marriage with Chirikova gave the hussar nine children. In 1831, the alliance was in jeopardy, or rather, broke up for three whole years. The cause of the crisis was the new hobby of Denis Davydov - Evgeny Zolotarev, the niece of one of Davydov's colleagues. The big age difference (the girl was 27 years younger than Davydov) did not prevent this couple from being together for a long 3 years. Then Zhenya married another, and Denis decided to reunite with his family.
Last years
Over the past years, Denis Davydov lived in the small village of Verkhnyaya Maza. Here, in a quiet corner of nature, the poet completely indulged in creative impulses. He loved to hunt, was engaged in winemaking, even built his own small distillery. Denis conducted extensive work on the compilation of military notes, and at the same time as creative activity - active correspondence with other talented writers. Among them was Alexander Pushkin, Vasily Zhukovsky.
Denis Davydov died on April 22, 1939 in his estate, located in the village of Verkhnyaya Maza.
Conclusion
Denis Davydov (the photo did not survive, since the first daguerreotypes only appeared in the year of his death) was popular with critics and writers. They wrote verses about him, wrote articles. Thanks to one poem by Hussar Davydov (âDecisive Eveningâ), we know who Lieutenant Rzhevsky is.
The prototype of Denis Davydov was used by L. Tolstoy when writing the novel "War and Peace." In 1980, many viewers were able to watch a film about the poet. It was called the "Squadron of the Hussars of the Volatile." Soon after the release, the tape gained immense popularity. Until now, the "Squadron of Hussars of Flying" is considered an unsurpassed classic, reflecting the full life of the brave and broken hussars.