Boltyshev Viktor Nikolaevich. Davydov in the battle near Saltanovka. 1812

“Our mother Russia is huge! Will not everything that is encountered, living and inanimate, along the wide path of the hurricane... of our army, the first in the world in its courage, discipline and structure, be destroyed, scattered, or swept away into dust from the face of the earth?
Russia has not yet risen to its full gigantic height, and woe to its enemies if it ever rises!”

Denis Davydov

Denis Vasilyevich Davydov, the famous partisan poet, was born on July 16, 1784 in the family of foreman Vasily Denisovich Davydov, who served under the command of A.V. Suvorov. The most vivid impression of childhood was meeting with legendary commander, who prophesied to the boy: “This will be a military man...”. The parents gave their son an excellent education at home. With the help of his father, he early became involved in military affairs and brilliantly mastered horse riding. But he suffered because he was short, snub-nosed, and ugly. At the age of 17, he already served as a cadet in the Cavalry Guard Regiment, and a year later received the rank of cornet. The officers fell in love with the wit, modesty and charming personality of this small military man. Since 1807, Davydov was appointed adjutant of Prince Bagration. Together with him he took part in battles with the French, Swedes, and Turks, showing himself to be a desperately brave warrior. By the beginning of the war of 1812, he was already a lieutenant colonel of the Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment, which was in the vanguard of General Vasilchikov’s troops.
A few days before the Battle of Borodino, watching how soldiers dismantled his father’s house in the village of Borodino, where he spent his childhood, into fortifications, Davydov expressed the idea of ​​​​the advisability of partisan actions behind enemy lines. He borrowed this idea from the Spanish partisans (Guerillas), whom Napoleon could not defeat until they united into a regular army. Davydov submitted a report to Bagration with a request to provide him with people to create a partisan detachment. He received 50 hussars and 80 Cossacks under his command and was the first to use partisan methods in the fight against the enemy.

It was Davydov’s successes in partisan warfare that convinced Kutuzov that the people could beat the enemy in his deep rear, and the commander gave it wider development. Davydov’s outstanding feat was the battle near the village of Lyakhov, when he captured 2,000 soldiers from General Augereau’s detachment. Successful actions a detachment under the command of Denis Davydov led to his liberation of the city of Grodno, for which he was promoted to colonel. It is known that Napoleon hated Davydov fiercely and ordered him to be shot on the spot upon his arrest. The Emperor singled out special squad 2,000 horsemen with 8 chief officers and 1 headquarters officer to capture the first partisan. However, Davydov with his thousand-strong detachment lured the French into a trap and captured all the officers.

Davydov fought no less successfully after the Russian army crossed the border, distinguishing himself in almost all the battles in which he took part. So, with an advanced detachment, he occupied the city of Dresden and was put under house arrest for this, as he acted without orders. All of Europe created legends about the brave partisan, and residents of cities occupied by Russian troops took to the streets to see Davydov. In 1815, he was awarded the rank of major general for the battle near Paris, where 5 horses were killed near Davydov, but he still broke through to the French battery and chopped up the servants, deciding the outcome of the battle. He had to fight later - in 1827 he successfully fought the Persians, and in 1831 he suppressed the uprisings of Polish rebels. In the same year he received the rank of lieutenant general, and a year later he received conditional retirement, remaining in service until his death in 1839.

D.V. Davydov. Colored engraving by M. Dubourg based on the original by A. Orlovsky. 1814

Davydov described his military adventures in his memoirs “Diary of Partisan Searches of 1812” and “Military Notes”, and left memories of A.V. Suvorov, N.N. Raevsky, M. Kamensky. But his main work is the unique book “An Experience in the Theory of Guerrilla Action,” which was published in 1827. She entered Russian military as the first study of the theory of “small war”, created by a Russian author on Russian material.
Davydov was the first to note that by the beginning of the 19th century European armies They became numerous and complex in structure, but vulnerable in the rear area. And Russia may well make guerrilla warfare the main state defense policy, because it has two factors that give it an advantage over European countries. These factors are the presence of “true” light cavalry - the Cossacks (the Cossacks combined the military art of the East and the West, possessing high fighting qualities) and the vastness of the territory, which makes it possible to retreat, evading enemy attacks, as in 1812. For the convenience of managing partisan detachments, Davydov proposed dividing them into three categories. First class units lead fighting in the rear of the enemy army, detachments of the second category act on enemy communications, third category - conduct searches on the supply lines of enemy troops. “Emergency” parties of partisans are also being formed as an operational reserve. The main tactical action of the partisans, Davydov noted, should be a surprise attack from an ambush. In addition, Davydov also considered important the choice of a partisan commander, whose role in a partisan war is much more responsible than the role of an ordinary officer. Davydov's book is still in demand by interested readers.

In his personal life, Davydov was just as lucky as in military affairs. He dearly loved his wife Sofya Nikolaevna, who bore him 9 children. Last years In his life, the partisan poet was an exemplary family man, striving everywhere for his wife and children. He carried on an extensive correspondence, had a huge number of friends, was close to Pushkin, connected with many Decembrists who valued his political poems, but refused to join the secret society. In the history of Russian literature, Davydov is the creator of “hussar lyrics”, the hero of which is a young military man who loves riotous revelry, love adventures, a daring life and at the same time an opponent of violence against the individual, a free-thinking person.

Demakov Evgeny Alexandrovich. Poet, hussar and partisan Denis Davydov in the circle of fellow soldiers

Everyone who knew this man noted his constant “youth of heart and morals,” cheerful character Infecting those around him, he was always the soul of friendly meetings.

Denis Vasilievich Davydov remained in the memory of the Russian people as a Hero Patriotic War, an original author of military notes, a talented poet who enjoyed fame and attention during his life and was not forgotten after death. It is impossible not to note one more merit of Davydov to Russia. It was on his initiative that the ashes of Prince Bagration were reburied on the Borodino field. And on the centenary of the Patriotic War on August 26, 1912, the Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment was named after Denis Davydov.

Prepared based on materials:
http://www.bratishka.ru/archiv/2008/6/2008_6_13.php
http://www.denisdavydov.org.ru/
http://www.raruss.ru/lifetime-editions/page03/1016-davydov-first.html

Childhood and youth

Military career

Patriotic War of 1812

Personal life

Relatives

Cousins

Interesting Facts

Creation

Perpetuation of memory

Bibliography

(July 16 (27), 1784, Moscow - April 22 (May 4), 1839, village of Verkhnyaya Maza, Syzran district, Simbirsk province) - lieutenant general, ideologist and leader of the partisan movement, participant in the Patriotic War of 1812, Russian poet of the “Pushkin galaxy” "

Biography

Childhood and youth

Born in the family of foreman Vasily Denisovich Davydov (1747-1808), who served under the command of A.V. Suvorov, in Moscow. From an ancient noble family, tracing its history back to the Tatar Murza Minchak, who left for Moscow at the beginning of the 15th century. . A significant part of his childhood was spent in a military situation in Ukraine, where his father served, commanding the Poltava light horse regiment. Denis got involved in military affairs early and learned horse riding well. But he was constantly tormented by the fact that he was short, snub-nosed and ugly.

IN late XVIII centuries, the glory of the great Suvorov thundered throughout Russia, to whom Denis treated with extraordinary respect. Once, when the boy was nine years old, he had a chance to see the famous commander, he came to their estate to visit. Alexander Vasilyevich, looking at the two sons of Vasily Denisovich, said that Denis, “this daring one, will be a military man, I will not die, and he will already win three battles,” and Evdokim will go into the civil service. Denis remembered this meeting for the rest of his life.

After the death of Catherine II and the accession to the throne of Paul I, who did not like Suvorov, the well-being of the Davydovs came to an end. An audit of the Poltava regiment, which my father commanded, discovered a shortage of 100 thousand rubles and Davydov Sr. was fired and ordered by court to pay this amount. Although his only fault was that he relied on the honesty of his quartermasters. I had to sell the estate. Over time, having gotten out of debt, my father bought a small village near Moscow, Borodino, near Mozhaisk. During the Battle of Borodino, the village, along with manor house burned down. The father decided to assign his sons in accordance with the words of Suvorov - Denis to the cavalry guards, and his brother Evdokim to the archives of the Foreign Collegium.

Military career

In 1801, Davydov entered service in the Guards Cavalry Regiment, located in St. Petersburg. Moreover, when Denis showed up to be assigned to the regiment, the officer on duty flatly refused to accept him because of his short stature. But Denis still managed to be accepted. The officers of the regiment very quickly fell in love with him for his charm, wit and modesty and gave him patronage. In the autumn of 1801 he became an estandard cadet. In September 1802 he was promoted to cornet, and in November 1803 to lieutenant. At this time he began to write poetry and fables, but he got carried away and in his fables he began to very caustically ridicule the top officials of the state.

Because of the satirical poems, Denis was transferred from the guard to one of the army hussar regiments, to the Kyiv province in Ukraine. This was done to the cavalry guards very rarely and only for major offenses - cowardice in battle, embezzlement or cheating at cards. But Denis liked the hussars. Dashing parties, riotous jokes. He now sang all this in his “desirable songs”, abandoning the writing of fables.

The only bad thing was that Denis Davydov almost missed the first war with Napoleon. The Guard took part in the battles with the French, but his hussar regiment did not. The young cavalry officer, who dreamed of military exploits and glory, was forced to remain aloof from these events. While his brother Evdokim, having left the service, joined the cavalry guards and managed to become famous at Austerlitz. Evdokim was seriously wounded (five saber wounds, one bullet wound and one bayonet wound) and was taken prisoner. Napoleon, when he visited the infirmary where he was lying, had a conversation with him. This conversation was described in all European newspapers.

Denis decided to go to the front at any cost. In November 1806, Davydov at night penetrated Field Marshal M.F. Kamensky, who was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian army at that time. Kamensky, a small, dry old man in a nightcap, almost died of fear when Denis appeared in front of him and demanded that he be sent to the front. But all this turned out to be in vain, since Kamensky commanded the army for only a week. He was removed because he lost his mind. He came out to the army in a hare sheepskin coat and a scarf and declared: “Brothers, save yourself as best you can...”. According to one version, he went crazy after Denis Davydov appeared in front of him at night.

But the fame of such a desperate hussar reached Maria Antonovna Naryshkina, the sovereign’s favorite. And she helped him in his desire to fight. At the beginning of 1807, he was appointed adjutant to General P. I. Bagration. At one time, Davydov made fun of Bagration’s long nose in one of his poems and therefore was a little afraid of his first meeting with him. Bagration, seeing Denis, said to the officers present: “here is the one who made fun of my nose.” To which Davydov, without being taken aback, replied that he wrote about his nose only out of envy, since he practically doesn’t have one himself. Bagration liked the joke. And he often, when it was reported to him that the enemy was “on the nose,” asked again, on whose nose? If on mine, then you can still have lunch, and if on Denisov, then on the horses.

Already on January 24, 1807, Denis Davydov took part in battles with the French. In the battle of Preussisch-Eylau, he was under Bagration, who appeared with his adjutant in the most dangerous and critical areas. One battle, according to Bagration, was won only thanks to Davydov. He single-handedly rushed at a detachment of French lancers and they, chasing him, were distracted and missed the moment of the appearance of the Russian hussars. For this battle, Denis received the Order of St. Vladimir IV degree, a cloak from Bagration and a trophy horse. In this and other battles, Davydov distinguished himself with exceptional courage, for which he was awarded orders and a golden saber.

At the very end of the campaign, Davydov had a chance to see Napoleon. At that time, peace was concluded in Tilsit between the French and Russian emperors, and many did not approve of it. Bagration said he was ill and sent Davydov in his place. Davydov was very pleased that Napoleon was even shorter than him, and when, at the meeting, Napoleon tried to look at Denis, Davydov did not lower his eyes.

In the winter of 1808, he was in the Russian army operating in Finland, marched with Kulnev to Uleaborg, occupied Karloe Island with the Cossacks and, returning to the vanguard, retreated across the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia.

In 1809, being under Prince. Bagration, who commanded the troops in Moldova, Davydov participated in various military operations against the Turks, and then, when Bagration was replaced by c. Kamensky, entered the vanguard of the Moldavian army under the command of Kulnev.

Patriotic War of 1812

At the beginning of the war of 1812, Davydov was a lieutenant colonel in the Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment and was in the vanguard troops of the general. Vasilchikova. On August 21, 1812, in sight of the village of Borodino, where he grew up, where his parents’ house was already being hastily dismantled into fortifications, five days before the great battle, Denis Vasilyevich proposed to Bagration the idea of ​​a partisan detachment. He borrowed this idea from the Guerillas (Spanish partisans). Napoleon could not cope with them until they united into a regular army. The logic was simple: Napoleon, hoping to defeat Russia in twenty days, took so much food with him. And if you take away carts, fodder and break bridges, then this will create for him big problems.

From Davydov’s letter to the prince, General Bagration:

Bagration's order to create a flying partisan detachment was one of his last before the Battle of Borodino, where he was mortally wounded. On the very first night, Davydov’s detachment of 130 hussars was ambushed by peasants and Denis almost died. The peasants had little understanding of the details of military uniforms, which were similar among the French and Russians. Moreover, the officers usually spoke French. After this, Davydov put on a peasant’s caftan and grew a beard (in the portrait by A. Orlovsky (1814) Davydov is dressed in Caucasian fashion: a checkmen, a clearly non-Russian hat, a Circassian saber). With 130 hussars in one of the forays, he managed to capture 370 French, while repelling 200 Russian prisoners, a truck with ammunition and nine trucks with provisions. His detachment grew rapidly at the expense of peasants and freed prisoners.

His rapid successes convinced Kutuzov of the advisability of guerrilla warfare, and he was not slow to give it wider development and constantly sent reinforcements. The second time Davydov saw Napoleon was when he and his partisans were in ambush in the forest, and a dormez with Napoleon drove past him. But at that moment he had too little strength to attack Napoleon’s guards. Napoleon hated Davydov fiercely and ordered Denis to be shot on the spot during his arrest. For the sake of his capture, he allocated one of his best detachments of two thousand horsemen with eight chief officers and one staff officer. Davydov, who had twice less people, managed to drive the detachment into a trap and take him prisoner along with all the officers.

One of Davydov’s outstanding feats during this time was the case near Lyakhov, where he, along with other partisans, captured General Augereau’s two-thousand-strong detachment; then, near the city of Kopys, he destroyed the French cavalry depot, scattered the enemy detachment near Belynichi and, continuing the search to the Neman, occupied Grodno.

After crossing the border, Davydov was assigned to the corps of General Wintzingerode, participated in the defeat of the Saxons near Kalisz and, having entered Saxony with an advanced detachment, occupied Dresden. For which he was put under house arrest by General Wintzingerode, since he took the city without permission without orders. Throughout Europe, legends were made about Davydov’s courage and luck. When Russian troops entered a city, all the residents went out into the street and asked about him in order to see him.

For the battle on the approach to Paris, when five horses were killed under him, but he, together with his Cossacks, still broke through the hussars of the Jacquinot brigade to the French artillery battery and, having chopped up the servants, decided the outcome of the battle - Davydov was awarded the rank of major general.

Service after World War II

After the Patriotic War of 1812, Denis Davydov began to have troubles. At first he was sent to command the dragoon brigade, which was stationed near Kiev. Like any hussar, Denis despised dragoons. Then he was informed that the rank of major general had been assigned to him by mistake, and he was a colonel. And to top it all off, Colonel Davydov is transferred to serve in the Oryol province as commander of a horse-jaeger brigade. This was the last straw, since he had to lose his hussar mustache, his pride. Huntsmen were not allowed mustaches. He wrote a letter to the king saying that he could not carry out the order because of his mustache. Denis was waiting for resignation and disgrace, but the tsar, when they reported to him, was in a good mood: “Well! Let him remain a hussar." And he appointed Denis to the hussar regiment with... the return of the rank of major general.

In 1814, Davydov, commanding the Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment, was in Blucher’s army and participated with it in all major affairs and especially distinguished himself in the battle of La Rotière.

In 1815, Denis Davydov was elected a member of Arzamas with the nickname “Armenian”. Together with Pushkin and Vyazemsky, he represents a branch of the Arzamas circle in Moscow. After the collapse of Conversations, the controversy with the Shishkovists ended, and in 1818 Arzamas disbanded. In 1815, Davydov took the place of chief of staff, first in the 7th and then in the 3rd corps.

In 1827 he successfully acted against the Persians.

His last campaign was in 1831 - against Polish rebels. He fought well. He took the city of Vladimir-Volynsky, for which he received Anna I degrees.

Personal life

The first time Davydov fell in love with Aglaya Antonovna. But she chose to marry him cousin- a tall dragoon colonel. Then he fell in love with a young ballerina, Tatyana Ivanova. Despite the fact that Denis stood for hours under the windows of the ballet school, she married her choreographer. Davydov was very worried about this.

While serving near Kiev, Davydov fell in love once again. His chosen one was the Kiev niece of the Raevskys - Liza Zlotnitskaya. At the same time, the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature elected him as a full member. He was very proud, since he himself had not dared to call himself a poet before. An indispensable condition of Lisa’s parents was that Denis would obtain a government estate for rent from the sovereign (this was a form state support persons who are not rich, but have distinguished themselves in service). Davydov went to St. Petersburg to do some work. V. A. Zhukovsky, who simply adored Davydov, helped a lot. With his help, Davydov was quickly granted “in connection with his upcoming marriage” to rent the state-owned Balta estate, which brought in six thousand rubles a year.

But then he received a new blow. While he was busy in St. Petersburg, Lisa became interested in Prince Pyotr Golitsyn. The prince was a gambler and a reveler, and besides, he had recently been expelled from the guard for some dark deeds. But he was extraordinarily beautiful. Davydov was refused. Moreover, Lisa did not even want to see him, conveying the refusal through her father.

Davydov took Lisa’s refusal very hard. All his friends began to save him and for this they arranged a meeting for him with the daughter of the late General Nikolai Chirkov, Sophia. At that time she was already at a mature age - 24 years old. But her friends vying with each other praised her. Pretty, modest, reasonable, kind, well-read. And he made up his mind. Moreover, he was already 35 years old. But the wedding was almost upset, as the bride’s mother, having learned about his “desirable songs,” ordered Davydov to be rejected as a drunkard, a dissolute person and a gambler. Friends of her late husband barely persuaded her, explaining that General Davydov does not play cards, drinks little - and these are only poems. After all, he is a poet! In April 1819, Denis married Sophia.

As soon as Sophia began to give birth to his children, Denis lost the desire to pull the military burden. He wanted to be at home, near his wife. Davydov called in sick every now and then and went on vacations of many months. Even the Caucasian war, where he was sent under the command of General Ermolov, did not captivate him. He stayed in the active army for only two months, and then asked Yermolov for a six-week leave to improve his health. Stopping by for a view mineral water, having sent several letters about his illness (including to Walter Scott) for persuasiveness, he rushed to the Arbat in Moscow, where at that time three sons and Sophia, who was once again pregnant, were waiting for him. In total, nine children were born in the marriage of Denis and Sophia.

After the Polish company, when he was 47 years old and all he could think about was peace, they finally left him behind. True, he was never allowed to resign, but they did not touch him, and his entire service was limited to wearing a lieutenant general’s uniform.

D.V. Davydov spent the last years of his life in the village of Verkhnyaya Maza, which belonged to the poet’s wife, Sofya Nikolaevna Chirkova. Here he continued to engage in creativity, conducted extensive correspondence with A.F. Voeikov, M.N. Zagoskin, A.S. Pushkin, V.A. Zhukovsky, other writers and publishers. I visited my neighbors - the Yazykovs, Ivashevs, A.V. Bestuzhev, N.I. Polivanov. Visited Simbirsk. He ordered books from abroad. I was hunting. He wrote military-historical notes. He was involved in raising children and running the household: he built a distillery, set up a pond, etc. In a word, he lived for his own pleasure.

But, in 1831, he went to visit a colleague in Penza and fell madly in love with his niece, 23-year-old Evgenia Zolotareva. He was 27 years older than her. Despite the fact that he loved his family very much, he could not help himself. I couldn't hide it either. This passionate affair lasted three years. Then Evgenia married the first groom she came across, and Denis, having let his beloved go this time easily, without pain, returned to the family.

Five years later he died - still quite young and quite healthy at less than 55 years old. He died in his estate, his ashes were transported to Moscow and buried in the cemetery Novodevichy Convent. His wife, Sofya Nikolaevna, outlived Denis by more than 40 years.

As a person, Davydov enjoyed great sympathy in friendly circles. According to Prince P. A. Vyazemsky, Davydov retained an amazing youth of heart and disposition until his death. His gaiety was infectious and exciting; he was the soul of friendly conversations.

Relatives

Cousins

• legendary general Alexey Petrovich Ermolov, who conquered the Caucasus;
• Vasily Lvovich Davydov - Decembrist, a prominent figure in Southern society, convicted in 1825 and sentenced to 20 years of hard labor;
• Evgraf Vladimirovich Davydov - Colonel of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment, later Major General. His portrait by Kiprensky, for a long time was considered a portrait of Denis Davydov;

Children

1. Denis Denisovich Davydov
2. Vasily Denisovich Davydov
3. Nikolay Denisovich Davydov
4. Vadim Denisovich Davydov (1832-1881)
5. Yulia Denisovna Davydova (1835-1882)
6. Akhill Denisovich Davydov
7. Maria Denisovna Davydova
8. Ekaterina Denisovna Davydova
9. Sofya Denisovna Davydova

• Denis Davydov once said the following: “It is enough to invite a hundred Armenians, and they will repel the enemy.”

• Shortly before his death, Davydov petitioned for the reburial of his boss P.I. Bagration on the Borodino field, which was carried out according to the Highest will of Emperor Nicholas I after the death of Denis Vasilyevich.

Creation

Lyrics

Literary activity Davydova expressed herself in a number of poems and several prose articles.

Successful partisan actions in the War of 1812 glorified him, and since then he has been creating a reputation for himself as a “singer-warrior”, acting “at once” in poetry, as in war. This reputation was also supported by Davydov’s friends, including Pushkin. However, Davydov’s “military” poetry in no way reflects the war: he glorifies the life of the hussars of that time. Wine, love affairs, riotous revelry, daring life - this is their content.

“Message to Burtsov”, “Hussar Feast”, “Song”, “Song of the Old Hussar” were written in this spirit. It is important to note that it was in his works listed above that Davydov showed himself as an innovator of Russian literature, for the first time using professionalism in a work intended for a wide range of readers (for example, in the description of hussar life, hussar names of items of clothing, personal hygiene, and names of weapons are used). This innovation of Davydov directly influenced the work of Pushkin, who continued this tradition.

Along with poems of bacchanalian and erotic content, Davydov had poems in an elegiac tone, inspired, on the one hand, by a tender passion for the daughter of a Penza landowner, Evgenia Zolotareva, and on the other, by impressions of nature. This includes most of his best works of the last period, such as: “Sea”, “Waltz”, “River”.

In addition to the original works, Davydov also had translations - from Arno, Vigee, Delisle, Ponce de Verdun and imitations of Voltaire, Horace, Tibullus.

Prose

Davydov's prose articles are divided into two categories: articles that are in the nature of personal memoirs, and historical and polemical articles. Of the first, the most famous are: “Meeting with the great Suvorov”, “Meeting with Field Marshal Count Kamensky”, “Memories of the Battle of Preussisch-Eylau”, “Tilsit in 1807”, “Diaries of Partisan Actions” and “Notes on the Polish Campaign of 1831” G.". Based on the value of the data reported, these war memories still retain significance important sources for the history of the war of that era. The second category includes: “Did frost destroy the French army”, “Correspondence with Walter Scott”, “Notes on the obituary of N. N. Raevsky” and some others.

Davydov's collected works went through six editions; Of these, the most complete are the three-volume editions of 1860 and 1893, ed. A. O. Krugloy (addendum to the magazine “North”)

Perpetuation of memory

• To the 176th anniversary of the birth of D.V. Davydov, July 16, 1960 in the village of Verkhnyaya Maza, Radishchevsky district, Ulyanovsk region A monument to D.V. Davydov was erected. Davydov is immortalized in military uniform.
• On the eve of the 200th anniversary of the birth of D.V. Davydov, on May 19, 1984, his bust was unveiled in Penza. The peculiarity of the monument is that Davydov is immortalized not in military uniform, as he was usually depicted, but in civilian clothes of that time. This emphasizes that the monument was erected to him primarily as a poet.
• Davydov served as the prototype for the character in L.N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” Vasily Denisov.
• For the 150th anniversary of the Patriotic War, in 1962, filmed Feature Film"Hussar Ballad", which shows Denis Davydov as the commander of a partisan detachment. Also for this date, USSR postage stamps were issued, one of which is dedicated to Davydov.
• In 1980, the film “Squadron of Flying Hussars” was made about Denis Davydov.
• Andrei Belyanin’s book “Hunting the Hussar” was written about Denis Davydov (and on his behalf).
• In Moscow there is Denis Davydov Street.
• In Vladivostok there is Denis Davydov Street, and his bust is installed in the park at the beginning of the street.
• There are Denis Davydov streets in Kazan.
• Denis Davydov Street is in Novosibirsk.
• A bust of Denis Davydov was erected in Ufa.
• In Kostroma there are microdistricts named after Denis Davydov - “Davydovsky-1”, “Davydovsky-2” and “Davydovsky-3”.

Bibliography

• Russian Biographical Dictionary, ed. Russian Historical Society, St. Petersburg, 1905 (Art. A. Petrov).
• Sadovsky B., “Russian Kamena”, - M., 1910
• Gervais V.V., Partisan-poet Davydov, St. Petersburg, 1913.
• Rozanov I. N., Russian lyrics. From impersonal poetry to confession of the heart, - M., 1914.
• Mezier A.V., Russian literature from the 11th to the 19th centuries. inclusive, part II, - St. Petersburg, 1902.
• Vengerov S. A. Sources of the dictionary of Russian writers, vol. II, St. Petersburg, 1910.
• Dictionary of Russian generals who took part in the fighting against the army of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1812-1815. // Russian archive : Sat. - M.: studio "TRITE" N. Mikhalkov, 1996. - T. VII. - pp. 374-375.
• Glinka V.M., Pomarnatsky A.V. Davydov, Denis Vasilievich // Military Gallery of the Winter Palace. - 3rd ed. - L.: Art, 1981. - P. 100-102.
• Gennady Serebryakov Denis Davydov (ZhZL)
• Osipov A.A. Denis Vasilievich Davydov. 1784-1839 (Experience in literary characterization) // Historical Bulletin, 1890. – T. 41. – No. 7. – P. 71-93.

Denis Vasilyevich Davydov - Russian general, famous poet (1781 - 1839). Having received an excellent home education, he began his military career in 1807. Appointed as an adjutant to Prince Bagration, Davydov participated in almost all the battles of this campaign. In the winter of 1808, during Russian-Swedish war, he was in the army operating in Finland, marched with Kulnev to Uleaborg, occupied the island of Karloe with the Cossacks and, returning to the vanguard, retreated across the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia. Soon the war with Turkey began. In 1809, being under Bagration, who commanded the troops in Moldova, Davydov took part in battles with the Turks, and when Bagration was replaced by Count Kamensky, he entered the vanguard of the Moldavian army under the command of Kulnev.

Portrait of Denis Vasilievich Davydov. Artist J. Doe. Previously 1828

Denis Davydov. The first Russian saboteur

As a person, Davydov enjoyed great sympathy in friendly circles. According to Prince P. A. Vyazemsky, Denis Vasilyevich retained an amazing youth of heart and disposition until his death. His gaiety was infectious and exciting; he was the soul and flame of friendly conversations. Davydov's literary activity was expressed in a number of poems and several prose articles. The poetry of Denis Davydov, small in volume, is rude like a soldier. His early and most popular poems were written in the “hussar” style he himself invented. In them, he glorifies reckless valor - both on the battlefield and behind the glass. The language of some is, to put it mildly, unconventional; words sometimes have to be replaced with periods. But there is always a feeling in them strong game imagination and powerful rhythmic charge. His later poems are inspired by his love for a very young girl. They are passionately sentimental, and in language and flexible rhythm are as full of life as his hussar songs. Pushkin had a high opinion of Davydov's poetry and used to say that Davydov showed him the path to originality.

Davydov’s poems “Message to Burtsov”, “Hussar Feast”, “Song”, “Song of the Old Hussar” were written in the “hussar” spirit. Along with poems of bacchanalian and erotic content, Davydov had poems in an elegiac tone, inspired, on the one hand, by a tender passion for E. D. Zolotareva, on the other, by impressions of nature. This includes most of his best works of the last period: “Sea”, “Waltz”, “River”. Davydov’s “Modern Song” enjoyed great fame. Written in a satirical tone, this play was aimed at those layers of Davydov’s contemporary society in which there was dissatisfaction with the existing order of things. The satirical direction was also reflected in his earlier works: “The River and the Mirror”, “Head and Legs”, “Treaties” and several epigrams.

Davydov’s poetic works are not distinguished by either the depth of content or the processing of style, but they have one advantage - originality. In addition to the original works, Davydov also had translated ones - from Arno, Vigee, Dedil, Ponce de Verdun and imitations of Voltaire, Horace, Tibullus. In 1816, Davydov was elected a member of the literary society " Arzamas", where he received the nickname "Armenian".

Davydov's prose articles are divided into two categories: personal memoirs and historical and polemical works. Of the first, the most famous are: “Meeting with the great Suvorov”, “Meeting with Field Marshal Count Kamensky”, “Memory of Battle of Preussisch Eylau", "Tilsit in 1807", "Diaries of Partisan Actions" and "Notes on the Polish Campaign of 1831". Based on the value of the data reported, these military memoirs still remain important sources for the history of the war of that era. The second category includes: “Did frost destroy the French army”, “Correspondence with Walter Scott”, “Notes on the obituary of N. N. Raevsky” and a number of others.

There is an opinion that Denisov is War and Peace Leo Tolstoy is based on Denis Davydov. Although the latter probably partly served as the impetus for the creation of this image, the character of Tolstoy's character is still very different from the real Davydov.

Soviet literature

Denis Vasilievich Davydov

Biography

Davydov Denis Vasilievich

Partisan of the Patriotic War of 1812, military writer, poet, lieutenant general (1831). Commanding a partisan detachment of hussars and Cossacks, he successfully operated in the rear of the French army. He was close to the Decembrists and A.S. Pushkin. Military historical works, theoretical works on partisan actions. In lyrics (“hussar” songs, love elegies, satirical poems) - new type a hero - a patriotic warrior, an active, freedom-loving, open person.

Biography

One of the most vivid impressions childhood there was a meeting of a nine-year-old boy with the legendary A. Suvorov, who prophesied Davydov’s fate: “This will be a military man...”

Davydov spent most of his life serving in the army, retiring in 1832 with the rank of lieutenant general. He fought bravely in 1806 - 1807 with the French in Prussia, in 1809 - with the Swedes in Finland, in 1809? with the Turks in Moldova and the Balkans, in 1812 - 1814 he crushed the French in Russia and drove them all the way to Paris.

IN people's memory The name of Denis Davydov is inseparable from the Patriotic War of 1812 as the name of one of the leaders of the army partisan movement, which played an important role in the victory over Napoleon.

He was a multi-talented person. Davydov’s first literary experiments date back to 1803 - 1805, when his political poems (the fables “Head and Legs”, “River and Mirror”, the satire “Dream”, etc.) were widely circulated in manuscripts.

Davydov was associated with many Decembrists who valued his poetry, but he refused the offer to join the secret society.

He entered the history of Russian literature as the creator of the genre of “hussar lyrics”, the hero of which is a lover of wild life, at the same time a free-thinking person, an opponent of violence against the individual (“Hussar Feast”, “Song of the Old Hussar”, “Half-Soldier”, “Borodin Field”. The latter, written in 1829, is considered one of the best historical elegies of Russian romantic poetry).

A significant phenomenon in the literature of the 1830s was Davydov’s military prose - his memories of A. Suvorov, N. Raevsky, M. Kamensky. The poetry of Denis Davydov was highly appreciated by A. Pushkin, with whom he had a long-term friendship.

In recent years, he had long sought to transfer Bagration’s ashes to the Borodino field and eventually achieved this, but he himself was not able to participate in the ceremony. On April 22 (May 4 n.s.) he died suddenly.

Denis Vasilievich Davydov was born on July 27, 1784 in Moscow. The predictions of the great commander Suvorov about the military future became prophetic for nine-year-old Denis. Davydov devoted almost his entire life to military service. He experienced all the hardships of four military companies (in Prussia, Finland, Moldova and the Balkans, the Russian-French war).

The victory over Napoleon was largely possible thanks to the activities of the partisan movement under the leadership of Denis Vasilyevich. At the age of 48 he retired, having risen to the rank of lieutenant general.

But Davydov is known to the general public not only for his military exploits. He was a talented poet and military playwright. The first samples of Davydov's pen date back to 1803-1805. as a political poet who published the fables “Head and Legs”, “River and Mirror”, etc. His merits include the creation of a new literary direction"hussar lyrics" and introducing readers to the image of a patriotic warrior. The main characters of his works (for the most part) are brave, honest, strong individuals with a slightly absurd character and wild life.

The author's Russian romantic poetry (among which the main place is occupied by the poem "Borodin Field") has been deservedly recognized by many critics as the best manifestation of the historical elegy of its time. Pushkin highly appreciated the works of his long-time friend. In the 1830s, Davydov tried his hand at a completely new direction for himself - military prose. In particular, these are memoirs about meeting A. Suvorov, N. Raevsky, M. Kamensky. After more than 20 years military service and a short peaceful life, Denis Vasilyevich Davydov died on May 4, 1839, without seeing the ceremony of transferring Bagration’s ashes to the Borodino field, which became possible only thanks to his efforts.

Denis Vasilyevich Davydov (June 16, 1784, Moscow - April 22, 1839, village of Verkhnyaya Maza, Syzran district, Simbirsk province) - ideologist and commander of the partisan movement of the Patriotic War of 1812, Russian poet.

Childhood

The famous representative of “hussar poetry” was a descendant of the ancient Davydov family. Denis's father served under the command of A. Suvorov. Davydov spent his childhood in Ukraine, where his father served, who commanded the Poltava regiment. It is not surprising that Denis became interested in military affairs early on.

As a child, he admired Alexander Suvorov. When the boy was 9 years old, he met famous commander. Then Alexander Vasilyevich said that Denis “will be a brave military man.”

After the accession of Paul I to the throne, the Davydovs’ well-being came to an end. I had to sell the estate, and after getting out of debt, Denis’s father bought the small village of Borodino (it burned down during the Battle of Borodino). Nevertheless, Denis was assigned to the cavalry guard by his father.

Military career and creative path

1801 - began service in the Guards Cavalry Regiment, located in St. Petersburg. True, when Davydov came to be assigned to the regiment, they did not want to accept him because of his short stature. But wit, charm and modesty helped him find patronage.

Alexander Kakhovsky took up the task of filling the gaps in the education of young Davydov. He compiled a special document for the young cavalry guard. curriculum dedicated to fortification, military history, cartography, economics and Russian literature.

1802 – promoted to cornet.

1803 - became a lieutenant. At the same time, D. Davydov began writing fables and poetry. At first he often ridiculed statesmen. It was because of his satirical poems that he was transferred from the guard to the Belarusian Hussar Regiment. But Denis liked the hussars. Therefore, satirical fables soon replaced “sad songs.” The only thing that depressed Davydov was that his regiment did not take part in the battles with the French. But Denis decided to go to the front at any cost.

1806 - Davydov at night penetrated M. Kamensky, the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, to demand sending to the front. But it was in vain, because Kamensky was removed from his post due to clouding of reason. Some researchers believe that he went crazy after Davydov's overnight visit. The fame of the hussar reached Maria Naryshkina, the tsar's favorite. It was she who helped Davydov go to the front.

1807 - appointed adjutant to P. Bagration. Before this, Davydov, in one of his poems, ridiculed Bagration’s long nose, so he was afraid of meeting the general. Seeing Denis, Bagration mentioned an old joke. But Davydov was not taken aback, answering that he wrote about his nose solely out of envy. Later, when Bagration was informed that enemy troops were “on the nose,” he asked again: “On whose nose? If on mine, then you can have dinner, but if on Davydov’s, then by horse!”

Denis Davydov was under Bagration in the battle of Preussisch-Eylau. According to Bagration, one battle was won only thanks to Davydov, who single-handedly rushed at the French lancers. For this battle, the poet first received the Order of St. Vladimir, a trophy horse and a cloak from Bagration. He distinguished himself in other battles, for which he was awarded a golden saber and orders. During the conclusion of the Peace of Tilsit, Denis had a chance to see Napoleon.

1808 - was in the army operating in Finland.

1809 - under Bagration, who commanded troops in Moldova. Denis Davydov participated in military operations against Turkish army.

1812 - was a lieutenant colonel in the Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment. A few days before the Battle of Borodino, Davydov proposed to Bagration the idea of ​​a partisan detachment. He borrowed it from the Spanish partisans. The logic was simple: Napoleon was confident that he would defeat Russia in 20 days - that’s how much food he took. If you take away fodder, carts and break bridges, then the French will have big problems.

True, at first Davydov’s detachment was ambushed by peasants. As a result, he almost died. After all, the peasants had little understanding of military uniforms, and Russian officers often spoke French. Therefore, Davydov decided to put on a peasant’s caftan and grow a beard. On one of his detachment’s forays, 370 French were captured. His successes convinced Kutuzov of the importance of guerrilla warfare.

Napoleon hated Davydov and, upon possible arrest, ordered him to be shot immediately. To capture Denis, he allocated a detachment of 2 thousand horsemen. Davydov managed to drive this detachment into a trap. Legends were made about Davydov’s courage. When Russian troops occupied a city, all the inhabitants asked about it. For the battle on the approach to Paris, which decided the outcome of the battle, Davydov was awarded the rank of major general.

After 1812

After the War of 1812, Davydov began to have troubles. So, he was informed that the assignment of the rank of major general was a mistake and was transferred to the Oryol province, where he was supposed to serve as commander of a horse-jaeger brigade. The huntsmen did not wear mustaches, so Davydov wrote to the Tsar that he could not carry out the order. As a result, he was appointed to the hussar regiment and returned to the rank of major general.

1814 - commanded the Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment, distinguished himself in the Battle of La Rotiere.

1815 – becomes a member of “Arzamas” under the nickname “Armenian”. Together with Vyazemsky and Pushkin, Davydov represents the branch of the Arzamas circle. Then he became chief of staff of the infantry corps.

1827 - successfully acts against the Persians.

1831 - took part in the military campaign against Polish rebels. Received the rank of lieutenant general. He didn't intend to fight anymore.

Davydov spent the last years of his life in the village. Upper Maza. Here he was engaged in creativity and corresponded with V. Zhukovsky, A. Pushkin and other writers. In addition, he often hunted and worked on military-historical notes. Davydov also built a distillery.

Denis Vasilyevich’s literary activity was expressed in a number of poems and prose articles. He built a reputation for himself as a "singer-warrior." She was also supported by Davydov’s friends, in particular Pushkin. He loved to glorify the life of the hussar: love affairs, wine and riotous revelry. Examples of such poems are:

• "Hussar Feast";
• “Message to Burtsov”;
• "Song of the Old Hussar."

Davydov was the first to use professionalism. Later, Pushkin continued this tradition.

April 22, 1839 - Denis Vasilyevich died of apoplexy on the Verkhnyaya Maza estate. He is buried in the cemetery of the Novodevichy Convent. Sofya Nikolaevna outlived her husband by 40 years.

Davydov's first love was Aglaya de Gramont. But the girl married his cousin. Then he fell in love with the ballerina Tatyana Ivanova. He stood under her windows for hours, but Tatyana chose her choreographer.

Another of his chosen ones was Liza Zlotnitskaya. Her parents set a condition - to obtain a state estate from the sovereign. He received it, but while he was busy, Lisa became interested in Prince Golitsyn. Davydov was refused again. Then Denis’s friends arranged a meeting for him with Sofia Chirikova. In 1819 Denis and Sophia got married. As soon as they had children, Denis was less and less drawn to the war. He called in sick, going on months-long vacations. Their marriage produced 9 children.

In 1831, Davydov fell in love with his colleague’s niece, Evgenia Zolotareva. He was a full 27 years older than the girl. The romance lasted 3 years. As a result, Evgenia got married, and Denis returned to the family.

According to Prince P. Vyazemsky, Denis Davydov retained his youth of heart and disposition until his death. He was considered the soul of friendly conversations.

The famous Lieutenant Rzhevsky appeared thanks to the poem “Decisive Evening,” written by Davydov in 1818.

Davydov petitioned for the reburial of P. Bagration on the Borodino field.

It is believed that Davydov was the prototype of Vasily Denisov from the novel “War and Peace”.

In 1980, the film “Squadron of Flying Hussars” was shot about Davydov. A. Belyanin’s book “Hunting the Hussar” is dedicated to him.