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Rules of family life in Rus'. X-DIGEST

V. Volkov. M. Gorky.

Once Gorky confessed: “I was very unhappy with women. Whom I loved, they did not love me. Of course, the writer was lying. It is not for nothing that the words belong to him: "The smartest thing that a person has achieved is to love a woman."

Life has decreed that civil wife and the secretary was one of the most famous women of the first half of the 20th century, the “Russian Mata Hari”, Maria Ignatievna Zakrevskaya. She was born in Ukraine in 1891 and became Countess Benckendorff in 1911, having married the famous Russian diplomat. After the death of the latter, she became the wife of Baron Nikolai von Budberg-Benningshausen, the mistress of the British spy Bruce Lockhart. After the arrest of the NKVD, she ended up at work in the editorial office " world literature”, and there Korney Chukovsky introduced her to Maxim Gorky. The writer was a quarter of a century older than the adventurer, but although Zakrevskaya did not officially sign with him, they lived in a civil marriage for 16 years.

The plot developed as in a real melodrama. In 1920, a well-known English writer H. G. Wells and stopped to live with Gorky. So arose love triangle, which was eventually resolved by Mary's departure to Britain.

And in 1968, when the 100th anniversary of Gorky's birth was celebrated, Maria Zakrevskaya visited Moscow. She was almost 80 years old, and few could recognize her as one of history's most intriguing figures.

It was a difficult time. It was necessary to look at a bunch of girls and choose the most desirable one. It is now possible to conduct various castings and shows. And before, everything depended on the sovereign, because if he was not in a good mood, then they sent a little something wrong to Siberia. How was the most important show of brides?

"View of the bride"
Picture, Myasoedov G.G. 2nd half of the 19th century

In the XV-XVII centuries, the kings of the Moscow kingdom had an unusual way of choosing today future wife- review of brides. Its participants were necessarily distinguished by beauty, excellent health and pristine purity. There was fierce competition among the families of the boyars, so that the final choice fell on their daughter. The results of these medieval castings influenced not only the fate of this or that eminent family, but also the historical and political development of Russia.

"The choice of the bride by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich"
Painting, 1882 - authorartistGrigory Semyonovich Sedov.

In these centuries, the marriage of a Russian tsar to a representative of Europe from the royal family was incredibly problematic. The first is her life far from her homeland, in isolation in some unknown and wild lands. Secondly, the kings opposed the adoption of Orthodoxy by their beloved daughters.

" Boyar wedding feast
Painting,1883authorartistMakovsky Konstantin Egorovich -

It was also not easy to become relatives of noble Russian families. Despite the apparent omnipotence of the kings of the kingdom of Moscow, in reality they depended on the boyars. Wanting to put their daughter on the throne, each boyar clan was engaged in murky intrigues and fought for influence.

" Choice of the Grand Ducal Bride"
Painting, authorartistRepin Ilya Efimovich, 1884 - 1887

For the first time such a choice was made by Vasily Ivanovich, who later became Tsar Vasily III. He borrowed this tradition from Byzantium and from 1505 for two centuries it was used in Rus'.

First, the sovereign sent his ambassadors to all corners of the kingdom to announce a special royal decree. He said that every young girl of the boyar family was supposed to appear at the "regional bride". Among the numerous parameters for selecting brides were high growth, beauty and health. Candidates from large families were especially singled out. And of course they checked how the bride's family is politically reliable.

"Under the crown"
Painting, 1884, authorartistMakovsky Konstantin Egorovich

The number of participants reached 500 - 1500 beauties. Screening took place over several rounds. The judges were doctors with courtiers. This is where the time of intrigue began to promote your child and drag him to the final. More promising candidates were removed from the competition by organizing collusion among boyar families.

The selection can be compared with the TV show "The Bachelor". Only a few beauties made it to the final - only a few dozen.

All of them were dressed in beautiful clothes and lived in a huge beautiful house. Entering the royal chambers, each of the contenders bowed at the feet of the king. With his own hands, he gave the girl a handkerchief embroidered with gold or silver thread and pearls.

"The future bride of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich"
Early 1670s engraving by Maria Khlopova

"Bride's Choice"
Painting by artistNikitin Sergey

Dining and talking privately with the girls, the sovereign watched them closely. This helped him choose the most worthy wife for himself. Having finally decided on the choice, he presented the betrothed with a ring of gold. It was in 1505 that Vasily III made a choice in favor of Solomonia Saburova.

"The first meeting of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich with the hawthorn Maria Ilinichnaya Miloslavskaya"
Painting, authorartistNesterov Mikhail Vasilievich, 1887.

The remaining finalists either became the wives of influential boyars or left home with money and expensive gifts. Someone was exiled as a punishment to the Siberian lands. It depended on the mood of the sovereign.

"Wedding of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna"
Painting, authorartistRepin Ilya Efimovich, 1894

Bride brides are no longer fashionable in last years XVII century. The Romanov family often liked to marry European princesses. Thus, Russian state gradually influenced the politics of the West, and more specifically Europe.

In the 19th century, a real explosion could be observed in Russia visual arts. Many artists of that time are well known to everyone to this day, and some are undeservedly forgotten. Grigory Grigorievich Myasoedov also belongs to the latter. He was born in the village of Pankovo, Tula province, and belonged to an old noble family. As a child, the boy read a lot, often drew. His father encouraged his interest in art in every possible way. The future artist began his studies at the Oryol gymnasium, where he taught drawing professional artist I. A. Volkov.

In 1853 Myasoedov entered the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. Below is a portrait of Myasoedov by I.E. Repin.

In 1861, Myasoedov received a small gold medal.

In 1862, Myasoedov graduated from the Academy of Arts in the class of historical painting, having received a large gold medal for the composition "The Escape of Grigory Otrepyev from the Tavern on the Lithuanian Border."

Being sent abroad at state expense in 1863, Myasoedov worked in Paris, Florence, Rome and Spain. In 1869 he returned to Russia. In Moscow, he paints the painting "Spell", for which he received the title of academician.

Myasoedov wrote a lot about folk customs and superstitions. For example, "Showing the bride."

In the late 1860s, while abroad, Myasoedov came up with the idea of organizing the Association of Wanderers. On December 16, 1870, the first general meeting members of the TPHV, where a board was elected, which included Myasoedov. He became the author of the first statute of the TPHV and remained a permanent member of the board for forty years. November 29, 1871 in St. Petersburg opened the first mobile art exhibition, then shown in Moscow, Kyiv and Kharkov. Myasoedov presented the painting "Grandfather of the Russian Navy" for this exhibition.

In March 1872, the 2nd traveling exhibition opened, which exhibited the most significant painting by Myasoedov - “Zemstvo is having lunch”. This picture brought success to the artist. The painting reveals the main task of Wandering realism.

In a fairly short time, the artist painted the painting “Reading the Manifesto on February 19, 1861”. The picture reveals another aspect of the same theme - the fate of the peasantry, deceived in their expectations.

In 1876 the artist moved to a farm near Kharkov. He became interested in gardening and gardening. From this moment, one can note the beginning of a decline in his work. His attitude towards peasant life. Myasoedov was attracted by topics that reveal folk beliefs and traditions. The painting "Plowing" depicts an ancient pagan rite that protects cattle from disease and death: peasants plow the village from evil spirits, harnessing naked girls to the plow.

In the painting Prayer on the Plow for the Granting of Rain, the emotional tension of the peasants, asking for the help of the Almighty in a dry summer, is conveyed.

In 1882-1884 the artist worked on the historical canvas "Self-burners". In it, the artist depicted the moment of self-immolation of Old Believer fanatics in a burning hut. This theme is echoed by the work “The Burning of Archpriest Avvakum” (on the screen saver).

In the 1880s, Myasoedov worked on landscapes. He created the painting "The Road in the Rye". The painting depicts the figure of a lone wanderer in the middle of an endless rye field.

In the 1880s, Myasoedov's landscapes received public recognition. He chose simple motifs, discreet views of the southern Crimea. Among the sketches there were also marinas.

To find a wife, the Russian tsars of the XVI-XVII centuries. arranged reviews of brides, to which only the most beautiful and healthy virgins were allowed. Boyar families competed with each other for the opportunity to marry their bride. The fate of eminent families and even the course of the history of the Muscovite kingdom depended on the results of this medieval casting.

In the XV-XVI centuries. Russian tsars had many problems when choosing a bride. European royal families were reluctant to send their daughters to this wild, isolated land. They also did not want their pious princesses to be baptized into the Orthodox faith.

It was not much easier to intermarry with the noble families of Russia. Although the Moscow tsars were considered all-powerful, in fact they were dependent on the boyar families. Here, marriage issues were constantly hampered by intrigues and power struggles.

In 1505, the future Tsar Vasily III decided to hold the first bride-to-be in Rus' in order to choose the ideal life partner. This custom, borrowed from Byzantine Empire, became popular in Russia for the next two hundred years.

At the first stage of the “selection”, the representatives of the king traveled to all corners of the country with a special royal decree. It was instructed to submit all young girls to "regional reviews". The tsarist ambassadors selected candidates according to many parameters. The royal bride had to be tall, beautiful and healthy. Much attention was paid to the presence of many children with her parents. Naturally, the "political reliability" of the girl's family was checked.

From 500 to 1500 selected girls went to Moscow to participate in the next selection round. Rivals appeared before a jury of courtiers and doctors, where they were eliminated in several rounds. Here court intrigues have already begun. Noble families promoted their relatives and tried to push them through to the finals. At the same time, conspiracies were even organized against especially promising candidates for the title of queen.

Several dozens of girls who passed the previous stages of selection advanced to the final round. It was very similar to television show"Bachelor".

They were settled in a big beautiful house, they were all dressed in beautiful dresses. Finally, when the king arrived, future brides entered his room and bowed at his feet. The king gave each of the girls a handkerchief embroidered with gold or silver thread and pearls.

The king watched the candidates when they all dined together at the same table, as well as in private communication, to make right choice from this wonderful company. When the king made his choice, he handed over to his betrothed Golden ring. In 1505, Solomonia Saburova became the first tsarina to pass a similar casting of Tsar Vasily III.

The rest of the finalists were taken as wives by influential boyars, or they were sent home with money and expensive gifts, but they could also be exiled to Siberia, depending on the mood of the tsar.

Bridesmaid reviews have gone out of fashion in late XVII century. The Romanovs increasingly began to marry European princesses, and Russia was part of political life western Europe.

The custom of viewing brides for the Russian monarch is widely depicted in the paintings of Russian artists. It's interesting that .

Review of brides - the custom of choosing a wife for the head of state from among the most beautiful girls countries. Unlike the traditional search for a bride for dynastic reasons, the bride review was held after a kind of "beauty contest". The custom originated at the Byzantine imperial court in the 8th century, after which it was adopted in Rus' in the 16th century.

For the first time, a review of brides in Byzantium was noted in 788, when Empress Irina was looking for a wife for her son, the nominal emperor Constantine. In 788, out of 13 candidates presented to the court, Irina chose for her son a young noble Armenian woman, a native of Paphlagonia, Maria of Amnia, the granddaughter of St. Philaret the Merciful. Of the remaining girls, two were taken as wives by noble people, and the rest were sent home with rich gifts.

Bride's look. Myasoedov G.G. 2nd half of the 19th century

When it comes to how the kings chose their brides, one immediately imagines the process of betrothal in childhood between some persons of royal and noble blood. But indeed, in Rus' it was not always so.

The choice of the bride by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Sedov G.S., 1882.

Bride's choice. Nikitin S.

In 1505, the future Tsar Vasily III decided to hold the first in Rus' bridesmaids to choose your ideal life partner. This custom, borrowed from the Byzantine Empire, became popular in Russia for the next two hundred years.

In the Muscovite state, the search for brides for the sovereign was approached very strictly:

When this letter comes to you, and which of you will have daughters of a girl, then you would immediately go with them to the city to our governors for a review, and you would not hide the daughters of girls under any circumstances. Who among you hides the girl and does not lead to the governors, he will be in great disgrace and execution from me.

- "Decree of Ivan IV" according to S. Solovyov

The choice of the royal (grand-princely) bride. Repin I.E., 1884-1887.

Often, brides were chosen from poor and simple houses. The father of Alexei Mikhailovich's first wife, Maria Miloslavskaya, served as a clerk at the embassy clerk Ivan Gramotin. His daughter, the future queen, went to the forest to pick mushrooms and sell them in the market. About Tsarina Evdokia Streshneva, the wife of Mikhail Fedorovich, her own beds used to say: “Not dear, de she is the empress; they knew her, if she walked around in yellows (according to V. Dahl, yellows are simple women's shoes); after de her sovereign God exalted!”. And about the mother of Peter I, Tsarina Natalya Naryshkina, the clerk Shaklovity, who offered to destroy her, said to Princess Sophia:

You know, madam, what her family is and what she was like in Smolensk in bast shoes.

The first meeting of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich with the hawthorn Maria Ilinichnaya Miloslavskaya (Choice royal bride). Nesterov M., 1887.

Here is how the election of the bride to Grand Duke Vasily took place according to the story of Francesco da Collo: “This Grand Duke Basil - so I was told - decided to have a wife in order to have children and provide himself with a legitimate heir and successor to the State; for this he commanded to announce in all parts of his State that - regardless of nobility or blood, but only beauty - the most beautiful virgins would be found, and in pursuance of this decree more than 500 virgins were chosen and brought to the city; Of these, 300 were selected, then 200, and finally reduced to 10, which were examined by midwives with all possible attention in order to make sure whether they were really virgins and whether they were capable of bearing children, and whether they had any defect - and, finally, from these ten a wife was chosen. According to Sigismund Herberstein, the choice was made not from 500, but from 1500 girls.

Boyar wedding feast. Makovsky K.E., 1883.

The most memorable were bride Ivan the Terrible, who found three wives in this way. For the sake of his third marriage, 2000 girls were selected. Kazimir Waliszewski gave the following description of the ritual:

In marriage, Ivan was destined to enjoy happiness that did not fall to the lot of his ancestors. The choice of the bride was made according to general rule. The noble girls of the entire state, who came from families of service people, were gathered in Moscow. To receive them, huge chambers with numerous rooms were set aside; each of them had 12 beds. By the first marriage of Vasily, according to Francis da Collo, 500 beauties were collected, and according to Herberstein - 1500. These figures, in all likelihood, show only the number of those girls who came to Moscow after the first elections in the provinces. This order also existed in Byzantium. There, the rulers of the regions were given on this occasion detailed instructions, indicating the height and other qualities of the girls. When the candidates gathered, the sovereign himself appeared there, accompanied by one of the oldest nobles. Passing through the chambers, he gave each of the beauties a handkerchief embroidered with gold, with expensive stones. He threw scarves around the girls' necks. After the choice was made, the girls were sent home with gifts. So in 1547, Ivan chose Anastasia, the daughter of the late Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin-Koshkin, who came from an old boyar family. Amid the death of the princely families, he managed, however, to maintain closeness to the royal throne and did not take part in the fierce struggle for power in the days of Ivan's childhood. It is possible that in this case the choice of the bride was only a mere formality.

Bride's choice. Kirillov I.

Acquaintance of the king with possible brides could take a long time. They were settled in the palace, with the royal sisters or daughters. There is a well-known story with the election by Alexei Mikhailovich of the future mother of Peter I - Natalya Kirillovna. From November 28, 1669 to April 17, 1670, he walked nineteen times at night riding bedchambers, and chose from sixty sleeping beauties the one that would be prettier and more attractive to him, the great sovereign.

Down the aisle. Makovsky K.E., 1884.

Selection intrigues

In Rus', it happened that the tsar suddenly drew attention to a girl who was objectionable to the clique (for example, if those close to the throne interceded for their relative). In this case, everything was done to remove the bride from the race. For example, when Efimiya Vsevolozhskaya, elected by Alexei Mikhailovich, was first dressed in a royal dress, her hair was pulled so tightly that she fainted. It was quickly announced that Efimiya was suffering from epilepsy, and her father and family were exiled to Tyumen for concealing her "illness".

Approximately the same thing happened with Maria Khlopova, the bride of Mikhail Fedorovich, who had already been taken “upstairs” (to the palace, in fact, to the queen’s mansions), she was ordered to honor her as a queen, the courtyard people kissed her cross, and throughout the Muscovite state it was ordered to commemorate her name in litanies - but nevertheless, she also did not escape intrigues. The Saltykovs' competitors got rid of her in the following way: the girl was brought to indigestion, knowledgeable doctors were not allowed to see her, they turned the tsar's mother Marfa Ivanovna against her, eventually accusing her of possible infertility. A special council was convened from the boyars, Khlopova was deprived of honors and exiled to Tobolsk, where she lived in poverty. Nevertheless, Mikhail retained tender feelings for Mary, and when his father, Patriarch Filaret, arrived at the court, was able to protect the tsar from his mother’s pressure and reduce the influence of the Saltykovs, Mikhail again announced that he did not want to marry anyone but her (although it's been 7 years). Then the tsar made an interrogation to the doctors who treated Khlopova. Exposed at a confrontation with doctors, the Saltykovs were exiled to distant estates. Nevertheless, Marfa Ivanovna insisted on her own, and her son did not marry Khlopova, whom he still loved, passing after being a bachelor until the age of 29 (which was very rare in his era). went out of fashion at the end of the 17th century. The Romanovs increasingly began to marry European princesses, and Russia entered the political life of Western Europe.