Griboyedov and Karlov - murders 200 years apart

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

How Alexander Griboyedov was torn to pieces by the Islamists.

Andrei Karlov, killed by a terrorist in Ankara, is not the first Russian ambassador to be dealt with by radical Islamists. The first was Alexander Griboyedov, who was brutally torn to pieces in Tehran by a crowd of religious fanatics

"I'll lay my head for my compatriots." Alexander Griboyedov left this entry in his diary on August 24, 1819, almost ten years before his death in Tehran. Even then, he foresaw the danger, which later turned into an attack by radicals on the Russian embassy in the capital of Persia.

Alexander Griboyedov's diplomatic career began in 1817 in St. Petersburg. After leaving military service, 22-year-old Griboyedov took the post of provincial secretary, and then - translator in the Collegium of Foreign Affairs. But then he was young and hot, led a rather riotous lifestyle. At the end of 1817, Griboyedov took part in the famous double duel over the dancer Avdotya Istomina. The cavalry guard Sheremetev, Istomina's lover, who was jealous of the dancer for Griboyedov's friend Zavodsky, was shooting.

Griboyedov was Zavodskoy's second, and Sheremetev's was Alexander Yakubovich. All four participants in the duel were supposed to shoot. But Zavodsky severely wounded Sheremetev in the stomach, which is why the seconds did not have time to make their shots. Sheremetev eventually died of the wound. And Griboyedov was forced to leave Petersburg.

Russia's chargé d'affaires of Persia, Semyon Mazarovich, invited Griboyedov to go with him as secretary of the embassy. Griboyedov refused the appointment for a long time, but in the end agreed. He received the rank of titular councilor on June 17, 1818 and became secretary under Mazarovich.

In October Griboyedov was in Tiflis. And there he again became a participant in the duel, having met with an old acquaintance Yakubovich. This time the duel took place. They shot themselves. Yakubovich shot Griboyedov in the palm of his left hand, which caused the writer to lose his little finger.

On March 8, 1819, Griboyedov arrived in Tehran. He settled in Tabriz.

The insidious policy that Persia continued to adhere to in relation to Russia, the protection it provided to the fugitive khans of Dagestan and our Transcaucasian possessions hostile to us, put our mission in a position far from enviable. There were many things to do, and all the time Griboyedov was absorbed in them. In addition, due to the frequent absence of Mazarovich in Tabriz, all the affairs of the mission were concentrated in his hands, and he, on his own initiative, with the energy of an ardent patriot, defended the interests of Russia

- Alexander Skobichevsky. "Griboyedov. His life and literary activity"

Writing down the phrase "I will lay my head for my compatriots," Griboyedov most likely pointed to his activities to free Russian prisoners and resettle them to Russia along with the fugitives who had lived in Persia since the 1803 campaign, when Russian troops began to subjugate the lands located to the north. the Araks river. This was supposed to help ensure the security of Georgia, which suffered from the raids of its Muslim neighbors.

As Skobichevsky writes in his book, the prisoners who expressed their consent to return to Russia were tortured, bribed to stay in Persia, intimidated with stories of punishments, supposedly awaiting them in their homeland. But Griboyedov insisted on his own and personally escorted the detachment of Russian prisoners to Russian borders.

Griboyedov spent exactly three years in Persia. Having studied to perfection, in addition to the Persian language, also Arabic, having learned to read in both of these languages, he could all the easier get acquainted with the customs and customs of the Persians, study the character of this people, cruel, treacherous and treacherous

- Alexander Skobichevsky. "Griboyedov. His life and literary activity"

Massacre in Tehran

At the beginning of 1823, Griboyedov left the service and returned to his homeland. He lived in Moscow, then in St. Petersburg. He returned to diplomatic activity in September 1826, having gone to serve in Tiflis. He took part in the conclusion of the Turkmanchansk peace treaty, beneficial for Russia, which ended the Russian-Persian war of 1826-1828. After that, Griboyedov was appointed ambassador to Tehran.

On October 7, Griboyedov arrived at Tabriz. As Skobichevsky writes, from the first days of travel across the Persian territory "misunderstandings began, which did not promise anything good." In particular, Griboyedov himself quarreled with the Shah and his ministers, and his servants had clashes with the Persians. For example, the servants of one Persian beat Griboyedov's uncle, Alexander Gribov, and a bottle of vodka was broken at one of the Cossacks, for which the culprit was severely punished.

The drop that overflowed the cup was a clash with the Persian government over the Armenian Mirza Yakub, who had already lived in Persia for a long time, managing the shah's harem as the chief eunuch. A few days before the appointed date of departure, Mirza-Yakub appeared at the embassy and announced his desire to return to Russia. Griboyedov took part in it, but the Persian government all the more energetically opposed the return of Yakub to Russia, because the latter was the treasurer and chief eunuch for many years, knew all the secrets of the shah's harem and family life and could divulge them

- Alexander Skobichevsky. "Griboyedov. His life and literary activity"

This angered the Shah. They tried to restrain Yakub by all means: they said that the eunuch was almost the same as the Shah’s wife, they demanded huge sums of money from Yakub, claiming that he had robbed the Shah’s treasury and therefore could not be released. Moreover, it came to the attention of the head of the clergy of the Mujtehid Messih Mirza that the eunuch was allegedly cursing the Muslim faith.

"How! - said the mujtehid. - This man has been in our faith for twenty years, read our books and now he will go to Russia, outrage our faith; he is a traitor, unfaithful and guilty of death!"

Griboyedov's associate Maltsov wrote that on January 30 from the very morning people gathered in the mosque, where they were told: "Go to the house of the Russian envoy, take the prisoners, kill Mirza-Yakub and Rustem!" - a Georgian who was in the service of the envoy.

Thousands of people with bared daggers invaded our house and threw stones. I saw how at that time the collegiate assessor, Prince Solomon Melikov, who was sent to Griboyedov's uncle Manuchehr Khan, ran through the courtyard; the people threw stones at him and rushed after him to the second and third courtyards, where the prisoners and the messenger were. All the roofs were covered with a raging rabble, which with fierce shouts expressed their joy and triumph. Our guard sarbazes (soldiers) did not have charges with them, rushed after their guns, which were stored in the attic and already plundered by the people.

For an hour our Cossacks fired back, then bloodshed began everywhere. The envoy, believing at first that the people only wanted to take the prisoners away, ordered the three Cossacks, who stood at his watch, to fire blank charges, and then only ordered to load the pistols with bullets when he saw that they began to slaughter our people in the courtyard. About 15 officials and servants gathered in the envoy's room and bravely defended themselves at the door. Those who tried to invade by force were hacked with sabers, but at that very time the ceiling of the room, which served as the last refuge for the Russians, burst into flames: all those who were there were killed by stones thrown down from above, rifle shots and dagger blows from the rabble that rushed into the room. The robbery began: I saw how the Persians carried their spoils into the yard and, with a cry and a fight, divided it among themselves. Money, papers, mission logs - everything was plundered …"

37 Russians and 19 Tehranians were killed in the massacre. On the second or third day after this massacre, the mutilated corpses of the slain were taken outside the city wall, thrown into one heap and covered with earth. A little later, among the pile of bodies, Griboyedov was found. His body would be identified only by the very injury once received during a duel with Yakubovich.

Griboyedov's body was sent to Tiflis, where he was buried, according to his wishes, on June 18, 1829. Griboyedov's wife, Nina Alexandrovna, whom he married shortly before the tragedy, put a chapel on the grave, and a monument in it. The monument was adorned with the inscription: "Your mind and deeds are immortal in Russian memory; but why did my love outlive you?"

For the murder of Griboyedov, the Persians presented a generous offering with an apology to Emperor Nicholas I. Among the gifts was one of the greatest treasures of the Persian shahs - the Shah diamond.