These women changed the lives of not only the men who were close to them, but also world history. For their sake, they abandoned the throne and created new churches.
Elena the beautiful
The story of Helen of Troy was told by Homer in the poem “The Iliad”. Known as the "girl of 1000 ships", Helen of Troy is considered one of the most beautiful female characters in literature.
Paris, the son of King Priam of Troy, fell in love with Helen and kidnapped her. The offended Greeks gathered a large army led by Menelaus' brother, Agamemnon, to return Helen.
An armada of 1,000 Greek ships crossed the Aegean Sea and arrived in Troy. For nine whole years the city remained impregnable, until the Greeks resorted to cunning. They built a large wooden horse with Greek soldiers inside. Despite warnings to the Trojans, “Beware of the Danaans who bring gifts,” the Trojans accepted the horse as a gift.
After waiting until nightfall, the Greeks dismounted and opened the gates of Troy to let in the army of Menelaus. Troy was destroyed. Helen returned safely to Sparta with Menelaus and received the nickname “Trojan,” becoming a fatal symbol of the destruction of the Hellenic era.
Guinevere
The legend of the beautiful Guinevere was written by Sir Thomas Malory in the book “Le Morte d’Arthur” (1485)
Wife of the legendary King Arthur. Daughter of King Laudergrance, who ruled Camlard.
The image of Guinevere is considered the first image of a Beautiful Lady in the literature of the Middle Ages.
Thomas Malory described Guinevere as very beautiful woman. Naturally, her beauty captivated not only King Arthur. Lancelot, one of Arthur's knights, was madly in love with Guinevere. This is eloquently evidenced by his action: he was the only one who stood up for the queen when she was accused of poisoning Sir Patrice.
The insulted Arthur went after Lancelot and Guinevere, leaving Mordred, his nephew, as governor. Having achieved nothing, Arthur was forced to return to his homeland.
In the absence of the king, Mordred decided to seize power by overthrowing Arthur. He called the Saxons for help and met Arthur on the coast with an army. Everyone died in the battle. Mordred was struck down by the king, but Arthur himself was mortally wounded. Dying, he asked Sir Bedivere to throw the sword Excalibur into the lake. The dying Arthur was taken by sorceresses in a magical boat to Avalon.
Cleopatra
Queen Cleopatra was smart, powerful, strong, charming, insightful, daring, ambitious and a femme fatale. She was admired and admired by many to this day.
A brilliant politician and strategist, she skillfully used feminine charms to achieve her goals. For example, in order to please the sophisticated Julius Caesar, she ordered that she be wrapped in rags and thrown at his feet. Caesar was shocked by this act - the ruler of Egypt herself found herself at his feet! But the love and political relationship between Cleopatra and Caesar turned out to be objectionable to the Romans - it is believed that Caesar, having contacted Cleopatra, signed his own death warrant.
Salome
Who: Jewish princess, daughter of Herodias and Herod Boeth, stepdaughter of Herod Antipas
Herod Antipas ruled in Judea, which became a Roman province in 6-7 AD.
At the age of 50, Herod fell in love with the wife of his brother Herodias and he married her. John the Baptist did not like this method of choosing a companion; he criticized the marriage of Herod and Herodias. Herodias was very powerful and vindictive, and the answer to the reproaches of John the Baptist was not long in coming.
A feast was held in honor of Herod's birthday. Herodias sent her daughter Salome to perform a fiery Syrian dance. According to legend, the guests and Herod were so bewitched by her dance that after performing it, Herod exclaimed: “Ask what you want!” On the advice of her mother, Salome asked for the head of John the Baptist as a gift.
The image of Salome is the first image of a femme fatale in the biblical story.
Valeria Messalina
Valeria Messalina was born in 25 AD and belonged to the highest patrician power. At the age of 14 she was married to Emperor Caligula's uncle, Claudius. He was considered a fool, he was middle-aged, had a limp and had two divorces behind him. But Claudius fell in love with Messalina so much that he believed her unconditionally and turned a blind eye to her many lovers.
In 41, Caligula is killed and Claudius becomes emperor and Messalina becomes empress. And then there was no stopping her - balls, feasts, numerous lovers and squandering the treasury of the Empire. But Claudius was still condescending towards her adventures.
Meanwhile, Messalina fell in love “for real.” Her chosen one was one of the young and noble handsome men, Gaius Silius. He was horrified by her persecution, feeling that it was no longer about an empty affair - that the empress was now “all serious.”
To such an extent that she orders the best furniture from the imperial palace to be transferred to Silius's house! Mesallina completely lost her head and decided to become Guy’s wife, giving Claudius a marriage contract to sign. The emperor signed the document without looking at what was in it and left to improve his health.
Left alone in Rome with Silius, Messalina celebrated the wedding with the frightened groom, observing all the ancient rituals, like a “decent woman.” It is unknown how long the holiday would have lasted if one of the drunken guests had not seen the approaching imperial cortege.
Began trials, who did not spare a single lover of Messalina. They did not even spare the cunning Mnester, who claimed that he was only following the emperor’s order to obey his wife in everything.
Ann Bolein
Anne Boleyn is the second wife of Henry VIII and the mother of Queen Elizabeth I of England. She was born into the wealthy but not noble family of Thomas Boleyn. Anne's mother, Lady Elizabeth Howard, came from an old noble family of Howards.
Since childhood, Anna's parents planned for their daughter a high position at court. She received an excellent education at home: she sang, danced well, mastered musical instruments. Fluent in French and Italian, composed poetry and music. At the age of 7, Anna was sent to be raised at the court of the French queen, where she mastered the art of flirting and learned the principles of court intrigue.
At this time, a serious rift occurred between Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII. The king dreamed of an heir, but Catherine, due to her age, was unable to give birth to a boy.
The Duke of Norfolk decided to “help” in a delicate situation and Anne Boleyn returned to England to become the king’s concubine and strengthen her uncle’s position at court. Anna skillfully flirted with Henry, not letting him near her body, increasingly inflaming the king’s passion.
The girl did not want to be just a concubine, she wanted to become the queen of England. Anne hinted to Henry that he would get everything only if he divorced the queen and made her his wife. But circumstances played against the union, because Catherine of Aragon was a Spanish princess and the dissolution of the marriage meant that Henry was going against Charles V and the Vatican.
The situation required a strong-willed decision, Anna urged the king to sever relations with the Vatican and create his own - the Anglican Church. Henry VIII broke off relations with Rome Catholic Church, declared himself the head of the Anglican Church, and declared his marriage with Catherine of Aragon invalid. Anne Boleyn achieved her goal - she became the wife of Henry VIII and the Queen of England.
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I, the "Virgin Queen", daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII was afraid of leaving his country without a strong king, but his fears were not justified - Elizabeth I became such a king.
She reigned for 45 years, and this period in English history is called the “Golden Age”. The only queen who chose a country as her husband. As she liked to say, “I am married to England.” During her reign, William Shakespeare wrote, Francis Drake performed round the world travel, and the Spanish Armada ceased to be invincible.
Elizabeth's path to the throne was not easy. Typically, the successor to the English throne is the eldest male descendant of the reigning monarch. Henry VIII died, leaving behind Edward VI. Edward reigned briefly, from 1547 to 1553, and left no heirs. By right, the throne could go to either Mary (the future Bloody Mary) or Elizabeth. But Elizabeth's time had not yet come, and Mary became queen.
In 1554, Elizabeth was imprisoned by Bloody Mary. Due to her illness, Mary became very suspicious; she saw conspiracies everywhere, one of which accused Elizabeth. In addition, the ardent Catholic Mary was disgusted that Elizabeth was a Protestant. In a word, Maria did everything to poison her stepsister’s life. But at this time the “iron” character of the future queen was formed.
During her reign, there was the so-called “cult of Elizabeth” or the cult of the Virgin Queen. Most often she was depicted as Venus, Circe, Aphrodite, in order to maintain the halo of a divine queen.
Despite this image, the queen had many admirers. She was wooed by Thomas Seymour (husband of Catherine Parr), Duke Robert Dudley (according to historians, she pushed his wife down the stairs to woo the queen), King Philip II of Spain (after refusal, he sent the Armada to England, the matter ended complete defeat Spanish ships), Archduke Charles of Austria and Duke of Anjou.
Catherine II
Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst-Everskaya is the real name of Empress Catherine II. Daughter of Prince Christian Augustus and Joanna Elizabeth. Some historians say that Sophia's real father was Frederick the Great. It was he who recommended Princess Sophia as a wife to the heir to the throne Peter, when he learned that Elizabeth Petrovna was looking for a bride for her son.
Thus, the German princess ended up at the Russian court. At baptism she received the name Catherine. She was trained best teachers so that she becomes a worthy wife to the Russian Emperor. Sophia (now Ekaterina) has mastered the Russian language perfectly, Russian history, the history of Orthodoxy and sought to learn as much as possible about Russia, which she perceived as a new homeland.
In 1762, Catherine organized a palace coup and overthrew Peter III, becoming empress. The time of her reign is called the “golden age of the Russian nobility.” Catherine was a supporter of the Enlightenment, loved to read French educators and corresponded with many of them, including Voltaire.
Under Catherine, favoritism reached its peak. Her favorites included Prince Potemkin, Zavardovsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov. There were 21 official favorites in total. She helped each of them make a career.
But almost everyone, after the termination of relations, was either expelled from Russia without the right to return, or dismissed, or, on Catherine’s orders, close favorites were mutilated.
One of these people was Alexander Mamonov. He fell in love with Princess Elizaveta Shcherbatova and intended to marry, which he reported to Catherine. Catherine agreed, arranged a luxurious wedding, and two weeks later ordered the soldiers to take revenge on Mamonov. He was tied to a chair and gagged, and the soldiers abused the young countess, after which they whipped her until she was completely deformed. Lizanka miraculously survived. Count Mamonov took his sick wife abroad, never to return to Russia again.
Evita Peron
Evita Peron (real name Maria Eva Ibarguren Duarte de Peron) went down in history as the wife of President Juan Peron and the first lady of Argentina.
They met in 1944 at a charity event in the city of San Juan. The evening was dedicated to the earthquake victims. That evening, Evita approached Colonel Peron and told him the words that changed her life.
“Colonel,” she said, touching his sleeve.
- What do you want, girl? - he said without turning his head.
- Thank you for existing.
It started with these three words new life Evita Peron. It is then that the colonel will understand what kind of woman he got - fanatically devoted to him and his ideas, the “mother” of the Argentine people.
Evita had enormous power over Juano Peron - it was she who insisted that he become head of government. After painstaking work, in 1946 Juan Peron actually became President of Argentina. As First Lady, she was extremely popular among the poor and disadvantaged.
De jure she did not hold a single position in the government apparatus; de facto she was the Minister of Health and Labor. Evita worked like a clock, helping her husband retain the presidency. The foundation she headed built schools, hospitals, nursing homes and housing. She perceived the Argentine people as her children. Probably because she couldn’t have them due to illness.
After Evita's death, Juan Perón's political fortunes turned away. The rating was rapidly falling, the dictatorship of the president set teeth on all levels of society, and without the support of his wife he did not last long. In 1955, three years after Evita’s death, a coup took place in the country and Juan Peron hastily left the country that his wife loved so fanatically.
Lola Montes
This life femme fatale was short - only 40 years. Over the years, she managed to conquer Franz Liszt, Honore de Balzac, Alexandre Dumas Sr., she was able to become the favorite of the Bavarian king Ludwig I, for the sake of Lola he abandoned the throne.
Lola Montez's real name is Elizabeth Rosanna Gilbert. Her parents moved to India, where her father was to serve. In India he contracted cholera and died. Elizabeth's mother did not grieve for long and married the commander, James Craigie, and Elizabeth was sent to James's relatives in Scotland. Years in someone else's family, and later in a boarding house, turned out to be a difficult ordeal for the girl. Having grown up, Elizabeth ran away from the boarding house with Lieutenant Thomas James to Ireland, and from there to India.
Thanks to her natural charm and artistry, she was able to attract the attention of the elite in Calcutta, but this was not enough for her. In India she took dance lessons. Later, Elizabeth went to England to visit her husband's relatives, but on the way she met Lord Lenox, and never returned to India. The flighty beauty went to Seville, Spain, to continue her dance training.
Like Mata Hari, she invented a past for herself - now she was a Spanish widow and took the pseudonym Lola Montes.
In June 1843, Lola made her debut in London on the stage of the Royal Theatre. Incendiary Spanish dances coupled with the erotic movements of the East caused a storm of delight.
The further life of Lola Montes resembles a kaleidoscope. Her phrase “What Lola wants, Lola gets” became a catchphrase. What did the young girl want? Of course, money beautiful life and glory. In her fans different time Franz Liszt and Balzac were also included, and one of the best theater critics in France died because of Lola in a duel, having managed to draw up a will in her name. After this incident, Lola Montes had to leave France and she goes to Bavaria.
Ludwig I, King of Bavaria, was captivated by Lola's beauty and spontaneity. Just 6 weeks after they met, he gives her a luxurious mansion, and she walked with a cigar through the streets of the capital of Bavaria, trying to equalize men and women with her example.
In February 1848, Lola paid for her behavior. A crowd of students attacked her, but Lola, threatening them with a pistol, miraculously escaped. For the sake of his beloved, Ludwig could not come up with anything better than closing the university. There were a lot of dissatisfied people, Ludwig canceled the decree, and on March 19, 1848 he renounced the crown in favor of his son Maximilian.
Queen Margo
Marguerite de Valois, French princess, daughter of King Henry II and Catherine de' Medici.
Queen Margot - Beautiful lady Renaissance. Beautiful, smart, educated and with a sense of humor. The wife of Henri de Bourbon, their union was supposed to cement the two French royal houses, and ease tensions between Catholics and Huguenots. At the wedding, which took place in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the groom was forced to stand outside because he was not a Catholic. Six days later, Catholics begin to massacre the Huguenots in protest.
Lan Ke (Empress Cixi)
The girl was born in 1835 into a noble but impoverished Manchu family. At birth she was given the name Lanier (Orchid)
The life story of the empress, who elevated the eunuch Li Lianying and ruled giant China with an iron fist for almost half a century, resembles more a myth than a real biography. By the end of her life, her full official title was: Merciful, Happy, Beneficent, Gracious, Main.
Lan Ke was known as a beauty; her typically Manchu appearance was complemented by her lively personality. As a concubine of the fifth, lowest rank, she was able to become the Empress of China. Lan Ke knew how to take advantage of her unenviable position.
Receiving little money, Lan Ke spent it on singing, drawing, and other lessons. most gave it to the eunuch Li Lianying, who helped her in the palace. Eventually, she attracted the attention of Emperor Sanfen, and became the chief concubine. She entered into the confidence of the Emperor's first wife Tsi'an. But Lan Ke's position was still precarious, and she decided to strengthen it by giving birth to a boy, Tongzhi. But this was not enough for the ambitious Cixi.
During the Opium Wars, the emperor, Qian and Cixi hid in the provinces, fearing persecution by enemy troops. There was an accident with Xiangfeng, which Cixi is blamed for. While walking on the lake, Xianfeng was getting into Cixi's boat and "accidentally" fell into the water. After this he fell ill and died.
From this moment on, Cixi becomes the regent of Tongzhi. In 1837, Tongzhi dies (the murder was organized by Cixi) and Lan Ke achieves his goal - to become the sole ruler of the Chinese Empire.
Usually, when mentioning the cruelty of monarchs, only male names, But..
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But history knows facts about rulers whose names have become synonymous with fury and mercilessness.
This review features 5 women's historical figures, remembered for their cruel acts.
Duchess Olga
IN AND. Surikov. Princess Olga meets the body of Prince Igor.
Duchess Olga. Ruled Rus' in the 10th century. She is remembered for her categorical revenge on the Drevlyans for the death of her husband, Prince Igor.
After the murder of the prince, the Drevlyans sent matchmakers to her with a proposal for a future marriage with their prince Mal. The chronicle indicates that Princess Olga ordered the matchmakers, along with the boat on which they arrived, to be thrown into a hole and buried alive.
The vengeful widow did not stop there. She immediately asked me to send her best husbands Drevlyans, they willingly agreed. Upon arrival, the guests were invited to swim in the bathhouse, where everyone was burned.
Then the princess went to the place of her husband’s death in order to, according to custom, perform a funeral rite - a funeral feast. About 5 thousand drunk Drevlyans were killed.
And to complete her revenge after winning the battle with the Drevlyans, Olga, instead of tribute, asked the residents of Iskorosten for three doves and a sparrow from each yard. Having left the city, Olga gave the order to tie a piece of sulfur to each bird and release it. Of course, the birds returned home and the city burst into flames.
Bloody Mary (Mary I Tudor)
Queen of England Mary I Tudor.
Mary I Tudor History remembers it more as Bloody Mary. In England, not a single monument was erected to her, and the people of the country celebrated the day of her death as a national holiday.
The merciless queen was known as a fanatical Catholic fighting against Protestants. Maria mocked noble people she disliked with particular cruelty, cutting off their genitals and then forcing them to eat them. After this, the queen herself watched as the victims, tortured half to death, were burned at the stake.
During the reign of Bloody Mary, more than 3,000 clergy were deprived of their positions, and another 300 lost their lives at the stake. During the uprisings, people were tortured, beheaded, and burned. Many fled outside England. All the atrocities committed by Maria I stopped only with the onset of her death.
Chinese Empress Tsy Xi
Chinese Empress Ci Xi, who reigned for 50 years.
An intelligent, perspicacious and merciless woman was able to go from a low-ranking concubine to an empress. Tsy Xi. A 16-year-old girl weaved intrigues, bribed eunuchs and did not disdain anything in order to get into the chambers of the Chinese emperor.
After the birth of the heir (according to some versions, who was not even their son at all), Ci Xi immediately took the leading place in the harem, despite the fact that the ruler already had a wife. Over time, the woman strengthened her influence on the emperor and informally took part in the government of the country.
After his death, Ci Xi became regent. The woman brutally suppressed uprisings and pursued an aggressive policy towards neighboring and Western countries. Rumor has it that the empress had many young lovers, whom she ordered to kill after the nights spent. Over the course of 50 years of rule, this woman ruined the country and left only negative memories of herself.
Isabella of Castile - Queen Inquisitor
Isabella of Castile. 1490
She zealously supported the medieval struggle against heresy in the 15th century Isabella of Castile(ruler of Castile and Leon, which later became part of Spain).
During the years of her reign, the Queen-Inquisitor “gave the go-ahead” to the burning of more than 10,000 people and the torture of almost 100,000 more. As the ruler herself noted, all her deeds were committed in the name of faith, for which she was nicknamed Isabella the Catholic.
Landowner Daria Saltykova
Sadistic landowner Daria Saltykova.
Although this woman was not one of the rulers, the extent of the crimes she committed was enormous. landowner Daria Saltykova(Saltychikha) personally tortured to death several dozen serfs.
Having become a widow at the age of 26, Daria Nikolaevna received 600 serfs into her possessions. Soon she began to have fits of uncontrollable anger. The landowner often beat her maids with a log, allegedly for misconduct. In addition, Saltychikha starved people, burned their hair, and left them naked in the cold.
Numerous complaints from people about her atrocities had no response from the authorities, since the landowner generously paid off. Only when Catherine II ascended the throne was Saltykova’s case set in motion.
It was established that 138 peasants were tortured in her village, most of whom the landowner killed herself. The empress changed her death sentence to eternal exile to the Ivanovo Convent. Did not enter the room where Daria Saltykova was placed sunlight, and she was not allowed to talk to anyone.
Armed uprising on the cruiser "Ochakov"
L.E. Muchnik
Mutiny on the cruiser "Ochakov" in the fall of 1905.
On November 11, 1905, a rebellion organized by the Social Democrats began in Sevastopol among the sailors of the Fleet crew and soldiers of the Brest Regiment. Within a few hours, over two thousand sailors of the naval division, part of the soldiers of the 49th Brest Regiment, a reserve battalion of fortress artillery and port workers joined the mutiny. The rebels arrested officers and presented political and economic demands to the authorities. During the endless rallies, a man in the uniform of a naval lieutenant stood out among the speakers. His name was Pyotr Petrovich Schmidt. He made speeches in which he accused the Tsar of the incompleteness of the freedoms granted, demanded the release of political prisoners, and so on. Schmidt’s personality is of undoubted interest to researchers in connection with the role he played in the Sevastopol events and, of course, in the mutiny on the cruiser Ochakov. Schmidt was turned by the Bolsheviks into another legend, and it must be said that it was a rare officer who received such an honor from the Bolsheviks. But was Schmidt a combat officer? You can call it that only with very big reservations.
P. P. Schmidt was born in 1867 in Odessa. His father, hero of the Sevastopol defense, commander of the battery on Malakhov Kurgan, died with the rank of vice admiral. Mother was from the Skvirsky princes. Left early without his mother, whom he loved dearly, Schmidt was very sensitive about his father’s second marriage, considering it a betrayal of his mother’s memory. From a young age, he wanted to go against his father's will in everything. Despite his father, he married a girl of very dubious reputation. Nevertheless, Dominika Gavrilovna Schmidt turned out to be a good and loving wife, and their marriage until 1905 was generally happy. They had a son, Evgeniy.
In 1866, Schmidt graduated from the St. Petersburg Naval Corps and received the rank of midshipman. However, he served only a short time. That same year he voluntarily left military service for health. (Schmidt suffered epileptic seizures). « Painful condition, he wrote in a petition to the Emperor Alexander III,– deprives me of the opportunity to continue serving Your Majesty, and therefore I ask you to resign me.”
Schmidt later explained his departure from the Navy by saying that he wanted to be “in the ranks of the proletariat.” But contemporaries testified that he initially did not like military service, and could not live without the sea and ships. Soon, due to lack of money, thanks to the patronage of a high-ranking uncle, Schmidt returns to Navy. Midshipman Schmidt is sent to the cruiser "Rurik". By coincidence, it was on this cruiser that in 1906 the Socialist Revolutionaries prepared the assassination of Nicholas II. Schmidt did not stay long on the Rurik, and soon received an assignment to the gunboat Beaver. His wife followed him everywhere. At this time, Schmidt's psychopathic character traits, his painful pride, bordering on inappropriate reactions, become more and more apparent. So, in the city of Nagasaki, where “Beaver” had one of its hospitals, the Schmidt family rented an apartment from a rich Japanese man. Once, a dispute arose between the Japanese man and Schmidt’s wife over the terms of renting an apartment, as a result of which the Japanese man said several harsh words to her. She complained to her husband, and he demanded an apology from the Japanese, and when the latter refused to bring them, he went to the Russian consulate in Nagasaki and, having achieved an audience with the consul V. Ya. Kostylev, demanded that he take immediate measures to punish the Japanese. Kostylev told Schmidt that he could not do this, that he had sent all the materials of the case to the Japanese court for a decision. Then Schmidt began shouting that he would order the sailors to catch the Japanese and flog him, or he would kill him in the street with a revolver. " Midshipman Schmidt, - the consul wrote to the commander of the Beaver, - behaved indecently in the presence of consulate employees».
The Beaver commander decided to subject Schmidt to examination medical commission, which concluded that Schmidt suffers from a severe form of neurasthenia combined with epileptic seizures. In 1897, however, he was awarded the next rank of lieutenant. According to his wife in 1899 mental condition Schmidt deteriorated so much that she placed him in a Moscow psychiatric hospital Savei-Mogilevsky, after leaving which Schmidt retired and got a job in the commercial fleet. Upon retirement, as was customary in the Russian army, Schmidt was awarded the rank of captain of the second rank.
Schmidt began sailing on commercial ships. Most likely, Schmidt was a good captain, since it is known that Admiral S. O. Makarov intended to take him on his expedition to North Pole. He passionately loved and knew maritime affairs. At the same time, painful pride and ambition were always present in him. " Let it be known to you, he wrote to his friend, that I have the reputation of being the best captain and an experienced sailor.”
With the beginning Russo-Japanese War, Schmidt was called to military service and was appointed senior officer on the large coal transport Irtysh, which was supposed to travel with the squadron of Admiral Rozhestvensky. For inept management of the ship, Rozhdestvensky put Schmidt in a cabin under arms for 15 days. Soon the squadron left in the direction Far East towards Tsushima. But Schmidt fell ill and remained in Russia. Among the officers, Schmidt was disliked and considered a liberal.
However, liberal views did not mean that Schmidt was ready to take part in an anti-state rebellion. The fact that this did happen indicates that Schmidt somehow, even before the events at Ochakovo, got involved with the revolutionary underground.
Schmidt himself, albeit vaguely, spoke about this during the investigation: “ I cannot be seen separately from the movement of which I was a part.” During the uprising itself on the cruiser Ochakov, he stated: “ I have been involved in revolutionary activities for a long time: when I was 16 years old I already had my own secret printing house. I don't belong to any party. Here, in Sevastopol, the best revolutionary forces are gathered. The whole world supports me: Morozov donates millions to our cause.”
Although it is difficult to figure out from these confused words of Schmidt where there is truth in them, and where wishful thinking is presented as reality, the fact that he was supported by the revolutionary organizations of Sevastopol, that Lenin himself knew about his existence, that Schmidt knew about the “Morozov millions”, says that there really were real organizations behind Schmidt. Therefore, it seems that it was no coincidence that Schmidt ended up on the rebel cruiser Ochakov.
In November 1905, when riots began in Sevastopol, Schmidt took an active part in them. He became friends with the Social Democrats and spoke at rallies. This participation of Schmidt in revolutionary meetings had a very negative impact on the already painful state of his psyche. He began to demand from his wife that she take part in revolutionary gatherings and help him in his new revolutionary activities. When his wife refused, Schmidt left her. They were never destined to see each other again. A few days later, Schmidt joined the uprising on the cruiser Ochakov.
"Ochakov" returned from a training voyage on November 14, 1905. The team was no longer calm and the sailors Gladkov, Churaev and Dekunin, known for their revolutionary spirit, worried it about the establishment of democracy in Russia. Upon the return of "Ochakov" to Sevastopol, unrest among the team intensified even more, as they heard rumors about the indignation of the Sevastopol garrison. Captain II rank Pisarevsky, in order to ease this excitement, gathered the sailors after dinner and began to read to them about the heroes of the Russian-Japanese War. However, the team did not listen to him well. However, the night passed peacefully. On November 12, the division’s call sign “Ochakov” was raised at the mast and the signal was “send deputies,” that is, revolutionaries from the rebels military units They demanded that the Ochakovites join them by sending their deputies. This greatly excited the team, which interpreted this signal in its own way, deciding that reprisals were being carried out against the sailors of the naval division. The team demanded that deputies be sent to Sevastopol to find out what was happening there. At 11 o'clock in the morning the division's mast again raised the signal with the same call. Sailors Dekunin, Churaev and Gladkov began shouting that they needed to answer the division’s call sign and send deputies to it, that “they are slaughtering people there.” All attempts by Lieutenant Vinokurov to influence the team were unsuccessful. Then the senior officer allowed two deputies to be sent to the division. For this, the sailors chose Gladkov and Dekunin, and together with midshipman Gorodyssky they went to the division. They found no one in the naval division and went to the Brest regiment, where a rally was taking place at that moment. On the way to the regiment, they met the commandant of the fortress, who was riding in a cab and who had been arrested by the rebel sailors. The crowd walking around the cart shouted: “by your own judgment!” At the meeting in the regiment, deputies saw a large number of sailors and soldiers. The demands of sailors and soldiers were also put forward there, mainly boiling down to improved conditions of service, amnesty for political prisoners of sailors and soldiers, polite treatment of lower ranks, increased salaries, abolition death penalty and so on.
Gladkov and Dekunin talked with the sailors, found out their demands and, making sure that nothing bad was happening to them, returned to the cruiser.
The crew began to calm down, but some of the sailors continued to worry them, demanding immediate fulfillment of their demands. Sailor Churaev directly stated to Lieutenant Vinokurov that he was a convinced socialist and that there were many like him in the navy. At 5 p.m. the commander’s order was received: “ He who does not hesitate to stand for the Tsar, let him remain on the ship. Those who do not want to have Him or doubt them can go ashore.”
This order was announced on the morning of November 13th after the flag was raised. To the question of captain 2nd rank Sokolovsky: “Who is for the Tsar?”, the team answered: “everyone!”, and not a single person came forward when ordered to come forward to those who are for the rebellion. However, the muted excitement among the team continued. At the same time, an officer came to the Ochakov from another ship of the squadron, who said that if the Ochakov once again responded to the signals of the rebels from the garrison, they would shoot at it. To this the sailor Churaev replied: “Well, let them shoot.”
The sailors decided to continue moving towards the shore. At about 2 p.m. on November 13, two deputies arrived at Ochakov from the shore. The commander of the Ochakov tried to prevent them from meeting the sailors. but the team did not listen to him. The deputies told the sailors that the entire Brest regiment, the fortress artillery, the Bialystok regiment and others were on the side of the uprising military units. This was a gross exaggeration, but it had an effect on the team. The deputies told the sailors that they should support the rebels. The team answered in the affirmative. Then the officers decided to leave the cruiser, which they did, moving to the cruiser Rostislav. After lowering the flag, Captain 1st Rank Sapsay arrived at Ochakov with a flag officer. Sapsay gave a speech to the Ochakov crew, convincing them to stop the mutiny. At the end of the speech, Sapsay demanded that those “ who want to serve faithfully the Sovereign Emperor came forward" Once again, just like the first time, the whole team came forward. Then Sapsay demanded that those who did not want to serve further be extradited. The team responded that everyone wanted to serve. But at the same time, someone from the team asked: “What are our requirements?” Sapsay replied that they would be sent to St. Petersburg and examined there. The sailors asked Sapsay for the officers to return to the cruiser. Sapsay said that the officers would return only if the team gave their word of honor not to participate in the mutiny and obey their officers. The sailors promised. The inspired Sapsay rode to the Rostislav and told the officers that they could return. The officers returned and demanded that the sailors hand over their gun firing pins. The team was about to return the strikers when a man desperately shouted: “ Not giving up weapons is a trap!” The sailors refused to give up the firing pins, and the officers again left for the Rostislav.
As soon as the officers left the cruiser for the second time, conductor Chastnin spoke to the sailors, who said that he had been a “fan of the ideas of freedom” for 10 years and offered his leadership, to which he received the consent of the crew.
Meanwhile, the officers, hoping to calm the squadron's commands, decided to send deputies from all its ships to the rebellious Sevastopol. This was an absolute mistake, as it indicated the weakness of the officers, who seemed to allow negotiations to begin with the rebels. At 8 a.m. on November 14, deputies went to the pier. But before going to the garrison, they decided to first go to Schmidt to ask his advice. This point is extremely interesting: someone skillfully promoted Schmidt in this way, otherwise it is difficult to explain why the sailors went to him for advice?
Deputies went to Schmidt's apartment. He greeted them very warmly. After reading the demands of the sailors, Schmidt burst into a long speech criticizing the existing political system in Russia, talking about the need Constituent Assembly, otherwise Russia will perish. Thus, he skillfully replaced the naive and, in general, unimportant demands of the sailors, with the political program of the revolutionary parties. In addition, Schmidt stated that he was a socialist and that it was necessary to look for officers who sympathized with the revolution, select commanders from among them, and arrest the rest. When all the teams join the uprising, he will lead the fleet and send a telegram to the Sovereign Emperor, in which he will announce that the fleet has gone over to the side of the revolution. However, as soon as the deputies left him, Schmidt, dressed in the uniform of a captain of the second rank, went to Ochakov and told the team: “ I came to you because the officers left you and therefore I take command of you, as well as everyone Black Sea Fleet. Tomorrow I will sign a signal about this. Moscow and the entire Russian people agree with me. Odessa and Yalta will give us everything we need for the entire fleet, which will join us tomorrow, as well as a fortress and troops, at the agreed signal by raising the red flag, which I will raise tomorrow at 8 o’clock in the morning.” The team covered Schmidt's speech with a thunderous "hurrah!"
It is difficult to say whether Schmidt himself believed what he said. Most likely he did not think about it, but acted under the impression of the moment. F. Zinko’s essay about Schmidt says: “ Exalted, amazed by the greatness of the goals opening up to him, Schmidt did not so much direct the events as be inspired by them».
But despite the exaltation, Schmidt showed himself to be a calculating, cunning and double-minded person. When captain 2nd rank Danilevsky arrived on the cruiser, Schmidt received him in the captain’s cabin and said that he had arrived on the cruiser with the goal of influencing the crew, that his main task was to calm them down and return the cruiser to normal. Schmidt also stated that he considers propaganda to be war time very dangerous. Danilevsky returned to “Rostislav” in full confidence that “Ochakov” was in good hands.
However, already at 18 00 A meeting of deputies took place in the garrison, at which Schmidt spoke. Schmidt reiterated that he was a socialist by conviction and that it was necessary to demand the convening of a Constituent Assembly. He called for a general uprising in the army and navy. Schmidt further said that it was necessary to capture Rostislav. To do this, he proposed the following plan: he, Schmidt, having made his way onto the Rostislav, will arrest the admiral, then on his behalf will give the command to all the officers to gather in the admiral’s cabin, where he will also arrest them all.
Meanwhile, the counter-destroyer "Svirepy" and three numbered destroyers, which were assigned to the subordination of Schmidt, went over to the side of the uprising, who returned to the "Ochakov" in the evening, taking with him his 16-year-old son Evgeniy. At about 6 o'clock in the morning, the officers arrested in the garrison from the cruiser "Griden" and the destroyer "Zavetny" were brought to the "Ochakov". These officers went to the garrison for provisions, where they were captured by the rebels. Among them was also Major General Sapetsky. Schmidt ordered the prisoners to be placed in cabins. Then, on his orders, the passenger steamer Pushkin was captured. Schmidt ordered all passengers to gather on the deck of the Ochakov, which was done. At sunrise, in the presence of the crew and captured passengers, he raised a red flag over the Ochakov. At the same time, Schmidt gave a signal: “ I command the fleet - Schmidt." It is interesting that during the raising of the red flag, the orchestra played “God Save the Tsar!” By this, he wanted to attract other ships of the squadron to his side, to reassure the officers and sailors of other ships, convincing them that he was not a rebel. However, they were indifferent to this signal.
Seeing that the red flags were not being raised on other ships, Schmidt went to the destroyer “Ferocious” and began using a bullhorn to call on the sailors of other ships to come over to his side, since “ God, the Tsar and all the Russian people are with him.” The answer to him was the deathly silence of the other courts.
Then Schmidt and a group of armed sailors arrived at the Prut transport, where the arrested sailors from the battleship Potemkin were being held. The Prut officer mistook Schmidt and his men for a guard who had arrived to pick up the next batch of prisoners. Upon entering the ship, Schmidt immediately arrested the officer and freed the prisoners, taking them all to the Ochakov, where they were greeted with shouts of “Hurray!” At that moment, unsuspecting officers arrived on the Ochakov: the commander of the Prut, captain 1st rank Radetzky, and his entourage. They were immediately arrested and placed in cabins.
Meanwhile, Schmidt became increasingly convinced that his plans were failing. When he was moving from the Prut to the Ochakov, they shouted to him from the Ferocious: “ We serve the Tsar and the Fatherland, and you, robber, force yourself to serve!”
Schmidt ordered the passengers to be released from the Pushkin, since he no longer needed them. To his surprise, two of them, students, refused to leave the ship and joined the uprising.
Having made sure that the mutiny did not receive support from the rest of the courts, Schmidt dropped his mask and began to act like a real terrorist and revolutionary: “ I have many captured officers, that is, hostages“, he sent a signal to all ships. Again there was no answer. Then Schmidt decided to capture the battleship Panteleimon, the former Potemkin, which he managed to do. Having arrested all the officers, he gave a speech to them: “ Here,- he said, - in Sevastopol, the best revolutionary forces were gathered. The whole world supports me. (...) Yalta supplies me with provisions for free. None of the promised freedoms have yet been realized. The State Duma– this is a slap in the face for us. Now I have decided to act, relying on the troops, the fleet and the fortress, which are all loyal to me. I will demand that the Tsar immediately convene a Constituent Assembly. In case of refusal, I will cut off Crimea, send my sappers to build batteries on the Perekop Isthmus, and then, relying on Russia, which will support me with a general strike, I will demand, I am already tired of asking, the fulfillment of conditions from the Tsar. During this time, the Crimean peninsula will form a republic, in which I will be president and commander of the Black Sea Fleet. I need a king because without him the dark mass will not follow me. The Cossacks are bothering me, so I announced that for each blow of the whip I will hang in turn one of you and my hostages, of whom I have up to a hundred people. When the Cossacks are handed over to me, I will imprison them in the hold of the Ochakov, Prut and Dniester and take them to Odessa, where they will be settled folk holiday. The Cossacks will be pilloried and everyone will be able to express to their faces the vileness of their behavior. I included economic needs in the sailors’ demands, because I knew that without this they would not follow me, but the sailor deputies and I laughed at them. For me, the only goal is political demands.”
Here Schmidt, as always, is wishful thinking. There was no talk of any significant assistance to the rebels either from Yalta or from Crimea, much less from all of Russia and “the whole world.” On the contrary, General Meller-Zakomelsky with loyal units was moving towards Sevastopol, the rest of the ships of the Black Sea squadron remained completely loyal to the government. Schmidt could not help but understand that the hours of his illusory power were inevitably numbered. And he went all-in, fantasizing about the republic, the secession of Crimea, his presidency, and so on. Rather, he convinced himself of his power not to the captured officers, but to himself. His thoughts sometimes take a painfully feverish turn: “ I will demand, I am already tired of asking, for the fulfillment of conditions from the Tsar...” From whom and what did Schmidt ever ask? But the main thing in these words is different: the Tsar humbly fulfilling Schmidt’s conditions - that’s what the first “red admiral” dreamed of!
But one should not think that Schmidt was insane and acted in a semi-delusional state. No, his methods and tactics are absolutely thought out: hang hostages, his fellow officers, hiding behind sailors for his ambitious goals, deceive them, laugh at their naivety and gullibility, expose them in the name of his pride to a crime for which the death penalty was threatened, plan reprisals over the Cossacks - all these are well-known methods and tactics of terrorists of all times and peoples, and Schmidt acted like a terrorist.
But like any terrorist, no matter how lucky he was, Schmidt was doomed. His situation worsened every minute. General Meller-Zakomelsky entered Sevastopol and quickly put an end to the rebellion. The coastal artillery of the Sevastopol fortress opened fire on the Ochakov, which, together with the Ferocious, Prut and Panteleimon that had joined it, was surrounded by ships loyal to the Tsar. Hurricane fire was opened on the rebel ships with all guns. The Ferocious attempted to return fire, but it was overwhelmed and the ship lost control. The Ferocious crew rushed into the water. “Prut” and “Panteleimon” lowered their red flags after the first shots.
Meanwhile, at Ochakovo, Schmidt completely lost his cool. He shouted that he would hang all the officers if the fire did not stop. Then he said: “I’m going to accept death.” But at that moment, all the turret guns of “Rostislav”, “Tertz” and “In Memory of Azov”, as well as the coastal artillery of the fortress, began to hit “Ochakov”. The Ochakov team rushed into the water. Lieutenant Schmidt was one of the first to flee. This was not caused by his cowardice: simply, like any revolutionary, he considered it inappropriate to accept a “stupid” death on a doomed cruiser. He and his son were picked up by destroyer No. 270. A few minutes later, a boat sent from the Rostislav delivered Schmidt to the battleship. "Ochakov" raised a white flag.
Schmidt and his accomplices were tried by the Black Sea Naval Court, chaired by Admiral Chukhnin, who in March 1906 sentenced Schmidt to death by hanging, which was later replaced by shooting. The court sentenced sailors Gladkov, Chastnik and Antonenko to death. On March 6, 1906, the sentences were carried out.
Speaking at the trial, Schmidt said: “ Behind me will be the people's suffering and the shocks of the years I have lived through. And ahead I see a young, renewed, happy Russia.”
Regarding the first, Schmidt was absolutely right: people’s suffering and shocks remained behind him. But as for " a young, renewed and happy Russia,” then Schmidt was never destined to find out how deeply he was mistaken. 10 years after Schmidt’s execution, his son, the young cadet E.P. Schmidt, volunteered to go to the front and heroically fought “For the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland.” In 1917, he categorically did not accept the October Revolution and went into White army. Came all the way from Volunteer Army to the Crimean epic of Baron Wrangel. In 1921, the ship took Evgeniy Schmidt abroad from the Sevastopol pier, from those places where in 1905 his father helped those who had now enslaved his homeland and were driving him to a foreign land. " Why did you die, father?– Evgeniy Schmidt asked him in a book published abroad. – Is it really so that your son can see how the foundations of a thousand-year-old state are crumbling, shaken by the vile hands of hired killers, molesters of their people?».
This bitter question from the son of the “red admiral” lies the main defeat of Lieutenant Schmidt.
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