The Death of Vazir-Mukhtar

by Yury Tynyanov

  Chavchavadze, Alexander Gersevanovich (1786–1846), a general in the Caucasian Corps; a prominent Georgian poet and translator of Russian and German; the father of Griboedov’s wife, Nino Chavchavadze.

  Chavchavadze, David (Davidchik) (1817–1884), son of Princess Salome and Alexander Chavchavadze; brother of Nino Griboedova.

  Chavchavadze, Salome, Princess (née Orbeliani), (1795–1841), the wife of Alexander Chavchavadze, the mother of Nino, Ekaterina (Katenka), David, and Sofya (Sonechka).

  Chernyshev, Alexander Ivanovich (1786–1857), an officer appointed to the commission investigating the Decembrist uprising and rewarded for his services with the title of count, the rank of general of cavalry, and the appointment as minister of war.

  Constantine (Konstantin Pavlovich) of Russia, Grand Duke (1779–1841), second son of Emperor Paul I; renounced his claim to the throne in 1823, which had not been made public. The controversy over the succession was the immediate cause of the Decembrist uprising.

  Cvartano, a Spanish-born colonel in Russian service during the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828.

  Dadash-bek (Dadashev or Dadashian), Vasily, translator and treasurer of the Russian mission; perished on January 30, 1829, during the sacking of the mission in Tehran.

  Davydov, Denis Vasilyevich (1784–1839), a poet and army officer active in the partisan war against the French invaders during 1812.

  Delvig, Anton Antonovich, Baron (1798–1831), the lifelong friend of Pushkin; a poet and a publisher of literary journals (The Literary Gazette, Northern Flowers, The Snowdrop).

  Depreradovich, Nikolai Ivanovich (1767–1843), a general of the cavalry. His son, Nikolai Nikolaevich (1802–1884), was a member of the secret Southern Society.

  Derzhavin, Gavriil (Gavrila) Romanovich (1743–1816), a major Russian poet of the eighteenth century.

  Demuth (Demouth), Filip-Jacob (1750–1802), a French merchant who in the 1760s established a hotel in St. Petersburg on the Moika Canal.

  Didelot, Charles-Louis (1767–1837), a French dancer and choreographer who lived in St. Petersburg from 1801; raised the Russian ballet to unprecedented heights.

  Diebitsch, Ivan Ivanovich, Count (1785–1831), a German-born Russian field marshal; from 1824, chief of the General Staff; assisted in suppressing the Decembrist uprising.

  Dolgorukov (Dolgoruky), Vasily Vasilyevich (1772–1843), took part in a number of military campaigns during the reign of Alexander I; subsequently a court master of the horse.

  Dyurova, Lubov Osipovna (née Dür), (1805–1828), an actress, married to the actor Pyotr Karatygin.

  Emmanuel, Georgy Arsenyevich (1775–1837), a general in charge of the troops on the Caucasian border.

  Érard, Sébastien (1752–1831), a French instrument maker of German origin who pioneered the modern piano.

  Eristov, Georgy Evseyevich (Eristavi), (1769–1863), Duke, nobleman of a Georgian princely family; general, senator of the Russian Empire.

  Ermolov, Alexei Petrovich (1772–1861), a Russian general during the Napoleonic wars; from 1816–1827, governor-general of Georgia.

  Espejo, Akim Mikhailovich (1792–1847), a Spaniard who fought in the Engineering Corps during the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828 and the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829.

  Fat’h-Ali-shah (Baba-Khan) (1770s–1834), the second ruler of the Qajar dynasty; ruled in Persia from 1798–1834.

  Fazil-Khan, the court poet.

  Ferdinand VII (1784–1833), king of Spain; overthrown by Napoleon in 1808; he linked his monarchy to a counterrevolution that produced a deep rift in Spain and resulted in civil war.

  Ferronays, Auguste, Comte de La (1777–1842), the French minister of foreign affairs (January 1828–April 1829).

  Georges, Marguerite (Weimer) (Mademoiselle George) (1787–1867), one of the most famous stage actresses of her time.

  Glinka, Mikhail Ivanovich (1804–1857), the composer often credited with founding the Russian tradition in classical music.

  Golenishchev-Kutuzov, Pavel Vasilyevich (1772–1843), a lieutenant-general and member of the committee that investigated the Decembrists. As the St. Petersburg governor general, was in charge of their execution.

  Gretsch, Nikolai Ivanovich (1787–1867), a leading Russian grammarian of the nineteenth century, primarily remembered as a journal publisher (Son of the Fatherland and The Northern Bee); after 1825, a reactionary.

  Gretsch, Varvara Danilovna (“Gretschess,” née Müssar) (1787–1861), Nikolai Gretsch’s first wife.

  Griboedov, Alexei Fyodorovich (1769–1830), Alexander Griboedov’s uncle and patron, a major landowner.

  Griboedov, Sergei IvanovichGriboedova, Anastasia Fyodorovna (1760–c.1815) and (1768–1834), Griboedov’s parents.

  Griboedova, Nina Alexandrovna (Nino, née Chavchavadze) (1812–1857), Alexander Griboedov’s wife.

  Gribov, Alexander Dmitriyevich, Alexander Griboedov’s footman, and possibly an illegitimate son of Griboedov’s father.

  Grigoryev, Pyotr IvanovichPyotr Ivanovich Grigoryev the First (the Second) (1807–1854), full namesake of (1806–1871), a Russian actor and author of vaudevilles, not to be confused with Pyotr Ivanovich Grigoryev the First (1806–1871).

  Hassan-Ali-Mirza (1789–1854), son of Fat’h-Ali-shah, prince of Persia, governor of Kerman.

  Igor, Prince of Kiev, a son of Ryurik, founder of the Kievan state; ruled c.913–945; succeeded to the throne after his death by his wife, Princess Olga Yaroslavna (who ruled until 969).

  Iskritsky, Demyan Alexandrovich (1803–1831), Bulgarin’s nephew, an officer and Decembrist; spent six months imprisoned at a fortress, and then was transferred to the Caucasus; took part in the Russo-Persian War.

  Istomina, Evdokiya (Avdotya) Ilinichna (1799–1848), a prominent Russian ballet dancer.

  Ivan Yakovlevich, Chaadayev’s valet.

  Ivan III Vasilyevich (1440–1505), one of the longest-reigning Russian rulers in history; tripled the territory of his state, ended the dominance of the Golden Horde over Rus’, and laid the foundations of the Russian state; known as “Ivan the Great.”

  Ivan IV (1530–1584), the Grand Prince of Muscovy (1533–1547), then Tsar of All Rus’ until his death; known as “Ivan the Terrible.”

  Justiniani, Natalya Grigoryevna, Princess (1783–1811), the first wife of General Fyodor Akhverdov; the mother of four of his children, including Sofya and Egor Akhverdov.

  Karamzin, Nikolai Mikhailovich (1766–1826), a prominent writer and linguistic reformer; the imperial historiographer and author of The History of the Russian State (1816–1826).

  Karatygin brothers, the: Vasily AndreyevichPyotr Andreyevich (1802–1858) tragic actor; and (1806–1879), dramatist and actor.

  Karvitsky, Stanislav Stanislavovich, a rich landowner from South-West Russia; divested of his nobility and rank and assigned as a private to serve in the Caucasus.

  Katenin, Pavel Alexandrovich (1792–1853), a poet, literary critic, and Decembrist; exiled to the countryside, where he spent the rest of his days.

  Khosraw Mirza, Abbas Mirza’s son, who headed the Persian mission to St. Petersburg with a letter of apology and gifts from the shah following Griboedov’s death.

  Khosrow-Khan (Ghaytmazeants), the shah’s eunuch.

  Khvostov, Dmitry Ivanovich, Count (1757–1835), a senator and prolific poet of little talent; also a member of the traditionalist literary circle led by Alexander Shishkov.

  Korff, Fyodor Fyodorovich (1803–1853), a Russian writer, playwright, and journalist; served at the Russian mission to Persia in 1834–1835.

  Kotlyarеvsky, Pyotr Stepanovich (1782–1851), a Russian military hero during the Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812) and the Russo-Persian War (1804–1813); defeated Abbas Mirza in the Battle of Aslanduz in 1812.

  Kozhevnikov, Nil Pavlovich (in the novel, mistakenly referred to as Petrovich), a lieutenant and member of the Northern Society; after the Decembrist uprising, demoted to the rank of private and sent to the Caucasus.

  Krylo
v, Ivan Andreyevich (1769–1844), a Russian playwright, poet, and fabulist in the style of Jean de La Fontaine.

  Küchelbecker, Wilhelm Karlovich (1797–1846), a school friend of Alexander Pushkin; a fellow poet and a Decembrist, sentenced to imprisonment and exile to Siberia.

  Kurakin, Boris Ivanovich (1676–1727), a Russian diplomat of the era of Peter the Great.

  Kutuzov, Mikhail Illarionovich (1747–1813), Prince, an eminent Russian general, commander in chief of the Russian armies during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812.

  Levashov, Vasily Vasilyevich (1783–1848), the adjutant general to Nicholas I on December 14, 1825, subsequently an interrogator of the arrested Decembrists and a member of the court martial.

  Lieven, Christopher Henry, von (1774–1839), Prince, a Livonian nobleman, Russian general, and ambassador to Britain from 1812–1834.

  Lomonosov, Mikhail Vasilyevich (1711–1765), a Russian polymath, scientist, and writer who made important contributions to Russian language, literature, education, and science.

  Ludwig (Louis I) (1786–1868), King of Bavaria, also an eccentric and notoriously bad poet would write about anything, no matter how trivial, with strings of rhyming couplets.

  Lunin, Mikhail Sergeyevich (1787–1845), a Life Guards officer and prominent Decembrist; exiled to Siberia and imprisoned again for writing in opposition to the Russian government; lived out the rest of his life in a cell.

  Macdonald, Lady Amelia (née Harriet) (d.1860), Sir John Macdonald’s wife; friend of Nino Griboedova.

  Macdonald, Sir John (Kinneir) (1782–1830), a Scottish colonel of the East India Company, diplomat and traveler, and British ambassador to Persia.

  Madatov, Valerian Grigoryevich (1782–1829), a general of the Caucasus Corps.

  Maiboroda, Arkady Ivanovich (1798–1845), an officer of the Vyatka Regiment, a spy who denounced Pavel Ivanovich Pestel and other Decembrists before the Decembrist uprising and later testified against them.

  Makintsev, Samson Yakovlich (Samson-Khan) (1780–1849), a general of Russian origin in the service of Qajar Persia; originally a sergeant-major in the Imperial Russian Army.

  Maltsov, Ivan Sergeyevich (1807–1880), first secretary of the Russian mission to Persia, Griboedov’s subordinate; the only survivor of the massacre. Having finished his diplomatic career in 1831, he became an industrialist and a man of letters.

  Manouchehr-Khan (b. Enikolopov), one of the shah’s eunuchs.

  Martinengo, an Italian medical doctor and adventurer; General Ivan Fyodorovich Paskevich’s assistant and confidante.

  Martos, Ivan Petrovich (с.1752–1835), a sculptor; creator of the marble statues of Catherine the Great and Alexander I in the neoclassical style.

  Mazarovich, Semyon Ivanovich (1784–1852), head of the Russian mission to Tehran (1818–1826).

  McNeill, Sir John (1795–1883), a Scottish surgeon and diplomat attached to the East India Company’s legation in Persia (1824–1835).

  Menshikov, Alexander Sergeyevich (1787–1869), a military commander and diplomat; in 1826, the head of the Russian mission to Persia.

  Metternich, Clemens von (1773–1859), an Austrian diplomat at the center of European affairs for four decades as the Austrian empire’s foreign minister, from 1809, and chancellor, from 1821.

  Mickiewicz, Adam (1798–1855), a Polish poet, dramatist, translator, professor of Slavic literature, and a principal figure in Polish Romanticism.

  Miloradovich, Mikhail Andreyevich (1771–1825), St. Petersburg governor-general from 1818; mortally wounded during the Decembrist uprising.

  Mina, Francisco Espoz Ilundain (1781–1836), better known as Francisco Espoz y Mina, a Spanish general and guerilla leader.

  Mirza Jafar Topchubashev (1790–1869), a Russian Orientalist scholar and poet, professor of Persian at St. Petersburg University (1819–1835); Alexander Griboedov was one of his most famous pupils.

  Mirza-Yakub (b. Markarian), a khoja (a scholar), and one of the shah’s eunuchs.

  Mirza-Massi, a judge of the holy court.

  Mullah-Msekh, served at the Iman-Zume Mosque.

  Münnich, Burkhard Christopher, von (1683–1767), a German field marshal and political figure in the Russian empire during the reign of Anna of Russia.

  Muravyov (-Karsky), Nikolai Nikolaevich (1794–1866), an officer of the Caucasus Corps, later lieutenant-general; from 1827, married to Sofya Akhverdova.

  Muravyov-Apostol, Sergei Ivanovich (1796–1826), the lieutenant-colonel in charge of the uprising of the Chernigov Regiment in January 1826; one of the executed Decembrist leaders.

  Murillo, Bartolomé Esteban (1618–1682), a Spanish Baroque painter.

  Mushadi Ali (“Ivan Ivanych”), Alexander Griboedov’s first teacher of Persian in Tiflis.

  Nesselrode, Karl Robert (1780–1862), from 1816, Russian foreign minister; implemented the reactionary policies of the Holy Alliance.

  Nicholas I (Nikolai Pavlovich) (1796–1855), the emperor of Russia (1825–1855); a political conservative whose reign was marked by geographic expansion, repression of dissent, economic stagnation, and frequent wars.

  Novitskaya, Anastasia Semyonovna (1790–1822), Russian ballet dancer; rival of Ekaterina Telesheva.

  Obodovsky, Platon Grigoryevich (1805–1864), a writer and playwright, a political reactionary.

  Odoevsky, Alexander Ivanovich (1802–1839), a Russian poet and playwright, one of the leading figures of the Decembrist uprising; after 1825, was arrested, sent to the Peter and Paul Fortress, and later convicted, sentenced to hard labor, and deported to Siberia.

  Olearius, Adam (1599–1671), a German scholar and envoy to Persia; published two books about his observations during his travels.

  Opperman, Karl Ivanovich (1756–1831), a general of the Engineering Corps.

  Parrot, Georg Friedrich (1767–1852), a German scientist; the first rector of the Imperial University of Dorpat (now Tartu).

  Paskevich, Elizaveta Alexeyevna (Eliza), Countess (née Griboedova) (1791–1856), Alexander Griboedov’s cousin, the daughter of his uncle, Alexei, and the wife of General Count Paskevich (from 1817).

  Paskevich, Ivan Fyodorovich (1782–1856), appointed governor-general of Georgia after Yermolov’s forced retirement. After the Persian campaign of 1827–1828, received the title of Count of Erivan.

  Paul I (Pavel Petrovich) (1754–1801), the son of Catherine the Great and Peter III; his reign lasted five years (1796–1801), ending with his assassination by conspirators; succeeded to the throne by his son, Alexander I.

  Pestel, Pavel Ivanovich (1793–1826), the founder of the Southern Society and the mastermind of the revolutionary reform project of reforming Russia, The Russian Truth.

  Platov, Matvei Ivanovich (1753–1818), chieftain of the Don Cossacks from 1801; played a distinguished part in the Napoleonic wars.

  Pleyel, Ignace Joseph (1757–1881), an Austrian-born French composer and piano maker.

  Polevoi brothers, the: Nikolai Alexeyevich (1796–1846), a journalist, writer, and historian, the publisher of the journal The Moscow Telegraph; and Ksenofont Alexeyevich (1801–1867), a writer.

  Potemkin (-Tavrichesky), Pavel Sergeyevich, Prince (1743–1796), a military leader and writer, in the last years of his life, served as the governor-general of the Caucasus.

  Pushchin, Mikhail Ivanovich (1800–1869), brother of Ivan Pushchin, Alexander Pushkin’s Lycée friend; a Decembrist; after the uprising, demoted to the rank of private and exiled to the Caucasus, where he was virtually in charge of all the engineering works during the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828.

  Pushkin, Alexander Sergeyevich (1799–1837), a poet, novelist, and playwright; the founder of modern Russian literature.

  Pustosvyat, Nikita (d.1683), one of the leaders of the Russian Old Believers during the Raskol (religious schism); beheaded on the order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.

  Raynal, Guillaume Thomas François (1713–1796), a French writer during the Age of Enlightenment, the author of the f
our-volume Philosophical and Political History of the Two Indies (1770).

  Razin, Stepan (Stenka) (1630–1671), a Cossack leader of a major uprising against the nobility and tsarist bureaucracy in southern Russia in 1670–1671. His troops went as far south as Iran.

  Rodofinikin, Konstantin Konstantinovich (1760–1838), director of the Asian Department at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

  Rumyantsev, Pyotr Alexandrovich (1725–1796), one of the foremost Russian military leaders of the eighteenth century; governor of Little Russia (modern-day Ukraine).

  Rustam-bek (Rustam Bensanian), manager of the Russian mission to Tehran in charge of administration and supplies.

  Ryleyev, Kondraty Fyodorovich (1795–1826), a poet; one of the five Decembrist leaders who were hanged.

  Saint-Simon, Henry de (1760–1825), French political theorist and economist, whose thought influenced politics, economics, sociology and the philosophy of science.

  Schwarz, Fyodor Efimovich (1783–1869), a Russian general infamous for his cruelty; the commander of the Semyonovsky Regiment of the Life Guards.

  Semino, Barthélémy (1797–1852), a French general, engineer, and linguist who spent more than twenty-five years in Persia working for the East India Company under three consecutive shahs.

  Senkovsky, Joseph (Osip) Ivanovich (1800–1858), a Polish-Russian Orientalist, journalist, and entertainer.

  Sevigny (Sevinis, Chivinis), William Egorovich, a fraudster and thief of Greek origin, presented himself as a French marquis; when staying in Tiflis, frequented P. I. Akhverdova’s house and was briefly engaged to her daughter Darya (Dashenka).

  Shakhovskoy, Alexander Alexandrovich (1777–1846), Prince, a poet and prolific writer for the theater; wrote a few plays in collaboration with young Alexander Griboedov.

  Sheremetev, Vasily Vasilyevich (1794–1817), killed by Alexander Petrovich Zavadovsky in a “double duel” (une partie carrée) that took place on November 24, 1817, in St. Petersburg between Sheremetev and Zavadovsky and their seconds, Griboedov and Yakubovich because of the ballerina Avdotya Istomina. The duel between the seconds was postponed.

  Shevyryov, Stepan Petrovich (1806–1864), a conservative Russian literary historian and poet.