Born in Constantinople in the family of the Gospodar (ruler) of Moldavia, Dmitry Cantemir, who during the Russian-Turkish War of 1711 found himself surrounded by Peter I and moved to Russia.
In 1725 Cantemir entered military service, and in 1728 he was promoted to lieutenant. In 1730, together with Feofan Prokopovich, V.N. Tatishchev and others, he opposed the “supreme rulers”. In 1731 Cantemir was appointed ambassador to London, and from 1738 to Paris, where he died in one thousand seven hundred and forty-four.
During his years of diplomatic service, Kantemir showed himself to be a talented diplomat; during his stay in Western Europe, he was interested in French philosophy, literature, social thought, and was friendly with many leading people of his time. Cantemir translated, for example, “Persian Letters” by Montesquieu, with whom he was well acquainted. In 1730, Cantemir completed the translation of Fontenelle’s treatise “Conversations on the Many Worlds,” in which Copernicus’ heliocentric system was defended. Cantemir's literary and scientific activities were distinguished by their versatility. He was the author of theoretical treatises, poems, songs, fables, and epigrams. He was the first to introduce the genre of poetic satire into the history of Russian literature; he wrote 9 satires, in which following the examples of European classicism was enriched by the Russian satirical tradition.
Cantemir saw satire as an educational role, hoping that its “naked truth” would help correct a person and society. Kantemir expressed his public position very clearly: “Everything I write, I write as a citizen, discouraging what could be harmful to fellow citizens.”
L. N. Vdovina
Kantemir Antioch Dmitrievich(1708 - one thousand seven hundred and forty-four), poet. Born on September 10 (21 New Style) in the family of a scientist and encyclopedist, the Moldavian prince D. Cantemir, one of the closest associates of Peter I. He received an excellent education at home.
At the age of seventeen he began his literary career, translating the “Chronicles” of Manasseh from Latin, and “Translation of a Certain Italian Letter” from French. In 1727 - 29 he translated four of Boileau's satires into verse, which helped him later develop his own satirical style.
During these years, Cantemir wrote political epigrams, then moved on to the original satyrs, which were circulated in the lists. He acted as a defender of the line of Peter I in politics and culture.
In 1730 he took an active part in the fight against the attempts of the old nobility to limit in their favor the autocratic rights of Anna Ioannovna, who relied on the nobility.
However, the government of Anna Ioannovna, dissatisfied with Cantemir’s excessive political and literary activity, considered it best to appoint him Russian ambassador in London in 1731. He writes a lot abroad, translates Horace, Anacreon, and unsuccessfully tries to get his poems published in St. Petersburg.
In 1738 he was transferred as ambassador to Paris, where he became close to C. Montesquieu and translated his “Persian Letters.” Kantemir closely follows the development of poetry in Russia and, in response to V. Trediakovsky’s treatise “A New and Brief Method for Composing Russian Poems” (1735), writes the article “Letter of Khariton Mackentin” (1743), in which he defended syllabic verse from Trediakovsky’s attacks.
Kantemir was one of the founders of Russian classicism and new satirical poetry.
A. Cantemir died in Paris on March 31 (April 11, new style), one thousand seven hundred and forty-four.
Kantemir Antioch Dmitrievich(1708 or 1709, Constantinople - one thousand seven hundred and forty-four, Paris) - writer, diplomat. The son of the Moldavian ruler, who sought to free himself from Turkish rule and entered into an alliance with Peter I. In 1711, after the unsuccessful Rusaltykov-Turkish war, Cantemir’s father permanently moved with his family to Russia, where he received the title of prince from the tsar. Kantemir studied at home, at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy in Moscow, the Capuchin school in Astrakhan, in St. Petersburg, and the Academy of Sciences, becoming an encyclopedic educated person. Kantemir was the first translator of foreign secular literature into RuSaltykov language. Along with easy-to-write translations from ancient Greek, Cantemir translated the work of the French naturalist B. Fontenelle, “Conversations on Many Worlds,” which popularized astronomical knowledge. Many of Kantemir’s works have not survived: he began work on the RuSaltykov-French dictionary, preparing materials on RuSaltykov history. Cantemir became famous for his satyrs who defended education and science. In his works, he acted as a consistent supporter of the reforms of Peter I. V. G. Belinsky wrote: “Kantemir began the history of Russian secular literature.” He introduced the words “idea”, “deputy”, “concept”, “beginning”, etc. into the circulation of RuSaltykov’s speech. Researcher D. D. Blagoy noted that “it was Kantemir who established the tradition of enlightenment as one of the most important features of our fiction XVIII V.". From 1728, Kantemir lived in Moscow and became a participant in the events associated with the accession to the throne of Anna Ivanovna, drawing up a petition to her on behalf of the nobility to destroy the “conditions” concluded by the “supreme rulers.” Cantemir's hopes for this autocrat were not justified. In 1731 Cantemir was appointed ambassador to London, and in 1738 to Paris. His diplomatic efforts were aimed at bringing Russia and England closer together, strengthening political, economic, scientific and technical ties. Cantemir's diplomatic correspondence contains a serious analysis of the foreign and domestic policies of European states. Died from a serious illness.
Cantemir (Prince Antioch Dmitrievich) is a famous Russian scientist, satirist, the youngest son of the Moldavian ruler, Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich, and Cassandra Cantacuzene. Born in Constantinople on September 10, 1709, Cantemir’s love for science was of a utilitarian nature, in the spirit of Peter the Great: he valued both science itself and his literary activity only to the extent that they could bring Russia closer to prosperity, and the Russian people to happiness. This mainly determines the importance of Cantemir as a public figure and writer. Asking himself, even in his early youth, the question of means of disseminating knowledge suitable for life in Russia, and of eradicating ignorance and superstition, he recognized the most important thing is the establishment of schools and considered this the task of the government. Seduced by the powerful activity of Peter, Cantemir pinned all his hopes on monarchical power and counted very little on the independent initiative of the clergy and nobility, in whose mood he saw a clear dislike or even hatred of enlightenment. In his most powerful satires, he takes up arms against the “evil nobles” and against the ignorant representatives of the church. When, during the accession of Empress Anna Ioannovna, there was talk of granting political rights to the nobility (gentry), Kantemir strongly spoke out in favor of preserving the political system established by Peter the Great. On January 1, 1732, Cantemir went abroad to take up the post of Russian resident in London. He no longer took part in the internal political life of Russia, being initially (until 1738) the representative of Russia in London, and then in Paris. Cantemir's literary activity began very early. Already in 1726, his “Symphony on the Psalter” appeared, composed in imitation of the same work by Ilyinsky: “On the Four Gospels.” In the same year, Cantemir translated from French “A Certain Italian Letter Containing a Comforting Critical Description of Paris and the French” - a little book in which French morals, which were already gradually penetrating to us, were ridiculed. In 1729, Cantemir translated a philosophical conversation: “The Table of Kevik - the Philosopher,” which expressed views on life that were quite consistent with the ethical views of Cantemir himself. In the same year, his first satire appeared, which was so enthusiastically greeted by Feofan Prokopovich and immediately established the closest alliance between them. All further satires (there are 9 of them in total) constitute only a more detailed development of the thoughts expressed in the first. The first place in them is occupied by the people, with their superstitions, ignorance and drunkenness, as the main causes of all the disasters that befall them. Do the upper classes set a good example for the people? The clergy is not much different from the people themselves. The merchants think only about how to deceive the people. The nobility is completely incapable of practical matters and is no less prone to gluttony and drunkenness than the people, and yet, recognizing itself as better than other classes, it is surprised that they do not want to give it power and influence. The administration is mostly corrupt. Kantemir castigates not only representatives of the lower administration: yesterday “Makar seemed like a fool to everyone,” but today he is a temporary worker, and the picture immediately changes. Our satirist addresses the authorities with a word of bitter truth. “It doesn’t do much good to call you the king’s son, if in morals you are equal to the vile dog.” With great courage and with extraordinary power of verse for his time, he proclaims that “he who ascends there without turning pale, where all the people direct their watchful eyes, must be pure.” He considers himself and others to have the right to boldly proclaim such thoughts, because he feels like a “citizen” (this great word was first introduced by him into our literature) and is deeply aware of his “civic” duty. Kantemir should be recognized as the founder of our accusatory literature. 1729 and 1730 were the years of greatest flowering of Cantemir's talent and literary activity. During this period, he not only wrote his most outstanding satires (the first 3), but also translated Fontenelle’s book: “Conversations on Many Worlds,” providing it with detailed comments. The translation of this book constituted a kind of literary event, because its conclusions radically contradicted the superstitious cosmography of Russian society. Under Elizaveta Petrovna, it was banned as “contrary to faith and morality.” In addition, Cantemir rearranged several psalms and began writing fables. He was the first to resort to “Aesopian language”, speaking about himself in the epigram: “On Aesop”, that “not being straight,
He says directly, “I know everything” and that “I have corrected many thoughts by teaching the truth falsely.” After moving abroad, Cantemir, with the exception of perhaps the first three years, continued to enrich Russian literature with new original and translated works. He wrote lyrical songs in which he expressed his religious feelings or praised science, introduced the Russian reading public to the classical works of antiquity (Anacreon, K. Nepos, Horace, Epictetus and others), continued to write satires in which he presented the ideal of a happy person or pointed out on sound pedagogical techniques (satires, VIII), predetermining, to a certain extent, the task subsequently carried out by Betsky; He also pointed to the ideal of a good administrator, concerned with ensuring that “truth blooms in favor of the people,” so that “passions do not swing the scales” of justice, so that “the tears of the poor do not fall to the ground,” and who sees “his own benefit in the common good” (letter to the prince N. Yu. Trubetskoy). He also translated contemporary writers (for example, Montesquieu's Persian Letters), compiled a manual for algebra and a discussion on prosody. Unfortunately, many of these works have not survived. In a letter about the “composition of Russian poetry,” he speaks out against the dominant Polish syllabic verse in our country and makes an attempt to replace it with a tonic one, more characteristic of the Russian language. Finally, he writes a religious and philosophical discussion, entitled: “Letters about nature and man,” imbued with the deep religious feeling of a person standing at the height of education. A painful death interrupted this vigorous activity very early. Kantemir died on March 31, one thousand seven hundred and forty-four, in Paris, and was buried in the Moscow St. Nicholas Greek Monastery.
- – rus. writer, satirist, disseminator of philosophy. knowledge in Russia; diplomat. Genus. in Constantinople, son of D. Cantemir. Received a diverse education. Belonged to the so-called scientific team, ... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia
Kantemir Antioch Dmitrievich- , prince, youngest son of Mold. book D. K. Cantemir (1673–1723), scientific encyclopedist, member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences, and ... Dictionary of the Russian language of the 18th century
Kantemir Antioch Dmitrievich- Russian poet, satirist, diplomat. Son of the Moldavian ruler D. K. Cantemir. He was widely educated: he was fluent in several languages, studied the exact sciences and humanities, history... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
KANTEMIR Antioch Dmitrievich- (1708 44) prince, Russian poet, diplomat. Son of D.K. Cantemir. Enlightenment rationalist, one of the founders of Russian classicism in the genre of poetic satire... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Kantemir, Antioch Dmitrievich- KANTEMIR Antioch Dmitrievich (1708 44), prince, Russian poet, diplomat. Son D.K. Cantemira. Enlightenment rationalist, one of the founders of Russian classicism in the genre of poetic satire. ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
Kantemir Antioch Dmitrievich- (1708 1744), prince, Russian poet, diplomat. Son of D.K. Cantemir. Enlightenment rationalist, one of the founders of Russian classicism in the genre of poetic satire. * * * KANTEMIR Antioch Dmitrievich KANTEMIR Antioch Dmitrievich (1708 1744), prince,… … encyclopedic Dictionary
Kantemir Antioch Dmitrievich- Antioh Dmitrievich Cantemir Antioh Dimitrievici Cantemir Prince A.D. Cantemir Date of birth: September 21, 1708 Place of birth: Istanbul, Ottoman Empire Date of death: April 11, 1744 ... Wikipedia
Kantemir Antioch Dmitrievich- Cantemir (Prince Antioch Dmitrievich), the famous Russian satirist and founder of our modern belles-lettres, the youngest son of the Moldavian ruler, Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich and Cassandra Cantacuzene, was born in Constantinople on September 10... ... Biographical Dictionary
KANTEMIR Antioch Dmitrievich- (10(21)09.1708, Constantinople 31.03(11.04). 1744, Paris) writer and philosopher. Genus. in the family of the Moldavian ruler, Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich K., who in 1711, fleeing from the Turkish Sultan, fled with his family to Russia, where he became... Russian Philosophy. Encyclopedia
Kantemir Antioch Dmitrievich- (1708, Constantinople 1744, Paris), poet, educator, translator, diplomat. On his father, according to one version, he is a descendant of Tamerlane (“Kan Timur” “relative of Timur”), on his mother Kantakouzin, from the line of Byzantine emperors. Son of Prince Dmitry... ... Moscow (encyclopedia)
Just as all of Cantemir’s philological works correlate with a whole trend in literary science of the 1730-1740s, so his treatise on poetry entitled “Letter of Chariton Mackentin”, attached to the translation of Horace’s “Epistle”, is understandable only in general connection with the enormous theoretical interest in issues of versification, an interest natural for the literary generation that made the transition from syllabic verse to tonic verse. But unlike other works, Cantemir takes an archaic position on the issue of verse. He was not convinced either by Trediakovsky’s treatise of 1735 or by the example of Lomonosov’s first odes, written in iambic tetrameter. The Letter of Chariton Mackentin sets out a system of syllabic verse. What explains this? Trediakovsky had already thought about this and explained it by the non-Russian origin of Kantemir (as if Medvedev, Barsov, Istomin, Polikarpov and other representatives of virsch poetry in Moscow were not pure Great Russians). It is most accurate to explain Cantemir’s loyalty to the old system, on which his literary youth was brought up, by his stay abroad, his separation from the St. Petersburg disputes of the 1730-1740s around the issue of verse, his separation from the movement that in Russia attracted the new generation to the reform of versification. The Italian and French environment in which Cantemir lived in London and Paris also played a certain role; the example of Italian and French verse inclined him to fidelity to the syllabic system. Nevertheless, having studied Trediakovsky’s treatise on tonic verse (1735), Cantemir introduced into his thirteen-syllable verse a mandatory constant caesura with emphasis on the fifth or seventh syllable of the verse, i.e. made a certain concession to the tonic principle. And since Trediakovsky’s new verse represented only a toned-down old thirteen-syllable syllabic verse, Cantemir’s reformed verse is not as far from it as it seems if we compare the theoretical views of both poets. Cantemir's verse with the introduction of a constant caesura (He is only blessed in this life who is satisfied with little) needs only a slight change in order to be toned down by Trediakovsky's verse.
When reworking all his old five satires abroad, Cantemir completely followed the principle of constant caesura. All this improved his verse, and the accumulated experience, maturity of talent, complete mastery of his art give the second edition such literary advantages that sometimes the same satire seems like a new work. Note, however, that the significance of the document of the political struggle of 1729-1731. has, of course, the first edition. Among other interesting provisions of the Letters of Chariton Mackentin, we note the sharp and polemical defense of transference. The corresponding paragraph is entitled by Kantemir: “Transfer is permitted.” Since Trediakovsky does not say a word about transference in his treatise, the polemical edge of Cantemir’s thought is obviously directed against French poetry, in which, after Malherbe and Boileau, the immutable rule of the coincidence of verse with a syntactic unit was established. Meanwhile, Italian poets allowed the transfer. Apparently, in matters of poetry, Cantemir was influenced by his Italian London friends. However, on the issue of transference, Kantemir continues at the same time the old practice of Virsheva Russian poetry, associated with the colloquial nature of Virsheva verse (and in Cantemir himself with the casually conversational nature of the satirical style).
The language of Cantemir’s prose works does not constitute a major stage in the history of Russian prose. Fontenelle's astronomical treatise is translated into a language that differs little from the business prose of Peter the Great's era. Later, numerous diplomatic reports, for which Cantemir had such a perfect model as the language of French diplomacy, were for him a school that taught him to write accurately, concisely and clearly. “The Letter of Chariton Mackentin” is written exemplary in this regard, but this short textbook of poetry, both in size and in the nature of the subject, could not become a decisive example. Only the genius of Lomonosov creates the foundations of the Russian scientific and theoretical language.
An original phenomenon is the language of Cantemir's satyrs. What is striking in them is the free admission of vernacular language to a degree that is approximately the same in the first five satires, and in their foreign adaptation, and in the last 3 satires. Cantemir is not afraid of the most extreme cases of vernacular, which once again proves the incorrectness of the traditional view that elevates his satires to Boileau’s satires: Boileau has no vernacular even in such purely everyday satire as the description of an absurd dinner with an inept owner. Meanwhile, Kantemir has the following verses at every step:
Those who are given more sense lie more...
...When a smart bitch falls in love with something fresher than something fresh...
...You can’t beat them to salted meat with a stick...
...Friends in sadness; I sat down to play cards...
Familiar sayings are constantly introduced (to sculpt peas into the wall; slightly put lipstick on your lips; cabbage soup and the big master of the house; and now the devil can’t live, etc.). Such a widespread introduction of vernacular is a unique case of its kind in Russian poetry of the 18th century. The language of Kantemir the satirist continues in this regard the tradition of the language of Feofan’s sermons. And if you remember how often the heroes of his (early) satires repeat the gallery of portraits in Feofan (these similarities have been repeatedly made by researchers), then it becomes clear that Cantemir’s satires represent at the same time the completion of the domestic literary tradition and the beginning of educational literature in the new European sense of the word (moral English-style magazines), i.e. represent a natural stage in the development of Russian literature of the 18th century.
Life of Prince Antiochus Cantemir
(Extract by K. Negruzzi, translation into Russian by I. Remizov)
Prince Antiochus Cantemir was born in Constantinople on September 10, 1709 in the family of Prince Dmitry Cantemir and Cassandra Cantacuzene, daughter of the ruler of Wallachia Sherban, who came from a line of Greek emperors. In marriage, Dmitry had four sons: Konstantin, Matey, Sherban and Antioch, and two daughters: Maria and Smaragda.
The Kantemirov family extends from the Tatars, as can be seen from the name Kantemir or Khan-Temur adopted by them. In the “History of the Ottoman Empire,” written by Prince Dmitry, you can read that one noble Tatar from Crimea wrote to Konstantin Cantemir, Dmitry’s father, that one of the branches of his family settled in Moldova 160 years ago and converted to Christianity. This Tatar, known to Prince Constantine as relatives, often came to him in Iasi when he was the ruler of Moldavia.
The House of Cantemir produced two rulers of Moldavia, Constantine (Antiochus' grandfather) and Antiochus (his uncle). The latter, overthrown by the intrigues of Brancovan, the ruler of Wallachia, moved to Constantinople, where his brother also lived when Antiochus was born.
The important services rendered by Dmitry Porte and his merits persuaded Sultan Ahmet III in 1710 to give him the princely title, which was borne by two representatives of his family. Dmitry was not blinded by the radiance of the throne; loving science and the life of a philosopher and knowing from the example of his predecessors how little the promises of the Turks were worth, he did not want to accept the reign; nevertheless, the Ottoman court, knowing how useful a hardworking and spiritual person could be, continued to insist on this, claiming that he was the only Christian capable of protecting the interests of this principality, which was under the threat of invasion by Russian troops, and promising that he would not have to give the vizier large sums of money, which the rulers of the principality usually paid them upon accession, and gave him twenty wallets of money from the state treasury to cover the first expenses. This convinced Cantemir. That same year he moved to Iasi, taking with him his son Antiochus, who was ten months old. Soon the new ruler became convinced that Porta was not fulfilling his promise; Having ascended the throne, he received an order from the vizier Baltazi Mehmet to pay the usual taxes - in violation of all the promises of the Porte.
This behavior of the Turks towards him and the cruelty with which they treated the Moldavian people prompted him to think about liberating the country from the tyranny of the Porte and delivering Christians, his subjects, from the heavy yoke of the infidels.
The arrival of the great Peter and the proposals that this ruler made to Cantemir inspired Dmitry with the idea that providence had sent him to realize his goals. Having concluded an agreement, they were unable to complete it due to the unsuccessful Prut campaign, which destroyed all their plans. Forced to flee in a Russian convoy, he placed himself under the protection of Peter. The Russian Tsar did not want to know the intrigues being waged against the implementation of agreements. So, despite criticism from his army and the instigations of many courtiers who said that because of one person the interests of an entire army should not be sacrificed, Peter never agreed to hand over to Turkey the Moldovan prince hidden in the queen’s carriage, which no one said knew, although the Porte demanded this extradition in the first clause of the treaty between the warring parties. “I would prefer to give the Turks,” said this ruler with truly imperial grandeur, “all my lands up to Kursk, for by giving them, I will retain the hope of returning them, than to break the word I gave to the prince who left his country.”
Dmitry followed Peter to Russia. This monarch, in recognition of his merits and in compensation for losses, named him a Russian prince, subordinate only to the person of the emperor, and gave him the right to control the life and death of thousands of Moldovans who followed him to Russia. He gave him a significant amount of estates and sat down, marking him all his life with trust and turning to him every time for advice, both in times of war and in times of peace.
Antiochus, who was then two years old, was first brought to Kharkov, Ukraine, and then to Moscow and St. Petersburg, where he grew up... His father, being himself an educated man and knowing about his son’s great learning abilities, hired him skilled teachers. Antiochus's first teacher was a Greek named Condoideus, who later became a bishop in Russia. But Prince Dmitry was not one of the parents who completely trusted the zeal of teachers and thus freed themselves from the responsibilities that nature and religion give them - to monitor the education of their children; he took them with him on a trip to Derbent, where he went in 1722 with Peter.
On this journey, the teaching of young Antiochus was not interrupted. He devoted all his free minutes to reading. Under the instructions of a learned parent, the sights of the countries through which they followed were for him like a book opened before his eyes, giving a new way of education to which his father taught him: morals, religion, trade, gifts of the land - nothing remained unexplored. Antiochus remained for two years in Astrakhan.
Upon returning from this trip, in 1723, Prince Dmitry, having become seriously ill, made a strange and noteworthy order in which he asked the emperor to declare as heir to his property the son who, using the acquired skills and knowledge, would most worthily serve the state; adding at the same time that his youngest son is more inclined to this than the elders, and is more worthy of inheriting if he subsequently does not violate the hopes placed on him by his behavior.
This will proved how respectful the prince was for his youngest son and how deep gratitude he had for his benefactor monarch. That same year he died on his estate in Ukraine.
The passion shown by Prince Antiochus for learning was not quenched. The founding of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg in 1725 ignited a sense of rivalry in him. He underwent a continuous course of study at this academy, under the guidance of experienced professors sent by the emperor from abroad. He studied mathematics from the famous Bernoulli, physics from Bilfinger, moral philosophy from Gross, who also taught belles lettres and who, by Cantemir’s own admission, instilled in him a taste for literature; more than many other sciences, he gave preference to moral philosophy, saying that this is a science that teaches a person knowledge, instructs him and makes him useful to society. Realizing how necessary it is for a Christian to keep research curiosity and metaphysical speculation within strict boundaries, he did not leave the Holy Scriptures in oblivion. “Symphony on the Psalter,” written in Russian and published by him shortly after completing his academic cycle, is a monument to his reverence for the holy books.
The Academy, admiring the excellence and vastness of the talents Prince Cantemir displayed in the course of study, elected him as a member in the hope that he would one day lead it.
When Antiochus entered the cavalry corps, which was then commanded by Grand Duke Peter II, this young prince, who loved literature and had respect for its creators, was imbued with friendly feelings towards Cantemir and appointed him lieutenant of the Preobrazhensky regiment, which corresponded to the army rank of colonel.
Prince Cantemir was then involved in two trials regarding his father's inheritance. Litigation was not consistent with military pursuits, and even less with science and philosophical life. He regretted the time lost in legal proceedings most of all.
He conducted one process with the Princess of Hesse-Homburg, née Princess Trubetskoy, his stepmother, who had a second marriage with the Prince of Hesse-Homburg, for part of the inheritance that she demanded from the property of Prince Dmitry. This process was considered by the Supreme Council, and the Kantemirov family won it. Another process again concerned parental inheritance; since the Great Peter died without giving effect to the will of Dmitry Cantemir, his son Konstantin took possession of all his parental property, supported by his father-in-law, Prince Dmitry Golitsyn, who during the infancy of Peter II was an influential person in the council and misled the young tsar, allegedly Prince Dmitry called his heir to the eldest son. Because of this, Antiochus was left without property until the accession of Empress Anna to the throne.
After the death of Emperor Peter II in 1730, Princess Anna, then Duchess of Courland, daughter of Tsar Ivan, who ruled together with Peter I, her younger brother, was proclaimed the supreme council of the regent empire (?).
The Dolgoruky princes acquired great influence at the court of Peter II, who was engaged to a girl from their family, and had even greater power in the council. They contributed to the transfer of the crown to Anna to the detriment of the minor Elizabeth, who was called to the throne, both by birthright and by the will of Peter I and Catherine, her parents, reasoning that the princess, who owed them the throne, would easily accept their plan. Prince Vasily Lukich Dolgoruky drew up articles that she had to sign and take an oath. According to these articles, all power passed to the Supreme Council, and the empress retained nothing but her title. She vowed to comply with them, but many of the powerful, assuming that the Dolgorukys cared primarily about their own interests, and not about the fatherland, put together an opposition party, headed by princes Cherkassky and Trubetskoy. Kantemir allied with them against the Dolgorukys and, upon the Empress's arrival in Moscow, was involved in drawing up a document, which they presented to her, asking her not to follow the goals of the Dolgorukys. This document showed her that the articles to which she swore were not developed by all members of the council, but only by Prince Vasily.
The Empress acceded to these proposals and tore up the above-mentioned convention, abolished the supreme council and established a new cabinet, composed mainly of those who fought for these changes.
Prince Cantemir, who played an important role in these events, did not want to accept any reward from the queen.
Household and state affairs, in which Cantemir took part in the mentioned time, did not allow him to return to literary pursuits. Wanting to be useful to Russia, in which he saw his new homeland, he wrote his first satire when he was not yet twenty years old. The hatred that many Russians showed towards Peter's reforms gave him an idea. Many times he witnessed their murmurs and realized that the surest way to root out prejudices is to show that they are ridiculous, and it is easier to correct with shame what justice cannot do. So he filled this satire with all the many complaints, word for word, similar to those that he had so often heard. He was not deceived. Inspired people greeted this satire with applause, not knowing the author, and rushed to make copies of it. The Archbishop of Novgorod, one of the most enlightened people in Russia, greeted the anonymous author of these verses. Rabbit, Archimandrite Novospassky, composed Latin poems in his praise. The archbishop's praise was all the more remarkable because in this writing of Cantemir there are many attacks against the ignorance of the clergy and especially the bishops. Prince Cantemir, as is known, addressed his third satire to him; after the first, he created another one, which was received with no less enthusiasm. The expressiveness with which he ridiculed vices and prejudices, and the good advice he gave, turned many verses from satires into proverbs that live in the mouths of the people to this day.
The first proof of gratitude that Cantemir received from the empress was a gift of a thousand peasant households. His brothers and sister, who received a small part of their father's inheritance, accepted this gift. This emerging favor alarmed the courtiers and especially Prince Golitsyn, father-in-law of Constantine, elder brother of Antiochus, who was afraid that their father’s estates, unjustly taken by them, might be returned to their relatives. They persuaded the empress to send Antiochus to a foreign court as an ambassador. The princess was embarrassed by the youth of Prince Cantemir, but Count Biren or Biron, who arrived from Courland and was a powerful nobleman, interceded with the empress. “Don’t let Cantemir’s age bother you,” he told her, “I know him and am responsible for his diligence.” Finally, being twenty-three years old, Cantemir Bal was appointed Russian ambassador to the British court, to restore good relations between the two countries, interrupted several years ago. Prince Cantemir, knowing how useful traveling abroad could be to acquire new knowledge, gladly accepted his appointment. On this occasion, he said: in order to take anything useful out of travel, you must be endowed with the knowledge and principles that teaching and good education provide; without them, these trips are detrimental to the spirit and morals; because of this, so many young people sent on travels brought nothing back home except the vices of other countries.
Having left Moscow on January 1, 1732, he made his way through Germany and Holland, where he selected good books and commissioned a Hague scribe to print “Historical and Geographical Description of Moldavia,” the manuscript of his parent. Arriving in London in April, he immediately became known as a zealous politician. Through his mediation, he settled matters to the mutual satisfaction of the courts. Lord Forbes, later Earl of Grenard, was declared ambassador plenipotentiary at the court of St. Petersburg, and the Russian Empress gave the same title to Prince Cantemir.
The free time remaining after embassy duties was devoted to literature. His home was a meeting place for educated people who were attracted by his reputation and the good reception he received. Loving the Italian language, he learned it so well that it seemed, when he wrote or spoke, that he himself was Italian. He began to translate into Italian, under Mr. Raleigh's supervision, his father's Ottoman History, but other commitments did not leave time to complete the work, which remained in manuscript. Also in London, he translated Mr. Algarotti's dialogues, and their author expressed his gratitude to him in the publication of his book, which was published in Naples in 1739.
In London, Cantemir was equally respected by the townspeople and at court, especially by Queen Caroline, on whose orders the aforementioned “History” was translated into English and published.
Political affairs and serious scientific studies did not allow Cantemir to return to such an important subject as his satires. In 1731 he began a fourth satire, addressed to his muse, in imitation of Boileau's famous satire on his spirit, which began with the following verse:
C´ est a vous, mon esprit, a qui je veux parler.
Eight of his satires are known. He began the ninth, at the very end of his life, in which he wanted to show what the philosophical spirit consists of, and many of those who consider themselves philosophers could find out how far they are from the true goal; unfortunately, illness prevented him from completing it. He didn't want to print the other eight; only sent the manuscripts to Empress Elizabeth after her accession to the throne. Now only we can speak of the beauties and defects of these writings, but by publishing them we will give the readers the right to judge them, showing that the author's purpose was to eliminate the prejudices of the nation, for, he said, there is no other way to correct them than by showing them to be ridiculous. Before him, there were rhyming plays in Russia, but more significant poetry did not exist, so he is considered the founder of Russian Parnassus. He was the first to introduce white, or unrhymed, verse in Russian, translating Anacreon and Horace, in which he succeeded.
Scientific studies aggravated the visual impairment that remained after suffering from smallpox. He tried in vain to cure himself with medicine. The fame of M. Gendron, the royal doctor, brought Cantemir to Paris in 1736. This skilled physician managed to improve the condition of his eyes, and two years later, when Cantemir arrived in Paris as an ambassador, he finally cured him.
Let us now turn to Cantemir's diplomatic service. France could not look with indifference at the alliance concluded in 1734 by Russia and the German Emperor against the Porte, and especially at the successes of the Russian troops under the command of Field Marshal Minich. Intermediaries were hastily introduced between the emperors, after which the Belgrade Treaty, so detrimental to Christianity, was concluded. The Russian court, seeing the loss of its ally, whose army acted unsuccessfully, also entered into negotiations. In the absence of the Russian embassy in Paris, the French ambassadors in London, first of all M. de Bussy, and then M. de Cambyses, entered into negotiations with Prince Cantemir, who petitioned the French court to send an ambassador to St. Petersburg and before Russia - about the appointment of an embassy in Paris to establish mutual understanding. In 1738, Cantemir received orders to go to France as ambassador plenipotentiary, in connection with this, the empress promoted him to chamberlain. The Versailles court immediately appointed the Marquis de Vaugrenant as ambassador to Russia, and then de da Chetardie, and until the latter’s arrival in Russia, ambassadorial duties were performed by M. d’Elon, who was then in Russia.
Cantemir arrived in Paris in September 1738. He could not receive an audience in the palace, since his status as ambassador plenipotentiary did not give him the right to do so. Through the efforts of Cantemir, the court changed the etiquette in this case, and he had the pleasure of bringing peace negotiations with the Turks, in which France acted as a mediator, to a successful conclusion. At this time, the Russian Empress appointed Cantemir Ambassador Extraordinary, after which he received an audience at the end of December, and the Marquis de la Chetardie immediately accepted the ambassadorial mission to Russia.
Queen Anna died in 1740; her death, in its consequences, placed Cantemir, an ambassador distant from the court, in a critical situation. Anna appointed her grandson Ivan, who was only a few months old, as heir during the regency of the Duke of Courland, but the subsequent coup destroyed Anna's will, and Princess Elizabeth, who had all rights to the throne, was proclaimed empress.
Elizabeth, having heard about the merits of Prince Cantemir, promoted him to secret councilor and had the intention of choosing him as a mentor to the little prince, her son; but these duties, despite their honor, seemed to him to be the grave of his own freedom.
At the end of 1742, he lost his old friend, Prince Cherkassky, the great chancellor, who had the skill of holding on to his place, seeping through all the coups that overthrew so many courtiers. This prince had the intention of making Cantemir his son-in-law. Antiochus also felt affection for the princess, but the rise of the Prince of Cherkassy, who became the great chancellor, which would have prompted anyone else to hasten the wedding, forced Cantemir to refuse it, saying that kinship with the first minister of the empress could not but disturb the peace that he so desired. That he is afraid to get bogged down in government affairs, from which he sought distance, because his destiny is science and literature. Soon after the death of Prince Cherkassky, his daughter married Count Sheremetev.
Before this, we only talked about what Cantemir’s ambassadorial activities in France were; Let us now turn to his literary life. Upon arrival in Paris, his first concern was to get acquainted with the educated people of this capital. In the midst of his ambassadorial activities he maintained such great peace of mind that he was always able to devote part of his time to his scientific passions. In a city where pleasures surrounded man on all sides, in the brilliant age of his prime, he led the life of a philosopher and hermit. For a long time, his company consisted of only a few friends, whom he sometimes did not see for days on end. It often happened that he sat locked in his office for several days.
The science that occupied him most after arriving in France was algebra. He compiled a treatise in Russian, which remained in handwritten form.
He experienced strong Christian feelings. “Philosophy,” he said, “makes a person virtuous only in words, but a Christian must become virtuous in deeds.” He read the best church books. Bosue was his idol. He collected in his library most of the works of this great prelate, the pride of France and one of the brightest lights of the church. He never tired of reading and admiring the book about sacred politics. The principles of this policy, which went back to the Holy Scriptures, could not help but please the ambassador, who, embracing philosophy and the interests of humanity, but not the works of Machiavelli or armchair hypocrisy, said that politics should have no other goal than to make people happy; the interests of the sovereign and the people must go side by side; and if rulers can buy safety and tranquility at the price of the blood of their subjects, they are trampling upon the laws of nature. These are the maxims on which Prince Cantemir based his policy.
He viewed the agreements that rulers entered into among themselves as monuments of lies. One day, he came to the theater, where he saw several ministers and ambassadors, “I can’t understand,” he said, “how they could calmly come to the theater when they condemned a hundred thousand people to death.” War was declared.
During this time his health deteriorated. He ate very little, his body could not digest anything. Mr. Gendron sent him to the waters of Plombieres, where he visited in 1741; they brought him relief, as did the medicine of Mademoiselle Stephens, to whom he turned on the advice of the same doctor; but in the summer of 1743, wanting to go to these waters again, despite the fact that M. Gendron stopped him, he could not bear the suffering and returned to Paris even more ill. Seeing that the illness was getting worse, he surrendered to the hands of other doctors, who found him at the end of 1743 unable to leave the house. Up to this point, his illness consisted only of stomach ailments, lumbar pain and insomnia; then a slight fever appeared, and then a weak cough. The doctors assured him that there was no need to worry about chest illness, but his friend, who had the opposite opinion, advised him to go to Italy for a change of climate. Cantemir sent a request to the court for a summer vacation in Naples. But he was no longer able to travel. Now there was no doubt that the chest was affected. M. du Moulin, called at the end, began to treat the lungs, but could no longer overcome the ingrained illness. Goat's milk helped a little.
Throughout his illness, which lasted about six months, Cantemir continued to read, being engaged in embassy affairs until his death. At this time, he translated Epictetus’s “Morals” into Russian. The desire to study left him only a few days before his death.
A friend, who did not leave him throughout his illness, seeing that the end was approaching, one day, when he was reading Cicero’s treatise “On Friendship,” he found a place where it was said about the duties that this virtue requires from friends, and warned Cantemir, seeing that his time is coming, manage his household chores and take care of his soul.
Cantemir accepted this advice with exemplary humility, telling his friend that he had received proof of true friendship and that he would leave as any religion requires and as a Christian philosopher. He asked for Boxue's Book of Ascent to Divinity, wanting to read it. He said that nothing eased his torment more than the opportunity to see a small circle of friends who had not abandoned him. Among them were Prince Charles (Charles), the Duchess de Aiguillon - one of the greats, and M. de Morpetuis - one of the scientists, they visited him daily.
Before his death, Cantemir wanted to talk only about religion, relying only on the will of Providence. “The thought of death,” he once said, which frightened me at first, now consoles me.”
In his last days, he confessed to his confessor, on Easter day, on the second day he listened to the liturgy and calmed down, and on the third day, unable to get up, he made a will; in it he showed the love he felt for his elder sister, whom he always respected; she also loved literature and often wrote to him in Greek, French or Italian. He bequeathed to transport his ashes to Russia and bury them in a monastery next to his father.
He remained conscious until the last minute. On April 11, Saturday of Easter week, at six o'clock in the evening, he died, making the sign of the cross, at the age of thirty-four years and seven months. During the autopsy, dropsy was found in the chest, as M. du Moulin had expected.
Prince Antioch Cantemir had a righteous, beautiful and healthy spirit. Reading and reflection gave him great knowledge. At first glance, he seemed to be a cold person, but this external coldness was not felt when he was in the company of people he liked. His humor was melancholy, largely due to his prolonged suffering, but also due to the influence of the Russian climate. He was cheerful with his friends, whom he loved to do favors for. His speech was pleasant and thorough, without arrogance or swagger. He loved satire, especially satire that wise and virtuous people laughed at. He was very obliging in business.
He had a graceful physique, his face was spiritual and pleasant. He spoke Russian, Romanian, Latin, French and Greek; understood ancient Greek, Spanish, Old Church Slavonic and English.
His writings in Russian, except for the “Symphony on the Psalter”, published in his youth, are a collection of handwritten poetic texts, including satires, fables, odes, etc., dedicated to Empress Elizabeth. A heroic poem called “Petrida” was begun, glorifying the great Peter, which remained uncorrected. A treatise on algebra, reflections on prosody, several songs sung in Russia today, and the following translations:
“On the Many Worlds”, with comments. Published in St. Petersburg.
"History" of Justin.
Translation by Horace, in unrhymed verse.
“Odes of Anacreon.
Cornelius Nepos.
"Painting" by Chebes.
"Persian Letters".
"Morality" by Epictetus.
"Dialogues" by Algarotti.
He compiled a Russian and French dictionary. He collected materials on the history of Russia, but death prevented him from finishing the work.
He left behind a library collected from French, Italian, English, Latin and Greek books.
Vladimir Veselitsky
Antioch Cantemir and the development of the Russian literary language
Kantemir began the history of secular Russian literature.
...[in Cantemir's satires] there is so much originality, so much intelligence and wit, such bright and true pictures of the society of that time, the personality of the author is reflected in them so beautifully, so humanly, that occasionally turning around old Cantemir and reading one of his satires is true pleasure.
V. G. Belinsky
Writer of the first half of the 18th century. Antioch Dmitrievich Kantemir stood at the origins of new Russian literature and the Russian national literary language. In both directions he had to follow untrodden paths. Kantemir’s creative activity is inextricably linked with the work to improve the Russian literary language. There are many words that are currently in use and their meanings ( citizen, people, satellite, critic, character, taste etc.) appeared precisely at that time. They reflected the views and needs of society, at the same time they show the direction of the linguistic searches of writers of the 18th century.
The role of Cantemir in the history of the literary language is great. He takes a decisive step towards updating and democratizing the old book language, strives to bring the written language closer to the spoken language, to write simply. He draws the themes and images of his works, primarily satire, from contemporary reality, depicting it so sharply and directly that now, as in the time of Belinsky, despite some inevitable obsolescence of language and style, his works can still be “expanded” instructive and interesting.
Diplomat - scientist - writer
Kantemir's views were formed under the strong influence of transformations in the state, social and cultural life of Russia in Peter's time. And the writer’s biography is closely connected with this era. Cantemir lived a short (less than 35 years), but bright and meaningful life; he left a significant literary legacy. The writer's grandfather Konstantin Cantemir was a famous military leader who later became the ruler (“sovereign”) of Moldavia, which was under Turkish rule. Father - Dmitry Cantemir (1674–1723) also took the post of ruler in 1710. In an effort to free his homeland from the oppression of the sultans, Dmitry entered into an agreement with Peter I during the Russian-Turkish War of 1711. However, the Russian army near the Prut River then found itself in a difficult situation and was forced to retreat. Dmitry Cantemir left with her along with his family and a large number of followers. In Russia, Cantemir was well received, appointed senator, Peter I used his advice. In 1722–1723 Kantemir accompanied the king on the Persian campaign and died on the way back from the campaign. In Peter’s notebook there is a review: “This ruler is a very intelligent man and capable of giving advice.”
Antiochus's father was not only a statesman, but also the author of a number of works on history, philosophy, and art. He spoke many languages and was a member of the then famous Berlin Academy . His large work, “The Book of Sistima, or the State of the Muhammadan Religion,” was published in Russian (translated from Latin by I. Ilyinsky) during his lifetime (1722), another, “Historical, Geographical and Political Description of Moldavia,” was published by N. Novikova (1789). The writer's mother, Cassandra Cantacuzene, was also distinguished by her education. Antiochus was born on September 10, 1709 in Constantinople, but his first impressions were connected with his real homeland - Russia.
Parents, especially the father, paid great attention to the upbringing and education of their children. It is known that Dmitry Cantemir in his will asked not to appoint any of them as heir, “until they have been tested in the sciences and in other instructions.” Even then, he singled out Antiochus: “in intelligence and science, my youngest son is the best of all.” Cantemir's home tutor was Anastasius Kondoidi, known for his scholarship, who arrived with Dmitry Cantemir and was later appointed by Peter I to prominent positions. He taught Antiochus languages and history. Another home teacher, Ivan Ilyinsky, later a translator at the Academy of Sciences, had a great influence on the future writer. Having written poetry himself, Ilyinsky taught Antiochus the syllabus and the Church Slavonic language, instilling in him a taste for literature. Antiochus' friendship and correspondence with his teachers continued uninterrupted until the end of his life. For some time, Kantemir studied at the Moscow Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy (“Spassk schools” - he recalls them in satires), which then provided a fairly broad education; its graduates were V.N. Tatishchev, M.V. Lomonosov, V.K. Trediakovsky and others.
Cantemir’s youthful interests are evidenced by his appeal to Peter I (1724), where he pointed out “an inclination in himself ... to acquire science” and named ancient and modern history, geography, jurisprudence and “what belongs to political status,” mathematics and “ miniatures" (painting). After the opening of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, Kantemir was (1726–1727) one of the first students of the academic university (St. Petersburg University arose later). He listened to lectures (in Latin and other languages) by prominent academicians (professors, as they were called) - D. Bernoulli, F.-H. Mayer in mathematics, G.-B. Bilfinger in physics, G.-Z. Bayer on history, Chronicle-F. Gross on moral philosophy.
The latter discipline meant a lot for Kantemir, since Gross presented advanced and new for that time questions about civil rights, social order, etc. Later, Kantemir had correspondence with another St. Petersburg academician - the greatest mathematician and physicist L. Euler. One should not be surprised by the wide range of sciences studied by Cantemir. Encyclopedicism of interests and knowledge was common among educated people of the 18th century. We will see this using the example of Cantemir’s works. But the history of Russia in the 18th century. knows other encyclopedist scientists - first of all, Lomonosov, who was a philologist, writer and natural scientist. Artistic works from the pen of figures of the 18th century. quite often they coexisted with philosophical and scientific-journalistic ones.
In the Cantemirs’ house they spoke Russian, but other speech was also heard - the writer’s mother was Greek, many Moldovans came with Dmitry Cantemir, the children were taught European languages.
Biographers and researchers have always been amazed by the fact how Antiochus, in such an environment, could so organically perceive the Russian language - not only master it, but also capture in his works vivid examples of literary, bookish and colloquial speech of the 18th century. And this despite the writer’s 12-year stay abroad on diplomatic work. Russian has always remained the writer’s native language. Not to mention the fact that all of his works (including scientific and philosophical) are written in Russian, this is also evidenced, in particular, by his correspondence with his sister. They exchanged letters in Modern Greek and (mainly for exercise) in Italian, but in difficult moments and on particularly serious issues, Cantemir turned to his native Russian language. Here is the beginning of one of his last letters (1744): “Being very weak, and especially today, I am not able to write much, so I answer in Russian.”
We must not forget that during the decisive period of his life, Cantemir was in the thick of Russian society. His early childhood was spent near Kharkov. Since 1713, the family moved to Moscow, and the father often took Antioch to the Kursk and Oryol villages. Even then, Russian life, living, simple speech firmly entered the consciousness of the future writer. The authors of biographies also cite the following symbolic episode relating to the childhood of Antiochus. While a student at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy (in 1718 or 1719), he performed there on the day of Dmitry of Thessaloniki, reading poetry (“Panegyric Word”) in the presence of Peter I. Respect for Peter was constant in the Kantemirov family and left a deep mark on the work of Antiochus.
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