Andersen's tales

Andersen's fairy tale "Flint" - fairy tale about a soldier who was returning from service and met an old witch. She asked the soldier to get her a flint that her grandmother had forgotten in a hollow tree a long time ago. The flint was guarded by three angry dogs who sat on chests with copper, silver and gold coins. But the witch had a magic apron against them. The soldier did everything as the old woman asked, but then he hacked her to death and kept all the coins and flint for himself, which, as it turned out, was magical and summoned evil dogs that fulfilled any wishes of the soldier. So the soldier became rich. In the kingdom there lived a beautiful princess, whom the soldier really wanted to look at, and he struck a flint a couple of times and called his dogs to bring him the princess. But after the second time, the king and queen found out who was doing this, they put the soldier in prison and were going to hang him. But he was able to ask the boy to bring him a magic flint. The next morning, before the gallows, the soldier asked for a smoke before dying, struck a flint, 3 evil dogs appeared and punished everyone mortally, and the people immediately elected the soldier as their king so that the dogs would not punish them either.

072b030ba126b2f4b2374f342be9ed44

A soldier was walking along the road: one-two! one-two! A satchel behind his back, a saber at his side; he was walking home from the war. On the road he met an old witch - ugly, disgusting: her lower lip hung down to her chest.

- Hello, serviceman! - she said. - What a nice saber you have! And what a big backpack! Here good soldier! Well, now you will get as much money as your heart desires.

Thank you, old witch! - said the soldier.

See that old tree over there? - said the witch, pointing to a tree that stood nearby. - It's empty inside. Climb up, there will be a hollow there, and you go down into it, to the very bottom! But before that, I will tie a rope around your waist, you shout to me, and I will pull you out.

Why should I go there? - asked the soldier.

For the money! - said the witch. - Know that when you get to the very bottom, you will see a big underground passage; There are more than a hundred lamps burning in it, and it is completely light there. You will see three doors; You can open them, the keys are sticking out. Enter the first room; in the middle of the room you will see a large chest, and on it a dog: her eyes are like tea cups! But don't be afraid! I will give you my blue checkered apron, spread it on the floor, and quickly come up and grab the dog, put it on the apron, open the chest and take as much money from it as you can. There are only coppers in this chest; if you want silver, go to another room; there sits a dog with eyes like mill wheels! But don’t be scared: put her on the apron and take the money for yourself. If you want, you can get as much gold as you can carry; just go to the third room. But the dog that sits there on the wooden chest has eyes - each one as big as a round tower. This is a dog! Feisty-disgusting! But don’t be afraid of her: put her on my apron, and she won’t touch you, and you take as much gold as you want!

It wouldn't be bad! - said the soldier. - But what will you take from me for this, old witch? Is there anything you need from me?

I won't take a penny from you! - said the witch. - Just bring me an old flint; my grandmother forgot it there when she came down for the last time.

Well, tie a rope around me! - ordered the soldier.

- Ready! - said the witch. - And here is my blue checkered apron! The soldier climbed the tree, went down into the hollow and found himself as she saidwitch, in a large passage where hundreds of lamps were burning.

So he opened the first door. Oh! There sat a dog with eyes like teacups, staring at the soldier.

Well done! - said the soldier, put the dog on the witch’s apron and filled his pocket full of copper money, then closed the chest, put the dog on it again and went into another room. Ay-ay! There sat a dog with eyes like mill wheels.

- You shouldn’t stare at me, your eyes will hurt! - said the soldier and put the dog on the witch’s apron. Seeing a huge pile of silver in the chest, he threw out all the coppers and filled both pockets and the backpack with silver. The soldier then went into the third room. Wow, you're abyss! This dog had eyes like two round towers and spun like wheels.

My regards! - said the soldier and lifted his visor. He had never seen such a dog before.

However, he did not look at her for a long time, but took her and sat her on the apron and opened the chest. Fathers! How much gold was there! He could buy all of Copenhagen with it, all the sugar pigs from the sweets seller, all tin soldiers, all the wooden horses and all the whips in the world! There would be enough for everything! The soldier threw the silver money out of his pockets and backpack and filled his pockets, backpack, hat and boots with gold so much that he could barely move. Well, finally he had money! He put the dog on the chest again, then slammed the door, raised his head and shouted:

Drag me, old witch!

Did you take the flint? - asked the witch.

Oh damn, I almost forgot! - said the soldier, went and took the flint.

The witch pulled him up, and he again found himself on the road, only now his pockets, boots, knapsack, and cap were filled with gold.

- Why do you need this flint? - asked the soldier.

None of your business! - answered the witch. - I got the money, and that's enough for you! Well, give me the flint!

No matter how it is! - said the soldier. “Now tell me why you need it, otherwise I’ll pull out my saber and cut off your head.”

I will not say! - the witch stubbornly resisted.

The soldier took and cut off her head. The witch fell down dead, and he tied all the money in her apron, put the bundle on his back, put the flint in his pocket and walked straight into the city.

The city was wonderful; the soldier stopped at the most expensive inn, occupied the best rooms and demanded all his favorite dishes - now he was a rich man!

The servant who cleaned the visitors' shoes was surprised that such a rich gentleman had such bad boots, but the soldier had not yet had time to acquire new ones. But the next day he bought himself good boots and a rich dress. Now the soldier became a real master, and he was told about all the miracles that were here in the city, and about the king, and about his lovely daughter, the princess.

How can I see her? - asked the soldier.

This is absolutely impossible! - they told him. - She lives in a huge copper castle, behind high walls with towers. No one except the king himself dares to enter or leave there, because the king was predicted that his daughter would marry a simple soldier, and kings do not like this!

“I wish I could look at her!” - thought the soldier.

Who would let him?!

Now he lived a happy life: he went to the theaters, went for rides in the royal garden and helped the poor a lot. And he did well: he knew from his own experience how bad it was to be penniless! Now he was rich, dressed beautifully and made a lot of friends; they all called him a nice fellow, a real gentleman, and he liked it very much. So he spent and spent money, but again there was nowhere to take it from, and in the end he only had two money left! I had to move from good rooms to a tiny closet under the very roof, clean my own boots and even patch them; none of his friends visited him - it was too high to climb to him!

One evening, a soldier was sitting in his closet; It was already completely dark, and I remembered about the small cinder in the flint, which I took into the dungeon, where the witch lowered it. The soldier took out a flint and cinder, but as soon as he hit the flint, the door swung open, and in front of him was a dog with eyes like teacups, the same one he had seen in the dungeon.

Anything, sir? - she barked.

That's the story! - said the soldier. - Flint, it turns out, is a curious little thing: I can get whatever I want! Hey, get me some money! - he said to the dog. Once - there’s no trace of her, two - she’s right there again, and in her teeth big wallet, full of copper! Then the soldier realized what a wonderful flint he had. If you hit the flint once, a dog appears that was sitting on a chest with copper money; if you hit two, the one who was sitting on the silver appears; if you hit three, the dog that was sitting on the gold comes running.

The soldier again moved into good rooms, began to walk around in a smart dress, and all his friends immediately recognized him and fell in love with him terribly.

So it comes to his mind: “How stupid it is that you can’t see the princess. She’s such a beauty, they say, but what’s the point? After all, she’s been sitting all her life in a copper castle, behind high walls with towers. Am I really never going to be able to look at her?” at least with one eye? Come on, where is my flint?" And he hit the flint once - at the same moment a dog with eyes like teacups stood in front of him.

Now, however, it’s already night,” said the soldier. - But I was dying to see the princess, at least for one minute!

The dog was immediately out the door, and before the soldier had time to come to his senses, she appeared with the princess. The princess sat on the dog's back and slept. She was amazingly good; everyone would immediately see that this was a real princess, and the soldier could not resist kissing her - he was a brave warrior, a real soldier.

The dog carried the princess back, and over morning tea the princess told the king and queen about the amazing dream she had last night about a dog and a soldier: as if she was riding a dog, and the soldier kissed her.

That's the story! - said the queen.

And the next night, an old lady-in-waiting was assigned to the princess’s bedside - she had to find out whether it was really a dream or something else.

And the soldier was again dying to see the lovely princess. And then at night the dog appeared again, grabbed the princess and ran off with her at full speed, but the old lady-in-waiting put on waterproof boots and set off in pursuit. Seeing that the dog disappeared with the princess in one big house, the maid of honor thought: “Now I know where to find them!” She took a piece of chalk, put a cross on the gate of the house and went home to sleep. But the dog, when he carried the princess back, saw this cross, also took a piece of chalk and put crosses on all the gates in the city. This was cleverly thought out: now the maid of honor could not find the right gate - there were white crosses everywhere.

Early in the morning the king and queen, the old lady-in-waiting and all the officers went to see where the princess had gone at night.

That's where! - said the king, seeing the first gate with a cross.

No, that's where it goes, hubby! - the queen objected, noticing the cross on the other gate.

- Yes, the cross is here too! - others made a noise, seeing crosses on all the gates. Then everyone realized that they would not achieve any sense.

But the queen was a smart woman, she knew how to not only drive around in carriages. She took large golden scissors, cut a piece of silk fabric into shreds, sewed a tiny pretty bag, poured small buckwheat into it, tied it on the princess’s back and then cut a hole in the bag so that the cereal could fall onto the road along which the princess was driving.

At night the dog appeared again, put the princess on her back and carried her to the soldier; The soldier fell in love with the princess so much that he began to regret why he was not a prince - he so wanted to marry her. The dog did not even notice that cereals were falling after her all along the road, from the palace itself to the soldier’s window, where she jumped with the princess. In the morning, the king and queen immediately found out where the princess had gone, and the soldier was sent to prison.

How dark and boring it was there! They put him there and said: “Tomorrow morning you will be hanged!” It was very sad to hear this, and he forgot his flint at home, in the inn.

In the morning, the soldier went to the small window and began to look through the iron bars onto the street: people were pouring out of the city in crowds to watch how the soldier would be hanged; Drums beat, regiments passed by. Everyone was in a hurry, running. A boy shoemaker in a leather apron and shoes was also running. He was skipping along, and one shoe flew off his foot and hit right against the wall where the soldier stood and looked out the window.

Hey, what's your hurry! - the soldier said to the boy. - It won’t work without me! But if you run to where I lived, for my flint, you will receive four coins. Only alive!

The boy was not averse to receiving four coins, he took off like an arrow for the flint, gave it to the soldier and... Now let's listen!

A huge gallows was built outside the city, with soldiers and hundreds of thousands of people standing around. The king and queen sat on a luxurious throne directly opposite the judges and the entire royal council.

The soldier was already standing on the stairs, and they were going to throw a rope around his neck, but he said that before executing a criminal, they always fulfill some of his wishes. And he would really like to smoke a pipe - this will be his last pipe in this world!

The king did not dare refuse this request, and the soldier pulled out his flint. He hit the flint once, twice, three times - and all three dogs appeared before him: a dog with eyes like tea cups, a dog with eyes like mill wheels, and a dog with eyes like a round tower.

- Well, help me get rid of the noose! - ordered the soldier.

And the dogs rushed at the judges and the entire royal council: one by the legs, another by the nose and up several fathoms, and they all fell and were smashed to pieces!

- No need! - the king shouted, but the largest dog grabbed him and the queen and threw them up after the others. Then the soldiers got scared, and all the people shouted:

Servant, be our king and take the beautiful princess for you!

The soldier was placed in the royal carriage, and all three dogs danced in front of it and shouted “hurray.” The boys whistled with their fingers in their mouths, and the soldiers saluted. The princess left her copper castle and became queen, with which she was very pleased. The wedding feast lasted a whole week; The dogs also sat at the table and stared.

The most cruel and painful executions in the Middle Ages were carried out on rebels who plotted against the royal or royal power. To discourage others, they were not mocked as much as possible, so that death would seem to the rebels a happy release from torment.

Joseph Genesnya in “History of Kingdoms” describes the sad fate of Thomas the Slav, who rebelled against the Byzantine emperor in the 9th century. Although there is no exact data about the origin of Thomas, he remained in history as a “Slav”.

The rebels Byzantine emperor besieged the city of Arkadiopolis and subjected them to the pangs of hunger. First, the rebels were forced to eat the foul-smelling carcasses of dead horses, then their skins. And when there was absolutely nothing to eat, the rebels captured Thomas the Slav and handed him over to the emperor. He joyfully trampled Thomas’s neck under his feet and ordered both his arms and legs to be cut off and then impaled.

A sad fate befell Babek from Azerbaijan, who rebelled against Arab Caliph. Having led the Khurramite community, Babek planted in the hearts of the Khurramites the idea of ​​liberation from Arab rule, the destruction of Islam and the restoration of the religion of their ancestors - Zoroastrianism. War of Liberation Azerbaijani people proceeded according to the usual scenario for Asia - cutting out the enemy. First, the rebel Khurramites massacred all the Arabs in the vicinity of Buzz. Then they began to cut them in other areas. When Babek captured almost all the territory of Azerbaijan in 20 years, he already had over 200 thousand executed and only about 10 thousand people taken prisoner.

Caliph Mutasim entrusted the war with Babek to his commander Afshin. He, showing cunning, lured Babek into an ambush and there defeated his army, destroying over 80 thousand Azerbaijanis. Babek fled and took refuge with his ally, Prince Khachen Sakhl Smbatyan. He handed over the fugitive to the Arabs, but did it in such a way that Babek would be captured by a detachment sent by Afshin during a hunt organized by Sahl. For his betrayal, Smbatyan received from the Caliph a truly royal reward: the right royal power govern Armenia, Iveria and Aluanko.

The caliph turned the execution of Babek into a fantastic show, the likes of which are difficult to find in the world.

Delivered to the capital of the Caliphate, the city of Samarra, Babek and his brother Abdallah are first given royal honors. They are dressed in royal clothes, trimmed with pearls and precious stones. Then Babek is placed on a huge gray elephant, donated by the king of India, and Abdallah is placed on a magnificent Bactrian camel. In this form, they proceed to the caliph's palace under the escort of Arab soldiers dressed in festive clothes.

The execution, as described by M. Tomar, turned out to be beautiful and extremely cruel:

"Countless palace buildings, which in themselves constituted a whole city, were all decorated with precious carpets. In the courtyard in front of the palace, hundreds of lions were chained to golden chains. The caliph's personal guard in precious weapons was placed throughout the halls of the palace, then seven thousand white slaves and seven hundred senior court officials. The walls were hung with ten thousand gilded armor and expensive weapons. The prisoners, following the commander, were led through the famous hall, where in the middle of a marble basin stood a tree with eighteen branches made entirely of gold; golden birds sat on it, with precious stones shining instead of eyes. Finally they entered the throne room, decorated with magnificent carpets of exceptional rarity and value.

Mutasim sat on the throne. The “skin of executions” was spread out in front of him and the executioner stood. Executions were carried out according to the old custom, on a piece of skin in the presence of the caliph. When Afshin approached, the caliph seated him near him in a place of honor. Then they brought Babek to the throne. Babek had an executioner named Nudnud. Afshin brought him to the capital along with other prisoners. Mutasim entrusted him with the execution of Babek and his brother Abdallah.

Babek's clothes are taken off and he is stripped naked. After this, the executioner chops him off right hand and hits Babek in the face several times with this hand, and does the same with his left hand. The executioner then cuts off both of his legs. Then they cut open his stomach and only after that cut off his head.”

However, there is other evidence that Babek’s head was cut off only after death. And before that, they sewed it into raw cowhide so that both cow horns would fit into the hollows behind the ears. Babek, sewn into a sack, was hanged while still alive, he suffered while his skin dried and died in agony.

After this, the body of the Azerbaijani rebel was nailed to a cross and exhibited on the outskirts of Samarra, this place has since been called “Babek’s Cross”. The head of the rebel was transported from city to city to intimidate their inhabitants.

The commander Afshin, who defeated Babek, gained too much fame among the people with his military success. The Caliph first made him rich, rewarding him with two million dirhams. And then he was thrown into prison, where Afshin was starved and thirsty.

Babek is still revered in Azerbaijan as a national hero. Monuments are erected to him, and streets are named after him.

The leader of the peasant uprising in Hungary in 1514, Gyorgy Doge, was subjected to terrible reprisals. Captured, he was placed on a red-hot throne and crowned with a red-hot crown. According to some reports, his young wife was subjected to the same execution.

The cruelty of reprisals against the rebels can be illustrated by events from the history of England. True, the judges there did not shine with special imagination, but religiously respected traditions and for centuries sentenced rebels to the same execution, which was “three in one” - hanging not to complete strangulation, disembowelling and quartering.

After the murder of the rebel leader, Wat Tyler, terror began in London. There they caught all the people who looked like peasants and dragged them to an improvised scaffold built in Cheapside. Among others, the leaders of the rebels were beheaded there: Jack Straw, John Kirby, Alan Tredor and others. And then terror spread throughout the country.

The whole of Southern England was covered with gallows and scaffolds. King Richard revoked his charter, which granted forgiveness to the rebels when they were stronger than him. The new decree said: “You have always been slaves, and you will remain slaves forever.”

One of the leaders of the uprising, Grindcobb, was captured in St. Albans. Judge Tressilian offered him his freedom and life in exchange for the return of the charters signed by the king. But he refused and was executed along with 15 of his comrades.

Already with a noose around his neck, Grindcobb addressed the assembled crowd with the words:

Friends! After so many years of oppression and lawlessness, you, who have seen a tiny ray of freedom, be firm, and do not let my death frighten you. Dying for the cause of freedom, I am happy that I am leaving this life as a martyr.

The main ideologist of the rebels, John Ball, famous for his sermon based on the folk saying: “Adam plowed, and Eve spun the threads of the web, and who was the master over them?”, was captured in Coventry. He did not succumb to persuasion to save his soul through repentance, and on July 15 he was executed. First, John Ball was hanged until he was completely strangled, and then he was gutted and quartered. And parts of his body were nailed to the “four corners of England.”

Another rebel leader, John Lister, was executed in approximately the same way. Parts of his body were nailed to the gates of Harwich, Yarmouth and Lynn, as well as to the house that served as his headquarters in Norwich.

The leader of another uprising, Jack Cad, did not pursue the goal of overthrowing the power of the king, but only wanted to bring to him his 15 complaints, the essence of which boiled down to the following: the monarch is surrounded by corrupt favorites who, without a twinge of conscience, rob the state treasury, covering their theft through exorbitant taxes on the people ; anything can be achieved only through bribes and deception; the king's associates do not pay the debts they incurred while traveling around the country; honest people unfairly accused of treason so that the barons could “legally” confiscate their property and lands; the people groan at the tyranny of the king's servants, current system taxation is ruinous for the people.

King Henry VI, instead of responding to the complaint, sent a detachment under the command of Sir Stafford against the rebels. However, Cad's rebels defeated this detachment and occupied London. Since the king did not want to punish his thieving entourage, the crowd did it. First, the Kentish Sheriff Crowmer was beheaded, and then the Lord Treasurer of England, Say and Sel.

Henry VI defeated Jack Cad's rebels through deception and economic sanctions. First, he allegedly promised Kad and his supporters forgiveness, and then announced a reward for Jack’s head - a thousand marks and 5 marks for the head of each of his associates. The "bounty hunter", squire Alexander Eden, tracked down and killed Jack Cad. After the death of the leader of the rebels, they were quartered, and the severed parts of his body were exhibited in Beckheath, Salisbury, Norwich and Gloucester.

In 1549, unrest broke out again in England. On July 9, the rebels gathered under a large oak tree, which later received the name “oak of the reformation,” and elected the wealthy tanner Robert Ket as their leader. The rebels captured Big City Norwich and strengthened themselves in it.

The rebel troops were defeated with the help of cannons by the Earl of Warwick. Nine of the surviving leaders of the uprising were betrayed ordinary execution for treason - hanging not to complete strangulation, gutting and quartering. They were hanged right on the “oak of the reformation.” Thirty more people were executed in a similar manner in Norwich. And three hundred captured rebels were simply hung on the city walls, where they hung until an unbearable cadaverous stench emanated from their bodies.

The captured Robert Ket and his brother William were brought to London by the Earl of Warwick. There they were tried and returned to Norwich to face the death penalty. On December 7, Robert Ket was tied to a cart, dragged through the streets of the city, and then slowly strangled on the wall of Norwich Castle. The same fate befell his brother William, who was hanged from the tower of Wymondham Abbey.

In 1660 English king Charles II fulfilled his oath - to put to death all those who signed the death warrant for his father, King Charles I. By order of Charles II, 9 people were decapitated on the block.

Richard Rumbold uttered a beautiful phrase on the scaffold, expressing to the assembled crowd a protest against royal power: “I am convinced that God has not given a single person the right to rule over others, for just as no one comes into this world with a saddle on his back, so no one is born and with spurs on their feet to drive others.”

Despite the fact that in England they never stood on ceremony with rebels, the reprisal against supporters of the Duke of Monmouth, who rebelled against King James II in 1685, is considered especially cruel. The confrontation between them was due not only to the struggle for power, but also to religious contradictions. James was a Catholic and Monmouth was a Protestant.

The people enthusiastically stood under the banner of Monmouth, but the royal army was stronger. Destroyed in decisive battle, Monmouth hid in a roadside ditch, where he was found and taken to the Tower. The “Protestant Duke” expressed his readiness to convert to the Catholic faith and humiliatedly lay at the feet of the king, begging for forgiveness. However, on July 15 he was executed on Tower Hill. His execution went down in history as one of the most unprofessional. The executioner struck Monmouth five blows with an ax, and then used a knife to separate his head from his body.

The Supreme Judge of the Kingdom of England, Jeffreys, was sent to decide the fate of the captured rebels, who gave them a brutal reprisal, nicknamed the “bloody trial.”

Jeffries had only four assistants, so he tried the rebels at once in batches of several dozen people and did not listen to assurances of innocence. For example, in Rorchester, on the first day, 98 people appeared before him. He sentenced them all to be hanged to partial strangulation, drawn and quartered.

In 9 days, Jeffries issued 1,336 death sentences to the rebels. The executioners did not have time to carry them out, although butchers were given to help them. Then it was decided not to deprive the convicts of their lives, but to sell them on plantations in the West Indies. Thus, in the famous novel, Sabbatini ended up on the sugar plantation as Captain Blood.

Another popular uprising, known as the "Pentrich uprising," broke out on June 9, 1917. But just as quickly as it flared up, it went out just as quickly under the influence of the 15th Dragoon Regiment, which stood on the road of the rebels. Their leaders: stocker Brandreth, miner Ludlam and mason Turner, according to tradition, were sentenced to be hanged before being completely strangled, drawn and quartered.

IN early XIX century, rapidly progressing capitalism in England was faced with a significant problem - the “Luddites” - machine destroyers. It was a fairly well-functioning organization with good secrecy. Therefore, it remained a mystery - who directed the forays of the “subjects of King Lud”, who at night destroyed the machines with the help of a heavy forge hammer.

In 1811, 7 Nottingham Luddites were caught. They were sentenced to punishment under the article for unauthorized damage to industrial equipment. Under this article, the sanction provided for deportation to Australian camps for convicted criminals for up to 14 years.

However, Parliament found the punishment of being sent to Australia too light and increased it to the death penalty. But the poet Lord Byron zealously stood up in the House of Lords to defend the Luddites.

In 1830, the fashion for destroying cars spread from city to village. IN rural areas began to destroy agricultural machinery on wealthy farms. The rural destroyers were not so well organized, and therefore they were caught quite quickly. 9 people were sentenced to death, and another 457 were sentenced to exile.

They did not stand on ceremony with the rebels in France either.

In the 14th century, at the height of the Hundred Years' War, a popular uprising broke out in France, called the Jacquerie.

With the support of the city mob, the Jacques entered Meaux. But on the market square they were met by a knightly militia, which overthrew the poorly armed and unorganized rebels. The knights killed about 7 thousand rebels, and expelled the rest from the city. And after the victory, the knights set fire to the pacified city and burned it to the ground with all the city's mob.

The King of Navarre asked for a truce from the Jacques leader Guillaume Charles and expressed a desire to talk with him. Charles went to him easily, without demanding any hostages. And as a result, he was captured and then executed. But before his death he was still tortured - he was crowned with a red-hot tripod. After the execution of the leader of the rebels and the defeat of the Jacques, the nobles inflicted cruel reprisals on the rebel peasants. In the city of Zherberey, about 300 peasants who locked themselves in a temple were burned alive. At Brie, the Jacques were hanged from the doors of their huts.

In Dumas's novel The Three Musketeers, Cardinal Richelieu appears as the main intriguer. However, you will inevitably become an intriguer when conspiracies arise against you every now and then.

The Duke of Orleans, the king's brother, the Duke of Bouillon and the chief of horseman Saint-Mars, the former favorite of the king, who joined them, decided, with the help of Spain, to change power in France. Gaston d'Orléans intended, if successful, to take the throne, Saint-Mars to take the place of Richelieu, and the Spaniards to obtain a profitable peace, which they had long sought in vain while fighting with France. However, Richelieu was helped by Queen Anne of Austria, who gave him the text of the secret treaty of Gaston of Orleans with Spain that she kept. With irrefutable proof of treason in hand, Richelieu obtained permission from the king to arrest the high-ranking conspirators.

Saint-Mars, learning that clouds were gathering over his head, tried to escape. However, the city gates of Paris were closed and he had to take refuge in a poor shack. There he was arrested. The Dukes of Orleans and Bouillon earned the king's forgiveness Louis XIII, repenting, betraying his accomplices and saying goodbye to some of his possessions. Therefore, of the leaders of the conspiracy, only Saint-Mars went to the chopping block.

Alfred de Vigny in his novel “Saint-Mars, or the Conspiracy under Louis XIII” described the execution of the former royal favorite:

“On September 12, 1642, in Lyon, at dawn, infantry and cavalry troops began to converge or gather from all the city gates... Four companies of Lyon bourgeois, called standard bearers - 100-120 thousand people - lined up on the Place des Terreaux... A scaffold was erected in the middle of the square seven feet high, and on it there was a pillar, in front of which they placed a scaffold... A staircase of eight steps was placed on this scaffold from the side of Dame de San Pierre...

After the trumpet sounded three times, the verdict of the Lyon court was announced...

Saint-Mars hugged de Thou and was the first to ascend the scaffold and looked around at the huge crowd of people, there was not a shadow of fear on his face. Saint-Mars bowed to all four sides, knelt down, praising the Lord and entrusting his soul to him. While he was kissing the crucifix, the priest ordered the people to pray for him, and Saint-Mars, raising the crucifix and joining his hands above his head, made the same request to the people. Of his own free will, he knelt in front of the scaffold, grasping it tightly, put his head on the scaffold and asked the confessor: “My father, is this how I hold my head?”

While his hair was being cut, he said, sighing: “My God, what is this world? My God, accept mine martyrdom for the atonement of my sins." And, turning to the executioner, who stood nearby, but had not yet taken the ax out of the bag, he asked: “What are you waiting for, why are you delaying?”

The confessor, approaching, gave him a cross, and he, with incredible presence of mind, asked to keep the crucifix in front of his eyes, which he asked not to cover.
Saint-Mars hugged the block tighter, and the ax flashed in the air...

The executioner dealt three blows before the condemned man's head fell onto the platform.

The old servant of Saint-Mars, holding his horse, as befits a funeral procession, stopped at the foot of the scaffold and looked at his master until the terrible end, then collapsed dead.

In Rus', as elsewhere, rebels were not favored, and therefore they were treated with particular cruelty. Moreover, sometimes not only the instigators were executed, but everyone.

Mass executions of rebels were especially common in the 17th century. When there were relatively few rebels, they were hanged; when there were many, they were drowned.

One of the first major disturbers of the royal peace in the Russian state was Ivan Bolotnikov. They say that he came from impoverished boyar children. Out of poverty, he even sold himself as a slave to Prince Telyatevsky, from whom he fled to the free Cossacks.

He was captured by the Tatars, who sold Bolotnikov into slavery to the Turks. As a slave oarsman he took part in a number of naval battles. Freed by the Italians, Bolotnikov returned to Russia, where he joined False Dmitry I, who made him a governor. After the death of False Dmitry I in 1606, Bolotnikov began fighting against the power of Tsar Vasily Shuisky, calling himself “the governor of Tsarevich Dmitry.” Due to the fact that Bolotnikov willingly took serfs into his army, his fight against government troops began to be called a peasant uprising, which is not entirely true.

Shuisky turned out to be stronger, his army defeated the Bolotnikovites, and then subjected them to brutal reprisals. In 1607, about four thousand rebels were drowned. One eyewitness described their execution this way:

“People in Moscow were drowned every day. This execution, so terrible that it cannot be imagined, was carried out in Moscow for two years in a row and still did not stop. In the spring, during floods, human corpses, eaten by pikes and other fish, were thrown out onto the plain along with the ice. These corpses, covered with crayfish and worms, grinding them down to the bones, lay in their thousands and rotted. I saw all this myself in Moscow...

Every night the captured rebels were taken out in the hundreds, lined up and killed like bulls, hitting them on the head with a club, and the bodies were lowered under the ice into the Yauza.”

Bolotnikov was exiled to Kargopol in October 1607, where he was blinded and then also drowned.

Don Ataman Stepan Timofeevich Razin was awarded the title by Soviet propaganda folk hero, a fighter against royal tyranny. According to old concepts, he is the leader of the Peasant War of 1670-1671, but according to new ones, he is simply a robber.
In the second half of the 1980s in Russia, during perestroika, many cult figures began to be debunked. I remember that an article appeared in a very progressive magazine at that time, “Rural Youth,” that revealed the images of old heroes in a new way. The author, in particular, dug up information about Stenka Razin - why he made his trip to Persia. It turns out there was a strong earthquake in Persia. The fortress walls of the cities and houses were destroyed, the people with their acquired property sat under open air, well, just come and rob. Which is what Stepan Timofeevich did.

Most likely, Stepan Razin did not appear at pure form neither the leader of a people rebelling against the autocracy, nor a robber. And he was only a son of his time and brave Cossack chieftain.

Razin rose up in arms against the authorities because of the Tsar’s curtailment of Cossack liberties and in connection with the brutal reprisal of Prince Yu.A. in 1665. Dolgorukov against Stepan’s older brother Ivan for attempting to voluntarily leave the theater of military operations against the Poles together with a detachment of Cossacks.

Any rebellion in Rus', as a rule, became a source of terrible bloodshed. The rebellion of Stepan Razin was no exception.

It has been observed that people's cruelty often increases as their ambitions grow. While Stenka Razin was a simple Cossack chieftain and was robbing the Don, he was more merciful. For example, having defeated and captured the Moscow governor Beklemishchev near Cherny Yar, he only ordered him to be flogged. But becoming the leader peasant uprising, Stepan Timofeevich Razin no longer spared his captured opponents. This people's leader attracted the poor people to his side with “charming (from the word “to seduce”) letters, in which he called for the extermination of: the governor, nobles, boyars, clerks, “to bring out the traitors and to bring out the worldly nettles.”

And in its large-scale liberation campaign along the Volga, Stepan Razin justified words with deeds - he tortured and executed nobles, officials and royal officers. So, after he captured Tsaritsyn, the Razins dragged the captive governor Timofey Turgenev with a noose around his neck to the Volga, where they drowned him. Razin especially “distinguished himself” during the capture of Astrakhan. The head of the defense of this city, Prince Prozorovsky, on his order, was thrown from the bell tower onto the fortress walls. And then they executed other prisoners.

In October 1676, Razin’s 20,000-strong army was defeated, and the ataman himself was captured by wealthy Cossacks under the leadership of military ataman Kornil Yakovlev, who handed him over to the Moscow authorities.

The entry of Stepan Razin and his brother Frol into Moscow in 1671 was described by one of the eyewitnesses:

“They were transporting because Tver Gate on a high cart, and the cart was harnessed to three pit horses; Yes, there were four archers sitting near the thief, with a club and sabers, and they did not order him to say anything while driving. Yes, after him, the thief, his comrade was led on swords by two men of archers. And a gallows was made for him, the thief, on a cart, and an ax was stuck in, and the scaffold was placed in front of him, and a noose was hung over him, and he was all dressed up on the posts... And he was brought in a black caftan in a homespun, and in white stockings, and in soldiers’ clothes... And how he, the thief, was taken from behind the Tver Gate, people of all ranks and the entire people of the Moscow state went to see.”

They carried Stepan Razin standing up so that more people could look at him; he was wearing a special collar with handles. The collar was fastened to the cart with a short chain so that the prisoner could not sit down. A similar collar was put on Stepan’s brother, Frol. Only he was chained to the cart and was forced to run after him. There were special handles on the collars of the Razin brothers, by which the guards could drag prisoners if they decided to resist.

In addition, the chains in which they were shackled were specially consecrated in the church so that the rebels would not inadvertently escape.

In Moscow, Razin was brutally tortured (beaten, twisted joints, burned on hot coals), but he bravely endured all the executions without uttering a word. Rumors spread throughout the city that Stenka was bewitched - neither fire, nor rack, nor iron could take him... Then they decided to execute him in an exemplary manner in front of all honest people.

On June 6, 1671, in Moscow on Red Square, the “thief, traitor and apostate” Stepan Razin was executed by painful death for the edification of all other rebels. First they cut off his arms, then his legs, and only then his head. Razin's body was cut into pieces, stuck on stakes, and his entrails were thrown to the dogs.

One of Stepan Razin’s comrades-in-arms was Alena Arzamasskaya. This simple peasant woman was no match Persian princess. Stenka Razin hardly dared to throw her into the Volga. One gets the impression that Alena herself could throw any man into the Volga. According to chroniclers, she was distinguished by her remarkable strength and unsurpassed accuracy when shooting from a bow. Moreover, her bow was so tight that none of the soldiers who captured her could pull it.

Having become a widow in her young years, Alena became a nun at the St. Nicholas Convent near Arzamas. But when Razin’s uprising began, she threw off her monastic robes, gathered a detachment of several hundred people and took possession of the city of Temnikov, which she ruled for more than two months.

However, on December 4, 1670, Temnikov was captured by tsarist troops under the command of governor Yu.A. Dolgorukova. Alena took refuge in the church and shot back with her bow to the last arrow, killing another seven or eight soldiers. When the arrows ran out, she threw away her bow and saber and fell to the church altar. Only after this was she captured by the soldiers who burst into the church.

In captivity Alena was subjected to terrible torture, and then executed by burning in a log house. The German Johann Frisch described her execution as follows:

“A few days after (Razin’s execution) a nun was burned, who, being with him (at the same time), like an Amazon, surpassed men with her unusual courage... Her courage also manifested itself during the execution, when she calmly climbed to the edge of a hut built according to the Moscow style custom made of wood, straw and other flammable things, and, having crossed herself and performed other rituals, she boldly jumped into it, slammed the lid behind her and, when everything was engulfed in flames, did not make a sound.”

There is a legend that the queen, in order to forever erase from memory folk name Alena of Arzamas forbade, on pain of death, to use the name Alena. After this, a misconception arose that the name Alena is a derivative of Elena. In fact, this is not a derivative at all, but a normal Old Russian name.

Marching Ataman Don Cossacks Kondraty Bulavin, like the other chieftain, Stenka Razin, looked little like a fighter for the freedom of the peasants. He was an accomplice of the traitor Hetman Ivan Mazepa and rather pursued his own goals than the people's. The simple reason for his uprising was that Colonel Prince Yuri Dolgorukov, according to Tsar's decree, in eight Cossack villages he captured and sent up to 3 thousand fugitive people from Russia to their former homes. This caused outrage among the Cossacks. And then this indignation was led by Stepan Bulavin. At night he attacked Prince Dolgorukov, killing him and all the officers and soldiers who were with him, numbering about a thousand people.

And then he massacred loyal to Russia Cossacks. Having captured the city of Cherkassk, the rebels cut off the heads of Ataman Lukyan Maksimov with four foremen, strangled the fifth foreman Efrem Petrov, after which they proclaimed Bulavin a military ataman.

However, the Cossacks loyal to the tsar soon recaptured Cherkassk. On July 7, 1708, they surrounded the house where Bulavin and his closest associates had taken refuge and decided to set it on fire. Buslavin, seeing that the house was covered with reeds, decided not to wait for death in the fire, and shot himself with a pistol. Later in Azov his corpse was executed, its head was cut off and then hanged.

But the largest popular revolt in Russia there was, of course, the uprising of Emelyan Pugachev. His troops captured a huge territory, on which he established his order with fire, sword and executions.

Emelyan Pugachev, who proclaimed himself tsar, behaved in accordance with his ideas about how an autocrat should execute and pardon. He must have pardoned someone other than the hero from Pushkin’s “The Captain’s Daughter,” but executed even more. And since in the end it was Pugachev who was defeated, his opponents were able to compile a detailed register of the atrocities of the rebel impostor.

In "Materials for History" Pugachev's rebellion", published by academician Yakov Grot in 1875, provides the following data on those executed by Pugachev:

“The following were tortured to a painful death: nobles - 67, their wives - 90, children of both sexes - 94. Nobles - 232 were killed to death, their wives - 103, babies - 49. Nobles - 335 were hanged, their wives - 231, children of both sexes 99 76 nobles were shot, their wives - 16, children of both sexes - 29. Noble babies were drowned - 15. Nobles were stabbed to death - 43, their wives - 13, children of both sexes - 16. Nobles were hacked to pieces - 43, their wives - 21. Total : 1,572 nobles, their wives and children were killed by various deaths.

102 priests were hanged, 4 in robes and with crosses, their wives - 47, deacons - 25, clerics - 59. Total: priests and clergy with their wives exterminated - 237. Non-commissioned officers and other lower ranks killed - 118, their wives are 14. Raznochintsy - 716, their wives - 105, children of both sexes - 39. Clerical servants - 45. Total: non-commissioned officers and clerks exterminated by their wives and children - 1,037. In total, nobles and other ranks exterminated - 2,791.”

From these dry statistics it is clearly visible which methods of execution the people's freedom fighters preferred: hanging, shooting, drowning and simple chopping without unnecessary delay. However, sometimes the Pugachevites showed cruel ingenuity.

This is how Alexander Pushkin described the capture of the Tatishcheva fortress in his “History of Pugachev”. Its defenders, under the command of Colonel Elagin, offered desperate, albeit hopeless, resistance to the rebels. The Pugachevites burst into the smoking ruins of the fortress, seized the officers and began to massacre them and their loved ones. Pushkin described it this way: “Bilov’s head was cut off. Elagin, an obese man, was skinned; the villains took the lard out of it and anointed their wounds. His wife was hacked to death. ...The widow of Major Veselovsky, who fled from Rassypnaya, was also in Tatishcheva. She was strangled. All the officers were hanged. Several soldiers and Bashkirs were taken into the field and shot...”

Emelyan Pugachev wanted to intimidate the authorities with executions, but they also acted using similar methods. To frighten the rebels, Pugachev’s captured comrade-in-arms, Beloborodov, was publicly executed in Moscow “to fear the idlers.” Prince M.N. Volkonsky, who led the execution, reported to Catherine II on September 6, 1774 that “the the death penalty beheading in front of many thousands of overseers, not only city residents, but also villagers, for I arranged this execution on a trading day, then many peasants who came to the trade were among the overseers. And so the rumor will soon spread everywhere, and I hope, most gracious empress, that this fear will have a good effect among the rabble.”

But the execution of Pugachev himself on January 10, 1775 in Moscow on Bolotnaya Square was later staged with much greater pomp. It was announced in advance, and therefore the entire surrounding area frontal place and even the roofs of the houses were dotted with spectators.
The execution scene is well described in the notes of I.I. Dmitriev, they were even used by A.S. Pushkin in his book “The History of Pugachev”. Dmitriev wrote:

“On the tenth day of January one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, at eight or nine hours after midnight, we arrived at the swamp; in the middle of it a scaffold, or place of execution, was erected, around which the infantry regiments were built. Chiefs and officers wore badges and scarves over their fur coats due to the severe frost. Chief Police Officer Arkharov was also there, surrounded by his officials and orderlies. On the height or platform of the execution place, I saw with disgust for the first time the executioners. Behind the front, the entire expanse of the swamp, or, better to say, the low ravine, all the roofs of houses and shops, on the heights on both sides of it, were dotted with people of both sexes and different conditions. Curious spectators even jumped onto the trestles and heels of carriages and carriages. Suddenly everything shook and began to speak noisily: they are taking them, they are taking them! Soon a detachment of cuirassiers appeared, followed by a sleigh of extraordinary height, and Pugachev was sitting in them: opposite his confessor, and some other official, probably the secretary of the Secret Expedition, another detachment of cavalry followed the sleigh.

Pugachev with bareheaded, bowed to both sides while they were driving him. I didn't notice anything fierce in his facial features. He looked to be forty years old; average height, dark complexion and pale; his eyes sparkled; the nose was roundish; I remember his hair was black and he had a small wedge beard.

The sleigh stopped opposite the porch of the execution place. Pugachev and his favorite Perfilyev, accompanied by a confessor and two officials, barely ascended the scaffold when the commanding word was heard: on guard; and one of the officials began to read the manifesto. Almost every word reached me.

When the reader pronounced the name and nickname of the main villain, as well as the village where he was born, the chief police officer asked him loudly: “Are you Don Cossack Emelka Pugachev?" He answered just as loudly: "So, sir, I am a Don Cossack, Zimoveyskaya village, Emelka Pugachev." Then, throughout the reading of the manifesto, he, looking at the cathedral, often crossed himself, while his associate Perfilyev , of considerable stature, stooped, pockmarked and fierce-looking, stood motionless, with his eyes cast down to the ground. After reading the manifesto, the confessor said a few words to them, blessed them and left the scaffold. The one who read the manifesto followed him. Then Pugachev made several prostrations with the sign of the cross , turning to the cathedrals; then, with a hurried look, he began to say goodbye to the people; he bowed in all directions, saying in a broken voice: “Forgive me, Orthodox people; forgive me what I have done wrong to you; forgive me, Orthodox people!" - At this word, the executor gave a sign: the executioners rushed to undress him; they tore off his white sheepskin coat, began to tear the sleeves of his silk crimson caftan. Then he clasped his hands, fell over, and instantly his bloody head was already hanging in the air: the executioner waved her by the hair. The same thing happened with Perfilyev.”

Pugachev and Perfilyev were quartered. Their heads, arms and legs were cut off. Moreover, due to the fact that they were first beheaded, their suffering was reduced. The severed body parts were displayed at Moscow outposts for several days, and then burned along with the bodies and the ashes were scattered.

Three more of the leaders of the Pugachev riot: Maxim Shigaev, Vasily Tornov and Timofey Podurov were hanged.

Catherine II did not subject the Pugachevo rebels to mass executions, limiting herself to only exemplary killing of the most important of them. For example, she left alive the organizer of the rebellion in Bashkiria and the general of the Pugachev army, Salavat Yulaev. Is it true further fate his was joyless. Salavat Yulaev, sentenced to lifelong hard labor, was taken to hard labor in Rogervik on November 19, 1775 in the territory of present Estonia, where he died on October 8 (September 26, Old Style) 1800.

Pugachev’s wife, Sophia, children, as well as his second wife, “Empress” Ustinya, were exiled forever to Kexholm.

Much less known than the executions of the Pugachevites are the reprisals against Polish rebels.

Severin Nalivaiko led an uprising of peasants and Cossacks in Ukraine at the end of the 16th century. Having captured several cities, Nalivaiko sent a letter to the Polish king Sigismund 3 with a request to give the Cossacks free land between the Bug and Dniester rivers in exchange for an obligation to help the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in wars with neighboring countries. However, instead of answering, the king sent troops to the rebels to pacify them. In May 1596, at the Solonitsa tract, the Cossacks, fencing themselves off with carts in four rows, withstood the siege of the Poles for more than two weeks, who surrounded the camp with three sides(there was a swamp on the fourth side). But the lack of provisions broke their spirit of resistance. The Cossacks betrayed Nalivaiko and handed him over to the Poles, wanting to save their lives. Nalivaiko was sent to Warsaw, where, after two years of imprisonment and torture, he was executed in 1597.

According to one version, he was burned alive in a copper bull, according to another, he was simply beheaded.

Ivan Gonta rebelled against the Polish magnates and became one of the leaders of the Haidamaks. They say that he was betrayed to the Polish authorities by Russian Colonel Guryev, who promised the Haidamaks the support of Russian troops.

Gonta was convicted by a special church tribunal, which consisted of three monks and a priest. After ten days of torture, Gonta was sentenced to death. The monks showed sadistic imagination in choosing the type of execution. The punishment was supposed to last for two weeks and be accompanied by terrible torture, tearing off the skin in pieces, quartering and tearing out the heart. However, already on the third day, the crown hetman of Ksavera Branitsky “took pity” on Gonta, who steadfastly endured all the executions, and ordered his head to be cut off. The rest of the execution was carried out on the corpse. Gonta’s remains were exhibited for display in 14 cities of Right Bank Ukraine.

Later, Gonta was sung by Shevchenko in the poem “Haydamaky”.

Having suppressed the revolution of 1848 in Germany, Bismarck demanded the public execution of its leaders. To the argument of one of his opponents that only God can take a person’s life, iron chancellor without a shadow of a doubt he answered: “The Lord God cannot keep track of all the scoundrels on earth, and therefore needs our help.”

A soldier was walking along the road: one-two! one-two! A satchel behind his back, a saber at his side. He was on his way home from the war. And suddenly he met a witch on the road. The witch was old and scary. Underlip her chest sagged all the way down.

- Hello, serviceman! - said the witch. - What a nice saber and big backpack you have! What a brave soldier! And now you will have plenty of money.

“Thank you, old witch,” said the soldier.

- You see that a big tree? - said the witch. - It's empty inside. Climb the tree, there's a hollow up there. Climb into this hollow and go down to the very bottom. And I will tie a rope around your waist and pull you back as soon as you scream.

- Why should I climb into this hollow? - asked the soldier.

“For money,” said the witch, “this is not a simple tree.” When you go down to the very bottom, you will see a long underground passage. It’s very light there—hundreds of lamps burn day and night. Walk, without turning, along the underground passage. And when you reach the end, there will be three doors right in front of you. There is a key in every door. Turn it and the door will open. In the first room there is a large chest. A dog is sitting on the chest. This dog's eyes are like two tea saucers. But don't be afraid. I'll give you my blue checkered apron, spread it on the floor and feel free to grab the dog. If you grab it, quickly put it on my apron. Well, then open the chest and take as much money from it as you want. Yes, only this chest contains only copper money. And if you want silver, go to the second room. And there is a chest there. And on that chest sits a dog. Her eyes are like your mill wheels. Just don’t be scared - grab her and put her on the apron, and then take the silver money for yourself. Well, if you want gold, go to the third room. In the middle of the third room there is a chest filled to the brim with gold. This chest is guarded by the biggest dog. Each eye is the size of a tower. If you manage to put her on my apron, you will be lucky: the dog will not touch you. Then take as much gold as your heart desires!

“This is all very good,” said the soldier. - But what will you take from me for this, old witch? After all, you need something from me.

- I won’t take a penny from you! - said the witch. “Just bring me the old flint that my grandmother forgot down there the last time she climbed there.”

- Okay, tie a rope around me! - said the soldier.

- Ready! - said the witch. “Here’s my checkered apron for you.”

And the soldier climbed the tree. He found a hollow and went down it to the very bottom. As the witch said, this is how it all turned out: the soldier looks - there is an underground passage in front of him. And it’s as bright as day there—hundreds of lamps are burning. The soldier walked through this dungeon. He walked and walked and reached the very end. There is nowhere to go further. The soldier sees three doors in front of him. And the keys are sticking out in the doors.

The soldier opened the first door and entered the room. There is a chest in the middle of the room, and a dog is sitting on the chest. Her eyes are like two tea saucers. The dog looks at the soldier and turns his eyes in different directions.

- What a monster! - said the soldier, grabbed the dog and instantly put it on the witch’s apron.

Then the dog calmed down, and the soldier opened the chest and let’s take the money out of there. He filled his pockets full of copper money, closed the chest and again put the dog on it, and he went into another room.

The witch told the truth - and in this room there was a dog sitting on a chest. Her eyes were like mill wheels.

- Well, why are you staring at me? Don't let your eyes pop out! - said the soldier, grabbed the dog and put him on the witch’s apron, and he quickly went to the chest.

The chest is full of silver. The soldier threw the copper money out of his pockets and filled both pockets and his backpack with silver. Then the soldier entered the third room.

He walked in and his mouth dropped open. What miracles! In the middle of the room stood a golden chest, and on the chest sat a real monster. The eyes are like two towers. They spun like the wheels of the fastest carriage.

- I wish you good health! - said the soldier and lifted his visor. He had never seen such a dog before.

However, he didn’t look for long. He grabbed the dog, put it on the witch's apron, and opened the chest. Fathers, how much gold there was here! With this gold one could buy the entire capital city, all the toys, all the tin soldiers, all the wooden horses and all the gingerbread cookies in the world. There would be enough for everything.

Here the soldier threw silver money out of his pockets and backpack and began to rake gold out of the chest with both hands. He filled his pockets with gold, his satchel, his hat, his boots. I collected so much gold that I could barely move from my spot!

Now he was rich!

He put the dog on the chest, slammed the door and shouted:

- Hey, take it upstairs, old witch!

-Did you take my flint? - asked the witch.

- Oh, damn it, you completely forgot about your flint! - said the soldier.

He went back, found the witch's flint and put it in his pocket.

- Well, take it! I found your flint! - he shouted to the witch.

The witch pulled the rope and pulled the soldier up. And the soldier found himself again on the high road.

“Well, give me the flint,” said the witch.

- What do you need this flint and steel for, witch? - asked the soldier.

- None of your business! - said the witch. - You got the money, right? Give me the flint!

- Oh no! - said the soldier. “Tell me now why you need the flint, otherwise I’ll pull out my saber and cut off your head.”

- I will not say! - answered the witch.

Then the soldier grabbed a saber and cut off the witch's head. The witch fell to the ground - and then she died. And the soldier tied all his money into a witch's checkered apron, put the bundle on his back and went straight to the city.

The city was large and rich. The soldier went to the largest hotel, hired himself the best rooms and ordered all his favorite dishes to be served - after all, he was now a rich man.

The servant who cleaned his boots was surprised that such a rich gentleman had such bad boots, since the soldier had not yet had time to buy new ones. But the next day he bought himself the most beautiful clothes, a hat with a feather and boots with spurs.

Now the soldier has become a real master. They told him about all the miracles that had happened in this city. They also told about a king who had a beautiful daughter, a princess.

- How can I see this princess? - asked the soldier.

“Well, it’s not that simple,” they told him. — The princess lives in a large copper castle, and around the castle there are high walls and stone towers. No one except the king himself dares to enter or leave there, because the king was predicted that his daughter was destined to become the wife of a common soldier. And the king, of course, doesn’t really want to become related to a simple soldier. So he keeps the princess locked up.

The soldier regretted that he could not look at the princess, but, however, he did not grieve for a long time. And he lived happily without the princess: he went to the theater, walked in the royal garden and distributed money to the poor. He himself experienced how bad it is to be penniless.

Well, since the soldier was rich, lived cheerfully and dressed beautifully, then he had a lot of friends. Everyone called him a nice fellow, a real gentleman, and he really liked that.

So the soldier spent and spent money and one day he sees that he only has two money left in his pocket. And the soldier had to move from good places into a cramped closet under the very roof. He remembered the old days: he began to clean his boots and sew up holes in them. None of his friends visited him anymore - it was too high to climb to him now.

One evening a soldier was sitting in his closet. It was already completely dark, and he didn’t even have money for a candle. Then he remembered the witch's flint. The soldier took out a flint and began to strike fire. As soon as he hit the flint, the door swung open and a dog with eyes like tea saucers ran in.

It was the same dog that the soldier saw in the first room of the dungeon.

- What do you order, soldier? - asked the dog.

- That's the thing! - said the soldier. - It turns out that flint is not simple. Will it help me out of trouble?.. Get me some money! - he ordered the dog.

And as soon as he said it, the dogs disappeared. But before the soldier had time to count to two, the dog was right there, and in its teeth was a large bag full of copper money.

The soldier now understood what a wonderful flint he had. If you hit the flint once, a dog with eyes like tea saucers would appear, and if a soldier hit it twice, a dog with eyes like mill wheels would run towards him. He strikes three times, and the dog, with each eye as large as a tower, stands in front of him and awaits orders. The first dog brings him copper money, the second - silver, and the third - pure gold.

And so the soldier became rich again, moved to the best rooms, and again began to flaunt himself in an elegant dress.

Then all his friends again got into the habit of visiting him and fell in love with him very much.

One day it occurred to the soldier:

“Why don’t I go see the princess? Everyone says she is so beautiful. What's the point if she spends her life in a copper castle, behind high walls and towers? Come on, where’s my flint?”

And he struck the flint once. At that same moment a dog with eyes like saucers appeared.

- That's it, my dear! - said the soldier. “Now, it’s true, it’s already night, but I want to look at the princess.” Bring her here for a minute. Well, let's march!

The dog immediately ran away, and before the soldier had time to come to his senses, she appeared again, and on her back lay the sleeping princess.

The princess was wonderfully beautiful. At first glance it was clear that this was a real princess. Our soldier could not resist kissing her - that’s why he was a soldier, a real gentleman, from head to toe. Then the dog carried the princess back the same way she brought her.

Over morning tea, the princess told the king and queen that she had had an amazing dream at night: that she was riding on a dog and some soldier kissed her.

- That's the story! - said the queen.

Apparently, she didn’t really like this dream.

The next night, an old lady-in-waiting was assigned to the princess’s bedside and ordered to find out whether it was really a dream or something else.

And the soldier was again dying to see the beautiful princess.

And then at night, just like yesterday, a dog appeared in the copper castle, grabbed the princess and ran off with her at full speed. Then the old lady-in-waiting put on her waterproof boots and set off in pursuit. Seeing that the dog had disappeared with the princess into one big house, the maid of honor thought: “Now we’ll find the young fellow!” And she drew a large cross with chalk on the gate of the house, and she calmly went home to sleep.

But in vain she calmed down: when the time came to carry the princess back, the dog saw a cross on the gate and immediately guessed what was going on. She took a piece of chalk and put crosses on all the gates of the city. This was cleverly thought out: now the maid of honor could not possibly find the right gate - after all, there were the same white crosses everywhere.

Early in the morning, the king and queen, the old lady-in-waiting and all the royal officers went to see where the princess rode her dog at night.

- That's where! - said the king, seeing the white cross on the first gate.

- No, that's where! - said the queen, seeing the cross on the other gate.

- And there is a cross there, and here! - said the officers.

And no matter which gate they looked at, there were white crosses everywhere. They didn't achieve any benefit.

But the queen was a smart woman, a jack of all trades, and not just riding around in carriages. She ordered the servants to bring her golden scissors and a piece of silk and sewed a beautiful little bag. She poured buckwheat into this bag and quietly tied it on the princess’s back. Then she poked a hole in the bag so that the cereal would gradually fall onto the road when the princess went to her soldier.

And then at night a dog appeared, put the princess on its back and carried it to the soldier. And the soldier had already fallen in love with the princess so much that he wanted to marry her with all his heart. And it would be nice to become a prince.

The dog ran quickly, and cereals fell out of the bag all along the road from the copper castle to the soldier’s house. But the dog didn't notice anything.

In the morning, the king and queen left the palace, looked at the road and immediately recognized where the princess had gone. The soldier was captured and put in prison.

The soldier sat behind bars for a long time. The prison was dark and boring. And then one day the guard said to the soldier:

- Tomorrow you will be hanged!

The soldier felt sad. He thought, thought about how to escape death, but could not come up with anything. After all, the soldier forgot his wonderful flint at home.

The next morning, the soldier went to the small window and began to look through the iron bars onto the street. Crowds of people flocked out of town to see how the soldier would be hanged. Drums beat and troops passed by. And then a boy, a shoemaker in a leather apron and shoes on his bare feet, ran past the prison itself. He was skipping along, and suddenly one shoe flew off his foot and hit right into the wall of the prison, near the lattice window where the soldier was standing.

- Hey, young man, don't rush! - the soldier shouted. “I’m still here, but things can’t get done there without me!” But if you run to my house and bring me flint, I will give you four silver coins. Well, it's alive!

The boy was not averse to receiving four silver coins and took off like an arrow for the flint, brought it instantly, gave it to the soldier and...

Listen to what came out of this.

A large gallows was built outside the city. There were troops and crowds of people around her. The king and queen sat on a magnificent throne. Opposite sat the judges and all state council. And so the soldier was led onto the stairs, and the executioner was about to throw a noose around his neck. But then the soldier asked to wait a minute.

“I would really like,” he said, “to smoke a pipe of tobacco - after all, this will be the very last pipe in my life.”

And in this country there was such a custom: last wish condemned to execution must be executed. Of course, if it was a completely trivial desire.

Therefore, the king could not refuse the soldier. And the soldier put his pipe in his mouth, pulled out his flint and began to strike fire. He hit the flint once, hit it twice, hit it three times - and then three dogs appeared in front of him. One had eyes like tea saucers, another like mill wheels, and the third like towers.

- Come on, help me get rid of the noose! - the soldier told them.

Then all three dogs rushed at the judges and the State Council: they would grab this one by the legs, that one by the nose, and let’s throw them up so high that, falling to the ground, everyone was smashed to pieces.

- You don’t need me! I don't want! - the king shouted.

But the largest dog grabbed him and the queen and threw them both up. Then the army got scared, and the people began to shout:

- Long live the soldier! Be our king, soldier, and take a beautiful princess as your wife!

The soldier was put into the royal carriage and taken to the palace. Three dogs danced in front of the carriage and shouted “hurray.” The boys whistled and the troops saluted. The princess left the copper castle and became queen. Clearly, she was very pleased.

The wedding feast lasted a whole week. Three dogs were also sitting at the table, eating, drinking and rolling their huge eyes.

Report an error in the selected text

Riding the Blade: A Hero's Story 13

Jen - the story is centered on action or plot, without emphasis on romance

Fandom: Originals Rating: PG-13- fan fiction, which can describe romantic relationship at the level of kisses and/or there may be hints of violence and other difficult moments."> PG-13 Genres: Drama- conflicting relationships of heroes with society or with each other, intense and active experiences of various internal or external conflicts. Both successful and sad resolution of the conflict are possible."> Drama, Romance- a fic about tender and romantic relationships. Usually has a happy ending."> Romance Warnings: Violence- description of actions of a violent nature (usually not sexual)."> Violence, Non-chronological narrative Action- fan fiction, full of action, battles, chases. Emphasis on actions, not on dialogues and relationships."> Action Warnings: Death of the main character- fan fiction in which one or more main characters die."> Violence- description of actions of a violent nature (usually not sexual)."> Violence, Guro- Descriptions of scenes with dismembered or gutted bodies, bloodshed, cutting off limbs, sophisticated murders, etc."> Guro, is a fan fiction in which one or more minor characters die."> Geta elements- romantic and/or sexual relationships between a man and a woman."> Geta Elements Size: Midi- average fanfic. Approximate size: 20 to 70 typewritten pages. "> Midi, 54 pages, 9 parts Status: finished Warnings: Death of the main character- fan fiction in which one or more main characters die."> Death of a main character, Violence- description of actions of a violent nature (usually not sexual)."> Violence, Guro- Descriptions of scenes with dismembered or gutted bodies, bloodshed, cutting off limbs, sophisticated murders, etc."> Guro, Death of a minor character- fan fiction in which one or more minor characters die."> Death of a minor character, Geta elements- romantic and/or sexual relationships between a man and a woman."> Geta Elements Size: Midi- average fanfic. Approximate size: 20 to 70 typewritten pages. "> Midi, 48 pages, 9 parts Status: finished

The hero's story continues, we return to Calradia, a world that was able to rise from its knees and regain its greatness. A world in which everyone can find a place to live. A world into which people go who have nowhere else to go.

• Page 1 from 1

What did Russian princes, tsars, and emperors say before they died?
Of course, many are interested. What were the last words of the great and powerful of the world this.
As for Russian autocrats, they are all, first of all, people. I. like any person, each of them last minute talked about what worried him most at that moment. But, reading these words, you are convinced that even at the edge of the worlds the strong and great remain strong and great. Most of them cared about the state, which they left to their heirs.

Alexander I (1777-1825) – Emperor, reigned from 1801.
The day of his death was very sunny, and he exclaimed: “How wonderful it is!”

Alexander II (1818-1881) – Emperor, reigned from 1855.
After the bomb thrown by the terrorist Grinevitsky reached its target, the emperor barely audibly said: “To the palace... to die there...”

Alexander III (1845-1894) – peacemaker Russian Emperor since 1881
WITH last words he turned to his wife Maria Feodorovna (nee Danish princess Dagmar): “I feel the end... be calm... I am completely calm...”

Alexandra Fedorovna (nee Alisa of Hessendarmstadt) 1872-1918 – last Russian empress, wife of Nicholas II
Before the shooting, she wrote to her friend: “I feel old, oh so old, but I am still the mother of this country, and her pain is the same to me as the pain of my child, I love her, despite her sins and horrors .

Alexander Nevsky (1220-1263) – Grand Duke Vladimirsky, reigned from 1252
He expressed a desire to become a monk: “Father, I’m sick of Velmi... I’m sick of Velmi... I don’t want my stomach and ask for tonsure.” His wish was fulfilled - he was tonsured under the name Alexy, after which he asked for forgiveness from the boyars and servants, took communion and died.

Alexey (1690-1718) – Tsarevich, son of Peter I
He cursed his father and his descendants, predicting that God would punish Russia for all the tsar’s crimes, and the entire Romanov family would die in blood.

Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov (1629-1676) - Tsar, reigned from 1645.
He blessed his son Fyodor for the kingdom and entrusted Tsarevich Peter to his uncle Kirill Naryshkin. He ordered the release of all prisoners from prison, the return of all those exiled from exile, as well as the forgiveness of all debts to the treasury and payment for those who were in prison for private debts.

Andrei Bogolyubsky (about 1111-1174) - Grand Duke of Vladimir, reigned from 1157.
He was killed by the conspirators. Before his death he said: “If, God, this is the end for me, I accept it.”

Anna Ioannovna (1693-740) – empress, reigned from 1730.
She called the courtiers and asked them for forgiveness
: "Sorry, goodbye..."

Boris Vladimirovich (?-1015) – prince, son of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich
Rus' at that time was torn apart by princely civil strife. Vladimir the Saint managed to stop this for a while. Not wanting to resume internecine wars after the death of his father, Boris supreme power his brother Svyatopolk: “I will not raise my hand against my elder brother: if my father died, then let this one be my father instead.” But he was treacherously killed by Svyatopolk’s mercenaries. For his martyrdom he was canonized, and the fratricide Svyatopolk received the nickname the Damned.

Boris Godunov (circa 1552-1605) - Tsar, reigned from 1598.
He blessed his son to rule the Russian state.

Vasily III (1479-1533) – Grand Duke of Moscow, reigned from 1505.
Before his death, he decided to become a monk. He called the chief clergy to him and said, “You see for yourself, I am exhausted and approaching the end, but my desire has been for a long time - to get a haircut, tonsure me.” As soon as the rite of tonsure was completed, the prince died.

Prophetic Oleg (?-912) – prince, reigned in 879-912.
The Magi predicted his death from his own horse. Oleg didn't believe it. A few years later the horse died, but the prince was still alive. He laughed at the prediction and rode to the place where the horse's bones lay. He stepped on his skull and said: “Is this the skull to die from?” A snake crawled out of the skull. Her bite became fatal for Oleg.

Vladimir Monomakh (1053-1125) – Grand Duke of Kiev, reigned from 1113.
Before his death he bequeathed: “Let no one be crowned king after my death! Our Fatherland is divided into many regions; if there is a king, then appanage princes out of envy they will start fighting him and the state will perish.”

Vladimir Svyatoslavovich (960-1015) - Grand Duke of Kiev, reigned from 980.
Shortly before his death, he decided to go to war against his son Yaroslav. He showed him his disrespect. His last words were: “Forge the path, build the bridges.”

Gleb Vladimirovich (?-1015) – prince, son of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich
Like his brother Boris, he did not want civil strife and recognized the supreme power of his brother Svyatopolk, but just like his brother, he was stabbed to death by his mercenaries. His last words were: “Since you have already begun, once you have started, do what you were sent to do.” He was canonized.

Dmitry Donskoy (1350-1389) – Grand Duke of Moscow (from 1359) and Vladimir, reigned from 1363.
He called his wife, sons and boyars and addressed the boyars: “Serve faithfully my wife and young sons, share joy and misfortune with them. May the God of peace be with you!”

Catherine I (1684-1727) – empress, reigned from 1725.
She ordered that former favorite Diviere, who was under investigation, be sent into exile - to Siberia and Tolstoy (an associate of Menshikov, who acted against Catherine) - to Solovetsky Monastery.

Catherine II the Great (1729-1796) – empress, reigned from 1762.
On the day of death, in the morning, leaving the bedroom, when asked how she spent the night, she answered: “I have never spent such a pleasant night.” I went to the dressing room, fell unconscious and never came back.

Elizaveta Petrovna (1709-1761) – empress, reigned from 1741.
“Call the Chancellor... why doesn’t he come to me?”

Zagryazhskaya Natalya Kirillovna (1747-1837) - Russian princess
Shortly before her death, she told Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich: “I don’t want to die suddenly. You will come to heaven mad and in a hurry, but I need to ask the Lord God three questions: who was False Dmitry, who - Iron mask and Chevalier d'Eon: man or woman. It is also said that Louis XVII was taken from the Temple and rescued; I need to ask about this.” When asked by Mikhail Pavlovich if she was sure that she would go to heaven, Natalya Kirillovna answered with offense: “Do you think that you were born to hang around in the hallway of Purgatory?”

Ivan IV the Terrible (1530-1584) - the first Russian Tsar, reigned from 1547.
He turned to his son with a request to reduce state taxes, as well as to provide assistance to those offended and deprived of shelter through his fault.

False Dmitry (Grigory Borisovich Otrepiev) ?-1606 – Russian impostor tsar
He was killed by the boyars led by Vasily Shuisky. Before his death, he stubbornly repeated that he was a crowned king, the rightful heir to the throne.

Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov (1596-1645) - Tsar, reigned from 1613.
“I’m leaving, I want to confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries...”

Nicholas I (1796-1855) - Emperor, reigned from 1825.
With his last words he addressed the heir Alexander II: “Hold everything, hold everything.”

Nicholas II (1868-1918) - Emperor, reigned 1894-1917.
When the verdict was read out to him, at first he didn’t understand: “What?.. What?..” And then: “Forgive them too, Lord, for they do not know what they are doing...”

Olga (?-?) – princess, reigned 945-969.
She bequeathed to bury herself according to Christian rites, since she was baptized, although at that time Rus' was not yet Christian.

Olga Nikolaevna Romanova (1895-1918) – Grand Duchess, daughter of Emperor Nicholas II
Shortly before the execution, as if anticipating imminent death, wrote a poem that was more like a prayer:
Send us, Lord, patience,
In a time of stormy, dark days
To endure popular persecution
And the torture of our executioners.
Give us strength, O righteous God,
To forgive one's neighbor's crimes
And the cross, heavy and bloody,
To meet with your meekness.
And in the days of rebellious excitement,
When our enemies rob us,
To endure shame and humiliation,
Christ the Savior help.
Lord of the world, God of the universe,
Bless us with your prayer
And give rest to the humble soul
At an unbearably terrible hour.
And at the threshold of the grave
Breathe into the mouths of Your servants
Superhuman powers
Pray meekly for your enemies.
Christ the Savior, help...

Paul I (1754-1801) – Emperor, reigned from 1796.
He was killed as a result of a conspiracy, of which his eldest son, heir to the throne Alexander I, was also a member. But he mistook one of the killers for another son - Constantine - and shouted: “Your Highness, are you here too? Have mercy! Air, air! What have I done to you?

Peter I the Great (1672-1725) – Tsar since 1682, in 1721 proclaimed himself Emperor
There are two versions.
Version one. He demanded a pen and paper and wrote: “Give everything...”
Version two. “That is the only thing that quenches my thirst, the only thing that delights me.”

Peter II (1715-730) - Emperor since 1727, son of Tsarevich Alexei
“Harness the sleigh. I’m going to my sister!”

Peter III (1728-1762) - Emperor, reigned from 1761.
While under arrest, in his last note to his wife Catherine II, he asked: “Your Majesty, I also ask me, who is in your will and completely in everything, to let me go to foreign lands with those for whom I Your Majesty previously asked. And I hope for your generosity that you will not leave me without food. Your devoted servant Peter.”

Rurik (about 830-897) - the first Russian prince, reigned in 862-879.
Before his death he turned to his son: “Don’t cut off any more heads! I’m talking about Vadim (Vadim the Brave - the leader of the Novgorodians who rebelled against the rule of Rurik, and killed by Rurik himself - author) don’t shed blood in vain... Take care of human lives..."

Fyodor Ioannovich (1557-1598) - Tsar, son of Ivan the Terrible, reigned from 1584.
His last conversation took place with his wife, alone, without witnesses, so what the king said before his death remained unknown.

Yaroslav I the Wise (about 978-1054) - Grand Duke of Kiev, reigned from 1019.
“Here I am leaving this world, my sons, have love among yourselves, because you are all brothers... And if you live in love with each other, God will be with you and will subdue your enemies... If you live in hatred, in strife and quarrels, then you yourself will perish and destroy the land of your fathers, who obtained it with their great labor.”