German literature
Baron Munchausen
Baron Munchausen is the main liar of world literature. Please note, not a liar, not a malicious deceiver, but a liar - “a talker, a teller, an amusing idle talker, a joker, a buffoon” * or “one who likes to tell absurd, absurd, etc. things, making them up as we go along." This is how young children usually tell “true” stories, having their own ideas about the world order and the place of man in nature and society. As we grow older, the gift of liar dissolves into knowledge. One can only be surprised and admire those exceptional personalities who, throwing aside philosophy, science and everyday knowledge, manage to tell us stories so sincerely, so funny and captivatingly that allow us to leave everyday life at least for a short time and plunge into the world of childish spontaneity.
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* V. Dahl. Dictionary. T.I.M.: State Publishing House " Fiction", 1935.
** Dictionary of the Russian language. T.I.M.: Russian language, 1985.
Such people included Rudolf Erich Raspe*, the creator of Baron Munchausen as a literary hero. We'll talk about the prototype of the great liar later.
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* In Russian literature they also write Raspe - both spellings are correct.
Raspe was born in Hanover in 1737 into the impoverished family of a noble official*.
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* One of Raspe's ancestors was the Margrave of Thuringia, and Gerlach von Munchausen founded the famous University of Göttingen.
At the age of eighteen, he entered the University of Göttingen, a year later he moved to the University of Leipzig, where he graduated, having studied the history of antiquity, archeology and geology. In those years, among friends and acquaintances, Raspe was known as a lively, cheerful person, who liked to joke, it was not for nothing that he was nicknamed Swift.
Having received his master's degree, he returned to Hanover, where in 1760 he entered the service of the Royal Library. At that time, Hanover was part of the possession of the English royal house.
The variety of interests and breadth of knowledge allowed Raspe to enter into correspondence with many outstanding people of his time. Among them were I.I. Winkelman*, G.E. Lessing**, I.G. Herder***, B. Franklin**** and many others. Seven years later, Raspe was already widely known in scientific and literary circles in Europe and America. By this time, his first works had been published - the poem “Spring Thoughts”, the one-act comedy “The Lost Peasant Woman”, the novel “Hermin and Gunilda, a story from the times of chivalry, which happened in Schaeferberg between Adelepsen and Uslar, accompanied by a prologue about the times of chivalry in the form of allegories” .
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* Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-1768) - an outstanding German historian ancient art, archaeologist; the founder of the aesthetics of classicism, which revived public interest in the culture of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
** Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781) - German philosopher-educator, writer, critic, founder of the national German theater.
*** Johann Gottfried Herder (1744-1803) - an outstanding German cultural historian, founder of the historical understanding of art, critic, poet.
**** Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) - American scientist, prominent statesman.
In 1766, a vacancy opened up in Kassel for a library keeper and professor at Charlemagne College. Landgrave Frederick II (1720-1785) offered this court post to Rudolf Raspe, and he, having agreed, moved to Kassel - one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. In addition to lectures at the college, Raspe's duties included putting in order the collection of antiquities collected by the Landgrave, which numbered 15 thousand valuable items.
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* Title of the sovereign prince in Germany.
Raspe rose to the rank of Privy Councilor and during this time published a number of valuable scientific works, thanks to which he became a member of the Royal Society of London, a member of the Dutch Society of Sciences in Haarlem, a member of the German and Historical Institutes in Göttingen, an honorary member of the Marburg Literary Society, and secretary of the New Kassel Society of Agriculture and Applied Sciences.
However, court life required significant expenses. The frivolous Raspe got into huge debts. And then the unexpected happened - Frederick II set out to hit on the scientist’s young wife and sent him as ambassador to Venice. Raspa was not allowed to take his family with him. And then the jealous husband went on an adventure - he supposedly went to Venice, but in fact went to Berlin, and his wife and children joined him on the way. As soon as they learned about the deception in Kassel, an investigation immediately began. Immediately, rumors spread that in order to replenish funds, Raspe stole valuable coins and gems from the collection of antiquities. Upon inspection, a large shortage was discovered. The investigation could not establish whether Raspe really stole the valuables, but since that time, for the third century, the theft has been invariably attributed to him. Even the return of the fugitive, who was immediately offered to return 5 thousand thalers to the treasury, did not help. And Raspe really went on the run.
Four days after the run, on November 19, 1775, he was arrested in Clausthalle. On the way back to Kassel, Raspe told the policeman accompanying him his story. At the end, he silently walked up to the window into the garden, opened it wide and left the room.
For some time, Raspe disappeared from the field of view of biographers. He showed up in England and began to earn a living there by translating German books into English.
In 1781, sixteen anecdotes under the general title “Stories of M-h-z-na” were published in the Berlin humorous almanac “Guide for Merry People.” Two years later, “Two More Fables by M.” appeared in the same magazine.
The author of these stories is still debated to this day. There is even an opinion that Baron Munchausen himself wrote them, but most literary historians do not agree with this point of view. The magazine fell into the hands of Raspe, and in 1785 he published a small book with his author’s transcription of these stories - “Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of His Wonderful Travels and Campaigns in Russia.” The book became popular, but the author of the “Narrative” remained unknown - Raspe chose to publish it anonymously.
The writer's subsequent life was sad: lonely - Raspe's family remained in Germany - he rushed around England, trying to earn capital with his knowledge of geology. Once in Ireland, he fell ill with typhus there in 1794 and died. Raspe's grave has not survived.
In 1786-1788 poet G.A. Burger* translated Raspe's book into German trying to make her political satire. Although Bürger’s “The Adventures of Munchausen” was also published anonymously, until 1847 it was he who was considered their author, until the poet’s biographer Heinrich Doring spoke about the authorship of the forgotten Raspe.
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* Gottfried August Burger (1747-1794) - German poet, one of the exponents of the ideas of the Sturm and Drang movement; created a new one for German literature genre of serious ballad.
And now about the prototype of the great liar.
Baron Carl Friedrich Hieronymus von Munchausen (1720-1797) belonged to one of the most distinguished aristocratic families in Germany. He was born in the small German town of Bodenwerder.
In his youth, the baron served at the court of Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick*, being a page of whom, in 1733, thirteen-year-old Munchausen came to Russia. It was then that the famous Field Marshal Minich** called young man“neither fish nor fowl” due to its insignificance in all respects.
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* Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick (1714-1774) - father Russian Emperor Ivan VI Antonovich, deposed in infancy by the daughter of Peter I, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna; Generalissimo of the Russian Army; husband of the ruler Anna Leopoldovna, niece and heir of the Empress Anna Ioannovna. From 1740, after the coup, he was in exile with his family until his death.
** Burchard-Christopher Minich (1683-1767) - count, field marshal, outstanding statesman of Russia.
In 1737, Munchausen left with the Russian army on a campaign against the Turks and took part in the siege of Ochakov. On the day of the decisive assault near Anton Ulrich, next to whom Munchausen was, a horse was killed, one of the duke's associates was seriously wounded, a page was killed, another was wounded.
During the coup d'etat of 1740, Munchausen went into the service of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. In 1744, as the chief of the guard, he participated in the meeting at the border of the bride of the heir to the Russian throne, Peter Petrovich, Princess Sophia of Zerbst (the future Empress Catherine II) and her mother.
In 1750, Munchausen retired with the rank of captain, got married and returned to his homeland.
Then his life proceeded quietly and serenely. The baron was engaged in agriculture, managed the estate and indulged in his passion - hunting. And in the evenings he told random guests stories full of harmless boasting and fiction about his adventures in Russia.
But 1781 came, stories appeared in the “Guide for Merry People,” and everyone immediately recognized M-h-z-not as a noble baron. The poor fellow was only slightly upset at the time. But when in 1786 the anonymous German translation"Munchausen", dark times have come for the baron. Everyone laughed at him, declared him a liar and a braggart, his relatives said that the old man had disgraced all of them. ancient family... And Munchausen didn’t even have anyone to challenge to a duel in order to get satisfaction. So he died unavenged, but remained in eternity one of the most beloved literary heroes.
We have to admit that both Raspe and Burger tried to declare “The Adventures of Munchausen” a moralizing or even satirical book, following the example of Swift’s “Lemuel Gulliver’s Travels.” Thus, Raspe assured that main idea his books are a punishment for lies, for with his stories about travels, campaigns and funny adventures, the baron denounces the art of lying and puts in the hands of everyone who finds himself in the company of inveterate braggarts a means that he could use on any suitable occasion. “The Punisher of Lies” is how the author defined the moral and educational meaning of his book.
In vain. And it is just as in vain that these days they are trying to squeeze out of “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” a far-fetched philosophy from hackneyed liberal cliches. The great liar Baron Munchausen is great and eternal in that with his very existence he gives each of us the bright world of childhood again.
Munchausen became the unique hero of numerous brilliant engravings by Gustave Doré. This is how we always remember his appearance.
Filmmakers have repeatedly filmed Raspe's book, but each time they tried to extract morality or, even worse, philosophy from it. So all the films were failures.
But it is necessary to note the wonderful Soviet animated series “The Adventures of Munchausen,” which clearly reflected the true essence of the great liar. The directors of the series A.I. Solin* and N.O. Lerner**, artist I.A. Wheat***.
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* Anatoly Ivanovich Solin (b. 1939) - Soviet and Russian animator director and artist. His works “Notes of a Pirate”, “The Adventures of Pig Funtik”, “The Magnificent Gosha”, etc. are widely known.
** Nathan Oziasovich Lerner (1932-1993) - Soviet animator director. The author of such famous cartoons as “Muk-Skorokhod” (based on the fairy tale by V. Gauf), “Plyukh and Plikh” (based on D. Kharms), “The Stolen Sun” (based on the fairy tale by K. Chukovsky), etc.
*** Inna Aleksandrovna Pshenichnaya (b. 1945) - Soviet and Russian animator director and artist. Spouse A.I. Solina, together with whom she has produced a number of famous Russian cartoons since 1969.
Baron Munchausen
Baron Munchausen
Main character(Munchhausen) works of the German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe (1737-1794) “The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen”. This book consists of Munchausen's "true" stories about his fantastic travels and incredible adventures in war and hunting.
The prototype of the hero is the baron from Lower Saxony, Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Munchausen (1720-1797), who was in Russian service for some time as an officer in the Russian army and is credited with a series of anecdotal stories that appeared (1781) in the Berlin magazine “Vademecum fur lustige Leute” "("Guide for Cheerful People"). However, the true authorship of these publications has not been precisely established.
These stories appeared in book form thanks to German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe, who, while in England, published them (1786) on English language in Oxford under the title “Stories of Baron Munchausen about his wonderful travels and campaign in Russia.”
The German translation of this book was made by Gottfried August Burger (1747-1794) and published anonymously in the same year under the title “Wonderful Journeys by Water and Land and the Merry Adventures of Baron Munchausen.”
Allegorically: a harmless dreamer and braggart (jokingly ironic).
encyclopedic Dictionary winged words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.
See what "Baron Munchausen" is in other dictionaries:
See Munchausen...
See Munchausen... encyclopedic Dictionary
- ... Wikipedia
Jarg. school Joking. Student at the blackboard. ShP, 2002 ...
Munchausen Munchhausen Genre ... Wikipedia
- (Baron Munchausen) the hero of many works of German literature (books by R. E. Raspe, G. A. Burger, K. L. Immermann), a braggart and a liar, talking about his fabulous adventures and fantastic travels. Prototype Baron K.F.I.... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Baron: Baron title. Baron (among gypsies) is a distorted baro (gypsy head of the clan). Gypsy Baron. Baron Munchausen is a literary and historical character. Baron is a deity in the Voodoo religion. “Baron” part 1 of the television series... ... Wikipedia
Munchausen. Jarg. school Joking. Student at the blackboard. ShP, 2002. Baron von Mylnikov. Book Neglect A person who made the most positive impression and turned out to be insignificant, representing nothing. BMS 1998, 42. Baron von Trippenbach. Zharg... ... Large dictionary of Russian sayings
Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Baron von Munchausen Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Freiherr von Münchhausen ... Wikipedia
Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Munchausen (in the uniform of a cuirassier). G. Bruckner, 1752 Report of the company commander Munchhausen to the regimental chancellery (written by a clerk, hand-signed Lieutenant v. Munchhausen). 02/26/1741 Munchaus wedding ... Wikipedia
Books
- Baron Munchausen, Makeev Sergey Lvovich. The name of Baron Munchausen - an incorrigible liar, inventor and dreamer - has been known to everyone since childhood. Many people also know that a person with that name is the original Hieronymus, Karl Friedrich von...
- , Makeev S.. "Baron Munchausen". The name of Baron Munchausen - an incorrigible liar, inventor and dreamer - has been known to everyone since childhood. Many people also know that a person with that name is a genuine Jerome...
L. LEVIN (Orel).
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Portraits of some representatives of the extensive Munchausen family of the 16th-17th centuries.
The extensive Munchausen family had many prominent figures, among them the founder of the University of Göttingen, Gerlach Adolf von Munchausen.
One of the castles still owned by this family in Lower Saxony.
Baroness Anna Maria von Munchausen shows the author of the article a collection of portraits of her ancestors.
Science and life // Illustrations
This is what Bodenwerder looked like in 1654. The Munchausen estate rises in the center. Next to the photo is their coat of arms.
Lifetime portrait Carl Hieronymus Friedrich von Munchausen (copy from the original, which is lost).
The Ducal Palace in Wolfenbüttel, from which our hero left for Russia in 1737.
Science and life // Illustrations
Gottfried August Bürger (left) and Rudolf Erich Raspe are the founders of publications with the incredible stories of Baron Munchausen.
Munchausen's house in Bodenwerder. He was born in it and spent his life after returning from Russia.
Science and life // Illustrations
Illustrations for lifetime editions of “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen”: the hero pulls himself out of the swamp by his hair; he rides a horse through the house; Munchausen, transplanting from one nucleus to another.
In the city where Munchausen was born, there are many sculptural figures dedicated to him.
Here he sits on the core. Munchausen waters the "halved horse".
After the high snowdrifts melted, Munchausen's horse found himself tied to the church cross.
There are a lot of Munchausens! Since the 12th century, almost 1,300 people have gathered on the family tree, about 50 are alive today. There are a dozen and a half castles scattered throughout Lower Saxony that once belonged or belong today to members of this venerable family. And the family is truly respectable. In the XVIII and 19th centuries he gave eight persons the rank of ministers of different German states. Here and such bright personalities, like the famous Landsknecht Hilmar von Munchausen in the 16th century, who obtained considerable money for himself with a sword to buy or rebuild half a dozen castles. Here is the founder of the University of Göttingen, Gerlach Adolf von Munchausen, and the botanist and agronomist Otto von Munchausen. There are half a dozen writers, and among them is the “first poet of the Third Reich” Berries von Munchausen, whose poems were chanted by Hitler Youth teenagers as they marched through the streets.
And the whole world knows only one thing - Karl Hieronymus Friedrich von Munchausen, according to the genealogical table, number 701. And, probably, he would remain number 701, if during his lifetime two writers - R. E. Raspe and G. A. Burger - were not allowed around the world, either by the funny stories they heard from Munchausen, or by the funny stories they themselves invented, which for two centuries have brought a smile to the most different people in all corners of the earth. If we keep in mind the literary hero, then he, in fact, is not German, but rather a citizen of the world; only his name speaks about his nationality. The very first line in millions of books on which this name appears reads: “I left home for Russia in the middle of winter...” And millions of readers for the third century perceive Russia, according to his stories, as a country where “wolves devour horses as they run.” , where snow covers the ground up to the tops of churches and where a stream of urine freezes right in the air."
What really connects Munchausen with Russia? How random are the “Russian settings” in the short stories he created? The main facts of his biography are known, interest in it is caused by literary fame, which the baron himself, however, considered an indelible shame. Alas, there is still more than one author in both Russia and Germany, when talking about the real-life, as they call it, “historical Munchausen,” who, wittingly or unwittingly, mixes his biography with the adventures of a cheerful adventurer.
This is all the more offensive because many documents have come down to us from the 18th century, on the pages of which this name is written in Russian and German letters; they lie on the shelves of the archives of two countries - Russia and Germany: in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Göttingen, Wolfenbüttel, Hanover, Bodenwerde. By linking them with some published and unpublished research, a biography of the baron can be compiled. It will not be possible to flip through all the pages of his biography within the framework of a magazine article. And among them there are in no way inferior in intensity of passions to those that Raspe and Burger once published on his behalf. Therefore, we will dwell in more detail on just some of them.
Munchausen was born in 1720 in the small town of Bodenwerder, which then lay on an island right in the middle of the Weser River. The Munchausen coat of arms, known since the 13th century, depicts a monk in the robes of the Cistercian order with a staff and a pouch in his hand, in the pouch is a book. Over eight centuries, the spelling of the name - Munchausen - has changed several times. About 80 variants are known. Among them are Monekhusen, Munchhausen, Monichusen, Monigkusen, Minnighusen and many others.
Our hero lost his father early and was brought up at the court of the Prince of Brunswick-Bevern in Bevern Castle, not far from his home. In 1735, the prince became the reigning Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and Münchausen was officially promoted to page. Ahead lay the traditional career for a poor nobleman - military service in the army of Brunswick or neighboring small states. But fate opened a different path for the young man.
Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, who has been living in Russia for the fifth year as the fiancé of Anna Leopoldovna, niece of the Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna, urgently needed two pages to replace those killed during the assault Turkish fortress Ochakov. After a long search (few people wanted to go to mysterious Russia), two desperate ones were found, and one of them was Munchausen. He arrived in St. Petersburg in early February 1738. It is very likely (but not yet documented) that he immediately took part in the campaign against the Turks in the retinue of Anton Ulrich. He had to participate, that’s why he was discharged.
In December 1739, Munchausen from the retinue of Anton Ulrich joined the army as a cornet in the Brunswick cuirassier regiment stationed near Riga. In this case, he was provided with protection by the wife of Duke Biron. So the level of the young man’s connections at court was high.
In less than a year, there is a change of monarch on the Russian throne. Empress Anna Ioannovna dies suddenly, handing over the reign to Biron before her death, and the crown to two-month-old Ivan Antonovich, the son of Anna Leopoldovna and Anton Ulrich, Munchausen's patron. Three weeks later, Biron is already sitting in the casemate of the Shlisselburg fortress, Anna Leopoldovna becomes the ruler, and Anton Ulrich receives the rank of generalissimo. But the Generalissimo did not forget Munchausen: he was promoted from cornet to lieutenant, and, as his mother proudly reports, he beat out 12 other cornets who were awaiting promotion in rank.
Munchausen had something to brag about. He was appointed commander of the first company of the regiment, which was located directly under the commander-in-chief in Riga to perform the guard of honor and other ceremonial actions (for example, in 1744, Munchausen commanded the guard when the Anhalt-Zerbst princess, the future Catherine II, passed through Riga). The military historical archive contains hundreds of documents depicting hectic life company commander Munchausen (company numbered 90 people). This includes repairing ammunition, accepting new horses, reporting on the sale of skins flayed from the fallen, allowing soldiers to marry, capturing deserters, repairing weapons, purchasing provisions and fodder, grazing horses, correspondence with superiors due to delays in pay, and much more.
All documents were written by a clerk in Russian and only signed “Lieutenant von Munchhausen”. It is difficult to judge how well our hero knew the Russian language. He had no difficulty communicating with officers: two-thirds of them were foreigners, mostly Germans. The document that later nominated Munchausen to the rank of captain notes that he can read and write German, but only speaks Russian.
In the Russian-Swedish war, which began in 1741, Munchausen did not take part, this is documented. In general, the only basis for the assertion of some biographers about the baron’s military past is his letter to his mother in 1741 with a request to send underwear, because “the old ones were lost in the campaign.” Most likely, with the exception of the campaign of 1738, where he presumably could have participated in the retinue of Anton Ulrich, Munchausen still did not go to battle.
On the night of November 24-25, 1741, the daughter of Peter I, Princess Elizabeth Petrovna, personally leading a grenadier company, seized the throne. The entire so-called “Brunswick family” (the young emperor, his parents and two-month-old sister) were arrested and spent many decades in prison. His fate was shared by the courtiers and servants. But Munchausen happily avoids such a fate, for, as if on a whim, two years before the coup he transferred from the ducal retinue to the army. Munchausen was lucky in another way too. At first, the new empress announced that all ranks received by them during the previous reign would be removed from military and civilians, but then she changed her mind, realizing how many people she would offend by this, and Munchausen retained his rank of lieutenant.
In the 24th year of his life, Munchausen marries the daughter of a judge, Jacobine von Dunten (the Dunten house near Riga burned down only recently). By the way, Jacobina’s paternal line “sprouted” to Russia from the same places where Munchausen was born, from what is now Lower Saxony.
It was necessary to arrange a family nest. But the career did not develop further. There was no more war; it was not possible to bypass a long line of lieutenants as easily as a dozen cornets. Finally, in 1750, having waited for the next rank of captain, Munchausen asked for leave for a year “to correct extreme and necessary needs” and left with his wife for his homeland to settle property matters: by this time his mother had long been dead, two of his mothers had died in the war brother
Munchausen twice sent requests from Bodenwerder to Russia to extend his leave and twice received a deferment. But, apparently, the “extreme and necessary needs” dragged on; the baron never returned to Russia and on August 6, 1754 he was expelled from the regiment. From the documents of the Military Collegium it follows that Munchausen asked for his resignation, but received the answer that for this, according to Russian laws, he must personally appear in Russia and submit a petition. Information about his arrival has not yet been found.
Apparently, Munchausen’s long stay in Russia had an effect here: he could not even imagine that someone would stop a retired officer in some hole from throwing several logs over a narrow ditch. Not so! As soon as they had time to drive the piles and lay the beams, the townspeople gathered in the square and, led by some tailor, went to the baron's estate to the sound of bells with crowbars and ropes. In an instant, the piles were pulled out and the beams were thrown into the water. Since a lot of people had gathered, and there wasn’t enough work for everyone, they also tore down the new fence around Munchausen’s yard. Then his pigs are seized for non-payment of some taxes. Then they demand fines for weeding the city meadow...
Soon after Munchausen returned to his homeland, the Seven Years' War broke out, the French invaded Hanoverian lands, requisitioning everything they could from the population. Here Munchausen was lucky: the commander-in-chief of the French corps gave him a security certificate, protecting his estate from extortions and duties. Probably, Munchausen's service in the Russian army, the allies of the French, played a role in this war.
Munchausen's marriage turned out to be childless, and relations with neighbors apparently did not work out. “In... mental turmoil... hunting and war are the way out, always ready for a nobleman,” wrote Goethe, a younger contemporary of Munchausen. However, the 36-year-old retired cuirassier captain, a professional military man, did not go to defend the fatherland, but chose hunting. It is not known how successful a shooter he was, but he soon discovered a brilliant talent as a storyteller in the genre called in Germany “Jagerlatein” - “Hunting anecdotes”.
Not only friends, but also strangers gathered to listen to him when the baron traveled to the neighboring cities of Hameln, Hanover, Göttingen... Whether he told his stories in Bodenwerder is unknown, but probably not: Munchausen’s relations with the townspeople remained strained. But the people of Göttingen were looking forward to his arrival, usually gathering in the restaurant of the King of Prussia Hotel to have a lot of fun listening to the baron’s funny stories.
A contemporary described his impressions as follows: “He usually began to talk after dinner, lighting his huge meerschaum pipe with a short mouthpiece and placing a steaming glass of punch in front of him... He gesticulated more and more expressively, twisted his small dandy wig on his head with his hands, his face became more and more he became animated and blushed, and he, usually a very truthful person, at these moments wonderfully acted out his fantasies.” (By the way, the wig was really smart; one of the bills for a new wig for 4 thalers has been preserved - quite a lot of money at that time.) The fame of the narrator grew, but then oral creativity the baron's literary pretensions never extended. So his life would have rolled to a calm end, but in his old age Munchausen faced adventures hotter than flying on a cannonball.
At first his stories began to spread throughout Lower Saxony through oral transmission; then collections of funny stories began to appear ridiculous stories, which were allegedly told by a certain “M-g-z-n”, and at the end of 1785 the baron’s name was printed in full on the title page of a booklet published in London. Already in next year it was reprinted four times! The first collections were published in England by Rudolf Erich Raspe, who fled there from Kassel (which is not far from Bodenwerder), suffering poverty in exile and hoping for a fee. They were then revised and published by another famous writer, Gottfried August Bürger. True, the first editions were published anonymously, and only since the middle of the 19th century have both of these names - separately or together - appeared on the title pages of all books about Munchausen’s adventures. These books instantly spread throughout Europe. (First Russian edition It was published around 1791, but the translator carefully removed any mention of Russia.)
The Baron perceived his fantastic, but uninvited literary fame as an insulting mockery, considered his good name disgraced, and even planned to sue, but he could not change anything. By the way, the Germans still add the official epithet “Lugenbaron” to his name - liar baron.
But this misfortune was not enough. Last years The baron's life is a complete scandal.
In 1790, he buried his wife, and three years later, in the seventy-third year of his life, he married the daughter of a major from a neighboring town, a certain Bernardine von Brun (to her family and friends, just Bernie), who, according to some sources, turned 17, according to others - “for 20 years already.” The grief began on the wedding day, to which Bernardina, contrary to the baron’s wishes, invited many guests and musicians from Hanover and had fun with them all night, although the newlywed retired to the bedroom at 10 pm! Then it turned out that Bernardina, having gotten married, did not think of breaking off her long-standing relationship with her old friend, a clerk from her hometown, and after six months of marriage it turned out that she was pregnant... The nephews of the childless baron, from whom the inheritance was so clearly eluding, initiated a lawsuit, the baron refused to recognize the unborn child as his, and the judicial machine began to spin, requiring ever greater expenses. There are a lot of documents left from this case; the baron’s lawyer drew up an 86-page statement to the court, attaching witness statements (201 points). Seventeen witnesses of different ages , gender and social status claimed that Bernardina was shamelessly unfaithful to her husband, and described the smallest details
her walks, trips, meetings with the clerk, they recalled her words and gestures, listed her purchases, reported what rumors were circulating about her in Bodenwerder and the surrounding area... But there were no witnesses to the most intimate relationship, all testimonies contained the words “very likely " and "without a doubt", all the evidence was circumstantial, and no one saw the clerk in the arms of the Baroness. The matter turned out to be difficult. Munchausen in detailed explanations cited the most sublime and noble motives that prompted him to marry a girl from poor family . He supposedly counted on the joy of spiritual communication, but was cruelly deceived. Bernardina, for her part, argued that unborn child maybe only from the baron and from no one else, and the husband, as it turned out, has a bad character, is pathologically jealous, stingy, denies his wife innocent ladies' pleasures and is generally out of his mind. The legal proceedings reached a dead end and stalled, but demanded everything more money ; the baron had to pay for the doctor's services and, the lawyer demanded that attesting witnesses be present during the birth and that the light should be on brightly (in order to avoid any fraud with the baby). A child (girl) was born. Munchausen was forced to pay alimony to his legitimate daughter - the amount was considerable, and he had to borrow money from one of his friends. Out of grief, the baron went to bed, his nephews were beside themselves: their uncle could die, and the inheritance would go away from them irrevocably. But, oh joy! - so in the correspondence - the child died a year later! The baron died a year later, in 1796. He was very weak, his huntsman's wife looked after him. A few days before the Baron's death, she noticed that his toes were missing. “They were chewed off by a polar bear while hunting,” this “king of liars” found the strength to joke.
The baron was buried in the Munchausen family crypt in the village of Kemnade, near Bodenwerder. In the church book he is called a “retired Russian captain.”
Centuries later, the floors and crypt were opened in the church, and they wanted to transfer the remains buried there to the cemetery. An eyewitness (the future writer Karl Hensel), who was then still a boy, described his impressions this way: “When the coffin was opened, the men’s tools fell out of their hands. In the coffin lay not a skeleton, but a sleeping man with hair, skin and a recognizable face: Hieronymus von Munchausen "A wide, round, kind face with a protruding nose and a slightly smiling mouth. No scars, no mustache." A gust of wind swept through the church. And the body instantly disintegrated into dust. “Instead of a face there was a skull, instead of a body there were bones.” The coffin was closed and did not move to another place.
Everyone knows, of course, who Baron Munchausen is.
But does everyone know that this hero actually existed in the world?..
His name was Hieronymus Karl Friedrich Baron von Munchausen.
The founder of the Munchausen family is considered to be the knight Heino, who took part in the crusade led by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in the 12th century.
Heino's descendants died in wars and civil strife. And only one of them survived, because he was a monk. By special decree he was released from the monastery.
It was from here that a new branch of the family began - Munchausen, which means “house of the monk”. That is why the coats of arms of all Munchausens depict a monk with a staff and a book.
Among the Munchausens there were famous warriors and nobles. Thus, in the 17th century, the commander Hilmar von Munchausen became famous, in the 18th - the Minister of the Hanoverian Court, Gerlach Adolf von Munchausen, the founder of the University of Göttingen.
But the real glory, of course, went to “that same” Munchausen.
Hieronymus Karl Friedrich Baron von Munchausen was born on May 11, 1720 on the Bodenwerder estate near Hanover.
The Munchausen house in Bodenwerder still stands today - it houses the burgomaster and a small museum. Now the town on the Weser River is decorated with sculptures of the famous fellow countryman and literary hero.
Hieronymus Carl Friedrich Baron von Munchausen was the fifth child among eight brothers and sisters.
His father died early, when Jerome was only four years old. He, like his brothers, most likely had to military career. And he began to serve in 1735 as a page in the retinue of the Duke of Brunswick.
At this time, the Duke's son, Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick, was serving in Russia and was preparing to take command of a cuirassier regiment. But the prince also had a much more important mission - he was one of the possible suitors of Anna Leopoldovna, the niece of the Russian Empress.
In those days, Russia was ruled by Empress Anna Ioannovna, who was widowed early and had no children. She wanted to transfer power along her own, Ivanovo line. To do this, the Empress decided to marry her niece Anna Leopoldovna to some European prince, so that the children from this marriage would inherit the Russian throne.
The matchmaking of Anton Ulrich dragged on for almost seven years. The prince took part in campaigns against the Turks; in 1737, during the assault on the Ochakov fortress, he found himself in the thick of battle, the horse under him was killed, the adjutant and two pages were wounded. The pages later died from their wounds. In Germany, they did not immediately find replacements for the dead - the pages were afraid of the distant and wild country. Hieronymus von Munchausen himself volunteered to go to Russia.
This happened in 1738.
In the retinue of Prince Anton Ulrich, young Munchausen constantly visited the court of the Empress, at military parades, and probably took part in the campaign against the Turks in 1738. Finally, in 1739, the magnificent wedding of Anton Ulrich and Anna Leopoldovna took place, the young people were treated kindly by their aunt-empress. Everyone was looking forward to the appearance of the heir.
At this time, young Munchausen makes an unexpected decision at first glance - to go to military service. The prince did not immediately and reluctantly release the page from his retinue. Gironimus Karl Friedrich von Minihausin - as it appears in the documents - enters the Brunswick Cuirassier Regiment, stationed in Riga, on the western border of the Russian Empire, as a cornet.
In 1739, Hieronymus von Munchausen became a cornet in the Brunswick Cuirassier Regiment, stationed in Riga. Thanks to the patronage of the regiment's chief, Prince Anton Ulrich, a year later Munchausen became a lieutenant, commander of the first company of the regiment. He quickly got up to speed and was a smart officer.
In 1740, Prince Anton Ulrich and Anna Leopoldovna had their first child, named Ivan. Empress Anna Ioannovna, shortly before her death, proclaimed him heir to the throne John III. Anna Leopolnovna soon became the “ruler of Russia” with her young son, and father Anton Ulrich received the title of generalissimo.
But in 1741, Tsarevna Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, seized power. The entire “Brunswick family” and its supporters were arrested. For some time, noble prisoners were kept in Riga Castle. And Lieutenant Munchausen, who guarded Riga and the western borders of the empire, became the involuntary guard of his high patrons.
The disgrace did not affect Munchausen, but he received the next rank of captain only in 1750, the last of those presented for promotion.
In 1744, Lieutenant Munchausen commanded the guard of honor that greeted the bride of the Russian Tsarevich Sophia Frederica Augusta, the future Empress Catherine II. In the same year, Jerome married a Baltic German woman, Jacobina von Dunten, the daughter of a Riga judge.
Having received the rank of captain, Munchausen asked for leave to settle inheritance matters and left with his young wife for Germany. He extended his leave twice, and was finally expelled from the regiment, but took legal possession of the family estate of Bodenwerder. Thus ended the “Russian odyssey” of Baron Munchausen, without which his amazing stories would not have existed.
Since 1752, Hieronymus Carl Friedrich von Munchausen lived in family estate in Bodenwerder. At that time, Bodenwerder was a provincial town with a population of 1,200 inhabitants, with whom, moreover, Munchausen did not immediately get along well.
He communicated only with neighboring landowners, hunted in the surrounding forests and fields, and occasionally visited neighboring cities - Hanover, Hameln and Göttingen. On the estate, Munchausen built a pavilion in the then fashionable “grotto” park style, especially to receive friends there. After the baron’s death, the grotto was nicknamed the “pavilion of lies” because, supposedly, it was here that the owner told his fantastic stories to his guests.
Most likely, "Munchausen's stories" first appeared at hunting rests. Russian hunting was especially memorable for Munchausen. It is no coincidence that his stories about hunting exploits in Russia are so vivid. Gradually, Munchausen's cheerful fantasies about hunting, military adventures and travel became known in Lower Saxony, and after their publication throughout Germany.
But over time, the offensive, unfair nickname “lugenbaron” - the liar baron - stuck to him. Further - more: both “king of liars” and “lies of the liar of all liars.” The fictional Munchausen completely obscured the real one and dealt blow after blow to its creator.
Unfortunately, Jacobin's beloved wife died in 1790. The Baron completely closed in on himself. He was a widower for four years, but then young Bernardine von Brun turned his head. As you would expect, this unequal marriage brought nothing but trouble to everyone. Bernardina, a true child of the “gallant age,” turned out to be frivolous and wasteful. A scandalous divorce process began, which completely ruined Munchausen. He was no longer able to recover from the shocks he experienced.
Hieronymus Carl Friedrich Baron von Munchausen died on February 22, 1797 and was buried in the family crypt under the floor of the church in the village of Kemnade in the vicinity of Bodenwerder...
Name: Baron Munchhausen
A country: Germany
Creator: Rudolf Erich Raspe
Activity: military
Family status: married
Baron Munchausen: character history
The biography of the German baron with the difficult-to-pronounce surname Munchausen is full of unprecedented adventures. The man flew to the moon, visited the stomach of a fish, and fled from the Turkish Sultan. And the main thing is that all this actually happened. This is what Baron Munchausen personally says. It is not surprising that the thoughts of an experienced traveler instantly turn into aphorisms.
History of creation
The author of the first stories about the adventures of Baron Munchausen is Baron Munchausen himself. Few people know that the nobleman actually existed. Karl Friedrich was born into the family of Colonel Otto von Munchausen. At the age of 15, the young man went to military service, and after retiring, he spent his evenings telling tales:
“He usually began his story after dinner, lighting a huge meerschaum pipe with a short stem and placing a steaming glass of punch in front of him.”
The man gathered neighbors and friends in his own house, sat down in front of a blazing fireplace and acted out scenes from the adventures he had experienced. Sometimes the baron added small details to plausible stories to interest listeners.
Later, a couple of such tales were published anonymously in the collections “Der Sonderling” (“The Fool”) and “Vademecum fur lustige Leute” (“Guide to Merry People”). The stories are signed with Munchausen's initials, but the man did not confirm his own authorship. Glory Among local residents grew up. Now the King of Prussia Hotel has become a favorite place for conversations with listeners. It was there that the writer Rudolf Erich Raspe heard the stories of the cheerful baron.
In 1786, the book “Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of His Wonderful Travels and Campaigns in Russia” was published. To add spice, Raspe inserted more nonsense into the baron's original stories. The work was published in English.
In the same year, Gottfried Bürger - a German translator - published his version of the baron's exploits, adding more satire to the translated narrative. the main idea books have changed dramatically. Now the adventures of Munchausen have ceased to be just fables, but have acquired a bright satirical and political connotation.
Although Burger's creation " Amazing travel Baron von Munchausen on water and on land, hikes and fun adventures, as he usually talked about them over a bottle of wine with his friends” came out anonymously, the real baron guessed who glorified his name:
“University Professor Burger disgraced me throughout Europe.”
Biography
Baron Munchausen grew up in a large, titled family. Almost nothing is known about the man’s parents. The mother was involved in raising her offspring, the father had a high military rank. As a youth, the baron left native home and went in search of adventure.
The young man took on the duties of a page under the German Duke. As part of the retinue of an eminent nobleman, Friedrich ended up in Russia. Already on the way to St. Petersburg, all sorts of troubles awaited the young man.
The baron's winter trip dragged on; night was already approaching. Everything was covered with snow and there were no villages nearby. The young man tied his horse to a tree stump, and in the morning he found himself in the middle of the city square. The horse was hanging, tied to the cross of the local church. However, troubles regularly happened to the baron's faithful horse.
Having served at the Russian court, the attractive nobleman went to Russian-Turkish War. To find out about the enemy's plans and count the cannons, the baron made the famous flight riding on a cannonball. The shell turned out to be not the most convenient means of transportation and fell along with the hero into the swamp. The Baron was not used to waiting for help, so he pulled himself out by the hair.
“Lord, how tired I am of you! Understand that Munchausen is famous not because he flew or didn’t fly, but because he didn’t lie.”
The fearless Munghausen fought the enemies sparing no effort, but was still captured. The imprisonment did not last long. After his release, the man went on a trip around the world. The hero visited India, Italy, America and England.
In Lithuania, the baron met a girl named Jacobina. The charming woman charmed the brave soldier. The young people got married and returned to Munchausen’s homeland. Now the man spends free time on his own estate, devoting a lot of time to hunting and sitting by the burning fireplace, and gladly tells those who wish to about his antics.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Often funny situations happen to a man while hunting. The Baron does not spend time preparing for the campaign, so he regularly forgets to replenish his supply of bullets. One day the hero went to a pond inhabited by ducks, and the weapon was unsuitable for shooting. The hero caught the birds with a piece of lard and tied the game to each other. When the ducks soared into the sky, they easily lifted the baron and carried the man home.
While traveling around Russia, the baron saw a strange beast. While hunting in the forest, Munchausen came across an eight-legged hare. The hero chased the animal around the neighborhood for three days until he shot the animal. The hare had four legs on his back and stomach, so he did not get tired for a long time. The animal simply rolled over onto its other paws and continued running.
The baron's friends know that Munchausen visited all corners of the Earth and even visited the planet's satellite. The flight to the moon took place during Turkish captivity. Accidentally throwing a hatchet onto the surface of the Moon, the hero climbed a stalk of chickpeas and found it lost in a haystack. It was more difficult to go back down - the pea stalk withered in the sun. But the dangerous feat ended in another victory for the baron.
Before returning home, the man was attacked by a bear. Munchausen squeezed the clubfoot with his hands and kept the animal for three days. The man's steel hug caused his paws to break. The bear died of hunger because he had nothing to suck. From this moment on, all local bears avoid the harrow.
Munchausen was followed everywhere incredible adventures. Moreover, the hero himself perfectly understood the reason for this phenomenon:
“It’s not my fault if such wonders happen to me that have never happened to anyone else. This is because I love to travel and am always looking for adventure, while you sit at home and see nothing but the four walls of your room.”
Film adaptations
The first film about the adventures of the fearless baron was released in France in 1911. The painting, entitled “Hallucinations of Baron Munchausen,” lasts 10.5 minutes.
Because of his originality and colorfulness, the character was liked by Soviet filmmakers and animators. Four cartoons about the baron were released, but the 1973 series won great love among viewers. The cartoon consists of 5 episodes, which are based on the book by Rudolf Raspe. Quotes from the animated series are still in use.
In 1979, the film “That Same Munchausen” was released. The film tells the story of the baron's divorce from his first wife and his attempts to tie the knot with his longtime lover. The main characters differ from the book prototypes; the film is a free interpretation of the original work. The image of the baron was brought to life by an actor, and his beloved Martha was played by an actress.
Films about the exploits of a military man, traveler, hunter and moon conqueror were also filmed in Germany, Czechoslovakia and Great Britain. For example, in 2012 the two-part film “Baron Munchausen” was released. the main role went to actor Jan Josef Liefers.
- Munchausen means “house of the monk” in German.
- In the book, the hero is presented as a dry, unattractive old man, but in his youth Munchausen had impressive appearance. The mother of Catherine the Second mentioned the charming baron in her personal diary.
- The real Munchausen died in poverty. The fame that overtook the man thanks to the book did not help the baron in personal life. The nobleman's second wife squandered the family fortune.
Quotes and aphorisms from the film “That Same Munchausen”
“After the wedding, we immediately left for Honeymoon: I’m going to Turkey, my wife is going to Switzerland. And they lived there for three years in love and harmony.”
“I understand what your problem is. You are too serious. All the stupid things on earth are done with this facial expression... Smile, gentlemen, smile!”
“All love is legitimate if it is love!”
“A year ago, in these very regions, can you imagine, I met a deer. I raise my gun - it turns out there are no cartridges. There is nothing but cherries. I load my gun with a cherry pit, ugh! - I shoot and hit the deer in the forehead. He runs away. And this spring, in these very regions, imagine, I meet my handsome deer, on whose head a luxurious cherry tree grows.”
“Are you waiting for me, dear? Sorry... Newton delayed me."
