He walked through life with a smile. He was a dandy, a daring cavalryman and a favorite of the ladies. This man gave his fatherland a son who would sing the hard fates of the Russian peasants.
Every talented person is a child not only of his era, but also of his parents. In the case of the outstanding Russian writer Ivan Turgenev, one can only be surprised at how the temper and occupation of his father did not harmonize with the mood of his son. A brilliant officer, a participant in the battles against Napoleon, he was alien to the socio-political discussion of the early 19th century. and preferred flirting to all other entertainments, but Sergei did not become an antihero for his offspring. Ivan Turgenev, intolerant of the traditions of the landlords, remembered his dad with respect. This means that Sergei Nikolaevich was a worthy man.
Childhood
Our hero was born on December 15, 1793 in a family of Tula nobles. His parent was a retired guardsman-artillery officer, ensign Nikolai Turgenev. By the time the heir was born, he was not young and for 10 years had been engaged in the arrangement of his estate. The family estate in the village of Turgenevo, Chernsk district, was especially fond of the master. He dreamed of giving his son the inheritance of rich possessions, however, life made its own adjustments. The old soldier was used to living on a grand scale and his plans were ambitious, so little Seryozha could observe the increase in his father's debts and large-scale work near the manor house.
Cavalry guard
Sergei Turgenev's father took care of his son - at the age of 17, the young man went to military service in an elite cavalry regiment. The retired artilleryman spared no expense in equipping the child and ensuring his residence in the capital. Seryozha answered him with gratitude - he was diligent in the service and did not lag behind his comrades in fun.
The handsome cavalry guard received a chance to prove himself in battle 2 years after the start of his military career - in 1812 Napoleon Bonaparte's army invaded Russia. On the Borodino field, at the decisive moment of the battle for Raevsky's battery, it was decided to throw a cavalry regiment at the enemy. Sergei Turgenev proved to be a hero and was marked with an award and a promotion. It happened already in the hospital, where he was recovering from an injury.
The groom
The young cavalry guard was lucky - the canister shot at Borodino hit his hand, but did not strike him out of the army ranks. After the war, the brave veteran was favored by the authorities and sympathetic to the ladies. There were rumors that the foreign princesses who received Alexander I in 1813 had cupids with a cute cornet from the personal guard of the emperor. Romantic hobbies replaced each other, leaving deep scars on the hero's financial condition. It was in vain to write tearful letters to parents in the village - the irrepressible Nikolai Turgenev had time to spare himself and was already hoping for help from his son. Casanova in uniform urgently needed a rich wife to save the family from poverty.
Once Sergei was sent to the village of the landowner Lutovin with the task of buying horses for the squadron. Having examined the stud farm and other riches, the officer drew attention to the only daughter of the owner of the estate. Varvara was distinguished not so much by beauty as by insolence. She gladly accepted the invitation to play cards with the cavalryman. Lieutenant Turgenev had no money, so the couple agreed on the following rate: whoever wins, makes a wish to the loser. The gambling girl lost and was forced to agree to the marriage proposal of her counterpart. Then the young people rushed to the feet of the elder Lutovin, who blessed them for the marriage.
Husband and father
The wedding of a stately rake and a provincial aristocrat in 1816 caused gossip in the world. It was hard to believe that the reason for this event was something other than the bride's dowry. The newly minted spouse also gave reasons for such judgments - he did not change at all, his personal life did not become poorer for love adventures. The newlywed was of little concern. She enjoyed the role of mistress of capital and land holdings, making a significant contribution to the well-being of the entire Turgenev family. Perhaps it was she who insisted that the faithful be transferred to the cuirassier regiment, which was much more modest than the cavalry regiment and did not require colossal investments in ammunition and other equipment.
Varvara Petrovna gave birth to three sons in marriage - Nikolai, Ivan and Sergei. Contemporaries describe her as a powerful and intelligent woman. It was the mother who found the time to give the children a good, in her opinion, upbringing. Her husband's lifestyle captivated her and Mrs. Turgeneva traveled abroad with her husband several times. True, these family tours often turned into an embarrassment - Sergei's former sympathies were not shy about getting to know their more successful rival.
Sudden sunset
In 1821, a misfortune happened in the Turgenev family - the youngest son died. It was difficult for my father to cope with this loss. Sergei Nikolaevich resigned and went with his wife to her family estate in the village of Spassky-Lutovinovo, Mtsensk district. A year later, he organized a trip to Europe for his household members, and then did not insist on returning to the village and happily agreed with his wife's decision to move to Moscow, where the children could get a good education.
In the Mother See, Varvara Petrovna quickly got to know the most famous writers of that time, and Sergei Nikolaevich found the most charming ladies and took up the old. The former complacency between the spouses was no longer there, and at home the Turgenevs were increasingly quarreling. It ended with the fact that in 1830 the retired reveler left his wife and began a free life. It did not last long - in 1834 Sergei suddenly fell seriously ill. Doctors diagnosed him with kidney stones and recommended going to the water for treatment, but the patient's health did not allow him to embark on a long journey.
The wife and children were at the bed of the dying man. The future writer Ivan Turgenev saw the last days of his father and later, remembering them, looked for strengths and weaknesses in the biography of this extraordinary person. The famous poet and publicist never spoke badly about the parent, but in many of his judgments there is a bitter resentment for the vainly wasted forces and the burned out passions of the brilliant cavalryman. The image of Sergei Turgenev is immortalized in the writer's work - it is they who are the prototype of the protagonist of the story "First Love".
