Rezanov, Nikolai Petrovich. § Biography

Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov (March 28, 1764, St. Petersburg - March 1, 1807, Krasnoyarsk) - Russian diplomat and statesman, ambassador to Japan, chamberlain. One of the founders.

Encyclopedic reference

Family N.P. Rezanova had long-standing connections with. Nikolai Petrovich’s grandfather, Colonel Gavrilo Rezanov, conducted a population census back in 1745. Father, Pyotr Gavrilovich, served as a judge in Irkutsk, and from the 1880s as a provincial prosecutor.

N.P. Rezanov received a home education, and from 1778 he served in military service, first in the artillery, then in the Izmailovsky Life Guards Regiment. In the mid-1780s he became an official. At the end of the 1780s, he was appointed head of affairs to the vice-president of the Admiralty Collegium I.G. Chernyshev, from 1791 headed the office of State Secretary G.R. Derzhavina. Soon, for his free way of thinking, he was exiled to Irkutsk under the supervision of his father.

In Irkutsk he became close friends and married one of his daughters. With the help of his friends, he manages to return to public service. In 1797 he was appointed secretary of the Senate, and then chief secretary. N.P. Rezanov was one of the initiators and founders and represented its interests at court.

To protect Russian possessions, explore North America, and also to establish diplomatic and trade relations with Japan, the first Russian round-the-world expedition was launched in 1803. N.P. was sent as the Russian ambassador to Japan. Rezanov From the company, he was empowered to conduct an audit of the affairs and property of Russian possessions in America. In 1805–1806 he visited Unalaska, Kodiak, Novo-Arkhangelsk, Russian and Spanish California. He organized the study of these territories, conducted a population census, and developed plans for the further settlement of Russian America. N.P.’s romantic love story is connected with this journey. Rezanov (he was a widower by this time) to M.K. Arguello. This story is reflected in the poems of A. Voznesensky and the music of A. Rybnikov (rock opera “Juno” and “Avos”).

N.P. returned full of plans and hopes. Rezanov at the end of 1806 through Siberia to the capital. On the way, he became seriously ill and stayed for 2 months for treatment in Irkutsk (from November 30, 1806 to February 13, 1807). Before leaving, on January 10, 1807, he organized a reception in the gymnasium building, which brought together up to 200 guests. On the way to Krasnoyarsk, the disease worsened, a fever began, and Rezanov died in Krasnoyarsk.

Irkutsk Historical and local history dictionary. - Irkutsk: Sib. book, 2011

Biography

Before appointment as Ambassador to Japan

Born into an impoverished noble family in St. Petersburg. After his birth, his father was appointed chairman of the civil chamber of the provincial court in Irkutsk.

As a child, I received a very good education at home. Knew five foreign languages.

At the age of fourteen in 1778 he entered military service in the artillery. Then, for his stateliness, dexterity and beauty, he was transferred to the Izmailovsky Life Guards Regiment. There is an opinion that Catherine II contributed to this. In 1780, during her trip to Crimea, Nicholas was personally responsible for her safety. And he was only 16 years old.

In the mid-1780s, Nicholas left military service and disappeared from the empress’s entourage for a long time. He entered the Pskov Chamber of the Civil Court as an assessor, where he served for about five years, after which he was transferred to the St. Petersburg Treasury Chamber.

Then a new sharp career leap. He was summoned to St. Petersburg and given the position of chief of the office of the vice-president of the Admiralty Collegium, Count I. G. Chernyshev, and then - the executor of the Admiralty Collegium. In 1791-93 - ruler of the office of Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin, cabinet secretary of Catherine II. Thus, after 11 years he again came into the sight of Catherine II.

The then favorite of Catherine II, Platon Zubov, considered Rezanov a dangerous competitor. And contemporaries believed that Nikolai owed his business trip to Irkutsk to Zubov’s jealousy. Zubov hinted to Rezanov that if he returned to St. Petersburg, he would not stay free for long.

In 1794, Rezanov, on behalf of Platon Zubov, went to Irkutsk. Rezanov participates in the inspection of the activities of the company of the founder of the first Russian settlements in America, Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov.

On January 24, 1795, Rezanov married Shelikhov’s fifteen-year-old daughter, Anna Grigorievna. She receives a noble title, and he receives a good dowry. Six months later he dies and Nikolai becomes a co-owner of his capital.

Immediately after the death of Catherine II and the fall of Count Zubov, Rezanov returned to St. Petersburg.

Emperor Pavel received him well and agreed with his request to create a Russian-American company based on the trades of the late Shelikhov. A representative office of this company was established in St. Petersburg, and members of the imperial family also became shareholders. Rezanov was appointed head of the company and a little later he was made chief secretary of the Governing Senate.

On July 18, 1801, a son, Peter, was born into the Rezanov family, and a daughter, Olga, was born on October 6, 1802. Twelve days after the birth of her daughter, Rezanov’s wife, Anna Grigorievna, died of childbed fever. Unlike the play “Juno and Avos,” Rezanov loved his wife very much and was very worried. I wanted to go with my children to some wilderness, to get away from people.

But the new Emperor Alexander I, not wanting to let Rezanov retire, appointed him in 1803 as the first Russian envoy to Japan to establish trade between the countries. This was a rather problematic assignment, since Japan over the past 150 years has pursued a policy of strict isolationism.

It was decided to combine this embassy with the first Russian round-the-world expedition on the ships “Nadezhda” and “Neva” under the command of Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern (1803-1806). By decree of the emperor, Rezanov, along with Krusenstern, was appointed head of the expedition.

A month before setting off on the campaign, on July 10, 1803, Rezanov was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 1st degree, and was given the title of Chamberlain of His Majesty's Court.

Embassy to Japan

Kruzenshtern was not officially notified of the breadth of Rezanov's powers. The question of whether Nikolai Petrovich informed him about his superiors immediately or only in Brazil remains open.

There is a letter from Krusenstern addressed to the board of the RAC:

...if the Main Board wanted to deprive me of the command of the entire Expedition, then... being subordinate to Rezanov, I cannot be useful, I don’t want to be useless...

According to Leonid Mikhailovich Sverdlov, a member of the scientific council of the Moscow Center of the Russian Geographical Society, Rezanov did not officially introduce himself upon arrival at Nadezhda, and could not have done so: if he had done this, the expedition would not have taken place. The diary of Kruzenshtern's assistant, Lieutenant Makar Ratmanov, confirms that upon arrival on the Nadezhda, Rezanov did not officially announce his credentials, but did so under intense pressure only 10 months later, after leaving Europe, when Kruzenshtern no longer had the opportunity to request confirmation from St. Petersburg .

Rezanov himself subsequently claimed that he introduced himself immediately, but on different occasions he described this introduction in different ways.

Misunderstandings began already during loading. "Nadezhda" was only 35 meters long and the retinue expected of the ambassador greatly constrained the crew. Moreover, Rezanov and Krusenstern had to live in the same cabin (6 sq.m.).

On July 26, 1803, the ships sailed from Kronstadt at 10 o’clock in the morning and crossed the equator in November, and celebrated Christmas off the coast of Brazil.

During the expedition, Rezanov and Kruzenshtern quarreled so much that they communicated only through notes. After another scandal, Rezanov locked himself in his cabin and did not leave it again until his arrival in Petropavlovsk. Here Rezanov wrote a complaint to the Governor-General of Kamchatka Pavel Ivanovich Koshelev about the mutinous crew and demanded the execution of Kruzenshtern. Kruzenshtern agreed to go to trial, but immediately, before the end of the expedition, thereby disrupting Rezanov’s mission. The Governor-General managed to reconcile them with great difficulty.

According to Rezanov's notes, on August 8, 1804, Kruzenshtern and all the officers came to Rezanov's apartment in full uniform and apologized for their misconduct. Rezanov agreed to continue sailing with the same crew. However, Rezanov's notes are the only source that mentions Krusenstern's repentance. Neither in the diaries and letters of other expedition members, nor in Koshelev’s letters, nor in the notes of the RAC employees who accompanied Rezanov, there is not a word about this. But Kruzenshtern’s letter to the President of the Academy of Sciences N.N. has been preserved. Novosiltsev:

“His Excellency Mr. Rezanov, in the presence of the regional commandant and more than 10 officers, called me a rebel, a robber, determined my execution on the scaffold, threatened others with eternal exile to Kamchatka. I admit, I was afraid. No matter how fair the Emperor was, but, being 13,000 miles away from him, he could have expected everything from Mr. Rezanov if the regional commander had taken his side. But no, this is not the rule of honest Koshelev, he did not take anyone. Only by his presence, prudence, justice - gave me free breathing, and I was already sure that I would not plunge into the autocracy of Mr. Rezanov. After the above-mentioned curses, which are even painful to repeat, I gave him the sword. Mr. Rezanov did not accept it. I asked to be chained in glands and, as he says, “like a criminal" to be sent for trial to St. Petersburg. I represented to him in writing that this kind of people, as he called me, cannot command the sovereign’s ship. He didn’t want to hear any of this, he said , that he is going to St. Petersburg to send judges from the Senate, and so that I smolder in Kamchatka; but when the regional commandant presented to him that my demand was fair, and that I (not) should be relieved, then the scene changed. He wanted to make peace with me and go to Japan. At first I rejected his offer with contempt; but, realizing the circumstances, he agreed... This expedition is the first enterprise of this kind of Russians; Should it collapse due to the disagreement of two private (individuals)?.. Let whoever of us is to blame, but the guilt would be brought to bear on the face of all of Russia. And so, having these motivating reasons, and having His Excellency Pavel Ivanovich (Koshelev) as a witness to everything that happened, although against my feelings, he agreed to make peace; but so that he would ask me for forgiveness in front of everyone, so that in my justification he would ask the Emperor for forgiveness for treating me innocently. “I had to demand this, because this offense did not concern me alone, but fell on the face of all the officers and to the dishonor of the flag under which we have the honor to serve.” Rezanov agreed to everything, he even asked me to write whatever I wanted: he would sign everything. Of course, he knew my heart, he knew that I would not take it in writing, which he swore on his honor in the presence of many. On these terms I have made peace..."

Thus, perhaps it was not Kruzenshtern and all the officers who publicly apologized to Rezanov, but Rezanov who publicly apologized to Kruzenshtern.

Having taken an honor guard (2 officers, a drummer, 5 soldiers) for the ambassador from the Governor General, “Nadezhda” sailed to Japan (“Neva” - to Alaska).

On September 26, 1804, the Nadezhda arrived in the city of Nagasaki. The Japanese forbade entry into the harbor and Krusenstern dropped anchor in the bay. Rezanov himself was allowed to go ashore and was given a luxurious palace, but it was impossible to go beyond its boundaries and no one was allowed to see him. They told us to wait for a response from the emperor. Any food was delivered upon request, no money was taken. This went on for six months. In March, a dignitary arrived with the emperor's response. The answer said that he could not accept the embassy and did not want to trade with Russia. He returned all the gifts and demanded that the ship leave Japan. Rezanov entered Japanese history textbooks as a very worthy and respectable person.

“Ambassador Rezanov, authorized to conclude a trade alliance with Japan, also had to “acquire the island of Sakhalin, independent of either the Chinese or the Japanese.” He behaved extremely tactlessly. /…/ According to Kruzenshtern, Rezanov was denied an audience even in a chair, they did not allow him to have a sword with him and “in the spirit of intolerance" he was even without shoes. And this is the ambassador, a Russian nobleman! It seems difficult to show less dignity. Having suffered a complete fiasco, Rezanov wanted to take revenge on the Japanese. He ordered the naval officer Khvostov to scare the Sakhalin Japanese, and this order was given not quite in the usual manner, somehow crookedly: in a sealed envelope, with the obligatory condition that it should be opened and read only upon arrival at the place".

It was not possible to conclude an agreement with Japan, and the expedition returned to Petropavlovsk.

American period

In Petropavlovsk, Rezanov learned that Kruzenshtern was awarded the Order of St. Anne, II degree, and he was given only a snuff box sprinkled with diamonds and was released from further participation in the first round-the-world expedition, ordering an inspection of Russian settlements in Alaska.

Arriving in Novo-Arkhangelsk on the island of Sitkha, Rezanov found the Russian colony in a terrible state. The settlers simply died of hunger, since food was delivered to them across all of Siberia to Okhotsk, then by sea. This took months and they arrived spoiled.

Rezanov bought the ship "Juno" full of food from the merchant John Wolfe, and gave it to the settlers. But these products would not be enough until spring, so Rezanov ordered the construction of another ship, “Avos”. After construction, he sent these two ships south to California for food and to establish trade relations with the Spaniards (California at that time belonged to the Spaniards).

In March 1806, Juno and Avos moored in San Francisco Bay. Spain was an ally of Napoleon and therefore relations with the Russians were not welcomed. But during his six-week stay, Rezanov completely conquered the governor of Upper California, Jose Arillaga, and the commandant of the fortress, Jose Dario Arguello.

At this time, he met fifteen-year-old Maria de la Concepcion Marcela Arguello (Conchita) (February 19, 1791 - December 23, 1857), the daughter of the commandant of San Francisco, which became the basis for the plot of the poem “Maybe” by the poet A. A. Voznesensky. After some time, he proposed marriage to her. He was 42 years old.

As follows from his reports, he does not look like a man lost in love. The ship's doctor believed that he had some kind of diplomatic views .

Witnesses of the events believed that on Conchita’s part there was more calculation than passion. Rezanov constantly instilled in her the idea of a luxurious life in Russia at the imperial court. And soon she only dreamed of becoming the wife of a Russian chamberlain. Her parents took her to confession and tried to convince her to refuse, but her determination eventually calmed everyone down. And they decided to leave the decision to the Roman throne, but agreed to engage the young people. After this, they began to bring food to the Juno in such quantities that there was nowhere to load it. .

Death

Immediately after the engagement, Rezanov went back. He expected to ask the emperor to petition the Pope for consent to the marriage. According to his calculations, this should have taken two years. Conchita assured him that she would be waiting.

On June 11, 1806, Rezanov left California, taking 2,156 pounds of wheat, 351 pounds of barley, and 560 pounds of legumes for the Russian colony in Alaska. A month later, the ships arrived in Novo-Arkhangelsk.

Before leaving for St. Petersburg, Rezanov sent detachments of his people to California to find a suitable place for organizing the Southern settlements in America. This settlement was organized and lasted for 13 years.

American Admiral Van Ders stated:

Had the Rezanovs lived ten years longer, what we call California and American British Columbia would have been Russian territory...

In September 1806 he reached Okhotsk. The autumn thaw had begun and it was impossible to go further. But he set off along the “arduous path on horseback.” Crossing the rivers, due to thin ice, I fell into the water several times. We had to spend several nights right in the snow. As a result, I caught a terrible cold and lay in a fever and unconsciousness for 12 days. As soon as he woke up, he set off again.

On the way, he lost consciousness, fell off his horse and hit his head hard. He was taken to Krasnoyarsk, where on March 1, 1807 he died.

Conchita remained faithful to Rezanov. For just over a year, she went every morning to the cape, sat on the rocks and looked at the ocean. This is now the site of a support for the Golden Gate Bridge. In 1808, she learned of Rezanov’s death and decided to go to a monastery, where she died in 1857, remaining faithful to her lover. She was buried near San Francisco in the cemetery of the Dominican Order.

“On the 16th day of August 1831, this monument was erected by the support of the Russian-American Company in commemoration of the unforgettable services rendered to it by the actual chamberlain Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov, who, returning from America to Russia, died in Krasnoyarsk on March 1, 1807, and buried on the 13th of the same month."

In the early 1960s, the Resurrection Cathedral was destroyed, and the grave of Commander Rezanov was lost. According to some reports, the coffin with Rezanov’s body was buried at the Trinity Cemetery in Krasnoyarsk.

In 2000, in Krasnoyarsk, at the supposed burial site of Rezanov at the Trinity Cemetery, a monument was erected - a white cross, on one side of which it was written “Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov. 1764-1807. I will never forget you,” and on the other - “Maria Concepcion de Arguello. 1791-1857. I'll never see you again." The sheriff of Monterrey scattered a handful of soil from Conchita's grave over the grave. He took back a handful of Krasnoyarsk soil - for Conchita.

In August 2007, the monument to Commander Rezanov on Peace Square was restored.

Image in culture

American prose writer Francis Bret Harte wrote the poem "Concepcion de Arguello", in which Rezanov is mentioned as " Count von Resanoff, the Russian, envoy of the mighty Czar».

He is the prototype of the hero of the lyrical-dramatic poem “Maybe” by the poet A. A. Voznesensky. The poem served as the literary basis for the rock opera “Juno and Avos” by composer A.L. Rybnikov and the television films based on it (starring Nikolai Karachentsov).

Wikipedia

Notes

Literature

Rezanov in Japan (English)

One “HOPE” for two // Around the World. - February 2004. - No. 2 (2761).

Spouse:

Rezanova (Shelikhova) Anna Grigorievna

Children:

son Peter, daughter Olga

Awards and prizes:

Nikolay Petrovich Rezanov(March 28, St. Petersburg - March 1, Krasnoyarsk) - Russian statesman, chamberlain, one of the founders of the Russian-American Company.

Biography

Before appointment as Ambassador to Japan

Born into an impoverished noble family in St. Petersburg. After his birth, his father was appointed chairman of the civil chamber of the provincial court in Irkutsk.

As a child, I received a very good education at home. Knew five foreign languages.

There is an opinion that Catherine II contributed to this. In 1780, during her trip to Crimea, Nicholas was personally responsible for her safety. And he was only 16 years old.

Then something happened: in the mid-1780s, Nicholas left military service and disappeared from the empress’s entourage for a long time. He entered the Pskov Chamber of the Civil Court as an assessor, where he served for about five years, after which he was transferred to the St. Petersburg Treasury Chamber.

Then - a new sharp leap in his career. He was summoned to St. Petersburg and given the position of chief of the office of the vice-president of the Admiralty College, Count I. G. Chernyshev, and then the executor of the Admiralty College. In 1791-93 - ruler of the office of Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin, cabinet secretary of Catherine II. Thus, after 11 years he again came into the sight of Catherine II.

Here Rezanov wrote a complaint to the ruler of the Kamchatka region, Pavel Ivanovich Koshelev, about the mutinous crew and demanded the execution of Kruzenshtern. Kruzenshtern agreed to go to trial, but immediately, before the end of the expedition, thereby disrupting Rezanov’s mission. The Governor-General managed to reconcile them with great difficulty. According to Rezanov's notes, on August 8, 1804, Kruzenshtern and all the officers came to Rezanov's apartment in full uniform and apologized for their misconduct. Rezanov agreed to continue sailing with the same crew. However, Rezanov's notes are the only source that mentions Krusenstern's repentance. Neither in the diaries and letters of other expedition members, nor in Koshelev’s letters, nor in the notes of the RAC employees who accompanied Rezanov, there is not a word about this. But Kruzenshtern’s letter to the President of the Academy of Sciences N.N. Novosiltsev has been preserved:

His Excellency Mr. Rezanov, in the presence of the regional commandant and more than 10 officers, called me a rebel, a robber, determined my execution on the scaffold, and threatened others with eternal exile to Kamchatka. I admit, I was afraid. No matter how fair the Emperor was, he, being 13,000 miles away from him, could have expected everything from Mr. Rezanov if the regional commander had taken his side. But no, this is not the rule of honest Koshelev, he did not take any. Only by his presence, prudence, and justice - he gave me free breath, and I was already sure that I would not plunge into the autocracy of Mr. Rezanov. After the above-mentioned curses, which are even painful to repeat, I gave him the sword. G. Rezanov did not accept it. I asked to be shackled and, as he says, “like a criminal” to be sent for trial to St. Petersburg. I represented to him in writing that this kind of people, as he called me, cannot command the sovereign’s ship. He didn’t want to hear any of this, he said that he was going to St. Petersburg to send judges from the Senate, and let me smolder in Kamchatka; but when the regional commandant presented to him that my demand was fair, and that I (not) should be relieved, then the scene changed. He wanted to make peace with me and go to Japan. At first I rejected his offer with contempt; but, realizing the circumstances, he agreed... This expedition is the first enterprise of this kind of Russians; Should it collapse due to the disagreement of two private (individuals)?.. Let whoever of us is to blame, but the guilt would be brought to bear on the face of all of Russia. And so, having these motivating reasons, and having His Excellency Pavel Ivanovich (Koshelev) as a witness to everything that happened, although against my feelings, he agreed to make peace; but so that he would ask me for forgiveness in front of everyone, so that in my justification he would ask the Emperor for forgiveness for treating me innocently. “I had to demand this, because this offense did not concern me alone, but fell on the face of all the officers and to the dishonor of the flag under which we have the honor to serve.” Rezanov agreed to everything, he even asked me to write whatever I wanted: he would sign everything. Of course, he knew my heart, he knew that I would not take it in writing, which he swore on his honor in the presence of many. On these terms I made peace...

Thus, perhaps it was not Kruzenshtern and all the officers who publicly apologized to Rezanov, but Rezanov who publicly apologized to Kruzenshtern.

Taking a guard of honor from the Governor General (2 officers, drummer, 5 soldiers) for the ambassador, "Nadezhda" sailed to Japan (“Neva” - to Alaska).

Before leaving for St. Petersburg, Rezanov sent detachments of his people to California to find a suitable place for organizing southern settlements in America. This settlement was organized and lasted for 13 years.

American Admiral Van Ders stated:

If the Rezanovs had lived ten years longer, what we call California and American British Columbia would have been Russian territory...

In September 1806 he reached Okhotsk. The autumn thaw was beginning, and it was impossible to go further. But he set off along the “arduous path on horseback.” Crossing the rivers, due to thin ice, I fell into the water several times. We had to spend several nights right in the snow. As a result, I caught a terrible cold and lay in a fever and unconsciousness for 12 days. As soon as he woke up, he set off again.

On the way, he lost consciousness, fell off his horse and hit his head hard. He was taken to Krasnoyarsk, where he died on March 1, 1807. On March 13, Rezanov was buried in the cemetery of the Resurrection Cathedral.

Memory

Monument at the supposed burial site of Rezanov at the Trinity Cemetery.

On August 16, 1831, a granite monument was erected on Rezanov’s grave with the inscription:

« In the summer of August 1831, on the 16th day, this monument was erected by the Russian-American Company in commemoration of the unforgettable services rendered to it by the actual chamberlain Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov, who, returning from America to Russia, died in Krasnoyarsk on March 1, 1807, and was buried 13th of the same month».

In 2000, in Krasnoyarsk, at the supposed burial site of Rezanov at the Trinity Cemetery, a monument was erected - a white cross, on one side of which it was written “Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov. 1764-1807. I will never see you”, and below - “Maria Concepcion de Arguello. 1791-1857. I will never forget you". The Monterey sheriff scattered a handful of soil from Conchita's grave over the grave. He took back a handful of Krasnoyarsk soil - for Conchita.

In August 2007, the monument to Commander Rezanov on Peace Square was restored.

The image of Commander Rezanov in culture

American prose writer Francis Bret Harte wrote the poem “Concepcion de Arguello”, in which Rezanov is mentioned as “Count von Resanoff, the Russian, envoy of the mighty Czar”.

Nikolai Rezanov also appears in the story “The Chamberlain's Key” by Soviet children's writer Borislav Pechnikov and in the novel “Chronometer” by children's writer Vladislav Krapivin, part of the “Islands and Captains” trilogy. Valentin Pikul’s story “Rezanovsky Mausoleum” is dedicated to Rezanov. It is also present in Konstantin Badigin’s novel “The Keys to the Enchanted Castle,” which describes the history of the Russians’ exploration of Alaska. It reflects Rezanov’s version of the relationship with Kruzenshtern.

Mentioned in A. Ilichevsky’s novel “The Persian” in the chapter “Work”.

Notes

Literature

A. A. Istomin “Two versions of N. P. Rezanov’s letter to Count N. P. Rumyantsev dated June 17/29, 1806. Comparative textual analysis and the legend of great love” // Russian Discovery of America. M., 2002. pp. 388-401.
I. N. Ermolaev “Pskov official Nikolai Rezanov (1764-1807) and his “Juno and Avos””
In Vladislav Krapivin’s trilogy “Islands and Captains,” Rezanov is actually depicted as a negative hero.
Bushkov A. A. “Russian America. Glory and shame"

Links

// Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
Biographical encyclopedia.

« Patriotism made me exhaust all my strength,
I swam the seas like a duck
suffered from hunger, cold, and at the same time from resentment,
and twice more from my heart wounds».
N.P. Rezanov - M.M. Buldakov
January 24-26, 1807, Irkutsk

Remember the romantic love story between Count Rezanov and young Conchita Arguello, daughter of the commandant of San Francisco?! It was described in one of the most famous Soviet rock operas by composer Alexei Rybnikov based on poems by poet Andrei Voznesensky. The premiere took place on July 9, 1981 on the stage of the Moscow Lenin Komsomol Theater.
The title of the play uses the names of two sailing ships, “Juno” and “Avos”, on which Nikolai Rezanov’s expedition sailed.

What was Count Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov really like? He is also an extraordinary entrepreneur, statesman and diplomat.
He was born into an impoverished noble family on March 28, 1764 in St. Petersburg. After some time, his father was appointed chairman of the civil chamber of the provincial court in Irkutsk, the then capital of Eastern Siberia, which included territories from the Yenisei to the Pacific Ocean. Received a good home education. Distinguished by his natural linguistic abilities, by the age of 14 he knew five European languages. In 1778, Nikolai entered military service in the artillery, served in the Izmailovsky Life Guards Regiment, and was responsible for the protection of Catherine II during her trip to Crimea in 1780, but left military service and entered service in the Pskov civil court. Then Rezanov becomes the head of the office of Count N.G. Chernyshova. This career growth testifies not only to the young man’s business qualities, but also to someone’s fairly powerful support. For an ordinary official not from the nobility or from the provincial ignorant nobles, such “jumps” up the career ladder “through two steps” were unlikely, and, having started service from the lowest, 14th, class in the “Table of Ranks,” another could rise to the rank of assessor and to the status of collegiate assessor (a rank that gave the right to hereditary nobility) only in old age.
In 1791, after the appointment of Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin as secretary for the report on “Senate Memories” (documents submitted by the Senate for approval) under Catherine II N.P. Rezanov goes into his service as the ruler of the chancellery, which opens for him the doors of the offices and houses of the most senior nobles. Sometimes even he has to carry out personal assignments for the empress, which further accelerates the young man’s career. After some time, he joins the staff of the new favorite of the Empress P.A. Zubov, who, fearing the possible replacement of himself in the “position” of the empress’s favorite by a young handsome man, under a plausible pretext gets rid of Rezanov, sending him to Irkutsk to inspect the activities of the company of the merchant G. I. Shelikhov, who claimed a monopoly right to engage in fur fishing off the Pacific coast of Russia .
In 1794, Rezanov, on behalf of Zubov, went to Irkutsk along with the spiritual mission of Archimandrite Joseph. In Irkutsk, Rezanov meets “Columbus Rossiy” - the founder of the first Russian settlements in America - Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov. In an effort to strengthen his position, Shelikhov wooed his eldest daughter, Anna, for Rezanov. On January 24, 1795, thirty-year-old Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov married Shelikhov’s fifteen-year-old daughter Anna, thus gaining the right to participate in the affairs of the family company. It was probably a marriage both for love (a handsome man from the capital with an excellent education and secular manners simply could not help but strike the heart of a girl from a distant, remote province), and for mutually beneficial reasons: the not very rich groom actually became a co-owner of huge capital, and the bride from merchant family and children from this marriage received the family coat of arms and all the privileges of the titled Russian nobility. From this moment on, Rezanov’s fate is closely connected with Russian America.
Six months after his daughter’s marriage, Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov unexpectedly dies at the age of forty-seven and his capital is divided among his heirs. Nikolai Petrovich, having become one of them, makes all his efforts, using his influence and connections in St. Petersburg, to create a powerful unified Russian company in the Pacific Ocean, which received the name of the Russian-American Company. In 1797, Rezanov became secretary, then chief secretary of the Senate. He draws up the “Charter on Prices” and establishes the layout of the land tax in St. Petersburg and Moscow. For this work he was awarded the Order of Anna II degree and a pension of two thousand rubles a year. And soon Emperor Paul I, who replaced Catherine II, who died in 1796, signed a decree on the creation of a single Russian-American Company (RAC) based on the companies of Shelikhov and other Siberian merchants, the main administration of which was transferred from Irkutsk to St. Petersburg, and the authorized correspondent (representative) Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov is appointed RAC. Now he is a state nobleman and an entrepreneur at the same time. Rezanov was Chief Secretary of the Government Senate until 1799.
In 1802, Nikolai Rezanov, through the Minister of Commerce, Count Nikolai Petrovich Rumyantsev, submitted a note to the Tsar, in which he pointed out the inconvenience of delivering provisions and building materials to the new Russian possessions and proposed delivering them by sea, around the world directly from Europe to America.
Until the end of 1802, when plans for a trip around the world began to be developed, including the “establishment of sea communications” with Russian possessions in America, the number of RAC shareholders increased from 17 to 400, and among them were members of the Imperial family. Alexander I himself, who became a shareholder of Russian America in the mentioned year, definitely singled out N.P. Rezanov was from among the business people of the Empire and showered him with his favors.

On July 18, 1801, the first-born son Peter appeared in the Rezanov family, and on October 6, 1802, daughter Olga (1802-1828). Twelve days after the birth of her daughter, Anna Grigorievna died. Rezanov wrote about his wife: “Eight years of our marriage gave me a taste of all the happiness of this life, as if in order to finally poison the rest of my days with the loss of her.”
After the death of his wife, Rezanov thought about resigning and raising his children, but he met an obstacle. The emperor offers the inconsolable widower to take part in the upcoming first voyage around the world. In 1802, by the highest order, N.P. Rezanov was appointed envoy to Japan and leader of the first Russian round-the-world expedition (1803-1806) on the sloops “Nadezhda” and “Neva”. During the preparation of the expedition, its leaders were given a lot of various instructions of an economic, political, scientific nature, but the main goals still remained two: establishing relations with Japan and inspecting Russian America.
A month before setting off on the campaign, on July 10, 1803, Rezanov was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 1st degree, and was given the title of Chamberlain of His Majesty's Court.
On August 7, 1803, the first Russian round-the-world expedition began, consisting of two ships: “Nadezhda” under the command of I.F. Kruzenshtern (he was entrusted with general naval leadership) and the Neva under the command of Yu.F. Lisyansky.

Krusenstern I.F.
Rezanov's relationship with Kruzenshtern did not work out. From the very beginning of the trip, Kruzenshtern began to look for a quarrel with Rezanov. More about this here:
http://rezanov.krasu.ru/commander/neva_nad.php
Upon arrival in Kamchatka, Governor Koshelev arranged a trial of the conflict. He found Krusenstern guilty of disobeying Rezanov and insulting him as Envoy Extraordinary. Kruzenshtern recognized himself as such and asked Koshelev to reconcile him with the head of the expedition. Koshelev agreed and soon convinced Rezanov to put the interests of the business above personal grievances. On August 8, 1804, the ship's commander and all the officers appeared at Rezanov's apartment in full uniform and apologized for their actions. On the same day, Rezanov wrote a letter to Koshelev, in which he explained that although he asked for a legal investigation to be carried out in a well-known case, he considers the repentance of the gentlemen officers, brought in his presence, as a guarantee of their obedience: “... I very willingly betray everything that happened oblivion and I humbly ask you to leave my papers without action.” Reconciliation took place, and preparations began for the embassy to Japan.
At the end of September 1804, Russian ships set sail for Nagasaki with an embassy to Japan, then a closed country to Europeans. Before the trip, the following was compiled:
« List of questions and answers for the Russian Embassy in Japan"
« No later than September 20, 1804

1. How big is the Russian state?
Russia, with its space, occupies half the world and is the greatest state in the entire universe. There are cities 12,000 miles or more from the capital.
2. What are the borders of the Russian Empire?
To the south - with Japan, China, Turkey, Persia; to the east - with the American States, English possessions and part of the Chinese state; to the west - with Prussia, Australia and Denmark; to the north - in the smallest part with Sweden, and the rest of the space is occupied by Russia alone and to the entire north has no other land besides its own.
3. How is the Russian state governed?
An autocratic great emperor, combining in himself both the secular and spiritual supreme authorities.
4. How is Russia divided?
Russia consists of 50 greatest regions or provinces, contains various great kingdoms, the rulers of which resorted to the protection of the great Russian sovereign and made it a pleasure to be among his subjects, and their kingdoms were annexed for eternity to the Russian Empire, such as the kingdom of Kazan , Astrakhan, Siberian, Tauride, Georgian, Poland, Armenia. Moreover, many other peoples, such as Kyrgyzstans, Kabardians, Kalmyks, Circassians and others, are under the protection of the great Russian monarch.
5.How many inhabitants are there in Russia?
There are up to 50 million native Russians, and the rest under the protection of the empire are countless, but are always ready to serve the great of their owner.

6. What is the faith in Russia?
Since the Russian Empire is very vast, all faiths, services and rituals are allowed in it and there are public churches, but the dominant faith is Greek.
7. Are you Christians?
Christians, but of the Greek confession, and not the Portuguese and Spanish. We do not recognize the pope, for our great emperor is himself the commander of his clergy and his high will directly gives places to the first clergy ranks in the empire and deprives them of this dignity by his sole arbitrariness.
8. What is the difference between your Christian faith and other Christian faiths?
Great, because 1) many Christians are subordinate to the pope, and the Russians do not recognize any spiritual authority other than their sovereign, the great Russian emperor communicates with the pope not as a spiritual person, but as with a land-poor owner; 2) all faiths, such as Japanese, Chinese, Mohammedan, Jewish and others, are allowed in it and many have public worship in churches according to their rituals, which is not allowed in other Christian states; 3) no one is forced to be baptized in Russia; 4) our very dogmas and rituals differ a lot in that our great emperor is himself the head of the clergy.
9. How many militias does Russia have?
There are 700,000 regular troops always ready to fight the enemy, including 200,000 cavalry. In addition, irregular troops consist of light cavalry from Cossacks, Bashkirs, Mesheryaks, Mungals and other peoples under the possession of Russia. Russia has many fleets: the Baltic, Black Sea and Caspian, named after the seas. The first two always contain 50 armed large warships, and the Caspian - 25. There are also many frigates, boats and other military vessels, but in wartime, or when need requires, the number of ships is added, as much as the great Russian sovereign wishes. because its lands are very abundant.
10. With whom is the Russian Emperor at war and who are his allies?
With no one, and although he has unlimited power and strength, but, having accepted the ancestral throne and seeing the vastness of his borders, marked by the glorious victories of his ancestors, he decided to reign in silence and peace with all the world, and with his power he maintains balance in all foreign lands and states , wanting there to be peace throughout the universe. The Great Russian Emperor combines meekness with courage and, with such God-inspired talents, puts the life and tranquility of people at the greatest price and cares not only about his subjects, but about all people in general, and as proof of his great virtues, without sparing any costs, he returns to a gift to the great Japanese emperor of his subjects, who, by an ill-fated fate, were thrown onto the shores of his possessions and wished to return to their fatherland.
11. Why weren’t the Japanese returned long ago?
Because all of Europe was at war, and therefore the embassy could not be sent to His Tenzin-Kubo embassy.
12. What kind of relations does Russia have with the Portuguese?
As with all nations that have trade. The Great Russian Emperor, seeing the shortcomings of other lands, out of philanthropy allows everyone to use the surplus of his vast state and its borders are open to all traders.
13. Where are you from?
From the capital city of St. Petersburg around the whole world.
14. What did you bring?
We have no goods, but only gifts to His Tenzin-Kubo estate, and our ambassador knows what they are.
15. What kind of people are you and are there any merchants?
We have no merchants, and all military men are embassy gentlemen and naval officers of our great sovereign.
16. What rank is your ambassador?
General, moreover, he is a chamberlain and one of the closest ranks to our great emperor.
17. What kind of officials are yours?
One of the noblest nobles of the great empire.
18. What are you on guard for?
This is an honor for the imperial ambassador, but in Russia he has a much larger guard, but he took a small number because there was nowhere to place them.
19. Where did you go on your way?
To Denmark, England, the island of Tenerife, Brazil, the Marchesan Islands and Kamchatka, where they took fresh supplies and filled with water, and in Kamchatka they left the needs necessary for that region.
20. Has anyone died on your journey?
On the way from the Marchese Islands, one cook died, but no one else.

Nikolay Rezanov. »

then N.P. Rezanov went to Russian America. In Sith, where there were still a lot of deficiencies, he was struck by the fighting spirit of Baranov’s team, the tirelessness, and efficiency of Baranov himself. The population of Russian America, as Alaska was called, grew very slowly. In 1805, the number of Russian colonists was about 470 people, in addition, depending on the company there were a significant number of Indians (according to Rezanov’s census there were 5,200 people on Kodiak Island). The people who served in the company’s institutions were mostly a violent people, for which Nikolai Petrovich aptly called the Russian settlements a “drunk republic.”
And Sitkha and other parts of Russian America were threatened with famine. Having familiarized himself with the state of affairs in Russian America, Rezanov quite correctly decided that the solution was to organize trade with California, to found a Russian settlement there that would supply Russian America with bread and dairy products. To achieve this, Rezanov and Baranov took decisive measures. In order to save the population of Russian America from hunger (and according to Rezanov’s census, carried out in the Unalashka and Kodiak departments, it amounted to 5234 people), it was necessary to sail to California immediately. In order to quickly complete the voyage to California, it was decided, at Baranov’s suggestion, to buy the ship of the Englishman Wulf - one of the two that arrived in Sitkha for routine repairs of English ships. This ship was named Juno. Under the Russian flag, the ship Juno sailed to California on February 26, 1806.
This is where the story begins, later described in the rock opera “Juno and Avos”.
Upon arrival in California, Rezanov completely captivated the commandant of the fortress, Jose Dario Arguello, with his courtly manners and charmed his daughter, fifteen-year-old Concepcion, and proposed to her.
And Conchita was certainly a beauty. Young Georg Langsdorff, a naturalist and personal physician of Rezanov, who fell in love with Conchita at first sight, describes her in his diary: “She stands out with her majestic posture, her facial features are beautiful and expressive, her eyes are captivating. Add here an elegant figure, wonderful natural curls, wonderful teeth and thousands of other charms. Such beautiful women can only be found in Italy, Portugal or Spain, and even then very rarely.”

Conchita, like all girls of her age all over the world, dreamed of unfulfilled dreams of meeting a fairy-tale prince. Naturally, N.P. Rezanov, commander and chamberlain of His Imperial Majesty, a strong, tall and handsome man, made a deep impression on the young Spanish beauty. impression. Rezanov was the only one from the Russian delegation who spoke Spanish, so he could share any conversation with Conchita. He often told her, largely at her own request, about St. Petersburg, Europe, the court of Catherine the Great... He admired her with his nobility, education, tact, and self-control; she did not try to hide this admiration. When he proposed to her, she agreed without a moment's hesitation. “My proposal struck down her parents, who were raised in fanaticism. The difference of religions and the upcoming separation from their daughter were a thunderclap for them. They resorted to missionaries, who did not know what to decide. They took poor Concepsia to church, confessed her, convinced her to refuse, but her determination finally calmed everyone down.”
«… The Holy Fathers left it to the permission of the Roman Throne, and if I could not consummate my marriage, then I made a conditional act and forced us to be engaged, so it was agreed that until the permission of the Pope it would be a secret. From that time on, presenting myself to the commandant as a close relative, I managed the port of the Catholic Majesty as it required and my benefits, and the governor was extremely surprised and amazed to see that, at the wrong time, he assured me of the sincere affection of the house this and that he himself, so to speak, found himself visiting me..."(from Rezanov’s letters)
Conchita's parents were amazed to learn of Nikolai Petrovich's intention to marry their daughter. They were even more horrified when they realized that Conchita would never give up her love, despite all the persuasion of the holy fathers, who, pointing out the impossibility of marriage due to differences in religions, hoped to “reason” with the stubborn girl, focusing on her feelings devotion and fidelity to the Catholic faith. Conchita, selflessly defending her love for Rezanov, did not think of “betraying” her faith, because it seemed to her that God would understand their feelings; for her, the difference in religions was not an obstacle to marriage. As a result, it was decided to “ask permission” for this (“mixed”, i.e. between a Catholic and an Orthodox) marriage from the Holy See of Rome. But Rezanov did not stop there and achieved an engagement, which, unlike betrothal and wedding, was not a church ceremony, so the engagement was announced immediately. Seeing this, Conchita's father agreed to the marriage of the Russian count and his daughter, as well as to the construction of Russian fortresses in California. In addition, he gave away the cargo for next to nothing in “2 156 pud. wheat, 351 poods. barley, 560 poods. legumes Lard and oils for 470 pounds. and all sorts of other things worth 100 pounds, so much so that the ship could not leave at first.” In supplying Russian America from California, the mission was a complete success. Conchita herself promised to wait for her fiancé, who went to deliver a cargo of supplies to his Russian America in Alaska and then to St. Petersburg to secure the petition of her Emperor before the Pope to obtain official permission from the Catholic Church for a “mixed” marriage. Rezanov believed that this could take about two years.

A month later, the overloaded Juno and Avos arrived in Novo-Arkhangelsk, almost scooping up water on their sides. And for the “young groom” Rezanov, it was a small matter: to obtain permission to marry from the sovereign-emperor. The autumn thaw was beginning, and it was impossible to travel across all of Siberia, but the count was in a hurry to marry a young Spaniard and set off on horseback. Crossing the rivers, due to thin ice, he fell into the water several times, caught a cold and lay unconscious for 12 days. He was taken to Krasnoyarsk, where on March 1, 1807 he died. In the metric book of the cathedral of the Resurrection Church of Krasnoyarsk it is written: “Confessed and communed. He was buried at the cathedral church."

For Conchita, long months and then years of waiting began. But all the deadlines had already passed, and her fiancé never showed up. Conchita's parents consoled her and tried to convince her not to despair.

Even when she was told about his death, she remained faithful to him - she never got married, although she was offered her hand and heart by the most worthy suitors in California, did charity work, and taught Indians. She was calledLaBeata. In the early 1840s, Donna Concepción (Donna Conception) joined the third Order of the White Clergy, and upon the founding of the monastery of St. Dominic in the city of Benicia in 1851, she became its first nun under the name Maria Dominga. She died at the age of 67 on December 23, 1857.

Monument to Commander Rezanov in Krasnoyarsk.

The ships of the embassy of Count Rezanov (the leader of the first Russian round-the-world expedition) were loading off the coast of California. He hurried to St. Petersburg, to the court, to ask permission to marry a Catholic woman 27 years younger than himself. He was accompanied by Conchita Arguello, the daughter of the commandant of San Francisco. The ships on which the embassy sailed were called: “Juno” and “Avos”.

Count Nikolai Petrovich Ryazanov fell ill on the road and died.

Conchita did not believe in his death and waited and waited - spending every day on a high cape in the hope of seeing the ship of the returning count. And when, nevertheless, she received authentic evidence of his death, she became a nun...

On April 8 (new style), 1764, Count Nikolai Petrovich Ryazanov was born and died at the age of 43 - 1807.

But the story of his love and separation continues to live - in the poignant production of the Lenin Komsomol Theater “Juno and Avos” (dir. Mark Zakharov, 1981).

The performance was called “Modern Opera” so as not to irritate the authorities, although everyone knew that it was rock. The music was written by Alexey Rybnikov, one of the most beloved composers of the 80s. The dances were choreographed by the brilliant Vladimir Vasiliev, and the libretto was based on the plot of the poem “Maybe!”, which Andrei Voznesensky wrote in 1970, admiring the story of Count Rezanov and Conchita.

The success was great! Critics, representatives of the authorities and the theatrical community, invitees and those who were able to miraculously get to the premiere - everyone was shocked by what they saw.

Pierre Cardin, brought by Andrei Voznesensky, who fell in love “with everyone and everything at once,” insisted on showing the play in Paris. And he made a lot of efforts (plus a million euros) to make it happen.

“Juno” made a splash there too. Reviews published in major French publications were overwhelmed with emotion. British television made a film about the performance. And the rock opera went on to conquer the world - Broadway, New York, Germany. It was glory...

Upon returning to Moscow, composer Rybnikov and the leading actors were urgently summoned to the KGB and ordered to stop contacts with foreign correspondents and shut their mouths.

And at this time, near Lenkom, people stood in a queue at night, several times encircling the theater. And they hoped for a miracle - to see, after all, a performance that had become a myth...

For thirty-two years, this poignant story of love and separation has been selling out.

Spectators again and again watch Count Rezanov dancing at a ball with the daughter of the governor of California. The young beauty's flaring love for the count, his duel and victory over the groom rejected by Conchita - Frederico. An engagement, during which in Spanish (through an interpreter) the passionately loving girl openly talks about it in front of everyone.

And the next farewell. Forever…

Thirty years ago, when the light in the cozy small hall of the Lenin Komsomol Theater was completely gas. And to the aching music, the performer of the role of Count Rezanov - Nikolai Karachentsov and Elena Shanina - Conchita sang “You will wake me up at dawn, you will go out to see me off barefoot” - there was not a person in the hall whose heart was not bursting with tears.

In May 2011, the government of a small island in the South Pacific - Niue (part of the Kingdom of New Zealand), issued a silver coin in denomination of 1 New Zealand dollar. On the reverse side of the coin are embossed images of Nikolai Karachentsov, Elena Shanina and the inscription in Russian: “Juno and Avos”...

Let's remember here another amazing story of love and separation, living in books, films and theatrical productions, which happened around the same time - in 1798, in England.

Emma Hamilton and Horatio Nelson.

Six years of love against the whole world. With her old husband alive, whom the blacksmith's daughter, the beautiful Emma, married only to arrange a comfortable life for herself in the aristocratic circles of England.

The national hero, the outstanding admiral Horatio Nelson, before a mortal battle, writes his will and request to the government of the country to which he gave his life: not to leave his beloved. And dies in the Battle of Trafalgar.

One of the most beautiful women in England, whose intelligence, taste and talents were highly appreciated by her contemporaries (a close friend of Queen Maria Caroline of Austria), gives up on herself and ends her life in a provincial town in complete poverty, like a tramp: “For Lady Hamilton - there was no "Then!".

The entire officer corps of the Royal Navy of England came to the funeral of the great admiral's beloved in ceremonial uniforms.

Movie " Lady Hamilton"(released in 1941, directed by Alexander Kord; Oscar 1942), with the inimitable Vivien Leigh and the star Laurence Olivier in the lead roles - the golden fund of Hollywood's film library. (Winston Churchill's favorite movie).

And now, for another tragedy of passionately loving and separated hearts, let’s move back to the very depths of millennia - to Egypt.

Where Cleopatra, sobbing, says goodbye to Mark Antony forever.

He dies in her arms, pierced by a sword, which he threw himself upon, having received false news of the death of his beloved.

Cleopatra buries Mark Antony and, dressed in the royal robes of the rulers of Egypt, kills herself...

A film about this tragedy - " Cleopatra"(1963, directed by Joseph Leo Mankiewicz, Ruben Mamoulian, Daryll F. Znuk), received four Oscars (1964) and an award from the US National Board of Film Critics.

The most expensive in the history of Hollywood - 44 million dollars (with a planned 2 million). Starring one of the most beautiful women in the world - Elizabeth Taylor.

The rock opera “Juno and Avos” ended with the Hymn of Love. Let us too, remembering the people whose sufferings have endured for centuries, sing:

Hallelujah of love, hallelujah!

childhood

Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov was born into an impoverished noble family on March 28, 1764 in St. Petersburg. After some time, his father was appointed chairman of the civil chamber of the provincial court in Irkutsk, the then capital of Eastern Siberia, which included territories from the Yenisei to the Pacific Ocean. Received a good home education. Distinguished by his natural linguistic abilities, by the age of 14 he knew five European languages.

career advancement

In 1778, Nikolai entered military service in the artillery, served in the Izmailovsky Life Guards Regiment, and was responsible for the protection of Catherine II during her trip to Crimea in 1780, but left military service and entered service in the Pskov civil court. Then Rezanov becomes the head of the office of Count N.G. Chernyshova. This career growth testifies not only to the young man’s business qualities, but also to someone’s fairly powerful support. For an ordinary official not from the nobility or from the provincial ignorant nobles, such “jumps” up the career ladder “through two steps” were unlikely, and, having started service from the lowest, 14th, class in the “Table of Ranks,” another could rise to the rank of assessor (positions) and to the status of collegiate assessor (a rank that gave the right to hereditary nobility) only in old age.

court service

In 1791, after the appointment of Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin as secretary for the report on “Senate Memories” (documents submitted by the Senate for approval) under Catherine II N.P. Rezanov goes into his service as the ruler of the chancellery, which opens for him the doors of the offices and houses of the most senior nobles. Sometimes even he has to carry out personal assignments for the empress, which further accelerates the young man’s career. After some time, he joins the staff of the new favorite of the Empress P.A. Zubov, who, fearing the possible replacement of himself in the “position” of the empress’s favorite by a young handsome man, under a plausible pretext gets rid of Rezanov, sending him to Irkutsk to inspect the activities of the company of the merchant G. I. Shelikhov, who claimed a monopoly right to engage in fur fishing off the Pacific coast of Russia .

acquaintance with Columbus of Russia, marriage

In 1797, Rezanov became secretary, then chief secretary of the Senate. He draws up the “Charter on Prices” and establishes the layout of the land tax in St. Petersburg and Moscow. For this work he was awarded the Order of Anna II degree and a pension of two thousand rubles a year. And soon Emperor Paul I, who replaced Catherine II, who died in 1796, signed a decree on the creation of a single Russian-American Company (RAC) based on the companies of Shelikhov and other Siberian merchants, the main administration of which was transferred from Irkutsk to St. Petersburg, and the authorized correspondent (representative) Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov is appointed RAC. Now he is a state nobleman and an entrepreneur at the same time. Rezanov was Chief Secretary of the Government Senate until 1799.

travel considerations

In 1802, Nikolai Rezanov, through the Minister of Commerce, Count Nikolai Petrovich Rumyantsev, submitted a note to the Tsar, in which he pointed out the inconvenience of delivering provisions and building materials to the new Russian possessions and proposed delivering them by sea, around the world directly from Europe to America.

Until the end of 1802, when plans for a trip around the world began to be developed, which included “establishing sea communications” with Russian possessions in America, the number of RAC shareholders increased from 17 to 400, and among them were members of the Imperial family. Alexander I himself, who became a shareholder of Russian America in the mentioned year, definitely singled out N.P. Rezanov was from among the business people of the Empire and showered him with his favors.

children, wife's death

On July 18, 1801, the first-born son Peter (1801-?) appeared in the Rezanov family, and on October 6, 1802, daughter Olga (1802-1828). Twelve days after the birth of her daughter, Anna Grigorievna died. Rezanov wrote about his wife: “Eight years of our marriage gave me a taste of all the happiness of this life, as if in order to finally poison the rest of my days with the loss of her.”

start of the journey

After the death of his wife, Rezanov thought about resigning and raising his children, but he met an obstacle. The emperor offers the inconsolable widower to take part in the upcoming first voyage around the world. In 1802, by imperial command, N.P. Rezanov was appointed envoy to Japan and leader of the first Russian round-the-world expedition (1803-1806) on the sloops “Nadezhda” and “Neva”. During the preparation of the expedition, its leaders were given a lot of various assignments of an economic, political, scientific nature, but the main goals still remained two: establishing relations with Japan and inspecting Russian America (Alaska).

A month before setting off on the campaign, on July 10, 1803, Rezanov was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 1st degree, and was given the title of Chamberlain of His Majesty's Court.

On August 7 (July 26, old style), 1803, the first Russian round-the-world expedition began, consisting of two ships: “Nadezhda” under the command of I.F. Kruzenshtern (he was entrusted with general naval leadership) and the Neva under the command of Yu.F. Lisyansky.

Japan, Alaska

At the end of September 1804, Russian ships set off for Nagasaki. His Excellency's six-month mission to Japan was unsuccessful, and Rezanov left Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky for Alaska. Having sent the ship "Nadezhda" under the command of Krusenstern to Canton, and then to Kronstadt, Nikolai Petrovich headed for Sitkha on the merchant brig "Maria". On August 26, 1805, the brig “Maria” dropped anchor in Novoarkhangelsk Bay. Here, on the island of Sitkha, N.P. Rezanov met the ruler of “Russian America”, merchant A.A. Baranov.

The shortage of basic necessities, and especially food, had a severe impact on the Russian colony. Seeing the futility of Baranov’s efforts in this matter, Rezanov bought the Juno ship along with its contents from a visiting American businessman and thereby supported his compatriots at first. Nikolai Petrovich connected his further social and state activities with a trip on the Juno to the Spanish fort of San Francisco in order to establish trade relations with the Spaniards. He succeeded.

California, commandant's family

engagement

return to Alaska

On June 11 (May 8), 1806, the heavy “Juno” left the hospitable Spanish land and the noble groom watched the receding shores of California from the deck of the “Juno,” loaded to the brim. He saw them for the last time; he was not destined to meet Concepsia again.