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Denis Davydov, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, war writer and poet was born
On July 16 (27), 1784 in Moscow was born Denis Vasilievich Davydov, Lieutenant General, partisan, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, war writer and poet.
Davydov descended from an old noble family. In 1801 he was enlisted to the Horse guardsman regiment in St. Petersburg. Three years later however he was transferred to Belorussian hussar regiment for his satiric works which affected Emperor Alexander I and the nobility. In 1806-1812 being adjutant of General P. I. Bagration, Davydov participated in wars against France (1806-1807), Sweden (1808-1809) and Turkey (1809-1812).
In the beginning of the Patriotic War Davydov commanded a battalion of Okhtyrka hussar regiment. Not long before the battle of Borodino, with the approval of the Russian Army commander M. I. Kutozov, he started to organize a partisan movement. Davydov’s flying squad formed of hussars and Cossacks, fought successfully at the enemy’s rear in the region of Vyazma, Gzhask, near Lyakhov and Krasny.
During the foreign campaigns of 1813-1815 Davydov also tried to implement his partisan tactic, but was dismissed from his position after an unauthorized raid of Drezden which resulted into capture of the garrison.
In 1823 Davydov went into retirement as the head of corps’ staff, but in 1826 returned to service on the invitation of Emperor Nikolai I and took part first in Persian campaign of 1826-1827, then in Polish revolt suppression of 1830-1831. In 1832 he retired from the war service for good.
In 1820s Davydov had close relations with Decembrists – Major General M. F. Orlov, poet F. N. Glinka, writer A. A. Bestuzhev, literary man A. I. Yakubovich; he also became a close friend of poets A. S. Pushkin and P. A. Vyazemsky. During this period Davydov frequented Moscow literary circles also attended by writer and diplomat A. S. Griboyedov, writers A. A. Bestuzhev, N. A. Polevoy, poets E. A. Baratynsky, N. M. Yazykov.
Davydov himself became a founder of a so-called “hussar lyrics”, a sort of lyric diary of a Russian officer-patriot, free-thinking warrior and poet, which is reflected the most vividly in his “Hussars’ feast” and “Borodino field”.
The former partisan also gave impressive characteristics of eminent Russian commanders: A. V. Suvorov, M. I. Kutuzov, P. I. Bagration. In his military and historical works (“Journal of partisan activity of 1812”, “Experience of theory of partisan activity”) the version about frosts as the reason for Napoleon’s defeat in Russia was criticized for the first time.
Denis Vasilievich Davydov died on April 22 (March 4), 1839 in the village of Verhnaya Maza, Simbirsk province. His remains were transferred to Moscow and buried at Novodevichy Convent cemetery.
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Денис Давыдов: сайт. 2004. URL:http://www.denisdavydov.org.ru/.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials: