Konstantin Karlovich Danzas (russian: Константи́н Ка́рлович Данза́с) (1801 – February 3, 1870) was a

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

, a friend of

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

, and his second in a duel with d'Anthès. Danzas was born to a noble Courland family in 1801. He started his education in Moscow, but at the request of influential family friend, Countess Sofia Stroganova, he was accepted to Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. Students gave him nickname "Bear". While in the school, Danzas befriended Pushkin. Upon graduation in 1817, Danzas started his military career. Throughout the service Danzas was frequently commended for his outstanding bravery. Among his awards were a golden sword for valor (1828) and a brilliant ring - a very rare decoration for an army officer. Danzas took part in many military campaigns, and in 1828 he was wounded in the left shoulder. He didn't fully recover from this wound, and for the long time was using a sling to support his left hand. On January 27, 1837, Pushkin asked Danzas to be his second in duel with d'Anthès. Duels were against the law, but being a man of honor, Danzas could not refuse Pushkin. Pushkin was mortally wounded in the duel, and died a few days later. Lying on his death bed, Pushkin said to Zhukovsky and Vyazemsky, "Beg for Danzas. He is my soul brother." Danzas was arrested for his role as second in the duel, and confined to the Peter and Paul Fortress. Initially he was sentenced to death by hanging, but later the sentence was reduced to two months of imprisonment (that was the common practice for Russia at the time). After release, Danzas continued his army service. He asked to be transferred to the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

, and took position of a commander of the Tengin regiment, where

Mikhail Lermontov Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov (; russian: Михаи́л Ю́рьевич Ле́рмонтов, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ˈjurʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈlʲɛrməntəf; – ) was a Russian Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called "the poet of the Caucas ...

served. Danzas achieved a rank of Major General before he left the army in 1856. He continued to live in solitude, without a family. Over time, he came to blame himself more for Pushkin's death, and this affected his mood. Danzas carefully maintained his own small collection of valuable items related to Pushkin, including Pushkin's

death mask A death mask is a likeness (typically in wax or plaster cast) of a person's face after their death, usually made by taking a cast or impression from the corpse. Death masks may be mementos of the dead, or be used for creation of portraits. It ...

, rare letters and a

turquoise Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula . It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone and ornamental stone for thousands of year ...

ring that Pushkin himself gave him. Danzas died on February 3, 1870, alone, and was buried at state expense in the Catholic cemetery. In 1936 his remains were moved to the

Tikhvin Cemetery Tikhvin Cemetery (russian: Тихвинское кладбище) is a historic cemetery in the centre of Saint Petersburg. It is part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and is one of four cemeteries in the complex. Since 1932 it has been part of the ...

of the

Alexander Nevsky Lavra Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra or Saint Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded by Peter I of Russia in 1710 at the eastern end of the Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg, in the belief that this was the site of the Neva Battle in 1240 when Alex ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Danzas, Konstantin Karlovich 1801 births 1870 deaths Imperial Russian Army generals People from Courland Governorate Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum alumni Russian military personnel of the Caucasian War Burials at Tikhvin Cemetery Russian nobility