And the The Welcome to Russian History Retold, episode 166, Alexander Pushkin Part 3. Last time we recounted Pushkin's years of exile and his meeting with Zorn Nicholas I.

Today, we cover the period where he meets his wife, finishes his greatest work, Eugene Onigan, and dies in a duel for his wife's

honor.

Now that Pushkin has been granted an amnesty by the czar, he felt free to write and to read

his works to his friends. But this was not quite the case.

With the Tsar taking a liking to the young man came greater scrutiny than ever.

Pushkin was followed everywhere he went and every word he spoke in public was noted.

And Bankendorf reported his findings to Nicholas on a regular basis.

For the most part, Pushkin kept true to his word. There was an occasional

faux-pah such as not getting his work reviewed by the Tsar before reading it to his friends

and acquaintances. But what got him into hot water at this time was a

piece he wrote back in 1821 called The Gabrilliad. The work was considered almost pornographic for the time and certainly was blasphemous.

It called into question the true father of Jesus.

When asked by a court looking into the authorship, he nervously but firmly denied writing it.

Few people believed him, so more pressure was put on Pushkin.

Zar Nicholas wrote to Count P.A. Tolstoy, the commander-in-chief of St. Petersburg and Kronstadt the following.

Quote, Count Tolstoy is to summon Pushkin to his presence and tell him in my name that since I know Pushkin personally I believe

his word.

But I desire that he should assist the government to discover who could have composed something

so vile and insulted Pushkin by using it under his name.

When he came to the Count's office, he felt extremely nervous, and after a while he asked if he could write a letter to his majesty personally

and privately.

...