This chapter involves Tolstoy’s craftsmanship of one of the most famous duels in fiction.

It starts with Captain Denísov announcing the formalities and giving a vigorous countdown. On the count of three, each can advance and fire their one shot before reaching sabres that marked ten paces from the other.

Dolokhov walked calmly without raising his pistol. He donned a wry smile and looked intently as he traveled though a fairly clear path. Pierre, however, ambulated clumsily and found himself encumbered by snow. Pierre held the pistol in a way that made little sense, with his right hand fully extended from his body. He was afraid of shooting himself. Pierre visualized Dolokhov through the mist then bent his finger. He had fired his only shot. Pierre shuddered at the sound and then stood still

The smoke from the gun mixed with the mist, making it difficult for anyone to see. There was no return fire! Eventually, Pierre saw and heard Dolokhov coming toward him through the smoke. Dolokhov’s face was pale and he was pressing a hand to his left side, where he had been hit. The hand was visibly bloody by reason a wound to the body. The other hand now clutched a drooping pistol.

Rostov ran toward Dolokhov and tried to ascertain his condition but Dolohov repelled him saying “No! It’s not over.” After a few staggering steps up to the sabre, Dolokhov sank in the snow.

Pierre was about to cry and began running toward his adversary, with the result being that this big man was making himself a bigger target. He was ready to cross the space between the barriers, when Dolokhov cried out: “To your barrier!”

Pierre stopped and only ten paces divided them. Dolokhov, though severely weakened, had every intention of returning fire. He sat up, with his breathing consisting of sucking in and swallowing the cold air. His eyes found their target and with effort and exasperation he raised the pistol. Both Nesvitski and Denisov cried out for Pierre, who did not know the customs of dueling, to make himself a smaller target.

Nevertheless, Pierre was overcome with remorse and become that gentle soul consistent with his nature. Each duelist is brought back to their essence. Dolokhov is trying take Pierre with him and Pierre, wearing a gentle smile of pity and remorse, involuntarily holds his arms and legs helplessly spread with his broad chest facing Dolokhov.

Denísov, Rostov and Nesvítski closed their eyes…….and heard the return fire. What followed was Dolokhov’s angry cry of “Missed!” The experienced soldier and duelist was then reduced to a helpless mess, lying face down on the snow.

Pierre clutched his temples and stumbled around muttering incoherently: “Folly! Vanity! Death! Lies!” Nesvitski soon took Pierre home while Rostov and Denisov carried Dolokhov to a sleigh.

Dolokhov felt he was dying and became focused on what would be the reaction of his poor and elderly mother. This shocked Denisov and Rostov and is meant to surprise you – that this rogue and gambler who been through worst of war, was from a small family were he adored and cared for an elderly mother and crippled sister in Moscow. Dolokhov held Rostov’s hand and cried: “Mamma, my angel, my adored angelic mother.” He implored Nicholas to go on ahead and prepare her for the worst

After Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury in late 2024 for the heavyweight championship, the Ukrainian boxer held up a sabre that once belonged to the 17th Century Ukrainian Cossack Hetman, Ivan Mapeza, who this episode is dedicated to.

Usyk’s fortitude spoke to Ukraine’s resilience against a larger foe who initiated the type of vainglorious War Tolstoy condemns, with all of his soul, in W&P.

Showcasing the weapon was a transcendent moment of Usyk bringing history to Life. This ability is something Tolstoy shares given who often he reaches into the past to make literary points. In W&P, for example, Tolstoy cites the Classical world and more recent influences. He skillfully adapts the famous quote from Voltaire: "If god did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him." The Frenchman also had a well-known correspondence with Catherine II, who some of W&P’s characters look to as illustrative of an idealized past. Yet part of her reputation involves keeping so many under serfdom. Voltaire urged her to release her serfs.

Quite forgotten is how Voltaire contributed to Mazepa becoming an icon of the Romantic age. Victor Hugo, Lord Byron & Franz List, also elevated Mazepa to a status Tolstoy himself briefly references in his 1857 work “Youth.” Tolstoy wrote that if he reaches the age of 70, he envisions that a lovely young woman could love him as easily as she could love….a Mazeppa.

Mazepa was born to a noble Cossack family near Kyiv. His father was a town otaman (leader) and his mother instilled in her son a deep devotion to God and Cossack culture. Mazepa received a European education and served at the Polish royal court. While quite young, he is said to have fallen in love with the wife of a Polish nobleman and to have been punished through being tied to a wild horse and carried back to the Land of the Cossacks, where he was adopted by one of their communities and rose to leader. He was Hetman from 1687 – 1709.

Mazepa remains a key figure in Ukrainian-Russian relations given he decided to turn his allegiance to Sweden over the Czar during the Great Northern War. This conflict was fought between Sweden and an anti-Swedish coalition led by Moscow. This intermittent affair lasted about 20 years and involved control over Northern Europe and the Baltics. Sweden initially did well causing Peter to move his troops inward and draw Charles to invade.

The conflict made its way to Mazepa’s Cossacks, whose status and allegiance greatly changed over the previous generation. Since 1654, many were uneasy allies with the Czar after withdrawing support for Poland. They now felt subject to excessive demands for troops to be used in projects like building canals and fortresses, where they could be worked to sickness and death and used as proverbial “cannon fodder”

Thus, in 1708, Mazepa aligned with Charles, giving him 5,000 Cossacks. Mazepa felt he was choosing the lesser of two evils. Later that year, there was a race of belligerents to Mazepa’s home city of Baturyn. 20,000 Russian soldiers commanded by Alexander Menshikov overwhelmed this military arsenal and food store. When the city fell, there was this infamous slaughter of the civilian population. A number were tied to makeshift crosses or boards and floated down the local river.

The next summer, on June 27, 1709, the armies faced off near Poltava, where Peter & Charles were on-hand directing troops. The Czar prevailed and this turn in history explains why Sweden never became a great power. This battle also had a major role in propelling Russia to their status. Yet that fire in the hearts of Ukrainians for independence was not extinguished over the next few centuries. Today, a Ukrainian state exists which exacts quite the toll on Russian aggression. Ukrainians revere Mazepa for making the best choice he could.

Mazepa was excommunicated from the Russian Orthodox Church and Czar Peter also ordered all portraits of the man destroyed. Similarly, Tolstoy, was separated from the Orthodox Church in 1901 through a Church Proclamation. Tolstoy’s writing on religion led to the church to declare him as a “false teacher” imbued with “intellectual pride.” This leads me to the second reference to I have found from Tolstoy on Mazppa, which is the book “Life of Tolstoy” by Tolstoy’s long-time English friend and translator, Alymer Maude. Maude describes how Tolstoy studied the life of Mazepa upon a friendly wager as a law student.