One of the most popular historical novelists of his time, Ivan Ivanovich Lazhechnikov was, according to D. S. Mirsky's History of Russian Literature (1949), "the best of Russian Scottists." His mix of patriotism, sensationalism, complex characters, moral sense, and wealth of historical detail appealed to the Romantic reader in Russia. In spite of his language, which some call "colorless," and his prolix, ponderous prose, he could tell a good story with ease. Though he did not advance Russian prose beyond its sentimental-Romantic boundaries, most critics agree that Lazhechnikov was the best of the historical writers of the period, with the exception of Aleksandr Pushkin.

Ivan Ivanovich Lazhechnikov was born on 14 September 1790 or 1792 into a wealthy merchant family in Kolomna, near Moscow. His father was one of the richest bread-and-salt merchants in the area, and the Lazhechnikovs were one of the oldest merchant families in town. Lazhechnikov's family must have...