The mystery of Ye.I. Pugachev's illness (an incident from the pre-history of the Russian 18th-century rebellion)

In the article a non-studied aspect of the rebellious past of Russia of the 18th century is investigated. By example of a mysterious incident with the illness of the Don Cossack Ye.I. Pugachev an attempt to consider the problem in the context of modern methodological opportunities is made. The informative priority is the body history as one of the most perspective scientific directions today. Limits and possibilities of the counterfactual modeling of the past are also shown. The state of health of Ye.I. Pugachev during the period preceding the powerful national revolt in the southeast suburbs of the Russian Empire is carefully reconstructed and analyzed. The groundlessness of the versions in historical literature of his being ill with syphilis, scrofula or plague is proved. It is shown that the classical symptoms of these diseases do not coincide with the known data from the sources on Ye.I. Pugachev's health and actions. On the basis of historical documents and the description of the clinical picture of the course of the disease a presumable diagnosis of Pugachev's illness is made. The arguments allowing to state a guess are adduced that Ye.I. Pugachev was ill with pyoderma. It caused certain temporary physical sufferings, but did not threaten his life. According to our assumption Ye.I. Pugachev intentionally used the illness as an excuse to leave the army before the end of the Russian-Turkish war. His plan was to come back home to the Don and try to achieve an official release from service or, in case of an unsuccessful outcome, to escape. In practice the second option was realized. His trip to Taganrog to meet with his sister began his future pretender's adventure. After refusal of the army authorities to release Ye.I. Pugachev, the period of Pugachev's long wanderings and adventures started. They came to end in 1773-1774 when under the name of Emperor Peter III he headed the mass popular rebellion at the Yaik, in the Volga region, in Cisurals, in the Urals and in Siberia. Thus, the medical data and the study of the behavioral activity of Ye.I. Pugachev during several months from spring to autumn of 1771 allowed us to challenge the opinion on his illness as a hypothetical turning point of national history. As a result new important circumstances were revealed and the picture of the eve of Pugachev's rebellion was supplemented with previously unknown bright strokes.

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