Historical Context
A quick overview of the historical context of the events of Great Comet and the characters' lives. You can find more detailed resources on the Blog page.
Lineage and Title
In 1722, Peter the Great changed Russia's ruling system and created the Table of Ranks detailing a formal list of ranks within Russian military, government, and royal court based on service and loyalty. This ranking had no affect on one's wealth and were passed down hereditarily to all descendants. Obligatory service for nobles was rescinded in 1762, so by the 1800s title was merely a sign of status and lineage..
Count/Countess: Introduced by Peter the Great, given to distinguished statesmen or soldiers after proving loyalty.
Characters: Pierre, Natasha
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Prince/Princess: Ranked above Count. An older title that refers to a lineage of ancient nobility. Note: Prince was a title of nobility, not royalty. More common than Count or Baron.
Characters: Andrey, Mary, Bolkonsky, Anatole, Hélène
The Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts between the Napoleon-led French and various other European powers. During Great Comet, Russia was still fighting on the side of France against Austria, though there was a tension that culminated in Napoleon invading France in 1812. The Napoleonic Wars were basically Napoleon's fight for European supremacy, attempting to become the primary European powerhouse and taking down weaker European nations for the sake of imperialism.. Russia consistently changes sides based on the political outcome of each war, but even when on Russia's side there was significant tension, especially because Russia wasn't considered a Russian country and therefore was depicted as a somewhat barbaric counterpart to the civilized Western countries, with Napoleon hoping to "liberate" them.
The Great Comet of 1811
That's right, don't be bamboozled by the title, Great Comet actually occurs in 1811 (also literally no one calls it the Great Comet of 1812). First discovered on March 25, 1811, the comet remained visible in the sky until its last sighting on January 11, 1812. The cultural response was somewhat varied, with some calling it a miracle and others calling it a bad omen. Comets in general were considered an omen for many reasons: fear of the unknown, fear of it crashing into Earth, fear of some otherworldly cosmic power, fear of this ominous thing that never left the sky. It is widely considered to be the instigator of the War of 1812, but even before then, the presence of a new, unknown object in the air seemed to have the potential to bring doom, causing people to live every day with a new sense of urgency.
Fun Fact #1: The comet is nicknamed Napoleon's Comet because apparently it is what inspired Napoleon to invade Russia in 1812. ​
Fun Fact #2: Dave Malloy said on Twitter that the reason he included the comet in the show was "for cosmic epicness."
Upper Class Lifestyle & Status
While Moscow at the time was known for a large wealth gap and constant urban business in markets, the Russian elite payed little attention to the struggles of the lower classes, whose hopes for reform in a growing urban landscape were largely ignored. Instead, a lot of attention went to the post-Enlightenment desire for a "new race of people" starting with an educated elite, leading to improved school systems and a somewhat pretentious consumption of literature and art by the wealthy. In fact, the 19th century is considered the golden age opera in Russia! This caused the aristocratic class to consider themselves the tastemakers of Russian culture, an egocentrism that did not translate to a middle class with drastically different lives, more dependent on economic means than luxury. In fact, aristocrats often only spent the winter months in Moscow and the summer in the countryside, meaning they did not plant roots in Moscow and therefore had little influence on the culture despite holding all political power.
Marriage was a sacred yet somewhat corrupt concept, with divorce becoming more restricted and marriages being riddled with scandal despite the church's efforts. This period contained your typical misogynistic aspects, with an emphasis on patriarchy, mixed views towards sexual relations, and an underlying view of women as temptresses against a standard of the virginal and pure woman. However, because this follows a period of Russian enlightenment, specifically regarding imperialism and westernization, marriage also shifted away from its reproductive and sexual functions into one that was intended to have mutual benefits for status, reputation, and other more logic-based functions. From a religious standpoint, this was a time when marriage was the most valued sacrament and therefore under strict protection by the church, an idea reinforced by post-Enlightenment and French Revolution ideas that family was "the best defense against moral degeneration" and "the bedrock of political stability" (Freeze). Divorces were basically forbidden, and annulments were basically divorces without using the title, yet the church would go so far as bending laws to preserve marriages. If annulments did happen, they were typically the result of extramarital relationships. Contradictory to the cultural view of marriage, many church-approved divorces were due to lack of sexual relation, yet only cases of female sexual incapacity were heard they were only verified after vaginal inspection for proof of virginity, and the women typically weren't allowed to marry after if this was verified. Yet abuse wasn't a valid reason for divorce? (Fun marriage fact: close kin were not allowed to marry, which is likely why Sonya could not marry the cousin she was in love with as a teenager. Probably for the best, but sad for Sonya.)