Mazeppa in the nineteenth century: from history to legend

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13/3/2026

When an intrigue he had with the wife of a Polish gentleman in his youth was discovered, the husband had him flogged and tied stark naked to a wild horse, and then let them loose in that condition. The horse, which was from the land of Ukraine, returned there, carrying Mazeppa who was half dead from fatigue and hunger.

It is in these terms that Voltaire’s Histoire de Charles XII (1731) depicts a scene that was to inspire writers, painters and composers. However, his biography of the Swedish monarch contains inaccuracies, errors and gaps, thus leaving the field open to numerous legends.

Livre-disque Clémence de Grandval. Mazeppa (2026).