When the Tsar Was a God and the Scientist Was a Poet

Abstract

The article is about the phenomena of sacralization of the ruler in Russian literature of the 17^th century. This phenomenon can be traced in the work of Michael Lomonosov. This exceptional polymath, scientific entrepreneur and pioneer of industry, among his contemporaries was primarily recognized as a poet. Among his literary works panegyric singing the praises of the ruling monarch was dominant. He compares the Tsar to God or directly gifts him with God-like characteristics. In his baroque poetry, he uses the picture of the ruler as a mythological god. This article grounds this literary heritage in the social context in which it was created and describes the functions that such literature plays. Finally, the article discusses the motives that Lomonosov had to pursue this type of poetry.