After the death of the childless Alexander I, Konstantin Pavlovich, the next oldest brother, was to ascend the throne. However, Konstantin Pavlovich, fearing that he would be "strangled, as his father was strangled," decided to renounce the right to head the state, and therefore Nicholas, the third son of Emperor Paul I and Empress Maria Feodorovna, was declared the heir to the throne. Alexander I indicated this in a secret manifesto on August 16, 1823.

Given that even Nikolai Pavlovich did not know about the exact content of the manifesto until the last, after the death of the emperor, the oath was taken to Konstantin.

Immediately began to mint coins with the image of the new ruler.

“As a faithful subject, I must, of course, mourn the death of the sovereign; but, as a poet, I rejoice at the accession to the throne of Constantine I,” wrote Alexander Pushkin enthusiastically. - There is a lot of romanticism in it; his turbulent youth, campaigns with Suvorov, enmity with the German Barclay remind of Henry V. Besides, he is smart, but with smart people everything is somehow better; In a word, I hope a lot of good things come from him.”

Plans are falling apart

However, Konstantin Pavlovich announced that he did not intend to rule the empire. A few days later, he prepared a manifesto, according to which Nikolai became the head of state. The future emperor announced his accession to the throne, and the oath was scheduled for December 26.

On the same day, under the pretext of protecting the legal rights of Konstantin, an uprising of the Decembrists took place in St. coup d'état. The rebels wanted to prevent the troops and the Senate from taking the oath to Nikolai Pavlovich. The plans of the Decembrists included the establishment of a constitutional monarchy or republic and the abolition of serfdom. Some radical Decembrists acted

for the murder of Nicholas and even Tsarevich Alexander - the future emperor who abolished serfdom.

By 11 a.m., the rebels had brought troops to Senate Square, but Nikolai Pavlovich, who knew about the impending uprising, had already managed to take the oath and become the legitimate ruler of the state. The plans of the conspirators, who wanted to demand the introduction of a constitution before the oath, collapsed. The Decembrists did not know what to do next, and the troops simply remained on the square.

How Nicholas was not killed

The Decembrists appointed Pyotr Kakhovsky, a member of the Northern Secret Society, who, according to the memoirs of his contemporaries, had an ardent character and love of freedom, as the murderer of Nikolai Pavlovich. On Senate Square, Kakhovskiy killed Governor-General Miloradovich, who went out to the rebels with a request to stop the rebellion, and Colonel Stürler, but did not dare to deal with the newly-made emperor.

Soon the rebels were surrounded by government troops, and a shootout began. Decembrist Mikhail Bestuzhev tried to build soldiers on the ice of the Neva and lead them to the Peter and Paul Fortress, but the government army fired cannons at the rebels. Cannonballs pierced the ice, and many participants in the uprising drowned in the Neva.

The rebels took to flight. According to various estimates of historians, from 1.3 thousand to 1.5 thousand people died during the riot. However, there is an opinion that, since the government troops were ordered not to shoot the rebels, but simply drive them away from the Senate Square, the number of victims does not exceed one hundred people.

Civilized Europe and less cultured Russia

A few days after the rebellion, a Commission for Research on Malicious Societies was established - a body for investigating the Decembrist uprising. The commission, which a member of the Northern Secret Society called "an inquisitorial tribunal without a shadow of justice or impartiality and with deep ignorance of the laws," involved 579 people in the investigation.

At the trial, which took place in the Winter Palace, Nicholas I himself acted as an investigator.

The emperor decided that five Decembrists should be sentenced to death, and 120 organizers of the uprising should be sent to hard labor in Siberia or to a settlement. Interestingly, the defendants themselves were not present at the trial, they were invited only to announce the verdict.

“For me, Russia is now defiled, bloodied,” the poet wrote after the trial of the Decembrists. “How many victims and what an iron hand fell on them.”

Sharp criticism of the trial of the rebels began in foreign society. “The imperial government, however, is gravely mistaken if it thinks that a purely formal investigation carried out by a commission of eight members - courtiers and adjutants of the emperor - can arouse confidence in the civilized countries of Europe or even in less cultured Russia,” wrote the British edition. The Times.

What to do in the link

According to Nicholas I, in exile the Decembrists would be doomed to spiritual death. However, the convicted rebels created their own "academy" in captivity, which includes lectures and the study of languages, reading and discussing books. So, Kuchelbecker led seminars on Russian naval expeditions, Bestuzhev - on the history of the navy, Wolf - on physics, chemistry, anatomy and physiology.

Soon, the Decembrists were allowed to read Russian and foreign publications, draw, and make music. In the conditions of hard labor and subsequent exile, Bestuzhev proposed the idea of ​​a water-jet engine, Thorson designed a threshing machine and a machine for cutting straw, and Bestuzhev made an original design of a small-sized but accurate marine chronometer. In addition, the convicted Decembrists conducted climatological observations,

collected Siberian samples of flora and fauna, were engaged in chemical analysis of waters of mineral springs, carried out seismological measurements.

“Glancing over all their works, we see that they explored Siberia in an anthropological, natural, economic, social and ethnographic position, in a word, they did incomparably more than everything done during this time for any of the other Russian regions,” wrote publicist Ivan Pryzhov.

"This is the last novel I banned"

The image of the Decembrist, cherished by poets and writers of the 19th century, quickly acquired the features of a romantic rebel who fell victim to slander. He wrote about the rebels in the novel "Fencing Teacher" - and, of course, Nicholas I banned the work of the French author from publication in Russia.

“Nikolai entered the room when I was reading a book to the Empress,” recalls Princess Trubetskaya, a friend of the Empress. — I quickly hid the book. The Emperor approached and asked the Empress:

- Did you read?
— Yes, my lord.
Do you want me to tell you what you read?

The Empress was silent.

- Have you read Dumas' novel "Fencing Master".
How do you know this, sir?
- Here you go! This is not hard to guess. This is the last novel I banned."

Decembrists become atheists

I wanted to write about the participants in the opposition movement several times. “My Decembrist must be an enthusiast, a mystic, a Christian, returning to Russia in 1956 with his wife, son and daughter and trying on his strict and somewhat ideal look to new Russia", - the writer said in a letter. However, Tolstoy did not go beyond the fourth chapter - according to his contemporaries, he became disillusioned with the uprising and argued that

"The December rebellion is the result of the influence of the French aristocracy, most of which emigrated to Russia after the French Revolution."

It is interesting how the image of the Decembrist was transformed in the 20th century. Despite the fact that Lenin considered the rebels of the past cut off from the people, the participants in the February Revolution regarded them as their predecessors. The Decembrists remained included in the pantheon of heroes in Stalin's times, while their religious views (the vast majority of the rebels were Orthodox) were tried not to be mentioned.

However, sometimes the participants in the events of December 26, 1825 were described as fierce atheists.

A new surge of love for the rebels of the XIX century came in the 1970s. At this time, the film "Star of Captivating Happiness" is released, which tells about the fate of the Decembrists and their wives who followed their husbands into exile. The rebels of the last century become the inspirers of dissidents, the heroes of local history books and even low-grade romance novels.

Infantry general, hero and count paid for loyalty to the emperor with his life

The glorious military general Mikhail Andreevich Miloradovich (1771-1825) forever remained an example of selfless service to Russia, and his unexpected death at the hands of the Decembrists became a bitter reproach to the Russians for internal strife. Mikhail Andreevich came from a Serbian family who moved to Russia under Peter I. His father was a participant in the Russian-Turkish wars of the Catherine era, reached the rank of lieutenant general and the position of governor in Little Russia, as Ukraine was then called. His son Mikhail, in addition to home education, had the opportunity to study abroad.

There he attended classes at a number of universities and military schools.

Even as a child, Miloradovich was enrolled in the Life Guards of the Izmailovsky Regiment, in its ranks he began his military career - he participated in the Russian-Swedish war of 1788-1790, in 1796 he already had the rank of captain. A taut, valiant and executive officer successfully survived parade parade trials and drill during the reign of Paul I, in 1798 he became a major general and commander of the Apsheron Musketeer Regiment.

Important role in the formation of Miloradovich as a military commander, his participation in the Italian and Swiss campaigns of Alexander Suvorov in 1799 had. At the very beginning of the Italian campaign, the commander of the Apsheron regiment showed resourcefulness, speed and contempt for death in the battle of Lekko, and Suvorov brought him closer to him, made him his general on duty. Miloradovich learned Suvorov's boldness, enterprise and kind attitude towards the soldier, which later brought him popularity and fame. In the battle of Novi, the troops under the command of Miloradovich and Pyotr Bagration made a decisive contribution to the victory, defeating the French units defending in the center of the position. The blow of the Miloradovich detachment predetermined the defeat of the French troops defending the approaches to the Saint Gotthard Pass near Lake Ober-Alp.

General Miloradovich in his youth

One curious episode is connected with the campaign through St. Gotthard. When descending from a steep mountain into a valley occupied by the French, Miloradovich's soldiers hesitated. Noticing this, Mikhail Andreevich exclaimed: “Look how they will take your general prisoner!” And rolled on his back from the cliff. The soldiers, who loved their commander, unanimously followed him ...

Mikhail Andreevich also took an active part in the battles for the Alps, contributing to the withdrawal of Suvorov's army from the encirclement. For campaigns in 1799, he was awarded the Order of St. Anne 1st degree, St. Alexander Nevsky and the Order of Malta.

During the Russo-Austrian-French War of 1805, Miloradovich commanded a brigade in the army of Mikhail Kutuzov. During the retreat of the Russian army from Braunau, he distinguished himself in a heated battle with the French at Amstetten and in the battle of Krems. In the latter, he was entrusted with a frontal attack on an enemy position. For courage and valor in the battle, which lasted all day, he was awarded the Order of St. George 3rd degree and the rank of lieutenant general.

Miloradovich proved his courage in the campaigns of Suvorov

Always dapper and exquisitely dressed, Mikhail Andreevich, under bullets, could calmly light a pipe, correct orders and joke. Surrendering to the music of battle, he succeeded everywhere, excited the troops by personal example: he was the first to get on a horse and dismount from it last, when everyone was arranged for rest.

In 1806, with the beginning of the Russian-Turkish war, Miloradovich at the head of the corps crossed the Dniester, entered the Danube principalities and, having occupied Bucharest, saved Wallachia from ruin. Continuing to act as part of the Moldavian army of Ivan Michelson, he distinguished himself at Turbat and Obileshti; He was awarded a golden sword with the inscription: "For courage and the salvation of Bucharest." In 1809, for the battle of Rassevat, Mikhail Andreevich was promoted to general of infantry, becoming a full general at the age of 38. Then he was engaged in administrative activities, acting as governor-general in Kiev ...

With the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812, Miloradovich was entrusted with the formation of reserve and reserve troops in the Kaluga-Volokolamsk-Moscow region. On August 18, with 15,000 reinforcements, he joined the main army at Gzhatsk. In the Battle of Borodino, Mikhail Andreevich, acting as part of the 1st Army of Mikhail Barclay de Tolly, commanded three infantry corps on the right flank and successfully repulsed all attacks of the French troops. On August 28, two days after Borodino, Kutuzov appointed him chief of the rearguard of the Russian army, and from that day on, the brave general became the guardian of the army, and, if necessary, its spearhead.

Battle of Prague

The commander of the Russian rearguard managed to wrest consent from Marshal Joachim Murat, who led the vanguard of the French troops, to the unhindered advance of the Russian army through Moscow. “Otherwise,” Miloradovich declared to Murat, “I will fight for every house and street and leave Moscow in ruins for you.” During the transition of Russian troops to the old Kaluga road, Miloradovich's rearguard, with his energetic attacks on the enemy, unexpected and ingenious movements, ensured the covert conduct of this strategic maneuver. In hot battles and skirmishes, he more than once forced the French units rushing forward to retreat.

When, near Maloyaroslavets, the corps of Nikolai Dokhturov and Nikolai Raevsky blocked the path of the French army to Kaluga, Miloradovich from Tarutino made such a swift march to their aid that Kutuzov called him "winged". After the failure near Maloyaroslavets, Napoleon was forced to retreat along the Smolensk road, and Kutuzov entrusted the direct pursuit of the enemy to Mikhail Andreevich. In the battle of Vyazma (October 28), the vanguard of Miloradovich, supported by the Cossack detachment of Matvey Platov, defeated four French corps and occupied the city. On the shoulders of the French, he captured Dorogobuzh, and then distinguished himself in the battle of Krasnoe, forcing the French troops to turn along the country roads to the Dnieper. In Vilno (Vilnius), Alexander I personally presented the brave general with diamond signs for the Order of St. George, 2nd degree. On behalf of the tsar, Miloradovich was sent to occupy the Duchy of Warsaw, where he managed to almost bloodlessly oust the Austrians and captured Warsaw. The Patriotic War of 1812 made the name of Miloradovich unusually popular and famous.

Mikhail Andreevich did not drop his military glory even in the foreign campaigns of the Russian army in 1813-1814. After the battle of Lutzen (April 1813), he covered the retreat of the Russian-Prussian troops for three weeks, preventing Napoleon from building on his success. In the battle of Bautsen, Miloradovich steadfastly withstood all the attacks of the French troops on the left flank and more than once went over to counterattacks, admiring Alexander I, who was watching the battle. Under the command of Barclay de Tolly, the valiant general successfully acted in the famous battle of Kulm (August 1813) , where the allied Russian-Austrian troops surrounded and defeated the French corps of Domenique Vandam.

And then the Decembrist uprising happened ...

After the Leirtsig "battle of the peoples", in which Mikhail Andreevich was entrusted with commanding the Russian guard, Alexander I promoted him to the dignity of a count. Miloradovich chose the motto of his coat of arms: "Directness supports me." In addition, the tsar allowed him to wear a soldier's St. George's award - a silver cross on the St. George's ribbon, saying: "Wear it, you are a friend of the soldiers." In 1814, Miloradovich commanded the guards and grenadier corps, participated in the battles of Arcy-sur-Aube, Brienne, Fer-Champenoise, Paris.

After returning to Russia, Count Miloradovich headed the color of the army - the Guards, and in 1818 he was appointed to the post of Governor-General of St. Petersburg. Knowing for himself only one worthy occupation - war, he did not have satisfaction from the position of mayor. Only during various kinds of incidents, especially during the days of floods, was the general seen as managerial, courageous and energetic. Accessible and condescending, he tried to observe justice and humanity in all matters. Being skeptical about his merits in peacetime, Mikhail Andreevich wrote to the tsar: “I earnestly ask your majesty not to reward me ... For me, it’s better to beg ribbons for others than to receive them sitting by the fireplace” ...

... The revolt of the Decembrists in 1825 turned into a disaster for Miloradovich. Of the two possible successors of the deceased Alexander I - Konstantin Pavlovich and Nikolai Pavlovich, he preferred Konstantin, with whom he participated in the Suvorov campaigns back in 1799. Perhaps that is why the governor-general of the capital did not take vigorous measures to prevent the rebellion on Senate Square. Arriving on December 14 in the Horse Guards Regiment, whose chief was Konstantin, Miloradovich did not want to lead him against the rebels, sparing Russian blood. “I'll go myself,” he said, and galloped to Senate Square. There he, rising in the stirrups and taking out a golden blade, turned to the soldiers: “Tell me, which of you was with me near Kulm, Lutzen, Bautzen?” It became quiet in the square. “Thank God,” exclaimed Miloradovich, “there is not a single Russian soldier here!” There was confusion in the ranks of the rebels, and then the fatal shot of retired lieutenant Pyotr Kakhovsky sounded: the mortally wounded general fell off his horse into the snow ...

Pyotr Kakhovsky - the killer of the hero general ...

... When Mikhail Andreevich was dying in the barracks of the Horse Guards Regiment and saw the bullet removed from his body, he said with relief: "Thank God, this is not a rifle bullet, not a soldier's." At 3 o'clock in the morning on December 15, he was gone. For almost three decades, Miloradovich was in military campaigns and battles, endangered countless times, but survived. Death in the middle of the capital at the hands of a compatriot became a reproach for Russia...

Nikolai KOVALEVSKY, "History of the Russian State"

The uprising of the Decembrists on Senate Square is one of the greatest and tragic events in the history of Russia. The emergence of revolutionary movements began long before the start of the overthrow of the imperial dynasty. This was the first time people had gathered in such a large scale to attack the imperial dynasty. This uprising was supposed to lead to a change of power. To destruction Russian Empire and building a new, liberal-democratic state. We will consider the causes of the Decembrist uprising, its course and results.

In contact with

background

After the Patriotic War in 1812, the people did not calm down and began to organize an uprising. Then various secret societies began to form, which should have once led to the emergence of a new revolution. This is what happened in December 1825.

The revolution could not begin without preparation, and the revolutionaries began to prepare in advance. They worked a careful plan, the result of which was to be not something, but the formation of a new state.

According to their plan, Nicholas I was to abdicate. After that, a provisional government would ascend the throne, which was to be headed by Count Speransky.

After that, the reorganization of state power would begin. The Russian Empire was to become a constitutional monarchy or a republic. The entire royal family was planned to be killed or sent abroad to Fort Ross.

But none of this was destined to happen, the uprising was crushed by the strength of the imperial army. How did everything happen?

Causes of the uprising

The causes of the December Uprising of 1825 include the following factors:

Prerequisites

Organized various alliances with insurgent activities. They actively grew and developed. Despite numerous arrests and resistance from the counterintelligence of imperial soldiers, many revolutionaries died or abandoned the idea of ​​seizing power, however, new ones took their place. They were waiting for the perfect moment to launch their offensive. Such a moment was the ambiguous situation of the ascension to the throne of Nicholas, the brother of the emperor after the death of Alexander I.

Interregnum

Konstantin Pavlovich, Alexander's older brother, was supposed to inherit the throne after him, since he had no children. But there was a secret document that confirmed the refusal of Constantine from the throne. He signed it during Alexander's lifetime. This gave chances for the throne to the younger brother Nikolai Pavlovich. However, he was extremely unpopular among the highest ranks and close associates of the royal family.

There was a twofold situation of reign, when Constantine was persuaded to ascend the throne, while Nicholas was also persuaded to sign a renunciation of it. What happened: Nicholas, under pressure, abdicates the throne, giving his place to the legitimate ruler Constantine. But he still refuses the place offered to him and re-signs the abdication, explaining at the meeting his decision in favor of his brother.

Only on December 14, after long deliberations, the Senate recognized the rights to the throne of Nikolai Pavlovich, after which he immediately took the oath.

This situation led to the fact that the throne seemed to be passed from hand to hand, which shook the social strata of society and the revolutionaries could not help but take advantage of this, since this was the ideal moment for an uprising.

Rebellion plan

At this time, the participants in the December uprising were already planning their attack. Their primary goal was to prevent Nicholas from ascending the throne. And for this, all methods were used. The Winter Palace had to be captured by killing the soldiers guarding it. They planned to transfer close associates of the royal family to their side, and if they refused, they would be sent abroad or killed. The royal family was decided to be imprisoned or killed.

Sergey Trubetskoy became the head of the uprising. Active politician and Grand Duke. After the capture, it was necessary to create a new provisional government. And its main legislative body is a special assembly. The main legal act is the Constitution.

On the night of December 14, according to the plan, an assassin was supposed to enter the palace to eliminate the new Emperor Nicholas. However, Kakhovsky, appointed to the role of the murderer, refused to carry out the order to kill the tsar. It was also planned to attack the Izmailovsky regiment on the Winter Palace, but Yakubovich refused to lead his troops.

Thus, by the morning of December 14, Emperor Nicholas was alive, and the revolutionaries managed to bring only about 800 agitated soldiers to the square to the winter palace. And their plan of rebellion was not fully realized, but only partially.

Members

From famous people who were in a conspiracy can be noted:

Uprising in Senate Square

Nicholas I was warned about a possible planned attack. The plans of the Decembrists were laid out to him by one of the members of the secret society, who considered participation in the uprising against the tsar unworthy of a noble title. Yakov Ivanovich Rostovtsev was a man of honor and told the tsar about the event planned by the revolutionaries, which could lead to the death of the Russian Empire.

At seven in the morning, Nicholas was already proclaimed emperor.. At this time, the Senate Square was completely occupied by the soldiers of the rebels. In addition, seeing the events taking place on the streets of St. Petersburg, ordinary people came out, who gladly joined the uprising. People turned into an unbridled crowd of angry residents.

When the emperor with troops approached the palace, they began to throw stones at him with curses and threats. The rebels were surrounded by a ring of soldiers near the palace, and with the second ring they stood at the entrance to the square, preventing the newly arrived citizens from joining the uprising, who were already crowding and trying to get to the center of events.

Members of the imperial dynasty took refuge in the palace, but in the event of the defeat of the tsarist troops, a retreat plan was prepared and a carriage was prepared that would take the emperor to shelter in Tsarskoye Selo.

Nicholas sent an ambassador to offer peace and negotiate an agreement on the conditions for ending the uprising. They became Metropolitan Seraphim. However, the people did not listen to him, saying that he swore an oath to two kings in a week. Another person who tried to clean up the mess was Governor General Mikhail Miloradovich.

During the negotiations, he was badly wounded, and later he died. After the revolutionaries opened fire on the people sent for negotiations, the soldiers of the imperial army opened fire on the revolutionaries with grapeshot. The crowd was dispersed.

The rebels were surrounded by government troops, four times the number of revolutionaries gathered in the square. When, under a hail of shots, the assembled rushed to flee, they realized that they could not break through the ring of government troops. They rushed to the Neva in order to cross the ice to Vasilyevsky Island. However, the ice collapsed, many died in the water. Those who managed to get closer to the island were already met by artillery fire from its shores. By nightfall, the uprising was completely crushed.

Results

On this day, Petersburg spilled the blood of its citizens. The corpses of rebellious soldiers were scattered all over the streets, ordinary people, united in a crazy crowd, and the royal guards, who bravely defended the Senate Square from the offensive.

Wounded rebels were afraid to go to the hospital for help, as they could be arrested and sued for their revolutionary activities. Many died from gunshot wounds already at home, deprived of help and hope of salvation. Others went to the bottom during the passage along the Neva, trying to swim to the shore of Vasilevsky Island in icy water, many died from frostbite.

In total, 277 soldiers from the Grenadier Regiment and 371 from the Moscow Regiment were arrested. And also more than fifty sailors from the sea crew were put on trial. They were taken to the royal palace, where the emperor himself acted as a judge.

The court was conducted by the highest judicial body for criminal cases. The five main participants in the uprising were sentenced to death. The rest, it was decided to send into exile to hard labor in Siberia, where there were the most difficult living conditions.

On December 17, Nicholas I decided to establish a new commission, the main purpose of which was to identify secret societies, find hiding revolutionaries, and eliminate underground anti-government movements. War Minister Alexander Tatishchev became the leader of the new commission.

Briefly about the uprising: dates

• 1816 - the emergence of secret organizations with revolutionary currents (Trubetskoy and Muravyov).
• 1818 - transformation of the organization into the Union of Welfare expansion of the state, an increase in the size of the organization.
• 1819 - poisoning of Speransky, the leader of liberal movements.
• June 1819 - riots in military settlements.
• January 17, 1820 - reform in the universities. The introduction of religious beliefs into the strata of society, the education of humility.
• June 1820 - reform in the rules for the publication of literary works. Tightening censorship.
• January 1, 1825 - the prohibition in Russia of any secret organizations. Persecution and persecution of different communities.
• 1823 - The Southern Society, led by Pestal, releases a new program "Russian Truth".
• December 14, 1825 - Decembrist uprising.
• 1825 - the uprising of the Chernigov regiment.
• 1825 - creation of a special commission to persecute revolutionaries underground.
• July 13, 1826 - the trial of the revolutionaries. Enforcement of the judgment.

The Decembrist uprising is of great importance in the history of Russia. This is one of the largest revolutionary movements in history. Despite the failure of the rebels, one cannot ignore the danger factor that the Russian Empire was exposed to.

The Decembrists lost this war, but the idea of ​​changing society into a new system did not subside in the minds of people. Only a century later, in 1917, it can be said that the plans of the Decembrists were fully implemented. After all, their followers took into account all the mistakes and shortcomings of the 1825 uprising. Thus, we can say that it was at that time that the real Civil War, which lasted more than one century and led to very tragic consequences.

To bestow life, upon deprivation of ranks and nobility, to exile forever into hard labor. Leave in hard labor for 20 years, and then turn to a settlement in Siberia. V modern garden Decembrists on Pr.Kim, 30, on the island of Decembrists there is a memorial sign to the Decembrists.

The Decembrist uprising is an unprecedented phenomenon not only in Russian history, but also in the world. The main thing that causes misunderstanding in the actions of the Decembrists so far is that they (none of them) did not claim power. Thus, he deprived the Decembrists sentenced to death of the right to be shot.

Southern Society of Decembrists

All the imprisoned Decembrists were taken out into the courtyard of the fortress and lined up in two squares: those who belonged to the guards regiments and others. Over 120 people of the Decembrists were exiled for various periods to Siberia, to hard labor or a settlement. But at the same time, he petitioned to alleviate the fate of other arrested Decembrists. Conducted propaganda among the soldiers, being one of the leaders of the Decembrists. The future Decembrist received a good home education, entered the service of the Cavalier Guard Regiment as a cadet, and in 1819 was transferred to the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment, where he was promoted to lieutenant.

Decembrist leaders: 1. Pavel Ivanovich Pestel

He was buried along with other executed Decembrists on about. Starving. As for torture, they were not used against the Decembrists. In the first half of the 19th century, it was believed that the executed were buried on Goloday Island, which is now called the Island of the Decembrists. There were many other people who indicated Golodai as the final resting place of the Decembrists. Information about the location of the grave of the Decembrists is available in the diaries of Pushkin's acquaintance Gendra.

In 1862, after an amnesty was declared for all Decembrists, the St. Petersburg Governor-General Suvorov decided to ennoble the famous grave. In June 1917, the Petrograd newspapers exploded with headlines: "The grave of the executed Decembrists has been found!" A similar request was made to him by the newly created in Petrograd Society for the Memory of the Decembrists.

According to members of the Society for the Memory of the Decembrists, the best-preserved skeleton in military uniform belonged to Colonel Pestel. From the stories of contemporaries it was known how the Decembrists were executed and buried.

For almost 200 years, the Decembrist uprising has attracted the attention of historians. A huge number of scientific articles and even dissertations have been written on this topic. What explains such interest?

Another interest in the grave of the Decembrists was shown by Anna Akhmatova. Akhmatova believed that Pushkin depicted in these lines the Goloday Island, where the bodies of the Decembrists were secretly buried. Nevelev decided that Pushkin displayed "historical information about the execution of the Decembrists" here.

Convinced of his innocence, Nevelev suggested that, among many other drawings by Pushkin, there must also be an image of the grave of the Decembrists. The Leningrad poet Chernov in 1987 decided to find the grave of the executed Decembrists, guided by the instructions of Pushkin (or rather, Akhmatova and Nevelev).

so Miloradovich was

It became clear that there was a cemetery here, and the discovery of five coffins (according to the number of executed Decembrists) in 1917 was a pure accident. Opposite the island of the Decembrists, on the banks of the Smolenka River, is the Orthodox Smolensk cemetery - one of the oldest in St. Petersburg. As for the pedrility of Muravtev-Apostol and Bestuzhev-Ryumin (they were a couple) - it is well known, it is in the memoirs of the Decembrists and in the testimony to the investigation. 5 people (leaders) were put to shameful execution for officers. Decembrists-participants were exiled to Siberia, some were shot in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

This was the condition of their activity. But two of them participated in Patriotic War 1812, had wounds and military awards - and now they were sentenced to a shameful death on the gallows.

The sailors-Decembrists were taken to Kronstadt and that morning they were sentenced to be demoted on the flagship of Admiral Kroun. The execution took place on the night of July 25, 1826 on the crown work of the Peter and Paul Fortress. During the execution, Ryleev, Kakhovsky and Muravyov-Apostol fell off their hinges and were hanged a second time.

He was arrested on the road to Tulchin after the uprising on December 14, 1825, was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress and after 6 months was sentenced to quartering, replaced by hanging. At a meeting on December 13, 1825, at Ryleev's, he was assigned the assassination of Nicholas I (because Kakhovsky did not have his own family), but on the day of the uprising he did not dare to kill him. He was a member of the "Free Society of Lovers of Russian Literature", was the author of the well-known satirical ode "To the temporary worker".

Born in St. Petersburg and was the fourth child in the family of the famous writer of that time and statesman I.M. Muravyov-Apostol. In 1820, the Semyonovsky regiment rebelled, in which Muravyov-Apostol served, and he was transferred to the Poltava, then to the Chernigov regiment as a lieutenant colonel.

Seriously wounded, he was taken prisoner. Sentenced to death and hanged on the crown of the Peter and Paul Fortress. Under the bas-relief on the monument there is an inscription: “On this place on July 13/25, 1826, the Decembrists P. Pestel, K. Ryleev, P. Kakhovsky, S. Muravyov-Apostol, M. Bestuzhev-Ryumin were executed.”

Preparations for the uprising

At the end of its activities, the court decided on sentences for each defendant, which were submitted for approval by the Highest. Instead of a painful death penalty by quartering, a definite verdict of the Court, hang him for his grave atrocities. Prince Meshchersky, Alexander Petrovich - an ensign, fled shortly after the start of the uprising and appeared before his superiors. Petin, Vasily Nikolaevich - appeared in Kiev, declaring that he had fled from S.I. Muravyov-Apostol.

Re: Two faggots, murderer, embezzler and coward.

Sentenced to imprisonment in a fortress for 6 months, followed by assignment to the service. Kondraty Ryleev, Sergei Muraviev-Apostol and Mikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin did not renounce their beliefs or their role in organizing the uprising. Although his statements are known about how bitter and insulting it was for him to listen to confessions of treason against the Fatherland from representatives of the Russian elite - officers who bravely fought against Napoleon. And the tsar participated in the process in order to be sure: the materials that will be brought to him for approval were not rigged or falsified.

But at that time it was a common practice throughout Europe. On July 13, 1826, Ryleev, Pestel, Kakhovsky, Bestuzhev-Ryumin and Muravyov-Apostol were hanged in the courtyard of the crown work of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The hypothesis that they could be buried on this island was put forward during the years of perestroika by the writer Andrei Chernov.

As you go to the seaside, there it is. Here they were all buried. And if ordinary people went in crowds to the place of burial of the Decembrists, then the relatives of the executed were even more so. Ryleev's widow often came to her dear grave. Bibikova, the sister of the executed Decembrist Muravyov-Apostol, asked to give her the corpse of her brother, to which Nicholas I replied with a decisive refusal.

A monument was erected at the site of the death of the Decembrists. But who knows where the grave of the five executed Decembrists is located? For example, the Decembrists Zavalishin and Shtein-Gel knew that the bodies of their dead comrades “…the next night were secretly taken to Golodai Island, and buried secretly there.”

190 years ago, Russia experienced events that, with a certain convention, can be considered an attempt to make the first Russian revolution. In December 1825 and January 1826, there were two armed uprisings organized by the Northern and Southern secret societies of the Decembrists.

The organizers of the uprising set themselves very ambitious tasks - changing the political system (replacing autocracy with a constitutional monarchy or republic), creating a constitution and parliament, and abolishing serfdom.

Until that moment, armed uprisings were either large-scale riots (in the terminology Soviet period- peasant wars), or palace coups.

Against this background, the Decembrist uprising was political event completely different character, hitherto unseen in Russia.

The large-scale plans of the Decembrists crashed into reality, in which the new emperor Nicholas I managed to firmly and decisively put an end to the performance of the fighters against the autocracy.

As you know, a failed revolution is called a rebellion, and its organizers will face a very unenviable fate.

A new court was established to consider the "case of the Decembrists"

Nicholas I approached the matter carefully. By decree of December 29, 1825, a Commission was established for research on malicious societies, chaired by the Minister of War Alexandra Tatishcheva. The Manifesto of June 13, 1826 established the Supreme Criminal Court, which was supposed to consider the “case of the Decembrists”.

About 600 people were involved in the investigation into the case. The Supreme Criminal Court sentenced 120 defendants in 11 different categories, ranging from the death penalty to deprivation of rank and demotion to the soldiers.

Here it must be borne in mind that we are talking about the nobles who participated in the uprising. The cases of soldiers were considered separately by the so-called Special Commissions. According to their decision, more than 200 people were subjected to "wire through the ranks" and other corporal punishment, and more than 4 thousand were sent to fight in the Caucasus.

"Wire through the ranks" was a punishment in which the condemned passed through the ranks of soldiers, each of whom stabbed him with a gauntlet (a long, flexible and thick rod of willow). When the number of such blows reached several thousand, such punishment turned into a sophisticated form of the death penalty.

As for the Decembrist nobles, the Supreme Criminal Court, based on the laws of the Russian Empire, issued 36 death sentences, of which five involved quartering, and another 31 beheading.

“An exemplary execution will be their just retribution”

The emperor had to approve the sentences of the Supreme Criminal Court. Nicholas I commuted the punishment for convicts in all categories, including those sentenced to death. Everyone who was to be beheaded, the monarch saved his life.

It would be a strong exaggeration to say that the fate of the Decembrists was decided by the Supreme Criminal Court on its own. Historical documents published after February 1917 show that the emperor not only followed the process, but also clearly imagined its outcome.

“Regarding the main instigators and conspirators, an exemplary execution will be their just retribution for violating public peace,” Nikolai wrote to the members of the court.

The monarch also instructed the judges as to exactly how the criminals should be executed. Quartering, statutory, Nicholas I rejected as a barbaric way, not befitting a European country. Execution was also not suitable, since the emperor considered the convicts unworthy of execution, which allowed the officers not to lose dignity.

All that remained was hanging, to which the court ultimately sentenced five Decembrists. On July 22, 1826, the death sentence was finally approved by Nicholas I.

The leaders of the Northern and Southern societies were subject to the death penalty Kondraty Ryleev and Pavel Pestel, as well as Sergey Muravyov-Apostol and Mikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin, who directly led the uprising of the Chernigov regiment. The fifth person sentenced to death was Pyotr Kakhovsky, who mortally wounded the governor-general of St. Petersburg on Senate Square Mikhail Miloradovich.

The infliction of a mortal wound on Miloradovich on December 14, 1825. Engraving from a drawing by G. A. Miloradovich. Source: Public Domain

The execution was practiced on sandbags

The news that the Decembrists will ascend the scaffold came as a shock to Russian society. From the time of the empress Elizabeth Petrovna death sentences in Russia were not carried out. Emeliana Pugacheva and his comrades were not taken into account, since they were talking about commoner rebels. The execution of the nobles, even if they encroached on the state system, was an event out of the ordinary.

The defendants themselves, both those who were sentenced to death and those who were sentenced to other types of punishment, learned about their fate on July 24, 1826. In the house of the commandant of the Peter and Paul Fortress, the judges announced the sentences to the Decembrists, who were brought from the casemates. After the verdict was announced, they were returned to their cells.

Meanwhile, the authorities were preoccupied with another problem. The absence of the practice of executions for a long time led to the fact that in St. Petersburg there were neither those who knew how to build a scaffold, nor those who knew how to carry out sentences.

On the eve of the execution, an experiment was conducted in the city prison, in which a hastily made scaffold was tested using eight-pound sandbags. The experiments were personally led by the new governor-general of St. Petersburg Pavel Vasilyevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov.

Considering the results satisfactory, the governor-general ordered the scaffold to be dismantled and taken to the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Part of the scaffold got lost along the way

The execution was scheduled in the crown work of the Peter and Paul Fortress at dawn on July 25, 1826. This dramatic act, which was supposed to put an end to the history of the Decembrist movement, turned out to be tragicomic.

As the head of the crown work of the Peter and Paul Fortress recalled Vasily Berkopf, one of the cabbies carrying parts of the gallows, managed to get lost in the dark and appeared on the spot with a significant delay.

From midnight in the Peter and Paul Fortress there was an execution over those of the convicts who escaped execution. They were taken out of the casemates, their uniforms were torn off and swords were broken over their heads as a sign of the so-called "civil execution", then they were dressed in prisoners' robes and sent back to the cells.

Meanwhile the chief of police Chikhachev with an escort of soldiers of the Pavlovsky Guards Regiment, he took five sentenced to death from the cells, after which he escorted them to the kronverk.

When they were brought to the place of execution, the suicide bombers saw how the carpenters, under the guidance of an engineer Matushkina in a hurry trying to collect the scaffold. The organizers of the execution were almost more nervous than the convicts - it seemed to them that the cart with part of the gallows had disappeared not just like that, but as a result of sabotage.

The five Decembrists were put on the grass, and for some time they discussed their fate with each other, noting that they were worthy of a "better death."

"We must pay the last debt"

Finally, they took off their uniforms, which they immediately burned. Instead, the condemned were put on long white shirts with bibs, on which the word “criminal” and the name of the convict were written.

After that, they were taken to one of the nearby buildings, where they had to wait for the completion of the scaffold. In the house of suicide bombers communed: four Orthodox - the priest Myslovsky, Lutheran Pestel - pastor rainboat.

Finally, the scaffold was completed. Those sentenced to death were again brought to the place of execution. The governor-general was present at the execution of the sentence. Golenishchev-Kutuzov, generals Chernyshev, Benkendorf, Dibich, Levashov, Durnovo, police chief Knyazhnin, police chiefs Posnikov, Chikhachev, Derschau, head of the kronverka Berkopf, archpriest Myslovsky, paramedic and doctor, architect Gurney, five assistant quarter overseers, two executioners and 12 Pavlovian soldiers under the command of a captain Polman.

Chief of Police Chikhachev read the verdict Supreme Court with the final words: "Hang for such atrocities!".

“Gentlemen! We must pay the last debt, ”Ryleev remarked, turning to his comrades. Archpriest Pyotr Myslovsky read a short prayer. White caps were thrown over the heads of the convicts, which caused them dissatisfaction: “What is this for?”

The execution turned into a sophisticated torture

Everything continued to go according to plan. One of the executioners suddenly collapsed into a swoon, and he had to be urgently carried away. Finally, a drum roll sounded, nooses were thrown around the necks of the executed, a bench was pulled out from under their feet, and after a few moments, three of the five hanged fell down.

According to Vasily Berkopf, the head of the crown work of the Peter and Paul Fortress, a hole was dug under the gallows, on which boards were laid. It was assumed that at the time of execution, the boards would be pulled out from under their feet. However, the gallows was built in a hurry, and it turned out that the suicide bombers standing on the boards did not reach the hinges with their necks.

They began to improvise again - in the destroyed building of the School of Merchant Navigation, they found benches for students, who were put on the scaffold.

But at the moment of execution, three ropes broke. Either the executioners did not take into account that they were hanging the sentenced with shackles, or the ropes were initially of poor quality, but three Decembrists - Ryleev, Kakhovsky and Muravyov-Apostol - fell into the pit, breaking through the boards with the weight of their own bodies.

Moreover, it turned out that the hanged Pestel reached the boards with his toes, as a result of which his agony stretched out for almost half an hour.

Some of the witnesses of what was happening became ill.

Muravyov-Apostol is credited with the words: “Poor Russia! And we don’t know how to hang decently!”

Perhaps this is just a legend, but we must admit that the words were very suitable at that moment.

Law versus tradition

The leaders of the execution sent messengers for new boards and ropes. The procedure was delayed - finding these things in St. Petersburg early in the morning was not such an easy task.

There was another nuance - the military article of that time prescribed execution before death, but there was also an unspoken tradition according to which it was not supposed to repeat the execution, because it meant that "The Lord does not want the death of the condemned." This tradition, by the way, took place not only in Russia, but also in other European countries.

In this case, Nicholas I, who was in Tsarskoye Selo, could decide to stop the execution. From midnight, messengers were sent to him every half an hour to report on what was happening. Theoretically, the emperor could intervene in what was happening, but this did not happen.

As for the dignitaries who were present at the execution, it was necessary for them to bring the matter to the end, so as not to pay with their own careers. Nicholas I banned quartering as a barbaric procedure, but what happened in the end was no less barbaric.

Finally, new ropes and boards were brought in, the three who had fallen, who had been injured in the fall, were again dragged onto the scaffold and hung a second time, this time achieving their death.

Engineer Matushkin answered for everything

Engineer Matushkin was made the last for all the omissions, who was demoted to the soldiers for poor-quality construction of the scaffold.

When the doctors declared the death of the hanged, their bodies were removed from the gallows and placed in the destroyed building of the School of Merchant Navigation. By this time it was dawn in St. Petersburg, and it was impossible to take out the corpses for burial unnoticed.

According to Chief Police Officer Knyazhnin, the following night the bodies of the Decembrists were taken out of the Peter and Paul Fortress and buried in a mass grave, on which no sign was left.

There is no exact information about where exactly the executed were buried. The most likely place is Golodai Island, where state criminals have been buried since the time of Peter I. In 1926, on the 100th anniversary of the execution, Golodai Island was renamed the Decembrist Island, with a granite obelisk installed there.