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The fate of the Decembrist. How Muravyov-Apostle died for the Fatherland & nbsp. Sergey Muravyov-Apostol (Decembrist) - biography, information, personal life Muravyov-Apostle saucer

MURAVIEV-APOSTOL, SERGEY IVANOVICH(1796-1826), one of the leaders of the Decembrist movement. Born September 28 (October 9) 1796 in St. Petersburg. Son of I.M. Muravyov-Apostol, senator and Russian ambassador to Spain, from his first marriage with A.S. Chernoevich, daughter of the Austrian general Serb S. Chernoevich, who switched to the Russian service. He spent his childhood in Hamburg and Paris; studied at the Parisian boarding house Ickx; showed brilliant abilities and hard work; wrote poetry in French and Latin... In 1809 he returned to Russia and entered the St. Petersburg Institute of Railway Engineers. In 1810 he was enrolled in the Guard. In 1812 he graduated from the institute; received the rank of ensign. In the same year began military service second lieutenant of the Semenovsky Life Guards regiment. Member of the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Foreign Campaign of 1813-1814; distinguished himself in the battles near Borodino on August 26 (September 7) 1812, Red 3-6 (15-18) November 1812, Lutzen April 20 (May 4) 1813, Bautzen 8-9 (20-21) May 1813 and Leipzig 4-7 (16-19) October 1813. Awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree and the golden sword "For Bravery." From 1815 - the commander of the 1st (imperial) company of the Semenovsky regiment.

Under the influence of French enlightenment thought of the 18th century. and the liberal ideas of the era of the French Revolution, SI Muravyov-Apostol gradually developed a critical attitude towards the autocratic-serf regime in Russia. In 1816, he became one of the founders of the first secret political organization of the Decembrists - the Salvation Union, which set as its goal the abolition of serfdom and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy. After the creation of the Union of Welfare in 1818, he became a member of its governing body - the Root Council. In January 1820, at the St. Petersburg meeting of members of the society, he supported the idea of ​​P.I. Pestel to introduce a republican form of government in Russia.

In October 1820, in connection with the uprising of the soldiers of the Semenovsky regiment and its disbandment, he was transferred to the south to the Poltava Infantry Regiment; soon appointed commander of the 2nd battalion of the Chernigov infantry regiment, stationed near the White Church; had the rank of lieutenant colonel.

After self-dissolution in January 1821 of the Union of Welfare, he joined the Southern Society organized by P.I. Pestel; together with M.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin headed its Vasilkovsky council. He was an opponent of terrorist methods of struggle (regicide). Unlike PI Pestel, he considered an independent armed uprising in the south of Russia possible; planned to raise a large part of the 2nd Army stationed in Ukraine to an anti-government mutiny, and with its help to capture Moscow. He actively tried to attract soldiers and officers to the side of the conspirators. In 1823-1825 he negotiated with other secret officer organizations - the Society of the United Slavs and the Polish Patriotic Society, which sought to restore Poland's national independence. For propaganda among the soldiers, he compiled an anti-monarchist Catechism in the form of questions and answers. In early November 1825 he became one of the three directors of the Southern Society.

After the arrest of P.I. Pestel on December 13 (25), 1825 and the defeat of the Decembrists on December 14 (26), he became the de facto head of the Southern Society in St. Petersburg; invited its members to start an uprising in the south, but did not receive the support of the majority. On December 27, 1825 (January 8, 1826) he was detained by gendarmes in the village of Trilesy, but the next day he was released by the conspiratorial officers. December 29-30 (January 10-11) raised the uprising of the Chernigov regiment. Rejected the plan to march to Kiev. Intending to unite with the pro-Decembrist Aleksopolsky, Akhtyrsky and 17th Jaegers regiments, he moved first to Borisov, and then to Belaya Tserkov, but the authorities managed to withdraw the "unreliable" units to other areas. On January 3 (15), 1826, near Kovalevka, the Chernigovites were attacked and defeated by a detachment of General F.K. Geismar; SI Muravyov-Apostol was wounded in the head and was arrested on the battlefield.

The Supreme Criminal Court sentenced him to the death penalty by quartering, which Nicholas I replaced by hanging. Together with four other sentenced, he was executed on July 13 (25), 1826 at the crownwork of the Peter and Paul Fortress; having fallen off the noose due to the inexperience of the executioner, he was hanged a second time.

Ivan Krivushin

    Decembrist, retired lieutenant colonel (since 1823). Brother of S. I. Muravyov Apostol. Participant Patriotic War 1812 and the foreign campaigns of the Russian army 1813-14. One of the founders of the "Union of Salvation" ...

    - (1793 1886), Decembrist, one of the founders of the Union of Salvation and the Union of Welfare, a member of the Southern Society, retired lieutenant colonel (1823). Brother of I. I. and S. I. Muravyov Apostles. Member of the Patriotic War of 1812 and foreign campaigns. Participant … encyclopedic Dictionary

    Muravyov Apostol: Muravyov Apostol, Ivan Matveyevich (1768 1851) Russian writer, statesman and public figure, senator. Muravyova Apostol, Anna Semyonovna (1770 1810, ur. Chernoevich) the wife of the previous one. Their children: Muravyov Apostle ... Wikipedia

    1. ANTS APOSTLE Ippolit Ivanovich (1806 26), Decembrist, member of the Northern Society, ensign. Brother of S. I. and M. I. Muravyov Apostles. Member of the uprising of the Chernigov regiment. Wounded in battle, shot himself. 2. ANTS APOSTLE Matvey Ivanovich (1793 ... ... Russian history

    Muravyov-Apostol M.I.- MURAVYOV APESTOL Matvey Ivanovich (1793-1886), Decembrist, one of the founders of the secret about the Union of Salvation and the Union of Prosperity, member. South about VA, retired lieutenant colonel. Brother I.I. and S.I. Ant Apostles. Participant Otech. wars of 1812 and abroad ... ... Biographical Dictionary

    I Muravyov Apostle Matvey Ivanovich, Decembrist, retired lieutenant colonel (since 1823). Brother of S. I. Muravyov Apostol (See Muravyov Apostol). Member of the Patriotic War of 1812 and abroad ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

    one . Matvey Ivanovich (25.IV.1793 21.II.1886) Decembrist. Retired lieutenant colonel. Brother of S. I. Muravyov the Apostle. Member of the Fatherlands. wars of 1812 and abroad. campaigns 1813 14. One of the founders of the Union of Salvation, a member of the root council of the Union ... ... Soviet Historical Encyclopedia

Sergei Ivanovich Muravyov-Apostol is one of the most active leaders of the Decembrist movement. He lived a short but colorful life. He was a republican and an active opponent of serfdom. One of the five executed leaders of the Decembrist uprising. SPB.AIF.RU studied the biography of the commander and found out whether the descendant of the famous family could have avoided execution.

Brave lieutenant

Sergei Muravyov-Apostol was born on October 9 (old style) 1796 in an old noble family. His father is Ivan Matveyevich Muravyov-Apostol, prime-major, chief of ceremonies, an official in the college of foreign affairs. Soon after the birth of his fourth child, Ivan Matveyevich was sent by Paul I as an envoy to Hamburg. Therefore, the childhood of the future revolutionary was spent abroad. In Paris, the young man graduated from a good private lyceum chosen for him by his father. There he showed brilliant ability and hard work. He wrote poetry in French and Latin. And upon his arrival in Russia, in 1809, he easily entered the engineering corps of communications.

When Napoleon attacked Russia, the student was sent to serve in the main headquarters of the army, which was commanded by Kutuzov. In June 1812, 15-year-old Sergei received his baptism of fire in the battles for Vitebsk, and then the young second lieutenant took part in the Battle of Borodino. The army commander tried to keep a talented young man at the headquarters, but at a critical moment, a young officer as part of a sapper company, under hurricane French fire, built and defended redoubt fortifications.

For bravery in the battle at Krasnoye, Muravyov-Apostol received a golden sword. At the end of 1812, he was already in the rank of lieutenant with the Order of Anna, III degree. There were other battles near Borodino, Vitebsk, Tarutino, Maloyaroslavets, where the nobleman showed courage and courage.

Against serfdom

Not surprisingly, the fearless young officer was eager to continue his risky service. He achieved an appointment to the Jaeger battalion, with which he took part in the battles at Lutzen, Bautzen, Leipzig, Fer-Champenoise, Paris.

It was at that time that Muravyov the Apostle had the first disappointment and discontent with the imperial power. He saw that the peasants who took an active part in the battles near Borodino, returning home, again put on the yoke of corvee and rent, that the people who wanted to greet the heroes of the Patriotic War were dispersed by the police, and that the emperor was not at all grateful to the liberators for the victory, but continues to consider everyone around as rogues and fools.

Sergei Ivanovich is affirmed in the opinion that the liberation of Russia from its own serf yoke will lead to the liberation of the whole world, will contribute to the development and prosperity of the country. The desire to help the people free themselves from the tyranny of their masters, to escape from hopeless poverty and at the same time to avoid a repetition of the horrors of "Pugachevism" led the best representatives of the privileged class to the need for unification.

Numerous secret societies arose, where dissenters gathered, wishing to change the course of things that had developed over the centuries. The secret community, organized by brothers Matvey and Sergei Muravyov-Apostles, was born on February 9, 1816. Sergei was categorically against the assassination of Emperor Alexander I, since he did not want to violate the commandment "Thou shalt not kill", even for a good, as it seemed to many free-thinkers, idea.

After the uprising of the Semenovsky regiment of 1820, where our hero again showed courage and ability to negotiate, he was exiled first to the Poltava regiment, then to the Chernigov regiment.

In 1821, thanks to a denunciation, the emperor became aware of the Muravyovs' secret society, which was planning an assassination attempt on Alexander I. The monarch did not give any progress to the case. The emerged Southern Society, which includes the Muravyov-Apostles, Pestel, Bestuzhev, Yushnevsky, Davydov, begin planning a riot. The coup is conceived as follows: first, a riot begins in St. Petersburg, it is picked up by the regiments of the southern cities.

The uprising was planned for May 1926, but on December 1, 1825, Emperor Alexander I unexpectedly dies in Taganrog. And already on December 14, about 800 soldiers of the Moscow Life Guards regiment are entering the Senate Square. Later, they were joined by almost 2,500 more military personnel. After the suppression of this rebellion, the Southern Society organized the uprising of the Chernigov regiment. And on December 29, 1825, the regiment moved in the direction of Zhitomir, taking the town of Vasilyev along the road, seizing weapons and the treasury, and then Motovilovka, where a manifesto written by the Muravyov brothers was proclaimed. Two brothers of Sergei Ivanovich took part in the uprising. A few days later the regiment was defeated near the village of Ustimovka. And Sergei Muravyov-Apostol was taken prisoner, seriously wounded.

Twice executed

On January 20, Sergei Ivanovich was taken to St. Petersburg. He was immediately taken to Nicholas I, to the Winter Palace. Muravyov-Apostol was extremely weak, behaved courageously, with extraordinary dignity. After interrogation, the tsar wrote in his diary: "Gifted with an extraordinary mind, having received an excellent education, in his thoughts he was impudent and arrogant to the point of insanity, but at the same time he was secretive and unusually firm."

On June 30, the Supreme Criminal Court sentenced five Decembrists to execution by quartering. These are Pavel Pestel, Kondraty Ryleev, Sergey Muravyov-Apostol, Mikhail Bestuzhev-Riumin, Pyotr Kakhovsky. In addition to them, 31 Decembrists were sentenced to beheading, 19 to eternal hard labor, and 38 to hard labor for 15 years. Soon the punishment was mitigated, replacing the quartering by hanging for the five rebels, and replacing the beheading of those sentenced to eternal hard labor.

The execution was scheduled for July 13, 1926. The five rebels were taken to the scaffold, forced to take off their uniforms and dressed in white long shirts. Sergei Muravyov-Apostol behaved calmly, encouraging his friends. When benches were knocked out under their feet, three officers fell off. The executioner clumsily tied the loops and they slipped out of them. According to eyewitnesses, the survivors were badly hit on the ground, Sergei had a broken leg. The executioners in a mad rush began to look for spare ropes. For 15 minutes, the condemned waited to buy new ones. Soon their heads were again in the hinges.

The grave of Sergei Ivanovich Muravyov-Apostol, like other executed Decembrists, is unknown. According to one version, they were buried on the island of Golodai. At the time of the execution, Muravyov-Apostol was 29 years old, Ryleev 30 years old, Pestel 33 years old, Kakhovsky 26 years old, Bestuzhev-Ryumin 23 years old.

Matvey Ivanovich Muravyov-Apostol, a retired lieutenant colonel, was accused of having intent on regicide and preparing himself to commit it; participated in the restoration of the activities of the Northern Society and knew the intentions of the Southern in all their space; acted in a mutiny and was taken with weapons in his hands. " Muravyov was born in St. Petersburg on April 25, 1793. He spent his childhood in the same conditions as his brother. During his stay in Hamburg, his father, the Russian minister-resident, many French emigrants visited the Muravyovs' house, who aroused in the boy an interest in political issues and influenced him in a royalist spirit. During the stay of his father and mother in Madrid, where his father, Ivan Matveyevich, was an envoy, M.I. and his brother studied in Paris and returned to Russia only in 1802. 1812 was appointed ensign in the Semyonovsky regiment. For participation in the Battle of Borodino, Muravyov was promoted to ensign and received a badge of the military order. He took part in the company in 1813-1814, near Kulm was wounded in the right thigh on a flight and returned to Russia in 1814. The war of 1812 and foreign campaigns had a huge impact on the convictions of Muravyov-Apostol, unusually broadened his mental horizons and directed his attention towards social and political issues. Events 1812-1814 most of all reflected on their main participant, the army, say the biographer of Muravyov-Apostol, Mr. Yakushkin, and especially on the guards regiments and mainly on the Semyonovsky regiment, in which Muravyov-Apostol served. The desire to eliminate internal disasters, which then seized the advanced military youth after brilliant victories over an external enemy, captured, of course, Muravyov, who, together with his brother Sergei, was one of the founders of the Union of Welfare in 1817, as well as a member of the Masonic lodges of the Three Virtues. The so-called Semyonov story, which stemmed exclusively from the ridiculous severity and harassment of the new regiment commander, Schwartz, also affected Muravyov, and he retired. The December catastrophe captured Matvey Ivanovich in the south, when he was visiting his brother Sergei. He acted in a moderating manner on his brother, since, due to the extreme gentleness of his character, he ate bloody and decisive actions and did not believe in the success of the enterprise. In his then frequent moments of mental discord, he even had the thought of suicide. Attributed to the I category and sentenced to beheading, M. I., like all the other 31 people of this category, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in the final sentence. But when it was revealed from his correspondence with his brother Sergei that he had been energetically rejecting him all the time from decisive actions and extreme plans, MI was exiled to an eternal settlement in Vilyuisk, Yakutsk region. At first, however, he was imprisoned in Rochensalm, in the Slava fort, together with, and Arbuzov. Here all of them were in dark, damp casemates, ate rotten ham, not always baked bread and often drank water with an admixture of salty sea water that fell into a single well. What memory the former Semyonovites retained about him is shown, among other things, by the fact transmitted: when he entered the Irkutsk prison, he was suddenly embraced and kissed by a sentry, his former subordinate from the disbanded Semyonovsky regiment. In winter, in bitter frosts, MI had to go from Yakutsk to Vileisk, and only thanks to warm fur clothes and an English saddle given to him by the Yakut regional chief, he could make this difficult journey in 700 verses. Vilyuisk at that time looked like this: a wooden church, Yakut yurts and only 4 small wooden houses were scattered around it in disarray and at a great distance from each other. MI settled in a yurt with ice windows. "Not needing interlocutors, he speaks in his" Memoirs "written down by Belyaev, I easily got used to the lonely life in my yurt." He walked every day, no matter what the weather. The summer, which he was looking forward to with such impatience, deceived his expectations: in mosquitoes and midges, he met the Egyptian execution and not only could not swim, as he had dreamed in winter, but he could stay in the yurt only with constant smoke from manure. Although there were a lot of fish and game, the complete absence of vegetables depressed him; he managed to breed only one potato. Wanting to be useful in Vilyuisk, he began teaching local children to read and write, and he had 2 students.

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A. Bestuzhev wrote to him in July 1829 in Vitim. At the request of his sister, Sofya Ivanovna Bibikova, M.I. was transferred to the Bukhtarma fortress, where he arrived on September 5, 1829. Having received 2000 rubles from his sister, he bought himself a house, started a mill and an apiary. In Bukhtarminsk, Muravyov experienced a lot of troubles, both due to the uncertainty and shakiness of the rules on supervision over him, and from false denunciations of some local officials, who took revenge on him for not wanting to get to know them as unworthy people. In 1832 he married Marya Konstantinovna Konstantinova, an orphan-daughter of a priest, brought up by the wife of a local customs official, Mrs Brandt. As in Vilyuisk, in Bukhtarminsk he conducted all the time meteorological observations, which were preserved in his papers. On October 1, 1836, Muravyov, without any special petition on his part, was transferred to Yalutorovsk, although he preferred Kurgan. After settling in Yalutorovsk, the Muravyovs acquired a small wooden house and led a modest family life, doing household chores on a designated area of ​​15 acres. Having no children, the Muravyovs took up two orphans and took care of their education and upbringing. As in Bukhtarminsk, M. I. provided medical assistance to the local poor. The hospitable house of the Muravyovs was all the time a favorite place to unite the friendly family of the Yalutor Decembrists. Subsequently, he recalled with pleasure his 20-year quiet and pleasant life in Yalutorovsk. After settling in Moscow in 1860 after the amnesty of 1856, (before that he lived in Tver) Muravyov liked to remember Siberia in general, called it nothing but "our Siberia", kept in touch with it, was familiar with many Moscow Siberians. Living in Siberia, Muravyov, like almost all the Decembrists, did not lag behind life, did not turn out to be alien to it, outdated, but appeared from there an original, useful and alive value. Having retained an amazing mental and bodily freshness until his death, he read a lot, especially essays on new Russian history, followed current public issues in new emerging books, magazines and newspapers. His wonderful memory kept in itself all the past, seen and experienced by him. He remained faithful to the ideal of his youth. Living in Moscow, he had 15,000 rubles. income and allowed himself not only personal comfort, but also to provide assistance to those in need, especially young people who were striving for education. He was a great lover of music and walked a lot. Only at the end of his life he began to walk, see and hear poorly. In 1883, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Semyonovsky regiment, the Borodino cross was returned to him. Surrounded by universal respect, MI Muravyov-Apostol died on February 21, 1886 at 5 am and was buried next to his mother in the Novodevichy Convent.

Sergei Muravyov-Apostol, the future hero of the Patriotic War of 1812 and the executed Decembrist, was born on September 28 (October 9, old style) in 1796 in St. Petersburg. He was the fourth child in the Muravyov family. His father - Ivan Matveyevich, Prime Major, Chief Ceremonist, an official in the College of Foreign Affairs, was treated kindly by fate and by Empress Catherine II. Mother - Anna Semyonovna, a strong-willed woman. The prefix Apostol to the surname Muravyov appeared thanks to the acquaintance of Ivan Matveyevich with a cousin who lived in the Poltava region. Once the father of I. M. Muravyov married a noble girl, the daughter of the famous Ukrainian hetman Danilo Apostol. The harsh hetman cursed the fugitive and deprived her of her inheritance, but the hetman's grandchildren forgot about the curse and fraternized. Mikhail the Apostle warmly received Ivan Matveyevich and subsequently refused him a village with serfs, with whom the surname was supposed to be. Since then, the Muravyovs have also become Apostles.

In 1796, Paul I ascended the throne. Thanks to the emperor, Ivan Matveyevich immediately received the rank of actual state councilor and was sent as an envoy to Hamburg. The whole family went after him. In 1801, they returned to St. Petersburg, where the emperor introduced a new order. Now, when meeting with him, the nobles were ordered to get out of the carriage and bow. Ivan Matveyevich is not discouraged and is trying to adapt to the new way of life. When a conspiracy was drawn up to overthrow Paul and remove him, I. M. Muravyov refused to participate in it.

Under Alexander I, Ivan Matveyevich continues to carry out diplomatic assignments and is not disgraced, despite his close friendship with N.P. Panin. The latter was dismissed and prohibited from appearing in the capitals. This time, affairs call Ivan Matveyevich to Madrid, the whole family: Anna Semyonovna and four children (two boys and two girls) go to get their father. However, soon, under pressure from Napoleon Bonaparte, the Russian mission in Madrid was withdrawn. Ivan Matveyevich returns to St. Petersburg, his wife and children remain in Paris. The fifth child of the four Muravyov-Apostles, Ippolit, is also born there.

Sergei Muravyov-Apostol is studying at the French boarding house of Hicks, he is the most courageous and lively of all children, even in height he surpasses his older brother - Matthew. Despite the fact that the children live abroad and speak only French, Anna Semyonovna instills in them a love for the Fatherland. When one of Sergei's classmates says offensive things about Russia, he rushes at the offender with his fists.

Arriving in Russia, Ivan Matveyevich meets with a cold welcome and almost immediately resigns. His wife sends him letters with urgent requests to send money, since life in Paris is expensive. Since 1808, they begin to study in Russian with the children of the Muravyovs. The Russian ambassador to France, Count Tolstoy, has equipped his secretary for this: three times a week Matvey and Sergei take lessons in their native language. Both boys are delighted.

Sergei was a capable child, teachers from the boarding school praised him and even predicted great success in science. Anna Semyonovna was thinking about a mathematical career for her son and consults with General Betancourt, the chief director of communications in Russia, who assures her that the future belongs to the exact sciences, but that it is better to study them in Europe. Ivan Matveyevich is against it, because he believes that the situation in France is unstable and will only get worse, and that the nobles should nevertheless enter the sovereign's service and think about a military career. In 1809 the family was reunited, Anna Sergeevna returned with her children to St. Petersburg. On the border of Prussia with Russia, the children of the Muravyovs, seeing the Cossack, begin to embrace him with joy, perceiving the acquisition of the Motherland. When they returned to the carriage in which they traveled from Paris itself, their mother sternly said: "I am very glad that your long stay abroad did not cool your feelings for your homeland, but get ready, children, I must tell you terrible news; you will find that , which you do not know: in Russia you will find slaves! " Anna Semyonovna meant serfdom, a system under which millions of peasants were deprived of everything and had only obligations - natural slavery. With such a warning, Sergei's acquaintance with the Motherland begins.

In 1810, Sergei Muravyov-Apostol easily passed two exams for admission to the newly formed School of Railway Engineers. The sister of Emperor Alexander I, the Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna, patronizes the sciences. The previously lost connections at the court of Ivan Matveyevich are slowly being restored. At the same time, Anna Semyonovna, on the way to the estate in the Poltava region, falls ill and dies a few days later.

During World War II, Sergei is in Maloyaroslavets at the main headquarters of the army, which is commanded by Kutuzov. After the battle, officers from the corps of communications are sent back to St. Petersburg to continue their studies. Taking advantage of his father's connections, Sergei decides to stay at the headquarters, Adam Ozharovsky (husband of Elizabeth's sister) takes him to his detachment. For bravery in the battle at Krasnoye, Sergei Muravyov-Apostol receives a golden sword. At the end of 1812 he was already in the rank of lieutenant with the Order of Anna, 3rd degree. In 1813, Sergei wrote to his sister Elizabeth from Peterwalsdau: “I live with my brother [Matvey], and since we are in a similar position, that is, without a single sous, we each philosophize in our own way, devouring a rather meager dinner ... When Count Adam Ozharovsky was here, I dined with him, but, alas, he left, and his dinners with him. " Then Sergei takes part in the battles: at Lutzen, for which he was awarded Vladimir of the 4th degree with a bow; under Bautzen, promoted to the rank of staff captain for merits; at Leipzig - the rank of captain. In 1814 he was under General Raevsky and took part in the battles: Provins, Arsy-sur-Aub, Fer-Champenoise, Paris. For the battle near Paris, Sergei receives Anna of the 2nd degree.

Returning to Russia becomes another shock for Sergei Muravyov-Apostol. The people who want to greet the winners, the heroes of the war of 1812, are dispersed by the police with sticks. The serfs, who shed blood on the Borodino field and in other fierce battles, returning again put on the yoke of corvee and dues. These liberators are all the same slaves, nothing has changed, the emperor is not grateful to them for defeating the enemy, but believes that "each of them [we are talking about all Russians] is a rogue or a fool." The future Decembrist, seeing all this, is increasingly disillusioned with the imperial power.

After the death of his wife, Ivan Matveyevich Muravyov remarried and remains in the village with his young wife and three children from his second marriage. At the same time, his notes were published in "Son of the Fatherland" entitled "Letters from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod in 1813". The Letters glorifies the Russian people and condemns addiction to everything French and France in general. In the same 1814, Sergei's older sister, Elizaveta, Ozharovsky's wife, dies. Her brother is very worried about her death, seeks consolation in religion, decides to leave the service and go abroad to finish his studies or go to university. The father does not give his blessing, and Sergei remains in Russia, soon he is already a lieutenant of the Semenovsky regiment. His brother Matvey, Yakushkin and other freethinkers also serve in the same regiment.

This is how the Decembrist Yakushkin describes the beginning of the secret society in the Muravyovs' house: “Once, Trubetskoy and I, we were with the Muravyevs, Matvey and Sergei; Alexander and Nikita Muravyovs came to them with a proposal to form a secret society, the purpose of which, according to Alexander , was supposed to be in opposition to the Germans in the Russian service.I knew that Alexander and his brothers were enemies of all Germanism, and told him that I did not agree to enter into a conspiracy against the Germans, but what if a secret society was formed, whose members would have been obliged to work with all my might for the good of Russia, then I would willingly join such a society. Matvey and Sergei Muravyovs answered Alexander's proposal almost the same as I. After some debate, Alexander admitted that the proposal to form a society against the Germans was only a tentative proposal that he himself, Nikita and Trubetskoy had agreed even beforehand to form a society, the aim of which was, in a broad sense, the good of Russia. Thus, the foundation was laid for the Secret Society, which existed, perhaps, but completely fruitless for Russia. " Secret society was drawn up on February 9, 1816. Then both brothers of the Muravyov-Apostles entered the Masonic lodge of the "Three Virtues", Sergei was appointed its master of ceremonies. In general, he is bored, he has an "excess of life", he sometimes has fun, then philosophizes, then dreams of quitting the service. In the Secret Society, they read Trubetskoy's letter, which claims that the misfortunes in Russia will end only with the death of Alexander I. Many want to sacrifice themselves and kill the emperor with their own hands. Sergei is categorically against it, since the means of the conspirators are meager, and they do not know what they will do after the assassination of the emperor, there is no plan "how they will equip Russia." In addition, Sergei does not want to violate the commandment "Thou shalt not kill!", Even for a good purpose. According to Nicholas I, Alexander I already at that time knew about the formed circle of future Decembrists and was even aware of who exactly had volunteered to kill him.

The emblem of the secret "Union of Prosperity" founded was a swarm of bees - to lay down lives for the good of the Fatherland. Before Sergei Muravyov-Apostle, as a spiritual inspirer, the initiator of the rebellion, the question is acute: is it necessary to consistently implement the ideas of the Union, the gradual infiltration of good undertakings into all spheres of state life and, thus, slow changes, or is it worth it with arms in hand to achieve their ideals: freedom, equality and brotherhood, but above all deliverance from slavery.

In 1820, the Semenovsky regiment, where Sergei Muravyov continued to serve, passed under the command of Fyodor Schwartz. The new commander is aware that the officers do not apply corporal punishment to the soldier, however, in spite of this, he is tightening the practice of executions. They say that there was even a soldier's cemetery for the victims of the Arakcheevite Schwartz. The officers file a complaint against the superior. For this, the first grenadier company of the regiment in full force is sent to prison. Others are looking for Schwartz to get revenge; he hides in a dung heap. Sergei Muravyov withdraws his company along with eleven others and pacifies the soldiers, preventing them from starting a riot. The soldiers respecting the lieutenant obediently lay down their arms. Schwartz personally asks him for forgiveness. Schwartz, however, is sentenced to death, commuted to dismissal from service. Sergei, along with other officers, still ends up in a military prison, but soon leaves it. Almost at the same time, Muravyov-Apostol met Mikhail (Michel) Bestuzhev-Ryumin, their friendship is destined to last until the grave. After his release from the fortress, Sergei was exiled to the army, first to Poltava (his native land!), Then to the Chernigov regiment.

In May 1821, Alexander I received a denunciation about a secret society in which officers are members. The denunciation cites, among other things, the name of the Muravyevs. The informer - Mikhail Gribovsky and himself a member of the Union of Welfare, he is not the first and not the last of his own who betrays. The emperor does not give a move to the matter, they refer to his words "it is not for me to judge them", which he uttered remembering the murder of his father, which was actually authorized by him. Alexander at that time was already occupied with questions about the successor. After his death, the throne must pass to his brother Constantine, and he is officially called the heir everywhere. In fact, the will of Alexander I and the abdication of Constantine from the throne were prepared and hidden in a safe place. Brother Nicholas, the future Nicholas I, was informed already in 1819 that he would be the emperor. Later in 1825, the Decembrists will want, but will not be able to take advantage of the confusion caused by the presence of two heirs, each of whom seems to be legitimate.

In January 1823 we find Sergei Muravyov together with his brother Ippolit in Kiev. Other members of the new secret society, now called Yuzhny, will also come here: Generals Volkonsky and Yushnevsky, Colonels Pestel and Davydov, Ensign Bestuzhev-Ryumin. The meeting discusses the introduction of republican rule in Russia, Sergei Muravyov suggests not waiting for more favorable circumstances, but creating them ourselves, and he is determined. Already not a trace remained of that cautious young man who doubted the means of the conspirators. After reading Pestel's Russkoye Pravda, he understands that nothing will work out by itself, and that efforts must be made to get things off the ground.

Friendship between Sergei Muravyov and Bestuzhev is growing stronger. Later, Pestel will call them, as it were, one person, so much they thought in unison and were devoted to each other. Michel Bestuzhev admires Muravyov. Already before his death, in prison, Muravyov will ask Bestuzhev for forgiveness for dragging him into the case, to which Michel will ardently assure his friend that, on the contrary, he was drawing him to a riot, and that he was ready to die for him and for the right case. Muravyov became a kind of father for Bestuzhev, instead of a real parent who did not care about his son.

At the meetings of the Southern Society, the question of the destruction of the emperor and his entire family is again raised. Pestel, as well as Yushnevsky and V. Davydov vote for complete extermination. Sergei Muravyov is against it, in general he seeks not to fit Pestel into the Petersburg maneuvers (when the time comes), because he is afraid that he, at his own peril and risk, will nevertheless decide to kill. The coup is conceived as follows: the Northern society starts a riot in the capital (Petersburg), and then regiments from the south come to its aid. It is difficult to agree on who starts first - North or South. Pestel insists on the fact that you need to start in the capital, otherwise, if you start from the south, the authorities will have a lot of time to send troops to suppress. The rapid revolution in St. Petersburg and the seizure of power will untie the hands of the southern regiments and make their uprising legitimate. Pestel's version was approved by the majority of votes. Muravyov and Bestuzhev were against. In the southern provinces, almost all regiments already have their own loyal members of society, officers who are only waiting for a signal to act.

On November 24, 1823, almost all members of the Southern Society meet at the Kamenka estate for the birthday of Major E. N. Davydova. The conspiracy is discussed openly, right at the table, but of course veiled. The guests think that the brilliant officers have gathered for the sake of the mistress's beautiful granddaughters, however, meanwhile, they are discussing real plans. They say that Pushkin was also supposed to be present in Kamenka, but at the last moment Yakushkin and others pretended that there was no society, and therefore there were no meetings either.

In the next six months, Sergei Muravyov is in the service, deals with the issues of ordinary soldiers, helps them in drawing up petitions or complaints; Bestuzhev-Ryumin sometimes leads the propaganda of liberal ideas in front of the officers of neighboring regiments, in his folder he has forbidden poems by Pushkin, Ryleev, Delvig. Finally, the time of the uprising is set - May 1826, and maybe even earlier, but certainly at the celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the reign of Alexander I. It is proposed to capture him during maneuvers in the Ukraine. Even Pestel agrees with this. But the emperor dies suddenly, in November 1825. Sergei learns about this, being in Vasilkov at the celebration of D.P. Troshchinsky. As soon as this was announced, on the same night the Muravyov brothers left the estate and hid in an unknown direction, they were confused and could not even imagine such a turn of events.

Emperor Alexander I dies unexpectedly at the age of 48 after a short illness in Taganrog. This sudden death is further complicated by the fact that, according to Alexander's will, his younger brother Nicholas should ascend the throne, bypassing the older Konstantin Pavlovich, who is called the heir during the life of the emperor. Both Konstantin and Nikolai are aware of the state of affairs and agree with it. However, ministers and confidants are at a loss and do not know who to declare emperor. They decide to act according to the protocol and give the oath to Constantine, then they say he will abdicate officially, and then there will be a new oath of allegiance to Nikolai. All are sworn in except for the state and serf landowners "peasants and people."

In the Chernigov regiment, where Sergei Muravyov is serving at this time, they are preparing for the oath. According to tradition, with the accession of a new emperor, amnesty is announced everywhere, but the commander of the regiment, Gebel, decides to ignore this tradition and, in front of everyone, orders to punish two soldiers for theft. The screams of the unfortunate, the general commotion in connection with the formation for the oath, the murmur in the ranks of the soldiers - all this deeply agitates the soul of the young man. Sergei Murvayev loses consciousness right on the parade ground. The soldiers, in spite of the shouts of the commander, return to the ranks, bring him to his senses and help him to rise, this is how infinite loyalty is manifested ordinary people the officer taking care of them.

In the era of a short interregnum, when many documents were signed either in the name of the late Alexander I, then the already abdicated Constantine, or the not yet crowned Nicholas, the activity of the Decembrists intensified, they more and more often gather for meetings, send messages to each other, sometimes forgetting about simple caution. The police are on the alert, informers from among the members of the Southern Society write and write denunciations, in the first lines of which the names of Pestel and Sergei Muravyov-Apostol are increasingly heard. Finally, the conspirators decide that in the event of Constantine's abdication, they will not swear allegiance to Nicholas, but will raise the guards regiments and lead them to Senate Square. If successful, a State Council should be appointed, in which one of the leaders of the Decembrist movement will be present as an observer.

On December 13, 1825, Pestel was arrested on the basis of numerous denunciations. He is being interrogated and searched, but no defamatory papers regarding the secret society have been found with him.

December 14 - the uprising on Sentaska Square. Ippolit Muravyov at the same time travels with a letter to Ukraine. Officially, his superiors sent him to the regiment for service. Unofficially, he carries a letter from the northerners to the southerners, from Trubetskoy to Colonel Orlov, who is summoned to Petersburg to lead the uprising. Hippolyt's path runs through Vasilkov, where, as he knows, there are older brothers, with whom he hopes to meet. Even after leaving Petersburg, Ippolit learns that arrests are taking place in the capital in connection with some kind of uprising. He prudently destroys Trubetskoy's letter and hurries to Vasilkov.

K. I. Kolman Uprising on Senate Square in St. Petersburg on December 14, 1825, 1830s, Historical Museum, Moscow

On December 18, the Secret Committee meets in the Winter Palace. The outcome of the meeting was an order to arrest almost all members of the Southern Society, including Sergei and Matvey Muravyov. This order has been sent to Kiev for enforcement.

The southern conspirators are perplexed, there is no news from St. Petersburg, they do not know what is happening, however, they are aware of Pestel's arrest. Finally, the regiment receives the news of the need to take the oath to Nikolai. Sergei Muravyov understands that the moment has come. On December 25, the Chernigov regiment was sworn in to Nicholas I. The Muravyov brothers do not take the oath, as they are sent to the corps headquarters in Zhitomir. Bestuzhev-Ryumin remains at the Muravyovs' apartment in Vasilkovo. At the entrance to Zhitomir, the Senate courier informs the Decembrists about the uprising on the Senate Square. Despair overwhelmed Sergei Muravyov, he decides that it is necessary to get in touch with the Polish society as soon as possible, which promised support to the Decembrists and says that now regicide is simply necessary.

In Zhitomir, the Muravyov brothers dine with General Roth, a corps commander, discuss the uprising in St. Petersburg, Sergei Muravyov even jokes about this, so as not to arouse suspicion. But the General favors the young colonel and does not suspect that tomorrow he will receive an order for his arrest. The next day, the Muravyovs go to Vasilkov to meet with the other conspirators and give the signal to start the speech. From Vasilkov to Troyanov.

On December 26, Gebel receives an order to arrest the Muravyevs and immediately goes with him to the apartment, where he finds only Bestuzhev-Ryumin (the order for his arrest is late) and another officer. All the brothers' papers were immediately confiscated, while the gendarmes themselves, led by Gebel, jump to Zhitomir, hoping to find the conspirators there. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, taking fast horses, overtakes Gebel to warn his friend.

From Troyanov, the Muravyovs went to Lyubar, Bestuzhev-Ryumin, followed by Gebel, following in their wake. In Lyubar, there is the Akhtyrsky regiment, in which Sergei's cousin, Artamon Muravyov, also a member of the Secret Society, who volunteered to kill the emperor at one time, serves. In a conversation with Artamon, Sergei says that he does not approve of the uprising on Senatskaya, because the northerners rebelled without the southerners and the southerners are now in great confusion. He is embarrassed by the bloodshed - in St. Petersburg, General Miloradovich was killed by the Decembrist Kakhovsky. Unexpectedly, Bestuzhev-Ryumin appears, announcing the order to arrest the Muravyovs. Sergei realizes that it is time to act and asks Artamon to raise the regiment. Artamon refuses, he wants to go to Petersburg and explain to the new emperor why the Secret Societies were formed, and what the conspirators want. Artamon insists that Nikolai will definitely understand that they did not want anything bad, but only tried to benefit the Fatherland. Sergei Muravyov immediately breaks off friendship with Artamon and refuses to do business with him. On the same day, a courier leaves St. Petersburg with an order to arrest Ippolit Muravyov.

Upon learning that they were ordered to be arrested, Matvey Muravyov invites everyone to drink champagne and shoot themselves, because the case is lost. What can several regiments from Uraina decide? Petersburg is there, far away, and the case is lost, especially since Artamon refuses to speak. Suicide, as we know, did not happen. A little later, on the way to Berdichev, Matvey again proposes to end his life. Michel Bestuzhev protests violently, Sergei takes the floor from his brother that he would never commit suicide. Matvey obeys. The Decembrists are returning in a roundabout way to Vasilkov, to the regiments. At the same time, the envoy of the United Slavs, a secret society accidentally discovered by Bestuzhev-Ryumin, is looking for his brothers somewhere near Vasilkov. Gebel and the gendarmes gallop in their footsteps, the arrested Pestel is delivered to St. Petersburg, Ippolit Murvaviev-Apostol drives up to Kiev.

On the night of December 29, the company commander Kuzmin received a note from Sergei Muravyov as follows: “Anastasiy Dmitrievich! I came to Trilesy and stayed at your apartment. Come and tell Baron Soloviev, Shchepilla and Sukhinov to come to Trilesy as soon as possible. Yours, Sergei Muravyov. ”The soldiers are jubilant, at last their leader has been found! The officers of the Chernigov regiment galloped to the Muravyovs in Trilesy, at the same moment Gebel also came to Triles. The officers who entered found Sergei and the others arrested. They immediately got their bearings in the situation and disarmed the gendarmes, Gebel was seriously wounded, the way to freedom for the Decembrists was open. With this armed attack, the southern revolt begins.

The regiment moved on Vasilkov and occupied it. Major Trokhin, whom the regiment did not like, tries to resist the soldiers, they tear off his epaulettes and even want to kill him, but Sergei Muravyov stands up for him and sends him to the guardhouse under arrest. He does not want bloodshed, this is not how the revolution he intended should be accomplished. The soldiers are importantly walking around the city and getting drunk in shanks. Sergei distributes money to the innkeepers and merchants for the fact that they give water and feed the regiment. On the main square of Vasilkov, the priest reads the Catechism, which ends with a speech by Sergei Muravyov. He says, addressing the soldiers, the following: “Our cause is so great and noble that it should not be tainted by any coercion, and therefore whoever of you, both officers and privates, feels incapable of such an undertaking, let him immediately leave the ranks, he can stay in the city without fear, if only his conscience will allow him to be calm and will not reproach him for leaving his comrades in such a difficult and glorious field, while the fatherland demands the help of each of its sons. " At the end of the prayer service that followed the speech of the Decembrist, the younger Muravyov-Apostle, Ippolit, is announced in Vasilkov.

The reading of the Catechism did not make the proper impression on the soldiers, it was proclaimed that there would be no more king and that Jesus Christ alone would henceforth be called king. Seeing that the common people do not understand such allegories, Sergei Muravyov decided to act in the name of Konstantin Pavlovich, the unsuccessful heir of Alexander I. This met with approval among the soldiers and, inspired by the sermon, the regiment, lined up in port, departed from Vasilkov.

On New Year's Eve, 1826, Mozalevsky, an agent of the Southern Society in Kiev, scatters the Catechism read in Vasilkov as leaflets. He, along with three other members of the community, is immediately arrested. Michel Bestuzhev tries to infiltrate the neighboring regiments to give a sign of the beginning of the mutiny, but then returns, having hardly got rid of the gendarmes sent in the footsteps of the conspirators. Therefore, the Tambov, Penza, Saratov regiments, in which the revolutionary spirit is strong, do not act, for they remain in obscurity. From the 17th Huntsman regiment, stationed in Bila Tserkva, the news comes that he is ready to join the Chernigovites. The Aleksapolskiy and Kremenchugskiy regiments are being diverted away by the authorities so that the flames of the revolutionary fire would not spread to them. Akhtyrka regiment of Artamon Muravyov is inactive.

The Muravyov brothers are worried about the younger Hippolyte. Later Matvey Muravyov would write: “My youngest Hippolyte made me extremely upset with his unexpected arrival. He was traveling from Moscow to Tulchin. He decided to stay with us, no matter how I begged him to continue on his way. He told his brother Sergei that he had a letter to him from Prince. Trubetskoy; but that he exterminated him in Moscow when they came to arrest Svistunov, with whom he lived. He did not know the content of the letter, destroying it as soon as possible, he did not have time to read it. I went with my younger brother to the apartment, where he changed his clothes and dismissed the post horses. " Despite all the persuasions, Hippolytus refuses to leave his older brothers and wishes to continue the rebellion with them. The conspirators set off for Motovilovka, where two companies of the Chernigov regiment, which did not come to Vasilkov, await them. The commander of one of the companies - no, he fled, the second commander, Captain Kozlov, long persuades the soldiers not to join the Muravyovs, the soldiers are silent. Sergei Muravyov did not insist and released both companies, which were leaving for Belaya Tserkov. At the disposal of the Decembrists are about a thousand soldiers and a handful of dedicated officers. The peasants from the village come to thank Sergei Muravyov, who, in turn, promises them to fight for them and for a just cause.

On January 2, in the morning, the entire regiment sets out in the direction of Motovilovka, then to come to Bila Tserkva. Muravyov hopes to unite with the 17th Jaeger Regiment stationed there. But the Chernigovites do not know that while they were spending the day in Motovilovka and moving on, the 17th regiment was withdrawn from Bila Tserkva and their own man among the gamekeepers - Vadkovsky was already under arrest. The mood of the soldiers is falling, some officers are leaving the rebels, and the Decembrists themselves do not know what to expect and how everything will turn out, this does not add to their fortitude. In addition, at the headquarters of the army they already know about the rebellious Chernihivites, loyal to the authorities, commanders of divisions and regiments, are drawn to Belaya Tserkov, but not under the pretext of fighting the revolutionaries. The authorities are spreading a rumor that Muravyov's regiment is going to loot and it will be possible to plunder the estate of Countess Branitskaya, which is located under the White Church. The countess owns large capitals inherited from her uncle, the well-known prince Potemkin.

At night, from 2 to 3 January, some hussars drive up to the sentries. The Chernihivites want to shoot, but the hussar officer, who drove up very close, begins to say that he supports the rebels and even promises to help. It was impossible to understand whether the hussars were really ready to join the regiment, or whether it was a cunning maneuver to find out the situation. The chief of staff, General Tol, surrounds Belaya Tserkov and Vasilkov with the help of two military corps. On the evening of January 2, the Chernigov regiment is still in Pologi, Sergei talks with Ippolit about human destiny. Ippolit vows "to win or die", Matvey Muravyov is still sad and contemplating suicide, he realizes that the rebels' cause is most likely lost, and there is no more hope of joining other friendly regiments.

On January 3, the Chernigov regiment sets out on its last journey - on the road to Zhitomir. After 7 hours, at 11 am he stops in Kovalevka. After lunch, the officers begin to burn papers, among which are arrest orders and an archive of correspondence between the Muravyovs and the northerners. At one o'clock in the afternoon the regiment leaves for Triles, and General Geismar with cannons and four hundred hussars is sent to Kovalevka from Triles. The soldiers say that it would be better to stay in the village, the cavalry will not attack the infantry in the streets among the gardens and fences. But Sergei Muravyov decides to walk on the open snowy steppe, that is, to take a shortcut. According to military logic, going through the steppe is going to certain death, however, Muravve is trying to bargain out the last chance from fate and maybe save the soldiers.

As soon as the column of soldiers emerges from Kovalevka, the first volley of cannons is heard, which greatly frightens people. Subsequently, the surviving Decembrists wonder whether the first shot was a blank, in order to scare, or really fired at their own. The papers found in the archives confirm the fact that they were firing in combat.

General Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, a military historian who did not take part in the execution himself, would later write: “When the Chernigov regiment saw itself in the need to fight its way through the hussars facing them, then, lining up in a square, he went with exemplary courage to them; the officers were in front. I heard this from the same hussar lieutenant colonel who commanded the squadrons sent against Muravyov; he added that he was amazed at the courage of the Chernigov soldiers and feared even at the same time that they would not repulse the guns from which they acted, because they came to them at the closest distance. " The Chernihivites go straight to the cannons, hoping that their own people will not shoot to kill, but canister shoots directly at the soldiers. Sergei Muravyov tries to command, but he is wounded in the head, Lieutenant Shchepillo and several privates fall dead. The soldiers, seeing that the lieutenant colonel is wounded, lose courage: some throwing their weapons scatter, some stay with the commander and throw up their guns, realizing that they will not be victorious, but decide to sell their lives at least dearly.

The hussars continue to shoot, and now almost the entire regiment has dispersed across the field, the soldiers are dropping their weapons. Sergei Muravyov seems to be stunned and everyone is looking for Matvey, constantly asking "Where is my brother?" And then let’s give the floor to himself: “When I came,” he will show during the investigation, “I found the battalion completely upset and was captured by the soldiers themselves at the time when I wanted to get on horseback in order to try to collect them; The soldiers who had captured me brought me and Bestuzhev to the Mariupol squadron, where they soon brought both my brother and the rest of the officers. " In the verdict to Sergei Muraev there will be a phrase "taken with a weapon in his hands." Bestuzhev-Ryumin will try to shield his friend and say that they themselves wanted to surrender. Investigators will rely on the testimony of Muravyov, who said that he was captured, and not he himself surrendered.

In the heat of the shelling, nineteen-year-old Ippolit Muravyov shoots himself, believing that the case is lost and his brothers were killed. Later, already being arrested, Officer Kuzmin will also shoot a bullet in his forehead. The wounded Sergei Muravyov asks the hussars to say goodbye to his brother, the bodies of the dead, along with the rebels, were brought to Trilesy. The officer permits farewell. In addition to Hippolytus, 4 privates and 3 officers were killed by the rebels, many were wounded. None of the pacifiers suffered.

The arrested are escorted to St. Petersburg. Captured Chernigov officers on the way are questioned by the hussars assigned to them, and when they find out the purpose and intentions of the rebels, they immediately begin to treat the prisoners better, regret that they did not know all this before: they were assured that the Chernigov regiment had mutinied in order to rob with impunity. On the way, Sergei Muravyov is repeatedly interrogated. In Mogilev, General Austin-Saken begins to scold him, Toll is surprised at the courage of the conspirators, how they, having no military force, with one regiment decided to start a revolution. The brothers are not being taken together. Matvey arrives in St. Petersburg two days earlier than Sergei.

Upon arrival in the capital, Sergei is first taken to the General Headquarters, and on January 20, he is sent to the Winter Palace. He is allowed to write to his father. Nicholas I himself interrogates Sergei. Here is what the emperor writes about this interrogation: “Gifted with an extraordinary mind, having received an excellent education, but in a foreign mood, he was in his thoughts impudent and arrogant to the point of madness, but at the same time secretive and unusually firm. Seriously wounded in the head, when he was taken with a weapon in his hands, he was brought in chained. Here they took off his chains and brought him to me. Weakened by heavy rape and shackles, he could hardly walk. Knowing him in the Semyonovsky regiment as a clever officer, I told him that it was all the more difficult for me to see an old comrade in such a woeful situation that I had known him personally for an officer whom the deceased Tsar had distinguished, that now it should be clear to him to what extent he was criminal. that - the cause of the misfortune of many innocent victims, and admonished not to hide anything and not to aggravate his guilt by stubbornness. He barely stood; we put him in jail and began to interrogate him. With complete frankness, he began to tell the whole plan of action and his connections. When he expressed everything, I answered him:

- Explain to me, Muravyov, how you, an intelligent, educated person, could forget for at least one second before that to consider your enterprise a marketing one, and not what it is - a criminal, villainous extravagance?

He bowed his head, not answering anything ...

When the interrogation was over, Levashov and I, we had to pick him up and lead him by the arms "

The next day after interrogation, Sergei Muravyov writes a letter to the emperor, in which he asks to "use the abilities given to him by heaven and send him to a distant land for the benefit of the fatherland," he also trusts in the mercy of Nicholas and asks to join him with his brother. During interrogations, he does not hide anything, he speaks directly about the mission that the Secret Society has entrusted to him. Bestuzhev-Ryumin was also interrogated by the emperor. Michel asks in a letter to the sovereign not to demand from him the names of all the conspirators, he diligently shields his friend, Sergei Muravyov, and even takes on the lion's share of responsibility for the riot. Nikolai will not give him a second audience.

The months passed; more than 500 prisoners in cells; interrogations of Pestel, Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Sergei, Matvey, Slavyan, Severyan. No one is having fun, but Matvey and Bestuzhev-Ryumin are more difficult than Sergei, for Sergei found in those months a special line of behavior, apparently, most closely matching his character. He does not speak superfluous, but he does not deny either. In his testimony, one cannot find words like “I won’t say,” “I will keep silent,” he answers all questions, if he doesn’t remember, then, apparently, he really doesn’t remember: “The testimony of brother Matvey that the members at the last meeting in Leshchina confirmed solemnly honest In a word, the decision already made before that to act in 1826 is fair, and I, it seems, also showed this circumstance in my answers. The testimony of Colonel Davydov about the alleged oath of Artamon Muravyov on the gospel to encroach on the life of the sovereign is not thorough. He regrets, but does not repent and, apparently, inspires a certain respect even for the investigators: everything is clear, taken with a weapon in his hands, he knew how to rebel - he knows how to keep the answer.

The interrogators were very interested in the question of who exactly was going to liquidate the emperor, whether it was said only about the murder of the king or the entire royal family. There is practically no mention of the abolition of serfdom and the introduction of the Constitution, the main thing is to find aggravating circumstances so that the most severe punishment can be applied. Pestel and Sergei Muravyov finally saw each other after years of separation at a confrontation. Matvey and Michel Bestuzhev give testimony that often contradicts Sergei's testimony. When pointed out to him, he immediately agrees that their testimony is correct, seeks to turn away the right hand of justice from them at any cost, taking all the blame on himself.

Sergei is allowed to write a letter to his brother only once. Ivan Matveyevich was allowed to visit his son in prison. His father will see him in the same uniform in which they took him, splattered with blood and with a bandaged head. In May 1826 I. M. Muravyov was sent to Europe. At this time, the prisoners are no longer taken for interrogations and the court case seems to be over. On June 30, the Supreme Criminal Court sentenced five Decembrists to execution by quartering. Here are the names of those sentenced: Pavel Pestel, Kondartiy Ryleev, Sergei Muravyov-Apostol, Mikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Pyotr Kakhovsky. In addition, they are sentenced to beheading - 31, to eternal hard labor - 19, to hard labor for 15 years or less - 38, in - exile or soldier - 27 people. After the verdict, the highest decree comes to the Supreme Criminal Court: “Having considered the report on state criminals, presented to us from the Supreme Criminal Court, we find the verdict, which was passed, which is consistent with the essence of the case and the force of the laws.

But the power of laws and the duty of justice, wishing to reconcile as much as possible with the feelings of mercy, we recognized for the good of the criminals determined by these executions and punishments mitigated.

Then - 12 points, replacing the beheading with eternal hard labor, eternal hard labor - twenty and fifteen years, and at the end - paragraph XIII:

"XIII. Finally, the fate of the criminals, who are not named here, who by the severity of their atrocities are placed outside the ranks and beyond comparison with others, I commit to the decision of the Supreme Criminal Court and the final decision that will be held about them in this court.

The Supreme Criminal Court, in its full presence, has to declare to the criminals it has convicted both the verdict, which took place in it, and the mercy that was bestowed on them from us ...

On the original of His Imperial Majesty's hand, the following is signed:

Tsarskoe Selo Nikolay "

None of the condemned were present at the trial. The Supreme Court decision was announced to all prisoners. The death sentence was not told to them, but they, of course, guessed about the fate of their friends. Having learned about the punishment, the relatives of the conspirators were most upset. Yekaterina Bibikova (the sister of Matvey and Sergei) asked General Dibich for permission to meet with her brother Sergei and permission to hand over the body to the family after the execution. Nicholas I, who was always informed about this, ordered his sister's request to be satisfied, but refused to hand over the body. The commandant of the fortress Sukin, a witness of the meeting, later said that "the separation of a brother from a sister was forever terrible." Ekaterina had a nervous fit and she fainted, Sergei grabbed her in his arms and brought her to consciousness, she sobbed, hugging his knees, realizing that she would never see him alive again. After meeting with his sister, Sergei prayed and confessed for a long time.

At the request of Sergei Muravyov, Michel Bestuzhev is placed in a death row next to him. Decembrist Rosen would later write about this: “Mikhail Pavlovich Bestuzhev-Ryumin was only 23 years old. He could not voluntarily part with the life that he had just begun. He rushed about like a bird in a cage ... It was necessary to console and encourage him. The caretaker Sokolov and the watchman Shibaev and Trofimov did not prevent them from talking loudly, respecting the last minutes of the life of the condemned victims. I regret that they did not know how to convey to me the essence of their last conversation, but only told me that they all talked about the Savior Jesus Christ and the immortality of the soul. MA Nazimov, sitting in room 13, sometimes could only hear how, on the last night, SI Muravyov-Apostol, in a conversation with Bestuzhev-Ryumin, read aloud some passages from the prophecies and from the New Testament. " On the night before the execution, Sergei writes to his brother Matthew: “My dear friend and brother Matyusha ... I asked permission to write these lines to you, as in order to share my soul with you, with a friend of my soul, a faithful companion of life and inseparable from the cradle, also especially for this to talk with you about the most important subject. Calm down, dear brother, my conscience about you.

Running my mind past my delusions, I recall with horror your tendency to commit suicide, I recall with horror that I never rebelled against it, as I was obliged to do in my opinion, and I also increased it by talking. Oh, how dearly I would give now, so that these apostate words never come out of my mouth! Dear friend Matyusha! Since I parted with you, I have pondered a lot about suicide, and all my thoughts, and especially my conversations with Father Peter, and the comforting reading of the Gospel have convinced me that never, in any case, a person has no right to encroach on life. my. Look at the Gospel who is a suicide - Judas, a betrayer of Christ. Jesus, the meek Jesus himself, calls him the son of perdition. By his divinity, he foresaw that Judas would complete the heinous act of tradition with the most heinous suicide. In this act of Judas his destruction was truly accomplished; for is it possible to doubt that Christ, sacrificing himself for our salvation, Christ, who revealed to us in divine teaching that there is no crime, which true repentance would not atone for before God, is it possible to doubt that Christ would not joyfully forgive Judas himself, if b repentance threw him at the feet of the savior? .. Before the soul of a suicide, the Book of Destinies, unknown to us, will open, she will see that she hastened her earthly end by her reckless act in one year, one month, perhaps one day. She will see that by rejecting the life given to her, not for herself, but for the benefit of her neighbor, she has deprived herself of several merits that were supposed to decorate her crown ... Christ himself tells us that in the house of the heavenly father there are many abodes. We must firmly believe that a soul that fled from its place before the time set for it will receive a lower abode. I am horrified by this thought. Imagine that our mother, who loved us so dearly on earth, but now in heaven is a pure angel of light, will forever be deprived of accepting you into her arms. No, dear Matyusha, suicide is always a crime. To whom much has been given, the most will be demanded from him. You will be more guilty than anyone else, for you cannot justify yourself by ignorance. I finish this letter, embracing you in absentia with that fiery love that never dried up in my heart and now works even more strongly in me from the sweet hope that my intention, inspired by the Creator himself, will not remain in vain and will find an echo in your heart, always accustomed to comprehend mine. - Farewell, dear, kind, kind brother and friend Matyusha. Goodbye!

While the Decembrists are preparing to die on the scaffold, this very scaffold is being built. Quartering was replaced by hanging, in this regard, a gallows is hastily made in the Peter and Paul Fortress, and the future execution is also rehearsed on it: they tie pood sandbags to the crossbar and check whether the rope will hold up. Nicholas I prudently orders to divide the sentence to hard labor and demotion of some and the actual death penalty for five, the course of which the emperor personally drew up in great detail.

In the early morning of July 13, the condemned are taken out of the dungeon. Prisoner Gorbachevsky later recalls: “Then, after the maxim, on the night when Muravyov and his comrades were led from the fortress to execution, I was sitting in the casemate - at that time it was no longer in the Neva curtain, but in the crownwork, and they were led past my window for the fortress. It must so happen that Bestuzhev-Ryumin's shackles got tangled, he could not go further; the square of the Pavlovsky regiment had just stopped opposite my window; While the non-commissioned officer untangled and straightened his shackles, I stood at the window looking at them all; the night was bright. " Prominent courtiers gathered at the scaffold: Governor-General Golenishchev-Kutuzov is in charge of order, Generals Chernyshev, Benkendorf are personal representatives of the emperor; there are also police ranks: Chief Police Chief Knyazhnin, Adjutant Wing Nikolai Durnovo, as well as a company of the Pavlovsk regiment, a dozen officers, an orchestra, V. Berkopf, two executioners, engineer Matushkin, constructing a gallows, 150 people on Troitsky Bridge, and on the shore at the fortress the neighboring inhabitants, attracted by the drumming. The day before the execution, the sentenced Decembrists are put on shackles, fearing that they will commit suicide. Five were ordered to be hanged at four in the morning, removed at six, and then to destroy the gallows.

An unnamed police official left a description of the execution of the Decembrists: “Bestuzhev-Ryumin and Ryleev came out in black tailcoats and caps with a shaved beard, and very neatly dressed. Pestel and Muravyov-Apostol in uniform frock coats and uniform caps, but Kakhovsky, with disheveled hair and an unshaven beard, seemed to have the least peace of mind. They had shackles on their legs, which they supported by passing them through a handkerchief.

When they gathered, they were ordered to take off their outer clothing, which was immediately burned at the stake, and they were given long white shirts, which, having put on, tied rectangular black leather bibs, on which were written in white paint “the criminal Sergey Muraviev”, “the criminal Kondrat Ryleev “” However, it turned out that the ropes were not ready, the cabman who was supposed to bring them got stuck somewhere, so five convicts had to wait for this cabman right in front of the gallows. You still need to dig a hole, since the gallows pillars are made too short and the legs of the executed should be practically on the ground. While the preparations are being completed, the prisoners cast lots as to who is the first to go to the execution. Before the execution itself, Sergei prays and then shakes hands with his comrades. Finally, everyone stands on the bench, their hands are tied behind their backs, but they will have time to shake them again - from the noose, their faces are covered with white caps. When the bench was taken away, it turned out that the three hanged had fallen off - the ropes had slipped from the neck, the inept executioner was unable to tighten the noose correctly. Sergei Muravyov crashed badly, falling to the ground, his leg was broken, Ryleev and Kakhovsky - the other two survivors, were covered in blood.

They did not foresee any spare ropes and hurriedly rushed to look for them in the nearby shops. Only 15 minutes later the three "survivors" were hanged again, now finally. Half an hour later, the bodies were removed and buried. At the time of his death, Sergei Muravyov was 29 years old.