The fate of the wives of the Decembrists after the amnesty. "I am not afraid of the future." Five tragic fates of the wives of the Decembrists

In radiance, in joyful peace,
At the throne of the eternal Creator,
With a smile, he looks into earthly exile,
He blesses the mother and prays for the father.
(Epitaph to the baby. A.S. Pushkin. 1829)

It is obvious for teachers of both higher and secondary schools that the content of history education should objectively reflect the processes taking place in society. But in practice, the question of objectivity criteria is not resolved unambiguously. Their identification and recognition as an evaluative factor is associated with the position of the author of the textbook or teacher, who relies in teaching on the concept of historical development, the priority choice of which is due to the subjective value worldview. The modern stage of development of education, in contrast to the recent past, allows for variability of approaches to the assessment of certain historical phenomena and events. At the same time, the teacher inevitably faces the problem of responsibility, because the peculiarity of his profession is that, in the learning process, he introduces children to the world that opens up to them and strives to make the educational process personally significant for the child. This is of particular importance for the lessons, which reveal the internal motivation of the actions of historical heroes, their moral qualities, because their behavioral stereotype can become a life example for children, help them in their own moral choice, and become valuable for them.
But to what extent do well-established assessments of the moral behavior of historical heroes contribute to the formation of a conscious life choice? Apparently, it should be recognized that the stereotyped thinking based on an uncontested approach to the analysis and assessment of historical facts, despite the declared "pluralism of opinions", continues to dominate both the pages of textbooks and teaching practice.
For example, let us consider only one well-established stereotype - the assessment of the deed of the wives of the Decembrists, who went to Siberia for their chosen ones, as highly moral and worthy of imitation. Such an unambiguous assessment does not reveal the entirety of the moral choice of the "voluntary exiles": their children remained in European Russia, whom it was forbidden to take with them. Let us pose two questions as problematic ones:
- Do you agree that the act of the wives and brides of the Decembrists who went to Siberia can be considered a feat?
- Do you approve of the decision of the Decembrists to leave their children for their husbands?
As you know, before the events of December 1825, 23 Decembrists were married. In 1826, two Decembrists became widows: on July 13, K.F. Ryleev; On September 5, I.Yu. Polivanov. Ryleev's youngest son - Alexander - died in infancy, the eldest daughter - Nastya - in 1825 was about five years old. His widow, Natalya Mikhailovna, having buried her parents long ago, was left with her little daughter without a livelihood. Only the state material subsidy of 2,000 rubles, issued even during the investigation of Ryleev, supported the family.
In total, 19 women left for Siberia, of which 11 are wives (the rest are mothers and sisters). Often they are still called heroic women and "ideal wives" (apparently, not counting those who remained). These are Praskovya Yegorovna Annenkova (Polina Gebl), Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya, Alexandra Ivanovna Davydova, Alexandra Vasilievna Entaltseva, Camilla Petrovna Ivasheva (K. Le-Dantiu), Alexandra Grigorievna Muravyova, Elizaveta Petrovna Naryshkina, Anna Vasilievna Natal'evna Fonvizina, Maria Kazimirovna Yushnevskaya. They were different in social status and material security, character and level of education, origin and age. The most famous of them is M.N. Volkonskaya - at the time of her departure, she had only crossed the 20-year mark, M. Yushnevskaya and A. Entaltseva were almost twice her age. 8 of them survived the Siberian prison, hard labor, exile and settlement: A. Muravyova died in 1832, K. Ivasheva - in 1839, E. Trubetskaya - in 1854. After the decree on the amnesty of the Decembrists (28 August 1856, ) M. Volkonskaya, E. Naryshkina, P. Annenkova, N. Fonvizina and A. Rosen returned with their husbands. Three left Siberia as widows, burying their husbands there, for whose sake they went into "voluntary exile": A. Yushnevsky died in 1844, A. Entaltsev - in 1845, V. Davydov - in 1855.
Most of the memoirs of the Decembrists have been published long ago; numerous studies have been devoted to their life in Siberia. The conditions of life and life, the forms of assistance they provided to husbands and their associates were studied in detail. A number of special works emphasize the social significance of their act. It is believed that for the first time women were consciously involved in the socio-political life of the country, which contributed to the formation of a new type of Russian woman. It was the Decembrists who, in protest against the generally accepted norms of behavior, took the first step towards the formation of female self-awareness and emancipation, perhaps without even knowing it. In the subsequent era, already more actively and demandingly, women began to declare their rights to education, labor, and participation in public struggle on an equal basis with men (apparently, it was no coincidence that the granddaughter of the Decembrist Ivashev became one of the founders of the Russian women's movement). Thus, a completely unambiguous and, it seems, indisputable conclusion is made that the arrival of the Decembrists to the exiled husbands is an example of marital fidelity and personal feat. “There is no such sacrifice,” wrote the book. M.N. Volkonskaya to my relatives from Nerchinsk - which I would not have brought to share the fate of my husband. " It is believed that this moral choice is based on responsibility for fulfilling the vow given at the wedding, fidelity to marriage.
But the moral choice in each specific case presupposes the solution of the main life question: between a righteous (beneficial for moral health) and unrighteous (harmful) deed, between "good" and "evil". This choice is based on axiological (value) worldview factors. The prevailing, and sometimes even unambiguous, assessment of the "events of December 14" as an "uprising" or other protest action with positive ("progressive") goals leads to the fact that its participants become "progressive noble revolutionaries" and not state criminals who encroached on only on the legal norms in force in the state, but also on the life of other people. In this system of values, the actions of the state authorities to punish them are viewed as unjust and cruel. Therefore, the tsarist decree equating the position of women leaving for Siberia with the position of the wives of state criminals and the prohibition to take with them children born before their fathers were sentenced is considered "inhuman." A look at the problem from a different angle allows us to see behind this decree the authorities' desire not to shift responsibility for the fate of their parents onto the shoulders of children, while preserving all the rights and dignity of the estate in which they were born.
In this aspect, the choice of the wives of the Decembrists who left for their husbands in Siberia was not the only one and can hardly be considered indisputable: there are children in European Russia for whom the loss of their parents, who deliberately left them, was a true personal tragedy. Thus, in essence, by choosing marriage, they consigned motherhood to oblivion. "Yes, if I have to decide the choice / Between husband and son - no more / I go where I am most needed / I go to the one who is in captivity!" - wrote N.A. Nekrasov on the choice of M. Volkonskaya. But who really needed her more: an adult, with established views to her husband, who is in a circle of like-minded people, albeit in captivity or a baby child? To a person who voluntarily came out to Senate Square and thereby made a conscious choice not in favor of family values \u200b\u200bor an innocent creature, “an unfortunate victim of rash love”? The solution to this question is a moral choice, and its consciousness implies responsibility.
Before leaving for Siberia, only E.I. Trubetskoy, E.P. Naryshkina and K.P. Ivashova.
The image of Polina Annenkova, a charming Frenchwoman, reflected in the film "The Star of Captivating Happiness", opera by Yu.A. Shaporin "The Decembrists" and the novel by A. Dumas "Fencing Teacher", captivates with charm and love of freedom, determination to fight for love and follow it to the end. When I.A. Annenkov was sent to Siberia, he managed to convey to the bride a note: “Meet or die”, and, overcoming all sorts of inhibitions, Polina went for her lover: “I completely sacrifice myself to the person without whom I cannot live any longer. This is my most ardent desire, ”she writes in a letter to the emperor. But in European Russia, their illegitimate daughter remains with her mother-in-law, who saw her parents only a quarter of a century later. Of the 17 children born in Siberia, only five survived (Olga, Vladimir, Ivan, Nikolai, Natalia).
In general, as the Decembrist I. Yakushkin wrote, “the way of life of our ladies very much affected the children; being almost daily in excitement, during pregnancy often exposed to unfavorable accidents, many births were unhappy, and out of 25 born in Chita and the Petrovsky plant there were 7 miscarriages, but out of 18 live births, only 4 died, the rest all grew.
Knyaginya M.N. Volkonskaya is the daughter of the hero of the Patriotic War, General N.N. Raevsky and Sofia Alekseevna, nee Konstantinova, the granddaughter of Lomonosov - at the age of 18 she became the wife of the famous general S.G. Volkonsky, who was old enough to be her father. She did not know the prince at all before the wedding, and, having spent only three months with him before his arrest, she did not have time to fall in love, often confessing to her sisters that “her husband is intolerable to her”. However, she was one of the first to follow him to Siberia, barely recovering from a difficult birth. Neither care for little Nikolenka, nor the requests and persuasions of her relatives could stop her resolve. General Raevsky, did not wait for his daughter's return, and his mother, until her death, could not reconcile with her act. In 1828 Volkonskaya received news of the death of her first-born son, in 1829 her daughter dies, barely living for several hours. Of the three children born in Siberia, two survived (Mikhail and Elena).
Before leaving for Siberia, the Davydovs had 6 children, four of whom were born out of wedlock (before the wedding) of their parents on May 3, 1825.Before going to her husband, Alexandra Ivanovna gave all the children to be raised by various relatives: her husband's cousins, sending her son Mikhail to Odessa and daughter Maria to Moscow. The rest went to their husband's brother in Kamenka (Kiev province). In 1832, daughters Catherine and Elizabeth were taken to the education of gr. S.G. Chernysheva-Kruglikova (older sister of A.G. Muravyova). In Siberia, the Davydovs had 7 more children - Vasily, Alexandra, Ivan, Leo, Sophia, Vera, Alexey. According to the imperial decree of February 18, 1842, despite the initial decision to designate children born in Siberia as state peasants, their education in state educational institutions was allowed. The sons of the Davydovs, Vasily, Ivan and Lev, were assigned to the Moscow Cadet Corps. In 1852, daughters Catherine and Elizabeth came to their parents in Krasnoyarsk; earlier, in 1850, their son Peter came there. Possessing an amazing pedagogical gift, the parents managed to make their Russian and Siberian children close and dear people.
For A.V. Entaltseva (Lisovskaya) marriage with A.V., exiled to Siberia. Entaltsev was the second: having gone to him, she left in the care of her first husband - a card player - her only little daughter. “She was devoted in heart and soul to her gloomy husband” - wrote M.N. Volkonskaya. In 1828 the Entaltsevs were transferred from the Chita prison to a settlement in Berezov, in 1830 - to Yalutorovsk (Tobolsk province). But the mental health of A.V. Entaltseva was finally upset, he died in 1845. His widow was not allowed to return to European Russia. Before the manifesto on the amnesty of the Decembrists, she lived in Siberia on an allowance from the state treasury, which, upon returning to Moscow, was retained for her for life. The Entaltsevs did not have their own children, but after the death of her husband, the widow helped I.D. Yakushkin in the work of schools for boys and girls created by him.
A.G. Muravyova - a refined beauty, “fragile angel” - was the first of the wives of the Decembrists to arrive in Chita. Her brother Zakhar was also sent to hard labor. Before leaving, she wrote a letter to the king, in which she asked for leniency to her brother, since he is the only support for a sick father, a dying mother, and young sisters. The very same, leaving in their care son Michael and two daughters (Catherine and Elizabeth), the eldest of whom was not three years old, left after her husband. In order to somehow satisfy the longing for the abandoned children, Alexandra Grigorievna ordered their portraits, having received them, "on the first day I could not take my eyes off them." In 1829, daughter Sophia was born. But "from the homeland" came the bitter news: the mother died, the father fell into melancholy, the daughters left behind died (one very young, the other, going crazy). And yet, to the humorous question of the Decembrist I.D. Yakushkina: "Whom do you love more: God or Nikitushka?" (husband), she replied with a smile: "The Lord will not be offended that I love Nikitushka more." A.G. Muravyova died in 1832, leaving her 3-year-old daughter in the care of her husband.
The young son of A.V. Rosen - the daughter of the first director of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum V.F. Malinovsky and S.A. Samborskoy (daughter of the famous archpriest A.A. Samborsky) - Eugene was left with M.V. Malinovskaya (since 1834 the wife of the Decembrist V.D. Volkhovsky). In Siberia, the Rosenov had sons Kondraty (named after Ryleev), Vasily, Vladimir, Andrei and daughters Anna and Sophia (died in infancy). The sons were assigned to the Georgian noble battalion of the Military Cantonists under the name of the Rosenovs.
N. D. Fonvizina, the only daughter of elderly parents (the Apukhtins), leaving for Siberia, left in their care two grandchildren Mitya and Misha, 2 and 4 years old. They had no affection for their parents, and correspondence with them was perceived as a heavy duty. Having joined the Petrashevsky circle, they were convicted, but died without meeting their parents. In Siberia, Fonvizina had two dead children, two more sons (Bogdan and Ivan) died as babies. After the death of her husband, she married the Decembrist I.I. Pushchina.
Maria Kazimirovna (née Krulikovskaya), being married to Anastasov, met A.P. Yushnevsky. Having divorced, she became his wife in 1812, and after the sentencing, following her husband in Siberia, she left her daughter from her first marriage, Sophia, in European Russia. The Yushnevskys did not have children, they took pupils into the house.
The moral motivation for the arrival of the Decembrists in Siberia is different: love for a husband, marital duty, a halo of martyrdom, or freedom from any responsibility, from family ties, prejudices, etc. Undoubtedly, the choice between “husband and children” was influenced by romantic education, the heroic ideal of service, traditional isolation of noblewomen from the direct care and upbringing of children. But in any case, the children were left orphans with living parents: the fathers were forcibly taken away, their mothers voluntarily left.
Did the wives of the Decembrists have an alternative? Yes, some of them stayed, taking advantage of the royal decree that freed them from marriage bonds. So, the sisters of Borozdina (cousins \u200b\u200bof M. Volkonskaya) Ekaterina and Maria were married to V.N. Likharev and I.V. Poggio. They remarried. The wife of Artamon Muravyov, Vera Alekseevna, remained in European Russia with her sons Leo (died in 1831), Nikita (died in 1832) and Alexander, as well as the wife of P.I. Falenberg, who remarried. I. D. Yakushkin forbade his wife Anastasia Vasilyevna to leave the children and go with him to Siberia, believing that only a mother, for all her youth, can give children a proper upbringing. Married out of passionate love at the age of 16, she wrote to her husband in Siberia: "... you can be happy without me, knowing that I am with our children, and I, even being with them, cannot be happy ...". The couple never met again, but their sons Vyacheslav and Yevgeny received a good upbringing and education. Their mother died 11 years earlier than their father. Having learned about the death of his wife, I.D. Yakushkin opened the first school for girls in Siberia in memory of her.
F.M. Dostoevsky wrote that the Decembrists "sacrificed everything for the highest moral duty," and, innocent, "endured everything that their convicted husbands endured." What is the feat of the Decembrists? Who were the heroines: those who went to the state criminals or the "firstborn of freedom", leaving their children in Russia, or those who stayed, helping their husbands financially, morally and raising their children? Is there a connection between the irresponsibility of the Decembrists in relation to the family and the irresponsibility of their wives in relation to children? The answer depends on the axiological (value) worldview priorities. This is moral choice as responsibility. ©

"Wives of the Decembrists: Responsibility of Moral Choice" (OV Rozina, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor)

The act of these women became a feat in the name of love. Girls from noble families, who received an excellent upbringing and education, left the luxury of secular living rooms to follow their husbands in Transbaikalia, who were sentenced to hard labor for preparing an uprising on Senate Square. the site recalls the fate of the five wives of the Decembrists who sacrificed everything for their loved ones.

Ekaterina Trubetskaya (née Laval)

In 1871, Nikolai Nekrasov completed work on the first part of the poem "Russian Women", in which he spoke about the fate of Ekaterina Trubetskoy (née Laval), the granddaughter of the famous millionaire, who exchanged all material benefits for the opportunity to be close to her beloved husband. Ekaterina Ivanovna became the first wife of the Decembrists, who followed her husband to Siberia.

Catherine's father was an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ivan Laval. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Catherine's parents were an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ivan Laval and his wife Alexandra, the daughter of the millionaire Ivan Myasniky. Their mansion on the English Embankment was one of the centers of cultural and social life of St. Petersburg in the 20s of the 19th century.

When their eldest daughter Catherine was 19 years old, she met Prince Sergei Petrovich Trubetskoy, a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812. The sympathy of the young people received the approval of their parents, and soon the wedding took place. But the newlyweds did not have to enjoy family happiness for long. In December 1825, after the death of Alexander I, armed troops went to Senate Square with the aim of an uprising. At the head of the Decembrists was Sergei Trubetskoy.

This act decided the fate of the prince and his wife. After the uprising, he was detained and taken to Zimny, where he was personally interrogated by Nicholas I. The news of the arrest struck Ekaterina Ivanovna, although her husband did not hide his political convictions. She wrote to him at the Peter and Paul Fortress:

“I am not afraid of the future. I will calmly say goodbye to all secular blessings. One thing can please me: to see you, to share your grief and to devote all the minutes of my life to you. The future worries me sometimes about you. Sometimes I am afraid that your heavy fate does not seem to you beyond your strength ... ".

Soon a trial was held over the Decembrists. Trubetskoy was sentenced to eternal hard labor in Siberia. Catherine obtained permission from the emperor to follow her beloved into exile. She agreed to renounce everything that she had - a title of nobility, a rich inheritance, just to be able to go after Sergei. Before such pressure, the officials retreated - in January 1827, she went to the center of the hard labor of Transbaikalia.

In February 1827, at the Blagodatsky mine, Catherine was finally allowed to see her husband. Their meetings were rare, but it was they who allowed Trubetskoy not to lose heart.

In 1832 the term of Trubetskoy's hard labor was reduced to 15 years, and in 1835 - to 13. In 1839 the family settled in the village of Oyok. By that time, Sergei Petrovich and Ekaterina Ivanovna had already had five children.

Maria Volkonskaya (née Raevskaya)

Maria from the mother's side of Sofia Konstantinova was the great-granddaughter of Mikhail Lomonosov. The girl's father was General Nikolai Raevsky, a domineering man accustomed to keeping everything under his control. According to a number of historians, it was her father who insisted on her marriage to the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, Prince Sergei Raevsky, believing that this party would bring "a brilliant, according to secular views, future" to his daughter.

Despite the fact that at the very beginning, the relationship between young people was not easy, Maria loved her husband. Preserved her letters, which she wrote to him, being in separation. In them she addressed only as "My dear, my adored, my idol Serge!"

When the Decembrist uprising took place, Mary was in a position and was preparing for childbirth. At first, her relatives carefully concealed from her that her husband was arrested. By the way, Volkonsky was the only general in active service who took a direct part in the Decembrist movement.

When Maria learned about what had happened, she wrote to him at the Peter and Paul Fortress: “I learned about your arrest, dear friend. I do not allow myself to despair ... Whatever your fate, I will share it with you, I will follow you to Siberia, to the end of the world, if need be, do not doubt it for a minute, my beloved Serge. I will share the prison with you if you remain in it by the sentence. "

After the verdict was passed, Maria faced a difficult question: to stay with her son or follow her husband to Siberia. And she made a choice in favor of her husband.

In one of her letters she told Volkonsky: “Unfortunately for myself, I see well that I will always be separated from one of you two; I will not be able to risk my child's life by taking him everywhere with me. "

Leaving her son with her father, she went to Siberia. She followed her husband to the Blagodatsky mine, where he was serving hard labor, to the Chita prison, to the village of Urik. Since 1845 they lived as a family in Irkutsk. The Volkonskys had three more children, of which two survived - Mikhail and Elena. Years later, their daughter became the wife of Dmitry Molchanov, an official under the East Siberian governor-general. And son Mikhail rose to the rank of Privy Councilor and Deputy Minister of Public Education Ivan Delyanov.

Blagodatsky mine. House where princesses M.N. Volkonskaya and E.I. Trubetskaya lived. 1889. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

For children and grandchildren, Maria Nikolaevna conducted "Notes" in French, in which she described the events of her life from 1825 to 1855.

Alexandra Muravyova (née Chernysheva)

“Her external beauty was equal to her spiritual beauty,” recalled Alexander Baron Andrei Rosen, one of the participants in the Decembrist movement.

The daughter of the actual privy councilor, Count Grigory Chernyshev, tied her fate with Nikita Muravyov, who was one of the main ideologists of the Decembrist movement. The fragile girl with the face of an angel suffered severe trials, which subsequently brought her to the grave.

By the time of her husband's arrest, she was expecting a third child. The sentence to Muravyov thundered for her like a bolt from the blue: hard labor for a period of 20 years.

Despite the warnings of her family, she was determined to follow the condemned spouse, even if this required leaving the children behind. Having received permission to travel to Siberia in 1826, she went to the Chita prison.

Separation from children was very difficult for her, about which she repeatedly wrote in letters. A series of deaths of loved ones crippled her already poor health: she learned about the death of her young son, her mother died in 1828, and her father died in 1831. Her two daughters, who were born in the Petrovsky plant, did not survive either.

“I am getting old, dear mamma, you cannot imagine how much gray hair I have,” she wrote six months before her death.

“Her external beauty was equal to her mental beauty,” contemporaries wrote about her. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

In the fall of 1832, she caught a cold and died three weeks later. She was only 28 years old.

Elizaveta Naryshkina (nee Konovnitsyna)

“Naryshkina was not as attractive as Muravyova. She seemed very haughty and from the first time made an unpleasant impression, even pushed away from herself, but when you got close to this woman, it was impossible to tear yourself away from her, she chained everyone to her with her boundless kindness and extraordinary nobility of character, ”she wrote about her Jeanette-Pauline Goble, a Frenchwoman who fell in love with the Decembrist Annenkov and became his wife.

Watercolor by NA Bestuzhev (1832) "My portrait is too flattering, but, nevertheless, I look like it." Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

The only daughter of General Pyotr Konovnitsyn met her future husband, Colonel Mikhail Naryshkin, at one of the balls in 1823. Already in 1824, they got married. And in 1825, events took place that changed the course of history. Her husband, who was in a secret society, was arrested for participating in the preparation of the uprising and placed in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Mikhail Mikhailovich was stripped of his ranks and nobility and was sent to hard labor for 20 years (later the term was reduced to 8 years). Elizabeth, being the maid of honor of the empress, asked Maria Feodorovna for permission to go after her husband, and, having received approval, went to the Chita prison.

Together with her husband, they came to all the hardships of life. When in 1833 they were allowed to settle in Kurgan, the Naryshkins turned their house into a real cultural center.

Their union, based on support and respect, inspired many. When Mikhail Naryshkin died in 1863, Prince Obolensky wrote in an obituary:

“He entered into a marriage with Countess Elizaveta Petrovna Konovnitsyna and in her he found that fullness of sympathy, which in life is expressed by complete harmony - and aspirations, and goals in life, and hopes and desires. And the Caucasus with its formidable strongholds, and Siberia with its deserts, everywhere they were together, and everywhere their heartfelt life, making up for the shortcomings of one with the fullness of the other, was expressed in pure love, reflected in the whole structure of life.

Mikhail Mikhailovich was stripped of his ranks and nobility and was exiled to hard labor for 20 years. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Maria Yushnevskaya (née Krulikovskaya)

Maria Kazimirovna was one of the oldest “wives of exiled convicts”. Her marriage to Alexei Yushnevsky, one of the organizers and leaders of the Southern Society of Decembrists, was her second in a row. Their acquaintance happened when the pretty Polish woman was still married to the landowner Anastasyev. Despite the fact that she had a daughter, she decided to divorce in order to connect her life with Yushnevsky.

Like other wives of the Decembrists, Maria corresponded with relatives and friends of the exiles. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

After the uprising of the Decembrists, Aleksey Petrovich was arrested and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress on January 7, 1826. The death sentence imposed on him was commuted to life imprisonment (later the term of hard labor was reduced to 20 years - approx.)

Maria decided to follow her husband. She wrote letters to Benckendorff until she was allowed to leave in 1828. The only condition was that she had to go without her beloved daughter from her first marriage. Yushnevskaya agreed.

She spent almost 10 years with her husband in the Petrovsky Zavod, later they lived near Irkutsk. The spouses took pupils into the house, mainly from merchant children.

Memories of one of them have survived:

“Yushnevsky's wife, Marya Kazimirovna, was a pretty, plump little old woman; she did not interfere with our education, but we did not particularly like her, because she was strictly concerned about our manners and was easily irritated by all our mistakes. She was a Polish woman and an ardent Catholic, and her most frequent visitors were two priests, who more than once a week came on foot from Irkutsk.

Her wife passed away in 1844. After his death, Maria still lived in Kyakhta, Irkutsk, Selenginsk, until in 1855 she received permission to return to live in European Russia.

... following their husbands and continuing their conjugal relationship with them, they will naturally become involved in their fate and lose their former title, that is, they will already be recognized only as the wives of exiled convicts ... ”(From a prescription to the Irkutsk civil governor). Until December 14, 1825, 23 Decembrists were married. After the verdict and execution, the wives of the Decembrists K. Ryleev and I. Polivanov, who died in September 1826, remained widows. 11 wives followed their husbands to Siberia, and along with them 7 more women: mothers and sisters of the exiled Decembrists. Almost all of the women who left left their children in Russia - Volkonskaya left her son, Alexander Muravyov - four, and Alexander Davydov - as many as six children, adding them to relatives. Here are the names of women who followed their husbands, who were exiled to hard labor in Siberia:

They were very different women: in terms of their social status and age, character and level of education ... But they had one thing in common: they sacrificed everything in order to be close to their husbands during the years of trial. Only 8 of them survived prison, hard labor and exile. After the decree on the amnesty of the Decembrists on August 28, 1856, only five returned with their husbands (M. Volkonskaya, P. Annenkova, E. Naryshkina, A. Rosen, N. Fonvizina). Three returned from Siberia as widows (M. Yushnevskaya, A. Entaltseva, A. Davydova). A. Muravyova, K. Ivasheva, E. Trubetskaya died and were buried in Siberia.

P. Sokolov "Portrait of Princess M. Volkonskaya with her son Nikolai" More details about Princess M. Volkonskaya can be found in the previous publication.

N. Bestuzhev "Portrait of Ekaterina Trubetskoy" You can read more about Ekaterina Trubetskoy in the previous publication. ANNA VASILIEVNA ROSEN (1797-1883)

Her father, V.F. Malinovsky, was the first director of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. Lyceum students treated Malinovsky with great respect and love, appreciating his intelligence and kindness. Anna received a good education, knew foreign languages \u200b\u200b(English and French), read a lot. She met her future husband Andrei Evgenievich Rosen through her brother Ivan - they were both officers and participated in the Italian campaign. The Rosenov marriage was very happy, distinguished by mutual understanding, tenderness, kinship of interests and outlook on life.

(Decembrist Andrei Evgenievich Rosen) He was not a member of a secret society, but on the eve of the uprising he was invited to a meeting with Ryleev and Prince Obolensky, who asked him to bring as many troops to Senate Square as possible on the day of the emperor's new oath. On the night of December 14, Andrei Rosen told his wife about the impending uprising, in which he would take part. During the uprising, he did not follow the order to pacify the rebels. He was arrested on December 22, 1825 and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress, he was sentenced to 10 years of hard labor. Later, the term was reduced to 6 years. Anna Vasilievna Rosen came to see her husband off to hard labor with her son, who was 6 weeks old. She wanted to immediately follow him to Siberia, but he himself asked her to stay with her son at least until he starts walking and talking. When the boy grew up a little, Anna Vasilievna's own sister, Maria, took him into foster care, and in 1830 Anna went to Siberia, first to the Petrovsky plant, where their son Kondraty (named after Ryleev) was born, and in 1832 to settlement in Kurgan. On the way from Chita to Kurgan, they had a third son, Vasily. Other Decembrists already lived in Kurgan: the Decembrist I.F. Focht, who lived here for twelve years, then V.N. Likharev, M.A. Nazimov and others. Rosen first lived in an apartment, and then bought a house with a large garden. “Few gardens, little shade and greenery,” he said after arriving in Kurgan. Here Andrei Evgenievich took up agriculture, and also began to write memoirs "Notes of the Decembrist", which are considered the most reliable and complete materials on the history of Decembrism. In 1870 "Notes of the Decembrist" were published in Leipzig. This work by A.E. Rosen published by N. Nekrasov. Anna Vasilievna raised children, was engaged in medicine. They subscribed from St. Petersburg a lot of literature, including medical. The family lived in Kurgan for 5 years, in 1837 a group of Decembrists were sent as privates to the active army in the Caucasus. Among them, A.E. Rosen with his family. After the amnesty of 1856, the Rosen family lives in Ukraine, Andrey Evgenievich is engaged in social work. For almost 60 years this happy family lived in peace and harmony, despite the vicissitudes of fate that fell to them, and they died almost together, with a difference of 4 months.

N. Bestuzhev "Portrait of Praskovya Annenkova" 1836 (Polina Gebl) You can read more about Polina Gebl in the previous publication.

P. Sokolov "Portrait of A. G. Muravyova" Details about Alexander Grigorievna Muravyova can be found in the previous publication. DAVYDOVA (POTAPOVA) ALEXANDRA IVANOVNA.

Alexandra Ivanovna Davydova (Potapova) (1802-1895) This woman is the least known. She was the daughter of the provincial secretary I.A. Potapov. Unusually meek and sweet, she was captivated once and for all by the life-hussar, merry fellow and witty Vasily Davydov. The Davydovs' estate in Kamenka, Kiev province, was their family estate, with which the names of many Decembrists, Pushkin, Raevsky, General Orlov, Tchaikovsky are associated. Vasily Lvovich Davydov, a retired colonel, participant in the Patriotic War of 1812, was a member of the secret Southern society, chairman of the Kamensk council of the Tulchin Duma. Alexandra lived in his house, but they got married only in 1825, when their fifth child was born. When Vasily Davydov was convicted of the I category and sent to hard labor, she was only 23 years old and already had six children, but she decided to follow her husband to Siberia.

"An innocent wife, following her criminal husband to Siberia, must remain there until the end." Alexandra Ivanovna decided on this and, having placed the children with relatives, set off on the road. She alone understood and felt that her merry husband really needed her, because the verdict broke him. Later he wrote to the children: “Without her, I would no longer exist in the world. Her boundless love, her unparalleled devotion, her concern for me, her kindness, meekness, resignation, with which she carries her life full of hardships and labor, gave me the strength to endure everything and not just forget the horror of my situation. " She arrived at the Chita prison in March 1828. In Chita and at the Petrovsky plant, they had four more children, and later, in a settlement in Krasnoyarsk, three more. The Davydov family was one of the largest families of the Decembrists. Davydov died in October 1855 in Siberia, before he lived to see the amnesty, which only his family could use. And Alexandra Ivanovna returned to Kamenka. There, in the 60s, P.I. met her. Tchaikovsky, who often visited Kamenka with his sister, who was married to the son of the Davydovs, Lev Vasilievich. And this is what P.I. Tchaikovsky about Alexander Ivanovna: “The whole charm of life here lies in the high moral dignity of people living in Kamenka, that is, in the Davydov family in general. The head of this family, the old woman Alexandra Ivanovna Davydova, represents one of those rare manifestations of human perfection that more than rewards for the many disappointments one has to experience in collisions with people. By the way, this is the only survivor of those wives of the Decembrists who followed their husbands to Siberia. She was in Chita and in the Petrovsky plant and spent the rest of her life until 1856 in various places in Siberia. Everything that she endured and endured there in the first years of her stay in different places of detention with her husband is truly terrible. But on the other hand, she brought with her there comfort and even happiness for her husband. Now she is already a weakening and close to the end old woman, who is living out her last days among a family that deeply respects her. I have deep affection and respect for this venerable person. " Memoirists unanimously note Alexandra Ivanovna's “extraordinary meekness of disposition, always equable disposition and humility”. Children: Maria, Mikhail, Ekaterina, Elizaveta, Peter (was married to E.S. Trubetskoy, daughter of the Decembrist), Nikolai. Born in Siberia: Vasily; Alexandra, Ivan, Leo (husband of P. I. Tchaikovsky), Sophia, Vera. At the suggestion of Benckendorff, on February 18, 1842, Nicholas l allowed the children of S.G. Volkonsky, S.P. Trubetskoy, N.M. Muravyov and V.L. Davydov to be admitted to state educational institutions on the condition that the children will not bear the names of their fathers, but be named after the father, i.e. Davydov's children were to be called Vasilievs. Only Davydov agreed with the proposal. In 1843 Vasily Ivan and Lev were admitted to the Moscow Cadet Corps. After the death of V.L. Davydov's family, with the highest permission that followed on February 14, 1856, returned to European Russia. According to the manifesto in 1856, the children were restored to the rights of the nobility, and those of them, who were named after their father when they were assigned to educational institutions, were returned their surname. ALEXANDRA VASILIEVNA ENTALTSEVA (1783-1858)

She had a very difficult fate. She lost her parents early. Marriage with the Decembrist A.V. Entaltsev was the second for her. Hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, he was a member of the Union of Welfare, and then the secret Southern Society.

Entaltsev Andrey Vasilievich (1788-1845 gg. Arrested and sentenced to 1 year of hard labor and to a settlement in Siberia. Alexandra Vasilievna came for her husband to the Chita prison in 1827. She was the oldest of the wives of the Decembrists, she was 44 years old. house together with Trubetskoy and Volkonskaya. In 1828, Yentaltsev was sent to a settlement in the town of Berezov, Tobolsk province. Their life was very difficult, there was nowhere to wait for material assistance, then they were transferred to Yalutorovsk. Back in Berezovo, and then in Yalutorovsk on Yentaltseva false denunciations were made, which were not confirmed, but he had to refute these accusations - all this undermined his mental health, he began to show signs of mental illness, and in 1841 complete insanity set in. He ran away from home, burned everything that came to hand, then partially paralyzed him ... All this time Alexandra Vasilievna looked after her husband and was faithful to him. This went on for 4 years. When in 1845 her husband died, she asked the decision to return home, but she was refused, she lived for another 10 years in Siberia and only after the amnesty moved to Moscow. Until the end of her life, she kept in touch with the Decembrists, and they did not leave her. ELIZAVETA PETROVNA NARYSHKINA (1802-1867)

N. Bestuzhev "Portrait of E.P. Naryshkina" 1832 She was a maid of honor of the Imperial court and the wife of the Decembrist M.M. Naryshkina. She is from the famous noble family of Konovnitsyn. Her father, Pyotr Petrovich Konovnitsyn, was a hero of the war of 1812. He took part in most of the military campaigns waged by Russia in the late 18th - early 19th centuries, participated in the battles at Ostrovny, Smolensk, Valutina Gora. The "Military Encyclopedia" of the 19th century reports: "On August 5, he defended the Malakhovsky Gate in Smolensk, and was wounded, but did not allow himself to be bandaged until evening and was one of the last to leave the city." Elizabeth was the eldest child in the family and the only daughter. Her two brothers also became Decembrists. In 1824, Elizaveta Petrovna married Colonel of the Tarutino Infantry Regiment M. M. Naryshkin, a wealthy and noble socialite. He was a member of the Welfare Union, then the Northern Society. Participated in the preparation of the uprising in Moscow. He was arrested early in 1826.

(Mikhail Naryshkin, unknown artist, early 1820s) Elizaveta Petrovna did not know about her husband's belonging to secret societies, and his arrest was a blow to her. M.M. Naryshkin was convicted of the IV category and sentenced to hard labor for 8 years. They had no children (the daughter died in infancy), and the woman decides to follow her husband. In a letter to her mother, Elizaveta Petrovna wrote that a trip to hard labor to her husband was necessary for her happiness. Only then will she find peace of mind. And her mother blessed her with this fate. She arrives in Chita in May 1827, almost at the same time A.V. Entaltseva, N.D. Fonvizin, A.I. Davydov. Elizaveta Petrovna is gradually drawn into life in exile. She learns to farm, goes on dates with her husband: officially they are allowed 2 times a week, but the cracks in the stockade of the prison allowed talking more often. At first, the guards chased the women away, then they stopped doing it. In the evenings, she wrote dozens of letters to relatives of prisoners. The Decembrists were deprived of the right to correspond, and the wives were the only channel through which news of the prisoners reached their families. It is even difficult to imagine how many heartbroken people were warmed by these letters written by the wives of the Decembrists from exile! Naryshkina did not have a very sociable character, sometimes she was perceived as a proud woman, but as soon as she got to know her better, the first impression went away. Here is how the Decembrist A.E. Rosen: “She was 23 years old; the only daughter of a hero-father and an exemplary mother, she meant everything in her own home, and everyone fulfilled her wishes and whims. The first time I saw her was on the street, near our work, in a black dress with a thin waist in the girth; her face was slightly dark with expressive intelligent eyes, her head was imperiously raised, her gait was light, graceful. “Naryshkina was not as attractive as Muravyova. She seemed very arrogant and from the first time made an unpleasant impression, even pushed away from herself, but when you got close to this woman, it was impossible to tear yourself away from her, she chained everyone to her with her boundless kindness and extraordinary nobility of character, ”wrote P. E. Annenkova in her memoirs. In 1830 she and her husband moved to a separate room in the Petrovsky plant, and at the end of 1832 they left for a settlement in Kurgan. Here they buy a house, M.M. Naryshkin is engaged in agriculture and even runs a small stud farm. The Naryshkin House becomes a cultural center, new books are read and discussed here, music and singing of Elizaveta Petrovna are played. “The Naryshkin family was a true benefactor of the whole region. Both of them, husband and wife, helped the poor, treated and gave medicines to the sick for their own money ... Their yard on Sundays was usually full of people, who were given food, clothes, money, ”wrote a friend of the Naryshkins, Decembrist N.I. Lorer, who also lived in a settlement in Kurgan. Without their children, they took up a girl Ulyana. In 1837, traveling through Siberia, the heir to the throne, the future Emperor Alexander II, arrived in Kurgan. He was accompanied by an educator - the famous Russian poet V.A. Zhukovsky. Zhukovsky visits the Decembrists, among whom there are many of his former acquaintances. These are A. Briggen, the Rosen and Naryshkin families. “In Kurgan I saw Naryshkina (daughter of our brave Konovnitsyn) ... She was deeply touched by her quietness and noble simplicity in misfortune,” V.A. Zhukovsky. The Decembrists, through Zhukovsky, are submitting an application for permission to return to Russia. The heir writes a letter to his father, but Nicholas I replies: "For these gentlemen the way to Russia lies through the Caucasus." Two months later, a list of six Decembrists was received from St. Petersburg, who were ordered to go as privates to the Caucasus, where a war with the highlanders was fought. This list also included M.M. Naryshkin. Almost the entire population of Kurgan gathered on the day of the departure of the Decembrists in a small birch forest on the edge of the city. A gala dinner was arranged in their honor. Elizaveta Petrovna goes to the Caucasus for her husband. Mikhail Mikhailovich lived in the village of Durable Okop. Former Colonel M.M. Naryshkin was enlisted as a private in the army. For distinction in 1843 he received the rank of ensign. In 1844, he was allowed to leave the service and live permanently with his wife in a small estate in the village of Vysokoye Tula province. These restrictions were lifted by the 1856 amnesty. NATALIA DMITRIEVNA FONVISINA (1803-1869)

From a noble family. Nee Apukhtina. Her husband, General M.A. Fonvizin, was taken to the Peter and Paul Fortress in January 1826 with the tsar's parting words: "To plant, where it is better, but strictly, and not to let anyone see." The retired Major General Fonvizin, a member of the Northern Society of the Decembrists, was convicted under the IV category as guilty "of intent to regicide by consent, expressed in 1817, of participation in the intent of a riot by admitting members to the secret society." Places of the Fonvizins' settlement were Yeniseisk, then Krasnoyarsk, since 1838 - Tobolsk. Natalia Fonvizina at this time was pregnant with her second child, her eldest son Dmitry was 2 years old. She arrived in Chita already in 1827. “An unforgettable day for me - after a long, long separation from my friend Natalya, I saw her and revived my soul; I don’t remember that during the whole course of my life I had such sweet moments, despite the fact that our feelings were constrained by the presence of a stranger. Lord! I thank you from the depths of my soul! ”, Wrote M.A. Fonvizin.

(Mikhail Alexandrovich Fonvizin.) She was 11 years younger than her husband, but spiritually and morally superior to him. She was an extraordinary person: in her youth she tried to flee to a monastery, but then abruptly changed her views and married her cousin uncle. Her character is compared with the character of Pushkin's Tatyana Larina, there is even an opinion that it was she who served as the prototype of this heroine. She was very religious, and soon persuaded her husband to believe. This is what brought her closer to F.M. Dostoevsky, with whom she had a sincere and long-term correspondence. In 1834 the Fonvizins left for a settlement in Kurgan, where the Decembrist Rosen and his family already lived. The Fonvizins had two children in Siberia, but both died. And the remaining eldest sons died at a young age (25 and 26 years old). It was very hard to go through. Natalya Dmitrievna finds consolation in helping the disadvantaged, she helps the exiled Poles, Petrashevites with money, food, warm clothes ... Foster children were brought up in their family: Maria Frantseva, Nikolai Znamensky, etc. In 1850, in Tobolsk, she achieved a meeting in prison with F. M. Dostoevsky, M. V. Petrashevsky and other Petrashevsky residents. From Petrashevsky she learned that her son Dmitry also belonged to the Petrashevsky circle. In 1853 the Fonvizins returned to their homeland and lived on the estate of Maryino's brother in the Bronnitsky district of the Moscow province, with the establishment of the strictest police supervision and the prohibition of entry to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Here Fonvizin died in 1854 and was buried in Bronnitsy near the city cathedral. In 1856 N. D. Fonvizina went to Tobolsk, visited Yalutorovsk, where I. I. Pushchin lived.

(Pushchin Ivan Ivanovich). In 1856, according to the manifesto of Alexander II, Pushchin was amnestied, and in May 1857, Pushchin was married to Natalia Dmitrievna on the estate of a friend of I. I. Pushchin. On April 3, 1859, Pushchin died and was buried together with Mikhail Alexandrovich Fonvizin. After Pushchin's death, Natalia Dmitrievna moved from Maryino to Moscow. In the last years of her life she was paralyzed. She died in 1869. She was buried in the former Pokrovsky monastery. MARIA KAZIMIROVNA YUSHNEVSKAYA (1790-1863)

The wife of the Decembrist Alexei Petrovich Yushnevsky since 1812. From a noble family. Nee Krulikovskaya. A.P. Yushnevsky was a member of the Southern Secret Society, was sentenced to I category for life hard labor.

In her petition to follow her husband, she writes: “To facilitate the fate of my husband everywhere I want to follow him, for the well-being of my life I now need nothing more than to have the happiness of seeing him and share with him everything that cruel fate intended ... Having lived with him for 14 years the happiest wife in the world, I want to fulfill my sacred duty and share with him his plight. Out of the feeling and gratitude that I have for him, I would not only willingly take upon myself all the misfortunes in the world and poverty, but would willingly give my life in order to only alleviate his lot. Siberia arrived only in 1830, although the petition was filed back in 1826. The delay was due to the fact that her daughter from her first marriage wanted to go with her, but permission was not received for this. In 1830-1839 she lived with her husband in the Petrovsky plant, and then in a settlement in the village of Kuzminskaya near Irkutsk. Raised adopted children. In 1844, her husband suddenly dies, but Yushnevskaya is not allowed to return, she remains in Siberia for another 11 years. She returned to her homeland as a widow and until her death lived under police surveillance. KAMILLA PETROVNA IVASHEVA (1808-1839)

Ivashev Vasily Petrovich Vasily was a naturally gifted youth, was fond of painting, music, received an excellent education, became an officer of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, adjutant of Count P.Kh. Wittgenstein. (It was under the command of Count Pyotr Khristianovich Wittgenstein that the military unit in the battle near Polotsk on August 16-23, 1812 defeated the Bavarian divisions of Generals Wrede and Deroy, preventing their advance in the northern direction, for which the count received the honorary title of savior of St. Petersburg.) Young Ivashev produced on a teenager. Camille is deeply impressed. It cannot be said that the master's son did not notice the love of the governess's daughter. With a light flirtation, without crossing the boundaries of decency, he was pleased to maintain her fascination with his special one. Both knew that Vasily had obligations to a distant relative, who was considered his fiancée. A few years later, the governess's daughter also became a governess, moved to St. Petersburg, and the time-doctor seemingly erased the memory of her former hobby. In 1816, the Ivashevs purchased a house in Moscow, where they lived until 1832. In this house on January 23, 1826, the Decembrist Vasily Petrovich Ivashev was detained (he, as it turned out, was a member of the Union of Prosperity and the Southern Society). The news of Vasily's arrest plunged Camilla into shock, she suffered a nervous shock, she fell seriously ill and literally within a few days died in front of her mother, who did not suspect the reasons for her daughter's condition. Later, Maria Petrovna found out everything and decided to write a letter to the Ivashevs: “I offer the Ivashevs an adopted daughter with a noble, pure and loving soul. I would even be able to hide the secret of my daughter from my best friend if I could suspect that I was seeking position or wealth. But she only wants to share his (Vasily Petrovich's) shackles, wipe away his tears, and without blushing for my childish feelings, I could talk about them if I knew about them earlier. " The mentioned relative-bride, after the condemnation of the Decembrist, refrained from showing any feelings towards him. The Ivashevs, having received a letter from Le Danteu, left the decision to their son. They told him about such an unexpected marriage proposal from young Camilla. There was no limit to Vasily Petrovich's amazement. He had almost forgotten the governess's daughter and could not have imagined that an innocent amorous game would leave such a deep mark on Camilla. Fate accompanied his luck. The fact is that he received news from his parents three days before his prepared escape from penal servitude. Of course, his plans changed radically: instead of the dangerous prospect of a life-long fugitive, a star of captivating happiness dawned in front of Vasily. Camilla writes a letter to the emperor asking him to allow her to go to Ivashev, the letter contains the following words: “I love him almost since childhood and, having felt since misfortune, how dear his life is to me, vowed to share his bitter fate. In June 1831 she left for Siberia. But she was not a wife, she was afraid of disappointment: in herself, in her love ... Arriving, she stayed at Volkonskaya, and a week later the wedding with Vasily Ivashev took place. They lived for a month in a separate house, and then began to live in her husband's casemate. Everyone fell in love with Camilla, a sweet, kind and educated girl. At the beginning of 1839, Camilla's mother came to Turinsk, helped her in family matters, in raising children, but in December of this year Camilla caught a cold and died of premature birth. V. Ivashev wrote in one of his letters: “On the night preceding our sorrowful parting, the illness seemed to have lost its strength ... her head became fresher, which allowed her to accept the help of religion with reverence, she twice blessed the children, was able to say goodbye to those around her grieved friends, say a word of comfort to each of his servants. But her farewell to me and my mother! ... We did not leave her. She first joined our hands, then kissed each one. In turn, she looked for us with her eyes, took our hands. I pressed her hand to her cheek, warming her with my hand, and she tried to keep this position longer. In the last word her whole life was poured out; she took my hand, half-opened her eyes and said, "Poor Basil," and a tear rolled down her cheek. Yes, terribly poor, terribly unfortunate! I no longer have my friend, who was the consolation of my parents in the most difficult times, who gave me eight years of happiness, devotion, love, and what kind of love. " She was only 31 years old. Ivashev survived her by only 1 year, he died suddenly, he was buried on the day of her death. I.I. Pushchin, N.V. Basargin, Annenkov helped Camilla's mother and her children (Maria, Vera, Peter). It was with difficulty that the children were taken out of Siberia under the name of Vasiliev. Only 15 years later, after the amnesty, the Ivasheva surname and the nobility were returned to them.

"Politeness breeds and evokes politeness" (E. Rotterdam)

The names of the wives of the Decembrists in the distant 1826 were known to the entire Moscow world. Their fates became the subject of discussion and sympathy. Eleven women sacrificed everything, abandoning their usual benefits, in order to share the sad fate of their beloved.

In 1871, the poet Nikolai Nekrasov wrote the poem "Russian women" - the wives of the Decembrists Trubetskoy and Volkonsky became the main heroines of the work. In those years, the institution of the family was of great importance in society. Even without sharing political views and, perhaps, somewhere condemning the act of their chosen ones, women followed their husbands, leaving the most precious thing - their children. So strong was faith in marriage, family, and God.

These stories are noteworthy, we have a lot to learn from these fearless women! Nekrasov and the wives of the Decembrists lived at about the same time. This made it possible for the poet to describe the stories of unfortunate women in such a poignant manner. What was waiting for them on the road? How hard did they part with loved ones? What fate awaited them ahead? Nekrasov will tell about the feat of the wives of the Decembrists, revealing in two stories - Ekaterina Trubetskoy and Maria Volkonskaya - all the horror of acquaintance with the harsh north and the endless pain of parting with loved ones.

December history

After the reign of Alexander I, which lasted 24 years, in 1825 his younger brother Nikolai came to power. The oath was scheduled for December 14, 1925. On this day in the capital of the Russian Empire - St. Petersburg - there was an attempt at a coup d'etat. After the long reign of Alexander the Blessed, Russia, tired of endless wars, wanted peace and tranquility.

The uprising was organized by a group of like-minded nobles, most of whom were guards officers. The main goal of the rebels was the liberalization of the Russian social and political system: the establishment of a provisional government, the abolition of serfdom, equality of all before the law, democratic freedoms (press, confession, labor), the introduction of a jury trial, the introduction of compulsory military service for all classes, the election of officials, change of the form of government to a constitutional monarchy or republic. Despite the rather lengthy preparations, the uprising was immediately suppressed.

In July 1826, five conspirators and leaders of the Decembrist uprising were hanged on the crownwork of the Peter and Paul Fortress: K.F. Ryleev, P.I. Pestel, SI. Muravyov-Apostol, M.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin and P.G. Kakhovsky. The remaining eleven like-minded people were exiled to Siberia. It was for them that their wives went into exile.

Ekaterina Trubetskaya

Princess Ekaterina Ivanovna Trubetskaya, nee Countess Laval was born in St. Petersburg in 1800. Father Ivan Stepanovich was an educated and wealthy French émigré who came to Russia during the French Revolution. In the capital, he met his wife, Countess Alexandra Grigorievna, the heiress of millions from a very wealthy St. Petersburg family. In marriage, they had two daughters, Ekaterina and Sophia. The Laval couple gave their children an excellent education, surrounding the little ones with luxury and the most qualified teachers.

Naturally, Catherine never needed anything, was far from cooking and household chores, surrounded from childhood by a servant, she could not always even dress herself.

Wealth, shine! A high house On the bank of the Neva, A staircase is covered with a carpet, In front of the entrance there are lions, The magnificent hall is gracefully decorated, The whole is on fire.

The Laval family spent a lot of time in Europe, where in 1819 Catherine met Prince Sergei Petrovich Trubetskoy, who at that time was 29 years old. Educated, wealthy, veteran of the war with Napoleon, Colonel Trubetskoy was a very enviable groom. The young people fell in love and got married in 1820.

The young wife had no idea that her husband had been preparing an uprising with his associates for several years. Catherine was more concerned about the absence of children in their family, whom she really wanted.

It is the first part of this poem by Nekrasov that is dedicated to the wife of the Decembrist Trubetskoy. After the events of December 14, Catherine was the first to put forward a desire to follow her husband to hard labor. For 6 months, Tsar Nicholas I himself, by his decree, tried to restrain the impulses of a woman distraught with grief.

Oh! Do you live in a country like this, Where the air is among people Not the ferry - ice dust Comes out of the nostrils? Where is the darkness and cold all year round, And in the brief heat of the immortal swamps Malicious vapors? Yes ... a terrible land! From there, the forest beast runs away, night Hangs over the country ...

But Catherine was adamant. Nekrasov's lines very realistically depict the girl's experiences, although the poem about the wives of the Decembrists was written after all the events in 1871.

Ah! .. It is better to keep these speeches for others. All your tortures will not extract the tears from my eyes! Having left my homeland, friends, Beloved father, Taking a vow in my soul To fulfill to the end My duty - I will not bring tears Into the damned prison - I am pride, pride in I will save him, I will give him strength! Contempt for our executioners, Consciousness of righteousness The faithful support will be to us.

Ekaterina Ivanovna saw her husband only in 1927, having accepted all the conditions regarding the wives of exiled convicts. The woman had to give up all the privileges of the nobility and her millionth fortune.

Sign this paper! What are you? ... My God! It means becoming a beggar And a simple woman! To everything you say "forgive", What is given to you by your father, What inherited should be transferred to you later! Property rights, rights of the Nobility to lose!

So, after all the tests, in 1830 the Trubetskoys' first daughter, Alexander, was born. At the end of 1839, Trubetskoy left hard labor, and the whole family settled in the village of Oek. By that time, the family already had five children. Six years later, the family was given permission to settle in Irkutsk, where they had two more children.

Trubetskoy performed a truly heroic act for her time. The torment she experienced when parting with her father, the heaviness of the road to the destination, which took more than three months, the loss of all titles and material wealth, Nekrasov will very accurately describe all this in his poem "Russian Women" and tell about how the wives of the Decembrists survived in Siberia.

Ekaterina Ivanovna died in Irkutsk at the age of 54 from cancer. The husband will outlive her by 4 years. By this time, they will have four children out of seven born alive.

Maria Volkonskaya

Princess Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya was the second of the Decembrists who followed her husband into exile. Like the previous heroine, Maria was from a noble family of the Raevsky. The granddaughter of Lomonosov himself, she was familiar with Pushkin, was the daughter of the hero of the war of 1812 Nikolai Raevsky. The girl grew up in wealth and luxury.

We lived in a large, suburban house. After giving the children to an Englishwoman, the Old Man rested. I learned everything that a rich noblewoman needed. And after school I ran to the garden And sang carefree all day, My voice was very good, they say, Father listened to him willingly .. ...

Masha was very educated, fluent in several languages, played the piano perfectly, had a wonderful voice.

In August 1824, Maria and Prince Sergei Volkonsky met. This marriage was concluded, rather, for calculation than for love: the father decided that it was time for his daughter to get married. In any case, family life did not last long: after 3 months Volkonsky was arrested. Maria was already pregnant.

While the litigation lasted, Mary was kept in the dark. After the birth of her son and the sentencing of her husband, a desperate woman decided to follow her husband to Siberia, but met with a strong protest from an authoritarian father. However, this did not stop the girl, and, leaving her son to her family, she went to Irkutsk. The hardest parting with the baby will be described by Nekrasov in a poem dedicated to the wives of the Decembrists.

I spent the last night with a child. Bending over my son, I tried to remember the smile of my dear baby; I played with him The seal of a fatal letter. I played and thought: "Poor my son! You don't know what you are playing! Here is your lot: you will wake up alone, Unhappy!" You will lose your mother! "And in grief, having fallen on his hands with my Face, I whispered, sobbing:" Forgive me that for your father, my poor, I must leave you ... "

Your heart breaks when you read Nekrasov's lines ...

But, having signed the same conditions as Trubetskaya, for the wives of convicts, the wife of the Decembrist Volkonskaya lost everything overnight. Hard, lonely everyday life began, which darkened the news of the death of his son, and then his father. What this woman experienced is impossible to imagine, because she saw her husband only in 1829. Nekrasov's poem dedicated to the wives of the Decembrists will end with a description of this touching meeting.

And then he saw, saw me! And stretched out his hands to me: "Masha!" And he stood, exhausted, as if far away ... Two exiles supported him. Tears flowed down his pale cheeks, Outstretched hands trembled ...

In 1830, the family had a girl named Sophia, but she died immediately. Only the birth of her second son in 1832 brought Mary back to life. Three years later, her husband was released from factory work, then the Volkonskys had a second daughter, Elena.

Sergey Grigorievich was engaged in agriculture, Maria - in the education of children and creativity. The wives of the Decembrists in Siberia did not sit idle.

In 1856, the Volkonskys returned to Moscow, where they tried to establish a secular life, traveled a lot with their children and grandchildren. But the health undermined by the north did not allow to fully enjoy life. At the age of 59, Maria died of a long illness. Sergey Grigorievich also died two years later.

Alexandra Muravyova

During her short life, Alexandra managed to share the fate of her husband in Siberia and give birth to six children!

Alexandra was a recognized beauty from St. Petersburg. Acquaintance with the captain of the General Staff of the Guards Nikita Mikhailovich Muravyov led to the wedding in 1823. At the time of her husband's arrest, Alexandra was already expecting her third child. In 1826, Alexandra Grigorievna followed her husband, leaving three small children in the care of her mother-in-law.

What crazy love and dedication prompted a woman to embark on this difficult journey, leaving three children? Nekrasov and the wives of the Decembrists lived in Tsarist Russia - this allowed the poet to accurately describe the character of women, the harsh Siberian reality and the kindness of the Russian people.

The moon swam among the heavens Without shine, without rays, To the left was a gloomy forest, To the right was the Yenisei. Dark! To meet not a soul, The coachman slept on a box, The hungry wolf in the wilderness moaned piercingly, Yes, the wind beat and roared, Playing on the river, Yes, a foreigner sang somewhere In a strange language. An unknown language sounded with a harsh pathos. ...

The girl was destined to endure the painful journey to the place of her husband's hard labor, all the hardships of life in Siberia, and at the same time give birth to three more children there! In exile, terrible news comes to her: in Petersburg her son dies, followed by her beloved mother, and then her father. But the troubles do not end there: soon two daughters, who were already born in Siberia, die. Such unthinkable suffering could not but leave a mark on a woman who was once full of health and youth.

In 1932, at the age of 28, she dies of a cold. Her husband Nikita Mikhailovich will outlive his wife by 11 years.

Pauline Gebl

Jeanette-Polina Gebl lived a long life, of which she left 30 years in Siberia. Arriving in 1823 to work in Moscow from France, she accidentally meets the future Decembrist Ivan Annenkov. The love that broke out between young people gives an impetus to the young milliner to follow her husband after an unsuccessful uprising. In marriage, the couple has 18 children, of which only seven will be fated to survive.

Polina and Ivan had a truly amazing love. Until her last days, she looked after her husband like a child, and until her death she did not remove from her hand the bracelet cast by Nikolai Bestuzhev from her husband's shackles. After Paul's death, Ivan Alexandrovich fell into a deep depression and died a year later.

Anna Rosen

Anna Vasilievna Malinovskaya had noble roots, an excellent education and a cheerful disposition. She was the last of the wives of the Decembrists who followed her husband to Siberia. It was hard to part with her five-year-old son Eugene, whom she would be destined to see only after 8 years.

With her husband, Baron Andrey Evgenievich (background) Rosen, Anna was connected with really tender and deep feelings. Despite all the trials, the Rosen family have kept tenderness and love for each other for almost 60 years! In marriage, they had seven children, two of whom died in childhood. The baron survived his wife by only 4 months.

Alexandra Entaltseva

Alexandra Vasilyevna Entaltseva was distinguished from her friends in misfortune by the absence of noble origin, titles and rich relatives. She grew up an orphan and got married early enough. But the marriage did not work out: the young woman left her gambling husband, leaving a little daughter in his care.

Acquaintance with Andrei Vasilyevich Entaltsev, the commander of a horse-artillery company, turned the fate of an already middle-aged woman. Andrei Vasilievich was not distinguished by his beauty and cheerful disposition, but he was kind, attentive and caring. Tired of loneliness and dreamed of finding a quiet family happiness, Alexandra agrees to marriage, and later goes to Siberia for her husband.

The life of Alexandra Vasilievna did not differ from other women, despite the difference in origin. The feat of the wives of the Decembrists united them in common trouble, rallied and helped to survive in the unusual conditions of the north. Unfortunately, in 1845, her husband dies from frequent illnesses. By law, she could not return home to Moscow and had to stay in the north for life. Only in 1856 was she allowed to leave. She returned to her homeland, where she died 2 years later.

Elizaveta Naryshkina

Elizaveta Petrovna Konovnitsyna was the only daughter in the family of a war veteran, General Pyotr Petrovich Konovnitsyna. Elizabeth met her future husband Mikhail Mikhailovich Naryshkin at one of the balls in 1823, being the maid of honor of the Empress. The couple got married a year later. In the marriage of the Naryshkins, a daughter, Natalya, was born, unfortunately, the girl lived only three months and she was destined to become the first and only daughter in the family.

Further events developed rapidly. After the uprising, Mikhail was sentenced to exile to Chita, where Elizabeth followed her husband. The family spent 10 years in exile, then Naryshkin was assigned as a private in the Caucasian corps, and the family moved to the Tula region.

The Naryshkins, amnestied in 1856, lived in Paris for a long time. All this time, the wife was engaged in charity work, compatriots remember her kind and sympathetic, always ready to help. Died and buried Elizabeth was in Moscow, along with her only daughter and husband.

Camilla Ivasheva

Camille Le Danteu was a governess in the family of Major General P.N. Ivashev. The beauty immediately fell in love with the owner's son Ivan, a cavalry officer, 11 years older than her. The girl had to hide her feelings, since an unequal marriage was impossible at that time.

After the arrest of Ivashev, the girl decided to open her feelings to her beloved, which shocked not only her chosen one, but also his family. Under the circumstances, the now former governess was allowed to go to Siberia for her love already in the role of a bride, since Vasily Petrovich, although he was surprised, did not object to the marriage. In 1830, the young people met and a week later formalized their relationship in the Volkonsky house. For nine years of marriage, four children were born in the family, but during the last birth, Camilla died with the baby. Ivan also died a year later.

Alexandra Davydova

Alexandra Ivanovna was the most "unpopular" of all the wives of the Decembrists, since she had neither clan, nor status, nor decent education. She was distinguished by a humble disposition and modesty. The girl was 17 years old when the young 26-year-old Davydov turned the head of the naive Alexandra. For six years of marriage, the couple had 6 children, whom she would have to leave, following her husband to Siberia. The parting was not easy for the woman, her mother's heart ached, and this pain never subsided.

Later in exile, the Davydovs will have seven more children, which will make them the largest couple in the settlement. The husband Vasily Lvovich will die in 1855, not having lived a year before the amnesty. The large family will soon after his death return to their native land, where the head of the family, the venerable Alexandra Ivanovna, will live the rest of his life surrounded by loved ones, who love and respect her children and grandchildren. She will die at the age of 93 and will be buried in the Smolensk cemetery.

Natalia Fonvizina

Apukhtina Natalya Dmitrievna was of noble origin and grew up as a very devout child. At the age of 19, she married her cousin Mikhail Alexandrovich Fonvizin, who was 16 years older than her.

There was no crazy love between the spouses; it was, rather, a profitable marriage than a romantic one. High religiosity pushed the woman to follow her husband and leave two little sons in the care of relatives. Two sons, born already in exile, will die before living even a year. An unhappy fate will befall the remaining in Moscow Dmitry and Mikhail - they will die at the age of 25 and 26. Faith and selfless help to those in need will help Natalya survive this loss. In 1853 the Fonvizins will return home, but after exile they will live for only a year.

Maria Yushnevskaya

Maria Kazimirovna Krulikovskaya was of Polish origin, brought up in the Catholic faith. From her first marriage, she left a daughter, who in the future will not be allowed to follow with her mother to Siberia. With her husband, the Decembrist Alexei Petrovich Yushnevsky, there were no joint children.

In exile, both spouses were engaged in teaching, which remained the main income of Maria Kazimirovna after the sudden death of her husband in 1844. After the amnesty in 1855, the woman returned to the estate in the Kiev province. She died in Kiev at the age of 73.

The events on the Senate Square of St. Petersburg on December 14, 1825 became the first revolutionary action of the nobility against the existing order, with the aim of establishing a democratic republic in the state. The insurgents, due to their disorganization and without the support of the people, were defeated. Five participants in the uprising were hanged, 31 Decembrists were sent into permanent exile, the rest received milder sentences. Many of them were followed by wives, brides and sisters to hard labor. The wives of the Decembrists shared with their husbands all the hardships of exile, gave birth and raised children, and sincerely tried to be happy.

120 representatives of the nobility were sent to hard labor in Siberian cities by the verdict of the court. Those exiled to Siberia were held for some time in the prisons of St. Petersburg, and then sent to the Siberian prison. The wives and brides of the convicts went to share the fate with their loved ones. So who were these women, and what did they donate?

Prince Sergei Volkonsky sent matchmakers to the house of Nikolai Raevsky when his daughter was barely 18 years old. A year later, they got married, and the husband was 17 years older than his beautiful wife.

The fate of the Decembrist Volkonsky was closely connected with secret organizations, but he promised the bride's father to end this immediately after the wedding. 11 months before the uprising of the Decembrists, during the wedding, the bride's veil was ignited by a candle. The women gasped, considering it a bad omen.

After the trial, Maria dreamed of reuniting with her husband. In December 1826, leaving her one-year-old son, and in defiance of the condemnation of her relatives, she went to her husband. In exile, they had a son, who was named Misha, and a daughter, Elena. In 1855 she was allowed to settle in Moscow to undergo treatment.

Maria Nikolaevna died in August 1863, and was buried in Voronki. Less than a year later, the spouses buried the prince next to the grave.

Countess Alexandrina Chernysheva, being brought up in the parental home, received an excellent education, and external beauty was harmoniously combined in her with spiritual beauty.

The young beauty fell in love with Nikita Muravyov, and in 1823 became his wife. Alexandra's husband was not in the square during the uprising, but received 15 years of hard labor. Alexandra Muravyova, having given birth to her third child, became the first of the women who went to her husband after the verdict was announced.

When her husband was transferred to the Petrovsky plant, the couple lived in terrible conditions. Muravyova gave birth to three more children in hard labor, but the cold climate and unbearable life undermined the health of the young woman.

She died in November 1832, when she was only 27 years old. The first death in the community of exiled Decembrists. The authorities did not give permission to move the body to St. Petersburg and she was buried in the settlement. Alexandra's granddaughter wrote that her mother Sophia made a museum out of her house in honor of the famous Decembrist.

Baptized the daughter of a French emigrant Jean Laval and Alexandra Kozitsina on December 7, 1800, and gave her the name Catherine. The young countess was distinguished by her kind heart and special femininity.

While vacationing in the capital of France, she met Prince Sergei Trubetskoy, and in 1820 she married him. The noble and wealthy spouse was 10 years older than his wife. The first of all the Decembrists to obtain permission to follow her husband to Siberia. I waited a long time for permission to see my beloved in Irkutsk, and refused all persuasions to return.

Maybe the air of Siberia influenced, but the first daughter of the Trubetskoy couple was born in exile, 10 years after the marriage. In total, Catherine gave birth to 4 children. Trubetskaya helped the families of convicts, distributed bread to the poor. Later, admiring her kindness, Nekrasov dedicated the first part of his poem "Russian Women" to her.

The Countess died in 1854, and she was buried in the Znamensky Monastery in the vicinity of Irkutsk. Having received permission to return home, Trubetskoy cried for several hours at the grave of his beloved wife before leaving.

The charming maid of honor at the court of the emperor Elizabeth was the daughter of Peter Konovnitsyn, who was then the minister of military affairs. On the day of her wedding with Naryshkin, the empress gave her 12 thousand rubles.

The husband did not take part in the December uprising, but was sentenced to 8 years of hard labor for membership in secret organizations. Elizabeth, without hesitation, went to her husband in Chita.

In Tobolsk, where a monument to the wives of the Decembrists was unveiled in 2008, the Naryshkins had their own house, which became an educational center. After the expiration of the term of exile, the husband was sent to the Caucasus, and Elizabeth, after visiting her relatives for a short time, followed him.

When my husband retired, they settled near Tula. Elizabeth died in 1867, her husband passed away three years earlier.

French by birth Camille Le Danteu was the daughter of a governess. Mother served in the family of Major General Pyotr Ivashev. While still very young, Camilla fell in love with the son of the owners of the house. In which she served.

A different social status would not allow the girl to become the wife of a noble nobleman. But then the December uprising took place, and Vasily, who was in a secret society, but himself was not on Senate Square, was sentenced to 15 years in hard labor. The young girl announced that she wanted to marry Vasily. Upon learning of this, the convicted Decembrist was moved to the depths of his soul.

Having received permission, Camilla joined the groom in 1830. After the wedding, we spent a whole month in a rented house. After the honeymoon, Ivashev returned to hard labor. The happy "convict" gave birth to 4 children, and it was here, among the Siberian wilderness, that she found happiness.

In 1855, the family moved to Turinsk, where Vasily built a house for the family. But the years of hard labor affected Camilla's health. Having caught a cold, she died at the age of 31 during a premature birth on January 7, 1840. A year later, on January 9, Vasily Ivashev also died, not resigning himself to the loss of his beloved wife.

Jeanette-Pauline Goble

Jeannette was the daughter of a military man who served in Napoleon's army. After the death of her father, and the girl was only 9 years old, she received a pension and a salary from the emperor of France.

The money quickly ran out, and the young girl learned to sew dresses and hats, and at the age of 23 she moved to St. Petersburg, where she worked as a milliner. In the summer of 1825 she met Ivan Annenkov. Young people fell in love at first sight, but Jeanette refused the Russian officer when he proposed to her.

After the uprising, Ivan was arrested and imprisoned in prison, and the young Frenchwoman could not understand where her boyfriend had gone. Upon learning of the arrest, she sold part of her belongings, came to the capital to prepare her beloved escape. But all in vain, Ivan was sentenced to 20 years in hard labor. A French woman with a real Russian soul was not the wife of a convict, and, seeking permission to go to Siberia, she reached Nicholas I.

In April 1828, they played a wedding, for which the Russian emperor gave permission, and the French woman became Praskovya Yegorovna Annenkova. Jeanette gave birth 18 times, but only seven of their children with Ivan survived. When the amnesty was announced, the couple chose Nizhny Novgorod as their place of residence, where they happily lived for another 20 years after all the trials. They were buried side by side at the Red cemetery of the city on the Volga.

From childhood, Natalya Alpukhina was a devout child, and she read the lives of the saints. In her youth, she led an ascetic lifestyle, wearing a heavy belt boiled in salt, spoiling the skin of her face, exposing it to the rays of the scorching sun.

At the age of 19, she married her cousin Mikhail Fonvizin, and when he was sent to hard labor, she followed after him. In St. Petersburg, Natalya left two of her sons to be raised by her mother. In 1853, they received a notice with permission to return from exile, and the couple settled near Moscow. After the death of her husband, she came out again and tied her fate with the Decembrist Ivan Pushchin.

Zhukovsky dedicated one of his poems to her, and contemporaries compared the brave woman with Pushkin's heroine Tatyana from Eugene Onegin.

Anna's father, Vasily Malinovsky, served as the director of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, and was able to give his daughter an excellent education. The brother of the young girl introduced her to a handsome officer, Andrei Rosen.

In April 1825, the young people got married, and after 8 months the husband was arrested. Rosen was the only one who warned his wife about the uprising, and possible arrest. After the sentence, which determined Andrei Rosen 10 years in hard labor, which was then reduced to 6 years.

Anna, following the instruction of her husband, waited until their son grew up, and then, leaving the child to his mother, went to Siberia for her husband. She treated people as much as she could to support her spouse. In Kurgan, the Rosen couple bought a house with funds sent by Anna's brother.

After the amnesty, they lived near Khabarovsk, raising and raising children. Anna died in 1884, and Andrei survived her by only 4 months.

Historians and writers have given this wonderful woman the least attention of all 11 fearless Decembrists. But everyone who wrote about her certainly noted the meekness of disposition, generosity and humility.

At the age of 17, she was married to the hussar, joker and merry fellow Vasily Davydov. With his wit and poetry, which he dedicated to the young beauty, he turned Alexandra's head, and she could not resist.

The sentence and hard labor broke the gallant hussar, but in 1828 his wife came to him in the Chita prison, leaving the children to their relatives. The husband was unspeakably happy about this turn of events. Here in Chita they had 4 children, and then, after moving to Krasnoyarsk, their loving wife gave her husband three more children.

An interesting fact is that they turned out to be the largest family among all the Decembrists. Alexandra managed to preserve many of the notes, letters and drawings of the Decembrists, made by them in hard labor. She died in 1895, when she was 93 years old.

For the sake of justice, let's say that among those who followed the spouses to hard labor were Maria Yushnevskaya and Alexandra Entaltseva, as well as Nikolai Bestuzhev's sister Natalya.

But Anastasia Yakushkina did not spare herself in order to get permission to go to her husband, and had already agreed with her relatives that they would take her children up for raising. But her husband forbade her to go, and she obediently remained in Moscow, deeply experiencing separation from her beloved.

Ryleev's wife supported the wives of the convicts as best she could and helped them obtain permission to visit the spouses in exile. Natalya Shakhovskaya also commands respect, after her husband fell ill, she managed to transfer him to Suzdal. She settled next to her husband, and until the end of his days, she provided him with support and medical care.

Maria Borozdina, the wife of the Decembrist Poggio, for many years sought to meet with her husband, who was kept in the casemates of the Shlisselburg prison. In 1834, Poggio was escorted under guard to Siberia, and Natalia's marriage to him was dissolved at the insistence of her father.

All of them, like those on the list, are feminine, fragile, but heroic voluntary "convicts", are worthy of respect and admiration.

In conclusion, we will tell you what the brave representatives of the fair sex have lost and what they gained.

By personal decree of Emperor Nicholas II, all wives of the Decembrists sentenced to hard labor could dissolve the marriage. Some took advantage of this, and found happiness in their second marriage.

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But most of them remained faithful to the oath taken at the altar, and, abandoning the luxurious carefree life, leaving their own children in the care of relatives, went to the harsh conditions of hard labor.

All were deprived of the title of nobility, class privileges. By decree of the emperor, they were transferred to the position of wives of exiled convicts. This social position limited movement around the country, and correspondence with relatives was prohibited.

Children who were born into families of exiled Decembrists were transferred to the category of state peasants.

Someone will regard this act as recklessness, someone as a manifestation of nobility and a heightened sense of duty. But it was love ... true love.

Immediately after the coronation in August 1856, the new emperor of Russia, Alexander II, issued an order allowing the exiled Decembrists to return. At that time, 34 Decembrists remained alive.

Five faithful wives together with their spouses returned to the European part of the state. They were allowed to live under police supervision in any city except the Russian capital.

Looking deep into the centuries, we note that such a massive impulse of the soul was the only time in history when women, abandoning all benefits and privileges, went to hard labor for their loved ones. Each of the 11 women had their own motivation to go to Siberia, but, unambiguously, it was a real feat, a manifestation of the highest feelings and noble aspirations.