The Decembrist Revolt on Senate Square became the largest political action of the nobility in the history of Russia. Its primary goal was the Tsar’s demise, the abolition of serfdom, the adoption of a constitution and the introduction of representative government.
On December 14 (26) of 1825, rebel troops began to concentrate on Senate Square. By 11 o’clock, the Decembrists had gathered more than three thousand people: soldiers of the Moscow and Grenadier regiments and sailors of the Guards Naval crew. However, the plan of action was violated from the very beginning and, in general, the failure of the uprising was predetermined. By the time the troops approached Senate Square, the oath to the new Emperor had already taken place, and the senators had dispersed. The leader of the uprising, Sergei Trubetskoy, did not appear at all on Senate Square at the appointed hour.
Mikhail Miloradovich, the St. Petersburg military Governor-General, a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, attempted to persuade the rebels to lay down their arms, but was mortally wounded. Emperor Nicholas I gave the order to shoot. The soldiers took flight. On-the-way attempts to restore order in the ranks and capture the Peter and Paul Fortress failed.
By evening, the imperial troops had completely suppressed the uprising.
As a result of the revolt, 1,271 people were killed. As follows from the police report, among them there were 1 general, 1 staff officer, 17 subaltern officers of different regiments, 282 lower ranks of the Life Guards, 39 persons in tailcoats and overcoats, 150 minors, and 903 of mob.
Almost immediately, mass arrests of participants in the uprising began. Emperor Nicholas I was directly involved in the investigation of the case. The investigation proceeded secretly, 579 people were brought to justice. All participants were divided into "categories" based on their role and activity in the uprising.
Outside this list, there were five people who were immediately sentenced to death: Pavel Pestel, Sergey Muravyov-Apostol, Mikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Kondraty Ryleev, and Pyotr Kakhovsky. They were sentenced to quartering, but the Emperor replaced it with hanging. The sentence was carried out six months later - in the early morning of July 25 of 1826 in the Peter and Paul Fortress.
The Supreme Criminal Court found guilty and sentenced to various penalties more than 120 persons. Many participants in the uprising and members of secret societies were sent into exile and to hard labor in Siberia. The soldiers were in a massive way transferred to "hot spots" in the Caucasus for active duty service.
The postage stamp makes use of a drawing The Decembrist Uprising on December 14, 1825 by R. Frentz (1951, the Central Naval Museum of the Ministry of Defense of Russia).
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