Kakhovka uprising of the Decembrists. Kakhovsky and his views

KAKHOVSKY, PETER GRIGORYEVICH(1797–1826), Decembrist. Born in 1797 in the Smolensk province. The son of a collegiate assessor G.A.Kakhovsky, a descendant of an impoverished Polish noble family, and N.M. Olenina from the Smolensk branch of the Olenins. Educated at the Noble Boarding School at Moscow University; studied German and French. In November 1817 he became a junker of the 7th Jaeger Regiment. For free behavior and indiscipline, he was demoted to the rank and file and sent to the Caucasus in the Astrakhan cuirassier regiment, but already in November 1819 he was promoted to lieutenant for distinction in the service. In 1821 he retired due to illness. In 1823-1824 he traveled to Europe.

Being a rebel by nature, he resolutely did not accept Russian reality. Influenced by contemporary political literature and revolutionary events in Spain, Portugal and Italy in the early 1820s he became a staunch Republican. In 1825 he arrived in St. Petersburg, intended to go to Greece to participate in its struggle for independence. He became friends with K.F. Ryleev and, on his recommendation, was admitted to the secret anti-government Northern Society of the Decembrists. Joined his radical wing; advocated the introduction of a republican form of government and for terrorist methods of struggle against autocracy. In an effort to sacrifice himself for the sake of his homeland, he was ready to commit regicide. Conducted revolutionary propaganda in the Life Guards Grenadier Regiment.

(25) December 1825, on the eve of the uprising on Senate Square, during a meeting of the Decembrists at the apartment of K.F. Ryleev, he was asked, dressed in a life-grenadier uniform, to enter the Winter Palace and kill the new Emperor Nicholas I, but not on behalf of the Society , but under the guise of a lone terrorist; after some hesitation, he refused. On the day of the uprising on December 14 (26), together with K.F. Ryleev and A.I. Yakubovich, he toured the barracks, finding out the mood of the regiments, and then joined the rebel units on Senate Square. Mortally wounded the governor-general of St. Petersburg M.A. Miloradovich and the commander of the Grenadier Regiment N.K. Styurler, who were trying to persuade the rebels to disperse. Arrested after the defeat of the uprising. During the trial, he was courageous. From Peter and Paul Fortress sent several messages to Nicholas I with harsh criticism of the state of affairs in Russia during the reign of Alexander I and the shortcomings of the state system. The Supreme Criminal Court recognized him as one of the main criminals and sentenced to death by quartering, which Nicholas I replaced by hanging. Together with four other convicts, he was executed on July 13 (25), 1826 on the crown work of the Peter and Paul Fortress. Having fallen off the noose due to the inexperience of the executioner, he was hanged a second time.

Ivan Krivushin

One of the five executed on the crown work of the Peter and Paul Fortress was the Russian nobleman P.G. Kakhovsky. But it so happened that in relation to many Decembrists, and even to those who shared his sad fate of those sentenced to death, he stands somehow completely apart.

There is evidence that just before the execution, four others embraced as brothers, and he stood aside. There are records that the same Ryleev slandered him during interrogations - there is no direct evidence regarding who in that bloody mess mortally wounded Miloradovich, but several former "comrades" pointed to the retired lieutenant. Who is he?

Kakhovsky in Russian service

Kakhovsky Petr Grigorievich (1797-1826), born in the village of Preobrazhenskoye, Smolensk province, is a descendant of two rather ancient families. On the paternal side, he belongs to the Nechuy-Kakhovsky. Representatives of this surname come from the Czech Republic and Poland, some of whom in the middle of the 17th century went to the service of the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. They served the Romanovs faithfully, and there was no war in which representatives of this kind would not participate - they distinguished themselves near Narva, in the annexation of the Crimea, during the assault on Izmail and in the Swiss campaign of Suvorov. One of them, namely Alexander Kakhovsky, was the Generalissimo's adjutant. For his courage, Mikhail Kakhovsky was awarded the weapon "For Courage". Two Kakhovskys with the rank of generals took part in the wars with Napoleon.

Royal blood

Mother Nymphodora Mikhailovna belonged to the Smolensk branch of the Olenins. An interesting fact is a legend that the Reindeer are from the royal family of the O'Lanes, who once ruled in Ireland.

When fighting for the crown, the king's son threw his sister into a cage with wild animals who took pity on the beauty, and on the back of a bear she moved to France. The legend is reflected in the coat of arms of the Olenins, in the center of which is a princess on the back of a she-bear.

Out of court

Thus, it can be argued that Kakhovskiy Pyotr Grigoryevich, by his origin, belonged to the “glorious Russian surnames”. And his blood is no less blue than that which flowed in the veins of the Golitsyns, Trubetskoys, Volkonskys and Obolenskys, whose representatives also took part in December uprising. However, they treated Kakhovsky as a stranger and even shunned him. The reason for this, obviously, was his extreme poverty, and his direct, ardent disposition.

Demoted to the ranks

Kakhovskiy Petr Grigoryevich received a quite decent education - the Noble boarding school at Moscow University was a closed educational institution for boys from noble families of Russian nobles. Yes, and the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment, at the origins of which was the legendary P.I. Bagration and where Kakhovsky entered as a cadet, was prestigious.

But the young man behaved so frivolously that, by the personal order of the Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, he was demoted to the rank and file, because he showed laziness in the service, and behaved noisily and obscenely in decent houses, and did not pay to the confectionery shop.

Intelligent military

A gambler and rowdy in 1816, by decision of the Governor-General Zhemchuzhnikov, was sent to the 7th Jaeger Regiment in the Caucasus. And here Kakhovsky Petr Grigorievich quickly rose to the rank of lieutenant (1821). However, this year, due to illness, he was sent on a three-month vacation to his native Smolensk province. Then he retired due to illness.

Poor, therefore unloved

There is a lot of evidence that Kakhovsky was a very lonely person and he had no friends, but he went to the Caucasus for treatment with Major General Svechin, and he became friends with Ryleev very quickly and strongly. Obviously, natural openness and directness, erudition and erudition (he was very fond of democracy Ancient Greece and Rome) first attracted people, and then tired. And the “great love” that the future Russian revolutionary experienced, if such a term is applicable to the Decembrists at all, also began with an enthusiastic mutual attraction.

But the summer ended, and 18-year-old Sofya Saltykova, who wrote to a friend that she fell in love with this man with a heart as pure as a crystal, with all her soul, in St. Petersburg and did not want to know him, and did not let him into the house. Later she would become the wife of Baron Delvig.

Life for freedom

1823 and 1824 P.G. Kakhovsky spends in Europe - he is treated in Dresden, lives in Paris for several months, travels around Switzerland, Austria, Italy. And everywhere he could not help but compare feudal Russia with democratic European conquests.

Being a freedom-loving man, he was ready to die for the freedom of citizens and his homeland and someone else's. Kakhovsky returns to St. Petersburg in 1824. He wants to go to Greece to join the ranks of the internationalists fighting for the freedom of that country.

Russian Brutus

But in the capital, he quickly converges with Ryleev, on whose recommendation he joins the Northern Society and becomes an active member of the radical wing. Obviously, he was brought closer, having previously determined this lonely and courageous person for the role of the “Russian Brutus”. And the Russian revolutionary Kakhovsky himself did not shy away from regicide - he considered the monarchy the evil of Russia. There were also volunteers for this role, for example A.I. Yakubovich, but they rather flaunted than went to the murder of the emperor with conviction.

refused to kill the king

The first idea about the need not only to establish a republican system, but also to destroy royal family, expressed back in 1816 by M.S. Lunin. At first he wanted to and even wrote a letter to M.I. Kutuzov with such a proposal - to stab Napoleon, going to him as a negotiator.

Next potential victim became Alexander I, although for personal courage where they fought for the "Tsar and the Fatherland", the Decembrist Lunin was awarded the golden weapon "For Courage".

and P.I. Pestel was a supporter of the assassination of Nicholas I. But Kakhovsky, a Decembrist brave to the point of recklessness and completely alone, was assigned to this role, while others had families. When, on the eve of the uprising, Ryleyev handed over the dagger to Kakhovsky, Pyotr Grigoryevich hit the poet in the face. And later he refused the honor shown to him to become a regicide. Obviously, he considered Ryleyev a friend and at the last moment realized that he was always needed from the very beginning only in the role of an appointed "scapegoat".

doomed to die

Pyotr Grigorievich was not afraid to be branded as a murderer - he was mortally offended by the fact that he never acquired real like-minded friends. Kakhovsky, a Decembrist, who was charged with three wounds, two of which were fatal, General Miloradovich and Colonel Styurler died.

As an active participant in the anti-monarchist conspiracy, an active agitator who brought many new members to the Northern Society, Kakhovsky was already doomed, and also these two murders.

The king can be killed, but there is no good governor-general

Governor Miloradovich, one of the leaders of the Russian army, the hero of the war of 1812, was the favorite of Nicholas I. The fact that he did not deserve death is evidenced by the fact that the governor general arrived on Senate Square to persuade the rebels to come to their senses. In his suicide letter, Miloradovich asked Nicholas I to release all the serfs belonging to him (1500 souls) to freedom. Which is what was done. Later, even Herzen sympathized with Miloradovich.

And this strange Kakhovsky kills the favorite of the royal family, in any case, everyone pointed to him. Yes, and he behaved during interrogations with the same impudence, and he still wrote letters denouncing the injustice of the autocracy, and he did not bustle before the judges, did not hand over anyone, begging for mercy for himself. The verdict was the death penalty by hanging. Initially, through quartering, but the king "mitigated" the sentence.

Last gift

Perhaps fate in the last weeks of his life had mercy on this man, giving him a platonic passion. The windows of his cell were opposite the windows of the room of the daughter of the commandant of the fortress, Podushkin. They fell in love with each other. Adelaide Podushkina sent him books, which he eagerly read. Admiring her from a distance, listening to her singing - this is all that he could rejoice in the last days.

It was really a gift of fate, and if not for him, Kakhovsky, who did not communicate with any of his former comrades, would have died completely alone, betrayed by absolutely everyone. Even through the hanging, which took place on July 25, 1826, for Kakhovsky it turned into a mockery - the rope broke for him, Ryleev and Bestuzhev-Ryumin, they were hanged a second time. True, in some articles, instead of Kakhovsky, the name of Muravyov-Apostol is called.

I have long been interested in the question - why, many in the past - military officers, heroes Patriotic War 1812, fearless people, for whom the question of honor was among the most important and fateful, showed surprising instability, being arrested and imprisoned in? There are several answers. Firstly, the very fact of solitary confinement had a depressing effect on many - they were public people, and are accustomed to being in society, among their own, among like-minded people.

Secondly, they were not ready for the fact that yesterday's colleagues, friends, comrades and even brothers would judge them. And yet, the judgments of some historians about the indecisiveness, caution of the Decembrists completely refute the fate of P.G.Kakhovsky and his behavior on the day of the rebellion on Senate Square. He was one of the few who was ready to go to the logical end, to make any sacrifices on the altar of the uprising.

Biography of P.G.Kakhovsky (1799-1826)

Pyotr Grigoryevich was just one of those few Decembrists who did not sniff gunpowder, who did not go through the roads of the war with Napoleon and did not lose comrades. He came from the Smolensk nobles, graduated from the Moscow University boarding school, then was enrolled in the Chasseurs Regiment. However, the service did not work out - youth took its toll: revelry, love affairs, brawls.

It ended with the fact that Kakhovsky was demoted to the rank and file and sent to the Caucasus. There he settled down and took up his mind, began to show much more zeal for the service than before, and soon rose to the rank of cadet. Having become a lieutenant, he nevertheless left the service, retired, lived for some time in his estate Tikhvinka, then went abroad.

Exactly one year before the Decembrist uprising, Kakhovsky returned to Russia, settled in St. Petersburg, became close friends with one of the leaders of the Northern Society - the poet, journalist and publisher K. F. Ryleev, who accepted a new acquaintance into the ranks of his organization. Kakhovsky was a supporter of radical actions and offered himself as a regicide. He had nothing and no one to lose.

On the same day, Kakhovsky mortally wounded the St. Petersburg Governor-General and Colonel Stürler. During the investigation into the case of the Decembrists, he did not lock himself up and did not defend himself, he frankly and impartially spoke about the state system of Russia, insisting that the monarchy had outlived its usefulness. Among the five most active leaders uprising, Peter Kakhovsky was sentenced to quartering, which new emperor decided to replace by hanging. The execution took place in the summer of 1826 in the Peter and Paul Fortress. According to the popular version, the bodies of the executed were secretly buried on Goloday Island.

Sofya Mikhailovna Saltykova, who soon married Pushkin's close friend Anton Delvig, was Kakhovsky's only heartfelt affection.
By the time the Decembrists were sentenced, they had not been hanged in Russia for more than half a century. The executioner had to be discharged from Sweden. The ropes were rotten. Kakhovsky and two of his comrades broke loose and were hanged a second time - contrary to all the laws of mercy.

Multidisciplinary Lyceum No. 84

Kakhovsky and his views.

Matsuev Oleg, 9G class.

Supervisor: Dvornikova O.L.,

teacher of the history of Lyceum No. 84.

Novokuznetsk, 1999

Introduction.

P.G. Kakhovsky is one of the most enigmatic figures in Decembrist movement. Complete scientific biography it has not yet been written due to the lack of documents on some

periods and events of his life. Topic selection this study attributed to the lack of light in scientific literature his views and worldview, although a lot has been written about the Decembrists, and in particular about the executed Decembrists. Many historians cover only certain aspects of Kakhovsky's biography, and as for his beliefs, this side of his life is undisclosed. But we, his descendants, have precious materials to characterize P.G. Kakhovsky - his wonderful letters from the fortress. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to characterize Kakhovsky's views on the arrangement of Russia on the basis of an analysis of his letter written by him in 1826.

Main part.

This section will give a brief curriculum vitae about Kakhovsky, and will be analyzed political views Kakhovsky and his views on the arrangement of Russia according to a letter written by him from the fortress to Adjutant General V.V. Levashov, who interrogated the Decembrists, in 1826.

P.G. Kakhovsky came from a small-scale and completely ruined noble family, studied in Moscow at the University noble boarding school, at the beginning of 1816 he moved to St. Petersburg and decided to become a cadet in the guard.

Kakhovsky's service in the guard did not last long. Already in December of the same 1816, he was demoted to the rank and file and transferred to an army regiment located in the province. Continuing military service, he soon regained the rank of cadet, then was promoted to cornet, lieutenant, and in 1821 retired.

By this time, Kakhovsky's revolutionary worldview had obviously taken shape. He read and studied a lot, adding to his initial education. He himself said that from childhood "he was inflamed by the heroes of antiquity" 5 and showed a special interest in the sciences of history and politics. The writings of Kakhovsky that have come down to us testify to his deep knowledge in the field of economics, politics, law, and history.

In 1823-1824 Kakhovsky traveled abroad, he was going to go to Greece to take part in the struggle for the liberation of the Greeks. Petersburg, he appeared at the end of 1824. At that time he was very poor and alone. Ryleev, who previously knew Kakhovsky, accepted him into the Northern Society.

In 1825, the leaders of the Northern Society were assigned to Kakhovsky to kill the tsar.

On December 14, Kakhovsky acted with all his inherent energy - in the morning he visited the regiments, raised the sailors guards crew, then was on Senate Square, in the ranks of the Moscow regiment, with two pistols in his belt. On the square, he killed the St. Petersburg Governor-General Miloradovich and the commander of the Life Guards Grenadier Regiment, Colonel Stürler, and also wounded officer Gastfer with a dagger.

Arrested on December 15, Kakhovsky was put in a fortress and, sentenced to death penalty, was hanged on July 13, 1826. Here he wrote several letters addressed to the tsar and investigators - treatises in which he criticized the shortcomings of Russian life and expounded his Political Views, analyzing the situation in the countries of Europe and the USA.

In a letter written on February 24, 1826, next questions: state structure, attitude to serfdom, civil liberties, suffrage, court, religion, education, homeland, which will be discussed below.

According to Kakhovsky, the state should be the result of a social contract. He believes that the people do not exist for the government, but the government should arrange the life of the people. In his letter, Kakhovsky mentions the name of D. Washington, as a friend and benefactor of the people, and sets as an example European countries SASH. From this it can be understood that he approves of democracy as a state system. But still, in the conditions of Russia, he considers a constitutional monarchy more acceptable, however, like all members of the Northern Society. In the "Constitution" N.M. Muravyov about state structure Russia is told: "The image of its Board is monarchical, representative, the same for all parts of it." Kakhovsky likes Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich because he had Great Councils. He considers them an element of a constitutional monarchy. So, we can conclude that the ideal state system, according to Kakhovsky, is a constitutional monarchy.

Kakhovsky considers it necessary in the state of a firm, independent court. In Russia at that time, the courts were estate-based and did not have the necessary independence, according to Kakhovsky. In the letter, he does not approve of the overcrowding in prisons in Piedmont, Sardinia, Naples, Germany, where people ended up at the “mercy” of the authorities. He puts forward the idea of a fair trial and the correspondence of punishment to a crime.

In his letter, Kakhovsky expresses dissatisfaction with the interference of the king in the elections of deputies in France. From this we can conclude that he would not approve of this in Russia either. From his letter it is clear that all citizens of Russia should participate in elections to the Russian parliament, since, in his opinion, there should be a constitutional monarchy.

One of the most important ideas of the letter is the idea of the abolition of serfdom. Kakhovsky praises Catherine II for trying to give at least some freedom Russian peasants. He writes: “And which of the Russians without tenderness will read the Order given by her; he alone atones for all the shortcomings of that time and age characteristic of that time” 2 . Since Kakhovsky visited Europe before joining the Northern Society, he saw people freed from serfdom in other countries. He wanted there to be no serfdom in Russia either, and he said: “In 1812, incredible efforts were needed; the people joyfully carried everything as a sacrifice for the salvation of the Fatherland. The war ended happily ... but did the people, who made it possible for glory, receive any benefit? Not!…". According to P.G.Kakhovsky, the people should no longer live like their ancestors, neither barbarians nor slaves. He is echoed by N.M. Muravyov in his “Constitution”: “The serfdom is abolished. The landlord peasants receive as their property the yards in which they live, the cattle and agricultural tools in them, and two acres of land for each yard for the settlement of their land, or they cultivate according to mutual agreements that they conclude with the owners of these. They get the right to acquire land in hereditary possession. Kakhovsky considers the freedom of the people their sacred right and, like all Decembrists, considers the liberation of the peasants from serfdom the first necessity in Russian society.

As for religion, Kakhovsky illustrates this with the example of Spain, which was dominated by the Inquisition and obscurantism, which hindered the development of the country. Kakhovsky wants no religion to be established as a state religion or obligatory in Russia. In our country at that time there was no mandatory or state religion, but the Orthodox enjoyed special privileges. For example: the king could only be Orthodox. Petr Grigoryevich believes that there should be religious freedom in the country.

Kakhovsky also wants to have freedom of speech and press in Russia. He condemns the fact that in France these freedoms were at that time oppressed and practically destroyed. Kakhovskiy is good educated person and wants all the citizens of his country to be the same. But in Russia, he does not see worthy educational institutions and writes: “In organized educational institutions illumination is very dim. From this we can conclude that Kakhovsky wanted to see a well-thought-out education system in Russia. The shortcomings described above, Kakhovsky wanted to eradicate in Russian society and make an ideal, in his opinion, state.

But he saw in the Russian state some positive features, for example, the unity of Russia. He doesn't like fragmentation various countries Europe, such as Germany and Italy. In his opinion, this weakens the country and makes it vulnerable to enemies.

P.G.Kakhovsky is a patriot of his Fatherland and he reproaches Peter I for killing everything national in Russia. Kakhovsky, in his letter, gives special privileges to the citizens of Russia. He writes that if we compare the peoples of Russia and France, he would give preference to the Russians, since in morals and education they are superior to the European peoples. Kakhovsky considered Russian people very hardworking, educated and well-read. He writes: “We have young people, with all their meager means, doing more than anywhere else” 2 . Kakhovsky truly loves his people for their intelligence and patriotism. He ends his letter like this: "In reasoning, the Russian mind is clear, flexible and firm."

Conclusion.

Based on the analysis carried out, it can be concluded that Kakhovskiy developed a certain program of transformations Russian state. So, in Russia, in his opinion, it was necessary to establish a constitutional monarchy, serfdom should be abolished, there should be freedom of religion, a fair trial, general elections, freedom of speech and press, and a well thought out education system.

In conclusion, it can be noted that Kakhovsky, being true patriot of his homeland, considered it necessary and even necessary for Russia to carry out his plans, and therefore went to Senate Square with a pistol in his hands. The issues raised in the letter were quite relevant for Russia at that time and required immediate resolution.

AT Russian history P.G. Kakhovsky entered not only as a desperately brave and energetic conspirator, but also as an educated person, a sincere patriot.

He was supposedly born in the village of Preobrazhensky, 12 versts east of Smolensk, in a family of impoverished nobles. After graduating from the Moscow University boarding school, he joined the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment (1816). But for "noise and various indecencies ... non-payment of money to a confectionery shop and laziness in the service" he was demoted to the rank and file and sent to the Caucasus (1817), where he was again promoted to cadet for distinction in the service.

In April 1821, having risen to the rank of lieutenant, Kakhovsky retired due to illness and lived for some time on his estate in the village of Tikhvinka, Smolensk province. In 1823-1824. was abroad, and from December 1824 he settled in St. Petersburg, where at the beginning next year was accepted by K. F. Ryleev as a member of the Northern Society - a secret organization of the Decembrists.

A supporter of the introduction of a republican system in Russia, Kakhovsky considered it necessary to destroy the autocracy and the extermination of the entire royal family. As a completely lonely person, the Decembrists marked him as a regicide. On the day of the uprising, December 14, 1825, Kakhovsky raised the Guards naval crew and was one of the first to arrive at Senate Square, where he mortally wounded the St.

Being arrested on the night of December 14-15, Kakhovsky behaved impudently during the investigation, speaking frankly about the shortcomings of the Russian political system and unflatteringly characterizing the emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I.

He accused Ryleyev and MP Bestuzhev-Ryumin of persuading him to commit regicide; the same claimed that this initiative came from Kakhovsky himself, and long before the uprising they had to "keep" him.

Kakhovsky was found guilty of intent to regicide, personal participation in the rebellion, and the murder of Count Miloradovich and Colonel Stürler. He was sentenced to quartering, which was replaced by hanging. The execution took place on July 25, 1826 in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Due to the inexperience of the executioner, Kakhovsky fell off the noose and was hanged a second time.

Buried on Goloday Island.