The Perovsky brothers and the events of December 1825 in St. Petersburg

Abstract. On the Senate Square of St. Petersburg on December 14, 1825, both opposing sides were represented by nobles. Not only political beliefs, but also personal connections and other situational circumstances could influence the choice of a party to the conflict by one or another figure. Among the supporters of Nicholas I that day were former and present members of secret Decembrist societies: the brothers S.P. and I.P. Shipov, P.K. Khvoshchinsky, A.F. von Moller, A.A. Kavelin, A.A. Suvorov, I.A. Annenkov and others. Among them was a former member of the Military Society and the Union of Prosperity, Colonel V.A. Perovsky. His older brother, a member of the same secret organizations, and possibly of the earlier Union of Salvation, Chamberlain L.A. Perovsky, was abroad at that time. Subsequently, both brothers became major statesmen of the Nicholas I era: Lev Perovsky became Minister of the Interior, and Vasily Perovsky became Governor-General of Orenburg and Samara. How and when did they get past the dangerous fork in their destinies? Why did Nicholas I ignore their former involvement in secret societies? Did he demand that they renounce their liberal beliefs (if any) in exchange for forgiveness? The author seeks answers to these questions on the pages of personal sources (diaries, memoirs, notes) and in the materials of the investigation into the Decembrist case of 1825–1826.

Keywords: Russia in the first quarter of the 19th century, Decembrist movement, secret societies, revolt of 14 December 1825, Lev Perovsky, Vasily Perovsky, Nicholas I.