En
Ru
Birthday anniversary of Ivan I. Pushchin, poet and Decembrist
“My first friend, my beloved friend!”
4 (15) May, 1798, in Moscow, in a big family, Ivan Pushchin, future poet and Decembrist was born. His grandfather, Peter Ivanovich was a senator, his father Ivan Petrovich - Navy Quartermaster-General and Senator, his uncle Paul Petrovich - also a senator. Pushchins had a noble coat of arms and old ancestry.
In 1811, Ivan Pushchin was sent to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum opened by Emperor Alexander I to prepare broadly educated officials with democratic views, according to M. M. Speransky’s plans. Shortly after the graduation from the Lyceum, Pushchin joined the first secret society - "Sacred Artel" founded by Guards officers in 1814, which included A. N. and M. N. Mouravievs, P. Koloshin, I. Burtsov, V. Valkhovsky, W. Küchelbecker. Frm October 1817, Ivan Pushchin was enlisted as an ensign in the Guards cavalry artillery. At the same time, he became a member of the secret society "Union of Salvation," and in 1818 - "Union of Welfare." Ivan was promoted to second lieutenant, and December 21, 1822, received the rank of lieutenant. However, a month later, January 26, 1823, was dismissed from military service "to be engaged with state affairs." In July 1823, Pushchin was appointed supernumerary member of the St. Petersburg criminal chamber, and in the end of the year was made a judge of the Moscow Hovrätt.
In January 1825, Pushchin visited his Lyceum friend Pushkin in exile, in the village of Mikhailovskoye. Upon learning of the death of Alexander I, Ivan came to St. Petersburg, where he took an active part in the preparation of the uprising, urged those who hesitated, helped K. F. Ryleyev. According to the plan for 14 (26) December, drafted by S. P. Trubetskoy, Pushchin and Ryleyev had to act in joint effort: come to the Senate and require the adoption of the manifesto, which would announce the destruction of autocracy in Russia, the establishment of a temporary rule and the introduction of freedom of speech, conscience, emancipation of the serfs, the abolition of conscription.
The day of the uprising, when S. P. Trubetskoy, who had been elected the dictator on the eve did not appear on the square, and when A. M. Bulatov and A. I. Yakubovich, contrary to the plan, did not led the troops, V. P. Obolensky and Pushchin had to take command over. Looking back on those exciting hours, Baron Andrew E. Rosen wrote: "Ivan Pushchin stood in the ranks most firmly, despite the fact that he was retired and did not wear a military uniform. But the soldiers listened eagerly to his commands, for they saw his calmness and courage." Ivan stayed on the square until the last grapeshot volley, with the soldiers, trying to organize their withdrawal, and survived by a miracle.
The day after the uprising, A. M. Gorchakov, Ivan’s Lyceum comrade, offered him to arrange an escape abroad, but Pushchin refused. 16 (28) December Ivan was arrested. He was assigned to the 1st category of state prisoners and sentenced to death by beheading. 13 (25) July, 1826, by the "most gracious" ratification of Nicholas I, the death sentence was commuted "to the eternal penal servitude" in Siberia. One month later, the term of the servitude was reduced to twenty years.
5 (17) January, 1828, Pushchin was taken to Chita jail. In 1830, the Decembrists were transferred to Peter’s prison, newly rebuilt in accordance with the plan, approved by Nicholas I, where Pushchin spent nine years. After the expiration of prison, by the decree of 10 (22) July, 1839, Ivan was assigned to settle in the town of Turinsk, Tobolsk province, where he spent three years. There, in the settlement, Pushchin found a wide field of activities: he was involved in the affairs of the Small cooperative, created to assist the Decembrists; took care of the expulsion of sums of money to those who needed support; provided the constant attention to the families of the dead comrades. In 1843, he managed to get authorization to be transferred to Yalutorovsk, where he lived until 1856 amnesty. According to the Manifesto of August 26 (September 7), 1856, the former "state criminals" could return to European Russia, and live under the strict supervision of the police everywhere except capitals. Pushchin, at the request of his sister, E. I. Nabokova, was allowed to remain for a time in St. Petersburg.
May 22 (June 3), 1857, Pushchin married to Natalia Apukhtina, the widow of the Decembrist M. A. Fonvizin. The last years of his life Ivan spent in the estate of his wife, Mariino, in Bronnitsy, where he died 3 (14) April 1859. Moscow governor wrote to the Ministry of the Interior, "on April 5, the police captain of Bronnitsy informed me that the nobleman Ivan Pushchin, who lived in the county he is in charge of under police surveillance … died on April 3 ... I provided this information to the attention of the Third Division of His Imperial Majesty's office." Ivan was buried near the walls of the Archangel cathedral in the city of Bronnitsy, Moscow region, alongside his fellow Decembrists, I. A. and M. A. Fonvizin.
Lit.: Аверьянова М. Г. Их имена забыться не должны. Раменское (Моск. обл.), 1999; Анисимов Е. В. Императорская Россия XIX-начало ХХ вв. СПб., 2001; Галеева Е. «Дети 1812 года» // Раменский городской журнал. 2010. № Декабрь 2010-Январь 2011. С. 32-38; Дружинин Н. М. Революционное движение в России в ХIХ в. М., 1985; Дружинин Н. М. Кто были декабристы и за что они боролись? М., 1925; Пущин И. И. Записки о Пушкине. Письма. М., 1988. С. 516-548.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Supreme Criminal Court on Decembrists’ case established // On this day. 13 June 1826.
The material was provided by the Krupskaya Regional State Scientific Library, Moscow.