Sergey Muravyov-Apostol

Sergey Ivanovich Muravyov-Apostol (Russian: Сергей Иванович Муравьёв-Апостол) (9 October [O.S. 28 September] 1796 – 25 July [O.S. 13 July] 1826) was a Russian Imperial Lieutenant Colonel and one of the organizers of the Decembrist revolt.

He was one of five "Decembrists" executed for their roles in attempting to overthrow the monarchy.

Early life and military career

Sergei was born in Saint Petersburg, the fourth son of Russian diplomat Ivan Muravyov-Apostol. His mother, Anna, was the daughter of a Serbian general, Simon Crnojević. Four of his relatives were also Decembrists: his brothers Ippolit Muravyov-Apostol and Matvey Muravyov-Apostol and cousins Nikita Muravyov and Artamon Muravyov.

Sergei spent his childhood in Hamburg and Paris, then graduated from Saint Petersburg Institute of Road Engineers before joining in the Russian Army.

He was a veteran of the Patriotic War of 1812. He took part in the Battle of Vitebsk, the Battle of Borodino, the Battle of Tarutino, the Battle of Maloyaroslavets, the Battle of Berezina, (for which he was awarded the Golden Sword for Bravery), the Battle of Leipzig, and the Battle for Paris, for which he was awarded with the Order of St. Anna, second degree.

After the Napoleonic wars he was a poruchik, later captain of the Russian Guards, Semyonovsky Regiment. After the uprising of the Semyonovsky regiment in 1820 he transferred as a Lieutenant Colonel to Poltava regiment, in 1822 to Chernigov regiment.

Decembrist Uprising

In 1817 and 1818, he was a Freemason, a member and a ritual-keeper of the "Three Virtues" Lodge. He was one of the founders of pre-Decembrist secret societies Union of Salvation and Union of Welfare, and a director of the Decembrist South Society. He was the coordinator of correspondence between the South Society and the pro-Polish Society of United Slavs. Muravyov-Apostol was the author of the Decembrists Сatechesis and a very articulate supporter of establishing a republic and abolishing serfdom in Russia.

In 1825, he led the uprising of the Chernigov regiment. He was arrested on 10 January 1826 [O.S. 29 December] then freed by his fellow officers. He led an insurgency against government forces on (20 January [O.S. 3 January] 1826, when he was critically wounded by a canister shot. According to the legend, his wounds prevented him from staying in the saddle. So he ordered to be fastened to his horse by ropes so as to lead the desperate cavalry attack on the government artillery battery. The attack was unsuccessful and he was captured.

He was delivered to Saint Petersburg and was one of the five Decembrists sentenced to quartering, but later this sentence was replaced with hanging. He was executed in Peter and Paul Fortress on (25 July [O.S. 13 July] 1826 and

He was interred with the other four in a secret grave on Goloday Island, though some conspiracy theorists believed that the men were not hanged but put on the island to starve. In the Soviet era, the island was renamed "Decembrists' Island" in memory of the executed men.