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Russia's First Republican is designed to fill a gap in the historiography of the Decembrist movement. The research done in archives and libraries in Russia, the US, and the UK has led to the production of a comprehensive study of Pestel, the political activist and ideologue. It comprises a reconstruction of his formative years, an analysis of his role in the Decembrist secret societies from 1816 to 1825, and an assessment of his ideological contribution to the early nineteenth-century Russian revolutionary movement. Particular attention is paid to his highly original project for a Russian republic, Russian Justice.
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The Decembrist Pavel Pestel Russia’s First Republican Patrick O’Meara The Decembrist Pavel Pestel Also by Patrick O’Meara: K. F. RYLEEV: A Political Biography of the Decembrist Poet SERGEI M. SOLOVIEV, HISTORY OF RUSSIA Vol. 37: Empress Elizabeth’s Reign, 1741–1744 (translator and editor) The Decembrist Pavel Pestel Russia’s First Republican Patrick O’Meara © Patrick O’Meara 2003 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2003 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 0–333–98455–2 hardback This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data O’Meara, Patrick, 1947 The Decembrist Pavel Pestel: Russia’s first republican/Patrick O’Meara. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–333–98455–2 1. Pestel’ Pavel Ivanovich, 1793–1826. 2. Decembrists – Biography. 3. Russia – History – Decembrist Uprising, 1825. I. Title DK209.6.P42O45 2003 947⬘.073—dc21 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 Printed and bound in Great Britain by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham and Eastbourne 2003050901 To Claire, Stephanie and John who make it all worth while This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgements ix A Note on the Text x Part I 1 The Formative Years 1. The Roots of Decembrism 3 2. Education and Upbringing Parentage Childhood At the Corps of Pages 9 9 11 13 3. Military Service In Western Europe At Second Army HQ Colonel of the Vyatka Infantry 17 18 20 29 4. The Political and Social Environment Family, faith and freemasonry Politics, society and ideology 37 37 43 Part II 49 In the Decembrist Secret Societies 5. Pestel and the Decembrist Movement The Union of Salvation The Union of Welfare in Tulchin St Petersburg meeting: Janua