Andrei Ivanovich Zhelyabov (; – ) was a Russian

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

and member of the executive committee of

Narodnaya Volya Narodnaya Volya () was a late 19th-century revolutionary socialist political organization operating in the Russian Empire, which conducted assassinations of government officials in an attempt to overthrow the autocratic Tsarist system. The org ...

. Zhelyabov was born in to a family of

serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed dur ...

. After graduating from a gymnasium in

Kerch Kerch, also known as Keriç or Kerich, is a city of regional significance on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of Crimea. It has a population of Founded 2,600 years ago as the Colonies in antiquity#Greek colonies, ancient Greek colony Pantik ...

in 1869, Zhelyabov got into a

Law School A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...

of the Novorossiysky University in

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

. He was expelled from the university for his participation in student unrests in October 1871 and sent away from Odessa. In 1873, Zhelyabov lived in a town of Gorodische (present-day Cherkas'ka oblast' of

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

) and maintained close ties with revolutionaries from

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

and activists of the Ukrainian "

Hromada In Ukraine, a hromada () is the main type of municipality and the third level Administrative divisions of Ukraine, local self-government in Ukraine. The current hromadas were established by the Cabinet of ministers of Ukraine, Government of Uk ...

". After his return to Odessa, Zhelyabov became a member of the revolutionary Felix Volkhovsky group (the Odessa affiliate of “

Chaikovtsi The Circle of Tchaikovsky, also known as Tchaikovtsy/Chaikovtsy/Tcaycoffsky (), or the Grand Propaganda Society (, ''Bolshoye obshchestvo propagandy'') was a Russian literary society for self-education and a revolutionary organization of the Nar ...

”) and conducted

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

among workers and

intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the i ...

. He was arrested in late 1874 and then released on

bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Court bail may be offered to secure the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when ...

. Nevertheless, he continued his illegal activities. Zhelyabov was one of the suspects in the "

Trial of the 193 The Trial of the 193 was a series of criminal trials held in Russia in 1877-1878 under the rule of Tsar Alexander II Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj n� ...

". After his

acquittal In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal means that the criminal prosecution has failed to prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the charge presented. It certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an of ...

in 1878, he moved to

Podolsk Podolsk ( rus, Подольск, p=pɐˈdolʲsk) is an industrial city, center of Podolsk Urban Okrug, Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Pakhra River (a tributary of the Moskva River). Population: History The first mentions of the vill ...

province for the purpose of spreading revolutionary propaganda among the

peasantry A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

. Zhelyabov gradually came to support violent political struggle and terror. He participated in the

Lipetsk Lipetsk (, ), also Romanization of Russian, romanized as Lipeck, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, located on the banks of the Voronezh (river), Voronezh River in the Do ...

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

of political terrorists in June 1879. Zhelyabov was accepted in “

Zemlya i volya Land and Liberty (; also sometimes translated Land and Freedom) was a Russian clandestine revolutionary organization in the period 1861–1864, and was re-established as a political party in the period 1876–1879. It was a central organ of th ...

” at the

Voronezh Voronezh ( ; , ) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the Southeastern Railway, which connects wes ...

Congress of its members and came forward as one of the chief defenders of terrorism. After the split of "Zemlya i volya", he was one of the main organizers of "Narodnaya volya" and its newspaper "Worker’s Gazette" (fall of 1880). Zhelyabov took active part in devising a few of the most important documents of the party's Program. Also, he was one of the chief organizers of the

assassination of Alexander II of Russia On , Alexander II, the Emperor of Russia, was assassinated in Saint Petersburg, Russia while returning to the Winter Palace from Mikhailovsky Manège in a closed carriage. The assassination was planned by the Executive Committee of Narodnaya ...

on March 1, 1881. However, he had been arrested a few days before it actually happened. Zhelyabov demanded that his case be considered together with the case of the

Pervomartovtsi Pervomartovtsy (; a compound term literally meaning ''those of March 1'') were the Russian revolutionaries, members of ''Narodnaya Volya (organization), Narodnaya Volya'', planners and executors of Assassination of Alexander II of Russia, ...

. He was executed by hanging on April 3, 1881, with the rest of the terrorists, including his wife

Sophia Perovskaya Sophia Lvovna Perovskaya (; – ) was a Russian revolutionary and a member of the revolutionary organization ''Narodnaya Volya''. She helped orchestrate the assassination of Alexander II of Russia, for which she was executed by hanging. ...

. In admiration of Zhelyabov's dedication to his revolutionary cause,

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

went as far as to compare him with other great revolutionaries, such as

Maximilien Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; ; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman, widely recognised as one of the most influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. Robespierre ferv ...

and

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...

References

*Croft, Lee B. ''Nikolai Ivanovich Kibalchich: Terrorist Rocket Pioneer.'' IHHS. 2006. . Appreciable content on Zhelyabov. *Footman, David. ''Red Prelude: The Life of the Russian Terrorist Zhelyabov.'' Yale University Press. 1945, 1974 revised. * Seth, Ronald. ''The Russian Terrorists: The Story of the Narodniki.'' Barrie and Rockcliff. 1966. *Trifonov, Yuri. Translation from the Russian by Robert Daglish. ''The Impatient Ones.'' Progress Publishers. 1978. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhelyabov, Andrei 1851 births 1881 deaths People from Sovetskyi Raion Narodniks Narodnaya Volya Executed revolutionaries Executed people from the Russian Empire 19th-century executions by the Russian Empire Revolutionaries from the Russian Empire Executed regicides of Alexander II People executed by the Russian Empire by hanging