Dmitry Vladimirovich Karakozov (; – ) was a Russian political activist and the first

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 ...

in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

to make an attempt on the life of a

tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

. His attempt to assassinate Tsar Alexander II failed and Karakozov was executed.

Early life and studies

In early 1866 he became a member of the "revolutionary wing" of the Ishutin Society, founded by his cousin

Nikolai Ishutin Nikolai Andreyevich Ishutin (; 15 April .S. 3 April 1840 – 17 January .S. 5 January1879) was one of the first Russian utopian socialists, who combined socialism, socialist propaganda with conspiracy (political), conspiratorial and Te ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

in 1863.

Attempted assassination of Alexander II

In the spring of 1866, Karakozov arrived in

St Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

to assassinate Alexander II. He circulated his hand-written

proclamation A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...

called ''"Друзьям-рабочим"'' ("To Friends-Workers"), in which he incited people to revolt. He wrote a manifesto to the St Petersburg governor blaming the Tsar for the suffering of the poor: "I have decided to destroy the evil Tsar, and to die for my beloved people." This note never reached anyone; it was lost in the mail. Karakozov by Repin

It is possible 1866 was the year chosen because of the character of Rakhmetov in ''What Is to Be Done?''. This fictional inspiration of revolutionary youth plans for a revolution to coincide with the apocalypse according to

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: People * Newton (surname), including a list of people with the surname * ...

-1866. On 4 April 1866 N.S. 16 April">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S. 16 April Dmitry Karakozov made an unsuccessful attempt on the life of Tsar Alexander II at the gates of the Summer Garden in St Petersburg. As the Tsar was leaving, Dmitry rushed forward to fire. The attempt was thwarted by Ossip Komissarov, a peasant-born hatter's apprentice, who jostled Karakozov's elbow just before the shot was fired. Contemporary monarchists argued that Komissarov's action proved the people's love for their tsar, while contemporary radicals and later

Soviet historians This list of Russian historians includes historians, as well as archaeologists, paleographers, genealogists and other representatives of auxiliary historical disciplines from the Russian Federation, the Soviet Union, the Russian Empire and other p ...

argued that Komissarov's involvement in the event was either an accident or an outright government fabrication. Komissarov was ennobled and given a generous allowance, but proved to be an embarrassment to the government due to his boorishness and incoherence and had to be politely removed to the countryside. Karakozov tried to flee instead of using the second cartridge in his double-barrelled gun, but was easily caught by the guards. He kept one hand in his jacket. It was revealed later to be holding

morphine Morphine, formerly also called morphia, is an opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin produced by drying the latex of opium poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as an analgesic (pain medication). There are ...

and

strychnine Strychnine (, , American English, US chiefly ) is a highly toxicity, toxic, colorless, bitter, crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. Strychnine, when inhaled, swallowed, ...

to kill himself and

prussic acid Hydrogen cyanide (formerly known as prussic acid) is a chemical compound with the formula HCN and structural formula . It is a highly toxic and flammable liquid that boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is produced on an industrial s ...

to disfigure his face. Alexander asked him "What do you want?" "Nothing, nothing," he replied. Karakozov was taken to the

Peter and Paul Fortress The Peter and Paul Fortress () is the original citadel of Saint Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706 to 1740 as a star fortress. Between the first half of the 1700s and early ...

. He begged for forgiveness and confessed to a priest. The Supreme Criminal Court sentenced him to death by

hanging Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...

and he was executed in St. Petersburg on 3 September 1866 N.S. 15 September">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S. 15 September Of the twenty-six others who were accused of being his accomplices, Ishutin was sentenced to death (this was later commuted as he was about to executed), seven received hard labor, eleven went to prison, and seven were acquitted. As a result of the assassination attempt, the Tsar punished St Petersburg University. Students could no longer form any kind of organisation, no matter how harmless (Ishutin's organisation had officially been to set up sewing cooperatives). They were subjected to constant surveillance and periodic searches. Karakozov was an inspiration for the radical

nihilists Nihilism () encompasses various views that reject certain aspects of existence. There have been different nihilist positions, including the views that life is meaningless, that moral values are baseless, and that knowledge is impossible. Thes ...

Sergei Nechaev Sergey Gennadiyevich Nechayev (; – ) was a Russian anarcho-communist, part of the Russian nihilist movement, known for his single-minded pursuit of revolution by any means necessary, including revolutionary terror. Nechayev fled Russia in 18 ...

and

Vera Zasulich Vera Ivanovna Zasulich (; – 8 May 1919) was a Russian socialist activist, Menshevik writer and revolutionary. She is widely known for her correspondence with Karl Marx, in which she put into question the necessity of a capitalist industriali ...

.Ana Siljak, ''Angel of Vengeance'', p. 92 Alexander II was assassinated in 1881.

Notes

* See, e.g., Adam Bruno Ulam. ''Prophets and Conspirators in Pre-Revolutionary Russia'', New Brunswick, NJ, Transaction Publishers, 1998 (first edition 1977) pp. 3–5. * For an analysis of the public perception of the assassination attempt and Komissarov's actions, see Richard S. Wortman. ''Scenarios of Power: Myth and Ceremony in Russian Monarchy: Volume Two: From Alexander II to the Abdication of Nicholas II'', Princeton University Press, 2004; , pp. 110–13

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Karakozov, Dmitry 1840 births 1866 deaths 19th-century executions by the Russian Empire Executed people from Kostroma Oblast Executed people from the Russian Empire Executed failed assassins Failed regicides Moscow State University alumni Narodniks Executed revolutionaries People executed by the Russian Empire by hanging People from Kostroma Nihilists from the Russian Empire Nobility from the Russian Empire