Draft:Decembrists' Wives



The Decembrist Revolt of 1825 was a military coup in response to the appointment of Nicholas I as the Russian Tsar. After the revolt, many of the men were sent to Siberia, but many of these men were married, and so many of their wives went along with them. In order to be with their husbands, the Decembrists' wives had to leave everything behind. Including their families, children, lives, and the luxuries they had known for so long. One of the most notable of these wives is Mariya Volkonskaya. Maria was a Ukrainian aristocrat married to Sergey Volkonsky. As a result of women like Mariya Volkonskaya following their husbands into exile, they would be labeled "wives of exiled labor convicts" and would have to suffer the societal ostracization. Once they left for Siberia, they were forbidden contact with their families back home; however, it was not strictly enforced because many women were able to send letters to their homes.