The International Context of the Change of Power in Russia in 1825—1826: the English Decembrists

Abstract

A consistent theme in Russian historiography is the assertion that the English political and legal tradition ideologically influenced the Decembrists. Unpublished documents from the collections of the State Archives of the Russian Federation (GA RF) indicate that this influence was not merely indirect. Two Englishmen, Edward Bull and Vasily Gaynam (William Hynam), participated in the Senate Square uprising. The investigation into their cases prompted Emperor Nicholas I to pay particular attention to the “English trace”. Ultimately, the Englishmen were expelled without punishment to preserve Russia’s vital relationship with Great Britain. At the same time, the documents of the Investigative Commission contained testimony from members of the Polish Patriotic Society regarding possible ties between the English diplomat Charles Stratford Canning and the Decembrists. Nicholas I suppressed these documents but permanently banned Stratford Canning from entering Russia. Subsequently, he vigilantly monitored the penetration of English liberal and constitutional ideas into the country.