Andrei Ivanovich Zhelyabov (russian: Желябов, Андрей Иванович; – ) was a Russian Empire

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

and member of the Executive Committee of

Narodnaya Volya Narodnaya Volya ( rus, Наро́дная во́ля, p=nɐˈrodnəjə ˈvolʲə, t=People's Will) was a late 19th-century revolutionary political organization in the Russian Empire which conducted assassinations of government officials in an att ...

. After graduating from a gymnasium in

Kerch Kerch ( uk, Керч; russian: Керчь, ; Old East Slavic: Кърчевъ; Ancient Greek: , ''Pantikápaion''; Medieval Greek: ''Bosporos''; crh, , ; tr, Kerç) is a city of regional significance on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of t ...

in 1869, Zhelyabov got into a

Law School A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

of the Novorossiysky University in

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

. 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 ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

) and maintained close ties with revolutionaries from

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

and activists of the

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

Gromada Gromada is a Polish word meaning "gathering", "group", or "assembly". In the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the term referred to a village organization which embraced all the inhabitants of a village and acted as a local authority, as well a ...

". After his return to Odessa, Zhelyabov became a member of the revolutionary

Felix Volkhovsky Feliks Vadimovich Volkhovsky (russian: Феликс Вадимович Волховский; 1846 in Poltava – July 21 (August 3), 1914) was a Russian revolutionary, journalist and writer. Volkhovsky became involved in radical student poli ...

group (the Odessa affiliate of “ Chaikovtsi”) 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 ...

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 in ...

. 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. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required. In some countries ...

. 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. The defendants were 193 socialist students and other “revolutionaries” charged with populist “unrest” and propaganda again ...

". After his

acquittal In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...

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). History The first mentions of the village of Podol, w ...

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 peasants ...

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

Lipetsk Lipetsk ( rus, links=no, Липецк, p=ˈlʲipʲɪtsk), also romanized as Lipeck, is a city and the administrative center of Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, located on the banks of the Voronezh River in the Don basin, southeast of Moscow. Populatio ...

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 a ...

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

Zemlya i volya Land and Liberty (russian: Земля и воля, Zemlya i volya Zemlia i volia; also sometimes translated Land and Freedom) was a Russian clandestine revolutionary organization in the period 1861–1864, and was re-established as a politica ...

” at the

Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) 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 ...

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 13 March Old Style], 1881, Alexander II of Russia, Alexander II, the Emperor of Russia, was assassinated in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire, Russia while returning to the Winter Palace from Mikhailovsky Manège in a closed carriage. The assa ...

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 (russian: Первома́ртовцы; a compound term literally meaning ''those of March 1'') were the Russian revolutionaries, members of ''Narodnaya Volya'', planners and executors of the assassination of Alexander II of ...

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

Sophia Perovskaya Sophia Lvovna Perovskaya (russian: Со́фья Льво́вна Перо́вская; – ) was a Russian Empire revolutionary and a member of the revolutionary organization ''Narodnaya Volya''. She helped orchestrate the assassination of ...

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

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...

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 who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...

and

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

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 People executed by the Russian Empire by hanging