Rings from prison shackles: How the Decembrists kept the memory of exile

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Most of the participants in the December uprising were nobles. The more terrible, in the opinion of the king, was their fault. Therefore, they bore punishment that did not correspond to their class - apart from exile to hard labor, they were also kept in shackles as commoners. Then, finally freed from the "grave fetters", many Decembrists decided to preserve the memory of the terrible trial. As a result of this idea, “shackle rings” were forged, which today can be seen in museums around the world.

The shackles were really a difficult test - both literally and figuratively, because the weight of the shackle ligament ranged from 3 to 9 kg. They wore them around the clock, they took them off only to the bathhouse and when visiting church. The rebels were chained back in the Peter and Paul Fortress, immediately after the verdict was pronounced, and they kept them all the way to Siberia. The emperor's order to remove the shackles came out only in 1828. Decembrist Alexander Belyaev recalled:

Of course, most of the conspirators for the long journey to hard labor managed to negotiate with the guards, who were not averse to making money, and managed to buy themselves more or less human living conditions. In the place of their permanent settlement, the prisoners mastered various professions: someone studied foreign languages, others did carpentry or learned to sew shoes. But the brothers Bestuzhev, Mikhail and Nikolay, learned how to process metals and began to make small jewelry. They were the first to come up with the idea of making commemorative signs out of their own shackles.

Of course, the shackles were not given to prisoners as a souvenir, but used further, but the Bestuzhevs managed to negotiate with the guards, and received an almost unlimited supply of iron, so memorable for all Decembrists. It was from this base metal that the brothers made the first rings. True, it soon became clear that inside the ring - where the metal was constantly rubbing against the skin - rust appeared very quickly. Then Mikhail Bestuzhev came up with the idea of making the inner support of the ring gold. This part of the jewelry was created from no less memorable metal - the wives of the Decembrists gave their wedding rings for this.

Mikhail Bestuzhev himself recalled this as follows:

Many exiles soon wanted to have such signs, and some learned to make them on their own. Iron rings with gold backing have become a symbol of the courage of these people. They reminded them of both the great sacrifice and faithful love. In addition to the rings, wearable crosses were made of shackled iron. They were sometimes sent free, as a gift to relatives and friends.

In museums today, there are about twenty rings from the shackles of the Decembrists, and a few years ago one such artifact was sold at an auction for six million rubles. It was a ring that belonged to Prince Yevgeny Obolensky, one of the founders of the Northern Society, who commanded troops on Senate Square. On the gold backing of the ring, you can see a thin inscription: "Ev. Obolensky".

Some facts about the participants in the legendary December uprising of 1825 not very well known to a wide range of people.