CHAPTER XXV

THE UNITED SLAVONIANS AND POLISH TEMPLARS
About the year 1820 the Society of United Slavonians was formed in Russia by some young officers who had been with the army of occupation in France and imbibed revolutionary ideas there.
Members of this society were divided into four categories : the first was supposed to watch over charitable organiza¬ tions supported by the State and to report to the Govern¬ ment any abuses that they might discover in their management; the second was directed to watch over educa¬ tional matters; the third was to be concerned with the manner in which the laws were administered; the fourth was to devote itself to a study of political economy. Any one member might belong to all four classes of activity.
It is doubtful if any subversive secret society were ever set afoot with more altruistic and praiseworthy objects.
Prince Troubetzkoi was the Grand Master of the Order, whose membership contained many young men drawn from the best families in Russia.
What originated in the idea of unselfish social service in time developed into something quite different; and within the society there was gradually evolved a plan for a general insurrection in order to force the Tsar to grant a constitu¬ tional form of government. The troops were involved, for the plot had found supporters in the armies of Poland and Bessarabia, and even soldiers in the Imperial Guard were implicated.
On the 1st December, 1825, Tsar Alexander died. His brother the Grand Duke Constantine was the next heir, but in 1822 he had renounced his rights of succession in
193
194 FAMOUS SECRET SOCIETIES
favour of the Grand Duke Nicholas. The conspirators determined to use this crisis in the State for their own ends and to proclaim Constantine as Tsar, despite his renuncia¬ tion, for they thought that Nicholas would be willing to retire in favour of his brother, and that they would then find it an easy matter to wheedle a constitution from Con¬ stantine, who was reported to have few interests beyond his own sensual pleasures.
For the outbreak of the revolt the United Slavonians chose the moment when the oath of allegiance was about to be administered to the troops, the day after Christmas; but a hint of the plot had reached Nicholas, and he proceeded to take precautions to defeat it.
At the ceremony of the oath-taking about 3,000 troops actually revolted, but the insurgent ranks were full of hesitation and uncertainty, for they were without an accredited leader, Prince Troubetzkoi, who was to act in that capacity, having failed to put in an appearance.
In the upshot a battle took place in St. Petersburg, and by six in the evening the loyalists had defeated the rebels.
Poushkin, the famous poet, was one of the conspirators, and was only prevented by an accident from being present to take part with his friends in the battle and, later, on the scaffold.
Troubetzkoi was arrested, and among his papers ample evidence about the society and its members and objects was discovered.
The members were arrested by hundreds and brought to trial. Most of them were quite frank in confessing their aims.
“I knew before I engaged in it,” said Ryleif, the poet, who was one of those implicated, “that the enterprise would ruin me; but I could no longer bear to behold my country under the yoke of despotism; the seed which I have sown will one day germinate, and in the end bear fruit.”
Of course the prisoners were accused (and found guilty) of more crimes than they had ever contemplated, including the assassination of the royal family. They were tried by a military court-martial, and thirty-six were sentenced to death,
SLAVONIANS AND POLISH TEMPLARS 1 95
convictions which were commuted in all but five cases; and 130 others were condemned to long terms of imprisonment.
The United Slavonians were probably in part responsible for another secret revolutionary society that arose in the Russian Empire about the same period.
The Polish Templars was an association formed in 1822 in Warsaw with the objects of restoring national indepen¬ dence and establishing a constitutional form of government. Its structure resembled that of the United Slavonians, with which at the first it had a good understanding. After the downfall of the latter society in 1825, inquiries were set afoot by the police in Warsaw, anxious to trace the rami¬ fications of the United Slavonians, and suspects were arrested in great numbers.
The Polish Templars, however, escaped discovery.
The Directors of the Templars at this time were Mazefski, by whom the society had been founded, Soltyk, a historian and member of the Senate, Uminski, Jablonowski, and Krzyanowski, all of whom held high ranks in the Russian army.
The society had become most popular in Warsaw among the younger officers in garrison and the artizans of the city, and after the French revolution of July, 1830, it began to spread as well among the students of Vilna and Cracow universities.
Increasing membership gave increased confidence, and it was finally decided to launch a revolt in the kingdom of Poland at the end of 1830. The active leaders of this rising were two young lieutenants, Wysocki and Zalewski.
On November 29th the insurrection broke out in Warsaw. The Polish troops joined the insurgents; the capital was captured and a Provisional Government established.
The history of subsequent events belongs to that of Poland and not to the Templars, who having helped to launch the revolt had nothing much to do with steering it through a heroic though unsuccessful nine-months’ struggle.
With the failure of the insurrection the Polish Templars as a secret society went out of existence.