Decemberists in Europe - A History of the Revolt of December 18 25

The decemberists married the goals of a peasant revolt with the methods of a military palace coup. They wanted more than to just place their man on the throne, but they also never dreamed of inviting the people to join them. Of the officers, a hundred and 21 men were finally tried and convicted. 85 were sentenced to exile and hard labor in siberia. 36 were sentenced to death. But the new emperor, wanting to start his reign with some clemency, commuted almost all the death sentences to hard labor and exile in siberian. He then ordered the actual hanging of only five men, including the aforementioned pavel pieste and condrati reliev.