(December 1825) Unsuccessful uprising by Russian revolutionaries.
Following the death of Alexander I , a group of liberal members of the upper classes and military officers staged a rebellion in an effort to prevent the accession of Nicholas I . The poorly organized revolt was easily suppressed. Afterwards 289 Decembrists were tried; five were executed, 31 imprisoned, and the rest banished to Siberia. Their martyrdom inspired later generations of Russian dissidents.