Terrorist Ulyanov: was Lenin's brother an illegitimate son of the emperor Alexander Ulyanov - life and execution Place associated with Alexander Ulyanov

One of the most common myths about Alexander Ulyanov says that he was illegitimate son Alexander III!

Allegedly, in her youth, Maria Blank served as a maid of honor at the imperial court and attracted the attention of the Grand Duke. She named her eldest son in honor of her real father. When he grew up, Maria told who his own father was, and he was so offended by the parent for the scolded maternal honor that he decided to kill!

Meanwhile, Maria Alexandrovna hardly ever met the emperor, who, moreover, was ten years younger than her. And the first-born in the Ulyanov family was not Alexander, but daughter Anna, born in 1864.

According to another version, Alexander was the son of the terrorist Dmitry Karakozov, who in 1866 made an unsuccessful attempt on the life of Alexander II. But again, there is no evidence that Karakozov ever met Maria Ulyanova. All that was common between Karakozov and Ulyanov was an attempt at regicide and execution for it ...

Since the execution of Alexander, Vladimir Ulyanov saw only one way for himself - to complete the work of his brother. However, as legend has it, he uttered the words: "We will go the other way." If the Narodnaya Volya believed that the assassination of the emperor could change the situation in Russia for the better, then Lenin perfectly understood that one monarch would be replaced by another and that the existing system itself should be changed.

Who knows - if Alexander Ulyanov had not been carried away by the ideas of the revolution and had not been executed for them, then perhaps the October Revolution in 1917 would not have happened. A shooting royal family in July 1918 really looks like revenge ...

Alexander and Vladimir Ulyanov. Reproduction of "The Ulyanov Brothers" painting by Oleg Vishnyakov

Maria Alexandrovna, mother of the Ulyanovs, served as a maid of honor at the imperial court. When the future Alexander III was just a Grand Duke, they had an affair, and then their son Alexander was born. This sensational story is exaggerated by modern historians, referring to the writer Marieta Shahinyan. She, preparing to write a book about Lenin in the 1970s, accidentally discovered these facts of the biography of the Ulyanov family in the archives. They say that Brezhnev summoned Shaginyan to his office and, in exchange for silence, offered her a prize for the "correct" work on the leader of the world proletariat.
Was the elder brother of Vladimir Ilyich an illegitimate son of the emperor? See this in "Unsolved Secrets" and in the documentary investigation of the Moscow Trust TV channel.

Unrevealed mysteries. Was Lenin's brother an illegitimate son of the emperor

Student, excellent student, terrorist

Family portrait of the Ulyanovs, one of the few that ever existed. On the right is the future leader of the proletarian revolution, Vladimir Lenin. In the very center stands his elder brother Alexander. He will be hanged in the Shlisselburg fortress for an attempt on the life of the tsar, whom popular rumor will later write down as his father.

Portrait of the Ulyanov family

Early 1990s. The mass media unleash a stream of sensationalism on the citizens of the former Soviet republics almost daily. Polished to a shine, the biographies of communist leaders suddenly seem not so smooth at all.

“These are precisely attempts to delegitimize all Soviet myths as much as possible. There is a cliché: Lenin loved children. Everyone has read a book by Bonch-Bruevich since childhood. Therefore, Volkogonov wrote an article stating that Lenin hated children. There was a thing that they were smart people, we we prove that Lenin did not receive any education. If there was a book that Lenin was a good lawyer, we are trying to prove that he was a bad lawyer. It was just a reverse system, "says historian Yaroslav Listov.

Lenin gets the most. On October 27, 1995, an interview with journalist Alexander Kutenev appeared in the New Petersburg newspaper. We are talking about the illegitimate children of Emperor Alexander III. And one of them the journalist calls the older brother Ilyich Sasha. Like, his mother gave birth to him when she served as a maid of honor at court.

Moscow. The State Archive of Socio-Political History was created on the basis of the Central Party Archive of the Institute of Marxism and Leninism. Hundreds of documents from the Ulyanov family are stored here. These are the texts of petitions for pardon. They were written by Maria Ulyanova in 1887 to Emperor Alexander III. She asks for mercy from the one whom her eldest son Sasha had recently planned to kill. With the highest permission, Ulyanova could do a lot, even meet with a potential regicide.

"The terrorist faction" People's Will "- under this loud name was hiding a student circle, ten-something people, young students, Alexander Ilyich himself is only 21 years old. And they decide to start a terrorist struggle immediately with the assassination of the tsar. Three bombs were prepared , Alexander Ilyich made two of them. He was well versed in chemistry, worked out the design, he made two out of three bombs, and there were bullets around the dynamite, which he also made himself. Alexander Ilyich made the bullets himself, and the bullets were poisoned with strychnine, it is one of the most terrible poisons.In addition, they had two pistols, - says historian Vladimir Lavrov.

Exactly six years have passed since the assassination of the previous Russian Emperor Alexander II. Almost all the Narodnaya Volya members who organized that terrible terrorist attack against the tsar were arrested. Sasha Ulyanov, an excellent student in St. Petersburg, studies at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the University, and then suddenly becomes one of the founders of the new radical wing of the Narodnaya Volya party.

“He was a very capable, talented child, but in his own way an unhappy person, because as a child he received a very serious spinal injury. Alexander Ulyanov was small in stature, and it always seemed to him that his family did not like him. He graduated from school with a gold medal, arrived study in St. Petersburg. Already in the third year, not yet graduating from the university, he received a gold medal for research in the field of biology, "says journalist Andrey Binev.

The Lenin Museum is a forge of Soviet legends about the heroic life of Ilyich. Behind these walls, the biography of the leader of the proletariat was embellished in every possible way. The politically correct remained, the doubtful was hushed up. Galina Borodulina has been working at the Lenin Museum for many years, she is engaged in the genealogy of the Ulyanov family.

"There was a special approach to studying the life and work of Lenin and to creating his biography. Actually, this approach was defined. Back in the late 1920s, party historians were interested not so much in Lenin's personality, not so much in his personal life how much Lenin's life in the party. Moreover, they did not see the contradiction between the fact that Lenin was the leader of the proletarian revolution and his noble origin, because among the leaders Communist Party there were quite a lot of people of noble origin," says historian Galina Borodulina.

Skeleton in the closet of the Ulyanov family

Journalist and writer Andrei Binev explored the story of the illegitimate origin of Alexander Ulyanov. In the late 90s, he worked on his own documentary.

"Maria Alexandrovna was born and raised in Kazan, she was a very educated and free woman, with an eye for free love, free relationships. Therefore, many who study her biography and family life assume that she gave birth to children from different husbands, because she followed And it turned out that Maria Alexandrovna and Ilya Nikolaevich slept in different rooms. There was a corridor between them. And the bedroom of the other children went into this corridor. They could not, remaining unnoticed, meet, say, in the same bedroom, it was difficult By the way, this was one of the reasons why such legends were born," says Binev.

Alexander Ulyanov

Writer Larisa Vasilyeva, author of the book "Kremlin Wives", is also involved in replicating the story of the too free behavior of Maria Ulyanova, nee Maria Blank. What was told in the kitchens as a spicy anecdote, Vasilyeva captured on paper. It was she who in 1993 announced that Alexander Ulyanov was the illegitimate son, however, not of the tsar, but of the terrorist Dmitry Karakozov.

"And it is quite possible that Maria Alexandrovna and Dmitry Karakozov did not just meet on the stairs, and her son Alexander Ilyich Ulyanov was born from Karakozov. And since Karakozov attempted on the emperor, somewhere before this attempt he disappeared somewhere from home, quite "perhaps he was near where she gave birth, and quite possibly he saw this child. But he disappeared, and then suddenly, like a bolt from the blue - Dmitry Karakozov encroaches on the emperor. And the persecution of everyone democratically began thinking people, and I think that Maria Alexandrovna lived in fear. I wouldn’t say all this now if one day I didn’t write in The Kremlin Wives that Inessa Armand told Ivan Fedorovich Popov: “The Lenin family had its own secret,” Vasilyeva believes.

Dmitry Karakozov

And that is why, according to Vasilyeva, Sasha Ulyanov suddenly became a terrorist. He learned the truth and wanted to avenge his father, who was executed for an unsuccessful attempt on Alexander II. Dmitry Karakozov accepted execution by hanging in St. Petersburg in 1866.

Although professional researchers are sure that the paternity of the terrorist Karakozov is just a fiction of a writer. The work of Galina Borodulina in the archives showed that Maria Blank and Dmitry Karakozov hardly knew each other.

"Karakozov was familiar with Ilya Nikolaevich Ulyanov, but he left Penza even before Maria Alexandrovna appeared there. He went to study in another city, so they simply could not meet anywhere with Maria Alexandrovna. In 1863, Maria Alexandrovna had already left married Ilya Nikolaevich, the eldest daughter Anna was born in 1864, Alexander was already born in 1866. By the way, those who write about the illegitimate origin of the Ulyanov children are very often confused, claiming that Alexander was the eldest, Anna was the youngest, this is already an indicator of how knowledgeable are the people who compose this kind of version," says Borodulina.

Emperor's illegitimate son

However, whether Blanc and the emperor had a relationship, that's the main mystery. Petersburg, 1887. After Sasha's arrest, Maria urgently travels to the capital from Simbirsk and easily gets an appointment with Alexander III. She is allowed a meeting with a terrorist without delay. Perhaps, indeed, it is not only formalities that bind her and the king?

“Allegedly, Maria Blank, the mother of Vladimir Ilyich, was a maid of honor at the imperial court. I think one example, one fact will suffice here, and there are, in general, a lot of them to prove that there was no such thing. that the imperial court was a kind of institution, and being a lady-in-waiting of the imperial court meant fulfilling certain official duties. Therefore, documents have been preserved that confirm that there was never a maid of honor Maria Blanc at the imperial court. And documents on the composition of the ladies-in-waiting have been preserved since 1712. Another such fact. Alexander III was ten years younger than Maria Alexandrovna, Lenin's mother. She was born in 1835, he - in 1845, Maria Alexandrovna lived in St. Petersburg with her family until 1841. Then the family left St. Petersburg, and Maria Alexandrovna did not return there until the arrest of her eldest son Alexander," says Galina Borodulina.

Maria Ulyanova, 1931

And here are the archival documents. An entry from the church book about the marriage between Ilya Ulyanov and Maria Blank - 1863. This is data on the birth of children, first Anna, then Alexander. The version of the journalist Kutenev, published in the newspaper "New Petersburg" in 1995, about the illegitimate son of the emperor is nothing more than a fiction.

Historian Vladimir Lavrov gives another proof of the implausibility of the version of the journalist Kutenev. The origin of Maria Blanc would never have allowed her to become a lady-in-waiting of the imperial court. Such were the realities of tsarist Russia.

"As for Maria Alexandrovna, the mother of Alexander Ilyich and Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. Her father was a doctor, quite wealthy, absolutely unremarkable, and only a noble noblewoman could become a maid of honor. I can say that the hereditary nobility was formalized by Maria Alexandrovna only after the death of her husband, so that receive a good pension. She received it from the tsarist government. During the time of Peter I, there were isolated cases when people of no nobility rose to the heights, but in the second half of the 19th century, it was already a different era, this was not the case, "says Lavrov.

Victim of freethinking

After the death of Alexander II, Alexander III takes the throne. Historians call 13 years of his reign controversial. As they will later write in textbooks, the economic well-being of the country is growing at a high pace. But corruption and humiliation of the working class flourishes. The situation in society also affected the Ulyanovs. Schools for the unprivileged classes, which had once been opened by the father of the family, Ilya Nikolaevich, began to close all over Russia.

Russian Emperor Alexander III with his family

“The fate of his father, Ilya Nikolaevich, who devoted his whole life to the cause of public education, is very indicative. He was an inspector of public schools in the Simbirsk province, thanks to him new schools were opened and teaching in them was put on the proper level. And the father’s example, the facts that spoke about the beginning of a new period in the history of Russia (even if the brutal crackdown on the student demonstration in 1886), I think, led Sasha to reflect. We know that Sasha was familiar with the works of Marx. I think, ultimately, this was the reason that he took an active part in revolutionary activities," says Galina Borodulina.

It is these facts, and not at all the desire to take revenge on the tsar for his supposedly illegitimate origin, that historians call decisive in the fate of Alexander Ulyanov. It took him only a few months to create a circle and start organizing the assassination.

"In principle, a provincial guy from the city of Simbirsk, from an educated family, who lived, I would not say that it was completely in greenhouse conditions, but a little distant from the reality of what is happening, suddenly finds himself in the capital. In the capital, this provincial information vacuum disappears, global information from all over the country falls upon him, newspaper correspondence, discussions, conversations flock here. The institute where he studies is one of the most popular, people from all over the country come to it. All this fell upon the young Alexander, he was a rather impressionable person "And like any young man, he wanted to solve all the problems at once. And with this one and only way that can be solved, it seemed to kill the figure that stood at the head and personified the entire system of the regime. This is how this terrorist attack against Alexander III ripened ", - says the historian Yaroslav Listov.

Another way of Vladimir Ulyanov

There is another secret that was hidden by Soviet propaganda. Before the opening of the archives, it was believed that Alexander Ulyanov did not ask for himself, but it turned out that there was a document. Here is a copy of it: "I ask Your Majesty to replace my death penalty with some other punishment." There is not a drop of remorse in the text, he simply asks not to hurt the mother.

“There are several memories. There is a memory of the lawyer Knyazev, who was present at the same time. There is a memory of Anna Ilyinichna, sister. Naturally, she was aware. Alexander Ilyich asked for forgiveness from his mother for the grief caused to her, the family. he refused, according to Knyazev, citing the fact that he told his mother: "Just imagine a duel: I shot, my opponent has not shot yet, and I tell him:" Do not shoot, please. However, there was still a petition, but there was no repentance in this petition. He did not repent. mother, my family," says historian Lavrov.

Researchers of the biography of Vladimir Lenin often write that the relationship between the brothers was difficult. But the execution of Alexander decided the fate of Ilyich and the Ulyanov family as a whole: they simply became outcasts in provincial Simbirsk, they were afraid to communicate with them.

“This made a decisive impression on my brother, let’s say. The fact is that he was only 17 years old, a person is just entering life, and an example is when this tragedy occurs in one’s own family, because it is a tragedy twice. The first tragedy is this is the fact that your family member committed or tried to commit some kind of atrocity that attracts the attention of the whole society, and, in fact, all family members become handshakes.On the other hand, this is a personal tragedy - the loss of a person with whom he lived, with whom he communicated Lenin drew a conclusion from this, and then he uttered his famous phrase: "We will go the other way" - about the creation of a revolutionary party and the overthrow of the system. Not individuals, but a change in the system. That is, Lenin came to the conclusion that individual terror is useless and meaningless. And we see that it is indeed from this historical period that all individual terror of the Russian Empire comes to naught. That is, the period when it seemed that let's kill the emperor , and everything will be fine, disappears," says Yaroslav Listov.

Royal family, 1907

However, the historian Listov believes that the myth of kinship with the imperial crown was created by mass popular consciousness for a reason. The reason for the popularity of essentially gossip about an illegitimate son is simple. This is an attempt to bring the person of Lenin closer to the very anointed of God.

“There is a certain family to which it is given from God to be ruling. And this was especially important for the society of the period of transition from the Russian Empire to Soviet Union. After all, many myths about the ruling dynasties were born there. Imagine, after all, for almost 500 years people have been told: the ruling dynasties are the anointed of God. These are people who not only ascended the throne, because the political situation developed this way, but because God brought them here, they are, as it were, the conductors of the divine will. And then suddenly - once - one emperor was killed, the second emperor was killed, then in general all the emperors were overthrown. And for them it is somehow incomprehensible, but where did the anointed of God go. And therefore, we will show: God turned away from these, and here we see that Alexander Ulyanov is the family of the emperor, ”says Listov.

The execution by hanging of the terrorists of the "Narodnaya Volya" faction took place on May 20, 1887 in the Shlisselburg fortress. In the verdict, the word "hang" is written by hand in front of five names, among them Alexander Ilyich Ulyanov. His mother, nee Maria Blanc, after these events became completely gray-haired.

30 years after this execution, the Romanovs ceased to rule Russia. On the night of July 16-17, 1918, Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra Fedorovna, their children, a doctor and servants were killed in the Ipatiev house in Yekaterinburg. It is still not known for certain whether Vladimir Lenin personally made the decision to execute the royal family.

AT national history he is known as the elder brother of Lenin (the ideologist of the Russian revolution and an ardent opponent of autocracy). And if a colossal number of literary works have been written about Vladimir Ilyich, then there is not so much detailed information about who Alexander Ulyanov is, and what was noteworthy in his biography. The mere fact that he took part in the assassination attempt on the king speaks volumes.

However, Lenin's brother did not immediately become a radicalist and an active champion of the revolutionary ideas of the destruction of the autocracy. Alexander Ulyanov showed great promise in science, but he was destined for a different fate. It turned out to be as tragic as that of many representatives of radical movements. What is known about the closest relative of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin? Let's consider this question in more detail.

Years of childhood and youth

Alexander Ilyich Ulyanov - a native of Nizhny Novgorod. He was born on March 31, 1866. This was the second child in the Ulyanov family. Of course, almost everyone knows that Alexander's father occupied a high position in the pedagogical environment.

As a candidate of mathematical sciences, he masterfully taught physics and mathematics in the men's gymnasium. However, Ilya Nikolaevich passed away quite early, so the burden of supporting the family after his death fell on his wife and eldest son. Maria Alexandrovna (Sasha's mother) received a brilliant upbringing in her time and was a real keeper of the hearth.

At the age of nine, Alexander Ulyanov entered the Simbirsk gymnasium. He was distinguished by special diligence in his studies and for this quality he was awarded a gold medal when he became a graduate of the gymnasium. Moreover, in his certificate it was recorded that he was a diligent, disciplined and excessively inquisitive young man.

Was Alexander close in his youth with his younger brother Vladimir? Surprisingly, there was no special friendship between them. Alexander Ulyanov once said: "Volodya is very capable, but we are different." In turn, the younger brother, becoming more mature, stated that Sasha was absolutely not created for the "revolutionary cause", since he was scrupulously passionate about science.

Student environment

In 1883, Alexander Ilyich Ulyanov became a student of the natural faculty of St. Petersburg University.

And within the walls of this university, he also demonstrates excellent diligence and diligence in his studies. Already in the third year, the young man was awarded the status of "Second Academic Secretary". He soon defended his work in the natural sciences with great distinction. Then he was completely abstracted from political life, since his passion was research in the exact disciplines. It seemed that Alexander Ulyanov was simply obliged to become a major scientist, but one day the Narodnaya Volya became interested in his abilities.

Change of priorities

The turning point in the life of brother Lenin was the dispersal of the Dobrolyubov demonstration, which took place in 1886. Crowds of young people came to serve a memorial service at the Volkovo cemetery to honor the memory of the famous writer Nikolai Dobrolyubov, who often criticized the authorities during his lifetime. However, the action was interrupted by the gendarmerie. This behavior of officials caused a strong protest in the soul of Alexander. He decided that he would fight fiercely against the injustice and lawlessness that "those in power" are doing.

"People's Will"

As a political platform, Alexander Ulyanov (brother of Vladimir Ilyich) chose the People's Will.

The party "Narodnaya Volya" consisted entirely of revolutionary populists who intended to revive the Russian community in an exceptionally radical way, recognizing the pernicious influence of the capitalist system on it. Moreover, in order to achieve their goals, they often practiced terrorist actions. The Narodnaya Volya were a close-knit team with their own governing bodies. The organization had a wide network of local groups and special circles. Seeing that the party enjoys serious support from the masses, Alexander Ulyanov, without hesitation, joined its ranks.

The young man began to devote less time to science, focusing on underground work. He began to speak at party meetings, participate in pickets and marches, and conduct propaganda work among young people. However, after some time, Alexander Ulyanov (Lenin's brother), whose biography contains many interesting and remarkable facts, moved on to more active actions, through which he hoped to realize political ambitions.

Program

He is the author of the Terrorist Faction program. This document is frankly radical in nature and makes strict demands on the autocratic system. Moreover, the program contained unambiguous calls for the assassination of the king.

Naturally, the reaction of Alexander III to the above document of the Narodnaya Volya was appropriate: the tsar did not even want to think about entering into a dialogue with representatives of the opposition party. Realizing that the autocrat did not intend to make concessions and weaken the political regime, the Narodnaya Volya activists wanted to punish Alexander III. However, it was not Ulyanov who came up with the idea to kill the Russian autocrat. Its initiators were Alexander's associates - Sheverev and Govorukhin. However, after some time, the first of them temporarily abandoned the idea, leaving for treatment in the Crimea. But then the revolutionaries returned to their intended goal. Alexander Ulyanov (Lenin's brother) sold the gold medal and bought dynamite with the proceeds.

Explosive device

Initially, the Narodnaya Volya planned to make a bomb in the apartment of the revolutionary Lukashevich.

However, this was later abandoned. The terrorists suddenly remembered the extraordinary abilities of Ulyanov, who showed great promise in science. Alexander was well versed in chemistry, so it was he who was instructed to make an explosive device. Naturally, it was not difficult for Vladimir Ilyich's brother to make a bomb. In just two months, he learned all the intricacies of the process of making an explosive mechanism.

Shortly thereafter, Alexander was supplied with the necessary raw materials: dynamite and an explosive mixture. And the output turned out as many as three bombs. One of them was veiled in a thick bound book. The manufacturer of explosive devices did not hide the evidence, leaving laboratory accessories directly on the table. It is possible that Alexander Ulyanov is acting too carelessly and recklessly. The assassination attempt on the king is an action that ideally involves careful preparation and concealment of all material evidence related to it. And here is such an oversight. But the police soon find out about the planned assassination of the autocrat.

The idea is revealed by the gendarmes

One of the terrorists named Andreyushkin addressed a written message to a certain student Nikitin in Kharkov, in which he informed in a camouflaged form that a "big deal" was planned. And this letter, by coincidence, falls into the hands of the gendarmerie, which immediately establishes surveillance of the revolutionaries. And in the last month of the winter of 1887 they show unusual caution. Govorukhin disappears from the city, after leaving a note saying that he committed suicide. Shevelev also leaves the city on the Neva.

Lenin's brother, in order to lull the vigilance of the police, temporarily finds a job as a teacher for the midwife Ananyeva, who lived in the Vyborgsky district of St. Petersburg, where he was delivered the components for making the bomb. And yet, despite the conspiracy, the police managed to establish surveillance of members of the "Terrorist Faction". The gendarmes saw how the revolutionaries, hiding something under their clothes, walked along Nevsky Prospekt. The terrorist Generalov carried the most valuable cargo - a thick book in a cover. People's Volunteers organized duty at St. Isaac's Cathedral in last days February. And a few days later they learned that the king intended to go to a memorial service in Peter and Paul Fortress. And when he returns from the event, the “X-hour” will come ...

It seemed that reprisal against the autocrat was inevitable, but the vigilant police managed to prevent it. Soon, all the organizers of the crime and participants in the promenade along the main avenue of St. Petersburg were arrested.

Detention

And what about Alexander Ulyanov? The assassination attempt on the king, as you know, was scheduled for March 1, 1887. Vladimir Ilyich's brother was waiting for this date and preparing for it. On the first day of spring, in the evening, he granted an apartment to Mikhail Kancher, member of the People's Will, to ask how things were going with the implementation of the crime. But there were no explosions in the city then. And some time later, gendarmes descended on Kancher and arrested the revolutionaries.

The hypothetical "regicide" Alexander Ulyanov during interrogations stated that the attempt on the life of Alexander III was entirely his idea. He was just trying to shield his party comrades. During a search, a notebook was seized from Brother Lenin, the pages of which were filled from beginning to end with encrypted addresses. Soon, the police will learn from the "compliant and manipulable" Narodnaya Volya members the names of the organizers of the attack. These are Pyotr Shevyrev, Pakhomiy Andreyushkin, Vasily Osipanov, Vasily Generalov and Alexander Ulyanov, whose photo immediately hit the front pages of St. Petersburg newspapers after the assassination attempt.

Moreover, the brother of Vladimir Ilyich asks his associates to declare during interrogations that it was he who prepared, organized and intended to carry out the crime against the autocracy. At the trial, the prosecutor will pay attention to this fact, although in the end, Alexander and the above Narodnaya Volya will be given the most severe punishment - death penalty. And before the execution of the sentence, the conspirators were sent to the Political Prison of the Peter and Paul Fortress.

It is noteworthy that Anna Ilyinichna Ulyanova (the sister of the revolutionary) was recognized as an accomplice in this matter. In the winter of 1887, she studied at the Bestuzhev Higher Women's Courses. She was sentenced to five years' exile.

Request for pardon

One of the relatives of the Ulyanovs reported on the fate of Alexander and Anna. However, Maria Alexandrovna's health was not good, so the sad news was transmitted through a family friend. It was she who informed Vladimir Ilyich about the execution of his brother and the arrest of his sister. But Vladimir considered it senseless to hide such news from his mother.

Of course, the severity of the crime committed was undeniable, but still there was still a meager chance that Alexander Ulyanov could be acquitted. But the situation was complicated by the fact that Lenin's brother was the author of a blatant and odious document - the program of the "Terrorist Faction", the provisions of which accused the autocratic system of almost "all sins." Nevertheless, Maria Alexandrovna made an attempt to save her son. She herself went to St. Petersburg and began to seek an audience with the king. Alexander III accepted and listened to her request.

The emperor agreed to satisfy her, but on the condition that Alexander Ulyanov, whose life story ultimately turned out to be tragic, would personally ask for mercy on him. But initially the revolutionary did not want to do this, and only at the request of his mother sent the autocrat a paper in which he asked to save his life. Did Alexander III get to know her? It is not known for certain, but he clearly did not intend to show gentleness and loyalty towards those who wanted to kill him. On the contrary, he wanted the terrorists to get what they deserved for such a daring atrocity.

Verdict

The court hearing was closed. The trial lasted five days, after which the minister of Themis decided: "Osipanov, Andreyushkin, Generalov and Ulyanov are to be executed." Was deprived of life and Shevyrev, who was arrested in the Crimea. Shortly before the hanging of her son, Maria Alexandrovna visited him. She tried not to betray her emotions, mentally preparing for the fact that her son Alexander Ulyanov was already doomed. The assassination attempt on the king cost him very, very dearly. He paid the highest price for it. But Lenin's brother did not feel any regret or remorse for the "deed". The execution of Alexander Ulyanov took place on May 8, 1887. He was hanged in the Shlisselburg fortress, and his body was laid to rest in a mass grave behind the wall of the fortress, located on the shores of Lake Ladoga.

90s era versions

It is noteworthy that after the collapse of the USSR, society began to talk about new facts in the biography of Alexander Ulyanov. Moreover, Marietta Shaginyan “unearthed” them back in the 70s, who was specially engaged in studying the life of the family of the “ideologist of the Russian revolution”. But there are still heated debates between historians about whether they can be trusted or not.

According to one version, Alexander Ulyanov, whose biography has not yet been fully explored, is the illegitimate son of the emperor himself. There is an opinion that even in her youth, Maria Alexandrovna served as a maid of honor at the court of Alexander II. Some time later, she had an affair with his son Alexander III. It was from this connection that the eldest son of the Ulyanovs appeared. And then the maid of honor gave birth to a girl, but the Grand Duke was not her parent. Naturally, some kind of career as a maid of honor with two children was out of the question. Maria Alexandrovna was “quietly” married to a provincial teacher Ilya Nikolaevich Ulyanov. The future inspector of public schools received a title of nobility and an increase in the career ladder.

Once Ulyanov Alexander was sorting through his father's papers and accidentally found out about his origin. After reading them, he vowed to take revenge on the biological father for the desecrated honor, and to achieve this goal, he joined the Narodnaya Volya. And, according to rumors, after the assassination attempt, Alexander III was ready to forgive his illegitimate offspring and even intended to grant him the title of prince, and also arrange him for service in the guards regiment. But Lenin's brother did not want to repent and continued to hate his biological parent.

According to the second version, Alexander Ulyanov was the son of the famous terrorist Dmitry Karakozov, who in 1866 made an attempt on the life of Emperor Alexander II. Moreover, the revolutionary was a student of Ilya Nikolaevich Ulyanov. He was first a student at Kazan University, then Moscow. Karakozov was a member of the revolutionary society "Organization". The novel of the regicide and Maria Alexandrovna did not surprise anyone from the environment with whom the Ulyanov family communicated. Lenin's brother planned the assassination of Alexander III on the same day that Dmitry Karakozov attempted to take the life of Alexander II. However, it was not crowned with success with either one or the other.

Conclusion

So, there is no doubt that Alexander Ilyich, quite consciously and without any remorse, went to kill the tsar. Like other representatives of the radical youth, he longed to overthrow the autocratic system in Russia and free the country forever from its oppression. In total, about 45 people were involved in the case of the assassination of Alexander III, and they all understood that if the political plans did not come true, then they would face the gallows or a prison term for a long time.

The terrorists considered it their civic duty to destroy tsarism in Russia. However, this mission turned out to be beyond their power: it was brought to life by the closest relative of Alexander Ulyanov. Well, after the execution of brother Lenin, the environment of the Ulyanov family turned away from all its members, preferring to distance themselves from communication with Maria Alexandrovna and the children. Everyone was frightened by the blatant and odious act of Alexander. And after some time, Vladimir Ilyich will say his sacramental phrase: "We will go the other way!".

Alexander Ulyanov - Lenin's brother - was almost always in the shadow of his more famous relative. But it is interesting how the course of history would have turned if it were not for the oath of young Volodya to avenge Sasha, who was executed by the tsar. It was then that the future leader of the world proletariat said his most famous phrase: "We will go the other way."

Childhood and youth

Alexander Ilyich Ulyanov was born in Nizhny Novgorod March 31, 1866 When he was 3 years old, the family moved to Simbirsk. Alexander's father, Ilya Nikolaevich, initially held the position of inspector of public schools, and after 5 years he was promoted and took the place of the manager of the directorate. Mother, Maria Alexandrovna, was from an intelligent family and knew several foreign languages. It was she who taught her children to read and write. In total, Maria Alexandrovna had 8 children, two of them died in infancy.

Sasha learned to read quite early, namely at the age of 4. When he was eight, his home schooling was completed, and he entered the Simbirsk gymnasium. Starting from elementary school, according to his classmates, he was very popular at school. This is also evidenced by the fact that the gymnasium graduation, which took place in 1883, was called "Ulyanov's class."

I must say that Alexander Ulyanov was brought up on classical Russian literature. He liked to read the works of Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Nekrasov. In addition, while still at the gymnasium, he became seriously interested in natural science, in particular, zoology. But Sasha's real passion was chemistry. When he was 16 years old, he independently equipped a semblance for himself. chemical laboratory where he spent his free time, often staying overnight.

As you can see, the young Alexander Ulyanov was an extremely developed boy beyond his years, very serious and immersed in his studies. Based on this, many predicted a great future for him, certainly associated with science.

Student years

Alexander, having graduated from the classical gymnasium and received a gold medal, in 1883 easily enters St. Petersburg University. He becomes a student of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. By the way, this university was already at that time not only one of the best universities, but also the largest scientific center in the Russian Empire.

The first two years of study in the capital, Alexander Ulyanov spent all his time attending lectures and doing scientific research. He was one of the most beloved students of D. I. Mendeleev, therefore he was a regular in the chemical laboratory, where he could often be seen sitting at a microscope. At that time, he did not think about politics.

At the end of his second year, he finally decided on the choice of specialization - he was most interested in. He conducted course research, for which he was awarded a gold medal, which opened wide the doors for him to real scientific activity. Then no one doubted that the most talented student Ulyanov would remain at the university and eventually received a professorship.

It was Alexander's scientific successes that largely contributed to the increase in his popularity among students. Soon he joined the Scientific and Literary Society at St. Petersburg University. At the initiative of Prince Golitsyn, Count Heiden and other reactionary students, this organization acquired the opposite impulse. A group of students with pronounced revolutionary views began to exert a tremendous influence on him.

Gradually, Alexander began to participate in all illegal student meetings and demonstrations, as well as to conduct revolutionary propaganda in the workers' circle. At the end of 1886, together with his comrade Shevyrev, he organized the so-called terrorist faction in the People's Will party.

assassination attempt

On March 1, 1887, the assassination of Emperor Alexander III was planned. It was organized by the same terrorist faction. The original plan was to shoot the king, but it was later resolutely rejected. Then the idea arose to throw bombs, and Andreyushkin and Gerasimov expressed their desire to do so.

After numerous assassination attempts on the emperor, the authorities began to pay especially close attention to those students who constantly participated in illegal demonstrations, and the police often opened their correspondence. One of these letters spoke of a merciless terror that was to be committed in the near future. This message was addressed to a certain Nikitin. The police gradually began to unravel the thread of a conspiracy against the emperor. Thus, the attempt and his comrades was discovered and prevented.

Trial

It is known that from 15 to 19 April court sessions were held behind closed doors. They were allowed to be attended only by ministers, their associates, senators, members of the State Council and persons belonging to the highest bureaucracy. Even relatives and friends of the defendants were not only not allowed into the courtroom, but were not even allowed to meet with them.

Several dozen people were arrested for attempting to assassinate the emperor, but only 15 of them were brought to trial. Among them was Alexander Ulyanov - Lenin's brother. Initially, for all the convicts, but a little later, for eight defendants, this such a harsh sentence was replaced by other punishments. The emperor signed the verdict with only five defendants, in the list of which, in addition to Shevyrev, Osipanov, Generalov and Andreyushkin, Alexander Ulyanov was also listed. The rest were assigned different periods of imprisonment, as well as exile to Siberia.

Execution of revolutionaries

As you know, Alexander's mother wrote a letter to the Russian emperor, where she asked for his permission to meet with her son. Historians are inclined to think that, most likely, the convict had the opportunity to apply for pardon, but for some reason this was not done. Therefore, on May 8 (20), the execution of Alexander Ulyanov and his associates took place. They were hung in the territory