. A thousand years of Russian history. rtain Guardsregiments had been preparedto take part in the revolu-tion ; the outbreak was tobe signalled by the refusal ofofficers and men to swear theoath of allegiance to Nicholas,on the plea that Constantinewas their lawful Emperor. On 14th December, theday appointed for the solemnceremony, the mutiny brokeout as arranged, and whenthe Emperor came out toreason with the disaffectedtroops which had assembledin the Senate Square two tothree thousand men stoodout against him. The Emperor, when informed of the Guards refusal toacknowledge him as sovereign,
. A thousand years of Russian history. rtain Guardsregiments had been preparedto take part in the revolu-tion ; the outbreak was tobe signalled by the refusal ofofficers and men to swear theoath of allegiance to Nicholas,on the plea that Constantinewas their lawful Emperor. On 14th December, theday appointed for the solemnceremony, the mutiny brokeout as arranged, and whenthe Emperor came out toreason with the disaffectedtroops which had assembledin the Senate Square two tothree thousand men stoodout against him. The Emperor, when informed of the Guards refusal toacknowledge him as sovereign, personally addressed certaintroops to try and influence them by alternate means of kind-ness and severity. He endeavoured to disperse the crowd so thathis troops might have space and freedom of movement; butthe soldiers only responded by calling out his brothers name. If there had been any organised and concerted actionunder good leadership, the conspirators might possibly havebeen successful, for society in general was on their Tsar, holding in his Hand the FourSceptres representing the Four Tsar-doms of which muscovy oonisisted afterTHE Conquest of Siberia, Kazan, andAstrakhan. (From Herbersteins Rerum MoscoviticarumCommentarii, 1549.) 2-A A THOUSAND YEARS OF RUSSIAN HISTORY Many regiments were wavering, and the crowd would un-doubtedly have backed thorn up ; but Prince Troubetzkoifailed them, and at the critical moment could not be , one of the principal movers of the conspiracy, buta civilian, could not be expected to take command of thesituation, and Prince Obolenski, who had to step into thegap, lacked the exceptional gifts required for such an under-taking. The mutinous soldiers formed a solid square andboldly repulsed every attack made on them by the loyal famous soldier. General Miloradovitch, the idol of thearmy, tried in vain to induce the mutineers to follow himback to the barracks. ReaUsing the danger to which the old man was exposed,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1915
