Ivan Kalyayev
Ivan Platonovich Kalyayev (Template:Lang-ru; July 6, 1877 - May 23, 1905) was a Russian poet and terrorist, member of Socialist-Revolutionary Party, who assassinated Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and was subsequently hanged.
Kalyaev was born in Warsaw in the family of police inspector. He managed to enter the Saint Petersburg University but soon he became involved in students' protests, was briefly imprisoned, expelled from the University and sent into two-years exile. Thereafter he tried to return to the University, but was denied entrance due to his political activities. When Kalyaev was 24 he joined Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party but soon broke up since he was dissatisfied with what he considered "just talk" i.e. propaganda which did not lead to direct action. At that time Kalyaev has already convinced himself that political terror was the only way to achieve his political ideas. He met Evno Azef (head of Socialist-Revolutionary Party Fighting Organization]]) and persuaded him that he was ready to perform political assassinations even at the cost of his own life.
Kalyaev participated in the assassination of Minister of Interior Vyacheslav Pleve though Pleve was killed by another Socialist-Revolutionary Egor Sazonov and Kalyaev did not have to throw his bomb. The next one to be killed was General-Governor of Moscow and uncle of Tsar Nicholas II Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich.
Assassination was scheduled to be carried out on February 15 1905. On that day the Duke was to visit a Bolshoi Theatre's show that was a fundraiser for the Red Cross. Kalyayev was suppose to attack the carriage aproaching the theater. Everything went as expected. Kalyaev was about to throw his bomb to the carriage of the Grand Duke but he noticed that there were Segei's Alexandrovich wife (Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna) and young nephews (children of the Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich)inside and aborted the assassination.
He performed assasination two days later killing the Grand Duke and his coachman when the Grand Duke was approaching his official residence. Kalyaev was arrested immediately. Several days after the assassination the widow of Sergei Alexandrovich, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna visited Kalyaev. She was an Orthodox Christian and she wanted to persuade him to repent in order to save his soul but Kalyaev refused to do it. He was sentenced to death and hanged on May 23, 1905.
Poetry
The most known of Kalyayev poetry is his Prayer:
- Христос, Христос! Слепит нас жизни мгла.
- Ты нам открыл все небо, ночь рассеяв,
- Но храм опять во власти фарисеев.
- Мессии нет — Иудам нет числа…
- Мы жить хотим! Над нами ночь висит.
- О, неужель вновь нужно искупленье,
- И только крест нам возвестит спасенье?..
- Христос, Христос!..
- Но все кругом молчит.
- Oh Christ! Oh Christ! We're blinded by the gloom of life.
- You opened the sky for us and scattered darkness
- But Temple is again belong to Pharisees
- There is no Messiah but many Judas
- We want to live, The night hangs above us
- Oh do we need again redemption
- And only Cross'd indicate salvation
- Oh Christ, Oh Christ!...
- But everything is silent.
See also
Ivan Kalyayev in popular culture
Ivan Kalyayev (spelled Kaliayev) is the main hero of the Albert Camus' play The Just Assassins (also translated The Just, Template:Lang-fr).