Gesya Gelfman
Encyclopedia
Gesya Mirokhovna Gelfman (Gesia Gelfman or Helfmann); (Гельфман, Геся Мироховна in Russian
) (her name is often incorrectly spelled Gesya Mironovna and she sometimes gave an abbreviated "Mirovna"; she is sometimes referred to as Gesia, Hesse, Hessy or Jessie) (between 1852 and 1855, Mazyr
— 2.1(13).1882, Saint Petersburg
), Russian revolutionary
, member of Narodnaya Volya, implicated in the assassination of Tsar
Alexander II of Russia
.
, and moved to Kiev
, where she found employment in a sewing factory.
to the province
of Novgorod, from where she escaped and joined Narodnaya Volya in Saint Petersburg
in 1879.
At a personal level, she also practiced then-revolutionary free love
.
In 1881 she was part of the group that assassinated Alexander II, along with her then lover, Nikolai Sablin
. When the police raided their apartment, Sablin shot himself.
trial
in March 1881, Gelfman refused to admit her guilt, but she was nevertheless sentenced to death by hanging
for her alleged part in the assassination of the Tsar. However, a few hours after being convicted, she made a statement reading in part that "in view of the ... sentence I have received, I consider it my moral duty to declare that I am in the fourth month of pregnancy
". According to contemporary law execution of pregnant women was banned as the fetus was considered innocent. Therefore, Gelfman's execution was officially postponed until forty days after childbirth, and in the meantime she would stay in the harsh Peter and Paul Fortress
prison. Three months later, thanks to the campaign against her execution by Socialists in Western Europe and in the foreign press, her sentence was exchanged for an indefinite period of katorga
and she was transferred back to the remand prison where she had been held before. On 5 July [NS], whilst still in the Peter and Paul Fortress and by permission of the Minister of the Interior, Count Ignatiev
, she was granted an interview (which lasted almost an hour and a half) with a journalist from the newspaper Golos who was accompanied by her defence counsel at her trial, a lawyer named Goerke. During the course of this interview, she complained about the lack of "proper medical and female attendance".
Gelfman gave birth in detention
in October 1881. Upon the request of the Department of Police, her childbirth was assisted by a gynaecologist who was also employed by the Imperial court, something unprecedented. She had a severe maternal complication, as her perineum
was torn. It was rumoured that the gynaecologist had refused the prison doctor's suggestion to sew the wound together; in any case, it never healed. She remained delirious during some of the postnatal period
. By 24 November, she had developed peritonitis
, which became acute on 17 January 1882. She nevertheless nursed her daughter from her birth in October until 25 January, when the baby was taken away from her, placed in an orphanage and registered as a child of unknown parents. According to the subsequent medical report, the peritonitis became general and caused fever
on the same day. Six days later, Gelfman died. Her child soon died of an unknown disease as well.
, was also rumored to be Jewish, though there seems to have been no basis for this. The assassination was thus blamed by many on "the Jews".
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
) (her name is often incorrectly spelled Gesya Mironovna and she sometimes gave an abbreviated "Mirovna"; she is sometimes referred to as Gesia, Hesse, Hessy or Jessie) (between 1852 and 1855, Mazyr
Mazyr
Mazyr, also Mozyr is a city in the Homiel Province of Belarus on the Pripyat River about 210 km east of Pinsk and 100 km northwest of Chernobyl and is located at approximately . The population is 111,770 . The total urban area including Kalinkavičy across the river has a population of...
— 2.1(13).1882, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
), Russian revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
, member of Narodnaya Volya, implicated in the assassination of Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
.
Early life
Born into a Jewish family, Gelfman left it at the age of 16 or 17, allegedly to avoid an arranged marriageArranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
, and moved to Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, where she found employment in a sewing factory.
Revolutionary activities
In the early 1870s, she was an active member of several revolutionary clubs in Kiev. In 1877, during the Trial of the Fifty, Gelfman was sentenced to two years in the Litovsky Castle. On 14 March 1879, she was sent into exileExile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
to the province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of Novgorod, from where she escaped and joined Narodnaya Volya in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
in 1879.
At a personal level, she also practiced then-revolutionary free love
Free love
The term free love has been used to describe a social movement that rejects marriage, which is seen as a form of social bondage. The Free Love movement’s initial goal was to separate the state from sexual matters such as marriage, birth control, and adultery...
.
In 1881 she was part of the group that assassinated Alexander II, along with her then lover, Nikolai Sablin
Nikolai Sablin
For the Naval officer please see Nikolai Pavlovich SablinNikolai Alekseyevich Sablin , was the son of a petty landowner, was born in 1849 or 1850 . While at Moscow University he became involved in revolutionary politics as a member of the Narodnaya Volya or People's Will.Sablin went to Zurich in...
. When the police raided their apartment, Sablin shot himself.
Death
During the PervomartovtsiPervomartovtsi
Pervomartovtsy were the Russian revolutionaries, members of Narodnaya Volya, planners and executors of the assassination of Alexander II of Russia and attempted murder of Alexander III of Russia .The assassination in 1881 was planned by Narodnaya Volya's Executive Committee...
trial
Trial (law)
In law, a trial is when parties to a dispute come together to present information in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court...
in March 1881, Gelfman refused to admit her guilt, but she was nevertheless sentenced to death by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
for her alleged part in the assassination of the Tsar. However, a few hours after being convicted, she made a statement reading in part that "in view of the ... sentence I have received, I consider it my moral duty to declare that I am in the fourth month of pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
". According to contemporary law execution of pregnant women was banned as the fetus was considered innocent. Therefore, Gelfman's execution was officially postponed until forty days after childbirth, and in the meantime she would stay in the harsh Peter and Paul Fortress
Peter and Paul Fortress
The Peter and Paul Fortress is the original citadel of St. Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706-1740.-History:...
prison. Three months later, thanks to the campaign against her execution by Socialists in Western Europe and in the foreign press, her sentence was exchanged for an indefinite period of katorga
Katorga
Katorga was a system of penal servitude of the prison farm type in Tsarist Russia...
and she was transferred back to the remand prison where she had been held before. On 5 July [NS], whilst still in the Peter and Paul Fortress and by permission of the Minister of the Interior, Count Ignatiev
Nicholas Pavlovich Ignatiev
Count Nikolay Pavlovich Ignatyev was a Russian statesman and diplomat...
, she was granted an interview (which lasted almost an hour and a half) with a journalist from the newspaper Golos who was accompanied by her defence counsel at her trial, a lawyer named Goerke. During the course of this interview, she complained about the lack of "proper medical and female attendance".
Gelfman gave birth in detention
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in October 1881. Upon the request of the Department of Police, her childbirth was assisted by a gynaecologist who was also employed by the Imperial court, something unprecedented. She had a severe maternal complication, as her perineum
Perineum
In human anatomy, the perineum is a region of the body including the perineal body and surrounding structures...
was torn. It was rumoured that the gynaecologist had refused the prison doctor's suggestion to sew the wound together; in any case, it never healed. She remained delirious during some of the postnatal period
Postnatal
Postnatal is the period beginning immediately after the birth of a child and extending for about six weeks. Another term would be postpartum period, as it refers to the mother...
. By 24 November, she had developed peritonitis
Peritonitis
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane that lines part of the abdominal cavity and viscera. Peritonitis may be localised or generalised, and may result from infection or from a non-infectious process.-Abdominal pain and tenderness:The main manifestations of...
, which became acute on 17 January 1882. She nevertheless nursed her daughter from her birth in October until 25 January, when the baby was taken away from her, placed in an orphanage and registered as a child of unknown parents. According to the subsequent medical report, the peritonitis became general and caused fever
Fever
Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...
on the same day. Six days later, Gelfman died. Her child soon died of an unknown disease as well.
Consequences
The importance of Gelfman's role in the assassination was much exaggerated, and her Jewish origins stressed during the pogroms that followed the assassination. Another conspirator, Ignacy HryniewieckiIgnacy Hryniewiecki
Ignaty Gryniewietsky , 1856 – 13 March 1881) was a member of the People's Will and the assassin of Tsar Alexander II of Russia.-Early life:...
, was also rumored to be Jewish, though there seems to have been no basis for this. The assassination was thus blamed by many on "the Jews".