Sofia Perovskaya,
Terrorist Princess

The Plot to Kill Tsar Alexander II and the Woman Who Led It

The Narodnaya Volya were terrorists who emerged in Russia in the 1870’s. They developed a philosophical justification for murderous terrorist acts. They pioneered terrorist propaganda and the protoype of the terrorist organization.

Sofia Perovskaya, Terrorist Princess is a journey back to the middle of the 19th century. It is a journey to the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution, an event that transformed Western society. And one of the transformations which carries down to this day was the dawn of modern terrorism. The book transports the reader to a changing time in human history, a time when the dream first emerged of a utopian future, one where all shared in the bounty made possible by the new technology. The vision intoxicated a new crop of Russians known as the Generation of the Sixties. For a small fraction of the visionaries who dreamed that dream, it would turn into a passionate embrace with death and martyrdom in the name of the cause of utopian anarchism. And, in their development of terrorist fanaticism, these Russian visionaries would theorize, they would publish, and they would even articulate a new philosophy of “political killings.” If, as has so often been said, all of today’s philosophy is a footnote to the Greeks, then all modern terrorism is in a very real sense a footnote to the Narodnaya Volya. And while the members of Narodnaya Volya would be drawn by and large from the ranks of the Russian nobility and the upper and middle classes, their most dramatic and important leader would be a remarkable woman. She had the most aristocratic heritage of them all.

Profiles in Terrorism: Sofia Perovskaya Terrorist Princess

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What People Are Saying…

“Very readable and in general accurate.”

— Walter G. Moss, Professor Emeritus, Eastern Michigan University and author of Russia in the Age of Alexander II, Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, and A History of Russia

“Sofia Perovskaya may be an obscure historical figure for most people, but she is an important part of early Russian history and has an important historical value for researchers. This book by Robert Riggs opens up an interesting chapter and personality for those interested in terrorism, its causes, and those that do it. There are psychological aspects to terrorists that many have in common, and knowing more about who they are, where they come from and how they act can help in counteracting new terrorists from forming.

Sofia Perovskaya was a Russian aristocrat, related to Elizabeth of Russia (Empress from 1741-1762) via marriage. Literate, well-read and educated, she became part of the burgeoning anarchist movement during the same period as the American Civil War. She was active in many conspiracies against the Russian Emperor Alexander II and his government, being arrested several times and eventually sentenced to prison, from which she escaped. After multiple attempts on Alexander II’s life, Sofia and her group were eventually successful, assassinating him in Saint Petersburg on March 1, 1881. Sofia was eventually captured and sentenced to death for her part in the assassination and was the first woman in Russia sentenced to death for terrorism.

Robert Riggs is writing a series of books on terrorists and terrorism, looking for linking characteristics and his beginning with Sofia Perovskaya is an interesting one. She isn’t a well-known or even a “key” figure in world history, but she serves as a good template for both the evolution of modern terrorism and the personality and personal traits Riggs has found in other terrorists.

Riggs says about Sofia:

“Sofia Perovskaya is a fascinating case study. She came from a privileged family with royal connections. She was not victimized by poverty, class or social stigma. She was known for being kind to the sick and devoted to her mother. We have much to learn from examining her peculiar turn of personality, one that takes over people who are generally intelligent, ascetic, creative, and motivated, and makes them killers who thirst for martyrdom.”

The parallels between Sofia and Osama bin Laden are striking. Both upper class, educated, and with plenty of opportunities. Both turned to violence to achieve their aims and created armies of followers to do the actual terrorism. Much like profiling serial killers, one can also profile terrorists. And Riggs’s series of books about them is off to a great start with Sofia Perovskaya and the period of time that produced and nurtured her. Recommended for students of violence and terrorism, world history, and cultural change.

— Bradley Allen, Seattle Book Review

“Riggs meticulously tracks Perovskaya’s radicalization, including her intellectual influences, such as Nikolai Chernyshevsky’s 1863 novel What Is to Be Done? He also examines the lives of other historically important radicals, including the anarchist Mikhail Bakunin. Finally, he explores the basic characteristics common to all terrorists . . . . Overall, his study is remarkably well-researched, examining the many ways in which the Russian radicals of the period were the first modern terrorists and how they supplied a template for others. Furthermore, he perceptively tracks how revolutionary resistance counterintuitively pushed the Russian government toward conservative retreat, transforming a reformist czar into a guarded dictator.”

— Kirkus Indy Review

“The text is easy to understand. The framing and context about the Russian and European societies are also covered. I would never know about this only by studying History. It develops very clearly how a “terrorist woman” could be born and it analyzes the “Paradox about terrorists.” Undoubtedly I enjoyed it for the fluent pace of the story, for its narration and brilliant character descriptions.

I recommend this book because it is great to connect to people and events of the past and realize that they are not gone but still affect our life nowadays.”

— Maria Magdalena, Goodreads

“A perfect balance of historical context, cast of characters, action adventure, love stories, mortality and, of course, morality.”

— Elizabeth Zellerbach, Red Hills Reviews

“Sofia Perovskaya was a female terrorist but she is just one of many who played a discerning role in the creation of modern terrorism in the Russian Empire. Entangled with many others in the late 19th century, are names like Vera Zasulich, who pulled the trigger on Russian terrorism shooting at governor-general Feodor Trepov, and Sofia Perovskaya, who masterminded the assassination of Tsar Alexander II on March 1, 1881. This book focuses on how she and many others created forums for women to voice their political views, malcontent and more. Females were not regarded in the same way as males. Sofia was the daughter or Lev Perovsky who was the civil governor of St. Petersburg. He and his wife had four children but he often berated her and belittled her in public when things in his job or the Ministry of Internal Affairs went arwy. Her father was arrogant, angered easily and he spent much of his time playing cards, drinking and cheating on his wife. Lev was arrogant and often caused the yelling scenes at home. His wife Varvara was plain and did not appear to be flashy at social occasions. Sofia and her sister Marya learned French and but Sofia was attached to her mother and could not deal with her father’s outrageous attitude towards her mother.

This is a complex story with many layers as Perovskaya enrolled in the Alarchinsky Women’s College and then joined a circle of women along with Anna Korba which started the rise to her developing revolutionary ideas. Secret societies were the norm and the Land and Liberty was one that she joined led by Mark Natanson who required that the Russian Empire should be disolved. As you read this complex and well-researched book you begin to hear the voice of so many of those that became part of the many terrorist groups and you can feel their passion, their ire, and their need to overthrow those that opposed them. Sofia’s voice is the strongest and you begin to think that she has multiple personalities when dealing with different groups of people. At times she is compassionate and at other times distant, aloof and dangerous.

Complaints about Alexander ran the gamut and many thought that when he signed pardons and commutations for the remaining Decembrists exiled in Siberia that that was a good first start. More students were allowed to pursue higher education and the entrance into the Russian system, which under Nicholas had been restricted to privledged sons of the nobility. However, there was a very small percentage of students in the Generation of the Sixties that would forge ahead in another way. They were drawn into the idea of revolution rather than evolution. These “revolutionaries,” would eventually evolve. If you read page 30 you will learn the highlights of the new emancipation law that included many points that some liked and angered others. Chapter 3 introduces the Prophet of Anarachism, Mikhail Bakhunin, who while Alexander wanted to try and reform the institutions of government in Russian, this man was busy advocating the abolition of all government. You can learn more when you read about him. Some thought that two-thirds of the land should be transferred or given to the peasants. In this way it would be suitable in a manner for self-governing and organized communes.

Women terrorists were born at this time and Sofia met with Elizabeth Kovalskaya, whose manly appearance and outfit seemed like a uniform. Sofia was tough and did not get along with her father who dictated the rules and insisted on certain behaviors. She spend much of her childhood on her mother’s estate in the Crimea.

At times Sofia got a vast disconnect between her visions and reality. Land and Liberty split and became People’s Will under Narodnaya Volya and Black Repartiton created by George Plekhanov. The first favored terroism and the second were against it. They suppored socialist propaganda. From the title and main thrust of the book you know that the goal was to assassinate Alexander II and that was the goal of People’s Will. Vera Zasulich shot Trepov as the first of many attacks to follow. A directive committee with Sofia, Andrei Zhelyabov, Timofei Mikhailov, Lev Tikhomirov, Vera Figner and others was formed. Andrei was thought to lead them but Vera thought him to be lacking in depth. She thought he was too optimistic and about hope and light. But his magnetic personality strengthened his mantra of Hope and Light. He and Sofia tried and failed to use nitroglycerine to destroy the Tsar’s train. But, they miscaluculated. She was relentless and would not give up. Another attempt the author describes was to blow up Kamenny Bridge in St. Petersburg because Alexander was passing over the bridge but it failed.

Sofia fell for Zhelyavov. They worked closely together and the realization that terror was the first stage in the political struggle. Tikhomirov valued her character and her intelligence. Khalturin approached Plekhanov about killing Tsar Alexaner II. The rejected the thought and told him to contack People’s Will. He agreed that Khalturn should try to kill him and dynamite was supplied but the attempt failed. The plot was set, the players in place and around 2:15 Sofia gave the signal as the Tsar’s entourage arrived at the end of Inzhenernaya Street. But, it never came off. Alexander wanted to go see the crater where the bomb that failed exploded. The end result was devastating and she completed her mission. While Alexander was standing with the wounded Cossacks another terrorist named Grinevitski threw his bomb instantly killing him. As you look at her pictures throughout the book you can feel the coldness in her heart, face and her passion for terror. Sofia, Vera, Mikhail and others.”

— Fran Lewis of Bookpleasures.com

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About Sofia Perovskaya . . .

Sofia Perovskaya personifies the fascinating paradoxes of the terrorist. She was born into a famous aristocratic family. Her great-great-grandfather was the brother-in-law of the Empress Elizabeth. Her immediate forebears were generals, cabinet ministers, governors, scientists and poets. And yet, at an early age Sonia would renounce her family heritage in favor of living underground as a dedicated anarchist and terrorist using a series of assumed names. She did all this in the name of the People, even though the People themselves, when she lived among them, showed no inclination to embrace any form of anarchy or rebellion. Sonia was known for being tender with the sick and kind to her mother, and yet, she could contemplate with perfect equanimity the bombing death of dozens of unsuspecting people. She was an ascetic renowned in the anarchist movement for her insistence on chastity. And yet, before the end came, she could become involved in a steamy affair with her handsome Narodnaya Volya co-leader. Sonia left home at age 17 after she came into sharp conflict with her father, the Governor of St. Petersburg, over her nihilist sympathies. In Sofia Perovskaya, Terrorist Princessk we show through new archival research how Sonia’s father Lev Perovsky, however overbearing his attitude may have been at home, was actually a liberal on the spectrum of Russian politics. We shall see how Sonia’s leadership role in the assassination of Alexander II on March 1, 1881 bore a karmic relation to her father’s dismissal from office, which occurred in 1866 as part of a classic overreaction to the very first assassination attempt against Alexander.

About Alexander II . . .

He earned his enduring nickname, “the Tsar Liberator,” when he steadfastly championed the cause of liberating the millions of Russian serfs. Their emancipation was decreed by Russia’s closest parallel to Abraham Lincoln on February 19, 1861. When Alexander ascended to the throne in 1855 at the age of 38, he quickly staked out his program as a liberal, reforming Tsar. He expanded access to education, reformed the justice system, and loosened travel restrictions. He charted a moderate course strongly influenced by champions of reform, including his younger bother Konstantin and his aunt Hélène, and he appointed liberals to important positions in government. But much of that came to an end in 1866, when the first assassination attempt against Alexander occurred. Conservative forces gained political ascendancy. They put a stop to Alexander’s reforms and they inaugurated an era of political purges and reaction known as the “White Terror.” Alexander’s attention turned inward, toward his passionate love affair with a woman 29 years younger, one that would result in three children born out of wedlock. In the course of the 1870’s, a daughter born to one of Alexander’s purged high officials would grow up to become his mortal enemy. She was Sofia Perovskaya.

About Narodnaya Volya . . .

The prototype of the modern terrorist organization, complete with underground cells, codes, and propaganda claiming “credit” for murder and violence. Out of a rebellious generation, over time, there was distilled a small group of dedicated Russian radicals who called themselves the Narodnaya Volya (translated: the “Will of the People”). The radicals of Narodnaya Volya made a powerful discovery about renunciation. “We can do anything, if we are not afraid of death.” The “executive committee” of Narodnaya Volya was not composed of children of poverty or oppression. By Russia’s standards of the 19th century, they were natural leaders, by and large children of wealth and privilege, from upper middle class to upper class families. Among their number were writers and intellectuals. They refined, cultivated and expressed a philosophical justification of terrorism. Their exploits culminated in a shocking series of assassination attempts against Russia’s iconic Tsar Alexander II.

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