Natalia Petrovna Matkhanova,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Institute of History of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Larisa Andreevna Podzhio: A Decembrist’s Wife, but not a “Decembristka”
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2025-6-5
The study examines the distinctions between the terms “Decembrist’s wife” and “Decembristka” (women who traveled to Siberia to join their brothers, husbands, or fiancés sentenced to penal servitude and exile). It proposes a classification of Decembrists’ wives into three groups based on their social origin. The article notes that very little is known about the women who came from the middle strata of the Siberian population and married Decembrists. The primary focus is to reconstruct the key events in the life of L.A. Smirnova, the wife of the Decembrist L.A. Podzhio. The research draws on sources such as letters from L.A. Podzhio and L.A. Podzhio and their daughter V.A. Vysotskaya, correspondence from other Decembrists and their families, and memoirs by N.A. Belogolovyi and S.M. Volkonsky. It has been established that L.A. Smirnova graduated from the Alexanderovskii School for Girls in Moscow, receiving a substantial education for the mid-19th century. The article provides details about her life with her husband, both before and after the amnesty, as well as her activities in Italy during her final years. It highlights the difficulties she faced, including financial uncertainty, the lack of a permanent home, frequent relocations, and anxiety about her daughter’s future. The study identifies specific aspects of L.A. Podzhio’s daily life that align with the practices common in noble-intellectual families in the second half of the 19th century. These include the significant role of women in the family, the recognition of the need for female education and preparation for professional work, and women’s ability and determination to earn a living. The text also points to L.A. Podzhio’s personal acquaintance with A.I. Herzen and her decisive role in providing him with information about a conflict between the Decembrist and his nephew. The article emphasizes that L.A. Podzhio maintained contact with many Decembrists, their wives, and children, both during her husband’s lifetime and after his death. Her role in preserving and publishing L.A. Podzhio’s “Memoirs” is underscored.
Publishing: 28/12/2025
The article has been received by the editor on 27/10/2025
How to cite: Matkhanova N.P. Larisa Andreevna Podzhio: A Decembrist’s Wife, but not a “Decembristka” // Historical Courier, 2025, No. 6 (44), pp. 73−92. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2025/ISTKURIER-2025-6-05.pdf]
The article was made on the topic of the state assignment “The Past in the Manuscript Sources of the 16th−20th Centuries: Preservation and Development of Traditions” (FWZM-2024-0006).
Links: Issue 6 2025
Keywords: Decembristka; Decembrists’ wives; L.A. Podzhio; L.A. Podzhio (Smirnova); V.A. Vysotskaya (Podzhio); gender history; biographies of non-famous women