A strong-willed and fearless woman, Sophia Perovskaya could well stop the horse and enter the burning hut. From a young age, she chose for herself the path of revolutionary struggle, which in those days meant for many participation in terror against the first persons of the state. Being sentenced to death, Sophia did not want to repent and met this last test with her head held high.
From the biography of Sofia Perovskaya
Sofya Lvovna Perovskaya was born on September 15, 1853 in St. Petersburg. By origin - a noblewoman. Perovskaya’s father was a descendant of Count Razumovsky, held a very substantial position as governor of St. Petersburg, and later became a member of the council of the internal political department. The mother of the future revolutionary came from an old noble family. Sophia’s childhood passed in a family estate, after which she lived for some time in Simferopol.
After completing women's courses, Perovskaya organized a circle where she was engaged in educational activities. Soon the work of the circle acquired a pronounced revolutionary character.
In 1870, the girl left home. This act was a response to her father's demand to stop acquaintance with dubious personalities. Perovskaya wandered around the safe houses and conducted preparations for the peasant revolution in the country. Sophia initially lived in a friend’s house, and when her father sought her through the police, she moved to Kiev.
Having a diploma of a teacher, Sophia worked for several years in the Tver, Samara and Simbirsk provinces. In 1974, she was arrested. The conclusion was serving in the Peter and Paul Fortress.
Perovskaya was a girlfriend, and later the common-law wife of the revolutionary A. Zhelyabov. Having been sentenced to exile in the Olonets province, Sophia escaped on the way to the place of serving her sentence. After that, she completely switched to an illegal position.
