The Decembrists were the first group in Russia to advocate constitutionalism, freedom, and an end to serfdom. Most Decembrists were educated aristocrats, and many were officers of the guard, stationed both in St. Petersburg and Ukraine. Their ideas ranged from a conservative constitutional monarchy to the public distribution of land. The Decembrist Revolt was staged on December 14, 1825, when, in order to coax other soldiers into rebellion, officers pretended to defend the right of Constantine (1779–1831) to succeed his dead brother. The Decembrists were outnumbered by royal troops, the revolt was put down, and several leading revolutionaries were executed. Nicholas I (r. 1825–55), Alexander’s youngest brother, ascended the throne.