Following the Russian loss during the Crimean war demonstrations began to be held in Polish and Lithuanian regions of the empire.  They were suppressed by the Russian army, Cossacks, and police forces.  Despite this, the demonstrations continued causing the Russians to institute a state of emergency in several regions.  Martial law was introduced in October 1861 and public gatherings were banned.  In May of 1862 a member of the Polish aristocracy, Marquis Alexander Wielopolski was put in charge of the civil administration.  He also emancipated Polish Jews in an effort to lessen their interest in revolutionary activity.  This only angered the sizable Roman Catholic population in the region.

Soon two factions of rebels had begun to develop, the Reds and the Whites.  The Reds were composed of peasants, workers, and some clergy.  While the Whites were made up of liberal landlords and Polish moderates.  In order to subvert the Red faction, Wielopolski ordered a selective conscription decree in September of 1862.  The goal of this order was to draft many of the Red dissidents into the army.  It backfired by forcing the Reds to make a hasty decision on weather they were to submit or revolt.  They chose the latter option.

It was against this backdrop that students revolted in protest to the new conscription decree.  The rebels were hopeful that France would be sympathetic to their cause, but largely due to an agreement with Prussia, the French did nothing to materially aid them.

Alvensleben Convention is signed between Prussia and the Russian Empire.  It allowed for joint cooperation against Polish and Lithuanian rebel groups.

Tsar offers amnesty to all who would lay down their arms, but the offer is refused by the Polish rebel factions.

Forces under Sierakowski defeat Russian forces near Raguva.

General M.N. Murav'ev is appointed the Governor-General of Vilna.  He would carry out peasent reforms in Vilna, Kovno, Orodno, and Minsk.  These were aimed at reducing peasant support for the rebellion. (2)

Marquis Alexander Wielopolski retires.
Grand Duke Constantine is replaced as Polish Viceroy by the former Governor of Finland, General Friedrich Wilhelm Remburg von Berg. (2)

A special commission headed by Nicholas Miliutin is formed to gain friendship of the Polish peasantry and separate it from the intelligencia class.  He is assisted by Prince V. A. Cherkasskii and Iurii Samarin.

Polish General Romuald Traugutt issues decree that made peasants owners of the land they worked.

The Russian government suppressed the revolt by a combined military and political approach.  The relatively untrained rebels had few weapons other than small arms and were often outnumbered ten to one or more.  They collapsed quickly in the face of disciplined troops armed with cavalry and cannon.  This caused the insurgents to adopt guerrilla tactics for the duration of the uprising.

Politically, the Russian leaders like General M.N. Murav'ev adopted policies of both punishment and reconciliation.  Though he executed over two hundred rebels, earning him the name "the hangman of Vilna" he also listened to peasant grievances and granted allotments of land to peasants that were larger than before the uprising (2).  His model was copied by General Wilhelm von Berg.  This largely defused the revolutionary impulse for a time.

All was not pleasant however, as many thousands of Polish men and women were exiled to Siberia.  The Russians also confiscated Polish estates and returned some lands that had been given to the peasants by the revolutionaries back to its owners.  Other measures to eliminate the last vestiges of Polish statehood came later.  In 1868 the Russian government officially annexes Poland and declares it a province of Russia.  In 1876 Russian becomes the official language taught in schools and used in government. (2)