Social unrest during the troubled time of the boggers. Speech by Ivan Bolotnikov. scheme of the battle of Klushino

The future leader of the rebellion (which historians also call the peasant war) Ivan Bolotnikov had a life full of adventures behind him. At first he was a combat servant of the boyar and the prince A. A. Telyatevsky. In this service, he received a variety of knowledge in military affairs. However, the servile share weighed heavily on his freedom-loving nature. Bolotnikov fled to the southern steppes and soon became chieftain of the Volga Cossacks. In one of the campaigns, he was taken prisoner by the Crimean Tatars. They sold him into slavery to the Ottomans. So the free chieftain turned out to be a slave rower on a Turkish battle galley.

During one of naval battles the galley, on which Bolotnikov was, was captured by the Venetians. He managed to escape. Having received freedom, the ataman visited Venice, and from there through Germany he reached Poland. Here he heard that Tsar Dmitry, who had fled from Moscow, lives in Sambor, and decided to meet him. From Germany he made his way to Russia. The Sambir impostor received him in the castle of Yuri Mnishek. These two people have found each other. Ivan Bolotnikov was a courageous man, experienced in military affairs. The fruits of the union of False Dmitry II and Ivan Bolotnikov were new disasters for Russia.

The reason for the Bolotnikov uprising was the desire of the impostor Mikhail Molchanov, who pretended to be the saved Tsar False Dmitry I, to overthrow Tsar Vasily Shuisky.

Thus, in the south of the Russian kingdom, the Cossacks became the main force of the opponents of Tsar Vasily Shuisky. They refused to swear allegiance to the boyar tsar. They were supported by those who believed the impostor False Dmitry II. Among those who went over to his side were townspeople and service people, archers, serfs and peasants. Detachments of disaffected grew, excitement spread.

Ivan Bolotnikov agreed to lead the army on behalf of the allegedly saved Dmitry, whom no one had yet seen at that time. The impostor Mikhail Molchanov appointed ataman Ivan Bolotnikov as his great governor and sent him to Putivl with a corresponding letter. The local voivode prince G. P. Shakhovskoy was an old friend of Molchanov. He hated the Shuiskys and convinced the townspeople that Dmitry was hiding in Poland.

Soon Putivl became the center of an uprising against the power of Vasily Shuisky. The rebels lacked only energetic and courageous leaders. It was at this moment that Ivan Bolotnikov, his great voivode, arrived in Putivl with broad powers from "Tsar Dmitry". He was immediately recognized as the commander-in-chief of all the forces of the rebels. Simultaneously with Bolotnikov, another leader of the rebels came forward - a young nobleman Istoma Pashkov, the son of a small landowner from the town of Epifani.

Thus, in 1606, a large army gathered in Putivl, which, under the leadership of Ivan Bolotnikov, moved to Moscow.

As it moved towards Moscow, Bolotnikov's army grew in numbers, becoming more and more heterogeneous. The detachments of nobles were led by Prokopy Lyapunov and Istoma Pashkov. The governors were Prince Shakhovskoy and Prince Telyatevsky (for whom Bolotnikov had previously served). The interests of different groups of dissatisfied did not coincide too much. This was the weakness of the army.

Kromy and Yelets

The government of Vasily Shuisky sent a large army to suppress the rebellion in the southern regions of the country. In the summer of 1606, the tsarist governors besieged two strongholds of the rebels - Kromy and Yelets. The rebels staunchly resisted, and the siege dragged on until autumn. Meanwhile, the nobles were accustomed to not serving only in the summer. With the onset of autumn, they usually dispersed to their estates until the next spring. In addition, famine began in the royal army. As a result, the governors of Shuisky were forced to lift the siege and withdraw their heavily depleted regiments back to Moscow. The whole South was in the grip of the rebels. Following the retreating Moscow troops, they moved north to Moscow.

Advance towards Moscow

Supporters of False Dmitry II divided into two independent troops. One of them was commanded by Ivan Bolotnikov, the other by Istoma Pashkov. Bolotnikov went from Putivl to Moscow through Kromy, Oryol, Volkhov, Kaluga and Serpukhov. Pashkov made his way much further to the east. Starting the campaign from Yelts, he passed east of Tula and went to the Oka near Kashira. From Kashira, Pashkov again turned east and captured Kolomna. On the way, detachments of Tula and Ryazan nobles, led by G. F. Sumbulov and P. P. Lyapunov. On the way from Kolomna to Moscow, the rebels near the village of Troitskoye defeated the tsarist army sent against them.

At the end of October 1606, both troops of False Dmitry II united on the southern outskirts of Moscow. Their headquarters was the village of Kolomenskoye, the favorite suburban residence of the Moscow Grand Dukes and Tsars.

Siege of Moscow (1606)

The capture of Moscow was main goal troops of False Dmitry II. If successful, they, of course, would have perpetrated an unprecedented pogrom in the capital. The absence of any legal authority predetermined the future: the country would have plunged into bloody chaos for a long time. Realizing all this, Muscovites rallied around Vasily Shuisky. The head of the church, the patriarch, acted as a furious accuser of the rebels Hermogenes(1606-1612). Detachments from cities located to the west and north of Moscow came to the aid of Shuisky.

The total number of rebel troops was about 20 thousand people. This was not enough to take Moscow by storm - a powerful fortress with several belts of defensive structures. There was a moment of shaky balance of power. The rebels sent their people to Moscow with letters in which they called on the city mob to rise against the boyars. Shuisky's supporters demanded that Tsar Dmitry be presented, on whose behalf Bolotnikov and Pashkov spoke. The covert means of political struggle - intrigues and bribery - also went into action.

For five weeks, the rebels besieged Moscow, but they could not take it. The long siege weakened Bolotnikov's army: many nobles were convinced that their interests were incompatible with what peasants, serfs and Cossacks expected from victory. This led to the fact that in mid-November 1606 the Ryazan noble detachments under the leadership of P. Lyapunov went over to the side of Shuisky. I. Pashkov soon followed their example. It is believed that the reason for his betrayal was the enmity with Bolotnikov because of the primacy in the camp of the rebels.

The battle at the end of 1606 near the village of Kolomenskoye was lost by the rebels, although they fought bravely.

Anticipating an imminent defeat, Bolotnikov sent messengers to Putivl to Shakhovsky, begging him to expedite the return of "Tsar Dmitry" to Russia. However, False Dmitry II Mikhail Molchanov, who outwardly did not look like False Dmitry I (for whom he pretended to be), did not dare to start a too risky game. Instead of him, a new adventurer came to Putivl from the Don with a large detachment of Cossacks - a Tsarevich Peter. It was Ileyka Korovin, a bankrupt townsman from the city of Murom (aka Ileyka Muromets, Ilya Gorchakov). A few years before, he fled to the Terek Cossacks and was elected their chieftain. Ileika Muromets went down in history as False Peter.

In 1605, Ileyka declared himself Peter, allegedly the son of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich. Calling himself by this name, he sent a letter to False Dmitry I, who was then sitting on the royal throne, demanding that he be given money and salaries for the Cossacks as a "relative". The amusing correspondence between the two impostors soon ended. However, Ileyka liked to play the role of the prince. Now he decided to try his luck again on the side of "Tsar Dmitry".

From Putivl, Ileika set out with his Cossacks towards Moscow, stopping in Tula.

The still rather strong army of Bolotnikov retreated to Kaluga, which was quickly strengthened. The tsarist troops tried to take Kaluga by storm, but were driven back and went over to the siege. material from the site

Having settled in Tula, False Peter sent detachments to help Bolotnikov, who was besieged in Kaluga. On May 3, 1607, Prince A. Telyatevsky, governor of False Peter, defeated the royal army near Kaluga. This defeat completely demoralized Shuisky's regiments, which had been unsuccessfully besieging Kaluga for five months already. At the first outburst of the besieged, the Moscow governors left their camp and retreated to the capital. However, Bolotnikov's forces were also exhausted by a long siege.

Soon Bolotnikov left Kaluga and withdrew his troops to rest and replenish in Tula. There, False Peter was already waiting for him.

At the call of Patriarch Hermogenes, the nobles of the whole country flocked to Shuisky's army. Those who fell under the banner of the tsar were promised to “seek out” their peasants and serfs who had fled over the past 15 years, they were given land and awards. evaded military service the tsar, according to the patriarch, was in for terrible punishments and the curse of the church.

At the head of the 100,000th army, the young talented governor Mikhail

The uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov is a movement for the rights of peasants in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century, led by Ivan Isaevich Bolotnikov.

Background of the uprising

By the end of the 16th century, a new state system was finally formed and consolidated in Russia. economic system- feudalism. The feudal lords (landowners) completely owned the peasants, could sell them and transfer them to each other, which led to a gradual inevitable increase in the oppression of the feudal lords over the peasantry. Of course, the peasants did not like this situation, and they began to resent and gradually start small skirmishes with the feudal lords in defense of their own rights. So, in 1603 there was a rather large uprising of peasants and serfs under the command of Khlopko Kosolap.

In addition, after the death of False Dmitry 1, rumors spread that it was not the real king who was killed, but someone else. These rumors greatly weakened the political influence of Vasily Shuisky, who became king. The accusations that it was not the real tsar who had been killed gave "legitimacy" to any uprisings and skirmishes with the new tsar and the boyars. The situation became more and more difficult.

The uprising of the peasants led by Ivan Bolotnikov took place in 1606-1607 and became one of the main stages in the struggle of the peasantry against the boyars and serfdom.

Causes of the uprising

  • The oppression of the feudal lords, the strengthening of serfdom;
  • Political instability in the country;
  • Growing hunger;
  • Dissatisfaction with the activities of the boyars and the sovereign.

The composition of the participants in the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov

  • Peasants;
  • Serfs;
  • Cossacks from Tver, Zaporozhye and from the Volga;
  • Part of the nobility;
  • Mercenary troops.

Brief biography of Ivan Bolotnikov

The identity of the leader of the uprising, Ivan Isaevich Bolotnikov, is shrouded in secrets. To date, there is no unified theory about early years life of Bolotnikov, however, historians are of the opinion that Bolotnikov was a serf of Prince Telyatevsky. As a young man, he fled from his master, was captured, after which he was sold to the Turks. During the battle, he was released and fled to Germany, from where he heard about the events taking place in Russia. Bolotnikov decided to take an active part in them and returned to his homeland.

The beginning of the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov

The uprising originated in the South-West of the country, where the participants in the previous major uprising under the leadership of Khlopok, as well as opponents of Boris Godunov's reforms and serfdom, lived. Gradually, Tatars, Chuvashs, Maris and Mordovians began to join the rebellious Russian peasantry.

The uprising began in 1606 when Bolotnikov returned to Russia and led the disgruntled peasants. Having gathered an army, they began a military campaign against Moscow in order to remove the current sovereign from the throne and achieve the abolition of serfdom. The first clash with the sovereign's army took place in August near Kromy. The rebels were victorious and moved towards Orel.

On September 23, 1606, a battle took place near Kaluga, which Bolotnikov won. This made it possible for the rebels to freely move on to the capital. On the way to the capital, Bolotnikov and his associates managed to capture more than 70 cities.

In October 1606, the troops approached Moscow. Bolotnikov decided to raise an uprising in the city itself, for which he sent agitators. However, it was not possible to capture Moscow, Prince Shuisky gathered his army and defeated the rebels in November 1606. At the same time, a series of betrayals took place in the camp of Bolotnikov, which greatly weakened the army.

After the defeat, new centers of revolt broke out in Kaluga and Tula and the Volga region. Shuisky sent his troops to Kaluga, where Bolotnikov fled his troops and began the siege of the city, which lasted until May 1607, but ended in nothing.

On May 21, 1607, Shuisky again organizes a performance against Bolotnikov, which ends with the victory of government troops and the almost complete defeat of Bolotnikov.

The rebels take refuge in Tula, which is immediately besieged by Shuisky's army. The siege lasted 4 months, after which Shuisky offered the rebels a peace treaty. The exhausted troops of Bolotnikov agree, but Shuisky does not fulfill his promises and takes all the leaders of the uprising prisoner.

Reasons for the defeat of Bolotnikov

  • Lack of unity in the ranks of his troops. The uprising involved people from different walks of life and they all pursued their own goals;
  • Lack of a single ideology;
  • The betrayal of a part of the army. The nobility pretty soon went over to the side of Shuisky;
  • Underestimation of the strength of the enemy. Bolotnikov often forced events, not giving the army the opportunity to accumulate strength.

The results of Ivan Bolotnikov's speech

Despite the defeat, the rebels managed to ensure that the government finally began to take into account the needs of the lower strata of the population and paid attention to the needs of the peasants. The uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov was the first peasant uprising in the history of Russia.

The Bolotnikov uprising (1606-1607) is the largest popular uprising of the Time of Troubles, which began in the southern and southwestern regions of the Russian state. It was a response to the introduction of new measures that limited the freedom of the peasants, as well as the difficult living conditions that were caused by crop failures and feudal oppression. The social composition of the movement was represented by participants from different classes (Cossacks, nobles, peasants, mercenaries). This testifies to its wide social reach, which has led some historians to call this event a civil war.

The peasant uprising led by Ivan Bolotnikov took place in the midst of the Troubles, shortly after the assassination of Tsar False Dmitry I. However, its background goes back to an earlier period and is associated with the difficult situation that prevailed in Russia by the beginning of the 17th century. The main reasons for the emergence of this social movement can be considered:

  • new attempts by the authorities to restrict the freedom of the peasants against the backdrop of increased feudal oppression;
  • a protracted political crisis associated with the frequent change of kings and the appearance of impostors;
  • difficult economic situation and growing hunger;
  • dissatisfaction of the lower classes with the actions of the ruling elite.

After the death of False Dmitry I, a new wave of rumors began that it was not the son of Ivan the Terrible who was killed, but some impostor. This hit hard on the authority of the one who came to power and untied the hands of many peasants in terms of fighting the boyars.

Bolotnikov's personality

Ivan Isaevich Bolotnikov (1565-1608) was born in the southern part of the Russian state. Early biography the leader of the uprising is full of dark spots - according to some sources, he was from the impoverished boyars, according to others he "ataman" among the Don Cossacks. According to the memoirs of the German officer K. Bussov, who served with False Dmitry I, he belonged as a serf to Prince Telyatevsky. In his youth, he managed to escape from the master to the Cossacks, but there he was captured by the Crimean Tatars and sold into slavery to new owners from the Ottoman Empire.

Being released from captivity by sailors German ship, who defeated his former owners, the Turks, Bolotnikov lived for some time in Europe, from where he returned to Russia during the Time of Troubles. He believed in the miraculous salvation of Dmitry and even met with Otrepiev's former comrade-in-arms M. Molchanov, who introduced himself to him as a prince. The imaginary sovereign advised Ivan to go to Putivl to his supporter Prince G. Shakhovsky as a personal emissary and governor. Shakhovsky warmly welcomed the unknown envoy and gave him command of a 12,000-strong detachment. On its basis, an army will be formed, which will be destined to reach Moscow itself.

The beginning of the uprising

During the preparations for the uprising, Bolotnikov promised to make everyone who supported him in the struggle rich and famous. The goal of the popular uprising was the elimination of serfdom and the destruction of feudal dependence. True, how to achieve the goals was not announced. The leader of the movement did not position himself as the future tsar, but was called the governor of Tsar Dmitry.

The campaign against Moscow began in July 1606, and in the first clash near Kromy, Bolotnikov, together with his supporters, defeated the 5,000-strong tsarist army under the leadership of Y. Trubetskoy. Such success inspired many dissatisfied with the authorities and the territories covered by the popular revolt expanded significantly. Thousands of volunteers began to enroll in the army of "voivode Dmitry".

Many cities surrendered without a fight, and if it was necessary to storm the bastions, Bolotnikov showed unsurpassed military and political qualities that made him a special leader. During the capture of Kaluga on September 23, where the troops of brother V. Shuisky were located, he arranged negotiations, as a result of which people loyal to the tsar left the city without bloodshed and retreated to Moscow.

Siege of Moscow

At the end of September, the rebels approached Kolomna and began their assault. In early October, the settlement was taken, but the Kremlin continued to defend. Then Bolotnikov left part of his people in this city, and with the main forces advanced to the near approaches to Moscow, setting up a camp near the village of Kolomenskoye. New supporters of the people's leader continued to gather here. In November, the ranks of the Bolotnikovites were replenished by the detachments of False Peter (Ileika Muromets), but at the same time, the Ryazan warriors went over to the side of the tsar.

The assault on Moscow went on for five weeks, but did not bring the expected result to the rebels. Frequent sorties to the city did not give a decisive advantage, but they took a lot of strength. In response, on December 2, the tsarist army under the leadership of M. Skopin-Shuisky defeated the weakened rebels, forcing them to split up and retreat to the south. As a result, Bolotnikov retreated to the village of Zaborye, from where he was also soon driven out, forcing him to leave for Kaluga, while Ileyka Muromets retreated to Tula.

Defense of Kaluga

After the rebels ended up in Kaluga, the nature of their speech took a different turn. Now the actions of the rebels were aimed at protecting the city. A large detachment of Cossacks came to their aid from the south. Through the efforts of the Bolotnikovites, the walls were strengthened, as well as defensive structures were strengthened. At this time, Shuisky was able to negotiate with the nobles, giving them money to pay salaries. However, the rebels successfully repelled all attacks for 4 months and it was not clear how the tsarist detachments intended to capture Kaluga.

The answer to this question was given by Bolotnikov himself, who made an unexpected move for the enemy. He organized a bold sortie and managed to break through the encirclement around the city, defeating the enemy in May 1607 on the Pchelna River. As a result, guns, cannonballs and food supplies were captured. After that, Ivan went to Tula, where he joined forces with Shakhovsky's troops. The uprising under the leadership of Bolotnikov continued.

Defense of Tula

Around June 12, or a date close to this day, Shuisky's army approached Tula. Two weeks later, the siege of the city was led personally by the king. The rebels gave several battles to the tsarist troops (on the rivers Eight and Voronya) near Tula, but they were not successful in them. This made it possible to take the entire city into a tight ring and begin a siege that would last about four months.

The walls of the Tula Kremlin were well fortified, and their defenders courageously defended themselves, which completely leveled the numerical superiority of the enemy. At this time, Shuisky was waiting for an unpleasant surprise in the form of False Dmitry II, who moved with detachments of robbers to Moscow. It was dangerous to delay the capture of Tula for an indefinite period, so the king began to act decisively.

In order to eradicate the rebels from the pride on the Upa River, which flows through Tula, a dam was built, which caused a large-scale flood. The idea was submitted by the local boyar I. Kravkov, from whom Bolotnikov took serious food supplies. As a result, the rebels were doomed to a slow death, as the water flooded all the salt and grain provisions. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation of the rebels, Shuisky entered into negotiations with them on the subject of surrender, and in return promised to grant life to everyone. As a result, Bolotnikov's supporters laid down their arms on October 10, 1607. The leader of the rebels himself, together with Ileyka, was delivered in shackles to Moscow. This is the first in the history of Russia peasant uprising ended.

The tsar's promises regarding the preservation of life were not fulfilled - Ileika of Muromets was hanged, Bolotnikov was sent to Kargopol, where he was subsequently blinded and drowned, and Shakhovsky was forcibly forced to become a monk. Formally, the king kept his promise and did not shed a drop of blood, choosing such methods of killing.

Reasons for the defeat of the uprising

The events connected with the movement of Bolotnikov became a good lesson for the authorities. As a result of the uprising, the peasants managed to delay the introduction of serfdom for a while and claim some freedoms.

The defeat of the rebels was dictated by the following reasons:

  • underestimation of the capabilities of the tsarist army;
  • the spontaneous nature of the speech;
  • the heterogeneous social composition of the rebels, which led to disagreements and splits;
  • the lack of a common strategy and a clear program of transformation - the rebels dreamed of destroying the old order, but did not know how to build new ones;
  • the mistakes of Bolotnikov, who often acted swiftly and did not allow the army to rest.

After 60 years, a new peasant war will break out in the country under the leadership of S. Razin, which became a response to the legislative enslavement of the peasants according to the Council Code of 1649, but that will be another story.

March 21, 2018

downgraded in status. AT Soviet time In the context of Marxism's close attention to the manifestations of the class struggle, in whatever forms it unfolds, in Russian literature they wrote about three peasant wars: Bolotnikov, Razin and Pugachev. As part of the next update of historical science, the movement under the leadership of Bolotnikov ceased to "hold out" to the level of " peasant war”, Serious doubts also arose regarding the “razinism”. Only Emelka Pugachev retained the positions he once occupied. Nevertheless, the third "prize place" of Bolotnikov still deserves attention.

Internal economic policy was tough enough. By 1592, the compilation of scribe books was completed, where the names of peasants and townspeople, owners of households were entered. On the basis of scribe books, the authorities could organize the search and return of the fugitives. In 1592-1593. a royal decree was issued to cancel the peasant exit even on St. George's Day (the resumption of reserved years). This measure extended not only to the owner's peasants, but also to the state, as well as to the townspeople. In 1597, two more decrees were issued that increased the dependence of farmers on landowners. According to the first decree, any free person who worked for six months for a landowner turned into a serf and had no right to redeem himself for freedom. According to the second decree, a five-year period was set for the search and return of a fugitive worker to the owner.

Ivan Isaevich Bolotnikov was Prince Telyatevsky's "combat serf". The fighting serfs really waved their sabers and laid down their heads, and some nobles, especially the richer ones, preferred to wait somewhere in a ravine or in a forest. Bolotnikov fled to the Cossacks, became one of the atamans. Then he was captured by the Tatars, was sold into slavery in Turkey, he turned out to be a galley rower, participated in naval battles. He was lucky: the Italians freed him. Bolotnikov traveled through Venice, Germany, Poland, where he met one of the impostors, Molchanov, in Sambir. It was already after the death of Grigory Otrepyev, but the figure of Dmitry Ivanovich, who again escaped from the hands of the "evil boyars", remained quite popular. Under this name, Bolotnikov began to gather a new army in Putivl, whose governor, Prince G.P. Shakhovskoy, called for the return of "Tsar Dmitry" to power, overthrow the government of V.I. Shuisky and helped equip up to 12 thousand people.

I. I. Bolotnikov began with the Komarnitskaya volost, where he spread the rumor that he himself had seen Dmitry and was his governor. He led the popular movement at the end of the summer of 1606 and in August 1606 defeated the tsarist troops near Kromy. Bolotnikov compiled and sent out “lists” addressed to Moscow serfs and city lower classes, where he urged them to kill their masters, “guests and all merchants” and join the ranks of the rebels.

Bolotnikovites moved to Moscow through Orel, Volkhov, occupied Kaluga and Serpukhov. The noble militia under the leadership of Lyapunov and Pashkov also fought against V.I. Shuisky. To the south, Ileyka Muromets gathered people under his banner. Only Prince M.P. Skopin-Shuisky managed to defeat the rebels and force them to temporarily retreat to Serpukhov. But later I. Pashkov defeated the tsarist troops, and Bolotnikov took important positions near the village of Kolomenskoye and the village of Zaborye. The siege of Moscow lasted from October 28 to December 2, 1606. Over 70 cities were under the control of the rebels in the central districts and the Volga region.

It was not possible to "squeeze" the dodgy V.I. Shuisky. He managed to win over the detachments of P.P. Lyapunov and Pashkov to his side, bring up new forces and force the detachments of Bolotnikov to retreat to Kaluga and Tula. The Code of 1607 introduced a fifteen-year term for the search for fugitive peasants, strengthened serfdom and consolidated landowners in the face of a real threat. At first, Bolotnikov defended himself in Kaluga, but Dmitry, by this time it was already False Dmitry II, did not come up. At this time, "Tsarevich Peter, the son of Fyodor Ivanovich, replaced by his daughter" appeared. With the help of the princes Shakhovsky and Telyatevsky, who inflicted a number of defeats on the tsarist troops, Bolotnikov managed to escape from Kaluga and retreat to Tula. But then the 100,000-strong government army inflicted a series of defeats on the rebels and laid siege to them in Tula. The besiegers, at the suggestion of the Murom boyar son Kravkov, blocked the Upa River, and the water flooded Tula, where illness and hunger began.

Shuisky promised Bolotnikov and Shakhovsky mercy. On October 10, 1607, the townsmen handed over Bolotnikov and Muromets to the governors of Shuisky, surrendered Tula.

Bolotnikov arrived at Shuisky, took off his saber, struck with his forehead and promised to serve faithfully, to the grave. Shuisky did not need such a servant of low origin. After interrogations, Bolotnikov was exiled to Kargopol, where he was blinded and drowned.

Time of Troubles in Russia

By the end of the 16th century, the Muscovite state was going through a difficult time. Constant raids Crimean Tatars and the defeat of Moscow in 1571. ; the protracted Livonian War, which lasted 25 years: from 1558 to 1583, exhausted the country's forces and ended in defeat; the so-called oprichnina “busts” and robberies under Tsar Ivan the Terrible, which shook and shook the old way of life and habitual relationships, intensifying the general discord and demoralization; constant crop failures and epidemics. All this eventually led the state to a serious crisis.

Ivan IV the Terrible

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE TIME OF TROUBLES IN RUSSIA

CRISIS OF POWER AND PRINCE-BOYAR OPPOSITION

AT last days Ivan the Terrible created a regency council, which included the boyars. The council was created in order to govern the state on behalf of his son, Tsar Fedor, who was unable to do it on his own.

Tsar Fyodor Ioanovich

Thus, a powerful group was formed at the court, headed by the influential Boris Godunov, who gradually eliminated his rivals.

Boris Fyodorovich Godunov

Godunov's government continued the political line of Ivan the Terrible, aimed at further strengthening the royal power and strengthening the position of the nobility. Measures were taken to restore the landlord economy. The arable lands of service feudal lords were exempted from state taxes and duties. The official duties of the noble landowners were facilitated. These actions contributed to the strengthening of the government base, which was necessary in connection with the continued resistance of the feudal estates.

A great danger to the power of Boris Godunov was represented by the boyars Nagiye, relatives of the infant Tsarevich Dmitry, the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible. Dmitry was expelled from Moscow to Uglich, which was declared his destiny. Uglich soon turned into an opposition center. The boyars were waiting for the death of Tsar Fedor in order to push Godunov out of power and rule on behalf of the young prince. However, in 1591, Tsarevich Dmitry died under mysterious circumstances.

Tsarevich Dmitry Ioanovich

The commission of inquiry, led by the boyar Vasily Shuisky, concluded that it was an accident. But the opposition began to vigorously spread rumors about a deliberate murder on the orders of the ruler. Later, a version appeared that another boy was killed, and the prince escaped and is waiting for adulthood in order to return and punish the “villain”. The “Uglitsky case” has long remained a mystery to Russian historians, but recent research suggests that an accident really happened.

In 1598, Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich died without leaving an heir. Moscow swore allegiance to his wife, Tsarina Irina, but Irina renounced the throne and became a monk.

While the sovereigns of the old familiar dynasty (direct descendants of Rurik and Vladimir the Holy) were on the Moscow throne, the vast majority of the population unquestioningly obeyed their “natural sovereigns”. But when the dynasties ceased, the state turned out to be “no one's”. The upper layer of the Moscow population, the boyars, began a struggle for power in a country that had become “stateless”.

However, the attempts of the aristocracy to nominate the king from their midst failed. Positions of Boris Godunov were strong enough. He was supported by the Orthodox Church, the Moscow archers, the bureaucracy, part of the boyars, nominated by him to important positions. In addition, Godunov's rivals were weakened by internal struggles.

In 1598, at the Zemsky Sobor, Boris Godunov, after a double public refusal, was elected tsar.

election of Boris Godunov to the kingdom

His first steps were very cautious and aimed mainly at softening the internal situation in the country. According to contemporaries, the new king was a big statesman, strong-willed and far-sighted, a skilled diplomat. However, latent processes were going on in the country, which led to a political crisis.

PUBLIC DISORT

A difficult situation during this period developed in the central districts of the state and to such an extent that the population fled to the outskirts, abandoning their lands. (For example, in 1584, only 16% of the land was plowed up in the Moscow district, and about 8% in the neighboring Pskov district).

The more people left, the harder the government of Boris Godunov put pressure on those who remained. By 1592, the compilation of scribe books was completed, where the names of peasants and townspeople, owners of yards were entered. The authorities, having conducted a census, could organize the search and return of the fugitives. In 1592 - 1593, a royal decree was issued to abolish the peasant exit even on St. George's Day (reserved years). This measure extended not only to the owner's peasants, but also to the state, as well as to the townspeople. In 1597, two more decrees appeared, according to the first, any free person (free servant, worker), who worked for six months for the landowner, turned into a bonded serf and had no right to redeem himself for freedom. According to the second, a five-year period was set for the search and return of the runaway peasant to the owner. And in 1607, a fifteen-year investigation of the fugitives was approved.

Yuriev day

The nobles were given "obedient letters", according to which the peasants had to pay dues not as before (according to the established rules and sizes), but as the owner wants.

The new “township structure” provided for the return of fugitive “taxers” to the cities, the assignment to the townships of the owner’s peasants who were engaged in crafts and trade in the cities, but did not pay taxes, the elimination of courtyards and settlements inside the cities, which also did not pay taxes.

Thus, it can be argued that at the end of the 16th century, a state system of serfdom, the most complete dependence under feudalism, actually took shape in Russia.

Such a policy caused great dissatisfaction among the peasantry, which at that time formed the overwhelming majority in Russia. Periodically, unrest broke out in the villages. An impetus was needed in order for discontent to turn into “distemper”. The lean years of 1601-1603 and the famine and epidemics that followed them became such an impetus. The measures taken were not enough. Many feudal lords let their people go free so as not to feed them, and this increases the crowds of the homeless and hungry. Bands of robbers were formed from those released or fugitives. The main center of unrest and unrest was the western outskirts of the state - Severskaya Ukraine, where the government exiled criminal or unreliable elements from the center, who were full of discontent and anger and were just waiting for an opportunity to rise up against the Moscow government. Unrest swept the whole country. In 1603 detachments of rebellious peasants and serfs approached Moscow itself. With great difficulty, the rebels were repulsed.

INTERVENTION OF THE SPEECH OF THE COMMON

At the same time, the Polish and Lithuanian feudal lords tried to use internal contradictions in Russia in order to weaken Russian state and maintained ties with the opposition to Boris Godunov. They sought to seize the Smolensk and Seversk lands, which a century earlier were part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Catholic Church wanted to replenish the sources of income by conducting Catholicism in Russia. The Commonwealth did not have a direct reason for open intervention.

RUSSIA IN THE YEARS OF “TROUBLES”

FALSE DMITRY I

False Dmitry I

It was in Poland that the first impostor appeared, posing as Tsarevich Dmitry. According to the version put forward by the government, he was a Galician nobleman Yu.

In 1602, he fled to Lithuania, where he received the support of some Lithuanian magnates, and then King Sigismund III.

Grigory Otrepiev and Hetman Vyshnevetsky

oath of False Dmitry I to King Sigismund III

In the autumn of 1604, the impostor, whom historians call False Dmitry I, with a 40,000-strong detachment of the Polish-Lithuanian gentry, Russian emigrant nobles, Zaporozhye and Don Cossacks, unexpectedly appeared on the southwestern outskirts of Russia, in Seversk land.

"Ukrainian people", among whom there were many fugitive peasants and serfs, crowds joined the impostor: they saw in "Tsarevich Dmitry" their "protector", especially since the impostor did not skimp on promises. The belief in a “good tsar” inherent in the medieval peasantry helped False Dmitry I to increase his army. However, in the very first big battle with the tsarist army led by Prince F.I. Mstislavsky near Dobrynichy, the impostor was defeated and, with the few remaining supporters, took refuge in Putivl. Most of the Polish-Lithuanian gentry left him.

However, a broad popular movement against Boris Godunov was already unfolding on the southern outskirts. One by one, the southern cities went over to the side of “Tsarevich Dmitry”. Detachments of Cossacks approached from the Don, And the actions of the tsarist army were extremely slow and indecisive - the boyars-voivodes were preparing a betrayal of Boris Godunov, hoping to use an impostor to topple the "noble tsar". All this allowed False Dmitry 1 to recover from defeat.

At this moment, in April 1605, Tsar Boris Godunov died unexpectedly. There were rumors that he was poisoned. The sixteen-year-old son of Godunov, Tsar Fyodor Borisovich, did not long remain on the throne. He had neither experience nor authority. On May 7, the tsarist army went over to the side of False Dmitry. On June 1, 1605, the boyars-conspirators organized a coup d'état and provoked popular indignation in the capital. Tsar Fedor was dethroned and strangled along with his mother.

assassination of Tsar Fedor

The impostor entered Moscow without a fight and was proclaimed tsar under the name of Dmitry Ivanovich.

entry of False Dmitry I to Moscow

But False Dmitry did not last long on the throne. His very first events destroyed the hopes for a “good and just king”. The feudal aristocracy that initiated the appearance of the impostor no longer needed him. Wide layers of Russian feudal lords were dissatisfied with the privileged position of the Polish and Lithuanian gentry, who surrounded the throne, received huge rewards (money for this was seized by the impostor even from the monastery treasury). Orthodox Church followed with concern attempts to spread Catholicism in Russia. False Dmitry wanted to start a war against the Tatars and Turks. Service people met with disapproval the preparations for the war with Turkey, which Russia did not need.

They were also dissatisfied with “Tsar Dmitry” in the Commonwealth. He did not dare, as he had promised earlier, to transfer Western Russian cities to Poland and Lithuania. The persistent requests of Sigismund III to speed up the entry into the war with Turkey had no result.

The new conspiracy was preceded by the wedding of False Dmitry with Marina Minshek, the daughter of a Lithuanian magnate.

Marina Mnishek

The Catholic was crowned with the royal crown of the Orthodox state. In addition to this, the violence and robberies of the roaming gentry who had come to the wedding. Moscow boomed. A popular uprising began.

VASILY SHUISKY

Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky

On May 17, 1606, the conspirators took advantage of the uprising. Boyar Vasily Shuisky, at the head of a large detachment of military servants, broke into the Kremlin and killed the impostor.

attempt to escape False Dmitry I

execution of False Dmitry I

It was decided to subject the bodies to the so-called. "trade penalty". During the first day they lay in the mud in the middle of the market, where the chopping block for Shuisky had once been placed. On the second day, a table or counter was brought from the market, Dmitry's body was placed on it. A mask was thrown on his chest (or, according to other sources, on his open stomach), one of those that the tsar himself prepared for the court carnival, a pipe was stuck in his mouth; Basmanov's corpse was thrown under the table. Muscovites abused the body for three days - they sprinkled it with sand, smeared with tar and "all sorts of abominations"


From the Execution Ground on Red Square, he was “called out” as the new tsar.

The accession of Vasily Shuisky did not stop the “troubles”. The new king relied on a narrow circle of people close to him. Even within the Boyar Duma, he had ill-wishers who themselves claimed the throne (Romanovs, Golitsyns, Mstislavskys). Shuisky was not popular with the nobility either, which immediately recognized him as the “boyar tsar”. The populace received no relief. Vasily Shuisky even canceled the tax benefits given by the impostor to the population of the southern counties. The persecution of the former supporters of "Tsar Dmitry" began, which further inflamed the situation.

The people continued to stubbornly hold on to the rumor about the miraculous salvation of Dmitry, that, once again reigning in Moscow, he would alleviate his situation.

THE REBELLION OF IVAN BOLOTNIKOV

Ivan Isaevich Bolotnikov

In the movement against the “boyar tsar” Vasily Shuisky, various sections of the population were involved: the lower classes, the nobility, part of the boyars. It was they who took part in the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov in 1606-1607.

Bolotnikov was a “combat serf” of Prince Telyatevsky, fled to the Cossacks, was one of the chieftains of the Volga Cossack freemen, was captured by the Tatars and was sold into slavery in Turkey, was a galley rower, a participant in naval battles, was released by the Italians. Then Venice, Germany, Poland, where he meets with an impostor. And here is Putivl, where an unknown wanderer suddenly becomes, together with the boyar son Istoma Pashkov and the nobleman Prokopy Lyapunov, at the head of a large army.

Prokopy Petrovich Lyapunov

Nucleus rebel army were noble detachments from the southern counties, the remnants of the army of the first impostor, the Cossacks called from the Don, and the archers of the border garrisons. And, as during the campaign to Moscow of the first impostor, runaway peasants and serfs, townspeople, all dissatisfied with Vasily Shuisky, join the army. Ivan Bolotnikov himself calls himself "the governor of Tsar Dmitry". One gets the impression that the leaders of the provincial nobility took into account the experience of the campaign against Moscow of the first impostor and tried to use popular discontent to achieve their estate goals.

In the summer of 1606, the rebels moved on Moscow. Near Kromy and Kaluga they defeated the tsarist troops. In autumn they laid siege to Moscow.

As the masses were drawn into the movement (the uprising engulfed more than 70 cities!) it acquired an increasingly anti-feudal character. In the "lists" that were sent out by the headquarters of the uprising, it was called not only to replace Vasily Shuisky with a "good king", but also to deal with the boyars. The noble detachments left the camp of Ivan Bolotnikov.

army I.I. Bolotnikova

battle near Moscow (v. Kotly)

On December 2, 1606, in a battle near the village of Kotly, Bolotnikov was defeated and retreated to Kaluga, then moved to Tula, where he held out until October 1607, repulsing the attacks of the tsarist army. Finally, exhausted by a long siege and hunger, the defenders of Tula surrendered, Ivan Bolotnikov was exiled to Kargopol, where he died.

Objectively, the movement of Ivan Bolotnikov weakened the Russian state and prepared the conditions for the introduction of a second impostor into Russia, who used the direct help of the Polish-Lithuanian gentry.

FALSE DMITRY II

False Dmitry II

In the summer of 1607, when the army of Ivan Shuisky was besieging Tula, a second impostor appeared in Starodub, posing as Tsarevich Dmitry (False Dmitry II). Its origin is not clear, according to some sources, it was a baptized Jew Bogdanka, who served as a scribe for False Dmitry I. False Dmitry II achieved some success. In January 1608, he reached the city of Orel, where he camped. Gentry detachments, the remnants of Bolotnikov's army, the Cossacks of Ataman Ivan Zarutsky, servicemen from the southern districts and even boyars who were dissatisfied with the government of Vasily Shuisky came to Orel. A number of cities went over to his side.

In June 1608, False Dmitry II approached Moscow, could not take it and stopped in a fortified camp in Tushino (hence his nickname - "Tushinsky Thief"). Many nobles and government officials who were dissatisfied with Shuisky's rule moved to Tushino.

camp in Tushino

Soon a large army of the Lithuanian hetman Jan Sapieha also came there. The participation of the Commonwealth in the events of "distemper" became more and more obvious. But the Polish-Lithuanian and Cossack detachments of the "Tushino thief" after the failure dispersed throughout Central Russia. By the end of 1608, 22 cities had sworn allegiance to the impostor. A significant part of the country fell under the rule of the impostor and his Polish-Lithuanian allies.

PALACE COUP

A dual power was established in the country. In fact, there were two tsars in Russia, two Boyar Dumas, two systems of orders. The boyars Romanovs, Saltykovs, and Trubetskoys ruled in the Tushino "thieves' council". Was in Tushino and his own patriarch - Filaret.

Patriarch Filaret

The boyars, for selfish purposes, repeatedly switched from Vasily Shuisky to the impostor and back; such boyars were called "flights".

Lacking sufficient support within the country, Vasily Shuisky turned to the Swedish king for military assistance. The tsar's nephew, Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky, went to Novgorod to negotiate with the Swedes. In the spring, the 15,000th Swedish army came under the command of Skopin-Shuisky; at the same time, the Russian army also gathered in the Russian North.

Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky

In the summer of 1609, Russian regiments and Swedish mercenaries began offensive operations.

However, the Swedes only reached Tver and refused to advance further. It became clear that it was impossible to rely on foreigners. Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky, with some Russian regiments, went to Kalyazin, where he camped, and began to gather a new army. Hetman Yan Sapieha tried to storm the fortified camp of Skopin-Shuisky, but suffered a crushing defeat and retreated. The Russian commander won time to gather troops. In the autumn of the same year, Skopin-Shuisky began a systematic offensive against the Tushins, he recaptured city after city. Near Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, he once again defeated Hetman Sapieha.

The army of Skopin-Shuisky reached a strength of 30 thousand people; the 2,000-strong Swedish detachment that remained with the Russians was completely lost in it.

In March 1610, the regiments of Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky approached Moscow. "Tushino camp" fled. On March 12, 1610, the regiments of Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky solemnly entered the capital.

The decision of Tsar Vasily Shuisky to call on foreigners for help cost Russia dearly. The Swedish king had to promise the city of Korela with the county. The real military assistance of the Swedes was insignificant: Moscow was liberated by the Russian regiments. But most importantly, the alliance with Sweden turned into major foreign policy complications. Sweden was at war with the Commonwealth, and the Polish king Sigismund III used the Russian-Swedish agreement as an excuse to break the truce signed in 1601. The Polish-Lithuanian army besieged Smolensk.

The heroic defense of Smolensk, led by another outstanding Russian commander early XVII in. - Governor Mikhail Shein - for a long time (almost two years!) Detained the main forces of the royal army.

defense of Smolensk

Mikhail Borisovich Shein

However, in the summer of 1610, a strong Polish-Lithuanian detachment of Hetman Zholkovsky moved towards Moscow. The incompetent voivode Dmitry Shuisky, the tsar's brother, commanded the Russian army that met them. Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky died unexpectedly. There were rumors that he was poisoned as a possible pretender to the throne. The royal army was defeated in the battle near the village of Klushino.

scheme of the battle of Klushino

The Russian army was led by the tsar's brother Dmitry Shuisky. In May, 22,000 troops set out on a campaign to lift the Polish siege of Smolensk Russian army, to which 8 thousand Swedish mercenaries were attached under the command of Jacob Delagardie. The Polish garrisons were driven out of Volok Lamsky and Mozhaisk. Sigismund III sent the Crown Hetman Stanislav Zholkevsky from Smolensk towards Dmitry Shuisky with 1,000 infantry, 2,000 Polish cavalry and 3,000 Zaporozhye Cossacks. A 5,000-strong Polish-Lithuanian detachment under the command of Alexander Zborovsky, who left the Tushino camp, joined him near Tsarevo-Zaimishch. On June 14, Zholkevsky's detachment suddenly attacked and threw back the 6,000th advanced Russian army under the command of governor Grigory Valuev and Dmitry Yeletsky.

The main forces of the Russian troops left Mozhaisk and on June 23 concentrated on the edge of the forest near the village of Klushino. Dmitry Shuisky and Delagardie did not take care of either reconnaissance or the strengthening of the camp, which played a fatal role in the fate of the battle. Zholkiewski decided at dawn on June 24 to attack the enemy. The hetman had 9,000 men; Delagardie and Shuisky had about 24,000 men, almost three times as many as the enemy.

Zholkiewski managed to quietly approach the location of the Russians and make passes in the wattle fence surrounding the camp. The hetman did not wait for the approach of the German landsknechts with falconets, and gave the command for a general attack. Previously, he ordered the village to be set on fire so that the enemy could not use it as a stronghold. Delagardie's infantry managed to delay the Polish cavalry with fire and thereby gained time to build the Russian-Swedish troops into battle order. Mercenary infantry and archers held back the onslaught Polish cavalry, but the Cossacks and horsemen of Zborovsky overturned the Moscow cavalry. Departing, she upset the ranks of her own infantry and retreated in disorder into the convoy, where there were 18 guns.

attack of the Polish hussars

At this time, Zolkiewski's cavalry attacked Delagardie's troops several times, but could not break through their front. Only with the appearance on the battlefield of the German landsknechts did the final turning point occur. Falconet fire destroyed a significant section of the wattle fence, and a fresh detachment of infantry overturned the Swedes. Delagardie's cavalry could not stand the Polish attacks either. On her shoulders, Zholkiewski's detachments broke into the Swedish camp. The hetman offered the mercenaries an honorable surrender, and 3,000 Germans accepted it, later joining the Polish army.

Seeing the defeat of Delagardi's detachment, the Russian governors began to flee to the forest. The Poles and Cossacks did not pursue them, but robbed the camp.

happened in Moscow palace coup. The military defeat led to the fall of Vasily Shuisky. On July 17, 1610, the boyars and nobles, led by Zakhar Lyapunov, overthrew V. Shuisky from the throne. Tsar Vasily Shuisky was forcibly tonsured a monk and taken to Poland.

Vasily Shuisky in front of the Polish Sejm

Power passed to the government of the seven boyars - "seven boyars". Having learned about the coup, "Tushinsky Thief" again moved with his supporters to Moscow.

Under these conditions, the “seven boyars”, which had no support in the country, went on direct national treason: in August 1610, the boyars let the Polish garrison into Moscow. The actual power was in the hands of the Polish commandant Pan Gonsevsky.

Alexander Gonsevsky

King Sigismund III openly announced his claims to the Russian throne. An open Polish-Lithuanian intervention began. The gentry detachments left the "Tushinsky thief". The impostor fled to Kaluga, where he was soon killed (he was no longer tender to the Poles).

False Dmitry II in Kaluga

Russia was threatened with the loss of national independence.

The events that took place caused deep dissatisfaction among all classes of the Russian state.

FIRST Zemstvo Militia

A national liberation movement against the interventionists was rising in the country.

The Duma nobleman Prokopy Lyapunov, who had long fought against the supporters of the Tushinsky Thief, became the head of the first militia. The core of the militia was the Ryazan nobles, who were joined by service people from other districts of the country, as well as detachments of the Cossacks of Ataman Ivan Zarutsky and Prince Dmitry Trubetskoy.

Dmitry Timofeevich Trubetskoy

In the spring of 1611, the militia approached Moscow. A popular uprising broke out in the city against the interventionists. All the settlements were in the hands of the rebels. The Polish garrison took refuge behind the walls of Kitay-Gorod and the Kremlin. The siege began.

However, soon disagreements and a struggle for superiority began between the leaders of the militia (Prokopiy Lyapunov, Ivan Zarutsky, Dmitry Trubetskoy). Ivan Zarutsky and Dmitry Trubetskoy, taking advantage of the fact that power in the militia was increasingly passing into the hands of “good nobles”, who arrived from all counties of the country, which caused discontent Cossack atamans, organized the murder of Prokopy Lyapunov: he was summoned for explanations to the Cossack "circle" and hacked to death. After that, the nobles began to leave the camp. The first militia actually disintegrated.

Meanwhile, the situation became even more complicated. After the fall of Smolensk (June 3, 1611), the Polish-Lithuanian army was freed up for a big campaign against Russia.

King Sigismund III now hoped to seize the Russian throne by force. However, a new rise in the national liberation struggle of the Russian people prevented him from doing this: in Nizhny Novgorod, the formation of a second militia began.

THE SECOND ZEMSKOY MILITARY OF K. MININ AND D. POZHARSKY

See details on the website: For advanced - Commanders - K. Minin, D. Pozharsky

ELECTION OF A NEW KING

However, the priority was still the question of restoring the central government, which in specific historical conditions early 17th century meant the election of a new king. There was already a precedent: the election of Boris Godunov “to the kingdom”. The Zemsky Sobor met in Moscow, very broad in its composition. In addition to the Boyar Duma, the higher clergy and the nobility of the capital, numerous provincial nobility, townspeople, Cossacks and even black-haired (state) peasants were represented at the cathedral. 50 Russian cities sent their representatives.

The main issue was the election of the king. A sharp struggle flared up around the candidacy of the future tsar at the cathedral. Some boyar groups offered to call on a "prince" from Poland or Sweden, others put forward applicants from the old Russian princely families - the Golitsyns, the Mstislavskys. Trubetskoy, Romanovs. The Cossacks even offered the son of False Dmitry II and Marina Mniszek (“Vorenka”). But they were not in the majority at the Council. At the insistence of representatives of the nobility, townspeople and peasants, it was decided: “Neither the Polish prince, nor the Swedish, nor other German faiths, and from any non-Orthodox states, should not be elected to the Moscow State and Marinkin’s son should not be wanted.”

Zemsky Sobor of 1613

After long disputes, the members of the council agreed on the candidacy of 16-year-old Mikhail Romanov, the cousin-nephew of the last tsar from the Moscow Rurik dynasty, Fyodor Ivanovich, which gave grounds to associate him with the “legitimate” dynasty.

The nobles saw in the Romanovs consistent opponents of the “boyar tsar” Vasily Shuisky, the Cossacks saw supporters of “tsar Dmitry” (which gave reason to believe that the new tsar would not persecute the former “Tushins”). The boyars, who hoped to retain power and influence under the young tsar, did not object either. Fedor Sheremetev very clearly reflected the attitude of the titled nobility towards Mikhail Romanov in his letter to one of the Golitsyn princes: “Misha Romanov is young, he has not yet reached his mind and he will be familiar with us.” V. O. Klyuchevsky remarked on this occasion: “We wanted to choose not the most capable, but the most convenient.”

Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov

An embassy was sent to the Kostroma Ipatiev Monastery, where Mikhail and his mother “nun Martha” were hiding at that time, with a proposal to take the Russian throne. Thus, the Romanov dynasty, which ruled the country for more than 300 years, was established in Russia.

One of the heroic episodes of Russian history belongs to this time. The Polish detachment tried to capture the newly elected tsar, looking for him in the Kostroma estates of the Romanovs. But the headman of the village of Domnina, Ivan Susanin, not only warned the king about the danger, but also led the Poles into impenetrable forests. The hero died from Polish sabers, but also killed the gentry who got lost in the forests.

Erase in detail on the site: For advanced - I.O. Susanin

In the first years of the reign of Mikhail Romanov, the country was actually ruled by the boyars Saltykovs, relatives of the “nun Martha”, and since 1619, after the return of the father of the tsar, Patriarch Filaret Romanov, the patriarch and “ great sovereign” Filaret. The restoration of the economy and state order began. In 1617, in the village of Stolbovo (near Tikhvin), an "eternal peace" was signed with Sweden. The Swedes returned Novgorod and other northwestern cities to Russia, but the Swedes retained the Izhora land and Korela. Russia lost access to the Baltic Sea, but she managed to get out of the state of war with Sweden. In 1618, the Deulino truce was concluded with Poland for fourteen and a half years. Russia lost Smolensk and about three dozen more Smolensk, Chernigov and Seversk cities. The contradictions with Poland were not resolved, but only postponed: both sides were not in a position to continue the war any longer. The terms of the armistice were very difficult for the country, but Poland refused to claim the throne.

The Time of Troubles in Russia is over.

CONSEQUENCES OF THE GREAT TROUBLE

The Time of Troubles was not so much a revolution as a severe shock to the life of the Muscovite state. The first, immediate and most difficult consequence of it was the terrible ruin and desolation of the country; in the descriptions of rural areas under Tsar Michael, many empty villages are mentioned, from which the peasants “ran away” or “descended to no one knows where”, or were beaten by “Lithuanian people” and “thieves' people”. In the social composition of society, the Time of Troubles further weakened the strength and influence of the old well-born boyars, which in the storms of the Time of Troubles partly died or were ruined, and partly morally degraded and discredited themselves by their intrigues and their alliance with the enemies of the state.

As for the political, the time of troubles - when the Earth, having gathered its strength, itself restored the destroyed state - showed with its own eyes that the Moscow state was not the creation and “patrimony” of its sovereign, but was a common cause and common creation"of all cities and all ranks of the people of the entire great Russian Kingdom".