Moscow uprising

Seeking Consent

The Boyar Duma tried to curb the popular uprising, which legalized the rebellion and tried to prevent the union of the mob with the “thieves” who had approached the walls of Moscow. The boyars, headed by Mstislavsky, formed a provisional government called the Seven Boyars. One of the tasks of the new government was the preparation of the election of a new king. However, "military conditions" required immediate solutions. In order to avoid the struggle of the boyar clans for power, it was decided not to elect representatives of the Russian clans as king.

In fact, the power of the new government did not extend beyond Moscow: in the west of Moscow, in Khoroshov, the army of the Commonwealth, led by hetman Zholkevsky, stood up, and in the southeast, in Kolomenskoye, False Dmitry II, who had returned from near Kaluga, with whom the Lithuanian Sapieha squad. The boyars were especially afraid of False Dmitry, because he had many supporters in Moscow and was at least more popular than them. As a result, it was decided to negotiate with Zholkiewski and invite Prince Vladislav to the throne on the terms of his conversion to Orthodoxy, as had already been agreed between Sigismund and the Tushino delegation.

Vocation of the Poles

On August 17/27, 1610, the boyars signed an agreement with the hetman Zolkiewski, according to which Vladislav IV, the son of Sigismund, became the king of Russia. There was no question of unification with the Commonwealth, since the Moscow boyars retained autonomy, as well as the official status of Orthodoxy within the borders of Russia was guaranteed. An agreement with representatives of the Commonwealth made it possible to remove the "Tushino threat" for Moscow, since Sapieha agreed to swear allegiance to King Vladislav.

Fearing the Pretender, the boyars went further and on the night of September 21 let the troops of Hetman Zholkevsky into the Kremlin, after whose departure in October power passed to the commander of the garrison Alexander Gonsevsky. Boyar Mikhail Saltykov became the "right hand" of the commandant of the Kremlin. After the appearance of the interventionists in the Kremlin, the representatives of the “Seven Boyars” turned from collaborators into hostages, and after the capitulation of the garrison of the troops of the Commonwealth, many of them were “liberated” and took part in the election of a new Russian tsar.

The name "Seven Boyars"

When describing boyar commissions by modern sources of the Time of Troubles, there are turns about “seven boyars”. The word formation "Seven Boyars" occurs later, in the 19th century. The dissertation on the Seven Boyars refers to the story of A.A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky "Attacks, a story of 1613" (1831), where the term "seven boyars" occurs for the first time.

Number of elected boyars

Boyar commissions were formed earlier in the absence of the tsar. As a rule, the composition of these groups was limited to 7 persons or slightly differed quantitatively. Kotoshikhin writes about this:

“And when you go on a campaign to the war, or pray in a monastery, or for a walk in far and near places, your royal court and Moscow for protection, he orders one man to a boyar, and with him to his comrades, two people who are roundabout, and two people to a duma nobleman , and a thoughtful deacon.

The state of Russia at the time of the election of the transitional government

The circumstances are such that Russia was simultaneously:

• 1) in a state of war with the Commonwealth (since 1604),
• 2) covered by the uprising of False Dmitry II (since 1607)

In addition, Russia almost simultaneously suffered:

• 3) an uprising led by Ivan Bolotnikov (in 1606-1607)
• 4) Nogai attack (in 1607-1608)
• 5) attack of the Krymchaks (in 1608)

Reasons for the formation of a transitional government

A successive chain of events led to the emergence of the period of "Seven Boyars"

• February 1610 - part of the Tushino opposition near Smolensk began negotiations with the Polish king Sigismund about inviting Prince Vladislav to the Russian kingdom with the restriction of his rights in favor of the Boyar Duma and the Zemsky Sobor.
• May 1610 - The twenty-three-year-old influential Russian military leader Skopin-Shuisky dies after a feast in Moscow, which leads to an increase in anti-Shui sentiment.
• June 1610 - part of the troops of the Russian tsar is defeated by the Poles near the village of Klushino, and the governor of the other part of the army, Valuev, agrees to support the candidacy of Prince Vladislav.

Thus, the road to Moscow was open to the Poles. On the other hand, False Dmitry II quickly moved from Kaluga to Moscow.

The mood in the Boyar Duma, Moscow society and in the provinces

A small group led by Patriarch Hermogenes supported Tsar Vasily Shuisky. The patriarch himself tried to protect Shuisky even on the day of the overthrow of the latter.

The Golitsyn party hoped to overthrow Shuisky and proclaim Vasily Golitsyn tsar. At the same time, the Golitsyns were supported by the governor Lyapunov.

Tushino boyar Dmitry Trubetskoy secretly negotiated in Moscow in the interests of False Dmitry.

The Romanov clan, initially oriented towards the Golitsyns, hoped to place Mikhail Romanov on the throne.

Prince Mstislavsky, who headed the Duma, did not have a clear position, but tended to recognize the Polish prince as the Russian tsar.

Since mid-July 1610, several thousand troops of the impostor settled in Kolomenskoye. Almost simultaneously, on July 17, Shuisky was overthrown, on July 19 he was forcibly tonsured a monk, and on July 20, letters were sent to provincial cities announcing this event. On July 24, the crown hetman Zholkievsky was 7 versts from Moscow from the Khoroshevsky meadows. In this regard, it was already necessary to choose between False Dmitry II and Prince Vladislav.

The historian Solovyov assesses the current situation as follows:

“If the impostor could have adherents in the lower strata of the Moscow population, then the boyars and all the best people could not agree to accept a thief who would bring his Tushino and Kaluga boyars, devious and noblemen of the Duma to the Duma, who would give the estate of rich people to be plundered by his Cossacks and urban spies, their old allies. Therefore, for the boyars and the best people, for protective people who had something to protect, the only salvation from the thief and his Cossacks was Vladislav, that is, Hetman Zolkiewski with his army. Zakhar Lyapunov, seduced by the thief's enormous promises, was the head of the False Dimitrieva party; The head of Vladislav’s side was the first boyar, Prince Mstislavsky, who announced that he himself did not want to be king, but he also did not want to see one of his boyar brothers as king, and that he should elect a sovereign from the royal family.

Convocation of the Zemsky Sobor

The Boyar Duma could not choose a tsar without the participation of the Zemsky Sobor, but the situation required a quick decision. Therefore, immediately after the overthrow of the tsar, those representatives of the zemstvos who were available were convened outside the Serpukhov Gates of Moscow. Events are described in different ways. From Kostomarov:

“Zakhar Lyapunov with Saltykov and Khomutov ascended the high Lobnoye Mesto and began to invite the boyars, the patriarch, the spiritual, the nobles, the children of the boyars and the entire Orthodox people to a national meeting outside the Serpukhov Gates. People poured out of Serpukhov Gates from everywhere. The boyars gathered there. The patriarch has also arrived"

In the Moscow chronicler, the actions are more brutal:

“All of Moscow and entered the city (that is, the Kremlin) and the boyars took and patriarch Hermogenes by force and led them across the Moscow River to the Serpukhov Gates.”

In this case, researchers are faced with a case of law. During the absence of the head of state, political will and enforcement of the law are necessary, but forceful pressure on one (or several) representatives of power can be regarded as an illegal act, and therefore the decision of the Zemsky Sobor in this case can be recognized as undeniably legitimate. No less important is the question, was the meeting of people convened through the tocsin really a cathedral? According to the researcher V. N. Latkin, who used the materials of the Stolyarovsky chronograph, which lists the ranks present at the Council of 1610, the minimum composition of the Zemsky Sobor was assembled.

“And the Boyars, Prince Fyodor Ivanovich Mstislavsky, and all the Boyars, and the Okolnichie, and the Duma people, and the Stolniki, and the Solicitors, and the Nobles, and the guests, and the best trading people gathered outside the city ...”

S. F. Platonov explains the presence in Moscow of zemstvo officials from the provinces by the fact that they were in the capital on duty.

Compound

1. Prince Fyodor Ivanovich Mstislavsky - the year of birth is unknown, but he began his service in 1575. By the time being described, he headed the Boyar Duma. During the interregnum, his influence increased, he led the negotiations with the Poles. Politics was not active, focused on a specific moment. Died without issue in .
2. Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Vorotynsky - the year of birth is unknown, but in 1573 he was already a governor in Murom. By the moment described, he had survived exile, failures and victories in the war, was a politician with experience. Subsequently, he claimed the throne, but lost in the political struggle to the Romanovs, went as an ambassador to the future tsar to call for the kingdom. He died in 1627.
3. Prince Andrei Vasilyevich Trubetskoy - year of birth unknown, but in military service since 1573. military and administrative activities. By the moment described, he participated in the war with Stefan Batory, Krymchaks, Livonians, Swedes, Cherkasy, voivodship in several cities, participated in diplomatic missions. Granted by the boyars in honor of the wedding of Boris Godunov on September 3, 1598. He did not shy away from localism. He died without issue in 1611.
4. Prince Andrei Vasilyevich Golitsyn (d. March 19 (31)).
5. Prince Boris Mikhailovich Lykov-Obolensky (- June 2).
6. Boyar Ivan Nikitich Romanov (d. October 23).
7. Boyarin Fedor Ivanovich Sheremetev (d.).

Notes

Links

• Solovyov S. M. History of Russia since ancient times
• Troubled times in Russia. Deposition of Shuisky. Seven Boyars

Seven Boyars

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See what "Seven Boyars" is in other dictionaries:

Seven Boyars- seven-boyars ... Spelling Dictionary

Seven Boyars- (inosk.) discord, discord (a hint of discord and disarray during the Seven Boyars of 1610-1611). Wed I don't really admire these partnerships! ... Now there will be discord and cleverness. One word Seven Boyars... P. Boborykin. Wretched. 8. Wed… … Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

In July 1610, Vasily Shuisky was overthrown from the royal throne. He had no heirs, and the boyars did not want a new king. A boyar duma was formed, which was to rule the country. It included seven of the most noble boyar families. Therefore, this period in the history of Russia is usually called the Seven Boyars. Mstislavsky headed the boyar duma.

These are the real traitors who decided to surrender the country to the Poles. Moreover, they decided to surrender for purely class reasons. Because the troops of False Dmitry with the lower classes were approaching Moscow, and although the Poles were Catholics and not Russian people, they were class close, they were representatives of the upper classes. The boyars rushed for help to the Polish governor Zolkiewski, so that he could persuade Sigismund to make Vladislav the Russian Tsar. Zholkevsky demanded a written appeal, which was done, and on August 17, 1610, an agreement was signed in Zholkevsky's camp on calling the Polish prince to the Russian throne. The legal terms of the treaty severely limited the power of the new king. The conditions were:

1. Baptism Vladislav in Orthodoxy
2. Breaking off contact with the Pope
3. Death penalty for all who stray from Orthodoxy
4. Vladislav's marriage to a Russian Orthodox bride
5. Release of all Russian prisoners.

There were other conditions, but these are the key ones. On August 27, 1610, Moscow swore allegiance to Vladislav. Among those sworn in were the Romanovs, including Mikhail. After signing the petition to King Sigismund, a large embassy was sent to Smolensk, almost 200 people. It was headed by Filaret (Fyodor Romanov) and Galitsyn.

Composition of the Seven Boyars

Members of the Seven Boyars:

1. F.I. Mstislavsky.
2. THEM. Vorotynsky
3. A.V. Trubetskoy
4. A.V. Golitsyn
5. B.M. Lykov
6. I.N. Romanov
7. F.I. Sheremetev

I repeat once again that these were traitors who, contrary to the interests of their country, swore allegiance to the Polish king and asked for a Polish prince to the Russian throne.

Appeal to Poland and acceptance of her authority

In August 1610, Polish troops came close to Moscow. The boyars, seeing the deplorable situation, offered the son of the Polish king, Vladislav, to lead Russia. The only condition of the Russians was the adoption of Orthodoxy by the new tsar. Patriarch Hermogenes of Moscow was against it, unrest began in the city. The Seven Boyars decided to let Polish troops into Moscow to pacify the inhabitants.

Muscovites let Zholkiewski's troops into Moscow, and the Poles reigned in the city. A new government arose in Moscow in anticipation of Vladislav. It was headed by the boyar Mikhail Saltykov and a merchant, that is, a merchant, Fyodor Andronov. Please note that a representative of the Posad people has appeared in the Moscow government. This means that the Moscow townspeople, its rich part, actively campaigned and advocated for the Polish prince on the Russian throne. That is, in fact, they also acted as traitors.

Taking advantage of Russia's weakness, the Swedes occupied the northern part of the country. At this time, in reality, there was a question about the survival of Russia as a state. The Swedes held Novgorod. False Dmitry 2 resumed its activities in Russia. Polish troops ruled in the western lands of the country and in Moscow. They acted like conquerors. The Seven Boyars did not enjoy the respect of the people.

Uprising against the Seven Boyars

At this difficult moment, the Russian people themselves had to save the country. The militia rose up. The Ryazans were the first to raise an uprising against the invaders. The uprising was raised by Prokopiy Lupyanov. In March 1611, the main forces of the militia, led by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, stood at the walls of Moscow. The inhabitants of Moscow also joined these forces. The Poles fought desperately and forced the people to retreat.

In the summer of 1611, the situation in the country deteriorated significantly. Smolensk, which resisted the Poles for 20 months, was forced to capitulate. Novgorod was completely occupied by the Swedes. The Crimean Khan subjected the young frontiers of the state to raids. Against this background, a new popular liberation movement began, which was raised in Nizhny Novgorod in the autumn of 1611. Kuzma Mini became the organizer of the militia. The forces of the rebels were small. Understanding this, Minin sends letters to all cities of Russia, urging everyone to rise up to fight against foreign invaders. People from all cities gathered to Nizhny Novgorod. The army of the people's militia was again headed by Pozharsky. Understanding that it was necessary to fight the enemy separately, wanting to prevent the union of Poland and Sweden with all his might, Pozharsky managed to convince the Swedes that the Russians would support the idea of ​​transferring the Russian throne to the Swedish prince.

In March 1612, the united army went to Moscow, through Yaroslavl, where the army was replenished with new members of the people's militia. In July, the army entered the Moscow lands. Hetman Khodkevich advanced to help the Poles, who was defeated on August 24 by the forces of the united people's militia. As a result, Pozharsky's troops occupied the western outskirts of Moscow, and the remnants of the troops of the first militia, under the command of Trubetskoy, occupied the eastern outskirts. The position of the Polish troops, who occupied the Kremlin, seemed hopeless. They were surrounded, and Khodkevich, sent to help them, was defeated under the walls of Moscow. On October 22, 1612, the forces of the people's militia occupied Kitay-gorod. Further resistance was futile. The Poles surrendered and completely left Moscow. The Polish king did not accept this defeat and wanted to capture Moscow back with all his might, but was defeated near Volokolamsk and left for Poland with the remaining army. The Polish stake again sent troops to Russia, but not to capture Moscow, but to kill Mikhail Romanov, who was considered the main candidate for the royal throne. His murder could again give a chance to the Polish king to capture the Russian capital. However, this plan failed. A simple Russian peasant, Ivan Susanin, accomplished a feat. He led the Polish army into an impenetrable swamp. Susanin died, but the Polish army, too, did not follow the order of his king.

This ended the period of interregnum in Russia, which brought so many troubles to the Russian people. The Seven Boyars, pursuing only their own selfish interests, brought the Russian state to the brink of extinction.

in the Moscow state. The power of the boyar duma - seven representatives of the noble aristocracy

Formally, the Seven Boyars existed from 1619 to 1613, but in fact several Meyats of 1610 owned power in Muscovy

Composition of the Seven Boyars

• Fyodor Ivanovich Mstislavsky (c. 1550-1622) - boyar, prince, military leader, statesman
• Ivan Mikhailovich Vorotynsky Jr. (XVI century - 1627) - boyar, military leader
• Andrey Vasilyevich Trubetskoy (? -1612) - boyar
• Andrei Vasilyevich Golitsyn ((? -1611) - boyar
• Ivan Nikitich Romanov (1560s-1640) - boyar, uncle of the first tsar from the Romanov family, Mikhail Fedorovich
• Fedor Ivanovich Sheremetev (? -1650) - boyar, statesman
• Boris Mikhailovich Lykov-Obolensky (1576-1646) - boyar, military leader. statesman

Reasons for the emergence of the Seven Boyars

In the spring of 1610, Mikhail Vasilyevich Skopin-Shuisky, a relative of Tsar Vasily Shuisky, a talented military leader, a respected, authoritative statesman among the people, died. With his death, the situation of Tsar Basil himself became much more complicated.

“And before they didn’t love, didn’t respect Vasily, they saw him as an unfortunate king, not blessed by God; according to Skopin, he reconciled the tsar with the people, giving the latter a firm hope for a better future.

And now this mediator was no more ... The future for the people was no longer connected in the least with the name of Shuisky: the tsar is old and childless, the heir is Prince Dmitry, whom they could not love and respect before, and now they were accused of poisoning his nephew ... one might say, that Skopin was the last of those crowned in the hearts of the people .. on the throne of Moscow "(S.M. Solovyov" History of Russia from ancient times ")

In early summer, near the Smolensk village of Klushino, the army of Prince Dmitry Shuisky was defeated by the Polish forces. The defeat drew a line under the rule of Vasily Shuisky. In July he was overthrown. Moscow was left without power. It was claimed by the 15-year-old prince Vladislav, the son of the Polish king Sigismund, and False Dmitry II, known in history under the nickname Thief.

Despite the prisoner near Smolensk about the acceptance of the Russian throne by Vladislav, the case stalled due to the destructive policy of Sigismund, who wanted to rule Russia behind his son's back. The thief-False Dmitry was afraid and did not want the boyars and many law-abiding Russian people. The power vacuum was filled by the Seven Boyars

“We do not know how they came up with the idea to establish a “seven boyars”, in which four representatives of the oldest princely families sat: F. I. Mstislavsky, I. M. Vorotynsky, A. V. Trubetskoy and A. V. Golitsyn, together with one of Romanovs, Ivan Nikitich, and two of his relatives, F.I. Sheremetev and Prince Bor. Mich. Lykov. It must be assumed that at first V.V. Golitsyn was also on this list, but, no doubt, his comrades preferred to get rid of him, sending him near Smolensk for negotiations with Sigismund.

In any way, the highest nobility of the country became at the head of power: representatives of the tribal nobility mixed with the boyars who had served at the court. I. S. Kurakin, who were absent at that time, did not enter the government either: he was dismissed for his too obvious sympathies for the Poles. However, both the emergence and composition of this corporation represent a lot of unknown ”(K. Valishevsky“ Time of Troubles ”)

History of the Seven Boyars. Briefly

• 1610, April 23 - death of Mikhail Vasilievich Skopin-Shuisky
• 1610, June 14 - the siege of the hetman of the Zholkievsky Russian army, led by governors Yeletsky and Voluev, in the Smolensk village of Tsarevo-Zaimishche
• 1610, June 24 - the defeat of the Russians near Klushin

“From Klushin, Zholkevsky returned to Tsarevo-Zaimishche and notified Yeletsky and Voluev of his victory. The governors did not believe for a long time, the hetman showed them noble captives taken near Klushino ... The governors unwittingly kissed the cross of Vladislav. When Yeletsky and Voluyev swore allegiance to Vladislav, and when Mozhaisk, Borisov, Borovsk, Joseph's Monastery, Pogoreloe Gorodishche and Rzhev swore allegiance to him, the hetman's army increased by ten thousand Russians.

Zholkevsky himself says that these new subjects of the prince were quite faithful and benevolent, often brought him news from the capital, entering into relations with their own, and transferred the letters that the hetman wrote to Moscow to certain persons, also universals, prompting the deposition of Shuisky "( Valishevsky)

• 1610, July 17 - the overthrow of Shuisky

“Lyapunov, Khomutov and Saltykov shouted that everyone should go to a spacious place, beyond the Moscow River, to the Serpukhov Gates ... Here the boyars, nobles, guests and merchants advised the best people, so that the Muscovite state would not be ruined and plundered: they came under the Moscow the state of the Poles and Lithuania, and on the other hand, the Kaluga thief with Russian people, and the Muscovite state became crowded on both sides.

The boyars and all sorts of people were sentenced: to beat the sovereign, Tsar Vasily Ivanovich, with his forehead, so that he, sovereign, would leave the kingdom so that much blood was shed, and the people say that he, sovereign, was unhappy ... There was no resistance among the people ... The brother-in-law went to the palace the tsar, Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Vorotynsky, ask Vasily to leave the state and take Nizhny Novgorod as his inheritance. To this request, announced by the boyar on behalf of the entire Moscow people, Vasily had to agree and left with his wife for his former boyar house.

• 1610, July 19 - in order to avoid the intrigues of the deposed tsar, “again, the same Zakhar Lyapunov with three princes - Zasekin, Tyufyakin and Merin-Volkonsky, and even with some Mikhailo Aksenov and others, taking monks from the Chudov Monastery with them, went to the retired to the king and announced that in order to calm the people, he should have a haircut.
• 1610, July 20 - the Polish army under the command of Zholkievsky set out from Mozhaisk to Moscow, informing the government that its main concern was the desire to protect the capital from the "thief". The Seven Boyars replied that they did not need his help.
• 1610, July 24 - Zholkevsky, seven miles from Moscow. At the same time, detachments of the impostor approached the city. So the Seven Boyars were the first to enter into negotiations with Zholkevsky about the fate of Prince Vladislav

“It was not easy for him to come to an agreement with Mstislavsky and the other six boyars. They demanded that Prince Vladislav convert to Orthodoxy and promise not to place Polish garrisons in the border fortresses of Muscovy, so that estates and estates would not be given to the Poles in this area. But Zolkiewski knew how Sigismund was going to use them... Since the Battle of Klushino, he was waiting for instructions from Smolensk, but Sigismund was in no hurry to send them.

Three weeks passed in futile negotiations; it was impossible to wait longer: an impostor stood near the capital itself, this is, firstly, and secondly, the Klushinsky winners, not receiving a salary, began to pretend that they were not averse to following the example of all mercenaries. With such a shy position, Zolkiewski decided to enter into a deal. Having agreed on issues related to material interests, he managed to pass over in silence the question of faith, and Vladislav was elected to the Moscow throne.

• 1610, August 17 - Princes F. I. Mstislavsky, V. V. Golitsyn and D. I. Mezetsky, accompanied by two Duma clerks, Vasily Telepnev and Tomila Lugovsky, concluded an agreement with Zholkevsky on Maiden Field. The Tushino Treaty of February 4, 1610 was adopted as the basis; new intermediaries introduced only some amendments
  — the right of seniority was recognized for representatives of the main princely families, and they were provided with an advantage in favors, the restriction of autocracy adopted by the Tushins was preserved
  — only the article concerning the right to freely travel abroad for commercial and scientific purposes has been excluded.
  — An article was included setting the condition that the Tushinsky thief be subdued by the common forces

Zholkiewski, on behalf of the king, undertook to withdraw Polish troops from all the territories they occupied
They could not come to an agreement, especially regarding the conversion of the future king to Orthodoxy, the solution of this issue was postponed until direct negotiations with Sigismund

• 1610, August 18-19 (August 27-28, New Style) - Muscovites swore allegiance to the new sovereign: 10,000 people swore allegiance on the first day; the hetman, for his part, swore an oath in the name of Vladislav to observe the treaty. The next day, the oath took place in the Assumption Cathedral, in the presence of the patriarch. In a decree sent to the regions, it was said that Vladislav undertook to accept the crown from the hands of the supreme saint, which could pass for a promise to renounce Catholicism. Not a word was said about this in the contract, but everything they wanted was attributed to him.
• 1610, August 21 (O.S.) - the hetman received a letter from the king, where he demanded that the Muscovite state be established for himself, and not for his son ... The hetman found it impossible to fulfill the desire of the king, whose name was hated by the Muscovite people , but began to enforce the article of the agreement, in which he undertook to drive False Dmitry from Moscow

“The hetman announced his intention to the boyars: after passing through Moscow at night, approach the monastery and take the impostor by surprise there. The boyars agreed, allowed the Polish army to pass through the almost empty city at night, because the boyars had already withdrawn thirty thousand troops into the field. However, the power of attorney was not deceived: the Poles hurried through the city, without dismounting from their horses, without any harm to the inhabitants.

The Polish and Moscow troops united at the Kolomna outpost and went to the Ugreshsky monastery, but from Moscow they managed to notify False Dmitry of the danger, and he fled to Kaluga. Having driven away False Dmitry, the hetman began to insist on the speedy dispatch of ambassadors to Sigismund ... Flattering V.V. Golitsyn, he persuaded him to take over the chairmanship of this embassy; he managed to include in the embassy and. Avraamy Palitsyn and Zakhar Lyapunov also entered it, and representatives of all classes, elected in such numbers that the embassy consisted of 1246 persons, accompanied by 4000 clerks and servants.

• 1610, September 11 - Moscow left the embassy to the Polish king Sigismund for final negotiations on the conditions for the rule of Muscovy Vladislav. It was held by Sigismund until 1619.

“Left alone near Moscow with his small army, Zholkiewski saw that the Russians only because of extreme necessity agreed to accept a foreigner to the throne and would never agree to accept a non-Christian, and Sigismund would never agree to allow his son to accept Orthodoxy. But even now, as before, the impostor continued to help the hetman; out of fear of the common people, who would not hesitate to stand up for False Dmitry at the first opportunity, the boyars themselves invited Zholkevsky to send the Polish army to Moscow "

• 1610, September 21 - the Poles quietly penetrated Moscow, occupied the Kremlin and two central quarters, Kitai-Gorod and the White City, the Novodevichy Monastery, as well as Mozhaisk, Borisov, Vereya for the safety of their communications with the king. To resolve the strife between the Poles and Muscovites, Zholkovsky ordered the creation of a court with an equal number of judges from both peoples; the court was impartial and strict ...
• 1610, September 30 - ambassadors to Sigismund wrote to Moscow that many Russian nobles come to the king near Smolensk and, by the will of the royal, swear allegiance not to one prince, but to the king himself
• 1610, early October - Hetman Zolkiewski left Moscow. He knew that an uprising in Moscow would break out at the first news of the unwillingness of the king to let Vladislav go to Moscow. With his personal presence, he wanted to persuade the king to fulfill the contract. The boyars escorted him far beyond the city, even the common people showed him a disposition, paying with kindness for kindness; when he rode through the streets, the Muscovites ran ahead and wished him a happy journey. The hetman handed Gonsevsky command over the garrison, which already consisted of only 4,000 Poles and several thousand foreign mercenaries.

The era of "Time of Troubles" included a kind of republican period. From 1610 to 1613, in fact (part of the time and officially) there was no tsar in Russia, and a group of 7 members of the Boyar Duma tried to send power. The first attempt at collegial government was unsuccessful - the boyars actually behaved like traitors.

Troubled interregnum

The absence of a monarch on the throne is one of the consequences of the Time of Troubles. In 1610 he was overthrown. He was almost officially listed as the “boyar tsar”, and under him the self-will of the noblest families flourished. But the current situation did not suit anyone - among the boyars there were winners and those eager for revenge, the country was ravaged by external wars (with the Commonwealth, Tatars and Sweden) and shook by uprisings (the largest was the war led by Bolotnikov).

There were enough candidates for the throne. The "Tush thief" - False Dmitry II - presented his claims. Shuisky, who was deposed and forcibly tonsured a monk, also had supporters. The King of Poland, Sigismund III, wanted to see “his man” on the throne of Moscow and could back up his desire with real force - the army of Hetman Zolkiewski was at that time the most powerful army on Russian soil.

Reasons for unexpected republicanism

Naturally, there was no question of any establishment of a republic. Provisional governments from the boyars were created in Russia before. They had to rule during the absence of the king (for example, if he was at war) or appoint the election of the monarch through the convening of the Zemsky Sobor.

Theoretically, the Seven Boyars of 1610-1613 was created for holding elections. In fact, its representatives almost openly declared that their goal was to prevent any of the rival clans from advancing. It was for this reason that the head of the Seven Boyars, Prince Mstislavsky, immediately declared that he saw only a non-Russian monarch on the throne.

Unfinished betrayal

In addition to Prince F.I. Mstislavsky, Princes A.V. Golitsyn (he died before the end of the boyar rule), A.V. .Romanov and B.M. Lykov-Obolensky. There were many contradictions between them, but they agreed in the desire to preserve the maximum privileges for the boyars under the new tsar.

Based on this, they signed an agreement with Zholkiewski in August 1610. In addition to the Polish applicant, there was also a Swedish one - Prince Carl Philip, but a Pole was chosen. The "Tushinsky thief" fell away - he was supported by the Moscow common people, who for the boyars were a worse enemy than foreign invaders.

It should be noted that in 1610 the agreement with the Poles did not cause popular protest. Muscovites, without resistance, even willingly, swore allegiance to "Tsar Vladislav" (the son of Sigismund III, the future Polish King Vladislav IV). Any monarch seemed to be the preferred alternative to "distemper". It was written in the agreement that the Duma would retain its autonomy, Vladislav would convert to Orthodoxy and marry a Russian, and the siege of Smolensk would be immediately lifted.

In fact, it turned out differently. Sigismund III, a fanatical Catholic with imperial manners, saw things differently. He was categorically against the preservation of the positions of Orthodoxy, and generally preferred to sit on the Russian throne himself, joining the country to the speech of the Commonwealth. In September 1610, fearing unrest, the Seven Boyars let Polish soldiers into the capital. Commandant Alexander Gonsevsky (an outstanding military leader, but a dangerous enemy for Russia) became a good promoter of the ideas of his king.

bad result

As a result, the concession to the Poles did not give the boyars anything. Their power was doubtful even in Moscow. Until 1613, Smolensk was lost, the Swedes occupied Novgorod, the Tushino people continued their "distemper", the Poles ravaged the country. Even its official appointment - the convening of the Zemsky Sobor - the Seven Boyars fulfilled under pressure. Documents indicate that the people almost forced the boyars to do this by force, and the "ringleader" was not a representative of the secular authorities, but Patriarch Hermogenes.

The Seven Boyars is...
"Seven Boyars" - "seven boyars", the Russian government, formed after the overthrow of Tsar Vasily Shuisky in July 1610 and formally existed until the election of Tsar Mikhail Romanov to the throne. Boyar rule did not give the country either peace or stability. Moreover, it transferred power to the Polish interventionists and let them into Moscow. Eliminated by the militia of Minin and Pozharsky.
Interregnum
After Vasily Shuisky was overthrown and tonsured a monk, an interregnum began in Russia. False Dmitry 2 was not recognized in the capital, but people were afraid to choose a new king from among themselves. No one wanted to listen to Patriarch Hermogenes, who said that it was necessary to immediately elect either Prince Vasily Golitsyn or Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov as king (this is the first mention of Philaret's son about being elected king!). However, in Moscow it was decided to rule jointly - by a council of seven boyars. At the Arbat Gate, a meeting of all the "ranks" of the state was held - representatives of the nobility and nobility. They, after approving the overthrow of Shuisky, asked the members of the Boyar Duma, "to welcome, accept the Muscovite state, as long as God gives us the sovereign for the Muscovite kingdom."
The composition of the Seven Boyars included
- Prince Fyodor Ivanovich Mstislavsky
- Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Vorotynsky
- Prince Andrei Vasilievich Troubetzkoy
- Prince Andrei Vasilyevich Golitsyn
- Prince Boris Mikhailovich Lykov-Obolensky
Boyar Ivan Nikitich Romanov
Boyarin Fedor Ivanovich Sheremetev
Prince Mstislavsky became the head of the Seven Boyars.

Treaty with the Poles
But everything was clear that such a form of government in Russia was short-lived, and Tushin's idea of ​​​​inviting Prince Vladislav began to win more and more adherents. The Seven Boyars, meeting public opinion, concluded on August 17, 1610 with the commander of the Polish king Sigismund II, hetman Zolkiewski, an agreement on calling the son of the king, 15-year-old prince Vladislav, to the Russian throne. The boyars wanted Vladislav to convert to Orthodoxy, marry a Russian, and lift the siege of Smolensk.
Zholkiewski did not promise all this, but he undertook to send a representative Russian embassy to the king for negotiations. For seven weeks, Muscovites swore allegiance to Tsar Vladislav in the Kremlin. The oath became a genuine expression of the people's will: 8-12 thousand Muscovites a day entered the Assumption Cathedral, took an oath of allegiance to Tsar Vladislav, kissed the cross and the Gospel. And so 300 thousand people passed through the Kremlin! Meanwhile, the Kremlin itself and other important Moscow centers began to be occupied by regular Polish troops. Soon, Moscow was essentially occupied by the Polish army. This happened on September 20-21, 1610.
Hetman Zholkiewski began to demand that the former Tsar Shuisky and his brothers be handed over to him, which the Seven Boyars did without regret. Even the monk Shuisky, with his influence, money and connections, did not cease to be dangerous for the boyars who seized power. 1610, September - crowds of Muscovites poured into the streets of the capital to see the last exit of Tsar Vasily. Few people then felt a sense of national humiliation, seeing how in a wretched chariot, following the Polish horsemen in sparkling armor, they carried the captive Russian tsar, dressed in a worn monastic cassock. On the contrary, the people even thanked the Hetman Zholkiewski, who was prancing among the Russian boyars, for "delivering" them from the malicious Shuisky.

A huge (more than 1 thousand people) embassy went to the king's camp near Smolensk, expecting to soon return to the capital with the new sovereign. But nothing good came of this venture. Negotiations in Sigismund's camp stalled. As it turned out, the king considers the state of things in a completely different way than Zholkievsky, that Sigismund is against the fact that his son would convert to Orthodoxy and does not want to let him go to Moscow. Moreover, Sigismund himself decided to become the Russian Tsar (Zhigimont Ivanovich), to unite Poland, Lithuania and Russia under his rule.
Why were the boyars in such a hurry to swear an oath to Vladislav, why did they bind hundreds of thousands of people with sacred oaths, obliging them to obey an unknown sovereign? They, as often happens in history, took care of themselves first. In the Time of Troubles of the interregnum, the boyars most of all feared the capricious mob of Moscow and False Dmitry 2, who, inspired by the defeat of the Russian army near Klushino, made a rush to the capital. At any time, he could break into Moscow and "sit down on the kingdom" - the impostor in the capital would have found many supporters. In a word, the Seven Boyars could not delay. The Polish forces, on the other hand, seemed to the boyars a reliable shield against the robbers of the Tushinsky thief and the unfaithful Moscow mob. After the Poles agreed in principle to the election of Vladislav, all other problems seemed to the boyars not so important and easily resolved at a personal meeting with Sigismund II.
Now the Russian ambassadors found themselves in a terrible situation: they could not agree to the proclamation of Sigismund II as the Russian Tsar, but they could not leave shamefully with nothing. The negotiations went on with raised voices, and then it turned out that the ambassadors, like the former Tsar Vasily, were prisoners of the Poles ...

Civil uprising. Liberation of Moscow
The new government let the Polish army into Moscow, hoping that False Dmitry would not come here like that. From that time on, the whole essence of the Seven Boyars was reduced to playing the role of puppets in the hands of the King of Poland, who began to pursue a policy pleasing to him through his protege, the commandant of Moscow, Alexander Gonsevsky. The boyars were deprived of real power and became, in fact, hostages. It is in such a pitiful role that it is customary to see the answer to the question: “What is the Seven Boyars?”
After all real power passed from the hands of the boyars to the Polish governor, he, having received the rank of boyar, began to uncontrollably run the state. At his own will, he began to take away lands and estates from those Russians who remained faithful to their patriotic duty, and transferred them to the Poles, who were part of his inner circle. This caused a wave of indignation in the state. It is believed that at that time the Seven Boyars also changed their attitude towards the Poles.
Soon False Dmitry 2 was killed by traitors. The enemy was defeated, but this did not save the boyar government from the problem. The Polish army settled in Moscow firmly settled down and did not intend to leave.
The authorities and the people were against the Catholic king. The people's militia began to gather, but as a result, everything ended in complete failure - the militias were defeated by the Poles. More successful was the Second Militia. Under the leadership of Prince Pozharsky and zemstvo elder Minin. They correctly decided that in addition to the will to defeat the Polish army, the militias needed material support.
The people were ordered to give up a third of their property under pain of complete confiscation. So, the militias received good funding, more and more volunteers joined their ranks. Soon, the number of people's militia exceeded 10,000. They approached Moscow and began a siege of the Polish invaders.
The Polish garrison was doomed, but was not going to surrender to the last. After several months of siege, the militias were able to win - Kitai-Gorod and the Kremlin were captured by storm, the Poles were captured and killed. Moscow was liberated. 1613, February 21 - the boyars chose a new ruler - Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. This was the end of the period that entered the history of Russia as the Seven Boyars. The years of the reign of the seven boyars are rightly considered one of the most difficult for the entire period of the Time of Troubles. Upon their completion, the country entered a new historical era.