The Time of Troubles at the beginning of the 17th century is one of the most difficult and tragic periods in Russian history, which had a decisive influence on the fate of our state. The name itself - "Trouble", "Time of Troubles" very accurately reflects the atmosphere of that time. The name has, by the way, folk etymology. Causes:

1. Severe systemic crisis of the Moscow state, largely associated with the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Contradictory domestic and foreign policies have led to the destruction of many economic structures. Weakened key institutions and led to loss of life.

2. Important western lands were lost (pit, Ivan-gorod, Karela)

3. Social conflicts within the Moscow state sharply aggravated, which engulfed all societies (the royal power and the boyar aristocracy, boyars and nobles, feudal lords and peasantry, church and secular feudal lords, tribal aristocracy and serving aristocracy, etc.)

4. Intervention of foreign states (Poland, Sweden, England, etc. regarding land issues, territory, etc.)

5. Dynastic Crisis:

1584. After the death of Ivan the Terrible, his son Fyodor took the throne.

1591. Under mysterious circumstances, the youngest son of the formidable, Dmitry, died in Uglich.

1598. Fedor dies, the dynasty of Kalita's house is stopped.

Stages:

1. 1598-1605. The key figure is Boris Godunov. He, by decision of the Zemsky Sobor, was elected to the royal throne in 1598. He was known as a cruel politician, was a guardsman, had an extraordinary mind. With his active participation, in 1598 a patriarchate was established in Moscow. He dramatically changed the nature of the domestic and foreign policy of the state (the development of the southern outskirts, the development of Siberia, the return of western lands, a truce with Poland). Consequently, there is a rise in the economy and an aggravation of the political struggle. In 1601-1603 crop failure, famine and food riots begin. During this period, the first False Dmitry appeared on the territory of Poland, received the support of the Polish gentry and entered the Russian land in 1604. In April 1605, Godunov died unexpectedly. In June, False Dmitry 1 entered Moscow. After 11 months, in 1606, he was killed as a result of a conspiracy.

2. 1606-1610. This stage is associated with Vasily Shuisky, the first "boyar tsar". He ascended the throne immediately after the death of False Dmitry 1 by decision of the Red Square, giving a cross-kissing record of a good attitude towards the boyars. On the throne, he faced many problems (the Bolotnikov uprising, LD2, Polish troops, the collapse of the SU, famine). Shuisky managed to solve only part of the problems. In 1610, the Polish troops defeated Shuisky’s detachments and he was overthrown from the throne and the regime of the seven boyars was established, the boyars wanted to invite the Polish prince Vladislav to the throne with a guarantee of the inviolability of the faith and the boyars, and also that he himself changed faith. This was protested by the church, and there was no answer from Poland.

3. 1611-1613. Patriarch Hermogenes in 1611 initiated the creation of a Zemstvo militia near Ryazan. In March it laid siege to Moscow and failed because of internal disagreements. The second was created in autumn, in Novgorod. It was headed by K. Minin and D. Pozharsky. The money collected was insufficient to maintain the militia, but not small either. The militias called themselves free people, at the head was the Zemstvo Council and temporary orders. On October 26, 1612, the militia managed to take the Moscow Kremlin. By decision of the boyar duma, it was dissolved.

Results:

1. The total death toll is equal to one third of the population.

2. Economic catastrophe, the financial system, transport communications are destroyed, vast territories are withdrawn from agricultural circulation.

3. Territorial losses (Chernigov land, Smolensk land, Novgorod-Severskaya land, Baltic territories).

4. Weakening of domestic merchants and entrepreneurs and strengthening of foreign merchants.

5. Emergence of a new royal dynasty On February 7, 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected 16-year-old Mikhail Romanov. The first representatives of the dynasty (M. F. Romanov - 1613-1645, A. M. Romanov - 1645-1676, F. A. Romanov - 1676-1682). They had to solve 3 main problems - the restoration of the unity of the territories, the restoration of the state mechanism and the economy.

The events of the beginning of the 17th century in Russia were called the Time of Troubles. It was a period of decentralization of the state, when there was a frequent change of rulers, popular uprisings, and a very difficult economic situation developed. Foreign states interfered in the internal affairs of Russia. It was a severe political and socio-economic crisis that brought the country to the brink of destruction of state principles and actual disintegration. According to a number of historians, the Time of Troubles was the first civil war in the history of Russia.

There are several options for periodization of the Time of Troubles:

1598 -1618 - from the beginning of the dynastic crisis associated with the termination of the Rurik dynasty, until the conclusion of the Deulino truce with Poland.

1604-1605 - 1613 - from the moment of the appearance of False Dmitry II until the election of Mikhail Romanov.

1603 - 1618 - from the destabilization of the situation due to famine until the conclusion of a truce with Poland.

Causes of the Time of Troubles:

1. - political- a dynastic crisis associated with the termination of the Rurik dynasty and the insufficient authority of Boris Godunov.

2. – economic- the most difficult economic situation associated with the famine of 1601 - 1603, a sharp increase in the price of bread, food and discontent of the broad masses. Boris Godunov's government failed to cope with the situation.

3. – social– growing dissatisfaction with the policy pursued by different segments of the population ( peasants- dissatisfied with further enslavement, 1581 - "reserved years" were introduced, when the passage of peasants on St. George's Day was temporarily prohibited, 1597 - a decree on "lesson years" appeared, establishing a five-year period for searching for fugitive peasants + a difficult economic situation; Cossacks- dissatisfied with the attack on their rights + fugitive peasants from the central regions of the country joined them ; know, boyars- dissatisfied with the curtailment of their tribal rights; service nobility- dissatisfied with the fact that the government cannot stop the flight of serfs; townspeople- increase in taxes).

All these reasons acted together and led to the destabilization of the situation in the country.

The main events of the Time of Troubles:

In 1584, after the death of Ivan the Terrible, his son began to rule Fedor Ivanovich (1584 - 1598). Son Ivan was killed in 1581, Tsarevich Dmitry was too small, and in 1591 he died in Uglich. Fedor Ivanovich was a weak ruler, a quiet and God-fearing man, he was more interested in prayer and conversation with the monks, he loved church singing and bell ringing. A regency council was created under him to lead the country. In fact, the country was ruled by Boris Godunov, the brother of the tsar's wife. After death, there were no heirs in the male line, the Rurik dynasty was interrupted.

In 1598, at the Zemsky Sobor, he was elected ruler Boris Godunov (1598 - 1605). He was a strong personality, a reformer:

2. - takes care of strengthening the borders - fortresses are being built in the south, east, Smolensk - in the west.

3. - serfdom is being strengthened,

4. - sent nobles to study abroad, invited foreign specialists.

5. - carried out a "township building" - accounting for the population of township settlements, the return of those who left to privately owned lands. This was to ensure the fulfillment of state duties and the payment of taxes.

6. - upon taking office, he released prisoners from prisons and forgave arrears in taxes and taxes.

All the good undertakings of Boris Godunov were destroyed by the terrible famine of 1601-1603. Three years in a row there was a repeated crop failure - it rained in the summer, and then there were early frosts. Hundreds of thousands of people died, many fled to the cities, the boyars drove out unnecessary people. Popular unrest swept vast territories. In 1603, there was an uprising of Cotton, which engulfed the southwestern districts of the country, where there were many fugitive peasants. Destroying the estates of the nobility, the army moved towards Moscow. With great difficulty he was defeated, the leader was captured and executed. Boris Godunov tried to fight hunger - he organized construction work, distributed money, bread, but this was not enough. The king's authority is falling. Against this background, there are rumors about the legitimate king - False Dmitry I.

He pretended to be the miraculously saved son of Ivan the Terrible, Tsarevich Dmitry. Imposter's name - Grigory Otrepiev. He was a Galich nobleman who took the vows of the Chudov Monastery in Moscow and then fled to Lithuania. With the support of Poland, it begins to move towards Moscow.

Many people make a bet on the "legitimate king", pursuing their own goals:

- Poland- the weakening of Russia, the acquisition of land and the establishment of Catholicism.

- Moscow boyars– sought power and the overthrow of Boris Godunov.

- people(peasants, Cossacks, townspeople) - they saw in him a legitimate king, kind, fair, capable of delivering from hardships and oppressors.

In August 1604, the army of False Dmitry I with a detachment of 4 thousand people sets out from Lvov towards Moscow. Several cities go over to his side, the army is replenished with Cossacks, its numbers are growing. In January 1605, the army of the impostor was defeated by the tsarist army under the leadership of Mstislavsky near Dobrynichy. False Dmitry fled to Putivl, but in April 1605 Boris Godunov died unexpectedly, and the path to the royal throne was open.

False Dmitry I (1605 -1606) did not stay long on the Russian throne. In June 1605, Moscow swore allegiance to the impostor. But the hopes for a kind and just king were not justified. He objectively could not fulfill the promises given to everyone. The Poles behave in Moscow as in a conquered city. The marriage to Marina Mnishek also caused discontent. On the night of May 17, 1606, as a result of a conspiracy led by the Shuisky brothers, False Dmitry I was killed.

Zemsky Sobor elects new tsar Vasily Shuisky (1606 - 1610). Upon accession to the throne, he swore an oath (the "kissing record") not to judge the boyars without the participation of the Boyar Duma, not to take away their estates, not to listen to false denunciations. Historians consider this an attempt to limit the power of the king.

Vasily Shuisky solved two main tasks:

1. - fought against the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov.

2. - fought with False Dmitry II - a new impostor who appeared in the summer of 1607 and pretended to miraculously escaped False Dmitry I. His identity has not been established, there are only assumptions. Under his banner were detachments of Poles, Cossacks, nobles, the remnants of Bolotnikov's troops. From the territory of Poland, he goes to Moscow. he failed to take the city, and he camped in Tushino, for which he received the nickname "Tushinsky thief." He is recognized by Marina Mnishek (for 3 thousand gold rubles and income from 14 Russian cities after accession to Moscow). In fact, dual power is emerging - part of the country is controlled by the troops of False Dmitry II, part - by the troops of Vasily Shuisky. For 16 months (from September 1608 to January 1610) the Trinity-Sergius Monastery was defended.

Vasily Shuisky, in order to fight False Dmitry II, turns to the Swedish king for help. In 1609, an agreement was concluded in Vyborg, according to which Russia renounced claims to the Baltic coast, gave Sweden the city of Korela with the county. Sweden sent a 7,000-strong detachment led by Delagardie. Together with Skopin-Shuisky, they liberated large territories occupied by False Dmitry II. The impostor fled to Kaluga, where he was killed in 1610.

In 1609, Poland began an open intervention. The reason is an invitation from Sweden, with which Poland is at war. The troops of Stefan Batory besieged Smolensk, which held out for 20 months.

Vasily Shuisky in 1610 was deposed from the throne and tonsured a monk. Power was in the hands of seven boyars headed by Mstislavsky. This board is called "seven boyars" (1610 - 1613). They invited the Polish prince Vladislav to the throne. Negotiations about this went on. Polish troops entered Moscow. The Swedes are also beginning to intervene.

Thus, the country is on the verge of disaster: in the west - the Poles, in the north-west - the Swedes, in the south - the remnants of the troops of Bolotnikov and False Dmitry II, there is no strong power, Moscow is occupied by the Poles.

In this difficult situation, the people, tired of the riots, rise up to fight for the preservation of the state. Letters of conscription from Patriarch Hermogenes and Ryazan Governor Prokopiy Lyapunov go around the cities to organize a people's militia.

There were two people's militias:

1. - the first Zemstvo militia - Ryazan - led by Prokopy Lyapunov. It was attended by nobles, Cossacks from the southern districts, townspeople. A government body was created - the "Council of All the Earth". In the spring and summer of 1611, the militia besieged Moscow, but did not achieve success. Broke up due to internal contradictions. Lyapunov was killed.

2. - the second zemstvo militia - Nizhny Novgorod - led by the township elder Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky.formed from detachments sent by many cities. In the spring of 1612 moved to Yaroslavl. This is where its final formation took place. In July, the militia moved towards Moscow and liberated it from the Poles. Hetman Khodkevich's detachment could not break through to help the Polish garrison, who had settled in the Kremlin, and he surrendered in October 1612. The capital was completely liberated.

In January 1613, the Zemsky Sobor was held (700 representatives from the nobility, boyars, clergy, 50 cities, archers and Cossacks), which decided on the election of a new king. There were many applicants - the Polish prince Vladislav, the son of the Swedish king Karl-Philip, Ivan - the son of False Dmitry II and Marina Mnishek, representatives of noble boyar families. The choice fell on Mikhail Romanov- 16 years old, nephew of the first wife of Ivan the Terrible, followed by the strong figure of Father Fyodor Nikitich Romanov, Patriarch Filaret. Russia has a new ruling dynasty. Now the main task is to eliminate the consequences of the Time of Troubles, to return the lost lands.

One of the most difficult periods in the history of the state is the Time of Troubles. It lasted from 1598 to 1613. It was at the turn of the XVI-XVII centuries. there is a severe economic and political crisis. Oprichnina, the Tatar invasion, the Livonian war - all this led to the maximum growth of negative phenomena and increased public indignation.

Reasons for the beginning of the Time of Troubles

Ivan the Terrible had three sons. He killed his eldest son in a fit of rage, the youngest was only two years old, and the middle one, Fedor, was 27. Thus, after the death of the tsar, it was Fedor who had to take power into his own hands. But the heir is a soft person and did not fit the role of a ruler at all. Even during his lifetime, Ivan IV created a regency council under Fedor, which included Boris Godunov, Shuisky and other boyars.

Ivan the Terrible died in 1584. Fedor became the official ruler, but in fact - Godunov. A few years later, in 1591, Dmitry (the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible) dies. A number of versions of the boy's death are put forward. The main version is that the boy himself accidentally ran into a knife when he was playing. Some claimed that they knew who killed the prince. Another version - he was killed by Godunov's henchmen. A few years later, Fedor dies (1598), leaving no children behind.

Thus, historians identify the following main causes and factors for the beginning of the Time of Troubles:

1. Interruption of the Rurik dynasty.
2. The desire of the boyars to increase their role and power in the state, to limit the power of the king. The claims of the boyars developed into an open struggle with the top of power. Their intrigues had a negative impact on the position of royal power in the state.
3. The economic situation was critical. The conquests of the tsar demanded the activation of all forces, including production ones. In 1601-1603 - a period of famine, as a result - the impoverishment of large and small farms.
4. Serious social conflict. The current system tore away not only numerous fugitive peasants, serfs, townspeople, city Cossacks, but also some parts of the service people.
5. Domestic policy of Ivan the Terrible. The consequences and result of the oprichnina increased distrust, undermined respect for law and authority.

Events of unrest

The Time of Troubles was a huge shock for the state, which affected the foundations of power and the state system. Historians distinguish three periods of unrest:

1. Dynastic. The period when the struggle for the Moscow throne took place, and it lasted until the reign of Vasily Shuisky.
2. Social. The time of civil strife among the popular classes and the invasion of foreign troops.
3. National. The period of struggle and expulsion of the interventionists. It lasted until the election of a new king.

The first stage of confusion

Taking advantage of the instability and discord in Russia, False Dmitry crossed the Dnieper with a small army. He managed to convince the Russian people that he was Dmitry - the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible.

A huge mass of the population reached out for him. Cities opened their gates, townspeople and peasants joined his detachments. In 1605, after the death of Godunov, the governors sided with him, and after a while, all of Moscow.

The support of the boyars was necessary for False Dmitry. So, on June 1, on Red Square, he proclaimed Boris Godunov a traitor, and also promised privileges to boyars, clerks and nobles, unimaginable benefits to merchants, and peace and tranquility to peasants. An alarming moment came when the peasants asked Shuisky if Tsarevich Dmitry was buried in Uglich (it was Shuisky who headed the commission investigating the death of the prince and confirmed his death). But the boyar already claimed that Dmitry was alive. After these stories, an angry mob broke into the houses of Boris Godunov and his relatives, destroying everything. So, on June 20, False Dmitry entered Moscow with honors.

It turned out to be much easier to sit on the throne than to stay on it. To assert his power, the impostor consolidated serfdom, which led to the discontent of the peasants.

False Dmitry also did not live up to the expectations of the boyars. In May 1606, the gates of the Kremlin were opened to the peasants, False Dmitry was killed. The throne was taken by Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky. The main condition for his reign was the limitation of power. He vowed that he would not make any decisions on his own. Formally, there was a restriction of state power. But the situation in the state did not improve.

The second stage of confusion

This period is characterized not only by the struggle for power of the upper classes, but also by free and large-scale peasant uprisings.

So, in the summer of 1606, the peasant masses had a head - Ivan Isaevich Bolotnikov. Peasants, Cossacks, serfs, townspeople, large and small feudal lords, and servicemen gathered under one banner. In 1606, Bolotnikov's army moved to Moscow. The battle for Moscow was lost, they had to retreat to Tula. Already there, a three-month siege of the city began. The result of the unfinished campaign against Moscow is the capitulation and execution of Bolotnikov. Since that time, peasant uprisings have declined..

The Shuisky government sought to normalize the situation in the country, but the peasants and servicemen were still dissatisfied. The nobles doubted the ability of the authorities to stop the peasant uprisings, and the peasants did not want to accept the feudal policy. At this moment of misunderstanding, another impostor appeared in the Bryansk lands, who called himself False Dmitry II. Many historians claim that he was sent to rule the Polish king Sigismund III. Most of his detachments were Polish Cossacks and gentry. In the winter of 1608, False Dmitry II moved with an armed army to Moscow.

By June, the impostor reached the village of Tushino, where he camped. He was sworn allegiance to such large cities as Vladimir, Rostov, Murom, Suzdal, Yaroslavl. In fact, there were two capitals. The boyars swore allegiance either to Shuisky or to the impostor and managed to receive salaries from both sides.

For the expulsion of False Dmitry II, the Shuisky government concluded an agreement with Sweden. According to this agreement, Russia gave the Karelian volost to Sweden. Taking advantage of this mistake, Sigismund III switched to open intervention. The Commonwealth went to war against Russia. The Polish units abandoned the impostor. False Dmitry II is forced to flee to Kaluga, where he ingloriously ended his "reign".

Letters of Sigismund II were delivered to Moscow and Smolensk, in which he claimed that, as a relative of the Russian rulers and at the request of the Russian people, he was going to save the dying state and the Orthodox faith.

Frightened, the Moscow boyars recognized Prince Vladislav as the Russian Tsar. In 1610, an agreement was concluded in which the main plan for the state structure of Russia was stipulated:

• the inviolability of the Orthodox faith;
• restriction of freedom;
• the division of power of the sovereign with the Boyar Duma and the Zemsky Sobor.

The oath of Moscow to Vladislav took place on August 17, 1610. A month before the events, Shuisky was forcibly tonsured a monk and exiled to the Chudov Monastery. To manage the boyars, a commission of seven boyars was assembled - Seven Boyars. And already on September 20, the Poles entered Moscow without hindrance.

At this time, Sweden openly demonstrates military aggression. Swedish detachments occupied most of Russia and were already ready to attack Novgorod. Russia was on the verge of the final loss of independence. The aggressive plans of the enemies aroused great indignation among the people.

The third stage of turmoil

The death of False Dmitry II greatly influenced the situation. The pretext (the fight against the impostor) to rule Russia by Sigismund disappeared. Thus, the Polish troops turned into occupying ones. Russian people unite for resistance, the war began to acquire national proportions.

The third stage of turmoil begins. At the call of the patriarch, detachments come to Moscow from the northern regions. Cossack troops led by Zarutsky and Grand Duke Trubetskoy. Thus, the first militia was created. In the spring of 1611, Russian troops launched an assault on Moscow, which was unsuccessful.

In the autumn of 1611, in Novgorod, Kuzma Minin addressed the people with an appeal to fight against foreign invaders. A militia was created, headed by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky.

In August 1612, the army of Pozharsky and Minin reached Moscow, on October 26 the Polish garrison surrendered. Moscow was completely liberated. The Time of Troubles, which lasted almost 10 years, is over.

In these difficult conditions, the state needed a government that would reconcile people from different political parties, but could also find a class compromise. In this regard, the candidacy of Romanov suited everyone..

After the grandiose liberation of the capital, letters of convocation of the Zemsky Sobor were scattered throughout the country. The council took place in January 1613 and was the most representative in the entire medieval history of Russia. Of course, a struggle broke out for the future tsar, but as a result they agreed on the candidacy of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov (a relative of the first wife of Ivan IV). Mikhail Romanov was elected tsar on February 21, 1613.

From this time begins the history of the reign of the Romanov dynasty, which was on the throne for more than 300 years (until February 1917).

Consequences of the Time of Troubles

Unfortunately, the Time of Troubles ended badly for Russia. Territorial losses were suffered:

• loss of Smolensk for a long period;
• loss of access to the Gulf of Finland;
• eastern and western Karelia captured by the Swedes.

The Orthodox population did not accept the oppression of the Swedes and left their territories. Only in 1617, the Swedes left Novgorod. The city was completely devastated, there were several hundred citizens left in it.

Time of Troubles led to economic and economic recession. The size of arable land fell 20 times, the number of peasants decreased 4 times. Land cultivation was reduced, the monastic yards were devastated by the invaders.

The death toll during the war is approximately equal to one third of the population of the country.. In a number of regions of the country, the population fell below the level of the 16th century.

In 1617-1618, Poland once again wanted to capture Moscow and elevate Prince Vladislav to the throne. But the attempt failed. As a result, the signing of a truce with Russia for 14 years, which marked the refusal of Vladislav's claims to the Russian throne. Poland remained Northern and Smolensk lands. Despite the difficult conditions of peace with Poland and Sweden, the end of the war and a welcome respite came for the Russian state. The Russian people unitedly defended the independence of Russia.

1598-1613 - a period in the history of Russia, called the Time of Troubles.

At the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, Russia was going through a political and socio-economic crisis. The Livonian War and the Tatar invasion, as well as the oprichnina of Ivan the Terrible, contributed to the intensification of the crisis and the growth of discontent. This was the reason for the beginning of the Time of Troubles in Russia.

The first period of turmoil characterized by the struggle for the throne of various applicants. After the death of Ivan the Terrible, his son Fedor came to power, but he was unable to rule and was actually ruled by the brother of the king's wife - Boris Godunov. Ultimately, his policies aroused the discontent of the masses.

The turmoil began with the appearance in Poland of False Dmitry (in reality, Grigory Otrepyev), who allegedly miraculously survived the son of Ivan the Terrible. He lured a significant part of the Russian population to his side. In 1605, False Dmitry was supported by the governors, and then by Moscow. And already in June he became the legitimate king. But he acted too independently, which caused discontent of the boyars, he also supported serfdom, which caused a protest of the peasants. On May 17, 1606, False Dmitry I was killed and V.I. Shuisky, with the condition of limiting power. Thus, the first stage of the turmoil was marked by the board False Dmitry I(1605 - 1606)

The second period of turmoil. In 1606, an uprising broke out, led by I.I. Bolotnikov. The ranks of the rebels included people from different strata of society: peasants, serfs, small and medium-sized feudal lords, servicemen, Cossacks and townspeople. In the battle of Moscow they were defeated. As a result, Bolotnikov was executed.

But dissatisfaction with the authorities continued. And soon appears False Dmitry II. In January 1608, his army headed for Moscow. By June, False Dmitry II entered the village of Tushino near Moscow, where he settled. In Russia, 2 capitals were formed: boyars, merchants, officials worked on 2 fronts, sometimes even received salaries from both kings. Shuisky concluded an agreement with Sweden and the Commonwealth began aggressive hostilities. False Dmitry II fled to Kaluga.

Shuisky was tonsured a monk and taken to the Chudov Monastery. In Russia, an interregnum began - the Seven Boyars (a council of 7 boyars). The Boyar Duma made a deal with the Polish interventionists and on August 17, 1610, Moscow swore allegiance to the Polish king Vladislav. At the end of 1610, False Dmitry II was killed, but the struggle for the throne did not end there.

So, the second stage was marked by the uprising of I.I. Bolotnikov (1606 - 1607), the reign of Vasily Shuisky (1606 - 1610), the appearance of False Dmitry II, as well as the Seven Boyars (1610).

Third Period of Troubles characterized by the fight against foreign invaders. After the death of False Dmitry II, the Russians united against the Poles. The war took on a national character. In August 1612, the militia of K. Minin and D. Pozharsky reached Moscow. And on October 26, the Polish garrison surrendered. Moscow was liberated. The troubled times are over.

The results of the turmoil were depressing: the country was in a terrible situation, the treasury was ruined, trade and crafts were in decline. The consequences of the Troubles for Russia were expressed in its backwardness in comparison with European countries. It took decades to restore the economy.

13. Russia's entry into the era of modern times. First Romanovs.

Time of Troubles- designation of the period of Russian history from 1598 to 1613, marked by natural disasters, the Polish-Swedish intervention, the most severe political, economic, state and social crisis.

Start

After the death of Ivan the Terrible (1584), his heir, Fyodor Ioannovich, was incapable of governing, and the youngest son, Tsarevich Dmitry, was in infancy. With the death of Dmitry (1591) and Fedor (1598), the ruling dynasty came to an end, secondary boyar families - the Yurievs and Godunovs - came to the fore.

Three years, from 1601 to 1603, were lean, even in the summer months frosts did not stop, and in September snow fell. According to some assumptions, the reason for this was the eruption of the Huaynaputina volcano in Peru on February 19, 1600 and the volcanic winter that followed. A terrible famine broke out, the victims of which were up to half a million people. Masses of people flocked to Moscow, where the government distributed money and bread to the needy. However, these measures only increased the economic disorganization. The landowners could not feed their serfs and servants and drove them out of the estates. Left without a livelihood, people turned to robbery and robbery, intensifying the general chaos. Individual gangs grew to several hundred people. Ataman Khlopko's detachment numbered up to 500 people.

The beginning of the Time of Troubles refers to the intensification of rumors that the legitimate Tsarevich Dmitry is alive, from which it followed that the reign of Boris Godunov was illegal. The impostor False Dmitry, who announced to the Polish prince A. A. Vishnevetsky about his royal origin, entered into close relations with the Polish magnate, governor of Sandomierz Jerzy Mniszek and papal nuncio Rangoni. At the beginning of 1604, the impostor received an audience with the Polish king, and on April 17 he converted to Catholicism. King Sigismund recognized the rights of False Dmitry to the Russian throne and allowed everyone to help the "tsarevich". For this, False Dmitry promised to transfer Smolensk and Seversky lands to Poland. For the consent of the governor Mnishek to the marriage of his daughter with False Dmitry, he also promised to transfer Novgorod and Pskov to his bride. Mnishek equipped the impostor with an army consisting of Zaporozhye Cossacks and Polish mercenaries (“adventurers”). In 1604, the army of the impostor crossed the border of Russia, many cities (Moravsk, Chernigov, Putivl) surrendered to False Dmitry, the army of the Moscow governor F. I. Mstislavsky was defeated near Novgorod-Seversky. At the height of the war, Boris Godunov died (April 13, 1605); Godunov's army almost immediately betrayed his successor, 16-year-old Fyodor Borisovich, who was overthrown on June 1 and killed along with his mother on June 10.

Accession of False Dmitry I

On June 20, 1605, under general rejoicing, the impostor solemnly entered Moscow. The Moscow boyars, headed by Bogdan Belsky, publicly recognized him as the rightful heir. On June 24, Archbishop Ignatius of Ryazan, who back in Tula confirmed Dmitry's rights to the kingdom, was elevated to patriarch. Thus, the impostor received the official support of the clergy. On July 18, Queen Martha, who recognized her son as an impostor, was brought to the capital, and soon, on July 30, Dmitry was crowned king.

The reign of False Dmitry was marked by an orientation towards Poland and some attempts at reform.

Shuisky's conspiracy

Not all of the Moscow boyars recognized False Dmitry as the legitimate ruler. Immediately upon his arrival in Moscow, Prince Vasily Shuisky, through intermediaries, began to spread rumors of imposture. Governor Pyotr Basmanov uncovered the plot, and on June 23, 1605, Shuisky was captured and condemned to death, pardoned only directly at the block.

Shuisky attracted princes V.V. Golitsyn and I.S. Kurakin to his side. Enlisting the support of the Novgorod-Pskov detachment standing near Moscow, which was preparing for a campaign in the Crimea, Shuisky organized a coup.

On the night of May 16-17, 1606, the boyar opposition, taking advantage of the anger of Muscovites against the Polish adventurers who came to Moscow for the wedding of False Dmitry, raised an uprising, during which the impostor was killed.

War activities

The coming to power of the representative of the Suzdal branch of the Rurikovich boyar Vasily Shuisky did not bring peace. In the south, the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov (1606-1607) broke out, which gave rise to the beginning of the movement of "thieves". Rumors about the miraculous deliverance of Tsarevich Dmitry did not subside. A new impostor appeared, who went down in history as the Tushinsky Thief (1607-1610). By the end of 1608, the power of the Tushinsky Thief extended to Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Uglich, Kostroma, Galich, Vologda. Kolomna, Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky, Smolensk, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, the Ural and Siberian cities remained loyal to Moscow. As a result of the degradation of the border service, the 100,000-strong Nogai horde devastates the "ukraine" and Seversk lands in 1607-1608.

In 1608, the Crimean Tatars for the first time in a long time crossed the Oka and ravaged the central Russian regions. Shuya and Kineshma were defeated by the Polish-Lithuanian troops, Tver was taken, the troops of the Lithuanian hetman Jan Sapega besieged the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, the troops of Pan Lisovsky captured Suzdal. Even cities that voluntarily recognized the power of the impostor were mercilessly plundered by detachments of interventionists. The Poles levied taxes on land and trade, received "feeding" in Russian cities. All this caused by the end of 1608 a broad national liberation movement. In December 1608, Kineshma, Kostroma, Galich, Totma, Vologda, Beloozero, Ustyuzhna Zheleznopolskaya "departed" from the impostor, Veliky Ustyug, Vyatka, Perm came out in support of the rebels. In January 1609, Prince Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky, who commanded Russian warriors from Tikhvin and the Onega churchyards, repelled the 4,000-strong Polish detachment of Kernozitsky advancing on Novgorod. At the beginning of 1609, the militia of the city of Ustyuzhna drove out the Poles and "Cherkasy" (Cossacks) from the surrounding villages, and in February repulsed all attacks of the Polish cavalry and hired German infantry. On February 17, the Russian militias lost the battle of Suzdal to the Poles. At the end of February, "Vologda and Pomeranian peasants" liberated Kostroma from the interventionists. On March 3, the militia of the northern and north Russian cities took Romanov, from there moved to Yaroslavl and took it in early April. Nizhny Novgorod governor Alyabyev took Murom on March 15, and Vladimir was released on March 27.

The government of Vasily Shuisky concludes the Vyborg Treaty with Sweden, according to which the Korelsky district was transferred to the Swedish crown in exchange for military assistance. The Russian government also had to pay for the mercenaries, who make up the bulk of the Swedish army. Fulfilling his obligations, Charles IX provided a 5,000-strong detachment of mercenaries, as well as a 10,000-strong detachment of "all sorts of mixed rabble" under the command of J. Delagardie. In the spring, Prince Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky gathered a 5,000-strong Russian army in Novgorod. On May 10, Russian-Swedish forces occupied Staraya Rusa, and on May 11 they defeated the Polish-Lithuanian detachments approaching the city. On May 15, Russian-Swedish forces under the command of Chulkov and Gorn defeated the Polish cavalry under the command of Kernozitsky near Toropets.

By the end of spring, most of the northwestern Russian cities had abandoned the impostor. By the summer, the number of Russian troops reached 20 thousand people. On June 17, in a heavy battle near Torzhok, the Russian-Swedish forces forced the Polish-Lithuanian army of Zborovsky to retreat. On July 11-13, Russian-Swedish forces, under the command of Skopin-Shuisky and Delagardie, defeated the Poles near Tver. In the further actions of Skopin-Shuisky, the Swedish troops (with the exception of the detachment of Christier Somme, numbering 1 thousand people) did not take part. On July 24, Russian detachments crossed to the right bank of the Volga and entered the Makariev Kalyazin Monastery. On August 19, the Poles under the command of Jan Sapieha were defeated by Skopin-Shuisky at Kalyazin. On September 10, the Russians, together with the Zomme detachment, occupied Pereyaslavl, and on October 9, voivode Golovin occupied Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda. On October 16, a Russian detachment broke through into the Trinity-Sergius Monastery besieged by the Poles. On October 28, Skopin-Shuisky defeated Hetman Sapega near Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda.

On January 12, 1610, the Poles retreated from the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, and on February 27, they left Dmitrov under the blows of the Russian troops. On March 12, 1610, the regiments of Skopin-Shuisky entered the capital, and on April 29 he died after a short illness. The Russian army at that time was preparing to go to the aid of Smolensk, which since September 1609 was besieged by the troops of the Polish king Sigismund III. The Poles and Cossacks also took possession of the cities of the Seversk land; the population of Starodub and Pochep completely died during the enemy assault, Chernigov and Novgorod-Seversky surrendered.

On July 4, 1610, the Battle of Klushino took place, as a result of which the Polish army (Zholkevsky) defeated the Russian-Swedish army under the command of Dmitry Shuisky and Jacob Delagardi; during the battle, German mercenaries who served with the Russians went over to the side of the Poles. The Poles opened the way to Moscow.

Seven Boyars

The defeat of the troops of Vasily Shuisky from the Poles near Klushin (June 24/July 4, 1610) finally undermined the shaky authority of the "boyar tsar", and a coup took place in Moscow upon news of this event. As a result of the boyar conspiracy, Vasily Shuisky was removed, Moscow swore allegiance to the Polish prince Vladislav, and on September 20-21, Polish troops entered the capital. However, the robberies and violence committed by the Polish-Lithuanian detachments in Russian cities, as well as interreligious contradictions between Catholicism and Orthodoxy, caused rejection of Polish rule - in the northwest and east, a number of Russian cities "besieged" and refused to swear allegiance to Vladislav.

1610-1613 - Seven Boyars (Mstislavsky, Trubetskoy, Golitsyn, Obolensky, Romanov, Lykov, Sheremetev).

On March 17, 1611, the Poles, who took a dispute in the market for the beginning of an uprising, massacre in Moscow, 7 thousand Muscovites die in Kitai-Gorod alone.

In 1611, the 1st Lyapunov Militia approached the walls of Moscow. However, as a result of a feud at the military council of the rebels, Lyapunov was killed, and the militia dispersed. In the same year, the Crimean Tatars, without meeting resistance, ravaged the Ryazan Territory. Smolensk, after a long siege, was captured by the Poles, and the Swedes, leaving the role of "allies", ravaged the northern Russian cities.

The Second Militia of 1612 was headed by the Nizhny Novgorod zemstvo elder Kuzma Minin, who invited Prince Pozharsky to lead the military operations. In February 1612, the militia moved to Yaroslavl to take this important point, where many roads crossed. Yaroslavl was busy; the militia stood here for four months, because it was necessary to "build" not only the army, but also the "land". Pozharsky wanted to convene a “general zemstvo council” to discuss plans to combat the Polish-Lithuanian intervention and “how we should not be stateless in these evil times and choose a sovereign for us with all the earth.” The candidacy of the Swedish prince Karl-Philip was also proposed for discussion, who "wants to be baptized into our Orthodox faith of the Greek law." However, the Zemstvo Council did not take place.

On September 22, 1612, one of the bloodiest events of the Time of Troubles takes place - the city of Vologda was taken by the Poles and Cherkasy (Cossacks), who destroyed almost all of its population, including the monks of the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery.

The overthrow of the government of Prince Vladislav

Around August 20 (30), 1612, the militia moved from Yaroslavl to Moscow. In September, the second militia defeated the troops of Hetman Khodkevich, who was trying to connect with the Polish garrison that controlled the Moscow Kremlin.

On October 22 (November 1), 1612, the militia led by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky stormed Kitay-gorod; The garrison of the Commonwealth retreated to the Kremlin. Prince Pozharsky entered Kitai-Gorod with the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and vowed to build a temple in memory of this victory. On October 26, the command of the Polish garrison signed a surrender, releasing the Moscow boyars and other nobles from the Kremlin at the same time; the next day the garrison surrendered.

S. M. Solovyov, "History of Russia since ancient times":

“As early as mid-September, Pozharsky sent a letter to the Kremlin: “Prince Dmitry Pozharsky beats the colonels and all the chivalry, Germans, Cherkasy and haiduks who are sitting in the Kremlin. We know that you, being in a city under siege, endure immeasurable hunger and great need, waiting from day to day for your death .... and you wouldn’t have to destroy your souls in that injustice, there’s nothing to endure such need and hunger for an injustice, send to us without delay, save your heads and your stomachs intact, and I’ll take it on my soul and I’ll ask all military people: which of If they want you in their land, we will let them go without any clue, and those who want to serve the Moscow sovereign, we will welcome them at their true worth. The answer was a proud and rude refusal, despite the fact that the famine was terrible: the fathers ate their children, one haiduk ate his son, another his mother, one comrade ate his servant; the captain, who was put to judge the guilty, ran away from the court, fearing that the accused would not eat the judge. Finally, on October 22, the Cossacks went on the attack and took Kitai-Gorod. The Poles held out in the Kremlin for another month; to get rid of extra mouths, they ordered the boyars and all Russian people to send their wives out of the Kremlin. The boyars strongly entered and sent to Pozharsky Minin and all military people with a request to come, accept their wives without shame. Pozharsky ordered them to be told to let their wives out without fear, and he himself went to receive them, received everyone honestly and took each one to his friend, ordering everyone to please them. The Cossacks got excited, and again the usual threats were heard among them: to kill Prince Dmitry, why didn’t he let the boyars rob? Driven to extremes by starvation, the Poles finally entered into negotiations with the militia, demanding only one thing, that their lives be saved, which was promised. First, the boyars were released - Fedor Ivanovich Mstislavsky, Ivan Mikhailovich Vorotynsky, Ivan Nikitich Romanov with his nephew Mikhail Fedorovich and the mother of the latter Martha Ivanovna and all other Russian people. When the Cossacks saw that the boyars had gathered on the Stone Bridge leading from the Kremlin through Neglinnaya, they wanted to rush at them, but were held back by Pozharsky's militia and forced to return to the camps, after which the boyars were received with great honor. The next day, the Poles also surrendered: Strus with his regiment went to the Cossacks of Trubetskoy, who robbed and beat many prisoners; Budzilo with his regiment was taken to the warriors of Pozharsky, who did not touch a single Pole. Strus was interrogated, Andronov was tortured, how much royal treasure was lost, how much was left? They also found ancient royal hats, which were given as a pawn to the Sapezhins who remained in the Kremlin. On November 27, Trubetskoy's militia converged on the Church of the Kazan Mother of God behind the Intercession Gates, Pozharsky's militia - on the Church of John the Merciful on the Arbat and, taking crosses and images, moved to Kitai-Gorod from two different directions, accompanied by all Moscow residents; the militias converged at the Execution Ground, where the Trinity Archimandrite Dionysius began to serve a prayer service, and from the Frolovsky (Spassky) Gates, from the Kremlin, another religious procession appeared: the Galasunsky (Arkhangelsk) Archbishop Arseny was walking with the Kremlin clergy and carried Vladimirskaya: a cry and sobs were heard in the people who had already lost the hope of ever seeing this image dear to Muscovites and all Russians. After the prayer service, the army and the people moved to the Kremlin, and here joy changed to sadness when they saw the state in which the embittered Gentiles left the churches: everywhere uncleanness, images were cut, eyes were twisted, thrones were stripped; terrible food is cooked in the vats - human corpses! Mass and a prayer service in the Assumption Cathedral ended a great national celebration similar to which our fathers saw exactly two centuries later.

The election of the king

Upon the capture of Moscow, by a letter of November 15, Pozharsky convened representatives from the cities, 10 people each, to select a king. Sigismund took it into his head to go to Moscow, but he did not have the strength to take Volok, and he went back. In January 1613, elected representatives from all classes, including peasants, gathered. The cathedral (that is, the all-class assembly) was one of the most populous and most complete: there were representatives of even black volosts, which had not happened before. Four candidates were nominated: V. I. Shuisky, Vorotynsky, Trubetskoy and Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. Contemporaries accused Pozharsky of agitating strongly in his favor, but this can hardly be allowed. In any case, the elections were very stormy. There is a legend that Filaret demanded restrictive conditions for the new tsar and pointed to M.F. Romanov as the most suitable candidate. Mikhail Fedorovich was indeed chosen, and undoubtedly, he was offered those restrictive conditions that Filaret wrote about: “Give full play to justice according to the old laws of the country; do not judge or condemn anyone by the highest authority; without a council, do not introduce any new laws, do not burden the subjects with new taxes, and do not make the slightest decisions in military and zemstvo affairs. The election took place on February 7, but the official announcement was postponed until the 21st, in order to find out in the meantime how the people would accept the new king. With the election of the king, the troubles ended, since now there was a power that everyone recognized and on which one could rely. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron

Consequences of the Time of Troubles

The Time of Troubles ended with great territorial losses for Russia. Smolensk was lost for many decades; western and a significant part of eastern Karelia captured by the Swedes. Not reconciled to national and religious oppression, almost the entire Orthodox population, both Russians and Karelians, will leave these territories. Russia lost access to the Gulf of Finland. The Swedes left Novgorod only in 1617, only a few hundred inhabitants remained in the completely devastated city.

The time of troubles led to a deep economic decline. In many districts of the historical center of the state, the size of arable land has decreased by 20 times, and the number of peasants by 4 times. In the western counties (Rzhevsky, Mozhaysky, etc.), cultivated land ranged from 0.05 to 4.8%. The lands in the possessions of the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery were “everything ruined to the ground and the peasant woman with their wives and children was cut down, and the worthy ones were brought to full capacity ... and five or six dozen peasant women after the Lithuanian devastation were shed, and they still do not know how to make bread from ruin and bread.” In a number of areas, and by the 20-40s of the 17th century, the population was still below the level of the 16th century. And in the middle of the 17th century, "living arable land" in the Zamoskovskiy Territory accounted for no more than half of all lands recorded in cadastral books.