The video lesson "Foreign Policy of Russia in the 17th century" discusses the goals, objectives, directions of Russian foreign policy. The focus is on the main events that left their mark on Russia's foreign policy in the 17th century. The inconsistency of Russia's foreign policy is emphasized: the first half of the century is the desire to keep what they had, the second half of the century is the desire to return lost lands in the west and south, as well as the designation of Russian borders in the east of the country.

Main Directions of Foreign Policy

Russian foreign policy throughout the 17th century. was aimed at solving four main tasks: 1. The return of all the original Russian lands that were part of the Commonwealth; 2. Ensuring access to the Baltic Sea, lost after the Stolbovsky peace treaty; 3. Ensuring reliable security of the southern borders and the fight against the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire for access to the Black Sea and 4. Further advance to Siberia and the Far East.

Smolensk War (1632-1634)

Rice. 1. Episode of the Smolensk war ()

After the death of the elderly Polish king Sigismund III Vaz in June 1632, on the initiative of Patriarch Filaret, the Zemsky Sobor was convened, which decided to start a new war with Poland for the return of the Smolensk and Chernigov lands (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Patriarch Filaret blesses his son ()

AT August 1632G. a Russian army was sent near Smolensk, consisting of three regiments - the Bolshoi (Mikhail Shein), the Advanced (Semyon Prozorovsky) and the Sentry (Bogdan Nagoy). In the autumn of 1632, they captured Roslavl, Serpeisk, Nevel, Starodub, Trubchevsky, and in early December began the siege of Smolensk, the defense of which was held by the Polish garrison under the command of Hetman A. Gonsevsky (Fig. 1).

Due to the lack of heavy guns, the siege of Smolensk obviously dragged on, and in the meantime, by agreement with Warsaw, the Crimean Tatars made a devastating raid on the lands of Ryazan, Belevsky, Kaluga, Serpukhov, Kashirsky and other southern counties, as a result of which M. Shein's army began mass desertion of nobles.

In the meantime, the dynastic crisis ended in Poland, and Sigismund's son Vladislav IV entrenched on the throne, who, at the head of a large army, hurried to the aid of the besieged Smolensk. In September 1633, the Polish army forced M. Shein to lift the siege of Smolensk, and then surrounded the remnants of his army east of the Dnieper. February 1634. M. Shein capitulated, leaving the enemy siege artillery and camp property.

Then Vladislav moved to Moscow, but, having learned that the Russian army, led by princes D. Pozharsky and D. Cherkassky, was holding the defense of the capital, he sat down at the negotiating table, which ended in June 1634. signing of the Polyanovsky peace treaty. Under the terms of this agreement: 1. Vladislav renounced claims to the Russian throne and recognized Mikhail Romanov as the legitimate tsar; 2. Poland returned all Smolensk and Chernigov cities; 3. Moscow paid Warsaw a huge military contribution of 20,000 rubles. The tsar took the defeat in this war very painfully and, according to the boyar verdict, the governors M.B. Shein and A.V. Izmailov was beheaded on Red Square in Moscow.

Accession of Eastern Siberia and the Far East

AT first halfXVIIin. Russian Cossacks and “hunting” people continued the development of Eastern Siberia and founded here the Yenisei (1618), Krasnoyarsk (1628), Bratsk (1630), Kirensky (1631), Yakutsky (1632), Verkholensky (1642) and other prisons, which became their strongholds points in these harsh but fertile lands.

AT middleXVIIin. the Russian government began to pursue a more active policy on the eastern borders of the state, and for this purpose a new Siberian Order was separated from the Kazan Order, which for many years was headed by Prince Alexei Nikitich Trubetskoy (1646-1662) and roundabout Rodion Matveyevich Streshnev (1662-1680). It was they who initiated many military expeditions, among which a special place was occupied by the expeditions of Vasily Danilovich Poyarkov (1643-1646), Semyon Ivanovich Dezhnev (1648) (Fig. 3) and Erofey Pavlovich Khabarov (1649-1653), during which the eastern the Pacific coast and the southern regions of the Far East, where the Okhotsk (1646) and Albazinsky (1651) prisons were founded.

Rice. 3. Expedition of S. Dezhnev ()

To endXVIIin. the number of military garrisons of the Siberian prisons and fortresses already exceeded 60 thousand servicemen and Cossacks. This seriously alarmed neighboring China, which in 1687 attacked the Albazinsky prison and ravaged it. Military operations with the Manchus continued for two years, until in 1689 the Nerchinsk peace treaty was signed, according to which Russia lost land along the Amur.

National Liberation War of Little Russia against Poland (1648-1653)

New Russian-Polish war (1654-1667) was a direct consequence of a sharp aggravation of the situation in the Little Russian provinces of the Commonwealth, where the Russian Orthodox population was subjected to cruel national, religious and social oppression. A new stage in the struggle of the Little Russian people against the oppression of Pan Poland is associated with the name of Bogdan Mikhailovich Zinoviev-Khmelnitsky, who in 1648 was elected Kosh Hetman of the Zaporizhzhya army and called on the Zaporozhye Cossacks and Ukrainian villagers to start a national liberation war against Pan Poland.

Conventionally, this war can be divided into two main stages:

1. 1648-1649- the first stage of the war, which was marked by the defeat of the Polish armies of hetmans N. Pototsky and M. Kalinovsky in 1648 battles near Zhovti Vody, near Korsun and Pylyavtsy and the solemn entry of B. Khmelnitsky into Kyiv.

AT August 1649 after the grandiose defeat of the army near Zboriv by the Polish crown, the new Polish king Jan II Casimir signed the Zboriv peace treaty, which contained the following points: 1. B. Khmelnitsky was recognized as the hetman of Ukraine; 2. Kiev, Bratslav and Chernihiv provinces were transferred to his administration; 3. On the territory of these voivodeships quartering of Polish troops was prohibited; 4. The number of registered Cossacks increased from 20 to 40 thousand sabers;

2. 1651-1653- the second stage of the war, which began in June 1651 with the battle of Berestechko, where, due to the betrayal of the Crimean Khan Ismail-Girey, B. Khmelnitsky suffered a major defeat from the army of Jan Casimir. The consequence of this defeat was the signing in September 1651. Bila Tserkva peace treaty, under the terms of which: 1. B. Khmelnitsky was deprived of the right to external relations; 2. Only the Kiev Voivodeship remained in his administration; 3. The number of registered Cossacks was again reduced to 20 thousand sabers.

AT May 1652G. in the battle near Batog, B. Khmelnitsky (Fig. 4) inflicted a major defeat on the army of Hetman M. Kalinovsky. And in October 1653. Cossacks defeated the Polish crown army near Zhvanets. As a result, Jan Casimir was forced to sign the Zhvanets peace treaty, which exactly reproduced the conditions of the Zboriv peace.

Rice. 4. Bogdan Khmelnitsky. Painting by Orlenov A.O.

Meanwhile October 1, 1653 Zemsky Sobor was held in Moscow, at which it was decided to reunite Little Russia with Russia and start a war with Poland. To formalize this decision, the Great Embassy was sent to Little Russia, headed by the boyar V. Buturlin, and on January 8, 1654, the Great Rada was held in Pereyaslavl, at which all the articles of the treaty were approved, which determined the conditions for the entry of Little Russia into Russia on the rights of autonomy.

5. Russian-Polish war (1654-1667)

In historical science, this war is traditionally divided into three military campaigns:

1. Military campaign 1654-1656 It began in May 1654 with the entry of three Russian armies into the Commonwealth: the first army (Aleksey Mikhailovich) moved to Smolensk, the second army (A. Trubetskoy) to Bryansk, and the third army (V. Sheremetiev) to Putivl. In June - September 1654, Russian armies and Zaporizhian Cossacks, having defeated the armies of hetmans S. Pototsky and J. Radziwill, occupied Dorogobuzh, Roslavl, Smolensk, Vitebsk, Polotsk, Gomel, Orsha and other Russian and Belarusian cities. In 1655, the first Russian army captured Minsk, Grodno, Vilna, Kovno and went to the Brest region, and the second Russian army, coupled with the Cossacks, defeated the Poles near Lvov.

It was decided to take advantage of the military failures of the Polish crown in Stockholm, which forced Moscow and Warsaw in October 1656. sign the Vilna truce and start joint military operations against Sweden.

2. Military campaign 1657-1662 After the death of B. Khmelnytsky, Ivan Vyhovsky became the new hetman of Ukraine, who betrayed Moscow in 1658. signed the Gadyachsky peace treaty with Warsaw, recognizing himself as a vassal of the Polish crown. At the beginning of 1659, the united Crimean-Ukrainian army under the command of I. Vyhovsky and Mohammed-Girey inflicted a heavy defeat on the Russian troops near Konotop. In 1660-1662. n army suffered a series of major setbacks near Gubarevo, Chudnov, Kushliki and Vilna and left the territory of Lithuania and Belarus.

3. Military campaign 1663-1667

The turning point in the course of the war came in 1664-1665, when Jan Casimir suffered a series of major defeats from the Russian-Zaporozhian army (V. Buturlin, I. Bryukhovetsky) near Glukhov, Korsun and Belaya Tserkov. These events, as well as the revolt of the Polish gentry, forced Jan Casimir to sit down at the negotiating table. In January 1667 near Smolensk, the Andrussov truce was signed, under the terms of which the Polish king: a) returned Smolensk and Chernigov lands to Moscow; b) recognized the Left-bank Ukraine and Kyiv for Moscow; in) agreed to the joint management of the Zaporozhian Sich. In 1686, these conditions will be confirmed at the conclusion of the "Eternal Peace" with Poland, which will turn from a centuries-old enemy into a long-term ally of Russia.

Russo-Swedish War (1656-1658/1661)

Taking advantage of the Russian-Polish war, in the summer of 1655, Sweden began hostilities against its southern neighbor and soon captured Poznan, Krakow, Warsaw and other cities. This situation radically changed the course of further events. Not wanting to strengthen the position of Stockholm in this region, at the initiative of the head of the Ambassadorial Order A. Ordin-Nashchokin and Patriarch Nikon in May 1656, Moscow declared war on the Swedish crown, and the Russian army hastily moved to the Baltic states.

The beginning of the war turned out to be successful for the Russian army. Having captured Derpt, Noteburg, Marienburg and other fortresses in Estonia, Russian troops approached Riga and laid siege to it. However, having received the news that Charles X was preparing a campaign in Livonia, the siege of Riga had to be lifted and retreated to Polotsk.

military campaign 1657-1658 went with varying success: on the one hand, the Russian troops were forced to lift the siege of Narva, and on the other, the Swedes lost Yamburg. Therefore, in 1658. the belligerents signed the Valiesar truce, and then in 1661 the Treaty of Cardis, according to which Russia lost all its conquests in the Baltic states, and hence access to the Baltic Sea.

Russian-Ottoman and Russian-Crimean relations

AT 1672 the Crimean Turkish army invaded Podolia, and hetman P. Doroshenko, having entered into a military alliance with the Turkish sultan Mohammed IV, declared war on Poland, which ended with the signing of the Buchach peace treaty, according to which the entire territory of Right-Bank Ukraine was transferred to Istanbul.

Rice. 5. Black Sea Cossack ()

AT 1676 The Russian-Zaporozhian army led by Prince G. Romodanovsky made a successful campaign against Chigirin, as a result of which P. Doroshenko was deprived of the hetman's mace and Colonel Ivan Samoylovich became the new hetman of Ukraine. As a result of these events, the Russian-Turkish war (1677-1681) began. In August 1677, the enemy began the siege of Chigirin, the defense of which was headed by Prince I. Rzhevsky. In September 1677, the Russian army under the command of G. Romodanovsky and I. Samoilovich defeated the Crimean-Turkish army near Buzhin and put them to flight.

The following year, the Crimean-Ottoman army again invaded Ukraine. AT August 1678G. the enemy took possession of Chigirin, but he did not succeed in crossing the Dnieper. After several local skirmishes, the belligerents sat down at the negotiating table, and in January 1681G. The Treaty of Bakhchisaray was signed, under the terms of which: a) Istanbul and Bakhchisaray recognized Kyiv and Left-Bank Ukraine for Moscow; b) Right-bank Ukraine remained under the rule of the Sultan; in) The Black Sea lands were declared neutral and were not subject to settlement by subjects of Russia and Crimea.

AT 1686 after the signing of the "Eternal Peace" with Poland, Russia joined the anti-Ottoman "Holy League", and in May 1687. Russian-Ukrainian army under the command of Prince V.V. Golitsyn and Hetman I. Samoilovich took part in the First Crimean campaign, which ended in vain due to his ugly preparation.

In February 1689 the Russian-Ukrainian army under the command of Prince V. Golitsyn began the Second Crimean campaign. This time the campaign was much better prepared, and the army managed to reach Perekop. However, V. Golitsyn could not break through the enemy’s defenses and, “sipping unsalted”, turned back.

The logical continuation of the Crimean campaigns was the Azov campaigns of Peter I in 1695-1696. May 1695. the Russian army under the command of F.A. Golovina, P.K. Gordon and F.Ya. Lefort went on a campaign to Azov, which closed the exit to the Azov and Black Seas. June 1695. Russian regiments began the siege of Azov, which had to be lifted three months later, since the Russian army was never able to completely block it. Thus, the First Azov campaign ended in vain.

AT May 1696G. the Russian army under the command of Tsar Peter, A.S. Shein and F.Ya. Lefort began the Second Azov campaign. This time, the fortress was surrounded not only from land, but also from the sea, where several dozen galleys and hundreds of Cossack plows reliably blocked it, and in July 1696 Azov was taken.

AT July 1700 clerk E.I.Ukraintsev signed the Constantinople (Istanbul) peace treaty with the Turks, according to which Azov was recognized by Russia.

References on the topic "Foreign policy of Russia in the XVII century":

1. Volkov V.A. Wars and troops of the Muscovite state: the end of the 15th - the first half of the 17th century. - M., 1999.
2. Grekov I.B. The reunification of Ukraine with Russia in 1654 - M., 1954.
3. Rogozhin N.M. Posolsky Prikaz: the cradle of Russian diplomacy. - M., 2003.
4. Nikitin N.I. Siberian epic of the 17th century. - M., 1957.
5. Chernov V.A. Armed forces of the Russian state of the XV-XVII centuries. - M., 1954.

1. Federacia.ru ().
2. Rusizn.ru ().
3. Admin.smolensk.ru ().
4. Vokrugsveta.ru ().
5. abc-people.com().

The most important task of foreign policy in the board. Alexei Mikhailovich was the return of the Smolensk, Chernigov and Seversk lands lost during the Time of Troubles and intervention. The solution of this problem became more complicated in connection with the struggle of the Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples for reunification with Russia.

According to the Union of Lublin (1569), which united Poland and Lithuania into a single state, Belarus and most of Ukraine were annexed to the Polish Crown. The Polish gentry rushed to these vast and fertile lands, which received land holdings and profitable positions here. Serfdom in Poland took shape as early as 1557 and then spread to Ukrainian and Belarusian lands. The Catholic clergy set as their goal the accession of the Orthodox population to the Catholic Church. The means for this was the union concluded in 1596 in Brest between the Orthodox and Catholic churches, under which the Western Russian church retained its rites and customs, but recognized Catholic dogma and the authority of the Pope. Part of the clergy and a huge number of laity refused to accept the union. As a result, a double church hierarchy developed here: along with the Uniate, an Orthodox metropolis was created. Direct persecution of Orthodoxy began. Western Russian lands became the arena of the struggle of the population against the oppression of the Polish gentry.

Zaporizhzhya Sich, inhabited by the Dnieper Cossacks, became the main focus of the struggle. Just as from Muscovite Russia the “free” road led to the Don, so from Russia, subject to Poland, such a road led to the steppes of the Lower Dnieper. Many brave and freedom-loving Cossacks flocked here, building fortifications on the islands of the Lower Dnieper. The local free Cossacks have long had their own harsh, but democratic military organization with the election of chieftains, the resolution of issues of war and peace by the entire Cossack "circle" and defended the southern borders from the Crimean Khanate. From the end of the 16th century began an almost continuous series of Cossack uprisings against Poland. The Polish government tried to organize the Ukrainian Cossacks and recruit them into their service. In the Kyiv region, an army of "registered" (listed) Cossacks was formed, who, however, went over to the side of the rebellious Cossacks and turned their weapons against the Poles.

A series of Cossack riots, brutally suppressed by the Polish government, ended in 1648 with a successful uprising led by the famous head of the Zaporozhian army, hetman Bohdan Khmelnitsky. According to the Treaty of Zboriv (1649) with the Poles, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth recognized Khmelnitsky as the hetman of Ukraine, three voivodships - Kiev, Chernihiv and Bratslav - were transferred under his autonomous rule, where the deployment of Polish troops was prohibited. The number of registered troops of the hetman amounted to 40 thousand people. However, the terms of the Zborow peace proved unfeasible for both sides, and in 1651 the war resumed. According to the new Belotserkovsky treaty, which was unfavorable for the Western Russian population, the number of registered Cossacks was reduced to 20 thousand, and the hetman was to be under the authority of the crown hetman and did not have the right to external relations. Only the Kiev Voivodeship remained under his rule.

B. Khmelnitsky appealed to the Muscovite tsar with a request to accept the Zaporizhian army and all of Ukraine under the protection of the Russian tsar. The Zemsky Sobor, convened in 1653 in Moscow, decided to provide assistance to the hetman. Poland was declared war. Moscow troops took Smolensk, occupied all of Belarus and Lithuania, including Vilna. At the Pereyaslav Rada (council) in 1654, Ukraine decided to become part of the Russian state, which recognized the election of the hetman, the local court and other authorities that arose during the war. Russia confirmed the class rights of the Ukrainian nobility. Ukraine received the right to establish diplomatic relations with all countries except Poland and Turkey, and to have registered troops of up to 60 thousand people. Taxes were supposed to go to the royal treasury. Thanks to the reunification of Ukraine with Russia, it was possible to return the Smolensk and Chernihiv lands lost during the Time of Troubles.

The Commonwealth did not recognize the decisions of the Pereyaslav Rada and waged war with Russia (1654-1667). Exhausting and protracted, it ended in 1667 with the conclusion of the Andrusovo truce for 13.5 years. Russia abandoned Belarus, but left behind Smolensk and the Left-Bank Ukraine with Kyiv.

The largest foreign policy event was the war with Turkey (1677-1681), which declared its claims to the Left-bank Ukraine. It ended with the Treaty of Bakhchisaray, which established that the Dnieper served as the border between Russia and Turkey, and the belonging of Kyiv to Russia was confirmed.

At this time, Austria and Poland, realizing the strengthening of the Ottoman Empire, created the Holy League under the patronage of the Pope, in which all Christian countries, including Russia, were to participate. Being an outstanding diplomat and statesman, V.V. Golitsyn used joining the League for the speedy signing of the "Eternal Peace" with Poland (1686) on the terms of the Andrusovo truce and significant territorial concessions on her part. Under his command, the Russian army undertook two unsuccessful campaigns against the Crimean Khanate (1687, 1689), which was a vassal of Turkey. The campaigns did not bring territorial gains to Russia, and their result showed that the country was not yet ready to defeat a strong enemy. Nevertheless, the main task of the Holy League was completed: the Russian troops diverted the forces of the Crimean Khan, who did not take the side of the Turks in battles with the Austrians and Venetians.

17th century was very difficult for Russia in terms of foreign policy. Almost all of it went through long wars.

The main directions of Russia's foreign policy in the 17th century: 1) ensuring access to the Baltic and Black Seas; 2) participation in the liberation movement of the Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples; 3) achieving the security of the southern borders from the raids of the Crimean Khan.

Russia was significantly weakened at the beginning of the century by the Polish-Swedish intervention and the socio-political crisis within the country, so it did not have the opportunity to simultaneously solve all three problems. The primary goal of Moscow in the XVII century. was the return of the lands that were torn away from Russia by the Polish-Swedish troops. Especially important for Russia was the return of Smolensk, which ensured the security of the country's western borders. A favorable environment for the struggle against the Commonwealth for the return of Smolensk developed in the 30s. At this time, the Commonwealth was at war with the Ottoman Empire and the Crimea, and the main European powers were embroiled in the Thirty Years' War.

In 1632, after the death of Sigismund III, kinglessness began in the Commonwealth. Russia took advantage of the situation and started a war with Poland for the liberation of Smolensk. But at this stage, Smolensk could not be returned. The Russian campaign was extremely slow, as the government feared an attack by the Crimean Khan on the southern counties. The siege of the city dragged on, which allowed the Poles to prepare a rebuff. The attack of the Crimean Tatars on the Ryazan and Belevsky districts in 1633 demoralized the government troops, which consisted mostly of poorly trained serfs and peasants mobilized into the army.

Under the rule of the Polish state were Ukrainian and Belarusian lands. The Cossacks who inhabited these lands were the main force of the anti-Polish uprisings. Dissatisfied with the rule of the Poles, the Cossacks organized their center - the Zaporizhzhya Sich.

In 1648–1654 there was a liberation movement of the Ukrainian people under the leadership of B. Khmelnitsky. This movement has been developed in Belarus as well. B. Khmelnitsky pinned great hopes on Russia's help. But only in 1653 The Zemsky Sobor in Moscow decided to include Ukrainian lands in Russia and declare war on Poland.

In 1654 The Ukrainian Rada took an oath of allegiance to the Russian Tsar. The Commonwealth did not accept this. From 1654 to 1657 passed a new stage of the Russian-Polish war. According to the new peace treaty, Left-bank Ukraine, together with Kyiv, went to Russia. Right-bank Ukraine and Belarus were under the rule of Poland.

Russia also received Smolensk, Chernigov, Seversky land. AT 1686 an eternal peace was concluded between Russia and Poland, which consolidated the gains of Russia.

The end of the war with Poland allowed Russia to repulse the aggressive policy of the Ottoman Empire and its vassal, the Crimean Khanate.

Russo-Turkish War (1677–1681):

1) August 3, 1677 Ottoman-Crimean troops began the siege of the Chigirin fortress, located in Right-Bank Ukraine;

2) in the battle near Buzhin, Russian-Ukrainian troops utterly defeated the Crimean-Ottoman army, the siege of the fortress was lifted;

3) in July 1678 The Ottomans laid siege to Chigirin again. Russian troops desperately resisted. After the siege and capture of the fortress, ruins remained. Russian and Ukrainian troops withdrew to the Dnieper;

4) the campaign of 1677-1678. greatly weakened the Ottomans. On January 13, 1681, the Treaty of Bakhchisaray was concluded, who established a 20-year truce.

The key tasks for Russia's foreign policy in the 17th century are the return of lands in the west and northwest that were lost during the Time of Troubles, and the achievement of stable security in the south, since the Crimean khans rampaged in these territories.

Territorial issue

Since 1632, kinglessness has set in in Poland, and the general international situation favors the struggle of Russia with the Commonwealth for the return of Smolensk. The city was captured by the Russian army, its siege lasted eight months and ended unfavorably.

The new king of Poland, Vladislav IV, entered into a confrontation with the Russian army. In 1634, the Polyanovsky Peace Treaty, which determined the further development of events, was concluded, the terms of which were the return of all the cities captured by Russia and Smolensk itself.

In turn, the King of Poland ceased to claim the throne of Moscow. The Smolensk war turned out to be a complete failure for Russia.

Military actions of Russia

But in 1654, new and more significant clashes began between the Commonwealth and Russia - soon Smolensk was taken, and then 33 cities located on the territory of Eastern Belarus. The initial success for Russia also turned out to be the invasion of the Swedes into the lands of Poland.

But in 1656, a truce is concluded between the countries waging war, and a little later, Russia starts a war with Sweden. Military operations take place on the territory of the Baltic States, the Russian army reaches Riga and besieges the city. But the siege was extremely unsuccessful, and soon the course of the war changes - Poland resumes hostilities.

A truce is concluded with Sweden, and already in 1661 the Peace of Cardis was concluded, in which it was indicated that the entire Baltic coast was ceded to Sweden. And the finally protracted war with Poland ends in 1667 with the signing of the Andrusovo truce for 13.5 years.

The armistice stated that Smolensk and the entire territory from the Dnieper to the east departs to Russia. An important event for foreign policy was the conclusion of the "Eternal Peace" in 1686, which secured the territory of Kyiv for Russia forever.

The long-awaited end of the war with Poland allowed Russia to pay attention to the hostile intentions of the Crimean Khan and the Ottoman Empire. In 1677, the Russian-Ottoman-Crimean war begins, an important date for which is July 1678, when the Ottomans tried to take the Chigirin fortress.

The war ended with the signing of the Truce of Bakhchisarai in January 1681, which recognized Russia's right to Kyiv for the next 20 years, and declared the territory between the Dnieper and the Bug neutral.

Fighting access to the Black Sea

Subsequently, signed with the Commonwealth "Eternal Peace", Russia pledged to oppose the Ottoman Empire in alliance with Poland, Venice and Austria. This was extremely beneficial for Russia, the strengthening of its positions in the Crimea and Turkey provided an important access to the Black Sea for the economic power of the country.

To achieve this goal, two Crimean campaigns were carried out, and both turned out to be extremely unsuccessful for the Russian army. By the end of the 17th century, Russia's foreign policy tasks remained the same, access to the sea and the struggle for it were the most important areas for strengthening the country's external positions.

After the Time of Troubles, Russia had to abandon its active foreign policy for a long time. However, as the economy was restored and the situation inside the country stabilized, the tsarist government began to solve urgent foreign policy tasks. The first of these was the return of Smolensk - the most important fortress on the western border, captured during the Time of Troubles by the Commonwealth. In 1632 - 1634 Russia is leading with it the so-called. Smolensk war. The Russian army, however, turned out to be weak and poorly organized. The siege of Smolensk did not produce results. The Polyanovsky Peace of 1634 left Smolensk and all the western territories of Russia captured during the Time of Troubles for the Poles.

At the end of the 1640s. a third force intervened in the confrontation between Russia and the Commonwealth: a powerful uprising broke out in Ukraine and Belarus. It was caused by the difficult situation in which the local population was. If the Ukrainian and Belarusian feudal lords in the XVI - XVII centuries. For the most part, they accepted the Catholic faith and became Polonized, then the peasants and townspeople continued to remain faithful to Orthodoxy, their native language, and national customs. In addition to social inequality, they also had to suffer from religious and national oppression, which was extremely strong in the Commonwealth. Many tried to flee to the eastern outskirts of the state, to the Dnieper Cossacks. These Cossacks, who retained self-government, carried out border service, guarding the Commonwealth from the raids of the Crimean Tatars. However, the Polish government strictly controlled the number of Cossacks, entering them into special lists - registers. It considered all those not included in the register as fugitives, trying to return them to their owners. Conflicts constantly broke out between the government and the Cossacks. In 1648 they developed into an uprising led by Bogdan Khmelnitsky.

The uprising began with the victories of the Cossacks over the troops of the Commonwealth in 1648 near Zhovti Vody and Korsun. After that, the Cossack uprising, supported by the masses, grew into a war of liberation. In 1649, Khmelnytsky's army defeated the Poles near Zborov. After that, the Zborovsky Treaty was concluded, which significantly expanded the lists of registered Cossacks (from 8 thousand to 40 thousand). The agreement was of a compromise nature and could not reconcile the warring parties. In the same year, the liberation war also engulfed Belarus in addition to Ukraine. In 1651, in the battle near Verestechko, the Ukrainian army was defeated due to the betrayal of the Crimean Khan, an ally of Khmelnitsky. The new Treaty of Belotserkovsky, which limited the number of registered Cossacks to 20,000, satisfied the rebels even less. Khmelnytsky, who was well aware of the impossibility of coping with the Poles on his own, repeatedly turned to Russia for support. However, the tsarist government considered the country not ready for war and hesitated to take decisive action. Only after first in 1653 the Zemsky Sobor in Moscow, and then in 1654 the Ukrainian Rada (people's assembly) in Pereyaslavl spoke in favor of the reunification of Ukraine and Russia, another Russian-Polish war began.

The first actions of the Russian troops were successful: in 1654 they returned Smolensk and captured a significant part of Belarus. However, without finishing this war, in 1656 Russia started a new one with Sweden, trying to break through to the Baltic Sea. A protracted battle on two fronts went on with varying success. In the end, Russia achieved far less than what it hoped for. According to the Treaty of Cardis with Sweden (1661), Russia returned all the Baltic territories that it had captured during the war. It was not possible to achieve complete success in the war with the Commonwealth: according to the Andrusovo truce, Russia returned Smolensk, but received the Left-Bank Ukraine - all the lands east of the Dnieper - and Kyiv on the western Dnieper bank. Right-bank Ukraine remained in the power of the Commonwealth.

After these wars, relations between Russia and the Ottoman Empire sharply aggravated, which by this time had mastered the Northern Black Sea region and was trying to extend its power to the whole of Ukraine. In 1677, the united Ottoman-Crimean army laid siege to Chigirin, a Russian fortress in Ukraine. In 1678, it was captured, but the siege of Chigirin weakened the Ottomans and they no longer had the strength for other military operations. In 1681, an agreement was signed in Bakhchisaray, according to which the Ottomans recognized Russia's right to its Ukrainian territories. In 1686, Russia concluded an "eternal peace" with the Commonwealth - recent enemies became allies in the fight against the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.