Robbers have always existed in Russia. Among them were those who were known among the people as bloodthirsty villains, others became famous as noble fighters for freedom. Some have become heroes of legends, and now it is already difficult to find out where the truth is in their biography and where is fiction.
Ermak
Before joining the Siberian Khanate to the Russian state and glorifying his name in songs and folk tales, Yermak hunted for robbery on the Volga, plundering merchant caravans and Tatar khans. The exact date and place of birth of the Cossack chieftain has not been established - presumably, he was born in 1540. According to one version, Yermak's grandfather, a Suzdal townsman, went in search of a better life to the Ural merchants Stroganovs and settled on the Chusovaya River. There his grandson Vasily was born, later nicknamed Yermak. Having headed the Cossack squad, Yermak led a free life for 20 years in the region of the Dniester and the Volga, and then, according to some reports, took part in the Livonian War, restrained the onslaught of the Crimean Khan Davlet-Girey on Moscow. In 1577, the merchants Stroganovs offered Yermak to return with his Cossack squad to Siberia to protect their patrimony from the raids of Khan Kuchum, who changed his friendly policy, refused to pay tribute and tried to oust the Stroganovs from Siberia. Having successfully defended the Stroganov possessions from Kuchum, Yermak went beyond the Urals, conquering small settlements of local peoples, imposing tribute on them in exchange for protection from the raids of Khan Kuchum. By 1583, Yermak annexed the entire territory of the Lower Ob region to the Russian state, for which Ivan the Terrible granted the ataman the title of Prince of Siberia. According to some reports, Yermak was distinguished by a stern disposition, brutally dealt with the conquered peoples and established the strictest discipline in his squad. He is credited with iron willpower, courage and exceptional leadership talent.
Yermak died on the night of August 6, 1585 during a sudden attack by Kuchum. The wounded ataman drowned trying to cross the Irtysh in heavy chain mail, which he got as a gift from Ivan the Terrible. According to legend, the body of Yermak was found by the Tatars, who shot arrows at him for six weeks. His armor, which was attributed to mystical properties due to the unprecedented military successes of Yermak, went to the noble murza Kaydaul. Now Yermak's chain mail is stored in the Armory in Moscow.
KUDEYAR
In Russian folklore, there are legends about ataman Kudeyar, the leader of a band of robbers who hunted during the time of Ivan the Terrible. Nekrasov presents him as a people's avenger, legends as a model of prowess, Saratov, Rostov, Lipetsk, Belgorod and Tambov regions are fighting for the right to consider Kudeyar their hero. According to one version, Kudeyar was the brother of Ivan the Terrible, born to the exiled wife of Vasily III, who intended to marry Elena Glinskaya, the mother of Ivan the Terrible. According to this version, Kudeyar is Prince Georgy Vasilyevich. According to another legend, Kudeyar was called Prince Gabor-George, son of Zsigmond Bathory, prince of Transylvania, nephew of the Polish king. Kudeyar, having quarreled with his father, fled to the Dnieper, joined the Cossacks and later became the royal guardsman. Finally, the third version considers Kudeyar Tishenkov, the son of a boyar from Belev, who committed treason, to be a robber: he showed the troops of the Crimean Khan Davlet-Giray the approaches to Moscow. Many researchers believe that "Kudeyar" could be used as a common noun to refer to several particularly dashing robbers.
There are numerous legends about the stolen treasures of Kudeyar. According to them, more than a hundred robbery treasures have been preserved in southern Russia, especially a lot of them in the Voronezh region. The Kudeyarovsky treasures are distinguished by special signs: lights flash above the stones under which the treasures are hidden, and twice a week, at midnight, you can hear the cry of a child.
VANKA-KAIN
Russian thief number one Ivan Osipov, nicknamed Vanka-Cain, was born in 1718 in the Yaroslavl province and at the age of 13 was brought to Moscow to serve the merchant Filatiev. Four years later, tired of starvation and beatings, Ivan fled from Filatyev, having previously robbed the merchant, for which he nicknamed him Cain. After several years spent with a gang of robbers on the Volga, Vanka-Kain returned to the capital and began to win the glory of the Russian Kartush. Starting with a pickpocket, he continued his “career” by raiding rich houses, fairs and entire factories. Later, Ivan became an informer to the police, for which all charges were dropped from him. According to his instructions, 32 people were arrested in just one day, and in total 300-500 thieves went to prison. Basically, he caught petty thieves, sheltering big businessmen and extorting money from them. Having given bribes to officials, Vanka-Cain opened a gambling house, which brought huge profits. He kept under his control the entire Moscow police and the entire thieves' world: under his leadership, the number of thieves, robbers and other criminals in Moscow increased several times, which led to robberies and fires throughout the Mother See. In this regard, General Tatishchev was sent to Moscow, who headed the commission of inquiry into the Vanka-Cain case. From 1749 to 1755, an investigation was conducted, as a result of which Vanka-Kain was sentenced to death, but then the sentence was mitigated, replacing the execution with hard labor in Siberia, where he died, leaving a memory of himself not only as a malicious thief, but also a daring one, a dashing, reckless person.
KARMELUK
Nicknamed the Ukrainian Robin Hood, Ustim Yakimovich Karmelyuk was born into a peasant family in the Vinnitsa region and at the age of 17 he was given a 25-year service in the tsarist army. After an unsuccessful attempt to desert, Karmelyuk was sent to a penal battalion, from where he successfully escaped. A year later, he led a peasant uprising against the Russian nobility, for which he was sentenced to death, which was replaced by 25 lashes and 10 years of hard labor in Siberia, to which Karmelyuk did not reach, having escaped from the Vyatka transit camp. He rejoined the rebellion and was again captured. This time Karmelyuk went to Siberia: he spent two years on his way to Tobolsk. In 1825, the Ukrainian Robin Hood made his most famous escape: at night, during a strong storm, he gathered the shirts of all the convicts, tied them into a long rope and, tying a heavy stone to one end, threw it over the prison fence. On such a suspension bridge, Karmelyuk and his cellmates escaped from prison. A few more times the robber was arrested, but in the end he managed to escape. From 1830 to 1835, Karmelyuk led an uprising, which was joined by more than 20 thousand people, mostly Ukrainians, Poles and Jews. Karmelyuk and his associates plundered the rich landowners' houses, distributing money to the poor. According to the remaining testimonies, the head of the uprising was distinguished by great physical strength, a sharp mind, and was fluent in Polish and Russian without any accent. In 1835, the Ukrainian Robin Hood was killed; to intimidate the rebels, his body was taken to many villages.
VASILY CHURKIN
The famous robber, Guslitsky Robin Hood Vasily Churkin was born in the village of Barskoy near Orekhovo-Zuyevo. This area was known in Russia as Guslitsy - Old Believers hiding from persecution settled there. In the Guslitsky regions, they managed to preserve their original culture and ancient Slavic writing, but at the same time, horse theft, forgery of icons and theft flourished there. In addition, Guslitsy was one of the centers of counterfeiting in Russia, and the Guslyaks had a reputation for people without conscience and honor. Vasily Churkin became the most famous criminal in this area. There is not much reliable information about his personality. Folklore has preserved legends that Churkin's gang operated over a large territory - from Moscow to Vladimir: they robbed rich merchants and raided factories. Pretty soon, Churkin was caught, but was able to make an escape that became a legend in the Russian underworld. The staff of the prison where the robber was kept was in a state of drunkenness when his wife and girlfriend came to visit Churkin. They brought him women's clothes in which he was able to escape. It was extremely difficult for the police to catch him again: the whole area was covered with a “just criminal”, who always shared the loot with the poor. Until now, there are legends in Guslitsy about the existence of caches and treasures hidden by Churkin's gang. Despite the fact that Vasily Churkin, according to many historians, is just an ordinary robber, a former factory worker, in folk legends he appears as a noble fighter for justice who helped the poor. According to legend, the dying Churkin admitted that he decided to kill only once - he took the life of the village headman Peter Kirov.
One of the legendary characters is Kudeyar - ataman, whose name is given to numerous villages, caves and burial mounds in Russia. There are many stories and legends about him, but it is still not known for certain whether they are true.
Information about its origin appears in many sources of the 16th century and diverge. The most common version is that the ataman was the son of Vasily III and his wife, Solomiya. She gave birth to him in a monastery, to which she was exiled for being barren, after which Kudeyar was taken to the forests, where he was secretly brought up. In addition, according to this information, it follows that the ataman was the brother of Ivan the Terrible and could well claim the royal throne.
Illustration Ataman Kudeyar.Other sources indicate that Kudeyar was the son of the prince of Transylvania - Zsigmond Bathory. After a quarrel with his father, he ran away and joined the Cossacks, and also served as guardsman for the king. After the royal disfavor, he began to trade in robbery.
According to legend, Kudeyar put together his own army of robbers and robbed the carts of the rich.
Due to numerous raids and robberies, the inhabitants of many Russian provinces associated him with a symbol of terrifying power. Legends say that he left behind untold riches that no one has been able to find so far.
Stenka Razin: violent robber or hero?
The main rebel of the 17th century was Stepan Timofeevich Razin, nicknamed Stenka. He was not just a daring Don Cossack and ataman, but also a good organizer, leader and military man.
In connection with the tightened serf rights, peasants who fled from the inner provinces of Russia began to flock to the Cossack regions. They did not have roots and property, so they were called "smut". Stephen was one of them. Supplying the "golytba" with the necessary provisions, local Cossacks helped them in thieves' campaigns. Those, in turn, shared the booty. For the people, Razin was a "noble robber" and a hero who hated serfdom and the king.
Stepan Timofeevich Razin. Under his leadership, in 1670 a campaign against the Volga was organized, accompanied by many peasant uprisings. The Cossack order was introduced in every captured city, merchants were robbed, and government officials were killed. In the autumn of the same year, the chieftain was badly wounded and taken to the Don. Strengthened, Stepan again wanted to gather supporters, but the local Cossacks did not agree with this. In the spring of 1671, they stormed the Kagalitsky town, where Razin was hiding. After that, he was captured (together with his brother Frol) and handed over to the royal governors. After the verdict, Stepan was quartered.
Vanka-Cain
Vanka-Cain - the famous robber and thief of the 18th century. Ivan Osipov was born in the village of Ivanovo, Yaroslavl province, in a peasant family. At the age of 13, he was transported to the master's court, to Moscow, and at 16, having met a thief nicknamed "Kamchatka", he decided to join his gang, robbing his master along the way and scribbling the lord's gates. With the words “work the devil, not me,” Osipov clearly described his position in life.
It was soon returned to its former owner. While Vanka was in the shackled deck, he found out that the owner had a "sin". When guests came to the master, he told everyone that, due to the owner’s omission, a garrison soldier died, whose body was thrown into the well. For this denunciation, Vanka-Cain received freedom, and returning to his gang became their leader.
The execution of Vanka-Cain. In 1741, Osipov wrote a "repentant petition", where he said that he himself was a thief and was ready to help in the capture of accomplices. With his help, many deserters, thieves and bandits were caught. For the betrayal of "his" he received the nickname "Cain".
But he didn't stop there. He was arrested in 1749 for kidnapping the 15-year-old daughter of a retired serviceman. And only in 1755 the court decided to execute Vanka-Cain by wheeling and decapitation, but the sentence was commuted by the Senate. In 1756 he was flogged and his nostrils torn out. Cain was labeled "V.O.R." and sent into exile, where he died.
Vasily Churkin: Guslitsky Robin Hood.
Vasily Vasilyevich Churkin became a prominent character in the underworld in the 19th century. The exact date of birth is unknown. It is assumed that he was born between 1844-1846, in the village of Barskaya, Guslitskaya volost.
Young Churkin began his "career" in a gang of Guslitsky robbers who operated in 1870 on the main roads: from Moscow to Vladimir. Later, due to the serious illness of the leader, the pack broke up. Here Vasily did not lose his head and in 1873 created his own gang. He was soon caught, but did not remain under arrest for long, because he escaped.
In addition to robberies, Vasily and his gang helped the poor, thereby winning national fame and recognition. He robbed only rich barns, and several times a year he collected a small tribute of 25 rubles from the owners of factories. The manufacturers did not mention his name, so as not to bring trouble on their heads. Thus, Churkin created a reliable rear for himself, which covered him from the police. He never raised his tax and severely punished those who violated this custom.
No reliable photos of Vasily Churkin have been preserved, however, many legends and stories were composed about him. When it became unsafe to stay in Guslitsy, Vasily hid in other places. There are many versions of the death of the Guslitsky Robin Hood, but the exact cause remains unknown.
Trishka Siberian
Another folk hero of the 19th century was Trishka the Siberian. Little information about the criminal authority has been preserved, however, according to legends, he terrified the landowners and nobles. The people composed legends and fairy tales about him, presenting the robber as a defender of the destitute. He was unusually cautious and cunning. Making raids on the farms of the landowners, Trishka the Siberian gave part of the loot to the serfs. People said that he didn’t offend anyone much, but he could punish the gentleman “dashing to the peasants”, for example, cut the veins under his knees so that he wouldn’t run fast. So he taught them "mind-reason."
The robbers stopped the rider. Even after his arrest, rumors about him did not allow the nobles to live in peace for a long time. Yes, and they caught him only because the search for Trishka was in the strictest confidence, because the authorities were wary of his ingenuity and cunning. The further fate of Trishka-Sibiryak is unknown.
Nothing sounds as good as a firm, stern, and easy-to-remember pirate's name. Having succumbed to the sea robbers, people often changed their names in order to complicate the authorities' ability to identify them. For others, the change of name was purely symbolic: the newly minted pirates mastered not only new activities, but also a completely new life, which some preferred to enter with a new name.
In addition to many pirate names, there are also many recognizable pirate nicknames. Aliases have always been an integral part of gangster culture, and pirates were no exception in this regard. We will talk about the most common pirate nicknames, analyze their origin and provide a list of the most popular ones.
- Blackbeard. The origin of the nickname is very trivial. had a thick black beard, and, according to legend, before the battle he wove burning wicks into it, the smoke of which made him look like the devil himself from the underworld.
- Calico Jack. The nickname of the pirate, so he was christened for his love for various calico decorations.
- Spaniard killer. That is what they called the cruel and ruthless towards the Spaniards famous.
- Redhead, Bloody Henry. Two nicknames that belonged to the famous pirate. The first nickname is directly related to the color of his hair, and the second - to his far from merciful deeds.
- Pirate Gentleman. A nickname given to him due to his aristocratic origin.
- Vulture. Nickname for a French pirate. It is not entirely clear why this nickname stuck to him, apparently, after all, it better reflected his character and temper.
- Lanky John. Pirate nickname for a fictional pirate. In addition to this nickname, he had one more - Ham.
- Black Corsair. The nickname of the protagonist in the novel of the same name by Emilio Salgari.
These were the nicknames of the most famous real and fictional pirates. If you need unique thematic names, then in the game Corsairs Online, when creating a character, you have at your disposal a pirate nickname generator, you can try to pick up something interesting for yourself.
Pirate nicknames for the party
If you're hosting a pirate-themed party and need to name everyone in attendance, the list below should help you with that.
There were legends about the Kursk robbers, their names are mentioned in many literary works ... This is not surprising: our province has always been a frontier province, trade routes ran through it - how could one not get on the “high road”. Moreover, not only “professional” bandits, of whom there were enough in our region, robbed, but also the local population. Peasants considered thieves to be commonplace, not shying away from improving their financial situation by robbery.
Andrey Shpilev, the scientific secretary of the regional archaeological museum, told us about the most famous robbers of the province and their customs.
Landlord wars lasted for years
The archives contain a case dating back to the end of the 18th century. Two residents of the same village, who were leading horses, were met by neighbors who beat the peasants and took away the cattle. Waking up, the peasants rushed to the landowner for help, he set up a chase, followed the tracks to the robbers. But almost the entire village came out to defend the "prey": with stakes, pitchforks, they did not allow them to search the stable
Another case. Once a resident of the village of Rogovaya, near Kursk, sold firewood. With the proceeds, he went to a tavern, where he spent almost all of his "wealth". In a drunken state, he left the establishment and saw a barrel of wine on a cart. Here is what he later wrote in an explanatory note: “A man was sitting on the cart. I asked him, "What kind of person are you?" He didn't answer and started running. There was a horse, a cart and a barrel. In order not to leave them on the road, I took them home. The peasant buried the barrel of wine in the garden and was already dreaming of a pleasant drunken life when the judge and the bailiff appeared. The peasant did not lose his head, immediately declaring that he was going to hand over the wine to the police. Like, I realize my guilt ... They took the wine and gave it to the government tavern. The man got off lightly.
In addition to harmless singles, serious gangs of robbers also occupied Kurshchina. Often they were led by landowners (they were called "voropans" - like a thief, but at the same time a pan), who gathered their peasants and went out onto the main road. By the way, in the 18th century, real landlord wars were not uncommon. When two masters quarreled, the peasants, knowing this, calmly raided their neighbors. They were even taken prisoner, then to demand a ransom. To kill - they did not kill, but maimed each other badly. Then it was not considered robbery - just two landowners quarrel. If the problem was not resolved amicably, such wars dragged on for decades.
Sometimes gangs were led by landowners. And they led by no means small gangs. So, in submission, one had 50 people, the other - over 70.
“It is unlikely that women killed people,” says Shpilev. - Rather, they robbed for courage. The fact is that the local authorities tried to cover up the robberies, but you can’t hide the shedding of blood. But still, one gang, led by a woman, was crushed by the authorities. Atamansha was punished, but in an original way. She was ordered to "show up dead and not leave the estate." Everyone was told that she was dead. Anyone who needed to know that she was alive and well and visited her to visit.
One of the favorite places of the robbers was the forest in the Zolotukhinsky district, not far from the Root Desert. Even the memories of a Kuryan who lived in the 18th century have been preserved. He wrote that while driving through a dark and gloomy forest, he constantly met broken and broken carts that once made up trade caravans.
Thief No. 1 Kudeyar
Perhaps the most famous and legendary robber is Ataman Kudeyar, who lived during the time of Ivan the Terrible. There are two legends about who he is. The most common: Kudeyar is the elder brother of Ivan the Terrible. Tradition says that Vasily III had no children for a long time, he divorced his wife Solomonia and sent her to a monastery. He himself married Elena Glinskaya, who bore him Ivan. Solomonia, in the monastery, allegedly gave birth to a son, Yuri. According to legend, during one of the Tatar raids, the boy was captured. Glinskaya's relatives refused to redeem him in order to provoke the Tatars to murder - another heir was not needed. But the Tatars did not kill Yuri, but gave him a different name - Kudeyar. He grew up, gathered a detachment and decided to take revenge on his older brother.
According to the second version, which existed among the Kursk landowner family of the Markovs, Kudeyar was from their family. Once a favorite of Ivan the Terrible, after a quarrel, he became an enemy of the tsar. Grozny, it seems, was so angry at the former favorite that he killed Kudeyar's wife and prepared a treat for a "friend" from her. Realizing that a chopping block awaits him, Kudeyar decided to run away. He settled in the Kursk province, where he robbed passing royal and trade carts, attacked ambassadors, and destroyed small military formations. That is, in fact, waged a guerrilla war. One of the descendants of the Markovs will later write that the ghost of Kudeyar sometimes appears in their family estate. It supposedly portends death.
One thing unites the legends: when the Terrible died, Kudeyar lost the sense to take revenge on him, he took the veil as a monk and lived out his days in a monastery under the name Pitirim. To atone for the atrocities, Kudeyar sawed the centuries-old oak with a sword with which he killed people, but he could not cope with the tree. As soon as he finally pacified his pride, the oak itself fell. Local old-timers claim that this oak grew near Kurchatov, on the site of the so-called Kudeyarova Gora. Like, when archaeologists were excavating there, they found an oak
“The legend is intertwined with reality,” Andrey Shpilev explains. - Archaeologists really worked there, but they did not find any oak.
Kulik was let down by Ekaterina's service
The second well-known robber is the Sudzhan nobleman Kulik. He acted on a grand scale: his large gang was divided into three groups. One, together with Kulik, sat near Sudzha, the second - near Bolshesoldatsky, the third part was based on the site of the modern Korenevsky district. When a large caravan was moving, with which one group could not cope, they sent messengers for help, the gang united and attacked together. Local authorities knew about Kulik, but did not take much zeal in his capture. This went on for a long time, but one day luck turned away from the ataman. He broke a trade caravan en route to the Crimea. Among the booty was a silver service - a gift from Empress Catherine to favorite Potemkin. Then the sets were not what they are now - for 200 people, cups, plates, forks, spoons. The authorities could not hide this, a decree was issued to stop the outrages of the Kulikovo gang. There are several versions of the death of the leader: according to one, he died in battle, according to another, he was wheeled in Akhtyrsk (Sumy region), according to the third, he was quartered in Sudzha. They ordered the forest where he was sitting to be cut down at a certain distance from the road and put up a guard of local residents: 10 people at night, 2-3 - during the day, so that the robbers would not appear again.
There are legends about treasures hidden by Kulik. Like, in the ravines, not far from the places where he robbed, there are cellars where the loot is hidden. A report from the Sudzhansky district, dated 1887, says that the peasants found clay vessels filled with old coins. There is a legend about another treasure, hidden a few kilometers from Bolshesoldatsky. Allegedly, 200 years ago, robbers captured a whole convoy with gold and buried it in the forest. Until now, people roam those places, armed with metal detectors, hoping to find wealth.
They took peasant women and nobles into the forest
From robbery to robbery, the perpetually drunk robbers led a carefree life. In principle, they did not offend the local peasants, they even gave them part of the loot. But the villagers were infuriated that the robbers from time to time took away women and girls from them for their pleasures. The robbers lived not only by robberies, but also at the expense of local landowners. They sent them letters with a "request" for food and drink. They indicated when and where to deliver the provisions. The landlords, who did not want problems, fulfilled the requirements, but there were also obstinate ones. Then the robbers attacked the estates, smashed the estate, robbed, mocked the landowners, clearly showing others that it was easier and cheaper to pay off. The nobles were afraid of the "forest dwellers", trying not to catch their eye. If the robbers caught the landowner, he was taken to the forest to show off to his heart's content. As a rule, it did not come to murder: why destroy the goose that lays the golden eggs? Now it is difficult to say what dozens of drunken men did with a sleek nobleman. When their imagination dried up, they simply stripped the landowner naked and let him go home.
Officially, robberies on the Kursk roads were finished in the 60s of the 19th century. Then they staged a special operation: they spread a rumor that a convoy with vodka would pass by Kursk. The robbers could not ignore this and attacked the caravan. But armed soldiers were sitting under the matting. Of the robbers, some were killed, some were arrested, and the leaders were hanged in large cities: Kursk, Shchigry, Rylsk - for intimidation.
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| Valentina | 22 September 2016, 17:27:40 |
| e-mail: [email protected], city: St. Petersburg | |
Thank you for the interesting information about Kudeyar. This is our history.
Rogue, dashing people have always attracted attention. They became heroes of legends and legends, songs and poems were composed about them. In the popular mind, the robber was rarely bad, because he robbed the rich and shared with the poor.
Kudeyar
The most legendary Russian robber is Kudeyar. This person is semi-mythical. There are several versions of his identification. According to the main one, Kudeyar was the son of Vasily III and his wife Solomeya, who was exiled to a monastery for childlessness. According to this legend, during the tonsure Solomonia was already pregnant, she gave birth to a son, George, whom she handed over "in safe hands", and announced to everyone that the newborn had died.
It is not surprising that Ivan the Terrible was very interested in this legend, since according to it Kudeyar was his older brother, which means he could claim power. This story is most likely folk fiction. The desire to "ennoble the robber", as well as to allow oneself to believe in the illegitimacy of power (and therefore the possibility of its overthrow) is characteristic of the Russian tradition. In our country, every ataman is a legitimate king. With regard to Kudeyar, there are so many versions of his origin that would be enough for half a dozen atamans
Dmitry Silaev
Dmitry Silaev is a very real person. In the detective case of 1844 in the village of Rzhevtsy, Smolensk district, he is mentioned as the leader of the robbers who, among other things, “robbed the house of the landowner F.M. Belkin.
The raid on the landowner's house, as they say, made a rustle, it was reported to the tsar himself. Five years before this incident, another robber, Trishka-Sibiryak, was caught. The safety of the landowners was at stake - measures had to be taken. And they were accepted. Silaev was caught and exiled to Siberia, from where, however, he escaped with two accomplices.
However, with the arrest and exile of Silaev, everything is not so simple. In the criminal case, it says that "he fled six years before", that is, the robber was in exile back in 1838, then he escaped and lived in Elninsk district with "various peasants who did not make consciousness of him", that is, not reported on the escaped convict.
In the criminal case, Silaev's appearance is described in sufficient detail: "black eyes, a black beard, a zipun trimmed with satin, always with a pistol in his boot." A rather classic image of a robber, but at the same time without the idealization characteristic of the description of "dashing people".
Lyalya
Lyalya can be called not only one of the most legendary robbers, but also the most "literary". The poet Nikolai Rubtsov wrote a poem about him "Robber Lyalya". Local historians also found information about him, which is not surprising, since toponyms reminiscent of this dashing man have survived to this day in the Kostroma region. This is Lyalina Mountain and one of the tributaries of the Vetluga River, called Lyalinka.
Local historian A.A. Sysoev wrote: “In the Vetluga forests, the robber Lyalya walked with his gang - this is one of the chieftains of Stepan Razin ... who lived in the mountains near the Vetluga River not far from Varnavin. According to legend, Lyalya robbed and burned the Novovozdvizhensky Monastery on the Bolshaya Kaksha River near the village Chenebechikha". This may be true, since at the end of 1670 a detachment of Razints really visited here.
Lyalya with his gang appeared in the Kostroma forests after the suppression of the Razin uprising. He chose a place for a robber camp on a high mountain in order to have a strategic advantage in robbing the carts passing nearby along the winter route. From spring to autumn, along the Vetluga, merchants carried goods on ships, and on the way they often stopped in Kameshnik.
The main business of the Lyali gang was the collection of ransoms from merchants, local feudal lords and landowners. Legends draw him, as usual in folklore, strict, harsh and domineering, but fair. His exemplary portrait has also been preserved: "He was a broad-shouldered, muscular man of medium height; a tanned, rough face; black eyes under bushy frowned eyebrows; dark hair."
They wanted to catch Lyalya’s gang more than once, but the detachments sent to catch the robber constantly encountered too loyal attitude of local men towards Lyalya - they treated him rather with respect, Lyalya was warned about the appearance of detachments, some village men even joined the gang.
However, over time, the gang nevertheless thinned out, and Lyalya became more and more burdened by his craft. Therefore, he decided to bury his wealth - he drowned it in the lake (it is still called the Pantry) and buried it in the mountain. Where are they still kept? Of course, according to the legend.
Trishka Siberian
Trishka-Sibiryak, whom we have already mentioned, robbed in the 30s of the XIX century in the Smolensk district. News of him spread to other regions, bringing the nobles and landowners into a state of awe. A letter from Turgenev's mother, which she wrote to her son in Berlin in February 1839, has been preserved. It contains the following phrase: "Trishka appeared with us like Pugachev - that is, he is in Smolensk, and we are cowardly in Bolkhov." Trishka was caught the very next month, he was tracked down and arrested in Dukhovshchinsky district.
The capture of Trishka was a real special operation. Knowing about the caution of the robber, he was caught under the guise of pursuing another person. Almost no one knew about the true purpose of the search - they were afraid to frighten them away.
As a result, when the arrest nevertheless took place, a message appeared in Smolenskiye Vedomosti about this as an event of extreme importance. However, until the 50s of the 19th century, the legends about Trishka-Sibiryak continued to excite the nerves of the landowners, who were worried that someday Trishka would get in their way, or get into their house.
The people loved Trishka and composed legends about him, where the robber appeared as a defender of the destitute.
Vanka-Cain
The story of Vanka-Cain is dramatic and instructive. He can be called the first official thief of the Russian Empire. He was born in 1718, at the age of 16 he met a famous thief named "Kamchatka" and loudly left the landowner's house, where he served, robbing him, and writing on the manor gates everything he thinks about work: "Work the devil, not me ".
Several times he was taken to the Secret Order, but each time he was released, so rumors began to circulate that Ivan Osipov (that was Cain's real name) was "lucky". Moscow thieves decided to choose him as their leader. A little time passed, and Vanka was already "in command" of a gang of 300 people. So he became the uncrowned king of the underworld.
However, on December 28, 1741, Ivan Osipov recovered to the Detective Order and wrote a "repentant petition", and even offered his services in catching his own associates, became the official informer of the Detective Order.
The very first police operation on his tip covered a thieves' gathering in the deacon's house - a catch of 45 people. On the same night, 20 members of the gang of Yakov Zuev were taken in the house of the archpriest. And in the Tatar baths of Zamoskvorechye, 16 deserters were tied up and the underground with weapons was opened.
However, Vanka Cain did not live in peace. He had a penchant for extravagance and chic, and got burned on the kidnapping of the 15-year-old daughter of "retired serviceman" Taras Zevakin, on corruption and banal racketeering.
The case dragged on for 6 years, until in 1755 the court issued a verdict - flogged, wheeled, beheaded. But in February 1756 the Senate softened the sentence. They gave Cain whips, pulled out his nostrils, branded him with the word V.O.R. and exiled to hard labor - at first to the Baltic Rogervik, from there to Siberia. Where did he die
