Time of Troubles history. Main periods of troubled times

Can be described as decline. This era went down in history as the years of natural disasters, crisis - economic and state, - intervention of foreigners. This stagnation lasted from 1598 to 1612.

Time of Troubles in Russia: briefly about the main thing

The beginning of the Troubles was marked by the suppression of the lawful heirs of Ivan the Terrible; there was no longer a legitimate tsar in Russia. By the way, the death of the last heir to the throne was very mysterious. It is still shrouded in mystery. A struggle for power began in the country, accompanied by intrigue. Until 1605, Boris Godunov sat on the throne, during whose reign there was famine. Lack of food forces the people to engage in robbery and robbery. The discontent of the masses, who lived in the hope that Tsarevich Dmitry, killed by Godunov, was alive and would soon restore order, ended.

So, briefly stated. What happened next? As one would expect, False Dmitry I appeared and gained support from the Poles. During the war with the impostor, Tsar Boris Godunov and his son Fedor die. However, the unworthy did not have the throne for long: the people overthrew False Dmitry I and elected Vasily Shuisky as king.

But the reign of the new king was also in the spirit of troubled times. Briefly, this period can be described as follows: during the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov, the king entered into an agreement with Sweden to fight against it. However, such an alliance did more harm than good. The king was removed from the throne, and the boyars began to rule the country. As a result of the Seven Boyars, the Poles entered the capital and began to instill the Catholic faith, while plundering everything around. Which further aggravated the already difficult situation of ordinary people.

However, despite all the hardships and hardships of the time of troubles (briefly characterized as the most terrible era for our country), Mother Rus' found the strength to give birth to heroes. They prevented Russia from disappearing on the world map. It's about about Lyapunov’s militia: Novgorodians Dmitry Pozharsky and gathered the people and drove them away native land foreign invaders. After this, the Zemsky Sobor took place, during which Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was elected to the throne. This event ended the most difficult period in the history of Russia. The throne was taken by a new ruling dynasty, which was overthrown by the communists only at the beginning of the twentieth century. The House of Romanov brought the country out of darkness and strengthened its position on the world stage.

Consequences of troubled times. Briefly

The results of the Troubles for Russia are very disastrous. As a result of the chaos, the country lost a significant part of its territory and suffered significant losses in population. There was a terrible decline in the economy, the people became weak and lost hope. However, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. So the Russian people managed to find the strength to once again restore their rights and declare themselves to the whole world. Having survived the most Hard times, Rus' has been reborn. Crafts and culture began to develop, the people returned to agriculture and cattle breeding, stopping highway robberies.

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

Start

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

Three years, from 1601 to 1603, were barren, frosts continued even in the summer months, and snow fell in September. According to some assumptions, the cause of this was the eruption of the Huaynaputina volcano in Peru on February 19, 1600 and the subsequent volcanic winter. A terrible famine broke out, killing 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 economic disorganization. The landowners could not feed their slaves and servants and kicked them out of their estates. Left without a means of livelihood, people turned to robbery and robbery, increasing 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 was alive, from which it followed that the rule 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 the 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 “prince.” For this, False Dmitry promised to transfer Smolensk and the 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. Mniszech equipped the impostor with an army consisting of Zaporozhye Cossacks and Polish mercenaries (“adventurers”). In 1604, the impostor’s army crossed the Russian border, many cities (Moravsk, Chernigov, Putivl) surrendered to False Dmitry, the army of the Moscow governor F.I. Mstislavsky was defeated at 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, amid general rejoicing, the impostor solemnly entered Moscow. The Moscow boyars, led by Bogdan Belsky, publicly recognized him as the legal heir. On June 24, Ryazan Archbishop Ignatius, who had confirmed Dmitry’s rights to the kingdom back in Tula, was elevated to patriarchy. Thus, the impostor received official support from the clergy. On July 18, Queen Martha, who recognized the impostor as her son, was brought to the capital, and soon, on July 30, Dmitry’s crowning ceremony took place.

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

Shuisky 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 about imposture. Voivode Pyotr Basmanov uncovered the plot, and on June 23, 1605, Shuisky was captured and sentenced to death, pardoned only directly at the chopping block.

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

On the night of May 16-17, 1606, the boyar opposition, taking advantage of the embitterment 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.

Hostilities

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, giving rise to the beginning of the “thieves” movement. 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, and Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Ural and Siberian cities. As a result of degradation border service The 100,000-strong Nogai horde ravaged the “Ukrainian” and Seversky lands in 1607-1608.

In 1608 Crimean Tatars for the first time in for a long time crossed the Oka and devastated the central Russian regions. Polish-Lithuanian troops defeated Shuya and Kineshma, took Tver, the troops of the Lithuanian hetman Jan Sapieha besieged the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, and the troops of Pan Lisovsky captured Suzdal. Even cities that voluntarily recognized the power of the impostor were mercilessly plundered by interventionist detachments. The Poles levied taxes on land and trade, and received “feeding” in Russian cities. All this gave rise to a broad national liberation movement by the end of 1608. In December 1608, Kineshma, Kostroma, Galich, Totma, Vologda, Beloozero, and Ustyuzhna Zheleznopolskaya “resisted” from the impostor; Veliky Ustyug, Vyatka, and Perm came out in support of the rebels. In January 1609, Prince Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky, who commanded Russian warriors from Tikhvin and 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 knocked out the Poles and “Cherkasy” (Cossacks) from the surrounding villages, and in February repelled all attacks of the Polish cavalry and mercenary German infantry. On February 17, Russian militias lost the battle of Suzdal to the Poles. At the end of February, “Vologda and Pomeranian men” liberated Kostroma from the invaders. On March 3, the militia of the northern and northern Russian cities took Romanov, from there they moved to Yaroslavl and took it in early April. Nizhny Novgorod governor Alyabyev took Murom on March 15, and liberated Vladimir 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 made up most 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-tribal rabble” under the command of J. Delagardie. In the spring, Prince Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky collected 5,000 people in Novgorod Russian army. On May 10, Russian-Swedish forces occupied Staraya Rusa, and on May 11 they defeated Polish-Lithuanian detachments approaching the city. On May 15, Russian-Swedish forces under the command of Chulkov and Horn defeated the Polish cavalry under the command of Kernozitsky at 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 difficult battle near Torzhok, 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. Swedish troops (with the exception of Christier Somme’s detachment of 1 thousand people) did not take part in Skopin-Shuisky’s further actions. On July 24, Russian troops crossed to the right bank of the Volga and entered the Makaryev Kalyazin Monastery. On August 19, the Poles under the command of Jan Sapieha were defeated by Skopin-Shuisky near Kalyazin. On September 10, the Russians, together with Somme’s detachment, occupied Pereyaslavl, and on October 9, Voivode Golovin occupied Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda. On October 16, a Russian detachment broke 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 attacks of Russian troops. On March 12, 1610, Skopin-Shuisky’s regiments entered the capital, and on April 29 he died after a short illness. The Russian army at this time was preparing to come to the aid of Smolensk, which had been besieged by the troops of the Polish king Sigismund III since September 1609. The Poles and Cossacks also captured 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 Klushin took place, as a result of which the Polish army (Zholkiewski) defeated the Russian-Swedish army under the command of Dmitry Shuisky and Jacob Delagardie; During the battle, German mercenaries who served with the Russians went over to the side of the Poles. The way to Moscow was opened for the Poles.

Seven Boyars

The defeat of Vasily Shuisky’s troops from the Poles near Klushino (June 24/July 4, 1610) finally undermined the shaky authority of the “boyar tsar,” and with the news of this event, a coup occurred in Moscow. 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 Polish-Lithuanian troops in Russian cities, as well as inter-religious contradictions between Catholicism and Orthodoxy, caused rejection of Polish rule - in the north-west and in the east, a number of Russian cities “sat under siege” and refused to swear allegiance to Vladislav.

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

On March 17, 1611, the Poles, who mistook a dispute at the market for the beginning of an uprising, carried out a massacre in Moscow; 7 thousand Muscovites died in Kitay-Gorod alone.

In 1611, Lyapunov’s 1st Militia approached the walls of Moscow. However, as a result of infighting at the military council of the rebels, Lyapunov was killed, and the militia scattered. In the same year, the Crimean Tatars, without meeting resistance, ravaged the Ryazan region. After a long siege, Smolensk was captured by the Poles, and the Swedes, emerging from the role of “allies,” ravaged the northern Russian cities.

The Second Militia of 1612 was led by the Nizhny Novgorod zemstvo elder Kuzma Minin, who invited Prince Pozharsky to lead military operations. In February 1612, the militia moved to Yaroslavl to occupy 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 gather a “general zemstvo council” to discuss plans to combat the Polish-Lithuanian intervention and “how can we not be stateless in this evil time and choose a sovereign for us with the whole earth.” The candidacy of the Swedish prince Karl Philip was also proposed for discussion, who “wants to be baptized into our Orthodox faith Greek law." However, the zemstvo council did not take place.

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

Overthrow of the government of Prince Vladislav

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

On October 22 (November 1), 1612, the militia led by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky took Kitay-Gorod by storm; The garrison of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth retreated to the Kremlin. Prince Pozharsky entered Kitai-Gorod with Kazan icon 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 capitulation, 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”:

Election of the Tsar

Consequences of the Time of Troubles

The Time of Troubles ended with large territorial losses for Rus'. Smolensk was lost for many decades; Western and significant parts of eastern Karelia are captured by the Swedes. Not coming to terms with national and religious oppression, almost the entire Orthodox population, both Russians and Karelians, will leave these territories. Rus' has 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 deep economic decline. In many districts of the historical center of the state, the size of arable land decreased by 20 times, and the number of peasants by 4 times. In the western districts (Rzhevsky, Mozhaisk, etc.) cultivated land ranged from 0.05 to 4.8%. The lands in the possessions of the Joseph-Volokolamsk monastery were “all ruined to the ground and the peasants with their wives and children were flogged, and the rich ones were completely taken away... and about five or six dozen peasants were left behind after the Lithuanian ruin, and they still don’t know how to start a loaf of bread for themselves after the ruin.” 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 Zamoskovny region accounted for no more than half of all lands recorded in scribe books.

The protracted dynastic crisis that began in Russia after the death of Fyodor Ioannovich was called the Time of Troubles. The immediate reason was the suppression of the royal dynasty. The causes of the Time of Troubles in Russia had been brewing for a long time.

Prerequisites for the Time of Troubles

Many historians consider the accession of Fyodor Ioannovich to the throne to be the beginning of the Time of Troubles. In the will of Ivan the Terrible, he is named as the direct heir.

Fyodor Ioannovich was openly called “feeble-minded” by his contemporaries. Real power, in fact, was concentrated in the hands of the Godunov family.

The Shuiskys tried to oppose, but were disgraced. Subsequently, the Shuiskys' hidden resentment played a big role.

Fyodor Ioannovich had no heirs. Numerous children of Irina Feodorovna died at birth.

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Drama in Uglich

Another prerequisite for the Troubles was the tragedy in Uglich. On May 15, 1591, Tsarevich Dmitry died. An official investigation concluded that the boy accidentally damaged his carotid artery during an epileptic seizure.

During the investigation into the death of Tsarevich Dmitry, about 140 witnesses were questioned.

Immediately after the tragedy, versions of a contract killing appeared. The culprit was called Boris Godunov.

Rice. 1. Murder of Tsarevich Dmitry. Engraving by B. Chorikov. XIX century

The consequences of this event were the appearance of several False Dmitrys, declaring themselves miraculously saved princes.

Boris Godunov

The crowning of Godunov in 1598 took place in compliance with all customs and laws. However, he did not belong to the royal dynasty. Many considered him an “illegitimate” ruler. Accumulating discontent became one of the causes of the Time of Troubles.

In 1600, the Romanov family fell into disgrace:

• Fyodor Nikitich and his wife were forcibly tonsured as monks;
• the future Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, along with his sister and two aunts, were sent to Belozersk prison;
• Alexander, Mikhail and Vasily Nikitichi died in custody.

The brutal reprisal against the Romanovs made a negative impression on the higher Russian society. Boris Godunov was increasingly losing popularity.

Rice. 2. Portrait of Boris Godunov.

By 1604, more than half of the Boyar Duma was hostile towards Godunov.

Socio-economic reasons for the Time of Troubles

At the beginning of the 17th century, northern and central areas Russia suffered a terrible crop failure, which led to famine. A stream of refugees poured into the southern outskirts.

In the minds of the peasantry, famine became God's punishment for the rule of the “illegal” king. The people again began to talk about the murder of Tsarevich Dmitry.

Popular discontent led to major peasant uprisings:

• Cotton's rebellion (1603-1604);
• uprising of I. Bolotnikov (1606-1607).

Rice. 3. During the Time of Troubles. S. Ivanov. 1908.

External factor

The events in Rus' were closely monitored by the king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sigismund III. He dreamed of using the weakening of the country and the fall in the authority of Boris Godunov for his own purposes.

The Polish king embodied his plans in the support of False Dmitry I. The fugitive monk Grigory Otrepiev in Poland proclaimed himself Tsarevich Dmitry and began a campaign against Moscow. Has begun new stage Troubles. General dissatisfaction with Boris Godunov made it easier for False Dmitry I to come to power.

According to strict rules Russian Church, Tsarevich Dmitry had no rights to the throne, since he was illegitimate (from the sixth wife of Ivan the Terrible).

A brief summary of the causes of the Time of Troubles is presented in a table illustrating the course of events:

Table “Main events of the Time of Troubles and their causes”

What have we learned?

From an article on the history of Russia (7th grade), we learned that the period of the Time of Troubles was expressed in a continuous change of rulers, acute social conflicts, bloody civil strife and foreign intervention. All levels of society were involved in these events. The universal nature of the Troubles is explained by the fact that it arose as a result of the merger of many political, economic and social reasons, expressed in a deep crisis of the entire society.

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TROUBLES (TIME OF TROUBLES) - a deep spiritual, economic, social, and foreign policy crisis that befell Russia in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

The first period, the beginning of the Time of Troubles, was marked by a fierce struggle for the throne of many contenders. The son of Ivan the Terrible, Fedor, turned out to be a weak ruler. In fact, Boris Godunov, the brother of the Tsar’s wife, received power; his policies led to the discontent of the people.

The Troubles began with the appearance in Poland of Grigory Otrepyev, who declared himself False Dmitry, the saved son of Ivan the Terrible. Not without the support of the Poles, False Dmitry was recognized by a fairly large part of the country's population, and in 1605 the impostor was supported by Moscow and the governors of Rus' and was recognized as the tsar. But his support for serfdom caused violent discontent among the peasants, and his too independent policy led to the displeasure of the boyars. As a result, False Dmitry 1 was killed on May 17, 1606. And V.I. Shuisky ascended the throne. However, his power was limited.

The second period of unrest began with an uprising led by I.I. Bolotnikov. The militia consisted of people from all strata. Not only peasants, but also serving Cossacks, serfs, landowners, and townspeople took part in the uprising. But, in the battle of Moscow, the rebels were defeated, and Bolotnikov was captured and executed.

The people's outrage only intensified. The appearance of False Dmitry 2 was not long in coming. Already in January 1608, the army he had assembled moved towards Moscow. He settled on the outskirts of the city in Tushino. Thus, two operating capitals were formed in the country. At the same time, almost all officials and boyars worked for both kings, often receiving money from both Shuisky and False Dmitry 2. After Shuisky managed to conclude an agreement on assistance, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth began aggression. False Dmitry had to flee to Kaluga.

But Shuisky also failed to retain power for long. He was captured and forced to become a monk. An interregnum began in the country - a period called the Seven Boyars. As a result of the deal between the boyars who came to power and the Polish interventionists, Moscow swore allegiance to the King of Poland, Vladislav, on August 17, 1610. False Dmitry 2 was killed at the end of this year. The struggle for power continued.

The third period of the Troubles is the time of struggle against the invaders. The people of Russia were finally able to unite to fight the invaders - the Poles. During this period, the war acquired a national character. The militia of Minin and Pozharsky reached Moscow only in August 1612. They were able to liberate Moscow and expel the Poles.

The end of the Time of Troubles was marked by the emergence of a new dynasty on the Russian throne - the Romanovs. At the Zemsky Sobor on February 21, 1613, Mikhail Romanov was elected tsar.

Causes of the Troubles in Russia

The end of the Rurik dynasty.

Enslavement of peasants, increased tax oppression.

The struggle between the boyars and royal power- the first sought to preserve and increase traditional privileges and political influence, the second - to limit these privileges and influence.

The difficult economic situation of the country. The conquests of Ivan the Terrible and the Livonian War required significant strain on production forces. The forced movement of service people and the ruin of Novgorod the Great had a rather negative impact on the country's economy. The situation was catastrophically aggravated by the famine of 1601–1603, which ruined thousands of large and small farms

Deep social discord in the country. The existing system was rejected by the masses of runaway peasants, slaves, impoverished townspeople, Cossack freemen and city Cossacks, as well as a significant part of the service people

Consequences of the oprichnina, which undermined respect for authority and law

Consequences of the 17th century turmoil in Russia

Its first, most severe consequence was the terrible ruin and desolation of the country; many cities and villages lay in ruins. Agriculture and crafts were ruined, and commercial life died out.

Russia's territorial unity was largely restored, although the Baltic Sea coast and the lands of Smolensk were lost

Within the political life of the state, the role of the nobility and the upper classes of the town increased significantly. Power was restored in the form of an autocratic monarchy.

The position of the nobility was strengthened.

Russia's independence was preserved.

The Romanov dynasty began to rule.

Ticket 6. Transformations of Peter I: pros and cons.

All internal government activities Peter can be conditionally divided into two periods: 1695-1715 and 1715-1725.
A feature of the first stage was haste and not always thoughtful character, which was explained by the conduct Northern War. The reforms were aimed primarily at raising funds for the Northern War, were carried out by force and often did not lead to the desired result. In addition to government reforms, at the first stage, extensive reforms were carried out to change the cultural way of life. In the second period, reforms were more systematic and aimed at the internal development of the state.
REFORM

Military naval

Administrative

3. Transformations in the field of culture, science and everyday life

Church

5. Transformations in the field of economics

In general, Peter's reforms were aimed at strengthening Russian state and the introduction of the ruling layer to European culture with simultaneous strengthening absolute monarchy. By the end of the reign of Peter the Great, a powerful Russian Empire was created, headed by an emperor who had absolute power. During the reforms, the technical and economic lag of Russia from a number of other European countries was overcome, access to the Baltic Sea was won, and transformations were carried out in many areas of life Russian society. At the same time, the popular forces were extremely exhausted, the bureaucratic apparatus expanded, and the preconditions were created (Decree on Succession to the Throne) for a crisis of supreme power, which led to the era of “palace coups.”

The Time of Troubles in Russia is one of the key pages of our history. In essence, this was an introduction to the 17th century, which went down in history under the name “Rebellious”. And the Time of Troubles, no matter how much we were told about its short historical period, was not suppressed and it “emerged” from Russia throughout the 17th century. It was actually completed only after the creation of the regime of Peter 1. It was he who finally strangled the process that was rotting the entire 17th century.

Time of Troubles is an era of social, political, economic, dynastic and spiritual crisis. It was accompanied by popular uprisings, class and inter-class struggle, impostors, Polish and Swedish intervention and the almost complete ruin of the country.

Historical reference book

Concepts of the Troubles

In Russian historiography there were 2 schemes of the Troubles: Klyuchevsky and Platonov. This is what Klyuchevsky wrote: “In the Troubles, all classes of Russian society consistently appear and they appear in the very order in which they lay in the then composition of Russian society, as they were placed on the social ladder. At the top of this ladder stood the boyars, and they began the unrest. Therefore, the first phase is boyar, then noble and then national.”

By the way, the Troubles of the early 20th century, which led to the fall of the Empire, developed absolutely according to the same pattern. The Time of Troubles also began, the first phase of which was Perestroika. That is, the first phase of all three Russian Troubles is the boyar phase, when the elite begins to share power.

The second scheme of the Time of Troubles in Russia belongs to the historian Platonov, who distinguished three periods in the history of the Troubles: dynastic, noble and socio-religious. But in essence, this is the same as Klyuchevsky’s:

1. Dynastic. Boyars and nobles fight for power.
2. Noble. Less rich and influential people are joining in these squabbles.
3. National-religious. The people are included in the Troubles

The main reasons for the Time of Troubles in Russia can be expressed as follows:

• Economic reasons. As a result of weather conditions, a famine occurred in 1601-1603. The population was dying en masse. Trust in the current government has declined.
• Dynastic crisis. After the deaths of Tsarevich Dmitry in Uglich and Fyodor Ivanovich in Moscow, the Rurik dynasty was interrupted.
• Social crisis. Almost all segments of the Russian population of the late 16th and early 17th centuries were dissatisfied with their situation.
• Political crisis. In Russia there was an active struggle for power between boyar groups.
• Poland and Sweden grew stronger and actively showed their claims to Russian lands and the throne.

More detailed reasons for the Troubles are given in the following diagram:

The beginning of the Troubles in Rus'

The Time of Troubles in Russia actually began with the death of Ivan the Terrible. In 1598, Fyodor died and events took place that can be called the “Latent Stage of the Troubles.” The fact is that Fyodor did not leave a will, and formally Irina should have sat on the throne. But at this time she clears the way for her brother Boris Godunov and voluntarily goes to the monastery. As a result, the Boyar Duma splits. The Romanovs attacked Boris, and as a result he stopped going to the Duma.

Ultimately, the Zemsky Sobor elected Godunov to reign, but the Boyar Duma opposed this. There was a split. This is a classic feature of the Time of Troubles in Russia - dual power. Zemsky Sobor against the Boyar Duma. Dual power would arise later after the February coup of 1917. It will be the “Provisional Government” against the “Petrosoviet” or the “Reds” against the “Whites”. The dual power at the end of the 20th century will be as follows - first Gorbachev against Yeltsin. Then Yeltsin against the Supreme Council. That is, Troubles always splits power into 2 opposing camps.

Ultimately, Boris Godunov outmaneuvered the Boyar Duma and became king. Read more about how this happened.

Driving elements of the Time of Troubles

You need to understand that the Time of Troubles is a mass phenomenon in which almost all segments of the population took part and social groups. Nevertheless, there were three major classes that played an exceptional role in those events, and which need to be discussed separately. These are the following groups:

1. Sagittarius.
2. Cossacks.
3. "Combat slaves."

Let's look at each of these groups in detail.

Battle serfs

The problem in Russia after the famine of 1601-1603 was that the growth in the number of service people outpaced the growth of the land fund. The country (it’s even strange to say this about Russia) did not have the resources to provide all the children of the nobility with land. As a result, a layer of “Combat Slaves” began to emerge in Rus'.

These were those nobles who did not have land, but who had weapons (little is said about this, but Ivan Bolotnikov was one of the Battle Slaves), and who went into service as a military service to some boyar or rich nobleman. The percentage of fighting slaves in Rus' at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th century was +/-10%. Now think about this... Events of the 90s (collapse of the USSR). Then those who serve in various private and security companies, in the army, and all armed people in the country are exactly that same 10%. That is, it is social dynamite that can explode at any moment.

What were fighting serfs at the beginning of the 16th century? For every 25 thousand nobles in the militia, there were up to 5 thousand fighting slaves.

For example, after the shelling of Ivangorod in 1590, the governors led 350 archers, 400 Cossacks and 2,382 fighting serfs to storm. That is, there were a lot of combat slaves, and their proportion in the army changed its structure for the use of these people. And these people were extremely dissatisfied with their situation.

It was from the fighting serfs that the leader of the largest uprising of the lower classes in 1602-1603, Khlopko Kasolap, came from. In 1603, he approached Moscow, and a regular army had to be sent to defeat him.

Sagittarius

The Streltsy, as a military unit, was created in the mid-16th century. Undoubted advantage its creation was precisely thanks to Streltsy army Kazan was taken. There were 10 thousand archers in Moscow (that is, a fairly large social stratum). In others major cities up to 1 thousand people. The salary of archers ranged from 7 rubles in Moscow to 0.5 rubles in the outskirts. They also received a grain salary.

The problem was that they only received full money during hostilities. In addition, the archers received money with a long delay, since those who distributed money, according to Russian tradition, stole. Therefore, the archers who lived in the settlements kept vegetable gardens, were engaged in trade, and some even engaged in banditry. Therefore, they felt a social kinship with the townspeople, because their lifestyle and priorities were identical.

Cossacks during the Time of Troubles

Another group that played an extremely important role in the Time of Troubles in Russia, and which was also dissatisfied with the authorities, was the Cossacks. The total number of Cossacks at the end of the 16th century from the Dnieper to the Yaik River (the modern Ural River) is estimated at 11-14 thousand people. The Cossack organization was as follows: In Russia it was a village, in Ukraine it was a hundred. The free villages were not part of the government troops, but actually served as border guards.

After impoverishment, military slaves fled to the Don, the government demanded that they be taken out, but there was a rule - “There is no extradition from the Don!” Hence the anti-Cossack measures of Godunov, who tried to return the fighting slaves, since the rich nobility put pressure on him. Naturally, this caused discontent among the Cossacks. As a result, Godunov found himself in a situation where whatever he did did not solve the problem, but only aggravated it.

The Cossacks were associated with the southern districts, in which social contradictions and they were so distinguished by their severity, because those who were offended by the authorities fled to the southern districts. That is, the Cossacks are such a separate layer that has always considered itself superior to the rest.

The beginning of the open stage of the Troubles

Thus, we can say that at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries an explosive situation developed in Russia:

1. Almost all possible contradictions between and within classes intensified.
2. Confrontations within the country intensified - “South” against “Center”.

A lot of “social dynamite” had been produced and all that remained was for interested parties to light the fuse. And it was lit simultaneously in Russia and Poland. At the beginning of the 17th century, a situation arose in Russia that contributed to the transition of the Time of Troubles from a latent (hidden) state to an open state.

First stage of the Troubles

A man appeared in Poland who called himself Tsarevich Dmitry, a survivor of Uglich. Of course, he declared his rights to the throne and began to gather an army in Poland to go and take back “his” throne by force. I will not now dwell in detail on this man and the elements of his attempt (and a successful one) to seize power. We have a whole article on our website where in detail all events of this stage are considered. You can read it using this link.

I will only say that at this stage Poland did not support False Dmitry. He recruited an army of mercenaries there, but the Polish king Sigismund III distanced himself from this campaign. Moreover, he even warned Godunov that a man was coming “for his soul.”

At this stage:

1. There was a dynastic struggle for power.
2. False Dmitry 1 appeared.
3. The scale of the Time of Troubles was still small. In fact, only the elite were involved in them so far.
4. Murder of False Dmitry 1.

Second stage of the Troubles

After the overthrow of False Dmitry, Vasily Shuisky became king. By the way, far from last role The future king himself played a role in the murder of the impostor. Most historians agree that it was his plot, which he brilliantly implemented. The accession of Shuisky, as the historian Platonov believed, was the beginning of the entry of the Time of Troubles into the second period (noble), marked not only by a dynastic struggle for power, but also by deep social conflicts. Although Shuisky’s reign began very well, with the suppression of Bolotnikov’s uprising. In general, the Bolotnik uprising is an extremely important thing for understanding the essence of the Troubles in Russia. Again, we will not consider this issue in detail in this topic, since this topic has already been discussed by us. Here is a link for reference.

It is important to understand that Bolotnikov’s uprising is not a peasant war, as they often try to present it to us, but a struggle for power in the conditions of the Troubles. Bolotnikov was a man of False Dmitry 1, always acted on his behalf and pursued a specific goal - power.

The Time of Troubles in Russia was characterized by the following phenomenon. Free Cossacks, especially in final stage The Time of Troubles claimed to replace the nobility in its function of military defense of the country. That is, the Time of Troubles had many dimensions, but very important dimension there was a struggle between the nobility and the Cossacks over who would become the main military class of the country. The Cossacks did not fight for freedom. It is they who will fight for freedom later, under Razin, 50 years after the end of the Time of Troubles. Here they fought to take the place of the nobility. This became possible due to the fact that the Oprichnina, having shaken up the situation in the country, left some voids.

Tushins and their role in the Time of Troubles

Dual power remained in Russia for a long time. On the one hand there was the legitimate Tsar Vasily Shuisky in Moscow, and on the other hand there was False Dmitry 2 with the Tushino camp. In fact, this camp became a hotbed of banditry and all kinds of wickedness that plundered the country. It is no coincidence that people later called this man “Tushino thief.” But such a situation was possible only as long as the forces were equal. As soon as Shuisky received Swedish troops for help, and the Polish king Sigismund 3 began a campaign against Smolensk, the Tushino camp automatically disintegrated. The intervention of the Polish king and the collapse of the Tushino camp became an important stage in the development of all the events of the Time of Troubles.

At this stage what happened:

• Victory of the tsarist troops over Bolotnikov.
• The appearance of False Dmitry 2.
• Troubles are becoming widespread. An increasing number of people are becoming involved in events.
• Formation of the Tushino camp as an alternative to the current government.
• Lack of intervention elements.

The third stage of the Time of Troubles in Russia

The death of the Tushino thief and the beginning of the Poles' rule in Moscow became the beginning of the 3rd phase of the Time of Troubles in Russia - national-religious or general social. The situation has been simplified as much as possible. If before 1610 the situation was very difficult, because some Russian forces called foreigners to their side, other Russians called other foreigners, i.e. such a mixed situation. Now the situation has become very simple: the Poles are Catholics, but the Russians are Orthodox. That is, the struggle became national-religious. AND impact force Zemstvo militias became part of this national struggle.

The final heroes of these events were Minin and Pozharsky, who drove the Poles out of the country. But again, we should not idealize the images of these people, since we know little reliably about them. It is only known that Pozharsky was a descendant of Vsevolod the Big Nest, and his campaign against Moscow was the family coat of arms, which directly indicates his attempt to seize power. But that is another story. You can read in this article about the events of those years.

At this stage:

• Polish and Swedish intervention in Russia began.
• Murder of False Dmitry 2.
• The beginning of the Zemstvo militias.
• Capture of Moscow by Minin and Pozharsky. Liberation of the city from Polish invaders.
• Convocation Zemsky Sobor 1613 and the accession of a new ruling dynasty - the Romanovs.

The end of the Time of Troubles

Formally, the Time of Troubles in Russia ended in 1613-1614, with the beginning of the reign of Mikhail Romanov. But in fact, at that moment, only the following was done - the Poles were thrown out of Moscow and... And that’s all! The Polish question was finally resolved only in 1618. After all, Sigismund and Vladislav actively laid claim to the Russian throne, realizing that the local government there was extremely weak. But in the end, the Deulin Truce was signed, according to which Russia recognized all the gains of Poland during the Time of Troubles, and peace was established between the countries for 14.5 years.

But there was also Sweden, which Shuisky called upon. Few people talk about it, but Sweden owned almost all the northern lands, including Novgorod. In 1617, Russia and Sweden signed the Treaty of Stolbovo, according to which the Swedes returned Novgorod, but retained the entire Baltic coast.

Consequences of the Time of Troubles for Russia

Time of Troubles is always a difficult phase, which hits the country very hard, and from which it then takes a very long time to get out. it was the same in Russia. The Troubles formally ended with the accession of the Romanovs, but in fact this was not the case. More long years Russian tsars actively fought against passive, but still elements of the Troubles, in the country.

If we talk about the consequences of the Time of Troubles in Russia, we can highlight the following main consequences:

1. Russia retained its independence and the right to be a state.
2. Creation of a new ruling dynasty of the Romanovs.
3. Terrible economic ruin and exhaustion of the country. Simple people fled en masse to the outskirts.
4. The decline of the authority of the church. People could not understand how the church could allow such passivity in the fight against the interventionists.
5. There was a complete enslavement of the peasants, which had not happened before.
6. Russia lost part of its territory (Smolensk, the Baltic (access to which Peter 1 would later so persistently strive for) and the Northern regions of the country).
7. The country's military potential was virtually destroyed.

These are the main consequences that were extremely important for the country. but most importantly, Russia retained its statehood and continued to develop. Attempts by Poland and Sweden to seize power in Russia ended in nothing.

The difficulty of interpreting the Troubles

The Time of Troubles was very inconvenient for Soviet historians. Pre-revolutionary historiography did not create a strict concept of the Troubles. There are schemes by Klyuchevsky and Platonov (we will talk about them later) - they empirically reflect reality very well, but they do not provide the concept of the Troubles. Because in order to develop the concept of the Time of Troubles in Russia, you must first develop the concept of Russian history and the concept of autocracy. But this was not the case. Soviet historians were doing very poorly with the concept of the Time of Troubles. Actually, Soviet historians did not study any Troubles. Example of Professor Andrey Fursov:

when I took Russian history, or rather the history of the USSR, the questions “Time of Troubles” were not on the tickets. The tickets contained two completely different questions: “Uprising under the leadership of Ivan Bolotnikov” and “Foreign intervention in the early 17th century.”

Andrey Fursov, historian

That is, the Troubles were dispelled as if it had never happened. And it’s clear why. The fact is that in the Time of Troubles, literally everything came into conflict for Soviet historians. WITH class point From the viewpoint, the Soviet historian should have stood on the side of Ivan Bolotnikov, because he fought against the exploiters. But the fact is that Ivan Bolotnikov was a man of False Dmitry 1 (we will talk about this below), and False Dmitry was connected with the Poles and Swedes. And it turns out that Bolotnikov’s uprising is an element of False Dmitry’s activities to betray the country. That is, this is what hits the Russian government system. From a patriotic point of view, there was no way a Soviet historian could be on Bolotnikov’s side. So we decided to make it very simple. The Time of Troubles was integrally dissected: Bolotnikov’s uprising is one thing, and intervention is another. False Dmitry is generally the third. But it was a complete fake. Everything was much more complicated. And all this was very closely connected, and there would be no Bolotnikov without False Dmitry and the Time of Troubles.

What actually was the Time of Troubles in the history of Russia

The Troubles were certainly a revolutionary event. How is a revolution fundamentally different from an uprising? Who knows, by the way, when the term “revolution” appeared as a political term? Hint - is there any connection between the word "revolution" and "revolver"? Besides the fact that revolvers are used in revolutions... Is there any connection between the names “revolution” and “revolver”? The point is that the drum “spins”. The revolution first appeared in 1688 during the so-called “Glorious Revolution” in England, when everything seemed to return to normal. That is, initially a revolution was called a 360-degree turn. We made a turn and returned to our places with some changes. But since the French Revolution of 1789-1799, revolutions began to be called a turn not by 360 degrees, but by 180. That is, they turned, but did not return to the previous point.

Any popular movement can be divided into 3 categories:

1. palace coups. This is a showdown between the elite.
2. uprisings and riots. Active participation accepts the population.
3. revolution. When revolutions occur, what happens is that part of the elite enters into an alliance with part of the population, and throws it against another part of the elite. So at some point, the very top begins to express the interests of society, and not just their own. Therefore, for a short moment of revolution, unity occurs. Then, in most cases, the elite deceives society.

And in the Time of Troubles of the early 17th century, some revolutionary features are certainly visible, especially since after the Time of Troubles the autocratic serfdom system, which had not existed in Rus' before, finally rose to its feet.