Troubles in Russia in the early 17th century: causes, stages, consequences

Troubles of the beginning of the XVII century, the prerequisites, the stages of which will be considered below, is the historical period, accompanied by natural disasters, deep socio-economic and state-political crises. The situation in the country was aggravated by the Polish-Swedish intervention.

Troubles of the 17th Century in Russia: Causes

Crisis phenomena were caused by a number of factors. The first problems occurred, according to historians, because of the termination of the Rurik dynasty and the struggle between the tsarist authorities and the boyars. The latter sought to preserve and strengthen political influence and multiply traditional privileges. The tsarist government, on the contrary, tried to limit these powers. Boyars, in addition, ignored the offer of the Zemstvos. The role of representatives of this class is highly negative. Historians point out that the boyar claims turned into a direct struggle with the tsarist authorities. Their intrigues extremely negatively affected the position of the sovereign. This is what created the favorable soil on which the Troubles appeared in Russia. At the beginning of the XVII century was characterized only from the economic point of view. The situation of the country was very difficult. Subsequently, political and social problems joined this crisis.

Economic situation

Troubles in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century coincided with the conquest of Grozny and the Livonian War. These measures required great effort from the productive forces. The ruin in Veliky Novgorod and the forced displacement of servicemen had an extremely negative impact on the economic situation. So the Troubles began to mature in Russia. The beginning of the 17th century was also marked by widespread hunger. In 1601-1603 thousands of small and large farms were ruined.

Social tension

Troubles in Russia in the early 17th century was fueled by the rejection of the existing system by the masses of runaway peasants, impoverished townspeople, city policemen and Cossack freemen, a large number of servicemen. Introduced oprichnina, according to some researchers, significantly undermined the people's respect and confidence in law and authority.

First Events

How did the Troubles begin to develop in Russia? The beginning of the 17th century, in short, coincided with the reshuffling of forces in the ruling circles. The heir of Grozny, Fyodor the First, did not possess the necessary managerial abilities. The youngest son, Dmitri, was at the time still an infant. After the death of the heirs, the dynasty of the Rurik people ceased. Boyar families - Godunovs and St. George's - approached power. In 1598, the throne was taken by Boris Godunov. The period from 1601 to 1603 years. Were lean. Frosts did not stop even in the summer, and in the autumn, in September, it was snowing. The outbreak of famine claimed about half a million people. Exhausted people went to Moscow, where they were given bread and money. But these events only aggravated economic problems. The landlords were unable to feed servants and slaves and drove them out. The people left without food and shelter began to engage in looting and robbery.

False Dmitry First

Troubles in Russia in the early 17th century coincided with the spread of a rumor that Tsarevich Dmitry survived. From this it followed that Boris Godunov was on the throne illegally. The impostor False Dmitry announced his birth to Adam Vishnevetsky, the Lithuanian prince. After that, he got along with Jerzy Mnishek, the Polish tycoon, and Ragoni, the papal nuncio. At the beginning of 1604 False Dmitry 1 received an audience with the Polish king. After some time, the impostor accepted Catholicism. The rights of False Dmitry were recognized by King Sigismund. The monarch allowed all who wanted to help the Russian Tsar.

Entry to Moscow

False Dmitry entered the city in 1605, on the 20th of June. Boyars led by Belsky publicly recognized him as Prince of Moscow and a legitimate heir. During his reign, False Dmitry focused on Poland and tried to implement some reforms. However, not all boyars recognized the legality of his reign. Almost immediately after the arrival of Falsdmitry, Shuisky began spreading rumors about his imposture. In 1606, in mid-May, the opposition of the boyars took advantage of the population's speeches against Polish adventurers who had come to Moscow for the wedding of False Dmitry, and raised an uprising. In the course of it, the impostor was killed. The coming to power of Shuisky, who represented the Suzdal branch of the Rurikovich, did not bring peace to the state. In the southern regions, the rebellion of Bolotnikov broke out, from which the movement of "thieves" began. Events of 1606-1607 Describes RG Skrynnikov. "Russia in the beginning of the 17th century." Troubles "- a book created by him on the basis of a large volume of documentary material.

False Dmitry II

Nevertheless, there were still rumors in the country about the miraculous salvation of the legitimate prince. In 1607, in the summer, a new impostor appeared in Starodub. Troubles in Russia in the early 17th century continued. By the end of 1608 False Dmitriy 2 achieved the spread of his influence over Yaroslavl, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, Vologda, Galich, Uglich, Kostroma, Vladimir. The impostor settled in the village of Tushino. The faithful capital remained Kazan, Veliky Novgorod, Smolensk, Kolomna, Novgorod, Pereyaslavl-Ryazan.

Semiboyshchina

One of the key events that marked the Troubles in Russia in the early 17th century was a coup. Shuisky, who was in power, was removed. The leadership of the country had a council of seven boyars - Semiboyarschina. As a Russian tsar, they recognized Vsevolod, the Polish prince. The population of many cities swore allegiance to False Dmitry. Among them were those who had recently opposed the impostor. The real threat from False Dmitry II forced the council of the boyars to let Polish-Lithuanian detachments into Moscow. It was supposed that they could overthrow the impostor. However, False Dmitry was warned about this and left the camp in a timely manner.

Militia

Troubles in Russia in the early 17th century continued. The national liberation movement began. It contributed to the formation of militias. The first commander was a nobleman from Ryazan Lyapunov. He was supported by the supporters of False Dmitry II. Among them were the princes Shakhovskoy, Trubetskoi, Masalsky, Cherkassk and others. On the side of the militia there was also a Cossack freeman, whose head was the ataman Zarutskii. The second movement began under the leadership of Kuzma Minin. He invited as a leader Pozharsky. In 1612, in the spring, the camp of the First Militia near Moscow swore allegiance to False Dmitry III. Squads Minin and Pozharsky could not perform in the capital at the time, as there were proponents of the impostor. In this connection, they made Yaroslavl their camp. At the end of August the militia came to Moscow. As a result of a number of battles, the Kremlin, the Polish garrison, who occupied it capitulated, was liberated. After some time a new king was chosen. They became Mikhail Fedorovich.

Effects

Compare the Troubles in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century because of its destructive power and the depth of the crisis in the country can, perhaps, only with the state of the country during the Tatar-Mongol invasion. This terrible period in the life of the state resulted in huge territorial losses, economic decline. The Great Troubles of the early 17th century claimed a huge number of lives. It was ravaged a lot of cities, villages, villages. The population for a long time could not recover to its previous level. Many cities passed into the hands of the enemies and remained in their power for several more decades to come. The area of cultivated land has significantly decreased.