He headed the second militia in 1612. The people's militia of Minin and Pozharsky. Creation and results of popular militias

The conclusion of a military alliance with Sweden and the arrival of Swedish troops gave rise to Sigismund III, who fought with Sweden, to begin open military action against V. Shuisky. The boyars decided to get out of the catastrophic situation by eliminating V. Shuisky. A boyar conspiracy arose against him. In the summer of 1610, V. Shuisky was overthrown from the throne and forcibly tonsured a monk, which meant political death. The boyars invited the son of Sigismund III Vladislav to the throne. The troops of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth entered Moscow, and a Polish administration appeared. However, this did not bring peace. The head of the church, Patriarch Hermogenes, began to call for a fight against the Poles. The Swedish troops demanded payment of their salaries and engaged in robbery and robbery. They captured Novgorod and Novgorod land, Smolensk. Only by relying on the broad support of the people was it possible under these conditions to win and maintain the independence of the state.

At the beginning of 1611, the first militia was formed in the Ryazan land. It included nobles, townspeople of many cities, Cossacks from the camp of False Dmitry P. The nobleman Prokopiy Lyapunov and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky stood at the head of the militia. In March 1611, detachments of the first militia approached Moscow and began the siege of the capital. However, significant disagreements emerged between the noble and Cossack parts of the militia, during which P. Lyapunov was killed by the Cossacks. The first militia disintegrated. Only Prince D. Trubetskoy and the Cossacks remained near Moscow, who subsequently joined the troops of the second militia.

3.Second militia

The people's struggle did not abate. Nizhny Novgorod became its center. Here, in the fall of 1611, on the initiative of the zemstvo elder Kuzma Minin, a second militia was created, the military leader of which was Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. In the spring of 1612, the detachments headed to Yaroslavl, where forces were accumulating for a decisive offensive. The “Council of the Whole Land” was also created there, i.e. the provisional government of the country (it included representatives of the boyars, nobles, townspeople, and clergy), as well as orders - state executive authorities. In August, the militia approached Moscow and besieged the city. Attempts by Polish troops under the command of Hetman Chodkiewicz to break through to the besieged failed. After bloody battles they were driven back from Moscow, and on October 27, 1612, the surrounded garrison laid down their arms.

In 1613, a Zemsky Sobor was held in Moscow to elect a new tsar. With the support of the Cossacks, who were part of the second militia, Mikhail Romanov (1613–1645), the son of Fyodor Romanov (Filaret), was elected king, i.e., the beginning of the reign of a new dynasty was laid.

Topic 7. Russia at the end of the 16th – beginning of the 17th century. Russia in the 17th century

1. Reign of Peter I

Assessing the transformations carried out during the reign of Peter the Great (1682–1725) was and remains one of the most difficult problems of Russian historical science. Formed in the 30s and 40s. 19th century two different approaches to assessing Peter’s reforms and Russian history in general are usually associated with the traditions of Slavophilism, which defends the idea of ​​a special path of development for Russia, and Westernism, based on the ideas of social progress, the laws of which are the same for all peoples. With a certain degree of simplification, we can say that the Slavophiles perceived the transformations of Peter I as an artificial intervention of state power in the course of social development, as a forcible transfer of foreign ideas, customs and institutions to Russian soil. Westerners proceeded from the fact that Peter started and carried out something useful for the country, accelerating its development and eliminating (or reducing) the “lag” between Russia and Europe. Both of these concepts are, of course, prone to exaggeration. The assessment of Peter's transformations should be approached more carefully, taking into account the ambiguity of the trends in the spiritual, political and social development of society that emerged in his time. It should also be taken into account that the objective prerequisites for transformations developed in Russia back in the second half of the 18th century. These include:

1) intensification of the foreign policy and diplomatic activities of the Russian state;

2) intensive development of trade;

3) reforming the financial and tax system;

4) transition from craft production to manufacturing using elements

hired labor and simple mechanisms;

5) a tendency towards the absolutization of supreme power;

6) registration of national legislation (Conciliar Code of 1649);

7) reorganization and improvement of the armed forces (creation of regiments of “foreign order”);

8) the demarcation of society under the influence of Western European culture and Nikon’s church reforms; the emergence of national-conservative and Westernizing movements.

After the death of Alexei Mikhailovich in 1676, 14-year-old Fedor (1676–1682) ascended the throne.

who was seriously ill and could not even walk. In fact, power was seized by his maternal relatives, the Miloslavskys, and his sister Sophia, who was distinguished by her strong will and energy. The ruling circle under the princess was headed by the intelligent and talented Prince V.V. Golitsyn. During this period, the course towards the rise of the nobility and the creation of conditions for the merger of the nobility and boyars into a single class was continued. A strong blow to the class privileges of the aristocracy was dealt in 1682 with the abolition of localism.

With the death of the childless Fyodor Alekseevich in 1682, the question arose about the heir to the throne. Of his two brothers, the weak-minded Ivan could not occupy the throne, and Peter was only 10 years old. At court, a power struggle broke out between the Miloslavskys and the Naryshkins. At a meeting of the “Consecrated Council” and the Boyar Duma, Peter was proclaimed tsar. However, on May 15, 1682, the Streltsy rebelled in Moscow, incited by the head of the Streltsy Prikaz, I.A. Khovansky (at the end of the 17th century, in connection with the creation of regiments of the new system, the role of the archers fell, they lost many privileges, but were still obliged to pay duties and taxes on trades). A rumor was spread around Moscow that Tsarevich Ivan had been strangled. Armed riflemen entered the Kremlin. Mother of Peter N.K. Naryshkina led Peter and Ivan out onto the palace porch. But this did not calm the archers, who wanted to use the palace events for their own purposes. For three days power in Moscow was in the hands of the Streltsy. All prominent supporters of the Naryshkins were killed. In honor of their performance, the archers erected a pillar on Red Square. On cast iron boards nailed to it, the merits of the archers and the names of the boyars executed by them were listed. Peter and Ivan (1682–1696) were proclaimed kings. Princess Sophia became regent until they came of age. However, the position of the archers hardly improved. They tried to install I.A. as the head of the Russian state. Khovansky. However, Khovansky was deceived and summoned to Sophia, captured and executed. The Sagittarius came into obedience. The pillar of Red Square was torn down, many of the archers were executed. Power passed into the hands of Princess Sophia (1682–1689). The de facto ruler under Sophia was her favorite Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn. The government of Sophia achieved the most noticeable results in the field of foreign policy. In 1686, the “Eternal Peace” was concluded with Poland, Russia accepted the obligation to act in alliance with Poland, Austria and Venice against Crimea and Turkey.

Peter grew up in the villages of Kolomenskoye, Preobrazhenskoye, and Semenovskoye near Moscow. At the age of three he began to learn to read and write from clerk Nikita Zotov. Peter did not receive a systematic education; even in his mature years he wrote with grammatical errors. As a teenager, the prince discovered a penchant for military affairs. For Peter's war games, children from two palace villages - Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky - were assembled into "amusing" regiments, which later turned into the first regular guards regiments of the same name, representing an impressive military force. Another favorite brainchild of Peter was the fleet. First, on the Yauza, and then on the largest body of water closest to Moscow - Lake Pleshcheyevo near the city of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky - the foundations of the future Russian fleet were laid. In 1689, Peter, having reached adulthood, married the hawthorn E. Lopukhina. In the person of Peter, the leading part of Russian society saw a tsar-transformer, an irreconcilable fighter against the old, outdated boyar orders and traditions. Relations between Sophia and Peter worsened from year to year and by the summer of 1689 they became such that an open clash became inevitable. On the night of August 8, 1689, Peter’s secret supporters informed him that Sophia was preparing the archers for a campaign against Preobrazhenskoye. Later it turned out that the rumor was false, but, frightened, Peter galloped to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, where the amusing troops soon arrived. An armed struggle was brewing, in which, however, the streltsy regiments, which initially supported Sophia, were not inclined to shed blood for her and, one after another, went over to Peter’s side. He was supported by many boyars and nobles, and the Moscow Patriarch. Sophia was left without armed support. She was imprisoned in the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow. The throne passed to Peter. With the death of Ivan (1696), Peter's autocracy was established.

Peter surrounded himself with capable, energetic assistants, especially military ones. Among the foreigners, the following stood out: the tsar's closest friend F. Lefort, the experienced general P. Gordon, and the talented engineer J. Bruce. And among the Russians, a close-knit group of associates gradually formed, who later made a brilliant political career: A.M. Golovin, G.I. Golovkin, brothers P.M. and F.M. Apraksin, A.D. Menshikov.

One of the most important tasks facing Peter was to continue the fight against Crimea. It was decided to capture Azov, a Turkish fortress at the mouth of the Don. In 1695, Russian troops besieged Azov, but due to a lack of weapons, poorly prepared siege equipment and the lack of a fleet, Azov was not taken.

Having failed at Azov, Peter began building a fleet. The fleet was built on the Voronezh River at its confluence with the Don. During the year, about 30 large ships were built and lowered down the Don. The ground army was doubled. In 1696, blocking Azov from the sea, Russian troops captured the city. In order to strengthen Russian positions on the Sea of ​​​​Azov, the Taganrog fortress was built. However, Russia clearly did not have enough forces to fight Turkey and Crimea. Peter ordered the construction of new ships (52 ships in 2 years) at the expense of landowners and merchants and began searching for allies in Europe. This is how the idea of ​​the “Great Embassy” was born, which took place from 1697 to 1698. Its goals were the creation of an anti-Turkish coalition, familiarization with the political life of Europe, and the study of foreign crafts, life, culture, and military orders. Admiral General F.Ya. was appointed as great ambassadors. Lefort, General F.A. Golovin, head of the embassy department, and Duma clerk P.B. Voznitsyn. The embassy included 280 people, including 35 volunteers who were traveling to learn crafts and military sciences. Among its members, under the name of the sergeant of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, Peter Mikhailov, was Peter himself. During his one and a half year stay abroad, Peter and his embassy visited Courland, Brandenburg, Holland, which was at that time the largest power in Europe (its fleet accounted for 4/5 of the European fleet), England and Austria. The embassy participants met with princes and monarchs, studied shipbuilding and other crafts. During the “embassy”, Peter became convinced that a favorable foreign policy situation had developed for the struggle for the Baltic, since the largest European states were busy with the upcoming War of the Spanish Succession of 1701–1714. – the struggle for vast possessions in Europe and America due to the lack of a direct heir after the death of the Spanish king Charles II.

In the summer of 1698, Peter had to interrupt his trip. In Vienna, he received a secret report about the Streltsy rebellion in Moscow. Even before Peter's arrival, the rebellion was suppressed by government troops. Streltsy regiments marching towards Moscow were defeated near New Jerusalem (now in the area of ​​Istra near Moscow). More than a hundred archers were executed, many of them were exiled to various cities.

Upon his return, Peter forced the verdict to be reconsidered. He personally headed the new investigation. A connection was established between the archers and the reactionary Moscow boyars and Princess Sophia. More than 1,000 archers were executed. The tsar himself and his entourage took part in the executions. Sophia, tonsured a nun, lived under the strictest supervision for the rest of her life in the Novodevichy Convent. The Streltsy army was disbanded, the forces of the boyar opposition were undermined.

Second militia. Liberation of Russia. Russia was threatened with the loss of national independence and the dismemberment of lands. In this difficult, hard time in Nizhny Novgorod, a large and rich city on the Volga, the townspeople, led by Kuzma Minin, a simple “beef trader” (meat merchant) and the town mayor, organized a fundraiser for the creation of a new militia. In the Volga region, Pomorie and other places, militia groups are being created, funds and supplies are being collected.

The second, or Nizhny Novgorod, militia was led by Minin and Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky. The first was in charge of the treasury and the economy of the militia, the second, a native of the family of Suzdal princes, became a military leader. Detachments marched towards Nizhny from all sides, and the militia, which initially had 2-3 thousand soldiers, quickly increased its ranks. In March 1612 it moved from Nizhny to Kostroma and Yaroslavl. Along the way, new reinforcements are poured into it. At the beginning of April, already in Yaroslavl, they created the “Council of the Whole Land” - a government made up of representatives of the clergy and the Boyar Duma, nobles and townspeople; in fact it was headed Pozharsky and Minin. The orders began to work. The militia already consisted of 10 thousand people - nobles, archers, peasants, artisans, traders and others; It included Tatar detachments from Kasimov and Temnikov, Kadom and Alatyr.

Minin and Pozharsky.

In July, the militia left Yaroslavl - its leaders received news that Hetman Khodkevich was marching towards Moscow with an army. The militia marched through Rostov, Pereyaslavl, and Trinity. At the end of the month, the first troops approached the capital from the northern side. In August the main forces appeared. Near the capital they were met by the detachments of Zarutsky and Trubetskoy. But Pozharsky and Minin chose not to unite with them and stood separately. Soon Zarutsky left for Kolomna.

On August 22, Chodkiewicz’s army with a huge convoy, which had arrived from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, settled near Moscow. He tried to break through to the besieged in the Kremlin. But every time he was thrown back by Pozharsky-Minin’s militia and Trubetskoy’s detachments, either west of the Borovitsky Gate, or at the Donskoy Monastery. Without achieving success, having lost many people and carts of food, the hetman left from near Moscow. The siege and fighting continued. Famine began in the Kremlin, and the besieged capitulated at the end of October 1612. The militia solemnly entered the Kremlin - Moscow, the heart of all Russia, was liberated by the efforts of the people, who, in a difficult time for Russia, showed restraint, fortitude, courage, and saved their country from a national catastrophe.

The “Council of the Whole Earth” convened representatives of different segments of the population at the Zemsky Sobor (clergy, boyars, nobility, townspeople, Cossacks, black-sown peasantry). In January 1613, he elected as king the young Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov - the son of the Tushino patriarch Filaret, in the world - the boyar Fyodor Nikitich Romanov, a female relative of the kings Ivan IV the Terrible and Fyodor Ivanovich. The election of the king meant the revival of the country, the protection of its sovereignty, independence and identity.

Liberation of Moscow in 1612. The new government had to solve difficult problems. The country was devastated and exhausted. Gangs of robbers and interventionists roamed the towns and villages. One of these Polish detachments, even before Mikhail Romanov arrived in Moscow (he was then in the Kostroma Ipatiev Monastery), operated in Kostroma and neighboring counties. The ancestral lands of the mother of the newly elected king were located here. It was winter time. The Poles appeared in one of the Romanov villages, seized the headman Ivan Susanin and demanded that he show them the way to where his young master was. Susanin led them into the wilds and, having died himself under the sabers of the enemies, destroyed the detachment. The feat of the Kostroma peasant played a role not only in the salvation of Mikhail Fedorovich, but also in preventing a new unrest in the country in the event of the death of young Romanov.

In October 1612, unable to withstand the famine, the enemy garrison surrendered the Kremlin.

The Moscow authorities are sending military detachments everywhere, and they are gradually liberating the country from gangs. The campaign to Russia, undertaken by the grown-up prince Vladislav in the fall of 1618, ended in failure. On December 1 of the same year, in the village of Deulino, near the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, a truce was concluded for 14.5 years - hostilities ceased, Poland retained Smolensk and some cities along the southwestern border.

Almost two years earlier, on February 27, 1617, peace was established with Sweden under the Treaty of Stolbovo. She was given lands along the southern and eastern shores of the Gulf of Finland with the cities of Ivan-Gorod, Yam, Koporye, and Oreshek. Russia has again lost access to the Baltic Sea.

The task of “pacifying” the country in relations with neighboring countries was finally solved. There remained internal affairs, first of all, the ongoing unrest and uprisings of the offended people. During these years, the rebels captured Cheboksary, Tsivilsk Sanchursk and other cities in the Volga region, Vyatka district and the city of Kotelnich in the northeast. Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan were besieged. In Pskov and Astrakhan, for many years, local “better” and “lesser” people waged a fierce struggle among themselves. In Pskov, in some years, the rebels established “Smerdov autocracy”, removing governors, boyars and nobles from affairs. There were impostors operating in both cities.

The Romanov government organizes the fight against the rebels. The civil war is coming to an end. But its echoes, the last rumbles, were heard for several more years, until 1617-1618.

The Troubles, also called by contemporaries the “Moscow or Lithuanian ruin,” ended. It left serious consequences. Many cities and villages lay in ruins. Russia has lost many of its sons and daughters. Agriculture and crafts were ruined, and commercial life died out. The Russian people returned to the ashes and began, as had been the custom from time immemorial, to a sacred task - they revived their homes and arable lands, workshops and trade caravans.

The Time of Troubles greatly weakened Russia and its people. But it also showed his strength. Beginning of the 17th century heralded the dawn of national liberation.

§The First Romanovs
§On the eve of “Razinshchina”
§Stepan Razin
§Church reforms of the 17th century
§Nikon and Avvakum

Intervention. Civil uprising.

Liberation of Moscow.

TROUBLE - indignation, rebellion, rebellion, sedition, general disobedience, discord between the people and the authorities. IN AND. Dal THE TIME OF TROUBLES is a period of Russian history from 1598 to 1613, from the death of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, the last representative of the Rurik dynasty on the Moscow throne, to the accession of Mikhail Romanov, the first representative of the new dynasty. The era of socio-political, economic and dynastic crisis. It was accompanied by popular uprisings, the rule of impostors, the destruction of state power, Polish-Lithuanian and Swedish intervention, and the ruin of the country.

Intervention is the violent intervention of one or more states in the internal affairs of another. Intervention can be both military and economic, ideological, informational, diplomatic, financial, etc. Polish-Lithuanian intervention (early 17th century) - intervention of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the internal affairs of Russia during the Time of Troubles; actions of the ruling circles of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, aimed at dismembering Russia and eliminating its state independence. Swedish intervention - Swedish military intervention in the internal affairs of Russia during the Time of Troubles with the aim of separating the northwestern (Pskov, Novgorod) and northern Russian regions from Russia. The open intervention of the Swedes in Russia began in the summer of 1610 and developed until 1615.

Militia: Militia is an army, squad, army, especially a people's army, collected in an emergency, a people's or zemstvo army. (according to V.I. Dahl) The first Zemstvo militia is a militia under the leadership of Prokopiy Lyapunov, created in Russia in 1611, during the Time of Troubles to fight the Polish intervention. The second militia is the people's militia under the leadership of K. Minin and D. Pozharsky, created in Russia in 1611, during the Time of Troubles to fight the Polish intervention.

Minin Kuzma (? – 1616) He is also called Kozma, Kosma, by his patronymic - Zakharyevich, by his nickname - Sukhoruky or Sukhoruky, or Zakharyev-Sukhoruky

Pozharsky Dmitry Mikhailovich (1578 - 1642)

Church of John the Baptist in Nizhny Novgorod

Tasks Give definitions: What is unrest? What is an intervention? What is a militia?

Test No. 1 What are the names of the interventions during the Troubles: Polish-Lithuanian and Ottoman Swedish and Greek Greco-Roman and Ottoman Polish-Lithuanian and Swedish In what year did the Polish-Lithuanian intervention begin? In 1147 In 1340 In 1609 In 2015 In what year did the Swedish intervention begin? In 1610 In 1609 In 1054 In 1999 How many people's militias were formed during the Troubles? 10 3 0 2

Test No. 2 When was the first people's militia formed? In June 1505 In January 1611 In December 1700 In September 1445 Who was the leader of the first militia? P.P. Lyapunov K. Minin B. Godunov D. Medvedev When was the second people's militia formed? In September 1611 In April 1054 In October 1598 In December 1611 Who was at the head of the second people's militia? Putin and Medvedev Minin and Pozharsky Bolotnikov and Pugachev Razin and Godunov

Keys to test No. 1 d c a d Keys to test No. 2 b a a b

First militia

The first people's (zemstvo) militia- a militia led by Prokopiy Lyapunov, Ivan Zarutsky and Prince Dmitry Trubetskoy, which tried to put an end to the Polish-Lithuanian occupation of Moscow in 1611.

At the beginning of January 1611, Patriarch Hermogenes began sending letters to Russian cities containing the following appeal:

You see how your fatherland is being plundered, how holy icons and churches are being abused, how innocent blood is being shed... Disasters similar to our disasters have never happened anywhere, you will not find anything like this in any books

The patriarch's letter found a warm response in Ryazan, where governor Prokopiy Lyapunov was the first of the future leaders of the people's militia to begin gathering patriots of the Russian land for the campaign and liberation of Moscow from the invaders and already sent out letters on his own behalf, calling for the fight against the Poles.

The Poles, having learned about this, called for help to destroy the Ryazan cities of the Little Russian Cossacks, who occupied a number of cities, including Pronsk. Lyapunov recaptured the city from them, but he himself came under siege. The Zaraisk governor, Prince D. M. Pozharsky, came to Lyapunov’s aid. Having freed Lyapunov, Pozharsky returned to Zaraysk. But the Cossacks, who had left near Pronsk, captured at night the Zaraisk fortifications (fortress) around the Kremlin, where Pozharsky was located. Pozharsky managed to knock them out of there, the survivors fled.

Lyapunov’s militia was significantly strengthened by former supporters of the “Tushinsky Thief”, who, however, subsequently ruined his initiative. Among them were Prince D.T. Trubetskoy, Masalsky, princes Pronsky and Kozlovsky, Mansurov, Nashchokin, Volkonsky, Volynsky, Izmailov, Velyaminov.

The Cossack freemen, led by atamans Zarutsky and Prosovetsky, also went over to the side of the militia.

In January 1611, the residents of Nizhny Novgorod, having confirmed themselves by kissing the cross (oath) with the Balakhonians (residents of the city of Balakhna), sent letters of conscription to the cities of Ryazan, Kostroma, Vologda, Galich and others, asking to send warriors to Nizhny Novgorod in order to “stand for... the faith and for The Moscow state is one." The appeals of Nizhny Novgorod residents were successful. Many Volga and Siberian cities responded.

Ryazan governor Prokopiy Lyapunov, in turn, sent his representatives to Nizhny Novgorod to coordinate the timing of the campaign against Moscow and asked Nizhny Novgorod residents to take with them more military supplies, in particular gunpowder and lead.

The advance detachment of Nizhny Novgorod residents set out from Nizhny Novgorod on February 8, and the main forces under the command of the governor, Prince Repnin, on February 17. In Vladimir, the advanced detachment of Nizhny Novgorod residents united with the Cossack detachment of Prosovetsky. Repnin, joining forces with Masalsky and Izmailov on the road, caught up with the advance detachment and all of them together reached Moscow in mid-March 1611, where they met with the troops of Lyapunov and other governors. Among Lyapunov’s associates, the Zaraisk governor, Prince Pozharsky, arrived with his detachment. The Polish garrison of Moscow numbered 7 thousand soldiers under the command of Hetman Gonsevsky, 2000 of them were German mercenaries.

On March 19, 1611, the first detachments of the First Militia reached the walls of Moscow, where a popular uprising began, which was brutally suppressed by a detachment of German mercenaries. According to some reports, up to 7 thousand Muscovites died. The large number of casualties is due to the fire that broke out during the riots. Prince Andrei Vasilyevich Golitsyn, who was in custody, was also killed.

Among the Muscovites were the advanced militia detachments that had entered the city, led by Prince Pozharsky, Buturlin and Koltovsky. Pozharsky's detachment met the enemies on Sretenka, repulsed them and drove them to Kitai-Gorod. Buturlin's detachment fought at the Yauz Gate, Koltovsky's detachment fought at Zamoskvorechye. Seeing no other way to defeat the enemy, Polish troops were forced to set fire to the city. Special companies were appointed, which set fire to the city from all sides. Most of the houses were set on fire. Many churches and monasteries were looted and destroyed.

On March 20, the Poles counterattacked a detachment of the First Militia, which had settled in Lubyanka. Pozharsky was seriously wounded and was taken to the Trinity Monastery. The Poles' attempt to occupy Zamoskvorechye failed, and they fortified themselves in Kitay-Gorod and the Kremlin.

On March 24, a detachment of Prosovetsky’s Cossacks approached Moscow, but it was attacked by the Polish cavalry of Sborovsky and Strus, suffered significant losses and retreated. In the skirmish, about 200 of Prosovetsky’s Cossacks were killed, after which he went on the defensive (“settled down in the walking cities”). The Poles did not dare to attack and returned to Moscow.

On March 27, the main forces of the First Militia approached Moscow: detachments of Lyapunov, Zarutsky and others. A militia of 100 thousand people strengthened itself at the Simonov Monastery. By April 1, the militia was already assembled. On April 6, it attacked the towers of the White City, and on May 22, the towers of Kitai-Gorod.

Having stopped near Moscow, the people's militia did not begin active military operations against the Poles who found themselves under siege, but began to restore the structures of power. On the basis of the army headquarters, the Zemsky Sobor was founded, consisting of “vassal Tatar khans (princes), boyars and okolnichy, palace officials, clerks, princes and murzas (Tatar princes), nobles and boyar children, Cossack atamans, delegates from ordinary Cossacks and all service people.

In the militia, antagonism immediately emerged between the Cossacks and the nobles: the former sought to preserve their freedom, the latter - to strengthen serfdom and state discipline. This was complicated by personal rivalry between two prominent figures at the head of the militia - Ivan Zarutsky and Prokopiy Lyapunov. The Poles skillfully took advantage of this. They sent fabricated letters to the Cossacks, where it was written that Lyapunov was allegedly trying to destroy the Cossacks.

Lyapunov was summoned to the Cossack circle and hacked to death on June 22, 1611. After this, most of the nobles left the camp; Cossacks under the command of Zarutsky and Prince Trubetskoy remained until the approach of the Second Militia of Prince Pozharsky.

Second militia

The second people's or second zemstvo militia - arose in September 1611 in Nizhny Novgorod to fight the Polish invaders. It continued to actively form during the journey from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow, mainly in Yaroslavl in April - July 1612. Consisted of detachments of townspeople and peasants from the central and northern regions of Russia. Leaders - Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. In August 1612, with part of the forces remaining near Moscow from the First Militia, it defeated the Polish army near Moscow, and in October 1612, it completely liberated the capital from occupation by the interventionists.

The initiative to organize the Second People's Militia came from the crafts and trade people of Nizhny Novgorod, an important economic and administrative center in the Middle Volga. At that time, about 150 thousand males lived in the Nizhny Novgorod district (in Nizhny itself there were about 3.5 thousand male residents, of which about 2-2.5 thousand were Posad people), there were up to 30 thousand households in 600 villages.

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Causes of the First Militia

see also: Seven Boyars

At the end of the first decade of the 17th century. The situation of the Russian state was very difficult. The siege of Smolensk lasted for almost two years, which fell in June 1611. The Polish troops that found themselves in Moscow behaved like conquerors. Swedish mercenaries held Novgorod. Detachments of Tushinites “walked” around the country; Robber gangs appeared, which included both Russian “thieves” and Poles. They plundered lands, destroyed cities and monasteries.

The Boyar Duma did not enjoy authority and power; the boyars practically did not govern the country. In different parts of the state, different authorities were recognized: some - the Polish prince, others - the newly born baby Marina Mnishek as the legitimate son of Tsarevich Dmitry; third - False Dmitry II.

The Russian kingdom was threatened with loss of integrity and independence. The Troubles led to such a sad result. The question was: either the people will “wake up” and defend their country themselves, or Russia will perish. Decisive and bold steps were needed. The deadlock political situation created by the selfishness of the Seven Boyars and the stubbornness of King Sigismund could not remain forever.

Formation of the First Militia

The initiative to create a militia was taken by the elected authorities of the cities. They began to send letters to each other calling on them to give up the power of the “traitors” who had settled in the Kremlin.

Only by rising up “with the whole earth” could it be possible to liberate Moscow and legally, at the Zemsky Sobor, choose a new tsar.

Having initiated the rise of the people by Patriarch Hermogenes, a Zemsky Sobor of service people was convened - “The Council of the Whole Earth.” The first militia was led by governor Prokopiy Lyapunov, as well as Prince Dmitry Trubetskoy and Cossack ataman Ivan Zarutsky. The participants of the campaign pursued not only selfish goals. Patriotic sentiments are clearly visible in their actions: the desire to cleanse Moscow of interventionists and place an Orthodox Tsar on the throne.

Composition of the First Militia

After the death of False Dmitry II, the Cossack ataman I. S. Zarutsky became his political heir, who proclaimed the newly born son of False Dmitry II and Marina Mnishek Ivan king. Together with Prince D.T. Trubetskoy, Zarutsky led his regiments to Moscow. At the same time as the former Tushins, detachments of Ryazan nobles under the command of P. P. Lyapunov moved towards Moscow.

The militia's march on Moscow

From the beginning of 1611, detachments of the First Militia from different cities moved towards the capital and in March 1611 approached Moscow.

Residents of Moscow were burdened by the presence of foreigners. In March 1611, the townspeople of the capital rebelled against the Poles. However, the Poles and their Russian henchmen managed to save the situation by starting a fire. Fires started in the city. Forgetting about the rebellion, the townspeople rushed to save their property. The raging fire destroyed most of the Moscow suburb, almost all of Moscow burned out. Material from the site http://wikiwhat.ru

The army of Lyapunov, Trubetskoy and Zarutsky approached Moscow a few days after the fire. The militia had already entered the burning city. They managed to capture the White City. The Poles took refuge behind the walls of Kitay-Gorod and the Kremlin, which were not damaged by the fire. An attempt to storm the powerful city fortifications was repulsed by the besieged.

Militia failure

Soon, discord began in the militia camp, and enmity broke out between the nobles and the Cossacks. It was skillfully inflated by the Poles and supporters of the Seven Boyars. The leader of the movement, Lyapunov, was summoned to the Cossack circle, suspected and accused of treason, and killed by the Cossacks. After this, the nobles who had lost their leader went home. The militia as a single force ceased to exist. However, the Cossack troops continued to stand near Moscow and from time to time made attempts to storm it.

Thus, the First Militia disintegrated without liberating the capital from the Poles. The situation in the country became almost hopeless.

On this page there is material on the following topics:

• Formation of 1 militia in Russian cities

• Boltnikov's rebellion

• Militia and liberation of Moscow table

• Composition of participants of the 1st militia

• Date of liberation of Moscow from the Poles

Questions for this article:

• From which cities and where did the First People's Militia go?

Material from the site http://WikiWhat.ru

Prerequisites for the “Troubles” and its general periodization

At the turn of the 16th–17th, the Moscow state experienced a severe crisis that affected all spheres of life and brought it to the brink of existence. The main prerequisites for the unrest were the ruin of the country as a result of the Livonian War and the oprichnina, and the intensification of social conflicts.

Main directions of social conflicts:

the struggle of the peasants against enslavement (restricted summers were introduced, and then a five-year period for the search and return of fugitive and deported peasants);
boyars against autocracy;
petty service people are also dissatisfied with their position.
The effect of these socio-economic factors was intensified by the socio-psychological state of society: the oprichnina led to the moral degradation of society: According to the great Russian historian S.M. Solovyov, “a terrible habit has taken hold of not respecting the life, honor, and property of one’s neighbor.” While the rulers of the usual dynasty sat on the Moscow throne, the vast majority of the population meekly obeyed. But the suppression of the dynasty led to general unrest and crisis. A huge number of “thieves’ people” appeared - marginalized people, not bound by any moral restrictions, ready to fight under any banner.

The most prominent researcher of the “Troubles,” Academician Sergei Platonov, distinguished its three periods: dynastic, social and national.

“Dynastic” period – 1598–1606. (reign of Boris Godunov and False Dmitry I).

“Social” period – Bolotnikov’s uprising in 1606–1607.
“National” period – 1607–1612. (the fight against invaders is increasingly coming to the fore)
Naturally, there is a large degree of convention in such periodization, since all these three aspects were traced throughout the “time of troubles.”

"Dynastic" period of "turmoil"

On the eve of the “Troubles” in 1584–1598. reign of Tsar Fedor. A certain stabilization of the country’s internal and international situation.

The real ruler of the state becomes the boyar Boris Fedorovich Godunov, who was promoted back under Grozny - the tsar's brother-in-law (he was married to his sister Irina). He was an intelligent and ambitious figure who strived for power. Since Godunov came from a minor boyar family, representatives of the Moscow nobility treated him with envy and hostility.

In 1591, in the city of Uglich (on the Volga), an event took place, the consequences of which had a great influence on the course of subsequent events: under mysterious circumstances, the young Tsarevich Dmitry died; Rumors began to spread among the people that the prince was killed on the orders of Boris Godunov, who was striving for the throne.
Tsar Boris Godunov (1598 – 1605)

After the death of the childless Tsar Feodor in 1598, the Rurik dynasty on the Moscow throne came to an end, and Boris Godunov was elected to the throne by the Zemsky Sobor.

By all accounts, while on the throne, Boris Godunov showed himself to be a talented ruler, tried to pursue a balanced policy, and sought to reconcile the interests of various groups in society. Particular attention is paid to strengthening the western borders of the Moscow state. The danger from the West is becoming increasingly acute, as the Polish-Lithuanian feudal lords are making plans for the complete subjugation of Russia. This goal was to be served by an agreement on the unification (union) of the Catholic and Orthodox churches. It was proclaimed in 1596 in Brest, and since then, until the present time, the Uniates (supporters of this union) have played an important (not only religious, but also political role) in the life of this region. Boris Godunov managed to conclude a truce with Poland for several years. A defensive outpost was erected on the western border - the powerful Smolensk Fortress (under the leadership of the architect Fyodor Kon).

However, we can say that the new king was fatally unlucky: in addition to social contradictions, a natural factor intervened. In 1601 there was a terrible harvest failure, which lasted for another two years. Famine began in the country; food aid provided to the population by order of the king turned out to be insufficient. In Moscow alone, 127 thousand people who died of hunger were buried. Many boyars, in order not to feed their slaves, set them free. Numerous armed groups gather from those released and fugitives. The main focus of concentration of dissatisfied and rebellious elements is the western outskirts of the state (the so-called Seversk Ukraine). Already in 1603, the government barely managed to suppress a significant movement of dissatisfied people under the leadership of Cotton.

In such an explosive situation, Tsar Boris had a mysterious and terrible enemy: a young man appeared in Poland who called himself Tsarevich Dmitry, the son of Ivan the Terrible, and declared his intention to go to Moscow, to obtain the “ancestral throne.” Historians are still arguing about the identity of that impostor. At that time, the official version was that he was a Galich boyar's son, Grigory Otrepyev, who became a monk at the Chudov Monastery in Moscow, but then fled to Lithuania, so he was subsequently called a "disassembled" (fugitive monk).

Some Polish magnates agreed to help him, and in October 1604, False Dmitry entered Moscow and issued an appeal to the people with the message that God had saved him. The population of Seversk Ukraine began to go over to his side, the troops sent against the rebels showed “shakyness” and “bewilderment” - were they going against the legitimate tsar?

In April 1605, Tsar Boris unexpectedly died, the troops went over to the side of “Dmitry” and in June Moscow triumphantly received the “natural” sovereign (1605–1606). Boris Godunov’s wife and son were killed before False Dmitry came to Moscow.

The new king seemed to be an active and energetic ruler, confidently holding his “ancestral” throne. In diplomatic contacts with other countries, he assumed the title of "emperor" and tried to create a large alliance of European powers to fight against Turkey. But he soon began to arouse dissatisfaction by the fact that he did not observe old Russian customs and rituals (it is believed that he was the first “Western” tsar, a kind of predecessor of Peter I). The Poles who came with him behaved arrogantly and arrogantly in Moscow, offended and insulted Muscovites.

Discontent especially increased when, at the beginning of May 1606, his bride, Marina Mniszech, came to the tsar from Poland, and he married her and crowned her as queen, although she refused to convert to Orthodoxy. Taking advantage of this discontent, the boyars, led by Vasily Shuisky, prepared a conspiracy. Having raised the alarm bells against the Poles, on the night of May 17, 1606, the conspirators broke into the Kremlin and killed the Tsar. According to legend, the corpse of “Dmitry” was burned and, after mixing the ashes with gunpowder, they fired it from a cannon in the direction from which it came.

Vasily Shuisky, who after this became king (reign: 1606–1610), was known as an old intriguer and a liar; he was not respected. The main result of the “dynastic” stage of “turmoil” is a catastrophic decline in the authority of power, the collapse of all restraining ties, and the beginning of a “war of all against all.”

“Social” stage of “turmoil”. Beginning of the Civil War

Bolotnikov's uprising. Soon after the overthrow of “Tsar Dmitry,” an uprising began in the cities of Seversk Ukraine under the leadership of the Putivl governor, Prince Shakhovsky (he was later called “the breeder of all blood”). Then the leader of the uprising became Shakhovsky’s former slave, Ivan Bolotnikov. In his appeals, he called on the lower classes to exterminate the rich and noble and take away their property, which provided him with massive support. At the same time, Tula and Ryazan service people rebelled under the leadership of Pashkov and Lyapunov.

Bolotnikov's army and the rebel servicemen united near Moscow. But when the supporters of Pashkov and Lyapunov became better acquainted with their ally, with his “program” and actions, they decided to choose the lesser of two evils and at the decisive moment of the battle near Moscow went over to the side of the tsar. Bolotnikov was defeated and retreated first to Kaluga, then to Tula, where he was besieged by tsarist troops and forced to surrender (he was then blinded and drowned).

"Tushinsky thief."

The masses of participants in the uprising scattered, ready to resume the fight if a new leader was found. Such a one soon appeared in the person of the second False Dmitry. Under his banners gathered not only representatives of the oppressed lower classes, but also part of the service people, Cossacks, detachments of Poles - in a word, everyone who sought to profit from the conditions of unrest. False Dmitry approached Moscow and settled in the village of Tushino near Moscow (hence his nickname - “Tushino Thief”).

Growing external danger and the fight against invaders

Not being able to defeat the “Tushins,” Tsar Vasily agreed on military assistance with the Swedes. The enemy of Sweden, the Polish king Sigismund, took advantage of this - in 1609 he crossed the border and besieged Smolensk. Next summer (1610). after the defeat of the tsarist troops near Moscow near the village. Klushino Shuisky finally lost his authority and was overthrown.

The boyar government (“seven boyars”) came to power and decided to elect the son of King Sigismund Vladislav to the throne. Moscow swore allegiance to Vladislav as its future king, and with the consent of the boyars, Polish troops entered Moscow.

For the time being, the Poles were tolerated as protection from the main danger - the “Tushins”. However, at the end of 1610, False Dmitry II was killed, and now popular discontent was increasingly directed towards foreign occupiers. Patriarch Hermogenes became the initiator of the struggle for the revival of national statehood at this time.

At the beginning of 1611, the first zemstvo militia was created, which tried to liberate Moscow. It collapsed due to a conflict between service people and the Cossacks. After this, the initiator of the new zemstvo militia was Nizhny Novgorod, led by the zemstvo elder Kuzma Minin. Voivode Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky was invited to become the head of the militia. After the arrival of the militia in Yaroslavl, a new temporary supreme power was actually formed - the “council of the whole earth.”

In October 1612, Moscow was finally liberated. At the beginning of 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected 16-year-old Mikhail Romanov as the new tsar. Thus the turmoil ended and the beginning of a new dynasty was laid, which ruled the country until the new turmoil in February 1917.

Consequences and historical significance of the "troubles"

For many years the “turmoil” terribly ruined and weakened the country. According to contemporaries, at that time it was possible to drive for days on end without meeting a living person - just crows over abandoned villages. In the subsequent period, the revival of the Moscow state took place with great difficulty.

Long-term consequences - the events of the turmoil left a deep mark on the psychology of the Russian people, who became stronger in the idea of ​​​​the need to support autocratic power, because even harsh and sometimes unjust power turned out to be better than general collapse and anarchy. After all, the disasters experienced were primarily the result not of an external invasion (it was a consequence of the weakening of the state), but of internal turmoil. All this strengthened the position of the autocracy, especially since during the turmoil the old nobility weakened even more: it was either exterminated or to a large extent discredited itself with its “shakyness.” The difficult restoration of the devastated country forced the state to strengthen state duties and contributed to the strengthening of serfdom.

The events of the troubled times at the same time showed the enormous vitality of our people: they were able to find within themselves the strength to save and revive the country in an almost hopeless situation. The Russians turned out to be not passive and submissive “slaves,” but proactive people who retained certain democratic traditions (militia on their own initiative) and the ability to act together. There are many heroic deeds: the long-term resistance of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery to the “Tushins”, Smolensk - to the Poles, the feat of Ivan Susanin.

E. Lissner. Expulsion of Polish interventionists from the Moscow Kremlin

The Time of Troubles refers to the hard times of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when the Russian kingdom found itself in a deep social crisis. There was a process of formation of the serfdom system, which caused widespread protest among the peasant masses and the urban lower classes. The origins of the Troubles must be sought in wars, and in the tyranny and repressions of Tsar Ivan IV, and in the boyar civil strife, which undermined the economy and the moral strength of the people. The heirs of Grozny were unable to withstand the destruction of strong state power and the onslaught of external enemies who were expecting easy prey.

As a result of Polish and Swedish intervention, the young centralized Russian state was brought to the brink of a national catastrophe. The main border strongholds - the fortified cities of Smolensk and Novgorod - fell. For two years, the ancient capital of Moscow was in the hands of foreigners. The country, which was betrayed by the ruling boyar elite, was subjected to terrible devastation.

It seemed that Russia would not survive the “great ruin.” But the capture of Moscow by the Poles caused a powerful patriotic wave, which arose in Nizhny Novgorod and put a prince and a simple citizen at the head of the people's (zemstvo) militia. Having demonstrated remarkable organizational and military talents, they achieved the liberation of the capital of the Fatherland from foreigners.

Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky Kuzma Minich Minin (Ankudinov)

Moscow was captured by the Poles due to the betrayal of the Boyar Duma (“seven-numbered boyars”, “seven boyars”), led by Prince Fyodor Mstislavsky. Fearing their own people and seeking protection from them, the boyars proclaimed the young son of the Polish king Sigismund III, Prince Vladislav, king: “It is better to serve the sovereign than to be beaten by your slaves.”

On the night of September 21 (November 1), 1610, the “Seven Boyars” allowed the 8,000-strong Polish army of Hetman Zholkiewski into Moscow. The Poles occupied the Kremlin and Kitai-Gorod with their stone walls. Before this, the boyars sent almost the entire Moscow garrison from the capital to fight the Swedes, and the capital found itself without defenders.

Hetman Stanislav Zholkiewski

The first zemstvo militia of the Ryazan voivode, created to liberate Moscow from foreigners, did not fulfill its task. It approached the capital belatedly, when the anti-Polish uprising of Muscovites (one of its leaders was Prince Dmitry Pozharsky) failed in March 1611, and most of the city was burned. The militia blocked the city, but disagreements between the Cossacks and the serving nobility led to the death of Lyapunov. The militia went home, only the Cossacks remained near Moscow, led by Ataman Ivan Zarutsky and Prince Dmitry Trubetskoy.

In such conditions, Nizhny Novgorod took over the banner of the liberation struggle. In response to the letters of the patriarch who was imprisoned by the Poles, the Nizhny Novgorod zemstvo elder Kuzma Minin, from among the “young trading people” (small traders), in October 1611 appealed to the townspeople to create a new people’s militia to fight foreign invaders.

B. Zvorykin. His Holiness Patriarch Hermogenes in the dungeon of the Chudov Monastery

P.P. Chistyakov. Patriarch Hermogenes refuses the Poles to sign the letter

The patriotic appeal received the warmest response from Nizhny Novgorod residents. On Minin’s advice, the townspeople gave “a third of their money”, that is, a third of their property, for the creation and maintenance of the zemstvo army.

M.I. Peskov. Minin's appeal to the people of Nizhny Novgorod in 1611. 1861

The headman himself donated not only “his entire treasury” to the needs of the militia, but also gold and silver frames from icons and his wife’s jewelry. But since there were not enough voluntary contributions, a forced levy was announced from all Nizhny Novgorod residents: each of them had to contribute a fifth of their income from fishing and trading activities to the treasury of the militia.

HELL. Kivshenko. Appeal from Kuzma Minin to Nizhny Novgorod residents. 1611

Nizhny Novgorod residents invested Kuzma Minin with the title of “elected person by the whole earth.” The “Council of All the Earth” created in the city essentially became a provisional government. On the advice of Minin, the “artful” prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky was invited to the post of chief (first) commander of the militia, who, after being wounded, was treated in the nearby village of Mugreevo, Suzdal district. An honorary embassy was sent to him.

Pozharsky accepted the invitation to lead the zemstvo army, that is, organizing the recruitment of military men, training warriors, and commanding them in campaigns and battles. Kuzma Minin began to manage the militia treasury. So these two people, elected by the people and invested with their trust, became the heads of the Nizhny Novgorod militia.

S. Malinovsky. Nizhny Novgorod feat. 1611 1996

Various people were accepted into the militia, ready to fight for the just cause of “cleansing” Moscow of Poles: archers and serving nobles, Cossacks, townspeople and peasants. Kuzma Minin invited a large detachment of serving Smolensk nobles into the zemstvo army, who, after the fall of Smolensk, went with their families to the Arzamas district, showing in practice faithful service to the Fatherland.

At the beginning of March, the Nizhny Novgorod militia set out on a campaign. He was hurried by both time and the coming spring, which threatened the road with mud.

Prince Pozharsky at the head of the militia. Chromolithography based on a painting by T. Krylov. 1910

Before this, Prince Pozharsky occupied the city of Yaroslavl, sending there a cavalry detachment under the command of his cousin Prince Dmitry Lopata-Pozharsky. Along the way, separate detachments occupied the cities of Kostroma, Suzdal and a number of others.

In Yaroslavl, the militia stayed for four whole months: it was replenished with people who underwent military training, weapons and treasury were obtained. Connections were established with the Russian North (Pomerania), Volga cities and Siberia. A new administration was created locally. In Yaroslavl, the “Zemstvo government” finally took shape. A Money Court was created in the city, orders worked, including the Posolsky.

During the “Yaroslavl sitting” the second zemstvo militia doubled its forces. Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin brought over 10 thousand serving local people (nobles), up to 3 thousand Cossacks, at least a thousand archers and a large number of “dacha people” (peasants liable for military service) to the walls of Moscow. There is no information about the number of artillery. This is not counting those detachments that were sent from Yaroslavl around the country, primarily to protect the northern lands from the Swedes who captured Novgorod.

The Monk Dionysius blesses Prince Pozharsky and citizen Minin for the liberation of Moscow. High relief. Eastern corner of the northern wall of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior

The residents of Nizhny Novgorod developed a complex relationship with the leaders of the remnants of the first zemstvo militia (“Moscow camps”) - the prince and the ataman. They claimed a leading role in the upcoming struggle for Moscow. Ataman Zarutsky even went so far as to organize an assassination attempt on Pozharsky in Yaroslavl. After his failure, when the Nizhny Novgorod residents approached, he fled with part of his Cossacks from near Moscow.

The Nizhny Novgorod militia set out from Yaroslavl on July 27 (August 6), 1612, upon receiving the news that the Polish king had sent a 12,000-strong army led by the Lithuanian hetman Jan-Karol Chodkiewicz to the rescue of the Moscow garrison. It was necessary to get ahead of him, so Prince Pozharsky sent forward to Moscow a strong cavalry detachment of Prince Vasily Turenin, ordering him to occupy the Chertolsky (now Kropotkinsky) gate. The main forces of Nizhny Novgorod took up positions at the Arbat Gate.

Approaching Moscow on August 20 (30), Pozharsky and Minin refused to become a single camp with the “Cossack camps” of Prince Dmitry Trubetskoy, who stood near the Crimean Bridge, and where there were many abandoned dugouts and huts. Having passed through the city fires, the Nizhny Novgorod militia took a position between the Arbat and Chertolsky gates. The flanks were covered by cavalry detachments. Several forts with moats were built.

Khodkiewicz's army (most of it consisted of Cossacks who were in the service of the King of Poland) approached Moscow on the morning of August 21 (31). The enemy had over 15 thousand people, including the regiments of Strus and Budila, entrenched behind the strong walls of the Kremlin and Kitai-Gorod. The forces of the parties, according to researchers, were not equal. According to the calculations of the historian G. Bibikov, the militia of Pozharsky and Minin that arrived in the capital could have no more than 6-7 thousand warriors. The rest of his forces were scattered along the way. Trubetskoy had approximately 2.5 thousand Cossacks.

At dawn on August 22 (September 1), Hetman Khodkevich began a breakthrough to the Kremlin to deliver a huge convoy of provisions for the besieged garrison. The battle began with a cavalry battle on the Devichye Field (near the Novodevichy Convent). This battle lasted seven hours, and only then did the royal people begin to push back the enemy. After this, the battle began among the ruins of the burnt out city. The battle that day ended with a bold attack by the Cossack detachments of atamans Afanasy Kolomna, Druzhina Romanov, Filat Mozhanov and Makar Kozlov, after which the hetman ordered a retreat.

The battle resumed a day later, on August 24 (September 3). Now Khodkevich struck through Zamoskvorechye. The fights again assumed the most stubborn and fierce character. Having pushed back the militia, the Poles brought a huge convoy into the city. It was already very close to the Kremlin. During the battle, the Cossacks of Prince Trubetskoy went to their “camps”. Only the persuasion of the cellarer of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and Kuzma Minin could return them to the battlefield.

Already in the evening, Minin, having taken three reserve cavalry hundreds and a detachment of the defector captain Khmelevsky, crossed the Moscow River and decisively attacked the enemy barrier at the Crimean courtyard. The Poles fled, which became common in the hetman's army. The militia launched a general counterattack, but Prince Pozharsky prudently ordered the pursuit of those who fled to stop.

Banner of Prince Pozharsky. 1612

Hetman Khodkevich went to the Sparrow Hills, stood there all night and early in the morning of August 25 (September 4) with “great shame” fled from Moscow to the West. A huge convoy with provisions for the “Kremlin inmates” (who unsuccessfully went on a sortie) became the main trophy of the winners. Now the days of the Polish garrison besieged in the Kremlin and Kitai-Gorod were numbered.

The defeat of the Polish interventionists in Moscow

At the end of September 1612, the Nizhny Novgorod army united with the remnants of the first zemstvo militia into a single army. State power also became unified. Meanwhile, the besieged began to starve. But the Poles stubbornly did not want to capitulate for fear of responsibility for the atrocities committed and in anticipation of a new attempt by their king to help them.

Negotiations for surrender began on October 22 (November 1). On that day, the Cossacks, who did not want any concessions to the enemy, stormed Kitay-Gorod, from where the besieged fled to the Kremlin. On October 26 (November 5), the Kremlin garrison agreed to lay down their arms and surrender to the mercy of the victors. The agreement was signed and sealed with a kiss of the cross. It said that the lives of the royal people would be spared on the condition that they hand over the looted state valuables they had to the treasury.

The next day, October 27 (November 6), the surrender of the royal garrison began. The regiment of Strus, which went to the camp of Prince Trubetskoy, was almost completely exterminated by the Cossacks, among whom were many fugitive peasants and slaves from places that the Poles subjected to terrible devastation during the Time of Troubles. Budila's regiment generally survived the capitulation, since Prince Pozharsky did not allow bloodshed. The prisoners of war were sent to cities, where they were kept until they were exchanged for Russian people who were in Polish captivity.

On the same day, October 27 (November 6), 1612, the people's militia solemnly, under the ringing of bells, entered the Kremlin devastated and desecrated by the invaders

On Sunday, November 1 (11), a thanksgiving prayer service was held on Red Square near Lobnoye Mesto. Muscovites, together with Nizhny Novgorod militias and Cossacks, celebrated the cleansing of the capital from foreign invaders. The liberation of the entire Fatherland from Polish and Swedish invaders was still far away. But a solid foundation for this matter had already been laid thanks to the works of the prince-voivode Dmitry Pozharsky and the “elected person by the whole earth” Kuzma Minin.

I.P. Martos. Monument to Minin and Pozharsky on Red Square in Moscow.
Built in 1818

The great historical victory that was won surrounded the heroes of the “Battle of Moscow” with an aura of eternal glory as the liberators of Moscow from the Poles in the cruel times of the Time of Troubles. Since those years, Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Nizhny Novgorod townsman Kuzma Minin have become for Russia a symbol of selfless service to the Fatherland, its national heroes.

The tomb of Kuzma Minin in the tomb of the Transfiguration Cathedral in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin with the words of Peter the Great carved on the stone - “Here lies the savior of the Fatherland.” 1911

Material prepared by the Research Institute (military history)
Military Academy of the General Staff
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

The struggle of the Russian people against the Swedish-Polish invaders.

After the assassination of False Dmitry II on December 11, 1610, the turmoil acquired predominantly the character of a national struggle, in which the Russians sought to free themselves from the Polish invaders. External danger brought to the fore national and religious interests, which temporarily united the warring classes. In the winter of 1611, the first people's militia was formed in the Ryazan land, led by Prokopiy Lyapunov. The militia included residents of Nizhny Novgorod, Murom, Yaroslavl, Vologda, Kostroma, Cossacks led by I. Zarutsky. The militia approached Moscow. On March 19, 1611, an uprising of Muscovites broke out in the capital. Street battles broke out, in which the interventionists began to fail. Then they set fire to the city, which burned to the ground. The Polish garrison took refuge behind the walls of the Kremlin and Kitay-Gorod.

When the militia approached Moscow, they found only ashes in its place. Tushino nobles led by D.T. joined Lyapunov. Trubetskoy and the Cossacks under the command of Ataman Ivan Zarutsky. The siege of the Polish garrison began. There was a split within the militia. Lyapunov spoke out in favor of the return of the fugitive peasants, which led to discontent among the peasant militias and Cossacks. Lyapunov was killed in the Cossack circle. Soon the first zemstvo militia disintegrated. Only Cossack detachments remained near the capital.

Meanwhile, Sigismund II took bloodless Smolensk. The Swedes began negotiations with the Novgorod boyars about recognizing the son of the King of Sweden, Karl Philip, as the Russian Tsar.

In the fall of 1611, the Russian state was on the verge of a national catastrophe. The Russian people rose up in armed struggle against the Polish-Swedish intervention.

The banner of the struggle for national liberation was raised in Nizhny Novgorod. Here in October 1611, the zemstvo elder Kozma Minin-Sukhoruk, a small meat and fish merchant, appealed to the townspeople to create a people's militia to liberate Moscow. The patriotic appeal found a warm response among Nizhny Novgorod residents, who decided to give “third money” to the creation of the militia, i.e. a third of personal property.

On Minin’s initiative, the “Council of the Whole Earth” was created, which became a provisional government. Prince D.M. is invited to lead the zemstvo army. Pozharsky, who distinguished himself during the Moscow uprising against the Poles. At the beginning of March 1612, the militia began a campaign against Moscow through Yaroslavl, which became a gathering place for military forces.

At the end of August 1612, the army of Minin and Pozharsky approached the capital and united with the remnants of the first zemstvo militia. On August 22-24, a fierce battle took place under the walls of Moscow with the royal army under the command of Hetman Khotkevich, rushing to the aid of the besieged garrison. The Poles were completely defeated and fled home.

The interventionists entrenched behind the Kremlin wall capitulated on October 26, 1612. The capital of Russia was completely liberated. The complexity of the political situation in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the lack of funds to continue military operations forced Sigismund III to temporarily abandon his claims to the Russian throne.

The liberation of Moscow made it possible to restore state power in the country. The Zemsky Sobor of almost 700 representatives from the nobility, boyars, clergy, 50 cities, archers and Cossacks gathered in the capital. The issue of electing a new Russian Tsar was being decided; on February 21, 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov (1613-1645), the son of Metropolitan Philaret, to the throne. Filaret was supported by those who came forward during the oprichnina years: after all, the Romanovs are relatives of the first wife of Tsar Ivan the Terrible.

In 1619, Tsar Mikhail's father Filaret (Fyodor Nikitovich Romanov), who at one time had a real claim to the royal throne, returned from Polish captivity. In Moscow, he accepted the patriarchal rank with the title of “great sovereign” and became the de facto ruler of the state until his death in 1633.

In July 1613, the wedding of Mikhail Fedorovich took place in Moscow. During this celebration, according to custom, various favors are announced; Prince Pozharsky, who had previously been a steward, received the rank of boyar, and Kozma Minin was granted a Duma nobleman and awarded an estate.

Mikhail Fedorovich was married twice. In 1624 he married Evdokia Lukyanovna Streshneva, the daughter of a little-known nobleman. From this marriage six children were born: three daughters - Irina, Anna, Tatyana and three sons - Ivan, Vasily, Alexey. In 1639, Tsarevichs Ivan and Vasily died within three months. On June 12, 1645, the sovereign died.

However, to strengthen centralized power in the state, constant support was required from wide circles of the nobility and the top of the urban settlement. Therefore, the Zemsky Sobor met almost continuously from 1613 to 1619.

“The Great Moscow Devastation” of the early 17th century. devastated Russia. The restoration of economic life in both cities and villages took place with great difficulties. The internal political situation in the country remained unstable. Smolensk was in the hands of the Poles, Novgorod was in the hands of the Swedes, and detachments of former Tushins were rampaging in many areas.

After an unsuccessful attempt in 1615 to seize Pskov, Sweden entered into peace negotiations with Moscow. On February 27, 1617, a peace treaty was concluded between them in the village of Stolbovo. The Novgorod land was returned to Russia, the Neva with the Izhora land, the city of Korela with the district and the city of Oreshek remained with Sweden. Russia lost its only access to the Baltic Sea.

The Polish army of Prince Vladislav and the Ukrainian Cossacks under the command of Hetman P. Konashevich-Sagaidachny made a new campaign into the interior of Russia. In October 1618, enemies approached Moscow, the defense of which was led by governor D.M. Pozharsky. Soon the Ukrainian Cossacks, realizing the deception, returned home.

On December 1, 1618, a truce was concluded between Russia and Poland for a period of 14 and a half years in the village of Deulino. The Smolensk and Chernigov-Seversk lands remained behind the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The signing of two unequal treaties ended the Time of Troubles and the Polish-Swedish intervention for Russia. By maintaining national independence, the country ensured its further development and solution of priority domestic and foreign policy problems.

December 12, 2018 | Category:

The second zemstvo (people's) militia is a movement of 1611-1612. for the liberation of Russia from. It is also called the Nizhny Novgorod militia, because. the center of formation of the militia was Nizhny Novgorod. The social composition of the second militia included townspeople and peasants from the northern and central regions of Russia, as well as representatives of various nationalities of the Upper and Middle Volga region. The militia was led by famous historical figures, princes Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky. As a result of a successful campaign in August 1612, the military forces of the invaders near Moscow were defeated, and in October the capital itself was liberated.

monument to Minin and Pozharsky on Red Square in Moscow

The main reason for convening the second militia was dissatisfaction with the current situation of the residents of Nizhny Novgorod (mainly from traders and artisans). The city itself was the most important administrative and economic center in the southeast of Russia with a population of 3.5 thousand men (150 thousand in the district). Long before the organization of the militia, Nizhny Novgorod residents waged a liberation struggle against foreign occupiers.

After the exposure of False Dmitry I and his coming to power in 1606, new rumors began to circulate about the miraculous salvation of the impostor False Dmitry and his imminent return. In the Nizhny Novgorod district itself, a situation close to anarchy was observed: the authorities could not cope with large gangs of bandits who were robbing residents, setting fire to villages and kidnapping Russians into camps. These robbers captured the city of Alatyr in the winter of 1607. The city of Arzamas was also occupied, where the rebels tripled their base.

To liberate the cities captured by the rebels, he sent his troops with talented commanders. As a result, governor Ivan Vorotynsky liberated Arzamas and the surrounding area from the crowds of rebels.

After the appearance of False Dmitry II and his support from a significant part of the nobles and boyars, the rebels became active again throughout Russia. Many peoples recognized the power of the impostor (Chuvash, Mordovians and Cheremis). Also, a number of cities went over to his side and persuaded Nizhny Novgorod residents to do so. But the townspeople were loyal to Tsar Vasily Shuisky. At the same time, there is a known episode when traitors from the city of Balakhna attacked the residents of Nizhny Novgorod. But governor Andrei Alyabyev repelled their attack and occupied Balakhna on December 3, 1608. The traitors were captured and hanged. Just 2 days later, other rebels from the city of Vorsma also attempted to storm Nizhny Novgorod. The same fate awaited them.

The first heroic victory of the Nizhny Novgorod residents over the Polish-Lithuanian invaders was won in January 1609, during an attack by the army of False Dmitry II and his Russian minions, princes Lazarev and Vyazemsky. The Nizhny Novgorod residents did not respond to the threat in the letter that the city would be burned to the ground in case of resistance, but made a successful foray. The surprise factor played a role. The troops of Lazarev and Vyazemsky were defeated, and the traitors themselves were hanged. Armed with patriotic enthusiasm in his army, the Nizhny Novgorod headman and military leader Alyabyev liberates the city of Murom. These successes instilled faith in people, faith in the possibility of successful military operations against the invaders. This led to the fact that many cities renounced the impostor False Dmitry and united into an entire liberation army.

In particular, this resulted in the creation of the 1st people's militia. And although it failed, the general rise of Russians to fight against the Poles only intensified. The common feature and similarity of the 1st and 2nd militia was the heroism of the people in the fight against foreigners. Many peasants, townspeople, and nobles had already gained combat experience during. And the main impetus for convening the second militia was the letter that residents of Nizhny Novgorod received on August 25. In this letter, the elder called on the people of Nizhny Novgorod to stand up for the just and holy mission of liberating Rus' from the invaders.

In addition to the liberation of Moscow, it was planned to liberate the lands of Veliky Novgorod. In July 1611, the local nobility came to an agreement with the Swedish king Charles IX and opened the gates to foreigners. The Swedes occupied Novgorod without hindrance and announced the creation of the Novgorod state, headed by the son of the Swedish king.

Organizers of the second militia Minin and Pozharsky

The main initiators, inspirers and organizers of the militia were princes Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky. Prince Minin was the zemstvo elder in Nizhny Novgorod from September 1611. At first he called for the townspeople to unite in the war of liberation. The call was successful. He was passionately supported. After this, he enlisted the support of the city council, and then the clergy, governors and service people. It was decided to hold a joint meeting of townspeople in the Transfiguration Cathedral in the Kremlin. After the liturgy and sermon, Minin gave his fiery speech. It was decided that all residents of the city would donate part of their property “for the building of military people.”

The question arose about the military leader of the future militia. According to the majority of Nizhny Novgorod residents, the best candidate for this position was Prince Pozharsky, because he:

• was distinguished by noble origin (Rurikovich in the 20th generation);
• defeated the regiments of False Dmitry near Kolomna in 1608;
• defeated the bandits of Ataman Salkov in 1609;
• was able to hold the city of Zaraysk during mass protests against the monarch Vasily Shuisky;
• showed an example of heroism and valor in battles in Moscow in March 1611, where he was seriously wounded;
• In the eyes of his compatriots, he had an impeccable characteristic: he was unselfish, pious, decisive, honest, fair and reasonable, for which the people of Nizhny Novgorod loved him very much.

Nizhny Novgorod residents went to him with a request to lead the militia. The prince, according to existing etiquette, refused for a long time, but still agreed to the proposal of the second delegation with Archimandrite Theodosius of the Ascension-Pechersk Monastery. The only condition that Prince Pozharsky set was the transfer of control of all economic affairs to Prince Minin, who received the title of “elected person by the whole earth.”

Creation of a second militia

On October 28, 1611, the formation of the second militia began. The circumstances of its creation are known from a number of historical sources. In addition to the Nizhny Novgorod garrison of 750 soldiers, Smolensk citizens were invited from Arzamas, who had previously been driven out of their native Smolensk by the Poles. In addition, Dorogobuzh and Vyazmich residents joined the militia. Thus the militia reached 3 thousand people. They were entitled to a good salary:

• for service people of the first article - 50 rubles. in year;
• second article – 45 rubles. in year;
• third – 40 rubles. in year;
• minimum salary - 30 rubles. in year.

Such salaries attracted an increasing number of participants in the liberation campaign from all surrounding areas: Cossacks, archers from Ryazan, Kolomna and other cities.

The differences between the first and second militia were colossal. Compared to the first militia, under the leadership of Minin and Pozharsky, great success was achieved:

• organize the collection and distribution of funds;
• establish connections with a large number of neighboring cities;
• increase the number of warriors through conscription (letters);
• to organize well and establish discipline in the army;
• identify common goals for everyone and think through a strategy of action.

This was the reason for the victory. In fact, they managed to create an alternative government to the “Seven Boyars” and the puppet “camps” near Moscow. This temporary authority was formed during the winter of 1611-1612.

The militia existed in extremely difficult conditions. The enemies of the militia were not only foreign invaders, but also Trubetskoy’s Cossacks and the Moscow “Seven Boyars”. They tried to put various obstacles to the hated Minin and Pozharsky. But their activities were not particularly successful. Thanks to the support of the people and the administrative talents of the princes, it was possible to restore order in all districts in the northeast of the country.

March of the second militia

At the beginning of March 1612, the 2nd militia began its liberation campaign from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow. The path ran through many Russian cities. In some cities (in Balakhna, Yaroslavl, etc.) they received reinforcements and replenished their treasury. In other cities, they didn’t even want to let the militia into their homes. So in Kostroma they were loyal to the impostor False Dmitry and his henchmen Zarutsky and Trubetskoy. Having removed the local governor Sheremetyev, the militia appointed their own governor.

The militia stood for the longest time in Yaroslavl - a whole 4 months from April to July 1612. Yaroslavl was the last city on the way to Moscow. It finally formed the composition of the government, consisting of representatives of the families of the Kurakins, Sheremetyevs, Dolgorukys, Buturlins and others.

This government, while in Yaroslavl, took a number of diplomatic steps to consolidate the entire Russian people and neutralize the allies of the impostor. So Karl Philip, the brother of the Swedish king, was promised the Russian throne in exchange for the liberation of the occupied lands of Veliky Novgorod and refusal to support the impostor. In negotiations with the German ambassador for the military assistance of the German emperor against the Polish-Lithuanian occupiers, the Russian throne was promised to Maximilian, the emperor’s cousin. But in the end, both the German and Swedish applicants were rejected. During the “standing” in Yaroslavl, the militia was replenished with volunteers from Siberia and Pomerania, the control system in all districts was improved, and the Russian lands were cleared of gangs of thieves. The number of warriors in the militia increased to 10 thousand people. These were well-armed and trained people. The government of the militia established the work of the Orders, appointed governors, conducted legal proceedings, examined complaints and petitions. As a result, the situation in a huge part of Russia was completely stabilized and the militia began to represent a clear centralized force.

The detachments of Dmitriev and Lopata-Pozharsky managed to thwart the plans of the 12,000-strong detachment of Hetman Khodkevich, who, with a large convoy, moved to the aid of the Poles who were in Moscow. Cossack ataman Zarutsky was forced to flee to Kolomna, and then to Astrakhan. Before this, he made an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Prince Dmitry Pozharsky through hired killers.

On June 28, 1612, the militia moved from Yaroslavl to Moscow. On August 19, Prince Trubetskoy with a Cossack regiment stood at the Yauz Gate of Moscow, and Prince Pozharsky with the militia at the Arbat Gate.

Liberation of Moscow from the Poles by the second militia

The Poles' detachments were quickly driven away from the gates. Some of them, under the leadership of colonels named Budila and Strus, settled in the Kremlin, in Kitai-Gorod. Together with them, Russian boyars and their families, who swore allegiance to the impostor, also hid from a fair trial. The future Mikhail Romanov, unknown to anyone yet, was also in the Kremlin with his mother Martha. The Poles, in a state of siege, suffered terrible hunger. Having information about their difficult situation, Prince Pozharsky sent them a letter at the end of September 1612 with an offer to surrender and a promise to spare their lives. But this letter was met with an arrogant refusal from the Poles.

On October 22, 1612, after the assault by the militia, Kitai-Gorod was liberated, but some of the interventionists settled in the Kremlin. The hunger among those holed up in the Kremlin was so unbearable that Russian boyars and their families began to be expelled from the Kremlin. Some Poles in despair reached the point of cannibalism. There is a lot of historical evidence about this.

Prince Dmitry Pozharsky again offered the besieged pardon, preservation of life and free exit from Moscow with their weapons and banners, but without looted property. This proposal was again ignored. The voivode defended the boyar families from revenge from the Cossacks, standing on the Stone Bridge at the Trinity Gate.

As a result of a long and painful siege, on October 26, the Polish-Lithuanian invaders surrendered. Budilo's detachments, which fell into the camp of Prince Pozharsky, remained alive and were sent to Nizhny Novgorod. Strus's troops, which fell to Trubetskoy and his Cossacks, were exterminated.

October 27 - the official completion of the liberation campaign of the 2nd militia. The main troops of princes Trubetskoy and Pozharsky, who met at Lobnoye Mesto, solemnly entered the Kremlin. The rector of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, Dionysius, served a prayer service on the occasion of the final victory over the foreigners. After a prayer service accompanied by a festive peal of bells, accompanied by grateful people, the militia with banners and banners entered the Kremlin.

Of course, there were attempts on the part of the king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Sigismund III to return to their previous positions. He attempted to elevate his son Vladislav to the Russian throne. To do this, in November 1612, he himself approached Moscow with an army. But now his threats caused nationwide outrage. He no longer had supporters among the Russian people. In several battles he suffered a number of defeats, and besides, he was not prepared for the severe frosts and hunger. As a result, he was forced to return to his homeland, and the attempt at another intervention failed before it even began.

Thus, the importance of the Second Militia is difficult to overestimate: it showed an example of organization, discipline, consolidation of the people for the sake of a single goal - the liberation of Russia and the Russian people from foreign invaders.

Subsequently, these events became very popular. On February 20, 1818, in memory of those events, a monument to Minin and Pozharsky was opened in Moscow, and November 4, 2005 became the opening date of a similar monument in Nizhny Novgorod. Also on November 4, the Russian Federation celebrates National Unity Day. It is associated with the liberation of Moscow during the events of 1612, as stated in the explanatory note to the law establishing the holiday.