Peasant uprising led by Ivan Bolotnikov. The uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov. Suppression of the Bolotnikov uprising

THE RESIDENT'S WAR LEADERSHED BY I.I. BOLOTNIKOV (1606–1607) - the first mass movement of peasants and serfs in Russia in the 17th century.

It was caused by the strengthening of serfdom at the end of the 16th century. and the registration of serfdom (the growth of feudal land ownership, oprichnina, the associated ruin of the peasantry, the establishment of “reserved years”, when peasants were forbidden to leave the feudal lords even on St. George’s Day, a decree on a five-year period for searching for fugitives from November 24, 1597, the abolition of the right of indentured servants to repayment of debt until the death of their masters, etc.)

The war was preceded by protests by monastic peasants at the end of the 16th century, a mass exodus of peasants to the south of the country during the famine of 1601–1603, and a major uprising of serfs and peasants under the command of Cotton Kosolap in 1603. By mid-1606, individual protests in the south of Russia began to result in uprisings. The serfs and peasants were joined by archers and Cossacks, and less often by small townspeople.

The rebels were led I.I.Bolotnikov. He began sending out leaflets demanding the destruction of the power of the boyars and the replacement of the boyar Tsar V.I. Shuisky with the “good Tsar Dmitry.” The war began in June 1606 in the southwest of Russia in Novgorod-Seversk, Polish and Ukrainian cities, in the Kamaritsa volost. Putivl became its center, and at first the Putivl governor, Prince G.P. Shakhovskoy, took part in organizing the army.

In August 1606, the rebels defeated the troops of the tsarist governors - Yu.N. Trubetskoy near Kromy and M.I. Vorotynsky near Yelets. In two detachments they moved towards Moscow. I.I. Bolotnikov’s detachment was heading from Krom to Kaluga, I. Pashkov’s detachment was heading from Yelets to Tula. By the end of September 1606, a group of rebels, led by I.I. Bolotnikov, approached Aleksin, then Serpukhov. Here they were joined by Tula and Ryazan detachments. 50 versts from Moscow, near the village of Troitsky, Bolotnikov was met by troops loyal to the tsar under the command of Prince Mstislavsky, who, however, without engaging in battle, barely escaped the persecution of the Bolotnikovites. On October 22, 1606, Bolotnikov stopped in the village of Kolomenskoye, seven miles from Moscow. Here he built a prison and began sending letters around Moscow and various cities, calling on everyone to kiss the cross to the “legitimate sovereign Dimitri Ivanovich,” for whom he pretended to be. Bolotnikov stayed in Kolomenskoye for at least 2 months, but he failed to take the capital.

The uprising by that time had spread to more than 70 cities in the south and southwest of Russia. Unrest also began in Vyatka, Perm, Pskov, and Astrakhan. The government of V.I. Shuisky and the patriarch Hermogenes launched propaganda, trying to break away from the rebels the noble militia detachments that had joined them under the leadership of Istoma Pashkov, Zakhar and Prokopiy Lyapunov, and G. Sumbulov. The propaganda was a success, and soon the noble detachments left the “army” of I.I. Boltnikov.

On December 2, 1606, in a battle near the village of Nizhnie Kotly near Moscow, the peasant “army” was defeated. Bolotnikov retreated to Kaluga, strengthened it and successfully defended it throughout the winter of 1606–1607. A detachment of “Tsarevich Pyotr Fedorovich” was moving from the Volga and Don to help him (the Terek Cossack Ileiko Muromets pretended to be the never-existent son of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich). Before reaching Kaluga, it was defeated on the Vyra River at the end of February 1607.

Bolotnikov retreated from Kaluga to Tula, where he united with the remnants of I. Muromets’ detachment. Tula became the site of fierce battles.

The Shuisky government issued a special Code on March 9, 1607. It strengthened the enslavement of the peasants and granted a number of benefits to the landowners, strengthened the position of the tsarist government, whose troops (about 100 thousand people) continued the fierce siege of Tula. At the suggestion of the Murom boyar son Kravkov, the Upa dam flooded most of the besieged city; famine began in Tula. Bolotnikov was offered to begin negotiations on surrender. The Tsar promised him mercy, and on October 10, 1607, Bolotnikov allowed the Tsar’s troops into the besieged city. Shuisky broke his promise to save Bolotnikov’s life and ordered his execution.

The peasant movement continued sporadically in 1607–1608, which was taken advantage of by the second protege of the Polish interventionists, False Dmitry II, who managed to reach the Russian capital itself.

Bolotnikov's peasant war featured features common to peasant movements of the early modern period. It was characterized by spontaneity, the local nature of its actions, naive monarchism, and the absence of a political program. The first mass uprising of peasants, serfs and Cossacks in the history of Russia unfolded under the slogan “Beat the boyars, take their lands and property.” All the hopes of the peasants were focused on replacing the “bad” tsar with a “good” one.

• Date of: 1606 - 1607
• Place: territory of the Russian kingdom.
• Cause: strengthening of serfdom, famine, political instability.
• Opponents: rebel detachments, as well as the mercenary army of Landsknechts - the Russian Tsardom.
• Commanders: Ivan Bolotnikov, Grigory Shakhovskoy
  Prokopiy Lyapunov, Istoma Pashkov, Ileika Muromets, Sigismund III - Vasily Shuisky, Yu. N. Trubetskoy, M. I. Vorotynsky.
• Result: defeat of the rebel army.

Uprising (movement) led by Ivan Bolotnikova originated in southwest Russia. This area had all the prerequisites for the start of a new uprising: here were participants in the Khlopka uprising, peasants of the Komaritsa volost, who at one time opposed Boris Godunov in support, as well as the dissatisfied townspeople.

After the birth of the center of the uprising, other peoples of the Middle Volga region began to join the Russian peasants - the Tatars, Mordovians, Chuvash and Mari.

Contemporaries, based on surviving data, portray the leader of the uprising, Ivan Bolotnikov, as a courageous man, a talented commander, and also note his ability to self-sacrifice. Before these events, Ivan Bolotnikov was in the service of Prince Telyatevsky as a military serf, where he acquired military skills. However, his service did not last long and he fled to the steppe to the Cossacks. In the Wild Field he was captured by the Tatars and sold into slavery on a galley in Turkey. During the defeat of the Turks, he was released and brought to Venice. After that, he went to his homeland and in 1606 appeared in Seversk Ukraine, leading an uprising.

The uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov spread quite quickly and covered more and more territory. In July 1606, Bolotnikov decided to begin a campaign against Moscow. The first clash with government troops took place in August near Kromy, where the rebels won a major victory, which opened the way for the rebels to Oryol. Another starting point for the rebellious masses was the city of Yelets, which joined the uprising. The tsarist troops tried to take Yelets, but their attempts ended in failure.

One of the main victories during the entire uprising was the victory of Ivan Bolotnikov near Kaluga (September 23, 1606), where the main troops of Vasily Shuisky were located. This victory caused new unrest and opened the way to Moscow.

In the fall, Ivan Bolotnikov’s troops were replenished by landowners. Landowners from the Ryazan region were led by Grigory Sumbulov and Prokopiy Lyapunov, and landowners from the Tula region were led by Istoma Pashkov. One can immediately highlight the negative side of this event: the nobles wanted, first of all, the overthrow of the tsar, and the interests of the masses did not bother them.

The main goal of the rebels was the destruction of serfdom and feudal dependence. With these calls, Ivan Bolotnikov addressed the masses, although he did not position himself as a future tsar. In his opinion, he was the “great commander” of the new “Tsar Dmitry.” Tsar Dmitry was different in definition from False Dmitry I, had nothing in common with him and was, most likely, a peasant utopia.

During the campaign against Moscow, the territory of unrest expanded significantly: by the time the rebels approached Moscow, unrest had already captured more than 70 cities.

It is worth noting the struggle of individual regions: Vyatka-Perm, Pskov and Astrakhan. The main cause of discontent and protests was class inequality. In the Vyatka-Perm region, the population dealt with representatives of the administration, as well as with the elders, who were elected from the top of the nobility.

In Pskov, the struggle went on without reasons of class inequality: the nobility wanted to give Pskov to the Swedes, and the “lesser people” opposed them in 1606. The confrontation between the two sides ended after the suppression of the rebellion.

In October, Ivan Bolotnikov’s troops approached Moscow. At this time, Moscow was engulfed in class strife, and the government locked itself in the Kremlin, fearing reprisals. Bolotnikov decided to engage in propaganda politics and began sending people to raise an uprising in the city.

By that time, Bolotnikov’s army already numbered more than 100 thousand people. However, it should be noted that the class composition and goals of some units were strikingly different. The original participants in the movement remained with Ivan Bolotnikov to the end, and the troops of the landowners subsequently betrayed Bolotnikov and went over to the side of the government.

Vasily Shuisky took many measures to disintegrate the rebel army: he managed to win over the Ryazan people (Lyapunov and Sumbulov), and a little later, Istoma Pashkov.

The troops of Vasily Shuisky defeated Ivan Bolotnikov on November 27, and on December 2, a decisive battle took place near the village of Kotly, in which government troops inflicted a serious defeat on Bolotnikov’s troops. The defeat occurred even after the arrival of reinforcements to Bolotnikov’s troops, although there were events that significantly weakened them: at this time Istoma Pashkov betrayed Bolotnikov and went over to the side of Vasily Shuisky. After the defeat on December 2, a new period began in the uprising.

The struggle of the population after the defeat not only did not stop, but also intensified. Now Kaluga and Tula become the main bases of the rebels. The area where the unrest spread has increased: now the unrest has also spread to the Volga region.

In the Volga region, many peoples opposed government troops: Mordovians, Tatars, Mari, etc. The situation was especially acute in Ryazan, the Novgorod-Pskov region, Astrakhan and some other cities. During the development of the scale of the uprising, a new movement appeared on the Terek, where the imaginary son of Fyodor Ivanovich “Tsarevich” Peter became the leader. This movement soon gained enormous momentum and merged with the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov.

Vasily Shuisky tried to suppress all the centers of the uprising at once and sent troops to besiege Kaluga, where Bolotnikov was at that time. The siege began in December 1606 and ended unsuccessfully in May 1607. The second center of the uprising with “Tsarevich” Peter was located in Tula.

The unsuccessful siege showed the strength of the rebels. Vasily Shuisky began to continue the fight near Kaluga, and in May 1607, in the Battle of the Pchelna River, government troops were severely defeated. The siege of Kaluga was lifted.

After this, Bolotnikov decided to unite with “Tsarevich” Peter, and Shuisky managed to gather new detachments by regulating relations between the boyars and nobles.

Shuisky managed to come to an agreement with the ruling classes by resolving the peasant issue. The main problem during the reign of Boris Godunov and False Dmitry I was the lack of regulation of the search for runaway peasants and therefore there was often a sharp struggle between landowners for them. The Code of March 9, 1607 established a 15-year period for searching for fugitive peasants. Thanks to the adopted law (the main purpose of which was to unite landowners), landowners were united and opposed the troops of Ivan Bolotnikov.

On May 21, 1607, the tsar organized a new campaign against Bolotnikov. This time he himself led the troops. The first battle took place on the Eight River and ended in the defeat of the rebels. Bolotnikov was also defeated on the Voronya River.

Ivan Isaevich Bolotnikov confesses to Tsar Vasily Shuisky. Author unknown.

Ivan Bolotnikov with the remnants of the army took refuge in Tula. The siege of Tula lasted 4 months. Although Vasily Shuisky's troops had a numerical advantage, they failed to take the city on the move. Despite depleted food supplies, the defenders fought to the end. Shuisky’s position was also difficult: a new movement arose led by another impostor “Dmitry”, who later received the name False Dmitry II.

In the context of a new uprising, Shuisky offered the defenders of Tula to surrender in exchange for saving their lives. The exhausted garrison decided to surrender and, believing the king’s false promise, laid down its arms on October 10, 1607.

The leaders of the besieged were put in chains and taken to Moscow. Peter was hanged immediately, and Ivan Bolotnikov was killed only six months later (first he was blinded, then drowned).

Results of the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov

The uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov was massive and spontaneous. The unrest covered a vast area.

The main prerequisites for the uprising were inter-class contradictions, increased serfdom exploitation of peasants and the creation of legal formalization of serfdom.

The rebellious peasants had no ideological basis. They were counting on a “new tsar”, not on changing the constitutional and social system of Russia as a whole.

Thanks to the peasant uprising of 1606-1607. the government realized that the peasant class also needed to be taken into account. This was the first peasant war in Russian history.

The Rebellion of Ivan Bolotnikov was a movement for peasant rights in Rus' at the beginning of the 17th century, led by Ivan Isaevich Bolotnikov.

Prerequisites for the uprising

By the end of the 16th century, a new state economic system - feudalism - was finally formed and consolidated in Rus'. The feudal lords (landowners) completely owned the peasants, could sell them and transfer them to each other, which led to a gradual and inevitable increase in the oppression of the feudal lords over the peasantry. Of course, the peasants did not like this situation, and they began to be indignant and gradually start small skirmishes with the feudal lords in defense of their own rights. So, in 1603, there was a fairly large uprising of peasants and serfs under the command of Cotton Crookshanks.

In addition, after the death of False Dmiriya 1, rumors spread that it was not the real king who was killed, but someone else. These rumors greatly weakened the political influence of Vasily Shuisky, who became king. Accusations that it was not the real tsar who was killed gave “legitimacy” to any uprisings and clashes with the new tsar and the boyars. The situation became more and more difficult.

The peasant uprising led by Ivan Bolotnikov occurred in 1606-1607 and became one of the main stages in the struggle of the peasantry against the boyars and serfdom.

Causes of the uprising

• The oppression of the feudal lords, the strengthening of serfdom;
• Political instability in the country;
• Growing hunger;
• Dissatisfaction with the activities of the boyars and the sovereign.

Composition of participants in the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov

• Peasants;
• Serfs;
• Cossacks from Tver, Zaporozhye and the Volga;
• Part of the nobility;
• Mercenary troops.

Brief biography of Ivan Bolotnikov

The personality of the leader of the uprising, Ivan Isaevich Bolotnikov, is shrouded in mystery. To date, there is no single theory about the early years of Bolotnikov’s life, but historians are of the opinion that Bolotnikov was the slave of Prince Telyatevsky. As a young man, he fled from his master, was captured, and then sold to the Turks. During the battle he was released and fled to Germany, from where he heard about the events taking place in Rus'. Bolotnikov decided to take an active part in them and returned to his homeland.

The beginning of the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov

The uprising originated in the South-West of the country, where participants of the previous major uprising led by Khlopok lived, as well as opponents of Boris Godunov’s reforms and serfdom. Gradually, the Tatars, Chuvash, Mari and Mordovians began to join the rebellious Russian peasantry.

The uprising began in 1606, when Bolotnikov returned to Russia and led the disgruntled peasants. Having gathered an army, they began a military campaign against Moscow with the goal of removing the current sovereign from the throne and achieving the abolition of serfdom. The first clash with the sovereign’s army took place in August near Kromy. The rebels won and moved towards Orel.

On September 23, 1606, the battle of Kaluga took place, which Bolotnikov won. This made it possible for the rebels to move on to the capital without hindrance. On the way to the capital, Bolotnikov and his comrades managed to capture more than 70 cities.

In October 1606, troops approached Moscow. Bolotnikov decided to raise an uprising in the city itself, for which he sent agitators. However, it was not possible to capture Moscow; Prince Shuisky gathered his army and defeated the rebels in November 1606. At the same time, a number of betrayals occurred in Bolotnikov’s camp, which greatly weakened the army.

After the defeat, new centers of uprising broke out in Kaluga and Tula and the Volga region. Shuisky sent his troops to Kaluga, where Bolotnikov fled and began a siege of the city, which lasted until May 1607, but ended in nothing.

On May 21, 1607, Shuisky again organizes a performance against Bolotnikov, which ends with the victory of government troops and the almost complete defeat of Bolotnikov.

The rebels take refuge in Tula, which is immediately besieged by Shuisky’s army. The siege lasted 4 months, after which Shuisky offered the rebels a peace treaty. Bolotnikov's exhausted troops agree, but Shuisky does not fulfill his promises and takes all the leaders of the uprising prisoner.

Reasons for Bolotnikov's defeat

• Lack of unity in the ranks of his troops. The uprising involved people from different walks of life and they all pursued their own goals;
• Lack of a unified ideology;
• Betrayal of part of the army. The nobility quickly went over to Shuisky's side;
• Underestimating enemy forces. Bolotnikov often forced events, not giving the army the opportunity to accumulate strength.

Results of Ivan Bolotnikov’s speech

Despite the defeat, the rebels managed to ensure that the government finally began to take into account the needs of the lower strata of the population and paid attention to the needs of the peasants. The uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov was the first peasant uprising in Russian history.

The uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov is a movement for the rights of peasants in Rus' at the beginning of the 17th century. led by Ivan Bolotnikov.

Prerequisites for the uprising

At the end of the 16th century. A new economic and socio-political system - feudalism - finally took hold in Rus'. The feudal lords (landowners) owned not only the lands, but also the peasants who lived and worked on these lands. The peasants were, in fact, people without rights - they could be bought, sold, exchanged and passed on by inheritance. In addition, the peasant was obliged to work on the land of the feudal lord for a certain period of time, which did not allow ordinary people to get rich by working on their land (there was simply no time for this). The oppression of the feudal lords, and with it the discontent of the peasants, grew.

The result of discontent was numerous riots of peasants trying to win back civil rights and freedoms. For example, in 1603 there was a major uprising of serfs and peasants led by Cotton Crookshanks.

After his death, rumors spread throughout the country that it was not the real tsar who was killed, but an impostor, which greatly weakened the political influence of the new sovereign Vasily Shuisky. The political situation was heating up, since if it was not the real tsar who was killed, then all clashes between the people and the boyars were considered legal.

As a result, another uprising broke out in 1606, which was generated by the peasants' dissatisfaction with their situation and. The revolt continued until 1607.

Causes of the uprising

• the oppression of feudal lords and the lack of rights of peasants before the law;
• political instability, the appearance of False Dmitry 2nd;
• economic downturn and rising hunger;
• people's dissatisfaction with the new government.

Composition of participants in the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov

Not only peasants took part in the uprising. In addition to them, the detachments included:

• serfs;
• part of the Cossacks;
• part of the nobility;
• mercenary troops.

Personality of Ivan Bolotnikov

Let's look at a short biography of Ivan Bolotnikov. There is no complete answer to the question of who this person was. Scientists believe that Bolotnikov was a slave of Prince Telyatevsky, who, while still a young man, escaped from his master and was captured. From captivity he was sold to the Turks, but during one of the battles Bolotnikov was released and fled to Germany. While already abroad, he heard about the events taking place in Rus' and decided to return to take part in them. At that time, False Dmitry II, who was an impostor, claimed the throne. The people did not accept him and wanted to overthrow him.

The beginning and course of the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov

The rebel movement originated in the southwest of the country, where participants in previous peasant uprisings lived. It was there that Ivan Bolotnikov headed, hoping to receive support from opponents of the current political system.

In 1606, Bolotnikov returned to Russia and led the peasants in an uprising. Gathering a large army, they marched on Moscow to overthrow the Tsar and achieve the abolition of serfdom. The first serious clash occurred in August 1606 and ended in victory for the rebels. After the first resistance, the rebels easily captured more than 70 cities.

On September 23, 1606, an army of peasants led by Bolotnikov approached the walls of Moscow, but did not attack. Bolotnikov decided that it would be wiser to raise an uprising in Moscow itself, so that the city would be easier to capture, and for this he sent saboteurs to Moscow. However, his idea failed - Shuisky gathered a strong army of nobles and defeated the rebels in November 1606. Bolotnikov was forced to retreat.

New centers of uprising broke out in Kaluga, Tula and the Volga region. Shuisky again gathered an army and sent it to Kaluga, where Bolotnikov was located. The siege of the city lasted until 1607, but Shuisky failed to take Kaluga.

On May 21, 1607, Shuisky again attacked the rebels, and this time he won, almost completely defeating and exterminating the army of Bolotnikov, who as a result fled to Tula. However, Shuisky found him there too, and a new siege began. After four months, Shuisky offers the rebels a peace treaty, Bolotnikov agrees, but instead of a treaty he is taken prisoner.

On October 19, 1607, the army of rebel peasants was finally defeated, and Bolotnikov laid down his arms. The uprising failed.

Reasons for the defeat of the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov

The reasons for the defeat of the uprising were:

• the heterogeneity of Bolotnikov’s army: the participants were from different classes, with different expectations, there was no single goal;
• lack of ideology;
• betrayal of the nobility.

In addition, Bolotnikov simply underestimated Shuisky’s army, which was more united and professional.

Results of Ivan Bolotnikov’s speech

Although the uprising was defeated, the peasants still managed to delay the final consolidation of serfdom and gain certain freedoms.

The uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov was the first peasant uprising in Russian history.

When and where did it happen

1606-1607

Komaritsa volost (Ukraine), southern Russia

Causes

Worsening of the situation of the people, increasing dependence (reserved summers, search for runaway peasants, etc.)

The famine of 1601-1693, which led to a mass exodus of peasants to the south of the country.

Political instability in the country: Troubles, the appearance of False Dmitry II.

People's dissatisfaction with the new government.

Goals

The destruction of the emerging serf relations, the elimination of feudal dependence, the fight against the boyars, feudal lords, and all merchants.

The political slogan is the proclamation of “Tsar Dmitry” by the tsar, faith in a good tsar.

driving forces

Cossacks

Enslaved peasants

Serfs

Posad people

Sagittarius of the border cities in the south

Nobles and boyars are opponents of Vasily Shuisky

National composition participants were heterogeneous. Along with the Russians, representatives of the Volga region nationalities spoke: Mari, Chuvash, Tatars, Mordovians.

Leader of the uprising - Ivan Bolotnikov was distinguished by personal courage and bravery. He was a military slave of Prince Telyatevsky, so he knew the basics of military affairs well. Bolotnikov’s fate was difficult: he fled from the prince, was caught by the Tatars, sold into slavery in Turkey, where he was assigned to serve on a galley, and participated in military naval battles in Turkey. In one of the military battles, which Turkey lost, Bolotnikov fled through Germany and Poland to Russia.

In the summer of 1606, having returned to his homeland, he led a popular uprising, proclaiming himself the governor of the legitimate Tsar Dmitry.

Stages of the uprising

August-December 1606

The stage is characterized by a number of serious victories for the rebels, but at the same time, defeat near Moscow and retreat to Kaluga.

January-May 1607

During this period, government troops besieged Kaluga. The rebels are forced to retreat to Tula

June - October 1607

Shuisky's troops besieged Tula. The defeat of the rebels, the capture of Bolotnikov and Ileika Muromets, who posed as “Tsarevich Dmitry.”

Progress of the uprising

An uprising began in the southwest of Rus', where participants in the Khlopok uprising found refuge.

The center of the uprising was Putivl, whose governor helped Bolotnikov organize an army.

Results

The uprising was brutally suppressed.

The captured Bolotnikov was sent to Kargopol, where he was blinded and drowned.

The uprising shook the feudal relations that had begun to take shape and delayed the consolidation of serfdom for 40 years!

Spontaneous character

Lack of a clear program