Time of Troubles and False Dmitry I. Time of Troubles

Events at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries. received the name "Time of Troubles". The causes of the unrest were the aggravation of social, class, dynastic and international relations at the end of the reign of Ivan 4 and under his successors.

“The chaos of the 70-80s. 16th century." Difficult economic crisis. The most economically developed center (Moscow) and north-west (Novgorod and Pskov) of the country have become desolate. One part of the population fled, the other died during the years of the oprichnina and the Livonian War. More than 50% of the arable land remained uncultivated. The tax burden increased sharply, prices increased 4 times. In 70-71 - plague epidemic. The farm economy lost its stability, and famine began in the country. Under these conditions, the landowners could not fulfill their duties to the state, and the latter did not have enough funds to wage war and govern the state. At the end of the 16th century. in Russia, in fact, on a state scale, a system of serfdom was established (the highest form of incomplete ownership of the feudal lord over the peasant, based on his attachment to the land of the feudal lord).

The Code of Law introduced Yuriev's autumn day - the time of peasant transitions. By the end of the 16th century. For the first time, “reserved summers” were introduced - years in which peasants were prohibited from crossing even on St. George’s Day. The introduction of the state system of serfdom led to a sharp aggravation of social contradictions in the country and created the basis for mass popular uprisings. The aggravation of social relations is 1 of the reasons for the troubled times.

Another reason The turmoil became a dynastic crisis. The oprichnina did not completely resolve the disagreements within the ruling class. The contradictions aggravated due to the end of the legitimate dynasty, which traced back to the legendary Rurik. After the death of Ivan 4, the middle son Fedor ascended the throne. But in fact, the tsar’s brother-in-law, boyar Boris Godunov, became the ruler of the state (Fyodor was married to his sister).

With the death of the childless Fyodor Ioannovich in 98. the old dynasty ended. At the Zemsky Sobor, B.G. was elected king. He pursued a successful foreign policy, continued his advance into Siberia, developed the southern regions of the country, and strengthened his position in the Caucasus. Under him, the patriarchate was established in Russia. Job, a supporter of Godunov, was elected the first Russian patriarch. However, the country was weakened and did not have the strength to conduct large-scale military operations. Its neighbors - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sweden, Crimea and Türkiye - took advantage of this. The aggravation of international contradictions will become even more one of the reasons that broke out during the Time of Troubles events. The peasants increasingly expressed dissatisfaction and blamed B.G. for everything. The situation in the country has become even more aggravated due to crop failure. In a short time, prices increased more than 100 times. Mass epidemics began. Cases of cannibalism have been reported in Moscow. Rumors spread that the country was being punished for violating the order of succession to the throne, for the sins of Godunov. A fire broke out in the center of the country uprising of slaves(1603-1604) under the leadership of Cotton Crookshanks. It was brutally suppressed, and Khlopok was executed in Moscow.

Historians explained the Time of Troubles primarily by class conflicts. Therefore, in the events of those years, the Peasant War of the 17th century stood out primarily. Nowadays the events of the late 16th-17th centuries. har-yut as a civil war.

False Dmitry 1. In 1602 A man appeared in Lithuania posing as Tsarevich Dmitry. He told the Polish tycoon Adam Wisniewiecki about his royal blood. Voivode Yuri Mnishek became the patron of False Dmitry. The Polish magnates needed False Dmitry in order to begin aggression against Russia, disguising it with the appearance of a struggle to return the throne to the rightful heir. This was a hidden intervention. In fact, monk Gregory (in the world - minor nobleman Yuri Otrepiev) in his youth was a servant of Fyodor Romanov, after whose exile he became a monk. In Moscow he served under Patriarch Job. False Dmitry secretly converted to Catholicism and promised the Pope the distribution of Catholicism in Russia. L.1 also promised to transfer the Seversky and Smolensk lands, Novgorod and Pskov to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and his bride Marina Mniszek. In 1604 the impostor launched a campaign against Moscow. B.G. dies unexpectedly. Tsar Fyodor Borisovich and his mother, at the request of the impostor, were arrested and secretly killed. In June 1605 False Dmitry was proclaimed king. However, the continuation of the serfdom policy, new extortions in order to obtain the funds promised to the Polish magnates, and the discontent of the Russian nobility led to the organization of a boyar conspiracy against him. In May 1606 an uprising broke out. L1. was killed. The boyar Tsar Vasily Shuisky (1606-1610) ascended the throne.

The biography of False Dmitry I differs from most others primarily in that the very identity of this person remains unclear. He convinced everyone that he was a son, but was later recognized as an impostor. The official date of birth of this man coincides with the birthday of Tsarevich Dmitry, while according to other sources, the years of False Dmitry and the real son of the king do not coincide. The same applies to versions about the place of birth: he himself claimed that he was born in Moscow, which corresponded to his legend, while whistleblowers claimed that the False Dmitry the impostor was from Warsaw. It is worth adding that Tsar False Dmitry 1 became the first of three different people who called themselves a surviving prince.

False Dmitry I. Portrait from the Mniszkov Castle in Vyshnevets | Historical portrait

It is quite natural that the biography of False Dmitry 1 is directly related to the death of the little Tsarevich Dmitry. The boy died under unclear circumstances at the age of eight. Officially, his death was recognized as an accident, but his mother thought differently and named the names of high-ranking killers, which gave further history the opportunity to link together Boris Godunov, False Dmitry and Vasily Shuisky. The first of them was considered the mastermind behind the murder of the heir to the throne, the third led the investigation and declared the death accidental, and False Dmitry took advantage of the circumstances and rumors circulating throughout Rus' that the prince had escaped and escaped.

Personality of False Dmitry I

The origin of the person who called himself Tsar Dmitry remains unknown, and it is unlikely that the surviving historical data will be able to help establish his identity. However, there are many versions of who occupied the throne during the time of False Dmitry 1. One of the main candidates was and remains Grigory Otrepiev, the son of a Galician boyar, who was a slave of the Romanovs from childhood. Later, Gregory became a monk and wandered around the monasteries. The question is why Otrepyev began to be considered False Dmitry.

Firstly, he was too interested in the murder of the prince, and also suddenly began to study the rules and etiquette of court life. Secondly, the flight of the monk Grigory Otrepyev from the holy monastery suspiciously exactly coincides with the first mention of the campaign of False Dmitry. And thirdly, during the reign of False Dmitry 1, the tsar wrote with characteristic errors, which turned out to be identical to the standard errors of the monastery scribe Otrepiev.

According to another version, Gregory did not impersonate False Dmitry himself, but found a young man suitable in appearance and education. This man could have been the illegitimate son of the Polish king. This assumption is supported by the impostor’s too relaxed command of edged weapons, horse riding, shooting, dancing, and most importantly, fluency in the Polish language. This hypothesis is opposed by the testimony of Stefan Batory himself, who during his lifetime publicly admitted that he had no children. The second doubt comes from the fact that the boy allegedly raised in a Catholic environment favored Orthodoxy.

The possibility of “truth” is not completely excluded, that is, that False Dmitry was in fact the son of Ivan the Terrible, hidden and secretly transported to Poland. This little popular hypothesis is based on rumors that simultaneously with the death of little Dmitry, his peer Istomin, who lived in the wards, disappeared without a trace. Allegedly, this child was killed under the guise of a prince, and the heir himself was hidden. An additional argument for this version is considered to be an important circumstance: not only did Queen Martha publicly recognize her son in False Dmitry, but in addition, she never served a funeral service for the deceased child in the church.

In any case, it is very noteworthy that False Dmitry I himself did not consider himself an impostor, and almost all scientists agree: he sincerely believed in his involvement in the royal family.

Reign of False Dmitry I

In 1604, the campaign of False Dmitry I against Moscow took place. By the way, many people believed that he was the direct heir to the throne, so most cities surrendered without a fight. The pretender to the throne arrived in the capital after the death of Boris Godunov, and his son Fyodor II Godunov, who sat on the throne and reigned for only 18 days, was killed by the time the army of False Dmitry approached.

False Dmitry ruled briefly, although not as much as his predecessor. Almost immediately after his ascension, there was talk of imposture. Those who only yesterday supported the campaign of False Dmitry began to get angry at how freely he handled the treasury, spending Russian money on Polish and Lithuanian nobles. On the other hand, the newly-crowned Tsar False Dmitry I did not fulfill his promise to give a number of Russian cities to the Poles and introduce Catholicism in Rus', which is why, in fact, the Polish government began to support him in the struggle for the throne. During the 11 months that False Dmitry the First led Rus', there were several conspiracies and about a dozen assassination attempts against him.

Politics of False Dmitry I

The first actions of Tsar False Dmitry I were numerous favors. He brought back from exile the nobles expelled from Moscow under his predecessors, doubled the salaries of military personnel, increased land plots for landowners, and abolished taxes in the south of the country. But since this only emptied the treasury, Tsar False Dmitry I increased taxes in other regions. Riots began to grow, which False Dmitry refused to extinguish by force, but instead allowed the peasants to change the landowner if he did not feed them. Thus, the policy of False Dmitry I was based on generosity and mercy towards his subjects. By the way, he hated flattery, which is why he replaced most of those close to him.

Many were surprised that Tsar False Dmitry I violated previously accepted traditions. He did not go to bed after dinner, eradicated pretentious behavior at court, often went out into the city and personally communicated with ordinary people. False Dmitry I took a very active part in all matters and negotiated daily. The reign of False Dmitry can be called an innovation not only for Rus', but also for Europe of those times. For example, he incredibly simplified travel to the territory of the state for foreigners, and Russia of False Dmitry was called the freest country abroad.

But if the internal policy of False Dmitry I was based on mercy, in the external one he immediately began preparing a war with the Turks in order to conquer Azov and seize the mouth of the Don. He personally began to train the archers to operate new models of guns and took part in training assaults along with the soldiers. For a successful war, the king wanted to enter into an alliance with Western countries, but was refused because he had not previously fulfilled his promises. In general, the policy of False Dmitry I, seemingly based on sound grounds, ultimately brought only ruin.

Personal life

False Dmitry I was married to Marina Mnishek, the daughter of a Polish governor, who, apparently, knew about her husband’s imposture, but wanted to become a queen. Although she lived in this capacity for only a week: the couple got married shortly before his death. By the way, Mniszech was the first woman to be crowned in Russia, and the next one became. False Dmitry I apparently loved his wife, since written evidence has been preserved of how he was inflamed with feelings for her upon meeting. But this relationship was definitely not mutual. Soon after the death of her husband, Marina began to live with a man today called False Dmitry II, and passed him off as her first husband.

In general, False Dmitry I was very susceptible to female affection. During his short reign, virtually all the boyars' daughters and wives automatically became his concubines. And the main favorite before Marina Mnishek’s arrival in Moscow was Boris Godunov’s daughter, Ksenia. There were rumors that she even managed to become pregnant by the impostor king. The autocrat's second hobby after women was jewelry. In addition, there is evidence that False Dmitry 1 often liked to boast and even lie, which he was repeatedly caught doing by his close boyars.

Death

In mid-May 1606, Vasily Shuisky decided to raise an uprising against the Poles who flooded Moscow on the occasion of a wedding celebration. Dmitry became aware of this, but he did not attach much importance to such conversations. Shuisky started a rumor that foreigners wanted to kill the tsar, and thus raised the people to a bloody slaughter. Gradually he managed to change the idea of ​​“going after the Poles” to “going after the impostor.” When they broke into the palace, False Dmitry tried to resist the crowd, then wanted to escape through the window, but fell from a height of 15 meters, fell into the courtyard, sprained his leg, broke his chest and lost consciousness.

The body of False Dmitry I began to be guarded by archers from the conspirators, and in order to calm the crowd, they offered to bring Queen Martha so that she could again confirm whether the king was her son. But even before the messenger returned, an angry crowd beat False Dmitry and demanded to know his name. Until the last moment of his life, he adhered to the version that he was a real son. They finished off the former king with swords and halberds, and the already dead body was subjected to public humiliation for several days - they were smeared with tar, “decorated” with masks, and insulting songs were sung.

False Dmitry I was buried behind the Serpukhov Gate, in a cemetery for beggars, tramps and drunkards. But even this overthrow of the king’s personality was not enough for the conspirators and tormentors. Since after the murder of False Dmitry I a storm hit the surrounding area, scattering the crops, people began to say that the dead man did not sleep in the grave, but came out at night and took revenge on his former subjects. Then the corpse was dug up and burned at the stake, and the ashes were mixed with gunpowder and fired towards Poland, where False Dmitry I came from. By the way, this was the only shot in history fired by the Tsar Cannon.

IN 1601 and 1602 The country suffered severe crop failures. Famine assumed unprecedented proportions, and a cholera epidemic raged. On the outskirts, dissatisfaction with the policies of the center was brewing. It was especially turbulent in the southwest, where masses of fugitives accumulated on the border with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and a favorable environment arose for the development of an impostor adventure.

However, in 1603, an uprising swept the center. Crowds of hungry people destroyed everything they could get their hands on in search of food. The rebels were led by a certain Khlopko, judging by his nickname, a former serf. In the fall, the government moved an entire army against him, led by governor Basmanov, who managed to win a bloody battle. Khlopko was wounded, captured, and then executed.

Back in 1602, news began to arrive about the appearance within Polish borders of Tsarevich Dmitry, who allegedly escaped from the murderers. This was a fugitive monk of the Moscow Chudov Monastery, Grigory Otrepiev, who before becoming a monk served with the Romanov boyars. The defrocked monk found influential patrons among the Polish nobility. The first of them was Adam Vishnevetsky. Then the impostor was very actively supported by Yuri Mnishek, to whose daughter Marina the impostor became engaged. The magnates helped False Dmitry gather troops for a campaign against Moscow. The Cossacks also joined: the formation of detachments began in Zaporozhye; contacts were established with Don.

IN At the end of October 1604, False Dmitry invaded the Chernigov region, where he was supported by fugitives in the Komaritsa volost. His advance towards Moscow began. It was by no means a triumphal procession - the impostor suffered defeats, but his popularity grew. Faith in the true Tsar was already very strong among the Russian people, being the result of a historical path of several centuries. The impostor skillfully used this faith, sending out incendiary appeals.

IN In April 1605, Boris Godunov, who had long suffered from a serious illness, died. His The 16-year-old son became a victim of a conspiracy and popular rebellion; together with his mother, Queen Maria, he was killed. Government troops besieging the Cossacks of False Dmitry in Kromy went over to the side of the impostor, who entered Moscow in June. The Shuiskys, who led the Boyar Duma, fell into disgrace, being suspected

V conspiracy against the impostor.

We must give the impostor his due - he tried to conduct his reign according to a certain program, trying to create the image of a “good king.” On certain days, he received complaints from the population, distributed money to the nobles, and ordered the compilation of a consolidated Code of Law. Under him, the economic situation of the country improved, and the power of the sovereign increased significantly. However, he cannot destroy previous traditions and get rid of the tutelage of the Boyar Duma.

managed. Moreover, a conflict began to brew. False Dmitry's popularity among the people was not increased by his disrespectful attitude towards the Orthodox Church, his marriage to the Catholic Marina Mniszech, or the abuses of the Poles who arrived with him.

In May 1606, an uprising broke out in Moscow, one of the organizers of which was Prince Vasily Shuisky. Otrepiev tried to escape, but was captured by the conspirators and killed. Shuisky (1606-1610) became the new tsar, who dispensed with the Zemsky Sobor, having been “shouted out from the crowd.” But the population of the southwestern “Ukraine” had no sympathy for the new tsar. Putivl becomes the center of a new uprising, the initiators of which were Prince G. Shakhovskoy and M. Molchanov, the former favorite of False Dmitry. Ivan Isaevich Bolotnikov became the military leader, acting as the governor of the tsar who allegedly escaped in Moscow. Another impostor was coming to join him - calling himself the son of Tsar Fyodor, Tsarevich Peter, which never existed in nature. Bolotnikov was also joined by the Ryazan nobles under the leadership of Prokopiy Lyapunov. The rebel army was complex in composition: Cossacks, serfs, nobles, and military servicemen.

In the spring of 1606, the rebels began the siege of Moscow, but the Bolotnikovites did not have enough strength. In addition, Muscovites did not believe Bolotnikov and remained loyal to Vasily Shuisky. Lyapunov went over to the side of the government. Shuisky managed to defeat the enemy and besiege him in Kaluga. From here Bolotnikov was helped out by False Peter, who came to the rescue from Putivl. But soon the united army was besieged in Tula, which, after a long siege, fell on October 10, 1607.

False Dmitry II.

And the impostor intrigue ran its course. Back in July, False Dmitry II appeared in the Western Russian city of Starodub.

According to R.G. Skrynnikov, the new impostor intrigue was organized by Bolotnikov and False Peter, who began it during the siege of Kaluga. It is believed that under the mask of Dmitry this time there was a certain Bogdanko, a tramp, a baptized Jew. Having recruited an army from the same residents of the southwestern “Ukraine” and mercenaries, the new “Dmitry” moved towards Moscow. He went to the aid of Bolotnikov, besieged in Tula. The defeat of the “royal commander” created confusion in the impostor’s army, but soon the movement began to gain strength again. Large Cossack detachments from the Don, Dnieper, Volga and Terek joined him, and at the end of 1607, after defeat in the fight against the king, participants in the rokosh - opposition movement - began to arrive from Poland. These were battle-hardened “seekers of glory and spoils,” who, led by their colonels, constituted a serious force.

In the spring of 1608, the government army suffered a crushing defeat in the two-day Battle of Bolkhov. The new “Dmitry” reached the capital of the Russian state, but could not take it and settled in Tushino near Moscow. A new courtyard was formed, where everyone dissatisfied with the rule of Vasily Shuisky came running. One of the pillars of the new court were numerous mercenary detachments from Poland, as well as the Don Cossacks under the leadership of Ataman I. Zarutsky. Marina Mnishek arrived at the impostor’s camp and “recognized her husband” for a decent bribe.

So, two government centers arose in Russia: in the Moscow Kremlin and in Tushino. Both tsars had their own court, the Boyar Duma, a patriarch (Vasily had Hermogenes, the former Kazan metropolitan, False Dmitry had Filaret - Fyodor Nikitich Romanov before his tonsure). False Dmitry II was supported by many posads. From different parts of the country, detachments of townspeople and Cossacks hurried to Tushino. But in the Tushino camp, especially with the arrival of the selected army of Jan Sapieha, Polish strength prevailed. The Poles began to besiege the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius in order to organize a blockade of Moscow.

The so-called bailiffs, which were created by the Poles and Cossacks, brought great burden to the Russian people. The tax-paying population had to provide them with “food”. Naturally, all this was accompanied by many abuses. The uprising against the Tushins swept through a number of regions of Russia. Vasily Shuisky decided to rely on foreigners. In August 1606, the Tsar’s nephew M.V. was sent to Novgorod. Skopin-Shuisky to conclude a military assistance agreement with Sweden. The Swedish troops, mostly mercenaries, turned out to be an unreliable force, but Mikhail Skopin was supported by the Russian people themselves. It was his participation that led to the success of Shuisky’s army in military operations: he defeated the Tushins in Zamoskvorechye. However, soon the young commander, popular among the people, died, and there were rumors among the people that he was poisoned by his uncles, who saw him as a competitor.

Under the influence of Skopin-Shuisky's victories, the Tushino Duma split, and False Dmitry II fled to Kaluga. Most of the Tushino boyars, led by Filaret, turned to the Polish king with a request to place Prince Vladislav on the Russian throne - the king agreed. The residents of Tushino took the path of national treason.

The Polish king hoped to regain the Swedish throne, considering himself its rightful heir. Taking advantage of the fact of the alliance between Russia and Sweden, he launched an attack on Russia and besieged Smolensk, the key point of the entire Russian defense in the west. Even during the reign of Boris Godunov, the city was surrounded by new powerful walls, the construction of which was supervised by the architect Fyodor Kon. The heroic defense of Smolensk could have turned the tide of events, but at Klushino the combined forces of the Moscow Tsar (represented by commander Dmitry Shuisky) and the Swedish commander Jacob Delagardie were defeated.

The defeat of Shuisky's army increased the authority of False Dmitry II, who continued to be supported by the population of a number of cities and districts. He gathered his troops and, approaching Moscow, settled in Kolomenskoye. Not without the participation of the “thieves’ boyars,” a Zemsky Council was hastily convened, which deposed Vasily Shuisky. Power in Moscow passed to the Boyar Duma, headed by the seven most prominent boyars. This government began to be called the “Seven Boyars”.

The country found itself in a difficult situation. Smolensk was besieged by the Poles, Novgorod was under threat of being captured by the Swedes. In this difficult situation, an agreement was reached between the Moscow boyars and the Tushins: to ask the Polish prince Vladislav for the throne. But the near future showed that the king wants to try on the Monomakh cap for himself, without observing any conditions that the boyars set for him. In the eyes of the people, the boyars, by calling on the Polish prince, completely compromised themselves. They could only continue to get closer to the Poles. A new government was actually formed in Moscow, in which the Pole A. Gonsevsky was in charge.

Soon False Dmitry was killed while hunting by a Tatar prince, and the banner of Ataman Zarutsky, who was in charge of everything even during the life of the false tsar, became the “crow” - Marina’s recently born son. In Moscow, passionate calls are heard to stand up for the defense of the Motherland. They belonged to Patriarch Hermogenes. However, the center of the fight against foreigners at this time became the south-eastern “Ukraine” - Ryazan land. A militia was created here, headed by P. Lyapunov, princes D. Pozharsky and D. Trubetskoy. Zarutsky's Cossacks also joined them. The Zemstvo militia besieged Moscow. In June 1611, the leaders of the militia announced a verdict that declared “the whole Earth” to be the supreme power in the country. In the Moscow camp there was a government - the Council of the Whole Land. In this body of power, born in the very depths of East Slavic democracy, the decisive voice belonged to the provincial nobility and Cossacks. The council attempted to resolve the tangled land issue. All mobilized servicemen were given fixed land salaries.

The inviolability of the formed serf system was confirmed. Runaway peasants and slaves were subject to immediate return to their former owners. Only for those who became Cossacks and took part in the zemstvo movement, an exception was made. However, contradictions arose within the militia. The Cossacks demanded the immediate election of a tsar and payment of the “sovereign’s salary.” Zarutsky proposed a “warren” for the throne, Lyapunov objected to this. The conflict ended in a bloody drama: the Cossacks killed Prokopiy Lyapunov in their circle. The militia disintegrated.

However, the camps near Moscow did not flee. Zarutsky managed to take power into his own hands and even push Hetman Khodkevich away from Moscow, who was trying to break into Moscow with a large army. But in the fall

nobles began to leave the militia, and the Cossacks lost authority in the eyes of the people.

The prologue to the creation of a new militia was the district message of Patriarch Hermogenes. Under the influence of the patriarch’s ardent calls, the Volga region towns rose up: correspondence began between the largest cities of this region: Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod. The championship gradually passed to Nizhny. Here the zemstvo movement was led by headman Kuzma Minin. He called for donations to the militias. An expert in military affairs was also found - Dmitry Pozharsky, who was healing wounds on his estate near Nizhny Novgorod.

The militia was ready to march when news came from Moscow about unrest in Zarutsky’s camps. This forced the militia to move not to Moscow, but to Yaroslavl, where it stayed for four whole months. A zemstvo government was created here with its own orders. Detachments flocked here from all sides, replenishing the forces of the militia.

Having accumulated strength and concluded a non-aggression pact with the Swedes, the militia moved towards Moscow. Having learned about the approach of the militia, Zarutsky tried to seize the initiative and subordinate its leaders to his will. When this failed, he fled to Ryazan with two thousand of his supporters. The remnants of the first militia, led by Trubetskoy, merged with the second militia.

Under the walls of the Novodevichy Convent, a battle took place with the troops of Hetman Khodkevich, who was coming to the aid of the Poles besieged in Kitai-Gorod. The hetman's army suffered heavy damage and retreated, and Kitai-Gorod was soon taken. The Poles, besieged in the Kremlin, held out for another two months, but then capitulated. By the end of 1612, Moscow and its surroundings were completely cleared of Poles. Sigismund's attempts to change the situation in his favor led nowhere. At Volokolamsk he was defeated and retreated.

Letters convening the Zemsky Sobor were sent throughout the country. The main problem that worried the council, which met in January 1613, was the question of the throne. After lengthy discussions, the choice fell on Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. According to his mother, Anastasia, the first wife of Ivan the Terrible, Mikhail’s father, Filaret Romanov, was Tsar Fedor’s cousin. This means that his son Mikhail was Tsar Fedor’s cousin. This seemed to preserve the principle of transferring the Russian throne by inheritance.

On February 23, 1613, Mikhail was elected king. A number of researchers believe that Mikhail was erected on the initiative of the Cossacks. Perhaps even more important is that the candidacy of Mikhail Romanov turned out to be convenient for all the opposing “parties.” It was the Cossacks that became the main problem for the new government. One of the largest leaders of the Cossacks - Zarutsky - together with Marina Mnishek wandered around Russia, still

hoping to place a “warren” on the throne. After a rather intense struggle, this company was neutralized; they were arrested and executed.

No less dangerous for the new government was the movement of Cossack detachments in the northeast of the country under the leadership of Ataman Ivan Balovny. The Cossacks reached the very capital. By deceiving the Cossack leadership, they managed to eliminate this danger. It was more difficult with external enemies. In 1615 the new Swedish king Gustav Adolf besieged Pskov. The Poles carried out a deep raid in the central regions of the country.

IN In these difficult conditions, the government is trying to rely on the zemshchina. In 1616, the Zemsky Sobor met in Moscow and agreed to a new militia. They decided to put the former heroes at its head. However, Minin, summoned from Nizhny, fell seriously ill on the way and soon died. Prince Pozharsky had to work hard for two, and his work bore fruit: in 1617 the Stolbovsky Peace Treaty was concluded with the Swedes.

Under the terms of this peace, Novgorod was returned to Russia, but the Baltic coast was given to Sweden: Russia lost access to the Baltic Sea and important border fortresses. But we managed to avoid a war on two fronts.

IN At the end of the same year, Prince Vladislav and Hetman Khodkevich moved to Rus'. At the head of the main Russian forces was the mediocre boyar B. Lykov, whose army was blocked in Mozhaisk. Only Pozharsky’s military talent saved the situation. He helped Lykov escape from encirclement and then led the defense of the capital. The assault on Moscow by the Poles in September 1618 was repulsed.

The Poles began a systematic siege of the city, but then the war broke out in the West (which later became thirty years), and the king no longer cared about Russia. In December, a 14-year truce was signed in the village of Deulino, not far from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Russia lost about 30 Smolensk and Chernigov cities, but gained peace, so necessary for the restoration of the devastated and plundered country. The time of troubles was ending.