The troubles of the beginning of the XVII century, the prerequisites, the stages of which will be considered later, are the historical period, accompanied by natural disasters, deep socio-economic and state-political crises. The difficult situation in the country was aggravated by the Polish-Swedish intervention.
Troubles of the 17th century in Russia: reasons
The crisis was caused by a number of factors. The first problems occurred, according to historians, due to the cessation of the Rurik dynasty and the struggle between the tsarist government and the boyars. The latter sought to preserve and strengthen political influence and enhance traditional privileges. The tsarist government, on the contrary, tried to limit these powers. The boyars, in addition, ignored the proposals of the Zemstvo. The role of representatives of this class is estimated by many researchers extremely negatively. Historians point out that the boyar claims turned into a direct struggle with the royal power. Their intrigues extremely negatively affected the position of the sovereign. This is what created the favorable ground on which the Time of Troubles arose in Russia. At the beginning of the XVII century was characterized only from an economic point of view. The situation of the country was very difficult. Subsequently, political and social problems joined this crisis.
Economic situation
The troubles in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century coincided with the aggressive campaigns of Grozny and the Livonian War. These measures required a lot of stress on the productive forces. The ruin in Veliky Novgorod and the forced displacement of servicemen had an extremely negative impact on the economic situation. So the Troubles began to mature in Russia. The beginning of the 17th century was also marked by widespread famine. In 1601-1603 thousands of small and large farms went bankrupt.
Social tension
The turmoil in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century was fueled by the rejection of the existing system by the masses of runaway peasants, impoverished townspeople, city Cossacks and Cossack freemen, a large number of servicemen. The introduced oprichnina, according to some researchers, significantly undermined the respect and trust of the people in law and power.
First events
How did the Troubles begin to develop in Russia? The beginning of the 17th century, in short, coincided with a shift of power in the ruling circles. The heir to the Terrible Fedor the First did not possess the necessary managerial abilities. The youngest son, Dmitry, was at that time still a baby. After the death of the heirs, the Rurik dynasty ceased. The boyar clans — Godunovs and Yurievs — approached the authorities. In 1598, Boris Godunov took the throne. The period from 1601 to 1603. were barren. Frost did not stop even in the summer, and in the fall, in September, it was snowing. The outbreak of hunger claimed about half a million people. Exhausted people went to Moscow, where they were given bread and money. But these events only exacerbated economic problems. The landlords were not able to feed the servants and slaves and drove them out. Left without food and shelter, people began to engage in robberies and robbery.
False Dmitry First
The troubles in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century coincided with the spread of rumors that Tsarevich Dmitry survived. It followed that Boris Godunov was illegally on the throne. The impostor False Dmitry announced his origin to Adam Vishnevetsky, the Lithuanian prince. After that, he met with Jerzy Mniszek, a Polish magnate, and Ragoni, a papal nuncio. In early 1604, False Dmitry 1 received an audience from the Polish king. After some time, the impostor converted to Catholicism. The rights of False Dmitry were recognized by King Sigismund. The monarch allowed everyone to help the Russian Tsar.
Entrance to Moscow
False Dmitry entered the city in 1605, on June 20th. The boyars led by Belsky publicly recognized him as Prince of Moscow and their legal heir. During his reign, False Dmitry focused on Poland and tried to carry out some reforms. However, not all the boyars recognized the legality of his reign. Almost immediately after the arrival of False Dmitry, Shuisky began to spread rumors about his imposture. In 1606, in mid-May, the opposition of the boyars took advantage of the population’s protests against Polish adventurers, who arrived in Moscow for the wedding of False Dmitry, and raised a rebellion. During it, the impostor was killed. The coming to power of Shuisky, representing the Suzdal branch of the Rurikovich, did not bring reassurance to the state. An uprising of Bolotnikov broke out in the southern regions , from which the movement of "thieves" began. Events 1606-1607 describes R. G. Skrynnikov. "Russia at the Beginning of the 17th Century. The Time of Troubles" is a book created by him on the basis of a large amount of documentary material.
False Dmitry II
Nevertheless, rumors were still circulating in the country about the miraculous salvation of the legitimate prince. In 1607, in the summer, a new impostor appeared in Starodub. The trouble in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century continued. By the end of 1608, False Dmitry 2 gained its influence in Yaroslavl, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, Vologda, Galich, Uglich, Kostroma, Vladimir. An impostor donkey in the village of Tushino. Faithful to the capital were Kazan, Veliky Novgorod, Smolensk, Kolomna, Novgorod, Pereyaslavl-Ryazan.
Seven Boyars
One of the key events that marked the Time of Troubles in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century was the coup. The Shuisky in power was ousted. The leadership of the country got a council of seven boyars - Semiboyarschina. They recognized Vsevolod, the Polish prince, as the Russian tsar . The population of many cities swore allegiance to False Dmitry 2. Among them were those who had recently opposed the impostor. The real threat from False Dmitry II forced the council of boyars to admit Polish-Lithuanian detachments to Moscow. It was assumed that they could overthrow the impostor. However, False Dmitry was warned about this and promptly left the camp.
Militias
The trouble in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century continued. The national liberation movement began. It contributed to the formation of militias. The first was commanded by a nobleman from Ryazan Lyapunov. He was supported by supporters of False Dmitry II. Among them were the princes Shakhovskaya, Trubetskoy, Masalsky, Cherkassky and others. On the side of the militia was also the Cossack freemen, whose head was the ataman Zarutsky. The second movement began under the leadership of Kuzma Minin. He invited Pozharsky as a leader. In 1612, in the spring, the camp of the First Militia near Moscow swore allegiance to False Dmitry the Third. The detachments of Minin and Pozharsky could not speak in the capital while the supporters of the impostor ruled there. In this regard, they made Yaroslavl their camp. In late August, the militia reached Moscow. As a result of a number of battles, the Kremlin was liberated, the Polish garrison, which occupied it capitulated. After some time, a new king was chosen. They became Mikhail Fedorovich.
Effects
Compare the Time of Troubles in Russia in the beginning of the 17th century by its destructive power and the depth of the crisis in the country, probably, only with the state of the country during the Tatar-Mongol invasion. This terrible period in the life of the state ended with huge territorial losses, economic decline. The Great Troubles of the early 17th century claimed a huge number of lives. Many cities, arable lands, villages were ravaged. The population for a long time could not recover to its previous level. Many cities passed into the hands of enemies and remained in their power for the next several decades. The area of cultivated land was significantly reduced.