Almost everyone knows the term “oprichnina.” Usually associated with this word are the gloomy times of the confrontation of Ivan the Terrible, the descendants of the specific princes and boyars. Who is the oprichnik? This is a man who was in the ranks of the oprichnina army, or guard, created by Tsar Ivan IV as part of the political reform of 1565.
History of the creation of the oprichnina
Tired of the love of power of the boyars and the arbitrariness of the princely aristocracy, which began to imagine itself co-ruler of the sovereign, on February 3, 1565, Ivan the Terrible introduced reform by his decree. It was called the oprichnina. Its purpose was to take away from the king’s opponents all meaning and power. From now on, the whole country was divided into two parts: the oprichnina and the zemstvos (territories not included in the oprichnina). The first included the northeastern lands, where a small number of estates were concentrated. The oprichnina existed for seven years, but her memory is still fresh.
The direct participants in the reform
Who is the oprichnik? First of all, it is an employee of the sovereign, who was in the ranks of the troops of the oprichnina. They could be a representative of different masses. The Tsar’s oprichnik swore allegiance to Ivan the Terrible . At the same time, he renounced his family and made a promise not to communicate with Zemsky.
The characteristics of the oprichnik included a distinctive feature - black robes, similar to monastic ones. In addition, they had special signs - an image of a broom and a dog’s head. This symbolized a firm determination to sweep and chew treason. Thus, everyone could determine who the oprichnik was. Subsequently, this very word among the people became abusive.
The essence of the activities of the guardsmen
From the lands united in the tsarist estates all the descendants of the specific princes were deduced, who seemed to Ivan the Terrible suspicious. All of them were subject to relocation to new lands and the very outskirts of the state. According to the king, there traitors could not pose any danger to the throne. Small landowners and nobles settled on the former land estates of the resettled people.
The day of the guardsman consisted of the ruin and expulsion of the old nobility. Ivan the Terrible called it "sorting out people." During the entire period of persecution of those objectionable to the tsar, almost half of the state was gathered in the oprichnina. The remaining half was in the same position and was called "zemstvo". The boyar’s thought ruled there .
Of course, all these measures came across active opposition. Most powerful people did not approve of Russia's policy of centralizing and eliminating old liberties. Therefore, the opponents of the changes artificially braked or nullified a considerable portion of the initiated cases of the oprichniks. These people had allies in other countries, in particular Poland. Many traitors passed information to opponents, and the king had information about this.
Obligations of the guardsmen
The leak of important state information posed an immediate threat to the ruler. Therefore, the day of the oprichnik included the protection of Ivan IV. In fact, this meant the creation of the first special service in Russia. All those who swore allegiance were obliged to serve, like dogs, to protect their sovereign and power. Who is the oprichnik can be imagined by familiarizing himself with the activities of famous personalities: Malyuta Skuratov, boyar Alexei Basmanov, Prince Athanasius of Vyazemsky.
Main characters
Malyuta Skuratov is a nickname, the real name of the oprichnik was Grigory Lukyanovich Skuratov-Belsky. Thanks to the strict adherence to tsarist instructions during the time of changes in the country, he quickly became one of the closest Ivan the Terrible. The people became known as the main villain of those times. This happened mainly due to the January events of 1570. Novgorod was suspected of treason, in this regard, Malyuta undertook to lead the pogroms in the city, during which the inhabitants were massacred by the thousands. Who is the Oprichnik, one can also imagine hearing a popular saying: "The king is not so terrible as his Malyuta." It was Skuratov who became an active executor of all state affairs.
The main inspirer of the oprichnina was Aleksey Basmanov. He became her leading figure, blindly following all the instructions of the king. Basmanov stained himself with the deposition of Metropolitan Philip, driving him out of the cathedral with a broom.
Immediate adviser to the king and one of the main guardsmen was Prince Athanasius of Vyazemsky. He had the unlimited trust of Ivan the Terrible. Despite this, at the end of the Novgorod pogrom, Vyazemsky, like Basmanov, was accused of organizing plans to transfer Novgorod and Pskov to Lithuania.
Thus, the Oprichnik was a close Ivan the Terrible, a participant in the tsarist reform of 1565 and a direct executor of state instructions on the expulsion and neutralization of traitors to the tsar. This is a member of the "chosen thousand", "sovereign man." Oprichniki were people from different social strata. And taking a personal oath of allegiance to the tsar and the state also testified to the creation of a single order formation.