Pestilence is an obsolete designation of the epidemic in Russia, which leads to a large number of victims. This is usually cholera or plague. In our country, this term was mainly applied to the plague epidemic, which was rampant in 1654-1655.
The epidemic in Russia
Pestilence in Russia in 1654 began with Moscow. From there it spread to Astrakhan, Kazan, went beyond the borders of Russia to the Commonwealth, with which at that time there was a war. The insidious epidemic, calming down, erupted with renewed vigor in 1656-1657, affecting Smolensk, the lower Volga and Kazan again.
Epidemics managed to spread so quickly, including due to the fact that Muscovites did not know what a pestilence is. Serious epidemics have never reached the capital, in the worst case, stopping at the approaches - in Smolensk, Novgorod, Pskov. Therefore, when the plague began, many were completely at a loss.
According to scientists, plague foci do not spread north of 50 degrees north latitude. The fact that the disease arose in Moscow is explained by the fact that it was somehow brought there. The origin of the pestilence in Russia was never established. According to assumptions, it could come from Asia, for example, from Persia to get to the capital through Astrakhan. Also, it cannot be ruled out that the epidemic came from Ukraine.
According to the chronicles, the first small outbreaks of the disease arose as early as 1653.
Plague spread
They started talking seriously about the pestilence when more than 30 people died in Moscow in the yard of Sheremetyev. On July 24, 1654, an epidemic was already raging in the capital. Patriarch Nikon urgently takes the queen to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery with his whole family. Many noble boyars also take refuge there.
Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich at that time was waging war against the Commonwealth. It is located near Smolensk, therefore, in fact, Nikon rules Moscow. It is worth recognizing that the Muscovites at first practically did not pay any attention to the disease, only when the number of deaths became frighteningly large, panic began. Many left the capital, spreading plague throughout Russia.
As a result, only the poorest, lower strata of the population remained in the city. By that time, Nikon had been banned from leaving Moscow, but it was already too late. At its peak, the pestilence in Moscow took place in August-September 1654. Trade stopped in the capital, those who remained engaged in looting, prisoners escaped from prisons, corpses lay everywhere, as they did not have time to bury patients.
The plague spread to Tula, Kaluga, Suzdal, Nizhny Novgorod, Vologda, Kostroma, Kashin, Yaroslavl and Tver. Only by November did the disease subside. In December, the tsar reported to the king that there was no more plague, plague in Moscow. Gradually, she began to subside in other cities.
Clinical picture
Pestilence is always an epidemic with a large number of victims. The events in Moscow were no exception. The disease began with severe headaches, then the patient began to fever, he fell into delirium. The man very quickly weakened, literally melted before his eyes.
At that time, two forms of plague raged in Moscow at once. With a bubonic patient, he became covered with ulcers and died after three to four days, and with a pulmonary one he developed a blood cough, the torment lasted much longer.
Outwardly healthy people were often suddenly dying, shocking everyone around them. It is now known that this is one of the manifestations of pulmonary plague.
Plague control
Many modern researchers note that the fight against the plague was conducted by effective methods. Authorities were aware of how dangerous this epidemic was. Most likely, thanks to anti-epidemic measures, which are assessed as highly appropriate, they did not allow the plague to reach Novgorod, Siberia and Pskov.
It should be noted that these measures could have an even greater effect if their implementation had not been delayed for a number of reasons. Decrees on the fight against the plague were to issue the king and governors. The necessary measures on the ground began only after receiving the relevant decrees, which were often delayed due to bureaucratic red tape.
Quarantine
Moreover, medicine in the XVII century before the pestilence, stress, by the way, in the first word of this term falls on the last syllable, was practically powerless. The only thing the authorities could do was set up quarantine. The same situation in the fight against plague took shape in Europe. Settlements and areas in which the disease spread were blocked, roadblocks were set up on the roads, which constantly burned bonfires to clean the air, it was believed that this could help.
But still, some found ways to get out of infected places and spread the infection outside the city. Those who tried to get out in a roundabout way were ordered to be executed, but this usually didn’t reach the point, local authorities limited themselves to milder sentences.
By the way, the responsibility lay not only with those who were hiding from the infected areas, but also with those who took these fugitives.
West closed
Initially, one of the main tasks that were set before the Moscow authorities was to prevent the development of the epidemic to the west, where Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Russian troops were located. Therefore, the road to Smolensk from Moscow was monitored most carefully.
Often there were problems with the organization of quarantine in cities. There were practically no people who could go to stand at the outpost, because the majority were in the army, and besides, few agreed to such a service. Such outposts were not always set up rationally and reasonably. For example, sometimes they deprived local residents of access to mills or fields, condemning not only illness but also hunger.
Orders to limit trade with infected villages were, of course, logical, but actually put people who were there at risk of death from starvation or exhaustion. For an ordinary man in the street, she was even worse than dying from the plague, because she was more painful and prolonged. That is why so many people wanted to leave the infected areas, often in these settlements there was simply nothing to eat.
Epidemic victims
According to the results of the plague in Russia, it is not possible to establish the exact number of victims. Various sources cite data that vary widely. But with confidence we can say that the plague in 1654-1656 in Russia became the largest epidemic in the whole XVIII century.
Some historians believe that the number of victims was greatly exaggerated. Perhaps due to the fact that those who fled in other areas were counted among the dead. Moreover, it is obvious that in those areas where pestilence was raging, a real demographic catastrophe occurred.
It was difficult to count the victims in the Principality of Lithuania, where the plague got, because there were fighting.
According to various sources, up to 480 thousand people died in Moscow, up to 35 thousand died outside the capital.
Epidemic consequences
The plague could not get to the troops, but significantly complicated the supply, weakening the rear. Because of this, temporarily had to abandon the offensive plans.
Moreover, in general, the campaign of 1654 should be considered successful; Russia managed to return the territories that it lost in the war of 1609-1618.
From the occupied territories, many moved to areas emptied by pestilence, some did it voluntarily. This had a positive effect on the development of the entire state, since many carried elements of Western culture.