The 17th century is considered the richest event period. Contemporaries characterized it as a “rebellious” century for the fierce class confrontations that took place at that time. A major event of the century was the uprising of Stepan Razin.
The reasons for many of the speeches were mainly in the distress in which the country's main working class — the peasants — was located. Experiencing the oppression of forced labor, poverty, they often starved.
Significantly overpopulated was the territory of the Don. The plight in this area pushed dissatisfied to unite. Volunteers began to group around the Cossack commander Stepan Razin. The formed detachment did not meet resistance from the foreman. On the contrary, dissatisfied in every possible way helped with the formation of the Cossack group. However, when the detachment headed towards the Sea of Azov, certain orders were created for the Cossacks by order of the Elders. The Domovites understood that this campaign could upset relations with Turkey, cause complications, or even a complete break with Moscow. This, of course, was not part of the foreman's plans.
At the same time, Razin’s detachment did not meet resistance in 1667, in early May, and settled near the town Panshin, between Ilovlya and Silence. The Cossack commander then gathered under his command more than six hundred people. Despite the fact that the Razintsy inflicted considerable damage on the local Don donors, equipping themselves with hikes and stocking up with food, weapons, clothes, lead and gunpowder, everything was taken from the "domovites" by force.
Razin’s detachment did not meet resistance on the way to the Volga. The Cossack elite, led by the foreman, pursued its goals. The direct calculation was to send the restless Cossacks from the lands. In addition, the "housekeepers" expected that the detachment would return with prey, half of which would be given to them for help and provided ammunition, weapons, ships.
In 1667, by the end of May, the Cossack group sailed on river vessels along the Kamyshenka River to the Volga. Razin’s uprising began as a regular “zipunami” campaign. The difference was in the number of people. The uprising of Stepan Razin did not begin with 150-200 people, but one and a half thousand.
To the north of Tsaritsyn, insurgent detachments captured the trading plots of Patriarch Nikon, Vasily Shorin, other merchants, and the tsar himself.
In 1668, March 23, Razin began his legendary expedition to the Caspian. The leader of the rebels with sailing to Persia linked the hope of finding free land. However, the Shah did not give the Cossacks territory for colonization. During the Persian campaign, Razin won many victories.
After returning to their native Don, a huge number of people joined the Razin detachment. Legends were made about the leader of the rebels, he was considered the people's intercessor. The size of the Razin detachment increased rapidly. By 1670, there were about four thousand rebels.
After some time, the rebel detachment again went outside of Russia. It should be noted that the government favored such campaigns. The tsar was more comfortable with the activities of Razin outside the country than inside her. However, Razin soon showed that he could become the owner of the Lower Volga, so that even Moscow could not cope with it.
The uprising of Stepan Razin led to the division of the country in the European part into two zones. The rebels held power on one, and control on the other was still in the hands of the tsarist government. Outlining the clear geographical boundaries of these zones is quite problematic, due to the fact that the situation has changed very often. Settlements passed from hand to hand, almost the entire county could be under the control of the rebels, and its center and a number of cities remained with the government.
Discontent flared up regularly in different cities and villages. After the uprising was suppressed in one place, it began in another. However, by the end of 1670, the advantage was on the side of the forces of the tsarist government.
In 1671, April 14, the uprising of Stepan Razin was finally crushed. The “house-like” donors attacked the Kagalnitsky town, where several detachments were headed by the leader of the rebels. Stepan Razin and his brother Frol were captured and shackled to Moscow. In 1671, on June 6, the execution took place on Red Square. Stepan Razin was quartered.