What is the name of the army created by Minin and Pozharsky. People's militia under the leadership of Minin and Pozharsky
The heroic feat of the inhabitants of the Nizhny Novgorod province, who participated in the militia of Minin and Pozharsky, is an epoch-making event in national history.
No wonder the date of the celebration of National Unity Day falls precisely on November, when the great battle took place, and the fighters expelled the Polish invaders from the capital of Russia.
Consider a summary of the main events of 1612.
1612 in the history of Russia
At the beginning of the XVII century. Russia was captured by the most severe crisis in the sphere of politics and economy, the origins of which can be traced back to the times of Russia.
The country was devastated by the ruling boyars and false tsars for 15 years. The situation was not improved by the military intervention of Sweden and the Commonwealth.
But 1612 also became the year of the end of the Time of Troubles and the beginning of the final deliverance from the Polish yoke, thanks to a powerful patriotic wave that rose in Novgorod and ended in victory in Moscow.
Creation of the Nizhny Novgorod militia
After the collapse of the first militia, artisans and merchants of Nizhny Novgorod came up with a proposal to gather people living in the county to fight the Polish invaders.
The creation of the Nizhny Novgorod militia in September 1612 was a turning point in the fight against foreign invaders. The collection of volunteers lasted almost a year.
The command staff was recruited from the nobility, and ordinary militias were formed from peasants and residents of the province. Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky were appointed leaders of the people's militia.
Who were Minin and Pozharsky
Minin Kuzma Minich was born into the family of a city merchant in Novgorod. Before the events of 1612, Minin was the owner butcher shop. But in 1608 he joined the local militia, participated in the expulsion of supporters of False Dmitry II. Later he was elected to the position of Zemstvo headman.
After the failure of the first militia, he was the first to call on the inhabitants of Novgorod to resist the enemy, and independently led the movement to create a people's army.
Pozharsky Dmitry Mikhailovich belonged to the princely estate. In 1602 he was a steward at the court of Boris Godunov, and in 1608 he was sent to defend Kolomna as a governor. At the end of 1610, together with the Lyapunov brothers, he led the gathering of the first people's militia. Later became the head of the second.
Minin's appeal to the people of Nizhny Novgorod
The impetus for the beginning of the formation of the army was an appeal to the people, uttered by Kuzma Minin at the walls of the Ivanovskaya tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin.
It spoke of the need to collect cash and the necessary things for the needs of the militia.
Also, letters were sent to neighboring cities and provinces to convene peasants, townspeople and small peasants to participate in the liberation of the fatherland. Even representatives of the nobility and merchants, who became leaders of individual detachments, responded to Minin's call.
Thus, by March 1612, the second militia numbered about 10 thousand people of different classes.
When the Poles captured Moscow
By the time of the formation of the people's army, the combined Polish-Lithuanian garrison under the command of S. Zholkevsky had already occupied the territory of Moscow for 2 years: the Kremlin, Kitay-Gorod and the White City.
Polish troops successfully repulsed the attacks of the troops of False Dmitry II, having elevated King Vladislav IV to the Russian throne. In August 1610, the Seven Boyars - the government of Russia, consisting of boyars - spiritual leaders and Moscow residents swore an oath to the new ruler.
Campaign of Minin and Pozharsky to Moscow
The detachment set out from Novgorod in the spring of 1612. Moving towards Yaroslavl, the army, reinforced by volunteers from nearby towns and villages and money from the local treasury, grew.
In Yaroslavl, the "Council of All the Earth" was created - the new government of Russia, which was headed by nobles and leaders of the militia. An active struggle for cities and districts continued, which significantly increased the composition of the army and its glory as liberators among the Russian people.
The defeat of Hetman Khodkevich and the liberation of Moscow from the Polish invaders
Meanwhile, the 12,000-strong army of Hetman Khodkevich was advancing towards Moscow to help the Polish invaders besieged by a detachment of Cossacks led by Prince Dmitry Trubetskoy. Upon learning of this, Pozharsky sent two detachments of liberators towards Moscow.
On August 22, Prince Pozharsky went to the Moskva River, near which the Hetman's army was stationed on the Maiden's Field. The fierce battle lasted three days, with breaks for short rests. As a result, Khodkevich's army was defeated and fled.
The feat of Minin and Pozharsky
But a considerable part of the Poles were still hiding behind the walls of Moscow. Due to the lack of food, a terrible famine began, forcing the besieged Polish soldiers to eat human flesh.
Prince Pozharsky invited the besieged to peacefully leave the walls of the Kremlin, which was initially refused. But soon the Poles agreed and left the city alive.
On October 27, 1612, a solemn entry of Pozharsky's troops into the gates of the Kremlin and a great prayer service took place in honor of the saviors of Russia and the liberation of the capital.
The role of Minin and Pozharsky in the history of Russia
The historical role of the feat of Minin and Pozharsky is to create a special patriotic atmosphere, which was able to raise the morale of both peasants and wealthy people.
Only thanks to this heroic wave, which swept the entire northern part of Russia and reached the walls of Moscow, did the future liberation from Polish-Lithuanian influence and the accession to the throne of the first tsar of the Romanov family, Mikhail Fedorovich, become possible.
One of the turning points in Russian history can definitely be called the liberation of Moscow from the Poles in 1612. It was then that it was decided whether to be or not to be Russian state. It is difficult to overestimate the significance of this date for future generations. Let's take another look at this significant event after many centuries, and also find out what the military leader did during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles in order to achieve success.
background
But first, let's find out what events preceded the liberation of Moscow from the Poles.
The confrontation between the Commonwealth, which is actually a federation of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, with the Russian state began in the days of Ivan the Terrible. Then, in 1558, the famous Livonian War broke out, pursuing its goal of gaining control over the Baltic lands. In 1583, the war ended with the signing of the peace, which turned out to be rather unfavorable for Russia. But in general, this world of contradictions between the Russian kingdom and the Commonwealth did not resolve.
After the death of Ivan the Terrible in 1584, his son Fyodor took the Russian throne. He was a rather weak and sickly man, under whom the royal power was significantly weakened. He died in 1598 without heirs. The brother of Fedor's wife, the boyar Boris Godunov, came to power. This event had rather deplorable consequences for Russia, since the Rurik dynasty, which ruled the state for more than seven hundred years, was cut short.
Dissatisfaction with the policy of Boris Godunov grew within the Russian kingdom, whom many considered an impostor who illegally seized power and, according to rumors, ordered the murder of the legitimate heir of Ivan the Terrible.
This tense situation within the country most opportunely contributed to the possibility of foreign intervention.
Impostors
The ruling elite of the Commonwealth was well aware that its main external rival was the Russian kingdom. Therefore, the fall served as a kind of signal to start preparing for the invasion.
However, the Commonwealth itself was not ready for an open war, therefore, for its intrigues, it used the impostor Grigory Otrepyev, who pretended to be Dmitry, the son of Ivan the Terrible who died in childhood (according to another version, he was killed on the orders of Boris Godunov), for which he received the nickname - False Dmitry.
The army of False Dmitry was recruited with the support of Polish and Lithuanian magnates, but was not officially supported by the Commonwealth. She invaded the territory of Russia in 1604. Soon, Tsar Boris Godunov died, and his sixteen-year-old son Fyodor was unable to organize the defense. Grigory Otrepiev captured Moscow in 1605, and he himself proclaimed himself Tsar Dmitry I. However, already in next year he was killed in the coup. At the same time, a significant part of the Poles who arrived with him was killed.
The new Russian tsar was Vasily Shuisky, who was a representative of the lateral branch of the Rurikovich. But a significant part of the population of Russia did not recognize him as a real ruler.
In 1607, a new impostor appeared on the territory of the Commonwealth, whose real name is unknown. He went down in history as False Dmitry II. He was supported by the magnates, who had previously started an uprising against the Polish king Sigismund III, but lost. The town of Tushin became the headquarters of the impostor, which is why False Dmitry II received the nickname Tushinsky thief. His army defeated Shuisky's army and besieged Moscow.
Vasily Shuisky tried to negotiate with him to recall his subjects. But he had no real leverage, and did not want to do this. Then the Russian Tsar made an alliance with the Swedes. This alliance assumed Swedish assistance against False Dmitry II on the terms of the transfer of a number of Russian cities to Sweden, as well as the conclusion of an alliance against Poland.
Prerequisites for open Polish intervention
The main pretext for the beginning of the Polish intervention was the Russian-Swedish alliance. This gave a formal pretext to the Commonwealth to declare war on Russia, because one of the goals of the alliance was precisely to confront Poland.
In the Commonwealth itself at that time there was an increase in royal power. This was due to the fact that by 1609 King Sigismund III suppressed the uprising of the discontented gentry, which lasted three years. Now there is an opportunity for external expansion.
In addition, Russian-Polish contradictions since Livonian War did not go away, and the hidden Polish intervention in the form of unofficial support for the impostors did not give the expected result.
These factors served as an impetus for the decision to openly invade the territory of the Commonwealth of the Russian state in order to put it under its control. full control. It was they who launched the chain of events, the links of which were the capture of the capital of Russia by the Polish-Lithuanian army, and then the liberation of Moscow from the Poles.
Capture of Moscow by the Poles
In the autumn of 1609, the Polish army, led by hetman Stanislav Zolkiewski, invaded the territory of Russia and laid siege to Smolensk. In the summer of 1610, they defeated the Russian-Swedish troops in the decisive battle near Klushino and approached Moscow. On the other hand, Moscow was surrounded by the army of False Dmitry II.
Meanwhile, the boyars overthrew Vasily Shuisky and imprisoned him in a monastery. They established a regime known as the Seven Boyars. But the boyars who usurped power were unpopular with the people. They really could only control Moscow. Fearing that the more popular False Dmitry II might seize power, the boyars conspired with the Poles.
By agreement, the son of the king of Poland, Sigismund III, Vladislav became the Russian tsar, but at the same time converted to Orthodoxy. In the autumn of 1610, the Polish army entered Moscow.
First militia
Thus, the capital of Russia was captured by the Poles. From the first days of their stay, they began atrocities, which, of course, caused displeasure of the local population. Hetman Zolkiewski left Moscow, and Alexander Gonsevsky left to lead the Polish garrison in the city.
At the beginning of 1611, under the leadership of Prince D. Trubetskoy, I. Zarutsky and P. Lyapunov, the so-called First Home Guard was formed. His goal was to begin the liberation of Moscow from the Poles. main force of this army were Ryazan nobles and Tushino Cossacks.
The army approached Moscow. At the same time, an uprising against the invaders took place in the city, in which Dmitry Pozharsky, the future military leader during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles, played a prominent role.
At this time, the militia managed to occupy Kitai-Gorod, but disagreements within it led to the murder of one of the leaders - Prokopy Lyapunov. As a result, the militia actually disintegrated. The goal of the campaign was not achieved, and the liberation of Moscow from the Poles did not take place.
Formation of the Second Militia
The year 1612 has come. The liberation of Moscow from the Poles became the goal of the Second Militia that was being formed. The initiative for its creation came from the trade and craft class of Nizhny Novgorod, which suffered great oppression and losses during the Polish occupation. Nizhny Novgorod did not recognize the authority of either False Dmitry II or Vladislav Zhigmontovich, the Prince of Poland.
One of the leading roles in the creation of the Second People's Militia was played by Kuzma Minin, who held the post of zemstvo headman. He called on the people to unite in the fight against the invaders. In the future, he became famous as a military leader during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles and as a national hero. And then he was a simple artisan who managed to unite the masses of people who flocked to his call to Nizhny Novgorod from other parts of Russia.
Among the arrivals was Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, another person who gained fame as a military leader during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles in 1612. He was called by the people's militia to general fee, asking Prince Pozharsky to lead the people in the fight against the invaders. The prince could not refuse this request and added his own people to the army that began to form under the leadership of Minin.
The backbone of the militia consisted of the Nizhny Novgorod garrison of 750 people, but servicemen from Arzamas, Vyazma, Dorogobuzh and other cities came up to the call. It is impossible not to note the high abilities of Minin and Pozharsky in leading the formation of the army and in coordinating with other cities of Russia. In fact, they formed a body that performs the role of government.
Later, during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles, the Second People's Militia, when it had already approached the capital, was replenished with some groups from the disintegrated First Militia.
Thus, under the leadership of Minin and Pozharsky, a significant force was formed that could successfully resist the interventionists. Thus began the liberation of Moscow from the Poles in 1612.
Personality of Dmitry Pozharsky
Now let's dwell in more detail on the personality of a man who became famous as a military leader during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles. It was Dmitry Pozharsky who, at the behest of the people, became the main leader of the militia, and he deservedly owns a significant part of the contribution to this glorious victory. Who was he?
Dmitry Pozharsky belonged to an ancient princely family, which was a side branch of the Rurikids along the Starodub line. He was born in 1578, that is, at the time of the formation of the militia in the fall of 1611, he was about 33 years old. The father was Prince Pozharsky, and the mother was Maria Fedorovna Berseneva-Beklemisheva, in whose estate, given as a dowry, Dmitry was born.
On the public service Dmitry Pozharsky entered the reign of Boris Godunov. The future military leader, who commanded during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles, under Tsar Vasily Shuisky led one of the detachments that opposed the army of False Dmitry II. Then he received the post of Zaraisk governor.
Later, as mentioned above, Pozharsky was organizing an uprising against the Poles in Moscow during the existence of the First People's Militia.
Naturally, a man who fought so stubbornly against foreign intervention could not but respond to the call of Kuzma Minin. Not the last role in the fact that it was Dmitry Pozharsky who led the militia was played by the fact that he had an estate near Nizhny Novgorod, that is, the Nizhny Novgorod people who made up the backbone of the army considered him theirs.
This was the man who led the militia during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles.
Trip to Moscow
We figured out who commanded during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles, now let's dwell on the ups and downs of the campaign itself.
The militia moved at the end of February 1612 from Nizhny Novgorod up the Volga towards Moscow. As he progressed, new people joined him. Majority settlements greeted the militia with joy, and where local authorities they tried to repair opposition, as was the case in Kostroma, they were displaced and replaced by people loyal to the Russian army.
In April 1612, the militia entered Yaroslavl, where they stayed almost until August 1612. Thus, Yaroslavl became a temporary capital. This period of development of the liberation movement took the name "Standing in Yaroslavl".
Having learned that the army of Hetman Khodkevich was approaching Moscow in order to ensure its defense, Pozharsky at the end of July promptly sent several detachments from Yaroslavl, which approached the capital directly, and in mid-August all militia forces were concentrated near Moscow.
Side forces
It became clear to everyone that a decisive battle was coming. What was the number of troops on the opposing sides and their deployment?
The total number of troops that were subordinate to Dmitry Pozharsky, according to sources, did not exceed eight thousand people. The backbone of this army was the Cossack detachments numbering 4,000 people and one thousand archers. In addition to Pozharsky and Minin, the commanders of the militia were Dmitry Pozharsky-Shovel (a relative of the chief governor) and Ivan Khovansky-Big. Only the last of them at one time commanded significant military formations. The rest either, like Dmitry Pozharsky, had to command relatively small detachments, or there was no leadership experience at all, like Pozharsky-Shovel.
Dmitry Trubetskoy, one of the leaders of the First Militia, brought with him another 2,500 Cossacks. Although he agreed to help the common cause, at the same time he retained the right not to follow Pozharsky's orders. In this way, total strength Russian army was 9500-10 000 people.
The number of the Polish army of Hetman Khodkevich, approaching Moscow from the western side, totaled 12,000 people. The main force in it was the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks, numbering 8,000 soldiers under the command of Alexander Zborovsky. The most combat-ready part of the army was the hetman's personal detachment of 2,000 people.
The commanders of the Polish army - Chodkiewicz and Zborowski - had significant military experience. In particular, Chodkiewicz distinguished himself in suppressing the recent uprising of the gentry, as well as in the war with Sweden. Among other commanders, Nevyarovsky, Graevsky and Koretsky should be noted.
In addition to the 12,000 soldiers that Khodkevich brought with him, there was also a 3,000-strong Polish garrison in the Moscow Kremlin. It was led by Nikolay Strus and Iosif Budilo. These were also experienced warriors, but without special military leadership talents.
Thus, the total number of the Polish army reached 15,000 people.
The Russian militia was stationed near the walls of the White City, being between the Polish garrison settled in the Kremlin and Khodkevich's troops, as between a hammer and anvil. Their numbers were smaller than those of the Poles, and the commanders did not have such great military experience. It seemed that the fate of the militia was sealed.
Battle for Moscow
So, in August, the battle began, the result of which was the liberation of Moscow from the Poles. The year of this battle entered the history of Russia forever.
Hetman Khodkevich's troops were the first to attack, having crossed the Moscow River, they reached the gates of the Novodevichy Convent, where militia units were concentrated. A horse fight ensued. The Polish garrison made attempts to sortie out of its fortification, while Prince Trubetskoy waited and was in no hurry to help Pozharsky. It must be said that the military leader commanded quite wisely during the liberation of Moscow from the Poles, which did not allow initial stage the enemy to crush the positions of the militia. Chodkiewicz had to retreat.
After that, Pozharsky changed the deployment of troops, moving to Zamoskvorechye. The decisive battle took place on 24 August. Hetman Khodkevich again threw his troops into the attack, hoping to crush the smaller militia. But it didn't work out the way he had hoped. The Russian troops stood firm, moreover, Trubetskoy's detachments finally entered the battle.
Exhausted opponents decided to take a breather. By evening, the militia launched a counteroffensive. They crushed the positions of the enemy and forced him to retreat to the city of Mozhaisk. Seeing this, the Polish garrison was forced to surrender to the militia. Thus ended the liberation of Moscow from foreign invaders.
Effects
The liberation of Moscow from the Poles in 1612 was a turning point in the entire Russian-Polish war. True, hostilities lasted for quite a long time.
In the spring of 1613, a representative of the new Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich, was installed in the kingdom. This served as a significant strengthening of Russian statehood.
At the end of 1618, finally, it was concluded between the Russians and the Poles. As a result of this truce, Russia was forced to give up significant territories to the Commonwealth, but retained the main thing - its statehood. In the future, this helped her to recapture the lost lands and even participate in the division of the Commonwealth itself.
The meaning of the liberation of Moscow
It is difficult to overestimate the significance of the liberation of the Russian capital for national history. This event made it possible to preserve Russian statehood in the difficult struggle against the interventionists. Therefore, the battle of Moscow is inscribed in all textbooks on Russian history and is one of the significant dates.
We also remember the leaders of the Second Militia - Prince Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, who have long had the status folk heroes. Holidays are dedicated to them, monuments are erected, and memory is honored.
SECOND MILITIA 1611-12 (Zemskoe militia, Civil uprising), a military formation created in Nizhny Novgorod to "cleanse" Moscow and expel troops from the Russian state that came during the Commonwealth intervention of the early 17th century. Formed in connection with the crisis and a sharp weakening of the military potential of the First Militia of 1611. The immediate impetus for the creation of the Second Militia was the appeal of Patriarch Hermogenes to the inhabitants of Nizhny Novgorod to continue the struggle for liberation [delivered on 25.8 (4.9).1611]. The initiators of the movement were the townspeople, first of all, the new zemstvo headman K. Minin [elected, apparently, 1 (11). 9. 1611]. At his call, supported by the council of representatives of all estate groups of the city and county (owning peasants had no representatives), a voluntary collection of money and property was held, negotiations were started with detachments of nobles and archers from Smolensk (at that time they were in Arzamas). At the same time, in order to raise funds "for the construction of military people", a forced extraordinary shared tax (according to some sources - the "fifth money") was introduced on the property and / or income of all payers in Nizhny Novgorod and the district. Later, a forced loan of money from non-resident merchants was carried out. After agreeing on the conditions, the stolnik Prince D. M. Pozharsky was elected the 1st voivode (I. I. Birkin became the 2nd voivode), at his suggestion, by the decision of the interestate council, responsible for financial material support appointed K. Minin (who from that time on was called "an elected person"). Under the leaders of the Second Militia, an office (“order”) was formed, headed by the clerk V. Yudin. By October 29-30 (November 8-9). 1611 detachments of Smolensk arrived in Nizhny Novgorod, and later nobles and archers from Dorogobuzh, Belaya, Vyazma (up to 2-2.5 thousand soldiers in total), who, together with the local military contingent (up to 1 thousands of warriors from nobles, archers, serving foreigners, etc.) are the basis of the army being formed. The salaries of the militias (primarily the nobles) were “imposed” with the payment of a part of the salary, the issuance of “human and horse fodder”.
By about mid-December 1611, the Nizhny Novgorod inter-estate council, replenished with representatives from the militias of a number of neighboring cities, became the Zemsky government (“Council of All the Earth”).
On his behalf, the leaders of the Second Militia addressed the Volga, northern and central cities with calls for joint action to "cleanse the country from Polish and Lithuanian people" and to restore order, with requests to immediately send funds, ammunition and military people to Nizhny Novgorod (receipts began in December 1611). They also proposed to take mutual obligations “not to rob anyone from the Muscovite state without the advice of all the land”, while completely rejecting M. Mnishek, her son Ivan and False Dmitry III as candidates for the Russian throne. The first military plan of the Second Militia provided for an ambulance (in winter months) and a direct (through Suzdal) campaign against Moscow, therefore, in the then appeals of the Second Home Guard there was no criticism of the First Home Guard. However, in January 1612, after the Polish garrison in Moscow received reinforcements and provisions for several months, and the leaders of the First Militia took a wait-and-see attitude towards the Second Militia (I.M. Zarutsky sent advanced Cossacks to Yaroslavl in order to spread his control over the rich northern cities) and made contact with False Dmitry III, the leaders of the Second Militia changed their strategy. In response to calls from the Volga and northern cities for help, in mid-February 1612 they sent the vanguard of the Second Militia to Yaroslavl (Zarutsky's Cossacks were arrested there), and at the end of the month - the main forces. Along the way (Balakhna - Yuryevets - Kineshma - Kostroma - Yaroslavl), the treasury was replenished, and at the expense of the nobles, service Tatars, archers - and detachments of the Second Militia. The Second Militia arrived in Yaroslavl no later than the last decade of March 1612 and remained there for 4 months. During this time, most of the priority problems were solved. From the end of April 1612, the most representative cathedral (“Council of the Whole Earth”) operated in Yaroslavl: in addition to deputies from the traditional estates, it also included deputies from the townspeople of many cities, palace and black-haired peasants. Documents of the Second Militia were sent on behalf of Prince D. M. Pozharsky and the Zemsky government. The solid organizational and material foundations of the Second Militia led to the departure in April - May 1612 to Yaroslavl of most of the nobles, service nobles, clerks and clerks of the First Militia. By the summer, about 10 orders were working in Yaroslavl; improved strong ties with controlled cities in the areas of management - traditional (financial-tax, administrative-judicial) and caused by circumstances (mobilization of military people, weapons, ammunition, food and provisions). By June 1612, detachments of the Second Militia defeated and ousted the Cossacks of the First Militia (some of the villages went over to the side of the Second Militia) from the cities of the Upper Volga region and from the territory on the border with Novgorod land, from a number of central cities (Rostov, Pereyaslavl), established strong control over Vladimiro - Suzdal region and neighboring counties. The power of the leaders of the Second Militia was recognized by the northern and Siberian cities, the Middle Volga region (Kazan, to a large extent formally), and some other territories. In several cities, the governor was replaced and the garrisons were strengthened. By order of the leaders of the Second Militia, the usual taxes, arrears for previous years, customs and other fees were levied, forced loans were widely practiced, especially from large merchants and monasteries. The collected funds were spent mainly on the salaries of military people. The army of the Second Militia noticeably increased (by mid-July 1612, at least 15-20 thousand warriors) due to new corporations of county nobles, detachments of archers, Romanov Murzas, Siberian and Kasimov service Tatars, newly joined Cossack villages and contingents of "dacha people" from Vologda and counties of Pomorie. Its artillery park has also increased.
The leaders of the Second Home Guard regarded Novgorod and the Novgorod fortresses, occupied by Swedish troops in the summer of 1611, as an integral part of the Russian state. They did not reject the verdict of the First Home Guard of 23.6 (3.7.) 1611 on the election of one of the Swedish princes as Russian Tsar, but they insisted on the obligatory preliminary conditions: the applicant (in 1612 it was Charles Philip) must immediately arrive in Russia, convert to Orthodoxy, only then the delegation of deputies of the elective zemstvo sobor will negotiate and formalize the terms of his stay on the royal throne. During the exchange of embassies between Novgorod and the Zemsky government in April - June 1612, it turned out that these conditions were not met, and subsequent contacts were frozen (until the liberation of Moscow). A passing but important consequence of the negotiations was the neutralization of the possible military plans of the Swedes, although the leaders of the Second Home Guard took a number of preventive measures (sent additional forces and restored fortifications in cities close to the Novgorod border).
Already in April 1612, the leaders of the Second Militia, in letters widely distributed throughout the country, accused the chiefs of the First Militia (primarily I. M. Zarutsky) of “many lies” (the murder of P. P. Lyapunov, robberies and murders “on the roads” carried out by the Cossacks , the distribution of cities and villages "to their advisers", the oath to False Dmitry III). The military-political situation forced the leaders of the First Militia to seek reconciliation with the Second Militia and support from him. They publicly recognized the oath to the "Pskov thief" as a mistake, in June they sent a large embassy to Yaroslavl with a call to urgently go to "cleanse" Moscow. The situation changed by mid-July, when information was confirmed about the imminent approach to the capital of the Polish corps of Hetman Ya. K. Khodkevich with a large convoy. On the same days, according to some reports, an unsuccessful attempt was made on Prince D. M. Pozharsky; the conspirators were caught, at a public trial they declared that they had been sent by Zarutsky. At the same time, a detachment of the Second Militia headed by M. S. Dmitriev (over 400 cavalry soldiers) was sent to Moscow, located on 24.7 (3.8). On July 28 (August 7), 1612, Zarutsky left Moscow with a detachment of up to 3 thousand warriors, and on August 2 (12).
On 27.7 (6.8). 1612 or 28.7 (7.8). 1612, the main forces of the Second Home Guard also approached Moscow. On the way, its leaders refused the messenger of the detachment of mercenaries who arrived in Arkhangelsk. Around the same time, they received information from Prince D.T. Trubetskoy about the departure of I.M. Zarutsky and the advancement of Ya.K. Khodkevich to Moscow. On 20 (30) 8/1612, the main forces of the Second Home Guard settled down from Chertoly to the Arbat Gates and began to build defensive structures. 21 (31) 8/1612 Khodkevich approached Poklonnaya Hill. In sum, the number of detachments of the First Home Guard and the Second Home Guard exceeded the combined forces of the Polish garrison and Chodkiewicz's troops (up to 15-18 thousand against 12-13 thousand people). However, Khodkevich's forces were better armed, had military training and experience, advantageous positions, and most importantly, they were opposed by two separated armies. On 22.8 (1.9). 1612 the decisive battle began. In the morning Khodkevich applied main blow by the detachments of D. M. Pozharsky, trying to break through to the Kremlin and lead a huge convoy there by the shortest route. At a critical moment of many hours of battle, when the militias were attacked from the rear by part of the forces of the Polish garrison, the outcome of the battle was decided by a swift attack on the flank of the attackers, undertaken by five hundred selected horsemen of the Second Home Guard (with which Pozharsky reinforced Trubetskoy’s detachments in Zamoskvorechye the day before) and part of the Cossacks of the First Home Guard. Having suffered heavy losses, Khodkevich retreated to his camp (at night, thanks to treason, he managed to lead up to 500 people to the Kremlin). On August 24 (September 3), 1612, a fierce battle continued in Zamoskvorechye (the hetman with troops and a convoy had crossed there the day before, and Pozharsky's significant forces had crossed behind them). After many hours of fighting, detachments of the Second Home Guard retreated to the camp, and the Cossacks of Trubetskoy also retreated. The outcome of the battle was decided by a frontal attack of the Cossack infantry (at the call of Avraamy Palitsyn) and a blow to the enemy's flank (near the Crimean courtyard) by a select detachment of the Second Militia under the command of K. Minin. Losses personnel in the army of Khodkevich were very significant, it also lost most convoy (over 400 wagons), the tasks of the campaign remained unfulfilled. Promising the garrison to return in three weeks, the hetman retreated on August 28 (September 7), 1612, along the Smolensk road, with the surviving forces.
An attempt to storm and shell the Kremlin by the troops of the Second Home Guard in September 1612 did not have a decisive result. At the end of September 1612 there was a political, organizational and military unification of the militias. The Zemstvo government became unified, over it and at the head of the combined forces were D. M. Pozharsky and D. T. Trubetskoy (the first to be written in the documents was Trubetskoy, who had the rank of boyar, although Pozharsky played a decisive role in management). Orders were combined (more than 12) with the leading role of clerks and clerks of the Second Militia (K. Minin remained the curator of the tax and financial sphere). "Laying out" and paying salaries already covered the entire united militia. Despite severe famine, the Commonwealth garrison refused to surrender in September and October. After a short assault, the militia occupied Kitai-Gorod on October 22 (11). On October 27 (November 6), 1612, the garrison capitulated: one Polish regiment entered Pozharsky's camp, the second - into Trubetskoy's camp (contrary to the terms of surrender, the Cossacks killed almost all the soldiers of the regiment), on the same day the troops of the united militia entered the Kremlin. 1(11).11.1612 took place procession and a prayer service in the Assumption Cathedral. In the days following this, the vast majority of the county nobles and all the “dacha people” left Moscow. The campaign of 1612 ended with the unsuccessful campaign of King Sigismund III, who retreated to the Commonwealth from under the walls of unsurrendered Volokolamsk.
The main task of the "boyar-rulers" Pozharsky and Trubetskoy, who headed the Zemsky government in November 1612 - early January 1613, was to convene a general Zemsky Sobor. His work began in the first half of January 1613. Orders on behalf of Pozharsky and Trubetskoy were issued until 25.2 (6.3.) 1612, although the final election of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov as king and the oath to him in the capital took place as early as 21.2 (3.3.) 1613. Later (before the arrival of the new tsar in the capital), the documents in Moscow were addressed to the oldest member of the Boyar Duma, the boyar, Prince F. I. Mstislavsky "with comrades."
Lit .: Zabelin I. E. Minin and Pozharsky. Straight lines and curves in the Time of Troubles. 4th ed. M., 1901; Lyubomirov P. G. Essay on the history of the Nizhny Novgorod militia 1611-1613. M., 1939; Cherepnin L.V. Zemsky Sobors of the Russian State in the 16th-17th Centuries. M., 1978; Stanislavsky A. L. The Civil War in Russia XVII in. Cossacks at the turning point of history. M., 1990; Nazarov V.D. What will be celebrated in Russia on November 4, 2005? // Domestic notes. 2004. No. 5.
Encyclopedic YouTube
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✪ Second zemstvo militia. Minin and Pozharsky. Video lesson on the history of Russia Grade 7
✪ Prince Dmitry Pozharsky (says historian Maria Yakushina)
✪ Minin and Pozharsky
✪ Trouble on the fingers (part 2) - Shuisky, False Dmitry II, Seven Boyars
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Prerequisites for the creation of the second militia
The initiative to organize the Second People's Militia came from the craft and trade people of Nizhny Novgorod, an important economic and administrative center on the Middle Volga. At that time, about 150 thousand males lived in the Nizhny Novgorod district (in Nizhny itself - about 3.5 thousand male residents, of which about 2-2.5 thousand townspeople), there were up to 30 thousand households in 600 villages.
Disastrous situation in the Nizhny Novgorod Territory
Nizhny Novgorod in terms of its strategic position, economic and political significance was one of the key points of the eastern and southeastern regions of Russia. In the conditions of the weakening of the central government, the hostage of the interventionists, this city became the initiator of a nationwide patriotic movement that engulfed the Upper and Middle Volga regions and neighboring regions of the country. Nizhny Novgorod residents joined the liberation struggle a few years before the formation of the second militia.
Hike up the Volga
The second militia marched on Moscow from Nizhny Novgorod in late February - early March 1612 through Balakhna, Timonkino, Sitskoye, Yuryevets, Reshma, Kineshma, Kostroma, Yaroslavl. In Balakhna and Yuryevets, the militiamen were greeted with great honor. They received replenishment and a large cash treasury. In Reshma, Pozharsky learned of the oath of Pskov and the Cossack leaders Trubetskoy and Zarutskoy to a new impostor, the fugitive monk Isidore. Kostroma governor Ivan Sheremetev did not want to let the militia into the city. Having removed Sheremetev and appointed a new governor in Kostroma, the militia entered Yaroslavl in the first days of April 1612.
Capital in Yaroslavl
In Yaroslavl, the militia stood for four months, until the end of July 1612. Here, the composition of the government, the "Council of All the Earth", was finally determined. It also included representatives of noble princely families - Dolgoruky, Kurakin, Buturlin, Sheremetev and others. The Council was headed by Pozharsky and Minin. Since Minin was illiterate, Pozharsky put his signature on the letters instead: “Prince Dmitry Pozharsky put his hand to the elected man with all the land in Kozmino instead of Minin.” The letters were signed by all members of the "Council of All the Earth". And since localism was strictly observed at that time, Pozharsky's signature was in tenth place, and Minin's was in fifteenth.
In Yaroslavl, the militia government continued to pacify cities and districts, free them from the Polish-Lithuanian detachments, from the Cossacks of Zarutsky, depriving the latter of material and military aid from the eastern, northeastern and northern regions. At the same time, it took diplomatic steps to neutralize Sweden, which had seized the Novgorod lands, through negotiations on the candidacy for the Russian throne of Charles Philip, brother of the Swedish king Gustavus Adolf. At the same time, Prince Pozharsky held diplomatic negotiations with Joseph Gregory, the ambassador of the German emperor, about the emperor's assistance to the militia in the liberation of the country. In return, he offered Pozharsky to the Russian tsars the emperor's cousin, Maximilian. Subsequently, these two pretenders to the Russian throne were denied.
"Standing" in Yaroslavl and the measures taken by the "Council of All the Earth", by Minin and Pozharsky themselves, gave their results. A large number of lower and suburban cities with counties, Pomorye and Siberia joined the Second Home Guard. Government institutions functioned: under the "Council of All the Earth" the orders of the Local, Discharge, Posolsky worked. Gradually, order was established in an increasingly large territory of the state. Gradually, with the help of militia detachments, it was cleared of gangs of thieves. The militia army already numbered up to ten thousand warriors, well armed and trained. The authorities of the militia were also engaged in daily administrative and judicial work (appointment of governors, maintaining bit books, analyzing complaints, petitions, etc.). All this gradually stabilized the situation in the country and led to the revival of economic activity.
At the beginning of July 1612, the militia received news of the advance of the twelve thousandth detachment of the great Hetman of Lithuania Khodkevich with a large convoy towards Moscow. Pozharsky and Minin immediately sent detachments of Mikhail Dmitriev and Prince Lopata-Pozharsky to the capital, who approached Moscow on July 24 (August 3) and August 2 (12), respectively. Upon learning of the arrival of the militia, Zarutsky fled with his Cossack detachment to Kolomna, and then to Astrakhan, since before that he had sent assassins to Prince Pozharsky, but the attempt failed, and Zarutsky's plans were revealed. Moving (from Yaroslavl) to Moscow, the main forces of the second militia on August 14 (24) reached the Holy Trinity Sergius Monastery and stood for some time between the monastery and Klementyevskaya Sloboda. Patriarch Hermogenes had already passed away at that time, and Archimandrite Dionysius of Radonezh and other authorities of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery became the successors of his patriotic feat in inspiring the militias to fight. Archimandrite Dionysius urged the militia to rush to Moscow and sent a request to Prince Trubetskoy to unite with the Second Militia. 18 (28) August The second militia headed for Moscow, accompanied by the blessing of the archimandrite and the brethren. With the army, the cellarer Avraamiy Palitsyn went to Moscow.
Battle of the militias with the troops of Hetman Khodkevich
On August 23, the militia of Prince Pozharsky again entered into battle with the troops of Hetman Khodkevich, and again Prince Trubetskoy did not help Pozharsky, as a result of which the Poles occupied Klimentovsky prison and captured the Cossacks who were there. Seeing this state of affairs, the cellar of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery Abraham Palitsyn, who came to Moscow with the militia, went to the camp to the Cossacks, promised to pay them a salary from the monastery treasury, and only after that the Cossacks came to the aid of the militia.
On August 24 (September 3), 1612, a decisive bloody battle took place between the militias and the Poles. The battle lasted about fourteen hours. Kuzma Minin also showed valor, who, with a small detachment of cavalry militias, suddenly attacked the advanced detachments of the Poles and sowed panic in their ranks. Under the onslaught of the main forces of the militia and the Cossacks Trubetskoy who came to their aid, Khodkevich's army faltered and fled. Having stood all night near the Donskoy Monastery, the remnants of Khodkevich's army left Moscow on the morning of August 25.
Liberation of Moscow
But the militias did not yet control all of Moscow. The Polish detachments of Colonels Strusya and Budila remained, settled in Kitai-Gorod and the Kremlin. The traitorous boyars with their families also took refuge in the Kremlin. Mikhail Romanov, still little known at that time, was in the Kremlin with his mother Marfa Ivanovna. Knowing that the besieged Poles were suffering a terrible famine, Pozharsky at the end of September 1612 sent them a letter in which he offered the Polish garrison to surrender. “Your heads and lives will be saved for you,” he wrote, “I will take this on my soul and ask for the consent of all military people.” This was followed by an arrogant refusal.
The catastrophic situation that developed towards the end of 1610 stirred up patriotic sentiments and religious feelings, forced many Russian people to rise above social contradictions, political differences and personal ambitions. The fatigue of all strata of society from civil war, a thirst for order, which they perceived as the restoration of traditional foundations.
Gradually it became more and more clear that the solution of problems is impossible only within the local framework, a mature understanding of the need for an all-Russian movement. This was reflected in the people's militias gathered in Russian provincial towns. The Church conducted a continuous sermon in favor of the unity of all Orthodox.
In the spring of 1611, the first militia was formed from different parts of the Russian land. Soon the militia besieged Moscow, and on March 19 a decisive battle took place, in which the rebellious Muscovites took part. It was not possible to liberate the city. Remaining at the city walls, the militia created the highest authority - the Council of All the Earth. He played the role of the Zemsky Sobor, in the hands of which was the legislative, judicial and partially executive power. The executive power was headed by P. Lyapunov, D. Trubetskoy and I. Zarutsky and began to recreate the orders. On June 30, 1611, the "Sentence of the whole earth" was adopted, which provided for the future structure of Russia, but infringed on the rights of the Cossacks and, moreover, had a feudal character. After the murder of Lyapunov by the Cossacks, the first militia disintegrated.
By this time, the Swedes captured Novgorod and laid siege to Pskov, and the Poles, after a months-long siege, captured Smolensk. Sigismund 3 declared that not Vladislav, but he himself would become the king of Russia, which would thus become part of the Commonwealth. There was a serious threat to the sovereignty of Russia.
The critical situation that had developed by the autumn of 1611 accelerated the creation of a second militia. Under the influence of the letters of Patriarch Hermogenes and the appeals of the monks of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery in Nizhny Novgorod, Zemstvo headman K. Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky in the fall of 1611 created a second militia with the aim of freeing Moscow and convening a Zemsky Sobor to elect a new tsar and restore the national monarchy. The program put forward: the liberation of the capital and the refusal to recognize a sovereign of foreign origin on the Russian throne, managed to rally representatives of all estates who abandoned narrow-group claims for the sake of saving the Fatherland. In the spring of 1612, the militia moved to Yaroslavl. In conditions of anarchy, the second militia takes over the functions of state administration, creates in Yaroslavl the Council of the Whole Land, which included elected from the clergy, nobility, service people, townspeople, palace and black-haired peasants, and forms orders. In August 1612, the militia, supported at a critical moment by Trubetskoy's Cossacks, overcame the army of Hetman K. Khodkevich and entered Moscow. After the elimination of attempts by the Polish detachment of Khodkevich to penetrate the Kremlin to help the Polish garrison stationed there, he surrendered. On October 26, 1612, Moscow was liberated.
The beginning of the reign of the Romanovs. Results and consequences of the Time of Troubles.
In specific historical conditions of the beginning of the XVII century. the priority was the question of restoring central power, which meant the election of a new king. Gathered in Moscow Zemsky Sobor, where, in addition to the Boyar Duma, the higher clergy and the nobility of the capital, numerous provincial nobility, townspeople, Cossacks and even black-haired (state) peasants were represented. 50 Russian cities sent their representatives.
The main issue was the election of the king. A sharp struggle flared up around the candidacy of the future tsar at the cathedral. Some boyar groups offered to call on a “prince” from Poland or Sweden, others put forward applicants from the old Russian princely families (Golitsyn, Mstislavsky, Trubetskoy, Romanov). The Cossacks even offered the son of False Dmitry II and Marina Mniszek (“Vorenka”).
After long disputes, the members of the council agreed on the candidacy of 16-year-old Mikhail Romanov, the cousin-nephew of the last tsar from the Moscow Rurik dynasty, Fyodor Ivanovich, which gave reason to associate him with the “legitimate” dynasty. The nobles saw in the Romanovs consistent opponents of the "boyar tsar" Vasily Shuisky, the Cossacks - supporters of "Tsar Dmitry". The boyars, who hoped to retain power and influence under the young tsar, did not object either. This choice was determined by the following factors:
The Romanovs to the greatest extent suited all classes, which made it possible to achieve reconciliation;
Family ties with the previous dynasty, the youthful age and moral character of 16-year-old Michael, corresponded to popular ideas about the tsar-pastor, an intercessor before God, capable of atoning for the sins of the people.
In 1618, after the defeat of the troops of Prince Vladislav, the Deulino truce was concluded. Russia lost the Smolensk and Seversk lands, but Russian prisoners returned to the country, including Filaret, who, after being elevated to the patriarchate, became the de facto co-ruler of his son.
On February 21, 1613, the Zemsky Sobor announced the election of Mikhail Romanov as Tsar. An embassy was sent to the Kostroma Ipatiev Monastery, where Mikhail and his mother “nun Martha” were hiding at that time, with a proposal to take the Russian throne. Thus, the Romanov dynasty, which ruled the country for more than 300 years, was established in Russia.
One of the heroic episodes of Russian history belongs to this time. The Polish detachment tried to capture the newly elected tsar, looking for him in the Kostroma estates of the Romanovs. But the headman of the village of Domnina, Ivan Susanin, not only warned the king about the danger, but also led the Poles into impenetrable forests. The hero died from Polish sabers, but also killed the gentry who got lost in the forests.
In the first years of the reign of Mikhail Romanov, the country was actually ruled by the boyars Saltykovs, relatives of the “nun Martha”, and since 1619, after the return of the father of the tsar, Patriarch Filaret Romanov, from captivity, the patriarch and “great sovereign” Filaret.
The turmoil undermined the royal power, which inevitably increased the significance of the Boyar Duma. Mikhail could not do anything without boyar advice. The parochial system, which regulated relations within the ruling boyars, existed in Russia for more than a century and was distinguished by its exceptional strength. The highest posts in the state were occupied by persons whose ancestors were distinguished by nobility, were related to the Kalita dynasty and achieved the greatest success in their service.
The passage of the throne to the Romanovs destroyed the old system. The kinship with the new dynasty began to acquire paramount importance. But new system localism was not established immediately. In the first decades of the Troubles, Tsar Mikhail had to put up with the fact that the first places in the Duma were still occupied by the highest titled nobility and the old boyars, who once tried the Romanovs and handed them over to Boris Godunov for reprisal. During the Time of Troubles, Filaret called them his worst enemies.
To enlist the support of the nobility, Tsar Michael, having no treasury and land, generously distributed duma ranks. Under him, the Boyar Duma became more numerous and influential than ever. After the return of Filaret from captivity, the composition of the Duma was sharply reduced. The restoration of the economy and state order began.
In 1617, in the village of Stolbovo (near Tikhvin), an "eternal peace" was signed with Sweden. The Swedes returned Novgorod and other northwestern cities to Russia, but the Swedes retained the Izhora land and Korela. Russia lost access to the Baltic Sea, but she managed to get out of the state of war with Sweden. In 1618, the Daulino Truce was concluded with Poland for fourteen and a half years. Russia lost Smolensk and about three dozen more Smolensk, Chernigov and Seversk cities. The contradictions with Poland were not resolved, but only postponed: both sides were not in a position to continue the war any longer. The terms of the armistice were very difficult for the country, but Poland refused to claim the throne.
The Time of Troubles in Russia is over. Russia managed to defend its independence, but at a very heavy price. The country was ruined, the treasury was empty, trade and crafts were upset. It took several decades to restore the economy. The loss of important territories predetermined further wars for their liberation, which placed a heavy burden on the entire country. The Time of Troubles further increased Russia's backwardness.
Russia emerged from the Time of Troubles extremely exhausted, with huge territorial and human losses. According to some reports, up to a third of the population died. Overcoming the economic ruin will be possible only by strengthening serfdom.
The international position of the country has sharply worsened. Russia found itself in political isolation, its military potential weakened, and for a long time its southern borders remained practically defenseless. Anti-Western sentiments intensified in the country, which aggravated its cultural and, as a result, civilizational isolation.
The people managed to defend their independence, but as a result of their victory, autocracy was revived in Russia and serfdom. However, most likely, there was no other way to save and preserve Russian civilization in those extreme conditions.
The main results of the turmoil:
1. Russia emerged from the Troubles extremely exhausted, with huge territorial and human losses. According to some reports, up to a third of the population died.
2. Overcoming the economic ruin will be possible only by strengthening serfdom.
3. The country's international position has deteriorated sharply. Russia found itself in political isolation, its military potential weakened, and for a long time its southern borders remained practically defenseless.
4. Anti-Western sentiments intensified in the country, which aggravated its cultural and, as a result, civilizational isolation.
5. The people managed to defend their independence, but as a result of their victory, autocracy and serfdom were revived in Russia. However, most likely, there was no other way to save and preserve Russian civilization in those extreme conditions.