Don Cossack Stepan Timofeevich Razin: biography, history, key dates and interesting facts

Stepan Timofeevich Razin was born in 1630, as we know, reading the works of Streis, a traveler from the Netherlands. They had several meetings. In 1670, the writer noted in his work that the interlocutor began to go to his fifth decade. We learn a lot of interesting information about this historical person further from the article.

Conjectures about his birth

The coast of the Don was the first house that had Stepan Timofeevich Razin. Biographical information does not provide more accurate data. There is a version that is the most reliable and says that he was born in the Wintervale village. Now this land is named Pugachevskaya.

Some researchers have denied this version. A lot of conjectures still exist around the place where Stepan Timofeevich Razin was born. His biography can vary with different authors. So, some people say that he was born in Cherkassk, which is now in the Rostov region. So was Razin Stepan Timofeevich really a kind of Circassian sultans? Folk legends differ from each other.

His birthplace is also called a number of other settlements, such as Esaulovsky or Kagalnitsky. However, historical songs call it Cherkassk's homeland.

A life

Stepan Timofeevich Razin for a long time attracted the attention of many people. Around his personality, folklore and the rudiments of Russian cinematography were formed. In the West, Stenka became the first Russian to defend his thesis just a few years after his death.

He died before he reached the age of Razin Stepan Timofeyevich. Around 1630-1671 years. Lived and accomplished his exploits. He and his family became a subject for folk compositions, in which new details were added, which made him a virtually fairy-tale character.

Before the uprising took place

Quite interesting is the biography of Razin Stepan Timofeevich. The main dates of his life begin in 1652 year. At that time, he was ataman and, by virtue of his powers, represented the Don warriors. Razin Stepan Timofeevich - Kozak, already then had a rich experience of military affairs and enjoyed the respect of his fellow-soldiers in arms. Even in his early years, he already had leadership positives.

Stepan Timofeevich Razin fought in the company of his elder brother Ivan as part of the Don army. The year 1661 is significant because negotiations were then held with the Kalmyks. The warrior's companion was Fyodor Budan, as well as Cossacks from the Don and Zaporozhye. They discussed the establishment of peace and common steps to drive the Tatars and Nogai from the Crimea.

The year 1663 was recorded in the chronicles as the moment when Razin Stepan Timofeevich led the Don and Zaporozhye Cossacks, the Kalmyks to the warriors from the Crimea, who were under Perekop.

In 1665, Dolgorukov's brother was executed ataman's brother. This happened when the conflict broke out, during which the soldiers were willing to go to the Don, despite the tsar's service. Stepan Timofeyevich Razin was filled with the desire to take revenge on the prince, as well as the entire entourage of the tsar. He also wanted to get a free and quiet life for his fellows who followed him. Great ideas began to nurture Razin Stepan Timofeevich. Zaporozhye Sich was supposed to become an example of a military and democratic system for the entire Russian state.

During the uprising

He lifted his motion. The reason for this can be called the exacerbated situation in the social plan that reigned on the lands of the Cossacks. The epicenter of these processes was Don. More and more runaway peasants appeared in its vicinity. Such an influx can be attributed to the Soborniy Uyezd of 1647. The people were in complete captivity, was bound by the hands and feet of the nobility.

Why this person was included in the list of "Great People of Russia"? Razin Stepan Timofeevich gave people the opportunity to breathe more freely, to become Cossacks, free soldiers. At that time, everyone wanted to stop feeling like a draft. And such an opportunity gave Stepan Timofeevich Razin. The biography of the Don Cossack does not recall his great property or clan ties, which many other voivods had. On the territory of the region he lived on an equal footing with others. The term "golutvyny" Cossack was applied to him. He stood apart from the old-timers, he felt affection for the common people, did not have a significant property, did not boast of titles.

Who is Stepan Timofeevich Razin? This is both a hero and a robber. He was a savior for his loved ones and a natural disaster for those he attacked. Together with golytba for robbery went to the Volga. At that time he needed fame and material resources. The richer and eminent Cossacks sponsored these campaigns with the condition of the subsequent division of the loot. All the troops - the Yaik, the Don and the Tersk - were involved in these operations.

Razin Stepan Timofeyevich from the clan of the Egyptian sultans became the center around which poor people gathered, thanks to which they could feel themselves important and necessary people, being an integral part of the Cossack army.

The masses of the people were growing rapidly and became more and more noticeable due to the runaway serfs, who wanted to join the uprising.

The year 1667 was the moment when Razin headed the Cossacks. In the spring, about 700 soldiers gathered on the Volga-Don transhipment. Added and new rebels, so that they already became two thousand people. They passed near the Volga and Yaik. The aim was to express disagreement with the policy of Moscow's government and blockade of the trade route passing through the river. The tsar's voivods answered the challenge and a collision occurred.

Growth of Cossacks' strength

Stepan Timofeevich Razin devoted many years of his life to many campaigns, and this was one of the most important. It began in May 1667. His army went to the Volga. Near Tsaritsyn was the fleet of Shorin, the guest of the country, as well as other figures of merchants. Several of his ships were also placed here by Patriarch Iosaph, which he later regretted. Stenka with the robbers attacked the ships, looted them, and massacred the shop assistants and the heads of the courts.

By and large, the Cossacks often engaged in looting. However, later the simple theft turned into an uprising, they protested against the government, defeated the streltsy and took the Yaitsk town. Winter was held on the territory of Yaik. When the year 1668 began, a new battlefield was the water area of the Caspian Sea. More and more Don Cossacks, Cherkassians and residents from other counties of Russia stayed. There was a battle against the Shah forces near Rasht, the city of the Persians.

It was a hard fight, which ended in negotiations. During this process, Shah Suleiman visited the messenger of the Tsar of Russia and said that the thief's troops were going to sea. The Persians called for the defeat of the Razin people. Then the talks were interrupted. Cossacks were chained in chains. One of them died of dogbing. The rebels had no choice but to take Farabat and stay there for the winter, fenced off from the enemy's troops.

Legendary events

It came in 1669, a few battles were held on the territory of the "Trukhmensk lands". There the life of Razin's friend, a Cossack named Krivoy, was interrupted. When the troops got to the Skin Island, they were attacked by shah's sailors, commanded by Mammad Khan. They fought for life and death.

The enemy sealed his fleet with a chain and surrounded the Don army, but the strategy did not justify itself. The flagship of the rival went to the bottom. Then the Razin people also dealt with the rest of the fleet. They managed to imprison the daughter and son of the commander of the Persian naval forces.

As a result, with the Persian princess Razin straightened, drowning the girl in the Volga, which was later composed of a song. Cossacks won, but there were still a number of difficulties. The Safavid troops were advancing, for this reason Astrakhan became the next refuge of the Razin people. Conducted conversations with local leaders. As a result, Razin was respectfully received prizoryvshim there Prozorovsky, the first voivode, who missed the Cossacks to the Don. For this it was necessary to pay by the delivery of guns, to share the wares of the utensils and prisoners captured by the enemy. However, the soldiers managed to pass without meeting these conditions.

War of the peasants

A new decade has come. As always, military operations began in the spring of 1670. Again the campaign to the Volga was completed. Now it was not just a robbery, but a real uprising, which was precisely under that status and was positioned. Everyone who wanted will and freedom, was called Razin to the service.

In order to ataman, there was no overthrow of the king, but he wanted to overcome the then system, which made cattle from peasants. It was planned to remove the higher ranks, which were personified by the deacons, voevods and churchmen, who allegedly betrayed the tsarist power. The rumor about finding Alexei, the Tsarevich, who was actually dead since January, was dismissed.

They also claimed that they have power over the life of Patriarch Nikon. In fact, he just went into exile. Razintsy occupied fortresses and cities, introduced their device there, dealt with local rulers, destroyed documents. If a merchant came across them on the Volga, they seized and plundered him.

"A letter from Stepan Timofeevich, from Razin" - this was the title of a document that was sent by the mob at that time. It was offered to serve God and the state, and also to support the army and its leader, to extradite all traitors and people who drink blood from the people. It was necessary to come to the council for the Cossacks.

Massively the peasants rebelled and accompanied the ataman during his Volga campaign. The local regions were enslaved recently and ordinary people did not agree to put up with imprisonment. The battles were conducted under the leadership of the Cossack governor of these places. The fighting began with the Mari, Tatars, Chuvash and Mordvins.

Tsaritsyn, as well as Samara, were captured, Astrakhan was taken, the Saratov and other fortresses were subdued. In the fall of 1670, the siege operation at Simbirsk ended in failure. An army of 60 thousand people was sent to these places in order to suppress the people's splash. Razintsy defeated as a result of the fight at Simbirsk.

Voivode was then Yuri Baryatinsky. Razin himself was seriously wounded, he was taken to the Don by trusted people. For some time his refuge was the Kagalitsky town. It was from there that he advanced with the campaign a year earlier. Ataman still cherished plans to raise a new army. The situation worsened, and the king's wrath was no longer an illusory threat. The army ataman Yakovlev Kornila and other Cossacks betrayed their leader, having taken him prisoner on April 13, 1671, during the storming of Kagalitsky. Razin was given to the Russian troops.

Captivity and death

April month of 1671 was remembered by the fact that the ataman and brother Frolka, who was younger than him, found themselves in the hands of the tsarist proteges. They were taken prisoner. They were accepted by Kosogov Grigory - the steward and Bogdanov Andrey - the deacon.

The rebels were taken to Moscow in the midst of June, they were brutally tortured. In the same month Stepan was led to the scaffold and quartered. The whole area was a witness. The verdict was long. The rebel listened with calmness. His farewell gesture was a bow before the church. The executioner was first cut off his right hand to the elbow. Then the left leg was cut off to the knee, and finally the head. Before Stepan was beheaded, his brother Frol tried to beg his pardon, but he got only a small delay in his death. He was executed there in the same way.

On this military action in the Volga region did not end. The leaders of the Cossacks were Vasily Us and Fedor Sheludyaka. Astrakhan was taken from Razintsy by government troops only in November 1671. It was a particularly brutal battle that put an end to the confrontation.

Attention from abroad

European politicians closely watched the actions of Razin. The most important trade routes were put at stake in this fight. They associated Europe with Persia and Russia. At that time, insurgent clashes took place in parallel in Germany, England and the Netherlands. In these countries, published articles and books about the adventures of the ataman. In some, there were fantastic details along with important data.

Foreigners watched as the Cossack was brought to the capital as a prisoner and executed. For the tsar it was especially advantageous to show that the power is completely in his hands, and no one can shake it. Especially some kind of gangster, a native of the poor.

Although the victory was not yet final, still the death of the Cossack leader looked very impressive. One of the literary works on this subject is "Three Travels", written by Jan Streis. He witnessed the uprising, he visited the territory controlled by Razin. To create this story, we used our own observations and materials, which the writer derived from information provided by other authors.

Scientific and literary works

In 1674, in the walls of the Wittenberg Institute, historians defended the work, which described the exploits of the ataman. The work was republished many times in the 17th and 18th centuries, Pushkin showed great interest in it.

Subsequently, a lot of legends began to compose about the hero-rebel. For example, we can read about it in the work "How Stepan Timofeevich Razin left the prison".

Ataman wrote folk songs in Russia. In some, he was idealized as a hero, winning in epic battles. Sometimes the image was identified with Ermak Timofeevich, another famous Cossack who conquered Siberia. There are more accurate works, dryly outlining documentary facts, biography and historical events.

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin devoted three of his works to Razin. He also wrote about him. Sadovnikov. In 1908, the first feature film of Russian production appeared. He was called "Ponizovaya Volnitsa". Gilyarovsky V.A. Wrote a poem "Stenka Razin".

Any revolutionary movement needs a strong leader who can cast off fear and lead large masses. Against the background of general enslavement people needed a man who could collect and organize them with the goal of achieving common freedom. Stepan Razin made the Cossacks a real family, a single force that fought for their rights. It is this one, fearless and purposeful, he comes to us from the pages of history. Even on his deathbed, he showed no sign of fear and until his last breath adhered to his views. It was these features and actions that made him a significant historical figure and a hero of folk folklore.