The rebellion of Bolotnikov: the causes of the emergence and defeat, as well as a brief history of it

The Russian people are long-suffering and patient. However, when ever, but any patience comes to an end. And the furious crowd of the masses, organized by some strong personality, like a tsunami sweeps everything in its path. Those in the history of Russia were peasant wars, led by Emelyan Pugachev, Stepan Razin and Ivan Bolotnikov.

The rebellion of Bolotnikov took place in 1906 - 1907, beginning in the south of the Moscow state. The reason for the speech were rumors that a completely different person was killed instead of False Dmitry. These gossip greatly shook the position of Shuisky, giving the speakers against him the appearance of legality.

But in fact there was a rebellion Bolotnikova reasons quite objective. It was simply impossible for the people to live as they were compelled by the state "top": the feudal lords strengthened above all measures, serfdom, which makes peasants completely powerless, hunger and poverty have done their work.

In addition, the "lessons of the summer" introduced by Boris Godunov were added and, as indicated above, political instability in the country. In short, the state had a revolutionary situation, when the peasants could no longer tolerate, and the "tops" were not yet able to manage in a new way. So the rebellion of Bolotnikov had the character of an anti-Boyar war.

Calling himself a voivode of the allegedly not killed prince, Bolotnikov in northern Putivl gathered around him angry, tortured peasants, announcing the imminent appearance of Tsarevich Dmitry. He was assisted by a prince sympathetic to the uprising, named Shakhovskiy and voivod Chernigov Telyatevsky. It was they who provided an opportunity to assemble an impostor a huge army of offended people who opposed violence and people's lawlessness. The rebellion of Bolotnikov took the form of a people's war.

Shuisky, trying to stay on the throne, sent troops to meet Bolotnikov with Trubetskoi and Vorotynsky at the head. But both Trubetskoi and Vorotynsky were beaten by a peasant army, first under Kromy, and the second under Yelets. In September the rebellion of Bolotnikov reached Kaluga, where the main army of the army of Shuisky was also beaten.

Kolomna, which was on the way of the rebels to Moscow, was besieged. Posad peasants managed to seize, however, the Kremlin itself could not be captured immediately. Then Bolotnikov ordered to leave there a small part of his army, and the main staff went to Moscow.

In October, Bolotnikov besieged Moscow. In November, the Cossacks joined them in the army under the leadership of Muromets. But suddenly, unexpectedly, on the side of the enemy, Rati Liapunov's troops crossed from Ryazan. This marked the beginning of the stratification of the insurgents against the nobility on the one hand, and the Cossacks on the other. And in December the Bolotnikovs began to suffer defeats one by one.

The people's army partially withdrew to Kaluga - the Bolotnikov remained here with the rebels, and partly to Tula - with Muromets at the head. In Kaluga they were surrounded by soldiers of the tsarist army. Heavy blockade days began. With huge losses, the rebels managed to break through to Tula.

Historical notes describe the rebellion of Bolotnikov briefly. However, in literary works, movies and paintings written and staged on these facts, one can see how many horrors, pain, deaths this war brought.

Tula was the last city where the rebels and the tsarist army were fighting. The tsarist army, blocking the river Upa with a dam, could cause a great flood in Tula. As a result, the Bolotnikovites were defeated.

Since Shuisky allegedly, according to legend, vowed insurgents who agreed to surrender, that he "will not spill blood", then the tsar did very cunningly. He indeed bloodlessly punished the leaders of the insurrection: he sent Ivan Bolotnikov to Kargopol, where he was blinded and drowned. Ilya Muromets was hanged, and Voevod Shakhovsky was forcibly tonsured into monks.

Historians believe that the insurrection was defeated because the rebels were unorganized, like the tsarist army. A huge minus was also the heterogeneous composition of the rebel army.