The capital of the Second Militia in Yaroslavl
In April 1612, the warriors of the Second Militia entered Yaroslavl. In this city, the militia stood for four months, until the end of July 1612. At this time, Yaroslavl actually became the capital of the Russian state. Here the composition of the Russian government, the “Council of All Earth”, was finally determined. It included representatives of noble princely families - Dolgorukiy, Kurakin, Buturlin, Sheremetev, etc. The Council was headed by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Nizhny Novgorod elder Kuzma Minin. Since Minin was illiterate, instead of him Pozharsky put his signature on the letters: "Prince Dmitry Dmitriy Pozharskaya put a hand in the elected person with all the land in Kozmino Minin." Letters were signed by all members of the "Council of All Land." And since localism was strictly observed at that time, the signature of Pozharsky stood in the tenth place, and Minin - in the fifteenth.
Hike up the Volga
In early March, 1613, the militia came out of Nizhny Novgorod. Well-armed and trained militia moved along the right bank of the Volga through Balakhna, Yuryevets and Reshma. Weather hurried, spring thaw came. People's army everywhere greeted with the sound of bells, solemnly and with joy. The army increased every day, the population of cities and villages supplied the militia with food, replenished its treasury.
In Balakhna and Yuryevets, new detachments joined the militia: in Balakhna - Matvey Pleshcheyev “with many noblemen from different cities”, and in Yuryevets - serving Tatars. The new arrivals received a salary like the other militia. In the Ples area, the militia crossed over to the left bank of the Volga. On the approach to Kostroma, a delegation of Kostroma arrived with a warning about the betrayal of the governor Ivan Sheremetev, a supporter of the "seven-boyars". The voivode did not want to let the militia into the city. A protege of the Moscow boyar Mstislavsky, an adherent of Prince Vladislav, the Kostroma voivode ordered to close the city gates when the militia appeared and prepared the city for a siege. However, the townspeople themselves have solved the problem. In Kostroma, the uprising began. The townspeople grabbed Sheremetev and almost killed him, do not come to his aid Pozharsky. Replacing the hostile governor, at the request of Kostroma, Prince R. Gagarin, and taking with him "many coffers" Pozharsky and Minin took the squad further. In Kostroma, and elsewhere, they acted as an interim government.
To Pozharsky arrived messengers from Suzdal, in which the Cossacks chieftain Prosovetsky raged. Suzdalians begged to save them from robbery and robbery. Prince Dmitry appointed his relative, Roman Petrovich Pozharsky, as a Suzdal commander, and led a detachment of militiamen in Suzdal. The Cossacks surrendered the city without a fight and retreated under Moscow.
Capital in Yaroslavl
At the beginning of April 1612, the militia entered Yaroslavl. Here he was given a solemn reception: many residents went out to meet the people's army far beyond the city, and in Yaroslavl he was greeted by the entire city people. Yaroslavl at that time consisted of three parts: The chopped city was surrounded by a low shaft with a wooden bar; it was joined by the Earthen city (posad and shopping center), surrounded by a deep moat with water and a shaft with a wooden palisade; settlements were located around. The strongest fortifications were the stone walls of the Spassky Monastery, located near the Earthen city. The militia is located in the Earthen city and in suburban settlements.
Began a long "Yaroslavl standing." “Their hike hesitated,” the chronicler wrote. The second militia lingered in this city for four months. It was necessary to replenish the army with people, the treasury with money, strengthen ties with the rich northern Pomerania, the Volga cities and with Siberia, protect themselves from possible strikes to the rear by the Swedes and Cossack detachments. It was necessary to organize, finalize the interim government. Thus, in Yaroslavl, Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin set about the final formation of the local militia and the creation of a government.
Already 7 of April from Yaroslavl went letters on Russian cities with signatures, from which one can recognize the leaders of the Second Zemstvo Militia. The main places were allocated to people with a high rank: the first signature belongs to the boyar Morozov, the second to the boyar Prince Vladimir Dolgoruky, the third to the okolnichy Golovin, the fourth to Prince Ivan Odoyevsky, the fifth to Prince Pronsky, the sixth to Prince Volkonsky, the seventh to Matthew Plescheev, the seventh to Prince Pronsky, the sixth to Prince Volkonsky, the seventh to Matthew Pleshcheyu, - to Prince Lvov, the ninth - to Myron Velyaminov, and only tenth - to Prince Pozharsky. In the fifteenth place: “In the“ elected person with all the land, ”in Kozmino, Minin’s place, Prince Pozharsky put his hand”. Minnin is also followed by 34 signatures, including princes Dolgorukov and Turenin, Sheremetev, Saltykov, Buturlina, etc. Thus, although the actual leaders of the militia, the elects of the people, were Minin and Pozharsky, their signatures under the letter are not worth the first. The laws of regionalism had an effect: first, those who had a higher origin and rank were signed.
During the "Yaroslavl standing" Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, together with his assistants, did a great deal of organizational work. Unlike the first militia, he creates a harmonious military organization. Pedestrian warriors are united in the regiments, and horsemen - in the hundreds. In each regiment, the most experienced in military affairs and enjoying the greatest prestige among voivode militia stood out. In the horse detachments were appointed centurions. Pozharsky strictly demarcated the duties of the governor in the militia. They were responsible for the training and discipline of warriors and directly led the actions of their regiment in battle. The voivode had to tirelessly maintain military discipline and be a model of justice to the soldiers. Voivode and Sotniki militiamen conducted regular military training with the militia. Warriors were trained to wield in battle both firearms (pishchivali and cannons), and cold weapons.
Much was done to streamline the supply of soldiers with salaries, food and equipment. If the governors in the Cossack "camps" of Trubetskoy and Zarutsky disposed of the treasury at their discretion, distributing it often only to his confidants and thus causing dissatisfaction with ordinary Cossacks, the governor Pozharsky performed only military duties. The issuance of "cash feeds", or salaries, to military people was carried out by ceti (militia administrative orders) of the Zemstvo militia. The regiment in charge of the treasury, gave a salary, distributed food and equipment chosen from among the warriors.
The special concern of the militia leaders was the arming of the militia. Letters of letters were sent from Yaroslavl to all the cities of Russia, which called on the people to join the local militia and send weapons, "outfit" (artillery) and gunpowder for "fiery fighting". In Yaroslavl, the production of cold weapons (spears, bears, rogat and armor) was organized. Here Yaroslavsky Zemstvo elder Grigory Nikitnikov and the rich merchant Svetishnikov rendered great assistance.
In general, the situation in the country was in favor of the Second Militia. The developed strong partisan movement in the country (the so-called “shishi”) and the fighting of the remnants of the First Militia shackled the forces of the interventionists. In addition, the Polish camp was torn apart by contradictions. The Poles could not "digest" a huge booty and quarreled. This allowed Pozharsky and Minin to continue working to strengthen and organize the militia in a relatively calm atmosphere.
During the four months of their stay in Yaroslavl, the militia more than doubled. It was joined by noble squads from Vologda, Galich and Zamoskoskov cities. New detachments of service Tatars came up - Volga, Kasimov and Romanov. Tsarevich Araslan headed the "Siberian army of many" of the Tatars, Cossacks and archers. The Cossacks also went over to the side of the Second Militia: they came from Pozharsky 17 Cossack atamans from detachments near Moscow. In addition, from various cities and lands, the archers themselves came, "dutch people" - peasant militias, who served in auxiliary detachments. Soon, under the banner of Minin and Pozharsky, more than 10 thousand servicemen of local people gathered in Yaroslavl, up to 3 thousand Cossacks, no less than 1 thousand archers and a lot of “datochnyh people” from the peasants (many of them were participants of the partisan struggle against invaders), the number of which The documents are not given. Delivered heavy artillery from the Volga fortresses. It was at that time a strong army. Although some of the forces diverted to other areas. Yaroslavl could not fit all the soldiers. I had to build an additional two special military camps.
Pozharsky's troops entered Tver, Vladimir, Rostov, and Kasimov. The shovel Pozharsky defeated the ataman Tolstoy, who was robbing Poshekhonye, Ivan Naumov cleared the outskirts of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, Dmitry Cherkassky blocked the way for the Zaporozhians Shirya and Nilivaiko, who were going to Bezhetsk, and then went to Uglich, where the “thieves” Cossacks sat down. Four chieftains went over to his side, the rest retired after a short battle. Receiving protection from enemies and robbers, cities began to actively join the Second Militia.
Solving the issue of providing servicemen, above all nobles, the militia leaders already in Yaroslavl began to distribute estates, that is, they took the path of the governments of impostors, the "seven-boyars" and the First Militia of Procopius Lyapunov. At the same time, the estates of the Cossacks were selected, and instead of them, the Cossacks were given a bread and monetary salary. In this regard, it became necessary to streamline the land fund, which came into a complete frustration during the period of the Troubles. Land accounting has begun. Thus, even during the Time of Troubles, there was a strengthening of serfdom, feudal legality. Attempts to violate the rule of ownership of peasants and the land of nobility and nobles were stopped.
Minin as the chief treasurer of the militia had to make a lot of effort to collect large sums for issuing salaries to service people and Cossacks. However, the money issue was acute. Again I had to resort to a forced loan. Now money was borrowed not only from merchants, townspeople and rich people in villages, but also from monasteries, including such wealthy as Solovetsky. In addition, the leaders of the militia started minting money in Yaroslavl. The Money Court was established.
In Yaroslavl the “Zemstvo government”, which originated in Nizhny Novgorod, was finally formed. Discharge and Local Orders gave the land and peasants nobles, gave out a salary. At the head of the discharge order was clerk Mikhail Danilov; The local was in charge of Gerasim Martemyanov; The ambassador was headed by Sawa Romanchukov; Palace (Large) - clerks Nikifor Emelyanov and Patricheus Nasonov. Worked and the court order. Pozharsky and Minin headed the provisional government - the Council of All Lands. In Yaroslavl, the “Holy Council” also functioned, which was represented by the Rostov Metropolitan Kirill and the local clergy, and the Boyar Duma. But from the election of the king temporarily refused, the main candidates were in captivity or with the Poles in besieged Moscow.
Yaroslavl "Council of All Earth" enjoyed great prestige and had more significant powers than the ordinary Zemsky Sobor with the king. He extended his power over most of the territory of Russia, except for the southern regions, which continued to support the “government” of Zarutsky and Trubetskoy. In addition, Pskov itself was, the lands of Novgorod the Great were seized by the Swedes, and the western regions of the Russian state were the Poles.
The leaders of the Second Militia saw the main goal of liberation of Moscow from the Poles, so they tried to come to a temporary agreement with other centers of power. To divert the attention of the Swedes from the actions of the militia, negotiations were held with them about the possibility of electing the Swedish throne, Karl-Philip, to the Russian throne. Pozharsky took an evasive position in negotiations with the Swedish embassy, who had arrived from Novgorod. Pozharsky, through his negotiations, wanted to link the activity of the enemy, since the Swedes planned to seize other northern Russian cities. So, the Swedes claimed Russia's access to the White Sea, demanded the surrender of the Kola and Sumsky ostrog, sent letters to the Solovetsky monastery. And the Novgorod State appealed to Beloozero and to the Kirillov-Belozersky Monastery with a call to be “in union” and recognize the Swedish prince. As a result, the Yaroslavl government had to conclude a truce with the Novgorod State, in order not to receive a Swedish stab in the back. By its terms, the Zemsky Sobor promised to consider the candidacy of the prince, but only when he did come and cross himself. And before that, Novgorod had to live with Russia "in love and advice", not to "bring" Moscow cities to its "state" and "not to make fervor" at the borders.
At the same time, the interim government of Russia strengthened the north-western border, first of all, such important strategic points that were threatened by the Swedes as Tikhvin, Kargopol and Beloozero. By order of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, half-destroyed fortresses in the area of Tikhvin and Beloozer were restored as soon as possible. In addition, Prince Pozharsky held diplomatic talks with Joseph Gregory, the ambassador of the German emperor, to assist the emperor in helping to liberate the country. He instead offered Pozharsky to the Russian tsars, the cousin of the emperor, Maximilian. Subsequently, these applicants for the Russian throne were denied.
Meanwhile, the Polish camp was decomposing. German mercenaries demanded the promised huge salary. The Polish garrison of Moscow was exhausted by the siege that the Cossacks continued. In the capital, there was already a famine. They ate horsemeat, ate crows and sparrows, carrion. The position of the Poles was aggravated by the enmity between the Polish commanders Goniewski and Strousem. Having received news of the formation of the Second Militia, Gonsevskiy left burned Moscow. Along with him took a lot of Polish soldiers. Only a part of the Strusya squad and the Budila regiment remained in the Kremlin. However, in the hands of the invaders was all the Kremlin and Kitaygorod artillery. The departure of part of the Poles led to more active actions of the Cossacks. After the expulsion of the Poles from Moscow, Pozharsky admitted that the Cossacks "over the Polish people ... did any business and repaired them, and in many battles they fought without sparing their heads." The Moscow Cossack regiments were able to impose so tightly on the Kremlin and China-town that the Poles had only a close passage along the bank of the Moscow River near the Kremlin.
Ataman Khodkevich, who had previously withdrawn his troops from Moscow, supplied the Kremlin garrison irregularly. He was strongly hampered by the actions of the Russian partisan detachments. To bring supplies, he had to move almost the entire army. Shlyakhta rebelled, demanded to change it. "Shishi" attacked Polish foragers, destroyed them or put to flight, controlled the communications of the capital, delivered reconnaissance data to Yaroslavl. Thus, the captain Maskevich, who was attacked by partisans near Chodkiewicz’s camp, wrote about this in his notes, making his way to the besieged Kremlin with a small Polish detachment. “We barely moved a mile or two to the hetman camp, attacked us“ shishi ”and easily won, because the Muscovites who were on our carts immediately passed on to theirs; while others barred the way with carriages; the road was narrow, and the snow was immensely deep ... The enemies broke our squad in two: some of us went back to the hetman, others who were ahead, including whom I had broken through the "shisha" and had difficulty reaching Mozhaisk. Here, in the village of Vyshenets, we caught an old peasant and took him as a guide, so as not to get lost and not come across Volok (now the city of Volokolamsk), where there was a strong enemy. He led us one mile from Voloka; at night, he purposely turned to that place. We were already a mile away; Fortunately, Rutsky came to us, who at that time, escorting his comrades who had left the capital to Pan Hetman, was returning under the very walls of Volok to his apartments in Ruza, where he stood with a Cossack troop. We learned from him that we ourselves were going into the hands of the enemy, and hurried to return. The conductor has his head cut off; but no one will reward our fear. ”
Savior Transfiguration Monastery, where the militia stood
Takeover in the country
By the end of the “Yaroslavl seat”, the government of Minin and Pozharsky, feeling the force, intensified offensive actions. The "Council of All Land" displaced the governor in the cities and appointed his own, tidying up local authority. Kazakov Zarutsky and Trubetskoy crowded. The road to the north was closed to them, the Cossacks controlled only a small territory near Moscow and kept one communication south. Unpleasant for Cossack leaders news An attempt of the Yaroslavl government to establish contacts with the southern military nobility, which still supported the Cossack "camps", became. As the government strengthens in Yaroslavl, its attitude towards the Cossacks near Moscow is changing. Ataman Ivan Zarutsky was openly accused of killing Prokopy Lyapunov, taking the oath of allegiance to Pskov Falsdmitry III and illegally distributing “black”, palace and monastic lands to his supporters.
The forward detachments of the Zemstvo militia gradually seized the approaches to Moscow, pushing aside and smashing the Cossacks, many of whom, attracted by the generous salary, passed under the banners of Pozharsky. On July 6, an embassy from Trubetskoy and Zarutsky arrived in Yaroslavl with assurances that the “camps” would no longer recognize Sidorka (the Pskov impostor). However, the leaders of the Second Militia did not believe them. Then Zarutsky decided to kill Pozharsky. At first they tried to “spoil” (poison) the prince. One of the chroniclers of the time wrote that Dmitry Pozharsky during the campaigns suffered, as it was then expressed, a “black disease”, and this was associated with “damage” from the Don ataman. And in the second half of June, 1612, an attempt was made on the prince, when he was examining cannons in the "moving out yard", intended for dispatch to Moscow. Here the Cossacks Trim and Stenka, sent by Zarutsky and found themselves in Yaroslavl for the money of accomplices, tried to organize the murder. In the crush that arose in the courtyard, Stenka wanted to stab the prince with a knife in the stomach, but he missed and injured his leg to a Roman Cossack who accompanied Pozharsky, who blocked the governor. The one who attacked was seized and tortured; he called his accomplices. They all obeyed. They wanted to be executed, but Pozharsky convinced him not to do it. It was decided to put some in prison, others to take with them near Moscow, to incriminate Zarutsky in a conspiracy. In the "camps", when it became known about the assassination, great excitement arose.
In order to finally expose Ataman Zarutsky, Pozharsky sent out a number of letters, So, in a letter addressed to the “Ukrainian” (southern) cities, Dmitry Pozharsky exposed the treacherous actions of Ataman Ivan Zarutsky, aimed at the destruction of the Russian state, with great eloquence. The letter was a certain success: warriors from the southern cities went to the aid of the Second Militia. The south of the country began to refuse to trust and support the Moscow region Cossacks.
In mid-July, Pozharsky and Minin, taking into account the favorable situation prevailing for the militia, and the news of a strong corps of the great Lithuanian hetman Khodkevich with a large wagon train moving to Moscow, began active military operations. The advanced cavalry detachments were sent from Yaroslavl to Moscow. At the head of the first, numbering 400 riders, were voivode Mikhail Dmitriev and Arzamas nobleman Fyodor Levashov. This militia arrived in the capital of July 24 and located at the Peter Gate. On August 2, a detachment in 700 of horsemen under the command of Prince Dmitry Lopaty-Pozharsky approached Moscow and located at the Tver gates. Prince Dmitry severely ordered the forward detachments to stand apart from the Cossacks from the Moscow “camps”, build guards and entrench themselves in them until the main militia forces arrived.
Having learned about the arrival of the forward detachments of the Second Militia in Moscow, Zarutsky realized that his case was lost. The ataman tried to enter into negotiations with hetman Chodkiewicz, but they became aware of them through the Polish captain Chmelevsky, who had transferred to the Russian service. The betrayal of Zarutsky deeply angered the Cossacks, among whom were many true patriots. It happened a long overdue split. Most of the Cossacks decided to support the Second Militia that they would fight with the Poles together and free the capital. The other part, not wanting to obey Pozharsky and accustomed to “free-life”, left the camps near Moscow. In August, the Cossack "boyar and voivode" 1612, with the remaining significant part of the Cossacks ("not with half the troops"), left for Kolomna, taking with her Marina Mnishek and her son ("vorёnka").
From Kolomna, the Zarutsky movement soon spread to the Ryazan region. From 11 December 1612 the residence of the ataman was the Ryazan city of Mikhailov. Zarutsky did not make the decision of the February Zemsky Sobor of 1613, in which Mikhail Fedorovich was called to the kingdom, and continued to resist until the 1614 of the year. His last stronghold was Astrakhan.
Thus, one of the main tasks set by Minin and Pozharsky was resolved: The Second Militia, almost without armed clashes, got rid of that part of the Cossacks of the Moscow “camps” that opposed them. The other part of the Cossacks supported the Minin and Pozharsky militia.
To be continued ...
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