Troubles in Russia: about the causes, stages and consequences
The Time of Troubles or the Time of Troubles became a real tragedy for Russian statehood. IN historical references to this period, it is customary to limit the time frame from 1598 (after the death of Tsar Ivan IV) to 1613. However, some historians believe that the Time of Troubles ended only in 1618, after the signing of the Deulen truce with Poland.
There were several reasons for the onset of this crisis, which, in fact, directly affected its scale and monstrous consequences, which seriously influenced the course of Russian history. A number of experts believe that the consequences of that Troubles are still being felt today.
Among the main reasons are the following. First of all, the mysterious death of Tsarevich Dmitry and Fyodor Ivanovich, which interrupted the Rurik dynasty and led to a dynastic crisis.
The situation was aggravated by the terrible famine of 1601-1603, caused by weather conditions that led to crop failure. In those years, frosts were observed even in summer. As a result, people died en masse, and trust in the new government (Tsar Boris Fedorovich Godunov, the first ruler of the Godunov dynasty) was rapidly falling.
Actually, this led to the coming to the throne of False Dmitry I and the continuation of the struggle for power between the tsarist authorities and the boyars.
Finally, the most important role in the crisis was played by the active intervention in the internal affairs of the Russian kingdom by Sweden and Poland.
Many historians distinguish three stages of the Troubles.
The first began after the appearance in Poland of a man who called himself Tsarevich Dmitry - False Dmitry I. The second - when Vasily Shuisky became king. This time was characterized by dynastic power struggles and deep social conflicts. Finally, the third stage began after the collapse of the Tushino camp, which marked the beginning of the national-religious struggle between Orthodox Russians and Catholic Poles. The ultimate heroes of these events were Minin and Pozharsky, who drove the Poles out of the country.
Regarding the consequences of the Time of Troubles, they were catastrophic. Despite the fact that the Russian kingdom retained its statehood, the country was completely ruined and economically exhausted. In addition, Russia lost Smolensk, the Baltic and the northern regions of the country, and its military potential was almost completely destroyed. Finally, there was a complete enslavement of the peasants and the fall of the authority of the church.
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