History knows many examples when, as a result of coups arranged by the military, countries dramatically changed their foreign and domestic policies. Putschs and attempts to seize power, relying on the army, happened in Russia as well. One of them was the Streltsy revolt of 1698. This article is devoted to his reasons, participants and their future fate.
Background to the Streltsy rebellion of 1698
In 1682 Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich died childless. The most likely contenders for the throne were his younger brothers - poor he alth 16-year-old Ivan and 10-year-old Peter. Both princes had powerful support in the person of their relatives Miloslavsky and Naryshkin. In addition, Ivan was supported by his own sister, Princess Sophia, who had influence on the boyars, and Patriarch Joachim wanted to see Peter on the throne. The latter declared the boy king, which did not please Miloslavsky. Then they, together with Sophia, provoked a streltsy riot, later called Khovanshchina.
The victims of the uprising were the brother of Queen Natalia and other relatives, and her father (grandfather of Peter the Great) wasforcibly tonsured a monk. It was possible to calm down the archers only by paying them all their salary arrears and agreeing that Peter ruled with his brother Ivan, and Sophia performed the functions of regent until they came of age.
The position of the archers by the end of the 17th century
To understand the reasons for the Streltsy rebellion of 1698, one should get acquainted with the position of this category of service people.
In the middle of the 16th century, the first regular army was formed in Russia. It consisted of streltsy foot units. Moscow archers were especially privileged, on whom the court political parties often relied.
The capital's archers settled in Zamoskvoretsky settlements and were considered a prosperous category of the population. They not only received a good salary, but also had the right to engage in trade and crafts, without burdening themselves with the so-called township duties.
Azov campaigns
The origins of the Streltsy rebellion of 1698 should be sought in the events that took place thousands of miles from Moscow a few years earlier. As you know, in the last years of her regency, Princess Sophia waged war against the Ottoman Empire, attacking mainly the Crimean Tatars. After her imprisonment in a monastery, Peter the Great decided to continue the struggle for access to the Black Sea. To this end, he sent troops to Azov, including 12 archery regiments. They came under the command of Patrick Gordon and Franz Lefort, which caused discontent among the Muscovites. Streltsy believed that foreign officers specially sent them tothe most dangerous sections of the front line. To some extent, their complaints were justified, since Peter's comrades-in-arms really protected the Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments, which were the favorite brainchild of the tsar.
Strelets revolt of 1698: background
After the capture of Azov, the "Muscovites" were not allowed to return to the capital, instructing them to carry out garrison service in the fortress. The rest of the archers were assigned the responsibility of restoring the damaged and building new bastions, as well as repelling the incursions of the Turks. This situation continued until 1697, when the regiments under the command of F. Kolzakov, I. Cherny, A. Chubarov and T. Gundertmark were ordered to go to Velikie Luki to guard the Polish-Lithuanian border. The dissatisfaction of the archers was also fueled by the fact that they had not been paid salaries for a long time, and disciplinary requirements became stricter day by day. Many were also worried about the isolation from their families, especially since disappointing news came from the capital. In particular, letters from home reported that wives, children and parents were in poverty, as they were not able to engage in crafts without the participation of men, and the money sent was not even enough for food.
The beginning of the uprising
In 1697, Peter the Great left for Europe with the Great Embassy. The young sovereign appointed Prince-Caesar Fyodor Romodanovsky to rule the country during his absence. In the spring of 1698, 175 archers arrived in Moscow, deserting from units,deployed on the Lithuanian border. They reported that they had come to ask for a salary, as their comrades were suffering from "lack of food." This request was granted, which was reported to the tsar in a letter written by Romodanovsky.
Nevertheless, the archers were in no hurry to leave, citing the fact that they were waiting for the roads to dry out. They tried to expel and even arrest them. However, Muscovites did not give offense to "their own". Then the archers took refuge in Zamoskvoretskaya Sloboda and sent messengers to Princess Sophia, imprisoned in the Novodevichy Convent.
In early April, the Semyonovsky regiment, with the assistance of the townspeople, was able to put the rebels to flight and force them to leave the capital.
Advance on Moscow
Participants of the Streltsy rebellion of 1698, who reached their regiments, began to campaign and incite comrades to go to the capital. They read them letters allegedly written by Sophia and spread rumors that Peter had abandoned Orthodoxy and even died in a foreign land.
At the end of May, 4 Streltsy regiments were transferred from Velikiye Luki to Toropets. There they were met by the governor Mikhail Romodanovsky, who demanded to extradite the instigators of the unrest. The archers refused and decided to go to Moscow.
In early summer, Peter was informed of the uprising, and he ordered to immediately deal with the rebels. In the memory of the young king, childhood memories of how the archers tore to pieces his mother's relatives before his eyes were fresh, so he was not going to spare anyone.
Rebelled regiments in the amount of about 2200 people reached the walls of the Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery, located onbank of the Istra River, 40 km from Moscow. Government troops were already waiting for them there.
Fight
The suppression of the Streltsy revolt of 1698 began with the battle that took place on June 18.
The tsarist governors, despite their superiority in armament and manpower, made several attempts to end the matter peacefully.
In particular, a few hours before the start of the fight, Patrick Gordon went to the rebels, trying to persuade them not to go to the capital. However, they insisted that they must at least briefly see the families from whom they had been separated for several years.
After Gordon realized that things could not be resolved peacefully, he fired a volley of 25 guns. The whole battle lasted about an hour, because after the third volley from the cannons, the rebels surrendered. Thus ended the Streltsy rebellion of 1698.
Executions
In addition to Gordon, Peter's commanders Alexei Shein, Ivan Koltsov-Mosalsky and Anikita Repnin took part in the suppression of the rebellion.
After the rebels were arrested, the investigation was led by Fyodor Romodanovsky. Shein helped him. After some time, they were joined by Peter the Great, who returned from Europe.
All the instigators were executed. Some were cut off by the king himself.
Now you know who participated in the suppression of the Streltsy rebellion of 1698 and what caused discontent among the Moscow warriors.
