The copper riot of 1662 causes the outcome of the consequences of the move. Copper and salt riots

"The thieves got paid, GIVING bribes to the warlords"

Heavy taxes fell on the people, the merchants were exhausted by paying the fifth money. Already in 1656, the treasury lacked military men for a salary, and the sovereign, on the advice, as they say, of Fyodor Mikhailovich Rtishchev, ordered to issue copper money, which had a nominal value of silver; in 1657 and 1658, this money really went like silver; but from September 1658 they began to decline in price, it was necessary to add six money to the ruble; from March 1659, they should have added 10 money per ruble; the surplus increased to such an extent that in 1663 for one ruble of silver it was necessary to give 12 copper. A terrible high cost has come; decrees prohibiting raising prices for essential commodities were not in effect; we saw the situation in Little Russia of the Moscow military men, who received salaries in copper money, which no one took from them. A lot of thieves' (counterfeit) copper money appeared [...]. They began to look after the money-makers, the silversmiths, the cauldrons, the tin-makers, and saw that these people, who had previously lived poorly, had set up stone and wood yards for themselves with copper money, they made clothes for themselves and their wives according to boyar custom, in the ranks all kinds of goods, silver vessels and they began to buy food supplies at a high price, not sparing money. The reason for such a quick enrichment was explained when they began to take out thieves' money and coins. The criminals were executed by death, their hands were cut off and they were nailed to the walls of the monetary yards, houses and estates were taken to the treasury. But cruelty did not help with the irresistible charm of get rich quick; the thieves continued their work, especially since the rich of them paid off from trouble, giving large bribes to the tsar's father-in-law - Ilya Danilovich Miloslavsky and the Duma nobleman Matyushkin, who was followed by the tsar's mother's aunt; in cities, thieves paid off by giving bribes to governors and orderly people.

[…] Moscow has calmed down; but complaints about the copper money continued: the governors reported that the debtors brought copper money to their house to pay to the lenders, but they wouldn’t take it without a royal decree, asking for silver money. Finally, in 1663, a decree was issued: in Moscow, Novgorod and Pskov the monetary copper business should be abandoned, and the old monetary silver business should be set up in Moscow and silver money should be made there from June 15; and the salary of all ranks to service people should be given in silver money, to the treasury, customs duties and all monetary incomes should be taken in silver money, and also in the ranks to trade in all sorts of goods for silver money, and set aside copper. Copper money in all orders, whatever it is, must be rewritten and sealed until June 15, and kept until the decree, and not given at expense; private people were ordered to drain copper money. But the latter was not fulfilled; the decree on January 20, 1664 says: in Moscow and in different cities, copper money is announced, ruined (rubbed with mercury), and others are silver-plated and half-skinned. The sovereign confirms the order not to keep the copper money under pain of severe punishment, ruin and exile to distant cities. […] They say that more than 7000 people were transferred for damage to money, and more than 15000 were punished by cutting off their arms, legs, exile, taking away their property to the treasury.

"... THE SUCCESS OF THE BUSINESS HAS BEEN HINDERED BY HUGE ABUSE"

Then in 1656 boyar Rtishchev proposed a project that consisted of putting into circulation, so to speak, metal banknotes - to mint copper money of the same shape and size as silver money and issue them at the same price as them. This went quite well until 1659, for 100 silver kopecks. gave 104 copper. Then silver began to disappear from circulation, and things went worse, so that in 1662 300-900 copper coins were given for 100 silver coins, and in 1663 they did not take 1500 copper coins for 100 silver coins. […] Why did Rtishchev's bold project, which could have provided great assistance to the Moscow government, so soon led him to a crisis?

The trouble was not in the project itself, which was bold but feasible, but in the inability to use it and in enormous abuses. Firstly, the government itself issued copper money too generously and thus contributed to its depreciation. According to Meyerberg, 20 million rubles were issued in five years - a huge amount for that time. Second, huge abuses prevented the success of the case. The tsar's father-in-law, Miloslavsky, minted copper money without hesitation and, they say, minted up to 100 thousand coins. The persons in charge of minting coins made money for themselves from their copper and even allowed outsiders to do it for bribes. The punishments did little to help the cause, because the main culprits and perpetrators (like Miloslavsky) remained intact. Along with these abuses of officials, a secret counterfeiting of coins among the people developed, although the counterfeiters were brutally executed. Meyerberg says that when he was in Moscow, up to 400 people were imprisoned for coin counterfeiting (1661); and according to Kotoshikhin's testimony, more than 7,000 people were “executed for that money” in those years. Even more were exiled, but the evil did not stop […]. Attributing the guilt of their plight to the unloved boyars and accusing them of treason and friendship with the Poles, in July 1662 the people, who knew about the abuses in the minting of coins, raised an open revolt in Moscow against the boyars and a crowd went to the tsar in Kolomenskoye to ask for control over the boyars ... "The quietest Tsar" Alexei Mikhailovich managed to calm the crowd with affection, but insignificant random circumstances fanned the unrest again, and then the rioters were pacified by military force.

Platonov S.F. A complete course of lectures on Russian history. SPb., 2000 http://magister.msk.ru/library/history/platonov/plats004.htm#gl10

NUMBER OF RECOVERS

The sources' references to a large number of those killed, hanged and drowned in the Moskva River during the suppression of the "riot" also refuted Bazilevich's allegations. They are not about a few dozen, but about hundreds and hundreds of killed rebels. This was confirmed by the find by the historian V.A. Kuchkin of the most important document - the modern events of July 25, 1662, an eyewitness record: “In the summer of July 7170, on the 25th day of God, with the permission of God, and for our sin in the great and predominant city of Moscow, such a great terrible thing happened: in the field near the Kolomenskoe sovereign village wash-vich of black hundreds and all other ranks of people of hundreds of nine and more (my detente - VB) their own Moscow people, Stremyanov's archers and all sorts of sovereign ranks for the fact that they began to beat the sovereign's forehead against the boyars. Yes, in the month of July, on the 26th day, fifty people were hanged in the same petition of various ranks of people. "" Thus, we can talk about several thousand insurgents who died, were arrested and exiled as a result of the bloody pogrom of the uprising. But this is incomplete evidence of documents , a significant part of which has not survived.

In light of these data, the figures of the knowledgeable and observant Kotoshikhin about the arrest of more than 200 insurgents in Moscow (this is confirmed by the Moscow investigation file), the murder and arrest of more than 7 thousand people in Kolomenskoye can be considered plausible; in the same place, according to him, more than 100 people drowned and hanged "with 150" people. In addition, on the night of July 25-26, the "furious thieves" were drowned in the Moskva River from "large ships". Reports of 9-10 thousand participants in the uprising are just as likely.

"COPPER REBEL" IN THE EYES OF SCOTCHIAN PATRICK GORDON

The rebels came out of the Serpukhov Gate in a crowd. There were about 4 or 5 thousand of them, without weapons, only a few had clubs and sticks. They claimed [damages] for copper money, salt and more. For this purpose, sheets were pasted up in different parts of the city, and one solicitor in front of the Zemsky court read a sheet containing their complaints, the names of some persons whom they thought were guilty of abuses, and an appeal to everyone to go to the king and seek compensation, as well as bad heads advisers.

When the mob gathered, some went to rob the house of a guest or headman named Vasily Shorin, but most went to Kolomenskoye, where, while His Majesty was in church, they solicited the boyars and courtiers to appeal to the king. Finally, when the king left the church and mounted his horse, they very rudely and with loud cries insisted that he atone for their grievances. The tsar and some of the boyars reprimanded them for coming in such a disorder and number, and announced that the grievances would be redressed, and therefore a council would be called immediately - they should only have a little patience. Meanwhile, at their first appearance, an order was sent to two streltsy colonels to go with their regiments as soon as possible to Kolomenskoye, and the rest were ordered to suppress those who remained in Moscow.

When I reached the regiment, which the colonel had led away from the gate and built near the monastery, I convinced him to go ahead. We reached the Kozhukhovsky bridge, where we received orders to stop, guard the bridge and capture the fugitives. By this time, two rifle regiments had appeared and were passed through the rear gate of the palace, They united with the horsemen from the courtiers and, attacking through the large gate, scattered [the rebels] without much risk and labor, some were driven into the river, others were killed and many were taken into captivity. Many were also saved.

Reasons for the riot

In the 17th century, the Moscow state did not have its own gold and silver mines, and precious metals were imported from abroad. At the Monetary Yard, Russian coins were minted from foreign coins: kopecks, money and polushki (half money).

Counterfeiters case

The financial situation in the country led to the flourishing of counterfeiting

The development and course of the riot

The common people were outraged by the boyars' impunity. On July 25 (August 4), 1662, at the Lubyanka, sheets were found with accusations against Prince ID Miloslavsky, several members of the Boyar Duma and a wealthy guest Vasily Shorin. They were accused of secret relations with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which had no basis whatsoever. But disgruntled people needed a reason. It is significant that the same people who were accused of abuses during the Salt Riot became the object of universal hatred, and just like fourteen years ago, the crowd attacked and destroyed the house of the guest Shorin, who was collecting "fifth money" throughout the state. Several thousand people went to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who was in his country palace in the village of Kolomenskoye. The unexpected appearance of the rebels caught the king by surprise, he was forced to go out to the people. He was given a petition, demanding a reduction in prices and taxes, and punishment of those responsible. Under the pressure of circumstances, Alexei Mikhailovich gave his word to investigate the case, after which the calmed down mass of people, believing the promises, turned back.

Another crowd of many thousands was moving towards from Moscow, much more belligerent. Small traders, butchers, bread bakers, cakes, village people again surrounded the palace of Alexei Mikhailovich and this time they did not ask, but demanded that the traitors be handed over to them for reprisal, threatening “if he will not give those boyars good, and they will teach him how , according to your custom. " However, archers and soldiers have already appeared in Kolomenskoye, sent by the boyars to the rescue. After refusing to disperse, the order was given to use force. The unarmed crowd was driven into the river, up to a thousand people were killed, hanged, drowned in the Moscow River, several thousand were arrested and exiled after the investigation.

G.K.Kotoshikhin describes the bloody finale of the copper riot as follows:

“And that same day, they were hanged from 150 people near that village, and the rest were all ordered by a decree, tortured and burned, and, in search of guilt, they cut off the hands and feet and at the hands and feet of the fingers, and beat others with a whip, and put them on their faces. on the right side signs, lighting the iron on red, and put on that iron "beeches", that is, a rebel, so that he would be recognized forever; and inflicting punishment on them, they sent everyone to distant cities, to Kazan, and to Astarakhan, and to Terki, and to Siberia, for eternal life ... and another thief of the same day, in the night, issued a decree, tying his hands back to courts, sank the river in Moscow. "

The search in connection with the copper riot had no precedent. All literate Muscovites were forced to give samples of their handwriting in order to compare them with the thieves' sheets, which served as a signal for indignation. However, the instigators were never found.

results

The Copper Riot was a performance by the urban base. It was attended by artisans, butchers, pastries, peasants of suburban villages. Of the guests and merchants, "not a single person stuck to those thieves, they even helped those thieves, and the king gave them praise." Despite the ruthless suppression of the riot, it did not go unnoticed. In 1663, under the tsar's decree of the copper business, the courtyards in Novgorod and Pskov were closed, and minting of silver coins was resumed in Moscow. The salaries of all ranks to service people again began to be paid in silver money. Copper money was withdrawn from circulation, private individuals were ordered to melt it into boilers or bring it to the treasury, where they paid 10 for each ruble handed over, and later even less - 2 money in silver. According to V. O. Klyuchevsky, "The Treasury acted like a real bankrupt, paid creditors 5 kopecks or even 1 kopeck per ruble."

see also

Notes

Literature

• Buganov V.I. Copper riot. Moscow "rebels" of 1662 // Prometheus. - M .: Molodaya gvardiya, 1968. - T. 5. - (historical and biographical almanac of the series "Life of Remarkable People").
• The uprising of 1662 in Moscow: Sat. doc. M., 1964.
• Moscow uprisings 1648, 1662 // Soviet military encyclopedia / ed. N.V. Ogarkova. - Moscow: Military Publishing, 1978 .-- T. 5. - 686 p. - (in 8 t). - 105,000 copies

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See what "Copper Riot" is in other dictionaries:

- (The Moscow uprising of 1662), an anti-government protest by Muscovites on July 25, 1662, caused by the disruption of economic life during the years of the wars of Russia with Poland and Sweden, an increase in taxes, the release of devalued copper money. Since 1654 ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

The uprising of the urban lower classes that took place in Moscow in 1662 against the issue of copper kopecks, which were minted from 1655 to replace silver coins. The issue of copper money led to their depreciation in comparison with silver. A year after the riot ... ... Financial vocabulary

Accepted in literature, the name of the uprising of the lower and middle strata of the inhabitants of Moscow, archers, soldiers (25.7.1662). Caused by the increase in taxes during the Russian-Polish war of 1654 67 and the release of devalued copper money. Some of the rebels went to the village of Kolome ... Modern encyclopedia

The uprising of the urban lower classes that took place in Moscow in 1662 Against the release of copper kopecks, which since 1655 were minted in Russian monetary yards to replace silver ones. The issue of copper money led to their depreciation in comparison with silver. Across… … Economic Dictionary

Copper Riot, accepted in the historical literature, the name of the performance in Moscow on 25.7.1662 by representatives of the lower and middle strata of townspeople, archers, soldiers. Caused by the increase in taxes during the Russian-Polish war of 1654 67 and the release of devalued ... ... Russian history

"Copper riot" - "Copper Riot", accepted in the literature the name of the uprising of the lower and middle strata of the inhabitants of Moscow, archers, soldiers (25.7.1662). Caused by the increase in taxes during the Russian-Polish war of 1654 67 and the release of devalued copper money. Some of the rebels went ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Copper riot - a historical event that took place in Moscow on July 25 (August 4) in 1662, where a rather large uprising of the urban lower classes took place due to copper coins not provided with precious metal.

Reasons for the start of the riot

In the Moscow state in the 17th century, precious metals were imported into the country from abroad, since then there were no silver and gold mines of their own. Therefore, in the Money Yard, Russian coins were minted from foreign coins, which means that it took more money than making new coins from our own metal. Then the following coins were issued: a penny, money and a half, which was half.

However, the protracted war with the Commonwealth over Ukraine demanded simply colossal expenses. AL Ordin-Nashchokin suggested a way out of this situation. He put forward the idea of \u200b\u200bissuing copper money at the price of silver. But at the same time, taxes from the population were collected in silver, but the salary was issued in copper coins.

Of course, at first the copper coin went at the same cost as the silver one, but this could not last long, and after a short period of time, when the issue of unsecured copper money began to grow, it became much more expensive than copper. For example, in Novgorod and Pskov for 6 rubles in silver they gave as much as 170 rubles in copper, which is 28.3 times more. And with the issuance of the tsarist decree, goods still rose sharply in price, which, of course, did not like the people.

This financial situation in the country led to the growth and flourishing of counterfeiting, which also did not add joy not only to the ordinary people, but also to the government.

Riot course

The common people were already on the verge of their patience, and when they found sheets on the Lubyanka on which accusations were written against Prince I.D.Miloslavsky and several active members of the Boyar Duma, as well as a fairly rich guest Vasily Shorin, who were convicted of secret relations with the Commonwealth ... Although this did not have any evidence under it, but even such an excuse was enough for the people to finally lose their temper.

Therefore, several thousand people went to the country palace in the village of Kolomenskoye, where Alexei Mikhailovich was at that time.

This appearance of the people took the king by surprise and he had to go out to the people. From them he received a petition, which spoke about the reduction in prices for goods and punishment for those responsible. Under such pressure, Alexey Mikhailovich promised to sort things out and the crowd, who took their word for it, turned back.

However, another crowd was approaching from Moscow, which was already in a more belligerent mood than the first. Its number was several thousand. It consisted of butchers, small traders, pastries, etc. Approaching the palace, they surrounded it again. This time they demanded that the traitors be handed over for reprisals. By this time, the archers and soldiers had already approached Kolomenskoye, who were sent by the boyars to help. The crowd was initially asked to disperse peacefully, but they refused. Then the order was given to use force against her. The archers and soldiers drove the unarmed crowd into the river. At the same time, many were still killed and hanged. After these events, several thousand people were arrested and exiled.

It should be noted that after the copper riot, all literate Muscovites had to give samples of their handwriting. This was done in order to compare them with the "thieves' sheets", which served as a signal for such indignation. But the instigator could not be found by this method.

Results of the copper riot

The main outcome of the copper riot was the abolition of the cheap copper coin. It happened gradually. Copper courtyards, which were located in Novgorod and Pskov, were closed in 1663. Silver coins were minted anew. The copper money itself was withdrawn from general circulation and melted into other copper products that were needed by the state.

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The events of the turbulent 17th century in Russia have long attracted the attention of scientists and writers, artists and musicians. The uprisings of Bolotnikov and Razin, popular movements in Moscow and other cities of Russia provided not only a wealth of material for historians for reflection and scholarly constructions, but also inspired prominent figures of Russian culture. Suffice it to recall the brilliant operas by Mussorgsky "Boris Godunov" and "Khovanshchina", Glazunov's poem "Stepan Razin", novels and poems about the daring chieftain and his associates. The events of the 17th century amazed the imagination of not only descendants, but also contemporaries. No wonder they called this century "rebellious".

One of the most famous popular uprisings of this time was the "Copper Riot" in 1662.

It was caused by serious reasons. The people expressed dissatisfaction with the copper reform, as a result of which, instead of silver money, the market was flooded with a large amount of copper, this led to the depreciation of money, the terrible high cost and ultimately to hunger. In addition, the country waged protracted wars with Poland and Sweden, which required large expenses. The government has ordered the strictest collection of arrears over the past years. Taxes have increased. Shortly before the uprising, they announced the collection of the so-called "fifth money", that is: a tax in the amount of 20 percent of the value of the taxpayer's property. Added to all this was the exploitation of ordinary people by the ruling elite, wealthy merchants, various outrages, bribes and extortions.

In the early morning of July 25, 1662, an uprising broke out in Moscow. In the proclamations posted at night on the streets, squares and crossroads of the capital, demands were made to abolish copper money, reduce taxes, and stop abuses. The rebels demanded the extradition for reprisals of the head of the government, Boyar ID Miloslavsky and other hated persons who occupied the highest position at court and in wealthy merchant circles.

Masses of Muscovites moved to the village of Kolomenskoye, where Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and his court were at that time, and presented their demands to him. At this time, other insurgents smashed the homes of the rich and "strong" in Moscow. By. On the instructions of the tsar, on the same day the uprising was drowned in blood, and a cruel investigation began - interrogations, torture, executions and exile.

This is the general picture of The Copper Riot. Russian historians have written a lot about him, including the famous S. M. Soloviev and V. O. Klyuchevsky. A. N. Zertsalov published (albeit not completely and with errors) materials of the investigation of the participants in the uprising. But the talented Soviet researcher K.V. Bazilevich did the most for its study. In his book, he detailed the course of the copper reform and the uprising of July 25, 1662. His findings were included in respectable academic publications and school textbooks. It would seem that the "last tale" has already been written about the "Copper Riot" of 1662.

Yet it turned out that this is not the case. As is often the case, the reason for the revision of some established ideas was an accident.

The author of these lines spent a lot of time getting to know the old manuscripts, being interested in the category books, which contain lists of military and civil leaders, "officials" of the XVI-XVII centuries. This required viewing tens and hundreds of manuscripts and collections. Their content, in general, did not differ in literary merits, and sometimes it simply led to despair with its dull monotony and dryness.

But the painstaking textological study of endless lists was rewarded with unexpected findings. Sometimes the monotony of these monuments was violated. The fact is that, with their frequent correspondence, “extraneous” documents and monuments were introduced into the texts of the categories. Some, for example, contain stories: about the victory over the Crimean Tatars in 1572 at Molodeya, about the death of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich and the accession of Boris Godunov in 1598, about the campaign of the Russian army in the Urals in 1499-1500, and others.

In one of the collections of the 17th century, in addition to the category lists, one day came across an unknown description of two uprisings in Moscow. A cursory acquaintance with this description could scare away the reader - chronology, facts, sequence of events are clearly confused in it. Here is its beginning:

“In the summer of 7171 (that is, 1663 - VB) on the 23rd day of June, the great emperor went out on the feast of the prayer of the Most Holy Theotokos on Usretenka. And on that date there was a great turmoil in Moscow and the great sovereign was beaten by all the people of the township and all sorts of people in all taxes and in ruin ... ”i And then follows a detailed description of the 1648 uprising in Moscow under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich opposed a sharp rise in the price of salt and the abuse of the nobility, merchants and bureaucracy. It really began on Sretenskaya Street, but not on June 23, but on June 2, the error in determining the year was even more significant - instead of 1648, it is 1663! There are other inconsistencies in the Description. For example, according to its author, during the uprising, LS Pleshcheev 2 tried to escape from Moscow, in fact it was PG Trakhaniotov, both of them belonged to the ruling elite and aroused keen hatred of Muscovites.

After describing the "Salt Riot" in 1648, the author proceeds to describe the events of another uprising in Moscow - the "Copper Riot" of 1662. It also dates back to 1663; the description, again, Sins inaccuracies.

However, as a careful analysis showed, this was not the main thing. It turned out that the description of the "Salt Riot" in 1648 is very similar to the story of the so-called Pskov 3rd Chronicle about the same event3, although the first source describes it in more detail. This seemingly insignificant fact became Ariadne's thread in unraveling the complex tangle of questions raised by the new description of both uprisings. The well-known historian, specialist in Russian annals A.N.Nasonov has long established that the information of the Pskov 3rd Chronicle about the uprising in Moscow in 1648 was recorded in Pskov approximately in 1648-1650, when the commander there was okolnichy N.S. Sobakin ; Moreover, in the annals one can clearly feel the influence of Sobaki, who is mentioned several times in other cases in the text. Hence, we can assume that the description of the uprising of 1648 in ours. The collection also comes from the Sobakins. This assumption "was confirmed.

The Pskov governor Nikifor Sergeevich Sobakin, who died in 1656, had three sons. Mentions about the eldest of them, Andrei, quickly disappear from the pages of documents (since 1645). The reason for this could be an early death, illness or tonsure as a monk. The second - Vasily - died in 1677, he is known to scientists as a book lover, collector of manuscripts; among them, by the way, was the manuscript of the Pskov 3rd Chronicle with references to his father, the Pskov voivode. Finally, the youngest of the sons, Gregory, who died in 1689, reached the highest position at that time - he became a boyar, performed various royal assignments, accompanied the tsars on their trips to the estates near Moscow.

The collection, which contains a description of the uprisings of 1648 and 1662, belonged to the same Sobakins. On one of the sheets of the manuscript there is a note about the owner: "The book is written out of the ranks of Mikhail Vasilyevich Sobakin." The text of the collection itself contains, in addition to the above description, extracts about the services of representatives of various boyar and noble families that interested the Sobakins. The Sobakins themselves paid special attention. Finally, and this is especially characteristic, in the description of the "Copper revolt" of 1662, one of the Sobakins also appears, namely boyar Grigory Niki-forovich - the uncle of the owner of the "discharge book". According to the description, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich sent Grigory Sobakin from Kolomenskoye to Moscow to summon the rifle regiments, which played the main role in the defeat of the "Copper revolt". All other sources remain unanimously silent on this matter. One of the eyewitnesses of the uprising, the famous clerk Grigory Kotoshikhin, reports that the tsar sent boyar I.A.Khovansky from Kolomenskoye to Moscow. It was he who probably called the rifle regiments. It can be assumed that the author of this description was G. N. Sobakin; he probably also was the owner of the collection, which later came to his nephew. It is not for nothing that the collection contains lists of persons who held various positions at the royal courts, starting with Ivan III and ending with Peter I and Ivan Alekseevich. The manuscript itself was compiled precisely in the 80s of the 17th century - in the interval between 1682 and 1689. Sobakin himself wrote a description soon in connection with another Moscow uprising - the famous "Khovanshchina" of 1682, when the rebels also demanded an end to abuses by the ruling elite (bribery, unjust trial, etc.) and ease the financial situation ... The main driving force in it were the Moscow archers. In this regard, GN Sobakin resorts to a cunning, from his point of view, trick that gives off a direct falsification. In December 1682, the archers of one of the regiments, who participated in the uprising, brought a confession, and on the Kremlin square in front of the royal palace a scene was played out, typical for the then mores of the imperial capital. Hundreds of archers, led by their commanders, laid chocks and axes on the ground under the windows of the royal palace, and they themselves sprawled right there, humbly exposing their heads and necks. All-merciful forgiveness followed ...

When the "Copper Riot" was suppressed in 1662, nothing of the kind happened. But G.N.Sobakin asserts that this took place - the Moscow soldiers, participants in the uprising, did the same and in the same way as the archers twenty years later. The author "played" in contrast, emphasizing that in 1662 the archers did not participate in the uprising, but suppressed it, earning special royal praise and mercy, and an active role in these events was allegedly played by the author himself - G.N.Sobakin, who attributed to himself , obviously, the merits of I.A.Khovansky, who died in 1682. Having described these events twenty years later, Sobakin made a number of mistakes and even falsifications and created, in essence, a memorandum, even a political pamphlet, echoing the events of Khovanshchina. When compiling it, he used the text of the Pskov 3rd Chronicle, possibly some unpreserved official documents, memorable records. "

The work on explaining the personality of this falsifier boyar, the peculiarities of his composition, encountered a number of even more interesting mysteries.

A careful study of Sobakin's description of the "Copper Riot" required a reconciliation with other sources about the uprising. In the first place among them are the story of Grigory Kotoshikhin, clerk of the Ambassadorial Prikaz (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the 17th century), and especially the materials of the investigation of the participants in the "gil". It is these sources that underlie the best work on the history of the "Copper Riot" by K. V. Bazilevich, a subtle researcher and expert of the 17th century4. However, this eminent scientist made, as it turned out, a serious mistake in the interpretation of the sources, which led ultimately to his underestimation of the large scale of the uprising and the investigation that was carried out after the suppression of the "riot".

KV Bazilevich's conclusions about the reasons for the uprising, about its popular, anti-feudal character do not raise objections.

The same can be said about the description of the "riot" course, although it cannot be considered to some extent complete and exhaustive. But K. V. Bazilevich made a serious mistake in the use of sources. The fact is that much more investigation and other documents have survived than he had expected.

Using only part of these documents, he mistakenly came to the conclusion that no more than "2-3 thousand people took part in the uprising, and during its suppression 450-500 people were arrested, 400 people were exiled, about 30 people were executed. He did not At the same time he trusted the almost unanimous testimony of his contemporaries that up to 9-10 thousand people took part in the uprising, and in the course of its suppression, thousands of people were killed, arrested and exiled.

The verification of the data of Sobakin's description began with the help of the investigation documents published by A.N.Zertsalov in the 1890s. Since Zertsalov did not publish the investigative materials in full, it was necessary to look at the complete archive file. A link to it can be found

Shooting uprising 15 ME 1682. Miniature from the History of Peter the Great "Krekshin. State Historical Museum.

for Bazilevich, this is file No. 959 of the Order Office of the Discharge Order, which is now kept in the Central State Archive of Ancient Acts (TsGADA). This is what Zertsalov published, writes Bazilevich. First, there are interrogations of the participants in the "Copper Riot" - the tenth Sretenskaya hundred L. Zhidky, the archer K. Nagaev, witnesses B. Lazarev, P. Grigoriev and others. But later something incomprehensible began. K. V. Bazilevich, referring to the same case, gives lists of those arrested and other documents, but in fact they are here .. ", no! Why? We turn to Zertsalov and find out that he published investigative materials from the same archive fund, but from the case number 327. This case, written out from the archive, brings clarity.It turns out that Bazilevich, not paying attention to Zertsalov's exile, watched the unpublished investigative case that was conducted over the participants of the "riot" in Moscow, where on July 25, 1662, the rebels destroyed the courtyards of the rich Zertsalov published materials of the investigation, which was carried out in the village of Kolomenskoye. Both investigative cases have a number of similar documents - interrogations, fairy tales, letters, formal replies. " Both detective commissions corresponded with each other, therefore in one case there are originals of some documents, in the other - their copies. Basically, however, both cases differ from each other. KV Bazilevich did not notice this, hence the whole tangle of mistakes. Unraveling them was tantamount to solving a puzzle rebus. This was also facilitated by the discovery of new archival sources unknown to Bazilevich.

Bazilevich refers to a number of documents, believing that they were taken from one investigation file, but in fact they need to be looked for in another or in the two cases mentioned at once. He believed that after the suppression of the uprising, only one commission of inquiry worked - in Kolomenskoye. It was headed by the boyar prince I. A. Khovansky, who was silent, by the way, G. N. Sobakin in his description of the "Copper revolt" in 1662. This I understand - after all, he composed it soon after "Khovanshchina" in 1682, when this unlucky adventurer laid his head. In fact, it turned out that, in addition to her, in Moscow, under the Boyar Duma and the Discharge Order, another large detective commission headed by the boyar Prince A.N. Trubetskoy was also "whipping". In addition, detective commissions worked in a number of other Moscow orders, as well as in the Nikolo-Ugreshsky monastery on the Moscow River near Kolomenskoye. In all these places, many "rebels" were held in custody and drank their bitter cup of suffering under the rack and whip of the masters' shoulder affairs2.

It was stated above that, based on the misinterpreted reports of the investigative materials, Bazilevich claimed that 30 insurgents were executed during and after the search. Further, based on the fact that one document reports on the link to Astrakhan and Siberia "for eternal life" along with wives and children of 1200 people, the total number of exiled participants in the uprising among them, Bazilevich believed, did not exceed 400 people, since on average the family consisted of three people.

He increased the total number of those arrested by 50-100 people. Finally, he assumed that in general 2-3 thousand people participated in the uprising on July 25, 1662. Proceeding from this, Bazilevich rejected the testimony of Kotoshikhin and other contemporaries of the uprising, Russians and foreigners, that the total number of the insurgents was 9-10 thousand people. He was equally skeptical about Kotoshikhin's report about 7 thousand killed and arrested during the defeat of the uprising and his statement that in order to find out the authors of the proclamations-calls for an uprising, pasted up in Moscow on the night of July 24-25, 1662, the Moscow authorities ordered to take samples of handwriting from literate people, including Moscow clerks, in order to compare them with the handwriting of "thieves' letters".

All these statements of Bazilevich collapsed one after another upon careful reading of two investigative cases and other documents. So, Bazilevich did not notice that there is information about the collection of handwriting samples for comparison with the handwriting of the proclamations. In one archival file, on ancient columns, the paintings of about 400 clerks from more than 25 Moscow orders have been preserved, including G. Kotoshikhin himself: "The clerk Grigory Kotoshikhin put his hand to the ambassadorial order." This signature was published over a hundred years ago in the first volume of "Acts of the Moscow State".

Further, the documents of the investigation do not speak at all about 450-500 arrested. In total, the investigation materials mention more than 800 participants in the uprising. One of the documents says about the exile from the Nikolo-Ugreshsky monastery of 1,500 people, of which only about 200 people were members of the families of the rebels. Moreover, we are talking only about a part of the rebels, many rebels were sitting in other places, from there they were hastily sent to different parts of the vast state, mostly without families, which were not quickly assembled. According to Kotoshikhin, the "rioters" "were sent all to distant cities ... and after them scammed them where who lived and who was, and their wives and children were sent after them."

Sources' references to a large number of those killed, hanged and drowned in the Moskva River during the suppression of the "riot" also refuted Bazilevich's claims. They are not talking about a few dozen, but about hundreds and hundreds of killed rebels. This was confirmed by the discovery of the most important document by the historian V.A.Kuchkin - the modern events of July 25, 1662, an eyewitness record: “In the summer of July 7170, on the 25th day of God’s permission, and for our sin in the great and predominantly in the reigning city of Moscow, such a great terrible thing happened : in a field near the Kolomenskoye sovereign village, they whipped a wash-vich of hundreds of black and other various ranks of people of hundreds of nine and more (my detente - VB) their own Moscow people, Strelyanov's archers and all sorts of sovereign ranks for becoming it was to beat the forehead against the boyars. Yes, in the month of July, on the 26th day, fifty people were hanged in the same petition of various ranks of people. "" Thus, we can talk about several thousand insurgents who died, were arrested and exiled as a result of the bloody pogrom of the uprising. But this is incomplete evidence of documents , a significant part of which has not survived.

In light of these data, the figures of the knowledgeable and observant Kotoshikhin about the arrest of more than 200 insurgents in Moscow (this is confirmed by the Moscow investigation file), the murder and arrest of more than 7 thousand people in Kolomenskoye can be considered plausible; in the same place, according to him, more than 100 people drowned and hanged "with 150" people. In addition, on the night of July 25-26, the "furious thieves" were drowned in the Moskva River from "large ships". Reports of 9-10 thousand participants in the uprising 2 are becoming just as likely.

Thus, a more careful analysis of the surviving sources about the Copper Riot of 1662, documents of the investigation and descriptions of contemporaries, made it possible to reveal a number of Bazilevich's mistakes in interpreting the materials of the investigation and to restore confidence in the clear testimonies of his contemporaries, undermined by his incorrect conclusions. It turned out that the uprising and the investigation over its participants had a much broader scope than Bazilevich believed. The numbers of participants in the uprising, as well as those arrested and exiled during and after its defeat, must be increased several times in each case. Thereby. a more correct idea of \u200b\u200bthe degree of upsurge, the intensity of the uprising, which engulfed the many thousands of inhabitants of the Russian capital, is being created.

A more detailed analysis of all sources made it possible to illuminate the course of the uprising in Kolomenskoye and the capital in a new way, the participation of military officials in it, the content of the proclamations, the course of the investigation, etc. One of the most interesting and mysterious was the question of the chief leader of the Copper Riot. " KV Bazilevich considered the main leaders of the uprising of the archer Kuzma Nagayev and the tenth of the Sretenskaya hundred Luka Zhidkoy.The first was very active at the beginning of the uprising, early in the morning of July 25, he read a proclamation several times in front of the excited crowds of people on the Lubyanka, but about his stay in Kolomenskoye, sources are silent. In the royal residence, other possible leaders of the uprising come to the fore. Here the proclamation and petition to Tsar Alexei! Mikhailovich was presented by L. Zhidky and MT Zhedrinskiy. The latter admitted during interrogation: “He said that the emperor deigned to subtract that letter in front of the world and traitors (boyars and other persons hated by the people. - V. B.) to bring the great sovereign before you. ”Tsar, frightened the resolute tone of the demands of a huge crowd of rebels, was forced to speak with them by "quiet custom". He promised them to consider their complaints, to investigate the guilt of the boyars, asked: "Who are the traitors?", Persuaded them to stop the "rebellion."

The rebels at first reacted with distrust to the words of the king and asked him: "What to believe?" But then they believed. One of the rebels even “beat hands” with the tsar. The same Zhedrinsky, without naming a name, mentioned during the interrogation about the man who negotiated with Alexei Mikhailovich: "In Kolomenskoye, in front of the great tsar, he spoke with him in the same order of cherry, and that man said to the great emperor as a reiter." Perhaps it was the reiter F.P. Polivkin - from the documents of the investigation it is known that during the "riot" in Kolomenskoye he "walked ... in front of the rioters and shouted with them", "shouted and said: it is time to beat the traitors ". During interrogation, Polivkin himself admitted that he “walked among them (the insurgents in Kolomenskoye - VB)”, but immediately added with suspicious haste that “they did not have breeders,” clearly wishing to avert the suspicion of his investigators that that he could belong to the number of leaders, organizers ("breeders") of the "riot".

All these and some other persons played an active role in the uprising and could have been among its organizers.

We turn again to the documents of the investigation. Demyan (Demka) Filippov, a certain sexton of the Moscow Alekseevsky nunnery, Demyan (Demka) Filippov, during interrogations on July 26 and 29, was exposed by the testimony of his "colleagues" - two priests and a deacon. When one of them, priest Andrei, was conducting the service early in the morning of July 25, deacon Demyan sang the liturgy at the choir. When the “noise broke out” in the city, that is, the uprising began, the latter “ran out of the church into the litorgy,” then took part in the uprising; he was caught in Kolomenskoye together with "thieves' people". Propped against the wall by the testimony of witnesses, the deacon, not enduring the torture, confessed: “he was in Kolomenskoye with rioters, and he had thoughts about rioting and robbing households (my detente - VB)” It also turns out that in the monastery where Demyan Filippov served, on the eve of the uprising some inscriptions appeared on the stones - during the interrogation they were not without reason asking him: "Who wrote on the stone in the Alekseevsk monastery?" Probably, these inscriptions have something in common with the proclamations posted around Moscow on the night before the "riot" uprising.

“In this regard, D. Filippov's confession during interrogation on July 26 is of great importance:“ He, de, Demka, heard from worldly people ... that in that thieves' za in o-de (organizing an uprising. B.) there were hundreds of Sretensky's grabs Andryushka, and whose - he does not know. ”This important, but not entirely clear indication of a person who himself was involved in the“ plant ”of the“ riot ”on July 25, becomes even more mysterious in view of the fact that that during the second interrogation, on July 29 (that is, two days after the first inquest), the investigators did not ask him a word about the mysterious Andrei - a simple "taxpayer", that is, a posad man who paid taxes (tax) and lived on Sretenka, where, by the way, the uprising began. ”This silence of the leaders of the investigation cannot be accidental - after all, they with great stubbornness and cruelty sought to find out the names and surnames of the leaders of the uprising. And here they did not pay attention to such an important confession?

Almost at the very end of the Moscow detective case, a seemingly insignificant list of those arrested, sent on August 13, 1662, to the Moscow Petition Order, caught my eye. But it is known that this order was considered by the order of the king of cases of special importance. In addition, it can be seen from the documents that from about August 6, the clerk of the Chelobitny Order, Artemy Kozlov, became a member of the main detective commission working in the village of Kolomenskoye (it was called the Order of Investigative Affairs). Particularly mysterious is the indication of this list that the arrested, sent to the Petition Order, were listed "in the case of Ondryushka Shcherbak." All the surviving materials of the investigation indicate that no "personal file" was opened against any of the participants in the uprising; they were interrogated in groups of several or even several dozen people. The only exception we know of is the “case of Ondryushka Shcherbak”.

D. Filippov's testimony connects the initiative of the speech with the name of the Sretensky posad man. Mr. N. Sobakin, without naming a name, also reports that "a certain thief glued" a proclamation on the Sretensky Gate. This clearly implies some specific person ("some thief", that is, "rebel", "breeder" of the uprising) who acted on Sretenka. It was on this street that the events of the uprising began; early in the morning, one of the most energetic agitators of the "riot" came running here from behind Trubnaya Square - the archer Kuzma Nagaev. The surname of the leader, whose name was named by D. Filippov, may be revealed by the mysterious "case of Ondryushka Shcherbak." By the way, one anonymous foreign author reports that in Kolomenskoye on July 25, when the uprising was defeated, “its leader was seized. However, it is still too early to speak of Andrei Shcherbak as the main leader of the Moscow uprising of 1662, since the riddle is still a mystery. The final "decryption" of this secret will depend on the findings of new documents about the "Copper Riot". Will they be found?

The Copper Riot is a riot that took place in Moscow on July 25 (August 4), 1662, an uprising of the lower classes against tax increases during the Russian-Polish war of 1654-1667. and the issue from 1654 of depreciated copper coins in comparison with silver.

Copper riot - in brief (article review)

After a long and bloody war with Poland in 1654, tsar Alexei Mikhailovich introduced copper money. Preparing for a new war with Sweden required a lot of money, and minting a copper coin seemed like a way out. And although copper was 60 times cheaper than silver, copper pennies were equated to silver. At first, the population eagerly accepted the new money. However, after their production took on an unprecedented, uncontrollable character, the confidence in copper money decreased dramatically.

The depreciated copper kopecks played a fatal role in the economy of the state. Trade was largely upset, since no one wanted to take copper in payment, servicemen and archers murmured, since nothing could be bought with a new salary. This created the conditions for the subsequent copper riot.

1662, July 25 (August 4) - an alarm sounded alarmingly near the walls of the ancient Kremlin. After the merchants closed their shops, the people hurried to the crossroads at the Spassky Gate, where accusatory letters were already being read. So the copper riot began. Later, an angry crowd would rush into Kolomenskoye, where the royal residence of Alexei Mikhailovich was located, and demand that the copper money be canceled.

Sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich brutally and mercilessly suppressed the copper revolt. As a result, copper money will be canceled.

And now in more detail ...

Description of the Copper Riot

Causes of the Copper Riot

The protracted war devastated the treasury. To replenish the treasury, the government resorted to the usual means - increased fiscal oppression. Taxes have risen sharply. In addition to the usual taxes, they began to levy extraordinary ones, which reminded the townspeople of the memorable - "five-piece money".

But there was also such a way to replenish the treasury as - re-coinage (damage) of a silver coin with a decrease in its weight. However, Moscow businessmen went even further and, in addition to the spoiled silver coin, began to issue copper coins. At the same time, with the difference in the market prices for silver and copper (almost 60 times), they had the same par value. This was supposed to give - and did - a fabulous profit: from one pound (400 grams) of copper worth 12 kopecks. from the Mint received copper money in the amount of 10 rubles. According to some sources, in the first year alone, this kind of monetary fraud brought a profit of 5 million rubles. In total, in 10 years - from 1654 to 1663. - copper money entered circulation in an amount that Meyerberg, perhaps exaggerating, determined at 20 million rubles.

At first, the copper penny was on a par with the silver one and was well received. But the authorities themselves intervened in the sphere of settlements and began to buy silver coins from the population with copper money. Along with this, the payment of taxes and duties took place only with a silver coin. Because of this “far-sighted policy,” the already fragile trust in copper money quickly collapsed. The monetary system was in disorder. Copper ceased to be taken, and copper money began to rapidly depreciate. Two prices appeared on the market: for silver and copper coins. The gap between them increased weather-wise and by the time of cancellation it was 1 in 15 and even 1 in 20. As a consequence of this, prices increased.

The counterfeiters, who did not miss the opportunity to quickly enrich themselves, did not stand aside. There were persistent rumors that even the sovereign's father-in-law, boyar ID Miloslavsky, did not disdain the profitable trade.

Before the riot

Soon the situation became simply unbearable. Commercial and industrial activity was in decline. Especially the townspeople and service people had a hard time. “Great poverty and great destruction are repaired at a grain price, and in all sorts of food there is a great dear,” the petitioners groaned. The price of a chicken in the capital has reached two rubles - an incredible amount for the old, "home-grown" times. The high cost, the growing difference between a copper and a silver penny, inevitably brought a social explosion closer, which, for all its spontaneity, was felt by contemporaries as an inevitable disaster. “They want to be confused in Moscow,” said one clerk on the eve of the July events.

The news about the next collection of the "fifth money" added even more passion. The population of Moscow was hotly discussing the conditions of the gathering when “letters from thieves” began to appear on Sretenka, Lubyanka and other places. Unfortunately, their text has not survived. It is known that they accused many of the Duma and clerks of "treason", which, in accordance with existing ideas, was interpreted quite broadly: both as abuse, and as "neglect of the sovereign", and as relations with the king of Poland. 1662, July 25, the "Copper Riot" broke out.

Riot course

The main events took place outside Moscow, in the village of Kolomenskoye. A crowd of 4-5 thousand people went here early in the morning, consisting of the townspeople and service people - archers and soldiers of the Elected Regiment of Agey Shepelev. Their appearance in Tsarskoe Selo was an absolute surprise. The archers who were on guard tried to stop the crowd, but she simply crushed them and broke into the palace village.

The Tsar and his entire family listened to the mass on the occasion of the birthday of Alexei Mikhailovich's sister, Princess Anna Mikhailovna. The confused tsar sent boyars to negotiate with the people. The crowd rejected them. The Emperor himself had to go out. Cries of indignation were heard: those who came began to demand the extradition of the traitorous boyars "for murder", as well as tax cuts. Among those whose blood was thirsty for the crowd was the butler, the roundhouse F.M. Rtishchev is a man very close to the tsar in his spiritual disposition and religious spirit. Alexei Mikhailovich ordered him, along with the others, to hide in the female half of the palace - in the chambers of the queen. Having locked themselves in, the entire royal family and people close to them "sat in the mansion in great fear and fear." Rtishchev, who knew very well how the conversation with the "Gilevists" could end, confessed and received Holy Communion.

Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich Romanov

In the official language of that era, any appeal to the sovereign is a petition. What happened in the morning of July 25 in Kolomenskoye was also attributed to this "genre" with an expressive addition of the then office work: "They beat their brows with great ignorance." The tsar himself already faced this kind of "ignorance" 14 years ago, when angry crowds of Muscovites broke into the Kremlin in the hope of dealing with B.I. Morozov. Then the sovereign, at the cost of humiliation, managed to beg for the life of his educator. Old experience came in handy even now - Romanov knew that the blind fury of the crowd could be opposed either by force or humility. The Moscow posad man Luchka Zhidkoy presented the sovereign with a petition. The Nizhny Novgorod resident Martyan Zhedrinsky, who was standing nearby, insisted that the tsar immediately, without delay, "before the world" deduct her and ordered to bring the traitors.

The crowd "with a cry and much outrage" supported their petitioners. According to the testimony of the omniscient G. Kotoshikhin, the tsar in response began to persuade the people with "quiet custom", promising to "initiate a search and a decree." The Tsar's promise was not immediately believed. Someone from the crowd even twisted the buttons on the royal dress and boldly asked: "What do you believe?" In the end, the sovereign was able to persuade the crowd and - a living detail - with someone, as a sign of agreement, struck on the hands - "gave them his hand at his word." From the outside, the picture, of course, looked impressive: frightened, although he did not lose his dignity, as in June 1648, Alexei Mikhailovich - and an unknown impudent posadskiy, shaking hands with their agreement on the search for traitors.

At the same time, the nobles were driven to the streltsy and soldier settlements with an order to urgently lead the servants to protect the king. Y. Romodanovsky went to the German settlement for foreigners. In the eyes of Romanov, the measures were necessary: \u200b\u200bthe unrest managed to take the authorities by surprise. Around noon, the rebels broke into Kolomenskoye again: among them were those who had negotiated with the sovereign in the morning, and now turned back, having met halfway with a new excited crowd coming from the capital.

In the capital, she captured the son of one of the "traitors", a guest of Vasily Shorin, who was involved in government financial operations. Scared to death, the young man was ready to confirm anything: he announced his father's flight to the king of Poland with some boyar lists (in fact, Vasily Shorin was hiding in the courtyard of Prince Cherkassky in the Kremlin). No one doubted the testimony. Passions boiled with renewed vigor. This time, about 9000 people appeared before Alexei Mikhailovich, determined as never before. At the negotiations, the tsar began to threaten: if you don’t give the boyars good, we will take them ourselves according to our custom. At the same time they encouraged each other by shouting: "Now it's time, don't be shy!"

Suppression of the riot

However, the time of the rebels has already passed. While negotiations were underway, the rifle regiments of Artamon Matveyev and Semyon Poltev entered Kolomenskoye through the back gate. It was not in vain that the tsar welcomed and fed the archers. They did not support, as happened in 1648, the posad's action. Therefore, the events unfolded in a different scenario. As soon as the sovereign was informed of the arrival of troops, he immediately changed and ordered "to whip and chop without mercy." It is known that in moments of anger Alexei Mikhailovich did not restrain himself. One of the sources puts into the mouth of Romanov even harsher words: "Deliver me from these dogs!" Having received the royal blessing, the archers with enviable agility - it is easy to deal with an unarmed crowd - rushed to rid the sovereign "of the dogs."

The massacre was bloody. At first, they chopped and drowned, later they grabbed, tortured, tore out tongues, cut off their arms and legs, several thousand were arrested and exiled after the investigation. During the days of the Copper Riot and on the wanted list, according to some sources, about 1000 people died. For the eternal memory of the rebellion, many were put on their left cheeks fiery "beeches" - "b" - rebel. But the tension did not go away. Foreigners wrote about the widespread murmur of residents a year later.

Results of the Copper Riot

1663 - copper money was abolished by the king. The decree was expressive in its frankness: “so that there is no other thing between people about dengas,” the money was ordered to be set aside.

As a result of the copper revolt by the Tsar's decree (1663), mints in Pskov and Novgorod were closed, and minting of silver coins was resumed in Moscow. Soon, copper money was withdrawn from circulation.

The main leitmotif of The Copper Riot is boyar treason. In the eyes of the people, this alone made their speech fair. But in reality, the "traitors" and copper money focused dissatisfaction with the whole course of life, squeezed by direct and extreme taxes, arbitrariness and high cost. The symptom is quite alarming - general weariness from the war. Many in government circles would like to end it. But to stop with dignity, with a profit.