Message of the Seven Boyars. What is the Seven Boyars? The Seven Boyars in the Time of Troubles. Civil uprising. Liberation

The Seven Boyars is the rule of the boyars in times of troubles.

Unpleasant king

The beginning of the 17th century was a difficult time for Russia and was marked by a series of terrible events. A war began with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, from which Russia suffered defeats.

Russian lands were engulfed by the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov, and immediately after by the uprising of False Dmitry II. Some areas were attacked by the Nogais - Crimean Tatars.

The authority of Tsar Vasily Shuisky was irrevocably undermined. The people were tired of his constant failures, the country was oppressed and plundered. In 1610, Vasily Shuisky was overthrown from the throne and forcefully tonsured a monk. A group of conspirators consisting of seven boyars seized power.

Later, the new government handed over the former tsar to the Polish military and he was taken into captivity, where he later died. Composition of the provisional government:

Prince Mstislavsky,
Prince Vorotynsky,
Prince Trubetskoy,
Prince Golitsyn,
Prince Lykov-Obolensky,
boyar Romanov
boyar Sheremetev.

Later, historians called this phenomenon the “Seven Boyars.”

The power of the seven boyars

The new provisional government could not independently cope with the threats looming from all sides, both outside and within the country. It was necessary to choose a new king. They did not see candidates for tsar among the Russian representatives. It was decided to invite the son of the Polish king Sigismund III, Vladislav, to the Russian throne.

The only condition for Vladislav was that he accept the Orthodox faith. The powers of the boyars were retained. Meanwhile, the uprising of False Dmitry II raged and gained more and more strength. Quite a large part of the people supported the impostor and were ready to take his side in the struggle for the throne.

The new government decided not to tempt fate; they allowed Polish troops into Moscow, hoping that False Dmitry would not dare to come here. Soon False Dmitry II was killed by traitors. The enemy was defeated, but this did not relieve the provisional government of problems. The Polish troops settled in Moscow settled tightly and had no intention of leaving.

And the Polish king Sigismund already proposed his candidacy for the throne and forbade Vladislav to accept the Orthodox faith.

Civil uprising. Liberation

The authorities and people were against the Catholic Tsar. The people's militia began to gather, but in the end it ended in complete failure - the militia troops were defeated by the Poles. The second militia was more successful. It was headed by Prince Pozharsky and the zemstvo elder Minin. They decided that in addition to the will to defeat the Poles, the militia needed material motivation.

The people were ordered to give up a third of their property under penalty of complete confiscation. Thus, the militias had good funding, and more and more volunteers joined their ranks. Soon the number of people's militia exceeded 10 thousand. They approached Moscow and began a siege of the Polish occupiers.

The Poles were doomed, but did not give up until the last moment. After several months of siege, the militia won a victory - they stormed Kitay-Gorod and the Kremlin, the Poles were captured and killed. Moscow was liberated. On February 21, 1613, the boyars elected a new ruler - boyar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. The war with the Poles lasted until 1619.

The Seven Boyars were a transitional government of 7 boyars that seized power in Russia in July 1610 and formally existed until the election of Mikhail Romanov to the throne. This short definition a very controversial time in history Russian state. To understand the essence of this term, it is necessary to recall the main events that led to the creation of the Seven Boyars.

After the death of False Dmitry I, he took the Russian throne (1606–1610). But this not only did not stop the Troubles, but intensified it even more. The country has erupted Civil War. Shuisky managed to cope with the uprising, but subsequent events became disastrous for him. Russia simultaneously found itself:

covered by the uprising of False Dmitry II;
in a state of war with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The uprising of False Dmitry II led to the formation of two kings and two governments in the country. To suppress the uprising of the impostor, Shuisky entered into an alliance with Sweden. But this step entailed the invasion of Russia by Sigismund III. The troops of the Poles and False Dmitry II moved towards Moscow.

At this critical moment, the boyars organized. The king was forcibly tonsured a monk and then handed over to the Poles. Thus began the period of interregnum, which lasted from 1610 to 1613.

Board of the Seven Boyars

As a result of the coup that took place in July 1610, the reign of the Seven Boyars, or the 7 most influential members, began in Russia Boyar Duma. The first Seven Boyars included F. Mstislavsky (was the head), I. Vorotynsky, B. Lykov, A. Trubetskoy, I. Romanov, F. Sheremetev and V. Golitsyn. What was the internal and foreign policy this boyar rule?

Their main goal was to expand the power of the Boyar Duma. No less important for the participants of the Seven Boyars was the end of the unrest and the election of a new king. Wanting to end the war, the boyars called the Polish prince Vladislav, son of Sigismund III, to the Russian throne.

The official invitation to the throne of Vladislav took place in August 1610, at that time the troops of the Polish hetman Zolkiewski were stationed near Moscow. In such an ambiguous way, the boyars hoped to simultaneously achieve two goals - to get rid of the Polish invaders and maintain their power. Members of the Seven Boyars planned to get a puppet ruler who would delegate a number of powers to the Boyar Duma. This could be the beginning of unprecedented reforms.

Vladislav had to convert to Orthodoxy, recognize the personal and property integrity of service people and significantly limit the number of close Poles. The efforts of the boyars did not have the desired consequences. Sigismund III not only did not agree to the proposed conditions, but also demanded the Russian throne for himself.

Results of boyar rule and the opinions of historians

On the night of September 21, 1610, the government of the Seven Boyars decided to secretly allow Polish troops into the capital. Many historians view this fact as an act of national treason. In a sense, this tarnished the names of the boyars, and in the history of Russia, the concept of the Seven Boyars became a symbol of betrayal.

Since October 1610, power in Moscow was concentrated in the hands of the leaders of Polish military formations, S. Zholkiewski and A. Gonsevski. The Poles did not take the Russian government into account, so soon enough the boyars realized that they had made a mistake.

The Seven Boyars nominally worked until the liberation of the country from foreign invaders, which was led by K. Minin and D. Pozharsky. The boyar government, which personified betrayal, was overthrown.

It is worth noting that in Polish historiography the period of the reign of the Seven Boyars has mainly positive assessment. In any case, if the original plan of the boyars had been successful, Moscow State a completely different path of development could await.

Boyars : Fyodor Ivanovich Mstislavsky, Ivan Vorotynsky, Vasily Golitsyn, Fyodor Sheremetev, Ivan Romanov, Andrey Trubetskoy, Boris Lykov. The boyars were headed by Prince Mstislavsky.

Years of reign: Transitional government of seven boyars (July - September 1610).

After the overthrow of Vasily Shuisky, seven noble boyars seized power. This group included Fyodor Ivanovich Mstislavsky, Ivan Vorotynsky, Vasily Golitsyn, Fyodor Sheremetev, Ivan Romanov, Andrei Trubetskoy, Boris Lykov. The boyars were headed by Prince Mstislavsky.
At first they tried to get the Poles to march on Moscow and protect it from False Dmitry II. However, the Poles demanded that the son of King Sigismund III, Vladislav, be installed as king. The boyars decided to accept Vladislav, swore allegiance to him and waited for his arrival. On the night of September 21, 1610, the Poles, led by Hetman Zholkiewski, entered Moscow and occupied the Kremlin. But the besieged Smolensk did not want to surrender to the mercy of King Sigismund; in a number of other cities (Novgorod, Pskov, Ryazan, Tula, Kazan) they did not want a Catholic king in Moscow, and were ready to swear allegiance to any False Dmitry, but not Vladislav (See. Polish intervention 1609-1618).
Then King Sigismund III decided to sit on the Russian throne himself. The Poles occupied almost the entire country, taking all the loot to Poland. At the same time, the Swedes captured Novgorod and other cities.
The people rose up to fight the interventionists. The first detachments of the zemstvo militia were formed in Ryazan on the initiative of the small nobleman Prokopiy Lyapunov. In March 1611, an uprising against the Poles broke out in Moscow, which was brutally suppressed, Moscow was burned, and Lyapunov’s militia was defeated. The situation was complicated by the fact that on June 31, 1611. after almost two years of siege, the Poles stormed Smolensk fortress. After the capture of Smolensk, King Sigismund returned to Poland, taking with him many boyars of the captured embassy, among them Metropolitan Philaret and the deposed Tsar Vasily Shuisky and his brothers.
The movement to raise funds for the new militia was led by the zemstvo elder from Nizhny Novgorod, Kozma Minin. The steward of the Suzdal district, Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky, became the governor of the people's militia. In the winter of 1612, a militia was collected, which on February 23 moved to Yaroslavl, where it remained throughout the spring and summer, since there were not enough forces and means. On August 14, the militia approached the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, where they performed a prayer service at the relics of St. Sergius, asking for help and relief.
On August 18, 1612, the army moved towards Moscow, the Kremlin was besieged. On October 26, 1612, Moscow was liberated, the Poles were completely defeated. Kitay-Gorod was taken by storm, the Poles going to the rescue were defeated near Volokolamsk.
The opportunity arose to elect a king in a calmer environment. Among the contenders were the Polish prince Vladislav, the Swedish prince Karl Philip and others. The Zemsky Sobor, convened at the beginning of 1613, elected Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. His father, Russian Patriarch Filaret, who himself aspired to become king, was at that time in Polish captivity.

"From Ancient Rus' to the Russian Empire." Shishkin Sergey Petrovich, Ufa.

In the Moscow state. The power of the boyar duma - seven representatives of the noble aristocracy

Formally, the Seven Boyars existed from 1619 to 1613, but in fact, power in Muscovy was held by several Meyats of 1610

Composition of the Seven Boyars

Fyodor Ivanovich Mstislavky (c. 1550-1622) - boyar, prince, military leader, statesman
Ivan Mikhailovich Vorotynsky Jr. (XVI century - 1627) - boyar, military leader
Andrei Vasilyevich Trubetskoy (?-1612) - boyar
Andrei Vasilyevich Golitsyn ((?-1611) - boyar
Ivan Nikitich Romanov (1560s-1640) - boyar, uncle of the first tsar of the Romanov family, Mikhail Fedorovich
Fyodor Ivanovich Sheremetev (?-1650) - boyar, statesman
Boris Mikhailovich Lykov-Obolensky (1576-1646) - boyar, military leader. statesman

Reasons for the emergence of the Seven Boyars

In the spring of 1610, Mikhail Vasilyevich Skopin-Shuisky, a relative of Tsar Vasily Shuisky, a talented military leader, a respected and authoritative statesman among the people, died. With his death, the position of Tsar Vasily himself became significantly more complicated.

“And before they did not love, did not respect Vasily, they saw in him an unfortunate king, not blessed by God; Skopin reconciled the tsar with the people, giving the latter firm hope for a better future.

And now this reconciliator was no longer there... The future for the people was no longer in the least connected with the Shuisky family: the tsar was old and childless, the heir was Prince Dmitry, whom they could not love and respect before, and now they were accused of poisoning his nephew... one might say, that Skopin was the last of them, crowned in the hearts of the people... on the throne of Moscow" (S.M. Solovyov, “History of Russia from ancient times”)

at the beginning of summer near the Smolensk village of Klushino from Polish forces The army of Prince Dmitry Shuisky was defeated. The defeat brought an end to the reign of Vasily Shuisky. He was overthrown in July. Moscow was left without power. It was claimed by the 15-year-old prince Vladislav, the son of the Polish king Sigismund, and False Dmitry the Second, known in history under the nickname Thief.

Despite the conclusion near Smolensk on the acceptance of the Russian throne by Vladislav, the matter stalled due to the destructive policy of Sigismund, who wanted to rule Russia behind his son’s back. The boyars and many law-abiding Russian people feared and did not want the thief-False Dmitry. The power vacuum was filled by the Seven Boyars

“We do not know how they came to the idea of establishing the “seven boyars,” in which four representatives of the oldest princely families sat: F. I. Mstislavsky, I. M. Vorotynsky, A. V. Trubetskoy and A. V. Golitsyn, together with one of The Romanovs, Ivan Nikitich, and two of his relatives, F.I. Sheremetev and Prince Bor. Mich. Lykov. It must be assumed that at first V.V. Golitsyn was also on this list, but, without a doubt, his comrades preferred to get rid of him, sending him to Smolensk for negotiations with Sigismund.

Be that as it may, the highest nobility of the country became at the head of power: representatives of the clan nobility here mixed with the boyars who had served at court. Several of I.S. Kurakin, who were absent at that time, were not included in the government: he was removed for his overly obvious sympathies for the Poles. However, both the emergence and composition of this corporation represent a lot of unknowns" (K. Valishevsky " Time of Troubles»)

History of the Seven Boyars. Briefly

1610, April 23 - death of Mikhail Vasilyevich Skopin-Shuisky
1610, June 14 - siege of the hetman of Zholkievsky by the Russian army led by governors Yeletsky and Voluev in the Smolensk village of Tsarevo-Zaymishche
1610, June 24 - defeat of the Russians near Klushino

“From Klushin, Zholkevsky returned to Tsarevo-Zaymishche and notified Yeletsky and Voluev about his victory. The governors did not believe it for a long time, the hetman showed them the noble captives taken near Klushino... The governors involuntarily kissed Vladislav’s cross. When Eletsky and Voluev swore allegiance to Vladislav, and when, following their example, Mozhaisk, Borisov, Borovsk, Josephov Monastery, Pogoreloe Gorodishche and Rzhev swore allegiance to him, the hetman’s army increased by ten thousand Russians.

Zholkiewski himself says that these new subjects of the prince were quite loyal and benevolent, they often brought him news from the capital, entering into relations with their own, and carried letters that the hetman wrote to Moscow to certain people, also generalists, encouraging the deposition of Shuisky" ( Valishevsky)

1610, July 17 - overthrow of Shuisky

“Lyapunov, Khomutov and Saltykov shouted for everyone to go to a spacious place, across the Moscow River, to the Serpukhov Gate... Here are the boyars, nobles, guests and merchants the best people They advised how the Moscow state would not be ruined and plundered: the Poles and Lithuania came under the Moscow state, and on the other hand, the Kaluga thief with the Russian people, and the Moscow state on both sides became cramped.

The boyars and all sorts of people sentenced: to beat the sovereign Tsar Vasily Ivanovich with his forehead, so that he, the sovereign, leaves the kingdom because a lot of blood is being shed, and the people say that he, the sovereign, is unhappy... There was no resistance among the people... A brother-in-law went to the palace tsar, Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Vorotynsky, ask Vasily to leave the state and take it as his inheritance Nizhny Novgorod. Vasily had to agree to this request, announced by the boyar on behalf of the entire Moscow people, and went with his wife to his former boyar house.”

1610, July 19 - in order to avoid the intrigues of the overthrown tsar, “again the same Zakhar Lyapunov with three princes - Zasekin, Tyufyakin and Merin-Volkonsky, and even with some Mikhail Aksenov and others, taking with them monks from the Chudov Monastery, went to the retired the king and announced that in order to calm the people he should take a haircut"
1610, July 20 - the Polish army under the command of Zholkiewski set out from Mozhaisk towards Moscow, informing the government that its main concern was the desire to protect the capital from the “thief”. The Seven Boyars replied that they did not need his help.
1610, July 24 - Zholkevsky, seven miles from Moscow. At the same time, troops of the impostor were approaching the city. So the Seven Boyars were the first to enter into negotiations with Zholkiewski about the fate of Prince Vladislav

“It was not easy for him to come to an agreement with Mstislavsky and the other six boyars. They demanded that Prince Vladislav convert to Orthodoxy and promise not to place Polish garrisons in the border fortresses of Muscovy, so that estates and fiefdoms would not be given to the Poles in this area. But Zholkiewski knew how Sigismund was going to use them... Since the Battle of Klushin, he had been expecting instructions from Smolensk, but Sigismund was in no hurry to send them.

Three weeks passed in futile negotiations; it was impossible to wait any longer: there was an impostor standing near the capital, firstly, and secondly, the Klushino victors, without receiving a salary, began to pretend that they were not averse to following the example of all the mercenaries. In such a shy situation, Zholkiewski decided to enter into a deal. Having agreed on issues related to material interests, he managed to pass over the question of faith in silence, and Vladislav was elected to the Moscow throne.”

1610, August 17 - on the Maiden Field, princes F.I. Mstislavsky, V.V. Golitsyn and D.I. Mezetsky, accompanied by two Duma clerks, Vasily Telepnev and Tomila Lugovsky, entered into an agreement with Zholkevsky. The Tushino Treaty of February 4, 1610 was adopted as the basis; the new mediators introduced only some amendments
— the right of seniority was recognized for representatives of the main princely families, and they were provided with an advantage in favors; the restriction of autocracy adopted by the Tushins was preserved
— Only the article concerning the right to freely travel abroad for trade and scientific purposes was excluded.
— An article was included that set the condition that the Tushino thief be subdued by joint forces

Zolkiewski, on behalf of the king, undertook to withdraw Polish troops from all territories occupied by them
They could not come to an agreement, especially regarding the conversion of the future king to Orthodoxy; the solution to this issue was postponed until direct negotiations with Sigismund

1610, August 18-19 (August 27-28 according to the current style) - Muscovites swore allegiance to the new sovereign: on the first day 10,000 people swore allegiance; The hetman, for his part, swore an oath in the name of Vladislav to comply with the treaty. The next day the oath took place in the Assumption Cathedral, in the presence of the patriarch. The decree sent to the regions stated that Vladislav undertook to accept the crown from the hands of the supreme saint, which could pass for a promise to renounce Catholicism. Not a word was said about this in the contract, but they attributed to him everything they wanted
1610, August 21 (Old Art.) - the hetman received a letter from the king, where he demanded that the Moscow state be strengthened for himself, and not for his son... The hetman considered it impossible to fulfill the desire of the king, whose name was hated by the Moscow people , but began to enforce the article of the treaty, in which he pledged to drive False Dmitry away from Moscow

“The hetman announced his intention to the boyars: having passed through Moscow at night, approach the monastery and take the impostor there by surprise. The boyars agreed and allowed the Polish army to pass through the almost empty city at night, because the boyars had previously withdrawn thirty thousand troops into the field. However, the power of attorney was not deceived: the Poles quickly passed through the city, without dismounting from their horses, without any harm to the inhabitants.

The Polish and Moscow troops united at the Kolomenskaya outpost and went to the Ugreshsky Monastery, but Moscow managed to notify False Dmitry of the danger, and he fled to Kaluga. Having driven away False Dmitry, the hetman began to insist on sending ambassadors to Sigismund as soon as possible... Flattering V.V. Golitsyn, he persuaded him to take over the chairmanship of this embassy; He managed to include him in the embassy. It also included Abraham Palitsyn with Zakhar Lyapunov and representatives of all classes, elected in such numbers that the embassy consisted of 1246 persons, accompanied by 4000 clerks and servants.”

1610, September 11 - The embassy left Moscow by to the Polish king Sigismund for final negotiations on the terms of Vladislav's rule of Muscovy. It was held by Sigismund until 1619

“Left alone near Moscow with his small army, Zholkiewski saw that the Russians only because of extreme necessity agreed to accept a foreigner to the throne and would never agree to accept a non-Believer, and Sigismund would never agree to allow his son to convert to Orthodoxy. But now, as before, the impostor continued to help the hetman; out of fear of the common people, who would not hesitate to stand up for False Dmitry at the first opportunity, the boyars themselves invited Zholkiewski to bring the Polish army into Moscow.”

1610, September 21 - the Poles quietly entered Moscow, occupied the Kremlin and two central quarters, China Town and White City, Novodevichy Convent, as well as Mozhaisk, Borisov, Vereya for the safety of their communications with the king. To resolve disputes between Poles and Muscovites, Zholkovsky ordered the creation of a court with equal number judges from both nations; the court was impartial and strict...
1610, September 30 - ambassadors to Sigismund wrote to Moscow that many Russian nobles come to the king near Smolensk and, by the will of the king, swear allegiance not only to the prince, but also to the king himself
1610, early October - Hetman Zholkiewski left Moscow. He knew that an uprising in Moscow would break out at the first news of the king’s reluctance to let Vladislav go to Moscow. With his personal presence he wanted to persuade the king to fulfill the agreement. The boyars escorted him far out of town, even the common people showed affection for him, paying kindness for kindness; When he drove through the streets, Muscovites ran ahead and wished him a happy journey. The hetman gave Gonsevsky command of the garrison, which already consisted of only 4,000 Poles and several thousand foreign mercenaries

Seven Boyars Time of reign: from 1610 to 1613.

Seven Boyars- the name adopted by historians for the transitional government in Russia of 7 boyars in July-September 1610, which formally existed until the election to the throne Tsar Mikhail Romanov.

The Seven Boyars included members of the Boyar Duma:

Prince Fyodor Ivanovich Mstislavsky (? - 1622).

Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Vorotynsky (? - 1627).

Prince Andrei Vasilyevich Trubetskoy (? - 1612).

Boyarin Fedor Ivanovich Sheremetev (? - 1650).

Head Seven Boyars elected prince, boyar, governor, influential member of the Boyar Duma since 1586 Fyodor Ivanovich Mstislavsky. Previously, he three times refused nomination to the Russian throne (1598, 1606, 1610), and agreed to become the head of the united boyar government only in 1610, during the period of the so-called Time of Troubles.

After July 17, 1610, as a result of a conspiracy Tsar Vasily Shuisky was overthrown, the Boyar Duma, a group of 7 boyars, assumed supreme power. The power of the Seven Boyars did not actually extend beyond Moscow: in Khoroshevo, to the west of Moscow, the Poles, led by Zolkiewski, stood up, and in the southeast, in Kolomenskoye, False Dmitry II, who had returned from Kaluga, stood together with the Polish detachment of Sapieha. The boyars were especially afraid False Dmitry, since he had a large number of supporters in Moscow and was more popular than them.

Afraid to seek help and support within the country due to the blazing peasant war under the leadership of I.I. Bolotnikov, the boyars decided to turn to the Poles with a proposal. In the negotiations that began, members Seven Boyars made a promise, despite the protests of the Russian Patriarch Hermogenes, not to elect a representative of Russian clans to the royal throne.

As a result, it was decided to invite the Polish prince Vladislav to the throne on the condition of his conversion to Orthodoxy. On August 17 (27), 1610, an agreement was signed between 7 boyars and Hetman Zholkiewski, after which Moscow kissed the cross of Vladislav.

However, Sigismund III demanded that not his son Vladislav, but himself Semiboryaschina recognized as the Tsar of all Russia. By his order, S. Zholkiewski brought the captured Tsar Vasily Shuisky to Poland, and government of Semiboriashchyna at that time, on the night of September 21, 1610, he secretly allowed Polish troops into Moscow. IN Russian history this fact is considered by many researchers as an act of national treason.

After these events, from October 1610, real power actually passed to the commander of the Polish garrison, Alexander Gonsevsky, Vladislav's governor. Disregarding the Russian government of 7 boyars, he generously distributed lands to supporters of Poland, confiscating them from those who remained loyal to the country.

This changed the attitude of the representatives themselves Seven Boyars to the Poles they called. Patriarch Hermogenes, taking advantage of the growing discontent in the country, began sending letters to Russian cities, calling for resistance to the new government. By the beginning of 1611, the main Moscow ambassadors were arrested and imprisoned. And in March 1611, Patriarch Hermogenes was imprisoned in the Chudov Monastery.

The movement against the Poles was growing in the country. Detachments were organized in almost twenty cities of Russia, which began to move towards the capital from the end of winter. On March 19, 1611, an uprising of residents broke out in Moscow. After heavy fighting, the burning of houses and buildings in Kitai-Gorod, the Polish garrison managed to suppress the uprising of the townspeople. It was this event that was noted in historiography as “the final ruin of the Muscovite kingdom.”

Seven Boyars nominally functioned until the liberation of Moscow in August 1612 by the people's militia under the leadership of the townsman K. Minin and Prince D. Pozharsky. On October 22, 1612, exhausted by siege and starvation, the Polish garrison surrendered to the victors. Moscow was completely liberated from foreign invaders. The Boyar Duma, which had stained itself by collaboration with the Poles, was overthrown.

In Polish history the assessment Seven Boyars different from Russian. It is considered the elected government, which legally invited foreigners to rule Muscovy (treaty of August 17, 1610).