In what year was Stepan Razin executed? Stepan Razin biography. Stepan Razin. English engraving from the 17th century

1670–1671, leader of a major protest movement of peasants, serfs, Cossacks and urban lower classes in the 17th century.

Born approx. 1630 in the village of Zimoveyskaya on the Don (or in Cherkassk) in the family of a wealthy Cossack Timofey Razin, probably the middle son of three (Ivan, Stepan, Frol). The first document about him is his request for leave to travel to the Solovetsky Monastery in 1652.

In 1658 he was among the Cherkasy Cossacks sent to Moscow to the Ambassadorial Prikaz. In 1661, together with Ataman F. Budan, he negotiated with the Kalmyks to conclude peace and joint actions against the Tatars. In 1662 he became an ataman; in 1662–1663 his Cossacks fought against the Turks and Crimeans and took part in the Battle of Molochny Vody on the Crimean Isthmus. He returned to the Don with rich trophies and prisoners.

In 1665, the governor and prince. Yu.A. Dolgorukov hanged Razin’s elder brother Ivan for leaving without permission with the Cossacks to the Don during the Russian-Polish War. Stepan decided not only to avenge his brother, but also to punish the boyars and nobles. Gathering a “gang” of 600 people, he set off in the spring of 1667 from the Zimoveysky town near Tsaritsyn up the Don, along the way robbing government plows with goods and the houses of rich Cossacks. The enterprise was called a “campaign for zipuns” and was a violation of the promise given by the Don Cossacks to the Moscow authorities to “stop theft.” “Vataga” quickly grew to 2 thousand people. on 30 plows. Having captured Yaik by cunning, Razin executed 170 people who saw in his army a “horde of thieves” and replenished the “band” with sympathizers from the local population.

Having established a camp between the rivers Tishini and Ilovnya, he reorganized the “army”, giving it the features of a regular one, divided into hundreds and dozens, led by centurions and tens. Anyone who met his “band” and did not want to go with her was ordered to be “burned with fire and beaten to death.” Despite the cruelty, he remained in people's memory as generous, friendly, and generous to the poor and hungry. He was considered a sorcerer, they believed in his strength and happiness, and called him “father.”

In 1667–1669, Razin made a Persian campaign, defeating the fleet of the Iranian Shah and gaining experience in the “Cossack war” (ambushes, raids, outflanking maneuvers). The Cossacks burned villages and hamlets of the Dagestan Tatars, killed residents, and destroyed property. Taking Baku, Derbent. Reshet, Farabat, Astrabat, Razin took prisoners, among them was the daughter of Meneda Khan. He made her a concubine, then dealt with her, proving the ataman’s prowess. This fact was included in the text of the folk song about Stenka Razin, but already at that time legends about the “bewitched by a bullet and a saber” destroyer of other people’s property, about his strength, dexterity and luck, were spreading everywhere.

In August-September 1669, having returned to the Don, he and his “comrades” built a fortress on the island - the town of Kagalnik. On it, Razin’s “gang” and he himself distributed the spoils of war, inviting him to join the Cossack army, enticing him with wealth and prowess. The Moscow government's attempt to punish the obstinate people by stopping the supply of grain to the Don only added to Razin's supporters.

In May 1670, at the “larger circle”, the ataman announced that he intended to “go from the Don to the Volga, and from the Volga to Rus'... in order... to remove the traitorous boyars and duma people from the Moscow state and the governors and officials in the cities ", give freedom to "black people".

In the summer of 1670 the campaign turned into a powerful peasant war. The rumor about Tsarevich Alexei (actually deceased) and Patriarch Nikon walking with Razin turned the campaign into an event that received the blessing of the church and the authorities. Near Simbirsk in October 1670, Stepan Razin was wounded and went to the Don. There, together with his brother Frol, on April 9, 1671, the “homely Cossacks” led by Kornil Yakovlev were handed over to the authorities. Brought to Moscow, Stepan was interrogated, tortured and quartered on June 6, 1671.

The image of Razin inspired V.I. Surikov to paint the canvas Stepan Razin(1907, Russian Museum). Razin was imprinted in popular memory in the name of the cliff, tracts on the Volga. His personality is reflected in the novels of S. Zlobin ( Stepan Razin), V. Shukshina ( I came to give you freedom...).

Natalia Pushkareva

APPENDIX. “BEAUTIFUL LITERATURES” BY STEPAN RAZIN

1. Certificate from Stepan Timofeevich from Razin. Stepan Timofeevich writes to you of all the mob. Who wants to serve God and the sovereign, and the great army, and Stepan Timofeevich, and I sent out the Cossacks, and you would like to get out the traitors and get out the worldly crapists.

AND<...>my Cossacks will begin to repair the fishery, and you<...>go to their council, and the enslaved and imprisoned would go to the regiment to my Cossacks.

2. From the Don and Yaitsk atamans of Molottsy, from Stefan Timofeevich and from the entire great army of the Don and Yaitsky, designate the Tsyvilsky district of pink villages and villages of the black Russian people and Tatars and Chuvash and Mordovians. You would stand more, Russian people and Tatars and Chuvyashas, ​​for the house of the Most Holy Theotokos and for all the saints, and for the Great Sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich<...>(t), and for the faithful princes, and for the faith of Orthodox Christians. And if not Tsyvilsk to you, to the rabble, the Russian people and Tatars and Chuvasha and Mordovians, the deportees in the Tsyvilskaya district in the village and villages will and will begin to drive into a siege to stand in Tsyvilsk, and you, rabble, should not go to the siege in Tsyvilsk , because he will perpetrate deceit on you, he will cut you all down during the siege. And you should catch those civilian extortionists and bring them to the army in Sinbirsk. And who are the nobles and children of the boyars and the Murzas and the Tatars, who at the same time also wanted to stand for the house of the Most Holy Theotokos and for all the saints and for the great sovereign and for the faithful princes, and for the faith of the Orthodox Christians, and you, the mob, those nobles and the children of the boyars and the Murzas and Tatars cannot be touched by anything and their houses cannot be destroyed. And from the military memory, you, the mob, should copy and give lists of villages to the church clerk and sexton, word for word. And after writing them off, give them to the different volosts and villages and villages of Sotsk and village elders and tens, so that they, the district people, would know everything about this high school. Ataman Stepan Timofeevich attached a high seal to this memory. And with this high memory, our High Cossack Akhperdya Murza Kiddibyakov was sent, and you, rabble, should listen to him in everything and not argue. And if you listen to him in nothing, you won’t have to blame yourself.

3. The Great Army of Dansky and Eitsky and Zaporozhye from the atamans from Mikhail Kharitonovich, and from Maxim Dmitrevich, and from Mikhail Kitaevich, and from Semyon Nefediev, and from Artemy Chirskov, and from Vasily Shilov, and from Kirila Lavrentiev, and from Timofey Trofimovich in Chelnavskaya ataman hammer and the entire great army.

We sent the Cossacks of Lysogorsk to you, Sidar Ledenev and Gavrilo Boldyrev, for assembly and council of the great army. And now we are in Tanbov November on the 9th day in a crowd, we have a military force of 42,000, and we have 20 guns, and we have half a hundred and more pounds of potions.

And what time will all your memory come to you, and you would welcome the atamans and hammers, having gathered, to come to us to help with guns and potions, without any rushing around day and night in a hurry. And the Don Ataman wrote to us from Orzamasu that our Cossacks, Prince Yurya Dolgarukovo, beat his entire army, and he had 120 guns and 1500 potions.

May you be welcome to give birth to the Most Holy Theotokos for the house and for the great sovereign, and for the priest for Stepan Timofeevich, and for the entire Orthodox Christian faith. Then you, hammer atamans, ataman Timofey Trofimov hits you with his forehead.

And if you do not come to us in assembly for council, you will be executed from the great army, and your wives and children will be cut down, and your houses will be desecrated, and your bellies and livestock will be taken for the armies.

The dashing free Cossack, popularly known as Stenka Razin, appeared on the Don not by chance. The oppression of serfdom became more and more severe, and the dependence of the peasants became more and more entrenched. The governors and the bureaucracy were rotten, bribery and red tape flourished in Rus', and there was no fair trial. The flight of peasants acquired colossal proportions, even in petitions of that time there were often threats to “scatter apart.” In such a situation, the emergence of a strong leader and defender was a natural occurrence. The riot was not caused by Razin; rather, Stepan Timofeevich became the product of popular anger.

The amazing, adventurous life of a freedom-loving, extraordinary person, a successful chieftain, was spent on the battlefield. The personality of Stepan Timofeevich, covered with glory, which any crowned autocrat could envy, is attractive to the Russian people, primarily for his open and desperate character. Stepan Razin in folk tales personifies the leader of the peasants and valiant Cossacks, protector and liberator.

The future formidable chieftain was born in the village of Zimoveyskaya on the Don. The Russian people have a lot to do with this mysterious place. A little later, Emelyan Pugachev will be born, who passed through the territory of our country on a road no less bloody than the accursed Stenka Razin. It is not known what kind of anomaly is in these places. However, the fact remains that it was here that the two most desperate rebels, so dearly loved and respected in Rus', were born.

Vasily Surikov. Stepan Razin. 1903–1907

By the middle of the sixteenth century, the Don Cossacks consisted of two specific layers: indigenous residents and fugitives or newcomers. The “baby”, who did not have a permanent place of residence, often went on campaigns in order to rob passing ships with goods and nearby territories. Such thieving actions were called by the Cossacks campaigns “for zipuns,” and although the indigenous wealthy residents did not publicly approve of such raids, they still secretly financed them for a certain share in the spoils. One of these campaigns began the people’s “storm,” whose name is Stepan Timofeevich Razin.

A small detachment of Cossacks, according to some sources, numbered about 2 thousand people, headed down the Volga for robbery. At the head of the detachment was the young and successful ataman Stepan Timofeevich. The campaign quickly went beyond the usual raid typical of the Don Cossacks. At first the government made rather sluggish attempts to pacify the Cossacks, and time was lost. Already in May 1667, Cossack detachments defeated the archers and plundered Shorin's caravan of ships, which accompanied the ship with exiles. The prisoners were released and willingly joined the Cossacks. Razin invaded Yaik, then headed to the Persian shores, where he captured the Persian princess, famous from folk songs. Whether Stepan Timofeevich threw the Persian woman into the water or not has not yet been clearly established, but one thing is known that the daughter of Mamed Khan of Astara never returned from captivity by the Cossacks.

The return to Astrakhan was triumphant for Stenka Razin. The governors confessed in exchange for passage to the Volga. During his stay in the city, the ataman rode on plows and in every possible way emphasized his independence and rebellion. Despite the promise to give the authorities all the loot and prisoners, the Cossacks gave them absolutely nothing and left for Tsaritsino.

In the city, an attempt to ban the Cossacks from visiting taverns was severely punished by Razin. In fact, Stepan Timofeevich refused to obey the tsarist administration and captured the city. The ataman responded to all threats with abuse and retaliatory promises of reprisals. Razin emphasized in every possible way his non-acceptance of the existing regime of oppression, preached equality, severely punished those he disliked, but did not directly dishonor the tsar. The desperate ataman understood well that the tsar in the minds of the population could easily be contrasted with the hated governors and greedy boyars, which he actively used in his speeches and deeds. Stepan Timofeevich publicly flogged the defeated governor and military commanders with rods, which also raised his authority in the eyes of his subordinates.

Each city occupied by Razin switched to Cossack control and adopted their way of life. Many joined the valiant and riotous army. Chiefs, gentlemen, boyars who were disliked by the local population were mercilessly exterminated, and daughters from noble and noble families, at best, were married off to simple peasants or Cossacks. It is interesting that Stepan Timofeevich completely refused to recognize the wedding ceremony and organized the wedding ceremonies himself. The sacrament consisted of crazy dancing for a short time, after which the couple was declared legal spouses.

After Tsaritsyn, Razin occupied Samara, Saratov and a number of other cities. Moving on the crest of the peasant war, which originated back in 1670, the forces of the Cossacks kept growing and became more and more like a rebel army. In order to attract the people, Razin ordered one of his ships to be lined with red cloth and an unknown captive seated as Tsarevich Alexei, and the second boat was covered with black blankets and rumors were spread about the presence of Patriarch Nikon on it. Thus, Stepan Timofeevich actively tried to discredit the image of the sovereign, without expressing direct intentions to overthrow the autocracy. Razin pointed out that he was fighting for the tsar, but against the stolen governors, boyars and other nobility.

However, during the campaign, the ataman constantly drank, became rowdy and indulged in various bloody entertainments. Gradually, he lost his original image of a protector and transformed into a possessed, ruthless killer, driven by the opinion of the crowd, proud of his achievements and victories. The measures taken by Razin’s entourage against the sovereign’s henchmen were very cruel. The unfortunates were hanged, wheeled, drowned and tormented in various sophisticated ways. The punishments were intimidating. Detachments of Cossacks were divided and occupied more and more new cities, the excitement swept not only the Volga region and the central part of Rus', but even reached the territories of the White Sea.

In 1670, Razin’s army suffered its first failure in the siege of Simbirsk, and already in early October it was defeated by the tsarist army of 60 thousand soldiers under the command of Baryatinsky. Stepan Trofimovich was seriously wounded and, abandoning the bulk of his squad, fled to his native Don. Subsequently, Razin was extradited by the Cossacks along with his brother Frol.

Sergei Kirillov Stepan Razin. 1985-88

The people's ataman was tortured in the royal dungeons, but his courage aroused respect even among the executioners. The hardy Cossack did not utter a word, he did not ask for mercy and did not beg for leniency. A proud and surprisingly strong man, even in the face of imminent death, retained his dignity. The execution was terrible and painful. Stepan Trofimovich's hand was cut off, and then his leg, and only then the executioner, taking pity, cut off the ataman's head. According to the verdict, Razin was supposed to be quartered, but death came faster. The ataman's indignation was caused by the behavior of brother Frol, who, frightened by the bloody spectacle, uttered words of repentance. According to eyewitnesses, only then did Razin curse loudly at him.

The amazing, desperate life of the rebel ended on the chopping block, which is typical for the leaders of popular uprisings in Russia. The bloodthirsty stray robber remained in the people's memory as a hero-liberator. Whether this is so, everyone decides for himself. Stenka Razin is one of those great and mysterious personalities who are judged only by...

Who is Stepan Razin? A brief biography of this historical figure is discussed in the school curriculum. Let's analyze some interesting facts from his life.

Important

Why is the biography of Stepan Razin interesting? A summary of the main stages of this man’s life indicates a connection with the life of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.

At that time, feudal oppression was intensifying. Despite the king's quiet disposition and his ability to listen to his subordinates, uprisings and riots periodically arose in the country.

Cathedral Code

After its approval, serfdom became the basis of Russian economics, and any revolts were brutally suppressed by the authorities. The search period for fugitive peasants was increased from 5 to 15 years, serfdom became a hereditary condition.

Stepan Razin, whose biography will be discussed below, led a rebellion that was called the peasant war.

Portrait of Stepan Razin

Russian historian V.I. Buganov, who has been collecting information about Stepan Razin for a long time, relied on some surviving documents that were published by the Romanovs, as well as on information preserved far from the Volga. Who is he - Stepan Razin? A short biography for schoolchildren, offered in a history textbook, is limited to only a minimum amount of information. It is difficult for the guys to draw up a true portrait of the leader of the rebellious movement based on these facts.

Family information

In 1630, Stepan Timofeevich Razin was born. His short biography contains information that his father was a noble and wealthy Cossack Timofey Razin. The village of Zimoveyskaya, the possible place of Stepan’s birth, was first mentioned at the end of the 18th century by the historian A.I. Rigelman. Domestic historian Popov suggested that Cherkassk is the birthplace of Stepan Razin, because this city was repeatedly mentioned in folk legends of the 17th century.

Characteristic

The biography of Stepan Razin contains information that the ataman of the Cossack army, Kornila Yakovlev, became his godfather. It was precisely thanks to his Cossack origin that from childhood Stepan occupied a special place among the Don elders and had certain privileges.

In 1661, he took an active part in negotiations with the Kalmyks as a translator, having an excellent command of the Tatar and Kalmyk languages.

The biography of Stepan Razin contains the fact that by 1662 he became the commander of the Cossack army, which went on a campaign against the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate. At that point in time, Stepan Razin had already managed to make two pilgrimages to the Solovetsky Monastery, and also become the Don Ambassador in Moscow three times. In 1663, he took part in a military campaign against the Crimean Tatars near Perekop.

The biography of Stepan Razin contains many interesting points. For example, historians note his genuine authority among the Don Cossacks and highlight his enormous energy and rebellious disposition. Many historical descriptions speak of Razin’s arrogant facial expression, his sedateness and stateliness. The Cossacks called him “father” and were ready to kneel before him during a conversation, thus demonstrating respect and honor.

The biography of Stepan Razin does not contain reliable information about whether he had a family. There is information that the ataman’s children lived in the town of Kagalnitsky.

Predatory campaigns

The younger brother Frol and the older brother Ivan also became Cossack leaders. It was after the execution of the elder Ivan, carried out on the orders of the governor Yuri Dolgorukov, that Stepan began to hatch a plan for cruel revenge on the tsar’s administration. Razin makes a decision about a free and prosperous life for his Cossacks, building a military-democratic system.

As a manifestation of disobedience to the tsarist government, Razin, together with the Cossack army, went on a predatory campaign to Persia and the lower Volga (1667-1669). His team robbed a trade caravan, blocking the movement of traders towards the Volga. As a result of the Cossack raid, they managed to free some of the exiles, avoiding a clash with a detachment of soldiers.

Razin at this time settled not far from the Don, in the town of Kagalnitsky. Whites and Cossacks began to come to him from all over the world, forming a powerful rebel army. Attempts by the tsarist government to disperse the unruly Cossacks were unsuccessful, and the personality of Stepan Razin himself became the stuff of legends.

The Razins, who acted under the banner of war, naively thought about protecting Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich from the Moscow boyars. For example, in one of the letters, the ataman wrote that his army was coming from the Don to help the sovereign in order to protect him from traitors.

Expressing hatred of the authorities, the Razins were ready to give their lives for the Russian Tsar.

Conclusion

In 1670, an open uprising of the Cossack army began. Together with his associates, Razin sent “charming” letters, calling to join the ranks of his freedom-loving army.

The ataman never spoke about the overthrow of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, but he declared real war on the clerks, governors, and representatives of the Russian church. The Razins gradually introduced Cossack troops into the cities, destroyed government officials, and established their own order there. Merchants trying to cross the Volga were detained and robbed.

The Volga region was engulfed in mass uprisings. The leaders were not only Razin's Cossacks, but also fugitive peasants, Chuvash, Mari, and Mordovians. Among the cities captured by the rebels were Samara, Saratov, Tsaritsyn, and Astrakhan.

In the fall of 1670, Razin encountered serious resistance during a campaign against Simbirsk. The chieftain was wounded and was forced to retreat to the Don along with his army.

At the beginning of 1671, serious contradictions began to arise within the army. As a result, the ataman's authority decreased, and a new leader appeared in his place - Yakovlev.

In the spring of the same year, together with his brother Frol, Stepan was captured and handed over to government authorities. Despite his hopeless situation, Razin maintained his dignity. His execution was scheduled for June 2.

Since the tsar was afraid of serious unrest on the part of the Cossack army, the entire Bolotnaya Square, where the public execution took place, was cordoned off by several rows of people who were infinitely loyal to the tsar.

Detachments of government troops were also stationed at all intersections. Razin calmly listened to the entire verdict, then turned towards the church, bowed, and asked for forgiveness from the people who had gathered in the square.

The executioner first cut off his arm at the elbow, and then his leg at the knee, then Razin lost his head. Frol's execution, scheduled for the same time as Stepan's, was postponed. He received his life in exchange for telling the authorities about the places where Stepan Razin hid his treasures.

The authorities failed to find the treasure, so Flor was executed in 1676. In many Russian songs, Razin is presented as an ideal Cossack leader. Legends about Razin's treasures are passed down from generation to generation. For example, there is information that the ataman hid his treasures in a cave near the village of Dobrinka.

The execution of the Cossack ataman did not bring peace and tranquility to the royal family. In the Volga region and on the Volga, peasant and Cossack wars continued after Razin’s death. The rebels managed to hold Astrakhan until the fall of 1671. The Romanovs made great efforts to find and destroy the documents of the rebels.

Even after the execution of the “traitor,” his fate and fate attracted attention. Why did the life of Stepan Razin and the uprising under his leadership become the themes of Pushkin’s songs, Gilyarovsky’s poem and a 17th-century German dissertation?

To understand why Razin’s personality worried many, you need to find out who this outstanding person was. In popular memory and its exponent - folklore - Stenka Razin is a hero and rebel, a kind of “noble robber”. Without a doubt, Razin was a bright and strong personality. A good soldier and organizer. Most importantly, Razin was able to combine two images: the leader of the people, a real hater of serfdom and the tsar, and, of course, Stenka Razin is a daring Cossack chieftain. A real Cossack with all Cossack customs and habits is no match for those who will later serve the serf-kings.

To understand who Stepan Razin is, you need to know what the Cossacks of the 17th century actually did. For food, in addition to the famous raids, the Cossacks were engaged in fishing, beekeeping and hunting. In addition, they kept livestock and grew vegetables in the garden. Interestingly, until the end of the 17th century, the Don Cossacks did not sow grain. They believed that serfdom would come with arable farming.

B. Kustodiev. "Stepan Razin" (wikipedia.org)

The way of life of the Don had elements of archaic democracy: its own power with a military circle, elected atamans and Cossack elders. Moreover, all atamans and foremen were elected. All the most important issues were discussed at the general meeting of the Cossacks (“circle”, “rada”, “kolo”).

Raiding is the only way to survive

With the tightening of serfdom in the 17th century, a huge number of golutvenny Cossacks accumulated on the Don, that is, those who did not have their own land and home. They lived in the upper reaches of the Don, while the “homely” Cossacks lived in the lower reaches. By the way, they surrendered Razin when he failed to take Simbirsk. It is noteworthy that the head of the “homely” Cossacks was Stepan Razin’s godfather Kornila Yakovlev.

The Golutven Cossacks, whose leader was Razin, had to go on raids or trips “for zipuns” to get food. We went to Turkey, Crimea, Persia. The same campaign was the campaign of 1667-1669 to Persia, which was led by Razin. In Soviet historiography it is called the first stage of the uprising, but it was not so. The campaign of 1667–1669 was an ordinary unpunished manifestation of Cossack freemen.

17th century engraving from the book by Jan Streis. (wikipedia.org)

On the way to Persia, the Razins plundered the royal and patriarchal caravans of ships on the Volga, and then committed a bloody massacre in the Yaitsky town, ravaged cities and villages from Derbent and Baku to Rasht. As a result, the Cossacks returned with rich booty, their plows were filled with expensive eastern goods. A distinctive feature of Razin’s campaign “for zipuns” is that he sent ambassadors to the Shah with a request to give the Cossacks land to settle. But most likely it was just a ruse. The Shah thought so too, so the ambassadors were hunted down with dogs.

Personality of Stepan Razin

So, Razin was from a dashing, daring and truly free Cossack environment. It is not surprising that his image was romanticized and largely idealized. But what about Razin’s family? He was born around 1630. Perhaps Stepan's mother was a captured Turkish woman. Father Timofey, who had the nickname Razya, was from the “homely” Cossacks.

Stepan Timofeevich Razin. (wikipedia.org)

Stepan saw a lot: he visited Moscow three times as part of Cossack embassies, participated in negotiations with Moscow boyars and Kalmyk princes - taishas. Twice I went on pilgrimage to the Solovetsky Monastery. By the age of forty, when Razin led the Golytba, peasants and Cossacks, he was a man with military and diplomatic experience, and, of course, he was a man with inexhaustible energy.

The Dutch sailing master Jan Streis, who met Razin in Astrakhan, described his appearance this way: “He was a tall and sedate man, with an arrogant, straight face. He behaved modestly, with great severity. He looked forty years old, and it would have been completely impossible to distinguish him from the others if he had not stood out for the honor that was shown to him when, during a conversation, they knelt down and bowed their heads to the ground, calling him nothing more than dad.”

The story of the Persian princess

The song “Because of the island, to the core” is dedicated to how Stepan Razin drowned the Persian princess. The legend of Razin’s cruel act dates back to 1669, when Stenka Razin defeated the Shah’s fleet. The son of commander Mamed Khan Shaban-Debey and, as legend says, his sister, a real Persian beauty, were captured by the Cossacks. Razin allegedly made her his mistress, and then threw her into the Volga. Well, Shaban-Debey was indeed brought by the Razins to Astrakhan. The prisoner wrote letters addressed to the king asking him to be released home, but did not mention his sister.

Engraving from Strace's book. (wikipedia.org)

There is also evidence from Jan Streis about this: “He had a Persian princess with him, whom he kidnapped along with her brother. He gave the young man to Mr. Prozorovsky, and forced the princess to become his mistress. Having become furious and drunk, he committed the following rash cruelty and, turning to the Volga, said: “You are beautiful, river, from you I received so much gold, silver and jewelry, you are the father and mother of my honor, glory, and ugh on me because I still haven't sacrificed anything for you. Okay, I don’t want to be any more ungrateful!” Following this, he grabbed the unfortunate princess by the neck with one hand, the legs with the other and threw her into the river. She wore robes woven with gold and silver, and she was adorned with pearls, diamonds and other precious stones, like a queen. She was a very beautiful and friendly girl, he liked her and was to his liking in everything. She also fell in love with him out of fear of his cruelty and in order to forget her grief, but still she had to die in such a terrible and unheard of way from this rabid beast.”

V. Surikov. "Stenka Razin" (wikipedia.org)

Streis's words must be treated very carefully. In those years, books by travelers with detailed descriptions of places were popular in Europe, and authors often mixed facts with rumors. Strace was not a traveler; by the way, he was a hired worker. He had a friend and future savior from Persian slavery, Ludwig Fabricius, a hired officer who served in Astrakhan. Fabricius describes a similar rumor, but without the romantic flair (“Persian maiden,” “Volga River,” “formidable and angry man”).

Floodplain of sturgeon in the Volga in the 17th century. (wikipedia.org)

So, according to Ludwig Fabricius, in the fall of 1667, the Razins captured a noble and beautiful “Tatar maiden” with whom Stenka Razin shared a bed. And before sailing from the Yaitsky town, the “water god Ivan Gorinovich” allegedly appeared in a dream to Razin, who controls the Yaik River. God began to reproach the chieftain for not keeping his promise and not giving him the most valuable booty. Razin ordered the girl to put on her best outfits, and when the canoes floated out onto the river expanse of Yaik (not the Volga), he threw the beauty into the river with the words: “Accept this, my patron, Gorinovich, I have nothing better that I could bring you as a gift.” ..."

In 1908, the film “Stenka Razin” was made based on the plot of the song “Because of the Island to the Rod”. The song, by the way, is based on a poem by D. M. Sadovnikov:

Execution of Stepan Razin. The whole of Europe watched the reprisal against the rebels

The peasant war, led by Stenka Razin, attracted the attention of, if not all of Europe, then certainly the trade attention. The fate of the most important trade routes along the Volga depended on the outcome of the battle. They brought goods from Persia and Russian bread to Europe.

Engraving accompanying a Hamburg newspaper from 1670. (wikipedia.org)

Even before the uprising was over, entire books about the rebellion and its leader had appeared in England, the Netherlands and Germany. And, as a rule, it was fiction, but sometimes they provided valuable information. The main European evidence of the uprising of the Cossacks and peasants is the book “Three Journeys” by Jan Streis, quoted above.

Many foreigners who were in Moscow during the execution of Razin witnessed the quartering of the main enemy of the state. The government of Alexei Mikhailovich was interested in the Europeans seeing everything. The Tsar and his entourage sought to assure Europe of the final victory over the rebels, although at that time the victorious end was still far away.

Title page of Marcius' dissertation. (wikipedia.org)

In 1674, a dissertation on the uprising of Stenka Razin in the context of all Russian history was defended at the University of Wittenberg, Germany. The work of Johann Justus Marcius was then republished many times in the 17th and 18th centuries. Even Alexander Pushkin was interested in her.

The myth of Stenka Razin

Razin’s personality, despite the evidence and actions, is still mythologized, you can’t escape it. In Russian folk songs, the cruel chieftain is often mixed with another famous Cossack - Ermak Timofeevich, who captured Siberia.

Stepan Razin is being taken to execution. (wikipedia.org)

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, who was interested in the fate of Stepan Razin, wrote three songs stylized as folk songs. Here is one of them:

What is not a horse's top, not human rumor,
It is not the trumpeter's trumpet that is heard from the field,
And the weather whistles, hums,
It whistles, hums, and floods.
Calls me, Stenka Razin,
Take a walk along the blue sea:

“Well done, daring, you are a dashing robber,
You are a dashing robber, you are a riotous brawler,
Get on your fast boats,
Unfurl the linen sails,
Escape across the blue sea.
I'll bring you three boats:
On the first ship there is red gold,
On the second ship there is pure silver,
On the third ship there is a maiden soul."

S. A. Kirillov. "Stepan Razin" (wikipedia.org)

In 1882 - 1888, Vladimir Gilyarovsky, a famous writer of everyday life in Moscow, wrote a poignant poem “Stenka Razin”, ending, of course, with the execution of the legendary man:

The head on the platform sparkles,
Razin's body is chopped into pieces.
They cut down the captain behind him,
They carried them to the stake,
And in the crowd, among the noise and roar,
A woman can be heard crying in the distance.
Know her with your own eyes
The ataman searched among the people,
To know her, at that moment, as if with her lips,
He kissed those eyes with fire.
That's why he died happy,
What her gaze reminded him of
The distant Don, dear fields,
Mother Volga free space.
And he reminded me that I didn’t live in vain,
But even though I couldn’t do everything,
So freedom is a wide fire
In the slave's heart, he was the first to ignite.

Born into a Cossack family.

The biography of Stepan Razin has been reliably known only since the 1660s. By this time he had become a Cossack chieftain and gained rich military experience. After holding negotiations with the Kalmyks, in 1662-1663 he waged military operations with the Crimean Khan and the Ottoman Empire. When the conflict with Dolgorukov occurred, in Razin’s biography a campaign was undertaken in the lower Volga region, as a result of which the trade route through this area was blocked.

Razin developed a plan to overthrow feudal serfdom in Russia. The next campaign against the Volga was no longer just disobedience, but a well-organized uprising. The rebel peasants throughout the Volga region were led by local leaders. Despite the fact that Stepan Razin’s biography included several victories (Samara, Saratov, Tsaritsyn, Astrakhan), the campaign against Simbirsk ended unsuccessfully. Razin was wounded and then went to the Don to the town of Kagalnitsky. It was there that in 1671 he was captured, moreover, by the Cossacks - rich horrors, and later handed over to the tsarist government. On June 6, 1671, Stepan Razin was executed by cutting off first part of an arm, a leg, and then his head.

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