- Tsarevo Zaymishche - Klushino - Mozhaisk - Moscow (1611) - Volokolamsk - Moscow (1612) - Battle of Moscow

Second people's (Nizhny Novgorod) militia, second zemstvo militia - the militia that arose in September 1611 in Nizhny Novgorod to fight the Polish invaders. It continued to actively form on its way from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow, mainly in Yaroslavl in April - July 1612. It consisted of detachments of townspeople, peasants of the central and northern regions of Russia, non-Russian peoples of the Volga region. Leaders - Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. In August 1612, with part of the forces remaining near Moscow from the First Militia, he defeated the Polish army near Moscow, and in October 1612, completely liberated the capital.

Prerequisites for the creation of the second militia

The initiative to organize the Second People's Militia came from the handicraft and trade people of Nizhny Novgorod, an important economic and administrative center on the Middle Volga. At that time, about 150 thousand males lived in the Nizhny Novgorod district, there were up to 30 thousand households in 600 villages. In Nizhny itself, there were about 3.5 thousand male residents, of which about 2.0 ÷ 2.5 thousand townspeople.

The disastrous situation in the Nizhny Novgorod region

Nizhny Novgorod, in terms of its strategic position, economic and political significance, was one of the key points of the eastern and southeastern regions of Russia. In the context of the weakening of the central government, the rulership of the interventionists, this city became the initiator of a nationwide patriotic movement that swept the Upper and Middle Volga regions and neighboring regions of the country. It should be noted that the citizens of Nizhny Novgorod joined the liberation struggle several years before the formation of the second militia.

They used Greek manuscripts for cooking, finding a large and invaluable collection of them in the archives of the Kremlin. By boiling parchment, they extracted a vegetable glue from it, deceiving their agonizing hunger.

When these springs dried up, they dug up the corpses, then began to kill their captives, and with the intensification of the feverish delirium they reached the point that they began to devour each other; this is a fact that is not subject to the slightest doubt: an eyewitness to Budzilo reports incredibly terrible details about the last days of the siege, which he could not have invented ... Budzilo names persons, marks the numbers: the lieutenant and the hayduk each ate two of their sons; another officer ate his mother! The strongest took advantage of the weak, and the healthy took advantage of the sick. They quarreled over the dead, and the most amazing ideas of justice were mingled with the quarrels generated by cruel madness. One soldier complained that people from the other company ate his relative, while, in all fairness, he and his comrades should have eaten them. The defendants referred to the regiment's rights to the corpse of a fellow soldier, and the colonel did not dare to stop this feud, fearing that the losing side would eat the judge out of revenge for the verdict.

Pozharsky offered the besieged a free exit with banners and weapons, but without looted treasures. They preferred to eat prisoners and each other, but did not want to part with the money. Pozharsky with the regiment stood on the Stone Bridge at the Trinity Gate of the Kremlin to meet the boyar families and protect them from the Cossacks. On October 26, the Poles surrendered and left the Kremlin. Wake up and his regiment fell into the camp of Pozharsky, and everyone survived. Later they were deported to Nizhny Novgorod. The stream with the regiment fell to Trubetskoy, and the Cossacks exterminated all Poles. On October 27, the solemn entrance to the Kremlin of the troops of the princes Pozharsky and Trubetskoy was appointed. When the troops gathered at the Execution Ground, Archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery Dionysius performed a solemn prayer service in honor of the victory of the militia. After that, to the ringing of bells, the winners, accompanied by the people, entered the Kremlin with banners and banners.

: In 25 tons / under supervision

The collapse of the First Zemstvo militia did not lead to the end of the Russian resistance. By September 1611, a militia was formed in Nizhny Novgorod. It was headed by the Nizhny Novgorod zemstvo head Kuzma Minin, who invited Prince Dmitry Pozharsky to command the military operations. In February 1612, the Second Militia set out on a campaign to the capital.

Nizhny Novgorod

At the beginning of the 17th century, Nizhny Novgorod was one of the largest cities in the Russian kingdom. Having emerged as a frontier fortress of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus on its eastern border, it gradually lost its military significance, but acquired a serious trade and craft significance. As a result, Nizhny Novgorod became an important administrative and economic center on the Middle Volga. In addition, in Nizhny there was a fairly large and fairly well armed "stone city", its upper and lower settlements were protected by wooden forts with towers and a moat. The garrison of Nizhny Novgorod was relatively small. It consisted of about 750 archers, fodder foreigners (mercenaries) and serf servants - gunners, collars, criminals, and state blacksmiths. However, this fortress could become the core of a more serious host.

An important geographical position (it was located at the confluence of the two largest rivers of inland Russia - the Oka and the Volga) made Nizhny Novgorod a large trade center. In terms of its trade and economic importance, Nizhny Novgorod was on a par with Smolensk, Pskov and Novgorod. In terms of its economic importance, it occupied at that time the sixth place among Russian cities. So, if Moscow gave the tsarist treasury at the end of the 16th century 12 thousand rubles of customs duties, then Nizhny - 7 thousand rubles. The city was connected with the entire Volga river system and was part of the ancient Volga trade route. Fish from the Caspian Sea, furs from Siberia, fabrics and spices from distant Persia, bread from the Oka were brought to Nizhny Novgorod. Therefore, the main importance in the city was the trading settlement, in which there were up to two thousand households. There were also many artisans in the city, and workers (loaders and barge haulers) in the river port. The Nizhny Novgorod posad, united in a zemstvo world with two elders at the head, was the largest and most influential force in the city.

Thus, Nizhny Novgorod, in terms of its military-strategic position, economic and political significance, was one of the key points of the eastern and southeastern regions of the Russian state. It was not for nothing that the publicist of the 16th century Ivan Peresvetov advised Tsar Ivan the Terrible to move the capital to Nizhny Novgorod. It is not surprising that the city became the center of the popular liberation movement that swept the Upper and Middle Volga regions and neighboring regions of Russia, and Nizhny Novgorod residents actively joined the struggle for the liberation of the Russian state.

Nizhny Novgorod and Troubles

During the Time of Troubles, Nizhny Novgorod was more than once exposed to the threat of ruin from the Poles and Tushins. At the end of 1606, large bandit formations appeared in the Nizhny Novgorod district and adjacent districts, which were engaged in robbery and atrocities: they burned down villages, robbed residents and drove them away. This "freeman" in the winter of 1608 captured Alatyr and Arzamas, setting up its base there. Tsar Vasily Shuisky sent his governors with troops to liberate Arzamas and other cities occupied by "thieves". One of them, Prince Ivan Vorotynsky, defeated the rebel detachments near Arzamas, took the city and cleared the areas adjacent to Arzamas.

With the arrival of False Dmitry II, various gangs became active again, especially since part of the boyars, the Moscow and district nobility and the children of the boyars went over to the side of the new impostor. The Mordovians, Chuvashs and Cheremis also rebelled. Many cities also sided with the impostor and tried to persuade Nizhny Novgorod to do so. But Nizhny Novgorod stood firmly on the side of Tsar Shuisky and did not betray him his oath. The residents of Nizhniy Novgorod never let enemies into the city. Moreover, Nizhny not only successfully defended himself, but also sent his army to help other cities and supported the campaign of Skopin-Shuisky.

So, when at the end of 1608, the inhabitants of the city of Balakhna, having betrayed their oath to Tsar Shuisky, attacked Nizhny Novgorod, the governor Andrei Alyabyev, upon the verdict of the Nizhny Novgorod residents, hit the enemy, and on December 3, after a fierce battle, he occupied Balakhna. The rebel leaders were captured and hanged. Alyabyev, barely having time to return to Nizhny, again entered into a fight with a new enemy detachment that attacked the city on December 5. Having defeated this detachment, the people of Nizhny Novgorod took Vorsma.

At the beginning of January 1609, the troops of False Dmitry II under the command of the governor Prince Semyon Vyazemsky and Timofey Lazarev attacked Nizhny. Vyazemsky sent a letter to the citizens of Nizhny Novgorod, in which he wrote that if the city did not surrender, then all the townspeople would be exterminated, and the city was burned to the ground. The citizens of Nizhniy Novgorod did not give an answer, and they themselves decided to make a sortie, despite the fact that the enemy had more troops. Thanks to the suddenness of the attack, the troops of Vyazemsky and Lazarev were defeated, and they themselves were taken prisoner and sentenced to be hanged. Then Alyabyev freed Murom from the rebels, where he remained as the Tsar's governor, and Vladimir.

An even more active struggle was led by the people of Nizhny Novgorod against the Polish troops of the rabbit of Sigismund III. Simultaneously with Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod called on all Russians to liberate Moscow. It is interesting that letters with such appeals were sent not only on behalf of the governor, but also on behalf of the townspeople. The importance of urban settlements in the fight against enemy intervention and internal turmoil has grown significantly. On February 17, 1611, earlier than others, the Nizhny Novgorod squads marched to Moscow and fought bravely under its walls as part of the First Zemstvo militia.

The failure of the first militia did not break the will of Nizhny Novgorod residents to resist, on the contrary, they became even more convinced of the need for unity for complete victory. The citizens of Nizhny Novgorod maintained constant contact with Moscow through their scouts - the boyar son Roman Pakhomov and the townsman Rodion Moseev. They infiltrated the capital and obtained the necessary information. The Nizhny Novgorod spies managed to establish contact even with Patriarch Germogen, who languished in the Kremlin in the underground cell of the Chudov Monastery. Gonsevsky, embittered by the fact that the patriarch denounced the interventionists and their henchmen, called on the Russian people to fight and, not daring to openly deal with Hermogenes, sentenced him to death by starvation. Once a week, the imprisoned were given only a sheaf of unmilled oats and a bucket of water for food. However, this did not humble the Russian patriot either. From the underground dungeon, Hermogenes continued to send out his letters with calls to fight the invaders. These letters also reached Nizhny Novgorod.

Minin

From Nizhny, in turn, letters were sent throughout the country with an appeal to unite to fight the common enemy. In this strong city, the determination of people ripened to take the fate of a dying country into their own hands. It was necessary to inspire the people, instill in people confidence in victory, readiness to make any sacrifices. People were needed who had high personal qualities and such an understanding of what was happening in order to lead the popular movement. A simple Russian man from Nizhny Novgorod Kuzma Minin became such a leader, a national hero.

Little is known about Minin's origins. However, it is known for sure that the version of K. Minin's non-Russian origin (“baptized Tatar”) is a myth. On September 1, 1611, Minin was elected to the zemstvo headman. "The husband is not glorious by birth," the chronicler notes, "but wise, intelligent and pagan in meaning." The high human qualities of Minin were appreciated by the people of Nizhny Novgorod, nominating Sukhoruk to such an important post. The post of the zemstvo headman was very honorable and responsible. He was in charge of collecting taxes and judging in the posad, and had great power. Posad people were supposed to the zemstvo headman “to obey in all worldly affairs,” but those who did not obey, he had the right to compel. Minin was a "favorite" man in Nizhny and for his honesty and justice. His great organizational talent, love for the Motherland and ardent hatred for the invaders made him the “fathers” of the Second Zemstvo Militia. He became the soul of the new militia.

Minin began his admonitions "to help the Moscow state" both in the "zemstvo hut", and at the auction, where his shop stood, and near his house in ordinary meetings of neighbors, and at gatherings where the letters that came to Nizhny Novgorod were read to the townspeople, etc. .d. In October 1611, Minin appealed to the people of Nizhny Novgorod to create a people's militia to fight foreigners. On the alarm bell, people gathered at the Transfiguration Cathedral for a meeting. Here Kuzma Minin made his famous speech, in which he urged the people of Nizhny Novgorod to spare nothing for the defense of their native country: “Orthodox people, we want to help the Moscow state, we will not spare our bellies, but not just our bellies - we will sell our yards, we will lay our wives and children and we will beat forehead, so that someone becomes our boss. And what praise will be to all of us from the Russian land, that from such a small city like ours, such a great thing will happen. I know, as soon as we move on to this, many cities will stick to us, and we will get rid of the foreigners. "

Kuzma Minin's ardent appeal received the hottest response from the citizens of Nizhny Novgorod. On his advice, the townspeople gave the "third money", that is, a third of their property, for the militia. Donations were made voluntarily. One rich widow out of the 12 thousand rubles she had donated 10 thousand - a huge amount for that time, having struck the imagination of Nizhny Novgorod residents. Minin himself donated to the needs of the militia not only "his entire treasury", but also silver and gold salaries from the icons and jewelry of his wife. “Do the same and you all,” he said to the prison. However, voluntary contributions alone were scarce. Therefore, a compulsory collection of the "fifth money" was announced from all Nizhny Novgorod residents: each of them had to contribute a fifth of their income from fishing and trading activities. The collected money was to be used to distribute salaries to service people.

Peasants, townspeople and nobles volunteered for the Nizhny Novgorod militia. Minin introduced a new order in the organization of the militia: the militia was given a salary that was not equal. Depending on their military training and military merit, the militias were divided into four salaries. The people who were made up received 50 rubles a year for the first salary, 45 for the second, 40 for the third, and 35 rubles for the fourth. The monetary salary for all militias, regardless of whether he was a nobleman or a peasant, made everyone formally equal. Not nobility of origin, but skill, military ability, devotion to the Russian land were the qualities by which Minin evaluated a person.

Kuzma Minin not only himself was attentive and sensitive to every soldier who joined the militia, but also demanded the same from all commanders. He invited a detachment of servicemen from Smolensk nobles to join the militia, who, after the fall of Smolensk, not wanting to serve the Polish king, abandoned their estates and went to the Arzamas district. The residents of Nizhny Novgorod greeted the arriving Smolensk soldiers very warmly and provided everything they needed.

With the full consent of all the inhabitants and city authorities of Nizhny Novgorod, on the initiative of Minin, the "Council of All Land" was created, which by its nature became the interim government of the Russian state. It included the best people of the Volga cities and some representatives of local authorities. With the help of the "Council", Minin led the recruitment of warriors into the militia, resolved other issues. The citizens of Nizhny Novgorod unanimously clothed him with the title of "elected man of the whole earth."

Minin's appeal to the people of Nizhny Novgorod in 1611. M. I. Peskov

Commander of the Second Militia

The question was extremely important: how to find a voivode who will lead the zemstvo militia? The residents of Nizhny Novgorod did not want to deal with the local governors. Okolnichy Prince Vasily Zvenigorodsky did not differ in military talents, and was related to Mikhail Saltykov, hetman Gonsevsky's henchman. He received a roundabout rank according to the letter of Sigismund III, and Trubetskoy and Zarutsky were appointed to the Nizhny Novgorod voivodeship. There was no trust in such a person.

The second voivode, Andrei Alyabyev, fought skillfully and served faithfully, but was known only in his own, Nizhny Novgorod, district. The townspeople wanted a skilled voivode, not marked by "flights", and known among the people. It was not easy to find such a governor in this troubled time, when the transitions of governors and nobles from one camp to another became commonplace. Then Kuzma Minin proposed to elect Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky as voivode.

Nizhny Novgorod residents and the militia approved his candidacy. Much spoke in favor of the prince: he was far from the corrupt ruling elite, did not have a Duma rank, a simple steward. He failed to make a career at the court, but more than once distinguished himself on the battlefield. In 1608, being a regimental commander, he defeated the troops of the Tushins near Kolomna; in 1609 he defeated the gangs of ataman Salkov; in 1610, during the dissatisfaction of the Ryazan governor Prokopy Lyapunov with the tsar of Shuisky, he retained the city of Zaraysk in loyalty to the tsar. Then he defeated a Polish detachment sent against Lyapunov and the "thieves" Cossacks who tried to take Zaraisk. He was faithful to the oath, did not bow to foreigners. The fame of the heroic deeds of the prince during the Moscow uprising in the spring of 1611 reached Nizhny Novgorod. The people of Nizhny Novgorod also liked such features of the prince as honesty, disinterestedness, fairness in making decisions, decisiveness and balance of his actions. In addition, he was nearby, he lived in his patrimony, just 120 miles from Nizhny Novgorod. Dmitry Mikhailovich was treated after severe wounds received in battles with enemies. The wound on the leg was especially difficult to heal - the lameness remained for life. As a result, Pozharsky received the nickname Lame.

To invite Prince Dmitry Pozharsky to the voivodeship, the citizens of Nizhny Novgorod sent an honorary embassy to the village of Mugreevo, Suzdal district. There is evidence that Minin visited him several times before and after that, together they discussed the organization of the Second Zemstvo Militia. The people of Nizhniy Novgorod went to see him “many times so that I could go to Nizhniy for the Zemstvo Council,” the prince himself noted. As it was then accepted, Pozharsky for a long time refused the offer of the Nizhny Novgorod residents. The prince was well aware that before deciding on such an honorable and responsible business, it is necessary to think carefully about this issue. In addition, Pozharsky wanted from the very beginning to receive the powers of a large voivode, to be commander-in-chief.

In the end, Dmitry Pozharsky, who had not yet fully recovered from his wounds, gave his consent. But he also set a condition that the people of Nizhny Novgorod themselves chose from among the townspeople a person who would become with him at the head of the militia and deal with the "rear". And he proposed Kuzma Minin for this position. On that and decided. Thus, in the zemstvo militia, Prince Pozharsky took over the military function, and Kuzma Minin-Sukhoruk, the "elected man of the whole land," began to manage the economy of the army, the militia treasury. At the head of the second zemstvo militia were two people elected by the people and invested with their trust - Minin and Pozharsky.

"Minin and Pozharsky". M.I.Scotti painter

Militia organization

At the end of October 1611, Prince Pozharsky with a small squad arrived in Nizhny Novgorod and, together with Minin, began to organize the people's militia. They developed a vigorous activity to create an army, which was supposed to free Moscow from the invaders and begin the expulsion of the invaders from the Russian land. Minin and Pozharsky understood that they could solve such a big task before them only by relying on the "national multitude".

Minin showed great firmness and determination in fundraising. Minin demanded that the rich not make indulgences from the tax collectors on the militia, and it was unfair to oppress the poor. Despite the total taxation of Nizhny Novgorod residents, there was still not enough money to provide the militia with everything they needed. I had to resort to compulsory loans and from residents of other cities. The clerks of the richest merchants, the Stroganovs, merchants from Moscow, Yaroslavl and other cities connected by trade with Nizhny Novgorod were subject to taxation. By creating the militia, its leaders began to show their strength and power far beyond the borders of the Nizhny Novgorod district. Letters were sent to Yaroslavl, Vologda, Kazan to other cities. The letter, sent out on behalf of the Nizhny Novgorod militia to residents of other cities, said: “Of all the cities of the Moscow state, there were noblemen and boyar children near Moscow, the Polish and Lithuanian people were besieged by a strong siege, but the stream of noblemen and boyar children from Moscow left for a temporary sweets, for robbery and kidnapping. But now we, Nizhny Novgorod, all sorts of people, having referred to Kazan and all the cities of the lower and Volga regions, having gathered with many military people, seeing the Moscow state final ruin, asking God for mercy, we all go with our heads to help the Moscow state. Yes, they came to us in Nizhny from Arzamas, Smolyans, Dorogobuzh residents and Veterans ... and we, all the people of Nizhny Novgorod, consulted among ourselves, sentenced: to share our bellies and houses with them, give salary and help and send them to help to the state ".

The Volga cities responded to the call of Nizhny Novgorod in different ways. Such small towns as Balakhna and Gorokhovets immediately got involved. Kazan reacted to this call at first rather coolly. Her "sovereign people" believed that "royal Kazan - the main city of Ponizovye" should prevail. As a result, the core of the militia, along with the citizens of Nizhny Novgorod, is the service people of the border regions who arrived in the vicinity of Arzamas after the fall of Smolensk - the Smolensk, the Belyan, the Dorogobuzhans, the Vyazmichi, the Branchans, the Roslavtsy and others. There were about 2 thousand of them, and they were all experienced fighters who had participated in battles more than once. Later, nobles from Ryazan and Kolomna came to Nizhny, as well as servicemen, Cossacks and archers from "Ukrainian cities" who were in Moscow under Tsar Vasily Shuisky.

Having learned about the formation of the Second Militia in Nizhny Novgorod and unable to resist this, the concerned Poles turned to Patriarch Hermogenes with a demand that he condemn the "traitors." The patriarch refused to do so. He cursed the Moscow boyars who turned to him on behalf of Gonsevsky as "accursed traitors." As a result, he was starved to death. On February 17, 1612, Hermogenes died.

The leaders of the second militia needed to resolve the issue of the remnant of the First Militia. The leaders of the Cossack freemen Zarutsky and Trubetskoy still had considerable power. As a result, since December 1611, two provisional governments operated in Russia: the "Council of All Lands" of the Moscow Region Cossacks, led by ataman Ivan Zarutsky, and the "Council of All Lands" in Nizhny Novgorod. Between these two centers of power, there was a struggle not only for influence on local governors and for income, but also over the question of what to do next. Zarutsky and Trubetskoy, with the support of the rich and influential Trinity-Sergius Monastery, proposed leading the militia to Moscow as soon as possible. They feared a rapid growth in the strength and influence of the Nizhny Novgorod army. And they planned to take a leading position near Moscow. However, the "Council of All Land" of Nizhny Novgorod considered it necessary to wait in order to properly prepare for the campaign. This was the line of Minin and Pozharsky.

The relationship between the two centers of power became openly hostile after Trubetskoy and Zarutsky began negotiations with the Pskov impostor Sidorka (False Dmitry III), to whom they eventually swore allegiance. True, they soon had to abandon their "kissing of the cross", since such an act did not find support from ordinary Cossacks and was sharply condemned by Minin and Pozharsky.

Start of the hike

After hard work, by the beginning of February 1612, the Nizhny Novgorod militia was already an impressive force and reached 5 thousand soldiers. Despite the fact that the work on the military structure of the Second Militia had not yet been fully completed, Pozharsky and Minin realized that they could no longer wait and decided to start a campaign. Initially, the shortest route was chosen - from Nizhny Novgorod through Gorokhovets, Suzdal to Moscow.

The moment for the offensive was convenient. The Polish garrison in Moscow experienced great difficulties, especially an acute shortage of food. The famine forced most of the Polish garrison to leave the devastated city for the surrounding counties in search of food. Out of 12 thousand enemy troops in the Kremlin and Kitay-Gorod remained about 4 thousand. a garrison weakened by hunger. The most elite detachments of Polish thugs under the command of Hetman Chodkiewicz were stationed in the village of Rogachevo, not far from the town of Dmitrov; Sapega's detachment was in the city of Rostov. There was no help from Sigismund III to the besieged garrison. And the "seven-boyars" did not represent any real military force. Thus, it was the most convenient time for the liberation of Moscow.

Voevoda Dmitry Pozharsky drew up a plan for the liberation campaign. The idea was to take advantage of the fragmentation of the forces of the interventionists, to smash them in parts. At first, it was planned to cut off the detachments of Khodkevich and Sapieha from Moscow, and then defeat the besieged Polish garrison of Gonsevsky and liberate the capital. Pozharsky hoped for the help of the Cossack "camps" near Moscow (the remnants of the First Militia).

However, ataman Zarutsky began open hostile actions. He decided to seize a number of large cities of North-Eastern Russia and thereby prevent the residents of Nizhny Novgorod there and preserve his sphere of influence. Taking advantage of the withdrawal from Rostov of the Great Sapieha detachment, Zarutsky in February ordered his Cossacks to seize Yaroslavl, an important strategically important Volga city. The Cossack detachment of Ataman Prosovetsky was supposed to go there from Vladimir.

As soon as it became known about Zarutsky's actions, Minin and Pozharsky were forced to change the original plan of the liberation campaign. They decided to move up the Volga, to occupy Yaroslavl, bypassing the devastated areas where the Cossack detachments of the Moscow region Zarutsky and Trubetskoy operated, and to combine the forces that had risen against the invaders. Zarutsky's Cossacks were the first to break into Yaroslavl. The townspeople asked Pozharsky for help. The prince sent detachments of his relatives, princes Dmitry Lopata Pozharsky and Roman Pozharsky. They took Yaroslavl and Suzdal with a quick raid, taking the Cossacks by surprise and did not allow Prosovetsky's detachments there. Prosovetsky's detachment, who was on the way to Yaroslavl, had no choice but to turn back to the camps near Moscow. He did not accept the battle.

Having received news from Lopata-Pozharsky that Yaroslavl was in the hands of the Nizhny Novgorod residents, Minin and Pozharsky in early March 1612 gave the militia an order to set out from Nizhny Novgorod on a campaign to liberate the capital of the Russian state. The militias entered Yaroslavl in early April 1612. Here the militia stood for four months, until the end of July 1612.

It became easier for the Russian people to liberate Moscow, but realizing that Trubetskoy could not do this great thing alone, they elected Dmitry Ivanovich Pozharsky as voivode, supported in Nizhny Novgorod by the bourgeoisie and especially Kuzma Yuryevich, who promised money for the soldiers. He donated all his property, then began to collect money from the cities for the maintenance of a large army, which, together with Pozharsky, led to Moscow. 85

Fearing the boyars Pozharsky, Zarutsky went to Kolomna, from there - to Mikhailov with Marina Mnishek and finally disappeared after the battle with the Russians in Astrakhan.

On August 12, Prince Pozharsky approached Moscow with 700 mounted warriors, located between the Tver and Nikitinsky gates. 86 On August 30, 1612, he conquered the White City. 87

§§2. Battle of the Moscow River.

On September 1, the hetman, having received only a small auxiliary army, came to the capital, wishing to help the besieged and deliver them the necessary food. Despite the numerical superiority of the Russian army, in the ensuing battle, the Poles defeated the Russian forces, drove them to the Moscow River, pursued, striking them with shots. The besieged, intending to divide the Russian army, made a sortie, but the Russians overthrew the enemy with heavy losses for him. 88 Hetman, realizing that without preparations, he would not be able to win, went to the camp near the Novodevichy Convent. Showing concern for the besieged, he divided his army into two parts, since the enemy had two troops: the army of Pozharsky and the army of Trubetskoy. One part of the hetman's army fought for a long time with the forces of Pozharsky, and finally took possession of the battlefield. Another part also succeeded. 89 In the Wooden City, part of the Russian infantry sat down in the ditches, the Poles, unable to defeat them by shooting, began a battle with hand weapons (sabers). The Russian archers ran, the Poles cut them down. 90 But the Russians decided to attack the hetman's camp, which caused him to retreat with carts, despite a lengthy exchange of fire. Muscovites were celebrating their victory. On September 7, the hetman, having suffered significant losses, with the remaining 400 horsemen, promising to return to the besieged Poles, moved to Poland.

§3. Liberation of Moscow.

The doomed were left alone with a terrible hunger and an enemy who surrounded them from all sides. 91 After the destruction of the Kremlin with hot cannonballs, Pozharsky invited the proud Poles to surrender. 92 On October 4, he began to shoot at the tower with cannons. 93 On October 15, 1612, under his command, they began to excavate to Kitay-gorod; the besieged, noticing this, with their last strength got over to the wall, burst into the tunnel and killed the Russians, after which they returned to the fortress. On November 1, the Russians attacked Kitai-Gorod, trampled on the Poles, and killed their prominent commanders. 94 On November 6, the besieged agreed to surrender on condition of preserving life. The next day, November 7, the Russians entered the Kremlin in triumph. On December 8, Sigismund III, who finally went to the aid of the Poles, learned near Volok that the Russians had captured the capital. Unable to take Moscow, he withdrew his troops and returned to Poland. 95

Thus ended the long-awaited liberation of Moscow from foreign invaders. It was a difficult path to achieve this goal, but the efforts of the Russians were crowned with success. Could the Poles, who began the siege of Smolensk in 1609, at least assume that this siege would return to them like a boomerang, only they and their brothers would be besieged in the very center of Russia - Moscow ... endure terrible hunger and hardship. Having shown heroism and genuine love for their Motherland, the Russian people liberated their capital from foreign invaders, putting an end to the tragic period of their history. And even though Russia had to endure many shocks of the still uncompleted Troubles, she found the strength to do, in my opinion, the main thing - to cleanse the heart of her country of the Polish-Lithuanian invaders, which contributed to the restoration of Russian statehood.

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Excerpt from the Second People's Militia

"Don't talk nonsense ..." said Prince Andrew, smiling and looking into Pierre's eyes.
“He loves, I know,” Pierre shouted angrily.
“No, listen,” said Prince Andrey, stopping him by the hand. - Do you know in what position I am? I need to tell everything to someone.
- Well, well, say, I am very glad, - Pierre said, and indeed his face changed, the wrinkle smoothed out, and he happily listened to Prince Andrey. Prince Andrew seemed and was a completely different, new person. Where was his longing, his contempt for life, his disappointment? Pierre was the only person to whom he dared to speak; but on the other hand he told him everything that was in his soul. Either he easily and boldly made plans for a long future, talked about how he could not sacrifice his happiness for the whim of his father, how he would force his father to agree to this marriage and love her or do without his consent, then he wondered how something strange, alien, independent of him, to the feeling that possessed him.
“I would not believe someone who would tell me that I can love so much,” said Prince Andrey. - This is not at all the feeling that I had before. The whole world is divided for me into two halves: one - she and there is all the happiness of hope, light; the other half - everything, where it is not, there is all despondency and darkness ...
- Darkness and gloom, - repeated Pierre, - yes, yes, I understand that.
- I cannot help but love the light, it is not my fault. And I am very happy. You understand me? I know that you are happy for me.
- Yes, yes, - Pierre confirmed, looking at his friend with tender and sad eyes. The brighter the fate of Prince Andrei seemed to him, the darker his own seemed.

For marriage, the consent of the father was needed, and for this the next day, Prince Andrei went to his father.
The father, with outward calmness, but inner malice, accepted the message of his son. He could not understand that someone wanted to change life, to bring something new into it, when life was already over for him. - "They would only let me live the way I want, and then they would do what they wanted," the old man said to himself. With his son, however, he used the same diplomacy that he used on important occasions. Taking a calm tone, he discussed the whole matter.
First, the marriage was not brilliant in terms of kinship, wealth and nobility. Secondly, Prince Andrey was not his first youth and was in poor health (the old man was especially heavy on this), but she was very young. Thirdly, there was a son, whom it was a pity to give to the girl. Fourthly, finally, - said the father, looking mockingly at his son, - I ask you, postpone the matter for a year, go abroad, take medical treatment, find, as you want, a German, for Prince Nicholas, and then, if you really love, passion, stubbornness, whatever you want, so great, then get married.
“And this is my last word, you know, the last…” the prince finished in a tone that showed that nothing would force him to change his mind.
Prince Andrew clearly saw that the old man hoped that the feeling of his or his future bride would not stand the test of the year, or that he himself, the old prince, would die by that time, and decided to fulfill his father's will: to propose and postpone the wedding for a year.
Three weeks after his last evening with the Rostovs, Prince Andrey returned to Petersburg.

The day after her explanation with her mother, Natasha waited the whole day for Bolkonsky, but he did not come. The next day, the third day, it was the same. Pierre also did not come, and Natasha, not knowing that Prince Andrew had gone to his father, could not explain to herself his absence.
Three weeks passed in this way. Natasha did not want to go anywhere, and like a shadow, idle and dull, she walked about the rooms, in the evening she secretly cried from everyone and did not appear in the evenings to her mother. She blushed and irritated incessantly. It seemed to her that everyone knows about her disappointment, laughs and regrets about her. For all the strength of her inner grief, this vain grief intensified her unhappiness.
One day she came to the countess, wanted to tell her something, and suddenly began to cry. Her tears were the tears of an offended child, who himself does not know why he was punished.
The Countess began to calm Natasha down. Natasha, listening at first to the words of her mother, suddenly interrupted her:
- Stop it, mom, I don’t think, and I don’t want to think! So, I traveled and stopped, and stopped ...
Her voice trembled, she almost began to cry, but recovered and calmly continued: - And I don't want to get married at all. And I'm afraid of him; I am now completely, completely, calmed down ...
The day after this conversation, Natasha put on that old dress, which was especially known to her for the gaiety it brought them in the morning, and in the morning she began her old way of life, from which she had fallen behind after the ball. After drinking tea, she went to the hall, which she especially loved for its strong resonance, and began to sing her solfeji (singing exercises). After finishing the first lesson, she stopped in the middle of the room and repeated one musical phrase that she especially liked. She listened joyfully to that (as if unexpected for her) charm with which these sounds overflowing filled the entire emptiness of the room and slowly froze, and she suddenly felt cheerful. “That it’s so good to think about it,” she said to herself, and began to walk up and down the hall, not treading with simple steps on the sonorous parquet, but at every step stepping from the heel (she was wearing new, favorite shoes) to the toe, and just as joyfully as to the sounds of your own voice, listening to this measured footfall of a heel and the creak of a sock. Passing the mirror, she looked into it. - "Here I am!" as if the expression on her face spoke at the sight of herself. “Well, that's good. And I don't need anyone. "
The footman wanted to go in to clean up something in the hall, but she did not let him in, again shutting the door behind him, and continued her walk. She returned this morning again to her beloved state of self-love and admiration for herself. - "What a lovely Natasha!" she said to herself again in the words of some third, collective, male face. - "She is good, her voice is young, and she does not bother anyone, just leave her alone." But no matter how much they left her alone, she could no longer be at peace and immediately felt it.
In the hallway, an entrance door opened, someone asked: is he at home? and someone's footsteps were heard. Natasha looked in the mirror, but she did not see herself. She listened to sounds in the hallway. When she saw herself, her face was pale. It was he. She knew it for sure, although she barely heard the sound of his voice from the closed doors.
Natasha, pale and frightened, ran into the drawing room.
- Mom, Bolkonsky has arrived! - she said. - Mom, this is awful, this is unbearable! “I don’t want ... to suffer! What should I do?…
Before the countess had time to answer her, Prince Andrey entered the drawing-room with an anxious and serious face. As soon as he saw Natasha, his face lit up. He kissed the hand of the countess and Natasha and sat down by the sofa.
“It has been a long time since we had pleasure ...” the countess began, but Prince Andrey interrupted her, answering her question and obviously in a hurry to say what he needed.
- I have not been with you all this time, because I was with my father: I needed to talk with him about a very important matter. I just returned last night, ”he said, glancing at Natasha. “I need to speak with you, Countess,” he added after a moment's silence.
The Countess sighed heavily and lowered her eyes.
“I'm at your service,” she said.
Natasha knew that she had to leave, but she could not do this: something was squeezing her throat, and she was discourteously, straight, with open eyes looking at Prince Andrey.
"Now? This minute! ... No, it can't be! " she thought.
He looked at her again, and this look convinced her that she was not mistaken. - Yes, now, this very minute, her fate was being decided.
“Come, Natasha, I’ll call you,” the countess said in a whisper.
Natasha looked with frightened, imploring eyes at Prince Andrey and at her mother, and left.
“I have come, Countess, to ask your daughter's hand in marriage,” said Prince Andrey. The countess's face flushed, but she said nothing.
“Your proposal…” the Countess began gravely. - He was silent, looking into her eyes. - Your proposal ... (she was embarrassed) is pleased with us, and ... I accept your proposal, I am glad. And my husband ... I hope ... but it will depend on her ...
- I will tell her when I have your consent ... do you give it to me? - said Prince Andrew.
“Yes,” said the Countess, and held out her hand to him and, with a mixed feeling of aloofness and tenderness, pressed her lips to his forehead as he bent over her hand. She wanted to love him like a son; but she felt that he was a stranger and a terrible person for her. “I'm sure my husband will agree,” said the countess, “but your father ...
- My father, to whom I communicated my plans, made it an indispensable condition of consent that the wedding was not earlier than a year. And this is what I wanted to tell you, - said Prince Andrey.
- It is true that Natasha is still young, but for so long.
“It could not be otherwise,” said Prince Andrey with a sigh.
“I'll send it to you,” said the Countess and left the room.
“Lord, have mercy on us,” she repeated, looking for her daughter. Sonya said that Natasha was in the bedroom. Natasha was sitting on her bed, pale, with dry eyes, looking at the images and, crossing herself quickly, whispering something. Seeing her mother, she jumped up and rushed to her.
- What? Mom? ... What?
- Go, go to him. He asks for your hand, - said the countess coldly, as it seemed to Natasha ... - Go ... go, - said the mother with sadness and reproach after her fleeing daughter, and sighed heavily.
Natasha did not remember how she entered the living room. Entering the door and seeing him, she stopped. "Has this stranger now become everything for me?" she asked herself and instantly answered: "Yes, that's it: he alone is now dearer to me than everything in the world." Prince Andrew went up to her, lowering his eyes.
“I fell in love with you from the minute I saw you. Can i hope?
He looked at her, and the serious passion of her expression startled him. Her face said: “Why ask? Why doubt something that you cannot not know? Why speak when words cannot express what you feel. "
She approached him and stopped. He took her hand and kissed it.
- Do you love me?
“Yes, yes,” Natasha said as if with annoyance, sighed loudly, another time, more and more often, and sobbed.
- About what? What's wrong with you?
“Oh, I'm so happy,” she answered, smiled through her tears, bent down closer to him, thought for a second, as if asking herself if this was possible, and kissed him.
Prince Andrew held her hands, looked into her eyes, and did not find in his soul the former love for her. Something suddenly turned in his soul: there was not the former poetic and mysterious charm of desire, but there was pity for her female and childish weakness, there was fear of her devotion and gullibility, a heavy and at the same time joyful consciousness of duty that forever connected him with her. The real feeling, although it was not as light and poetic as the previous one, was more serious and stronger.
- Did maman tell you that it can't be earlier than a year? - said Prince Andrey, continuing to look into her eyes. “Is it really me, that child girl (everyone said so about me) Natasha thought? Can it be that from this moment I am a wife, equal to this strange, sweet, intelligent person, respected even by my father. Is that really true! Is it really true that now it is no longer possible to joke with life, now I am already big, now it is my responsibility for every deed and word of mine? Yes, what did he ask me? "
“No,” she answered, but she did not understand what he was asking.
“Forgive me,” said Prince Andrew, “but you are so young, and I have already experienced so much life. I'm scared for you. You don't know yourself.
Natasha listened with concentrated attention, trying to understand the meaning of his words and did not understand.
- No matter how difficult this year will be for me, delaying my happiness, - Prince Andrey continued, - in this period you will believe yourself. I ask you to make my happiness in a year; but you are free: our engagement will remain a secret, and if you were convinced that you did not love me, or would love ... - said Prince Andrey with an unnatural smile.
- Why do you say that? Natasha interrupted him. “You know that from the very day you first came to Otradnoye, I fell in love with you,” she said, firmly convinced that she was telling the truth.
- In a year you will recognize yourself ...
- A whole year! - Natasha suddenly said, now only realizing that the wedding was postponed for a year. - Why a year? Why a year? ... - Prince Andrew began to explain to her the reasons for this delay. Natasha did not listen to him.
- Can't it be otherwise? She asked. Prince Andrew did not answer, but his face expressed the impossibility of changing this decision.
- This is terrible! No, it's awful, awful! Natasha suddenly began to speak, and again began to sob. - I will die, waiting for a year: it is impossible, it is terrible. She looked into the face of her fiancé and saw an expression of compassion and bewilderment on him.
“No, no, I’ll do everything,” she said, suddenly stopping her tears, “I’m so happy! - Father and mother entered the room and blessed the bride and groom.
From that day on, Prince Andrei began to go to the Rostovs as his fiancé.

There was no engagement and no one was announced about Bolkonsky's engagement to Natasha; Prince Andrew insisted on this. He said that since he is the cause of the delay, he must bear the full weight of it. He said that he had bound himself forever with his word, but that he did not want to bind Natasha and gave her complete freedom. If in six months she feels that she does not love him, she will be in her right, if she refuses him. It goes without saying that neither the parents nor Natasha wanted to hear about this; but Prince Andrew insisted on his own. Prince Andrey visited the Rostovs every day, but not as the groom treated Natasha: he told her you and kissed only her hand. After the day of the proposal, between Prince Andrey and Natasha, a completely different, close, simple relationship was established than before. They didn't seem to know each other until now. Both he and she loved to remember how they looked at each other when they were still nothing, now both of them felt like completely different creatures: then feigned, now simple and sincere. At first, the family felt awkward in dealing with Prince Andrew; he seemed to be a man from an alien world, and Natasha taught her family to Prince Andrey for a long time and proudly assured everyone that he only seemed so special, and that he was the same as everyone else, and that she was not afraid of him and that no one should be afraid his. After several days, the family got used to him and did not hesitate to lead with him the old way of life, in which he took part. He knew how to talk about the household with the count, and about outfits with the countess and Natasha, and about albums and canvas with Sonya. Sometimes the Rostovs at home, among themselves and under Prince Andrei, were surprised at how all this happened and how obvious the omens of this were: the arrival of Prince Andrei in Otradnoye, and their arrival in Petersburg, and the similarity between Natasha and Prince Andrei, which the nanny noticed on her first visit Prince Andrew, and the clash in 1805 between Andrew and Nicholas, and many other omens of what happened, were noticed by the family.
That poetic boredom and silence reigned in the house, which always accompanies the presence of the bride and groom. Often sitting together, everyone was silent. Sometimes they got up and left, and the groom and the bride, being alone, were still silent. Rarely did they talk about their future life. Prince Andrew was scared and ashamed to talk about it. Natasha shared this feeling, like all his feelings, which she constantly guessed. Once Natasha began to ask about his son. Prince Andrey blushed, which happened often to him now and which Natasha especially loved, and said that his son would not live with them.
- From what? - said Natasha, frightened.
- I cannot take it away from my grandfather and then ...
- How I would love him! Said Natasha, immediately guessing his thought; but I know you want there to be no excuses to accuse you and me.
The old count sometimes approached Prince Andrey, kissed him, asked him for advice on the education of Petya or the service of Nicholas. The old countess sighed as she looked at them. Sonya was afraid to be superfluous at any moment and tried to find excuses to leave them alone when they didn't need it. When Prince Andrey spoke (he spoke very well), Natasha listened to him with pride; when she spoke, she noticed with fear and joy that he was looking attentively and probingly at her. She asked herself in bewilderment: “What is he looking for in me? What he achieves with his gaze! What if not in me what he is looking for with this look? " Sometimes she entered into her characteristic insanely cheerful mood, and then she especially loved to listen and watch how Prince Andrew laughed. He rarely laughed, but when he laughed, he gave himself up to his laughter, and each time after this laugh she felt closer to him. Natasha would have been perfectly happy if the thought of the impending and approaching separation had not frightened her, since he too grew pale and cold at the very thought of that.
On the eve of his departure from St. Petersburg, Prince Andrei brought with him Pierre, who had never been with the Rostovs since the ball. Pierre seemed confused and embarrassed. He talked to his mother. Natasha sat down with Sonya at the chess table, inviting Prince Andrey to her. He walked over to them.
- You have known Bezukhoi for a long time, haven't you? - he asked. - Do you love him?
- Yes, he is nice, but very funny.
And she, as always talking about Pierre, began to tell anecdotes about his absent-mindedness, anecdotes that even invented on him.
“You know, I believed him our secret,” said Prince Andrey. - I have known him since childhood. This is a heart of gold. I beg you, Natalie, ”he said suddenly seriously; - I'll leave, God knows what might happen. You can split ... Well, I know I shouldn't talk about it. One thing - whatever happens to you when I am not ...
- What will happen? ...
- Whatever grief may be, - continued Prince Andrew, - I ask you, m lle Sophie, whatever happens, turn to him alone for advice and help. This is the most absent-minded and funny person, but the most golden heart.
Neither father and mother, nor Sonya, nor Prince Andrew himself could have foreseen how the parting with her fiancé would affect Natasha. Red and agitated, with dry eyes, she walked that day around the house, doing the most insignificant things, as if not understanding what awaited her. She did not cry even the minute he, saying goodbye, kissed her hand for the last time. - Don't leave! - only she said to him in such a voice that made him think about whether he really needed to stay and which he remembered for a long time after that. When he left, she did not cry either; but for several days she sat in her room without crying, was not interested in anything and only said sometimes: “Oh, why did he leave!
But two weeks after his departure, she, just as unexpectedly for those around her, woke up from her moral illness, became the same as before, but only with a changed moral physiognomy, like children with a different face get out of bed after a long illness.

The health and character of Prince Nikolai Andreich Bolkonsky, in this last year after the departure of his son, have become very weak. He became even more irritable than before, and all the outbursts of his causeless anger for the most part fell on Princess Marya. He seemed to be diligently seeking all her sore spots in order to morally torment her as severely as possible. Princess Marya had two passions and therefore two joys: her nephew Nikolushka and religion, both of which were favorite themes of the prince's attacks and ridicule. Whatever they talked about, he reduced the conversation to the superstitions of old girls or to pampering and spoiling children. - “You want to make him (Nikolenka) the same old girl as yourself; in vain: Prince Andrey needs a son, not a girl, ”he said. Or, turning to Mademoiselle Bourime, he asked her in front of Princess Marya how she liked our priests and images, and joked ...
He constantly painfully insulted Princess Marya, but the daughter did not even make an effort on herself to forgive him. How could he be guilty before her, and how could her father, who, she knew it all the same, loved her, be unjust? And what is justice? The princess never thought about this proud word: "justice." All the complex laws of mankind were concentrated for her in one simple and clear law - in the law of love and self-denial, taught to us by the One Who suffered with love for humanity when he himself is God. What did she care about the justice or injustice of others? She had to suffer and love herself, and she did that.
In winter, Prince Andrey came to Lysye Gory, he was cheerful, meek and gentle, such as Princess Marya had not seen him for a long time. She had a presentiment that something had happened to him, but he did not say anything to Princess Mary about his love. Before leaving, Prince Andrei talked for a long time about something with his father, and Princess Marya noticed that before leaving, both were dissatisfied with each other.
Soon after the departure of Prince Andrei, Princess Marya wrote from Bald Hills to St. Turkey.
"Sorrow, it seems, is our common destiny, dear and tender friend of Julieie."
“Your loss is so terrible that I cannot otherwise explain it to myself as the special grace of God, who wants to experience - loving you - you and your excellent mother. Ah, my friend, religion, and only one religion, can, let alone comfort us, but save us from despair; one religion can explain to us what a person cannot understand without its help: why, why are good, exalted beings who know how to find happiness in life, not only harm anyone, but necessary for the happiness of others - are called to God, but remain to live evil, useless, harmful, or those that are a burden to themselves and others. The first death that I saw and which I will never forget - the death of my dear daughter-in-law, made such an impression on me. Just as you ask fate why it was for your beautiful brother to die, in the same way I asked why this angel had to die for Lisa, who not only did not do any harm to a person, but never, apart from good thoughts, had in her soul ... And well, my friend, five years have passed since then, and I, with my insignificant mind, already begin to clearly understand why she needed to die, and how this death was only an expression of the infinite goodness of the Creator, all of whose actions although we for the most part do not understand them, the essence is only a manifestation of His infinite love for His creation. Perhaps, I often think, she was too angelically innocent to have the strength to endure all the responsibilities of a mother. She was as perfect as a young wife; maybe she could not be such a mother. Now, not only has she left us, and especially Prince Andrew, the purest regret and memory, she will probably get the place there, which I dare not hope for myself. But, not to mention her alone, this early and terrible death had the most beneficial effect, despite all the sadness, on me and on my brother. Then, in the moment of loss, these thoughts could not come to me; then I would have driven them away with horror, but now it is so clear and undeniable. I am writing all this to you, my friend, only to convince you of the gospel truth, which has become a rule of life for me: not a single hair from my head will fall without His will. And His will is guided only by one boundless love for us, and therefore everything that happens to us, everything is for our good. Are you asking if we will spend the next winter in Moscow? Despite all the desire to see you, I do not think and do not want this. And you will be surprised that Buonaparte is the reason for that. And here's why: my father's health is noticeably weakening: he cannot bear contradictions and becomes irritable. This irritability, as you know, is directed primarily at political affairs. He cannot bear the thought that Buonaparte is doing business as equals, with all the sovereigns of Europe and especially with ours, the grandson of the Great Catherine! As you know, I am completely indifferent to political affairs, but from the words of my father and his conversations with Mikhail Ivanovich, I know everything that is happening in the world, and in particular all the honors given to Buonaparte, who, it seems, is still only in Bald Mountains around the globe are not recognized as a great man or even less a French emperor. And my father can't stand it. It seems to me that my father, mainly because of his view of political affairs and foreseeing the clashes that he will have, because of his manner, does not hesitate to express his views with anyone, he is reluctant to talk about a trip to Moscow. All that he gains from the treatment, he will lose due to the disputes about Buonaparte, which are inevitable. In any case, it will be decided very soon. Our family life is going on as before, with the exception of the presence of our brother Andrey. He, as I already wrote to you, has changed a lot lately. After his grief, he now only, this year, has completely revived morally. He became what I knew him as a child: kind, gentle, with that golden heart, to which I know no equal. He understood, as it seems to me, that life is not over for him. But along with this moral change, he was physically very weak. He became thinner than before, more nervous. I am afraid for him and glad that he has undertaken this trip abroad, which doctors have long prescribed for him. I hope this will fix it. You write to me that in St. Petersburg they talk about him as one of the most active, educated and intelligent young people. Sorry for the pride of kinship - I never doubted it. It is impossible to count the good that he did here to everyone, from his peasants to the nobles. Arriving in St. Petersburg, he took only what he should have. I am surprised how rumors generally reach from Petersburg to Moscow, and especially such incorrect ones as the one you are writing to me about - a rumor about my brother's alleged marriage to little Rostovaya. I do not think that Andrei would ever marry anyone, and especially her. And here's why: first of all, I know that although he rarely talks about his deceased wife, the sadness of this loss is too deeply rooted in his heart that he would ever dare to give her a successor and stepmother to our little angel. Secondly, because, as far as I know, this girl is not from the category of women that Prince Andrey might like. I do not think that Prince Andrew chose her as his wife, and I will frankly say: I do not want this. But I chattered, I am finishing my second sheet. Goodbye my dear friend; may God keep you under His holy and mighty cover. My dear friend, mademoiselle Bourienne, kisses you.

The second people's or second zemstvo militia - which arose in September 1611 in Nizhny Novgorod to fight the Polish invaders. It continued to actively form on its way from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow, mainly in Yaroslavl in April - July 1612. Consisted of detachments of townspeople, peasants of the central and northern regions of Russia. The leaders are Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. In August 1612, with part of the forces remaining near Moscow from the First Militia, he defeated the Polish army near Moscow, and in October 1612 completely liberated the capital from occupation by the invaders.

In the specific conditions of the Time of Troubles, the zemstvo liberation movement acquired various organizational forms on the lands occupied by large formations of Polish-Lithuanian troops and in those cities and counties that opposed the pro-Polish policy of the Moscow government. Undoubtedly, the factor of the presence of detachments of foreigners on a significant part of Russian territory had a decisive importance on the nature and scale of the struggle in these places with the intervention and invaders. The Russian people inhabiting them more widely used the methods of partisan warfare (the tactics of ambushes and raids), rallied in detachments of the so-called "shisha", the military organization of which resembled the Cossack. There are interesting reports about the actions of the "Shisha" against the Poles in the diary of Samuil Maskevich, who served in the Kremlin garrison and took part in the invaders' campaigns for food in Rogachevo and the Volga. "The Muscovites (" shishi "- V.V.) were guarding us, - wrote Maskevich, - having learned through the scouts that the comrades had departed in a colo, and that we were standing without guards, they descended upon us in broad daylight, partly on horseback, partly on skis. " Below he adds: "As soon as we moved a mile or two from the hetman camp, the Shishi attacked us and won the victory without difficulty: for the Muscovites who were with our wagons immediately passed on to their own; while others blocked the way with carts."

In the notes of N.G. Ustryalov to this edition of Samuil Maskevich's "Diary" it is said about the "shisha" that this is "a freewoman who does not recognize anyone's bosses, except her atamans." This opinion seems to be erroneous. "Shishami" were mainly peasants of Russian villages and villages devastated by the Poles, experiencing an understandable hatred of any foreigner. The organization of the insurgent forces, similar to the Cossack, was a distinctive feature of all popular movements of the 17th century. Ustryalov N.G .; "The Diary of Maskevich 1594-1621"; internet article.

Election of the king

After the capture of Moscow, the Russian co-rulers Pozharsky and Trubetskoy decided to convene representatives from the cities (7 people from each) to choose a new tsar. In January 1613, elected representatives from all classes, even peasants, gathered.

The question of choosing a sovereign from among foreign rulers was resolved negatively. However, none of the Russian candidates immediately met with unanimous support. Four candidates were nominated: Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky, Ivan Mikhailovich Vorotynsky, Dmitry Timofeevich Trubetskoy and Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. Pozharsky's contemporaries accused him of campaigning strongly in his favor.

The elections were very stormy. Tradition has survived that Patriarch Filaret demanded restrictive conditions for the new king and pointed to his son as the most suitable candidate. Mikhail Fyodorovich was indeed chosen, and undoubtedly, he was offered those restrictive conditions about which Filaret wrote: "Provide a full course of justice according to the old laws of the country; do not judge or condemn anyone by the highest power; subjects with new taxes and not to take the smallest decisions in military and rural affairs. " Kozlyakov V.N .: "Mikhail Fedorovich"; internet article.

The election took place on February 7, but the official announcement was postponed until the 21st in order to find out during this time how the people would receive the new king. With the election of the tsar, the turmoil ended, since now there was power, which was recognized by all and on which one could rely.

“At that time, few people saw in the young steward the future tsar. After the deposition of Tsar Vasily Shuisky in 1610, there were too many applicants for the tsar's throne. ), there was also the Swedish prince Karl-Philip, supported by Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky himself and the Zemsky "council of all the earth" in Yaroslavl in 1612. The restless leader of the Cossacks Ivan Zarutsky acted on behalf of Marina Mnishek's son - "Tsarevich" Ivan Dmitrievich, or "Vorenko "as he was called in official documents. The members of the Boyar Duma were not averse to repeating the attempts at accession, which had been successful for Boris Godunov and Prince Vasily Shuisky. The most real Russian candidate seemed to be the boyar, Prince Vasily.

Vasilievich Golitsyn, but he was detained in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In his absence, many boyars had chances for the kingdom, especially those who were not compromised by cooperation with representatives of the Polish king in Moscow, for example, one of the leaders of the zemstvo militia, boyar Prince Dmitry Timofeevich Trubetskoy. attempts to seize power: the discontent of the ataman Zarutsky chosen by the tsar, the attempts of the Swedes to organize an attack on Moscow, the revolt of the Cossacks, etc.