400 years ago, on March 9, 1617, the Stolbovsky Peace Treaty was signed. This world put an end to the Russian-Swedish war of 1610-1617. and became one of the sad results of the Troubles at the beginning of the 17th century. Russia ceded to Sweden Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye, Oreshek, Korel, that is, it lost all access to the Baltic Sea, in addition, Moscow paid an indemnity to the Swedes. The borders established by the Stolbovsky Peace were preserved until the outbreak of the Northern War of 1700-1721.
Background
The struggle of the princely-boyar clans in Russia led to turmoil. The situation was aggravated by a sharp increase in social injustice, which caused mass protest of the population and natural disasters, which led to hunger and epidemics. The Romanov clan, together with the monks of the Miracle Monastery, found and inspired the impostor who declared himself Tsarevich Dmitry. False Dmitry was also supported by Polish magnates and the Vatican, who wanted to dismember the Russian state and profit from its wealth. The Polish magnates and the gentry gathered a private army for the impostor. The impostor was also supported by some cities in southwestern Russia, nobles and Cossacks, dissatisfied with Moscow's policies. However, the impostor had no chance to occupy Moscow, if not for the conspiracy in the Russian capital. Tsar Boris Godunov in the spring of 1605 suddenly died (or was poisoned), and his son was killed. In the summer of 1605, False Dmitry solemnly entered Moscow and became the "legitimate" tsar. But Grigory Otrepiev did not rule for long, aroused the discontent of the Moscow boyars, who staged a coup in Moscow. In May 1606, the impostor was killed.
Vasily Shuisky was crowned to the kingdom. However, the new tsar was not far off, he was hated by the nobles and "walking people" who fought for False Dmitry, the Polish gentry, who dreamed of plundering the Russian lands, and most of the boyars (Golitsyns, Romanovs, Mstislavsky, etc.), who had their own plans for the Russian throne. Almost all of the southern and southwestern cities of Rus immediately rebelled. In the fall, the insurgent army of Ivan Bolotnikov moved to Moscow. The rebels acted on behalf of the "miraculously saved" Tsar Dmitry. A full-scale civil war broke out. After stubborn battles, government forces took Tula, where Bolotnikov's forces were defended. Bolotnikov himself was executed, as well as another impostor who was with him - Tsarevich Peter, allegedly the son of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich.
However, at this time, a new impostor, False Dmitry II, appeared. The exact origin of the new impostor is unknown. Most researchers are inclined to believe that this was the Shklov Jew Bogdanko, who had some education and played the role of the "tsarevich". The Shklov impostor was joined by detachments of the Polish gentry adventurers, the Cossacks of Little Russia, cities in the south-west of Russia, and the remnants of the Bolotnikovites. In the spring of 1608, the troops of the impostor moved to Moscow. In a stubborn battle near Bolkhov, in the Orel region, the troops of the impostor defeated the tsarist army, led by the incompetent Dmitry Shuisky (the king's brother). Tsar Vasily sent a new army against the impostor under the command of Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky and Ivan Romanov. However, a conspiracy was discovered in the army. Some governors were going to go over to the impostor. The conspirators were captured, tortured, some were executed, others were exiled. But Tsar Vasily Shuisky got scared and withdrew the troops to the capital.
In the summer of 1608, the troops of the impostor went to Moscow. They did not dare to go to the assault and settled in Tushino. In this regard, the impostor was given the nickname "Tushinsky thief". As a result, the Russian state, in fact, was divided into two parts. One part supported the legitimate Tsar Vasily, the other - False Dmitry. Tushino became the second Russian capital for some time. The Tushino thief had its own queen - Marina Mnishek, its own government, the Boyar Duma, orders, and even Patriarch Filaret (Fedor Romanov). The patriarch sent letters to Russia with the demand to subordinate "Tsar Dmitry". At this time, Russia was defeated by "thieves", "thieves' Cossacks" and Polish troops.
May 1, 1617. Ratification of the Swedish King Gustav Adolphus to the Stolbovo Treaty of Perpetual Peace between Russia and Sweden
Union with Sweden
There was a political crisis in Sweden at the beginning of the century; Charles IX managed to be crowned only in March 1607. Therefore, in the beginning, the Swedes had no time for Russia. But as soon as the situation stabilized, the Swedes turned their eyes to Russia. After analyzing the situation, the Swedes came to the conclusion that the Russian turmoil could end in two main scenarios. According to the first, a firm power was established in Russia, but the Russians lost vast territories that were withdrawn to Poland - Smolensk, Pskov, Novgorod, etc. At the same time, Poland already controlled the Baltic. According to the second scenario, Russia could become Poland's “junior partner”.
It is clear that both scenarios did not suit the Swedes. Poland at that time was their main competitor in the struggle for the Baltic region. Strengthening Poland at the expense of Russia threatened Sweden's strategic interests. Therefore, the Swedish king Charles IX decided to help Tsar Basil. At the same time, Sweden could strike a blow to its competitor - Poland, earn and strengthen its position in the north of Russia. Back in February 1607, the Vyborg governor wrote to the Karelian governor, Prince Mosalsky, that the king was ready to help the king and the Swedish embassy was already on the border and was ready for negotiations. But at this time, Shuisky still hoped to independently deal with the enemies, to make peace with Poland. He ordered Prince Mosalsky to write to Vyborg that "our great sovereign does not need any help from anyone, he can stand against all his enemies without you, and he will not ask for help from anyone but God." During 1607, the Swedes sent four more letters to Tsar Shuisky with an offer of help. The Russian tsar responded to all letters with a polite refusal.
However, in 1608 the situation changed for the worse. Tsar Vasily was blocked in Moscow. One by one the cities went over to the side of the Tushinsky thief. I had to remember about the Swedes' proposal. The tsar's nephew Skopin-Shuisky was sent to Novgorod for negotiations. On February 23, 1609, an agreement was concluded in Vyborg. Both sides entered into an anti-Polish alliance. Sweden promised to send mercenary troops to help. Moscow paid for the services of mercenaries. For Swedish help, Tsar Vasily Shuisky renounced his rights to Livonia. In addition, a secret protocol to the treaty was signed - "Record of Sweden's surrender to the eternal possession of the Russian city of Karela with the district." The transfer was to take place three weeks after the Swedish auxiliary corps under the command of De la Gardie entered Russia and was on its way to Moscow.
In the spring of 1609, the Swedish corps (it mainly consisted of mercenaries - Germans, French, etc.) approached Novgorod. The Russian-Swedish army won a number of victories over the Tushins and Poles. Toropets, Torzhok, Porkhov and Oreshek were cleared of Tushins. In May 1609 Skopin-Shuisky with the Russian-Swedish army moved from Novgorod to Moscow. In Torzhok, Skopin joined up with the Moscow militia. Near Tver, Russian-Polish troops defeated the Polish-Tushin detachment of Pan Zborovsky during a stubborn battle. However, Moscow was not liberated during this campaign. Swedish mercenaries refused to continue the campaign under the pretext of delayed payment, and the fact that the Russians were not clearing Korely. The Russian part of the army stopped at Kalyazin. Tsar Vasily Shuisky, having received money from the Solovetsky Monastery, from the Strogonovs from the Urals and a number of cities, hastened to fulfill the articles of the Vyborg Treaty. He ordered to clear Korela for the Swedes. Meanwhile, the tsarist troops occupied Pereslavl-Zalessky, Murom and Kasimov.
The entry of Swedish troops into the Russian borders gave rise to the Polish king Sigismund III to start a war with Russia. In September 1609, the troops of Lev Sapega and the king approached Smolensk. Meanwhile, power in the Tushino camp finally passed to the Polish masters, headed by Hetman Ruzhinsky. The Tushino Tsarek actually became a hostage of the Poles. The Polish king invited the Tushino Poles to forget their old grievances (many Polish gentry were at enmity with the king) and go to serve in his army. Many Poles obeyed. The Tushino camp disintegrated. The impostor himself fled to Kaluga, where he created a new camp, relying mainly on the Cossacks. Here he began to pursue a "patriotic" line, starting a struggle with the Poles.
The remnants of the Tushino "government" finally betrayed Russia. In January 1610, the Tushino patriarch and the boyars sent their ambassadors to the king at the besieged Smolensk. They proposed a plan according to which the Russian throne was to be occupied not by the Polish king, but by his son, young Vladislav. And Filaret and the Tushino Boyar Duma were to become the closest circle of the new tsar. Tushintsy wrote to the king: “We, Filaret, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, and archbishops, and bishops and the entire consecrated cathedral, hearing his royal majesty about our holy Orthodox faith, joy and Christian liberation feat, we pray to God and beat our heads. And we, boyars, okolnichy, etc., beat his royal grace with our heads and on the glorious Moscow state, we want to see his royal majesty and his descendants as gracious rulers …”.
Thus, the "patriarch" Filaret and the Tushino boyars surrendered Russia and the people to the Poles. The Polish king, even before the campaign against Russia, became famous for the fierce reprisals against the Orthodox who lived in the Commonwealth. The Poles besieged Smolensk, which they wanted to annex to Poland. Sigismund himself wanted to rule Russia and in alliance with the Vatican to eradicate the "Eastern heresy." But for political reasons, he decided to temporarily agree to the transfer of the Russian throne to his son.
Meanwhile, Skopin was bargaining with the Swedes. Despite the resistance of its inhabitants, Korela was surrendered to the Swedes. In addition, Tsar Vasily pledged to compensate the Swedes "for your love, friendship, help and losses that have befallen you …". He promised to give everything that was asked: "city, or land, or district." The Swedes calmed down and again moved with Skopin-Shuisky. In March 1610 Skopin and De la Gardie solemnly entered Moscow. However, on April 23, Prince Skopin died unexpectedly. It was suspected that the tsar's brother Dmitry Shuisky was his poisoner. Tsar Vasily was old and childless, his brother Dmitry was considered his heir. The successful commander Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky could become his rival, he had many supporters.
The death of Skopin was a heavy blow both for Tsar Vasily, since a successful commander saved his throne, and for all of Russia. In addition, the tsar made an unforgivable mistake, appointed Dmitry Shuisky to command the army, which was supposed to go to rescue Smolensk. In June 1610, the Polish army under the command of Hetman Zolkiewski defeated the Russian-Swedish army near the village of Klushino. The mercenaries went over to the side of the Poles. A smaller part of the mercenaries (Swedes), under the command of Delagardie and Horn, went north to their border. The Russian troops partly went over to the side of the Polish king, partly fled or returned with Dmitry Shuisky to Moscow "in disgrace."
The disaster at Klushin immediately led to the emergence of a new conspiracy in Moscow, already against Tsar Vasily. The organizers of the conspiracy were Filaret, Prince Vasily Golitsyn, who was aiming at the king, the boyar Ivan Saltykov and the Ryazan nobleman Zakhar Lyapunov. On July 17, 1610, Vasily was dethroned, in fact, he was simply expelled from the royal palace. Patriarch Hermogenes did not support the conspirators, and some of the archers also opposed. Then on July 19, Lyapunov with his companions broke into Shuisky's house and he was forcibly tonsured into a monk, and he himself refused to pronounce monastic vows (he shouted and resisted). Patriarch Hermogenes did not recognize such a forced tonsure, but the conspirators were not interested in his opinion. In September 1610, Vasily was extradited to the Polish hetman Zholkevsky, who took him and his brothers Dmitry and Ivan in October near Smolensk, and later to Poland. In Warsaw, the king and his brothers were presented as captives to King Sigismund and took him a solemn oath. The former tsar died in prison in Poland, and his brother Dmitry died there.
Power in Moscow passed to a handful of conspiratorial boyars (the so-called seven-boyars). However, it mainly extended only to Moscow. To preserve their power, the traitors decided to let the Poles into Moscow. On the night of September 20-21, the Polish army in conspiracy with the boyar government entered the Russian capital. The Polish prince Vladislav was declared a Russian tsar. Russia was seized by complete anarchy. Boyars and Poles controlled only Moscow and communications that linked the Polish garrison with Poland. At the same time, Sigismund did not even think of sending Vladislav to Moscow, firmly declaring that he would take the Russian throne himself. Some cities formally kissed the cross for Vladislav, others obeyed the Tushino thief, and most of the lands lived on their own. So, Novgorod first recognized Vladislav, and when the first militia moved to liberate Moscow, it became the center of the anti-Polish uprising. The townspeople lynched Ivan Saltykov, who in her eyes personified the type of traitor boyar who had sold himself to the Poles. The governor was brutally tortured and then impaled.
In December 1610 False Dmitry II was killed. The threat from him was over. However, the ataman Zarutsky supported the son of Marina - Ivan Dmitrievich (Voronok), and retained significant influence and strength. Zarutsky's detachments supported the first militia.
Swedish aggression. Fall of Novgorod
Meanwhile, the Swedes, who escaped from Klushino, with reinforcements arrived from Sweden, tried to capture the northern Russian strongholds of Ladoga and Oreshek, but were repulsed by their garrisons. At first, the Swedes controlled only Korela, some parts of the Barents and White Seas, including the Kola. However, in 1611, taking advantage of the chaos in Russia, the Swedes began to seize the border lands of Novgorod - Yam, Ivangorod, Koporye and Gdov were gradually captured. In March 1611, De la Gardie's troops reached Novgorod. De la Gardie sent to ask the Novgorodians whether they were friends or enemies to the Swedes and whether they would observe the Vyborg Treaty. The Novgorodians replied that it was none of their business, that everything depended on the future Moscow Tsar.
Upon learning that the Polish garrison was besieged by the first militia of Prokopiy Lyapunov and the Poles burned most of Moscow, the Swedish king entered into negotiations with the leaders of the militia. In the charter of the Swedish king, it was proposed not to choose representatives of foreign dynasties as Russian tsars (it is clear that they meant the Poles), but to choose someone from their own. Meanwhile, events were taking place in Novgorod that gave the Swedes hope to easily take the most important Russian city. According to Swedish data, the governor Buturlin himself, who hated the Poles and had good relations with De la Gardie back in Moscow, offered him to occupy Novgorod. Buturlin fought at Klushin shoulder to shoulder with De la Gardie, was wounded, taken prisoner, where he was tortured and abused, and - freed after Moscow's oath to the Polish prince Vladislav - became the sworn enemy of the Poles.
According to Russian data, there was disagreement between Buturlin and the voivode Ivan Odoevsky, as well as the townspeople, which prevented the organization of a reliable defense of Novgorod. The city greeted the Russian governor with a rampant anarchy, which it could barely contain with concessions and promises. The city was on the verge of rebellion, there was plenty of combustible material: the city's 20,000 population increased several times due to refugees from the surrounding fortresses and villages. The ruined poor had nothing to lose and nothing to do. In neighboring Pskov, a riot had already taken place, and envoys from it encouraged the Novgorodians to revolt, called to beat the boyars and merchants-moneybags. The old master of the city, voivode Ivan Odoevsky, reluctantly yielded power to Vasily Buturlin, but did not reconcile with this. There was no unity among other representatives of the city elite. Some remained secret adherents of the Poles, Vladislav, others turned their sights towards Sweden, hoping to get the tsar from this country, and still others supported representatives of Russian aristocratic families.
The Third Novgorod Chronicle tells about the atmosphere that reigned in the city: "There was no joy in the voivods, and the warriors with the townspeople could not be advised, some voivods drank incessantly, and the voivode Vasily Buturlin exiled with the German people, and the merchants brought all kinds of goods to them" …
Vasily Buturlin himself was convinced that the invitation to the Russian throne of one of the sons of King Charles IX - Gustav Adolf or his younger brother Prince Karl Philip - would save the country from the threat from Catholic Poland, which wants to destroy Orthodoxy, and end the struggle for power between the boyars. The leaders of the militia shared these views, hoping that the Novgorod forces, united with the troops of De la Gardie, could help in the liberation of Moscow from the Poles. Buturlin offered to pledge one of the frontier fortresses to the Swedes and confidentially informed De la Gardie that both Novgorod and Moscow wanted one of the royal sons to become tsars, if only they promised to preserve Orthodoxy. True, the problem was that King Charles IX, who was distinguished by his practicality, did not lay claim to the whole of Russia. He only wanted to increase his lands and remove Russia from the Baltic Sea. In this case, Sweden could enrich itself by mediating in Russian trade with Europe and deal a serious blow to the expansion of Poland.
De la Gardie conveyed royal demands to Buturlin: Sweden wanted for its help not only fortresses covering the approaches to the Baltic Sea - Ladoga, Noteburg, Yam, Koporye, Gdov and Ivangorod, but also Cola on the Kola Peninsula, which cut off Russia from sea trade with England on north. “Give half of the land! Russians would rather die! - Buturlin exclaimed, having familiarized himself with the list of Swedish claims. De la Gardie himself believed that the king's excessive appetites could bury an important matter. At his own risk, he promised to convince Charles IX to lower his requirements. For the time being, we can confine ourselves to a pledge as payment for military assistance to Ladoga and Noteburg. The king, as the commander assured, will respond favorably to the Russian requests, having learned that the Russians want to see one of his sons as their tsar.
The Russians and the Swedes agreed on neutrality, on the supply of supplies to the Swedes at reasonable prices, until a messenger arrives from the militia camp near Moscow with new instructions. On June 16, 1611, the leaders of the first militia agreed to transfer Ladoga and Oreshk (Noteburg) in exchange for urgent help. The leaders of the militia offered to discuss the possibility of inviting the Swedish prince to the Russian throne with De la Gardie when he arrived at the walls of Moscow. But already on June 23, after the first battles with Sapieha, who strengthened the Polish garrison in Moscow, the leaders of the militia agreed to call the Swedish prince to the Russian throne.
The message of the leaders of the militia Dmitry Trubetskoy, Ivan Zarutsky and Prokopy Lyapunov said the following: “Everything written by the chaplain and voivode Vasily Buturlin, as well as the letters of His Serene Highness King and Jacob Pontus, translated into our language, we ordered to publicly and publicly read; then, having weighed all the circumstances, not hastily and not somehow, but carefully, with discussion for several days, they decided as follows: with the permission of the Almighty, it happened that all the estates of the Muscovite state recognized the eldest son of King Charles IX, a young man with exceptional gentleness, prudence and an authority worthy of being elected Grand Duke and Sovereign of the Muscovite people. We, the noble citizens of the local principality, approved this unanimous decision of ours, having designated our names. The militia, according to the letter, has appointed an embassy to Sweden. The embassy was instructed to conclude an agreement with De la Gardie on bail, but the leaders of the militia urged the commander to persuade the king to abandon territorial claims - this could cause indignation of the people and prevent the prince from ascending to the throne.
However, the leaders of the militia were not a decree for the Novgorodians. Noteburg-Oreshek was part of the Novgorod land, and the inhabitants of Novgorod (mostly ordinary people) were not going to give their territory to the Swedes by order of the "Zemsky government". Delegations from Novgorod went to De la Gardie's camp to persuade the Swedes to go to Moscow without giving them anything in return. In the meantime, the Swedish army was gradually losing its combat effectiveness: the money to pay the mercenaries was delayed, they expressed dissatisfaction; foragers, who went on distant raids through villages in search of food, more and more often did not return to the camp, some were killed, others deserted. The Novgorod land had already been devastated by unrest, and despite the summer, the Swedes began to starve, which was accompanied by massive diseases. As a result, De la Gardie and his officers decided that they were being deceived: the Novgorodians wanted to decompose the army, holding out until the fall, when cold and disease would defeat the Swedes without firing a single shot. The council of war decided to take Novgorod by storm.
While negotiations with the Swedes, and merchants supplied them with goods, the defense of Novgorod was in desolation. Even when the Swedes crossed the Volkhov and reached the city itself, the negotiations continued and they did not take extraordinary measures to strengthen the Novgorod fortress. On July 8, the Swedes launched an attack. The attack failed. The Novgorodians, encouraged by their success, became even more proud. The procession of townspeople and monks, led by Metropolitan Isidore, who was holding the icon of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos, walked around the city walls with a procession of the cross. Prayers were held in churches all day until late at night. All the following days, drunks climbed the walls and scolded the Swedes, inviting them to visit, for dishes made of lead and gunpowder.
However, the Swedes have already decided to take the city. “God will punish Veliky Novgorod for treachery, and soon there will be nothing great in it! Necessity pushes to the assault, before our eyes - prey, glory and death. The booty goes to the brave, death overtakes the coward,”De la Gardie said to the regimental and company commanders who had gathered in his tent on the eve of the battle. A certain serf Ivan Shval was taken prisoner by the Swedes. He knew the city was poorly guarded and showed weaknesses. On the night of July 16, he led the Swedes through the Chudintsovsky Gate. And the Swedes blew up the Prussian gate. In addition, on the eve of the assault, Russian accomplices handed over to De la Gardie a drawing of the city, made in 1584, - the most detailed of those that existed at that time. Therefore, the Swedish commanders did not get confused in the interweaving of city streets. The Swedes began to seize the city without meeting any organized resistance. The defenders of the city were taken by surprise, failing to organize a serious defense. In a number of places in Novgorod, pockets of resistance arose, the Novgorodians fought bravely, but had no chance of success and died in an unequal battle.
The German Matvey Schaum, who was a priest in the army of De la Gardie, tells about the development of events after the entry of the Swedish troops into Novgorod: from the Cossacks or Streltsy could not seem. Meanwhile, the Germans knocked the Russians off the shaft and from one prong to another, from one place to another … ". Buturlin, deciding that the case was lost and angry at the obstinacy of the Novgorodians, led his troops across the bridge, not yet captured by the enemy, to the other side of the Volkhov. Along the way, his archers and Cossacks robbed the trading part of the city under the pretext that the goods would not get to the enemy: “Take, guys, everything is yours! Do not leave this booty to the enemy!"
Novgorod Metropolitan Isidor and Prince Odoevsky, who took refuge in the Novgorod Kremlin, seeing that resistance was pointless, decided to come to an agreement with De la Gardie. His first condition was the oath of the Novgorodians to the Swedish prince. De la Gardie himself promised not to destroy the city. After that, the Swedes occupied the Kremlin. On July 25, 1611, an agreement was signed between Novgorod and the Swedish king, according to which the Swedish king was declared the patron saint of Russia, and one of his sons (the prince Karl Philip) became the Tsar of Moscow and the Grand Duke of Novgorod. Thus, most of the Novgorod land became a formally independent Novgorod state under a Swedish protectorate, although in fact it was a Swedish military occupation. It was headed by Ivan Nikitich Bolshoi Odoevsky on the Russian side, and Jacob De la Gardie on the Swedish side. On their behalf, decrees were issued and land was distributed to estates to service people who had accepted the new Novgorod power.
On the whole, the treaty rather corresponded to the interests of the wealthy elite of Novgorod, who received the protection of the Swedish army from the Poles and numerous bandit formations that flooded Russia and De la Gardie himself, who saw grandiose prospects for himself in the new turn of the rapid flow of Russian events. It was clear that it was he who would become the main person in Russia under the young Swedish prince, who ascended the Russian throne. The ruins of burnt houses were still smoking, black flocks of crows still hovered over the golden domes, flocking to feast on uncleaned corpses, and recent enemies were already fraternizing to the accompaniment of the solemn bell ringing. De la Gardie, his colonels and captains sat at long tables in the mansion of the Novgorod governor Ivan Odoevsky, together with the Novgorod boyars and the richest merchants, raising cups in honor of the successful agreement.
Swedish military and statesman Jacob De la Gardie
