240 years ago, on January 10 (21), 1775, Emelyan Ivanovich Pugachev was executed on Bolotnaya Square in Moscow. Calling himself "Emperor Peter III", the Don Cossack raised the Yaik Cossacks to revolt. Soon the uprising escalated into the fire of the Peasant War, which engulfed a huge region and caused panic among part of the ruling class of the Russian Empire. Even Alexander Suvorov was summoned, but it was possible to extinguish the fire of the war before his arrival. After a series of defeats, Pugachev was betrayed by the Cossack foreman, hoping by this to win pardon from the government.
There were two main prerequisites for the Peasant War. First, in the 18th century, the Romanovs created classical serfdom. The Russian elite was cut off from the people, Europeanized. In fact, two "peoples" appeared in Russia - the Europeanized nobility, speaking German and French better than Russian, and the people themselves, living their own lives, very far from balls, masquerades and the burning of life by the nobility. Peter I tightened serfdom, and the "patriot" Elizaveta Petrovna legalized the sale of serfs. At the same time, after Peter Alekseevich, who, despite some of his negative features, knew how to work, the nobility dissolved (although not all: people like Rumyantsev, Suvorov and Ushakov supported the honor of the empire). In St. Petersburg, balls and holidays rolled in a continuous succession, a fashion for luxury was quickly introduced. Provincial nobles tried to follow the fashion of the capital. So they squeezed out of the serfs everything they could, or sold them, lost, pledged them. Millions of rubles survived from the peasantry were spent on entertainment, luxury goods, and were not invested in the development of the country.
The situation was especially difficult for the factory ("assigned") peasants, who were attributed to factories by whole villages, placing industrialists and their clerks under the power. Convicts, fugitives, huddled in the factories of the Urals, local clerks had the opportunity to hide them or give bribes to representatives of the authorities. In addition, the most active peasants still sought to hide in the Cossack regions, which enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy. The atmosphere of general injustice created the opportunity for a large-scale fire, a broad social base for a possible uprising. Serfs hated landlords, factory workers hated clerks, townspeople hated embezzlers and officials who abused their power.
Secondly, a difficult situation developed in the Cossack troops. On the one hand, the Cossack troops were subordinated to the government, having lost their former independence. On the other hand, the central government was not particularly interested in the affairs of the Cossacks, letting them take their course. The Cossack foreman communicated with the authorities, who within the Troops received almost uncontrolled power. This led to serious abuse. So, in the Don Army, power was usurped by the "family" of atamans Efremov. She seized military and stanitsa lands, spent military money uncontrollably, set extortions in her own interests. Looking at the "king" Stepan Efremov, the foreman was enriched as well. Those who expressed dissatisfaction were beaten by the ataman's henchmen.
A similar situation developed in the Yaitsky Host. Despite the preservation of self-government, the power was appropriated by the Cossack foreman, who manipulated the votes of the circle. The military chancellery became practically irreplaceable. Cossack foremen kept their salaries in their favor, introduced taxes on fishing and sale of fish, and other trades. The complaints of ordinary Cossacks did not give any result, since the officials who were sent communicated with the foremen and took bribes from them. As a result, the Cossacks split into the lured "ataman" and "people's" parties. Riots also broke out. Even before the Pugachev uprising, a series of uprisings took place, which were brutally suppressed. The Cossacks were hanged, impaled and quartered. Thus, the ground was prepared for the uprising. Simple Cossacks were angry. All that was needed was a leader.
On the Don, the uprising was averted. The government caught on, drew attention to the complaints of the Cossacks. Ataman Efremov was summoned to St. Petersburg. However, he was in no hurry, he found reasons to get out. He began to spread rumors among the Cossacks that they were going to be registered in the "regularity", frightening Petersburg with the possibility of rebellion. In order to deliver the ataman to the capital, General Cherepov was sent, but Efremov's henchmen beat him. Only on the second attempt was Efremov taken to St. Petersburg. From the capital, a commission was sent to the Don to investigate the complaints of the Cossacks, which was personally controlled by Potemkin and the empress. The lands illegally seized by Efremov were confiscated. Ataman was sentenced to death, but Catherine, in memory of her former participation in the palace coup, commuted the sentence to exile.
On Yaik, the situation got out of control. A commission of inquiry was established in Yaitsky town, but its decisions were not carried out. The Cossack delegates sent to the empress were arrested, declared rioters and imprisoned. A rumor spread through the army that they were going to join the regular troops, which caused new unrest. When the western branch of the Kalmyks, which was a subject of Russian citizenship, moved to the borders of China (the khan wanted to occupy the lands devastated by the Chinese massacre), the Yaik Army was ordered to chase and return the fugitives. However, the Cossacks refused to obey the order. In January 1772, the Cossacks in Yaitsky town moved to the house where General Traubenberg and Captain Durnov from the commission of inquiry were staying. They demanded the removal of the Military Chancellery and the payment of salaries. Traubenberg responded with a military command with cannons. The Cossacks rushed to the attack and won. Traubenberg was killed, ataman Tambovtsev was hanged. People were again sent to the capital to explain the situation. However, the authorities responded with General Freiman's punitive expedition. The rebels were defeated. Hundreds of people were exiled to Siberia and enlisted as soldiers. The military self-government was liquidated, the Army was subordinated to the commandant of the Yaitsky town.
As a result, the Cossacks, having not received justice, became angry. Moreover, the military foreman was also unhappy with the liquidation of self-government, which gave them the opportunity to enrich themselves. It was then that Emelyan Pugachev showed up. The Don Cossack had the experience of the Seven Years, Polish and Russian-Turkish wars. He was an excellent fighter, rose to the rank of cornet. However, he was distinguished by adventurism, a tendency to vagrancy. In 1771, Pugachev fell ill and was sent home for treatment. The Cossack went to Taganrog to visit his sister. In a conversation with his son-in-law, Pugachev learned that he and several comrades were dissatisfied with the order in the regiment and wanted to desert. Pugachev helped Pavlov escape to the Kuban. But soon Pavlov changed his mind, returned and repented. And for facilitating the escape, Emelyan Pugachev was outlawed. Pugachev was forced to go into hiding, was repeatedly arrested and fled, trying to hide on the Terek. Been in schismatic sketes.
During his wanderings, Pugachev ended up on Yaik. At first, he wanted to incite a group of Cossacks to go into the service of the Ottomans like the Nekrasovites. Then he was noticed by the rich Cossacks, who did not want to abandon the economy, but wanted to organize a rebellion. They planned to scare the government, return self-government. As a result, Pugachev turned into "Peter III Fedorovich", becoming an impostor. September 18, 1773a small detachment of Pugachev appeared at the Yaitsky town. It was not possible to take the fortress and Pugachev and his army headed up the Yaik. The capture of the fortresses of the Yaitskaya line - Rossypnaya, Nizhneozernaya, Tatishcheva, Chernorechenskaya, proceeded according to a similar scenario. Garrisons of small fortresses, consisting of soldiers and Cossacks written off as invalids, mostly went over to the side of the rebels. The officers were killed.
In Seitovaya Sloboda, a decree was drawn up to the Mishars (Meshcheryaks) and Bashkirs with an appeal to join the army of the "sovereign", in return they promised gunpowder and salt, ownership of forests and rivers. The Bashkirs, Tatars and Kalmyks began to actively join the uprising. October 5, 1773 7 thous. Pugachev's detachment approached Orenburg. The siege lasted until mid-March 1774 and was unsuccessful. As a result, the main forces of Pugachev were bound by the siege of Orenburg, which allowed the government to take retaliatory measures and prevent the Cossacks from raising an uprising in the central provinces of Russia, which could dramatically complicate the situation.
Pugachev still portrayed the tsar, arranged feasts, tried to take Orenburg. However, the real power was possessed by his colonels, the Cossack foreman. Zarubin, Shigaev, Padurov, Ovchinnikov, Chumakov, Lysov, Perfilyev and others zealously watched Pugachev, did not allow new people to appear around him who could influence the decision of the "tsar". So several officers were killed, who took the oath to the "king", his lover Kharlova, the widow of the commandant of the Nizhneozernaya fortress who had been hanged the day before. The Cossack foreman had several options for action. One could try to kindle a new Troubles. However, this scenario was broken by the protracted siege of Orenburg, which led to the loss of strategic initiative by the Cossacks. In addition, one could simply "take a walk", intimidate Petersburg, forcing it to make concessions, and then surrender Pugachev to punishment. In fact, the rebels did not have a positive program, so the Peasant War was doomed to defeat.
In the spring of 1774, the situation of the rebels became more complicated. Reliable troops began to be transferred from the Turkish front. The pacification was entrusted to the experienced general Alexander Bibikov. The Pugachevites began to suffer defeats, losing one by one the captured fortresses on the border lines. The siege was lifted from Orenburg. On March 22, in the battle at the Tatishcheva fortress, the Pugachevites were defeated. On April 1, they suffered another heavy defeat at the Sakmara town. However, the death of General Bibikov caused a pause in hostilities, and intrigues began among the generals. The rebels, defeated and scattered across the steppe, were able to regroup their forces, having gathered in the Upper Urals. On May 5-6, the rebels were able to take the Magnitsky fortress. Ural peasants and mining workers joined Pugachev's detachments.
Pugachev's army becomes peasant in composition, losing combat capability and the ability to resist government troops in open battle. The war took on the character of flight and pursuit. Pugachev suffers another defeat, runs away, new crowds of insurgent peasants, workers and foreigners adjoin him on the way. Manors are on fire, nobles and clerks and their families are being killed. Defeat and flight again.
The war is gaining momentum. The Pugachevites take the fortresses of Karagai, Peter and Paul and Steppe. On May 20, the storming of the Trinity Fortress ended in success. However, on May 21, the camp of the rebels was defeated by the troops of General I. A. Decolong. Most of the rebels were captured or scattered. Pugachev again runs with a small group. His squad is reinforced by the Bashkirs of Salavat Yulaev. On June 10, Pugachev entered Krasnoufimsk, then took the town of Osu. The Pugachevites moved to the right bank of the Kama, took the Rozhdestvensky, Votkinsky and Izhevsky factories in the 20th of June. On July 12, most of Kazan was taken. There were almost no troops here, all went to Orenburg. Here the Pugachevites were again overtaken by General Mikhelson. The rebels suffered a severe defeat.
Pugachev fled with a detachment of 500 people and crossed the Volga. Here serfs began to join the rebels. The peasants joined the "tsar" or formed separate detachments. Most of the Bashkirs refused to follow the "king" and returned to the Ufa region, where the uprising continued until late autumn 1774. Pugachev did not dare to go to Moscow. He turned south, decided to go through the Volga cities, then raise the Don or go to the Kuban.
The Volga cities - Kurmysh, Alatyr, Saransk, Penza, Saratov, practically surrendered without a fight. The pretender was greeted with bread and salt, and the "priests" were greeted with crosses. Pugachev again gathered large forces - up to 10 thousand people. The government had to send additional forces to suppress the uprising. They threw on Pugachev and the famous Suvorov.
Pugachev, having reached the Don Army, realized that it would not work to raise the Don Cossacks. Tsaritsyn could not be taken. On August 25, 1774, General Mikhelson defeated the rebels at Cherny Yar. In one battle, more than 8 thousand people were lost, killed and captured. Among the dead was a prominent associate of the impostor, Andrei Ovchinnikov. Pugachev fled across the Volga with a small group of Cossacks. The impostor offered the Cossacks to run further, to the Zaporozhye Cossacks, or to Turkey, like the Nekrasovites, or to leave for Bashkiria or Siberia. However, the Cossack colonels decided to hand over Pugachev to the authorities and receive a pardon. On September 8, Pugachev was tied up and on September 15 was taken to Yaitsky town.
On November 4, the escort team delivered Pugachev to Moscow. On December 31, the verdict was announced: "To quarter Emelka Pugachev, stick his head on a stake, smash the body parts in four parts of the city and put them on wheels, and then burn them in those places." The verdict was carried out on January 10 (21), 1775 on Bolotnaya Square. Standing on the scaffold, Pugachev said: "Forgive, Orthodox people, let me go of what I have sinned before you … Forgive, Orthodox people!"
The village of Zimoveyskaya, where Emelyan Pugachev was born, was renamed Potemkin. At the end of 1775, Empress Catherine II announced a general pardon for the surviving participants in the uprising and ordered to consign it to eternal oblivion. For this, the Yaik River was renamed into the Ural, the Yaitsky town - into Uralsk, and the Yaitskoye Host - into the Ural. At the same time, the management of the Ural Army was reformed along the lines of the Donskoy, the general circles were canceled, and the military chieftains became appointed.
