Why National Unity Day 4. What is National Unity Day? How the holiday appeared and why no one knows about it

12.03.2020

On November 4, Russians celebrate National Unity Day. What are we celebrating? Unfortunately, most citizens of the Russian Federation cannot give a clear answer to this question. Few people know the historical side of the holiday. explains what National Unity Day is

Monument to Minin and Pozharsky in Moscow. Photo: travel.rambler.ru

What happened on November 4?

On November 4 (October 22, old style), 1612, the people's militia, led by the zemstvo elder Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, liberated Moscow from Polish invaders.

How did the Poles appear on Russian lands?

National Unity Day was established in memory of the events of November 4 (October 22, old style) 1612. At the end of the 16th century, the Rurik dynasty was interrupted: in 1598, the childless son of Ivan the Terrible, Fyodor Ioannovich, died. The country was left virtually without governance. The throne was taken by Boris Godunov, a boyar and brother-in-law of Tsar Fedor I Ioannovich. However, for the nobility, Godunov’s rights to supreme power were illegitimate. Then impostors began to appear “on the horizon”, posing as the deceased youngest son of Ivan the Grozdy, Dmitry. The state was experiencing political and economic crises.

Ivan the Terrible (painting by V. Vasnetsov “Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible”), Fyodor I Ioannovich (portrait from the “Tsar’s Title Book”), Boris Godunov

In 1605, the first “resurrected” son of Ivan the Terrible appeared in Russia - the impostor False Dmitry I, who, with the support of the Cossacks and rebels, entered the capital with his retinue and was crowned king in the Assumption Cathedral. The ruler did not last long on the throne - in 1606 he was killed by conspirators. But soon a new impostor appeared - False Dmitry II. He and Polish-Lithuanian troops set out on a campaign against Moscow, but he failed to capture the capital.

Painting by K.F. Lebedev “Entry of the troops of False Dmitry I into Moscow” (1890s)

Meanwhile, in 1609, the Polish king Sigismund III invaded Russian lands, part of which came under the control of Polish-Lithuanian troops. Finally, in 1611, the former Tsar Vasily Shuisky and his brothers took the oath to the Polish king, and the boyars allowed foreign troops into Moscow. In the winter of the same year, after the call of Patriarch Hermogenes to defend the Church and the Fatherland, the First People's Militia was created. But the militias failed to liberate the capital from the invaders. A new militia was assembled.

Painting by Ernst Lissner “The Expulsion of Polish Interventionists from the Moscow Kremlin in 1612”

Who are Minin and Pozharsky?

Nizhny Novgorod zemstvo elder Kuzma Minin appealed to the townspeople to repel the enemy.

“Orthodox people, we want to help the Moscow state, we will not spare our bellies, and not just our bellies - we will sell our yards, we will pawn our wives and children and we will beat our heads so that someone will become our boss. And what praise will all of us receive from the Russian land that such a great thing will happen from such a small city as ours.”

Novgorod Prince Dmitry Pozharsky was invited to the post of chief governor of the Second People's Militia. The failure of the first militia did not frighten the people at all, quite the contrary. Thousands of people of various nationalities stood under the banners of Minin and Pozharsky and marched on Moscow to drive out the Polish invaders. On November 4, 1612, militias stormed Kitay-Gorod in Moscow and expelled Polish troops.

According to legend, the army of the Second Militia entered Moscow with the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which became the patroness of the war-liberators. The confidence that it was thanks to the icon that the Poles were driven out was so deep that Pozharsky built a temple in honor of the shrine on the edge of Red Square - the Kazan Cathedral.

Painting by Mikhail Scotti “Minin and Pozharsky in Moscow” (1870)

Why is November 4th so important?

With the expulsion of the Poles from Moscow, the period of the Time of Troubles, which lasted approximately 15 years, ended. In February 1613, Tsar Mikhail Romanov, the first representative of the Romanov dynasty, ascended the throne of Russia.

When did the holiday appear?

In 1649, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov ordered to celebrate on November 4 (October 22, old style) the day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which helped save Moscow and Russia from the invasion of the Poles in 1612. The icon was also revered as the patroness of the Romanov dynasty.

During the Soviet years, November 4 was not celebrated. November 7 was considered a holiday - the Day of the Great October Socialist Revolution.

In Russia, the holiday was established by the Federal Law “On the inclusion in Article 1 of the Federal Law “On the Days of Military Glory (Victory Days) of Russia”, signed in December 2004 by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The establishment of the holiday was supported by Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus'.

Kazan Cathedral in Moscow, built by Dmitry Pozharsky. Photo smileplanet.ru

What are we celebrating?

One of the explanations for why November 4 is called “Day of National Unity” is given in the explanatory note to the draft law introducing a new holiday:

“November 4, 1612, soldiers of the people’s militia<…>demonstrated an example of heroism and unity of the entire people, regardless of origin, religion and position in society.”

But, in essence, National Unity Day is not a new holiday, but a return to an old tradition. Moreover, the church tradition of venerating a religious shrine. But almost no one cares about this, like the whole holiday as a whole. In 2013, the research center of the Superjob.ru portal found that the majority of Russians (54%) perceive November 4 as just a “regular day off” and do not consider this day a holiday. The situation has not changed much: on November 3, 2017, VTsIOM published the results of a study, according to which Russians do not understand why there are three days off in November. Only 12% of respondents could remember the name of the holiday.

This does not mean that this holiday should not exist. Moreover, it already exists. If the state does not conduct long-term and educational PR campaigns, then November 4 has only one future - itwill be perceived as nothing more than an extra day off.

National Unity Day in Russia is a public holiday celebrated annually on November 4th. This date was not chosen by chance. Despite its apparent youth, historically National Unity Day is associated with distant events of the early 17th century, when in 1612 Moscow was finally liberated from Polish invaders. It was on November 4 (October 22, old style) that the people's militia, led by the Nizhny Novgorod governor Kozma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, successfully stormed Kitay-Gorod, forcing the command of the Polish army to sign an immediate surrender. Dmitry Pozharsky was the first to enter the liberated city with the sacred icon of the Kazan Mother of God in his hands. It was she, as they sacredly believed in Rus', who helped protect the Moscow State from the Polish invasion.

In 1625, Dmitry Pozharsky, in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the victory over the Poles, built a wooden church on Red Square at his own expense. The stone Kazan Cathedral appeared only in 1635; it was built on the site of a wooden church that burned down during the fire of Moscow. In 1649, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich issued a decree that November 4 is a public holiday, the day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The holiday was celebrated in Russia until the 1917 Revolution.

Day of National Unity of Russia in our time

In honor of the day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the glorious victory of the Russian army over the Polish invaders, Russian President V. Putin in 2005 signed a decree establishing a new state holiday in Russia on November 4, National Unity Day. And the very idea of celebrating the holiday on this day belongs to the Interreligious Council of Russia. Therefore, National Unity Day is not only a secular, but also an interreligious holiday, which is celebrated by all residents of the country and representatives of different religions and denominations.

Traditions of Russian National Unity Day

It would be a mistake to think that National Unity Day in Russia has replaced everyone’s favorite November 7th. But, like November 7th, on this solemn day there are concerts, demonstrations and mass processions, and charity events. Also on this day, a gala government reception is always held in the Great Kremlin Hall, at which people who have made a great contribution to the development and prosperity of Russia are awarded. On the evening of November 4, it has become a good tradition to organize visual shows and fireworks, festive celebrations and concerts.

Now in Russia National Unity Day is becoming more and more popular. After all, pride in one’s Motherland, in its past and present, and faith in its happy future is what invariably unites people and makes them a single people.

Today, perhaps, every person in Russia knows about such a holiday as “National Unity Day”. Although, it would seem, not so long ago, such an event was not celebrated at all. Today, most people are already accustomed to the fact that November 4 is considered a red day on the calendar, and some young people who were born no more than 13 years ago will not even remember that this day was once not celebrated.

The emergence of the holiday “National Unity Day”

This national holiday has been celebrated in Russia for more than 10 years. To be more precise, its appearance dates back to 2005. It was then, November 4, that this day became a red day of the calendar, and millions of people throughout the Russian Federation began a new tradition associated with festivities on the occasion of the holiday.

Despite the fact that the tradition associated with folk festivities on November 4 is only 12 years old, the roots of the holiday go back several centuries. And we will look into why National Unity Day is celebrated on November 4th below.

As we have already said, the history of the holiday goes back several centuries. To be precise, we are talking about 1612. It was then that the Russian people's militia fought with the fighters of Poland (Rzeczpospolita), and managed to win a crucial victory. This victory allowed the fighters to take control of Kitay-gorod, and also, as a result, to come to the point that the fighters of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth signed an act of surrender, releasing the Russian boyars from the Kremlin, as well as important people who were kept in captivity there.

Thus, thanks to the unity shown by the people, great success and great victory were achieved. This event remained in the memory of many people and directly in the history of Russia, and today it has long become a holiday, and annually gathers thousands of people in all cities of Russia.

Celebrating the event

Since 2005, the holiday annually attracts thousands of people in different cities of Russia. Traditionally, the city of Nizhny Novgorod was chosen as the center for the celebrations, but the celebrations themselves, of course, take place in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and most other cities.

By 2013, according to statistics, the celebrations had grown to such a scale that they became the largest since the holiday acquired state status.

And now you will know why National Unity Day is celebrated on November 4, and what is the reason for the name of this holiday.

14.09.2016

Among the large number of Russian holidays, one cannot help but highlight National Unity Day, which is celebrated on November 4th. Let's figure out what events this significant date is dedicated to and why it was recognized as a day off by government decree. November 4th is not a new holiday, but symbolizes a return to old traditions.

This great and important day for Russia is inextricably linked with the historical events that took place in Moscow in the 17th century. In 1612, the city was captured by Polish invaders, who committed outrages, robbed, and killed the local population. And it was on November 4 that the people's militia, led by Russian national heroes Dmitry Pozharsky, a military and political figure, and Kuzma Minin, a Nizhny Novgorod citizen, a meat and fish seller, took Kitay-Gorod by storm.

Thus, Moscow was liberated from the Polish invaders. November 4 has become a significant date in the history of Russia and an example of heroism, courage and unity of all segments of the population, regardless of origin, status in society and religion. The people, united under a single flag, became the winner in the struggle for the liberation of their native land. The command of the well-trained and prepared military garrison of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth decided on complete and unconditional surrender.

This historic event confirms the great power of national unity. Many political figures and modern historians consider November 4 to be the most important day for Russia, which predetermined the end of the Time of Troubles back in 1612. It is also believed that it was November 4, 1612 that determined further historical events of the country, including the revolution, world and domestic wars.

National Unity Day is a red day on the calendar, serving as a reminder to the multinational people of the country of victories, triumphs, defeats, and fallen national heroes, emphasizing the need for unity, cohesion in achieving the intended goals along the path of economic development of the state, as well as building a fair society. Since 2005, Nizhny Novgorod has been considered the center of celebration of National Unity Day.

In 2005, the city held the grand opening of a monument to elder Kuzma Minin and governor Dmitry Pozharsky. Along with the celebrations in Nizhny Novgorod, in the capital and other cities of the Russian Federation, religious processions, laying flowers to Russian national heroes, numerous marches, creativity festivals, and holiday festivities are held, organized with funds from local budgets.

Also, heads of administrations and top officials of the state take part in the celebration of November 4, as the Day of National Unity. In 2013, the largest “Russian March” took place, attracting more than 20,000 participants. The great and significant holiday celebrated on November 4 is a celebration of love, kindness, care for loved ones and people in need, as well as their support!

By the way, they did a nice thing on November 7 - now this day officially marks the anniversary of the famous Parade on Red Square in November 1941. Then the parade seemed to have been started in honor of the 24th anniversary of the same October Revolution, but contemporaries remembered it more for another reason - a demonstration of military power in Moscow, which was besieged by the Nazis and outright lost the first months of the Great Patriotic War. However, let's return to the November 4 holiday - it's time to see why our legislators chose this date.

The time of troubles begins

At the end of the 16th century, Russia entered one of the most unstable periods in its history. In 1598, the last tsar from the Rurik dynasty, Fyodor Ioannovich, died, leaving no heirs. The country was devastated - the countless aggressive campaigns of Ivan IV the Terrible had an effect, and the Livonian War was especially difficult for Russia. Historians wrote that ordinary people in those years were mortally tired - both from wars and from the authorities, which, after the cruel oprichnina, they simply stopped respecting. A serious factor of instability was crop failure, which provoked a terrible famine of 1601-1603, which killed up to 0.5 million people.

The authorities, represented by the new monarch, former boyar Boris Godunov, did not sit idly by. People flocked to Moscow in droves, where they were given bread and money from state reserves. But Godunov’s kindness played against him - the chaos only intensified due to the peasant gangs formed in the capital (they included serfs and servants expelled from noble estates due to the landowner’s lack of money and work).

The Time of Troubles began due to the spread of rumors that the legitimate heir to the throne - Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich from the Rurik dynasty - was still alive and not dead, as was commonly believed before. But the rumors were spread by an impostor who went down in history under the name “ False Dmitry" Having enlisted the support of Polish aristocrats and converted to Catholicism, in 1604 he gathered an army and set off on a campaign against Moscow. What helped him win was not so much his own talents as the failures of the authorities - the betrayal of governor Basmanov and the death of Godunov. On June 20, 1605, Moscow greeted False Dmitry with jubilation. But the boyars and ordinary Muscovites quickly realized that the new tsar was very focused on Poland. The last straw was the arrival of False Dmitry's Polish accomplices in the capital - on May 16, 1606, an uprising broke out, during which the impostor was killed. The country was headed by the representative of the “Suzdal” branch of Rurikovich, the noble boyar Vasily Shuisky.

However, it did not become calmer. The first two years of the new government were seriously threatened by the rebel Cossacks, peasants and mercenaries of Ivan Bolotnikov - there was a time when the rebels, angry with the boyar arbitrariness, stood near Moscow. In 1607, a new impostor appeared - False Dmitry II (also known as the “Tushinsky thief”) - a year later, seven significant Russian cities were under his rule, including Yaroslavl, Vladimir and Kostroma. In the same year, the Nogai Horde and the Crimean Tatars decided to raid Russian lands for the first time in many years.

Together with False Dmitry II, Polish troops came to Rus' (until unofficially). Even for the interventionists, they behaved, to put it mildly, defiantly - they plundered cities (even those that voluntarily agreed to the rule of the new “tsar”), imposed excessive taxes on the local population and “fed” in them. A national liberation movement arose, and it was supported by the authorities - Russia concluded the Vyborg Treaty with Sweden, according to which, in exchange for the Korelsky district, it received a 15,000-strong detachment of mercenaries. Together with them, the talented Russian commander, a relative of the legitimate Tsar, Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky, inflicted several sensitive defeats on the invaders.

But here Russia was unlucky again. Tsar Shuisky and his brother Dmitry, frightened by the popularity of Skopin-Shuisky, poisoned the young military leader (otherwise the power would be taken away!). And then, as luck would have it, the Polish king Sigismund III declared war on his neighbor, exhausted by internal problems, and besieged the powerful fortress of Smolensk. But in the battle of July 4, 1610 at Klushino, the Russian troops, led by the mediocre Dmitry, were defeated by the Poles due to the betrayal of German mercenaries. Having learned about the successes of the Polish army, False Dmitry II came to Moscow from the south.

In the capital itself there was already a new government - the boyars lost the last remnants of trust in the “boyar tsar” Shuisky and overthrew him. As a result, a council of seven boyars came to power, which went down in history as the Seven Boyars. The new rulers immediately decided who would become their king - the choice fell on the Polish prince Vladislav.

But here the people had already opposed - no one wanted a Catholic ruler. People decided that it was better to have “their” False Dmitry than Vladislav. One after another, even those cities that had previously fought desperately against him began to swear allegiance to the impostor. The Seven Boyars were afraid of False Dmitry II and took an unheard of step - they allowed Polish-Lithuanian troops into Moscow. The impostor fled to Kaluga. The people were on his side - people really didn’t like the way the Polish interventionists behaved in the country. The self-proclaimed Rurikovich really began to fight the Poles - he liberated several cities and defeated the army of the Polish hetman Sapieha. But on December 11, 1610, he quarreled with the Tatar guards and was killed. It became clear that no one except the Russians themselves would save the country.

People's militias

There were two of them. The first was headed by the Ryazan nobleman Prokopiy Lyapunov. His power was recognized by former supporters of False Dmitry II: Prince Dmitry Trubetskoy, Grigory Shakhovskoy, and the Cossacks of Ivan Zarutsky. The Poles knew about the conspiracy and were nervous: as a result, they mistook a domestic quarrel in the market for the beginning of an uprising and massacred thousands of Muscovites. In China Town alone, the number of victims reached seven thousand...

At the end of March 1611, the First Militia approached Moscow. The militia took several districts of Moscow (White City, Zemlyanoy Gorod, part of Kitay-Gorod), and then elected a “provisional government” called the “Council of the Whole Land”, led by Lyapunov, Trubetskoy and Zarutsky. But at one of the military councils of the militia, the Cossacks rebelled and killed Lyapunov. The two remaining members of the council decided to keep the Kremlin with the Polish garrison entrenched in it under siege until the Second Militia arrived.

Problems followed one after another. After a long siege, the Poles took Smolensk, the Crimean Tatars ravaged the Ryazan region, the Swedes turned from allies into enemies - Novgorod fell under their onslaught. And in December, Pskov was captured by the third False Dmitry... Soon the entire north-west of Russia recognized the next impostor.

The second militia arose in September 1611 in Nizhny Novgorod. Its basis was made up of peasants from the northern and central regions of Russia, as well as city dwellers. It was headed by the Nizhny Novgorod zemstvo elder Kuzma Minin. He was supported first by the townspeople, and then by everyone else - service people (military) and governors, the clergy, the city council. At a general gathering of townspeople, Archpriest Savva delivered a sermon, and then Minin himself called on his fellow citizens to liberate the country from the occupiers. Inspired by his speech, the townspeople decided that every resident of Nizhny Novgorod and the district would transfer part of their property to the maintenance of the “military people”. Minin was entrusted with distributing income - trust in him was one hundred percent.

For military leadership, he invited Prince Pozharsky. It was difficult to think of a better candidate - the nobleman was Rurikovich, in 1608 he defeated the troops of False Dmitry II, remained faithful to the Moscow kings, and in March 1611 took part in the battle for Moscow, where he was seriously wounded. The people of Nizhny Novgorod also liked his personal qualities: the prince was an honest, disinterested, fair person, and he made thoughtful and rational decisions. A delegation from Nizhny Novgorod went to see Pozharsky, who was healing his wounds, on his estate 60 km away several times - but the prince, according to the etiquette of those times, invariably refused and agreed only when Archimandrite Theodosius came to him. There was only one condition - Pozharsky was ready to cooperate only with Kuzma Minin, whom he trusted unconditionally in economic matters.

Pozharsky arrived in Nizhny Novgorod at the end of October 1611. Quite quickly, he managed to increase the number of militias from 750 to 3,000 people - the ranks of the liberators were supplemented by servicemen from Smolensk, Vyazma and Dorogobuzh. They immediately began to be paid a salary - from 30 to 50 rubles a year. Having learned about this, Ryazan, Kolomna, Cossacks and archers from outlying cities began to join the militia.

Good organization of work (both with money and with people) quickly led to the fact that the Second Militia - more precisely, the Council of the Whole Land created by it - became a “center of power” along with the Moscow “Seven Boyars” and the Cossack freemen of Zarutsky and Trubetskoy. At the same time, the new leaders - unlike the leaders of the First Militia - clearly knew what they wanted from the very beginning. In a December letter addressed to the population of Vologda, they wrote that they wanted to end civil strife, cleanse the Moscow state of enemies and not commit arbitrariness.

The militia left Nizhny Novgorod at the end of February 1612. Having reached Reshma, Pozharsky learned that Pskov, Trubetskoy and Zarutsky had sworn allegiance to False Dmitry III (the fugitive monk Isidore was hiding under his name). As a result, it was decided to temporarily stop in Yaroslavl. The ancient city became the capital of the militia.

Here the militia stayed until July 1612. In Yaroslavl, the Council of the Whole Land was finally formed, it included representatives of noble families - the Dolgorukies, Kurakins, Buturlins, Sheremetevs, but it was still headed by Pozharsky and Minin. Kuzma was illiterate, so the prince “had a hand” in his behalf. To issue Council documents—letters—the signatures of all its members were required. It is characteristic that, due to the custom of localism that existed at that time, Pozharsky’s signature was only the 10th, and Minin’s was the 15th.

From Yaroslavl, the militia carried out military operations (against Polish-Lithuanian detachments and the Cossack freemen of Zarutsky, cutting off the latter from communications), and diplomatic negotiations - they decided to pacify the Swedes by cunning, offering the king’s brother the Russian throne, and asked the Holy Roman Empire for help in exchange for throne for the emperor's protege. Subsequently, both the Swede Karl Philip and the German Prince Maximilian were refused. At the same time, work was carried out to restore order in the controlled territory and recruit new militias. As a result, the number of the Second Militia grew to 10,000 well-armed, trained warriors.

The time to act has come in September (new style). The 12,000-strong detachment of the Polish hetman Chodkiewicz tried to release the Polish garrison locked in the Kremlin. On September 2, the first battle of the Moscow Battle took place: from 13 to 20 pm the cavalry detachments of Pozharsky and Khodkevich fought. Prince Trubetskoy, who seemed to support the Second Militia, behaved strangely: having asked Pozharskaya for 500 cavalry, he did not allow them to take part in the battle and support the militia. As a result, the hundreds of cavalry attached to the prince left him without permission and, together with part of Trubetskoy’s Cossacks, helped Pozharsky first push the Poles back to their original positions, and then push them back to the Donskoy Monastery.

On September 3, a new battle took place. Prince Trubetskoy again chose not to intervene in the battle, as a result of which the Poles occupied an important fortified point and captured a garrison of Cossacks. The intervention of the cellarer of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, Abraham Palitsyn, saved the militia from defeat - he promised Trubetskoy’s Cossacks that they would be paid a salary from the monastery treasury, and after that they nevertheless joined the militia.

The decisive battle took place on September 4. The militia fought with the Poles for 14 hours. During the battle, Kuzma Minin distinguished himself - his small cavalry detachment made a daring foray and sowed panic in Khodkevich’s camp. The scales tipped on the side of Pozharsky’s army - together with Trubetskoy’s Cossacks, he put the Poles to flight. The very next day, the hetman left Moscow with the remnants of his army.

The Polish garrison remained - two detachments of colonels Strus and Budyla, defending the Kitay-Gorod area and the Kremlin. Both the traitor boyars and the future Tsar Mikhail Romanov were in the citadel. After a month-long siege, Pozharsky invited his opponents to surrender and in return promised to save their lives, but the arrogant Poles responded with a categorical refusal. On November 4, according to the new style, the militia stormed Kitay-Gorod (we celebrate this date as National Unity Day), but the Kremlin remained under the control of the occupiers. Hunger reigned in the Polish camp - according to eyewitnesses, the interventionists descended to cannibalism. On November 5, they finally surrendered. Budila's troops were captured by Pozharsky, and the prince, as promised, spared their lives. Strus's detachment was captured by the Cossacks - and every last one of the Poles was slaughtered. On November 6, 1612, after a solemn prayer service, the troops of Prince Pozharsky entered the city to the ringing of bells with banners and banners. Moscow was liberated.

In January 1613, the first all-class Zemsky Sobor in history was held in Moscow - it was attended by representatives of all classes, including the peasantry. The candidacies of foreign contenders for the Russian throne - Polish Prince Vladislav, Swede Karl Philip and others - were rejected. The delegates were also not interested in the “crow” - the son of Marina Mnishek and False Dmitry II, Ivan. But none of the eight “Russian” candidates, including Pozharsky himself, found full support. As a result, those gathered voted for a “compromise” option - the son of the influential Patriarch Filaret, Mikhail Romanov. The election that marked the beginning of the new dynasty took place on February 7, 1613.

The Time of Troubles in Russia, however, is not over yet. The new tsar had to deal with the rebellious ataman Zarutsky, the Swedes and a 20,000-strong detachment of Poles who, together with the Zaporozhye Cossacks, besieged Moscow in 1618.

Until 1640, the hero of the Time of Troubles, Prince Pozharsky, faithfully served the Romanovs - Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexei Mikhailovich trusted him with the most important matters.

The results of the Troubles were difficult. The Moscow state lost access to the Baltic for more than 100 years, and the strategic fortress of Smolensk for several decades. The amount of plowed land decreased by 20 times, and the number of peasants capable of working on it decreased by 4 times. Many cities - for example, Veliky Novgorod - were completely destroyed. But the most important result was still a “plus” - Rus', in conditions of external aggression and internal turmoil, retained its independence.