The main directions of foreign policy in 17. The main directions and results of Russian foreign policy in the 17th century

Have a good day everyone! We continue our immersion in the history of Russia. Foreign policy of the 17th century is a topic that needs to be understood very well. Of course, it differs from the complexity and diversity of directions. However, it is worth remembering that the main directions have remained unchanged. This topic is important. You can't imagine how many guys trip over it during the exam. Therefore, I recommend reading this article to the end.

Episode of the Smolensk War

Directions

In the 17th century, the traditional main directions of foreign policy were relevant to the Moscow state:

The Western direction included several tasks

1. Reunification with the Old Russian Ukrainian and Belarusian lands, which had been under the rule of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth since the 14th century. Since the beginning of the century, Poland began to actively pursue a policy of Polishing the Orthodox Ukrainian population, imposing Polish (the strictest) serfdom, introducing the Polish language and the Catholic faith. Such violent actions caused protest, first passive, when people united into brotherhoods and did not accept the new order, and then active, which resulted in the uprising of Bohdan Khmelnytsky. As a result, the matter ended with the fact that in 1654, left-bank Ukraine with Kiev on the right bank of the Dnieper recognized the supremacy of Muscovy and became part of it with the rights of autonomy. This led to the long Russian-Polish war of 1654 - 1667, about which read more.
2. The struggle for access to the Baltic Sea. You must remember that in the 16th century there was a long Livonian War for access to the Baltic states in order to establish trade through the Baltic Sea. But nothing worked out for Ivan the Terrible. Why, . Of course, the problem required solutions. As a result, under Alexei Mikhailovich, Muscovy began a war with Sweden from 1656 to 1658. The conflict ended with the Peace of Kardis, according to which Muscovy renounced all its acquisitions during the war in this region. There was no war on two fronts!

South direction

In the south, the key opponents of the Muscovite kingdom were the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire. The Crimeans continued to attack the south of the country, capture people and create all sorts of lawlessness. Turkey generally had imperial plans to conquer Poland, Austria, and expand its territories in the Balkans.

When the war with Poland began in Ukraine, Turkey decided to take advantage of the situation and attack it. Hetman of the Right Bank Independent Peter Doroshenko recognized the power of the Sultan, who, in turn, soon promised the hetman the acquisition of Kyiv, as well as other lands east of the Dnieper.

And as we said above, these lands were already behind Muscovy. Therefore, the Russian-Turkish war of 1672 - 1681 was inevitable. It ended with the Bakhchisarai Peace Treaty, according to which the border between the countries now ran along the Dnieper, the Ottomans recognized Kyiv and Left Bank Ukraine as Moscow; the Cossacks could now fish, and the Crimeans could roam near the Dnieper. Thus, the Muscovite kingdom conquered Ukraine not only from Poland, but also from Turkey.

East direction

I’m sure many of you are asking yourself the question: what kind of eastern direction can there be, since Moscow annexed the Kazan Khanate (1552), the Astrakhan Khanate (1556), and began annexing the Siberian Khanate in 1581! Where further to the East? After all, the country had a small population.

The answer will be quite simple! The fact is that here we have the so-called spontaneous colonization. Many peasants fled from serfdom, wars and devastation, and turmoil to the East. Here they taught the Russian language and the Orthodox faith to the locals. There were also various adventurers like Khabarov, Dezhnev, Poyarkov and others who wanted to find out what was next in the East!

Dezhnev's expedition

As a result, in 1689, the Treaty of Nerchinsk was concluded between Muscovy and China, according to which the border between the states passed along the Amur River. In fact, central Siberia and the Far East were not at all developed by the Russian people. These were distinctive areas where the local population lived, who obtained food in traditional ways. If you think about it, even now in a number of regions of these territories the way of life has practically not changed.

So the Japanese could have easily captured Kamchatka, if only they had not been too carried away by slaughtering each other, and then had not protected themselves from the whole world with a policy of self-isolation. They had a great chance! And now they are forced to live on their islands, waiting for a new eruption of deadly volcanoes!

As you can see, there were a lot of events in the 16th century. And we haven't sorted them all out. In my training courses, I provide all the necessary materials for studying this topic in the form of my own video lessons, author’s tables, presentations, and auxiliary webinars. Our guys also solve tests on this topic in the Unified State Exam format. It is not surprising that 90 points is the average result of our guys. So I invite you to join us while all the places are not yet filled. Otherwise it will be too late!

The video lesson “Russian Foreign Policy in the 17th Century” examines the goals, objectives, and directions of Russian foreign policy. The focus is on the main events that left their mark on Russian foreign policy in the 17th century. The inconsistency of Russia's foreign policy is emphasized: the first half of the century was the desire to retain what they had, the second half of the century was the desire to return lost lands in the west and south, as well as the designation of Russian borders in the east of the country.

Main directions of foreign policy

Russia's foreign policy throughout the 17th century. was aimed at solving four main problems: 1. The return of all the original Russian lands that were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; 2. Providing access to the Baltic Sea, lost after the Stolbovo Peace Treaty; 3. Ensuring reliable security of the southern borders and the fight against the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire for access to the Black Sea and 4. Further advance to Siberia and the Far East.

Smolensk War (1632-1634)

Rice. 1. Episode of the Smolensk War ()

After the death of the elderly Polish king Sigismund III Vasa in June 1632, on the initiative of Patriarch Philaret, the Zemsky Sobor was convened, which decided to start a new war with Poland for the return of Smolensk and Chernigov lands (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Patriarch Filaret blesses his son ()

IN August 1632G. The Russian army was sent to Smolensk, consisting of three regiments - Bolshoi (Mikhail Shein), Advanced (Semyon Prozorovsky) and Storozhevoy (Bogdan Nagoy). In the fall of 1632, they captured Roslavl, Serpeysk, Nevel, Starodub, Trubchevsky and in early December began the siege of Smolensk, the defense of which was held by the Polish garrison under the command of Hetman A. Gonsevsky (Fig. 1).

Due to the lack of heavy weapons, the siege of Smolensk clearly dragged on, and in the meantime, by agreement with Warsaw, the Crimean Tatars made a devastating raid on the lands of Ryazan, Belevsky, Kaluga, Serpukhov, Kashira and other southern districts, as a result of which the army of M. Shein began mass desertion of nobles.

Meanwhile, the dynastic crisis ended in Poland, and Sigismund’s son Vladislav IV secured the throne, who, at the head of a large army, hurried to the aid of the besieged Smolensk. In September 1633, the Polish army forced M. Shein to lift the siege of Smolensk, and then surrounded the remnants of his army east of the Dnieper. In February 1634 M. Shein capitulated, leaving the siege artillery and camp property to the enemy.

Then Vladislav moved to Moscow, but, having learned that the defense of the capital was held by the Russian army led by princes D. Pozharsky and D. Cherkassky, he sat down at the negotiating table, which ended in June 1634. signing of the Polyanovsky Peace Treaty. Under the terms of this agreement: 1. Vladislav renounced claims to the Russian throne and recognized Mikhail Romanov as the legitimate tsar; 2. Poland returned all Smolensk and Chernigov cities; 3. Moscow paid Warsaw a huge war indemnity of 20 thousand rubles. The Tsar took the defeat in this war very painfully and, according to the boyar verdict, the governors M.B. Shein and A.V. Izmailov was beheaded on Red Square in Moscow.

Annexation of Eastern Siberia and the Far East

IN first halfXVIIV. Russian Cossacks and “willing” people continued the development of Eastern Siberia and founded here the Yenisei (1618), Krasnoyarsk (1628), Bratsk (1630), Kirensky (1631), Yakut (1632), Verkholsky (1642) and other forts, which became their support points in these harsh but fertile lands.

IN middleXVIIV. The Russian government began to pursue a more active policy on the eastern borders of the state, and for this purpose, a new Siberian Prikaz was separated from the Kazan Prikaz, which for many years was headed by Prince Alexei Nikitich Trubetskoy (1646-1662) and the okolnichy Rodion Matveevich Streshnev (1662-1680). It was they who initiated many military expeditions, among which a special place was occupied by the expeditions of Vasily Danilovich Poyarkov (1643-1646), Semyon Ivanovich Dezhnev (1648) (Fig. 3) and Erofey Pavlovich Khabarov (1649-1653), during which the eastern the Pacific coast and the southern regions of the Far East, where the Okhotsk (1646) and Albazinsky (1651) forts were founded.

Rice. 3. Expedition of S. Dezhnev ()

TO endXVIIV. the number of military garrisons of Siberian forts and fortresses already exceeded 60 thousand servicemen and Cossacks. This seriously alarmed neighboring China, which in 1687 attacked the Albazinsky fort and ruined it. Military operations with the Manchus continued for two years, until the Treaty of Nerchinsk was signed in 1689, according to which Russia lost lands along the Amur River.

National liberation war of Little Russia against Poland (1648-1653)

New Russian-Polish War (1654-1667) became a direct consequence of a sharp aggravation of the situation in the Little Russian voivodeships of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where the Russian Orthodox population was subjected to severe national, religious and social oppression. A new stage in the struggle of the Little Russian people against the oppression of lordly Poland is associated with the name of Bogdan Mikhailovich Zinoviev-Khmelnitsky, who in 1648 was elected Kosh hetman of the Zaporozhye army and called on the Zaporozhye Cossacks and Ukrainian villagers to start a national liberation war against gentry Poland.

Conventionally, this war can be divided into two main stages:

1. 1648-1649- the first stage of the war, which was marked by the defeat of the Polish armies of hetmans N. Pototsky and M. Kalinovsky in 1648 at the battles of Zheltye Vody, near Korsun and Pilyavtsy and the ceremonial entry of B. Khmelnytsky into Kyiv.

IN August 1649 After the grandiose defeat of the Polish crown army at Zborow, the new Polish king John II Casimir signed the Treaty of Zborow, which contained the following points: 1. B. Khmelnytsky was recognized as the hetman of Ukraine; 2. The Kiev, Bratslav and Chernigov voivodeships were transferred to his management; 3. The quartering of Polish troops was prohibited on the territory of these voivodeships; 4. The number of registered Cossacks increased from 20 to 40 thousand sabers;

2. 1651-1653-the second stage of the war, which began in June 1651 with the battle of Berestechko, where, due to the betrayal of the Crimean Khan Ismail-Girey, B. Khmelnitsky suffered a major defeat from the army of Jan Casimir. The consequence of this defeat was the signing in September 1651. Belotserkovsky Peace Treaty, under the terms of which: 1. B. Khmelnitsky was deprived of the right to foreign relations; 2. Only the Kiev Voivodeship remained under his control; 3. The number of registered Cossacks was again reduced to 20 thousand sabers.

IN May 1652G. in the battle of Batog, B. Khmelnytsky (Fig. 4) inflicted a major defeat on the army of Hetman M. Kalinovsky. And in October 1653 The Cossacks defeated the Polish crown army near Zhvanets. As a result, Jan Casimir was forced to sign the Zhvanetsky Peace Treaty, which exactly reproduced the conditions of the Zborovsky Peace Treaty.

Rice. 4. Bogdan Khmelnitsky. Painting by Orlenov A.O.

Meanwhile October 1, 1653 A Zemsky Council was held in Moscow, at which a decision was made to reunite Little Russia with Russia and start a war with Poland. To formalize this decision, a Grand Embassy was sent to Little Russia, headed by the boyar V. Buturlin, and on January 8, 1654, the Great Rada was held in Pereyaslavl, at which all articles of the treaty were approved, which determined the conditions for Little Russia to join Russia on the basis of autonomy.

5. Russian-Polish War (1654-1667)

In historical science, this war is traditionally divided into three military campaigns:

1. Military campaign 1654-1656. It began in May 1654 with the entry of three Russian armies into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: the first army (Alexey Mikhailovich) moved to Smolensk, the second army (A. Trubetskoy) to Bryansk, and the third army (V. Sheremetyev) to Putivl. In June - September 1654, Russian armies and Zaporozhye Cossacks, having defeated the armies of hetmans S. Pototsky and J. Radziwill, occupied Dorogobuzh, Roslavl, Smolensk, Vitebsk, Polotsk, Gomel, Orsha and other Russian and Belarusian cities. In 1655, the first Russian army captured Minsk, Grodno, Vilna, Kovno and reached the Brest region, and the second Russian army, together with the Cossacks, defeated the Poles near Lvov.

They decided to take advantage of the military failures of the Polish crown in Stockholm, which forced Moscow and Warsaw in October 1656. sign the Vilna Truce and begin joint military operations against Sweden.

2. Military campaign 1657-1662. After the death of B. Khmelnitsky, Ivan Vygovsky became the new hetman of Ukraine, who betrayed Moscow and 1658. signed the Gadyach Peace Treaty with Warsaw, recognizing himself as a vassal of the Polish crown. At the beginning of 1659, the united Crimean-Ukrainian army under the command of I. Vygovsky and Magomet-Girey inflicted a heavy defeat on the Russian troops near Konotop. In 1660-1662. The Russian army suffered a number of major setbacks at Gubarevo, Chudnov, Kushlik and Vilna and abandoned the territory of Lithuania and Belarus.

3. Military campaign 1663-1667.

The turning point in the course of the war occurred in 1664-1665, when Jan Casimir suffered a series of major defeats from the Russian-Zaporozhye army (V. Buturlin, I. Bryukhovetsky) near Glukhov, Korsun and Bila Tserkva. These events, as well as the rebellion of the Polish gentry, forced Jan Casimir to the negotiating table. In January 1667 The Truce of Andrussov was signed near Smolensk, under the terms of which the Polish king: A) returned Smolensk and Chernigov lands to Moscow; b) Moscow recognized Left Bank Ukraine and Kyiv; V) agreed to joint management of the Zaporozhye Sich. In 1686, these conditions will be confirmed at the conclusion of the “Eternal Peace” with Poland, which from a centuries-old enemy will turn into a long-term ally of Russia.

Russo-Swedish War (1656-1658/1661)

Taking advantage of the Russian-Polish war, in the summer of 1655 Sweden began military operations against its southern neighbor and soon captured Poznan, Krakow, Warsaw and other cities. This situation radically changed the course of further events. Not wanting to strengthen the position of Stockholm in this region, on the initiative of the head of the Ambassadorial Prikaz A. Ordin-Nashchokin and Patriarch Nikon in May 1656, Moscow declared war on the Swedish crown, and the Russian army hastily moved to the Baltic states.

The beginning of the war turned out to be successful for the Russian army. Having captured Dorpat, Noteburg, Marienburg and other fortresses in Estland, Russian troops approached Riga and besieged it. However, having received news that Charles X was preparing a campaign in Livonia, the siege of Riga had to be lifted and retreat to Polotsk.

Military campaign 1657-1658 went with varying degrees of success: on the one hand, Russian troops were forced to lift the siege of Narva, and on the other, the Swedes lost Yamburg. Therefore, in 1658 The warring parties signed the Truce of Valiesar, and then in 1661 - the Treaty of Kardis, according to which Russia lost all its conquests in the Baltic states, and therefore access to the Baltic Sea.

Russian-Ottoman and Russian-Crimean relations

IN 1672 The Crimean-Turkish army invaded Podolia, and Hetman P. Doroshenko, having concluded a military alliance with the Turkish Sultan Mohammed IV, declared war on Poland, which ended with the signing of the Buchach Peace Treaty, according to which the entire territory of Right-Bank Ukraine was transferred to Istanbul.

Rice. 5. Black Sea Cossack ()

IN 1676 The Russian-Zaporozhye army under the leadership of Prince G. Romodanovsky made a successful campaign against Chigirin, as a result of which P. Doroshenko was deprived of the hetman's mace and Colonel Ivan Samoilovich became the new hetman of Ukraine. As a result of these events, the Russian-Turkish War (1677-1681) began. In August 1677, the enemy began the siege of Chigirin, whose defense was led by Prince I. Rzhevsky. In September 1677, the Russian army under the command of G. Romodanovsky and I. Samoilovich defeated the Crimean-Turkish army at Buzhin and put them to flight.

The following year, the Crimean Ottoman army again invaded Ukraine. IN August 1678G. The enemy captured Chigirin, but he failed to cross the Dnieper. After several local skirmishes, the warring parties sat down at the negotiating table, and January 1681G. The Bakhchisarai Peace Treaty was signed, under the terms of which: A) Istanbul and Bakhchisarai recognized Kyiv and Left Bank Ukraine as Moscow; b) Right Bank Ukraine remained under the rule of the Sultan; V) The Black Sea lands were declared neutral and were not subject to settlement by subjects of Russia and Crimea.

IN 1686 after signing the “Eternal Peace” with Poland, Russia joined the anti-Ottoman “Holy League”, and in May 1687. Russian-Ukrainian army under the command of Prince V.V. Golitsyn and Hetman I. Samoilovich set out on the First Crimean Campaign, which ended in vain due to its disgraceful preparation.

In February 1689 The Russian-Ukrainian army under the command of Prince V. Golitsyn began the Second Crimean Campaign. This time the campaign was much better prepared, and the army managed to reach Perekop. However, V. Golitsyn was unable to break through the enemy’s defenses and, “slurping empty,” turned back.

The Azov campaigns of Peter I of 1695-1696 became a logical continuation of the Crimean campaigns. In May 1695 Russian army under the command of F.A. Golovina, P.K. Gordon and F.Ya. Lefort went on a campaign to Azov, which blocked access to the Azov and Black Seas. In June 1695 Russian regiments began the siege of Azov, which had to be lifted after three months, since the Russian army was never able to completely blockade it. Thus, the First Azov Campaign ended in vain.

IN May 1696G. Russian army under the command of Tsar Peter, A.S. Shein and F.Ya. Leforta began the Second Azov Campaign. This time, the fortress was surrounded not only from land, but also from the sea, where several dozen galleys and hundreds of Cossack plows reliably blocked it, and in July 1696 Azov was taken.

IN July 1700 clerk E.I. Ukraintsev signed the Constantinople (Istanbul) peace treaty with the Turks, according to which Azov was recognized as Russia.

List of references on the topic "Russian Foreign Policy in the 17th Century":

1. Volkov V.A. Wars and troops of the Moscow state: the end of the 15th - first half of the 17th century. - M., 1999.
2. Grekov I.B. Reunification of Ukraine with Russia in 1654 - M., 1954.
3. Rogozhin N.M. Ambassadorial order: the cradle of Russian diplomacy. - M., 2003.
4. Nikitin N.I. Siberian epic of the 17th century. - M., 1957.
5. Chernov V.A. Armed forces of the Russian state XV-XVII centuries. - M., 1954.

1. Federationcia.ru ().
2. Rusizn.ru ().
3. Admin.smolensk.ru ().
4. Vokrugsveta.ru ().
5. ABC-people.com ().

In the history of Russia, the 17th century is an important moment in its development. Being surrounded by numerous enemies, important processes took place within the country that influenced the further development of the state.

The main tasks of Russian foreign policy in the 17th century

At the beginning of the 17th century, the Time of Troubles began in Russia. The Rurik dynasty was interrupted and the Polish-Swedish intervention began. Only in 1612 was the country able to defend its sovereignty and reassert itself on the world stage by launching extensive foreign policy activities.

The main task of the new Russian dynasty was the return of Russian territories lost during the Time of Troubles. This also included the local task of gaining access to the Baltic Sea, because during the Russian Troubles these lands were occupied by Sweden.

Rice. 1. Map of Russia at the beginning of the 17th century.

The task of uniting the territories of the former Kievan Rus around Moscow remained historical. Moreover, it was not only about uniting the people, but also about increasing arable land and the number of taxpayers.

In other words, Russian foreign policy in the 17th century responded to the tasks of unifying and restoring the integrity of the country.

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And, of course, with the destruction of the Siberian Khanate, Russia’s road to Siberia was open. The development of wild but rich regions remained a priority for the weakened state.

Rice. 2. Siege of Chigirin.

Table “Russian Foreign Policy in the 17th Century”

Many modern European historians consider the development of Siberia to be colonization and the relationship of Moscow with the local population as a colony with the metropolis.

It is worth noting the emergence of the “Caspian issue” for Russia. The Rurikovichs did not have contact with all countries located in Eurasia. One of these was Persia.

In 1651, the Persian army entered Dagestan and the Caspian lands, wanting to claim their rights to them. As a result, military campaigns ended in nothing. In 1653, Alexei Mikhailovich managed to achieve the preservation of the position of the borders before the start of the Persian campaign. However, the struggle for the coast of the Caspian Lake was just beginning for Russia from that moment on.

Rice. 3. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.

One of the reasons for the unsolved nature of most problems was Russia's technological backwardness compared to European countries. After the Thirty Years' War in Europe, military affairs made great progress, but it bypassed Russian military art.

What have we learned?

Speaking briefly about Russian foreign policy in the 17th century, it should be noted that Russia was concerned with the restoration of its historical borders and the return of territories lost during the Time of Troubles. Most of the problems facing it in the 17th century were never solved.

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Domestic politics of Russia in the 17th century

All R. In the 17th century, during the reign of the second Romanov, Alexei Mikhailovich the Quiet, tax oppression increased and the living conditions of peasants and townspeople worsened. This causes a deep social crisis, which resulted in numerous riots. In the 17th century There are more than 20 uprisings, for which it received the name “rebellious” century. The largest uprisings include: the “Salt Riot” of 1648, the “Copper Riot” of 1662, the Solovetsky Uprising of 1668-1676, the uprising led by S. Razin.

The largest was the uprising of the 17th century. under the leadership of S. Razin (1670-1671). The uprising forced the government to look for ways to strengthen the existing system. The power of local governors was strengthened, the tax system was reformed (a transition to household taxation was made), and the process of spreading serfdom to the southern regions of the country intensified.

The order system is undergoing further development. The number of orders began to reach 80 (of which 40 were permanent).

In 1648-1649 The largest Zemsky Sobor in the history of Russia takes place. 340 people took part in it, most of whom belonged to the nobility and the top of the settlement. The Zemsky Sobor adopted the “Council Code”, which regulated the performance of various services, the ransom of prisoners, customs policy, the position of various categories of the population, increased responsibility for speaking out against the tsar, boyars, governors, churches, established an indefinite search for fugitive peasants and prohibited peasant transfers from one owner to another. This meant the legalization of the serfdom system. Serfdom extended to the black sowing and palace peasants. In cities, “white” settlements were included in the settlement; now the entire urban population had to bear the tax on the sovereign. The “Conciliar Code” was the first Russian legislative act published in printing.

Since 1652, to strengthen order, discipline and moral principles of the clergy, establish uniformity of church services, and unify church books, Patriarch Nikon has been carrying out church reform. He took Greek rules and rituals as a model. There is a schism in the Russian church. Adherents of the old order - the Old Believers (schismatics) - refused to recognize Nikon's reform and advocated a return to the pre-reform order. Archpriest Avvakum stood at the head of the Old Believers. The split became one of the forms of social protest of the masses. Thousands of peasants and posad residents fled to the outskirts of the country, where they founded Old Believer settlements.

Russian foreign policy in the 17th century

In foreign policy, the main task was the return of the Smolensk, Chernigov and Novgorod-Seversky lands lost during the Polish-Swedish intervention. The solution to this problem became aggravated in connection with the struggle of the Ukrainian people against Polonization and Catholicization by Poland. Bogdan Khmelnitsky became the leader of the national liberation movement in Ukraine. In 1654, the Great Rada was held in Pereyaslavl, which decided to reunite Ukraine with Russia. Ukraine was granted significant autonomy within the Russian state. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth did not recognize the reunification of Ukraine with Russia. The Russian-Polish War began (1654-1667). It was marked by the success of Russian and Ukrainian troops. Russian troops occupied Smolensk, Belarus, Lithuania; Ukrainian troops - Lublin, a number of cities in Galicia and Volyn. However, after the death of B. Khmelnytsky, frequent changes of hetmans led to the fact that Ukraine switched either to the side of Poland or to the side of Russia. These years in Ukraine became a time of ruin and strife. The grueling Russian-Polish war ended with the signing of the Andrusovo Truce, according to which Russia abandoned Belarus, but retained Smolensk and Left Bank Ukraine with the city of Kiev.

During the Russian-Polish War, Alexey Mikhailovich carried out military operations against Sweden (1656-1658). Russian troops took Dinaburg, Dorpat, and besieged Riga. But the complicated situation in Ukraine and its transition to the side of Poland under Hetman I. Vyhovsky forced him to conclude peace with Sweden. Russia returned the conquered territories. The Baltic remained with Sweden.

Thus, during the period of the estate-representative monarchy, there was a significant expansion of the territory of Russia. The Lower and Middle Volga regions, as well as Siberia, became part of Russia. The increase in Russian territory in the West occurred due to the annexation of Ukraine.

Socio-economic development of Russia in the 17th century

Population of the country by the end. XVII century amounted to 10.5 million people. (4th place in Europe). Agriculture remained the leading sector of the economy.

A new phenomenon in its development was the strengthening of connections with the market. Nobles, boyars, and especially monasteries became increasingly involved in trade and fishing activities. In the 17th century there was a development of crafts into small-scale production. It, in turn, prepared the basis for the emergence of manufactories. In the 17th century in Russia there were approx. 30 manufactories, mainly in metallurgy, tanning and salt making. The peculiarity of Russian manufacture was that it was based not on civilian labor, as was the case in Europe, but on serf labor (peasants were either bought or assigned to the manufacture).

In the 17th century The all-Russian market begins to form. The constantly gathering fairs acquired great importance: Makaryevskaya, Svenskaya, Irbitskaya, in Arkhangelsk, etc. Foreign trade through Arkhangelsk and Astrakhan grew.

The social structure of Russian society was quite complex. The highest class was the boyars, they served the tsar and held leadership positions in the state. The nobles made up the upper layer of the sovereign's service people in the fatherland. This layer of feudal lords included persons who served at the royal court (stewards, solicitors, Moscow nobles, etc.). The lower stratum of service people included military service people - archers, gunners, coachmen, etc. The rural peasant population consisted of two categories: landowners (belonged to boyars and nobles) and black-footed peasants who lived on state land and bore taxes in favor of the state. The top of the urban population were merchants. The bulk of the urban population were called townspeople. Urban artisans were united along professional lines into settlements and hundreds. A significant number of slaves lived in cities and rural areas. A special class was the clergy. There was a category of free and walking people (Cossacks, hired workers, wandering musicians, beggars, tramps).

The 17th century in the history of Russia represents a period of very difficult trials, from which our country managed to emerge with dignity. Russia's foreign policy in the 17th century largely determined the country's activities.
Today we will consider the main features of this policy, as well as the personalities of those figures who carried out this policy.

Russian foreign policy in the 17th century: the troubled beginning of the century

The beginning of the century was marked for the Moscow state by a series of difficult trials. On the throne at that time was the talented, but not yet established Tsar Boris from the little-known Godunov family. His path to the throne was not easy, and besides, the boyar families of Rus' - direct descendants of the Rurikovichs - would not mind trying on the Monomakh hat themselves.
Russia was greatly weakened by an unsuccessful and long war with Poland and Lithuania, as well as Sweden for its western borders. In addition, at the beginning of the century there were crop failures, which led to mass famine and the flight of people to the cities.
At the same time, in Poland, Western nobles, eager to get Russian lands for themselves, found a Russian youth from an impoverished family and named him the miraculously saved Tsarevich Dmitry, the last son of Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible. The impostor secretly swore allegiance to the Pope and the Polish King, gathered a large army and marched on Moscow.
At the same time, Tsar Boris Godunov died in the capital, leaving behind a young son-heir. As a result of the invasion of the impostor's army, Tsarevich Fyodor Godunov and his mother were brutally killed, and the impostor settled in the Kremlin, but neither he himself, nor his army, nor even his wife - Polish Marina from the Mnishek family - sought to follow the centuries-old Russian customs, which led to a revolt of Muscovites and the overthrow of False Dmitry.
From that moment on, the Time of Troubles began, which ended only in 1613 with the election of a young descendant of the Rurikovichs, Mikhail Romanov, to the Russian throne.
It can be said that during this period, Russian foreign policy in the 17th century was generally defeatist in nature. Our country lost control over all its western regions, Smolensk was captured and brutally plundered, whose defenders held off the pressure of the enemy army for months. Russia lost the richest Novgorod lands. In addition, as a result of the betrayal of the boyars, the Polish prince Vladislav was declared Russian tsar (the prince only renounced his claims to the Russian throne in 1634, before which he constantly threatened Rus' with war, not wanting to recognize the Romanovs as kings).

Russian foreign policy in the 17th century: an attempt at revenge

After our country recovered from the troubled times, representatives of the Russian nobility began to think about the issue of returning the lost lands. Attempts to recapture Smolensk were made several times under Mikhail Romanov, but they ended in defeat. With the accession of young Alexei Mikhailovich to the throne, these issues again appeared on the agenda. As a result, in 1667, a new Russian-Polish war began, the purpose of which was not only the return of lands, but also the annexation of part of the Ukrainian and Belarusian possessions to Russia, the indigenous population of which suffered under the cruel yoke of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - the united Polish-Lithuanian state.
This war, which cost our country the lives of thousands and thousands of its subjects, ended successfully for Russia. The Russians recaptured Smolensk, and were also able to annex Left Bank Ukraine; later they bought the right to eternal possession of Kiev.
However, it was not possible to obtain access to the Baltic Sea to expand ties with Europe. To this end, even under Alexei Mikhailovich, a bloody war with Sweden began, which, however, ended in the defeat of the Russian army.

Russian foreign policy in the 17th century: an attempt to solve the Crimean Tatar problem

Unfriendly peoples surrounded our country not only from the west. From the Crimean side, the local Tatar tribes, being tributaries of the Turkish Sultan, nevertheless constantly raided Russian lands, taking the best people captive and taking property. This led to the fact that the territories near the Crimean peninsula were practically uninhabited, and were called the “Wild Field”. Russian sovereigns, in order to pay off the devastating raids of the Tatars, paid tribute to the Crimean Khan, which humiliated the dignity of our ancestors.
Throughout the century, the Russian tsars tried to resolve the pressing Crimean issue, making attempts to drive the Tatars out of this peninsula. However, these attempts never ended in anything. The victory over Crimea occurred only a century later under Catherine, nicknamed the Great.

Russian foreign policy: in the 17th century, Russians conquer the eastern regions of Eurasia

Russian foreign policy in the 17th century determined the expansion of our country not only to the west, but also to the east. And if it was possible to conquer the western lands with great difficulty, the conquest of Siberia was very successful due to the fact that the Russians pursued a competent policy, conquering the peoples of the eastern region not only with the sword, but also with gold, affection and the ability to resolve controversial issues. It was in the 17th century that Eastern Siberia was annexed to the territory of our country. The Russians also resolved territorial disputes with the Chinese by concluding the Treaty of Nerchinsk with them.
In general, the 17th century was a turning point in Russian history. Our country managed not only to confront the challenges it faced at the beginning of the century, but also to solve some of them. Although in the same century it became clear that Russia lags behind the countries of Western Europe in material and technical progress. It was necessary to catch up in record time, otherwise the country would not have been able to withstand the threats of new, more powerful weapons that were already appearing in European countries. All these foreign policy problems had to be solved by the young Tsar Peter, who ascended the throne at the very end of the century. However, Peter managed to cope with this most difficult task in the future. He turned his country into a powerful empire that could no longer be broken.