The statehood of Russia went through many difficult stages, sometimes one was worse than the other. Most historians call the years of the oprichnina the most terrible and dark period in the history of Russia. Oprichnik - is it a myth, or did he really exist? There was a terrible rumor about these sovereign servants, they said that they were not human at all, real monsters, "demons in the flesh." So what can be said about the guardsmen, who they really were and why such really scary stories are told about them?
Forced measures
The appearance of the oprichnina is preceded by a series of negative events for Moscow. The Muscovite kingdom during this period waged a bloody Livonian war. The Livonian conflict is one of the largest military campaigns of the 16th century in the Baltic region, which was conducted by large, influential states in those regions - the Muscovy, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Kingdom of Denmark. In January 1558, Moscow attacked Livonia. At the beginning of the company, Russian troops brought Ivan the Terrible a number of significant victories, Narva, Dorpat and many other cities and villages of the Baltic were conquered.
Under the conditions of war
For seven years, the Russian state continued a bloody and difficult war with the Livonian state. Not only Emperor Peter I dreamed of "cutting a window to Europe." also decided to dot the “and” in the seemingly eternal problem of the Russian economy. The beginning of the military campaign was quite successful for Russia. After a crushing defeat near Ulla, the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops fled to the Lithuanians. In connection with the situation that had arisen, Ivan the Terrible introduced the structure of guardsmen in the country.
Strict selection
At that time, not only the king had power in the country, large feudal lords, who were divided into eight nests - according to the kinship and allotment principle, influenced foreign and domestic policy. None of them acted for the good of their country and, naturally, they put taxes in their pockets. For one slave sometimes there were two feudal lords. Only the Yaroslavl princes at that time numbered about eighty. All these princes did not put a penny into the treasury, which made them very angry. Since there were already enough problems in the country, and especially during the war, the king needed to solve this feudal problem. On January 3, 1565, Ivan the Terrible announced that he was abdicating the throne due to anger at the nobles. After such a shocking announcement, thousands of people gathered and went to the king to beg him to return to the throne and lead the country again. Exactly one month later, the Russian tsar announced that he would return to rule, but with the right to execute the boyars without trial or investigation, tax them, and deprive them of their property. All the rest of the state had to give the zemshchina. To all this, he added that he was introducing oprichnina into the country. In it, he identified individual boyars, clerks and servicemen. Therefore, an oprichnik is a person who has certain powers and carries out orders directly from the king himself. The tsar obliged certain Vologda, Suzdal, Vyazma, Kozelsk, Medyn and others to maintain the oprichnina.
The essence of the oprichnina
An oprichnik is a person who took on the function of a lightning rod, deprived the power of a prince, a feudal lord in a certain region. Ivan the Terrible acted very cunningly, thus killing two birds with one stone. Deprived the arbitrariness of the nobles and distributed the remaining lands conquered in the Baltic states. The meaning of the word oprichnik is "a person who is in the position of the king in the ranks of his supporters."
Black Guards
Oprichnik is the personal guard of the king, which recruited not only mature husbands, but also selected nobles. The main condition under which the selection was carried out was the absence of family, blood ties with noble persons of the nobility. All that Ivan the Terrible demanded from his people was unquestioning obedience. The most important for domestic politics was the oprichnik. Its meaning was narrowly focused and somewhat reminiscent of the function of special forces in our time.
Combat encounters
Since the princes had under their command combat serfs (a detachment of warriors who guarded the interests of their master), it was not an easy task to deprive this nobleman of the land. This is where the “black horseman” appeared - the guardsman. The definition of the word we gave a little higher. His occupation, in fact, was to strengthen the unified power of the king and kill those who did not agree with this. Often they are characterized as cowardly and vile people. But not everyone was like that, among the guardsmen there were good military leaders and field commanders. There was a case: during the capture of the Livonian city, the army under the command of Prince Tyufyakin stood near the fortress and began to “argue”, the unwillingness to go on the attack and constant excuses angered the king, and he sent a guardsman there, who, having shown the royal decree, removed Tyufyakin and him from command of the army assistants, and he himself undertook to lead the fighters to storm.
Dog head and broom
Modern historians describe the personal protection of the king as follows. A man dressed all in black, with a dog's head strapped to his saddle and a broom on his back. The head symbolized that the young oprichnik would sniff out treason and sweep it away with a broom. This was not entirely true. Yes, the oprichnik was dressed in a black caftan, as they were a kind of order and dressed accordingly. As for carrion - complete nonsense, on a hot day with a severed head, you can’t really clear up. For the first time this information appeared from foreigners, who, most likely, drew an analogy with the Dominican monks, this order had a dog's head, which adorned the gates of the monastery, as a symbol. Why a dog's head? The Dominicans called themselves the dogs of the Lord. They, like the guardsmen, investigated crimes (against the faith), and perhaps this was the reason for the emergence of such an analogy. And the broom wasn't exactly a broom. As a sign of their belonging to the chosen caste of the king, the guardsmen wore a woolen brush on their belt - a broom sweeping treason.
hard facts
During the oprichnina, a lot of people died, it’s definitely not possible to say how many until now. Oprichnik is a murderer, through whose fault at least 6 thousand people died. It is this figure that the historian Skrynnikov calls.
guardsmen
Those terrible years are characterized by many as a period of repression and arbitrariness. And, of course, there are the most famous guardsmen who are most remembered for their deeds.
Fyodor Basmanov is the son of the guardsman Alexei Danilovich. There was a rumor about Fedor that he was the lover of Ivan the Terrible himself, in particular, they refer to the stories of foreigners. Reflected the Tatar attack on Ryazan. In 1569 he commanded the oprichnina troops in the south of the country. Was awarded an award.
Malyuta Skuratov is an oprichnik, the main villain who got his nickname because of his small stature. He was the head of the oprichnina. He started his way from the lowest position, but, thanks to his cruelty, he reached great heights. He became famous for the fact that he liked to conduct inquiries with predilection. He was more of an assassin than an oprichnik. Killed in battle in 1573.
Athanasius Vyazemsky is another famous oprichnik. He had a special status with the tsar, they even said that he was the favorite of Ivan the Terrible and enjoyed unlimited confidence. It was so strong that the tsar took the medicines prepared by Grozny's personal doctor Lensey only from the hands of Athanasius Vyazemsky. During the time of cruel repressions, Vyazemsky, together with Malyuta Skuratov, was at the head of the guardsmen. Vyazemsky ended his earthly existence during torture, accused of collusion with Russian enemies and the desire to transfer Pskov to Lithuania.
Mikhail Temryukovich Cherkassky - Prince. He came to Muscovy in 1556. Obeying the will of his father, he was baptized and became one of the specific princes. Mikhail became an oprichnik thanks to his valiant company against the Tatars and his sister Maria, who made him related to Tsar Ivan the Terrible. After some time, Prince Cherkassky acquired sufficient influence at the court of the Moscow Tsar.
Officially, Mikhail Cherkassky was mentioned among the guardsmen from September 1567. He, like all significant figures of the tsar's personal guard, actively took part in the torture of gentlemen objectionable to the monarch. In May, Cherkassky was executed allegedly for treason, and one of the popular versions says that he was even impaled.
The statehood of Russia went through many difficult stages, sometimes one was worse than the other. Most historians call the years of the oprichnina the most terrible and dark period in the history of Russia. Oprichnik - is it a myth, or did he really exist? There was a terrible rumor about these sovereign servants, they said that they were not human at all, real monsters, "demons in the flesh." So what can be said about the guardsmen, who they really were and why such really scary stories are told about them?
Forced measures
The appearance of the oprichnina is preceded by a series of negative events for Moscow. The Muscovite kingdom during this period waged a bloody Livonian war. The Livonian conflict is one of the largest military companies of the 16th century in the Baltic region, which was conducted by large, influential states in those regions - the Muscovy, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Swedish kingdom, the Danish kingdom. In January 1558, Moscow attacked Livonia. At the beginning of the company, Russian troops brought Ivan the Terrible a number of significant victories, Narva, Dorpat and many other cities and villages of the Baltic were conquered. 
Under the conditions of war
For seven years, the Russian state continued a bloody and difficult war with the Livonian state. Not only Emperor Peter I dreamed of "cutting a window to Europe." Ivan the Terrible also decided to dot the “and” in the seemingly eternal problem of the Russian economy. The beginning of the military campaign was quite successful for Russia. After a crushing defeat near Ulla, the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops fled to the Lithuanians. In connection with the situation that had arisen, Ivan the Terrible introduced martial law in the country, creating a guardianship structure in the state.
Strict selection
At that time, not only the king had power in the country, large feudal lords, who were divided into eight nests - according to the kinship and allotment principle, influenced foreign and domestic policy. None of them acted for the good of their country and, naturally, they put taxes in their pockets. For one slave sometimes there were two feudal lords. Only the Yaroslavl princes at that time numbered about eighty. All these princes did not put a penny into the treasury, which made the Russian Tsar very angry. Since the country already had enough problems, and especially during the war, the king needed to solve this feudal problem. On January 3, 1565, Ivan the Terrible announced that he was abdicating the throne due to anger at the nobles. After such a shocking announcement, thousands of people gathered and went to the king to beg him to return to the throne and lead the country again. Exactly one month later, the Russian tsar announced that he would return to rule, but with the right to execute the boyars without trial or investigation, tax them, and deprive them of their property. All the rest of the state had to give the zemshchina. To all this, he added that he was introducing oprichnina into the country. In it, he identified individual boyars, clerks and servicemen. Therefore, the guardsman is a person who has certain powers and carries out orders directly from the king himself. The tsar obliged certain cities to maintain the oprichnina: Veliky Ustyug, Vologda, Suzdal, Vyazma, Kozelsk, Medyn, etc.
The essence of the oprichnina
An oprichnik is a person who took on the function of a lightning rod, deprived the power of a prince, a feudal lord in a certain region. Ivan the Terrible acted very cunningly, thus killing two birds with one stone. Deprived the arbitrariness of the nobles and distributed the remaining lands conquered in the Baltic states. The meaning of the word oprichnik is "a person who is in the position of the king in the ranks of his supporters."
Black Guards
The oprichnik is the personal guard of the tsar, in which they recruited not only mature husbands, but also boyar children, and selected nobles. The main condition under which the selection was carried out was the absence of family, blood ties with noble persons of the nobility. All that Ivan the Terrible demanded from his people was unquestioning obedience. The most important for domestic politics was the oprichnik. Its meaning was narrowly focused and somewhat reminiscent of the function of special forces in our time.
Combat encounters
Since the princes had under their command combat serfs (a detachment of warriors who guarded the interests of their master), it was not an easy task to deprive this nobleman of the land. This is where the “black horseman” appeared - the guardsman. The definition of the word we gave a little higher. His occupation, in fact, was to strengthen the unified power of the king and kill those who did not agree with this. Often they are characterized as cowardly and vile people. But not everyone was like that, among the guardsmen there were good military leaders and field commanders. There was a case: during the capture of the Livonian city, the army under the command of Prince Tyufyakin stood near the fortress and began to “argue”, the unwillingness to go on the attack and constant excuses angered the king, and he sent a guardsman there, who, having shown the royal decree, removed Tyufyakin and him from command of the army assistants, and he himself undertook to lead the fighters to storm.
Dog head and broom
Modern historians describe the personal protection of the king as follows. A man dressed all in black, with a dog's head strapped to his saddle and a broom on his back. The head symbolized that the young oprichnik would sniff out treason and sweep it away with a broom. This was not entirely true. Yes, the oprichnik was dressed in a black caftan, as they were a kind of order and dressed accordingly. As for carrion - complete nonsense, on a hot day with a severed head, you can’t really clear up. For the first time this information appeared from foreigners, who, most likely, drew an analogy with the Dominican monks, this order had a dog's head, which adorned the gates of the monastery, as a symbol. Why a dog's head? The Dominicans called themselves the dogs of the Lord. They, like the guardsmen, investigated crimes (against the faith), and perhaps this was the reason for the emergence of such an analogy. And the broom wasn't exactly a broom. As a sign of their belonging to the chosen caste of the king, the guardsmen wore a woolen brush on their belt - a broom sweeping treason.
hard facts
During the oprichnina, a lot of people died, it’s definitely not possible to say how many until now. Oprichnik is a murderer, through whose fault at least 6 thousand people died. It is this figure that the historian Skrynnikov calls.
guardsmen
Those terrible years are characterized by many as a period of repression and arbitrariness. And, of course, there are the most famous guardsmen who are most remembered for their deeds.
Fyodor Basmanov is the son of the guardsman Alexei Danilovich. There was a rumor about Fedor that he was the lover of Ivan the Terrible himself, in particular, they refer to the stories of foreigners. Reflected the Tatar attack on Ryazan. In 1569 he commanded the oprichnina troops in the south of the country. Was awarded an award.
Malyuta Skuratov is an oprichnik, the main villain who got his nickname because of his small stature. He was the head of the oprichnina. He started his way from the lowest position, but, thanks to his cruelty, he reached great heights. He became famous for the fact that he liked to conduct inquiries with predilection. He was more of an assassin than an oprichnik. Killed in battle in 1573.
Athanasius Vyazemsky is another famous guardsman. He had a special status with the tsar, they even said that he was the favorite of Ivan the Terrible and enjoyed unlimited confidence. It was so strong that the tsar took the medicines prepared by Grozny's personal doctor Lensey only from the hands of Athanasius Vyazemsky. During the time of cruel repressions, Vyazemsky, together with Malyuta Skuratov, was at the head of the guardsmen. Vyazemsky ended his earthly existence during torture, accused of collusion with Russian enemies and the desire to transfer Pskov to Lithuania.
Mikhail Temryukovich Cherkassky - Prince. He came to Muscovy in 1556. Obeying the will of his father, he was baptized and became one of the specific princes. Mikhail became an oprichnik thanks to his valiant company against the Tatars and his sister Maria, who made him related to Tsar Ivan the Terrible. After some time, Prince Cherkassky acquired sufficient influence at the court of the Moscow Tsar.
Officially, Mikhail Cherkassky was mentioned among the guardsmen from September 1567. He, like all significant figures of the tsar's personal guard, actively took part in the torture of gentlemen objectionable to the monarch. In May, Cherkassky was executed allegedly for treason, and one of the popular versions says that he was even impaled.
Oprichnik, m. 1. A serving nobleman, a warrior who was in the troops of the oprichnina in the reign of Ivan IV (historical). With the help of the guardsmen, Ivan IV finally broke the big boyars of the estates and strengthened the unified power of the tsar. “We are royal people, guardsmen! A … Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov
Henchman Dictionary of Russian synonyms. oprichnik n., number of synonyms: 3 warrior (78) pitchman ... Synonym dictionary
OPRICHNIK, a, husband. A person who served in the oprichnina (in 3 meanings). Royal about. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov
The ship (clipper) of the Baltic Fleet, was lost in December 1861 in the Indian Ocean, returning from a campaign in the Far East. In 1873, a monument to O. was unveiled in Kronstadt. a granite rock 1.9 m high on a base 0.75 m high is crowned with a broken anchor and ... ... St. Petersburg (encyclopedia)
"Oprichnik"- "Oprichnik", a ship (clipper) of the Baltic Fleet, died in December 1861 in the Indian Ocean, returning from a campaign in the Far East. In 1873, a monument to "Oprichnik" was opened in Kronstadt - a granite rock 1.9 m high on a base 0.75 m high ... ... Encyclopedic reference book "St. Petersburg"
- (foreigner) not obeying general views (a hint at the guardsmen under Ivan the Terrible, who enjoyed special rights) Cf. Oprich, except for, exclusively, especially. Wed Temporary workers and favorites are the same guardsmen. Wed Oprichnik bean. Wed And there is no shelter anywhere, and ... ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary
OPRICHNIK- A serviceman in the ranks of the oprichny army of Tsar * Ivan the Terrible *. In 1565, Ivan IV the Terrible divided the territory of the Russian state into oprichnina and zemshchina. The word oprichnina (from the Old Russian oprichny, that is, special) previously denoted ... Linguistic Dictionary
oprichnik- (Russian oprichnik) an apprentice to the telesnat garda (military police dress) to the Ruskiot Tsar Ivan Vasilevich, named Grozni oprichnikite bile regrutirani pretentiously one sitnoto nobility, and tsarot gi koristel in his own potfati against a tall and rich ... ... Macedonian dictionary
Gulf of Primorsky region, North Ussuri region, on the coast of the North. Sea of Japan, to the N from the Gulf of St. Vladimir, 44°28 s. sh. and 195°43 in. (from Pulkovo). It goes deep into the mainland by almost 4 in.; the same distance between the entrance capes; in your own way.... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
Oprichnik (foreigner) disobedient to general views (a hint at the guardsmen under Ivan the Terrible, who enjoyed special rights). Wed Oprich, besides, exclusively, especially. Wed "Temporary workers and favorites are also guardsmen." Wed Oprichnik bean. Wed AND… … Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)
Books
- Oprichnik, Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Reprint music edition of Tchaikovsky, Pyotr`The Oprichnik`. Genres: Operas; Stage Works; For voices, mixed chorus, orchestra; scores featuring the voice; Scores featuring mixed chorus; Scores…
- Oprichnik, Pyotr Tchaikovsky. This book will be produced in accordance with your order using Print-on-Demand technology. Reprinted musical edition of Tchaikovsky, Pyotr "The Oprichnik". Genres: Operas; Stage Works; For…
Several reasons prompted Tsar Ivan IV to create this unprecedented political system. The first is a sharp aggravation of contradictions with the highest nobility after the issuance of a decree on the confiscation of escheated princely estates in 1562 (Previously, these estates went to the relatives of the deceased or went to the monastery "for the memory of the soul.") The second is the heavy defeat of the Russian army in the Livonian War in 1564, flight to Lithuania of Prince Andrey Kurbsky. Fear of the boyar conspiracy did not give the king peace. And then he decided to get ahead of the enemies.
The oprichnina had two purposes: undermining the economic power of the big aristocracy And physical extermination of its most prominent representatives.
The first goal of the oprichnina was achieved by the resettlement policy. Tsar Ivan the Terrible carefully thought out the list of areas included in the oprichnina. In addition to rich trading cities and areas of salt mines, there were counties in which the patrimonial estates of the old Rostov-Suzdal nobility, the core of the Moscow boyar corporation, were located. All these fiefdoms were immediately "subscribed to the sovereign" and distributed to the estates of the guardsmen. Their owners were forcibly sent to the zemshchina. There they were ordered to give small estates somewhere on the southern or eastern borders of the country. Settlers were forbidden to take property and valuables with them. All this became the prey of the new owners - guardsmen. And the recent owners of the golden-domed towers suddenly turned into beggars.
The second goal of the oprichnina - the physical destruction of a significant part of the aristocracy - was achieved with the help of terror. By order of the tsar, the guardsmen seized objectionable people, took them to Alexandrov Sloboda (the oprichnina capital of Ivan the Terrible) and there they killed them after severe torture. Sometimes executions were also carried out in Moscow, where, next to the Kremlin, on the other side of the Neglinka River, a gloomy castle grew up - “the sovereign's oprichny courtyard”. Tsar Ivan IV experienced sadistic pleasure, looking at the torment of the unfortunate, and personally took part in torture and executions. Some historians believe that he suffered from serious mental disorders since his youth.
Fall of the Chosen One
In 1560, relations between the tsar and the Chosen Rada suddenly deteriorated. The reason for the contention was the tsar's disagreements with Alexei Adashov in the field of foreign policy, and the real reason was Ivan's long overdue desire to rule independently. He believed that peaceful methods of dealing with the big aristocracy were insufficient, that for complete control over the ruling class one should resort to the sword. However, the advisers (people, as a rule, religious and virtuous) prevented the king from giving free rein to his base instincts, his innate tendency to cruelty and arbitrariness.
As a result, the main figures of the Chosen Rada - Adashev and Sylvester - lost their posts and went into exile. Prince Kurbsky was sent as governor to Livonia. The aged Metropolitan Macarius no longer had the strength for political struggle. On December 31, 1563, he died at the age of 82.
Boyar Duma
Having got rid of his advisers, the king still could not rule with autocracy. On his way stood the Boyar Duma with its traditional authority and deep ties in all sectors of society. It was customary to coordinate all the most important decisions of the sovereign with the Boyar Duma. Having dispersed this body of power of the highest aristocracy, the tsar could well have received the most severe internal turmoil. The only way out was to bring the aristocracy to its knees.
The beginning of the oprichnina
In 1564, Ivan IV unexpectedly left Moscow with his family and went to Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda (now the city of Aleksandrov, 100 km northeast of Moscow). From here he sent a letter to the boyars, the clergy and service people, where he accused them of treason. His message was read on Red Square. An unrest began in the city. They decided to persuade the king to return. He agreed, but on the condition that "he has the right to punish anyone he considers a traitor." For these punitive purposes, the oprichnina was created with its well-armed troops.
In 1565, Ivan IV allocated himself a special possession - oprichnina, and the territory not included in the oprichnina was called zemstvo.
The whole country was divided into two parts: oprichnina And zemshchina. Each had its own government, its own Boyar Duma. The landowners were led by the boyars. In the oprichnina, all power passed to the king.
The best lands with the most developed economy were taken into the oprichnina. When the guardsmen ravaged them, the king took new rich lands for himself. Oprichnina had its own treasury, its own army, its own administration. It was a "state within a state". The zemshchina turned out to be defenseless against the robbery raids of the guardsmen, who were supported by the tsar himself. In addition, she had to pay a ruinous tax on the maintenance of the oprichnina.
guardsmen
An oprichnik was a person who was in the ranks of the oprichnina. Among the people, the guardsmen were called "kromeshniks" - the black forces of the king.
Initially, the oprichnina army was one thousand people, and by the end of the oprichnina, it had grown to six thousand. These were carefully selected nobles who had no family ties with the zemstvo, ready to fulfill any order of the sovereign. Oprichniki dressed in all dark and wore a special uniform - black hoodies with a wide belt. They rode on black horses with black harness. The oprichniki attached a broom to the saddle of their horses, and a dog's head on the horse's neck - a sign of their readiness to sweep any treason out of the state and chop off the "dog heads" of the traitorous boyars. They had the right to break into any estate, any courtyard to a person suspected of treason from the Zemstvo, ruin his house, expel his household members (or even kill him). No one knew against whom the next wrath of the king would turn.
After the elimination of the Chosen One, the goals of Ivan IV's domestic policy generally remain the same as before. However, the methods for achieving them are already different. Carefully thought-out, consistent reforms are a thing of the past. The executioner's ax becomes the main instrument of political struggle. The Boyar Duma, intimidated by the bloody reprisals, is silent, and the governments that quickly succeed each other serve as an obedient tool in the hands of an autocrat intoxicated with unlimited power and sometimes losing his mind.
The oprichnina destroyed the normal order of governing the country. Fear and chaos reigned everywhere. No one - not even the closest henchmen of the king - was sure of the future. Having received the estates of the exiled and disgraced boyars, the guardsmen treated them as if they were enemy territories. In a short time, the previously prosperous, populous farms turned into wastelands. The peasants fled in horror in all directions. Frightened by the repression, the aristocracy was silent.
The fate of those who tried to resist the oprichnina was hard. Metropolitan Macarius had already died by this time, and the new one had retired to a monastery. Filipp Kolychev became metropolitan instead of him (1566-1568), who sought to stop the atrocities of the guardsmen: he alone dared to publicly speak out against the oprichnina. For this, the courageous hierarch was defrocked, deposed, imprisoned in a monastery and soon strangled by guardsmen on the royal order.
Then the executions of the guardsmen themselves, who stood at its origins, began. They were replaced by "particularly distinguished". Among them, history has preserved the name of guardsman Malyuta Skuratov. It became a household name. It is still used today in the sense of cruel and senseless reprisal against the innocent.
Suspicion and fear reigned in the country. The anger of the king turned not only against the rich boyar families, but also against entire cities.
Campaigns of Ivan the Terrible
At the end of 1569, the tsar accused the city of Novgorod of treason and went on a campaign against him. The campaign of Ivan the Terrible against Novgorod in 1570 became the largest massacre of the times of the oprichnina.
Suspecting the Novgorodians of treason, the tsar carried out a terrible pogrom in the city. The destruction of the city lasted six weeks. Many service people, townspeople, priests and monks were killed or drowned in the Volkhov River. The property of the Novgorodians, as well as the values of the church, were looted. The outskirts of the city are devastated.
The cities of Tver, Torzhok and the villages and villages adjoining them were also defeated. Destroyed military garrisons and residents in Narva, Ivangorod and Pskov.
Famine and plague
Simultaneously with the oprichnina, two other disasters visited the central regions of the country: a terrible three-year famine and a plague epidemic in 1569-1571. To all this, heavy duties were added, imposed on the population in connection with the endless Livonian War. As a result, in the 70s. 16th century there is a sharp reduction in the population of Moscow lands. A significant part of the people died from natural disasters and oprichnina terror, and the rest rushed to the outskirts of the country, to the impenetrable forests of the Russian North or to the southern steppes. material from the site
Traveling in Russia, the Englishman D. Fletcher noted: “It happens to see many villages and cities, completely empty, the people all scattered to other places ... So, on the way to Moscow, between Vologda and Yaroslavl, there are up to fifty villages along at least completely abandoned, so that there is not a single inhabitant in them.
While the oprichnina army was cracking down on the cities and villages of their country, the Crimean Khan Girey approached Moscow and burned it. The Russian state was completely ruined. Its population has decreased several times. The fields were abandoned. The cities are deserted.
Almost every person is familiar with the term "oprichnina". Is this word usually associated with the dark times of confrontation between Ivan the Terrible, the descendants of specific princes and guardsmen? This is a man who was in the ranks of the oprichnina army, or guard, created by Tsar Ivan IV as part of the political reform of 1565.
The history of the creation of the oprichnina
Tired of the love of power of the boyars and the arbitrariness of the princely aristocracy, which began to think of itself as a co-ruler of the sovereign, in 1565 Ivan the Terrible introduces a reform by his decree. She was called an oprichnina. Its goal was to deprive the opponents of the king of all meaning and power. From now on, the whole country was divided into two parts: the oprichnina and the zemstvo (territories that were not included in the oprichnina). The first included the northeastern lands, where a small number of boyars-patrimonials were concentrated. The oprichnina existed for seven years, but the memory of it is still fresh.
Direct participants of the reform
Who is an oprichnik? First of all, this is an employee of the sovereign, who was in the ranks of the oprichnina army. They could become a representative of different masses. The royal oprichnik swore allegiance. At the same time, he renounced his family and promised not to communicate with the Zemstvo.
The characteristic of the guardsman included a distinctive feature - black robes, similar to monastic ones. In addition, they had special signs - the image of a broom and a dog's head. This symbolized a firm determination to take revenge and gnaw out treason. Thus, everyone could determine who the oprichnik was. Subsequently, the word itself became a swear word among the people.
The essence of the activities of the guardsmen
All the descendants of the specific princes, who seemed suspicious to Ivan the Terrible, were removed from the lands united in the royal possessions. All of them were subject to resettlement to new lands and the very outskirts of the state. According to the king, the traitors there could not pose any danger to the throne. Small landlords and nobles settled on the former land holdings of the resettled people.
The day of the guardsman consisted of the ruin and expulsion of the old nobility. Ivan the Terrible called it "to sort out people." During the entire period of persecution of those objectionable to the tsar, almost half of the state was gathered into the oprichnina. The remaining half was in the same position and was called "zemshchina". ruled there
Of course, all these measures ran into active opposition. Most powerful people did not approve of Russia's course towards centralization and the elimination of old liberties. Therefore, opponents of the changes artificially or nullified a considerable proportion of the cases begun by the guardsmen. These people had allies in other countries, in particular Poland. Many traitors transmitted information to opponents, and the king had information about this.
Duties of guardsmen
The leakage of important state information posed a direct threat to the ruler. Therefore, the day of the guardsman included the protection of Ivan IV. In fact, this meant the creation of the first in All those who swore allegiance were obliged to serve, like dogs, to protect their sovereign and state. Who is the oprichnik, you can imagine by familiarizing yourself with the activities of famous personalities: Malyuta Skuratov, boyar Alexei Basmanov, Prince Athanasius Vyazemsky.
Main characters
Malyuta Skuratov is a nickname, but the real name of the guardsman was Grigory Lukyanovich Skuratov-Belsky. Thanks to the strict adherence to the royal instructions, in times of change in the country, he very quickly found himself among the closest associates of Ivan the Terrible. The people became known as the main villain of those times. This happened mainly because of the events of January 1570. Novgorod was suspected of treason, in connection with this, Malyuta undertook to lead the pogroms in the city, during which the inhabitants were massacred by the thousands. Who is the oprichnik, you can also imagine by hearing the folk saying: "The king is not so terrible as his Malyuta." It was Skuratov who became an active executor of all state affairs.
The main inspirer of the oprichnina was Alexei Basmanov. He became its leading figure, blindly following all the instructions of the king. Basmanov stained himself with the deposition of Metropolitan Philip, driving him out of the cathedral with a broom.
The immediate adviser to the tsar and one of the main guardsmen was Prince Afanasy Vyazemsky. He had the boundless trust of Ivan the Terrible. Despite this, at the end of the Novgorod pogrom, Vyazemsky, like Basmanov, was accused of organizing plans to transfer Novgorod and Pskov to Lithuania.
Thus, the oprichnik was an associate of Ivan the Terrible, a participant in the tsarist reform of 1565 and a direct executor of state instructions to expel and neutralize the traitors to the tsar. This is a member of the "chosen thousand", "sovereign man". Oprichniki were people from different social strata. And taking a personal oath of allegiance to the tsar and the state testified to the creation of a single order formation.
