« salt riot” got its name because the reason for it was dissatisfaction with the salt tax. This event was preceded by a general crisis in the taxation system. Official documents of that time frankly admit that the collection of streltsy and yamsky money was extremely uneven due to the mass evasion of the townspeople. In 1646, some of the direct taxes were abolished, and instead the duty on salt was quadrupled - from five kopecks to two hryvnias per pood. Since the sale of salt was a state monopoly, Chisty assured that the salt tax would enrich the treasury. In fact, the opposite happened, as buyers reduced their salt intake to the limit. Moreover, the salt tax led to unpredictable consequences. On the Volga, due to the high cost of salt, thousands of pounds of fish rotted, which the common people ate during fasting. At the beginning of 1648, the unsuccessful tax was abolished, but at the same time, taxable people were required to pay the old taxes for three years in a row. The discontent of the people intensified. An outbreak of spontaneous discontent occurred in the early summer of 1648.

Copper Riot of 1662

If the "salt riot" was generated by the tax crisis, then the cause of the "copper riot" was the crisis of the monetary system. At that time, the Muscovite state did not have its own gold and silver mines, and precious metals were brought from abroad. At the Money Yard, silver Joachimstalers, or, as they were called in Russia, “Efimkov”, minted Russian coins: kopecks, money - half kopecks and half kopecks - quarter kopecks. The protracted war with Poland over Ukraine demanded huge expenses, in connection with which, on the advice of A.L. Ordin-Nashchokin, the issue of copper money began at the price of silver. As with the salt tax, the result was just the opposite of what was intended. Despite the strict royal decree, no one wanted to accept copper, and the peasants, who were paid with copper poltins and altyns, "thin and uneven", stopped the supply of agricultural products to the cities, which led to famine. Poltinas and altyns had to be withdrawn from circulation and re-coined into kopecks. small copper coin at first, it really had circulation on a par with silver kopecks. However, the government failed to avoid the temptation the easy way replenish the treasury and immensely increased the release of unsecured copper money, which was minted in Moscow, Novgorod and Pskov. At the same time, paying salaries to service people with copper money, the government demanded the payment of taxes (“fifth money”) in silver. Soon copper money depreciated, for 1 ruble silver they gave 17 rubles copper. And although a strict royal decree forbade raising prices, all goods rose sharply in price.

Counterfeiting was on the rise. According to the Council Code of 1649, criminals were poured molten metal into their throats for counterfeiting a coin, but the threat of a terrible execution did not stop anyone, and a stream of "thieves' money" flooded the state.

"Copper Riot" was a performance of the city's lower classes. Craftsmen, butchers, pie-makers, peasants of suburban villages took part in it. from guests and trading people“Not a single person stuck to those thieves, they even helped those thieves, and they received praise from the king.” Despite the merciless suppression of the rebellion, it did not go unnoticed. In 1663, by the royal decree of the copper business, the courtyards in Novgorod and Pskov were closed, and the minting of silver coins was resumed in Moscow. The salaries of all ranks to service people were again paid in silver money. Copper money was withdrawn from circulation, private individuals were ordered to melt it into boilers or bring it to the treasury, where 10 rubles were paid for each ruble, and later even less - 2 silver coins.

Major performances took place in 1650 in Pskov and Veliky Novgorod. The impetus for the speeches was the purchase of bread, which was carried out to send it to Sweden. These events are often referred to as the "Bread Riot".

Under the terms of the peace agreement with Sweden, Russia undertook to supply good grain for the resettling Russians and Karelians who left the territories lost as a result of the Time of Troubles. Bulk purchases of grain, carried out by a large Pskov merchant Fedor Yemelyanov on behalf of the government, led to an increase in grain prices. At the end of February 1650, the townspeople, archers, gunners and other people demanded that the local governor N.S. Sobakin stop the export of bread, detained the Swedish representative in Pskov and plundered Yemelyanov's yard. By the beginning of March, the governor had practically no power in the city, the real control was in the hands of the "all-city hut" (zemstvo hut), which included elected representatives from different segments of the population. On March 15, an uprising began in Veliky Novgorod. To suppress the unrest, troops were sent under the command of Prince I. N. Khovansky. On April 13, government forces entered Novgorod without resistance, the main participants in the uprising were arrested and subjected to corporal punishment.

The 17th century in the history of Russia is nicknamed the “rebellious century”. In this century, our country was shaken by riots, riots and uprisings of various scope and causes. Below are the events of the rebellious age in the form of a table:

Salt riot in Moscow		Its participants were nobles, archers, townspeople - everyone who was not satisfied with Morozov's policy. It was on the initiative of close to royal family, Boris Morozov in February 1646 significantly increases the tax on salt. By 1648, the price of this indispensable product quadrupled. In this regard, salting of fish almost completely stops, people begin to starve, sales of expensive salt are greatly reduced, and the city's cauldron suffers losses. Soon the tax will be cancelled. However, there is a need to make old taxes for several years in a row. Unsuccessful decrees as well Active participation in the life of the state close to Tsar Alexei (Plescheev, Miloslavsky, Trakhaniotov, Morozov) caused the organization of the Salt Riot in Moscow, and then in other Russian cities. The main consequence of the rebellion is the adoption of the Cathedral Code (1649).
Unrest in Novgorod and Pskov		The reason for this was the decision of the government to pay off public debts to Sweden by sending them bread. The urban poor were in danger of starvation. People tried to appeal to the authorities, but to no avail. So, on February 28, 1650, another popular uprising began. All the same disunity and spontaneity of decision-making influenced the outcome of the rebellion. With false promises, the authorities managed to pacify the people, after which a brutal reprisal against the instigators of the rebellion began.
Copper riot in Moscow		Another event of the rebellious age. The problems of the monetary system forced the people to resort to rebellion. The reduction of gold and silver coins, the unwillingness of the peasants to accept copper and, as a result, the cessation of providing cities with agricultural products led to famine. The monetary machinations of the authorities, who wanted to replenish the treasury at the expense of an unfair tax, could no longer pass without a trace. All the same persons were called to account as in 1648. But this time, only the lower classes of the city turned out to be dissatisfied: peasants, butchers, artisans and piemen. The copper rebellion was ruthlessly suppressed. However, he was not in vain. Already in 1663, a decree was issued to resume the minting of silver coins in Moscow.
Popular uprisings led by Stepan Razin		The Don Cossack managed to organize large-scale demonstrations against the initial people and boyars. But the tsarist convictions characteristic of that time did not leave people this time either. Astrakhan, Saratov, Samara - one by one, the Cossacks besieged Russian cities. But in Simbirsk they were actively resisted. Razin was seriously injured, and further performances were carried out without him. The bloody and cruel suppression of Razin's rebellion ended with the defeat of the Cossack army and the quartering of Stepan Razin.
Streltsy rebellion		There is still no definite answer as to what caused the “Khovanshchina” (the second name of the rebellion, associated with the names of its main participants, the princes of Khovansky), but it is customary to single out two versions. According to the first, it was a clash of boyar "parties", as one of his contemporaries put it. According to the second version, the Streltsy rebellion is another urban uprising, associated with the abuse of military leaders of their powers and delays in salaries of archers. The result of the rebellion: the actual reign of Princess Sofya Alekseevna for 7 years.

On June 11, 1648, a riot arose in Moscow, which would later be called Salt. It all started as a peaceful gathering. Which at some point grew into a bloody and fiery frenzy. The capital burned for ten days. Kozlov, Kursk, Solvychegodsk, Tomsk, Vladimir, Yelets, Volkhov, Chuguev rebelled. Until the end of the summer, pockets of discontent flared up in different cities of the country, main reason which was the rise in price of salt.

Salt riot: how was it?

Journal: July 2018
Category: Main
Text: Russian Seven

Boyar Morozov

Countless wealth and unlimited power - these are the two main life goals Boris Morozov, brother-in-law of the famous Old Believer noblewoman, who lived at the court of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich from the age of 25 in an atmosphere of greed, ignorance and hypocrisy. Being the tutor of Tsarevich Alexei, he actually became the ruler of the state when he ascended the throne. He owned 55 thousand peasant souls, was the owner of iron, brick and salt industries. He did not hesitate to take bribes, he distributed the rights to monopoly trade to generous merchants. He appointed his relatives to important government posts and hoped to take the throne after the death of the quiet Alexei Mikhailovich. To do this, at the age of 58 he married the royal sister-in-law. It is not surprising that the people not only did not like him, but also considered him one of the main culprits of all troubles.

Salt worth its weight in gold

The state survived Time of Troubles but barely making ends meet. The wars did not stop, a significant part of the budget (4-5 billion rubles in today's money) went to the maintenance of the army. There were not enough funds, and new taxes appeared. Simple people they got into debt, went bankrupt and fled from the state to the "white" lands, under the wing of some landowner. The fiscal burden was so heavy that they preferred to lose their freedom than continue to pay taxes: they had no other opportunity to survive, not to become impoverished.
The people grumbled more and more often, more and more boldly, not respecting not only the boyars, but also the monarch. To defuse the situation, Morozov canceled some fees. But essential goods began to rise sharply in price: honey, wine, salt. And then they began to require the payment of the very taxes that were canceled from draft people. Moreover, the entire amount - for all those months when taxes were not levied.
But the main thing is the salt. It was so expensive that the fish caught in the Volga was left to rot on the shore: neither the fishermen nor the merchants had the means to pickle it. But salted fish was the main food of the poor. Salt was the main preservative.

Petition. First try. Hassle

Tsar Alexei, a nineteen-year-old youth, was returning to Moscow from the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, where he went on a pilgrimage. He returned in an upbeat but thoughtful mood. Entering the city, he saw crowds of people on the streets. It seemed to the king that several thousand people came out to meet him. Modest, reserved Alex was not disposed to communicate with the common people. Morozov also did not want to let the people go to the king and ordered the archers to drive away the petitioners.
The Muscovites' last hope was for an intercessor tsar. They came with the whole world to beat him with their foreheads, but he did not even listen. Not yet thinking about rebellion, defending themselves from the archery lashes, people began to throw stones at the procession. Fortunately, almost all the pilgrims had by that time gone to the Kremlin, and the skirmish lasted only a few minutes. But the milestone was passed, the stretched string broke - and people were captured by the element of rebellion, which now could not be stopped. It happened on June 11 according to the new style.

Petition. Second try. The beginning of the massacre

The very next day, this element carried the people to the Kremlin in order to try to hand the petition to the tsar for the second time. The crowd was seething, shouting under the walls of the royal chambers, trying to get through to the sovereign. But letting her go was just too dangerous. Yes, and no time for reflection was the boyars. They also succumbed to emotions and tore the petition to shreds, throwing it at the feet of the supplicants. The crowd crushed the archers, rushed to the boyars. Those who did not have time to hide in the chambers were torn to pieces. The flow of people flowed through Moscow. The rebels began to smash the houses of the boyars, set fire to White City and Chinatown. They demanded new victims. Not a reduction in the price of salt, not the abolition of unfair taxes and the forgiveness of debts, no - ordinary people longed for one thing: to tear apart those whom they considered the culprits of their disasters.

massacre

The boyar Morozov tried to reason with the rebels, but in vain. "We need you too! We want your head!" the crowd shouted. There was nothing to think about pacifying the rebels. Moreover, out of 20 thousand Moscow archers, most of them went over to their side.
The first to fall into the hands of an angry crowd was the Duma clerk Nazariy Chistov, the initiator of the salt tax. "Here's some salt for you!" shouted those who dealt with him. But Chistov alone was not enough. Anticipating trouble, the brother-in-law of Morozov, the devious Pyotr Trakhaniotov, immediately fled from the city. After him, Alexei Mikhailovich sent Prince Semyon Pozharsky, wounded by a stone on the first day of the uprising. Pozharsky caught up with Trakhaniotov and brought him bound to Moscow, he was executed. The same fate awaited the head of the Zemsky order, Leonty Pleshcheev. And it was all the easier to do this because Pleshcheev was not unconditionally “his own” at court: just a year before the riot, the tsar returned him to Moscow from Siberian exile. It was not necessary to execute the condemned man: the crowd pulled him out of the hands of the executioner and tore him to pieces.

The fading of the riot

The salt riot forced the king to look at the people with different eyes. And he forced, perhaps for the first time in his life, to make a decision on his own. The tsar was frightened at first: not only because a large mass of people could, if desired, destroy him, but also because he did not expect such behavior from the people. Finding no better way out, Alexei Mikhailovich went along with the rebels, satisfied all their demands: he executed the perpetrators, and the Zemsky Sobor, which the nobles demanded, promised, and canceled the salt tax ... Only the tsar could not give Uncle Morozov to the crowd, instead he exiled him to the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery. The rebellion, having boiled away, gradually faded away.

About the salt riot in a nutshell

Solyanoj riot 1648

There have been many uprisings in the history of Moscow, so each of them has own name. So, one of the landmark uprisings of the 17th century in the Moscow principality was the so-called Salt Riot, briefly describing its cause, it will be enough to say that the boyar Boris Morozov unreasonably increased taxes on salt. However, discontent in Moscow society was brewing even before that, caused by the arbitrariness of state officials, whose arrogance sometimes reached unthinkable limits.

Therefore, Morozov, unable to directly raise taxes, began to demand money for the use of household goods. Salt also fell under the distribution, the cost of which rose from five kopecks per pood to two hryvnias, and it was salt that was the main means for conservation in those days. Thus, it was precisely the rise in the price of salt that became the trigger, because of which the discontent of citizens, unlike modern ones, resulted in real actions that shook the government.

The riot began on June 28, 1648. At first, the people tried to appeal directly to the tsar, demanding changes in the laws, but the boyar Morozov decided to act tough, ordering the archers to disperse the crowd. This resulted in a conflict, as a result of which some of the archers suffered. Having burst into the Kremlin, the crowd also did not achieve changes, after which “great turmoil broke out in the capital”. Boyars were caught all over the city, their estates were destroyed, and they themselves were killed. When part of the archers went over to the side of the rebels, the situation became critical - the tsar had to hand over to the crowd the main culprits of the increase in salt prices, as well as other people in whom the people saw their enemies. It is noteworthy that the trust in the king was not lost.

As a result of the salt riot, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich received greater independence, the judicial system in the Moscow principality was reformed, and Morozov was sent into exile. The king managed to calm the people by complying with his demands, but unrest was observed throughout the principality until 1649.

History of the Salt Riot

"Salt Riot", the Moscow uprising, it is considered to be its beginning on June 1, 1648, one of the largest urban uprisings mid-seventeenth century in Russia, mass demonstrations of the lower and middle strata of the townspeople, urban artisans, archers and courtyard people. The rebellion was the reaction of the people to the policy of the government of the boyar Boris Morozov, the educator and brother-in-law of Tsar Alexei Romanov, the de facto leader of the country (together with I.D. Miloslavsky).

Reason: Salt tax increase, new direct taxes. Territory of the uprising: Kozlov, Voronezh, Kursk, Moscow, etc. An outbreak of spontaneous discontent, the crowd lynched the boyars L. Pleshcheev, P. Trakhaniotov, N. Chisty, the tutor of the tsar B. Morozov could hardly survive. Outcome: suppressed, the king by a special decree postponed the collection of arrears. The final decision on the issue of convocation Zemsky Cathedral and drafting a new code of laws. Enslavement of peasants and townspeople according to the Code of 1649, estates were equalized with estates, "white" settlements were liquidated.

Causes of the Salt Riot

Boyar B. Morozov, who began to rule the state on behalf of the tsar, came up with new system taxation, which came into effect by royal decree in February 1646. An increased duty was introduced on salt to sharply replenish the treasury. But, such an innovation did not justify itself, since they began to buy less salt, and revenues to the treasury decreased.

The boyars abolished the salt tax. But the prices of essential commodities rose sharply: honey, wine, salt. And at the same time, they came up with another way, replenishing the treasury. The boyars decided to collect taxes, which had previously been canceled, immediately for three years. But the main thing is salt. Salt became so expensive that the fish caught in the Volga was left to rot on the banks: neither the fishermen nor the merchants had the means to salt it. And salted fish was the main food of the poor. The salt itself was the main preservative.

The mass ruin of the peasants and even wealthy people immediately followed. Due to the sudden impoverishment of the population, spontaneous popular unrest began in the state.

The beginning of the uprising

A crowd of people gathered to try to give the tsar a petition when on June 1, 1648 he returned from pilgrimage. However, the 19-year-old monarch was afraid of the people and did not accept the complaint. Morozov ordered the archers to drive off the petitioners. The last hope of the townspeople was for the intercessor king. They came with the whole world to beat him with their foreheads, but he did not want to listen. Still not thinking about rebellion, defending themselves from the lashes of archers, people began to throw stones at the procession. Fortunately, almost all of the pilgrims had already managed to get into the Kremlin, and the skirmish lasted only a few minutes.

Salt Riot. move

The next day, during the procession, people again went to the tsar, then the crowd broke into the territory of the Moscow Kremlin. The indignant crowd shouted under the walls of the royal chambers, trying to get through to the king. However, it was simply dangerous to let her in now. Yes, and no time for reflection was the boyars. They also succumbed to emotions and tore the petition to shreds, throwing it at the feet of the petitioners. The crowd crushed the archers, rushed to the boyars. Those who did not have time to hide in the wards were torn to pieces. The crowd flowed around Moscow, began to smash the hated boyar houses - Morozov, Pleshcheev, Trakhaniotov ... - and demanded that the tsar extradite them themselves, set fire to Bely and Kitay-gorod. She needed new victims. Not lowering the price of salt, not abolishing unjust taxes and forgiveness of debts - the crowd needed one thing: to tear apart those whom they considered responsible for their disasters.

There was nothing to think about the forceful suppression of the rebellion. Moreover, out of 20 thousand Moscow archers, most of them went over to the side of the rebels. A critical situation arose, the sovereign had to make concessions. The Pleshcheevs were handed over to the crowd (there was no need to execute the condemned man: people pulled him out of the hands of the executioner and tore him to pieces), then Trakhaniots. The life of the educator of the sovereign B. Morozov was under the threat of popular reprisals. But the king decided to save his teacher at any cost. He tearfully begged the crowd to spare the boyar, promising the people to remove Morozov from business and send him away from Moscow. The young tsar kept his promise and sent Morozov to the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery.

Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov

Results of the Salt Riot

After these events, called the "Salt Riot", Alexei Romanov changed a lot, and his role in governing the country became decisive.

At the request of the nobles and merchants, on June 16, 1648, they convened, at which a decision was made to prepare a new code of laws of the Russian state.

The result of the enormous and lengthy work of the Zemsky Sobor was the Code of 25 chapters, which was printed in 1200 copies. The code was sent to all local governors in all cities and large villages of the state. In the Code, legislation was developed on land ownership, on legal proceedings, and the statute of limitations for the investigation of fugitive peasants was canceled (which finally approved serfdom). This code of laws became the guiding document for Russia for almost 200 years.

Due to the abundance of foreign merchants in Russia, on June 1, 1649, the tsar signed a decree on the expulsion of English merchants from the state.

When the discontent subsided completely, Boris Morozov was returned from the monastery. True, he no longer received any posts and was no longer an all-powerful temporary worker. And the leaders of the uprising were arrested, convicted and executed.

"Salt Riot" . AT 1648. a movement broke out, which received the name in the sources and historiography "Salt Riot". Contemporaries unanimously note its scope, the participation in it of a large number of Moscow residents and visitors.

The salt riot began on June 1, 1648. On this day young Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich with many close associates and guards, he was returning from a pilgrimage from the monastery. As soon as the tsar entered the city, he was met by a large crowd of Muscovites and visitors, including petitioners who had gathered in the capital from different parts of the country. With shouts, they surrounded the tsar's carriage and complained about L. S. Pleshcheev, the head of the Zemsky order, who was in charge of the administration of the capital, its craft and trade population, threw stones at the boyars. Some of them were then injured. The next day, the dissatisfied again demanded to resign Pleshcheev, to stop the harassment and bribery of ordered people.

They soon moved from demands and threats to action: “plundered many boyar yards and courtiers, and noblemen, and living rooms”. Dozens of courtyards that belonged to Moscow boyars and nobles, clerks and wealthy merchants suffered from their anger. The rebels destroyed the houses of B. I. Morozov, P. T. Trakhaniotov (head of the Pushkarsky order), N. I. Chisty (head of the Ambassadorial order), L. S. Pleshcheev and others. briber, initiator of a huge tax on salt, introduced a few years before the riot and abolished six months before it, the rebels seized and hacked, throwing the body into a pile of dung.

Forced to yield, Alexei Mikhailovich ordered “to hand over Pleshcheev's head to all the people. The executioner took him out of the Kremlin, and the rebels literally tore the “burgomaster” to pieces.

On June 3 and 4, the pogroms of the courts of noble and wealthy people continued, during which they destroyed or spoiled serf documents in boyar and noble houses. Members "salt riot" demanded the extradition of Trakhaniotov. Brought to the palace to the king, he was given away, and the rebels immediately killed him.

The rebels continued to demand the extradition of the head of government and tutor of Tsar Morozov. He tried to escape from Moscow, but the coachmen recognized him and almost killed him. He returned to the Kremlin, where he hid in the royal chambers. Soon he was exiled.

The events included the nobles and the upper tenants. Taking advantage of the confusion and weakening of the government, they filed a petition. It put forward demands for the streamlining of legal proceedings, the correct conduct of all cases in orders, the convening of the Zemsky Sobor to develop a new law - the Code.

Unrest in the capital continued. They also moved to the periphery. In this turbulent situation, the authorities convened the Zemsky Sobor on July 16.

Thus, the ruling elites made concessions, first of all, to the nobility and the townspeople, who, using the discontent and revolt of the lower classes, received the greatest gain: the nobles achieved an indefinite search for fugitive peasants, settlements - the elimination of white places and settlements in which artisans and peasants lived. feudal lords, acting as competitors to the townspeople in trade and other matters, but not serving the tax. Of course, the liquidation of the Belomestites in the settlements ( "town building") met the interests of the entire settlement.

The government already in the days of the uprising began a massive distribution of land, peasants and salaries to low-income and dispossessed nobles and boyar children.

Applying the policy of carrot and stick, ruling circles gradually took over. In October, the tsar returned Morozov from exile. But the unrest continued until the end of January 1649, when, after the adoption Cathedral Code, the situation finally stabilized.

Simultaneously with the events in Moscow and under their influence, riots engulfed many cities in the south, in Pomorie and Siberia. In them, against the oppression of the state and the violence of local authorities, petty nobles, service people on the instrument, fugitive peasants, bobyls, serfs, and poor peasants spoke out.

In the southern Russian districts, the strongest uprisings took place in Kursk, Kozlov, Yelets, Livny, Valuyki, Chutuev, and others; in the north - in Salt Vychegodskaya, Ustyug the Great; in Siberia - Tomsk, Yenisei jail, Kuznetsk, Verkhoturye. In 1650, uprisings broke out in Pskov and Novgorod.