Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Razin's Rebellion occurred in 1670–1 along the lower Don River in southern Russia in a heterogeneous community dominated by Cossacks, but also including runaway serfs who were considered fugitives. The Cossacks did not practice agriculture but lived off tribute levied on merchants passing along the Volga. The Russian government was interested in the Cossacks as a military force to guard the southern frontier, tolerating their freedom and de facto independence in the Don River region and even providing economic assistance and financial allowances. From 1650 to 1660 during the Russian wars with Poland and sweden, the rise in epidemics and crop failures led to the impoverishment of the Russian masses, and serfs fled in large numbers to the Don region. When the Russian government insisted on searching for and returning the serfs to their masters, the Cossacks resisted, provoking a major conflict. When the government cut food supplies and allowances, the Cossacks as professional warriors organized a fierce opposition that threatened to spill beyond the Don boundaries. stepan (stenka) Razin was a 40–year-old Cossack from an upper-class family whose godfather was Kornila Yakovlev, the ataman , or high commander, of the Don regional army. A tall imposing man, Razin traveled extensively with the Cossack diplomatic mission throughout Russia, visiting Moscow, Astrakhan, and other Russian ... log in or subscribe to read full text