Moscow uprising of 1648

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Salt Riot
)
Salt Riot on Red Square, by Ernest Lissner

The Moscow uprising of 1648 (

Alexei I, eventually resulting in the exile of Alexei's advisor Boris Morozov
.

Background

The taxes fell mostly onto

boyars developed ways to evade taxation, thus placing an even higher burden on those less able to cheat the system. This created resentment among the townspeople, expediting their desire for tax reform.[1]: 6  The addition of the salt tax, which increased the price of salt, hit hardest of all because salted fish
was an important part of the Russian diet at the time.

A second major complaint came from the poorer landed boyars who wanted to reclaim escaped serfs. Serfs fled their estates due to cruelty from their masters, but more frequently because of bad soil. In the Northern reaches of the kingdom, the ground stayed frozen for most of the year leading to weaker yields when compared to fields on Southern estates. Richer boyars enticed agriculturally minded peasants off of the small estates with the promise of better soil and stronger crops. Boyar livelihood and land holding status depended almost entirely on the productivity of their land. When laborers left, productivity invariably dropped, threatening the landed status of the boyar and leading to discontent among the elite.[1]: 5  Before the uprising, a statute of limitations constricted the amount of time boyars had to reclaim "lost souls." The lesser boyars wanted this policy rescinded so that they could reclaim serfs at any point, thus securing their landed status. The riot solidified serfdom in Russia by lifting the repatriation time limit, binding serfs to an estate with more permanence.

Besides taxation, Muscovites were fed up with widespread corruption at the local scale. The worst offender was

Alexei I, Morozov and his cronies are turning "your Tsarist Majesty against the people, and the people against your Tsarist Majesty."[2]
: 745  They resented Morozov for usurping power from the divinely appointed Alexei and for changing the established system.

Start of riot

All these problems came to a head on 1 June 1648, upon Alexei I's return to Moscow from the

diak Nazar Chistoy [ru] (salt tax initiator), boyar Boris Morozov (actual head of government) and his brother-in-law Pyotr Trakhaniotov [ru] (head of Cannon Prikaz). Morozov commanded the Streltsy (musketeers) to drive the rioters out of the Kremlin, but they refused. When not acting as the Tsar's bodyguards, the musketeers held artisanal jobs in Moscow. This conflict of interest led them to side with the plight of the townsmen, stating that they, "...did not want to stand in antagonistic relations with the crowd for the sake of the traitor and tyrant Pleshcheyev."[2]
: 793 

The people would not hear the Tsar's heartfelt pleas to spare Pleshceyev and, on June 3, Alexei surrendered the official. In their fervor, the crowd did not wait for Pleshcheyev to be executed instead, "...they cuggeled him so black and blue and with axes they cut him asunder like a fish, the pieces they let lie naked here and there".

merchants, killing Nazar Chistoy as he begged for mercy.[4]
: 19  When rumors spread that Morozov's men had started the fires to antagonize the rioters, the boyar head hunt gained greater momentum.

Second phase of riot

On 6 June, after receiving a promised salary increase, the Streltsy withdrew from their active role in the riot. On June 11, Alexei managed to convince the people to allow Morozov to be exiled to the

dvoryane and made a few concessions to the remaining rebels, including the postponement of collection of arrears on 12 June. The government's measures widened the split among the rebels, leading to the arrest and execution of many of the leaders of the uprising on July 3. On 22 October, Boris Morozov secretly returned to Moscow under Alexei's order, and resumed his position as the head of the Russian government, relieving Nikita Romanov of the post. Thus, the immediate outcomes of the riot reversed themselves, and the old order became solidified in an official legal code.[2]
: 735 

Aftermath

The uprising in Moscow sparked sporadic riots elsewhere in Russia. Most of these happened in southwestern fortress towns where the population consisted of runaway serfs and people of low birth. They enlisted into state service in order to better their lot within society and feared unfavorable reforms by the government. Changes in military organization and obligation could result in their social regression placing them back into indentured servitude. The most significant outcome of the riot was the Assembly of the Land. Through it, a legal code formed that would be used for centuries to come. Representatives of nearly all social levels codified many of the reforms Alexei's administration had been implementing since the beginning of his reign. Significantly, the Sobornoye Ulozheniye made escape virtually impossible for serfs. In order to spread the ratified laws through the country, Alexei installed the first major printing press in Muscovy, a heretofore unseen invention in Russia.[2]: 751 

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Miller, David H. "Popular Protests and Urban Violence in 1648 Muscovy."
  2. ^ a b c d e f Kivelson, Valerie A. "The Devil Stole His Mind: The Tsar and the 1648 Moscow Uprising."
  3. ^ "ЮНЫЕ ГОДЫ ЦАРЯ АЛЕКСЕЯ МИХАЙЛОВИЧА". Russian historical library.
  4. ^ Fuhrmann, Joseph T. Tsar Alexis, His Reign and His Russia.
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