The Copper Riot is a riot that took place in Moscow on July 25 (August 4), 1662, an uprising of the urban lower classes against tax increases during the Russian-Polish war of 1654-1667. and the issue from 1654 of depreciated, in comparison with silver, copper coins.
Copper riot - in brief (article review)
After a long and bloody war with Poland in 1654, tsar Alexei Mikhailovich introduced copper money. Preparing for a new war with Sweden required a lot of money, and minting a copper coin seemed like a way out. And although copper was 60 times cheaper than silver, copper pennies were equated to silver. At first, the population eagerly accepted the new money. However, after their production took on an unprecedented, uncontrollable character, the confidence in copper money decreased dramatically.
Depreciated copper kopecks played a fatal role in the economy of the state. Trade was largely upset, since no one wanted to take copper in payment, servicemen and archers murmured, since nothing could be bought with a new salary. This created the conditions for the subsequent copper riot.
1662, July 25 (August 4) - an alarm sounded alarmingly near the walls of the ancient Kremlin. After the merchants closed their shops, the people hurried to the crossroads at the Spassky Gate, where accusatory letters were already being read. So the copper riot began. Later, an angry crowd would rush into Kolomenskoye, where the royal residence of Alexei Mikhailovich was located, and demand that the copper money be canceled.
Sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich brutally and mercilessly suppressed the copper revolt. As a result, copper money will be canceled.
And now in more detail …
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Description of the Copper Riot
Causes of the Copper Riot
The protracted war devastated the treasury. To replenish the treasury, the government of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov resorted to the usual means - increased fiscal oppression. Taxes have risen sharply. In addition to the usual taxes, they began to levy extraordinary ones, which reminded the townspeople of the memorable Time of Troubles - "five-piece money."
But there was also such a way of replenishing the treasury as - re-coinage (damage) of a silver coin with a decrease in its weight. However, Moscow businessmen went even further and, in addition to the spoiled silver coin, began to issue copper coins. At the same time, with the difference in the market prices for silver and copper (almost 60 times), they had the same par value. This was supposed to give - and did - a fabulous profit: from one pound (400 grams) of copper worth 12 kopecks. from the Mint received copper money in the amount of 10 rubles. According to some sources, in the first year alone, this kind of monetary fraud brought a profit of 5 million rubles. In total, in 10 years - from 1654 to 1663. - copper money entered circulation in an amount that Meyerberg, perhaps exaggerating, determined at 20 million rubles.
At first, the copper penny was on a par with the silver one and was well received. But the authorities themselves intervened in the sphere of payments and began to buy silver coins from the population with copper money. Along with this, the payment of taxes and duties took place only with a silver coin. Because of this “forward-looking policy,” the already fragile trust in copper money quickly collapsed. The monetary system was in disorder. Copper ceased to be taken, and copper money began to depreciate rapidly. Two prices appeared on the market: for silver and copper coins. The gap between them increased weather-wise and by the time of cancellation it was 1 in 15 and even 1 in 20. As a consequence of this, prices increased.
The counterfeiters, who did not miss the opportunity to quickly enrich themselves, did not stand aside. There were persistent rumors that even the sovereign's father-in-law, boyar I. D. Miloslavsky, did not disdain the profitable trade.
Before the riot
Soon the situation became simply unbearable. Commercial and industrial activity was in decline. Especially the townspeople and service people had a hard time. “Great poverty and great destruction are repaired at a grain price, and in all sorts of food there is a great price,” the petitioners groaned. The price of a chicken in the capital has reached two rubles - an incredible amount for the old, "home-made" times. The high cost, the growing difference between a copper and a silver penny, inevitably brought a social explosion closer, which, for all its spontaneity, was felt by contemporaries as an inevitable disaster. “They want to be confused in Moscow,” said one clerk on the eve of the July events.
The news about the next collection of the "fifth money" added even more passion. The population of Moscow was hotly discussing the conditions of the gathering when "letters of thieves" began to appear on Sretenka, Lubyanka and other places. Unfortunately, their text has not survived. It is known that they accused many of the Duma and clerks of "treason", which, in accordance with existing ideas, was interpreted quite broadly: both as abuse, and as "neglect of the sovereign", and as relations with the king of Poland. 1662, July 25, the "Copper Riot" broke out.
Riot course
The main events took place outside Moscow, in the village of Kolomenskoye. A crowd of 4-5 thousand people went here early in the morning, consisting of the townspeople and service personnel - archers and soldiers of the Elected Regiment of Agey Shepelev. Their appearance in Tsarskoe Selo was an absolute surprise. The archers who were on guard tried to stop the crowd, but she simply crushed them and broke into the palace village.
The Tsar with all his family listened to mass on the occasion of the birthday of Alexei Mikhailovich's sister, Princess Anna Mikhailovna. The confused tsar sent boyars to negotiate with the people. The crowd rejected them. The Emperor himself had to go out. Cries of indignation were heard: those who came began to demand the extradition of the traitorous boyars "for murder", as well as tax cuts. Among those whose blood was thirsty for the crowd was the butler, the roundhouse F. M. Rtishchev is a man very close to the tsar in his spiritual disposition and religious spirit. Alexei Mikhailovich ordered him, along with the others, to hide in the female half of the palace - in the chambers of the queen. Having locked themselves in, the entire royal family and people close to them "sat in the mansion in great fear and fear." Rtishchev, who knew very well how the conversation with the "Gilevists" could end, confessed and received Holy Communion.
Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov.
In the official language of that era, any appeal to the sovereign is a petition. What happened in the morning of July 25 in Kolomenskoye was also attributed to this "genre" with an expressive addition of the then office work: "They beat their foreheads with great ignorance." The tsar himself already faced this kind of "ignorance" 14 years ago, when angry crowds of Muscovites broke into the Kremlin in the hope of dealing with B. I. Morozov. Then the sovereign, at the cost of humiliation, managed to beg for the life of his educator. Old experience came in handy even now - Romanov knew that the blind fury of the crowd could be opposed either by force or humility. The Moscow posad man Luchka Zhidkoy presented the sovereign with a petition. The Nizhny Novgorod resident Martyan Zhedrinsky, who was standing nearby, insisted that the tsar immediately, without delay, “before the world” deduct her and ordered to bring the traitors.
The crowd "with a cry and much outrage" supported their petitioners. According to the testimony of the omniscient G. Kotoshikhin, the tsar in response began to persuade the people with "quiet custom", promising to "initiate a search and a decree." The Tsar's promise was not immediately believed. Someone from the crowd even twisted the buttons on the royal dress and boldly asked: "What do you believe?" In the end, the sovereign was able to persuade the crowd and - a living detail - with someone, as a sign of agreement, struck on the hands - "gave them his hand at his word." From the outside, the picture, of course, looked impressive: frightened, although he did not lose his dignity, as in June 1648, Alexei Mikhailovich - and an unknown impudent posadskiy, shaking hands with their agreement on the search for traitors.
At the same time, the nobles were driven to the streltsy and soldier settlements with the order to urgently lead the servants to protect the king. Y. Romodanovsky went to the German settlement for foreigners. In the eyes of Romanov, the measures were necessary: the unrest managed to take the authorities by surprise. At about noon, the rebels broke into Kolomenskoye again: among them were those who had negotiated with the sovereign in the morning, and now turned back, having met halfway with a new excited crowd coming from the capital.
Even in the capital, she captured the son of one of the "traitors", a guest of Vasily Shorin, who was involved in government financial operations. Scared to death, the young man was ready to confirm anything: he announced his father's flight to the king of Poland with some boyar lists (in fact, Vasily Shorin was hiding in the courtyard of Prince Cherkassky in the Kremlin). No one doubted the testimony. Passions boiled with renewed vigor. This time, about 9000 people appeared before Alexei Mikhailovich, determined as never before. At the negotiations, the tsar began to threaten: if you don’t give the boyars good, we will take them ourselves according to our custom. At the same time they encouraged each other by shouting: "Now it's time, don't be shy!"
Suppression of the riot
However, the time of the rebels has already passed. While negotiations were underway, the rifle regiments of Artamon Matveyev and Semyon Poltev entered Kolomenskoye through the back gate. It was not in vain that the tsar welcomed and fed the archers. They did not support, as happened in 1648, the posad's action. Therefore, the events unfolded in a different scenario. As soon as the sovereign was informed of the arrival of troops, he immediately changed and ordered "to whip and chop without mercy." It is known that in moments of anger Alexey Mikhailovich did not restrain himself. One of the sources puts even harsher words into Romanov's mouth: "Deliver me from these dogs!" Having received the royal blessing, the archers with enviable agility - it is easy to deal with an unarmed crowd - rushed to rid the sovereign "of the dogs."
The massacre was bloody. At first they chopped and drowned, later they grabbed, tortured, tore out tongues, cut off arms and legs, several thousand were arrested and exiled after the investigation. During the days of the Copper Riot and on the wanted list, according to some sources, about 1000 people died. For the eternal memory of the rebellion, many were put on their left cheeks fiery "beeches" - "b" - a rebel. But the tension did not go away. A year later, foreigners wrote about the widespread murmur of residents.
Results of the Copper Riot
1663 - copper money was abolished by the tsar. The decree was expressive in its frankness: “so that there is no other thing between people about dengas,” the money was ordered to be set aside.
As a result of the copper revolt by the tsar's decree (1663), mints in Pskov and Novgorod were closed, and the minting of silver coins was resumed in Moscow. Soon, copper money was withdrawn from circulation.
The main leitmotif of The Copper Riot is boyar treason. In the eyes of the people, this alone made their speech fair. But in reality, "traitors" and copper money focused dissatisfaction with the whole course of life, squeezed by direct and extreme taxes, arbitrariness and high prices. The symptom is quite alarming - general weariness from the war. Many in government circles would like to end it. But to stop with dignity, with a profit.