Who are Minin and Pozharsky briefly. Topic: “Who are Minin and Pozharsky? Briefly, who are Minin and Pozharsky

The collapse of the First Zemstvo militia did not lead to the end of Russian resistance. By September 1611, a militia was formed in Nizhny Novgorod. It was headed by the Nizhny Novgorod zemstvo head Kuzma Minin, who invited Prince Dmitry Pozharsky to command military operations. In February 1612, the Second Militia set off on a campaign to the capital.

Nizhny Novgorod

At the beginning of the 17th century, Nizhny Novgorod was one of the largest cities in the Russian kingdom. Having emerged as a frontier fortress of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus on its eastern border, it gradually lost its military significance, but acquired a serious trade and craft significance. As a result, Nizhny Novgorod became an important administrative and economic center on the Middle Volga. In addition, in Nizhny there was a rather large and rather heavily armed “stone city”, its upper and lower tenements were protected by wooden forts with towers and a moat. The Nizhny Novgorod garrison was relatively small. It consisted of approximately 750 archers, fodder foreigners (mercenaries) and serf servants - gunners, collars, zatinshchiks and state blacksmiths. However, this fortress could become the core of a more serious army.

An important geographical position (it was located at the confluence of the two largest rivers of inland Russia - the Oka and the Volga) made Nizhny Novgorod a major trading center. In terms of its trade and economic significance, Nizhny Novgorod stood on a par with Smolensk, Pskov and Novgorod. In terms of its economic importance, it occupied at that time the sixth place among Russian cities. So, if Moscow gave the royal treasury at the end of the 16th century 12 thousand rubles of customs duties, then Nizhny - 7 thousand rubles. Rod city was connected with the entire Volga river system and was part of the ancient Volga trade route. Fish from the Caspian Sea, furs from Siberia, fabrics and spices from distant Persia, bread from the Oka were brought to Nizhny Novgorod. Therefore, the trade settlement, in which there were up to two thousand households, was of primary importance in the city. There were also many artisans in the city, and workers (loaders and barge haulers) in the river port. The Nizhny Novgorod Posad, united in the zemstvo world with two elders at the head, was the largest and most influential force in the city.

Thus, in terms of its military-strategic position, economic and political significance, Nizhny Novgorod was one of the key points in the eastern and southeastern regions of the Russian state. No wonder the 16th-century publicist Ivan Peresvetov advised Tsar Ivan the Terrible to move the capital to Nizhny Novgorod. It is not surprising that the city became the center of the people's liberation movement, which engulfed the Upper and Middle Volga regions and neighboring regions of Russia, and Nizhny Novgorod residents actively joined the struggle for the liberation of the Russian state.

Nizhny Novgorod and Troubles

During the Time of Troubles, Nizhny Novgorod was threatened more than once by the Poles and Tushinos. At the end of 1606, large bandit formations appeared in the Nizhny Novgorod district and adjacent districts, which were engaged in robberies and atrocities: they burned villages, robbed residents and drove them to full. This "freedom" in the winter of 1608 captured Alatyr and Arzamas, setting up its base in it. Tsar Vasily Shuisky sent his governor with troops to liberate Arzamas and other cities occupied by "thieves". One of them, Prince Ivan Vorotynsky, defeated the rebel detachments near Arzamas, took the city and cleared the areas adjacent to Arzamas.

With the advent of False Dmitry II, various gangs became more active again, especially since part of the boyars, the Moscow and district nobility and boyar children went over to the side of the new impostor. The Mordovians, Chuvashs and Cheremis also rebelled. Many cities also went over to the side of the impostor and tried to persuade Nizhny Novgorod to do the same. But Nizhny Novgorod stood firmly on the side of Tsar Shuisky and did not change his oath to him. The citizens of Nizhny Novgorod have never let enemies into the city. Moreover, Nizhny not only successfully defended itself, but also sent its army to help other cities and supported the campaign of Skopin-Shuisky.

So, when at the end of 1608 the inhabitants of the city of Balakhna, having changed their oath to Tsar Shuisky, attacked Nizhny Novgorod, the governor Andrey Alyabyev, according to the sentence of Nizhny Novgorod, hit the enemy, and on December 3, after a fierce battle, he occupied Balakhna. The leaders of the rebels were captured and hanged. Alyabyev, barely having time to return to Nizhny, again entered the fight against a new enemy detachment that attacked the city on December 5. Having defeated this detachment, the Nizhny Novgorodians took Vorsma.

In early January 1609, the troops of False Dmitry II attacked Nizhny under the command of the voivode Prince Semyon Vyazemsky and Timofey Lazarev. Vyazemsky sent a letter to Nizhny Novgorod residents, in which he wrote that if the city did not surrender, then all the townspeople would be exterminated, and the city would be burned to the ground. Nizhny Novgorod did not give an answer, but they themselves decided to make a sortie, despite the fact that the enemy had more troops. Thanks to the suddenness of the attack, the troops of Vyazemsky and Lazarev were defeated, and they themselves were taken prisoner and sentenced to hang. Then Alyabiev freed Murom from the rebels, where he remained as the royal governor, and Vladimir.

An even more active struggle was waged by the inhabitants of Nizhny Novgorod against the Polish troops of King Sigismund III. Simultaneously with Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod called on all Russians to liberate Moscow. It is interesting that letters with such appeals were sent not only on behalf of the governor, but also on behalf of the townspeople. The importance of urban settlements in the fight against enemy intervention and internal unrest has seriously increased. On February 17, 1611, earlier than others, the Nizhny Novgorod squads marched to Moscow and fought bravely under its walls as part of the First Zemstvo militia.

The failure of the first militia did not break the will of the Nizhny Novgorod residents to resist, on the contrary, they were even more convinced of the need for unity for a complete victory. Nizhny Novgorod residents maintained constant contact with Moscow through their scouts - the boyar son Roman Pakhomov and the townsman Rodion Moseev. They penetrated the capital and obtained the necessary information. The Nizhny Novgorod scouts even managed to establish contact with Patriarch Hermogenes, who was languishing in the Kremlin in the underground cell of the Chudov Monastery. Gonsevsky, embittered by the fact that the patriarch denounced the interventionists and their henchmen, called on the Russian people to fight and, not daring to openly deal with Hermogenes, sentenced him to starvation. Once a week, only a sheaf of unthreshed oats and a bucket of water were allowed to feed the imprisoned. However, this did not humble the Russian patriot. From the underground dungeon, Hermogenes continued to send out his letters with calls to fight against the invaders. These letters also reached Nizhny Novgorod.

Minin

From Nizhny, in turn, letters were distributed throughout the country with a call to unite to fight the common enemy. In this strong city, the determination of people to take the fate of a dying country into their own hands was ripening. It was necessary to inspire the people, instill in people confidence in victory, readiness to make any sacrifices. We needed people who had high personal qualities and such an understanding of what was happening in order to lead the popular movement. A simple Russian man from Nizhny Novgorod Kuzma Minin became such a leader, a folk hero.

Little is known about Minin's origins. However, it is known for certain that the version of the non-Russian origin of K. Minin (“baptized Tatar”) is a myth. On September 1, 1611, Minin was elected to the zemstvo elders. “The husband is not glorious by birth,” the chronicler notes, “but he is wise, intelligent and pagan in sense.” The high human qualities of Minin were able to appreciate the people of Nizhny Novgorod, nominating Sukhoruk to such an important post. The position of zemstvo headman was very honorable and responsible. He was in charge of the collection of taxes and ruled the court in the suburb, he had great power. The townspeople had to obey the zemstvo headman "in all worldly affairs," those who did not obey, he had the right to force. Minin was a "favorite" person in Nizhny Novgorod for his honesty and justice. Great organizational talent, love for the Motherland and ardent hatred for the invaders made him the "fathers" of the Second Zemstvo Militia. He became the soul of the new militia.

Minin began his exhortations to “help the Muscovite state” both in the “zemstvo hut”, and at the market where his shop stood, and near his house in ordinary meetings of neighbors, and at gatherings where letters that came to Nizhny Novgorod were read to the townspeople, etc. .d. In October 1611, Minin appealed to the people of Nizhny Novgorod with a call to create a people's militia to fight foreigners. At the alarm, the people gathered at the Transfiguration Cathedral for a gathering. Here Kuzma Minin delivered his famous speech, in which he urged the people of Nizhny Novgorod not to spare anything to protect their native country: “Orthodox people, we will want to help the Muscovite state, we will not spare our stomachs, but not only our stomachs - we will sell our yards, we will lay down our wives, children and we will beat brow, so that someone becomes our boss. And what praise will be to all of us from the Russian land that such a great deed will happen from such a small city as ours. I know that as soon as we move towards this, many cities will come to us, and we will get rid of foreigners.

Kuzma Minin's ardent call received the warmest response from Nizhny Novgorod residents. On his advice, the townspeople gave the "third money", that is, the third part of their property, for the militia. Donations were made voluntarily. One rich widow of the 12 thousand rubles she had donated 10 thousand - a huge amount at that time, striking the imagination of Nizhny Novgorod residents. Minin himself donated not only “his entire treasury” to the needs of the militia, but also silver and gold salaries from icons and jewelry of his wife. “You all do the same,” he said to the posad. However, voluntary contributions alone were not enough. Therefore, a compulsory collection of the “fifth money” was announced from all Nizhny Novgorod residents: each of them had to contribute a fifth of their income from fishing and trading activities. The collected money was to be used to distribute salaries to service people.

Peasants, townspeople and nobles joined the Nizhny Novgorod militia as volunteers. Minin introduced a new order in the organization of the militia: the militia was given a salary that was not equal. Depending on military training and combat merit, the militias were assigned (divided) into four salaries. Those who were turned on the first salary received 50 rubles a year, on the second - 45, on the third - 40, on the fourth - 35 rubles. Monetary salaries for all militias, regardless of whether he was a nobleman or a peasant, made everyone formally equal. Not noble origin, but skill, military abilities, devotion to the Russian land were the qualities by which Minin assessed a person.

Kuzma Minin not only himself was attentive and sensitive to every soldier who came to the militia, but also demanded the same from all commanders. He invited a detachment of service Smolensk nobles into the militia, who, after the fall of Smolensk, not wanting to serve the Polish king, abandoned their estates and went to the Arzamas district. The arriving Smolensk warriors were greeted very warmly by the Nizhny Novgorod people and provided with everything necessary.

With the full consent of all the inhabitants and city authorities of Nizhny Novgorod, on the initiative of Minin, the “Council of All the Earth” was created, which in its nature became the provisional government of the Russian state. It included the best people of the Volga cities and some representatives of local authorities. With the help of the "Council" Minin led the recruitment of warriors in the militia, and resolved other issues. The inhabitants of Nizhny Novgorod unanimously invested him with the title of "an elected man of the whole earth."

Minin's appeal to the people of Nizhny Novgorod in 1611. M. I. Peskov

Commander of the Second Militia

The question was extremely important: how to find a governor who would lead the Zemstvo militia? Nizhny Novgorod did not want to deal with local governors. Okolnichiy Prince Vasily Zvenigorodsky did not differ in military talents, and was related to Mikhail Saltykov, hetman Gonsevsky's henchman. He received the rank of roundabout according to the letter of Sigismund III, and was appointed to the Nizhny Novgorod province by Trubetskoy and Zarutsky. Such a person was not to be trusted.

The second governor, Andrey Alyabyev, skillfully fought and served faithfully, but was known only in his Nizhny Novgorod district. The townspeople wanted a skilled governor, not marked by "flights", and known among the people. Finding such a governor in this troubled time, when the transitions of governors and nobles from one camp to another became a common thing, was not easy. Then Kuzma Minin proposed to elect Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky as governor.

His candidacy was approved by the people of Nizhny Novgorod and the militias. A lot spoke in favor of the prince: he was far from the corrupt ruling elite, did not have a duma rank, a simple steward. He did not manage to make a court career, but more than once distinguished himself on the battlefield. In 1608, being a regimental commander, he defeated the Tushino troops near Kolomna; in 1609 he defeated the gangs of ataman Salkov; in 1610, during the dissatisfaction of the Ryazan governor Prokopiy Lyapunov with Tsar Shuisky, he kept the city of Zaraysk in loyalty to the tsar. Then he defeated the Polish detachment sent against Lyapunov and the "thieves" Cossacks, who tried to take Zaraysk. He was faithful to the oath, did not bow to foreigners. The fame of the heroic deeds of the prince during the Moscow uprising in the spring of 1611 reached Nizhny Novgorod. Nizhny Novgorod also liked such traits of the prince as honesty, disinterestedness, justice in making decisions, decisiveness and balance in his actions. In addition, he was nearby, he lived in his patrimony just 120 miles from Nizhny. Dmitry Mikhailovich was treated after severe wounds received in battles with enemies. The wound on the leg was especially difficult to heal - lameness remained for life. As a result, Pozharsky received the nickname Lame.

To invite Prince Dmitry Pozharsky to the voivodship, the citizens of Nizhny Novgorod sent an honorary embassy to the village of Mugreeevo, Suzdal district. There is evidence that before and after that, Minin repeatedly visited him, together they discussed the organization of the Second Zemstvo militia. Nizhny Novgorod people went to him "many times, so that I could go to Nizhny for the Zemstvo Council," the prince himself noted. As was customary then, Pozharsky for a long time refused the offer of Nizhny Novgorod. The prince was well aware that before deciding on such an honorable and responsible business, it is necessary to think over this issue well. In addition, Pozharsky wanted from the very beginning to receive the powers of a large governor, to be commander in chief.

In the end, Dmitry Pozharsky, who had not yet fully recovered from his injuries, gave his consent. But he also set a condition that the people of Nizhny Novgorod themselves choose from among the townspeople a person who would become with him at the head of the militia and deal with the “rear”. And he offered Kuzma Minin to this position. That's what they decided on. Thus, in the zemstvo militia, Prince Pozharsky assumed a military function, and the “elected man of the whole earth” Kuzma Minin-Sukhoruk became in charge of the economy of the army, the militia treasury. At the head of the second zemstvo militia stood two people, elected by the people and invested with their confidence - Minin and Pozharsky.

Militia organization

At the end of October 1611, Prince Pozharsky arrived in Nizhny Novgorod with a small retinue and, together with Minin, set about organizing a people's militia. They developed vigorous activity to create an army that was supposed to liberate Moscow from the invaders and initiate the expulsion of the interventionists from the Russian land. Minin and Pozharsky understood that they could solve such a big task facing them only by relying on the “popular multitude”.

Minin showed great firmness and determination in raising funds. From the tax collectors for the militia, Minin demanded that the rich not make indulgences, and the poor should not be unfairly oppressed. Despite the total taxation of Nizhny Novgorod residents, there was still not enough money to provide the militias with everything they needed. I had to resort to forced loans from residents of other cities. The clerks of the richest merchants of the Stroganovs, merchants from Moscow, Yaroslavl and other cities connected with Nizhny Novgorod by trade were subject to taxation. By creating the militia, its leaders began to show their strength and power far beyond the borders of the Nizhny Novgorod district. Letters were sent to Yaroslavl, Vologda, Kazan and other cities. In a letter sent on behalf of the Nizhny Novgorod militia to residents of other cities, it was said: “From all the cities of the Moscow state, nobles and boyar children were near Moscow, Polish and Lithuanian people were besieged by a strong siege, but a stream of nobles and boyar children from near Moscow dispersed for a temporary sweets, for robberies and kidnappings. But now we, all sorts of people of Nizhny Novgorod, having referred to Kazan and all the cities of the lower and Volga regions, having gathered with many military people, seeing the final ruin of the Muscovite state, asking God for mercy, we all go with our heads to help the Muscovite state. Yes, Smolensk, Dorogobuzh and Vets came to Nizhny Novgorod from Arzamas ... and we, all the people of Nizhny Novgorod, after consulting among ourselves, sentenced: to share our stomachs and houses with them, to give salaries and help and send them to help the Moscow the state."

The Volga cities responded to the appeal of Nizhny Novgorod in different ways. Such small towns as Balakhna and Gorokhovets immediately got involved. Kazan reacted to this call at first rather coolly. Her "sovereign people" believed that "royal Kazan - the main city of the Ponizovye" should excel. As a result, the service people of the border regions who arrived in the vicinity of Arzamas after the fall of Smolensk, Smolensk, Belyan, Dorogobuzh, Vyazmichi, Brenchan, Roslavtsy and others, become the core of the militia along with the Nizhny Novgorod people. They gathered about 2 thousand people, and they were all experienced fighters who had participated in battles more than once. Later, nobles from Ryazan and Kolomna came to Nizhny, as well as service people, Cossacks and archers from the "Ukrainian cities" who were in Moscow under Tsar Vasily Shuisky.

Having learned about the formation of the Second Militia in Nizhny Novgorod and not being able to counteract this, the worried Poles turned to Patriarch Hermogenes demanding that he condemn the "traitors". The patriarch refused to do so. He cursed the Moscow boyars who turned to him on behalf of Gonsevsky as "cursed traitors." As a result, he was starved to death. On February 17, 1612 Hermogenes died.

The leaders of the second militia needed to resolve the issue of the remainder of the First militia. The leaders of the Cossack freemen Zarutsky and Trubetskoy still had considerable strength. As a result, since December 1611, two provisional governments have been operating in Russia: the “Council of All the Land” of the Cossacks near Moscow, led by Ataman Ivan Zarutsky, and the “Council of All the Land” in Nizhny Novgorod. Between these two centers of power there was a struggle not only for influence on local governors and for income, but also on the question of what to do next. Zarutsky and Trubetskoy, with the support of the rich and influential Trinity-Sergius Monastery, proposed to lead the militia to Moscow as soon as possible. They feared the rapid growth of the power and influence of the Nizhny Novgorod rati. And they planned to take a dominant position near Moscow. However, the "Council of All the Earth" of Nizhny Novgorod considered it necessary to wait in order to properly prepare for the campaign. It was the line of Minin and Pozharsky.

Relations between the two centers of power became openly hostile after Trubetskoy and Zarutsky began negotiations with the Pskov impostor Sidorka (False Dmitry III), to whom they eventually swore allegiance. True, they soon had to abandon their "kissing the cross", since such an act did not find support among ordinary Cossacks and was sharply condemned by Minin and Pozharsky.

Start of the hike

After hard work, by the beginning of February 1612, the Nizhny Novgorod militia was already an impressive force and reached 5 thousand soldiers. Despite the fact that the work on the military structure of the Second Home Guard had not yet been fully completed, Pozharsky and Minin realized that they could no longer wait and decided to start the campaign. Initially, the shortest route was chosen - from Nizhny Novgorod through Gorokhovets, Suzdal to Moscow.

The moment to attack was convenient. The Polish garrison in Moscow experienced great difficulties, especially an acute shortage of food. The famine forced most of the Polish garrison to leave the devastated city for the surrounding counties in search of food. Of the 12 thousand the enemy troops in the Kremlin and Kitai-Gorod remained about 4 thousand. garrison weakened by hunger. The most select detachments of Polish thugs under the command of Hetman Khodkevich settled in the village of Rogachevo, not far from the city of Dmitrov; Sapieha's detachment was in the city of Rostov. There was no help from Sigismund III to the besieged garrison. And the "seven boyars" did not represent any real military force. Thus, it was the most convenient time for the liberation of Moscow.

Voivode Dmitry Pozharsky drew up a plan for a liberation campaign. The idea was to take advantage of the fragmentation of the forces of the interventionists, to break them in parts. At first, it was planned to cut off the detachments of Khodkevich and Sapieha from Moscow, and then defeat the besieged Polish garrison of Gonsevsky and liberate the capital. Pozharsky hoped for the help of the Cossack camps near Moscow (the remnants of the First Militia).

However, Ataman Zarutsky began open hostilities. He decided to capture a number of large cities of North-Eastern Rus' and thereby prevent the inhabitants of Nizhny Novgorod from entering and maintain his sphere of influence. Taking advantage of the withdrawal from Rostov of the Great Sapieha Detachment, in February Zarutsky orders his Cossacks to capture Yaroslavl, a strategically important city along the Volga. The Cossack detachment of ataman Prosovetsky was supposed to go there from Vladimir.

As soon as it became known about the actions of Zarutsky, Minin and Pozharsky were forced to change the original plan for the liberation campaign. They decided to move up the Volga, occupy Yaroslavl, bypassing the devastated areas where the Cossack detachments of Zarutsky and Trubetskoy near Moscow were operating, and combine the forces that had risen against the interventionists. Zarutsky's Cossacks were the first to break into Yaroslavl. The townspeople asked Pozharsky for help. The prince sent detachments of his relatives, princes Dmitry Lopata Pozharsky and Roman Pozharsky. They occupied Yaroslavl and Suzdal with a quick raid, taking the Cossacks by surprise and did not allow Prosovetsky's detachments to go there. The detachment of Prosovetsky, who was on the way to Yaroslavl, had no choice but to turn back to the camps near Moscow. He did not take the fight.

Having received news from Lopata-Pozharsky that Yaroslavl was in the hands of the Nizhny Novgorod people, Minin and Pozharsky in early March 1612 ordered the militia to set out from Nizhny Novgorod on a campaign to liberate the capital of the Russian state. In early April 1612, the militia entered Yaroslavl. Here the militia stood for four months, until the end of July 1612.

In Moscow, in front of St. Basil's Cathedral, there is a monument. There are two people on the pedestal: one with a sword, the second with a shield, and below the inscription "TO CITIZEN MININ AND PRINCE POZHARSKY. GRATEFUL RUSSIA SUMMER. 1818

Who are Minin and Pozharsky, and for what is the whole country grateful to them? In order to answer this question, you will have to "dig" the history of several centuries ago.

By the beginning of the XVII century. in the Russian state came the so-called Time of Troubles. After the death in 1584 of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, an era of profound crisis began in the Muscovite state, caused by the suppression of the royal dynasty of Rurikovich. The united Russian state collapsed, numerous impostors appeared.

Under the name of the murdered Tsarevich Dmitry, the first Russian impostor appeared - Grishka Otrepyev, a fugitive monk from the Moscow Chudov Monastery. The conspirators killed Boris Godunov's son, Fyodor, and his mother. They had barely managed to deal with Grishka, when, along with all the armed rabble, a second impostor appeared - another False Dmitry. A dynastic crisis broke out in the country. Moscow lay in ruins, many cities were destroyed and burned, all the bridges in Uglich were broken. Taking advantage of the disastrous situation in the country, the Poles and Swedes declared war on Russia.

By the autumn of 1611, Russia's position was close to desperate: the Poles occupied Moscow, Smolensk and other Russian cities in the west. The Swedes captured the entire coast of the Gulf of Finland and Novgorod. The entire western part of the state was actually occupied. Looting, organized and ordinary crime flourished in the country.

At this difficult moment for the country, the Russian clergy played a huge role. Under the leadership of the abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, Archimandrite Dionisy, later canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church, the monks began to call on the Russian people to join the militia in order to expel the enemies of the Russian land, primarily the gentry. Similar appeals and letters were sent out by Patriarch Hermogenes, many other priests went around towns and villages, calling on the people to liberate the country. Church, especially monastic, word had then great authority.

One of the letters of Patriarch Hermogenes ended up in Nizhny Novgorod, in the hands of the zemstvo head Kozma Minin (Sukhoruk). He was a simple butcher, of low birth, but he was a pious, intelligent and energetic person. Most importantly, he was a great patriot. The call of the church to the militia was heard by him, he immediately set to work and began to gather people. “We want to help the Muscovite state, so we don’t spare our property, don’t spare anything, sell yards, mortgage wives and children, beat with the brow of anyone who would stand up for the true Orthodox faith and be our boss.” Minin collected donations, explaining to the people where their money would go, becoming practically the financial director of the militia.

Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky, who belonged to the descendants of Rurik, was elected commander of the militia. The prince faithfully served both Boris Godunov and Vasily Shuisky, and the sixteen-year-old prince Mikhail Romanov, who later ascended the throne. Pozharsky has always held high positions, had experience in successfully managing several military operations.

It was these two people who were to play a central role in the liberation of the country from foreign invaders. During the winter of 1611-1612. many others from domestic cities and villages joined the militias of Nizhny Novgorod, dissatisfied with the dominance of foreigners. Before going to Moscow, Pozharsky had to pacify the riots in the Volga region. This took the whole summer of 1612. In the winter, Pozharsky gathered the Zemsky Sobor in Yaroslavl and transferred control of the entire Moscow land to it. Representatives of all classes from almost all Russian cities arrived at the Council to discuss a plan for further action. Including a trip to Moscow. But it soon became known that the Polish king Sigismund had already sent a large army, and Pozharsky decided without delay to immediately go on a campaign.

Under the banner of Pozharsky and Minin gathered more than 10 thousand service local people, up to three thousand Cossacks, more than a thousand archers and many "subsistence people" from the peasants. With the miraculous icon of the Kazan Mother of God, the Nizhny Novgorod Zemstvo militia managed on November 1, 1612 to storm Kitay-Gorod and drive the Poles out of Moscow. On November 4, the command of the interventionist garrison signed a surrender and released the Moscow boyars and other nobles from the Kremlin, the next day the garrison surrendered.

Grateful descendants appreciated the contribution of Minin and Pozharsky to the liberation of the fatherland and erected a monument to the heroes on the main square of the country. Initially, the monument was planned to be erected back in 1812, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the heroic events, but this was prevented by the war with Napoleon. And only in 1818, with the money pooled together, the work of the sculptor I. Martos was installed in the very center of Red Square. However, in 1930, the monument was considered an obstacle to festive demonstrations and was moved closer to St. Basil's Cathedral, where it still stands today.

Minin and Pozharsky are the heroes of the Russian land. This phrase, replicated in thousands of articles, reflects the attitude of society to the events of almost four hundred years ago. Few people in Russia can name the sequence of events during the period called the Time of Troubles, but if you ask about Minin and Pozharsky, almost everyone will answer: "These are those who liberated Moscow from the Poles." In the memory of the people, Minin and Pozharsky are the great defenders of the Russian land, who entered the national mythology.

The memory of Minin and Pozharsky is inseparable, although they are of different origin and differ in many ways, except for participation in the salvation of Russia. What unites them is decency. There was no notoriety about Minin and Pozharsky, which, as I.E. Zabelin, will always bypass the good glory - "good glory lies, and the bad one runs." Both heroes were highly decent people - that's why the people believed them.

Kuzma Minin

Little is known about Kuzma Minin. The first written evidence about him dates back to 1611, when he was married to Tatyana Semyonova and had an adult son, Nefyod. In the Zemsky militia, he was considered an elderly man, which at that time meant an age of 40 to 60 years. Most likely Kuzma was born in the late 60s - early 70s. 16th century Minin earned the respect of the townspeople and on September 1, 1611. was elected county warden. In the Time of Troubles, Minin took part in the militias of the Nizhny Novgorod governor A.S. Alyabiev and Prince A. A. Repnin, who fought off the Tushinos, who besieged Nizhny. He behaved with dignity, otherwise he would not have been elected headman in wartime.

It was already known about Prince Pozharsky before meeting with Minin. The ancestors of Dmitry Pozharsky, originated from the Grand Duke of Vladimir Vsevolod the Big Nest, the son of Yuri Dolgoruky. By the time of the Time of Troubles, the Pozharskys were considered a "seedy" princely family. Dmitry's grandfather, Fedor, who served at the court of Ivan the Terrible, was deprived of his estate during the years of the oprichnina and exiled to Sviyazhsk. Soon he was returned, part of the land was returned and sent to the Livonian war in the low rank of a noble head. Prince Fyodor married his eldest son, Mikhail, to Efrosinya Beklemisheva, a noblewoman of a noble family. On October 17 (30), 1577, in the Pozharskys' family house in the village of Sergovo, Princess Efrosinya gave birth to her second child - a son who received the baptismal name Kozma and the family name Dmitry. Soon the family moved to Moscow, where the Pozharskys had a family home.

Pozharsky owed his rise to his mother. In 1602, Princess Pozharskaya received the post of "supreme noblewoman" under Xenia, the daughter of Godunov's wife Maria Grigorievna. After the death of Boris, the stolnik Pozharsky, like everyone else, swore allegiance to "Dmitry Ivanovich." Pozharsky not only retained the rank of steward, but was appointed butler. After, when Vasily Shuisky was elected king, Prince Dmitry swore allegiance to him and served to the end. Here the main feature of Pozharsky is manifested - loyalty to the oath to the king. Pozharsky swore allegiance and faithfully served the new tsar, if he was anointed to the kingdom.

In 1610, Shuisky sent Pozharsky to Zaraysk as governor. When the Muscovites overthrew Shuisky, Pozharsky repelled attempts by Vor's supporters to capture Zaraysk and drove the rebels out of Kolomna. This is often forgotten, but Dmitry Pozharsky stands at the origins of not only the Second, but also the First Zemstvo militia.

On March 19, the commandant of the Kremlin, Gosevsky, having decided to pre-empt the Moscow uprising, ordered the Muscovites to be cut down. The Poles killed the unarmed townspeople in Kitay-gorod, but when they tried to capture the White City, they stumbled upon a stiff rebuff. The gunners delivered several cannons to Pozharsky, and the prince met the enemy with cannon fire. He drove the Poles back to Kitai-gorod. Thanks to betrayal, Moscow was set on fire. People, fleeing the fire, fled from Moscow. Pozharsky held out the longest.

Second zemstvo militia

Little is known about the start of the Zemstvo militia that liberated Moscow. The date of Minin's famous speech is unknown, as are the reasons for his speech. Letters from the clergy did not call for the convening of a new militia. Kuzma Minin was influenced by the very life and mood of the people - indignation, despair and hope in God.

It remained to get the support of the governor and the higher clergy. The clergy were opposed to the Poles. The first governor, Vasily Zvenigorodsky, looked towards the Boyar Duma.

Minin spoke to the people in the middle - the second half of October 1611. Nizhny Novgorod undertook to donate to the militia for "belongings and trades." Responsible for collecting money - "payer", they chose Minin. But Nizhny Novgorod chose Prince Dmitry Pozharsky as governor of the new militia.

The militias received a generous salary - from 50 to 30 rubles. The chronicler writes that Minin “quenched the thirsty hearts of the military, and covered their nakedness, and calmed them in everything, and by these deeds gathered a considerable army.” According to Zabelin, “this was the main and great merit of Minin; this was where his far-sighted, practical mind was revealed. He well understood that no dictatorial sentences and no patriotic enthusiasm would have gathered the soldiers if they had nothing to eat, or if they had a poor life.

From the very beginning, there was complete understanding and agreement between Pozharsky and Minin. One was engaged in the military side of the matter, the other in providing troops.

In the spring of 1612, Pozharsky's army cleared Zamoskovie from gangs of Cossacks.

In May 1612, the Yaroslavl embassy began negotiations in Novgorod with Metropolitan Isidore and the Swedish governor Jacob Delagardie. Negotiations lasted more than two months. On July 26, the parties agreed to sign a truce between the Moscow and Novgorod states.

Pozharsky set out from Yaroslavl on July 27, the day after the approval of the treaty with Novgorod. The army with guns and baggage moved slowly and on July 29 was still 29 miles from the city.

On August 14, the militia came to the walls of the Trinity and were solemnly greeted by Archimandrite Dionysius and the brethren. Pozharsky spoke from the Trinity on August 18.

All day on August 20, Pozharsky's army settled down, preparing for the arrival of Khodkevich. The militia settled down along the rampart of the western side of the Zemlyanoy Gorod or Skorodom, which surrounded the White City in a ring. Khodkevich did not keep himself waiting. On August 21, he set up camp on Poklonnaya Gora, six miles from Pozharsky's positions.

Battle for Moscow

Early in the morning of August 22 (September 1, new style), Khodkevich crossed the Moscow River at the Novodevichy Convent and moved to the Chertolsky Gates. Ahead, row after row, was the Polish cavalry. Prince Dmitry, who also pulled his forces to the Chertolsky Gates, threw his best cavalry towards him - the Smolensk people (including the Vyazemsky people with the Dorogobuzh people). A fight ensued. Unable to withstand the double blow, the Smolensk retreated to Earthen City. Here Pozharsky ordered them to dismount and take up defense on the city rampart. After dinner, Khodasevich threw all the infantry - mercenaries and Cossacks - to storm the Earthen Wall on both sides of the Chertolsky Gate. After the cavalry strike, the ranks of the Poles mixed up and they left the Earthen City. Khodkevich led the battered army to the Sparrow Hills.

On August 24, the battle unfolded in Zamoskvorechye. Pozharsky foresaw the possibility of a strike from the south and sent half of the troops to the right bank of the river. The battle began with skirmishes of the cavalry. Again, the Smolensk nobles took the brunt. For five hours they held back the onslaught of the Hussar companies, the Livonian infantry and the Cossacks. Pressed against the river, the militia swam across to the other side. Pozharsky with his regiment covered the retreat.

The role of Minin in the last battle is remarkable. Kuzma Minin came to Pozharsky and asked him for soldiers. Minin's attack led to a turning point in the battle. The entire Pozharsky army went on the offensive. The hetman's army spent the night without dismounting, the next day they retreated to Sparrow Hills, then to Mozhaisk, and then beyond the Lithuanian border.

The battle near Moscow on August 22-24 (September 1-3, new style) 1612 is the most important battle in Russian history in terms of its results. It is difficult to say what would have happened to Russia if Khodkevich had defeated the militia of Minin and Pozharsky.

It remained to take Kitay-Gorod and the Kremlin. Pozharsky wrote a letter to the Poles, who were under siege, offering to surrender, but they refused. I had to continue the siege. By mid-October, no more than one and a half thousand people remained from the three thousandth garrison. On October 22, Budilo was sent to the Russian camp, and Pozharsky sent Vasily Baturlin as a hostage. Negotiations began, the Poles tried to negotiate concessions, but then a case intervened: the Cossacks of the Trubetskoy regiment unexpectedly attacked Kitay-gorod and captured it - the so-called "Chinese take" happened. Now the Poles could only fight for the promise to save their lives.

The surrender of the Kremlin did not happen immediately, the Poles took into custody the boyars who were sitting in the Kremlin and extorted life for their heads. On October 27 (November 6, according to the new style), 1612, the surrender of the Polish garrison took place.

After the capture of Moscow. Pozharsky and Minin took part in the work of the Zemsky Sobor, which elected the tsar. Initially, eight applicants were named: among them were Dmitry Trubetskoy and Dmitry Pozharsky. Pozharsky himself suggested choosing the Swedish prince Carl-Philip. On January 6, 1613, the Council decided not to elect foreign princes to the throne. On February 21, 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov to the kingdom. On July 11, the royal wedding took place in the Assumption Cathedral. Immediately after the wedding, the tsar granted Prince Ivan Cherkassky (a royal relative) and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky as boyars. The next day, the tsar granted Kuzma Minin to the Duma nobles (the third most important rank in the Duma).

Myth-making.

Many of the contemporaries wrote about the 2nd Zemstvo militia - the most important information is given in the "New" and "Piskarevsky" chroniclers and Avraamy Palitsyn in the "Tale". In the middle of the XVII century. Trinity cellarer Simon Azaryev, on behalf of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, prepared for publication the Life of St. Sergius by Epiphanius the Wise and added 35 chapters about miracles that happened in the 15th-17th centuries. Among the miracles described by Azaryin, under the number nine is the chapter: “On the appearance of the miracle worker Sergius to Kozma Minin and on the gathering of military people to liberate the state.”

In the XVIII century. Pozharsky and Minin were known and revered, but little was written about them. In the "heroic poem" "Peter the Great" (1760) M.V. Lomonosov, talking about the history of Russia, mentions Pozharsky along with ... Trubetskoy. Lomonosov did not forget about the heroes of the Time of Troubles even further. In 1764 he prepared Ideas for Paintings from Russian History. Of the 25 topics, the Time of Troubles was given to 7, of which 3 - to Minin and Pozharsky. In 1799 N.S. Ilyinsky publishes “A Description of the Life and Immortal Feat of the Glorious Husband of the Nizhny Novgorod Merchant Kozma Minin, Selected from Historical Traditions”, and in the same year the anonymous work (I.I. Vinogradov) “The Life of Franz Yakovlevich Lefort, Russian General and Description of the Life of a Nizhny Novgorod merchant Kozma Minin. In 1798 M.M. Kheraskov published the drama "Liberated Moscow". Among its main characters are Pozharsky and Minin.

About Minin and Pozharsky in the first half of the 19th century. In 1806, the aged Derzhavin published a "heroic performance with choirs and recitatives" entitled "Pozharsky, or the Liberation of Moscow" (1806), where he makes an attempt to combine opera and tragedy.

Then a poem by S.N. Glinka "Pozharsky and Minin, or Donations of the Russians" (1807), his own tragedy "Minin" (1809); poem by S.A. Shirinsky-Shikhmatov “Pozharsky, Minin, Hermogen, or Saved Russia” (1807), tragedy by M.V. Kryukovsky "Pozharsky" (1807) and historical novels by P.Yu. Lvov "Pozharsky and Minin, Saviors of the Fatherland" (1810) and "Election to the kingdom of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov" (1812). All these works, with the exception of Kryukovsky's play, are frankly weak.

It is easy to understand why Minin and Pozharsky enjoyed the special location of the royal house. The feat of the leaders of the Nizhny Novgorod militia, in itself indisputable and decided the fate of Russia, created the prerequisites for the election of a tsar, and Mikhail was chosen - the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty. In other words, the feat of Minin and Pozharsky represents the beginning of the monarchical mythology of the Romanov dynasty. An important step in its approval was the installation of a monument to Minin and Pozharsky by Ivan Petrovich Martos on Red Square (1818). The monument to Minin and Pozharsky immediately outgrew the framework of the Romanov myth and entered historical mythology as a symbol of the unbreakable will of the people to fight the invaders.

Speaking of historians who wrote about Minin and Pozharsky in the first half of the 19th century, it should be said that Minin entirely, and Pozharsky, for the most part, belong to the “post-Karamzin” period. Karamzin passed away, bringing the "History of the Russian State" to the murder of Prokofy Lyapunov. Only the "Note on Ancient and New Russia" (1811) contains his assessment: the historian calls Minin and Pozharsky "saviors of the Fatherland."

Minin and Pozharsky are again glorified in official mythology. On December 16, 2004, the State Duma of the Russian Federation introduced the all-Russian holiday Day of National Unity in honor of "the day of the victory of the people's militia of citizen Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky" (first celebrated on November 4, 2005). In 2005, a monument to Minin and Pozharsky was unveiled in Nizhny Novgorod in the form of a reduced copy of the monument in Moscow. Heroes of the Nizhny Novgorod militia are now glorified, but the honors are official. For the people, the connection of times is interrupted - Minin and Pozharsky ceased to be folk heroes, but became historical heroes.

Marina Katakova
Topic: "Who are Minin and Pozharsky?"

Target: To continue to acquaint children with the history of our Motherland on the basis of specific historical events and personalities, to arouse interest and respect for the life of their ancestors. Give a concept "troubled times". Introduce the feat Minin and Pozharsky. Expanding children's understanding of national holidays. Introduce children to the public holiday "Day of National Unity". Develop a desire to study the history of their homeland, curiosity. Raise love and respect for Russian national heroes. Cultivate patriotic feelings: love for the motherland, native land. Activation dictionary: monument, diploma, "troubled times", "hard times".

Course progress.

1. Greeting. Hello guys. Recently I was lucky enough to visit the capital of our Motherland. Tell me what it's called? (children's answers) I came to Moscow to visit Red Square. (slide show) Tell me, Please Why is this area called "Red"? (children's answers). Yes, right. In the old days the word "red" meant "beautiful". The Kremlin is located on Red Square, where our government works, but now I would like to draw your attention to this monument. (slide show). It is also located in this area. Why do you think it is located on the main square? And maybe someone knows who our people put it to? Pay attention to the inscription on the monument " Citizen". And they thank these people for being folk heroes, defenders of the Russian land.

2. We listen. Today we will open another page in the history of our country, we will learn a lot of new things. Rus' was attacked a lot enemies: and the Mongol-Tatars, and the Swedes, and the Germans. So the Poles decided to seize our native land, plunder, destroy our churches and install their own king.

Our homeland at that time suffered greatly from the cunning and deceit of the Poles, and from the betrayal of some Russians. Yes, guys, it also happens that neither their native land nor the faith of their ancestors are important to them, but power and wealth come first.

Moscow was occupied by the Poles, disorder, devastation and grief reigned throughout the land. The Poles decided to capture and destroy the heart of Russia - the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. (slide show). They understood that, having destroyed the faith of our ancestors, the people would never rise from their knees.

These were "troubled times". (slide show). Russia was in for hard times and big troubles. New seekers of Russian lands and wealth appeared. Our king died and he had no children who could become kings after him. And then the Poles decided to capture Moscow and install their Polish king.

At the same time, the Russian people were very divided. There were Pomor, Siberian, Smolensk, Moscow and other Russians. All of them were sure that only they were the real Russians. Power in Moscow was wielded by Polish military leaders and their accomplices from the Russian boyars. Detachments of Polish pans traveled around the country. The invaders completely robbed the population, trampled on crops, slaughtered livestock, burned cities and villages, brutally killed or captured residents, mocked Russian customs.

The Russian land was occupied by the Poles. In the half-burnt and plundered capital, there was an enemy garrison. Gangs of dashing people prowled everywhere (robbers). The country fell into complete decline. She had no central government, no army, no material means. She was threatened with the loss of state independence. This terrible time people called "hard times". It seemed that the Russian state was dead and would never regain its former power.

Having surrounded the Lavra, the Poles did not let the food carts through for a whole year, but they did not manage to enter the monastery either. Both monks and ordinary people fought steadfastly and courageously. The Monk Sergius of Radonezh himself appeared in visions and helped emaciated people.

The merchant Kuzma lived in the ancient Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod. Minin. (slide show). He was a pious man, a believer. And so, in a dream, St. Sergius of Radonezh appeared to him and said: "Collect the treasury, warriors and go to Moscow to liberate the city from foreigners".

The Russian people could not and did not want to put up with the death of their state. And at such a time, the monks began to send letters (i.e. letters) to all ends of the Russian land with a call to stand up for the defense of their homeland.

One such letter also came to Nizhny Novgorod. The big bell rang. The people gathered at the main church and read the letter of the monks. (slide show). Jumped up on the church porch Kuzma Minin and said loud voice: “Our faith and fatherland are perishing, but we can save them. The time has come to help our dear Rus', let's save our dear Motherland! To save Moscow, we will sell our houses and redeem our Fatherland from trouble. Not spare our property, we will give the last and gather an army to fight the enemy! God willing, and we will drive them away!”

Moscow is dying from the Poles,

and Moscow is the foundation of Russia;

do not forget that if strong

root, then the tree is strong;

there will be no root on which

will it hold up?

Nizhny Novgorod with one voice exclaimed: "Let's die for Holy Rus'!". News of the call Minina quickly spread to all ends of Rus'. The people took everything was: who cut pearls from their outfits, who carried their jewelry, who pawned houses. rich people brought Minin his property, each poor man gave his last penny to a holy cause. (slide show). The militia began to gather to Nizhny Novgorod.

Kuzma Minin was a prudent calm person and was responsible for collecting taxes, for equipping the Russian army. (slide show) At his request, the inhabitants of Nizhny Novgorod began to sell and donate everything that was valuable to them.

Autumn in Nizhny Novgorod with the help of Kuzma Minina detachments of the people's militia began to form to fight the enemies. It was necessary to elect the military leader of the future people's rati. The choice fell on one of the best military leaders of that time, known for his courage and honesty - Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky. (slide show). The prince began military service at the age of 15 at the court of Boris Godunov. Dmitry Pozharsky distinguished by an amazing peacefulness. He was so modest that many would not have recognized him as a prince, if not for the attire. Apparently, from his youth he prepared himself for monasticism. (slide show). In response to the request of Nizhny Novgorod Pozharsky takes command of the militia. Together with Minin he buys weapons and food for the militia, morally prepares him for battles. Both the prince and the headman had by that time the richest experience in combat operations. And this skill helped them quickly train the militias. For almost a year the Russian people gathered forces, and finally, the militia Minin and Pozharsky marched on Moscow. They took the icon with them "Kazan Mother of God", which has accompanied and protected warriors since ancient times. (slide show).

The militia on the way to Moscow liberated all the captured cities. All members of the Nizhny Novgorod army wanted only the salvation of Russia. A stubborn and bloody battle took place in the capital itself. The Polish garrison in the Kremlin refused to surrender. The siege began, the Poles were starving. The Russian commander did not want unnecessary victims from either side, and he offered the enemies favorable conditions for surrender, but the Poles hoped for their king and did not want to surrender. The siege continued for two months. Exhausting hunger and siege, the Kremlin garrison soon laid down their arms and surrendered to the mercy of the victors. (slide show).

Minin and Pozharsky led the army to Moscow and expelled the Poles, defended their Fatherland

Russian and Polish troops met near Moscow. And there was a fierce battle. Many Poles were killed, many Russian soldiers also died, but the Russians won, and the Poles fled.

From that moment on, the fate of Russia changed, and the triumph of the Poles over our poor ancestors ended. Moscow was liberated; The Poles left our homeland defeated. Our people endure for a long time, but for their Faith, for their Motherland, they will give everything and even their lives.

With the triumph of victory, the Russian army entered the unfortunate, devastated Moscow. Holiday bells rang and Russian people happily hugged each other and thanked God for their salvation. And folk heroes Minin and Pozharsky, a monument was erected on Red Square so that the Russian people, you and I, do not forget about the heroic history of their Motherland, about the heroes and defenders of the Russian land. Author of the monument Minin and Pozharsky- sculptor Ivan Petrovich Martos. Thanks to him, we see what they were - the heroes of bygone years.

By the power of the people, the Poles were expelled from Moscow, and then from all the Russian land. Soon, the whole Russian land was cleared of scattered detachments of Polish pans. Thus, the Russian people, having rallied closely in the face of danger, saved their land from foreign enslavement.

So, in difficult times, the best features of Russians appeared of people: steadfastness, courage, selfless devotion to the Motherland, readiness to sacrifice one's life for her sake. Therefore, on November 4, the entire Russian people celebrate the Day of National Unity. This means that all the people, regardless of nationality and faith, united and liberated the land from the enemy. On this day, all Orthodox venerate the icon "Kazan Mother of God". They ask the Queen of Heaven for protection from enemies and help in everyday affairs.

Minin and Pozharsky led the army to Moscow and expelled the Poles, defended their Fatherland! For their feat, after many years, the people raised money for a monument. And they put this monument on Red Square, where the victory was won, flowers are brought to it as a token of gratitude for their courage and love for the Motherland. (slide show).

3. We talk:

Guys tell me Please who did you find out about today?

From whom Moscow was liberated Minin and Pozharsky(from the Poles).

Who are they such: merchant Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky(children's answers).

You and I know that many enemies attacked Rus'. Which of them do you know? (Our country wanted to conquer the Tatars - Mongols, Swedes, Germans).

What's happened "troubled times"? (This is the time when the country was devastated, there was no king, famine gave rise to hundreds of gangs of robbers).

Why is there a monument to them?

Guys, on the monument written: "To the citizen Grateful Russia to Minin and Prince Pozharsky". What is Russia grateful for? Minin and Pozharsky? (For the victory over the enemies who captured Moscow, the Kremlin and lived in it for several years. They robbed, devastated our land).

Why do people remember them?

Can it be argued that the people passionately love their homeland?

What words can be called Kuzma Minin and Prince Pozharsky? (Bold, courageous, steadfast, brave, strong).

4. Generalizing: Minin and Pozharsky- defenders of the Russian land. The whole Russian land stood up against the invaders and traitors. When times of peace came, the new king generously rewarded Minin and Pozharsky, but the best reward was the memory of the people. It is not for nothing that a monument to them stands on Red Square - in the very heart of Russia. This glorious victory made November 4 forever unforgettable for us. And we just as passionately love our Motherland and are ready to stand up for it. And you guys remember: we need to stick together, help each other, be able to forgive, forget insults. The main thing is together! The main thing is together! The main thing - with a heart burning in the chest! We are indifferent in life, do not need! Anger, resentment from the kindergarten drive!

Children, our ancestors have experienced a lot, and at all times the people defended their homeland. Minin and Pozharsky- People's sons of the Fatherland

5. We play: View a cartoon related to the topic.

6. We create, we draw, we rejoice. monument drawing Minin and Pozharsky.

7. Goodbye: Goodbye my dears and remember that there is strength in unity.

Prince D. M. Pozharsky became famous as the leader of the Second Militia and the liberator of Moscow from the Poles. He belonged to the family of Starodubsky Rurikovich, whose ancestor was the youngest son of the Grand Duke of Vladimir - Ivan. The genus of the Starodub princes was branched, the Pozharskys were considered the eldest branch in it, but they failed to rise to high ranks. Dmitry Mikhailovich's father died early, so his mother from the Bersenev-Beklemishev family was engaged in his upbringing.

The first information about Pozharsky's service dates back to 1593: he is a "solicitor with a dress", i.e. must give clothes to Tsar Fedor Ivanovich. After the accession of Boris Godunov in 1598, he received the position of stolnik, his mother became a noblewoman in the retinue of the princess. The prince received his first baptism of fire in 1608. He was instructed to deliver food from Kolomna to the capital surrounded by the Tushins. Pozharsky successfully coped with the task. Noticing the military talents of the young prince, he sent him as governor of Zaraysk, whose inhabitants wanted to go over to the side of the Tushinsky thief. Pozharsky stopped treason, and at the end of 1610 supported P. Lyapunov, who was gathering the First Militia. But first he went to Moscow, where his family lived. There, in March, an uprising spontaneously broke out against the Poles, and Pozharsky had to fight them. He was seriously wounded and taken by servants from the capital to Mugreevo. There, Kuzma Minin's envoys met him and persuaded him to lead the Second Militia.

In March 1612, the number of the new militia reached 3 thousand, and the army moved to Yaroslavl. A halt was made there, as new detachments from the cities joined the patriots. Soon the army reached 10 thousand people. To guide him, a provisional government, the "Council of All the Army", was created. It was headed by Pozharsky and Minin.

In July, Trubetskoy's envoys arrived in Yaroslavl asking for help, as a large army of Hetman Khotkevich was moving towards the capital. Pozharsky with the Second Militia immediately set out on a campaign and arrived on time. In August, fierce battles with the Poles immediately began. By joint efforts, the army of Khotkevich was defeated. At the end of October, Kitay-gorod was taken, the Kremlin surrendered.

After that, Pozharsky and Trubetskoy took up the organization of the Electoral Zemsky Sobor. They sent letters to the cities with a request to send electors by a certain date. By the beginning of January 1613, about 500 delegates had gathered in Moscow, and the cathedral began work. After the debate, the assembled members of the cathedral came to the conclusion that the best candidate for the throne is. He was the closest blood relative of the tsar, distinguished by his youth and did not stain himself with connections either with impostors or with the Poles. In addition, many representatives of the nobility were related to him and could become the mainstay of his throne. On February 21, the name of the people's choice was officially announced.

The new tsar appreciated Pozharsky's merits in the fight against the Poles and efforts to elect him to the throne, for which he awarded him the boyar rank. During the wedding to the kingdom, he entrusted him to carry the apple-power. In the royal army, he became the leading commander. In 1618, he had to stand in the way of Prince Vladislav, moving towards Moscow, and defend Mozhaisk. Then he defended the Arbat Gates, and the prince was forced to return to Poland with nothing.

Over the years, Pozharsky headed the Yamskaya, Robbery and Judgment orders. When preparing a campaign against Smolensk in 1632, the tsar wanted to put Pozharsky at the head of the army, but the prince refused because of his health, which had been undermined by injuries. In 1633, he still had to save the commander-in-chief M. B. Shein, who fell into a difficult situation.

Throughout his life, Dmitry Mikhailovich was actively involved in church construction, patronized icon painters in his villages of Palekh and Kholuy, copyists of books, musicians, and even buffoons who played funny scenes. Before his death, he took the tonsure under the name Kuzma in memory of his colleague.

All of Moscow, led by Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, participated in his funeral, the coffin was carried to the exit gates of the White City, leading to Suzdal. The commander was buried in the Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery.