- Ivan Bolotnikov
Ivan Isayevich Bolotnikov (Иван Исаевич Болотников) (?—1608) was the leader of the uprising of 1606-1607 (
Bolotnikov rebellion , Восстание Ивана Болотникова), which was part of theTime of Troubles inRussia .Bolotnikov was a fugitive "kholop" (a kholop, also chlop in Polish is a serf,
slave ), who joined theCossacks , was captured byCrimean Tatars , sold inTurkey togalley s, escaped toVenice , learned aboutFalse Dmitriy I and went to Russia viaGermany andPoland . In the town ofPutyvl he gathered his first regiment. His army quickly grew, supported by promises of False Dmitriy. Its ranks comprised of serfs, free peasants, cossacks, and many other categories of the population, even severalboyars andknyaz es. In his proclamations Bolotnikov rallied not only againsttsar Vasili Shuysky , but also called for the abolition of serfdom.At the peak of the uprising it controlled over 70 towns in Southwestern and Southern Russia and lower and middle
Volga basin. In October-December, 1606 he besiegedMoscow , but had to retreat toKaluga . In 1607 he was defeated and captured under Tula. In 1608 he was blinded and drowned.
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