Copper Riot - this is a significant event in the history of Russia, the uprising of the urban poor and lower classes, which took place in Moscow during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich.The concept of "Copper rebellion" has become synonymous.It is used whenever you need to comment on the depreciation of money and the bankruptcy of the state.
Copper Riot: causes and historical situation
Muscovy led a long war for Ukraine against Poland, which spent a huge amount of financial resources.There was a shortage of money.Own deposits of precious metals, of which minted money at the time, Russia was not there, so they are imported from abroad.Mint has used foreign money to make them Russian - a penny farthing and money.
situation came to that Boyar Ordin-Nashchokin offered a very controversial way out: to mint copper coins at face value silver.This tax is still collected silver, but the salaries have been issued with new copper coins.Starting with 1654 copper coins were officially introduced into circulation instead of silver.
At first everything went as planned the government, new money was taken by the previous price of silver money.But soon they began to produce an incredible amount, because of problems with the copper was not.Engraved yards in Moscow, Pskov, Novgorod, worked at full capacity.Feed unsecured money supply has swept Russia, so soon the demand for silver has started to grow rapidly, and the purchasing power of money copper fell.
started slowly at first, and then the landslide inflation.The government refused to accept copper money in taxes, so the old silver coins skyrocketed in price: for one old silver ruble was allowed from 15 to 20 new copper.Merchants went to the market and drove copper money literally carts, while copper is devalued every day.Citizens panic: for copper coins could not buy anything, and there was nowhere to take the silver.
But the government did not want to recognize the error of his actions, and the habit was to look guilty on the side.The cause of inflation landslide were called counterfeiters.Show trials began to settle in the country.For the production of the "Left" coins sentence then there was only one: a cruel penalty.According to the Legal Code guilty poured molten metal in the throat.
The problem was that the coins are made of copper could almost anyone who knew how little contact with the metal."Kotelniki and olovyanniki" while massively got rich could afford to build stone houses, buying expensive goods.After all, each had its own small courtyard coin.Counterfeit copper coins in Moscow alone there were a more than half a million.
Copper Riot: events
morning of June 25, 1662, old style at the stake on Lubyanka Square in Moscow was glued damning letter, which called traitors Rtishchev Miloslavskii and guest Basil Shorin.In fact, they were attributed to communicate with Poland, which until now was a war.The accusation was totally unfounded, but people have needed any excuse to start agitation.
crowd of several thousand people, after reading this message, went to the village of Kolomenskoye - the summer residence of the king.Guard crushed, and the people freely broke into the royal court.Alexis told Rtishchev Miloslavsky and hide in the houses of the queen, and went out to the people.And then there was a scene break all the foundations of society and canons.Commoners surrounded Alexei Mikhailovich, and literally holding buttons king's dress, inquired: "Where is the truth?" The conversation was very peaceful, and the emperor promised the people to restore order.One of the rebels even "beat hands with the king."After that, the crowd calmed down and began to disperse.The incident seemed to be exhausted.But this day was to have ended differently.
Another crowd at this time smashed home Shorin, and made his young son to write a confession that his father was allegedly sold to the Poles and specially arranged venture with copper money to help the hated enemy.With this here "confession" at the hands of the rebels rushed in Kolomenskoye, pulling back those who have already returned from there.At this time, the king was about to go to Moscow to investigate the case.However, new threats rebels brought him out of himself.From Moscow by then tightened the archers and soldiers.Aleksei Mikhailovich Matveev Artamonov ordered to cut the rebels.
started this massacre.The crowd was unarmed.People crushed, drowned in the river, stabbed and hacked.On that day, killing more than a thousand people.In the following days, the participants intensively searched for a hike in the Kolomenskoye, arrested, hanged, cut off hands and feet, branded, expelled from Moscow to permanent exile.Many of those arrested were forced to write under dictation, to compare the handwriting with the ill-fated passengers.However, the true instigators found and failed.
Copper revolt in 1662 was the performance of these urban poor - artisans, farmers, butchers, local poor.From the merchants and people of higher class it is not attended one.Moreover, they also contributed to the subsequent arrest rioters.
As a result of the riot affected about three thousand people, the majority of them was just a curiosity.
Copper Riot: Implications
king kept his promise and take care of the issue of copper money.In 1663, engraved factories in Novgorod and Pskov were closed and copper money is completely withdrawn from circulation.He resumed coinage of silver money.A copper coin was ordered to smelt boilers or surrender them to the treasury.Copper cash exchanged for new silver coins on the inflation rate is still twenty-one, that is, the state has officially recognized that the old copper ruble was nothing provided.Salaries soon again began to pay in silver.
