Akai Boliaev and the Peasant War of 1670–1671 on the Mordovian territory

Abstract

Introduction. 350 years ago, the Peasant War of 1670–1671 began, which received the name of the Second Peasant War in Russia. It acquired the greatest scope in the Volga region, and in Volga lands, namely on the territory of Mordovia. At the beginning of the XVII century, the Mordovians unified in the defense of Moscow state, playing an important role in the expulsion of aggressors and the restoration of central power. There were good reasons for rising up against this power. Materials and Methods. These events are reflected in a variety of documentary sources, including the fundamental edition in several volumes published by USSR Academy of Sciences and many other studies, which conclusions unfortunately not always corresponded to these sources. The author uses the historiographic method, which includes the principles of historicism, objectivity and the method of logical analysis. The material of the material used the problem-chronological method. Results and Discussion. National historiography developed an opinion that the Second Peasant War was an uprising, a movement of primarily social causes class, led by Stepan Razin, and on the territory of Mordovia by Mikhail Kharitonov, his envoy. The analysis of the sources does not support the proof for it. According to them, the main events of the Peasant War took place in the Volga region after Razin’s flight to the Don, and the leader of the uprising in the region was Akai Boliaev, Mordovian stanitsa Murza. Conclusion. After analyzing the sources and subject literature, the author came to the conclusion that the main reason for the uprising in the region was a consequence of the interaction of social, political and national liberation factors.