17. Dreams of a Cossack Republic
Stenka Razin’s attack on a caravan in which Russia’s most powerful figures held stakes enraged the authorities, and he was declared an outlaw and criminal. Unconcerned, Razin led his men to loot Persian settlements along the Caspian Sea. By the time he returned to the Don River region, he was a popular hero. He then organized about 7000 peasants and runaway serfs and led them in a revolt on behalf of Russia’s downtrodden. The uprising gained widespread popularity, and Razin’s forces grew.
In May of 1669, the peasant army captured Astrakhan and Tsaritsin (modern Volgograd) after the cities’ populations opened their gates to Razin’s men. The flame of rebellion spread, and by 1670, over 200,000 peasants and serfs throughout southern and southwestern Russia were up in arms. They formed into bands, and attacked landowners and government officials. Razin sought to establish a Cossack republic along the Volga River as a preliminary step to a march on Moscow. He declared that he aimed to seize the Russian capital in order to “eliminate the nobles and officials who obstruct the common people“.