12. After They Put Down Stenka Razin’s Rebellion, Russian Forces Slaughtered Hundreds of Thousands of Serfs
After the defeat and rout of his forces at Simbrisk, Razin was forced to flee back to the Don region. Despite the setback, his emissaries stirred more rebellions to the north. His declared intention to establish a republic, and to extend the Cossacks’ absolute equality throughout Russia, found receptive ears among the downtrodden peasantry and serfs. Soon, armed peasants were gathered in bands on the outskirts of Moscow and around Nizhny Novgorod, about 250 miles to the east, as they sought delivery from the conditions of slavery in which they lived.
Unfortunately, once the government gathered its strength, the lightly armed peasants proved no match for the discipline and firepower of professional soldiers. The rebellions were brutally put down, followed by a wave of violent repression in which hundreds of thousands of serfs were massacred. About 100,000 were slaughtered in the Novgorod region alone. By 1671, the revolt was over, and that April, Stenka Razin was captured. He was taken to Moscow, where he was executed by quartering in front of St. Basil’s Cathedral.