The Day of National Unity in Russia is a public holiday that is celebrated annually on November 4th. This date was not chosen by no accident. Despite its seeming youth, historically the Day of People's Unity is associated with the distant events of the early 17th century, when in 1612 Moscow was finally released from Polish intervents. It was November 4 (October 22, on the old style), the national militia under the leadership of Nizhny Novgorod governor of the goat of Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharskoy successfully stormed China-city, forcing the command of the Polish army to sign immediate surrender. Dmitry Pozharsky joined the first to the liberated city with the sacred icon of the Kazan Mother of God in his hands. It was she who was holy to believe in Russia, and helped to protect the state of Moscow from the Polish invasion.
In 1625, Dmitry Pozharsky in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and Victory over the Poles on its own funds builds a wooden church on Red Square. The stone Kazan Cathedral appeared only in 1635, it was built on the spot burnt during the fire of the wooden church in Moscow. In 1649, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich issued a decree that on November 4th is a public holiday, the day of the Kazan Icon of God's Mother. The holiday was celebrated in Russia until the 1917 revolution.
Russian Unity Day in our time
In honor of the Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the glorious victory of the Russian Army over the Polish Interventory, President of the Russian Federation V. Putin has signed a decree establishing an institution in Russia on November 4 of the new state holiday, the Day of People's Unity. And the idea itself to celebrate the holiday is on this day belongs to the interreligious council of Russia. Therefore, the Day of National Unity is not only a secular, but also an interreligious holiday, which is celebrated by all residents of the country and representatives of different religions and denominations.
Traditions of the Day of People's Unity of Russia
It would be a mistake to believe that the Day of People's Unity in Russia was replaced by everyone's favorite on November 7. But, as well as on November 7th, concerts, demonstrations and mass marches, charitable events take place in this solemn day. Also on this day, a solemn government reception at the Greater Kremlin hall is facilitated, which people who have contributed to the development and prosperity of Russia are awarded. On November 4, it was a good tradition to arrange visual shows and fireworks, festive festivities and concerts.
Now in Russia the Day of National Unity is becoming more popular. After all, pride for his homeland, for her past and present, and faith in her lucky future is what invariably unites people and makes them a common people.
The Day of People's Unity is a symbol not so much victory over the Polish interventionists of the period of the XVII century, how many cohesion of the people.
This holiday in Russia is celebrated annually on November 4 - this is a public holiday, and in the country therefore this day is recognized as an official weekend.
The first time the Day of People's Unity began to celebrate in modern Russia back in 2005, but the history of this nationwide holiday begins for several centuries ago.
A bit of history
The Day of People's Unity is bound historically with the events that belong to the beginning of the XVII century. Then, in 1612, the capital of Russia was freed from Polish interventory.
During the period of the XVI-XVII centuries, a series of tragic events was observed in Russia - this epoch in history entered as "troubled time."
Historians believe that the cause of this troubled was the cessation of the Rurikovsky dynasty, and a very disappointing economic situation in the country and the invasion of foreigners had further complicated and without that distress situation.
The Russian people, when heard the call from the Holy Patriarch of Hermogene, rose to the defense of his homeland. Patriarch for his own loyalty to Orthodoxy died of the hands of the Poles, after which he was attributed to the face of saints.
Ryazan Governor named the procopies of Lyapunov rose to the head of the first militia, but because of gnawing between the Cossacks and nobles, which were the murderers of the governor on false charges, it quickly broke up.
Then the Zemsky elder named Kuzma Minin in September 1611 in the city of Nizhny Novgorod called on the Russian people to collect money and create a militia to liberate their country. To organize the militia, the population of the city has fallen by some fee, and as a governor, at the suggestion of Minin, called the Novgorod Prince named Dmitry Pozharsky.
Diplons with a call to this collection of militia began to send from Novgorod and other Russian cities - except peasants and landing people, collected still medium and small nobles. In the counties and cities of the Volga region organized the main forces of this militia.
The militia plan provided for some important points: the liberation of the capital from the interventionists, the refusal to recognize any sovereigns of foreign origin on the Russian throne (boyars called the Kingdom of the Polish Vladislav) and the formation of a new government.
A big army gathered under the banners of Minin and Pozharsky. In 1612, in March, it was moved from Nizhny Novgorod to Yaroslavl, where the temporary government body was formed, called the "Council of the whole Earth". The main role in it was the minor serunens of the nobility, as well as landing people.
The role of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God
The Nizhny Novgorod militia in his hands with a copy of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, who was acquired in the XVI century, on November 4, was able to drive out the Poles from the capital, putting the China-city storm.
This victory served as a strong impulse to the revival of the Russian state. And the miraculous icon has become the subject of reverend.
At the end of the winter of 1613, the Zemsky Cathedral elects the first Russian chapter from the Romanov dynasty - Mikhail. After that, the Zemsky Cathedral, which consisted of all states of the state, became the ultimate victory over the Smith, as well as the celebration of national unity and Orthodoxy.
The confidence that the victory was won by the miraculous icon of the Kazan Mother of God, became so deep that the Prince of Pozharsky built the Kazan Cathedral on the edge of Red Square, spending its own funds.
When did you start celebrating for the first time?
Mandatory celebration was scheduled for November 4 as a day of gratitude to the Most Holy Theotokos for her assistance in the liberation of the country from the Poles to King Alexei Mikhailovich in 1649.
In the church calendar, the celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God has entered as the memory of the liberation of Moscow and our entire country from Poles in 1612.
Initially in Russia, this holiday was celebrated until the revolution of 1917.
The importance of the holiday
The Day of People's Unity is a holiday, which is more a symbol of not victory, and the cohesion of the people, because he gave the opportunity to defeat the intervention.
In order to free the land of Russian from Inomers, representatives of absolutely all classes, religions and peoples that are part of the Great Russian Power took part in the militia.
This holiday, calling the people not only to recall such important historical events, but also to say to the citizens of our multinational country about all the importance of cohesion.
This holiday is important for the state, because it reminds citizens of Russia that only one can overcome any obstacles and cope with different difficulties.
Representatives of 195 peoples live on the territory of our state, which belong to the most different religious flows.
The main task of the holiday both in pre-revolutionary time and present is the unity of people of various origin, religions and status to achieve common goals, in particular a civil stable world.
Conclusion
The celebration of People's Unity Day is very important for Russia. It is a reason for citizens with a multi-confessional and multinational composition to feel like a single people.
On November 4, all Russia will celebrate the holiday "Day of People's Unity". Despite the fact that this is a relatively young holiday, his roots leave the 17th century. Together with we understand what is the day and why it is confused from November 7.
What happened on this day?
It was November 4 (October 22, according to the old style) of 1612, the People's Militia under the leadership of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozhasski assault was allocated by China-city, thereby freeing Moscow from Polish interventionists.
Exile of Poles from Moscow completed a long period of troubled time in Russia. After the expulsion of the Poles from Moscow in Russia, a new king was elected - a representative of the Dynasty of Romanov Mikhail Fedorovich.
Smutowing is made to call events from the death of King Ivan the Terrible (1584) before the election of the first sovereign from the Romanovsky dynasty - Mikhail Fedorovich (1613). After the death of Ivan the Terrible for the throne, his son Fyodor I was ascended by John. However, he had no descendants, and Rurikov's dynasty stopped. However, everyone remembered about the younger son of Ivan the Terrible, Tsarevich Dmitry, who died with mysterious circumstances during the lifetime of Fedor. The people began to chase, which may be alive. It is from now on that in Russia and the troubled time began, the impostors of Lhadmitry began to apply for the throne.
When was the Day of People's Unity Being Festive?
In 1613, King Mikhail Fedorovich established a holiday - the day of the cleansing of Moscow from Polish interventionists. He was celebrated on November 4th.
In 1649, this day was announced by the Orthodox-State Holiday of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. According to legend, Icon was sent from Kazan Dmitry Pozharsky. With her, the militia entered Moscow. Many believe that the Poles can be expelled thanks to the icon.
After the revolution of 1917, the tradition of celebrating the liberation of Moscow from Polish interventory.
In September 2004, the Interreligious Council of Russia proposed to make on November 4 a festive day and celebrate him as a day of popular unity. The initiative was supported in the State Duma, and this day became a weekend instead of November 7th.
Why did the holiday name the Day of People's Unity?
In the explanatory note to the draft law on the introduction of a new holiday, the following is said:
"On November 4, 1612, China's People's Military War under the leadership of Kuzma, China-city, freeing Moscow from Polish interventory and demonstrating a sample of heroism and cohesion of the entire people, regardless of the origin, religion and position in society."
How to celebrate the Day of People's Unity?
From November 7, by the way, they did beautifully - now on this day officially celebrates the anniversary of the famous parade on Red Square in November 1941. Then the parade seems to be started in honor of the 24th anniversary of the same October Revolution, but he was more remembered for contemporaries for another reason - a demonstration of military power in the deposited by the Nazis and a great-winning of the first months of the Great Patriotic War of Moscow. However, back to the holiday on November 4 - it's time to see why our legislators chose this date.
Trump begins
At the end of the XVI century, Russia entered one of the most unstable periods of its history. In 1598, the last king from the Rurikovsky dynasty, Fedor John, who did not leave herself after himself. The country was ruined - the countless conquering hikes of Ivan IV of Grozny affected, especially difficult Russia was given to the Livonian war. Historians wrote that simple people in those years are deadly tired - and from wars, and from power, which, after a cruel oprichnik, simply ceased to respect. A serious factor in instability became crochetia, provoked monstrous hunger 1601-1603, whose victims were up to 0.5 million people.
The power in the person of the new monarch, the former boyar Boris Godunova, did not sit back. People crowded in Moscow, where they gave bread and money from government stocks. But the kindness of Godunova played against him - Chaos only intensified because of the peasant gangs formed in the capital (they included chores and servants expelled from the noble estates due to the lack of money and work at the landowner).
The troubled time began due to the spread of rumors that the legal heir to the throne - Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich from the Dynasty of Rurikovich - still alive, and not died, as was customary before. But rumors dismissed the impostor, which became a story under the name " Lhadmitry" Having enlisted with the support of Polish aristocrats and accepted Catholicism, in 1604 he collected the army and went hiking to Moscow. Not so much their own talents helped him to win, how much the failure of the authorities is the betrayal of Basmanov's governor and the death of Godunov. On June 20, 1605, Moscow met Lhadmitria flaying. But the boyars and ordinary Muscovites quite quickly realized that the new king is very focused on Poland. The last drop was the arrival in the capital of Polish accomplices of Flasmithria - on May 16, 1606, an uprising broke out, during which the impostor was killed. The country was headed by the representative of the "Suzdal" branch Rurikovich, a notable boyar Vasily Shuisky.
Calmly, however, did not become. The first two years of the new government were seriously threatened by the rebels of the Cossacks, the peasants and mercenaries Ivan Bolotnikova - there was a time when the rebels were angry with the boyars municipality stood near Moscow. In 1607, a new impostor was appeared - Lhadmitry II (known and as "Tushinsky Thief") - a year later, under his authority there were already seven significant Russian cities, including Yaroslavl, Vladimir and Kostroma. In the same year, the Nogai Horde and Crimean Tatars for the first time in many years decided on a raid in Russian lands.
Together with Lhadmitria II on Rus (until unofficially), Polish troops came. They led themselves even for the interventionists, to put it mildly, defiantly - robbed the city (even those who voluntarily agreed to the power of the new "king"), taxed the local population with unbearable taxes and "fed" in them. The national liberation movement rose, and the power was supported - Russia concluded a Vyborg Treaty with Sweden, according to which a 15-thousand mercenary detachment was received in exchange for Korel Coretis. Together with them a talented Russian commander, a relative of the legitimate king Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky inflicted several sensitive lesions to the intervention.
But here Russia is not lucky again. Tsar Shuisky and his brother Dmitry, frightened by the popularity of Skopina-Shuisky, poisoned the young commander (and then the power takes away!). And here, as unclear, the Polish king of Sigismund III announced the war with exhausted internal problems with his neighbor and besieged the powerful fortress Smolensk. But in the battle of July 4, 1610, during the club, the Russian troops headed by the talentless Dmitry, due to the betrayal of German mercenaries were defeated by the Poles. Having learned about the successes of the Polish army, Lhadmitry II came from the south.
In the capital itself there was already a new power - the boyars lost the last remnants of confidence in the "boyars king" Shuisky and overthrew him. As a result, the Council came from seven boyars, who became a history of seven boyars. New rulers immediately decided who would be their king - the choice fell on the Polish Kingdom of Vladislav.
But here the people were already opposed - the ruler-Catholic wanted no one. People decided - better than "their" lzhedmitry than Vladislav. An impostor one after another began to swear even those cities that were desperately fought with him. Semiboyarschina was frightened by Falseedmitria II and went to a unheard of step - inquired Polish-Lithuanian troops to Moscow. The impostor fled to Kaluga. The people were on his side - people really did not like how Polish interventories behaved in the country. The self-proclaimed Rurikovich really began to fight the Poles - freed several cities, broke the army of Polish hetman Sapiega. But on December 11, 1610, he quarreled with the guards-Tatars and was killed. It became clear that no one, except the Russians themselves, will not save the country.
Folk militia
There were two of them. The first was headed by the Ryazan nobleman of Prokoki Lyapunov. His power recognized former supporters of Falsmitriya II: Prince Dmitry Trubetskaya, Grigory Shakhovskaya, Cossacks Ivan Zarutsky. The Poles knew about the conspiracy and nervous: as a result, the household quarrel on the market they accepted the beginning of the uprising and have cut out thousands of Muscovites. Only in China-city the number of victims reached seven thousand ...
At the end of March 1611, the first militia approached Moscow. The militias took several regions of Moscow (the White City, the Earthly City, part of China-city), and then chose the "temporary government" called "The Council of the whole Earth), headed by Lyapunov, Trubetsky and Zarutsky. But at one of the military councils, the Militia Cossacks rebelled and killed Lyapunov. The two remaining members of the Council decided to keep the Kremlin with the Polish garrison in the siege in the Siege before the second militia approach.
Problems followed one after another. The Poles after a long siege took Smolensk, the Crimean Tatars ruined Ryazanchina, the Swedes from the allies turned into enemies - under their Natius Pal Novgorod. And in December, Pskov has already captured the third in the account of Lhadmitry ... Soon all the northwest of Russia recognized the next impostor.
The second militia arose in September 1611 in Nizhny Novgorod. Its base made up the peasants of the Northern and Central Regions of Russia, as well as the townspeople. He headed his Nizhny Novgorod Zemsky Street Kuzma Minin. He was first supported by Poshesky people, and then all the others - serve people (military) and governors, clergy, city council. In general, the citizens of Savva protopopopped Savva protopopopped with a sermon, and then Minin himself called on fellow citizens to release the country from the occupiers. Inspired by his speech, the townspeople decided that each resident of Nizhny Novgorod and the county would give part of their property for the content of "rolling people". Distributing income entrusted minin - confidence in it was one hundred percent.
For military leadership, he invited Prince Pozharsky. It was difficult for better candidates and invented - Welject was Rurikovich, in 1608 broke the troops of Falsmitria II, retained the loyalty to the Moscow kings, and in March 1611 he took part in the battle for Moscow, where he was seriously injured. The Nizhny Novgorod fell in the shower and his personal qualities: the prince was an honest, disinterested, fair man, and decisions took a deliberate and rational. The delegation from Nizhny Novgorod went to the healing wounds of the Pozharsky in his estate for 60 km several times - but the prince, according to the etiquette of those times, invariably refused and agreed only when Archimandrite Feodosius arrived at him. The condition was only one - the Pozharshi was ready to cooperate only with Kuzma mini, who believed in the affairs of the business workers unconditionally.
Nizhny Novgorod fire arrived at the end of October 1611. Quite quickly, he managed to increase the number of militias from 750 to 3,000 people - the ranks of the liberators replenished serve people from Smolensk, Vyazma and Dorobulo. They immediately began to pay and salary - from 30 to 50 rubles a year. Having learned about this, Ryazans, Kolomnets, Cossacks and Sagracks from the outskirts began to join the militia.
A good organization of work (both with money, and with people) quickly led to the fact that the second militia - more precisely, created by him the entire Earth, became the "center of power" along with the Moscow "Semiboyarschina" and Cossack Voltskaya Zarutsky and Trubetsky. At the same time, new leaders are, in contrast to the leaders of the first militia - from the very beginning they clearly knew what they want. In the December diploma addressed to the population of Vologda, they wrote that they want to end with civilians, clear the Moscow state from enemies and not to repair the arbitrariness.
From Nizhny Novgorod, the militia came out at the end of February 1612. Having reached the solved, the Pozhesky found out that Pskov, Trubetskoy and Zarutsky swatched Flavmitry III (under his name there was a runa monk Isidor). As a result, it was decided to temporarily stay in Yaroslavl. The ancient city became the capital of the militia.
Here, the militia delayed until July 1612. In Yaroslavl, the Council of the whole Earth was finally developed, representatives of noble childbirth were included in him - Dolgoruki, Kurakina, Busurlin, Sheremetev, but headed him as before the Pozharsky and Minin. Kuzma was illiterate, so the prince "put his hand" for him. To publish documents of the Council - Merilight - the signatures of all its members were required. It is characteristic that because of the existing one who existed then the custom, the signature of Pozhesky was only the 10th, and mining - and at all the 15th.
From Yaroslavl, the militia was led and military actions (against the Polish-Lithuanian detachments and Cossack Volnitsa Zarutsky, following the latter from communications), and diplomatic negotiations - the Swedes decided to pacify the cunning, offering the brother of the king of the Russian throne, and the Holy Roman Empire asked help also in exchange for The throne for the radius of the emperor. Subsequently, the Swede Carla-Philippe and the German prince Maximilian refused. In parallel, work was carried out to restore order on the territory controlled and recruitment of new militia. As a result, the number of second militia has grown to 10,000 well-armed trained warrids.
Time to act in September (according to a new style). A 12-thousand squad of Polish hetman Khodkevich tried to discharge the Polish garrison locked in the Kremlin. On September 2, the first battle of the Moscow battle took place: on it from 13 to 20 pm, horsemen fought equestrian troops and Khodkevich. It was strange to behave like a second militia by Prince Trubetskoy: asking for 500 connants from the Pogsha region, he did not give them to take part in the battle and support the militia. As a result, the valued equestrian hundreds officer left him, and together with a part of the Cossacks of Trubetsky helped the Pozharski first discard the Poles to the initial positions, and then pushed them to the Don Monastery.
September 3, a new battle took place. Prince Trubetskaya again preferred not to interfere with the battle, as a result of which the Poles occupied an important fortified point and captured the garrison from the Cossacks. From the defeat of the militia, the intervention of the kelary of the Trinity-Sergian Monastery of Abrahamia Palitsyn - he promised the Cossacks of Trubetsky that they would pay salary from the monastery treasury, and after that they all had joined the militia.
The decisive battle occurred on September 4. The militia fought with Poles for 14 hours. During the battle, Kuzma minin distinguished himself - his small equestrian detachment made a banging college and sowed a panic in the village of Khodkevich. The scales bowed bowed on the side of the Fisoshsky's military - along with the Cossacks of Trubetsky he turned Poles to flight. Already the next day, Hetman left Moscow with the remnants of his army.
The Polish garrison remained - two squads of the colonels, and Budila, who defended the city of China-city and the Kremlin. The cytadel was also a boyar-traitors, and the future king Mikhail Romanov. After a monthly siege, the fire offered opponents to surrender and in return promised to keep their lives, but arrogant Poles responded with a categorical refusal. On November 4, in a new style, the militias took the storm in China-city (we celebrate this date as the Day of People's Unity), but the Kremlin remained under the control of the occupiers. Hunger reigned in Polish - according to eyewitnesses, the interventions dropped to cannibals. November 5, they still surrendered. The troops of Budila were captured to the Pozharsky, and the prince, as promised, retained their lives. The detachment of the captured Cossacks was captured - and cut off all the poles to one. November 6, 1612 After the solemn prayer of the troops of Prince Pozharsky under the ringing of bells with banners and chorugues entered the city. Moscow was released.
In January 1613, the first in history was the first-neighboring Zemsky Cathedral in Moscow - representatives of all classes, including the peasantry attended it. Candidates of foreign applicants for the Russian throne - Polish Prince Vladislav, Chonda Karl Philippe and others were rejected. Not interested in delegates and "barn" - the son of Marina Mnishek and False Ditriya II Ivan. But I did not find full support and none of the eight "Russian" candidates, including the Fisoshsky himself. As a result, the gathered voted for the "compromise" option - the son of the influential patriarch Filaret Mikhail Romanova. The election, which marked the beginning of the new dynasty, took place on February 7, 1613.
Troubled time in Russia, however, has not yet ended. The new king had to be able to deal with the rebellious Ataman Zarutsky, the Swedes and the 20th-thousand squad of the Poles, who, together with the Zaporozhye Cossacks, besieged Moscow in 1618.
Until 1640, the hero of Troubles Prince Pozharsky - Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexey Mikhailovich trusted him the most responsible affairs served by the Romanov Veria and the Truth.
The results of the Troubles were heavy. The Moscow State of 100 years has lost its exit to the Baltic, for several decades - the strategic fortress Smolensk. The number of plowed lands decreased 20 times capable of working peasants - 4 times. Many cities - for example, Veliky Novgorod - were completely broken. But the most important result was still with the "Plus" sign - Russia in the conditions of external aggression and internal turmoil retained its independence.
Monument to Minin and Pozharsky in Moscow from grateful descendants