What are the stages of the Pugachev uprising

Emelyan Ivanovich Pugachev - Don Cossack, leader of the rebellion of the Yaits Cossacks, also known as the Peasant War of 1773-1775. In addition, Pugachev is the most successful impostor of Emperor Peter III, which in fact allowed him to organize and lead a large-scale speech of the masses against the government.

The beginning of the uprising

On September 17, 1773, the first decree of the self-proclaimed king to the Yaitsky army was announced, after which a detachment of 80 Cossacks moved up the Yaik. But already on September 18, when the Pugachev detachment approached the Yaitsky town, it numbered 300 people, and people continued to join it. The rebels could not take the city, they moved on and camped near the town of Iletsk, whose Cossacks swore allegiance to the "Tsar" Pugachev. Thanks to this, all the artillery of the city was in the hands of the detachment, here the first execution of the Iletsk chieftain Portnov was committed.

The peasant war suffered a defeat, which was inevitable for the actions of the peasantry in the era of feudalism, but it dealt a blow to the foundations of serfdom.

After these events, after consulting, the rebels decided to send the main forces to the capital of the region, the city of Orenburg. Fortresses located on the road to Orenburg obeyed the Pugachevites one after another, almost without a fight. As a rule, garrison fortresses were mixed and consisted of soldiers and Cossacks. Cossacks for the most part went over to the side of the rebels, which allowed the latter to capture the fortress without any significant losses.

On October 4, a rebel detachment, numbering at that time 2, 500 people and several dozen guns, entered the approaches to Orenburg. It was not possible to take the city quickly, a siege began that lasted six months. During the grueling siege of Orenburg, Pugachev’s detachment continued to grow, rebel troops were organized, and even a military collegium was created. According to some rather inaccurate data, at the first stage of the peasant war, the number of rebel army reached 30-40 thousand people. While the siege lasted, the Pugachev troops managed to capture several small settlements and tried to take Chelyabinsk and Ufa, the territories involved in the rebellion were constantly expanding.

But, despite all these military successes, on March 22, 1774, the rebel forces suffered a crushing defeat at the Tatishchevskaya fortress, Pugachev himself fled.

Continuation of the riot

The punitive expedition continued to gain momentum and crush the rebels throughout their territory. But in early April, the commander of military operations against Pugachev died, and the operation choked in a series of general intrigues. This circumstance gave Pugachev time to assemble broken and scattered squads. The assembled 5 thousandth army managed to capture several fortresses and move to Kazan. At the approaches to Kazan, the rebel army numbered 25, 000 people, they managed to storm the city. After the assault, a strong fire began, the remains of the city garrison took refuge in the Kazan Kremlin and prepared for a siege. While the capture of Kazan lasted, government troops approached her, chasing the rebels from Ufa itself. The rebels had to leave the burning city and leave the Kazanka River. On July 15, 1774, the Pugachevs entered a decisive battle with the army pursuing them and were defeated. The rebellious tsar was again forced to flee, with a detachment of 500 people, he crossed to the right bank of the Volga.