140 guns. A detachment of Tatars in 80 thousand fighters is preparing to attack Rumyantsev’s convoys; on their protection, the commander withdraws part of the troops, leaving for a general battle of 17 thousand people. On the night of August 1, soldiers are being built in a squad of 800 men and, at dawn, move towards the Ottoman army at an accelerated pace. Turkish cavalry, as well as cavalry in general, it is difficult to attack the personnel infantry prepared for battle, besides the Russian guns under the command of the experienced Mason Melissino are extraordinarily effective. Some confusion is caused by ten thousand janissaries appearing on the flank, but, after the intervention of initiative high-ranking officers, the queen puts himself in order, and continues the offensive. A detachment of Kurds in the Ottoman army, instead of helping the Turks, is taken to rob them mercilessly. The next day the Russian detachment attacks the crossing of the Danube, where, in complete disorder, on 300 ships, the remnants of the Turkish army are trying to evacuate. Losses of the parties: the Turkish army – «according to a moderate account» 8 thousand people, 140 guns, 4 thousand prisoners, the Russian army – 364 people.
Further, on August 5, almost without resistance, for the first time the strategically important fortress Ishmael was taken. Problems with the supply of provisions, the establishment of comprehensive relations with the allies are in the past, the army remains to winter in Moldavia and Wallachia.
The Russian fleet passes from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean, losing about 40% of the materiel due to leaks and other incidents. For the occupation of Turkish fortified points, along with the Greek insurgents, landings are landed; in the beginning successfully, but, after the Greeks are cruelly cracking down on the prisoners, – no longer. In addition, at the head of a formally divided fleet, there are at once two equal in the status of an admiral, which can not but cause friction between them. Favorite Catherine, A. Orlov appears between them as a powerful arbitrator. Nevertheless, after a warm-up clash in the Chios Strait, where the losses of the parties are approximately equal, the battle of Chesme takes place. It develops simply: after a powerful artillery preparation, the Russians release four fire-ships against the Turkish fleet that has crowded into the bay. With two torpedo ships, the crew escapes on boats too early, at random, the third vessel stranded near the shore battery, preventing it from aiming. The fourth «torpedo» adheres to the battleship, lights it and, a few minutes after the team leaves the fire, explodes. The wreckage falls on other Turkish ships, causing a fiery storm. Burn, go to the bottom of 14 Turkish battleships, 6 frigates, a large number of small ships. Of the 15,000 Turkish sailors, 4,000 are being saved. The Russian fleet controls the entire Aegean Sea. The blockade of the Dardanelles begins – a series of straits between the islands off the western coast of Turkey; the main goal, in the future – the siege of Constantinople. Russian citizenship takes 27 islands of the Aegean Archipelago. The fleet number reaches 50 pennants. On August 5, 1773, the Russian squadron began the siege of Beirut (then belonging to Syria). In two months the city capitulates, it is passed on to the new allies, who have accepted Russia’s patronage. At the same time, 200,000 piastres of indemnity, according to the Sea Charter (the correct war!) are distributed between the ship’s crews.
In July 1774, Kyuchuk-Kainarji (a place in present-day Bulgaria) is a peace treaty. In comparison with the military successes of the Russian army, as well as the money spent, it is very modest: Russia acquires Kerch and part of the northern coast of the Crimea, with the right of navigation in the Black and Mediterranean seas (unobstructed passage through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles) rubles indemnities. The Crimean Khanate becomes independent of Turkey, with a number of territories, including the fortress Ochakov, remain in the possession of the Porte. The population of the Dardanelles, Greeks and Albanians who accepted Russian citizenship has to be taken out on a dozen vessels to Kerch and St. Petersburg. In 1778, Alexander Suvorov organizes the resettlement from the Crimea to the Azov Sea 30 thousand Christians being persecuted.
The funds for the expedition are truly enormous. Catherine II, for the first time in the history of the Russian state, turns to external loans, generating an impressive external debt, which exceeds in many times the annual budget. Practically as always, inflating the territories (which in itself is not bad) and increasing the international authority of the monarch, does not bring any improvement to the life of the indigenous population. The cost of bread increases, in fact, and not at the rate of new paper money, 4—6 times, farmers often starve and, slowly but surely, become enslaved. Hundreds of thousands of state, virtually free peasants, are transferred by Catherine II into the possession of favorites, are sold, become real slaves.
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In 1769 the first Russian paper money was issued. It is rather an obligation-receipt for the receipt of a coin (if you take copper pyataki, weighing about 20 kilograms). Very popular Katerynian banknotes, existed until 1843. A cow or a horse is worth a ruble and a half, as much as a tenth of the land, a gray coat (simple clothes) – 20—40 cents, an ax of 7 cents, a pood of rye – five cents. The most popular among the people are fifty-gram coppers. Gold coins are used usually for international settlements. The master at the state plant receives 120 rubles a year (33 kopecks a day), a simple (relatively free) worker – 20 rubles.
Under Catherine II the market of people is finally formed. At the prices of 1782, the standard inventory of the estate: «… In this courtyard yard people: Leonti Nikitin 40 years, according to estimates of 30 p. His wife Marina Stepanova is 25 years old, according to the assessment of 10 rubles. Yefim Osipov is 23 years old, according to estimates of 40 p. His wife Marina Dementieva 30 years, according to an estimate of 8 rubles. They have children – the son of Guryan for 4 years, 5 rubles, the daughter of the girl Vasilissa 9 years old, according to the estimates of 3 rivers, Matryona one year, according to 50 k. «A good village girl can be bought out by the landowner for 200 rubles, but all the same pedigreed puppies cost more – up to 10,000 rubles.
1. Catherine’s banknotes of fifty rubles.
2. Emelyan Ivanovich Pugachev, the leader of the peasant uprising (1742 – 1775). In the Seven Years’ War – a simple Cossack orderly. He was arrested, first for helping her sister and her husband escape from Taganrog to the Terek, or (?) Then, when the Terek Cossacks elected him as the stanitsa ataman, during a delegation to Petersburg asking for a salary increase (in Mozdok). As you can see, the data of independent sources vary, but sometimes it’s the same thing. The third time the fugitive was captured near Cherkassk (Rostov region), on the way to the Don. Further, from Poland and the new passport, all in the text given below.
3. Stepan Timofeevich Razin (1630—1671), the leader of the peasant uprising in pre-Petrine Russia. Place of birth; the village Zimoveyska (on-Don) of the present Volgograd region, according to other sources – Cherkassk (Cherkassy town). In 1665 the voevoda Y. Dolgorukov executed his elder brother, Ivan (allegedly he refused to take off his boots, or simply left in «wolf»), and Stepan Razin departs from the tsar’s service. He does not lower his hands. The main idea is to extend the Cossack military-democratic system to the entire Russian state.
On the Don, in the meantime, there was a stratification of the Cossacks on the «old», who officially served in the service of the tsar, who received their salaries, and «golubtvennye», ie, fugitives. The latter with monetary content had some problems. In addition, and in the conditions of peace they wanted to quickly obtain, military glory, so desired for this Cossack.
In 1667,
