Treaty of Perpetual Peace between Russia and Poland. 1686

1686 On May 6 (April 26, old style) Eternal Peace was concluded between Russia and Poland

“The Eternal Peace of 1686 was concluded on the 6th of V between Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. - Since the Treaty of Andrusovo in 1667, Poland has repeatedly made attempts to conclude an alliance with Russia against Turkey. The Moscow government was also interested in creating an anti-Turkish alliance and, back in the early 70s, took diplomatic steps in this direction. War of 1676-81 with Turkey strengthened Moscow’s desire to create such an alliance. However, repeated negotiations on this issue have failed; One of the most important reasons for this was Poland's resistance to the Russian demand to finally abandon Kyiv. With the resumption of the war with Turkey in 1683, Poland, allied with Austria and Venice (since 1684), developed lively diplomatic activity in order to attract Russia to the anti-Turkish league. At the beginning of 1686, a special embassy arrived in Moscow, headed by the Poznan governor Krzysztof Grzymultowski and the Lithuanian chancellor Marcian Oginski. From the Russian side, negotiations were conducted by V.V. Golitsyn. Golitsyn exploited the urgent need for Russian assistance for Poland and managed to turn the Russian demand for the final consolidation of Russia's acquisitions in Ukraine into a precondition for alliance negotiations. The negotiations ended with the signing of a treaty on “Eternal Peace” and an alliance of both states against Turkey.

"Eternal Peace" confirmed the territorial changes made under the Andrusovo Treaty. Poland abandoned Kyiv forever, having received compensation of 146 thousand rubles for this. Russia broke off relations with the Porte and had to send troops to Crimea. The "Eternal Peace" of 1686 guaranteed freedom of religion for Orthodox Christians in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and recognized Russia's right to present representations in their defense. The Treaty of 1686 became valid immediately, but it was ratified by the Polish Sejm only in 1710. "Eternal Peace" regulated Russian-Polish relations and thus freed Russia's hands in the fight against the Turkish-Tatar threat. At the same time, “Eternal Peace” contributed to the final formation of the anti-Turkish coalition in Europe.”

Quoted in: Diplomatic Dictionary. Ed. A. Ya. Vyshinsky and S. A. Lozovsky. M.: OGIZ, State Publishing House of Political Literature, 1948

History in faces

Letter from Tsars Ivan and Peter Alekseevich and Princess Sofia Alekseevna to Novgorod boyar and governor Peter Vasilyevich Sheremetev and his comrades on the conclusion of eternal peace with Poland:
From the Great Sovereigns Tsars and Grand Dukes John Alekseevich, Peter Alekseevich and the Great Empresses, the Blessed Princesses and the Grand Duchess Sofia Alekseevna of all Great and Little and White Russia, the autocrats to our fatherland in Veliky Novgorod to our boyar and governor Peter Vasilyevich Sheremetev with his comrades. Last year, in the year 175, our father, the great sovereigns, the blessed and eternally worthy of memory of the great sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich, established a truce with King John Casimer of Poland for thirteen years and six months. And then our brother, the great sovereigns, blessed in memory of the great sovereign, the Tsar and Grand Duke Fyodor Alekseevich, established a truce with John the Third King of Poland for another period of thirteen years and six months. And in those years of truce, they, the great sovereigns, ceded their royal majesty towards the King of Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth the cities: Polotsk, Vitepsk, Dino-bork, Buttercup, Rezitsa, Velizh, Nevl, Sobezh with all the districts and lands. Yes, with the same cities, four hundred thousand rubles were given to the Polish side in two truces of the treasury. And Smolensk from the suburbs and the Cherkasy cities were left aside by our Tsar's Majesty only for the same truce years, for a while, and the city of Kiev, according to the first truce, was retained in the power of our Tsar's Majesty for only two years, and after two years it was agreed give to the king of Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. And on this, the father of the great sovereigns, the blessed ones remember the great sovereign, the tsar and the great prince Alexei Mikhailovich and our brother, the great sovereigns, the blessed ones in memory of the great sovereign, the tsar and the great prince Theodore Alekseevich before the holy gospel three times made their royal promise that they would give up Kyiv King of Poland. And those truce years are now over. And that during that last war with the Kingdom of Poland and the Principality of Lithuania, our great sovereigns, who were in Poland and Lithuania, were captured by military men and taken to the Russian states of Poland and Lithuania to the people of the male and female gender of the nobility and service rank and the bourgeois and arable peasants many hundreds of thousands, as well as all kinds of church utensils and decorations and bells, and from the cities and in the battles of cannons and all kinds of military weapons in those days they took, and then everything, according to the same above-mentioned peace treaty, was left aside by our royal majesty only for those truce years; and after the end of the truce years, everything was given in the direction of the King of Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. And this year, in the year 194, by the mercy of the Almighty God in the Trinity and the intercession of Christian hope, the Most Holy Theotokos and all the saints with the prayers, and ours, the great sovereigns, kings and grand dukes John Alekseevich, Peter Alekseevich and the Great Empress, the Blessed Princess and Grand Duchess Sophia Alekseevna, and our entire royal house with happiness, being at our great sovereigns, our royal majesty's court in the reigning great city of Moscow, the Polish king, the great and plenipotentiary ambassadors of Hryshtof Grimultovsky, voivode of Poznan and the chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Prince Martsyyan Oginsky and his comrades with ours, the royal majesty, neighboring boyars royal large seals and state great ambassadorial affairs with the treasurer with the neighboring boyar and governor of Novgorodtsky with Prince Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn, with the nearby boyar and governor Vyatsky with Boris Petrovich Sheremetev, with the nearby boyar and governor of Suzdal with Ivan Vasilyevich Buturlin, with reap the okolnichy and the governor Shatsky with Pyotr Dmitreevich Skuratov, with the nearby okolnik and the governor Muromsky with Ivan Ivanovich Chaadaev, and with the Duma clerk with Emelyan Ignatiev's son Ukraintsov and his comrades, being in charge of eternal peace and holy peace, had many conversations and difficulties. And at those conversations about eternal peace and holy rest, they agreed and decided and approved that between us, great sovereigns, our royal majesty, and the royal majesty, there will be eternal peace and Christian rest and renewed and constant and established friendship and good fidelity. forever indestructible. And according to that agreement, they conceded and wrote to us, the great sovereign, on our royal majesty, many of the glorious titles of all Christian sovereigns, that is, we, the great sovereigns, were written in the titles of the most illustrious and most powerful great sovereigns. Yes, they conceded to write to us as the great sovereigns of the eternally great sovereigns of Kyiv and Chernigov and Smolensk. Yes, according to the same agreement, the holy churches of God and the bishops of Lutsk, Galicia, Przemysl, Lvov, Belorosiysk, and with them the monasteries of the archimandries of Vilna, Minsk, Polotsk, Orsha and other abbesses and brotherhoods, in which they found and are now finding the whole Coruna of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the use of the pious Greek-Russian faith by all living people is in no way oppressive, and to the Roman faith and to it, coercion should not be repaired and should not be repaired, but according to long-standing rights, it should be observed in all freedoms and liberties of the church.

This day in history:

The Eternal Peace (in Polish historiography known as the Peace of Grzymultowski, Polish pokój Grzymułtowskiego) is a peace treaty on the division of the Hetmanate, concluded between the Russian kingdom and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in Moscow on April 26 (May 6), 1686. The text of the treaty consisted of a preamble and 33 articles.

The truce ended the Russian-Polish war, which had lasted since 1654 on the territory of modern Ukraine and Belarus.

The agreement confirmed the decisions of the Truce of Andrusovo of 1667, except for the following: Kyiv was already forever recognized as belonging to the Russian kingdom with the payment of 146 thousand rubles in compensation to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which also refused a joint protectorate over the Zaporozhye Sich.

On the part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the agreement was signed by voivode Poznansky, diplomat Krzysztof Grzymultowski, and on the Russian side - by the chancellor and head of the Ambassadorial Prikaz, Prince Vasily Golitsyn.

Russian copy of the Treaty between Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on Eternal Peace, 1686.

Agreement conditions

1. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth recognized the Left Bank Ukraine, Kyiv, Zaporozhye, Smolensk and the Chernigov-Seversk land with Chernigov and Starodub as the Russian kingdom.

2. The Russian kingdom joined the countries waging war against Turkey.

3. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth received 146 thousand rubles in compensation for abandoning Kyiv.

4. Some border territories, areas of Nevel, Sebezh, Velizh and Posozhye were transferred to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

3. Northern Kiev region, Volyn and Galicia remained part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

4. Southern Kiev region and Bratslav region from the town of Stayok to the Tyasmin River with the cities of Rzhishchev, Trakhtemirov, Kanev, Cherkassy, ​​Chigirin and others, that is, lands that were greatly devastated during the war years, was to become neutral territory between the Russian kingdom and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

5. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth pledged to provide Orthodox Christians with freedom of religion, and the Russian government promised to protect them.

The Russian kingdom annulled preliminary treaties with the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate and joined the anti-Turkish Holy League, and also pledged to organize a military campaign against the Crimean Khanate (Crimean campaigns in 1687 and 1689).

Although the terms of the Perpetual Peace came into force immediately after the signing of the treaty, the Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ratified it only in 1764.

Consequences

The agreement assigned to the Russian kingdom the Smolensk region, Left Bank Ukraine with Kiev, Zaporozhye and Seversk land with Chernigov and Starodub. The conclusion of the “eternal peace” opened up the possibility of uniting states against Tatar-Turkish aggression and became the basis of the Russian-Polish alliance in the Northern War of 1700-1721. Russia joined the anti-Turkish “Holy League” - an alliance of Austria, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Venice.

330 years ago, on May 16, 1686, the “Eternal Peace” was signed in Moscow between Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The world summed up the results of the Russian-Polish war of 1654-1667, which was fought over the Western Russian lands (modern Ukraine and Belarus). The 13-year war ended with the Truce of Andrusovo. “Eternal Peace” confirmed the territorial changes made under the Andrusovo Treaty. Smolensk forever went to Moscow, Left Bank Ukraine remained part of Russia, Right Bank Ukraine remained part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Poland abandoned Kyiv forever, receiving compensation of 146 thousand rubles for this. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth also refused the protectorate over the Zaporozhye Sich. Russia broke off relations with the Ottoman Empire and had to start a war with the Crimean Khanate.

Poland was an old enemy of the Russian state, but during this period the Porte became a stronger threat to it. Warsaw repeatedly made attempts to conclude an alliance with Russia against the Ottoman Empire. Moscow was also interested in creating an anti-Turkish alliance. War of 1676-1681 with Turkey strengthened Moscow’s desire to create such an alliance. However, repeated negotiations on this issue have failed to achieve results. One of the most important reasons for this was the resistance of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to the Russian demand to finally abandon Kyiv and some other territories. With the resumption of the war with the Porte in 1683, Poland, allied with Austria and Venice, developed vigorous diplomatic activity in order to attract Russia to the anti-Turkish league. As a result, Russia entered the anti-Turkish alliance, which led to the beginning of the Russian-Turkish War of 1686-1700.

Thus, the Russian state finally secured part of the Western Russian lands and annulled preliminary agreements with the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate, joining the anti-Turkish Holy League, and also pledged to organize a military campaign against the Crimean Khanate. This marked the beginning of the Russian-Turkish War of 1686-1700, the campaigns of Vasily Golitsyn to the Crimea and Peter to Azov. In addition, the conclusion of the “Eternal Peace” became the basis of the Russian-Polish alliance in the Northern War of 1700-1721.

Background

The traditional enemy of the Russian state in the West for several centuries was Poland (Rzeczpospolita - the state union of Poland and Lithuania). During the crisis of Rus', the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth captured vast western and southern Russian regions. In addition, the Russian state and Poland stubbornly fought for leadership in Eastern Europe. Moscow’s most important task was to restore the unity of the Russian lands and the divided Russian people. Even during the reign of the Rurikovichs, Rus' returned part of the previously lost territories. However, the Troubles at the beginning of the 17th century. led to new territorial losses. As a result of the Deulin Truce of 1618, the Russian state lost those captured from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the very beginning of the 16th century. Chernigov, Smolensk and other lands. An attempt to recapture them in the Smolensk War of 1632-1634. did not lead to success. The situation was aggravated by the anti-Russian policy of Warsaw. The Russian Orthodox population of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was subjected to ethnic, cultural and religious discrimination by the Polish and Polish gentry. The bulk of Russians in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were practically in the position of slaves.

In 1648, an uprising began in the Western Russian regions, which developed into a people's liberation war. It was headed by Bogdan Khmelnitsky. The rebels, who consisted mainly of Cossacks, as well as townspeople and peasants, won a number of serious victories over the Polish army. However, without the intervention of Moscow, the rebels were doomed, since the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had enormous military potential. In 1653, Khmelnitsky turned to Russia with a request for help in the war with Poland. On October 1, 1653, the Zemsky Sobor decided to satisfy Khmelnytsky’s request and declared war on the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In January 1654, the famous Rada took place in Pereyaslav, at which the Zaporozhye Cossacks unanimously spoke out in favor of joining the Russian kingdom. Khmelnitsky, in front of the Russian embassy, ​​took the oath of allegiance to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.

The war started successfully for Russia. It was supposed to solve a long-standing national task - the unification of all Russian lands around Moscow and the restoration of the Russian state within its former borders. By the end of 1655, all of Western Rus', except Lvov, came under the control of Russian troops and the fighting was transferred directly to the ethnic territory of Poland and Lithuania. In addition, in the summer of 1655, Sweden entered the war, whose troops captured Warsaw and Krakow. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was on the verge of a complete military-political catastrophe. However, Moscow is making a strategic mistake. On a wave of dizziness from success, the Moscow government decided to return the lands that the Swedes seized from us during the Time of Troubles. Moscow and Warsaw concluded the Vilna Truce. Even earlier, on May 17, 1656, Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich declared war on Sweden.

Initially, Russian troops achieved some success in the fight against the Swedes. But later the war was fought with varying degrees of success. In addition, the war with Poland resumed and Khmelnytsky died in 1657. The partially polarized Cossack elder immediately began to pursue a “flexible” policy, betraying the interests of the masses. Hetman Ivan Vygovsky switched to the side of the Poles and Russia faced an entire enemy coalition - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Vygovsky’s Cossacks, Crimean Tatars. Soon Vygovsky was removed, and his place was taken by Khmelnitsky’s son Yuri, who first took the side of Moscow and then took the oath of allegiance to the Polish king. This led to a split and strife among the Cossacks. Some focused on Poland or even Turkey, others on Moscow, and still others fought for themselves, creating gangs. As a result, Western Rus' became the field of a bloody battle, which completely devastated a significant part of Little Russia. The Kardis Peace Treaty was concluded with Sweden in 1661, which established the boundaries stipulated by the Stolbovo Peace Treaty of 1617. That is, the war with Sweden only scattered the forces of Russia and was in vain.

Subsequently, the war with Poland continued with varying degrees of success. Russia lost a number of positions in Belarus and Little Russia. On the southern front, the Poles were supported by traitorous Cossacks and the Crimean horde. In 1663-1664. A large campaign of the Polish army led by King John Casimir in conjunction with detachments of Crimean Tatars and Right Bank Cossacks to Left Bank Little Russia took place. According to the strategic plan of Warsaw, the main blow was delivered by the Polish army, which, together with the Cossacks of the Right Bank Hetman Pavel Teteri and the Crimean Tatars, having captured the eastern lands of Little Russia, was supposed to advance on Moscow. An auxiliary blow was delivered by the Lithuanian army of Mikhail Pats. Pat was supposed to take Smolensk and connect with the king in the Bryansk region. However, the campaign, which started successfully, failed. Jan-Kazimir suffered a heavy defeat.

Problems began in Russia itself - the economic crisis, the Copper Riot, the Bashkir Uprising. Poland's situation was no better. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was devastated by wars with Russia and Sweden, raids by Tatars and various gangs. The material and human resources of the two great powers were exhausted. As a result, at the end of the war, forces were mainly sufficient only for small skirmishes and local battles in both the northern and southern theaters of military operations. They did not have much significance, except for the defeat of the Poles from the Russian-Cossack-Kalmyk troops in the battle of Korsun and in the battle of Bila Tserkva. The Porte and the Crimean Khanate took advantage of the exhaustion of both sides. Right Bank Hetman Peter Doroshenko rebelled against Warsaw and declared himself a vassal of the Turkish Sultan, which led to the start of the Polish-Cossack-Turkish War of 1666-1671.

Bleeded Poland lost to the Ottomans and signed the Peace of Buchach, according to which the Poles renounced the Podolsk and Bratslav voivodeships, and the southern part of the Kyiv voivodeship went to the Right Bank Cossacks of Hetman Doroshenko, who was a vassal of the Porte. Moreover, militarily weakened Poland was obliged to pay tribute to Turkey. The offended, proud Polish elite did not accept this world. In 1672, a new Polish-Turkish war began (1672-1676). Poland was defeated again. However, the Zhuravensky Treaty of 1676 somewhat softened the conditions of the previous, Buchach Peace, canceling the requirement that the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth pay an annual tribute to the Ottoman Empire. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was inferior to the Ottomans in Podolia. Right-bank Ukraine-Little Russia, with the exception of the Belotserkovsky and Pavolochsky districts, came under the rule of the Turkish vassal - Hetman Petro Doroshenko, thus becoming an Ottoman protectorate. As a result, for Poland the Porta became a more dangerous enemy than Russia.

Thus, the depletion of resources for further military operations, as well as the common threat from the Crimean Khanate and Turkey, forced the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia to negotiate peace, which began in 1666 and ended with the signing of the Truce of Andrusovo in January 1667. Smolensk, as well as lands that had previously ceded to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Time of Troubles, including Dorogobuzh, Belaya, Nevel, Krasny, Velizh, Seversk land with Chernigov and Starodub, passed to the Russian state. Poland recognized Russia's right to Left Bank Little Russia. According to the agreement, Kyiv was temporarily transferred to Moscow for two years (Russia, however, managed to keep Kyiv for itself). The Zaporozhye Sich came under the joint control of Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. As a result, Moscow was able to recapture only part of the ancestral Russian lands, which was the result of managerial and strategic mistakes of the Russian government, in particular, the mistake was the war with Sweden, which scattered the forces of the Russian army.

On the way to "Eternal Peace"

At the turn of the XVII-XVIII centuries. two old adversaries - Russia and Poland, faced the need to coordinate actions in the face of the strengthening of two powerful enemies - Turkey and Sweden in the Black Sea region and the Baltic states. At the same time, both Russia and Poland had long-standing strategic interests in the Black Sea region and the Baltic states. However, for success in these strategic directions, it was necessary to combine efforts and carry out internal modernization, primarily of the armed forces and government, in order to successfully confront such strong enemies as the Ottoman Empire and Sweden. The situation was aggravated by crisis phenomena in the internal structure and internal politics of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia. It is worth noting that the Polish elite was never able to get out of this crisis, which ended with the complete degradation of the state system and the divisions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (the Polish state was liquidated). Russia was able to create a new project, which led to the emergence of the Russian Empire, which ultimately solved the main problems in the Baltic states and the Black Sea region.

Already the first Romanovs began to look more and more to the West, to adopt the achievements of military affairs, science, as well as elements of culture. Princess Sophia continued this line. After the death of the childless Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, the Miloslavsky boyars, led by Sophia, organized the Streletsky revolt. As a result, on September 15, 1682, Princess Sophia, the daughter of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, became regent for the young brothers Ivan and Peter. The brothers' power almost immediately became nominal. Ivan Alekseevich was sickly and incapable of governing the state since childhood. Peter was small, and Natalya and her son moved to Preobrazhenskoye to protect themselves from a possible blow.

Princess Sophia in historical popular science and fiction is often presented in the image of a kind of woman. However, this is an obvious slander. She came to power at the age of 25, and the portraits convey to us the image of a somewhat plump, but pretty woman. And the future Tsar Peter described Sophia as a person who “could be considered perfect both physically and mentally, if not for her boundless ambition and insatiable thirst for power.”

Sophia had several favorites. Among them, Prince Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn stood out. He received the Ambassadorial, Discharge, Reitar and Foreign orders under his command, concentrating in his hands enormous power, control over foreign policy and the armed forces. Received the title of “Treasurer of the Royal Great Seal and State Great Ambassadorial Affairs, Close Boyar and Governor of Novgorod” (in fact, the head of the government). The leadership of the Kazan order was given to V.V. Golitsyn’s cousin, B.A. Golitsyn. The Streletsky order was headed by Fyodor Shaklovity. A native of the Bryansk boyar children, who owed his rise only to Sophia, he was infinitely devoted to her (perhaps, like Vasily Golitsyn, he was her lover). Sylvester Medvedev was elevated, becoming the queen's adviser on religious issues (Sophia was on cold terms with the patriarch). Shaklovity was the tsarina’s “faithful dog,” but almost all government administration was entrusted to Vasily Golitsyn.

Golitsyn was a Westerner of that time. The prince admired France and was a true Francophile. The Moscow nobility of that time began to imitate the Western nobility in every possible way: the fashion for Polish clothes continued, perfume came into fashion, a craze for coats of arms began, it was considered the highest chic to purchase a foreign carriage, etc. The first among such Western nobles was Golitsyn. Noble people and rich townspeople, following the example of Golitsyn, began to build houses and palaces of the Western type. Jesuits were allowed into Russia, and Chancellor Golitsyn often held closed meetings with them. In Russia, Catholic worship was allowed - the first Catholic church was opened in the German settlement. Golitsyn began sending young people to study in Poland, mainly to the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. There they taught not the technical or military disciplines necessary for the development of the Russian state, but Latin, theology and jurisprudence. Such personnel could be useful in transforming Russia according to Western standards.

Golitsyn was most active in foreign policy, since in domestic politics the conservative wing was too strong, and the queen restrained the prince’s reform ardor. Golitsyn actively negotiated with Western countries. And during this period, almost the main thing in Europe was the war with the Ottoman Empire. In 1684, the Holy Roman Emperor, King of the Czech Republic and Hungary, Leopold I, sent diplomats to Moscow who began to appeal to the “brotherhood of Christian sovereigns and invited the Russian state to join the Holy League. This alliance consisted of the Holy Roman Empire, the Venetian Republic and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and opposed the Porte. Moscow received a similar proposal from Warsaw.

However, a war with a strong Turkey did not meet Russia’s national interests at that time. Poland was our traditional enemy and it still owned vast Western Russian territories. Austria was not a country for which our soldiers should shed blood. Only in 1681 was the Bakhchisarai Peace Treaty concluded with Istanbul, which established peace for a 20-year period. The Ottomans recognized the Left Bank Ukraine, Zaporozhye and Kyiv as the Russian state. Moscow has significantly strengthened its position in the south. The Turkish Sultan and the Crimean Khan pledged not to help the enemies of the Russians. The Crimean Horde pledged to stop raids on Russian lands. In addition, the Porte did not take advantage of the series of unrest in Rus' and the struggle for power in Moscow. At that time, it was more profitable for Russia not to get involved in a direct battle with the Porte, but to wait for its weakening. There was more than enough land for development. It was better to focus on the return of the original Russian territories in the west, taking advantage of the weakening of Poland. In addition, Western “partners” traditionally wanted to use the Russians as cannon fodder in the fight against Turkey and get all the benefits from this confrontation.

Golitsyn happily accepted the opportunity to enter into an alliance with the “progressive Western powers.” The Western powers turned to him and invited him to be their friend. Therefore, the Moscow government set only one condition for joining the Holy Alliance, so that Poland would sign the “eternal peace.” True, the Polish gentlemen indignantly rejected this condition - they did not want to forever abandon Smolensk, Kyiv, Novgorod-Seversky, Chernigov, and Left Bank Ukraine-Little Russia. As a result, Warsaw itself pushed Russia away from the Holy League. Negotiations continued throughout 1685. In addition, in Russia itself there were also opponents of this union. Many boyars, who feared a long war of attrition, opposed participation in the war with the Porte. Hetman of the Zaporozhian Army Ivan Samoilovich was against the union with Poland. Little Russia lived only a few years without the annual raids of the Crimean Tatars. The hetman pointed out the treachery of the Poles. In his opinion, Moscow had to intercede for Russians, Orthodox Christians who were subjected to oppression in the Polish regions, to recapture the ancestral Russian lands from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - Podolia, Volyn, Podlasie, Podgorye and all of Chervona Rus. Patriarch Joachim of Moscow was also against the war with the Porte. At that time, an important religious and political issue for Ukraine-Little Russia was being resolved - Gideon was elected Metropolitan of Kyiv, he was confirmed by Joachim, now the consent of the Patriarch of Constantinople was required. This important event for the church could be disrupted in the event of a quarrel with the Porte. However, all the arguments of Samoilovich, Joachim and other opponents of the alliance with the Poles, the Pope and the Austrians were swept away.

True, the Poles continued to persist, refusing “eternal peace” with Russia. However, at this time things went badly for the Holy League. Turkey quickly recovered from defeats, carried out mobilizations, and attracted troops from Asian and African regions. The Turks temporarily took Cetinje, the seat of the Montenegrin bishop. Turkish troops defeated the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Polish troops suffered a retreat, the Turks threatened Lvov. This forced Warsaw to agree with the need for an alliance with Moscow. In addition, the situation in Austria became more complicated. The French king Louis XIV decided to take advantage of the fact that Leopold I was bogged down in the war with Turkey and developed vigorous activity. Leopold, in response, enters into an alliance with William of Orange and begins negotiations with other sovereigns to create an anti-French coalition. The Holy Roman Empire faces the threat of war on two fronts. Austria, in order to compensate for the weakening of the front in the Balkans, intensified diplomatic efforts towards the Russian state. Austria is also increasing pressure on the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, John III Sobieski. The Pope, the Jesuits and the Venetians worked in the same direction. As a result, Warsaw was put under pressure through joint efforts.

Prince Vasily Golitsyn

"Eternal Peace"

At the beginning of 1686, a huge Polish embassy of almost a thousand people arrived in Moscow, headed by the Poznan governor Krzysztof Grzymultowski and the Lithuanian chancellor Marcian Oginski. Russia was represented in the negotiations by Prince V.V. Golitsyn. The Poles initially began to insist again on their rights to Kyiv and Zaporozhye. But in the end they gave in.

An agreement with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was reached only in May. On May 16, 1686, the Perpetual Peace was signed. Under its terms, Poland renounced its claims to Left Bank Ukraine, Smolensk and Chernigov-Seversk land with Chernigov and Starodub, Kyiv, Zaporozhye. The Poles received compensation of 146 thousand rubles for Kyiv. Northern Kiev region, Volyn and Galicia remained part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The southern Kiev region and Bratslav region with a number of cities (Kanev, Rzhishchev, Trakhtemirov, Cherkasy, Chigirin, etc.), i.e. lands that were severely devastated during the war, were supposed to become neutral territory between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian Kingdom. Russia broke treaties with the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate and entered into an alliance with Poland and Austria. Moscow pledged, through its diplomats, to facilitate the entry into the Holy League of England, France, Spain, Holland, Denmark and Brandenburg. Russia has pledged to organize campaigns against Crimea.

"Eternal Peace" was promoted in Moscow as Russia's greatest diplomatic victory. Prince Golitsyn, who concluded this agreement, was showered with favors and received 3 thousand peasant households. On the one hand, there were successes. Poland recognized a number of its territories as Russia. An opportunity has emerged to strengthen positions in the Black Sea region, and in the future in the Baltic states, relying on the support of Poland. In addition, the agreement was personally beneficial to Sophia. He helped establish her status as a sovereign queen. During the fuss raised about the “eternal peace,” Sophia appropriated to herself the title of “All Great and Other Russia Autocrat.” And a successful war could further strengthen the position of Sophia and her group.

On the other hand, the Moscow government allowed itself to be drawn into someone else's game. Russia did not need a war with Turkey and the Crimean Khanate at that time. Western “partners” used Russia. Russia had to start a war with a strong enemy, and even pay a lot of money to Warsaw for its own lands. Although the Poles at that time did not have the strength to fight with Russia. In the future, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth will only degrade. Russia could calmly look at the wars of the Western powers with Turkey and prepare for the return of the remaining ancestral Russian lands in the west.

Having signed the “Eternal Peace” with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1686, Russia began a war with the Porte and the Crimean Khanate. However, the Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689 did not lead to success. Russia just wasted its resources. It was not possible to secure the southern borders and expand possessions. Western “partners” benefited from the fruitless attempts of the Russian army to break into Crimea. The Crimean campaigns made it possible to divert significant forces of the Turks and Crimean Tatars for some time, which was beneficial to Russia’s European allies.

Russian copy of the treaty between Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on “Eternal Peace”

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In 1686, Russia and Poland concluded the Eternal Peace. He put an end to numerous and lengthy wars between neighboring countries for influence in the border regions. The agreement secured the strengthening of Russia and the return of part of Ukraine and Smolensk to it.

Shaky world

In 1654-1667. Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were in a state of exhausting war. The powers fought over the border lands that each country claimed. The Perpetual Peace with Poland of 1686 was a treaty that confirmed the outcome of this conflict. In fact, it duplicated the provisions of the document signed in the village of Andrusovo in 1667. If the first treaty was only a temporary 13-year truce (which was recorded in one of the points), then the Perpetual Peace with Poland in 1686 secured the reconciliation of the two countries and their political rapprochement.

According to the agreements reached, Russia received Novgorod-Seversky, Smolensk, and Kyiv (located on the right bank of the Dnieper). For Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich at one time this was a real historical triumph. He returned lands that had once been part of a single Old Russian state. They were annexed to Lithuania when the East Slavic principalities were fragmented and not consolidated. At the end of the 14th century. The rulers of Vilna entered into a union with Poland, after which Moscow, and then Russia, received a powerful force on its western borders.

Reunification with Ukraine

It was especially important that the Eternal Peace with Poland in 1686 returned Smolensk to Russia. This city was first recaptured from Lithuania by Vasily III, and then lost again during the Time of Troubles. With the restoration of stability in Russia, the Romanovs found themselves on the Moscow throne. The second king from this dynasty - Alexei Mikhailovich - now restored historical justice, and under his daughter Sophia it was consolidated.

In the second half of the 17th century, Polish Ukraine began to be shaken by uprisings of local nationalists who gravitated towards Moscow. Their leader was Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky. The long-term struggle ended only when the Perpetual Peace was concluded with Poland. The year 1686 became a holiday date for Ukrainians. Their conflict with the Poles was based on confessional (some were Orthodox, while others were Catholic) and linguistic differences.

Division of Cossack lands

Nevertheless, Poland retained Right Bank Ukraine. The division only widened the gap between the two parts of the country, the border between which became the Dnieper. The Perpetual Peace with Poland (1686) contributed to the consolidation of the new political state of affairs in the region. The result of lengthy negotiations was that it became a buffer between the two powers. It was an important region in which free Cossacks lived. The atamans and their armies were a reliable defense against the Ottoman Empire, which was increasing its influence in the Black Sea region.

Turkey became the very force that contributed to the rapprochement between Poland and Russia and the conclusion of their mutual peace treaty. In 1672, when the negotiations in Andrusovo had already ended, and it was still unclear how the situation would develop, the Muslims captured Kamenets-Podolsky, which previously belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. After this, the Turks began to systematically attack Cossack lands located in the zone of Russian interests. It became clear that it was time for the two Christian countries to smooth out their own differences and join forces in the fight against the Ottoman threat.

Turkish threat

The Turks continued to fight throughout Europe. In 1683, they even tried to besiege Vienna, the capital of Austria, and a powerful general coalition against Istanbul began to take shape. which was in the most vulnerable position, had previously not wanted to recognize the results of the last war with Russia, after which the Romanovs returned Smolensk and other important Russian lands.

But in the new conditions, when the south suffered from raids by the Turks and Tatars, the monarchy decided to reconsider its attitude towards agreements with Moscow. The central government, sensing the approaching denouement, even convened the last Zemsky Sobor in the history of the country in the capital. At its meeting the terms of the Eternal Peace with Poland in 1686 were to be discussed.

Signing the contract

The final stage of negotiations with the Poles occurred during the regency of Queen Sophia, the eldest daughter of Alexei Mikhailovich. She placed her favorite, Prince Golitsyn, at the head of the Ambassadorial Prikaz. He, in direct contact with the foreign delegates sent, insisted that Russia would join the anti-Turkish alliance only if the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth finally confirmed the terms of the previous Andrusov Treaty.

These proposals were accepted. The royal ambassadors decided not to bargain when their country was on the verge of ruin due to the war with the Turks. Thus the Perpetual Peace was agreed upon with Poland (1686). Where was this important document for Russian history signed? He was imprisoned in Moscow on May 6. According to the agreements, Russia joined the alliance of European countries that were at war with the Ottoman Empire. In 1687 and 1689, famous events took place, headed by the same Prince Golitsyn.

The coup d'état of 1682, the Streltsy uprising, and the possibility of new unrest in Russia inspired its opponents. In Poland, the intention to recapture the left bank of the Dnieper and Kiev from the Russians was increasingly expressed. The Turkish Sultan and the Crimean Khan hatched plans to seize southern Ukrainian and southern Russian lands. The Swedes intended to take Karelia from Russia.

The great merit of the government of Sophia and Golitsyn directly was that Russia was able to get out of this situation. During difficult negotiations with the Swedes, the Kardis Peace was confirmed. Russia skillfully exploited the outbreak of war between the Austrian Empire, Poland and Venice and Turkey. Russia sided with Turkey's opponents on the condition that Russia's previous agreement with Poland would be confirmed.

In 1683, the Turkish army besieged Vienna. The army of the Polish king John Sobieski, who was considered at that time one of the outstanding commanders in Europe, came to her aid. The Turks retreated. The Allies demanded that Russia attack Turkey and Crimea. But Golitsyn proposed first regulating Russia’s relations with Poland.

Intense negotiations with the Polish delegation lasted for more than two months in Moscow. Poland was interested in calm on its eastern borders in preparation for the fight against Sweden and Turkey. The Polish Sejm and magnates stood for peace.

Having extended peace with Sweden, Russia focused all its attention on the southern and southwestern direction of its foreign policy. She sought to secure the left bank of the Dnieper, protect herself from the attack of the Crimean Tatars, assist the Orthodox peoples of the Balkan Peninsula enslaved by the Turks, and reach the shores of the Black Sea for subsequent penetration into the markets of Southern Europe and the Middle East.

In 1686, the so-called “eternal peace” with Poland was concluded in a solemn ceremony. This was a great success for V.V.’s diplomacy. Golitsyn. Poland agreed with the transfer of the left bank of the Dnieper to Russian rule and forever ceded Kyiv to it. The news of “eternal peace” caused confusion and despondency in Turkey. The Polish war party was beside itself.

In the summer of 1687, the main forces of Russia under the command of Golitsyn set out to the south. The first Crimean campaign began. However, the army was late in its action. The heat and lack of water drained the strength of the people. The Tatars set the steppe on fire, and the Russian regiments found themselves marching in smoke-filled air. Another part of the troops, marching along with the Cossacks along the Dnieper, defeated the left wing of the Crimean cavalry, which attacked the Polish and Ukrainian lands. Part of the Russian troops moved to Azov. On the Black Sea coast, the Turkish fortress of Ochakov was captured. Panic began in Istanbul. The Sultan fled to Asia Minor.

Golitsyn failed to develop his success. The heat, the lack of water (the Tatars poisoned the wells), confusion in the command structure of the army, and local disputes interfered. Food supplies were running out. Before reaching the Perekop Isthmus, Golitsyn turned his troops back.

In 1689, fulfilling allied obligations, Golitsyn led the Russian army on a second campaign against the Crimea. The Allies entered into separate peace negotiations with Turkey, but Russia was pursuing its own interests in the war. In early spring, Russian regiments crossed the steppe with a quick march. They were supported by the Cossack cavalry, led by Hetman I.S., a supporter of the rapprochement between Moscow and Poland. Mazepa. Along the way, they prevailed in three battles with the Crimeans. The Tatar cavalry rolled back behind Perekop. Golitsyn approached the fortress walls that closed the isthmus. The gates were open, the path to Crimea was clear. Khan asked for peace and agreed to recognize the annexation of part of Ukraine with Kiev to Russia. Golitsyn was careful not to go further.

After some time, the winners were solemnly welcomed in Moscow. Sophia's opponents talked about the failure of the campaign, about Golitsyn's incomprehensible timidity on the approaches to Crimea.

The Crimean campaigns consolidated Russia's conquests on the western borders. Moscow retained fortresses on the Dnieper and in the Wild Field. A strategic foundation was laid for the further struggle with Turkey and the Crimean Khanate for access to the Black Sea.