Why did the rising begin? The causes
In the second half of the 1700s the life of ordinary people in Russia was hard. Serfs (peasants who belonged to a landowner) worked for the landowner many days each week or paid him money. Landowners could punish them and even send them away, and serfs could not complain about them. In the Urals, many people worked in iron and copper factories, often by force and for little pay.
The Yaik Cossacks, who lived on the river Yaik (today the Ural), were free military settlers. The state was cutting their self-rule and sending officers to command them. Other peoples of the region, like the Bashkirs, feared that their land was being taken for towns, forts and factories.
So there were many groups, each with its own anger, and they all wanted the same thing: less pressure from the state and the landowners.
Pugachev and his call (1773)
Emelyan Pugachev was a Don Cossack who had served in the army and then wandered across the country. In September 1773 he went to the Yaik Cossacks and said he was Tsar Peter III, the husband of Catherine II, who had been removed from the throne and had died in 1762. This was a lie, but many people wanted to believe in a "good tsar".
He issued "decrees" promising land, freedom, Cossack rights and an end to serfdom. He built a camp with officers and a council. Because he spoke the language of ordinary people, crowds came to him.
Who joined, and how it spread
The first followers were Yaik Cossacks. Soon the rising grew into a movement of many peoples: Bashkirs (with leaders such as Salavat Yulaev), Tatars, Kalmyks, Chuvash, Mari and others, Ural factory workers and many serfs.
From October 1773 the rebels besieged Orenburg, a fortress town, for about six months, but they could not take it. In spring 1774 government troops defeated them, but Pugachev escaped, moved west and went along the Volga. In July 1774 his men burned much of Kazan. Many serfs near the Volga rose against their landowners.
Defeat, end and results
The state sent regular troops with cannon and good commanders. The rebel army was large but badly trained and badly armed. In August 1774, near the lower Volga, Pugachev was beaten. Some of his own Cossack officers handed him over. He was executed in Moscow in January 1775.
Results. Serfdom was not ended; the nobles felt in danger and the state grew stricter. In 1775 Catherine II reformed local government, splitting the country into smaller provinces with more officials and soldiers. The river Yaik was renamed Ural and the Yaik Cossacks became Ural Cossacks, to wipe out the memory of the rising. The war showed that serfdom could cause huge unrest.
Key formulas and definitions
- 1773 (September): Pugachev's call at the Yaik
- Oct 1773 to Mar 1774: siege of Orenburg (about 6 months)
- July 1774: Kazan burned
- Jan 1775: Pugachev executed; the Yaik renamed Ural
Worked examples
1. Why did Pugachev call himself Peter III?
Peter III was a tsar who had been removed and died in 1762. Many people hoped a "good tsar" would give them freedom, so using his name made people trust Pugachev. It was false.
2. Name three groups that joined the rising and say why.
Yaik Cossacks (lost self-rule), Bashkirs and other peoples (feared losing land), Ural factory workers and serfs (hard work and little freedom).
3. Give two reasons why the rising failed.
The rebels were not trained and had few weapons, while the regular army had training and cannon. Also the rebels had no firm plan or leadership, and some of their own officers gave Pugachev up.
Common mistakes
- Thinking Pugachev really was Peter III. Peter III died in 1762; the claim was false.
- Saying only peasants took part. Cossacks, Bashkirs, Tatars, factory workers and serfs all joined.
- Mixing the dates. The war was 1773 to 1775; Kazan burned in July 1774.
- Believing the rising ended serfdom. It did not; control became stricter.