18. A Future Revolt Leader’s First Step Against the Russian Authorities
The Cossacks routinely exacted tribute from vessels that plied the Volga River – a practice that was accepted by the authorities. However, it seems that Razin went renegade in some fashion, and exacted tolls in a manner inconsistent with the acceptable legalized piracy of the Cossacks. That took place against the backdrop of a turbulent stretch of Russian history. In the 1650s and 1660s, wars, epidemics, and crop failures led to widespread misery and impoverishment throughout Russia. In the chaos, many serfs fled their oppressive masters to the Don River region, the heartland of the Cossacks.
Russian authorities sought to forcibly retrieve the runaway serfs, but the Cossacks resisted. To bring them to heel and get them to change their minds, the Tsarist government cut off their subsidies and food supplies. In response, the Cossacks took up arms. In 1667, Stenka Razin organized a Cossack regiment to resist the Russian embargo. In May of that year, he attacked a Russian caravan in which both the Russian Tsar and Patriarch of the Orthodox Church held stakes. It was the first step towards his eventual leadership of a major revolt.
