The Story of the Victories of the Moscow State (Russian: Повесть о победах Московского государства), also known as The Tale of the Victories of the Moscow State, is a Russian literary work of the 17th century, a historical tale recounting the events of the Time of Troubles (Смутное время). The work focuses primarily on the campaigns of the Smolensk noble militia and the struggle of the Smolensk nobility against Polish forces and supporters of the False Dmitrys.
Full Title
The complete title of the work is: "A Reliable Story About the Victories of the Moscow State, About How Many Misfortunes for the Multiplication of our Sins We Took from the Internecine War, from the Infidel Poles and from Lithuanians, and from Russian Rebels, and How the All-Merciful Lord God Saved Us from so Many Troubles with His Philanthropy and the Prayers of His Most Holy Mother and, for the Sake of All Saints, Brought Us Back with His Philanthropy to Its Original State."
Manuscript and Discovery
The only known manuscript of "The Tale of the Victories of the Moscow State" is held in the Manuscript Division of the Russian National Library as part of an 18th-century manuscript from the collection of Pogodin (shelf number 1501). This codex (approximately A5 format) contains two independent works: "The Legend of Boris Godunov and False Dmitry I" (folios 1–17, covering events from 1584 to 1606) and the story itself (folios 17–62, covering events from 1606 to 1626). Some names of historical figures and geographical names were distorted by the copyist and have been restored from other sources.
The text was discovered and subsequently published in 1979 by the historian Gennady Enin.
Publication
The work was published in 1982 as a separate volume in the series "Literary Monuments" (Литературные памятники) by the Nauka publishing house in Leningrad, with a print run of 40,000 copies. The publication includes the original Old Russian text, a translation into modern Russian, a research article, commentary, and personal and geographical indices. Translation and commentary were prepared by Gennady Enin.
Language
The tale was written in the literary language of the 17th century, which differs both from colloquial speech and from the official administrative language of the same period, and reproduces the norms of the Old Russian language.
Content Summary
The narrative begins with the Bolotnikov Uprising in 1606 and concludes with the solemn arrival in Moscow of an Orthodox relic from Persia—the Robe of Christ—in 1626. The text also contains references to events in 1514 and 1598.
The tale describes in detail:
- The campaign of the Smolensk noble militia to relieve Moscow, besieged by Bolotnikov's forces, in the autumn of 1606.
- The tsar's army campaign against Kaluga and Tula in 1607.
- The war of Tsar Vasily Shuisky against False Dmitry II ("the Tushino Thief") in 1608.
- The campaign of Prince Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky against the impostor's supporters in 1609–1610. During this campaign, a certain Afanasy Loginovich Varishkin (Varaksin) delivered a convoy of food from Alexandrovskaya Sloboda to besieged Moscow and personally met with Tsar Vasily Shuisky.
- The defense of Smolensk in 1609–1611.
- The capture of Tsar Vasily Shuisky and the events of the Interregnum.
- The liberation campaign of Minin and Pozharsky to Moscow in 1612.
- The election of Tsar Mikhail Romanov in 1613.
- Unsuccessful campaigns near Smolensk in 1613–1617.
- The siege of Moscow by the Poles in 1618.
- The exchange of prisoners and the return of Filaret Romanov to his homeland in 1619.
- The arrival of the Robe of Christ in 1626.
A distinctive feature of the story is its high regard for Tsar Vasily Shuisky as a righteous sovereign, as well as the exaltation of the role of the Smolensk nobility in the events of the Time of Troubles.
Authorship
The possible author of the tale is one of its characters, Afanasy Loginovich Varaksin (also recorded as Varishkin or Derevnya Varaksin, Son of Lonsky). According to the genealogy of the Varaksin family, Afanasy Loginovich, on behalf of Skopin-Shuisky, delivered a food convoy to Moscow when it was besieged by the Tushino forces. The tale describes this episode in detail, including his meeting with Tsar Vasily.
Afanasy Varaksin was a Smolensk nobleman. In 1605/06 he held a land allotment (pomestie) of 400 chetverts. In May 1608 he was wounded near Bolkhov, captured, and taken to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. By 1609 he had returned from captivity and participated in Skopin-Shuisky's campaign against False Dmitry II. After the liberation of Alexandrovskaya Sloboda, he was sent to starving Moscow with grain supplies. In Moscow, Tsar Vasily Shuisky personally granted him service—a meeting that represented the pinnacle of his career. His activities during the Interregnum are unknown; he likely participated in the militia of Minin and Pozharsky from 1611–12 and in the liberation of Moscow. In July 1618 he was wounded a second time and taken prisoner during the Battle of Borovsk. In 1619 he participated in a prisoner exchange in Vyazma. By 1621/22, his land allotment had grown to 750 chetverts with a monetary salary of 34 rubles. He died from his wounds before 1630, leaving three sons: Ivan, Fedor, and Vasily.
If Afanasy Varaksin is accepted as the author, the work is believed to have been composed between 1626 and 1629.
Notable Features
The tale glorifies the courage of the Smolensk nobility. However, one of the most significant events of the Time of Troubles—the defense of Smolensk in 1609–1611—is described rather briefly. This is because the Smolensk noble army was on campaign with Prince Skopin-Shuisky during the siege, leaving the defense of the city to ordinary townspeople (posad people).
References
- The Story of the Victories of the Moscow State. Publication by Gennady Enin. Leningrad: Nauka, Series "Literary Monuments", 1982.
- Enin, Gennady. "The Tale of the Victories of the Moscow State – a Newly Found Monument of Old Russian Literature." In The Story of the Victories of the Moscow State. Leningrad: Nauka, 1982. pp. 93–134.
- Molochnikov, Alexander. "Genealogy of the Varaksins and 'The Tale of the Victories of the Moscow State'." In Time of Troubles in Russia at the Beginning of the 17th Century: the Search for a Way Out. Moscow, 2012. pp. 327–328.
