17th century was very difficult for Russia in terms of foreign policy. Almost all of it went through long wars.
The main directions of Russia's foreign policy in the 17th century: 1) ensuring access to the Baltic and Black Seas; 2) participation in the liberation movement of the Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples; 3) achieving the security of the southern borders from the raids of the Crimean Khan.
Russia was significantly weakened at the beginning of the century by the Polish-Swedish intervention and the socio-political crisis within the country, so it did not have the opportunity to simultaneously solve all three tasks. The primary goal of Moscow in the XVII century. was the return of the lands that were torn away from Russia by the Polish-Swedish troops. Especially important for Russia was the return of Smolensk, which ensured the security of the country's western borders. A favorable environment for the struggle against the Commonwealth for the return of Smolensk developed in the 30s. At this time, the Commonwealth was at war with the Ottoman Empire and the Crimea, and the main European powers were embroiled in the Thirty Years' War.
In 1632, after the death of Sigismund III, kinglessness began in the Commonwealth. Russia took advantage of the situation and started a war with Poland for the liberation of Smolensk. But at this stage, Smolensk could not be returned. The Russian campaign was extremely slow, as the government feared an attack by the Crimean Khan on the southern counties. The siege of the city dragged on, which allowed the Poles to prepare a rebuff. The attack of the Crimean Tatars on the Ryazan, Belevsky districts in 1633 demoralized the government troops, which consisted mostly of poorly trained serfs and peasants mobilized into the army.
Under the rule of the Polish state were Ukrainian and Belarusian lands. The Cossacks who inhabited these lands were the main force of the anti-Polish uprisings. Dissatisfied with the rule of the Poles, the Cossacks organized their center - the Zaporizhzhya Sich.
In 1648–1654 there was a liberation movement of the Ukrainian people under the leadership of B. Khmelnitsky. This movement has been developed in Belarus as well. B. Khmelnitsky pinned great hopes on Russia's help. But only in 1653 The Zemsky Sobor in Moscow decided to include Ukrainian lands in Russia and declare war on Poland.
In 1654 The Ukrainian Rada took an oath of allegiance to the Russian Tsar. The Commonwealth did not accept this. From 1654 to 1657 passed a new stage of the Russian-Polish war. According to the new peace treaty, Left-bank Ukraine, together with Kyiv, went to Russia. Right-bank Ukraine and Belarus were under the rule of Poland.
Russia also received Smolensk, Chernigov, Seversky land. AT 1686 an eternal peace was concluded between Russia and Poland, which consolidated the gains of Russia.
The end of the war with Poland allowed Russia to repulse the aggressive policy of the Ottoman Empire and its vassal, the Crimean Khanate.
Russo-Turkish War (1677–1681):
1) August 3, 1677 Ottoman-Crimean troops began the siege of the Chigirin fortress, located in Right-Bank Ukraine;
2) in the battle near Buzhin, Russian-Ukrainian troops utterly defeated the Crimean-Ottoman army, the siege of the fortress was lifted;
3) in July 1678 The Ottomans laid siege to Chigirin again. Russian troops desperately resisted. After the siege and capture of the fortress, ruins remained. Russian and Ukrainian troops withdrew to the Dnieper;
4) the campaign of 1677-1678. greatly weakened the Ottomans. On January 13, 1681, the Treaty of Bakhchisaray was concluded, who established a 20-year truce.
Have a good day everyone! We continue our dive into the history of Russia. Foreign policy The 17th century is a topic that needs to be very well understood. Of course, it differs from the complexity, diversity of directions. However, it is worth remembering that the main directions have remained unchanged. This topic is important. You have no idea how many kids trip over it in an exam. Therefore, I recommend that you read this article to the end.
Episode of the Smolensk War
Directions
In the 17th century, the main directions of foreign policy, traditional for it, were relevant to the Moscow state:
The western direction included several tasks
- Reunification with the old Russian Ukrainian and Belarusian lands, which were under the rule of the Commonwealth since the 14th century. From the beginning of the century, Poland began to actively pursue a policy of polonization of the Orthodox Ukrainian population, to impose Polish (the toughest) serfdom, to introduce Polish language and the Catholic faith. Such violent actions caused a protest, at first passive, when people united in brotherhoods and did not accept the new order, and then active, which resulted in the uprising of Bogdan Khmelnitsky. As a result, the matter ended with the fact that in 1654 the left-bank Ukraine with Kyiv on the right bank of the Dnieper recognized the supremacy of Muscovy and became part of it on the rights of autonomy. This led to a long Russian-Polish war of 1654 - 1667, read more about it.
- The struggle for access to the Baltic Sea. You must remember that in the 16th century there was a long Livonian war for access to the Baltic in order to establish trade through the Baltic Sea. But nothing came of Ivan the Terrible. Why, . Of course, the task required solutions. As a result, under Alexei Mikhailovich, Muscovy began a war with Sweden in 1656-1658. The conflict ended with the Peace of Cardis, according to which Muscovy renounced all its acquisitions during the war in this region. There was no war on two fronts!
South direction
In the south, the key opponents of the Moscow kingdom were the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire. The Crimeans continued to attack the south of the country, captivate people and do all sorts of lawlessness. Turkey, in general, had imperial plans to conquer Poland, Austria, to expand its territories in the Balkans.
When the war with Poland broke out in Ukraine, Turkey decided to take advantage of the situation and attack it. The hetman of the Pravoberezhnaya Nezalezhnaya, Petro Doroshenko, recognized the power of the sultan, who, in turn, soon promised the hetman the acquisition of Kyiv, as well as other lands east of the Dnieper.
And as we said above, these lands were already behind Muscovy. Consequently, the Russian-Turkish war of 1672-1681 was inevitable. It ended with the Bakhchisaray peace treaty, according to which the border between the countries now passed along the Dnieper, the Ottomans recognized Kyiv and Left-bank Ukraine as Moscow; the Cossacks could now fish, and the Crimeans could roam near the Dnieper. Thus, the Muscovite kingdom conquered Ukraine not only from Poland, but also from Turkey.
East direction
I am sure that many of you are asking yourself the question: well, what could be the eastern direction, because back in the 16th century Moscow annexed the Kazan Khanate (1552), Astrakhan (1556), the Siberian began to annex from 1581! Farther to the East where? After all, there were few people in the country.
The answer will be pretty simple! The fact is that here we have the so-called spontaneous colonization. Many peasants fled from serfdom, wars and devastation, unrest to the East. Here they passed on the Russian language, the Orthodox faith, to the locals. There were also various adventurers like Khabarov, Dezhnev, Poyarkov and others who wanted to know what was next, in the East!
Expedition Dezhnev
As a result, in 1689, the Treaty of Nerchinsk was concluded between Muscovy and China, according to which the border between the states passed along the Amur River. In fact, central Siberia and Far East was not at all mastered by the Russian people. These were original areas where the local population lived, who obtained food in traditional ways. If you think about it, even now in a number of regions of these territories the way of life has not changed much.
So the Japanese could easily seize Kamchatka for themselves, if only they had not been too carried away by the massacre of each other, and afterward they had not protected themselves from the whole world with a policy of self-isolation. They had a great chance! And now they are forced to live on their islands, waiting for a new eruption of deadly volcanoes!
As you can see, there were a lot of events in the 16th century. And we haven't covered all of them. In my training courses I give everything necessary materials to study this topic in the form of my own video tutorials, author's tables, presentations, auxiliary webinars. Our guys also solve tests on this topic in exam format. It is not surprising that 90 points is the average result of our guys. So I invite you to join us, while all the places are not yet occupied. And then it will be too late!
In the foreign policy of Russia in the XVII century. It was three main directions: northwestern, western and southern. For the northwestern direction, Russian-Swedish relations were decisive, the goal of Russia in which was to return Russian lands, outlets to the Baltic Sea, which Sweden had torn away first during the Livonian War, and then according to the Peace of Stolbov in 1617.
In the 17th century. Russia's foreign policy in this direction was, perhaps, least active. Only once the government of Alexei Mikhailovich tried to take revenge in the north-west during the Russian-Swedish war of 1656-1661.
During the Russian war with With the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sweden decided to seize part of the Polish lands in the Baltic and realize the long-standing dream of turning the Baltic Sea into a "Swedish lake". Such a strengthening of the positions of an old enemy did not suit Russia, and, without ending the war with Poland, in May 1656 she declared war on Sweden.
Military operations at first developed successfully for Russia. Russian troops captured a number of important fortresses in the Baltic and laid siege to Riga. But then the Swedes seized the initiative, and the siege of Riga had to be lifted.
Parallel to the war Russian diplomacy also intensified. Three months after the start of the war with Sweden, Russia began negotiations on a truce with the Commonwealth. This action could become a major foreign policy success, since the talks also included the conclusion of an anti-Swedish military alliance. In the event of a successful outcome of the negotiations, Russia would not only avoid a war on two fronts, would not only acquire an ally in the war with Sweden and, therefore, would get real chances to press the Swedes in the Baltic states, but would also secure the Ukrainian lands of the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, this was not achieved. The government of Alexei Mikhailovich and Russian diplomats made a number of miscalculations, did not take into account the specific situation, and as a result achieved only a truce, which did not last very long.
At the same time Russian diplomats tried to find more allies from among the countries that were not satisfied with the strengthening of Sweden. Such a country, apart from the Commonwealth, was Denmark. As a result of lengthy negotiations, a Russian-Danish military alliance, and Denmark also declared war on Sweden. (Because of this alliance, some historians call the Russian-Swedish war of 1656-1661 the first Northern War, meaning that in 1700-1721 there was a second Northern War, in which the same Denmark fought with the Swedes on the side of Russia, True, together with two other states.)
While Russia was at war with Sweden, The Commonwealth, taking advantage of the truce, accumulated strength and again began hostilities. Facing the threat of a war on two fronts, Russia hastened to end the war with Sweden and in December 1658 concluded a truce for three years. Its conditions were quite favorable: the entire territory captured by Russian troops retreated to Russia. But during the truce, the balance of power changed dramatically. There was a rapprochement between yesterday's opponents - Sweden and the Commonwealth, and in the face of the emerging anti-Russian alliance of these countries, Russia was forced to sign the Peace of Cardis in 1661. Under the terms of this agreement, all the territorial acquisitions of Russia again departed to Sweden.
Western pivot Russian foreign policy was relations with the Commonwealth. These relations remained unsettled after the Time of Troubles: the war ended not in peace, but in a truce, under the terms of which the Polish-Lithuanian state left the western Russian lands, and Prince Vladislav did not renounce his claims to the Russian throne. Therefore, the main task of Russia in this direction was first the return of the seized territories and the recognition of Mikhail Fedorovich as the Russian Tsar, and then a new task arose - the consolidation of the part of Ukraine annexed to Russia.
AT 1632 King of the Commonwealth Sigismund III died. In the Polish-Lithuanian state there was no hereditary royalty: the king was elected by the nobility. Therefore, after the death of almost every king, the period of the so-called " queenlessness"when the country was often torn apart by clashes of various political groups, each of which supported its own candidate for the throne. It was precisely this period that the Russian government decided to take advantage of, with the support of a specially convened Zemsky Sobor (the actual head of which at that time was Patriarch Filaret). Russia announced Commonwealth war, which went down in history as Smolensk War (1632-1634).
Near Smolensk, captured by the Poles during the Time of Troubles, a 30,000-strong army was sent with a huge, 150 guns, artillery. It was commanded by the hero of the defense of Smolensk in the Time of Troubles, the famous Russian commander of the 17th century. Mikhail Borisovich Shein. At first, military success accompanied him. More than two dozen cities were captured by Russian troops, and, finally, Shein's army laid siege to the main goal of the campaign - the strongest Smolensk fortress.
The siege lasted eight months., but it was not possible to take Smolensk. Firstly, in the summer of 1633, the Crimean Tatars made a large-scale raid, reaching the center of the country - the Moscow district. The need to organize a rebuff to the khan, on the one hand, did not allow the government to send reinforcements to Shein, and on the other hand, mass desertion began in the regiments near Smolensk among those service people whose estates and estates were located in the south of the country and, therefore, were subjected to a Tatar raid. Secondly, among the so-called " data people" recruited into the army from serfs, peasants and townspeople, rebellions and mass escapes from the regiments began.
Meanwhile, the situation in the Commonwealth also changed.. Prince Vladislav was elected to the throne, who immediately began to prepare to repulse the Russian troops. Vladislav managed to encircle Shein's army near Smolensk and block the supply of food and fodder: the besiegers themselves turned into besieged.
holding out until February 1634., Shein capitulated. The terms of surrender were difficult and humiliating: the Poles got all the artillery, banners and convoy. In Moscow, they could not forgive Shein for such humiliation, and according to the boyar verdict he was beheaded.
AT June 1634. The Polyanovsky peace was concluded, which ended the Smolensk war. Everything that Sheina managed to capture at the beginning of the campaign was returned to the Commonwealth, Russia paid a large indemnity, and the only achievement was that Vladislav finally renounced his long-standing claims to the throne of Moscow.
Russia's Next Increase in Activity in the western direction occurred two decades later. Since the end of the 40s. 17th century on the Ukrainian lands of the Commonwealth, the liberation anti-Polish movement of Bogdan Khmelnitsky began. It was a convenient moment for revenge for the numerous failures in the western direction of Russian foreign policy. Moreover, it was possible to include in Russia the territory that was once the cradle of Russian statehood. Bohdan Khmelnytsky, elected hetman of Ukraine, realizing the impossibility of standing alone against the Commonwealth, repeatedly addressed to Moscow with a request to accept Ukraine "under the high hand" of the Russian tsar. In 1653, the Zemsky Sobor decided to include Ukraine into the Russian state. This decision was not as simple as it might seem at first glance, since it meant a big war with the Commonwealth.
In May 1654. a huge 100,000-strong Russian army moved west. The main hostilities were to unfold on the Belarusian lands of the Commonwealth. Auxiliary detachments were sent to Ukraine to Khmelnitsky and to the south-west of Russia to protect the left flank of the army from a possible attack by the Crimean Tatars. It was an account of the sad experience of the Smolensk war. In addition, unlike the 1930s In the 17th century, the southern Russian districts were now protected from the raids of the Khan by powerful defensive lines with dozens of new fortress cities. The Don Cossacks were also ordered to defend the southern borders of the country from the Crimeans.
Russian-Polish war 1654-1667. began (as, indeed, many previous wars in the western direction) very successfully. More than 30 cities, including such large fortresses as Smolensk, Polotsk, Vitebsk, were captured by Russian troops on the Belarusian territory of the Commonwealth. But in 1655. Sweden also started a war with Poland. Swedish troops captured a huge part of the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian state, and this prompted the Russian government to go to war with Sweden. Moscow was convinced that Poland was already drained of blood and, in the face of the threat of a war on two fronts (with Russia and Sweden), would agree to conclude peace on favorable terms for Russia.
Peace talks have begun in August 1656, and the main requirement of the Russian side was to secure all the conquered territories for Russia. However, the Poles did not agree to this, and the Russians, who had already started a war with Sweden, had to hurry, and in October 1656. peace was not made but only a truce. Probably, we will not be mistaken in calling the beginning of hostilities against Sweden during the still ongoing Russian-Polish war, as well as the conclusion of a truce that did not secure the occupied lands for Russia, serious mistakes of the Moscow government and Russian diplomacy. And soon they had to pay for these mistakes.
The war with Sweden ended in nothing. And the Commonwealth, having accumulated strength during the truce, again began hostilities. At this second stage, the Russian-Polish war went on for a long time with varying success, but military happiness in battles more and more often leaned on the side of the Poles and Lithuanians.
The protracted war exhausted and the Commonwealth, so it is not surprising that already from 1661. peace negotiations began. But they also took on a protracted character: they resumed, then they stopped, and none of the parties made concessions. Finally, a compromise was found, and in January 1667. war is over, but again not the world, and the Andrusov truce. It was concluded for thirteen and a half years, the Smolensk and Chernigov lands were returned to Russia, Russia received the Left-Bank Ukraine; Kyiv, located on the right bank of the Dnieper, was also transferred to Russia, but only for two years, and then it had to be returned to the Commonwealth (this last condition was never fulfilled - from 1667 Kyiv became a Russian city).
Russian-Polish war 1654-1667. was the last in a long chain of military clashes between the two states. In the 70-80s. XVII century. the onslaught of the Ottoman Empire intensified in the direction of its northern neighbors - Russia, the Commonwealth and Austria. Moreover, if the Crimean Tatars usually attacked the Russian borders, then the Poles and Austrians had to deal with them and with the powerful Turkish army. Under such conditions, Russian-Polish contradictions receded into the background: the situation, a common formidable enemy, pushed these countries towards rapprochement.
In May 1686. an "eternal peace" was concluded between Russia and the Commonwealth, securing for Russia everything that it received under the Andrusovo truce (and Kyiv too), and Russia took upon itself the obligation to start a war with Turkey. In this way, in 1686. there was, in fact, a Russian-Polish military alliance. (In the future, the Commonwealth from an equal ally will first turn into a junior partner, then Russia will begin to actively interfere in the internal affairs of Poland, and, finally, during the divisions of the Commonwealth at the end of the 18th century, which occurred with the participation of Russia, this state will not disappear with political map Europe.)
In the southern direction, Russia dealt with the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire (Turkey).
Crimean Khanate- one of the fragments of the disintegrated Golden Horde - in the second half XV - early XVI century. was an ally first of the Moscow principality, and then of the Russian state. But at the turn of the first and second decades XVI century. the interests of the two states collide in the question of who should control the territory of the so-called " fields"- a vast area north of the Black Sea steppes (modern Central Black Earth Region). Since that time, the Crimean Tatars have become the main and constant enemy of Russia in the south. Almost every year, the Russian counties were subjected to large and small raids by the Crimean hordes, and the main frontier on which the Russian army met enemy was the Oka.By the 17th century, the Crimean Khanate became a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey controlled the lower reaches of the Don and the Dnieper, and the advance of Russia to the south meant now a clash with this enemy.
Beginning from the 20s XVII century. Tatar raids inflicted more and more uro n. Along three main routes - Muravskaya, Izyumskaya and Kalmiusskaya roads - the Crimean Tatars invaded Russia. The main goal of these raids, often carried out by order of the Turkish Sultan, was the capture of a full (prisoners) and cattle. According to historians, for the first half of XVII in. at least 150-200 thousand Russian people were taken away in full. And how many people died under the Tatar sabers, how many times Russian villages, villages and cities burned - this has not yet been calculated even approximately.
However, some especially large raids had not only predatory, but also political goals (or, at least, political consequences). As we already know, the massive invasions of 1632 and 1633 at first they made it difficult to gather the Russian army and march to Smolensk, and then, when the Tatars broke through especially far into the depths of Russian territory, they led to mass desertion and unrest in the regiments. The defeat of Russia in the Smolensk War was largely due to the fact that hostilities in the western direction began with unprotected southern borders, and, consequently, the right flank and rear of the army in action were vulnerable. Thus, without putting up a powerful barrier in the southern direction, it was impossible to count on successful actions in the western direction. This, perhaps, the main lesson of the defeat in the Smolensk war was realized by the Russian government, which immediately began practical actions.
In the 30-50s. XVII century. on the southern and southeastern borders of the European part of Russia, a gigantic system of defensive lines was created - "devils", consisting of earthen ramparts with palisades and ditches, forest fences, small wooden fortresses with replaceable garrisons of several dozen people and fortress cities with a permanent population and garrisons.
To the south such a fortified line was the Belgorod line, erected in 1635-1653. This powerful system of fortifications, which protected 600 kilometers of the southern border of Russia, began in the west in the Dnieper region, and in the east it went beyond modern Michurinsk (Tambov region). Thereby all main roads were blocked Crimean Tatar invasions.
Belgorod line was the most powerful and a long defensive line. Its length with all bends was about 800 kilometers and more than two dozen fortress cities became strongholds of defense, most of which were erected during the construction of the line. (In particular, in the territory of modern Voronezh region such cities as Olshansk, Ostrogozhsk, Korotoyak, Uryv, Kostensk and Orlov-gorodok were built. Voronezh, which arose in 1585., also became a fortress of the Belgorod line.) In addition to this defensive line, the Tambov, Simbirsk and Zakamsk "lines" were also erected.
While the Belgorod line was being built, Tatar raids continued. However, in 1637 an unprecedented event occurred that led to a temporary lull in the Tatar attacks - the Don Cossacks took the Turkish fortress of Azov located at the mouth of the Don. The Cossacks turned to the Russian government to attach Azov to Russia and send an army to help. However, this would mean a war with the Ottoman Empire, for which Russia did not have the strength. For about five years, the "Azov seat" of the Cossacks continued. They courageously held out, reflecting all attempts to knock them out of the fortress. But they could not keep the city on their own, and, having received a refusal from Moscow for help, in 1642 the Cossacks, having destroyed the fortifications, left Azov.
After that, the Tatars again increase pressure to the southern borders of Russia, and in 1644 and 1645. raids reach proportions reminiscent of the years of the Smolensk war. The Tatars used the fact that the fortifications of the Belgorod line were built in separate sections, between which there were unprotected passages. But as the construction was completed, the line turned into a continuous chain of defensive structures, and with the completion of work in 1653, the possibility of the appearance of Tatars in the southern Russian districts became minimal. The south of the country was now well protected, and therefore the Russian government entered the war for Ukraine with the Commonwealth without fear of a repetition of the tragedy of the Smolensk war.
During the Russian-Polish war of 1654-1667. For the first time in the history of Russian-Crimean relations, Russia managed to strike at the territory of the Khanate. In the spring of 1660, an army of 8,000 on four hundred sailing and rowing ships built near Kozlov (modern Michurinsk) and Lebedyan moved down the Don. In 1662, this flotilla, under the command of voivode Ya. T. Khitrovo, broke past the Turkish fortresses at the mouth of the Don, entered the Sea of Azov and struck at the Crimean Khanate. This sabotage was intended to keep part of the Tatars from raiding Ukraine, where Russian troops were operating at that time.
Then heading south 10 year lull , during which, under the protection of the Belgorod line, the settlement and development of the border southern Russian counties with their fertile black earth lands was actively going on. But in 1673 the situation has changed dramatically: the Russian-Turkish war of 1673-1681 began.
In the spring of 1673. on the orders of the Turkish sultan, the Crimean Khan threw tens of thousands of Tatars onto the Russian lands ("the whole Crimea", according to the documents of that time). The Tatars managed to "break the line" in one of the sections and break into the nearby counties. Soon, fearing encirclement, the khan led the horde away, but in the next three years the Tatars continuously and persistently harassed the Russian garrisons on the Belgorod line.
While the Tatars probed the defenses in southern Russia, Russian troops in 1673-1676. acted in the lower reaches of the Don and the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov against the Turkish garrisons and Tatar detachments, but did not achieve success.
Military operations in 1673-1676. took place without a formal declaration of war. Only in 1677 The Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia. In the summer of this year, a huge Turkish army, reinforced by detachments of the Tatars, moved to Ukraine and laid siege to the Chigirin fortress, which was defended by a garrison of Russians and Ukrainians. To help the besieged, the Russian army headed by a major military leader of that time, Prince Grigory Grigoryevich Romodanovsky, moved. In the battle near Chigirin, Russian troops utterly defeated and drove the enemy back.
next summer The Turks again laid siege to the fortress and this time took it. However, the Ottomans failed to inflict a decisive defeat on the Russian troops. This ended the active clashes between the armies of Russia and the Ottoman Empire. But in 1679-1681. the raids of the Crimean Tatars resumed again.
In January 1681. The Bakhchisarai truce was concluded for 20 years, the main result of which was the recognition of Russia's rights to the Left-Bank Ukraine and Kyiv. However, not even a quarter of the armistice period has passed, as now Russia declared war on Turkey.
During these years, the Ottoman Empire led (and quite successfully) wars with their northern neighbors - Austria and the Commonwealth, as well as their ancient enemy - Venice. In order to successfully resist Turkish aggression, in 1684 these countries united in a military anti-Turkish alliance, the so-called "Holy League". Having signed "perpetual peace" with Poland in 1686, Russia, under the terms of the treaty, joined this coalition and in the same year declared war on the Ottoman Empire.
Russia's specific contribution two Crimean campaigns, undertaken under the command of the favorite of Princess Sophia, Prince Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn in 1687 and 1689, began to fight against Turkey. The purpose of these military actions was to strike at the Crimean Khanate. However, this goal was not achieved: both times the Russian troops, suffering huge losses, were forced to retreat before reaching the territory of the peninsula. Almost a century remained before the liquidation of the age-old enemy of the Russians - the Crimean Khanate.
The key tasks for Russia's foreign policy in the 17th century are the return of lands in the west and northwest that were lost during the Time of Troubles, and the achievement of stable security in the south, since the Crimean khans rampaged in these territories.
Territorial issue
Since 1632, kinglessness has set in in Poland, and the general international situation favors the struggle of Russia with the Commonwealth for the return of Smolensk. The city was captured by the Russian army, its siege lasted eight months and ended unfavorably.
The new king of Poland, Vladislav IV, entered into a confrontation with the Russian army. In 1634, a decisive further development events of the Polyanovsky peace treaty, the terms of which were the return of all the cities captured by Russia and Smolensk itself.
In turn, the King of Poland ceased to claim the throne of Moscow. The Smolensk war turned out to be a complete failure for Russia.
Military actions of Russia
But in 1654, new and more significant clashes began between the Commonwealth and Russia - Smolensk was soon taken, and then 33 cities located on the territory of Eastern Belarus. The initial success for Russia also turned out to be the invasion of the Swedes into the lands of Poland.
But in 1656, a truce is concluded between the countries waging war, and a little later, Russia starts a war with Sweden. Military operations take place on the territory of the Baltic States, the Russian army reaches Riga and besieges the city. But the siege was extremely unsuccessful, and soon the course of the war changes - Poland resumes hostilities.
A truce is concluded with Sweden, and already in 1661 the Peace of Cardis was concluded, in which it was indicated that the entire Baltic coast was ceded to Sweden. And the finally protracted war with Poland ends in 1667 with the signing of the Andrusovo truce for 13.5 years.
The armistice stated that Smolensk and the entire territory from the Dnieper to the east departs to Russia. An important event for foreign policy was the conclusion of the "Eternal Peace" in 1686, which secured the territory of Kyiv for Russia forever.
The long-awaited end of the war with Poland allowed Russia to pay attention to the hostile intentions of the Crimean Khan and the Ottoman Empire. In 1677, the Russian-Ottoman-Crimean war begins, an important date for which is July 1678, when the Ottomans tried to take the Chigirin fortress.
The war ended with the signing of the Truce of Bakhchisarai in January 1681, which recognized Russia's right to Kyiv for the next 20 years, and declared the territory between the Dnieper and the Bug neutral.
Fighting access to the Black Sea
Subsequently, signed with the Commonwealth "Eternal Peace", Russia pledged to oppose the Ottoman Empire in alliance with Poland, Venice and Austria. This was extremely beneficial for Russia, the strengthening of its positions in the Crimea and Turkey provided an important access to the Black Sea for the economic power of the country.
To achieve this goal, two Crimean campaigns were carried out, and both turned out to be extremely unsuccessful for the Russian army. By the end of the 17th century, Russia's foreign policy tasks remained the same, access to the sea and the struggle for it were the most important areas for strengthening the country's external positions.
