Legends were made about the Kursk robbers; their names are mentioned in many literary works… This is not surprising: our province has always been a border province, trade routes ran through it - how can we not take the “high road”. Moreover, it was not only the “professional” bandits, of whom there were plenty in our region, who robbed, but also the local population. The peasants considered thievery to be commonplace, not shying away from improving their financial situation through robbery.

The scientific secretary of the regional archaeological museum, Andrei Shpilev, told us about the most famous robbers of the province and their morals.

Landlord wars lasted for years

The archives contain a file dating back to the end of the 18th century. Two residents of the same village, who were leading horses, were met by neighbors who beat the men and took away the cattle. Having woken up, the peasants rushed to the landowner for help, he gave chase and followed the tracks to the robbers. But almost the entire village came out to defend the “prey”: with stakes and pitchforks, they did not allow the stables to be searched…

Another case. One day, a resident of the village of Rogovaya, near Kursk, sold firewood. Using the proceeds, he went to a tavern, where he spent almost all his “wealth.” Drunk, he left the establishment and saw a barrel of wine on a cart. This is what he later wrote in the explanatory note: “There was a man sitting on the cart. I asked him: “What kind of person are you?” He didn’t answer and started running. All that was left was a horse, a cart and a barrel. So as not to leave them on the road, I took them to my home.” The man buried a barrel of wine in the garden and was already dreaming of a pleasant, drunken life when the judge and the bailiff arrived. The peasant was not taken aback, immediately declaring that he was going to hand over the wine to the police. Like, I realize my guilt The wine was taken and given to the government tavern. The man escaped with a slight fright.

In addition to harmless individuals, the Kursk region was also occupied by serious gangs of robbers. Often they were led by landowners (they were called “voropans” - like a thief, but at the same time a lord), who gathered their peasants and went out onto the high road. By the way, in the 18th century real landlord wars were not uncommon. When two masters fought, the peasants, knowing this, calmly raided their neighbors. They even took them prisoner in order to demand a ransom later. Kill - they didn’t kill, but they severely maimed each other. Then it was not considered robbery - just two landowners quarreling. If the problem was not resolved amicably, such wars dragged on for decades.

Sometimes the gangs were led by landowners. Moreover, they did not lead small gangs. So, one had 50 people under her command, the other had over 70 people.

“It’s unlikely that women killed people,” says Shpilev. - More likely, they robbed for courage. The fact is that local authorities tried to cover up the robberies, but there is no way to hide the shedding of blood. But nevertheless, the authorities defeated one gang, led by a woman. The chieftain was punished, but in an original way. She was ordered to “pronounce herself dead and not leave the estate.” Everyone was told that she was dead. Those who needed it knew that she was alive and well and came to visit her.

One of the favorite places of the robbers was the forest in the Zolotukhinsky district, not far from the Korennaya Hermitage. Even the memories of a Kuryan who lived in the 18th century have been preserved. He wrote that driving through a dark and gloomy forest, he constantly encountered broken and broken carts that once made up trade caravans.

Thief No. 1 Kudeyar

Perhaps the most famous and legendary robber is Ataman Kudeyar, who lived during the time of Ivan the Terrible. There are two legends about who he is. The most common: Kudeyar is the elder brother of Ivan the Terrible. Tradition says that Vasily III did not have children for a long time; he divorced his wife Solomonia and sent her to a monastery. He himself married Elena Glinskaya, who gave birth to Ivan. Solomonia allegedly gave birth to a son, Yuri, in the monastery. According to legend, during one of the Tatar raids the boy was captured. Glinskaya's relatives refused to ransom him in order to provoke the Tatars to murder - another heir was not needed. But the Tatars did not kill Yuri, but gave him another name - Kudeyar. He grew up, gathered a squad and decided to take revenge on his older brother.

According to the second version, which existed among the Kursk landowner family of the Markovs, Kudeyar was from their family. The once favorite of Ivan the Terrible became the enemy of the Tsar after a quarrel. Grozny, it seems, was so angry with his former favorite that he killed Kudeyar’s wife and prepared a treat from her for his “friend.” Realizing that the chopping block awaited him, Kudeyar decided to flee. He settled in the Kursk province, where he robbed passing royal and trade convoys, attacked ambassadors, and destroyed small military formations. That is, in essence, led guerrilla warfare. One of the Markov descendants will later write that the ghost of Kudeyar sometimes appears on their family estate. This supposedly foreshadows death.

The legends have one thing in common: when Ivan the Terrible died, Kudeyar lost the sense of taking revenge on him, he became a monk and lived out his days in a monastery under the name Pitirim. To atone for the atrocities, Kudeyar sawed down a century-old oak tree with a sword, which he used to kill people, but he could not cope with the tree. As soon as he finally pacified his pride, the oak fell on its own. Local old-timers claim that this oak grew near Kurchatov, on the site of the so-called Kudeyarovaya Mountain. Like, when archaeologists were excavating there, they found an oak tree…

“The legend is intertwined with reality,” explains Andrey Shpilev. – Archaeologists actually worked there, but they didn’t find any oak.

Kulik was let down by Catherine's service

The second famous robber is the Sudzhan nobleman Kulik. He acted on a grand scale: his large gang was divided into three groups. One, together with Kulik, sat near Sudzha, the second - near Bolshesoldatsky, the third part was based on the site of the modern Korenevsky district. When there was a large caravan that one group could not cope with, they sent messengers for help, the gang united and attacked together. Local authorities knew about Kulik, but did not make any special effort to capture him. This went on for a long time, but one day luck turned away from the chieftain. He crashed a trade caravan heading to Crimea. Among the loot was a silver service - a gift from Empress Catherine to her favorite Potemkin. Then the services were not like now - for 200 people, cups, plates, forks, spoons. The authorities could not hide this; a decree was issued to stop the outrages of the Kulikovo gang. There are several versions of the leader’s death: according to one, he died in battle, according to another, he was cut on the wheel in Akhtyrsk (Sumy region), according to the third, he was quartered in Sudzha. They ordered the forest where he was sitting to be cut down to a certain distance from the road and a guard of local residents to be posted: 10 people at night, 2-3 during the day, so that the robbers would not appear again.

There are legends about treasures hidden by Kulik. They say that in the ravines, not far from the places where he robbed, there are cellars where the loot is hidden. A report from Sudzhansky district dating back to 1887 states that peasants found clay vessels filled with ancient coins. There is a legend about another treasure hidden a few kilometers from Bolshesoldatskoye. Allegedly, about 200 years ago, robbers captured a whole convoy of gold and buried it in the forest. To this day, people roam those places, armed with metal detectors, in the hope of finding wealth.

They took peasant women and nobles into the forest

From robbery to robbery, the always drunken robbers led a carefree life. In principle, they did not offend the local peasants; they even gave them part of the loot. But the villagers were infuriated that the robbers from time to time took their women and girls for their pleasures. The robbers lived not only by robberies, but also at the expense of local landowners. They sent them letters “requesting” them to provide food and drink. They indicated when and where to deliver the provisions. Landowners who did not want problems fulfilled the demands, but there were also obstinate ones. Then the robbers attacked the estates, destroyed the estate, robbed, mocked the landowners, clearly showing others that it was easier and cheaper to pay off. The nobles were afraid of the “forest inhabitants”, trying not to catch their eye. If the robbers caught the landowner, he was taken into the forest to show off to his heart's content. As a rule, the matter did not come to murder: why destroy the goose that lays the golden eggs? Now it’s hard to say what dozens of drunken men did with the well-groomed nobleman. When their imagination ran out, they simply stripped the landowner naked and sent him home.

Officially, robberies on Kursk roads were ended in the 60s of the 19th century. Then they staged a special operation: they started a rumor that a convoy with vodka would pass by Kursk. The robbers could not ignore this and attacked the caravan. But under the matting sat armed soldiers. Some of the robbers were killed, some were arrested, and the leaders were hanged in large cities: Kursk, Shchigra, Rylsk - to intimidate.

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Thank you for the interesting information about Kudeyar. This is our story.

Throughout the pre-revolutionary history of Russia, the peasantry experienced oppression from the landowners, and therefore treated with sympathy those who fought the oppressors. Therefore, popular rumor made robbers, even those very far from the ideals of justice, almost heroes opposing the unjust tsarist order. After all, they, as a rule, robbed landowners and merchants, and not those from whom there was nothing to take. But some robbers managed to go down in history, and their names are remembered even centuries later.

Mythical Kudeyar

One of the legendary characters is Kudeyar, the ataman, whose name is given to numerous villages, caves and burial mounds in Russia. There are many stories and legends about him, but it is still not known for certain whether they are true.

Information about its origin appears in many sources of the 16th century and differs. The most common version is that the ataman was the son of Vasily III and his wife Solomiya. She gave birth to him in a monastery, to which she was exiled for being infertile, after which Kudeyar was taken to the forests, where he was raised secretly. In addition, according to this information, it follows that the ataman was the brother of Ivan the Terrible and could well lay claim to the royal throne.

Other sources indicate that Kudeyar was the son of the prince of Transylvania, Zsigmond Bathory. After a quarrel with his father, he ran away and joined the Cossacks, and also served as a guardsman for the Tsar. After the tsar's disgrace, he began to make a living in robbery.

According to legend, Kudeyar put together his own army of robbers and robbed the carts of the rich.

Due to numerous raids and robberies, residents of many Russian provinces associated him with a symbol of terrifying power. Legends say that he left behind untold wealth, which no one has been able to find until now.

Stenka Razin: violent robber or hero?

The main rebel of the 17th century was Stepan Timofeevich Razin, nicknamed Stenka. He was not just a daring Don Cossack and ataman, but also a good organizer, leader and military man.

In connection with the tightening of serfdom, peasants who fled from the internal provinces of Russia began to flock to the Cossack regions. They had no roots and property, so they were called “golutvennye”. Stepan was one of them. Supplying the “golytba” with the necessary provisions, local Cossacks helped them in thieves’ campaigns. They, in turn, shared the spoils. For the people, Razin was a “noble robber” and a hero who hated serfdom and the tsar.

Under his leadership, in 1670, a campaign against the Volga was organized, accompanied by numerous peasant uprisings. Cossack order was introduced in every captured city, merchants were robbed, and government officials were killed. In the autumn of the same year, the chieftain was seriously wounded and taken to the Don. Having grown stronger, Stepan again wanted to gather supporters, but the local Cossacks did not agree with this. In the spring of 1671, they stormed the town of Kagalitsky, where Razin was hiding. After which he was captured (along with his brother Frol) and handed over to the royal governors. After the verdict was pronounced, Stepan was quartered.

Vanka-Cain

Vanka-Cain is a famous robber and thief of the 18th century. Ivan Osipov was born in the village of Ivanovo, Yaroslavl province, into a peasant family. At the age of 13, he was transported to the master’s courtyard in Moscow, and at 16, having met a thief nicknamed “Kamchatka,” he decided to join his gang, simultaneously robbing his master and writing down the master’s gate. With the words “the devil work, not me,” Osipov clearly described his position in life.

Soon it was returned to its former owner. While Vanka was in the shackles, he learned that the owner had a “sin.” When guests came to the master, he told everyone that due to the owner’s omission, a garrison soldier died, whose body was thrown into a well. For this denunciation, Vanka-Cain received his freedom, and upon returning to his gang he became their leader.

In 1741, Osipov wrote a “repentant petition”, where he said that he himself was a thief and was ready to assist in the capture of his accomplices. With his help, many deserters, thieves and bandits were caught. For the betrayal of “his own” he received the nickname “Cain”.

But he didn't stop there. He was arrested in 1749 for kidnapping the 15-year-old daughter of a retired serviceman. And only in 1755 the court decided to execute Vanka-Cain by flogging and beheading, but the sentence was commuted by the Senate. In 1756 he was flogged and his nostrils were torn out. Having branded Cain “V.O.R,” he was sent into exile, where he died.

Vasily Churkin: Guslitsky Robin Hood

Vasily Vasilyevich Churkin became a prominent character of the criminal world in the 19th century. The exact date of birth is unknown. It is assumed that he was born between 1844-1846, in the village of Barskaya, Guslitskaya volost.

Young Churkin began his “career” in a gang of Guslitsky robbers who operated in 1870 on the highways: from Moscow to Vladimir. Later, due to the serious illness of the leader, the pack broke up. Here Vasily was not at a loss and in 1873 created his own gang. He was soon caught, but did not remain under arrest for long because he escaped.

In addition to robberies, Vasily and his gang helped the poor, thereby winning popular fame and recognition. He robbed only rich barns, and collected a small tribute of 25 rubles from factory owners several times a year. The manufacturers did not mention his name, so as not to bring trouble on their own heads. Thus, Churkin created a reliable rear for himself, which protected him from the police. He never raised his dachshund and severely punished those who violated this custom.

When it became unsafe to stay in Guslitsy, Vasily hid in other places. There are many versions of the death of Guslitsky Robin Hood, but the exact cause remains unknown.

Trishka the Siberian

Another folk hero of the 19th century was Trishka the Siberian. Quite a bit of information about the criminal authority has been preserved, however, according to legends, he terrified the landowners and nobles. The people composed legends and fairy tales about him, representing the robber as a protector of the disadvantaged. He was unusually careful and cunning. Carrying out raids on the farms of landowners, Trishka the Siberian gave part of the loot to the serfs. People said that he didn’t offend anyone too much, but he could punish the “dashing peasant” master, for example, by cutting the veins under the knees so that he wouldn’t run “fast.” This is how he taught them “wits.”

Even after his arrest, rumors about him did not allow the nobles to live in peace for a long time. And they caught him only because the search for Trishka was a closely guarded secret, since the authorities were wary of his ingenuity and cunning. The further fate of Trishka-Sibiryak is unknown.

Piracy appeared as soon as people began to use watercraft to transport goods. IN different countries and in different eras, pirates were called filibusters, ushkuiniki, corsairs, privateers.

The most famous pirates in history left behind a significant mark: they inspired fear in life, and in death their adventures continue to attract undiminished interest. Piracy has had a great influence on culture: sea robbers have become central figures in many famous literary works, modern films and TV series.

10 Jack Rackham

One of the most famous pirates in history is Jack Rackham, who lived in the 18th century. He is interesting because there were two women on his team. His love for Indian calico shirts in bright colors earned him the nickname Calico Jack. He ended up in the navy at an early age because of need. For a long time he served as senior helmsman under the command of the famous pirate Charles Vane. After the latter tried to refuse a fight with a French warship pursuing a pirate ship, Rackham rebelled and was elected as the new captain according to the order of the pirate code. Calico Jack differed from other sea robbers in his gentle treatment of his victims, which, however, did not save him from the gallows. The pirate was executed on November 17, 1720 in Port Royal, and his body was hung as a warning to other robbers at the entrance to the harbor.

9 William Kidd

The story of one of the most famous pirates in history, William Kidd, is still controversial among scholars of his life. Some historians are sure that he was not a pirate and acted strictly within the framework of the marque patent. Nevertheless, he was found guilty of attacking 5 ships and murder. Despite the fact that he tried to get his release in exchange for information about the location where the valuables were hidden, Kidd was sentenced to hang. After the execution, the body of the pirate and his accomplices was hung for public display over the Thames, where it hung for 3 years.

The legend of Kidd's hidden treasure has long intrigued people's minds. The belief that the treasure really exists was maintained literary works, which mentioned pirate treasure. Kidd's hidden wealth was searched on many islands, but to no avail. The fact that the treasure is not a myth is evidenced by the fact that in 2015, British divers found the wreckage of a pirate ship off the coast of Madagascar and underneath it a 50-kilogram ingot, which, according to experts, belonged to Captain Kidd.

8 Madame Shi

Madame Shi, or Madam Zheng, is one of the world's most famous female pirates. After the death of her husband, she inherited his pirate flotilla and put sea robbery on a grand scale. Under her command were two thousand ships and seventy thousand people. The strictest discipline helped her command an entire army. For example, for unauthorized absence from a ship, the offender lost an ear. Not all of Madame Shi's subordinates were happy with this state of affairs, and one of the captains once rebelled and went over to the side of the authorities. After Madame Shi's power was weakened, she agreed to a truce with the emperor and subsequently lived to an old age in freedom, running a brothel.

7 Francis Drake

Francis Drake is one of the most famous pirates in the world. Actually, he was not a pirate, but a corsair who acted on the seas and oceans against enemy ships with the special permission of Queen Elizabeth. Devastating the coasts of Central and South America, he became immensely rich. Drake accomplished many great deeds: he opened a strait, which he named in his honor, and under his command the British fleet defeated the Great Armada. Since then, one of the ships of the English navy has been named after the famous navigator and corsair Francis Drake.

6 Henry Morgan

The list of the most famous pirates would be incomplete without the name of Henry Morgan. Despite the fact that he was born into a wealthy family of an English landowner, from his youth Morgan connected his life with the sea. He was hired as a cabin boy on one of the ships and was soon sold into slavery in Barbados. He managed to move to Jamaica, where Morgan joined a gang of pirates. Several successful trips allowed him and his comrades to purchase a ship. Morgan was chosen as captain, and it was a good decision. A few years later there were 35 ships under his command. With such a fleet, he managed to capture Panama in a day and burn the entire city. Since Morgan acted mainly against Spanish ships and pursued an active English colonial policy, after his arrest the pirate was not executed. On the contrary, for the services rendered to Britain in the fight against Spain, Henry Morgan received the post of lieutenant governor of Jamaica. The famous corsair died at the age of 53 from cirrhosis of the liver.

5 Bartholomew Roberts

Bartholomew Roberts, aka Black Bart, is one of the most colorful pirates in history, although he is not as famous as Blackbeard or Henry Morgan. Black Bart became the most successful filibuster in the history of piracy. During his short pirate career (3 years), he captured 456 ships. Its production is estimated at 50 million pounds sterling. It is believed that he created the famous "Pirate Code". He was killed in action with a British warship. The pirate's body, according to his will, was thrown into the water, and the remains of one of the greatest pirates were never found.

4 Edward Teach

Edward Teach, or Blackbeard, is one of the most famous pirates in the world. Almost everyone has heard his name. Teach lived and was engaged in sea robbery at the very height of the golden age of piracy. Having enlisted at the age of 12, he gained valuable experience, which would then be useful to him in the future. According to historians, Teach took part in the War of the Spanish Succession, and after its end he deliberately decided to become a pirate. The fame of a ruthless filibuster helped Blackbeard seize ships without the use of weapons - upon seeing his flag, the victim surrendered without a fight. The cheerful life of a pirate did not last long - Teach died during a boarding battle with a British warship pursuing him.

3 Henry Avery

One of the most famous pirates in history is Henry Avery, nicknamed Long Ben. The father of the future famous buccaneer was a captain in the British fleet. Since childhood, Avery dreamed of sea voyages. He began his career in the navy as a cabin boy. Avery then received an appointment as first mate on a corsair frigate. The ship's crew soon rebelled, and the first mate was proclaimed captain of the pirate ship. So Avery took the path of piracy. He became famous for capturing the ships of Indian pilgrims heading to Mecca. The pirates' booty was unheard of at that time: 600 thousand pounds and the daughter of the Great Mogul, whom Avery later officially married. How the life of the famous filibuster ended is unknown.

2 Amaro Pargo

Amaro Pargo is one of the most famous freebooters of the golden age of piracy. Pargo transported slaves and made a fortune from it. Wealth allowed him to engage in charity work. He lived to a ripe old age.

1 Samuel Bellamy

Among the most famous sea robbers is Samuel Bellamy, known as Black Sam. He joined the pirates to marry Maria Hallett. Bellamy desperately lacked funds to provide for his future family, and he joined Benjamin Hornigold's crew of pirates. A year later, he became captain of the bandits, allowing Hornigold to leave peacefully. Thanks to a whole network of informants and spies, Bellamy was able to capture one of the fastest ships of the time, the frigate Whyda. Bellamy died while swimming to his beloved. The Whyda was caught in a storm, the ship was driven aground and the crew, including Black Sam, died. Bellamy's career as a pirate lasted only a year.

There has always been a special attitude towards “dashing people” in Russia. They were not only feared, but also respected. They often paid a very high price for their crazy daring - they ended up in hard labor or lost their lives.

Kudeyar

The most legendary Russian robber is Kudeyar. This personality is semi-mythical. There are several versions of his identification.

According to the main one, Kudeyar was the son of Vasily III and his wife Solomeya, who was exiled to a monastery for childlessness. According to this legend, at the time of her tonsure Solomonia was already pregnant, she gave birth to a son, George, whom she handed over “to safe hands,” and announced to everyone that the newborn had died.

It is not surprising that Ivan the Terrible was very interested in this legend, since according to it Kudeyar was his elder brother, and therefore could lay claim to power. This story is most likely a folk fiction.

The desire to “ennoble the robber”, as well as to allow oneself to believe in the illegitimacy of power (and therefore the possibility of its overthrow) is characteristic of the Russian tradition. With us, no matter what the ataman is, he is the legitimate king. Regarding Kudeyar, there are so many versions of his origin that would be enough for half a dozen atamans

Lyalya

Lyalya can be called not only one of the most legendary robbers, but also the most “literary”. The poet Nikolai Rubtsov wrote a poem about him, “The Robber Lyalya.”

Local historians also found information about him, which is not surprising, since toponyms reminiscent of this dashing man are still preserved in the Kostroma region. This is Lyalina Mountain and one of the tributaries of the Vetluga River, called Lyalinka.

Local historian A.A. Sysoev wrote: “In the Vetluga forests, the robber Lyalya was walking with his gang - this is one of the atamans of Stepan Razin ... who lived in the mountains near the Vetluga River not far from Varnavin. According to legend, Lyalya robbed and burned the Novovozdvizhensky Monastery on the Bolshaya Kaksha River near the village of Chenebechikha.”

This may be true, since at the end of 1670 a detachment of Razins actually visited here. Lyalya and her gang appeared in the Kostroma forests after the suppression of the Razin uprising.

He chose a place for a robber camp on a high mountain in order to have a strategic advantage when robbing convoys passing nearby along the winter route. From spring to autumn, merchants transported goods on ships along Vetluga, and along the way they often stopped in Kameshnik. The main business of the Lyali gang was collecting ransom from merchants, local feudal lords and landowners.

Legends depict him, as is usual in folklore, as strict, harsh and domineering, but fair. An approximate portrait of him has also been preserved: “He was a broad-shouldered, muscular man of average height; face tanned, rough; black eyes under bushy, frowning eyebrows; dark hair."

They wanted to catch Lyalya’s gang more than once, but the detachments sent to catch the robber were constantly faced with the too loyal attitude of the local men towards Lyalya - they treated him rather with respect, Lyalya was warned about the appearance of the detachments, some village men even joined the gang. However, over time, the gang still thinned out, and Lyalya became more and more burdened by his business. Therefore, he decided to bury his wealth - he drowned it in the lake (it is still called Kladov) and buried it in the mountain. Where they are still stored. Of course, if you believe the legend.

Trishka the Siberian

Trishka-Sibiryak committed robbery in the 30s of the 19th century in the Smolensk district. News about him spread to other regions, leaving nobles and landowners in a state of trepidation.

A letter from Turgenev's mother, which she wrote to her son in Berlin in February 1839, has been preserved. It contains the following phrase: “We got Trishka like Pugachev - that is, he is in Smolensk, and we are cowardly in Bolkhov.” Trishka was caught already in next month, he was tracked down and arrested in Dukhovshchinsky district. The capture of Trishka was a real special operation.

Knowing the robber's caution, he was caught under the guise of pursuing another person. Almost no one knew about the true purpose of the search - they were afraid to scare them away. As a result, when the arrest did take place, a message appeared in the Smolenskiye Vedomosti about this as an event of extreme importance.

However, until the 50s of the 19th century, legends about Trishka the Sibiryak continued to excite the nerves of landowners, worried that someday Trishka would get in their way or get into their house. The people loved Trishka and composed legends about him, where the robber appeared as a defender of the disadvantaged.

Vanka Cain

The story of Vanka-Cain is dramatic and instructive. He can be called the first official thief Russian Empire.

He was born in 1718, at the age of 16 he met a famous thief nicknamed “Kamchatka” and loudly left the landowner’s house where he served, robbed him, and wrote on the manor’s gate everything he thought about work: “The devil work, not me.” "

Several times he was taken to the Secret Order, but each time he was released, so rumors began to spread that Ivan Osipov (that was Cain’s real name) was “getting lucky.” The Moscow thieves decided to choose him as their leader. A little time passed, and Vanka was already “commanding” a gang of 300 people.

So he became the uncrowned king of the underworld. However, on December 28, 1741, Ivan Osipov returned to the Detective Prikaz and wrote a “repentant petition”, and even offered his services in catching his own comrades, and became the official informer of the Detective Prikaz.

The very first police operation, based on his tip, uncovered a gathering of thieves in the deacon's house - a catch of 45 people. That same night, 20 members of Yakov Zuev’s gang were taken from the archpriest’s house. And in the Tatar baths of Zamoskvorechye they tied up 16 deserters and opened the underground with weapons.

However, Vanka Cain did not live in peace. He had a penchant for extravagance and luxury, and got burned by the kidnapping of the 15-year-old daughter of “retired serviceman” Taras Zevakin, corruption and banal racketeering.

The case dragged on for 6 years, until in 1755 the court rendered a verdict - flogged, wheeled, beheaded. But in February 1756 the Senate commuted the sentence. Cain was given whips, his nostrils were torn out, and he was branded with the word V.O.R. and was sent to hard labor - first to the Baltic Rogervik, from there to Siberia. Where he died.

Grigory Kotovsky

Kotovsky was born in 1881 into a noble family. His parents were not rich; his mother died when Grisha was only two years old. He did not graduate from vocational school, dropped out of agricultural school and worked as an intern on the estate of Prince Kantakouzin.

This is where the glory days of Grishka the Cat began. The princess fell in love with the young manager, and her husband, having learned about this, whipped Grishka and threw him into the field. Without thinking twice, the offended Kotovsky killed the landowner, and he himself disappeared into the forest, where he gathered a gang of 12 people.

Glory thundered - all of Bessarabia was afraid of Kotovsky, newspapers wrote about him, calling him the next Dubrovsky. There is somewhere in Pushkin: “Robberies are one more remarkable than the other, they follow one after another. The leader of the gang is famous for his intelligence, courage and some kind of generosity...” The generosity of Grigory Kotovsky, in the end, with all the range of personal qualities, became the main one for the popular audience, creating the halo of Robin Hood for Kot.

However, for those same “people” Gregory was often a “benefactor”. Thus, Kotovsky and his 12 associates saved the peasants who were being driven to the Chisinau prison and arrested for agrarian unrest. They rescued loudly, one of the guards left a receipt: “Grigory Kotovsky released the arrested.”

Kotovsky had to be in prison twice. And escape to freedom twice. For the first time, Gregory was helped by a woman and bread. The wife of one of the heads of the Chisinau prison, who visited the hero in retirement, gave Kotovsky a loaf and a smoke, in other words, opium, Browning, rope and a file.

Grishka got out, although he was out for less than a month. Then he went to Siberia for 10 years. Two years later, Gregory fled. While Kotovsky was running, the myth of his nobility grew stronger. They said that during a raid on the apartment of one of the bank owners, Kotovsky demanded a pearl necklace from the entrepreneur’s wife. Mrs. Cherkes was not at a loss and, taking off the jewelry, broke the thread. Kotovsky’s pearls did not pick up, he smiled at the woman’s resourcefulness.

Grigory Kotovsky definitely had an administrative streak, and if not for his love affair with Princess Kontaktuzino, Kota would not have been a red commander, but an enemy of the proletariat. Kotovsky liked to manage: after another escape, having taken possession of someone else’s passport, Kotovsky again served as the manager of a large estate. Kotovsky had another weakness - he wanted fame. Having given money to some fire victim, the manager said: “Build again. Stop saying thanks, they don’t thank Kotovsky.”

In 1916, Kotovsky was sentenced to death. The military court agreed that there was no revolution in Kotovsky’s actions; he was condemned as a bandit-nobleman. Bessarabian Robin Hood was saved by a woman and a writer. Nothing is known about General Shcherbakova, but the friendship between the writer Fedorov and Kotovsky continued for a long time. The revolution granted Kotovsky freedom. Somewhere in Odessa he underwent military training, and then made his way to Romania.

Calling himself exclusively an anarchist, Gregory independently formed cavalry regiments. Kotovsky's regiments were formed from like-minded people earlier. The former criminal, they say, served bravely, received two medal crosses, was known as merciful - he was loved by the Jews and the five thousand rescued white officers.

Being at the crosses, at the zenith of glory, preparing the entry of the Red Army into Odessa, Grishka, disguised as a colonel, took him out of the basement state bank jewelry. He needed three trucks to vacate the premises. However, this feat of Grigory Ivanovich did not destroy his military career.

The red commander's luck failed him once, but with extreme fatalism. On August 6, 1925, at the Chebank state farm, Grigory Kotovsky was shot and killed by Meyer (Mayorchik). There was a lot of talk about the murder. They said that Mayorchik, who was in love with Olga Kotovskaya, eliminated his friend, they said that they killed him on orders from “above.” The death of the commander gave rise to a lot of rumors, without, however, overshadowing the posthumous luck of Grishka Kot. On August 11, 1925, Grigory Kotovsky had a daughter.

Lenka Panteleev

Lenka Panteleev (real name Leonid Pantelkin) was born in 1902, at the age of 17 he joined the Red Army, fought with the whites, after the Civil War he got a job in the Pskov Cheka, from where he was soon dismissed. According to one version, “to reduce staff,” according to another, because he showed extreme unreliability, starting to steal during a search.

Then Panteleev moved to St. Petersburg, where he first tried to find work, and then took the path of banditry - he formed a gang and began to “rob the loot.” Panteleev’s gang carried out the raids extremely successfully and theatrically. The leader flew in first and introduced himself: “Everyone, stay calm! This is Lenka Panteleev!”
Of course, there was a hunt for Panteleev, but the operatives were left in the cold over and over again... Today this can be explained very simply - Panteleev was an undercover agent. This indirectly confirms that Lenka’s gang included another former security officer and former commissar of the Red Army battalion, a member of the RCP(b). In addition, Panteleev’s gang never robbed a government institution; the victims were always private entrepreneurs.

In the fall of 1922, while attempting to rob a shoe store, Panteleev's gang was ambushed. Lenka and his accomplices were arrested. The court sentenced them to death, but the next night they escaped from Kresty (the only successful escape from this prison in its entire history). How Panteleev managed to do this - history is silent...

However, Panteleev did not walk free for a long time. Already in February 1923, having resisted arrest, he was shot by GPU operatives.

People stubbornly believed that Panteleev was alive. To dispel this myth, by order of the authorities, the corpse was put on public display in the city morgue. Thousands of people came to see the body, but family and friends never identified it. And it was impossible to do this - the bullet hit him in the face.

Robber, dashing people have always attracted attention. They became heroes of legends and traditions, songs and poems were written about them. In the popular consciousness, a robber was rarely bad, because he robbed the rich and shared with the poor.

Kudeyar The most legendary Russian robber is Kudeyar. This personality is semi-mythical. There are several versions of his identification. According to the main one, Kudeyar was the son of Vasily III and his wife Solomeya, who was exiled to a monastery for childlessness. According to this legend, at the time of her tonsure Solomonia was already pregnant, she gave birth to a son, George, whom she handed over “to safe hands,” and announced to everyone that the newborn had died. It is not surprising that Ivan the Terrible was very interested in this legend, since according to it Kudeyar was his elder brother, and therefore could lay claim to power. This story is most likely a folk fiction. The desire to “ennoble the robber”, as well as to allow oneself to believe in the illegitimacy of power (and therefore the possibility of its overthrow) is characteristic of the Russian tradition. With us, no matter what the ataman is, he is the legitimate king. Regarding Kudeyar, there are so many versions of his origin that would be enough for half a dozen atamans

Dmitry Silaev Dmitry Silaev is a very real person. In the detective case of 1844 in the village of Rzhevtsy, Smolensk district, he is mentioned as the leader of the robbers who, among other things, committed “a robbery of the house of the landowner F.M. Belkin.

The raid on the landowner's house, as they say, caused a stir, and it was reported to the Tsar himself. Five years before this incident, another robber, Trishka-Sibiryak, was caught. The safety of the landowners was at risk - measures had to be taken. And they were accepted. Silaev was caught and exiled to Siberia, from where he, however, escaped with two accomplices. However, with the arrest and exile of Silaev, everything is not so simple. The criminal case states that “he escaped six years before,” that is, the robber was in exile back in 1838, then he escaped and lived in Elninsky district with “various peasants who did not make any conscious of him,” that is, did not reported about an escaped convict.

In the criminal case, Silaev’s appearance is described in sufficient detail: “black eyes, black beard, zipun trimmed with satin, always with a pistol in his boot.” A fairly classic image of a robber, but without the idealization that is typical when describing “dashing people.” Lala Lala can be called not only one of the most legendary robbers, but also the most “literary”. The poet Nikolai Rubtsov wrote a poem about him, “The Robber Lyalya.” Local historians also found information about him, which is not surprising, since toponyms reminiscent of this dashing man are still preserved in the Kostroma region. This is Lyalina Mountain and one of the tributaries of the Vetluga River, called Lyalinka.

Local historian A.A. Sysoev wrote: “In the Vetluga forests the robber Lyalya was walking with his gang - this is one of the atamans of Stepan Razin... who lived in the mountains near the Vetluga River not far from Varnavin. According to legend, Lyalya robbed and burned the Novovozdvizhensky Monastery on the Bolshaya Kaksha River near the village Chenebechikhi". This may be true, since at the end of 1670 a detachment of Razins actually visited here. Lyalya and her gang appeared in the Kostroma forests after the suppression of the Razin uprising. He chose a place for a robber camp on a high mountain in order to have a strategic advantage when robbing convoys passing nearby along the winter route. From spring to autumn, merchants transported goods on ships along Vetluga, and along the way they often stopped in Kameshnik. The main business of the Lyali gang was collecting ransom from merchants, local feudal lords and landowners. Legends depict him, as is usual in folklore, as strict, harsh and domineering, but fair. An approximate portrait of him has also been preserved: “He was a broad-shouldered, muscular man of average height; a tanned, rough face; black eyes under bushy, frowning eyebrows; dark hair.” They wanted to catch Lyalya’s gang more than once, but the detachments sent to catch the robber were constantly faced with the too loyal attitude of the local men towards Lyalya - they treated him rather with respect, Lyalya was warned about the appearance of the detachments, some village men even joined the gang. However, over time, the gang still thinned out, and Lyalya became more and more burdened by his business. Therefore, he decided to bury his wealth - he drowned it in the lake (it is still called Kladov) and buried it in the mountain. Where they are still stored. Of course, if you believe the legend.

Trishka the Siberian Trishka the Sibiryak, whom we have already mentioned, committed robbery in the 30s of the 19th century in the Smolensk district. News about him spread to other regions, leaving nobles and landowners in a state of trepidation. A letter from Turgenev's mother, which she wrote to her son in Berlin in February 1839, has been preserved. It contains the following phrase: “We got Trishka like Pugachev - that is, he is in Smolensk, and we are cowards in Bolkhov.” Trishka was caught the following month; he was tracked down and arrested in Dukhovshchinsky district. The capture of Trishka was a real special operation. Knowing the robber's caution, he was caught under the guise of pursuing another person. Almost no one knew about the true purpose of the search - they were afraid to scare them away. As a result, when the arrest did take place, a message appeared in the Smolenskiye Vedomosti about this as an event of extreme importance. However, until the 50s of the 19th century, legends about Trishka the Sibiryak continued to excite the nerves of landowners, worried that someday Trishka would get in their way or get into their house. The people loved Trishka and composed legends about him, where the robber appeared as a defender of the disadvantaged. Vanka-Cain The story of Vanka-Cain is dramatic and instructive. He can be called the first official thief of the Russian Empire. He was born in 1718, at the age of 16 he met a famous thief nicknamed “Kamchatka” and loudly left the landowner’s house where he served, robbed him, and wrote on the manor’s gate everything he thought about work: “The devil work, not me.” ".

Several times he was taken to the Secret Order, but each time he was released, so rumors began to spread that Ivan Osipov (that was Cain’s real name) was “getting lucky.” The Moscow thieves decided to choose him as their leader. A little time passed, and Vanka was already “commanding” a gang of 300 people. So he became the uncrowned king of the underworld. However, on December 28, 1741, Ivan Osipov returned to the Detective Prikaz and wrote a “repentant petition”, and even offered his services in catching his own comrades, and became the official informer of the Detective Prikaz. The very first police operation, based on his tip, uncovered a gathering of thieves in the deacon's house - a catch of 45 people. That same night, 20 members of Yakov Zuev’s gang were taken from the archpriest’s house. And in the Tatar baths of Zamoskvorechye they tied up 16 deserters and opened the underground with weapons. However, Vanka Cain did not live in peace. He had a penchant for extravagance and luxury, and got burned by the kidnapping of the 15-year-old daughter of “retired serviceman” Taras Zevakin, corruption and banal racketeering. The case dragged on for 6 years, until in 1755 the court rendered a verdict - flogged, wheeled, beheaded. But in February 1756 the Senate commuted the sentence. Cain was given whips, his nostrils were torn out, and he was branded with the word V.O.R. and sent to hard labor - first to the Baltic Rogervik, from there to Siberia. Where he died