January 21, 1775
They executed on Bolotnaya Square Emelyan PugachevaA couple of years earlier, a fugitive Don Cossack had called himself Peter III and roused the people to the Peasants' War, which swept across the country from 1773 to 1775.
In the morning, countless people had gathered on the Marsh, where a high platform had been erected. The executioners sat on it, drinking wine while awaiting their victims... The roofs of houses and shops were strewn with people... Suddenly, everything began to shake and rustle; people cried out, "They're bringing them, they're bringing them!" (A.S. Pushkin)
Pugachev was born on the Don, in the village of Zimoveyskaya. The exact date is unknown. During his interrogation, he claimed he was in his 33rd year. He'd add a tenner to his salary when confronted by the Cossacks.
Until the age of 17, he harrowed the land, then served in the Cossack army. He fought in Prussia during the Seven Years' War. After his death Peter III He returned with the troops to Russia, got married, and had children.
During the Russo-Turkish War, he distinguished himself during the capture of Bender. In the winter of 1771, he fell ill and was not allowed to retire. He fled the service. In 1773, he ended up in a Kazan prison as a troublemaker who had persuaded the Yaik Cossacks to join the Turkish Sultan. He managed to escape.
Rumors soon began to circulate that Peter III, who had died under unclear circumstances, was alive and raising an army to reclaim the throne. He promised land and freedom to the Cossacks and peasants. People believed him—there were many who were dissatisfied with the reality of serfdom.
The Pugachev rebellion broke out in September 1773. It engulfed Orenburg province, the Urals, the Kama region, the Volga region, BashkiriaThe rebels took small towns and factories and laid siege to Orenburg, Ufa, Yaitsky townIn July 1774 they took KazanTwo days later, they were driven out by government forces. And soon after, they were completely routed.
In September 1774, Pugachev was handed over to the authorities. The investigation continued until January. The court ruled:
Yemelyan Pugachev should be quartered, his head should be stuck on a stake, his body parts should be scattered across four parts of the city and placed on wheels, and then burned in those places.
On the scaffold, Pugachev crossed himself and bowed. With the words "Forgive me, Orthodox people," the executioner severed his head. There's a theory that Catherine the Great secretly ordered the rebel's torture to be reduced and that he be quartered after death.