There are many great personalities in the history of Russia, one of whom is Kuzma Minin. His name is closely associated with the liberation of Moscow from Polish and Swedish invaders in the 17th century. Kuzma Minin - Nizhny Novgorod headman, participant and founder of the Second People's Militia
Biography of Kuzma Minin
The Time of Troubles gave Russia many great people, among whom two people occupy a special place - Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin. They were the ones who were able to accomplish the impossible and liberate the state from the Polish invaders.
Kuzma Minin or Kuzma Minich Ankudinov was born, presumably, at the end of the 16th century in the family of the salt miner Mina Ankudinov. Initially, the family lived in Balakhna, a small Volga town. Almost nothing is known about the early years of Kuzma Minin's life. All the chronicles of Moscow or Nizhny Novgorod were either lost or destroyed by time. It is known only about Minin's participation in the national liberation struggle of the Russian people against the Poles and Swedes.
Some information about his family has been preserved. Kuzma's father is salt miner Mina Ankudinov, mother is Tatyana Semyonovna. After the death of her husband, she took monastic vows and soon died. Minin's only child, daughter Sofia, was also a nun. Kuzma did not receive education, because the children of the townspeople had no right to do so. Minin's parents were also uneducated. At this, information about the early years of Kuzma Minin's life is interrupted. More is known about his activities since 1611.
Political career of Kuzma Minin
Since 1606, Kuzma Minin and his family have come to Nizhny Novgorod. In 1608, as part of the people's militia, Minin took part in the struggle against False Dmitry. Then Kuzma was elected the head of Nizhny Novgorod. Despite the lack of education, Minin was a rather intelligent person, spoke well and correctly, he could lead the people. It was the Time of Troubles in Russia, when the country experienced the invasion of the Polish and Lithuanian invaders. The Poles behaved like invaders in Russia, and the population began to form a militia.
The first militia, formed in 1611, did not produce results. It did not work to expel the invaders. The Nizhny Novgorod head Kuzma Minin took the initiative to create a new militia, which was organized in 1612 in Nizhny Novgorod. Minin became responsible for collecting money in support of the militia, and Dmitry Pozharsky led the movement itself.
As treasurer, Kuzma Minin solved the problem of supplying the military, acquiring weapons and obtaining resources. He worked with the local population, gave out salaries to warriors.
Minin especially distinguished himself in the struggle for Moscow. His detachment successfully crossed the Moscow River and fought the troops of Hetman Chodkevich. After the expulsion of the Poles from the capital, Kuzma remained to serve in Moscow. Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich granted him the rank of Duma nobleman and an estate in Nizhny Novgorod. In the capital, Kuzma Minin was in charge of collecting taxes.
In 1616, Minin's health began to deteriorate sharply. Kuzma died in mid-1616 and was buried in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin.
The feat accomplished by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky was immortalized in the sculpture of Martos, installed on Red Square in Moscow in front of St. Basil's Cathedral. The day of the liberation of Moscow from Polish and Swedish invaders has become a national holiday of the Russian Federation.
