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Great Moscow Fire

Type Event Region Europe Time 1547

On June 21, 1547, a massive fire spread from near the Kremlin in Moscow, destroying many wooden buildings and warehouses and killing thousands.

Timeline

  1. 1547Moscow Kremlin and surroundings · MoscowOn June 21, 1547, a sudden fire broke out in Moscow, spreading rapidly from near the Kremlin and burning many wooden houses and supplies; records indicate some 1,700 to 3,000 deaths, making it one of the worst disasters in 16th-century Moscow.
  2. 1547Moscow Kremlin · MoscowAfter the fire, Ivan IV accused some boyars and members of the Metropolitan's office of arson or dereliction of duty, launching a purge in which many were executed or exiled, thereby weakening the old elite and consolidating the tsar's personal authority.

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