Stepan Razin

Timeline

1. 1658–1666Cherkassk · Don RiverBorn c. 1630 into a well-off Don Cossack family; his godfather was the host ataman Kornilo Yakovlev. In 1658 he traveled with a Cossack mission to the Muscovy Foreign Office, later negotiating with the Kalmyks on behalf of the host, accumulating fame and followers in the lower Don.
2. 1667–1669Astrakhan · North Caspian coastIn 1667 Razin gathered landless Cossacks, sailed down the Volga, broke through defenses near Astrakhan into the Caspian, raided Persian coastal towns and merchant ships, and returned laden in 1669. The expedition greatly raised his fame among the lower classes of the Don and Volga, preparing arms and appeal for the following year's uprising.
3. 1670–1671Red Square, Moscow · MoscowIn spring and summer 1670 Razin set up a separate host on the Don and marched north up the Volga, taking Astrakhan, Tsaritsyn, Saratov, and Samara, calling for harsh punishment of the powerful and the pursuit of 'freedom'. After failing to take Simbirsk in October he retreated south. In April 1671 he was captured by upper-rank Cossacks at Kagalnik and sent to Moscow, where he was broken on the wheel at Red Square on June 16.