Center versus “Peripheral” Towns: Time of Troubles in Ryazan Region

The paper explores the confrontation in the Ryazan region during the Time of Troubles, viewed as a clash between the regional center, Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky, and the peripheral towns (prigorody) of Zaraysk, Mikhailov, Pronsk, and Ryazhsk. It reconstructs the chronology of events and proposes a periodization of the armed conflict between government and rebel forces in the Ryazan region. The study reveals that the prolonged hostilities led to significant transformations in the social and political landscape of Ryazan. The Ryazan gentry service community lost control over the district periphery, while the peripheral communities of servicemen and townsmen gained considerable autonomy and established institutions for collective decision-making. Additionally, the article analyzes various scenarios of confrontation and reconciliation between the Ryazan rebels and the government, with particular emphasis on the process of “conversion,” in which rebellious communities shifted their allegiances to the government.