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Женщины в осажденном Смоленске
The article demonstrates how the documents appeared during the Time of Troubles in Moscow provincial offices could give information on “Woman History”. Lack of data on “Woman History” in the peaceful periods is in contrast with such crisis epochs like early 17th century. Women of 1609-1611 Smolensk appeared to be active participants in different spheres of day-t-day life: in the struggle for food and other grants from local governors, in crime and punishment. They wrote letters to their relatives far away from Smolensk. The comparison of women from Smolensk with their contemporaries from Novgorod shows that the traits of crisis, much more deep in Smolensk, made the challenge of everyday choice very sharp and cruel. Those who appeared in the sieged city of Smolensk, basing on minimal resources, were to wait for the collapse of military opposition. Very often those women were disconnected with their husbands and totally disconnected with their land estates that could supply them with food and goods. The situation was much more hard for the gentlemen wives than for townswomen
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