In mid-March 1650, the revolting craftsmen, some of the Streltsy, and urban poor deposed voyevoda Fyodor Khilkov and ravaged the households of several merchants around Novgorod.
The insurgents elected a number of city elders and put a metropolitan clerk named Ivan Zheglov in charge of municipal government.
Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich dispatched a noble named Solovtsov to settle the conflict, but the latter was arrested on the spot and kept under guard for several days.
Eventually, the internal struggle for power between the urban poor and well-off citizens, Ivan Zheglov's hesitation and inconsistency, and Metropolitan Nikon's firm stance led to the insurgents' defeat.
This article includes content derived from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969–1978, which is partially in the public domain.