The treason case of treasurer Iosif (Devochkin) in the history of the defense of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery in 1608-1610

The article is devoted to the analysis of accusations of treason against the treasurer of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery Iosif (Devochkin), brought forward by the cellarer of the monastery Abraham (Palitsyn) in his “Tale”. After analyzing several dozen authentic documents of the Holy Trinity siegemen, intercepted by the Sapezhins, the author came to the conclusion that the accusations of the treasurer were inspired by the first voivode, Prince G. B. Dolgoruky and the nobles, who thus tried to establish control over the treasury and the reserves of the monastery. In fact, there was no conspiracy. By their actions, the governor and the nobles almost undermined the unity of the besieged and weakened the forces of the defenders of the monastery in the face of the enemy. Only the consistent firm position of Archimandrite Joasaph helped to maintain the situation in the monastery and withstand the siege.