On the socio-economic context of the troubled time

At the end of XVI th - early XVII th centuries there was a time of hardships that have fell to the Russian people's lot. The shock crisis of 1568 - 1572 caused a "great disruption", which lasted until the end of the century. This time was signified with a heavy defeat in the Livonian War and the introduction of serfdom. Russia has not recovered from the turmoil in the 1590-ies as it was considered by some historians. On the contrary, the cumulative effect of many factors led to a serious state crisis.