Alyona Arzamasskaya: Four Faces of the Russian Jeanne d'Arc

The basis of the study is an attempt to separate verified facts from later layers surrounding the name of Alyona Arzamasskaya. The author compares official documents from the 17th century, the interrogations of rebels, and later interpretations to reconstruct the path of a woman associated with one of the sharpest conflicts in Russian history. Here, not only the events of the peasant war of 1670–1671 are important, but also how the perception of its participant changed: from a dangerous rebel and «witch-ataman» to a symbol of resistance to authority. The study is built on the specifics of sources and a careful debate with entrenched stereotypes.