The article considers the history of the struggle for the right to lease out kabaks in the Nizhni Novgorod district during the second decade of the 17th century. Trade in alcoholic beverages in the 17th century was highly profitable, thus a lot of people wanted to take part in the lease of kabaks (which were in the exclusive possession of the state). The newly discovered documents allow us to get an insight into the persistent and even violent struggle for dominance in this profitable business. The competition for the right to lease kabaks in the rich village Pavlovo in the Nizhni Novgorod uyezd was particularly tense. It follows from the documents that the trade people from the nearby Gorokhovets uyezd showed great interest in the use of kabaks in the Nizhni Novgorod uyezd. They managed to sideline the citizens of Nizhni Novgorod for a while with the support of their patrons - the Saltykov brothers (who were close to Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich). The transition of power to the hands of Patriarch Philaret Nikitich who returned from Polish captivity had weakened the position of the Saltykov court group in Moscow. This led to the loss of Gorokhovets citizens’ positions. Their place was occupied by some people from the Patriarch's entourage.
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