The reign of Boris Godunov (briefly)

The reign of Boris Godunov (briefly)

The death of Ivan the Terrible in 1584 marked the beginning of an intense struggle for the throne among the boyars. The reason for this struggle was the heir to the throne, Fedor, who was weak, weak-willed and unable to rule the state with a firm hand. This is what prompted Ivan the Terrible to create a regency council to govern the state during his lifetime.

Among this circle of boyars is the former oprichnik, a strong-willed personality, Boris Godunov, who gradually removed other competitors from power, and also using family ties, became the de facto ruler of the country.

In 1591, Tsarevich Dmitry dies in Uglich under tragic circumstances, and there is a rumor among the people about Godunov’s involvement in this event.

Over the entire period of his activity, Godunov was able to prove himself as a reformer and a talented politician. Being a supporter of hard power, he understood all the negative aspects of the power of Ivan the Terrible, but continued his policy of enslaving the peasants, as he believed that this was the only way out of the state of desolation.

In 1597, a decree was issued according to which the so-called “lesson summers” were introduced, which were a five-year period for searching for fugitive peasants, during which they could be returned to the master. The dependence of slaves was significantly increased. Thus, they lost the right to redeem their own freedom, remaining dependent until the death of the master. Those who served as free labor, after a six-month period of service with the owner, were converted to serfs.

Tsar Boris sought to generalize the ruling class. His entire domestic policy was entirely aimed at balancing the situation within the state. To this end, in 1589 he carried out a reform of the patriarchate, as a result of which the Russian church became independent of the Patriarch of Constantinople, but came under the complete control of the tsar.

Under Godunov, many new cities appeared (Voronezh, Tsaritsyn, Samara, Saratov, etc.).

Everyone involved in trade and crafts is united into townspeople communities, which are subject to the same state tax.

However, lean years (1601 - 1603) caused famine in Rus'. Starving people flocked to Moscow from all over the country, and Godunov tried to provide the starving people with bread and work.

In 1603, an uprising broke out, after which the authority of the king fell.

Among Russian autocrats there is hardly a person whose image has left such a controversial mark on history. Gifted with a truly statesmanlike mind, he devoted himself entirely to the good of Russia. The political line pursued preceded the glorious deeds of Peter I by almost a century. But, having become a victim of a fatal combination of circumstances and the oppression of his own passions, he remained in the consciousness of the people as a child killer and a usurper of power. His name is Boris Godunov.

History of the ascension to the throne

The future sovereign of all Rus', Boris Fedorovich Godunov, was descended from one of the Tatar princes who settled in Moscow lands in the 14th century. He was born in 1552 into the family of a poor landowner of the Vyazemsky district, and if not for chance, this man, who went down in history as Tsar Boris Godunov, would have remained unknown to anyone.

His biography takes a sharp turn after the death of his father. While still a young man, he found himself in the family of his uncle, who during the oprichnina made a brilliant career at the court of Ivan the Terrible. The smart and ambitious nephew took full advantage of the opportunities that opened up to him. Having become a guardsman himself, he managed to break into the tsar’s inner circle and win his favor. His position was finally strengthened after his marriage to the daughter of one of the most powerful people of that time - Malyuta Skuratov.

The death of Ivan the Terrible and the further strengthening of Godunov

After some time, Godunov manages to arrange the marriage of his sister Irina with the son of Ivan the Terrible, Fedor. Having thus become related to the sovereign himself and received the title of boyar, the former Vyazma landowner became one of the highest state elite. But, being a cautious and far-sighted man, Boris tries to stay in the shadows, which does not prevent him, however, at the end of Ivan the Terrible’s life from exerting a significant influence on many government decisions.

When Ivan the Terrible died on March 18, 1584, with the accession of his son Fyodor to the throne, a new stage began on Godunov’s path to supreme power. Fedor became king according to the law of succession to the throne, but due to his mental limitations he could not lead the country. For this reason, a regency council was created, consisting of the four most eminent boyars. Godunov was not one of them, but in a short time, through intrigue, he managed to completely seize power into his own hands.

Most researchers argue that during the fourteen years of Fyodor Ioannovich’s reign, Boris Godunov was the de facto ruler of Russia. His biography of those years paints the image of an outstanding political figure.

Strengthening the country and growing cities

Having concentrated all supreme power in his hands, he directed it towards the comprehensive strengthening of Russian statehood. As a result of his works, in 1589 the Russian Orthodox Church found its patriarch and became autocephalous, which increased the prestige of Russia and strengthened its influence in the world. At the same time, his domestic policy was distinguished by intelligence and prudence. During the reign of Godunov, the construction of cities and fortifications began on an unprecedented scale throughout the country.

The reign of Boris Godunov became the heyday of Russian church and secular architecture. The most talented architects enjoyed full support. Many of them were invited from abroad. It was on Godunov’s initiative that the cities of Samara, Tsaritsyn, Saratov, Belgorod, Tomsk and many others were founded. The foundation of the fortresses of Voronezh and Liven is also the fruit of his statesmanship. To protect against possible aggression from Poland, a grandiose defensive structure was erected - the Smolensk fortress wall. And at the head of all these endeavors was Boris Godunov.

Briefly about other actions of the ruler

During this period, in Moscow, at the direction of Godunov, the first water supply system in Russia was built - an unheard of thing at that time. From the Moscow River, using specially made pumps, water flowed to the Konyushenny Yard. At the end of the 16th century, this was a real technical breakthrough. In addition, the reign of Boris Godunov was marked by another important initiative - the nine-kilometer walls of the White City were built. Built of limestone and lined with brick, they were fortified with twenty-nine watchtowers.

Somewhat later, another line of fortifications was built. It was located where the Garden Ring passes today. As a result of such large-scale work on the construction of defensive structures, the army of the Tatar Khan Kazy-Girey, who approached Moscow in 1591, was forced to abandon attempts to storm the city and retreated. Subsequently, it was completely defeated by the Russian troops pursuing it.

Foreign policy of Boris Godunov

Briefly describing his achievements in the field of diplomacy, we should first of all mention the peace treaty he concluded with Sweden, which ended a war that lasted more than three years. Godunov took advantage of the difficult situation that had developed within Sweden and, as a result of a treaty favorable to Moscow, managed to return all the lands lost as a result of the Livonian War. Thanks to his talent and ability to negotiate, Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye and a number of other cities again became part of Russia.

Death of the young prince

In May 1591, an event occurred that largely overshadowed the historical image of Boris Godunov. In the appanage city of Uglich, under very mysterious circumstances, the legal heir to the throne, the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, the young Tsarevich Dmitry, died. Since his death opened the way for Godunov to reign, general rumor hastened to accuse him of organizing the murder.

The official investigation, headed by boyar Vasily Shuisky and establishing the cause of death as an accident, was perceived as an attempt to hide the crime. This largely undermined Godunov’s authority among the people, which his political opponents did not fail to take advantage of.

Accession to the throne

After the death of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, the Zemsky Sobor elected Boris Godunov to the kingdom. The date of his ascension to the throne is September 11, 1598. According to the customs of those years, everyone - from the supreme boyars to the small service people - kissed the cross, taking an oath of allegiance to it. From the first days, the reign of Boris Godunov was marked by a tendency towards rapprochement with the West. In those years, many foreigners came to Russia, who subsequently left a noticeable mark on the development of the country. Among them were military men, merchants, doctors and industrialists. Boris Godunov invited them all. His biography during this period is marked by acts similar to the future achievements of Peter the Great.

Strengthening the boyar opposition

But the new sovereign was not destined to rule Russia calmly and serenely. In 1601, a famine began in the country, caused by the loss of crops due to severe weather conditions. It lasted three years and claimed many lives. Boris's opponents took advantage of this. They in every possible way contributed to the spread of rumors among the people that the disasters that befell the country were God's punishment for the murderer king for the death of the legitimate heir to the throne.

The situation was aggravated by the fact that Godunov, suspicious and inclined to see treason everywhere, having ascended the throne, brought many boyar families into disgrace. They became his main enemies. When the first news appeared about the approaching False Dmitry, posing as a prince who had escaped death, Godunov’s position became critical.

The end of Godunov's life

Constant nervous stress and overwork undermined his health. Boris Godunov, whose biography until then had been a chain of continuous ascensions through the ranks of power, at the end of his life found himself in political isolation, deprived of all support and surrounded by a ring of ill-wishers. He died on April 13, 1605. His sudden death gave rise to rumors of poisoning and even suicide.

Boris Godunov (1552 - 1605) has an unenviable place in Russian history. It is believed that it was during his reign that the Great Troubles began, during which Russia almost lost its statehood. And on a personal level, historians do not favor Tsar Boris: he either tortured Tsarevich Dmitry, or ordered to torture him, and intrigued him endlessly, and did not favor political opponents.

Boris Godunov also got it from the masters of art. Even a person ignorant of history has probably read or heard in a movie a remark from Bulgakov’s Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible: “What Boris the Tsar?” Boriska?! Boris for the kingdom?.. So he, the evil one, paid the tsar for the kindest thing!.. He himself wanted to reign and rule everything!.. Guilty of death! Just a few words, but the image of Godunov - insidious, cunning and vile - is already ready. Only Ivan the Terrible, whose closest associates included Godunov, did not and could not say such things. And Bulgakov took these words from Andrei Kurbsky’s correspondence with Grozny, and specifically from Kurbsky’s letter.

In Pushkin's tragedy of the same name, the image of Boris Godunov is shown with sufficient reliability. Pushkin's Boris, however, is tormented by doubts whether Tsarevich Dmitry is really dead, and too much attention is paid to the enslavement of the peasants, but in general Pushkin's Godunov turned out to be similar to the original.

Scene from M. Mussorgsky's opera based on A. Pushkin's tragedy “Boris Godunov”

How did the tsar who ruled Russia at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries live and die:

1. There is almost no information about the origin and childhood of Boris. It is known that he was the son of a Kostroma landowner, who, in turn, was the son of a nobleman. The Godunovs themselves traced their ancestry to the Tatar prince. The conclusion about Boris Godunov’s literacy is made on the basis of a deed of gift written by him in his own hand. Traditionally, kings did not stain their hands with ink.

2. Boris’s parents died early, he and his sister were looked after by the boyar Dmitry Godunov, who was close to Ivan the Terrible, and was their uncle. Dmitry, despite his “artiness,” made a brilliant career in the guardsmen. He occupied approximately the same place under the tsar as Malyuta Skuratov. Quite naturally, Skuratov’s middle daughter Maria became the wife of Boris Godunov.

3. Already at the age of 19, Boris was the groom’s groomsman at the wedding of Ivan the Terrible with Marfa Sobakina, that is, the tsar already had time to appreciate the young man. Godunov performed the same position of groomsman when the tsar married for the fifth time.

Wedding of Ivan the Terrible and Marfa Sobakina

4. Boris Godunov’s sister Irina was married to Ivan the Terrible’s son Fedor, who later inherited his father’s throne. 9 days after the death of her husband, Irina took monastic vows as a nun. The queen-nun died in 1603.

5. On the day when Fyodor Ivanovich was crowned king (May 31, 1584), he awarded Godunov the rank of equerry. At that time, the boyar-equerry belonged to the circle closest to the tsar. However, no matter how much Ivan the Terrible broke the family origin, it was not possible to completely eradicate it, and Godunov, even after being crowned king, was called “slave king” by representatives of older families. This was what autocracy was like.

Tsar Fedor Ivanovich

6. Fyodor Ivanovich was a very pious person (of course, historians of the 19th century considered this quality of soul, if not madness, then certainly a form of dementia - the tsar prayed a lot, went on pilgrimage once a week, no joke). Godunov slowly began to resolve administrative matters. Large construction projects began, the salaries of the sovereign's servants were increased, and bribe-takers began to be caught and punished.

7. Under Boris Godunov, a patriarch appeared in Russia for the first time. In 1588, Ecumenical Patriarch Jeremiah II came to Moscow. At first, the post of Russian patriarch was offered to him, but Jeremiah refused, citing the opinion of his clergy. Then they convened the Consecrated Council, which nominated three candidates. From among them (in strict accordance with the procedure adopted in Constantinople), Boris, who was then in charge of state affairs, chose Metropolitan Job. His enthronement took place on January 26, 1589.

First Russian Patriarch Job

8. Two years later, the Russian army under the command of Godunov and Fyodor Mstislavsky put the Crimean horde to flight. To understand the danger of Crimean raids, a few lines from the chronicle are enough, in which it is proudly reported that the Russians pursued the Tatars “all the way to Tula.”

9. In 1595, Godunov concluded a peace treaty with the Swedes that was successful for Russia, according to which the lands lost in the unsuccessful debut of the Livonian War were returned to Russia.

10. Andrei Chokhov cast the Tsar Cannon according to Godunov’s instructions. There was no intention of shooting from it - the gun doesn’t even have a seed hole. The weapon was created as a symbol of the power of the state. Chokhov also made the Tsar Bell, but it has not survived to this day.

11. Starting with Karamzin and Kostomarov, historians accuse Godunov of terrible intrigue. According to them, he consistently discredited and removed several members of the Guardian Council from Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich. But even familiarity with the events as presented by these historians shows: the noble boyars wanted Tsar Fedor to divorce Irina Godunova. Fyodor loved his wife, and Boris defended his sister with all his might. Messrs. Shuisky, Mstislavsky and Romanov had to go to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery.

12. Under Godunov, Russia impressively grew with Siberia. Khan Kuchum was finally defeated, Tyumen, Tobolsk, Berezov, Surgut, Tara, Tomsk were founded. Godunov demanded to conduct business with local tribes with “affection.” This attitude laid a good foundation for the next half century, when the Russians reached the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

Russia under Boris Godunov

13. Historians have long been breaking their spears over the “Uglich Affair” - the murder of Tsarevich Dmitry in Uglich. For a very long time, Godunov was considered the main culprit and beneficiary of the murder. Karamzin directly stated that Godunov was separated from the throne only by a little boy. The venerable and overly emotional historian did not take into account several more factors: at least another 8 years lay between Boris and the throne (the prince was killed in 1591, and Boris was elected king only in 1598) and the actual election of Godunov as king at the Zemsky Sobor.

Murder of Tsarevich Dmitry

14. After the death of Tsar Fedor, Godunov retired to a monastery and for a month after Irina’s tonsure, the ruler was absent from the state. Only on February 17, 1598, the Zemsky Sobor elected Godunov to the throne, and on September 1, Godunov was crowned king.

15. The first days after the crowning of the kingdom turned out to be rich in rewards and benefits. Boris Godunov doubled the salaries of all employees. The merchants were exempt from duties for two years, and farmers from taxes for a year. A general amnesty took place. Significant amounts of money were distributed to widows and orphans. Foreigners were exempted from tribute for a year. Hundreds of people received promotions in ranks and titles.

16. The first students sent abroad appeared not under Peter the Great, but under Boris Godunov. Just like the first “defectors” appeared not under Soviet power, but under Godunov - out of a dozen youths sent to study, only one returned to Russia.

17. The Russian Time of Troubles, which the country barely survived, did not begin because of the weakness or bad rule of Boris Godunov. It didn’t even begin when the Pretender appeared on the western outskirts of the state. It began when some of the boyars saw benefits for themselves in the appearance of the Pretender and the weakening of royal power, and began to secretly support False Dmitry.

18. In 1601 - 1603, Russia was struck by a terrible famine. Its initial cause was a natural disaster - the eruption of the Huaynaputina volcano (!!!) in Peru triggered the Little Ice Age. The air temperature dropped, and cultivated plants did not have time to ripen. But the crisis of governance aggravated the famine. Tsar Boris began distributing money to the hungry, and hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Moscow. At the same time, the price of bread increased 100 times. Boyars and monasteries (not all, of course, but very many) held back grain in anticipation of even higher prices. As a result, tens of thousands of people died of starvation. People ate rats, mice and even dung. A terrible blow was dealt not only to the country’s economy, but also to the authority of Boris Godunov. After such a catastrophe, any words that punishment was sent to people for the sins of “Boriska” seemed to be the true truth.

19. As soon as the famine ended, False Dmitry appeared. Despite the absurdity of his appearance, he posed a considerable danger, which Godunov recognized too late. And it was difficult for a devout person in those days to imagine that even high-ranking boyars, who knew full well that the real Dmitry had been dead for many years, and who kissed the cross when swearing an oath to Godunov, could so easily betray.

20. Boris Godunov died on April 13, 1605. A few hours before the king’s death, he looked healthy and cheerful, but then he felt weak and started bleeding from his nose and ears. There were rumors of poisoning and even suicide, but it is likely that Boris died of natural causes - over the last six years of his life he was seriously ill several times.

All rulers of Russia Mikhail Ivanovich Vostryshev

TSAR FEDOR BORISOVICH GODUNOV (1589–1605)

TSAR FEDOR BORISOVICH GODUNOV

Son of Boris Godunov and daughter of Malyuta Skuratov Maria.

The sixteen-year-old Tsar reigned for the shortest time in Russian history. Muscovites kissed the cross of Fyodor Godunov, letters of oath were sent to all cities of the Moscow State. On April 17, they arrived near Kromy to swear in and change the main governors of Prince F.I. Mstislavsky and Prince V.I. Shuisky boyars Prince Mikhail Petrovich Katyrev-Rostovsky and Pyotr Fedorovich Basmanov. Basmanov, favored by Tsar Boris, promised to faithfully serve the heir, but in his soul he harbored resentment and anger. According to the new “rank”, he received an appointment below Prince Andrei Andreevich Telyatevsky, who was a relative of Semyon Nikitich Godunov, into whose hands state power passed after the death of Boris. S.N. Godunov had previously occupied a prominent position, in charge of secret investigation, which is why his contemporaries called him “the Tsar’s right ear.” Local resentment later became one of the reasons for Basmanov’s betrayal.

Decline and instability reigned in the Krom camp. Basmanov discovered many supporters of the impostor in the army, both among the governors (he was joined by the brothers Vasily and Ivan Vasilyevich Golitsyn) and among the nobles (primarily from the Seversk and Ryazan lands). The oath of office in the regiments began, but was not successful. On the morning of May 7, the rebels rushed at the governors loyal to the Godunovs and captured them. Princes Katyrev-Rostovsky and Telyatevsky and some others tried to resist, but were forced to flee. Together with them, several hundred more soldiers loyal to Tsar Fyodor Borisovich left the rebel camp. The rebel army united with the Krom garrison and sent an embassy to Putivl expressing submission to the impostor. The fate of Tsar Fedor was decided. Having reunited with the impostor's army, the army moved towards Moscow, which still remained under the control of the tsarist administration.

The procession of False Dmitry I from Putivl to Tula can be called triumphant. Numerous crowds of people flocked from everywhere to greet the “true prince.” From near Tula to Moscow, the impostor sent messengers G.G. Pushkin and N.M. Pleshcheev with a call to Muscovites to overthrow Tsar Fedor and his mother Tsarina Maria Grigorievna and recognize his rights to the throne. On June 1, the Cossacks of Ataman Andrei Korela, famous for his defense of Krom, delivered False Dmitry’s envoys to Krasnoye Selo, where they quickly managed to win over the “Krasnoye Selo men” to their side. Accompanied by a large crowd of “men,” the envoys arrived in Moscow and on Red Square, in front of a large crowd of people, read the impostor’s letter.

According to the discharge records, at that moment the okolnichy B.Ya. spoke to the people. Belsky (returned from exile by Fyodor Godunov) and confirmed the truth of the “royal” origin of False Dmitry: “I lost Tsarevich Dmitry for the mercy of Tsarev Ivanov, for which I suffered from Tsar Boris.” Velsky’s hatred of Godunov turned out to be stronger than his family feelings, because Tsarina Maria Grigorievna was his cousin, and Tsar Fedor was his nephew.

So on June 1, 1605, an uprising broke out. An armed crowd rushed to the Kremlin, the Godunovs were arrested, and the plunder of their property began, as well as the yards of their relatives, the Saburovs and Velyaminovs. During this pogrom, the golden shroud for the Temple of the Holy of Holies was destroyed. Patriarch Job was seized in the Assumption Cathedral, dragged out of it and “dragging the disgrace with many disgraces across the square.” Tsar Fyodor Borisovich, Tsarina Maria Grigorievna and Tsarevna Ksenia were imprisoned in the old courtyard of Boris Godunov in the Kremlin. The burial of Tsar Boris in the Archangel Cathedral was opened, and his ashes were transferred to the cemetery of the Varsonofevsky Monastery, where the homeless and poor were buried. Muscovites swore allegiance to False Dmitry I.

On June 10, the favorites of the impostor, boyar Basmanov, princes V.V., arrived in Moscow. Golitsyn and V.M. Rubets-Mosalsky, nobleman M.A. Molchanov and clerk A.V. Sherefedinov. They deposed and exiled the elderly Patriarch Job from Moscow. Then, accompanied by three archers, they came to the place of detention of the Godunovs (Basmanov avoided participating in this dirty business). The assassins strangled Tsarina Maria Grigorievna quickly enough, but the young Tsar Fyodor put up desperate resistance to them: “They crushed the Tsarevich for many hours, as God did not give him courage because of his youth.” Finally he was overcome. Prince V.V. Golitsyn announced to the people that the Tsar and Tsarina took poison “out of passion.” The beautiful princess Ksenia, the unlucky bride of foreign princes, was spared by the killers. The sad fate of the impostor's concubine awaited her, and then the monastic hood.

Fyodor Borisovich was buried in the churchyard of the Varsonofevsky Monastery, and in September 1606 his ashes were transferred to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery.

Agents of Dmitry the Pretender kill the son of Boris Godunov. Artist Konstantin Makovsky. 1862