Boris Godunov biography. Brief biography of Boris Godunov the most important thing

(1551-1605) Russian tsar

Boris Fedorovich Godunov always wanted to have a lot of power and fame. He achieved great power, but the fame of him went so thin that his name still haunts. Much information about him remains in historical documents, and just as much has been written about Tsar Boris in works of art, including such masterpieces of Russian literature as the tragedies of A. Pushkin and A. Tolstoy, as well as numerous stories and novels.

The Godunov clan comes from the Tatar Murza Chet, who began serving in Russia around 1300 under Ivan I Kalita. Boris Godunov belonged to the younger branch of this family. We know almost nothing about his childhood. It is only known that he began to serve under Ivan IV the Terrible. For the first time, his name is mentioned in documents from 1567, where Boris Fedorovich Godunov is named a member of the oprichnina court.

In 1570, Boris Godunov participated in the Serpukhov campaign of Ivan IV, where he served as a rynda, that is, a servant under the royal saadak (bow and arrows). And in the same year he married Maria Skuratova, daughter of the famous tsarist guardsman Malyuta Skuratov. With the help of his father-in-law, in 1578 Godunov got the position of a kravchey. His elevation is also connected with the fact that in 1580 Boris Godunov's sister, Irina, became the wife of Ivan the Terrible's youngest son Fyodor.

After the death of Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov becomes the chief adviser to Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich. On the day of Fedor's wedding to the kingdom, Godunov was literally showered with favors: he received the high rank of equerry, and also began to be called his neighbor great boyar and governor of the Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms.

It must be said that Boris Godunov knew how to use his position, and the fact that the tsar loved his wife Irina greatly helped him advance. Therefore, in a short time, Godunov concentrated enormous power in his hands: he received foreign ambassadors, negotiated and signed treaties. His first concern was to strengthen the borders of the Russian state. In this field, Boris Godunov proved to be a strong and intelligent leader. He resorted to military force only in cases where diplomatic negotiations failed. Under him, the Muscovite state became an important political force not only in Europe but also in Asia. A reasonable trade policy also contributed to this, in particular, it was Boris Fedorovich Godunov who in 1587 allowed foreign merchants to trade duty-free in Russia.

To facilitate the development of the outlying regions of Russia, Boris Godunov proposed to build Russian cities in the Volga region, as well as along the borders of the steppe regions.

The establishment of the Russian Patriarchate in 1589 also had the most important political consequences. It equated the head of the Russian church with the ecumenical eastern patriarchs, that is, it finally secured the status of the first city of the Russian land for Moscow.

In addition, Boris Godunov proposed limiting the growth of boyar households by enshrining the rights of serfs in the laws and setting a five-year period for searching for fugitive peasants. All these measures were aimed at strengthening the social status of the noble population, allowing the “poor nobles” and service people to rise.

In 1591, Tsarevich Dmitry died under mysterious circumstances. Popular rumor connected his death with the name of Boris Fedorovich Godunov. This formed a dark stain on the biography of Godunov as a statesman, which, however, did not prevent him from taking the royal throne a few years later.

After Boris Godunov became tsar, he showed himself to be a reasonable and at the same time cautious ruler. In 1601, he allowed the annual transfer of peasants to a new owner. As an intelligent and, obviously, well-educated person, Boris Godunov perfectly understood the backwardness of Muscovite Russia. That is why he first decided to send several young men to study in Germany, England and Austria. However, everyone he sent remained abroad. Then Tsar Boris began to invite foreign specialists to Russia - doctors, miners, cloth workers.

Under Boris Fedorovich Godunov, there were six foreign doctors and a fairly large number of other specialists in Moscow, since they were even allowed to build their own Lutheran church and buy houses to live in.

The last years of Boris Godunov's reign were marred by suspicion and envy. The reason was that rumors began to spread in the capital and the state that Tsarevich Dmitry was alive and lay claim to the kingdom. Besides, one misfortune followed another. It seemed that all conceivable and unimaginable troubles fell upon the kingdom of Godunov. Since 1601, a terrible crop failure has swept through Moscow and throughout Russia. This led to epidemics of various diseases, and bands of robbers appeared. And at the beginning of 1604, Polish troops also entered Russian territory, commanded by False Dmitry I.

Despite the fact that on January 21, 1605, Russian troops stopped the detachments of False Dmitry, Tsar Boris felt threatened and felt that this respite would not last long. But he did not have time to do anything, because just three months later he suddenly died. After his death, the inhabitants of Moscow swore allegiance to the son of Boris Theodore. But the young tsar was soon killed during a turmoil skillfully organized by V. Shuisky, and his mother and sisters were tonsured into a monastery.

The ashes of Boris Fedorovich Godunov, first buried in the Archangel Cathedral, were transferred to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Thus ended the life of this outstanding man and statesman.

The great tyrant and murderer, who subjected the state to a terrible famine and dragged it into the chaos of the Time of Troubles. At the same time, during the 7 years of the reign of Boris Godunov, Russia strengthened its influence and its own borders, but internal conflicts provoked the ascension to the throne of an impostor.

Boris was born in 1552 into a landowner's family, who lived near the city of Vyazma. The genealogy of the Godunovs goes back to the Tatar Chet-Murza, who settled in Russia during the reign. Boris's ancestors are Kostroma boyars, who eventually become Vyazma landlords.

Being a provincial nobleman, the young man received an education, but did not familiarize himself with the Holy Scriptures. The study of church books was considered a fundamental component of study, so gaps in this area were not allowed. Contemporaries called the future king a poorly educated and bad boy. Literacy and calligraphic handwriting were not taken into account.

Approach to the royal retinue

In 1565, he fights for undivided power, and for this he divides Russia into zemshchina and oprichnina. The latter creates its own Duma, ministries and troops. The Godunovs' possessions turned out to be on the side of the oprichnina lands, and Dmitry Ivanovich (Boris's uncle) enlisted in the military corps. Due to the disgraced boyars, he increased his fortune. The tsar appreciated the merits of Dmitry and brought him closer to the court, providing a dignitary rank.

After the death of their parents, Irina and Boris Godunov, the uncle took custody of the children. Constant traveling did not favor the full-fledged upbringing of the offspring, so Dmitry attached the orphans to the Kremlin, having agreed with the autocrat. Children grew up in full contentment along with the royal heirs. Ivan the Terrible liked to talk with the younger Godunov and even ordered to write down his own wise thoughts.

The young man was attracted by power and court luxury, but he was amazed by the tortures to which Grozny subjected the rebels. Being in the state retinue, he was forced to observe the executions and tortures of the disgraced. The boy quickly realized that he would not survive in a bloody court if he did not learn to control pity and emotions. He was forced to take instruments of torture into his hands and "had fun" together with Grozny and the guardsmen.

At the age of 18, he took the place of the state bedkeeper. The previous one was executed by impalement. Now, on duty, the young man becomes the eyes and ears of the tsar, in charge of the Kremlin economy and security. Trickery and behind-the-scenes intrigues are now the natural element of Boris, who is forced to fight with rivals.

The smart courtier liked him, who feared for his life and was looking for loyal allies. Malyuta married Godunov his youngest daughter Maria, and his eldest.

In 1571, a young courtier betrothed a relative, Yevdokia Saburov, to the son of Ivan the Terrible. The daughter-in-law did not like the autocrat, who accused the girl of disrespect and exiled her to a monastery. Boris learned that the lustful father-in-law harassed the young beauty and became angry after a categorical refusal. Godunov shared his opinion with a friend, who immediately conveyed the information to the tsar.

The career of the bed-keeper was shaken. Now the angry Grozny will order the execution at any moment. From the torture chamber, the man was rescued by his beloved sister Irina, who persuaded Fedor (the royal son) to resolve the issue with a pardon. The girl was famous for her intelligence, literacy and beauty. Charming Irina liked Fyodor from childhood, but did not pay attention to tongue-tied courtship.

The beauty loved to read, learned to read and write with pleasure and showed success in mathematics. When a terrible danger loomed over her brother, Irina rushed to the royal offspring with prayers, and he convinced her father to spare the Godunov family. In gratitude, the girl had to marry the silly Fedor, Boris was granted the title of boyar.

During the reign of Fedor

In 1581, in the heat of a scandal, the tsar kills his own son Ivan. Fyodor Ioannovich becomes a contender for the throne. After 3 years, Grozny dies a terrible death, choking on his own blood. The people said that the autocrat was strangled by the spilled blood of the innocently killed. The sole heir becomes the new ruler.

Fyodor got tired of holding a gilded apple, denoting a state, and gave the symbol to Godunov. These events, according to the courtiers, become historical. A regency council was urgently created in the Kremlin, which included Yuryev, Belsky, Mstislavsky, Shuisky and Godunov. The boyars understood that this tsar was not capable of governing the country, and a fierce struggle for the throne began at the court.

Godunov turned popular unrest in a favorable direction, accusing Velsky of executions, torture and abuse of his subjects. The former favorite was sent into exile. This was followed by a hard struggle with the boyar families, who were not going to share power with the "rootless upstart". The boyars acted by force, and Boris by intrigue and cunning.

Fyodor Chaliapin in the title role in the opera "Boris Godunov"

Having finished with the opponents, the future king decided to eliminate the last contender for the throne. Ivan the Terrible had one more descendant - Tsarevich Dmitry, who was exiled with his mother to Uglich. The child died in 1591, having stumbled upon a knife during an epileptic attack. A specially created commission found no traces of a crime in the death of the prince. The tsar's brother-in-law was not accused of killing Dmitry, since there was no direct evidence of guilt, only circumstantial evidence.

This moment of the biography was wonderfully expressed in the tragedy "Boris Godunov" in a poetic line:

“And everything is sick, and the head is spinning,
And the boys are bloody in the eyes...
And I'm glad to run away, but there's nowhere ... terrible!
Yes, pitiful is the one in whom the conscience is not clear.

In 1869, the composer Mussorgsky, being impressed by the poem, wrote an opera of the same name, in which he showed in detail the relationship between the people and the ruler.

reforms

A rare intriguer and a skilled politician ruled the country for 13 years, hiding behind the name of Fyodor Ioannovich. During this period, cities, powerful fortresses, and temples were built in Russia. Talented builders and architects were allocated money from the treasury. In Moscow, they created the first water supply system, called the Kremlin. In 1596, by decree of Godunov, the Smolensk fortress wall was erected, protecting the western borders of Russia from the Poles.

Boris entrusted Fyodor Savelyev with the construction of the outer wall encircling the White City. Foreigners who visited Moscow wrote in their diaries that it was now impossible to take the city by storm. The Crimean Khan Kazy-Girey only confirmed the opinion of foreigners, as he was afraid to besiege the fortress walls. For this, the royal governor was awarded the title of "Tsar's servant", which was considered an honorary title.

Thanks to Godunov, in 1595 an agreement was signed with the Swedes, which ended the Russian-Swedish war, which lasted 3 years. Under the strict guidance of the politician of Russia, Korela, Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye retreated. At the same time, the Patriarchate was established, which allowed the Orthodox Church to move away from the Byzantine Patriarchy.

He set a deadline for searching for runaway peasants. Now the serfs were searched for for 5 years, and after that freedom was declared. He freed landowners from taxes, who cultivated arable land with their own hands, without resorting to hiring workers.

Reign

January 1598 is marked by the death of the last of the Rurik dynasty - Fedor. The sovereign's widow, Irina, was appointed temporary ruler. There are no direct heirs to the throne, so the road to the kingdom is free for Godunov. The convened Zemsky Sobor unanimously elected the ruler. A significant role was played by the fact that the late tsar was considered a nominal figure, and only Boris ruled the state.

Having taken the throne, the man realizes that the hat is a heavy burden. If the first three years of the reign are marked by the flourishing of Russia, then subsequent events nullify achievements. In 1599, he made an attempt to rapprochement with the West, realizing that the Russian people were lagging behind in education and medicine. Courtiers, by royal decree, recruit craftsmen and doctors abroad, with each of whom Boris talks personally.

A year later, the sovereign decided to open a higher educational institution in Moscow, where foreign teachers would work. To implement the project, he sends gifted young people to France, England, Austria so that they gain experience in teaching.

In 1601, mass famine swept through Russia, as crop failure and early frosts affected. By royal decree, taxes were reduced to help the subjects. Boris took measures to save the starving by distributing money and grain from the treasury. Bread prices rose a hundred times, but the autocrat did not punish the speculators. The treasury and barns were empty quickly.

The peasants ate quinoa, dogs, and cats. Incidents of cannibalism have become more frequent. Moscow streets were filled with corpses, which the archers threw into skudelnitsa (common graves). Godunov appealed to the people with a request to remain calm. The masses of people were stirred up by such an appeal, the peasants considered this speech the sovereign's weakness.

127,000 people died of starvation. Rumors begin that God sends punishment to Russia for illegal succession to the throne. Peasant discontent develops into a revolt led by Cotton. The detachments of the rebels under the city walls were defeated by the army. After that, the situation did not stabilize, as there were rumors that Tsarevich Dmitry was alive.

False Dmitry

Boris Godunov understands that the position of False Dmitry is much stronger than his own, because people consider the impostor to be the son of Ivan the Terrible. Trusted people collected information and provided the tsar with the facts that under the image of the tsarevich hides an exceptionally unpleasant person - the monk-defrocked Grigory Otrepyev. The Russian people believed that the true heir had come, who would save them from hunger and cold.

The Poles allocated money to raise the army of Otrepiev, who was preparing to go to war for the throne. The self-proclaimed tsarevich was also supported by the Russians, even the army in detachments passed under the banner of the impostor. A bunch of marauders and bandits did not win, and "Grigory-Dmitry" fled to Putivl. The news delighted Godunov, who had a hard time enduring the betrayal of the courtiers and troops.

Personal life

She became the wife of the first elected king. Little is known about the girl. But those that are known present Mary in a flattering light. A well-bred, submissive beauty becomes a faithful companion of her husband. For 10 years of marriage, not a single baby was born to the couple, and the doctors only shrugged, referring to the natural childlessness of the woman.

Boris Godunov and Maria Skuratova. Wax figures

The desperate husband ordered an eminent doctor from England who managed to improve the girl's health. Two years later, two children appeared in the family - son Fedor and daughter Ksenia. Godunov whiled away his free time in the family circle and said that he fully rested only in the presence of loved ones. The ruler saw the future of his own dynasty in his own children, so he provided both with first-class education.

From childhood, the boy was prepared for the throne and taught by teachers in Europe and Moscow. said that Fedor is "the first fruit of European education in Russia." The English ambassador Jerome Horsey described in his diaries that warm family relations were maintained in the autocrat's family, which was considered rare in Russia.

Death

Boris Godunov suffered from urolithiasis and severe migraines for a long time. By the end of his life, he stopped trusting his retinue and boyars, seeing enemies everywhere except his family. He kept his son with him inseparably, worrying about the future.

On April 13, 1605, the tsar received the English ambassadors when he suffered an apoplexy. Blood gushed from the nose and ears of the man, and the court physician only shrugged, unable to help.

The boyars, who were standing at the bedside of the dying man, asked about the oath to his son. The monarch said: "As pleasing to God and the people." After that, he was speechless and died. Fedor is appointed successor, whose reign lasted a month and a half. Upon learning of the death of the sovereign, False Dmitry entered Moscow with an army to the jubilant cries of the crowd.

On the same day, on the orders of Golitsyn, the archers strangled the Godunov family, leaving only Ksenia alive, who fainted. The pardoned girl involuntarily becomes the concubine of False Dmitry, who, having played enough, exiled the dishonored beauty to a monastery.

Tomb of Boris Godunov

Godunov was buried in the Archangel Cathedral, but during the rebellion the coffin was pulled out and placed in the Varsonofevsky Monastery. After 2 years, Vasily Shuisky ordered the reburial of the Godunov family in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

There is a mystery in the biography of the unfortunate ruler, which has not yet been solved by historians. After Godunov's death, the autocrat's head mysteriously disappeared. It is also not clear during which of the burials the skull was separated from the body. This was discovered thanks to the anthropologist Gerasimov, who opened the crypt with the remains in order to restore the appearance of the deceased.

Godunov Boris Fedorovich (c. 1552 -1605) - boyar, de facto ruler of the Muscovite state 1584-1598, Russian tsar in 1598-1605, whose name is associated with the beginning of the Time of Troubles.

The son of the courtier Fyodor Ivanovich Godunov, according to family tradition, a descendant of the Tatar murza Chet, who entered the Russian service at the beginning of the 14th century. The great-great-grandson of the Chet received the name Godun, the Godunov family descended from him. Boris's mother is Stepanida Ivanovna (monastic Sandulia), her origin is unclear.

I have reached the highest power;
For the sixth year I reign quietly.
But my soul is not happy. Is not it
We fall in love from a young age and are hungry
The joys of love, but only quench
Heart smoothness by instant possession,
Already, having cooled, we miss and languish? (According to Pushkin A.S.)

Godunov Boris Fyodorovich

After the death of his father (1560s) he was brought up by his uncle. He was literate, but "not learned in Holy Scripture", which in the 16th century. was a sign of poor education. Having “an insatiable desire for lust for power”, he was cunning and cautious, while “he was famous for his beauty, surpassing many with his appearance, he was of medium height, was very eloquent” (Chronicle Book).

In 1567, under the supervision of his uncle, he began court service under Ivan IV Vasilyevich the Terrible. He strengthened his position at court by marrying the daughter of the chief guardsman Malyuta, Grigory Skuratov, Maria Grigoryevna Skuratova (? -1605) in 1570. Boris's sister Irina was married off to Tsarevich Fedor Ivanovich (1574). He tried to become noticeable at court: in 1571 he was a friend of Martha Sobakina, the bride of Ivan IV in her third marriage. He was listed in the second royal saadak (army), participated in campaigns, including the Swedish one in 1572 (where he was assigned as a rynda under the princes Ivan and Fedor). With the active participation of Malyuta Skuratov, he received court ranks: in 1577 - the regional, from the autumn of 1580 - the bedkeeper. Having won a lawsuit with the boyar V.I. Sitsky, he was awarded the title of boyar (1580).

Shortly before his death, Grozny ordered the transfer of the throne to his youngest son Fyodor, Godunov's brother-in-law. Knowing about Fyodor's ill health, the tsar appointed a regency council (Supreme Duma) of five members, which included Godunov. Having learned in 1584 the first and announcing the death of Ivan the Terrible to his subjects, Boris then defeated all his rivals (Prince I.P. Shuisky, boyars I.F. Mstislavsky and B.Ya. Belsky) and by 1587 concentrated power in his hands.

An important achievement of his government was the establishment in 1589 of the patriarchate. This strengthened the prestige of the Russian church and gave the tsar Patriarch Job, who played a decisive role in exonerating Godunov from charges of murdering Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich. Despite the rumors that it was Godunov who staged the death of the prince in Uglich on May 15, 1591, it was presented as “neglect of the Nagikhs” (the mother and aunt of the prince) and an accidental suicide (a boy suffering from epilepsy allegedly stabbed himself in the throat). The Time of Troubles began in the country, called by contemporaries "the great ruin."

Trying to save the country from him, the king insisted on the need for "reconciliation" with neighboring countries. This did not prevent him from taking a personal part (in the rank of palace governor) in the campaign against the Crimean Khan Kazy Giray. Godunov smashed it close to the Kremlin, on the site where the Donskoy Monastery now stands. In the same 1591, for these exploits, he received the highest boyar rank of servant and the right to be called "the first person in the Russian land, ordered to him."

Calls for "pacification" in his plans were fully consistent with the war with Sweden, which had weakened for a while. As soon as the Plyus truce of 1583 ended in 1590, the war began. Its results were consolidated in 1595 by the Tyavzinsky peace, according to which, although Russia did not get access to the Baltic (a contemporary ironically remarked about Godunov that nevertheless “he was not skillful in those battles”), she regained the previously lost Korela, Oreshek, Ivangorod , Yam, Koporye and the Kola Peninsula. The losses of the Godunov army, especially near Narva, were significant, so that immediately after the battles, the “initial man” ordered the construction of new fortresses on the southern borders (Voronezh, Livny, Yelets, Belgorod) and in the east (Berezov, Narym), which made it possible to accelerate the development of Siberia. These orders manifested Godunov's state mind, who sought to quickly replenish the treasury and prevent further "ruin". At the turn of the 16-17 centuries. Russian positions in the North Caucasus, in the Transcaucasus, Trans-Volga region were strengthened, foreign trade increased (through Arkhangelsk and along the Volga).

Boris Fedorovich Godunov (c. 1552-1605) - Tsar (elected by the Zemsky Sobor on February 17, 1598). The rise of Boris Fyodorovich Godunov is associated with his marriage to the daughter of the all-powerful Malyuta Skuratov - Maria and the marriage of Tsarevich Fyodor with the sister of Boris Fyodorovich Godunov - Irina. With the accession of Fyodor Ioannovich, Boris Fyodorovich Godunov became the de facto ruler of the state. During his reign, the construction of fortress cities in the south of the country continued. Founded in Belgorod.

In 1581, in a fit of anger, the tsar struck his eldest son Ivan with a mortal blow and Fedor became heir to the throne. Thanks to his mind, B. was able not only to maintain his position, but also to gain the confidence of the Terrible Tsar, who, dying (died March 17, 1584), appointed Boris Fedorovich Godunov one of the guardians of Fedor, since he, although he ascended the throne at an age (27 years old), was a baby by ability. These guardians, or members of the Supreme Duma, who were supposed to help Fyodor in governing the state, were, in addition to Boris: Nikita Romanovich Yuryev, Fyodor's maternal uncle, Prince. Iv. Feud. Mstislavsky, prince. Iv. Petrovich Shuisky, who became famous for the defense of Pskov from Bathory and Bogdan Yakovlevich Belsky. The latter, as they say, John entrusted to the care of his youngest son Demetrius, who was born from his fifth married wife, Mary the Naked.

Fedor's reign began with turmoil in favor of Tsarevich Dimitri, the consequence of which was the exile of the young prince with his mother and her relatives to Uglich, the inheritance assigned to Dimitri by his father. Belsky, who was considered the unspoken culprit of this unrest, was removed to Nizhny Novgorod. At the royal wedding on May 31, 1584, Boris Fyodorovich Godunov, as the brother-in-law of the new tsar, was showered with favors: he received the noble rank of equestrian, the title of a close great boyar and governor of the kingdoms of Kazan and Astrakhan. In addition to these ranks, Boris Godunov was granted land along the river. Vage, meadows on the banks of the Moscow River, as well as various government fees.

At first, the importance of Boris Fedorovich Godunov among Fedor's advisers was weakened by the influence on the affairs of the boyar Nikita Romanovich, but soon (in August 1584) Nikita Romanovich fell dangerously ill, and died the following year. The death of the tsar's uncle gave Boris Godunov the opportunity to come to the fore. The power-hungry plans of Boris Godunov met with opposition from those people who, due to their noble origin, recognized their great right to stand at the helm of the reign of Prince Iv. Fed. The Mstislavsky, Shuisky, Vorotynsky, boyar families of the Kolychevs, Golovins, and others constituted a party hostile to Boris. Metropolitan Dionysius was also against Boris, who tried in vain to reconcile Boris with his rivals and considered it his duty to grieve before the tsar for the people persecuted by Boris.

The time of the reign of Boris Fedorovich Godunov is the establishment of the patriarchate (1589), which equalized the primate of the Russian Church with the ecumenical eastern patriarchs and gave him primacy over the Metropolitan of Kiev. At the same time, 4 archdioceses were elevated to the dignity of metropolitans: Novgorod, Kazan, Rostov and Krutitsy: 6 bishops became archbishops and 8 bishoprics appeared again. Another important event in the internal history of Russia was the abolition of Boris F. G. Yuryev Day, i.e. the right of free transfer of peasants from one owner to another. From the decree of Tsar Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky we learn that "Tsar Fedor, at the slander of B. Godunov, not listening to the advice of the oldest boyars, ordered the peasants to leave." The decree on attachment has not been preserved, but it must have referred to the first years of the reign of Fyodor, as can be seen from the royal decree of 1597. The purpose of the annexation was to ensure the state service of the landowners and the payment of dues, and this required the necessary firm settlement of the agricultural class.

In 1591, an event took place that had a huge impact on the fate of Boris Fedorovich Godunov: on May 15, Tsarevich Dimitri died in Uglich, and the inhabitants of Uglich killed people they suspected of killing the prince. The investigation, carried out on the spot by a special commission sent from Moscow, found out that the prince, who suffered from epilepsy, was not killed, but, playing at poking with a knife, fell on the knife in a fit and stabbed himself. Popular rumor blamed Boris G. for the murder. It is still unclear how much, indeed, Boris G. is to blame for the untimely death of the prince. The accusation of Boris G. in the murder is based mainly on the consideration that the death of Demetrius was in the interests of Boris G.: it not only saved him from disgrace in the future, but also cleared the way to the throne.

After the incident in Uglich, Boris Fyodorovich Godunov was more than once slandered by slander, accusing him of various atrocities, and often interpreting his best actions in a bad way. Soon after the death of Demetrius (in June of the same 1591), a strong fire broke out in Moscow, which destroyed the entire White City. Boris Fyodorovich Godunov tried to provide all possible assistance to the victims of the fire, and now a rumor spread that he purposely ordered Moscow to be set on fire in order to attract its inhabitants with favors. The invasion of the Crimean Khan Kazy-Girey near Moscow in the summer of 1591 was also attributed to Boris, who allegedly wanted to divert the attention of the people from the death of Demetrius. They did not spare Boris Fyodorovich Godunov even from the accusation of the death of Tsar Fedor, whose childless death put Boris, who had many enemies, in a tragic position. Boris FG was left with one of two things: either reaching the throne, or falling, which at best would lead him to a monastery. Not only for the sake of ambition, but also for the sake of self-preservation, he chose the first.

Since 1601, three years in a row were not fruitful and a terrible famine began, so they ate, as they say, even human meat. To help the starving, Boris began construction in Moscow and handed out money. This measure caused even greater evil, since the people rushed to Moscow in large masses and died in multitudes from hunger and pestilence in the streets and on the roads. Only the harvest of 1604 ended the famine. Famine and pestilence were followed by robberies.

Boris died suddenly, having accepted the schema. Moscow swore allegiance to Boris's son, Fyodor, whom his father tried to give the best possible education, and whom all modern evidence showers with great praise. But Fedor Borisovich, after the shortest reign, together with his mother, had to die a violent death. Princess Xenia, distinguished by her beauty, was spared for the amusement of the impostor, she subsequently cut her hair and died in 1622. The ashes of Tsar Boris, removed under the Pretender from the Archangel Cathedral, under Mikhail Fedorovich were transported to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where he rests to this day; the ashes of the Boris family also rest there. In addition to the general sources of Karamzin, Artsybashev, Solovyov, Kostomarov: "Russian History in Biographies" (vol. 1), cf. Bestuzhev Ryumin, “Review of events from the death of Tsar John Vas. before the election to the throne of Mic. Fed. Romanov" ("J. M. N. Pr." 1887, July); Pavlov, "On the Historical significance of the reign of Boris Godunov” (2nd ed. 1863); Belov, “On the death of Tsarevich Dimitri” (“Zh. M. N. Pr.”, 1873, v. 168); Platonov, "Tales and Tales of the Time of Troubles" (St. Petersburg, 1888); Sergeevich, "Juridich. Antiquities” (I. St. Petersburg, 1890).

Lit .: A. Voronov. Encyclopedic Dictionary. Brockhaus Publishing House F.A. and Efron I.A.