Boris Fedorovich Godunov, Russian Tsar from 1598 to 1605, went down in history as the first elected monarch of Russia.

Brief biography of Boris Godunov

The future tsar was born around 1551 and came from a family of Godunov boyars, descended from the Tatar prince Chet, who arrived in Moscow under Ivan Kalita.

Once at the court of Ivan IV, Boris Godunov, possessing a strong-willed and purposeful character, quickly made a court career, becoming the favorite of the formidable king.

In 1571, Boris married the daughter of the omnipotent, Maria. In 1580, Tsar Ivan chose Boris Godunov’s sister, Irina, as his wife for his son Fyodor, and Boris himself became a boyar.

After the death of Ivan IV in 1584, Fyodor Ioannovich ascended the throne, in need of an experienced and intelligent adviser. This is Boris Godunov, who soon became the practical ruler of Russia until the death of Fedor in 1598.

Godunov's board

The reign was subordinated to the tasks of strengthening Russian statehood and establishing the prestige of Russia. Objectively assessing the activities of Godunov, it is necessary to admit that he was a talented and far-sighted ruler, but some kind of evil fate dominated him.

In 1591, under unclear circumstances, Tsarevich Dmitry, heir to the throne during the life of Tsar Feodor, died. Rumor, and then genius, make Godunov the culprit of the death of the prince.

In any case, after the death of Fedor, the line of the Moscow branch of the Rurikovichs was stopped and on February 17 (27), 1598, the Zemsky Sobor elected Boris Godunov as tsar. The next fatal set of circumstances were natural disasters that led to the great famine of 1601-1603.

A period of severe spiritual, economic and foreign policy upheavals begins. The appearance of False Dmitry I in 1603 aggravated the crisis. On April 13 (23), 1605, he suddenly dies, leaving the country to his son Fedor. Alas, the promising young man will soon be killed, and the country will plunge into the abyss of Troubles for eight years.

Domestic policy of Boris Godunov

• Strengthening autocracy;
• Grandiose city building and church building;
• Development of Siberia and the Northern Volga region;
• Establishment of “lesson years”.

Foreign policy of Boris Godunov

• The rapprochement of Russia with Western countries;
• Protection from the attacks of the Crimean Khan;
• Fight with.

Results of the reign of B. Godunov

• Strengthening the role of the nobility;
• Development of domestic and foreign trade;
• Development of culture;
• An economic and spiritual crisis caused by Godunov’s unpopularity among the people and the inability to cope with hunger.

For eighteen years the fate of the Russian state and people was connected with the personality of Boris Godunov. This man’s family descended from the Tatar Murza Chet, who accepted in the 14th century. in the Horde he was baptized by Metropolitan Peter and settled in Rus' under the name of Zechariah. A monument to the piety of this newly baptized Tatar was the Ipatsky monastery he built near Kostroma, which became the family shrine of his descendants; they supplied this monastery with offerings and were buried in it. The grandson of Zachariah Ivan Godun was the progenitor of that line of the Murza Cheti family, which received the name Godunov from the nickname Godun. Guodong's descendants have branched out significantly. The Godunovs owned estates, but did not play an important role in Russian history until one of the great-grandsons of the first Godunov was honored to become the father-in-law of Tsarevich Fyodor Ivanovich. Then at the court of Tsar Ivan, the brother of Fedor’s wife Boris, married to the daughter of the Tsar’s favorite Malyuta Skuratov, appeared as a close person. Tsar Ivan fell in love with him. The elevation of individuals and families through kinship with queens was a common phenomenon in Moscow history, but such elevation was often fragile. The relatives of the Ivanov spouses died along with other victims of his bloodthirstiness. Boris himself, due to his closeness to the Tsar, was in danger; they say that the king severely beat him with his staff when Boris stood up for Tsarevich Ivan, who was killed by his father. But Tsar Ivan himself mourned his son and then began to show Boris favor even more than before for his courage, which, however, cost the latter several months of illness. Towards the end of his life, however, Tsar Ivan, under the influence of other favorites, began to look askance at Godunov, and, perhaps, Boris would have had a bad time if Ivan had not died suddenly.

Kostomarov N.I. Russian history in the biographies of its main figures. - M., 1993; 2006. First section: Dominion of the house of St. Vladimir. Chapter 23. Boris Godunov http://www.gumer.info/bibliotek_Buks/History/kost/23.php

BORIS GODUNOV IN THE CASE OF TSAREVICH DIMITRY

[…] In 1592, Godunov sent his trusted people to Uglich to oversee zemstvo affairs and the household of Queen Martha: clerk Mikhail Bityagovsky with his son Daniil and nephew Kachalov. The naked people and the queen herself did not tolerate these people. The naked people quarreled with them incessantly. On May 15, 1591, at noon, the sexton of the Uglich cathedral church sounded the alarm. People ran from all sides to the queen's courtyard and saw the prince dead with his throat cut. The frantic mother accused the people sent by Boris of murder. The people killed Mikhail and Danil Bityagovsky and Nikita Kachalov, and dragged the son of the prince’s mother Volokhova into the church to the queen and killed her on her orders before her eyes. Several more people were killed on suspicion of agreement with the murderers.

They let Moscow know. Boris sent the boyar Prince Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky and the okolnichy Andrei Kleshnin for investigation. The latter was a man completely devoted and submissive to Boris. The first belonged to a family that was not favorable to Boris, but, given the combination of circumstances at that time, willy-nilly, he had to act in his guise. There were no witnesses to the murder. Criminals too. Shuisky, a cunning and evasive man, calculated that if he conducted the investigation in such a way that Boris was dissatisfied with him, he would still not do anything to Boris, because the same Boris would be the supreme judge, and would subsequently subject himself to his vengeance. Shuisky decided to conduct the investigation in such a way that Boris would be completely satisfied with it. The investigation was carried out in a dishonest manner. Everything was strained to the point that it looked as if the prince had stabbed himself to death. They did not examine the body: the people who killed Bityagovsky and his comrades were not interrogated. The queen was also not asked. Testimonies taken from various individuals, except for the testimony of one Mikhail Nagoy, said one thing: that the prince stabbed himself to death in a fit of epilepsy. Some obviously lied, showing that they themselves saw how the matter happened, others showed the same, without identifying themselves as eyewitnesses. The body of the prince was interred in the Uglitsky Church of St. Savior. Kostomarov N.I. Russian history in the biographies of its main figures. - M., 1993; 2006. First section: Dominion of the house of St. Vladimir. Chapter 23. Boris Godunov http://www.gumer.info/bibliotek_Buks/History/kost/23.php

BORIS'S ELECTION: PROS AND CONS

For Godunov there was a patriarch who owed everything to him, a patriarch who stood at the head of the administration; For Godunov, there was a long-term use of royal power under Theodore, which provided him with extensive funds: everywhere - in the Duma, in the orders, in the regional administration - there were people who owed everything to him, who could lose everything if the ruler did not become king; the use of royal power under Theodore brought Godunov and his relatives enormous wealth, and also a powerful means of acquiring well-wishers; For Godunov, it was that his sister, although imprisoned in a monastery, was recognized as the governing queen and everything was done according to her decree: who could take the scepter from her hands besides her own brother? Finally, for the majority, and a huge majority, Theodore’s reign was a happy time, a time of rest after the troubles of the previous reign, and everyone knew that Godunov ruled the state under Theodore.

ATTITUDE TO EDUCATION

In his zealous love for civil education, Boris surpassed all the most ancient Crown-bearers of Russia, having the intention of establishing schools and even Universities to teach young Russians European languages ​​and Sciences. in 1600 he sent the German, John Kramer, to Germany, authorizing him to look there and bring professors and doctors to Moscow. This thought delighted many zealous friends of enlightenment in Europe: one of them, a teacher of rights, named Tovia Lontius, wrote to Boris (in Genvar 1601): “Your Royal Majesty, you want to be the true father of the fatherland and earn worldwide, immortal glory. You have been chosen by Heaven to accomplish a great thing, new for Russia: to enlighten the mind of your countless people and thereby elevate their soul along with state power, following the example of Egypt, Greece, Rome and the famous European Powers, blooming with the arts “and noble sciences.” This important intention was not fulfilled, as they write, from the strong objections of the Clergy, who presented to the Tsar, that Russia prospers in the world through the unity of Law and language, that the difference of languages ​​can also produce a difference in thoughts, dangerous for the Church, that in any case it is unwise to entrust the teaching of youth to Catholics and Lutherans. To establish Universities in Russia, the Tsar sent 18 young Boyar people to London, to Lubeck and to France, to study foreign languages ​​in the same way as young Englishmen and Frenchmen then went to Moscow to study Russian. With his natural mind he understood the great truth that public education is a state power and, seeing the undoubted superiority of other Europeans in it, he called to him from England, Holland, and Germany not only doctors, artists, artisans, but also officials to serve. […] Generally favorable to people of educated minds, he was extremely fond of his foreign doctors, saw them every day, talked about government affairs, about the Faith; He often asked them to pray for him, and only to please them did he agree to the restoration of the Lutheran Church in the settlement of Yauzskaya. The pastor of this church, Martin Behr, to whom we owe the curious history of the times of Godunov and the following, writes: “Peacefully listening to the Christian teaching and solemnly glorifying the Almighty according to the rites of their Faith, the Moscow Germans cried with joy that they lived to see such happiness!”

Karamzin N.M. History of Russian Goverment. T. 11. Chapter I http://magister.msk.ru/library/history/karamzin/kar11_01.htm

ASSESSMENTS OF BORIS GODUNOV

If Boris is a murderer, then he is a villain, as Karamzin paints him; if not, then he is one of the nicest Moscow kings. Let's see to what extent we have reason to blame Boris for the death of the prince and to suspect the reliability of the official investigation. The official investigation is, of course, far from blaming Boris. In this case, foreigners accusing Boris should be in the background, as a secondary source, because they are only repeating Russian rumors about Dmitry’s case. There remains one type of sources - the legends and stories of the 17th century that we have considered. It is on them that historians hostile to Boris rely. Let's dwell on this material. Most chroniclers opposed to Boris, when speaking about him, either admit that they are writing by ear, or they praise Boris as a person. Condemning Boris as a murderer, they, firstly, do not know how to consistently convey the circumstances of Dmitry’s murder, as we saw, and, moreover, allow internal contradictions. Their stories were compiled long after the event, when Dmitry had already been canonized and when Tsar Vasily, having renounced his own investigation into Dmitry’s case, publicly blamed Boris for the murder of the prince and it became an officially recognized fact. It was then impossible to contradict this fact. Secondly, all legends about the Troubles in general come down to a very small number of independent editions, which were extensively reworked by later compilers. One of these independent editions (the so-called “Another Legend”), which greatly influenced various compilations, came entirely from the camp of Godunov’s enemies - the Shuiskys. If we do not take into account and do not take into account the compilations, then it turns out that not all independent authors of legends are against Boris; most of them speak very sympathetically about him, but they are often simply silent about Dmitry’s death. Further, the legends hostile to Boris are so biased towards him in their reviews that they clearly slander him, and their slander against Boris is not always accepted even by his opponents, scientists; for example, Boris is credited with: the arson of Moscow in 1591, the poisoning of Tsar Feodor and his daughter Feodosia.

These tales reflect the mood of the society that created them; their slander is everyday slander, which could arise directly from everyday relationships: Boris had to act under Fyodor among boyars hostile to him (the Shuiskys and others), who hated him and at the same time feared him as an unborn force. At first they tried to destroy Boris by open struggle, but they could not; It is quite natural that they began to undermine his moral credit for the same purpose, and they succeeded better in this.

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 servants, 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.

In the “stateless” time after the death of Ivan the Terrible, with the sick and weak Fyodor, the boyars began an open struggle for power. The strongest of them was the former guardsman Godunov. After the death of Fyodor, Patriarch Job gathered to elect a new sovereign. At this cathedral the council of the patriarch, and service people and the population of Moscow gathered. The most likely candidates were two people: the Tsar's brother-in-law Boris Fedorovich Godunov and Tsar Fyodor's cousin, Nikita Romanovich's eldest son - Fyodor Nikitich Romanov.

The years of Boris Godunov's reign came at a difficult time in the history of the Russian state. This was the period from 1598 to 1605. In fact, the future tsar was already in power under the sick son of Ivan the Terrible, Fedor.

The reign of Boris Godunov began controversially. In February 1598, the Council offered the throne to Boris, but he refused. In order for him to agree, a religious procession was organized to the Maiden Convent, where Boris was staying with his sister. The future king was forced to agree to ascend the throne. Thus, the election of Godunov was popular. However, it was believed that he secretly resorted to threats and bribes to achieve this.

Boris was crowned king only on September 1, having become convinced of the strength of the people's election. The reign of Boris Godunov throughout its entire duration was distinguished by special caution. He was afraid of attacks on his power and eliminated all the boyars who were suspicious of him. His real rival was only Fyodor Nikitich Romanov, as a result of which all the Romanovs were put on trial on charges of conspiracy against the sovereign. The boyars did not like the tsar, considering him the successor of Ivan the Terrible with his persecution of the nobility.

The reign of Boris Godunov became a continuation of Fedor’s policy, or rather what Godunov did under him. By all means he sought to restore the people's well-being, disturbed during the era of Ivan the Terrible. In foreign policy, he sought to avoid clashes and refrain from new wars. He cared about strengthening justice and wanted to be a good ruler for the people. He really gave many benefits to the common people. For three years in a row, from 1601, there was a crop failure, which led to massive starvation deaths. Boris arranged the free distribution of bread to the hungry from the royal treasury, and began large constructions in the capital to give people income.

The reign of Boris Godunov was accompanied by famine and robbery, but this was not his fault. However, this contributed to the growth of dissatisfaction with the king. Following the famine, a second misfortune appeared - a popular uprising for the self-proclaimed Tsarevich Dmitry. During this struggle, Boris Godunov died unexpectedly (1605).

Godunov attached great importance to European enlightenment. The tsar communicated with foreign specialists in the field of technology and medicine, willingly taking them into public service. He sent young people to foreign countries and planned to organize Moscow schools in a foreign way. He formed a military detachment of Germans according to a foreign model. Under Godunov, the Moscow government's inclination towards closer contacts with the enlightened West and the assimilation of European knowledge was clearly visible.

This is how the reign of Boris Godunov is briefly described by most historians. Many doubt how legally he gained power, believing that he was responsible for the murder of Ivan the Terrible’s youngest son, Tsarevich Dmitry, in Uglich.

Boris Godunov, the biography of the famous ruler is briefly outlined in this article.

Boris Godunov short biography

Boris Fedorovich Godunov- boyar, brother-in-law of Tsar Fyodor I Ioannovich, in 1587-1598 the de facto ruler of the state, from February 17 (27), 1598 - Russian Tsar.

Godunov was born in 1552 near the city of Vyazma into the family of a landowner. He received an education worthy of a provincial nobleman.

When his parents died, his uncle took custody of him. But he was constantly on the road and could not take care of the children. Therefore, he gave them to the Kremlin, having agreed with the autocrat Ivan the Terrible. Boris Godunov grew up together with the royal heirs in complete comfort.

When Godunov turned 18, he took the post of state bed guard. He was in charge of the Kremlin security and housekeeping.

The rise to power of Boris Godunov

In 1581, a tragedy occurred: Ivan the Terrible had a row with his son Ivan and killed him in the heat of the moment. The king himself dies 3 years later. The throne was taken by the only heir, Fyodor Ioannovich. He created a regency council consisting of Yuryev, Belsky, Mstislavsky, Shuisky and Godunov. The newly-crowned king suffered from dementia. The boyars took advantage of this and began a brutal struggle for power in the country.

Boris Godunov began to act with cunning and intrigue, accusing rivals of crimes and eliminating enemies. The only obstacle remained in the face of the pretender to the throne - Tsarevich Dmitry. But he died in 1591 when he stumbled upon a knife during epilepsy. But they say it was a staged murder on the orders of Godunov. However, a special commission did not find direct evidence of guilt.

Since Fyodor Ioannovich could not rule the country due to his dementia, the skillful intriguer Boris Godunov coped with the role of the ruler simply perfectly, covering all his actions with the name of Fyodor. Thanks to his actions, the first water supply system was built in Moscow, and in 1596 the Smolensk fortress wall was erected to protect against the Poles.

In 1595, Godunov signed an agreement with the Swedes that ended the Russian-Swedish war, which lasted 3 years. They also established the Patriarchate, which allowed the Orthodox Church to separate from the Byzantine Patriarchate.

Boris Godunov set a deadline for searching for fugitive peasants. His slaves were searched for for 5 years, after which they were declared free. The schemer freed the landowners from land taxes. In January 1598, the last Rurikovich, Fedor, died. The widow of Ivan the Terrible, Irina, was appointed temporary ruler. The road to the throne became open for Godunov. At the Zemsky Sobor he was unanimously elected ruler. Not the least role was played by the fact that he skillfully ruled the state against the background of the nominal figure of Fyodor Ioannovich.

The first 3 years of Godunov's reign were marked by the flourishing of Rus'. Then the Time of Troubles began. In 1599, he made an attempt to get closer to the West, and a year later the ruler got the idea of ​​opening a higher educational institution in Moscow, in which foreign teachers would teach. For this purpose, he sent young gifted people to Austria, France, and England to gain experience.

In 1601, mass famine began in Rus'. The king issued a decree to reduce taxes in order to help his subjects. He distributed grain and money from the treasury. At the same time, bread prices rose 100 times. The barns and treasury were empty very quickly. A lot of people died from hunger. There were rumors among the people that it was God who sent punishment to Rus' because an illegitimate heir took the throne. The peasants staged riots. They began to say that Tsarevich Dmitry was alive and False Dmitry appeared in the arena.

Godunov, having enlisted the support of the Poles, expelled False Dmitry to Putivl. But the joy of victory was overshadowed by the weight of the understanding that he had been betrayed by Russian troops and courtiers.

After the famine, Boris Godunov stopped trusting the boyars and his retinue. He saw enemies everywhere except his family. While receiving ambassadors from England on April 13, 1605, the king suffered an apoplexy: blood gushed from his ears and nose. The doctors could do nothing to help him, and he died.