The fate of Tsarevich Ivan Dmitrievich (years of life 1611 - 1614), who in Moscow was called nothing more than “little crow” and “bastard,” turned out to be tragic. His father, who proclaimed himself a second time miraculously saved by Tsar Dmitry Ivanovich, the son of Ivan the Terrible, historical literature usually called False Dmitry II, and also " Tushino thief" He showed up in the city of Starodub in the spring of 1607, a year after the overthrow and death of the first impostor, and began to pose as the surviving king.

The new adventurer was human unknown origin, although there are many versions on this matter. Some claim that this is the priest’s son Matvey Verevkin, others that he is the son of the Starodub archer. There is also a version that the impostor was the son of a Jew from the city of Shklov in present-day Belarus.

Marina Mniszek’s meeting with the “resurrected” Tsar brought disappointment. He was a rude and ill-mannered man, but she recognized him as her husband. Despite her youth (she was 19 years old at the time), she decisively chose the dangerous path of fighting for the return of the Moscow throne. However, in December 1610, the second impostor was killed by one of his confidants. A month later, Marina gave birth to a son, who was baptized according to the Orthodox rite and named Ivan, and the Cossack-noble army and its leaders declared the baby the legal heir to the Moscow throne.

Marina now has a faithful and devoted person to her - Ivan Martynovich Zarutsky, ataman Cossack army, a determined opponent of the Polish interventionists, one of the leaders of the first people's militia.

After Mikhail Romanov was confirmed on the throne, new dynasty Most of all she feared Ataman Zarutsky, Marina Mnishek and her son, a potential contender for the Muscovite kingdom.

The last act of the tragedy took place in 1614. Cossack chieftain fled from Astrakhan, which was approached by tsarist troops superior in numbers and weapons. Among the fugitives, his long-time associate Trenia Us began to lead. They leave for Yaik, but, saving their heads, best friend The ataman hands over Zarutsky, Marina and her son to the royal governors. He himself managed to escape.

I.M. Zarutsky, after interrogation and torture, was subjected to terrible execution- impaled Marina Mnishek’s young son was also executed. You can read about this in the notes of the Dutch traveler Elias Herkman, who used eyewitness accounts that he collected during his stay in Moscow during the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich. The quote is a bit long, but it's worth reading.

“Then they publicly hanged Dimitri’s son... Many trustworthy people saw how this child was carried with bareheaded[to the place of execution]. Since there was a snowstorm at that time and the snow was hitting the boy in the face, he asked several times in a crying voice: “Where are you taking me?”...

But the people carrying the child, who had not harmed anyone, calmed him down with words until they brought him to the place where there was a gallows, on which they hanged the unfortunate boy, like a thief, on a thick rope woven from sponges. Since the child was small and light, it was impossible to properly tighten the knot with this rope due to its thickness, and the half-dead child was left to die on the gallows." E. Herkman. "Tales of Massa and Herkman about the Time of Troubles in Russia." St. Petersburg, 1874 , page 331.

Killing people, including children, who could interfere with the consolidation of power, especially new government, forced to prove the legitimacy of their claims, a common occurrence in the Middle Ages. This happens, although not often, in our time. But also for those cruel years What was unusual in the Troubles was that the execution of a four-year-old child was carried out in public. And Mikhail Romanov’s entourage did not stop the fact that the Tsar’s father Filaret was proclaimed patriarch by False Dmitry II, the father of the unfortunate child.

Son of Marina Mnishek and the impostor.

After the execution of the Romanov royal family in 1918, historians involuntarily drew attention to some impressive coincidences that marked the beginning and end of the reign of the House of Romanov. It is known, for example, that in 1612, immediately after the Kremlin was liberated from the Poles, where they were located during its siege people's militia, Mikhail Fedorovich and his mother left for Kostroma and hid in the Ipatiev Monastery. And in the summer of 1918 royal family Romanovs (former Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his family and servants) was shot in the basement of the house with the same name, in the Ipatiev house in Yekaterinburg on the night of July 16-17, 1918.

And the second coincidence is that the dynasty began with the murder of a four-year-old child and ended with the murder, including the emperor’s fourteen-year-old son.

The accession to the throne in 1613 of Mikhail Romanov, the first of this dynasty, forced the “empress” to flee persecution royal troops. It was July 1614. The Time of Troubles cost the Russian state dearly. And they draw a parallel with the murder of Tsarevich Alexei in July 1918 and the last king from the Romanov family, also Mikhail. After all, it was in his favor that Nicholas II abdicated the throne. According to legend, Marina Mnishek, in despair, after the execution of her son, cursed the entire Romanov family, predicting that not one of them would die a natural death. The Romanov family, which began with the execution of an innocent three-year-old child, ended with the murder of a child, fourteen-year-old Alexei.

It seems that the legend itself is similar to a literary work that appeared after 1918. It fits within the framework of mystical works. For literary works The plot is certainly interesting, even exciting. But if you keep in mind real knowledge real events history, then it is preferable to remain on the basis of more or less obvious facts, which are already extremely dramatic.

As for the fate of Marina Mnishek, it seems to me not very convincing official version the then rulers of Russia, which was reported to the Poles during the exchange of prisoners, that Marina died in Moscow, in prison from illness and “out of melancholy of her own free will.” It's hard to believe that a 26-year-old woman died of melancholy in less than six months. Most likely, closer to the truth (considering the prevailing customs of that time) were the rumors that spread among the Poles that Marina was either drowned or strangled.

Marina Mniszek and her father Jerzy are under arrest in Yaroslavl.

Marina (Marianna) Yuryevna Mniszek is a political adventurer, daughter of the Polish governor Jerzy (Yuri) Mniszek, one of the organizers of the intervention against Russia in early XVII century, born in 1588, in the town of Sambir, Poland. During the “Time of Troubles,” the famous Polish adventurer was alternately the wife of False Dmitry I and False Dmitry II, dreaming of becoming a Russian queen.

The beginning of the career of Marina Mnishek

Marina was about sixteen when, in February 1604, a man arrived in the Carpathian town of Sambir to visit her father, who, by a whim of history, was destined to momentarily ascend to the Russian throne. It is known that the contender for the throne first “opened up” to the Orthodox Ukrainian magnates, the Vishnevetsky princes, Mniszek’s relatives.

Jerzy Mniszek became the organizer of the expedition of “Prince Dimitri”, whose name was allegedly taken by the fugitive monk Grigory Otrepiev, having obtained from him numerous promises, and above all a wedding contract. The document, signed in Sambir on May 25, 1604, stated that after ascending the Moscow throne, the “prince” would marry his daughter Marina.

After marriage, Marina was supposed to receive Novgorod and Pskov into her personal possession, and she was also given the right to profess Catholicism and marry another in the event of False Dmitry’s failure. Jerzy Mniszek was promised a million Polish zlotys.

Expedition of the first impostor for a long time It was customary to portray it as an attempt by the Polish government and the Roman Curia to subjugate Rus'. Historians claim that in fact this whole adventure was started primarily by Mniszek himself, his immediate family and allies because, firstly, greed, burdened by hefty debts, and secondly, the same family pride, the dream of elevation at any cost.

False Dmitry and Marina Mnishek

Marina herself was unlikely to be fully aware of her father’s true plans, and there is an assumption that she voluntarily agreed to marry the “prince.” It is possible that False Dmitry was nice future wife. “He is witty and pleased with book learning, he is bold and eloquent, he loves the horse lists, he takes up arms against his enemies, he dares, he has courage and great strength,” it was noted in the Russian chronicles about False Dmitry. There is a claim that the future spouses were attracted to each other.

In November 1605, Marina Mnishek was engaged to clerk Vlasyev, who portrayed the face of the groom-tsar. Marina received rich gifts from her husband. It was expected that she would soon go to Moscow, but her departure was postponed several times: Pan Yuri complained to his son-in-law about the lack of funds and debts. And only on May 3, 1606, she entered Moscow with great pomp, accompanied by her father and a large retinue.

False Dmitry I

Meanwhile, Marina’s unusual career became known not only throughout Poland, but also beyond its borders. In distant Spain, Lopede Vega wrote the drama " Grand Duke Moscow and the Emperor”, where he called Maria Mniszech Margarita.

Five days after Marina’s arrival in Moscow, the wedding and coronation took place. Breaking the centuries-old traditions of the Russian autocracy, the wedding of the “tsar” was scheduled for Thursday, May 8, although there was a custom not to get married before the fast day - Friday. Another violation of the established foundations was that when Marina was anointed to reign in the Assumption Cathedral, Patriarch Ignatius raised the Monomakh’s cap over her - the crown of kings, not queens.

The next day, the newlyweds, according to eyewitnesses, got up very late. The celebrations continued. Dressed in Polish dress, the tsar danced with his wife “in the hussar style,” and his father-in-law, filled with pride, served his daughter at the feast. Meanwhile, the city was becoming alarmed. Tsar Dmitry was still popular among Muscovites, but they were irritated by foreigners who arrived in the capital in the Mnishek retinue.

Danger for Marina Mnishek

The rebellious boyars led by Prince Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky very skillfully took advantage of the sprouts of popular discontent. The “Tsar,” carried away by the festive celebrations on the occasion of his marriage, did not pay attention to this in time, for which he paid with his life. On the night of May 17, bells rang in the Kremlin.

The personal guard of False Dmitry I, consisting of streltsy, initially wanted to fulfill their duty by “laying down their heads for the Tsar,” but the rebels threatened them with burning the Streltsy settlement, and the only defenders of the sovereign retreated. Having overtaken the impostor in one of the royal chambers, the rebels immediately brutally dealt with him. The body of the murdered man was put on display on Red Square for public viewing. The mastermind of the rebellion, Vasily Shuisky, was declared tsar.

Marina failed to escape. She hid in the room that served as a bedroom for the women of her retinue when heated rebels burst into her chambers. The crowd was driven out of the chambers by the boyars who arrived in time, and guards were stationed to protect the queen, who soon began to guard her as a captive. True, she was kept in custody quite decently.

In August 1606, Shuisky settled all the Mnisheks in Yaroslavl, where they lived until July 1608. The situation allowed them not only to live more or less tolerably, but also to weave intrigues against Shuisky, main task which was to convince everyone that False Dmitry was alive and that he was still in hiding, waiting for the right moment before entering the fight with his enemies.

Thunder among clear skies was the appearance of the next impostor - False Dmitry II, known as the Tushinsky or Kaluga thief. Sources disagree about the origins of False Dmitry II. According to some sources, this is the priest’s son Matvey Verevkin, originally from the Severskaya side, according to others, he is the son of the Starodub archer. Some even claimed that he was the son of Prince Kurbsky. There is also a version that False Dmitry II was the son of a Jew from the city of Shklov.

False Dmitry II

The troops of the second impostor defeated Shuisky's army near Volkhov. News of the successes of “Tsar Dmitry” reached Yaroslavl almost simultaneously with news from Moscow. According to the truce with Poland, signed on July 13 (23), 1608, Tsar Vasily undertook to release all detained Poles and unite Marina with her husband.

Marina was read the decree of her “husband”, according to which she had to go to him. According to eyewitnesses, the deposed “queen” was looking forward to the upcoming meeting with sincere joy. But on the way, one of the Polish soldiers told her the truth about the second impostor. She was shocked to the core because there was no doubt in her mind that her husband was alive.

New promises for Marina Mnishek

Meanwhile, the tireless Mniszech was bargaining with yet another “son-in-law.” False Dmitry did not spare promises. Mniszek was promised 300 thousand zlotys (but only on condition of the capture of Moscow), and in addition the entire Seversk land and most of Smolenskaya. On September 14, the agreement was concluded. Apart from generous promises, the “father-in-law” received practically nothing. But a dream about the future appanage principality and Moscow gold forced Pan Yuri to sacrifice his daughter.

On September 20, 1608, the Pole was sent to False Dmitry II. Three days later, the Catholic priest secretly married Marina to the “king”, although he needed her as a wife. last resort, firstly - as a living and true confirmation of his legitimate claims to the throne. The couple agreed on everything, and what followed was a well-performed play of Marina’s ceremonial entry into the Tushino camp.

Guns thundered in honor of the queen, while Marina “acted so skillfully that the audience was touched by her tenderness for her husband: joyful tears, hugs, words inspired, it seemed, by true feeling - everything was used for deception.” False Dmitry began receiving “political dowry” from Marina very soon - the number of fugitives from Moscow increased sharply. But the Tushino camp, and False Dmitry II himself, were almost entirely in the hands of the Poles.

Marina Mnishek's career is under threat

As events develop into conflict within Russian state The Polish king Sigismund III became involved. The impostor, fearing the advancing troops of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, fled from Tushino to Kaluga. His wife, left alone in an abandoned camp, turned to the king asking for help. In one of her messages to the Polish king, Marina, emphasizing her rights to the Moscow throne, noted that the return of power to her “will serve as an undoubted guarantee of mastering the Moscow state and attaching it to a secured union.” She did not consider False Dmitry II a contender for power.

Sigismund delayed the negotiations in every possible way, and then the “queen without subjects” tried to influence his army. She almost succeeded (most of the Don Cossacks joined her), but Hetman Ruzhinsky managed to prevent this action at the last moment. Afraid of being killed, she, in a hussar dress, with one maid and several hundred Don Cossacks, fled in February 1610 to Kaluga to the Tushinsky thief.

Maryana Mnishkovna Voivode of Sandomierz, daughter, wife of the Emperor of Muscovy

No, Marina was not capable, having tasted royal power, turn again into a “voivodeshka” (it was not for nothing that she was so indignant one day when one of her Polish relatives called her “the noble lady”). The shine of the royal crown was fleeting, like sunny bunny, but there was no turning back.

Greetings from Marina Mnishek

In Kaluga, residents joyfully greeted the queen who appeared before their eyes young warrior wearing a helmet and shoulder-length hair. Kaluga life began, calmer than Tushino, because there were no prim Polish leaders here, there were no military training, the initiators of which were Polish companies. Feasts were held here and there was contentment. Only her husband’s behavior complicated Marina’s life, but even in this situation she tried to extract positive things for herself, because against his background she tried to look as good as possible.

A few months later, after the victory of the Poles over the Russian troops, she appears with her husband near Moscow, in Kolomna, and after the overthrow of Shuisky, she negotiates with Sigismund for help to occupy Moscow. Meanwhile, Muscovites swore allegiance to Vladislav, the son of the Polish king Sigismund, and Marina was asked to renounce the Moscow throne, for which they were promised various favors. Having refused the ambassadors, False Dmitry and Marina left for Kaluga. Ataman Zarutsky also left with them. This was a significant acquisition, for the chieftain was a well-known and strong figure.

In Kaluga, False Dmitry, out of grief, indulged in revelry and drunkenness, and on December 11, 1610, he died hunting. Marina had to almost completely say goodbye to the dream of the Moscow throne. True, she hoped that her son, who soon appeared, named Ivan (“Vorenok”), called Dmitrievich, would give her the opportunity to still remain a queen. But her connection with Zarutsky was known to everyone, and the Moscow boyars who were under False Dmitry II did not want to serve either the widow or her son.

All questions about who would hold power in Russia disappeared after the second militia of Minin and Pozharsky expelled the Poles. At the beginning of 1613 he gathered Zemsky Sobor, who confirmed Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov on the throne. The "Time of Troubles" is over."

Marina's flight with her son

Zarutsky, Marina and his four-year-old son were forced to flee along with six hundred Cossacks. A detachment of archers sent after them, led by the royal governor Odoevsky, captured them and took them in shackles to Moscow. Here Zarutsky was impaled, Marina’s four-year-old son was hanged and she, according to Russian ambassadors to the Polish government, at the end of 1614 “died of melancholy of her own free will,” according to other sources, she was hanged or drowned.

Marina Mnishek in the memory of the people

In the memory of the Russian people, Marina Mnishek is known under the name “Marinka the atheist,” “heretic” and “sorceress”: “And his (False Demetrius) evil wife Marinka the atheist “turned into a magpie,” and she flew out of the chambers.

Interesting facts about Marina Mnishek

Pushkin once said that Marina Mnishek “was the strangest of all pretty women, blinded by only one passion - ambition, but with a degree of energy and fury that is difficult to imagine.”

In 1605, Marina Mnishek brought a fork to Russia for the first time. At her wedding feast in the Kremlin, Marina with a fork shocked the Russian boyars and clergy. Subsequently, the fork became a reason for discontent among the opponents of False Dmitry. They argued this in the following way: since the Tsar and Tsarina eat not with their hands, but with some kind of spear, it means that they are not Russians and not monarchs, but the offspring of the devil.