"… Blessed on the throne, one of those poor in spirit, who befits the Kingdom of Heaven, and not earthly, whom the Church so loved to include in her saints."
V. O. Klyuchevsky
460 years ago, on May 20, 1557, the Russian tsar Fedor I Ioannovich, the last tsar from the Rurik dynasty, was born. Most historians believe that Fedor was incapable of government activities. He was in poor health and took little part in governing the state, being under the tutelage of first the council of nobles, then his brother-in-law Boris Fedorovich Godunov. Called Blessed, according to some opinions he was weak in mind. As a result, Godunov was actually the sole ruler of the state, and after the death of Fedor, he became his successor.
Fyodor Ivanovich is the son of the Russian Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich the Terrible and Tsarina Anastasia Romanovna (daughter of the Moscow boyar Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin). When the heir to the throne Ivan died on November 19, 1581, Fedor became the heir to the royal throne. Fedor did not inherit his father's abilities. According to Ivan Vasilyevich himself, Fyodor was "a fasting man and a silent man, more for the cell than for the power of the sovereign born." Even performing ritual duties was overwhelming for him. So during the coronation on May 31, 1584 in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, tired Fedor, without waiting for the end of the ceremony, handed the Monomakh cap to the boyar Prince Mstislavsky, and the heavy golden "power" to Boris Fedorovich Godunov, which shocked those present. Fyodor loved church services and bells, which he used to ring the bell tower, for which he received the nickname "bell ringer" from his father.
In March 1584, Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich fell seriously ill. It is worth noting that if Ivan the Terrible lived for several more years, then Tsarevich Dmitry could become his heir. He grew up a healthy, strong boy. The king loved his wife Maria Naguya and her son. Dmitry Ivanovich was a serious threat, since Ivan the Terrible could change the will in his favor, which upset the balance of power in the tsar's environment, the plans of a number of nobles who wanted a weak tsar on the throne. It is possible that this was the reason for the elimination of Ivan the Terrible. He had been persecuted for a long time, but it was in the spring of 1584 that they finished him off, in order to avoid any accidents and bring him to the throne of Fyodor the Blessed, behind whose back it was possible to do his own affairs.
Ivan the Terrible was poisoned - that's a fact. The content of arsenic and mercury in the remains is much higher than the permissible level. Mercury accumulated in the body and slowly destroyed it, arsenic acted quickly. Such a scheme made it possible to create a picture of "natural" death: a person was seriously ill for a long time, and then quickly died. This did not cause suspicion: he died of an illness. The poisoners, apparently, were the doctor Johann Eilof, who collaborated with the Jesuits, and Bogdan Belsky, the nephew of the famous guardsman Malyuta Skuratov, who enjoyed the full confidence of Grozny. Belsky was responsible for the protection of the royal health. Ivan took medicine from the hands of Belsky himself. In addition, Boris Godunov, an unprincipled careerist with boundless ambitions, was in the group of conspirators. However, despite the skillful disguise, the truth was leaked even then. Clerk Timofeev and a number of other chroniclers report that "Boris Godunov and Bogdan Belskoy … prematurely terminated the life of the tsar", that "the tsar was poisoned by his neighbors", that he had "betrayed his death" (V. G. Manyagin. The Truth of the Terrible Tsar). Gorsey also told that the tsar had been killed by Godunov and Belsky, although he thought that Ivan the Terrible had been strangled.
On March 15-16, the sovereign's condition worsened, he fell into unconsciousness. Tsarevich Fyodor ordered prayers throughout the country for the health of his father, give great alms, release prisoners, and redeem debtors. On March 17, Grozny felt better. On March 18, he gathered boyars, clerks and made a will in their presence. Announced the heirs of Fedor. A council of 5 people was supposed to help him: Prince F. I. Mstislavsky, Prince I. P. Shuisky, N. R. Yuriev, B. F. Godunov, B. Ya. Belsky. Tsarina and Tsarevich Dmitry was allocated Uglich as the inheritance, Belsky was appointed the child's guardian. Also, the sovereign ordered to reduce taxes, release prisoners and captives, forgive the disgraced, and ordered his son to rule "piously, with love and mercy."
Soon the king again felt bad and he died. While the people, most of the boyars and the new tsar were at a loss, Godunov and Belsky actually made a coup. They had time to prepare well (obviously, they were the organizers of the assassination of the king) and did not waste time. Immediately, on the night of March 19, Ivan Vasilyevich's loyal courtiers and servants were arrested. Some were thrown behind bars, others were exiled. The queen and all the naked were taken into custody, accused of "evil intentions." In the morning, people were distracted, informing about the accession of Fyodor, having arranged a solemn ceremony of the oath. They announced the convocation of the Zemsky Sobor so that people expressed their requests and wishes to the new government. On the third day, the burial of the sovereign took place.
When representatives of "the whole earth" gathered and the Zemsky Sobor opened, Godunov tried to win the popularity of the people, promising to satisfy all requests. At the same time, a decision was made to exile Tsarevich Dmitry and his relatives to Uglich. Everything was legal - according to the will of Grozny. However, the capital soon became agitated. First, there was a parochial dispute between Golovin and Belsky. The entire Boyar Duma supported Golovin. Then there were rumors that Belsky had poisoned Ivan Vasilievich and was plotting to destroy Fyodor Ivanovich, "to exterminate the royal root and boyar families." Upon learning that Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich had been killed and his son was under threat, the inhabitants of Moscow, visiting nobles, arose. They were headed by the leaders of the Ryazan zemstvo Lyapunovs and Kikins. On April 9, the people took up arms, seized Kitay-gorod and the arsenal. Godunov at that time was allegedly on the sidelines, did not participate in the conflict. However, it is clear that he was the source of the rumors defaming Belsky. He was about to get rid of a former ally, now he was his rival in the struggle for power. The crowd was turned against Belsky.
The Kremlin was blocked. The fortress was besieged by thousands of people, including nobles. The people tried to knock out the Frolovskie gate. Belsky hid in the tsar's private chambers. Mstislavsky and Romanov entered the negotiations. When asked what people want, the crowd shouted with one voice: "Belsky!" People demanded to "hand over the villain". At the same time, despite the terrible accusation, for which there was only one punishment - death, Belsky was not killed. There were clearly “managers” in the crowd, they pacified people's anger. And during the negotiations, the parties agreed on a compromise solution - to send Belsky into exile. An interesting picture turned out: Bogdan Belsky was accused of treason (for which he was punished with death) and sent into honorary exile - by the governor to Nizhny Novgorod. Godunov did not want to kill his former ally, suddenly it would come in handy or say too much before the execution.
Thus, at the very beginning of Fyodor's reign, the regency council was split and Godunov got rid of the most dangerous competitor. After that, Godunov consolidated his position. The Lyapunovs, Kikins and other leaders of the rebellion were arrested, thrown into prison, or sent to distant garrisons. Godunov this time pretended to be a friend of the noble nobility. The "purge" of the state apparatus began. "Artistic", who received the ranks of stewards and solicitors under Grozny, were removed from the court, became simple boyar children. Almost all the Duma nobles, whom Ivan IV nominated for their abilities and merits, were removed from the Duma. The boyars were pleased and gave Godunov full support. They thought that Godunov had become "their" man and was restoring the old order. But they were wrong, soon Godunov will sweep away the boyar opposition. On May 31, 1584, on the day of the coronation of the tsar, Boris Godunov was showered with favors: he received the rank of equestrian, the title of a close great boyar and governor of the Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms.
Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich practically did not deal with state affairs. He had to live in a monastery. The historian S. M. Soloviev in his "History of Russia from Ancient Times" describes the tsar's usual daily routine as follows: “He usually gets up at about four o'clock in the morning. When he gets dressed and washed, the spiritual father comes to him with the Cross, to which the King applies. Then the cross clerk brings into the room an icon of the Saint, celebrated on that day, before which the Tsar prays for about a quarter of an hour. The priest again enters with holy water, sprinkles it on the icons and the Tsar. After that, the king sends to the queen to ask if she rested well? And after a while he himself goes to greet her in the middle room, located between his and her chambers; from here they go together to church for Matins, which lasts about an hour. Returning from the church, the Tsar sits down in a large room, where the boyars, who are in special favor, come to bow. At about nine o'clock the Tsar goes to Mass, which lasts two hours … After lunch and sleep he goes to Vespers … Every week the Tsar goes on pilgrimage to one of the nearest monasteries. " At the same time, Fyodor Ivanovich also loved simple, folk amusements - buffoons, fist fights and fun with bears. As a result, Tsar Fyodor was loved by the clergy and the common people, for his kindness and meekness. Not without reason, soon after his death, he was included in the calendar of the locally revered Moscow saints.
And at this time there was a quiet struggle for influence on the king. In 1585 Nikita Yuryev died, and the aged Prince Mstislavsky was forcibly tonsured into a monk. Subsequently, the hero of the defense of Pskov, I. P. Shuisky, fell into disgrace. Godunov will take turns eliminating everyone who is on his way to the throne: Mstislavsky, Shuisky, Vorotynsky, Romanov. On slanderous accusations, they will be tonsured as monks, sent to prisons, and secret murders will be committed in dungeons. Moreover, Godunov even eliminated boyar daughters who could replace his sister. Thus, Princess Irina Mstislavskaya, according to the will of Ivan IV the Terrible, was appointed the wife of Tsar Fyodor in case of Godunova's childlessness, but as a result of Godunov's intrigues, she was kidnapped from her father's house and forcibly tonsured into a nun. The knowledgeable Moscow clerk Ivan Timofeev noted that Boris forcibly tonsured maidens into the monastery - the daughters of the first boyars after the tsar, fearing the possibility of Fedor's remarriage, which led to the collapse of his positions under the tsar. In fact, since 1585, Boris Godunov took a leading position under the blessed tsar. Everyone was outwitted by the tsar's brother-in-law, boyar Boris Fedorovich, who became the true ruler of Russia during the entire reign of Fedor. In 1591 Godunov eliminated Tsarevich Dmitry, who was on his way to the throne.
Russian painter A. Kivshenko. "Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich puts a gold chain on Boris Godunov"
During the reign of Fedor, Russia by inertia will continue the course outlined under Ivan the Terrible, when Russia became a world power, the largest state in Europe, heir to the traditions of Byzantium and the Golden Horde Empire. Ivan Vasilyevich left, contrary to the myth of the "bloodsucker tsar" created by the enemies of the Russian people and Westernizers, not a ruined, not a poor country, but a powerful state. Under Ivan the Terrible, the country's territory doubled, the population growth was from 30 to 50%, 155 new cities and fortresses were founded, the borders of Russia were significantly strengthened, including by the defensive-offensive belts of the Cossack troops. Russia no longer feared the ruinous raids and campaigns of the Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberian hordes. The king left a rich treasury. Also, thanks to the military reforms of Grozny, Russia had a powerful army, battle-hardened, which, after a short respite, was again ready for battle.
Large-scale urban and serf construction continued in Russia, in particular, in the Wild Field on the southern outskirts of Russia. In 1585, the Voronezh fortress was built, in 1586 - Livny. To ensure the safety of the waterway from Kazan to Astrakhan, cities were built on the Volga - Samara (1586), Tsaritsyn (1589), Saratov (1590). In 1592 the town of Yelets was restored. The city of Belgorod was built on the Donets in 1596. From the mid-1580s to the early 1590s, the White City was built in Moscow. The construction was headed by the famous Russian architect Fyodor Savelyevich Kon. The White City became not only one of the outstanding architectural monuments of Russia, but also a strategic military facility that defended the capital. The walls stretch for 9 km. The walls and 29 towers of the White City were built of limestone, bricked and plastered. Around the same time, wooden and earth fortifications of the Wooden City (Skorodom) were built in Moscow. In 1595, in the western strategic direction, the construction of the Smolensk fortress began - one of the most grandiose stone structures of the Russian kingdom. The construction was entrusted to the outstanding Russian architect Fyodor Kon, the author of the White City in Moscow.
A strong army created under Ivan the Terrible will help Fedor's government win a number of victories. In the summer of 1591, 100 thous. the Crimean horde of Khan Kazy-Girey was able to pass to Moscow, however, finding themselves at the walls of a powerful new fortress and at gunpoint of numerous cannons, they did not dare to storm it. In small skirmishes with the Russians, the Khan's detachments were constantly defeated. As a result, the Crimean Tatars fled, leaving the baggage train. On the way south, to the Crimean steppes, the Khan's army suffered heavy losses from the Russian regiments pursuing him. Russian-Swedish war 1590-1595 will end with a victory for Russia. The Russian army will take Yam, defeat the Swedes at Ivangorod, and generally win the war. The war ended with the signing of the Tyavzin peace. The Swedes agreed to return the fortress of Keksholm with the district to Russia and recognized the cities liberated by the Russian troops at the beginning of the war - Yam, Ivangorod, Koporye (lost by Russia during the Livonian War) as ceded to the Russian kingdom. In addition, Oreshek (Noteburg) and Ladoga were also recognized by the Russians and also returned to Russia. Thus, the Russian kingdom will regain all the lands lost by Russia as a result of the unsuccessful Livonian War.
Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich died on January 7, 1598, without leaving a will. Perhaps it was also eliminated as already "waste material." Godunov himself wanted to take the throne. Fyodor's son was never born, and his daughter died in infancy. Some of the clergy and boyars tried to demand from Tsar Fyodor that he divorced his wife, as with the heir who had not yet produced an heir: “so that he, sovereign, would accept childbirth for the sake of a second marriage, and release his first queen to the monastic rank”. However, Fedor strongly opposed. As a result, the royal family was left without an heir. With his death, the Moscow line of the princely dynasty of Rurik was cut short (there were princely-boyar families descended from the Rurik families, for example, the Shuisky, descendants of the Suzdal princes). Tsarevich Dmitry Uglitsky was eliminated in 1591. Maria Staritskaya with her daughter Evdokia - daughter and granddaughter of Vladimir Staritsky (cousin of Ivan the Terrible), wife of Magnus, King of Livonia, was also a competitor in the game for the crown. The British, who during this period were playing their game in Russia, helped Godunov to steal the princess and her daughter from Riga. Mary, tonsured under the name Martha, was imprisoned with her daughter in the Podsosensky monastery. In 1589, her daughter Evdokia suddenly dies (there is a version of poisoning on the orders of Godunov).
The nominal ruler remained the sister of Boris Godunov and the wife of Tsar Fedor, Tsarina Irina Fedorovna (nee Godunova). A week after the death of her husband, she announced her decision to cut her hair. Boris Godunov announced that he was taking over the government. On February 17, 1598, the Zemsky Sobor, "processed" in an appropriate way, elected Boris Godunov as tsar. As a result, the reign of Fedor (when Godunov was the unofficial ruler) and the official reign of Boris Godunov will lay the foundations of the future Troubles. The intrigues of the boyar clans, the destruction of a legitimate dynasty, Godunov's course towards an alliance with the West, the beginning of a large-scale enslavement of the common people will lay a powerful mine under the building of the Russian state.
