The novel "Prince of Silver. The Tale of the Times of Ivan the Terrible" was written by A.K. Tolstoy after the death of Emperor Nicholas I. The writer had long wanted to embody his intention on the pages of the book - to reflect the horrors of the era of the reign of Ivan IV, the cruelty of the guardsmen, the silent humility and suffering of the Russian people. The work "Prince of Silver", a brief summary of which we will now recall, should be read by everyone who cares about their own history.
Nikita Romanovich is a young prince who returns to his native state after a five-year absence: he was not able to sign peace with Lithuania. In the village of Medvedkovo, he sees the terrible atrocities of the guardsmen, takes them for villains, with his warriors, lashes them and surrenders to the local elder. Himself with two released captives goes to the mill to stop for the night. The captives turn out to be forest robbers, but help the prince and protect him from their companions. At night, Prince Vyazemsky arrives and demands love grass from the miller in order to forcibly rekindle Elena's love. Prince Nikita Romanovich and Elena loved each other, but while he was in Lithuania, the girl was forced to marry boyar Morozov in order to avoid Vyazemsky's harassment.
In Moscow, the prince sees sad pictures: rude, constantly drunk guardsmen administer their “justice", burn villages and call themselves "royal servants". In sadness, he goes to the old friend of his father Morozov (Elena’s husband), who tells Nikita Romanovich about the move of Tsar Ivan the Terrible to the Alexander Sloboda, about betrayals, denunciations and violence. Secretly explaining in the garden with Elena, the prince goes to the sovereign, where he is waiting for joyless paintings: gallows and chopping blocks next to temples and royal chambers. Moreover, the guardsmen try to poison the unarmed prince with a bear, but the son of Malyuta Skuratov saves him from death. The prince is invited to the feast of Ivan the Terrible, where poisoned wine is pouring in, only false speeches are heard, and Nikita Romanovich himself is accused of bullying the guardsmen in Medvedkovo. From execution he is again saved by Maxim Skuratov.
At a feast, Vyazemsky receives permission from the king and decides to abduct Elena. Under the guise of the envoy John the Terrible, he arrives at the house of Morozov, where Silver has already been invited. Morozov heard a conversation in the garden, but could not understand who was the man with whom his wife was talking. He is trying to find out under the guise of an old "kiss rite" - Elena, having kissed Nikita Romanovich, faints. Morozov later reproaches his wife for treason, but at this moment Vyazemsky bursts into the bedchamber and takes the woman by force. He could not go far - the wounds that Prince Serebryany inflicted on him deprive him of his last strength, and he loses his senses in the wilderness of the forest. Frightened horse brings Elena to the mill. The cunning miller understands who this woman is, so he discourages the arrived oprichniks from spending the night and speaks to the kidnapper.
After a skirmish with Vyazemsky, Nikita Romanovich goes to jail, where he is interrogated by Malyuta and Boris Godunov. The king tries to forget about them and goes hunting, where he meets two blind songwriters whom he invites to sing in his chambers. It turns out that the robbers saved by Silver, who want to free him from prison, are saved. They could not put the king to sleep with songs, but they still rescue the prince from prison and force him away from there. In the forest, Prince Serebryany meets Maxim Skuratov, rescues him from the hands of robbers and leads the stanitsikov. Together they go the battle to the Tatar army, and only with the support of the unexpectedly appeared Basmanov they manage to win the battle.
Soon, Vyazemsky’s dishonest plan was revealed: Morozov accused him of abducting his wife, and Basmanov called Vyazemsky a sorcerer — the tsar proposed to solve their dispute in a fair battle. Vyazemsky goes to the miller, asks to “speak” the saber for victory. The battle did not take place: leaving against Morozov, Vyazemsky fell from his horse - fresh wounds opened. On his chest, the tsar sees a frankincense with herbs and also accuses Vyazemsky of witchcraft against imperial authority. Trying to make excuses, the villain says that Basmanov has the same incense. The tsar throws both into jail, and puts on a jester's caftan on Morozov and forces him to express everything he thinks about his rule. After the feast, John the Terrible executed everyone: the miller, the robbers, Morozov, Basmanov and Vyazemsky.
Silver tells the tsar everything, and he forgives the disgraced prince. Nikita refuses the offer to go to the guardsmen and heads the guard regiment. The prince decides to send his stirrup (Mikheich) to the monastery, where Helena is awaiting tonsure, and bring her. Mikheich does not have time. The prince rides on his own to say goodbye to his beloved woman. Elena, who accepted the name Evdokia after shearing, says that they could not have been happy because of the spilled blood of Morozov.
Silver faithfully serves the sovereign. Time passes, and all the words of Morozov at the last feast come true: John is defeated in the west, and in the east only Ermak’s forces manage to conquer Siberia. The novel ends with a call to all of Russia to forgive the cruelty and atrocities of Ivan the Terrible. He is not the only one who bears the burden of responsibility for everything that happened - A.K. Tolstoy. Prince Serebryany and Morozov are worthy boyars who remained loyal to their state and managed to survive in a difficult struggle.
The name of the protagonist was not chosen by Tolstoy by chance - it was carried by the ancestor of the royal family of the Romanovs, therefore, there were no problems with censorship. Empress Maria Alekseevna even awarded the writer a keychain of gold in the form of a miniature book.