Boris Godunov was born in 1552 in the famous boyar family. He had Tatar roots. Boris's father, Fedor Ivanovich, was a small landowner in the Moscow region, near the city of Vyazma. In 1569, the pope died with the young man, and Boris moved to his uncle Dmitry, who became an oprichnik. He served in a bed rest order. He was followed by the young nephew Boris Godunov. A brief biography of his take-off included a marriage with the daughter of Malyuta Skuratov, the country's main guardian.
Near Grozny
Boris met with Tsar Ivan the Terrible, with whom he had a trusting relationship, despite the picky character of the ruler. He decided to marry his youngest son Fedor to his sister Boris Irina. After the heir to the throne, Ivan, died, this status passed to his younger brother.
But until the last years of the Tsar, Boris continued to behave cautiously at court. Together with Bogdan Belsky, he became the main close associate of Ivan the Terrible. Sir Jerome Horsey, who was the British ambassador, wrote that between the two were the feelings of a son and a father. When the tsar was dying, Boris Godunov was also next to him. A brief biography of the boyar received a new twist. Now he has become the brother-in-law of Tsar Fedor.
Brother-in-law of the king
The latter Rurikovich was notable for poor health and gentle nature. He had no administrative or managerial talents. He was not at all trained for the role of ruler of a great power. Therefore, a council of four boyars was created (including Godunov), which advised the sovereign and himself dealt with political issues. Immediately, the entourage began to plot against each other in order to get rid of competitors and get closer to the king. Various groups, including on a family basis, slandered the enemies, who ended up in prison and were subjected to repression.
Very quickly, Boris Godunov became the king’s only adviser and confidant. A brief biography of the brother-in-law of the king during this period includes the organization of the election of the first patriarch. This was an important step aimed at strengthening the church and state. After Byzantium fell, Russia did not have any landmarks in Orthodoxy. Greek high priests stopped coming to the country. Therefore, it was decided that the first patriarch would be the Russian Metropolitan Job.
Talented Regent
Then Boris had to face the devastation that persisted in the country after the unprecedented repression of Ivan the Terrible and the existence of the oprichnina. First of all, cities began to be built. After the Tatar khanates of Kazan and Astrakhan were captured, the Volga needed numerous fortresses to protect against nomads. Therefore, Samara, Saratov and Tsaritsyn appeared. The construction was carried out at other borders of the great kingdom (Belgorod, Voronezh, Livny). More recently, Ermak conquered western Siberia with the Cossacks, and now colonists and enterprising people massively left there. So there was Tomsk. All this creation was patronized by Boris Godunov. A brief biography of the equestrian included numerous expenses for urban development.
Another important issue was economic disruption. The land was not plowed, yields yielded little production. In recent years, Grozny have become frequent cases of hunger. Boris Godunov’s policy in this direction was that the process of enslaving the peasants, which became the property of the landowners, was launched. This made it possible to quickly create large and stably working farms that bring crops. In 1597, a decree was signed on the lesson years - the period during which runaway peasants were caught and punished by the authorities. Then it was a gap of six years.
Foreign policy
Despite the fact that Fedor formally ruled, all important decisions were made by his brother-in-law with the complete non-resistance of the king. This is evidenced by the foreign policy of Boris Godunov. In 1591 there was an invasion of the Crimean Khan Kazy-Girey. He even approached Moscow, but, faced with a new, recently rebuilt line of fortifications, stepped back. His huge convoy did not allow to develop great speed. The army, including Godunov, overtook the Tatars and destroyed them. After returning to the capital, it was Boris who was showered with royal mercy, although Fedor Mstislavsky was the chief governor.
Another important campaign was the war with Sweden. After the failure of Ivan the Terrible in Livonia, territories in the Baltic were torn away from Russia. Therefore, Fedor and Boris wanted to take revenge. They succeeded thanks to the coordinated actions of the troops. In 1593, a peace treaty was signed, according to which Russia received Ivangorod, Koporye and other territories lost under Grozny. Boris Godunov’s domestic and foreign policy was a success.
The death of Tsarevich Dmitry
In 1591, the younger brother of Fedor Dmitry was tragically killed. If the king had no heirs, then this particular child would have received the throne. He lived in Uglich, where he died under mysterious circumstances. In order to find out the cause of the heir’s death, a commission was sent from Moscow, led by the boyar Vasily Shuisky. He wanted to please Godunov and said that the boy died due to the carelessness and negligence of his mentors when playing with a knife. Later, when Boris came to power, many began to accuse him of conspiracy and murder of Dmitry. At first it was just rumors, but in the end it was they who caused the fall of the king.
Wedding on the kingdom and repression
Fedor was in poor health. Therefore, his death in 1598 did not surprise anyone. But the question of the heir was acute. The king had daughters, but they died in infancy. The situation became unique, because before that the Rurikovich always had heirs in a straight line. Decisive was the voice of the wife of King Irina, who offered power to her brother.
The characterization of Boris Godunov spoke in his favor. Being the regent of Fedor, he gained rich experience in public administration. Power in the view of the people of that time was bestowed by God. Godunov from birth was not part of the ruling dynasty. Therefore, many considered him only the first among equals in the Boyar Duma.
This situation could not but affect Boris, who developed a persecution mania. He became suspicious. Many close associates began to take advantage of this situation and slander enemies. So, for example, what happened to the Romanovs. The head of the clan Fyodor Nikitich was sent to the monastery after he was accused of plotting against the tsar. Someone was just removed from the yard.
Famine and Peasant Uprising
And, nevertheless, the squabble at the top of the authorities did not concern the bulk of the population — peasants. “Below” there was no resistance to the fact that Boris Godunov was in power. Tragedy erupted several years after the wedding to the kingdom. In 1601, a massive famine began throughout the country. For several seasons, the weather was cold, which killed most of the crop. Modern research suggests that the eruption of a volcano in South America and the subsequent accumulation of ash in the atmosphere was the reason for this. One way or another, but the cold was in Europe. Boris cannot be blamed for this, but the peasants were superstitious, and hunger led to an increase in social tension.
The landowners who could not feed the serfs attached to them let them go. There was nothing left for them but to rob on the roads in order to somehow find food and means of living. Some landowners hid their grain in order to survive the troubled times. When the peasants found out about this, pogroms began. So the famous revolt of Slap flared up, when a huge gang of embittered beggars sent an army to Moscow. She was defeated, but this did not add to the popularity of power. Tsar Boris Godunov ordered an investigation into the causes of the incident. He also tried to help the starving. Barns with bread were opened in Moscow. However, generosity has led tramps from all over the country to the capital. The bins were soon empty.
The appearance of an impostor
After these events, the characterization of Boris Godunov in the eyes of his contemporaries was spoiled. Meanwhile, rumors swept in the west of the country that the son of Ivan the Terrible, Dmitry, was alive and was already heading for Moscow to expel Godunov and restore the legal dynasty. This impostor was Grigory Otrepyev. This was a runaway monk who moved to Poland. With the help of local nobles, he conceived the intrigue - to pretend to be dead Dmitry and seize power in Russia. He managed to meet with the Polish king Sigismund. The nobleman Yuri Mnishek gave him money and an army. Also, Cossacks of the Zaporizhzhya Sich first joined Otrepiev.
Forces of the parties
The life of Boris Godunov at that time was complicated. Rebellions raged in his country. Hungry and embittered peasants joyfully walked under the banners of False Dmitry.
However, the impostor was not able to effectively organize his campaign. The troops crossed the Russian border in October, when it had already begun to rain and cold. This was due to delays and delays in Poland. Another tactical failure of False Dmitry was the refusal of the Crimean Khan from invading Moscow. In Poland, they hoped that the Russian Tsar would be between two fires, making it difficult for him to organize a defense. However, Kazi-Giray did not dare to go with the army to Moscow. Another disadvantage of the False Dmitry squad was the lack of artillery.
But there were mistakes made by Boris Godunov. The tragedy was that he did not take the news about some impostor seriously. He, meanwhile, did not sit idly by, but organized effective agitation, the center of which was Oster Castle.
Defeat of False Dmitry
The applicant’s army was divided into two parts. In the first there were Cossacks who openly walked along the roads. The second army, in which False Dmitry himself was, went through the forests. The first to fall without a fight were Moravsk and Chernihiv. But Novgorod-Seversky did not want to give up, and the local boyar Pyotr Basmanov organized the defense, receiving reinforcements from neighboring cities. The first battle of this war took place there, in which the impostor defeated. Boris Godunov was struck by this news. Then he sent to the west governor Fedor Mstislavsky.
During this time, in the hands of the "prince" were Kursk, Kromy, Rylsk and Sevsk. Mstislavsky met with him near the village of Dobrynichi on January 21, 1605. 20 thousand tsarist soldiers attacked 23 thousand supporters of False Dmitry. Success was for the Moscow army. The impostor fled to Putivl. This seemed to be the final victory.
Death
But suddenly there was the death of Boris Godunov. On April 13, the 53-year-old king felt lightheaded after the meal and died quickly. Recently, he has been sick a lot due to heavy loads. But it is still not known exactly what the reason for this departure from life was. Some researchers believe that Godunov either poisoned himself from despair, or someone from the court put poison to him.
It is now not possible to find out even because the king’s remains were reburied several times. The fact is that after his death, the throne was given to his son Fedor. But he was overthrown by False Dmitry and killed (just like his mother). On this, the reign of the Godunov dynasty ended. The Time of Troubles began, during which numerous groups and even Poles claimed power. But in the end, Mikhail Romanov became the king - the son of Fedor Nikitich, whom Boris Godunov sent to the monastery. History eventually judged the adversaries.