The famous Uglich affair was connected with the mysterious death of Dmitry Ioannovich - the son of Ivan the Terrible. This event became a prologue to the Time of Troubles in Russia of the 17th century.
Personality of Tsarevich Dmitry
To understand the essence of the Uglich affair, you should take a look at the pedigree of the last Rurikovich. Tsar Ivan the Terrible had three sons - Ivan, Fedor and Dmitry. The elder was the heir and closest assistant to the monarch. But Ivan died at the hands of his own father, who was in a fit of anger.
So Fedor became the heir. In 1584, Grozny died, and the title of tsar passed to his successor. However, Fedor had no children. His only daughter died in infancy. This meant that the next king was to be the last son of Ivan the Terrible, Dmitry. He was much younger than Fedor. After the death of his father, the boy received the title of specific Uglich prince.
Death in Uglich
On May 15, 1591, Tsarevich Dmitry died tragically. He was only 8 years old. His lifeless body with his throat cut was found in the Uglich Kremlin, where the child had a residence. The son of Grozny lived with his mother, Maria Nagoy. When Fedor sent them to the specific principality, he also attributed them to the court of Moscow clerk Mikhail Bityagovsky. This nobleman was supposed to carry out supervisory functions and report to the capital about suspicious events related to Dmitry.
There were no witnesses to the death of the prince. When a rumor of misfortune spread around the city, a furious crowd of local residents broke into the Kremlin and tore apart Bityagovsky. In Uglich, they were suspicious of people sent from Moscow. Maria Nagaya believed that these proteges are spying for Boris Godunov.
Suspicions of Godunov
Boris Godunov was the brother-in-law of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich. By origin, he belonged to the noble noble family. Godunov was able to rise due to the good attitude of Ivan the Terrible towards him. His position became even more serious when Fedor married Irina Godunova.
The king did not have children, which exacerbated the issue of inheritance. If Dmitry had not died at an early age, he would have become the next monarch. Now there was no heir. When, after seven years, Fedor will be close to death, he will transfer the throne to his brother-in-law. The king was distinguished by a weak character and health. He depended on Godunov and always listened to his opinion.
Therefore, it is not surprising that rumors circulated in Moscow that Boris wanted to become a legitimate heir. They knew about this in Uglich. In the capital, it was decided to organize a commission that would conduct a detailed investigation of the accident. It was then that the government formulated what the essence of the Uglich affair was. Fedor wanted to ward off suspicion from his brother-in-law, whom many accused of killing the prince.
Shuisky Commission
The commission sent to Uglich included the well-known Moscow boyars, trusted by the court. The head of the investigation was Vasily Shuisky. Ironically, in fifteen years, he himself will become king. In 1591, he went to Uglich. Boyarin led the interrogation of more than 150 people, one way or another connected with the incident.
The investigation was complicated by the fact that right after Tsarevich Dmitry was discovered dead, riots broke out in the city. The first to question were the posad and courtyard people who participated in the reprisal against Bityagovsky. Shuisky understood what the essence of the Uglich affair was and how important it was for the court. Therefore, the nobleman did not miss a single detail and not a single witness. That commission is also known for the fact that its investigation was the earliest in the history of Russia, whose protocol and materials have survived to our time in its original form. Thanks to this happy coincidence, modern historians were able to restore the picture of what happened in Uglich in 1591.
The court's decision
After several weeks of work in Uglich, the Shuisky commission returned to Moscow. Boyarin presented the report on the investigation personally to Tsar Fedor. Then came the trial, presided over by Patriarch Job. Shuisky provided oral evidence from eyewitnesses that Godunov’s people who were in Uglich were not involved in the murder.
A statement by Maria Nagoy was read there. She understood the essence of the Uglich case, but, nevertheless, in spite of Godunov’s early accusations, she refused her claims. She admitted that killing a crowd of local residents Bityagovsky was a mistake. Naked asked for mercy for herself and her brothers.
By decision of the authorities, Mary was tonsured a nun. Her relatives were in exile. The most active instigators of unrest in Uglich were executed. Moscow announced that Dmitry’s death was due to an accident. Godunov's name was formally relieved of suspicion.
The consequences of the Uglich affair affected 1605. Then an impostor came to power thanks to a military invasion, posing as a deceased prince. In history, he was remembered as False Dmitry. A “re-investigation" was conducted. Shuisky again testified and completely changed them. Now Godunov, who by that time was already in the grave, was accused of attempted murder. The same version was followed by the Romanovs. One way or another, but the second process did not greatly help the impostor. False Dmitry was killed during a popular uprising in Moscow in 1606.