In the "stateless" time after the death of Ivan the Terrible, with the sick and weak Fedor, the boyars began an open struggle for power. The strongest of them was the former oprichnik Godunov. After the death of Theodore, Patriarch Job gathered for the election of a new sovereign. At this council, the council of the patriarch, and service people and the population of Moscow, gathered. The most likely candidates were two people: the tsar's brother-in-law Boris Fyodorovich Godunov and the cousin of Tsar Fyodor, the eldest son of Nikita Romanovich - Fyodor Nikitich Romanov.

The years of Boris Godunov's reign came at a difficult time in the history of the Russian state. This was the period from 1598 to 1605. In fact, the future tsar was in power already under the sick son of Ivan the Terrible - Fedor.

The reign of Boris Godunov began ambiguously. In February 1598, the Council offered the throne to Boris, but he refused. In order for him to agree, a religious procession was organized to the Maiden Convent, where Boris was staying with his sister. The future king was forced to agree to ascend the throne. Thus, the election of Godunov was popular. However, there was an opinion that he secretly resorted to threats and bribery in order to achieve this.

Boris was crowned king only on September 1, convinced of the strength of the people's election. The reign of Boris Godunov throughout its entire length was distinguished by extreme caution. He was afraid of attempts on his power, eliminated all boyars suspicious of him. His real rival was only Fedor Nikitich Romanov, as a result of which all the Romanovs were put on trial on charges of conspiracy against the sovereign. The boyars did not like the tsar, considering him the successor of Grozny with his persecution of the nobility.

The reign of Boris Godunov was a continuation of Fedor's policy, or rather what Godunov did under him. By all means, he sought to restore the people's well-being, violated in the era of Grozny. In foreign policy, he sought to avoid clashes, to refrain from new wars. He cared about the strengthening of justice, he wanted to be a good sovereign for the people. He really gave many benefits to the common people. Three years in a row, from 1601, there was a crop failure, which led to massive starvation deaths. Boris arranged a free distribution of bread to the hungry from the royal treasury, started large buildings in the capital to give people income.

The reign of Boris Godunov was accompanied by famine, robbery, but this was not his fault. However, this contributed to the growth of dissatisfaction with the king. The famine was followed by a second misfortune - a popular uprising for the self-proclaimed Tsarevich Dmitry. During this struggle, Boris Godunov died unexpectedly (1605).

Godunov attached great importance to European education. The king communicated with foreign specialists in the field of technology and medicine, willingly took them on public service. He sent young people to foreign countries, planned to arrange Moscow schools in a foreign way. He formed a military detachment of Germans according to a foreign model. Under Godunov, the inclination of the Moscow government towards closer contacts with the enlightened West and the assimilation of European knowledge was clearly visible.

This is how the reign of Boris Godunov is briefly described by most historians. Many doubt how legally he got power, believing that the murder in Uglich was his doing. younger son Grozny - Tsarevich Dmitry.

The reign of Boris Godunov is briefly assessed by historians only from the negative side as a whole. But if we look at this issue in detail, consider Godunov's policy more deeply, it becomes clear that not all the undertakings of the elected tsar were negative. On the contrary, it becomes clear that many of Boris Godunov's undertakings were very promising.

The official date of Boris's reign is 1598-1604, but he was in power much longer. After accession to the throne - son, Godunov was among those close to the new king. Gradually he gained more trust and power, eventually he became regent under Tsar Fedor, who was weak-minded. In fact, his power was unlimited by anyone.

The reign of Boris Godunov

The reign of Boris Godunov was a golden period for him. It is worth remembering a little about where the Godunov family came from in Rus'. The ancestor of the Godunovs was the Tatar Murza Cheta. He was a defector and left the Horde under Ivan Kalita. On the territory of Rus', he was baptized, and later founded the Ipatiev Monastery - famous later. In addition, Chet became the ancestor of several surnames at once. These were such names as:

• Godunovs;
• Saburovs and others;

Boris himself was considered handsome. Despite the fact that his height was not high, his figure was dense, but frailty was also present. Probably, Boris was able to convince, had a good command of speech and could make himself listen, despite the fact that his education left much to be desired. The most important thing is that he was a purposeful person, he did not stop trying to get closer to the ruling elite for a minute.

His career path was as follows:

1. 1581 - Boris Godunov boyar;
2. Since 1584, Godunov began to have several titles, such as:
   • stableman;
   • Middle Great Boyar;
   • Viceroy of the Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms.
3. In 1594, the royal charter granted him the title of ruler, despite the fact that Fedor was still king at that time. Interestingly, a year later, the son of Boris Godunov was officially assigned to the rulers.

The content of the article

RUSSIA, HISTORY. The history of the Russian state can be divided into three periods: from the beginning of the formation of the Russian people until 1917, which marked the end of the Russian Empire; from 1917 to the collapse of the USSR in 1991; from the collapse of the USSR to the present. This article deals with the first period. On the history of the second and third periods .

East Slavs.

Tribal groups of Eastern Slavs were among the first inhabitants of the lands later called Kievan Rus. Sources of the 6th century, including the Byzantine Procopius of Caesarea and the Gothic author Jordanes, identify with the Eastern Slavs the Antes - a group of tribes that occupied the territory reaching the Black Sea in the south, the lower Danube in the west, and the Seversky Donets in the east. According to the first source early history Russia - Tales of Bygone Years(compiled at the beginning of the 12th century by the monk of the Kiev-Pechersk monastery Nestor), ancient East Slavs consisted of more than a dozen tribes that lived in a vast area from the Black Sea in the south to Ladoga in the north, from the Danube and the Carpathian Mountains in the west to the Volga in the east. Among these tribes were the glades who lived in the middle reaches of the Dnieper, the Slovenes who lived in the vicinity of Lake Ilmen, as well as the Drevlyans, Radimichi, Vyatichi, Northerners, White Croats, Dulebs, Ulichs, Krivichi, Tivertsy, Dregovichi, etc. Their original origin is exactly not known; according to some theories, the ancestral home of the Slavs is delineated by the southern borders of the Pripyat swamps, the Vistula valley and the northern Carpathians. Slavic tribes have long been engaged in agriculture, hunting, fishing and cattle breeding. In addition, in many settlements of the Slavs that arose in the valleys of the Dnieper, Donets and Volkhov, primitive crafts were established, including pottery and weaving. On significance Agriculture for the early tribal society of the Slavs indicates the predominance of the corresponding cults and natural gods of the East Slavic pagan pantheon.

Migrations of Asian tribes.

The geographical position of Rus' at the crossroads of Eurasian trade and migration routes played a decisive role in initial stage its political development. Starting with the arrival of the Cimmerians in southern Rus' (c. 1000–700 BC) and up to the Mongol-Tatar yoke (c. 1240–1480), the history of Rus' is an almost continuous struggle between settled (mainly Slavic) and nomadic ( predominantly Asian) peoples moving from east to west along the Caspian and Black Sea steppes. The first nomadic tribes that influenced Rus' are the Scythians (7th century BC) and Sarmatians (4th century BC). They possessed military superiority over the Slavs due to their ability to make bows and arrows and the use of cavalry. Later, the Huns (4th and 5th centuries), Avars (6th–9th centuries), and Khazars (7th–10th centuries) appeared in the southern steppes. The Khazars not only engaged in cattle breeding and fought, but also created trading cities - such as Itil, Semender, Sarkel in the lower reaches of the Volga and Don. Having freed the Vyatichi from the power of the Khazars, the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav in 964 destroyed the Khazar state (Khazar Khaganate).

Rus', Varangians and the emergence of Kyiv.

The earliest Russian state union, according to Tales of Bygone Years, was created in Novgorod on the Volkhov by three Varangian-Russian brothers - Rurik, Sineus and Truvor (862). From Novgorod, Rus' extended its influence to Kyiv, which, under the heir of Rurik, Oleg, became the Russian capital. The word "Rus" was interpreted in different ways: both as a variant of the Finnish word "Ruotsi", denoting the Swedes, and as the name of the Azov tribe of Ants, and as the toponym "Ra" - the ancient name of the Volga. The so-called Norman theory claimed that the Varangians and Rus were Scandinavians (Normans) who arrived in the lands of Rus' as merchants and warriors. The anti-Norman theory suggests that not the Scandinavians, but the Slavs were the dominant people in the process of formation of the first political structures of the future Russian state. Today, many scientists believe that the word "Rus" is a non-ethnic term; he was called a group of Slavic, Scandinavian and Finnish merchants and mercenaries, united in mutually beneficial military and trade alliances. Kievan Rus, located on key river trade routes, gradually expanded the scope of its dominance over other Slavic tribes and cities.

Kyiv and Novgorod.

The strengthening of the political and economic influence of Kievan Rus is associated with the names of the Novgorod prince Rurik (d. c. 879) and Oleg (reigned in 879-912), who in 882 became the prince of Kyiv. The decisive role in the economic development of Kyiv was played by control over the Dnieper and its tributaries, especially in those places where passage without portages to the basins of the Western Dvina and Volkhov was impossible. Rus' exacted tribute from neighboring Slavic tribes, such as the Drevlyans, conquered by Oleg's successor, Igor (ruled 912–945), as well as Igor's widow, Olga (d. 969). Igor took the title of Grand Duke, confirming the supreme status of Kyiv relative to other cities of Rus'. With the help of the retinue, the Grand Duke retained control over Kyiv, and he gave other Russian cities and lands to be managed by his sons and other relatives. The first princes had the right to power, but ideas about princely ownership of landed property developed later.

Trade along the waterway of the Dnieper, Volkhov and Western Dvina (“from the Varangians to the Greeks”) for a long time was the main occupation and condition for the prosperity of the Rus. Their trading partners were Byzantium, the trading cities of the Baltic Sea, and Muslim neighbors from the Southeast. An important item of trade, in addition to furs, wax, honey, luxury goods, was grain. Grain crops were cultivated both in the forest-steppe southeastern regions (wheat) and in the forested north (rye, barley and oats). At first, the peasants developed slash-and-burn agriculture; over time, a two-field and three-field crop rotation appeared.

Rus' trade and cultural ties with Byzantium played a key role in the development (and subsequent decline) of Kievan Rus'. In 988-989 Orthodox Christianity was adopted, brought from Byzantium during the reign of Grand Duke Vladimir (980-1015); later came monasticism. Orthodox monasteries became important cultural centers. In Rus', under the influence of Byzantine fine art, icon painting, mosaic and fresco painting began to develop, a special Russian temple style took shape, the architectural feature of which was an onion-shaped dome.

In 1019, after the death of eleven of his brothers in the internecine struggle, Vladimir's son Yaroslav the Wise (reigned 1019–1054) became the Grand Duke. Under Yaroslav, the first own legal code was drawn up - Russian truth, based on tribal Slavic law with Byzantine elements. The system of inheritance in the Rurik dynasty was justified under Yaroslav and was reduced to the transfer of the title of Grand Duke to successively eldest sons in the family. The ruling dynasty was located in Kyiv and kept other cities and principalities in subjection with the help of a military aristocracy, whose members were chosen by the Grand Duke to serve in the Duma. In the affairs of local government in the cities of Rus', a meeting of the city nobility, or Veche, played a certain role.

Veche in Novgorod acquired considerable power. During the 11th century Novgorodians gradually emerged from direct subordination to Kyiv. Novgorod Veche By that time he had introduced the post of posadnik. It could only be occupied by the boyar, who ruled the court and was responsible for protecting the city from attacks. The veche chose the posadnik and could even deny the Kyiv prince the right to rule over the city. From 1136, when the Veche expelled the Kyiv prince Vsevolod, Novgorod established itself in the right to accept or remove from power the princes sent from Kyiv. Two decades later, in 1156, the Novgorodians secured the Vech's right to elect their own archbishops.

Boyars dominated the political life of Novgorod. The city was the largest craft and trade center, and a large number of surviving birch bark letters from the medieval period confirms the presence here high level literacy. From the middle of the 12th to the end of the 15th century. Novgorod was one of the busiest trading centers in Europe. Waterways connected the city with the Scandinavian and Baltic lands, as well as (through portages) with Kyiv and the Volga lands. Novgorod had its own coin, different from the Kyiv one, and its own system of measures and weights. After the Polovtsy blocked the way from the Varangians to the Greeks in the lower reaches of the Dnieper (end of the 11th century) and the decline of Kyiv (12th century), the importance of the city increased, and it began to be called Lord Veliky Novgorod.

One of the most prominent rulers of Novgorod was Prince Alexander Nevsky (reigned in 1236-1251, in 1252-1263 the Grand Duke of Vladimir), who vigorously fought against the attempts of the crusaders to conquer Orthodox lands. He defeated the Swedish army on the Neva in 1240 and then defeated the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of Ice on Lake Peipus in 1242. The last powerful ruler in Kyiv was Grand Duke Vladimir II Monomakh (reigned Rus', but also reflected the raids of nomads. After the death of his son Mstislav I (reigned 1125-1132), Kievan Rus began to disintegrate into numerous specific principalities, and in 1169 the grand princely throne was transferred from Kyiv to Vladimir, where, having taken part of the population from the Dnieper, the Vladimir-Suzdal principality began to rise. The trading cities of the Dnieper route fell into decay for many years.

Mongol-Tatar yoke and the rise of Moscow.

At the beginning of the 13th c. a large army of new nomads led by Genghis Khan (c. 1155–1227) conquered Central Asia and approached the southeastern borders of Rus'. They were called Tatars, although this name referred only to the tribe that played the role of the vanguard. In 1223, the Mongol army led by the commander Subedei defeated the combined forces of the Russians and Polovtsians in the battle on the Kalka River near the Sea of ​​Azov. In 1237, an alliance of Mongol tribes, known as the Golden Horde, under the leadership of Subedei and Batu (1208–1255), the grandson of Genghis Khan, again invaded the territory of Rus'. Mounted Mongolian archers defeated the Ryazan army and burned Ryazan, and then inflicted a crushing defeat on the army assembled by the Grand Duke of Vladimir. At the beginning of 1238 the city of Vladimir was taken; in 1240 Kyiv was completely ravaged, and its inhabitants were exterminated. Baty did not reach Novgorod, but the Novgorodians agreed to pay tribute to him. The Golden Horde, having reached the Carpathians, returned to the east and established its capital in Sarai, a fortified city on the Lower Volga. From here, representatives of Batu and his heirs - the Baskaks - were sent to Russian cities to collect tribute, and the Mongol shock troops could move to the northwest to conquer any rebellious Russian city. The deserted Dnieper region was captured by Lithuania, and northeastern Rus' submitted to the Mongol-Tatars and paid them an annual tribute. Even Alexander Nevsky went for a label to reign to Batu and obeyed Khan Guyuk in Karakorum, the capital of the great khanate in distant Mongolia.

Only a few Mongol-Tatars settled in the occupied Slavic territory. The Orthodox Church opposed any intercultural contacts with the "nasty", forbade mixed marriages and did not conduct missionary activities in the pagan Golden Horde.

The question of the influence of the Mongol-Tatars on Rus' remains a subject of controversy. Historians-"Eurasians" claim that the subsequent development of Rus' is an example of intercultural interaction. Other historians argue that the Mongol-Tatar influence slowed down the development of the Russian economy, and their cultural influence was minimal - due to the very nature of their rule, which was reduced mainly to the collection of tribute.

The Moscow princes skillfully used the favorable position of Moscow on the trade routes in the center of the Russian principalities between the Oka and Volga rivers, eliminating rivals - the princes of Vladimir, Ryazan and Tver - with the help of the Golden Horde. The Moscow prince Ivan I Kalita played a decisive role in the rise of Moscow.

Muscovy from Ivan I Kalita to Ivan IV.

The metropolia also moved to the northeast from Kyiv, finally establishing itself in Moscow during the reign of Ivan I (1325–1341). Ivan received the nickname Kalita ("leather money bag"), becoming a collector of tribute to the Mongols. Kalita and his heirs used this position to strengthen the positions of Moscow, threatening, under the pretext of non-payment of tribute, to give rival cities to the Mongols for plunder. In 1328, Ivan bought the grand ducal label from the khan, and Moscow assumed a dominant position in relation to other Russian cities. The Golden Horde by that time converted to Islam. At the end of the 14th century Moscow became the center of anti-Mongol uprisings, which reached their peak in 1380, when Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy (reigned 1359–1389) defeated the army of Khan Mamai in the Battle of Kulikovo. After that, the decline of the Golden Horde began. In 1395 Tamerlane defeated the Golden Horde and ravaged Sarai. Subsequently, the Horde broke up into the Crimean, Astrakhan, Kazan and Siberian khanates. However, the Moscow prince stopped paying tribute to the Mongols only in 1476. In 1480, “standing on the Ugra”, when Khan Akhmat did not dare to fight and retreated, the Mongol-Tatar yoke ended.

After the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks (1453), many Byzantine clergy ended up in the Moscow principality, the last Orthodox state that managed to escape Islamic domination. In those years, the theory “Moscow is the third Rome” arose. It has been argued that the pagan ("first") Rome fell because of the persecution of Christianity; then collapsed the "new Rome" - Constantinople, which recognized the supremacy of the Catholic Pope (1439) in the hope of the West's help; now it is Muscovy that is the heir to the true Christian tradition and thus becomes the “third Rome”. Ivan III the Great married Sophia Palaiologos, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor, in order to secure Moscow's status as the heir to the imperial traditions of Rome and Byzantium. In some documents, he is already called the king (from the Greek kaisar, lat. caesar).

Nicholas I.

The new emperor (reigned 1825-1855) concentrated his efforts on strengthening his personal power and establishing comprehensive control over the political, economic and cultural life of the country. In 1827 it was forbidden to admit children of serfs to the gymnasium. The new university charter (1835) practically eliminated the autonomy of universities. Censorship was rampant. His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery was created to control the work of the ministries and the political police - the Third Department, which organically supplemented the Chancellery. Nicholas feared the spread of constitutional and revolutionary Western ideas in Russia, especially after the revolutions of 1830 and 1848-1849 in Europe. Governing society, Nicholas relied on the doctrine of "official nationality" (according to the well-known formula of the Minister of Education S.S. Uvarov - "Orthodoxy, autocracy, nationality") and the idea of ​​pan-Slavism.

The idea of ​​pan-Slavism in foreign policy was directed against Ottoman Empire and Muslim domination over the Slavic populations of southeastern Europe. In the 1820s, Nicholas supported the Greek struggle for national independence. The allied fleet of Russia, Great Britain and France defeated the Turks in the Battle of Navarino in 1827, and according to the Peace of Adrianople, signed in 1829, Greece and Serbia gained independence, and Moldavia and Wallachia fell under the protection of Russia. In 1833, the Turks signed an agreement with the Russians, which granted Russia the right to pass ships through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. In 1831 Russia suppressed uprisings in Warsaw and the Polish lands of Prussia, and in 1849 an uprising of the Hungarians in the Austrian Empire.

The dispute in Palestine, which belonged to the Ottoman Empire, between the Catholic and Orthodox churches regarding the ownership of Christian shrines in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth in the early 1850s acquired the status of an international problem. Nicholas demanded from the Sultan to give the Emperor of Russia the right to patronize all the Orthodox in the territory of the Ottoman Empire, and when he was refused, he brought Russian troops into Moldavia and Wallachia (June 1853). In November 1853, Admiral Nakhimov's squadron destroyed the Turkish fleet near Sinop. Great Britain and France, having ensured the benevolent neutrality of Austria and Prussia, supported the Turks, and the Crimean War began, the main military operation which was the siege of Sevastopol by British and French troops. These troops were transferred to the theater of operations by sea, while the Russians had to travel on poor dirt roads. The military-technical backwardness of Russia affected everything. The British and French had steamships and were armed with rifled rifles. The Russians had only sailboats and smoothbore guns; they did not have enough equipment, there were not even military maps of the Crimea. On March 2, 1855, at the height of the war, Nicholas died, and his son Alexander II became his heir, who continued the war until August 30 (September 11) Sevastopol was surrendered. Under the terms of the Paris Agreement signed in March 1856, Russia was forbidden to have a navy, military fortresses and arsenals on the Black Sea; Russia also renounced its protectorate over the Orthodox subjects of the Sultan.

Alexander II.

A humiliating defeat in Crimean War made a deep impression on Alexander II, who rightly considered it a consequence of the socio-economic backwardness of Russia. During his reign (1855–1881), he undertook attempts to modernize the country through an extensive program of reforms, which, on the one hand, were challenged by the reactionaries, and on the other hand, caused discontent among the revolutionary-minded intelligentsia, who were striving for more radical changes. A.I. Herzen and N.M. Chernyshevsky became the ideologists of the radicals.

The most important reform of Alexander II was the abolition of serfdom in 1861. However, the peasants had to redeem the land from the noble owners, for which they were offered government loans; they were to be paid gradually over 49 years. In order to control such payments and the use of land, peasant communities were created. Many peasants fell into debt dependence on the community. The peasants were not interested in taking care of the land, since the community followed the regular exchange of land between peasant households. This situation in the countryside, along with the accelerated industrial development of the country, caused migration a large number peasants to the cities to work in factories and plants. In the course of such historically important social transformations, the movement of populist intellectuals was rapidly gaining strength, who believed that the land should be given to the peasants without redemption, and the country needed a parliament and a republican form of government. The Narodniks argued that the Liberation Manifesto was a lie, that the peasants were by nature a revolutionary class, and that the world (community) should become the basis of a unique Russian form of "peasant socialism." In the summer of 1874, thousands of students went to the villages to explain to the peasants what to do. This “going to the people” failed because its leaders failed to convey their ideas clearly to the peasants, most of whom remained loyal to the emperor and were convinced that the former landowners were to blame for their difficulties.

In 1864, a large-scale reorganization of local government was carried out, expressed in the creation of zemstvo institutions in most provinces of European Russia, the courts and the education system were democratized, and censorship was abolished. In 1870, a reform of city government was carried out, and in 1874, a military reform. In 1880, Alexander II appointed General M.T. Loris-Melikov head of the Supreme Administrative Commission, which, in order to counteract radicalism, prepared the transition to a constitutional monarchy. But as early as 1878, a group of populists created an organization called the People's Will, which proclaimed the need for terror to carry out the revolution. March 1 (13), 1881 - the day the emperor signed a decree on the development of constitutional laws - the Narodnaya Volya made another attempt on Alexander II, who was killed by a bomb explosion.

Alexander III

(reigned 1881-1894) at first was going to continue the implementation of his father's plans to reform Russia, but K.P. Pobedonostsev, the prosecutor of the Holy Synod, the former educator of the emperor, who remained his closest adviser, convinced him of the disastrous nature of such a policy. Revolutionaries were repressed; involvement in terror was punishable by death. In 1889, in order to perform power functions in rural areas, Alexander III established the institute of zemstvo chiefs, and in 1890 reduced the representation of peasants in zemstvos.

During the reign Alexander III Anti-Semitism has become an instrument of political pressure. Jews played an active role in the revolutionary movement, and many government officials, in particular Pobedonostsev, blamed them for all the troubles. In the 1890s, Jewish pogroms began, and many hundreds of thousands of Jews were forced to emigrate.

In the 1890s there was a rapid economic development of Russia. The construction of railways, metallurgical and machine-building plants began. It was supported by Western investment, mainly Belgian, French, German and British. In 1897, Minister of Finance S.Yu. Witte carried out a monetary reform and introduced gold circulation to encourage investment. Based on trade agreements, syndicates were formed that regulated production volumes and prices, markets for metal, coal and other products. Russia built 3,000 km of railways annually and came out on top in the world in terms of industrial development (9% per year), and its share in world production rose from 4% (1870) to 7% (1900).

External expansion.

Having recovered from the defeat in the Crimean War, Russia continued its policy of conquest. In 1871, she, refusing to comply with the restrictive articles of the Paris Agreement, restored her positions on the Black Sea. In 1877-1878, during the next Russian-Turkish war, Russia liberated Bulgaria. The dominion of the Russian Empire over the lands of modern Kazakhstan was established in the 1850s, when the Kazakh khans, seeking patronage and military support, received them from Russia. Fortresses were built in the south of Kazakhstan (Verny, Chimkent). In the 1860s, the conquest of the Central Asian states south of Kazakhstan began. In 1865-1866, the Kokand Khanate was subordinated, and in 1876 annexed. In 1866 the troops of the Russian General Kaufman invaded the Emirate of Bukhara, which in 1868 was turned into a vassal state by Russia; in 1873 the same thing happened with the Khanate of Khiva. The territory of modern Turkmenistan was captured by generals Stoletov and Skobelev during the military campaigns of 1869-1873, 1880-1881 and 1885. In 1885, Russia and Great Britain entered into an agreement establishing the border between Russian Empire and Afghanistan, which remained in the British zone of influence. In 1895 Russia annexed the Gorno-Badakhshan region of the Pamirs.

The tsarist government, in alliance with the local feudal elite, established a colonial regime on these lands. Several uprisings were suppressed, including a peasant uprising in Bukhara (1885–1887), an Uzbek revolt in the Tashkent region (1892), and an uprising of the Kirghiz in the Fergana Valley (1898).

The rise of radicalism.

The industrialization of the 1880s and 1890s was accompanied by the growth of workers' organizations and the first uprisings of the industrial proletariat. By the beginning of the 20th century as a result of the rapid increase in the population, the average allotment per farmer has decreased by almost 50% compared with 1861; Rent and land prices have risen significantly. In addition, competition in the world market has led to lower prices for wheat and barley. At the end of the 19th century taxes and tariffs on imports were raised, which was supposed to protect Russian industry from competition with foreign goods. Peasant socialists proposed expropriating large estates to meet the growing need for land. In 1901-1902, V.M. Chernov and other supporters of the idea of ​​a socialist republic of the peasant type founded the party of socialist revolutionaries (SRs).

Other Russian radicals of this period, in particular G.V. Plekhanov (1856–1918), were attracted by Marxist ideas. The famous revolutionary G.A. Lopatin translated Capital into Russian (1872). Although Marx admitted that collective peasant property could become the basis of socialism in Russia without the country going through the stage of capitalism, Russian Marxists rejected the idea of ​​a special path for Russia. Proceeding from this, in the 1890s the "legal Marxists" - liberals led by P.B. Struve and M.I. Tugan-Baranovsky - propagated free enterprise and parliamentary democracy against, on the one hand, the defenders of the tsarist the other - supporters of romantic populism.

The main trend of Marxism in Russia - as well as in the West - declared the identity of its goals with the interests of the industrial working class (the proletariat). This rapidly growing class constituted a relatively small share in society (in Russia at the end of the 19th century there were hardly more than 2 million industrial workers, out of a population of 128 million). In 1883 Plekhanov and other emigrants in Switzerland founded the first Russian Marxist group, the Emancipation of Labor. She and other similar groups that appeared after her operated illegally in Russia. In 1898, Marxists in Russia organized the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP). Along with Plekhanov, V.I. Zasulich, V.I. Ulyanov (Lenin), and also Yu.O. Zederbaum (Martov) became the leaders of the new party. The General Jewish Workers' Union (Bund) also joined the RSDLP.

In 1903, after a party congress held in Brussels and London, the RSDLP split into two factions. A group led by Lenin, distinguished a high degree organization and radicalism, became known as the "Bolsheviks", as it received the majority of votes in the voting at the congress. Another, more moderate group, headed by Martov, began to be called the "Mensheviks."

Nicholas II.

After the death of Alexander III in 1894, Nicholas II (reigned 1894–1917) became his heir. In 1895–1896 and 1901, famine struck the country. Redemption payments doubled, and there was massive unemployment in industry. S.Yu. Witte, Minister of Finance in 1892-1903, tried to stimulate the development of the economy by expanding the railway network, using foreign loans to finance industrial construction and introducing protectionist tariffs. But this was not enough. Some influential government officials, including Secretary of State A.M. Bezobrazov and Minister of Internal Affairs V.K. provisions.

Russo-Japanese War.

In 1860 Russia acquired the territory of the Pacific coast between the Amur and Ussuri rivers from China and founded the port of Vladivostok here. In 1875, under an agreement with Japan, Sakhalin Island was acquired in exchange for the Kuril Islands. The construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, begun in 1891, strengthened Russia's influence in the Far East. Under an agreement with China in 1896, Russia received the right to build a railway through Manchuria, shortening the route to Vladivostok, in exchange for guarantees of Russian protection in the event of Japanese aggression. In 1903 the railroad was built.

Japan gained dominance in East Asia by defeating China in the 1894–1895 war. However, a more powerful Russia appeared on the Far East scene. In 1898 Russia leased the Liaodong Peninsula and other territories in southern Manchuria and established the naval bases of Port Arthur and Dalniy here. In 1900, Russia used the suppression of the Yihetuan uprising in China as a pretext for the occupation of Manchuria. With the support of Great Britain and the United States, Japan demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Manchuria. Russia proposed a compromise solution, but Japan did not give an answer and on January 24, 1904 broke off diplomatic relations with Russia. On the night of January 27, 1904, the Japanese unexpectedly attacked Russian ships in Port Arthur and the Korean port of Chemulpo. The Russian army was not ready for war and experienced a series of humiliating defeats at Laoyang, Mukden and Port Arthur. In May 1905, the Japanese actually destroyed the Russian squadron that had come from Kronstadt in the decisive naval battle of Tsushima. The war ended in August 1905 with the Peace of Portsmouth. According to the agreement, Russia's concessions in southern Manchuria and southern Sakhalin departed to Japan. The demand for indemnities was rejected by Russia.

Revolution of 1905.

Although Russia lost very little territory, the war turned out to be a great humiliation. Many cities and industrial areas were engulfed in unrest. The first unrest began in 1904, when the Union of Liberation, which consisted of liberals, zemstvo officials and specialists, publicly blamed the authorities for the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War. Public indignation was used by the RSDLP and the party of socialist revolutionaries (SRs). In July 1904, the Socialist-Revolutionaries killed the Minister of the Interior, V.K.

Between 1901 and 1903, Colonel S.V. Zubatov, head of the Moscow security department, organized several trade unions controlled by the police, which were supposed to be used to contain the radicals. Former prison priest G.A. Gapon was supposed to head one of these unions. He advocated the introduction of a 10-hour day and higher wages, although the radicals in the union also put forward political demands - freedom of speech, representative government, the transfer of land to the peasants. January 9, 1905 Gapon led a peaceful protest procession, which was attended by about 200 thousand workers of St. Petersburg. The demonstrators went to the Winter Palace with a petition to Nicholas II. The emperor was not at the residence at that time. Fearing violence, the palace guards opened fire, killing and injuring hundreds of participants in the unarmed procession. This day became known as "Bloody Sunday". In February 1905, the Socialist-Revolutionary I.P. Kalyaev killed Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, the Moscow governor-general and uncle of the emperor. In response to this assassination, Nicholas II promised to convene a commission of elected people's representatives in March to develop legislative proposals. Since this promise was not fulfilled, Professor P.N. Milyukov (1859–1943), several zemstvo leaders and a group of moderate socialists organized the “Union of Unions” in May, which aimed to achieve the convocation of the Constituent Assembly. In the spring and summer of 1905, hundreds of strikes and peasant riots took place throughout the country, unrest began in the army. In the summer, there were about 50 cases of disobedience by soldiers and sailors, including the well-known rebellion of the crew of the battleship Prince Potemkin Tauride. Frightened by the scope of the revolutionary movement, in August Nicholas II issued a Manifesto on the convening of a deliberative assembly, called the State Duma.

In September 1905, a mass strike of workers began in Moscow, and on October 8, all railway workers in Russia stopped working. After this, an all-Russian strike began, which forced Nicholas II to issue a Manifesto on October 17, which provided full civil liberties and promised the convocation of a Duma with legislative powers. A partial political amnesty was announced, the residual redemption payments of peasants were cancelled; The Peasants' Bank was established to facilitate land transactions. The moderates welcomed the October Manifesto and created two reformist parties, the Constitutional Democrats (Kadets) and the Octobrists.

On October 13, a revolutionary Soviet of Workers' Deputies was created in St. Petersburg, which was supposed to lead the general strike. In Moscow, the Council was created on November 22. He began to organize armed workers' squads. The Soviets called for a general strike in December, to which the government responded with reprisals. On December 3, the leaders (all Social Democrats) of the St. Petersburg Council were arrested, and on December 9, the Moscow Council, also led by Marxists, launched an armed uprising. For 9 days, the Moscow workers fought the government troops in the streets, and only on December 18, after the use of artillery, the Soviet was forced to stop fighting.

Frightened by the revolution, the monarchy began to take measures to strengthen the autocracy. By decree of March 5, 1906, the emperor confirmed his status as supreme commander in chief, leader foreign policy, as well as its royal right to appoint and remove ministers.

State Dumas.

Despite the victory over the revolutionaries, Nicholas II authorized the convocation of the Duma in April 1906. Its members were elected by universal suffrage (men). The Bolsheviks called for a boycott of the elections, but were not supported, and 18 Menshevik Social Democrats entered the Duma. The liberals (the Cadets) achieved the greatest representation. Soon the Duma came into conflict with the new Minister of the Interior P.A. Stolypin on the issue of land reform, refusing to approve laws that were not developed on its initiative. By this time, Stolypin, who had become prime minister, convinced the emperor to dissolve the Duma, which was done on July 9 - 73 days after its convocation. About 200 former members The Dumas gathered in Vyborg, demanding its restoration and urging the people not to pay taxes and put obstacles in the way of recruitment into the army. On August 12, 1906, suicidal Socialist-Revolutionaries bombed Stolypin's house. Several dozen people were killed, the daughter and son of the Prime Minister were injured. In response, Stolypin established courts-martial.

Stolypin was looking for ways to undermine the peasant community and stimulate the work of enterprising peasants . He supported the creation of the Peasants' Bank as a means of helping peasants who wanted to leave the community and set up their own economy, and developed measures to encourage the resettlement of enterprising peasants to new lands in Siberia. As a result of these reforms in 1906-1915, a quarter of peasant households left the communities, and the area under crops increased by 10%.

In February 1907 the second Duma was convened. It included fewer Cadets than the first, but it consisted of 65 Social Democrats, mostly Mensheviks. The Bolsheviks did not boycott these elections, but opposed the Mensheviks' call for cooperation with the Cadets. The far left and far right factions refused to cooperate with the government. Less than 4 months after its convocation, the second Duma was dissolved when Stolypin secured the arrest of 16 Social Democrats accused of plotting to overthrow the government.

The Third Duma was convened in November 1907; its work continued until 1912. The representation of peasants, national minorities and remote regions (the Caucasus, Siberia, Central Asia) was reduced under the new electoral law. There were only 19 Social Democrats in the Duma, of which six were Bolsheviks. The right and centrist Octobrists formed the majority, and the Duma began to cooperate with the government. Stolypin successfully carried out military reform and managed to create a network of primary and secondary schools. “Give the state 20 years of internal and external peace, and you will not recognize Russia,” said Stolypin. However, in September 1911, at the Kiev Opera House, in the presence of the emperor, he was mortally wounded by the Socialist-Revolutionary, Okhrana agent D.G. Bogrov. In June 1912 the Third Duma was dissolved.

In November 1912, the Fourth Duma was convened, which sat until October 1917. It included 14 Social Democrats, including 6 Bolsheviks (later it turned out that the leader of the Bolshevik faction, R.V. Malinovsky, was an agent of the tsarist secret police). The Mensheviks went to the polls with the slogan "we wrest the Duma from the hands of the reactionaries," while the Bolsheviks used the slogan "wrest the democratic movement from the hands of the liberals." The program of the Bolsheviks pointed out the futility of the reforms, it contained calls for the establishment of a democratic republic of workers and peasants. Despite a right-wing majority, the Fourth Duma, both before World War I and during it, was often in opposition to the government.

Russia and the First World War.

Using the ideas of Pan-Slavism and Orthodoxy, Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. intensified its attempts to achieve hegemony in the Balkans. Austria-Hungary also aspired to the same. The Balkans were called the "powder magazine of Europe." In 1907, an alliance was formed between Russia, France and Great Britain - the Triple Entente (Entente). His opponent was the Tripartite Alliance (established in 1882), which included Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. Potential conflict zones included the Balkans and colonial possessions in Africa. The first conflict between the two blocs broke out in 1906 at the Algeciras Conference, by decision of which the protectorate over Morocco was granted to France, and not to Spain, as Germany wanted. The second conflict (1908-1909) affected the fate of Bosnia and Herzegovina - the former Ottoman province in the Balkans, inhabited by Slavs and after the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 transferred to the control of Austria-Hungary. Austria-Hungary wanted to annex Bosnia and Herzegovina, but Serbia was hostile to this. Russia agreed to such an annexation, provided that it was given control over the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. However, on September 24, 1908, without waiting for an agreement with Russia, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina. Europe was on the brink of war. Serbia and Austria-Hungary exchanged threats; Serbia, in addition to Russia, was supported by England and France. Russia was not ready for a conflict, and by the spring of 1909 the atmosphere of the crisis was partly discharged; nevertheless, the threat of a major war was brewing.

In 1912 the situation escalated again; the Balkan Union (Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro), which arose under the auspices of Russia, defeated the Turks. However, the victors quickly quarreled; having won the Second Balkan War (1913) over Bulgaria, Serbia became the dominant power in the Balkans.

Serbia, with the support of Russia, set as its goal the unification of all southern Slavic lands, including the territories under the control of Austria-Hungary. On June 15 (28), 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Young Bosnia secret society, killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo. The Austrians sent an ultimatum to Serbia. Russian Foreign Minister S. D. Sazonov warned that if the Austrians attacked Serbia, Russian armed intervention would follow. Nevertheless, on July 15 (28) Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia; the next day, Russia began a general mobilization, and on July 19 (August 1), Germany declared war on Russia. France and Great Britain took the side of Russia. Somewhat later, Japan joined the Entente, and Turkey and Bulgaria joined the Austro-German bloc. The First World War began.

The war was bloody and protracted. In a hurry to help the French, the Russian armies of Samsonov and Rennenkampf, who had not completed their mobilization, invaded East Prussia, but were defeated (August 1914). A similar offensive in Galicia (August-September 1914) was successful for the Russians. In April 1915, the German-Austrian troops broke through the front and by the end of 1915 reached the Riga-Baranovichi-Tarnopol line. In April - July 1916, the Brusilovsky breakthrough near Tarnopol ended with the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian armies, but was not supported by other fronts. The troops switched to positional warfare.

At this time in St. Petersburg, the "seer" from the Siberian peasants Grigory Rasputin gained great influence on the imperial family - Empress Alexandra Feodorovna believed that he was able to heal Tsarevich Alexei (1904-1918), who suffered from hemophilia. On the advice of Rasputin, key figures in the government were removed and appointed. A scandal broke out, and in December 1916 Rasputin was killed by people from the emperor's entourage, who believed that Russia was in mortal danger because of Rasputinism.

By the end of 1916, Russia's position worsened as a result of a series of military defeats, a reduction in food supplies in the cities, and mass desertion. In December, after expressing no confidence in the government, the Duma was dissolved. When it reconvened in February 1917, political actions, strikes and food riots, as well as the disobedience of military units sent to suppress them, led to mass unrest in Petrograd (as St. Petersburg was called from 1914). Under pressure from the Duma delegation and the generals, Nicholas II abdicated on March 2 (15), 1917 in favor of his brother. The next day, his brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, also announced his abdication. The reign of the Romanovs is over, the old order in Russia is a thing of the past forever.

APPLICATION

Supreme Manifesto

"On the improvement of the state order"

By the grace of God, We, Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Tsar of Poland, Grand Duke of Finland, and others, and others, and others.

Troubles and disturbances in the capitals and in many localities of Our Empire fill Our heart with great and heavy grief. The good of the Russian Sovereign is inseparable from the good of the people, and the sadness of the people is His sadness. From the unrest that has now arisen, there may be a deep disorganization of the people and a threat to the integrity and unity of Our State.

The great vow of the Royal service commands Us to strive with all the forces of Our reason and power for the speediest cessation of the turmoil so dangerous for the State. Having commanded the authorities to take measures to eliminate direct manifestations of disorder, excesses and violence, to protect peaceful people striving for the calm fulfillment of the duty lying on everyone, We, for the most successful fulfillment of the general intended by Us to pacify public life measures, recognized the need to unite the activities of the supreme Government.

We entrust the Government with the fulfillment of Our inexorable will.

1. Grant the population the unshakable foundations of civil freedom on the basis of real inviolability of the person, freedom of conscience, speech, assembly and associations.

2. Without stopping the scheduled elections to the State Duma, immediately enlist in participation in the Duma, to the extent possible, corresponding to the brevity of the period remaining until the convocation of the Duma, those classes of the population who are now completely deprived of voting rights, leaving behind this the further development of the principle of general suffrage newly established legal order.

3. Establish as an unshakable rule that no law can take effect without the approval of the State Duma and that the elected representatives of the people are provided with the opportunity to really participate in monitoring the regularity of the actions of the authorities appointed by Us.

We call on all the faithful sons of Russia to remember their duty to the Motherland, to help put an end to this unheard-of turmoil and, together with Us, exert all their strength to restore silence and peace in their native land.

Given in Peterhof, on the 17th day of October, in the summer of the Nativity of Christ, one thousand nine hundred and five, the eleventh of Our reign.

On the genuine Own of His Imperial Majesty

hand signed: "NICHOLAS".

From the statistical indicators of the Russian Empire

Table 1. Reproduction of the population in the largest states of the world in 1913 (in%)

Table 2. Private land ownership in 47 provinces of European Russia in 1905–1914

Table 3. Grain yield in Russia and other countries in 1913

Table 4. Average prices for basic foodstuffs and labor in St. Petersburg in 1913

Table 5. Reference prices for food, fuel and labor in Moscow in 1910–1913

Table 6. Distribution of economic strikes and their participants in the factory manufacturing industry of European Russia according to their results in 1910–1913

Table 7. Number and specialization of graduates of Russian universities in 1900–1913

Table 8. Organization of medical care in Russia in 1912

Table 9. Infectious diseases in Russia in 1912

Table 10

Table 11

Table 12

Table 13. The death penalty in Russia in 1905-1913

(((1006271-T-128)))

Literature:

Klyuchevsky V.O. Works in 9 vols. M., 1987–1993
Soloviev S.M. History of Russia since ancient times. M., 1988–1993
Andreev A.G. Short story Russia(XIX - early XX century). St. Petersburg, 1995
Munchev Sh.M., Ustinov V.M. Russian history. M., 1997
Fundamentals of the Russian history course. M., 1997
National history. M., 1997
Ilovaisky D.I. Russian history. M., 1998
Fedorov B.A. Russian history. 1861–1917. M., 1998
Danilov A.A. Russian history. IX–XIX centuries. M., 1999

Board of Boris Godunov (briefly)

Board of Boris Godunov (briefly)

The death of Ivan the Terrible in 1584 was the beginning of a sharp struggle for the throne among the boyars. The reason for this struggle was the heir to the throne, Fedor, who was weak, weak-willed and unable to rule the state with a firm hand. It was this that prompted Grozny to create a regency council during his lifetime to govern the state.

Among this circle of boyars is the former oprichnik, strong-willed personality Boris Godunov, who gradually removed other competitors from power, and also using family ties, becomes the de facto ruler of the country.

In 1591, Tsarevich Dmitry dies in Uglich under tragic circumstances, and there is a rumor among the people about Godunov's involvement in this event.

Over the entire period of his activity, Godunov was able to prove himself as a reformer and a talented politician. Being a supporter of strict power, he understood all the negative aspects of the power of Ivan the Terrible, but continued his policy of enslaving the peasants, as he believed that this was the only way out of the state of desolation.

In 1597, a decree was issued, according to which the so-called "lesson years" were introduced, which are a five-year period for detecting fugitive peasants, in which they could be returned to their master. The dependence of serfs was significantly increased. Thus, they lost the right to redeem their own freedom, remaining dependent until the death of their master. Those who served as freelancers, after a six-month term of service with the owner, were turned into serfs.

Tsar Boris sought to generalize the ruling class. All his domestic policy was completely aimed at balancing the situation within the state. For this purpose, in 1589, he carried out a reform of the patriarchate, as a result of which the Russian church became independent of the patriarch of Constantinople, but fell under the complete control of the tsar.

Under Godunov, many new cities arose (Voronezh, Tsaritsyn, Samara, Saratov, etc.).

All those involved in trade and crafts are united in township communities, which were subject to one state tax.

However, the lean years (1601-1603) caused famine in Rus'. Starving people flocked to Moscow from all over the country, and Godunov tried to provide the starving with bread and work.

In 1603, an uprising broke out, after which the authority of the king fell.

The great tyrant and murderer, who subjected the state to a terrible famine and dragged it into the chaos of the Time of Troubles. At the same time, during the 7 years of the reign of Boris Godunov, Russia strengthened its influence and its own borders, but internal conflicts provoked the ascension to the throne of an impostor.

Boris was born in 1552 into a landowner's family, who lived near the city of Vyazma. The genealogy of the Godunovs goes back to the Tatar Chet-Murza, who settled in Rus' during the reign. Boris's ancestors are Kostroma boyars, who eventually become Vyazma landowners.

Being a provincial nobleman, the young man received an education, but did not familiarize himself with the Holy Scriptures. The study of church books was considered a fundamental component of study, so gaps in this area were not allowed. Contemporaries called the future king a poorly educated and bad boy. Literacy and calligraphic handwriting were not taken into account.

Approach to the royal retinue

In 1565, he fights for undivided power, and for this he divides Rus' into zemshchina and oprichnina. The latter creates its own Duma, ministries and troops. The Godunovs' possessions turned out to be on the side of the oprichnina lands, and Dmitry Ivanovich (Boris's uncle) enlisted in the military corps. Due to the disgraced boyars, he increased his fortune. The tsar appreciated the merits of Dmitry and brought him closer to the court, providing a dignitary rank.

After the death of their parents, Irina and Boris Godunov, the uncle took custody of the children. Constant traveling did not favor the full-fledged upbringing of the offspring, so Dmitry attached the orphans to the Kremlin, having agreed with the autocrat. Children grew up in full contentment along with the royal heirs. Ivan the Terrible liked to talk with the younger Godunov and even ordered to write down his own wise thoughts.

The young man was attracted by power and court luxury, but he was amazed by the tortures to which Grozny subjected the rebels. Being in the state retinue, he was forced to observe the executions and tortures of the disgraced. The boy quickly realized that he would not survive in a bloody court if he did not learn to control pity and emotions. He was forced to take instruments of torture into his hands and "had fun" together with Grozny and the guardsmen.

At the age of 18, he took the place of the state bedkeeper. The previous one was executed by impalement. Now, on duty, the young man becomes the eyes and ears of the tsar, in charge of the Kremlin economy and security. Trickery and behind-the-scenes intrigues are now the natural element of Boris, who is forced to fight with rivals.

The smart courtier liked him, who feared for his life and was looking for loyal allies. Malyuta married Godunov his youngest daughter Maria, and his eldest.

In 1571, a young courtier betrothed a relative, Yevdokia Saburov, to the son of Ivan the Terrible. The daughter-in-law did not like the autocrat, who accused the girl of disrespect and exiled her to a monastery. Boris learned that the lustful father-in-law harassed the young beauty and became angry after a categorical refusal. Godunov shared his opinion with a friend, who immediately conveyed the information to the tsar.

The career of the bed-keeper was shaken. Now the angry Grozny will order the execution at any moment. From the torture chamber, the man was rescued by his beloved sister Irina, who persuaded Fedor (the royal son) to resolve the issue with a pardon. The girl was famous for her intelligence, literacy and beauty. Charming Irina liked Fyodor from childhood, but did not pay attention to tongue-tied courtship.

The beauty loved to read, learned to read and write with pleasure and showed success in mathematics. When a terrible danger loomed over her brother, Irina rushed to the royal offspring with prayers, and he convinced her father to spare the Godunov family. In gratitude, the girl had to marry the silly Fedor, Boris was granted the title of boyar.

During the reign of Fedor

In 1581, in the heat of a scandal, the tsar kills his own son Ivan. Fyodor Ioannovich becomes a contender for the throne. After 3 years, Grozny dies a terrible death, choking on his own blood. The people said that the autocrat was strangled by the spilled blood of the innocently killed. The sole heir becomes the new ruler.

Fyodor got tired of holding a gilded apple, denoting a state, and gave the symbol to Godunov. These events, according to the courtiers, become historical. A regency council was urgently created in the Kremlin, which included Yuryev, Belsky, Mstislavsky, Shuisky and Godunov. The boyars understood that this tsar was not capable of governing the country, and a fierce struggle for the throne began at the court.

Godunov turned popular unrest in a favorable direction, accusing Velsky of executions, torture and abuse of his subjects. The former favorite was sent into exile. This was followed by a hard struggle with the boyar families, who were not going to share power with the "rootless upstart". The boyars acted by force, and Boris by intrigue and cunning.

Having finished with the opponents, the future king decided to eliminate the last contender for the throne. Ivan the Terrible had one more descendant - Tsarevich Dmitry, who was exiled with his mother to Uglich. The child died in 1591, having stumbled upon a knife during an epileptic attack. A specially created commission found no traces of a crime in the death of the prince. The tsar's brother-in-law was not accused of killing Dmitry, since there was no direct evidence of guilt, only circumstantial evidence.

This moment of the biography was wonderfully expressed in the tragedy "Boris Godunov" in a poetic line:

“And everything is sick, and the head is spinning,
And the boys are bloody in the eyes...
And I'm glad to run away, but there's nowhere ... terrible!
Yes, pitiful is the one in whom the conscience is not clear.

In 1869, the composer Mussorgsky, being impressed by the poem, wrote an opera of the same name, in which he showed in detail the relationship between the people and the ruler.

reforms

A rare intriguer and a skilled politician ruled the country for 13 years, hiding behind the name of Fyodor Ioannovich. During this period, cities, powerful fortresses, and temples were built in Rus'. Talented builders and architects were allocated money from the treasury. In Moscow, they created the first water supply system, called the Kremlin. In 1596, by decree of Godunov, the Smolensk fortress wall was erected, protecting the western borders of Rus' from the Poles.

Boris entrusted Fyodor Savelyev with the construction of the outer wall encircling the White City. Foreigners who visited Moscow wrote in their diaries that it was now impossible to take the city by storm. The Crimean Khan Kazy-Girey only confirmed the opinion of foreigners, as he was afraid to besiege the fortress walls. For this, the royal governor was awarded the title of "Tsar's servant", which was considered an honorary title.

Thanks to Godunov, in 1595 an agreement was signed with the Swedes, which ended the Russian-Swedish war, which lasted 3 years. Under the strict guidance of the politician of Rus', Korela, Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye retreated. At the same time, the Patriarchate was established, which allowed the Orthodox Church to move away from the Byzantine Patriarchy.

He set a deadline for searching for runaway peasants. Now the serfs were searched for for 5 years, and after that freedom was declared. He freed landowners from taxes, who cultivated arable land with their own hands, without resorting to hiring workers.

Reign

January 1598 is marked by the death of the last of the Rurik dynasty - Fedor. The sovereign's widow, Irina, was appointed temporary ruler. There are no direct heirs to the throne, so the road to the kingdom is free for Godunov. The convened Zemsky Sobor unanimously elected the ruler. A significant role was played by the fact that the late tsar was considered a nominal figure, and only Boris ruled the state.

Having taken the throne, the man realizes that the hat is a heavy burden. If the first three years of the reign are marked by the flourishing of Rus', then subsequent events nullify achievements. In 1599, he made an attempt to rapprochement with the West, realizing that the Russian people were lagging behind in education and medicine. Courtiers, by royal decree, recruit craftsmen and doctors abroad, with each of whom Boris talks personally.

A year later, the sovereign decided to open a higher education institution in Moscow. educational institution where foreign teachers will work. To implement the project, he sends gifted young people to France, England, Austria so that they gain experience in teaching.

In 1601, mass famine swept through Rus', as crop failure and early frosts affected. By royal decree, taxes were reduced to help the subjects. Boris took measures to save the starving by distributing money and grain from the treasury. Bread prices rose a hundred times, but the autocrat did not punish the speculators. The treasury and barns were empty quickly.

The peasants ate quinoa, dogs, and cats. Incidents of cannibalism have become more frequent. Moscow streets were filled with corpses, which the archers threw into skudelnitsa (common graves). Godunov appealed to the people with a request to remain calm. The masses of people were stirred up by such an appeal, the peasants considered this speech the sovereign's weakness.

127,000 people died of starvation. Rumors begin that God sends punishment to Rus' for illegal succession to the throne. Peasant discontent develops into a revolt led by Cotton. The detachments of the rebels under the city walls were defeated by the army. After that, the situation did not stabilize, as there were rumors that Tsarevich Dmitry was alive.

False Dmitry

Boris Godunov understands that the position of False Dmitry is much stronger than his own, because people consider the impostor to be the son of Ivan the Terrible. Trusted people collected information and provided the tsar with the facts that under the image of the tsarevich hides an exceptionally unpleasant person - the monk-defrocked Grigory Otrepyev. The Russian people believed that the true heir had come, who would save them from hunger and cold.

The Poles allocated money to raise the army of Otrepiev, who was preparing to go to war for the throne. The self-proclaimed tsarevich was also supported by the Russians, even the army in detachments passed under the banner of the impostor. A bunch of marauders and bandits did not win, and "Grigory-Dmitry" fled to Putivl. The news delighted Godunov, who had a hard time enduring the betrayal of the courtiers and troops.

Personal life

She became the wife of the first elected king. Little is known about the girl. But those that are known present Mary in a flattering light. A well-bred, submissive beauty becomes a faithful companion of her husband. For 10 years of marriage, not a single baby was born to the couple, and the doctors only shrugged, referring to the natural childlessness of the woman.

The desperate husband ordered an eminent doctor from England who managed to improve the girl's health. Two years later, two children appeared in the family - son Fedor and daughter Ksenia. Godunov whiled away his free time in the family circle and said that he fully rested only in the presence of loved ones. The ruler saw the future of his own dynasty in his own children, so he provided both with first-class education.

From childhood, the boy was prepared for the throne and taught by teachers in Europe and Moscow. said that Fedor is "the first fruit of European education in Russia." The English ambassador Jerome Horsey described in his diaries that warm family relations were maintained in the autocrat's family, which was considered rare in Rus'.

Death

Boris Godunov suffered from urolithiasis and severe migraines for a long time. By the end of his life, he stopped trusting his retinue and boyars, seeing enemies everywhere except his family. He kept his son with him inseparably, worrying about the future.

On April 13, 1605, the tsar received the English ambassadors when he suffered an apoplexy. Blood gushed from the nose and ears of the man, and the court physician only shrugged, unable to help.

The boyars, who were standing at the bedside of the dying man, asked about the oath to his son. The monarch said: "As pleasing to God and the people." After that, he was speechless and died. Fedor is appointed successor, whose reign lasted a month and a half. Upon learning of the death of the sovereign, False Dmitry entered Moscow with an army to the jubilant cries of the crowd.

On the same day, on the orders of Golitsyn, the archers strangled the Godunov family, leaving only Ksenia alive, who fainted. The pardoned girl involuntarily becomes the concubine of False Dmitry, who, having played enough, exiled the dishonored beauty to a monastery.

Godunov was buried in the Archangel Cathedral, but during the rebellion the coffin was pulled out and placed in the Varsonofevsky Monastery. After 2 years, Vasily Shuisky ordered the reburial of the Godunov family in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

There is a mystery in the biography of the unfortunate ruler, which has not yet been solved by historians. After Godunov's death, the autocrat's head mysteriously disappeared. It is also not clear during which of the burials the skull was separated from the body. This was discovered thanks to the anthropologist Gerasimov, who opened the crypt with the remains in order to restore the appearance of the deceased.