Boris Godunov can be attributed to the main losers of Russian history. Having become the first chosen king, he, paradoxically, became, moreover, the most unloved monarch among his people. On the day of his death, we are trying to figure out who the odious Russian tsar was: a poisoner, an innovator, or a pro-English sovereign.
People's choice
During the reign of Boris Godunov, the Rurik dynasty, which ruled in Russia for seven centuries, was interrupted. On May 15, 1591, Tsarevich Dmitry, the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, died under unclear circumstances in the city of Uglich - "fell on the knife." Popular rumor accused the murder of the boy Boris Godunov, who at that time was the actual ruler of Muscovy (formally the tsar was Fyodor Ivanovich), because the young prince put his power in jeopardy. After some time, the last Rurikovich died - the foolish Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich. They were going to transfer it to the widow Irina, but she renounced the throne in favor of her brother Boris Godunov.
The new sovereign understood his "dubious" position on the throne and tried in every possible way to get the support of the common people, positioning himself as a "sovereign from the crowd", because he himself was not "of blue" blood.
Insidious poisoner
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The list of victims attributed to the "great poisoner" is impressive: two sovereigns Ivan the Terrible and Fyodor Ivanovich, Duke Hans of Denmark (the failed husband of Boris's daughter Xenia), daughter of Duke Magnus of Denmark (which the Poles could have elevated to the Russian throne) and even Tsarina Irina, Boris's sister Godunov, who herself presented him with the crown.
If Boris Godunov was really involved in these bloody crimes, he did it very cunningly and insidiously - historians have not a single proof.
Pro-English sovereign
It was Boris Godunov, and not Peter I, who became the first sovereign focused on European orders. He maintained friendly relations with England and was in flattering correspondence with the Queen of England. Under Godunov, the British received unprecedented privileges, including the right to duty-free trade.
In order to show his European culture, Boris Godunov began to shave his beard short. True, he did not demand this from others.
The British also tried not to lose the favor of the Russian sovereign. For example, when one of the ambassadors, Fletcher, on his return from Russia, wrote an essay in which he did not describe Muscovy in the brightest colors, his work was banned so as not to anger the Russian Tsar. Today, the city of Arkhangelsk is a monument to Russian-English relations from the times of Godunov.
Innovator
Boris was not indifferent to various kinds of innovations. So, during his reign, a water pipeline was built in the Kremlin, through which water was raised with powerful pumps from the Moscow River through the underground to the Konyushenny Dvor. He also initiated the construction of many fortifications to protect against Poland and Lithuania, including the "necklace of the Russian Land" - the Smolensk fortress wall.
Best father
Few people pay attention to this fact, but Boris Godunov became, in fact, the first tsar who took care of his family and children. Before him, the heirs were given to "folders and nannies"; relations between brothers and sisters did not develop in childhood.
Boris Godunov did not leave his children to fend for themselves - he saw in them the future of his dynasty. Fyodor, his son, he provided an excellent education, the young tsarevich from childhood was taught and prepared for the throne by the best minds of Muscovy and Europe. Outstanding historian and writer Nikolai Karamzin later called him "the first fruit of European education in Russia." Although Fedor did not manage to remain a great sovereign in history, he became famous as a cartographer - it was he who owns the first map of Russian territories.
Patriarchate in Russia
Thanks to the efforts of Boris Godunov, a patriarch of its own appeared in Russia: in 1589, Metropolitan Job of Moscow became him.
In the Laid Charter of 1589, the concept of Moscow as the Third Rome was officially declared (Constantinople was considered the second Rome). This was the greatest event in the history of Russia: the establishment of the patriarchate made it possible to achieve the independence of the Russian Orthodox Church from the Patriarch of Constantinople, contributed to the growth of the country's international prestige and endowed the Muscovy with the status of the “successor of Byzantium”.
Great hunger
In 1601, the Great Famine came to Russia, which lasted until 1603. This became the real rock of Godunov and his entire dynasty. Despite all the tsar's attempts to help his people - bans on raising the price of bread, building barns for the starving - people remembered about the Antichrist. Rumors about Boris's crimes spread around Moscow: they say, he poisoned Ivan the Terrible, and he killed Tsarevich Dmitry, and also had a hand in the death of Fyodor Ioannovich. The sudden death of Boris Godunov and the coming to Russia of the “miraculously saved” Tsarevich Dmitry prevented the development of rumors about the coming of the Antichrist into something massive and militant.
On April 13, 1605, Boris Godunov seemed cheerful and healthy, ate a lot and with appetite. Then he climbed the tower, from which he often surveyed Moscow. Going downstairs, saying she felt sick. They called a doctor, but the king felt worse: blood began to flow from his ears and nose.
The king fainted and soon died at the age of 53.