The royal dynasty since the time of the Ruriks. Great reign of the Rurik dynasty

All the supreme rulers in Russia put a lot into its development. Thanks to the power of the ancient Russian princes, the country was built, territorially expanded, and provided with protection to fight the enemy. Many buildings were built, which today have become an international historical and cultural landmark. Russia was replaced by a dozen rulers. Kievan Rus finally disintegrated after the death of Prince Mstislav.
The collapse took place in 1132. Separate, independent states were formed. All territories have lost their value.

Princes of Russia in chronological order

The first princes in Russia (the table is presented below) appeared thanks to the Rurik dynasty.

Prince Rurik

Rurik ruled the Novgorodians near the Varangian Sea. Therefore, he had two names: Novgorod, Varangian. After the death of his brothers, Rurik remained the only ruler in Russia. He was married to Efanda. His assistants. They looked after the economy, arranged courts.
The reign of Rurik in Russia fell in the period from 862 to 879. After, he was killed by two brothers Dir and Askold, they took the city of Kyiv into power.

Prince Oleg (Prophetic)

Dir and Askold did not rule for long. Oleg was Efanda's brother, he decided to take matters into his own hands. Oleg was famous throughout Russia for his intelligence, strength, courage, dominance.He captured the city of Smolensk, Lyubech and Constantinople in his possession. He made the city of Kyiv the capital of the Kievan state. Killed Askold and Dir.Igor, became the adopted son of Oleg and his direct heir to the throne.In his state lived the Varangians, Slovaks, Krivichi, Drevlyans, northerners, glades, Tivertsy, streets.

In 909, Oleg met a wise sorcerer who told him:
- You will soon die from a snake bite, because you will abandon your horse. It so happened that the prince abandoned his horse, exchanging it for a new, younger one.
In 912, Oleg learned that his horse had died. He decided to go to the place where the remains of the horse lay.

Oleg asked:
- From this, the horse, I will accept death? And after, crawled out of the horse's skull poisonous snake. The snake bit him, after which Oleg died. The prince's funeral lasted several days with all honors, because he was considered the most powerful ruler.

Prince Igor

Immediately, after the death of Oleg, the throne was taken by his stepson (Rurik's own son) Igor. The dates of the reign of the prince in Russia vary from 912 to 945. His main task was to preserve the unity of the state. Igor defended his state from the attack of the Pechenegs, who periodically made attempts to take over Russia. All the tribes that were in the state regularly paid tribute.
In 913, Igor married a young Pskovian girl, Olga. He met her by chance in the city of Pskov. During his reign, Igor suffered quite a few attacks and battles. While fighting the Khazars, he lost all his best army. After that, he had to re-create the armed defense of the state.

Princess Saint Olga

After the death of her husband Igor, his wife Olga took the throne. Despite the fact that she was a woman, she was able to manage the entire Kievan Rus. In this not an easy task, she was helped by intelligence, quick wit and masculinity. All the qualities of a ruler gathered in one woman and helped her to cope perfectly with the rule of the state. She took revenge on the greedy Drevlyans for the death of her husband. Their city Korosten soon became part of her possession. Olga is the first of the Russian rulers who converted to Christianity.

Svyatoslav Igorevich

Olga waited a long time for her son to grow up. And having reached the age of majority, Svyatoslav fully became the ruler in Russia. The years of the reign of the prince in Russia from 964 to 972. Svyatoslav, already at the age of three, became the direct heir to the throne. But since he could not physically manage Kievan Rus, his mother, St. Olga, replaced him. All childhood and adolescence, the child learned military affairs. Studied courage, militancy. In 967, his army defeated the Bulgarians. After the death of his mother, in 970, Svyatoslav staged an invasion of Byzantium. But the forces were not equal. He was forced to sign a peace treaty with Byzantium. Svyatoslav had three sons: Yaropolk, Oleg, Vladimir. After Svyatoslav returned back to Kyiv in March 972, the young prince was killed by the Pechenegs. From his skull, the Pechenegs forged a gilded bowl for pies.

After the death of his father, the throne was taken by one of the sons, the prince of Ancient Russia (table below) Yaropolk.

Yaropolk Svyatoslavovich

Despite the fact that Yaropolk, Oleg, Vladimir were brothers, they were never friends. Moreover, they were constantly at war with each other.
All three wanted to rule Russia. But Yaropolk won the fight. Sent his siblings out of the country. During the reign, he managed to conclude a peaceful, eternal treaty with Byzantium. Yaropolk wanted to make friends with Rome. Many were not happy with the new ruler. There was a lot of permissiveness. The pagans, together with Vladimir (Yaropolk's brother), successfully seized power into their own hands. Yaropolk had no choice but to flee the country. He began to live in the city of Roden. But some time later, in 980, he was killed by the Vikings. Yaropolk decided to make an attempt to seize Kyiv for himself, but it all ended in failure. During his short reign, Yaropolk failed to make global changes in Kievan Rus because he was famous for his peacefulness.

Vladimir Svyatoslavovich

Prince Vladimir of Novgorod was the youngest son of Prince Svyatoslav. Ruled by Kievan Rus from 980 to 1015. He was warlike, courageous, possessed all the necessary qualities that the ruler of Kievan Rus should have had. He performed all the functions of a prince in ancient Russia.

During his reign,

• built a defense along the rivers Desna, Trubezh, Sturgeon, Sula.
• There were many beautiful buildings built.
• Made Christianity the state religion.

Thanks to his great contribution to the development and prosperity of Kievan Rus, he received the nickname "Vladimir the Red Sun." He had seven sons: Svyatopolk, Izyaslav, Yaroslav, Mstislav, Svyatoslav, Boris, Gleb. He divided his lands equally among all his sons.

Svyatopolk Vladimirovich

Immediately after the death of his father in 1015, he became the ruler of Russia. He was not enough part of Russia. He wanted to take over the entire Kyiv state and decided to get rid of his own brothers. To begin with, on his orders, it was necessary to kill Gleb, Boris, Svyatoslav. But this did not bring him happiness. Without causing the approval of the people, he was expelled from Kyiv. For help in the war with his brothers, Svyatopolk turned to his father-in-law, who was the king of Poland. He helped his son-in-law, but the reign of Kievan Rus did not last long. In 1019 he had to flee from Kyiv. In the same year, he committed suicide, as his conscience tormented him, because he killed his brothers.

Yaroslav Vladimirovich (Wise)

He ruled Kievan Rus in the period from 1019 to 1054. He was nicknamed the Wise, because he had an amazing mind, wisdom, masculinity, inherited from his father. He built two big cities: Yaroslavl, Yuryev. He treated his people with care and understanding. One of the first princes who introduced a code of laws called “Russian Truth” into the state. Following his father, he divided the land equally between his sons: Izyaslav, Svyatoslav, Vsevolod, Igor and Vyacheslav. From birth, he brought up in them peace, wisdom, love of the people.

Izyaslav Yaroslavovich the First

Immediately after the death of his father, he took the throne. He ruled Kievan Rus from 1054 to 1078. The only prince in history who could not cope with his duties. His assistant was his son Vladimir, without whom Izyaslav would have simply ruined Kievan Rus.

Svyatopolk

The spineless prince took over the reign of Kievan Rus immediately after the death of his father Izyaslav. Ruled from 1078 to 1113.
He had a hard time finding mutual language with Old Russian princes (table below). During his reign, there was a campaign against the Polovtsy, in the organization of which Vladimir Monomakh helped him. They won the battle.

Vladimir Monomakh

After the death of Svyatopolk, Vladimir was elected ruler in 1113. He served the state until 1125. Smart, honest, brave, reliable, courageous. It was these qualities of Vladimir Monomakh that helped him rule Kievan Rus and fall in love with the people. He is the last of the princes of Kievan Rus (table below), who managed to preserve the state in its original form.

Attention

All wars with the Polovtsy ended in victory.

Mstislav and the collapse of Kievan Rus

Mstislav is the son of Vladimir Monomakh. He took the throne of the ruler in 1125. He was similar to his father not only outwardly, but also in character, in the way of ruling Russia. The people treated him with respect. In 1134, he handed over the reign to his brother Yaropolk. That served as the development of unrest in the history of Russia. Monomakhovichi lost the throne. But soon there was a complete disintegration of Kievan Rus into thirteen separate states.

The Kyiv rulers did a lot for the Russian people. During their reign, everyone diligently fought against the enemies. There was a development of Kievan Rus as a whole. Many buildings were completed, beautiful buildings, churches, schools, bridges that were destroyed by enemies, and everything was built anew. All the princes of Kievan Rus, the table below, did a lot to make history unforgettable.

Table. Princes of Russia in chronological order

The Rurik dynasty is the very first grand-ducal dynasty on the Russian throne. It was established, according to the text of the Tale of Bygone Years, in 862. This date has a symbolic name "calling of the Varangians".

The Rurik dynasty lasted 8 centuries. During this time there were a lot of displacements, distrust, conspiracies against its representatives. The first representative of the dynasty, that is, its founder, Rurik. was invited to rule in Novgorod by the people's council of the city. Rurik laid the foundation of statehood in Russia, became the founder of the first grand ducal dynasty. But it is worth noting that more than half of the representatives of the Ruriks still came from Kievan Rus.

So, the Rurik dynasty, the list of which will be presented below with all the characteristics of its figures, has its own branched system. The second representative was Oleg. He was the governor of Rurik and ruled during the infancy of his son. He is known for uniting Novgorod and Kyiv, and also for signing the first treaty between Russia and Byzantium. When Rurik's son Igor grew up, power passed into his hands. Igor conquered and conquered new territories, imposing tribute on them, which is why he was brutally killed by the Drevlyans. After Igor, power passed into the hands of his wife. This wise woman carried out the first economic reform on Russian soil, establishing lessons and graveyards. When the son of Olga and Igor Svyatoslav grew up, naturally, all power went to him.

But this prince was distinguished by his military thinking and was constantly on campaigns. After Svyatoslav, Vladimir 1, better known as Vladimir the Holy, ascended the throne.

He baptized Russia at the end of the 10th century. After Vladimir, Svyatopolk ruled, he was in an internecine war with his brothers, in which Yaroslav the Wise won. That's really whose reign was great: the first Russian code of laws was compiled, the Pechenegs were defeated and great temples were erected. After the reign of Yaroslav, Russia will long remain in a kind of turmoil, because the struggle for the great princely throne is getting tougher and no one wants to lose it.

The Rurik dynasty, whose tree was very complex, received the next great ruler after almost 100 years. They became Vladimir Monomakh. He was the organizer of the Lyubech Congress, he defeated the Polovtsy and preserved the relative unity of Russia. The Rurik dynasty after his reign branched out again.

From this period, Yuri Dolgoruky and Andrei Bogolyubsky can be distinguished. Both princes were prominent figures in the era of fragmentation of Russia. The remaining period of the existence of this dynasty will be remembered by several names: Vasily 1, Ivan Kalita, Ivan 3, Vasily 3 and Ivan the Terrible. It is with the names of these figures that the creation of a single Russian state is connected, it was they who began the annexation of all lands to Moscow, and they also finished it.

The Rurik dynasty gave our land statehood, vast spacious territories that were united by the last representatives of this dynasty, and an extensive cultural heritage.

The rule of the Rurik dynasty began with the unification of disparate lands into a single state. Although it was too early to talk about the final formation of the current borders of Russia, the foundations of statehood were laid by the Grand Dukes. Each individual sovereign left his important contribution to the historical past.

Oleg Rurikovich Prophetic

His reign began in 879 after the death of Prince Rurik. The activity of this prince was aimed at strengthening the state, expanding borders. He was able to lay the foundations that guided all subsequent princes. Among the achievements of the prince were the following acts:
created a strong army from various tribes of the Ilmen Slavs, Krivichi, and partly Finnish tribes;
annexed the lands of Smolensk and Lyubich;
captured Kyiv, making it his capital;
directed efforts to strengthen the city;
built a network of outposts along the borders of their territories;
expanded influence along the coast of the Dnieper, Bug, Dniester and Sozh.

Igor Rurikovich

Having taken the throne of the dynasty, he was able to keep the legacy. After the death of Oleg, many lands tried to get out of the power of Kyiv. Igor not only suppressed these attempts, but also expanded the borders of the state. Among his achievements are:
defeated the Pechenegs, driving them out of their territories;
cleared the passage "from the Varangians to the Greeks";
built the first fleet;
concluded a number of peace agreements with the nomads.

Duchess Olga

The reign of the princess was distinguished by progressive conduct of business. She was engaged in expanding the influence of the state among civilized countries. She was the founder of the educational movement in her native lands. During the reign of Olga, reforms were carried out:
from 945 introduced a fixed amount of dues;
laid the foundation for taxation;
carried out the administrative-territorial division of the lands of Novgorod;
established and strengthened ties with the Byzantine Empire.

Svyatoslav Rurikovich

One of the progressive figures of the dynasty, he was able to carry out many successful military actions. His activities were aimed at alienating the territories previously occupied by the Tatar-Mongol Khanate. He reformed the property law. Poimom this was known for deeds:
laid the viceroy system;
developed a system of local self-government;
expanded territory in the East.

Vladimir Monomakh

Under the prince rule of Rurikovich, a clear state was formed. His influence system internal politics was marked by the formation of a feudal social order. The system of relations between different administrative territories built by Monomakh contributed to the strengthening of statehood:
established relationships with neighboring princes;
transferred the main title of Grand Duke to the brother of Svyatopolk 2 Izyaslavovich;
regulated the rules of contract law;
strengthened the economic and political significance Russia;
invested money and efforts in the development of science and culture.

Yury Dolgoruky

A bright representative of the dynasty, he led the principality with a firm hand. Participated in many internecine wars. Thanks to his strategic mindset, he was able to expand his influence in the Russian lands. The following achievements are attributed to the period of his reign:
founded Moscow;
led an active creative activity;
engaged in the arrangement of urban settlements;
erected new churches;
actively defended the interests of its citizens.

Andrey Bogolyubsky

The reign of the prince was marked by an active political and social activities. Continuing the work of his father, he was engaged in the arrangement of territories. He built the strengthening of power through an honest and competent distribution of resources and human strength. During the period of his reign was committed:
foundation of the city of Bogolyub;
moved the capital to Vladimir;
subjugated vast territories;
won significant political influence in the northeastern lands.

Vsevolod Big Nest

He held a princely post in the Vladimir-Suzdal lands, strengthened the position of the dynasty. He showed himself as a skilled politician, a subtle strategist. Among his deeds are:
made companies in Mordva;
from 1183-1185 he organized military marches against Bulgaria;
united various princes in the fight against the Polovtsians;
gained control in Vladimir
built economic and political relations with Kyiv;
conquered the Novgorod territories.

Vasily 2

The reign of this prince was marked by numerous agreements with Lithuania, the Polovtsians. Thanks to this, the state received a short respite between wars. Among the heirs of the Rurikovich, he was distinguished by a special talent for establishing diplomatic ties:
strengthened power in the Grand Duchy;
united Moscow lands;
glorified Novgorod, Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod, Vyatka land, Pskov principalities;
contributed to the election of the first Russian bishop John;
laid the foundation for the independence of the Russian Church.

Ivan 3

The first of the Rurikovichs who combined various laws of national law into a single code. He devoted all his strength to this work, which eventually served as the appearance of the Sudebnik Ivan 3. Collected in one document, all the rules of law were analyzed. Structured knowledge helped solve the problem of constant claims under various conditions. contentious issues. Thanks to this work, he managed to unite all the lands of the state into a single whole.

Vasily 3

The successor of the Rurikovich cause, sought to strengthen the state. The ice-covered lands under his rule were defeated by the reformations. Under his rule, the lands were annexed:
Ryazan;
Pskov;
Novgorod-Seversk principality;
Smolensk;
Starodub principality.
During the reign of Vasily 3, the rights of boyar families were significantly limited.

Ivan the Terrible

The brightest representative of the dynasty, the last of the reigning Ruriks. He was famous for his tough temper, but he was distinguished by high political talents. The reforms of Ivan the Terrible had a strong impact on statehood. He laid the foundation for a strong country, denied the boyar families the right to dispose of the treasury for their own purposes. His reforms include:
new vault regulations;
introduced a system of punishments for boyar families;
pursued bribery in the clergy;
introduced a system for receiving complaints addressed to the king from the population;
affected taxation;
centralized local government.

In March 1584, after a serious illness, one of the most merciless rulers of the Russian state, Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, died. Ironically, his heir turned out to be complete opposite tyrant father. He was a meek, pious man and suffered from dementia, for which he even received the nickname Blessed ...

A blissful smile never left his face, and in general, although he was distinguished by extreme simplicity and imbecility, he was very affectionate, quiet, merciful and pious. He spent most of the day in church, and as entertainment he liked to watch fistfights, jesters' fun and fun with bears ...

Born for the cell

Fedor was the third son of Ivan the Terrible. He was born on May 11, 1557, and on that day the happy tsar ordered the foundation of a temple in honor of the heavenly patron of the son of St. Theodore Stratilat in the Feodorovsky Monastery of Pereslavl-Zalessky.

It soon became clear that the boy, as they say, "is not of this world." Looking at his growing son, Ivan the Terrible even once remarked:

- He was born more for a cell and a cave than for sovereign power.

Fyodor was small, plump, weak, pale-faced, with an unsteady gait and a blissful smile constantly wandering on his face.

Tsar Fedor I Ioannovich

In 1580, when the prince was 23 years old, Ivan IV decided to marry him. At that time, brides for royal people were chosen at special bridesmaids, for which girls from the most noble families came to the capital from all over the state.

In the case of Fedor, this tradition was broken. Grozny personally chose his wife - Irina, the sister of his favorite former guardsman Boris Godunov. However, the marriage turned out to be happy, since Fedor adored his wife until his death.

The only contender

Despite the fact that Fedor was completely unsuited to become the head of state, after the death of Ivan the Terrible, he turned out to be the only contender for the throne. Two of the king's sons, Dmitry and Vasily, died in infancy.

A worthy successor to Ivan the Terrible could be the second son, the namesake of his father, Tsarevich Ivan, who helped his father to rule and participated in military campaigns with him. Yes, only he died unexpectedly three years before the death of Ivan IV, leaving no offspring. There were rumors that in anger, without wanting it, the king killed him.

Another son, who, like the one who died in infancy, was named Dmitry, was not even two years old by the time of Grozny's death, of course, he still could not accept the power. There was nothing left to do but place the 27-year-old blessed Fyodor on the throne.

Realizing that his son was not capable of ruling, Ivan the Terrible, before his death, managed to appoint a regency council to govern the state. It included Grozny's cousin Prince Ivan Mstislavsky, the illustrious military leader Prince Ivan Shuisky, the Tsar's favorite Bogdan Belsky, and Nikita Zakharyin-Yuriev, the brother of Ivan IV's first wife.

However, there was one more person, although not included in the number of regents of the new blessed tsar, but also thirsty for power - Boris Godunov.

Council power

The reign of the regency council began with repression. Ivan the Terrible died on March 18, 1584, and the very next night the Supreme Duma dealt with all objectionable new government former royal associates: some were put in prison, others were expelled from Moscow.

Meanwhile, a rumor swept through the capital that Ivan the Terrible did not die a natural death. It was rumored that Bogdan Belsky poisoned him! Now the villain, being the regent of Fedor, wants to exterminate his son in order to put his son on the throne best friend- 32-year-old Boris Godunov.

Portrait of Boris Godunov

A rebellion broke out in Moscow. It got to the point that the rebels laid siege to the Kremlin and even rolled up cannons, intending to take it by storm.

- Give us the villain Belsky! the people demanded.

The nobles knew that Belsky was innocent, however, in order to avoid bloodshed, they convinced the "traitor" to leave Moscow. When the people were informed that the criminal had been expelled from the capital, the rebellion ceased. Nobody began to demand the head of Godunov. Still, he was the brother of the queen herself!

Fedor was horrified at the sight of a popular uprising. He sought support and found it - next to him was Boris, the brother of his beloved wife Irina, who, without any malicious intent, contributed to his friendship with the young tsar. Soon Boris became perhaps the main figure in the state.

"God's Man"

On May 31, 1584, as soon as the six-week prayer service for the repose of the soul of Ivan IV ended, Fedor was crowned king. On this day, at dawn, a terrible storm with a thunderstorm suddenly hit Moscow, after which the sun suddenly shone again. Many regarded this as "an omen of future disasters."

The regency council appointed by Ivan the Terrible was in power for a short time. Shortly after the flight of the first regent Belsky, Nikita Zakharyin-Yuriev fell seriously ill. He retired and died a year later. The third regent, Prince Ivan Mstislavsky, contacted the conspirators, dissatisfied with Godunov's rise.

Alexey Kivshenko "Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich puts on Boris Godunov golden chain". 19th century painting

Mstislavsky agreed to lure Boris into a trap: invite him to a feast, but in fact bring him to assassins. Yes, as soon as the plot was revealed, and Prince Mstislavsky was exiled to a monastery, where he was forcibly tonsured a monk.

So, of the regents appointed by Ivan IV, only one remained - Prince Ivan Shuisky. However, he did not have much power. By that time, everyone understood that only Godunov, who was already openly called the ruler, was at the head of the state.

And what about the king? Ascension to the throne did not affect Fedor's attitude to state affairs. He "avoided worldly fuss and dokuki", relying entirely on Godunov. If someone addressed a petition directly to the tsar, he sent the petitioner all to the same Boris.

Tsar Fedor Ioannovich. Sculptural reconstruction of the skull.

The emperor himself spent his time in prayers, walked around the monasteries on foot, and received only monks. Fyodor loved the bell ringing and was sometimes seen personally ringing the bell tower.

Sometimes in the character of Fedor, the features of his father were still traced - despite his piety, he liked the contemplation of bloody games: he liked to watch fistfights and fights between people and bears. However, the people loved their blessed tsar, because in Russia the feeble-minded were considered sinless, "God's people."

Childless Irina

Years passed, and hatred for Godunov, who had usurped power, grew more and more in the capital.

- Boris left Fedor only the title of king! - both the nobility and ordinary citizens grumbled.

It was clear to everyone that Godunov occupied such a high position only thanks to his relationship with the tsar's wife.

“Let’s remove the sister, we’ll remove the brother as well,” Boris’s opponents decided.

Moreover, Irina herself did not suit many. After all, she did not sit in the tower with folded arms, as a queen should, but like her brother, she was engaged in state affairs: she received ambassadors, corresponded with foreign monarchs, and even participated in meetings of the Boyar Duma.

However, Irina had a serious drawback - she could not give birth in any way. During the years of marriage, she became pregnant several times, but she could not bear the child. This fact and decided to use the opponents of the Godunovs.

The wife of the most quiet and humble Russian Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, Tsarina Irina Fedorovna Godunova.

In 1586, a petition was delivered to the palace: “ Sovereign, for the sake of childbearing, accept a second marriage, and let your first queen go to the monastic rank". This paper was signed by many boyars, merchants, civil and military officials. They asked to send childless Irina to a monastery, as his father had done with one of his childless wives.

The Moscow nobles even picked up a new bride they liked for the tsar - the daughter of Prince Ivan Mstislavsky, the very regent whom Godunov exiled to a monastery. However, Fedor flatly refused to part with his beloved wife.

Godunov was furious at this news. He quickly revealed the names of those who were plotting evil. As it turned out, the conspiracy was headed by the last of the royal regents, Prince Ivan Shuisky, as well as his relatives and friends. As a result, not Irina, but her opponents were forcibly sent to the monastery.

End of the line

Meanwhile, another heir to Ivan the Terrible, Tsarevich Dmitry, was growing up in Uglich. It was he who should have taken power if Fedor did not have children.

And suddenly, in 1591, a tragedy occurred. Eight-year-old Dmitry played with his friends “poke” - they threw a sharp nail into the ground from behind the line. As eyewitnesses later claimed, when the turn came to the prince, he had an epileptic attack, and he accidentally hit himself in the throat with a nail. The wound proved fatal.

Since then, Fedor has remained the last of his family. And since, apart from Irina, he refused to accept another woman, all the hope of the state was on her. A year after the death of Tsarevich Dmitry, she still managed to give birth to a child, however, not an heir, but an heiress.

The granddaughter of Ivan IV was named Theodosia. However, she did not live long. Blessed Fyodor never had any other children. Therefore, when at the end of 1597 the 40-year-old tsar became seriously ill and in January next year died, along with his departure, the famous family of Moscow rulers was interrupted.

Thus ended the rule of the Rurik dynasty, which ruled Russia for 736 years.

Oleg GOROSOV

In October 1582, Ivan the Terrible's son Dmitry was born, who was destined to become the last offspring (in the male line) of the royal Rurik dynasty. According to accepted historiography, Dmitry lived for eight years, but his name hung like a curse over the Russian state for another 22 years.

Russian people often have the feeling that the Motherland is under some kind of spell. “Everything is not the same with us - not like normal people". At the turn of the XVI-XVII centuries in Russia they were sure that they knew the root of all troubles - the curse of the innocently murdered Tsarevich Dmitry was to blame.

Nabat in Uglich

For Tsarevich Dmitry, younger son Ivan the Terrible (from his last marriage to Maria Naga, who, by the way, was never recognized by the church), everything ended on May 25, 1591, in the city of Uglich, where he was in honorary exile in the status of a specific prince of Uglich. At noon, Dmitry Ioannovich threw knives with other children who were part of his retinue. In the materials of the investigation into the death of Dmitry, there is evidence of one youth who played with the tsarevich: “... the tsarevich played de poking with a knife with them in the backyard, and a disease came upon him - an epileptic ailment - and attacked the knife." In fact, these testimonies became the main argument for the investigators to qualify the death of Dmitry Ioannovich as an accident.

However, the arguments of the investigation would hardly have convinced the residents of Uglich. Russian people have always trusted signs more than the logical conclusions of "people." And there was a sign ... And what another! Almost immediately after the heart of the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible stopped, the alarm rang over Uglich. The bell of the local Spassky Cathedral rang. And everything would be fine, only the bell would ring on its own - without a bell ringer. This is according to a legend, which for several generations the Uglichans considered a true story and a fatal sign.

When the inhabitants learned of the death of the heir, a riot began. The Uglichites smashed the Prikaznaya hut, killed the sovereign's clerk with his family, and several other suspects. Boris Godunov, who actually ruled the state under the nominal Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, hastily sent archers to Uglich to suppress the rebellion.

Not only the rebels got it, but also the bell: they tore it off the bell tower, tore out the “tongue”, cut off the “ear” and publicly punished on the main square with 12 lashes. And then he, along with other rebels, was sent into exile, to Tobolsk. The then Tobolsk voivode, Prince Lobanov-Rostovsky, ordered the bell-eared bell to be locked in the command hut, with the inscription “first exiled inanimate from Uglich” written on it. However, the massacre of the bell did not save the authorities from the curse - everything was just beginning.

End of the Rurik dynasty

After the news of the death of the prince spread throughout the Russian Land, rumors spread among the people that the boyar Boris Godunov had a hand in the "accident". But there were daredevils who suspected of a “conspiracy” and the then tsar, Fyodor Ioannovich, the elder half-brother of the deceased prince. And there were reasons for this.

40 days after the death of Ivan the Terrible, Fedor, heir to the Moscow throne, began to actively prepare for his coronation. By his order, a week before the wedding to the kingdom, the widow-tsarina Maria and her son Dmitry Ioannovich were sent to Uglich - "to reign." The fact that the last wife of Tsar John IV and the prince were not invited to the coronation was a terrible humiliation for the latter. However, Fedor did not stop there: for example, the content of the prince's court was sometimes reduced several times a year. Just a few months after the beginning of his reign, he orders the clergy to remove the traditional mention of the name of Tsarevich Dmitry during divine services.

The formal basis was that Dmitry Ioannovich was born in his sixth marriage and, according to church rules, was considered illegitimate. However, everyone understood that this was just an excuse. The ban on mentioning the prince during divine services was perceived by his court as a wish for death. There were rumors among the people about failed assassination attempts on Dmitry. So, the Briton Fletcher, while in Moscow in 1588-1589, wrote that his nurse died from the poison intended for Dmitry.

Six months after the death of Dmitry, the wife of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, Irina Godunova, became pregnant. Everyone was waiting for the heir to the throne. Moreover, according to legend, the birth of a boy was predicted by numerous court magicians, healers and healers. But in May 1592, the queen gave birth to a girl. Rumors circulated among the people that Princess Theodosia, as the parents named their daughter, was born exactly a year after the death of Dmitry - on May 25, and royal family almost a month delayed the official announcement.

But this was not the worst sign: the girl lived only a few months, and died in the same year. And here they already began to talk about the curse of Dmitry. After the death of his daughter, the king changed; he finally lost interest in his royal duties, and spent months in monasteries. People said that Fedor was apologizing for his guilt before the murdered prince. In the winter of 1598, Fedor Ioannovich died without leaving an heir. The Rurik dynasty also died with him.

Great Famine

The death of the last sovereign from the Rurik dynasty opened the way to the kingdom of Boris Godunov, who was actually the ruler of the country while Fyodor Ioannovich was still alive. By that time, Godunov had gained a reputation among the people as the “murderer of the prince”, but this did not bother him much. Through cunning manipulation, he was nevertheless elected king, and almost immediately began with reforms.

In two short years, he carried out more transformations in the country than previous kings in the entire 16th century. And when Godunov already seemed to have won people's love, a catastrophe struck - from unprecedented climatic cataclysms, the Great Famine came to Russia, which lasted for three whole years. The historian Karamzin wrote that people “like cattle plucked grass and ate it; the dead had hay in their mouths. Horse meat seemed like a delicacy: they ate dogs, cats, bitches, all kinds of uncleanness. People became worse than beasts: they left families and wives so as not to share the last piece with them.

They not only robbed and killed for a loaf of bread, but also devoured each other… Human meat was sold in pies in the markets! Mothers gnawed at the corpses of their babies!..” In Moscow alone, more than 120,000 people died of starvation; numerous gangs of robbers were operating throughout the country. Not a trace of the people's love for the elected tsar was born - the people again talked about the curse of Tsarevich Dmitry and the "cursed Boris".

End of the Godunov dynasty

1604 finally brought good harvest. It seemed the troubles were over. It was the calm before the storm - in the fall of 1604, Godunov was informed that the army of Tsarevich Dmitry was moving from Poland to Moscow, miraculously escaping from the hands of Godunov's killers in Uglich back in 1591. The “worker”, as Boris Godunov was popularly called, probably realized that Dmitry’s curse was now embodied in an impostor.

However, Tsar Boris was not destined to meet face to face with False Dmitry: he died suddenly in April 1605, a couple of months before the triumphant entry into Moscow of the “surviving Dmitry”. There were rumors that the desperate "cursed king" committed suicide - poisoned himself. But Dmitry's curse also extended to Godunov's son, Fyodor, who became king, who was strangled along with his own mother shortly before False Dmitry entered the Kremlin. It was said that this was one of the main conditions of the "prince" for a triumphant return to the capital.

The end of the people's trust

Until now, historians argue whether the "king was not real." However, we will probably never know. Now we can only talk about the fact that Dmitry did not manage to revive the Rurikoviches. And again, the end of spring became fatal: on May 27, a cunning conspiracy was staged in the boyars under the leadership of Vasily Shuisky, during which False Dmitry was killed. The people were told that the tsar, whom they had recently idolized, was an impostor, and they staged a public posthumous reproach. This absurd moment finally undermined the people's trust in the authorities. Simple people they did not believe the boyars and bitterly mourned Dmitry.

Shortly after the assassination of the impostor, at the beginning of summer, terrible frosts hit, which destroyed all the crops. A rumor spread around Moscow about the curse that the boyars had brought to the Russian Land by killing the legitimate sovereign. The cemetery at the Serpukhov Gates of the capital, where the impostor was buried, became a place of pilgrimage for many Muscovites.

There were many testimonies about the "appearances" of the resurrected tsar in different parts of Moscow, and some even claimed to have received a blessing from him. Frightened by popular unrest and a new cult of the martyr, the authorities dug up the corpse of the “thief”, loaded his ashes into a cannon and fired towards Poland. False Dmitry's wife Marina Mnishek recalled that when her husband's body was dragged through the Kremlin gates, the wind tore off the shields from the gates, and unharmed, in the same order, installed them in the middle of the roads.

Shuisky's end

Vasily Shuisky became the new tsar, a man who in 1598 introduced an investigation into the death of Tsarevich Dmitry in Uglich. The man who concluded that the death of Dmitry Ioannovich was an accident, having finished with False Dmitry and received royal power, suddenly admitted that the investigation in Uglich had evidence of the violent death of the prince and direct involvement in the murder of Boris Godunov. By saying this, Shuisky killed two birds with one stone: he discredited - even if already dead - his personal enemy Godunov, and at the same time proved that False Dmitry, who was killed during the conspiracy, was an impostor. Vasily Shuisky even decided to reinforce the latter with the help of the canonization of Tsarevich Dmitry.

A special commission was sent to Uglich on the head of Metropolitan Filaret of Rostov, which opened the grave of the prince and allegedly found in the coffin the incorruptible body of a child that exuded fragrance. The relics were solemnly brought to the Kremlin's Archangel Cathedral: a rumor was spread around Moscow that the boy's remains were miraculous, and the people went to St. Dmitry for healing. However, the cult did not last long: there were several cases of death from touching the relics.

Rumors spread around the capital about false relics and about Dmitry's curse. The crayfish with the remains had to be removed from sight in the reliquary. And very soon several more Dmitriev Ioannovichs appeared in Russia, and the Shuisky dynasty, the Suzdal branch of the Rurikovichs, who for two centuries were the main rivals of the Danilovich branch for the Moscow throne, was interrupted by the first king. Vasily ended his life in Polish captivity: in the country towards which, on his orders, the ashes of False Dmitry I were once shot.

Last Curse

Trouble in Russia ended only in 1613 - with the establishment of a new Romanov dynasty. But did Dmitri's curse dry up along with this? The 300-year history of the dynasty suggests otherwise. Patriarch Filaret (in the world Fyodor Nikitich Romanov), the father of the first "Romanov" Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, was in the thick of "passions for Dmitry". In 1605, he, imprisoned by Boris Godunov in a monastery, was released as a “relative” by False Dmitry I. After Shuisky’s accession, it was Filaret who brought the “miraculous relics” of the prince from Uglich to Moscow and planted the cult of St. Dmitry Uglitsky - in order to convince Shuisky that False Dmitry, who once saved him, was an impostor. And then, standing up in opposition to Tsar Vasily, he became the “named patriarch” in the Tushino camp of False Dmitry II.

Filaret can be considered the first of the Romanov dynasty: under Tsar Mikhail, he bore the title of "Great Sovereign" and was actually the head of state. The reign of the Romanovs began with the Troubles and the Troubles ended. Moreover, for the second time in Russian history, the royal dynasty was interrupted by the murder of the prince. There is a legend that Paul I closed the prediction of the elder Abel concerning the fate of the dynasty in a casket for a hundred years. It is possible that the name of Dmitry Ioannovich appeared there.