The last Russian tsar from the Rurik dynasty, one of the three sons of Ivan the Terrible. Incapable of state activities, he actually transferred control of the state to the boyar Nikita Romanovich Zakharyev-Yuryev, and after his death to the boyar Boris Godunov (his brother-in-law).
1590-1593 War with Sweden.
Russian lands on the Baltic coast, captured by the Swedes during the Livonian War, were recaptured.
1595 Tyavzinsky peace with Sweden.
Rus' received back the cities that had gone to Sweden under the Truce of Plus.
1597 Adoption of the law on “lesson summers”».
From temporary measures (the introduction of reserved years in 1581), the government moved to permanent ones. This law provided for a five-year period for searching for fugitive peasants and was based on a permanent ban on “peasant exit.”
1598-1605 Reign of Boris Godunov.
Became the Russian Tsar by decision of the Zemsky Sobor. During his reign there were famines and epidemics, but he was able to replenish the treasury devastated by the Livonian War.
1605-1606 Reign of False Dmitry I.
Posing as the miraculously saved Tsarevich Dmitry, the son of Ivan the Terrible, the Russian throne was taken by the impostor Grigory Otrepyev. Boyar Vasily Shuisky organized a conspiracy against False Dmitry I.
1606-1607 Uprising led by Ivan BolotNikova.
According to historian V.B. Kobrin, he was a professional warrior and a bankrupt nobleman. His army was diverse in social composition: Cossacks, peasants, serfs, townspeople, service people of all ranks. The uprising was suppressed by the troops of V. Shuisky, and Bolotnikov himself was blinded and drowned.
1606-1610 The reign of Vasily Shuisky.
Vasily Shuisky was a descendant of the princes of Suzdal, who at one time competed with the princes of Moscow in the struggle for the grand-ducal throne. Elected (“called out”) to the kingdom by the Zemsky Sobor. For the first time in the history of Russia, he swore allegiance to his subjects: he gave a “record,” the observance of which he secured by kissing the cross.
1608-1609 Adventure of False Dmitry II.
A new impostor (origin unknown) pretended to be the allegedly saved Tsar False Dmitry I. In 1608-1609. created a fortified camp in the village of Tushino (hence the “Tushino Thief”), from where he unsuccessfully tried to capture Moscow. With the beginning of the Polish intervention, he fled to Kaluga, where he was killed.
1610-1612 The reign of the "Seven Boyars".
In July 1610, the nobles and townspeople carried out a coup: they overthrew V. Shuisky. The boyars took advantage of its result - the Boyar Duma, headed by F. I. Mstislavsky, began to rule the country. A government of seven boyars was formed. Having decided to place the Polish prince Vladislav on the Russian throne, the boyars allowed Polish troops into the Kremlin, led by Hetman Gonsevsky, who began to rule autocratically in the country.
1611, spring-summer The fight against the Polish invaders of the first militia under the leadership of P. Lyapunov. The first militia failed to liberate Moscow, although its troops blocked the city from all sides. One of the reasons for the unsuccessful actions of the militias was the discord that began among them.
1611, autumn Formation of the second militia under the leadership of K. Minin and D. Pozharsky.
The second militia began to be created in one of the largest cities in the country - Nizhny Novgorod. K. Minin's call - not to seek personal benefits, but to give everything to the common cause - found a response among ordinary people. With the help of the population of many cities, material resources were collected.
1612, October Liberation of Moscow from the Poles.
The second militia fought successful battles with the detachments of Hetman Khodkevich at the Maiden Monastery and Poklonnaya Gora. The Poles entrenched in the Kremlin, left without the help of Chodkiewicz, were forced to surrender.
1613, February Election of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov to the kingdom by the Zemsky Sobor.
The Romanov boyars had a formal right to the Russian throne as relatives of the previous dynasty: Mikhail’s grandfather, Nikita Romanovich Zakharyin-Yuryev, was the brother of Ivan the Terrible’s first wife, Anastasia Romanovna. The Zemsky Sobor unanimously voted for sixteen-year-old Mikhail Romanov, and on July 13 he became Russian Tsar.
1613-1645 The reign of Mikhail Romanov.
Mikhail was unable to independently govern the state; he was led: in 1613-1633. father, Fyodor Romanov - Patriarch Filaret, who officially bore the title of “Great Sovereign” - then boyars.
1617 Stolbovsky world.
Under this agreement, the Swedes returned Novgorod, Staraya Russa, Porkhov, Ladoga and Gdov with their districts to the Russians. At the same time, the Izhora land with Ivangorod, Koporye, Yam, Oreshok and the city of Korela with the district remained with Sweden. Thus, after the Stolbovo Treaty, Russia remained cut off from the Baltic Sea.
1618 Truce of Deulino.
The truce was not easy for Russia. Poland received Smolensk, Chernigov and Novgorod-Seversk lands. At the same time, Vladislav still considered himself a contender for the Russian throne, not recognizing Mikhail Romanov as the legitimate Russian Tsar.
1645-1676 Reign of Alexei Mikhailovich.
Alexey Romanov was one of the most educated people of his time (he studied theology, philosophy, sacred music, knew Greek and Polish). In domestic politics he adhered to the idea of autocracy. Created a code of state laws (Conciliar Code of 1649); introduced a new type of troops; together with Patriarch Nikon, he carried out a church reform that caused a split in the Orthodox Church. Under him, the uprising of S. Razin was suppressed, Ukraine was reunified with Russia (1654), Smolensk and Novgorod-Seversk lands were returned. He waged wars with Poland (1654-1667) and Sweden (1656-1658).
Fedor (baptized Theodore) I Ioannovich.
Years of life: May 11, 1557 (Moscow) -January 7, 1598 (Moscow)
Reign: 1584-1598
2nd Tsar of Russia (March 18, 1584 - January 7, 1598). Grand Duke of Moscow from March 18, 1584.
From the Rurik dynasty. From the family of Moscow Grand Dukes
Fyodor the Blessed - biography
The third son of Ivan IV the Terrible and Anastasia Romanovna Yuryeva-Zakharova.
Feodor I Ioannovich- the last Rurikovich on the throne by right of inheritance.
The boy loved bells and church services, climbed the bell tower, for which he received the nickname “bell ringer” from his father.
The heir, weak in mind and health, did not take part in governing the state. Shortly before his death, his father Ivan the Terrible appointed a guardianship council that was to govern Russia during the reign of his inferior son. It included: the Tsar's uncle Nikita Romanovich Zakharyin-Yuryev, Prince Ivan Fedorovich Mstislavsky, Prince Ivan Petrovich Shuisky, Bogdan Yakovlevich Belsky and. Soon a struggle for power began, which was won by the Tsar's brother-in-law B.F. Godunov, who eliminated his rivals and became the real ruler of Russia in 1587, and after the death of the Blessed One, he became his successor.
Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich - reign
Even the performance of ritual duties for the new king was 
unbearable. During the coronation on May 31, 1584 in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, without waiting for the end of the ceremony, he gave the Monomakh cap to the boyar Prince Mstislavsky, and the heavy golden “orb” to Boris Fedorovich Godunov. This event shocked everyone present. In 1584, the Don Cossacks took an oath of allegiance to Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich.
During the reign of the Blessed One, Moscow was decorated with new buildings. China Town has been updated. In 1586-1593. In Moscow, another powerful defensive line was built from brick and white stone - the White City.
But during his reign, the situation of the peasants changed sharply for the worse. Around 1592, they were deprived of the right to move from one master to another, and in 1597, a royal decree was issued on a 5-year search for fugitive serfs. A decree was also issued that prohibited enslaved people from ransoming for freedom.
Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich He often went and traveled to different monasteries, inviting the highest Greek clergy to Moscow, and prayed a lot. Chroniclers wrote that he was “meek and gentle,” he had mercy on many, and richly “gifted” cities, monasteries, and villages.
Death of Fyodor Ioannovich
At the end of 1597, Fyodor Ioannovich became seriously ill. He gradually lost his hearing and vision. The people loved the Blessed One as the last king of the blood of Rurik and. Before his death, he wrote a spiritual letter in which he indicated that the power should pass into the hands of Irina. Two main advisers to the throne were appointed: Patriarch Job and the Tsar’s brother-in-law Boris Godunov.
On January 7, 1598, at one o'clock in the afternoon, the king died, unnoticed, as if he had fallen asleep. Some sources say that the tsar was poisoned by Boris Godunov, who wanted to become tsar in Russia. When examining the skeleton of Fyodor Ioannovich, arsenic was found in his bones.
With his death, the ruling Rurik dynasty ceased to exist.
In the popular consciousness, he left behind a good memory as a merciful and God-loving sovereign.
Married since 1580 to Irina Fedorovna Godunova (September 26, 1603), sister of Boris Godunov. After the death of her husband, she refused the offer of Patriarch Job to take the throne and went to a monastery. With Fyodor Ioannovich they had a daughter: Feodosia (1592-1594)
The real personality of Tsar Fedor I Ivanovich, despite the relatively short historical period of time (460 years) that separates us from him, is hidden. The whole question revolves around whether he was weak-minded or not. We will try to answer this. There are few sources left that give his true image. This sovereign is overshadowed by two powerful figures: father Ivan the Terrible and co-ruler Boris Godunov. Our historians recreate, and writers interpret, him as a man and a ruler.
The end of the Rurik dynasty
In the 16th century, the first Russian Tsar, Ivan Vasilyevich, ascended the throne. He ruled for a long time, more than 50 years, but extremely unevenly, shaking his lands and family with his fiercely brutal character.
Of his eight wives, only three bore him children. And even the eldest, whom he was preparing for the kingdom, was killed by the king himself in a fit of uncontrollable anger, which he bitterly regretted. The heir was Fyodor Ivanovich, the son of Ivan IV the Terrible from his first marriage.
Family in childhood
The royal parents loved each other and had lived for ten years at the time of Fyodor’s birth, sharing both joys and sorrows. The prince had an older brother, Ivan. Their age difference was three years. As they grow up, they will play together and be watched over by loving parents. But in the year of birth of the prince, baptized in the Chudov Monastery, in 1557, no one yet knows that peace and silence are only still standing over the country. This is the last halcyon year. In 1558, the long, quarter-century bloody Livonian War began. She will darken his entire childhood. And after the death of his mother, there is almost no information about the prince, who was then three years old. The father goes on pilgrimages and does not take his son with him. He leaves, leading an army, to war, and the five-year-old boy, seeing him off, does not know whether he will return back. And then in the royal chambers there will be a series of wives who see in Ivan and Fyodor an obstacle for their children to the throne, and there is no need to talk about spiritual warmth here. The boys, of course, experienced hidden enmity. But the sources contain virtually no information about how Ivan Vasilyevich raised his youngest. It is known that from the age of eight he took him with him on pilgrimages, and later ordered him to attend state ceremonies. Even when the prince was not yet seven years old, he participated in the elevation to the rank of Metropolitan of Moscow, and when the oprichnina was established, he, along with his family and court, left for At the age of 10, his father took him with him to Vologda for examination. So little by little Tsarevich Fyodor took a closer look at state affairs.
Marriage
The father himself chose a bride for his son from the strong, reliable Godunov clan, but not too well-born, such that they would depend on the royal family in everything and would be grateful for such a high fate. And the prince, without thinking about political motives, simply became attached with his soul to his wife, the clever Irina.
Death of an heir
The Tsar of All Rus' did not get around to fully raising his youngest son Fedor. Ivan Ivanovich was always in the foreground. And when he died, in 1581, at the age of 24, he had to seriously accustom the heir Fedor to state affairs. And he no longer had any interest in them. After all, before all the attention was paid to Ivan, and you, Fedenka, advised him to go to God’s church, talk to the monks, listen to the singers, and listen to the deacon’s bass, or else go hunting.
The prince was surrounded by mothers, nannies and monks. They taught him book knowledge and the law of God. So the prince grew up timid, meek, and pious. And God gave him a royal crown.
Royal wedding
The death of Ivan the Terrible in 1584 is surrounded by omissions and secrets. There are suggestions that he was poisoned or strangled, which, however, has not been reliably proven. But the boyars, rejoicing at liberation from the powerful oppression of the tyrant who held them with an iron hand, rose up in rebellion, taking advantage of rumors about the mysterious death of the tsar, and brought him to the walls of the Kremlin. Negotiations with the rebels ended with them retreating and the instigators being exiled. Just in case, young Dmitry and his mother were also sent to Uglich. Who was behind these actions? Well, not Fyodor Ivanovich. he was not interested in business, he was passive. The great princes Shuisky, Mstislavsky, and Yuryev were in charge of everything.
Shortly before the uprising there was a royal wedding; it happened on Fedor’s birthday. He turned exactly 27 years old. The ceremony went like this. Walking ahead was Fyodor Ivanovich, the Tsar, dressed in the richest attire. Behind him are the highest clergy and then all the nobility by rank. A crown was placed on his head. The clergy from Mount Athos and Mount Sinai were invited to the celebration, which meant the importance of the event for the entire Orthodox world. The celebration lasted a week.
This is how Fyodor Ivanovich received the right and opportunity to manage everything. The king became an unlimited ruler. In his hands was all the power - legislative, executive, judicial and military.
king: historical portrait
Foreigners, the British, the French, the Swedes, the Poles are trying to convince us that Fyodor Ivanovich was too simple, sensitive and overly pious and superstitious, even stupid. He spent too much time in monasteries. But, getting up at 4 o'clock in the morning, according to the same foreigners, having prayed, conveying greetings to his wife, who occupied separate chambers, he received boyars, military leaders, and members of the Duma. This suggests that Fyodor Ivanovich is a tsar: he listens to the nobles and gives instructions.
True, he does not devote too much time to these matters, since they do not occupy him very much, but like a true sovereign, he still carries out the affairs. Yes, he prefers prayer to politics, but there are no signs of dementia in this. He is simply not a statesman by nature, but an ordinary person who loves to talk with his wife, watch bear baiting or hand-to-hand combat, and laugh at jesters. Intrigues, political moves, thought out like chess, long in advance, are not his element. Fyodor I Ioannovich is a kind, calm, pious man. Other foreigners, the Austrians, for example, to whom the tsar gave a kind welcome and promised assistance in the fight against the Turks, nowhere give any indication that the tsar was weak-minded. Maybe the whole point is in the biased assessments of the same Swedes, since political affairs were resolved by force of arms in a direction unfavorable to them?
Russian people's perception of the Tsar
They all note that Fyodor I Ioannovich is extremely pious and exhausts himself with spiritual exploits. And during the crowning ceremony he made speeches in which he was not noted as a sign of feeblemindedness. A weak-minded person would not have survived the entire ceremony and would not have been able to make a speech. And the king behaved with appropriate dignity. Russian chroniclers call him merciful, and his death was perceived as a great grief that could bring enormous disasters. Which, by the way, came true.
Patriarch Job, who saw the king every day and knew him well, expressed his lively admiration for the sovereign. The Tsar appears before us as a true ascetic of the faith, and a well-fed, calm life with him was perceived as the grace of God, which came down through his prayers to the Russian land. Everyone emphasizes his incredible piety. Therefore, the nickname of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich was Blessed. And one of the princes close to him, I.A. Khvorostinin noted the tsar’s love of reading. His father Ivan the Terrible himself, drawing up a will when his eldest son Ivan was still alive, warned 15-year-old Fyodor against rebelling against his brother. But a complete fool, as some foreigners try to portray him as, could hardly go to war against his brother. This means that Ivan Vasilyevich imagined his son to be not a simpleton at all. What happened next showed that the king was an excellent commander, leading the campaign against the Swedes. He ended up in the Russian army being mentally healthy and not a holy fool. The defeat of the Swedes in the Livonian War was the great deed of Fyodor Ivanovich.
Co-rulers
Godunov stood behind the throne, but besides him, the noble one, there were aristocrats with whom Fyodor Ivanovich had to reckon. And who could keep the Shuiskys, Mstislavskys, Odoevskys, Vorotynskys, Zakharyins-Yuryevs-Romanovs in check? Only the king who was above all. Yes, he could afford to stroke the cat in the meeting of the Duma boyars, leaving the throne, but his gaze is clear and full of wisdom.
Theodore the Blessed, listening to the high men, could think his own thoughts about the fact that every creation of God is worthy of love and affection, just like his own people, who flourished under him. And let the nobles rejoice that he does not cut heads from their shoulders, like his father. Godunov, listening to the opinion of the tsar, became a co-ruler by the tsar's will. He represented the best of what was possible. They made a well-coordinated couple together when Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich (1584 - 1598) reigned.
Refusal of divorce
The king revered the sacrament of marriage. And although God gave him one child who died in infancy, despite the demands of the boyars to divorce his wife and remarry and have legal heirs, the sovereign resolutely refused. In this position, it was necessary to show courage, will and perseverance, so great was the pressure from the aristocrats. The fact that the king had no children partly explains the long hours spent in prayer and the frequent pilgrimage trips that the couple made on foot, of course, accompanied by guards and retinue. They were guided by faith and hope.
Patriarchate
After Byzantium fell, the Russian state turned out to be the largest of all Orthodox. But the head of the church only bore the rank of metropolitan, which was clearly not enough. But could a tsar, incapable of long negotiations and intrigue, play such a complex and subtle political game? He always avoided worries of this kind, since he was quiet and had the mentality of a monastic monk, staying away from everyday affairs. Chroniclers write that the sovereign, after consulting with the boyars, brought the idea of establishing the patriarchate to the council. They needed to fulfill the sovereign's decision. And no matter whose original idea this idea was, the king voiced it, and things slowly began to develop.
It took several years of negotiations and intrigues of the Greeks for everything to be completed, as required by the autocrat, and Job became the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. The king, carried away by this idea, himself developed a new, more magnificent ceremony than the Greeks had.
Typography in Moscow
At the direct request of Fyodor Ivanovich, as sources say, the printing house was restored in Moscow. It was intended for the reproduction of liturgical books, but the beginning of book printing was laid. Further it will develop, bringing enlightenment, first church, and then secular. Could a stupid, mentally retarded person come up with such an idea? The answer suggests itself. Of course not. But the country needed books. Under Fyodor Ivanovich, cities, temples, monasteries were built, and everything required the acquisition of learning and, therefore, books.
Death of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich
The king, who remained on the throne for 13 years and seven months, was ill for a long time and died quickly. Before his death, he did not have time to become a monk, as he wished. There were three great deeds in his life: the establishment of the patriarchate, the liberation of Russian lands from Swedish occupation and the construction of the Donskoy Monastery. In them he took an active part. It remains unclear to this day to whom he transferred the throne. Perhaps no one, deciding that “God will judge.” He took over the devastated country, and left it stronger, expanding its borders. It was during his time that the Tsar Cannon was cast. The quiet king, who deeply believed in God's providence, saw that God ruled his country and preserved his kingdom. Such was the last Rurikovich, Fyodor Ivanovich - the tsar, whose biography and deeds left a good mark on the history of the country.
After the death of the great Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 1584, the Russian throne went to his son. Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich was cold towards state affairs and was practically not involved in governing the country. Nature blessed him with poor health, so the new king spent most of his time in bed or in prayer. Realizing that Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich would not be able to rule the country, Boris Godunov, the brother of Fyodor’s wife, Irina, undertook to make decisions on his behalf.
The beginning of Fyodor's reign promised to be difficult, since he, as well as those ruling on his behalf, had to unite Russian society, first of all, the boyars and nobles, the families of most of whom were at enmity due to the oprichnina introduced by Ivan the Terrible. One of the ways to achieve this goal was to publish decree on “reserved years”. The essence of this decree was the ban on peasants going into the service of a new owner without the consent of the old one. This was a temporary measure, but in Rus' there is nothing more eternal than temporary. This decree was never subsequently canceled.
The era in which Tsar Fedor Ivanovich reigned was distinguished by a great increase in the construction of churches, temples and monasteries. Many children of nobles at this time were forcibly sent to Europe for education. This was a necessary step, because without the development of science in the country, Russia could forever lag behind European countries.
In 1586, an important event occurred for Russian foreign policy. This year, King Stephen of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth died. Taking advantage of this fact, Boris Godunov, on behalf of the Russian Tsar, made peace with the Poles until 1602. This was an important step, allowing our army to focus on its only enemy - the Swedes. At this time, the Swedish state was extremely powerful and openly declared its claims to lands in the Baltic states. As a result, the Russian-Swedish war began in 1590. It lasted 3 years. As a result, the Russian kingdom regained the cities of Yam, Korela, Koporye and Ivangorod, thereby significantly strengthening its position in this region. At the same time, large forces were deployed to strengthen the southern borders of the state, which was supposed to protect Russia from the raids of the Crimean Khan.
In 1587, Alexander, king of the state of Kakheti in the Caucasus, asked for his country to join Russia. This request was granted. The expansion of the state's borders continued. By 1598, the resistance of the local Khan in Siberia was completely defeated, and this region became part of Russia.
May 15, 1591 became a landmark day for the history of Russia of this era. From Uglich, where Maria, the wife of Ivan the Terrible, and her son Dmitry lived, news of Dmitry's death came on this day. A special commission was sent to Uglich, the activities of which, however, can hardly be called productive, since the conclusion they issued stated that Dmitry himself had wounded himself with a knife. The importance of this event lies in the fact that Tsar Feodor Ivanovich had no children, and Dmitry, as the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, was to inherit the Russian kingdom.
Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich (also known by his nickname "Blessed") was the son of Ivan the Terrible and Anastasia Romanovna.
After the tragic death of the heir to the throne, John, in 1581, the twenty-year-old young man Fyodor the Blessed, who was completely unprepared for reign, became king (even his father said about him that his place was not in power, but in his cell).
According to researchers, Fyodor Ivanovich was in very poor health (both physically and psychologically). In addition, he did not take part in public administration at all, relying in this complex matter on the opinions of Godunov’s brother-in-law Boris and nobles. It was Godunov, according to historians, who ruled the state through the words of the Blessed One (he became the successor after the death of Fyodor Ivanovich).
Tsar Feodor the Blessed married Irina Godunova, from whom they had a daughter, who died at the age of one. Fedor never saw an heir.
Literary monuments of that time describe Fyodor Ivanovich this way: overweight, short in stature, unprepossessing with a heavy, uncertain gait. However, he is always smiling (for this he was nicknamed Blessed). The king never raised his tone, was not rude, was superstitious and did not like manifestations of aggression. He spent most of his time in a nearby monastery in prayer. Fyodor also got up very early and began the day with a conversation with his confessor and washing himself with holy water. He also loved fun: buffoonery, songs and stories after Vespers.
Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich was very fond of the ringing of church bells and was even a bell ringer himself at one time. He walked around the monasteries, however, the fatherly disposition was also in his nature - the king liked battles with strong bears, as well as fist fights.
All of the above was also known to diplomats from other countries visiting Fedor, but who asked for an audience with Boris Godunov.
In 1598, Tsar Fedor Ivanovich died of a fatal illness. At the same time, the Moscow Rurik family was also ended. During the reign of Tsar Fyodor, the towers and walls of the White City were erected, the authorship of which is attributed to the talented architect Fyodor Savelyevich Kon. In addition, during the same period, the famous foundry man A. Chokhov cast the Tsar Cannon.
Under Tsar Fyodor the Blessed, the international situation also improved slightly. As a result of the Russian-Swedish war, some Novgorod lands were returned.
