The reign of Boris Godunov is of particular interest, because it was he who became the first tsar of Russia who did not belong to the Rurik dynasty. His fate is largely controversial. Having taken over the country on the rise after a decade of rest from the oprichnina of Ivan the Terrible, the new ruler had every opportunity not only to help the country finally recover, but also to create a new dynasty. However, he failed. This was due to a whole range of reasons, which will be discussed below.
Ascension to the Throne
Boris Godunov belonged to the boyar family, who served at the Moscow court for many years. However, the rise of a young man was not so much the nobility of the family, but his own ability to survive at the court of Ivan the Terrible. During the years of the oprichnina, he married the daughter of Malyuta Skuratov, the closest approximate king. Thanks to this, he entered the circle of the monarch.
After the death of Ivan the Terrible in 1584, his son Fyodor, who was distinguished by poor he alth and lack of leadership abilities, was to ascend the throne. For this reason it wasa regency council was created, which included the most famous boyars of the country. Very soon they all lost their posts due to the struggle for power going on at the court.
Since 1585, Boris was actually the sole ruler of the country, being the brother-in-law of the official autocrat. Fedor died 13 years later, leaving no direct heirs. For this reason, his closest relative was anointed king. Nevertheless, the domestic and foreign policy of Boris Godunov should be considered during the years of his regency.
Urban planning
By the end of the 16th century, power from Moscow extended over thousands of uninhabited kilometers. The reason for this was the subordination of the Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberian khanates. The internal policy of Boris Godunov could not ignore such an important issue as the settlement of new territories.
Urban planning took on the largest scale on the Volga. Here, new fortresses were needed to ensure the safety of the waterway. Samara, Saratov and Tsaritsyn (future Volgograd) appeared. The settlement of the lands located south of the Oka and previously suffering from Tatar raids began. Yelets was restored, the cities of Voronezh and Belgorod were built. Rare expeditions were sent to Siberia, where the Cossacks rebuilt Tomsk to gain a foothold in the new territories. At the same time, existing cities were fortified. So, a new wall was erected in Moscow.
Relations with other states
The domestic and foreign policy of Boris Godunov was aimed at provingthe legitimacy of his rule. This was also served by constant contacts with Europe, with the help of which the new ruler tried to establish himself as an open and wise diplomat. Even under Fedor, thanks to his brother-in-law, it was possible to end the war with Sweden. The peace treaty, signed near Ivangorod, allowed Russia to return the B altic lands lost after the unsuccessful Livonian War.
The foreign policy of Boris Godunov, whose table can be depicted in the form of numerous connections, characterized him as a far-sighted ruler who understood the backwardness of his country. After receiving the throne, the new king filled his court with foreigners. Grandees, doctors, engineers and, in general, specialists in various sciences came to Moscow. A century before Peter I, his predecessor began to send compatriots to Europe for education.
The British enjoyed a special favor with the monarch. With them, he signed agreements on monopoly trade in the White Sea. Arkhangelsk was built for the exchange of goods.
In relations with the most problematic neighbors - the Poles - Boris Godunov's policy, in short, was aimed at maintaining peace. Another threat - the Crimean Tatars - was successfully contained. In 1591, their army approached Moscow, but was defeated.
Dynastic issue
It was extremely important for the new king to provide his dynasty with a secure future and procreation. This was served by the domestic/foreign policy of Boris Godunov. If his son Fedor was still too young for a wedding, then his daughter Kseniajust turned out to be the perfect bride. A groom for her was found in Denmark. They became the brother of King Christian IV John. He even arrived in Moscow, but died there suddenly. Sudden death gives the right to assume that the groom was poisoned, but so far no definite evidence of this has been found.
After that, the monarch intended to marry his children to representatives of noble English families, but the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603 prevented this intention.
Repressions
The precarious position of the dynasty was exacerbated by the suspicious nature of the king. Boris Godunov's domestic policy was notable for its intolerance towards rivals claiming power. And if at first the sovereign treated his associates with sympathy, then in the last years of his reign, denunciation flourished at the court. Complaints from servants and fabricated evidence were typical reasons for disgrace.
Many famous boyar families suffered, including the Romanovs. The cousin of the late Fyodor Ivanovich, Fyodor Nikitich, was forcibly tonsured a monk. Later, he will turn out to be the father of the first tsar from the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich, and will also take the rank of patriarch.
Pressure on those close to him became one of the reasons for the people's dissatisfaction with the new autocrat. His behavior more and more resembled the habits of Ivan the Terrible, who was distinguished by paranoia and persecution mania.
Hunger and attempts to fight it
The situation worsened in 1601, when the country died due to bad weathermost of the crop. The famine continued for several years. Despite the fact that this disaster did not begin through the fault of the king, the superstitious masses treated what happened as a heavenly punishment for the illegal usurpation of the throne. The domestic and foreign policy of Boris Godunov began to depend on the mood of the lower classes.
Trying to save the situation, the sovereign instructed to freeze the price of bread. Another measure was the restoration of St. George's Day, on which the peasants could change their landowner. However, these efforts were in vain. The standard of living of the population continued to decline, and riots began among the peasants, as well as the Cossacks. The most famous in this series is the Khlopok uprising, which united the common people of about 20 districts of central Russia. A motley crowd reached Moscow and was defeated by the tsarist army. However, this did not change the situation of the country for the better.
Imposter Appears
The above events were only preconditions for the catastrophe that overtook the Godunovs. The last months of his reign, Boris Godunov's domestic/foreign policy was subject to unrest, led by the impostor Grigory Otrepyev, who posed as Ivan the Terrible's son, who died in childhood.
Despite the incredible lies, False Dmitry gathered a large number of supporters around him. The backbone of his troops were the Cossacks of the western counties. The impostor pretended to be the last Rurikovich, which means he had a formal right to the throne. His army marched triumphantly towards Moscow, but was defeated at the Battle of Dobrynich in modern Bryansk.areas. Nevertheless, the impostor managed to escape to Putivl, where he again gathered an army.
The fate of the dynasty and the characteristics of the board
Against the background of these events, Boris Fedorovich suddenly died in Moscow. His son Fyodor ruled for a very short time and was killed after the throne was seized by False Dmitry. The Godunov dynasty ended, and the Troubles began in the country. For this reason, Boris Godunov's domestic and foreign policies are often criticized as the cause of subsequent disasters.
However, this point of view is not entirely objective. The policy of Boris Godunov, to put it briefly, was balanced and correct. However, the former boyar was ruined by suspicion and a banal failure, since it was under him that famine raged in the country for several years, without which the Troubles and leapfrog on the throne would certainly not have happened.
The foreign policy of Boris Godunov deserves special praise. It is briefly recorded in the annals of that time. They depict numerous contacts with European powers and a successful confrontation with the Crimean Tatars.
