How Tsarevich Dmitry died. Assassination of Tsarevich Dmitry Tsar Dimitri

The death of the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, the young Tsarevich Dmitry, still leaves few people indifferent and causes controversy among historians. So it is not completely clear: how exactly the prince died, and whether he died at all on May 15, 1591. There is no unequivocal official version of the death of the prince. Each time, priority is given to the version that is convenient for the current government. Under the Romanovs, it was believed that the prince was killed on the orders of Godunov. Under the Soviet regime, they adhered to the version of the prince's suicide as a result of an epileptic attack. And despite the fact that there are several deaths of the prince, even today there are more and more new readings of this event.

Versions of the death of Tsarevich Dmitry

On a clear afternoon on May 15, 1591, Tsarevich Dmitry died in Uglich. It was the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, the last of the Ruriks. And for more than 400 years, disputes about the death of a child have not ceased, versions have been put forward and new mysteries have arisen.

Prehistory of the death of the prince

Dmitry was born to Maria Nagoya, the fifth wife of Ivan the Terrible. According to church canons, he was considered illegitimate, since the Orthodox Church recognizes only three marriages as legal. In addition to the young Dmitry, of the children of Tsar John, only Fedor survived, who was in poor health and mind. Fedor not only could not manage the state, he could not even manage his own life on his own. Therefore, even during his lifetime, Ivan the Terrible appointed Fyodor's brother-in-law Boris Godunov as something like a regent for the feeble-minded Tsarevich Fyodor. The tsar also took care of his youngest son, giving him the Uglich principality as an inheritance. There, in Uglich, the whole family of the former tsarina was sent along with the young tsarevich Dmitry after the death of Ivan the Terrible. The clerk Mikhail Bityagovsky and several other service people were entrusted to look after the family. The country was actually ruled by Boris Godunov. Fedor was a decorative figure.

Events May 15, 1591 in Uglich

In May 1591, Tsarevich Dmitry was in his ninth year. The events of Saturday May 15 unfolded as follows. Maria Nagaya went to church for Mass. She took her son with her. When she returned, she went to the palace for dinner, and let her son go to play with the yard boys in the courtyard. The tsarevich was to be looked after by the nurse Arina Tuchkova, the nanny Vasilisa Volokhova and the bed-keeper Maria Kolobova. The boys were playing with knives. The prince did not have a flat knife, but a pile - a type of stylet designed for stabbing. Suddenly there was a commotion among the boys. Arina Tuchkova, who ran up, saw the prince lying dead with a wound on his neck. The boy died in her arms. The eldest of the boys, Petrushka Kolobov, ran to the palace to inform the queen. Maria Nagaya, jumping out into the yard, in a frenzy began to beat the nanny Volokhova on the head with a log and shout that her son Osip Volokhov had killed the prince. After that, the queen ordered to sound the alarm. The townspeople fled to the palace. The deacon Bityagovsky and Osip Volokhov also came along with the others. Maria Nagaya shouted that Osip Volokhov had killed the prince. The crowd became agitated and tried to arrange lynching. Dyak Bityagovsky and other people who tried to calm the excited crowd were killed. They also killed Osip Volokhov, who had hidden in the church, where the body of the prince had already been transferred. A total of 15 people were killed that day.

Consequence

Godunov has collected his own commission. She arrived in Uglich on May 19th. Given the speed of that time, we can say that this happened immediately. The commission was headed by Vasily Shuisky, one of Godunov's main opponents. Members of the commission were also Kleshnin - the okolnichiy, duma clerk Vyluzgin, from the church - Metropolitan Gelvasia. The composition of the commission was chosen very competently. All its members had different political preferences, and there could be no collusion between them. The investigation was carried out very carefully. Hundreds of witnesses were interviewed. Interrogations were conducted publicly in the courtyard of the Uglich Kremlin. Everyone who wished to attend the meeting of the commission could attend. Falsification or pressure on witnesses were absolutely excluded. The main witnesses were the boys, the tsarevich's comrades from his last game, as well as the nanny Volokhova, the nurse Tuchkova and the bed-maker Kolobov. On the basis of their testimony, the commission concluded that the death of Tsarevich Dmitry had occurred as a result of an accident. All the main witnesses testified that during the game Dmitry had an attack of epilepsy, from which he had long suffered and which had been especially tormenting him lately. The prince fell to the ground, and either during the fall, or already on the ground during convulsions, he himself ran into a knife.

In 1591, all of Russia accepted this version. The Nagy family was punished for inciting the mob. Tsarina Maria Nagaya was tonsured a nun and sent to Beloozero. The Nagy brothers, Mikhail, Andrei and Grigory, are imprisoned. Many Uglichs were sent to settle in Siberia for the massacre of the sovereign's people. A bell was also sent there, which called the Uglichians to the gathering. The tongue of the bell was previously torn out.

Using the death of Tsarevich Dmitry against Godunov

And life in Russia went on as usual. But then, in 1598, Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich died. On it, the Rurik dynasty was cut short. And the Zemsky Sobor elected Boris Godunov as Tsar. The party of Godunov's opponents immediately became more active. As a regent for an ailing sovereign, they could still tolerate him, but his election to the kingdom caused them a sharp rejection. Godunov was "thin"; He came from an ignorant small estate nobles, and the boyars considered him an upstart. In addition, they did not like Godunov's policy, which was generally correct from the point of view of the development of the state, but infringing on their personal interests. Then rumors spread that Tsarevich Dmitry was killed on behalf of Godunov. And then False Dmitry showed up in Poland. Thus, several versions of the death of Tsarevich Dmitry arose.

Versions of the death of Tsarevich Dmitry

The prince committed suicide.
The prince was killed on the instructions of Godunov.
The prince was replaced and thus saved from death.

Let's consider each version in more detail. Let's weigh the pros and cons.

The suicide of the prince as a result of an accident.

This version is supported by the results of a scrupulous and impartial investigation. But this also has its “buts” ... Firstly, the statistics of deaths during epileptic seizures do not know cases when the patient would die as a result of injuries inflicted on himself by himself. Immediately after the onset of an epileptic attack, the patient is unable to hold something in his hands. In the case of Dmitry, the knife should have slipped out of his hands immediately. In order for the prince to cut his throat on a knife, the knife had to be stuck into the ground with a handle.

The carelessness of the queen and the nannies, who allow a child with epilepsy to play with knives, is also striking. Indeed, according to their own stories, during an attack, he had already cut his mother with this pile. It seems that the last fools that were found in the Muscovite state were recruited to look after the prince.

It also casts doubt on the fact that Vasily Shuisky, having ascended the throne, announced that the conclusion he had made about the suicide of the tsarevich was incorrect, and that the tsarevich was killed on the instructions of Godunov. The church even declared Tsarevich Dmitry a holy martyr. His relics were transferred to the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Godunov "ordered" the assassination of the prince.

According to the law of the detective genre, you should always watch "who benefits." Only Godunov benefits from the death of the heir to the throne. But even here there are nuances. Godunov was an intelligent man and understood that he was in power only thanks to Fyodor Ioannovich. So he kept it like the apple of his eye. He also understood that his opponents would use Dmitry's death against him. Godunov's position was very precarious, so that he allowed himself to encroach on the heir to the throne. In addition, despite the fact that Godunov once served as an oprichnik and was the son-in-law of Malyuta Skuratov, he did not differ in bloodthirstiness. In all the years that he was in power, there was not a single execution for political reasons. In the worst case, Godunov sent his opponents into exile or tonsured monks. And the murder of a child somehow does not fit into his reputation as a sane ruler.

Nevertheless, in Russia Godunov was considered a usurper of power, and the version of the murder of Tsarevich Dmitry by order of Godunov was very popular. Later this version was supported by the Romanovs. This version is also considered official by the church. Karamzin in "The History of the Russian State" also adheres to this version. Following Karamzin, Pushkin writes the tragedy Boris Godunov, where Godunov is also guilty of the death of Tsarevich Dmitry. And then, based on the tragedy "Boris Godunov", Modest Mussorgsky wrote the opera "Boris Godunov". And now, in the minds of every Russian person, Boris Godunov is associated with the death of Tsarevich Dmitry ..

The substitution of the prince and his miraculous salvation.

This should be the subject of a separate article.

To be continued...

Tsarevich Dimitri Ivanovich (October 19 (29), 1582 - death May 15 (25), 1591) - the youngest son from the last wife of Maria Nagoya. After the death of Ivan the Terrible, he was sent to Uglich with his mother. 1591, May 15 - died at the age of 9 under mysterious circumstances.

According to the version of the Nagikhs - relatives of Dimitri's mother - Tsarevich Dmitry was killed by one of his servants - who cut his throat. Nagy assured that the killer was sent to eliminate the possible heir to the throne. After all, the ruling child did not have, as a result, Demetrius could become king. Godunov himself dreamed of the throne.

A completely different, official version of the death of Tsarevich Dmitry was at the disposal of a special commission of inquiry sent to Uglich from Moscow, even during the reign of Boris Godunov. According to the decision of this commission, Tsarevich Dimitri, while playing “knives”, accidentally ran into a knife himself. To this day, there is no complete clarity on this issue.

1606 - canonized as the right-believing prince Dimitry of Uglich.

Death of Tsarevich Dmitry in Uglich

The mysterious death of Tsarevich Dimitri turned out to be relevant in. The murder of an innocent baby was regarded as a crime before God, which became the first cause of God's wrath, which brought down many punishments on the Russian state for this crime.

Official version

An investigative commission was sent to Uglich, headed by Metropolitan Gelasy of Sark and Podoino, and in fact it was led by the insidious and intelligent opponent of Boris Godunov.

1591, May 15, the prince was found dead - with a throat pierced with a knife. According to witnesses (first of all, the children who walked with him), it became known that Dmitry was playing “pillow” with the guys, and during the game he had an epileptic seizure. The version looks plausible: the meaning of this game is to throw a special knife at a distance, while before throwing the “pile” they take the tip towards themselves, while the heir actually suffered from the “falling” disease.

The commission, having considered the testimonies, came to the conclusion that there had been an accident during an epileptic attack. 1591, June 2 - after studying all the documents, the "Consecrated Cathedral" and the boyar duma announced to the people: "Tsarevich Dmitry was killed by God's judgment."

However, a version of the murder immediately appeared - it was expressed by the queen and one of her brothers, Michael.

Who benefited from the death of the prince (versions)

There were persistent rumors among the people about the murder of the prince by the people of B. Godunov.

Dmitry, Fyodor's brother, was in his 8th year, and he was a danger to both Fyodor and Boris, because in 4 years he could be proclaimed king. But according to N.M. Karamzin, the murderers of the prince, Danila Bityagovsky and Nikita Kachalov, could act both on orders and without the knowledge of Godunov. They simply could figure out that the death of the prince is beneficial to Boris and act independently to please him.

The murder took place without witnesses. Nurse Orina, who was walking with Dmitry, was stunned, the throat of the heir was cut, and then they began to shout that Dmitry had stumbled upon the knife himself. When mother Maria Nagaya raised her dead son and went with him to the church, the bell was struck, and the assembled crowd stoned the killers to death.

Many eminent scientists claim that the names of the real perpetrators of the murder, apparently, will never be known. Perhaps they were mercenaries, whom no one knew in Uglich, they could easily get into the territory of the Kremlin, since it was practically not guarded. After the murder, the criminals on horseback left the city. The versions of these scientists are based on the alignment of political forces of those times. They believe that the death of Tsarevich Dmitry was beneficial primarily to Vasily Shuisky.

False Dmitry I

However, in addition to the religious and mystical meaning, the mystery associated with the death of the prince had a direct impact on the political situation in the state. Already in 1601–1602, an impostor appeared who took the name Demetrius and entered Russian history under the name. Very many who were dissatisfied with the reign of Boris Godunov believed that Tsarevich Dimitri miraculously managed to escape and now he is the legitimate heir to the Russian throne. Subsequently, the name of the surviving prince, under whose banner the troops rose, became a real catalyst for the Troubles. And the accession of False Dmitry I in Moscow in 1605, as it were, confirmed the general belief that this was the true prince.

Saint Demetrius of Uglich

1606, May - as a result of the uprising, False Dmitry I was overthrown from the throne and he was torn to pieces by an angry mob. Vasily Shuisky becomes king, who had much less rights to the royal throne than the son of Ivan the Terrible, which many continued to consider False Dmitry. Therefore, the Shuisky government immediately took vigorous measures in order, firstly, to prove the truth of the death of the prince in 1591, and, secondly, to confirm the image of the deceased prince as an innocently murdered martyr. In this case, it became possible to stop the further development of the very fact of imposture.

For this, in the summer of 1606, the remains of the prince were transferred from Uglich to Moscow and illuminated. And the prince himself was recognized as a saint, and began to be called Saint Demetrius, the Uglich Passion-Bearer.

At the same time, work began on compiling the life of Dimitry of Uglich. To date, 4 editions of this life of the 17th - early 18th centuries are known, preserved in many lists.

Despite the official canonization of Demetrius of Uglich, this saint did not immediately receive popular recognition. At least for several more years, many continued to believe that the real Tsarevich Dimitri was alive. So, the new impostor was recognized as the real king, under whose banner numerous troops stood. In addition, other impostors began to appear, literally multiplying all over Russia at that time.

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Uglich case - the murder of Tsarevich Dmitry

Freedom is a luxury that not everyone can afford.
Otto von Bismarck

The Uglich case is the name of a set of measures that were aimed at studying the mysterious circumstances that accompanied one of the landmark events of that era - the death of one of the sons of Ivan the Terrible - the young Tsarevich Dmitry. This name of the case is due to the place where the tragedy occurred on May 15, 1591 - the city of Uglich. There are several versions of the death of the prince, but before considering them, it is necessary to understand what events in Russia preceded this mysterious case.

Prerequisites

The death of the Russian tsar, who united the Russian lands, Ivan the Terrible, his son Fedor began to rule the country. In addition, Tsarevich Dmitry, who was the son of Ivan 4 from his last marriage to Maria Nagoya, had significant rights to the Russian throne. Fedor immediately after the death of his father sent his wife, along with their young son, as far as possible from the capital of the state - to Uglich. Formally, Dmitry was allocated a separate appanage, where the prince ruled, but in practice the real power in the appanage was concentrated in the hands of officials who came from Moscow. So, by special order of the tsar and his associates, clerk Mikhail Bityagovsky was sent to Uglich. His task was simple - to follow Dmitry.

Relations between Uglich and Moscow were hostile. There are references that in Moscow it was forbidden to mention the name of Dmitry Ivanovich. Maria Nagaya openly expressed her dissatisfaction with the fact that her family was excommunicated from Moscow. We see a tense relationship between Fedor and Dmitry, related to the fact that each of them had the right to the throne. But soon both brothers were killed, and Tsar Boris came to power.

The essence of the Uglich case

On May 15, 1591, Dmitry was found dead with his throat cut. There were no witnesses to this murder. A remarkable fact is that the inhabitants of Uglich killed Mikhail Botyagovsky and all his relatives without trial or investigation. As we remember, this was exactly the same person who was sent from Moscow to "look after" the young prince. The very same mother of the murdered also openly said that this was the work of people who had come from Moscow.

The news of Dmitry's murder was very loud. The people were excited in connection with the brazen murder of a member of the royal family, who had every reason to be the Russian tsar. As a result, Boris Godunov was forced to create a special commission, which was sent to Uglich in order to sort out the details of the case on the spot and make his decision on the Uglich case. The commission included:

Vasily Shuisky
Okolnichiy Andrey Kleshin
Dyak Elizar Danilovtch
Metropolitan of Krutitsy

As a result of their activities, the following picture of the case was formed. Tsarevich Dmitry was playing with a knife in the street. Suddenly he had an epileptic fit and fell down, cutting his throat with a knife. The murder of Botyagovsky was attributed to the fact that he tried to calm the city, calling the inhabitants to order. Instead, the distraught crowd simply tore it apart.

The consequences of the death of Tsarevich Dmitry

The results of the commission's work were reported to the tsar. This report emphasized the fact of the accidental death of the prince, as well as the arbitrariness of his family and townspeople over those whom they accused of this death. It was in him that all the Nagy were accused, as well as the active instigators of the massacre. As a result, the Uglich case ended with the fact that Dmitry's mother, Maria, was tonsured a nun, and she, under the name of Martha, went to the monastery. All her relatives were exiled, and the most active participants in the arbitrariness of Moscow officials were killed.

The Uglich case had great consequences for the country. Firstly, only one person with rights to the throne remained in the country - Tsar Fedor. Secondly, the murder of Dmitry led to a wave of rumors that he could not be killed and miraculously escaped. As a result of this, subsequently, a false Dmitry appeared in the country. Thirdly, it was one of the last kings of the Rurikids.

Popular rumor attributed the murder of Dmitry to Boris Godunov. When Fyodor mysteriously died in 1598, and in the absence of another contender for the throne, Godunov was praised as the tsar, these rumors only intensified.

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 wrong 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, the youngest son of 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, in the status of a specific prince of Uglich, was in an honorable exile . 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 an illness 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 the Uglichans for several generations 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 that the bell-eared bell 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 the royal family delayed the official announcement for almost a month. 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 Ivanovich 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 a 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. Ordinary people 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. 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 Philaret 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 spread throughout 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 freed 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 persuade 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 ....

The son Dmitry was born, who had the share of becoming the last offspring (on the male line) of the royal dynasty of Rurikovich. 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 wrong 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

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 the Uglichans for several generations 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 that the bell-eared bell 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 - Fedor Ioannovich, the elder half-brother of the deceased prince. And there were reasons for this.

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.

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 Ivanovich 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 was left of the people's love for the elected tsar - the people again talked about the curse of Tsarevich Dmitry and the "cursed Boris".

End of the Godunov dynasty

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

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. Ordinary people 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

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 Philaret 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 spread throughout 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

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 the False Dmitry who had 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.