Place of wedding to the kingdom of Russian monarchs. The wedding to the kingdom of Nicholas II: not only the Khodyn tragedy

400 years ago, on this day, Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov was married to the kingdom. What was this day for Russia? Reflects Arseny Zamostyanov.

Assumption Cathedral. A Russian bogatyr from the Borovitsky hill who stood up for Orthodoxy - this is how this architectural image created by Aristotle Fioravanti is perceived. Five golden helmets catch the eye, calling us from afar.

The crowning of the kingdom is a Byzantine rite, and in Russia it was he who was the symbol of the trinity - Orthodoxy, autocracy, nationality. It is in this hierarchical order. This order was felt, unspoken, long before Count Uvarov, who theoretically substantiated all this.

The ceremony of crowning the kingdom was made during the time of Ivan the Terrible - but after the coronation of Ivan Vasilyevich himself. The author of the rank, most likely, was Metropolitan Macarius (1482 - 1563), canonized in the rank of saints in 1988. It was Macarius who crowned the first Russian Tsar in 1547 - but then, according to most researchers, the ceremony had not yet taken shape and went, so to speak, according to an abbreviated program. In 1547, Ivan was not chrismated!

But ten years later, the same Macarius (most likely - at the insistence of the king) creates a lengthy rite, which includes the rite of chrismation. And it is understood that the sovereign in 1547 went through this ... There is not a single confirmation that Ivan Vasilyevich was anointed in later time although there are several hypotheses in this regard. Some researchers talk about the anointing after the capture of Kazan, when Ivan felt like a full-fledged king.

Perhaps the sovereign, realizing the inferiority of the rite of 1547, accepted the anointing secretly - with his mystical mindset, with his attitude to the liturgical role of the king, this seems likely. In any case, even enemies - such as Kurbsky - called him "God's anointed", without mentioning the inferiority of the 1547 rite.

The most solemn and perfect was the crowning of the pious sovereign Theodore Ioannovich, who for many years became a symbol of Orthodox Russia, personifying the image of a truly lawful sovereign. In his biography we find a lot of miraculous things: he achieved a lot without resorting to demonstrative zeal, to obvious activity. Prayer and the exact choice of assistants - such was his strategy. And in Time of Troubles warriors, rejecting the temptations of imposture, went into battle with images of Tsar Fedor.

Boris Godunov, Dimitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky were remembered as a heavy dream. They did not earn the reputation of lawful and happy sovereigns. In 1613, few people remembered them kind word. Although many heroes who overcame the turmoil, each of them (Demetrius - to a lesser extent) was served faithfully.

And here is young Michael, future king Mikhail Feodorovich. The father of the future tsar, the future patriarch Filaret, was in Polish captivity. Thus, there was no Patriarch in Russia at that time. Metropolitan Isidor of Novgorod could not arrive in Moscow either: Orthodox Russia had not yet been freed from the threat of intervention, the Swedes occupied the ancient city, and the lord led the defense. Let's not forget this: the time of the crowning of Tsar Michael was not idyllic. He accepted a country that was impoverished and weakened, although united in the face of the danger of Catholicization.

The solemn ceremony is described in detail in handwritten book XVII century, which was presented to the son of the first royal Romanov, Alexei Mikhailovich.

Before the wedding, there was a significant dispute, which reflected the contradictions of the troubled times. Before going to the Assumption Cathedral, the sovereign sat in the Golden Signature Chamber, and here the boyars were said to two stolniks: a relative of the tsar, Prince Ivan Borisovich Cherkassky, and the leader-liberator, Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky; the latter was appointed to stand by the fairy tale, the duma nobleman Gavrila Pushkin, who beat with his forehead that he should stand at the fairy tale and be less out of place than Prince Dmitry, because his relatives had never been anywhere less than the Pozharskys.

The sovereign indicated for his royal crown to be without places in all ranks and ordered this decree of his to be written down in the presence of all the boyars. The clerk Pyotr Tretyakov spoke and announced that the boyar Prince Mstislavsky would shower the sovereign with gold, the boyar Ivan Nikitich Romanov would hold Monomakh's hat, the boyar Prince Dmitry Timofeevich Trubetskoy - a scepter, the new boyar Prince Pozharsky - an apple [power], and again the usual petition was heard: Trubetskoy slammed at Romanov that it was inappropriate for him to be less than him.

The sovereign said to Trubetskoy: “Your fatherland is known before Ivan, it can be smaller than you, but now you should be smaller than him because Ivan Nikitich is my uncle by kinship; you will be without a place, ”says S. M. Solovyov.

As you can see, before the wedding, young elected king did not enjoy unquestioned authority among recent candidates for the throne. And this is not surprising. The age of Mikhail Fedorovich and the long-term habit of arbitrariness, which became stronger after the death of Boris Godunov, affected. And yet, the dispute ended with a weighty royal word: the boyars (including the newly-minted boyar Prince Pozharsky) played in the ceremony exactly the roles that the Romanovs assigned them ...

Here, of course, the most important role was played by the nun Martha (in the world - Xenia) - the mother of the sovereign. In those years, in the absence of the head of the family, Filaret, she completely ruled young Mikhail.

For the first time, Russia received a tsar whose father is alive and whose mother is so energetic and politically active. So, the most honorable role in the ceremony was played by the well-born Prince Mstislavsky, the de facto head of the government in recent years and a real candidate for sovereign. It is worth noting the role of Prince Pozharsky - quite modest, but still significant.

The picture is ambiguous: if Pozharsky showed himself tougher after the liberation of Moscow, he could almost become a dictator. But he shied away from the struggle for power, showed humility, did not blow up the situation. In such a situation, his rise to the narrow circle of influential boyars was perceived as royal favor. At the same time, the Romanovs could not help but remember that three months ago Pozharsky was not a supporter of Mikhail Romanov ...

The wedding took place on July 11 - of course, according to the old style, on the eve of the name day of Mikhail Fedorovich.

And here we are in the Assumption Cathedral in the summer of 1613. Michael was crowned king at the head of the Consecrated Cathedral by St. Ephraim, Metropolitan of Kazan and Sviyazhsk, who had been in this high rank for the seventh year. He was elected locum tenens of the patriarchal throne. He was the first of the highest clergy to sign a letter on the election of Mikhail Fedorovich.

The name of St. Ephraim is not forgotten, but not so well known, although he deserves a grateful memory.

And contemporaries knew that Bishop Ephraim saved Kazan from rebellion. “The Metropolitan found himself in the entire northeastern region of Russia and the only civil authority, although strong only by its moral strength; then Metropolitan Ephraim ruled all the land of the Kingdom of Kazan, ”the historian writes. It was perceived as a feat, which is quite reasonable.

Particularly emphasized is the strict assessment of the inhabitants of Sviyazhsk, who swore allegiance to False Dmitry II ( Tushino thief). Metropolitan Ephraim forced the Sviyazh people to repentance for treachery. And no one at that dissolute time was able to prevent him ... It is not surprising that it was he who was considered the most consistent ally of Patriarch Hermogenes.

In those days there was no more respected person in Moscow. Irreconcilable enemies, political rivals looked with reverence at Metropolitan Ephraim, asking for blessings. And now - the day of the wedding, the coronation.

It was a most complicated ceremony, a full-fledged wedding to the kingdom, which even enemies could not find fault with. In this event, one can read not only the oath of the Russian people to be faithful to the sovereign, but also the oath of the sovereign, who listened to the teachings of Metropolitan Ephraim - to honor the spiritual order and love the people. Protect the Church and Russia.

Everything happened according to the words of St. Theodore the Studite: “God gave Christians two highest gifts - the priesthood and the kingdom, through which earthly affairs are managed like heavenly ones.” Without an impressive indication of the divine roots of power, there will be no peace in Russia.

The young tsar presented Metropolitan Ephraim, who anointed him to the kingdom, with an altar Gospel. The glorious shepherd did not have long to serve on earth: in December of the same 1613, he passed away. Truly a great loss! Vladyka Ephraim's word, his firmness and fidelity were especially needed then. For a few more years, the pious Tsar Michael will live apart from his father and without a patriarch. However, he managed to complete the main thing: he anointed the sovereign.

Is it necessary to explain that this ceremony was a much more important event than the spring election of the king? The elected sovereign can be pushed aside, re-elected, and finally captured. The Anointed One of God is no longer the first among equals, not a politician, but the father of Orthodox Russia. Mikhail Fedorovich, inspired by the nun Martha, inwardly clearly felt this role of his: to be a symbol of the revival of Russia.

The country found an autocrat, a father. From now on, it was enough for him to represent and pray for politicians to restore peace and prosperity in the country in his name. It was a path full of mistakes and retreats - and yet a miracle happened, the weakened Russia survived and was reborn. It was then that the principle of the trinity was tested: Orthodoxy, autocracy, nationality.

It would be belatedly proclaimed by Count Uvarov many years later, in the 1840s. Proclaim autocracy at sunset. And in the time of the first Romanovs, this principle exalted the power, sandwiched between hostile states, without access to the seas, without gold, without a large army ...

How to explain this miracle? It won't work without trinity. Church and state in the kingdom of the first Romanov were intertwined closely and firmly, and even almost without conflict - and the fate of Patriarch Filaret is the most convincing confirmation of this. From now on, a sovereign reigned in Moscow, chosen "not by human desire, but by God's will", anointed and crowned by the Lord Himself to the kingdom.

And that is why it was the milestone of the wedding that turned out to be the broadest step towards the restoration of the highest legality. The Orthodox, after many years of turmoil and rebellious drunkenness, received a legitimate king. Let's not forget this historical date. She deserves respectful memory even after four hundred years.

For the first time, the ceremony of crowning the kingdom in its entirety, according to the order of the wedding of the Byzantine emperors, was performed in 1584 during the wedding of Fedor Ivanovich to the kingdom. The main component of the ceremony was the "great" exit of the sovereign with his retinue to the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Inside the Assumption Cathedral, from the side of the western doors, a special royal place was arranged for the metropolitan to lay the royal crown on the head of the king. At the same time, for the first time, as a coronation regalia, a Russian sovereign was assigned a power (“sovereign apple”) with a pommel in the form of a cross as a symbol of power over all lands Orthodox world. The name comes from the ancient Russian "durzha" power.
Also, Metropolitan Dionisy for the first time gave the king the symbol of the supreme royal power scepter - a wand, generously decorated with gems and crowned with a symbolic coat of arms, made of precious materials. After chrismation and communion in the altar, the procession of the sovereign from the Assumption to the Archangel Cathedral took place.

In September 1598, the wedding of Boris Godunov took place. The crowning of the kingdom and the chrismation of Fyodor Borisovich Godunov, who inherited the throne, were not performed because of the short duration of his reign.

The wedding to the kingdom of False Dmitry I took place in July 1605. First, in the Assumption Cathedral, he was crowned by Patriarch Ignatius and presented with a scepter and orb, then in the Archangel Cathedral, Archbishop Arseny crowned him with the Monomakh's cap.

In May 1606, despite the protest of Archbishop Hermogenes, Patriarch Ignatius anointed and crowned Marina Mniszek, who refused to be baptized and receive communion according to the Orthodox rite.

In June 1606, Metropolitan Isidor of Novgorod crowned Vasily Shuisky as king.

Due to the absence of the patriarch, the ceremony of wedding to the kingdom of Mikhail Romanov in July 1613 was performed by Metropolitan Ephraim of Kazan.

In 1645, Patriarch Joseph crowned Alexei Mikhailovich as king.

At the wedding to the kingdom in June 1676, Fyodor Alekseevich was again carefully regulated the wedding ceremony in accordance with the wedding rite of the Byzantine emperors.

In the summer of 1682, two brothers, co-rulers Ivan Alekseevich and Peter Alekseevich (later Peter I) were crowned to the kingdom. For this rite, a double silver throne was specially made; When Ivan and Peter Alekseevich were crowned king, Ivan Alekseevich received the scepter and orb from the hands of the highest church hierarch as his elder brother.

With the adoption of the title of Emperor of the All-Russian by Peter I, the wedding ceremony for the kingdom was replaced by a coronation, which led to significant changes. The imperial mantle or porphyry with the chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called replaced the ancient royal clothes with barmas and a gold chain, the imperial crown - the cap of Monomakh. Sample for the first Russian crown made of gilded silver and precious stones became the crown of the Byzantine Empire, composed of two hemispheres, symbolizing the unity of the eastern and western parts of the Roman Empire.

After the replacement of the representation of the church in the person of the patriarch by the conciliar representation of the synod, the ceremony of crowning the kingdom also changed significantly. If earlier the leading role in the performance of the ceremony belonged to the patriarch or metropolitan, now it has passed to the crowned himself. Before Peter I, the royal regalia were assigned to the king by the highest clergyman. This person sat next to the king in the place of the devil and turned to the king with a lesson. According to the new rank, the sovereign sat on the throne not with the primordial bishop, but with the empress. He himself laid the crown on himself and himself raised it on the head of the empress.

The first coronation took place in 1724 over Catherine I, the wife of Peter I. Two altars were placed in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. After a solemn procession to the sound of bells and the sounds of regimental bands, the emperor elevated his wife to the throne. When the empress pronounced the Creed, and the bishop read a prayer, the emperor laid the mantle on the empress. Crowning her with a crown and handing over the power, Peter I led Catherine to the Royal Doors to perform chrismation and communion of the Holy Mysteries.

At the wedding of Elizabeth Petrovna in 1741, litanies (prayer petition), troparion (church hymns in honor of the holiday), proverbs (readings from the Bible) and the reading of the Gospel were first introduced into the rank. The litany included a prayer for the crowned monarch.

At the coronation of Catherine II in September 1762, she, the first of the reigning persons, put on the crown with her own hands, and after anointing through the Royal Doors of the iconostasis of the temple, she went to the altar to the throne and communed the Holy Mysteries according to the royal rank.

Pavel Petrovich, the first of the Russian tsars, was crowned in 1797 together with his wife. Upon completion of the ceremony, the monarch, having taken his place on the throne and laid the regalia on the pillows, took off his crown and, touching it to the brow of the kneeling empress, put it on himself. Then he placed on his wife a smaller crown, the chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and the imperial purple.

During the coronation of Nicholas I in 1826, he was presented with a cross for kissing, which was on Peter I during Battle of Poltava and saved him from death. Thus, the church emphasized the heroic spirit of the emperor, manifested during the Decembrist uprising in 1825.

Coronation Alexander III in May 1883 attracted over half a million people.

Celebrations on the occasion of the coronation of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II in May 1896 were overshadowed by the tragedy on the Khodynka field in Moscow: two thousand people died in a stampede for free gifts.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

In January 1547, the wedding of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan Vasilyevich took place in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin ...

Royal crown and throne. State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve "Moscow Kremlin" / RIA Novosti

Ivan Vasilievich was the first of the Russian sovereigns to become the king of all Russia, and Russian state publicly announced itself as the heir to the great Byzantine Empire.

"It is impossible for Christians to have a Church and not have a king"

Since the time of the Baptism of Russia, Byzantium has been a kind of standard for Russians, which they believed political structure, development of culture and art. So, according to the Grand Duke of Moscow Simeon Proud, the kingdom of the Romans "is the source of all piety and the school of legislation and sanctification."

Even on the eve of the fall of Constantinople, the authority of the Byzantine emperor in the eyes of the Russians was extremely high. The Byzantine idea of the king was revealed in a letter to the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily I Dmitrievich(1389) Patriarch Anthony IV of Constantinople: “Holy Tsar [meaning the Byzantine emperor. - T.S.] takes high position in the Church, but not like other local princes and sovereigns. The kings first strengthened and established piety in the universe; the kings convened ecumenical councils, they also confirmed by their laws the observance of what the divine and sacred canons say about right dogmas and the improvement of Christian life, and fought a lot against heresies.<…>In every place where there are Christians, the name of the king is commemorated by all the patriarchs and bishops, and none of the other princes and rulers has this advantage.<…>It is impossible for Christians to have a Church and not have a king. For the kingdom and the Church are in close union and communion with each other and it is impossible to separate them from each other.<…>There is only one king in the universe, and if some other Christians have appropriated the name of a king, then all these examples are something unnatural and illegal.

Having absorbed the lessons of the Byzantine teachers, in Russia they well mastered the very idea of the tsar as a certain God-given and God-approved force, called upon, in accordance with the priesthood, to protect and strengthen orthodoxy in the universe ...

Union and the fall of the Second Rome

Basil the Dark in 1440 rejects the union with the Latin Church, adopted by Metropolitan Isidore at the Florentine Council. Engraving B.A. Chorikov.XIXcentury

The Moscow princes never forgot that they were connected with the imperial house by ties of consanguinity. As was written in the instructions given in 1489 Ivan III Russian ambassador sent to the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Friedrich Habsburg, the princes in Russia "initially were on friendly terms with the front Roman kings ... and our sovereign was with them in brotherhood and love ...".

However, the image of the universal ruler for many decades remained an unattainable, albeit enticing, ideal for Moscow rulers. It is known that since Dmitry Donskoy individual princes in some cases called themselves kings. But it was a title "for internal use": he only emphasized the importance of the princes as independent rulers who received such a status by right of inheritance. Communicating with the outside world, the Russian princes did not demand from the rulers of other countries to call them tsars.

The situation changed dramatically in the middle of the 15th century. In 1439 the union was signed in Florence. Orthodox Church with the Catholic, and a few years later, in 1453, Constantinople fell under the blows of the Turks. The fact that the Byzantine emperor, called by God to protect the foundations of the faith, decided to sign the union, made an indelible impression on the Russians. And they were even more impressed by the fall of the Second Rome under the blows of the "infidels": in Moscow it was perceived as "God's punishment" for the union of the Greeks with the Latins.

In this situation, for the first time in a new role for the Russian rulers, the guardian of Orthodoxy was Vasily the Dark. In one of the polemical works directed against the union - "The Tale of the Florentine Cathedral" - Grand Duke Moscow has already been called "all Russian lands are the affirmation, and the Greek faith is confirmation and support."

Crowning the kingdom

The more tangible for the Russians was the significance of the wedding to the kingdom Ivan IV in January 1547, demonstrating to the whole world the right of Russia to inherit the role that Byzantium and its emperor once played in the international arena, revered as the king of all Orthodox Christians.

Some historians (in particular, this point of view was held by Vasily Klyuchevsky) believe that the initiative to crown the kingdom came directly from the young Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich, who by that time was not even 17 years old. However, most researchers (following Nikolai Karamzin) believe that the then head of the Russian Church, Metropolitan Macarius, one of the closest advisers to the future tsar and his spiritual mentor, was the first to come up with such an idea.

It is known that Ivan IV was married to the kingdom without receiving the blessing of the Patriarch of Constantinople and, therefore, illegally according to medieval canons. The wedding of the young sovereign took place in accordance with the rite and ritual, which, most likely, Metropolitan Macarius developed especially for this occasion.

As the researchers note, the rank composed at that time had a number of differences from the Byzantine one. So, the Russian rite did not include the proclamation of the tsar to the saints, which followed immediately after the chrismation. Apparently, the ritual of chrismation itself was not performed on Ivan IV. The fact is that the detailed text of the Byzantine rite was sent from Constantinople only at the beginning of the 1560s, when, after long negotiations, Ivan the Terrible post factum managed to obtain a patriarchal blessing for the wedding that had already taken place and thereby ensure the legitimacy of his royal title.

Metropolitan Macarius laid on the Grand Duke the signs of royal dignity - the cross, barmas and the cap of Monomakh - and blessed him. Then he turned to the newly-married sovereign with instruction, who was assigned a very important role in ceremony. The shepherd admonished the king: “Love and honor your brothers according to the flesh ... Boyars and nobles favor and take care of their homeland; to all the princes and princes, and the children of the boyars, and to all the Christ-loving army, be accustomed, and merciful, and welcome according to your royal dignity and rank; watch over and favor all Orthodox Christians and take care of them from the bottom of your heart ... "

Why is Ivan the Fourth?

Interestingly, Ivan the Terrible was not always designated as the Fourth. Firstly, in the pre-Petrine era, the digital designation of monarchs did not exist at all. And secondly, it is known that in 1740 Ivan Antonovich was proclaimed emperor under the name of John III.

Thus, Ivan the Terrible was considered John I, since it was he who was the first to be crowned king. And only Nikolai Karamzin in his "History of the Russian State" began counting from the Grand Duke Ivan Kalita: then Ivan the Terrible became the Fourth. In the future, this tradition was established in historiography.

Ivan I (Kalita)

Ivan II (Red)

Ivan III (the Great)

Ivan IV (the Terrible)

"Great Orthodox Autocracy"

In Europe, the change in the title of the Moscow ruler was perceived painfully: if earlier the grand duke was equal in importance to the prince or grand duke, now the tsar was on the same level as the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

Catholic Europe proclaimed Ivan an "impostor", but the Protestant countries quickly recognized his royal dignity - England and Denmark were the first in this row. Later, the Holy Roman Emperor also joined this position. Maximilian II. The Polish kings, relying on the support of the papal throne, did not recognize the Moscow rulers as kings until the 17th century. This problem was one of the key points of further Russian-Polish conflicts...

Orthodox local churches soon after the wedding of Ivan Vasilyevich recognized him new title, and even the Patriarch of Constantinople commemorated the Russian Tsar according to a rite previously applied only to Byzantine emperors. In new historical conditions When Russia turned out to be the only Orthodox state not subject to the Turkish sultan, co-religious countries began to perceive it as a "great Orthodox autocracy." It was in her that from now on they saw a stronghold of Orthodoxy. Numerous embassies of beggars and protection seekers from Constantinople and the monasteries of Athos gradually inspired the Russian rulers with the thought of their duty "to deliver the oppressed Christians from the Agarian tribe."

Despite the fact that in Moscow these ideas were treated with great caution, they fell on well-prepared soil. Already in 1548, the brethren of the Hilandar Monastery, in a letter to Ivan IV, titled him "the only right sovereign, the white king of the eastern and northern countries ... a saint, a great pious kingdom, a Christian sun ... the approval of the seven cathedral pillars." And in 1557, those sent from the Patriarch of Constantinople with a letter of petition called the Russian Tsar “the holy kingdom” in it and declared a conciliar code “to pray to God for the Tsar and Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich, as for the former pious kings.”

It's hard to say for sure if it was cathedral code the result of the policy of Ivan IV, who demanded recognition of his royal title, or it was one of the policy directions of the Eastern clergy, who proved to the Russians that their duty was to protect the Eastern Church. It is only obvious that Ivan the Terrible took these ideas very directly.

The wedding of Ivan IV to the kingdom. Miniature of the Front Chronicle. 16th century

Having been crowned with a royal crown, he really felt like an autocrat, equal to the Byzantine emperors - the rulers of the eastern half of the world. However, in real politics, he had to face the sharp rejection of his new status by the sovereigns of the European powers and the "disobedience of his subjects." From now on, all the activities of the king - political, literary and journalistic - were devoted to building a sophisticated system of evidence for his legal right to the royal crown.

Monomakh throne

Despite the hostile attitude on the part of the Western rulers, Ivan the Terrible himself felt himself to be the anointed of God, to oppose the will of which is the same as to oppose the will of God. He saw one of his most important tasks in changing the traditional attitude for Russia towards the ruler as the first among equals. By all means available to him, the crowned sovereign put into practice the idea that the king is a sacred figure. This was reflected not only in the political steps taken by him shortly after his crowning the king, and in the literary works that came out from under his pen, but also in a kind of artistic "program" carried out by the king.

One of the points of this "program" was the appearance in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin in 1551, that is, after four years after the crowning of the kingdom, the famous Monomakh throne. Ivan the Terrible was well aware of the existence of a special imperial prayer place in Hagia Sophia of Constantinople: it was called a mitatorium and was located in the southeastern exedra of the temple. The idea of a "throne" in the Assumption Cathedral was clearly inspired by the Byzantine model.

The royal prayer place still stands near the altar on the south side of the temple. This monumental building has the shape of a quadrilateral with a hipped roof. Here, under the canopy of the tent, the crowned king, like a kind of shrine, ascended to pray during the days of solemn services in the Assumption Cathedral.

Note, however, that if the very idea of the mitatorium was borrowed from Byzantium, then the form and decor of the “throne” are very original. Its side walls are decorated with bas-reliefs depicting legendary scenes from Russian history. It tells about how the Russian Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh received as a gift from the Byzantine emperor signs of royal dignity - a crown and barmas, married them to the kingdom and earned the right to be called a king. This legend during the reign of Ivan the Terrible had a great political significance. It was used to prove the legitimacy of the right of the Grand Duke to the royal crown and was mentioned in almost all official documents of that time.

The carved inscription on the valance (frieze) of the Monomakh throne represents biblical text, dating back to the Second and Third Books of Kings. This is the promise of the Lord to the Israeli kings David and Solomon, affirming the divine nature of royal power: “I have chosen you a king, take you by your right hand and arrange for you to rule over my people all the days of your life ...”

In combination with the plots of bas-reliefs, where the main actor was a Russian Grand Duke, the biblical text was perceived as a promise royal family Rurikovich and the Russian tsar as the successor of the Old Testament tsars and Byzantine emperors. It is no coincidence that in one of his epistles Ivan the Terrible, based on the genealogy of the “pre-lawful” kings descended from Abraham, explained the emergence of the institution of royal power in this way: “And God made a promise to Abraham: I will make you like a father with many tongues, and the kingdom will come out of you.”

Metropolitan Macarius

One of the most significant church figures of the era of Ivan the Terrible was the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia Macarius. A native of Moscow, he was tonsured at the monastery of St. Pafnuty of Borovsky. In 1526 Macarius became archbishop of Novgorod and Pskov, and in 1542 he was elevated to the Moscow metropolitan see. A number of historians believe that it was he who invited Ivan to marry the kingdom. He also blessed the tsar on a campaign against the Kazan Khanate in 1552, which ended with the capture of Kazan.

Under him, the glorification (canonization) of Russian saints continued, for which two large church councils were convened - in 1547 and 1549, and in 1551 the Stoglavy Council was held, the decisions of which were recorded in a collection known as Stoglav. Under the guidance of Metropolitan Macarius, the Great Menaions were compiled - the first complete collection of the lives of the saints, patristic teachings and other theological texts (later it was revised by St. Demetrius of Rostov). The collection, arranged by months, consisted of 12 volumes.

Macarius patronized the pioneer printer Ivan Fedorov: The printing house on Nikolskaya Street in Moscow was opened with the active participation of the metropolitan. After the fall of the Chosen Rada, Macarius turned out to be the only member of it who escaped the royal disgrace. He died on the last day of 1563. In 1862, his image was immortalized among the sculptural images of the largest church figures on the famous Millennium of Russia monument in Veliky Novgorod, and in 1988, at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Macarius was canonized.
Metropolitan Macarius crowns Ivan IV. Engraving from the original by K.V. Lebedev

Portrait Gallery of the Archangel Cathedral

There was another Byzantine custom: when ascending the throne, the emperors gave orders about the construction of their future tomb, they even brought pieces of marble to choose the material for the sarcophagus. The meaning of this ceremony was to remind the king of his human, mortal and sinful nature.

Following the Byzantine examples, Ivan the Terrible took special care to decorate the Moscow Archangel Cathedral - the tomb of the Rurikids, where in the altar, in the deacon, they prepared a place for the royal burial. The cathedral itself was painted by royal decree in 1564-1565.

Home hallmark The church painting program, in the development of which Ivan IV probably took part, was the tomb portraits of the princes of the Moscow house resting in it, the ancestors of the crowned tsar. It is noteworthy that all the princes were depicted with halos above their heads as representatives of the dynasty that gave birth to the anointed king, as Grozny felt himself to be. Their holiness confirmed and legitimized his right to the royal crown.

It is no accident that the appearance on the walls of the Archangel Cathedral of a portrait of the Byzantine emperor Manuel Palaiologos(in the painting, updated in the 17th century, Manuel turned into Michael), which was placed on the southeastern pillar among the images of Russian princes. His portrait in this series once again confirmed that the imperial tradition did not die with the fall of the Byzantine Empire, but found its development at the court of the Russian Tsar.

In the painting system of the Archangel Cathedral, the portrait of the emperor no longer demonstrated the idea of the power of the head of the Christian world, but symbolized the fidelity of the Russian princes to the imperial idea and those traditions that they had adopted from Byzantium. It served as a reminder of the right of the Muscovite state - the new Rome - to inherit the status of a Christian empire.

To prove the royal origin, in addition to demonstrating the holiness of the family, detailed knowledge was also necessary family tree, and the deeper into the centuries its roots went, the more reason there was to confirm the greatness of the dynasty.

Byzantine emperor Michael Palaiologos. Fresco of the southeast pillar in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin

The relevance of this idea is evidenced by the correspondence of Ivan the Terrible with European monarchs. In a letter Swedish king Yuhan III, who did not want to recognize the Russian Grand Duke as tsar, Ivan IV expressed doubts about the royal origin of Johan himself and pointed out that the Swedish sovereign did not argue his claims with genealogical constructions: “It will be more reliable if you send a record about your sovereign family, about which you wrote that he was 400 years old - who and what sovereign sat on the throne after whom, with what sovereigns you were in brotherhood, and from there we understand the greatness of your state. From this point of view, the princely portraits in the Archangel Cathedral not only confirmed the legitimacy of the power of the reigning autocrat, but were also intended to demonstrate the power and greatness of the state.

Sacralization of power

Over the long years of his reign, the first Russian crowned Tsar Ivan Vasilievich experienced a lot - from joyful and cheerful rapture with the greatness of his power, rightfully inherited from the Byzantine emperors, to gloomy disappointment and a feeling of powerlessness to change anything in his own fate and the fate of his state, which turned out to be his subjects with unprecedented cruelty executions.

The tsar was always consistent in only one thing: throughout his life, the most different ways- essay literary works, the introduction of the rituals of the Byzantine imperial court, the creation of artistic ensembles with a complex ideological program that revealed the idea of the kingdom - he preached the concept of charismatic royal power, adopted from Byzantium, that is, endowed with special grace gifts.

Ivan IV succeeded in this field. Thanks to his efforts, the traditional ideas about power in Russia have changed to a large extent. From now on, the king was seen not just as a person who was supposed to give a certain kind of honor, but as an object of sacred feeling and faith. From that moment on, the process of sacralization of royal power began to gain momentum, which, a century later, formed a specific Russian attitude to autocracy as a concept belonging not so much to the realm of law as to the realm of faith.

Tatyana Samoilova,
Candidate of Art History (with the participation of Nikita Brusilovsky)

Crowning the kingdom

Crowning the kingdom solemn, sacral in nature, the acceptance by the monarch of the symbols of his power. State act The crowning of the kingdom declared the territorial integrity of the Russian state, the political sovereignty and unity of the Russian nation, which was guaranteed by the autocratic power of the tsar. This act regulated in detail the rite of the Crowning of the kingdom (the initial rite of placing on the great reign), feature which was a combination of secular and spiritual rites. The latter consisted in the sacrament of chrismation - the extraordinary gift of the Holy Spirit, communicated only to the prophets, apostles and sovereigns. This rite affirmed the sacredness of the person of the sovereign (“anointed of God”) as the earthly vicar of God, who has divine attributes: a throne (throne) and a staff. "Planting on the table" was in Russia a ritual ceremony of accepting the grand duke's power and was performed in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Among the most ancient attributes of the sovereign's "rank" is a "golden cap" with a fur trim (its appearance is associated with the influence of Turkic traditions, where such a headdress served as a symbol of vassalage). As the Muscovite state was liberated from dependence on the part of the Golden Horde, the grand ducal cap lost its former status; It received its name "Monomakhov's hereditary golden cap" under Ivan IV the Terrible. In the rank of putting on a great reign, the grand ducal barmas and the “golden great” belt also appeared, under Grand Duke Vasily I, the so-called life-giving cross was attached to them, on which Russian sovereigns gave a kiss of the cross at the Wedding to the kingdom.

The ceremony of the Crowning of the kingdom was first introduced by Ivan III, who considered himself the successor of the Byzantine emperors; On February 4, 1489, Ivan III crowned his grandson Dmitry to the “great reign of Vladimir and Moscow and Novgorod”, placing on him barm and Monomakh's cap. The wedding was accompanied by a magnificent feast at the Grand Duke. The wedding to the kingdom of Ivan IV the Terrible took place on January 16, 1547, according to the order of the wedding of Dmitry. In the doctrine officially enshrined under Ivan IV divine origin royal power, the monarch was named hereditary sovereign from his "ancestors", the successor ancient dynasty , dating back to the Roman and Byzantine "Caesars". The succession of the Byzantine crown to the Russian sovereign was finally confirmed by a conciliar charter of the clergy of the Eastern Orthodox Church, sent with the blessing of the Patriarch of Constantinople to Tsar Ivan IV in 1561, together with the book of the royal wedding of the Byzantine emperors. In the conciliar ("affirmative") charter of 1561, the rank of tsar in Russia was approved, and the entire order of the sacred action ("the rite of crowning the kingdom") was set out. For the first time, the ceremony of the Crowning of the kingdom in its entirety, according to the order of the wedding of the Byzantine emperors, was performed on May 31, 1584 at the Crowning of the kingdom of Fyodor Ivanovich. The main component of the ceremony was the “great” exit of the sovereign with his retinue to the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin (for the “great” exits at the wedding, the Golden, later Red Porch of the Faceted Chamber was intended). Inside the Cathedral of the Assumption, a special royal place (the "chamber of 12 steps") was arranged on the side of the western doors for Metropolitan Dionysius to lay the royal crown on the head of the king. At the same time, for the first time, as a coronation regalia, a Russian sovereign was assigned a power (“sovereign apple”) with a pommel in the form of a cross as a symbol of power over all the lands of the Orthodox world. After chrismation and communion in the altar, the procession of the sovereign from the Assumption to the Archangel Cathedral took place. The crowning of the kingdom was accompanied by a military festival on the Maiden's Field. On September 3, 1598, the Crowning of Boris Godunov took place (the ceremony was performed by Patriarch Job). The crowning of the kingdom and the chrismation of Fyodor Borisovich Godunov, who inherited the throne, were not performed due to the short duration of his reign. The wedding to the kingdom of False Dmitry I took place on July 22, 1605 (first, in the Assumption Cathedral, he was crowned by Patriarch Ignatius and presented with a scepter and orb, then in the Archangel Cathedral, Archbishop Arseny crowned him with a Monomakh's cap). On May 8, 1606, Patriarch Ignatius, in spite of the protest of Archbishop Hermogenes, anointed and crowned Marina Mnishek, who refused baptism and communion. On June 1, 1606, Metropolitan Isidor of Novgorod crowned Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky as king. Due to the absence of the patriarch, the ceremony of the wedding ceremony for the kingdom of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov (July 11, 1613) was performed by Metropolitan Ephraim of Kazan. On September 28, 1645, Patriarch Joseph crowned Alexei Mikhailovich, for whom new regalia were made in Constantinople: in 1658 the golden scepter of the “second outfit”, in 1662 - power, in 1665 - “tiara” (barmas). At the Crowning of the kingdom (June 16, 1676) of Fyodor Alekseevich, the wedding ceremony was again carefully regulated in accordance with the wedding ceremony of the Byzantine emperors. On June 25, 1682, the wedding of two co-ruler brothers Ivan Alekseevich and Peter Alekseevich took place. For this rite, a double silver throne was specially made;

With the adoption of the title of "Emperor of All Russia" by Peter I, the wedding ceremony was replaced by a coronation, which led to significant changes both in the church ceremony and in the composition of the regalia.

O.G. Ulyanov.

Moscow. Encyclopedic reference book. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia. 1992 .

Synonyms:

See what "Wedding to the kingdom" is in other dictionaries:

Coronation, accession, accession to the throne, accession to the throne, coronation, enthronement Dictionary of Russian synonyms. crowning the kingdom n., number of synonyms: 6 enthronement ... Synonym dictionary

WEDDING TO THE KINGDOM- (coronation rite) the solemn presentation of the symbols of his power to the Tsar, accompanied by the Sacrament of Confirmation and other church rites ... Legal Encyclopedia

The red gate through which the coronation procession traditionally followed. Crowning the kingdom coronation ceremony Russian monarchs, known since the time of Ivan III, the conductor of the idea of \u200b\u200bright ... Wikipedia

A solemn ceremony that arose originally in the East, from here it passed to Byzantium and from the latter was borrowed by Russia. First over accurate information about V. sovereigns do not ascend further than half of the 5th century. According to the description of Byzantine historians, V. ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

- (rite of coronation), the solemn presentation of the symbols of his power to the Tsar, accompanied by the Sacrament of Confirmation and other church rites. The rite of coronation of Orthodox monarchs has been known since ancient times. The first literary mention of him came ... ... Russian history

WEDDING TO THE KINGDOM- see Art. Tsar … Orthodox Encyclopedia

It took place in 1605. Unlike all other coronation ceremonies in the Moscow Kingdom, the order of the coronation of False Dmitry I was threefold: Patriarch Ignatius laid the traditional Monomakh's cap and barmas in the Assumption Cathedral, then he also laid ... ... Wikipedia

The Christian rite of laying a crown (crown) on the heads of believers when they enter into a church marriage, as well as at the coronation of monarchs (crowning a kingdom) ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

I; cf. to Get married (1 2 digits). ◁ Wedding, oh, oh (2 characters). B. rite. In th dress. In th candles. * * * wedding 1) the Christian rite of placing a crown (crown) on the heads of those entering into a church marriage. 2) Solemn, having a sacred character ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Wedding- church. marriage ceremony. It is named so because crowns (crowns) are held over the heads of the spouses. In the rite of V., in the very fact of crowning the young, purely ecclesiastics intersected. and Russian folklore ritual traditions. Folklore character are many. signs,… … Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary

Books

Split. In 3 books. Book 1. Crowning the kingdom, Lichutin Vladimir Vladimirovich. Vladimir Lichutin for the first time in modern prose refers to the theme of the Russian religious schism - this national drama that befell Russia in the 17th century and accompanies the Russian people to this day. ...

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