• the main
  •  > 
  • Affiliates
  •  > 
  • The reign of Tsar Fedor. Fedor Ivanovich, Tsar: biography, years of rule

The reign of Tsar Fedor. Fedor Ivanovich, Tsar: biography, years of rule

Tsar Fedor Ivanovich (also known by the nickname "Blessed") was the son of Ivan the Terrible and Anastasia Romanovna.

After the tragic death in 1581 of the heir to the throne of John, the twenty-year-old youth Fedor the Blessed, who was completely unprepared for reign, becomes the king (even his father said about him that his place was not in power, but in his cell).

According to researchers, Fedor Ivanovich was very poor in health (both physically and psychologically). In addition, he did not take part in public administration at all, relying on the opinions of brother-in-law Boris Godunov and nobles in this complex matter. It is Godunov, as historians say, that he ruled the state through the words of Blessed (he became the successor after the death of Fyodor Ivanovich).

Tsar Fyodor the Blessed married Irina Godunova from whom they had a daughter who died at the age of one. Fedor did not wait for the heir.

Literary monuments of that time describe Fyodor Ivanovich as follows: fat, small in stature, unpretentious with a heavy, uncertain gait. However, always smiling (for this he was nicknamed Blessed). The king never raised his tone, was not rude, was superstitious and did not like manifestations of aggression. He spent most of his time in a nearby monastery in prayer. Fedor also got up very early and began the day with a conversation with the confessor and washing with holy water. He also loved fun: buffoonery, songs and tales after Vespers.

Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich was very fond of the ringing of church bells, and even at one time he was a bell ringer. He walked around the monasteries, but his fatherly nature was in his nature - the king liked the battles with the strong men of the bears, as well as fist fights.

All of the above was known to diplomats from other countries visiting Fedor, but who asked for an audience with Boris Godunov.

In 1598, Tsar Fedor Ivanovich died of a deadly disease. At the same time, the Moscow clan of the Rurikovich was finished. During the reign of Tsar Fedor, towers and walls of the White City were erected, the authorship of which is attributed to the talented architect Fedor Savelyevich Kon. In addition, during the same period, the famous foundry worker A. Chokhov cast the Tsar Cannon.

Under Tsar Fyodor the Blessed, the international situation also improved slightly. As a result of the Russian-Swedish war, some Novgorod lands were returned.


The reign of Fedor Ivanovich was the last in the dynasty of the Rurikovich. The years of Fedor's reign came at the end of the 16th century, namely, 1584-1598. Contemporaries claim that the wedding of this king was the most solemn in Russian history, that anointing was performed from a vessel that previously belonged to the Roman emperor Augustus, and then to Vladimir Monomakh.

The scepter of the new sovereign was carried by Boris Godunov, the gray cardinal of the reign of Fedor. And the last years of the reign of the last Rurikovich left many mysteries for posterity. The power increased, under strange circumstances, Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich perishes in Uglich, a little later, Fedor Ivanovich himself dies. Consider how was the time of his reign.

Tsar Fedor Ivanovich

If you look at historical thought before and after the revolution, we can conclude that the personality of Sovereign Fyodor Ivanovich is somewhat “pushed back” and underestimated. In the school curriculum, we find mention of it only in passing. And the scientific literature itself does not particularly favor him.

Most likely, the perception of Fedor as a king was influenced by the sources that we have for a given period of time. Sources, mostly foreign travelers. They give the basic characteristics that Tsar Fedor Ivanovich is a "near-minded" person and limited. Such conclusions were made by foreigners who visited the Russian state in a short time; their works were popular then and a little later. The notes of J. Fletcher, who saw Fedor personally, are very famous. But it is hardly worth believing them so unconditionally.

Thus, information from contemporaries of foreigners gives us the following idea of \u200b\u200bFedor:

  1. He was weak in mind;
  2. The tsar could not independently rule the state and other people did it instead (Boyare, Boris Godunov).

So there was a stereotype that some historians follow in their perception of the era of that time. A one-sided perception of that historical reality does not fully understand what kind of person and king Fedor Ivanovich really was. There are many other sources that give a more realistic description of the son.

Fedor was born in 1557, received a good education. There is evidence that from 5 years old he corresponded with his father. He was raised not as a future sovereign, but as a specific prince - his elder brother Ivan was the heir. But the young heir died and Fedor became the future sovereign, since he was the second in seniority. The figure of Boris Godunov ascended to his reign. But if you look closely, then Boris was not the person who ruled for Fedor Ivanovich, he was more likely the person who helped him rule.

The reign of Tsar Fedor Ivanovich


The years of the reign of Tsar Fedor Ivanovich were perceived by his people as the reign of the anointed of God, as an executor of the will of God on Earth. After the reign of his father Ivan IV, Fedor ruled otherwise. He did God's will in a completely different way, his father did nothing.Fedor’s character was soft.

Under him, the father left the Boyar Council, which was supposed to help rule the young sovereign. This council included representatives of such boyar clans as:

  • Zakharyins-Yurievs (Romanovs);
  • Shuysky;
  • Belsky;
  • Mstislavsky and others

Understanding that the character of Fyodor Ivanovich is softer than that of his father, the boyars are trying to get some liberties, which were not under Grozny. The main goal is to restore the role of the Boyar Duma and childbirth, which was before the reign of Ivan IV. But here we can say that he defeated everyone here.

Fedor was married to Irina Godunova, Boris’s sister. Irina and Boris had known both Fedor and his older brother Ivan since childhood. When Fedor became sovereign, he probably foresaw the clashes of the boyar clans in the struggle for power. That is why he chose to rely on the relatives of his wife. The Godunov-Saburov clan was famous for cohesion, there was never civil strife inside their family, and besides, they were excellent administrative figures.

The relationship between Fedor and Irina is a friendship from childhood, which later grew into family ties. Of course, the princes did not choose brides for themselves, but this does not negate the fact that Fedor and Irina actually had tender feelings for each other. The choice in favor of Irina was made by IvanIV, the wedding took place in 1580. Fedor was offered to divorce Irina, first his father, and then a few years later the boyars. Wife could not get pregnant for a long time. But Fedor answered with all the refusal, after a few years Irina nevertheless became pregnant.

The reign of Tsar Fedor Ivanovich

Fedor ruled on his own, no doubt. He always harshly suppressed attempts to encroach on his personal and royal rights, in such decisions he was firm. He was a true Christian, honored the institution of marriage, and indeed all of God's commandments. The reign of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich was carried out not only with the help of Godunov, but also with the help of Shuiskys. They, too, were as close to the throne as possible.

But there are a number of differences. It is known for certain that the Godunovs supported Fedor throughout his reign, they never betrayed him. Shuisky, on the contrary, did not differ in such fidelity. They signed a manuscript in which they asked the emperor to divorce his wife. This was an unpleasant fact for Fedor.

11-01-2018, 16:17 |

The reign of Fedor Ivanovich can be briefly described by the phrase "Blessed on the Throne." This nickname is worn by Tsar Fedor Ivanovich in historiography. There was a state that should be kept, as they say in "hedgehogs". Such a legacy should have been accepted by a real “hero”, however, it went to a sickly and strange person.

On the eve of death, the Russian state was in a deplorable state. and the Livonian war undermined the economy, the standard of living of the population was very low. On March 18, 1584, Fedor Ivanovich ascended the throne after the death of his father.

Tsar Fedor Ivanovich

When Fyodor ascended the throne, he was 27 years old; his age was very respectable. According to the sources of some foreign contemporaries, one can describe how the young sovereign usually spent his day. Almost every weekday the king:

  1. I got up at 4 in the morning, dressed;
  2. Then he was visited by the confessor with a cross, then the deacon with the cross of that saint whose day was celebrated today;
  3. Fedor prayed, then inquired about the queen's health;
  4. He spent some time in the afternoon with the queen, received courtiers and dined;
  5. After lunch, Fedor went to the dormitory, there he was about 3 hours;
  6. After that he again went to church;
  7. Time before dinner was spent for various funs.
  8. After supper, he prayed again and went to bed.

This order of the day changed only on holidays. Then he went to monasteries that were outside the territory of the capital. I also went to fist fights, not because he liked it, but only because such an order had been instituted earlier.

The writers of that time usually portrayed Fedor as a devout man who renounced worldly affairs and prepared himself for eternal life. The famous statesman from Poland L. Sapega visited Moscow during the reign of Fedor Ivanovich. Upon returning to his homeland, he spoke briefly about him. The essence of the judgment is this: Someone says that the emperor thinks little: I was convinced that he does not think at all.

Nevertheless, Tsar Fedor Ivanovich was the king, in his hands was power over the Muscovite state, but how he disposed of this power and whether he disposed of it at all was another matter.

Also in the sources there is a description of the young king. He was short, a little thick, his physique was weak. There was a constant smile on his face, his speech was not clear and not firm. No one surrounded by Ivan the Terrible, and then Fedor, did not believe that this person was able to rule the country. And Fedor Ivanovich himself did not express a desire to rule, but rather relied on the rule of his associates.

The reign of Tsar Fedor Ivanovich

Even when he was near death, a certain guardian council was formed under the future king. The following statesmen were prominent in it:

  • I.F. Mstislavsky;
  • I.P. Shuisky;
  • B. Belsky;
  • N.R. Zakharyin-Yuriev (Romanov);
  • B. Godunov.

It is worth noting that the place in this list was the last. He could not express his claims to a higher position. Later it turns out that it is Boris who will be able to play an important role in the government of Tsar Fedor Ivanovich.

Sources do not give us reliable information about the activities of these close associates, and its composition is not thoroughly known. Here the sources disagree. But it is obvious that at the beginning of Fedor’s reign, oligarchic government was taking shape. But it, in fact, did not play a big role, since there was no consent in the comrades on the advice.

Disagreement arose over the candidacy of the sovereign. This was due to the fact that there was another heir to the throne - Tsarevich Dmitry the son of the seventh wife of Maria Nagoy. His claim to the throne was illusory. There were several reasons for this:

  • He was younger than Fedor, and much more (the throne was inherited by seniority);
  • Dmitry was the son of 7 wife, while the church recognized only three marriages.

Support for the candidacy of Dmitry Ivanovich was promoted by the adventurer Bogdan Belsky. This idea was crazy, but on the other hand, why not try. But the event did not take place. Dmitry and his mother were asked to leave the capital; they settled in Uglich. Later in strange circumstances he will die. This strangeness gave in the future the opportunity to appear in Russia to several who posed as survivors.

The reign of Fedor Ivanovich Blessed briefly


After Belsky’s failure, he was “exiled” by the governor to Nizhny Novgorod. The council under the sovereign left four people. A prominent position was taken by Nikita Romanov. But a little later his health began to deteriorate, and he soon died.

Do not forget about the wife of Fedor Ivanovich. Irina was a smart and intelligent woman, and she was decisive in her actions. With such a character and such a husband, her influence on Fedor was greater than what the previous queens possessed. The years of the reign of Fyodor Ivanovich became a period for Irina and her reign, including, although it was briefly in time. She often replaced her husband, while supporting her brother in everything. In fact, Irina did his will.

Every day the influence of Boris on Fedor became stronger, which means that the Board of the Council is weaker. Gradually, a seizure of power took place, and Boris could already act in government affairs, as he pleased. Many representatives of the noble noble families were in disgrace, including members of the Council.

Soon, Boris became actually regent under the sovereign. His "rule" brought many important political decisions, for example, such as:

  1. The establishment of the patriarchate - the first patriarch Job (1589);
  2. Concessions from Sweden to the cities of Koporye and Ivangorod;
  3. The signing of the "Eternal Peace" with Poland.

The reign of Fedor Ivanovich


As noted above, Fedor's health was poor. Gradually, it worsened even more. Soon it became clear to many already that the heir to Fedor and Irina would not appear. No, Irina was not barren. There is evidence that she had several miscarriages, as well as that in 1592 a daughter was born to them. The child was long-awaited, but a few months later the girl died.

The sovereign himself slowly faded away. Realizing that he was dying, Fedor did not wonder who would take the throne after him. It is known from the records of Patriarch Job that there was a similar conversation between him and the king. When asked about the heir, Fedor answered that everything would happen as God pleased. The tsar died on January 7, 1598. There was no direct heir, his wife Irina or the numerous relatives of Fedor could take the throne, but the scepter turned out to be completely a stranger -. Such was the time of the reign of Fedor Ivanovich.

Fedor Ivanovich Board brief video

  fromMarch 18, 1584 third sonIvan IV the Terrible   and the queensAnastasia Romanovna , the last representative of the Moscow branch of the dynastyRurikovich .

Ivan IV Vasilievich

Anastasia Romanovna

By birth, Ivan the Terrible ordered to build a church inTheodorov Monastery   citiesPereslavl-Zalessky . This temple is in honor ofTheodora Stratilates   became the main cathedral of the monastery and has survived to the present.

Theodorovsky (Fedorovsky) monastery

November 19, 1581 from the wound inflicted by the father, the heir to the throne diedIvan . Since that time, Fedor became the heir to the royal throne.

Ivan Ivanovich (John Ioannovich

Almost all researchers agree that the third son of Ivan the Terrible Fedor was weak in health, weak-willed and not far from his mind. Indifferent to the politics of intrigue and God-fearing, he received the nickname Ringer for his love of bells and for trying to play bells himself.

Tsar Fedor I Ivanovich

This reign is written reluctantly and sparingly, although the 14-year reign of Fedor I Ioannovich (read Boris Godunov) is described in the annals as one of the most prosperous and calm periods in Russian history.

Postcard "B. Glagolin as Tsar Fyodor in the play" Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich

Realizing the incapacity of his son, shortly before his death, Ivan IV Vasilyevich appointed a board of trustees, which was to govern Russia during the reign of Fedor I Ivanovich. It included (with some variations in different sources) the uncle of the tsar Nikita Romanovich Zakharyin-Yuriev, princes Ivan Fedorovich Mstislavsky, Ivan Petrovich Shuisky, boyars Bogdan Yakovlevich Belsky and Boris Fedorovich Godunov. As usual, between them the struggle for influence began. On the principle of "against whom we are friends." At first they were friends together against Bogdan Yakovlevich Belsky, who immediately after the death of Ivan the Terrible tried to restore the oprichnina order, but failed and was exiled to the governor of Nizhny Novgorod. Therefore, a struggle broke out between the younger Ivan Shuisky and Boris Godunov, because Zakharyin-Yuriev and Mstislavsky were people of advanced years and could hardly make real competition.

Boris Godunov

Tsar Fedor I Ivanovich

Among the people, the sovereign was loved for meekness, kindness, simplicity and generosity, and the boyars completely did not respect and were not afraid of him. Therefore, an attempted coup d'etat soon took place in favor of Tsarevich Dmitry, the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible. The boyars, led by Metropolitan Dionysius and Ivan Shuisky, came to the Kremlin with a petition in which they expressed concern for the fate of the country and a request to divorce the queen, childless Irina Godunova. This caused a terrible indignation of the king, he showed his temper and declared that he would not tolerate interference in the affairs of his family

Tsar Fedor Ioannovich and Tsarina Irina
Alexander BOMSTEIN

The Mystery of Tsar Theodore Ioannovich
Pavel RYZHENKO

Tsarevich Dmitry and his mother, Maria Nagoy, were sent to Uglich. All Shuiskys were expelled, with Ivan Petrovich tonsured in the Cyril-Belozersky monastery, Metropolitan Dionysius was deprived of his dignity and sent to exile in the Novgorod monastery. The imperial brother-in-law Boris Godunov came to the forefront, who became the main person under Fedor I Ivanovich. The activities of the government of Boris Godunov were aimed at restoring the prestige of the Russian state, establishing the authority of the Russian church.

Boris Godunov Tsar Theodore Ivanovich Tsar Fedor Ioannovich
makes the ruler of Russia Boris Godunov 1584
Ilya GLAZUNOV Engraving of the 19th century Ilya GLAZUNOV

Tsar Fedor Ivanovich puts on a gold chain on Boris Godunov
Alexey KIVSHENKO

During the reign of Fyodor Ioannovich, it was possible, not without profit, to end the Livonian War (by the way, the tsar himself participated in the campaign) and conquer everything that was lost; gain a foothold in Western Siberia and the Caucasus. Large-scale construction of cities (Samara, Saratov, Tsaritsyn, Ufa, Kursk, Belgorod, Yelets, etc.) and fortifications in Astrakhan and Smolensk began.

Campaign of the Muscovites. 16th century
Sergey Ivanov

Samara in the 17th century
Engraving from the book of the German traveler Adam Olearia

Tsaritsyn

Description of the journey to Muscovy and through Muscovy to Persia and vice versa

Astrakhan
Engraving from the book of Adam Olearia
Description of the journey to Muscovy and through Muscovy to Persia and vice versa

A water supply system was built in the Kremlin, the territory of the White City was protected by a powerful 9-kilometer fortress wall built by the famous Russian architect Fedor Savelyevich Kon on the site of wooden fortifications on an earthen rampart burned down in 1571 during the Davlet-Girey raid.

Wall and towers of the White City
View of the city center from the southwest, from the church of St. Elias the Ordinary

Wall and towers of the White City, fragment

Panorama of the walls of the White City from the north along the Neglinka River Valley
Reconstruction of Mikhail Kudryavtsev

January 23, 1589 Moscow received its Orthodox patriarch, it became the Moscow Metropolitan Job. T.O. the prestige of the Russian church has strengthened, its formal dependence on the Church of Constantinople has ceased, and the government of Boris Godunov has grown in popularity.

St. Job, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
Title book 1672 engraving   Victor SHILOV

On May 15, 1591 an event happened, the true scale of which became clear with the passage of time. In Uglich, Tsarevich Dmitry, the younger half-brother of Tsar Fedor, was killed. It seemed that what happened happened, the children of Ivan the Terrible did not differ in good health, the boy was painful, suffered from epileptic seizures, and besides, according to the descriptions, there were signs of cruelty and aggressiveness. In connection with the unrest, a special commission was sent to Uglich, which included Metropolitan Gelasiy, the boyar Prince Vasily Shuisky, the okolnichny and uncle of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich Andrey Kleshnin and the duma clerk Elizar Vyluzgin. The commission concluded that the Tsarevich’s death occurred as a result of an accident related to an epilepsy seizure that occurred while playing a “stick”, as a result of which he accidentally stabbed himself with a knife.

The palace where Dmitry lived with his mother Maria Nagoy

The murder and mourning of Dmitry. Fragment of the icon

Tsarevich Dmitry

Icon Tsarevich Dmitry

Tsarevich Dmitry Painting M.V. Nesterov, 1899.

Dmitry Ivanovich

The murder of Tsarevich Dmitry. Engraving. Early 1870s

Sergey Blinkov. Tsarevich Dmitry

Tsarevich Demetrius. Ilya Glazunov
1967 Plywood, oil, inlay. 80 × 120, Property of the author

The legend of Prince Demetrius. Ilya Glazunov
1967 Plywood, oil, inlay. 120 × 200, Property by author

Icon. Saint Tsarevich Dimitry in life in 21 stigma. XVIII century 137x101 cm. State Museum of the History of Religion, St. Petersburg

COVER OF CANCER TSAREVICH DIMITRI

Uglich Kremlin, Church of Dmitry on the Blood 1692

This story, unfortunately, was continued largely due to the unprincipledness of the crafty Vasily Shuisky, who in 1605 easily disavowed the conclusion signed by his commission on the death of Tsarevich Dmitry as a result of an accident, saying that he miraculously escaped from the assassination attempt, and a year later , during his own struggle for the throne, he suddenly remembered probably that the mischievous heretic Grishka Otrepyev was not Tsarevich Dmitry, but the boy was killed by order of Boris Godunov. I always knew what to say, the future Tsar Vasily Shuisky, but more on that later ..

Fedor Ioannovich
Portrait from the Family Tree Series of the Great Princes and Tsars of Russia
Bone, openwork and relief carving, engraving, coloring, XVIII century.

In foreign policy, Boris Godunov proved to be a talented diplomat and cautious politician; he preferred to wage negotiations rather than wars. Relations with Poland, the states of Central Asia improved, the raids of the Crimean Khan became less frequent. On May 18, 1595, a peace treaty was concluded in Tyavzin between Russia and Sweden, according to which Russia returned to itself Ivangorod, Koporye, Yam, and Korelu volost.

Fedor Ioannovich

Tsar Fedor Ioannovich surrounded by boyars

Decisive steps to enslave the peasants were taken during the reign of Fyodor Ioannovich. In 1592, the government conducted a census, and scribe books clearly indicated the ownership of peasants by this owner. And in 1597 a decree was issued on the “lesson years,” according to which the peasants who fled from the masters “until this ... year in 5 years” were subject to investigation, trial and return “back to where everyone lived”, thus the passage from one landowner to another was prohibited the week before St. George's Day and during the week after it.

St. George's Day
Sergey Ivanov

Here you are, grandmother, and St. George's Day
Valery LANSKIY

In his daily routine, Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich was simple and accessible to all who came to him, he loved to pray, he performed daily services. Tsarina Irina Fedorovna in the Russian historical tradition was a sovereign kind, intelligent, competent and pious. She was called the “great sovereign” and she was the co-ruler of Fedor, and not her brother. The king was sincerely attached to his queen and did not want to part with her at all. Almost all of her pregnancies ended in miscarriages. The only daughter of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich and Irina, Theodosius, lived less than two years. Fedor died on January 7, 1598.

Yuri Solomin in the role of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich
Roman LEVITSKY

B. Grigoriev. I.M.Moskvin in the role of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich.1923

Moscow Art Theater. Scene from the play “Tsar Fedor Ivanovich” by A. K. Tolstoy. 1898

The death of Fyodor Ivanovich did not become news to the people, he was ill for a long time. But with his death, the direct line of the Moscow dynasty of the Rurikovich was interrupted, which entailed a series of terrible upheavals for the country, referred to by historians as the Time of Troubles \\

ParsunaTsar Fedor Ioannovich

According to the will of the king, Queen Irina became the heiress to the throne. But on January 15, 1598, she announced to Patriarch Job of her decision to retire to the Novodevichy Convent under the name of Alexandra, agreeing to be considered the queen and sign decrees before the election of the new Tsar by the Zemsky Cathedral.

Irina Godunova
Konstantin ZUBRILIN

GREATER THEODOR STRATILAT AND THE Martyr IRINA

Theodore Stratilat and the Great Martyr Irina

1589 Gold, precious stones, pearls Black, chasing, casting Length with a heading: 11.8 cm. Width: 6.5 cm. Made by decree of Tsar Fedor Ioannovich for Tsarina Irina Fedorovna Godunova in 1589.

On one side of the golden ark, made in 1589 by order of Tsar Fedor Ivanovich for his wife, Tsarina Irina Fedorovna Godunova, there is a black image of her heavenly patroness - martyr Irina with a scroll and a cross in her hands. The solemn figure of the saint, frontally deployed to the viewer, in clothes that fall in heavy folds, despite her miniature size, amazes with her monumentality and significance, which makes one recall the monuments of ancient Russian fine art. In the thick shadow shading that imitates the engraving technique and is drawn along the outline of the figure, one can see the desire for volumetric modeling of the image. The Golden Ark is a relic for storing Christian shrines. It is possible that its creation was associated with the delivery in Moscow in 1589 of the first Russian patriarch Job, the Patriarch of Jeremiah of Constantinople, who, on the occasion of this momentous event, presented the Tsar and Tsarina with valuable relics.

Basement of St. Basil's Cathedral.Shroud from the crayfish of the saint, workshop of Irina Godunova

The veil of Russian Orthodox sewing, depictingSt. Martyr Irina   . Moscow. 1598 - 1604. Matt. Irina.Workshop of Irina Godunova.

Cover

1592 (?). Moscow, workshop of Irina Fedorovna Godunova Atlas, silk (?); Sewing with gold, silver and silk threads.196.5 x 107 Comes from the Solovetsky Monasteryin 1923 from the Solovetsky monasterythrough the GMF Rest.in 1933 in the State Russian Museum A. N. Suvorova, repeatedly in 1963

Church of Ambrose of the Mediolan Novodevichy Convent with refectory and chambers of Irina Godunova

Irina Godunova, wife of Fedor Ioannovich, sister of Boris Godunov.Judicial face reconstruction.

Reconstruction of the appearance of Fedor Ioannovich. M. Gerasimov, 1963. When opening the coffin, it turned out that Fedor carefully watched himself: his nails, hair and beard were carefully trimmed. Judging by the remains, he was tough and strong, growth much shorter than his father (approx. 160 cm), he looked very much like his face, the same dinar anthropological type.

Monument to Fedor I Ioannovich in Yoshkar-Ola, the world's first monument to this king
Andrey KOVALCHUK

Fedor I Ioannovichalso known by name Theodore the Blessed, (May 11, 1557, Moscow - January 7 (17), 1598, Moscow) - Tsar of All Russia and the Grand Duke of Moscow from March 18 (28), 1584, the third son of Ivan IV the Terrible and Tsarina Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina-Yurieva, the last representative of Moscow branches of the Rurik dynasty. He was canonized by the Orthodox Church as "the holy noble Theodore I Ivanovich, the Tsar of Moscow." Memory January 7 (20), Sunday before August 26 (according to the old style) / September 4 (according to the new style), i.e. First Sunday of September (Moscow Saints Cathedral).

  • 1 Biography
  • 2 Death
  • 3 Main events during the reign of Fyodor Ivanovich
  • 4 Written sources about Fedor Ioannovich
  • 5 Ancestors
  • 6 Memory
    • 6.1 of the Orthodox Church
    • 6.2 Sculpture
    • 6.3 Burial
  • 7 notes
  • 8 Literature

Biography

Upon the birth of his son, Ivan the Terrible ordered to build a church in the Feodorovsky monastery of the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky. This temple in honor of Theodore Stratilates became the main cathedral of the monastery and has survived to the present.

On November 19, 1581, according to one of the unconfirmed versions inflicted by the father, the heir to the throne, Ivan, died from a wound. Since that time, Fedor became the heir to the royal throne.

According to Ivan the Terrible himself, Fyodor was “a fast and a silent person, more for a cell than for a sovereign born power”. From a marriage with Irina Fedorovna Godunova, had one daughter (1592), Theodosius, who lived only nine months and died in the same year (according to other sources, she died in 1594). at the end of 1597 he was fatally ill and died on January 7, 1598 at one in the morning. The Moscow line of the Rurikovich dynasty (offspring of Ivan I Kalita) was cut short on it.

Most historians believe that Fedor was incapable of state activity, according to some reports weak health and mind; He took little part in the government, being under the tutelage of the council of nobles, then his brother-in-law Boris Fedorovich Godunov, who, in 1587, was in fact co-ruler of the state, and after the death of Fedor became his successor. The position of Boris Godunov at the royal court was so significant that overseas diplomats sought an audience with Boris Godunov, his will was the law. Fedor reigned, Boris ruled - everyone knew this both in Russia and abroad.

The historian and philosopher S. M. Soloviev in "History of Russia from Ancient Times" describes the usual daily routine of the Tsar as follows:

“He usually gets up at about four in the morning. When he gets dressed and washed, the spiritual father comes to him with the Cross, to which the King is attached. Then the cross clerk brings into the room an icon of the Saint, celebrated that day, before which the King prays for about a quarter of an hour. The priest enters again with holy water, sprinkles with it the icon and the King. Returning from the church, the Tsar sits in a large room, where the boyars bow to, who are in special mercy ... Bowing around nine o’clock, the Tsar goes to the mass, which lasts two hours. After lunch and sleep, he goes to Vespers ... Every week, the Tsar goes on a pilgrimage to one of the nearest monasteries. "

Death

Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich died on January 7, 1598. According to the testimony of Patriarch Job, in his dying languor, the tsar talked with someone invisible to others, calling him the great Hierarch, and at the time of his death there was a fragrance in the Kremlin chambers. The Patriarch himself performed the sacrament of unholy and communed with the dying King of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Theodore Ioannovich died without leaving offspring, and with his death the Rurik dynasty on the royal throne in Moscow ceased. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

The main events during the reign of Fedor Ioannovich

  Reconstruction of Gerasimov

The Moscow Zemsky Sobor in 1584 elected Tsar the middle son of Ivan the Terrible - Fyodor Ivanovich.

In 1584, the Don Cossacks swore allegiance to Tsar Fyodor Ioanovich.

In 1585-1591, the walls and towers of the White City were erected by the Russian architect Fedor Savelyevich Kon. The length of the walls is 10 kilometers. Thickness - up to 4.5 meters. Height - from 6 to 7 meters.

In 1586, the famous Russian Tsar Cannon was cast by the Russian cannon caster Andrei Chokhov.

1589 - the establishment of the patriarchate in Russia, the first patriarch was Job, an associate of Boris Godunov.

1590-1595 - Russian-Swedish war. The return of Russian cities: Pit, Ivangorod, Koporye, Korela.

The founder of the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich, was the cousin of Fedor I (since the mother of Fedor, Anastasia Romanovna, was the sister of Grandfather Mikhail, Nikita Romanovich Zakharyin); on this kinship the rights of the Romanovs to the throne were based.

Written sources about Fedor Ioannovich

According to the recall of the English diplomat Gills Fletcher:

“The current king (by the name of Theodor Ivanovich) with respect to his appearance: he is small, squat and thick, physically weak and prone to water; his nose is hawkish, the gait is unsteady from some relaxation in the limbs; he is heavy and inactive, but always smiles, so he almost laughs. As for his other properties, he is simple and weak-witted, but very kind and good at handling, quiet, gracious, not inclined to war, little capable of political affairs, and extremely superstitious. Besides the fact that he prays at home, he usually goes every week on a pilgrimage to one of the nearby monasteries. ”

Dutch merchant and sales agent in Moscow Isaac Massa:

Very kind, pious, and very gentle ... He was so pious that he often wished to exchange his kingdom for a monastery, if only this were possible.

The clerk Ivan Timofeev gives Fedor such an assessment:

  “By his prayers, my king kept the land unharmed from enemy intrigues. He was meek by nature, very merciful and blameless to everyone and, like Job, on all his paths guarded himself from every evil thing, most of all loving piety, church grandeur and, after the holy priests, the monastic rank and even the lesser brothers in Christ, blessed in the gospel by the Lord himself. Just say - he betrayed himself to Christ and all the time of his holy and reverend reign; not loving blood, like a monk, he spent in fasting, in prayers and prayers with a knee - day and night, exhausting himself with spiritual exploits all his life ... Monasticism, united with the kingdom, not dividing, mutually decorated each other; he reasoned that for the future (life), one thing matters no less than the other, an uncontrollable chariot that leads to heaven. Both that and another was visible only to one faithful who were attached to it by love. From without, everyone could easily see the king in him, but inside the feats of monasticism he turned out to be a monk; he was a crown-bearer, and a monk by his strivings. ”

The evidence of an unofficial, in other words, private historical monument - the “Piskaryov Chronicler” is extremely important. So much good has been said about Tsar Fedor as none of the Russian rulers did. He is called "pious," "gracious," "faithful," the pages of the annals provide a long list of his works for the good of the Church. His death is perceived as a real catastrophe, as a harbinger of Russia's worst misfortunes: “The sun is darker and smaller from its course, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars from the heavens will decline: for many sins of Christendom, the last luminary, collector and beneficiary of all of Russia of the earth, sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Fedor Ivanovich ... ”Turning to the previous reign, the chronicler broadcasts with unusual tenderness:“ And the noble and Christ-loving king and Grand Duke Theodore Ivanovich reigned ... quietly and righteously, and mercifully, mercilessly. And all people are at rest and in love, and in silence, and in the well-being of abiding that summer. In no summer, during which the tsar in the Russian land, except the Grand Duke Ivan Danilovich Kalita, such silence and blessings will not be quick that under him, the noble tsar and Grand Duke Theodore Ivanovich all Russia. " Contemporary and close to the court of the Sovereign, Prince I. M. Katyrev-Rostovsky said of the Sovereign as follows:

“Having blessed the speed of his mother’s womb and having care for nothing, it’s only about spiritual salvation.” According to his testimony, in Tsar Theodore "a small number of swiftness with the kingdom is woven without bifurcation and one served as an ornament to the other."

The famous historian V.O. Klyuchevsky wrote about St. Theodore:

“... blessed on the throne, one of those poor in spirit, who befits the kingdom of heaven, and not the earthly, whom the Church so loved to bring to her priests”

In an article dedicated to the glorification of the holy patriarchs Job and Tikhon, Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov) noted:

“Tsar Theodore Ioannovich was an amazing, bright man. It was truly a saint on the throne. He constantly stayed in divine thought and prayer, was kind to everyone, life was a church service for him, and the Lord did not overshadow the years of his reign with disorder and confusion. They began after his death. It is rare that a Tsar was so loved and pitied by the Russian people. He was revered for the blessed and holy fool, called the "sanctified king." Not without reason, shortly after his death, he was included in the priesthood of locally revered Moscow saints. The people saw in it wisdom that comes from a pure heart and which is so rich in "poor in spirit." That is what Tsar Fedor portrayed in his tragedy, Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy. But for someone else's view, this sovereign was different. Foreign travelers, spies and diplomats (such as Pearson, Fletcher or Swede Petreus de Erlesund), who left their notes on Russia, at best call him a “quiet idiot”. And the Pole Leo Sapega claimed that "they say in vain that this emperor has little reason, I am convinced that he is completely deprived of it."

Ancestors

Fedor I Ivanovich - ancestors
Vasily II the Dark
Ivan III
Maria Borovskaya
Vasily III
Thomas Paleolog
Sofia Paleolog
Ekaterina Zakkaria
Ivan the Terrible
Lev Borisovich Glinsky
Glinsky, Vasily Ivanovich
Elena Glinskaya
Stefan Jakšić
Anna Yakshich
Militsa Belmushevich
Fedor Ioannovich
Zakhary Ivanovich Koshkin
Yuri Zakharyevich Koshkin
Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin-Yuryev
Ivan Borisovich Tuchko-Morozov
Irina Ivanovna Tuchkova
Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina-Yuryeva
Ulyana Fedorovna

Memory

In the Orthodox Church

The veneration of the blessed Tsar began shortly after his death: St. Patriarch Job († 1607) compiled the “Tale of the Honest Life of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich,” iconic images of St. Theodore in the halo have been known since the beginning of the 17th century. “A book with a verb description of Russian saints” (1st half of the 17th century) Tsar Theodore was placed in the guise of Moscow miracle workers. some hand-written clergy in the list of Moscow saints also indicated his wife, Tsarina Irina, in the monasticism of Alexander († 1603). The memory of St. Theodore is performed on the day of his death on January 7 (20) and on the Week before August 26 (September 8) in the Cathedral of Moscow Saints.

Sculpture

On November 4, 2009, a monument to Tsar Fyodor I Ioannovich was unveiled in Yoshkar-Ola, during the reign of which the city was founded (sculptor - People's Artist of the Russian Federation Andrei Kovalchuk).

Burial place

He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral with his father and brother Ivan, on the right side of the altar, behind the iconostasis of the cathedral.

Ivan the Terrible “during his lifetime, he prepared for himself a burial place in the deacon of the Archangel Cathedral, turning it into a chapel chapel church. later the tsar himself and his two sons Ivan Ivanovich and Fedor Ivanovich found rest. The frescoes of the tomb are the little that has been preserved from the original painting of the 16th century. Here in the lower tier are the compositions “Farewell of the Prince and the Family”, “Allegory of Sudden Death”, “Funeral” and “Burial”, which make up a single cycle. He was called upon to remind the autocrat of an impersonal court, of the futility of worldly vanity, of the ceaseless remembrance of death, who did not understand "whether there is a beggar, or righteous, or a lord, or a slave". "

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6   Saint Theodore I Ivanovich, Tsar of Moscow, commemorated on January 7 (20).
  2. 1 2 3 4   Dmitry Volodikhin. . The magazine "Thomas" (September 21, 2009 08:11).
  3.   Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov). Patriarchs of troubled times.
  4.   Graves of Ivan the Terrible and his sons

Literature

  • Zimin A.A. eve of formidable upheaval. - M., 1986.
  • Pavlov A.P. Gosudarev court and political struggle under Boris Godunov (1584-1605). - SPb., 1992.
  • Morozova L. Ye. Two Tsars: Fedor and Boris. - M., 2001.
  • Volodikhin D. Tsar Fedor Ivanovich. - M., 2011.

Fedor I Ivanovich Information About