The reign of Fedor Ivanovich - the strengthening of state power

The last Rurikovich, who got power, was weak in body and mind and could not rule the country, as he could not have heirs. The reign of Fyodor Ivanovich fell on difficult years for Russia. The legacy of the great father remained in a disorderly state, which required urgent reforms.

General political situation

The kingdom of Ivan Vasilievich ended under unfavorable conditions. First, an unsuccessful war with Lithuania, and secondly, in the fight against the Swedes for free duty-free trade on the Baltic Sea, Russia not only did not get what it wanted, but lost some of its land.

The oprichnaya system undermined the economic power of a large aristocracy and physically exterminated its most prominent figures who could be a support in the reign of Fedor Ivanovich. Yuryev's day was abolished, and the peasantry accumulated hatred for the state, because they had to fulfill increasingly high duties for the patrimonies and landlords. State taxes also grew. The boyars themselves and the princes, votchinniki, tried to belittle the nobility and strengthen their own positions, to regain the influence lost by Grozny. The nobility also fought against the dominance of the boyars.

The identity of the heir

Fedor Ivanovich was born in 1557. In commemoration of this event, a church was built in honor of his beloved St. Theodore Stratelates in Pereslavl-Zalessky. In 1881, Ivan was killed - a direct heir to the throne. From the age of 23, Fyodor Ivanovich, who was clearly not born for power, became the heir. The Tsar's son thought only of one thing - the salvation of the soul. In prayer and silence, on pilgrimages to holy places, he spent his days. In 17 years the prince married Irina Godunova, a beautiful and clever woman, brought up in the royal chambers.

There was not even a look at the brides, which was an old tradition. It's just that Grozny decided. This marriage served as the first step for the elevation of Boris Godunov. But Ivan IV foresaw that there may not be children in the marriage, so in this case he ordered to marry Fedor in Princess Irina Mstislavskaya in a will. However, the intrigues of Boris Godunov sent this princess to the monastery. At 27 years old in 1584 the reign of Fyodor Ivanovich began.

But he did not change his habits - he still surrounded himself with holy fools, monks, liked to climb the bell tower to ring bells. Meanwhile, the country was waiting for action. Ivan IV established a guardian council with his feeble-minded son, but the members of the council quarreled all over, and Shuisky and Godunov remained in the political arena, which eventually won. Tsarevich Dmitry, who had no rights to the throne, was removed from his mother in Uglich. It was required to weaken the clan of the Naked.

On the realm

When the guardian council finally collapsed, the rapid rise of Boris Godunov, the brother of Queen Irina, began. Cunning and efficiency made him the most influential person in the reign of Fedor Ivanovich. He was given the right to lead a horse during the ceremonial departures of the king. Then it was real power. According to the instructions of the "stable", important tsarist decisions were made. Realizing the precariousness and insecurity of his position, Godunov sought support from the nobility. During the reign of Fyodor Ivanovich, at the instigation of Godunov, a five-year term for searching fugitive peasants (the decree of 1597) was established, since the nobles more than the patrimonies suffered from a shortage of people cultivating the land. Another gift was given to the nobles. The poorest landlords, who themselves cultivated the land, were exempted from paying taxes.

Position of the state

During the reign of Fedor Ivanovich (1584-1598), the economy began to recover and the economic situation improve. Abandoned vacant land swung open. Godunov took the land from the boyars and distributed them to the landlords, thereby strengthening their position.

But only those who served served on the earth. Moreover, in 1593-1594 the lawfulness of the ownership of the land by monasteries was clarified. Those who did not have documents were deprived of their lot in favor of the sovereign. These lands could also be written off to posadskim and servicemen. Thus, Godunov relied on the poor and "art".

Church Reform

In Moscow, they believed that the dignity of the Russian Orthodox Church was diminished. In 1588, a patriarch from Constantinople came to the capital and gave his consent to independence in church affairs, that is, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church from the metropolitan became a patriarch.

On the one hand, this kind of independence emphasized the prestige of Russian Orthodoxy, and, on the other hand, separated it from the world, delaying development, preventing new ideas from entering. The patriarchate was formally elected, but in fact only one candidate was proposed, who was chosen - Job. Spiritual power was subordinate to the state and supported it in every possible way. Such strengthening of secular power occurred in the reign of Tsar Feodor Ivanovich.

Completion of the conquest of Siberia

The beginning was laid by merchants Stroganov, who called for help from Yermak. After his death, the remnants of his detachment left Siberia, but in 1587 Moscow sent aid, and the city of Tobolsk was laid. Movement to the East continued the reign of Fyodor Ivanovich and Boris Godunov.

The Little War in the West

The war for free trade in the Baltic began in 1590 and ended five years later. This allowed Godunov to return the Russian cities on the Finnish shores and make trade with Sweden lively, which earned him popularity among Russian merchants.

The southern borders were also fortified, and the Crimean Tatars from 1591 no longer bothered Moscow. In the north, in Arkhangelsk, in 1586 a new White Sea bargaining was opened. The country gradually became richer and lived relatively quietly, so that the chroniclers recalled the times when "silence was great" in Moscow.

Despite the weakness of the sovereign, the reign of Tsar Feodor Ivanovich, thanks to Godunov's clever policy, was successful. In 1598 the blessed king Fyodor died. He was forty years old. He did not leave his heirs, and together with him the dynasty of the Rurikites was interrupted .