Russia's Troubled Times (con't)

Author: Linda DeLaine
Website: RL Online
Department:
Page: 2   ( 2) pages

The end times of the Rurik Dynasty, and before the beginning of the Romanovs (ca. 1598 - 1605), is known as the Time of Troubles. Fyodor I died in1598. Godunov, who was not a Rurik by blood or even nobility, was elevated to the throne by the Imperial Assembly. The Assembly was comprised, primarily, of disgruntled land owners. Godunov ruled, officially, from 1598 to 1605. This is the period known as the Time of Troubles. The impire was besieged with widespread famine which resulted in unrest among the serfs, boyars and Cossacks. The latter was a combined ethnic group, most of which had Slavic roots. They were a warring group of people, always prepared to do hand-to-hand battle. The Cossacks colonized Siberia and are credited with the establishment of most of today's Siberian towns. Most were peasant-soldiers who gained privileges in return for loyal service to the tsars. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the highest concentration of Cossack settlements were along the Dnieper and Don rivers. They fought against the Red Army in the civil war of 1918-1920 and most of their lands were, later, collectivized by the reigning Soviets.

The youngest son of Ivan IV, Dmitri, died under suspicious circumstanced, in 1591. Godunov died in 1605 and his 16 year old son, and heir apparent, Fedor Godunov was murdered along with his mother. A man claiming to be Dmitri came on the scene in Poland. This Dmitri claimed to have escaped the attempt on his life and demanded his rightful place on the Russian throne. This false Dmitri, backed by the Polish nobility and their armies, successfully obtained control of Moscow and the throne left vacant by Godunov's death. But this success was short lived and this Dmitri was soon assassinated just two weeks later.

This false Dmitri was replaced by a boyar named Vasilii Shuiskii, in 1606, who was backed by the Swedes. The Poles were determined to take over Moscow and, in 1610, attempted to put a second Dmitri on the throne. This attempt was somewhat more successful and the Poles gained control of Moscow and its outskirts. At the same time, Cossack faction, known as the Baby Brigade, endorsed the infant son of the second false Dmitri who had been killed by his own men. Eventually, the Cossacks, loyal to the throne, regained control of Moscow, in October of 1612.

In 1613, the Council of All Russia selected Mihail I. Fedorovich who ruled from 1613 to 1645. Thus began the Romanov Dynasty which survived until the Bolshevik takeover in 1917.

The Time of Troubles was marked by total upheaval. There was no heir to the throne and no centralized national leadership. This left the impire open to outside invasion and attempted take-over. Already disgruntled peasants, soldiers and noblemen split into rebellious factions. To top it off, there was wide spread famine and, thus, hunger and sickness. It's not surprising that many saw the time of the Bolshevik Revolution and subsequent civil war as a repeat of history. There are those who fear another repeat in contemporary times. With Russia's current economic crisis, political uncertainty and heavy criticism by other nations, this fear is not without basis.

Russia's First Civil War: Time of Troubles and the Founding of the Romanov Dynasty

The Disturbed State of the Russian Realm