Boyars : Fyodor Ivanovich Mstislavsky, Ivan Vorotynsky, Vasily Golitsyn, Fyodor Sheremetev, Ivan Romanov, Andrey Trubetskoy, Boris Lykov. The boyars were headed by Prince Mstislavsky.

Years of reign: Transitional government of seven boyars (July - September 1610).

After the overthrow of Vasily Shuisky, seven noble boyars seized power. This group included Fyodor Ivanovich Mstislavsky, Ivan Vorotynsky, Vasily Golitsyn, Fyodor Sheremetev, Ivan Romanov, Andrei Trubetskoy, Boris Lykov. The boyars were headed by Prince Mstislavsky.
At first they tried to get the Poles to march on Moscow and protect it from False Dmitry II. However, the Poles demanded that the son of King Sigismund III, Vladislav, be installed as king. The boyars decided to accept Vladislav, swore allegiance to him and waited for his arrival. On the night of September 21, 1610, the Poles, led by Hetman Zholkiewski, entered Moscow and occupied the Kremlin. But the besieged Smolensk did not want to surrender to the mercy of King Sigismund; in a number of other cities (Novgorod, Pskov, Ryazan, Tula, Kazan) they did not want a Catholic king in Moscow, and were ready to swear allegiance to any False Dmitry, but not Vladislav (See. Polish intervention 1609-1618).
Then King Sigismund III decided to sit on the Russian throne himself. The Poles occupied almost the entire country, taking all the loot to Poland. At the same time, the Swedes captured Novgorod and other cities.
The people rose up to fight the interventionists. The first detachments of the zemstvo militia were formed in Ryazan on the initiative of the small nobleman Prokopiy Lyapunov. In March 1611, an uprising against the Poles broke out in Moscow, which was brutally suppressed, Moscow was burned, and Lyapunov’s militia was defeated. The situation was complicated by the fact that on June 31, 1611. After almost two years of siege, the Poles stormed the Smolensk fortress. After the capture of Smolensk, King Sigismund returned to Poland, taking with him many boyars of the captured embassy, ​​among them Metropolitan Philaret and the deposed Tsar Vasily Shuisky and his brothers.
The movement to raise funds for the new militia was led by the zemstvo elder from Nizhny Novgorod, Kozma Minin. The steward of the Suzdal district, Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky, became the governor of the people's militia. In the winter of 1612, a militia was collected, which on February 23 moved to Yaroslavl, where it remained throughout the spring and summer, since there were not enough forces and means. On August 14, the militia approached the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, where they performed a prayer service at the relics of St. Sergius, asking for help and relief.
On August 18, 1612, the army moved towards Moscow, the Kremlin was besieged. On October 26, 1612, Moscow was liberated, the Poles were completely defeated. Kitay-Gorod was taken by storm, the Poles going to the rescue were defeated near Volokolamsk.
The opportunity arose to elect a king in a calmer environment. Among the contenders were the Polish prince Vladislav, the Swedish prince Karl Philip and others. The Zemsky Sobor, convened at the beginning of 1613, elected Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. His father, Russian Patriarch Filaret, who himself aspired to become king, was at that time in Polish captivity.

"From Ancient Rus' to the Russian Empire." Shishkin Sergey Petrovich, Ufa.

In July 1610, Vasily Shuisky was overthrown from the royal throne. He had no heirs, and the boyars did not want a new king. A boyar duma was formed, which was to rule the country. It included seven of the most noble boyar families. Therefore, this period of Russian history is usually called the “Seven Boyars”. Mstislavsky headed the boyar duma.

These are the real traitors who decided to surrender the country to the Poles. Moreover, they decided to pass for purely class reasons. Because the troops of False Dmitry and the lower classes were approaching Moscow, and although the Poles were Catholics and not Russian people, they were close in class, they were representatives of the upper classes. The boyars rushed for help to the Polish governor Zholkiewski, so that he could persuade Sigismund to make Vladislav the Russian Tsar. Zholkiewski demanded a written appeal, which was done, and on August 17, 1610, an agreement was signed in Zholkiewski’s camp calling the Polish prince to the Russian throne. The legal terms of the treaty greatly limited the power of the new king. The conditions were:

1. Baptism of Vladislav into Orthodoxy
2. Cessation of contact with the Pope
3. Death penalty for anyone who deviates from Orthodoxy
4. Vladislav's marriage to a Russian Orthodox bride
5. Release of all Russian prisoners.

There were other conditions, but these were the key ones. On August 27, 1610, Moscow swore allegiance to Vladislav. Among those who took the oath were the Romanovs, including Mikhail. After signing the petition to King Sigismund, a large embassy of almost 200 people was sent to Smolensk. It was headed by Filaret (Fyodor Romanov) and Galitsyn.

Composition of the Seven Boyars

Members of the Seven Boyars:

1. F.I. Mstislavsky.
2. THEM. Vorotynsky
3. A.V. Trubetskoy
4. A.V. Golitsyn
5. B.M. Lykov
6. I.N. Romanov
7. F.I. Sheremetev

I repeat once again that these were traitors who, contrary to the interests of their country, swore allegiance to the Polish king and asked for a Polish prince to the Russian throne.

Appeal to Poland and acceptance of its power

In August 1610, Polish troops came close to Moscow. The boyars, seeing the deplorable situation, offered the son of the Polish king, Vladislav, to lead Russia. The only condition for the Russians was the adoption of Orthodoxy by the new tsar. Patriarch Hermogenes of Moscow was against it, and unrest began in the city. The Seven Boyars decided to let Polish troops into Moscow to pacify the residents.

Muscovites allowed Zholkiewski's troops into Moscow and the Poles reigned in the city. A new government arose in Moscow in anticipation of Vladislav. It was headed by the boyar Mikhail Saltykov and the merchant, that is, the merchant, Fyodor Andronov. Please note that a representative of the Posad people has appeared in the Moscow government. This means that the Moscow townspeople, its rich part, actively campaigned and advocated for the Polish prince on the Russian throne. That is, in fact, they also acted as traitors.

Taking advantage of Russia's weakness, the Swedes occupied the northern part of the country. At this time, the real question was about the survival of Russia as a state. The Swedes held Novgorod. False Dmitry 2 resumed his activities in Russia. Polish troops dominated the western lands of the country and Moscow. They behaved like conquerors. The Seven Boyars did not enjoy the respect of the people.

Revolt against the Seven Boyars

At this difficult moment, the Russian people themselves had to save the country. The people's militia rose up. The first to rebel against the invaders were the people of Ryazan. The uprising was started by Prokopiy Lupyanov. In March 1611, the main forces of the militia, led by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, stood at the walls of Moscow. Residents of Moscow also joined these forces. The Poles fought desperately and forced the people to retreat.

In the summer of 1611, the situation in the country deteriorated significantly. Smolensk, which resisted the Poles for 20 months, was forced to capitulate. Novgorod was completely occupied by the Swedes. The Crimean Khan subjected the young borders of the state to raids. Against this background, a new popular liberation movement began, which was raised in Nizhny Novgorod in the fall of 1611. The organizer of the militia was Kuzma Mini. The forces of the rebels were small. Understanding this, Minin sent letters to all cities of Russia, calling on everyone to rise up to fight the foreign invaders. People from all cities flocked to Nizhny Novgorod. The people's militia army was again led by Pozharsky. Realizing that it was necessary to fight the enemy separately, wanting with all his might to prevent a union between Poland and Sweden, Pozharsky managed to convince the Swedes that the Russians would support the idea of ​​​​transferring the Russian throne to a Swedish prince.

In March 1612, the united army went to Moscow, through Yaroslavl, where the army was replenished with new members of the people's militia. In July the army entered the Moscow lands. Hetman Khodkevich came to the aid of the Poles, who was defeated on August 24 by the forces of the united people's militia. As a result, Pozharsky's troops occupied the western outskirts of Moscow, and the remnants of the troops of the first militia, under the command of Trubetskoy, occupied the eastern outskirts. The position of the Polish troops who occupied the Kremlin seemed hopeless. They were surrounded, and Khodkevich, sent to their aid, was defeated under the walls of Moscow. On October 22, 1612, militia forces occupied Kitay-Gorod. Further resistance was futile. The Poles surrendered and completely abandoned Moscow. The Polish king did not accept this defeat and wanted with all his might to capture Moscow back, but was defeated near Volokolamsk and with the remaining army left for Poland. The Polish stake again sent troops to Russia, but not to capture Moscow, but to kill Mikhail Romanov, who was considered the main candidate for the royal throne. His murder could again give the Polish king a chance to capture the Russian capital. However, this plan failed. A simple Russian peasant, Ivan Susanin, accomplished a feat. He led the Polish army into an impassable swamp. Susanin died, but so did the Polish army, not following the orders of their king.

This ended the period of interregnum in Rus', which brought so many troubles to the Russian people. The Seven Boyars, pursuing only their own selfish interests, brought the Russian state to the brink of extinction.

Years of reign of the Seven Boyars 1610-1613

“Seven Boyars” – “seven-numbered boyars”, the Russian government formed after the overthrow of the Tsar in July 1610 and formally existed until the election of Tsar Mikhail Romanov to the throne. Boyar rule did not give the country either peace or stability. Moreover, it transferred power to the Polish interventionists and allowed them into Moscow. Liquidated by the militia.

Interregnum

After Vasily Shuisky was overthrown and tonsured a monk, an interregnum began in Russia. the capital did not recognize him, and people were afraid to choose a new king from among themselves. No one wanted to listen to Patriarch Hermogenes, who said that it was necessary to immediately elect either Prince Vasily Golitsyn or (this is the first mention of Philaret’s son regarding the election to the kingdom!) as king. However, in Moscow it was decided to rule together - by a council of seven boyars. A meeting of all the “ranks” of the state - representatives of the nobility and nobility - was held at the Arbat Gate. After approving the overthrow of Shuisky, they asked the members of the Boyar Duma “to grant us permission to accept the Muscovite state, as long as God gives us a sovereign for the Muscovite kingdom.”

The Seven Boyars included

Prince Fyodor Ivanovich Mstislavsky
Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Vorotynsky
Prince Andrei Vasilievich Trubetskoy
Prince Andrei Vasilievich Golitsyn
Prince Boris Mikhailovich Lykov-Obolensky
Boyarin Ivan Nikitich Romanov
Boyarin Fedor Ivanovich Sheremetev

Prince Mstislavsky became the head of the “Seven Boyars”.

Treaty with the Poles

But everything was clear that such a form of government in Russia was short-lived, and Tushin’s idea of ​​​​inviting Prince Vladislav began to win more and more adherents. The Seven Boyars, meeting public opinion halfway, concluded on August 17, 1610 with the commander of the Polish king Sigismund II, Hetman Zolkiewski, an agreement on calling the king’s son, 15-year-old prince Vladislav, to the Russian throne. The boyars wanted Vladislav to convert to Orthodoxy, marry a Russian and lift the siege of Smolensk.

Zholkiewski did not promise all this, but he undertook to send a representative Russian embassy for negotiations with the king. For seven weeks, Muscovites swore allegiance to Tsar Vladislav in the Kremlin. The oath became a genuine expression of the people's will: 8-12 thousand Muscovites a day entered the Assumption Cathedral, swore an oath of allegiance to Tsar Vladislav, kissed the cross and the Gospel. And so 300 thousand people passed through the Kremlin! Meanwhile, the Kremlin itself and other important Moscow centers began to be occupied by regular Polish troops. Soon Moscow found itself essentially occupied by the Polish army. This happened on September 20-21, 1610.

Hetman Zholkiewski began to demand that the former Tsar Shuisky and his brothers be given to him, which the Seven Boyars did without regret. Even the monk Shuisky, with his influence, money and connections, did not cease to be dangerous for the boyars who seized power. 1610, September - crowds of Muscovites poured into the streets of the capital to see the last exit of Tsar Vasily. Few people then experienced a feeling of national humiliation, seeing how the captive Russian Tsar, dressed in a shabby monastic robe, was being carried in a wretched chariot, followed by Polish horsemen in sparkling armor. On the contrary, the people even thanked Hetman Zholkiewski, who pranced among the Russian boyars, who “saved” them from the evil Shuiski.

A huge (more than 1 thousand people) embassy went to the king’s camp near Smolensk, expecting to soon return to the capital with the new sovereign. But nothing good came of this idea. Negotiations in Sigismund's camp reached a dead end. As it turned out, the king views the state of things completely differently than Zolkiewski, that Sigismund is against his son converting to Orthodoxy and does not want to let him go to Moscow. Moreover, Sigismund himself decided to become the Russian Tsar (Zhigimont Ivanovich), to unite Poland, Lithuania and Russia under his rule.

Why were the boyars in such a hurry to swear allegiance to Vladislav, why did they bind hundreds of thousands of people with sacred oaths, obliging them to obey an unknown sovereign? They, as often happens in history, took care of themselves first. During the interregnum, the boyars most feared the capricious Moscow mob and False Dmitry 2, who, inspired by the defeat of the Russian army at Klushino, made a rush to the capital. At any time, he could break into Moscow and “sit on the kingdom” - the impostor would have found many supporters in the capital. In a word, the Seven Boyars could not hesitate. The Polish forces seemed to the boyars a reliable shield against the robbers of the Tushino thief and the unfaithful Moscow mob. After the Poles agreed in principle to the election of Vladislav, all other problems seemed not so important for the boyars and could be easily resolved in a personal meeting with Sigismund II.

Now the Russian ambassadors found themselves in a terrible position: they could not agree to the proclamation of Sigismund II as Russian Tsar, but they could not shamefully leave with nothing. The negotiations began in a raised voice, and then it turned out that the ambassadors, like the former Tsar Vasily, were prisoners of the Poles...

Expulsion of Poles from the Kremlin

Civil uprising. Liberation of Moscow

The new government allowed the Polish army into Moscow, hoping that False Dmitry would not come here. From that time on, the whole essence of the Seven Boyars came down to playing the role of puppets in the hands of the King of Poland, who began to pursue policies that suited him through his protege, the commandant of Moscow, Alexander Gonsevsky. The boyars were deprived of real power and became, in fact, hostages. It is in such a pitiful role that it is customary to see the answer to the question: “What is the Seven Boyars?”

After all real power passed from the hands of the boyars to the Polish governor, he, having received the rank of boyar, began to run the state uncontrollably. Out of his own will, he began to take away lands and estates from those Russians who remained faithful to their patriotic duty, and transferred them to the Poles who were part of his inner circle. This caused a wave of indignation in the state. It is believed that at this time the Seven Boyars changed their attitude towards the Poles.

Soon False Dmitry 2 was killed by traitors. The enemy was defeated, but this did not save the boyar government from the problem. The Polish army settled in Moscow settled tightly and had no intention of leaving.

The authorities and people were against the Catholic Tsar. The people's militia began to gather, but as a result it all ended in complete failure - the militia was defeated by the Poles. The Second Militia became more successful. Under the leadership of Prince Pozharsky and the zemstvo elder Minin. They correctly decided that in addition to the will to defeat the Polish army, the militia needed material support.

The people were ordered to give up a third of their property under penalty of complete confiscation. Thus, the militias received good funding, and more and more volunteers joined their ranks. Soon the number of people's militia exceeded 10,000. They approached Moscow and began a siege of the Polish occupiers.

The Polish garrison was doomed, but was not going to surrender until the last. After several months of siege, the militia were able to win - Kitay-Gorod and the Kremlin were captured by storm, the Poles were captured and killed. Moscow was liberated. 1613, February 21 - the boyars elected a new ruler - Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. This was the end of the period that went down in Russian history as the Seven Boyars. The years of the reign of the seven boyars are rightly considered one of the most difficult during the entire period of the Time of Troubles. Upon their completion, the country entered a new historical era.

The Seven Boyars were a transitional government of 7 boyars that seized power in Russia in July 1610 and formally existed until the election of Mikhail Romanov to the throne. This is a brief definition of a very controversial time in the history of the Russian state. To understand the essence of this term, it is necessary to recall the main events that led to the creation of the Seven Boyars.

After the death of False Dmitry I, he took the Russian throne (1606–1610). But this not only did not stop the Troubles, but intensified it even more. Civil war broke out in the country. Shuisky managed to cope with the uprising, but subsequent events became disastrous for him. Russia simultaneously found itself:

• covered by the uprising of False Dmitry II;
• in a state of war with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The uprising of False Dmitry II led to the formation of two kings and two governments in the country. To suppress the uprising of the impostor, Shuisky entered into an alliance with Sweden. But this step entailed the invasion of Russia by Sigismund III. The troops of the Poles and False Dmitry II moved towards Moscow.

At this critical moment, the boyars organized. The king was forcibly tonsured a monk and then handed over to the Poles. Thus began the period of interregnum, which lasted from 1610 to 1613.

Board of the Seven Boyars

As a result of the coup that took place in July 1610, the reign of the Seven Boyars, or the 7 most influential members of the Boyar Duma, began in Russia. The first Seven Boyars included F. Mstislavsky (was the head), I. Vorotynsky, B. Lykov, A. Trubetskoy, I. Romanov, F. Sheremetev and V. Golitsyn. What was the domestic and foreign policy of this boyar rule?

Their main goal was to expand the power of the Boyar Duma. No less important for the participants of the Seven Boyars was the end of the unrest and the election of a new king. Wanting to end the war, the boyars called the Polish prince Vladislav, son of Sigismund III, to the Russian throne.

The official invitation to the throne of Vladislav took place in August 1610, at that time the troops of the Polish hetman Zolkiewski were stationed near Moscow. In such an ambiguous way, the boyars hoped to simultaneously achieve two goals - to get rid of the Polish invaders and maintain their power. Members of the Seven Boyars planned to get a puppet ruler who would delegate a number of powers to the Boyar Duma. This could be the beginning of unprecedented reforms.

Vladislav had to convert to Orthodoxy, recognize the personal and property integrity of service people and significantly limit the number of close Poles. The efforts of the boyars did not have the desired consequences. Sigismund III not only did not agree to the proposed conditions, but also demanded the Russian throne for himself.

Results of boyar rule and the opinions of historians

On the night of September 21, 1610, the government of the Seven Boyars decided to secretly allow Polish troops into the capital. Many historians view this fact as an act of national treason. In a sense, this tarnished the names of the boyars, and in the history of Russia, the concept of the Seven Boyars became a symbol of betrayal.

Since October 1610, power in Moscow was concentrated in the hands of the leaders of Polish military formations, S. Zholkiewski and A. Gonsevski. The Poles did not take the Russian government into account, so soon enough the boyars realized that they had made a mistake.

The Seven Boyars nominally worked until the liberation of the country from foreign invaders, which was led by K. Minin and D. Pozharsky. The boyar government, which personified betrayal, was overthrown.

It is worth noting that in Polish historiography the period of the reign of the Seven Boyars has a mostly positive assessment. In any case, if the original plan of the boyars had been successful, the Moscow state could have faced a completely different path of development.

Moscow uprising

Looking for agreement

The Boyar Duma tried to curb the popular uprising, which legitimized the rebellion and tried to prevent the union of the mob with the “thieves” who approached the walls of Moscow. The boyars, led by Mstislavsky, formed a provisional government, called the “Seven Boyars”. One of the tasks of the new government was to prepare for the election of a new king. However, “military conditions” required immediate decisions. In order to avoid the struggle of boyar clans for power, it was decided not to elect representatives of Russian clans as tsar.

In fact, the power of the new government did not extend beyond Moscow: in the west of Moscow, in Khoroshyovo, the army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, led by Hetman Zholkiewski, stood up, and in the southeast, in Kolomenskoye, False Dmitry II, who had returned from Kaluga, with whom was also the Lithuanian Sapieha's detachment. The boyars were especially afraid of False Dmitry because he had many supporters in Moscow and was at least more popular than them. As a result, it was decided to come to an agreement with Zholkiewski and invite Prince Vladislav to the throne on the terms of his conversion to Orthodoxy, as had already been agreed upon between Sigismund and the Tushino delegation.

Vocation of the Poles

On August 17/27, 1610, the boyars signed an agreement with Hetman Zolkiewski, according to which Vladislav IV, the son of Sigismund, became king of Russia. There was no talk of unification with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, since the Moscow boyars retained autonomy, and the official status of Orthodoxy within the borders of Russia was guaranteed. The agreement with representatives of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth made it possible to remove the “Tushino threat” to Moscow, since Sapieha agreed to swear allegiance to King Vladislav.

Fearing the Pretender, the boyars went further and on the night of September 21 allowed the troops of Hetman Zholkiewski into the Kremlin, after whose departure in October power passed to the garrison commander Alexander Gonsevski. Boyar Mikhail Saltykov became the “right hand” of the Kremlin commandant. After the interventionists appeared in the Kremlin, representatives of the “Seven Boyars” turned from collaborators into hostages, and after the surrender of the garrison of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth troops, many of them were “liberated” and took part in the election of the new Russian Tsar.

Title "Seven Boyars"

When describing boyar commissions by contemporary sources of the Time of Troubles, references are made to “seven-numbered boyars.” The word formation “Seven Boyars” occurs later, in the 19th century. The dissertation on the Seven Boyars contains a reference to the story by A.A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky “Raids, the story of 1613” (1831), where the term “Seven Boyars” appears for the first time.

Number of elected boyars

Boyar commissions had been formed before in the absence of the tsar. As a rule, the composition of these groups was limited to 7 people or were slightly different in quantity. Kotoshikhin writes about this:

“And having gone on a campaign to war, or to pray in a monastery, or for a walk in distant and near places, the royal court and Moscow for protection, he orders one person, a boyar, and with him his comrades, two people, and a Duma nobleman, two people , and Duma clerk."

The state of Russia at the time of the election of the transitional government

The circumstances are such that Russia found itself simultaneously:

• 1) in a state of war with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (since 1604),
• 2) covered by the uprising of False Dmitry II (from 1607)

In addition, Russia almost simultaneously suffered:

• 3) uprising led by Ivan Bolotnikov (in 1606-1607)
• 4) attack of the Nogais (in 1607-1608)
• 5) attack of the Krymchaks (in 1608)

Reasons for the formation of the transitional government

A consistent chain of events led to the emergence of the “Seven Boyars” period

• February 1610 - part of the Tushino oppositionists near Smolensk began negotiations with the Polish king Sigismund about inviting Prince Vladislav to the Russian kingdom with the restriction of his rights in favor of the Boyar Duma and the Zemsky Sobor.
• May 1610 - twenty-three-year-old influential Russian military leader Skopin-Shuisky dies after a feast in Moscow, which leads to increased anti-Shui sentiment.
• June 1610 - part of the Russian Tsar’s troops is defeated by the Poles near the village of Klushino, and the governor of another part of the army, Valuev, agrees to support the candidacy of Prince Vladislav.

Thus, the road to Moscow was open to the Poles. On the other hand, False Dmitry II quickly moved from Kaluga to Moscow.

Moods in the Boyar Duma, Moscow society and the provinces

A small group led by Patriarch Hermogenes supported Tsar Vasily Shuisky. The patriarch himself tried to protect Shuisky even on the day of the latter’s overthrow.

The Golitsyn party hoped to overthrow Shuisky and proclaim Vasily Golitsyn king. At the same time, the Golitsyns were supported by governor Lyapunov.

Tushino boyar Dmitry Trubetskoy secretly negotiated in Moscow in the interests of False Dmitry.

The Romanov clan, which initially focused on the Golitsyns, hoped to place Mikhail Romanov on the throne.

Prince Mstislavsky, who headed the Duma, did not have a clear position, but gravitated towards recognizing the Polish prince as the Russian Tsar.

From mid-July 1610, several thousand troops of the impostor settled in Kolomenskoye. Almost simultaneously, on July 17, Shuisky was overthrown, on July 19 he was forcibly tonsured a monk, and on July 20 letters were sent to provincial cities notifying him of this event. Crown Hetman Zholkiewski was 7 versts from Moscow from the Khoroshevsky meadows on July 24. In this regard, we had to choose between False Dmitry II and Prince Vladislav.

Historian Solovyov assesses the current situation as follows:

“If the impostor could have followers in the lower strata of the Moscow population, then the boyars and all the best people could not agree to accept a thief who would bring to the Duma his Tushino and Kaluga boyars, okolnichy and Duma nobles, who would give the property of rich people to be plundered by his Cossacks and the city spies, their longtime allies. Therefore, for the boyars and the best people, for the protective people who had something to protect, the only salvation from the thief and his Cossacks was Vladislav, that is, Hetman Zholkiewski with his army. The head of the False Dimitrieva side was Zakhar Lyapunov, seduced by the thief’s enormous promises; The head of Vladislav’s side was the first boyar, Prince Mstislavsky, who declared that he himself did not want to be king, but also did not want to see any of his boyar brothers as king, and that he should elect a sovereign from the royal family.”

Convening of the Zemsky Sobor

The Boyar Duma could not elect a tsar without the participation of the Zemsky Sobor, but the situation required a quick decision. Therefore, immediately after the overthrow of the tsar, those representatives of the zemstvo who were available were convened outside the Serpukhov Gate of Moscow. Events are described in different ways. From Kostomarov:

“Zakhar Lyapunov with Saltykov and Khomutov ascended to the high Place of Execution and began to invite the boyars, the patriarch, clergy, nobles, boyar children and the entire Orthodox people to a national meeting outside the Serpukhov Gate. People from everywhere poured out of the Serpukhov Gate. The boyars gathered there. The Patriarch has also arrived."

In the Moscow Chronicler the actions are more brutal:

“All of Moscow entered the city (that is, the Kremlin) and the boyars took Patriarch Hermogenes by force and led them across the Moscow River to the Serpukhov Gate.”

In this case, researchers are faced with a legal case. During the absence of the head of state, political will and execution of the law are necessary, but forceful pressure on one (or several) government representatives may be regarded as an illegal act, and therefore the decision of the Zemsky Sobor in this case may not be considered indisputably legitimate. No less important is the question: was the meeting of people convened through the alarm really a cathedral? According to researcher V.N. Latkin, who used materials from the Stolyarovsky chronograph, which lists the ranks present at the Council of 1610, the minimum composition of the Zemsky Sobor was assembled.

“And the Boyars, Prince Fyodor Ivanovich of Mstislavskaya, and all the Boyars, and Okolnichy, and Duma people, and Stolniks, and Solicitors, and Nobles, and guests, and the best trading people gathered outside the city...”

S. F. Platonov explains the presence of zemstvo officials from the provinces in Moscow by the fact that they were in the capital on service.

Compound

1. Prince Fyodor Ivanovich Mstislavsky - year of birth is unknown, but began his service in 1575. At the moment described, he headed the Boyar Duma. During the interregnum his influence increased and he led negotiations with the Poles. The policy was not active; it was focused on a specific moment. Died without issue in .
2. Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Vorotynsky - year of birth is unknown, but in 1573 he was already a governor in Murom. By the moment described, he had experienced exile, failures and victories in the war, and was an experienced politician. He later laid claim to the throne, but having lost in the political struggle to the Romanovs, he went as an ambassador to the future tsar to invite him to the kingdom. Died in 1627.
3. Prince Andrei Vasilyevich Trubetskoy - year of birth unknown, but in military service since 1573. Activities of a military and managerial nature. By the time described, he had participated in the war with Stefan Batory, the Crimeans, Livonians, Swedes, Cherkassy, ​​was in charge of several cities, and participated in diplomatic missions. Granted by the boyars in honor of the crowning of Boris Godunov on September 3, 1598. He did not shy away from localism. Died without issue in 1611.
4. Prince Andrei Vasilyevich Golitsyn (d. March 19 (31).
5. Prince Boris Mikhailovich Lykov-Obolensky (- June 2).
6. Boyarin Ivan Nikitich Romanov (d. October 23).
7. Boyarin Fedor Ivanovich Sheremetev (d.).

Notes

Links

• Soloviev S. M. History of Russia since ancient times
• Time of Troubles in Russia. Deposition of Shuisky. Seven Boyars

Seven Boyars

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See what “Seven Boyars” is in other dictionaries:

seven-boyars- seven-boyars... Spelling dictionary-reference book

Seven Boyars- (foreign) discord, disorder (a hint of discord and disorder during the Seven Boyars of 1610-1611). Wed. I don’t really admire these partnerships!... Now there will be discord and cleverness. One word: seven-boyars... P. Boborykin. Poor guy. 8. Wed… … Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)