Boris Godunov
Boris Fyodorovitch Godunov (
Бори́с Фёдорович Годуно́в) (c.
1551 -
April 13,
1605) was a
tsar of
Russia (
1598 -
1605).
Boris Godunov began his career of court service under
tsar Ivan the Terrible and became virtual ruler of
Russia during the reign of Ivan's
imbecile son Fedor (
1584-
1598). In 1598 Fedor died without an heir, ending the
Rurik Dynasty. Boris Godunov then convened a
Zemsky Sobor, a national assembly of
boyars, church officials, and commoners, which proclaimed him tsar on
January 6, 1598. He conducted a successful war against Sweden (
1590-
1595), promoted foreign trade, and dealt ruthlessly with those
boyar families which opposed him. In
1604 boyar animosity combined with popular dissatisfaction ushered in the '
Time of Troubles' - a confused eight-year dynastic and political crisis. Boris Godunov died suddenly in
1605.
Boris Godunov is also the title of
Modest Mussorgsky's
opera, written in
1868 and revised in
1871 and
1873. See
Boris Godunov (opera).
Boris Godunov is also the title of a play by
Aleksandr Pushkin.
External link