Fyodor II Borisovich Godunov (russian: Фёдор II Борисович Годунов) (1589 – 20 June 1605) was
tsar of Russia
This is a list of all reigning monarchs in the history of Russia. It includes the princes of medieval Rus′ state (both centralised, known as Kievan Rus', Kievan Rus′ and feudal, when the political center moved northeast to Grand Duke of Vl ...
during the spring of 1605, at the beginning of the
Time of Troubles
The Time of Troubles (russian: Смутное время, ), or Smuta (russian: Смута), was a period of political crisis during the Tsardom of Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Fyodor I (Fyodor Ivanovich, the last of the Rurik dy ...
.
Life
Fyodor II was born in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, the son and successor to
Boris Godunov
Borís Fyodorovich Godunóv (; russian: Борис Фёдорович Годунов; 1552 ) ruled the Tsardom of Russia as ''de facto'' regent from c. 1585 to 1598 and then as the first non-Rurikid tsar from 1598 to 1605. After the end of his ...
. His mother
Maria Grigorievna Skuratova-Belskaya was one of the daughters of
Malyuta Skuratov
Grigory Lukyanovich Skuratov-Belskiy (russian: Григорий Лукьянович Скуратов-Бельский), better known as Malyuta Skuratov () (? – January 1, 1573) was one of the most odious leaders of the Oprichnina during th ...
, the infamous favourite of
Ivan the Terrible
Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584.
Ivan ...
.
Physically robust and passionately beloved by his father, he received the best education available at that time, and from childhood was initiated into all the minutiae of government, besides sitting regularly in the
council
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
and receiving the foreign
envoy
Envoy or Envoys may refer to:
Diplomacy
* Diplomacy, in general
* Envoy (title)
* Special envoy, a type of diplomatic rank
Brands
*Airspeed Envoy, a 1930s British light transport aircraft
*Envoy (automobile), an automobile brand used to sell Br ...
s. He seems also to have been remarkably and precociously intelligent, creating a map of Russia, which is still preserved.
It was edited with some additions by
Hessel Gerritsz
Hessel Gerritsz ( – buried 4 September 1632) was a Dutch engraver, cartographer, and publisher. He was one of the notable figures in the Golden Age of Netherlandish cartography. Despite strong competition, he is considered by some "unques ...
in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, in 1613, and had been reedited until 1665.
On the sudden death of Boris the sixteen-year-old was proclaimed tsar (13 April 1605). Though his father had taken the precaution to surround him with powerful friends, he lived from the first moment of his reign in an atmosphere of treachery.
On 11 June (N. S.) 1605 the envoys of
False Dmitriy I
False Dmitry I ( rus, Лжедмитрий I, Lzhedmitriy I) (or Pseudo-Demetrius I) reigned as the Tsar of Russia from 10 June 1605 until his death on 17 May 1606 under the name of Dmitriy Ivanovich ( rus, Дмитрий Иванович). A ...
arrived at Moscow to demand his removal, and the letters that they read publicly in
Red Square
Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːətʲ) is one of the oldest and largest squares in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Owing to its historical significance and the adjacent historical build ...
decided his fate. A group of
boyar
A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the Feudalism, feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Kievan Rus', Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria, Russian nobility, Russia, Boyars of Moldavia and Wallachia, Wallachia and ...
s, unwilling to swear allegiance to the new tsar, seized control of the
Kremlin
The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty, Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of th ...
and arrested him.
On June 10th or 20th, Feodor was strangled in his apartment, together with his mother. Officially, he was declared to have been poisoned, but the Swedish diplomat
Peter Petreius stated that the bodies, which had been on public display, showed traces of a violent struggle. Although aged 16, Feodor was known to be physically strong and agile, and it took four men to overpower him.
[R. G. Skrynnikov: ''Boris Godunov'', Moscow: Nauka, 1978/1983 and Gulf Breeze, Fla: Academic International Press, 1978/1982, ]
See also
*
Bibliography of Russian history (1223–1613)
This is a select bibliography of post World War II English language books (including translations) and journal articles about the history of Russia and its borderlands from the Mongol invasions until 1613. Book entries may have references to rev ...
*
Tsars of Russia family tree
The following is a family tree of the monarchs of Russia.
Rurik dynasty
Romanov dynasty
Gallery
File:Ruriks.jpg,
File:Romanov f ...
References
Attribution:
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feodor 02 Of Russia
1589 births
1605 deaths
17th-century Russian monarchs
Russian tsars
Cartographers from the Russian Empire
Murdered Russian monarchs
Eastern Orthodox monarchs
Leaders ousted by a coup
Murdered royalty
16th-century Russian people
House of Godunov
Deaths by strangulation
Russian tsareviches
17th-century murdered monarchs
Murder in 1605