The installation of the new sovereign on the royal throne was scheduled for September 1. It was on this day that it began New Year. In later sources, however, other dates were found: September 2 or 3.

According to established custom, the ceremony was held in the Assumption Cathedral. It was carried out by the patriarch Job. In the Wedding Ceremony, for the first time, it was recorded which of the representatives of the nobility took an active part in it. Some of them were tasked with carrying the royal regalia into the cathedral, others held them during the liturgy. Thus, it was recorded that the Monomakh cap (royal crown) was held by the prince and boyar F.I. Mstislavsky, the scepter (symbol of royal power) was held by boyar D.I. Godunov, apple (power) - boyar S.V. Godunov.

When leaving the cathedral, Tsarevich Fyodor showered the Tsar with gold coins.
Then a grand feast took place in the Faceted Chamber, to which not only representatives of the nobility were invited, but also commoners, members of hundreds of living rooms, merchants, city elders and ordinary Muscovites. Such feasts lasted 10 days. At the same time, barrels of beer and honey were rolled out to the Cathedral Square for the people, and tables were set up with all kinds of treats. In addition, it was announced throughout the country that the population would be exempt from paying taxes for a year, and government employees would receive triple salary. All prisoners were released, and the prisoners were given their freedom and were offered either to stay in Russia and receive a loan to build a house and open a business, or to return to their homeland. At the same time, Tsar Boris swore an oath for 5 years not to execute anyone for crimes.

During the feasts, ranks were generously distributed. Boyar D.I. was declared equerry. Godunov, the Tsar's uncle. Prince M.P. received the nobility. Katyrev-Rostovsky, A.N. Romanov, Prince A.B. Trubetskoy, Prince B.K. Cherkassky, Prince F.A. Marigold. The deviousness was said by M.N. Romanov, B.Ya. Velsky, Prince V.D. Khilkov, M.M. Saltykov, N.V. Godunov, S.N. Godunov, S.S. Godunov (son of boyar S.V. Godunov), F.A. Buturlin. I.I. was appointed Kravchim. Godunov (son of boyar I.V. Godunov), cup maker – P.F. Basmanov, nursery - M.I. Tatishchev.
All these appointments indicate that B.F. Godunov sought to please everyone: the noble Rurikovichs, the blood relatives of Tsar Fyodor the Romanovs, and his own relatives.
The general fun was overshadowed only by the illness and death of the butler G.V. Godunov. S.V. was appointed instead. Godunov. As a result, key positions in the government remained in the hands of the Godunovs, but they were no longer as young and energetic as under Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich. Boris himself was already 47 years old (he was born in October 1552), and at that time this was considered more than mature age.

After final approval by B.F. Godunov on the throne, a new Approved Charter was drawn up, which was signed by all members royal court. In it, the merits of the new sovereign were described in all details: he defeated the Crimean Khan, defeated the Swedish king, established peace and friendship with the Turkish Sultan and Crimean Khan, arranged “all the great states of the Russian kingdom are quiet and serene... Poor widows and orphans are in merciful protection and in strong intercession, mercy and endless rivers of mercy are given to all the guilty.” One copy of this document was deposited in the state treasury, the second - in the tomb of Metropolitan Peter in the Assumption Cathedral. Tsar Boris hoped that this document would stop his subjects from treason in the future. But he miscalculated. By order of the impostor False Dmitry I, both copies of the letter were destroyed.

Only a few dilapidated copies have reached us.
Thus, all documentary sources indicate that B.F. Godunov received royal crown in a completely legal way. First, he was elected sovereign at a representative Zemsky Sobor. Then the clergy and subjects, with the help of the most revered icons, performed the ritual of supplicating him for the kingdom. Then Tsarina Irina Feodorovna, who had legitimate power according to her husband’s will, blessed him to the throne, and finally, in the monastery and Assumption Cathedrals, Patriarch Job blessed him using one of the royal regalia - the life-giving cross.
However, later contemporaries assessed Boris’s accession differently. The unknown author of “History in Memory of Beings,” used by Abraham Palitsyn as a preface to his “Tale of the Trinity Siege,” wrote the following about this:
“To the pious and brave Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich as a king... his successor was the youngest son Fyodor Ivanovich. And that, therefore, not caring about the passing earthly kingdom, but always looking for the irreplaceable, and seeing it with an eye that sees from the highest heavens, according to that permission, the Russian land is peacefully allowed to stay. In his glory, the brother of his queen Irina ascended, like Joseph in Egypt... But even though he was wise in royal government, he was not skilled in the Divine Scriptures, and for this reason he was blessed in brotherly love.” (The Legend of Abraham Palitsyn. M., L., 1955. P. 250–251.)

It can be noted that the version of the “History” of the rise under Tsar Feodor is similar to the “Tale of the Honest Life of Tsar Feodor”. This implies the use of the writings of Job. The only difference is that for some reason the anonymous author presented Fyodor Ivanovich as the “youngest”, although he was 27 years old at the time of his accession. Apparently, this is how he tried to explain why Tsar Fedor did not rule himself.
Further, the anonymous author described how Godunov’s accession took place.

“... to the Tsar Saint Theodore, who exchanged the earthly kingdom for the heavenly one, from many who hold the rule in Russia, the aforementioned Boris is destined to be king. He, either although or not although, soon did not give in to this, and denied many things, and commanded to choose those worthy of this; He himself went to the great Lavra of the Mother of the Word of God... and that sister Queen Irina... serving; from the multitude of people, all day long we force you to accept the kingdom and pray with many tears, but in no way bowing... All the churchwomen, by the command of the patriarch, with the entire consecrated cathedral, accept the icon of the mother of all God... attributed to Luke the Apostle. That same image and other holy icons and relics were not carried away from the place... In the same way, a perishable person is admonished... That image of the Most Pure Mother of God is not worn out to anyone for supplication, except for miraculous icons and... saints... relics for the meeting... It is worthy for that very thing come to Boris’s house, the Mother of all God, and ask for mercy from that most pure image... That image was moved absurdly, and Russia was moved absurdly.
Crowning the former Boris with the hand holy father Ieva... we don’t know, for what reason, - emit a verb, very high and abominable to God: “Behold, father... God is witness to this. No one will be poor or needy in my kingdom.” And rubbing the top of the sap on himself, saying: “And I will share this last one with everyone.” (The Legend of Abraham Palitsyn. pp. 251–252.)

As we see, a contemporary condemned the ritual of supplication by B.F. Godunov icon of the Vladimir Mother of God. He also did not like the words of the new king, uttered during the crowning ceremony. But in general, he did not accuse Boris of usurping power and described in detail the popular processions to him asking him to sit on the royal throne.
This event is presented in a completely different way in “The Tale of Grishka Otrepiev”, “The Tale of Kako” and the related “Another Legend”. For example, in the “Tale” it was written like this: “And under the power of the sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Fyodor Ivanovich ... the ruler of the Tsars, brother-in-law Boris Godunov, was in the Moscow state with his family and began to plot his evil thoughts and crafty customs on the royal family and on the great Russian nobles , looking for the Russian state, as if for the great Russian state, the royal family of lime and great boyars and would themselves reign and reign in the Russian state.” To carry out his criminal plans, he first exiled Tsarevich Dmitry to Uglich, and sent all his relatives to prison, where they were “dead to death and hunger.” Then, with the clerks Shchelkalovs, he slandered Prince Boyar I.F. Mstislavsky and exiled him to the Kirillov Monastery for imprisonment. Then he composed “treacherous words” against the Shuisky princes and sent them around the prisons. Finally, Boris found hired killers, “the bestial villain Mikhail Betyagovsky and his comrades,” who, on his orders, killed Tsarevich Dmitry.
After the death of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, “Boris Godunov began to rise and strengthen himself in the Russian state and bring to himself all sorts of nobles, some with mercy and gifts, and affection, and great promises, and others with anger and ferocity, and exiles, and fierce crafty intent. And then he accepted the scepter of the Russian state and was appointed king.”
(Russian Historical Library. T. 13. St. Petersburg. 1909. Stb. 714–718.)

The content of many works about the Time of Troubles shows that their authors did not strive for historical truth. They carried out the political order of the next contender for the throne. Moreover, for all B.F. Godunov was the most important villain and criminal. This can only be explained by the fact that he was the first to dare to violate the established order of succession to the throne and put on the royal crown without having the rights to it. Only the shock state of Russian society after the untimely death of Fyodor Ivanovich and the deft propaganda of Patriarch Job helped him achieve success. Other contenders for power realized this later and hated Boris, who had bypassed them.

L.E.Morozova
Russian history. Time of Troubles

Dear visitors! We draw your attention to some changes in the Museum's operating hours.

In connection with repair and restoration work, visitors enter the Kremlin through the Trinity Gate, exit - through Spassky and Borovitsky. Visitors enter and exit the Armory through the Borovitsky Gate.

May 7 In connection with the rehearsal of the Victory Parade, access to the box office pavilion of the Moscow Kremlin Museums in the Alexander Garden is only possible from the Lenin Library metro station via an underground pedestrian crossing. Car parking is not possible.

From October 1 to May 15 The Moscow Kremlin museums are switching to winter operating hours. The architectural ensemble is open to the public from 10:00 to 17:00. The Armory is open from 10:00 to 18:00. Tickets are sold at the box office from 9:30 to 16:00. Closed on Thursday. Electronic tickets are exchanged in accordance with the terms of the User Agreement.

From October 1 to May 15 The exhibition of the Ivan the Great bell tower is closed to the public.

In order to ensure the safety of monuments in unfavorable weather conditions, access to some cathedral museums may be temporarily limited.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

Since Fyodor Ioannovich died without leaving heirs, Patriarch Job was to rule the country as the first person after the tsar. However, Job was inclined to believe that Boris Godunov should ascend the throne. He was supported, because Godunov’s activities under Fyodor Ioannovich were highly appreciated by everyone. They begged Boris Fedorovich to marry into the kingdom for a long time. Only after forty mourning days, on February 17, 1598, the Zemsky Sobor (of 474 people) was convened to discuss Boris’s candidacy as the future autocrat.

Godunov's government sought to comprehensively strengthen statehood. Thus, thanks to his efforts, the patriarchate was established, which testified to the increased prestige of Russia. The activities of Boris Godunov were highly appreciated by his contemporaries, therefore, after the death of Tsar Feodor, the Zemsky Sobor elected him to the throne.

On February 21 he was named Tsar, and the wedding took place on September 1, New Year's Day, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Despite the election of Boris as sovereign by the Zemsky Sobor, he remained in the eyes of the boyars an artistic upstart. The Romanovs, Shuiskys, Mstislavskys themselves sought the cap of Monomakh, believing that they had more rights to occupy the royal throne. They stubbornly supported rumors that Tsarevich Dmitry was alive and would soon come to demand his father’s kingdom.

For the first time, the rite of crowning the kingdom in its entirety according to the rite of crowning the Byzantine emperors was performed in 1584 during the crowning of Fyodor Ivanovich. Home integral part The ceremony was the “great” entrance of the sovereign with his retinue into the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Inside the Assumption Cathedral, on the side of the western doors, a special royal place was built for the Metropolitan to lay the royal crown on the head of the king. At the same time, for the first time, as a coronation regalia, the Russian sovereign was given an orb (“sovereign apple”) with a top in the form of a cross as a symbol of power over all the lands of the Orthodox world. The name comes from the Old Russian "d'rzha" power.
Also, Metropolitan Dionysius for the first time gave into the hands of the king a symbol of the supreme royal power - a scepter - a staff lavishly decorated with gems and crowned with a symbolic coat of arms, made of precious materials. After confirmation and communion at the altar, the procession of the sovereign took place from the Assumption to the Archangel Cathedral.

In September 1598, the crowning of Boris Godunov took place. The crowning and anointing of Fyodor Borisovich Godunov, who inherited the throne, were not performed due to the short duration of his reign.

The crowning of False Dmitry I took place in July 1605. First, in the Assumption Cathedral, Patriarch Ignatius laid a crown on him and presented him with a scepter and orb, then in the Archangel Cathedral, Archbishop Arseny crowned him with the cap of Monomakh.

In May 1606, Patriarch Ignatius, contrary to the protest of Archbishop Hermogenes, performed the anointing and coronation of Marina Mnishek, who refused baptism and communion according to the Orthodox rite.

In June 1606, Metropolitan Isidore of Novgorod crowned Vasily Shuisky as king.

Due to the absence of the patriarch, the ceremony of crowning Mikhail Romanov in July 1613 was performed by Metropolitan Ephraim of Kazan.

In 1645, Patriarch Joseph crowned Alexei Mikhailovich as king.

When Fyodor Alekseevich was crowned king in June 1676, the wedding ceremony was again carefully regulated in accordance with the wedding rite of the Byzantine emperors.

In the summer of 1682, the coronation of two brothers, co-rulers Ivan Alekseevich and Peter Alekseevich (later Peter I), took place. For this ceremony, a double silver throne was specially made; for Peter Alekseevich, the so-called Monomakh cap of the second outfit was made according to the model of Monomakh’s cap. At the crowning of Ivan and Peter Alekseevich, Ivan Alekseevich received the scepter and orb from the hands of the highest church hierarch as his elder brother.

With the adoption by Peter I of the title of Emperor of All-Russia, the rite of coronation was replaced by coronation, which entailed significant changes. The imperial mantle or porphyry with a chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called replaced the ancient royal clothing with barmas and a gold chain, the imperial crown replaced the Monomakh cap. The model for the first Russian crown made of gilded silver and precious stones was the crown Byzantine Empire, composed of two hemispheres, symbolizing the unity of the eastern and western parts of the Roman Empire.

After the replacement of the representation of the church in the person of the patriarch with the conciliar representation of the synod, the rite of crowning the kingdom also changed significantly. If previously the leading role in the ceremony belonged to the patriarch or metropolitan, now it has passed to the person being crowned himself. Before Peter I, the royal regalia was entrusted to the king by the highest clergy. This person sat next to the king in the drafting place and addressed the king with instructions. According to the new order, the sovereign sat on the throne not with the leading bishop, but with the empress. He himself placed the crown on himself and himself raised it to the head of the empress.

The first coronation took place in 1724 over Catherine I, the wife of Peter I. Two thrones were placed in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. After the solemn procession, to the ringing of bells and the sounds of regimental orchestras, the emperor elevated his wife to the throne. When the Empress recited the Creed and the Bishop read a prayer, the Emperor placed the robe on the Empress. Having crowned her and presented her with the orb, Peter I led Catherine to the Royal Doors for confirmation and communion of the Holy Mysteries.

At the crowning of Elizabeth Petrovna in 1741, the litany (prayerful petition), troparion (church hymn in honor of the holiday), paremia (readings from the Bible) and reading the Gospel were first introduced into the rites. The litany included a prayer for the crowned monarch.

At the coronation of Catherine II in September 1762, she, the first of the reigning persons, put on the crown with her own hands, and after anointing through the Royal Doors of the church iconostasis, she went to the altar to the throne and received the Holy Mysteries according to the royal rite.

Pavel Petrovich was the first of the Russian tsars to be crowned in 1797 along with his wife. After the ceremony was completed, the monarch, taking his place on the throne and placing the regalia on the pillows, took off his crown and, touching it to the forehead of the kneeling empress, put it on himself. Then he placed on his wife a smaller crown, a chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and the imperial purple.

During the coronation of Nicholas I in 1826, he was presented with a cross for kissing, which was on Peter I during Battle of Poltava and saved him from death. In this way, the church emphasized the heroic spirit of the emperor, shown during the Decembrist uprising in 1825.

Coronation Alexandra III in May 1883 attracted more than half a million people.

Celebrations marking the coronation of the last Russian Emperor, Nicholas II, in May 1896, were overshadowed by the tragedy on Moscow's Khodynka Field: two thousand people died in a stampede for free gifts.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources