Zemsky Sobor of 1613

The Zemsky Sobor of 1613 was a meeting of representatives of the Estates of the realm of the Tsardom of Russia, held for the election of Tsar after the expulsion of the Polish-Lithuanian Occupiers at the end of the Time of Troubles.

After the death of Boris in 1605, they successively ruled: After the overthrow of Vasily Shuisky from the throne as a result of the 27 July 1610 uprising, power in Moscow passed to the interim boyar government (see Semiboyarschina).

In August 1610, part of the population of Moscow swore allegiance to Prince Vladislav, the son of the Polish king and Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund III.

On 5 November 1612, in Moscow, deprived of support from the main forces of Hetman Khodkevich, the garrison of troops of the Commonwealth capitulated.

As can be seen from the list above, they all had serious flaws in the eyes of voters: In addition, the candidacy of Marina Mnishek and her son from a marriage with False Dmitry II, nicknamed "Vorenok", was considered.

This point of view was developed by the historian Nikolai Lavrovsky, who, having studied the reports of sources, built the following scheme of events.

Then the participants of the Sobor began to discuss the question of whom to choose "from the Russian clans" and decided to "elect the tsar from the tribe of the righteous... blessed memory of Feodor Ivanovich of all Russia" – his nephew Mikhail Romanov.

This position was held, in particular, by the largest Russian historians of the 18th – 20th centuries: Nikolay Karamzin, Sergey Solovyov, Mykola Kostomarov, Vasily Tatishchev and others.

They remembered and did not forget her good brother Nikita Romanovich and condoled with his children, whom Boris Godunov had tormented and harassed.

They respected Metropolitan Filaret, the former boyar Fyodor Nikitich, who was captured in Poland and seemed to be a true Russian martyr for a just cause".The cathedral opened on 16 January.

The boyars remembered that the father of the applicant from a noble family and also the cousin of Fyodor Ioannovich, the last king from the clan of Ivan Kalita.

The result undoubtedly deceived expectations, therefore, referring to the absence of many voters, they decided to decisively vote postponed for two weeks...

The leaders themselves obviously needed a respite in order to better prepare public opinion"... (Kazimir Valishevsky) Indeed, a decisive vote was set for 3 March 1613.

According to legend, a special detachment of the troops of the Commonwealth was sent to the village of Domnino, where Mikhail Fedorovich was hiding, to kill him, however, the Domnian peasant Ivan Susanin saved the life of the future king.

Critics of the official version offer another explanation: "Deprived of all education among the turbulent events surrounding his childhood and early youth, probably not being able to read or write, Mikhail could have spoiled everything by appearing in front of the Sobor" (Kazimir Valishevsky) The Sobor continued to insist, but later (tentatively February 17–18) changed the decision, allowing Mikhail Romanov to stay in Kostroma.

On 10 February 1613, two merchants arrived in Novgorod, reporting the following: "The Russian Cossacks, who are in Moscow, wished to be the Grand Dukes of a boyar named Prince Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov.

(Leo Cherepnin) And here is the testimony of the peasant Fyodor Bobyrkin, who also arrived in Novgorod, dated 26 July 1613 – five days after the coronation: "Moscow ordinary people and Cossacks, of their own free will and without the general consent of other zemstvo officials, chose Grand Duke Fedorov's son, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, who is now in Moscow.

"The boyars pulled time at the Sobor, trying to solve the question of the king secretly from the Cossacks and waiting for their departure from Moscow.

On March 2, an embassy under the leadership of the Ryazan archbishop Feodorit Troitsky was sent to Mikhail Romanov and his mother on behalf of Zemsky Sobor to Kostroma.

According to the official version, Mikhail was frightened and flatly refused to reign, so the ambassadors had to show all their eloquence to convince the future king to accept the crown.

Designed to serve as a protocol of a great event, it consists in large part of a literal copy of Godunov’s electoral letter; the very speech delivered to Boris by Patriarch Job is here pounded by the mouth of Archbishop Feodorit addressing Mikhail".