Marina Mnishek - biography, information, personal life. Beauty and the impostor
Yuri Nikolaevich Mnishek was born around 1548. He belonged to the family of Polish magnates. He was distinguished by a penchant for a luxurious lifestyle, but his own income was small. He was governor of Sandomierz, Lvov and Sambir. During inspections of the voivodship department, he was repeatedly convicted of embezzlement of state funds, but deftly got out of difficult situations. He supported the adventure of False Dmitry and became part of his army with the title of hetman. In January 1605 he returned to Poland. He again went to Russia in the spring of 1606 as part of the retinue of his daughter Marina. After the overthrow of the impostor, he was sent to Yaroslavl under escort. In the autumn of 1608 he was invited by False Dmitry II to the Tushino camp, but Yuri chose to return to his homeland. Died 1613
When it became clear to Yuri Mnishek that the “prince” was ready to marry his daughter, he told him that marriage was possible only after a change of faith. A Catholic woman could not marry an Orthodox man. Gregory, apparently, had been ready for this step for a long time, since he had no firm convictions. At the direction of Yuri Mnishek, he went to the Franciscan monastery and there he converted to Catholicism. But for Russian supporters, this act of his was kept secret.
The papal nuncio A. Rangoni immediately took the impostor under his protection and advised him to ask the Pope for money to march on Moscow. He wrote a letter to the Vatican and received a positive response.
The adoption of Catholicism by Gregory became known to King Sigismund III, who himself was a zealous Catholic. He immediately agreed to receive the "prince". At the beginning of 1604, Otrepiev, together with Yuri Mnishek and his relative, Prince Adam Vishnevetsky, went to Krakow. First, the impostor visited Nuncio Rangoni and, at his request, agreed to take an oath of allegiance to the Roman church. This ceremony took place on April 17 in the presence of representatives of the Catholic clergy. False Dmitry not only took an oath on the cross, but also made a note about it with his own hand. After that, the Catholic priest communed him and anointed him.
The king's reception took place on 23 April. According to eyewitnesses, "Dmitry Moskovsky" did not produce the most best impression on the experienced politician Sigismund. He was short, stocky, with a round, ugly face, gloomy, deeply sunken dark blue eyes, and coarse reddish hair. There was nothing majestic and noble in his appearance, so he did not at all look like a royal son. But the king did not have to choose. There were no other contenders for the role of prince.
Sigismund tried to be gracious and hospitable. He promised to provide material assistance to the "persecuted wanderer" - an annual allowance of 40,000 zlotys. But he declared that he officially had no right to help him, since he had signed a peace treaty with Russia. However, he will not prevent his subjects from joining the army of "Dmitry" if he wants to win back the "father's throne" from the usurper B.F. Godunov.
The position of the king was very convenient. In case of success of the “tsarevich”, it was possible to find a faithful ally in his person, in case of failure, there could be no claims against him from Tsar Boris.
For the impostor, an audience with the king was important. Although behind the scenes, he was recognized as the king's son and received funds to prepare a campaign against Moscow. In addition, he had the opportunity to officially woo Marina Mnishek. Taught by her father, she declared that she agreed to become a bride, but only after "Dmitry" regained the royal throne. After that, Yuri Mnishek drew up a marriage contract, which consisted of several points.
1. After the accession, the groom had to send the bride 1 million zlotys to pay the debts of the future father-in-law and prepare Marina's trip to Moscow.
2. In addition, the bride had to receive expensive gifts in the form of gold jewelry, valuable trinkets, fabrics and dishes.
3. Before the wedding, Marina must be married to the Moscow kingdom in order to have the right to the throne even after the death of her husband. However, she had the right to maintain the Catholic faith.
4. After the wedding, Marina was to take possession of Novgorod and Pskov with all the lands and income. In these cities, she had the right to build churches and open Latin schools.
5. Yuri Mnishek received ownership of part of Smolensk and some Seversk cities.
6. If the groom does not regain the throne, then Marina can consider herself free from all promises and obligations.
The contract testified that "Dmitry" was interesting as a groom for Marina and her father only on the condition of his accession to the Moscow throne. Otherwise, they were not going to be related to him.
It is interesting to note that the Record (agreement), which False Dmitry signed on May 25, 1604, was by no means drawn up by a Russian person, but by a Pole seeking to write in Russian.
Record of False Dmitry I
“We, Dmitry Ivanovich, by the grace of God, Tsarevich great Russia, Ugletsky, Dmitrovsky and others, the prince from the tribe of his ancestors, all the states of Moscow sovereign and grandfather. (The title of prince, used in this text, was never found in Russian documents. In addition, the real prince Dmitry was only the Uglich specific prince, the Dmitrov principality no longer existed by this time)
Discussing the future state of our life ..., we saw and fell in love with ourselves, being in the kingdom of Poland, in an honest house, of a great family ... the noble lady Marina from Velikie Konchitsy Mnishkovna, the governor of Sendomirskaya, the starostenka of Lvov, Sambirskaya, Medenitsky, etc., the daughter of the noble pan Yury Mnishka from Velikie Konchitsy, voivodes of Sendomir, Lvov, Sambir, Medenitsky, etc. elders, zhup of Russian zhupnik. (The title of Marina and her father in this text looks more impressive than that of the “prince”) (SGGD. Ch. 2. M., 1819. P. 159.)
"Dmitry Ivanovich, by the grace of God, Tsarevich great Russia, Uglitsky, Dmitrovsky, Gorodetsky, etc., and so on. prince from the tribe of his ancestors, of all states belonging to the Moscow monarchy, sovereign and grandfather. We declare, to whom it is necessary to know about this, that we, to the most noble Mr. Yuri ... in eternal times, we gave him and his heirs the Smolensk and Seversk principalities in our Moscow state. (SGGD. Ch. 2. S. 165.)
In this charter, the title of the prince is most perplexing. The real Dmitry did not own either Dmitrov, as already noted, or Gorodets. These principalities existed in the XIII-XIV centuries. In addition, the formula "sovereign and grandfather" was never found in Russian documents at all. All this suggests that both documents relating to the marriage of False Dmitry and Marina Mnishek were compiled by one of the Poles.
Undoubtedly, the impostor also understood the cynical nature of the documents he signed, in which only the interests of the bride and her father were taken into account. But he did not argue with them. Indeed, without the help of the future father-in-law and his relatives, he could not organize a trip to Moscow.
Returning to Sambir, Yuri and False Dmitry began again to send out letters everywhere with an appeal to military people and Cossacks to join the army of the "tsarevich". Soon, Prince Adam Vishnevetsky, the brothers Marina, Nikolai and Stanislav Mniszki, became faithful companions, Cossack ataman Korela.
Prince Adam Vishnevetsky agreed to help the "prince" not only because he was related to the Mnisheks, but also because he was interested in the success of the adventure. His vast land holdings were located near the borders of the Russian state, and because of this, frequent conflicts arose with the tsarist government. With the help of "Dmitry", the prince intended to expand his lands.
Soon, the "prince" had to take measures to ensure that his former acquaintances did not recognize Grigory Otrepyev in him. Therefore, his companions on a trip to Lithuania, the monks Varlaam and Misail, were imprisoned. False Dmitry tried to make his unsightly appearance more impressive: he wore high hats, shiny armor, high-heeled shoes, cut his hair short, carefully shaved his beard and mustache. In monastic guise, he was both long-haired and bearded. In public places he tried to appear only on horseback and in a low-down headdress. But in the Commonwealth, he was not threatened with exposure, there no one was interested in his true origin. The poor gentry and Cossacks were glad to support the "tsarevich" in order to invade the neighboring state under his banner and engage in robberies of the civilian population there. The ultimate goals of the campaign against Moscow were of little interest to them.
By the end of the summer of 1604, the impostor managed to form an army of two thousand. In its ranks there were mounted, well-armed and well-equipped gentry, and Cossacks with only sabers, and infantry with firearms. All of them were quite experienced warriors, but with a small number they could only count on the suddenness of the attack and personal courage. False Dmitry himself tried to master the basics of the strategy and tactics of battle that existed at that time in Europe. This was also supposed to give him an advantage during battles with a large royal army.
In the Time of Troubles, completely unexpected characters often climb to the top of state power, whose main qualities are determination, courage and adventurism.
In the midst of the Russian Time of Troubles at the beginning of the 17th century, Russia for a short time was at the mercy of a man whose identity is disputed to this day, and a proud Polish beauty, ready for anything for the sake of the royal crown. And although their reign was short-lived, they left a mark on history for centuries.
At the end of the 16th century, after the death Ivan the Terrible, Russia faced the threat of a dynastic crisis. Ascended to the throne Fedor Ioannovich, the middle son of Grozny, who did not differ in good health and did not have heirs.
In addition to Fedor Ioannovich, there was only one contender for the throne from the ruling dynasty - Tsarevich Dmitry, son of Ivan the Terrible Maria Nagoy. The prince, together with his mother and entourage, was sent to Uglich, which was given to him to reign.
Strictly speaking, Dmitry Ivanovich could not claim the throne, since he was born from the sixth or, according to another version, the seventh marriage of Ivan the Terrible, who was not recognized by the church.
In May 1591, Dmitry Uglitsky died under unclear circumstances - according to one version, as a result of an accident, according to another, becoming a victim of murderers.
"Miracle Saved" Unknown
After the death of Dmitry and the death of Fyodor Ioannovich, who left no heirs, he was elected the new Russian tsar Boris Godunov, to whom rumor attributed the organization of the murder of the little prince.
At the same time, rumors circulated around the country that Tsarevich Dmitry had been saved. loyal people and eventually return to take the throne.
Such rumors were especially actively spread by the opponents of Boris Godunov, who hoped to achieve the overthrow of the tsar with their help.
In 1603, against the backdrop of a three-year famine in Russia, which resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of people and strong dissatisfaction with Boris Godunov, a man appeared in Poland who declared himself the “miraculously saved” Russian Tsarevich Dmitry.
According to the materials of the investigation conducted on the orders of Godunov, the "tsarevich" was a fugitive monk Grigory Otrepiev, son of a Galich nobleman Bogdan Otrepiev. Grigory was close to the boyar family Romanovs, served as a deacon in the Miracle Monastery, at one time performed secretarial duties at Patriarch Job. All this allowed him to collect the necessary information in order to make his own legend plausible.
Despite the fact that the version presented by the commission, created on the orders of Boris Godunov, is recognized by most researchers as the most convincing, there is no one hundred percent certainty that it was Grigory Otrepyev who was the impostor. Therefore, a person who appeared in Poland in 1603 is most often called False Dmitry I.
Grigory Otrepiev. Photo: Public Domain
A novel of convenience
False Dmitry, having settled in the city of Bragin in the service of Prince Adam Vishnevetsky, after some time "revealed" to him, declaring that he was the heir to the Russian throne.
Adam Vishnevetsky, together with his relative Konstantin Vishnevetsky, undertook to patronize the “prince”. The Poles hardly believed in the high origin of False Dmitry, but they wanted to use him to implement their own ambitious plans, which consisted in conquering part of the Russian territories.
In 1604 Konstantin Vishnevetsky took False Dmitry to Krakow to introduce him King of the Commonwealth Sigismund III. On the way, Vishnevetsky drove into Sambir to visit his father-in-law, governor of Sandomierz Yuri Mnishek, introducing him to False Dmitry. In Sambir, False Dmitry met the family Yuri Mnishek, including his youngest daughter Marina Mnishek.
Yuri, aka Jerzy Mnishek, was an adventurer by nature. His financial affairs were not going well, and in the Vishnevetsky venture, he saw a great opportunity to improve them. Moreover, False Dmitry unexpectedly began to show signs of attention to his daughter Marina.
Researchers agree that the “prince” had no selfish considerations in this case. The outwardly unsightly "heir to the Russian throne" simply fell in love with a proud and arrogant Polish beauty.
Marina Mnishek, who was about 16 years old at the time of the meeting with False Dmitry, was an adventurer to match her father. She dreamed of fame, power and wealth. The timid and ugly native of Russia did not cause her anything but ridicule, but her father painted her a brilliant picture of her transformation into a Russian queen.
False Dmitry I and Marina Mnishek. Engraving by G. F. Galaktionov early XIX century. Photo: Public Domain
This changed Marina's attitude towards the admirer, and she showed her favor to him.
big promises
At a private audience, Sigismund III "privately" recognized False Dmitry as the heir to Ivan IV, appointed an annual allowance of 40,000 zlotys, and allowed volunteers to be recruited on Polish territory. In response, promises were received from False Dmitry after accession to the throne to return half of the Smolensk land to the Polish crown, together with the city of Smolensk and Chernigov-Seversk land, to support the Catholic faith in Russia - in particular, to open churches and admit Jesuits to Muscovy, to support Sigismund in his claims to Swedish crown.
False Dmitry in Poland was generally generous with promises and promises. In order to get consent to marry Marina, he secretly converted to Catholicism, promised to pay Yuri Mniszek 1 million zlotys, not to embarrass future wife in matters of faith and give her a "vein" - Pskov and Novgorod, and these cities were to remain with her even in case of her "infertility", with the right to distribute these lands to her service people and build churches there. In addition, Mnishek himself was also promised the Chernigov-Seversk land without 6 cities, which were transferred to Sigismund III, and the Smolensk land was divided between the king and Mnishek.
After that, the engagement of False Dmitry and Marina Mnishek took place, and the wedding itself was postponed until the “tsarevich” took the Moscow throne.
At that moment, many even in Poland did not believe in the success of the enterprise. Crown Hetman Jan Zamoyski openly called False Dmitry an impostor, believing that this whole adventure would not end in anything good.
Absentee marriage of the king
In August 1604, the mercenary army of False Dmitry I, assembled by the Vishnevetskys and Mnishek, entered the Russian state. The war went on with varying success until the death in April 1605 of Boris Godunov. After that, Godunov's son Fyodor was unable to retain power, the army and the nobility went over to the side of False Dmitry. In early June 1605, Fyodor Godunov and his mother, as well as many of their supporters, were killed in Moscow, after which, on June 20, False Dmitry solemnly entered Moscow.
On July 30, 1605, the impostor was crowned king, which is a unique case in Russian history.
Having reached the throne, False Dmitry, to the displeasure of Sigismund III, was in no hurry to fulfill his earlier promises to transfer land and turn Russia into a Catholic country.
Marina is another matter - he really wanted to see her as his queen.
On November 22, 1605, a magnificent ceremony of the absentee marriage of False Dmitry and Marina Mnishek took place in Krakow, at which the groom was represented Special Ambassador Afanasy Vlasiev.
Absentee betrothal of Marina and Demetrius in Krakow in 1605. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Shakko
In the spring of 1606, Marina Mnishek, accompanied by a large retinue, went to Russia with her father. She was greeted solemnly, as befits a queen. On May 3, Marina entered Moscow and met her husband.
10 days of Queen Marina
The influx of Poles and the arrogant behavior of Marina did not please the Muscovites, but False Dmitry did not pay attention to such trifles.
There was a wedding and coronation of Marina. But here a difficulty arose - a zealous Catholic, who was instructed by her spiritual mentors in Poland to seek the transition of Russia to the "Roman faith", it was necessary to go through Orthodox rites.
And then Marina showed her character, for the sake of the crown, spitting on all dogmas and principles and getting married according to the Russian rite.
The happy life of Marina Mnishek as a Russian queen lasted ten days. Discontent and unrest among the people regarding the Polish dominance at the court of False Dmitry, as well as the arrogant Pole as a queen, was skillfully used by the organizers of a new coup, headed by Vasily Shuisky.
To help the conspirators, there was also a protracted wedding celebration, during which the visiting Poles behaved, to put it mildly, defiantly.
Russian mercy for a Polish beauty
On May 27, 1606, a rebellion broke out against False Dmitry, the participants of which announced that "the tsar is not a tsar, but an impostor." False Dmitry was taken by surprise by this turn. He fled, leaving his wife to the mercy of fate, shouting to her only something like: "Darling, treason!"
This time, luck left him - fleeing from persecution, he jumped out of the window and injured his leg, falling into the hands of the rebels. After some mockery, they killed him, and then they continued to mock at the corpse. In the end, the mutilated body was burned, the ashes were loaded into a cannon and fired towards the Polish border.
If False Dmitry was unlucky, then Marina was incredibly lucky. At first, she was simply not recognized, which anxiety caught in one underwear. She managed to hide in one of the chambers, where only the courage of the guard, who sacrificed his life in a fight with the rioters, saved her from reprisal.
Then the Russian boyars came to the rescue, who, with all their antipathy towards Marina, did not want her death. The deposed queen was sent to the house of her father, Yuri Mnishek.
Vasily Shuisky, who came to power, exiled the Mnisheks to Yaroslavl, where they lived until July 1608.
At this time, Vasily Shuisky concluded an agreement with Sigismund III, one of the clauses of which was decided that the Mniszeks would return to Poland, and Marina would no longer claim the Russian throne.
M. P. KLODT. "Marina Mnishek and her father Jerzy Mniszek in custody in Yaroslavl." Photo: Public Domain
Second try
But by that time, Moscow had already been besieged by the army False Dmitry II. Even less is known about the identity of this impostor, but by 1608 his camp in Tushino had become an alternative Russian capital.
In the eyes of his supporters, False Dmitry II, of course, was again the "miraculously saved" Tsar Dmitry Ivanovich, which means that Marina Mnishek was his legal wife. To confirm this, the supporters of the impostor intercepted the Mnisheks who went home and took them to the Tushino camp.
Marina saw perfectly well that False Dmitry II was not her husband, but for such revelations she could be killed on the spot. But not only that, now she was required to fully fulfill marital duties. Despite all her lust for power, she was not ready for this.
However, Yuri Mnishek, who had a new chance to receive what was once promised by the first False Dmitry, began to persuade his daughter, to convince her of the need to step over herself for the triumph of the Catholic faith in Russia ...
"The Arrival of Dmitry the Pretender ( Tushinsky thief) after fleeing Tushin. Painting by Russian artist Dmitriev-Orenburgsky, engraving by Rashevsky. Photo: Public Domain
In the end, Marina gave up. This was a difficult test - if the first False Dmitry was a well-read man, who had an idea of good manners and, moreover, passionately in love with her, then the second False Dmitry, a rude and narrow-minded person, considered her exclusively as a household item. Despite this, Marina even gave birth to a child from him, which was declared Tsarevich Ivan Dmitrievich.
In December 1610, False Dmitry II was killed in Kaluga. The Polish King Sigismund III offered Marina to give up her claims to the Moscow throne, in return for gaining power over one of the two cities - Sambir or Grodno.
Mother of the "heir to the throne"
But Marina, who had experienced a lot in Russia, refused to obey, setting against herself and the Poles. Her trump card was her son, who in the eyes of many was Tsarevich Ivan Dmitrievich, the legitimate heir to the Russian throne.
Its main pillar was Ataman of the Don Cossacks Ivan Zarutsky, who previously served as False Dmitry II. Marina was drawn to this strong man, who became, as they say now, her common-law husband. There is a version that Zarutsky was the real father of Ivan Dmitrievich.
Marina and Zarutsky, entrenched in Kaluga, sent letters around Russia with an appeal to unite around "Tsarevich Ivan Dmitrievich." Then in 1611 they moved to Kolomna.
Despite the fact that a number of cities swore allegiance to Ivan Dmitrievich, Marina Mnishek and Zarutsky did not receive wide support. The little “prince” was given the nickname Vorenok.
After the militia of Dmitry Pozharsky and Kozma Minin took Moscow, Marina Mnishek's dreams of the Russian throne, if not for herself, then at least for her son, finally crumbled.
Zemsky Sobor in 1613 elected the new king Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. Zarutsky, who did not recognize this decision, was declared an enemy of the state and troops were sent against him.
Curse of the doomed
Ataman and Marina Mnishek began to lose the support of their supporters. They retreated to the south of the country and by the end of 1613 reached Astrakhan. Their friends became less and less, and their enemies more and more. In the spring of 1614 they were besieged in the Astrakhan Kremlin.
Marina's flight with her son. Artist Leon Jan Vychulkovsky. Photo: Public Domain
The last refuge of Marina Mnishek with her son and ataman Zarutsky in May 1614 was Bear Island on the Yaik River, where they were captured Streltsy head Gordey Palchikov and head Sevastyan Onuchin.
In July 1614, all three were taken to Moscow. The new authorities sought to quickly put an end to the remnants of the Troubles, so they did not stand on ceremony with the captives. Ataman Zarutsky was put on a stake after being tortured. The son taken away from Marina, who was only three years old, was hanged in December 1614 near the Serpukhov Gates of Moscow. According to contemporaries, the noose was not tightened around the boy's neck, and he died from the cold only a few hours later.
There is no reliable information about the fate of Marina Mnishek herself. It is known that at the end of 1614, the Polish ambassadors were told that "Marinka's son was executed, and Marinka in Moscow died of illness and longing of her own free will."
According to legend, Marina Mnishek was imprisoned in the Round Tower of the Kolomna Kremlin, which later became known as Marinkina.
In Russia, this woman has a very bad reputation. It was even said that she knew how to turn into a crow and flew out of her dungeon when she wanted to.
Another legend says that before her death, Marina cursed the entire Romanov family, predicting that their murders would continue until the entire royal family was destroyed. It is quite possible to believe in such a curse on the part of a woman from whom the Romanovs took everything, including her little son.
On the other hand, Marina Mnishek herself chose her fate. Having got involved in the struggle for power, she lost in it. And the losers in such a fight are rarely shown leniency.
Marina Yuryevna Mnishek left a significant mark in the history of Russia as the first woman who was crowned before Catherine I. She was born in 1588 in Poland in the Carpathian town of Sambor. Also in early childhood her mother Jadwiga Tarlo died. The father of Marina Mniszek Jerzy (Yuri) Mniszek was a noble Polish gentry and a Sandomierz voivode.
Her biography is contained in the "diary of Marina Mnishek" - the manuscript of one of the court Poles close to her, whose name has not been established.
Marina was the fourth daughter in the family. On the paternal side, the Mnishek family was very old and noble, had roots in the Czech Republic and Moravia. Thanks to her noble origin, the high position of her father, the luxury and wealth of Sambor, stories about the great deeds of her ancestors before the German emperors, such character traits as ambition and pride were instilled in Marina from childhood. In her family, she learned to read and write, studied Catholic theology.
After the death of his wife, Marina's father remarried, but began to lose his influence and wealth. To correct the shaky situation, he gave his daughter Ursula in marriage to the old prince Konstantin Vishnevetsky. The same fate (saving her father from a debt hole through marriage) awaited her sister Marina. According to the memoirs of her contemporaries, the girl was graceful, persistent and mysterious with black hair and thin face outlines.
False Dmitry I and the cunning plan of Father Marina Mnishek
After rumors appeared in 1604 about the miraculous salvation of the Russian Tsarevich Dmitry among the gentry of the Commonwealth, Marina's father was inspired. He came up with an ingenious, win-win, but at the same time simple plan: to marry Marina to False Dmitry so that she would become the queen of the Moscow principality (one of the richest states of that time). The father knew about the true origin of False Dmitry I from Adam Vishnevetsky, to whom False Dmitry had once revealed himself. Father invites Dmitry to his house. He falls in love with 16-year-old Marina at first sight and immediately offers to marry her. But the father prudently requires guarantees, for which in Sambor on May 25, 1604 he concludes an agreement with Dmitry, according to which he swore an oath:
- marry Marina immediately after accession;
- give her jewels;
- transfer to her full possession of Pskov and Novgorod;
- Marina could freely practice Catholic Christianity;
- in the event of the failure of the adventure of False Dmitry, Marina could remarry another;
- send a million zlotys to Marina's father to cover her debts and equip her daughter in Moscow (and on June 12 also transfer to Marina's father the ownership of the Seversk and Smolensk principalities).
Among historians, there is an assumption that Dmitry revealed his real name to his future wife. But this truth did not frighten her, because. she pursued her mercantile and ambitious interests.
Another part of historians argue that love was mutual, because. in Russian chronicles there is evidence that Dmitry was brave, witty, handsome, strong and that Marina was in love with him.
Undoubtedly, Father Jerzy Mniszek played a huge role in organizing the so-called expedition of "Tsarevich Dimitri".
In November 1605, despite the absence of a fiancé, Marina Mnishek was betrothed to the deacon Vlasiev, who portrayed the face of her husband (the so-called betrothal “through a representative”). She received rich gifts, and was about to go to Moscow. The departure was repeatedly postponed. On May 3, 1606, accompanied by her father and a rich retinue, she arrived in Moscow.
After 5 days, the coronation and wedding took place, which were accompanied by provocative actions for the Russian people on the part of Polish adventurers:
- the custom was violated not to marry before Friday - fasting day;
- over the Marina was raised the cap of Monomakh, which was intended only for kings, and not for queens;
- Marina, without the permission of the Pope, could not get married according to the Orthodox rite, but political circumstances were more important for her;
- at the wedding, the newlyweds defiantly used forks, which was a shock to the Russian boyars, who used only spoons.
For a whole week, the first queen in Russia ruled in Moscow. But after the imminent death of her husband, a new life full of hardships awaits her.
False Dmitry the First was overthrown by indignant subjects. After this incident, Marina Mnishek wanted to stay in Russia and refused to return to her homeland in Poland. Then her second husband appeared, who also pretended to be the miraculously saved Dmitry. Marina Mnishek was ambitious and tried by all means to maintain her power in Russia. From False Dmitry, she conceived a son, whom she named Ivan. Even during pregnancy, he was called by the people "Vorenok" (Ivan Vorenok - in honor of the father of the "thief", and then all rebels and intruders were also called a thief). But this is only one of the versions, because. It is not known for certain who his father was. Marina herself declared him the offspring of the true heir to the Russian throne.
Under the auspices of the Don Cossacks
After the assassination of False Dmitry II, chaos began. The people were aggressive towards all foreigners. Pregnant Marina called on the people to avenge her murdered husband, but the people were deaf. Only the Don Cossacks responded to her request under the leadership, who, moreover, felt sympathy for her. The Cossacks under his command attacked the Kaluga Tatars and killed everyone. A few days after these events, Marina gave birth to a son, Ivan, and called on all the townspeople to swear allegiance to him as the legal heir to the Russian throne. But the people considered her a witch and an enemy. And even the army of Jan Sapieha, who arrived here at the request of Marina Mnishek, could not save her.
The Polish subject Marina was under the protection of the Cossacks of Ivan Zarutsky. In the Cossack freemen, her three-year-old son grew up and was brought up. But apart from these Cossacks, no one wanted to recognize the king in the boy.
After liberation from the Polish occupiers of Moscow in 1612 and the wedding of Mikhail Romanov in 1613, Prince Dmitry Trubetskoy, who was close to Ataman Ivan Zarutsky, received possession of the richest region of Vaga, which was owned by the Shuiskys and Godunovs.
But the inner turmoil was not eliminated. Part of the robber detachments from all over Russia approached Lebyadnya - the headquarters of Ivan Zarutsky. In addition, he was supported by the Cherkasy people.
Tsar Michael sent Prince Odoevsky Ivan Nikitich to suppress the rebellion. By the end of April 1613, a new army was assembled from the recruits of the cities closest to Moscow. Odoevsky with this army went to the headquarters of Ivan Zarutsky - to Lebedyan. But he with the Cossacks and Cherkasy went towards Voronezh. Odoevsky turned around and caught up with the enemy at the end of May near Voronezh, where he fought the rebels for two days. As a result, the rebel army was defeated, and Zarutsky himself was forced to flee beyond the Don. The tsarist voivode Odoevsky decided that this was over with the rebels and stopped in Tula. But after a while, Zarutsky went to Astrakhan, where he found many like-minded people. There he established his new headquarters.
Cossack Zarutsky was sure that he would be able to enlist the support of the Persian Shah Abbas, the Volga Cossacks, wandering robbers of the Moscow region, Nogays, Yurt Tatars and go with these combined forces up the Volga, subjugating more and more cities. Due to the impoverishment of the state, he managed to capture the Volga regions, which served as a source of fisheries, as well as Astrakhan.
Ivan Zarutsky killed all the resisting nobles and boyars of Astrakhan. With the help of the Tatars, he intercepted messengers and convinced that allegedly all of Russia had long sworn allegiance not to Mikhail, but to the impostor. So he managed to enlist influential allies.
He also sent his subject Timofey Chulkov to walk with a letter, on which all the inhabitants of Astrakhan had to “make a hand”, but not read the contents of the letter. Those who refused were subjected to torture. Most didn't ask too many questions. But numerous bloodshed and executions made Marina Mnishek (who had been with Ataman Zarutsky all this time) fear an unexpected uprising of the townspeople. She asked not to call for matins, because. this supposedly can wake up the son. The real reason was the fear of "coming". Ataman Zarutsky dreamed of enlisting the support of Persia, for which he transferred Astrakhan to her. But most of Cossacks did not agree with this decision.
Suppression of the rebellion
At the same time, towards the end of winter, Tsar Michael took active measures to suppress numerous small rebellious groups in Russia. He instructed the princes Odoevsky and Golovin to clear Astrakhan from the rebels. At the same time, the tsar sent a letter to the adventurer Zarutsky with a full pardon in the event of a cessation of hostilities. But he refused.
As a preventive measure against the massacre of unarmed residents, the Astrakhans themselves raised a revolt from within. And at the same time went to Astrakhan royal army. Having learned about this from the rebellious Cossacks, the Yurt Tatars and part of the Cossacks (who became defectors) fell away. At the same time, a detachment of Khokhlov came out against them from Terk, breaking the remaining parts of the rebellious army.
Marina Mnishek, together with Ivan Zarutsky and her young son, was forced to flee and hide in ordinary reeds. Upon learning of this, local fishermen immediately reported them to the authorities.
After the siege of the rebellious Cossacks by the archers, the Cossacks themselves tied up their chieftain, Marina and her son, and handed them over to the archers. At the same time, they swore allegiance to Mikhail Romanovich and were pardoned. The children of the Nogai prince Ishterek and Murza Dzhan-Arslan were also taken prisoner by the Streltsy.
To prevent a potential riot and attempts to free them, on July 13 Odoevsky sent Ivan Zarutsky, Marina Mnishek and her son to Kazan. Large escort troops were sent with them.
In shackles and under escort, Marina Mnishek was taken to Moscow, where she so dreamed of ruling. There, outside the Serpukhov Gates of Moscow, the archers carried out a massacre of Ivan Zarutsky, who was put on a stake.
The execution of the four-year-old son Ivan
At that time, Mikhail Romanov had already been elected to the royal throne in the capital. Sagittarius felt that a four-year-old child could cause new unrest, because. he was the offspring of the officially crowned and popularly recognized Marina. Therefore, it was necessary to get rid of it. A terrible and cruel public execution awaited him. Having taken the four-year-old son from the hands of the sleeping Marina Mnishek, he was publicly hanged.
What happened to Marina Mnishek herself, her further fate not known for certain. According to Polish sources, she was also executed. According to the Russians, she died in prison from grief.
After that, the troubles became minor and episodic.
The execution of a four-year-old child did not make sense and did not lead to any historical results except for one: no more "Ivan Dmitrievich" would claim the Russian throne.
The most contradictory and paradoxical thing about the execution of this child is that the royal “bastards”, as a rule, were not executed just for the fact of their birth. Usually they were exiled to monasteries, or "accidents" were arranged. Public execution in this case is an exorbitant measure that still causes vivid emotions among researchers.
Many questions remain unresolved:
- With what wording were the condemned condemned to execution? By what verdict?
- Who were among the judges?
- What charges could be brought against 3 summer child(apart from the potential to become the cause of new unrest in the distant future)?
Legends, legends, beliefs
Today, this story is overgrown with more and more legends. So, in the Kolomna Kremlin, a belief about the ghost of Marina Mnishek took root: supposedly her soul, which did not find peace, remained forever in the building. Many visitors spoke about the gloom of the Kremlin corridors, in which they allegedly felt the invisible, fixed and piercing gaze of someone.
But this belief gave birth to another legend, according to which, in order to gain mutual love(especially for those who suffer from unrequited relationships) you need to ask the ghost of Marina Mnishek for help and good luck in love.
There is another legend about the ability of Marina Mnishek to turn into a bird. According to legend, she flew out of the Kolomenskaya Tower through the window whenever she felt like it, and the guards were strictly forbidden to even just look into the eyes of the prisoner. This was explained by the fact that looking at her, you can instantly fall in love and just burn out with ardent passion.
Until now, the Kolomna Kremlin has preserved a round tower, which is still called Marinkina (in honor of Mnishek). Also known to the whole world is her portrait from the Vyshnevetsky castle, which is called "1604".
These events are narrated by one of the most famous domestic plays, Boris Godunov, which was first staged in 1870 at the Mariinsky Theatre. Then it was screened many times. In particular, in 1987 Marina Mnishek was played by Irina Malysheva, and in 2011 by Agniya Ditkovskite.
The Curse of the Romanov Dynasty by Marina Mnishek
There is an opinion that the boyars themselves found a certain symbolism in the murder of Marina Mniszek's little son Ivan: the turmoil began with the death of the child, and it must end with the death of an innocent child.
However, it is symbolic that the very fall of the Romanov dynasty in the 20th century, 3 centuries after these events, will also occur through the murder of innocent little children!
This is due to the folk legend about the existence of a curse that Marina Mnishek sent to the entire Romanov dynasty. According to legend, Marina predicted that all the Romanovs would not die a natural death and, in the end, the power of the dynasty would be overthrown. You can believe that Marina Mnishek cursed the Romanov family, or not. But history and facts only confirm this legend.
Yuri Mnishek
Yuri Nikolaevich Mnishek was born around 1548. He belonged to the family of Polish magnates. He was distinguished by a penchant for a luxurious lifestyle, but his own income was small. He was governor of Sandomierz, Lvov and Sambir. During inspections of the voivodship department, he was repeatedly convicted of embezzlement of state funds, but deftly got out of difficult situations. He supported the adventure of False Dmitry and became part of his army with the title of hetman. In January 1605 he returned to Poland. He again went to Russia in the spring of 1606 as part of the retinue of his daughter Marina. After the overthrow of the impostor, he was sent to Yaroslavl under escort. In the autumn of 1608 he was invited by False Dmitry II to the Tushino camp, but Yuri chose to return to his homeland. Died 1613
When it became clear to Yuri Mnishek that the “prince” was ready to marry his daughter, he told him that marriage was possible only after a change of faith. A Catholic woman could not marry an Orthodox man. Gregory, apparently, had been ready for this step for a long time, since he had no firm convictions. At the direction of Yuri Mnishek, he went to the Franciscan monastery and there he converted to Catholicism. But for Russian supporters, this act of his was kept secret.
The papal nuncio A. Rangoni immediately took the impostor under his protection and advised him to ask the Pope for money to march on Moscow. He wrote a letter to the Vatican and received a positive response.
The adoption of Catholicism by Gregory became known to King Sigismund III, who himself was a zealous Catholic. He immediately agreed to receive the "prince". At the beginning of 1604, Otrepiev, together with Yuri Mnishek and his relative, Prince Adam Vishnevetsky, went to Krakow. First, the impostor visited Nuncio Rangoni and, at his request, agreed to take an oath of allegiance to the Roman church. This ceremony took place on April 17 in the presence of representatives of the Catholic clergy. False Dmitry not only took an oath on the cross, but also made a note about it with his own hand. After that, the Catholic priest communed him and anointed him.
The king's reception took place on 23 April. According to eyewitnesses, "Dmitry of Moscow" did not make the best impression on the experienced politician Sigismund. He was short, stocky, with a round, ugly face, gloomy, deeply sunken dark blue eyes, and coarse reddish hair. There was nothing majestic and noble in his appearance, so he did not at all look like a royal son. But the king did not have to choose. There were no other contenders for the role of prince.
Sigismund tried to be gracious and hospitable. He promised to provide material assistance to the "persecuted wanderer" - an annual allowance of 40,000 zlotys. But he declared that he officially had no right to help him, since he had signed a peace treaty with Russia. However, he will not prevent his subjects from joining the army of "Dmitry" if he wants to win back the "father's throne" from the usurper B. F. Godunov.
The position of the king was very convenient. In case of success of the “tsarevich”, it was possible to find a faithful ally in his person, in case of failure, there could be no claims against him from Tsar Boris.
For the impostor, an audience with the king was important. Although behind the scenes, he was recognized as the king's son and received funds to prepare a campaign against Moscow. In addition, he had the opportunity to officially woo Marina Mnishek. Taught by her father, she declared that she agreed to become a bride, but only after "Dmitry" regained the royal throne. After that, Yuri Mnishek drew up a marriage contract, which consisted of several points.
1. After the accession, the groom had to send the bride 1 million zlotys to pay the debts of the future father-in-law and prepare Marina's trip to Moscow.
2. In addition, the bride had to receive expensive gifts in the form of gold jewelry, valuable trinkets, fabrics and dishes.
3. Before the wedding, Marina must be married to the Moscow kingdom in order to have the right to the throne even after the death of her husband. However, she had the right to maintain the Catholic faith.
4. After the wedding, Marina was to take possession of Novgorod and Pskov with all the lands and income. In these cities, she had the right to build churches and open Latin schools.
5. Yuri Mnishek received ownership of part of Smolensk and some Seversk cities.
6. If the groom does not regain the throne, then Marina can consider herself free from all promises and obligations.
The contract testified that "Dmitry" was interesting as a groom for Marina and her father only on the condition of his accession to the Moscow throne. Otherwise, they were not going to be related to him.
It is interesting to note that the Record (agreement), which False Dmitry signed on May 25, 1604, was by no means drawn up by a Russian person, but by a Pole seeking to write in Russian.
Record of False Dmitry I
“We, Dmitry Ivanovich, by the grace of God, the prince of great Russia, Ugletsky, Dmitrovsky and others, the prince from the tribe of our ancestors, of all the states of Moscow sovereign and grandfather. (The title of prince, used in this text, was never found in Russian documents. In addition, the real prince Dmitry was only the Uglich specific prince, the Dmitrov principality no longer existed by this time. - L. M.)
Discussing the future state of our life ..., we saw and fell in love with ourselves, being in the kingdom of Poland, in an honest house, of a great family ... the noble lady Marina from Velikie Konchitsy Mnishkovna, the governor of Sendomirskaya, the starostenka of Lvov, Sambirskaya, Medenitsky, etc., the daughter of the noble pan Yury Mnishka from Velikie Konchitsy, voivodes of Sendomir, Lvov, Sambir, Medenitsky, etc. elders, zhup of Russian zhupnik. (The title of Marina and her father in this text looks more impressive than that of the “prince”. - L. M.) (SGGD. Ch. 2. M., 1819. S. 159.)
“Dmitry Ivanovich, by the grace of God, Tsarevich of Great Russia, Uglitsky, Dmitrovsky, Gorodetsky, and so on and so forth. prince from the tribe of his ancestors, of all states belonging to the Moscow monarchy, sovereign and grandfather. We declare, to whom it is necessary to know about this, that we, to the most noble Mr. Yuri ... in eternal times, we gave him and his heirs the Smolensk and Seversk principalities in our Moscow state. (SGGD. Ch. 2. S. 165.)
In this charter, the title of the prince is most perplexing. The real Dmitry did not own either Dmitrov, as already noted, or Gorodets. These principalities existed in the XIII-XIV centuries. In addition, the formula "sovereign and grandfather" was never found in Russian documents at all. All this suggests that both documents relating to the marriage of False Dmitry and Marina Mnishek were compiled by one of the Poles.
Undoubtedly, the impostor also understood the cynical nature of the documents he signed, in which only the interests of the bride and her father were taken into account. But he did not argue with them. Indeed, without the help of the future father-in-law and his relatives, he could not organize a trip to Moscow.
Returning to Sambir, Yuri and False Dmitry began again to send out letters everywhere with an appeal to military people and Cossacks to join the army of the "tsarevich". Soon, Prince Adam Vishnevetsky, the brothers Marina, Nikolai and Stanislav Mnishki, the Cossack ataman Korela became loyal associates.
Prince Adam Vishnevetsky agreed to help the "prince" not only because he was related to the Mnisheks, but also because he was interested in the success of the adventure. His vast land holdings were located near the borders of the Russian state, and because of this, frequent conflicts arose with the tsarist government. With the help of "Dmitry", the prince intended to expand his lands.
Soon, the "prince" had to take measures to ensure that his former acquaintances did not recognize Grigory Otrepyev in him. Therefore, his companions on a trip to Lithuania, the monks Varlaam and Misail, were imprisoned. False Dmitry tried to make his unsightly appearance more impressive: he wore high hats, shiny armor, high-heeled shoes, cut his hair short, carefully shaved his beard and mustache. In monastic guise, he was both long-haired and bearded. In public places he tried to appear only on horseback and in a low-down headdress. But in the Commonwealth, he was not threatened with exposure, there no one was interested in his true origin. The poor gentry and Cossacks were glad to support the "tsarevich" in order to invade the neighboring state under his banner and engage in robberies of the civilian population there. The ultimate goals of the campaign against Moscow were of little interest to them.
By the end of the summer of 1604, the impostor managed to form an army of two thousand. In its ranks there were mounted, well-armed and well-equipped gentry, and Cossacks with only sabers, and infantry with firearms. All of them were quite experienced warriors, but with a small number they could only count on the suddenness of the attack and personal courage. False Dmitry himself tried to master the basics of the strategy and tactics of battle that existed at that time in Europe. This was also supposed to give him an advantage during battles with a large royal army.
Sources and literature
SGHD. T. 2. Decree. ed.; Discharge book 1475–1605; RIB. T. 13; Ustryalov I. The legend of contemporaries about Dmitry the Pretender. Part 1. St. Petersburg, 1868; Kostomarov I.I. Time of Troubles in the Moscow state. Part 3. St. Petersburg, 1883; Platonov S. F. Essays on the history of the Troubles in the Muscovite state of the XVI-XVII centuries. M., 1937; Pearling P. Dmitry Pretender. M., 1912; Skrynnikov R. G. Pretenders in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century: Grigory Otrepiev. Novosibirsk, 1987; Morozova L. E. The first impostor in Russia // Troubles: its heroes, participants, victims. M., 2004.
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