Tsarevna Xenia Godunova: a brief biography and creativity

The life of Tsarevna Xenia Borisovna Godunova quite accurately reflects the whole essence of the Time of Troubles. Her fate is very similar to a fairy tale, unfortunately, did not have a happy ending ... Only at the very beginning there was a hope for a beautiful prince, but she also collapsed. Only at the end of life Xenia could hope for happiness, but this she did not wait. About the life full of tragic events, the article will tell.

Origin

Godunova Xenia Borisovna was born in 1582. Her father, Boris Godunov, at that time was a stables at the court of Ivan the Terrible. Despite the fact that his duties included monitoring the horses of the tsar, at that time this post was very prestigious, as it allowed to be close to the ruler. It was the stablesman during the departure of the king who was his deputy and solved all the problems that arose. This can explain another high position of Boris - the governor of the Astrakhan and Kazan kingdoms. Mother Xenia, Maria, was the sister of one of the most famous and cruel oprichniki, favorite of Ivan the Terrible, Malyuta Skuratov.

Descriptions of contemporaries appearance Xenia

Prince Katyrev-Rostov in the "Tale" describes Xenia as an unearthly beauty and clever woman. The author notes that the princess was notable for her remarkable mind, interested everyone who listened to her with euphonious speeches. She attracted snow-white skin, a blush on her cheeks, large black shining eyes, thick eyebrows. Katyrev-Rostovsky says that the girl had a stately figure. Xenia Borisovna Godunova was neither short nor tall, her blue-black hair was thick, somewhat below her shoulders.

During his father's life, Boris Godunov

Historian Sergei Platonov believed that Boris was preparing his children for the succession of the throne. In 1598, Boris Godunov elected the Zemsky Sobor to rule, since he was the de facto ruler under Fedor Ioannovich, whose brother-in-law Boris was. With the accession to the throne, he ordered to pray not only for the tsar, but also for his wife and children, as heirs of the throne.

What did Xenia Godunova do?

The life of the princess corresponded to the court customs. The main occupations were reading, needlework, training, talking with the father, traveling to monasteries on a pilgrimage. For his children, Boris invited the best overseas teachers. Also, a caring father at an early age instilled a love of reading for Fedor and Xenia, so books of spiritual content were printed specially for them.

Failed Weddings

Many rulers used marriages to fulfill diplomatic tasks. Also wanted to do and Boris Godunov. According to tradition, the daughter of the Russian Tsar could not marry the Russians, since they were lower in status than the princesses, so the grooms were always looking abroad. The first contender for Xenia Borisovna's hand was Gustav Vaza, the Swedish prince. However, he did not like Boris, because he was an alchemist and led a riotous life. The tsar sent him to the honorable exile in Uglich.

Then the duke Johann, son of the Danish king, came to Godunova to marry. He liked both his father and daughters at first sight. Johann was noted for his dazzling beauty and extraordinary intelligence. However, evil fate began to haunt the princess from her youth. When the duke was already beginning to learn Russian customs, the matter was rapidly marching to the wedding, the Danish prince suddenly fell ill and died. Russian princess Xenia Godunova was very sad for him.

It was not possible to connect Godunov himself with kinship ties with representatives of the noble dynasty of the Habsburgs and the Schleswig Duke. The Georgian prince Khosroi never reached Russia due to internal problems in the Dagestani lands.

After the death of Tsar Boris, the overthrow of the throne of Fedor II

Thus, in 1605, when the Godunov dynasty ceased, the princess still remained unmarried. Boris's government had a difficult time, complicated by drought and famine, besides, the people could not accept the tsar chosen by the Zemsky Sobor, and not the one who inherited the throne according to the customs. Dislike for Boris overshadowed the reign of his son, Fedor, who became the shortest stay of a male person on the Russian throne. On June 1, the rebels, supporters of the pretender False Dmitry I, burst into the Kremlin and literally dragged the young king from the throne. Mother, Maria Godunova, kneeling, asked to spare her son. Fedor, Maria and Xenia were taken to their house in the Kremlin and put their guard on them.

The relatives of the Godunovs were also arrested, they began to rob their property. On June 10, princes Golitsyn and Mosalsky, accompanied by three streltsy, appeared in the house of the royal family. Fedor and Xenia were sitting quietly next to their mother. Brother and sister were immediately ordered to divorce in different rooms. At the same time, the queen Maria was also strangled. Fedor, who by nature possessed remarkable strength, for a long time struggled with four killers, until he was still defeated. Xenia was less fortunate than her mother and brother - False Dmitry had heard about the charms of the princess and ordered Mosalsky to bring her. It was announced that Fyodor and Maria had committed suicide.

During the reign of False Dmitry

Young Xenia Godunova and did not know what a terrible time begins for her. The newly-made Tsar makes Godunov his concubine. And although the annals and other written sources that have come down to us describe the events quite sparingly, Ivan Timofeev's "Temporary" says that False Dmitry took Xenia by force. PP Karatygin, a popular author of some historical narratives at the end of the 19th century, who do not give much credence, gives a strict assessment of the princess. He claims that the girl can be subjected to violence once in her life, but not for a long time to suffer the harassment of the hated man who killed the mother and brother. Karatygin is surprised, as Xenia Godunova, whose photo is made on artistic images and descriptions of those who knew her contemporaries, could not kill the impostor.

Inactivity of the girl he rigidly regards as cowardice and meanness. Also, he views as an option the suicide of Xenia in order to get rid of shame (nevertheless, such a situation can be discarded almost immediately, since Ksenia Borisovna was a deeply religious person, and according to Christian laws, one of the most terrible sins was deceiving oneself not according to God Will). Another explanation for this act, according to Karatygin, is a change of anger at mercy. Karatygin suspects that Xenia Godunova - the daughter of Boris Godunov - began in time to feel affection for False Dmitri, and then passionately fell in love with him. The current historians are also trying to find practical sense in Godunova's actions. From their point of view, she, counting on her charm and attractiveness, tried to marry her False Dmitry and thus not just a princess, but a queen. Historians allude to the fact that her father, Boris Godunov, and his grandfather, Malyuta Skuratov, were sophisticated and nimble politicians, always able to achieve the desired by cunning. Also the princess herself studied European chronicles, which gives grounds to assume that she could also be a skilled intriguer.

But the Russian people did not think that Xenia Godunova and Grigory Otrepiev (False Dmitry) were a couple. Godunova's contemporaries could not have had such thoughts. Residents of Moscow XVII century perfectly understood that the beautiful young prisoner-princess could not resist the voluptuousness of the False Dmitry. She was considered a victim, the Muscovites until the end of her days sympathized with Xenia and reverently called the princess, despite the long-standing collapse of the dynasty. The people were very angry because of this on the False Dmitry, which was reflected in the "Story" Katyrev-Rostov. The author calls the ripping out "a rapacious and insatiable wolf", accuses him of depriving the noble virgin of innocence and bewildered, for which Xenia had such a bitter fate. The deacon Ivan Timofeev, who also lived in the 17th century, is convinced that Godunova is innocent and unblemished, since before Princess Fyodor Tsarevna was not in any other relationship.

In tonsure

Soon Xenia was disgusted by False Dmitry. The disappearance of interest in the impostor was also influenced by his upcoming wedding in the Polish Mare Mishek, because her relatives tried to tame the unbridled Falsdmitry, so that there was no embarrassment. At that time, getting rid of the woman was pretty simple. Many kings acted this way - they tonsured them into nuns. This fate did not escape and Xenia Godunova, interesting facts from the life of which are described in the article. In vows she took the name of Olga and was sent to the Resurrection Monastery in Vologda. A year later, the hated Tsar was overthrown. Zemsky Sobor elects the kingdom of Basil Shuisky. The new ruler managed to transfer the remains of his father, mother and brother Godunova to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. Olga was invited to the reinterment of the ashes of her relatives. The procession was quite lavish and solemn: each coffin carried about 20 people. Ksenia Borisovna followed them on a sleigh. Eyewitnesses claimed that she was crying bitterly and appealing to God's judgment of False Dmitry. Then the nun Olga settled near the Trinity Monastery. But the evil rock was following her. In 1608-1610 the monastery survived the siege of the troops of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Xenia and at this time did not leave these places and staunchly endured all the hardships, helping the sisters (nuns) and the needy.

When the blockade was interrupted, Ksenia left the Trinity for the sake of the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow. However, even there the princess could not escape her bitter fate and the horrors of troubled times. Ivan Zarutsky, head of the Cossack uprising, broke into his monastery with his army. During the stay there, Xenia has already managed to strike up a friendship with the nun Martha, who had a similar fate. Previously, the nun Martha was the Livonian queen, but now, like Olga, she spent days in the monastery monastery. Regal nuns Cossacks "robbed naked." Muscovites of that time were terribly unhappy with such a bad act of the Cossacks, who had not even dared to look at Olga and Martha before.

Time of Troubles is over, Xenia Godunova is sent to the Suzdal Intercession Monastery. In 1622, at the age of 40, nun Olga died. Before her death, she ordered that all her modest possessions should be transferred to the Trinity Monastery. The family burial vault of the Godunovs is located in the left porch of the Assumption Cathedral, where the unfortunate princess found her last refuge.

In recent years, historical studies have found facts confirming that in the monastery of the princess Xenia Godunova, whose brief biography is described in the article, gave birth to a false son from Falsdmitry. He was immediately excommunicated from his mother. Nothing is known about the future fate of the boy.

Creativity of Xenia

One of the hobbies of the princess was sewing. In the Trinity-Sergius Lavra there are two samples of sewing XVI-XVII centuries, which are considered to be the work of Xenia Borisovna during the matchmaking. One of them - a cover for the head of the tomb of a famous monk, the founder of several large monasteries (including the Trinity-Sergius Lavra), later ranked as a saint, Sergius of Radonezh. It depicts the Most Holy Trinity in the "ruble" derivation, which was often used at that time. According to the monastery inventory, the cover was made by Xenia Godunova, interesting facts from the life of which are described above. He was presented to the laurels by her father in 1601. The faces and hands of angels are made of silk of grayish color, satin seam, clothes of silver and gold threads with threads of colored silk, creating a peculiar ornament. The borders of the images are decorated with pearls. You can also see the various images that frame the cover. Here there are both biblical characters (John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, the Monk Xenia), and historical personalities (Sergius of Radonezh, princes Boris and Gleb). Another needlework, attributed to the princess -indience "Present the Tsarina at your right hand." The work is done by combining fifteen patterns and seams. India was established in 1602. Against the background of the burlap velvet depicts crooked twigs with fruits of pomegranate. Pearls are sewn on the contours of the figures. The clothes of Jesus and the Mother of God and their crowns are decorated with precious stones. At the feet of Jesus Christ are depicted Sergius and Nikon of Radonezh.

Lamentation of Princess

There are two versions of the folk song "The Lamentation of the Tsarevna", referring to the Time of Troubles. They were recorded after the end of the Troubles in 1618-1620, for a priest who came to Russia as part of the British Embassy, Richard James, who lived in the winter in Kholmogory, since he did not have time on the last ship to swim up to the foggy Albion. About the songs learned only from the notebooks of James and published in St. Petersburg in 1907. Doubtful authorship of Xenia Borisovna, and, most likely, she is only a lyrical heroine. In songs, Xenia mourns for her father and grieves because of family misfortunes. Judging by the content, the work was written after the death of the impostor Grigory Otrepiev. The songs mention the "offense" inflicted by Godunova Falsdmitry. Nevertheless, the people "spared" the heroine, speaking of the connection between Ksenia Borisovna and rasstriga only hints, thereby preserving the image of the heroine clean and unblemished. Although the fate of the princess was very bad, in the works she is described as a young dreamy girl, including wanting to find a good husband. The text of "Weeping the Tsarevna" is laid on the music of the composer Alexei Rybnikov, which became the soundtrack to the film "1612".

Opening of the tomb of the Godunovs

In 1945 the family burial vault of the Godunovs was subjected to autopsy. Many people know anthropologist Mikhail Gerasimov, who recreated many portraits of historical personalities (for example, Sophia Palaeologus or Elena Glinskaya) on the basis of skeletal remains, but unfortunately he failed to conduct the same operation with representatives of the Godunov dynasty. It turned out that the burial had already been touched by some robbers. The bones and contents of the coffins were mixed, the skulls were not preserved. In the exposition of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra you can see a sharp-pointed, tiny little shoe belonging to the princess and found during excavation.

Ksenia Godunova in art

Surprisingly, for the first time the image of a princess appears not in Russian literature, but in German literature. Johann Christophe Friedrich Schiller never finished the drama "Demetrius." In it, Xenia first appears as a symbol of historical hopes. According to the plot, the clever and pure princess had to put an end to civil strife in Russia. The work is interesting not from the point of view of historical truth (here the drama is far from it), but from the position of the plot. According to the idea of the author, Xenia feels deep feelings Mikhail Romanov, who later became king. His love for her is strong, pure and mutual, but the hero does not suspect that Godunov, too, sighs over him. The drama ends with the fact that with the coming to power of False Dmitri Mikhail Fedorovich is imprisoned. There he sees that the soul of Xenia is to him and asks to wait for the fulfillment of his destiny and not to take on his soul a grave sin. Indeed, the uneasy, full of suffering biography of Xenia Godunova could not leave indifferent creative people, not only writers, but also artists. Widespread 19th century paintings "The agents of Dmitry Pretender kill the son of Boris Godunov" by K. Makovsky, "The Princess Xenia Godunova at the portrait of the deceased bridegroom" by V. Surikov and "Xenia Godunova" by S. Gribkov.