The Electoral Zemsky Sobor of 1598

Introduction. The article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the office materials of the electoral Zemsky Sobor of 1598. Methods and materials. The dates of the “Cathedral Definition,” the “Ladder of Cathedral Ranks,” the “Order of Boris Godunov’s Coronation,” and the “Crucifixion Record” are being clarified. The dependence of the texts of the Sobor Order and the Approved Letter is confirmed, and the use of the texts of the Patriarch’s March District Letters by the authors of the Approved Letter is revealed. Analysis and results. A comparison of the texts of the first and second editions of the Approved Letter allowed the author of the article to identify important details related to the Naming of Boris Godunov to the kingdom. A comprehensive analysis of the documents allows us to conclude that all attempts to justify the rights of the Godunovs to the inheritance of the Muscovite kingdom by the wife of Feodor Ivanovich, Tsarina Irina, failed. The turning point of Boris Godunov’s election campaign was his supplication by members of the “Ecumenical” Council of the icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir and other Moscow shrines, which was interpreted as a clear manifestation of God’s will, and this was confirmed by the ruler’s successful campaign against the Crimean Khan Kaza Giray. It is no coincidence that in the journalism of the time of the Godunovs, the supplication of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God took a central place, and a holiday was approved in honor of the icon on March 9, 1598

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