Book contents
- Succession to the Throne in Early Modern Russia
- Succession to the Throne in Early Modern Russia
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Succession to the Throne, Autocracy, and Absolutism
- 2 Designation and Heredity 1450–1533
- 3 Benediction to Election 1533–1598
- 4 Election and Heredity 1598–1645
- 5 Succession and the New Culture of the Court 1645–1689
- 6 Peter the Great and Succession 1690–1719
- 7 Peter’s Heirs and Feofan Prokopovich 1719–1725
- Epilogue and Conclusion
- References
- Index
3 - Benediction to Election 1533–1598
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 March 2021
Book contents
- Succession to the Throne in Early Modern Russia
- Succession to the Throne in Early Modern Russia
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Succession to the Throne, Autocracy, and Absolutism
- 2 Designation and Heredity 1450–1533
- 3 Benediction to Election 1533–1598
- 4 Election and Heredity 1598–1645
- 5 Succession and the New Culture of the Court 1645–1689
- 6 Peter the Great and Succession 1690–1719
- 7 Peter’s Heirs and Feofan Prokopovich 1719–1725
- Epilogue and Conclusion
- References
- Index
Summary
After a fourteen-year boyar regency, Ivan the Terrible was crowned tsar and married to Anastasiia Romanova. In 1553 the tsar’s illness led to a succession crisis: some boyars hesitated to swear loyalty to his infant son. The birth of two more sons, Ivan and Fyodor, guaranteed an heir. As the oldest boy grew up, Tsar Ivan brought him to meetings with boyars and ambassadors, took him along for military campaigns, and had him married. The son’s untimely death left his younger brother the heir. Tsar Fyodor was incapable of effective rule and did not produce a son, leading to the election of his brother-in-law, Boris Godunov, as his heir.
Keywords
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- Information
- Succession to the Throne in Early Modern RussiaThe Transfer of Power 1450–1725, pp. 69 - 120Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021