“...And the boys are bloody in the eyes...” To most of us, Tsar Boris Fedorovich Godunov still seems to be the same as A.S. Pushkin portrayed him in his immortal tragedy. For the first time in Russian history, he achieved supreme power not by virtue of origin, not by right of belonging to the ruling dynasty, but thanks to his intelligence, abilities and ability to rule the country, Godunov did a lot for the good of the Fatherland - but in the memory of generations he still remained the cruel murderer of the unfortunate Tsarevich Dmitry, the last scion of the Rurik dynasty. The shadow of the innocently murdered prince haunted him all his life and ultimately caused the collapse of all his endeavors and the death of his own family. But was he involved in the crimes of which he is accused? What was more in his reign - genius or villainy? And how well do these qualities coexist in one person? The famous historian, regular author of the “Life” series, discusses all this, as well as the history of Russia at the turn of the 16th–17th centuries, on the very eve of the Great Troubles, which almost destroyed the Russian state. wonderful people" Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Kozlyakov.