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Scholars Determine Tsar Boris Godunov's Exact Date of Birth 30 August 2021, by Olga Sobolevskaya

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Scholars Determine Tsar Boris Godunov's Exact Date of Birth 30 August 2021, by Olga Sobolevskaya Scholars determine Tsar Boris Godunov's exact date of birth 30 August 2021, by Olga Sobolevskaya the death of almost all the last Rurikids—not only Tsarevich Dmitry, but also Ivan the Terrible and Feodor I Ioannovich. Historians turned a blind eye to the tsar's date of birth, with only estimates of the date given: for example, that he was born shortly before the 1552 Kazan campaign, which happened over summer and autumn. However controversial a ruler he was, it makes sense to restore his historical 'rights'—starting by determining his exact date of birth. Feodor Uspenskij and Anna Litvina managed to do so via thorough analysis of one source: Georg Tectander's notes. Georg Tectander von der Jabel (about 1570–1614) wrote: 'Also on August 2, when the Great Prince [Boris Godunov] was celebrating his birthday, they The Russian Noble, Adam Olearius. Credit: Wikimedia sent us, as previously, 200 people from the palace, Commons each of whom was carrying a dish with different types of fish, since it was a fasting day for Muscovites'. HSE University researchers Feodor Uspenskij and The Austrian diplomat's work is hardly unknown: it Anna Litvina studied the notes of Georg Tectander, was published three times while the author was still a diplomat of the Holy Roman Empire, as collected alive, and has been republished since. In 1896, it in the book The Travel to Persia through Muscovy: was translated into Russian and published as a 1602–1603, and discovered the exact date of birth book: The Travel to Persia through Muscovy: of Tsar Boris Godunov: August 2 (Julian calendar) 1602–1603 by Georg Tectander and Stephan or August 12 (Gregorian calendar). The scholars Kakash. However, historians have always seemed then verified and confirmed this date with other to overlook Tectander's remark. Neither the th 17 -century sources—in particular, with the notes ofhistorians Gerhard Friedrich Müller, Nikolay Baron Heinrich von Logau, the Empire's Karamzin, Sergey Solovyov and Vasily ambassador in Moscow. The results of the study Klyuchevsky, nor Godunov's biographers Sergey are presented in a paper published in the Studi Platonov and Ruslan Skrynnikov, took this valuable Slavistici journal (Florence, Italy), and in a follow- evidence into account. up paper to be published by the same journal at the end of the year. Foreign specialists, from mercenaries in the Russian army to merchants and travelers who The controversial ruler Boris Godunov could be considered 'part-time' diplomats, have left (1552–1605) has unwillingly become an unpopular some invaluable evidence. The accounts of English character in Russian history. His biography is full of diplomats Giles Fletcher and Jerome Horsey, the ambiguities and gaps. Some have attributed non- French officer Jacques Margeret at Godunov's existing names to him, others have blamed him for court, ambassador of the Holy German Empire 1 / 5 Sigismund von Herberstein, Dutch diplomat Isaac Kakash, a Catholic, wrote in Latin. Tectander Massa, Ivan the Terrible's German oprichnik published his diaries when he came back home, Heinrich von Staden, German scholar Adam while Kakash wrote 'on the road' during the trip and Olearius, and the Italian Antonio Possevino (a up to his death. papal legate in Eastern Europe), reveal a lot about Muscovy in the 16th–17th centuries. Such 'double recording' has given historians a unique opportunity to cross-check the embassy Setting aside the inevitable bias and variety of secretary's evidence with that of his superior, who interpretation in foreigners' evidence on Russian was recording the same events. 'Tectander passed history, it can still be essential in cross-checking this examination flawlessly: all the dates in his important data. For example, European chronicles notes—including those during his first visit to have repeatedly shed light on events mentioned in Moscow, when the head of the embassy was still their Russian counterparts. alive—completely align with dates provided by Kakash, although not in a simple way,' explain The notes by Tectander, secretary of Emperor Feodor Uspenskij and Anna Litvina. Rudolph II's embassy to Shah Abbas I of Persia, are an example of a trustworthy source. The The issue is the difference in calendars. Even two diplomat visited Godunov's court twice: on his way decades after the introduction of the Gregorian to Persia and on the way back (1602–1604). The calendar, Europe was still living out of sync. Some first time, Tectander came to Moscow with the head had switched to the new calendar, while others of the embassy, Transylvanian nobleman Stephan stuck to the old style. At the time, the difference in Kakash, and then came back without him—the headdates was ten days. Catholic countries had mostly of the mission died on his way to Persia. After switched to the new style, while most Protestant losing all his fellow travelers and enduring monarchies did not accept it. In the religiously hardships, Tectander completed his Persian diverse Holy Roman Empire, the situation was mission (as instructed by the late Kakash) and went particularly ambiguous: people in neighboring lands to Moscow, where he celebrated Boris Godunov's were often using different calendars. Curiously, birthday. Kakash, a Catholic, unexpectedly dated his letters in the old style, while Tectander, his Protestant Importantly, Georg Tectander was extremely assistant, dated his letters in the new style (as was precise in terms of dates. During his mission, he common in his homeland, Bohemia) while the thoroughly recorded every date. He was also very ambassador was alive. worried when he found himself 'out of time' in Persia: 'They [Muslims] have no clocks or anything Example: according to Kakash's dating, their first similar, so I lost count of dates. For half a year audience with Boris Godunov took place on before coming back to Muscovy, I was living day to November 17, 1602, while in Tectander's dating, it day without the opportunity to distinguish one day occurred on November 27. The former wrote that from another'. they left Moscow on November 27, while the latter dated their departure to December 7. He wrote that he managed to start counting the days again in Moscow. At that point, he was If the embassy head had survived and joined his recording the days not according to the 'new secretary on the return trip to Moscow in 1604, both style'—the Gregorian calendar—as previously, but byof them would have participated in the royal the 'old style'—the Julian calendar, which was used celebration and most probably would have in Russia during that time. assigned their dual dating system to it. But reality turned out otherwise. Tectander came back alone In the beginning, both Tectander and Kakash made and, due to reasons unknown, started dating his records about the mission independently of each records in Moscow using the Julian calendar. other. Tectander, as a Protestant and grandson of one of Martin Luther's students, wrote in German. It is possible that having assumed Kakash's 2 / 5 responsibilities, Tectander also adopted his style. Orwould fall not on July 24, but on July 23. One could perhaps, after the 'failed' calendar in Muslim assume that Tectander, contrary to his usual countries, it was easier for him to follow the style accuracy, was mistaken by one day, and that the used in Russia. The old calendar was also common ambassadors were treated to dishes from the Tsar in Saxony, where Tectander stayed on his way on July 24. But then, it is unclear why the 200 fish back from the mission. He got a position there and dishes and a fasting day appear. 'July 24, 1604 was published his writings. a Tuesday—a non-fasting day of the week—and there is no other major fast on this day, so there How Was It Studied? was no reason to eat only fish on the Tsar's name day,' the authors of the study explain. To prove that August 2 is Boris Godunov's date of birth under the old calendar (August 12 under the Finally, the hypothesis that Tectander used the new- new one) and that this date is correct, the style dating fails even if he wasn't mistaken with the researchers performed an internal reconstruction of date. August 2 in the new style was July 23 in the the events and analyzed external sources of old style, and it would be quite logical in the information. The key moment was the arrival of the Russian tradition for a boy born on July 23—the eve Emperor's embassy headed by Heinrich von Logau, of Saint Boris and Gleb's day—to be named Boris. a Knight of Malta, in Moscow. Tectander, much like But the problem is that in 1604, July 23 was a his fellow countrymen, was looking forward to Monday, and the Tsar had no reason to send fish meeting him. He wrote that Baron von Logau dishes to the ambassadors. arrived on July 15. But was this by the old calendar or the new? August 2 in the old calendar was part of the Dormition fast (celebrating the Dormition of the According to diplomatic correspondence, the Mother of God). 'The Tsar's birthday, of course, Russians only sent a delegation to meet the could not override the fast, and the Germans were Emperor's ambassador in Torzhok on July 5 (July sent numerous fasting dishes. This shows that 15 in the new calendar) ahead of his arrival in Tectander did not make a mistake and understood Moscow. This means that Logau could not have everything correctly,' the researchers said. entered Moscow on that date. On July 6, they were 'Everything in his account makes sense: the Tsar's clarifying the details of his catering along the way, birthday rather than his name day, the fast, and the and on July 7 (17) he arrived in Tver.
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