Meanwhile, according to both of our sources, Metropolitan Dionysius does not take any part in the decision on the establishment of the Moscow Patriarchate. According to the legend, the tsar consults in such an important matter not with the metropolitan, but with his wife, the plan is discussed by the boyars in the absence of Dionysius, and not the clergy, but Boris Godunov negotiate with Joachim. At the same time, all the participants in the discussion insistently emphasize the need to postpone the final decision of the issue to the future, when the organization of the patriarchal throne in Moscow receives the approval of the Orthodox East.

Two years later, when Dionysius would no longer be in the metropolia, no one would remember this necessity (at least in official circles)! The first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia will be blessed by the only Eastern Patriarch who happened to be at hand. And in 1586, events pass by Dionysius and are clearly not in his favor, and the Metropolitan of Moscow himself does not at all show a desire to receive a blessing from a visiting Greek, with whom Boris Fyodorovich Godunov personally negotiates.

Palace Troubles

It was at this time that a fierce struggle for power took place, which was remarkably reflected by A. K. Tolstoy in the drama "Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich". The powerful clan of the Shuisky princes, opposing the Godunovs, with the support of Metropolitan Dionysius and Bishop Varlaam of Krutitsy, as well as the upper echelons of the Moscow posad, appealed to Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich with a petition for divorce from the childless Tsarina Irina and a new marriage "for the sake of childbearing".

We are talking about the continuation of the Rurik dynasty, but at the same time about the power of Boris Godunov in the palace. There was a precedent: the witnesses of the divorce of Grand Duke Vasily III with the childless Solomonia Saburova, who was related to the Godunovs, were still alive. Of course, a cunning descendant of the Horde mirza, who grew up at the court of the bloodthirsty and suspicious tsar, the former oprichnik Godunov based his influence not only on the power of his sister Irina over the weak-willed and feeble-minded Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich.

The tsar's brother-in-law had already managed to appropriate to himself the title of equerry boyar, the senior in the Duma, which had once been liquidated by Ivan the Terrible. Of the 13 people granted by the new tsar as boyars, 8 belonged to Godunov's group. Boris was distinguished by the incredible resourcefulness of a man who managed to survive the massacre and make his way to the top, remaining in the shadows, as well as the ability to find unexpected allies. But the Shuisky aristocrats also had a powerful position in the Duma, and most importantly, they could use the deepest hatred of the people for the heritage of the oprichnina.

After the death of the most influential in the government and popular among the people Zemstvo boyar Nikita Romanovich Yuriev on April 23, 1586, a deadly battle between the Godunovs and the Shuiskys became inevitable. Striking a blow at Tsarina Irina Feodorovna, the boyars, the metropolitan and their allies were ready to do anything to simultaneously destroy the tsar's brother-in-law and his relatives. Boris Godunov understood that his opponents would not stop at expelling Irina from the palace. In the life of Malyuta Skuratov's son-in-law, women played too big a role for him to underestimate their support and give up his sister.

The palace chambers kept secret the circumstances of how Godunov with his sister and supporters repelled the onslaught of the Shuiskys and Dionysius with their spiritual and secular allies on Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich. It is known that an acute conflict arose in early May. But around May 14, the struggle spilled out onto the streets of Moscow. The townspeople, led by the richest merchants - guests - literally besieged the Kremlin, demanding the divorce of the sovereign from his wife. The outcome of this popular indignation is well known.

The boyars, perhaps not without the participation of Metropolitan Dionysius, unexpectedly reconciled. The hero of the Pskov defense, Ivan Petrovich Shuisky, himself went to the Faceted Chamber, where "many merchants" were waiting for an answer to their petitions, announced the absence of anger against Godunov and invited the people to disperse. Then, according to the "New Chronicler", two of the merchants bitterly declared: "You have reconciled with our heads, and you, Prince Ivan Petrovich, are abyss from Boris, and we will perish."

Soon this gloomy prophecy was fulfilled. Already at night, the merchants were captured. After terrible tortures, seven guests were executed in Moscow "on fire", many townspeople were sent to prisons and exile. Godunov and his henchmen had enough oprichnik experience! To complete the dramatic effect, later - but not immediately - Ivan Petrovich Shuisky and his supporters "at the top" "disappeared". But the showiness of this historical scene, remarkably used by A. K. Tolstoy, does not prevent us from wondering the reasons for such a strange development of events.

Why did the indignant people meekly abandon the siege of the Kremlin and disperse to their homes, which the punishers broke into at night? What did the Shuiskys and the Godunovs agree on, what agreement did Metropolitan Dionysius bless, if they all could not but understand the inevitability of the final settlement? There is an opinion that the boyars were frightened by the scope of the popular movement, in the face of which they forgot their strife. That is, the Shuiskys and their supporters were frightened by the movement that they themselves had caused, which, judging by the behavior of the Muscovites, was under their control, and gave up their positions, receiving nothing from Godunov in return?

So what could be the basis for the "reconciliation" in the palace in May 1586? Numerous sources mention two demands of the Shuiskys, Metropolitan Dionysius, "the nobles of the Tsar's Chamber, and the guests of Moscow, and all the merchants": Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich had to divorce Tsarina Irina and remove the Godunovs. Obviously, something was promised to the discontented if the representatives of the "top" agreed to a truce, and the people went home. The entire experience of popular movements shows that if the citizens of the capital did not suffer a military defeat, they always sought immediate punishment for the temporaries who caused their discontent. Boris Godunov, all his relatives and supporters remained in their places. It is a different matter if a divorce from the Tsarina was promised, this is not a quick and intimate matter...

Assuming that Boris Godunov promised something - most likely not to interfere with the new marriage of the sovereign "for the sake of childbearing" - let's see how events developed. From June, Boris Fyodorovich became inseparable from the representatives of the strong and close-knit Romanov group of zemstvo boyars: the sons and relatives of the deceased Nikita Romanovich Yuriev; At royal receptions, he always appears accompanied by them. Try to reproach him for sympathizing with the former oprichniks! Having solidly strengthened his position in the Boyar Duma, Boris Fyodorovich did not forget the Church.

The arrival of Patriarch Joachim in Russia was a gift for Godunov. No matter how Metropolitan Dionysius behaved, the secular authorities honored Joachim as the highest church hierarch. There is no need for the Patriarch of Antioch to come for alms (and given the activity of Godunov's agents abroad, he may have been invited) [4]. It is important that his nominal authority was higher than that of the metropolitan lower on the church-hierarchical ladder.