Bogdan Belsky was an oprichnik under Tsar Ivan the Terrible, took part in the Livonian War. The roundhouse and armorer carried out the diplomatic assignments of the sovereign. One of the main tasks of the boyar Belsky was successful negotiations with Britain.
The exact date and place of birth of Bogdan Belsky remain unknown. His uncle was the oprichnik Malyuta Skuratov, and his father was the nobleman Yakov Belsky. Some sources indicate that Bogdan had a younger brother. But there is no information about him.
Childhood and youth
The Belsky clan was not a noble family, so Bogdan had few chances to make an excellent career. Only kinship with Skuratov, who became one of the main associates of Ivan the Terrible, helped. Belsky managed to stand out among the guardsmen and receive attention from the sovereign. Already in 1573, he became the tsar's favorite. This happened after the death of Malyuta Skuratov. His nephew turned out to be ambitious, daring and assertive, which Ivan the Terrible liked. At this time, Bogdan was only twenty years old.
Activities of Bogdan Belsky
Taking part in several campaigns during the Livonian War, the young man won a special favor from the king. He was appointed armorer in 1577. Bogdan Belsky's unique talent as a military leader quickly manifested itself in the following campaigns:
- from Sloboda in 1571 - as a rynda (armourer) with a large saadak;
- in 1572 - bell with a spear;
- in the winter of 1573 - 1574 he became a bell with a royal helmet.
The Livonian War showed how imperious and demanding a young man from the Belsky clan was. But Ivan the Terrible was in no hurry to bestow a high rank on the young warrior. They preferred to present him with gold. And Bogdan had other plans, because he wanted to build a career under the tsar. The sovereign trusted Belsky more and more every day. He even slept with him in the same bedchamber. When the tsar decided to marry the niece of the English queen, it was Belsky who negotiated with Britain on this issue. He also spent a long time raising the tsar's son from Maria Nagoya - Dmitry. The companion of the sovereign became very attached to the boy and dreamed of seeing him on the throne, but these wishes were not given to come true.
In 1581, a successful soldier became the head of the Investigative Department and the Pharmaceutical Order. And three years later, Ivan the Terrible died. This did not decorate Belsky's biography, because he was always with the tsar. The boyars accused Bogdan of involvement in the sovereign's death. The circumstances of that time are not fully understood, but many thought about the involvement of the tsarist close to the conspiracy with Boris Godunov. According to one version, Ivan the Terrible was strangled by his henchman while playing chess. But nobody could prove anything. As a result, Godunov became the actual ruler under Fedor Ioannovich, who turned the boyars against Belsky even more. Bogdan was expelled from the capital, but did not calm down on this. The obstinate man was preparing an uprising, planning to put Tsarevich Dmitry on the throne. But Belsky's plans were disrupted. After a while, he had to hide in Nizhny Novgorod. And Dmitry was sent to Uglich and died there under mysterious circumstances.
Soon Godunov stopped seeing the enemy and the enemy in Belskoye, so he gave permission to return to the capital. Boyarin behaved carefully, tried not to stand out and conduct state affairs as it should be. Everything changed after the death of Fyodor Ioannovich. Belsky again decided to direct the forces of his comrades-in-arms against Godunov. But the latter nevertheless became the autocratic ruler of Russia. Godunov did not start a bloody showdown, but granted his eternal enemy the title of roundabout, and then sent him to the Oskol River to supervise the construction of a small town. Two more years passed and the boyar was accused of treason to the sovereign. For this Belsky was deprived of all his possessions and ranks, sent into exile. Only in 1605, after the accession to the throne of Boris Godunov's son, was he returned to Moscow.
The next ally of Bogdan Belsky was False Dmitry the First. Boyarin confirmed the identity of the prince and even specified that he had participated in his rescue. Belsky again managed to rise, but not for long. By order of False Dmitry, his associates were to eliminate the Shuisky. But Belsky also faced failure in this royal intrigue. As a result, Shuisky came to power and strengthened his position on the throne. And boyar Belsky had to go to exile in Kazan. But this was partly a punishment, since the boyar became the unofficial ruler of this city. Kazan quickly and humbly accepted a new administrator from the sovereign.
About personal life and death
The biography of Bogdan Belsky is not replete with detailed information about his private life. But it is known that the faithful companion of Tsar Ivan the Great was married and had two sons. They were called Postnik and Ivan.
Interestingly, during his reign, Vasily Shuisky even made Belsky the second governor in Kazan and tried to establish peaceful relations with this man, sending him written admonitions, urging him to remain faithful to his people and Russia. But this did not save him from the death of Bogdan, and already in 1611 he refused to swear allegiance to False Dmitry II, calling him an impostor. The result was disastrous - other boyars were positively disposed towards the potential ruler. Therefore, they convinced the people of the correctness of the decision to call False Dmitry as tsar, lured Belsky into the tower and threw him out of there. Tola got rid of the boyar Belsky in an instant. Bogdan all his life chose the rulers whom he wanted to lead. But he did not manage to fulfill the managerial function to the end. He was awarded the following titles:
- armorer;
- voivode;
- devious;
- boyar.
Historians confirm that Belsky reached its heyday during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. There was no more such triumph in his life. And the clerk Nikanor Shulgin supervised his murder. He was a longtime and fierce opponent of Belsky's persona. There is a historically confirmed version that the settlement was founded by Bogdan. It appeared in sources only in 1686. Today, Belskaya Sloboda means the city of Starobelsk. This historical figure is mentioned in the series "Boris Godunov". The role of Bogdan Belsky in the television version was played by actor Anton Kuznetsov.
