Imposture appeared in times of political and spiritual crises in society. The "miraculous" salvation of royalty in Russia took place during periods favorable to the emergence of impostors: during the Time of Troubles (early 17th century), after the palace coups of the first half of the 18th century and the 1917 revolution. The dissatisfaction of the lower strata of the population with the existing structure of life contributed to this phenomenon.
Instructions
Step 1
In the Time of Troubles, Russia was struck by a deep internal affliction. Taking the name of Tsarevich Dmitry, the son of the Terrible, the impostor False Dmitry I served as a destructive force during the development of the Troubles. The question of who was hiding under the identity of False Dmitry I remains a mystery to this day, although scientists have made a lot of efforts to solve it. Many historians named the fugitive monk of the Chudov Monastery, Grigory Otrepiev, who turned out to be a pawn in the game of influential Polish magnates and Russian boyars pursuing personal goals. The political and religious interests of Poland and the Russian boyars interested in overthrowing the Godunov dynasty were different, so the "reign" of False Dmitry was short, and the Polish troops were expelled from Russia.
Step 2
In 1606-1607. the False Peter, the fictitious son of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich (the heir of Ivan the Terrible), appeared. The birthplace of False Peter was Moore, he was nicknamed Ilya Gorchakov, who was once a "working" man and became a Terek Cossack. He was hanged together with the peasant leader Bolotnikov.
Step 3
Soon “Tsar Dmitry” appeared again in Starodub, surrounded by Polish and Cossack troops. Next to False Dmitry II were other adventurers, impostor princes, who were executed by him for fear of competition. False Dmitry II managed to besiege Moscow, setting up a camp in Tushino (for which he received the nickname "Tushinsky thief"). The atrocities committed by the "Tushins" began to cause popular discontent. Deprived of the help of the Poles, the impostor retreated from Moscow and soon died at the hands of his own guards.
Step 4
The young son of Marina Mnishek, wife of False Dmitry I, Ivan is considered the last representative of the impostors of the Time of Troubles. Ivan and Marina Mnishek were executed. In the future, the name of this "prince" served for the birth of new impostors: Fake I and II.
Step 5
In the states closest to Russia, impostors have been declared more than once. Among them, Pseudo-Simeon I (who was called either the son or the grandson of Shuisky Timofey Ankudinov), the Pole Vorobiev, under the name of the son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, was among the Zaporozhye Cossacks. These impostors were brutally executed in the capital.
Step 6
The popular movement in Russia did not do without the appearance of impostors. After the overthrow of Peter III, the fugitive peasants and soldiers who outraged the common people were hiding under the identity of the emperor. The appearance of impostors in Russia in the 18th century is not an accident: it was the result of the accumulated dissatisfaction with the existing order among the masses. Don Cossack Emelyan Pugachev, called Peter III, from 1773 to 1775. stood at the head of the peasant war, which spread over the vast territory of the Volga region and the Urals. After the arrest of Pugachev, a detachment of insurgents, headed by the peasant Evstafiev, also "Peter III", operated.
Step 7
Fiction tells about "Princess Tarakanova", an adventurer who decided to take over the Russian throne with the help of Pugachev. Elizaveta Petrovna's "daughter" was arrested.
Step 8
With the name of Constantine, brother of Tsar Nicholas I, the people linked their aspirations of "freedom". The death of Konstantin Pavlovich gave birth to the last significant impostor among the Ural Cossacks, who appropriated the name of the Grand Duke.
Step 9
The mystery of the shooting of the last tsarist dynasty in 1918 led to the emergence of many impostors claiming to be the heirs of the Romanov family.11 people were called son Alexei, but at present only the identity of Philip Semyonov alone raises doubts among scientists. Anna Anderson considered herself the youngest daughter of the emperor Anastasia. It is with this applicant that lengthy investigations are connected, which indicate a lack of convincing evidence. The most famous impostor, who called herself the third daughter of Nicholas I, Maria, was a representative of a respected Spanish family, which until her death did not disclose her belonging to the Russian royal family. Only her letter, published in 1982 by her grandson, the Prince of Anjou, tells about this. Despite the persuasiveness of some legends of impostors posing as the children of the last Russian emperor, independent examinations proved the genetic origin of the discovered remains of all members of the Romanov family.
