Born: 12 August 1552 · Died: 23 April 1605 · Age: 52
Russian regent who became tsar in 1598, whose troubled reign before the Time of Troubles inspired Pushkin's play and Mussorgsky's opera
Did you know?He began his career at the court of Ivan the Terrible and rose to power through his marriage.
Quick facts
Date of birth12 August 1552
Date of death23 April 1605
Age at death52
NationalityRussian
BirthplaceVyazma, Russia
Occupationpolitician, Oprichnik
Editor's Take:
Boris Godunov rose from court official to tsar during one of Russia's most turbulent eras. He came from a family of minor Tatar-descended nobles and won favour at the court of Ivan the Terrible. His sister married Ivan's son Fyodor, and when Fyodor became tsar, Boris ran the country in his name. In 1591 Fyodor's young half-brother Dmitry died in mysterious circumstances, and many blamed Boris. After Fyodor died childless, an assembly elected Boris tsar in 1598. He promoted trade and education, and Moscow gained its own patriarch during his years in power. But a terrible famine and the arrival of a pretender claiming to be Dmitry shook his reign. He died suddenly in 1605, and his story later inspired Pushkin and Mussorgsky.
Key Milestones
1584: Becomes effective regent for Tsar Fyodor I
1589: Helps establish the Moscow Patriarchate
1598: Elected tsar by the Zemsky Sobor
1604: Faces the invasion of the pretender False Dmitry
Boris Feodorovich Godunov (Russian: Бори́с Фёдорович Годуно́в, pronounced; 12 August 1552 – 23 April 1605) was the de facto regent of Russia from 1585 to 1598 and then tsar from 1598 to 1605 following the death of Feodor I, the last of the Rurik dynasty.
Boris Godunov's birthday is August 12. He was born on August 12, 1552 in Vyazma, Russia.
How old was Boris Godunov when he died?
Boris Godunov died on April 23, 1605, aged 52.
Who shares a birthday with Boris Godunov?
Famous people who share Boris Godunov's August 12 birthday include François Hollande, Erwin Schrödinger, George Soros, Jacinto Benavente and George IV of the United Kingdom.
