Boris Godunov. Chosen to rule

After Ivan IV the Terrible died in the late 16th century, his son Feodor Ioannovich became a Tsar. He was ailing and childless, so the period of his reign has been described as “Feodor is Tsar, Boris runs the country”. After Feodor’s death in 1598, the Moscow branch of the Rurik dynasty had ceased to an end giving way to an unprecedented event in the Russian history - the new Tsar was elected.