born с 1551
died April 23, 1605, Moscow, Russia
Tsar of Russia (1598–1605).
After serving in the court of Ivan IV , he was named guardian to Ivan's dim-witted son Fyodor I and became the virtual ruler of Russia as Fyodor's chief adviser from 1584. When Fyodor's little brother Dmitry died mysteriously in 1591, Godunov was suspected of having had him put to death. When Fyodor died without heirs in 1598, an assembly of clergy and gentry elected Godunov tsar. A capable ruler, he instituted many reforms, but continuing boyar opposition and a general famine (1601–03) eroded his popularity. The False Dmitry led an army into Russia, and on Boris's sudden death, resistance broke down, and the country lapsed into the Time of Troubles .