Just one hundred years later upon the Muscovite throne, as nominal Czar,
sat the weakling Feodor I; but behind the throne stood, as real Czar,
hard, strong Boris Godunoff. Looking forward to Feodor's death, Boris
made ready to mount the throne; and he saw--what all other "Mayors of
the Palace" climbing into the places of _faineant_ kings have seen--that
he must link to his fortunes the fortunes of some strong body in the
nation; he broke, however, from the general rule among usurpers--bribing
the church--and determined to bribe the nobility.
The greatest grief of the Muscovite nobles seemed to be that the
peasants could escape from their oppression by the emigration allowed on
St. George's Day. Boris saw his opportunity: he cut off the privilege of
St. George's Day, and the peasant was fixed to the soil forever. No
Russian law ever directly enslaved the peasantry, but, through this
decree of Boris, the lord who owned the soil came to own the peasants,
just as he owned its immovable boulders and ledges.
Pages:
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772