Primary Sources: Tsars of Russia: Leaders in the Time of Troubles

Starting with the death of Feodor I, who left no heirs, there was a struggle for leadership. This did not end until Michael Romanov became Tsar in 1613, beginnng the Romanov dynasty which ruled in Russia until the Russian Revolution of 1917. The time period includes the False Dmitry or Pseudo-Demetrius who tried to claim that they were Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich, the son of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, who had died in 1591.

Leaders during this period included:

• The Godunovs (Irina Godunova, Boris Godunov an Feodor II)
• False Dmitry I
• Vasili IV Shuisky
• Seven Boyars (Fedor Mstislavsky)
• The Zemsky government (Dmitry Trubetskoy)