Bogdan Belsky was an oprichnik under Tsar Ivan the Terrible; he participated in the Livonian War. The roundabout and the gunsmith carried out the diplomatic orders of the sovereign. One of the main tasks of the boyar Belsky was successful negotiations with Britain.
The exact date and place of birth of Bogdan Belsky remain unknown. His uncle was the oprichnik Malyuta Skuratov, and his father was the nobleman Jacob Belsky. Some sources indicate that Bogdan had a younger brother. But there is no information about him.
Childhood and youth
The Belsky family was not among the noble, so Bogdan had little chance of making an excellent career. Only kinship with Skuratov, who became one of the main associates of Ivan the Terrible, helped. Belsky managed to stand out among the guardsmen and receive attention from the sovereign. Already in 1573 he became a royal favorite. This happened after the death of Malyuta Skuratov. His nephew was ambitious, impudent and assertive, which liked Ivan the Terrible. At that time, Bogdan was only twenty years old.
The activities of Bogdan Belsky
Having taken part in several campaigns during the Livonian War, the young man won the king’s special location. He was appointed gunsmith in 1577. The unique talent of Bogdan Belsky as a military leader showed up quickly in the following campaigns:
- from Sloboda in 1571 - as a bazaar (gunsmith) with a large saadak;
- in 1572 - a market with a horn;
- in the winter of 1573 - 1574 he became a bazaar with a royal helmet.
The Livonian war showed how powerful and demanding was a young man from the Belsky family. But Ivan the Terrible was in no hurry to favor the young warrior with a high rank. They preferred to give him gold. But Bogdan had other plans, because he wanted to build a career under the king. The emperor trusted Belsky every day more and more. He even slept with him in the same bedchamber. When the king decided to marry the niece of the Queen of England, it was Belsky who negotiated with Britain on this issue. He also spent a long time raising the tsar’s son from Maria Nagoy - Dmitry. The close sovereign became very attached to the boy and dreamed of seeing him on the throne, but these wishes were not given to come true.
In 1581, a successful soldier became the head of the Investigation Department and the Pharmaceutical Order. And three years later, Ivan the Terrible died. This biography of Belsky was not decorated, because he was always with the king. The boyars accused Bogdan of involvement in the sovereign death. The circumstances of that time were not fully clarified, but many thought about the involvement of the tsar’s close to the plot with Boris Godunov. According to one version, Ivan the Terrible was strangled by his henchman during a game of chess. But no one could prove anything. As a result, Godunov became the actual ruler under Fedor Ioannovich, who set the boyars even more against Belsky. Bogdan was expelled from the capital, but did not calm down on this. The obstinate man was preparing an uprising, planning to set Tsarevich Dmitry on the throne. But Belsky’s plans were disrupted. After some time, he had to hide in Nizhny Novgorod. And Dmitry was sent to Uglich and died there under mysterious circumstances.
Godunov soon ceased to see the enemy and the enemy in Belsky, so he gave permission to return to the capital. Boyarin behaved carefully, tried not to stand out and conduct state affairs as expected. Everything changed after the death of Fyodor Ioannovich. Belsky again decided to direct the forces of his associates against Godunov. But the latter nevertheless became the sovereign ruler of Russia. Godunov did not start a bloody showdown, but granted his eternal adversary the title of deceit, and then sent to the Oskol River to lead the construction of a small city. Another two years passed and the boyar was accused of treason to the sovereign. For this, Belsky was deprived of all his possessions and ranks, sent into exile. Only in 1605, after the accession to the throne of the son of Boris Godunov, he was returned to Moscow.
The next ally of Bogdan Belsky was False Dmitry the First. Boyarin confirmed the identity of the prince and even specified that he participated in his salvation. Belsky again managed to rise, but not for long. By order of False Dmitry, his associates were to eliminate the Shuiskys. But Belsky and in this royal intrigue was a failure. As a result, Shuisky came to power and strengthened his position on the throne. And the boyar Belsky had to go to Kazan exile. But this was partly a punishment, since the boyar became the unwritten ruler of this city. Kazan quickly and humbly accepted the new administrator from the sovereign.
