Kostroma Ipatiev Monastery

The article is devoted to the study of the history of the family lands of the Godunovs in the Kostroma uezd. The article based on the involvement of a wide and varied range of sources, most of which have not been published (data from the cadastres, the Gifts book and the Synodikon of the Kostroma Ipatiev Monastery, the acts, the genealogical books, etc.). The article studies the composition and territorial distribution of the Godunovs’ land holdings in the Kostroma uezd. The article also examines the evolution of their land ownership in the Kostroma uezd during the 16th — 17th centuries. The author shows that in the last quarter of the 16th — early 17th centuries the Godunovs are large landowners in the Kostroma uezd. At the same time, the land holdings in the Kostroma uezd belonged to representatives of different branches of the Godunov family, which can serve as an important indicator of their clan cohesion. The Godunovs were able not only to preserve their old family lands in the Kostroma uezd in the 16th century, but also to acquire new land holdings here as a result of tsar grants and land purchases. The author shows that the the Time of Troubles caused serious damage in the lands of the Godunovʼs family. During the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich, the Godunovʼs old family lands were returned to the family, but those were only minor remnants of their former land ownership of the 16th century. Throughout the 17th century, due to the loss of political influence and the reduction in the number of their representatives, the Godunovs are gradually losing the remnants of their land holdings in the Kostroma uezd. Their lands became part of the palace lands, monasteries and other clans.