The beginning of the 17th century was characterised by the Time of Troubles and a devastating civil war - the first one in Russian history. The lecture focuses on the topics related to this dramatic period in the history of the Russian nation, to the fate of the Godunov dynasty that failed to hold strong a position on the throne. Boris Fyodorovich Godunov is analysed as a personality and a statesman. The emphasis is also laid on the Time of Troubles, a phenomenon of pretenders to the Russian throne, the mysteries of False Dmitriys’ biographies – False Dmitriy I and II. Major events related to the establishment of the House of Romanov and the reign of the first representatives of this dynasty are analysed.