We present a general description of the changes in the social status and landholdings of princely families in the Muscovite State during the Time of Troubles. Our conclusions are based on the study of princes’ biographies and the social status of the families in the 16th and early 17th centuries. It has been established that some families of the first order suffered serious losses that predetermined their demise; the social status of some families raised considerably; the rest of the families retained their former social positions. Many princes died in battles or at the hands of their political opponents. The share of ancestral lands in princely ownership increased, which was due to the rewards for the Moscow siege under Tsar Vasily Shuisky and the «arrival» of Prince W?adys?aw. Some princely families that lost in the 16th century their land ties with the «family nests» regained estates and ancestral lands.
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