  St. Basil's Cathedral
 Detail of St. Basil's
 GUM Department Store St. Basil's Cathedral and the Monument to Minin and Pozharsky (Russian: памятник Минину и Пожарскому)In 1584 Ivan the Terrible was succeeded by his only remaining son, mentally deficient Fyodor. His death in 1598 ushered in an unsettled period of disputed reigns and civil unrest known as the time of troubles,1598 -1612.
After the assassination or deposition of several czars and would be czars the throne was vacant and the Boyer's (Russian nobles) were fighting among themselves.
Poland had invaded a greatly weakened Russia and the Poles had captured and occupied the Kremlin.
Ivan Martos' massive, bronze statue depicts Kuzuma Minin, a butcher and Prince Dimitry Pozharsky, an unlikely pair who came forward in 1612 to lead a patriotic resurgence, uniting the warring factors and repelling the invaders. The Kremlin was returned to Russian control on November 4, 1612, an anniversary still celebrated as The Day of National Unity. In 1613 Mikhail Romanov was chosen to become czar, beginning the 300 year reign of the Romanov Dynasty.
The inscription on the monument's pedestal translates: "To citizen Minin and Prince Pozharsky from grateful Russia."  Red Square looking towards the State Historical Museum
State Historical Museum
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