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The Time of Troubles: A Historical Study of the Internal Crisis and Social Struggle in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century Muscovy

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This book is written by Russia's late expert in the country's history, which is one of the reasons why this book is important to every medieval history student.
It's quite easy to read- cause the author divides the book into many small chapters, which cover only one subject at a time. This is a huge asset, since many history book tend to rush from one subject to another- leaving the reader confused and irritated. So for those who don't like the thought of a dry treatise- don't worry it's very accesible!!!!
The author's knowledge is evident, it's written with security and straight-forwardness without unneccesary complications. There's no specific point of view, from which the book is written, so it gives a good, thorough review of this remarkable era in Russian history. Good for non-experts in medieval history- but also nice for historylovers!!

From the death of Ivan IV (the terrible) in 1584 until the election of Mikhail Romanov as Tsar in 1613, the Russian nation was in a state of continuous war and chaos. At times, there was no authority beyond what local control could be asserted. Bands of brigands roamed the countryside, contingents of foreign troops followed their own agendas and large numbers of people died from all conceivable causes. This period of time is known as "The Time of Troubles." Historians are in general agreement that it is not possible to understand the current Russian mentality and desire for a strong leader without knowing about this period of Russian history.
Sergei Platonov was a Russian historian born in 1860 and he lived long enough to experience the growing regimentation and brutality of Joseph Stalin. Therefore, he was familiar with the problems of the Russian Empire under Tsar Nicolas II, the tragedy of the First World War, the rise of Bolshevik power and the chaos of the Russian Civil war.
Platonov puts the history of the country in the years 1584 - 1613 in the proper perspective. National disasters of the political and economic nature do not simply arise from nothing; there is always a lengthy preparation of the conditions that allow the disasters to arise and linger for extended periods. If you want to understand the broad spectrum of social, political and economic forces that led to "The Time of Troubles", then this is one of the best sources available.