Radoslava Ilcheva

Narratives questioning the ruler’s authenticity have existed since time immemorial—both as an effective weapon in political struggle and as an outlet for deep social anxieties. The tsar’s inauthenticity has two main forms: active (impostorism) and passive (the substitution of certain people or forces for the real one). The study focuses on Russian projections of the tsar-substitute narrative. It manifested itself most clearly and fully in relation to Emperor Peter the Great, the builder of modern Russian statehood. An analysis of the factual material revealed that it is more appropriate to speak not of a single plot, but of a more complex structure—a megaplot. Many of its elements emerged simultaneously at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, and from then until today, they have remained in a state of dynamic interweaving, mutual complementarity, and development. Some of them have acquired autonomy (miraculous rescue, the arrival of a savior), while others have narrowed to the level of motif (the shape-shifter). The mega-plot about the replaced ruler is built on two components, which can be roughly defined as realistic and mystical. The core of the realistic com- ponent is the replacement of the tsar (at a genetic level, in childhood, abroad) by certain very specific individuals, which is conceived as an actual event. The mystical plot threads are connected through the profound archetypes of the Double and the Changeling, which, by activating the age-old fears of the Shape-shifter—half-man, half-beast—introduce the apoca- lyptic Beast into the collective consciousness of the Petrine era. Along- side him, other aspects of the Antichrist are also realized—the God-fighter and false Christ, whose visualization in opposition circles is Peter the Great. The plots created during this crucial era proved exceptionally effective, leading to their use on the emperor’s political heirs. The mystical element remained in the public debates of the past, but resonated in Russian literature (the works of A. S. Pushkin and D. S. Merezhkovsky). Realistic element, on the contrary, is increasingly present today thanks to digital technology. The sensational plot of a ruler being replaced, complemented by spinoffs of miraculous rescues and the redeemer of royal blood, draws more and more new faces into its orbit.