Ostrovsky's nervous organization was broken down by the incessant toil necessary to support his family, and these historical plays were written, with others, to relieve the pressure.

His dramas were given all over Russia, and he received more money from private than from the government theaters.

But towards the end of his life comfort came, and during the last year of his life he was in charge of the Moscow (government) Theater.

At last he was master of the Russian stage, and established a school of dramatic art on the lines laid down by himself.

But the toil was too great for his shattered health, and he died in 1886.