Who after Alexei Mikhailovich. Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov

Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov (Quiet) (born March 17 (27), 1629 - death January 29 (February 8), 1676) Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke of All Rus' 1645 - 1676
Childhood
Alexei Mikhailovich was born in 1629, he was the eldest son of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich and his wife Evdokia Lukyanovna Streshneva.
From the age of five, the young Tsarevich Alexei, under the supervision of B.I. Morozova began to learn to read and write using the primer, after which he began to read books. At the age of 7 he began to study writing, and at 9 - church singing. By the age of 12, the boy had a small library of books that belonged to him. Among them are mentioned, among other things, a lexicon and grammar published in Lithuania, as well as "Cosmography".
Among the items of "children's fun" of the prince there are musical instruments, German maps and "printed sheets" (pictures). Thus, along with the previous educational means, innovations are also visible, made not without the direct influence of the boyar B.I. Morozov.
Accession to the throne
After the death of his father, 16-year-old Alexei Mikhailovich on July 17, 1645 became the second tsar from the Romanov dynasty. With his accession to the throne, he came face to face with a number of troubling issues that agitated Russian life in the 17th century. Too little prepared to resolve such cases, he at first submitted to the influence of his former uncle Morozov. However, he soon began to make independent decisions.
Alexei Mikhailovich, as can be seen from his own letters, and the reviews of foreigners and Russian subjects, had a remarkably mild, good-natured character; was, according to the clerk of the Ambassadorial order Grigory Kotoshikhin, "much quiet", for which he received the nickname Quietest.
The character of the king
The spiritual atmosphere in which the sovereign lived, his upbringing, character and reading of church books developed religiosity in him. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, during all fasts, he did not drink or eat anything, and in general zealously performed church rites. The veneration of the external rite was joined by an inner religious feeling, which developed Alexei Mikhailovich's Christian humility. “And to me, a sinner,” he writes, “this honor is like dust.”
Royal good nature and humility at times, however, gave way to short-term outbursts of anger. Once, the tsar, who was bled by the German "dokhtur", ordered the boyars to try the same remedy. R. Streshnev refused. Alexei Mikhailovich personally "humbled" the old man, but after that he did not know what gifts to appease him.
In general, the sovereign knew how to respond to someone else's grief and joy. Remarkable in this respect are his letters. Few dark sides can be noted in the royal character. He had a contemplative, passive rather than a practical, active nature; stood at the crossroads between two directions, old Russian and Western, reconciled them in his worldview, but did not indulge with passionate energy in either one or the other.

Marriage
Having decided to marry, Alexei Mikhailovich in 1647 chose the daughter of Raf Vsevolozhsky as his wife. However, I had to give up my choice because of the intrigues in which Morozov may have been involved. 1648 - the tsar married Marya Ilyinishna Miloslavskaya. Soon Morozov married her sister Anna. As a result, B.I. Morozov and his father-in-law I.D. Miloslavsky acquired paramount importance at the royal court. Sons were born from this marriage - the future tsars Fedor Alekseevich and Ivan V and a daughter Sophia.
salt riot
However, by this time, the results of Morozov's poor internal management were already clearly revealed. 1646, February 7 - on his initiative, a new duty on salt was established by a royal decree and a boyar verdict. It was about one and a half times higher than the market price of salt - one of the main commodities for the entire population - and caused strong discontent among the people. To this was added Miloslavsky's abuses and rumors about the sovereign's predilection for foreign customs. All these reasons caused the Salt Riot in Moscow on June 2-4, 1648 and riots in other cities.
The new duty on salt was abolished in the same year. Morozov continued to enjoy the tsarist disposition, but no longer had a leading role in the management of the state. Alexei Mikhailovich matured and no longer needed guardianship. He wrote in 1661 that "his word became good and terrible in the palace."

Patriarch Nikon
But the soft, sociable nature of the king needed an adviser and friend. Bishop Nikon became such a "sobinny", beloved friend. As a metropolitan in Novgorod, where, with his characteristic energy, he pacified the rebels in March 1650, Nikon gained the confidence of the tsar, was ordained patriarch on July 25, 1652, and began to exert direct influence on the affairs of the state.
1653, October 1 - Zemsky Sobor in Moscow decided to admit Ukraine to Russia. As a result of this, on October 23 of the same year, Russia declared war on the Commonwealth, which oppressed the Ukrainians.
During the wars of 1654-1658. Alexei Mikhailovich was often absent from the capital, was, therefore, away from Nikon and by his presence did not restrain the patriarch's lust for power. Returning from military campaigns, he began to be weighed down by his influence. Nikon's enemies took advantage of the tsar's cooling towards him and began to disrespect the patriarch. The proud soul of the archpastor could not bear the insult. 1658, July 10 - he renounced his dignity and left for the New Jerusalem Resurrection Monastery founded by him. The king, however, did not soon decide to put an end to this matter. Only in 1666, at the Church Council, chaired by the Patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch Nikon, they were deprived of the bishopric and imprisoned in the Belozersky Ferapontov Monastery.
During military campaigns, Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov visited western cities - Vitebsk, Polotsk, Mogilev, Kovno, Grodno, Vilna. There he met with a similar to the European way of life. Returning to Moscow, the sovereign made changes in the court environment. Wallpaper (golden skins) and furniture in German and Polish designs appeared inside the palace. Gradually, the life of ordinary citizens also changed.

church schism
After the elimination of Nikon, his main innovations were not destroyed - the correction of church books and changes in some religious rites (the form of church bows, baptism with three fingers, the use of only Greek icons for worship). Many of the priests and monasteries did not agree to accept these innovations. They began to call themselves Old Believers, and the official Russian Orthodox Church began to call them schismatics. 1666, May 13 - in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, one of the leaders of the Old Believers, Archpriest Avvakum, was anathematized.
Internal unrest
Particularly stubborn resistance was offered by the Solovetsky Monastery; besieged since 1668 by government troops, it was taken by the governor Meshcherinov on January 22, 1676, the rebels were hanged.
Meanwhile, in the south, the Don Cossack Stepan Razin revolted. Having robbed the caravan of Shorin's guest in 1667, Razin moved to Yaik, took the Yaitsky town, plundered Persian ships, but in Astrakhan he brought guilt. In May 1670, he again went to the Volga, took Tsaritsyn, Cherny Yar, Astrakhan, Saratov, Samara and raised the Cheremis, Chuvashs, Mordovians, and Tatars to revolt. Razin's army near Simbirsk was defeated by Prince Yu. Baryatinsky. Razin fled to the Don and, betrayed there by ataman Kornil Yakovlev, was executed in Moscow on May 27, 1671.
Soon after the execution of Razin, a war began with Turkey over Little Russia. The war ended with a 20-year peace only in 1681.
The results of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich
Of the internal orders under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the foundation of new central institutions (orders) is remarkable: Secret Affairs (not later than 1658), Khlebny (not later than 1663), Reitarsky (since 1651), Accounting Affairs, busy checking the parish, expenditure and cash balances (since 1657), Little Russian (since 1649), Lithuanian (in 1656-1667), Monastic (in 1648-1677)
Financially, several changes have also been made. In 1646 and in subsequent years, a census of tax yards was carried out with their adult and minor male population. A decree of April 30, 1654, prohibited the collection of small customs duties (myt, travel duties and anniversary) or farm them out.
Due to the lack of funds, copper money was issued in large numbers. Since the 1660s, the copper ruble began to be valued 20-25 times cheaper than the silver one. As a result, the terrible high cost caused a popular uprising on July 25, 1662, called the Copper Riot. The rebellion was pacified by the expulsion of the streltsy army against the rebellious people.
By decree of June 19, 1667, it was ordered to start building ships in the village of Dedinovo on the Oka.
In the field of legislation, the Council Code was compiled and published - a code of laws of the Russian state (printed for the first time on May 7-20, 1649). It was supplemented in some respects by the New Trade Charter of 1667, the New Decree Articles on Robbery and Murderous Cases of 1669, and the New Decree Articles on Estates of 1676.
During the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, the colonization movement to Siberia continued. Famous in this regard: A.Bulygin, O.Stepanov, E.Khabarov and others. The cities of Nerchinsk (1658), Irkutsk (1659), Selenginsk (1666) were founded.
Last years of government. Death
In the last years of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, A.S. Matveev. 2 years after the death of M.I. The sovereign of Miloslavskaya married a relative of Matveev, Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina (January 22, 1671). From this marriage, Alexei Mikhailovich had a son - the future Emperor Peter 1.
Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov died on January 29, 1676 and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
M. Vostryshev

Biography

Childhood

Until the age of five, the young Tsarevich Alexei remained in the care of the royal "mothers". From the age of five, under the supervision of B. I. Morozov, he began to learn to read and write using the primer, then he began to read the Book of Hours, the Psalter and the Acts of the Holy Apostles, at the age of seven he began to learn writing, and at nine - church singing. Over time, the child (11-13 years old) has a small library; of the books that belonged to him, among other things, the Lexicon and Grammar published in Lithuania, as well as Cosmography are mentioned. Among the items of "children's fun" of the future king there are: a horse and children's armor of the "German cause", musical instruments, German maps and "printed sheets" (pictures). Thus, along with the previous educational means, innovations are also noticeable, which were made not without the direct influence of B. I. Morozov. The latter, as is known, dressed the young tsar with his brother and other children in German clothes for the first time. In the 14th year, the prince was solemnly "announced" to the people, and from the age of 16 he ascended the throne of Moscow.

The nature and hobbies of Alexei Mikhailovich

With his accession to the throne, Tsar Alexei came face to face with a number of issues that worried Russian life in the 17th century. Little prepared to resolve such issues, he initially listened to the influence of his former uncle B. I. Morozov, but soon he himself began to take an independent part in affairs. In this activity, the main features of his character were finally formed. The autocratic Russian tsar, judging by his own letters, foreigners (Meyerberg, Collins, Reitenfels, Lisek) and his relations with those around him, had a remarkably mild, good-natured character, was, according to G. Kotoshikhin, "much quiet." The spiritual atmosphere in which Tsar Alexei lived, his upbringing, character and reading of church books developed religiosity in him. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the tsar did not drink or eat anything during all fasts, and in general was a zealous performer of church rites. The veneration of the external rite was joined by an internal religious feeling, which developed Christian humility in Tsar Alexei. "But to me, a sinner, he writes, local honor, like dust ". Royal good nature and humility sometimes, however, gave way to brief outbursts of anger. Once the tsar, who was bled by the German "dokhtur", ordered the boyars to try the same remedy. Rodion Streshnev disagreed. Tsar Alexei personally "humbled" the old man, but then did not know what gifts to appease him.

Samuel Collins, an English physician at the royal court, reports that “His fun consists in falconry and dog hunting. It maintains more than three hundred falcon keepers and has the best gyrfalcons in the world, which are brought from Siberia and kill ducks and other game. He hunts bears, wolves, tigers, foxes, or, better to say, poisons them with dogs. When he leaves, the East Gate and the inner wall of the city are locked until he returns. He rarely visits his subjects… When the Tsar goes out of town or to the field of amusement, he strictly orders that no one should bother him with requests.”

Letter from Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich to his cousin Afanasy Matyushkin, a steward, written in secret writing (gibberish)

In general, the king knew how to respond to someone else's grief and joy; remarkable in this regard are his letters to A. Ordin-Nashchokin and Prince N. Odoevsky. Few dark sides can be noted in the character of Tsar Alexei. He had a contemplative, passive rather than a practical, active nature. He stood at the crossroads between two directions, old Russian and Western, tried them on in his worldview, but did not indulge in either one or the other with the passionate energy of Peter. The king was not only intelligent, but also an educated man of his age. He read a lot, wrote letters, compiled the Code of the Falconer's Way, tried to write his memoirs about the Polish war, and practiced versification. He was a man of order par excellence; " business time and fun hour"(that is, everything has its time) - he wrote; or: " without rank, no thing is established and strengthened».

It is known that Alexei Mikhailovich personally dealt with the organization of the army. The staff list of the Reiter regiment, made by the sovereign himself, has been preserved. The secretary of the Danish embassy, ​​Andrei Rode, testifies that the sovereign was also engaged in artillery. As he wrote in his diary: April 11, 1659 “The colonel (Bauman) also showed us a drawing of a cannon, which was invented by the Grand Duke himself (Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich)”. Alexei Mikhailovich was very interested in the European press, which he got acquainted with through translations made in the Ambassadorial Prikaz. One of the articles (that the British, who overthrew and executed their king, greatly regret it), the tsar personally read to the boyars at a meeting of the Duma. Since 1659, Alexei Mikhailovich tried to establish a regular delivery of foreign newspapers to Russia. In 1665, for this purpose, the first regular postal line was organized, linking Moscow with Riga, and through it with the pan-European postal system. The king showed great interest in various systems of secret writing. The newly developed ciphers were used in diplomatic practice. The order of the Secret Affairs kept drawings of Egyptian hieroglyphs, made according to the book of the Egyptologist A. Kircher. The king's interests included astrology. Following the advice of his physician Samuel Collins, he allowed himself to be bled based on the recommendations of medical astrology. Alexei Mikhailovich was so fascinated by the starry sky that in the early 1670s. he, through A. S. Matveev, who was in charge of the Ambassadorial order, asked the Danish resident to get him a telescope. In the last years of his life, the king became interested in European music. On October 21, 1674, Alexei Mikhailovich arranged a feast for himself and his neighbors, which was accompanied by very unusual fun: in everything."

Romanov dynasty (before Peter III)

Roman Yurievich Zakharyin Anastasia , wife of Ivan IV the Terrible Fedor I Ioannovich Peter I the Great (2nd wife Catherine I) Anna Petrovna

Alexander Nikitich Mikhail Nikitich Ivan Nikitich

	Nikita Ivanovich

Reign

Marriage. Morozov

The young tsar submitted strongly to the influence of Boris Morozov. Thinking of getting married, in 1647 he chose Evfemia, the daughter of Raf Vsevolozhsky, as his wife at the brides review, but refused his choice due to intrigues, in which B. I. Morozov himself was probably involved. In 1648, on January 16 (26 according to the new style), the tsar married Marya Ilyinichnaya Miloslavskaya; soon after that B. I. Morozov married her sister Anna. Thus, B. I. Morozov and his father-in-law I. D. Miloslavsky acquired a paramount importance at court. By this time, however, the results of BI Morozov's bad internal management had already clearly come to light. On February 7 (17), 1646, a new duty on salt was established by the tsar's decree and the boyar verdict. This duty replaced not only the former salt duty, but also the Yamsky and Streltsy money; it exceeded the market price of salt - the main consumer - by about 1⅓ times and caused strong discontent among the population. This was joined by the abuses of I. D. Miloslavsky and the rumor about the predilection of the tsar and ruler for foreign customs. All these reasons caused a popular revolt (Salt Riot) in Moscow and riots in other cities; On June 1 (11), 1648, the people began to demand the extradition of B. Morozov from the tsar, then plundered his house and killed the roundabout Pleshcheev and the Duma clerk Chisty. The tsar hurried to secretly send his beloved B. I. Morozov to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, and betrayed Pleshcheev to the people. The new duty on salt was abolished in the same year. After the popular unrest subsided, Morozov returned to the court, enjoyed royal favor, but did not have priority in government.

Patriarch Nikon

Tsar Alexei matured and no longer needed guardianship; he himself wrote to Nikon in 1651, " that his word became in the palace good and terrible". These words, however, were not entirely justified in practice. The soft, sociable nature of the king needed an adviser and friend. Nikon became such a “special”, especially beloved friend. Being at that time a metropolitan in Novgorod, where with his characteristic energy he pacified the rebels in March 1650, Nikon seized the royal trust, was consecrated patriarch on July 25, 1652 and began to exert direct influence on state affairs. Among the latter, foreign relations attracted particular attention of the government. Patriarch Nikon was instructed to carry out church reform. The reform took place in 1653-1655. and dealt mainly with church rites and books. Baptism with three fingers was introduced, waist bows instead of earthly ones, icons and church books were corrected according to Greek models. Convened in 1654 The church council approved the reform, but proposed to bring the current rites into line not only with the Greek, but also with the Russian tradition.

The new patriarch was a wayward, strong-willed man, in many ways fanatical. Having received immense power over the believers, he soon came up with the idea of ​​the primacy of church authority and invited Alexei Mikhailovich to share power with him. However, the king did not want to endure the patriarch for a long time. He stopped attending patriarchal services at the Assumption Cathedral and inviting Nikon to state receptions. This was a serious blow to the pride of the patriarch. During one of the sermons in the Assumption Cathedral, he announced the resignation of patriarchal duties (with the preservation of his dignity) and retired to the New Jerusalem Resurrection Monastery. There Nikon waited for the tsar to repent and ask him to return to Moscow. However, the king acted differently. He began to prepare a church trial against Nikon, for which he invited Orthodox patriarchs from other countries to Moscow.

For the trial of Nikon in 1666. A church council was convened, to which the patriarch was brought under guard. The tsar declared that Nikon left the church without the permission of the tsar and renounced the patriarchate, thereby making it clear who owns the real power in the country. The church hierarchs present supported the tsar and condemned Nikon, blessing his deprivation of the rank of patriarch and eternal imprisonment in a monastery. At the same time the Cathedral of 1666-1667. supported the church reform and cursed all its opponents, who began to be called Old Believers. The participants of the Council decided to transfer the leaders of the Old Believers into the hands of the authorities. According to the Council Code of 1649. they were threatened with burning at the stake. Thus, the reforms of Nikon and the Council of 1666-1667. initiated a schism in the Russian Orthodox Church.

Military reform

In 1648, using the experience of creating regiments of a foreign system during the reign of his father, Alexei Mikhailovich began the reform of the army.

During the reform of 1648 - 1654, the best parts of the "old system" were strengthened and enlarged: the elite Moscow local cavalry of the Sovereign's regiment, Moscow archers and gunners. The main direction of the reform was the mass creation of regiments of the new system: reiters, soldiers, dragoons and hussars. These regiments formed the backbone of the new army of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. To fulfill the goals of the reform, a large number of European military specialists were recruited into the service. This became possible due to the end of the Thirty Years' War, which created a colossal market for military professionals in Europe for those times.

Affairs in Ukraine. Polish war

Results and achievements of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich

From the internal orders under Tsar Alexei, the following can be distinguished: a ban on Belomests (monasteries and persons who were in state, military or civil service) to own black, taxable lands and industrial, commercial establishments (shops, etc.) in the settlement; the final attachment of taxable classes, peasants and townspeople, to the place of residence; the transition was forbidden in 1648 not only to the peasant owners, but also to their children, brothers and nephews. (According to the Cathedral Code of the city)

Alexey Mikhailovich (Polish engraving, 1664)

New central institutions were founded, what are the orders: Secret affairs (not later than 1658), Khlebny (not later than 1663), Reitarsky (since 1651), Accounting affairs (mentioned since 1657), engaged in checking the receipt, expenditure and balances of money , Little Russian (mentioned since 1649), Lithuanian (-), Monastic (-).

In financial terms, several transformations were also made: in 1646 and the following years, a census of tax yards with their adult and minor male population was made, an unsuccessful above-mentioned attempt was made to introduce a new salt duty; by a decree of April 30, 1653, it was forbidden to collect small customs duties (myt, travel duties and anniversary) or to farm them out and it was ordered to be included in ruble duties collected at customs; at the beginning of 1656 (not later than March 3), due to a lack of funds, copper money was issued. Soon (since 1658), the copper ruble began to be valued at 10, 12, and in the 1660s even 20 and 25 times cheaper than the silver one; the resulting terrible high cost caused a popular uprising (Copper Riot) on July 25, 1662. The rebellion was pacified by the tsar's promise to punish the guilty and the expulsion of the archery troops against the rebels. Decree of June 19, 1667. it was ordered to start building ships in the village of Dedinovo on the Oka; however, the ship built at the same time burned down in Astrakhan.

In the field of legislation: the Council Code was compiled and published (printed for the 1st time on May 7-20, 1649) and supplementing it in some respects: the New Trade Charter of 1667, New decree articles on robbery and murderous cases of 1669, New decree articles on estates of 1676 years, military regulations in 1649. Russia also united with Ukraine in 1654.

Under Tsar Alexei, the colonization movement to Siberia continued. Famous in this regard: A. Bulygin, O. Stepanov, E. Khabarov and others. Founded: Simbirsk (1648), Nerchinsk (1658), Irkutsk (1659), Penza (1663), Selenginsk (1666).

Matveev

In the last years of the reign of Tsar Alexei, Artamon Sergeevich Matveev especially exalted at the court. Two years after the death of M. I. Miloslavskaya (March 4), the tsar married his relative Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina, on January 22, Matveev, an admirer of Western European customs, gave theatrical performances, which were attended not only by the tsar himself, but also by the queen , princes and princesses (for example, November 2, 1672 in the village of Preobrazhensky). On September 1, the tsar "announced" to the people his son Fyodor as heir to the throne. On January 30, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich the Quietest died at the age of 47.

Marriages and children

The wedding of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Natalia Naryshkina. 17th century engraving

Alexei Mikhailovich was the father of 16 children from two marriages. Three of his sons subsequently reigned. None of Alexei Mikhailovich's daughters married.

• Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina (3 children):
  • Peter (May 30, 1672 - January 28, 1725)
  • Natalya (August 1673 - June 1716)
  • Theodora (September 1674 - November 1678)

monuments

The most important works on the history of the reign of Tsar Alexei

• Abolensky Ivan. Muscovy under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Patriarch Nikon according to the notes of Archdeacon Pavel of Aleppo. - Kyiv: Printing house of S.T. Eremeev, 1876. - 203 p.
• Berkh V.N. The reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, St. Petersburg, 1831.
• Zabelin I. E. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (in "Experiences in the Study of Russian Ancient and Historical", vol. I, pp. 203-281; ​​the same in "Otech. Zap.", vol. 110, pp. 325-378)
• Klyuchevsky V. O. historical portraits. Articles: “The Significance of St. Sergius for the Russian People and State”, “Kind People of Ancient Rus'”, “Characteristics of Tsar Ivan the Terrible”, “Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich”, “The Life of Peter the Great Before the Beginning of the Northern War”. M., .
• Medovikov P. E.. - M: Printing house of Alexander Semyon, 1854. - 256 p.
• Solovyov S. M. History of Russia, vol. X, XI and XII

The son of the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich, from his marriage to Evdokia Streshneva, was born on March 29 (19, according to other sources 10 according to the old style) March 1629.

He was brought up under the supervision of the "uncle" boyar Boris Morozov. At the age of 11-12, the prince had his own children's library, among its books - a lexicon (a kind of encyclopedic dictionary), grammar, cosmography. Alexei was distinguished by Orthodox piety: he strictly observed fasts and attended church services.

Alexei Mikhailovich began his reign at the age of 14, after being elected by the Zemsky Sobor.

In 1645, at the age of 16, having first lost his father and soon his mother, Alexei Mikhailovich ascended the throne.

By his nature, Alexei Mikhailovich was calm, reasonable, kind and compliant. In history, the nickname "The Quietest" has been preserved for him.

The first years of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich were marked by the convocation of the Boyar Duma. The financial policy of the government of Alexei Mikhailovich was focused on increasing taxes and replenishing the treasury at their expense. The establishment in 1645 of a high duty on salt led to popular unrest - the salt riot in Moscow in 1648. The rebellious people demanded the "extradition" of the boyar Boris Morozov. Alexei Mikhailovich managed to save his "uncle" and relative (Morozov was married to the queen's sister) by sending him to the Kirillov Monastery. The duty on salt was abolished. The boyar Nikita Odoevsky was put at the head of the government, and ordered to increase the salaries of the army (archers), who suppressed the uprising.

Under the leadership of princes Odoevsky, Fyodor Volkonsky and Semyon Prozorovsky, Alexei Mikhailovich signed at the beginning of 1649 the text of the Cathedral Code - the new foundations of Russian legislation. The document affirmed the principle of a centralized state with the authoritarian power of the king.

The abolition of "lesson years" for the investigation of fugitive peasants, fixed by the Council Code, strengthened the position of the nobles. The position of the lower ranks of townsmen also changed significantly: from now on, all urban settlements were "turned into tax", that is, they had to bear the full tax burden.

The response to these changes in the tax system was the 1650 uprisings in Pskov and Novgorod. Their suppression was led by Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod, who had previously earned the confidence of the tsar. Back in 1646, being the abbot of the Kozheezersky monastery, having come to collect alms in Moscow, he impressed Alexei Mikhailovich with his spirituality and extensive knowledge. The young tsar appointed him first archimandrite of the Novo Spassky Monastery in Moscow, where the Romanov family burial vault was located, and then Metropolitan of Novgorod. In 1652, Nikon was consecrated to the patriarchs. In the 1650s and 1660s, a church reform was carried out, which at first was led by Patriarch Nikon, which led to a split in the Russian Orthodox Church and the excommunication of the Old Believers. In 1658, as a result of a conflict with the tsar, Nikon left the patriarchate. In 1666, on the initiative of Alexei Mikhailovich, a Church Council was convened, at which Nikon was deposed and sent into exile.

By order of Alexei Mikhailovich, state reform was carried out - new central orders (central government bodies) were established: Secret Affairs (1648), Monastic (1648), Little Russian (1649), Reitarsky (1651), Counting (1657), Lithuanian (1656) and Khlebny (1663). Under Alexei Mikhailovich, the first reformation of the Russian army in the 17th century began - the introduction of hired "regiments of the new system."

Alexey Mikhailovich paid special attention to the foreign policy of the state. A major achievement of Russian diplomacy during his reign was the reunification of Ukraine with Russia. On January 8, 1654, the Pereyaslav Rada approved.

In 1667, the 13-year-old war with Poland ended victoriously, and Smolensk, Kyiv and the entire left-bank Ukraine were returned to Russia. At the same time, Alexei Mikhailovich personally participated in many of the military campaigns, led diplomatic negotiations, and controlled the activities of Russian ambassadors.

In the east of the country, the lands of Siberia were annexed to Russia by the labors of Russian pioneers Semyon Dezhnev and Vasily Poyarkov. The cities of Nerchinsk (1656), Irkutsk (1659), Selenginsk (1666) were founded. The struggle for the security of the southern borders of Russia against the Turks and Tatars was successfully carried out under Alexei Mikhailovich.

In economic policy, the government of Alexei Mikhailovich encouraged industrial activity, patronized domestic trade, protecting it from the competition of foreign goods. These goals were served by the Customs (1663) and Novotrade (1667) statutes, which promoted growth and foreign trade.

Miscalculations in financial policy - the issuance of copper money equal to silver, which devalued the ruble - caused discontent among the population, which grew into the Copper Riot in 1662. The rebellion was suppressed by the archers, and copper money was canceled. Soon after the Copper Riot, an uprising broke out in the Solovetsky Monastery dissatisfied with church reforms (1666). In the south of Russia, popular unrest arose under the leadership of the Don Cossack Stepan Razin (1670-1671).

Until her death, the tsar was an exemplary family man, they had 13 children, including the future tsars Fedor and Ivan, as well as the princess Sophia. After the death of Maria Miloslavskaya, Alexei Mikhailovich in 1671 married Natalia Naryshkina, a relative of the nobleman Artamon Matveev, who began to exert great influence on the monarch. The young wife gave birth to the king of three children and, in particular, the future Emperor Peter I.

Alexei Mikhailovich died on February 8 (January 29, old style) 1676 at the age of 46 and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. According to the testamentary documents of 1674, his eldest son from his marriage to Maria Miloslavskaya, Fedor, was appointed heir to the throne.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources V

Abstract on the academic discipline "History of Russia"

on the topic: "The reign of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov."

Plan

1. Introduction.

3. Copper and salt riots.

5. The last years of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich.

6. Conclusion.

7. List of references.

1. Introduction

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich led the country in difficult years, when it had not yet fully recovered from the Time of Troubles, and the situation in Russia was more than restless. It is no coincidence that this century was called by contemporaries the “rebellious age”. At the same time, many changes were taking place. The former principles and ideals were gradually leveled, many things changed in all spheres of people's lives. Public consciousness has also undergone considerable transformation. Therefore, the dynasty that came to power was looking for new forms of power and methods of influencing people. Alexei Mikhailovich was a controversial personality. Nicknamed "The Quietest", he, however, quite often fell into anger and was quick to reprisal. In relation to relatives, he was soft and quiet, and in other cases, the ruler was distinguished by distrust and suspicion. Being pious and suspicious at the same time, he saw the "evil eye" in everything, witchcraft, which often led to accusations and subsequent punishments of often innocent people.

The reforms made by him and his favorite boyar Morozov caused an element of riots and uprisings in the country (Salt and Copper riots, the Peasant War led by Stepan Razin). Given the constant military clashes with Poland, Sweden, Turkey and the Crimean Tatars, it should be recognized that the period of Alexei Mikhailovich's rule was unstable and conflict. All these dramatic events were a kind of test of the strength of the new tsar from the Romanov dynasty. The era of the reign of Alexei Romanovich brought another destabilizing phenomenon in Russian society - the Schism associated with the name of Patriarch Nikon (1605 - 1681). Thus, another threat arose, this time directed not at the state, but at the spiritual foundations of Russian life. The paradox of the current situation lies in the fact that in such difficult conditions the state “did not collapse, but, on the contrary, became stronger” [Platonov; 189]. Thus, the period of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich turned out to be a time of upsurge - creative, state, spiritual, which undoubtedly increases the degree of interest in his personality today.

2. Internal organization under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Serfdom.

Alexei Mikhailovich began to rule the country at the age of sixteen. Like his father, he was not independent in his reign. The boyar B.I. played the main role in governing the state for the first three years. Morozov (1590 - 1661) - teacher of Alexei Mikhailovich. The young age of the king, the desire for entertainment and early marriage did not allow him to immediately begin public affairs after the crowning of the kingdom. This made it possible for the enterprising Morozov to quickly begin his activities. He began to lead several orders at once, which were of decisive importance - the financial (Big Treasury), the Streltsy order and the Foreign order, as well as the monopoly on the drinking business and the pharmacy order. At the same time, it should be noted that the new king had an excellent education and possessed considerable talents, and therefore he was soon able to begin to fulfill his mission as God's protege himself.

The main concern of the new sovereign and government was the replenishment of the treasury. To this end, a decree was issued in 1646 ordering an increase in the duty on salt. This led to the fact that they stopped buying salt (due to its sharp rise in price). As a result, treasury revenues plummeted. At the same time, arrears of taxes accumulated over the previous two years began to be collected from the taxable population. These actions caused extreme discontent among the population.

Increasingly strengthening state power, the king eventually began to rely on the administrative and bureaucratic apparatus. The country's governance system was based on Orders - territorial and branch bodies of centralized administration. The orders that appeared in the 17th century (although they originated during the existence of the Russian centralized state) became the basis of the bureaucratic mechanism of Russia.

Alexei Mikhailovich sought to reform the state structure of the country. One of its largest transformations was the creation of a code of laws of the state - the Cathedral Code.

The Cathedral Code of 1649 is the most important source of law of the 17th century, which covers in detail the work of all branches of law - the judiciary, legal proceedings, civil, criminal, administrative, family, etc. serfs, canceled the "lesson summer", leveled the personality of the serf and turned it into a commodity. The right to sell peasants and the right to extrajudicial reprisals against them was consolidated. Thus, serfdom under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was finally established. According to S.F. Platonov, “the abolition by the Code of the fixed years allotted for the search for runaway peasants, thereby finally attached them to the land” [Platonov; 191].

The code also applies to the townspeople. Now this social stratum is attached to the settlement. The townspeople are turning into a closed class, which is impossible to leave the territory. At the same time, the entry of an outsider into the settlement is prohibited. Thus, the townspeople is isolated and limited in their rights.

Criminal law in the Cathedral Code systematized crimes and punishments in accordance with feudal law. The most serious crime was a crime against God and faith, and then against the king and power, state crimes. Completed this system of crimes against the person. The system of punishments looked frightening and provided for chopping off the head, hanging, drowning, burying alive in the ground, pouring molten metal into the throat, burning at the stake, quartering, wheeling, and various corporal punishments. Imprisonment, both urgent and indefinite, has been widely used [Tsechoev; 201 - 202].

The accession to the throne of Alexei Mikhailovich coincided with a new era in the historical existence of Russia. A.N. Bokhanov writes: “The wounds of the Time of Troubles were healed, the Russian house was preserved and restored, all the “uninvited guests” were expelled from it, and therefore there was an urgent need to restore order and cleanliness in government and Russian life” [Bohanov; 178]. The aspirations of the young tsar were aimed at strengthening the moral state of the people, at the fulfillment of Orthodox laws.

Russia at that time positioned itself as a Church-State, a country in which spiritual priorities were predominant. The meaning of the existence of the human person was his involvement in communion with God. It was kinship in Christ that was defined as the dominant concept of earthly life. “For this reason,” says the prominent historian A.N. Bokhanov, “Ethnic nationalism was impossible neither under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, nor before, nor after him” [Bohanov; 10].

During the reign of the second tsar from the Romanov dynasty, more than one hundred and fifty monasteries were opened, Russian Orthodox culture took off, secular literature was born, secular painting appeared, and even the first comedy performances at the court began to take place. Much less is said about these facts of reign than about riots and uprisings, but, nevertheless, they were and are confirmed by outstanding domestic historians (V.O. Klyuchevsky, S.F. Platonov, etc.).

Alexei Mikhailovich turned out to be a supporter of church reform, which held the Greek model as an ideal. The sovereign received support from Nikon, who became patriarch in 1652. Church reform soon followed, after which a schism ensued. In an official letter written in 1653, Nikon ordered the reforms to begin. This process provoked repressions against those who were apologists for the old faith. Thus, the association of former like-minded people split. The leader of the opponents of the new was Archpriest Avvakum, who rejected the innovations and turned into an "Old Believer". Since then, his name has become the personification of the schismatic movement. In turn, Patriarch Nikon became the head of the official - reformist direction of the church. In 1654, with the support of Alexei Mikhailovich, he convenes a Church Council. On it, the patriarch shows very extreme positions, without even implying reconciliation of the parties. After the reforms were established, Nikon's opponents were persecuted.

Nikon did not behave very ethically towards the tsar, thereby creating the conditions for breaking ties with him. Nikon actively preached the idea of ​​the revival of Byzantinism. He also wanted not only full ecclesiastical power, but part of the secular. The patriarch did not hide his convictions: “the priesthood of the kingdom exists more than ever” [Lobachev; 117]. Thus, the main reason for the gap between Alexei Mikhailovich and Patriarch Nikon was the latter's encroachment on the division of secular power.

The patriarch also spoke out against the Council Code of 1649. He was disgusted by the fact that the clergy could be sued by a secular court, he openly called the document "a lawless book." Protesting against this, Nikon formulated a provision that prevented the process of secularization of society, the leadership of spiritual power over secular. The gap between Alexei Mikhailovich and Nikon occurred in the summer of 1658. Subsequently, the king forgave the patriarch and showed mercy to him, who was in captivity, and he himself asked for his forgiveness.

So, the internal policy of Alexei Mikhailovich was aimed at stopping riots, rebellions and uprisings. It is the unrest that prompts him to draw up his main document - the Council Code of 1649, which covered all spheres of life - civil, criminal, spiritual and moral.

3. Copper and salt riots.

Dissatisfaction with the established order accumulated, grew, and during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich manifested itself in a number of riots and open uprisings. The first riots were local in nature and, ignited, quickly extinguished. The situation turned out to be completely different with the last rebellion - an uprising led by Stepan Razin, which swept a fairly wide part of the country.

In 1648, the so-called. "salt riot" It was caused by the abuses of the highest government officials, namely B.I. Morozov, I.D. Miloslavsky (father-in-law of the tsar), L. S. Pleshcheev (judge of the Zemsky order), P.T. Trakhaniotov (head of the Pushkar order), N.I. Clean (dumny clerk). From popular anger, the tsar managed to save Morozov with difficulty, Miloslavsky managed to remain in the shadows, but the remaining three had to pay for everyone. Trakhanionov was executed publicly, Pleshcheev was torn to pieces by the crowd, and Chisty was killed in his own house. For several days, Moscow experienced days of real terror. The people were in a hurry to pour out their accumulated anger. All those whom they considered guilty of their disasters were searched throughout the city, and when found, they robbed, burned houses and property, and killed. As contemporaries of what was happening wrote, “the whole world staggered” [Chistyakova; 12]. The government took quick measures to reconcile with the people: the archers were treated to honey and wine. Miloslavsky fed the Moscow hundreds in his house for several days in a row. As a result, the people were promised a reduction in the price of salt and the destruction of monopolies. Only those people who enjoyed a good reputation were put in place of the dead.

Another of the most famous riots that occurred during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich is the “copper” (or “money”) riot. It was caused by a fall in the value of copper money (there were too many of them, and taxes were levied in silver) - hence its name, and occurred on August 4, 1662. The government and the royal family for the second time were forced to endure very unpleasant and difficult moments. But this time, the rebels also had to pay. By the beginning of the rebellion, the tsar was in a church in Kolomenskoye, when a crowd that had come running from Moscow demanded that the boyar Miloslavsky be extradited - a "money thief", in her opinion. Dissatisfaction was also caused by the devious F.M. Rtishchev. He was accused of being the first to suggest the idea of ​​issuing copper money.

Alexey Mikhailovich quickly understood what was the matter. He ordered both to hide in the rooms of the queen and princesses, while he himself remained in the church until the end of the service. But the rebels did not give him such an opportunity: they forced him to go out to the porch and did not let him out until he swore to investigate the case. At first the crowd calmed down and moved away, but a new one appeared to replace it. This happened at the moment when the sovereign had already mounted a horse to go after mass to the Kremlin Palace. The new rebels behaved differently. They spoke with threats, without courtesy laid before the king. They demanded to give them objectionable boyars. I had to call the archers, who dispersed the crowd. G.K. Kotoshikhin (1630 - 1667), being in this period an official of the Ambassadorial Department, left the most valuable evidence of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich. So, in particular, he writes that the rebels were mercilessly "beaten, flogged and caught." And because the rebels were unarmed, they had no choice but to "run and drown in the Moscow River" [Kotoshikhin; 38]. About nine hundred people died in this clash on both sides. Repressions followed: many rebels were put on the wanted list and, after being caught, some of them were hanged, and some were exiled to the Volga cities and Siberia. Nevertheless, the rebels achieved the main thing, and in 1663 the minting of copper money was stopped.

The riots were a great test for the young king, forced him to grow up, allowed him to gain political experience.

4. Accession of Ukraine. War with Poland, Sweden. Civil war led by Stepan Razin.

Making military reforms in the middle of the 17th century, Alexei Mikhailovich makes a decision: Russia should return the western and northwestern lands that were torn away at the beginning of the century by Sweden and the Commonwealth as a result of the Time of Troubles. The second most important task of the government was to strengthen the southern borders of the country, because there was still a threat of attack by the Turks and Crimean Tatars. The tsar did not exclude from the plan of the most important affairs the subsequent development of the Far East and Siberia - a project begun in the time of Ivan the Terrible.

The national liberation struggle of Ukraine under the leadership of B.Z. Khmelnytsky (1595 - 1657), which eventually resulted in a war of liberation (1648), was the impetus for declaring war on the Commonwealth. Formally, this happened on October 23, 1653, and military operations began directly in 1654.

Prior to that, Ukraine had been fighting Poland for five years for its independence, relying on the Zaporizhzhya Sich and calling on Russia for help all this time. The decisive moment came on January 8, 1654. On this day, at the Pereyaslav Rada, the issue of joining Russia was resolved positively. Thus, Russia could start a war because she was called to this action. Ukraine's request for help served as a moral justification.

So, in May - June 1654, the Russian army, together with the Ukrainian Cossacks, crossed the border of Poland and began to liberate the previously captured lands: Novgorod-Seversky and Smolensk. It was possible to take a significant number of cities, among which were Smolensk, Mstislavl, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Dorogobuzh, Gomel, Novy Bykhov, Polotsk, Chechersk and others.

In the winter of 1654 - 1655 Polish troops make an attempt to invade Ukraine, but the joint army of Russia and Ukraine (commanded by V.P. Sheremetev and B.Z. Khmelnitsky) stop this action. The siege of Mogilev by the Polish troops also turned into a collapse. In turn, the Russian troops launch an offensive and take Minsk, Grodno, Kaunas, Vilna. In the summer of 1665, an exit was made to Brest-Litovsk (the command is led by the Russian prince K.Ya. Cherkassky and the Ukrainian colonel I.N. Zolotarenko).

Sweden's entry into the war was another major foreign policy event. The army of the Swedes occupied a significant part of the territory of the Commonwealth. Boyarin A.L. Ordin-Nashchokin, nominated by Tsar Alexei, made the mistake of assuming that in its current position, the Commonwealth poses no danger to Russia. He now considered Sweden to be his main enemy. In May 1656, the war with Sweden begins, and on October 23 of the same year, Russia concludes a temporary agreement on the cessation of hostilities with the Commonwealth. In 1655, a war broke out between Poland and Sweden. The Russian army decides to take advantage of this situation and launches an offensive in two directions at once - Riga and Izhora. By May 1658, the Russian army occupies a number of cities from Polotsk to Tartu. But it is at this moment that the Polish army, which has received a respite, finds the strength to fight back and drive the Swedish invaders out of its territory. After that, the Poles announce their refusal to recognize the accession of the Belarusian and Ukrainian lands to Russia and begin hostilities in the east of their country. Further, the situation for the Russian troops worsens even more, since the Ukrainian hetman I.E. Vygovskoy goes over to the side of the enemies and, leading the Ukrainian-Polish-Tatar army, defeats the army of Prince A.N. Trubetskoy and pursues further Russian troops.

These circumstances force Russia to make peace with Sweden. This event took place on December 20, 1658 and went down in history as the Truce of Valiesar. The terms of the treaty allowed Russia to keep the Baltic cities.

In August 1659, Russian troops leave Kyiv and deal a crushing blow to Vygovsky. But in the future, Russia was not immune from betrayal by the Ukrainian hetmans. The next traitor was the son of B.Z. Khmelnitsky Yu.B. Khmelnitsky (1641 - 1685). His betrayal made it possible for the Poles to surround the Russian army operating in Ukraine and force it to capitulate.

The Swedes, taking advantage of this, begin to demand from Russia the return of previously conquered lands. On June 21, 1661, the cities conquered by the Russian army were returned to Sweden (Kardis "eternal peace"). The government under the leadership of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich failed to resolve the Baltic issue.

In 1664, the Russian army again began to push the Polish troops. Military operations had mixed success, since the forces of both warring parties were practically exhausted. The current situation required peace negotiations, as a result of which Russia and the Commonwealth signed the Andrusovo truce near Smolensk for thirteen and a half years (January 30, 1667). Under the terms of this agreement, Russia ceded the Left-bank Ukraine, Chernihiv and Smolensk lands. For a two-year period, Kyiv was also transferred to Russia, which, however, was not returned to the Commonwealth. As for the Zaporozhian Sich, it was divided between Russia and Ukraine, that is, it was ruled by both of them. The most important condition for the Andrusovo truce should be called the common confrontation between the Tatar and Turkish threats. Thus, the issue of Western Russian lands was half resolved.

In 1672, Türkiye launched an offensive against the Right-Bank Ukraine. By striking Poland and capturing the most important objects - Kamenetz and Podolia - Turkey forced the Poles to conclude an agreement under which they were obliged to pay tribute to the Turkish Sultan. Thus, a significant part of the Right-Bank Ukraine was under the yoke of Turkish feudal lords. Thus began a new stage in the Ukrainian liberation movement. In this struggle, the ataman Ivan Sirko (1610 - 1680) clearly showed himself. In June 1669, he organized a campaign of the Cossacks to the northern coast of the Black Sea. The result of this campaign was the legendary destruction of the Ochakov fortress, which was the stronghold of the Turkish army for the attack on Ukraine.

In 1675, the government of Alexei Mikhailovich sent troops to help Sirko, which consisted of Don Cossacks and Circassians. Together with them, Sirko carried out a campaign against the Crimea. They safely crossed the Sivash and managed to approach Bakhchisaray. The united army took the city, freeing many slaves along the way, after which they returned to the Sich. The Turkish Sultan demanded obedience from the Cossacks. The answer of the Cossacks is brilliantly displayed in the picture by I.E. Repin "The Cossacks write a letter to the Turkish Sultan". The Turks never managed to conquer the Zaporozhian Sich, although they made such attempts more than once.

The upheavals and trials did not stop there. One of them is the rebellion of Stenka Razin, which began in 1670 and lasted almost a year. On the southeastern outskirts, and especially on the Don, a large number of fugitive peasants, serfs and settlers converged. Don was chosen by them for the reason that they could feel relatively calm there. The old precepts were still valid today: the Don does not extradite anyone, even a criminal, and even the Moscow government carried out these orders. After the Andrusovo truce, when Western Ukraine again began to belong to Poland, people also poured from there to the Don. These were the most desperate people - a real Cossack needy, beggars, deprived of any means. They had no other choice but to gather in bands of robbers and trade in various criminal ways. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the fugitives were often family people, and they had to feed their children.

In that year, bread was not sown on the Don, and therefore the region became agitated. The atmosphere was heating up, and all that was missing was a leader - a person who could rally the disparate mass and carry it along with him with the “tempting prospect of easy prey” [Shmurlo; 325]. The Don Cossack S.T. became such a leader. Razin (1630 - 1671). The rebels decided to move to the Volga, and from there to the Caspian Sea. Ruthlessly devastating the Persian coast, Razin's gang returned to the Volga with rich booty. Having endowed the Astrakhan authorities with generous gifts, the Razintsy were able to freely return back to the Don. In Astrakhan, Razin and his gang found themselves more in the position of dear guests than bands of rebels. The chieftain himself generously endowed the poor, littered with money, gold and silver. Thus, he easily gained authority among the Astrakhan poor. His Cossacks flaunted before the townspeople in silk and velvet clothes, boasted of precious stones and pearls and other gifts of the East.

The news of Razin and his more than successful raid on Persia spread around the district with incredible speed. The mob rushed towards him from all sides, and very soon he became the head of a squad of three thousand people. With all he was very generous, helped the hungry and the poor, gave shelter. N.I. Kostomarov writes: “They called him a father, they considered him a miracle worker, they believed in his mind, strength and happiness” [Kostomarov; 354].

For the second time, Razin led his gang not to Persia, but to Russia, to Russian lands. His goal now was not only robbery. Like his predecessor I.I. Bolotnikov (1565 - 1608), who previously led his army in order to overthrow the existing system, Razin also set up his impoverished warriors for a coup, calling for the extermination of nobles, governors, clerks and everyone who has anything to do with commanding positions. He lured the homeless by seizing other people's property, changing the royal order, the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bequality and managed to literally electrify the crowd and become a hero.

So, in the spring of 1670, Razin moved to the Volga and captured two cities: Tsaritsyn and Astrakhan. He immediately became famous for unheard-of cruelty. Then he moved up the river, captured Samara and Saratov. Soon, his army was significantly replenished with Cossacks from Yaik, various foreigners (Chuvash, Mordovians, Cheremis). From the Volga, the uprising spread deep into the country, covering the Penza, Tambov, and Nizhny Novgorod regions. Its outbreaks begin to appear north of the Volga, in the Galician district, everywhere involving peasants and townspeople in a rebellion. And everywhere the Razintsy marked their movement with murders, fires, violence and robberies.

But with all this, there was no strength in the Razin case. The first significant failure near Simbirsk caused serious damage to the legendary ataman, and his personality lost its former attractiveness. The government, having shown incredible efforts, nevertheless suppressed the dangerous movement of the rebels. Razin was executed on the chopping block in 1671. The death of the leader of the largest peasant uprising could not kill the memory of him: Razin grew into a folk hero, about whom folk songs and legends are composed. It is significant that all the atrocities of Razin and his Cossacks have disappeared from the people's memory, and in the samples of folk art they sing and speak about him with sympathy and regret. But this has its own logic. The halo that developed around the personality of Stepan Razin testified to a serious defeat of the entire state system of Russia, to the deepest discord between the lower and upper classes. The cruelty of the Razin squad indicates the arbitrariness and injustice of the ruling persons, and this was a completely adequate response on the part of the people to social trouble.

5. The last years of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich.

In 1668, the Solovetsky Monastery rebellion began, which lasted until 1676. The monks, led by Archimandrite Ilya, refused to serve according to the newly printed service books of the Nikon reform. The king did not take any action against the rebellious brethren for quite a long time, although his entourage was set up on this occasion in the most irreconcilable way. And finally, on December 27, 1667, Alexei Mikhailovich issues a decree on the beginning of the isolation of the Solovetsky Monastery. However, the rebels were in no hurry to give up, showing amazing fortitude and heroism. In 1674, voivode I.A. arrived in Solovki. Meshcherinov. His detachment of seven hundred men was well armed. Soon its number grows to a thousand archers. On January 22, 1676, a violent clash between the rebels and the troops that came to the island begins. As a result, the monastery is completely destroyed. And on January 29 of the same year, the sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich himself dies. But not only the forced siege of the Solovetsky Monastery became famous for the last stage of his reign.

On January 22, 1671, the previously widowed tsar married Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina (1651 - 1694). In this marriage, two children were born, one of whom was Peter I. The marriage had a strong influence on the worldview and tastes of Alexei Mikhailovich. Thanks to the transformation of views and the change in the environment of the sovereign, the first Russian theater appears in Russia. Among the new faces that appeared in his retinue, one should single out the Lutheran pastor Johann Gregory (1631 - 1675), who, with the blessing of the king, staged a play of his own authorship on a biblical story with the people recruited for this work. The theatrical performance delights Alexei Mikhailovich, and his new hobby gives a powerful impetus to the further development of theater in Russia.

European music also impresses the tsar, and he allows her access to the Russian state. P.V. Sedov writes: “He played the Nemchins’ argans, and the surna, and they blew the trumpets, and they played the cows, and they beat everything on nakras and timpani” [Sedov; 139]. Thus, thanks to Alexei Mikhailovich, an organ penetrates into Russia for the first time.

Nevertheless, the fascination with foreign "curiosities" did not prevent the tsar from remaining a Russian person, remaining faithful to the Orthodox principles of the world order. Foreign influences were not allowed into this area.

At the same time, other types of arts are actively developing: architecture, painting, literature (it is assumed that Alexei Mikhailovich himself is the author of several books, in particular, about falconry, of which he was a passionate lover).

In the last stage of the reign of the sovereign, a true architectural miracle appears - the palace in Kolomenskoye, which is considered an unsurpassed masterpiece to this day. It can be argued that the palace in Kolomenskoye is a distinctive sign of the 17th century, just as St. Basil's Cathedral became a symbol of the 16th century. For the emergence of the Kolomna Palace, descendants are obliged to thank Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna, who became its mistress. It is also important that the palace was completely the creation of the hands of Russian masters (architects and painters), which refutes, from time to time, the emerging opinion that Russia during this period was a “culturally backward” country.

The sovereign was keenly interested in the foreign press and even made an attempt to organize the delivery of newspapers from other states to Russia. As a result of this interest, in 1665 a special postal line was even organized - the first in Russia.

It is impossible not to note the enormous role of Alexei Mikhailovich in expanding the borders of the Russian state, in the development of Siberia. Thanks to the expeditions of E.P. Khabarov (1603 - 1671) and other travelers, the Russian advance reached the Pacific Ocean and finally strengthened there.

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich developed and enriched the diplomatic and trade relations of Russia with other countries, while maintaining national identity and purity of faith. Its role in the cultural progress of the country can hardly be overestimated.

6. Conclusion.

So, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov ruled Russia from 1645 to 1676. His worldview was formed under the influence of the idea of ​​religious and moral perfection of the individual and society, which spread after the end of the Time of Troubles. The first years of his reign were not independent: he almost completely depended on his tutor and relative, the boyar B.I. Morozov. In a later period, he actively nominated promising figures, such as N.I. Odoevsky, A.S. Matveev, A.L. Ordin-Nashchekin. During the Moscow uprisings, the sovereign made every effort to save Morozov. If we talk about domestic politics, then we should note his direct participation in the drafting and approval of the Council Code of 1648. He supported the line aimed at satisfying the demands of the townspeople and the nobility. Putting the strength of sovereign power at the forefront, he elevated any attempt on the life and health of the king to the rank of the most serious crimes.

During the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, the activities of the Zemsky Sobors and the Boyar Duma were fading, and the prikaz bureaucracy was activated. He attracted foreigners to the Russian service, thanks to his support, the importance of the regiments of the foreign system sharply increased. The sovereign contributed to the strengthening of serfdom and suppressed urban uprisings in the middle of the 17th century and the Peasant War of 1670-1671.

Under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the Russian Orthodox Church split. Being a supporter of Patriarch Nikon, the tsar shared not only the religious dogmas underlying them, but also pursued political goals. Such as: the unification of church rites of the Russian and Greek churches, which, from his point of view, was a necessary prerequisite for the growth of the authority of the Russian state among the Slavic peoples and, first of all, among those who were under the rule of the Commonwealth.

The sovereign pursued an active foreign policy, the most significant success being the unification of Russia and Ukraine (1654). He personally took part in military operations (campaigns of 1654 - 1656), in the Russian-Polish war of 1654 - 1667, as a result of which Smolensk, Seversk land with Chernigov and Starodum were returned (Andrusovsk truce of 1667).

Alexei Mikhailovich was not indifferent to everything new, which was clearly manifested in the field of art, culture and everyday life. The king managed to expand not only the borders of the state, but also diplomatic and trade relations. Noteworthy are the words of A.N. Bokhanov, who called Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich "the eponym of the epoch", which intricately combined loyalty to traditions and openness to everything new.

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The son of Mikhail Fedorovich and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (Quiet) did not live long either (born March 19, 1629, died January 29, 1676). Having received the throne by right of succession at the age of 16, he professed faith in God's chosen king, his power. Distinguished, like his father, by gentleness, meekness of character, he could also show irascibility, anger. Contemporaries draw his appearance: fullness, even obesity of a figure, a low forehead and a white face, plump and ruddy cheeks, blond hair and a beautiful beard; finally, a soft and shy look (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2

In his palace possessions, the tsar was a zealous master, strictly monitored that his serfs regularly performed their duties, made all sorts of payments. From the first wife of M. I. Miloslavskaya, Alexei Mikhailovich had 13 children; from the second - N.K. Naryshkina - three children. Many of them died early. Three of his sons became kings (Fyodor, Ivan and Peter), daughter Sophia became regents for the young brother kings (Ivan and Peter).

On June 1, 1648, an uprising broke out in Moscow - the Salt Riot. The rebels held the city in their hands for several days, ruined the houses of the boyars and merchants.

Following Moscow in the summer of 1648, the struggle of townsmen and small service people unfolded in Kozlov, Kursk, Solvychegorsk, Veliky Ustyug, Voronezh, Narym, Tomsk and other cities of the country.

Almost throughout the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the country was engulfed in small and large uprisings of the urban population. It was necessary to strengthen the legislative power of the country, and at the beginning of 1649 a new set of laws was adopted - the Cathedral Code.

If the immediate reason for the creation of the Council Code of 1649 was the uprising of 1648 in Moscow and the aggravation of class and estate contradictions, then the underlying causes lay in the evolution of the social and political system of Russia and the processes of consolidation of the main classes - estates of that time: peasants, serfs, townspeople and nobles, as well as the beginning of the transition from a class-representative monarchy to absolutism. These processes were accompanied by a noticeable increase in legislative activity, the desire of the legislator to subject the maximum number of parties and phenomena of public and state life to legal regulation.

The Cathedral Code consisted of 25 chapters, which included 967 articles. It systematized, at a higher level of legal technique compared to the previous legislation, the legal norms that were in force before. In addition, there were new legal norms, which appeared mainly under the pressure of the nobility and black tax settlements. For convenience, the chapters are preceded by a detailed table of contents indicating the contents of the chapters and articles.

As a code of law, the Code of 1649 in many respects reflected the trends in the further development of feudal society. In the sphere of the economy, it fixed the way for the formation of a single form of feudal landed property based on the merger of its two varieties - estates and estates.

In the social sphere, the Code reflected the process of consolidation of the main classes - estates, which led to a certain stabilization of society and at the same time caused an aggravation of class contradictions and an intensification of the class struggle, which, of course, was influenced by the establishment of the state system of serfdom. No wonder since the 17th century. the era of peasant wars opens.

In the Code, "the main attention is paid to the nobility, as to the ruling military service and landowning class: almost half of all articles of the Code directly or indirectly relate to its interests and relations. Here, as in its other parts, the Code tries to stay on the basis of reality" *.

Under Alexei Mikhailovich, the possessions of Russia are expanding both in the east, in Siberia, and in the west. There is an active diplomatic activity. Much has been done in the field of domestic policy. A course was pursued towards the centralization of administration, the strengthening of autocracy. The backwardness of the country dictated the invitation of foreign specialists in manufacturing, military affairs, the first experiments, attempts at transformation (establishing schools, regiments of the new system, etc.).

During the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich in 1653, Patriarch Nikon carried out church reforms.

Patriarch Nikon (in the world Nikita Minov) was an outstanding personality. A personal friend and adviser to Alexei Mikhailovich, in 1652 he was elected patriarch. He began to strive to ensure that Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church became the center of world Orthodoxy. Alexei Mikhailovich supported the patriarch, as the government had plans to unite the Orthodox churches of Ukraine and the Balkan countries with the Russian Church.

In addition, a dispute arose about how exactly to correct books and rites and what, in fact, is right and what is not. Many Moscow priests did not agree with the opinion of the patriarch.

All this was aggravated by the fact that Patriarch Nikon claimed not only ecclesiastical, but also secular power, believing that state power, headed by the tsar, should be completely subordinate to church power, headed by the patriarch.

He was almost 25 years older than Alexei Mikhailovich; this age difference made it easier for him to influence the king. It was not the friendship of peers, but the influence of a very intelligent, active and remarkably eloquent man of respectable years on the soft, impressionable soul of the young tsar ... Nikon was a practitioner, Alexei Mikhailovich was an idealist.

Being an extremely ambitious man, Nikon sought to get more and more power and one day he crossed the line. During the wars of 1654-1658. the tsar was often absent from Moscow, was, therefore, far from Nikon and by his presence did not restrain the patriarch's love of power. Returning from campaigns, he began to be weary of his influence. The tsar and the patriarch quarreled, and in 1658 Nikon was removed from the patriarchal throne. Nikon's enemies took advantage of the tsar's cooling towards him and began to disrespect the patriarch. The proud soul of the archpastor could not bear the insult; On July 10, 1658, he renounced his rank and went to the Resurrection Monastery.

The sovereign, however, did not soon decide to put an end to this matter. Only in 1666, at a spiritual council chaired by the Patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch, Nikon was deprived of his bishopric and imprisoned in the Belozersky Ferapontov Monastery.

The activities of Patriarch Nikon led to a church schism. In 1666, the Great Council took place in Moscow, approving all of Nikon's reforms (although he condemned Nikon himself). As a result, all adherents of the old order of things were called heretics (they themselves called themselves Old Believers, since they advocated the old, that is, uncorrected rites). As a result of this decision, the Russian Church was split.

But by this time, different church charters had been established in Moscow and Constantinople - the procedure for performing church services. The fact is that at the time of the adoption of Orthodoxy by Russia in Byzantium, there were two church charters. They were completely equal. Rus' adopted one of them, and Byzantium later settled on the other. In addition, Russian and Byzantine church books contained discrepancies, since Russian church books were copied by hand.

So, Patriarch Nikon strove for the Russian Church to play the role in the Orthodox world that the Constantinople played, i.e. became the heiress of Constantinople. But for this it was necessary to switch to the Greek church charter, to bring the texts of liturgical books in line with Greek models. Printing made this possible.

In 1653, Nikon began to reform. The Russian Church began to switch to the Greek church charter, liturgical books began to be brought into line with the Greek ones.

But the reforms caused a sharp protest from a part of society - the boyars, the clergy, the people. Supporters of the old rites refused to recognize Nikon's reforms and called for a return to the pre-reform order. Outwardly, the differences boiled down:

• v according to what models - Greek or Russian to unify church books,
• v be baptized with two or three fingers,
• v how to make a procession - in the course of the sun or against the course of the sun.

At the same time, famine and pestilence hit the country. The people considered these disasters to be God's punishment for apostasy from the faith of their ancestors. Thousands of peasants, townspeople fled to the Pomeranian North, to the Volga region, to the Urals, to Siberia. The split was also supported by representatives of some noble boyar families, in particular, a relative of the first wife of Alexei Mikhailovich, Tsaritsa Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya, noblewoman F.P. Morozova and her sister E.P. Urusova. The noble sisters were shackled, subjected to terrible tortures, then exiled to Borovsk, where they died in an earthen prison. Archpriest Avvakum and his supporters were exiled to the North in the city of Pustozersk. There, in an earthen prison in the permafrost zone, they spent 14 years. But Avvakum did not renounce his faith. For this, he and his associates were burned at the stake.

Patriarch Nikon also fell out of favor with the tsar. In 1666, at a church council, he was removed from the post of patriarch and exiled to Vologda. After the death of Alexei Mikhailovich, Nikon was allowed to return from exile. In 1681 he died near Yaroslavl.

Since then, the united Russian Church has been split into two - the Russian Orthodox Church (Nikonian) and the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church.

In 1654, a significant event in Russian history took place - Russia returned the Left-Bank Ukraine.

The reunification of Ukraine with Russia was of great importance for both states:

• v liberated the people of Ukraine from national and religious oppression, saved them from enslavement by Poland and the Ottoman Empire, contributed to the formation of the Ukrainian nation;
• v contributed to the strengthening of Russian statehood. It was possible to return the Smolensk and Chernihiv lands. This made it possible to start the struggle for the Baltic coast. In addition, the prospect of expanding Russia's ties with other Slavic peoples and Western states opened up.

Another important event of this era was the uprising led by Stepan Razin.

Stepan was born around 1630. He visited Moscow three times (in 1652, 1658 and 1661), and on the first of these visits he visited the Solovetsky Monastery. The situation on the Don was heating up. In 1667, with the end of the war with the Commonwealth, new parties of fugitives poured into the Don and other places. Famine reigned in the Don. In search of a way out of a difficult situation in order to get their daily bread, the poor Cossacks at the end of winter - the beginning of spring 1667. unite in small bands, move to the Volga and the Caspian Sea, rob merchant ships. They are smashed by government forces. But gangs gather again and again. Stepan Razin becomes their leader.

In August, they appear in Astrakhan, and the local governors, having taken from them a promise to faithfully serve the tsar, surrender all ships and guns, let the service people go, let them go up the Volga to the Don.

In early October, Razin returned to the Don. His daring Cossacks, who acquired not only wealth, but also military experience, settled on an island near the Kagalnitsky town.

Dual power was established on the Don. Affairs in the Don Army was managed by a Cossack foreman, headed by an ataman, who was in Cherkassk. She was supported by well-to-do, wealthy Cossacks. But Razin, who was at Kagalnik, did not reckon with the military ataman Yakovlev, his godfather, and all his assistants.

The number of the Razin rebel troops, which is being formed on the Don, is growing rapidly. At the beginning of May 1670. Razin is removed from the camp. Razin captures Tsaritsyn, Astrakhan, Smbirsk. The flame of the uprising covers a huge territory: the Volga region, the Trans-Volga region, many southern, southeastern, central counties. Sloboda Ukraine, Don. The main driving force is the mass of serfs. Actively involved in the movement are the lower ranks of the city, working people, barge haulers, small servicemen (city archers, soldiers, Cossacks), representatives of the lower clergy, all sorts of "walking", "homeless" people. The Chuvash and Mari, Mordovians and Tatars are included in the movement.

The charming letters sent by Razin and other leaders stirred up new sections of the population to revolt. According to a contemporary foreigner, at that time up to 200 thousand people participated in the movement. Many nobles fell victim to them, their estates burned down.

Frightened by the scale of the uprising, which was called a war in the documents of the time, the authorities mobilize new regiments. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich himself arranges a review of the troops. He appoints the commander-in-chief of all forces, the boyar, Prince Yu. A. Dolgoruky, an experienced commander who distinguished himself in the war with Poland, a stern and merciless person. He makes Arzamas his bet. The royal regiments come here, repelling the attacks of the rebel detachments along the way, giving them battles.

Both sides are suffering heavy losses. However, slowly and steadily the resistance of the armed insurgents is being overcome. Government troops are also gathering in Kazan and Shatsk.

Stepan Razin was captured on April 14, 1671. in Kagalnik, homely Cossacks led by K. Yakovlev. Soon he was brought to Moscow and, after being tortured, he was executed on Red Square, and the fearless leader in his last hour of death "did not reveal a weakness of spirit with a single breath." The uprising he led became the most powerful movement of the "rebellious age". And one of the events of the reign of the first Romanovs.