Election of M.F. Romanov as Tsar. Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov: the “parsley” Tsar. Ivan V Alekseevich Romanov - senior tsar and great sovereign of all Rus'

Mikhail Romanov (Mikhail Fedorovich) became the first Sovereign And Grand Duke of All Rus' from Romanov dynasty. Mikhail's father is Fyodor Nikitich Romanov, aka Patriarch Filaret, was Patriarch of Moscow under Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, but during the reign Boris Godunov(as a possible contender for the throne) was expelled from Moscow and lost part of his lands.

On February 21, 1613, after the expulsion of the Poles from Moscow, Mikhail was elected Sovereign, although he was not on the original list of 8 candidates. This happened thanks to the initiative of his relative, boyar Fyodor Sheremetyev (Sheremetev) and the liberator of Moscow himself Dmitry Pozharsky. Mikhail hesitated for a long time, his mother Martha (Maria) persuaded her son not to accept the offer, but in the end Mikhail Fedorovich, who was then 16 years old, went to the capital.

The fears of the mother of the future king were caused not only by the fate of the last four kings, palace intrigues, conspiracies and other dangers of court life. At that moment, Mikhail and Martha were hiding not far from Kostroma in the village of Domnino. This area was then still partially under the influence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, expelled from the Moscow lands. The Polish king, probably thanks to spies, found out about the decision of the Zemsky Sobor in 1613 and ordered to find and capture Mikhail Fedorovich. The Poles scoured Kostroma for a long time. In one of the villages called Derevenki, they caught the most adequate, in their opinion, peasant, who turned out to be the local village elder. The Poles questioned the latter about the whereabouts of Mikhail Romanov, since the exact place of residence of the Romanovs was unknown to them. The headman sent his son-in-law to Domnino to warn Mikhail and Maria, and he himself led the Poles in the opposite direction. You, of course, have already realized that the village headman was the famous Ivan Susanin.

A few days later, the Poles realized that they were being led by the nose, began to torture Susanin and, in the end, chopped him into pieces. Ivan never told them anything, and the Poles themselves, according to legend, never got out of those swamps where the patriotic peasant led them.

Later, Mikhail Fedorovich granted the heirs of Susanin royal letters, defining “their family forever and ever,” which meant the following: Susanin’s descendants from now on were not subordinate to any of the boyars, princes and landowners, but to the tsar personally, and were also exempt from taxes.

The main achievements of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov as Russian Sovereign:

Stolbovsky world with Sweden, concluded in 1617. According to it, Rus' again lost access to the Baltic Sea and paid indemnity for the unfulfilled Vyborg Treaty of Shuisky, but regained almost all the lands (and there were many of them) conquered by Sweden, which was still beneficial in the long term.
Truce of Deulino 1618 and the subsequent Peace of Polyanovsky in 1634 with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The purpose of this world, the result of a short Smolensk War, was more legal than economic, since for further international politics and trade it was necessary that Vladislav IV renounce his claims to the Russian throne. The downside was the loss of Smolensk and the Seversky lands, although not for long.
Administrative reform (appointment of local elders and governors), which strengthened tsarist power in territories remote from Moscow.
Democratic tax reform, in which ordinary people could complain about their landlords.
The development of the economy and trade, practically destroyed during the period Time of Troubles .
Military reform - the formation of regiments of the “new system” (dragoons, soldiers and reiters armed with firearms).
Invitation of foreign military specialists and engineers, for which it was founded in the capital German settlement for their accommodation.
Promoting the development of culture and art, especially painting. In addition, under Mikhail, the first Russian newspaper “Newsletters” appeared, which was published by the Ambassadorial Prikaz, that is, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of that time.

Mikhail Romanov died on July 13, 1645 from ascites (water sickness), caused either by cirrhosis of the liver, a malignant tumor, or heart failure (according to the theory of modern doctors). He left behind three sons and six daughters from his wife Evdokia Streshneva of the boyar family. According to eyewitnesses, Mikhail’s family life was happy.

From the point of view of both current historians and researchers of the times of the Russian Empire, Mikhail Fedorovich quite naturally became the Russian Sovereign, as well as the best option available at that time. And although he did not belong to Rurik dynasty, he was by no means of simple origin. His grandfather Nikita Romanov was the brother of the wife of Ivan the Terrible, and the very first Romanov known to modern history - boyar Andrei, nicknamed Mare - served at the court of Ivan Kalita.

Some researchers believe that Andrei Kobyla was the son of the Prussian prince Kambyla. Prince Gland Kambyla at one time came to the Russian lands and took the side of Alexander Nevsky in the fight against the Teutonic Order, which had disgusted him. From this we can conclude that the Romanovs were quite suitable in their origin for ruling the Russian kingdom (and a little later

The election of Mikhail Romanov to the throne. But the Troubles are not over yet. Novgorod stood for the Swedish prince, Zarutsky and the Cossacks threatened from the south, the war with Poland continued, the government of the country was collapsed. The Council of the Whole Land of the Second Militia did a lot to restore order in the liberated territories. But now it was necessary to revive the economy, management and defense capability of the entire country, to restore international relations, which required a strong central government. Only autocratic rule in those conditions was capable of rallying society around itself. The reliable and independent future of Russia was associated with the tsar.

At the end of 1612, elected representatives of all classes of Russia - boyars, nobles, Church leaders, townspeople, Cossacks, black-sown and palace (personally free) peasants - came to the Zemsky Sobor in Moscow. The interests of serfs and serfs were represented at the Council by land owners. Never before has there been a representative body of such a wide composition in the country.

The Council had one task - the election of a monarch. The members of the Council decided not to elect a foreign representative to the Russian throne and rejected the candidacy of Marina Mnishek’s son Ivan.

There were about ten Russian applicants. F.I. Mstislavsky and V.V. Golitsyn represented the old princely families. But the first discredited himself by connections with the Polish invaders, and the second was in Polish captivity. The nobles and Cossacks insisted on the candidacy of Prince D. M. Trubetskoy, but the boyars considered him insufficiently noble. The name of Prince Pozharsky was mentioned, but the unborn hero of the Second Militia was also not supported.

Negotiations have reached a dead end. And then a compromise was found. The Cossacks named the 16-year-old Mikhail Romanov, who at that time was on his estate in Kostroma district. The son of Tushino Patriarch Filaret, he was quite close to the Cossacks. Behind him stood the aura of a martyr father who was in Polish captivity. The boyars also supported him, because Mikhail was the great-nephew of Ivan the Terrible’s first wife, Anastasia Romanova. One of the influential boyar-electors expressed their opinion as follows: “Misha Romanov is young, his mind has not yet reached him and he will be liked by us.”

On February 21, 1613, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was elected to the throne. The mother of the newly elected king did not agree with this choice for a long time. She said: “Seeing such crimes of the cross, disgrace, murder and desecration by the former sovereign, how can a born sovereign be a sovereign in the Moscow state? Finally, she and Mikhail agreed. Russia has found a legally elected monarch.”

The Polish detachments remaining on Russian soil, having learned about the election of M. Romanov to the kingdom, tried to capture him in his ancestral Kostroma possessions. One of them forced the headman of the nearest village, Ivan Susanin, to lead a detachment to the habitat of the young king. In the winter cold, Susanin led the Poles into impenetrable forest wilds, where they died. Susanin also died: the Poles hacked him to death.

Susanin's feat seemed to crown the general patriotic impulse of the people. The act of electing a tsar and then crowning him king, first in Kostroma and then in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, meant the end of the Time of Troubles.

Revival of autocracy

Mikhail Romanov was young and inexperienced. They said about him that he was faithful, very meek and merciful. But the boyars’ hopes that the young tsar would be easy to rule did not come true. A strong group of supporters immediately rallied around Mikhail. Among them were well-known in the country, experienced statesmen and new nominees close to the Romanov family, their relatives: princes Mstislavsky and Cherkassy, the Tsar’s uncle Ivan Nikitich Romanov, cousins - the boyars Saltykov, boyar Sheremetev, etc.

The tsar’s father, Patriarch Filaret, who later returned from captivity, essentially became his son’s co-ruler. Experienced and intelligent, he concentrated enormous spiritual and temporal power in his hands. Old orders were recreated and new ones were formed.

The boyars did not dare to bind the tsar with any restrictive letters, like Shuisky. The government of the new king pursued a cautious and wise policy of pacifying the country. There was not a single disgrace. All retained their former positions, lands and ranks, many were granted new lands and ranks.

In the first post-Trouble years, Mikhail's government relied on the Boyar Duma and Zemsky Sobors, which met quite often to resolve important state affairs.

As power strengthened, especially after the appearance of Patriarch Philaret in Moscow, Zemsky Sobors began to meet less and less frequently, and in the second half of the 17th century. completely disappeared from the Russian state system. The Boyar Duma turned into the executor of the will of the autocrat.

There were 25 orders, but when it was necessary to resolve important state issues, their number reached 40.

The local order was in charge of issues of land ownership and land inheritance, Streletsky, Cossack and Pushkarsky were in charge of military affairs. Robber - the fight against “dashing people”. Other orders dealt with court affairs, townspeople, and finances.

The local government system was changed. Instead of the old semi-independent governors, the government appointed governors to cities and districts for one or two years, who ruled with the help of administrative huts and elected elders.

To replenish the depleted treasury, the government introduced a number of new taxes, asked wealthy merchants to lend money, and asked the clergy to encourage the population to donate food to support the army.

So the monarchical power emerged from the Time of Troubles stronger than it was.

Wars with Poland and Sweden. The ongoing war between Russia and Poland contributed greatly to the constant internal tension in the country. Sigismund III did not recognize the chosen king and still considered Vladislav the legitimate sovereign of Moscow.

In 1613, Russian regiments moved west. The governors managed to recapture the cities captured by the Poles and approach Smolensk. Long negotiations began.

Poland's reluctance to return Smolensk and the treasures looted from Russia led the negotiations to a dead end.

At the same time, an army was sent to Novgorod. But along the way the commanders were defeated. The Swedes captured a number of Russian cities and besieged Pskov. The city defended itself desperately. The position of the Swedes in the occupied lands was precarious due to the hostile attitude of the population. Plans to create a Novgorod state dependent on Sweden in the north of Russia became increasingly unsteady.

In the spring of 1617, an army led by Vladislav moved to Russia. The Poles recaptured the cities recaptured by the Russians. Some governors went over to them, others fled to Moscow. Gangs of Cossacks dissatisfied with the Moscow government came over to Vladislav, various Polish-Lithuanian adventurers became more active, and Hetman Sagaidachny came to their aid with the Ukrainian Cossacks.

Under these conditions, the government acted quickly and harshly. Mikhail ordered the fleeing governors to be whipped and exiled to Siberia. The new army defeated the Polish vanguard on the outskirts of Moscow. D.M. Pozharsky defeated Polish troops near Kaluga. And yet, at the end of September 1617, Vladislav’s army besieged the Russian capital.

The courageous defense of Moscow thwarted Vladislav’s plans, and the Poles entered into peace negotiations. In December 1618, in the village of Deuline, not far from the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, a truce was signed for 14.5 years. All prisoners led by Patriarch Filaret returned to Russia; the Poles ceded the cities closest to Moscow, but retained Smolensk. Vladislav did not renounce his rights to the Russian throne.

Somewhat earlier, in February 1617, the so-called Peace of Stolbovo with Sweden was signed in the village of Stolbovo. The Swedish king renounced his claims to the Russian throne, returned Novgorod and its surroundings to Russia, but Sweden retained the Baltic Sea coast with the cities of Yam and Koporye. Oreshek and Ivangorod. On the western border and in the Baltic states, Russia was forcefully returned to the borders of the late 15th century.

Consequences of the Troubles. Assessing the state of the country after the Time of Troubles, contemporaries said that it was in the abomination of desolation.

The arable lands lay abandoned, because peasants fled from devastated villages and hamlets. Crops were trampled by troops, barns were emptied. Temples stood without singing, priests hid in cities and monasteries. Abandoned peasant huts became temporary shelters for random travelers. Patrimonial and monastic farms were shaken. Due to the decrease in the number of peasant workers, feudal farms were reduced. They brought less food to market and consumed less, which reduced trade. Landowners' farms fell into disrepair. The departure of even a small number of peasants from the landowner caused irreparable harm to the economy and weakened the Russian army, because At the expense of peasant labor, the landowner equipped himself and his servants for military service.

The central, southern and southwestern cities fell into desolation - Ryazan, Kaluga, Tula, Orel, Kolomna, Mozhaisk, etc. Troops of impostors passed through them, Cossacks and Poles rampaged here. City auctions froze, production in craft workshops decreased.

During the Time of Troubles, Russia's international diplomatic and trade ties were disrupted. There were battles on the western border; the north was cut off from the center by the Swedes. Foreign ships stopped coming to Russian ports.

Perhaps the most severe consequence of the Troubles was the moral decline of the people. Many tried to make money at the expense of others during this bitter time for the country. The population lost trust in the rapidly changing authorities and ceased to comply with laws. The popular movement under the leadership of Minin and Pozharsky led to a revival of patriotic feelings, but traces of the decay of morals were still felt for a long time.

Restoration of the economy. The main thing was to create conditions for various segments of the people to return to a peaceful, creative life, to work with benefit for themselves and for society. In conditions when the interests of people, say landowners and peasants, diverged sharply, this was incredibly difficult to do. And yet, the government of the first Romanov achieved some successes along this path.

In 1619, the tsar convened another Zemsky Sobor to develop measures for the revival of the country. As a result, the government abolished emergency wartime taxes and introduced new taxation, which was supposed to more accurately take into account the income of the population. The devastated counties were provided with benefits and tax breaks.

The Council decided to return to the state taxation all citizens who moved from the suburbs to the suburban white (tax-free) settlements that belonged to large feudal lords. Land owners were forced to pay all past taxes for them. This increased the influx of tax funds. Now all the townspeople paid what they were supposed to from their income. Their other responsibilities in relation to the state were clearly defined for them.

The townspeople had to build and repair city fortifications, roads and bridges, provide people for the Yamsk post office, and house military men and foreign ambassadors in their homes.

A law was passed according to which all lands illegally seized during the Time of Troubles were taken away. The provision of land plots to landowners began to be carried out strictly in accordance with their service. Those of them who served the state for a long time and gloriously were allowed to transfer part of their lands by inheritance; widows and children of soldiers killed in battle were left with their land plots. Cossacks who decided to honestly serve the country were assigned land salaries or cash salaries. Gradually, the serving Cossacks merged with the petty nobility.

Nobles and boyars were forbidden to empty farms, and lands were taken away from careless owners. The government restored the period of search for fugitive peasants to 5 years and the ban on their transfer from one owner to another; then the period of investigation increased to 9 and 15 years. In the mid-1630s. A search was announced for the townspeople who had fled from the cities.

Other reforms were also carried out. Their goal was to strengthen order and discipline in the country, to eliminate human licentiousness and permissiveness during the Time of Troubles. A decree was issued on punishment for dishonor. Now, as in the Time of Troubles, it was impossible to dishonor people and insult them with impunity; This was punishable by a large fine.

A decisive struggle began against drunkenness, which acquired fantastic proportions during the Time of Troubles. New decrees prohibited the opening of drinking establishments in large cities and in gostiny dvors. The government resolutely prevented the people from getting drunk. Violation of the decree was punishable by a heavy fine and prison. Those who liked to drink were also punished. The first time Fedorovich, such a person was taken to a barn prison for a while. Anyone caught drunk was jailed a second time for a long time. Sometimes drunkards were driven through the streets of the city, mercilessly beaten with a whip. If this did not help, then they were put in prison forever - until he perished.

Contemporaries recalled that during the reign of Mikhail, great sobriety was established in Russia.

The government saw the path to the revival of the country in providing landowners, patrimonies, monastic and other church farms with workers, and the state with taxpayers. In the conditions of the revival of autocratic power, based on the feudal estates, this was a natural step.

First fruits. Gradually the established peace, order and law began to bear fruit. In the 1620-1630s. Agriculture has partially recovered. Wastelands were plowed up in the central districts of the country, especially around Moscow.

Clearings (new lands) were being developed. Three-field rotation of land with manuring of the soil became more and more widespread. Productivity increased. The lands along the banks of the Volga and in the southern, black-earth regions were developed, where a new powerful line of defense was built against the raids of the Crimean Tatars - the Belgorod serif line.

Vegetable gardening and horticulture have developed in suburban settlements and cities. The example was set by the king, whose gardens aroused the admiration of the people.

Cattle breeding developed rapidly. The number of cattle has increased, as well as the famous Romanov sheep, famous for their wool. In the first half of the 17th century. The Kholmogory breed of cows, known for their high milk yields, appeared. The number of horses on farms was estimated in the thousands.

Improvements arose, as a rule, in large secular and monastic estates, on northern lands free from serfdom, and in newly developed areas.

Rural crafts turned out to be an additional means of subsistence for peasant families. Hunting, fishing, and beekeeping sometimes turned into state enterprises. The fur trade, especially through Siberian furs, brought considerable income to the treasury. An increasing number of Siberian residents were subject to yasak.

Fishing has also acquired a national scale. Fish were bred in ponds and lakes. Expensive sturgeon and sterlet were brought from Astrakhan.

In the Volga region, a honey quitrent was introduced for beekeepers.

Posad people, peasants, archers, and monasteries expanded salt production, production of resins, tar, charcoal, as well as gunpowder and saltpeter, which were used for the needs of the army. Craftsmen increasingly produced and exported tools to the market.

1620-1630s became milestones in the development of Russian industry. The initiator of the emergence of the first large enterprises in the country was the government of Mikhail Romanov. The Cannon Yard opened in Moscow, where more than 100 people made cannons and cast bells. The Armory specialized in the production of firearms and bladed weapons. Coins were minted at the Mint. At the Khamovny yard there were up to 100 looms on which fabrics were produced both for the royal court and for sale. In the early 1620s. The Printing Yard was restored in Moscow. The circulation of liturgical and secular books sometimes reached 1000 copies.

The first enterprises organized by foreigners appeared in Russia - ironworks, tanneries and glass factories.

In Tula, the arms factory and arms workshops regained their strength. The Stroganov brothers, who received large benefits from the government for the development of the region, expanded iron-making, salt-mining and other industries in the Urals.

These Russian and foreign enterprises employed working people - former artisans, craftsmen, townspeople, many of whom were materially and personally dependent on their masters.

Russia's international ties were gradually restored. Friendly relations were established with England, Holland, Sweden, Turkey, France, Persia, and Denmark. Many neighbors recognized the legitimacy of Michael’s election to the throne and promised assistance in the confrontation with Poland.

The government revived foreign trade. English and Dutch merchants received benefits. Foreign ships have again appeared in the Arkhangelsk roadstead. At the same time, Mikhail, protecting the interests of Russian merchants, denied the British and French duty-free passage to Persia. Eastern trade enriched the Russian merchants and filled markets with necessary goods. The government did not allow foreign merchants to trade in the internal cities of the country. They were allowed to trade only in border cities - Arkhangelsk, Novgorod, Pskov, Astrakhan, as well as in Moscow. But foreign merchants bribed Russian officials and received various benefits and privileges, trying to penetrate the markets of other cities of the country.

Expanding diplomatic contacts did not make Russia a country open to the Western world. The Russian Orthodox clergy carefully protected society from Western defilement. The Troubles for a long time instilled in Russia wariness towards everything foreign.

The government of Mikhail Romanov put forward large-scale economic tasks related to the development of the Urals and Siberia. At the behest of the king, foreign mining masters were invited to search for minerals. Together with tsarist officials, they went to the Urals and Siberia, where the first copper smelting and ironworks soon began to be built (Nerchinsky and others) - their owners received benefits.

During these same years, Russian people reached the Yenisei and founded the city of Krasnoyarsk. The Russian government showed great caution in relation to the newly annexed peoples. Serfdom did not apply to the peoples of the Volga region and Siberia. In 1624, by decree of Mikhail, the governors were ordered to take a careful attitude towards the Chuvash, Mordovians and Kazan Tatars: not to cause losses and not to force them to work in their yard, but to pay for the food taken as much as it cost, not to forcibly baptize children and from their native places by force do not take away.

The tsar ordered the governors and service people in Siberia not to inflict insults and taxes on anyone, and to collect the due taxes with kindness and greetings, and not with cruelty. The main goal was for the Siberian land to expand and not become empty.

During the reign of Mikhail Romanov, the first major construction work began in the Moscow Kremlin, which was devastated during the Time of Troubles. A wooden royal palace was rebuilt. The domes of the Assumption Cathedral were gilded, the Archangel Cathedral was repaired, the Armory was expanded, and the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower was built, in which a clock was placed.

In the 1630s. The appearance of Kitai-gorod changed, where new stone shops were built.

In Moscow and near Moscow, dozens of new churches were built in large monasteries. Busy construction activity unfolded in Kolomna, Serpukhov, Tula, Pskov and Novgorod. Since the 1630s The tsar's decrees appeared on the need to erect stone and brick buildings, shops, and residential buildings in cities. The first stone bridge spanned the Moscow River.

Strengthening the country's military power and foreign policy. After the restoration of the Kremlin, two huge cannons were placed on a large platform near the Spassky Gate. Their mouths were directed towards Crimea. They symbolized the determination of the Russian state to protect its borders from external enemies and to defend the independence of the country.

The son of the Polish king, Vladislav, did not give up his claims to the Russian throne, the Crimean Khan threatened raids, forest tribes annoyed Russian outposts in the Urals, and nomadic hordes in the Lower Volga region.

By the end of the 1620s. The country's financial situation improved somewhat, so the government used part of the funds to strengthen the army. The pay for serving people was increased. The number of archers has increased. New Streltsy settlements appeared. Enterprises for the production of bladed weapons and firearms began operating, and the Cannon Yard and the Armory Chamber expanded.

Under Mikhail Romanov, mercenaries from other countries began to be recruited into Russian service. This was unusual for Russia. The government took such a step because military science and technology were more advanced in Western countries.

In Moscow, along with the Streltsy regiments, noble and Cossack cavalry, regiments of a foreign system began to be created - hired horse Reiter and dragoon regiments. Dragoons could fight on horseback and on foot and were armed with light firearms. Reitars were a type of heavy cavalry. They were clad in armor and equipped with powerful spears and swords. The new infantry regiments did not consist of hundreds and dozens, as before, but of companies. The regiments and companies were commanded by foreign officers, their weapons were purchased abroad.

Defensive structures were created to protect Moscow from the Poles, the hordes of the Crimean Khan and the Caspian nomads.

The Moscow Kremlin was completely restored. The second line of fortifications was the Kitai-Gorod stone wall.

A wall of white stone protected the White City, where nobles and rich merchants lived, there were markets, royal stables and the Cannon Yard.

The earthen rampart covered a vast territory where the bulk of the townspeople lived. Fortified Streltsy settlements were located separately.

In the 1620s. The Zaokskaya serif line was restored - a defensive line that back in the 16th century. helped to restrain the raids of the Crimeans.

To the south lies the Belgorod notch line, 800 km long. A guard and patrol service was organized in the newly built fortresses and guard posts. The warning system with the help of patrolmen (mounted messengers), secret ambushes, and light signals made it possible to quickly transmit information about the appearance of the enemy.

The strengthening of defense capabilities was accompanied by diplomatic activity of Russia, which sought to gain allies in the fight against Poland.

In the spring of 1632, the longtime enemy of Russia, the Polish king Sigismund III, died; The struggle for the throne began in Poland. The worsening relations between Sweden and Poland, along with the efforts of Russian diplomats, contributed to the creation of the Russian-Swedish union.

On August 3, 1632, a huge Russian army, numbering almost 100 thousand people, set out on a campaign to the west. The so-called Smolensk War of 1632-1634 began. At the head of the troops was the famous governor M.B. Shein, hero of the defense of Smolensk in 1609-1611.

The start of hostilities was successful. Russian troops captured a number of cities - Dorogobuzh, Novgorod-Seversky, Starodub, etc. Soon Shein's army approached Smolensk and besieged it.

At the same time, the troops of the Swedish king invaded Poland. Things were heading towards the complete defeat of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. But, apparently, the time for this has not yet come. Already in the first months of the war, the international situation changed dramatically, military failures and discord among Russian military leaders began. Shein was old and boasted of his past achievements. Local disputes ate away at the top of the army. In addition, Shein showed slowness and indecisiveness in military operations. And at this time, the Poles elected the young, warlike Vladislav to the throne, who also considered himself the legally chosen Russian Tsar. In a short time, the mobilized Polish army approached Smolensk, where Shein was stomping around in indecision.

In one of the battles on Polish territory, the Swedish king died, and his successor did not at all strive for a Russian-Swedish union.

Cold weather set in and illness began in the Russian army. Nobles and Cossacks left the military camp near Smolensk in large numbers and went to defend their villages from the attacks of the Crimean Tatars. Having undertaken a series of quick maneuvers, Vladislav captured the city of Dorogobuzh with all the food supplies of the Russian army, and captured other Russian cities. Shein's army near Smolensk was surrounded.

A new army was urgently assembled in Moscow to help. But it was already too late. Being in a difficult situation, the Russian governor began negotiations for a truce. The results of the negotiations were stunning. Shein essentially surrendered his army to the Polish king. He undertook to give the Poles all weapons and ammunition, lay down battle flags at the feet of the Poles, and himself to kneel before Vladislav. After this, he had to withdraw the army from Smolensk to Moscow. Some of the mercenaries went, as in the last war, to serve the Poles.

Inspired by success, Vladislav tried to break through to Moscow, but he was met by powerful military barriers from the newly formed troops. One of them was successfully commanded by Prince D. M. Pozharsky. The Russian fortresses besieged by the Poles also faced death. During one of the battles, Vladislav was wounded. Under these conditions, Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth signed the Peace of Polyanovsky in 1634, which showed that neither side had the strength for a decisive victory.

According to the Peace of Polyanovka, concluded near the Polyanovka River not far from Vyazma, Smolensk and other captured cities remained with the Poles. However, Vladislav renounced his rights to the Russian throne, which strengthened the position of the Romanov dynasty within the country and in the international arena. The government severely punished the governors responsible for the defeat at Smolensk. Shein, like his closest assistant, was accused of treason and executed. Other governors were whipped and exiled to Siberia.

In 1637, Europe was shocked that the Don Cossacks, who were dependent on the Russian Tsar, captured the Turkish fortress of Azov.

The capture of Azov was also unexpected for the Moscow government. It became possible not only thanks to the fighting spirit of the Don Cossacks, but also to the international situation.

The Crimean Khan considered himself the heir of the Golden Horde and demanded tribute from Moscow. Behind him stood the Turkish Sultan. The Russian embassy was taken into custody in Crimea, which the khan accused of bringing him few gifts. This caused an explosion of indignation in Moscow, but the tsar showed caution, sent gifts to the khan and restored peaceful relations.

During the assault and then the siege of Azov, the Cossacks showed miracles of courage and resourcefulness. They dug an underground passage under the fortress walls for about a month, and then planted a powerful charge there. The explosion created a huge hole in the wall, into which the Cossacks rushed. They owned the city for almost five years - from 1637 to 1642.

The Cossacks offered the tsar to take Azov under his hand. But Russia was not yet ready for a big war with Turkey and the Crimean Khanate. The Zemsky Sobor, assembled by the tsar, confirmed this. In the spring of 1642, the tsar ordered to leave Azov.

After receiving the royal order, the Cossacks blew up the Azov fortifications and went to their towns.

The Cossacks, many statesmen and military men in Moscow were disappointed. But there was still not enough strength for a war in the west and south - against Poland and against Turkey and Crimea.

Personality of Mikhail Romanov

The successes of Russia's domestic and foreign policy in the aftermath of the Time of Troubles were inextricably linked with the personality of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. The first tsar of the Romanov dynasty was an intelligent, calm, cautious person who was firm in decision-making. He was well aware of the enormity of his power, but used it carefully, repeatedly consulting with his circle. This calm approach to state affairs was evident already in the first years of his reign. Mikhail managed to maintain the balance of all social forces, did not execute anyone or subject him to disgrace. Only the enemies of the unity of the state, opponents of him as the elected king and all sorts of dashing people - rebels, thieves, robbers - suffered. Michael Tsar Mnkhshi suppressed outbreaks of riots among peasants and townspeople. Order and peace in the state were above all else for him.

Mikhail protected the royal power he had acquired with such difficulty as a national property. He considered the attempt on her life as an attack on the unity and well-being of the state. Those who spoke unkind words against the sovereign and his family were subjected to severe punishment. Mikhail personally conducted Zemsky Councils and gave speeches at them.

The king's personal life was difficult. He was an obedient son and highly valued the judgment of his mother and father. A capricious and strong-willed mother prevented him from starting a family. The king married only at the age of 29, which was then considered a late marriage. He chose, to the surprise and indignation of his mother, one of the servants - the noble daughter Evdokia Streshneva. The king insisted on his own and soon married his chosen one.

Mikhail lived happily with Streshneva all his life. The family had 10 children: seven daughters and three sons. The family was friendly, loving, and religious.

Strong and strong from a young age, who loved hunting elk and bear, Mikhail began to get sick often by the age of 30. Feeling his death approaching, he blessed his son Alexei for the kingdom.

The first years of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich. The new Russian Tsar ascended the throne at about the same age as his father - at 17 years old. But what a difference there was between 1613 and 1645! In 1613, Russia was destroyed by the Time of Troubles, a warring country, and the tsarist power was still weak and fragile.

In 1645, on the contrary, the country rose from ruins. The economy was stabilized and a combat-ready army was created. Over the years, royal power has become unusually stronger. The Romanov dynasty was recognized abroad, including by Poland. In Russia, the monarch became a formidable and powerful figure around whom all segments of the population rallied.

Unlike his father, Alexey was well educated for his time. From childhood, he learned not only to read, count and write, but also became acquainted with religious and secular literature. Among his books there were illustrated foreign publications and engravings.

His mentor was boyar Boris Ivanovich Morozov, a man of great intelligence and excellent education. He knew Western culture well and passed on his interest in it to his pupil. Alexey was often dressed in Western dress - a short camisole and trousers. Later, having already become a king, he freely and easily communicated with foreign diplomats and merchants. The new king had excellent command of the pen. His letters were elegant and imaginative. He even tried to write poetry. The Emperor grew up as a deeply religious man, carefully adhered to all church orders and traditions, observed all fasts and church holidays. By the time he ascended the throne, Alexei thoroughly knew the entire order of worship and could competently participate in all church services and sang with pleasure in the choir.

So, from early childhood, in one person, in the young ruler of Russia, the features of new, including Western, trends and features of old Russian life, church antiquity, were intricately combined.

And Alexei Mikhailovich ascended the throne differently from his father - during noisy, sometimes irreconcilable disputes at the Zemsky Council in 1613 regarding candidates for tsar.

This time it was different. The Zemsky Sobor met again, not to elect a monarch, but only to kiss the cross, i.e. take an oath to the new king.

This clearly indicated the increased prestige, authority and autocratic power of the tsarist government. At the same time, this demonstrated the curtailment of the role and significance of the Zemsky Sobors, which more and more went into the shadows in the face of the strengthening tsarist administration, the emerging bureaucracy in the person of the Boyar Duma, clerks, clerks, and governors obedient to the tsar.

The Tsar married the daughter of the nobleman Miloslavsky, captivated by her beauty. Alexey Mikhailovich was happy with his chosen one; he had 13 children from her, including five sons.

Code of 1649. The Tsar and the new government sought to stabilize the situation in the country, to carry out its further development not only through reasonable measures, the elimination of previous abuses, as well as some concessions to various segments of the population, but above all by strengthening the royal power and consolidating the upper ranks of society.

The Zemsky Sobor, which met in 1648, decided to develop a new set of laws to replace the outdated Code of Laws of the 16th century, as well as the conflicting laws and decrees of the Time of Troubles and post-Troubles period.

The Code, consisting of 25 chapters, was adopted in January 1649 by the Zemsky Sobor and was in force for more than 200 years.

287 articles of the central section of the Code and 104 articles of the section devoted to the fight against robbery and robbery protected the property and rights of the population. They established punishments up to and including the death penalty for violating established orders, property relations between people, morality, and military principles. Compared to the old codes of law, the number of articles has increased several times, reflecting the increasingly diverse life of Russian society.

It was emphasized that the new laws must be observed by everyone - from the highest to the lowest ranks. Judges were strictly forbidden to accept promises (bribes). Only two categories of the population were not included in the number of people protected by law - serfs and slaves. For them, separate sections were developed in the Code that regulated the lives of personally unfree people.

The Code provided for a set of measures to strengthen the royal power. Representatives of the classes and, first of all, the feudal elite of society saw in the autocracy a guarantee of a stable situation in the country and the elevation of the international prestige of Russia.

The second chapter of the Code - “On the state's honor and how to protect the state's health - proclaimed the death penalty for those who tried to take possession of the Russian state. This was an echo of the Time of Troubles and the appearance of new impostors on the borders of Russia.

Another group of articles threatened deprivation of life without any mercy for those who attempted malicious intent against the sovereign. A ban was introduced on unauthorized coming to the king, in droves and in conspiracy. Cruel punishments awaited those who, in the sovereign’s court, began to scold, be insolent, and grab weapons. The one who drew the weapon was supposed to have his hand cut off, and the one who used it was to be executed with a fatal outcome.

The Code attached great importance to the preservation of the religious foundations of society. The blasphemer had to be exposed, executed, and burned. Severe punishments were imposed for quarrels in church, because there one should stand and pray with fear, and not think earthly.

The Code met the landowners halfway, establishing an indefinite search for runaway peasants with their wives and children and for extradition: And to hand over runaway peasants and peasants from the run according to the scribe books of all ranks to people, without fixed years. Scribe books, where peasants were recorded as their masters, became enslavement documents.

At the request of the townspeople, the white settlements were liquidated, and their inhabitants were placed under taxation, i.e. were forced to pay taxes and perform government duties. The fugitive peasants captured in the cities were also to be returned along with their families to their former owners. From now on, those registered in the posad tax could not leave their place of residence.

The death penalty awaited counterfeiters and stamp forgers.

Thus, the Code contributed to the general stabilization of life, while at the same time it strengthened the features of a feudal society with serf relations. The punishment system he established (burning, whipping, investigative cases with the use of torture) indicated that the Code bore the imprint of the old feudal society.

MIKHAIL FEDOROVICH ROMANOV(1596–1645) – the first Russian Tsar of the Romanov dynasty (1613–1917).

Born on July 12, 1596 in Moscow. Son of boyar Fyodor Nikitich Romanov, metropolitan (later Patriarch Philaret) and Ksenia Ivanovna Shestova (later nun Martha). The first years he lived in Moscow, in 1601 he and his parents fell into disgrace Boris Godunov, being the king's nephew Fedor Ivanovich. He lived in exile and returned to Moscow in 1608, where he was captured by the Poles who captured the Kremlin. In November 1612, liberated by the militia of D. Pozharsky and K. Minin, he left for Kostroma.

On February 21, 1613, in Moscow, after the expulsion of the interventionists, the Great Zemsky and Local Council was held to elect a new tsar. Among the contenders were the Polish prince Vladislav, the Swedish prince Karl Philip and others. Mikhail's candidacy arose because of his relationship through the female line with the Rurik dynasty; it suited the serving nobility, which tried to prevent the aristocracy (boyars) from trying to establish a monarchy in Russia on the Polish model.

The Romanovs were one of the most noble families, Mikhail’s young age also suited the Moscow boyars: “Misha is young, he has not yet reached his intellect and he will be familiar to us,” they said in the Duma, hoping that at least at first, all issues would be resolved “by advice” with the Duma. The moral character of Michael as the son of a metropolitan corresponded to the interests of the church and popular ideas about the king-shepherd, an intercessor before God. He was supposed to become a symbol of a return to order, peace and antiquity (“loving and sweetening them all, giving them to them as if they were a rogue”).

On March 13, 1613, the ambassadors of the Council arrived in Kostroma. At the Ipatiev Monastery, where Mikhail was with his mother, he was informed of his election to the throne. Having learned about this, the Poles tried to prevent the new tsar from arriving in Moscow. A small detachment of them went to the Ipatiev Monastery to kill Michael, but on the way they got lost, because the peasant Ivan Susanin, having agreed to show the way, led him into a dense forest.

On June 11, 1613, Mikhail Fedorovich was crowned king in Moscow in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. The celebrations lasted three days. The Tsar gave, according to the testimony of a number of contemporaries, a sign of the cross that he undertakes not to rule without the Zemsky Sobor and the Boyar Duma (similarly Vasily Shuisky). According to other sources, Mikhail did not give such a record and in the future, he did not break any promises to begin to rule autocratically.

At first, the Tsar’s mother and the Saltykov boyars ruled on behalf of Mikhail. In 1619, the de facto ruler of the country became the tsar’s father, Metropolitan Philaret, who returned from Polish captivity and was elected patriarch. From 1619 to 1633 he officially bore the title of “Great Sovereign.” In the first years after the election of Michael as tsar, the main task was to end the war with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden. In 1617, the Peace of Stolbovo was signed with Sweden, which received the Korelu fortress and the coast of the Gulf of Finland. In 1618, the Deulin Truce was concluded with Poland: Russia ceded Smolensk, Chernigov and a number of other cities to it. However, the Nogai Horde left the subordination of Russia, and although Mikhail’s government annually sent expensive gifts to Bakhchisarai, the raids continued.

Russia at the end of the 1610s was in political isolation. To get out of it, an unsuccessful attempt was made to marry the young king, first to a Danish princess, then to a Swedish one. Having received refusals in both cases, the mother and the boyars married Mikhail to Maria Dolgorukova (?–1625), but the marriage turned out to be childless. The second marriage in 1625, with Evdokia Streshneva (1608–1645), brought Mikhail 7 daughters (Irina, Pelageya, Anna, Martha, Sophia, Tatyana, Evdokia) and 2 sons, the eldest Alexei Mikhailovich (1629–1676, reigned 1645–1676) and the younger, Vasily, who died in infancy.

The most important task of Russian foreign policy in the 1620s–1630s was the struggle for the reunification of Western Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian lands in a single Russian state. The first attempt to solve this problem during the war for Smolensk (1632–1634), which began after the death of the Polish king Sigismund in connection with the claims of his son Vladislav to the Russian throne, ended unsuccessfully. After it, on the orders of Mikhail, the construction of the Great Zasechnaya Line and the fortresses of the Belgorod and Simbirsk Lines began in Russia. In the 1620–1640s, diplomatic relations were established with Holland, Austria, Denmark, Turkey, and Persia.

Mikhail introduced in 1637 the term for the capture of runaway peasants to 9 years, in 1641 he increased it by another year, but those taken out by other owners were allowed to be searched for up to 15 years. This indicated the growth of serfdom tendencies in the legislation on land and peasants. During his reign, the creation of regular military units (1630s), “regiments of the new system” began, the rank and file of which were “willing free people” and homeless boyar children, the officers were foreign military specialists. At the end of Michael's reign, cavalry dragoon regiments arose to guard the borders.

Moscow under Mikhail Fedorovich was restored from the consequences of the intervention. In the Kremlin in 1624, the Filaretovskaya belfry appeared (master B. Ogurtsov), a stone tent was built over the Frolovskaya (Spasskaya) tower and a striking clock was installed (master Kh. Goloveev). Since 1633, machines for supplying water from the Moscow River (received the name Vodovzvodnaya) have been installed in the Sviblova Tower of the Kremlin. In 1635–1937, the Terem Palace was built on the site of the ceremonial chambers, and all the Kremlin cathedrals, including the Assumption Cathedral and the Church of the Deposition of the Robe, were re-painted. In Moscow, enterprises for teaching velvet and damask crafts appeared - Velvet Dvor; the center of textile production became Kadashevskaya Sloboda with the sovereign's Khamovny Dvor on the left bank of the Moskva River, behind the Novodevichy Convent. Folk legend has preserved the memory of Mikhail as a great lover of flowers: under him, garden roses were first brought to Russia.

In Zaryadye, on the territory of the court of the Romanov boyars, Mikhail ordered the founding of the Znamensky Monastery for men. By this time, he was already severely “grieving his legs” (he could not walk, he was carried in a cart). The tsar’s body weakened from “a lot of sitting,” and contemporaries noted in him “melancholy, that is, sadness.”

Lev Pushkarev, Natalya Pushkareva

The election of the king by the council of the whole earth placed at the helm of power the sovereign-youth, who was not yet 17 years old. Mikhail Fedorovich grew up in the difficult and alarming conditions of the Time of Troubles, which struck the family of the Romanov boyars with a series of formidable storms, in order to then lift it to the heights at the foot of which stood the father and grandfather of Tsar Mikhail. It is known that the Terrible Tsar left his state to the brother of his first queen, Nikita Romanovich Zakharyin-Yuryev. If boyar Nikita had not been broken by a premature death illness, that governmental, dynastic crisis that constituted the state side of the Troubles would hardly have played out. But Nikita Romanovich left the everyday stage before his family nest—his five sons, five Nikitich brothers—was strong enough to succeed him in influence and importance; none of these young people had time to achieve boyar rank at the time of their father’s death. The head of the family, with strong connections among the boyars and popular among the people, remained the eldest of the Nikitichs, Theodore, the father of the future sovereign. The gifted and energetic boyar acted as a rival to Boris Godunov in seeking the orphaned throne of the Moscow Danilovichs. But his hour had not yet come, and for breaking the “testamentary union of friendship” between the Romanovs and Godunovs, the Nikitichs and their relatives and friends had to pay with royal disgrace. Tsar Boris did not forget the stormy clashes of the electoral struggle of 1597. Trying to disarm the Romanovs by recognizing their high boyar position, he at the same time surrounded them with distrustful supervision, and when he sensed that the ground was not solid under his throne, he did not hesitate to look for the roots of the danger for their power and their dynastic plans: in 1601 the entire family of Romanov boyars was taken into custody and searched. They were publicly accused of witchcraft. The Nikitich brothers with their families and several representatives of other boyar families connected with them by ties of kinship and friendship suffered exile. The true meaning of the case was the accusation that the Romanovs “wanted to get the kingdom.” The royal disgrace fell most severely on Theodore Nikitich. His family was broken; the boyar himself experienced forced tonsure - and became icon Philaret in a distant monastery; his wife, Ksenia Ivanovna, was tonsured under the name of nun Martha and exiled to the remote Tolvuisky churchyard in Zaonezhye, and five-year-old Mikhail, separated from his parents, was given, together with his sister Tatyana, to the care of his aunt, Prince. Martha Nikitichna of Cherkassy, and shared her exile, first on White Lake, then in the village of Klin, Yuryevsky district, the patrimony of the Romanovs. The very next year, with the permission of Tsar Boris, Mikhail’s mother, nun Martha, arrived here, and since then has not been separated from her son. But he did not see his father soon. Only the sudden death of Tsar Boris freed the icon of Philaret from his monastery confinement. Having taken the Moscow throne, the impostor hastened to call his imaginary relatives to Moscow, elevated Filaret to the metropolitan see of Rostov and granted his son the title of steward.

Filaret Nikitich’s hopes of returning to power and influence in Moscow, which he so boldly expressed in his distant monastery while Godunov’s struggle with the impostor was going on, were not justified. Not the royal, but the patriarchal throne could now become the extreme limit of Filaret’s personal dreams. With the fall of the impostor and the accession of Vasily Shuisky, he came close to this new goal, becoming the “nominated patriarch,” but by the will of fate and political relations he did not cross the last step, but returned to his Rostov metropolis.

Mikhail remained with his mother in Moscow, occasionally leaving the capital for pilgrimage trips to monasteries. Here mother and son experienced the stormy impressions of the times of Tsar Vasily and the interregnum, a series of events during which the socio-political role of the Rostov Metropolitan was constantly becoming clear.

Filaret Nikitich remained, even under the monastic hood, as the head of those social elements whose connection served as a support for the significance of the boyar house of the Romanovs and brought them to the first and, moreover, indisputable place when the question of restoring the destroyed temple of the Moscow state arose. In contrast to Shuisky, the first among the princely families of the Moscow boyars, Filaret, both by personal characteristics and by family tradition, was the central figure among those court nobility who relied not on the heritage of appanage times, but on service to the kings and cooperation with them in the matter of state building.

Filaret, if he had not been tonsured, would have been the strongest candidate for the throne in the current stateless time. Now, next to the name of Prince V. V. Golitsyn, a representative of the family tree of the nobility, comes up with the name of another candidate for the royal crown - the young man Mikhail.

Mikhail Fedorovich was too young to make a name for himself, especially in such turbulent years. The Russian people, grieving over the devastation that befell the Moscow state, focused their thoughts on him, of course, not for his own sake. But the young boyar turned out to be the only possible candidate for the environment that was the bearer of the traditions of Moscow state building. Next to him stood his father, who, amid the complete decline in authority and popularity of the rest of the boyars, greatly raised his importance with his courageous role as a defender of national independence and territorial integrity of the Moscow state in negotiations with King Sigismund on the conditions for electing Prince Vladislav to the kingdom. The exile of the head of the zemstvo embassy into Polish captivity for standing firm surrounded his name with great honor and contributed to the success of the idea of electing his son as king, next to whom Filaret himself would stand as the patriarch of all Rus'.

The large figure of Filaret Nikitich, naturally, pushed the appearance of his young son into the shadows. It is no wonder that we know little personally about Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. Not only in the state, but also in his palace and personal life, people stood next to him, incomparably more energetic than he, who guided his will, at least his actions. He grew up and lived most of his life not only under the charm of his father’s domineering nature, but also under the strong influence of his mother. And Ksenia Ivanovna was a worthy wife of her husband in terms of strength of character. She came from a non-pedigree family of Kostroma nobles, the Shestovs, but by marriage to F.N. Romanov was introduced to the front ranks of Moscow society, she and her husband survived the royal disgrace, but neither exile nor forced tonsure broke her strong nature.

At that time, the time had come for the royal son to be legally married. But the matter of the royal marriage dragged on for a long time. Patriarch Filaret was carried away by the thought of his son marrying a foreign princess. And Marfa Ivanovna did not hesitate to devote herself to this most important concern. The matter was doubly important: it was necessary to strengthen the new dynasty and, moreover, introduce a new element into the royal family, which had to be preserved in accordance with the palace environment, selected according to the will and desire of the “great old lady.”

In all these plans, the role of Tsar Michael himself was, apparently, completely passive. He was already 29 years old when his mother chose a bride for him, Princess Marya Vladimirovna Dolgorukova, daughter of Prince Vladimir Timofeevich. In June 1623, an agreement took place, and in September, during the wedding celebrations, the young queen fell ill, and in January 1624 she died. The fate of the royal marriage was so difficult. Perhaps these vicissitudes led to the fact that a new choice of a bride for the sovereign took place, according to legend, in the form of a “bride”, at which Tsar Mikhail chose Evdokia Lukyanovna Streshneva, the daughter of an insignificant ordinary nobleman. On February 5, 1626, the royal wedding took place, which created finally the personal family of Tsar Michael. But even this news in the royal life did not diminish the palace dominance of the great old lady Marfa Ivanovna. The queen-daughter-in-law apparently fell under complete dependence on her mother-in-law.

Roman dynasty throne king

In the early 30s. The sovereign's "top" suddenly became orphaned. The great old lady Marfa Ivanovna had been carrying a serious illness within herself for a long time. She died on January 27, 1631, and three years later, on October 1, 1634, Patriarch Filaret Nikitich also went to his grave. After so many difficult impressions of childhood and youth, the gentle nature of Tsar Mikhail could not help but be depressed by these losses. But these were not the end of the trials assigned to him by fate. In his family life, the tsar experienced a number of other blows. On March 17, 1629, after several female children, the desired first-born was born: Tsarevich Alexei; in 1634 - the second son, Ivan, but he died as a five-year-old child, and in the same 1639, the newborn Tsarevich Vasily died, “after living a little.”

The long reign of Mikhail Fedorovich (1613-1645) was marked by the first steps in the restoration of Russia after a decade and a half of Troubles and wars. Concerned about strengthening local power, the tsar introduced a new system of government - the voivodship. Under him, Zemsky Sobors were convened, and he resolved major political issues together with the Duma. Along with the usual noble militia, regiments of a new system began to appear - the predecessors of the regular army.

Mikhail Fedorovich remained in history as a meek monarch, easily influenced by his entourage. Usually all the successes of his reign are attributed to the energetic Patriarch Filaret. But for the last twelve years, Mikhail ruled himself, and these years were not much different from the previous ones in terms of the importance and complexity of solving state affairs.

Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich died on the night of July 12-13, 1645, leaving behind the memory of an unusually gentle and kind man who was very merciful to those around him, although he was often paid for his kindness with arrogant disobedience and self-will; legend has retained one feature that complements this appearance: a great love for flowers. Tsar Michael spent a lot of his treasury on importing rare plants for his garden; For him, garden roses were brought to Russia for the first time, the beauty and aroma of which were unknown to us before him. It is clear that the cool energy of his parents left a stamp of soft, contemplative passivity on his nature. In addition, Tsar Mikhail was never distinguished by good health, and for the second half of his life he was so “mourned by his legs” that he often could not walk, but was carried in a cart. From “sitting a lot” the body weakened, lymphatic lethargy increased. Towards the end of the tsar’s life, doctors noted in him “melancholy, that is, sadness.”

Mikhail Fedorovich had ten children, but by the end of the tsar’s life, of all the heirs, only Alexei remained alive. He succeeded his deceased father on the throne.

The first Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, was born on July 22 (July 12, old style) 1596 in Moscow.

His father is Fyodor Nikitich Romanov, Metropolitan (later Patriarch Filaret), his mother is Ksenia Ivanovna Shestova (later nun Martha). Mikhail was a cousin of the last Russian Tsar from the Moscow branch of the Rurik dynasty, Fyodor Ivanovich.

In 1601, together with his parents, Boris Godunov fell into disgrace. Lived in exile. In 1605 he returned to Moscow, where he was captured by the Poles who captured the Kremlin. In 1612, liberated by the militia of Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, he left for Kostroma.

On March 3 (February 21, old style), 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Romanovich to reign.

On March 23 (March 13, old style), 1613, the ambassadors of the Council arrived in Kostroma. At the Ipatiev Monastery, where Mikhail was with his mother, he was informed of his election to the throne.

Poles arrive in Moscow. A small detachment set out to kill Mikhail, but got lost along the way, because the peasant Ivan Susanin, having agreed to show the way, led him into a dense forest.

June 21 (June 11, old style) 1613 Mikhail Fedorovich in Moscow in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin.

In the first years of Mikhail's reign (1613-1619), real power was with his mother, as well as with her relatives from the Saltykov boyars. From 1619 to 1633, the country was ruled by the tsar’s father, Patriarch Filaret, who had returned from Polish captivity. Under the dual power that existed at that time, state charters were written on behalf of the Sovereign Tsar and His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.

During the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, the wars with Sweden (Peace of Stolbovo, 1617) and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Truce of Deulin, 1618, later - Peace of Polyanovsky, 1634) were ended.

Overcoming the consequences of the Time of Troubles required the centralization of power. The system of voivodeship administration grew locally, the order system was restored and developed. Since the 1620s, the activities of Zemsky Sobors have been limited to advisory functions. They gathered at the initiative of the government to resolve issues that required the approval of the estates: about war and peace, about the introduction of extraordinary taxes.

In the 1630s, the creation of regular military units began (Reitar, Dragoon, Soldier regiments), the rank and file of which were “willing free people” and homeless boyar children, the officers were foreign military specialists. At the end of Michael's reign, cavalry dragoon regiments arose to guard the borders.

The government also began to restore and build defensive lines - serif lines.

Under Mikhail Fedorovich, diplomatic relations were established with Holland, Austria, Denmark, Turkey, and Persia.

In 1637, the period for capturing fugitive peasants was increased from five to nine years. In 1641 another year was added to it. Peasants exported by other owners were allowed to be searched for up to 15 years. This indicated the growth of serfdom tendencies in the legislation on land and peasants.

Moscow under Mikhail Fedorovich was restored from the consequences of the intervention.

The Filaretovskaya belfry was erected in the Kremlin in 1624. In 1624-1525, a stone tent was built over the Frolovskaya (now Spasskaya) tower and a new striking clock was installed (1621).

In 1626 (after a devastating fire in Moscow), Mikhail Fedorovich issued a series of decrees appointing persons responsible for restoring buildings in the city. All the royal palaces were restored in the Kremlin, and new trading shops were built in Kitay-Gorod.

In 1632, an enterprise for teaching velvet and damask work appeared in Moscow - Velvet Dvor (in the middle of the 17th century its premises served as a weapons warehouse). The center of textile production became Kadashevskaya Sloboda with the sovereign's Khamovny yard.

In 1633, machines were installed in the Sviblova Tower of the Kremlin to supply water from the Moscow River to the Kremlin (hence its modern name - Vodovzvodnaya).

In 1635-1937, on the site of the ceremonial chambers of the 16th century, the Terem Palace was built for Mikhail Fedorovich, and all the Kremlin cathedrals were re-painted, including the Assumption (1642), the Church of the Deposition of the Robe (1644).

In 1642, construction began on the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles in the Kremlin.

On July 23 (July 13, old style), 1645, Mikhail Fedorovich died of water sickness. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

The first wife is Maria Vladimirovna Dolgorukova. The marriage turned out to be childless.

The second wife is Evdokia Lukyanovna Streshneva. The marriage brought Mikhail Fedorovich seven daughters (Irina, Pelageya, Anna, Martha, Sophia, Tatyana, Evdokia) and three sons (Alexey, Ivan, Vasily). Not all children even survived to adolescence. The parents experienced the death of their sons Ivan and Vasily in one year especially hard.

The heir to the throne was Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov (1629-1676, reigned 1645-1676).

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources