The origin of the Romanov dynasty is brief. Romanovs

For 10 centuries, the domestic and foreign policies of the Russian state were determined by representatives of the ruling dynasties. As you know, the greatest prosperity of the state was under the rule of the Romanov dynasty, descendants of an old noble family. Its ancestor is considered to be Andrei Ivanovich Kobyla, whose father, Glanda-Kambila Divonovich, baptized Ivan, came to Russia in the last quarter of the 13th century from Lithuania.

The youngest of the 5 sons of Andrei Ivanovich, Fyodor Koshka, left numerous offspring, which include such surnames as the Koshkins-Zakharyins, Yakovlevs, Lyatskys, Bezzubtsevs and Sheremetyevs. In the sixth generation from Andrei Kobyla in the Koshkin-Zakharyin family there was the boyar Roman Yuryevich, from whom the boyar family, and subsequently the Romanov tsars, originated. This dynasty ruled in Russia for three hundred years.

Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov (1613 – 1645)

The beginning of the reign of the Romanov dynasty can be considered February 21, 1613, when the Zemsky Sobor took place, at which the Moscow nobles, supported by the townspeople, proposed electing 16-year-old Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov as sovereign of all Rus'. The proposal was accepted unanimously, and on July 11, 1613, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, Mikhail was crowned king.

The beginning of his reign was not easy, because the central government still did not control a significant part of the state. In those days, robber Cossack detachments of Zarutsky, Balovy and Lisovsky were walking around Russia, ruining the state already exhausted by the war with Sweden and Poland.

Thus, the newly elected king was faced with two important tasks: first, ending hostilities with his neighbors, and second, pacifying his subjects. He was able to cope with this only after 2 years. 1615 - all free Cossack groups were completely destroyed, and in 1617 the war with Sweden ended with the conclusion of the Stolbovo Peace. According to this agreement, the Moscow state lost access to the Baltic Sea, but peace and tranquility were restored in Russia. It was possible to begin to lead the country out of a deep crisis. And here Mikhail’s government had to make a lot of efforts to restore the devastated country.

At first, the authorities took up the development of industry, for which foreign industrialists - ore miners, gunsmiths, foundry workers - were invited to Russia on preferential terms. Then the turn came to the army - it was obvious that for the prosperity and security of the state it was necessary to develop military affairs, in connection with this, in 1642, transformations began in the armed forces.

Foreign officers trained Russian military men in military affairs, “regiments of a foreign system” appeared in the country, which was the first step towards the creation of a regular army. These transformations turned out to be the last in the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich - 2 years later the tsar died at the age of 49 from “water sickness” and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin.

Alexey Mikhailovich, nickname Quiet (1645-1676)

His eldest son Alexei, who, according to contemporaries, was one of the most educated people of his time, became king. He himself wrote and edited many decrees and was the first of the Russian tsars to begin signing them personally (others signed decrees for Mikhail, for example, his father Filaret). Meek and pious, Alexey earned the people's love and the nickname Quiet.

In the first years of his reign, Alexei Mikhailovich took little part in government affairs. The state was ruled by the Tsar's educator, boyar Boris Morozov, and the Tsar's father-in-law, Ilya Miloslavsky. Morozov's policy, which was aimed at increasing tax oppression, as well as Miloslavsky's lawlessness and abuses, caused popular indignation.

1648, June - an uprising broke out in the capital, followed by uprisings in southern Russian cities and in Siberia. The result of this rebellion was the removal of Morozov and Miloslavsky from power. 1649 - Alexei Mikhailovich had the opportunity to take over the rule of the country. On his personal instructions, they compiled a set of laws - the Council Code, which satisfied the basic wishes of the townspeople and nobles.

In addition, the government of Alexei Mikhailovich encouraged the development of industry, supported Russian merchants, protecting them from competition from foreign traders. Customs and new trade regulations were adopted, which contributed to the development of domestic and foreign trade. Also, during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, the Moscow state expanded its borders not only to the southwest, but also to the south and east - Russian explorers explored Eastern Siberia.

Feodor III Alekseevich (1676 – 1682)

1675 - Alexey Mikhailovich declared his son Fyodor heir to the throne. 1676, January 30 - Alexey died at the age of 47 and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin. Fyodor Alekseevich became the sovereign of all Rus' and on June 18, 1676 he was crowned king in the Assumption Cathedral. Tsar Fedor reigned for only six years, he was extremely unindependent, power ended up in the hands of his maternal relatives - the Miloslavsky boyars.

The most important event of the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich was the destruction of localism in 1682, which provided the opportunity for promotion to not very noble, but educated and enterprising people. In the last days of the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich, a project was drawn up to establish a Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy and a theological school for 30 people in Moscow. Fyodor Alekseevich died on April 27, 1682 at the age of 22, without making any order regarding the succession to the throne.

Ivan V (1682-1696)

After the death of Tsar Fyodor, ten-year-old Pyotr Alekseevich, at the suggestion of Patriarch Joachim and at the insistence of the Naryshkins (his mother was from this family), was proclaimed tsar, bypassing his older brother Tsarevich Ivan. But on May 23 of the same year, at the request of the Miloslavsky boyars, he was approved by the Zemsky Sobor as the “second tsar,” and Ivan as the “first.” And only in 1696, after the death of Ivan Alekseevich, Peter became the sole tsar.

Peter I Alekseevich, nickname the Great (1682 - 1725)

Both emperors pledged to be allies in the conduct of hostilities. However, in 1810, relations between Russia and France began to take on an openly hostile character. And in the summer of 1812, war began between the powers. The Russian army, having expelled the invaders from Moscow, completed the liberation of Europe with a triumphal entry into Paris in 1814. The successfully ended wars with Turkey and Sweden strengthened the country's international position. During the reign of Alexander I, Georgia, Finland, Bessarabia, and Azerbaijan became part of the Russian Empire. 1825 - During a trip to Taganrog, Emperor Alexander I caught a severe cold and died on November 19.

Emperor Nicholas I (1825-1855)

After Alexander's death, Russia lived without an emperor for almost a month. On December 14, 1825, an oath was announced to his younger brother Nikolai Pavlovich. That same day, an attempted coup took place, which was later called the Decembrist uprising. The day of December 14 made an indelible impression on Nicholas I, and this was reflected in the nature of his entire reign, during which absolutism reached its highest rise, expenses for officials and the army absorbed almost all state funds. During the years, the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire was compiled - a code of all legislative acts that existed in 1835.

1826 - the Secret Committee was established, dealing with the peasant issue; in 1830, a general law on estates was developed, in which a number of improvements were designed for the peasants. About 9,000 rural schools were established for the primary education of peasant children.

1854 - the Crimean War began, ending in the defeat of Russia: according to the Paris Treaty of 1856, the Black Sea was declared neutral, and Russia was able to regain the right to have a fleet there only in 1871. It was the defeat in this war that decided the fate of Nicholas I. Not wanting to admit the error of his views and beliefs, which led the state not only to military defeat, but also to the collapse of the entire system of state power, the emperor is believed to have deliberately taken poison on February 18, 1855.

Alexander II the Liberator (1855-1881)

The next from the Romanov dynasty came to power - Alexander Nikolaevich, the eldest son of Nicholas I and Alexandra Fedorovna.

It should be noted that I was able to somewhat stabilize the situation both within the state and on the external borders. Firstly, under Alexander II, serfdom was abolished in Russia, for which the emperor was nicknamed the Liberator. 1874 - a decree was issued on universal conscription, which abolished conscription. At this time, higher educational institutions for women were created, three universities were founded - Novorossiysk, Warsaw and Tomsk.

Alexander II was able to finally conquer the Caucasus in 1864. According to the Argun Treaty with China, the Amur Territory was annexed to Russia, and according to the Beijing Treaty, the Ussuri Territory was annexed. 1864 - Russian troops began a campaign in Central Asia, during which the Turkestan region and Fergana region were captured. Russian rule extended all the way to the peaks of the Tien Shan and the foot of the Himalayan range. Russia also had possessions in the United States.

However, in 1867, Russia sold Alaska and the Aleutian Islands to America. The most important event in Russian foreign policy during the reign of Alexander II was the Russian-Turkish War of 1877–1878, which ended in the victory of the Russian army, which resulted in the declaration of independence of Serbia, Romania and Montenegro.

Russia received part of Bessarabia, seized in 1856 (except for the islands of the Danube Delta) and a monetary indemnity of 302.5 million rubles. In the Caucasus, Ardahan, Kars and Batum with their surroundings were annexed to Russia. The Emperor could have done a lot more for Russia, but on March 1, 1881, his life was tragically cut short by a bomb from Narodnaya Volya terrorists, and the next representative of the Romanov dynasty, his son Alexander III, ascended the throne. Difficult times have come for the Russian people.

Alexander III the Peacemaker (1881-1894)

During the reign of Alexander III, administrative arbitrariness increased significantly. In order to develop new lands, a massive resettlement of peasants to Siberia began. The government took care of improving the living conditions of workers - the work of minors and women was limited.

In foreign policy at this time, there was a deterioration in Russian-German relations and a rapprochement between Russia and France took place, which ended with the conclusion of the Franco-Russian alliance. Emperor Alexander III died in the fall of 1894 from kidney disease, aggravated by bruises received during a train accident near Kharkov and constant excessive consumption of alcohol. And power passed to his eldest son Nicholas, the last Russian emperor from the Romanov dynasty.

Emperor Nicholas II (1894-1917)

The entire reign of Nicholas II passed in an atmosphere of growing revolutionary movement. At the beginning of 1905, a revolution broke out in Russia, marking the beginning of reforms: 1905, October 17 - the Manifesto was published, which established the foundations of civil freedom: personal integrity, freedom of speech, assembly and unions. The State Duma was established (1906), without whose approval not a single law could enter into force.

Agrarian reform was carried out according to the project of P.A. Stolshin. In the field of foreign policy, Nicholas II took some steps to stabilize international relations. Despite the fact that Nicholas was more democratic than his father, popular discontent with the autocrat grew rapidly. At the beginning of March 1917, the Chairman of the State Duma M.V. Rodzianko told Nicholas II that the preservation of autocracy was possible only if the throne was transferred to Tsarevich Alexei.

But, given the poor health of his son Alexei, Nicholas abdicated the throne in favor of his brother Mikhail Alexandrovich. Mikhail Alexandrovich, in turn, abdicated in favor of the people. The republican era has begun in Russia.

From March 9 to August 14, 1917, the former emperor and members of his family were kept under arrest in Tsarskoye Selo, then they were transported to Tobolsk. On April 30, 1918, the prisoners were brought to Yekaterinburg, where on the night of July 17, 1918, by order of the new revolutionary government, the former emperor, his wife, children and the doctor and servants who remained with them were shot by security officers. Thus ended the reign of the last dynasty in Russian history.

Thanks to the marriage of Ivan IV the Terrible with a representative of the Romanov family, Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina, the Zakharyin-Romanov family became close to the royal court in the 16th century, and after the suppression of the Moscow branch of the Rurikovichs began to lay claim to the throne.

In 1613, the great-nephew of Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina, Mikhail Fedorovich, was elected to the royal throne. And the descendants of Tsar Michael, who were traditionally called House of Romanov, ruled Russia until 1917.

For a long period of time, members of the royal and then imperial family did not bear any surnames at all (for example, “Tsarevich Ivan Alekseevich”, “Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich”). Despite this, the names “Romanovs” and “House of Romanov” were commonly used to informally designate the Russian Imperial House, the coat of arms of the Romanov boyars was included in official legislation, and in 1913 the 300th anniversary of the reign of the House of Romanov was widely celebrated.

After 1917, almost all members of the former reigning house officially began to bear the Romanov surname, and many of their descendants now bear it.

Father - boyar Fyodor Nikitich Romanov, who later became Patriarch Filaret.

Mother - Ksenia Ivanovna Shestovaya,

in monasticism Martha.

Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov born in Moscow on July 12, 1596. He spent his childhood in the village of Domnina, the Kostroma estate of the Romanovs.

Under Tsar Boris Godunov, all the Romanovs were persecuted due to suspicion of conspiracy. Boyar Fyodor Nikitich Romanov and his wife were forcibly tonsured into monasticism and imprisoned in monasteries. Fyodor Romanov received the name when he was tonsured Filaret, and his wife became the nun Martha.

But even after his tonsure, Filaret led an active political life: he opposed Tsar Shuisky and supported False Dmitry I (thinking that he was the real Tsarevich Dmitry).

After his accession, False Dmitry I brought back the surviving members of the Romanov family from exile. Fyodor Nikitich (in monasticism Filaret) with his wife Ksenia Ivanovna (in monasticism Martha) and son Mikhail were returned.

Marfa Ivanovna and her son Mikhail settled first in the Kostroma estate of the Romanovs, the village of Domnina, and then took refuge from persecution by Polish-Lithuanian troops in the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma.

Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was only 16 years old when, on February 21, 1613, the Zemsky Sobor, which included representatives of almost all segments of the Russian population, elected him tsar.

On March 13, 1613, a crowd of boyars and city residents approached the walls of the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma. Mikhail Romanov and his mother received the ambassadors from Moscow with respect.

But when the ambassadors presented the nun Martha and her son with a letter from the Zemsky Sobor with an invitation to the kingdom, Mikhail was horrified and refused such a high honor.

“The state has been ruined by the Poles,” he explained his refusal. - The royal treasury has been plundered. Service people are poor, how should they be paid and fed? And how, in such a disastrous situation, can I, as a sovereign, resist my enemies?

“And I cannot bless Mishenka for the kingdom,” Nun Martha echoed her son with tears in her eyes. – After all, his father, Metropolitan Filaret, was captured by the Poles. And when the Polish king finds out that the son of his captive is in the kingdom, he orders evil to be done to his father, or even even deprives him of his life!

The ambassadors began to explain that Michael was chosen by the will of the whole earth, which means by the will of God. And if Michael refuses, then God himself will punish him for the final ruin of the state.

The persuasion between mother and son continued for six hours. Shedding bitter tears, nun Martha finally agreed with this fate. And since this is God’s will, she will bless her son. After his mother’s blessing, Mikhail no longer resisted and accepted the royal staff brought from Moscow from the ambassadors as a sign of power in Muscovite Rus'.

In the fall of 1617, the Polish army approached Moscow, and negotiations began on November 23. The Russians and Poles concluded a truce for 14.5 years. Poland received the Smolensk region and part of the Seversk land, and Russia received the respite it needed from Polish aggression.

And only a little over a year after the truce, the Poles released Metropolitan Philaret, the father of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, from captivity. The meeting of father and son took place on the Presnya River on June 1, 1619. They bowed at each other's feet, both cried, hugged each other and were silent for a long time, speechless with joy.

In 1619, immediately after returning from captivity, Metropolitan Philaret became Patriarch of All Rus'.

From that time until the end of his life, Patriarch Filaret was the de facto ruler of the country. His son, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, did not make a single decision without his father’s consent.

The Patriarch presided over church courts and participated in resolving zemstvo issues, leaving only criminal cases for consideration by national institutions.

Patriarch Filaret “was of average stature and stature, he understood the divine scripture in part; He was temperamental and suspicious, and so powerful that the Tsar himself was afraid of him.”

Tsar Michael and Patriarch Filaret considered cases together and made decisions on them, together they received foreign ambassadors, issued double diplomas and presented double gifts. In Russia there was dual power, the rule of two sovereigns with the participation of the Boyar Duma and the Zemsky Sobor.

In the first 10 years of Mikhail's reign, the role of the Zemsky Sobor in deciding state issues increased. But by 1622 the Zemsky Sobor was convened rarely and irregularly.

After the peace treaties concluded with Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a time of peace came for Russia. Fugitive peasants returned to their farms to cultivate lands abandoned during the Time of Troubles.

During the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich, there were 254 cities in Russia. Merchants were given special privileges, including permission to travel to other countries, provided they also trade in government goods, monitor the work of customs houses and taverns to replenish the income of the state treasury.

In the 20–30s of the 17th century, the so-called first manufactories appeared in Russia. These were large plants and factories at that time, where there was a division of labor by specialty, and steam mechanisms were used.

By decree of Mikhail Fedorovich, it was possible to gather master printers and literate elders to restore the printing business, which practically ceased during the Time of Troubles. During the Time of Troubles, the printing yard was burned along with all the printing machines.

By the end of the reign of Tsar Michael, the Printing House already had more than 10 presses and other equipment, and the printing house contained over 10 thousand printed books.

During the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich, dozens of talented inventions and technical innovations appeared, such as a cannon with a screw thread, a striking clock on the Spasskaya Tower, water engines for factories, paints, drying oil, ink and much more.

In large cities, the construction of temples and towers was actively carried out, differing from old buildings in their elegant decoration. The Kremlin walls were repaired, and the Patriarchal Courtyard on the territory of the Kremlin was expanded.

Russia continued to develop Siberia, new cities were founded there: Yeniseisk (1618), Krasnoyarsk (1628), Yakutsk (1632), the Bratsk fortress was built (1631),

In 1633, the father of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, his assistant and teacher, Patriarch Filaret, died. After the death of the “second sovereign,” the boyars again strengthened their influence over Mikhail Fedorovich. But the king did not resist; he was now often ill. The serious illness that struck the king was most likely dropsy. The royal doctors wrote that Tsar Michael’s illness comes “from a lot of sitting, cold drinking and melancholy.”

Mikhail Fedorovich died on July 13, 1645 and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Father - Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, Tsar and Great Sovereign of All Rus'.

Mother - Princess Evdokia Lukyanovna Streshneva.

Future king Alexey Mikhailovich Romanov, the eldest son of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, was born on March 19, 1629. He was baptized at the Trinity-Sergius Monastery and named Alexei. Already at the age of 6 he could read well. By order of his grandfather, Patriarch Filaret, an ABC book was created especially for his grandson. In addition to the primer, the prince read the Psalter, the Acts of the Apostles and other books from the patriarch’s library. The prince's tutor was a boyar Boris Ivanovich Morozov.

By the age of 11-12, Alexei had his own small library of books that belonged to him personally. This library mentions a Lexicon and Grammar published in Lithuania and a serious Cosmography.

Little Alexei was taught to govern the state from early childhood. He often attended receptions of foreign ambassadors and took part in court ceremonies.

In the 14th year of his life, the prince was solemnly “announced” to the people, and at the age of 16, when his father, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, died, Alexei Mikhailovich ascended the throne. A month later his mother also died.

By unanimous decision of all the boyars, on July 13, 1645, all the court nobility kissed the cross to the new sovereign. The first person in the tsar's entourage, according to the last will of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, was boyar B.I. Morozov.

The new Russian Tsar, judging by his own letters and reviews from foreigners, had a remarkably gentle, good-natured character and was “much quiet.” The whole atmosphere in which Tsar Alexei lived, his upbringing and reading of church books developed in him great religiosity.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, during all church fasts, the young king did not drink or eat anything. Alexey Mikhailovich was a very zealous performer of all church rites and had extreme Christian humility and meekness. All pride was disgusting and alien to him. “And to me, a sinner,” he wrote, “the honor here is like dust.”

But his good nature and humility were sometimes replaced by short-term outbursts of anger. One day, the tsar, who was being bled by a German “doctor,” ordered the boyars to try the same remedy, but boyar Streshnev did not agree. Then Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich personally “humbled” the old man, then did not know what gifts to appease him with.

Alexey Mikhailovich knew how to respond to other people’s grief and joy, and by his meek character he was simply a “golden man”, moreover, smart and very educated for his time. He always read a lot and wrote a lot of letters.

Alexei Mikhailovich himself read petitions and other documents, wrote or edited many important decrees, and was the first of the Russian tsars to sign them with his own hand. The autocrat inherited a powerful state recognized abroad to his sons. One of them, Peter I the Great, managed to continue his father’s work, completing the formation of an absolute monarchy and the creation of a huge Russian Empire.

Alexei Mikhailovich married in January 1648 the daughter of a poor nobleman Ilya Miloslavsky - Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya, who bore him 13 children. Until the death of his wife, the king was an exemplary family man.

B.I. Morozov, who began to rule the country on behalf of Alexei Mikhailovich, came up with a new taxation system, which came into effect by royal decree in February 1646. An increased duty was introduced on salt in order to sharply replenish the treasury. However, this innovation did not justify itself, as they began to buy less salt, and revenues to the treasury decreased.

The boyars abolished the salt tax, but instead they came up with another way to replenish the treasury. The boyars decided to collect taxes, previously abolished, for three years at once. Immediately began the massive ruin of peasants and even wealthy people. Due to the sudden impoverishment of the population, spontaneous popular unrest began in the country.

A crowd of people tried to hand over a petition to the Tsar when he was returning from a pilgrimage on June 1, 1648. But the king was afraid of the people and did not accept the complaint. The petitioners were arrested. The next day, during a religious procession, people again went to the Tsar, then the crowd broke into the territory of the Moscow Kremlin.

The archers refused to fight for the boyars and did not oppose ordinary people; moreover, they were ready to join the dissatisfied. The people refused to negotiate with the boyars. Then a frightened Alexey Mikhailovich came out to the people, holding the icon in his hands.

The rebels throughout Moscow destroyed the chambers of the hated boyars - Morozov, Pleshcheev, Trakhaniotov - and demanded that the tsar hand them over. A critical situation had arisen; Alexei Mikhailovich had to make concessions. He was handed over to the crowd of Pleshcheevs, then the Trakhaniots. The life of the Tsar's teacher Boris Morozov was under the threat of popular reprisal. But Alexey Mikhailovich decided to save his teacher at any cost. He tearfully begged the crowd to spare the boyar, promising the people to remove Morozov from business and expel him from the capital. Alexey Mikhailovich kept his promise and sent Morozov to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery.

After these events, called "Salt riot", Alexey Mikhailovich has changed a lot, and his role in governing the state has become decisive.

At the request of the nobles and merchants, a Zemsky Sobor was convened on June 16, 1648, at which it was decided to prepare a new set of laws of the Russian state.

The result of the enormous and lengthy work of the Zemsky Sobor was Code of 25 chapters, which was printed in 1200 copies. The Code was sent to all local governors in all cities and large villages of the country. The Code developed legislation on land ownership and legal proceedings, and the statute of limitations for searching for runaway peasants was abolished (which finally established serfdom). This set of laws became the guiding document for the Russian state for almost 200 years.

Due to the abundance of foreign merchants in Russia, Alexei Mikhailovich signed a decree on June 1, 1649, expelling English merchants from the country.

The objects of foreign policy of the tsarist government of Alexei Mikhailovich became Georgia, Central Asia, Kalmykia, India and China - countries with which the Russians tried to establish trade and diplomatic relations.

The Kalmyks asked Moscow to allocate territories for them to settle. In 1655 they swore allegiance to the Russian Tsar, and in 1659 the oath was confirmed. Since then, Kalmyks have always participated in hostilities on the side of Russia, their help was especially noticeable in the fight against the Crimean Khan.

In 1653, the Zemsky Sobor considered the issue of reunifying Left Bank Ukraine with Russia (at the request of the Ukrainians, who were fighting for independence at that moment and hoping to receive the protection and support of Russia). But such support could provoke another war with Poland, which, in fact, happened.

On October 1, 1653, the Zemsky Sobor decided to reunite Left Bank Ukraine with Russia. January 8, 1654 Ukrainian hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky solemnly proclaimed reunification of Ukraine with Russia at the Pereyaslav Rada, and already in May 1654 Russia entered the war with Poland.

Russia fought with Poland from 1654 to 1667. During this time, Rostislavl, Drogobuzh, Polotsk, Mstislav, Orsha, Gomel, Smolensk, Vitebsk, Minsk, Grodno, Vilno, and Kovno were returned to Russia.

From 1656 to 1658, Russia fought with Sweden. During the war, several truces were concluded, but in the end Russia was never able to regain access to the Baltic Sea.

The treasury of the Russian state was melting, and the government, after several years of constant hostilities with Polish troops, decided to enter into peace negotiations, which ended with the signing in 1667 Truce of Andrusovo for a period of 13 years and 6 months.

Under the terms of this truce, Russia renounced all conquests on the territory of Lithuania, but retained Severshchina, Smolensk and the Left Bank part of Ukraine, and also Kiev remained with Moscow for two years. The almost century-long confrontation between Russia and Poland came to an end, and later an eternal peace was concluded (in 1685), according to which Kyiv remained in Russia.

The end of hostilities was solemnly celebrated in Moscow. For successful negotiations with the Poles, the sovereign elevated the nobleman Ordin-Nashchokin to the rank of boyar, appointed him keeper of the royal seal and head of the Little Russian and Polish orders.

To ensure constant income to the royal treasury, a monetary reform was carried out in 1654. Copper coins were introduced, which were supposed to circulate on a par with silver ones, and at the same time a ban appeared on the trade in copper, since from then on it all went to the treasury. But taxes continued to be collected only in silver coins, and copper money began to depreciate.

Many counterfeiters immediately appeared minting copper money. The gap in the value of silver and copper coins grew larger every year. From 1656 to 1663, the value of one silver ruble increased to 15 copper rubles. All trading people begged for the abolition of copper money.

The Russian merchants turned to the Tsar with a statement of dissatisfaction with their position. And soon the so-called "Copper Riot"- a powerful popular uprising on July 25, 1662. The cause for unrest was sheets posted in Moscow accusing Miloslavsky, Rtishchev and Shorin of treason. Then a crowd of thousands moved to Kolomenskoye to the royal palace.

Alexei Mikhailovich managed to convince the people to disperse peacefully. He promised that he would consider their petitions. People turned to Moscow. Meanwhile, in the capital, merchants' shops and rich palaces had already been plundered.

But then a rumor spread among the people about the escape of the spy Shorin to Poland, and the excited crowd rushed to Kolomenskoye, meeting along the way the first rebels who were returning from the Tsar to Moscow.

A huge crowd of people again appeared in front of the royal palace. But Alexey Mikhailovich had already called upon the Streltsy regiments for help. A bloody massacre of the rebels began. Many people were drowned in the Moscow River at that time, others were hacked to pieces with sabers or shot. After the suppression of the riot, an inquiry was conducted for a long time. The authorities tried to find out who was the author of the leaflets posted around the capital.

After everything that happened, the king decided to abolish copper money. The royal decree of June 11, 1663 stated this. Now all calculations were again made only with the help of silver coins.

Under Alexei Mikhailovich, the Boyar Duma gradually lost its importance, and the Zemsky Sobor was no longer convened after 1653.

In 1654, the king created the “Order of his Great Sovereign for Secret Affairs.” The Order of Secret Affairs provided the king with all the necessary information about civil and military affairs and performed the functions of the secret police.

During the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, the development of Siberian lands continued. In 1648, Cossack Semyon Dezhnev discovered North America. In the late 40s - early 50s of the 17th century, explorers V. Poyarkov And E. Khabarov reached the Amur, where free settlers founded the Albazin Voivodeship. At the same time, the city of Irkutsk was founded.

Industrial development of mineral deposits and precious stones began in the Urals.

At that time it became necessary to carry out a reform of the church. Liturgical books have become extremely worn out, and a huge number of inaccuracies and errors have accumulated in the texts copied by hand. Often church services in one church were very different from the same service in another. All this “disorder” was very difficult for the young monarch, who was always very concerned about the strengthening and spread of the Orthodox faith.

At the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin there was circle of “God lovers”, which included Alexey Mikhailovich. Among the “God-lovers” were several priests, Abbot Nikon of the Novospassky Monastery, Archpriest Avvakum and several secular nobles.

Ukrainian learned monks were invited to help the circle in Moscow, publishing liturgical literature. The Printing Yard was rebuilt and expanded. The number of published books intended for teaching has increased: “ABC”, Psalter, Book of Hours; they have been reprinted many times. In 1648, by order of the tsar, Smotritsky’s “Grammar” was published.

But along with the distribution of books, persecution of buffoons and folk customs originating from paganism began. Folk musical instruments were confiscated, playing the balalaika was banned, masquerade masks, fortune telling, and even swings were highly condemned.

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich had already matured and no longer needed anyone’s care. But the king’s soft, sociable nature needed an adviser and friend. Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod became such a “sobin’s”, especially beloved friend for the Tsar.

After the death of Patriarch Joseph, the tsar offered to accept the supreme clergy to his friend, Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod, whose views Alexei fully shared. In 1652, Nikon became the Patriarch of All Rus' and the sovereign's closest friend and adviser.

Patriarch Nikon For more than one year he carried out church reforms, which were supported by the sovereign. These innovations caused protest among many believers; they considered the corrections in the liturgical books to be a betrayal of the faith of their fathers and grandfathers.

The monks of the Solovetsky Monastery were the first to openly oppose all innovations. Church unrest spread across the country. Archpriest Avvakum became an ardent enemy of innovation. Among the so-called Old Believers who did not accept the changes introduced into the services by Patriarch Nikon, there were two women from the upper class: Princess Evdokia Urusova and noblewoman Feodosia Morozova.

The Council of the Russian Clergy in 1666 nevertheless accepted all the innovations and book corrections prepared by Patriarch Nikon. Everyone Old Believers the church anathematized (cursed) and called them schismatics. Historians believe that in 1666 there was a schism in the Russian Orthodox Church; it was split into two parts.

Patriarch Nikon, seeing the difficulties with which his reforms were proceeding, voluntarily left the patriarchal throne. For this and for the “worldly” punishments of schismatics that were unacceptable for the Orthodox Church, on the orders of Alexei Mikhailovich, Nikon was defrocked by a council of clergy and sent to the Ferapontov Monastery.

In 1681, Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich allowed Nikon to return to the New Jerusalem Monastery, but Nikon died on the way. Subsequently, Patriarch Nikon was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Peasant war led by Stepan Razin

In 1670, the Peasant War began in southern Russia. The uprising was led by the Don Cossack ataman Stepan Razin.

The objects of hatred of the rebels were the boyars and officials, the tsar's advisers and other dignitaries, not the tsar, but the people blamed them for all the troubles and injustices that were happening in the state. The Tsar was the embodiment of ideal and justice for the Cossacks. The Church anathematized Razin. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich urged the people not to join Razin, and then Razin moved to the Yaik River, took the Yaitsky town, then plundered Persian ships.

In May 1670, he and his army went to the Volga and took the cities of Tsaritsyn, Cherny Yar, Astrakhan, Saratov, and Samara. He attracted many nationalities: Chuvash, Mordovians, Tatars, Cheremis.

Near the city of Simbirsk, Stepan Razin’s army was defeated by Prince Yuri Baryatinsky, but Razin himself survived. He managed to escape to the Don, where he was extradited by Ataman Kornil Yakovlev, brought to Moscow and executed there on Lobnoye Mesto of Red Square.

The participants in the uprising were also dealt with in the most brutal manner. During the investigation, the most sophisticated tortures and executions were used against the rebels: cutting off arms and legs, quartering, gallows, mass exile, burning the letter “B” on the face, signifying involvement in the riot.

By 1669, the wooden Kolomna Palace of fantastic beauty was built; it was the country residence of Alexei Mikhailovich.

In the last years of his life, the king became interested in theater. By his order, a court theater was founded, which presented performances based on biblical subjects.

In 1669, the Tsar’s wife, Maria Ilyinichna, died. Two years after the death of his wife, Alexey Mikhailovich married a young noblewoman for the second time Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina, who gave birth to a son - the future Emperor Peter I and two daughters, Natalia and Theodora.

Alexey Mikhailovich outwardly looked like a very healthy person: he was fair-faced and ruddy, fair-haired and blue-eyed, tall and corpulent. He was only 47 years old when he felt signs of a fatal illness.

The Tsar blessed Tsarevich Fyodor Alekseevich (son from his first marriage) to the kingdom, and appointed his grandfather, Kirill Naryshkin, as the guardian of his young son Peter. Then the sovereign ordered the release of prisoners and exiles and forgiveness of all debts to the treasury. Alexei Mikhailovich died on January 29, 1676 and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Father - Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, Tsar and Great Sovereign of All Rus'.

Mother - Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya, the first wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.

Fedor Alekseevich Romanov born in Moscow on May 30, 1661. During the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, the question of inheriting the throne arose more than once, since Tsarevich Alexei Alekseevich died at the age of 16, and the second tsar’s son Fedor was nine years old at that time.

After all, it was Fedor who inherited the throne. This happened when he was 15 years old. The young tsar was crowned king in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin on June 18, 1676. But Fyodor Alekseevich was not in good health; he was weak and sickly from childhood. He ruled the country for only six years.

Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich was well educated. He knew Latin well and spoke fluent Polish, and knew a little ancient Greek. The tsar was versed in painting and church music, had “great art in poetry and composed considerable verses,” trained in the basics of versification, he made a poetic translation of psalms for the “Psalter” of Simeon of Polotsk. His ideas about royal power were formed under the influence of one of the talented philosophers of that time, Simeon of Polotsk, who was the prince’s educator and spiritual mentor.

After the accession of young Fyodor Alekseevich, at first his stepmother, N.K. Naryshkina, tried to lead the country, but Tsar Fyodor’s relatives managed to remove her from business by sending her and her son Peter (the future Peter I) into “voluntary exile” to the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow.

The friends and relatives of the young tsar were boyar I. F. Miloslavsky, princes Yu. Golitsyn. These were “educated, capable and conscientious people.” It was they, who had influence on the young king, who energetically began to create a capable government.

Thanks to their influence, under Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, important government decisions were transferred to the Boyar Duma, the number of members of which increased from 66 to 99 under him. The Tsar was also inclined to personally take part in government.

In matters of internal government of the country, Fyodor Alekseevich left a mark on the history of Russia with two innovations. In 1681, a project was developed to create the subsequently famous, and then first in Moscow, Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, which opened after the death of the king. Many figures of science, culture and politics came out of its walls. It was here that the great Russian scientist M.V. Lomonosov studied in the 18th century.

Moreover, representatives of all classes were to be allowed to study at the academy, and scholarships were awarded to the poor. The tsar was going to transfer the entire palace library to the academy, and future graduates could apply for high government positions at court.

Fyodor Alekseevich ordered the construction of special shelters for orphans and teaching them various sciences and crafts. The Emperor wanted to place all the disabled in almshouses, which he built at his own expense.

In 1682, the Boyar Duma once and for all abolished the so-called localism. According to the tradition that existed in Russia, government and military people were appointed to various positions not in accordance with their merits, experience or abilities, but in accordance with localism, that is, with the place that the ancestors of the appointee occupied in the state apparatus.

The son of a man who once occupied a low position could never become superior to the son of an official who at one time occupied a higher position. This state of affairs irritated many and interfered with the effective management of the state.

At the request of Fyodor Alekseevich, on January 12, 1682, the Boyar Duma abolished localism; rank books in which “ranks” were recorded, that is, positions, were burned. Instead, all the old boyar families were rewritten into special genealogies so that their merits would not be forgotten by their descendants.

In 1678-1679, Fedor’s government conducted a population census, canceled Alexei Mikhailovich’s decree on the non-extradition of fugitives who had signed up for military service, and introduced household taxation (this immediately replenished the treasury, but increased serfdom).

In 1679-1680, an attempt was made to soften criminal penalties in the European style; in particular, cutting off hands for theft was abolished. Since then, the perpetrators have been exiled to Siberia with their families.

Thanks to the construction of defensive structures in the south of Russia, it became possible to widely allocate estates and estates to nobles who sought to increase their land holdings.

A major foreign policy action during the time of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich was the successful Russian-Turkish War (1676-1681), which ended with the Bakhchisarai Peace Treaty, which secured the unification of Left Bank Ukraine with Russia. Russia received Kyiv even earlier under a treaty with Poland in 1678.

During the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich, the entire Kremlin palace complex, including the churches, was rebuilt. The buildings were connected by galleries and passages; they were newly decorated with carved porches.

The Kremlin had a sewer system, a flowing pond and many hanging gardens with gazebos. Fyodor Alekseevich had his own garden, on the decoration and arrangement of which he spared no expense.

Dozens of stone buildings, five-domed churches in Kotelniki and Presnya were built in Moscow. The sovereign issued loans from the treasury to his subjects for the construction of stone houses in Kitai-Gorod and forgave many of their debts.

Fyodor Alekseevich saw the construction of beautiful stone buildings as the best way to protect the capital from fires. At the same time, the tsar believed that Moscow is the face of the state and admiration for its splendor should inspire respect among foreign ambassadors for all of Russia.

The king's personal life was very unhappy. In 1680, Fyodor Mikhailovich married Agafya Semyonovna Grushetskaya, but the queen died in childbirth along with her newborn son Ilya.

The tsar's new marriage was arranged by his closest adviser I.M. Yazykov. On February 14, 1682, Tsar Fedor, almost against his will, was married to Marfa Matveevna Apraksina.

Two months after the wedding, on April 27, 1682, the tsar, after a short illness, died in Moscow at the age of 21, leaving no heir. Fyodor Alekseevich was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Father - Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Tsar

and the great sovereign of all Rus'.

Mother - Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya.

The future Tsar Ivan (John) V Alekseevich was born on August 27, 1666 in Moscow. When in 1682 Ivan V's elder brother, Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, died without leaving an heir, 16-year-old Ivan V, as the next eldest, was to inherit the royal crown.

But Ivan Alekseevich was a sickly person from childhood and completely incapable of governing the country. That is why the boyars and Patriarch Joachim proposed to remove him and choose his half-brother 10-year-old Peter, the youngest son of Alexei Mikhailovich, as the next king.

Both brothers, one due to ill health, the other due to age, could not participate in the struggle for power. Instead of them, their relatives fought for the throne: for Ivan - his sister, Princess Sophia, and the Miloslavskys, relatives of his mother, and for Peter - the Naryshkins, relatives of the second wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. As a result of this struggle there was a bloody Streltsy riot.

The Streltsy regiments with their new chosen commanders headed towards the Kremlin, followed by crowds of townspeople. The archers walking ahead shouted accusations against the boyars, who allegedly poisoned Tsar Fedor and were already making an attempt on the life of Tsarevich Ivan.

The archers made a list in advance of the names of those boyars whom they demanded for reprisals. They did not listen to any admonitions, and showing them Ivan and Peter alive and unharmed on the royal porch did not impress the rebels. And in front of the princes’ eyes, the archers threw the bodies of their relatives and boyars, known to them from birth, onto spears from the windows of the palace. Sixteen-year-old Ivan after this forever abandoned government affairs, and Peter hated the Streltsy for the rest of his life.

Then Patriarch Joachim proposed to proclaim both kings at once: Ivan as the senior king, and Peter as the junior king, and to appoint Princess Sofya Alekseevna, Ivan’s sister, as their regent (ruler).

June 25, 1682 Ivan V Alekseevich and Peter I Alekseevich were married to the throne in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Even a special throne with two seats was built for them, currently kept in the Armory.

Although Ivan was called the senior tsar, he almost never dealt with state affairs, but was only concerned with his family. Ivan V was Russian sovereign for 14 years, but his rule was formal. He only attended palace ceremonies and signed documents without understanding their essence. The actual rulers under him were first Princess Sophia (from 1682 to 1689), and then power passed to his younger brother, Peter.

From childhood, Ivan V grew up as a frail, sickly child with poor eyesight. Sister Sophia chose a bride for him, the beautiful Praskovya Fedorovna Saltykova. Marrying her in 1684 had a beneficial effect on Ivan Alekseevich: he became healthier and happier.

Children of Ivan V and Praskovya Fedorovna Saltykova: Maria, Feodosia (died in infancy), Ekaterina, Anna, Praskovya.

Of the daughters of Ivan V, Anna Ivanovna later became empress (ruled in 1730-1740). His granddaughter became ruler Anna Leopoldovna. The reigning descendant of Ivan V was also his great-grandson, Ivan VI Antonovich (formally listed as emperor from 1740 to 1741).

According to the memoirs of a contemporary of Ivan V, at the age of 27 he looked like a decrepit old man, had very poor vision and, according to the testimony of one foreigner, was struck by paralysis. “Indifferently, like a deathly statue, Tsar Ivan sat on his silver chair under the icons, wearing a monomache hat pulled down over his very eyes, lowered down and not looking at anyone.”

Ivan V Alekseevich died in the 30th year of his life, on January 29, 1696 in Moscow and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Mother is the first wife of Alexei Mikhailovich, Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya.

Sofya Alekseevna born September 5, 1657. She never married and had no children. Her only passion was the desire to rule.

In the fall of 1682, Sophia, with the help of the noble militia, suppressed the streltsy movement. The further development of Russia required serious reforms. However, Sophia felt that her power was fragile, and therefore refused innovations.

During her reign, the search for serfs was somewhat weakened, minor concessions were made to the townspeople, and in the interests of the church, Sophia intensified the persecution of Old Believers.

In 1687, the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy was opened in Moscow. In 1686, Russia concluded the “Eternal Peace” with Poland. According to the agreement, Russia received “for eternity” Kyiv with the adjacent region, but for this Russia was obliged to start a war with the Crimean Khanate, since the Crimean Tatars devastated the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Poland).

In 1687, Prince V.V. Golitsyn led the Russian army on a campaign against Crimea. The troops reached the tributary of the Dnieper, at which time the Tatars set fire to the steppe, and the Russians were forced to turn back.

In 1689, Golitsyn made a second trip to Crimea. Russian troops reached Perekop, but were unable to take it and returned ingloriously. These failures greatly affected the prestige of ruler Sophia. Many of the princess's followers lost faith in her.

In August 1689, a coup took place in Moscow. Peter came to power, and Princess Sophia was imprisoned in the Novodevichy Convent.

Sophia's life in the monastery was at first calm and even happy. A nurse and maids lived with her. Good food and various delicacies were sent to her from the royal kitchen. Visitors were allowed to Sophia at any time; she could, if she wished, walk throughout the entire territory of the monastery. Only at the gate stood a guard of soldiers loyal to Peter.

During Peter's stay abroad in 1698, the archers raised another uprising with the aim of transferring the rule of Russia again to Sophia.

The Streltsy uprising ended in failure; they were defeated by troops loyal to Peter, and the leaders of the rebellion were executed. Peter returned from abroad. The executions of the archers were repeated.

After personal interrogation by Peter, Sophia was forcibly tonsured a nun under the name of Susanna. Strict supervision was established over her. Peter ordered the execution of the archers right under the windows of Sophia’s cell.

Her imprisonment in the monastery lasted for another five years under the vigilant supervision of guards. Sofya Alekseevna died in 1704 in the Novodevichy Convent.

Father - Alexei Mikhailovich, Tsar and Great Sovereign of All Rus'.

Mother is the second wife of Alexei Mikhailovich, Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina.

Peter I the Great- Russian Tsar (since 1682), the first Russian Emperor (since 1721), an outstanding statesman, commander and diplomat, all of whose activities are connected with radical transformations and reforms in Russia, aimed at eliminating Russia’s lag behind European countries at the beginning of the 18th century .

Pyotr Alekseevich was born on May 30, 1672 in Moscow, and immediately bells rang joyfully throughout the capital. Various mothers and nannies were assigned to little Peter, and special rooms were allocated. The best craftsmen made furniture, clothes, and toys for the prince. From an early age, the boy especially loved toy weapons: bows and arrows, sabres, guns.

Alexei Mikhailovich ordered an icon for Peter with the image of the Holy Trinity on one side, and the Apostle Peter on the other. The icon was made to the size of a newborn prince. Peter subsequently always took it with him, believing that this icon protected him from misfortunes and brought good luck.

Peter was educated at home under the supervision of his “uncle” Nikita Zotov. He complained that by the age of 11 the prince was not very successful in literacy, history and geography, captured by military “fun” first in the village of Vorobyovo, then in the village of Preobrazhenskoye. These “amusing” games of the king were attended by specially created "funny" shelves(which later became the guard and the core of the Russian regular army).

Physically strong, agile, inquisitive, Peter, with the participation of palace craftsmen, mastered carpentry, weapons, blacksmithing, watchmaking, and printing.

The Tsar knew German from early childhood, and later learned Dutch, partly English and French.

The inquisitive prince really liked books of historical content, decorated with miniatures. Especially for him, court artists created amusing notebooks with bright drawings depicting ships, weapons, battles, cities - from them Peter studied history.

After the death of the Tsar's brother Fyodor Alekseevich in 1682, as a result of a compromise between the Miloslavsky and Naryshkin family clans, Peter was elevated to the Russian throne at the same time as his half-brother Ivan V - under the regency (government of the country) of his sister, Princess Sofia Alekseevna.

During her reign, Peter lived in the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow, where the “amusing” regiments he created were located. There he met the son of the court groom, Alexander Menshikov, who became his friend and support for the rest of his life, and other “young guys of a simple kind.” Peter learned to value not nobility and birth, but a person’s abilities, his ingenuity and dedication to his work.

Under the guidance of the Dutchman F. Timmerman and the Russian master R. Kartsev, Peter learned shipbuilding, and in 1684 he sailed on his boat along the Yauza.

In 1689, Peter’s mother forced Peter to marry the daughter of a well-born nobleman, E. F. Lopukhina (who gave birth to his son Alexei a year later). Evdokia Fedorovna Lopukhina became the wife of 17-year-old Pyotr Alekseevich on January 27, 1689, but the marriage had almost no effect on him. The king did not change his habits and inclinations. Peter did not love his young wife and spent all his time with friends in the German settlement. There, in 1691, Peter met the daughter of a German artisan, Anna Mons, who became his lover and friend.

Foreigners had a great influence on the formation of his interests F. Ya. Lefort, Y. V. Bruce And P. I. Gordon- first Peter’s teachers in various fields, and later his closest associates.

By the early 1690s, real battles involving tens of thousands of people were already taking place near the village of Preobrazhenskoye. Soon, two regiments, Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky, were formed from the former “amusing” regiment.

At the same time, Peter founded the first shipyard on Lake Pereyaslavl and began building ships. Even then, the young sovereign dreamed of access to the sea, which was so necessary for Russia. The first Russian warship was launched in 1692.

Peter began government affairs only after the death of his mother in 1694. By this time, he had already built ships at the Arkhangelsk shipyard and sailed them on the sea. The Tsar came up with his own flag, consisting of three stripes - red, blue and white, which decorated Russian ships at the beginning of the Northern War.

In 1689, having removed his sister Sophia from power, Peter I became the de facto tsar. After the untimely death of his mother (who was only 41 years old), and in 1696 of his brother-co-ruler Ivan V, Peter I became an autocrat not only in fact, but also legally.

Having barely established himself on the throne, Peter I personally participated in the Azov campaigns against Turkey in 1695-1696, which ended with the capture of Azov and the entry of the Russian army to the shores of the Sea of ​​Azov.

However, trade relations with Europe could only be achieved by gaining access to the Baltic Sea and the return of Russian lands captured by Sweden during the Time of Troubles.

Under the guise of studying shipbuilding and maritime affairs, Peter I secretly traveled as one of the volunteers at the Great Embassy, ​​and in 1697-1698 to Europe. There, under the name of Pyotr Mikhailov, the tsar completed a full course in artillery science in Konigsberg and Brandenburg.

He worked as a carpenter in the shipyards of Amsterdam for six months, studying naval architecture and drafting, then completed a theoretical course in shipbuilding in England. On his orders, books, instruments, and weapons were purchased for Russia in these countries, and foreign craftsmen and scientists were recruited.

The Grand Embassy prepared the creation of the Northern Alliance against Sweden, which finally took shape two years later - in 1699.

In the summer of 1697, Peter I held negotiations with the Austrian emperor and intended to also visit Venice, but upon receiving news of the impending uprising of the Streltsy in Moscow (whom Princess Sophia promised to increase their salary in the event of the overthrow of Peter I), he urgently returned to Russia.

On August 26, 1698, Peter I began a personal investigation into the case of the Streltsy revolt and did not spare any of the rebels - 1,182 people were executed. Sophia and her sister Martha were tonsured as nuns.

In February 1699, Peter I ordered the disbandment of the Streltsy regiments and the formation of regular ones - soldiers and dragoons, since “until now this state did not have any infantry.”

Soon, Peter I signed decrees that, under pain of fines and flogging, ordered men to “cut their beards,” which were considered a symbol of the Orthodox faith. The young king ordered everyone to wear European-style clothing, and for women to reveal their hair, which had previously always been carefully hidden under scarves and hats. Thus, Peter I prepared Russian society for radical changes, eliminating with his decrees the patriarchal foundations of the Russian way of life.

Since 1700, Peter I introduced a new calendar with the beginning of the new year - January 1 (instead of September 1) and the calendar from the “Nativity of Christ”, which he also considered as a step in breaking down outdated morals.

In 1699, Peter I finally broke up with his first wife. More than once he persuaded her to take monastic vows, but Evdokia refused. Without the consent of his wife, Peter I took her to Suzdal, to the Pokrovsky nunnery, where she was tonsured as a nun under the name of Elena. The Tsar took his eight-year-old son Alexei to his home.

The first priority of Peter I was the creation of a regular army and the construction of a fleet. On November 19, 1699, the king issued a decree on the formation of 30 infantry regiments. But the training of the soldiers did not proceed as quickly as the king wanted.

Simultaneously with the formation of the army, all conditions were created for a powerful breakthrough in the development of industry. Approximately 40 plants and factories sprang up within a few years. Peter I aimed Russian craftsmen to adopt all the most valuable things from foreigners and do them even better than theirs.

By the beginning of 1700, Russian diplomats managed to make peace with Turkey and sign treaties with Denmark and Poland. Having concluded the Peace of Constantinople with Turkey, Peter I switched the country's efforts to fight Sweden, which at that time was ruled by 17-year-old Charles XII, who, despite his youth, was considered a talented commander.

North War 1700-1721 for Russia's access to the Baltic began with the battle of Narva. But the 40,000-strong untrained and poorly prepared Russian army lost this battle to the army of Charles XII. Calling the Swedes “Russian teachers,” Peter I ordered reforms that were supposed to make the Russian army combat-ready. The Russian army began to transform before our eyes, and domestic artillery began to emerge.

Alexander Danilovich Menshikov

On May 7, 1703, Peter I and Alexander Menshikov made a fearless attack on two Swedish ships at the mouth of the Neva in boats and won.

For this battle, Peter I and his favorite Menshikov received the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

Alexander Danilovich Menshikov- the son of a groom, who sold hot pies as a child, rose from the royal orderly to generalissimo and received the title of His Serene Highness.

Menshikov was practically the second person in the state after Peter I, his closest ally in all state affairs. Peter I appointed Menshikov governor of all the Baltic lands conquered from the Swedes. Menshikov invested a lot of strength and energy in the construction of St. Petersburg, and his merit in this is invaluable. True, for all his merits, Menshikov was also the most famous Russian embezzler.

By mid-1703, all the lands from the source to the mouth of the Neva were in the hands of the Russians.

On May 16, 1703, Peter I founded the St. Petersburg fortress on Vesyoly Island - a wooden fortress with six bastions. A small house was built next to it for the sovereign. Alexander Menshikov was appointed the first governor of the fortress.

The Tsar predicted for St. Petersburg not only the role of a commercial port, but a year later in a letter to the governor he called the city the capital, and to protect it from the sea he ordered the foundation of a sea fortress on the island of Kotlin (Kronstadt).

In the same 1703, 43 ships were built at the Olonets shipyard, and a shipyard called Admiralteyskaya was founded at the mouth of the Neva. The construction of ships there began in 1705, and the first ship was launched already in 1706.

The foundation of the new future capital coincided with changes in the tsar’s personal life: he met the laundress Marta Skavronskaya, who was given to Menshikov as a “trophy of war.” Marta was captured in one of the battles of the Northern War. The Tsar soon named her Ekaterina Alekseevna, baptizing Martha into Orthodoxy. In 1704, she became the common-law wife of Peter I, and by the end of 1705, Peter Alekseevich became the father of Catherine’s son, Paul.

Household affairs greatly depressed the reformer Tsar. His son Alexei showed disagreement with his father's vision of proper government. Peter I tried to influence him with persuasion, then threatened to imprison him in a monastery.

Fleeing from such a fate, in 1716 Alexey fled to Europe. Peter I declared his son a traitor, achieved his return and imprisoned him in a fortress. In 1718, the Tsar personally conducted his investigation, seeking Alexei's abdication of the throne and the release of the names of his accomplices. The “Tsarevich’s Case” ended with the death sentence imposed on Alexei.

Children of Peter I from his marriage to Evdokia Lopukhina - Natalya, Pavel, Alexey, Alexander (all except Alexey died in infancy).

Children from his second marriage with Marta Skavronskaya (Ekaterina Alekseevna) - Ekaterina, Anna, Elizaveta, Natalya, Margarita, Peter, Pavel, Natalya, Peter (except Anna and Elizaveta died in infancy).

In 1705-1706, a wave of popular uprisings took place across Russia. People were unhappy with the violence of the governors, detectives and profit-makers. Peter I brutally suppressed all unrest. Simultaneously with the suppression of internal unrest, the king continued to prepare for further battles with the army of the Swedish king. Peter I regularly offered peace to Sweden, which the Swedish king constantly refused.

Charles XII and his army slowly moved east, intending to eventually take Moscow. After the capture of Kyiv, it was to be ruled by the Ukrainian hetman Mazepa, who went over to the side of the Swedes. All southern lands, according to Charles's plan, were distributed among the Turks, Crimean Tatars and other supporters of the Swedes. The Russian state would face destruction if the Swedish troops won.

On July 3, 1708, the Swedes near the village of Golovchina in Belarus attacked the Russian corps led by Repnin. Under pressure from the royal army, the Russians retreated, and the Swedes entered Mogilev. The defeat at Golovchin became an excellent lesson for the Russian army. Soon the king, in his own hand, compiled the “Rules of Battle,” which dealt with the perseverance, courage and mutual assistance of soldiers in battle.

Peter I monitored the actions of the Swedes, studied their maneuvers, trying to lure the enemy into a trap. The Russian army walked ahead of the Swedish one and, on the orders of the tsar, mercilessly destroyed everything in its path. Bridges and mills were destroyed, villages and grain in the fields were burned. Residents fled into the forest and took their cattle with them. The Swedes walked through scorched, devastated land, the soldiers were starving. The Russian cavalry harassed the enemy with constant attacks.

The cunning Mazepa advised Charles XII to capture Poltava, which was of great strategic importance. On April 1, 1709, the Swedes stood under the walls of this fortress. The three-month siege did not bring success to Charles XII. All attempts to storm the fortress were repulsed by the Poltava garrison.

On June 4, Peter I arrived in Poltava. Together with the military leaders, he developed a detailed action plan that provided for all possible changes during the battle.

On June 27, the Swedish royal army was completely defeated. They could not find the Swedish king himself; he fled with Mazepa towards Turkish possessions. In this battle, the Swedes lost more than 11 thousand soldiers, of which 8 thousand were killed. The Swedish king, fleeing, abandoned the remnants of his army, which surrendered to the mercy of Menshikov. The army of Charles XII was practically destroyed.

Peter I after Poltava victory generously rewarded the heroes of battles, distributed ranks, orders and lands. Soon the tsar ordered the generals to hurry up and liberate the entire Baltic coast from the Swedes.

Until 1720, hostilities between Sweden and Russia were sluggish and protracted. And only the naval battle at Grengam, which ended in the defeat of the Swedish military squadron, put an end to the history of the Northern War.

The long-awaited peace treaty between Russia and Sweden was signed in Nystadt on August 30, 1721. Sweden got back most of Finland, and Russia got access to the sea.

For the victory in the Northern War, the Senate and the Holy Synod on January 20, 1721 approved a new title for Sovereign Peter the Great: “Father of the Fatherland, Peter the Great and Emperor of All Russia».

Having forced the Western world to recognize Russia as one of the great European powers, the emperor began to solve urgent problems in the Caucasus. The Persian campaign of Peter I in 1722-1723 secured the western coast of the Caspian Sea with the cities of Derbent and Baku for Russia. There, for the first time in Russian history, permanent diplomatic missions and consulates were established, and the importance of foreign trade increased.

Emperor

Emperor(from the Latin imperator - ruler) - the title of a monarch, head of state. Initially, in Ancient Rome, the word imperator meant supreme power: military, judicial, administrative, which was possessed by the highest consuls and dictators. Since the time of the Roman emperor Augustus and his successors, the title of emperor acquired a monarchical character.

With the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, the title of emperor was retained in the East - in Byzantium. Subsequently, in the West, it was restored by Emperor Charlemagne, then by the German king Otto I. Later, this title was adopted by the monarchs of several other states. In Russia, Peter the Great was proclaimed the first emperor - that is how he was now called.

With the adoption of the title “All-Russian Emperor” by Peter I, the rite of coronation was replaced by coronation, which led to changes both in the church ceremony and in the composition of the regalia.

Coronation – rite of entry into kingship.

For the first time, the coronation ceremony took place in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin on May 7, 1724, Emperor Peter I crowned his wife Catherine as empress. The coronation process was drawn up according to the rite of the crowning of Fyodor Alekseevich, but with some changes: Peter I personally placed the imperial crown on his wife.

The first Russian imperial crown was made of gilded silver, similar to church crowns for weddings. The Monomakh cap was not placed at the coronation; it was carried ahead of the solemn procession. During the coronation of Catherine, she was awarded a golden small power - the “globe”.

In 1722, Peter issued a decree on succession to the throne, which stated that the successor to power was appointed by the reigning sovereign.

Peter the Great made a will, where he left the throne to his wife Catherine, but he destroyed the will in a fit of rage. (The Tsar was informed of his wife’s betrayal with the chamberlain Mons.) For a long time, Peter I could not forgive the Empress for this offense, and he never had time to write a new will.

Peter's decrees of 1715-1718 concerned all aspects of the life of the state: tanning, workshops uniting master craftsmen, the creation of manufactories, the construction of new weapons factories, the development of agriculture and much more.

Peter the Great radically rebuilt the entire system of government. Instead of the Boyar Duma, the Near Chancellery was established, consisting of 8 proxies of the sovereign. Then, on its basis, Peter I established the Senate.

The Senate existed at first as a temporary governing body in the event of the Tsar's absence. But soon it became permanent. The Senate had judicial, administrative and sometimes legislative powers. The composition of the Senate changed according to the decision of the Tsar.

All of Russia was divided into 8 provinces: Siberian, Azov, Kazan, Smolensk, Kyiv, Arkhangelsk, Moscow and Ingermanland (Petersburg). 10 years after the formation of the provinces, the sovereign decided to disaggregate the provinces and divided the country into 50 provinces headed by governors. Provinces have been preserved, but there are already 11 of them.

Over the course of more than 35 years of rule, Peter the Great managed to carry out a huge number of reforms in the field of culture and education. Their main result was the emergence of secular schools in Russia and the elimination of the clergy’s monopoly on education. Peter the Great founded and opened: the School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences (1701), the Medical-Surgical School (1707) - the future Military Medical Academy, the Naval Academy (1715), the Engineering and Artillery Schools (1719).

In 1719, the first museum in Russian history began to operate - Kunstkamera with a public library. Primers, educational maps were published, and in general a beginning was laid for the systematic study of the country's geography and cartography.

The spread of literacy was facilitated by the reform of the alphabet (replacing cursive with a civil font in 1708), the publication of the first Russian printed Vedomosti newspapers(since 1703).

Holy Synod- This is also Peter’s innovation, created as a result of his church reform. The emperor decided to deprive the church of its own funds. By his decree of December 16, 1700, the Patriarchal Prikaz was dissolved. The church no longer had the right to dispose of its property; all funds now went to the state treasury. In 1721, Peter I abolished the rank of Russian patriarch, replacing it with the Holy Synod, which included representatives of the highest clergy of Russia.

During the era of Peter the Great, many buildings were erected for state and cultural institutions, an architectural ensemble Peterhof(Petrodvorets). Fortresses were built Kronstadt, Peter-Pavel's Fortress, the planned development of the Northern capital, St. Petersburg, began, marking the beginning of urban planning and the construction of residential buildings according to standard designs.

Tsar Peter I the Great “was a worker on the eternal throne.” He knew well 14 crafts or, as they said then, “handicrafts,” but medicine (more precisely, surgery and dentistry) was one of his main hobbies.

During his trips to Western Europe, being in Amsterdam in 1698 and 1717, Tsar Peter I visited the anatomical museum of Professor Frederick Ruysch and diligently took lessons in anatomy and medicine from him. Returning to Russia, Pyotr Alekseevich established in Moscow in 1699 a course of lectures on anatomy for the boyars, with a visual demonstration on corpses.

The author of “The History of the Acts of Peter the Great,” I. I. Golikov, wrote about this royal hobby: “He ordered himself to be notified if in the hospital ... it was necessary to dissect a body or perform some kind of surgical operation, and ... rarely missed such an opportunity , so as not to be present at it, and often even helped in operations. Over time, he acquired so much skill that he very skillfully knew how to dissect a body, bleed, pull out teeth and do this with great desire...”

Peter I always and everywhere carried with him two sets of instruments: measuring and surgical. Considering himself an experienced surgeon, the king was always happy to come to the rescue as soon as he noticed any ailment in his entourage. And by the end of his life, Peter had a heavy bag in which 72 teeth he personally pulled out were stored.

It must be said that the king’s passion for tearing out other people’s teeth was very unpleasant for his entourage. Because it happened that he tore not only diseased teeth, but also healthy ones.

One of Peter I’s close associates wrote in his diary in 1724 that Peter’s niece “is in great fear that the emperor will soon take care of her sore leg: it is known that he considers himself a great surgeon and willingly undertakes all kinds of operations on the sick.” .

Today we cannot judge the degree of Peter I’s surgical skill; it could only be assessed by the patient himself, and even then not always. After all, it happened that the operation that Peter performed ended in the death of the patient. Then the king, with no less enthusiasm and knowledge of the matter, began to dissect (cut) the corpse.

We must give him his due: Peter was a good expert in anatomy; in his free time from government affairs, he loved to carve anatomical models of the human eye and ear from ivory.

Today, the teeth pulled out by Peter I and the instruments with which he performed surgical operations (without painkillers) can be seen in the St. Petersburg Kunstkamera.

The stormy and difficult life of the great reformer could not but affect the health of the emperor, who by the age of 50 had developed many illnesses. Most of all, he was plagued by kidney disease.

In the last year of his life, Peter I went to mineral waters for treatment, but even during treatment he still did hard physical work. In June 1724, at the Ugodsky factories, he forged several strips of iron with his own hands, in August he was present at the launching of the frigate, then went on a long journey along the route: Shlisselburg - Olonetsk - Novgorod - Staraya Russa - Ladoga Canal.

Returning home, Peter I learned terrible news for him: his wife Catherine cheated on him with 30-year-old Willie Mons, the brother of the emperor’s former favorite, Anna Mons.

It was difficult to prove his wife’s infidelity, so Willie Mons was accused of bribery and embezzlement. According to the court verdict, his head was cut off. Catherine had only hinted at a pardon to Peter I when, in great anger, the emperor broke a finely crafted mirror in an expensive frame and said: “This is the most beautiful decoration of my palace. I want it and I will destroy it!” Then Peter I subjected his wife to a difficult test - he took her to see the severed head of Mons.

Soon his kidney disease worsened. Peter I spent most of the last months of his life in bed in terrible torment. At times the illness subsided, then he got up and left the bedroom. At the end of October 1724, Peter I even participated in putting out a fire on Vasilievsky Island, and on November 5 he stopped by the wedding of a German baker, where he spent several hours watching a foreign wedding ceremony and German dances. That same November, the Tsar participated in the betrothal of his daughter Anna and the Duke of Holstein.

Overcoming the pain, the emperor compiled and edited decrees and instructions. Three weeks before his death, Peter I was drafting instructions for the leader of the Kamchatka expedition, Vitus Bering.

In mid-January 1725, attacks of renal colic became more frequent. According to contemporaries, for several days Peter I shouted so loudly that it could be heard far around. Then the pain became so strong that the king only groaned dully, biting the pillow. Peter I died on January 28, 1725 in terrible agony. His body remained unburied for forty days. All this time, his wife Catherine (soon proclaimed empress) cried twice a day over the body of her beloved husband.

Peter the Great is buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, which he founded.

The Romanovs, whose dynasty dates back to the sixteenth century, were simply an old noble family. But after the marriage concluded between Ivan the Terrible and a representative of the Romanov family, Anastasia Zakharyina, they became close to the royal court. And after establishing kinship with the Moscow Rurikovichs, the Romanovs themselves began to lay claim to the royal throne.

The history of the Russian dynasty of emperors began after the chosen grandnephew of Ivan the Terrible’s wife, Mikhail Fedorovich, began to rule the country. His descendants stood at the head of Russia until October 1917.

Background

The ancestor of some noble families, including the Romanovs, is called Andrei Ivanovich Kobyla, whose father, as records show, Divonovich Glanda-Kambila, who received the baptismal name Ivan, appeared in Russia in the last decade of the fourteenth century. He came from Lithuania.

Despite this, a certain category of historians suggests that the beginning of the Romanov dynasty (in short - the House of Romanov) comes from Novgorod. Andrei Ivanovich had five sons. Their names were Semyon Stallion and Alexander Elka, Vasily Ivantai and Gavriil Gavsha, as well as Fyodor Koshka. They were the founders of as many as seventeen noble houses in Rus'. In the first generation, Andrei Ivanovich and his first four sons were called Kobylins, Fyodor Andreevich and his son Ivan were called Koshkins, and the latter’s son, Zakhary, was called Koshkin-Zakharyin.

The origin of the surname

Descendants soon discarded the first part - the Koshkins. And for some time now they began to be written only under the name of Zakharyina. From the sixth generation, the second half was added to it - the Yuryevs.

Accordingly, the offspring of Peter and Vasily Yakovlevich were called the Yakovlevs, Roman - the okolnichy and the governor - Zakharyin-Romanov. It is with the children of the latter that the famous Romanov dynasty began. The reign of this family began in 1613.

Kings

The Romanov dynasty managed to install five of its representatives on the royal throne. The first of them was the great-nephew of Anastasia, the wife of Ivan the Terrible. Mikhail Fedorovich is the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty, he was raised to the throne by the Zemsky Sobor. But, since he was young and inexperienced, the country was actually ruled by Elder Martha and her relatives. After him, the kings of the Romanov dynasty were few in number. These are his son Alexei and three grandsons - Fyodor and Peter I. It was the latter in 1721 that the Romanov royal dynasty ended.

Emperors

When Peter Alekseevich ascended the throne, a completely different era began for the family. The Romanovs, whose dynasty's history as emperors began in 1721, gave Russia thirteen rulers. Of these, only three were representatives by blood.

After the first emperor of the House of Romanov, the throne was inherited as an autocratic empress by his legal wife Catherine I, whose origins are still hotly debated by historians. After her death, power passed to Peter Alekseevich’s grandson from his first marriage, Peter the Second.

Due to infighting and intrigue, his grandfather's line of succession to the throne was frozen. And after him, imperial power and regalia were transferred to the daughter of Emperor Peter the Great’s elder brother, Ivan V, while after Anna Ioannovna, her son from the Duke of Brunswick ascended to the Russian throne. His name was Ivan VI Antonovich. He became the only representative of the Mecklenburg-Romanov dynasty to occupy the throne. He was overthrown by his own aunt, “Petrov’s daughter,” Empress Elizabeth. She was unmarried and childless. That is why the Romanov dynasty, whose reign table is very impressive, in the direct male line ended precisely there.

Introduction to history

The accession of this family to the throne occurred under strange circumstances, surrounded by numerous strange deaths. The Romanov dynasty, photos of whose representatives are in any history textbook, is directly related to the Russian chronicle. She stands out for her unfailing patriotism. Together with the people, they went through difficult times, slowly lifting the country out of poverty and misery - the results of constant wars, namely the Romanovs.

The history of the Russian dynasty is literally saturated with bloody events and secrets. Each of its representatives, although they respected the interests of their subjects, was at the same time distinguished by cruelty.

First ruler

The year the Romanov dynasty began was very turbulent. The state did not have a legal ruler. Mainly due to the excellent reputation of Anastasia Zakharyina and her brother Nikita, the Romanov family was respected by everyone.

Russia was tormented by wars with Sweden and practically never-ending internecine strife. At the beginning of February 1613, in Velikiy, abandoned by foreign invaders along with a pile of dirt and garbage, the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty, the young and inexperienced prince Mikhail Fedorovich, was proclaimed. And it was this sixteen-year-old son who marked the beginning of the reign of the Romanov dynasty. He secured his reign for a full thirty-two years.

It is with him that the Romanov dynasty begins, the genealogy table of which is studied at school. In 1645, Mikhail was replaced by his son Alexei. The latter also ruled for quite a long time - more than three decades. After him, the succession to the throne was associated with some difficulties.

From 1676, Russia was ruled for six years by Mikhail’s grandson, Fedor, named after his great-grandfather. After his death, the reign of the Romanov dynasty was worthily continued by Peter I and Ivan V, his brothers. For almost fifteen years they exercised dual power, although virtually the entire government of the country was taken into their own hands by their sister Sophia, who was known as a very power-hungry woman. Historians say that to hide this circumstance, a special double throne with a hole was ordered. And it was through him that Sophia gave instructions to her brothers in a whisper.

Peter the Great

And although the beginning of the reign of the Romanov dynasty is associated with Fedorovich, nevertheless, almost everyone knows one of its representatives. This is a man of whom both the entire Russian people and the Romanovs themselves can be proud. The history of the Russian dynasty of emperors, the history of the Russian people, the history of Russia are inextricably linked with the name of Peter the Great - the commander and founder of the regular army and navy, and in general - a man with very progressive views on life.

Possessing purposefulness, strong will and great capacity for work, Peter I, like, indeed, the entire Romanov dynasty, with a few exceptions, photos of whose representatives are in all history textbooks, studied a lot throughout his life. But he paid special attention to military and naval affairs. During his first trip abroad in 1697-1698, Peter took a course in artillery science in the city of Konigsberg, then worked for six months at the Amsterdam shipyards as a simple carpenter, and studied the theory of shipbuilding in England.

This was not only the most remarkable personality of his era, the Romanovs could be proud of him: the history of the Russian dynasty did not know a more intelligent and inquisitive person. His whole appearance, according to his contemporaries, testified to this.

Peter the Great was invariably interested in everything that somehow affected his plans: both in terms of government or commerce, and in education. His curiosity extended to almost everything. He did not neglect even the smallest details, if they could later be useful in some way.

The life's work of Pyotr Romanov was the rise of his state and the strengthening of its military strength. It was he who became the founder of the regular fleet and army, continuing the reforms of his father, Alexei Mikhailovich.

The state transformations of Peter the Great's rule turned Russia into a strong state that acquired seaports, developed foreign trade and a well-established administrative management system.

And although the reign of the Romanov dynasty began almost six decades earlier, not a single representative of it managed to achieve what Peter the Great achieved. He not only established himself as an excellent diplomat, but also created the anti-Swedish Northern Alliance. In history, the name of the first emperor is associated with the main stage in the development of Russia and its emergence as a great power.

At the same time, Peter was a very tough person. When he seized power at the age of seventeen, he did not fail to hide his sister Sophia in a distant monastery. One of the most famous representatives of the Romanov dynasty, Peter, better known as the Great, was considered a rather heartless emperor, who set himself the goal of reorganizing his little-civilized country in a Western manner.

However, despite such advanced ideas, he was considered a capricious tyrant, quite comparable to his cruel predecessor - Ivan the Terrible, the husband of his great-grandmother Anastasia Romanova.

Some researchers reject the great significance of Peter's perestroikas and, in general, the policies of the emperor during his reign. Peter, they believe, was in a hurry to achieve his goals, so he took the shortest route, sometimes even using obviously clumsy methods. And this was precisely the reason that after his untimely death, the Russian empire quickly returned to the state from which the reformer Peter Romanov tried to bring it out.

It is impossible to radically change your people in one fell swoop, even by building a new capital for them, shaving the boyars’ beards and ordering them to gather for political rallies.

Nevertheless, the policies of the Romanovs, and in particular the administrative reforms that Peter introduced, meant quite a lot for the country.

New branch

After the marriage of Anna (the second daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine) with the nephew of the Swedish king, the beginning of the Romanov dynasty was laid, which actually passed into the Holstein-Gottorp family. At the same time, according to the agreement, the son born from this marriage, and he became Peter III, still remained a member of this royal House.

Thus, according to genealogical rules, the imperial family began to be called Holstein-Gottorp-Romanovsky, which was reflected not only on their family coat of arms, but also on the coat of arms of Russia. From this time on, the throne was passed on in a straight line, without any intricacies. This happened thanks to a decree issued by Paul. It spoke of succession to the throne through the direct male line.

After Paul, the country was ruled by Alexander I, his eldest son, who was childless. His second descendant, Prince Konstantin Pavlovich, renounced the throne, which, in fact, became one of the reasons for the Decembrist uprising. The next emperor was his third son, Nicholas I. In general, since the time of Catherine the Great, all heirs to the throne began to bear the title of crown prince.

After Nicholas I, the throne passed to his eldest son, Alexander II. At the age of twenty-one, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich died of tuberculosis. Therefore, the next was the second son - Emperor Alexander III, who was succeeded by his eldest son and the last Russian ruler - Nicholas II. Thus, since the beginning of the Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp dynasty, eight emperors have come from this branch, including Catherine the Great.

Nineteenth century

In the 19th century, the imperial family expanded and expanded greatly. Special laws were even adopted that regulated the rights and obligations of each family member. The material aspects of their existence were also discussed. A new title was even introduced - Prince of the Imperial Blood. He assumed too distant a descendant of the ruler.

From the time when the Romanov dynasty began until the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Imperial House began to include four branches in the female line:

• Holstein-Gottorp;
• Leuchtenberg - descended from the daughter of Nicholas I, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, and the Duke of Leuchtenberg;
• Oldenburg - from the marriage of the daughter of Emperor Paul with the Duke of Oldenburg;
• Mecklenburg - originating from the marriage of Princess Catherine Mikhailovna and the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Revolution and the Imperial House

From the moment the Romanov dynasty began, the history of this family is full of death and bloodshed. No wonder the last of the family - Nicholas II - was nicknamed the Bloody. It must be said that the emperor himself was not at all distinguished by a cruel disposition.

The reign of the last Russian monarch was marked by rapid economic growth of the country. At the same time, there was an increase in social and political contradictions within Russia. All this led to the beginning of the revolutionary movement and ultimately to the uprising of 1905-1907, and then to the February Revolution.

The Emperor of All Russia and the Tsar of Poland, as well as the Grand Duke of Finland - the last Russian emperor from the Romanov dynasty - ascended the throne in 1894. Nicholas II is described by his contemporaries as a gentle and highly educated, sincerely devoted to the country, but at the same time a very stubborn person.

Apparently, this was the reason for the persistent rejection of the advice of experienced dignitaries in matters of government, which, in fact, led to fatal mistakes in the Romanovs’ policies. The sovereign’s amazingly devoted love for his own wife, who in some historical documents is even called a mentally unstable person, became the reason for discrediting the royal family. Her power was called into question as the only true one.

This was explained by the fact that the wife of the last Russian emperor had a fairly strong say in many aspects of government. At the same time, she did not miss a single opportunity to take advantage of this, while many high-ranking persons were in no way satisfied with this. Most of them considered the last reigning Romanov a fatalist, while others were of the opinion that he was simply completely indifferent to the suffering of his people.

End of reign

The bloody year of 1917 was the final year for the shaky power of this autocrat. It all started with the First World War and the ineffectiveness of the policies of Nicholas II during this difficult period for Russia.

Antagonists of the Romanov family argue that during this period the last autocrat simply was unable or failed to implement the necessary political or social reforms in time. The February Revolution forced the last emperor to abdicate the throne. As a result, Nicholas II and his family were placed under house arrest in his palace in Tsarskoe Selo.

In the mid-nineteenth century, the Romanovs ruled more than a sixth of the planet. It was a self-sufficient, independent state that concentrated the greatest wealth in Europe. It was a huge era that ended with the execution of the royal family, the last of the Romanovs: Nicholas II with Alexandra and their five children. It happened in a basement in Yekaterinburg on the night of July 17, 1918.

The Romanovs today

By the beginning of 1917, the Russian Imperial House numbered sixty-five representatives, of which thirty-two belonged to its male half. Eighteen people were shot by the Bolsheviks between 1918 and 1919. This happened in St. Petersburg, Alapaevsk and, of course, in Yekaterinburg. The remaining forty-seven people escaped. As a result, they found themselves in exile, mainly in the United States and France.

Despite this, a significant part of the dynasty hoped for the collapse of Soviet power and the restoration of the Russian monarchy for more than ten years. When Olga Konstantinovna - the Grand Duchess - became regent of Greece in December 1920, she began to accept many refugees from Russia in this country who were simply going to wait it out and return home. However, this did not happen.

Nevertheless, the House of Romanov still had weight for a long time. Moreover, in 1942, two representatives of the House were even offered the throne of Montenegro. An Association was even created, which included all living members of the dynasty.

The Romanov dynasty, also known as the “House of Romanov,” was the second dynasty (after the Rurik dynasty) to rule Russia. In 1613, representatives of 50 cities and several peasants unanimously elected Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov as the New Tsar. It was with him that the Romanov dynasty began, which ruled Russia until 1917.

Since 1721, the Russian Tsar was proclaimed emperor. Tsar Peter I became the first emperor of all Russia. He turned Russia into a Great Empire. During the reign of Catherine II the Great, the Russian Empire expanded and improved in governance.

At the beginning of 1917, the Romanov family had 65 members, 18 of whom were killed by the Bolsheviks. The remaining 47 people fled abroad.

The last Romanov Tsar, Nicholas II, began his reign in the fall of 1894, when he ascended the throne. His entry came much earlier than anyone expected. Nicholas's father, Tsar Alexander III, died unexpectedly at the relatively young age of 49.

The Romanov family in the mid-19th century: Tsar Alexander II, his heir, the future Alexander III, and the infant Nicholas, the future Tsar Nicholas II.

Events unfolded quickly after the death of Alexander III. The new Tsar, at the age of 26, quickly married his bride of a few months, Princess Alix of Hesse—granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England. The couple had known each other since they were teenagers. They were even distantly related and had numerous relatives, being the niece and nephew of the Prince and Princess of Wales, on opposite sides of the family.

A contemporary artist's depiction of the coronation of the new (and last) family from the Romanov dynasty - Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra.

In the 19th century, many members of European royal families were closely related to each other. Queen Victoria was called the “Grandmother of Europe” because her offspring were dispersed throughout the continent through the marriages of her many children. Along with her royal pedigree and improved diplomatic relations between the royal houses of Greece, Spain, Germany and Russia, Victoria's descendants were given something far less desirable: a tiny defect in a gene that regulates normal blood clotting and causes an incurable disease called hemophilia. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, patients suffering from this disease could literally bleed to death. Even the most benign bruise or blow could prove fatal. The Queen of England's son, Prince Leopold, had hemophilia and died prematurely after a minor car accident.

The hemophilia gene was also passed on to Victoria's grandchildren and great-grandchildren through their mothers in the royal houses of Spain and Germany.

But perhaps the most tragic and significant impact of the hemophilia gene occurred in the ruling Romanov family in Russia. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna learned in 1904 that she was a carrier of hemophilia a few weeks after the birth of her precious son and heir to the Russian throne, Alexei.

In Russia, only men can inherit the throne. If Nicholas II had not had a son, the crown would have passed to his younger brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. However, after 10 years of marriage and the birth of four healthy Grand Duchesses, the long-awaited son and heir was stricken with an incurable disease. Few subjects understood that the crown prince's life often hung in the balance due to his fatal genetic disease. Alexei's hemophilia remained a closely guarded secret of the Romanov family.

In the summer of 1913, the Romanov family celebrated the three hundredth anniversary of their dynasty. The dark “time of troubles” of 1905 seemed like a long-forgotten and unpleasant dream. To celebrate, the entire Romanov family made a pilgrimage to the ancient historical monuments of the Moscow region, and the people rejoiced. Nikolai and Alexandra were once again convinced that their people loved them and that their policies were on the right track.

At this time, it was difficult to imagine that just four years after these glory days, the Russian Revolution would deprive the Romanov family of the imperial throne, ending three centuries of the Romanov dynasty. The Tsar, enthusiastically supported during the celebrations of 1913, would no longer rule Russia in 1917. Instead, the Romanov family would be arrested and killed by their own men just over a year later.

The story of the last reigning Romanov family continues to fascinate both scholars and Russian history buffs. It has something for everyone: a great royal romance between a handsome young king—ruler of one-eighth of the world—and a beautiful German princess who gave up her strong Lutheran faith and conventional life for love.

There were their beautiful children: four beautiful daughters and a long-awaited boy, born with a fatal disease from which he could die at any moment. There was a controversial "little guy" - a peasant who seemed to be sneaking into the imperial palace, and who was seen to be corrupt and immorally influencing the Romanov family: the Tsar, the Empress and even their children.

There were political assassinations of the powerful, executions of the innocent, intrigues, mass uprisings and a world war; murders, revolution and bloody civil war. And finally, the secret execution in the middle of the night of the last ruling Romanov family, their servants, even their pets in the basement of a “special purpose house” in the heart of the Russian Urals.

According to some information, the Romanovs are not of Russian blood at all, but came from Prussia; according to the historian Veselovsky, they are still Novgorodians. The first Romanov appeared as a result of the interweaving of childbirth Koshkins-Zakharyins-Yurievs-Shuiskys-Ruriks in the guise of Mikhail Fedorovich, elected Tsar of the House of Romanov. The Romanovs, in different interpretations of their surnames and names, ruled until 1917.

The Romanov family: a story of life and death - summary

The era of the Romanovs is a 304-year usurpation of power in the vastness of Russia by one family of boyars. According to the social classification of feudal society of the 10th – 17th centuries, boyars were called large landowners in Moscow Rus'. IN 10th – 17th for centuries it was the highest layer of the ruling class. According to Danube-Bulgarian origin, “boyar” is translated as “nobleman”. Their history is a time of unrest and irreconcilable struggle with the kings for complete power.

Exactly 405 years ago, a dynasty of kings of this name appeared. 297 years ago, Peter the Great took the title of All-Russian Emperor. In order not to degenerate by blood, there was leapfrog with its mixing along the male and female lines. After Catherine the First and Paul the Second, the branch of Mikhail Romanov sank into oblivion. But new branches arose, with an admixture of other bloods. The surname Romanov was also borne by Fyodor Nikitich, Russian Patriarch Filaret.

In 1913, the three-hundredth anniversary of the Romanov dynasty was celebrated magnificently and solemnly.

The highest officials of Russia, invited from European countries, did not even suspect that a fire was already heating up under the house, which would burn out the last emperor and his family in just four years.

At the time in question, members of the imperial families did not have surnames. They were called crown princes, grand dukes, and princesses. After the Great October Socialist Revolution, which critics of Russia call a terrible coup for the country, its Provisional Government decreed that all members of this house should be called Romanovs.

More details on the main reigning persons of the Russian state

16-year-old first king. The appointment and election of essentially inexperienced in politics or even young children and grandchildren during the transition of power is not new for Russia. This was often practiced so that the curators of child rulers would solve their own problems before they came of age. In this case, Mikhail the First razed the “time of troubles” to the ground, brought peace and brought the almost collapsed country together. Of his ten family offspring also 16 years old Tsarevich Alexei (1629 - 1675) replaced Michael in the royal post.

The first attempt on the life of the Romanovs by relatives. Tsar Feodor the Third dies at the age of twenty. The tsar, who was in poor health (he could barely endure the coronation), meanwhile, turned out to be strong in politics, reforms, organization of the army and civil service.

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He forbade foreign tutors, who poured from Germany and France to Russia, from working without supervision. Historians of Russia suspect that the tsar's death was prepared by close relatives, most likely his sister Sophia. This is what will be discussed below.

Two kings on the throne. Again about the childhood of the Russian tsars.

After Fyodor, Ivan the Fifth was supposed to take the throne - a ruler, as they wrote, without a king in his head. Therefore, two relatives shared the throne on the same throne - Ivan and his 10-year-old brother Peter. But all state affairs were run by the already named Sophia. Peter the Great removed her from business when he learned that she had prepared a state conspiracy against his brother. He sent the intriguer to the monastery to atone for her sins.

Tsar Peter the Great becomes monarch. The one about whom they said that he cut a window to Europe for Russia. Autocrat, military strategist who finally defeated the Swedes in wars of twenty years. Titled Emperor of All Russia. Monarchy replaced reign.

Female line of monarchs. Peter, already nicknamed the Great, passed away without officially leaving an heir. Therefore, power was transferred to Peter’s second wife, Catherine the First, a German by birth. Rules for only two years - until 1727.

The female line was continued by Anna the First (Peter's niece). During her decade, her lover Ernst Biron actually reigned on the throne.

The third empress in this line was Elizaveta Petrovna from the family of Peter and Catherine. At first she was not crowned, because she was an illegitimate child. But this matured child carried out the first royal, fortunately, bloodless coup d’etat, as a result of which she sat on the All-Russian throne. By eliminating the regent Anna Leopoldovna. It is to her that her contemporaries should be grateful, because she returned St. Petersburg to its beauty and importance as a capital.

About the end of the female line. Catherine the Second the Great, arrived in Russia as Sophia Augusta Frederick. Overthrew the wife of Peter the Third. Rules for more than three decades. Having become Romanov's record holder, a despot, she strengthened the power of the capital, expanding the country territorially. Continued to improve the architectural design of the northern capital. The economy has strengthened. Patron of arts, loving woman.

A new, bloody conspiracy. Heir Paul was killed after refusing to abdicate the throne.

Alexander the First took over the government of the country on time. Napoleon marched against Russia with the strongest army in Europe. The Russian one was much weaker and drained of blood in the battles. Napoleon is just a stone's throw away from Moscow. We know from history what happened next. The Emperor of Russia came to an agreement with Prussia, and Napoleon was defeated. The combined troops entered Paris.

Attempts on the successor. They wanted to destroy Alexander II seven times: the liberal did not suit the opposition, which was already brewing then. They blew it up in the Winter Palace of the Emperors in St. Petersburg, they shot it in the Summer Garden, even at the World Exhibition in Paris. In one year there were three assassination attempts. Alexander II survived.

The sixth and seventh attempts took place almost simultaneously. One terrorist missed, and the Narodnaya Volya member Grinevitsky finished the job with a bomb.

Romanov is the last on the throne. Nicholas II was crowned for the first time with his wife, who had previously had five female names. This happened in 1896. On this occasion, they began to distribute the imperial present to those gathered on Khodynka, and thousands of people died in the stampede. The Emperor did not seem to notice the tragedy. Which further alienated the lower classes from the upper classes and prepared the way for a coup.

The Romanov family - a story of life and death (photo)

In March 1917, under pressure from the masses, Nicholas II terminated his imperial powers in favor of his brother Mikhail. But he was even more cowardly and abandoned the throne. And this meant only one thing: the end of the monarchy had come. At that time, there were 65 people in the Romanov dynasty. Men were shot by the Bolsheviks in a number of cities in the Middle Urals and in St. Petersburg. Forty-seven managed to escape into emigration.

The Emperor and his family were put on a train and sent into Siberian exile in August 1917. Where everyone who was disliked by the authorities was driven into the bitter cold. The small town of Tobolsk was briefly identified as the location, but it soon became clear that the Kolchakites could have captured them there and used them for their own purposes. Therefore, the train was hastily returned to the Urals, to Yekaterinburg, where the Bolsheviks ruled.

Red Terror in action

Members of the imperial family were secretly placed in the basement of a house. The shooting took place there. The emperor, his family members, and assistants were killed. The execution was given a legal basis in the form of a resolution of the Bolshevik regional council of workers', peasants' and soldiers' deputies.

In fact, without a court decision, and it was an illegal action.

A number of historians believe that the Yekaterinburg Bolsheviks received sanction from Moscow, most likely from the weak-willed All-Russian elder Sverdlov, and maybe personally from Lenin. According to testimony, the residents of Yekaterinburg rejected the court hearing because of the possible advance of Admiral Kolchak’s troops to the Urals. And this is legally no longer repression in retaliation against tsarism, but murder.

The representative of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Solovyov, who investigated (1993) the circumstances of the execution of the royal family, argued that neither Sverdlov nor Lenin had anything to do with the execution. Even a fool would not leave such traces, especially the country's top leaders.