Misplaced Pages

#893106

56-400: Sophia was the third surviving daughter of Tsar Alexis by his first wife, Maria Miloslavskaya . She was the only one of her sisters educated by Simeon Polotsky , who also taught Tsar Alexis' heirs Tsarevich Alexei and Tsarevich Feodor . After the death of her brother Tsar Feodor III on 27 April 1682, Sophia unexpectedly entered Russian politics, trying to prevent her young half-brother,

112-401: A court never open to a woman in her situation, she utilized her connections, making allies and formally planning on securing the throne. When Feodor died on 7 May [ O.S. 27 April] 1682, Sophia immediately returned to the political scene. She attended her brother's funeral and caused a commotion while doing so. In Sophia's age, the female relatives of the tsar were kept away from

168-564: A devaluation of the ruble and a severe financial crisis. As a result, angry Moscow residents revolted in the 1662 Copper Riot , which was put down violently. In 1669, the Cossacks along the Don in southern Russia erupted in rebellion. The rebellion was led by Stenka Razin , a disaffected Don Cossack who had captured the Russian terminus of Astrakhan . From 1670 to 1671, Razin seized multiple towns along

224-511: A girl, eliminating any potential claim to the throne from that branch. Tensions between the two factions continued to grow, until Peter I turned 17 years of age, when his Naryshkin relatives demanded that Sophia step down. In response, Shaklovityi advised Sophia to proclaim herself tsarina and attempted to induce the Streltsy to a new uprising. Most of the Streltsy units deserted central Moscow for

280-463: A new regent, to satisfy their increasing desire for concessions. Calling together the gentry militia, Sophia suppressed the so-called Khovanshchina with the help of Fyodor Shaklovityi , who succeeded Khovansky in charge of the Muscovite army. Silencing the dissatisfied parties until Peter reached his age of majority, Sophia executed Khovansky and the other figureheads of the attempted rebellion. During

336-477: A personal insult, leaving the seat of the patriarch vacant. In 1666, the tsar convened the Great Moscow Synod , which was attended by Patriarch Macarius III Ibn al-Za'im and Patriarch Paisius of Alexandria , in order to address the problems caused by Nikon. The synod agreed to formally depose Nikon, and also decided to excommunicate all who opposed the reforms of the church; those opponents broke away from

392-518: A romantic interaction between the two could not begin when they met under Feodor's rule. Feodor entrusted great confidence in Golitsyn, and there remains no evidence Sophia and Vasily acted against customs that would have kept them apart until after his death. There is no suspicion of any relations until the letter in 1689, even during the period of Golitsyn's rise to power. When the Old Believers joined

448-470: A series of reforms that aimed to bring the practices of the Russian Orthodox Church into line with its Greek counterpart . Most notably, the church began to mandate the use of three fingers instead of two in making the sign of the cross . This resulted in significant dissent among the church community. Nevertheless, Alexis continued to support Nikon until 1658, when Nikon abandoned his post due to

504-433: A shared crown with Ivan and herself. Upon the court's swift and unanimous rejection of this proposal, Sophia reached out to the discouraged military troop, the streltsy , for their aid and support. The unjust dismissal of Ivan's rights acted as a catalyst to the already displeased and frustrated troops. Multiple issues, including merciless motivational tactics and lack of rest, drove the streltsy to violent opposition against

560-407: A young Peter remains as the most historically significant portion of her reign, as the rebellion of 1682 bred a distrust in nobility that came to define his leadership. Sophia Alekseyevna's regency retained the trappings of a typical regent, and the true tsar was growing into his position with every passing year. At the age of 16, Peter I demanded that Golitsyn report to him regarding all matters, and

616-516: Is a certain spiritual Epicureanism , manifested in an optimistic Christian faith, in a profound, but unfanatical, attachment to the traditions and ritual of the Church, in a desire to see everyone round him happy and at peace, and in a highly developed capacity to extract a quiet and mellow enjoyment from all things. In 1666, his doctor Samuel Collins described Alexis (then aged 37) as having "a sanguine complexion with light brown hair, his beard uncut. He

SECTION 10

#1732884424894

672-538: Is all we have of him. But it is sufficient for Sergey Platonov to proclaim him the most attractive of Russian monarchs. He acquired the moniker Tishayshy , which means "most quiet" or "most peaceful". He received this moniker through the ways he behaved—he would be kind and friendly, but the sounds created from instruments would provoke him. Certain aspects of Russian Orthodoxy , not its most purely spiritual, but its aesthetic and worldly aspects, found in him their most complete expression. The essence of Alexis's personality

728-622: Is tall and fat of a majestical deportment, severe in his anger, bountiful, charitable". The full title of Alexis in 1667 was: By the Grace of God , We, the Great Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince Alexei Mikhailovich, Autocrat of all Great , Little and White Russia , Moscow , Kiev , Vladimir , Novgorod , Tsar of Kazan , Tsar of Astrakhan , Tsar of Siberia , Sovereign of Pskov and Grand Prince of Tver , Yugorsk , Perm , Vyatka , Bulgar and others, Sovereign and Grand Prince of Novgorod of

784-596: The Zlatoust  [ ru ] , and from some western texts such as the Book of Christian Teachings (Czech) and Le Ménagier de Paris (French). The book is divided into 67 sections (in Silvester's version) dealing roughly with the following matters: In modern Russia, the term Domostroy has a pejorative meaning. It is used in such classic texts as Herzen 's My Past and Thoughts and Turgenev 's Fathers and Sons to refer to

840-528: The Habsburg emperor and the other enemies of Sweden, Alexis declared war on Sweden. Great things were expected by Russia of the Swedish war, but nothing came of it. Dorpat was taken, but countless multitudes of men were lost in vain before Riga . In the meantime, Poland had so far recovered herself as to become a much more dangerous foe than Sweden, and, as it was impossible to wage war with both simultaneously,

896-553: The Naryshkin family prepared for their long-awaited ascension to power. In 1688, Peter began to promote within his clan, and Sophia remained powerless to halt the gradual shift in control. During this time period, the regent disregarded the young tsar, letting him train his Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky Guards in Preobrazhenskoe . Although some historians claim Sophia made conscious attempts to neutralize Peter, and remove him from

952-512: The Novodevichy Convent without formally taking the veil. Sophia may have made one last attempt at securing power, although her involvement is unclear. Regardless of her conscious intent, her fate was sealed ten years later, when the Streltsy attempted to reinstate her in the Kremlin during Peter's absence from the country. This uprising was suppressed with an iron hand, and soon the corpses of

1008-625: The Salt Riot in Moscow and the Cossack revolt of Stenka Razin in southern Russia. At the time of his death, Russia spanned almost 8.1 million km (3.1 million sq mi). Born in Moscow on 29 March [ O.S. 19 March] 1629, the son of Tsar Michael and Eudoxia Streshneva , the sixteen-year-old Alexis acceded to the throne after his father's death on 12 July 1645. In August,

1064-687: The Volga river. The turning point in his campaign was his failed siege of Simbirsk in October 1670. Razin was finally captured on the Don in April 1671, and was drawn and quartered in Moscow. In 1651, Safavid troops attacked Russian fortifications in the North Caucasus . The main issue involved the expansion of a Russian garrison on the Koy Su river, as well as the construction of several new fortresses, in particular

1120-429: The tsar , and the church . Key obligations were fasting , prayer , icon veneration and the giving of alms . Its real author is unknown, but the most widespread version was edited by the archpriest Silvester , an influential advisor to Ivan IV of Russia . The text does include an epistle entitled "64. A Father's Epistle Instructing His Son," which was written by Silvester instructing his son, Anfim, on some of

1176-459: The "unjust" election of Peter. As the fighting ceased and Peter's life was left forever scarred by the blood spilt by his Naryshkin relatives , the streltsy achieved their initial demands. In the aftermath of the streltsy rebellion, on 25 June 1682 the Patriarch Ioakim crowned the incompetent Ivan as senior tsar ( Ivan V ) and Peter, only nine years old, as junior tsar. Sophia had been deemed

SECTION 20

#1732884424894

1232-444: The 9-year old Peter Alekseyevich from bypassing his 16-year-old elder brother Tsarevich Ivan and inheriting the throne. Although Sophia emerged from the shadows during the dynastic struggles of 1682, her prior influences can help to explain her ascendance to the regency. At the previous change of ruler in 1676, Sophia may have acted in the interest of her brother, Feodor, as various rumours exist of her pleading then with her father,

1288-938: The Lower Land , Chernigov , Ryazan , Rostov , Yaroslavl , Beloozero , Udoria , Obdoria , Kondia , and Ruler of all the Northern Countries , the Sovereign of the Iverian Lands, the Kartlian and Georgian Tsars and the Kabardian Lands, the Cherkasy and Mountainous Princes and many other States and Lands of the East and West, and the North from Father and Grandfather, and Heir, and Sovereign, and Possessor. Alexis's first marriage to Miloslavskaya

1344-634: The Polish state out of existence, in what became known as the Deluge . The Russians, unopposed, quickly appropriated nearly everything that was not already occupied by the Swedes. When the Poles offered to negotiate, the whole grand duchy of Lithuania was the least of the demands made by Alexis. However, Alexis and the king of Sweden quarrelled over the apportionment of the spoils, and at the end of May 1656, with encouragement by

1400-676: The Tsar's mother died, and following a pilgrimage to Sergiyev Posad he was crowned on 28 September in the Dormition Cathedral . He was committed to the care of his tutor Boris Morozov , a shrewd boyar open to Western ideas. Morozov pursued a peaceful foreign policy, securing a truce with the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and carefully avoiding complications with the Ottoman Empire . His domestic policy aimed at limiting

1456-522: The backbone of the new army of Tsar Alexis. To fulfill the reform goals, a large number of European military specialists were hired for service. This became possible because of the end of the Thirty Years' War , which created a colossal surplus of military professionals in Europe. Throughout his reign, Alexis faced rebellions across Russia. After resolving the 1648 Salt Riot Alexis faced rebellions in 1650 in

1512-618: The cities of Pskov and Great Novgorod . Alexis put down the Novgorod rebellion quickly, but was unable to subdue Pskov, and was forced to promise the city amnesty in return for surrender. The Metropolitan Nikon distinguished himself at Great Novgorod and in 1651 became the Tsar's chief minister. By the 1660s, Alexis's wars with Poland and Sweden had put an increasing strain on the Russian economy and public finances. In response, Alexis's government had begun minting large numbers of copper coins in 1654 to increase government revenue but this led to

1568-531: The conflict, stating that the conflict was initiated without his consent. In 1653, the weakness and disorder of Poland, which had just emerged from the Khmelnytsky Uprising , encouraged Alexis to attempt to annex the old Rus' lands. On 1 October 1653 a national assembly met at Moscow to sanction the war and find the means of carrying it out, and in April 1654 the army was blessed by Nikon , who had been elected patriarch in 1652. The campaign of 1654

1624-711: The coup against her half-brother Peter I . This event led to the peace between China and Russia in the Nerchinsk Treaty . Vanessa Redgrave portrayed the character of Sophia Alekseyevna in the 1986 miniseries Peter the Great . Her performance received an Emmy award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries. Alexis of Russia Alexei Mikhailovich ( Russian : Алексей Михайлович , IPA: [ɐlʲɪkˈsʲej mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ] ; 29 March [ O.S. 19 March] 1629 – 8 February [ O.S. 29 January] 1676), also known as Alexis ,

1680-413: The court and other political spheres, and funerals traditionally took place without women. Sophia stormed into the funeral, insisting on her presence and simultaneously setting off a chain of events that would result in her regency. The Miloslavsky party, grouped around the family of Feodor and Sophia, took advantage of the Streltsy uprising 25 May [ O.S. 15 May] 1682 to place Sophia on

1736-540: The dying Tsar Alexis, not to proclaim Peter his heir. Feodor's capability to lead Russia was questioned, based on his weak nature and poor health. His mental ability developed quite nicely over time, as he was taught by Simeon Polotsky. During Feodor III's brief reign (1676–1682), many historians argue, Feodor actually "ruled under the protectorate of Sophia his sister". As the young Tsar Feodor's health began to decline, more individuals rose up to counsel him, and Sophia found her influence steadily declining. Taking advantage of

Sophia Alekseyevna of Russia - Misplaced Pages Continue

1792-594: The end of Alexis's reign. When Charles I of England was beheaded by the Parliamentarians under Oliver Cromwell in 1649, an outraged Alexis broke off diplomatic relations with England and accepted Royalist refugees in Moscow. He also banned all English merchants from his country (notably members of the Muscovy Company ) and provided financial assistance to " the disconsolate widow of that glorious martyr , King Charles I." In 1653, Patriarch Nikon established

1848-595: The first Russian higher learning institution. The most important highlights of her foreign policy, as engineered by Golitsyn, were the Eternal Peace Treaty of 1686 with Poland , the 1689 Treaty of Nerchinsk with China , and the Crimean campaigns against Turkey . Although spearheaded by Prince Golitsyn, Sophia's reign oversaw two of the earliest diplomatic treaties and underwent inner growth and progress. Despite her other achievements, Sophia's influence and effect on

1904-565: The house of Artamon Matveyev , whose wife was the Scottish-descended Mary Hamilton. Their children were: Domostroy Domostroy ( Russian : Домостро́й , IPA: [dəmɐˈstroj] , lit.   ' Domestic Order ' ) is a 16th-century Russian set of household rules, instructions and advice pertaining to various religious, social, domestic, and family matters of Russian society. Core Domostroy values tended to reinforce obedience and submission to God ,

1960-534: The larger themes found within the Domostroy . An updated edition of the Domostroy was compiled by Karion Istomin during the late 17th century. To modern researchers, it is a precious account of Russian society and the life of wealthy boyars and merchants. The first part of the Domostroy is written in Russian Church Slavonic and deals with religious matters, morals, and the education of children, while

2016-497: The more important cities of Smolensk and Kiev remained in the hands of Russia together with the whole eastern bank of the Dnieper river. This truce was the achievement of Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin , the first Russian chancellor and diplomat in the modern sense, who after the disgrace of Nikon became the tsar's first minister until 1670, when he was superseded by the equally able Artamon Matveyev , whose beneficent influence prevailed to

2072-552: The official Russian Orthodox Church to form the Old Believers movement. Across Russia, Old Believers were harshly persecuted. One such old believer was Avvakum "the leader of the old Believers". Avvakum "had his wife and children buried alive in front of him; he himself was just exiled". Several old believers fled to the monastery of Solovki which had revolted in the Solovetsky Monastery uprising . The monastery would be besieged for seven years until 22 January 1676 which

2128-654: The one built on the Iranian side of the Terek river. The successful Safavid offensive resulted in the destruction of the Russian fortress and its garrison being expelled. In 1653, Alexis, initially thinking about sending the Zaporozhian Cossacks , eventually decided to send an embassy to Persia for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. In August 1653 courtier Prince Ivan Lobanov-Rostov and steward Ivan Komynin traveled from Astrakhan to Isfahan . Shah Abbas II agreed to settle

2184-461: The other hand, he was naturally, if timorously, progressive, or he would never have encouraged the great reforming boyar Matveyev. His last years, notwithstanding the terrible rebellion of Stenka Razin , were deservedly tranquil. Alexis's letters were first published by Pyotr Bartenev in 1856. They have earned him a place in the history of Russian literature , as assessed by D. S. Mirsky : A few private letters and an instruction to his falconers

2240-467: The policies during her regency. Sophia's relationship with Prince Golitsyn was not necessarily a romantic attachment. Golitsyn had a wife and a large family at a time when the boyars were still attached to the Domostroy , a matrimonial code from Ivan IV 's reign. Several early 18th-century memoirs gave birth to rumours that Golitsyn had been Sophia's lover. Some see the evidence for this in the tone of Sophia's correspondence with him in 1689. In any case,

2296-525: The political world, her involvement remains unclear. Sophia and her party had discussed crowning her as tsarina, and in August 1687 had tried persuading the Streltsy to petition on her behalf. Denied their aid, Sophia and her supporters found themselves on the decline in 1688, as the Crimean war brought rioting and unrest to Moscow. To worsen the situation, Peter had married, readying himself for rule, and Ivan V fathered

Sophia Alekseyevna of Russia - Misplaced Pages Continue

2352-414: The privileges of foreign traders and abolishing useless and expensive court offices. On 17 January 1648, Morozov procured the marriage of the tsar with Maria Miloslavskaya , himself marrying her sister Anna, ten days later, both the daughters of Ilya Danilovich Miloslavsky . Alexis empowered Morozov to conduct reforms in reducing social tensions, however his measure of tripling the tax burden (arrears for

2408-614: The rebels in the fall of 1682 and demanded the reversal of Nikon's reforms , Sophia lost control of the unsteady Streltsy to her once ally, Prince Ivan Khovansky . After aiding Sophia in May, Khovansky used his influence with the troops to force her court to flee the Moscow Kremlin and seek refuge in the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra . The streltsy rebels, who instigated the rebellion, hoped to depose Sophia and to make Prince Ivan Khovansky

2464-591: The rebels were suspended in front of Sophia's windows. Having taken the veil, she was kept in the strictest seclusion, with other nuns not allowed to see her except on Easter Sunday. She died in the Novodevichy Convent six years later. Sophia Alekseyevna appears as a minor character in the wuxia novel The Deer and the Cauldron by Jin Yong . In the novel, the protagonist Wei Xiaobao went to Russia and helped her in

2520-465: The riot was partially responsible for Alexis' 1649 issuance of a new legal code, the Sobornoye Ulozhenie . In 1648, using the experience of creating regiments of the foreign system during the reign of his father, Alexis began reforming the army. The main direction of the reform was the mass creation of New Order Regiments : Reiters , Soldiers, Dragoons and Hussars . These regiments formed

2576-623: The seat of power. Tsar Alexis had left behind two families by his two wives, and each of the two branches had at least one male heir. As the clans of Alexis' two wives were in conflict, Sophia devised a plan to ensure power for herself and her family. Promoting the case of her full brother Ivan as the legitimate heir to the throne, Sophia attempted to convince the patriarch and the boyars that they should reverse their recent decision to crown Peter. Insisting that Peter's proclamation broke monarchic laws by skipping over her brother, who would have been next in line to rule if not for his ineptitude, she proposed

2632-502: The second part is written almost entirely in the Russian vernacular. Modern researchers tend to trace the origins of the Domostroy to the 15th century Novgorod Republic , where it could have been used as a kind of moral codex for the wealthy. As such, it has some quotations from the Book of Proverbs and other biblical texts, and from earlier Russian moral texts such as the Izmaragd and

2688-484: The seven years of her regency, Sophia made a few concessions to posads and loosened detention policies towards runaway peasants, which caused dissatisfaction among the nobles. She also made an effort to further the organization of the military. Intrigued by baroque style architecture, Sophia held responsibility for the promotion of the foreign district, and the creation of the Slavonic-Greek-Latin Academy ,

2744-464: The sole intellectually mature member of the ruling family at the time of Feodor's death, making her the favourite to govern on behalf of the child Peter and of the inept Ivan. Using political and practical knowledge she had acquired by Feodor's side, Sophia convinced the nobles and the patriarch of her capacity to rule Russia. As Sophia had arranged before Tsar Feodor's death, Vasily Golitsyn was installed as de facto head of government, executing most of

2800-481: The suburb of Preobrazhenskoye and later for the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra , where the young tsar was living. Feeling the power slipping from her hands, Sophia sent the boyars and the Patriarch to Peter, asking him to join her in the Kremlin. He flatly refused her overtures, demanding Shaklovityi's execution and Golitsyn's exile. After Sophia agreed to surrender her senior boyars, she was arrested and forced to withdraw to

2856-502: The tsar resolved to rid himself of the Swedes first. In the Peace of Kardis (2 July 1661), Russia retroceded all her conquests. The Polish war dragged on for six years longer and was then concluded by the Truce of Andrusovo (11 February 1667), nominally for thirteen years, which proved the most durable of treaties. According to the truce, Polotsk and Polish Livonia were restored to Poland, but

SECTION 50

#1732884424894

2912-547: The two years preceding 1648 was demanded) saw heightened popular discontent. Morozov was regarded as a corrupt, self-seeking boyar and was accused of sorcery and witchcraft . In May 1648 Muscovites rose against his faction in the Salt Riot , and the young Tsar was compelled to dismiss them and exile Morozov to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery . Four months later, Morozov secretly returned to Moscow to regain some of his power. The popular discontent demonstrated by

2968-743: Was Tsar of all Russia from 1645 until his death in 1676. He was the first tsar to sign laws on his own authority and his council passed the Sobornoye Ulozheniye of 1649, which strengthened the bonds between autocracy and the lower nobility. In religious matters, he sided closely with Patriarch Nikon during the schism in the Russian Orthodox Church which saw unpopular liturgical reforms. While finding success in foreign affairs, his reign saw several wars with Iran , Poland (from whom left-bank Ukraine and Smolensk were annexed) and Sweden , as well as internal instabilities such as

3024-564: Was a few days before Alexis's death on 8 February 1676. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition : It is the crowning merit of the Tsar Alexei that he discovered so many great men (like Fyodor Rtishchev , Ordin, Matveyev, the best of Peter's precursors) and suitably employed them. He was not a man of superior strength of character, or he would never have submitted to the dictation of Nikon. But, on

3080-585: Was an uninterrupted triumph, and scores of towns, including the important fortress of Smolensk , fell into the hands of the Russians. Ukrainian Hetman Bogdan Khmelnitsky appealed to Tsar Alexis for protection from the Poles, and the Treaty of Pereyaslav brought about Russian dominance of the Cossack Hetmanate in left-bank Ukraine . In the summer of 1655, a sudden invasion by Charles X of Sweden briefly swept

3136-517: Was harmonious and felicitous. They had thirteen children (five sons and eight daughters) in twenty-one years of marriage, and she died only weeks after her thirteenth childbirth. Four sons survived her (Alexei, Fyodor, Semyon and Ivan), but within six months of her death two of these were dead, including Alexei, the 15-year-old heir to the throne. The couple's children were: Alexis remarried on 1 February 1671 to Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina (1 September 1651 – 4 February 1694). She had been brought up in

#893106