Reign: 1613-1645

From the biography.

· Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov - the first Russian Tsar from the Romanov dynasty. He was elected to the throne by the Zemsky Sobor in 1613. He was the cousin-nephew of the last tsar from the Rurik dynasty - Fyodor Ioannovich.

· His parents - Ksenia Shestova and Fyodor Romanov (future Patriarch Filaret) and he himself were hiding in the Ipatiev Monastery, not far from Kaluga, during the Polish intervention. The Poles wanted to kill them. But the Kostroma peasant Ivan Susanin led the army into the swamp, destroying it and dying himself.

· At first, his mother and relatives on her side - the Saltykovs - ruled on his behalf in 1613-1619, since Mikhail was only 16 years old at the time of his election as king. Then his father, Filaret, returned from Polish captivity. And from 1619 to 1633, that is, until his death, he was a prominent figure in the state.

Historical portrait of Mikhail Romanov

Activities

1.Domestic policy

2. Foreign policy

RESULTS OF ACTIVITY

• Establishment of strong centralized power in the country.
• Further improvement of the financial system, including taxation.
• Restoration of the country's economy after the Time of Troubles.
• The army was reorganized and “foreign regiments” were created.
• Further enslavement of the peasants, the introduction of a 10-year search for fugitive peasants.
• Large-scale construction throughout the country.
• Large-scale geographical discoveries on the Amur.
• The signing of peace agreements with Poland and Sweden, which stabilized the situation in the old age.
• The efforts to return the lands lost during the Troubles were unsuccessful.
• Defense of Russia's southern borders.
• Expansion of the country's territory in the east. Access to the Pacific Ocean.
• Establishing diplomatic and trade relations with many countries.

Chronology of the life and work of Mikhail Romanov

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Revival of autocracy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Personality of Mikhail Romanov

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The death penalty awaited counterfeiters and stamp forgers.

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

Tsar Michael was elected in 1613 by the Zemsky Sobor. Mikhail Romanov himself was at that time with his mother in his Kostroma estates. He only learned about the decision of the Council a few weeks later. They say that the mother for a long time refused to bless Michael for the throne, citing the fact that during the Time of Troubles the Russian people had deteriorated greatly, “fell-hearted” and governing them was a thankless task.

Mikhail Romanov was naturally intelligent, but too young to rule a large and complex country. In addition to the Boyar Duma, the Zemsky Sobor became a solid support of his power. During the first ten years of Michael's reign he worked almost continuously. It was cooperation with representatives of the estates who participated in the Zemsky Sobor that allowed Mikhail to implement many necessary, but difficult measures for the population.

For the first few years, Mikhail obeyed his mother in everything, doing nothing without her consent.

In 1619, under the terms of the truce of 1618 with King Sigismund III, Russian boyars and nobles who were in Polish captivity during the Time of Troubles were freed. Among them was Patriarch Filaret. Returning to Moscow, he energetically took up not only church, but also state affairs. A kind of “dual power” of father and son was established in the country, which ended only with the death of Filaret in 1633. This unusual situation caused a lot of talk and gossip. However, in general, Filaret's participation in affairs contributed to the strengthening of the Moscow State. His vast experience and strong will, knowledge of people and problems compensated for Mikhail’s naivety and gentleness. While his father took upon himself the daily concerns of the authorities, the good-natured Mikhail could do his favorite thing to his heart's content - breeding rare and beautiful plants. He was the first Russian to appreciate the beauty of garden roses. By order of Michael, they were brought from abroad and planted in the palace garden.

The power after the Time of Troubles was still weak. The country is in devastation; the treasury was plundered; the lands were depopulated; During the years of the Troubles, the sense of legality and justice became dulled. Under different rulers, land holdings were transferred and “complained” to other owners, so it became difficult to figure out who owned them. To boost the economy, it was necessary to increase taxes. This unpopular measure threatened a new explosion of discontent.

In the most difficult conditions of the restoration period, the first king of the new dynasty needed the support and sympathy of the people. But the people, more than ever, needed a king - a living symbol of national unity and supreme justice. “The Moscow medieval monarchy grew from the roots of the people,” said historian A.E. Presnyakov.

The support of the authorities during this difficult time was the Zemsky Sobor, which, by the “Council of the Whole Land,” approved and supported the decisions of the tsar.

Controls

In an effort to strengthen the “vertical of power,” Tsar Mikhail expands the rights of the governors appointed by his decree. Many functions of local government were transferred to them. At the same time, there is a rapid development of central government bodies - orders. Their number is increasing, and the internal structure is becoming more complex. The development of the state apparatus strengthened the power of the monarch and made it more independent of the large aristocracy. However, the downside of this process was the abuse of numerous clerks and clerks who were in charge of affairs in the orders. It was during these years that the expression “Moscow red tape” became a proverb.

Military reform

The situation required the Romanovs to take energetic action in the field of military affairs. And such actions were taken.

Land reform

In the 20s XVII century The distribution of state and palace lands began to restore the position of the nobles. These lands have long been reserved by the Moscow sovereigns “for a rainy day.” Now that day has come.

Along with the distribution of estates, the compilation of new scribe books was undertaken - the main documents on the basis of which the official and tax responsibilities of the population were determined. One of the reasons for this event was the incredible confusion in land relations: during the Time of Troubles, each ruler was in a hurry to give his supporters more lands, often despite the fact that these lands already had an owner.

Search for fugitive peasants

Having provided the nobles with peasant labor, the first Romanovs also took care that the workers did not run away from their new owners. Vasily Shuisky in 1607 established a 15-year search for runaway peasants. However, with his fall the law became invalid. Under Tsar Michael, the government returned to this issue. The period for searching for fugitive peasants (“lesson years”) in 1637 was increased from 5 to 9 years. In 1641, it was ordered to search for peasants who had escaped from their landowners for 10 years, and for peasants taken out (that is, essentially stolen) by one landowner from another - for 15 years. And already Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich put an end to this long story by establishing an indefinite search for fugitive peasants (1649).

German settlement

Tsar Mikhail Romanov welcomed the arrival of foreigners in the country for the purpose of developing the economy. Copper smelters were hired in Germany. A glass factory was built by foreigners near Moscow. The Germans and Dutch built iron factories and sold the products domestically and internationally duty-free for 20 years. A special territory appeared in Moscow where foreigners settled. It was called the German Settlement. In Rus', all foreigners were called “Germans,” that is, dumb, because they did not know how to speak Russian.

Foreign policy of Mikhail Romanov

History has more than once confirmed the validity of the Latin proverb “Vis pacem, para bellum” (“If you want peace, prepare for war”). The main task of the first Romanovs was to revive the military power of the country. The threat of new Polish and Swedish intervention remained very real until the 20s. XVII century Later, the task of returning Russian possessions lost as a result of the Time of Troubles - Smolensk and Seversk lands - came to the fore.

Stolbovsky world

After the Time of Troubles, general hatred of the invaders in Novgorod and the failure at Pskov forced the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf to abandon his plans of conquest and begin negotiations with the Moscow government. To restore the Russian economy, peace with neighboring states was needed.

At the beginning of 1617, in the village of Stolbovo near Ladoga, the “eternal” Peace of Stolbovo with Sweden was concluded between Russia and Sweden. According to the Stolbovo Peace, Novgorod, Staraya Russa Porkhov and Ladoga returned to the rule of the Moscow sovereign. For this, Russia paid the Swedes 20 thousand rubles in silver. The ancient Russian fortresses in the Baltic states remained under the rule of the king - Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye, Korela, as well as the Oreshek fortress at the source of the Neva from Lake Ladoga. Thus, Russia found itself completely cut off from the Baltic, i.e. this deprived Russia of access to the sea. The solution to the geopolitical problem, set by Ivan III, was again pushed into the foggy future.

Both Moscow and Stockholm were pleased with the Stolbovo peace. Gustav II Adolf was tired of the hopeless war with Russia. Mikhail Romanov needed peace in the Baltic states in order to focus on the fight against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Material from the site

Truce of Deulino

Mikhail Romanov managed to settle relations with Poland. In 1618, the Deulin Truce was concluded for 14.5 years. Russia lost Smolensk and the Chernigov-Seversky lands, but defended its

The reign of the first tsar from the Romanov dynasty saw a number of systemic changes in the structure of the Russian Kingdom. Thanks to them, the centralized state apparatus, shaken during troubled times, was restored. In addition, fundamentally new processes of state building began, such as reforming orders and codifying legislation. During the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich, a number of agreements were also concluded that confirmed the recognition of the new dynasty by monarchs of other countries.

There is no clear opinion among historians about the role of Tsar Michael in these processes. It is obvious that in the first years of his reign he was strongly influenced by his father and de facto co-ruler Patriarch Filaret. On the other hand, sources do not allow us to say with certainty how great the role of Tsar Michael was in decision-making after the death of Filaret. On the one hand, the Boyar Duma continued to exist. On the other hand, formally the tsar was an autocrat and was not obliged to take into account the opinion of the boyars when making final decisions.

System of power

A voivodeship system of power was introduced. Zemsky Sobors were convened regularly.

The main political issues were resolved jointly with the Boyar Duma.

Russia at the beginning of the 17th century. The form of government was an estate-representative monarchy.

Army

Along with the noble militia, regiments of a new system began to appear - the predecessors of the regular army.

Foreign policy

The efforts of the Filaret government in the 1920s and 1930s were aimed at creating an anti-Polish coalition. Sweden, Russia, Türkiye.

1632 - after the death of Sigismund, the Smolensk War began. It turned into an eight-month siege of Smolensk and defeat.

1634 - Peace of Polyanovsky Vladislav renounced claims to the Russian throne.

Chronology of Events:

1648- “Salt riot in Moscow”

1649 – Council Code

1649 – 1652 – Yarofey Khabarov’s campaigns along the Amur to the Daurian land

1652-1658 – Patriarchate of Nikon

1654 – reunification of Ukraine with Russia. Pereyaslavl Rada

1654 – 1667 – war with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Truce of Androsov.

1662 – uprising in Moscow, copper riot.

1666 - a new church council was convened with the participation of two eastern patriarchs

1670-1671 – uprising of Stepan Razin

1676–1681 – Russia’s war with Turkey and Crimea for Right Bank Ukraine. Bakhchisarai world.

1682 – abolition of localism.

1686 – “eternal peace” with Poland.

1682 – “Streltsy uprising” in Moscow.

Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov.
Years of life: 1596–1645
Reign: 1613-1645

The first Russian Tsar Romanov dynasty(1613–1917). He was chosen to reign by the Zemsky Sobor on February 7, 1613.

Born on July 12, 1596 in Moscow. Son of boyar Fyodor Nikitich Romanov, metropolitan (later Patriarch Filaret) and Ksenia Ivanovna Shestova (later nun Martha), née Shestova. Mikhail was a cousin of the last Russian Tsar from the Moscow branch of the Rurik dynasty, Fyodor I Ioannovich.

Tsar Mikhail Romanov

For the first years, Mikhail lived in Moscow, and in 1601, together with his parents, he was put into disgrace by Boris Godunov. The Romanovs received a denunciation that they kept magic roots and wanted to kill them with witchcraft. royal family. Many Romanovs were arrested, and Nikita Romanovich's sons, Fyodor, Alexander, Mikhail, Ivan and Vasily, were tonsured as monks and exiled to Siberia.

In 1605, False Dmitry I, wanting to prove his kinship with the House of Romanov, returned the surviving members of the Romanov family from exile. Among them were Mikhail’s parents and himself. First they settled in the village of Domnina, the Kostroma estate of the Romanovs, and then hid from persecution by Polish-Lithuanian troops in the monastery of St. Hypatius near Kostroma.

On February 21, 1613, in Moscow, after the expulsion of the interventionists by the militia of D. Pozharsky and K. Minin, the Great Zemsky and Local Council was held, which gathered to elect a new tsar. Among the contenders were the Swedish prince Karl Philip, the Polish prince Vladislav and others. The candidacy of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov arose due to his relationship with the Rurik dynasty through the female line; he also arranged for the serving nobility, which tried to disrupt the plans of the aristocracy (boyars) in an effort to establish the country has a monarchy based on the Polish model. The moral character of Michael as the son of a metropolitan also met the interests of the church and corresponded to popular ideas about the king-shepherd, an intercessor before God.

Having learned about this, the Poles made an attempt to prevent the new tsar from arriving in Moscow. A small Polish detachment went to the Ipatiev Monastery to kill Mikhail Fedorovich, but on the way the soldiers got lost, because the peasant Ivan Susanin, having agreed to show the right road, led them into a dense forest.

On February 21, 1613, 16-year-old Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was chosen by the Zemsky Sobor to reign and became the founder Romanov dynasty. In the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin on July 11, 1613, he was crowned king.

Mikhail Romanov, the first Tsar of the Romanov dynasty

During the childhood of Tsar Mikhail (1613-1619), the country was ruled by his mother Martha and her relatives from the Saltykov boyars, and from 1619 to 1633. - Father returned from Polish captivity - Patriarch Filaret, who bore the title of “Great Sovereign”. In 1625, Mikhail Fedorovich accepted the title of “Autocrat of All Russia.” Under the dual power that existed at that time, state charters were written on behalf of the Sovereign Tsar and His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.

During the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, the wars with Sweden (Peace of Stolbov, 1617) and Poland (Truce of Deulin, 1634) were ended. But the Nogai Horde left the subordination of Russia, and although the government of Mikhail Fedorovich annually sent expensive gifts to Bakhchisarai, the raids continued.

In 1631-1634. The organization of regular military units (Reitar, Dragoon, Soldier regiments) was carried out, the rank and file of which consisted of “willing free people” and homeless children of the boyars, the officers were foreign military specialists. At the end of the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, cavalry dragoon regiments arose to guard the country's borders.

In 1632, the first ironworks was founded near Tula.

In 1637, the period for capturing fugitive peasants was increased to nine years, and in 1641 - by another year. It was allowed to search for peasants who had been exported by other owners for up to 15 years.

By order of Mikhail, the construction of the Great Zasechnaya Line and the fortresses of the Simbirsk and Belgorod Lines began in Russia. Under him, Moscow was restored from the consequences of the intervention (the Terem Palace and the Filaretovskaya belfry were built, a striking clock appeared in the Kremlin, the Znamensky Monastery was founded).

In the 1620–1640s, diplomatic relations were established with Holland, Turkey, Austria, Denmark, and Persia.

Since 1633, machines for supplying water from the Moskva River (received the name Vodovzvodnaya) were installed in the Sviblova Tower of the Kremlin. Enterprises for teaching velvet and damask work were created in Moscow - Velvet Yard.

It was under him that garden roses were brought to Russia for the first time.

He remained in history as a calm, peaceful monarch, easily influenced by his environment, for which he received the nickname - the Meek. He was a religious man, like his father.

Mikhail Fedorovich at the end of his life he could not walk, he was carried in a cart. From “a lot of sitting,” Tsar Mikhail’s body weakened, and contemporaries noted melancholy in his character.

Mikhail Romanov died on July 13, 1645 at the age of 49 from water sickness. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Was married twice:

• 1st wife: Maria Dolgorukova. There were no children.
• 2nd wife: Evdokia Streshneva. Children in this marriage: Alexey, John, Vasily, Irina, Anna, Tatyana, Pelageya, Maria, Sophia.