Alexey Mikhailovich Romanov: a historical portrait. Biography, reforms, politics and the results of the reign of Alexey Romanov

March 19, 1629 was born the second king of the new Russian monarchy dynasty - Alexei Romanov. The historical portrait of this ruler draws the image of a rather intelligent, skilful and tolerant monarch.

Youth of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov

The biography of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov is very interesting. His mother was E.L. Streshneva is the daughter of the unimportant petty boyars. Before the age of five Alexey was under the care of numerous mothers and nannies. Boyarin BI Morozov became the tutor of the young king. By the age of six, the tsar had mastered the letter, the first books he had read were: the chapel, the Acts of the Apostles, the Psalter. Alexey loved reading so much that by the age of 12 he had had his own children's library. Among his favorite books are Cosmography, Lexicon and Grammar, published in the Principality of Lithuania. Among his toys were children's armor of German masters, musical instruments, printed sheets (pictures). Lyubov Alexey Mikhailovich and mobile classes, from childhood he was fond of falconry, and in adulthood, even wrote a treatise on falconry. The biography of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov points to the enormous influence that the guardian had on his ward. By the age of fourteen, young Alexei Mikhailovich was introduced to the people, and at the age of sixteen, after the death of his father and mother, ascended the throne.

The first years of reign

The reign of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov began in 1645. The youth and inexperience of the ruler at first was so great that all the important and urgent issues of state administration were concentrated in the hands of Boris Morozov. But the great education and talent of the ruler made themselves felt, and soon the government decisions were made by Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov himself. The historical portrait of his reign of those years depicts all the complexities and contradictions of the internal and foreign policy of Rus. The active involvement of foreign advisers in the country led to reforms.

At this time, the character of the king appears. An educated, benevolent and calm person - that's what Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov looked like in the eyes of his contemporaries. The nickname "Quiet" the king got quite deservedly. But, if necessary, he could show will, determination, and sometimes even cruelty.

Cathedral Code

The reforms of Aleksei Mikhailovich Romanov marked the beginning of the creation of the Cathedral Code, the first code of laws of the Russian state. Prior to this, refereeing in Russia was guided by various, often contradictory decrees, extracts and orders. To the adoption of the king's order pushed Salt riot, caused by new duties on salt. The instigators offered the tsar to put in order the rules of trade in salt and to convene the Zemstvo assembly. At that time, the king was forced to make concessions, but after the adoption of the Code, the Zemsky Sobor lost its authority and was soon dissolved.

Marriage of the Tsar

Soon after the ascension to the throne the king was found a bride. It turned out Maria Ilinichna Miloslavskaya - a girl from an old and noble boyar family. At that time the kings did not look for brides abroad, but chose their wives from successful boyar houses. For the opportunity to become related with the royal family, several boyar families fought. In the Assumption Cathedral on prayer the king saw the virgin Mary of the Miloslavskys. It is unlikely that this meeting was accidental. Be that as it may, this marriage was successful and long-term. Until her death, the king revered his queen, was an exemplary family man and made with her thirteen children, three of whom later were the rulers of the country.

Church split

The influence of the church at the beginning of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich was so great that Patriarch Nikon was granted the title of "Great Sovereign". So, the king recognized the equality of power between himself and the lord of the church. But this caused discontent of the boyars, since Nikon demanded from them complete obedience and absolute non-interference in church affairs. But, as time showed, this co-operation had its own significant drawbacks. Nikon felt that he had the right to tell the tsar how to do business with the state. The influence of the aristocracy and the boyars on the tsar diminished. The origins of this influence should be sought in the education that Alexei Romanovich received. The historical portrait and notes of contemporaries show us the image of a very God-fearing, religious person. To reduce the influence of Nikon was possible only one way. At the beginning of 1658, the archpriest of the Kazan Cathedral addressed the king with a direct question: "How long do you endure such a God's enemy?" And for the king there were no more humiliating reproaches than those who infringed on his royal authority and doubted the authority of the autocracy. Opposition was inevitable and eventually led to a split. The formal reason was the insult of Nikon by the boyars, after which he loudly pulled away from the rank of patriarch and went to the monastery. In 1666, the Ecumenical Council deposed Nikon and officially deprived him of his dignity. Since then, the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov has become truly autocratic, and he extends his power even to the Church.

Politics of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov

External relations were of special interest to the king. The request of the Cossack centurion Khmelnitsky to stop the Poles intervention was heard by the autocrat. The Zemsky Sobor of 1653 accepted the citizenship of the Ukrainian Cossacks and promised them military support. In May 1654 Russian troops marched and occupied Smolensk. By order of the tsar, in the spring of 1654 military operations were continued, and the cities of Kovno, Brodno and Vilno became Russian. The Swedish war was started, which ended in defeat. Troubles in Ukraine, which began soon after Khmelnitsky's death, demanded the resumption of hostilities with Poland. January 8, 1654 at the Pereyaslav Rada was finally recorded the entry of Ukraine into Russia. Much later, in 1667, Poland agreed to new borders, and the treaty on Ukraine's accession to Russia began to be recognized at the international level. The defense of the southern borders of the state was successfully carried out, such cities as Nerchinsk, Irkutsk and Seleginsk were built.

The Runtime

Many decisions related to the development of Siberia and the expansion of the territory of the country were personally hosted by Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov. The historical portrait of the autocrat of all Russia would be incomplete without realizing the most severe internal contradictions and tensions that he faced during his reign. It is no accident that the 17th century will later be called "Buntar" because of the constant uprisings that outraged the state. Especially it is worth noting the riot of Stepan Razin, the suppression of which had to be spent a lot of time and effort.

The economic policy of the tsar encouraged the creation of manufactories and expansion of foreign trade. The tsar patronized Russian trade, protecting his domestic market from foreign goods. There were also miscalculations in economic policy. A reckless decision to equate the value of copper money to silver caused popular murmur and led to the devaluation of the ruble.

The last years of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich

After the death of his beloved wife, the tsar married again. His choice was N.K. Naryshkin, who gave him three children, including the future Emperor Peter 1. The tsar paid much attention to education and instructed the Ambassadorial decree to translate foreign literature and various scientific works into Russian. Among the approximate tsar was a lot of those who read books of ancient writers, had their own libraries and fluent in foreign languages. The second wife of the king was fond of theater, and for her at the palace was specially created its own small theater. Alexei Mikhailovich died at the age of 47 years.

Results of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov

The results of the reign of this king can be described as follows:

• The autocracy became stronger - the power of the tsar was no longer limited to the Church.
• There was a complete enslavement of the peasants.
• There was a Council Code, which became the beginning of judicial reforms in Russia.
• As a result of the reign of this king, the border of the Russian state expanded - Ukraine was annexed, and the development of Siberia began.