The reign of Alexei Mikhailovich Tishayshey. Order of Secret Affairs

The establishment of the order of the Secret Affairs (the year of formation around 1653), initiated by Alexei Mikhailovich Tishaish, pursued two goals. On the one hand, it was used as an individual chancery of the sovereign. On the other hand, the order of the Secret Affairs acted as a state body that accepted cases from the remaining departments of management. According to some historians, the new institution can be considered as the first department of special services. This statement is supported by the fact that the order of the Secret Affairs was not subordinated to the Boyar Duma, and the decisions it adopted always went against the opinion of such an important Supreme Council.

The essence of activity

Proceeding from the data presented by the official of the Posolsky Prikaz Gregory Karpovich Kotoshikhin during his stay in Moscow, the order of the Secret Affairs consisted of one clerk and ten clerks. An interesting historical fact is that the Duma people, as well as the boyars, did not have the right to be included in its composition. This was due to the fact that the activities of this organization was directly aimed at monitoring their activities. Podyachie carried out a number of special assignments of national importance. For example, they were included in the composition of the embassy delegations to different countries, and in the event of military operations they were sent with voevoda. The task of the "agents" was to carefully monitor the activities of the voivode and the ambassadors and timely report on the observations directly to the emperor. At the same time, the Ambassadors who were interested in friendship with the scribes often bribed them.

Causes of appearance

Like his son in the future, Alexei Mikhailovich tried to maximize his field of activity. The lively curiosity and irrepressible activity always aroused in him the desire to be aware of all affairs of state importance, regardless of their scope and significance, and to take maximum participation in all these spheres. But, unlike his fearless offspring, Quiet Tsar was timid by nature and highly sensitive, and did not differ in directness in decision-making. The story with Patriarch Nikon showed that the execution of the duties of the ruler was difficult for him. The need to hide this part of his essence and explain his desire to organize this special state body. The closest of foreign analogues can be recognized as the French Secret Chancellery operating during the reign of Louis XV, with the difference that its sphere of interests extended considerably further than the field of foreign policy relations.

Evaluation of contemporaries and development

During his travels and treks, the tsar accompanied a whole staff of clerks of the Secret Order, consisting of secretaries, clerks and scribes and scribes. Over time, this organization has lost its mobile nature. The order of Secret Affairs became a permanent service at the court, and these changes occurred as the competence of the body expanded. The number of objects of the political life of the state in the conduct of the new state institution has increased rapidly. The order of the Secret Affairs aroused a legitimate concern among contemporaries who had the opportunity to observe its growing influence. So, for example, Tatishchev compared him with the Inquisition, and Leclerc and Kono - with a "bloody tribunal." According to modern historians, the creation of the Order of Undercover Affairs was the first attempt to form a secret organization. It is even believed that this department is a prototype of such structures as the tsarist secret police or even the NKVD. At the same time, the order of Secret Affairs was also an instrument of centralization.

The duality of the functioning of the "secret service" of the tsar

But such a narrow interpretation of the role of the order can be attributed rather to the impressionability of contemporaries. History did not retain a hint of repressive activities even during the peasant revolt , for example, in the suppression of Stepan Razin's insurrection. Such errors in the definition of the circle of tasks of the first "special service" can be explained both by the wide scope of activity and by the aura of secrecy inevitably surrounding all state institutions of this kind. In this you can see the personal attitude of Alexei Mikhailovich to his offspring. He even compiled a special alphabet for the order, but on the whole, the sovereign, apparently, later had a very vague idea of the meaning of the institution's activities.

Participation of the tsar in the activity of the secret service

Uncertainty of the situation led to the fact that the register of the order was soon filled with a multitude of very diverse cases, whose composition was determined not so much by the framework of the true appointment of the state organ as by the impulsiveness and enthusiasm of the tsar. Not surprisingly, in the terms of reference of the "bloody tribunal" there was a place for extracting fruit trees and parrots from abroad for tsarist hen houses and organizing the service of signalmen in the event of a fire.

Conclusion

The formed order of the Secret Affairs (the year of education indicated at the beginning of the article) had the authority to interfere in domestic and foreign policy (with full approval of the tsar). Thus, it can be determined that the main activity of the organization stretched in two directions. First, it was an independent body to review cases that are not within the competence of any other state institutions. And secondly, the department independently interfered in the functioning of all the offices. Particular attention was paid to the personal correspondence of the tsar, known for his passion for studying and editing all written circulars that came out from the pen of his secretaries.