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

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

Youth of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov

Biography of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov is veryinteresting. His mother was E.L. Streshneva - the daughter of the ignorant petty boyars. Until the age of five, Alexey was supervised by numerous mothers and nannies. Boyarin B.I. Morozov became the mentor of the young king. By the age of six, the king had become proficient in writing, the first books he read were the Watchmaker, the Acts of the Apostles, the Psalter. Alexey loved reading so much that by the age of 12 he 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). He loved Alexei Mikhailovich and mobile classes, from childhood he was fond of falconry, and in adulthood he even wrote a treatise on falconry. The biography of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov indicates 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 sixteen, after the death of his father and mother, he ascended the throne.

The first years of the reign

The reign of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov began in1645 At first, the youth and inexperience of the ruler were so great that all the important and urgent issues of state administration were concentrated in the hands of B.I. Morozov. But the excellent education and talent of the ruler made themselves felt, and soon Aleksei Mikhailovich Romanov himself began to take government decisions. The historical portrait of his reign of those years describes all the difficulties and contradictions of the domestic and foreign policy of Russia. The active involvement of foreign advisers in governing the country gave rise to reforms.

At this time, the character of the king.An educated, benevolent, and calm person — this is what Aleksey Mikhailovich Romanov looked like in the eyes of his contemporaries. The nickname "Quietest" the king received deservedly so. But if necessary, he could show will, determination, and sometimes even cruelty.

Cathedral Code

Reforms of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov laidthe beginning of the creation of the Council Code - the first set of laws of the Russian state. Prior to this, judging in Russia was guided by various, often self-contradictory decrees, extracts and orders. By the adoption of the Code of the king pushed the Salt Riot, caused by new duties on salt. The instigators suggested that the sovereign put in order the rules for trading in salt and convene a Zemsky assembly. At that moment the king was forced to make concessions, but after the adoption of the Code, the Zemsky Sobor lost its powers and was soon dissolved.

The king's marriage

Soon after the ascension to the throne, the king was foundthe bride It turned out to be Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya - a maiden from an old and noble boyar family. At that time, the kings did not look for brides abroad, but chose wives from successful boyar houses. For the opportunity to intermarry with the royal family fought several boyar families. In the Assumption Cathedral during the prayer, the king saw the virgin Mary of the Miloslavsky family. It is unlikely that this meeting was accidental.

Anyway, this marriage was successful andlong-term. Until her death, the king revered his queen, was an exemplary family man and made thirteen children with her, three of whom were later rulers of the country.

Church schism

The influence of the church at the beginning of the reign of AlexeiMikhailovich was so great that Patriarch Nikon was granted the title of "great sovereign". Thus, 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 has shown, such co-rule had its significant drawbacks.

Никон счел, что вправе указывать царю, как administer the affairs of state. The impact on the king of the aristocracy and the boyars decreased. The origins of this influence should be sought in the upbringing that Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov received. The historical portrait and notes of his contemporaries show us the image of a very God-fearing, religious person. To reduce the influence of Nikon could only one way. At the beginning of 1658, the proto-priest of the Kazan Cathedral addressed the tsar with a direct question: “How long do you endure such an enemy of God?” The confrontation 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 dignity of the patriarch and went to the monastery. In 1666, the Ecumenical Council deposes Nikon and officially deprives 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 Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov

External relations were of particular interest tothe king. The request of the Cossack centurion Khmelnitsky to stop the Polish intervention was heard by the autocrat. The Zemsky Sobor of 1653 accepted Ukrainian Cossacks as citizens and promised them military support. In May 1654, Russian troops marched and occupied Smolensk. By the order of the king, in the spring of 1654 military operations were continued, and the cities of Kovno, Brodno and Vilna became Russian.

The Swedish war was begun, which endeddefeat. Smoot in Ukraine, which began soon after the death of Khmelnitsky, demanded the resumption of hostilities with Poland. On January 8, 1654, the entry of Ukraine into Russia was finally recorded on the Pereyaslavskaya Rada. Much later, in 1667, Poland agreed with the new borders, and the agreement on the accession of Ukraine to Russia began to be recognized internationally. The defense of the southern borders of the state was successfully carried out, cities such as Nerchinsk, Irkutsk, Selegin were built.

Rebellious age

Many decisions related to the development of Siberia andthe expansion of the country, personally took Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov. The historical portrait of the autocrat of all Russia would be incomplete without the awareness of the most severe internal contradictions and tensions that he had to face during the reign. It is not by chance that the 17th century will later be called “Rebel” because of the constant uprisings that angered the state. Of particular note is the rebellion of Stepan Razin, the suppression of which had to spend a lot of time and effort.

The king’s economic policies encouragedmanufactories and the expansion of foreign trade. The king patronized Russian trade, protecting his home market from foreign goods. There were miscalculations in economic policy. A rash decision to equate the value of copper money to silver caused people's grumbling 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 king married again. His chosen one was N.K. Naryshkina, who gave him three children, including the future Emperor Peter 1.

The king paid great attention to education andinstructed the Ambassadorial Decree to translate foreign literature and various scientific works into Russian. Among the king's confidants, there were many who read the books of ancient writers, had their own libraries and were fluent in foreign languages. The king's second wife was fond of the theater, and her own small theater was specially created for her at the palace. Alexey Mikhailovich died at the age of 47 years.

Results of the Board of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov

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

• The autocracy was strengthened - the power of the king was no longer limited by 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 rule of this tsar, the border of the Russian state expanded - Ukraine was annexed, and the development of Siberia began.