Fedor III Alekseevich Romanov
Years of life: 1661–1682
Reign: 1676-1682
From the Romanov dynasty.
Russian Tsar in 1676-1682. One of the most educated rulers of Russia.
Was born Fedor Alekseevich Romanov May 30, 1661 in Moscow. From childhood he was weak and sickly (he suffered from paralysis and scurvy), but already at the age of twelve he was officially declared heir to the throne.
In 1675, Alexei Mikhailovich declared his son Fyodor heir to the throne after the death of his elder brother Alexei. A year later, on January 30, 1676, Fyodor Alekseevich became the sovereign of All Rus'. On June 18, 1676, he was crowned in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
Fyodor Alekseevich was a student of the famous theologian, poet and scientist Simeon of Polotsk. Fedor knew several well foreign languages, was fond of versification and, under the leadership of Simeon of Polotsk, translated the psalms of the 132nd and 145th Psalter into verse. Tsar Fedor was knowledgeable in painting and church music.
At first, Fyodor’s stepmother, N.K. Naryshkina, tried to lead the country, 
which Fyodor’s relatives managed to remove from business by sending her and her son Peter (the future Peter I) into exile in the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow.
During the 6 years of his reign, Fyodor Alekseevich could not completely rule on his own; he was constantly influenced. Power was concentrated in the hands of Fedor's maternal relatives, the Miloslavsky boyars.
In 1680 Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich brought the bedside B.M. closer to him. Yazykov and steward A.T. Likhachev, as well as Prince. V.V. Golitsyn, who became his advisers in all government affairs. Under their influence, under Fyodor, the main center in making government decisions was transferred to the Boyar Duma, the number of members of which increased from 66 to 99. But despite the influence of various courtiers, Tsar Fyodor was also inclined to personally take part in government, but without despotism and cruelty .
In 1678–1679 Fedor's government conducted a population census and canceled Alexei Mikhailovich's decree on the non-extradition of fugitives who had enlisted in military service, and introduced household taxation (this immediately replenished the treasury, but increased serfdom).
In 1679–1680 An attempt was made to soften criminal penalties, in particular, cutting off hands for theft was abolished. Thanks to the construction of defensive structures in the south of Russia (Wild Field), it became possible to endow nobles with estates and fiefdoms. In 1681, voivodeship and local administrative administration was introduced - one of the most important preparatory measures for the provincial reform of Peter I.
The most important event of the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich was the destruction of localism during the meeting of the Zemsky Sobor in 1682, which made it possible for not very noble, but educated and smart people. At the same time, all rank books with lists of positions were burned as the “main culprits” of local disputes and claims. Instead of rank books, it was ordered to create a Genealogical Book, in which all well-born and noble people were entered, but without indicating their place in the Duma.
Also in 1682, at a church council, new dioceses were established and measures were taken to combat the schism. In addition, commissions were created to develop new system taxes and “military affairs”. Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich issued a decree against luxury, which determined for each class not only the cut of clothing, but also the number of horses. IN last days During the reign of Fedor, a project was drawn up to open a Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy and a theological school for thirty people in Moscow.
Under Fyodor Alekseevich, a project was being prepared to introduce ranks in Russia - a prototype of Peter the Great’s Table of Ranks, which was supposed to separate civil and military authorities. Dissatisfaction with the abuses of officials and the oppression of the Streltsy led to an uprising of the urban lower classes, supported by the Streltsy, in 1682.
Having received the basics of a secular education, Fyodor Alekseevich was an opponent of the intervention of the church and Patriarch Joachim in secular affairs. He established increased rates of collections from church estates, beginning a process that ended under Peter I with the liquidation of the patriarchate. During the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich, construction was carried out not only of churches, but also of secular buildings (prikas, chambers), new gardens were laid out, and the first general sewerage system of the Kremlin was created. Also, to spread knowledge, Fedor invited foreigners to teach in Moscow.
In foreign policy Tsar Fedor tried to return to Russia access to the Baltic Sea, which had been lost during the years Livonian War. However, the solution to this issue was hampered by the raids of the Crimean and Tatars and Turks from the south. Therefore, Fyodor Alekseevich’s major foreign policy action was the successful Russian-Turkish war 1676-1681, which ended with the Bakhchisarai Peace Treaty, which secured the unification of Left Bank Ukraine with Russia. Russia received Kyiv even earlier under an agreement with Poland in 1678 in exchange for Nevel, Sebezh and Velizh. During the war of 1676–1681, the Izyum serif line was created in the south of the country, later connected to the Belgorod line.
By decree of Tsar Fedor, the Zaikonospassky School was opened. Repressions against the Old Believers continued, in particular, Archpriest Avvakum, who, according to legend, allegedly predicted imminent death to the king.
The king's private life was unhappy. The first marriage with Agafya Grushetskaya (1680) ended after 1 year, Queen Agafya died in childbirth along with Fyodor’s newborn son, Ilya. According to rumors, the queen had a strong influence on her husband; it was at her “suggestion” that men in Moscow began to cut their hair and shave their beards, and wear Polish kuntushas and sabers.
On February 14, 1682, Fyodor was married to Marfa Apraksina, the sister of the future associate of Peter I, Admiral Fyodor Matveevich Apraksin, but 2 months after the wedding, on April 27, 1682, the tsar suddenly died in Moscow at the age of 21, leaving no heir. His two brothers, Ivan and Peter Alekseevich, were proclaimed kings. Fyodor Alekseevich was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
The most important source on the history of the reign of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich is the Contemplation of the Years 7190, 7191 and 7192, which was compiled by the famous contemporary of the Tsar, writer Sylvester Medvedev.
Russian Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich Romanov was born on June 9 (May 30, old style) 1661 in Moscow. The son of the Tsar and Maria Ilyinichna, the daughter of the boyar Ilya Miloslavsky, was not in good health, and was weak and sickly from childhood.
On June 18, 1676, Fyodor Alekseevich was crowned king in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin.
His ideas about royal power were largely formed under the influence of one of the talented philosophers of that time, Simeon of Polotsk, who was an educator and spiritual mentor young man. Fyodor Alekseevich was well educated, knew Latin, Ancient Greek and spoke fluent Polish. He was interested in music, especially singing.
Much of what Peter I did later was prepared or begun during the short reign of his elder brother Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich (1676-1682).
In 1678, the government conducted a population census and canceled the decree of Alexei Mikhailovich on the non-extradition of fugitives who had signed up for military service. In 1679, household taxation was introduced - the first step towards the poll tax of Peter I (this immediately replenished the treasury, but increased serfdom).
In 1679-1680, an attempt was made to soften criminal penalties in a Western manner. A law was passed prohibiting self-harm.
Thanks to the construction of defensive structures in the south of Russia (Wild Field), it became possible to widely allocate estates and estates to nobles who sought to increase their land holdings.
In 1681, voivodeship and local administrative administration was introduced - an important preparatory measure for the provincial reform of Peter I.
The main internal political reform was the abolition of the “emergency sitting” Zemsky Sobor On January 12, 1682, localism - the rules according to which everyone received ranks in accordance with the place that his ancestors occupied in the state apparatus. This state of affairs did not suit many and, moreover, interfered effective management by the state. At the same time, rank books with lists of positions were burned. In return, they were ordered to create genealogical books in which all noble people were entered, but without indicating their place in the Duma.
Having received the basics of secular education, Fyodor was opposed to the intervention of the church and Patriarch Joachim in secular affairs, and established increased rates of collections from church estates, thereby beginning a process that ended under Peter I with the liquidation of the patriarchate.
During the reign of Feodor, construction was carried out not only of palace churches, but also of secular buildings (prikas, chambers), new gardens were laid out, and the first general system Kremlin sewers. The personal orders of Fyodor Alekseevich for the years 1681-1682 contain decrees on the construction of 55 different objects in Moscow and palace villages.
Young beggars were sent from Moscow to “Ukrainian cities” or monasteries to perform various jobs or learn crafts (once they reached the age of 20, they were enrolled in service or tax duty). Fyodor Alekseevich’s intention to build yards for “beggarly children” where they would be taught a craft was never realized.
Understanding the need to spread knowledge, the Tsar invited foreigners to teach in Moscow. In 1681, a project was developed to create a Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, although the academy itself was established later, in 1687.
The reforms affected broad layers various classes, which caused an aggravation of social contradictions. The discontent of the urban lower classes (including the Streltsy) led to the Moscow Uprising of 1682.
In foreign policy, Fyodor Alekseevich tried to return to Russia access to the Baltic Sea, lost during the Livonian War. He paid much more attention than Alexey Mikhailovich to the regiments of the “new system”, staffed and trained in the Western manner. However, the solution to the “Baltic problem” was hampered by raids Crimean Tatars and Turks from the south. Fyodor Alekseevich’s major foreign policy action was the successful Russian-Turkish war of 1676-1681, which ended with the Bakhchisarai Peace Treaty, which secured the unification of Left Bank Ukraine with Russia.
Russia received Kyiv even earlier under an agreement with Poland in 1678 in exchange for Nevel, Sebezh and Velizh. During the war, the Izyum serif line, about 400 versts long, was created in the south of the country, which protected Slobodskaya Ukraine from attacks by the Turks and Tatars. Later, this defensive line was continued and connected to the Belgorod abatis line.
On May 7 (April 27, old style), 1682, Fyodor Alekseevich Romanov died suddenly in Moscow, leaving no heir. Fedor was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. His two brothers, Ivan and Peter Alekseevich, were proclaimed kings.
In July 1680, the Tsar entered into a marriage with Agafya Grushetskaya, which lasted about a year, the Tsarina died in childbirth, and the newborn son Fyodor also died.
In February 1682, the tsar married Marfa Apraksina, the marriage lasted just over two months, until the death of Fyodor Alekseevich.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
340 years ago, on January 30, 1676, Fedor III Alekseevich ascended the throne. The son of the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna, née Miloslavskaya. He ascended the throne at the age of 14 after the death of his father. In childhood and youth, Fedor received a good education, studied ancient Greek, Latin and Polish, had a rich personal library, knew painting, had a good understanding of music, and even composed several chants himself. However, he was a sickly young man, and the most important state affairs were decided with the participation of his entourage: I.M. Miloslavsky, I.M. Yazykov, A.T. Likhachev and others. The Tsar’s educator Simeon of Polotsk and the Moscow Patriarch Joachim also had a great influence on the affairs .
Fyodor Alekseevich was the third son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. First child in royal family there was Dmitry, but he did not survive infancy. The second son, Alexey Alekseevich, was considered the heir to the throne. He showed great promise and received a good education. But in January 1670 he died unexpectedly. Fedor was declared the heir. Born on May 31, 1661. At the time of his accession to the throne, he was not yet 15 years old.
Some kind of fate or serious hereditary disease (there is a version that the heirs were deliberately poisoned) haunted the sons of Alexei Mikhailovich. Simeon, who was born in 1665, died in 1669. Ivan, born in 1666, was crowned king in 1682, but suffered from dementia and died in 1696.
Fyodor Alekseevich was also not in good health, had a weak constitution, but was distinguished by clarity of mind, which he developed by reading books. According to some sources, his teacher was the theologian Simeon of Polotsk. As a result, the king knew Latin and Polish. True, the problem is that this was not the best educator for the future king. A graduate of the Vilna Jesuit Academy, a member of the Greek Catholic Order of St. Basil the Great, Simeon of Polotsk did not know and did not like Russian traditions. He did not have an independent mind, being an ordinary compiler and translator of European spiritual literature. Apparently, this very dexterous and resourceful man, who knew how to speak beautifully, and who became the teacher of the princes Alexei and Fyodor, was an agent of Western influence in Russia. Pupils of Jesuit schools have long been skilled spies.
However, Simeon was unable to fully form the consciousness of the future king. There were other people around him. Thus, Fyodor Alekseevich was keenly interested in Russian history. Having become king, he ordered the learned clerks to compile a book of the history of Russia. And such work was carried out, unfortunately, the book has not reached our days. Among the people who dealt with this problem was another mentor of the princes, Alexei Timofeevich Likhachev. At the beginning of Fedor’s reign, he had the rank of “solicitor with a key”; in 1680 he was elevated to okolnichy.
The fact that the tsar attached great educational importance to Russian history is also evidenced by his choice of Nikita Zotov, clerk of the Petition Prikaz, to play the role of teacher for Pyotr Alekseevich’s young half-brother. Apparently, the king was well aware of the danger of his illness and the fragility of life. Therefore, I tried to prepare a successor. Many signs indicate that he saw Peter as his successor.
Fyodor Alekseevich was married twice. The tsar's first marriage to the daughter of a Smolensk nobleman, Agafya Grushetskaya, took place on July 18, 1680. On July 11, 1681, the only son of the tsar was born, heir to the throne, Tsarevich Ilya Fedorovich, who died on July 21, 1681, shortly after birth. Queen Agafya died on July 14, 1681. The second marriage was concluded on February 15, 1682, with Marfa Matveevna Apraksina, the sister of the future famous admiral Fyodor Matveevich Apraksin. The king had no children from this marriage, which lasted just over two months.
Fyodor Alekseevich died on April 27, 1682 at the age of 20, without making any order regarding the succession to the throne. He reigned for just over 6 years. However, his short reign was eventful.
The first significant act of Fyodor Alekseevich was the attempt made after the coronation, which took place on June 18 (28), 1676, to return under his rule the Baltic lands - Ingermanland and part of Livonia, which belonged to Russia before the Time of Troubles. Since ancient times, these lands belonged to the Russian state, and the distance from the Baltic had a detrimental effect on the country's economy. Negotiations with the Swedes began. Russia was ready to be satisfied with the return of Narva and the Izhora land, but the Swedes rejected this fair demand. Moscow was ready to start a war to return the seized territory, but the military threat from Turkey forced these plans to be postponed.
The war with Turkey and the Crimean Khanate for the Right Bank part of Little Russia had been going on since 1672. In the summer of 1677, the Turks and Crimean Tatars attempted to capture the capital of the hetman's autonomy, Chigirin. Moscow sent additional troops to Little Russia. The small garrison of Chigirin withstood the siege of a huge enemy army (60 thousand Turkish army, 40 thousand Crimean cavalry and 20 thousand auxiliary corps from Moldovans and Wallachians) until the arrival of 49 thousand. Russian army of Romodanovsky. In the battle on the banks of the Dnieper on August 27 and 28, Russian regiments inflicted a heavy defeat on the Turkish-Crimean army. Abandoning artillery and convoys, the enemy fled.
Wanting to stop the war, Fedor III Alekseevich sent envoy Afanasy Porosukov to Constantinople at the end of 1677. However, news came to Moscow about the preparation of a new campaign of the Turkish army in Little Russia. Russia began to prepare for war. To supply the army, the young tsar ordered the collection of a ruble from each household. For the same purpose, a census of people began at the beginning of 1678. Chigirin again became the center of the confrontation in the summer of 1678.
In fact, there was a confrontation between Turkey and Russia for control of Little Russia. Fyodor Alekseevich was ready to make peace with the Turks, provided that Chigirin remained with Russia. But this fortress was also needed by Turkey, as it was of strategic importance (control over the Dnieper and Trans-Dnieper). Therefore, the Turkish Sultan Mehmed IV, having familiarized himself with Moscow’s proposals, which were brought by Afanasy Porosukov, ordered to write to Moscow that he agreed to a truce subject to Russia’s cession of Chigirin and the Dnieper possessions of Hetman Doroshenko to Turkey. The Russian Tsar was in a difficult situation: on the one hand, peace was necessary for Russia, exhausted by the war; on the other hand, Moscow could not cede the hetman's capital Chigirin under any circumstances. Therefore, the tsar ordered the commander of the Russian troops in Little Russia, voivode Grigory Romodanovsky, and his son, the Kyiv voivode Mikhail Romodanovsky, to make every effort to hold the fortress and destroy it if they could not save it.
As a result, Chigirin's heroic defense ended in his fall. Part of the garrison died when the Turks broke into the fortress, blowing up the gunpowder warehouses, while others fell through to Romodanovsky’s army. The Russian governor defeated the enemy's advanced units, but did not advance further to support the bleeding garrison. He carried out Moscow's order to destroy the city, which was an obstacle to making peace. Fighting continued until the end of the year. Then two years of peace negotiations began. On March 4, 1681, an agreement was concluded on a 20-year truce between Russia, on the one hand, and Turkey and the Crimean Khanate, on the other. The border between Turkey and Russia was established along the Dnieper, the Sultan and Khan pledged not to help the enemies of Russia. Russia annexed the left bank lands of the Dnieper and Kyiv and the surrounding area. Zaporozhye formally became independent.
Peace with Turkey and the Crimean Khanate was beneficial to Russia and became one of the most great achievements Feodor's reign. However, the war showed significant shortcomings in the organization of the Russian army. The main one was associated with localism, that is, with the old custom of appointing certain individuals to command positions depending on the tribal and service status of their family. Localism hampered the development of the state, since the nobility often put their own interests above the general ones. The intricate nature of parochial relations created the ground for constant strife and became one of the prerequisites for the Time of Troubles. It is not surprising that the tsars, starting with Ivan the Terrible, made attempts to limit localism. On January 12, 1682, a conciliar act was issued on the abolition of localism.
The historian Ivan Boltin wrote about this reform of Tsar Feodor: “By the destruction of localism, the dishonest and harmful right to assign honors and ranks to oneself without merit and merit has been destroyed, and from this the resulting strife and hatred between nobles and even between fellow nobles, harming the public good and disorder in state affairs , slowness, omission. Breed then took the place of merits and abilities: the merits of a father or grandfather filled an unworthy son or grandson with pride and took away his desire to learn, work and care about achieving distinction for himself. By abolishing this laughter worthy of vanity, service is encouraged, dignity is given its preference, and merit is given honor; all abuses of advantages associated with breed have been stopped.”
Apparently, the rejection of localism was supposed to be the beginning of a radical reform of the civil service system. This is indicated by the draft charter on the service seniority of boyars, okolnichi and duma people in 34 degrees, drawn up at the end of 1681 - beginning of 1682. The project assumed that specific positions would correspond to ranks and that it was rank, and not origin, that would determine the status of a person, in the public service.
In the last year of Fedor's reign, another important document for the development of the state was drawn up - a bill on the establishment of an academy in Moscow. As a result, in March 1681, Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich became one of the founders of the Typographic School at the Zaikonospassky Monastery - the forerunner of the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy.
In addition, the young king was preparing land, tax and diocesan reforms. A system of measures for the socialization of the poor and poor was developed and began to be put into practice. In the fall of 1681, a decree “On the charity of the poor and the reduction of the poor” was issued. It was also planned to create special courtyards for teaching children of beggars various crafts - “whatever one wants.” At the same time, it was proposed to send children to home education by masters, and beggar girls to monasteries “for study.” Upon reaching adulthood and acquiring a profession, they had to be released. For families, it was possible to purchase yards for farming at the expense of the state.
The death of the young Tsar was a great loss for Russian society. The reaction to the death of the merciful sovereign was sincere universal grief. In general, the reign of Fedor III Alekseevich in many ways anticipated many of the reforms of the era of Peter the Great. Two main directions of Russian foreign policy were identified - the Baltic states and the Black Sea region, and the need for structural reforms and modernization of the country was shown.
Tsar Fedor III AlekseevichTsar Fedor III Alekseevich
The last TSAR OF MOSCOW
“Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich? Was there really such a thing?” - many are surprised when they first hear about this sovereign from the Romanov family. Indeed, the achievements of Peter I completely overshadowed the six-year reign of his elder brother. But this last Moscow Tsar began much of what was then carried out by the first Russian Emperor.
Why is Fyodor Alekseevich almost forgotten? Why did the Romanovs themselves remember him rarely and reluctantly?
Heir and inheritance
On the morning of January 30, 1676, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich died quietly, as if confirming his nickname of the Quietest.
Portrait of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
Close boyars, duma people came to the mansion of Tsarevich Fyodor and announced: “Alexey Mikhailovich of all Great and Little and White Russia, the autocrat, having left the earthly kingdom, has settled in the eternal abodes.” The prince was ill, his legs were swollen, and there was such a shock. But they grabbed him by the arms, took him to the Faceted Chamber and seated him on the throne. The courtiers immediately began to swear allegiance to the new tsar, and after the Kremlin inhabitants, Moscow nobles and military men appeared.
Fyodor Alekseevich, who became Tsar at the age of 16
Just two years ago the prince was "announced" church, court and people as the heir to the throne, and yet the death of his father and his accession to the throne turned out to be unexpected, and the oath of oath near the cold body of the former king was indecently quick. There were good reasons for this. The late sovereign was married twice. From his first wife, Maria Miloslavskaya, three sons were born - Alexey, Fedor and Ivan, and six more daughters, including Sophia.
Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya
After the death of his wife, already in his old age, Alexey Mikhailovich married Natalya Naryshkina, and in this marriage Peter and Natalya were born.
Unfortunately, all the boys from their first marriage suffered from a hereditary disease similar to scurvy or vitamin deficiency; all three did not live long, and the youngest, Ivan, was also weak-minded. But the son from his second marriage, Petrusha, is a healthy and active boy, as they said, “I didn’t walk, I ran.”
The noble relatives of the Naryshkins had a formal reason to push aside the rightful heir under the pretext of his illness and try to place ten-year-old Peter on the throne. Such a development of events was unlikely, no one wanted new unrest, and yet the Miloslavsky party decided not to delay the oath.
Tsar Fedor III Alekseevich
At the funeral of Father Fyodor Alekseevich they were carried on a stretcher. But this frail body contained an indomitable spirit. Fyodor succumbed to illness only on days of severe attacks; the rest of the time he was extremely active. From childhood, he loved horse riding, hunting with birds of prey, was an excellent archery shooter, and was fond of outdoor games, like modern tennis. He was the first to have a small funny squad with toy weapons made by the best craftsmen of the Armory.
Falcon hunting
On the other hand, Fyodor Alekseevich was a European-educated and developed young man. He was given his first picture book at the age of two, and from then on, books became his constant companions. Fyodor Alekseevich's personal library consisted of more than two hundred volumes - at that time a rich collection. His teacher was Simeon of Polotsk, an outstanding church figure, philosopher and poet.
It is not surprising that his student “put together quite a lot of verses,” appreciated painting and music (he even composed the chant “It is Worthy to Eat,” which is often performed today), and knew Polish and Latin.
He was, if you like, a Renaissance man, strange as it may sound. Europe was already on the threshold of the New Time, but in Russia, given its constant lag and in connection with the consequences of the Time of Troubles, which further slowed down its development, the 17th century was only the late Middle Ages. And Fyodor Alekseevich, as we will see, has already absorbed "spirit of enlightenment".
Unknown Dutch artist. Tsar Fedor Alekseevich in 1676
Subsequent events showed that the young man, almost a boy, was thinking about the upcoming reign ahead of time. Because already in the solemn ceremony of the crowning of the kingdom, he made significant changes. Previously, Russian tsars based their right to power primarily on the law of kinship and inheritance of the throne. Now it was announced that the tsar assumed supreme power, firstly, according to church law, secondly, as the only Orthodox sovereign in the world, and only lastly - “according to the custom of the ancient kings and great princes of Russia.”
Posthumous Parsuna of the Tsar, painted by B. Saltanov (1686)
The immediate question is: how independent was Fyodor Alekseevich in his actions, was there anyone standing behind him? Of course, he had smart advisers and smart performers, but he led all the work himself, was the initiator of reforms, and an active participant in the development of projects and important documents. By the way, some of the " employees" older brother moved "by inheritance" to the reformer Peter.
Tsar Fedor Alekseevich with officials
So, sixteen years old and less than two months old, Tsar Feodor II Alekseevich began to rule Russia. Was this an enviable inheritance? Russia under Alexei Mikhailovich became the most extensive state in Europe, moreover, its borders continuously moved east and south. But it was sparsely populated, poor, undeveloped, few taxes were collected, and the state was constantly in need of money. There was practically no government in the European sense: too many departments (orders) with unclear functions and the willfulness of the Boyar Duma. Weak organization of the army and, as they would now say, the security forces. Frail legal system. The court is by no means quick and just. And wherever you go, there are exactions and arbitrariness everywhere.
The former tsar, Alexei Mikhailovich, was called the Quietest, but his reign was not at all quiet: two wars, Swedish and Russian-Polish, stretching with interruptions for thirteen years, church schism, the uprising of Stepan Razin and the Copper Riot. And this is not the whole list of shocks of the “quiet” reign. The unification with Ukraine has become a truly “troubled economy” for Moscow, and most importantly, it has complicated already tense relations with Poland, Turkey and Crimea.
Let the Duma think
The Tsar and the Boyar Duma
A change of power is always associated with the elimination of former close associates and the rise of new ones. With the accession of Fyodor Alekseevich, the relatives of his mother, the Miloslavskys and others like them, demanded reprisals against the de facto head of government under the late sovereign - boyar Artamon Matveev - and removal from the court of the widow queen and her children.
Artamon Sergeevich Matveev
In relation to Matveev, the young tsar, as they say, caved in. But Fyodor Alekseevich still did not take extreme measures, limiting himself to exile with confiscation (he left one estate for the boyar to eat). And in relation to his stepmother and half-brother and sister, he stubbornly resisted. They continued to live in the Kremlin, in the royal palace.
Petrusha was Fyodor Alekseevich’s favorite, and also his godson. It was the elder brother who introduced the future emperor to war games, taught him archery, and gave him a whole game room with a camp tent, a toy horse, a regimental drum and a toy weapon.
Young Peter on the sailboat
When later the Miloslavskys again began to demand the removal of Natalya Kirillovna and her children from the palace, Fyodor Alekseevich thought and thought - and built new mansions for himself.
However, change had to start somewhere. We know about the Boyar Duma mainly from historical novels. In them, the boyars are presented as caricatured elders, fighting over who should sit closer to the king, and also desperately resisting everything new and progressive. But the boyars in the Duma were different: some cared about the benefit of the state, others cared about their own. The boyars were the highest assessors, but, in addition to them, “Duma clerks” sat in the Duma - the actual leaders of the orders (formally, the boyars were at the head of the orders). It was these “Duma members” who knew the state of affairs better than others, and there was no personal self-interest in their judgments.
Meeting of the Boyar Duma
The young king found original solution- he sharply, by a third, increased the number of assessors in the Duma. The new Duma members were not part of any groupings; moreover, the Duma became a permanent body: “Boyars, and okolnichi, and duma people, gather in Verkh at the first hour (at dawn) and sit down to do their business,”- ordered the young king. He appointed working hours for both orders and courts. At that time, Russian people usually rested after lunch, so the working day was divided into two parts: "from the light" There are five hours before lunch and the same amount before dark.
The king then set about reorganizing the orders. The tsar increased the number of clerks, clerks, clerks and other employees in order to cope with paperwork. He established deadlines for making decisions on all cases, and in difficult cases ordered that cases be transferred to the Duma or to him personally. Above all orders, he elevated the Execution Chamber (Execution Chamber not in the sense of reprisal, but in the sense of dealing with important matters). To strengthen the authority of leaders, Fyodor Alekseevich allowed judges and Duma clerks of humble origin to be called full name with a patronymic: an unheard of honor. But the responsibility of the authorities was also increased: the leaders of the orders were forbidden to sign papers together with their comrades (deputies), but only individually; It was forbidden to consider the cases of relatives and friends.
Actually, from now on we can consider that a government has appeared in Russia. But Fyodor Alekseevich extended the same rules to the courts. He limited the period for consideration of cases - 100 days (that would be the case now!). In case of excess, he demanded the case to himself, and a fine was imposed on the judge. Punishments became more humane: the tsar abolished "self-mutilating", like cutting off a hand for theft, and replaced them with exile to Siberia. Moreover, he forbade the exile of children (this happened before). He also ordered the improvement of prison conditions and the release of those who had served their sentences without the previously required bail or guarantees.
The state, as is well known, receives money in the form of taxes, which in the 17th century were called "tax". There were many direct and indirect taxes, and the system was confusing. Fyodor Alekseevich conducted a census throughout the country, clearly defining who should bear what tax. Then he introduced, so to speak, a single tax - "streltsy money and bread".
The money went mainly to military needs, and grain was taken to state granaries. For the grain harvest, standard copper measures with a coat of arms were introduced, so they were called "eagle". All other taxes were abolished, previous arrears were forgiven, but strict penalties were also established for defaulters. In his decrees on taxes, the king not only commanded, but also explained why it was beneficial to the population, “so that rich and overweight people have benefits over the poor, and the poor do not have a burden over the rich.”
Local government was also reformed. According to his decrees, all local power was concentrated in the hands of city governors, a great many leadership positions - "feeder""was cancelled. Only in one thing were the governors seriously limited: now they had no contact with the state treasury.
Fedor III Alekseevich
The secret of the Chigirin fortress
The Russian army was, if not the most powerful in Europe, then one of the strongest. But there were few permanently combat-ready units. The archers, the noble cavalry, the local army, and now also the Ukrainian Cossacks - all these units were formed, lived and served in accordance with the old regulations and ancient way of life.
The discrepancy in the numerical strength of the formations and the names of the commanders interfered. This resulted in confusion in ranks.
Russian autocrat Alexei Mikhailovich, father of Fyodor
True, even under the first Romanov, Mikhail Fedorovich, “regiments of a foreign system” appeared in the Russian army, organized according to the European model, under the command of foreign officers. Under Fyodor Alekseevich, such infantry regiments, dragoons and reiters (heavy cavalry in cuirasses and helmets) already formed an impressive part of the army. The glorious colonel also began to serve his father, and then General Patrick Gordon, Peter’s first military teacher, under him the unknown Swiss Franz Lefort, who became the favorite of the future emperor, came to serve in Russia.
Patrick Leopold Gordon of Ochluchrys
Franz Yakovlevich Lefort
The Tsar got rid of the units recruited on a temporary basis and returned such servicemen to the plow - it was better to bear the tax. In the border regions, he organized military districts with their own headquarters - command huts. All regular units were now divided into regiments of thousands, all commanders and officers bore combined arms ranks. Finally, Fyodor Alekseevich created a guard - the so-called “elected soldiers” were camped on the outskirts of Moscow in Butyrki.
Of course, nobles served as commanders at various levels. The state paid the nobles for their service with estates, they were also called salaries. “Sitting on a salary” meant just serving on active duty. If the son of a nobleman went to serve after his father, then the family’s right to the estate was confirmed. The noble estates became hereditary property later, but the peasants were already serfs, although still with the right to move to other estates. The state paid servicemen money only during campaigns - it was believed that during this time they could not manage the household. Fyodor Alekseevich, like Peter later, wanted all nobles to serve. The Tsar's decree ordered that all nobles be enrolled in the regimental service, then the Duma "sentenced" that the families of those who evade will lose their estates.
But to fully attract the noble class into the service, a lot of land was required. Fyodor Alekseevich decided to take these lands for southern border, in the so-called "Wild Field", from where they have been waiting for raids by steppe nomads and Crimeans since ancient times. The Tsar decisively moved the line of border fortifications far to the south, cutting off 30 thousand square kilometers of black soil to Russia. And in order to finally secure the future population of this region, Alexei Mikhailovich positioned the main forces of the renewed army there. The influx of nobility into the army began. Men also flocked to the fertile and well-protected lands.
But the difficulty of Fyodor Alekseevich’s military reforms was that they were carried out during the war, on the move. The pan-European threat at that time was aggressive Türkiye and its vassal, the Crimean Khanate. In October 1672, the Turks took Kamenets-Podolsky and were preparing to march on Kyiv, so Russia declared war on the Sultan.
Kamenets-Podolsky
But she had to fight alone: her ally, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, betrayed and concluded a separate peace with the Turks.
The first onslaught of the Turks and Crimeans was terrible. The Turkish Sultan personally commanded the offensive in Right Bank Ukraine, and the Crimean Khan tried to break through the southern defensive lines of the Russians. The fighting took place on a wide front from the Dniester to Azov. Russian troops managed not only to repel the attack, but also to break through to Sea of Azov. For the first time, a galley fleet built at Voronezh shipyards was launched at sea. Russian galleys with a landing force of Ukrainian Cossacks carried out a raid on Crimea. As a result, the khan was forced to go home to defend his own possessions. The Sultan also retreated. The defeat made a stunning impression on the Turks and Tatars.
Subsequently, the theater of military operations focused on Right Bank Ukraine. Hetman Doroshenko, who ruled there, first served the Poles, then defected to the Turks.
Pyotr Dorofeevich Doroshenko
He handed over to the Ottomans the headquarters of the right-bank Cossacks - the Chigirin fortress. Since then, the name of this fortress has become the same symbol of the war with Turkey as Ochakov did in the next century. In September 1676, Russian regiments and Ukrainian Cossacks approached Chigirin. After a short siege and as a result of successful negotiations, the garrison of the fortress surrendered.
In the summer of the following year, a 60,000-strong Turkish army under the command of Ibrahim Pasha, nicknamed Shaitan, set out to recapture Chigirin from the Russians. This army included selected spagi cavalry and about 15 thousand Janissaries.
Crimea reluctantly sent 40 thousand horsemen. And Chigirin was defended by only 5 thousand Moscow archers and elected soldiers. We held out for three weeks, waiting for the approach of Russian troops and Ukrainian Cossacks.
Ours crossed the Dnieper under continuous enemy fire, overthrew the Crimean barrier and went on the offensive. The Russians had not yet completed the crossing, and Shaitan’s army had already fled, abandoning their artillery and convoy.
The following year, 1678, the Turkish army was even larger, and it was commanded by the vizier Kara-Mustafa, an experienced commander who had recently stood under the walls of Vienna.
Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha
Chigirin's garrison also increased to 13,600 people, the artillery numbered 82 cannons and 4 mortars. Major General Gordon led the defense.
But this time the main Russian forces moved slowly to help and made strange maneuvers. After a month of resistance, having suffered heavy losses, the surviving defenders of the fortress made their way to their own. Those who failed to escape blew up the powder magazines, taking with them 4 thousand enemies. Gordon was furious, but wrote in his diary: “Chigirin was abandoned, but not subdued.” Rumors circulated around Moscow about the betrayal of the governor.
But there was no treason, there was big politics. The king understood this and now sought peace. The truce with Poland was expiring, after which Russia had to return Kyiv to it. And then there’s Chigirin! It turned out that Russia not only annexed Left Bank Ukraine, but also raked in Right Bank Ukraine.
So let the Turks get Chigirin (they were taught a lesson anyway), and then it will be possible to come to an agreement with Poland about Kyiv. And Fyodor Alekseevich sent a secret decree to the commander of the main forces, Prince Romodanovsky: not to surrender Chigirin openly, but to make sure that it goes to the Turks.
Prince Fyodor Yurievich Romodanovsky
It must be said that Fyodor Alekseevich more than once gave secret decrees to his trusted people, so to speak, under the heading “top secret”: “so that you and I know.” The tsar even mastered the art of encryption and, as a boy, wrote congratulations on the holidays to his father in secret letters.
Tsar Fedor III Alekseevich
Russian-Turkish "unknown"The war of 1672-1681 turned out to be "white spot" V national history. But during this war, for the first time in Europe, a decisive rebuff was given to the Turkish Empire, and brilliant victories were won over the most powerful enemy. By the way, the Prut campaign of Peter I against the Turks ended ingloriously thirty years later: Russian troops were defeated, surrounded, and the emperor himself was almost captured.
Both a music lover and a carpenter
From an early age, the future king was drawn to beauty. As a child, he had a wind-up music box with dancing men and a small organ; he loved his indoor garden, which was decorated with songbirds. Later, he mastered musical notation, collected a unique library of notes, and when he became king, he replaced the ancient hook notation of music with the generally accepted linear one. It became a custom at court to hold vocal concerts, they were called partes singing. True, theatrical performances, which became customary in last years During the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, his son for some reason did not like him, and the theater in Preobrazhenskoye fell into disrepair.
Moscow Kremlin
Court poets appeared in the Kremlin, Simeon of Polotsk and Sylvester Medvedev wrote verses "on the occasion of", chanting
The most important events in the life of the state. This tradition was picked up in the next century by Trediakovsky, Sumarokov and Lomonosov.
Under Fyodor Alekseevich, many chambers of the Kremlin were decorated with paintings of biblical scenes and intricate ornaments. The painters took a decisive step from icon painting to realistic painting, and a reliable portrait of a “parsun” appeared. During his reign, the Kremlin itself was decorated with new palaces, temples and vertograds (gardens).
Wooden Moscow often burned; townspeople throughout Russia were forbidden to light stoves in the summer; cooking on fire was allowed only away from their houses. The losses from the fires were enormous; the sight of burned-out streets and entire settlements depressed the sovereign - he often went to the fires himself and supervised the extinguishing efforts. Fedor Alekseevich provided Muscovites preferential loan for the construction of stone houses. At the same time, he for the first time introduced building standards for stone blocks, bricks, and building sizes different types. Identified reliable suppliers and contractors. He also ordered the streets, which were previously buried in dirt and stench, to be paved. During his reign, the first sewerage system was installed, so far only in the Kremlin. Fyodor Alekseevich ordered the removal of trade tents from the main square, and it became truly Red, that is, beautiful. Moscow gradually acquired a capital
A. Vesnetsov. Moscow at the end of the 17th century
The Tsar understood that many of Russia’s troubles were due to ignorance, and took care of the distribution of books. At the Printing Yard he opened a printing house, independent of church censorship. The first translations of Latin authors, secular books, the first scientific work on the history of Russia appeared - "Genealogy" Archimandrite Ignatius Rimsky-Korsakov (ancestor of the great Russian composer). After all, until then, the Russians represented the history of their homeland according to traditions and legends, although entertaining, but unreliable. The Tsar also wanted to create an Academy similar to European universities; he himself drew up a project in which he gave educational institution liberties and palace privileges unheard of in Russia, it is no coincidence that the project itself was called "Privilege". Alas, this project remained unfulfilled. But he founded, at his own expense, the Slavic-Latin School, as if the first stage of spiritual and secular education.
The Slavic-Latin Academy was located here
Fyodor Alekseevich made mercy a consistent policy of the state: “Poor, crippled and old people who cannot do any work... and do not have shelter for themselves - and they must be fed until death.”
He also took care of orphans and street children: he ordered them to be collected in special yards, kept and taught there the sciences and crafts necessary for the state. It was not only a godly deed, but also extremely useful. The streets of the cities swarmed with beggars, among whom there were many pretenders (these were called “bigots”), and this environment was a breeding ground for theft, robbery and drunkenness.
Inner circle He was an independent ruler and had no obvious favorites. The co-authors and implementers of his transformations were the young and not very noble nobles Ivan Yazykov and Alexey Likhachev. Princes Vasily Golitsyn emerged from among the well-born (he was the one who led the “ Operation Chigirin" ) and Grigory Romodanovsky, to whom the tsar more than once entrusted the command of the entire army (later Romodanovsky was an associate of Peter and was appointed chief prosecutor -"sovereign eye"
). In matters of education and literature, the tsar relied on the advice and help of Sylvester Medvedev; it was he who headed the first free printing house.
This gentle and kind ruler by nature knew how to be tough. It was on his orders that Archpriest Avvakum was burned at the stake.
Petrov Avvakum
This decision was probably not easy for the king. But the rebellious fanatic reached extreme embitterment, his inflammatory speeches and letters were more terrible "thieves' letters" False Dmitry. It got to the point that Avvakum wished the Turks victory over "Nikonian" Moscow.
Burning of Habakkuk and his supporters
Almost at the same time, Fyodor Alekseevich released the aforementioned Nikon from strict confinement in the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery and allowed him to live in his beloved New Jerusalem Monastery near Moscow. But on the way, this famous hierarch of the Russian Church died. At the end of his reign, the sovereign also returned from exile the boyar Artamon Matveev, his father’s favorite.
Even at the end of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich the Quiet, Joachim, an influential and strong-willed church figure, became patriarch.
Patriarch Joachim
He crowned the young sovereign. However, European learning, especially the Latin language and writings, seemed too dangerous to the patriarch and his Grecophile supporters. They did not approve of the Academy's project, hated the publications of the free printing house and the opened Slavic-Latin School. But they could not prevent the king. But after his death, the printing house was destroyed, the books published by Sylvester Medvedev were cursed, and the publisher himself paid for them with his life.
However, the church and the patriarch supported one of the most "volitional decisions" the king - the abolition of localism. The essence of this ancient order was that the nobility of the family was directly related to the official rank or position. And Fyodor Alekseevich wanted ranks to be awarded exclusively "according to merit." He decided to act "from below"- Having gathered representatives from different classes and services, he deliberately included elected officers of new regiments in their composition, since they were interested in receiving ranks based on merit, and not by kinship.
As one would expect, the elected representatives recommended: “Be without places among themselves, and no longer take into account anyone’s rank, and rank cases and places should be set aside and eradicated.” Now it was necessary to announce this to the court and the boyar elite. Previously, Fyodor Alekseevich won over the patriarch to his side, proving that God himself teaches: “ Do not rise above a small person."
On January 12, 1682, before the Duma, the court and noble nobles, the tsar announced a petition of elected people. I added on my own behalf that localism "everything" enemy of the human race and only harms "public benefit". The Patriarch, for his part, announced that the church considers what the king planned as “ multiplying love" between Christians. The boyars expressed their agreement: "Let it be so!" The tsar ordered to immediately bring local books of rank, which were solemnly burned.
Burning of grade books under Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich. Drawing by A. Charlemagne
At the same time, Fyodor Alekseevich ordered the compilation of a genealogical book containing a detailed inventory of the boyars and nobility, and even created a special Chamber of Genealogical Affairs. These measures served to unite the old and new Russian nobility.
Love and death
The king is also a man. Even an Orthodox Russian sovereign in the 17th century.
In the third year of his reign and the nineteenth year of his life, Fyodor Alekseevich was still single. For the Russian Tsar, this is not a very common case; in the old days, people generally got married early. There was a religious procession in the Kremlin; the Tsar, as usual, followed the Patriarch. Immersed in prayer, he absentmindedly glanced at the crowd surrounding the procession. And suddenly he met the eyes of a pretty young woman. The prayerful mood was blown away by the wind. He immediately called Yazykov over and ordered him to find out about the stranger and who she was.
Alleged portrait of Fyodor Alekseevich
Yazykov soon reported that this girl was the daughter of the Smolensk nobleman Grushevsky, and her name was Agafya Simeonovna. She lives in the house of her aunt, the wife of the okolnichy Zaborovsky. Now the tsar sent Yazykov to the house of the okolnichy Zaborovsky to find out in more detail and declare, “so that he should keep that niece of his and not marry him off without a decree.” “that she herself is not ashamed to tell the truth to these great gentlemen” and “so that they don’t have any doubts about her honor and she confirms them in that by losing her belly!”
Hawthorns by Konstantin Makovsky.
The Tsar, having learned about this, rejoiced and, in order to test his feelings, immediately jumped on his horse and galloped back and forth in front of the Zaborovsky house. I saw Agafya in the window and was sure: it was her! The wedding took place quickly, on July 18, 1680, very modestly and without the usual shuffles in the court deck, distribution of ranks and awards, which are usual in such cases.
Makovsky K.E. - Boyar wedding feast in the 17th century. .
Fyodor Alekseevich was angry with boyar Miloslavsky and wanted to completely excommunicate him from the court. The queen persuaded him to forgive the boyar, seeing in his action only one "human weakness". But Miloslavsky was unlucky again. One day he carried sables and rich materials to the queen, not from himself, but according to his position. And he was caught by the sovereign, and in a rather dark place. The king decided that Miloslavsky was going to the queen with offerings, and became angry: “You used to revile her as indecent, but now you want to cover up her deceptions with your gifts!” The boyar almost ended up in exile, but then they stood up for him "young lions" Yazykov and Likhachev.
Fyodor Stratelates and the Great Martyr Agafya. Patronal icon of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich and Queen Agafya. 1681, Masters of the Armory. State Historical Museum. (Contribution of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich and Tsarina Agafya Semyonovna Grushetskaya to the Alexander Assumption Monastery)
Alas, the sovereign’s beloved wife died three days after giving birth to her first child, Tsarevich Ilya. Fyodor Alekseevich was in such grief that he could not attend the funeral. But the son did not live long.
Almost two years passed, and Fyodor Alekseevich married a second time, again to a noble daughter of an humble family, Marfa Matveevna Apraksina.
Marfa Matveevna Apraksina
Marfa Matveevna is depicted in the brocade outfit of a Russian queen of the 17th century, on her head is a kokoshnik embroidered with pearls and valuable stones.
The wedding was even more modest, even the doors of the Kremlin were locked, as if to confirm the homeliness of what was happening. Sylvester Medvedev read his verses composed for this occasion to the newlyweds. There were these lines:
Nothing in the world is better than the head
A strong body, always smart, healthy...
Unknown artist second half XVII century. Armory School. Portrait of Queen Marfa Matveevna, wife of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich.
Everything about the head is true, but the body... The king was ill and was able to accept congratulations from elected representatives of all classes only a week after the wedding. He was in his creative prime, but, alas, not physical strength. The disease was devouring him. The government continued to carry out its functions, but as if with caution: who will be next and how to become pleasing to him? The courtiers stood up as they entered the patient’s chambers. Actually, at the bedside of the dying Fyodor Alekseevich, a knot was tied in the future "Streltsy tragedy". The archers of one of the Moscow regiments complained about Colonel Semyon Griboedov, who was deducting half (!) of their salary. The king ordered it to be sorted out.
Tsar Fedor III Alekseevich
The Sovereign of All Russia Fyodor Alekseevich died in the sixth year of his reign, in 1682, as recorded in the discharge book, “April on the 27th day, sins for the sake of the entire Moscow state.”
Death of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich. From a painting by K. Lebedev
But there were many sins, and they all came out at once. Three days before his death, Fyodor Alekseevich, in response to the Streltsov’s petition, ordered: “Send the seeds to Totma, take away their estates, and remove them from the colonels.” This was the last order of the dying man. Griboyedov was indeed taken into custody, but was released a day later. Instead of carrying out the royal decree, they chose “to inflict on the petitioners, the best people, cruel punishment". In response, the Moscow uprising, and not just the Streltsy, broke out.
Only Princess Sofya Alekseevna, the sister of the late Tsar, regent under the young Tsars Peter and Ivan, managed to stop him. Sophia the Wise, as she was sometimes called, was not the organizer of the Streltsy revolt, but its pacifier.
Romanova Sofya Alekseevna - (1657-1704)
“On the eternal throne was a worker”- this Pushkin characterization of Peter the Great can be safely attributed to his older brother. Of course, when you list the main achievements of his reign, a suspiciously benign picture emerges. In reality it was more complex and dramatic. But, undoubtedly, the transformations of Fyodor Alekseevich represent an important experience of non-violent reforms, moreover, predominantly not borrowed, but only including Foreign experience where appropriate. Here is the answer to the question why few people know the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich. The younger brother Pyotr Alekseevich, when he came to power, seemed to say: "We'll go the other way!" And went. And everyone went. And when everyone marches in formation along the same road, it somehow doesn’t occur to them that there are other paths.
Sergey MAKEEV
http://lemur59.ru/node/9205
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedor_III_Alekseevich
Russian Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich Romanov was born on June 9 (May 30, old style) 1661 in Moscow. The son of the Tsar and Maria Ilyinichna, the daughter of the boyar Ilya Miloslavsky, was not in good health, and was weak and sickly from childhood.
On June 18, 1676, Fyodor Alekseevich was crowned king in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin.
His ideas about royal power were largely formed under the influence of one of the talented philosophers of that time, Simeon of Polotsk, who was the educator and spiritual mentor of the young man. Fyodor Alekseevich was well educated, knew Latin, Ancient Greek and spoke fluent Polish. He was interested in music, especially singing.
Much of what Peter I did later was prepared or begun during the short reign of his elder brother Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich (1676-1682).
In 1678, the government conducted a population census and canceled the decree of Alexei Mikhailovich on the non-extradition of fugitives who had signed up for military service. In 1679, household taxation was introduced - the first step towards the poll tax of Peter I (this immediately replenished the treasury, but increased serfdom).
In 1679-1680, an attempt was made to soften criminal penalties in a Western manner. A law was passed prohibiting self-harm.
Thanks to the construction of defensive structures in the south of Russia (Wild Field), it became possible to widely allocate estates and estates to nobles who sought to increase their land holdings.
In 1681, voivodeship and local administrative administration was introduced - an important preparatory measure for the provincial reform of Peter I.
The main internal political reform was the abolition of localism at the “extraordinary sitting” of the Zemsky Sobor on January 12, 1682 - the rules according to which everyone received ranks in accordance with the place that his ancestors occupied in the state apparatus. This state of affairs did not suit many people and, moreover, interfered with the effective management of the state. At the same time, rank books with lists of positions were burned. In return, they were ordered to create genealogical books in which all noble people were entered, but without indicating their place in the Duma.
Having received the basics of secular education, Fyodor was opposed to the intervention of the church and Patriarch Joachim in secular affairs, and established increased rates of collections from church estates, thereby beginning a process that ended under Peter I with the liquidation of the patriarchate.
During the reign of Fedor, construction was carried out not only of palace churches, but also of secular buildings (prikas, chambers), new gardens were laid out, and the first general sewage system of the Kremlin was created. The personal orders of Fyodor Alekseevich for the years 1681-1682 contain decrees on the construction of 55 different objects in Moscow and palace villages.
Young beggars were sent from Moscow to “Ukrainian cities” or monasteries to perform various jobs or learn crafts (once they reached the age of 20, they were enrolled in service or tax duty). Fyodor Alekseevich’s intention to build yards for “beggarly children” where they would be taught a craft was never realized.
Understanding the need to spread knowledge, the Tsar invited foreigners to teach in Moscow. In 1681, a project was developed to create a Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, although the academy itself was established later, in 1687.
The reforms affected wide sections of different classes, which caused an aggravation of social contradictions. The discontent of the urban lower classes (including the Streltsy) led to the Moscow Uprising of 1682.
In foreign policy, Fyodor Alekseevich tried to return to Russia access to the Baltic Sea, lost during the Livonian War. He paid much more attention than Alexey Mikhailovich to the regiments of the “new system”, staffed and trained in the Western manner. However, the solution to the “Baltic problem” was hampered by the raids of the Crimean Tatars and Turks from the south. Fyodor Alekseevich’s major foreign policy action was the successful Russian-Turkish war of 1676-1681, which ended with the Bakhchisarai Peace Treaty, which secured the unification of Left Bank Ukraine with Russia.
Russia received Kyiv even earlier under an agreement with Poland in 1678 in exchange for Nevel, Sebezh and Velizh. During the war, the Izyum serif line, about 400 versts long, was created in the south of the country, which protected Slobodskaya Ukraine from attacks by the Turks and Tatars. Later, this defensive line was continued and connected to the Belgorod abatis line.
On May 7 (April 27, old style), 1682, Fyodor Alekseevich Romanov died suddenly in Moscow, leaving no heir. Fedor was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. His two brothers, Ivan and Peter Alekseevich, were proclaimed kings.
In July 1680, the Tsar entered into a marriage with Agafya Grushetskaya, which lasted about a year, the Tsarina died in childbirth, and the newborn son Fyodor also died.
In February 1682, the tsar married Marfa Apraksina, the marriage lasted just over two months, until the death of Fyodor Alekseevich.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
