Tsar John V Romanov

John Alekseevich was the fifth son of Alexei Mikhailovich and his wife Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya, was born in Moscow from August 26 to 27, 1666.
News of the upbringing of the prince has not been preserved, but since he was weak, tongue-tied and had eye problems, it is certain that his teaching began later than his brothers. An uncle with him was the steward Peter Ivanovich Prozorovsky. Having lost his mother in the third year, the prince from the time of the birth of Peter was inseparable from him.

When Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich died, regret for the young good-natured tsar was mixed with fears and anxiety, who would rule the kingdom after him? The deceased king did not leave any will in this regard. Many boyars were afraid that there would be no bloodshed, therefore, going to the Kremlin, they put shells and chain mail under their clothes. When those close to the royal family gathered in the front chamber of the Kremlin Palace, Patriarch Joachim came out to them with the clergy. Having blessed those gathered, the patriarch said: “Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich departed into eternal bliss; there were no children left for him, but his brothers remained - princes John and Peter Alekseevich. Tsarevich John is sixteen years old, but obsessed with grief and in poor health, while Tsarevich Peter is ten years old. Of these, two brothers, who will be the heir to the Russian throne, one or both will reign? I ask and demand that they tell the truth in conscience, as before the throne of God, whoever speaks out of passion, let the lot of the traitor Judas be to him!

The boyars standing in the chamber suggested that this important issue be referred to the decision of the entire Orthodox people, saying, "this is a matter that should be decided by all ranks of people." The patriarch, together with the bishops and boyars, went out to the upper platform of the Red Porch and ordered “people of all ranks” to gather on the square in front of the Church of the Savior. When everyone gathered, the patriarch turned to the people with the question: “Which of the two princes should be in the kingdom?” Unanimous cries proclaimed Peter Alekseevich, and although separate voices of “John!” were heard, they were drowned out by the cry of Peter's supporters. Princess Sophia protested against this election: “Peter is still young and foolish,” she said, “John is of full age; he must be king."

A. Antropov. Portrait of Queen Sophia

Tsarevna Sofya expressed her displeasure with Peter because, without waiting for the end of the burial ceremony of Tsar Fedor, he left the temple. Although Tsarina Natalya said that her son was a child and tired, but Sophia, returning from her brother’s burial, loudly shouted to the people: “Know, Orthodox, that our brother Tsar Fedor Alekseevich was suddenly poisoned by evil people; have pity on us orphans: we have neither father nor mother, and brothers and relatives are being taken away. Our brother John is the eldest, but he was not elected king. If we have been guilty of anything before you and the boyars, then let them send us to foreign lands, to Christian kings!

The election of Peter gave rise to discord among the court parties, the main representatives of which were the Miloslavskys, relatives of the first wife of Alexei Mikhailovich, the mother of John, and the Matveevs and Naryshkins, relatives of Peter. The unrest of the archers joined the dissatisfaction of the court parties, which Sophia managed to take advantage of with the help of the Miloslavskys. On May 15, 1682, the archers rebelled, to whom the Miloslavskys informed in the morning that John had been strangled by traitors. In order of battle, the Streltsy regiments entered the Kremlin. In the palace, at the council, it was decided to show the archers John and Peter in order to convince them of the absence of treason. Tsarina Natalya led both brothers to the Red Porch, and the archers heard from John that "no one is harassing him and he has no one to complain about." Old man Matveev, who returned to Moscow on May 11, with his speech calmed the archers who wanted to disperse, but Prince Mikhail Yuryevich Dolgoruky, the son of Yuri Alekseevich, the head of the archers, treated the crowd with abuse and rudely ordered to disperse. The archers, incited by people from the Miloslavsky party, were offended and rushed onto the porch past Patriarch Joachim to Dolgoruky,they grabbed him, threw him down from the porch, and the corpulent body of the prince, picked up by spears, was immediately cut by the reeds. Intoxicated archers rushed to the porch of the Palace of the Facets, snatched Matveev from the arms of Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna and also threw him on spears to the Cathedral of the Annunciation. Peter, who was an eyewitness to these bloody scenes of rebellion, aroused surprise at the firmness that he retained at the same time; but the horrors of May 1682 were indelibly etched into his memory.

N. Dmitriev-Orenburgsky. Streltsy rebellion

Furious with two murders, archers shouting: “It’s time for us to sort out who we need-ben!” - they rushed into the palace and, running around the rooms, looked into the closets, rummaged through the mattresses and feather beds of those “who they need-ben”. Behind Matveev, prince Romodanovsky, A.K. Naryshkin and others. They dragged their victims out onto the porch, showed them to the archers standing below, and asked: “Is it nice?” and to the response of the crowd “Lubo! Love!” they ruthlessly threw the unfortunate on spears, and their mutilated bodies were dragged along the streets of the Kremlin, shouting to the people with laughter: “The boyar is coming, the thoughtful one is coming, give way!”, Then they were dragged out by the Spassky or Nikolsky gates Red Square, where the corpses were cut into pieces. The archers were especially looking for the hated Miloslavsky Ivan Kirillovich Naryshkin, a capable brother. From under the altar of the palace church of the Resurrection, which is on Seny, was pulled out, at the direction of the tsarina's dwarf, the room steward Athanasius Naryshkin, chopped up on the porch itself and thrown from here to the Assumption Cathedral. Between the Patriarchal Court and the Chudov Monastery, they seized the boyar Romodanovsky, “leading him by the hair and beard, swearing and tormenting him in the face of the bivshi,” and against the category on the road, lifting him up on spears and lowering him to the ground, chopped him up.

N. Matveev. Sagittarius on the Kremlin tower on a moonlit night

The rebellion of the archers continued on May 16, and all those whom the Miloslavskys considered traitors were killed by the archers. The archers demanded that they be given Ivan Kirillovich Naryshkin, but he cleverly hid in the palace. On the third day, the unrest continued, and the archers did not want to leave the Kremlin until Ivan Naryshkin was handed over to them. The frightened boyars, fearing for their lives, as well as Princess Sophia, persuaded Tsarina Natalya to extradite Naryshkin, and she decided to sacrifice her beloved brother. She called him to the Church of the Savior behind the golden bars, where he confessed, communed the Holy Mysteries and even took unction. Therefore, Tsaritsa Natalya took the image of the Mother of God from Sophia's hands and, having blessed her unfortunate brother with it, clung to his chest with tears. The boyars hurried farewell, and Ivan Kirillovich, with an icon on his chest, cheerfully walked out of the church to the golden lattice and appeared before the archers. “They, the evil ones,” says the chronicler, “brutally grabbed him, dragged him mercilessly from the top of the grate and tortured him with terrible tortures, and, taking him out of the Kremlin to Red Square, chopped him into small pieces.”

A. I. Korzukhin. Streltsy rebellion in 1682. Streltsy dragging Ivan Naryshkin out of the palace. While Peter I comforts his mother, Princess Sophia watches with satisfaction. (1882)

After such a reprisal, on May 18, the archers, continuing their riots and murders, proclaimed John Alekseevich Tsar, and Princess Sophia the ruler of the state. On May 26, the Boyar Duma recognized this election so that John Alekseevich, being called the first tsar, would co-reign with his brother Peter Alekseevich. On June 25, both kings were crowned kings. The sacred rite of this double coronation was performed by Patriarch Joachim in the Assumption Cathedral, where a place of worship was arranged against the altar under a canopy, on which a double throne was placed on the right hand, with a place closed behind it, in which a window was made in the list of Peter's chair Alekseevich, closed on the outside with the same pair of clothes that the place was upholstered inside. In this hidden room, Princess Sophia stayed during audiences with ambassadors. This throne is preserved even now in the Armory. Sophia treated the rebellious, but faithful archers in the palace.

Sofya Alekseevna (in monasticism Susanna)

There was no one left near Peter and his mother; all their supporters were killed, and the survivors hid. The Miloslavskys became the bosses, and Sophia became the representative of the authorities. All the places occupied by people close to the Naryshkins went to Sophia's supporters. Prince V.V. Golitsyn became the head of the Ambassadorial order; Prince Ivan Andreevich Khovansky with his son Andrey - of the Sagittarius order, and Ivan Mikhailovich Miloslavsky - of the Foreign and Reitarsky orders.
Tsarina Natalya and her son Peter retired to the beloved village near Moscow of Tsar Alexei - Preobrazhensky, where, remote from any participation in management, according to a contemporary of Prince B.I. Kurakina, “lived on what was given at the hands of Princess Sophia,” needed and had to secretly accept financial assistance from the patriarch, the Trinity Monastery and the Metropolitan of Rostov.

Tsar Peter I in childhood

Sagittarius, smashing the Kholopy order, tore and scattered bondage and other fortresses around the square, called on the serfs to take their side, promising them freedom. But the holops appeased the rebels, telling them: “Lie your heads in the square, to what extent you rebel. The Russian land is great, you cannot cope with it. Fearing punishment in the future, the archers themselves demanded guarantees for their safety. And the new government admitted that the archers did not rebel, but only eradicated treason. This was publicly attested in the form of inscriptions on a stone pillar, which was placed on Red Square in memory of the May events.

The schismatics decided to take advantage of such a recognized force, that is, the archers, and restore the “old piety” in the Russian church. For this purpose, the schismatic teachers conducted an active and successful agitation in the streltsy settlements. The result of it was a new excitement of the archers, who, through their chief Khovansky, demanded a revision of the religious question.
The government scheduled a dispute between the Orthodox hierarchy and the schismatic teachers for July 5 in the Granoviy Chamber. Crowds of schismatics poured into the Kremlin; their mentors walked ahead with books, images, lecterns, lit candles, singing spiritual hymns in nasal voices. Many had stones in their bosoms. The Old Believers filled the square in front of the Faceted Chamber, laid out their lecterns, unfolded their books, arranged icons and announced that they would not leave until a decision was announced to them. Elected from the archers and many schismatics entered the Faceted Chamber through the Red Porch. The debate was attended by Princess Sophia, both kings and Patriarch Joachim, who was old for years. Athanasius, Archbishop of Kholmogory, began to object to the defrocked priest Nikita, nicknamed the Pustosvyat. The latter rushed at the bishop, grabbed his beard, so that the elected archers could hardly drag Nikita away. The debate continued, but the ringing of vespers ended these disputes. The princess and the kings left the Palace of the Facets, followed by the clergy into the chambers of the patriarch. Nikita and the schismatics, having gone out onto the Red Porch, shouted to the people: “We won, we won! According to our prayer, believe!

Tsar John Alekseevich

The Moscow population was tempted by a series of scandals and the government's lack of firm power. The latter saw with his own eyes how unreliable the archery army was. As a result, Sophia decided, firstly, to deprive the schismatics of the support of the archers, and secondly, to curb Khovansky. Sophia achieved the first with handouts and persuaded the archers to lag behind the split-teachers. Nikita Pustosvyat was executed, while others were exiled.
But Sophia was afraid to remove Khovansky, because there was a rumor that he was dreaming of taking over the kingdom. On August 20, the entire royal family left Moscow, considering themselves unsafe in the Kremlin. After frequent moves from village to village, on September 17, Sophia celebrated her name day in the village of Vozdvi-zhenskoye, where, after mass, the tsars and boyars "sat" about the Khovansky case, and the Boyar Duma sentenced Khovansky and his son Andrei to be executed, which was executed on the same day, about which Sophia informed the archers by a letter, in which it was said that there was no royal wrath on the archers themselves.

The execution of the princes Khovansky served as a pretext for a new indignation of the archers, who, expecting punishment for themselves, led Moscow into a state of siege and prepared for an armed defense. This state of affairs forced the court to hide in the Trinity Lavra (a first-class fortress of that time) and call on the noble militia from the cities. The formidable militia, gathered to protect the kings, forced the frightened rebels to turn to the intercession of the patriarch with a promise to be obedient in the future. With guilty heads, elected archers appeared before the Trinity Lavra and fell to the ground, leaving the kings to execute them. Sophia granted them forgiveness with one condition: the archers must obey their superiors and not interfere in their own affairs. On October 8, the archers took an oath and asked permission to destroy the pillar erected in their memory on Red Square. So the time of troubles ended and the "reign of Princess Sophia" (1682-1689), who wanted to become a complete "autocrat", came.

Princess Sophia

With the permission of Sophia, on November 6, both tsars returned to Moscow with her, amid joyful cries of the population, who had come out of the city to meet them. The following year, 1684, on January 9, Tsar Ivan Alekseevich, in the 18th year, was married to Prasko-Vya Fedorovna Saltykova, the daughter of the Yenisei commandant, specially summoned by Princess Sophia from Siberia for this. The king's bride was distinguished by her beauty and spiritual qualities, so that John really fell in love with her. After the death of John, the widow-tsarina Praskovya lived in the village of Izmailovo, near Moscow, where she set up her court in the old days, to which she was very attached, which is why the holy fools, fools, wandering monks and cripples were constantly in her palace. Peter was indulgent about this, since John and his family were completely subject to his will.

Unknown artist. Portrait of Tsar John V Romanov

Tsaritsa Praskovya Fyodorovna Saltykova, wife of Tsar John V Romanov

In marriage they had five daughters:
Maria, Theodosia (both died in infancy), Ekaterina Ioannovna (married Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, mother of Anna Leopoldovna):

Anna Ioannovna (later Empress):

And Praskovya Ioannovna:

Tsar Peter Alekseevich from 1683 began his game of "amusing" in the village of Preobrazhensky, which was also a school of self-education for him. To young Peter, from the court nobility, peers were appointed as stolniks and sleeping bags, who became his "room people". After the death of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, falconers and stables became little to do, since the sick Tsars Fedor and John rarely had to leave the palace. Meanwhile, in the stable department, there were more than 40,000 horses and 600 people who “drank and ate royal food”. It was these idle yard grooms, falconers and baptismal workers that Peter began to recruit into his service, forming two companies from them, which soon expanded into two battalions of 300 people each, which received the name "amusing" from amusing villages in which they were placed. Amusing official order was recruited. So, in 1686, it was prescribed to the Konyushny order to send seven court grooms to the village of Preobrazhenskoye to the gunners, among whom was the son of the groom Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, and later (in 1687) noble young people. For example, I.I. Buturlin and Prince M.M. Golitsyn, later a field marshal, who, due to his infancy, enrolled in "drum science", as the palace record says.
In order to teach amusing soldiers to besiege and storm fortresses, a “amusing fortification” was built on the Yauza River in a regular manner, the town of Pressburg. Not far from the village of Preobrazhensky was the German Sloboda, populated under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich by military people, discharged from abroad for a team in Russian regiments of a foreign system. It was to these officers that Peter turned for military tricks.

F. Solntsev. Royal clothes of the 17th century

The foreign craftsman Sommer in 1684 showed Peter the grenade shooting. Foreign officers were called to
service in amusing battalions, having deployed in the early 1690s in two regiments, settled in the villages of Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky, from which they got their names. The chief commander of both regiments was Avtamon Golo-vin, according to the recall of B.I. Kurakin, "a much stupid man, but who knew the soldier's exercise."

Prince Ya.F. Dolgoruky brought from France, at the request of Peter, an astrolabe, the use of which was shown by the Dutchman Timmerman, from whom Peter studied arithmetic, geometry, artillery and fortification, as Peter's notebooks that have come down to us testify. With this Timmerman, Peter, inspecting the barns of the village of Izmailova, the grandfather of Nikita Romanovich Romanov, found an English boat, which, according to Peter himself, served as the founder of the Russian fleet.
Thus, the moral growth of Peter, on whom the “May Days” of 1682 had a great influence, was accomplished; he was so greatly shaken by them that the fright left him with convulsive movements of his head and face for the rest of his life. But in those days he understood more than can be expected from his age, and harbored a feeling of hostility towards the Miloslavskys, calling the archers he hated "the seed of Ivan Mikhailovich."
A year after the events of 1682, 11-year-old Peter, in his development, seemed to the foreign ambassador a 16-year-old youth, and six years spent in the village of Preobrazhensky showed Peter old Russia with its work and fruits.

Portraits of Tsars John and Peter Alekseevich

Passion for swimming forced Peter (1688) to transfer his fun to Lake Pereyaslav, where he began to build a frigate with the help of the Dutch. He was already in his 17th year, but Peter did not think to pay attention to state affairs. Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna, in order to settle down her son, married him (January 27, 1689) to Evdokia Fedorov-not Lopukhina. This was, however, a matter of intrigue by the Naryshkins and Tikhon Streshnev. But the superstitious and absurd Evdokia turned out to be no match for her husband, and agreement was maintained only until they understood each other, and Tsarina Natalya, who disliked her daughter-in-law, hastened the inevitable break. A month after the wedding, Peter left for Pereyaslavl from his mother and wife to his ships. His interests as a king undertook to protect other persons who led Peter in his struggle with Sophia.

Tsar Peter I in his youth

Tsarina Evdokia Fedorovna Lopukhina (Elena in monasticism)

The main accomplices in the reign of Sophia were: the head of the Ambassadorial order, Prince V.V. Golitsyn and the head of the archers, the duma clerk Shaklovity. The first not only served the princess, but was loved by her. According to foreigners, Prince Golitsyn was a very educated person; Moscow owes his diplomatic abilities to the conclusion of peace with Poland in 1686, according to which Jan Sobieski agreed to eternal peace, ceding to Moscow everything that Poland had won in the 17th century, and even Kyiv. Under the terms of the concluded peace, Moscow was obliged to declare war on Turkey and the Crimea. It was decided to go on a campaign to the Crimea, and Prince Golitsyn, appointed to lead the army, made two campaigns (in 1687-1689). Both of these campaigns were unsuccessful and aroused the murmur of the troops and the accusation on the part of Peter of negligence. This favorable moment for the abolition of the regency of Sophia was used by the party of Peter, headed by Lev Naryshkin and his "uncle" Prince B. Golitsyn, who was its main leader. Sophia from the ruler wanted to become an "autocrat", that is, to marry the kingdom, which she and Shaklovity dreamed of achieving in 1687 with the help of archers. Summoned from Pereyaslavl by Queen Natalya to Moscow, Peter in July 1689 forbade Sophia to participate in the procession, and when she did not obey, he left the procession. By the beginning of August, the relationship between Peter and Sophia became strained, and the break happened on the 7th. Sophia, as they say, was frightened by the rumor that on the night of August 7-8, Peter would come to Moscow with amusing things and deprive her of power. Seeing military preparations in the Kremlin, Peter's adherents let him know that archers were "going in revolt" against him and his mother and plotting "murder" against them. At midnight, suddenly awakened, Peter galloped off into the forest, and from there to the Trinity, leaving his mother and pregnant wife. On August 8, all the Naryshkins gathered in the Lavra, and the amusing and Sukharev Streltsy Regiment came, in whose memory Peter later built the Sukharev tower in Moscow.

I. Repin. Arrival of Tsar John and Peter

At this decisive moment, Sophia, under the pretext of the death of the fatherland, persuaded John Alekseevich, who remained in Moscow, to give the archers an order that none of them, under pain of death, should leave Moscow, even if there were orders from Peter from Trinity Lavra; the latter is confirmed by a daily record of 1689, which says: “The Grand Sovereign, Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich sent to Moscow, to his brother Tsar John Alekseevich, the steward Vashkogagin, so that he deigned to be an elected archer from all the regiments, and also from himself to the archers The regiments sent their Sovereign's decree so that there would be electives to him, the Sovereign, for a genuine search, and with them colonels, also guests and guests of hundreds, townspeople and Chernoslobods. And, according to the decree of the Great Sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich, there were no people from Moscow and by that sending of any ranks of people to the Trinity Monastery.

Tsar John Alekseevich

Soon, Tsar John Alekseevich found out all the lies of Princess Sophia's slander and took Peter's side. In vain did Sophia and the archers convince him to reign as an autocrat, he replied that he was yielding the government to his brother as a worthy autocrat, and handing over everything to him.
When the boyar Pyotr Vasilyevich Sheremetev Jr. and Lieutenant Colonel Nechaev, sent by Peter from the Lavra to demand Shaklovity, whom Sophia did not want to extradite, brought Peter's report to Tsar John, John immediately sent to the sister of the battle - Rina of Prince Peter Ivanovich Prozorovsky with a decisive order that she extradite Shaklovity with accomplices-archers sent from Peter, saying that “he is not only for the thief, but also for nothing for her, the princess, to quarrel with her brother.” won't." After the extradition of Shaklovity, Prince V.V. voluntarily appeared at the Lavra. Golitsyn, who was declared exiled to Kargopol, and later to Pinega for arbitrariness in administration and negligence in the Crimean campaign.

F. Solntsev. Diamond hat of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich

Shaklovity was tortured and executed on September 11 along with the archers close to him. With the sad fate of Sophia's devoted friends, her fate was also decided. She, as a “third shameful person,” according to Peter’s letter to his brother, was imprisoned in the Novodevichy Convent, in front of which a strong guard was placed from the Amusing Preobrazhensky Regiment.
Thus ended the tripartite rule, and Peter, under the sick Tsar John, ruled himself. Tsar John Alekseevich died on January 29, 1696, and from that day the autocracy of Peter Alekseevich began.

Tsar John Alekseevich

Feodor Alekseevich Romanov () May 30, 1661 - April 27, 1682)

Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty (1676-1682). Son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya. Senior half-brother of Peter I.

His short reign was marked by:

• holding in 1678. population census;
• introduction in 1679. household taxation;
• abolition in 1682. localities in the army;
• burning books.

Under Fyodor Alekseevich, there was a Russian-Turkish war for the Ukrainian lands (1676-1681), which ended with the signing of the Bakhchisaray peace treaty in January 1681.

Fyodor Alekseevich died on April 27, 1682, at the age of 20, without making an order regarding the succession to the throne. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Ivan V Alekseevich (1666–1696) ()

Russian tsar of the Romanov dynasty. Son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya. The middle half-brother of Peter I.

After the death of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, he ruled together with Peter I under the regency of Princess Sophia. Even when he came of age, Ivan V did not try to take away power from his sister and agreed with all her decisions.

In January 1684 he married Praskovya Fedorovna Saltykova; had five daughters by her.

After the removal of Sophia from power, Peter I formally retained the dual kingdom, promising Ivan to honor him as a father and elder brother; his name was invariably put in the first place in the royal charters. Ivan himself did not take any part in state affairs, limiting himself to performing ceremonial duties.

By the age of thirty, Ivan V looked like a decrepit old man. He died on January 29, 1696. in Moscow and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral.

Sofya Alekseevna (in monasticism - Susanna) (09/05/1657-07/03/1704) ()

daughter of the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov and his first wife, Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya. Ruler of Russia in 1682-89. under the juvenile Ivan V and Peter I.

During her reign:

• minor concessions were made to the townspeople;
• weakened the search for serfs;
• in the interests of the church, the persecution of the Old Believers was intensified;
• in 1687 the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy was opened in Moscow;
• in 1686 Russia concluded an “Eternal Peace” with Poland, according to which it received Kyiv and its adjacent region “for all eternity”, but pledged to start a war with the Crimean Khanate.

In 1687 and 1689 under the leadership of the favorite of Princess Sophia, Prince V.V. Golitsyn, two trips to the Crimea were carried out, which ended unsuccessfully. This hit Sophia's prestige hard. Many of the adherents of the princess lost faith in her.

After the failure of the conspiracy against Peter I in 1689, Sofya Alekseevna was imprisoned in the Novodevichy Convent. A new attempt to achieve power with the help of archers in 1698. was also unsuccessful, as a result of which Sophia was tonsured a nun. She died in the same monastery in 1704.

Peter I Alekseevich (1672–1725) ()

Russian tsar (since 1682), the first Russian emperor (since 1721), an outstanding statesman, commander and diplomat, all of whose activities are connected with radical transformations and reforms aimed at eliminating the gap between Russia and European states. The son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and his second wife Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina.

After his death in 1682 Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, he was elevated to the Russian throne simultaneously with stepbrother Ivan V under the regency of Princess Sofya Alekseevna.

In 1689 his mother forced Peter to marry the daughter of a small estate nobleman E.F. Lopukhina, who gave birth to his son Alexei a year later.

In 1689, having removed his sister from power, Peter actually, and after his death in 1696. co-ruler brother Ivan V, and legally becomes the sole tsar.

In 1695-1696. Peter I participated in the Azov campaigns against Turkey, which ended with the capture of Azov and access to the shores of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov.

In 1697-1698. Peter I, as part of the Great Embassy, ​​traveled to Europe, where he began preparations for the creation of the Northern Alliance against Sweden represented by Denmark, Saxony and Poland.

In 1700 concluded the Constantinople peace with Turkey and declared war on Sweden, which went down in history as the Northern War (1700-1721). During the war, Peter I carried out military reforms that made the Russian army really combat-ready.

In 1710 made an unsuccessful Prut campaign against Turkey. According to the peace treaty of Turkey, Azov was returned and Taganrog was destroyed.

In 1711 Instead of the Boyar Duma, the Senate was created, the members of which Peter appointed himself.

In 1714 a decree on single inheritance was adopted, equalizing estates and estates and introducing the right to inherit real estate only to the eldest son.

In 1716 military regulations were adopted.

In 1718 a census was taken, and orders were replaced by collegiums.

In 1720 completed the reform of city government.

In 1721 Peter I liquidated the patriarchate and established the Holy Synod.

In 1721 Russia was declared an empire.

In 1722 the Table of Ranks was published, which allowed unborn people to advance in the service and receive tribal nobility.

In 1722-1723. Peter undertook the Persian campaign, which secured the western coast of the Caspian for Russia.

In 1724 the household taxation of the peasants was replaced by a poll tax, and a protective customs tariff was introduced.

Over the course of more than 35 years of his reign, Peter also managed to carry out many reforms in the field of culture and education, which radically changed the face of Russia.

Peter I died on January 28, 1725. not having time to appoint an heir and dispose of the fate of the state. Later he was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.

Catherine I Alekseevna (1684–1727) ()

Marta Skavronskaya, a former servant who became the wife of Tsar Peter I and the Russian Empress (March 6, 1717), and then the Empress (December 23, 1721). After the death of Peter I, she ruled the country from January 28, 1725. to May 6, 1727

Daughter of the Latvian peasant Samuil Skavronsky. In 1702 during the capture of Marienburg by Russian troops, it became a war trophy and fell into the convoy of B.P. Sheremetev, who gave it to A.D. Menshikov as a laundress. In 1703 Peter I noticed her, and Marta became one of his mistresses.

Since 1709 accompanied Peter on all campaigns and trips, and in February 1712. married her. From 1704 to 1723 she bore him 11 children, most of whom died in infancy.

December 23, 1721 The Senate and the Synod recognized her as empress. It is believed that Peter I was going to officially proclaim Catherine his successor, but did not do this when he learned about his wife's betrayal.

After the death of Peter I, through the efforts of A.D. Menshikov, I.I. Buturlin, P.I. Yaguzhinsky and relying on the guards, Ekaterina Alekseevna was elevated to the throne under the name of Catherine I. handed over the administration of the country to the Supreme Privy Council (1726-1730).

Under Catherine I:

• November 19, 1725 the Academy of Sciences was opened;
• Vitus Bering sent an expedition to Kamchatka;
• improved diplomatic relations with Austria.

However, by March 1727. The health of the Empress deteriorated, and a rapidly growing tumor appeared on her legs. A few days before her death, she signed a will on the transfer of the throne to the grandson of Peter I - Peter II Alekseevich. May 6, 1727 she died.

Peter II Alekseevich (1715–1730) ()

Russian emperor. Grandson of Peter I. Son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich from his second marriage to Princess Sophia-Charlotte of Blankenburg. He lost his parents at an early age.

Peter II ascended the throne on May 7, 1727. according to the will of Empress Catherine II. At first, he was entirely under the influence of A.D. Menshikov, who betrothed him to his daughter. However, after an illness, Menshikov lost influence on the young emperor and was soon removed. On September 8, Peter II announced the beginning of his independent reign and the break of his engagement with Maria Menshikova.

In court circles, a struggle began for influence on the young Peter II. At the beginning of 1728. the court moved to Moscow, where on February 24 the coronation of the thirteen-year-old emperor took place. Peter II practically did not deal with state affairs, and devoted all his time to entertainment. November 30, 1729 he got engaged to the daughter of A.G. Dolgoruky Ekaterina. However, shortly before the wedding, he dies of smallpox. Dolgoruky's attempt to transfer the throne to his bride ended in failure.

Anna Ioannovna (1693–1740) ()

Russian empress (1730–1740), daughter of Ivan V Alekseevich and Praskovia Feodorovna Saltykova, niece of Peter I.

October 31, 1710 was married off by Peter I to Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Courland. Widowed early. Lived in Courland. In 1727 her favorite was Ernest-Johann Biron.

After the unexpected death in January 1730 of the Russian Emperor Peter II, she was invited to the Russian throne. For accession to the throne, she signed "conditions" (conditions) that limited her power. However, upon arrival in Russia, she broke them and declared herself an autocratic empress.

With the accession to the throne of Anna Ioannovna, the influence and presence of foreigners greatly increased at the Russian court. By order of the Empress:

• in 1731 disbanded the Supreme Privy Council;
• the Governing Senate and the Office of Secret Investigation Affairs were restored. ● in 1731. The Cabinet of Ministers was established, placed above the Senate.

The reign of Anna Ioannovna entered the history of Russia as "Bironovshina". Everything was run by Osterman, Biron and Munnich. At their insistence

To earn the support of the nobility Anna Ioannovna:

• in 1731 repealed the Peter's law of 1714. about unity;
• in 1732 opened the first Cadet Corps who prepared the nobles for military and public service;
• in 1736 limited the compulsory service to 25 years.

October 5, 1740 announced Ivan, the son of her niece Anna Leopoldovna, who was extradited in 1739, as the heir to the throne. for the Brunswick prince Anton-Ulrich, and on October 17, 1740. Anna Ioannovna died of apoplexy and was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Ivan VI Antonovich (1740–1764) ()

Russian emperor, son of the niece of the Empress Anna Ioannovna. Imperial Manifesto October 5, 1740. was proclaimed heir to the Russian throne. After the death of Anna Ivanovna on October 17, 1740. a two-month-old child was elevated to the Russian throne under the regency of Biron. On November 9, as a result of the coup d'état organized by Minikh, the regency passed to his mother, Anna Leopoldovna.

Ivan Antonovich was overthrown as a result of a coup d'état on November 24–25, 1741. and expelled. In 1744, four-year-old Ivan Antonovich was isolated from his parents and placed under the supervision of Major Miller. In 1746 his mother Anna Leopoldovna died in childbirth.

In 1756 Ivan VI was secretly transported to the Shlisselburg fortress, where he was kept in complete isolation.

Upon accession in December 1761. Peter III, the guards of Ivan VI were instructed to kill him at the slightest attempt to free him. Under Catherine II, Ivan's detention regime became tougher.

On the night of 4 to 5 July 1764. was killed while trying to free him. The body of the former emperor is buried in the Shlisselburg fortress.

Elizaveta Petrovna (1709–1761) ()

She was born before the church marriage between Tsar Peter and Catherine, so she could not take the throne after the death of her mother.

Under Anna Ioannovna, Elizabeth was almost not interested in politics. After the death of the empress and the announcement of Ivan VI Antonovich as the new autocrat, she began to prepare for her ascension to the throne.

On the night of November 25, 1741, 32-year-old Elizabeth, with the help of the guards, carried out a palace coup and proclaimed herself the new queen. April 25, 1742 she herself placed the imperial crown on herself in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin.

Decree of November 12, 1741. she restored all the decrees of the time of Peter the Great, liquidated the Cabinet of Ministers, and restored the activities of many collegiums.

Under Elizabeth Petrovna was:

• the death penalty has been abolished;
• in 1747 the landowners were given the right, at their choice, to recruit peasants and sell them at retail;
• in 1755 the Moscow University was opened;
• in 1753–1754 internal customs were abolished, which gave impetus to the development of entrepreneurship and foreign trade;
• in 1754 Loan and State banks for nobles and merchants were established.
• in 1760 A decree was issued on the right of landowners to exile peasants to Siberia.

Under Elizabeth Petrovna in August 1743. Abossky peace was concluded with Sweden, according to which Russia received new lands in Finland. The Seven Years' War of 1756–1763 was also successful for the country: Russian troops entered Berlin. But February 5, 1762. The Empress died unexpectedly. She was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Her death saved Prussia from disaster: Elizabeth's nephew Karl-Peter-Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp (Peter III) ascended the throne, for whom Frederick II was an idol. He made peace with Prussia and returned to her all the conquered territories.

Peter III Fedorovich (Karl Peter Ulrich) (1728-1762) ()

Russian emperor. Born in the Duchy of Holstein (northern Germany). At the same time he was the heir to both the Swedish and Russian thrones. As heir to the Swedish throne, he was brought up in the Lutheran faith and in hatred of Russia. However, after the accession to the Russian throne of his aunt Elizabeth Petrovna, he was in early February 1742. invited to St. Petersburg and on November 15 declared her heir. Then he converted to Orthodoxy and received the name of Peter III Fedorovich.

In 1745c. married Princess Sophia Frederica Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst, future Catherine II.

After the death of Elizabeth Petrovna on December 25, 1761. Peter III ascended the Russian throne. Being an admirer of Frederick the Great, he publicly expressed pro-Prussian sympathies, thereby restoring the entire Russian society against him.

Peter III ended the Seven Years' War and returned to Prussia all the territories conquered by the Russian troops. He introduced the Prussian order in the army, which caused great irritation of the guard. This facilitated the coup d'etat, which had long been prepared by Catherine II's entourage.

On June 28, Peter III was forced to abdicate, he was arrested and sent to Ropsha, where he died on July 6 under unclear circumstances.

Peter III was buried in the Annunciation Church of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Catherine II Alekseevna (nee Sophia Augusta Frederica) (1729–1796) ()

Russian empress (from June 28, 1762-1796), the only Russian ruler who, like Peter I, was awarded the epithet "Great" in the historical memory of her compatriots.

In 1744 at the invitation of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, she arrived in St. Petersburg, and in 1745. was married to the nephew of Empress Peter Ulrich, the future Emperor Peter III.

Leaning on the guard on June 28, 1762. Catherine carried out a coup d'état, removed Peter III from power, declaring herself Empress Catherine II.

During her reign, Catherine II carried out many reforms:

• in 1762 opened the first Educational Home in Russia;
• in 1763 reorganized the Senate;
• in 1763–1764 carried out the secularization of church lands;
• in 1764 abolished the hetmanate in Ukraine;
• founded the first women's educational institution at the Smolny Monastery;
• in 1765 established the Free Economic Society;
• in 1766 began a general survey of Russian lands.
• in 1767 convened the Legislative Commission to reform the Russian legal system;
• in 1775 carried out local government reform;
• in 1785 granted the nobility a Letter of Complaint;
• in 1785 granted the Letter of Complaint to the cities;

Catherine II led an active foreign policy. As a result of two Russian-Turkish wars (1768-1775 and 1787-1791), the Azov region and part of the Black Sea, the Kuban and Crimea became part of the Russian Empire. Russia has advanced into the North Caucasus and Alaska. Participation in the three "partitions" of Poland (1773, 1775 and 1792) returned the western Ukrainian and Belarusian lands, as well as part of its northwestern outskirts, to the Russian Empire.

The life of 67-year-old Catherine was cut short by a stroke in November 1796. She was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Pavel I (1796-1801) ()

Russian emperor, son of Peter III and Catherine II the Great. An unloved son who lived alone at the court, Pavel Petrovich grew up impressionable, quick-tempered and suspicious of the people around him.

Paul I began his reign by breaking all the orders of Catherine's reign:

• canceled the Peter's decree on the appointment by the emperor himself of his successor on the throne and established a clear system of succession to the throne;
• restored the college system;
• made attempts to stabilize the financial situation of the country;
• forbade the landlords to send corvee on Sundays and more than three days a week.
• significantly narrowed the rights of the nobility.

Paul's foreign policy was inconsistent. In 1798 joined the second coalition against France, but already in October of the same year, Russia broke off the alliance with Austria, and Russian troops were withdrawn from Europe.

Two years later, he participated in the formation of the Northern Maritime League (Russia, Sweden and Denmark), which adhered to a policy of armed neutrality directed against Great Britain. He prepared a military-strategic alliance with Napoleon Bonaparte.

IVAN V ALEKSEEVICH(1666–1696), Russian tsar. Born August 27 (September 6), 1666. The son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich from his first marriage to Maria Ilyinichnaya Miloslavskaya. From early childhood he was sickly and weak-minded, besides, he was distinguished by poor eyesight. After the death of his elder brother, Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, on April 27 (May 7), 1682, the Naryshkin party achieved the removal of Ivan from the throne and the proclamation of Peter, the son of Alexei Mikhailovich from his second wife N.K. Naryshkina, as Tsar. However, the leaders of the Miloslavsky party (Tsarevna Sofya Alekseevna, I.M. Miloslavsky), together with I.A. Khovansky, having spread the rumor about his murder by the Naryshkins, provoked a streltsy revolt on May 15–17 (25–27), 1682. Although Ivan was shown to the archers, they brutally dealt with the main opponents of the Miloslavskys - Ivan and Afanasy Naryshkin, A.S. Matveev, G. Romodanovsky. On the initiative of I.A. Khovansky, who was appointed head of the streltsy army, the archers demanded that Ivan and Peter be elected as accompanying kings. On May 26 (June 5), a meeting of clergy and zemstvo officials proclaimed Ivan V the eldest, and Peter I the junior tsar. On June 29 (June 8), the regency power was handed over to Princess Sophia. On June 25 (July 5), both brothers were married to the kingdom. Although Ivan V soon came of age, he did not try to take away power from his sister and agreed with all her decisions.

(19) January 1684 Ivan V married Praskovya Fedorovna Saltykova (1664–1723); had five daughters by her.

In 1689, when Peter I began the fight against Sophia, she unsuccessfully tried to get the support of the archers and service people, spreading rumors about the threat to the life of Ivan V from his younger brother. Initially, Ivan obeyed Sophia, but then (under the influence of his uncle Prozorovsky) refused to support her against Peter. After the fall of the regent, Peter I formally retained the dual kingdom, promising Ivan to honor him as a father and elder brother; his name was invariably put in the first place in the royal charters. Ivan himself did not take any part in state affairs, limiting himself to performing ceremonial duties, and devoted most of his time to fasting and prayer. By the age of thirty, Ivan V looked like a decrepit old man. He died on January 29 (February 8), 1696 in Moscow and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral.

Of the daughters of Ivan V, three survived - Catherine (1692-1733), Anna (1693-1740) and Praskovya (1695-1731). Ekaterina Ivanovna in 1716 married Duke Karl-Leopold of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, from whom she gave birth to a daughter, Anna, mother of the Russian Emperor Ivan VI and ruler of Russia in 1740–1741. Anna Ivanovna occupied the Russian throne in 1730-1740. Praskovya Ivanovna, who entered into marriage in 1723 with Senator I.I. Dmitriev-Mamonov, left no offspring.

Ivan Krivushin

Ivan V

Biography of Ivan V - early years.
Ivan V was born on August 27, 1666, he was the middle son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Princess Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya. Almost from birth, Ivan V was very sickly and weak-minded, in addition, he was distinguished by very poor eyesight. Everyone around believed that he would not be able to rule the country. After his brother Tsar Fedor Alekseevich died, on April 27, 1682, at the insistence of the Naryshkin party, Ivan V was removed from the throne and Peter, who was the son of Alexei Mikhailovich and his second wife N.K., was proclaimed king. Naryshkina. But soon Princess Sofya Alekseevna and I.M. Miloslavsky, who were the leaders of the Miloslavsky party, together with I.A. Khovansky started rumors about the murder of Ivan V by the Naryshkins and were able to provoke a streltsy revolt, which lasted two days from May 15 to May 17, 1682.
Among the archers, discontent had been brewing for a long time, they were forced to pay dues and duties, they irregularly issued a well-deserved salary, which, moreover, was greatly reduced. Taking advantage of the disagreements among the boyars, the archers broke into the Kremlin with drumming and fluttering banners. With cries that the Naryshkins strangled Ivan, they rushed to the palace. And even though the archers were shown alive and unharmed Ivan and Peter, who were specially brought to the Red Porch, they brutally tore to pieces the main opponents of the Miloslavsky A.S. Matveev, G. Romodanovsky, as well as Afanasy and Ivan Naryshkin. Moscow for two days was completely in the power of the rebels, as a result of this rebellion, many boyars died. I.A. Khovansky, who was the head of the streltsy army, took the initiative, according to which the streltsy demanded that Ivan and Peter be elected co-rulers, and their sister Sofya Alekseevna ruled the throne during the early childhood of the kings.
As a result, all the requirements of the archers were satisfied, and on May 26, at a meeting of the clergy and zemstvo officials, Ivan V was proclaimed the eldest, and Peter I the junior tsar. A month later, Princess Sophia was appointed regent for underage tsars; on June 25, Ivan V and Peter I were married to the kingdom in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. A special throne was made for them, equipped with two seats, which is currently stored in the Armory. The throne was upholstered with velvet and decorated with precious stones and gold; a place was provided behind the throne for the educators of young kings. There was also another chair of a smaller size - for the patriarch. For two kings, two royal crowns, two scepters, two barmas, two pairs of royal outfits and two orbs were needed. Ivan Alekseevich was given the old regalia, and for Peter they decided to make new ones, and they made them so skillfully that it was impossible to distinguish where the ancient regalia were and where they were newly made. In the Assumption Cathedral, instead of three lecterns, there were six, and another additional elevation was also made. Patriarch Joachim performed the wedding ceremony, and during the ceremony, Ivan was given primacy, since he was the elder brother. In Russia, this was the final royal coronation, after which all subsequent coronations were called imperial. After some time, Ivan V became an adult, but, despite this, he did not make any attempts to take away power from his sister and was in full agreement with all her decisions. Sophia actually reigned on the throne, often resorting to the help of her favorites F.L. Shaklovitoy and V.V. Golitsyn.
Biography of Ivan V - mature years.
In January 1684, significant changes took place in the biography of Ivan V, he married Praskovya Fedorovna Saltykova, who eventually gave him five daughters. A few years later, Peter I began to confront Sophia, who, without much success, tried to gain the support of service people and archers and spread rumors that Peter I was threatening the life of his older brother Ivan V. At first, the weak-willed Ivan obeyed Sophia, but after some time due to influence exerted on him by Uncle Prozorovsky, he refused to support Sophia in her struggle against Peter. When the regent Sophia was removed from power, Peter I officially retained the dual kingdom and promised his older brother to respect him not only as an older brother, but also as a father. The name of Ivan V was put in the first place in all royal letters and documents. Ivan V himself is characterized by his biography as a person who was not at all interested in state affairs, and did not take part in them, was limited only to the performance of ceremonial duties and all his free time devoted to fasting and prayers. This indifference and aversion to state power is regarded by many contemporaries as a sign of obvious dementia, however, one should not underestimate the role of Ivan Alekseevich's reign for Russian state. Ivan V lived the longest life of all the sons of Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna. But by the age of thirty, Ivan Alekseevich looked like a pitiful, decrepit old man, was practically blind and was even stricken with paralysis. On January 29, 1696, he died suddenly in Moscow and was buried with solemn honors in the Archangel Cathedral.
The biography of the great Russian Tsar says that only three of the children of Ivan V survived: Praskovya, Anna and Catherine. Ekaterina Ivanovna was married in 1716 to Duke Karl-Leopold of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, from whom she gave birth to a daughter, Anna Leopoldovna, the mother of Emperor Ivan VI of Russia and Empress of Russia in 1740-1741. Anna Ivanovna headed the Russian throne from 1730 to 1740. And Praskovya Ivanovna in 1723 married Senator I.I. Dmitriev-Mamonov, who came from the ancient Russian family of Rurikovich and was deprived of his princely title. The young couple left no heirs. In addition to them, the great Russian Tsar had two more daughters, Feodosia Ivanovna and Maria Ivanovna, but both of them died in infancy from unknown diseases.

John V Alekseevich - Tsar and Grand Duke, was born on August 27, 1666, the son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and his first wife, Miloslavskaya. Ioann Alekseevich was a weak, sickly man, incapable of activity; he suffered from scurvy and an eye disease. After the death of Fyodor Alekseevich (1682), the Naryshkin party bypassed the legitimate heir to the throne, John Alekseevich, and achieved the proclamation of Peter the Tsar; but the archers soon revolted, influenced by the rumor that the Naryshkins had strangled Ivan Alekseevich. The prince himself did not play any role in the conspiracy and almost paralyzed the rebellion by assuring the archers that "no one is harassing him, and that he cannot complain about anyone." On May 28, having defeated the Naryshkin party, the archers demanded the accession of John Alekseevich. The council and the clergy and all sorts of ranks of the people of Moscow, under pressure from the archers, found dual power very useful, especially in case of war, and John Alekseevich was proclaimed tsar. On May 26, the Duma declared John Alekseevich the first, Peter the second king, and a month later, on June 25, both kings were solemnly married to the kingdom. In 1689, the name of John again served as a banner of struggle against the party of Peter. Sophia and Shaklovity tried to anger the archers with rumors that Lev Naryshkin broke the royal crown, threw logs into Ivan Alekseevich’s room, etc. In Sophia’s struggle with Peter, John Alekseevich at first stood on the side of his sister: on September 1, he treated her followers with wine from his own hands; but then, when Peter demanded the extradition of Shaklovity, John Alekseevich, under the influence of his uncle Prozorovsky, declared to Sofya that he "and for her the princess, not only for such a thief Shaklovity will not quarrel with his kind brother in anything." As under Sophia, so under Peter, John Alekseevich did not touch the affairs of government at all and remained "in unceasing prayer and firm fasting." On January 9, 1684, John Alekseevich married Praskovya Fedorovna from the Saltykov family and had daughters Maria, Feodosia, Ekaterina, Anna and Praskovya. At 27, he was completely decrepit, had poor vision, and, according to one foreigner, was stricken with paralysis. On January 29, 1696, John Alekseevich died suddenly and was buried in the Moscow Archangel Cathedral. See "Collection of State Letters and Treaties" (vol. IV); "Acts of Archaeological Expeditions" (vol. IV); "Historical Acts" (Vol. V); Gordon, Matveev, Zhelyabuzhsky, Neuville; "Letters of Peter the Great" (vol. I); "Palace Bits" (vol. IV); Golikov "Acts of Peter the Great" (vol. I); Solovyov (vol. XIII); Ustryalov "History of the reign of Peter the Great" (vol. I and II); Pogodin "17 first years of the life of Peter the Great"; Aristov "Moscow Troubles". N. P.-S.