Ivan V Alekseevich, short biography and history of government

Reigned 1682-1689

Years of life 1666-1696

Ivan V was the son of Alexei Mikhailovich. During the Streltsy uprising in 1682, organized by Miloslavsky, he was placed on the throne along with his brother Peter (they were half-brothers). Tsar Ivan was called the main tsar, but both of them had nominal power, since Ivan was sickly and unable to govern the state, and Peter was 10 years old. In fact, during the years of his reign, Princess Sophia ruled, who was also the daughter of Tsar Alexei. After its overthrow in 1689, Peter became the ruler.

This king almost did not take part in state affairs and did not leave a trace in history. He was not weak-minded at the same time, just his health was so bad that it did not allow him to fully engage in government (falling sickness, speech impediment, scurvy). He loved to attend church services. Ivan, surprisingly, was on good terms with both Sophia and Peter. In January 1684, Ivan was married to the noblewoman Saltykova. The organizer of the wedding was Princess Sophia, who counted on the birth of a son from Ivan, hiding behind whom it was possible to rule the state for a long time. The wife gave birth to 5 daughters, but did not give birth to an heir to the king.

Russian tsar in 1682-1696 from the Romanov dynasty

short biography

John (Ivan) V Alekseevich(September 6, 1666, Moscow - February 8, 1696, ibid) - Russian Tsar in 1682-1696 from the Romanov dynasty. Son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich the Quietest and Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya. Senior half-brother and co-ruler of Peter I. Father of Anna Ioannovna, Empress of All Russia.

When in 1682 his older brother, Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, died without leaving an heir, 15-year-old Ivan Alekseevich, as the next in seniority, was to inherit the throne.

Ivan Alekseevich was sickly from childhood and incapable of governing the country. Therefore, it was proposed to remove him and choose his half-brother, 10-year-old Peter, the youngest son of Alexei Mikhailovich, as the next king.

They said about Ivan Alekseevich that he was weak-minded, which, perhaps, was the result of an illness (epilepsy aggravated by scurvy, a chronic illness of the children of Maria Miloslavskaya) and the Naryshkins' slander, which they spread during a fierce struggle for power with the Miloslavskys. It is known for certain that, being in the very center of this struggle, Ivan Alekseevich never tried to take an active part in it and did not show interest in state activities. Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev, who was a younger contemporary of Ivan and one of the associates of Peter I, wrote about him as "a man of a contented mind."

Rise to power

Both brothers, one due to ill health, the other due to age, could not participate in the struggle for power. Instead, their relatives fought for Ivan - his sister, Princess Sophia, and their relatives Miloslavsky, relatives of his mother; for Peter - Naryshkins, relatives of the second wife of Alexei Mikhailovich. The case was not without a bloody riot of archers.

As a result, Patriarch Joachim proposed to proclaim both tsars at once: Ivan - the senior tsar, Peter - the junior tsar and appoint Princess Sofya Alekseevna as regent under them.

June 25, 1682 Ivan V Alekseevich and Peter I Alekseevich were married to the kingdom in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Moreover, the "senior" king was married with a genuine Monomakh's hat and a large outfit, and copies were made for the "younger". For them, a special throne with two seats was built, currently stored in the Armory.

Until 1689, the reign of both Ivan and Peter was nominal, in fact, power was exercised by Tsarevna Sofya Alekseevna, who relied on the Miloslavsky clan and on her favorites - V.V. Golitsyn and F.L. Shaklovity.

In 1689, the confrontation between Sophia and Peter came to a climax, as a result of which Sophia was removed from power. At this time, Peter sends a message to Ivan from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, in which he writes:

And now, my dear brother, the time will come for our two persons, the kingdom entrusted to us by God, to rule by ourselves, if you have come to the extent of your age, and we do not want the third shameful person, our sister, with our two male persons in titles and in the reprisal of deeds to be; your will, the sovereign of my brother, would have bowed to that, because it taught to enter into business and write in titles by yourself without our permission; besides, she also wanted to get married with a royal crown, for our final insult. Shameful, sire, at our perfect age, for that shameful person to rule the state past us! To you, sovereign brother, I declare and ask: allow me, sovereign, to me with my fatherly will, for best benefits ours and for the people's reassurance, not sending to you, the sovereign, to commit truthful judges on the orders, but to change indecent ones, so that our state will calm and please soon. And how, sir, brother, let us happen together, and then we will put everything on the measure; and I am ready to honor you, the sovereign brother, like a father.

At that time, it was very important for Peter to enlist the support of his brother, or at least his non-interference.

Participation in public affairs

Although Ivan was called the "senior tsar", he practically never directly dealt with state affairs, except for ritual ceremonies that required the participation of the tsar, and devoted himself entirely to his family.

Russian Tsar from the Romanov dynasty. Son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich the Quietest and Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya. Father of Anna Ioannovna, Empress of All Russia. Brother of Peter I.

Ivan Alekseevich was born on September 6, 1666 in Moscow. The boy grew up in the family of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna, nee Miloslavskaya. Like all the sons of Alexei Mikhailovich, except for Peter I, Ivan turned out to be very painful. When the elder brother, Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, died of an illness, the question of succession to the throne arose: whether to give the throne to the sickly Ivan Alekseevich or put the younger, Peter, on the throne.

At court, the interests of two parties clashed: the Miloslavskys and the Naryshkins, who represented the interests of stepbrothers from different queens. In 1682, the relatives of the second wife of Alexei Mikhailovich, Naryshkina, achieved the removal of Ivan from the throne in favor of Peter, the son of Alexei Mikhailovich from Tsaritsa Natalia Kirillovna Naryshkina.

In response, the Miloslavskys, led by Princess Sophia, spread the rumor about the murder of Ivan and provoked a streltsy revolt. Streltsy brutally dealt with the main opponents of the Miloslavskys. As a result, the conciliatory position of Patriarch Joachim triumphed: the reign of Ivan and Peter under the regency of Sophia.

The meeting of the clergy and zemstvo officials agreed to such a decision, declaring Ivan V the eldest, and Peter I the junior tsar. However, the "senior king" practically did not deal with state affairs, performing only ritual duties. From 1682 to 1689, Princess Sophia ruled for him, from 1687 to 1696 Peter I ruled.

By the age of thirty, he was completely paralyzed. It is interesting that Peter I, who treated Tsarevna Sophia harshly, never tried to get rid of his co-ruler brother. Until the natural death of Ivan Alekseevich, the two kingdoms were formally preserved in the country, and Peter I, having full power, fully complied with the promise given once in a letter to Ivan and emphasized the seniority of his brother in all ceremonies.

Ivan V Alekseevich died suddenly at the age of 30, on February 8, 1696 in the city of Moscow. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Family of Ivan V

Wife: (since 1684) Praskovya Fedorovna Saltykova (1664-1723), empress.

Children of Ivan V:
Maria Ivanovna (1689-1692), died in infancy;
Feodosia Ivanovna (1690-1691), died in infancy;
Ekaterina Ivanovna (1691-1733), princess, married to Duke Karl Leopold of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1678-1747), their daughter Anna Leopoldovna was the mother of Emperor Ivan VI Antonovich, who nominally reigned in 1740-1741;
Crown Anna Ioannovna (1693-1740), Empress of the Russian Empire in 1730-1740;
Praskovya Ivanovna (1694-1731), princess, married to general-in-chief Ivan Ilyich Senior Dmitriev-Mamonov (1680-1730), descended from an ancient Russian family, a branch of the Rurik family, which lost its princely title.

The essence of autocracy in Russia is flawed in its essence by the fact that the fate of a huge country depends on the personal qualities of a single person. The frank weakness of the heir, the lack of clear laws of succession to the throne - all this led to bloody confusion and the rise of selfish and greedy noble clans. Tsar Ivan the Fifth Romanov is an example of such a weak ruler who voluntarily withdrew from government and only watched the struggle for power.

A child at the center of a power struggle

In 1682, the Tsar of Russia died. He left no male descendants, and his younger brother was to inherit the throne. Ivan the Fifth Alekseevich Romanov was born in August, his father was Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, his mother was Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya.

The situation was complicated not only because of the tender age of Fedor's successor. The heir was a weak and sickly child, he suffered from scurvy, which many of his relatives suffered from, and did not see well.

Due to poor eyesight, he began his education later than other royal offspring. Also, many contemporaries spoke very unflatteringly about his intellectual abilities, almost openly calling him weak-minded. The biography of Ivan the Fifth is characterized not so much by his actions as by the events that unfolded around him.

From childhood, he preferred solitude and prayer to crowded receptions and meetings, never showing attention to state affairs.

An attempt to eliminate Ivan

A huge role in those years in Russia was played by the inner circle of the royal people, numerous relatives of the wives of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. On one side was the Miloslavsky clan, relatives of the first Empress Maria Ilyinichna. They were opposed by the Naryshkins, the most capable and energetic of whom was Ivan Kirillovich, the brother of Natalya Kirillovna, who was the second wife of Alexei Mikhailovich and the mother of Peter, who later became emperor.

The Naryshkins loudly declared that Ivan was physically incapable of governing the state and demanded the accession of Peter. A real scandal broke out, which some boyars and Patriarch Joachim tried to calm down. The latter suggested that the decisive question be submitted to the judgment of the people. On April 27, both princes - Peter and Ivan - were taken to the porch in front of Red Square, and a kind of voting took place. More cries from the crowd gathered in front of the Kremlin were for Peter, only a few voices were heard for the unfortunate Ivan.

However, the time of Peter the Great had not yet come, his ascension to the throne had to be postponed.

Streltsy rebellion

The imperious sister of Ivan did not accept defeat. She and her relatives Miloslavsky took advantage of the unrest that was growing among the archers. Their salaries were delayed, they were dissatisfied, and it was very easy to rouse them to rebellion. Sophia announced that the "traitors" Naryshkins strangled the legitimate Tsar Ivan the Fifth.

Misled, the archers with drumming and weapons in their hands burst into the Kremlin on May 15 and demanded the extradition of traitors. Trying to calm the angry soldiers, Natalya Kirillovna took both brothers to the porch to convince everyone of Ivan's good health. However, the archers, incited by the Miloslavskys, demanded the blood of the Naryshkins. Until May 17, the massacre continued, as a result of which all the Naryshkins were killed.

Taking real power into their own hands, the archers proclaimed Ivan the king, and Princess Sophia the legitimate ruler under the minor monarch.

Anointing on the throne of brothers

The boyars and the clergy had no choice but to recognize the accession of the sick and weak Ivan Alekseevich. However, they demanded the joint anointing of Ivan and his brother Peter to the throne. In Russia, a unique situation arose when two kings were legally placed over the country at once. The birth of this first tandem in the history of the country took place on June 25.

Especially for such an unprecedented occasion, a special double throne was built, with a secret room behind for Princess Sophia. During the coronation, Ivan got the original Monomakh's hat and vestments, and skilful copies were made for Peter.

Despite the fact that Ivan was not the sole autocrat, but had to share this burden with his younger brother, the real power in the country belonged to Sophia and Miloslavsky. All significant posts in the government were entrusted to their nominees. The Naryshkins were politically destroyed, and the dowager tsarina Natalya Kirillovna had no choice but to leave the capital. She retired with her son Peter to Preobrazhenskoye, where the formation of the future emperor began.

Under the control of Sophia

Having come to power on the bayonets of the archers, Miloslavsky and Sophia soon faced the fact that organized armed people felt a taste of power and realized their enormous influence on the rulers. For a long time, the archers raged in Moscow, they even swung at the reform of the church and religion. Falling under the influence of the Old Believers, they undertook a new campaign against the Kremlin and demanded the recognition of the "old faith".

However, Sophia called for help from the noble militia and the rebellion was suppressed. The archers sent their representatives to Sophia with a request for forgiveness, and she pardoned the rebels, setting the condition to no longer interfere in the affairs of the state. So in 1683, Sophia finally took all the power into her own hands.

Ivan the Fifth Romanov had already reached the age of majority by that time, but still eschewed government. His participation in political life was limited to formal representation at receptions and ceremonies. All real affairs were in charge of his sister and her favorites, among whom the greatest influence was enjoyed by Prince V.V. Golitsyn and the Duma clerk Shaklovity. Peter clearly disagreed with this position.

The formation of Peter

Being in Preobrazhensky, Peter did not waste time, devoting much time to his education and the creation of a faithful guard. The amusing battalions, created as training troops for the entertainment of Peter, became a real military force with which he could count on a return to power. From the place of his exile, Peter repeatedly wrote letters to Ivan, in which he urged his brother to remember his royal dignity and take control of the country in his own hands. However, the weak monarch could not do anything and spent all his time in prayer.

Princess Sophia, feeling the vulnerability of her position, tried to become a real autocrat and be officially anointed to the kingdom. However, a strong party of people loyal to him has already formed around Peter. Among them, the leading position was occupied by Lev Naryshkin and Prince B. Golitsyn.

The overthrow of Sophia

A good moment to seize power was ripe for 1689. Sophia's colleague V.V. Golitsyn organized a campaign against the Crimea, which ended in complete disaster and the defeat of the army.

Peter brought the Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky battalions into the capital and demanded an investigation into the reasons for the failure and punishment of those responsible. Princess Sophia tried to take advantage of the support of the archers and defeat Peter. She tried to mislead her brother Ivan and claimed that Peter wanted to kill him. He first believed his sister, but then took the side of his brother and supported him.

Peter won, a trial took place over V.V. Golitsyn and deacon Shaklovity. The first escaped with exile, and Shaklovity was executed.

In the shadow of a great brother

So, in 1689, the reign of Sophia came to an end, and Peter managed to win real power. Not wanting to give rise to further unrest and unrest, the future emperor assumed the formal seniority of his brother, and in all documents of that period, Ivan the Fifth's signature is placed before Peter's autograph.

In general, complete harmony and mutual understanding reigned between the two monarchs. Ivan the Fifth calmly gave real power into the hands of Peter, telling his loved ones that he was more worthy to bear the burden of the ruler. In turn, Peter did not mind that officially he was forced to share the crown with his brother.

This balance was maintained until 1696, when the monarch died, and his younger brother became a full-fledged autocrat. Many contemporaries note that already at the age of 27, Ivan looked like a decrepit old man, could hardly see and was partially paralyzed. At the age of thirty, he died, already completely exhausted.

In 1684, Ivan Alekseevich was ripe for marriage. Especially for this purpose, Sophia summoned to Moscow from Siberia the Yenisei commandant Saltykov, whose daughter was famous for her beauty and spiritual qualities. Young and inexperienced Ivan fell in love with Praskovya Fedorovna with all his heart and devoted almost all his time to his family.

Although sickly and weak, the king nevertheless proved to be a very prolific parent. In his marriage to Praskovya, he had five daughters. Their fate turned out to be curious.

Maria and Theodosia died in infancy. Praskovya Ivanovna will be lost in history. Anna Ioannovna would later become Empress of Russia, ruling a huge power for ten years. will become the wife of the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Their daughter will become the mother of an emperor who was never destined to rule the country, and who will rot in prison.

Russian Tsar (1682-96), son of Alexei Mikhailovich, brother of Fedor III and Peter I.

Of all the Romanovs, Tsar John (Ivan) Alekseevich is the most "faded" figure. Being a hostage of political intrigues, he practically did not take part in government and therefore left almost no trace in history. The reason for everything was the very poor health of the king. Sometimes in the literature you can find the assertion that Ivan was weak-minded, almost crazy. This is not true. The king was weak physically, but not mentally. Like his brother Fyodor, he suffered from scurvy and, like his younger brother Peter, epilepsy. One of the foreign travelers wrote that Ivan had seizures every month and, in addition, the king could not see well. Physical weakness also manifested itself in some kind of speech defect. An Austrian diplomat noted that the tsar "spoke in a weak and indistinct voice", and when he "got up to ask about the health of the emperor, he could hardly stand on his feet, and he was supported by two chamberlains under his arms." Usually, during official audiences, one of the boyars spoke instead of Ivan, reading out his speeches. From foreign evidence it also follows that Ivan was paralyzed. But this is hardly true, since the tsar was constantly present at church services and went on pilgrimages. He especially loved the Novodevichy Convent, where he stayed for a long time.

After the death of Fyodor, the Naryshkins proclaimed Peter the Tsar, and only the Streltsy rebellion and the performance of Sophia made it possible to restore justice, since it was Ivan who was the heir to the throne. However, many boyars, recognizing Ivan's inability to govern, "often sighed about it." On May 26, 1682, the co-government of two tsars, the "older" Ivan and the "younger" Peter, began in Russia. The last of the Russian tsars, Ivan Alekseevich, was crowned king with the famous Monomakh's hat (the so-called Monomakh's hat of the second outfit was made for Peter).

Ivan surprisingly maintained good relations with both Sophia and Peter. During the events of 1689, he took the side of his sister, forbidding military commanders to go to Peter in the Trinity Monastery. But then, when more decisive action was required, Ivan told Sofya that he would not quarrel with his brother in anything. When Peter returned to Moscow, Ivan met him on the porch of the palace. The brothers embraced, and Peter asked Ivan "to be his friend, and the one who answered him on behalf of his brother assured Peter of his friendship."

In January 1684 Ivan was married to Praskovya Fyodorovna Saltykova. This "first beauty of Russia", according to one Swedish diplomat, said that she would "rather die" than marry Ivan. But the wedding still took place. It was organized by Princess Sophia, who hoped for the birth of a son from Ivan, behind whose back she could rule the state for a long time. But Praskovya had five daughters.

Queen Praskovya belonged to an ancient noble family descended from the legendary Misha, the predecessor of the Morozovs, Shestovs, Tuchkovs and other famous families. Thus, the Saltykovs were, although distant, but relatives of the Romanovs through the mother of Mikhail Fedorovich, Ksenia Ivanovna Shestova. In addition, the Saltykovs became related to the princes Trubetskoy, Kurakin, Dolgorukov and other noble families. And then the famous associate of Peter, Prince-"Caesar" Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky, married Praskovya's sister Anastasia. They brought up Praskovya in the old Russian traditions. Adherence to these habits remained with her until the end of her life. But, unlike her husband's sisters, she never openly opposed Peter, which earned him his sympathy.

Moreover, Praskovya managed to maintain good relations with all her relatives, including the disgraced Tsarevich Alexei. However, she was absolutely indifferent to the then political struggle in the royal dynasty: the only thing that interested her was her own fate and the well-being of her daughters. Peter treated his daughter-in-law with respect and kindness, which did not prevent him from sometimes making fun of her way of life.

The queen was slender, tall and plump. Over the years, she became ugly and flabby, suffered from dropsy, walked with difficulty (at times she was driven in a wheelchair). Her character was calm, although at times there were outbursts of anger, then it was difficult for her to control herself. It is known, for example, that towards the end of her life she quarreled with all her daughters and even cursed them. Only on her deathbed did she forgive her middle daughter Anna, the future Russian Empress, and the other two remained to live under the mother's curse. In their sad fate, many saw the fulfillment of evil fate. In general, Praskovya was extremely religious, but from a purely ritual side. She devoutly carried out all church prescriptions, completely unaware of their essence. In addition, she was extremely superstitious. At her court, some soothsayers, sorcerers, sorcerers, beggars, wanderers, sick and crippled, fed from the bounties of the royal almshouse, constantly crowded. There were so many of this audience that Peter called Praskovya's court "a hospital of freaks, hypocrites and empty saints." The tsarina was especially respected by a certain half-mad clerk Timofey Arkhipych, who walked around the palace in dirty rags and pretended to be a prophet and almost a saint. At the same time, there were plenty of all kinds of jesters, dwarfs and fools, who with their rude jokes indulged Praskovya's unpretentious taste. All this audience was not only at the court of the queen in Izmailovo, but some of them even moved to St. Petersburg, continuing to receive handouts from the hands of their patroness there.

After the death of her husband, the tsarina and her daughters lived in Izmailovo, near Moscow, which still belonged to Alexei Mikhailovich. She managed the household well, although she spent a lot on contributions to monasteries and almsgiving. Praskovya was distinguished by her hospitality, she constantly hosted various guests, including foreigners. But in 1708, to please Peter, she, along with her daughters, sisters of Peter, the widow of Tsar Fedor - Marfa Matveevna, Prince Romodanovsky and other Moscow boyars, moved to St. Petersburg (although later she also visited Izmailovo). Here she even had to sail on ships on the sea - Peter taught his relatives "to the water." The tsarina's house stood on the banks of the Neva not far from Petropavlovka. It was there that she ended her life. Before her death, she asked to bring a mirror and looked into it for a long, long time. Peter personally ordered the funeral and arranged for his daughter-in-law a solemn and magnificent burial, which many people came to stare at.

A few years after the death of Ivan V, according to the "good tradition" established by that time, an impostor appeared who called himself Tsar Ivan Alekseevich. It turned out to be the son of a Siberian peasant from the Nizhneilimsk settlement - Ivashka Popov. But he did not have time to "turn around" in full force, in 1702 the adventurer was captured and beaten with whips. Then traces of him were lost. A little more successful was the fate of another rogue who appeared abroad. In 1747, a man of about forty came to the Russian ambassador in Istanbul, A.I. It turns out that even in childhood it was given by the queen to some Greek monk and a Dutch woman. In a woman's dress, they transported the boy to Astrakhan, and from there to the Middle East. For some time, allegedly, the "prince" lived in Damascus, then wandered for a long time until he found himself in the Turkish capital. But the Russian diplomats of that time "on the chaff" could not be spent. Neplyuev ordered the impostor to be arrested and flogged with rods until he told the truth. does not know. He blamed the monk and the Dutch woman for imposture, who revealed to him a "terrible secret." Neplyuev ordered "Fedok" to be shackled and sent to Russia under guard. But at the very first stop in one of the Turkish cities, the prisoner began to yell at the whole street that he wants to convert to Islam, and he is forcibly taken out of the country. The Turks, who fled to the screams, beat off the swindler from the Russian convoy. The officer accompanying "Fedka" tried to shoot him, but missed. The Turkish authorities refused to extradite the impostor to the Russians and sent him allegedly to homeland - in the city of Aleppo (Haleb).The further fate of this "Turkish subject" is unknown.