The reign of the Romanov dynasty (1613-1917)
For 10 centuries, the domestic and foreign policy of the Russian state was determined by representatives of the ruling dynasties. As you know, the greatest prosperity of the state was during the reign of the Romanov dynasty, the descendants of an old noble family. Its founder is considered to be Andrei Ivanovich Kobyla, whose father, Glanda-Kambila Divonovich, baptized Ivan, came to Russia in the last quarter of the 13th century from Lithuania.
The youngest of Andrei Ivanovich's 5 sons, Fedor Koshka, left numerous offspring, which include such surnames as the Koshkins-Zakharyins, Yakovlevs, Lyatskys, Bezzubtsevs and Sheremetyevs. In the sixth generation from Andrei Kobyla in the Koshkin-Zakharyin family was the boyar Roman Yuryevich, from whom the boyar family originated, and later the Romanov tsars. This dynasty ruled in Russia for three hundred years.
Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov (1613 - 1645)
The beginning of the reign of the Romanov dynasty can be considered on February 21, 1613, when the Zemsky Sobor took place, at which the Moscow nobles, supported by the townspeople, proposed to elect 16-year-old Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov the sovereign of all Russia. The proposal was accepted unanimously, and on July 11, 1613 in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, Mikhail was crowned king.
The beginning of his reign was not easy, because the central government still did not control a significant part of the state. In those days, robber Cossack detachments of Zarutsky, Balovy and Lisovsky roamed Russia, ravaging an already exhausted state by the war with Sweden and Poland.
So, the newly elected king had two important tasks: first, the end of hostilities with neighbors, and the second - pacification of his subjects. He was able to cope with this only after 2 years. 1615 - all the free Cossack groups were completely destroyed, and in 1617 the war with Sweden ended with the conclusion of the Stolbovsky peace. According to this agreement, the Moscow state lost access to the Baltic Sea, but peace and tranquility were restored in Russia. It was possible to begin to lead the country out of a deep crisis. And then the government of Mikhail had to make a lot of efforts to restore the devastated country.
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At first, the authorities took up the development of industry, for which foreign industrialists were invited to Russia on preferential terms - miners, gunsmiths, foundry workers. Then the turn came to the army - it was obvious that for the prosperity and security of the state it was necessary to develop military affairs, in this regard, in 1642, transformations began in the armed forces.
Foreign officers trained Russian military men in military affairs, and “regiments of a foreign system” appeared in the country, which was the first step towards the creation of a regular army. These transformations were the last in the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich - 2 years later, the tsar died at the age of 49 from "water disease" and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin.
Alexey Mikhailovich, nicknamed the Quietest (1645-1676)
His eldest son Alexei, who, according to contemporaries, was one of the most educated people of his time, began to reign. He himself wrote and edited many decrees and was the first of the Russian tsars to sign them personally (others signed the decrees for Mikhail, for example, his father Filaret). Meek and devout, Alexei has earned the love of the people and the nickname Quiet.
In the first years of his reign, Alexei Mikhailovich took little part in state affairs. The power was ruled by the tsar's tutor, boyar Boris Morozov, and the tsar's father-in-law, Ilya Miloslavsky. Morozov's policy, which was aimed at increasing tax oppression, as well as the lawlessness and abuse of Miloslavsky, caused popular outrage.
1648, June - an uprising broke out in the capital, followed by uprisings in the southern Russian cities and in Siberia. The result of this revolt was the removal of Morozov and Miloslavsky from power. 1649 - Alexei Mikhailovich had a chance to take over the rule of the country. On his personal instructions, a code of laws was drawn up - the Cathedral Code, which satisfied the basic wishes of the townspeople and nobles.
In addition, the government of Alexei Mikhailovich encouraged the development of industry, supported Russian merchants, protecting them from competition from foreign traders. Adopted customs and new trade charters, which contributed to the development of domestic and foreign trade. Also, during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, the Moscow state expanded its borders not only to the south-west, but also to the south and east - Russian explorers explored Eastern Siberia.
Fedor III Alekseevich (1676 - 1682)
1675 - Alexei Mikhailovich declared his son Fyodor the heir to the throne. 1676, January 30 - Alexei died at the age of 47 and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin. Fyodor Alekseevich became the sovereign of All Russia and on June 18, 1676, he was crowned king in the Assumption Cathedral. Tsar Fyodor ruled for only six years, he was extremely not independent, the power was in the hands of his maternal relatives - the boyars Miloslavsky.
The most important event of the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich was the destruction of parochialism in 1682, which made it possible for not very noble, but educated and enterprising people to get promoted. In the last days of the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich, a project was drawn up on the establishment in Moscow of a Slavic-Greek-Latin academy and a religious school for 30 people. Fyodor Alekseevich died on April 27, 1682 at the age of 22, without making any order regarding the succession to the throne.
Ivan V (1682-1696)
After the death of Tsar Fyodor, ten-year-old Peter Alekseevich, at the suggestion of Patriarch Joachim and at the insistence of the Naryshkins (his mother was from this family), was proclaimed tsar, bypassing his older brother Tsarevich Ivan. But on May 23 of the same year, at the request of the Miloslavsky boyars, he was approved by the Zemsky Sobor "the second tsar", and Ivan - the "first". And only in 1696, after the death of Ivan Alekseevich, Peter became the sovereign tsar.
Peter I Alekseevich, nickname the Great (1682 - 1725)
Subsequently, Peter 1 became the greatest of all Russian sovereigns. He was distinguished by intelligence, will, energy, open-mindedness, purposefulness, curiosity, great efficiency. Peter, who did not receive the knowledge he needed in childhood, studied all his life. At the same time, he was hot-tempered, cruel and ruthless; he personally took part in torture and executions. Peter did not take into account the interests and life of an individual, therefore he did not hesitate to pass the death sentence even for his own son Alexei, who was accused of high treason.
During his reign, Peter I carried out radical transformations in Russia. As a result of the reform of the state apparatus, the place of the Boyar Duma was taken by the Senate, established in 1711 to manage all affairs in the event of the emperor's departure. Senate decisions were made by majority vote. 1721 - Peter approved the spiritual regulations, which completely subordinated the church to the state. The patriarchate was abolished, and the Holy Governing Synod was established to govern the church.
1703, May 16 - on one of the islands in the mouth of the Neva, by order of Peter I, the construction of the Peter and Paul Fortress began, which laid the foundation for a new city, named by Peter St. Petersburg. 1712 - Petersburg became the capital of the Russian state. In addition, Peter I created a regular army and navy … In 1721, Peter was awarded the title of Emperor of All Russia and Father of the Fatherland. In his desire to make Russia invincible, Peter was tireless, but his health deteriorated. 1725, January 28 - Peter I died due to a neglected illness. He was buried in the Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.
Catherine I Alekseevna
After the death of Peter I, two parties were formed at the court. One of them, which included Repnin, Golitsyn and the Dolgorukov princes, defended the rights of Peter Alekseevich, the young grandson of Peter I. But with the support of the Guards regiments Menshikov and Tolstoy elevated the widow of Peter I, Catherine to the throne.
The tsarina was also supported by influential members of the Synod - Theodosius Yanovsky and Feofan Prokopovich. The grandson of Peter the Great was declared heir to the throne. Ekaterina (real name Marta), daughter of the Lithuanian peasant Samuil Skavronsky, was the second wife of Peter I. When baptized into the Orthodox faith, she was named Ekaterina Alekseevna. Catherine had no political program and relied on her advisers in everything. Her reign was not marked by any special achievements. In the spring of 1727, Catherine fell ill with a fever and died on May 6.
Emperor Peter II (1727-1730)
The grandson of Peter I, the son of Tsarevich Alexei Peter II, ascended the throne. But he ruled for only three years, and in January 1730 he died of smallpox. The Romanov family in the male line ceased on it. After the death of Peter II, the Supreme Privy Council decided that the daughter of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich Anna Ioannovna, the widow of the Duke of Courland, should rule Russia.
And Empress Anna Ioannovna (1730-1740)
Anna Ioannovna did not receive a proper upbringing and education and remained illiterate all her life, her favorite pastimes were horse riding and hunting. After becoming empress, Anna began to elevate foreigners and persecuted the Russian aristocracy. In fact, all power in the state was in the hands of Chancellor Osterman and Anna's favorite Ernst Johann Biron, whom she summoned from Courland.
German Field Marshal Minich also became the head of the army. The maintenance of the courtyard was 5 times more expensive than under Peter the Great, despite the fact that the treasury did not have enough money. Nevertheless, some positive changes took place in the field of education: a gentry cadet corps was established for the nobility, a school was opened under the Senate for the education of officials, and a seminary for 35 young men was opened under the Academy of Sciences.
The reform of the postal service, as well as the creation of police in large cities, dates back to the same time. 1740, October 17 - at the age of 47, Anna Ioannovna died.
Ivan VI Antonovich (1740-1741)
According to her will, the throne passed to her nephew Ivan Antonovich, who was not yet a year old. However, a year later, on the night of November 25, 1741, with the support of the guards officers, the daughter of Peter I, Elizaveta Petrovna, made a palace coup and was proclaimed empress.
Empress Elizaveta Petrovna (1741-1761)
Elizaveta Petrovna was smart, kind, but frivolous and wayward, a real Russian lady who combined new European trends with pious patriotic antiquity. One of the first steps of the new government was the invitation from Holstein to the nephew of Elizabeth Petrovna Karl Peter Ulrich, grandson of Peter the Great, son of Anna Petrovna, sister of Elizabeth. The Empress declared him heir to the throne, baptized him, making him Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, and forced him to study the Russian language and the Orthodox catechism.
As for the empress's internal policy, it was rather conservative in nature. The biggest problem at that time was the state of state finances - after the reign of Anna Ioannovna, Russia could not make ends meet. Elizaveta Petrovna found a way out of the crisis. 1754 - The Senate adopted a resolution developed by Peter Shuvalov on the destruction of internal customs, which was an impetus for the development of the all-Russian market and helped to replenish the fairly empty treasury.
As for foreign policy, during the reign of Elizabeth, the international position of the Russian Empire was greatly strengthened. The Russian-Swedish war ended with the signing in 1743 of the Abo peace, according to which part of southern Finland was ceded to Russia. The Seven Years' War was also victorious for the state. Elizaveta Petrovna died on December 25, 1761 at the age of 53, and after her death, her nephew, Peter III, ascended the Russian throne.
Peter III (1761-1762)
Unfortunately, this representative of the Romanov dynasty was a complete ignoramus and even Empress Elizabeth was amazed with his ignorance. During his reign, no favorable changes occurred in the Russian Empire. As contemporaries testify, the murmur against Peter III was nationwide. The growing discontent resulted in a new conspiracy, ripening in the guards environment, the soul of which was the wife of Peter III, Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna.
Among the conspirators were the Orlov brothers, Alexei and Kirill Razumovsky, and Countess Ekaterina Dashkova. 1762, July - the Izmailovsky and Semenovsky regiments swore allegiance to the Empress. Catherine, accompanied by the guards, arrived at the Kazan Cathedral, where she was proclaimed the autocratic empress. On the same day, the Senate and Synod swore allegiance to Catherine in the Winter Palace. Peter signed his abdication and he was exiled to Ropsha, where he was kept under arrest, and Catherine II ascended the throne.
Empress Catherine II the Great (1762-1796)
She wanted to strengthen the autocracy, while eliminating the influence of the higher aristocracy and the guard. So, for example, the reform of the Senate, which was carried out in 1763, turned it from a legislative body to a judicial and supervisory body. 1764 - the empress formed a "commission to draw up a new code", in the work of which the nobles, townspeople, Cossacks and state peasants took part.
The commission in its activities was to be guided by Catherine's "Order". In 1775, the empress published the "Institution for the Administration of Provinces", the main provisions of which were to strengthen the state apparatus in the localities and increase the role of the local nobility. The strengthening of feudal oppression led to the fact that the growing discontent of the peasants grew into an uprising led by Yemelyan Pugachev, which ended in defeat.
But Catherine did a lot for Russia and a lot of good. During her tenure in power, measures were taken to improve health care. Orphanages were opened in Moscow and St. Petersburg, in which foundlings were educated. In St. Petersburg, closed institutes were established for girls-noblewomen and girls-townspeople. 1783 - the Russian Academy was reorganized, and Princess E. R. Dashkova became its president.
In foreign policy, the empress continued the endeavors of Peter I and was able to accomplish what the Moscow sovereigns had been striving for for centuries. Russia got access to the Black Sea, most of Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Courland. Catherine died on November 6, 1796, leaving the throne to her son Paul.
Emperor Paul I (1796-1801)
The policy of Paul I was aimed at destroying everything that was done by Catherine, which in turn caused a storm of indignation among the nobility. In the fall of 1800, a conspiracy arose against the emperor, in which Paul's associates and guards officers took part. On the night of March 11-12, 1801, the conspirators penetrated into the Mikhailovsky Castle, where the emperor lived, and killed Paul I. The official document said that the emperor had died of "apoplexy". Alexander I, the eldest son of Paul and his second wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna, ascended the throne.
Emperor Alexander I (1801-1825)
The first half of the reign of Alexander I was marked by moderate liberal reforms. Alexander granted freedom to the people exiled by Paul's order, issued a decree on the elimination of torture, and restored the effect of the Charters of 1785. All these measures, as well as the personal charm of the emperor, made him quite popular in Russian society. 1802 - Ministries and the State Council were established, in 1803 they issued a decree on free farmers.
In Russia at that time a system of secondary and lower educational institutions was created, Kharkov, Kazan, Dorpat and St. Petersburg universities were established. In foreign policy, in the first decade of the 19th century, Russia maneuvered between England and France. In 1805-1807 Russia took part in the anti-Napoleonic campaign, which resulted in the signing of the Peace of Tilsit in 1807, according to which Alexander I recognized all the conquests of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Both emperors pledged to be allies in the conduct of hostilities. However, in 1810 relations between Russia and France began to take on an openly hostile character. And in the summer of 1812, war broke out between the powers. The Russian army, having expelled the invaders from Moscow, completed the liberation of Europe with a triumphant entry into Paris in 1814. The successfully ended wars with Turkey and Sweden strengthened the country's international position. During the reign of Alexander I, Georgia, Finland, Bessarabia, Azerbaijan became part of the Russian Empire. 1825 - during a trip to Taganrog, Emperor Alexander I caught a bad cold and died on November 19.
Emperor Nicholas I (1825-1855)
After the death of Alexander, Russia lived for almost a month without an emperor. On December 14, 1825, the oath was announced to his younger brother Nikolai Pavlovich. On the same day, an attempted coup d'état took place, later called the Decembrist uprising. The day of December 14 made an indelible impression on Nicholas I, and this was reflected in the nature of his entire reign, during which absolutism reached its highest rise, spending on officials and the army absorbed almost all state funds. During the reign of Nicholas 1, the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire was drawn up - the code of all legislative acts that existed in 1835.
1826 - the Secret Committee was appointed to deal with the peasant question, in 1830 a general law on estates was developed, in which a number of improvements for the peasants were projected. For the primary education of peasant children, about 9,000 rural schools were set up.
1854 - the Crimean War began, which ended with the defeat of Russia: according to the Paris Treaty of 1856, the Black Sea was declared neutral, and Russia was able to regain the right to have a fleet there only in 1871. It was the defeat in this war that decided the fate of Nicholas I. Not wanting to admit the erroneousness of his views and beliefs, which led the state not only to military defeat, but also to the collapse of the entire system of state power, the emperor, it is believed, deliberately took poison on February 18, 1855.
Alexander II the Liberator (1855-1881)
The next from the Romanov dynasty came to power - Alexander Nikolaevich, the eldest son of Nicholas I and Alexandra Feodorovna.
It should be noted that Alexander II was able to somewhat stabilize the situation both inside the state and on the external borders. First, under Alexander II, serfdom was abolished in Russia, for which the emperor was nicknamed the Liberator. 1874 - a decree on universal conscription was issued, which abolished recruitment. At this time, higher educational institutions for women were created, three universities were founded - Novorossiysk, Warsaw and Tomsk.
Alexander II was able to finally conquer the Caucasus in 1864. According to the Argun agreement with China, the Amur Territory was annexed to Russia, and according to the Beijing Treaty, the Ussuri Territory. 1864 - Russian troops began a campaign in Central Asia, during which the Turkestan Territory and the Fergana Region were captured. Russian domination extended up to the peaks of the Tien Shan and the foot of the Himalayan range. Russia also had possessions in the United States.
However, in 1867 Russia sold Alaska and the Aleutian Islands to America. The most important event in Russian foreign policy during the reign of Alexander II was the Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878, which ended with the victory of the Russian army, which resulted in the proclamation of the independence of Serbia, Romania and Montenegro.
Russia received a part of Bessarabia, which was torn away in 1856 (except for the Danube Delta Islands) and a monetary contribution of 302.5 million rubles. In the Caucasus, Ardahan, Kars and Batum and their surroundings were annexed to Russia. The emperor could do a lot for Russia, but on March 1, 1881, his life was tragically cut off by a bomb from the terrorists of the People's Will, and the next representative of the Romanov dynasty, his son Alexander III, ascended the throne. Hard times have come for the Russian people.
Alexander III the Peacemaker (1881-1894)
During the reign of Alexander III, administrative arbitrariness increased significantly. In order to develop new lands, a mass resettlement of peasants to Siberia began. The government took care of improving the life of the workers - the work of minors and women was limited.
In foreign policy at this time, there was a deterioration in Russian-German relations and a rapprochement between Russia and France took place, which ended with the conclusion of a Franco-Russian alliance. Emperor Alexander III died in the fall of 1894 from kidney disease, aggravated by bruises received during a train accident near Kharkov and the constant excessive consumption of alcohol. And power passed to his eldest son Nikolai, the last Russian emperor from the Romanov dynasty.
Emperor Nicholas II (1894-1917)
The entire reign of Nicholas II took place in the midst of a growing revolutionary movement. At the beginning of 1905, a revolution broke out in Russia, which marked the beginning of reforms: 1905, October 17 - the Manifesto was issued, which established the foundations of civil freedom: the inviolability of the person, freedom of speech, assembly and unions. The State Duma was established (1906), without the approval of which no law could enter into force.
According to the project of P. A. Stolshin, an agrarian reform was carried out. In the field of foreign policy, Nicholas II took some steps to stabilize international relations. Despite the fact that Nikolai was more democratic than his father, popular discontent with the autocrat was growing rapidly. At the beginning of March 1917, the chairman of the State Duma, MV Rodzianko, told Nicholas II that the preservation of autocracy was possible only if the throne was transferred to Tsarevich Alexei.
But, given the poor health of his son Alexei, Nicholas abdicated in favor of his brother Mikhail Alexandrovich. Mikhail Alexandrovich, in turn, abdicated in favor of the people. The republican era has begun in Russia.
From March 9 to August 14, 1917, the former emperor and members of his family were kept under arrest in Tsarskoe Selo, then they were transferred to Tobolsk. On April 30, 1918, the prisoners were brought to Yekaterinburg, where on the night of July 17, 1918, by the decree of the new revolutionary government, the former emperor, his wife, children and the doctor and servants who remained with them were shot by the Chekists. Thus ended the reign of the last dynasty in the history of Russia.
M. Pankova
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