Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov (born on July 12 (22), 1596 - death on July 13 (23), 1645) - sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of All Russia. Board from February 21 (March 3) 1613 - to July 13 (23), 1645
During the Troubles
The father of Mikhail Fedorovich was Fyodor Nikitich Romanov, who later became Patriarch Filaret, married to Ksenia Ivanovna Shestova, from an ignorant family. Their son Michael was born on July 12, 1596.
1601 - Boris Godunov tonsured a monk with the name Filaret Fyodor Nikitich Romanov and exiled him to the Sofia Anthony Monastery, and his wife Ksenia tonsured under the name Martha and exiled to Zaonezhie, to the Yegoryevsky graveyard of the Tolvuiskaya volost.
Mikhail Fedorovich found himself with his aunt Martha Nikitichnaya Cherkasskaya on Beloozero, from 1603 he lived in Klin (the ancestral domain of the Romanovs), from 1605 - with his mother.
The first impostor elevated Filaret to the rank of Metropolitan of Rostov. His family was reunited and lived together almost until the end of 1608, and during the time of the Tushino thief, when Filaret was in his honorable captivity, in Moscow.
1610 - Filaret and Prince Golitsyn were sent to the Poles, who did not release him, and for the next 9 years Mikhail did not see his father. The future tsar and his mother were detained in the Moscow Kremlin and released from captivity only in November 1612, when they fled to Kostroma, living either in their own house or in the Ipatiev Monastery.
Promotional video:
Zemsky Sobor. Election to the kingdom
The Zemsky Sobor on February 21, 1613 elected Mikhail Fedorovich tsar. On March 13, ambassadors from the Cathedral arrived in Kostroma and the next day they were received at the Ipatiev Monastery. The nun Martha and her son resolutely refused to accept the Council's proposal, mainly because, as the mother said, “her son has no idea of being a sovereign in such great glorious states; he was not in perfect years, but in the Moscow state of all ranks, people became demoralized by their sins, giving their souls to the former sovereigns, did not directly serve.
After negotiations, which lasted six hours, mother and son, when they were threatened that God would exact upon them for the ultimate ruin of the state, agreed to accept the election of Mikhail Fedorovich to the royal throne.
1613, July 11 - the wedding ceremony of Mikhail Fedorovich took place in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. The reign of the Romanov dynasty began.
The beginning of the reign of the Romanovs
The young and weak-minded king was unable to do without the firm support of his relatives. Such was provided to him, and even excessively, by his mother, and upon his return from Polish captivity, also by his father. Vladyka Filaret was a man of tough and tough disposition, but the nun Martha was distinguished by an even more tough and domineering character. “It was enough to look at her portrait,” wrote the historian S. F. Platonov, “at the low drooping eyebrows, stern eyes, a large, crooked nose, and most of all, at the mocking and at the same time commanding lips, in order to form an idea of her intelligence, strong character and will, but these signs say little about gentleness and kindness."
Ksenia Ivanovna Shestova. King's mother
Having come to power, Mikhail Fedorovich was forced to take up the streamlining of internal affairs and the fight against external enemies - Sweden and Poland. In addition, many bandit gangs were calmly transferred from one end of the Russian land to another, plundered and rampaged, completely ruining the Moscow state.
The first task of the new government was to collect the treasury. The sovereign and the Zemsky Sobor sent letters everywhere with orders to collect taxes and state revenues, with requests for a loan for the treasury of money and everything that could be given. Particular attention was paid to the gangs of Cossacks and every other rabble. The struggle with Zarutsky was long, with the gang of which they were able to get rid of only in June 1614. And by the fall of 1614 they had dealt with the ataman Balovny and his gang on the upper reaches of the Volga. In the end, by 1616 they were able to weaken and disperse the most dangerous gang - Lisovsky.
The Zemsky Sobor of 1616 decided to impose a fifth money on all merchants and indicated to rich people what sums they needed to give to the treasury to wage war with external enemies. The Swedes owned Novgorod and the Vodskaya Pyatina and wished to annex this region to Sweden. In addition, they demanded that Russia recognize the Tsar of Moscow Philip, to whom the Novgorodians had already sworn allegiance. But most of all the Swedes were interested in preventing the Russians from entering the Baltic Sea. Therefore, they readily agreed to the mediation of England and Holland in the negotiations for peace.
The negotiations were often interrupted, in the end, they ended in eternal peace on February 27, 1617 in Stolbovo. The Swedes conceded to the Russians Novgorod, Porkhov, Staraya Russa, Ladoga and Gdov, and the Russians to the Swedes - the Primorsky Territory: Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye, Oreshek and Korel, while pledging to pay Sweden 20 thousand rubles. At the same time, the British, Dutch and Swedes secured important trade privileges for themselves.
It should be noted that because of these territories, after many years, Peter 1 will participate in the Northern War. The internal policy of the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty was still aimed at stabilizing life and centralizing power. He was able to bring harmony to secular and spiritual society, restore agriculture and trade, which were destroyed in the Time of Troubles, establish the first factories in the state, transform the tax system depending on the size of the land.
It should also be said about such innovations of Mikhail Romanov, as the first conducted in the state census of the population and their property, which made it possible to stabilize the tax system, as well as the power's encouragement of the development of creative talents. The Tsar gave orders to hire the artist John Deters and instructed him to teach painting to talented Russian students.
The calling to the kingdom of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov
Personal life
1616 - Tsar Mikhail Romanov, Tsarina-nun Martha, in agreement with the boyars, arranged a bridal show for the brides, the tsar should marry and show the power of the legitimate heir, so that there would be no troubles and unrest. It is curious that these brides were originally a fiction - the mother had already chosen a future wife for the sovereign from the noble Saltykov family. However, Mikhail Fedorovich confused her plans - he chose his bride himself. She was the hawthorn Maria Khlopova, but she was not destined to become a queen. In anger, the Saltykovs began to secretly poison the girl's food, and because of the symptoms of the disease, she was recognized as an inappropriate candidate. However, the sovereign boyar intrigues exposed and exiled the Saltykov family.
But the character of the tsar was too gentle to insist on a wedding with Maria Khlopova. He wooed foreign brides. Although they agreed to marry, but only on condition of preserving the Catholic faith, which was unacceptable for Russia. As a result, the noble princess Maria Dolgorukaya became the sovereign's wife. But literally a few days after the wedding she fell ill and soon died. The people called this death a punishment for insulting Maria Khlopova, and historians do not exclude a new poisoning.
1626 - the king was in his thirtieth year and he was a childless widower. Again, the bride was organized, again behind the scenes they chose the future queen in advance, and again Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov showed self-will. They chose the daughter of the Meshchov nobleman Evdokia Streshnev, who was not even a candidate and did not take part in the bride, but came as a servant of one of the girls. The wedding was played very modest, the bride was protected from assassination in all possible ways, and when she showed that she was not interested in the politics of Mikhail Romanov, all the intriguers fell behind the king's wife.
In family life, Mikhail Fedorovich and Evdokia Lukyanovna were relatively happy. The couple became the ancestors of the Romanov dynasty and gave birth to 10 children, although 6 of them died in infancy. The future Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was the third child and first son of the ruling parents. In addition to him, three daughters of Mikhail Romanov survived - Irina, Tatiana and Anna. Evdokia Streshneva herself, in addition to the main duty of the queen - the birth of heirs, was engaged in charity work, helping churches and poor people, building temples and leading a pious life.
Mikhail Fedorovich and Evdokia Streshneva
Death
Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov in the last months of his life was often ill. Walking and riding tediously affected him, the body weakened from a sedentary lifestyle. Apparently, the failure in the arrangement of the fate of the eldest daughter also affected him: the refusal of the Danish prince dealt him a heavy blow.
1645, July 12 - on his name day, Mikhail Romanov, overcoming his indisposition, got out of bed and went to church. But there he had an attack of suffocation. The king was transferred to the chambers. But towards evening he got worse. He moaned, complained of severe pain in his heart. He ordered to call the queen and son, 16-year-old Alexei. He blessed him with the kingdom, confessed to the patriarch and died quietly at three o'clock in the morning.
Foreign doctors who were involved in the treatment of the Moscow Tsar explained that his illness stemmed from "a lot of sitting", from cold drinks and melancholy …
Queen Evdokia was able to outlive her royal husband only for a few months. The successor of the Romanov family was the only son of Tsar Mikhail, 16-year-old Alexei: a year before his death, the autocrat publicly declared him the heir to the royal throne.
So, the reign of the first tsar from the Romanov family ended. Tsar Mikhail Romanov - the founder of the dynasty, who for 14 years shared power with his father, an unwitting monk and patriarch, came to power in a completely democratic way and marked the beginning of the long path of the Romanov dynasty. During his reign, the Moscow state was able to heal the severe wounds inflicted by the Time of Troubles, so much so that the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich could become quite successful for Russia both in internal and external affairs.
Of the significant deeds of the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov
1619 - the foundation of the Yenisei prison on the Yenisei River - the center of the Russian development of Eastern Siberia.
1620 - the foundation of the Pharmaceutical Order - the first state medical institution.
Construction in 1624-1625 Spasskaya (Frolovskaya) tower of the Moscow Kremlin by Russian architect B. Ogurtsov.
1627 - expansion of the powers of the elected zemstvo authorities and courts by limiting the power of governors.
1628 - foundation of the Krasnoyarsk prison on the Yenisei River.
1630 - the construction of the first iron-making plant in the Trans-Urals near Irbit.
1631 - Bratsk prison was founded in Siberia.
1632, February 19 - the letter of the tsar to the Dutch merchant A. Vinius for the construction of factories near Tula for casting cannons, boilers, forging "boards and rods", with exemption from duties and dues for 10 years. 1636, March 14 - the first iron was obtained at the Vinius factory.
1632 - Lensky prison (later Yakutsk) was founded on the Lena River.
1633 - the establishment by Patriarch Filaret of the Greco-Latin Patriarchal School in the Chudov Monastery in the Kremlin.
1633 - the discovery of copper deposits in the upper reaches of the Kama River and the construction of the first Pyskorsky copper smelter.
1634 - the publication in Moscow of the "Primer of the Slovenian language, that is, the beginning of teaching children" VF Burtsov-Protopopov - the first printed textbook published in Russia.
1635-1636 - the erection in Moscow by architects A. Konstantinov, B. Ogurtsov, L. Ushakov and T. Sharutin of the Kremlin Terem Palace.
1636 - foundation of Simbirsk and Tambov.
1636 - the beginning of the construction of fortifications of the Belgorod "notch line".
1639 - the oath of allegiance to the Russian tsar of the Kakhetian king Teimuraz I.
1640 - construction of the Oblique fort (the future Okhotsk) on the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk.
The first king of the Romanov dynasty died on 12 July 1645 and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.