Romanov Aleksey Mihaylovich
Alexei Mikhailovich Tishaisky was the second Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty (ruled in 1645-1676), the son of Mikhail Fedorovich and Evdokia Lukyanovna Streshneva, the father of Peter I.
Early years and education
He was born on March 19 (29), 1629 in Moscow.
Alexey Mikhailovich began learning to read and write at the age of 5 under the supervision of boyar Boris Morozov. By his teenage years, he had collected his own library, which included:
"Lexicon";
"Grammar" (editions from Lithuania);
"Cosmography."
Tsarevich also had musical instruments, geographical maps, a horse and children's armor of the "German cause".
He ascended the throne at the age of 16 (in 1645).
The nature and features of the Board
His contemporaries noted his gentle, good-natured and religious character. However, at the beginning of his reign, he was heavily dependent on his tutor, boyar Boris Morozov.
Key events and reforms
The Salt Rebellion (1648):
it was caused by the imposition of a duty on salt, which exceeded the market price;
Morozov's house was looted, he himself was sent to the Kirillo‑Belozersky monastery;
The fee has been cancelled.
The Cathedral Code (1649):
a new code of laws;
legally established serfdom.
Military reform (1648-1654):
creation of new regiments: regiments of the raider, soldiers, dragoons, hussars;
involvement of European military specialists;
an increase in regiments of local cavalry, Moscow archers and gunners.
Patriarch Nikon's Church Reform (1653-1655):
bringing church rituals in line with the Greek tradition;
the split of the Russian Orthodox Church;
the tsar's conflict with Patriarch Nikon, who wanted to share power;
Nikon's condemnation at the Great Moscow Cathedral (1666-1667), his imprisonment in a monastery.
Foreign policy and wars:
the acceptance of Cossacks into citizenship (1653);
Russian‑Polish War (1654-1667): under the Armistice of Andrusovo (1667), Russia gained Smolensk, Kiev, and part of Ukraine east of the Dnieper;
Russian‑Swedish War (1656-1658), peace of Kardis (1661);
The Truce of Vilna (1656) with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Economic and social unrest:
The Copper Revolt (due to the unsuccessful monetary reform);
the uprising of Stepan Razin (1667-1671), suppressed in 1671.
Other achievements:
organization of a regular Moscow–Riga postal line (1665) for receiving European newspapers;
support of trade with the West.
Personal life
His first marriage (1648) was to Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya. Children: Dmitry, Evdokia, Marfa, Alexey, Anna, Sofia, Ekaterina, Maria, Fedor, Feodosia, Simeon, Ivan, etc.
His second marriage (1671) to Natalia Kirillovna Naryshkina, the mother of Peter I. Children: Peter, Natalia, Theodora.
The nickname "The Quietest"
There are two versions of the origin of the nickname:
It reflected the personal qualities of the tsar: kindness, gentleness, and religiosity.
It was a titular element, meaning that the monarch maintained order in the state (Latin clementissimus — "silence, prosperity").
Board results and death
Alexey Mikhailovich died on January 29 (February 8), 1676, of a heart attack and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. His son Fyodor Alekseevich became his heir.
The reign of Alexei Mikhailovich was marked by significant reforms, territorial acquisitions, but also social upheavals, which largely determined the further development of Russia.