When was the election of Mikhail Romanov tsar. The election of Mikhail Romanov as tsar and his first steps
The first Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, was born on July 22 (July 12, according to the old style), 1596 in Moscow.
His father is Fedor Nikitich Romanov, Metropolitan (later Patriarch Filaret), his mother is Xenia Ivanovna Shestova (later nun Martha). Mikhail was the cousin-nephew of the last Russian tsar from the Moscow branch of the Rurik dynasty, Fyodor Ivanovich.
In 1601, together with his parents, he was disgraced by Boris Godunov. Lived in exile. Since 1605 he returned to Moscow, where he was captured by the Poles, who captured the Kremlin. In 1612, freed by the militia of Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, he left for Kostroma.
On March 3 (February 21, old style), 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Romanovich to reign.
On March 23 (March 13, old style), 1613, the Council's ambassadors arrived in Kostroma. In the Ipatiev Monastery, where Mikhail was with his mother, he was informed of his election to the throne.
The Poles arrive in Moscow. A small detachment went to kill Mikhail, but got lost along the way, because the peasant Ivan Susanin, agreeing to show the way, led him into a dense forest.
June 21 (June 11, old style) 1613 Mikhail Fedorovich in Moscow in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin.
In the first years of Mikhail's reign (1613-1619), the real power was with his mother, as well as her relatives from the Saltykov boyars. From 1619 to 1633, the father of the tsar, Patriarch Filaret, who returned from Polish captivity, ruled the country. With the dual power that existed at that time, state letters were written on behalf of the Sovereign Tsar and His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
During the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, the wars with Sweden (Stolbovsky peace, 1617) and the Commonwealth (Deulinsky truce, 1618, later - Polyanovsky peace, 1634) were stopped.
Overcoming the consequences of the Time of Troubles required the centralization of power. On the ground, the system of voivodeship administration grew, the order system was restored and developed. Since the 1620s, the activities of Zemsky Sobors have been limited to advisory functions. They met at the initiative of the government to resolve issues that required the approval of the estates: about war and peace, about the introduction of extraordinary taxes.
In the 1630s, the creation of regular military units (reiter, dragoon, soldier regiments) began, the rank and file of which were "eager free people" and dispossessed boyar children, the officers were foreign military specialists. At the end of the reign of Michael, cavalry dragoon regiments arose to guard the borders.
The government also began to restore and build defensive lines - serif lines.
Under Mikhail Fedorovich, diplomatic relations were established with Holland, Austria, Denmark, Turkey, and Persia.
In 1637, the term for capturing fugitive peasants was increased from five to nine years. In 1641, another year was added to it. Peasants taken out by other owners were allowed to search for up to 15 years. This testified to the growth of feudal tendencies in the legislation on land and peasants.
Moscow under Mikhail Fedorovich was restored from the consequences of the intervention.
In the Kremlin in 1624, the Filaret belfry was erected. In 1624-1525, a stone tent was built over the Frolovskaya (now Spasskaya) tower and a new striking clock was installed (1621).
In 1626 (after a devastating fire in Moscow), Mikhail Fedorovich issued a series of decrees appointing persons responsible for restoring buildings in the city. Everything was restored in the Kremlin royal palaces, new trading shops were built in Kitai-Gorod.
In 1632, an enterprise for training in velvet and damask craft appeared in Moscow - the Velvet Yard (in the middle of the 17th century, its premises served as a warehouse for weapons). The center of textile production was Kadashevskaya Sloboda with the sovereign Khamovny yard.
In 1633, machines were installed in the Sviblova tower of the Kremlin to supply water from the Moscow River to the Kremlin (hence its modern name - Vodovzvodnaya).
In 1635-1937, on the site of the ceremonial chambers of the 16th century, the Terem Palace was built for Mikhail Fedorovich, all the Kremlin cathedrals were repainted, including the Assumption Cathedral (1642), the Church of the Deposition of the Robe (1644).
In 1642 construction began on the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles in the Kremlin.
On July 23 (July 13, old style), 1645, Mikhail Fedorovich died of water sickness. Buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
First wife - Maria Vladimirovna Dolgorukova. The marriage was childless.
The second wife is Evdokia Lukyanovna Streshneva. Marriage brought Mikhail Fedorovich seven daughters (Irina, Pelageya, Anna, Martha, Sophia, Tatiana, Evdokia) and three sons (Alexei, Ivan, Vasily). Not all children survived even to adolescence. Parents experienced the death of their sons Ivan and Vasily in one year especially hard.
Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov (1629-1676, reigned 1645-1676) became the heir to the throne.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. Born July 12 (22), 1596 in Moscow - died July 13 (23), 1645 in Moscow. The first Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty. Ruled from March 27 (April 6), 1613. Father of the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
Father - Patriarch Filaret, in the world Fyodor Nikitich Romanov (Romanov-Yuriev) (1553-1633), church and political figure, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1619-1633). Cousin of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich.
Mother - Nun Martha, she is also the great old woman Martha, in the world Xenia Ioannovna Romanova (nee Shestova; died January 26 (February 5), 1631).
Mikhail Fedorovich was a cousin of Fedor Ioannovich, the last Russian tsar from the Moscow branch of the Rurik dynasty.
The Romanov clan belongs to the ancient families of the Moscow boyars. The first representative of this family known from the annals, Andrei Ivanovich, who had the nickname Mare, was in the service of the Great Vladimir and Moscow Prince Simeon Ivanovich Proud in 1347. Under the Romanovs, they fell into disgrace. In 1600, a search began on the denunciation of the nobleman Bertenev, who served as treasurer for Alexander Romanov, the uncle of the future tsar. Bertenev reported that the Romanovs kept magic roots in their treasury, intending to “spoil” (kill with witchcraft) royal family. From the diary of the Polish embassy it follows that a detachment of tsarist archers made an armed attack on the Romanovs' compound. On October 26 (November 5), 1600, the Romanov brothers were arrested. The sons of Nikita Romanovich - Fedor, Alexander, Mikhail, Ivan and Vasily - were tonsured monks and exiled to Siberia in 1601, where most of them died.
Michael was born on the day of Saint Michael Malein, in whose honor he was baptized. Also, according to tradition, he was named after his uncle - Mikhail Nikitich Romanov.
Secular painting began in Russia: according to the sovereign decree on July 26 (August 5), 1643, a resident of Rugodiva painting master John Deters was admitted to the Armory Chamber, who taught painting to Russian students.
Death of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov:
Tsar Michael from birth was not distinguished by good health. Already in 1627, at the age of 30, Mikhail Fedorovich “mourned with his legs” so much that sometimes, in his own words, he was “carried in armchairs to and from the cart.”
He died on July 13 (23), 1645 from a watery disease of unknown origin at the age of 49. According to the doctors who treated the Moscow sovereign, his illness came from "a lot of sitting", from cold drinking and melancholy, "to put it mildly." Mikhail Fedorovich was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
In 1851, a monument to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich and the peasant Ivan Susanin was erected in Kostroma. The project was prepared by V. I. Demut-Malinovsky. In Soviet times, the monument was destroyed, only a granite pedestal was preserved, which was installed on the central square of the city in the “lying” position. On the eve of the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty in 2013, the former mayor of Kostroma installed a modernized version of the monument to Mikhail Fedorovich in the courtyard of his house.
The image of Mikhail Fedorovich in the cinema:
1913 - Accession of the Romanov dynasty - in the role of Mikhail Fedorovich, actress Sofya Goslavskaya;
1913 - Tercentenary of the reign of the Romanov dynasty - actor Mikhail Chekhov in the role of Mikhail Fedorovich;
2013 - The Romanovs - in the role of Mikhail Fedorovich, actor Andrei Shibarshin
Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov (born 12 (22) July 1596 - death 13 (23) July 1645) - Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke 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 Xenia Ivanovna Shestova, from an humble family. Their son Mikhail was born on July 12, 1596.
1601 - Boris Godunov tonsured Fyodor Nikitich Romanov as a monk with the name Filaret and exiled him to the Sophia Anthony Monastery, and tonsured his wife Xenia under the name Martha and exiled to Zaonezhye, to the Yegoryevsky churchyard of the Tolvui volost.
Mikhail Fedorovich ended up with his aunt Martha Nikitichnaya Cherkasskaya on Beloozero, from 1603 he lived in Klin (the Romanovs' ancestral home), from 1605 - with his mother.
The first impostor elevated Filaret to the rank of Metropolitan of Rostov. His family was reunited and almost until the end of 1608 lived together, and at the time when Filaret was in his honorable captivity - in Moscow.
1610 - Filaret and Prince Golitsyn were sent to the Poles, who did not let him go, 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 retired to Kostroma, living then in own house, then in the Ipatiev Monastery.
Zemsky Sobor. Election to the kingdom
On February 21, 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Fedorovich as tsar. On March 13, ambassadors from the Council arrived in Kostroma and the next day they were received at the Ipatiev Monastery. Nun Martha and her son resolutely refused to accept the proposal of the Council, mainly because, as the mother said, “her son has no idea of being a sovereign in such great glorious states; he's not in perfect years, and the Muscovite state of all ranks, because of sins, people were exhausted, giving their souls to the former sovereigns, they did not directly serve.
After negotiations that lasted six hours, mother and son, when they were threatened that God would punish them for the final ruin of the state, agreed to accept the election of Mikhail Fedorovich to the royal throne.
1613, July 11 - in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, the wedding to the kingdom of Mikhail Fedorovich took place. The Romanov dynasty began.
The beginning of the reign of the Romanovs
Xenia Ivanovna Shestova. The king's mother
The young and weak-willed king was unable to do without the firm support of his relatives. This was provided to him, and even excessively, by his mother, and upon his return from Polish captivity, by his father. Vladyka Filaret was a man of a tough and tough temper, but nun Martha was distinguished by an even tougher and more domineering character. “It was enough to look at her portrait,” wrote the historian S.F. Platonov, “at low eyebrows, stern eyes, a large, hooked nose, and most of all at mocking and at the same time imperious lips, in order to get an idea of her mind, strong character and will, but these signs say little about gentleness and kindness.
Having come to power, Mikhail Fedorovich was forced to start streamlining internal affairs and fighting external enemies - Sweden and Poland. In addition, many gangs of robbers calmly moved from one edge of the Russian land to another, robbed and committed excesses, completely ruining the Muscovite 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 all other rabble. The struggle with Zarutsky was long, with the gang of which they were able to deal only in June 1614. And by the autumn of 1614 they 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 levy the fifth money on all merchants and indicated to rich people what sums they needed to give to the treasury in order to wage war against external enemies. The Swedes owned Novgorod and the Vodskaya Pyatina and wanted to annex this region to Sweden. In addition, they demanded that Russia recognize Prince Philip as the Tsar of Moscow, to whom the Novgorodians had already sworn allegiance. But most of all, the Swedes were interested in preventing the Russians from reaching the Baltic Sea. Therefore, they willingly agreed to the mediation of England and Holland in the peace negotiations.
Negotiations were often interrupted, in the end, they ended in eternal peace on February 27, 1617 in Stolbov. The Swedes conceded Novgorod, Porkhov to the Russians, Staraya Russa, Ladoga and Gdov, and the Russians to the Swedes - the Primorsky Territory: Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye, Oreshek and Korela, while pledging to pay Sweden 20 thousand rubles. At the same time, the British, Dutch and Swedes secured important trading privileges for themselves.
It should be noted that because of these territories many years later it will participate in the Northern War. Domestic politics the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty was still aimed at stabilizing life and centralizing power. He was able to bring harmony to the secular and spiritual society, to restore Agriculture and trade, which were destroyed in the Time of Troubles, to establish the first factories in the state, to transform the tax system depending on the size of the land.
It should also be said about such innovations by Mikhail Romanov as the first census of the population and their property carried out in the state, which made it possible to stabilize the tax system, as well as encouraging development by the state. creative talents. The tsar ordered to hire the artist John Deters and instructed him to teach painting to capable Russian students.
The call to the kingdom of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov
Personal life
1616 - to Tsar Mikhail Romanov, the Queen-nun Martha, in agreement with the boyars, arranged the bride's bride, it was fitting for the tsar to marry and show the rightful heir to the power, so that there would be no troubles and unrest. It is curious that these brides were originally a fiction - the mother had already chosen for the sovereign future wife 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 unsuitable candidate. However, the sovereign uncovered the boyar intrigues and exiled the Saltykov family.
But the character of the king was too soft to insist on a wedding with Maria Khlopova. He married foreign brides. Although they agreed to marriage, but only on the condition of maintaining the Catholic faith, which turned out to be unacceptable for Russia. As a result, the well-born Princess Maria Dolgorukaya became the sovereign's wife. But just a few days after the wedding, she fell ill and died soon after. The people called this death a punishment for insulting Maria Khlopova, and historians do not exclude a new poisoning.
1626 - the tsar was in his thirtieth year and he was a childless widower. Again bride-to-be was organized, again behind the scenes the future queen was chosen in advance, and again Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov showed self-will. They chose the daughter of the Meshchovsky nobleman Evdokia Streshneva, who was not even a candidate and did not take part in the bride, but arrived as a servant of one of the girls. The wedding was played very modestly, the bride was guarded from assassination by all possible ways, and when she showed that she was not interested in the politics of Mikhail Romanov, all the intriguers fell behind the tsar's wife.
AT family life Mikhail Fedorovich and Evdokia Lukyanovna were relatively happy. The family couple became the founders of the Romanov dynasty and produced 10 children, although 6 of them died in infancy. The future Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was the third child and the first son ruling parents. In addition to him, three daughters of Mikhail Romanov survived - Irina, Tatyana 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 churches and leading a pious life.
Mikhail Fedorovich and Evdokia Streshneva
Death
Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was often ill in the last months of his life. Walking and riding had a tiring effect on him, his body weakened from a sedentary lifestyle. Apparently, the failure in arranging the fate of his eldest daughter also had an effect on him: the refusal of the Danish prince dealt him a heavy blow.
1645, July 12 - on the day of his name day, Mikhail Romanov, having overcome his malaise, got out of bed and went to church. But there he had an attack of suffocation. The king was transferred to the chambers. But by evening he got worse. He groaned and complained of severe pain in his heart. He ordered to call the queen and son, 16-year-old Alexei. He blessed him for the kingdom, confessed to the patriarch, and at the third hour of the night he died quietly.
Foreign doctors who treated the Moscow tsar explained that his illness came from “many sitting”, from cold drinking and melancholy ...
Queen Evdokia was able to outlive her royal husband by only 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 declared him publicly the heir to the royal throne.
Thus, the reign of the first tsar of the Romanov family ended. Tsar Mikhail Romanov, the founder of the dynasty, who shared power for 14 years with his father, an involuntary monk and patriarch, came to power in a completely democratic way and laid the foundation for a long journey. During his reign, the Muscovite state was able to heal the severe wounds caused by Time of Troubles, so much so that the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich could become quite successful for Russia both in internal and external affairs.
From the significant cases 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 elected zemstvo authorities and courts by limiting the power of governors.
1628 - the foundation of the Krasnoyarsk prison on the Yenisei River.
1630 - the construction of the first ironworks in the Trans-Urals near Irbit.
1631 - Bratsky prison was founded in Siberia.
1632, February 19 - a charter 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 plant.
1632 - Lena Ostrog (later Yakutsk) was founded on the Lena River.
1633 - the establishment of the Greek-Latin patriarchal school by Patriarch Philaret in the Miracle Monastery in the Kremlin.
1633 - discovery of copper deposits in the upper reaches of the Kama River and the construction of the first Pyskorsky copper smelter.
1634 - publication in Moscow of the “Primer of the Slovene language, that is, the beginning of teaching for children” by V.F. Burtsov-Protopopov - the first printed textbook published in Russia.
1635–1636 - construction in Moscow by architects A. Konstantinov, B. Ogurtsov, L. Ushakov and T. Sharutin of the Kremlin Terem Palace.
1636 - the foundation of Simbirsk and Tambov.
1636 - the beginning of the construction of defensive structures 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 Ostrog (future Okhotsk) on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.
The first tsar of the Romanov dynasty died on July 12, 1645 and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
Russia rarely remembers this tsar. In fact, once every hundred years, when the anniversaries of the Romanov dynasty are celebrated.
So, on February 21 (according to the new style - March 3), the Zemsky Sobor elects a new tsar - Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. The chosen one was sixteen years old. He had a chance to reign for a long time, as in a fairy tale - thirty years and three years. Those were the difficult years of the repeated strengthening of the Muscovite state. That Holy Russia, which we know from folklore - with towers, temples, with solemn royal and boyar vestments - this is just the era of the first Romanovs, Mikhail and Alexei. Moscow aesthetics has become classic, cherished for our country.
The magnificent vestments of Ivan the Terrible and Theodore Ivanovich were put on a beardless young man, somewhat confused ...
Timidity, indecision, so natural for a young man, turned out to be timely for political reality. In the years of overcoming the turmoil, the sovereign's excessive ambitions would certainly have gone to the detriment. Sometimes you need to be able to grit your teeth and give up positions, holding back pride and ambition. Russia received such a king who could not harm the state, which was coming to its senses after the turmoil.
It is believed that in the first years of his reign, Mikhail Fedorovich was under the influence of his mother, the imperious nun Martha.
The king really surprisingly rarely showed willfulness, and compromises were given to him, at first glance, easily. The historian Nikolai Kostomarov complained that there were no bright personalities around the young tsar - only limited ignoramuses. “Michael himself was by nature kind, but, it seems, of a melancholic disposition, not gifted with brilliant abilities, but not devoid of intelligence; but he did not receive any education and, as they say, having ascended the throne, he could hardly read. Well, Kostomarov's optics are eternally derogatory towards Russia. From his writings it is impossible to understand how such barbarian state persisted and intensified?
But Tsar Michael began to rule in a desperate situation: the treasury was plundered, the cities were ruined. What to collect taxes from? What to feed the army? The cathedral recognized the need for an emergency (in addition to taxes) collection of the fifth money, and not even from income, but from each property in the cities, from the counties - 120 rubles per plow. This maneuver, burdensome for the people, had to be repeated twice more during the years of Michael's reign. And, although the people were slowly getting richer, each time less money came to the treasury. Apparently, wealthy people got the hang of hiding from this murderous tax.
Oath of the People to Tsar Mikhail Romanov. Miniature from "The Book of the Election of the Great Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke Mikhail Fedorovich"
In 1620, the government sent letters in which, under pain of severe punishment, it was forbidden for governors and clerks to take bribes, and for city and county residents to give them. Timely action!
In every way the tsar tried to support Russian business people, boldly introduced protective measures. But the Russian merchants became impoverished during the war years: foreigners had to be invited for large projects. The Dutch merchant Vinius set up factories near Tula for casting cannons, cannonballs, and making various other things out of iron. The government strictly monitored that foreigners did not hide the secrets of craftsmanship from Russians. At the same time, morals remained strict: for example, they cut their noses for using tobacco - just like in our time. Under Tsar Mikhail, not only military men, not only craftsmen and breeders were summoned from abroad: scientists were needed, and in 1639 the famous Holstein scientist Adam Olearius, an astronomer, geographer and geometer, was summoned to Moscow.
In his personal life, the young tsar considered it good to obey his mother - and in vain ... This was tragically manifested in the story of his failed marriage with Maria Khlopova, whom Mikhail loved, but twice upset the wedding, succumbing to the intrigues of relatives. Martha found her son a more suitable, as it seemed to her, bride - Maria Dolgoruky. But she fell mortally ill a week after the wedding - and in this they saw God's punishment for the cruel insult inflicted on the innocent Khlopova ...
In 1619, Filaret (Fyodor) Romanov, the patriarch and "great sovereign", returned to Russia from Polish captivity. He became co-ruler of his son - and the revival of Russia after the turmoil was in to a large extent merit of Patriarch Filaret.
No matter how peaceful young Michael was, Russia waged wars incessantly. It was necessary to calm the Swedes, and calm the raging Cossacks, and return Smolensk from the Poles.
First, troops were sent against the Poles under the leadership of D. M. Cherkassky, D. T. Trubetskoy went against the Swedes near Novgorod, and south near Astrakhan, against Zarutsky - I. N. Odoevsky. main task it was not possible to solve: Smolensk remained in the power of the Poles.
Mikhail himself did not have a soul to feats of arms. On the other hand, like Tsar Theodore Ioannovich, he attended divine services daily, went on a pilgrimage several times a year, toured monasteries, and participated in public church ceremonies.
The English king assumed the role of mediator in the negotiations between Russia and Sweden, and in February 1617 the Stolbovsky peace treaty was signed. According to it, Russia lost the entire Baltic coast, for which there was a struggle throughout the entire 16th century, but received back primordially Russian lands, including Novgorod, which was vital for the kingdom.
At the same time, when the British turned to Mikhail with a request to be allowed to travel through the territory of Russia to Persia for trade, he, after conferring with the merchants, refused ... The British did not want to pay the duty: and the king had enough restraint to show inflexibility. Trade with Persia was of interest to both the French and the Dutch. The French ambassadors turned to Mikhail Fedorovich with the following proposal:
"Royal Majesty is the head of eastern country and over the Greek faith, and Louis, the king of France, is the chief in the southern country, and when the king is with the king in friendship and alliance, then the royal enemies will lose much power; the emperor of Germany is at one with the king of Poland—so the tsar must be at one with the king of France. The king of France and the royal majesty are glorious everywhere, there are no other such great and strong sovereigns, their subjects are obedient to him in everything, not like the English and Brabantians; what they want, “they do that, that they buy cheap goods in Spanish land and sell them to the Russians at a high price, and the French will sell everything cheaply.”
Despite these well-articulated promises, the boyars denied the ambassador Persian trade, noting that the French could buy Persian goods from Russian merchants.
The Dutch and Danish ambassadors received the same refusal. Such was the policy of Tsar Michael.
The development of Siberia continued. In 1618, the Russian people reached the Yenisei and founded the future Krasnoyarsk. In 1622, an archdiocese was established in the wealthy Tobolsk.
In 1637, the Cossacks, led by Ataman Mikhail Tatarinov, captured Azov, a strategically important Turkish fortress at the mouth of the Don. Initially, there were only three thousand Cossacks with four falconets (a type of small-caliber cannon), while the Azov garrison numbered four thousand Janissaries, had powerful artillery, large supplies of food, gunpowder and other things necessary for a long defense. After a two-month siege, the Cossacks, a little over three thousand in number, went on the attack and stormed the fortress, completely destroying the Turkish garrison.
The Cossacks quickly settled in Azov, restored the buildings, organized the defense of the fortress, and sent envoys to Moscow to brow the Sovereign of All Russia and ask Him to take Azov-city under his high hand.
But Moscow was in no hurry to rejoice: the capture of Azov inevitably led to a war with Turkey, which at that time was the most powerful state in the world. “You, chieftains and Cossacks, did not do it by deed, that the Turkish ambassador with all the people was beaten with arbitrariness. Nowhere is it conducted to beat the ambassadors; although where there is war between sovereigns, here the ambassadors do their job, and no one beats them. You took Azov without our royal command, and you didn’t send atamans and good Cossacks to us, whom to really ask how things should be in the future, ”such was the royal answer.
Undoubtedly, it was beneficial for Moscow to take possession of Azov: from here it was possible to keep in fear Crimean Tatars, but the king did not want a war with the Sultan and hastened to send him a letter. It, among other things, said: “You, our brother, should not keep vexation and dislike on us because the Cossacks killed your envoy and took Azov: they did this without our command, arbitrariness, and we for such thieves in no way we stand, and we don’t want any quarrels for them, although you order them to beat all their thieves in one hour; We want to be in strong brotherly friendship and love with Your Sultan's Majesty.
To the demand of the Turkish ambassadors to return Azov, Mikhail Fedorovich replied that the Cossacks, although they are Russian people, are free, they do not obey him, and he has no power over them, and if the Sultan wants, then let him punish them as best he can. From June 24, 1641 to September 26, 1642, that is, for more than a year, the Turks besieged Azov. Tens of thousands of Turks found their end near Azov. Exhausted from desperate attempts to defeat the Cossacks, they lifted the siege and went home.
At the Zemsky Sobor, elected people expressed their intention to accept Azov. But the final word was left to the political elite and, of course, to the autocrat.
Nevertheless, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, wanting to avoid a war with Turkey, was forced to give up the glorious fortress. On April 30, 1642, the tsar sent an order to the Cossacks to leave Azov. They razed it to the ground, left no stone unturned, and retreated with their heads held high. When a huge Turkish army came to take Azov from the Cossacks, they saw only piles of ruins. The Russian ambassadors sent to Constantinople were ordered to tell the Sultan: “You yourself truly know that the Don Cossacks have long been thieves, runaway serfs, live on the Don, escaping the death penalty, do not obey the royal command in anything, and they took Azov without the royal command , the royal majesty did not send help to them, the sovereign will not stand forward for them and help them, - he does not want any quarrels because of them.
Whatever the autocrat went to in order to maintain balance in the country, so as not to plunge the kingdom into a bloody war. It is a pity that the country could not support the feat of the Cossacks, but, in a strategic sense, the king was not mistaken. And in the people's memory, the capture of Azov and the heroic "sitting" under siege remained as the most striking event of the time of Tsar Michael. Feat!
A new war with the Poles for Smolensk began in 1632 with success: twenty cities surrendered to the army led by Mikhail Shein. There were many foreign mercenaries in this army. But the Poles soon came to their senses and, with the help of the Crimean hordes, demoralized Russian army. The army could not withstand a long siege: illnesses, desertions, bloody squabbles between officers, including foreign ones, began. The Poles managed to hit the rear, destroy the carts in Dorogobuzh ...
In the end, Shein and the second governor, Izmailov, were beheaded: the unlucky commanders were accused of betrayal. At the new negotiations, the Poles remembered the long-standing oath of the Russian boyars to King Vladislav ... Under the new treaty, the Poles renounced their claims to the Moscow throne. The war did not lead to anything: Russia conquered only one city - Serpeisk. True, the regiments of the new system showed themselves well in hostilities - and their formation was continued.
They said about Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich: "Without boyar advice, he cannot do anything." The events of the Time of Troubles led Russia to the realization of a simple truth: it is impossible to rule the kingdom alone. Here is the first Romanov and tried to impose collective management. First of all, with the help of the boyars. But he did not forget about nobles and merchants. And the Zemsky Sobor gathered repeatedly ... In a word, he tried to rely on his subjects, and not keep them in a clenched fist.
In the third marriage, the king found personal happiness and became a father of many children. The main event in his family life was the birth of an heir - the eldest son Alexei. The life of the tsar took place in the atmosphere of the old Russian court - peculiarly refined.
In the palace there was an organ with a nightingale and a cuckoo singing with their own voices. The organist Anse Lun was ordered to teach the Russian people how to make such “stirrups”. The king was entertained by harpists, violinists, and storytellers. He loved to visit the menagerie and the kennel, took care of the gardens.
In April 1645, Mikhail Fedorovich fell seriously ill. He was treated by foreign doctors. In June, the patient felt better. The 12th of June was coming, the day of memory of St. Michael Malein and the royal name day. The pious sovereign wanted to celebrate matins in the Annunciation Cathedral, but during the service he fainted, and he was carried in his arms to the bedchamber. The next night, "realizing his departure to God," the tsar called the tsarina, the son of Alexei, the patriarch and the boyars near him. Saying goodbye to the queen, he blessed Tsarevich Alexei for the kingdom and, having communed the holy mysteries, quietly died. He was buried, like almost all Moscow sovereigns, in the Kremlin's Archangel Cathedral.
1. Crying with great anger
The tsar was Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, who was nicknamed by the people "The Meek", that is, peace-loving, since during his reign the long-awaited peace came to Russia. Already in the sources of that time, his peacefulness and meekness were noted. So in the Pskov legend it is written: "The tsar was young, but he was kind, quiet, meek, humble and benevolent, he loved everyone, had mercy on everyone and was generous."
At the same time, the nickname “Meek” means “Humble,” that is, one who resigned himself to the burden of kingship placed on him by the people and fulfilled God’s will. After all, he became the King not of his own free will and even against his will. When for years the ambassadors from the Zemsky Sobor, headed by the Ryazan Archbishop Theodorit, announced to him the decision of the Zemsky Sobor to be elected to the Kingdom, instead of joyful consent, they received a categorical refusal and even, as the chroniclers testify, heard "weeping with great anger." Martha, the mother of 16-year-old Mikhail, was afraid that her son, completely inexperienced in public affairs, will not be able to rule in the devastated Great Troubles of Russia, that his reign may end with the inglorious death of both the country and himself.
Mikhail refused to reign three times, and three times Archbishop Theodoret with the elected people served a prayer service and came to him with a request to head the Moscow throne. They came in procession with the miraculous Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God. However, Michael refused. And then, raising the icon above his head, the Ryazan saint exclaimed in despair: “Do not heed your prayers! Be your way, the Russian land is in distress, weeping again, the Russian people. But before this holy image, I tell you, Tsar Michael, that from now on the calamity of the Fatherland will fall on you!
And the hearts of Mikhail Romanov and his mother, nun Martha, shuddered. Fulfilling God's will, they agreed with the decision of the Great Council. On March 14/27, 1613, Archbishop Theodoret of Ryazan blessed Mikhail Romanov to reign with the icon of the Fedorov Mother of God.
At the same time, his mother, nun Martha, burst into tears and “many tears before the image of the Most Pure Shed,” said: “Behold, O God, the Most Holy Theotokos, and in your hand, Lady, I betray my child and, as you wish, arrange for him a useful and all Orthodox Christianity."
That is why the "Approved Charter" of 1613 calls Mikhail Fedorovich "God's Chosen Tsar." He became Tsar not by his own will, but by the will of God and the Russian people.
The wedding to the Kingdom and the naming of Michael "Tsar and Grand Duke of All Russia" took place on June 21, 1613 in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. So after the reign of the Rurikids, the foundation of a new ruling dynasty of the Romanovs took place. However, continuity was observed, since Mikhail was a cousin-nephew of the last Russian Tsar from the Rurik dynasty, Fedor I Ioannovich. Mikhail's father was Fyodor Nikitich /later Patriarch Filaret/. In 1601, Boris Godunov exiled Fyodor, as a pretender to the Tsar's throne, to the Sophia St. Anthony Monastery, where he was tonsured a monk with the name Filaret. Godunov also disgraced Mikhail's mother. He exiled her to Zaonezhye, where she was tonsured a nun with the name Marfa. Mikhail himself, together with his aunt Martha Nikitichnaya Cherkasskaya, was exiled by Godunov to Beloozero. So the 4-year-old boy was separated from his parents.
The family united and almost until the end of 1608 lived together. In 1610, Filaret was sent along with Prince Golitsyn to negotiate with the Poles, but was captured by them and spent 9 years in captivity. So Mikhail again lost his father for a long time. And soon he himself, along with his mother, was detained by the Poles in the Moscow Kremlin. And only thanks to the victory of the Russian militia under the leadership of Minin and Pozharsky in 1612 they were released from captivity and retired to their fiefdom - the village of Domnino near Kostroma. There they often lived in the Ipatiev Monastery, praying for the release of their father from Polish captivity.
The news of Michael's election to the throne was absolutely stunning for both him and his mother. And they were not only not ready for it, but also internally did not want to change their position. However, they obeyed the will of God. Michael meekly agreed to reign.
2. Praise for "every creature"
It was extremely difficult for the youth to agree to put the "heavy cap of Monomakh" on his head. Russia was devastated, Veliky Novgorod with the northwestern lands was captured by the Swedes. Smolensk and the western lands were captured by the Poles. The south was subjected to constant raids by the Crimean Tatars. Many detachments of free Cossacks began to engage in robbery and robbery. There was practically no control of Russia. It seemed that there was no longer a Russian state. The country lay in ruins, many lands were not cultivated, the peasants left the devastated villages, many died of hunger, taxes were not paid, the treasury was empty.
Who could rule in such a devastated country as Russia was at that time? Only a brilliant commander. Tough, strong-willed, and besides having powerful army capable of subduing all enemies. Most of all, a Tsar like Ivan the Terrible would be suitable for occupying the throne. The Dutchman Isaac Maas, a witness of those events, wrote: “I hope that God will open the eyes of the young tsar, as it was with the former tsar Ivan Vasilyevich; for Russia needs such a tsar, otherwise it will perish.”
However, Russia chose a peace-loving, “Meek” Tsar, who has neither an army nor money, to hire an army. Not having even an elementary education (having taken the throne, Mikhail could not write and could hardly read in warehouses). Such a King could be chosen only by God's providence. According to the whole faith of people in God and in the fact that He Himself will appoint a King for them. And, of course, according to popular conciliar prayers, because before the decision to elect Michael to the kingdom, Russia fasted for three days and prayed from young to old. Even the cattle did not receive food to participate in the fasting of "every creature." And the Lord looked down on Russia. And he gave her a pious, meek, humble Tsar, who, being in exile, in the Ipatiev Monastery spent time in prayers for his captive parents. The lad sincerely hoped in God, he believed that if he prayed earnestly, then all the dangers that threatened his mother and father would pass. Michael had great respect for his parents. And he became Tsar for a year, immediately took care of his father, captured by the Poles, sending hegumen Ephraim to him, so that Filaret would not be so lonely in a foreign land. After some time, Mikhail specially sent a boyar, Zhelyabovsky, to him, who was to personally verify the good health of Filaret and take a blessing for his son-Tsar. Michael himself prayed earnestly in the Moscow monasteries for the release of his father. For the same purpose, he undertook pilgrimages to remote holy monasteries.
So, having neither education nor the slightest idea of state government, Mikhail Romanov had another, most important gift - the gift of communication with God, knowledge of His will and acceptance of this will. He put all his trust in the Lord and was not put to shame. When Mikhail went to Moscow to be married to the kingdom, he drove slowly, without haste, visiting holy places and praying to God. And the Lord managed to stop him in large and small cities, and conduct active correspondence with the boyars. Mikhail stayed in Nizhny Novgorod, Vladimir, Yaroslavl, Trinity Monastery, Rostov, Suzdal. Therefore, the journey from Kostroma to Moscow lasted a long time - a month and a half, but during this time Mikhail completely got used to his new position. Thanks to negotiations and correspondence, he gathered around him just such people who became his faithful assistants in ruling the country. As the Dutchman Max Isaac hoped, "God opened the eyes of the young king."
He also kept his chosen one. So, when the Poles learned about the proclamation of Mikhail Fedorovich as Tsar, they went to the Ipatiev Monastery in order to kill him. By God's Providence, their detachment got lost along the way. And then a simple peasant Ivan Susanin, having given "consent" to show the way, led them into such a dense forest, from which they did not know the way out. They brutally tortured Susanin, trying to find out the right path. However, he died in torture, but did not show the way back. The Poles also perished in the winter forests of Kostroma, never carrying out their evil plan.
3. Terry roses from Hamburg
Having become Tsar, Mikhail Fedorovich, first of all, began to establish government. To do this, he established Orders (a kind of state councils and departments). By 1639, there were as many as 14 orders in Russia, which dealt with both national affairs (petition, Judgment, Pushkar, etc.), and the affairs of estates - Kholopy, Streletsky. There was even a pharmacy order that was in charge of doctors.
Shortly after accession to the throne, Michael established new laws that streamlined the main economic activity of the country - land ownership and land use.
All this led to rapid economic growth. To the amazement of the whole world, Russia began to fully provide itself with grain. Just imagine how many crops the peasants grew! Rye, wheat, barley, millet, buckwheat, peas, oats. Flax and hemp were sown, from which fabrics and oil were made. Horticulture and horticulture flourished. Foreigners who came to Moscow admired Russian gardens. The young Tsar Michael had a great inclination towards gardening. He spent a lot of money on buying expensive plants abroad. The Hamburg merchant Marcelius brought for him terry roses, which had not been in Russia before. They were placed in special hanging gardens where apple trees, pears, cherries, plums and even walnuts and grapes grew. In general, viticulture under Mikhail Fedorovich received great development. When he learned that in Astrakhan the monks managed to grow several vines, he ordered to plant vineyards at the expense of the treasury. In 1630, as many as 50 barrels of their domestic wine were sent from Astrakhan to Moscow.
Cattle breeding began to develop throughout Russia. Herds of cows, horses, sheep, goats numbered in the thousands! However, fish was considered the main product in Russia at that time, and it was caught and processed in abundance.
In just ten years of reign, Tsar Michael achieved unprecedented results in economic activity. Already by 1627, Russia was selling bread abroad in thousands of pounds! It was bought by such "civilized countries" as Denmark, Sweden, England, Holland, Holstein. And in 1632, France joined them.
To expand land use, the territories of the Urals and Western Siberia were actively developed. Peasants went there en masse and settled on a high fertile lands in the floodplain of the Lena River. Seeds were given free of charge to the settlers. Everyone could take out loans for the purchase of agricultural implements and horses. In 1618, Russian people reached the Yenisei and founded the city of Krasnoyarsk.
Under Mikhail Fedorovich, the formation of Russian industry began. Qualified specialists were discharged from abroad: metallurgists, gunsmiths, miners. The first ironworks was founded in Tula. A blast-furnace plant, iron-smelting and copper-smelting production appeared in the Urals. The owners of factories received benefits from the Tsar, which contributed to the development of industry. The most important breeders under Mikhail Fedorovich were the Stroganovs.
Light industry also developed - weaving, production of velvet and brocade. Sewing workshops and tanneries worked.
The manufacture of products from precious metals began, coins were minted, weaving improved, velvet and brocade fabrics were produced, sewing workshops and tanneries worked, books were printed, a newspaper with news was published.
And this was under the Tsar, who was separated from his father in childhood, imprisoned in a monastery, and lived in fear of death, without receiving any education! What is there to say? Only the Lord could perform such miracles. Only He could help the 16-year-old boy solve the extremely serious political and economic problems generated by the Great Troubles. No matter how great was the support for the reign of Michael by his father - Patriarch Filaret - no one but the Lord could help solve the problems that were then in Russia. And Tsar Michael understood this, because the main thing in his activity was prayerful standing before God, daily participation in church services, pilgrimages to holy places.
4. Thin world better than war
The pious Tsar Michael the Meek, following the commandment “blessed are the peacemakers,” managed to pacify all classes in Russia. With his humility and good-naturedness, he was able to unite everyone.
He did not disgrace anyone, even his own personal enemy Boris Godunov. Carefully looking at his surroundings, he chose practical, wise people as advisers, he was distinguished by tolerance for various political views, listened to different opinions about the way out of the crisis. To solve complex political and economic problems, Mikhail Fedorovich convened collective advisory bodies of government - Boyar Dumas and Zemsky Sobors.
However, in solving some problems, he was guided by personal opinion and applied his own royal power. So, when the Russian embassy sent to the Crimean Khanate was arrested and shackled, the Zemsky Sobor decided to do the same with the Crimean ambassadors in Moscow. And the Boyar Duma even insisted on a military invasion of the Crimea. However, the Meek Tsarne began to aggravate relations with the Crimea and sent expensive gifts to the khan. At the same time, he indicated that he was doing this to restore friendly relations. The peacefulness of the Meek Tsar gave its results - relations with the Crimea were restored, the apostles were released.
Tsar Michael, although he was Meek, was not weak, cowardly and weak-willed. This is evidenced by the surviving documents of that time. So in a letter from the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, he sharply writes that if the authorities called to that do not stop theft, robbery and robbery, then he can refuse to travel to Moscow to ascend the throne. And in a letter dated April 8, 1613, he reprimanded the boyars for the fact that they could not find the means to provide for “service and military people.” Tsar Mikhail reprimanded the Zemsky Sobor for unrest in the country. Not a single document of the first years of Mikhail's reign contains even a hint of the co-government of the boyars, on the contrary, it is emphasized everywhere that they are "serfs", faithful servants and executors of his will.
Mikhail Fedorovich was Tsar-unifier, Tsar-peacemaker. Possession of power did not make him a despot and tyrant. However, the Gentle King, when required, did not sharply scold negligent subjects. Could pass and radical laws. For example, he completely banned smoking in the country and strictly regulated the use of alcohol. Drinking was allowed only four weeks a year. These weeks followed the great holidays of Easter, Dmitriev's Saturday, winter Nikola and Maslenitsa. Drinking at other times was severely fined. Violators paid a lot of money for those times - two rubles. In addition, the drunkard was taken for the first time to the “bargain prison”. It was possible to get out of it only at someone's request. If the drunkard was caught a second time, he was again sent to prison, but for a long time. Malicious drunkards, by decree of the Meek Tsar, were led through the streets, mercilessly beaten with a whip. And as long as the guilty "keeps up with the pernicious passion." And when even these measures did not help, the drunkard was placed in prison until his death - "until he perishes."
Tsar Michael strictly forbade the maintenance of drinking establishments, taverns in the guest yards in large trading cities. The Meek Tsar ordered the disobedient to be beaten with a whip and imprisoned.
However, Mikhail Fedorovich supported his good subjects in every possible way. Donated to those in need. According to the testimony of the Holstein adviser Adam Olearius, "the king is very pious, he does not want to allow at least one of his peasants to become impoverished, the treasury gives benefits to the impoverished."
In external relations, Tsar Michael the Meek preferred war "thin, but peace." Therefore, he concluded peace treaties with neighboring powers, even on conditions that were unfavorable for Russia, which brought peace to the Russian people, tormented by the Time of Troubles. This happened in 1637 during the Azov conflict, when the Don Cossacks, on their own initiative, captured the Turkish fortress of Azov. Their goal was good - to destroy the slave market that existed there, where they traded in captive Russian people. The capture of Azov and the murder of the Turkish ambassador threatened Russia with a war with Turkey, which our state, bled dry by the Time of Troubles, could lose and lose much more than the fortress of Azov. And then Tsar Michael decided to return Azov to Turkey. This made it possible to avoid war and restore friendly relations with the Ottoman Empire.
Under the Meek Tsar, an “eternal peace” was concluded with Sweden. And although access to the Baltic Sea was lost, they were returned Novgorod lands, previously conquered by Sweden.
After the unsuccessful war of 1632-34. with Poland, an "eternal peace" was concluded with the Commonwealth. At the same time, the Polish king and Grand Duke Lithuanian Vladislav IV renounced their claims to the throne of Moscow.
In general, by the time of the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich, many diplomatic contracts with our country were interrupted - with England, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, France, Turkey and Persia. And only thanks to the diplomatic talents of the Meek King, all of them were gradually adjusted. But Mikhail Fedorovich firmly defended the interests of the Russian people. And when the British asked him for permission to travel through Russia to Persia for trade, he did not allow it, although he should have done this, given the importance of friendly relations with England. However, the Russian Tsar was primarily concerned about whether such trade would “damage” the Russian merchants? The Boyar Duma and merchants confirmed his fears. From a conversation with them, Michael realized that the English trade with Persia would cause considerable damage to the merchants, although the treasury could provide a large income. The tsar, despite even the state benefit, reckoned with the interests of the Russian merchants, and refused the British in their request. The same thing happened with the appeal of the French ambassador for permission to trade with Persia. He was denied this for the same reasons as the British.
In the outward arrangement of the Russian kingdom, thanks to the wise policy of Mikhail Fedorovich, the lands of the Lower Urals, the Baikal region, Yakutia and Chukotka were annexed to Russia, access to the Pacific Ocean was made. To put it bluntly, these are the unprecedented achievements of the Meek Tsar, who ruled a devastated country.
However, the Gentle Tsar understood that Russia, having grown stronger, should enter the war and win back the native Russian lands from the Poles and Swedes. Therefore, according to his decree, cannons were cast and powder mills were built. On the Volga and in the village of Dedinovo near Moscow, the construction of "military" ships began.
In 1631-1634, Mikhail Fedorovich carried out a military reform. Regiments of the "new system" were created - Reiters, dragoons, soldiers.
5. Guardian of piety
Having not received an education at one time, Mikhail Fedorovich was keenly interested in various sciences - astronomy, geography, and the structure of the earth. In 1637, by his decree, the book "Cosmography" was translated from Latin into Russian. Scientific work was carried out under the personal control of Tsar Michael. A directory of roads, maps of Russia and the first systematic description of the Russian state were created.
For the development of engineering, the Tsar ordered specialists from abroad. They built ships on the Volga, fortified Russian fortresses. For foreigners, a special settlement was founded in Moscow - the German Quarter. And from Russia, on the initiative of Mikhail Fedorovich, they began to send young people abroad to study medicine.
Thanks to foreigners, diamond and goldsmiths, watchmakers, cannon makers, and masons appeared in the capital. Got it right industrial production leather, a glassworks was launched.
In 1621, by decree of Mikhail Fedorovich, the clerks of the Posolsky Prikaz began to publish the first Russian newspaper, Vestovye Pistachi.
The Russian Tsar was very fond of music. It is known that he ordered from Holland "two organ masters and an organ that was decorated with images of a nightingale and a cuckoo." Moreover, this organ was very skillful. When he played, the birds began to sing. Tsar Michael was delighted with the power and beauty of the sound of the organ and ordered to give the masters an unprecedented amount of 2676 rubles and forty sables each.
Science, culture and music were not ignored by Tsar Michael. And this despite the fact that he had to solve the most difficult state problems of centralizing the state, creating a military-industrial production, creating a legislative system, stabilizing public relations within the country and in relations with aggressive neighbors of the West and South. It is simply amazing how much the Lord gave him statesmanship and noble human qualities!
In gratitude to God, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich the Meek daily participated in church services, prayed for a long time at home, strictly observed fasts, and often went on a pilgrimage. The king was pious. Even in a very difficult time for the country, immediately after accession to the throne, he, first of all, took care of spiritual affairs. Having learned from the priests about the miracles of the icon of Our Lady of Kazan, he ordered the establishment of a new church holiday: the first feast and the “walk from the cross” on July 8, when this icon appeared; the second on October 22, "how cleansed the Muscovite state."
Contemporaries wrote about Tsar Michael the Meek in this way: “This pious zealot, ever-praised, faithful and Christ-loving Tsar and Grand Duke Mikhail Fedorovich, autocrat of all Russia, be blessed, very meek and merciful ... be for all good deeds decorating yourself with fasting and prayer, truth and chastity, purity and humility of mind, justice ... ".
The ancestor of the royal dynasty of the Romanovs died on July 13 (26), 1645 at the age of 49. His honest remains were buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
Virchev’s epitaph to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich reads: “Having a meek and gentle disposition, he always practiced the punishing deeds of his kingdom, supplying the good and meek with dignity, taming the malevolent with fear, and bestowing equality on everyone; and in the Siklitz rank natural people honoring those worthy of that, but not allowing people who are not purebred and unworthy of that rank of being all the days of their kingdom, and keeping the rank firmly.