1645-1676 Tsar of Russia.
The eventful reign of Alexis I was characterized by active foreign and domestic policy. Alexis was a balanced and wise ruler. He centralized the state and legalized the serfdom of peasants.
Background
Lived: 1629-1676.
Also known as the “Tishayshy” (“Most Quiet”), he was the son of Mikhail I and father of Peter the Great. During the early years of his reign, a western-minded boyar Boris Morozov, acted as his regent. He was unpopular and finally deposed during the Salt Riot.
Foreign policy
When Poland fell into anarchy during the Khmelnitsky Uprising, a Cossack rebellion in the Ukraine (1648-57), Alexis I decided to reclaim the lost lands of the Ukraine (“Little Russia”).
The Russo-Polish War (1654-67) was an immense success for Russia. The cities of Smolensk and Kiev were retaken easily, and the Ukraine was once again connected to Russia. The Treaty of Andrusovo (1667) ratified those victories.
Serfdom
In 1649, a new code of law (Sobornoye Ulozheniye) was adopted that finally legalized serfdom. That was the culmination of a long process that began in the time of Ivan III.
Schism
In 1653, Patriarch Nikon, one of Alexey’s most prominent advisors, started a large-scale church reform that resulted in schism and the emergence of the Old Believers.
The second half of Alexey’s reign was marked by the Rebellion of Stenka Razin (1667-71), which eventually entered into popular folklore.
Family
Alexis was married twice. His first wife, Maria Miloslavskaya, bore him 13 children. Among these were Fyodor III, the next tsar, Sofia, the regent later appointed to Peter I, and future tsar Ivan V. His second wife, Natalya Naryshkina, gave birth to Peter the Great.
Alexey I
1645-1676 Tsar of Russia.
The eventful reign of Alexis I was characterized by active foreign and domestic policy. Alexis was a balanced and wise ruler. He centralized the state and legalized the serfdom of peasants.
Background
Lived: 1629-1676.
Also known as the “Tishayshy” (“Most Quiet”), he was the son of Mikhail I and father of Peter the Great. During the early years of his reign, a western-minded boyar Boris Morozov, acted as his regent. He was unpopular and finally deposed during the Salt Riot.
Foreign policy
When Poland fell into anarchy during the Khmelnitsky Uprising, a Cossack rebellion in the Ukraine (1648-57), Alexis I decided to reclaim the lost lands of the Ukraine (“Little Russia”).
The Russo-Polish War (1654-67) was an immense success for Russia. The cities of Smolensk and Kiev were retaken easily, and the Ukraine was once again connected to Russia. The Treaty of Andrusovo (1667) ratified those victories.
Serfdom
In 1649, a new code of law (Sobornoye Ulozheniye) was adopted that finally legalized serfdom. That was the culmination of a long process that began in the time of Ivan III.
Schism
In 1653, Patriarch Nikon, one of Alexey’s most prominent advisors, started a large-scale church reform that resulted in schism and the emergence of the Old Believers.
The second half of Alexey’s reign was marked by the Rebellion of Stenka Razin (1667-71), which eventually entered into popular folklore.
Family
Alexis was married twice. His first wife, Maria Miloslavskaya, bore him 13 children. Among these were Fyodor III, the next tsar, Sofia, the regent later appointed to Peter I, and future tsar Ivan V. His second wife, Natalya Naryshkina, gave birth to Peter the Great.
Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin