Among the statesmen of pre-Petrine Russia, one of the most prominent representatives of this era is the courtier closest to the sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich, the boyar Morozov Boris Ivanovich. The assessment of his activities cannot be unambiguous: thus, advocating in every possible way for the well-being of the state and the inviolability of the throne, he sometimes placed an unbearable burden of economic hardships on the shoulders of ordinary people, which provoked unrest leading to bloody riots.
Rise of a new courtier
Boyarin Boris Morozov was born at the end of the 16th century. Fate was favorable to him - he was born not only as one of the heirs of an ancient and noble family, but also as a relative, albeit distant, to the sovereign himself. The Morozovs and Romanovs became related even before the accession to the throne of Mikhail Fedorovich.
In 1613, the Zemsky Sobor met in Moscow, by the decision of which the first representative of the Romanov dynasty, sixteen-year-old Mikhail Fedorovich, was elected to the throne. Among the participants in the cathedral, who left their signatures under the historical letter, was the young boyar Boris Ivanovich Morozov. Since that time, his biography has been inextricably linked with the top of the statepower.
Wise teacher
Boyars Morozovs - Boris and his brother Gleb - received the position of sleeping bags under the new tsar, which allowed them to quickly become one of "their" people and win the sympathy of the autocrat, especially since they were almost the same age with him. When the heir to the throne, the future sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich (father of Peter the Great), who was born in 1629, was four years old, Boris Morozov was appointed guardian (or, as they said in those days, “uncle”).
Thanks to Boris Ivanovich, the future tsar received a versatile education. In addition to comprehending the basics of grammar and the Catechism, the young prince got acquainted with the engravings of Western artists and domestic popular prints. Looking at them with his mentor, he got an idea about the movement of the heavenly bodies, the diversity of the animal and plant world, as well as about the life of people in other countries. There is evidence that the prince studied history with the help of the Facial Code - a chronicle illustrated with many engravings.
The formation of the personality of the future king
The works of the mentor were not in vain - the heir to the throne received extensive knowledge in various fields. The autographs that have come down to us testify that he wrote competently and at the same time had a good literary style. But the main result of education was that the personality of the king was not suppressed by the requirements of etiquette and court duties. In his letters to close people, he appears as an open and cordial person. No wonder AlexeiUntil the end of his days, Mikhailovich considered Morozov his second father and treated him accordingly.
As for his own education, according to the memoirs of his contemporaries, the boyar Boris Morozov considered it extremely insufficient. Speaking of this, he apparently meant his ignorance of foreign languages and the inability to read European books. Documents compiled by him personally indicate that he was educated and literate, especially since a very extensive and interesting library was placed in his chambers.
The need for government reforms
Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich inherited the throne when he was barely sixteen years old, and literally a few months after that he lost his mother. Therefore, it is not surprising that at such a young age he wanted to have a wise and reliable ruler by his side, especially since the situation that had developed by that time in Russia required immediate and radical changes in many areas of domestic policy.
The most urgent measures should be taken in the organization of cities, the tax system and strengthening the centralization of power. All these tasks were taken over by the government, which was headed by a faithful tsar's servant - Boris Ivanovich Morozov. From the very beginning, the 17th century brought innumerable disasters to Russia. These are the impostors who appeared under the name of Tsarevich Dimitry, and the invasions of the Poles, and the terrible crop failures that caused the starvation of thousands of Russians. In addition, the obvious mistakes made in the previous reign also played a role. All this gave risenumerous issues requiring immediate resolution.
At the pinnacle of power
Becoming the Russian autocrat, Alexei Mikhailovich almost completely changed the composition of the government, entrusting all key posts to his closest people, among whom was Morozov. Boris Ivanovich, an intelligent boyar and, what is very important, an economic boyar, set about implementing state reforms with the same acumen as managing his own estates.
The Sovereign entrusted him with the management of several orders, the most responsible among which were the Order of the Great Treasury (finance), Foreign and Streletsky. In addition, he was in charge of the state monopoly on the sale of alcoholic beverages, which at all times constituted a significant part of the national budget. Thus, huge power was concentrated in Morozov's hands - money, the army and control over international politics.
Reforms dictated by life
The most important of his tasks was to restore order in the financial sector. To this end, Boris Morozov carried out a number of measures to reduce the costs of the administration, which had grown exorbitantly by that time. After purging the state apparatus, he replaced many governors who were mired in corruption, and brought some of them to trial. In addition, the palace and patriarchal servants were reduced, and those who remained in their former places had their salaries reduced.
Reforms were also carried out in local governments, as well as in the army. But, as often happens in Russia, restoring order turned into new unrest. Morozov's reasonable and timely measures led to the fact that most of the cases that had previously been submitted to the governors and heads of orders were transferred to the jurisdiction of clerks and clerks, who immediately increased the fees, causing general discontent.
Another problem that Morozov tried to solve was the collection of taxes from the inhabitants of cities, many of whom were exempted from taxes, as they were listed in the settlements of monasteries and the highest nobility. Having conducted a general census of the population, he ensured the uniform payment of taxes by all townspeople. Of course, having carried out such an important undertaking, he replenished the treasury, but made himself many implacable enemies. In addition, by raising duties on the importation of goods by foreign merchants, he turned against himself and the merchants.
S alt riots
The last straw that overflowed the patience of the inhabitants of Moscow and many Russian cities was the increase in the price of s alt, the sale of which was a state monopoly. With this measure, Boris Morozov tried to replace many direct taxes. The logic of actions was simple - it was possible to evade paying taxes, but not a single person could do without s alt. Buying this product from the state and overpaying a certain amount, he thereby contributed his share of tax collection.
But as the saying goes, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Reforms aimed at strengthening the state and improving the lives of its citizens became the cause of general discontent, resulting in events called"s alt riots". They were directed mainly against boyar Morozov and the government headed by him.
By this time, his position at court had been significantly strengthened due to his marriage to the sister of Tsaritsa Maria Miloslavskaya, but even the closest relationship with the sovereign could not protect the hated boyar from popular anger. A dull murmur and general discontent resulted in active actions in May 1648.
Beginning of unrest
From the chronicle of those years, it is known that unrest began when the crowd stopped the tsar, who was returning from pilgrimage in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and turned to him with complaints, reproaching Morozov and his officials for bribery. Perhaps the sovereign would have been able to calm the people, and everything went without an open rebellion, but the archers, directly subordinate to Boris Ivanovich, rushed to beat the audience with whips. This served as a detonator for further events.
The next day, the crowd broke into the Kremlin, where they were joined by archers, also infringed in their interests by the latest reforms. The rebels sacked and plundered the royal palace. Some of the rebels entered the wine cellars, where they found their death after the fire started. Following this, the houses of many boyars were destroyed and set on fire, and those of them who fell into the hands of the crowd were killed. But the main enemy of the crowd was Boris Morozov. The boyar aroused such hatred among the people that everyone demanded his extradition for immediate reprisal.
Last years of life
Only the king's personal promise to set asideMorozov calmed the crowd from all affairs and allowed him to escape from the capital to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, where he hid until the rebels were completely pacified. Upon his return to Moscow, the fugitive boyar continued to deal with state affairs, but at the same time trying not to be seen. When the famous "Cathedral Code" was being developed, which for many years became the basis of the legal basis of Russian legislation, the boyar Morozov Boris Ivanovich also took part in the work on it.
His biography in this last period of his life testifies to the numerous mental and physical ailments that befell this once energetic and full of strength man. Boris Ivanovich died in 1661. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich personally saw off his beloved mentor, who was for him Boris Morozov, on his last journey.
The legacy of the deceased went to his brother Gleb, since by that time he himself had neither a wife nor children. When the brother soon finished his earthly journey, the fortune passed to his son, but in fact it was controlled by his mother, the noblewoman Feodosia Morozova, who went down in history with her schismatic activities and was immortalized in the famous painting by Vasily Surikov.
