The daughter of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Sofya Romanova was born on September 27, 1657. She was the sixth child in the royal family. Her mother, Maria Miloslavskaya, was the first wife of Alexei and was the mother of Tsars Fedor III and Ivan V. By the will of circumstances, Sophia Romanova, like her brothers, became the ruler - the first since the time of Princess Olga in the 10th century.
Personality
Sofya Alekseevna's teacher was the theologian Simeon Polotsky, one of the most educated people in Russia of that era. Therefore, it is not surprising that contemporaries considered the princess a bright and intelligent person.
In the Muscovite state, a tradition has developed according to which the daughters of monarchs led an extremely closed lifestyle. Very often, princesses did not marry at all. Marriage with compatriots (even with a boyar) was considered inappropriate, and marriage with representatives of European dynasties was also impossible due to religious differences. Sofya Alekseevna also did not have a spouse. But, having become a political figure, she violated the established domestic tradition of ousting women of royal blood from the public field.
Dynastic Crisis
Alexey Mikhailovich had many children, but almost all of them were weakhe alth. The king survived two older sons. Dying in 1676, the crown bearer made his third son, Fedor, who became Fedor III, his heir. This young man was also sickly. He died in 1682 at the age of 20.
The departure from the life of the young king gave rise to a dynastic crisis. There was a question about the heir. It was then that Sofia Romanova appeared on the political scene. Fedor, in addition to several sisters, had two younger brothers: Ivan and Peter. Since the king died childless, power should have been transferred to one of them.
Ivan was older, but his fragile he alth raised many questions. The younger, Peter, on the contrary, was distinguished by energy, good he alth and a non-childish mind. In addition, the princes were the children of various wives of Alexei. Ivan's mother was Maria Miloslavskaya, Peter's mother was Natalia Naryshkina. Behind the backs of the heirs, their relatives from boyar families acted.
Regent
Oddly enough, but Sofia Romanova turned out to be a compromise figure for the Moscow elite, whose biography shows that she had a strong will and was capable of public administration. In 1682, when Fedor III died, a riot of archers took place in the capital - the soldiers who formed the basis of the regular Russian army of that time.
The army, instigated by the Miloslavskys, opposed Peter's candidacy. The archers accused the Naryshkins of killing Ivan and attacked the royal palace. Many boyars who stood on the side of Peter died, including his "guardian" Artamon Matveev. As a resultmilitary intervention, the warring aristocrats agreed that both brothers would rule jointly.
But even this compromise did not cancel their infancy. Then the boyars decided that Sofia Romanova would be the best regent. The biography of the daughter of Alexei Mikhailovich suited all representatives of the Moscow elite, and in June 1682 she became empress with her younger brothers.
Sophia's right hand
Russia faced several serious internal and external problems at the end of the 17th century. They accompanied the entire reign of Sophia. Romanova had considerable powers, but made decisions based on the advice of her favorite. The closest adviser to the princess was the boyar and diplomat Prince Vasily Golitsyn. Officially, he served as head of the Ambassadorial Prikaz (an analogue of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
12 Articles
Sophia inherited the problem of the Orthodox religious schism from her father. Under Tsar Alexei and Patriarch Nikon, a church reform was carried out. Changing some of the traditional dogmas and rituals led to unprecedented resistance from society. People who did not want to accept innovations were accused of heresy.
Sofya Alekseevna Romanova, whose reign was a logical continuation of her father's reign, supported the former repressive policy against schismatics. In 1685, the princess adopted the so-called "12 Articles". In this law, punishments were systematized in relation to the Old Believers. Executions, torture, imprisonment in the walls of monasteries were allowed,confiscation of property.
The adoption of the "12 Articles" led to an exodus of schismatics from Moscow and other major cities of the Russian state. Historian Lev Gumilyov, like many other researchers, believed that this law was one of the most severe in the history of the national state punitive policy. It is curious that in that year, Louis XIV, simultaneously with Sophia, canceled the Edict of Nantes in France, refusing religious tolerance towards Protestants.
Eternal peace with Poland
Even under Alexei Mikhailovich, Russia was at war with Poland. The armed conflict ended in 1667, but many territorial disputes were never completed. Sofya Alekseevna Romanova took up the solution of this diplomatic problem. The regent years came at a time when both countries were interested in settling longstanding differences. Against this background, the ambassadors of the Commonwe alth arrived in Moscow.
The Hetmanate - the lands of the Cossacks in Ukraine - remained the bone of contention. Controversy flared up around this region. After lengthy negotiations in 1686, the Eternal Peace was nevertheless concluded. According to it, Poland recognized Kyiv, the entire Left-Bank Ukraine, Zaporozhye, Chernihiv, Starodub and Smolensk as Russia. In exchange for this, Moscow paid 146,000 rubles and agreed to participate in a joint European war against Turkey, which threatened the Commonwe alth from the south. Warsaw retained Volhynia and Galicia, and also guaranteed the rights of its Orthodox subjects.
Crimean campaigns
A direct consequence of the Eternal Peace with Poland was the organization of Crimean campaigns by Russia against the Ottoman Empire and its vassal, the Crimean Khan. There were two campaigns in total. Both were headed by Vasily Golitsyn. The appointment of the commander-in-chief was supported by Sofia Romanova. The brief biography of the diplomat seemed to the princess the most suitable.
In 1687, the 100,000-strong Russian army set off. The Crimean Tatars set fire to the steppe, significantly complicating the life of the army. As a result, Golitsyn's main army was defeated. However, the detachment of commander Grigory Kosagov, operating on the right flank, captured Ochakovo and defeated the Budzhak horde.
The second Crimean campaign began in 1689. Golitsyn reached Perekop, but did not take it and turned back. The prince motivated his decision to retreat by the lack of fresh water. As a result, the Crimean campaigns did not bring Russia any tangible benefits. Nevertheless, it was they who raised the prestige of Moscow in the eyes of Western Europe, for which Turkey was the main enemy, threatening the peace and order of the entire Christian civilization.
Relations with China
Sofia's diplomacy concerned not only European capitals, but also the far eastern borders of the country. Throughout the 17th century, Russian colonists (primarily Cossacks) followed east until they finally reached the Chinese border. For a long time, relations with the Qing Empire were not regulated by any document.
The main trouble was that the two states did not officially agree on their borders, which is whyadjacent areas constantly there were conflicts. The Russians, who were looking for lands suitable for agriculture, settled in the Amur region, which, moreover, abounded in furs. However, this region was in the zone of influence of the Qing Empire. The apogee of disputes with the colonists was the siege by the Chinese of the Russian outpost Albazin in 1685.
To settle relations with the eastern neighbor, an embassy was sent to Transbaikalia, which was organized by Sofya Alekseevna Romanova. The results of the reign of the princess were generally positive, but it was the episode with China that became an unpleasant touch in the history of the regency. The Qing Empire achieved the signing of an agreement that was extremely unfavorable for Moscow. Russia lost its Far Eastern regions, the Amur region, as well as the Albazin fortress. The border with China was drawn along the banks of the Argun River. The corresponding document was signed in Nerchinsk and became known as the Nerchinsk Treaty. Its action ceased only in the middle of the 19th century.
Loss of power
The established order of Sophia's regency could not last forever. Peter gradually grew up, and sooner or later his sister would have to give him power. The second brother, weak-willed Ivan, despite his high status, did not play any independent role. According to the traditions of that time, Peter finally became an adult after he married the daughter of the boyar Evdokia Lopukhina. However, Sofya Alekseevna Romanova, whose brief biography shows her as a power-hungry woman, was in no hurry to cede her dominant position to her younger brother.
For several years of the regency, the princesssurround yourself with loyal people. The military leaders, including those from among the archers, received their positions thanks to Sophia and supported only her claims. Peter continued to live in the village of Preobrazhensky near Moscow, and his relationship with the Kremlin became increasingly hostile.
The only force that the future emperor could rely on was his amusing troops. These regiments were formed over several years. At first, the prince only had fun with military games, but gradually his army became a formidable force. In August 1689, supporters informed Peter that an assassination attempt was being prepared on him. The young man took refuge in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. Gradually, thanks to decrees and letters, he lured the archers to his side, and Sophia remained isolated in Moscow.
Life in a monastery
In September 1689, the tsar's sister was deposed and sent to the Novodevichy Convent. Within the walls of the monastery, she lived surrounded by guards. In 1698, in the absence of the tsar, a streltsy revolt broke out in Moscow. The rebellion was put down. The investigation concluded that the conspirators were going to put Sophia on the throne. Her relationship with her brother had not been warm before, and now Peter ordered her sister to be tonsured as a nun. Sofya Romanova, whose portrait photos clearly show her grave condition in captivity, died on July 14, 1704 in the Novodevichy Convent.
