For the last 300+ years autocracy in Russia has been directly linked to the Romanov dynasty. They managed to gain a foothold on the throne during the Time of Troubles. The sudden appearance of a new dynasty on the political horizon is the biggest event in the life of any state. Usually it is accompanied by a coup or revolution, but in any case, the change of power entails the removal of the old ruling elite by force.
Backstory
In Russia, the emergence of a new dynasty was due to the fact that the branch of Rurik was interrupted with the death of the descendants of Ivan IV the Terrible. This state of affairs in the country gave rise not only to the deepest political, but also to a social crisis. Ultimately, this led to the fact that foreigners began to interfere in the affairs of the state.
It should be noted that never before in the history of Russia have rulers changed so often, bringing new dynasties with them, as after the death of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. In those days, not only representatives of the elite, but also other social strata claimed the throne. Foreigners also tried to interfere inpower struggle.
On the throne, one after another, the descendants of Rurikovich appeared in the person of Vasily Shuisky (1606-1610), representatives of the un titled boyars headed by Boris Godunov (1597-1605), there were even impostors - False Dmitry I (1605-1606) and False Dmitry II (1607-1610). But none of them managed to stay in power for a long time. This continued until 1613, when the Russian tsars of the Romanov dynasty arrived.
Origin
It should be noted right away that this genus as such came from the Zakharievs. And the Romanovs are not quite the right surname. It all started with the fact that Patriarch Filaret, that is, Fedor Nikolaevich Zakhariev, decided to change his last name. Guided by the fact that his father was Nikita Romanovich, and his grandfather was Roman Yuryevich, he came up with the surname "Romanov". Thus, the genus received a new name, which is used in our time.
The royal dynasty of the Romanovs (reigned 1613-1917) began with Mikhail Fedorovich. After him, Alexei Mikhailovich ascended the throne, nicknamed by the people "Quiet". Next was Fedor Alekseevich. Then Tsarina Sofia Alekseevna and Ivan V Alekseevich ruled.
During the reign of Peter I - in 1721 - the state was finally reformed and became the Russian Empire. The kings have sunk into oblivion. Now the sovereign has become emperor. In total, the Romanovs gave Russia 19 rulers. Among them - 5 women. Here is a table that clearly shows the entire Romanov dynasty, years of reign and titles.
As mentioned above, the Russian throne was sometimes occupied by women. But the government of Paul I passed a lawthat the title of emperor can henceforth be borne only by a direct male heir. No woman has since ascended the throne.
The Romanov dynasty, whose years of rule did not always fall on calm times, received its official coat of arms back in 1856. It depicts a vulture holding a tarch and a golden sword in its paws. The edges of the coat of arms are decorated with eight severed heads of lions.
The Last Emperor
In 1917, the Bolsheviks seized power in the country and overthrew the country's government. Emperor Nicholas II was the last of the Romanov dynasty. He was given the nickname "Bloody" for the fact that during the two revolutions of 1905 and 1917, thousands of people were killed on his orders.
Historians believe that the last emperor was a gentle ruler, so he made several unforgivable mistakes in both domestic and foreign policy. It was they who led to the fact that the situation in the country escalated to the limit. Failures in the Japanese, and then the First World War, greatly undermined the authority of the emperor himself and the entire royal family.
In 1918, on the night of July 17, the royal family, which included, in addition to the emperor himself and his wife, also five children, was shot by the Bolsheviks. At the same time, the only heir to the Russian throne, the little son of Nicholas, Alexei, also died.
Our time
The Romanovs are the oldest boyar family, which gave Russia a great dynasty of tsars, and then emperors. They ruled the state for a little over three hundred years, starting from the 16th century. Romanov dynasty,whose years of rule ended with the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, was interrupted, but several branches of this kind still exist. All of them live abroad. Approximately 200 of them have various titles, but not a single one will be able to take the Russian throne, even if the monarchy is restored.
