In January 1613, the Zemsky Sobor began work in Moscow. His main task was the election of a new Russian Tsar, which was supposed to put an end to the protracted Troubles.

Capture of Moscow by the people's militia Minina And Pozharsky sharply shifted the emphasis in the selection of candidates. Contrary to the previous ideas of the nobility, the common people spoke out quite definitely - we don’t need any foreign princes, we must have our own king.

If the issue could be decided by popular expression, then the winner would be Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, the military leader who liberated Moscow, a man whose biography remained unblemished during the Time of Troubles.

However, this is precisely what did not suit the majority of representatives of the Russian nobility. Those who managed to serve and False Dmitry I, and the Tushinsky thief, and the Poles, sought to turn this unsightly page of their lives. And so that no one would be reminded of old sins, it was necessary to bring to power a person from a family whose representatives were also involved in unsightly affairs.

The influential Romanov family fit these requirements perfectly. Having fallen into disgrace Boris Godunov, they took leading roles under False Dmitry I, served False Dmitry II, participated in the Seven Boyars and supported the invitation to the kingdom of the Polish prince Vladislav.

Youth Michael, son of a monk

Initially, it was clear that the new monarch would be a compromise candidate, which was unlikely to please everyone, but with which the majority would be willing to reconcile.

This candidate turned out to be the 16-year-old son of a boyar Fyodor Nikitich Romanov Mikhail.

At the time of Michael’s election to the kingdom, an amazing situation arose - his parents were alive, but were monks.

Neither Fyodor Nikitich nor his wife Ksenia Ivanovna intended to devote their lives to serving God. However, in 1600, when the Romanovs fell into disgrace under Boris Godunov, they were forcibly made monks under the names of Philaret and Martha. And they had no way back into the world without losing honor.

At the time of his election to the kingdom, Mikhail and his mother took refuge in Kostroma, and Filaret Romanov, who had quarreled with the Poles in 1611, was in captivity.

Tradition says that the nun Martha, to whom the ambassadors arrived to inform about the election of her son as king, cried for a long time, begging to spare him from this fate. Mikhail himself allegedly also hesitated.

Frankly speaking, all this is questionable. The issue was decided by serious people, including from the Romanov clan, and when the issue was resolved, few people were interested in the opinion of the teenager and his mother. The fate of the state was at stake, who is interested in women's tears at such a moment?

Everything was so serious that Mikhail Fedorovich’s competitor, 3-year-old son Marina Mnishek and False Dmitry II, after the accession of the first of the Romanovs, they were publicly hanged “for their evil deeds.”

Dad can, dad can do anything...

A detachment sent from Moscow accompanied Mikhail Romanov to the capital through major cities in order to show that the Russian state again had a monarch.

On July 21, 1613, one day before his 17th birthday, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was crowned king in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Crowning of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich in the Assumption Cathedral. Source: Public Domain

There was no talk of any independent government - power was again in the hands of representatives of noble families, and first of all, the Romanovs. In the first years of his reign, his mother, nun Martha, had a great influence on her son.

In 1619, the tsar's father, Filaret Romanov, returned from captivity and was elevated to the rank of Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. From this moment on, it is Filaret who becomes the real head of Russia. State charters were signed simultaneously on behalf of the king and on behalf of the ruler of the church.

It would be untrue to say that the management of political affairs carried out by Filaret Romanov was unsuccessful. Russia managed to defend its independence in the fight against Poland, centralized power was restored throughout the country, and a gradual revival of the economy destroyed by the turmoil began.

Filaret Romanov was the most important figure in Russian politics until his death in 1633.

Patriarch Filaret. Portrait fantasy of the 19th century. Source: Public Domain

Rejected Bride

Well, what about Tsar Michael himself? The main thing that was required of him was to strengthen the new dynasty, ridding the country of the nightmare that began after the suppression of the family Rurikovich.

Simply put, Mikhail Fedorovich had to leave offspring, preferably healthy and numerous. In 1616, when the king turned 20 years old, a show of brides was announced.

Mikhail's mother, nun Martha, chose a bride for her son, but then the tsar suddenly confused her plans by pointing to the daughter of a Kolomna nobleman Ivana Khlopova Maria.

The royal word is law, and Mary began to be prepared for the wedding. But suddenly the girl fell ill and started vomiting.

Nun Martha stated that Maria Khlopova was seriously ill and was not suitable for the role of queen. There is reason to think that Mary’s illness did not occur without the participation of the king’s mother.

The doctors insisted that nothing serious had happened, and the girl would be able to give birth to healthy children. Nun Martha argued the opposite.

The matter came to the Zemsky Sobor, at which it was decided to send the bride and all her relatives into exile in Tobolsk.

Mikhail missed Maria, but this time he did not dare to contradict his mother.

In 1619, the tsar’s father, Filaret Romanov, returned from captivity and scolded his son, accusing him of cowardice and unwillingness to fight for his happiness. The conditions of exile were softened for the Khlopovs, but there was no talk of marriage anymore. Filaret tried to look for a bride for his son among foreign princesses, but everywhere he ran into refusal.

Maria Khlopova in a drawing by Nikolai Nevrev.

Mikhail Romanov (Mikhail Fedorovich) became the first Sovereign And Grand Duke of All Rus' from Romanov dynasty. Mikhail's father is Fyodor Nikitich Romanov, aka Patriarch Filaret, was Patriarch of Moscow under Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, but during the reign Boris Godunov(as a possible contender for the throne) was expelled from Moscow and lost part of his lands.

On February 21, 1613, after the expulsion of the Poles from Moscow, Mikhail was elected Sovereign, although he was not on the original list of 8 candidates. This happened thanks to the initiative of his relative, boyar Fyodor Sheremetyev (Sheremetev) and the liberator of Moscow himself Dmitry Pozharsky. Mikhail hesitated for a long time, his mother Martha (Maria) persuaded her son not to accept the offer, but in the end Mikhail Fedorovich, who was then 16 years old, went to the capital.

The fears of the mother of the future king were caused not only by the fate of the last four kings, palace intrigues, conspiracies and other dangers of court life. At that moment, Mikhail and Marfa were hiding not far from Kostroma in the village of Domnino. This area was then still partially under the influence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, expelled from the Moscow lands. The Polish king, probably thanks to spies, found out about the decision of the Zemsky Sobor in 1613 and ordered to find and capture Mikhail Fedorovich. The Poles scoured Kostroma for a long time. In one of the villages called Derevenki, they caught the most adequate, in their opinion, peasant, who turned out to be the local village elder. The Poles questioned the latter about the whereabouts of Mikhail Romanov, since the exact place of residence of the Romanovs was unknown to them. The headman sent his son-in-law to Domnino to warn Mikhail and Maria, and he himself led the Poles in the opposite direction. You, of course, have already realized that the village headman was the famous Ivan Susanin.

A few days later, the Poles realized that they were being led by the nose, began to torture Susanin and, in the end, chopped him into pieces. Ivan never told them anything, and the Poles themselves, according to legend, never got out of those swamps where the patriotic peasant led them.

Later, Mikhail Fedorovich granted the heirs of Susanin royal letters, defining “their family forever and ever,” which meant the following: Susanin’s descendants from now on were not subordinate to any of the boyars, princes and landowners, but to the tsar personally, and were also exempt from taxes.

The main achievements of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov as Russian Sovereign:

1. Stolbovsky world with Sweden, concluded in 1617. According to it, Rus' again lost access to the Baltic Sea and paid indemnity for the unfulfilled Vyborg Treaty of Shuisky, but regained almost all the lands (and there were many of them) conquered by Sweden, which was still beneficial in the long term.
2. Truce of Deulino 1618 and the subsequent Peace of Polyanovsky in 1634 with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The purpose of this world, the result of a short Smolensk War, was more legal than economic, since for further international politics and trade it was necessary that Vladislav IV renounce his claims to the Russian throne. The downside was the loss of Smolensk and the Seversky lands, although not for long.
3. Administrative reform (appointment of local elders and governors), which strengthened tsarist power in territories remote from Moscow.
4. Democratic tax reform, in which ordinary people could complain about their landlords.
5. The development of the economy and trade, practically destroyed during the period Time of Troubles .
6. Military reform - the formation of regiments of the “new system” (dragoons, soldiers and reiters armed with firearms).
7. Invitation of foreign military specialists and engineers, for which it was founded in the capital German settlement for their accommodation.
8. Promoting the development of culture and art, especially painting. In addition, under Mikhail, the first Russian newspaper “Newsletters” appeared, which was published by the Ambassadorial Prikaz, that is, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of that time.

Mikhail Romanov died on July 13, 1645 from ascites (water sickness), caused either by cirrhosis of the liver, a malignant tumor, or heart failure (according to the theory of modern doctors). He left behind three sons and six daughters from his wife Evdokia Streshneva of the boyar family. According to eyewitnesses, Mikhail’s family life was happy.

From the point of view of both current historians and researchers of the times of the Russian Empire, Mikhail Fedorovich quite naturally became the Russian Sovereign, as well as the best option available at that time. And although he did not belong to Rurik dynasty, he was by no means of simple origin. His grandfather Nikita Romanov was the brother of the wife of Ivan the Terrible, and the very first Romanov known to modern history - boyar Andrei, nicknamed Mare - served at the court of Ivan Kalita.

Some researchers believe that Andrei Kobyla was the son of the Prussian prince Kambyla. Prince Gland Kambyla at one time came to the Russian lands and took the side of Alexander Nevsky in the fight against the Teutonic Order, which had disgusted him. From this we can conclude that the Romanovs were quite suitable in their origin for ruling the Russian kingdom (and a little later

Romanovs.
There are two main versions of the origin of the Romanov family. According to one, they come from Prussia, according to the other, from Novgorod. Under Ivan IV (the Terrible), the family was close to the royal throne and had a certain political influence. The surname Romanov was first adopted by Patriarch Filaret (Fedor Nikitich).

Tsars and emperors of the Romanov dynasty.

Mikhail Fedorovich (1596-1645).
Years of reign - 1613-1645.
Son of Patriarch Filaret and Ksenia Ivanovna Shestova (after tonsure, nun Martha). On February 21, 1613, sixteen-year-old Mikhail Romanov was elected tsar by the Zemsky Sobor, and on July 11 of the same year he was crowned king. Was married twice. He had three daughters and a son - the heir to the throne, Alexei Mikhailovich.
The reign of Mikhail Fedorovich was marked by rapid construction in large cities, the development of Siberia and the development of technical progress.

Alexey Mikhailovich (Quiet) (1629-1676)
Years of reign – 1645-1676
The reign of Alexei Mikhailovich was noted:
- church reform (in other words, a split in the church)
- peasant war led by Stepan Razin
- reunification of Russia and Ukraine
- a number of riots: “Solyany”, “Medny”
Was married twice. His first wife, Maria Miloslavskaya, bore him 13 children, including the future Tsars Fyodor and Ivan, and Princess Sophia. Second wife Natalya Naryshkina - 3 children, including the future Emperor Peter I.
Before his death, Alexei Mikhailovich blessed his son from his first marriage, Fedor, to the kingdom.

Feodor III (Fedor Alekseevich) (1661-1682)
Years of reign – 1676-1682
Under Feodor III, a population census was carried out and the cutting off of hands for theft was abolished. Orphanages began to be built. A Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy was established, with representatives of all classes allowed to study there.
Was married twice. There were no children. He did not appoint heirs before his death.

Ivan V (Ivan Alekseevich) (1666-1696)
Years of reign – 1682-1696
He took over the reigns after the death of his brother Fedor by right of seniority.
He was very sick and incapable of governing the country. The boyars and the patriarch decided to remove Ivan V and declare the young Peter Alekseevich (the future Peter I) tsar. Relatives from both heirs fought desperately for power. The result was the bloody Streletsky riot. As a result, it was decided to crown both of them, which happened on June 25, 1682. Ivan V was a nominal tsar and was never involved in state affairs. In reality, the country was ruled first by Princess Sophia, and then by Peter I.
He was married to Praskovya Saltykova. They had five daughters, including the future Empress Anna Ioannovna.

Princess Sophia (Sofya Alekseevna) (1657-1704)
Years of reign – 1682-1689
Under Sophia, the persecution of Old Believers was intensified. Her favorite, Prince Golits, made two unsuccessful campaigns against the Crimea. As a result of the coup of 1689, Peter I came to power. Sophia was forcibly tonsured a nun and died in the Novodevichy Convent.

Peter I (Peter Alekseevich) (1672-1725)
Years of reign – 1682-1725
He was the first to take the title of emperor. There were many global changes in the state:
- the capital was moved to the newly built city of St. Petersburg.
- the Russian navy was founded
- a lot of successful military campaigns were carried out, including the defeat of the Swedes near Poltava
- another church reform was carried out, the Holy Synod was established, the institution of the patriarch was abolished, the church was deprived of its own funds
- the Senate was established
The emperor was married twice. The first wife is Evdokia Lopukhina. The second is Marta Skavronskaya.
Three of Peter's children lived to adulthood: Tsarevich Alesei and daughters Elizabeth and Anna.
Tsarevich Alexei was considered the heir, but was accused of treason and died under torture. According to one version, he was tortured to death by his own father.

Catherine I (Martha Skavronskaya) (1684-1727)
Years of reign – 1725-1727
After the death of her crowned husband, she took his throne. The most significant event of her reign was the opening of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Peter II (Peter Alekseevich) (1715-1730)
Years of reign – 1727-1730
Grandson of Peter I, son of Tsarevich Alexei.
He ascended the throne very young and was not involved in government affairs. He was passionate about hunting.

Anna Ioannovna (1693-1740)
Years of reign – 1730-1740
Daughter of Tsar Ivan V, niece of Peter I.
Since there were no heirs left after Peter II, the issue of the throne was decided by members of the Privy Council. They chose Anna Ioannovna, forcing her to sign a document limiting the royal power. Subsequently, she tore up the document, and the members of the Privy Council were either executed or sent into exile.
Anna Ioannovna declared her niece Anna Leopoldovna's son, Ivan Antonovich, as her heir.

Ivan VI (Ivan Antonovich) (1740-1764)
Years of reign - 1740-1741
Great-grandson of Tsar Ivan V, nephew of Anna Ioannovna.
First, under the young emperor, Anna Ioannovna's favorite Biron was regent, then his mother Anna Leopoldovna. After the accession of Elizabeth Petrovna to the throne, the emperor and his family spent the rest of their days in captivity.

Elizaveta Petrovna (1709-1761)
Years of reign - 1741-1761
Daughter of Peter I and Catherine I. The last ruler of the state, who is a direct descendant of the Romanovs. She ascended the throne as a result of a coup d'etat. All her life she patronized the arts and science.
She declared her nephew Peter as her heir.

Peter III (1728-1762)
Years of reign - 1761-1762
Grandson of Peter I, son of his eldest daughter Anna and Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl Friedrich.
During his short reign, he managed to sign a decree on equality of religions and the Manifesto of Freedom of the Nobility. He was killed by a group of conspirators.
He was married to Princess Sophia Augusta Frederica (future Empress Catherine II). He had a son, Paul, who would later take the Russian throne.

Catherine II (née Princess Sophia Augusta Frederica) (1729-1796)
Years of reign - 1762-1796
She became empress after the coup d'etat and the assassination of Peter III.
The reign of Catherine is called the Golden Age. Russia conducted a lot of successful military campaigns and gained new territories. Science and art developed.

Paul I (1754-1801)
Years of reign – 1796-1801
Son of Peter III and Catherine II.
He was married to Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt, at baptism Natalya Alekseevna. They had ten children. Two of whom later became emperors.
Killed by conspirators.

Alexander I (Alexander Pavlovich) (1777-1825)
Reign 1801-1825
Son of Emperor Paul I.
After the coup and the murder of his father, he ascended the throne.
Defeated Napoleon.
He had no heirs.
There is a legend associated with him that he did not die in 1825, but became a wandering monk and ended his days in one of the monasteries.

Nicholas I (Nikolai Pavlovich) (1796-1855)
Years of reign – 1825-1855
Son of Emperor Paul I, brother of Emperor Alexander I
Under him, the Decembrist Uprising took place.
He was married to the Prussian princess Friederike Louise Charlotte Wilhelmina. The couple had 7 children.

Alexander II the Liberator (Alexander Nikolaevich) (1818-1881)
Years of reign – 1855-1881
Son of Emperor Nicholas I.
Abolished serfdom in Russia.
Was married twice. The first time was on Maria, Princess of Hesse. The second marriage was considered morganatic and was concluded with Princess Ekaterina Dolgoruka.
The emperor died at the hands of terrorists.

Alexander III the Peacemaker (Alexander Alexandrovich) (1845-1894)
Years of reign – 1881-1894
Son of Emperor Alexander II.
Under him, Russia was very stable and rapid economic growth began.
Married the Danish princess Dagmar. The marriage produced 4 sons and two daughters.

Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich) (1868-1918)
Years of reign – 1894-1917
Son of Emperor Alexander III.
The last Russian emperor.
His reign was quite difficult, marked by riots, revolutions, unsuccessful wars and a fading economy.
He was greatly influenced by his wife Alexandra Feodorovna (nee Princess Alice of Hesse). The couple had 4 daughters and a son, Alexei.
In 1917, the emperor abdicated the throne.
In 1918, together with his entire family, he was shot by the Bolsheviks.
Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as a Saint.

The first Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, was born on July 22 (July 12, old style) 1596 in Moscow.

His father is Fyodor Nikitich Romanov, Metropolitan (later Patriarch Filaret), his mother is Ksenia Ivanovna Shestova (later nun Martha). Mikhail was a cousin of the last Russian Tsar from the Moscow branch of the Rurik dynasty, Fyodor Ivanovich.

In 1601, together with his parents, Boris Godunov fell into disgrace. Lived in exile. In 1605 he returned to Moscow, where he was captured by the Poles who captured the Kremlin. In 1612, liberated 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 ambassadors of the Council arrived in Kostroma. At the Ipatiev Monastery, where Mikhail was with his mother, he was informed of his election to the throne.

Poles arrive in Moscow. A small detachment set out to kill Mikhail, but got lost along the way, because the peasant Ivan Susanin, having agreed 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), real power was with his mother, as well as with her relatives from the Saltykov boyars. From 1619 to 1633, the country was ruled by the tsar’s father, Patriarch Filaret, who had returned from Polish captivity. Under the dual power that existed at that time, state charters were written on behalf of the Sovereign Tsar and His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.

During the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, the wars with Sweden (Peace of Stolbovo, 1617) and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Truce of Deulin, 1618, later - Peace of Polyanovsky, 1634) were ended.

Overcoming the consequences of the Time of Troubles required the centralization of power. The system of voivodeship administration grew locally, the order system was restored and developed. Since the 1620s, the activities of Zemsky Sobors have been limited to advisory functions. They gathered 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 began (Reitar, Dragoon, Soldier regiments), the rank and file of which were “willing free people” and homeless boyar children, the officers were foreign military specialists. At the end of Michael's reign, 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 period for capturing fugitive peasants was increased from five to nine years. In 1641 another year was added to it. Peasants exported by other owners were allowed to be searched for up to 15 years. This indicated the growth of serfdom tendencies in the legislation on land and peasants.

Moscow under Mikhail Fedorovich was restored from the consequences of the intervention.

The Filaretovskaya belfry was erected in the Kremlin in 1624. 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. All the royal palaces were restored in the Kremlin, and new trading shops were built in Kitay-Gorod.

In 1632, an enterprise for teaching velvet and damask work appeared in Moscow - Velvet Dvor (in the middle of the 17th century its premises served as a weapons warehouse). The center of textile production became Kadashevskaya Sloboda with the sovereign's 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, and all the Kremlin cathedrals were re-painted, including the Assumption (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. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

The first wife is Maria Vladimirovna Dolgorukova. The marriage turned out to be childless.

The second wife is Evdokia Lukyanovna Streshneva. The marriage brought Mikhail Fedorovich seven daughters (Irina, Pelageya, Anna, Martha, Sophia, Tatyana, Evdokia) and three sons (Alexey, Ivan, Vasily). Not all children even survived to adolescence. The parents experienced the death of their sons Ivan and Vasily in one year especially hard.

The heir to the throne was Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov (1629-1676, reigned 1645-1676).

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov.
Years of life: 1596–1645
Reign: 1613-1645

The first Russian Tsar Romanov dynasty(1613–1917). He was chosen to reign by the Zemsky Sobor on February 7, 1613.

Born on July 12, 1596 in Moscow. Son of boyar Fyodor Nikitich Romanov, metropolitan (later Patriarch Filaret) and Ksenia Ivanovna Shestova (later nun Martha), née Shestova. Mikhail was a cousin of the last Russian Tsar from the Moscow branch of the Rurik dynasty, Fedor I Ioannovich.

Tsar Mikhail Romanov

For the first years, Mikhail lived in Moscow, and in 1601, together with his parents, he was put into disgrace by Boris Godunov. A denunciation was received against the Romanovs that they kept magic roots and wanted to kill the royal family with witchcraft. Many Romanovs were arrested, and Nikita Romanovich's sons, Fyodor, Alexander, Mikhail, Ivan and Vasily, were tonsured as monks and exiled to Siberia.

In 1605, False Dmitry I, wanting to prove his relationship with the House of Romanov, returned the surviving members of the Romanov family from exile. Among them were Mikhail’s parents and himself. First they settled in the village of Domnina, the Kostroma estate of the Romanovs, and then hid from persecution by Polish-Lithuanian troops in the monastery of St. Hypatius near Kostroma.

On February 21, 1613, in Moscow, after the expulsion of the interventionists by the militia of D. Pozharsky and K. Minin, the Great Zemsky and Local Council was held, which gathered to elect a new tsar. Among the contenders were the Swedish prince Karl Philip, the Polish prince Vladislav and others. The candidacy of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov arose due to his relationship with the Rurik dynasty through the female line; he also arranged for the serving nobility, which tried to disrupt the plans of the aristocracy (boyars) in an effort to establish the country has a monarchy based on the Polish model. The moral character of Michael as the son of a metropolitan also corresponded to the interests of the church and corresponded to popular ideas about the king-shepherd, an intercessor before God.

Having learned about this, the Poles made an attempt to prevent the new tsar from arriving in Moscow. A small Polish detachment went to the Ipatiev Monastery to kill Mikhail Fedorovich, but on the way the soldiers got lost, because the peasant Ivan Susanin, having agreed to show the right road, led them into a dense forest.

On February 21, 1613, 16-year-old Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was chosen by the Zemsky Sobor to reign and became the founder Romanov dynasty. In the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin on July 11, 1613, he was crowned king.

Mikhail Romanov, the first Tsar of the Romanov dynasty

During the early childhood of Tsar Mikhail (1613-1619), the country was ruled by his mother Martha and her relatives from the Saltykov boyars, and from 1619 to 1633. - Father returned from Polish captivity - Patriarch Filaret, who bore the title of “Great Sovereign”. In 1625, Mikhail Fedorovich accepted the title of “Autocrat of All Russia.” Under the dual power that existed at that time, state charters were written on behalf of the Sovereign Tsar and His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.

During the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, the wars with Sweden (Peace of Stolbov, 1617) and Poland (Truce of Deulin, 1634) were ended. But the Nogai Horde left the subordination of Russia, and although the government of Mikhail Fedorovich annually sent expensive gifts to Bakhchisarai, the raids continued.

In 1631-1634. The organization of regular military units (Reitar, Dragoon, Soldier regiments) was carried out, the rank and file of which consisted of “willing free people” and homeless children of the boyars, the officers were foreign military specialists. At the end of the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, cavalry dragoon regiments arose to guard the country's borders.

In 1632, the first ironworks was founded near Tula.

In 1637, the period for capturing fugitive peasants was increased to nine years, and in 1641 - by another year. It was allowed to search for peasants who had been exported by other owners for up to 15 years.

By order of Mikhail, the construction of the Great Zasechnaya Line and the fortresses of the Simbirsk and Belgorod Lines began in Russia. Under him, Moscow was restored from the consequences of the intervention (the Terem Palace and the Filaretovskaya belfry were built, a striking clock appeared in the Kremlin, the Znamensky Monastery was founded).

In the 1620–1640s, diplomatic relations were established with Holland, Turkey, Austria, Denmark, and Persia.

Since 1633, machines for supplying water from the Moscow River (received the name Vodovzvodnaya) were installed in the Sviblova Tower of the Kremlin. Enterprises for teaching velvet and damask work were created in Moscow - Velvet Dvor.

It was under him that garden roses were brought to Russia for the first time.

He remained in history as a calm, peaceful monarch, easily influenced by his environment, for which he received the nickname - the Meek. He was a religious man, like his father.

Mikhail Fedorovich at the end of his life he could not walk, he was carried in a cart. From “a lot of sitting,” Tsar Mikhail’s body weakened, and contemporaries noted melancholy in his character.

Mikhail Romanov died on July 13, 1645 at the age of 49 from water sickness. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Was married twice:

• Spouse 1: Maria Dolgorukova. There were no children.
• 2nd wife: Evdokia Streshneva. Children in this marriage: Alexey, John, Vasily, Irina, Anna, Tatyana, Pelageya, Maria, Sophia.