Years of the reign of Fedor Alekseevich. Tsar Fedor is an extraordinary and strong personality

Reign of Fyodor Alekseevich 1676-1682

Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich was born in 1661 from the first marriage of Alexei Mikhailovich with Maria Ilinichnaya Miloslavskaya. By the time he inherited the throne in 1676, he was 15 years old. He was in poor health and needed constant medical supervision as he could hardly walk. He even spent the swearing-in ceremony of senior officials sitting.

Alexey Mikhailovich chooses Simeon of Polotsk as the educator of the future tsar, under whose guidance Fyodor studied many humanities: philosophy, rhetoric and others. In addition, the prince spoke Polish and Latin and had a penchant for music, poetry and singing. Reading played a big role in Fyodor's life.

During the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich, sympathy for European culture, instilled in him by his teacher, is clearly visible. The influence of Polish traditions, etiquette, and fashion is especially felt.

Fedor patronizes the development of education in Russia, strongly supporting the Zaikonospasskaya Foundation founded by Simeon of Polotsk. school" in Moscow, which became the prototype of higher education in Russia. In addition, he supports artists, craftsmen, architects and himself composes poetry and music.

In the first months of his reign, the tsar was under the influence of the boyars, supporters of the Miloslavskys, in church affairs undividedlyruled by Patriarch Joachim. However, as Fedor grew older, he more often showed decisiveness and even cruelty in business, taking

the reins of power into your own hands. Fedor was not lucky in his family life. His first marriage was with Agafya Semyonovna Grushetskaya. She was Polish by origin, of humble birth. However, the young queen died during childbirth, and after that her newborn son Fedor also died. His second marriage was with Marfa Matveevna Apraksina, who was related to the disgraced A.S. Matveev. Thanks to this marriage, the tsar’s relations with the Naryshkins improved, A.S. was returned from exile. Matveev. However, the second marriage was also short-lived. Two months after the wedding, Tsar Fedor died.

The reign of Fyodor Alekseevich was short; he did not manage to accomplish much.

Kostomarov N.I. Russian history in the biographies of its main figures. M., 1995

"INImportant changes took place in church life. A church council was convened. ...New archbishoprics were founded in Sevsk, Kholmogory, Ustyug, and Yeniseisk; the Vyatka bishopric was elevated to an archbishopric... New monasteries with patrimonial peasants and all the land were allocated for the maintenance of the new bishops.

On the issue of counteracting the schism, the council... transferred this matter to the secular authorities; patrimonial owners and landowners must notify bishops about schismatic gatherings and prayer sites, and governors and clerks will send service people against those schismatics who turn out to be disobedient to the bishops; so that no charters are given for the founding of new deserts; destroy in Moscow tents and hangars with icons, called chapels, in which priests performed prayer services according to old books...

It was forbidden for monks to wander the streets, hold strong drinks in monasteries, deliver food to their cells, or hold feasts.

Attention was drawn to the beggars, of whom an extraordinary multitude then accumulated everywhere; They not only did not allow anyone to pass through the streets, but screamed and begged for alms in churches during services. They were ordered to be dismantled, and those who turned out to be sick were to be supported at the expense of the royal treasury, “with all sufficiency,” and the lazy and healthy were forced to work.

Questions and tasks for the text

What do the changes in church affairs indicate?

Remember who the schismatics were and what was the attitude of the previous rulers towards the split?

What do you know about the attitude towards Patriarch Nikon during the reign of Tsar Feodor?

What, in your opinion, is the reason for the regulations regarding beggars?

Platonov S.F. A complete course of lectures on Russian history. St. Petersburg, 1999

A project has been drawn up... for the so-called Greco-Latin Academy. It arose in this way: the monk Timothy came to Moscow from the East, who greatly touched the tsar with the story of the disasters of the Greek Church and the sad state of science in it, so necessary for maintaining Orthodoxy in the East. This gave rise to the establishment of a theological school in Moscow for 30 people, the head of which was Timofey himself, and the teachers -" two Greeks. The purpose of this enterprise was, therefore, to maintain Orthodoxy. But they are not content with this small school, and now a project for an academy appears, the character of which goes far beyond the boundaries of a simple school. It was supposed to teach grammar, literature, rhetoric, dialectics and “reasonable”, “natural” and “right” philosophy. The teachers of the academy had to all be from the East and, moreover, with the guarantee of the patriarchs. But this did not exhaust the task of the academy, - the academy was supposed to monitor the purity of the faith, be a weapon in the struggle against infidels, apologists for Orthodoxy were supposed to come out of it... It should be noted that the academy was founded after the death of Feodor, and its first teachers were the Likhud brothers (Ioannikis and Saphronius) called from the East. .

Questions and tasks for the text

Describe the purpose of this reform.

What is the significance of the creation of the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy?

Public Administration Reforms:

1. A new supreme body has appeared -Execution Chamber, underperformed directly to the king.

2. Fyodor Alekseevich more often signed decrees without consulting the Boyar Duma, reduced the number of orders, personally set the working hours of central departments, demanding that matters be resolvedwithout any fuss.

Military district reform of 1680

Beganarmy reform.The regiments of the new formation were completed. Nine territorial military districts appeared. The army was determineddating people (1 out of 100 people),The nobles were obliged to supply them from their estates.

Military affairs were in charge of the head of the united military ordersWhile maintaining the noble cavalry and streltsy units, most of the nobles in the districts were enrolled in the Reiter regiments,dating people- to soldier regiments. The Streltsy units, in fact, were approaching the regular troops. New military ranks appeared - colonels, lieutenant colonels, captains. Were formed firstelected(shock) regiments, which became the prototype of the Russianguard.By decree of the tsar, nobles who evaded regimental service were deprived of their estates.

A series of decrees brought estates closer to fiefdoms. The Tsar ordered the creation of a new serif line, moving it to the south, and the remaining lands in the rear to be populated by people and given to landowners. The search for runaway peasants intensified.

Reforms in financial field.

1678 - Conducted generalpopulation census.

1679-1681 - Tax reform(transition to household taxation instead of taxation).

Instead of many taxes, it introduced a single tax reduced in overall size -Streltsy money.They were counted by household depending on the wealth of the people.

Previous beneficiaries were taxed. Old debts and arrears were forgiven, and those who evaded the single tax were threatenedgreat disgrace and cruel punishment without mercy

Reforms local government.

1. The power of local governors and their responsibility to the center were strengthened

2.Customs duties and other duties were withdrawn from the voivodeship office. They were collectedheadsAndkissers,selectedpeace

3.1682 - Abolition of localism.Now, when appointing to the highest government and military positions, not noble origin was taken into account, but personal merit and abilities.

Projects for restructuring the administrative and church governance of the country in 1681-1682.

1. Project developedstate administrative reorganization of the country.It was intended to create a number of institutions that would reduce the influence of the Boyar Duma and the power of the Patriarch.

2. The principle of distributing civil servants according to degrees corresponding to positions was developed.

3. It was planned to divide the country into governorships (future provinces)

4..Persecution of schismatics

5. In church administration, the discussion was about increasing the role of metropolitans and limiting the power of the Patriarch

6. The introduction of strict rules in monasteries, the drinking of strong drinks is prohibited.

Education.

.The development of a plan to create technical schools for poor children began. Opened in MoscowSlavic-Latin school,where Latin was taught. Discussed the project to createRussian Academy

Reforms V everyday life

The tsar welcomed the decoration of houses according to Western standards - with paintings and mirrors, forbade people to come to the palace in long-length clothes and ordered them to be replaced with Western-style kaftans.

Conclusion: Fyodor Alekseevich’s reforms were directed towards new civilizational values. The tsar's undertakings and projects met fierce resistance from the Patriarch and the Boyar Duma

Foreign policy .

1676-1681 - Russian-Turkish war (Chigirin campaigns).

Cause of war:The Turks sought to capture Kyiv and Chigirin, the political centers of Ukraine.

Progress of the war:In August 1677, the Turks began the siege of Chigirin, but Russian troops were victorious. In the summer of 1678, the Sultan sent an army of 200 thousand to Chigirin. She was opposed

120 thousand Russian-Ukrainian army. After fierce fighting, the garrison left the city. But the battle of the main forces of Russians and Ukrainians with the Turks forced the enemy to retreat.

Results of the war:IN1681Russia has concluded with CrimeaBakhchisarai Treaty,according to which a truce was established for 20 years, Left Bank Ukraine and Kyiv were transferred to Russia. Right Bank. Ukraine remained with Turkey.

Mother Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya. Fedor was the third son of the “quiet” tsar and did not claim the throne, but the death of his elder brother Alexei made him heir to the throne

“Weak and sick Fyodor Alekseevich... Even as a boy he was extremely frail and sickly,” S. F. Platonov reported about Fyodor in his lectures on Russian history. This is not entirely accurate. An accident made the king ill: (during a walk) “...with his aunts and sisters in a sleigh. They were given a zealous horse: Theodore sat on it, although he was to be a charioteer for his aunts and sisters. There were so many of them on the sleigh that the horse could not move, but reared up, knocked off its rider, and knocked him under the sleigh. Then the sleigh with all its weight drove over the back of Theodore, who was lying on the ground, and crushed his chest, from which he now feels continuous pain in his chest and back.”
At the same time, Fyodor Alekseevich, while in power, was not constantly ill: “He fell ill in the first months of his reign, was ill from December 1677 to February 1678, suffered from a serious illness at the beginning of 1678, suffered in the winter of 1678/79, and a new attack of ill health carried him to his grave at dawn in 1682. But in the intervals between deteriorations in his health, the king apparently felt fine. He loved music, poetry, horse riding and highly valued good horses. I went on long pilgrimages. Finally, he received foreign ambassadors, and when you read their reviews, you don’t get the impression at all that they communicated with some kind of pale infirmity” (D. Volodikhin “Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, or the Poor Youth”)

Brief biography of Fedor Alekseevich

1661, May 30 - birth
1661, June 30 - baptism of the prince in the name of St. Theodore Stratilates
1669, March 3 - death of Fyodor Alekseevich's mother, Queen Maria
1670 - assignment of ambassadorial clerk P.T. to Tsarevich Fyodor Alekseevich. Belyaninova “to be a teacher”

“From Belyaninov, the prince learned Slavic literacy, ... acquired primary knowledge of geography, history, and Russian foreign policy. Especially for Belyaninov’s classes with Fyodor Alekseevich, other employees of the Ambassadorial Prikaz created in 1672 a luxurious textbook with a much more serious content. It has survived to this day and is now well known under the name “Titular Book”. The real name of the textbook is “The Great Sovereign Book, or The Root of Russian Sovereigns”

1670, January 17 - death of Fyodor Alekseevich's elder brother - Tsarevich Alexei
1672 - the beginning of training sessions for Tsarevich Fyodor Alekseevich with Simeon of Polotsk

“Simeon of Polotsk taught Fyodor Alekseevich Latin and Polish, rhetoric and speech skills, and perhaps touched upon philosophy. Fedor read classical ancient authors under his guidance.”

1673 (approximately) - serious injury to Tsarevich Fyodor Alekseevich: he was run over by a sleigh, as a result of which his spine was apparently damaged
1675, September - official announcement of Tsarevich Fyodor Alekseevich as heir to the Russian throne
1676, January 29 - death of his father, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich

“...as his eldest son... Feodor Alekseevich... by the boyars who were with the king, he was escorted to the large hall and here, in royal regalia, he was seated on the royal throne. He kissed the cross and, after that, the nobles and boyars took an oath of allegiance to the new sovereign and tsar, kissing the cross that the patriarch or forefather was holding in his hands. The oath of all nobles, stewards and various palace servants continued throughout the night. Messengers were sent to all corners of the state; all foreign officers and officials required to take the oath were called to the palace, where they took the oath before two Moscow preachers, one Reformed and the other Lutheran. It happened around 11 at night."

1676, June 18 - the crowning of Fyodor Alekseevich
1676, November-December - a large pilgrimage of Fyodor Alekseevich: the Trinity-Sergius monastery, the monasteries of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, and then a special week-long pilgrimage in the Savvino-Storozhevskaya monastery. From that moment on, every year, until 1681, the king went on a great pilgrimage to the same places in the fall.
1678, September 5 - stay of Emperor Fyodor Alekseevich with family members in the Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery
1678, December 5 - a new visit by Fyodor Alekseevich to the Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery
1679, November 29 - third trip of Emperor Fyodor Alekseevich to the Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery
1680, July 18 - marriage of Fyodor Alekseevich to Agafya Semyonovna Grushetskaya
1680, end of the year - weakening of the positions of the court aristocratic party of the Miloslavskys, Fyodor Alekseevich’s maternal relatives. Reasons: conflict with the tsar over his marriage to Grushetskaya, as well as pressure from the court aristocratic “parties” of Khitrovo and the Dolgoruky princes.
1681, July 11 - the birth of the only son of Fyodor Alekseevich - Tsarevich Ilya Fedorovich.
1681, July 14 - death of Fyodor Alekseevich's wife, Tsarina Agafya Semyonovna, from patrimonial fever
1681, July 21 - death of Tsarevich Ilya Fedorovich
1681, September - Fyodor Alekseevich’s trip to Rostov, Yaroslavl, Suzdal and “other cities,” obviously for religious purposes.
1682, February 15 - marriage of Fyodor Alekseevich to Marfa Matveevna Apraksina.
1682, April 27 - death of the great sovereign, tsar and grand prince of Moscow and All Rus' Fyodor Alekseevich

The reign of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich

“...the reign of Feodor fell into two approximately equal halves, different in their orientation (from 1676 to mid-1679 and from mid-1679 to early 1682)... In the first years, the Miloslavsky party actually came to power (relatives of the first wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ), which was headed by Fyodor Alekseevich’s cousin I.M. Miloslavsky... The second force in ruling the country were the figures of the previous period who joined Miloslavsky - Yu. A. Dolgoruky, B. I. Khitrovo and Ya. N. Odoevsky... Figures of both groups captured the own hands to manage most of the central institutions (orders), including the most profitable ones, that is, those associated with monetary fees. Miloslavsky, Khitrovo and Odoevsky simultaneously headed 6-7 orders each. Under the control of Dolgorukov there were a slightly smaller number of institutions... There was a tendency for Miloslavsky to “scrub” the rest of his co-rulers from solving state issues, to the sole management of a sickly and weak nephew” (Demidova, Morozova, Preobrazhensky “The First Romanovs on the Russian Throne”)
“(However, gradually) the Miloslavskys were replaced by the favorites of Tsar Fedor, the bed-keeper Yazykov and the steward Likhachev, educated, capable and conscientious people. Their closeness to the king and influence on affairs were very great. The importance of Prince V.V. Golitsyn was slightly less important. In the most important internal affairs of Fyodor Alekseevich’s time, one must certainly look for the initiative of these particular individuals, as those who then led everything in Moscow” (S. F. Platonov)

Domestic policy of the government under Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich

1676, February-March - liquidation of the Secret Affairs order. It was the personal office of the tsar... Clerks of the order were sent with ambassadors to different states, together with the governors they went on military campaigns, had to monitor the actions of the ambassadors and governors and report everything to the sovereign. The Order of Secret Affairs carried out investigations into the most important state matters, for example, the issue of counterfeit coins, the case of Patriarch Nikon, etc.
1676-1680 - construction of the Insar-Penza serif line

The Penza Zasechnaya Line served to protect against Tatar raids and ran along the following line: lake. Long near the Sura River - Penza fortress - Ramzaevsky fort (now Ramzai) - Mokshansk fortress (Mokshan) - Mokshansky forest. It consisted of forest and field fortifications. In the forests, rubble was built from felled and felled trees. The areas between the forests were fortified with ditches and earthen ramparts, on top of which a wooden wall was erected, and low-lying and swampy areas - with palisades and gouges. Towers (solid and drive-through), forts, and fortified cities were placed along the serif lines. The abatis forests were considered protected areas. They prohibited cutting down trees and laying roads

1677 - liquidation of the Monastic Order. Performed financial, administrative and police functions in church affairs; collected funds from church estates, Fyodor Alekseevich transferred his affairs to the Order of the Great Palace (purchased goods, food, was in charge of the income and expenses of the royal court), and financial affairs to the Order of the New Cemetery (managed income from circle yards, court cases on the secret sale of wine and tobacco. In 1678, the management of Kalmyk affairs was added to this)
1678 - general population census (household census). The scribes, having arrived in the camps and volosts, in the monastic estates and estates, had to “in those estates and estates... read the sovereign’s decree (on the census) ... so that the nobles and boyar children and their clerks and elders and kissers would bring fairy tales to them...”. “Fairy tales” were reports on the number of peasants in a feudal estate or townspeople in a tax yard
1679 - Introduction of household taxation everywhere

The basis for household taxation was the census books compiled during the household census of 1678-1679. They described the labor force that paid the tax: it was not the land that was taxed, but the labor force with their equipment. For each tax district, the average household tax salary was assigned and the total amount of tax payments was calculated according to the number of tax-paying households, and the payers themselves distributed the amount between individual households depending on the level of income. Household taxation saved the treasury from the losses it suffered from peasants moving from large plots to smaller plots, from arable plots to wastelands

1679-1680 - assessment of the number, weapons and combat effectiveness of all military forces of Muscovy
1679-1681 - construction of the Izyum abatis line against the Crimean Khanate and the Turks. It passed through the territory of modern Belgorod and Kharkov regions. The rivers Kolomak, Mzha, Seversky Donets and Oskol, on the banks of which there were old settlements, were chosen as a natural barrier
1680, October 18 - Fyodor Alekseevich decree on the establishment of a Duma commission, also called the Execution Chamber - a special department for handling executions (i.e., judicial) cases. In the second half of the 17th century, long trips of tsars from Moscow “on campaigns” were common; according to the customs of that time, the kings were accompanied by all the boyars and duma people, which could not but have a harmful effect on the judicial activity of the Boyar Duma and on the very order of the court, the correct course of which should have required a certain permanent organization. This goal was pursued by the establishment of the Execution Chamber.
1680, October 22 - Fyodor Alekseevich’s decree banning the wearing of obhabneys, chekmens and short-skirted caftans, as well as the introduction instead of long-skirted caftans and feryazes for Moscow servicemen
1680, December 19 - Fyodor Alekseevich’s decree on what clothes to wear on holidays and special days to appear at court during sovereign appearances

Okhaben - a narrow, swinging long garment (up to the ankle), chekmen - men's outer clothing in a transitional form between a robe and a caftan, feryaz - clothing (men's and women's) with long sleeves, without a collar or interception

1681, April-May - opening of the Greek-Slavic Typographical School at the Printing Yard by Fyodor Alekseevich and Patriarch Joachim. The school was headed by Hieromonk Timofey. The students of this school will become the core of the Academy, later opened by the brothers Ioannikiy and Sophrony Likhud in the Zaikonospassky Monastery (1687)

“...the monk Timothy came to Moscow from the East, who greatly touched the tsar with the story of the disasters of the Greek Church and the sad state of science in it, so necessary for maintaining Orthodoxy in the East. This gave rise to the establishment of a theological school in Moscow for 30 people, the head of which was Timothy himself, and two Greeks as teachers. The purpose of this enterprise was, therefore, to maintain Orthodoxy. But they are not content with this small school, and now a project for an academy appears, the character of which goes far beyond the boundaries of a simple school. It was supposed to teach grammar, literature, rhetoric, dialectics and “reasonable”, “natural” and “right” philosophy. The teachers of the academy had to all be from the East and, moreover, with the guarantee of the patriarchs. But this did not exhaust the task of the academy - the academy was supposed to monitor the purity of the faith, be a weapon in the struggle against infidels, apologists for Orthodoxy were supposed to emerge from it, it was assigned the right to judge the Orthodoxy of everyone, both foreigners and Russians... The Academy was established after the death of Feodor, and its first teachers were the learned brothers Likhud (Ioannikis and Saphronius) summoned from the East.”

1681, summer - permission for Patriarch Nikon to move from the distant Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery to the Resurrection New Jerusalem monastery near Moscow. Nikon died during the move, on August 17, 1681. He was buried in New Jerusalem with great pomp. The royal family was present at the funeral, and Fyodor Alekseevich himself sang in the church choir
1681, October 23 - decree of Fyodor Alekseevich to encourage stone construction in Moscow.
1681, November 24 - decree of Fyodor Alekseevich on the creation of an “order of Military Affairs” under the control of Prince V.V. Golitsyn to prepare the reform of the Russian army and eliminate localism
1681, December 28 - decree of Fyodor Alekseevich regulating carriage and sleigh rides in Moscow.
1682, winter - Beginning of construction of the Penza-Syzran abatis line. It captured the northern parts of Kuznetsk and Khvalynsk districts. Reducing the weight of the Moscow silver penny from 0.45 to 0.4 grams. Silver pennies were constantly reduced in size to cover government expenses
1681, November-1682, April - church council, at which it was decided to tighten the fight against the Old Believers: the most stubborn of them should be transferred from church jurisdiction to secular
1682, January 12 - Fyodor Alekseevich’s speech before Patriarch Joachim, the meeting of the highest clergy and the Boyar Duma about the need to abolish localism - the system of distributing positions depending on the nobility of the family... The meeting unanimously approved: “Let this God-hating, hostile, brotherly-hating and love-driving thing perish in the fire localism henceforth - forever"
1682, January 15 - Fyodor Alekseevich decree on the construction of two cells in the Moscow Zaikonospassky Monastery to house the Slavic-Latin school, subsequently the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, the first higher educational institution in Russia
1682, January 19 - Fyodor Alekseevich signed a “conciliar act” on the abolition of localism
1682, April 14 - burning in Pustozersk by order of Fyodor Alekseevich of the spiritual leaders of the church schism, including Archpriest Avvakum.
1682, April 23 - the beginning of the Streltsy uprising in Moscow.
1682, April 24 - order from Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich on severe punishment of Streltsy Colonel Semyon Griboyedov, whose criminal activities caused an outbreak of rebellious sentiments among the Streltsy community. This order could stop

In the history of Russia it is difficult to find an autocrat about whom not only the general reader, but also specialist historians knew as little as about the son of Alexei Mikhailovich and the elder brother of Peter I - Tsar Fedor. It's not that documents are missing. The state archives of the Russian state have been preserved surprisingly well over the years. Fyodor’s reign was not “offended” by his contemporaries - chroniclers, memoirists and court writers, foreign travelers and diplomats, and the ubiquitous (even then!) newspapermen.

V. Vereshchagin. Tsar Fedor Alekseevich

Both the officials who documented the state activities of Fyodor Alekseevich and the witnesses of his reign had something to write about. When, as a result of a fierce court struggle, the boyars elevated 15-year-old Fyodor to the throne of Alexei’s rightful heir, they were convinced that they would not be able to rule from behind the back of the puppet king. The educated, energetic and God-fearing tsar was so successful in his reform activities within a few years and so frightened the opposition that he doomed himself to a palace coup and an evil silence after his death.

A. Vasnetsov. Moscow at the end of the 17th century

Tsar Fedor Alekseevich Romanov

Fyodor Alekseevich Romanov (1661-1682) - Russian Tsar (from 1676), the eldest son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich “The Quietest” and Maria Ilyinichna, daughter of the boyar I.D. Miloslavsky, one of the most educated rulers of Russia. Born on May 30, 1661 in Moscow. From childhood he was weak and sickly (he suffered from paralysis and scurvy), but already at the age of 12 he was officially declared heir to the throne. His first teacher was the clerk of the Ambassadorial Prikaz Pamfil Belyaninov, then he was replaced by Simeon of Polotsk, who became his spiritual mentor.

Simeon of Polotsk

Thanks to him, the young king knew ancient Greek, Polish, Latin, and composed verses himself (Fyodor has two very professional transcriptions of the psalms of King David, which were published in the printing house of Simeon of Polotsk); like his father, he was fond of music, the art of singing, in particular, and even composed some chants himself (on a record with a recording of ancient Russian choral music by Yurlov from the 60s of the 20th century, there is a choral composition, the composer of which is named Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich). Simeon of Polotsk also instilled the Tsar’s respect and interest in Western life. A bookworm and lover of science, Fyodor Alekseevich supported Polotsky’s idea of forming a higher school in Moscow, and became one of the initiators of the project to create the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. However, this dream was brought to life by his sister Sophia.

Alexander Apsit. Simeon Polotsky reads poetry to children

Alexander Finnsky. Monument to Simeon of Polotsk, Polotsk

A. Solntsev. Boyar clothing of the 17th century

After the death of his father, at the age of 15, he was crowned king in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin on June 18, 1676. At first, her stepmother, N.K. Naryshkina, tried to lead the country, but Fyodor’s relatives managed to remove her from business by sending her and her son Peter (the future Peter I) into “voluntary exile” in the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow. Friends and relatives of the young Tsar, boyar I.F. Miloslavsky, Prince. Yu.A. Dolgorukov and Y.N. Odoevskaya, who in 1679 were replaced by the bed guard I.M. Yazykov, the captain M.T. Likhachev and Prince. V.V. Golitsyn, “educated, capable and conscientious people,” close to the tsar and who had influence on him, energetically began to create a capable government. Their influence can be explained by the shift under Fyodor of the center of gravity in government decision-making to the Boyar Duma, the number of whose members under him increased from 66 to 99. The Tsar was also inclined to personally take part in government, but without the despotism and cruelty that were characteristic of his successor and brother Peter I.

Prince Vasily Golitsin

Reign of Tsar Feodor

In 1678-1679 Fedor's government conducted a population census and canceled Alexei Mikhailovich's decree on the non-extradition of fugitives who had enlisted in military service, and introduced household taxation (this immediately replenished the treasury, but increased serfdom).

A. Solntsev. Altar cross of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich

A. Vasnetsov. Old Moscow

In 1679-1680 An attempt was made to soften criminal penalties, in particular, cutting off hands for theft was abolished. Thanks to the construction of defensive structures in the south of Russia (Wild Field), it became possible to endow nobles with estates and fiefdoms. In 1681, voivodeship and local administrative administration was introduced - one of the most important preparatory measures for the provincial reform of Peter I.

A. Solntsev. Golden censer made by order of Fyodor Alekseevich

The most important event of the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich was the destruction of localism during the meeting of the Zemsky Sobor in 1682, which made it possible for not very noble, but educated and intelligent people to be promoted. At the same time, all rank books with lists of positions were burned as the “main culprits” of local disputes and claims. Instead of rank books, it was ordered to create a Genealogical Book, in which all well-born and noble people were entered, but without indicating their place in the Duma.

S. Ivanov. In the order of Moscow times

Also in 1682, at a church council, new dioceses were established and measures were taken to combat the schism. In addition, commissions were created to develop a new system of taxes and “military affairs.” Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich issued a decree against luxury, which determined for each class not only the cut of clothing, but also the number of horses. In the last days of Fedor's reign, a project was drawn up to open a Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy and a theological school for thirty people in Moscow.

N. Nevrev. Domestic scene of the 17th century

Under Fyodor Alekseevich, a project was being prepared to introduce ranks in Russia - a prototype of Peter the Great's Table of Ranks, which was supposed to separate civil and military authorities. Dissatisfaction with the abuses of officials and the oppression of the Streltsy led to an uprising of the urban lower classes, supported by the Streltsy, in 1682.

A. Vasnetsov. Moscow of the 17th century

Having received the basics of a secular education, Fyodor Alekseevich was an opponent of the intervention of the church and Patriarch Joachim in secular affairs. He established increased rates of collections from church estates, beginning a process that ended under Peter I with the liquidation of the patriarchate. During the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich, construction was carried out not only of churches, but also of secular buildings (prikas, chambers), new gardens were laid out, and the first general sewer system of the Kremlin was created. Also, to spread knowledge, Fedor invited foreigners to teach in Moscow.

A. Solntsev. The royal pectoral cross and the “golden” one, granted to Prince V.V. Golitsin for the Crimean campaign

I. Yu. Pestryakov. Kangalas prince Mazary Bozekov at a reception with Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich. 1677

In foreign policy, Tsar Fedor tried to return to Russia access to the Baltic Sea, which was lost during the Livonian War. However, the solution to this issue was hampered by the raids of the Crimean and Tatars and Turks from the south. Therefore, Fyodor Alekseevich’s major foreign policy action was the successful Russian-Turkish war of 1676-1681, which ended with the Bakhchisarai Peace Treaty, which secured the unification of Left Bank Ukraine with Russia. Russia received Kyiv even earlier under an agreement with Poland in 1678 in exchange for Nevel, Sebezh and Velizh. During the war of 1676-1681, the Izyum serif line was created in the south of the country, later connected to the Belgorod line.

I. Goryushkin-Sorokopudov. Scene from the 17th century

A. Solntsev. Stand and quarter of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich

By decree of Tsar Fedor, the Zaikonospassky School was opened. Repressions against the Old Believers continued, in particular, Archpriest Avvakum, who, according to legend, allegedly predicted the imminent death of the king, was burned with his closest associates.

A. Vasnetsov. All Saints Stone Bridge

The private life of Tsar Feodor

In the summer of 1680, Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich saw a girl whom he liked at a religious procession. He instructed Yazykov to find out who she was, and Yazykov told him that she was the daughter of Semyon Fedorovich Grushetsky, named Agafya. The Tsar, without violating his grandfather’s customs, ordered a crowd of girls to be called together and chose Agafya from among them. Boyar Miloslavsky tried to upset this marriage by blackening the royal bride, but did not achieve his goal and he himself lost influence at court. On July 18, 1680, the king married her. The new queen was of humble birth and, as they say, was Polish by origin. According to rumors, the queen had a strong influence on her husband. Polish customs began to enter the Moscow court. At the “inspiration” of the queen in Moscow, men began to cut their hair in Polish, shave their beards, wear Polish sabers and kuntushas, and also learn the Polish language. The Tsar himself, raised by Simeon Sitiyanovich, knew Polish and read Polish books. After the royal marriage, Yazykov received the rank of okolnichy, and Likhachev took his place in the rank of bed-keeper. In addition, the young prince Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn, who later played a major role in the Moscow state, also approached the tsar.

A year after the wedding (July 14, 1681), Queen Agafya died of childbirth, followed by a newborn baby, baptized under the name of Ilya.

A. Vasnetsov. Old Moscow. Street in Kitai-Gorod, early 17th century

Meanwhile, the king weakened day by day, but his neighbors supported him with hope for recovery. On February 14, 1682, Fyodor was married to Marfa Apraksina, the sister of the future associate of Peter I, Admiral Fyodor Matveevich Apraksin.

Tsarina Marfa Matveevna Apraksina, second wife of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich Romanov

The young queen in a short time acquired so much power that she reconciled the tsar with Natalya Kirillovna and Tsarevich Peter, with whom, according to a contemporary, he had “indomitable disagreements.” But the king did not have to live with his young wife for long. A little over two months after his wedding, on April 27, 1682, he died suddenly at the age of 21, leaving no heir. His two brothers, Ivan and Peter Alekseevich, were proclaimed kings. Fedor was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

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After the death of Alexei Mikhailovich in 1676, his son Fyodor Alekseevich became king. From 1679, when he turned 18, he firmly took power into his own hands. These years before the death of the king in 1682 became an important period in the history of the country. They largely paved the way for future reforms of Peter I.

Young, capable people rallied around the king, who were said to be people of great intelligence and the most pious state. This is the okolnichy Yazykov, the Likhachev brothers, the governor V.V. Golitsyn.

A new supreme body appeared - the Execution Chamber, reporting directly to the tsar. Fyodor Alekseevich increasingly signed decrees without consulting the Boyar Duma. The Tsar reduced the number of orders and personally set the working hours of central departments, demanding that matters be resolved without red tape.

Under Fyodor Alekseevich, army reform began. The regiments of the new formation were completed. Nine territorial military districts appeared. Each of them had regiments, which, if necessary, joined the unified Russian army. Here, people from the area were also assigned to the army; the nobles were obliged to recruit them from their estates.

Military affairs were in charge of the head of the united military orders. This was a true centralization of military affairs in the country. While retaining the noble cavalry and streltsy units, most of the nobles in the districts were enrolled in the Reiter regiments, and the Danish people - in the soldier regiments. The Streltsy units, in fact, were approaching the regular troops. New military ranks appeared - colonels, lieutenant colonels, captains. The first elective (shock) regiments were formed, which became the prototype of the Russian guard. By decree of the tsar, nobles who evaded regimental service were deprived of their estates.

At the same time, the government of Fyodor Alekseevich supported the ownership of land by the nobles and the right to peasant labor. A series of decrees brought estates closer to fiefdoms. The Tsar ordered the creation of a new serif line, moving it to the south, and the remaining lands in the rear to be populated by people and given to landowners. The search for runaway peasants intensified.

In the financial field, the government of Fyodor Alekseevich, instead of many taxes, introduced a single tax reduced in overall size - Streltsy money. They were counted by household depending on the wealth of the people.

Previous beneficiaries were taxed. Old debts and arrears were forgiven, and those who evaded the single tax were threatened with great disgrace and cruel punishment without mercy.

Fyodor Alekseevich also reformed local government. The power of local governors and their responsibility to the center were strengthened. Many functions of the abolished institutions were transferred to the governors.

Previously, people had to please many officials. From now on, their only boss, in particular regarding the collection of taxes, was the voivode. They tried to appease him. The tsar, of course, knew that the governors were robbing the people, taking bribes, and plundering the state treasury. Therefore, the decree on the voivodeship administration stated that if any of the voivodes is caught in the smallest thing: a bribe or self-interest, they will be punished for it.

And yet the circle of bribe-takers has shrunk. But customs duties and other duties were withdrawn from the voivodeship department. They were collected by heads and kissers chosen by the world.

At the end of his short life, in 1682, Fyodor Alekseevich decided to abolish localism. Relying on the estates of the Church Council and the Boyar Duma, he signed a document on the abolition of places in the military and civil service, the appointment of people by breed, birth, and ordered to serve without the great sovereign specifying.

1670s - early 1680s were significant in that for the first time in many centuries Russia on its southern borders moved from defense to offense. Successes in the war with Poland and the emergence of hetman Ukraine, dependent on Russia, on the left bank of the Dnieper changed the general situation in this part of Eastern Europe. Poland and Russia entered into a military alliance against a common enemy - Turkey, which laid claim to Ukrainian and southern Russian lands.

Russian troops launched an offensive on a wide front from the Dniester to the Turkish fortress of Azov. At first, the Russians were successful. Their regiments broke through to the Sea of Azov. A young Russian galley fleet, built on Voronezh nerfs, soon arrived there. The Russian infantry mounted on the boats, together with the Cossacks walking along the shore, carried out a number of raids on Crimean territory. The Crimean Khan was forced to curtail his offensive operations and turn to the defense of his native lands. For the first time, the war took place on enemy territory. It was a historical event.

But in 1677, the Polish king made peace with Turkey and stopped supporting Russia. Nevertheless, the struggle continued. It took place already under the new Russian Tsar. It was headed by a young governor, Prince V.V. Golitsyn and the experienced military leader Prince G. G. Romodanovsky.

A hundred thousand strong Turkish army broke through to Chigirin, where a small but courageous Russian garrison and Cossacks settled. Romodanovsky's army, which included regiments of the new system, and Cossacks from Left Bank Ukraine rushed to their aid. In a number of battles the Turks were defeated and fled from Chigirin. In these battles, the newly formed Russian regiments performed well.

But Türkiye did not give up the fight. Having rejected peace proposals, the Sultan in 1678 sent a new huge army to Chigirin. This was the second Chigirin campaign. The month-long siege of the city ended with the Russian garrison under the command of the Scottish general P. Gordon, a future associate of Peter I, setting the city on fire.

The gospel, which belonged to Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich and was in perfect order, preserving the artillery, was left by Chigorin. The Turks and Tatars captured significant territories in Right Bank Ukraine.

But the battles continued, Russian troops pushed the enemy to the south. However, the warring parties did not have the strength to conduct active hostilities.

As a result, peace was concluded in 1681 for 20 years. Türkiye recognized Russia's rights to Left Bank Ukraine and Kyiv. Right Bank Ukraine was considered a neutral zone, available for use by all parties, including the Tatars. The Slavic population fled from here to the left bank of the Dnieper.

The two Chigirin defenses showed a high level of training of the new Russian army, but revealed many shortcomings - parochial disputes, lack of unity of command, archaic nature of the local army. All this was taken into account in the army reform that began during and after the war, and in the abolition of localism. But most importantly, the initiative in the south is gradually beginning to shift to Russia.

Under Fyodor Alekseevich, the country turned towards Western culture, Western civilization. A project for the state administrative reorganization of the country was developed. It was intended to create a number of institutions that would reduce the influence of the Boyar Duma and the power of the Patriarch. The principle of distributing civil servants according to degrees corresponding to positions was developed. It was planned to divide the country into governorships (future provinces). In church administration, the discussion was about increasing the role of metropolitans and limiting the power of the Patriarch.

The development of a plan to create technical schools for poor children began. A Slavic-Latin school was opened in Moscow, where Latin was taught. The project for creating the Russian Academy was discussed.

This turn towards new civilizational values was reflected in everyday life. The king welcomed the decoration of houses according to Western models - with paintings and mirrors. He forbade people from entering the palace in long-length clothes and ordered them to be replaced with Western-style caftans. Traditional clothes, in his opinion, are decent for a woman’s dress, and are not needed for servicemen and travel time.

The tsar's undertakings and projects met fierce resistance from both the Patriarch and the Boyar Duma.

The Streltsy uprising of 1682 and Sophia's rise to power

Immediately after the death of Fyodor Alekseevich, boyar groups began to move. The capital's elite did not want to transfer power to the eldest son of Alexei Mikhailovich - 16-year-old sickly and weak-minded Ivan, behind whom stood the Miloslavskys. She was afraid of Alexei Mikhailovich's eldest daughter, the educated, energetic and intelligent Sofia Alekseevna. Together with her favorite V.V. Golitsyn (1643-1714), a prominent statesman and military leader, one of the leaders of the reforms, she led the Miloslavsky party.

Those who in recent years stood next to the tsar and carried out reforms also showed activity. They were afraid of losing their positions under the Miloslavskys. It was these figures, in alliance with the Naryshkins and the Patriarch, who declared 10-year-old Letr Alekseevich king. They went to the palace for the election of the king, wearing armor under their caftans.

In front of the Red Porch of the royal palace, the Patriarch, the highest ranks of the Church and Moscow nobles gathered people of different ranks. Many of them were prepared in advance by supporters of the Naryshkins. When the Patriarch asked whom the Moscow people want to see on the throne, friendly voices were heard: “Peter Alekseevich!” The cries in favor of Ivan were muffled. The Patriarch blessed Peter I for the kingdom.

However, the Miloslavskys did not calm down. In the struggle for power, they decided to use the discontent of the archers stationed in Moscow. The situation in the rifle regiments really became threatening. The archers greeted the military reform painfully. New service responsibilities took them away from the trades and trades they were engaged in in peacetime. Regimental commanders abused their power and sent archers to work in their gardens. The archers sent petitions to the king, but everything remained the same. The head of the Streletsky Prikaz, Prince Dolgorukov, ordered one of the petitioners to be seized and whipped. The archers repulsed their comrade. They blamed the situation on people close to the late king.

This is what Princess Sophia and her supporters decided to take advantage of. Their people began to appear in the Streltsy regiments, handing out money and generous promises. The archers refused to obey their commanders, shouting: “We don’t want the Naryshkins and Matveevs to rule us, we’ll break their necks!”

On May 15, 1682, the rebellion began. In the morning, a rumor spread that the Naryshkins had killed Tsarevich Ivan. With drums beating and banners unfurled, the archers moved into the Kremlin, overwhelmed the guards and broke through to the royal palace. Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina came out to meet them on the porch with Peter and Ivan, alive and unharmed. The Sagittarius were embarrassed for a moment, then demanded that the traitors be handed over. The head of the Streletsky order, Dolgorukov, and his son attacked the Streltsy with abuse. This infuriated the archers. They rushed onto the porch, threw the Tsarina and Peter aside and threw Dolgorukov onto the spears of their comrades. Boyar A.S. Matveev and Prince M.A. Cherkassky were killed right there. Peter I could not forget this terrible scene of reprisals against loved ones all his life. Since then, a nervous tic appeared on his face in moments of excitement or anger. The Streltsy captured the Kremlin and the capital. Over the next two days, reprisals against nobles and colonels continued.

On May 18, the rebellion ended. At the request of the Streltsy, their favorite, the old military commander, Prince I.A. Khovansky, was placed at the head of the Streletsky Order. The Sagittarius demanded large cash payments. They were given some of the money. The Sagittarius declared themselves to be the court infantry (palace guards), declared all slaves free and destroyed the bondage that existed on them in the Serf Order.

On May 26, 1682, under pressure from the Streltsy, the Boyar Duma and the Patriarch declared Ivan Alekseevich the first Tsar, and Peter only the second. Three days later, power was solemnly handed over to Princess Sophia, who became regent under the brothers. The embassy order and related institutions were headed by Prince V.V. Golitsyn.

The country formally had three rulers. Moscow was in the hands of the Streltsy for several months, and the new government acted with an eye on them. The Boyar Duma concentrated significant power in its hands. Both Sophia and Golitsyn now took her opinion into account. It also included opponents of the Miloslavskys. The country now has the opportunity to gradually limit the autocratic power of the monarch.

In 1683-1684. The government of Sophia was forced to gather elected people from the nobles and, together with the Boyar-Stavets Duma and the Council, discuss the issue of war with Turkey, Sophia Aleksestn and the Crimea.

Sophia, Golitsyn and their supporters tried to limit the arbitrariness of the Streltsy. Golitsyn united around himself a group of boyars and nobles determined to restore order in the country. The main government positions were divided between them. Soon order was restored in the capital. Sophia was urged to deal a decisive blow to the archers, but the princess hesitated.

At the end of August, the royal court hastily left the capital and moved to the village of Kolomenskoye under the protection of noble detachments. This challenged the Streltsy omnipotence. A week later the journey continued. The yard stopped in the village of Vozdvizhenskoye. From here came the order: all officials should come to the sovereign’s court. Boyars, okolnichi, duma people, stewards, clerks flocked to the seat of the court. The head of the Streletsky Prikaz, I.A. Khovansky, and his son moved there. Near the village of Pushkin, he was met by a detachment of government troops sent to meet him. Khovansky was captured, the indictment was read to him and he was executed. Having learned about the massacre, the archers captured the Kremlin.

The royal court arrived at the well-fortified Trinity-Sergius Monastery, which was put under siege. Sophia appointed V.V. as head of government forces. Golitsyn. The prince called all the nobles capable of bearing arms under the walls of the Trinity. Boyar-noble Russia rose up against Streltsy anarchy.

A few days later, the archers, having lost their leader, surrendered to the mercy of the authorities. At the head of the noble militia V.V. Golitsyn entered Moscow.

The ruler forgave the rebels who obeyed. The royal court returned to the Kremlin.

On the path to further reforms

The situation in the country remained difficult. Russia needed further advancement along the path of civilization. The government of Princess Sophia continued the reforms begun under Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich. Finding himself in Sophia’s camp, V.V. Golitsyn became the successor and continuer of the previous Russian policy.

After the return of the royal court to Moscow, orders began to work, the Boyar Duma began to meet regularly, and the regent attended its meetings. The number of Duma ranks increased due to Sophia's adherents. The role of the feudal elite in the life of the state increased. Some people began to talk about introducing gentry rule in Russia, as in Poland. In the history of Russia, this was the last rise of boyar influence.

Sophia tried to restore order in the field of legal proceedings, the words “law” and “order” became the slogan of the new government. Attempts were made to improve the judicial process and speed up the procedure for considering cases. The fight against bribery has begun.

The government abolished the death penalty for a number of crimes. Golitsyn was a supporter of free enterprise, including with the involvement of foreigners. An increasing number of units of the Russian army were transferred to a regular basis. In the interests of the nobility, which helped suppress the Streltsy rebellion, the government organized land surveying and assigning it to service people. At the same time, it was guided by the principle of personal service of people, and not by their breed.

Despite the demands of the nobility to tighten the search for runaway peasants, Sophia issued a decree prohibiting the return to serfdom of peasants who had gone to the cities. Only governors were allowed to organize investigations. According to the memoirs of foreign diplomats, it is known that V.V. Golitsyn nurtured the idea of liberating peasants from serfdom, advocated for the transformation of savages into people, and proposed at first to transfer serfs from corvee to quitrent.

The government has improved the education and enlightenment system. In 1687, the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy was opened in Moscow, where the young M.V. Lomonosov came to study years later.

In the house of Chancellor Golitsyn, everything was arranged in a Western style. The beautiful stone building in Okhotny Ryad was decorated with paintings, prints, mirrors, chandeliers, and busts of famous people. The library included books on history, philosophy, medicine, and astronomy in different languages. The prince came out to foreign guests dressed in Polish fashion. Golitsyn spoke fluent Polish, German, Greek, and Latin. Sophia also spoke foreign languages.

340 years ago, on January 30, 1676, Fedor III Alekseevich ascended the throne. The son of the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna, née Miloslavskaya. He ascended the throne at the age of 14 after the death of his father. In childhood and adolescence, Fyodor received a good education, studied ancient Greek, Latin and Polish, had a rich personal library, knew painting, was well versed in music, and even composed several chants himself. However, he was a sickly young man, and the most important state affairs were decided with the participation of his entourage: I.M. Miloslavsky, I.M. Yazykov, A.T. Likhachev and others. The Tsar’s educator Simeon of Polotsk and the Moscow Patriarch Joachim also had a great influence on the affairs .

Fyodor Alekseevich was the third son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The first child in the royal family was Dmitry, but he did not survive infancy. The second son, Alexey Alekseevich, was considered the heir to the throne. He showed great promise and received a good education. But in January 1670 he died unexpectedly. Fedor was declared the heir. Born on May 31, 1661. At the time of his accession to the throne, he was not yet 15 years old.

Some kind of fate or serious hereditary disease (there is a version that the heirs were deliberately poisoned) haunted the sons of Alexei Mikhailovich. Simeon, who was born in 1665, died in 1669. Ivan, born in 1666, was crowned king in 1682, but suffered from dementia and died in 1696.

Fyodor Alekseevich was also not in good health, had a weak constitution, but was distinguished by clarity of mind, which he developed by reading books. According to some sources, his teacher was the theologian Simeon of Polotsk. As a result, the king knew Latin and Polish. True, the problem is that this was not the best teacher for the future king. A graduate of the Vilna Jesuit Academy, a member of the Greek Catholic Order of St. Basil the Great, Simeon of Polotsk did not know and did not like Russian history or Russian traditions. He did not have an independent mind, being an ordinary compiler and translator of European spiritual literature. Apparently, this very dexterous and resourceful man, who knew how to speak beautifully, and who became the teacher of the princes Alexei and Fyodor, was an agent of Western influence in Russia. Pupils of Jesuit schools have long been skilled spies.

However, Simeon was unable to fully form the consciousness of the future king. There were other people around him. Thus, Fyodor Alekseevich was keenly interested in Russian history. Having become king, he ordered the learned clerks to compile a book of the history of Russia. And such work was carried out, unfortunately, the book has not reached our days. Among the people who dealt with this problem was another mentor of the princes, Alexei Timofeevich Likhachev. At the beginning of Fedor’s reign, he had the rank of “solicitor with a key”; in 1680 he was elevated to okolnichy.

The fact that the tsar attached great educational importance to Russian history is also evidenced by his choice of Nikita Zotov, clerk of the Petition Prikaz, to play the role of teacher for Pyotr Alekseevich’s young half-brother. Apparently, the king was well aware of the danger of his illness and the fragility of life. Therefore, I tried to prepare a successor. Many signs indicate that he saw Peter as his successor.

Fyodor Alekseevich was married twice. The tsar's first marriage to the daughter of a Smolensk nobleman, Agafya Grushetskaya, took place on July 18, 1680. On July 11, 1681, the only son of the tsar was born, heir to the throne, Tsarevich Ilya Fedorovich, who died on July 21, 1681, shortly after birth. Queen Agafya died on July 14, 1681. The second marriage was concluded on February 15, 1682, with Marfa Matveevna Apraksina, the sister of the future famous admiral Fyodor Matveevich Apraksin. The king had no children from this marriage, which lasted just over two months.

Fyodor Alekseevich died on April 27, 1682 at the age of 20, without making any order regarding the succession to the throne. He reigned for just over 6 years. However, his short reign was eventful.

The first significant act of Fyodor Alekseevich was the attempt made after the coronation, which took place on June 18 (28), 1676, to return under his rule the Baltic lands - Ingermanland and part of Livonia, which belonged to Russia before the Time of Troubles. Since ancient times, these lands belonged to the Russian state, and the distance from the Baltic had a detrimental effect on the country's economy. Negotiations with the Swedes began. Russia was ready to be satisfied with the return of Narva and the Izhora land, but the Swedes rejected this fair demand. Moscow was ready to start a war to return the seized territory, but the military threat from Turkey forced these plans to be postponed.

The war with Turkey and the Crimean Khanate for the Right Bank part of Little Russia had been going on since 1672. In the summer of 1677, the Turks and Crimean Tatars attempted to capture the capital of the hetman's autonomy, Chigirin. Moscow sent additional troops to Little Russia. The small garrison of Chigirin withstood the siege of a huge enemy army (60 thousand Turkish army, 40 thousand Crimean cavalry and 20 thousand auxiliary corps from Moldovans and Wallachians) until the arrival of 49 thousand. Russian army of Romodanovsky. In the battle on the banks of the Dnieper on August 27 and 28, Russian regiments inflicted a heavy defeat on the Turkish-Crimean army. Abandoning artillery and convoys, the enemy fled.

Wanting to stop the war, Fedor III Alekseevich sent envoy Afanasy Porosukov to Constantinople at the end of 1677. However, news came to Moscow about the preparation of a new campaign of the Turkish army in Little Russia. Russia began to prepare for war. To supply the army, the young tsar ordered the collection of a ruble from each household. For the same purpose, a census of people began at the beginning of 1678. Chigirin again became the center of the confrontation in the summer of 1678.

In fact, there was a confrontation between Turkey and Russia for control of Little Russia. Fyodor Alekseevich was ready to make peace with the Turks, provided that Chigirin remained with Russia. But this fortress was also needed by Turkey, as it was of strategic importance (control over the Dnieper and Trans-Dnieper). Therefore, the Turkish Sultan Mehmed IV, having familiarized himself with Moscow’s proposals, which were brought by Afanasy Porosukov, ordered to write to Moscow that he agreed to a truce subject to Russia’s cession of Chigirin and the Dnieper possessions of Hetman Doroshenko to Turkey. The Russian Tsar was in a difficult situation: on the one hand, peace was necessary for Russia, exhausted by the war; on the other hand, Moscow could not cede the hetman's capital Chigirin under any circumstances. Therefore, the tsar ordered the commander of the Russian troops in Little Russia, voivode Grigory Romodanovsky, and his son, the Kyiv voivode Mikhail Romodanovsky, to make every effort to hold the fortress and destroy it if they could not save it.

As a result, Chigirin's heroic defense ended in his fall. Part of the garrison died when the Turks broke into the fortress, blowing up the gunpowder warehouses, while others fell through to Romodanovsky’s army. The Russian governor defeated the enemy's advanced units, but did not advance further to support the bleeding garrison. He carried out Moscow's order to destroy the city, which was an obstacle to making peace. The fighting continued until the end of the year. Then two years of peace negotiations began. On March 4, 1681, an agreement was concluded on a 20-year truce between Russia, on the one hand, and Turkey and the Crimean Khanate, on the other. The border between Turkey and Russia was established along the Dnieper, the Sultan and Khan pledged not to help the enemies of Russia. Russia annexed the left bank lands of the Dnieper and Kyiv and the surrounding area. Zaporozhye formally became independent.

Peace with Turkey and the Crimean Khanate was beneficial to Russia and became one of the greatest achievements of Fedor’s reign. However, the war showed significant shortcomings in the organization of the Russian army. The main one was associated with localism, that is, with the old custom of appointing certain individuals to command positions depending on the tribal and service status of their family. Localism hampered the development of the state, since the nobility often put their own interests above the general ones. The intricate nature of parochial relations created the ground for constant strife and became one of the prerequisites for the Time of Troubles. It is not surprising that the tsars, starting with Ivan the Terrible, made attempts to limit localism. On January 12, 1682, a conciliar act was issued on the abolition of localism.

The historian Ivan Boltin wrote about this reform of Tsar Feodor: “By the destruction of localism, the dishonest and harmful right to assign honors and ranks to oneself without merit and merit has been destroyed, and from this the resulting strife and hatred between nobles and even between fellow nobles, harming the public good and disorder in state affairs , slowness, omission. Breed then took the place of merits and abilities: the merits of a father or grandfather filled an unworthy son or grandson with pride and took away his desire to learn, work and care about achieving distinction for himself. By abolishing this laughter worthy of vanity, service is encouraged, dignity is given its preference, and merit is given honor; all abuses of advantages associated with breed have been stopped.”

Apparently, the rejection of localism was supposed to be the beginning of a radical reform of the civil service system. This is indicated by the draft charter on the service seniority of boyars, okolnichi and duma people in 34 degrees, drawn up at the end of 1681 - beginning of 1682. The project assumed that specific positions would correspond to ranks and that it was rank, and not origin, that would determine the status of a person, in the public service.

In the last year of Fedor's reign, another important document for the development of the state was drawn up - a bill on the establishment of an academy in Moscow. As a result, in March 1681, Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich became one of the founders of the Typographic School at the Zaikonospassky Monastery - the forerunner of the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy.

In addition, the young king was preparing land, tax and diocesan reforms. A system of measures for the socialization of the poor and poor was developed and began to be put into practice. In the fall of 1681, a decree “On the charity of the poor and the reduction of the poor” was issued. It was also planned to create special courtyards for teaching children of beggars various crafts - “whatever one wants.” At the same time, it was proposed to send children to home education by masters, and beggar girls to monasteries “for study.” Upon reaching adulthood and acquiring a profession, they had to be released. For families, it was possible to purchase yards for farming at the expense of the state.

The death of the young Tsar was a great loss for Russian society. The reaction to the death of the merciful sovereign was sincere universal grief. In general, the reign of Fedor III Alekseevich in many ways anticipated many of the reforms of the era of Peter the Great. Two main directions of Russian foreign policy were identified - the Baltic states and the Black Sea region, and the need for structural reforms and modernization of the country was shown.