Among the statesmen of pre-Petrine Russia, one of the most prominent representatives of this era is the courtier Boyarin Morozov, Boris Ivanovich, closest to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The assessment of his activity cannot be unambiguous: for example, in every possible way advocating for the welfare of the state and the inviolability of the throne, he sometimes burdened the overwhelming burden of economic burdens on the shoulders of the common people, which provoked unrest leading to bloody riots.
The rise of the new courtroom
Boyarin Boris Morozov was born at the end of the 16th century. Fate was favorable to him - he was born not only one of the heirs of an ancient and noble family, but also a relative, albeit a distant one, to the sovereign himself. The Morozovs and Romanovs became related even before the accession to the throne of Mikhail Fedorovich.
In 1613, the Zemsky Sobor met in Moscow , by the decision of which the first representative of the Romanov dynasty, sixteen-year-old Mikhail Fedorovich, was elected to the throne . Among the participants in the cathedral, who left their signatures under a historical certificate, was a young boyar Boris Ivanovich Morozov. Since then, his biography has been inextricably linked with the pinnacle of state power.
Wise tutor
The Boyar Morozovs - Boris and his brother Gleb - were given sleeping bags under the new tsar, which allowed them to quickly become one of "their" people and gain the sympathy of the autocrat, especially since they were almost the same age with him. When the future sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich (the father of Peter the Great), who was born to the heir to the throne in 1629, was four years old, Boris Morozov was appointed guardian (or, as they used to say, "uncle").
Thanks to Boris Ivanovich, the future tsar received a versatile education. In addition to understanding the basics of grammar and the Catechism, the young prince got acquainted with engravings by Western artists and domestic popular prints. Looking at them with his mentor, he got an idea about the movement of the heavenly bodies, the diversity of the animal and plant world, as well as the life of people in other countries. There is information that the prince studied history using the Facial Code - a chronicle illustrated by many prints.
The formation of the personality of the future king
The works of the mentor were not in vain - the heir to the throne received extensive knowledge in various fields. Autographs that have come down to us testify to the fact that he wrote competently and at the same time owned a good literary syllable. But the main result of education was that the personality of the king was not suppressed by the requirements of etiquette and court duties. In his letters to loved ones, he appears as an open and cordial person. It is not surprising that Alexei Mikhailovich, until the end of his days, considered Morozov his second father and treated him accordingly.
As for his own education, then, according to the memoirs of his contemporaries, the boyar Boris Morozov considered him extremely insufficient. Speaking about this, he apparently meant his ignorance of foreign languages and the inability to read European books. The documents drawn up by him personally indicate that he was educated and competent, especially since a very extensive and interesting library was located in his chambers.
The need for government reform
Sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich inherited the throne when he was barely sixteen years old, and literally a few months after that he lost his mother. Therefore, it is not surprising that at such a young age he wanted to have a wise and reliable ruler close by, especially since the situation that had developed at that time in Russia required immediate and radical changes in many areas of domestic politics.
The most urgent measures should be taken in the arrangement of cities, the tax system and strengthening the centralization of power. All these tasks were undertaken by the government, headed by a loyal imperial servant - Boris Ivanovich Morozov. The 17th century from the very beginning brought countless disasters to Russia. These are impostors, who appeared under the name of Tsarevich Demetrius, and the invasion of the Poles, and terrible crop failures, which caused the starvation of thousands of Russians. In addition, obvious mistakes made in the previous reign played a role. All this gave rise to numerous problems that required an immediate solution.
On top of power
Having become a Russian autocrat, Aleksei Mikhailovich almost completely changed the composition of the government, entrusting all key posts to his closest people, among whom was Morozov. Boris Ivanovich, an intelligent boyar and, very importantly, an economic one, started implementing state reforms with the same acumen as managing his own estates.
The sovereign entrusted him with the management of several orders, the most responsible of which were the Order of the Big Treasury (finances), Foreign and Streletsky. In addition, he was in charge of the state monopoly on the trade in alcoholic beverages, which at all times constituted a significant part of the national budget. Thus, Morozov’s hands concentrated enormous power - money, the army, and control over international politics.
Life-driven reforms
The most important of his tasks was to restore order in the financial sphere. To this end, Boris Morozov carried out a series of measures to reduce costs for the administration, which had prohibitively grown by then. After cleaning the state apparatus, he succeeded many governors mired in corruption, and some of them were brought to trial. In addition, the palace and patriarchal servants were reduced, and those who remained in their former places reduced their salaries.
Reforms have also taken place in local governments, as well as in the army. But, as is often the case in Russia, restoring order has turned into new riots. Reasonable and timely measures by Morozov led to the fact that most of the cases, which had previously been submitted to the governor and the heads of orders, were transferred to the clerks and clerks, who immediately increased requisitions, causing general discontent.
Another problem that Morozov was trying to solve was collecting taxes from city dwellers, many of whom were exempted from taxes, as they were attributed to the settlements of monasteries and the highest nobility. After conducting a complete population census, he ensured the uniform payment of taxes by all citizens. Of course, having carried out such an important undertaking, he replenished the treasury, but made many irreconcilable enemies. In addition, by raising duties on the import of goods by foreign merchants, he set up against himself and the trading people.
Salt riots
The last straw that overflowed the patience of residents of Moscow and many Russian cities was the increase in the price of salt, the sale of which was a state monopoly. By this measure, Boris Morozov tried to replace many direct taxes. The logic of the actions was simple - it was possible to avoid paying taxes, but not a single person could do without salt. By purchasing this product from the state and overpaying a certain amount, he thereby contributed his share of the tax collection.
But as the saying goes: "The road to hell is lined with good intentions." Reforms aimed at strengthening the state and improving the lives of its citizens became the cause of general discontent, resulting in events called “salt riots”. They were directed mainly against boyar Morozov and his government.
By this time, his position at court was significantly strengthened by marrying the sister of Tsarina Maria Miloslavskaya, however, even the closest relationship with the sovereign could not protect the hated boyar from popular anger. The deaf grumble and general discontent resulted in active actions in May 1648.
Start of unrest
From the chronicle of those years, it is known that the unrest began when the crowd stopped the tsar, who was returning from a pilgrimage to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and addressed him with complaints, reproaching Morozov and his officials for bribery. Perhaps the sovereign would have managed to calm the people, and everything could have done without an open revolt, but the archers, subordinate directly to Boris Ivanovich, rushed to beat the assembled with lashes. This served as a detonator of further events.
The next day, the crowd broke into the Kremlin, where they were joined by archers, who were also disadvantaged by the latest reforms. The rebels defeated and plundered the royal palace. Some of the rebels penetrated the wine cellars, in which they found their death after the fire began. Following this, the houses of many boyars were defeated and set on fire, and those of them who fell into the hands of the crowd were killed. But the main enemy of the crowd was Boris Morozov. Boyarin caused such hatred among the people that everyone demanded his extradition for immediate reprisal.
last years of life
Only the tsar’s personal promise to dismiss Morozov from all affairs calmed the crowd and allowed him to flee from the capital to the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery, where he was hiding until the rebels were completely pacified. Upon his return to Moscow, the fugitive boyar continued to engage in public affairs, but at the same time trying not to be in sight. When the famous "Cathedral Code" was being developed, which became for many years the basis of the legal base of Russian legislation, boyar Boris Ivanovich Morozov also took part in the work on it.
His biography in this last period of his life testifies to the many mental and bodily ailments that fell upon this once energetic and full of human strength. Boris Ivanovich died in 1661. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich personally escorted to his last journey his beloved mentor, who was Boris Morozov for him.
The inheritance of the deceased went to his brother Gleb, since by that time he himself had neither a wife nor children. When his brother soon ended his earthly journey, the state passed to his son, but his mother actually owned it - the noblewoman Theodosia Morozova, who went down in history with her schismatic activities and immortalized in the famous painting by Vasily Surikov.