Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who ascended the throne in 1645, was the second ruler from the Romanovs house and the tenth sovereign in Russia.
The son of
Mikhail Fedorovich grew up surrounded by “mothers”, and his “uncle” was the famous boyar
B. Morozov. At the age of thirteen, the Tsarevich was "declared" to the people, and after the death of his father he ascended the throne. At first, the state was practically ruled by his mentor, and not yet by a young and inexperienced king.
Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov actually begins to reign in 1950, he reads petition and other documents, edits important decrees. He personally signed decrees, personally participated in military campaigns, for example, near Vilna, Riga, Smolensk, led negotiations, which no tsar had done before him.
Alexei Mikhailovich The quietest, namely, the unofficially called the second sovereign in Russia, was very educated, spoke several languages. He was characterized as a dignified, meek, god-fearing and noble man who was destined to rule in a very difficult time, which began with the Time of Troubles and passed through the Razin uprising and the “salt” and “copper” riots of the Cossacks.
From the first year of his reign, Alexei Mikhailovich tried to turn the Kremlin into a palace that delighted with its beauty, with many sparkling gold domes. By his order, the walls of the Kremlin were pasted over with gilded pieces of leather, and instead of traditional shops, chairs and armchairs were arranged according to the “foreign” model. At the same time, the Kolomna Palace, which burned down a hundred years later, was also built. Having survived only in miniatures, it amazes with its grandeur and luxury.
Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich remained in history as the antithesis of the terrible Ivan IV. The time of his reign is considered the time of restoration of the Russian autocracy. It was after him that the definition of “autocrat” was attached to the title of Russian sovereigns. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich as a statesman in many respects predetermined an increase in the royal role in literally all areas, and in the first place, the role of the monarch as commander in chief.
The second of the Romanov clan, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, unlike his predecessors, had personal experience in direct command of the troops, which he acquired during the Russian-Polish company. He focused on issues of equipping and staffing the army, intervened in all personnel matters, etc.
The tsar attached no less importance to the idea of ​​continuity of power of the Romanovs from the Rurikovich. When he entered the throne, it was important for him to prove that in Russia there was not only a process of becoming a completely new dynasty, but also restoration of the former, since it was its termination that was considered the cause of all the misfortunes that befell the country at the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including the Time of Troubles . Now, after the strengthening of the Russian autocracy, doubts about the legitimacy of the Romanov clan have subsided.
It was Alexei Mikhailovich who turned Russia into a truly Orthodox state. Under him, many Orthodox relics rescued from Muslims began to be taken from distant lands.
Alexei was married to Maria Miloslavskaya, with whom he made thirteen heirs, including future sovereigns Ivan, Peter, Fedor, as well as Princess Sophia. Alexey died at the end of January 1676, not reaching the age of 48
The Silent left a powerful enough legacy for his children, already recognized abroad, and Peter I, continuing the work of his father, completed the process of becoming a monarchy and created a great empire.