The first Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, was born on July 22 (July 12, according to the old style), 1596 in Moscow.
His father is Fedor Nikitich Romanov, Metropolitan (later Patriarch Filaret), his mother is Xenia Ivanovna Shestova (later nun Martha). Mikhail was the cousin-nephew of the last Russian tsar from the Moscow branch of the Rurik dynasty, Fyodor Ivanovich.
In 1601, together with his parents, he was disgraced by Boris Godunov. Lived in exile. Since 1605 he returned to Moscow, where he was captured by the Poles, who captured the Kremlin. In 1612, freed 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 Council's ambassadors arrived in Kostroma. In the Ipatiev Monastery, where Mikhail was with his mother, he was informed of his election to the throne.
The Poles arrive in Moscow. A small detachment went to kill Mikhail, but got lost along the way, because the peasant Ivan Susanin, agreeing 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), the real power was with his mother, as well as her relatives from the Saltykov boyars. From 1619 to 1633, the father of the tsar, Patriarch Filaret, who returned from Polish captivity, ruled the country. With the dual power that existed at that time, state letters were written on behalf of the Sovereign Tsar and His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
During the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, the wars with Sweden (Stolbovsky peace, 1617) and the Commonwealth (Deulino truce, 1618, later - Polyanovsky peace, 1634) were stopped.
Overcoming the consequences of the Time of Troubles required the centralization of power. On the ground, the system of voivodeship administration grew, the order system was restored and developed. Since the 1620s, the activities of Zemsky Sobors have been limited to advisory functions. They met 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 (reiter, dragoon, soldier regiments) began, the rank and file of which were "eager free people" and dispossessed boyar children, the officers were foreign military specialists. At the end of the reign of Michael, 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 term for capturing fugitive peasants was increased from five to nine years. In 1641, another year was added to it. Peasants taken out by other owners were allowed to search for up to 15 years. This testified to the growth of feudal tendencies in the legislation on land and peasants.
Moscow under Mikhail Fedorovich was restored from the consequences of the intervention.
In the Kremlin in 1624, the Filaret belfry was erected. 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, new trading shops were built in Kitay-gorod.
In 1632, an enterprise for training in velvet and damask craft appeared in Moscow - the Velvet Yard (in the middle of the 17th century, its premises served as a warehouse for weapons). The center of textile production was Kadashevskaya Sloboda with the sovereign 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, all the Kremlin cathedrals were repainted, including the Assumption Cathedral (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. Buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
First wife - Maria Vladimirovna Dolgorukova. The marriage was childless.
The second wife is Evdokia Lukyanovna Streshneva. Marriage brought Mikhail Fedorovich seven daughters (Irina, Pelageya, Anna, Martha, Sophia, Tatiana, Evdokia) and three sons (Alexei, Ivan, Vasily). Not all children survived even to adolescence. Parents experienced the death of their sons Ivan and Vasily in one year especially hard.
Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov (1629-1676, reigned 1645-1676) became the heir to the throne.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Candidates
There were many contenders for the Russian throne. The two most unpopular candidates - the Polish prince Vladislav and the son of False Dmitry II - were "weeded out" immediately. The Swedish king's son Karl-Philip had more supporters, among them - the leader of the Zemstvo army, Prince Pozharsky. Why did the patriot of the Russian land opt for a foreign prince? Perhaps the antipathy of the "thin" Pozharsky to domestic applicants - the well-born boyars, who in the Time of Troubles more than once betrayed those to whom they swore allegiance, had an effect. He feared that the "boyar tsar" would sow the seeds of a new unrest in Russia, as happened during the short reign of Vasily Shuisky. Therefore, Prince Dmitry stood for the calling of the "Varangian", but most likely it was Pozharsky's "maneuver", since in the end only Russian applicants, noble princes, participated in the struggle for the royal throne. The head of the infamous "seven boyars" Fyodor Mstislavsky compromised himself by collaborating with the Poles, Ivan Vorotynsky renounced his claim to the throne, Vasily Golitsyn was in Polish captivity, the leaders of the militia Dmitry Trubetskoy and Dmitry Pozharsky did not differ in nobility. But the new king must unite the country split by the Time of Troubles. The question was: how to give preference to one family, so that a new round of boyar civil strife would not begin?
Mikhail Fedorovich did not pass the first round
The candidacy of the Romanovs as the main contenders did not arise by chance: Mikhail Romanov was the nephew of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich. Mikhail's father, Patriarch Filaret, was respected among the clergy and Cossacks. In favor of the candidacy of Mikhail Fedorovich, the boyar Fyodor Sheremetyev actively campaigned. He assured the obstinate boyars that Mikhail "is young and will be familiar to us." In other words, become their puppet. But the boyars did not allow themselves to be persuaded: in the preliminary vote, the candidacy of Mikhail Romanov did not get the required number of votes.
no-show
When Romanov was elected, an overlay arose: the Cathedral demanded the arrival of the young applicant in Moscow. The Romanov party could not allow this: an inexperienced, timid, inexperienced young man in intrigues would have made an unfavorable impression on the delegates of the Council. Sheremetyev and his supporters had to show miracles of eloquence, proving how dangerous the path from the Kostroma village of Domnino, where Mikhail was, to Moscow. Was it not then that the legend about the feat of Ivan Susanin, who saved the life of the future tsar, arose? After a heated debate, the Romanovs succeeded in persuading the Council to cancel the decision on Michael's arrival.
tightening
On February 7, 1613, the rather tired delegates announced a two-week break: “for a large strengthening, they postponed February from the 7th of February to the 21st.” Messengers were sent to the cities "to see through their thoughts in all sorts of people." The voice of the people, of course, is the voice of God, but isn't two weeks not enough to monitor the public opinion of a large country? It is not easy for a messenger to get to Siberia, for example, even in two months. Most likely, the boyars counted on the departure from Moscow of the most active supporters of Mikhail Romanov - the Cossacks. If the stanitsa get bored, they say, to sit idle in the city, they will disperse. The Cossacks really dispersed, so much so that the boyars did not seem a little ...
The role of Pozharsky
Let's return to Pozharsky and his lobbying for the Swedish candidate for the Russian throne. In the autumn of 1612, the militia captured a Swedish spy. Until January 1613, he languished in captivity, but shortly before the beginning of the Zemsky Sobor, Pozharsky freed the spy and sent him to Novgorod occupied by the Swedes with a letter to the commander Jacob Delagardie. In it, Pozharsky reports that both he himself and most of the noble boyars want to see Karl-Philip on the Russian throne. But, as subsequent events showed, Pozharsky misinformed the Swede. One of the first decisions of the Zemsky Sobor was that there should not be a foreigner on the Russian throne, the sovereign should be elected "from Moscow families, which God wills." Was Pozharsky really so naive that he did not know the mood of the majority? Of course not. Prince Dmitry deliberately fooled Delagardie with "universal support" for the candidacy of Charles Philip, in order to prevent Swedish interference in the election of the king. The Russians hardly repelled the Polish onslaught, and a campaign against Moscow by the Swedish army could also turn out to be fatal. Pozharsky's "cover operation" was successful: the Swedes did not move. That is why on February 20, Prince Dmitry, having safely forgotten about the Swedish prince, proposed to the Zemsky Sobor to choose a tsar from the Romanov family, and then he put his signature on the conciliar charter on the election of Mikhail Fedorovich. During the coronation of the new sovereign, it was Pozharsky who was given a high honor by Mikhail: the prince presented him with one of the symbols of power - the royal power. Modern political technologists can only envy such a competent PR move: the savior of the Fatherland hands the state to the new tsar. Beautiful. Looking ahead, we note that until his death (1642) Pozharsky faithfully served Mikhail Fedorovich, taking advantage of his unchanging location. It is unlikely that the tsar would have favored someone who wanted to see not him, but some Swedish prince on the throne of the Ruriks.
Cossacks
A special role in the selection of the king belongs to the Cossacks. An interesting story about this is contained in the Tale of the Zemsky Sobor of 1613. It turns out that on February 21 the boyars decided to choose the king by casting lots, but the hope for "maybe", in which any forgery is possible, seriously angered the Cossacks. Cossack orators smashed the boyar "tricks" to smithereens and solemnly proclaimed: "By God's will, in the reigning city of Moscow and all Russia, let there be a tsar, sovereign and grand duke Mikhailo Fedorovich!" This cry was immediately picked up by supporters of the Romanovs, and not only in the Cathedral, but also among the large crowd of people in the square. It was the Cossacks who cut the "Gordian knot", having achieved the election of Mikhail. The unknown author of the “Tale” (probably an eyewitness of what is happening) does not spare colors, describing the reaction of the boyars: “The Bolyar at that time was obsessed with fear and trembling trembling, and their faces were changing with blood, and no one could say anything.” Only Mikhailo's uncle, Ivan Romanov, nicknamed Kasha, who for some reason did not want to see his nephew on the throne, tried to object: "Mikhailo Fedorovich is still young and not in full mind." To which the Cossack wits objected: “But you, Ivan Nikitich, are an old verst, in full mind ... you will be a strong potor to him.” Mikhail did not forget Uncle's assessment of his mental abilities and subsequently removed Ivan Kasha from all state affairs. The Cossack demarche came as a complete surprise to Dmitry Trubetskoy: “His face is black, and falling into an ailment, and lying for many days, without leaving his courtyard from the mountain, that the Cossacks exhausted the treasury and recognized them as flattering in words and deceit.” The prince can be understood: it was he, the leader of the Cossack militia, who counted on the support of his comrades-in-arms, generously endowed them with a "treasury" - and suddenly they were on the side of Mikhail. Perhaps the Romanov party paid more?
British recognition
On February 21 (March 3), 1613, the Zemsky Sobor made a historic decision: to elect Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov to the kingdom. The first country to recognize the new sovereign was England: in the same year, 1613, the embassy of John Metric arrived in Moscow. Thus began the history of the second and last royal dynasty of Russia. It is significant that throughout his reign, Mikhail Fedorovich showed a special attitude towards the British. So, Mikhail Fedorovich restored relations with the British "Moscow Company" after the Time of Troubles, and although he curtailed the freedom of action of English merchants, he nevertheless put them on preferential terms not only with other foreigners, but also with representatives of the Russian "big business".
From the Romanov dynasty. At the end of February 1613, he would be chosen as the ruler of the Russian kingdom at the Zemsky Sobor. He became king not by ancestral heritage, not by seizing power, and not by his own will.
Mikhail Fedorovich was chosen by God and people, and at that time he was only 16 years old. His reign came at a very difficult time. Mikhail Fedorovich, by the will of fate, had to solve serious economic and political problems: to bring the country out of the chaos in which it was after the Time of Troubles, to raise and strengthen the national economy, to preserve the territories of the Fatherland, torn apart. And most importantly - to arrange and secure the house of the Romanovs on the Russian throne.
Romanov dynasty. Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov
In the Romanov family, the boyar Fyodor Nikitich, who later became Xenia Ivanovna (Shestova), had a son on July 12, 1596. They named him Michael. The Romanov family was related to and was very famous and rich. This boyar family owned vast estates not only in northern and central Russia, but also on the Don and in Ukraine. At first, Mikhail lived with his parents in Moscow, but in 1601 his family fell out of favor and was disgraced. Boris Godunov, who was ruling at that time, was informed that the Romanovs were preparing a conspiracy and wanted to kill him with the help of a magic potion. The massacre followed immediately - many representatives of the Romanov family were arrested. In June 1601, a verdict was passed at the meeting: Fyodor Nikitich and his brothers: Alexander, Mikhail, Vasily and Ivan - should be deprived of their property, forcibly cut into monks, exiled and imprisoned in various places remote from the capital.
Fyodor Nikitich was sent to the Antoniev-Siysky Monastery, which was located in a deserted, deserted place 165 miles from Arkhangelsk, up the Dvina River. It was there that Father Mikhail Fedorovich was cut into monks and named Filaret. The mother of the future autocrat, Xenia Ivanovna, was accused of complicity in a crime against the tsarist government and sent into exile in the Novgorod district, in the Tol-Yegorevsky churchyard, which belonged to the Vazhitsky monastery. Here she was cut into a nun, named Martha and imprisoned in a small building surrounded by a high palisade.
Mikhail Fedorovich's exile on Beloozero
Little Mikhail, who was in his sixth year at that time, was exiled along with his eight-year-old sister Tatyana Fedorovna and aunts, Martha Nikitichnaya Cherkasskaya, Uliana Semyonova and Anastasia Nikitichnaya, to Beloozero. There the boy grew up in extremely harsh conditions, malnourished, endured deprivation and need. In 1603, Boris Godunov somewhat softened the sentence and allowed Mikhail's mother, Marfa Ivanovna, to come to Beloozero to the children.
And some time later, the autocrat allowed the exiles to move to the Yuryev-Polsky district, to the village of Klin, the native patrimony of the Romanov family. In 1605, False Dmitry I, who seized power, wishing to confirm his relationship with the Romanov family, returned to Moscow its surviving representatives from exile, including Mikhail's family, and himself. Fyodor Nikitich was granted the Rostov Metropolis.
Trouble. The state of siege of the future tsar in Moscow
In difficult times from 1606 to 1610, Vasily Shuisky ruled. During this period, many dramatic events took place in Russia. In particular, the movement of "thieves" appeared and grew, a peasant uprising, led by I. Bolotnikov. Some time later, he teamed up with a new impostor, the "Tushino thief" False Dmitry II. The Polish intervention began. The troops of the Commonwealth captured Smolensk. The boyars overthrew Shuisky from the throne because he thoughtlessly concluded the Vyborg Treaty with Sweden. Under this agreement, the Swedes agreed to help Russia fight against False Dmitry, and in return received the territory of the Kola Peninsula. Unfortunately, the conclusion of the Treaty of Vyborg did not save Russia - the Poles defeated the Russian-Swedish troops in the Battle of Klushino and opened up approaches to Moscow.
At this time, the boyars ruling the country swore allegiance to the son of the king of the Commonwealth, Sigismund, Vladislav. The country split into two camps. In the period from 1610 to 1613, an anti-Polish popular uprising arose. In 1611, it was formed under the leadership of Lyapunov, but it was defeated on the outskirts of Moscow. A second militia was created. It was headed by D. Pozharsky and K. Minin. At the end of the summer of 1612, a terrible battle took place, in which the Russian troops won. Hetman Khodkevich retreated to Sparrow Hills. By the end of October, the Russian militia cleared Moscow of the Poles who had settled in it, who were waiting for help from Sigismund. The Russian boyars, including Mikhail Fedorovich and his mother Martha, who were captured, exhausted by hunger and deprivation, were finally released.
Attempted murder of Mikhail Fedorovich
After the hardest Moscow siege, Mikhail Fedorovich left for the Kostroma estate. Here, the future tsar almost died at the hands of a gang of Poles who were in and were looking for a way to Domnino. Mikhail Fedorovich was saved by the peasant Ivan Susanin, who volunteered to show the robbers the way to the future tsar and led them in the opposite direction, to the swamps.
And the future tsar took refuge in the Yusupov monastery. Ivan Susanin was tortured, but he never revealed Romanov's whereabouts. That was how difficult the childhood and adolescence of the future king, who at the age of 5 was forcibly separated from his parents and, with his mother and father alive, became an orphan, experienced the hardships of isolation from the outside world, the horrors of a state of siege and hunger.
Zemsky Sobor of 1613 Election of Mikhail Fedorovich to the kingdom
After the expulsion of the interventionists by the boyars and the people's militia, led by Prince Pozharsky, a decision was made on the need to choose a new tsar. On February 7, 1613, at the preliminary election, a nobleman from Galich proposed to enthrone Filaret's son, Mikhail Fedorovich. Of all the applicants, he was closest in kinship to the Rurik family. Messengers were sent to many cities to find out the opinion of the people. On February 21, 1613, the final elections were held. The people decided: "To be the sovereign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov." Having made such a decision, they equipped an embassy to notify Mikhail Fedorovich of his election as king. On March 14, 1613, the ambassadors, accompanied by a religious procession, came to the Ipatiev Monastery and nun Martha. Long persuasion finally succeeded, and Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov agreed to become tsar. Only on May 2, 1613, did the sovereign's magnificent solemn entry into Moscow take place - when, in his opinion, the capital and the Kremlin were already ready to receive him. On July 11, a new autocrat, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, was crowned king. The solemn ceremony took place in the Assumption Cathedral.
The beginning of the reign of the sovereign
Mikhail Fedorovich took the reins of government in a torn, ruined and impoverished country. In difficult times, the people needed just such an autocrat - generous, charming, gentle, kind and at the same time generous in spiritual qualities. It's not for nothing that people called him "meek". The personality of the tsar contributed to the strengthening of the power of the Romanovs. The domestic policy of Mikhail Fedorovich at the beginning of his reign was aimed at restoring order in the country. An important task was to eliminate gangs of robbers rampant everywhere. A real war was waged with the ataman of the Cossacks Ivan Zarutsky, which eventually ended in capture and subsequent execution. The question of the peasants was acute. In 1613, the distribution of state lands to the needy was carried out.
Important strategic decisions - armistice with Sweden
The foreign policy of Mikhail Fedorovich was focused on the conclusion of a truce with Sweden and the end of the war with Poland. In 1617, the Stolbovsky Treaty was drawn up. This document officially ended the war with the Swedes, which lasted for three years. Now the Novgorod lands were divided between the Russian kingdom (the captured cities returned to him: Veliky Novgorod, Ladoga, Gdov, Porkhov, Staraya Russa, as well as the Sumer region) and the Kingdom of Sweden (he got Ivangorod, Koporye, Yam, Korela, Oreshek, Neva). In addition, Moscow had to pay Sweden a serious sum - 20 thousand silver rubles. The Peace of Stolbov cut off the country from the Baltic Sea, but for Moscow, the conclusion of this truce allowed it to continue its war with Poland.
The end of the Russian-Polish war. Return of Patriarch Filaret
The Russo-Polish war lasted with varying success, starting in 1609. In 1616, the enemy army, led by Vladislav Vaza and hetman Jan Khodkevich, invaded Russian borders, wanting to overthrow Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich from the throne. It could only reach Mozhaisk, where it was suspended. Since 1618, the army of Ukrainian Cossacks, led by Hetman P. Sahaydachny, joined the army. Together they launched an assault on Moscow, but it was unsuccessful. Detachments of the Poles withdrew and settled down next to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. As a result, the parties agreed to negotiations, and on December 11, 1618, a truce was signed in the village of Deulino, which put an end to the Russian-Polish war. The terms of the treaty were unfavorable, but the Russian government agreed to accept them in order to end internal instability and restore the country. Under the treaty, Russia ceded Roslavl, Dorogobuzh, Smolensk, Novgorod-Seversky, Chernihiv, Serpeysk and other cities to the Commonwealth. Also during the negotiations, it was decided to exchange prisoners. On July 1, 1619, an exchange of prisoners was carried out on the Polyanovka River, and Filaret, the tsar's father, finally returned to his homeland. Some time later he was consecrated to the rank of patriarch.
Dual power. Wise decisions of two rulers of the Russian land
The so-called dual power was established in the Russian kingdom. Together with his father-patriarch, Mikhail Fedorovich began to rule the state. He, like the king himself, was given the title of "great sovereign."
At the age of 28, Mikhail Fedorovich married Maria Vladimirovna Dolgoruky. However, she died a year later. For the second time, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich married Evdokia Lukyanovna Streshneva. During the years of marriage, she bore him ten children. In general, the policy of Mikhail Fedorovich and Filaret was aimed at centralizing power, restoring the economy and filling the treasury. In June 1619, it was decided that taxes would be taken from the devastated lands according to sentinel or scribe books. It was decided to again conduct a census of the population to establish the exact amount of tax collections. Scribes and watchers were sent to the region. During the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, in order to improve the tax system, scribe books were compiled twice. Since 1620, governors and elders began to be appointed in the localities, who kept order.
Restoration of Moscow
During the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich, the capital and other cities, destroyed during the Time of Troubles, were gradually restored. In 1624, the Stone Pavilion and the striking clock over the Spasskaya Tower were built, and the Filaret Belfry was built. In 1635-1636, stone mansions were erected for the king and his offspring in place of the old wooden ones. 15 churches were built on the territory from the Nikolsky to the Spassky Gates. In addition to the restoration of the destroyed cities, the policy of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was aimed at further enslavement of the peasants. In 1627, a law was created that allowed the nobles to transfer their lands by inheritance (for this it was necessary to serve the king). In addition, a five-year investigation of fugitive peasants was established, which in 1637 was extended to 9 years, and in 1641 to 10 years.
Creation of new army regiments
An important activity of Mikhail Fedorovich was the creation of a regular national army. In the 30s. In the 17th century, "shelves of the new system" appeared. They included boyar children and free people, and foreigners were accepted for the position of officers. In 1642, the training of military people in a foreign system began. In addition, reytarsky, soldier and cavalry regiments began to form. Also, two Moscow elective regiments were created, which were later named Lefortovsky and Butyrsky (from the settlements in which they were located).
Industry development
In addition to creating an army, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov sought to develop various crafts in the country. The government began to call on foreign industrialists (miners, foundry workers, gunsmiths) on preferential terms. The Nemetskaya Sloboda was founded in Moscow, where engineers and foreign military men lived and worked. In 1632, a factory was built for casting cannonballs and cannons near Tula. Textile production also developed: the Velvet Yard opened in Moscow. Here, velvet work was trained. Textile production was launched in Kadashevskaya Sloboda.
Instead of a conclusion
Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov died at the age of 49. It happened on July 12, 1645. The result of his government activities was the calming of the state, agitated by the Time of Troubles, the establishment of centralized power, raising prosperity, restoring the economy, industry and trade. During the reign of the first Romanov, wars with Sweden and Poland were stopped, and, in addition, diplomatic relations were established with the states of Europe.
On 14 (24 NS) March 1613, Mikhail Romanov agreed to accept the Russian kingdom and was solemnly named sovereign. How did it happen that in a war-torn and troubled country, a 16-year-old youth was elected king, completely devoid of military talents and statesmanship, besides being a subject of the Polish king?
Naturally, over the 300 years of the Romanov dynasty, a mass of “reliable” justifications for the nationwide election of Mikhail and his outstanding role in ending the unrest in Russia appeared. But how did it really happen? Unfortunately, many documentary evidence of the election of Romanov to the kingdom were either destroyed or thoroughly edited. But, as they say, "manuscripts do not burn", some evidence has been preserved, and something can be read between the lines of official documents, for example, "The Tale of the Zemsky Sobor of 1613."
On October 22, 1612, the militia under the leadership of the prince and the Cossack detachments of Prince Dmitry Trubetskoy stormed Kitay-gorod. The fate of the Polish garrison and his henchmen was sealed. First, the Russian boyars came out of the Kremlin, having previously sworn allegiance to the Polish prince Vladislav, whom Pozharsky promised immunity. Among them was the young Mikhail Romanov and his mother, who immediately left for their estate near Kostroma. Then the Kremlin left the Polish garrison, who laid down their arms.
It is difficult to understand what Pozharsky and Trubetskoy were guided by when they abandoned the persecution of traitor boyars, but it was precisely this that created the prerequisites for the development of all subsequent events. During this period, all power was in the hands of a triumvirate consisting of Pozharsky, Trubetskoy and Minin, but the born Rurik prince Dmitry Pozharsky became the formal head of state. Naturally, he was predicted to be the new Russian tsars. But the prince made an unforgivable mistake - he disbanded the militia, leaving only a few detachments in Moscow. From that moment on, the Cossack detachments of Prince Trubetskoy became the main military force in the capital. They actually had nowhere to go, and the opportunity to profit thoroughly kept them in Moscow.
The main task during this period was the election of a new Russian Tsar. In November, a meeting of all the Moscow estates, held by the triumvirate, decided to convene deputies from all the estates of the Russian land, except for the boyar and monastic peasants, by December 6 to the Zemsky Sobor in Moscow. Beyond the range of distances, the deputies continued to arrive until the end of January, when the Cathedral was already actively working. There were about 800 people in total.
Most of the boyars who had previously sworn allegiance to Vladislav also took part in the work of the Council. Under their pressure, the candidacies of Pozharsky and Trubetskoy were blocked. Two main groups formed at the Council, one supported the election of the tsar from among the Russian candidates, the other advocated a foreigner, nominating the Swedish prince Carl Philip as the main candidate. Pozharsky also supported the latter candidacy. Perhaps he believed that a foreigner would be able to quickly stop the turmoil and rally society, or maybe he was playing some kind of complex political game.
In the end, the Council rejected the foreigner's candidacy and focused on discussing Russian candidates, among whom were princes, boyars, and even Tatar princes. It took a long time to come to an agreement. Then the candidacy of Mikhail Romanov was put forward, actively supported by the Cossacks, many of whom had previously been supporters of the Tushinsky Thief. Apparently, the fact that the Cossacks considered the Romanovs to be their henchmen played a role, since the candidate's father was elevated to patriarch in the camp of False Dmitry II.
In an effort to defuse the situation, Pozharsky's supporters proposed taking a two-week break in the work of the Council from February 7 to discuss possible candidates with residents of Moscow and nearby regions. This was a strategic mistake, since the Cossacks and the boyar group had much more opportunities to organize agitation. The main agitation unfolded for Mikhail Romanov, who was supported by many boyars, who believed that it would be easy to keep him under their influence, since he was young, inexperienced, and most importantly, like them, they were “messed up” in the oath to Vladislav. The main argument during the agitation of the boyars was that at one time Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, before his death, wanted to transfer the kingdom to his relative Fyodor Romanov (Patriarch Filaret), who is now languishing in Polish captivity. And therefore, the throne must be given to his only heir, which is Mikhail Romanov.
It was possible to create a certain opinion in favor of Mikhail. On the morning of February 21, when elections were scheduled, Cossacks and commoners rallied in the Kremlin, in modern terms, demanding the election of Mikhail. Apparently, the "rally" was skillfully staged, but later it became one of the facts of the justification for the nationwide nomination of Romanov to the throne. The role of the Cossacks in the election of a new king was not a secret for foreigners either. The Poles called Mikhail Romanov "a Cossack protege" for a long time.
By the way, there is information that on this day Pozharsky and a number of his supporters, who were blocked by the Cossacks in their homes, did not participate in the elections. In addition, petitions from several cities were presented to the Council by the boyars to support the election of Mikhail. To increase pressure on the Council, the Cossacks even broke into its meeting, demanding that Romanov be elected. Be that as it may, elections were held and Mikhail Romanov was proclaimed the Russian Tsar. The legality of the vote itself has never been questioned. Well, the fact that it was carried out with a powerful use of administrative resources and pressure on voters is an eternal "tradition" in Russia. It is curious that V.O. Klyuchevsky later very accurately remarked about the elections: "We wanted to choose not the most capable, but the most convenient."
Letters announcing the election of Mikhail Romanov as tsar were sent to all parts of the country. It is curious that neither Pozharsky nor Trubetskoy are among the signatories. A special embassy was sent to Mikhail Romanov. Actually, Romanov still had to be found, since the Cathedral did not have exact information about the place of his stay, so the embassy was ordered to go to "Yaroslavl or where he, sovereign, will be."
Mikhail and his mother were first in the ancestral estate near Kostroma, where, according to legend, through the efforts of his miraculous salvation from the Poles, and then in the Ipatiev Monastery. The embassy reached Kostroma by the evening of March 13th. The next day, at the head of the procession, it went to ask Michael to accept the kingdom. In reality, it was not him who had to ask, but his mother, nun Marfa, who for several more years (until Filaret returned from Poland) would make decisions for her son. A report from the embassy to Moscow has been preserved about how Mikhail was persuaded to accept the kingdom and with what doubts he made this decision.
On March 14, 1613, Russia had a legally elected tsar. Subsequent events showed that the choice was not the worst. And it’s even good that for many years Mikhail was only a nominal ruler, and the real power was in the hands of people with great life experience - first his mother, and then his father, Patriarch Filaret, who, upon his return from captivity, was officially proclaimed co-ruler of the king.
The gradual overcoming of the consequences of the Time of Troubles, and the birth of the heir to the throne, created the conviction in the country that the new dynasty would be for a long time. And so it happened, the Romanov dynasty reigned for more than 300 years.
