Sophia Alexeievna

Sophia Alexeievna Romanovna (1657 - 1704). Girl of Alexis Ier of Russia and Maria Miloslavskaia, it is the sister of Fédor III, Ivan V and Pierre Ier. She was regent of Russia of 1682 with 1689.

Before the seizure of power

Like her Fédor brother, it has like tutor Siméon de Polotsk who in fact a woman very cultivated for Russia of this time. Intelligent and ambitious, it has the taste of the capacity and does not want to be made lower with a lower row like the women of this time. The consul Neuville, not very lenient, speaks about his physique like of a body of a monstrous size, with a broad head like a bushel, hair with the face and ulcers with the legs . He adds however: As much as its size is broad, short and coarse, as much its spirit is untied and political and, without having never Lu Machiavel, nor taken lesson, it has all the maxims naturally.

When Fédor becomes tsar, in 1676, it takes as lover his main thing adviser, Vassili Golitsyne, which initiates it with the policy. It then becomes the chief of the clan of Miloslavski which is opposed to that of Narychkine, family of the second wife of Alexis, Natalia. This one is the mother of Pierre, the future Pierre Large the.

The coup d'etat

The May 7th 1682, Fédor III dies without heir and without to have indicated of successor. His/her natural brother, Ivan, should normally gird the crown, but it is a spirit sick, unable to control. The Zemski sobor thus decides to elect his/her Pierre half-brother like tsar with his mother Natalia Narychkina as regent.

Sophia does not hear it thus. During the days which follow, it assembles the body of the Streltsy against Narychkine, already hated, and show them to have made poison Fédor. Soon, it makes run the rumor that the tsarévitch Ivan was assassinated. The May 25th, the steltsy are raised. They enter of force to the the Kremlin and massacre several boyards, including two brothers of Natalia Narychkina, of the family members of Dolgoroucki like Artamon Matvéiev, former adviser of Alexis Ier, that Miloslavski exécraient. Thanks to them, Sophia is essential as regent and founds a dyarchie with Ivan V and Pierre Ier like Co-tsars. Like reward, it gives a premium of ten roubles to the streltsy and increases their balance. Vassili Golitsyne is named chancellor and person in charge of the Foreign affairs.

Old Believers

The first problem with which Sophia is confronted is that of the Vieux-Croyants which dispute the reform of the orthodoxe Église undertaken under Alexis Ist Ivan Khovanski, chief of the streltsy, is a raskolnik (in favor of the Schism) which encourages its men to adopt the Old woman-Faith.

In September 1682, Sophia and Golitsyne convene a council in order to try a reconciliation. Not only this one does not take place but the Old Believers benefit from this platform to be opposed openly to the capacity of the tsarina and threaten to reverse the Romanov if they do not give up their policy of reform.

Sophia gives up the conciliation then. One stops hundreds of schismatics who are burned on the Red Place. Suspected of plot, Khovanski is stopped and carried out with 37 of its streltsy. The other members of the body of guard prefer to return in the row but keep rancour with the regent to have thus eliminated their beloved chief.

Two forwardings in the Crimea

The policy of opening to the Occident, started by Golitsyne under the reign of Fédor III, is continued under the regency of Sophia. Long negotiations with Poland lead to the treaty of Moscow of 1686. The king of Poland officially recognizes in Russia the possession of the Eastern Ukraine (in the east of the Dniepr), of Kiev and Smolensk against the commitment of Moscow to make the war with the Turks of the Crimea.

Although several boyards is opposed to a war against the Turks, Sophia is rather favorable there because she hopes for an easy conquest of the Crimea. She however makes a serious error by naming Vassili Golitsyne with the head of the army. Although it has great political qualities, it makes an absolutely unable war leader.

The operation of 1687 in the Crimea is a true failure. The army reconsiders its steps without to have delivered only one combat. The troops are badly supplied, the Cosaques desert, an enormous fire of the steppe between Dniepr and the isthmus of Kérékop prevents the troops from penetrating in the Crimea. But the leading cause of this disaster is the incompetence of the command.

However, Golitsyne is received as hero on his return to Moscow. Sophia tries to make accept in the people and the Occident which the operation was a success on all the line.

In 1688, following an incursion of the Turks in Russian territory, Sophia orders a new forwarding in the Crimea. The command is again entrusted to Golitsyne which does not have more chance than the first time. After having besieged in vain Pérékop, it orders the retirement, leaving 20 000 died and 15 000 prisoners on the ground. From return to Moscow, it obtains a new triumph.

The fall

Since 1682, Pierre and his mother had been relegated to Préobrajenskoié where Sophia supervised its intrigues by far. In 1689, the young tsar decides not to attend the second triumph of Golitsyne, seeing only one ridiculous joke there there. Sophia is convinced whereas he wants to reverse it and decides to organize a new coup d'etat of the streltsy in which Pierre would find death.

Fédor Chaklovity, which succeeded Khovanski with the head of the streltsy, agrees to take part in the plot, but several of its men which want some in Sophia to have carried out their former chief decide to warn Pierre. This one takes fear and runs towards Moscow to try to counter his/her half-sister.

The regent, abandoned gradually by the streltsy, hated by the Muscovites, does not have any more any support. She tries to meet Pierre with the monastery of the Trinity, close to Moscow, where he settled. Pierre refuses to receive it. Sophia is déchue of all its capacities and must be withdrawn with the Couvent of Novodievitchi, with a few kilometers of the capital, where she saw her last years.

Several years later, in 1698, a new revolt of the streltsy is repressed in blood. Pierre, believing without however of proof that Sophia is at the origin of this new plot, obliges it to take the veil. It takes the name of Suzanne sister and saw from now on cloîtrée. She dies with the convent of Novodiévitchi the July 14th 1704.

Random links: