The simple-minded tsar Ivan V of Russia (1666-1696) was only capable of fulfilling curemonial functions, so
his sister took over the regency. Ivan liked to sit motionless for hours at a time, while his wife was energetic and dominant,
and could be quickly angered.
Tsar Alexis I of Russia (1629-1676) begot 13 children by his first wife, Maria Miloslawskaja,
but many of them died young. Tsarevitch Alexis died just short of his 16th birthday, but
the semi-invalid Fyodor III (1662-1682) and the simple-minded Ivan V (1666-1696) survived.
Fyodor suffered from an ailment that confined him to his bed most of the time. Ivan V was
also a sickly child and, in addition, both mentally and physically handicapped. He was retarded and
retiring, a "sad-head". He stammered and he was partially blind due to a growth
of skin over his eyes. In 1669, the Tsarina Maria died shortly after giving birth to her
13th child, when Ivan was still only three years old. In January 1671 Tsar Alexis
remarried Natalya Naryshkina and had 3 additional children, among them a healthy boy,
Peter (1672-1725). His birth intensified the rivalries between the Miloslavskys and the
Naryshkins, the families of the Tsarinas. Tsar Alexis died on January 29, 1676.
Fourteen-year-old Fyodor III was consecrated as the new Tsar. He was well educated and devout and surrounded himself with bright young men
The Patriarch of the Orthodox Church hastily organised an assembly. Because Ivan suffered from a number of handicaps, it was
decided that the crown should pass to 9-year-old Peter with his mother as regent. This
arrangement was challenged by Ivan's 25-year-old sister Sofya (1657-1704, to the right),
the Miloslavsky family and the Streltsi infantry regiments1. On May 15, a
rumour spread that fifteen-year-old Ivan had been murdered and a mob broke into the
Kremlin demanding to know the truth. Peter's mother, Natalya Naryskina, appeared before
the mob with Peter on one hand and Ivan on the other to show that the boys were both in good health. Peter with his above-average height stood erect and showed no fear before the well-armed men,
When Prince Mikhail Dolgorouky tried to intervene and condemned the Streltsi mutineers, he
was dragged from the staircase, thrown onto the Streltsi pikes and hacked to pieces
before the eyes of Dowager Tsarina Natalya and the young Princes. Thousands of Streltsi
swarmed through the palace searching for "traitors". They murdered several
members of the Naryskin family. The next day they demanded that Ivan Naryskin, Natalya's
brother, who had hidden in a cupboard, be handed over to them. He gave himself up to
prevent more massacre and was tortured for hours, mutilated, dismembered and hacked into
small pieces. Further violence followed. It must have been a very traumatic experience for the two young Princes.
On May 23 the Streltsi demanded that Ivan was appointed joint ruler with Peter. Thus, an agreement was reached
Ivan V and his half-brother Peter (to the right) sat on twin thrones and their
crowns and scepters were identical. Peter was usually restless and animated, while
backward Ivan sat staring at the floor. He was capable of fulfilling ceremonial functions,
but Ivan frequently needed physical support from courtiers. Peter resided with his mother
at Preobrazhenskoe and was allowed to enter Moscow only for state occasions that required
the presence of both Tsars. Meanwhile, Sofya ruled Russia. She was an educated, able and
determined woman. Although Russian Royal women were supposed to spend their time in
seclusion and usually received little if any education, Sofya managed - with no real support,
but through sheer willpower and personal courage - to rule Russia for seven years.
She abolished the customary punishment of live burial for women who had murdered their husbands.
Her principal adviser was the enlightened Prince Vasily Golitsyn, who started the construction of stone buildings in Moscow.
They invited skilled craftsmen from Europe to settle in Russia. This eventually had a profound influence on Co-Tsar Peter.
From 1684 coins and medals were being issued with Sofya's likeness on them, and in 1686 she assumed the title of Autocrat.
She twice sent Golitsyn to the south to fight the Tatars, but both times he suffered crushing defeats that undermined Sofya's power.
Ivan was almost a vegetable, sitting motionless for hours at a time. He could walk only with the help of two men.
Despite his handicaps, Sofya set out to find a wife for Ivan, who would give birth to an heir.
Many Russian noblewomen were willing to exchange the prospect of a life with an abusive magnate for a live with a gentle and pious idiot, especially since he was Tsar.
Soon after Ivan had passed his seventeenth birthday, Sofya married him to proud Praskovya Saltykova (1664-1724, to the right), an aristocratic woman with auburn hair and blue eyes.
She was an energetic woman and a tyrant to her household; she was quickly angered and her anger was frightening.
Peter was a healthy, energetic and intelligent boy and as he grew older, he became a threat to Sofya's power.
By the summer of 1689 seventeen-year-old Peter and Sofya both believed that their life was in danger, that the other was about to use violence to resolve the conflict between them.
With the terrible scenes of the palace massacre of 1682 in mind, Peter began
suffering from nightmares and one side of his face showed twitches. In August he panicked
completely and fled to a fortified monastery near Moscow. In the following weeks an increasing number of officials and officers defected to his side. As regent,
Copyright © 2000 by J.N.W. Bos. All rights reserved.
1 The Streltsi was an elite
force created by Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible.
2 Anna Ivanovna assumed power as Tsarina Anna I in 1730, while Catherine's grandson became
Tsar Ivan VI of Russia.
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