Sophia Alekseyevna of Russia
Sophia Alekseyevna | |
---|---|
Alexis I | |
Mother | Maria Miloslavskaya |
Religion | Eastern Orthodox |
Sophia Alekseyevna (Russian: Со́фья Алексе́евна, IPA:
Early life
Sophia was the third surviving daughter of
Rise to regency
Although Sophia emerged from the shadows during the dynastic struggles of 1682, her prior influences can help to explain her ascendance to the regency. At the previous change of ruler in 1676, Sophia may have acted in the interest of her brother, Feodor, as various rumours exist of her pleading then with her father, the dying Tsar Alexis, not to proclaim Peter his heir. Feodor's capability to lead Russia was questioned, based on his weak nature and poor health. His mental ability developed quite nicely over time, as he was taught by Simeon Polotsky. During Feodor III's brief reign (1676–1682), many historians argue, Feodor actually "ruled under the protectorate of Sophia his sister".[5]
As the young Tsar Feodor's health began to decline, more individuals rose up to counsel him, and Sophia found her influence steadily declining. Taking advantage of a court never open to a woman in her situation, she utilized her connections, making allies and formally planning on securing the throne. When Feodor died on 7 May [O.S. 27 April] 1682, Sophia immediately returned to the political scene. She attended her brother's funeral and caused a commotion while doing so. In Sophia's age, the female relatives of the tsar were kept away from the court and other political spheres, and funerals traditionally took place without women. Sophia stormed into the funeral, insisting on her presence and simultaneously setting off a chain of events that would result in her regency.[6]
The Miloslavsky party, grouped around the family of Feodor and Sophia, took advantage of the
Upon the court's swift and unanimous rejection of this proposal, Sophia reached out to the discouraged military troop, the streltsy, for their aid and support. The unjust dismissal of Ivan's rights acted as a catalyst to the already displeased and frustrated troops. Multiple issues, including merciless motivational tactics and lack of rest, drove the streltsy to violent opposition against the "unjust" election of Peter. As the fighting ceased and Peter's life was left forever scarred by the blood spilt by his Naryshkin relatives, the streltsy achieved their initial demands.[7]
In the aftermath of the streltsy rebellion, on 25 June 1682 the
Romantic life
Sophia's relationship with Prince Golitsyn was not necessarily a romantic attachment.
In any case, a romantic interaction between the two could not begin when they met under Feodor's rule. Feodor entrusted great confidence in Golitsyn, and there remains no evidence Sophia and Vasily acted against customs that would have kept them apart until after his death. There is no suspicion of any relations until the letter in 1689, even during the period of Golitsyn's rise to power.[10]
Regency
When the
During the seven years of her regency, Sophia made a few concessions to
The most important highlights of her foreign policy, as engineered by Golitsyn, were the
Downfall
Sophia Alekseyevna's regency retained the trappings of a typical regent, and the true tsar was growing into his position with every passing year. At the age of 16, Peter I demanded that Golitsyn report to him regarding all matters, and the
Although some historians claim Sophia made conscious attempts to neutralize Peter, and remove him from the political world, her involvement remains unclear. Sophia and her party had discussed crowning her as tsarina, and in August 1687 had tried persuading the Streltsy to petition on her behalf. Denied their aid, Sophia and her supporters found themselves on the decline in 1688, as the Crimean war brought rioting and unrest to Moscow. To worsen the situation, Peter had married, readying himself for rule, and Ivan V fathered a girl, eliminating any potential claim to the throne from that branch.[10]
Tensions between the two factions continued to grow, until Peter I turned 17 years of age, when his Naryshkin relatives demanded that Sophia step down. In response, Shaklovityi advised Sophia to proclaim herself
After Sophia agreed to surrender her senior boyars, she was arrested and forced to withdraw to the Novodevichy Convent without formally taking the veil. Sophia may have made one last attempt at securing power, although her involvement is unclear. Regardless of her conscious intent, her fate was sealed ten years later, when the Streltsy attempted to reinstate her in the Kremlin during Peter's absence from the country. This uprising was suppressed with an iron hand, and soon the corpses of the rebels were suspended in front of Sophia's windows. Having taken the veil, she was kept in the strictest seclusion, with other nuns not allowed to see her except on Easter Sunday. She died in the Novodevichy Convent six years later.[5]
In popular culture
Sophia Alekseyevna
References
- ^ Родословная книга Всероссiйскаго дворянства
- ^ Robert K. Massie outlines the position of women in old Muscovy in Peter the Great, His Life and World, 1980, ch. "Old Muscovy", pp 31ff.
- ^ Hughes, Lindsey, Sofiya Alekseyevna and the Moscow Rebellion of 1682
- ^ O'Brien, C. Bickford (1952). Russia Under Two Tsars 1682-1689: The Regency of Sophia Alekseevna. Los Angeles: University of California Press.
- ^ a b c J. Crull, M.D. The Ancient and Present State of Muscovy, vol. 2, London, 1698, p. 200
- ^ Беляевский летописец
- ^ a b Hughes, Lindsey, Sophia: Regent of Russia 1657-1704. (c) 1990
- ISBN 9780521805858. Page 138.
- ^ A letter of quoted by Massie 1980, p. 89
- ^ a b c d Hughes, Lindsey.
- ISBN 978-0190836054.
External links
- Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). pp. 417–418.
- Romanovs. The second film. Feodor III, Sophia Alekseyevna; Ivan V; on YouTube– Historical reconstruction "The Romanovs". StarMedia. Babich-Design(Russia, 2013)
Further reading
- Hughes, Lindsey. Sophia, Regent of Russia: 1657–1704. New Haven, CT; London: Yale University Press, 1990 (hardcover, ISBN 0-300-04790-8).