Michael Romanov

Czar of Russia (r. 1613-1645)

• Born: July 22, 1596
• Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
• Died: July 23, 1645
• Place of death: Moscow, Russia

Romanov managed to rise to power and stay on the throne of Russia during some of the most difficult years of Russian history. He founded the Romanov Dynasty, which would rule the Russian Empire until the twentieth century.

Early Life

Michael Romanov (ROH-mahn-ahf) was the youngest of five sons born to Fyodor Nikitich Romanov and Ksenia Romanova. Fyodor Romanov was an influential figure in the politics of late sixteenth century Russia. He was an adviser to Czar Ivan the Terrible (r. 1547-1584) and was close to Boris Godunov, Ivan’s chief minister and later czar. Ivan the Terrible began a crisis in Russian history when, in a fit of anger in 1581, he hit his eldest son with an iron-tipped staff. The son soon died of the wound. When Ivan himself died three years later, the only heir to the throne was the weak-minded Fyodor I Ivanovich. Czar Fyodor I had no children. Both Godunov and Fyodor Romanov had ambitions to succeed Czar Fyodor I when the czar died in 1598. Godunov managed to conduct a zemskii sobor, or assembly of the land, where Russian nobles proclaimed him ruler.

Godunov accused the family of Fyodor, his former friend and rival, of treason and witchcraft. After a conviction based on evidence planted by agents of Czar Godunov, the entire family, including the five-year-old Michael Romanov, was exiled to the cold northern regions of Russia. Fyodor Romanov was then forced to become a monk with the name Philaret, and Ksenia was forced to become a nun, under the name Marfa. Michael was sent to live in poverty with an aunt in a remote village.

The rule of Boris began a period in Russian history known as the Time of Troubles because of political instability and invasion by Polish forces. After the death of Boris in 1605, Philaret returned to public life and quickly rose to high church office, that of metropolitan of Rostov. However, with Polish support, a pretender to the throne, known as the False Dmitry because he claimed to be the murdered son of Ivan the Terrible, took power in Moscow, but a rebellious crowd killed the pretender in 1606, and the Russian assembly of the land elected a new czar. A second False Dmitry appeared, supported by Polish forces. The Poles took Rostov and then Moscow, and retreated, taking Philaret with them as prisoner.

The young Michael spent several years wandering and hiding with his mother. In 1613, Michael and Marfa had taken refuge in a monastery that was a little more than 200 miles from Moscow. A new assembly of the land met to find a new ruler, and the nobles decided on the sixteen-year-old Michael Romanov. In March, 1613, they met the young man at the monastery and offered him the crown. After some reluctance, he agreed, returning then to Moscow to begin the dynasty that would rule Russia for three hundred years.

Life’s Work

Michael Romanov was crowned czar of Russia in Uspenskii Cathedral in Moscow on July 11, 1613. His first tasks were to obtain his father’s release from the Poles and to free Russia from the foreign troops on its territory. In addition to the Poles, the Russians also had to contend with Swedish forces. Prince Charles Philip, brother of the king of Sweden, claimed to be the rightful czar, and the Swedes occupied the important Russian city of Novgorod. Michael sought the assistance of King James I of England in negotiating with the Swedes. Under the terms of the Treaty of Stolbovo (1617), the Russians paid the Swedes a substantial sum of money and gave up lands along the Baltic Coast that had been taken by Boris Godunov and Ivan the Terrible. In return, Sweden withdrew from Novgorod and Prince Charles Philip gave up his claim to the Russian throne.

Next, Czar Michael turned to making peace with the Poles. By 1619, he obtained a cease-fire with Poland and an agreement for his father’s return by handing over several Russian towns and cities to the Poles. After Philaret’s return, on June 10, 1619, Michael gave up much of the day-to-day business of running the country. Philaret controlled the government until his death in 1633. In addition, the assembly of the land, which previously had been called to meetings only when needed, remained in session for years to help restore order throughout the country.

One of the most pressing matters for the new Romanov Dynasty was the need for an heir whose clear right to the throne would help Russia avoid the conflicts that had produced the Time of Troubles. At first, Philaret was inclined to find Michael a bride from the European nobility outside Russia, so that the Romanovs would not be allying themselves with any of the factions of Russian families. However, the noble families of Europe were reluctant to tie themselves to the new and unproven dynasty. In 1624, Michael married Marya Dolgorukova, who was related to his mother. Marya died a year later, though, and Michael married Evdokia Streshneva in 1626. Evdokia gave birth to three daughters and three sons, including, in 1629, Alexis, who would become the second Romanov czar.

By the time Philaret died, Russia was once again at war with Poland, and the Polish king Władysław IV Vasa had invaded. Michael was forced to pay the Poles, but he managed to obtain a peace treaty in 1634 (Peace of Polyanov). Poland also recognized his right to be Russian czar, an important step toward political stability. The most serious challenge that remained was to ensure Romanov rule after his own death. His two younger sons had died. The heir, Alexis, was still alive, but in those times of high mortality rates no life was certain. For this reason, Michael attempted to arrange a marriage between his daughter, Irina, and Prince Valdemar of Denmark, who could become czar if anything happened to Alexis. However, Valdemar, who had traveled to Moscow, was reluctant to convert from his Lutheran faith to Russian Orthodoxy. Michael kept Valdemar in Moscow until 1645, the year Michael died at the age of forty-nine. Alexis assumed the throne and sent Valdemar back to Denmark.

Significance

Michael Romanov assumed the throne of Russia as an inexperienced sixteen-year-old, when the country was torn by fighting and by invasions of foreign forces. He had spent much of his childhood in a family that was persecuted and in exile. Still, he managed to achieve relative peace with his country’s two greatest foreign enemies, Poland and Sweden.

Michael handed over most of the actual rule of the country to his father during the years from 1619 to 1633. During this time, though, he took care of one of the most essential tasks for establishing order in Russia. By marrying and producing an heir, Michael brought Russia out of the continual political crises that had plagued the country since the death of Czar Fyodor. The Romanov Dynasty that began with Michael was to rule Russia for more than three hundred years, until Czar Nicholas II (r. 1884-1917), the last of the Romanovs, was overthrown during the Russian Revolution of 1917.

After his father’s death, Michael achieved a peace treaty with Poland. Although he did not succeed in arranging a marriage between his daughter and the Danish prince, Michael began drawing his country into closer ties with the other nations of Europe. This can be seen as the beginning of the dramatic efforts at Westernization and modernization that reached their highest point during the rule of Michael’s grandson, Peter the Great .

Bibliography

Dunning, Chester S. L. Russia’s First Civil War: The Time of Troubles and the Founding of the Romanov Dynasty. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2001. A massive volume that provides post-Marxist analysis of the civil uprisings, claiming that they were struggles between factions of equal rank, rather than initial attempts by serfs to win their freedom. Includes illustrations, maps, bibliographic references, and index.

Khodarovsky, Michael. Russia’s Steppe Frontier: The Making of a Colonial Empire, 1500-1800. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2003. Looks at the extension of Russian borders, during the Romanov period begun by Michael and by others during the century before his rule.

Kliuchevsky, V. O. A Course in Russian History: The Seventeenth Century. Translated by Natalie Duddington. Armonk, N.Y.: M. E. Sharpe, 1994. A translation of a classic work by one of Russia’s most eminent historians. Chapter 4, “Political Reconstruction,” considers the events of Michael’s reign.

Kotilaine, Jarmo, and Marshall Poe, eds. Modernizing Muscovy: Reform and Social Change in Seventeenth Century Russia. New York: Routledge Curzon, 2004. A collection of articles that provides an encyclopedic account of politics and society in Russia during the seventeenth century. Includes useful references in footnotes of each article and an index.

Lincoln, W. Bruce. The Romanovs: Autocrats of All the Russias. New York: Dial Press, 1981. A comprehensive history of the entire Romanov Dynasty. The first quarter of the book is devoted to the seventeenth century. Enjoyable illustrations, including portraits of Michael and his son Alexis, extensive bibliography, index.

Vernadsky, George. The Tsardom of Moscow, 1547-1682. Vol. 5 in A History of Russia. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1969. Vernadsky is a Russian émigré who has written many books on Russian history, including the multivolume A History of Russia. The text has a large bibliography for the entire period.