MUSCOVITE RUSSIA, 1480–1689 - Russia: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present - page 19

Although he tried a number of measures to raise money for the drained trea-
sury, by the time he died at the age of 47, the treasury was fairly empty.
Aleksei (Alexis) I (r. 1645-76) succeeded his father, Michael, at the age of 16.
He was known as the Quietest One (Tishiaishii) by many, including the great
19th-century historian Vasili Kliuchevsky, who called Aleksei “the kindest man,
a glorious Russian soul.” To many, Aleksei was the epitome of Muscovite culture
as well as one of the pioneers of the new Russian interest in the West. The his-
torical image of Aleksei is that of an attractive person, sensitive, considerate of
others, an absolute ruler, but not a despot. Brought up in Muscovite religious
tradition, he continued to be a dedicated, well-informed churchgoer throughout
his life. At the same time he developed an interest in the West and Western cul-
ture, especially in European military technologies, but also architecture as well
as the theater (new to Russia).
As a ruler, however, Aleksei is considered to have been somewhat weak,
depending on not always trustworthy relatives. His reign was certainly not a
quiet one. In foreign affairs, Russia continued to grow in strength, acquiring
much of Ukraine and successfully defending its acquisition from outside chal-
lenges. Contacts with the West became much stronger than before, setting the
stage for the emergence of someone like his son Peter. Domestically, Aleksei's
reign witnessed periodic peasant rebellions, urban riots, a religious schism, and
the legal definition of the peasantry as serfs.
Aleksei depended heavily on advisers, mostly his own or his wife's relatives.
His advisers tried to raise money by such means as an increase in the salt tax
and selling tobacco, to which the church objected. And some of Aleksei's
appointees were corrupt. In May 1648, riots broke out in Moscow, with crowds
insisting that the czar kill some of his worst advisers. His closest relatives man-
aged to escape. Soon riots broke out in other towns, including Novgorod and
Pskov.
Later, in 1656, the government tried to ease fiscal matters by debasing the
current money—adding copper to silver coins. This did not work well then, just
as it did not in other countries at other times. It led to inflation, more financial
troubles, and a copper coin riot in 1662. But the greatest rebellion took place in
1670-71, led by Stenka Razin. Razin was the commander of a band of Cossacks
in the Don region. He had raided Persia and other areas in the south. In the
spring of 1670, he led his army on a more ambitious venture, moving up the
Volga and proclaiming freedom from officials and landlords. Peasants murdered
their landlords and welcomed Razin. The rebel army reached Simbirsk with
about 200,000 troops. But regular Muscovite troops, probably better trained,
won the battle there. Razin escaped, but in 1671 he was taken by cossacks and
given to Muscovite officials for a public execution.
Perhaps one of the factors leading to peasant rebellions was the Law Code of
1649. The new code, or ulozhenie, was supposed to help regulate governmental,
economic, and social affairs, to help prevent another Time of Troubles. The zem-
skii sobor appointed a commission to read all the old law codes and rewrite them;
the new code was approved in 1649. But the new code also contained the final
statement enserfing the peasantry by stipulating that peasants who had fled the