HISTORICAL DICTIONARY A–Z - Russia: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present - page 59

of Ivan's nine-year-old son Dmitrii and the sup-
porters of Prince Dmitrii of Suzdal. The young
Dmitrii, who would later be known as DMITRII
DONSKOI won out, in great part due to the assis-
tance provided by Aleksei. In return, Aleksei
continued to serve as regent until Dmitrii came
of age. As regent, he continued the expansionist
policies of previous Muscovite rulers, even as
Moscow deferred to the Mongol rulers in the city
of SARAI . Moscow's struggle with the principality
of TVER , supported by Lithuania, came to a head
during Aleksei's second regency. As metropoli-
tan, Aleksei identified the interests of Moscow
with those of the church. Aleksei was canonized
by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1448, and
his feast day is celebrated on October 5.

RAZIN 's rebellion in 1670-71, later celebrated in
folk song and stories. In the spring of 1670 RAZIN ,
a Don Cossack, led a band of soldiers that
reached 200,000 at its peak, gaining followers as
they marched up the Volga River proclaiming
freedom from officials and landowners, while
massacring many of them. Poorly organized, the
rebels were defeated by better-trained Muscovite
troops in 1671. Muscovy's territory grew consid-
erably during Aleksei's reign as a result of the
incorporation of Ukrainian lands to the east of
the Dnieper River provided by the Treaty of
Andrusovo (1667) with Poland, as well as the
continued advances of Cossack explorers and
freebooters in Siberia. Russian religious practices
and politics were decisively affected first by the
reforms begun by Patriarch NIKON in the 1650s,
then by the schism of 1666-67 that resulted
from the church's condemnation of those who
rejected the reforms. In addition to wars with
Poland and Sweden, other events of note that
took place under Aleksei were the establishment
of a foreigners' quarter in Moscow, the reorgani-
zation of the Muscovite army along Western
European lines, the first postal service connect-
ing Moscow with Berlin and Amsterdam, and
the first theatrical performances in Moscow.
Aleksei married twice, setting in motion a period
of almost a century of contested and complicated
successions between the two families of his
wives—the Miloslavskiis and the Naryshkins—
that was aggravated by Peter's decision in 1722
to change succession laws and give the reigning
ruler the right to name his or her successor.

Aleksei Mikhailovich (1629-1676)
czar
The son of Michael ROMANOV , founder of the
ROMANOV DYNASTY , and father of the future
PETER I the Great, Aleksei (Alexis) became czar in
1645. His long, eventful reign saw important
social changes as well as Muscovy's continued
territorial expansion. Known for his great piety
as “the quietest one” ( tishiaishchii ), despite his
impulsiveness and angry outbursts, Aleksei also
provided the foundation for the great opening to
the West, for which his son Peter is better
known. Among the initial achievements of his
reign is the Ulozhenie (Law Code) of 1649, the
first systematized set of Muscovite laws since
1550, which would remain in place until 1835.
The Ulozhenie, however, also provided the final
legal confirmation for the enserfment of the
peasantry, which had been developing in stages
over the previous centuries. During his reign
Aleksei relied, not always wisely, on advisers
such as Boris Morozov, his tutor, and Prince
Miloslavskii, his father-in-law; the latter was
especially resented for his greed and corruption.
The government's attempts to raise revenue
through new taxes led to riots in 1648 in
MOSCOW and other cities, while in 1662 its plan
to debase the silver currency with copper led to
the Copper Riots. His reign also witnessed Stenka

Alexander I (1777-1825)
(Aleksandr Pavlovich)
emperor
Known as the “enigmatic czar,” Alexander came
to the throne in 1801 as a result of the palace
revolt that resulted in the death of his father,
PAUL I . From his early years he was caught in the
personal rivalry between his grandmother,
CATHERINE II , and his father, Paul. From Cather-
ine he received a solid humanitarian education
through a Swiss tutor, himself influenced by