Sophia Alekseyevna
Encyclopedia
Sophia Alekseyevna was a regent
of Russian Tsardom (1682–1689) who allied herself with a singularly capable courtier and politician, Prince Vasily Galitzine, to install herself as a regent
during the minority of her brothers, Peter the Great and Ivan V
. Her reign was carried out with a firm and heavy fist, she did not hesitate to utilize violent tactics to promote her agenda. The activity of this "bogatyr
-tsarevna
" (as Sergey Solovyov
called her) was all the more extraordinary, as upper-class Muscovite women, confined to the upper-floor terem and veiled and guarded in public, invariably were kept aloof from any open involvement in politics.
. Educated by Simeon Polotsky according to tradition. After the death of her reigning brother Fyodor Alekseyevich
on 27 April 1682, Sophia unexpectedly entered Russian politics, trying to preclude her young half-brother, the 10-year old Peter Alekseyevich, and his Naryshkin
relatives, from inheriting the throne.
The Miloslavsky party took advantage of the Moscow Uprising of 1682
to place Sophia on the seat of power. As Alexis descended from the throne, he left behind him two separate families, both of which boasted at least one rightful heir. As the clans of Alexis' two wives embraced in conflict, Sophia crafted her scheme to ensure power for her and her family. Promoting the case of her brother Ivan V, a legitimate heir to the throne, Sophia attempted to convince the patriarch and the boyars that their recent decision to crown Peter should be reversed. Insisting that Peter’s election breaks monarchic laws by skipping over her brother, who would have been next in line to rule if not for his ineptitude, she proposed a shared crown with Ivan. Upon the court’s swift and unanimous rejection of dual tsars, Sophia reached to the discouraged military troop, the Streltsy, for their aid and support. The unjust dismissal of Ivan’s reign 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 violently oppose the ‘unjust’ election of Peter. As the fighting ceased and Peter’s life was left forever scarred by the blood spilt within his Naryshkin clan, the Streltsy received their initial demands.
Following the momentum of the Streltsy rebellion, the incompetent Ivan is crowned senior tsar and Peter, of only nine years, junior tsar. Despite her gender, Sophia had been deemed the sole intellectually mature royalty at the time of Fyodor’s death, making her the favorite to govern in place of the child, Peter, and the inept Ivan. Using the education and political savvy she acquired by Fyodor’s side, she convinced the nobles and patriarch of her capacities to rule Russia. As Sophia had arranged before her brother’s death, Vasily Galitzine was installed as a de-facto head of government, responsible for most of the policies during her regency.
joined the rebels in the fall of 1682 and demanded the reversal of Nikon's reforms
, Sophia lost control of the unsteady Streltsy to her once ally, Prince Ivan Khovansky. After aiding Sophia in May, Khovansky used his influence with the troops to force her court to flee the Moscow Kremlin
and seek refuge in the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
. The streltsy
rebels, who instigated the rebellion, hoped to depose Sophia and to make Prince Ivan Khovansky
a new regent, to satisfy their increasing desire for concessions. Calling together the gentry militia, Sophia managed to suppress the so-called Khovanshchina
with the help of Fyodor Shaklovityi, who succeeded Khovansky in charge of the Muscovite army. Silencing the dissatisfied parties until Peter reached of his age of majority, Sophia executed Khovansky and the other figureheads of the attempted rebellion.
During the seven years of her regency, Sophia made a few concessions to posad
s and loosened detention policies towards runaway peasants, which caused dissatifaction among the nobles. She also made an effort to further the organization of the military. Notably intrigued by baroque style architecture, Sophia held responsibility for the promotion of the foreign district, and the creation of the Slavonic-Greek-Latin Academy, the first Russian higher learning institution. The most important highlights of her foreign policy, as engineered by Galitzine, were the Eternal Peace Treaty of 1686
with Poland
, the 1689 Treaty of Nerchinsk
with China
, and the Crimean campaigns
against Turkey
. Although spearheaded by Prince Galitzine, Sophia’s reign oversaw two of the earliest diplomatic treaties and underwent inner growth and progress. Despite her other achievements, Sophia’s influence and effect on a young Peter remains as the most historically significant portion of her reign, as the rebellion of 1682 bred a distrust in nobility that came to define his leadership.
to a new uprising. Most of the Streltsy units, however, deserted downtown Moscow
for the suburb of Preobrazhenskoye and later for the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
, where the young tsar was living. Feeling the power slipping from her hands, Sophia sent the boyars and the Patriarch to Peter, asking him to join her in the Kremlin. He flatly refused her overtures, demanding Shaklovityi's execution and Galitzine's exile.
After Sophia agreed to surrender her senior boyars, she was arrested and forced to withdraw into the Novodevichy Convent
without formally taking the veil. Sophia may have plotted one last attempt at securing power, although her involvement is unclear. Regardless of her conscious effort, 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
day. She died in the Novodevichy Convent 6 years later.
in which the young protagonist Wei Xiaobao went to Russia and helped her lead the coup against her half-brother Peter I. It was suggested that this event led to the peace between the Qing Empire and Russia in the Nerchinsk Treaty.
Vanessa Redgrave
portrayed the character of Sophia Alekseyevna in the 1986 miniseries Peter the Great
. Her performance received an Emmy award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries.
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Russian Tsardom (1682–1689) who allied herself with a singularly capable courtier and politician, Prince Vasily Galitzine, to install herself as a regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
during the minority of her brothers, Peter the Great and Ivan V
Ivan V of Russia
Ivan V Alekseyevich Romanov was a joint Tsar of Russia who co-reigned between 1682 and 1696. He was the youngest son of Alexis I of Russia and Maria Miloslavskaya. His reign was only formal, since he had serious physical and mental disabilities...
. Her reign was carried out with a firm and heavy fist, she did not hesitate to utilize violent tactics to promote her agenda. The activity of this "bogatyr
Bogatyr
The bogatyr was a medieval heroic warrior of Kievan Rus' and the Novgorodian Republic, akin to a Western European knight errant.- Kievan Rus' :...
-tsarevna
Tsarevna
Tsarevna or czarevna is the daughter of a Tsar or Tsaritsa, similar to a princess being the daughter of a King or Queen. A Tsarevna could also be the wife to a Tsar's son....
" (as Sergey Solovyov
Sergey Solovyov
Sergey Mikhaylovich Solovyov was one of the greatest Russian historians whose influence on the next generation of Russian historians was paramount. His son Vladimir Solovyov was one of the most influential Russian philosophers...
called her) was all the more extraordinary, as upper-class Muscovite women, confined to the upper-floor terem and veiled and guarded in public, invariably were kept aloof from any open involvement in politics.
Early life
Sophia was the third surviving daughter of Tsar Alexis by his first wife, Maria MiloslavskayaMaria Miloslavskaya
Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya was the first wife of tsar Alexis of Russia and mother of the tsars Feodor III of Russia and Ivan V of Russia, as well as regent princess Sophia Alekseyevna.-Biography:...
. Educated by Simeon Polotsky according to tradition. After the death of her reigning brother Fyodor Alekseyevich
Feodor III of Russia
Feodor III Alexeevich of Russia was the Tsar of all Russia between 1676 and 1682....
on 27 April 1682, Sophia unexpectedly entered Russian politics, trying to preclude her young half-brother, the 10-year old Peter Alekseyevich, and his Naryshkin
Naryshkin
Naryshkin is a Russian surname and may refer to:* Members of the Naryshkin family* Sergey Naryshkin , a politician* Two men of the name Kirill Naryshkin...
relatives, from inheriting the throne.
Rise to Regent
Although Sophia emerged on the scene during the dynastic struggles of 1682, her prior influences can help to explain her regency. At the previous change of rule, Sophia may have acted in the interest of her brother, Fyodor, as various rumors exist of her pleading the dying Alexis not to proclaim Peter the heir. Fyodor’s capability to lead the Russia raised questions, based on his sickly nature and poor health. His mental ability developed quite nicely, however, as he was taught by Simeon Polotsky. During his brief reign, many historians argue that Fyodor actually ‘ruled under the protectorate of Sophia his sister.’ As his health began to decline, more individuals rose up to counsel Fyodor, and Sophia found her influence steadily declining. Taking advantage of a courtroom never open to a woman in her position, she utilized her connections, making allies and formally planning on securing the throne. As Fyodor’s poor health caught up to him, Sophia immediately erupted onto the political scene, attending her late brother’s funeral and causing a commotion while doing so. In Sophia’s age, the female relatives of the Tsar were kept away from the courtroom and other political workrooms, and funerals were traditionally carried on without the women. In her way, Sophia stormed the funeral, insisting on her presence and simultaneously setting off a chain of events that will result in her regency.The Miloslavsky party took advantage of the Moscow Uprising of 1682
Moscow Uprising of 1682
Moscow Uprising of 1682, also known as Streltsy Uprising of 1682 , was an uprising of the Moscow Streltsy regiments which resulted in supreme power being devolved on Sophia Alekseyevna...
to place Sophia on the seat of power. As Alexis descended from the throne, he left behind him two separate families, both of which boasted at least one rightful heir. As the clans of Alexis' two wives embraced in conflict, Sophia crafted her scheme to ensure power for her and her family. Promoting the case of her brother Ivan V, a legitimate heir to the throne, Sophia attempted to convince the patriarch and the boyars that their recent decision to crown Peter should be reversed. Insisting that Peter’s election breaks monarchic laws by skipping over her brother, who would have been next in line to rule if not for his ineptitude, she proposed a shared crown with Ivan. Upon the court’s swift and unanimous rejection of dual tsars, Sophia reached to the discouraged military troop, the Streltsy, for their aid and support. The unjust dismissal of Ivan’s reign 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 violently oppose the ‘unjust’ election of Peter. As the fighting ceased and Peter’s life was left forever scarred by the blood spilt within his Naryshkin clan, the Streltsy received their initial demands.
Following the momentum of the Streltsy rebellion, the incompetent Ivan is crowned senior tsar and Peter, of only nine years, junior tsar. Despite her gender, Sophia had been deemed the sole intellectually mature royalty at the time of Fyodor’s death, making her the favorite to govern in place of the child, Peter, and the inept Ivan. Using the education and political savvy she acquired by Fyodor’s side, she convinced the nobles and patriarch of her capacities to rule Russia. As Sophia had arranged before her brother’s death, Vasily Galitzine was installed as a de-facto head of government, responsible for most of the policies during her regency.
Romantic Life
There were rumours that Galitzine was Sophia's lover, confirmed by the tone of her correspondence with him in 1689. Although, any romantic interaction between the two did not begin when they met under Fyodor’s rule. Fyodor entrusted great confidence in Galitzine, 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 Galitzine’s rise to power.Regency
When the Old BelieversOld Believers
In the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers separated after 1666 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652–66...
joined the rebels in the fall of 1682 and demanded the reversal of Nikon's reforms
Raskol
Raskol |schism]]') was the event of splitting of the Russian Orthodox Church into an official church and the Old Believers movement in mid-17th century, triggered by the reforms of Patriarch Nikon in 1653, aiming to establish uniformity between the Greek and Russian church practices.-The Raskol:...
, Sophia lost control of the unsteady Streltsy to her once ally, Prince Ivan Khovansky. After aiding Sophia in May, Khovansky used his influence with the troops to force her court to flee the Moscow Kremlin
Moscow Kremlin
The Moscow Kremlin , sometimes referred to as simply The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River , Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square and the Alexander Garden...
and seek refuge in the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is the most important Russian monastery and the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church. The monastery is situated in the town of Sergiyev Posad, about 70 km to the north-east from Moscow by the road leading to Yaroslavl, and currently is home to...
. The streltsy
Streltsy
Streltsy were the units of Russian guardsmen in the 16th - early 18th centuries, armed with firearms. They are also collectively known as Marksman Troops .- Origins and organization :...
rebels, who instigated the rebellion, hoped to depose Sophia and to make Prince Ivan Khovansky
Ivan Khovansky
Ivan Khovansky may refer to:*Ivan Andreyevich Khovansky , Russian boyar and voyevoda*Ivan Andreyevich Khovansky , Russian boyar*Ivan Ivanovich Khovansky , Russian boyar...
a new regent, to satisfy their increasing desire for concessions. Calling together the gentry militia, Sophia managed to suppress the so-called Khovanshchina
Khovanshchina
Khovanshchina is an opera in five acts by Modest Mussorgsky. The work was written between 1872 and 1880 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The composer wrote the libretto based on historical sources...
with the help of Fyodor Shaklovityi, who succeeded Khovansky in charge of the Muscovite army. Silencing the dissatisfied parties until Peter reached of his age of majority, Sophia executed Khovansky and the other figureheads of the attempted rebellion.
During the seven years of her regency, Sophia made a few concessions to posad
Posad
A posad was a settlement, often surrounded by ramparts and a moat, adjoining a town or a kremlin, but outside of it, or adjoining a monastery in the 10th to 15th centuries. Usually it was inhabited by craftsmen and merchants, known as posadskiye lyudi .In the Russian Empire a posad was a small...
s and loosened detention policies towards runaway peasants, which caused dissatifaction among the nobles. She also made an effort to further the organization of the military. Notably intrigued by baroque style architecture, Sophia held responsibility for the promotion of the foreign district, and the creation of the Slavonic-Greek-Latin Academy, the first Russian higher learning institution. The most important highlights of her foreign policy, as engineered by Galitzine, were the Eternal Peace Treaty of 1686
Eternal Peace Treaty of 1686
The Eternal Peace Treaty of 1686 was a treaty between Tsardom of Russia and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, signed by Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth envoys: voivod of Poznań Krzysztof Grzymułtowski and chancellor of Lithuania Marcjan Ogiński and Russian knyaz Vasily Vasilyevich...
with Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, the 1689 Treaty of Nerchinsk
Treaty of Nerchinsk
The Treaty of Nerchinsk of 1689 was the first treaty between Russia and China. The Russians gave up the area north of the Amur River as far as the Stanovoy Mountains and kept the area between the Argun River and Lake Baikal. This border along the Argun River and Stanovoy Mountains lasted until...
with China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and the Crimean campaigns
Crimean campaigns
Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689 were two military campaigns of the Russian army against the Crimean Khanate. They were a part of the Russo-Turkish War and Russo-Crimean Wars. These were the first Russian forces to come close to Crimea since 1569...
against Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Although spearheaded by Prince Galitzine, Sophia’s reign oversaw two of the earliest diplomatic treaties and underwent inner growth and progress. Despite her other achievements, Sophia’s influence and effect on a young Peter remains as the most historically significant portion of her reign, as the rebellion of 1682 bred a distrust in nobility that came to define his leadership.
Sophia's Downfall
Sophia Alekseyevna’s regency retained the trappings of a typical regent, and the true tsar was growing into his position every year. At the age of 16, Peter I demanded that Galitzine report to him regarding all matters, and the Naryshkin family prepared for their long awaited ascension to power. In 1688, Peter began to promote within his clan and Sophia remained powerless to the gradual shift in control. During this time period, the regent disregarded the young tsar, letting him train his Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky Guards in Preobrazhenskoe. Although some historians claim Sophia made conscious attempts to dull 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 of 1687 had tried persuading the Streltsy to petition on her behalf. Denying 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. Tensions between the two factions continued to grow, until Peter I turned 17 years of age, his Naryshkin relatives demanded Sophia to step down. In response, Shaklovityi advised Sophia to proclaim herself tsarina and attempted to induce the StreltsyStreltsy
Streltsy were the units of Russian guardsmen in the 16th - early 18th centuries, armed with firearms. They are also collectively known as Marksman Troops .- Origins and organization :...
to a new uprising. Most of the Streltsy units, however, deserted downtown Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
for the suburb of Preobrazhenskoye and later for the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is the most important Russian monastery and the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church. The monastery is situated in the town of Sergiyev Posad, about 70 km to the north-east from Moscow by the road leading to Yaroslavl, and currently is home to...
, where the young tsar was living. Feeling the power slipping from her hands, Sophia sent the boyars and the Patriarch to Peter, asking him to join her in the Kremlin. He flatly refused her overtures, demanding Shaklovityi's execution and Galitzine's exile.
After Sophia agreed to surrender her senior boyars, she was arrested and forced to withdraw into the Novodevichy Convent
Novodevichy Convent
Novodevichy Convent, also known as Bogoroditse-Smolensky Monastery is probably the best-known cloister of Moscow. Its name, sometimes translated as the New Maidens' Monastery, was devised to differ from an ancient maidens' convent within the Moscow Kremlin. Unlike other Moscow cloisters, it has...
without formally taking the veil. Sophia may have plotted one last attempt at securing power, although her involvement is unclear. Regardless of her conscious effort, Her fate was sealed ten years later, when the Streltsy attempted to reinstate her
Streltsy Uprising
The Streltsy Uprising of 1698 was an uprising of the Moscow Streltsy regiments. Some Russian historians believe that the Streltsy uprising was a reactionary rebellion against progressive innovations of Peter the Great...
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
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
day. She died in the Novodevichy Convent 6 years later.
Sophia Alekseyevna in the media
She was fictionally portrayed in Chinese novelist Jin Yong's novel The Deer and the CauldronThe Deer and the Cauldron
The Deer and the Cauldron, also known as The Duke of Mount Deer, is a novel by Jin Yong, and was the last of Jin Yong's works. The novel was initially published as a serial, and ran between October 24, 1969 to September 23, 1972 in Ming Pao.Although the book is often termed as a wuxia novel, it is...
in which the young protagonist Wei Xiaobao went to Russia and helped her lead the coup against her half-brother Peter I. It was suggested that this event led to the peace between the Qing Empire and Russia in the Nerchinsk Treaty.
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
portrayed the character of Sophia Alekseyevna in the 1986 miniseries Peter the Great
Peter the Great (TV Series)
Peter the Great is a 1986 NBC television mini-series starring Maximilian Schell as Russian leader Peter the Great, and based on the biography by Robert K. Massie. It won three Primetime Emmy Awards, including the award for Outstanding Miniseries....
. Her performance received an Emmy award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries.
Further reading
- Hughes, Lindsey. Sophia, Regent of Russia: 1657–1704. New Haven, CT; London: Yale University Press, 1990 (hardcover, ISBN 0-300-04790-8).