Sofya Alekseevna Biography

Princess Sophia. Sofya Alekseevna on September 17 - July 3 - Tsarevna, one of the six daughters of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya. In the years, she was regent at the younger brothers Peter and Ivan. Tsarevna Sofya Alekseevna was one of the most extraordinary women in Russian history, possessed not only various talents, but also a strong and decisive character, a daring and sharp mind, which prompted this woman to seize power and become an autocratic ruler of a huge state for a while.

When, in the year, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and his first wife, Maria Miloslavskaya, had a daughter, she was called Sophia and sent, as expected, to the female half of the palace, where women had to engage in raising a child. Sophia lost her mother early. Nothing foreshadowed the girl of a great future. Moreover, at that time the fate of future princesses was predetermined. To get married for them was an impossible task.

Their Russian grooms were not worthy, and foreigners professed other faiths.

From an early age, they were taught the simple sciences of housekeeping, needlework and reading of church books, prohibiting them to show feelings, emotions and rebellion of character, and, after reached adulthood, the royal daughters were given to the monastery, where they spent their lives in reclusion and reading prayers. A difficult character since childhood, however, such a life -growing girl outraged more and more and more often the court and numerous nannies noticed the unstable and daring character of the young princess.

When the king Sophia was informed about the severe disposition of the seven -year -old Sophia, he was not only not angry, but also ordered to engage in the serious education of his daughter, hiring the same best mentors and teachers. So, by the age of ten, the girl mastered the letter, reading, science, history and foreign languages. Rumors about the unusual princess diverged outside the palace, and the tsar-father was proud of his daughter and even, contrary to everything, began to take her on his trips around the country.

Before the mind and wisdom of the young girl, close associates bowed, unprecedented legends went about her erudite and insight, and the men, it seemed, did not even attach importance to the fact that Sophia did not at all possessed the right features of her face and a stately figure. On the contrary, she was a little full, with sharp, angular movements and a strong, far from female physique.

At the same time, in men, the royal daughter aroused sincere interest and sympathy, but her heart was silent. The dreams of the princess through foreigners - the commanders of the Butyrsky regiment, who were related to the Western European nobility, Sofya, with the help of her relatives of Miloslavsky, hoped to find a sovereign spouse in one of the small principalities of Germany.

However, Alexei Mikhailovich rejected all the proposals. He believed that such a marriage would make Russia politically dependent. Sophia had only one thing remained: in his country to become a queen. The Russian throne was occupied by his heir, a painful and weak Fedor, the son of the king from the first wife of Maria Miloslavskaya. Sophia approached her brother, spent all the time near him, protecting and taking care of him, and in the meantime she started a strong friendship with close boyars and military leaders, bowing them to her side.

So, a few months later were practically removed from the court of Naryshkin and the nine -year -old heir to Tsar Peter, and Sophia continued to gain popularity and sympathy among others and strengthen her position near the royal throne. Then she met the famous boyar Vasily Golitsyn. The royal large seals and state -owned embaryage of the Embassy Ambassador, the Near Boyar and the Viceroy of the Novgorod Prince Vasily Vasilievich Golitsyn with a reward medal.

In the portrait, V. Golitsyn is depicted with the text of the “eternal world” between Russia and the Commonwealth, signed with its active participation, and with the “sovereign gold” on his chest - a military award received as a command of the camp of the city, he was much older than the young princess, was distinguished by special wisdom, rich in life experience, diverse talents, without wanting to conquer the young man.

Sophia. Golitsyn was very educated, fluent in the Polish, Greek, German and Latin languages, versed in music, was fond of art and was vividly interested in European culture. The descendant of the famous Lithuanian prince Gedimin, an aristocratic and well -educated prince was also good and had a piercing, slightly cunning look that gave his face even more originality. Always disliked men and often despised them for weakness and lack of will, Princess Sophia suddenly suddenly fell in love with the refined and gallant prince.

However, he, although he was sympathy for a young girl, could not reciprocate her. Vasily Vasilievich had his wife and six children, besides he loved his wife and was considered an impeccable family man. Nevertheless, Sophia, he offered sincere friendship and support.All the time, Golitsyn and Princess spent together: he invited her to his house, where foreigners from Europe often visited, who talked about foreign traditions and morals who amazed at Sophia Alekseevna.

Vasily Vasilievich revealed his dreams to the girl about the reconstruction of the state, the implementation of the most unexpected reforms and the change of laws that existed in the country. The princess, who was fascinatingly listening to the speeches of her lover, admired the more and more. The cessation of "business". At the end of April, when the young king died, Peter was appointed a new autocrat at the regency of the Dowager Tsarina Natalia Naryshkina, the widow of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.

Sofu Romanov did not suit such a turn of events, and she, together with Prince Golitsyn and close boyars, arranged an armed riot, in which the young king Peter and his mother, Natalya Naryshkina, were overthrown from the throne. This happened on May 15, and a few days later, Ivan and Peter became the kings, but Sofya Alekseevna was appointed regent under the young brothers.

She was destined to rule the Russian state for long seven years. Sophia’s reign to the board of Sophia carried out military and tax reforms, industry developed, and trade with foreign states was encouraged. Golitsyn, who became Princess with his right hand, brought foreign masters, famous teachers and artists to Russia, encouraged the introduction of foreign experience in the country.

In early July, skilled actions in Moscow, the riot of the Sagittarius "Khovanshchina" in Moscow. The rebels, trying to give a religious coloring to their performance, decided to attract the Old Believer apologet of the priest Nikita from the city of Suzdal, putting him on to a spiritual dispute with the Patriarch. The queen transferred the “debate about faith” to the palace, to the granutal chamber, isolating the about.

Nikita from the crowd of people. Without sufficient argumentation for the arguments of the Suzdal Priest, Patriarch Joachim interrupted the dispute, declaring his opponent “empty -boss”. Later, the priest will be executed. And the queen continued the struggle with the “split” now and at the legislative level, having accepted in the city of Golitsyn and Sophia, they became warmer, and a few years later Vasily Vasilyevich had already experienced the most tender feelings for the thirty -year -old princess.

And although she was very crowded and her facial features became even rougher, for Prince Sofya Alekseevna became more and more desirable. The once beautiful father and faithful husband, Golitsyn moved away from his wife and practically did not see the children, giving all his time to the "beloved girl Sophia." And she, blinded by feeling, idolized and adored the already middle -aged favorite.

So, the princess appointed him a military leader and insisted that he go on Crimean campaigns and years. Sophia dreamed that Golitsyn, who was a winner, would be endless confidence, and she could finally fulfill her dream - to marry her beloved prince. She sent him letters full of delight and the most reverent feelings: “When will I see in my arms? Boyarin Golitsyn answered her with the same dusty and gentle messages.

However, Vasily Golitsyn, not possessing either the talent of the commander, or the knowledge of an experienced warrior, returned from the campaigns defeated. His lover, in order to somehow justify the favorite in the eyes of the close associates, arranged a magnificent feast in honor of the prince, but his popularity gradually weakened. The actions of Sophia, blindly in love with Golitsyn, began to be wary of even a close environment.

And the queen, meanwhile, begged the Favorite to convince his legitimate wife to go to the monastery and go with her, with Sophia, to the crown. Golitsyn, distinguished by nobility, could not take such a decisive step for a long time, but the wise and kind of soul of the prince herself proposed to terminate their marriage, giving her beloved husband freedom. It is still unknown whether Sofia and Vasily Golitsyn had common children, but some historians assure that the princess had a child from her favorite favorite, but his existence kept him in strict secret.

The romance of the lovers flared up more and more, but the situation in the palace was heated every day. Peter's reign grown up and possessing a very contradictory and stubborn character, Peter did not want to listen to the power sister in everything anymore. He more and more often bombarded her, reproached for excessive independence and courage, not inherent in women, and he listened more and more to his mother, who told his son a long -standing story of the accession on the throne with a cunning and insidious Sophia.

In addition, it was said in the state papers that the regent is losing the possibility of managing the state in the event of an adulthood of Peter or his marriage. Peter I turned 17 years old. By this time, at the insistence of his mother, Queen Natalia Kirillovna, married Evdokia Lopukhina, and, according to the concepts of that time, entered the time of adulthood, but his sister, Sofya Romanova, still remained on the throne.

Seventeen -year -old Peter became a dangerous enemy for the ruler, and she, as for the first time, decided to resort to the help of Sagittarius.However, this time the princess miscalculated: the archers no longer believed either her or her favorite, giving preference to the young heir. At the end of September, they swore allegiance to Peter, and he ordered his sister to be imprisoned in the Novodevichy Monastery.

The people preferred to see the king on the throne, and not the princess: "Full of the Empress people to stir up, it's time to go to the monastery." The destiny of the monastery. For her, several cells were finished and well removed, windows on the girl’s field, she had many servants and all the convenience of life, necessary for a person, accustomed to luxury. She did not need anything, only she was not allowed to travel behind the monastery fence, not to see and talk with anyone outsiders; Only on big holidays she was allowed to see her aunts and sisters.

So the thirty -two -year -old princess was removed from power and forever separated from his lover. Vasily Golitsyn was deprived of the boyar title, property and ranks and sent to exile in the distant Arkhangelsk village, where the prince lived until the end of his days. Seven years later, the painful and weak -minded king Ivan died. The bucket was over. Peter conquered Azov, having completed the case so unsuccessfully begun by Prince Golitsyn, and went to Europe to study.

Before his departure abroad, Peter visited his sister in a cell for farewell, but found her before that arrogant, cold and irreconcilable, which in extreme excitement left the Novodevichy monastery. Despite all the intrigues of Sofia, Peter respected her mind. He said about her: "It is a pity that in her great mind she has great anger and treachery." The suppression of the rebellion of the Sagittarius took advantage of this to make a new rebellion and put Sofya in the kingdom.

True, none of them, under terrible torture, confirmed the personal participation of the princess. More than a thousand archers were executed, of which Peter ordered the sisters in the Novodevichy Monastery to be hanged in front of the windows. The bodies of the executed sagged all winter for the holorage. After this Streletsky rebellion and meetings with a stern brother, the princess was tonsured in a nun under the name of Susanna.

She lived in the monastery for a long fifteen years and died on July 4, without living until forty -seven years. She was buried in the Smolensk Cathedral of the Novodevichy Monastery in Moscow. And it was forgotten almost immediately after the burial. If later historians recalled her, then only as an “intrigue”, who almost ruined the noble cause of Peter.

Her lover, Favorite and beloved friend survived the former princess and ruler of the Russian state for ten years and died in exile in exile, in the village of Pinega, the Arkhangelsk Territory and was buried by will in the Krasnogorsk monastery.