The first of the Romanovs: Tsar who was “strong by popular passion”

On July 22, 2016, (New Style) will turn 420 years since a birthday of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov - the founder of Russian royal dynasty - The House of Romanov. A large number of different documents, telling about a life, the activities and a personality of this elected by people monarch is in the Presidential Library stock and on the library’s Internet resource. Among these items are: The reign of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich and a look at interregnum by Basil Berkh of 1832, A Book about the election to the throne of a great sovereign, the tsar and the Grand Duke Mikhail Fedorovich 1856, The election of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov to the throne by Dmitry Tsvetaev of 1913 and a lot others.

The beginning of the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov is known as the end of the Time of Troubles - a difficult period for Russia, which lasted 15 years. This period has begun in the 1598 with the death of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, son of Ivan the Terrible and the last of the line of Rurik on the Russian throne. He did not leave behind a legitimate heir, and that was the reason for the development of subsequent events. According to A. P. Belkovsky in his work entitled The first of the Romanov dynasty. Mikhail Fedorovich, published in 1913 and presented at the portal of the Presidential Library, “there is no way to briefly depict the misfortunes that have fallen on the Russian people during time of troubles… All the reign of Boris (Godunov) was unsuccessful: such whole nation’s disasters, as hunger and the world plague have fallen on the Russian land; they were considered by the then Russian people the punishment of God. Everyone was waiting for more even worst disasters, and these did not hesitate to break out of the Russian land. The impostors began to appear one after the other, and the Russian people demonstrated faintheartedness were following one charlatan or another.

At this time, the country flooded the Polish, Lithuanian, and Cossack troops who were destroying the cities and villages, killing and robbing. “The elderly called “the troubled times” these years of ordeal, because it was such a trouble on Russian land, like never before…”

For the salvation of the state under a single banner was gathered a huge people's volunteer corps, which under the guidance of a merchant from Nizhny Novgorod Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky was able to stop the invasion of the enemy. After emptying Moscow from the Poles an elective body gathered to vote for tsar, because “nothing being built in Muscovy without sovereign and the thieves are dividing a country in many parts, and stealing increases, etc.; hence they came to a point of having the sovereign, “who they chose all together”, writes M. Khmyrov in his historical essay The election and the accession of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, published in St. Petersburg in 1863.

There were many participants to the throne, among them, in particular, Polish Prince Vladislav and Duke Carl Philip, Russian military leaders and representatives of well-known families, and even “little thief” - a son of False Dmitry II and Marina Mniszek. It details the events of that time are described in the book of M. Dyakonov entitled The election of Mikhail Fedorovich into the reign (1913), presented at the Presidential Library website.

On February 21, 1613, the territorial council elected sixteen year old court nobility Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov to the reign. Historians write that the election was with one accord - solid - after careful consideration and reflection, after a three-day collective fasting and an eager prayer: so critical work just had been accomplished! It was clear now that only Russian Tsar can save Russia. And Tsar was elected unanimously.”

Why the choice was made in favor of the young and inexperienced men, but not in favor of a practiced senior? One of the answers we can find on the pages of the book “The first of the Romanov dynasty. Mikhail Fedorovich”: “Michael was so young, when “people of all ranks” proclaimed him theirs Tsar… His youth had been spoken primarily about the innocence of Michael in affairs of troubled times… Young elect was completely alien to any kind of antagonism or intrigues and meant a bright future for all Russian people, rather then sad past. The newly elected Tsar attracted admirers because of his moral purity and spotless reputation that had nothing with the sins of the time of troubles. Russians then could only follow such a lord, whose reputation could suit the overall mood of repentance.”

The young lord did not immediately agree to the kingdom, “sixteen year old was too scared to take a responsibility for disgraced native land and the exhausted Russian people before God. But there's nothing to be done. To refuse the crown meant to leave the Russian kingdom for a massacre and demolition of the enemies, while to take the King’s duties meant saving his native land from disaster, grief and bearing down. And the young court nobility decided to undertake a title of Tsar”, according to the 1871 year’s edition of “Russian sovereigns. Tsar Michael Fedorovich,” an electronic copy of which is in the Presidential Library stock.

The coronation was held on the 11th (21st) of July 1613, at the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, marking the foundation of the new ruling dynasty of Romanovs. It should be pointed out that there are the images of the scepter, the throne and the orb of Mikhail Fedorovich in the Presidential Library funds. Jubilee album in commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty book by Vasily Vereshchagin features the symbols of power of the founder of the Russian dynasty of Romanovs.

Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov reign lasted 32 years. During this time a domestic situation in the country which suffered so hard during the Time of Troubles, returned back to normal, “people have grown pore - and Tsar reduced taxes; the Russian cities were destroyed and burned - and Tsar newly rebuilt and decorated them; Russian land was devastated - Tsar built the new cities: Orel, Kozlov, Tambov and others… With sovereign’s care the holy Russia, which was all bled, could get finally some rest. For more than thirty years Russian people can see the Tsar's mercy and care for their needs. People were happy to know that chaos will not return to the Russian land any more: the king had the legal heir, Prince Alexei,” summed up in the brochure “Russian sovereigns. Tsar Michael Fedorovich.”

The Presidential Library website features a digital collection entitled The House of Romanov. Assembly of the Land / Zemsky Sobor of 1613, which includes about 900 items: the fficial documents, memoirs, diaries, business and personal correspondence, a newsreel snippets, photos and more.