The last 300-plus years of Russian autocracy (1613-1917) are historically associated with the Romanov dynasty, which secured the Russian throne during a period known as the Time of Troubles. The emergence of a new dynasty on the throne is always a major political event and is often associated with a revolution or coup, that is, the violent removal of the old dynasty. In Russia, the change of dynasties was caused by the suppression of the ruling branch of the Rurikovichs in the descendants of Ivan the Terrible. Problems of succession to the throne gave rise to a deep socio-political crisis, accompanied by the intervention of foreigners. Never in Russia have the supreme rulers changed so often, each time bringing a new dynasty to the throne. Among the contenders for the throne were representatives from different social strata, and there were also foreign candidates from among the “natural” dynasties. The kings became either the descendants of the Rurikovichs (Vasily Shuisky, 1606-1610), or those from among the untitled boyars (Boris Godunov, 1598-1605), or impostors (False Dmitry I, 1605-1606; False Dmitry II, 1607-1610 .). No one managed to gain a foothold on the Russian throne until 1613, when Mikhail Romanov was elected to the throne, and in his person a new ruling dynasty was finally established. Why did the historical choice fall on the Romanov family? Where did they come from and what were they like by the time they came to power?
The genealogical past of the Romanovs was quite clear already in the middle of the 16th century, when the rise of their family began. In accordance with the political tradition of that time, the genealogies contained a legend about the “departure.” Having become related to the Rurikovichs (see table), the boyar family of the Romanovs also borrowed the general direction of the legend: Rurik in the 14th “tribe” was derived from the legendary Prussian, and the ancestor of the Romanovs was recognized as a native of “Prussia”. The Sheremetevs, Kolychevs, Yakovlevs, Sukhovo-Kobylins and other families known in Russian history are traditionally considered to be of the same origin as the Romanovs (from the legendary Kambila).
An original interpretation of the origin of all clans with a legend about leaving “from Prussia” (with a primary interest in the ruling house of the Romanovs) was given in the 19th century. Petrov P. N., whose work has been republished in large quantities even today. (Petrov P. N. History of the families of the Russian nobility. Vol. 1–2, St. Petersburg, - 1886. Republished: M. - 1991. - 420 pp. ; 318 p.). He considers the ancestors of these families to be Novgorodians who broke with their homeland for political reasons at the turn of the 13th-14th centuries. and went to serve the Moscow prince. The assumption is based on the fact that at the Zagorodsky end of Novgorod there was Prusskaya Street, from which the road to Pskov began. Its inhabitants traditionally supported the opposition against the Novgorod aristocracy and were called “Prussians.” “Why should we look for foreign Prussians?...” asks P.N. Petrov, calling to “dispel the darkness of fairy tales, which have hitherto been accepted as truth and who wanted to impose non-Russian origins on the Romanov family at all costs.”

Table 1.

The genealogical roots of the Romanov family (XII – XIV centuries) are given in the interpretation of P.N. Petrov. (Petrov P.N. History of the clans of the Russian nobility. T. 1–2, - St. Petersburg, - 1886. Republished: M. - 1991. - 420 pp.; 318 pp.).
1 Ratsha (Radsha, Christian name Stefan) is the legendary founder of many noble families of Russia: Sheremetevs, Kolychevs, Neplyuevs, Kobylins, etc. A native of “Prussian descent,” according to Petrov P.N., Novgorodian, servant of Vsevolod Olgovich, and maybe Mstislav the Great; according to another version of Serbian origin
2 Yakun (Christian name Mikhail), mayor of Novgorod, died as a monk with the name Mitrofan in 1206
3 Alexa (Christian name Gorislav), monastically St. Varlaam. Khutynsky, died in 1215 or 1243.
4 Gabriel, hero of the Battle of the Neva in 1240, died in 1241
5 Ivan is a Christian name, in the Pushkin family tree it is Ivan Morkhinya. According to Petrov P.N. before baptism his name was Gland Kambila Divonovich, he came “from Prussia” in the 13th century, and is the generally accepted ancestor of the Romanovs.;
6 Petrov P.N. considers this Andrei to be Andrei Ivanovich Kobyla, whose five sons became the founders of 17 families of the Russian nobility, including the Romanovs.
7 Grigory Alexandrovich Pushka - the founder of the Pushkin family, mentioned in 1380. From him the branch was called Pushkin.
8 Anastasia Romanova is the first wife of Ivan IV, the mother of the last Tsar Rurikovich - Fyodor Ivanovich, through her the genealogical relationship of the Rurikovich dynasties with the Romanovs and Pushkins is established.
9 Fyodor Nikitich Romanov (born between 1554-1560, d. 1663) from 1587 - boyar, from 1601 - tonsured a monk with the name Filaret, patriarch from 1619. Father of the first king of the new dynasty.
10 Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov - the founder of the new dynasty, elected to the throne in 1613 by the Zemsky Sobor. The Romanov dynasty occupied the Russian throne until the 1917 revolution.
11 Alexei Mikhailovich - Tsar (1645-1676).
12 Maria Alekseevna Pushkina married Osip (Abram) Petrovich Hannibal, their daughter Nadezhda Osipovna is the mother of the great Russian poet. Through it is the intersection of the Pushkin and Hannibal families.

Without discarding the traditionally recognized ancestor of the Romanovs in the person of Andrei Ivanovich, but developing the idea of ​​the Novgorod origin of “those who left Prussia”, P.N. Petrov. believes that Andrei Ivanovich Kobyla is the grandson of the Novgorodian Iakinthos the Great and is related to the Ratsha family (Ratsha is a diminutive of Ratislav. (see Table 2).
In the chronicle he is mentioned in 1146 along with other Novgorodians on the side of Vsevolod Olgovich (son-in-law of Mstislav, Grand Duke of Kyiv 1125-32). At the same time, Gland Kambila Divonovich, the traditional ancestor, “a native of Prussia,” disappears from the scheme, and until the middle of the 12th century. the Novgorod roots of Andrei Kobyla are traced, who, as mentioned above, is considered the first documented ancestor of the Romanovs.
The formation of the reigning since the beginning of the 17th century. clan and the allocation of the ruling branch is presented in the form of a chain of Kobylina – Koshkina – Zakharyina – Yuryevs – Romanovs (see Table 3), reflecting the transformation of the clan nickname into a surname. The rise of the family dates back to the second third of the 16th century. and is associated with the marriage of Ivan IV to the daughter of Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin, Anastasia. (see Table 4. At that time, this was the only untitled surname that remained in the forefront of the Old Moscow boyars in the stream of new titled servants who surged to the sovereign’s Court in the second half of the 15th century - the beginning of the 16th century (princes Shuisky, Vorotynsky, Mstislavsky , Trubetskoys).
The ancestor of the Romanov branch was the third son of Roman Yuryevich Za-Kharin - Nikita Romanovich (d. 1586), the brother of Queen Anastasia. His descendants were already called Romanovs. Nikita Romanovich was a Moscow boyar from 1562, an active participant in the Livonian War and diplomatic negotiations, after the death of Ivan IV he headed the regency council (until the end of 1584). One of the few Moscow boyars of the 16th century who left a good memory among the people: name preserved by a folk epic depicting him as a good-natured mediator between the people and the formidable Tsar Ivan.
Of the six sons of Nikita Romanovich, the eldest was especially outstanding - Fyodor Nikitich (later Patriarch Filaret, the unofficial co-ruler of the first Russian Tsar of the Romanov family) and Ivan Nikitich, who was part of the Seven Boyars. The popularity of the Romanovs, acquired by their personal qualities, increased from the persecution they were subjected to by Boris Godunov, who saw them as potential rivals in the struggle for the royal throne.

Table 2 and 3.

Election of Mikhail Romanov to the throne. The rise to power of a new dynasty

In October 1612, as a result of the successful actions of the second militia under the command of Prince Pozharsky and the merchant Minin, Moscow was liberated from the Poles. A Provisional Government was created and elections to the Zemsky Sobor were announced, the convening of which was planned for the beginning of 1613. There was one, but extremely pressing issue on the agenda - the election of a new dynasty. They unanimously decided not to choose from foreign royal houses, but there was no unity regarding domestic candidates. Among the noble candidates for the throne (princes Golitsyn, Mstislavsky, Pozharsky, Trubetskoy) was 16-year-old Mikhail Romanov from a long-standing boyar, but untitled family. On his own, he had little chance of winning, but the interests of the nobility and the Cossacks, who played a certain role during the Time of Troubles, converged on his candidacy. The boyars hoped for his inexperience and intended to maintain their political positions, strengthened during the years of the Seven Boyars. The political past of the Romanov family also played into its favor, as discussed above. They wanted to choose not the most capable, but the most convenient. There was active campaigning among the people in favor of Michael, which also played an important role in his establishment on the throne. The final decision was made on February 21, 1613. Michael was chosen by the Council and approved by “the whole earth.” The outcome of the case was decided by a note from an unknown chieftain, who stated that Mikhail Romanov was the closest relative to the previous dynasty and could be considered a “natural” Russian tsar.
Thus, autocracy of a legitimate nature (by right of birth) was restored in his person. The opportunities for alternative political development of Russia, laid down during the Time of Troubles, or rather, in the then established tradition of electing (and therefore replacing) monarchs, were lost.
Behind Tsar Mikhail for 14 years stood his father, Fyodor Nikitich, better known as Philaret, patriarch of the Russian Church (officially since 1619). The case is unique not only in Russian history: the son occupies the highest government position, the father the highest church position. This is hardly a coincidence. Some interesting facts suggest some interesting facts about the role of the Romanov family during the Time of Troubles. For example, it is known that Grigory Otrepiev, who appeared on the Russian throne under the name of False Dmitry I, was a slave of the Romanovs before being exiled to a monastery, and he, having become a self-proclaimed tsar, returned Filaret from exile and elevated him to the rank of metropolitan. False Dmitry II, in whose Tushino headquarters Filaret was, promoted him to patriarch. But be that as it may, at the beginning of the 17th century. A new dynasty established itself in Russia, with which the state functioned for more than three hundred years, experiencing ups and downs.

Tables 4 and 5.

Dynastic marriages of the Romanovs, their role in Russian history

During the 18th century. Genealogical connections of the House of Romanov with other dynasties were intensively established, which expanded to such an extent that, figuratively speaking, the Romanovs themselves disappeared into them. These connections were formed mainly through the system of dynastic marriages that had been established in Russia since the time of Peter I (see Tables 7-9). The tradition of equal marriages in the conditions of dynastic crises, so characteristic of Russia in the 20-60s of the 18th century, led to the transfer of the Russian throne into the hands of another dynasty, the representative of which acted on behalf of the extinct Romanov dynasty (in male offspring - after death in 1730 Peter II).
During the 18th century. the transition from one dynasty to another was carried out both through the line of Ivan V - to representatives of the Mecklenburg and Brunswick dynasties (see table 6), and through the line of Peter I - to members of the Holstein-Gottorp dynasty (see table 6), whose descendants occupied the Russian throne on behalf of the Romanovs from Peter III to Nicholas II (see Table 5). The Holstein-Gottorp dynasty, in turn, was a junior branch of the Danish Oldenburg dynasty. In the 19th century the tradition of dynastic marriages continued, genealogical connections multiplied (see Table 9), giving rise to the desire to “hide” the foreign roots of the first Romanovs, so traditional for the Russian centralized state and burdensome for the second half of the 18th – 19th centuries. The political need to emphasize the Slavic roots of the ruling dynasty was reflected in the interpretation of P.N. Petrov.

Table 6.

Table 7.

Ivan V was on the Russian throne for 14 years (1682-96) together with Peter I (1682-1726), initially under the regency of his elder sister Sophia (1682-89). He did not take an active part in governing the country, had no male descendants, his two daughters (Anna and Ekaterina) were married off based on the state interests of Russia at the beginning of the 18th century (see Table 6). In the conditions of the dynastic crisis of 1730, when the male descendants of the line of Peter I were cut off, the descendants of Ivan V established themselves on the Russian throne: daughter Anna Ioannovna (1730-40), great-grandson Ivan VI (1740-41) under the regency of mother Anna Leopoldovna , in whose person the representatives of the Brunswick dynasty actually ended up on the Russian throne. The coup of 1741 returned the throne into the hands of the descendants of Peter I. However, having no direct heirs, Elizaveta Petrovna transferred the Russian throne to her nephew Peter III, whose father belonged to the Holstein-Gottorp dynasty. The Oldenburg dynasty (via the Holstein-Gottorp branch) is united with the House of Romanov in the person of Peter III and his descendants.

Table 8.

1 Peter II is the grandson of Peter I, the last male representative of the Romanov family (on his mother’s side, a representative of the Blankenburg-Wolfenbüttel dynasty).

2 Paul I and his descendants, who ruled Russia until 1917, in terms of origin, did not belong to the Romanov family (Paul I was a representative of the Holstein-Gottorp dynasty on his father’s side, and an Anhalt-Zerbt dynasty on his mother’s side).

Table 9.

1 Paul I had seven children, of whom: Anna - the wife of Prince William, later King of the Netherlands (1840-49); Catherine - since 1809 the prince's wife
George of Oldenburg, married from 1816 to Prince William of Württemburg, who later became king; Alexandra’s first marriage was with Gustav IV of Sweden (before 1796), her second marriage was with Archduke Joseph, Hungarian stole, in 1799.
2 Daughters of Nicholas I: Maria - since 1839, the wife of Maximilian, Duke of Leitenberg; Olga has been the wife of the Württemberg Crown Prince since 1846, then of King Charles I.
3 Other children of Alexander II: Maria - since 1874, married to Alfred Albert, Duke of Edinburgh, later Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha; Sergei - married to Elizaveta Feodorovna, daughter of the Duke of Hesse; Pavel has been married to the Greek royal Alexandra Georgievna since 1889.

On February 27, 1917, a revolution took place in Russia, during which the autocracy was overthrown. On March 3, 1917, the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II signed his abdication in a military trailer near Mogilev, where Headquarters was located at that time. This was the end of the history of monarchical Russia, which was declared a republic on September 1, 1917. The family of the overthrown emperor was arrested and exiled to Yekaterinburg, and in the summer of 1918, when there was a threat of the city being captured by the army of A.V. Kolchak, they were shot on the orders of the Bolsheviks. Together with the emperor, his heir, his minor son Alexei, was liquidated. The younger brother Mikhail Alexandrovich, the heir of the second circle, in whose favor Nicholas II abdicated the throne, was killed a few days earlier near Perm. This is where the story of the Romanov family should end. However, excluding any legends and versions, we can reliably say that this family has not died out. The lateral branch, in relation to the last emperors, survived - the descendants of Alexander II (see table 9, continued). Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich (1876 - 1938) was next in line of succession to the throne after Mikhail Alexandrovich, the younger brother of the last emperor. In 1922, after the end of the civil war in Russia and the final confirmation of information about the death of the entire imperial family, Kirill Vladimirovich declared himself Guardian of the Throne, and in 1924 accepted the title of Emperor of All Russia, Head of the Russian Imperial House abroad. His seven-year-old son Vladimir Kirillovich was proclaimed heir to the throne with the title Grand Duke Heir Tsarevich. He succeeded his father in 1938 and was the Head of the Russian Imperial House abroad until his death in 1992 (see Table 9, continued.) He was buried on May 29, 1992 under the arches of the Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg. The head of the Russian Imperial House (abroad) was his daughter Maria Vladimirovna.

Milevich S.V. - Methodological guide for studying the genealogy course. Odessa, 2000.

The 17th century brought many trials to the Russian state. In 1598, the Rurik dynasty, which ruled the country for more than seven hundred years, was interrupted. A period began in the life of Russia, which is called the Time of Troubles or the Time of Troubles, when the very existence of Russian statehood came into question. Attempts to establish a new dynasty on the throne (from the boyars of the Godunovs and Shuiskys) were hampered by endless conspiracies, uprisings, and even natural disasters. The matter was also complicated by the intervention of neighboring countries: the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden, which at first sought to acquire adjacent territories, wanting in the future to deprive Russia of state independence altogether.
There were patriotic forces in the country that united in the struggle for the independence of their homeland. The people's militia, led by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and merchant Kuzma Minin, with the participation of people from all classes, managed to expel the invaders from the central regions of the Moscow state and liberate the capital.
The Zemsky Sobor, convened in 1613, after much debate, confirmed Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov on the throne, laying the foundation for a new dynasty.

ROMANOVS- boyar family, in 1613-1721. royal, since 1721 imperial dynasty.
The ancestor of the Romanovs is usually considered to be Andrei Ivanovich Kobyla, the boyar of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan I Kalita. According to the pedigree lists, Andrei Ivanovich Kobyla had five sons, and the Kobylins, Kolychevs, Konovnitsyns, Lodynins, Neplyuevs, Sheremetevs and others descend from him.
Until the 15th century the ancestors of the Romanovs were called Koshkins (from the nickname of Andrei Ivanovich’s fifth son, Fyodor Koshka), then Zakharyins (from Zakhary Ivanovich Koshkin) and Zakharyin-Yuryevs (from Yuri Zakharyevich Koshkin-Zakharyin).
The daughter of Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin-Yuryev (?-1543) Anastasia Romanovna (c. 1530-1560) in 1547 became the first wife of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible. Her brother Nikita Romanovich Zakharyin-Yuryev (? -1586) became the founder of the Romanovs. This surname was borne by his son, Fyodor Nikitich Romanov (c. 1554-1633), who became patriarch (Filaret).
In 1613, at the Zemsky Sobor, Filaret's son Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov (1596-1645) was elected king and became the founder of the Romanov dynasty. The Romanov dynasty also included Alexei Mikhailovich (1629-1676, Tsar from 1645), Fyodor Alekseevich (1661-1682, Tsar from 1676), Ivan V Alekseevich (1666-1696, Tsar from 1682 g.), Peter I Alekseevich (1672-1725, Tsar from 1682, Emperor from 1721); in 1682-1689, during the childhood of Ivan and Peter, the state was ruled by Princess Sofya Alekseevna (1657-1704). The Romanov dynasty ruled Russia until Nicholas II abdicated the throne in 1917.

ZAKHARYINS- a Moscow boyar family descended from Andrei Kobyla (died in the mid-14th century), boyar of Grand Duke Semyon the Proud, and his son Fyodor Koshka (died in the 1390s), boyar of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy.
The ancestor of the Zakharyins is the grandson of Fyodor Koshka - Zakhary Ivanovich Koshkin (? - ca. 1461), boyar of Grand Duke Vasily II the Dark. His sons Yakov and Yuri, boyars of Grand Duke Ivan III, gave rise to two branches of the family - the Zakharyin-Yakovlevs (Yakovlevs) and the Zakharyin-Yuryevs.
Yakov Zakharyevich (? - ca. 1510) was the Novgorod governor from 1485; in 1487, together with his brother Yuri, he conducted a search for followers of the Novgorod-Moscow heresy; in 1494 he participated in negotiations on the matchmaking of Ivan III’s daughter Elena with the Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander Kazimirovich, and participated in campaigns against Lithuania.
Yuri Zakharyevich (? - ca. 1503) in 1479 participated in the Novgorod campaign of Ivan III, in 1487 he replaced his brother as the Novgorod governor, carried out confiscations of the estates of the Novgorod boyars, and participated in campaigns against Lithuania. The most famous representatives of the Zakharyev-Yuryev family: Mikhail Yuryevich (? -1539) - okolnichy (1520), boyar (1525), governor, diplomat who led relations with Poland and Lithuania; in 1533-1534 was part of the boyar group that actually ruled the Russian state under the young Tsar Ivan IV, retired from business after his relative I.V. fled to Lithuania. Lyatsky-Zakharyin. Roman Yurievich (? -1543) - founder of the Romanov family. Vasily Mikhailovich (?-15b7) - okolnichy, then (1549) boyar, was a member of the Near Duma of Ivan IV, one of the initiators of the oprichnina policy.

Romanovs. Family secrets of Russian emperors Balyazin Voldemar Nikolaevich

Origin of the Romanov family and surname

The history of the Romanov family has been documented in documents since the middle of the 14th century, with the boyar of the Grand Duke of Moscow Simeon the Proud - Andrei Ivanovich Kobyla, who, like many boyars in the medieval Moscow state, played a significant role in public administration.

Kobyla had five sons, the youngest of whom, Fyodor Andreevich, bore the nickname “Cat”.

According to Russian historians, “Mare”, “Cat” and many other Russian surnames, including noble ones, came from nicknames that arose spontaneously, under the influence of various random associations, which are difficult, and most often impossible, to reconstruct.

Fyodor Koshka, in turn, served the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Donskoy, who, setting out in 1380 on the famous victorious campaign against the Tatars on the Kulikovo Field, left Koshka to rule Moscow in his place: “Guard the city of Moscow and protect the Grand Duchess and his entire family.” .

The descendants of Fyodor Koshka occupied a strong position at the Moscow court and often became related to members of the Rurikovich dynasty that was then ruling in Russia.

The descending branches of the family were called by the names of men from the family of Fyodor Koshka, in fact by patronymic. Therefore, the descendants bore different surnames, until finally one of them - boyar Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin - occupied such an important position that all his descendants began to be called the Romanovs.

And after Roman Yuryevich’s daughter, Anastasia, became the wife of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the surname “Romanov” became unchanged for all members of this family, which played an outstanding role in the history of Russia and many other countries.

In 1598, the Rurik dynasty ceased to exist - the last of the dynasty, Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, died without leaving descendants. After many years of Troubles, the Zemsky Sobor was convened in 1613 to elect a new king.

He elected Mikhail Romanov, who became the founder of a new dynasty that ruled Russia for three centuries - until March 1917.

From Mikhail Romanov in 1645, the throne passed to his son, Alexei Mikhailovich, who was the father of sixteen children. Thirteen of them were born by his first wife, Maria Miloslavskaya, three by his second wife, Natalya Naryshkina.

Since the subsequent narrative cannot do without a number of details that are necessary to make it clear when and why the Romanov dynasty embarked on the path of concluding many marriage alliances with German ruling houses, the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich will be covered taking this circumstance into account.

The key moment in the story, connected with many subsequent events, is the second marriage of Alexei Mikhailovich to Natalya Naryshkina. And this is where we will begin the next chapter.