Moscow Uprising of 1682
Encyclopedia
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
. Behind the uprising was the rivalry between the relatives of the two wives of the late Tsar Alexis I of Russia
for the dominant influence on the politics of Muscovy.
The uprising was triggered by the death of Feodor III of Russia
on 27 April. The Naryshkin brothers of Tsarina Natalia Naryshkina
availed themselves of the interregnum and persuaded the Patriarch to proclaim her ten-year-old son Peter
as a new Tsar
of Russia
. In their turn, the Miloslavsky party, which comprised the relatives of the late Tsarina Maria Miloslavskaya
, spread rumours that her son, Peter's elder half-brother Ivan
, had been strangled by the Naryshkins in the Moscow Kremlin
.
The Miloslavsky conspirators stirred up riots in the streets of the capital. They used the discontent of the Moscow regiments against their commanding officers and on 11 May 1682 the mob of the Streltsy took over the Kremlin
and lynched the leading boyar
s and military commanders whom they suspected of corruption — Artamon Matveev
, Mikhail Dolgorukov, and Grigory Romodanovsky
.
A few days later, on 17 May, the rebels once again stormed the royal residence and killed a number of Naryshkin supporters, including two of the Naryshkin brothers (Kirill and Ivan) in the presence of the young tsar Peter, their nephew. The Streltsy were joined by mobs of poor people and looted the streets of Moscow for several days. The May uprising led to Peter's older half-brother Ivan V
being proclaimed as the "first" tsar, while young Peter I was relegated to the second position, with Sophia acting as a regent
for them both.
In the fall of 1682 Prince Ivan Andreyevich Khovansky (Taratui) — Sophia's close associate and one of the leaders of the rebellious Streltsy — turned against her. Supported by the Old Believers
, Khovansky — who supposedly wanted to install himself as the new regent — demanded the reversal of Nikon's reforms
. Sophia and her court had to flee the Moscow Kremlin
and sought refuge in the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
. Eventually, Sophia managed to suppress the so-called Khovanshchina (Khovansky affair) with the help of Fyodor Shaklovity
, who succeeded Khovansky in charge of the Muscovite army.
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
of the 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...
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 :...
regiments which resulted in supreme power being devolved on Sophia Alekseyevna
Sophia Alekseyevna
Sophia Alekseyevna was a regent of Russian Tsardom 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...
. Behind the uprising was the rivalry between the relatives of the two wives of the late Tsar Alexis I of Russia
Alexis I of Russia
Aleksey Mikhailovich Romanov was the Tsar of Russia during some of the most eventful decades of the mid-17th century...
for the dominant influence on the politics of Muscovy.
The uprising was triggered by the death of Feodor III of Russia
Feodor III of Russia
Feodor III Alexeevich of Russia was the Tsar of all Russia between 1676 and 1682....
on 27 April. The Naryshkin brothers of Tsarina Natalia Naryshkina
Natalia Naryshkina
Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina was the Tsaritsa of Russia from 1671 to 1676 as the second spouse of tsar Alexei I of Russia.-Biography:Coming from a petty noble family, daughter of Kirill Poluektovich Naryshkin and wife Anna Leontyevna Leontyeva Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina was the Tsaritsa of...
availed themselves of the interregnum and persuaded the Patriarch to proclaim her ten-year-old son Peter
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
as a new Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. In their turn, the Miloslavsky party, which comprised the relatives of the late Tsarina Maria Miloslavskaya
Maria 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:...
, spread rumours that her son, Peter's elder half-brother Ivan
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...
, had been strangled by the Naryshkins in 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...
.
The Miloslavsky conspirators stirred up riots in the streets of the capital. They used the discontent of the Moscow regiments against their commanding officers and on 11 May 1682 the mob of the Streltsy took over the Kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
and lynched the leading boyar
Boyar
A boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....
s and military commanders whom they suspected of corruption — Artamon Matveev
Artamon Matveev
Artamon Sergeyevich Matveyev was a Russian statesman, diplomat and reformer.Because his father - Sergey Matveyev - was a notable diplomat, Artamon Matveyev was brought up at the royal court since the age of thirteen, where he would become close friends with Alexius I...
, Mikhail Dolgorukov, and Grigory Romodanovsky
Grigory Romodanovsky
Prince Grigory Grigoryevich Romodanovsky was a leading Russian general of Tsar Alexis's reign who promoted the Tsar's interests in Ukraine.Romodanovsky belonged to the Rurikid clan of Romodanovsky...
.
A few days later, on 17 May, the rebels once again stormed the royal residence and killed a number of Naryshkin supporters, including two of the Naryshkin brothers (Kirill and Ivan) in the presence of the young tsar Peter, their nephew. The Streltsy were joined by mobs of poor people and looted the streets of Moscow for several days. The May uprising led to Peter's older half-brother 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...
being proclaimed as the "first" tsar, while young Peter I was relegated to the second position, with Sophia acting 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...
for them both.
In the fall of 1682 Prince Ivan Andreyevich Khovansky (Taratui) — Sophia's close associate and one of the leaders of the rebellious Streltsy — turned against her. Supported by the Old Believers
Old 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...
, Khovansky — who supposedly wanted to install himself as the new regent — 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 and her court had 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 sought 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...
. Eventually, Sophia managed to suppress the so-called Khovanshchina (Khovansky affair) with the help of Fyodor Shaklovity
Fyodor Shaklovity
Fyodor Leontiyevich Shaklovity was a Russian diplomat best known as a staunch adherent of the regent Sophia Alekseyevna, who had promoted him from a regular scrivener to a member of the Boyar Duma and okolnichy...
, who succeeded Khovansky in charge of the Muscovite army.
See also
- Streltsy UprisingStreltsy UprisingThe 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...
- Copper RiotCopper RiotThe Copper Riot, also known as the Moscow Uprising of 1662 was a major riot in Moscow, which took place on July 25 of 1662.-The beginning:...
- KhovanshchinaKhovanshchinaKhovanshchina 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...
an operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
by Modest MussorgskyModest MussorgskyModest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
based on the events of the uprising.