Fyodor III Alekséyevich (in
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
: ''Фёдор III Алексеевич'') or Feodor III Alekséyevich (9 June 1661 – 7 May 1682) was the
Tsar of Russia
This is a list of all reigning monarchs in the history of Russia. It includes the princes of medieval Rus′ state (both centralised, known as Kievan Rus′ and feudal, when the political center moved northeast to Vladimir and finally to Mos ...
between 1676 and 1682. While disabled and paralyzed from birth, he managed to pass reforms on improving meritocracy within the civil and military state administration as well as founding the
Slavic Greek Latin Academy.
Life
Born in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
, Fyodor, as the eldest surviving son of
Tsar Alexis
Aleksey Mikhaylovich ( rus, Алексе́й Миха́йлович, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsʲej mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ; – ) was the Tsar of Russia from 1645 until his death in 1676. While finding success in foreign affairs, his reign saw several wars ...
and
Maria Miloslavskaya
Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya (, 1 April 1624 – 18 August 1669) was a Russian tsaritsa as the first spouse of tsar Alexis of Russia. She was the mother of tsar Feodor III of Russia, tsar Ivan V of Russia, and the princess regent Sophia Alekse ...
, succeeded his father on the throne in 1676 at the age of fifteen. He had a fine intellect and a noble disposition; he had received an excellent education at the hands of
Simeon Polotsky
Symeon (Simeon) of Polotsk or Symeon Polotsky (russian: Симео́н По́лоцкий; born as ''Samuel Piotrowski-Sitnianowicz'', russian: Самуи́л Петро́вский-Ситнянович; December 12, 1629 – August 25, 1680) was ...
, the most learned Slavonic monk of the day. He knew
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
and even possessed the unusual accomplishment of
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
. He had been disabled from birth, however, horribly disfigured and half paralyzed by a mysterious disease, supposed to be
scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding ...
. He spent most of his time with young nobles, and .
On 28 July 1680 he married a noblewoman,
Agaphia Simeonovna Grushevskaya (1663–1681), daughter of Simeon Feodorovich Grushevsky and of his wife Maria Ivanovna Zaborovskaya, and assumed the sceptre. His native energy, though crippled, was not crushed by his disabilities. He soon showed himself as a thorough and devoted reformer. The atmosphere of the court ceased to be oppressive, the light of a new
liberalism
Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...
shone, and the severity of the penal laws was considerably mitigated. The Tsar founded
the academy of sciences in the
Zaikonospassky monastery
The Monastery of the Holy Mandylion or Zaikonospassky Monastery (Заиконоспасский монастырь in Russian) is an Orthodox monastery on the Nikolskaya Street in Kitai-gorod, Moscow, just one block away from the Kremlin.
It was ...
, where competent professors were to teach everything not expressly forbidden by the
Orthodox church – the syllabus included
Slavonic,
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
,
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
and
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
.
The Feodorean and the later
Petrine reforms differed in that while the former were primarily, though not exclusively, for the benefit of the church, the latter were primarily for the benefit of the state. A household census took place in 1678.
[
] The most notable reform of Feodor III, made at the suggestion of
Vasily Galitzine
Prince Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn (russian: Василий Васильевич Голицын, tr. ; 1643–1714) was a Russian aristocrat and statesman of the 17th century. He belonged to the Golitsyn as well as Romodanovsky Muscovite noble ...
, involved the abolition in 1682 of the system of ''mestnichestvo'', or
"place priority", which had paralyzed the whole civil and military administration of
Muscovy Muscovy is an alternative name for the Grand Duchy of Moscow (1263–1547) and the Tsardom of Russia (1547–1721). It may also refer to:
*Muscovy Company, an English trading company chartered in 1555
* Muscovy duck (''Cairina moschata'') and Domes ...
for generations. Henceforth all appointments to the civil and military services were to be determined by merit and by the will of the sovereign, while pedigree (nobility) books were to be destroyed.
Family
Fyodor's first consort, Agaphia Simeonovna Grushevskaya, shared his progressive views. She was the first to advocate beard-shaving. On 11 July 1681, the Tsaritsa gave birth to her son, Tsarevich Ilya Fyodorovich, the expected heir to the throne. Agaphia died as a consequence of the childbirth three days later, on 14 July, and seven days later, on 21 July, the Tsarevich also died.
![Marfa Apraxina 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Marfa_Apraxina_2.jpg)
Seven months later, on 24 February 1682 Fyodor married a second time
Marfa Apraksina (1667–1716), daughter of Matvei Vasilievich Apraksin and wife Domna Bogdanovna Lovchikova. Feodor was so weak that he couldn’t stand at the wedding. Feodor died three months after his second wedding, on 7 May, without surviving issue. The news of his death sparked the
Moscow Uprising of 1682
The Moscow uprising of 1682, also known as the Streltsy uprising of 1682 (russian: Стрелецкий бунт), was an uprising of the Moscow Streltsy regiments that resulted in supreme power devolving on Sophia Alekseyevna (the daughter of th ...
.
See also
*
Bibliography of Russian history (1613–1917)
This is a select bibliography of post World War II English language books (including translations) and journal articles about the history of Russia and its empire from 1613 until 1917. It specifically excludes topics related to the Russian Revo ...
*
Russo-Turkish War (1676–1681)
The Russo-Turkish War of 1676–1681, a war between the Tsardom of Russia and Ottoman Empire, caused by Turkish expansionism in the second half of the 17th century.
Prelude
After having captured and devastated the region of Podolia in the cour ...
Notes
References
*
External links
Romanovs. The second film. Feodor III, Sophia Alekseyevna; Ivan V – Historical reconstruction "The Romanovs". StarMedia. Babich-Design(Russia, 2013)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feodor 03 Of Russia
1661 births
1682 deaths
17th-century Russian monarchs
Royalty from Moscow
House of Romanov
Russian tsars
Candidates for the Polish elective throne
Modern child rulers
Eastern Orthodox monarchs
Russian tsareviches
Children of Alexis of Russia