Feodor Alexeevich

1661-1682
CZAR 1676-1682

Son of Czar Alexei Mikhailovich, Feodor Alexeevich was born on April 30, 1661. Officially declared heir to the throne on September 1, 1674, at the age of 12, he was consecrated Czar in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kremlin after the death of his father.

He received an excellent education for his time, knowing Latin well, reading and speaking Polish fluently, and writing poetry. Physically unhealthy, he also had a weak character. During the six years of his reign, he was unable to rule with any independence. Power was concentrated in the hands of his maternal relatives, the Miloslavskii boyars. However, reforms in the organization of the army and state, begun under his grandfather and father, continued during his reign. A national consensus conducted in 1678 and in 1682 ended mestnichestvo, a practice whereby boyars and gentry were appointed to particular posts on the basis of their ancestors' services. The major foreign policy success of his reign was halting Ottoman expansion into the Ukraine.

Feodor Alexeevich married twice and had one child that died in infancy. He died on April 27, 1682, without leaving arrangements for the succession, and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin.

Biography and image from The Florida International Museum WWW exhibit
"The Treasures of the Czars"

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