Alexis Mikhailovich Romanov (1629-1676), czar of Russia from 1645 to 1676, was an extreme conservative, a devoted churchman, and a firm believer in the divine origin of his power.

Born on March 10 (O.S.), 1629, in Moscow, Alexis was the son of Michael Romanov, the first of the dynasty which was to rule Russia until 1917. When Michael died in 1645, Alexis, only 16 years of age, succeeded to the throne. Although his formal education had been rudimentary and had stopped when he was 10 years old, Alexis was actually well educated by Moscow standards and had literary pretensions, even trying his hand at writing poetry.

Alexis's reign was beset by many popular revolts, the most serious one in southeastern Russia under the Cossack leader Stenka Razin. Other outbreaks included an insurrection by monks of the Solovetskii Monastery and civil revolts in the cities of Pskov, Novgorod, and Moscow. Although Alexis suppressed the uprisings, he...