Boris Morozov

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Boris Ivanovich Morozov (Russian: Борис Иванович Морозов; 1590 – 1661) was a Russian statesman and boyar who led the Russian government during the early reign of Tsar Alexis. Morozov came from a long noble line, yet was poor before his appointments.

Life[edit]

In 1634, when Tsarevich Alexis was five years old, Morozov was appointed as his tutor. This began Morozov's influence on the Russian court and affairs.[1]

On 17 January 1648, Morozov procured the marriage of the tsar with Maria Miloslavskaya, himself marrying her sister, Anna, ten days later, both daughters of Ilya Danilovich Miloslavsky.[2][3]

During his long career at the Kremlin court, Morozov supervised a number of government departments (called prikazy) – Grand Treasury, Streltsy, Pharmacy, and Payroll. Aspiring to increase the treasury’s income, Morozov reduced salaries of state employees and introduced a high indirect salt tax.[4] These measures caused the Salt Riot of 1648. The rebels demanded Morozov's handover, but the tsar hid him in his palace and then sent him in a fictitious exile into the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. After four months, however, Morozov returned to Moscow.[5]

In 1649, Morozov took an active part in preparing the Sobornoye Ulozheniye, a legal code which would survive well into the 19th century. In the early 1650s, while maintaining a low profile, he was still in charge of the Russian government. He owned 55,000 peasants and a number of mills, distilleries, and factories that produced iron, bricks, and salt. His sister-in-law, Boyarynya Morozova, was involved in the Old Believer movement.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Montefiore, p. 96
  2. ^ Военно-исторический словарь (in Russian). Litres. 2023-01-04. p. 463. ISBN 978-5-04-520900-7.
  3. ^ Grebelʹskiĭ, P. Kh; Мирвис, А. Б. (1992). Дом Романовых: биографические сведения о членах царствовавшего дома, их предках и родственниках (in Russian). ЛИО Редактор. p. 22. ISBN 978-5-7058-0160-2.
  4. ^ Feldbrugge, Ferdinand (2017-09-21), "The Council Code (Sobornoe Ulozhenie) of Aleksei Mikhailovich of 1649", A History of Russian Law, Brill Nijhoff, pp. 760–771, ISBN 978-90-04-35214-8, retrieved 2023-11-27
  5. ^ Михайлович, Соловьев Сергей (2014-02-14). История России. Алексей Михайлович Тишайший (in Russian). ОЛМА Медиа Групп. p. 105. ISBN 978-5-373-05454-6.