RUSSIA. 
468 
head Radzin, the brother of the deceased, broke out into 
open rebellion. Allured by the spirit of licentiousness, and 
the hopes of plunder, vast numbers both of Kozaks and 
inferior Russians flocked to the standard of Radzin, and 
formed an army of nearly 200,000 men. This force, how¬ 
ever, was formidable merely from its numbers. Radzin’s 
followers were without arms, without discipline, and were 
quite unprepared to stand the attack of regular troops. 
Radzin himself seems to have placed no reliance on the 
courage or fidelity of his followers, and eagerly embraced 
the first opportunity of procuring a pardon by submission. 
Having been deceived into a belief that his pardon would 
be granted on his surrendering himself to the mercy of the 
tzar, he set out for Moscow, accompanied by his brother; 
but when he was arrived within a short distance of the 
capital, whither notice of his approach had been sent, he 
was met by a cart containing a gallows, on which he was 
hanged without ceremony. His followers, who had assem¬ 
bled at Astracan, were surrounded by the tzar’s troops, taken 
prisoners, and 12,000 of them hung on the gibbets in the 
highways. Thus this formidable rebellion, which had 
threatened to subvert the authority of Alexei, was crushed 
almost at its commencement. 
The influence which Alexei had obtained over the 
Donskoi Kozaks, excited the jealousy of the Sublime Porte, 
who justly dreaded the extension of the Russian territory on 
the side of the Crimea, a peninsula which at that time be¬ 
longed to Turkey. After a successful attempt on the fron¬ 
tiers of Poland, a Turkish army entered the Ukraine, and 
the Russians made preparations to oppose them. Alexei en¬ 
deavoured to form a confederacy against the infidels among 
the Christian potentates of Europe; but the age of crusading 
chivalry was over, and the tzar was obliged to make head 
against the Turks, assisted by his single ally the king of 
Poland. The Turkish arms were for some years victorious, 
especially on the side of Poland, but at length a check was 
put to their successes by the Polish general Sobieski, who 
afterwards ascended the throne of that kingdom. 
The reign of Alexei is most remarkable for the improve¬ 
ments introduced by him into the Russian laws. He made 
a selection from all the edicts of his predecessors, of such 
as had been current for 100 years; presuming that these 
either were founded in natural justice, or during so long a 
currency had formed the minds of the people to consider 
them as just. This digest, which he declared to be the 
common law of Russia, and which is prefaced by a sort of 
institute, is known by the title of the U/ogenie or Selection, 
and was long the standard law book ; and all edicts prior to 
it were declared to be obsolete. 
Though there were many courts of judicature in this 
widely extended empire, the emperor was always lord 
paramount, and could take a cause from any court imme¬ 
diately before himself. But as several of the old nobles had 
the remains of principalities in their families, and held their 
own courts, the sovereign of his ministers, at a distance up 
the country, frequently found it difficult to bring a culprit 
out of one of these hereditary feudal jurisdictions, and try 
him by the laws of the empire. This was a very disagree¬ 
able limitation of imperial power; and the more so, that 
some families claimed even a right of replevance. Alexei 
embraced the first opportunity that offered of overturning 
these private jurisdictions. 
Alexei died in 1676, leaving three sons and six daughters. 
Two of the sons, Feodor and Ivan, were by a first marriage; 
the third, Peter, by a second. The two former, particularly 
Ivan, were of a delicate constitution, and some attempts 
were made by the relations of Peter, to set them aside. 
These attempts, however, proved unsuccessful, and Feodor 
was appointed the successor of Alexei. 
The reign of this prince was short, and distinguished 
rather for the happiness which the nation then experienced, 
than for the importance of the transactions that took place. 
He died in 1682, but before his death nominated his half- 
brother, Peter, his successor. 
The succession of Peter, though appointed by their 
favourite tzar Feodor, was by no means pleasing to the 
majority of the Russian nobles, and it was particularly 
opposed by Galitzin, the prime minister of the late tzar. 
This able man had espoused the interest of Sophia, the sister 
of Feodor and Ivan, a young woman of eminent abilities, 
and the most insinuating address. Sophia, upon the pre¬ 
tence of asserting the claims of her brother Ivan, who, though 
of a feeble constitution and weak intellects, was considered 
as the lawful heir of the crown, had really formed a design 
of securing the succession to herself; and, with that view, 
had not only insinuated herself into the good graces of Ga¬ 
litzin, but had brought over to her interests the Strelitzes. 
These licentious soldiers assembled for the purpose, as was 
pretended, of placing on the throne Prince Ivan, whom they 
proclaimed tzar by acclamation. During three days they 
roved about the city of Moscow, committing the greatest 
excesses, and putting to death several of the chief officers of 
state, who were suspected of being hostile to the designs of 
Sophia. Their employer did not, however, entirely gain 
her point; for as the new tzar entertained a sincere affection 
for his half-brother Peter, he insisted that this prince should 
share with him the imperial dignity. This was at length 
agreed to; and on the 6th of May, 1682, Ivan and Peter 
were solemnly crowned joint emperors of all the Russias, 
while the princess Sophia was nominated their co-partner in 
the government. 
From the imbecility of Ivan and the youth of Peter, who 
was now only 10 years of age, the whole power of the go¬ 
vernment rested in Sophia and her minister Galitzin, though 
till the year 1687, the names of Ivan and Peter only were 
annexed to the imperial decrees. Scarcely had Sophia 
established her authority than she was threatened with depo¬ 
sition, from an alarming insurrection of the Strelitzes. 
This was excited by their commander Prince Kovanskoi, 
who had demanded of Sophia that she would marry one of 
her sisters to his son, but had met with a mortifying refusal 
from the princess. In consequence of this insurrection, 
which threw the whole city of Moscow into terror and con¬ 
sternation, Sophia and the two young tzars took refuge in a 
monastery, about 32 leagues from the capital; and before the 
Strelitzes could follow them thither, a considerable body of 
soldiers, principally foreigners, was assembled in their 
defence. Kovanskoi was taken prisoner, and instantly 
beheaded; and though his followers at first threatened 
dreadful vengeance on his executioners, they soon found 
themselves obliged to submit. From every regiment was 
selected the tenth man who was to suffer as an atone¬ 
ment for the rest; but this cruel punishment was re¬ 
mitted, and only the most guilty among the ringleaders 
suffered death. 
The quelling of these disturbances gave leisure to the 
friends of Peter to pursue the plans which they had formed 
for subverting the authority of Sophia; and about this time 
a favourable opportunity offered, in consequence of a 
■rupture with Turkey. The Porte was now engaged in a war 
with Poland and the German empire, and both these latter 
powers had solicited the assistance of Russia against the 
common enemy. Sophia and her party were averse to the 
alliance ; but as there were in the council many secret friends 
of Peter, these had sufficient influence to persuade the majo¬ 
rity, that a Turkish war would be of advantage to the state. 
They even prevailed on Galitzin to put himself at the head 
of the army, and thus removed their principal opponent. 
Assembling an army of nearly 300,000 men, he marched 
•towards the confines of Turkey, and here consumed two 
campaigns in marches and countermarches, and lost nearly 
40,000 men, partly in unsuccessful skirmishes with the 
enemy, but chiefly from disease. 
While Galitzin was thus trifling away his time in the 
south, Peter, who already began to' give proofs of those 
great talents which afterwards enabled him to act so conspi¬ 
cuous a part in the theatre of the north, was strengthening 
his party among the Russian nobles. His ordinary residence 
was at a village not far from Moscow, and here he 
had assembled round him a considerable number of young 
men 
