THE REIGN OF FYODOR ALEKSEYEVICH (1676–1682): DEBATABLE ISSUES IN MODERN DOMESTIC HISTORIOGRAPHY

The figure of Tsar Fyodor Alekseyevich and events that took place in Russia during his brief reign cameinto the focus of attention of historians only at the end of the 20th century. Since then they have become the object ofvigorous debates in domestic historiography. The purpose of this article is to summarize the historiographical positionson the main controversial issues, most of which chronologically go beyond the reign of Fyodor Alekseyevich. In thearticle are considered questions of continuity of the policy of the tsar, on the basic tendencies in evolution on the statepower, on degree of independence of the government, on western influence, on the beginning of the New Age and char-acter of the ongoing reforms. It is noted that on the issue of the degree of independence government, most researchersexpress an opinion about the gradual increase in the personal participation of the tsar in state affairs. While Sedov’sthesis about the weakening of the autocracy during the reign of Tsar Fyodor needs additional argumentation. It seems tobe a productive position on historians who tend to trace the connection between the policy of Fyodor Alekseyevich bothwith the transformations of his predecessors and with the reforms of Peter the Great. When considering a particularlyheated discussion about the beginning of the New Age, it was revealed that most historians are not inclined to draw aclear line between the New Age and the Middle Ages. It is noted that a number of researchers adhere to the point ofview of superficial Europeanization during the reign of Tsar Fyodor. However, for most historians, this version of the search for the “new”, which is not accompanied by the rejection of the “old”, seems to be a real alternative to the radical and cruel Petrine Europeanization. In combination with a positive assessment of the nature of the reforms carried out by Fyodor Alekseyevich and the methods he uses, this position leads to the opinion contained in modern historiography about the unrealized possibility of the evolutionary development of the country. It is emphasized that the idea of this period as one of the bifurcation points in Russian history should stimulate further study of the state Russia on the eve of Peter’s reforms.

historiography, history of Russia in the late 17th century, A P Bogdanov, D M Volodikhin, N F Demidova, O V Novokhatko, P V Sedov