Alexis of Russia

Alexis issued the Sobornoye Ulozheniye (Council Code), a comprehensive legal code that codified serfdom by eliminating the statute of limitations for the return of fugitive peasants. This code remained in effect until 1832.

Alexis launched a war against Poland-Lithuania to claim Ukraine. Russian forces captured Smolensk, Vilnius, and much of Lithuania. The war ended with the Truce of Andrusovo in 1667, which ceded Smolensk and left-bank Ukraine to Russia.

Alexis agreed to the Pereyaslavl Agreement, placing the Zaporozhian Cossack Hetmanate under Russian protection. This led to the Russo-Polish War and eventually brought left-bank Ukraine and Kiev under Russian control.

Alexis's government issued copper coins to replace silver, causing inflation and economic crisis. A mob of thousands marched on Moscow demanding punishment of officials. The uprising was brutally suppressed, with hundreds killed.

Alexis supported Patriarch Nikon's liturgical reforms, which aimed to correct Russian Orthodox practices to align with Greek traditions. The reforms caused a schism, with Old Believers rejecting the changes and facing persecution.

Cossack leader Stenka Razin led a major uprising of peasants, Cossacks, and non-Russian peoples along the Volga River. The rebellion captured several cities before being crushed by Alexis's army. Razin was executed in 1671.