Romodanovsky Fedor Yurievich brief biography. Prince Fedor Yurievich Romodanovsky. See what "Romodanovsky F.Yu." in other dictionaries

So it turns out that our Prince Caesar received this estate three years before his death. At that time there were only wooden buildings and a garden. Of course, Romodanovsky did not have time to build it in three years. The construction of the stone mansion began only in 1725, through the efforts of the new owners of the Golovkin estate. Thus, literally nothing remained of the famous Romodanovsky dynasty on the territory of Rus'. Not a grave, not even an inch. NOT A SINGLE ARTIFACT!

And where did our most famous Prince Romodanovsky live? Look, how many palaces have survived from Menshikov, both in Oranienbaum and on Vasilyevsky Island. So only one thing remains - since there are no estates, no palaces, no estates, no graves from Romodanovsky in Russian land, then this most influential man lived, ruled and died in another place. There were his palaces, there was his majestic grave and tomb. And these are not my insinuations - these are the facts.

It’s interesting that Queen Sophia, who ruled the country for six years, and from the noble Prince Caesar, who also ruled the country for about six years, not a brick or a grave remained in Rus'. Extremely amazing nonsense that has no analogues in history...

What images are there of this glorious son of the Russian land? It turns out there is nothing. Except for one anonymous portrait of unknown origin:

Although neither the appearance, nor the attire, nor the very style of the portrait even gives a hint that this is the majestic Prince Romodanovsky. At that time, portraits of high nobles were necessarily painted in festive attire, a wig, with awards and other regalia. And here is some homeless person from the main road, in an overcoat and a peasant shirt tied with a sash. No, this is not how they should have painted Peter’s comrade-in-arms, before whom all of Russia was in awe! Look, how many portraits and engravings from Menshikov have survived! And then NOTHING. One ridiculous caricature without a signature or title. And what did our brave Prince Caesar become famous for besides leading the country during Tsar Peter’s departure abroad for several years? We read:

“So, in the fall of 1690, amusing regiments and noble cavalry under the leadership of Fyodor - “Generalissimo Frederick” defeated the army of another “generalissimo” - Ivan Buturlin, which consisted of archers hated by the tsar. The same “generalissimos” led the armies in an amusing battle in the autumn of 1694, which included into history as the Kozhukhov maneuvers, where again the soldier regiments, together with the reiters and dragoons of Peter I, met with the archers... “The march [of the armies] was of a clownish nature,” notes historian Nikolai Pavlenko. “Ahead of Romodanovsky marched a company under the command of the Tsar’s jester Yakov Turgenev. It was to to fight under a banner that depicted Turgenev's coat of arms - a goat... Artillerymen walked ahead of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, among them bombardier Pyotr Alekseev [the Tsar himself - L.B.]. A company of 25 Karls took part in the procession. This whole procession moved to the sound of drums , flutes and kettledrums." Victory remained with the troops of Romodanovsky, who was called the “King of Presburg.” This triumphant “king” threw a magnificent feast for all participants in the maneuvers.

Prince Fyodor Yuryevich was fierce towards those whom he considered traitors, rebels and traitors to Russia. It is no coincidence that under Peter he headed the Preobrazhensky Prikaz, which was in charge of political investigation, that is, he was the main executioner of the state. His name alone brought horror and awe to those around him."My link

Fyodor Yuryevich became famous for the capture of Moscow at the head of an amusing army, for his terrible cruelty and hatred of traitors. He was called the executioner of the state. If you replace the Shutean title “King of Presburg” with the King of Prussia, you will be much closer to the historical truth. This is such a sweet guy.

The Romodanovskys are a famous Russian princely family, originating from Rurik and being a branch of the Starodubsky princes.

The ancestor of the Romodanovsky princes was Prince Vasily Fedorovich Starodubsky - Romodanovsky, who lived in the second half of the 15th century. The Romodanovsky princes, starting from the 16th century, occupied prominent government positions in Russia and played a prominent role in the political life of Moscow. In the 17th century, the Romodanovskys were one of the 16 families of the noblest Russian boyars, who were elevated from stolniks to the rank of “boyars”, bypassing the rank of okolnichy.

Located on Domodevskaya land, “the village of Konstantinovskoe Rozhai, also, on the Rozhai river” was purchased by Prince Yuri Ivanovich Romodanovsky in 1657. The Romodanovsky princes owned the village of Konstantinovo (as it was written from the end of the 17th century) for almost a century and a half, until 1791.

The owners of the village of Konstantinovo were: from 1657 to 1683 - Yuri Ivanovich Romodanovsky, from 1683 to 1717 - his son Fyodor Yuryevich, from 1717 to 1730 - the grandson of Yuri Ivanovich - Ivan Fedorovich, from 1730 to 1768 - the widow of Prince Ivan Fedorovich Anastasia Fedorovna and from 1768 to 1791 - her daughter Ekaterina Ivanovna Golovkina (before her marriage, Romodanovskaya).

Prince Caesar Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky was born in 1640 during the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich, the first Romanov Tsar. Fyodor Yuryevich's great-grandfather was Grigory Petrovich Romodanovsky, who lived in the second half of the 16th - first quarter of the 17th century - a boyar, governor, and famous figure of the time of troubles.

In 1586 - 1587 G.P. Romodanovsky was the first governor in Mikhailov, in 1587 - 1588 - in Voronezh, in 1590 - 1591 - the second governor of the left hand in Kashira, and then the first governor of the guard regiment... In 1601 - 1602 G.P. Romodanovsky was a governor in Belgorod. In 1606, he took part in a conspiracy against False Dmitry I.

Together with Prince Vorotynsky G.P. Romodanovsky in 1608 commanded the troops that defended Moscow from the Tushins, and then, pursuing Hetman Sapega, defeated the hetman near the village of Vozdvizhensky. His victory came at a cost - his son died in the battle.

In 1609 G.P. Romodanovsky is a governor in the city of Kashira. There, the city residents forced him to swear allegiance to False Dmitry II. After the fall of Tsar Vasily Shuisky G.P. Romodanovsky took the side of Prince Vladislav and negotiated on behalf of the boyars with the Poles.

In 1613 G.P. Romodanovsky took part in the election of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov to the kingdom, signing the charter.

In subsequent years, he defended Moscow from the Poles, most importantly in the turbulent year of 1618. In 1619 G.P. Romodanovsky headed the Moscow court order. And in 1623 - 1626 G.P. Romodanovsky was a governor in Novgorod. G.P. died Romodanovsky in 1628.

Father F.Yu. Romodanovsky Yuri Ivanovich in 1648 - steward, in 1654 he accompanied Tsar A. M. Romanov on the Polish campaign. In 1655 he was a governor in Mogilev, and in subsequent years he served at court. In 1667 - 1671 Yu.I. Romodanovsky headed the Pushkarsky order, in 1673 - 1676 he was a governor in Kazan.

Prince Caesar Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky (1640 - 1717) was the most prominent Russian statesman; he headed the Preobrazhensky order for more than thirty years (1686-1717), and in addition, he headed the Siberian and Apothecary orders. During the period of military battles, Prince Caesar supervised the casting of mortars and cannons, the manufacture of bombs and military equipment and supplies.

F.Yu. Romodanovsky was a close associate of Tsar Peter I and held the title of “Generalissimo of the Amusing Troops.” In the absence of Tsar Peter I, during the tsar’s trip abroad (1697-1698), F.Yu. Romodanovsky ruled the capital and headed the government.

In 1697, Tsar Peter I, while leaving abroad, entrusted the administration of the state to Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky, giving him the titles of “Prince Caesar” and His Majesty. Tsar Peter I entrusted Romodanovsky with overseeing the former ruler Princess Sophia.

Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky enjoyed the tsar's trust, was completely devoted to the tsar and possessed enormous power. In 1697, Tsar Peter I transferred into the hands of F. Yu. Romodanovsky exclusive search rights in cases of state and political crimes.

F.Yu. Romodanovsky was actually the ruler of the Moscow state in 1695 - 1696, when Peter I was on the Azov campaigns and in 1697 - 1698 during the Great Embassy.

About the amusing games of Tsar Peter I and F.Yu.’s participation in them. Many historians wrote about Romodanovsky. CM. Soloviev wrote: “In October 1691 there was a great and terrible battle at Generalissimo Friedrich Romodanovsky, who had the capital city of Presburg. The regiments of captain Pyotr Alekseev distinguished themselves, and the captain himself distinguished himself, having captured the enemy generalissimo...” In the autumn of 1694, a battle took place on the most extensive scale, the famous Kozhukhovo campaign (near the village of Kozhukhovo, not far from the Simonov Monastery).”

The Russian army was commanded by the old generalissimo Prince Fyodor Yurievich Romodanovsky, he had amusing regiments: Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky, elective regiments of soldiers - Lefortov and Butyrsky, three companies of grenades, eight elective companies of Reitarsky, two companies of datochny people named Nakhalov and Naletov and 20 companies of captains . The enemy army was commanded by the Polish king, Ivan. Iv. Buturlin, he had rifle regiments, companies of clerks and clerks, a total of 7,500 people. The king defended an unnamed fortress. Romodanovsky took it and, of course, took it: bombardier Pyotr Alekseev distinguished himself here too - he captured a Streltsy colonel, having lost the fortress, the Polish king sat down in a fortified camp and stubbornly fought back, finally had to surrender. The fun was not without the wounded and even the dead.”

The Kozhukhov campaign, as you know, was the last fun. Peter I wrote: “As we worked near Kozhukhov in the fall in Mars fun, there was nothing more on our minds except a game, but this game became a harbinger of the real thing.”

But the real business began at the beginning of 1695 - the campaign against the Crimea began.

Peter I wrote to Romodanovsky: “... it is known to you, sovereign, that the Lord God has blessed your sovereign’s weapons: just yesterday, with the prayer and happiness of your sovereign, the Azovites, seeing the final cramped conditions, surrendered.”

Carrying out investigations, F.Yu. Romodanovsky was distinguished by severity and cruelty.

F.Yu. Romodanovsky wrote to Tsar Peter I in 1707: “I have about thirty people sitting as convicts in the Montsova case; what can you tell me about them?

Tsar Peter I answered him: “Who are the convicts who are sitting with you in connection with the case of Montsovna, and thus the decision to make a general council with the boyars, according to their guilt, depending on what they are worthy of.”

CM. Soloviev, characterizing the personality of F.Yu. Romodanovsky, wrote: “The profit-maker Kurbatov continued to offend strong people; His quarrel with Prince Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky continued. The king of Presburg beat the town clerk without searching on Good Friday, “forgetting the majesty of the day.” Kurbatov sent a complaint to the king, and spoke very unflatteringly about the mental abilities of the terrible king: “Seeing such anger, I myself weaken in my zeal: even if a person is meager in his reasoning, but great in his rule, he will do whatever he wants. Have mercy, sir, intercede for us; He who was supposed to love us, even though he is considered to be just (in his opinions), hates us most of all. He was not ordered to be in charge of the town hall people in any matters. To her, to her, sir, he does a lot of things out of passion.”

The “terrible” Romodanovsky was influenced by A.F. Lopukhin, as can be seen from the following letter from the prince to his confessor: “I heard from your son-in-law that Mr. Romodanovsky, while in St. Petersburg, reported to the sovereign father about him, but how and for what, he is unknown, and asked me to inquire about this , and I ask you, if you please, inquire about this through Mr. Lopukhin, otherwise, except for him, it is impossible, so that he knows how to deal with him.”

How much did Tsar Peter I trust F.Yu. Romodanovsky, as can be seen from the letter that the Tsar wrote to him from Vilnius: “Please announce at the congress in the chamber to all the ministers who are coming together for consultation, so that they write down all the matters that they advise on, and each minister signs with his own hand that it is absolutely necessary , and without this they would not have determined any matter at all, for this would reveal the stupidity of everyone.”
Tsar Peter I attended the balls given by Prince F.Yu. Romodanovsky. What Vinius wrote about: Prince Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky gave us “a great meal and a rich one in the general’s dining room in Preobrazhenskoye: more than a hundred people sat at different tables, and treated us with such zeal and mercy, and the shooting, small and large, was so strong that The dining room barely stood and one wall protruded much further; even until 4 and 5 o’clock in the morning, that at three days everyone could hardly recover.”

Prince F.Yu. Romodanovsky had the right, like Field Marshal Count B.P. Sheremetev, to enter the office of Peter I at any time without a report.

Prince F.Yu. Romodanovsky was the favorite of Tsar Peter I, he was tall, to match the tsar (Peter I was 2 meters 7 centimeters tall), he lived in the old fashioned way, wore a Russian caftan embroidered with braid, he was formidable and stern in his service, but a hospitable master of the house. Tsar Peter I in 1693 April 26 Art. Art. came to visit the village of Konstantinovo on the estate of F.Yu. Romodanovsky, stayed with him on April 27, and on April 28, after lunch, he left for Moscow.

Since the son of F.Yu. Romodanovsky Ivan Fedorovich was married to Anastasia Fedorovna Saltykova, the sister of the wife of Tsar John V, then Fyodor Yuryevich was a close relative of Peter I, who in his letters called him “Your Majesty”.

Tsar Peter I, after the death of Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky in 1717, elevated his son Ivan Fedorovich to the rank of Prince Caesar. And Catherine I in 1725 appropriated I.F. Romodanovsky rank of actual state councilor.

In 1727, Peter II appointed I.F. Romodanovsky as Governor-General of Moscow, in which post he served until 1729, resigning, and a year later (1730) Ivan Fedorovich Romodanovsky died.

His only daughter Ekaterina Ivanovna, cousin of Empress Anna Ioannovna, married the vice-chancellor and cabinet minister Count M. G. Golovkin.

With the death of Ivan Fedorovich Romodanovsky in 1730, the dynasty of the Romodanovsky princes was interrupted in the male line

The continuation of the family appeared in the princely family “Romodanovsky-Ladyzhensky”, descended through the female line from the guard captain Prince Andrei Mikhailovich Romodanovsky, who was killed in the war in 1712. His third daughter, Princess Ekaterina Andreevna, married Ivan Petrovich Ladyzhensky and had two daughters and two sons. Her son Nikolai Ivanovich served as lieutenant general under Empress Catherine II, and Emperor Paul I appointed him a senator, and then an actual privy councilor and awarded him the title “general of infantry.” In 1798, on April 8, N.I. Ladyzhensky, by a personal imperial decree, was allowed to take the surname Romodanovsky-Ladizhensky.

Prince Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky held power in Moscow so tightly that during his lifetime the city was relatively calm. The personality of F. Yu. Romodanovsky was unique in this regard.

With the death of Prince Caesar F.Yu. Romodanovsky in Moscow, a lot has changed: “In 1717, the residents of Moscow saw what a loss they suffered with the death of Prince Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky: as soon as the terrible Presburg king “who was bleeding in Preobrazhenskoye” was gone, the robberies intensified in the capital.”

Prince Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky is one of the few associates of Peter I who had influence on the tsar, especially in the first years of his reign. This closeness was expressed in amusing games, and in military campaigns, and in balls, and in Peter I’s visits to the chamber of F.Yu. Romodanovsky in Moscow and the palace in the village of Konstantinovo.

Domodedovo land preserves the memory of Prince F.Yu. Romodanovsky, a very influential courtier during the reign of Peter I.

Local historian Nikolai Chulkov. From the series "History of the region in faces"

Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky came from an ancient noble family. The exact year and place of the prince's birth are unknown, and little information has been preserved about his early years of military service. However, as the son of a royal friend, he was at court from childhood. Fyodor Romodanovsky, among ten noblemen, was invited to his native table when the birth of Pyotr Alekseevich was celebrated. The prince was shown first and was mentioned in the boyar book as a nearby steward. The rise of Romodanovsky is associated with the first years of Peter's independent reign

The prince supported the tsar in the fight against his sister Sofia Alekseevna, and it was to him that Peter entrusted supervision of her after the princess’s imprisonment in the Novodevichy Convent. Romodanovsky also took part in all the amusing campaigns of the sovereign. Peter made Fyodor Yuryevich commander of the Preobrazhensky army during the exercises and jokingly called him “the Tsar and Sovereign of Plespurkh.” Romodanovsky quickly gained the favor and respect of the sovereign, and soon Peter even decided to leave his associate in his place. Going on the Azov campaign, Peter named Romodanovsky with the hitherto unprecedented title of Prince Caesar. “Rule Moscow, and all the boyars and judges follow him, Romodanovsky, and everyone comes to him and advises him whenever he wants.”

Prince Fyodor Yurievich Romodanovsky

Many believed that this was a comic title, as during amusing campaigns, but the prince gave no reason to doubt the seriousness of his position. The correspondence between Peter and Romodanovsky also speaks in favor of this. Peter called the prince “min herr Kenih” in his letters and showed him due respect as a ruler. For example, when the tsar dared to bow to Caesar in a letter to Streshnev, he received a reprimand from Romodanovsky and was forced to justify himself. “In the last letter, you deign to write about my guilt, that I wrote your sovereign’s faces together with others: and for that I ask forgiveness, because the shipbuilders, our brothers, are not skilled in the ranks.” In general, Peter sometimes attached excessive solemnity to Romodanovsky’s title. In his letters from campaigns and trips abroad, Peter reported to Caesar as a subordinate to the sovereign and often asked him for advice, which indicates the special trust of the sovereign in Romodanovsky.

Amusing troops of Peter

Peter valued his honesty, toughness in conducting business and the desire to achieve justice, so he was not afraid to leave his associate to rule in Moscow. Leaving for the Grand Embassy, ​​the sovereign again transferred power to Prince Caesar. During the Streletsky uprising of 1698, the granting of special powers to Romodanovsky was justified. With the help of Lefort and Gordon, he managed to suppress the rebellion of the archers, who, among the Moscow boyars, planned to deal with Romodanovsky. Prince Caesar began an investigation into the Streltsy case. However, Peter was dissatisfied with his first results, believing that Caesar did not fulfill all the sovereign’s punishments, which he had left for him before the trip in case of rebellion (“That’s not what was said in the outer courtyard in the vestibule”), and after the tsar’s return to Moscow, Romodanovsky set about deal with great zeal. Many contemporaries noted Romodanovsky’s cruelty. Even during his amusing campaigns, Boris Kurakin wrote about him: “This prince was of a particular character; looking like a monster; an evil tyrant in character; great desirer of good to anyone; drunk all day; but His Majesty was so faithful that no one else was. And for this reason, you will see below that he (Tsar Peter Alekseevich) believed in all delicate matters and entrusted his entire state.” Kurakin also noted that in the search business the prince was merciless and could attract both men and women, arrest anyone and take them into circulation. During the investigation into the Streltsy case, executions were carried out every day, and fires burned in Preobrazhenskoye. There were even rumors that Romodanovsky, together with Peter, executed the shooters with their own hands. The townspeople on the streets said: “The Emperor has been chopping sheep since his youth, and now he has strengthened that hand over the archers. On which day the sovereign and Prince Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky drink blood, on that day in those hours they are cheerful, but on which day they do not drink, and on that day they do not eat bread.” However, there is still no reliable evidence that Peter personally chopped off the heads of the rebels. It is also noteworthy that even the sovereign more than once reproached Romodanovsky for excessive cruelty.

After Peter's departure in 1699, the prince did not stop the investigation, and his powers continued to grow. From the first years of Peter's reign, Romodanovsky stood at the head of the Preobrazhensky Prikaz, and was in charge of both political and general police affairs. By decree of 1702, all people who reported “The Sovereign's word and deed” were sent to him. In detective cases, Romodanovsky knew no mercy even towards noble people and his relatives. So, when the husband of his daughter Fedosya Fedorovna Abram Lopukhin was caught in a conspiracy against the tsar, Romodanovsky did not try to stand up for him and use his power and influence, and Lopukhin was executed. But Romodanovsky’s power was not limited by the Preobrazhensky order and the search. He oversaw the trade in tobacco and the collection of tobacco duties, and was in charge of the Pharmacy and Siberian orders. As the head of the city, the prince restored Moscow after the fire of 1701. Romodanovsky was also involved in promotion to various ranks. Even Emperor Peter received his titles from Prince Caesar. So the king went to him with a request and a recommendation from Apraksin for the rank of vice admiral.

The morning of the Streltsy execution

Peter attached great importance to solemnity and ceremony in dealing with Romodanovsky. The sovereign wanted to show by such subordination to the prince-Caesar that it was necessary to respect his superior, regardless of his origin. Only talents and zeal give the right to receive ranks, and not wealth and nobility of the family, and discipline and the order of subordination should not be violated. It is possible that such veneration of Prince Caesar was also associated with the personality traits of Romodanovsky himself. In private life, Prince Fyodor Yuryevich lived the way of life of an ancient boyar. He adhered to old customs and morals, was hospitable, but demanded special respect. For example, in society everyone stood in front of him, and it was forbidden to enter his yard. Even the king, when he came to see him, left his carriage at the gate. Romodanovsky's house was located in Moscow near the Stone Bridge, with the family coat of arms adorning its pillars. And in the prince’s yard there lived tame bears, which was not surprising, given the owner’s character. By the way, despite the fact that the prince was the sovereign’s closest associate, he did not agree with him on everything. Thus, Romodanovsky opposed Peter’s marriage to Catherine.

In the second half of Peter's reign, Romodanovsky gradually faded into the background. Part of his powers was given to collegiate institutions, some of which included Prince Caesar. What remained unchanged was Romodanovsky’s power over the Preobrazhensky Prikaz, which he led until his last days. Prince Fyodor Yuryevich died at an old age on September 17, 1717. He was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. After the death of his father, his son Ivan received the title of Prince Caesar.

After the death of the Russian Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich in 1682, his stepmother, the Dowager Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina, nominated her son Peter to the throne. This event, by coincidence, did not coincide with the best of times - discontent was brewing in the Streltsy troops, which did not bode well.

At the end of the 18th century, the Streltsy were ruled by real arbitrariness: exorbitantly hard work, corporal punishment, and on top of that, the Streltsy did not receive a salary for a long time, which was not too much anyway. The boyars dissatisfied with the Naryshkins and her other opponents decided to take advantage of this. By hook or by crook, they managed to turn the archers against the future king and his mother. The main role here was played by the rumors they spread that allegedly on the instructions of the Naryshkins, Peter’s half-brother, the son from Alexei Mikhailovich’s first marriage to Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya, the feeble-minded Ivan, was killed.

On May 15, 1682, the Streltsy troops marched in an organized formation through the whole of Moscow and headed to the royal palace. The demand of the confused archers was to show them Tsarevich Ivan alive and unharmed.

"Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna shows Ivan V to the archers"
(N.D. Dmitriev-Orenburgsky, 1862)

When this was done and the conflict seemed to be settled, Prince Mikhail Dolgorukov added fuel to the fire. He began to use a whip to drive away the archers who were already ready to flare up. It was then that they remembered humiliation, corporal punishment and other insults. The uncontrollable crowd instantly grabbed hold of Dolgorukov and chopped him into small pieces. And boyar blood flowed. And although order was soon restored after the Streltsy unrest, the danger of new conspiracies still remained. For ill-wishers, the young king was still object No. 1.

It was at this time that the little-known Prince Fyodor Romodanovsky began his ascent in Russian history.

Romodanovsky's first position at court was that of a sleeper - the night guard of young Peter.
And for this in the future, Peter I generously thanked him. Fyodor Yuryevich was appointed head of the Preobrazhensky Prikaz - the future secret police of Russia. From that moment on, the prince began to enjoy not only enormous power, but also the unlimited trust of the king. When going to Europe or on military campaigns, Peter invariably left him to reign for himself.
According to military regulations, the prince had the status of generalissimo, and all military ranks were subordinate to him. You could really rely on Romodanovsky. This is how one of his contemporaries spoke of him: “... he looks like a monster, he has the disposition of an evil tyrant... but he is faithful to His Majesty like no other.”

Romodanovsky received the right to deal with all political and state criminals. Despite his high position, he spent most of his time in the so-called torture huts, looking for sedition. In those days, both children and adults were frightened by the name of the prince, and the Preobrazhensky order, headed by him, terrified not only criminals, but also all residents of Russia.

Even Peter himself more than once reproached Romodanovsky for cruelty. So in a letter dated December 22, 1697, he wrote to him from Amsterdam: “Beast! How long have you been burning people? And the wounded from you have come here...”

Romodanovsky especially distinguished himself during the suppression of the new Streltsy revolt that occurred in the summer of 1698. This time the reason was the command’s decision to send some of the archers to guard the western borders of Russia. True, this was just an excuse. If 16 years ago they came out to prevent Peter from coming to power, this time their true goal was his overthrow. Their ideological inspirer was the Tsar's half-sister Sophia, who set out to regain power.

So, in June 1698, in accordance with the order, the armed archers left the capital and headed to a new duty station. However, after a while they spat on all orders and turned towards Moscow. At the New Jerusalem Monastery, troops under the command of Romodanovsky and commanders Shein and Gordon were already waiting for deserters. The archers rushed to their heels, but the outnumbered and much better trained government troops quickly surrounded them and disarmed them. Romodanovsky, right at the scene of the fight, within a few hours, managed to carry out both the investigation and the trial. The result of such unprecedented actions was the execution of 57 instigators. All of them were suspended on rather original gallows - on cart shafts.

The Tsar was not in Moscow at that moment, and Romodanovsky was “acting”. When Peter returned to the capital, he ordered the investigation to be resumed. He decided to start it by interrogating the main instigator - his sister. His assistant and right hand, naturally, was Romodanovsky.
Despite the fact that the interrogation lasted many hours, Sophia completely denied her participation in the riot. It must be said that the terrible torture to which the rest of the riot participants were subjected was not applied to the princess. Peter simply renounced his sister, ordered her to be tonsured as a nun and left in a monastery for the rest of her life.
Princess Sophia died in the monastery under the name of nun Susanna in 1704.

"Princess Sophia in the Novodevichy Convent"
(I.E. Repin, 1879)

A terrible fate awaited the surviving archers. Additional torture chambers were equipped for them. Moreover, torture was used in any case - the accused confessed or denied his guilt. Since this was a real conveyor belt of death, torture was not varied. First, the prisoner, with his hands tied behind his back, was pulled up on the rack, then they began to torture him with hot metal tongs. Those who continued to persist were hung by their ribs on a metal hook. True, there were very few of them - most of the archers already at the beginning of the execution admitted that they intended to overthrow the tsar in conspiracy with Princess Sophia. All of them inevitably faced a death sentence.

It was a mass execution, and it consisted of several stages.
Each execution looked unusually ominous.

"Morning of the Streltsy Execution"
(V.I. Surikov, 1881)

Its first stage took place on September 30, 1698. On this day, the prisoners were taken to Red Square, where 200 Streltsy heads were cut off at Lobnoye Mesto in front of a large crowd of people. However, there were not enough wooden blocks for such a massive execution, and Romodanovsky ordered the use of ordinary long logs. Several dozen people were beheaded at once in a conveyor belt fashion.
The executioners on this day were not only professional scaffold masters - the heads of the archers were cut off by the tsar himself, as well as by his right hand, Romodanovsky. True, unlike regular executioners, the heads of the condemned did not always fly off after the first blow of their axes.
What can I say? In the end, an executioner is also a profession, and Tsar Peter and Romonanovsky are executioners at heart, but they still did not have enough practice in this. How can one not recall the famous quatrain of V. Vishnevsky:

"The executioner knows no rest,
But still, damn it
Working outdoors
Working with people..."

The execution continued on October 11. This time two long thick logs were used, on each of which the heads of 25 people rested. Like last time, both the Tsar and Romodanovsky took part in the execution. Tired of swinging an ax, the king turned to the crowd with a request to replace him. And they were found...

Soon several barrels of vodka were rolled out onto Red Square, and the execution turned into a real orgy. Intoxicated spectators approached the blood-stained logs and took up heavy axes. They no longer cared whose heads fell at their feet. After this, Peter approached them and joyfully presented one or another gift. This whole nightmare lasted for almost a week.

The third stage of the bloody drama took place in February 1699. It differed from the previous ones in that heads were no longer chopped off here. The rebels were simply hanged on the walls of the Novodevichy Convent.
The execution this time had another great significance: Princess Sophia was kept within the walls of this monastery. The sight of two hundred hanged men, whose corpses hung on the walls of the monastery until the beginning of spring, spoke for itself.

The chief executioner of Peter I, Fyodor Romodanovsky, who in his bloodiness probably surpassed the famous executioner of Ivan the Terrible, Malyuta Skuratov, is for some reason much less known as a mass murderer than the actual head of the oprichnina.
Why?
And in all likelihood, because in our historiography and in the public historical consciousness the role of the first Russian Tsar and the first Russian Emperor is assessed differently. Ivan IV, unfortunately, is perceived for the most part as a bloody tyrant and villain. Whereas Peter I is like the greatest reformer.
But is this really so? Or again, are the notorious “double standards” at work here?

Prince Caesar Fyodor Romodanovsky was the head of the Preobrazhensky Prikaz until his death in 1717. He died at the age of 77, quite respectable for that time. But he was replaced in this post by his son, Ivan Fedorovich, who continued the work of his father (the Preobrazhensky order was abolished only in 1726, but continued its activities under other names - the Preobrazhensky Office, the Office of Secret and Investigative Affairs, etc.).

Thank you for attention.
Sergey Vorobiev.

. Biography

Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky (c. 1640 - September 17 (September 28) 1717) - prince, Russian statesman. Close associate of Peter I from the mid-1680s. In 1686-1717, the head of the Preobrazhensky order of investigative cases, in addition, led the Siberian and Apothecary orders. The first in Russia to formally receive from the hands of the sovereign the highest rank that stood outside the system of officer ranks was the Generalissimo in 1694 (amusement troops?).
Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky came from an old family of princes of Starodub, who, in turn, descended from Rurik through Vsevolod the Big Nest and his son Ivan Vsevolodovich, who received from his brother, Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, the inheritance of Starodub. The great-great-grandson of this Prince Ivan, Prince Fyodor Andreevich Starodubsky, had a son, Prince Vasily Romodanovsky. The Velvet Book records: The fifth son of Prince Fyodor, Prince Andreev's son Starodubsky, Prince Vasily Fedorovich Romodanovsky (it is not entirely clear where the surname Romodanovsky came from) had children.
Thus, Prince Vasily Fedorovich Starodubsky, a direct descendant of Rurik, who lived in the second half of the 15th century, was the first to be called and spelled Romodanovsky. Fyodor Yuryevich's father was first a steward, and later a boyar. From an early age, Prince Fedor, being the son of a close associate of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, was at court. When the birth of Pyotr Alekseevich was celebrated in 1672, Prince Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky was the first to be shown among the ten noblemen invited to his home table in the Faceted Chamber. In the boyar book at this time he is written as a nearby steward.
The sharp rise of Romodanovsky occurs in the first years of the independent reign of Peter I. The prince supported the young tsar in the fight against his sister Sophia; It was he who was entrusted with the supervision of the princess imprisoned in the Novodevichy Convent. Having stood at the head of the Preobrazhensky Prikaz, Romodanovsky participated in all of Peter’s undertakings, starting with his “amusing campaigns.” A sign of the tsar’s trust in Romodanovsky was that, when setting off on the Azov campaign, he left him in his place in Moscow with the hitherto unprecedented title of Prince Caesar:
An indicative point is Peter’s extensive correspondence with the prince, in which the tsar mentions all the most important issues of domestic and foreign policy, without being afraid to ask Romodanov’s advice and addresses his letters to “Sovereign Prince Fyodor Yuryevich.” Romodanovsky, like Field Marshal Count Boris Sheremetev, had the right to enter the office of Peter I at any time without a report.
Fyodor Yurievich Romodanovsky played a decisive role in suppressing the Streletsky revolt of 1698. In 1701, after a severe fire that devastated Moscow, Prince Fyodor Yuryevich was engaged in rebuilding the capital entrusted to him.
In private life, Fyodor Yuryevich lived the way of life of an ancient boyar, loved and respected old morals and adhered to ancient customs; He was hospitable, but demanded special respect from everyone. In society, everyone stood in front of him. “No one dared to enter his yard; the Tsar himself left his one-wheeled carriage at his gate.” The house of Prince Romodanovsky was located in Moscow, on Mokhovaya, near the Kamenny Bridge; on its pillars there was an image of the family coat of arms of the Romodanovsky princes: a black winged dragon in a golden field.
The closest executor of Peter's plans, Fyodor Yuryevich, did not always approve of his actions: for example, he did not welcome Peter's marriage to Catherine. This is explained by the fact that his daughter Fedosya Fedorovna was the wife of Tsarevich Alexei’s uncle, brother of the first wife Evdokia Fedorovna.
Since Romodanovsky’s son Ivan was married to Anastasia Fedorovna Saltykova, the sister of the wife of Tsar Ivan V, Fyodor Yuryevich was a close relative of Peter I; Ivan's daughter - Golovkina Ekaterina Ivanovna.
Another son of Fyodor Yuryevich was Ivan Fedorovich, who inherited the title of Prince Caesar and became the last male representative of the Romodanovsky family.
Prince Romodanovsky died at an old age, on September 17, 1717; buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Perhaps the only contemporary who left a subjective review of the character and activities of Prince Romodanovsky was B.I. Kurakin, who mentioned him in his “Historia about Tsar Peter Alekseevich and those close to him”:
This prince was of a particular nature; looking like a monster; an evil tyrant in character; great desirer of good to anyone; drunk all day; but His Majesty was faithful in a way that no one else was.
We will also mention the power of him, Romodanovsky, which belongs to the search, betrayal, arguments, before anyone of any quality and person, female or male, could take anyone into the search, arrest, and search, and on the search accomplish.