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Sophia was born in October, 1658. Her father, Alexey Michaelovitch, was twicemarried j by his firft wife Maria Ilinitchna, of the family of Milolaffki, he had Feodor,Ivan, and feveral Princeffes, among whom was Sophia ; and Peter the Great by hisfecond wife-Natalia Kirilofna, of the family of Narilkin. During Maria’s life, her familyenjoyed confiderable influence; but after her deceafe, and upon Alexey’s tnarriage withNatalia, their power was eclipfed by the fuperior afcendancy of the Narifldns. Hencetwo parties were formed at court, and perpetual quarrels took place between the chil-dren of Alexey by his firft wife, and their ftep-mother Natalia. During this period,Ivan Michaelovitch Milolaffki, the head of that family, endeavoured fecretly to under-mine the Narilkins : he attributed to their influence the increafe of the taxes, and the-delay in paying the troops, and reproached them as the authors of all the grievanceswhich were urged againft the government of Alexey. By thefe and other artifices helaboured to render them unpopular; and having gained a large body of Strelitz *,waited for a favourable opportunity to execute his defigns f. On the accefliori of Feo-dor, his relations, the family of Milolaffki, re-afiumed their importance, and the Narif-kins were excluded from all fhare in the adminiftration- of affairs.
Sophia gained the affeftion of her brother Feodor, by the fuperiority of her under-ftanding, infinuating addrefs, and unwearied attention during his long illnefs. To herthe Tzar , whofe infirmities rendered him unfit to govern, refigned the direction of af-fairs, and at her fuggeftion, placed his foie confidence in Prince Vaflili Galitzin, a noble-man who had greatly diftinguifhed himfelf under the reign of Alexey Michaelovitch, forhis political abilities.
Feodor dying without iffue, April 1682, Ivan his brother, and rightful heir of thethrone, was excluded from the fucceffion on account of his incapacity, and his half-brother Peter declared Tzar. In regard to this event, the partizans of Peter endea-voured to eftablifh two pofitions : 1. That he was raifed to this dignity, in confequenceof Feodor’s exprefs appointment; and 2. By the unanimous voice of the nation.
With refpeft to the firft pofition, the nomination of Peter j ; when we confider thatFeodor was governed by Sophia and his own family, it is not probable, that he fhouldaft in direft oppofition to their interefts ; and enfure, by the nomination of Peter , theadminiftration of affairs to the Narifkins. This ftate of the cafe has been lately eftab-lifhed by a Ruffian hiftorian §, who informs us, from the authority of authentic recordsthat Peter did not owe his elevation to any declaration of Feodor in his favour, but to
3. Voltaire has contributed more than any other writer to fpread reports injurious to Sophia ; but thetruth of his narrative of her rife, adminiftration, and fall, is liable to the flrongelt objections : he drawsmany fa£ts, urged againft Sophia, from the work of the fuppofed Polifh envoy, La Neuville , which ha®been fhown to Be of no authority, and extra&s che remainder almoft foleiy from certain memoirs, whichwere tranfmitted to him by order of the Emprefs Elizabeth, Peter ’s daughter.
But the violent prepoffeffions conceived againft the memory of tips unfortunate Princefs begin to fubfide.Muller has ventured to juftify her chaiafter in fome inftances ; the author of the “ Antidote to the Abbede Chappe’s Journey into Siberia, ” fpeaks of her in a favourable manner; and L’Evefque has evidentlyIhown, that her charafter has been grofsly mifreprefented. I had already finifhed this chapter, as well asthe laft, before his hiftory made its appearance, and though the arguments of that judicious hiftorian had no{hare in forming, they certainly confirmed my opinion in favour of Sophia.
* The Ruffian regiments of guards were called Strelitz, or Strelcfi, until they were fuppreffed, and thename abolilhed by Peter the Great .
f Sumorokof’s Aufruehr der Strelitzen, p. 4.
■j “ Feodor avant d’expirer, voyant que fon frere Ivan, trop difgracie de la nature, etait incapable^regner, nomma pour fieritier des Ruffes fon fecond frere Pierre,” &c. Voltaire .
•5 Prince Sherebatof. See Bach. Ruff. Bib. vol. v. p. 502.
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