Aleksei Mikhailovich the Tishayshy (1629–1676) was the second Russian Tsar of the House of Romanov, the son of Mikhail Fedorovich and his second wife, Evdokia.
This historical novel by the well-known Russian writer Vladislav Bakhrevsky is devoted to the first period of the reign of Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich. On the pages of the novel, a wide, multicolored picture of Russian life unfolds: the hidden life and intrigues of the royal court; the everyday life of Moscow’s посад; the first decisive steps of Abbot Nikon and of the priest Avvakum in the field of Orthodox reform; the war over Little Russia and the “frost rebellion” with its Salt Riot. Finally, the author provides an original version of the chain of events that led the country to the uprising of Stepan Razin and the religious schism.