Russian philology
On 29 January 1676, Tsar
Alexis died, leaving the sovereignty to Peter's elder half-brother, the weak and sickly Feodor
III of Russia. Throughout this period, the government was largely run by Artamon Matveev,
an enlightened friend of Alexis, the political head of the Naryshkin family and one of Peter's
greatest childhood benefactors.
This position changed when Feodor died in 1682. As Feodor did not leave any children, a
dispute arose between the Miloslavsky family (Maria Miloslavskaya was the first wife of
Alexis I) and Naryshkin family (Natalya Naryshkina was the second wife) over who should
inherit the throne. Peter's other half-brother, Ivan V of Russia, was next in line for the throne,
but he was chronically ill and of infirm mind. Consequently, the Boyar Duma (a council of
Russian nobles) chose the 10-year-old Peter to become Tsar with his mother as regent.
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