Russia Under Two Tsars, 1682-1689

Russia under Two Tsars, 1682–1689: The Regency of Sophia Alekseevna by C. Bickford O’Brien reexamines a pivotal but often overlooked era in Russian history. Long overshadowed by the towering figure of Peter the Great, the years of Sophia’s regency have typically been portrayed as a twilight period of weak governance and military failure. O’Brien challenges this view, showing instead that Sophia presided over a government of unusual distinction that pursued ambitious reforms at home and skillful diplomacy abroad. Her regency witnessed efforts to stimulate education, broaden intellectual horizons, reform land tenure and trade, and reduce dependence on foreign industry—initiatives that anticipated changes often attributed solely to Peter’s reign.

On the international stage, Sophia’s government negotiated the Treaty of “Eternal Peace” with Poland and the Treaty of Nerchinsk with China, marking significant steps in Russia’s emergence as a major Eurasian power. These achievements unfolded against a backdrop of factional court politics, religious conflict, and growing pressure from both domestic unrest and foreign wars. O’Brien situates Sophia at the center of these dynamics, restoring her to her rightful place as a ruler of consequence whose vision and policies shaped Russia’s trajectory on the eve of Peter’s rise. Drawing on Russian and Western sources, this study dismantles outdated assumptions and offers a nuanced portrait of a regency too often dismissed as a mere prelude to greatness. It reveals Sophia’s rule as a decisive chapter in Russia’s transformation from a Muscovite state into a power with broader cultural and geopolitical ambitions.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1951.