Alexandrovskaya Sloboda

Alexandrovskaya Sloboda

Alexandrovskaya Sloboda – oprichnaya capital of Ivan the Terrible, was located on the site of the modern city of Alexandrov. It was founded by the Grand Prince of Moscow Vasily III, who ordered to build a palace here.

History of Alexandrovskaya Sloboda

The beginning of the oprichnina can be considered December 1564, when the Moscow sovereign Ivan Vasilyevich suddenly and secretly left the capital, departing for an unknown destination. He left with his second wife Maria Temryukovna and his children, taking with him the state treasury, personal library, revered icons and symbols of power, and stayed in his fiefdom Alexander Sloboda. From there he sent two letters to Moscow. In the first, addressed to the clergy and the Boyar Duma, he reported his rejection of royal power because of the treason of the boyars and humbly asked to allocate him a special inheritance, the oprichnina. This very concept did not mean anything bad in principle and came from the root “oprich”, which meant “widow’s inheritance”, which was allocated to the family of the deceased prince for subsistence. In the second message the tsar addressed the people of the capital, informing about his decision and adding that he had no claims to ordinary townspeople.

During the Time of Troubles, Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda became a theater of war and suffered greatly. Wooden buildings were burned down. Stone ones suffered, but less. To use the remaining premises, in 1651 on the territory of the Kremlin was opened the Holy Dormition Maiden Convent (now active). Many of the buildings were restored, but partially remodeled to suit their new purpose.

During the Soviet era, Alexandrov was among the cities of the notorious “101st kilometer”, within the radius of which unwanted elements were expelled from Moscow. However, the tradition of expulsion to this area began as early as Peter the Great. He sent his half-sister Tsarevna Marfa Alekseevna to the monastery for supporting the rebellious Tsarevna Sophia. Marfa was tonsured under the name of Margarita and died here. Later, Peter’s daughter Elizaveta was exiled to the Alexander Sloboda for 10 years under Anna Ioannovna. But from the monk’s clobuk she was saved … Biron. And she, as a secular person, lived outside the walls of the monastery. It was from here, after the palace coup d’état, she left to be crowned king.

Interesting facts

• In Alexandrovskaya Sloboda, first for Ivan the Terrible and then for his son Ivan, bride parties were organized, ending with lavish weddings
.
• In Alexandrovskaya Sloboda Ivan IV in a fit of anger wounded his son Ivan.
The palace in Alexandrovskaya Sloboda was organized for Ivan the Terrible.
• The palace in Alexandrovskaya Sloboda was built by the same Russian and Italian craftsmen who built the Moscow Kremlin.
.
• From Alexandrovskaya Sloboda Ivan IV went on a campaign to free Veliky Novgorod.
.
• In the Alexander Sloboda lived the best architects, icon painters, musicians, as well as the first Russian conservatory and the first provincial printing house were created.
.
• At the sovereign’s court there was a book-painting workshop, where the Lyceum Chronicle was published.