Tsar Alexei strangely asked Naxiaokin, his imperial minister, that he had just finished dealing with the aftermath of the "Copper Coin Riot" and appeasing the Don Cossacks, and there was nothing left for him to do, so he signaled him to resign. Unexpectedly, he refused to leave.
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"Your Majesty, Patriarch Nikon has made some remarks recently that I feel are inappropriate and I dare not not report them," Na Xiaojin said in a low voice.
"Oh, tell me." The young tsar frowned upon hearing this.
"He compared the power of the church to the sun, and the power of the czar to the moon. What he said: 'Since the power of the church is directly granted by God, it has decisive and eternal significance; secular power is secondary,
Temporary'".
"Huh," the Tsar snorted, stared at Naxiaojin, and asked, "What do you think of his words?"
Na Xiaokin didn't even think about it and answered directly: "I believe that the great Tsar is the representative of God in the world. Only when Russia is surrounded by the Tsar's wings can Russia become a respected power." This man was born in Austria.
The impoverished landowning family of Bokach owes its current status to the Czar's appreciation. When the monarchy and theocracy conflicted, they naturally stood clearly on the side of the monarchy.
"Well, you are very kind and loyal to me. Unlike Nikon, I helped him to become the Patriarch, but he unexpectedly used the church to oppose me. Damn it!" the Tsar said angrily.
Hearing the Tsar's praise of his loyalty, Na Xiaojin felt happy and lowered his head.
Alexei stood up angrily and stared at his throne. There was an inscription engraved on it, "Alexei, the invincible and powerful emperor of Moscow." This inscription was from when he first came to the throne, he ambitiously ordered
It was carved by my hands. Every time I see this inscription, I gain infinite strength.
For a long time, the Tsar slowly said to himself: "This person cannot be kept, so we must find a way to get rid of him."
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Among Russian monasteries, the New Jerusalem Monastery has a special status. It is the product of the "Third Rome Theory".
That year, the Ottoman Turks captured Byzantium, and the "Second Rome" came to an end. Ivan III of the Principality of Muscovy married the niece of the last Byzantine emperor, and thus had the ambition to succeed and restore the Roman Empire, calling himself Tsar (the title of the head of the Eastern Roman Empire)
Since then, the Russian Orthodox Church has been advocating the theory of the "Third Rome". The theologian Philofey threatened: "Moscow is the great world capital, the successor of ancient Rome and Constantinople, and the new world.
Center".
With the support of this theory, Russia continued to expand, expand, and expand again, becoming a greedy polar bear.
The fifty-eight-year-old Patriarch Nikon was a loyal supporter of this theory. He believed that since Moscow is the center of the world, a new Orthodox holy place should be built in Moscow. Therefore, he built the New Jerusalem Monastery with his own hands. Patriarch Nikon walked into the chapel on the first level of the New Jerusalem Monastery, passed through the small door that could only accommodate one person, and entered the underground via the long stairs. There was a small altar and holy water inside. He prayed devoutly for a long time before returning.
On the ground.
He was born in an ordinary peasant family in Moldova. He entered a monastery at the age of twelve and became a priest at the age of nineteen. Later he married a wife and had a son. When he was thirty, his son died. He was so disheartened that he abandoned his wife and became a monk in Moscow. He became a monk at the age of forty.
When he was one year old, he became the abbot of the Kozheozerski Monastery.
According to the usual practice, the newly appointed abbot of the monastery went to Moscow to meet the Tsar. As soon as they met, they won the world. Father Nikon left an excellent impression on the young Tsar Alexei, thinking that he was a learned and talented man.
Nikon was also impressed by the Tsar's talent and strategy, and vowed to serve the Tsar's dream of a powerful country.
With the support of the Tsar, Father Nikon rose to prominence and became the Patriarch of Russia, and the Orthodox Church also became a strong supporter of the Tsar.
Nikon is an ambitious man. In the Orthodox Church, the Patriarch of Constantinople is the first of all patriarchs and is known as the Universal Patriarch. He wants to go to Constantinople and become the Universal Patriarch. To achieve this
This goal must allow the Russian Church to be recognized by the Orthodox world, and therefore it must be reformed.
He introduced Greek religious rituals and scriptures, changed the pattern of the sign of the cross from two fingers to three, unified the religious rituals of churches across Russia, strengthened religious education for the people, and advocated strict religious life
, and translated a large number of religious books.
The Tsar trusted him very much and summoned him to the Kremlin every Friday to discuss national affairs. During the Polish War, the Tsar led the army on an expedition, and he handled national affairs for the Tsar, earning him the title of "Great Monarch".
If it ends here, Nikon's political career will be extremely prominent.
Unfortunately, he was not satisfied. He advocated "the supremacy of divine power" and believed that divine power was higher than imperial power. He compared the power of the patriarch to the sun and the power of the tsar to the moon. The moon's light comes from the sun, and the tsar's power comes from the patriarch. Therefore, the tsar
He had no right to offend the Patriarch. Only the church courts had the right to judge clergy. He even asked the Czar to ask the Czar to hold palm branches when the crowd welcomed Jesus into the city on Palm Sunday (also known as the Feast of the Entry of the Lord into the Holy City).
The Patriarch's horse was pulled around the church to show that the political power was subordinate to the religious power.
Good guy, how can you bear this? Tsar Alexei was so angry that he ordered the execution of a priest, thinking that the priest was "a person who hates God and Christ, a paranoid Satan, and a damned enemy."
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This was a demonstration against the church! The contradiction between the two could not be reconciled. Nikon insisted that the tsar had no right to interfere with religious affairs, and threatened to resign as patriarch. He took off his patriarchal robes, left Moscow, and rushed to the Resurrection Monastery in New Jerusalem.<
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He believed that the young tsar relied on the support of the church to carry out reforms, and could not manage the government without the patriarch himself. This move was to retreat in order to advance.
Unfortunately, his opponent was "Alexei, the invincible and powerful emperor of Moscow." The young tsar made a decisive decision and banned Nikon from returning to the Patriarch's residence, appointed a new person to manage the Patriarch's affairs, and threatened to put Nikon on trial.
The two sides have been at a stalemate for several years.
"Patriarch, bishops from all over the country are here. They requested to convene a religious meeting to restore your status as patriarch." After praying, a confidant reported to Nikon.
"Well, let's get started." Nikon waved his hand and gave the order. Since the Tsar refused to reinstate himself, he would reinstate himself.
Therefore, the supporters held a religious meeting and declared that the tsar had no right to judge Nikon, and that only the universal patriarchs had the right to judge Nikon. Nikon resigned without the consent of the tsar.
His supporters held rallies in support of the Patriarch across the country.
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"Let's talk about it, what should I do?" In the Kremlin, Tsar Alexei stared at Morozov, Grand Duke Miloslavsky, Nakshakin, Golitsyn, Shaklovitz and others with bright eyes.
Confidant asked.
"Your Majesty, Nikon's behavior is treason and he should be arrested immediately." His old father-in-law, Grand Duke Miloslavsky, took the lead in expressing his loyalty. He was the father-in-law of the Tsar. He suffered both losses and prosperity.
"I am willing to capture the traitors for Your Majesty," the army generals Golitsyn and Shaklovitz also said in unison. They were the trusted confidants of the Tsar, and they naturally had to contribute to their lord at critical moments.
After all, Morozov was wily and cunning, "Your Majesty, Nikon is the Patriarch after all. I suggest that you go to Greece to invite the Patriarch of the Alexandria Orthodox Church and the Patriarch of the Antioch Orthodox Church to come to Moscow to convene a religious conference to condemn and judge him."
"Well, your method is good and will not cause great turmoil." Tsar Alexei nodded.
"Your Majesty, Nikon has many followers. Arresting him directly may trigger a civil uprising. It is better for me to go see him. Assuming that you agree with his reinstatement, ask him to negotiate with the Kremlin and lure him into the palace before arresting him. This will be more stable."
Xiao Jin offered a strategy. This young courtier had previously shown diplomatic skills in negotiations with the Poles, and now he showed political strategy.
The Tsar nodded, "That's how it will be handled. I'm tired, so please step aside."
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Na Xiaokin came to the Russian Orthodox Holy Land: New Jerusalem Monastery and met Patriarch Nikon.
When he saw that he was a courtier of the Tsar, Nikon was very polite and asked, "Why has His Majesty sent you here?"
"His Majesty has agreed to your reinstatement, but there are still some details that he wants to discuss with you. He has specially sent me to invite you to the Kremlin for discussion."
"You can't go, Patriarch, for fear of being ambushed," several confidants advised.
Nikon was a little suspicious, "Since Your Majesty agrees to my reinstatement, why bother to discuss it?"
Na Xiaojin smiled and said, "Your Majesty is a majesty. If the Patriarch wants to be reinstated, he must go to the Kremlin to beg for mercy. Only in this way can His Majesty's dignity be preserved. Why, doesn't the Patriarch even give you this face?"
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Nikon understood that the Tsar wanted to give in but was afraid of embarrassment, so he wanted to ask him to save face. He didn't think much about the rest. Russia is an Orthodox Christian country, and he is the dignified patriarch. How dare they send troops to arrest him?
Can’t do it on your own?
He readily agreed and followed Xiaojin into the palace.
Na Xiaojin suddenly pointed towards a side hall and said, "Your Majesty is right there, please help yourself."
Nikon Shiran walked towards the side hall. As soon as he entered the hall, he was tied up tightly by several Russian strongmen.
Then came the religious council, or religious trial. Not many local priests attended the meeting, but there were two patriarchs of the Greek church. Everyone severely condemned Nikon and officially announced that he would be revoked from his position as patriarch.
He was exiled to the Firabotov Monastery in the White Lake region in the north.
Although Nikon was taken to the Firabotov Monastery, the conflict between Tsar Alexei and the Orthodox Church continued. In order to appease the church, the Tsar made corresponding concessions to the Russian Orthodox Church, such as canceling the rules set by the Tsar.
Manage the church's monastery office, approve the restoration of the Orthodox Patriarchal Court, etc.
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After dealing with Nikon, the Tsar focused his attention on Siberia.
He ordered Prince Vasilyevich Golitsyn, Director of the New Training Regiment Shaklovitz, and Director of the Shooting Military Administration Khovansky to lead 4,000 new training regiments and 4,000 shooting corps to reinforce Nerchinsk.
