In March 1613, a sixteen-year-old youth, Mikhail Romanov, agreed to rule the Russian kingdom and was named sovereign. Thus, the country, torn at that time by wars and turmoil, fell under the rule of a man deprived of state wisdom and any military talents.
Unfortunately, a lot of documentary evidence about the election of Michael to the kingdom was subject to thorough editing or destroyed. However, one can trace the real course of events according to surviving evidence, for example, "The Tale of the Zemsky Sobor 1613."
In October 1612, Cossack detachments of Prince Trubetskoy and the militia led by Dmitry Pozharsky stormed Kitai-Gorod. The fate of the Polish garrison was a foregone conclusion. First, the Russian boyars left the Kremlin, who had sworn allegiance to the Polish prince earlier (Pozharsky promised them immunity). Among them was young Mikhail with his mother, who went to his patrimony near Kostroma. He folded his arms and left the Kremlin with a Polish garrison.
It is not clear what Trubetskoy and Pozharsky were guided when they refused to prosecute the traitors, but it was this circumstance that created the prerequisites for the further development of events. Power in this period belonged to the triumvirate, consisting of Minin, Pozharsky and Trubetskoy. However, Prince Dmitry Pozharsky became the formal head of state. But this was prevented by an unforgivable mistake on his part - the dissolution of the militia. The main military force then became the troops of Dmitry Trubetskoy, held in Moscow by the opportunity to thoroughly profit.
The main task was the election of a new king. At a meeting of the Moscow estates, it was decided to convene deputies from all classes at the Zemsky Sobor, with the exception of monastic and boyar peasants. The work of the Cathedral, which was attended by about 800 people, was attended by many boyars, who had sworn allegiance to Vladislav earlier. They put pressure under which the candidates of Trubetskoy and Pozharsky were blocked. One of the two groups formed at the Council nominated a foreigner - the Swedish prince Karl Philip, the other advocated the election of the sovereign from among the Russian candidates. Pozharsky supported the first candidacy.
As a result, the Council decided to choose a ruler from among Russian candidates: boyars, princes, Tatar princes. For a long time it was not possible to achieve unity. Then they nominated Mikhail Romanov, who was actively supported by the Cossacks.
Adherents of Pozharsky suggested discussing the candidates with Muscovites and residents of nearby regions, taking a two-week break in the work of the Cathedral. This was a strategic mistake, since the boyar group with the Cossacks had much more opportunities for organizing agitation. The main campaign was launched for Mikhail Romanov. The boyars believed that they would be able to keep him under their influence, since he is very young and inexperienced, and most importantly, free from the oath of Vladislav. The main argument of the boyars is the dying wish of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich to transfer the rule to his relative, Patriarch Filaret (Fyodor Romanov). The patriarch was languishing now in Polish captivity, and therefore it was necessary to give the throne to his only heir - Mikhail Romanov.
In the morning, on election day, Cossacks and commoners rallied, demanding the election of Michael. Perhaps the rally was skillfully organized and subsequently became the main argument for the assertion that the candidacy of Romanov was put forward publicly. After the election of Mikhail Romanov as king, they sent letters of notification to all ends of the Russian land.
