Metamorphoses of Power (Macht). Religious and secular elites in the Moscow multi-ethnic state of the 17th century

In the Russian multi-ethnic state of the 17th century, the legitimacy of the sole power of the tsars was based on the idea of Moscow's Byzantine heritage, but in many respects, the design of the rule was based on models of Mongolian origin. Although the Russian tsars liked to stage themselves as autocrats, their position depended heavily on the elite groups at court, especially the Russian Orthodox Church, the boyars and the middle and co-opted nobility. The project investigates the complex influences of the Moscow elites on reign and focuses on the forms of female power in the strongly patriarchal society of Muscovy.