“Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content. But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War 

Russia recovered quickly in the reign of Tzar Mikhail but when he died it was still far from the superpower it was destined to become. It was Mikhail’s son Alexei who would take the nation from regional to European power. He could permanently cripple the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Russia’s age old enemy and lead the nation through a religious crisis and numerous peasant revolts. Alexei would make Russia worthy of the title "The Third Rome". Despite his success, his legacy would result in further instability for Russia but that instability would lead to the coronation of one of Russia’s greatest leaders, Alexei’s youngest son, Peter.

Image: Portrait of Tzar Alexei, 1675, artist unknown. On display at the Hermitage.