- Fyodor Rtishchev
Feodor Alekseyevich Rtishchev (1625-1673) was a
boyar and an intimate friend ofAlexis I of Russia who was renowned for his piety and alms-deeds.As Rtischev eschewed publicity, the true extent of his influence on the
Tsar 's policies has been disputed by historians. It is thought that it was Rtischev who instigated the revision of service-books which led to the Great Schism of theRussian Orthodox Church . Some scholars also hold him responsible for the eventual downfall ofPatriarch Nikon .During the great
famine inVologda (1650), Rtischev sold much of his property, including clothes and house utensils, in order to raise funds for the famine-stricken city. He took care for all the wounded in the Russo-Polish wars, notwithstanding their nationality, and established several alms-houses inMoscow .Remembered as the earliest patron of Russian education, Rtischev founded one of the first schools in Moscow, where he invited
Yepifany Slavinetsky to instruct the students inGreek language . Rtischev's school would later be transformed into theSlavic Greek Latin Academy .It is known that Rtischev survived several assassination attempts, and wrote a treatise on
falconry . His biography was written byVasily Klyuchevsky .Fyodor was a relative of Ustinia Bogdanovna Rtishcheva and her daughter
Eudoxia Lopukhina . Eudoxia was chosen byNatalia Naryshkina as the firstTsarina for her sonPeter I of Russia due to her relation to Fyodor.
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