thorities of the country, and kept for a time in strict
subjection to them, finally became too powerful to be held any longer
under control, and they made their own leading general emperor for many
successive reigns, thus wholly subverting the republic which originally
organized and maintained them.

It was such a military body as this which now possessed great influence
and power at Moscow. The Princess Sophia, knowing how important it would
be to her to secure the influence of such a power upon her side, paid
great attention to the officers, and omitted nothing in her power which
was calculated to increase her popularity with the whole corps. The
result was that the Guards became her friends, while a great many of the
old nobles were suspicious and jealous of her, and were beginning to
devise means to curtail her increasing influence.

But, notwithstanding all that they could do, the influence of Sophia
increased continually, until the course of public affairs came to be, in
fact, almost entirely under her direction. The chief minister of state
was a certain Prince Galitzin, who was almost wholly devoted to her
interests. Indeed, it was through her influence that he was appointed to
his office. Things continued in this state for about six years, and
then, at length, Theodore was taken suddenly sick. It soon became
evident that he could not live. On his dying bed he designated Peter as
his successor, passing over his brother John. The reason for this was
that John was so extremely feeble and infirm that he seemed to be wholly
unfit to reign over such an empire. Besides various other maladies under
which he suffered, he was afflicted with epilepsy, a disease which
rendered it wholly unsuitable that he should assume any burdens whatever
of responsibility and care.

It is probable that it was through the influence of some of the nobles
who were opposed to Sophia that Theodore was induced thus to designate
Peter as his successor. However this may be, Peter, though then only ten
years old, was proclaimed emperor by the nobles immediately after
Theodore's death. Sophia was much disappointed, and became greatly
indignant at these proceedings. John was her own brother, while Peter,
being a son of the second wife, was only her half-brother. John, too, on
account of his feeble health, would probably never be able to take any
charge of the government, and she thought that, if he had been allowed to
succeed Theodore