House Romanov

House Romanov was the ruling dynasty of Russia from 1613 to 1762 starting with Michael I of Russia and ending with Elizabeth I of Russia.

As Nobles
The Romanov family were nobles at first. Their fate sored when Anastasia Romanovna married Tsar Ivan IV. However Anastasia's death from suspicious circumstances could have caused Ivan IV's reign of terror over Russia after his personality changed completely. Ivan IV was succeeded by Feodor, who ruled Russia until his death in 1598 which sparked the Time of Troubles to come around. During the time of troubles Boris Godunov was elected as Tsar of Russia by the national assembly. Fyodor Romanov was forced to become a monk under the name of Filaret by Boris Godunov while his wife Xenia would become a nun, under the name of Martha. Other members of the Romanov family would be exiled to other parts of Russia where they would die from the cold, starvation or disease. False Dimitri I had Filaret made Metropolitan of Rostov. False Dimitri II elected Filaret as Patriarch of Russia, although his power was limited to the tiny stretch of land that recognized False Dimitri II as their ruler.

Succession
The Time of Troubles ended in 1613 when Mikhail Romanov, son of Filaret, was elected as Tsar of Russia by the National Assembly. At the time Filaret was being held captive by the Polish King, Sigismund III Vasa and wasn't told that his son had been made Tsar of All Russia. The Truce of Deulino had Filaret freed from Polish hands where he was made Patriarch of Russia by Michael I. The House of Romanov remained firmly in power, following an eldest son line as descendants of Michael I. Alexis I, son of Michael, succeeded his father to the Russian throne after his death. The House of Romanov became the Russian Imperial Family when Peter I established the Russian Empire after he had gained the status of a Central European Power for the Russian Tsardom. The Romanov Dynasty ended in 1762 when Peter the Great's daughter Elizabeth of Russia died. Her successor was Peter III, who was of the House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov, a cadet branch of the parent Romanovs.