#history Family reigning in Russia from 1613 to the 1917 Revolution. It was a noble family of Lithuanian origin, established in Moscow since the 14th century. They took their name from a 16th-century ancestor, Roman Yurev, whose daughter Anastasia married Ivan IV the Terrible.

They gained influence during the years of anarchy that followed Ivan's death (1584). And in 1613 a noble assembly elected Ivan's nephew (and grandson of Roman Yurev), Michael III (1613-45), king, with whom the dynasty began. Initially, they did not have an established rule of succession, so they merely followed the custom of leaving the Throne to the king's firstborn son or closest male relative. Thus, Miguel was succeeded by his son Alejo I (1645-76) and his grandson Teodoro III (1676-82).

The Romanovs