Alexis of Russia vs Talal of Jordan

Alexis issued the Sobornoye Ulozheniye (Council Code), a comprehensive legal code that codified serfdom by eliminating the statute of limitations for the return of fugitive peasants. This code remained in effect until 1832.

Alexis launched a war against Poland-Lithuania to claim Ukraine. Russian forces captured Smolensk, Vilnius, and much of Lithuania. The war ended with the Truce of Andrusovo in 1667, which ceded Smolensk and left-bank Ukraine to Russia.

Alexis agreed to the Pereyaslavl Agreement, placing the Zaporozhian Cossack Hetmanate under Russian protection. This led to the Russo-Polish War and eventually brought left-bank Ukraine and Kiev under Russian control.

Alexis's government issued copper coins to replace silver, causing inflation and economic crisis. A mob of thousands marched on Moscow demanding punishment of officials. The uprising was brutally suppressed, with hundreds killed.

Alexis supported Patriarch Nikon's liturgical reforms, which aimed to correct Russian Orthodox practices to align with Greek traditions. The reforms caused a schism, with Old Believers rejecting the changes and facing persecution.

Cossack leader Stenka Razin led a major uprising of peasants, Cossacks, and non-Russian peoples along the Volga River. The rebellion captured several cities before being crushed by Alexis's army. Razin was executed in 1671.

Talal became King of Jordan on September 6, 1951, after the assassination of his father, Abdullah I. His reign was brief, lasting less than a year, during which he attempted to implement constitutional reforms and improve relations with Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Talal oversaw the adoption of a new constitution in January 1952, which transformed Jordan into a constitutional monarchy. The constitution established a parliamentary system with a prime minister and cabinet responsible to the elected parliament.

Talal was forced to abdicate on August 11, 1952, after a medical commission declared him mentally unfit to rule due to schizophrenia. He was succeeded by his son Hussein, who was only 17 at the time, with a regency council appointed.

After his abdication, Talal lived in exile in Turkey and later in a sanatorium in Switzerland. He died on July 7, 1972, in Istanbul, Turkey, largely forgotten by the Jordanian public. His remains were returned to Jordan for burial.