The role of the public oath in legitimizing the power of the first representatives of the Romanov dynasty in the 17th century

Based on the analysis of the oath to Mikhail Romanov, the article considers the establishment and application of public oaths to the monarch as the main instrument necessary for the legitimization of tsarist power, which at that time had the difficult task of restoring its authority and prestige amid the state and dynastic crises that followed the Time of Troubles. It is of importance to study the elemental composition of the oath from the point of view of the addressee’s subject composition (their class status), as well as to analyze the Muscovite Russia’s cross-kissing records as a tool to strengthen and secure the autocratic power of the first representatives of the Romanov dynasty in a period of crisis. The study and generalization of the historical experience of bringing the country out of the crisis are relevant not only for legal historians, but also for all Russians.