In 1634, when Tsarevich Alexis was five years old, Morozov was appointed as his tutor. This began Morozov's influence on the Russian court and affairs.[1]
On 17 January 1648, Morozov procured the marriage of the tsar with Maria Miloslavskaya, himself marrying her sister, Anna, ten days later, both daughters of Ilya Danilovich Miloslavsky.[2][3]
During his long career at the Kremlin court, Morozov supervised a number of government departments (called prikazy) – Grand Treasury, Streltsy, Pharmacy, and Payroll. Aspiring to increase the treasury’s income, Morozov reduced salaries of state employees and introduced a high indirect salt tax.[4] These measures caused the Salt Riot of 1648. The rebels demanded Morozov's handover, but the tsar hid him in his palace and then sent him in a fictitious exile into the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. After four months, however, Morozov returned to Moscow.[5]
In 1649, Morozov took an active part in preparing the Sobornoye Ulozheniye, a legal code which would survive well into the 19th century. In the early 1650s, while maintaining a low profile, he was still in charge of the Russian government. He owned 55,000 peasants and a number of mills, distilleries, and factories that produced iron, bricks, and salt. His sister-in-law, Boyarynya Morozova, was involved in the Old Believer movement.
