The book is devoted to the political history of the regency of Princess Sophia Alekseevna (1682-1689), and special attention is paid to the role of the Boyar Duma, the Sovereign's Court and the "service city." The author traces the formation of the main court groups, the history of the convocation of the penultimate Zemsky Cathedral and the gathering of two noble militias gathered at the walls of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery at the turning points of the struggle for power at the top (1682-1689).