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Mikhail Ikhonsky | Jul 8, 2018
The personality of one of the last kings of the Rurik dynasty has always raised a lot of questions. In particular, did Ivan the Terrible kill his son, or is it just a myth?
Was he really so cruel or was this image the result of research by people trying at any cost to tarnish the figure of one of the progressive (despite the cruelty) politicians of that time? How many wives Ivan the Terrible had in reality.
Perhaps the last question can be answered somewhat definitively. According to modern historians, Ivan the Terrible had seven wives. Information about Maria Dolgoruka, the fifth wife of the tsar, who was allegedly drowned in a pond, is very scarce and contradictory.
Incidentally, Henry XIII, who lived at about the same time as Ivan the Terrible, was married six times, but he could afford it, declaring himself the head of the Church of England. In the Russian state, where the tsar had exclusively secular power, the church was allowed to enter into marital relations only twice (twice a person could get married). Entry into the third and subsequent marriages was punishable by the imposition of penance, up to excommunication.
In addition, unlike the previous rulers, whose wives were chosen by the close boyars, Ivan the Terrible broke the tradition that had developed for centuries, independently choosing a wife for himself the first and subsequent times, perhaps, therefore, their further fate was tragic.
The first wife of Ivan the Terrible- Anastasia Zakharyina (mother of Tsarevich John and Fyodor). According to tradition, this marriage was early, the groom was seventeen years old, his bride was fifteen. But, despite this, the marital relationship between Ivan the Terrible and Anastasia Zakharyina lasted longer than all the others (about fourteen years). In the course of married life, six children were born. Historians often mention the sons of Ivan the Terrible, but rarely talk about his daughters, three daughters Anna, Maria, and Evdokia (according to some sources, Ekaterina) were born by Anastasia Zakharyina, but died before they even lived three years. Son Dmitry (a strange analogy - both sons of Ivan the Terrible, who had the name Dmitry tragically died) also died in infancy.
Based on some historical data, it can be assumed that Queen Anastasia was poisoned by boyars, dissatisfied with the choice of the king. Although it is difficult to assert with complete certainty, according to the official version, Anastasia Zakharyina died of an illness. The presence of toxic substances found in the burial can be explained by the fact that some of these substances (for example, mercury or lead) at that time were not considered poisonous, but were used in everyday life and medicine.
The next wife became the daughter of the Tatar prince Temryuk Maria, who gave birth to Ivan the Terrible's son Vasily. However, the child soon died. Historians characterize Maria Temryukovna as a beautiful, but rather tough, if not cruel woman, despite her young age (at the time of her marriage she was only sixteen years old). The couple lived for about seven years. The death of Maria Temryukovna, most likely, also came from poisoning. (The exact version is still unknown.)
Bride number three- Martha Sobakina, did not stay even a month in the status of the queen. The causes of death have not been thoroughly established, but again historians agree on the version of poisoning. Including, it is possible that Martha Sobakina was poisoned with the participation of the inner circle of the boyars and her relative, who held a high rank at the court. One more fact remains a mystery, when Martha's burial was opened to establish the causes of death, she turned out to be "incorruptible."
Since Martha Sobakina died a "virgin", that is, without entering into actual marriage. Ivan IV asked the Metropolitan for consent to a new marriage. With reluctance (fearing that others might follow the king), consent was nevertheless given. Anna Koltovskaya became the fourth wife. On the one hand, her life was longer than all other wives, on the other hand, the end of their marital relationship was Anna's tonsure as a nun due to infidelity.
The rest of the wives Ivan the Terrible was not recognized by the church, information about them is extremely scarce, it is only known that the marital relationship with Anna Vasilchikova lasted about six months, with Vasilisa Melentyevna about the same (not counting the fact that Vasilisa Melentyevna was a widow and, like Anna Koltovskaya, "suffered" (rather total was killed) for unfaithfulness to her spouse).
The last wife of the king became Maria Nagaya, who, like the two previous spouses, was not recognized by the church, but at the same time she outlived her husband, and bore him the long-awaited heir (Tsarevich Dmitry) (At that time, Ivan the Terrible had the only male heir - Fedor, rates they were not high on such an heir, since Fedor was considered "blessed"). Although, perhaps, if Ivan the Terrible had survived, Maria would have faced the fate of her predecessors.
Ivan the Terrible also wooed the English Queen Elizabeth, daughter of Henry XIII, and who knows how the further course of history would have developed if this marriage had been concluded.
😉 Greetings to everyone who wandered into this site! The article "Ivan the Terrible and His Wives - Interesting Facts" contains information about the personal life of the Russian Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich, nicknamed the Terrible. Lived: 1530 -1584, zodiac sign
According to the church laws of the time when Ivan IV Vasilyevich lived, Orthodox Christians, regardless of gender, were allowed to marry three times. The Church was very jealous of the preservation of the family and condemned such a not godly deed as divorce. This was a rare occurrence. In addition, good reasons were needed for the divorce.
Mostly widowers entered into repeated marriages. It was possible to obtain permission for a third marriage. But if the family life did not work out the third time, someone died or died, the widowed person had to remain alone until the end of his days.
No one argued with the law, regardless of origin - neither commoners nor noble nobles.
The wives of Ivan the Terrible
Young Ivan first decided to marry at the age of sixteen. It was in the spirit of that time, and no one was surprised by such a desire. Metropolitan Macarius blessed the young sovereign.
A review of brides was organized, where Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina-Yurieva was chosen from among the many beauties who had come from all over the country. The girl met all the requirements that could be presented to the queen.
Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina-Yurieva
She was distinguished by modesty, intelligence, virtue. Her external data are also known. She was short with regular features and long dark hair.
The Grand Duke fell in love. Anastasia reciprocated him. It turned out to be quite a happy family union. The couple regularly had children. True, only two sons survived - Ivan and Fyodor. The rest of the babies were dying.
Anastasia had a great influence on her husband. This clever woman guided the king to virtue. And if not for her death, it is not known under what nickname the Grand Duke could go down in history.
Peace and tranquility in an instant left the royal court after the sudden death of the queen in 1560. And although no direct evidence of her poisoning was found, the sovereign directly blamed the advisers and priests close to the court. The angry young autocrat became uncontrollably suspicious.
He was angry about business and without business and simply went into fornication.
Second marriage
Only eight days passed after Anastasia's death, when the Metropolitan and the Boyar Duma became worried about the absence of the queen. The monarch was supposed to be married, and the laws of decency were strictly enforced.
The autocrat was worried about his position. He was ready to marry the sister of the Polish king, but for political reasons he abandoned this venture. Matchmakers were sent to the Caucasus, where they picked up a party - the daughter of a Kabardian prince. The autocrat liked the girl, a marriage was concluded.
Maria Temryukovna
Maria Temryukovna, who captivated the sovereign with her beauty, could not win his hearts. The girl herself was wild and cruel. She seemed to push John Vasilyevich to evil deeds.
The autocrat's passion quickly cooled down, he became absolutely indifferent to Mary. Their only child died before two months. The sovereign knew no shame in adultery. Various sources tell about this.
Although historians have disputes about the date of Mary's death, it is generally believed that this happened in September 1569. From what the queen died is unknown. And although the sovereign did not feel great grief, all the honors due were given to the deceased.
After the death of his second wife, the king seemed to be trying to surpass himself in all sorts of atrocities and cruel murders.
Third marriage
In order to marry a third time, the king again decided to collect a review of brides. At this review, for two years now the dowager autocrat intended to choose a bride for himself and for his grown-up son, Tsarevich Ivan.
Chronicles testify that two thousand girls were brought from all over the country. The selected girls were compared in intelligence and pleasantness, but beauty was valued above all. And the fact that the chosen bride Marfa Vasilyevna Sobakina was not from a noble family did not stop the monarch at all.
Martha Vasilievna Sobakina
It is not known how the life of the tsar and young Marfa Vasilievna, spoiled by female affection, could have developed. But as soon as the engagement took place, the girl became very ill. She melted before our eyes.
The wedding was scheduled in four months, and Martha was able to live to see it. It is known that this event was celebrated on a special scale. Buffoons and acrobats specially arrived from Veliky Novgorod, brought tame bears.
A week later, the Tsarevich's wedding was celebrated in the royal mansion. And a week later, the young queen passed away.
On this occasion, a whole investigation was carried out, which concluded: "Marfa Vasilyevna was poisoned." Someone strongly did not want new heirs.
In the course of the investigation, the relatives of the first two wives and even the mother of the deceased Martha fell under suspicion. Twenty people were executed.
Fourth marriage
The angry ruler knew that his limit on marriages was over, but he managed to convince the clergy that his third wife did not have time to become his wife for real, since due to a serious illness she had no contact with her husband and died a girl.
Grozny convinced the cathedral that the marriage was not consummated. This helped him get permission to marry again. The Grand Duke did not think for a long time and summoned the girl who was the second at the bride, Anna Alekseevna Koltovskaya.
There is evidence that Grozny had serious plans for this marriage. He drew up a spiritual letter, in which he described in detail what would be awarded to a child born in a marriage with his wife Anna, if it is a son and if it is a daughter. Anna herself was given the city of Rostov and villages and villages near Moscow.
Anna Alekseevna Koltovskaya.
Historians do not know what went wrong in this family union, but it lasted only six months. The young woman somehow did not please the sovereign. She was forcibly tonsured into a nun. In monasticism, she was called Daria.
The woman devoted her entire long life to godly deeds. And although after the death of her husband she was pardoned by Fyodor I Ioannovich, she continued to engage in monastic affairs.
Spooky story
After parting with Anna Alekseevna, Grozny could not count on other marriages, but he no longer strove for this.
Many historians and memoirists explain that there are very few records of Grozny's further personal relationships, since they had no historical significance, and the tsar had a lot of relationships.
But there are characters that are difficult to pass by. For example, the story with Maria Dolgoruka. True, many historians, in general, doubt the existence of Mary, considering everything a terrible legend and fiction.
It all began in November 1573, when the Grand Duke brought the maiden Maria Dolgoruky closer to him, and after that he arranged a feast in her honor. Poor Masha's happiness was short-lived, since she turned out to be not a virgin. The ruler took this as an insult and decided to deal with the girl.
Unhappy Masha was tied up, put in a cart, and the horses were set in motion. If the girl survived after such a punishment, then she had no chance of surviving. Dead or alive, she was thrown into a pond.
Next marriages
In 1574, the autocrat, without any blessing, began to live with the maiden Anna Grigorievna Vasilchikova. It was the daughter of a petty boyar.
Anna never got pregnant in a year, and this upset the autocrat. Interest in the young woman in marriage has completely disappeared. Then, John Vasilyevich sent the woman to the Pskov monastery. A year later, Anna died, from what is unknown.
Most likely, the reason for Anna Vasilchikova's distance from herself was the monarch's new hobby.
Vasilisa Melentieva was a grown woman. Most likely, the sovereign was seduced in her not only by her beauty, but also by some other qualities. Vasilisa was a widow and had children. Her children, son and daughter, the sovereign granted vast lands, which is proof of her high position under the sovereign.
Vasilisa Melentieva
Despite direct evidence of her presence at court, nothing is known about the end of her relationship with the king. There is no information about her tonsure or death, there is no information about her expulsion. One can only assume that thanks to her mind, Vasilisa was able to gently move away from the autocrat without harming herself.
The last wife of Ivan the Terrible
Illegal by ecclesiastical law, the last wife of the sovereign was Maria Feodorovna Nagaya. This is a very bright historical figure, since she was the mother of Dmitry's son, born of the sovereign. The son lived only eight years. Then Maria Feodorovna was tonsured as a nun.
Her position improved when she recognized False Dmitry I as her son. In 1605, she was given a luxurious reception in Moscow. But already in 1606, Nagaya decided to give up her words, and no longer recognized her son in False Dmitry I. For more than twenty years, a woman, hiding behind the name of her son, figured in history.
Conclusion
The first Tsar and Grand Duke of All Russia went down in history not only as a reformer and winner of many wars, but also as a cruel and power-hungry ruler.
The life of a loving sovereign was full of personal stories. From a tender first love and a happy marriage to disappointments, numerous marriages and the birth of the last son, which excited Russia for several decades after his death.
Ivan the Terrible and his wives (video)
The personality of Ivan the Terrible in history is rather ambiguous. He was both a tyrant and a reformer, a terrible monster and a great strategist. And in addition to all this, this king was also a polygamist. He was a very mysterious man, convinced that all love relationships must end in marriage. Throughout his life, the Terrible Tsar tried to find his only one that could touch his heart strings, soften his callous soul, give satisfaction to his passionate desires and help in running the state.
Potential princesses were, to some extent, a commodity. The main criterion by which the choice was made was a beautiful appearance. The so-called beauty casting of that time was held for the brides. And it was a great happiness for the girl that the king did not choose her. After all, he, mocking the spouses, forced them to be present and watch the executions and bloody games. And the poor things had no choice but to look at all this horror. And they could not refuse, because for disobedience they could lose their own life.
Also, Ivan the Terrible had a huge number of mistresses. Although there is practically no information about them. Next, we will consider each royal wife separately, starting with the most beloved.
Anastasia Zakharyina
At the age of 17, the prince decided to marry. In order to find a spouse for himself, he gathered all the beautiful and noble girls. Further, women close to the king, as well as doctors, examined them. The healthiest of them and without the slightest flaws were needed. After such a selection, the king was provided with the best candidates for the bride. But he chose only Anastasia from this huge number of applicants.
example of brides show In early February 1547, all honest people celebrated their wedding. conducted by Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow.
Anastasia Romanovna Anastasia Zakharyina was born in 1532 in a boyar's family. At that time, their family did not have enough power to solve political issues in the country. Only after the marriage of Anastasia, their boyar family knocked out a high position among the people and later grew into the Romanov dynasty.
Anastasia was notable for her short stature, long beautiful hair and a very regular face shape.
But the fact that Anastasia was not from a noble family, and was considered uneven to the young tsar, was evident even from the displeased glances of the boyars. The latter did not like Ivan's choice and the fact that they had to serve a family that did not have nobility.
Queen Anastasia, due to her gentle character, had a huge influence on her husband. And Ivan, in response to her softness and tenderness, loved her with his special love, which was so unusual for his tough character.
Because of his young age, the prince could very often flare up. But Anastasia, thanks to her meekness and mental qualities, very quickly brought him to his senses.
So the king and queen lived in perfect harmony for about 13.5 years. They had six children. While still babies, four of them died.
In 1559, due to frequent childbirth, she became very sick. While his wife was sick, a clash broke out between the king and one of his advisers. The latter considered the Zakharyin family to be the main cause of all his troubles.
In 1560, because of the great fire in Moscow, Anastasia was taken to the village of Kolomenskoye for treatment. There she, before she reached the age of 30, soon died.
Ivan the Terrible blamed everyone for her death. Using torture, he tried to find out the names of those who encroached on the life of his beloved wife. As a result, Sylvester and Adashev were punished for the death of Anastasia. These former advisers to the king were very unkind to the still living queen.
Anastasia Zakharyina was buried in the Kremlin Ascension Monastery. During the funeral, Ivan the Terrible did not hide his bitter tears, he could barely stay on his feet. He loved his late wife very much. And until his death he spoke of her with special warmth and tenderness.
In 2000, a study was conducted on the remains of Anastasia. The main object of the study was her preserved braid. Arsenic, mercury and lead were found in it in high concentrations. And this was already weighty proof that the princess was poisoned.
Wife Maria Temryukovna Cherkasskaya
The formidable tsar, already in 1560, again began to look for a wife. It cannot be said that he recovered from the loss of his beloved wife, but, nevertheless, he did not give up looking for a new one.
Maria Temryukovna The next contender for the title of queen was Maria Temryukovna, who was called Princess Kucheny before her baptism. It was a 16-year-old girl, the daughter of Prince Temryuk. She was amazingly beautiful. But her only drawback was that she did not know the Russian language at all. Over time, she also corrected this flaw of hers, having learned the language of her husband so unfamiliar to herself.
The new princess could very easily win over the tsar's attention to herself and thus set him up against those whom she did not like. Maria enjoyed watching the execution process immensely. She was distinguished by a very tough character, as for a young woman. Many believe that it was she who became the culprit for the spoiled character of Ivan the Terrible. But on the other hand, no one can force a person to do what he does not want.
Ivan the Terrible's feelings for Maria were mixed. Although the spouses were somewhat similar, the main difference between the queen was her illiteracy, vindictiveness and cunning. All this led to the fact that their married life was very difficult.
After a year of marriage, Mary gave birth to a son to the tsar, who was named Basil. But the baby lived only 2 months and died.
Quite a little time passed and the ardent royal feelings began to cool down. Increasingly, Ivan the Terrible began to visit his harem. The queen also did not lag behind, having several lovers.
The seven-year married life of Ivan and Mary ended with the fact that the queen fell ill and died suddenly.
Maria Temryukovna was buried near Anastasia Zakharina, the first royal wife. The sarcophagus in which Mary's body was located was placed on the left side of Anastasia's sarcophagus.
Marfa Sobakin's wife
Ivan the Terrible did not grieve for a second wife for a long time and soon arranged the next gathering of brides. More than two thousand beauties were taken to the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda. The selection of applicants was taken very seriously: at first, the girls were examined by the attendants, and then the doctors proceeded to examine them. From the huge number of potential brides, the king first chose 24, and then 12 most beautiful girls. But most of all he liked Martha Sobakina. She was distinguished by excellent health and unwritten beauty.
In the summer of 1571, the engagement of Ivan the Terrible to Martha Sobakina took place. But the young wife soon fell ill. After spending only two weeks as a queen, the girl died.
Ivan the Terrible was completely sure that someone had poisoned her too. An investigation was carried out, as a result of which 20 people were executed.
Nothing is known about the true causes of Martha's death, but there are a lot of versions about this: witchcraft, poisoning, magic potion ...
Wife Anna Koltovskaya
The king was not going to be alone with himself and began to search for a new queen. His choice fell on Anna, Koltovsky's noble daughter. She took second place after Martha Sobakina at the previous contest of candidates for the bride.
Ivan the Terrible decided to get married, but the church had other thoughts on this matter. She could not allow the fourth wedding, because, according to the canons of Orthodoxy, it was possible to get married only three times, there is a detailed article about the rules. But the tsar was very persistent and persuaded Metropolitan Philip to marry them. As an argument, Ivan the Terrible stated that his marriage with Martha could not be considered serious, since intimacy between them never happened.
Anna had a strong influence on her husband and, taking advantage of this, began to fight the guardsmen. The reason for this struggle was the death of her fiancé, who was tortured to death by the tsar's orders.
Anna was a very temperamental person and had the character of an eccentric girl.
The Tsar was seriously carried away by Anna. His passion was similar to that of a youth. But all this was not enough for the queen and she made lovers for herself. One of them was the young prince Romodanovsky. For meetings with the queen, he changed women's clothes and turned into a boyar Irina. Thus, he penetrated to his beloved queen Anna. All would be fine, but only this Irina seriously attracted the attention of the tsar and he wanted intimacy with her. But Romodanovsky did not like such a turn of fate and he revealed to the tsar about their deception.
The king was very angry. He nailed the lover of his wife with the help of a staff, and put Anna at the disposal of the guardsmen, who had long wanted to settle scores with her. They tonsured her in a schemonun under the name Daria. So she lived for 54 years. And in 1626 she died. She lived much longer than her ex-husband and outlived even all his heirs and wives.
Further down, there is quite a reason to think that this is a fiction of false historians !!! Who wanted to disfigure the name of Ivan the Terrible through his wives, even the pictures of his wives do not say anything, they are taken on the Internet.
Wife Maria Dolgorukaya
After an unsuccessful fourth marriage, Ivan the Terrible did not even ask for church permission to marry. His next bride was Maria Dolgorukaya, who stayed in the role of the queen for a record one day.
Maria Dolgorukaya The tsar threw a wedding feast all over Moscow. But the very first wedding night saddened Ivan the Terrible. He left the wedding chambers in a dejected mood. The tsar gave the order to lay a sleigh for a trip to the Alexandrian settlement. The young tsar's wife was tied up and put in a sleigh, which the horse dragged to the hole made in the pond. They stopped there.
The reason for this behavior of Ivan the Terrible was that Maria married him no longer a virgin. Having drowned the queen, the formidable king set about looking for a new one.
Attention: According to Wikipedia, there was no Maria Dolgoruka, like her tragic death after the first wedding night, she was first mentioned in the 19th century, and rather it is a legend and fiction, all those who want to slander Ivan the Terrible for his success in becoming the Russian state.
Wife Anna Vasilchikova
The wedding of Ivan the Terrible and Anna Vasilchikova took place in 1575 in a narrow family circle. To this day, no one knows who performed the wedding ceremony for a new married couple.
Anna very quickly got tired of the king and he ceased to perceive her as a spouse. He increasingly began to visit his harem. Their marriage lasted for about a year. Then she was forcibly tonsured into a nun and taken to Suzdal. But she did not live there for a long time and already in 1577 she died.
Vasilisa Melentyev's wife
In the same year, the king had a new bride. Ivan the Terrible poisoned her husband in advance, making the lady a widow prematurely.
Vasilisa Melentieva Vasilisa Melentieva did not allow the tsar to approach her until he made her his wife. She wanted to educate a disciplined person in him, and to some extent she did it. The tsar, having become subdued, even moved from the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda to Moscow.
Soon the king became aware of Vasilisa's lover. It turned out to be Ivan Kolychev. The traitors were buried together.
Wife Maria nagaya
The eighth queen was famous for her wondrous beauty. The girl was able to please her husband with the birth of her son in the fall of 1582. The kid was named Dmitry, but in 1591, at the age of eight, he was killed.
The wedding ceremony took place in accordance with all Orthodox canons, but the church did not want to recognize it. That is why this marriage was considered illegal, and their son was illegitimate.
Maria, like Anna Vasilchikova, very quickly became uninteresting for the tsar. But Ivan the Terrible did not have time to send her to a nun, since, due to old age, he died. Maria and her son Dmitry were sent to Uglich.
After the boy died tragically, the queen was sent to the monastery under the name of Martha. When exactly Maria Nagaya died, no one can say for sure.
According to historians, Ivan the Terrible died playing chess due to age Name: Ivan IV Groznyi
Age: 53 years
Place of Birth: Kolomenskoye
A place of death: Moscow
Activity: king and grand duke
Family status: was married
Ivan the Terrible IV - biography
The reign in the biography of Ivan IV the Terrible was one of the longest - more than half a century. During this time, the territory of the Moscow kingdom doubled, but the enemies of the tsar considered him just an executioner and a libertine.
Mom is the main woman for any boy. Ivan was no exception, who nominally became the ruler at the age of three. Elena Glinskaya, 25, made every effort to ensure that her son not only survived, but also retained the throne.
Before his death, Vasily III created a council to govern the state. It was a forced measure dictated by the minority of his sons, Ivan and Yuri. But instead of zeal for the heirs, the boyars staged civil strife.
The mother of the boys was most of all afraid of her husband's brother, the Dmitrov prince Yuri. He, in order to take possession of the throne, could easily imprison relatives in prison, and then kill them. But during the 7 years that Elena lived in Moscow, she studied local customs. A few days after the death of her husband, she neutralized Yuri: he was accused of wanting to seize power and put in prison, where he died of hunger.
Glinskaya's next step was to get rid of the boyar council. She attracted the governor Ivan Obolensky to her side. This alliance gave the voivode a chance to rise, and Elena - the opportunity to seize power. As a result, she became the second (after Grand Duchess Olga) ruler of the Russian state. The boyars hated and craved death not only for Elena, but also for her children - and this could not but affect the psyche of little Ivan.
In the end, the boyars managed to poison the 30-year-old ruler with mercuric chloride. Ivan at that time was seven years old, and his brother Yuri was five. The organizers of the massacre, the boyars Vasily and Ivan Shuisky, also destroyed the supporters of Glinskaya, and the heirs to the throne, according to Ivan the Terrible himself, "began to educate as foreigners or the last poor", up to "deprivation of clothing and food."
Growing up, the young prince was gaining hatred for enemies, but there was still no strength for revenge. Having reached the 15th birthday, Ivan was formally already considered a full-fledged ruler. However, the heir became capable in the eyes of the boyars only after marriage. On the advice of Metropolitan Macarius, on January 16, 1547, 16-year-old Ivan was married to the throne. Immediately after the ceremony, the search for a bride for the tsar was announced among the boyars and nobles.
Wives and children of Ivan the Terrible
Peering into the faces of the candidates, Ivan opted for Anastasia Zakharyina-Yurieva. The 15-year-old girl was short, with regular features and a thick, beautiful braid. The very next day, Ivan married Anastasia, causing a murmur among the boyars: the bride belonged to a seedy family. How could they have known that later this particular family, taking the name of the Romanovs, would become a new royal dynasty ...
The king himself was happy with the caresses of the dark-eyed beauty. The historian Karamzin described the queen as follows: "Chastity, humility, piety, sensitivity, goodness, combined with a solid mind ..." Anastasia did not meddle in her husband's affairs, preferring to do housework and handicrafts, which only added to her the love of the king. “For thirteen years he enjoyed complete family happiness, based on love for his wife, tender and virtuous,” continues Karamzin. - Anastasia also gave birth to a son, Theodore, and a daughter, Evdokia; bloomed with youth and health: but in July 1560 she fell ill with a serious illness ... "
In the death of his wife, Ivan suspected the boyars, who had once poisoned his mother. Modern research has shown that he was right. With the departure of Anastasia, all virtue seemed to be gone from the tsar. Now he was a tough, deceitful and suspicious man, capable of shedding rivers of blood in his anger. And they were not long in coming.
Ivan the Terrible - wife Maria
According to the testimony of contemporaries, the tsar fell into "fornication" out of longing for his wife. Already 8 days after her death, he ordered to look for a new wife. Ivan wanted to marry the sister of the Polish king, but he asked Pskov, Smolensk and Novgorod for her. Then the tsar's matchmakers went to the Caucasus and brought his 15-year-old daughter Kuchenya from the "Prince of Cherkassk". The Tsar liked the exotic beauty. The princess was baptized into Orthodoxy under the name Mary and was married to the Tsar.
Alas, Maria quickly got tired of her husband, and even the birth of a son did not correct the situation. The tsar still could not forget dear Nastya, and extinguished his mental pain, dealing with the unwanted. Rumor attributed to Mary the role of instigator of executions: it was with her that Ivan introduced the institution of oprichnina and took the lives of thousands of people. When the queen died 8 years later, the king used her death for new repressions.
Until some time, the Church was a restraining factor for Ivan the Terrible. Thus, the candidate for the Metropolitan Archbishop Herman found the courage to express his disagreement with the tsar's affairs. And the Solovetsky abbot Philip, who took this post, had the courage to condemn the oprichnina. When in 1568 Ivan drowned the country in blood again, Philip urged him to stop. But the tsar, in anger, defrocked the metropolitan and sent him to a monastery, where he was later strangled by Malyuta Skuratov. The next Vladyka, Cyril, simply closed his eyes to the atrocities of the king, and even turned a blind eye to his new marriage, which is very controversial.
Martha Sobakina - the wife of Ivan the Terrible
Ivan decided to marry again two years after Maria's death. For this, he again arranged a review of girls from noble and boyar families. Out of 2 thousand candidates, the tsar first chose 24, and then 12 candidates. The tsar examined the latter naked, and the English doctor who was present demanded a glass of urine for examination. The choice fell on Martha Sobakina, however, this marriage was short-lived. Two weeks after the wedding, Martha fell ill and gave her soul to God. The widower again suspected poisoning, and new executions were not long in coming.
Anna Koltovskaya - 4th wife of Ivan the Terrible
According to the Orthodox tradition, the Church could no longer marry the Tsar, but the Metropolitan did not dare to contradict him. Having decided that the married husband "did not allow Martha's virginity," the churchmen declared the previous marriage invalid. Again Ivan got married already with 16-year-old Anna Koltovskaya, who took second place at the show. This marriage lasted 4 months, after which Ivan unexpectedly exiled the girl to a monastery. The reasons for his action remained unknown.
The new wife, the 14-year-old beauty Maria Dolgoruka, was even less fortunate. On her wedding night, the king accused her of lack of virginity. By order of the king, the "harlot" was drowned in the lake. The next wife - Anna Vasilchikova - stayed as such for almost a year. The result was a forced tonsure in the Intercession Monastery.
Sadly ended her days and the "bridegroom" (concubine) of the tsar, Vasilisa Melentieva, whose first husband was poisoned by Grozny's orders. Initially, Ivan was so carried away by her that he fulfilled all the whims and ended the orgies; even got married with her and lived as with his wife for two years. But evil tongues reported that Vasilisa had a lover - a young falconer, handsome Ivan Kolychev. Soon a pit was dug in the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, in which two coffins were buried. In one - Vasilisa is alive, tied with ropes, in the other - her beloved tortured by torture.
Maria Feodorovna Nagaya - the last wife of Ivan the Terrible
Only the last wife, Maria Nagoya, managed to outlive her husband. However, when Grozny married her, he was already a sick old man. He was tormented by osteophytes - growths on the bones, causing severe pain, and in recent years he could not walk. The king's psyche was also upset: he was haunted by nightmares. He could not come to terms with the death of his son Ivan, who did not leave an heir, and the other son, Fedor, was "mentally weak." How the tsar rejoiced when Mary gave birth to his son Dmitry! But although the boy survived his father, he died at the age of 8. His birth, and even more - his death threatened the very existence of Russia, plunging the country into the era of Troubles.
It is unusual to think of Ivan the Terrible as a family man. However, perhaps it was this side of his life that played a key role in the formation of his personality. What kind of family man was Ivan IV and who were his wives?
Anastasia Zakharyina-Yurieva
To find a wife for himself, the seventeen-year-old tsar arranged a review of brides and chose Anastasia from a huge number of applicants. Kind, with a gentle character, Anastasia Zakharyina was the woman to whom Ivan IV listened. According to historians and chroniclers, Anastasia is the only wife whom Ivan the Terrible really loved and with whom he was happy. She bore him six children, most of whom died in infancy. The queen herself died in 1560: according to one version - from illness and frequent childbirth, according to the other - she was poisoned. It was not easy for Ivan IV to cope with the loss of Anastasia Zakharyina and children. It is possible that these events largely influenced the character of Ivan the Terrible.
Maria Temryukovna-Cherkasskaya
In 1560, Ivan the Terrible equipped ambassadors to look for him a new bride from the Circassian princes. Despite the fact that the tsar began to think about a new lover a few weeks after the death of his former wife, he hardly recovered from the loss of Anastasia Zakharyina. As a result, Maria Temryukovna (before the baptism of Princess Kuchenyi) was chosen as the bride - the daughter of the Kabardian prince Temryuk, a sixteen-year-old beauty. Ivan the Terrible always chose beautiful women, but historians note that Maria Cherkasskaya had an amazing, special beauty. At first, she did not know a word of Russian, but after a while she learned the language. She could turn Ivan the Terrible against people she disliked. She also loved to watch executions, it gave her a strange pleasure. Ivan the Terrible's wife aroused ambiguous feelings: on the one hand, they were similar, but on the other, she was illiterate, vindictive and cunning. So their family life was not easy. Over time, Ivan the Terrible began to lose interest in his wife. In addition, Ivan the Terrible had a harem, and the tsarina also had lovers. But one day Maria fell ill, most likely with pneumonia and died. The king and his entourage were sure that she had been poisoned.
Martha Sobakina
Ivan the Terrible arranged a bridal show for the brides: two thousand of the most beautiful girls were brought to the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda. First, the tsar selected 24 beauties, then - 12. The "competition" was serious: first the girls were examined by grandmothers, then - by the doctors. The healthiest, most desirable and beautiful turned out to be Martha Sobakina. On June 26, 1571, the king announced his engagement. At this time, Ivan the Terrible relied heavily on Malyuta Skuratov. It was Malyuta who advised the Grozny bride, who, thanks to this marriage, became related to the royal family. At the wedding with Martha, his wife and daughter were matchmakers, and Malyuta himself and his son-in-law Boris Godunov were friends. However, the bride almost immediately fell ill. The illness lasted two weeks, after which Martha died. The causes of her death are unknown, although there are many versions: poisoning, a mysterious potion, witchcraft ... But there is almost no mention of natural death.
Anna Koltovskaya
After the death of his previous wife, Ivan the Terrible became even more suspicious and believed that they wanted to overthrow him. Therefore, his next wife did not appear immediately. She was a girl of eighteen, Anna Koltovskaya. The church with difficulty allowed Ivan the Terrible to marry a third, but she could not agree to a fourth. The king acted simply: he ordered the priest to marry them and achieved his goal. Anna was not against the tsar's favorite activities (mainly orgies and noisy festivities): in her palace half there were always many women who were ready to please Ivan IV in every possible way. She herself did not feel feelings for her husband. According to one version, she fought with the oprichnina: the fight was successful, many oprichniks were executed. The tsar and the people loved Anna, but the boyars, known for their ability to "whisper" to the tsar, did not love her. It was they who advised the king to conclude Anna in a monastery. So she became schema-nun Daria, which meant loneliness for the rest of her life. The queen was imprisoned in an underground cell. After Ivan's death, they wanted to release Anna, but she remained in the monastery and died in August 1626.
Anna Vasilchikova
Once Ivan the Terrible stopped by Prince Peter Vasilchikov, where he liked the seventeen-year-old daughter of Prince Anna. And he, without thinking twice, suggested to the prince to send the girl to the palace. Father was against it, but Ivan IV simply sent matchmakers the next day. So Anna Vasilchikova became his wife. This marriage was not recognized by the church, and she was not perceived as a queen either. Family life lasted three months. Then - the sudden death of a girl who was completely healthy before. It was announced that it was "chest disease". But the body was nevertheless taken out of the palace secretly at night and sent to the Suzdal convent for burial.
Vasilisa Melentieva
Vasilisa Melentieva is the wife of Ivan the Terrible's close friend Nikita Melentyev. Once the king, wishing to show his subordinate special attention, came to visit him. There he saw the beautiful Vasilisa Melentieva, who liked the aging Ivan IV. After that, her husband fell ill and died, and a few days later Vasilisa appeared in the palace. Surprisingly, Ivan the Terrible was ready to fulfill all her whims. All women who could become rivals of Vasilisa were removed from the palace. Orgies, festivities, executions have practically ceased - the king has calmed down. Vasilisa wanted to become a queen and achieved her goal: the king married her. They lived together for two years. But one day the king went into the bedroom and saw his wife with her lover. Grozny, although he loved his wife, ordered to dig a hole on the outskirts of the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda. Two people were buried in it, and the priest did not even know who he was burying. In one coffin was Ivan Kolychev, and in the other - Vasilisa Melentieva, according to legend, alive, tied up, with a gagged mouth.
Maria Fedorovna Nagaya
The last wife of Ivan the Terrible was Maria Nagaya. She begged her father Fyodor Nagogo not to give her over to the tsar, who was already over 50 years old. Ivan the Terrible was very ill, looked decrepit and half-mad. At first, the king was pleased with his new wife, since Mary was very beautiful, but she quickly got tired of her and began to irritate the king with her bouts of sadness. Ivan the Terrible was thinking about how to get rid of his wife, and was already starting to look for a new one. But on March 18, 1584, he died suddenly while playing chess.
