Wives of Ivan the Terrible and Their Destiny

One of the most famous rulers of Russia is Ivan the Terrible. The figure of this king is covered with a halo of mystery, and its cruelty has become legendary. From a historical point of view, the wives of Ivan the Terrible and the king's relationship with them are interesting. They had eight. The wives of Ivan the Terrible often became hostages of palace intrigues and victims of the cruel noror king.

Anastasia Zakharyina-Yuryeva

The first wife of Ivan the Terrible was a boyar daughter (the Romanov family). Ivan the Terrible married her at the age of sixteen. This marriage and especially the origin of Anastasia caused a negative reaction of the nobility. She was kind and affectionate, gave birth to the king of six children, of whom only two survived. Ivan the Terrible loved her very much. Anastasia began to be seriously ill and died before she was thirty. The king suspected that his beloved wife was poisoned, and was right. Recent studies have found traces of mercury in the remains of Anastasia.

Maria Temryukovna

The second wife of the tsar was from Kabarda. Her name was Kuchenya, but in Orthodoxy she was named Maria Temryukovna. The wives of Ivan the Terrible were different in character, but it can be called the most cruel, wild and bloodthirsty. Although Temryukovna was handsome and liked the Tsar, the relationship was not smooth. While Ivan enjoyed orgies in the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, Maria actually openly cohabited with her lovers. One of them, the nobleman Fedorov, tried to organize a conspiracy against the autocrat. Ivan brutally dealt with his wife and lover. Fedorov, he killed himself, and Maria died of illness. According to other sources, the king killed her himself.

Marfa Sobakina

After the death of his second wife, the tsar, choosing his new wife, arranged a bride show in which about 2000 applicants of noble origin participated. Marfa Sobakina, a relative of Malyuta Skuratova, won. However, she soon fell ill. The wedding did take place, but soon Marfa died. In fact, she did not become the king's wife, which was fixed by the church council. It is believed that the girl was poisoned. Modern research does not find in its remains arsenic, mercury and other heavy metals, but this does not say anything. The poison could be vegetable. It is almost impossible to detect it after 4 centuries. In the death of the bride, the king suspected the brother of the previous wife, whom he had planted on the stake.

Anna Koltovskaya

In the same year, the king arranges new bridesmaids and chooses Anna Koltovskaya as her husband. According to the Orthodox canons, you can not marry more than three times. The clergy issued Ivan a special personal permission for the fourth marriage. Wife was kind of passionate, interesting and domineering, but more loving than necessary. She got lovers, and she got caught. One of them, Prince Romodanovsky, penetrated into the bedchamber to Anna in women's clothes. By an amazing coincidence, this visitor liked the very autocrat, after which she was brought to the royal bedroom. There everything was revealed. Romodanovsky was killed, Anna was tonsured as a monk.

Maria Dolgorukaya

The tsar did not ask for the fifth marriage of the Synod's permission. It took place in 1553. After the wedding night, Ivan found that his wife was not a virgin. The next day he put her in a sleigh, ordered the harnessing of this transport of a wild horse and on all the race to lower fish into the pond for food.

Anna Vasilchikova

If before that the wife of Ivan the Terrible combined with the king marriage with the help of the Orthodox rite, then this wedding took place in a narrow circle without any church ceremonies in 1575. By that time, Skuratov was replaced by a new timekeeper, Umnoy-Kolychev, and Ivan married his relative. However, soon the new favorite fell into disgrace and was executed. His wife sent the king to the monastery, where she died.

Vasilisa Melentyeva

In the same year, the king marries a lady, whom he himself made a widow. Her spouse he had previously poisoned. In the people, a new passion was called "marriage." For a long time she did not allow herself a king until she became a queen, tried to discipline him. This gave its results. He became more humble and even moved to Moscow from the Alexander settlement, but then discovered that Vasilisa has a lover - Ivan Kolychev. They were buried next door.

Mary the Naked

The last wife of Ivan the Terrible was an amazing beauty and bore him a son. Although their wedding was played by the rules, the church did not give her permission. Therefore, many considered it illegal, and the child was illegitimate. Soon Maria tired of the king. After the death of Ivan the Terrible, she and her son were sent to Uglich. After the murder of Tsarevich Dmitry, Maria was sent to a monastery.