Wives of Ivan the Terrible and their fate

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 his 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. He had eight of them. The wives of Ivan the Terrible often became hostages of palace intrigues and victims of the tsar’s fierce burrow.

The first wife of Ivan the Terrible was a boyar daughter (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 get seriously ill and died before she was thirty years old. The king suspected that his beloved wife had been poisoned, and he was right. Modern research has found traces of mercury in the remains of Anastasia.

Maria Temryukovna

The second wife of the king was from Kabarda. Her name was Kucheni, but in Orthodoxy she received the name Maria Temryukovna. The wives of Ivan the Terrible were different in character, but she can be called the most cruel, wild and bloodthirsty. Although Temryukovna was pretty and liked the tsar, their relationship was not smooth. While Ivan enjoyed the orgies in the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, Maria in Moscow actually openly cohabited with her lovers. One of them, the nobleman Fedorov, tried to plot against the autocrat. Ivan brutally cracked down on his wife and lover. He killed Fedorov with his own hand, and Maria died of illness. According to other sources, the king killed her himself.

Marfa Sobakina

After the death of his second wife, the king, choosing a new spouse, arranged a bridegroom, in which about 2,000 applicants of noble origin participated. Martha Sobakina, a relative of Malyuta Skuratov, won. However, she soon became ill. The wedding still took place, but soon Martha died. In fact, she never became the king’s wife, which was fixed by the church council. It is believed that the girl was poisoned. Modern research does not find arsenic, mercury and other heavy metals in its remains, but this does not mean anything. The poison could be vegetable. It is almost impossible to find it after 4 centuries. In the death of the bride, the king suspected the brother of the previous wife, whom he put on a stake.

In the same year, the tsar arranges new weddings and selects Anna Koltovskaya as his wife. According to the Orthodox canons, you can get married no more than three times. The clergy gave Ivan a special personal permission for a fourth marriage. The spouse turned out to be kind, passionate, interesting and domineering, but more loving than necessary. She made lovers, on which she fell. One of them, Prince Romodanovsky, penetrated the bedchamber to Anna in women's clothing. By an amazing coincidence, this visitor liked the autocrat himself, after which she was brought to the royal bedroom. Everything was revealed there. Romodanovsky was killed; Anna was tonsured a monk.

Maria Dolgorukaya

For the fifth marriage, the tsar did not ask permission from the Synod. It took place in 1553. After the wedding night, Ivan discovered that his wife was not a virgin. The next day, he put her in a sled, ordered to harness this transport of a wild horse and, at all speed, lower it into the pond to feed the fish.

Anna Vasilchikova

If before this, the wives of Ivan the Terrible were married to the Tsar 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 temporary worker, Umnaya-Kolychev, and Ivan married his relative. However, soon a new favorite fell into disgrace and was executed. The king sent his wife to the monastery, where she died.

In the same year, the king marries a lady whom he himself made a widow. He previously poisoned her husband. The people called the new passion "the bridegroom." For a long time she did not admit the king to herself, until she became queen, tried to discipline him. This has yielded results. He became more humble and even moved to Moscow from the Alexandrovskaya Sloboda, but then he discovered that Vasilisa had a lover - Ivan Kolychev. They were buried nearby.

Maria Nagaya

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 a child illegitimate. Soon Mary was fed up with 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 the monastery.