Marfa Matveyevna Apraksina (; 1664–1716) was a

Tsarina Tsarina or tsaritsa (also spelled ''csarina'' or ''csaricsa'', ''tzarina'' or ''tzaritza'', or ''czarina'' or ''czaricza''; ; ; ) is the title of a female Autocracy, autocratic ruler (monarch) of Bulgaria, Serbia, and Russia, or the title of a t ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and the second spouse of Tsar

Feodor III of Russia Feodor or Fyodor III Alekseyevich (; 9 June 1661 – 7 May 1682) was Tsar of all Russia from 1676 until his death in 1682. Despite poor health from childhood, he managed to pass reforms on improving meritocracy within the civil and military stat ...

Life

She was the daughter of the

pantler A pantry is a room or cupboard where beverages, food, (sometimes) dishes, household cleaning products, linens or provisions are stored within a home or office. Food and beverage pantries serve in an ancillary capacity to the kitchen. Etymolog ...

Matvey Vasilyevich Apraksin and Domna Bogdanovna Apraksina, Lovchikova. Marfa Matveyevna had three brothers, Peter,

Fyodor Fyodor, Fedor () or Feodor is the Russian-language form of the originally Greek-language name "Theodore" () meaning "God's gift" or "god-given". Fedora () is the feminine form. "Fyodor" and "Fedor" are two English transliterations of the same Ru ...

and Andrey, who all became leading statesmen. Her marriage to the widowed Tsar was arranged by his friend, Ivan Yazykov, who hoped to strengthen his position at

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

. Marfa Matveyevna was approved as a bride by

Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...

Hilarion, himself close to the Apraksin family. She received the status of royal

bride A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is a newlywed. When marrying, if the bride's future spouse is a man, he is usually referred to as the ''bridegroom'' or just ''groom''. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by a maid, ...

in December 1681. The

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

of seventeen-year-old Marfa Matveyevna to the twenty-year-old Tsar took place on 15 February 1682 ( O.S.; 25 February N.S.). Marfa Matveyevna was

tsarina Tsarina or tsaritsa (also spelled ''csarina'' or ''csaricsa'', ''tzarina'' or ''tzaritza'', or ''czarina'' or ''czaricza''; ; ; ) is the title of a female Autocracy, autocratic ruler (monarch) of Bulgaria, Serbia, and Russia, or the title of a t ...

for only 71 days, from her wedding day to 27 April 1682 (O.S.; 7 May), when the Tsar died of

scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease (state of malnutrition) resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum d ...

. Marfa Matveyevna, being

childless ''Childless'' is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Charlie Levi and starring Barbara Hershey, Joe Mantegna, James Naughton and Diane Venora. The sudden passing of a teenage girl unsettles the four adults in her life. Jarred by ...

, still a

virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

according to some assumptions, remained in

mourning Mourning is the emotional expression in response to a major life event causing grief, especially loss. It typically occurs as a result of someone's death, especially a loved one. The word is used to describe a complex of behaviors in which t ...

for more than thirty years. She first lived in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, then in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

in her own

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

, at the corner of Admiralty Square and Nevskaya Prospect, near the mansion of her brother, Admiral General Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin. Today, the

Winter Palace The Winter Palace is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the House of Romanov, previous emperors, from 1732 to 1917. The palace and its precincts now house the Hermitage Museum. The floor area is 233,345 square ...

is located there. By her skillful behavior, she created a strong position for herself at court. She retained the trust and respect of her husband's younger brother,

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

, and the whole royal family, and received an allowance from the

treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be ...

until the end of her life, without participating in political intrigues. In December 1715, Marfa Matveyevna visited the sick Tsar, but suddenly became ill herself. On 25, 28 and 30 December, the Tsar visited her, and she died on 31 December. According to

Friedrich Christian Weber Friedrich Christian Weber (died 1739) was an 18th-century German diplomat and writer. He was born in Hanover and, after the succession of fellow Hanoverian George I of Great Britain to the throne of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1714, represe ...

, the cause of the queen's death was

poisoning Poisoning is the harmful effect which occurs when Toxicity, toxic substances are introduced into the body. The term "poisoning" is a derivative of poison, a term describing any chemical substance that may harm or kill a living organism upon ...

from

pickled mushrooms Marinated mushrooms are forest or Fungiculture, cultivated Edible mushroom, edible mushrooms Food preservation, preserved in various ways using vinegar and possibly additionally Pasteurization, pasteurized; used as a spicy addition to food. Marin ...

.''Беспятых Ю. Н.'' Петербург Петра I в иностранных описаниях. — Л., 1991. The Tsar personally attended the

autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...

, as, according to

Pyotr Dolgorukov Pyotr Dolgorukov may refer to: *Pyotr Dmitriyevich Dolgorukov (1866–1951), Russian politician *Pyotr Vladimirovich Dolgorukov (1816–1868), Russian historian and journalist {{Hndis, Dolgorukov, Pyotr ...

, he 'wanted to know the truth about ershort marriage'. Peter 'did not stop before examining the corpse: only having convinced himself of the virginity of his deceased sister-in-law with his own eyes, he handed over to er brotherthe enormous riches bequeathed to imfor life'.Записки князя Петра Долгорукова. — СПб.: Издательский Центр Гуманитарная Академия, 2007. — С. 64. The Tsarina's

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

took place on 7 January 1716 in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in

, as the fourth

burial Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

there. Marfa Matveyevna was a devout woman, observing the old rituals. She was the last member of the

Romanov family The House of Romanov (also transliterated as Romanoff; , ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after Anastasia Romanovna married Ivan the Terrible, the first crowned tsar of all Russia. Ni ...

whose funeral and burial were according to the ancient traditions, prohibited by Peter afterwards in the whole country.

References

*Grigoryan VG Romanov. Biographical Directory. - Moscow: AST, 2007. , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Apraksina, Marfa 1664 births 1716 deaths 17th-century Russian women 17th-century Russian people 18th-century women from the Russian Empire Tsarinas of Russia Russian nobility Burials at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg