Maria Vladimirovna Dolgorukova (; 1608 – ) was the tsaritsa of all Russia as the first wife of

Michael of Russia Michael I (; ) was Tsar of all Russia from 1613 after being elected by the Zemsky Sobor of 1613 until his death in 1645. He was elected by the Zemsky Sobor and was the first tsar of the House of Romanov, which succeeded the House of Rur ...

. She was the first tsaritsa of the

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

dynasty.

Life

Maria Dolgorukova was born in 1608 into the family of the ''

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

'' and ''

knyaz A , also , ''knjaz'' or (), is a historical Slavs, Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times. It is usually translated into English language, English as 'prince', 'king' or 'duke', depending on specific historical c ...

'' Vladimir Timofeyevich

Dolgorukov The House of Dolgorukov ( rus, Долгору́ков, p=dəlɡɐˈrukəf) is a princely Russian family of Rurikid stock. They are a cadet branch of the Obolenskiy family (until 1494 the rulers of Obolensk, one of the Upper Oka Principaliti ...

(1569–1633), and his wife, Maria Vasilievna Barbashina-Shuyskaya (1575–1633/4). Her family were a collateral branch of the

Rurik dynasty The Rurik dynasty, also known as the Rurikid or Riurikid dynasty, as well as simply Rurikids or Riurikids, was a noble lineage allegedly founded by the Varangian prince Rurik, who, according to tradition, established himself at Novgorod in the ...

, and related to past Russian

grand prince Grand prince or great prince (feminine: grand princess or great princess) (; ; ; ; ) is a hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. Grand duke is the usual and established, though not litera ...

s. She was selected for marriage to Michael by his mother,

Xenia Shestova Boyarinya Kseniya Ioannovna (Ivanovna) Shestova (; 1560–1631) was a spouse of Fyodor Romanov and the mother of Mikhail Romanov. Life The origins of Xeniya Ivanovna have been disputed by genealogists for centuries. It is currently accepted t ...

, after several years of difficulty in finding a partner for the tsar. In 1616, Shestova refused to accept the tsar's choice of

Maria Ivanovna Khlopova Maria Ivanovna Khlopova, known briefly as Anastasia Ivanovna Khlopova (died 1633), was a Russian noble, the fiancée of Tsar Michael I of Russia. Biography Maria Ivanovna Khlopova was chosen as a potential bride via a 1616 Russian brideshow, br ...

, and Michael I had eventually been forced to give up his plans to marry her. In 1619, the tsar's father, Patriarch Philaret of Moscow, suggested he marry the sister of John, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein, but eventually, these negotiations were discontinued. In 1623, Xenia Shestova selected Maria Dolgorukova as a marriage partner because of her family connections; her sister Marfa (c. 1600–1634) had been married to the prince Ivan

Shuysky The House of Shuysky (Shuisky; ) was a Russian family of boyars and tsars, a cadet branch of the Rurikids. The surname is derived from the town of Shuya, of which the Shuiskys gained ownership in 1403. From 1606 to 1610, Vasili Shuisky ...

("the Button") (c. 1566 – c. 1638), the brother of

Vasili IV of Russia Vasili IV Ivanovich Shuisky (, 12 September 1612) was Tsar of all Russia from 1606 to 1610, after the murder of False Dmitri I. His rule coincided with the Time of Troubles. He was the only member of Shuysky, House of Shuisky to become t ...

, the last monarch of Russia from the Rurik dynasty. The wedding took place on 19 September 1624. Not long after the wedding, Maria took ill. She finally died on , four months after the wedding. There were rumors at the time that she had been poisoned by a court conspiracy, determined to prevent any potential pro-Rurikid influence, or by the enemies of the

Dolgorukov family The House of Dolgorukov ( rus, Долгору́ков, p=dəlɡɐˈrukəf) is a knyaz, princely Tsardom of Russia, Russian family of Rurikid stock. They are a cadet branch of the Obolensky, Obolenskiy family (until 1494 the rulers of Obolensko ...

. Chronicles called her death a divine punishment for the fate of the previous fiancée of the tsar,

. On 7 January, six yards of

damask Damask (; ) is a woven, Reversible garment, reversible patterned Textile, fabric. Damasks are woven by periodically reversing the action of the warp and weft threads. The pattern is most commonly created with a warp-faced satin weave and the gro ...

was allotted for the presentation of the deceased. This most likely covered Maria's face and body. On 8 January, the funeral was held. Maria's coffin was upholstered with crimson English cloth. The funeral was ordered by Prince Bogdan Dolgorukov, her cousin, and the priest Vasily Semyonov. Maria Vladimirovna was buried in the tomb of the Russian tsaritas in the cathedral of the

Ascension Convent Ascension Convent, known as the Starodevichy Convent or Old Maidens' Convent until 1817 (), was a Russian Orthodox nunnery in the Moscow Kremlin which contained the burials of grand princesses, tsarinas, and other noble ladies from the Muscovite ...

, behind the left pillar by the western doors. In 1929, the remains of all queens were transferred to the basement chamber of the

Archangel Cathedral The Cathedral of the Archangel () is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Archangel Michael. It is located in Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin in Russia between the Great Kremlin Palace and the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. It was the m ...

. The inscription on her sarcophagus reads:

References

Bibliography

*Государство и общество в России XV-начала XX века. // Ред. А. П. Павлов. Стр. 254. * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Dolgorukova, Maria Vladimirovna 1608 births 1625 deaths 17th-century Russian women 17th-century Russian people

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

House of Romanov Tsarinas of Russia Burials at Ascension Convent