Maria Temrjukovna

Maria Temrjukovna ("Мари́я Темрюко́вна") was a Circassian Tsarina of the Tsardom of Russia and second wife to Ivan IV of Russia. The daughter of Muslim prince Temrjuk of Kabardia, Maria (originally named Kučenej ("Кученей") before her baptism) was presented to Ivan in Moscow after the death of his first wife Anastasia Romanovna. Russian folklore tells of how Ivan's first wife, before dying, warned him not to take a pagan as a wife. Ivan was so smitten by Maria's beauty, that he decided to marry her immediately. On August 21 1561, they married, four days before Ivans 31st birthday. Ivan soon came to regret the decision to marry her, on account of his new wife being illitirate and vindictive. She never fully intergrated to the Muscovite way of life, and was a poor stepmother to Ivans two sons Ivan and Feodor. She gave birth to a son named Vasili, named after her father in law on March 21 1563, though he died on May 3 that same year. Maria was generally hated by her subjects, who believed her to be manipulative and witch-like in her behaviour. Some historians write that it was she who first incited her husband to form the "oprichniki". She died on September 1 1569 at the age of 25. It was widely believed that she had been poisoned by her own husband. The Tsar never admitted as such, and had many people tortured on suspicion of assassinating the Tzarina.

References

* Troyat, Henri "Ivan le Terrible". Flammarion, Paris, 1982
* de Madariaga, Isabel "Ivan the Terrible". Giulio Einaudi editore, 2005