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How many wives did Ivan the Terrible have, where did he get to know them and how he got rid of unwanted spouses?
How many wives did Ivan the Terrible have, where did he get to know them and how he got rid of unwanted spouses?

Video: How many wives did Ivan the Terrible have, where did he get to know them and how he got rid of unwanted spouses?

Video: How many wives did Ivan the Terrible have, where did he get to know them and how he got rid of unwanted spouses?
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Ivan the Terrible is most often remembered as a stern and decisive ruler. And few people know that this man has repeatedly married and had several wives during his life. Some historians believe that it was family life that influenced the formation of the king's personality. Read how many wives Grozny had, who they were, where the tsar got to know them and how he treated them, and what is the fate of each of them.

Beloved Anastasia, with whose departure the tsar barely coped with the beautiful Maria Temryukovna, illiterate and evil

Anastasia Zakharyina became the first wife of Ivan the Terrible
Anastasia Zakharyina became the first wife of Ivan the Terrible

When Ivan was 17 years old, he decided to get married and arranged a review of potential brides for this. Among the many girls, there was one who liked the young king. It was Anastasia Zakharyina - a sweet, modest girl with a kind and gentle character. The wedding took place. Anastasia was a person whose opinion Ivan the Terrible always listened to. Historians claim that Ivan really sincerely loved Anastasia and with whom he lived, in perfect harmony. 6 babies appeared in the marriage, but, alas, almost all of them died at an early age.

Queen Anastasia herself died in 1560. There is a version that this event was influenced by illness and frequent childbirth. Another says the woman was poisoned. Whatever happened, Ivan the Terrible was very upset by the loss, perhaps this sad event had an impact on the character of the tsar.

After the loss of Anastasia, Ivan decided to look for a new wife. He gave the order to equip ambassadors who were to look for a bride for the tsar from the Circassian princes. The choice fell on the daughter of Prince Maria Temryukovna, a sixteen-year-old beauty. Compatriots claimed that Mary was incredibly good. Initially, she did not speak Russian, but later she was able to learn the language. This wife had influence on Grozny and knew how to turn her husband against a man she did not like. Maria watched the executions with strange pleasure.

The king understood perfectly well that the wife has a bad, vindictive and cunning character. Over time, the passion passed, and Ivan increasingly began to visit his harem. Maria also had lovers. The day came when Mary fell ill (possibly with pneumonia) and soon left this world. At court, it was believed that the queen was poisoned by ill-wishers.

Martha Sobakina, the winner of the Tsar's beauty contest

Ivan the Terrible chose Martha Sobakina among many girls
Ivan the Terrible chose Martha Sobakina among many girls

In 1571 Ivan the Terrible organized a real beauty contest among brides. At least two thousand young beauties were brought to the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda. The captious king initially chose 24 girls, and then twelve of them. All participants were examined. This was done by grandmothers and healers. Marfa Sobakina won this kind of competition. The engagement was announced. By the way, this girl was recommended to Ivan Malyuta Skuratov. Most likely, he pursued the goal of becoming related to the sovereign family. During the wedding, Malyuta's wife and daughter were matchmakers, and Skuratov himself acted as a boyfriend (along with Boris Godunov). Unfortunately, after the wedding, the bride became very sick and after a couple of weeks gave her soul to God. There are many versions of what happened, and they all say one thing - the king's wife left this world due to poisoning, witchcraft, and other similar reasons.

Anna Koltovskaya, who was hated by the boyars and young Anna Vasilchikova, who died suddenly

Anna Koltovskaya had nothing against her husband's feasts
Anna Koltovskaya had nothing against her husband's feasts

The departure of Martha had a bad effect on Ivan the Terrible. His suspicion intensified. The choice of a new wife did not happen immediately. Eighteen-year-old Anna Koltovskaya was chosen as the bride. The church was against the fourth marriage of the tsar, therefore Ivan simply gave the order to the clergyman and they were married. Anna was loyal to orgies and feasts and had nothing against the fact that her husband used the services of other women. She did not love Ivan. There is a version that Anna fought against the oprichnina and achieved execution for many oprichniki. And although both the king and the people treated her with love, the boyars hated the queen. They "whispered" various gossip to Ivan and advised him to send his wife to the monastery. As a result, Anna disappeared, and the schema-nun Daria appeared, languishing in the dungeon. In 1626 she was gone.

Another Grozny was the prince's daughter Anna Vasilchikova, who had just turned 17 years old. It should be noted that her father, Peter, opposed the wedding and refused to send his daughter to the palace. But the king did not stand on ceremony and sent matchmakers to the prince's house. Anna had to submit, but the church did not recognize the marriage. The young people lived together for only 3 months. After that, the perfectly healthy girl suddenly went to heaven. The official version is "chest disease". Anna secretly, under cover of night, was transported for burial in the Suzdal monastery.

Vasilisa Melentieva, who had a huge influence on her husband, and Maria Nagaya, who was constantly sad

Vasilisa Melentieva had a great influence on the tsar
Vasilisa Melentieva had a great influence on the tsar

Another wife of Ivan the Terrible was a certain Vasilisa Melentieva. When the tsar saw her, she was married to Nikita Melentyev, an associate of Ivan. During a visit to the Melentiev family, the king was struck by the beauty of Vasilisa, and after her husband suddenly went to heaven, he immediately ordered the woman to be brought to the palace. Ivan fulfilled all the whims of Vasilisa. For example, all the ladies, whom she considered rivals, were expelled from the palace. She also forbade orgies and wild festivities, and was against constant executions. The king began to behave more modestly, quietly. He made Vasilisa the queen, as she wanted, that is, he married. Family life lasted 2 years until the tsar found Vasilisa with a man, Ivan Kolychev. The tsar's strong love did not save Vasilisa. In a remote part of the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, two were buried - Kolychev and Melentieva. There is a legend that the unfortunate queen was buried alive.

After Melentyeva, Ivan the Terrible married one more, the last time. He chose Maria Nagoya. The girl very much asked her father to spare her and not give her to the king, who was already old, sick and looked terrible. At first, his wife suited Grozny, but then she began to irritate him with her sadness. The king began to think that he needed to somehow get rid of his wife. He even started looking for a new bride. But in 1584 Grozny passed away.

The era of Ivan the Terrible in Russian history is well known. But not everyone remembers what was happening in the world when he ruled in Russia.

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