Natalya Naryshkina

Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina (Russian: Ната́лья Кири́лловна Нары́шкина; 1 September 1651 – 4 February 1694) was the Tsaritsa of Russia from 1671–1676 as the second spouse of Tsar Alexis I of Russia, and regent of Russia as the mother of Tsar Peter I of Russia (Peter the Great) in 1682.

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Kirillovna and the family name is Naryshkina.

Natalya Naryshkina
Late 17th century portrait
Tsaritsa consort of All Russia
Tenure	1 February 1671 – 29 January 1676
Born	(1651-09-01)1 September 1651 Moscow, Tsardom of Russia
Died	4 February 1694(1694-02-04) (aged 42) Moscow, Tsardom of Russia
Burial	Ascension Convent Archangel Cathedral (1929)
Spouse	Alexis I of Russia ​ ​ (m. 1671; died 1676)​
Issue	Peter the Great Tsarevna Natalya Alexeevna Tsarevna Fyodora Alexeevna
Names Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina
House	Naryshkin
Father	Kirill Poluektovich Naryshkin
Mother	Anna Leontyevna Leontyeva
Religion	Eastern Orthodox

Life

Coming from a Russian noble family of Tatar descent,^[1][2][3] daughter of Kirill Poluektovich Naryshkin (1623–1691),^[4][5] and wife Anna Leontyevna Leontyeva (d. 1706, daughter of Leonty Dimitriyevich Leontyev and spouse Praskovya Ivanovna Rayevskaya who died in 1641), she was brought up in the house of the great Western-leaning boyar Artamon Matveyev.^[6] She was given a freer and more Western-influenced upbringing than most Russian women of the time.

Tsaritsa

In March 1669, Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich's first wife, Tsarina Maria Miloslavskaya, died during the birth of what would have been her fourteenth child.^[7] Despite their number, few of Alexis and Maria's children were healthy. Within six months of her death there were only two surviving sons, Feodor and Ivan, both of whom were weak or disabled.^[7] Alexis, supported by the Russian public, although not by the family of Maria, decided to remarry in the hope of producing more potential heirs.^[7] The tsar arranged an inspection of women he considered eligible in early 1670,^[8] Natalya was added to this inspection following an encounter with the tsar at the home of her adoptive father, Artamon Matveyev.^[9] Alexis was impressed by Natalya's beauty,^[9] and selected her to be his bride without needing to go ahead with a planned second inspection.^[8] Maria's family made an attempt to halt the marriage by alleging that Matveyev had used magic herbs on Alexis to deceive him regarding Natalya's beauty.^[8] These claims were investigated but eventually dismissed,^[8] and the couple married on 1 February 1671.^[10]

Alexis and Natalya had a happy marriage, spending much of their time together in various palaces and villas around Moscow.^[11] The couple's first child, the future emperor Peter the Great, was born in May 1672,^[12] followed by daughters Natalya and Theodora.^[13] The custom at that time was for the consort of the Tsar to maintain a low-key lifestyle, deferring in all matters to her husband and carrying out work in the household.^[14] Natalya, having been raised in a liberal western-inspired household, resented this and succeeded in gradually attaining more freedoms throughout her time as Tsaritsa, such as being allowed to ride in an open carriage and appearing in church without a veil.^[15] She loved dancing and visited diplomatic events, also she became the first woman to visit a theatre play.^[16]

She became widowed in 1676; a son from the Tsar's previous marriage ascended the throne as Feodor III. Feodor and his brother Ivan treated their stepmother with affection, always referring to her as "Mama".

Regent

When Feodor died in 1682, her 10-year-old son became tsar. She became regent, with her foster father Artamon Matveyev who was called back from exile, as advisor. However, during the revolt of the Streltsy on 15 May 1682, two of her brothers and Matveyev were killed and her biological father Kyril Naryshkin was forced to become a monk in a monastery. Feodor's elder sister, Sofia Alekseyevna, replaced her as regent.

Regency of Sophia

With Sofia as regent for Natalya's son and her half-brother, Peter, who was co-tsar with Ivan, Natalya lived in relative poverty, receiving financial support from the Patriarch or others in the Orthodox Church. Natalya spent her time mainly in Alexis's summer palace in Preobrazhenskoe, about 5 km from Moscow, together with Peter.

Peter's rule

In August 1689, Peter overthrew Sofia, and he and his half-brother Ivan continued to be co-tsars. Natalya was back as nominal leader in the court. Her brother, Lev Naryshkin, was appointed minister of foreign affairs and a de facto prime minister.

When the Patriarch Joachim died in 1690, Peter wanted to appoint Marcellus, Bishop of Pskov, who had travelled overseas and spoke several languages, as the new patriarch. However, Natalya led the conservative faction in the court to nominate the conservative Adrian, Bishop of Kazan, to head the Russian Orthodox Church.

See also

• Naryshkin family
• Naryshkin baroque
• Victoria of Baden (descendant of Natalya)

Notes

1. Troyat, Henri (1987). Peter the Great. Translated from the French by Joan Pinkham (1st American ed.). New York: Dutton. ISBN 978-0525245476.
2. Allen, W. E. D. (2014). The Ukraine. Cambridge University Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-107-64186-0.
3. Prokofieff, Sergei O. (1993). The Spiritual Origins of Eastern Europe and the Future Mysteries of the Holy Grail. Temple Lodge Publishing. p. 460. ISBN 9780904693553.
4. "Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina". Encyclopaedica Britannica. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
5. de la Neuville, Foy (1994). A Curious and New Account of Muscovy in the Year 1689. School of Slavonic and East European Studies (Ssees), University of London. p. 7. ISBN 9780903425346.
6. Grey, Ian (2015). Russia: A History. New Word City. p. 86. ISBN 9781612309019.
7. Massie, Robert K. (2012). Peter the Great: The compelling story of the man who created modern Russia, founded St Petersburg and made his country part of Europe. Head of Zeus. p. 28. ISBN 9781908800978.
8. Massie, Robert K. (2013). The Romanovs - Box Set: Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra: The story of the Romanovs. Head of Zeus. ISBN 9781781855669.
9. Farmer, Lydia Hoyt (2015). The Boys' Book of Rulers. Library of Alexandria. p. 349. ISBN 9781465605665.
10. Zitser, Ernest A. (2004). The Transfigured Kingdom: Sacred Parody and Charismatic Authority at the Court of Peter the Great. Cornell University Press. p. 177. ISBN 9780801441479.
11. Browning 1898, p. 3.
12. Browning 1898, p. 4.
13. shubin, Daniel H. (2004). A History of Russian Christianity, Vol. II: The Patriarchal Age, Peter, the Synodal System. Algora Publishing. p. 159. ISBN 9780875863467.
14. Browning 1898, p. 7.
15. Browning 1898, p. 8.
16. Manaev, G. (14 June 2019). "The fascinating, boring lives of Russian tsarinas". Russia Beyond the Headlines. Retrieved 19 February 2020.

References

• Browning, Oscar (1898). Peter the Great. London: Hutchinson & Company.

Russian royalty
Vacant Title last held by Maria Miloslavskaya	Tsaritsa consort of Russia 1671–1676	Vacant Title next held by Agafiya Grushetskaya