Agafya Semyonovna Grushetskaya or Gruszecki (originally in Polish: Agata Siemionowna Gruszecka; russian: Агафья Семёновна Грушецкая; 1663 – 14 July 1681) was

Tsaritsa Tsarina or tsaritsa (also spelled ''csarina'' or ''csaricsa'', ''tzarina'' or ''tzaritza'', or ''czarina'' or ''czaricza''; bg, царица, tsaritsa; sr, / ; russian: царица, tsaritsa) is the title of a female autocratic ruler (mon ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

as the first spouse of Tsar

Feodor III of Russia Fyodor III Alekséyevich (in Russian: ''Фёдор III Алексеевич'') or Feodor III Alekséyevich (9 June 1661 – 7 May 1682) was the Tsar of Russia between 1676 and 1682. While disabled and paralyzed from birth, he managed to pass ref ...

. She hailed from the Polish noble family

Gruszecki Gruszecki (russian: Грушецкий, sometimes anglicized as Grushetsky) is the name Polish, Ukrainian and Russian noble family. History The name originates from the knight Maciej – Chorąży of the King of Poland Jogaila. The King had ...

Biography

She was a daughter of (

voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the ...

, and boyar) Semyon Fyodorovich Grushetsky (Gruszecki) and his spouse, Maria Ivanovna Zaborovska. She could speak and write Polish, French, and Latin, and was well informed about the Western European life style. She could also play harpsichord. She was described as beautiful as "an angel of heaven", with an easy going character. From 1677 she lived with her uncle, Semyon Zaborovsky, who did not wish her to marry. In 1680, Feodor, the Russian tsar at the time, saw her during a religious procession: when she fainted after the sight of a witch in a religious theater play, he rushed forward to support her, and fell in love with her. Aware that her uncle did not wish her to marry, a traditional summon was proclaimed to all unmarried noble women to gather for Feodor to choose from, and he chose her. On 18 July 1680, she married Feodor. Agafya shared the radical views of her spouse. She opposed the influence of the Miloslavsky party, led by her husband's mother and sister, and supported Likhachev. Her husband's relative Ivan Iljitj Miloslavskii exposed her to slander, which caused a conflict, and was punished by Feodor. Her sisters were married to princes and her cousins were raised in rank by Feodor. Agafya has been described as an angelic tsarina, merciful and loyal to Feodor and the public's welfare. She was the first to advocate beard-shaving and the adoption of Western clothes at the Russian court. She herself was the first tsarina to expose her hair and to wear a Western (Polish) dress. On 11 July 1681, the Tsarina gave birth to her son, Tsarevich Ilya Fyodorovich, the expected heir to the throne. Agafya died as a consequence of the childbirth three days later, on 14 July; and six days later, on 21 July, the nine-days-old Tsarevich also died. She was reportedly deeply mourned by Feodor.

References

* Журнал «Наука и жизнь», No. 1 2007 г. — Вознесенский некропль Кремля. (Доктор исторических наук Т. Панова, Н. Синицина, реставратор). * Л. Жданов. «Пётр и Софья» (роман). * Биография.ру — биографическая энциклопедия (Феодор Алексеевич). * Красницкий А. И. (псевдоним — А. Лавинцев). «Царица-полячка» (роман). 1902 г. * Валерий Ярхо. «Друг царя, государственный преступник…» * Сахаров А. "Пётр I (Династия Романовых)”

External links

, - , - 1663 births 1681 deaths 17th-century Russian people 17th-century Russian women Russian tsarinas Deaths in childbirth Agafia {{Russia-noble-stub