Princess Maria Feodorovna Pozharskaya (died 1607), was a Tsardom of Russian

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

, a royal favorite of tsarina

Maria Skuratova-Belskaya Maria Grigorievna Skuratova-Belskaya (c. 1552 ~ died 10/20 June 1605) was a Tsaritsa of Russia as the spouse of Tsar Boris Godunov. She served as regent of Russia during the minority of her son, Tsar Feodor II of Russia, in 1605. Life Maria Skurat ...

. She married prince Michail Fedorovich Pozharsky in 1571, and became the mother of

Dmitry Pozharsky Dmitry Mikhaylovich Pozharsky ( rus, Дми́трий Миха́йлович Пожа́рский, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ pɐˈʐarskʲɪj; 17 October 1577 – 30 April 1642) was a Russian prince known for his military leadershi ...

. As a member of the elite nobility, she was appointed lady-in-waiting to the tsar's daughter Xenia Borisovna of Russia, but advanced to be lady-in-waiting to the tsarina,

. She defeated her rivals Maria Lykova (married to Michael Lykov), and became a favorite of the tsarina. She was the highest ranking lady-in-waiting of the tsarina during the reign of Godunov, and had a great deal of influence. After the reign of Godunov, she retired from court to a convent and became a nun by the name Evdokia.

References

* В—в Н. Пожарская, Мария (Евфросиния) Феодоровна // Русский биографический словарь : в 25 томах. — СПб.—М., 1896—1918. 1607 deaths Tsardom of Russia ladies-in-waiting Tsardom of Russia nuns 17th-century Russian women {{Russia-bio-stub