Maria Grigorievna Skuratova-Belskaya (c. 1552 ~ died 10/20 June 1605) was a
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 (mona ...
of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
as the spouse of Tsar
Boris Godunov
Borís Fyodorovich Godunóv (; russian: Борис Фёдорович Годунов; 1552 ) ruled the Tsardom of Russia as ''de facto'' regent from c. 1585 to 1598 and then as the first non-Rurikid tsar from 1598 to 1605. After the end of his ...
. She served as regent of Russia during the minority of her son, Tsar
Feodor II of Russia
Fyodor II Borisovich Godunov (russian: Фёдор II Борисович Годунов) (1589 – 20 June 1605) was tsar of Russia during the spring of 1605, at the beginning of the Time of Troubles.
Life
Fyodor II was born in Moscow, the son a ...
, in 1605.
Life
Maria Skuratova-Belskaya was the daughter of Tsar
Ivan the Terrible
Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584.
Ivan ...
's favorite,
Malyuta Skuratov-Belskiy. In 1570, she married Boris Godunov. The marriage was reportedly arranged because Godunov wished to strengthen his position at court by becoming the son-in-law of the Tsar's favorite.
In 1598, her spouse became Tsar of Russia, making her Tsaritsa. During her tenure as tsarina,
Maria Feodorovna Pozharskaya was her favorite and reportedly exerted influence over her. Upon the death of her spouse in April 1605, her son was proclaimed Tsar. As he was a minor, a regency was needed to govern Russia during his minority, and Maria Skuratova-Belskaya was proclaimed regent. Her regency, and that of her son, was however only to last for a couple of months.
On 10/20 June 1605, she was strangled with her son Feodor in his apartment.
; Issue:
# Tsarevna
Xenia Borisovna
Xenia Borisovna Godunova (russian: Ксения Борисовна Годунова) (1582–1622) was a Russian Tsarevna, daughter of Tsar Boris Godunov, and sister of Tsar Feodor II of Russia.
Life
She was described as very beautiful and we ...
# Tsar
Feodor II of Russia
Fyodor II Borisovich Godunov (russian: Фёдор II Борисович Годунов) (1589 – 20 June 1605) was tsar of Russia during the spring of 1605, at the beginning of the Time of Troubles.
Life
Fyodor II was born in Moscow, the son a ...
References
* Мария Григорьевна // Славянская энциклопедия: XVII век в 2-х томах. A-M. Том 1
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16th-century births
1605 deaths
16th-century Russian people
17th-century Russian people
16th-century Russian women
17th-century Russian women
Russian tsarinas
House of Godunov
Murdered Russian royalty
Deaths by strangulation
17th-century women rulers
Murder in 1605
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