Agafya Grushetskaya
Encyclopedia
Agafya Semyonovna Grushetskaya (Birth 1663, died 14 July 1681) was a Russian noble, Tsaritsa
of Russia
as the first spouse of Tsar Feodor III of Russia
and hails from the Grushetsky
family.
) and his spouse Mariya Ivanovna Zaborovskaya. 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 angels 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 saw her during a religious procession: when she fainted after the sight of a witch in a religious theatre 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 168
1, 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.
Tsaritsa
Tsaritsa , formerly spelled czaritsa , is the title of a female autocratic ruler of Bulgaria or Russia, or the title of a tsar's wife....
of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
as the first spouse of Tsar Feodor III of Russia
Feodor III of Russia
Feodor III Alexeevich of Russia was the Tsar of all Russia between 1676 and 1682....
and hails from the Grushetsky
Grushetsky
Grushetsky is a Polish and Russian noble family descending from knight Macey – Chorąży of the King of Poland Jogaila. The King had given to him village Gruszka Duża, in eastern Poland, in favor of knightly merit, in 1411. From the name Gruszka Duża bestow name the family Grushetsky. Klan...
family.
Biography
She was a daughter of Semyon Fyodorovich Grushetsky (voivode, boyard and nobleNobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
) and his spouse Mariya Ivanovna Zaborovskaya. She could speak and write Polish, French and Latin and was well informed about the Western European life style. She could also play harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
. She was described as beautiful as "an angels 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 saw her during a religious procession: when she fainted after the sight of a witch in a religious theatre 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 168
168
Year 168 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Apronianus and Paullus...
1, 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.