The Terrible Queen: Women and Power in Russia in the 16th and 17th Centuries
69.99 €
In stock
The Terrible Queen: Women and Power in Russia in the 16th and 17th Centuries
69.99 €
This is a comprehensive study on how women influenced politics, the dynasty, and the very nature of autocratic power during the reign of Ivan the Terrible and the early Romanovs. The author demonstrates that behind the seemingly secluded terem and strict court rituals lay a complex system of female presence in power—from regency and court intrigue to participation in diplomacy and the formation of the tsar's ideology.
The 16th-17th century era of the Muscovite Tsardom opens with a power struggle between the descendants of Grand Duchess Maria Borisovna and Grand Duchess Sophia Fominichna and concludes with the ambitious enthronement of the autocratic Princess Sophia Alexeyevna. The narrative centers on the fates of Russian tsarinas, princesses, and boyars, who found themselves at the epicenter of key historical events: the oprichnina, dynastic crises, the Time of Troubles, and the emergence of the new Romanov dynasty. Through specific biographies, the author reveals how the image of the "formidable queen" was shaped: not only as the sovereign's consort, but also as an independent political entity capable of influencing decisions, court coalitions, and the succession to the throne.
Eight chapters, beautifully illustrated with masterpieces of painting and graphic art from foreign and domestic museums and archives, cover topics such as women's rights to power and property, the logic behind the formation of royal marriages, female emigration, the significance of "powerful" women in Orthodoxy and its spread, the female priesthood, and women's influence on grand dukes and tsars.
The 16th-17th century era of the Muscovite Tsardom opens with a power struggle between the descendants of Grand Duchess Maria Borisovna and Grand Duchess Sophia Fominichna and concludes with the ambitious enthronement of the autocratic Princess Sophia Alexeyevna. The narrative centers on the fates of Russian tsarinas, princesses, and boyars, who found themselves at the epicenter of key historical events: the oprichnina, dynastic crises, the Time of Troubles, and the emergence of the new Romanov dynasty. Through specific biographies, the author reveals how the image of the "formidable queen" was shaped: not only as the sovereign's consort, but also as an independent political entity capable of influencing decisions, court coalitions, and the succession to the throne.
Eight chapters, beautifully illustrated with masterpieces of painting and graphic art from foreign and domestic museums and archives, cover topics such as women's rights to power and property, the logic behind the formation of royal marriages, female emigration, the significance of "powerful" women in Orthodoxy and its spread, the female priesthood, and women's influence on grand dukes and tsars.
See also:
- All books by the publisher
- All books by the author