Natalia Naryshkina

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Natalia Naryshkina

Natalia Kirillovna Naryshkina (September 1, 1651 - February 4, 1694) was the Tsaritsa of Russia from 1671 to 1676.

Coming from a family of Tatar Boyars¹, she was brought up in the house of the great Western-leaning boyar, Artamon Matveyev, on account of her distant relationship with his wife, the Scottish-descended Mary Hamilton.

On February 1, 1671, she married Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich as his second wife. They had three children, the future Peter I of Russia (1672-1725), Tsarevna Natalya who founded the first public theatre in Russia, writing a number of its plays herself and Tsarevna Feodora. After the throne was secured for her son, Natalia, her brothers, and the patriarch effectively controlled the government.

She became widowed when Tsar Alexei died in 1676; his son ascended the throne as Tsar Feodor. When Feoder died in 1682, her 10-year old son became Tsar Peter the Great. She became Regent, with her step-father Artamon Matveyev who was called back from exile, as advisor. However, during the revolt of the Streltsy on May 15, 1682, two of her brothers and Artamon Matveyev was were killed and her blood father Kyril Naryshkin was forced to shave his head to enter a convent. Feoder's elder sister, Sofia Alekseyevna replaced her as Regent.

With Sofia heading the regime of her son Peter was a co-Tsar, Natalya lived not in danger, but in poverty. She had to receive financial support from the Patriarch or others in the Orthodox Church. She spent her time mainly in Alexei's summer palace in Preobrazhenskoe, about 5 km from Moscow, together with her son Peter.

In August 1689, Peter overthrown Sofia, and he and his step-brother Ivan continued to be co-Tsar. Natalya was back as nominal leader in the court. Her brother, Lev Naryshkin, was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and a de facto prime minister.

When the Patriarch Joachim died in 1690, Peter wanted to appoint Marcellus, Bishop of Pskov, who had travelled overseas and spoke several languages, as the new patriarch. However, Natalya lead the connservative fraction in the court to nominate the conservative Adrian, Bishop of Kazan, to head the Russian Orthodox Church.

She died after an ilness that lasted only two days. Her son was nominated as Emperor of Russia on Otober 31, 1721.