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 Boyar family, daughter of Kirill Poluektovich Naryshkin (1623-1691, son of Poluekt Naryshkin who d. 1634) and wife Anna Lvovna Leontieva (d. 1706, daughter of Lev Leontiev and wife Praskovia Ivanovna Rayevskaya who d. 1641), she was brought up in the house of the great Western-leaning boyar Artamon Matveyev.

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 Peter, Natalia, her brothers, and the patriarch effectively controlled the government.

She became widowed when Tsar Alexei died in 1676; a son from previous marriage ascended the throne as Tsar Feodor. When Feodor died in 1682, her 10-year old son became Tsar Peter the Great. She became Regent, with her stepfather 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 were killed and her blood father Kyril Naryshkin was forced to become a monk in a convent. Feodor's elder sister, Sofia Alekseyevna replaced her as Regent.

With Sofia heading the regime of her son Peter was a co-Tsar, Natalya lived 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 overthrew Sofia, and he and his stepbrother 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 conservative fraction in the court to nominate the conservative Adrian, Bishop of Kazan, to head the Russian Orthodox Church.

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