Qochenay Maria of Cherkessia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Temrjukovna

Maria Temrjukovna (Мари́я Темрюко́вна, c. 1544 – 1 September 1569) was a Circassian Tsaritsa of the Tsardom of Russia and second wife to Ivan IV of Russia.

The daughter of Muslim prince Temrjuk of Kabardia, Maria (originally named Kučenej (Кученей) before her baptism) was presented to Ivan in Moscow after the death of his first wife Anastasia Romanovna. Russian folklore tells of how Ivan's first wife, before dying, warned him not to take a pagan as a wife. Ivan was so smitten by Maria's beauty, that he decided to marry her immediately. On 21 August 1561, they married, four days before Ivans 31st birthday. Ivan soon came to regret the decision to marry her, on account of his new wife being viewed as illiterate and vindictive. She never fully integrated to the Muscovite way of life, and was considered a poor stepmother to Ivan's two sons Ivan and Feodor. She gave birth to a son named Vasili, named after her father in law on 21 March 1563, though he died on 3 May that same year. Maria was generally hated by her subjects, who believed her to be manipulative and witch-like in her behaviour. Some historians[who?] write that it was she who first incited her husband to form the oprichniki. She died on 1 September 1569 at the age of 25. It was widely believed[who?] that she had been poisoned by her own husband. The Tsar never admitted as such, and had many people tortured on suspicion of assassinating the Tsaritsa.

The daughter of Temryuk (Timur or Teymour) of Kabardia, Maria (originally named Qochenay bint Teymour (Кученей) before her baptism) was presented to Ivan in Moscow after the death of his first wife Anastasia Romanovna. Russian folklore tells of how Ivan's first wife, before dying, warned him not to take a pagan as a wife. Ivan was so smitten by Maria's beauty, that he decided to marry her immediately. On 21 August 1561, they married, four days before Ivan's 31st birthday.

Ivan soon came to regret the decision to marry her, on account of his new wife being viewed as illiterate and vindictive. She never fully integrated to the Muscovite way of life, and was considered a poor stepmother to Ivan's two sons Ivan and Feodor. She gave birth to a son named Vasili, named after her father-in-law on 21 March 1563, though he died on 3 May that same year. Maria was generally hated by her subjects, who believed her to be manipulative and witch-like in her behaviour. Some historians [1] write that it was she who first incited her husband to form the oprichniki.

She died on 1 September 1569 at the age of 25. It was rumored that she had been poisoned by her own husband. The Tsar never admitted as such, and had many people tortured on suspicion of assassinating the Tsaritsa.

• Википедия

Царица Мария Темрюковна (Гошаней), 1545/46 – 1.09.1569. Вторая супруга царя Ивана Грозного (с 21.08.1561). Был умерший во младенчестве сын Василий, 2.03.1563 – 6.05.1563. Была погребена в Вознесенском монастыре, в Кремле, где почивали особы Великокняжеских и Царских фамилий. В настоящее время (с 1928 г.) ее гробница в подклети Архангельского собора Кремля

Мария Темрюковна (до крещения Кученей) (ум. 6.9.1569) — вторая жена Ивана IV Грозного. В 1560 г. царь послал сватов Ф.В.Вокшерина и С.Мякинина на Кавказ «у Черкаских князей дочерей смотрети». 15.07.1561 г. княжна Кученей приехала в Москву. Вскоре, царь «княжне Черкасской велел быть на своем дворе, смотрел ее и полюбил». Крещена митрополитом Макарием 20.07 «в ночи тоя». 21.08 состоялось венчание в Успенском соборе. В 1562 г. и в другие годы сопровождала царя в объезде по монастырям. 21.03.1563 г. родила царевича Василия (ум. 3.05.1563). В июле 1563 г. ездила из Александровой слободы с царевичем Иваном Ивановичем на богомолье в Суздаль, а оттуда в Ростов. Умерла 6.09.1569 г. в Александровой слободе после возвращения из длительного путешествия в Вологду.

С известием Штадена о «бесчестии» царя в отношении жены перекликаются сообщения Пискаревского летописца: «а тогда же опоил царицу Марью Черкаскову», и Горсея: «тем временем он отдалил свою черкесскую жену, постриг ее в монахини и поместил в монастырь», также, недостоверные. Царь обвинял в смерти жены своих недругов, утверждая, что она «злокозньством отравлена бысть» (ПСРЛ. Т. 13. Вт. пол. С. 329, 333, 339, 365, 368; Т. 34. С. 191; ААЭ. Т. 1. С. 329; Устюжский летописный свод (Архангелогородский летописец) / Подг. текста и редакция К.Н.Сербиной. М.-Л., 1950. С. 190; Горсей. С. 55; Гиршберг В.Б. Материалы для свода надписей на каменных плитах Москвы и Подмосковья XIV—XVII вв. Ч. II. Надписи первой половины XVII в. // НЭ. Вып. III. С. 59).