Welcome to a slap shot edition of the Russian rulers podcast. Today's episode,

The Not So Merry Wives of Ivan the Terrible.

Anastasia Romanovena Zharina Yeregeva was Ivan the fourth's first wife and according to most historical records his most beloved.

A few listeners have wondered about my pronunciation of her name.

Should it be Anastasia or Anastasia.

I am going to go with the pronunciation as it likely would have been in her time,

and not the Anglicanized version made popular by the Disney movie

on the supposed living daughter of Nicholas II. But don't get me started on that piece of fiction.

I'll take up that subject in the future. Anastasia married Ivan on February 3rd, 1547 and stayed with him, comforting his troubled mind and being a moderating influence until her death on August 7, 1560.

Her death marked a turning point in Ivan's life as we've discussed in our regular podcast. Ivan believed that she was poisoned and there is

forensic evidence that she was as her hair was to have high traces of mercury.

This toxic metal though was used medicinally and may have been used to treat her illness which was likely to have been cancer.

Anastasia did Beer Ivan's six children, but four died in infancy. One son, Ivan, was later murdered by his father,

leaving the feeble-minded Fyodor to ascend to the throne on Ivan's death.

Anastasia's brother Nikita was the grandfather of Michael I, the first Romanov Tsar.

One year and two weeks after Anastasia's death, Ivan married Kocchnya Tamrukovna, the daughter of a Muslim prince. She was later baptized as Maria.

Ivan was smitten by her beauty. She was later baptized as Maria.

Ivan was smitten by her beauty, but things deteriorated between them, as she was a cruel

and vindictive woman, as well as being totally illiterate, which was quite the opposite of the well educated Ivan.

She gave birth to one son, Vassili, who died in infancy.

Their marriage lasted just over eight years when Maria died under suspicious circumstances on September 1st, 1569.

Many suspect Ivan as her killer, although he had many people tortured and executed on suspicion of murdering her.

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