Synopses & Reviews
From 1505 to 1689, Russiaandrsquo;s tsars chose their wives through an elaborate ritual: the bride-show. The realmandrsquo;s most beautiful young maidensandmdash;provided they hailed from the aristocracyandmdash;gathered in Moscow, where the tsarandrsquo;s trusted boyars reviewed their medical histories, evaluated their spiritual qualities, noted their physical appearances, and confirmed their virtue. Those who passed muster were presented to the tsar, who inspected the candidates one by oneandmdash;usually without speaking to any of themandmdash;and chose one to be immediately escorted to the Kremlin to prepare for her wedding and new life as the tsarandrsquo;s consort.
Alongside accounts of sordid boyar plots against brides, the multiple marriages of Ivan the Terrible, and the fascinating spectacle of the bride-show ritual, A Bride for the Tsar offers an analysis of the showandrsquo;s role in the complex politics of royal marriage in early modern Russia. Russell E. Martin argues that the nature of the rituals surrounding the selection of a bride for the tsar tells us much about the extent of his power, revealing it to be limited and collaborative, not autocratic. Extracting the bride-show from relative obscurity, Martin persuasively establishes it as an essential element of the tsarist political system.
Review
and#8220;Martin has tracked down all possible sources regarding weddings in the ruling family from about 1500 to the early eighteenth century, and with such rich and detailed information, he is able to paint a dramatic picture of the individuals and families who battled over the tsarand#8217;s weddings. One of the great contributions of this book is that it looks at Muscovite wedding rituals in a broader contextand#8212;Byzantine, medieval Europe, even ancient Chinaand#8212;and reveals that bride-shows were used in many pre-modern monarchical settings, to suit a range of political needs.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;The author displays a thorough mastery of the historiography, deep familiarity with the evidence, and a unique perspective through which to view early modern Russian politics.
A Bride for the Tsar is splendidly written, and uses the fairytale images of modern opera to focus attention upon interesting and important historical processes.and#8221;
Review
"In this meticulously researched and nicely written study, Martin (Westminster College) examines a little-known ritual in early modern culture. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above." - CHOICE REVIEW
Review
andquot;In this meticulously researched and nicely written study, Martin (Westminster College) examines a little-known ritual in early modern culture. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.andquot;
andmdash;CHOICE
andldquo;Russell Martinandrsquo;s new book is a beautifully written and thoroughly researched examination of the monarchical politics of marriage in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Russia.andrdquo;
andmdash;Carol B. Stevens, The Journal of Modern History
andquot;Although Martin intends his book for specialists in premodern Russian history, it is accessible to readers whose knowledge does not exceed that of an undergraduate textbook. Moreover, he tells the story engagingly. Consequently, readers might not realize the complexity involved in reconstructing even the bare factual narrative, or the difficulty in gleaning usable information from laconic sources consisting of little more than names and dates. Three appendixes contain examples of such sources, in the original Old Russian. Readers who consult these sources cannot help but admire the careful research and imagination Martin brought to fruition with this monograph.andquot;
andmdash;Eve Levin, Slavic Review
Synopsis
From 1505 to 1689, Russia s tsars chose their wives through an elaborate ritual: the bride-show. The realm s most beautiful young maidens provided they hailed from the aristocracy gathered in Moscow, where the tsar s trusted boyars reviewed their medical histories, evaluated their spiritual qualities, noted their physical appearances, and confirmed their virtue. Those who passed muster were presented to the tsar, who inspected the candidates one by one usually without speaking to any of them and chose one to be immediately escorted to the Kremlin to prepare for her wedding and new life as the tsar s consort.
Alongside accounts of sordid boyar plots against brides, the multiple marriages of Ivan the Terrible, and the fascinating spectacle of the bride-show ritual, A Bride for the Tsar offers an analysis of the show s role in the complex politics of royal marriage in early modern Russia. Russell E. Martin argues that the nature of the rituals surrounding the selection of a bride for the tsar tells us much about the extent of his power, revealing it to be limited and collaborative, not autocratic. Extracting the bride-show from relative obscurity, Martin persuasively establishes it as an essential element of the tsarist political system.
"
About the Author
Russell E. Martin is professor of history at Westminster College and codirector of the Muscovite Biographical Database in Moscow.
Table of Contents
Charts and Tables
Acknowledgments
Note on Dates, Names, and Transliteration
Introduction
1. andquot;It Would Be Best to Marry the Daughter of One of His Subjectsandquot;: The Origins of the Bride-Show in Muscovy
2. andquot;Without Any Regard for Noble Ancestryandquot;: Picking a Bride for the Tsar
3. andquot;If You Marry a Second Time, You Will Have an Evil Child Born to Youandquot;: Bride-Shows and Muscovite Political Culture
4. andquot;To Assuage the Melancholyandquot;andmdash;The Many Wives of Ivan IV
5. andquot;Scheming to Be Rid of the Chosen Tsarevnaandquot;: Conflict and Conspiracy in the Romanov Bride-Shows
6. andquot;Worthy because the Tsar Adores Youandquot;: The Last Bride-Shows and the Return of Foreign-Born Brides
Epilogue
Appendices
and#160;and#160;and#160; A. Excerpts from the Chronograph of the Marriages of Tsar Ivan Vasil'evich
and#160;and#160;and#160; B. Candidates at the Bride-Shows for Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich, 1670andndash;71
and#160;and#160;and#160; C. Gifts Given to Candidates in the Bride-Show for Fedor Alekseevich, 1680
and#160;and#160;and#160; D. Genealogies
Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Index