Overview

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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Russell E. Martin
Publisher:   Cornell University Press
Imprint:   Northern Illinois University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 3.20cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.907kg
ISBN:  

9780875804484

ISBN 10:   0875804489
Pages:   394
Publication Date:   15 June 2012
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

"Charts and Tables Acknowledgments Note on Dates, Names, and Transliteration Introduction 1. ""It Would Be Best to Marry the Daughter of One of His Subjects"": The Origins of the Bride-Show in Muscovy 2. ""Without Any Regard for Noble Ancestry"": Picking a Bride for the Tsar 3. ""If You Marry a Second Time, You Will Have an Evil Child Born to You"": Bride-Shows and Muscovite Political Culture 4. ""To Assuage the Melancholy""—The Many Wives of Ivan IV 5. ""Scheming to Be Rid of the Chosen Tsarevna"": Conflict and Conspiracy in the Romanov Bride-Shows 6. ""Worthy because the Tsar Adores You"": The Last Bride-Shows and the Return of Foreign-Born Brides Epilogue Appendices     A. Excerpts from the Chronograph of the Marriages of Tsar Ivan Vasil'evich     B. Candidates at the Bride-Shows for Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich, 1670–71     C. Gifts Given to Candidates in the Bride-Show for Fedor Alekseevich, 1680     D. Genealogies Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index"

Reviews

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. --Daniel H. Kaiser, Joseph F. Rosenfield Professor of Social Studies at Grinnell College

"A Bride for the Tsar-with its detailed descriptions, its use of previously unexamined sources, its beautiful illustrations and informative charts, and its well-thought-through argument about how politics functioned in Muscovy-should be on the reading list of every scholar interested in the early modern period. * Russian History * A monarchy is not just a form of government but also a family, and Russell Martin's pioneering study of marriage politics in early modern Russia reflects precisely that understanding.""—Canadian-American Slavic Studies * Canadian-American Slavic Studies * 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. * Slavic Review * Russell Martin's new book is a beautifully written and thoroughly researched examination of the monarchical politics of marriage in sixteenth-and seventeenth-century Russia. * The Journal of Modern History * In this meticulously researched and nicely written study, Martin examines a little-known ritual in early modern culture. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. * Choice * Russell E. Martin has produced an impressive study of early modern weddings among Russia's ruling family. Martin draws on his command of obscure sources and the history of this period to tease out a number of worthwhile, and occasionally surprising, insights. Not the least of his accomplishments here is that he has written a book that is fun to read. * Slavic Review * Readers who are fascinated by the minutiae of court rituals will find rich pickings in this volume[.]The author has conducted extensive archival research for the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in particular, and he provides a thorough and meticulous account of these ceremonies. * Slavonic and East European 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 Russell Martin s new book is a beautifully written and thoroughly researched examination of the monarchical politics of marriage in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Russia. The Journal of Modern History 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. Slavic Review A monarcy is not just a form of government but also a family, and Russell Martin's pioneering study of marriage politics in early modern Russia reflects precisely that understanding. Canadian-American Slavic Studies

<br> 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

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. <br><br>--Daniel H. Kaiser, Joseph F. Rosenfield Professor of Social Studies at Grinnell C

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 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. -- Eve Levin, Slavic Review

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. --Daniel H. Kaiser, Joseph F. Rosenfield Professor of Social Studies at Grinnell College<br><br>--Joseph F. Rosenfield Professor of Social Studies at Grinnell College

Author Information

Russell E. Martin is professor of history at Westminster College and codirector of the Muscovite Biographical Database in Moscow.

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