Article in other languages:
Tsaritsa (Bulgarian: царица; Russian: цари́ца), formerly spelled czaritsa (and in English usually tsarina or czarina, with the German feminine suffix), is the title of a female autocratic ruler (monarch) of Bulgaria or Russia, or the title of a tsar's wife.
Tsaritsa was the official title of the female supreme ruler in the following states:
- Bulgaria in 913–1018, in 1185–1422 and in 1908–1946
- Serbia in 1346–1371
- Russia from about 1547 until 1917.
Contents |
In the Monarchy
Since 1721, the official titles of the Russian male and female monarchs were Emperor (Russian: император, imperator) and Empress (Russian: императрица, imperatritsa), respectively, or Empress Consort.
Several tsaritsas were the rulers of Russia including Catherine I (reigned 1725–27), Anna (1730–40), Elizabeth (1741–62) and Catherine the Great (1762–96).
Tsaritsa by marriage
Others who gained the title by marrying a Tsar were Elizabeth Alexeevna, Alexandra Fyodorovna (Charlotte of Prussia), Maria Alexandrovna, Maria Fyodorovna and Eleonore of Reuss-Köstritz, who became Tsaritsa of Bulgaria following her marriage to Tsar Ferdinand. Many princesses from Western Europe, who had to convert to Orthodox Christianity and change their given names accordingly, were given the middle name Fyodorovna not because their fathers were named Theodore but as an allegory based on the name's (Theodore) etymology: "a gift from God".
Last tsaritsas of Russia and Bulgaria
The last Russian tsaritsa was Alexandra Fyodorovna (Alix of Hesse) who was married to Nicholas II of Russia. The last Bulgarian tsaritsa was Giovanna of Italy, the wife of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria.
See also
For tsar's daughters see tsarevna.
 |
This royalty-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Questions for article: