Feodor I of Russia: Difference between revisions

In 1580, Feodor married [[Irina Godunova|Irina (Alexandra) Feodorovna Godunova]] (1557 – 26 October/23 November 1603), sister of Ivan's minister, [[Boris Godunov]]. Although the marriage was arranged by the Tsar and the couple knew nothing of each other before their wedding day, they went on to have a strong marriage. The lonely Feodor soon grew extremely close to his wife, to a degree that was unusual for that period and [[milieu]]. Husband and wife shared a relationship of warmth and trust which was the support of Feodor's life for as long as he lived. He entrusted her to handle tsarist responsibilities, including signing decrees in his name.<ref name="Natalia Pushkareva">Natalia Pushkareva, ''[https://books.google.frcom/books?id=8sfJb6nFFmUC&hl=fr&source=gbs_navlinks_s Women in Russian History: From the Tenth to the Twentieth Century]''</ref>

However, Feodor and Irina's marriage did not immediately produce children, and may not have even been consummated for some years. It was only in 1592, after almost twelve years of marriage and numerous attempts by the court to cure her perceived barrenness (at the time, the wife was always blamed for the infertility of a couple), that Tsaritsa Irina gave birth to a daughter, who was named Feodosia (29 May, 1592 – 25 January, 1594) after her father. Feodor and his wife doted on their daughter, who however died aged two in 1594. There were no other children from the marriage. [[Boyar]] families rival to the Godunov clan attempted to convince Feodor to divorce and remarry, but he always rejected the idea.<ref name="Natalia Pushkareva"/>