without a veil. She loved dancing and visited diplomatic events, also she became the first woman to visit a theatre play. She became widowed in 1676; a son from the Tsar's previous marriage ascended the throne as Feodor III. Feodor and his brother Ivan treated their stepmother with affection, always referring to her as "Mama". Regent When Feodor died in 1682, her 10-year-old son became tsar. She became regent, with her foster father Artamon Matveyev who was called back from exile, as advisor. However, during the revolt of the Streltsy on 15 May 1682, two of her brothers and Matveyev were killed and her biological father Kyril Naryshkin was forced to become a monk in a monastery. Feodor's elder sister, Sofia Alekseyevna, replaced her as regent. Regency of Sophia With Sofia as regent for Natalya's son and her half-brother, Peter, who was co-tsar with Ivan, Natalya lived in relative poverty, receiving financial support from the Patriarch or others in the Orthodox Church. Natalya spent her time mainly in Alexis's summer palace in Preobrazhenskoe, about 5 km from Moscow, together with Peter. Peter's rule In August 1689, Peter overthrew Sofia, and he and his half-brother Ivan continued to be co-tsars. Natalya was back as nominal leader in the court. Her brother, Lev Naryshkin, was appointed minister of foreign affairs and a de facto prime minister. When the Patriarch Joachim died in 1690, Peter wanted to appoint Marcellus, Bishop of Pskov, who had travelled overseas and spoke several languages, as the new patriarch. However, Natalya led the conservative faction in the court to nominate the conservative Adrian, Bishop of Kazan, to head the Russian Orthodox Church. See also Naryshkin family Naryshkin baroque Notes References |- |- 1651 births 1694 deaths 17th-century Russian people 17th-century Russian women 17th-century women rulers Russian tsarinas House of Romanov Natalia Regents of Russia Russian people of Tatar descent