Tsaritsa

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 Alexandra Fyodorovna, last Tsaritsa of Russia

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.

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.

Tsaritsa Eleonore of Bulgaria, wife of Ferdinand I of Bulgaria.

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.

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.

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