TSARITSA

(Redirected from Tsarina)

'Tsaritsa' (; ), formerly spelled 'czaritsa' (and in English sometimes rendered 'tsarina' or 'czarina', which possess non-Slavic noun suffixes), is the title of Tsar's wife or a female autocratic ruler (monarch) of Russia or Bulgaria. Since 1721, the official titles of the Russian male and female monarchs were Emperor and Empress, respectively.
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).
Others who gained the title by marrying a Tsar were Elizabeth Alexeevna, Alexandra Fyodorovna, Maria Alexandrovna, Maria Fyodorovna and Eleonore of Reuss-Köstritz, who became Tsaritsa of Bulgaria following her marriage to Tsar Ferdinand.
The last Russian Tsaritsa was Alexandra Fyodorovna who was married to Nicholas II of Russia. The last Bulgarian Tsaritsa was Giovanna of Italy, the wife of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria.