Tsaritsa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tsaritsa (Bulgarian: царица ; Russian: цари́ца), 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, Catherine the Great and Elizabeth .
Others who gained the title by marrying a Tsar were Elizabeth Alexeevna, Alexandra Fyodorovna (Charlotte of Prussia), Maria Alexandrovna, Maria Fyodorovna and Eleonore, Princess Reuss-Köstritz, who became Tsaritsa of Bulgaria following her marriage to Tsar Ferdinand.
The last Russian Tsaritsa to rule Russia 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.
Some Russian monarchists recognise Maria Vladimirovna as the current Tsaritsa.