Marinka the Witch & The Romanov Curse
Marina Mniszech, also known in Russian lore as Marinka the Witch, was a Polish noblewoman who became the Tsaritsa of Russia during the ‘Time of Troubles’.
Born in 1588 from a prominent noble family, Marina was given a fairly good education.
She could read, write, sing, and dance.
Marina’s parents and her nine siblings lived a nice life, until a Russian imposter popped up…..
This imposter pretended to be Dmitry Ivanovich, the son of Ivan IV and Maria Nagaya.
Dmitry was supposed to have died at the age of eight.
This ‘False Dmitry’ claimed he was heir to the Russian throne, and was supported by Marina’s brother-in-law ~ and that’s how Marina met him.
‘False Dmitry’ fell in love with Marina.
She was very beautiful, and Dmitry really wanted to marry her.
Marina’s family did all they could to make sure that their marriage would take place.
To marry Marina, they told Dmitry to promise to convert to Catholicism – he willingly agreed.
Marina and ‘False Dmitry’ married in 1605 in Krakow.
Maria Nagaya, mother of the actual Dmitry, recognised the False Dmitry as her son.
The church accepted Marina and Dmitry’s marriage, which was good news for the new royal couple.
Marina was crowned Tsarita in May of 1606.
Marina wore a Polish wedding dress, while Dmitry wore a Polish hussar’s armor.
False Dmitry and Marina enjoyed a very short period of happiness.
On the morning of 17th May 1606, about two weeks after the coronation, False Dmitry was assassinated.
Marina was imprisoned, and many other members of their Polish retinue were murdered.
Marina now had to give up her title of Tsaritsa.
She remarried with the hope of becoming Tsaritsa again – to another man pretending to be the actual Dmitry.
Enter ‘False Dmitry II’.
This False Dmitry II was also murdered in December of 1610, and Marina gave birth to a son named Ivan Dmitryevich the next month.
Now that Marina had two murdered husbands who claimed to be Dmitry.
She had luckily survived them both, but she needed a new husband for some protection.
She married a man named Ivan Zarutsky.
Ivan tried to help promote Marina’s son, Ivan Dmitryevich, as Tsar.
Michael Romanov was chosen instead.
Marina and her family fled to avoid imprisonment. They were captured by Cossacks, and handed over to Tsar Michael Romanov.
Marina’s son and husband were murdered in 1614.
Marina died in prison, from possible strangulation, at the age of twenty-six.
Marina is known in Russian lore as Marinka the Witch.
The legend goes that she cursed the Romanov tsar-
“In the Ipatiev’s you started, in the Ipatiev’s you will end!
You began with the death of a tsarevich, you will end with the death of a tsarevich!”
The exEcution of the last Romanovs, including Tsarevich Alexei, in Ipatiev House ~ was this Marina’s curse coming true?
Was it her way of getting back at the Romanovs for having her own son executed?
Possibly.
Maybe…..
A rare 19th C Portrait of Marina Mniszech. Jean-François Villain.
