Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2023 July 14

= July 14 =

Age of majority and Russian monarchs
I have a question. Reading Feodor II of Russia, who was 16 when he was proclaimed tzar, I wonder what was the age when a male became an adult in those times in Russia? Did he have a regent or was he already considered an adult? Regards, Thinker78  (talk) 22:10, 14 July 2023 (UTC)


 * The article on the Russian Wikipedia states that "as of the approach of Feodor's coming of age" (по мере приближения совершеннолетия Фёдора) his father began to look for a bride for his son, and commissioned a nobleman leaving Moscow in May 1604 for Kartli to bring the King's daughter to Moscow. At the time, the boy was 15. It seems plausible he was considered an adult on his accession to the throne; the lack of mentions of a regent appear to imply there was no regent. --Lambiam 07:35, 15 July 2023 (UTC)
 * However, Maria Skuratova-Belskaya "served as regent of Russia during the minority of her son, Tsar Feodor II of Russia, in 1605" but "On 10/20 June 1605, she was strangled with her son Feodor in his apartment". Alansplodge (talk) 09:55, 15 July 2023 (UTC)


 * On the other hand our article on Maria Skuratova-Belskaya claims that she "served as regent of Russia during the minority of her son, Tsar Feodor II of Russia, in 1605." The Russian Wikipedia article on her seems much fuller and better referenced, but unfortunately I can't read Russian. --Antiquary (talk) 10:02, 15 July 2023 (UTC)
 * In April 1605, the people of Moscow were required to swore an oath of allegiance both to Feodor and to his mother. There's some info in English. P.S. There was no word for "regent" in old Russian, the best approximation is "правительница". Ghirla-трёп- 10:28, 16 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Would that be for a female regent? I presume a male regent would be a правительник. --  Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  00:30, 17 July 2023 (UTC)
 * there is no such word. The male form is правитель (as applied to Boris Godunov during the reign of his brother-in-law). Ghirla-трёп- 11:24, 18 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Aah. Спасибо. --  Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  12:03, 18 July 2023 (UTC)
 * User:Thinker78, I don't think there would be an exact age of majority. Without written records, someone might not know his age, so even though the Tsarevich would know his exact age, a firm age of majority for all Russians (many of whom were illiterate serfs) wouldn't be practical.  Also, in an autocracy where power struggles are liable to happen, it's quite common that someone might be proclaimed of age unusually early.  Consider the succession to Fyodor III, marked by power struggles involving three half-siblings, one of whom was virtually a pawn of another.  The oldest was regent until the others were 23 and 17, when the others were both proclaimed of age, partly as a way of justifying the oldest one's overthrow.  Nyttend (talk) 22:05, 18 July 2023 (UTC)