Which Tsarina? Traces of Dynastic Conflict in the Images of Romanovs’ Genealogical “Trees” of the Late 17th - Early 18th Centuries

Abstract

In Russia, the tradition of visual representation of the royal family in the form of dynastic trees was established under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the second sovereign of the Romanov dynasty. Unlike similar Western European images, the compositions of Russian trees do not include female persons, including royal wives. There are just four exceptions when the spouses of Alexei Mikhailovich, Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya and Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina, are represented on the tree or in the donators group under it. The article deals with the problem of interpreting the meaning and significance of these images of tsarinas in the context of the need to legitimize the power of a new dynasty in an atmosphere of expectation of the End of Times and a dynastic conflict provoked by the presence of sons in both royal.