Xenia Shestova

Boyarinya Kseniya Ioannovna 'Shestova' was a spouse of Fyodor Romanov and the mother of Tsar Michael of Russia.

Life

The origins of Xeniya Ivanovna have been disputed by genealogists for centuries. It is currently accepted that her surname was Shestova and that her grandfather was Timofey Gryaznoy, a rich landowner from Uglich.
During Boris Godunov's repression of the Romanovs, she was forced to take the veil, changing her name to Martha. After several years of exile at Tolvuyskiy pogost, she settled with her son in Kostroma. It was there that the ambassadors arrived to inform Mikhail about his election to the Russian throne in 1613. As the previous tsars had been either killed or disgraced, Martha at first declined to bless her son and let him go to Moscow.
During the first years of his reign, Martha exerted great influence on her moribund and listless son. She placed her relatives, the, at important posts in the government, leading to widespread corruption. Her husband's return from Poland in 1619 put an end to their influence in court. She died on 27 January 1631 and was buried in the Novospassky Monastery.