A Bride for the Tsar

"A Bride for the Tsar-with its detailed descriptions, its use of previously unexamined sources, its beautiful illustrations and informative charts, and its well-thought-through argument about how politics functioned in Muscovy-should be on the reading list of every scholar interested in the early modern period. * Russian History * A monarchy is not just a form of government but also a family, and Russell Martin's pioneering study of marriage politics in early modern Russia reflects precisely that understanding.""—Canadian-American Slavic Studies * Canadian-American Slavic Studies * Although Martin intends his book for specialists in premodern Russian history, it is accessible to readers whose knowledge does not exceed that of an undergraduate textbook. Moreover, he tells the story engagingly. Consequently, readers might not realize the complexity involved in reconstructing even the bare factual narrative, or the difficulty in gleaning usable information from laconic sources consisting of little more than names and dates. Three appendixes contain examples of such sources, in the original Old Russian. Readers who consult these sources cannot help but admire the careful research and imagination Martin brought to fruition with this monograph. * Slavic Review * Russell Martin's new book is a beautifully written and thoroughly researched examination of the monarchical politics of marriage in sixteenth-and seventeenth-century Russia. * The Journal of Modern History * In this meticulously researched and nicely written study, Martin examines a little-known ritual in early modern culture. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. * Choice * Russell E. Martin has produced an impressive study of early modern weddings among Russia's ruling family. Martin draws on his command of obscure sources and the history of this period to tease out a number of worthwhile, and occasionally surprising, insights. Not the least of his accomplishments here is that he has written a book that is fun to read. * Slavic Review * Readers who are fascinated by the minutiae of court rituals will find rich pickings in this volume[.]The author has conducted extensive archival research for the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in particular, and he provides a thorough and meticulous account of these ceremonies. * Slavonic and East European Review *"