Maria Dolgorukaya (died 1580) possibly was the seventh wife of Ivan the Terrible, Tsar of Russia. The marriage (unauthorized by the church) may have been celebrated in 1580.
| Maria Dolgorukaya | |
|---|---|
 Ivan the Terrible announces to his seventh wife Maria Dolgorukaya her imminent death | |
| Tsaritsa of All Russia (Disputed existence) | |
| Tenure | 1580 |
| Predecessor | Vasilisa Melentyeva (Disputed existence) |
| Successor | Maria Nagaya |
| Born | ? |
| Died | 1580 Drowning (homicide) |
| Spouse | Ivan the Terrible |
| Dynasty | Rurik |
| Religion | Eastern Orthodox |
Legend says she did not bear the Tsar any children and was revealed to have a lover after their first night together, when the Tsar discovered she was not a virgin. Ivan subsequently had her drowned.
There is no evidence of her existence in primary sources.[1] The first mention can be found in 19th-century Russian literature.[2] Nikolay Kostomarov in 1866 wrote that the notice about her was found by Afanasiy Byichkov in a manuscript in the Imperial Public Library.
Modern historians now have doubts about whether she existed.