Archaeologists in Russia have uncovered new evidence about the burial of Princess Ulyania of Uglich, challenging a long-standing historical claim that she died violently during the reign of Tsar Ivan IV, widely known as Ivan the Terrible.
Scientists working for the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences examined her burial in the basement of the Smolensk Cathedral at Moscow’s Novodevichy Convent.
Their study, published in the journal Russian Archaeology, indicates that the princess died of natural causes and was buried with honours in 1574. The burial was investigated during the restoration work done ahead of the convent’s 500th anniversary.
Archaeologists found a white-stone sarcophagus in the central apse of the cathedral’s basement. An inscription on the lid identifies the dead as Nun Alexandra — the monastic name that Princess Ulyania adopted after entering religious life — and notes that she died on the feast day of St. John the Theologian in 1574.
For centuries historians believed that Ulyania died violently in 1569, a picture that was shaped by 19th-century historian Nikolai Karamzin’s writings. But the inscription and archaeological evidence suggest that she lived significantly longer than had been thought, and that, as a nun, she died quietly.
Princess Ulyania was also the wife of Yuri Vasilyevich, the younger brother of Ivan the Terrible. Following Yuri’s death in 1563, and the deaths of their two children, she decided to enter monastic life.
Historical accounts characterise her exit from the Kremlin as a solemn event attended by the tsar himself. She took vows at the Novodevichy Convent, in a ceremony held by Metropolitan Afanasy.
Researchers say her burial also marked an important shift in dynastic traditions. Previously, women of the ruling family were buried at the Ascension Convent in the Kremlin. Ulyania became the first royal woman buried at Novodevichy, helping establish the convent as a residence and burial place for noble nuns in Muscovite Russia.
Sources : Russian Academy of Sciences
