1648-Tsar Alexei I comes of age to choose a bride. An old Russian tradition was that all of the eligible noble girls would be presented in the hopes of marrying the Tsar. Hundreds of girls would become only a few, being weeded down due to health, looks or other reasons. Finally Alexei came and chose his bride. His tutor Boris Morozov made the arrangements for Alexei to marry Maria Miloslavskaya, while he would marry Maria's sister Anna. The union brought a lot of power to the Miloslavsks, and made Maria's father a boyar. The marriage was considered a happy one and produced 13 children (2 boys and 6 girls survived to adulthood). After Maria died in 1669, many thought that Alexei would never remarry. It seemed that way until he met the young and beautiful Natalia Narishkina who he would later marry and have 3 children with (including Peter the Great).
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