EVDOKIA KONSTANTINOVNA (the year of birth is unknown - † November 1, 1405 in Tver), the Grand Duchess of Tver, since 1352 the wife of Mikhail Alexandrovich Mikulinsky, the Grand Prince of Tver

• Konstantin Vasilievich, Prince of Suzdal (1332-1355)

• Anna Vasilievna, princess of Mangup (or Byzantine) / Elena, the second wife of Constantine, unknown by origin

Evdokia was born into the family of the Suzdal prince Konstantin Vasilyevich. Since Konstantin was married twice and information about the time of conclusion and termination of both his marriages has not been attested, it is impossible to determine exactly which of his two wives was the mother of Evdokia *. The year of birth of the princess is also unknown. For the first time she is mentioned in the annals, albeit without a name, in connection with her wedding with Mikhail Alexandrovich of Tver [III, cl. 61]. «Предисловие лѣтописца княжения Тферскаго», not skimping on the description of all kinds of virtues of Mikhail, presents his marriage to Evdokia as a result of the efforts of Konstantin of Suzdal. However, given the political situation in the middle of the XIV century, namely, that the prince of Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod was in a struggle with the Moscow princes, it can be assumed that marriage with Evdokia was equally beneficial to both parties. Mikhail Aleksandrovich, as E. Klug notes, until the 1360s is mentioned in the chronicles only occasionally [1, p. 175]. However, later he unexpectedly finds himself in the center of political events, taking part in the struggle for the label and negotiating with Algirdas, who continued attacks on the Tver lands, despite his family ties with the Aleksandrovichs.

The wedding of Mikhail and Evdokia took place in 1352 [III, cl. 61, 467-468].

As noted by E.L. Konyavskaya, there is almost no mention of Evdokia during the life of Mikhail [3, p. 28]. Traditionally, the chronicles mark the birth of sons in a princely family [II, p. 230; III, cl. 467-468]. Mikhail Alexandrovich and Evdokia had six children.

More detailed information about the princess refers to the last years of Mikhail's life and her widowhood. Mikhail Alexandrovich died in 1399, having previously received tonsure at the Tver monastery of St. Afanasy. The emotional reaction to the news of the tonsure of the prince of his wife and children is described in the Tale of Mikhail Alexandrovich Tverskoy, which came down to the Novgorod IV Chronicle [2, p. 59].

The will of Mikhail Alexandrovich, in which he established a clear order of inheritance of the Tver throne, served as a pretext for the strife between his sons, which began after the death of the prince. The eldest son Ivan did not want to follow his father's will. The Dowager Princess Evdokia also found herself drawn into an internecine struggle. Vasily and Fyodor Mikhailoviches, dissatisfied with the policy of their elder brother Ivan, turned to their mother with a request to judge the contradictions that had arisen. Evdokia, as was customary in relation to widows, was to become the guarantor of the fulfillment of the spiritual charter of her spouse, and therefore she sends boyars to her eldest son, interceding for the younger sons Vasily and Fyodor and her grandson, Ivan. However, her actions did not have any result. Ivan Mikhailovich took away from Vasily the Slobodka vkhod v Ierusalim and Lake Lukoe and handed them over to his nephew, Ivan Borisovich.

In 1401 Evdokia went to Kashin to baptize her grandson, thereby continuing to support his son Vasily, who at that time was still the main opponent of Ivan Mikhailovich [III, cl. 177; 1, p. 259]. The confrontation between the brothers would soon turn into an open struggle and after the siege of Kashin by Alexander Ivanovich, the son of Ivan, Vasily would be forced to flee to Moscow.

The record on the death of Evdokia is contained only in the Trinity Chronicle [I, p. 460; 2, p. 60]. According to this source, Evdokia died on November 1, 1405 in Tver and was buried there in the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior.

* A. V. Ekzemplyarsky noted the various points of view in the literature on the origin of the children of Constantine on the mother`s side [4, p. 404].

• Alexander († 1357/1358)
• Ivan (1357 / 1358-1425), the Grand Prince of Tver (1399-1425)
• Alexander of the Horde, Prince of Kashin (1382-1389)
• Boris, Prince of Kashin and Ksnyatin (1389-1395)
• Vasily, Prince of Kashin and Ksnyatin (1395-1426)
• Fyodor, Prince of Mikulin (1399-1410)

A number of boyars, unknown by name, participated in negotiations with Ivan Mikhailovich on behalf of the princess.

I. Priselkov M.D. Troitskaia letopis' (Rekonstruktsiia teksta). SPb., 2002. 

II. PSRL. T. X. Letopisnyi sbornik, imenuemyi Patriarshei ili Nikonovskoi letopis'iu. M., 2000.

III. PSRL. T. XV. Rogozhskii letopisets. Tverskoi sbornik. M., 2000.

1.      Kliug E. Kniazhestvo Tverskoe (1247–1485 gg.). Tver', 1994.

2.      Koniavskaia E.L. Ocherki po istorii tverskoi literatury XIV–XV v. M, 2007.

3.      Koniavskaia E.L. Tverskie kniagini i ikh rol' v semeinoi, obshchestvennoi i khoziaistvennoi zhizni // Vestnik TvGu. Seriia "Istoriia'. 2020, № 4 (56). S. 16–32.

4.      Ekzempliarskii A. V. Velikie i udel'nye kniaz'ia severnoi Rusi v tatarskii period s 1238 g. po 1505 g.: biograficheskie ocherki po pervoistochnikam i glavneishim posobiiam. T. 2. Vladetel'nye kniaz'ia Vladimirskikh i Moskovskikh udelov i velikie i udel'nye vladetel'nye kniaz'ia Suzdal'sko-Nizhegorodskie, Tverskie. Riazanskie. SPb., 1891.

Internet Resources 

1.      Koniavskaia E.L. Ocherki po istorii tverskoi literatury XIV–XV v. M, 2007.

2.      Koniavskaia E.L. Tverskie kniagini i ikh rol' v semeinoi, obshchestvennoi i khoziaistvennoi zhizni. // Vestnik TvGu. Seriia "Istoriia'. 2020, № 4 (56). S. 16–32.

3.      Priselkov M.D. Troitskaia letopis' (Rekonstruktsiia teksta). M., 1950.