Sofia Alekseevna, Regent of Russia, 1657-1704

Sophia Alekseyevna (Russian: Со́фья Алексе́евна, IPA: [ˈsofʲjə ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvnə]; 27 September [O.S. 17 September] 1657 – 14 July [O.S. 3 July] 1704) was a Russian princess who ruled as regent of Russia from 1682 to 1689. She allied herself with a singularly capable courtier and politician, Prince Vasily Golitsyn, to install herself during the minority of her brother Ivan V and half-brother Peter I. She carried out her regency with a firm hand. The activity of this "bogatyr-tsarevna", as Sergey Solovyov called her, was all the more extraordinary, as upper-class Muscovite women were confined to the upper-floor terem, veiled and guarded in public, and invariably kept aloof from any open involvement in politics.