In the course of Russia"s over 1000 years of history, the wives of rulers have quite often played a very important role, assuming responsibility for the fate of the nation. Among them were such outstanding women as Princess Olga, Yelena Glinskaya and Catherine II. But the names of most tsarinas do not occur so often in the pages of the chronicles, although they are no less interesting figures for us. Their characters shaped the atmosphere in the royal apartments and at court. It was under their influence that the heirs to the throne formed their view of the world; they played a key part in dynastic marriages with other states; finally, they set the fashion at court. These were the people who in the shadow of their crowned husbands quietly determined the course of the country"s life.