Irina was
baptized in the
Chudov Monastery by her grandfather
Patriarch Filaret, a crucifix formerly belonging to
Ivan the Terrible was gifted to Irina and used in the ceremony. Like other Russian princesses of her time, Irina grew up secluded from men and the world outside of the
terem, where she was taught reading, writing, and needlework. In 1640, Irina was engaged to marry
Valdemar Christian of Schleswig-Holstein when she was 13. Valdemar arrived in Russia for the wedding in 1644, but after arriving, he refused to convert to the
Orthodox faith despite the Tsar's influence. Valdemar was imprisoned in an attempt to change his mind, until 1645 upon the death of Michael I and Alexis I acceded to the throne. Irina never married.
Later life Irina was close to her brother, Tsar Alexis, who mentions her before his wife and children in his letters and seem to have regarded her as the first lady of the family. She exerted some degree of influence over him, but their relationship cooled down during Alexis' second marriage in 1671. After this, she spent more time on an estate which she had inherited from her grandmother,
Xenia Shestova, outside of
Moscow. She devoted her life mainly on her estate, and showed support for the
Old Believers, whom she on several occasions saved from execution. In 1672, at the baptism of
Peter the Great, she and
Feodor III of Russia became his
godparents. ==See also==