Why did Peter the Great change his daughters' title to Tsesarevna?
score:28
When Peter 'upgraded' the Russian title of 'tsar' (царь) to 'emperor' (император), this meant that the corresponding titles would have to be given a similar jump upwards.
The specific issue arose because the Westernized 'emperor', though sharing its root with the Slavonized 'tsar' in the Latin 'caesar', was a more important title than that of tsar, the two not being synonymous. In the previously used 'tsarevich' the suffix '-vich' ('-евич') indicates 'son of'—hence, the meaning of the title is 'son of tsar'.
Therefore, 'tsarevich' (царе́вич) or 'son of tsar' was unsuitable for someone who was the son of an emperor. Hence, 'tsesarevich' (цесаре́вич) or 'son of emperor' was created to remedy that problem. The female variant 'tsarevna' (царевна) was similarly unsuitable for 'daughter of emperor' for which the more apt 'tsesarevna' (цесаре́вна) was created. Their meanings in translation, in this case, are less important than the words in Russian which express a filial relationship towards the ruler because the translations are a matter of convention.
A similar translation problem arises with 'velikiy knyaz' which can be rendered as 'Grand Prince' or 'Grand Duke'—both being correct—which could also be accorded to the scions of the imperial house.
Upvote:-2
What was his rationale for doing this?
Seems like a simple Westernization of Russian official vocabulary, which was a mainstream policy of Peter I. This was a message to the European leaders about the emerging Russian power and its global ambitions, so it was phrased in terms well understood in the West. I doubt that "Tsesar" communicates any greater status than "Tsar", it simply speaks to Western ears.
More post
- 📝 Did Alexander the Great win or lose against Porus (before the eventual 'fleeing')?
- 📝 When did the Greeks start the practice of burying their dead relatives' bodies?
- 📝 In the Bakumatsu period, was there any way to identify which clan a person belonged to?
- 📝 What numerals did the people of Ireland use before Roman Numerals? (aka, did Ogham include numbers?)
- 📝 Were there distinctions between Arab, Berbers and Iberian Muslims in 10th century Islamic Spain?
- 📝 Did the Trojan Horse actually exist?
- 📝 When did keeping convicts in Australia become unprofitable?
- 📝 Has The USPS / APWU Ever Had A Strike Since 1970?
- 📝 What is this Tiger tank wingman UGV?
- 📝 Please identify this WW1 Italian Uniform
- 📝 What is the state of the art historical analysis of claims that Carthaginians discovered America?
- 📝 Historically, why did the US station their nuclear weapons in Germany for delivery through German pilots?
- 📝 Did Kuwait use to ban women from driving?
- 📝 Why are many African nations poor?
- 📝 What is the significance of roof charms outside of the Forbidden City?
- 📝 Athenian Democracy - How were the citizens motivated to be so politically active?
- 📝 Are there historical instances of the capital of a colonising country being temporarily or permanently shifted to one of its colonies?
- 📝 Why does the Central Treaty Organization include the word "central"?
- 📝 How independent were the Eastern European countries from the Soviet Union?
- 📝 What is the strongest alcoholic drink that existed during the Middle Ages in Europe?
- 📝 Were there any high-ranking female soldiers during the Middle ages?
- 📝 What was the original colour of the Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheatre)?
- 📝 Valid source of Greek historical periods , in a URL
- 📝 What is this crime, "F and A", from the 1890's US?
- 📝 Why were the some "New Deal" programs cancelled in the beginning of WWII?
- 📝 Was Ashoka motivated more by economics rather than religion in giving up war?
- 📝 Who proposed the motion that gave Gaius Julius Caesar the title Augustus?
- 📝 Alternatives to a Two State Solution
- 📝 Why did Hitler's order to give SS members German Citizen remain in force until the 1960s?
- 📝 What are some examples of racism in pre-modern literature?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Why did Peter the Great change his daughters' title to Tsesarevna?
- 📝 Why did Peter the Great name Saint Petersburg, Russia with a foreign styled name?
- 📝 Why did Frederick the Great do so much worse against the Russians than against his other enemies in the Seven Years' War?
- 📝 Why did Peter the Great tie particular expenditures to particular revenue sources?
- 📝 Why did Peter the Great crown Catherine I as empress?
- 📝 Why did Napoleon change his mind and continue the attack into Russia?
- 📝 Why did the Romans change Europe's language, but the barbarians didn't?
- 📝 Why did Stalin push for the Great Purge against the Red Army in 1936?
- 📝 Did Peter the Great promote rights for women? If so, how?
- 📝 Why did the Ottomans not change their capital to an Arab city?
- 📝 Did Alexander the Great destroy a city to demonstrate his ability to reign?
- 📝 Why did the the US House of Representatives stop reading George Washington's farewell address on his birthday?
- 📝 Why did Empress Elizabeth and Catherine the Great of Russia have such different policies toward Frederick the Great?
- 📝 Why did the Australian IOC deny that Peter Norman was excluded from the 1972 Olympics for supporting racial equality?
- 📝 Did Peter the Great introduce the potato to Russia?
- 📝 Did Peter the Great support a Russian circumnavigation?
- 📝 Why did Franklin D. Roosevelt confiscate gold from the American people during the Great Depression?
- 📝 Why and how did climate change affect the Mayan civilization?
- 📝 Why did the Red Army change uniforms in 1943?
- 📝 Why did Roosevelt and Truman change the usual switch date of presidency? (4th of March to 20th of January)
- 📝 Did Martin Luther King, Sr. change his name as an allusion to the Semitic root M-L-K?
- 📝 Why did Alexander the Great spare Porus's life?
- 📝 Why did Alexander the Great succeed in overthrowing the Persian Empire?
- 📝 How did WWII change the GDPs of the great empires of the world?
- 📝 Why did Napoleon divide his army during the retreat from Smolensk?
- 📝 In the Revolutionary War, why did General Howe attack Philadelphia, instead of continuing his march to join General Burgoyne?
- 📝 Why did Hitler attack the Soviet Union when he was still busy fighting the United Kingdom?
- 📝 Why did Native Americans die from European diseases while Europeans didn't catch serious diseases from the New World?
- 📝 Did Adolf Hitler ever address the fact that his own appearance was almost an exact opposite of what he considered the ideal Aryan appearance?
- 📝 Why did the Confederacy think they could win the American Civil War?