| Simeon Bekbulatovich | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by an unknown painter, late 16th or early 17th century | |
| Grand Prince of all Russia | |
| Reign | October 1575 – September 1576 |
| Predecessor | Ivan IV |
| Successor | Ivan IV |
| Khan of the Tatar Qasim Khanate | |
| Reign | 1567–1573 |
| Predecessor | Shahghali |
| Successor | Mustafa Ali |
| Grand Prince of Tver | |
| Reign | 1576–1585 |
| Monarch | Ivan IV |
| Died | 15 January [O.S. 5 January] 1616 Moscow, Russia |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Anastasia Mstislavskaya |
| Religion | Russian Orthodox prev. Islam |
Simeon Bekbulatovich (Russian: Симеон Бекбулатович; born Sain-Bulat; Russian: Саин-Булат; died 15 January [O.S. 5 January] 1616) was a Russian statesman of Tatar origin who briefly served as the figurehead ruler of Russia from 1575 to 1576.[1] He was a descendant of Genghis Khan.[2]
He was born into a Muslim family and served as the khan of the Khanate of Qasim before converting to Christianity and becoming an aide to Ivan IV of Russia. He participated in the Livonian War as a commander of the main regiment (bolshoy polk) of the Russian army.[3] In 1575, Ivan made Simeon the grand prince of all Russia,[4] though Ivan remained the de facto ruler and returned to his throne a year later. Subsequently, Simeon became the grand prince of Tver and Torzhok (1576–1585). He went blind (or was blinded) in 1595 and was allegedly tonsured as a Christian monk under the monastic name Stefan in 1606.
- ^ "How a Tatar Khan ruled Russia" (in Russian). Russia Beyond The Headlines. 2019-09-27. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
- ^ Perrie, Maureen; Pavlov, Andrei (2014). Ivan the Terrible. Routledge. p. 173. ISBN 9781317894681. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ Sinbirskii sbornik, vol. 1: Chast' istoricheskaia (Moscow: A. Semen, 1844), 31-35, 39.
- ^ Payne, Robert; Romanoff, Nikita (2002). Ivan the Terrible (1. Cooper Square Press ed.). New York, NY: Cooper Square Press. p. 361. ISBN 0815412290.