Maria Ulyanova

Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova (; née Blank; – ) was the mother of the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin, who in 1922 founded the Soviet Union. Well-educated and married to a mathematics-physics teacher, she focused on raising her children.

Life She was born in Saint Petersburg as Maria Alexandrovna Blank, one of six children. Her father, Alexandr Dmitrievich Blank, was a well-to-do physician. There is evidence that he was a Jewish convert to Christianity and that he was born as Srul Moshevich Blank (also spelled Israil Moiseevich Blank). However, some historians argue this was another man by a similar name.

Her mother, Anna Ivanovna Groschopf, was the daughter of a German father, Johan Groschopf, and a Swedish mother, Anna Östedt.

Family She was married to Ilya Ulyanov from 1863 until his death in 1886. They had eight children, two of whom died as infants. Anna (1864–1935) Aleksandr (1866–1887) Olga (1868–1869) Vladimir (1870–1924) Olga (1871–1891) Nikolai (1873–1873) Dmitri (1874–1943) Maria (1878–1937)