Moskovsky Vasily III rules in 1505-1533 His era became the time of continuation of the achievements of his father Ivan III. The prince united the Russian lands around Moscow and fought with numerous external enemies.

Succession to the throne

Vasily Rurikovich was born in 1479 into the family of the Grand Duke of Moscow John III. He was the second son, which means he did not claim the throne after the death of his father. However, his older brother John the Young tragically died at the age of 32. fatal disease. He developed a leg ailment (apparently gout), which caused terrible pain. My father ordered a famous European doctor from Venice, who, however, was unable to overcome the disease (he was later executed for this failure). The deceased heir left a son, Dmitry.

This led to a dynastic dispute. On the one hand, Dmitry had the right to power as the son of a deceased heir. But the Grand Duke had living younger sons. At first, John III was inclined to pass the throne to his grandson. He even arranged a ceremony to crown him king (this was the first such ceremony in Rus'). However, Dmitry soon found himself in disgrace with his grandfather. It is believed that the reason for this was the conspiracy of John’s second wife (and Vasily’s mother). She was from Byzantium (by this time Constantinople had already fallen under the pressure of the Turks). The wife wanted power to pass to her son. Therefore, she and her faithful boyars began to convince John to change his mind. Shortly before his death, he agreed, denied Dmitry his rights to the throne and bequeathed Vasily to be the Grand Duke. The grandson was imprisoned and soon died there, briefly outliving his grandfather.

The fight against appanage princes

Grand Duke Basil 3, whose foreign and domestic policies were a continuation of the actions of his father, ascended the throne in 1505, after the death of John III.

One of the key principles of both monarchs was the idea of ​​absolute autocracy. That is, the Grand Duke tried to concentrate power only in the hands of monarchs. He had several opponents.

First of all, other appanage princes from the Rurik dynasty. Moreover we're talking about about those who were direct representatives of the Moscow house. The last major unrest in Rus' began precisely because of disputes about power around uncles and nephews, who were descendants of Dmitry Donskoy.

Vasily had four younger brothers. Yuri received Dmitrov, Dmitry - Uglich, Semyon - Kaluga, Andrey - Staritsa. Moreover, they were only nominal governors and were completely dependent on the Moscow prince. This time the Rurikovichs did not make the mistake that was made in the 12th century, when the state centered in Kyiv collapsed.

Boyar opposition

Another potential threat to the Grand Duke was represented by numerous boyars. Some of them, by the way, were distant descendants of the Rurikovichs (such as the Shuiskys). Vasily III, whose foreign and domestic policies were subordinated to the idea of ​​the need to combat any threats to power, nipped the opposition at its very root.

Such a fate, for example, awaited Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky. This nobleman was suspected of correspondence with the Lithuanian prince. Shortly before this, Vasily managed to recapture several ancient Russian cities. Shuisky became the governor of one of them. After the prince became aware of his alleged betrayal, the disgraced boyar was imprisoned, where he died in 1529. Such an uncompromising fight against any manifestations of disloyalty was the core of the policy to unite the Russian lands around Moscow.

Another similar incident occurred with Ivan Beklemishev, nicknamed Bersen. This diplomat openly criticized the Grand Duke for his policies, including his desire for everything Greek (this trend became the norm thanks to the prince's mother Sophia Paleologus). Beklemishev was executed.

Church disputes

Church life was also the object of the Grand Duke's attention. He needed the support of religious leaders to ensure the legitimacy of his decisions. This union of state and church was considered the norm for the then Rus' (by the way, the word “Russia” began to be used under John III).

At this time, there was a dispute in the country between the Josephites and the non-possessors. These two church-political movements (mainly within the monasteries) had opposing points of view on religious issues. Their ideological struggle could not pass by the ruler. The non-acquisitives sought reforms, including the abolition of land ownership by monasteries, while the Josephites remained conservatives. I was on the side of the latter Vasily III. The prince's foreign and domestic policies corresponded to the views of the Josephites. As a result, the church opposition was repressed. Among its representatives were the following famous people, like Maxim Grek and Vassian Patrikeev.

Unification of Russian lands

Grand Duke Vasily 3, whose foreign and domestic policies were closely intertwined, continued to annex the remaining independent Russian principalities to Moscow.

Even during the reign of John III, it became a vassal of its southern neighbor. In 1509, a meeting was held in the city, at which residents expressed dissatisfaction with Vasily’s rule. He arrived in Veliky Novgorod to discuss this conflict. As a result, the veche was canceled, and the estate.

However, such a decision could cause unrest in the freedom-loving city. To avoid “ferment of minds,” the most influential and noble aristocrats of Pskov were relocated to the capital, and their places were taken by Moscow appointees. This effective technique was used by John when he annexed Veliky Novgorod.

The Ryazan prince Ivan Ivanovich in 1517 tried to conclude an alliance with the Crimean Khan. Moscow was inflamed with anger. The prince was taken into custody, and Ryazan became part of the united Russian state. The domestic and foreign policies of Vasily 3 turned out to be consistent and successful.

Conflict with Lithuania

Wars with neighbors - another one important point, which distinguished the reign of Vasily 3. The domestic and foreign policies of the prince could not help but contribute to conflicts between Muscovy and other states.

The Principality of Lithuania was another Russian center and continued to claim a leading position in the region. It was an ally of Poland. There were many Russian Orthodox boyars and feudal lords in the service of the Lithuanian prince.

Smolensk became the main city between the two powers. This ancient city in the 14th century it became part of Lithuania. Vasily wanted to return it to Moscow. Because of this, there were two wars during his reign (in 1507-1508 and 1512-1522). As a result, Smolensk was returned to Russia.

This is how Vasily 3 confronted many opponents. The foreign and domestic policies (the table is an excellent format for a visual representation of what we said) of the prince, as already mentioned, was a natural continuation of the actions of Ivan 3, taken by him to defend the interests Orthodox Church and centralization of the state. Below we will discuss what all this resulted in.

Wars with the Crimean Tatars

Success accompanied the measures taken by Vasily III. Foreign and domestic policies (the table briefly shows this well) were the key to the development and enrichment of the country. Another cause of concern was They made constant raids on Rus' and often entered into an alliance with the Polish king. Vasily III did not want to put up with this. Domestic and foreign policy (it is unlikely to be possible to talk about this briefly) had a clearly defined goal - to protect the lands of the principality from invasions. For this purpose, a rather peculiar practice was introduced. Tatars from the most noble families began to be invited to serve, allocating them land holdings. The prince was also friendly towards more distant states. He sought to develop trade with European powers. He considered the possibility of concluding a union (directed against Turkey) with the Pope.

Family problems

As in the case of any monarch, it was very important who Vasily 3 married. Foreign and domestic policy were important areas of his activity, but the presence of a successor to the family depended future destiny states. The first marriage of the heir to the Grand Duchy was organized by his father. For this purpose, 1,500 brides from all over the country arrived in Moscow. The prince's wife was Solomonia Saburova from a small boyar family. This was the first time that a Russian ruler married not a representative of the ruling dynasty, but a girl from bureaucratic circles.

However, this family union was unsuccessful. Solomonia turned out to be infertile and could not conceive a child. Therefore, Vasily III divorced her in 1525. At the same time, some representatives of the Church criticized him, since formally he did not have the right to such an act.

The very next year Vasily married Elena Glinskaya. This late marriage gave him two sons - John and Yuri. After the death of the Grand Duke, the eldest was declared heir. John was then 3 years old, so the Regency Council ruled instead of him, which contributed to numerous squabbles at court. Also popular is the theory that it was the boyar unrest, which the child witnessed in childhood, that spoiled his character. Later, the already matured Ivan the Terrible became a tyrant and dealt with undesirable confidants in the most cruel ways.

Death of the Grand Duke

Vasily died in 1533. During one of his trips, he discovered a small tumor on his left thigh. It festered and led to blood poisoning. Using modern terminology, we can assume that it was cancer. On his deathbed, the Grand Duke accepted the schema.

Vasily Ivanovich was born on March 25, 1479. He was the first son of Ivan III from his second marriage, with Sophia Paleologus, who was a representative of the last Byzantine imperial dynasty.

However, Vasily did not claim the throne, since Ivan III had an eldest son, Ivan the Young, from his first marriage, who, approximately eight years before the birth of Vasily, had already been declared co-ruler of Ivan III. In 1490, Ivan the Young died, and Vasily had a chance to lay claim to the great reign. A struggle between two factions broke out at court. One stood for the son of Ivan the Young - Dmitry Vnuk, and the other for Vasily. As a result, Ivan III himself proclaimed Vasily “Sovereign Grand Duke.”

Vasily's reignIII

Vasily's reign lasted six years, and after Ivan III died in 1505, he became an independent sovereign.

Vasily III continued the centralizing policy of his father. In 1506, the Grand Duke's governor established himself in Perm the Great. In 1510, the formal independence of the Pskov land was abolished. In 1521, the Ryazan Principality joined the Grand Duchy. The Grand Duke waged the fight against the appanages with the most in different ways. Sometimes inheritances were simply destroyed purposefully, sometimes brothers were not allowed to marry and, therefore, have legitimate heirs.

The local system was strengthened, which helped ensure the combat effectiveness of the army and limit the independence of the aristocracy. The land was given to the nobles as conditional possession for the duration of the “princes’ service.”

Localism developed - a system of hierarchy in which positions and titles were held exclusively in accordance with the birth of the prince or boyar.

The general strengthening of the state, political and ideological necessity gave impetus to the development of theories justifying the special political rights of the Grand Dukes of Moscow.

Foreign policy

In 1514, Smolensk, one of the largest Russian-speaking centers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, was conquered. The campaigns against Smolensk were led personally by Vasily III, but the defeat of Russian troops near Orsha stopped the movement of Russian troops to the west for some time.

Russian-Crimean relations remained tense. In 1521, the Crimean Khan Mohammed-Girey launched a campaign against Moscow. The Crimean Tatars reached almost Moscow. The country suffered heavy damage. Vasily III had to concentrate his efforts on the defense of the southern borders along the Oka River.

Vasily III started deepen contacts between Russia and the Orthodox peoples conquered Ottoman Empire, including with Athos. Attempts were made to improve relations with the Holy Roman Empire and the Papal Curia against the Ottoman Empire.

Personal life

In 1505, Vasily III married Solomonia Saburova. For the first time, a representative of a boyar rather than a princely family became the chosen one of the Grand Duke. For twenty years there were no children in this marriage, and Vasily III married a second time. The new wife of the sovereign was Elena Glinskaya, who came from Lithuanian boyars. From this marriage the future Tsar of All Rus' was born.

Vasily was the second son of Ivan III and the eldest son of Ivan's second wife Sophia Paleologus. In addition to the eldest, he had four younger brothers:

• Yuri Ivanovich, Prince of Dmitrov (1505-1536)
• Dmitry Ivanovich Zhilka, Prince of Uglitsky (1505-1521)
• Semyon Ivanovich, Prince of Kaluga (1505-1518)
• Andrei Ivanovich, Prince of Staritsky and Volokolamsk (1519-1537)

Ivan III, pursuing a policy of centralization, took care of transferring all power through his eldest son, with a limitation of power younger sons. Therefore, already in 1470, he declared his eldest son from the first wife of Ivan the Young as his co-ruler. However, in 1490 he died of illness. Two parties were created at court: one grouped around the son of Ivan the Young, the grandson of Ivan III Dmitry Ivanovich and his mother, the widow of Ivan the Young, Elena Stefanovna, and the second around Vasily and his mother Sophia.

At first, the first party had the upper hand. In the circle of Prince Vasily, not without the participation of his mother, a conspiracy against Dmitry matured. In particular, some boyar children and clerks, who supported Sophia, who was not very beloved in Moscow, kissed the cross and swore allegiance to Vasily and advised him to flee to the north with the treasury, having first dealt with Dmitry. This conspiracy was discovered, and its participants, including Vladimir Gusev, were executed. Vasily and his mother fell into disgrace and, by order of Ivan, were removed away from the prince and taken into custody. But Sophia did not give up. There were even rumors that she cast a spell on Ivan and even tried to poison him. Dmitry Ivanovich was crowned on February 4, 1498 in the Assumption Cathedral for the great reign.

However, the supporters of the grandson, not without the machinations of Sophia, came into conflict with Ivan III; in 1499, the princes Patrikeev and Ryapolovsky were one of the main allies of Dmitry the grandson. In the end, disgrace befell both Dmitry himself and his mother in 1502. On March 21, 1499, Vasily was declared the Grand Duke of Novgorod and Pskov, and on April 14, 1502, the Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir and All Rus', autocrat, that is, he became his father’s co-ruler. After Ivan's death in 1505, Dmitry was chained and died in 1509. Vasily was no longer afraid of losing his power.

The first marriage was arranged by his father Ivan, who first tried to find him a bride in Europe, but the search was not successful. I had to choose from 1,500 noble girls presented to the court for this purpose from all over the country. The father of Vasily Solomonia's first wife, Yuri Konstantinovich Saburov, was a scribe of the Obonezh Pyatina of the Novgorod Land, the grandson of the boyar Fyodor Sabur. After his daughter’s wedding, he became a boyar and gave his other daughter to the Starodub prince.

Since the first marriage was fruitless, Vasily obtained a divorce in 1525, and at the beginning of the next year (1526) he married Elena Glinskaya, daughter of the Lithuanian prince Vasily Lvovich Glinsky. Initially new wife also could not get pregnant, but in the end, on August 25, 1530, they had a son, Ivan, the future Ivan the Terrible, and then a second son, Yuri.

On the way to Volokolamsk, Vasily received an abscess on his left thigh, which developed very quickly. The doctors could not help, although in the end the sore burst and a lot of pus flowed out of it: the prince temporarily felt better. Without strength, he was taken to the village of Vorobyovo near Moscow. Realizing that he would not survive, Vasily wrote a will, called Metropolitan Daniel, several boyars and asked them to recognize his three-year-old son Ivan as heir to the throne. On December 3, 1533, having previously accepted the schema, he died of blood poisoning.

Internal affairs

Vasily III believed that nothing should limit the power of the Grand Duke. He enjoyed the active support of the Church in the fight against the feudal boyar opposition, harshly dealing with all those who were dissatisfied. In 1521, Metropolitan Varlaam was exiled due to his refusal to participate in Vasily’s fight against Prince Vasily Ivanovich Shemyachich, the Rurik princes Vasily Shuisky and Ivan Vorotynsky were expelled. The diplomat and statesman Ivan Bersen-Beklemishev was executed in 1525 because of criticism of Vasily’s policies, namely because of open rejection of Greek novelty, which came to Rus' with Sophia Paleologus. During the reign of Vasily III, the landed nobility increased, the authorities actively limited the immunity and privileges of the boyars - the state followed the path of centralization. However, the despotic features of government, which were fully manifested already under his father Ivan III and grandfather Vasily the Dark, only intensified even more in the era of Vasily.

IN church politics Basil unconditionally supported the Josephites. Maxim the Greek, Vassian Patrikeev and other non-covetous people were sentenced at Church councils, some to death, some to imprisonment in monasteries.

During the reign of Vasily III, a new Code of Law was created, which, however, has not reached us.

As Herberstein reported, at the Moscow court it was believed that Vasily was superior in power to all the monarchs of the world and even the emperor. On the front side of his seal there was an inscription: “Great Sovereign Basil, by the grace of God, Tsar and Lord of All Rus'.” On the reverse side it read: “Vladimir, Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov and Tver, and Yugorsk, and Perm, and many lands of the Sovereign.”

The reign of Vasily is the era of the construction boom in Rus', which began during the reign of his father. The Archangel Cathedral was erected in the Moscow Kremlin, and the Ascension Church was built in Kolomenskoye. Stone fortifications are being built in Tula, Nizhny Novgorod, Kolomna, and other cities. New settlements, forts, and fortresses are founded.

Unification of Russian lands

Vasily, in his policy towards other principalities, continued the policy of his father.

In 1509, while in Veliky Novgorod, Vasily ordered the Pskov mayor and other representatives of the city, including all the petitioners who were dissatisfied with them, to gather with him. Arriving to him at the beginning of 1510 on the feast of Epiphany, the Pskovites were accused of distrust of the Grand Duke and their governors were executed. The Pskovites were forced to ask Vasily to accept themselves into his fatherland. Vasily ordered to cancel the meeting. At the last meeting in the history of Pskov, it was decided not to resist and to fulfill Vasily’s demands. On January 13, the veche bell was removed and sent to Novgorod with tears. On January 24, Vasily arrived in Pskov and dealt with it in the same way as his father did with Novgorod in 1478. 300 of the most noble families of the city were resettled to Moscow lands, and their villages were given to Moscow service people.

It was the turn of Ryazan, which had long been in Moscow’s sphere of influence. In 1517, Vasily called to Moscow the Ryazan prince Ivan Ivanovich, who was trying to enter into an alliance with the Crimean Khan, and ordered him to be put into custody (later Ivan was tonsured as a monk and imprisoned in a monastery), and took his inheritance for himself. After Ryazan, the Starodub principality was annexed, in 1523 - Novgorod-Severskoye, whose prince Vasily Ivanovich Shemyachich was treated like the Ryazan principality - he was imprisoned in Moscow.

Foreign policy

At the beginning of his reign, Vasily had to start a war with Kazan. The campaign was unsuccessful, the Russian regiments commanded by Vasily’s brother, Prince of Uglitsky Dmitry Ivanovich Zhilka, were defeated, but the Kazan people asked for peace, which was concluded in 1508. At the same time, Vasily, taking advantage of the turmoil in Lithuania after the death of Prince Alexander, put forward his candidacy for the throne of Gediminas. In 1508, the rebellious Lithuanian boyar Mikhail Glinsky was received very cordially in Moscow. The war with Lithuania led to a rather favorable peace for the Moscow prince in 1509, according to which the Lithuanians recognized the capture of his father.

Began in 1512 new war with Lithuania. On December 19, Vasily, Yuri Ivanovich and Dmitry Zhilka set out on a campaign. Smolensk was besieged, but it was not possible to take it, and the Russian army returned to Moscow in March 1513. On June 14, Vasily set out on a campaign again, but having sent the governor to Smolensk, he himself remained in Borovsk, waiting for what would happen next. Smolensk was again besieged, and its governor, Yuri Sologub, was defeated in the open field. Only after that Vasily personally came to the troops. But this siege was also unsuccessful: the besieged managed to restore what was being destroyed. Having devastated the outskirts of the city, Vasily ordered a retreat and returned to Moscow in November.

On July 8, 1514, the army led by the Grand Duke again set out for Smolensk, this time his brothers Yuri and Semyon walked with Vasily. A new siege began on July 29. The artillery, led by gunner Stefan, inflicted heavy losses on the besieged. On the same day, Sologub and the clergy of the city came to Vasily and agreed to surrender the city. On July 31, the residents of Smolensk swore allegiance to the Grand Duke, and Vasily entered the city on August 1. Soon the surrounding cities were taken - Mstislavl, Krichev, Dubrovny. But Glinsky, to whom the Polish chronicles attributed the success of the third campaign, entered into relations with King Sigismund. He hoped to get Smolensk for himself, but Vasily kept it for himself. Very soon the conspiracy was exposed, and Glinsky himself was imprisoned in Moscow. Some time later, the Russian army, commanded by Ivan Chelyadinov, suffered a heavy defeat near Orsha, but the Lithuanians were never able to return Smolensk. Smolensk remained a disputed territory until the end of the reign of Vasily III. At the same time, residents of the Smolensk region were taken to the Moscow regions, and residents of the regions closest to Moscow were resettled to Smolensk.

In 1518, Shah Ali Khan, who was friendly towards Moscow, became the Khan of Kazan, but he did not rule for long: in 1521 he was overthrown by his Crimean protege Sahib Giray. In the same year, fulfilling allied obligations with Sigismund, the Crimean Khan Mehmed I Giray announced a raid on Moscow. Together with him, the Kazan Khan emerged from his lands, and near Kolomna, the Crimeans and Kazan people united their armies together. The Russian army under the leadership of Prince Dmitry Belsky was defeated on the Oka River and was forced to retreat. The Tatars approached the walls of the capital. Vasily himself at that time left the capital for Volokolamsk to gather an army. Magmet-Girey did not intend to take the city: having devastated the area, he turned back to the south, fearing the Astrakhan people and the army gathered by Vasily, but taking a letter from the Grand Duke stating that he recognized himself as a loyal tributary and vassal of the Crimea. On the way back, having met the army of governor Khabar Simsky near Pereyaslavl of Ryazan, the khan began, on the basis of this letter, to demand the surrender of his army. But, having asked the Tatar ambassadors with this written obligation to come to his headquarters, Ivan Vasilyevich Obrazets-Dobrynsky (this was family name Khabara) retained the letter, and dispersed the Tatar army with cannons.

In 1522, the Crimeans were again expected in Moscow; Vasily and his army even stood on the Oka River. Khan never came, but the danger from the steppe did not pass. Therefore, in the same 1522, Vasily concluded a truce, according to which Smolensk remained with Moscow. The Kazan people still did not calm down. In 1523, in connection with another massacre of Russian merchants in Kazan, Vasily announced a new campaign. Having ruined the Khanate, on the way back he founded the city of Vasilsursk on Sura, which was supposed to become a new reliable place of trade with the Kazan Tatars. In 1524, after the third campaign against Kazan, Sahib Giray, an ally of Crimea, was overthrown, and Safa Giray was proclaimed khan in his place.

In 1527, the attack of Islam I Giray on Moscow was repelled. Having gathered in Kolomenskoye, Russian troops took up defensive positions 20 km from the Oka. The siege of Moscow and Kolomna lasted five days, after which the Moscow army crossed the Oka and defeated the Crimean army on the Sturgeon River. The next steppe invasion was repulsed.

In 1531, at the request of the Kazan people, the Kasimov prince Jan-Ali Khan was proclaimed khan, but he did not last long - after the death of Vasily, he was overthrown by the local nobility.

Marriages and children

• Solomonia Yuryevna Saburova (from September 4, 1505 to November 1525).
• Elena Vasilievna Glinskaya (from January 21, 1526).

Children (both from his second marriage): Ivan IV the Terrible (1530-1584) and Yuri (1532-1564). According to legend, from his first marriage, after Solomonia was tonsured, a son, George, was born.

In 1490, the eldest son of Ivan III from his first marriage, who also bore the name Ivan, died. The question arose, who should be the heir: the second son of the sovereign, Vasily, or the grandson Dmitry, the son of the deceased prince? Nobles and dignitaries really did not want the throne to go to Vasily, the son of Sophia Paleologus. The late Ivan Ivanovich was titled Grand Duke, was, as it were, equal to his father, and therefore his son, even according to the old family accounts, had the right to seniority. But Vasily, on his mother’s side, came from the famous royal root. The courtiers were divided: some stood for Dmitry, others for Vasily. Prince Ivan Yuryevich Patrikeev and his son-in-law Semyon Ivanovich Ryapolovsky acted against Sofia and her son. These were persons very close to the sovereign, and all the most important matters went through their hands. They and the widow of the deceased Grand Duke, Elena (Dmitry’s mother), used all measures to win the sovereign over to his grandson’s side and cool him off towards Sofia. Dmitry's supporters started rumors that Sofia had harassed Ivan Ivanovich. The Emperor apparently began to lean towards his grandson. Then the supporters of Sofia and Vasily, mostly ordinary people - boyar children and clerks, formed a conspiracy in favor of Vasily. This conspiracy was discovered in December 1497. At the same time, Ivan III realized that some dashing women were coming to Sofia with a potion. He flew into a rage, did not even want to see his wife, and ordered his son Vasily to be kept in custody. The main conspirators were executed by a painful death - first their arms and legs were cut off, and then their heads. The women who came to Sophia were drowned in the river; many were thrown into prison.

The boyars' wish came true: on January 4, 1498, Ivan Vasilyevich crowned his grandson Dmitry with unprecedented triumph, as if to annoy Sofia. In the Assumption Cathedral, an elevated place was built among the church. Three chairs were placed here: for the Grand Duke, his grandson and the Metropolitan. On the top lay Monomakh's hat and barmas. The Metropolitan, with five bishops and many archimandrites, served a prayer service. Ivan III and the Metropolitan took their places on the dais. Prince Dmitry stood in front of them.

“Father Metropolitan,” Ivan Vasilyevich said loudly, “from ancient times our ancestors gave a great reign to their first sons, so I blessed my first son Ivan with a great reign. By the will of God he died. I now bless his eldest son, my grandson Dmitry, with me and after me with the great principality of Vladimir, Moscow, Novgorod. And you, father, give him your blessing.”

After these words, the Metropolitan invited Dmitry to stand in the place assigned to him, put his hand on his bowed head and prayed loudly, may the Almighty grant him His mercy, may virtue, pure faith and justice live in his heart, etc. Two archimandrites handed it to the Metropolitan first the barmas, then Monomakh’s hat, he handed them over to Ivan III, and he already placed them on his grandson. This was followed by a litany, a prayer to the Mother of God and many years; after which the clergy congratulated both grand dukes. “By the grace of God, rejoice and hello,” proclaimed the Metropolitan, “Rejoice, Orthodox Tsar Ivan, Grand Duke of All Rus', autocrat, and with your grandson Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich, of All Rus', for many years to come!”

Then the Metropolitan greeted Dmitry and gave him a short lesson so that he would have the fear of God in his heart, love truth, mercy and righteous judgment, and so on. The prince repeated a similar instruction to his grandson. This ended the coronation ceremony.

After mass, Dmitry left the church wearing a barm and a crown. At the door he was showered with gold and silver money. This showering was repeated at the entrance to the Archangel and Annunciation Cathedral, where the newly crowned Grand Duke went to pray. On this day, Ivan III hosted a rich feast. But the boyars did not rejoice at their triumph for long. And not a year had passed before terrible disgrace befell the main opponents of Sofia and Vasily - the princes Patrikeevs and Ryapolovskys. Semyon Ryapolovsky's head was cut off on the Moscow River. At the request of the clergy, the Patrikeevs were given mercy. The father was tonsured a monk in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, the eldest son in Kirillo-Belozersky, and the youngest was kept in custody in Moscow. There are no clear indications why the sovereign’s disgrace befell these strong boyars. On one occasion, only Ivan III said about Ryapolovsky that he was with Patrikeev “ arrogant" These boyars, apparently, allowed themselves to bore the Grand Duke with their advice and considerations. There is also no doubt that some of their intrigues against Sophia and Vasily were discovered. At the same time, disgrace befell Elena and Dmitry; Probably, her participation in the Jewish heresy also harmed her. Sofia and Vasily again took their former position. From that time on, the sovereign began, according to the chroniclers, “not to care about his grandson,” and declared his son Vasily the Grand Duke of Novgorod and Pskov. The Pskovites, not yet knowing that Dmitry and his mother had fallen out of favor, sent to ask the sovereign and Dmitry to keep their fatherland in the old way, not to appoint a separate prince to Pskov, so that the great prince who would be in Moscow would also be in Pskov.

This request angered Ivan III.

“Am I not free in my grandson and in my children,” he said in anger, “to whomever I want, I will give the principality!”

He even ordered two of the ambassadors to be imprisoned. In 1502, it was ordered to keep Dmitry and Elena in custody, not to remember them at litanies in the church and not to call Dmitry the Grand Duke.

When sending ambassadors to Lithuania, Ivan ordered them to say this if their daughter or anyone else asked about Vasily:

“Our sovereign granted his son, made him sovereign: just as he himself is sovereign in his states, so his son with him is sovereign in all those states.”

The ambassador who went to Crimea was supposed to talk about the changes at the Moscow court like this:

“Our sovereign was about to grant his grandson Dmitry, but he began to be rude to our sovereign; but everyone favors the one who serves and strives, and the one who is rude is the one for whom he is to be favored.”

Sophia died in 1503. Ivan III, already feeling weak in health, prepared a will. Meanwhile, the time has come for Vasily to get married. An attempt to marry him to the daughter of the Danish king failed; then, on the advice of one courtier, a Greek, Ivan Vasilyevich followed the example of the Byzantine emperors. It was ordered to bring the most beautiful maidens, daughters of boyars and boyar children to the court for the viewing. One and a half thousand of them were collected. Vasily chose Solomonia, the daughter of the nobleman Saburov.

This method of marriage later became a custom among the Russian tsars. There was little good in him: when choosing a bride, they valued health and beauty, they did not pay attention to character and intelligence a lot of attention. Moreover, a woman who accidentally came to the throne, often from an ignorant state, could not behave as a real queen should: in her husband she saw her ruler and mercy, and was for him not a friend, but a slave. She could not recognize herself as an equal with the king, and it seemed inappropriate for her to sit on the throne next to him; but at the same time, as a queen, she had no equal among those around her. Alone in the brilliant royal chambers, in precious jewelry, she was like a prisoner; and the king, her ruler, was also alone on the throne. The morals and orders of the court also affected the lives of the boyars, and among them the separation of women from men, even seclusion, became even more intense.

In the same year as Vasily’s marriage took place (1505), Ivan III died on October 27, 67 years old.

According to the will, all his five sons: Vasily, Yuri, Dmitry, Simeon and Andrey received plots; but the eldest was assigned 66 cities, the richest, and the remaining four all together received 30 cities; Moreover, the right to judge criminal cases and mint coins was taken away from them.

Therefore, the younger brothers of Ivan III could not possibly be called sovereigns; They even pledged an oath to keep the Grand Duke as their master “honestly and menacingly, without offense.” In the event of the death of the elder brother, the younger ones had to obey the son of the deceased as their master. In this way it was installed new order succession to the throne from father to son. During his lifetime, Ivan Vasilyevich ordered Vasily to conclude a similar agreement with Yuri, his second son; Moreover, the will stated: “If one of my sons dies and leaves neither a son nor a grandson, then his entire inheritance goes to my son Vasily, and little brothers do not enter into this destiny.” There was no longer any mention of grandson Dmitry.

All your movable property, or “treasury”, as they said then ( gems, gold and silver items, furs, dresses, etc.), Ivan III bequeathed to Vasily.

Vasily Ivanovich
(at baptism the name Gabriel was given)
Years of life: March 25, 1479 - December 4, 1533
Reign: 1505-1533

From the family of Moscow Grand Dukes.

Russian Tsar. Grand Duke of Moscow and All Rus' in 1505-1533.
Prince of Novgorod and Vladimir.

Eldest son of Sophia Palaiologos, niece of the last Byzantine emperor.

Vasily III Ivanovich - short biography

According to existing marriage arrangements, the children of the Grand Duke of Moscow and the Byzantine princess Sophia could not occupy the Moscow throne. But Sophia Paleologue did not want to come to terms with this. In the winter of 1490, when the heir to the throne, Ivan the Young (the eldest son from his first marriage), fell ill, a doctor was called in on Sophia’s advice, but he died 2 months later. Poisoning was suspected at court, but only the doctor was executed. The new heir to the throne was the son of the deceased heir, Dmitry.

On the eve of Dmitry's 15th birthday, Sophia Paleologue and her son hatched a plot to kill the official heir to the throne. But the boyars exposed the conspirators. Some supporters of Sophia Paleolog were executed, and Vasily Ivanovich was put under house arrest. Sophia managed to restore with great difficulty good relationship with my husband. The father and his son were forgiven.

Soon the positions of Sophia and her son became so strong that Dmitry himself and his mother Elena Voloshanka fell into disgrace. Vasily was proclaimed heir to the throne. Until the death of the Grand Duke of Moscow, Vasily Ivanovich was considered the Grand Duke of Novgorod, and in 1502 he also received from his father the great reign of Vladimir.

Prince Vasily III Ivanovich

In 1505, the dying father asked his sons to make peace, but as soon as Vasily Ivanovich became the Grand Duke, he immediately ordered Dmitry to be put in a dungeon, where he died in 1508. The accession of Vasily III Ivanovich to the grand-ducal throne caused discontent among many boyars.

Like his father, he continued the policy of “gathering lands”, strengthening
grand ducal power. During his reign, Pskov (1510), the Ryazan and Uglich principalities (1512), Volotsk (1513), Smolensk (1514), Kaluga (1518), and the Novgorod-Seversky principality (1523) were ceded to Moscow.

The successes of Vasily Ivanovich and his sister Elena were reflected in the treaty between Moscow and Lithuania and Poland in 1508, according to which Moscow retained his father’s acquisitions in the western lands beyond Moscow.

Since 1507, constant raids of the Crimean Tatars on Rus' began (1507, 1516–1518 and 1521). The Moscow ruler had difficulty negotiating peace with Khan Mengli-Girey.

Later, joint raids of Kazan and Crimean Tatars on Moscow began. The Prince of Moscow in 1521 decided to build fortified cities in the area of ​​the “wild field” (in particular, Vasilsursk) and the Great Zasechnaya Line (1521–1523) in order to strengthen the borders. He also invited Tatar princes to Moscow service, giving them vast lands.

Chronicles indicate that Prince Vasily III Ivanovich received the ambassadors of Denmark, Sweden, and Turkey, and discussed with the Pope the possibility of war against Turkey. At the end of the 1520s. relations between Muscovy and France began; in 1533, ambassadors arrived from Sultan Babur, a Hindu sovereign. Trade relations connected Moscow with Italy and Austria.

Politics during the reign of Vasily III Ivanovich

In his domestic policy In the fight against the feudal opposition, he enjoyed the support of the Church. The landed nobility also increased, and the authorities actively limited the privileges of the boyars.

Years of reign of Vasily III Ivanovich was marked by the rise of Russian culture, the widespread spread of the Moscow style literary writing. Under him, the Moscow Kremlin turned into an impregnable fortress.

According to the stories of his contemporaries, the prince was of a harsh disposition and did not leave a grateful memory of his reign in folk poetry.

The Grand Duke of Moscow and All Rus' Vasily Ivanovich died on December 4, 1533 from blood poisoning, which was caused by an abscess on his left thigh. In agony, he managed to become a monk under the name of Varlaam. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. 3-year-old Ivan IV (the future Tsar the Terrible) was declared heir to the throne. son of Vasily Ivanovich, and Elena Glinskaya was appointed regent.

Vasily was married twice.
His wives:
Saburova Solomonia Yuryevna (from September 4, 1506 to November 1525).
Glinskaya Elena Vasilievna (from January 21, 1526).