In this regard, we note that after the death of Ivan the Young, Elena found herself in an enemy environment, but while the sovereign was on the side of her grandson, everything went fine, but at the end of his life he goes over to the side of Sophia Paleolog. Why? Here begins the most interesting part our story; the one that leads us to the answer, what ideas fed Elena's consciousness and, consequently, with what ideas she came to Muscovy. After all, her ideas are the ideas of her father, Stefan the Great, and you can understand him only by understanding the views of the Moldavian princess.

And the ideas were out of the ordinary. We must know them, because in the film "Sofia" our great compatriot is shown in a distorted form, in the form of a smart, but insidious intriguer, a woman ready for anything to achieve her selfish goals, a woman who is opposed by the kind and wise Sophia Paleolog, a representative of a civilized And cultural world. If you just say that everything is wrong, it's nothing to say. Everything that is said in this film about Elena Voloshanka is not just a distortion of facts, but a pure lie, reflecting the thoughtless worship of the authors of this film before the West to the detriment of the interests of their country and fraternal Orthodox peoples.

So what do we really know about Elena Voloshanka? Of course, today, after many centuries, it is difficult to fully imagine its glorious appearance. However, we will try to do this in this and subsequent articles. This will be a whole cycle of research into the life and work of our princess, a cycle that we have decided on, because we do not agree with the interpretation of the life of our compatriot in the series "Sofia".

Recall that "Sofia" is a Russian historical television series directed by Alexei Andrianov, created by the Moskino film company with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture Russian Federation and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The series is insanely expensive. However, with regard to our topic, this is a tendentious and one-sided series, where the Greek princess is the embodiment of good, and our Grand Duchess Elena is the embodiment of evil. But was it really so? Russian scientists write how amazing Elena Voloshanka was. Many authors believe that Elena the Beautiful, famous in Russian folk tales, is the legendary Elena Voloshanka. The popular consciousness of Muscovy for many centuries mythologized the image of Helen. In the minds of the people, she became a fairy-tale heroine, a wonderful defender of goodness and justice. The man turned into a legend, and dozens of folk tales, where the face of the suffering and persecuted, just ruler was encrypted in different images. The Russian people is a sufferer on the body of Europe, and most of all it suffered from its despotic rulers. This people appreciated Elena and preserved her memory in legends and myths, for the Russian people have always sympathized with the persecuted and defeated. Of course, I understand Alexandra Hasdeu that shed tears at the grave of Elena in Moscow, but he should have clarified that the authorities killed this princess, and not the people. And that Muscovy that “drinks the blood of Moldova” is, first of all, the power of the cruel, who broke their consciousness in the era Mongol horde Rurikovich, supplemented by intrigues Byzantine princess, but not a simple Russian person who for centuries composed fairy tales in memory of this princess, admiring her mind, knowledge and amazing beauty, which became truly fabulous in the mind common man. Concluding the introductory part of the series of articles devoted to the analysis of the film "Sofia" and the mythology associated with Princess Elena, we will quote the words of one of the greatest writers and thinkers of Moldova from the poem "Voloshanka's Grave in Moscow".*

Never forget the Kremlin. He told me the story

About the life and fate of Stefanova Elena ...

I watered her disgraced coffin with a tear,

And told my soul a dream

How Rus' sheds blood for the happiness of Moldova.

Most researchers, when it comes to the merits of Stefan III the Great, note the verbal portrait made by Gr. Ureke, losing sight of other qualities of the great Moldavian governor. Moldavian folk art complements this image, depicting not only Stefan Gospodar, Stefan the Warrior, but also Stefan the Man - reasonable, wise, far-sighted: “Stefan Voivode was a man of short stature, with a quick look, quick-tempered in anger, great courage in war, but also very reasonable, overcoming adversaries not only with troops, but also with prudent skill ...

How severe he was during the war, how soft-hearted and fair he was in Peaceful time". It is overlooked that Stefan was very pious man: all the years of his reign, he deeply revered and piously commemorated his ancestors. So, in a letter signed in Suceava on July 9, 1466, Stefan III, Lord of the Land of Moldavia, decreed: the blessed dida of our old Alexander voevodi (=Alexander the Good), and for the soul and for the salvation of our mother Mary ... and for the soul and for the salvation of our holy ancestors, they gave and confirmed to that holy monastery from the Brother, yes they have for every year from we were ten barrels of wine and two of fish, one was smeared with morun and the other with koropin (= carp), and half of the stone wax from Krasny Torgu (= Tirgul Frumos), and mustaches of berbenitsa (= barrels) with honey from Desetin, what will be from their villages the people at Botna, and the lake from the mouth of the Bull and from the mouth of the gyrls, and the bee of David on Bitsy, and against the mouth of the Bull on the Dnistr let him make two setniks.

During his unparalleled reign, Stefan the Pious presented not only numerous gifts and rich donations “for the soul and salvation of the saints” of his neighbors. On his behalf, a tombstone was installed - a composition of white marble with a border framing the inscription (in Slavonic): “This is the tomb of the servant of God Olte, the mother of Mr. ".

By the will of the Lord, a tombstone was established on the grave of the Metropolitan Textist with the inscription: “The pious Lord of the Earth of the Moldavian Io Stefan Voivoda, the son of Bogdan Voivoda, Okuras of this Ottsow's coffin to our Sachavsky Bishop Cyrus Feoktista, the elderly in the summer of 6986 (= 1478) ". Tombstones - works of art of that time, containing similar inscriptions "Pious and Christ-loving Io Stefan voivode, Lord of the Moldavian Land", decorated "the coffin of his grandfather Io Roman voivode, ruler of the Moldavian Land", "behold the coffin of his grandfather Io Bogdan voivode, brother Alexander voevoda”, “the coffin of his predecessor, the old Bogdan voivode” - Bogdan I, the founder of the Country of Moldavia, “the coffin of his predecessor Io Lack voevoda”, “the coffin of his predecessor, Io Stefan voivode (Stefan I) and beat the Ugrians on Hindov. ..".

The same pious reverence for ancestors and parents pervades the inscription on the pediment of the church in Borzesti, erected by Stefan III the Great and his son Alexander between July 1493 and October 1494. The dedication inscription testifying that this holy temple was erected by Stefan III the Great and his son Alexander “for the prayer and remembrance of their grandfathers and parents who sanctified them”, confirms the oral tradition that Stefan, son of Bogdan II and grandson of Alexander the Good, was born in Borzesti, on the river Trotus, which, before confluence with the Siret, flows through the Putna and Bacau rivers.

Acts of the Gospodar Chancellery of Moldova, as well as the Anonymous Chronicle (until recently called "Bystritskaya") of the Country of Moldavia testify that Stefan III was married three times. From the aforementioned Chronicle we learn that “in the summer of 6970 (1463) July, Stefan the voivode was received by the Lord Princess Eudokia from Kyiv, the sister of Semyon the Tsar.” It's about about the sister of the Kyiv prince Simion Olelkovich.

The princess, who became Empress of Moldova, was first attested on July 9, 1466, in the already mentioned hospodar charter, which also says that Stefan III made many donations to the Pobrat monastery, including “for the soul and health of our domination, and for the soul and for the health of the princess of the reign of Ovdotia ... ”Ovdotia-Evdokia died in 1467. From the same Chronicle we learn that “In the summer of 6980 (1472), the month of Septemvri 14, Stefan, the voivode, was received by the lady Princess Mary from Mangop” (principalities in the south-west of Crimea). But this marriage did not last long either - Mary from Mangop died on December 19, 1477 and was buried in the Putna Monastery.

The third wife of Stefan Voevoda was a prisoner. Having defeated the Wallachian (Muntean) army in 1473 and having conquered Bucharest, having expelled the Ungrovalachian ruler Radu the Handsome, Stefan III seized the treasury of Ungrovlachia (Wallachia or, in other words, Muntenia), returned to Moldova, capturing the wife of this Wallachian ruler and his daughter - Maria (Voykits). “Having allowed her to grow up,” Stefan married this Mary, probably in 1478, since in one of the letters, on March 9, 1479, Bogdan-Vlad is already mentioned - the fruit of this marriage. Mary died in 1511 and was also buried in Putna Monastery.

So, we state that Stefan III the Great, governor and ruler of the whole Moldavian Land, respected the tradition of sovereigns of those times - to take wives from princely or royal families: one of them is Evdokia - a princess of Russian-Ukrainian origin, the other is from a Byzantine family, Maria from Mangop, the third is a Wallachian (Muntyanka), Maria from Wallachia.

Elena Stefanovna, or as she was also called Elena Voloshanka, is the daughter of the Moldavian ruler Stefan cel Mare and the Kievan princess Evdokia Olelkovna. Elena Voloshanka was the wife of the eldest son of Ivan III, Ivan the Young, in this capacity - the princess of Tver.

Wedding of Elena Voloshanka and Ivan Ivanovich Molodoy

Elena Voloshanka was born around 1464 or 1466 in Suceava.

In 1479, Stefan cel Mare began negotiations on marriage between his daughter and the heir to the Moscow throne, Ivan Ivanovich.
To seal this union, Elena had to marry the eldest son of Ivan III Vasilyevich - Ivan Ivanovich Molodoy. Grand Duke Ivan III of Moscow sent ambassadors to Suceava to ask for the hand of Princess Elena for Ivan the Young.

The envoy of the prince, Andrey Pleshcheev, arrived in Moldova with a large retinue of Moscow boyars and with the authority to make a betrothal by proxy. After the celebrations and feasts, Elena went through Poland to Moscow. Stefan cel Mare ordered three boyars to accompany her: Lashka, Singer and Gerasim with the boyars.

Princess Elena arrived in Moscow at the Filippovsky (Christmas) post. The young princess was taken to the monastery, where she met her fiancé. The wedding took place on January 12, 1483. Soon, on October 10 of the same year, Elena gave birth to a son, Dmitry.

Elena Voloshanka

Her happiness seemed assured. She was the favorite of Tsar Ivan, her father-in-law, who, after the birth of his grandson Dmitry, seeing the continuation of the dynasty, was very supportive of Elena. In Moscow, Elena was called "Voloshanka".

Court intrigues seriously affected not only the position of Princess Elena, but also her fate. Grand Duke Ivan, in his old age, married Sophia Paleologus (Byzantine imperial family, daughter of the last despot of the Peloponnese).

In this marriage, the son of Vasily was born. Sophia Paleolog began to weave intrigues with the aim of eliminating Ivan the Young, Elena's wife, from succession to the throne.

On March 7, 1490, Ivan the Young died, possibly as a result of poisoning by a doctor who came from Venice to care for him. Since that time, Sophia Palaiologos began active actions to ensure the succession to the throne to her son Vasily.

Thus, the crisis of the Muscovite dynasty of 1497-1502 unleashed.

Sophia is preparing a conspiracy, planning not only to kill the son of her rival, but also, presumably, to carry out a coup d'etat, to overthrow Grand Duke Ivan III from the throne due to his old age and inability to govern the state.

The conspiracy was revealed, and all its participants were sentenced to imprisonment in monasteries.

Coronation of Prince Dmitry, son of Elena Voloshanka and Ivan Ivanovich Molodoy

On February 4, 1498, the coronation of 15-year-old Prince Dmitry took place with great pomp in the Assumption Cathedral with the participation of metropolitans and bishops, boyars and members of the royal family. Ivan III the Great blessed his grandson Dmitry, Prince of Vladimir, Moscow and Novgorod.

Elena's joy was so great that in her workshop the canvas "Church Ceremony" was woven with gold and silver threads, which was supposed to perpetuate the solemn act of 1498. Two months later, it was ready and installed in the Assumption Cathedral. This is the first secular picture in Russia.

Imprisonment of Elena Voloshanka and Prince Dmitry

But four years later, Sophia managed to win, convincing Ivan III that her daughter-in-law wanted to kill him in order to see her son as the Grand Duke of Moscow as soon as possible.

Ivan III annulled the decision to appoint Dmitry as heir and on April 11, 1502, ordered his daughter-in-law and former heir to be imprisoned and declared his son Vasily heir to the throne.

The conflict between Ivan III and Stefan cel Mare over Elena's imprisonment did not significantly affect Russian-Moldovan relations, although it caused some friction. Both rulers put political interests first, therefore family quarrel further political consequences Did not have.

Stefan cel Mare, knowing what is happening with his daughter, asks the Lithuanian prince for free travel for his ambassadors to Moscow and receives a friendly answer:

“... if this time he wants to send ambassadors to his matchmaker, Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich, to make sure that his daughter is in good health, Grand Duchess, and our grandson, we will give his ambassadors free passage through our country to Moscow and from there back to their homeland.

But in July 1504, Stefan cel Mare dies, and with him the last hope his daughter to the rescue.

Death of Elena Voloshanka and Prince Dmitry

Princess Elena died in prison on January 18, 1505 and was buried in the Ascension Monastery.
Elena's son, Dmitry, died in prison on February 14, 1509 and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
The Russian people preserved the memory of Elena Voloshanka, immortalizing her in the image of Elena the Wise in folk tales.

Legacy of Elena Voloshanka

At the court of Elena Stefanovna, at the suggestion of S. M. Kashtanov, in 1495 arose chronicle, reflecting character traits policies of the pro-Tver group.

Surrounded by Elena Voloshanka, a monument of ancient Russian artistic sewing arose - a veil, which depicts the solemn exit of Ivan III the Great with his family during the coronation of Dmitry.

In it, along with church motifs, secular motifs are also traced, combining the techniques of Russian and Moldovan art.

Repetition...

The main merit of Stephen III is the centralization of power in Moldova. Only in this way could the principality maintain its independence surrounded by stronger neighbors - Ottoman Empire, Hungary, Poland and the Crimean Khanate. For the first five years of his reign, the ruler (such was his title) did not wage any wars, but was engaged only in internal affairs, strengthened state power, fought against boyar groups and increased the possessions of his domain. It was the land that was the main Moldovan resource. Due to the long leapfrog at the throne, the aristocrats became the largest owners in the country.

The territory of the Moldavian Principality under Stephen the Great against the background of modern borders. Image: carsa. rs

The reason for the civil strife was confusion in the order of succession to the throne. The new ruler could turn out to be the son of the previous one, but at the same time, the boyars had to approve his candidacy. The magnates used their influence, made deals with numerous applicants, around whom the court parties formed. Stefan put an end to this tradition, disastrous for the principality.

Moldavian rulers were elected by influential boyars

During his long reign, the Moldavian ruler made sharp diplomatic turns more than once, concluding alliances with one or another neighbor. For example, at first he paid tribute to the Turks, but later called on the Ottomans to help during the war with the Poles. Maneuvering between strong neighbors, the Moldavian sovereign only wanted to protect his own country from unnecessary destruction and bloodshed.


Image: regnum.ru

Among the victories of Stephen on the battlefield, the battle at Bailly in 1467 became especially striking (the last Hungarian attempt conquer Moldavia, King Matvei Corvin received three wounds and only miraculously did not die); the battle of Lipnik in 1470 (the raid of the Tatars was stopped); the Battle of Vaslui in 1475 (the defeat of the Ottomans, who lost 40-50 thousand people); the battle in the Kosminsky forest in 1497 (the defeat of the Polish king Jan I). Against the backdrop of dozens of successful campaigns, there were only two defeats for the Turks, when they were outnumbered.


Banner of Stephen the Great. Image: descopera. ro

After the victory near Vaslui, Pope Sixtus IV in his congratulations called Stephen the Great "an athlete of Christ." European sovereigns and the papal curia praised Stephen and promised him help in the fight against the Muslims, but about the general crusade no one really thought about it. Left alone against the formidable empire, the Moldavian sovereign finally agreed to pay tribute (harach) to Sultan Magomed II, while remaining an autocratic ruler who managed to protect his subjects from new punitive invasions. Moldavia finally became a vassal of Turkey much later - in early XVIII century.


Vaslui battle. Image: cunoastelumea. ro

The population of the principality adhered to Orthodoxy. At the same time, Catholics also lived there (Hungarians and German colonists). Stephen did not allow Catholic priests to spread their faith among the Orthodox. Therefore, it is not surprising that in the end the ruler became close to the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III. The rulers maintained an active correspondence. Stephen's daughter Elena married the heir of Ivan III, Ivan the Young. In 1497, the Moscow prince intervened in the Polish-Moldovan conflict and stopped the invasion of Lithuanian troops, who were in a hurry to help the Poles.

The daughter of the Moldavian prince married the heir to the Moscow throne

True, friendship cooled after Elena landed in a dungeon. The death of Ivan the Young put Ivan III before a choice - to make another son of Vasily (the future Basil III) or the grandson of Dmitry (who was also the grandson of Stefan). At first, the prince was inclined to the candidacy of Dmitry. The boy was even declared co-ruler. However, soon Elena nevertheless suffered a defeat in the court struggle and ended up in prison with her son. Elena died in prison in 1505, Dmitry in 1509.


The grandson of Stefan Moldavsky could become a Moscow prince. Image: www.rufabula.com

Under Stephen the Great, Moldova turned into a transit trade zone between Western and Eastern Europe. When the country became safe for foreign merchants, they gladly carried their goods through it. Business life began to boil in the Black Sea port of Chetatya Albe (modern Belgorod-Dnestrovsky, Ukraine). Moldova also sold its surplus: products Agriculture, wine, honey. Ties with Wallachian cities were intensified. Documents signed by Stefan have been preserved, which testify to the benefits for the merchants of Lvov. Salt mines were developed. In the capital of the Principality, Suceava, they began to mint a high-grade silver coin. To secure the internal limits of the principality, a system of nine fortresses was created, encircling the country's territory from all four sides.


Image: newsland.com

Archers of Stefan called themselves members of the anti-Soviet underground

After the death of Stephen the Great, a Moldavian folk song appeared, ending with the line: "To whom do you leave us, Master?" His 47-year reign, despite external challenges, had a beneficial effect on the country. The principality survived its medieval heyday, and the name of the ruler became legendary. Even today Stefan is a hero of literature, cinema and folklore. In the northeast of modern Moldova, a 700-year-old oak is still preserved, which locals called the Oak of Stephen the Great - according to legend, he rested under his crown after one of his battles. Stephan's archers were members of an underground anti-Soviet organization that emerged after World War II and dreamed of the reunification of Moldova with independent Romania.

Sources:
M. Sadovyan. Life of Stephen the Great
V. Article. History of Moldova

Announcement image: adevarul. ro
Lead image: e-news.su

Moldova has been in close relations with Russia for centuries, and only in alliance with Russia, the Moldovan state is able to survive and begin to develop.

Today only Russia can save Moldova. From a political point of view, as long as Russia recognizes the neutrality of Moldova, Romania, as a NATO member, will not dare to just take and annex Moldova. On the other hand, without Russian market the Moldovan economy is initially bankrupt.

Therefore, absolutely everyone who today is in favor of preserving the Moldovan state is in favor of maintaining Moldovan neutrality and rapprochement with the Russian Federation.

Such an approach is fully justified historically.

Unfortunately, the first text from the cycle “Conversations about Moldovan statehood” was subject to biased criticism, and because of it the author was subjected to insults and personal attacks. People who got their knowledge about the history of Moldova from popular pseudo-scientific brochures, came to a terrible indignation when they read that the first Moldovan who realized that Moldova could only survive in alliance with Moscow was none other than Stefan cel Mare.

The Romanian and part of the Moldovan audience were shocked and ridiculed this thesis. Say, it's all Kremlin propaganda, it can't be. After all, as a result of social surveys conducted in Romania, to the question “Who do you consider the greatest of the Romanians“, the majority called the Moldavian ruler Stefan. And Stefan cel Mare, it turns out, was the first Moldovan statesman who began to pursue a pro-Russian policy.


Because Romanians and Moldovan unionists, who view the history of Moldova through the prism of Romanian nationalism of the 19th century, believe that Stefan was a true Romanian and an enemy of Russia.

And when someone reveals to such illiterate people the truth to a lie in which they firmly believe, instead of turning to the primary sources and studying the documents, they turn to insults. I won’t tell them how, because of the devotion of the Wallachians to the Turks, Stefan repeatedly burned Bucharest, this is already well known. I'd rather talk about the history of Moldovan-Russian relations.

The truth is that Stefan Musatin, in the most difficult conditions, laid the foundation for the union of Moldova and the Russian State. And his sons and grandsons, who were on the throne after him, continued to pursue a policy of rapprochement between Moldova and Moscow.

Stefan cel Mare is the first Moldovan who realized that Moldova could only survive in alliance with Moscow. His entire policy was aimed at rapprochement with the Moscow Principality, which was then only gaining strength. Being surrounded by Catholic Hungary and Poland and facing the threat of Turkish hordes, Stefan saw in Moscow a natural ally of Moldova.

Marrying Evdokia from the family Kyiv princes Olelkovichi, and then on Maria Mangupskaya, Stefan intermarried with the Rurikovichi and laid the foundation for the Moldavian-Russian alliance.

After Mushatin raised all the people to war with the Turks, from Catholic Europe, which was interested in weakening the military and economic power of Moldova, he received only congratulations and letters of commendation in the form of assistance ...

Stefan clearly understood that the only Orthodox state, strong militarily, capable of helping Moldova with troops, was Moscow. And the fate of Moldova depends on how soon this help arrives.

Help was late, because Moscow and Suceava were separated by the steppe, in which the Crimean Yurt, a vassal, ruled Turkish Sultan. Moscow could help Stefan only diplomatically. Moldova suffered its first territorial losses during Stefan's lifetime - the Ottomans took away the port cities of Chilia and Belgorod from the Moldovans and destroyed the Moldovan navy, thus cutting off Moldova from trade routes and depriving it of the main part of its income.

Realizing that in the future his grandchildren and great-grandchildren would be able to win Moldova's access to the sea only with the help of Moscow, Stefan married his own daughter to Prince Ivan of Moscow.

Already during the Polish-Moldovan war in 1497, Moscow diplomacy saved Moldova.

The Polish King Jan Albrecht decided then that the time had come to include Moldova, weakened after many battles with the Turks, into the Polish-Lithuanian Kingdom. But after the intervention of Ivan III, who, in an ultimatum form, demanded that the Lithuanian prince Alexander refrain from marching on Moldova, the Lithuanian regiments did not cross the Dniester. And the Polish army, which invaded Moldova, Stefan himself utterly defeated.

Stefan's son Petru Rares continued the line of his father and, with the help of the Russian state, tried to throw off the Turkish yoke.

According to the Russian-Moldovan agreement, Russian diplomacy for ten years (1520-1530) held back the Tatars from raids on Moldova and did not allow the Poles to attack Raresh from the north. Having accumulated strength, Raresh massacred the Turkish garrisons. And only after forcing Poland and Crimea to attack Moldova simultaneously with him, in 1538 Suleiman, at the head of 200,000 troops, defeated the stubborn Moldavian.

The policy of rapprochement with the Russian state was continued by the grandson of Stefan cel Mare, Ion Voda Lyuty.
There is reason to believe that after the Turkish-Tatar troops, burning everything in their path, reached Moscow itself in 1572, Ivan the Terrible secretly financed the organization of the Moldavian army of Ion Voda Lyuty, married to Maria, daughter of the Prince of Rostov.

Because 2 years after Devlet Giray's campaign against Moscow, the grandson of Stefan cel Mare Ion Voda Fierce, at the head of a small but armed last word military equipment (equipped with the "personal money" of the governor), defeated Crimean Tatars, cut out the Turkish garrisons on the territory of Moldova, again burned Bucharest to the ground, and occupied neighboring Wallachia. Also, Russian diplomacy contributed to the fact that the regiments of the Zaporizhzhya Army came to the aid of Ion Lutoy.