1505 - Death of Ivan III

The marriage of Ivan III to Sofya Paleolog and the birth of Prince Vasily from them led to an aggravation of relations in big family Ivan. The heir to the throne was then considered the eldest son of the Grand Duke Ivan Molodoy, married to the daughter of the sovereign of Moldavia, Elena Stefanovna Voloshanka. But in 1490 Ivan the Young died unexpectedly. People said that he was exhausted new wife Ivana, Sophia Paleolog, who hated her stepson and his wife, but kept busy about the future of her son Vasily. But here she failed. Ivan III, after the death of Ivan the Young, declared not Vasily the heir, but his grandson Dmitry, the son of Ivan the Young. Sophia Paleolog was even in disgrace, and Ivan III ordered her supporters to be brutally executed. Ivan III did not limit himself to declaring 15-year-old Dmitry as his heir, but made him his co-ruler (as Vasily II the Dark once did with him). The young man was crowned king according to the Byzantine rite with the cap of Monomakh, which Ivan III himself laid on his head. After this ceremony, Dmitry became a full-fledged co-ruler of his grandfather.

But not everything went smoothly. Prominent boyars opposed the plans of Ivan III to rule together with his grandson, the executions of those who were dissatisfied began. However, soon the autocratic Ivan III - for some now unknown reasons - changed his mind. He forgave Sophia, “he gave her dislike,” the chronicler wrote politely, “and began to live with her as before.” The crowned Grand Duke Dmitry and his mother Elena were in disgrace, they were put in prison. Elena was killed there. But it is even more strange that this murder took place after the death of Sophia. Both princesses, who hated each other during their lifetime, were buried side by side in the Kremlin Church of the Ascension. In 1509, already under Vasily III, Dmitry also died “in need and in prison”.

By the end of his life, Ivan III became intolerant of others, unpredictable, unjustifiably cruel, he indiscriminately executed his friends and enemies. As the German envoy Herberstein wrote, women were especially afraid of Ivan III: with just a glance, he could plunge a woman into unconsciousness. “During dinners, he mostly indulged in such drunkenness that he was overcome by sleep, while all those invited, meanwhile, sat stricken with fear and were silent. Upon waking up, he usually rubbed his eyes and then only began to joke and show gaiety towards the guests. His changing will has long since become law. When the envoy of the Crimean Khan asked him why Ivan overthrew his hitherto beloved grandson Dmitry, Ivan answered like a real autocrat: “Am I not free, the great prince, in my children and in my reign? To whom I want, I will give reign! In the year of death Grand Duchess Sophia (1503) Ivan III became seriously ill. He was blind in one eye, lost control of his hand - sure sign extensive brain damage. On October 27, 1505, the formidable Grand Duke died. According to his will, power passed to his 26-year-old son Vasily III.

"The Collector of Russian Lands" and Ivan the Great were named by the grateful descendants of their ruler Ivan III Vasilyevich A. And praised it statesman even higher than . He, the Grand Duke of Moscow, ruled the country from 1462 to 1505, having managed to increase the territory of the state from 24 thousand square kilometers to 64 thousand. But the main thing is that he finally managed to save Rus' from the obligation to pay a huge quitrent to the Golden Horde every year.

Ivan the Third was born in January 1440. The boy became the eldest son of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily II Vasilyevich and Maria Yaroslavna, the granddaughter of Prince Vladimir the Brave. When Ivan was 5 years old, his father was captured by the Tatars. In the Principality of Moscow, the eldest of the descendants of the family, the prince, was immediately placed on the throne. For his release, Vasily II was forced to promise a ransom to the Tatars, after which the prince was released. Arriving in Moscow, Ivan's father again took the throne, and Shemyaka went to Uglich.

Many contemporaries were dissatisfied with the actions of the prince, who only worsened the situation of the people by increasing the tribute for the Horde. Dmitry Yuryevich became the organizer of a conspiracy against the Grand Duke, together with his comrades-in-arms, took Vasily II prisoner and blinded him. Approximate Vasily II and his children managed to hide in Murom. But soon the liberated prince, who by that time had received the nickname Dark because of his blindness, went to Tver. There he enlisted the support of the Grand Duke Boris of Tver, betrothing six-year-old Ivan to his daughter Maria Borisovna.

Soon, Vasily managed to restore power in Moscow, and after the death of Shemyaka, civil strife finally stopped. Having married his bride in 1452, Ivan became co-ruler with his father. The city of Pereslavl-Zalessky was under his control, and at the age of 15 Ivan had already made his first campaign against the Tatars. By the age of 20, the young prince led the army of the Moscow principality.

At the age of 22, Ivan had to take up the reign on his own: Vasily II passed away.

Governing body

After the death of his father, Ivan the Third inherited the largest and most significant inheritance, which included part of Moscow and the most big cities: Kolomna, Vladimir, Pereyaslavl, Kostroma, Ustyug, Suzdal, Nizhny Novgorod. Ivan's brothers Andrei Bolshoy, Andrei Menshy and Boris got into the administration of Uglich, Vologda and Volokolamsk.

Ivan III, as bequeathed by his father, continued the policy of collecting. He consolidated the Russian state with all possible means: where by diplomacy and persuasion, and where by force. In 1463, Ivan III managed to annex the Yaroslavl principality, in 1474 the state increased at the expense of the Rostov lands.

But that was only the beginning. Rus' continued to expand, acquiring vast expanses of Novgorod lands. Then Tver surrendered to the mercy of the winner, and after it, Vyatka and Pskov gradually passed into the possession of Ivan the Great.

Grand Duke managed to win two wars with Lithuania, taking possession of a large part of the Smolensk and Chernigov principalities. Tribute to Ivan III was paid by the Livonian Order.

A significant event during the reign of Ivan III was the annexation of Novgorod. The Grand Duchy of Moscow has been trying to annex Novgorod since the time of Ivan Kalita, but only managed to impose tribute on the city. Novgorodians sought to maintain independence from Moscow and even sought support from the Lithuanian principality. The only thing that kept them from taking the final step was that Orthodoxy was in danger in this case.

However, with the installation of the Lithuanian henchman, Prince Mikhail Olelkovich, in 1470 Novgorod signed an agreement with King Kazemir. Upon learning of this, Ivan III sent to northern city ambassadors, and after insubordination a year later he started a war. During the Battle of Shelon, the Novgorodians were defeated, but no help came from Lithuania. As a result of the negotiations, Novgorod was declared the patrimony of the Moscow prince.

Six years later, Ivan III undertook another campaign against Novgorod, after the boyars of the city refused to recognize him as sovereign. For two years, the Grand Duke waged a grueling siege for the Novgorodians, eventually finally subjugating the city. In 1480, the resettlement of Novgorodians to the lands of the Moscow principality began, and Moscow boyars and merchants to Novgorod.

But the main thing is that since 1480 the Grand Duke of Moscow stopped paying tribute to the Horde. Rus', finally, sighed from the 250-year yoke. It is noteworthy that the liberation was achieved without bloodshed. For a whole summer, the troops of Ivan the Great and Khan Akhmat stood against each other. They were separated only by the river Ugra (the famous standing on the Ugra). But the battle did not take place - the Horde left with nothing. In the game of nerves, the army of the Russian prince won.

And during the reign of Ivan III, the current Moscow Kremlin appeared, built of brick on the site of an old wooden building. A code of state laws was written and adopted - the Sudebnik, which cemented the young state. There were also the beginnings of diplomacy and, for its time, the advanced landowning system. Started to take shape serfdom. The peasants, who used to pass from one owner to another freely, were now limited by St. George's day. The peasants were allocated a certain time of the year for the transition - a week before and after autumn holiday.

Thanks to Ivan the Third, the Grand Duchy of Moscow turned into a strong state, which they learned about in Europe. And Ivan the Great himself turned out to be the first Russian ruler who called himself "the sovereign of all Rus'." Historians argue that today's Russia basically has the foundation that Ivan III Vasilyevich laid with his activities. Even double-headed eagle- and he migrated to the coat of arms of the state after the reign of the Grand Duke of Moscow. Another symbol of the Principality of Moscow borrowed from Byzantium was the image of George the Victorious, striking the serpent with a spear.

They say that the doctrine of "Moscow - the Third Rome" originated during the reign of Ivan Vasilyevich. Which is not surprising, because under him the size of the state increased almost 3 times.

Personal life of Ivan III

The first wife of Ivan the Great was Princess Maria of Tver. But she died giving birth to her husband only son.

The personal life of Ivan III changed 3 years after the death of his wife. Marriage to an enlightened Greek princess, niece and goddaughter of the last emperor of Byzantium, Zoya Paleologus, turned out to be fateful both for the sovereign himself and for all of Rus'. Baptized in Orthodoxy brought many new and useful things to the archaic life of the state.

Etiquette appeared at court. Sofia Fominichna Paleolog insisted on the restructuring of the capital, "writing out" famous Roman architects from Europe. But the main thing is that it was she who begged her husband to decide on refusing to pay tribute to the Golden Horde, because the boyars were extremely afraid of such a radical step. Supported by his faithful wife, the sovereign tore up another khan's letter, which the Tatar ambassadors brought him.

Probably, Ivan and Sophia really loved each other. The husband listened to the wise advice of his enlightened wife, although his boyars, who previously had undivided influence on the prince, did not like this. In this marriage, which became the first dynastic, numerous offspring appeared - 5 sons and 4 daughters. To one of the sons, state power passed.

Death of Ivan III

Ivan III survived his beloved wife by only 2 years. He died on October 27, 1505. The Grand Duke was buried in the Archangel Cathedral.

Later, in 1929, the relics of both wives of Ivan the Great, Maria Borisovna and Sophia Paleolog, were transferred to the basement chamber of this temple.

Memory

The memory of Ivan III is immortalized in a number of sculptural monuments, which are located in Kaluga, Naryan-Mar, Moscow, Veliky Novgorod on the Millennium of Russia monument. Biographies of the Grand Duke are devoted to several documentaries, including from the series "Rulers of Rus'". The love story of Ivan Vasilievich and Sophia Paleolog formed the basis of the plot of the Russian series Alexei Andrianov, where the main roles were played by and.

In 1490, the eldest son of Ivan III died from his first marriage, who also bore the name Ivan. The question arose, who should be the heir: the second son of the sovereign - Vasily or grandson Dmitry, the son of the deceased prince? Noble, dignitaries really did not want the throne to go to Vasily, the son of Sophia Palaiologos. 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 Yurievich Patrikeev and his son-in-law Semyon Ivanovich Ryapolovsky acted against Sophia and her son. These were persons very close to the sovereign, and all the most important things went through their hands. They and the widow of the deceased Grand Duke - Elena (Dmitry's mother) used all measures to persuade the sovereign to the side of his grandson and cool him to Sophia. Supporters of Dmitry started rumors that Sophia had plagued Ivan Ivanovich. The sovereign apparently began to lean towards the side of his grandson. Then the supporters of Sophia and Vasily, for the most part, humble people - boyar children and clerks, plotted in favor of Vasily. This plot was opened in December 1497. At the same time, Ivan III realized that some dashing women with a potion came to Sophia. He was furious, and did not 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 they cut off their arms and legs, and then their heads. The women who came to Sophia were drowned in the river; many were thrown into prison.

The desire of the boyars was fulfilled: on January 4, 1498, Ivan Vasilyevich crowned his grandson Dmitry with unprecedented triumph, as if to annoy Sophia. In the Assumption Cathedral, an elevated place was arranged among the church. Three chairs were placed here: the Grand Duke, his grandson and the Metropolitan. On the tarp lay Monomakh's cap and barm. The Metropolitan served a prayer service with five bishops and many archimandrites. Ivan III and the Metropolitan took their places on the dais. Prince Dmitry stood before them.

“Father Metropolitan,” Ivan Vasilyevich said loudly, “from ancient times our ancestors gave 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 Grand Duchy of Vladimir, Moscow, Novgorod. And you, father, give him your blessing."

After these words, the metropolitan invited Dmitry to stand in the place intended for him, put his hand on his bowed head and prayed loudly that the Almighty would vouchsafe him with His mercy, that virtue, pure faith and justice, etc., live in his heart, etc. Two archimandrites gave the metropolitan first barm, then Monomakh's hat, he handed it to Ivan III, and he already laid them on his grandson. This was followed by a litany, a prayer to the Theotokos, and many years; after which the clergy congratulated both Grand Dukes. “By the grace of God, rejoice and hello,” the Metropolitan proclaimed, “rejoice, Orthodox Tsar Ivan, Grand Duke of All Rus', autocrat, and with his grandson, Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich, of All Rus', for many years!”

Then the metropolitan greeted Dmitry and gave him a brief instruction so that he would have the fear of God in his heart, love the truth, mercy and righteous judgment, and so on. The prince repeated the same instruction to his grandson. With this, the coronation ceremony ended.

After mass, Dmitry left the church wearing barm and a crown. At the door he was showered with gold and silver money. This shedding was repeated at the entrance to the Archangel and Annunciation Cathedral, where the newly married Grand Duke went to pray. On this day, a rich feast was arranged at Ivan III. But the boyars did not rejoice at their triumph for long. And less than a year later, a terrible disgrace befell the main opponents of Sophia and Vasily - the princes Patrikeev and Ryapolovsky. Semyon Ryapolovsky was beheaded on the Moscow River. At the request of the clergy, the Patrikeyevs were shown 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 expressed himself about Ryapolovsky, that he was with Patrikeev " high-minded". These boyars, apparently, allowed themselves to annoy the Grand Duke with their advice and considerations. There is also no doubt that some of their intrigues against Sophia and Vasily were revealed. At the same time, Elena and Dmitry fell into disgrace; probably, her participation in the Jewish heresy also damaged her. Sophia and Vasily again took up their former position. From that time on, the sovereign began, according to the chroniclers, "not to take care of 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, would not appoint a separate prince to Pskov, so that the Grand Duke who would be in Moscow would also be in Pskov.

This request annoyed Ivan III.

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

He even ordered two of the ambassadors to be imprisoned. In 1502, Dmitry and Elena were ordered to be kept in custody, not to commemorate them at litanies in the church and not to call Dmitry the Grand Duke.

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 a sovereign: as he himself is a sovereign in his states, so is his son with him in all those states a sovereign.”

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

“Our sovereign granted his grandson Dmitry, but he began to be rude to our sovereign; but after all, everyone favors the one who serves and strives, and who is rude, the one for which to favor.

Sofia died in 1503. Ivan III, already feeling weak in health, prepared a will. Meanwhile, it was time for Vasily to get married. Trying to marry him to his daughter Danish king failed; then, on the advice of a courtier, a Greek, Ivan Vasilyevich followed the example of the Byzantine emperors. It was ordered to the court to gather the most beautiful girls, daughters of the boyars and boyar children, for the bride. They collected fifteen hundred of them. 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 temper and mind. great attention. Moreover, a woman who accidentally came to the throne, often from an ignoble state, could not behave like a real queen: in her husband she saw her master and merciful, she was not a friend for him, but a slave. She could not recognize herself as an equal with the king, and it seemed out of place 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 lord, was also alone on the throne. The manners and customs of the court also responded to the life of the boyars, and among them the separation of women from men, even seclusion, intensified even more.

In the same year that Vasily's marriage was completed (1505), Ivan III died on October 27, at the age of 67.

According to the will, all his five sons: Vasily, Yuri, Dmitry, Simeon and Andrei received allotments; but the eldest was assigned 66 cities, the richest, and the remaining four received 30 cities together; besides, they were deprived of the right to judge criminal cases in the destinies and to mint coins.

Therefore, the younger brothers of Ivan III certainly could not be called sovereigns; they were even obliged by an oath to keep the Grand Duke as master "honestly and menacingly, without offense." In the event of the death of an older brother, the younger ones had to obey the son of the deceased as their master. Thus established new order succession from father to son. Even during his lifetime, Ivan Vasilyevich ordered Vasily to conclude a similar agreement with Yuri, his second son; moreover, the will said: “If one of my sons dies and leaves neither a son nor a grandson behind, then his entire inheritance goes to my son Vasily, and smaller brothers do not enter into this lot. The grandson of Dmitry was no longer mentioned.

All his movable property, or "treasury", as it was then said (precious stones, gold and silver items, furs, dresses, etc.), Ivan III bequeathed to Vasily.

The eldest son of Vasily II Vasilyevich the Dark took part in the internecine war of 1452. Due to the blindness of his father by Vasily Kosym, Ivan III was early involved in the process of governing the state (since 1456). Grand Duke of Moscow since 1462. Continuing the policy of expanding the territories of the Moscow principality, Ivan III, with fire and sword, and sometimes through diplomatic negotiations, subjugated the principalities: Yaroslavl (1463), Rostov (1474), Tver (1485), Vyatka land (1489), etc. In 1471 made a trip to Novgorod and defeated opponents in the Battle of Shelon, and then in 1478 finally destroyed the independence of the Novgorod Republic, subordinating it to Moscow. During his reign, Kazan also became loyal to the Moscow prince, which was an important achievement of his foreign policy.

Ivan III, having entered the great reign, for the first time since the time of the Batu invasion, refused to go to the Horde to receive a label. In an attempt to re-subjugate Rus', which had not paid tribute since 1476, Khan Akhmat in 1480 moved to the Moscow principality large army. At this moment, the forces of Moscow were weakened by the war with the Livonian Order and the feudal rebellion of the younger brothers of the Grand Duke. In addition, Akhmat enlisted the support of the Polish-Lithuanian king Casimir. However, the forces of the Poles were neutralized thanks to the peace treaty between Ivan III and the Crimean Khan Mengli Giray. After Akhmat's attempt to force the river. Ugra in October 1480, accompanied by a 4-day battle, "standing on the Ugra" began. "Ugorshchina", during which the forces of the parties were located on different banks of the Oka tributary, ended on November 9-11, 1480 with the flight of the enemy. Thus, the victory on the river. Ugra marked the end of the 240-year Mongol-Tatar yoke.

No less important was the success in the wars with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1487-1494; 1500-1503), thanks to which many western lands went to Rus'.

As a result of victories over external enemies, Ivan III was able to destroy most of the destinies and thereby greatly strengthen the central power and the role of Moscow.

Moscow, as the capital of a new large state, greatly changed during the reign of Ivan III: a new Assumption Cathedral was erected and a new Archangel Cathedral was laid, the construction of a new Kremlin, the Faceted Chamber, and the Annunciation Cathedral began. Important role Italian foreign masters played in the construction of the renovated capital. For example, Aleviz Novy, Aristotle Fioravanti.

The new large state, which became the Moscow principality under Ivan III, needed a new ideology. Moscow as new center Christianity was presented in Metropolitan Zosima's Exposition of Paschalia (1492). The monk Philotheus proposed the formula "Moscow is the third Rome" (already after the death of Ivan III). This theory was based on the fact that Moscow State(after the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453) remained the only independent Orthodox state in the world, and the sovereign who headed it - the only intercessor of all Orthodox Christians on earth. Ivan III also had formal reasons to consider himself the heir of Byzantium, since he was married by a second marriage to the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Sophia (Zoya) Paleolog.

The strengthening of the central government the necessary creation new bodies government controlled- orders. At the same time, the legislative code of united Rus' appeared - the Sudebnik of 1497, which, unfortunately, has come down to us in only one copy. In order to enlist the support of service people, the Grand Duke guaranteed their economic well-being by regulating the transfer of peasants from one owner to another: the peasants received the right to transfer only once a year - a week before the autumn St. George's Day (November 26) and a week after.

The reign of Ivan III is also associated by modern historians with the beginning of the Europeanization process, which ensured the country's defense capability and economic prosperity.

Ivan III Vasilyevich was born on 01/22/1440, was the son of. WITH early years He did his best to help his blind father in public affairs, went on campaigns with him.

In March 1462, Vasily II fell seriously ill and died. Shortly before his death, he made a will. The will stated that the eldest son Ivan received the grand throne, and most of the state, its main cities. The rest of the state was divided among themselves by the rest of the children of Vasily II.

Ivan III led a very productive, wise policy. In domestic politics, he, like his father, continues to collect Russian lands under Moscow rule. He annexed Rostov, and Tver, Ryazan, Belozersk and Dmitrov principalities to Moscow.

Domestic policy of Ivan III

The connection of Russian lands to Moscow was very successful and productive. It is worth saying that these lands were annexed peacefully. Novgorodians wanted independence, but the forces of the Moscow principality clearly outnumbered those of Novgorod.

Then, the Novgorod boyars decided to flirt with the Lithuanian prince Casimir. This course of affairs did not suit Ivan III, who sought to unite all Russian lands under Moscow rule.

On June 6, 1471, the Muscovite army goes on a campaign against Novgorod. The troops of Ivan III do not disdain robbery and violence, trying to bring more fear to the Novgorod boyars.

The Novgorod boyars also did not sit idly by, hastily assembled a militia from the townspeople, the number of which amounted to about 40 thousand people. However, the army, hastily assembled, was completely untrained in military affairs. Novgorodians moved in the direction of Pskov in order to prevent the connection of the Moscow and Pskov troops.

But on the Shelon River, the Novgorod army, by chance, collided with the detachments of one of the Moscow governors, where they were utterly defeated by their enemy. Novgorod was under siege. During negotiations with Ivan III, Novgorod retained its independence, paid an indemnity, and no longer had the right to flirt with Lithuania.

In the spring of 1477, complainers from Novgorod arrived in Moscow. Outlining their case, the complainants called Ivan III the sovereign, instead of the traditional gentleman. "Sir" - assumed the equality of "Mr. Grand Duke" and "Mr. Great Novgorod." Muscovites immediately clung to this pretext, and sent an ultimatum to Novgorod, according to which Novgorod was to join Moscow.

As a result new war, Novgorod was annexed to Moscow, the post of Novgorod mayor was abolished, and the veche bell was taken to Moscow. This was in 1478. After the capture of Novgorod, the tsar continued to collect Russian lands. It was the essence of it domestic policy. He extended his power in the Vyazemsky land, seized the land of the Komi and Great Perm, and also established his own rules in the land of the Khanty and Mansi.

With the growth of the power of the country, the power of the grand duke also grew stronger. Under Ivan III, a land service system arose in Russia. This progressive innovation became the basis for the formation of a layer of the nobility, a new support for the grand ducal, and later royal power. A centralized state could not exist without a common law.

In 1497, an all-Russian publication was published. Sudebnik established the legal norms for the life of Russian society.

Foreign policy of Ivan III

In foreign policy The ruler was also not without major successes. Rus' finally ceased to depend on the Golden Horde, to pay tribute to it. This event took place in 1480, marked by "". Khan Akhmat moved large troops to Rus', for a long time prepared for a decisive battle, but eventually turned back. Thus ended the Horde Yoke.

Ivan III died on October 27, 1505. His name has entered the history of Russia forever.

Results

During his reign he achieved great success in domestic and foreign policy, completed the process of gathering the Russian land, once and for all put an end to the Horde Yoke. No wonder Ivan III Vasilyevich, in science and journalism, was nicknamed the Great.