Grand Duke Vasily III Ivanovich

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 Paleologus 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 a good relationship with 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. Introduction by Vasily III Ivanovich and the rise to the princely 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) went 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 began Crimean Tatars to Rus' (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 " 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 the 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 and the widespread spread of the Moscow style of 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).

The reign of Vasily 3 briefly became the end. Vasily 3 actually destroyed the remnants of appanage principalities and created single state. His son inherited an already powerful state.

In short, in the 1st half of the 16th century. Russia has experienced a great economic boom. Vasily’s father began to pursue an active policy in this direction. He made several campaigns towards Siberia and the Urals, and entered into an alliance with the Crimean Khanate. This policy made it possible to stabilize relations in southern borders ah and bring peace there.

Reign of Ivan 3 and Vasily 3

The reign of Ivan 3 and Vasily 3 made it possible to stabilize the situation within the country, and was able to defeat another state hostile to Muscovite Rus' - the Livonian Order. Livonian Order attacked Pskov. The rule of Pskov and Novgorod was similar, both territories were republics. However, the power of Novgorod was much greater. By the way, Pskov itself helped to annex Novgorod to the territory of the Russian state. But when the Order attacked Pskov, it had to rely only on the help of Moscow. His troops in large quantities he didn't have.

Pskov began to gradually turn into a territory where dual control was established:

1. Pskov Veche;
2. Prince sent from Moscow.

It is clear that the Moscow governor could not agree with the Veche on everything; conflicts arose. When Vasily 3 ascended the throne, he decided that it was no longer necessary to appoint a prince. He planned to abolish this system. Prince Repnya-Obolensky was sent to the city. He provoked a conflict with the Veche and Vasily began to prepare for the attack and conquest of Pskov.

In 1509, Vasily III and his army approached Novgorod. The inhabitants of Pskov found out about this, and hurried to the sovereign with their gifts. Vasily pretended to accept all the gifts. Everyone was ordered to appear at the sovereign's court. There, residents of Pskov were taken into custody. The People's Council was abolished, about 300 families were evicted by order of the sovereign, and the lands were given over to servicemen from Moscow. In 1510, the Pskov Republic ceased to be independent.

It so happened that many perceive the reign of Vasily 3 until his death as the time between the two Ivans. IvanIII became the first sovereign, became the first to collect Russian lands.aka Grozny also contributed huge contribution in the history of Moscow Rus'. But here is the reign of VasilyIII is somehow missed by many. But he ruled for almost 30 years. The period is quite impressive.

Beginning of the reign of Vasily 3

The beginning of the reign of Vasily 3 began with the annexation of Pskov. In general, it is worth saying that Vasily III began to continue the work of his eminent father, Emperor Ivan III. The main directions of his policy coincided with his father's. Officially, Vasily Ivanovich was on the throne for 28 years. The reign of Vasily 3 was 1505-1533, but he actually began to rule when Ivan III was still on the throne. Vasily was the official co-ruler.

Vasily Ivanovich knew exactly what fate awaited him. He was being prepared that perhaps soon he could lead Moscow State. But Vasily did not find out about this early years. The fact is that he had a son born in his first marriage - Ivan “Young”. He was the heir to the throne. Ivan Ivanovich had a son, Dmitry. The boy could also claim the throne in the event of his father's death. Of course, there was no clear decree that the throne would go to Ivan the Young. However, the young man actively participated in government affairs; many perceived him as the heir. In 1490, Ivan fell ill and soon died.

Thus, in different time There were three candidates for the throne:

1. Ivan Ivanovich “Young”;
2. Vasily Ivanovich III;
3. Dmitry Ivanovich is the grandson of Ivan III.

In 1505, Vasily Ivanovich, the second eldest son of Vasily, was on the throne; he was born in his second marriage to the Byzantine princess Sophia Paleologus. As already mentioned, Vasily continued his father’s political course. He built new temples and stone houses. By 1508 it was built new palace, and Vasily III moved his family there.

It is interesting that many historians describe the character of VasilyIII as an arrogant and proud person. He believed in his exclusivity as the ruler of Russia, probably this vanity was instilled in him by his mother, Sophia Paleolog, and his father, IvanIII. He suppressed all resistance in Rus' very harshly, sometimes using cunning and ingenuity. However, there are very few people he has executed. His reign was not like a reign; there was no terror at all. BasilIII preferred to eliminate his opponents without execution.

The reign of Vasily 3

Based on his political views, Vasily sought to pursue a tough and clear policy. He sometimes consulted with his associates, but made most decisions on his own. But still, the Boyar Duma played an important role in governing the country. The reign of Vasily 3 did not become “disgraced” for the boyars. The Duma met regularly.

At different times, Vasily III's close associates were:

• Vasily Kholmsky;
• Prince of Denmark Puppy;
• Dmitry Fedorovich Volsky;
• Princes from the Penkov family;
• Princes from the Shuisky family and others.

Main events of domestic and foreign policy:

• The confrontation between Moscow and the Crimean Khanate, as a result, Khan Muhammad-Girey went over to the side of Lithuania;
• Strengthening the southern borders, construction of Zaraysk, Tula and Kaluga;
• 1514 capture of Smolensk by the troops of Daniil Shchenya;
• 1518 invitation of a monk from Mount Athos to translate Greek books, Michael Trivolis (Maxim the Greek) arrived;
• 1522 Daniel became the new metropolitan (he replaced the previously removed
• Varlaam);
• Annexation of the Ryazan Principality (1522).

By creating and decorating churches, Vasily Ivanovich adhered to his interests in religion and art. He had excellent taste. In 1515, the Assumption Cathedral was completed on the territory of the Kremlin. When he first visited the cathedral, he noted that he felt great here. Vasily also showed great interest in the Old Russian language, he studied it, and could speak it quite well. And he loved his wife Elena (she was his second wife) and son very much. There are several letters that show the warmth with which he treated them.

Russia during the reign of Vasily 3

In September 1533, Vasily III visited the Trinity-Sergius Monastery with his wife and children, then he went hunting. Soon after his arrival, Vasily fell ill. A tear formed on the sovereign’s left thigh. The inflammation gradually became larger, and later doctors diagnosed “blood poisoning.” It became clear that the sovereign could no longer be saved. Vasily behaved very courageously in the face of impending death.

The last will of the ruler was:

• Securing the throne to the heir - three years of age;
• Take monastic vows.

No one doubted Ivan’s right to the throne, but many opposed Vasily’s tonsure. But Metropolitan Daniel managed to smooth out this situation, and at the beginning of December, when the sovereign was already very ill, he was tonsured. Then, on December 3, he already passed away.

The reign of Vasily III became an important stage in the final unification of Russian lands and their centralization. Many historians speak of his reign as transitional, but this is far from true.

The reign of Vasily 3 briefly video

Biography

Internal affairs

Unification of Russian lands

Foreign policy

Annexations

Marriages and children

Vasily III Ivanovich (March 25, 1479 - December 3, 1533) - Grand Duke of Moscow in 1505-1533, son of Ivan III the Great and Sophia Paleologus, father of Ivan IV the Terrible.

Biography

Vasily was the second son of Ivan III and the eldest son of Ivan's second wife Sophia Paleologus. Besides the eldest he had four younger brother:

• 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 the transfer of full power through the line of 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. At first, the first party gained the upper hand; Ivan III intended to crown his grandson as king. Under these conditions, a conspiracy matured in the circle of Vasily III, which was discovered, and its participants, including Vladimir Gusev, were executed. Vasily and his mother Sophia Paleolog fell into disgrace. However, the grandson's supporters came into conflict with Ivan III, which ended in the grandson's disgrace in 1502. On March 21, 1499, Vasily was declared Grand Duke of Novgorod and Pskov, and in April 1502, Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir and All Rus', autocrat, that is, he became co-ruler of Ivan III.

The first marriage was arranged by his father Ivan, who first tried to find him a bride in Europe, but ended up choosing from 1,500 girls presented to the court for this purpose from all over the country. The father of Vasily Solomonia's first wife, Yuri Saburov, was not even a boyar. The Saburov family descended from the Tatar Murza Chet.

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, the daughter of the Lithuanian prince Vasily Lvovich Glinsky. Initially, the new wife also could not get pregnant, but eventually, on August 15, 1530, they had a son, Ivan, the future Ivan the Terrible, and then a second son, Yuri.

Internal affairs

Vasily III believed that nothing should limit the power of the Grand Duke, which is why 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. 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, Vasily unconditionally supported the Josephites. Maxim the Greek, Vassian Patrikeev and other non-covetous people were sentenced at Church Councils to death penalty, who are to be imprisoned 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 the inscription: “ Great Sovereign Vasily, by the grace of God, is the king 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 patrimony. 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 (after Ivan was tonsured 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 after sending 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 on the besieged heavy losses. 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 came out from his lands; near Kolomna, the Crimeans and Kazan people united their armies together. Russian army under the leadership of Prince Dmitry Belsky, it 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 commitment to come to his headquarters, Ivan Vasilyevich Obrazets-Dobrynsky (this was Khabar’s family name) 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 the 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.

Annexations

During his reign, Vasily annexed Pskov (1510), Smolensk (1514), Ryazan (1521), Novgorod-Seversky (1522) to Moscow.

Marriages and children

Wives:

• 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 the first, after the tonsure of Solomonia, a son, George, was born.

With the elevation of Daniel to the rank of Metropolitan of Moscow, one could expect that Josephiteism would finally establish itself in Muscovy. And indeed, Daniel soon eliminated his main opponents. When a vacancy arose for one or another important position in the church administration, Daniel appointed a Josephite. It must be agreed that he knew how to select qualified assistants, and some of his appointments were quite successful. It was Daniel who elevated Macarius to the rank of Archbishop of Novgorod in 1526. Macarius proved himself to be one of the enlightened Russian clergy, and he had to play important role the first half of the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Daniil supported Vasily's autocracy different ways and increased the subordination of the Russian church to the power of the Grand Duke. In turn, Vasily III was forced to renounce his claims to church lands.

Since church lands were not subject to confiscation into the local fund, Vasily III had no choice but to convert part of the state (black) lands into estates, although he took every opportunity to expand the fund of state land through annexation, as was the case with Pskov and Ryazan. By 1523, Vasily also managed to annex the Seversk land. Two Seversk princes, descendants of former enemies of Vasily II - Vasily Shemyachich Novgorod-Seversky and Vasily Starodussky, grandson of Ivan Mozhaisky - recognized the dominance of Ivan III in 1500 and were left in the Seversk land as appanage princes. They hated each other and plotted against each other. Vasily Starodubsky died around 1518, and his inheritance went to Moscow. In 1523 Grand Duke Vasily III called Prince Vasily Shemyachich to Moscow for explanations, since he was suspected of a secret connection with King Sigismund. Shemyachich was afraid to appear in Moscow, but Metropolitan Daniel vouched for his safety by swearing an oath on the icon of the Mother of God. At first Shemyachich was well received in Moscow, but was soon arrested and imprisoned. There he died six years later, and his inheritance was included in the Moscow lands.

Daniil did not defend Shemyachich, which outraged many Russians, especially those who followed the commandments of Nil Sorsky. Grand Duke Vasily, however, was pleased with Daniel's actions, or rather the lack of any actions. Soon Daniil helped Vasily with his family affairs. As already mentioned, Vasily was upset by the infertility of his wife Solomonia (née Saburova). Solomonia was a kind and virtuous woman, and Vasily was pleased with everything, except for the lack of heirs. For Vasily III, this was not only a family matter, but also a state matter. If he had died childless, his brother Yuri would have succeeded him, and Vasily did not trust Yuri; to be more precise, he despised it.

Leading Moscow boyars, guided by state considerations, supported Vasily III's decision to divorce Solomonia and marry again. The whole matter now depended on the metropolitan, without whose permission Vasily III could not begin the divorce process. Divorce in such a case was contrary to the gospel commandments and the customs of the Greek Orthodox Church. At first, Daniel was hesitant to give permission for divorce. Probably under the influence of Maximus the Greek, he advised Basil III to consult with the eastern patriarchs and the monks of Mount Athos. This was done, but Vasily did not receive a positive answer. Then Daniel finally gave permission for the divorce. On November 28, 1525, Solomonia, despite her protests, was tonsured as a nun under the name Sophia and sent to the Intercession Monastery in Suzdal. Soon after this, Daniel blessed Vasily’s second marriage with the young princess Elena Glinskaya and himself performed the service on the wedding day, January 21, 1526.

Daniel's complicity in the divorce and remarriage of Vasily III caused the indignation of many prominent Russian people, especially opponents of Vasily III and Josephiteness. In one of the editions of the Pskov Chronicle, Vasily’s second marriage is called adultery. This was also the opinion of Vassian Patrikeev. Maxim the Greek also believed that divorce and new marriage were illegal from a church point of view. Some boyars, including Prince Semyon Fedorovich Kurbsky and Ivan Nikitich Bersen-Beklemishev (who had long been out of favor with the Grand Duke), sharply criticized both the Metropolitan and the Grand Duke.

Most of those who opposed Vasily's divorce and remarriage were punished in one way or another under various pretexts. Prince Kurbsky fell into disgrace and died out of favor in 1527. Bersen-Beklemishev was accused of insulting the Grand Duke and in February 1525, together with his friend, was taken into custody and tortured. Bersen was sentenced to death, and his friend the clerk was sentenced to have his tongue cut out. Bersen was a friend of Maxim the Greek and often visited him. This circumstance was revealed during the trial of Bersen, and Maxim was summoned to testify before a special council, which was presided over by the Grand Duke himself, and which included not only bishops and monks, but also boyars.

The religious and political views of Maxim the Greek will be discussed in another volume. Here it would be useful to say a few words about his position in Rus' before 1525. At one time, he was invited to Moscow with a proposal to translate interpretations of psalms and some other Greek works, as well as to refute the heresy of the Judaizers. Maxim believed that his mission was only temporary. The problem was that when he left Mount Athos, he knew neither Slavic (used by the Russians in their church books) nor Russian. He immediately set about learning both languages. Since he was a good linguist (who knew Greek and Latin perfectly), this task was not too difficult, but, naturally, it took time. Two Russian scientists, including Dmitry Gerasimov, were assigned to work with Maxim. They didn't know Greek; Thus, Maxim was forced to translate the original Greek text into Latin, and Gerasimov and his colleague were already translating it into Russian. Later, Maxim could independently translate directly from Greek into Russian. Of course, errors in translation were inevitable, and in the end these errors became the reason for the Josephites to attack him.

Maxim was received by Metropolitan Varlaam with great respect. Under the influence of Varlaam, Vasily III also initially treated him favorably; The Greek was looked upon as a major reformer, a scientist and a talented person, who was called upon to give advice to the sovereign and metropolitan on how to build an ideal state and society. Maxim’s spiritual and ethical views on Christianity were consonant with the views of the Trans-Volga elders (we should not forget that the roots of the spirituality of Nile of Sorsky also went back to the wisdom of the learned monks of Mount Athos). Followers of non-covetous people, such as Varlaam and Vassian Patrikeev, were better able to understand and appreciate Maximus than the Josephites. Therefore, it is quite natural that Vassian Patrikeev and his friends became close friends with Maxim and began to visit him often. Most of Maxim’s conversations with guests were of a religious nature, but sometimes, especially in conversations with the disgraced boyar Bersen-Beklemishev, political issues were also raised. Maxim himself was ready to wholeheartedly support those who opposed the right of monasteries to own land.

As soon as Varlaam was removed from the Moscow throne and Daniel became metropolitan, opponents of monastic property lost their influence at the grand ducal court. At first, Daniel was tolerant of Maxim, respecting his learning, but soon his attitude changed, and after the trial of Bersen, he decided to take on Maxim as well.

At the council of 1525, Maxim was accused of sharply criticizing Russian church books, praising the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople, and making some dogmatic errors. The last accusation arose due to the fact that Maxim, when writing in Slavic, sometimes made mistakes and was misunderstood. As for the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Maxim never hid his opinion that the Metropolitan of Moscow needed a blessing from the patriarch. Maxim considered himself a member of the Greek Church, and not subordinate to the authorities of the Russian Church. Maxim was given a severe punishment. He was imprisoned in the Volotsk monastery “for repentance and correction”; he was forbidden to teach anyone, write anything, or correspond with anyone.

In prison, Maxim experienced severe physical and spiritual suffering. Despite the harsh regime, he managed to write several letters in which he defended himself and sharply attacked the shortcomings of the Russian church hierarchy. This became known to Daniel, and in 1531 Maxim once again appeared in court. This time, part of the accusations against him were of a political nature. Based on friendship with the Turkish envoy, the Greek Skinder, who had already died by that time (1530), Maxim was accused of sympathizing with the Turks. In addition, Maxim was found guilty of blasphemy and distortion of Scripture, and on this basis he was forbidden to receive Holy Communion, which was a severe blow for him. He was transferred from Volok to the Otroch Monastery in Tver. The Bishop of Tver had previously been a monk of the Volotsk Monastery, and Daniel could be sure that no favor would be shown to Maxim.

Having decided the fate of Maxim, the council of 1531 moved on to consider the “so-called” crimes of Vassian Patrikeev. In particular, Metropolitan Daniel accused him of following the doctrines of pre-Christian Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato. Daniel's anger was also aroused by Vassian's heated polemic with the Josephites on the issue of the monastery land. Moreover, Vassian expressed doubts about the proposed canonization of Metropolitan Jonah and Macarius of Kalyazin, each of whom was to be officially canonized in 1547. In a number of his writings, Vassian expressed certain unorthodox views, especially on the divine nature of the body of Christ. This made it possible for Daniel to declare Vassian a follower of the heresy of Eutyches and Dioscorus, that is, a Monophysite and a Manichaeist. The council recognized Vassian as a heretic and sentenced him to imprisonment in the Volotsk monastery. There, the convict was thrown into the same prison cell that had previously been occupied by Maxim the Greek, who was now in Tver. Vassian was imprisoned in a monastery indefinitely, and the date of his death is unknown to us. This probably happened around 1532. The famous opponent of Ivan the Terrible, Andrei Mikhailovich Kurbsky, says that Vassian, on the orders of Vasily III, was “soon starved to death” by the Volotsk monks. Kurbsky may have been mistaken regarding the causes of Vassian's death, but the fact that Vassian died "shortly" after arriving in Volok seems plausible.

The remarriage of Vasily III entailed many religious, political, dynastic and psychological changes. With religious and political points In view, Vasily broke up with many people close to him. Among these people, as we know, were the spiritual luminary of Orthodox Christianity Maxim the Greek and the seeker of religious truth Vassian Patrikeev. However, the boyar duma, like the majority of the boyars in general, continued to support the general policy of Vasily III. The position of the boyar council remained the same. Uncle new Grand Duchess Helena - Prince Mikhail Lvovich Glinsky - was soon forgiven by Vasily, returned and became an important figure at the grand ducal court. In the Duma, Glinsky occupied third place after Prince Belsky and Prince Shuisky.

In 1526, the West again tried to reconcile Moscow with Lithuania. An envoy from Emperor Charles V went to Moscow, accompanied by Baron Herberstein as a representative of his brother, King Ferdinand. The pope also sent his legate. This time, Western mediation in the Moscow-Lithuanian conflict was partly successful, and the truce was extended for another six years, provided that Smolensk remained under Moscow’s rule.

The Crimean Tatars raided the Moscow border regions several times, but each time they were repulsed. However, they managed to cause Moscow a lot of trouble. Moscow's position in relation to the Kazan Khanate was greatly strengthened by the construction of a new Russian fortress - approximately halfway between Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan on the right bank of the Volga at the mouth of the Sura River, a tributary of the Volga (1522). The fortress, known as Vasilsursk (in honor of Vasily), served as an outpost in further Russian campaigns against Kazan. In 15321, the Kazan people agreed that Vasily III would choose a new khan for them, provided that it would not be Shah Ali. Vasily sent Shah-Ali’s brother, the Kasimov prince Yan-Ali (Enalei), to Kazan. Thus, Muscovite suzerainty over Kazan was restored.

From a dynastic point of view, the second marriage of Vasily III solved the problem of succession to the throne. On August 25, 1530, Grand Duchess Elena gave birth to her first son, baptized under the name Ivan; he will become the future Tsar of Rus' - Ivan the Terrible. Three years later on. Another prince appeared - Yuri. The birth of Ivan greatly strengthened Vasily’s spirit and gave him confidence in resolving both family and political issues. Now he agreed to the marriage of his younger brother, Prince Andrei Staritsky, with Princess Euphrosyne Khovanskaya, who turned out to be a very ambitious woman. (The Khovansky princes were descendants of Gediminas). The wedding of Andrei and Euphrosyne took place on February 22, 1533.

For Vasily, the birth of a son, contrary to the opinion of those who criticized his second marriage, was a sign of the Lord's mercy, and this made him more courageous in dealing with his opponents. In 1531, he mercilessly destroyed both Vassian Patrikeev and Maxim the Greek.

At the time of his remarriage, Vasily III was forty-seven years old, and his bride Elena was a young girl. In all likelihood, Vasily was passionately in love with her; next to her he felt younger and sought to match his wife. Elena spent her youth in Lithuania and absorbed many concepts and customs Western civilization and Western way of life. Vasily III began to follow some Western customs. He began to shave his beard, which went against a long-standing Moscow tradition. To a modern reader, this may seem like an insignificant fact; in view of the extreme conservatism of the Moscow way of life in the 16th century, it had a symbolic meaning. We should not forget that Peter The great one began era of his fundamental reforms from the fact that in 1698 he began to personally cut the beards of Russian nobles.

Vasily III liked to communicate with Western people, especially doctors and engineers. The way of life in the West was closely related to religion. For Russians of that time - and not only for Russians - religion was the core of culture. Vassian, taught by the bitter experience of Maximus the Greek, largely succumbed to Western influence. It was precisely during the time of Basil III that the power of the Roman Catholic Church in Europe ceased to be monolithic, and Protestantism raised its head. The Master of the Teutonic Order became a Lutheran and in 1525 founded a new secular state - Prussia. The new Protestant state sought to influence relations between Moscow and Poland, thus religious changes in Prussia influenced the international politics. However, for some time, Protestantism in Rus' did not have much significance - Roman Catholicism remained the symbol of the West. All the time that Vasily III was in power, the pope hoped to convert Rus' to the “Roman faith.” He was disappointed, but there is no doubt that Vasily and some Russians from his circle favorably perceived Western teaching, in the form in which it was presented by Catholics, although they were not ready to convert to Catholicism.

Vasily’s favorite doctor was a German from Lübeck, Nikolai Bulev. In Russian sources he is called "Nikolai Nemchin" or "Nikolai Latinets" (i.e., Roman Catholic). Nikolai spent many years in Rus' and excelled in the Russian language. He was a man of lively mind and was interested not only in medicine, but also in astronomy and astrology. As for religion, he advocated a union between the Eastern and Western churches. He expressed his views in letters to many influential Russians and conversations with boyars and clergy. Among his admirers was the Latin-speaking boyar Fyodor Karpov, whom we can call the Russian “Westernizer” of the 16th century (in terms of the history of Russian intellectual life of the 19th century). In short, Nikolai Bulev became a popular figure among the Russian intellectual elite of the time of Vasily III. We can judge the opinions of Nikolai Bulev practically only by the statements of his opponents - Maxim the Greek and Filofey from Pskov.

On September 21, 1533, Vasily III, together with his wife and two children, went as a pilgrim to the Sergius Trinity Monastery. From there Vasily went to Volok to hunt, but soon fell ill. His illness began with an abscess on his left thigh, which soon began to grow alarmingly and caused inflammation. At first, Vasily demanded that his illness and blood poisoning be kept secret. He summoned only his doctors and several boyars to Volok. When Nikolai Bulev arrived, Vasily told him: “Brother Nikolai! You know about my great mercy towards you. Can not! Will you do something, use some medicine to alleviate my illness?” The doctor replied: “Sir, I know about your mercy towards me. If it were possible, I would cripple my own body to help you, but I don’t know of any karst for you, except for the Lord’s help.”

Face to face with impending death, Vasily III showed great fortitude. He told those around him: “Bral Nikolai was right when he called my illness incurable. Now I need to think about how to save my soul." Before his death, Vasily III wanted to secure the throne for his son Ivan and take monastic vows. He was transported to Moscow, where his wife and children, his brothers, Metropolitan Daniel and many boyars gathered in the Grand Duke's palace. Daniil and the top boyars were unanimous in recognizing Ivan as heir to the throne and pledged to proclaim him the new Grand Duke as soon as Vasily III died. However, Vasily III’s desire to become a monk before his death caused protest among many. This confusing situation was resolved by Metropolitan Daniel, and Vasily, who was in a semi-conscious state, was tonsured) by the monks. He died on December 3, 1533.

Thus, the three-year-old boy Ivan became the sovereign of All Rus'. Until he comes of age, he should rule the country. a regency consisting of Grand Duchess Elena, Metropolitan Daniel and leading boyars. This reign could be successful if the regents agreed and cooperated. But the agreement did not last long, then discord began, which was destined to have a painful impact not only on the boy Ivan, but also on the stability of Great Rus'.

The Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily Ivanovich III (1505 - 1533, born in 1479) is most famous for the fact that during his reign the gathering of the fragmented appanages of North-Eastern Rus' into a single state was completed. Under Vasily III, the veche city of Pskov (1510) and the last appanage principalities - Ryazan (1517) and Chernigov-Seversky (1517-1523) were annexed to Moscow. Vasily continued the internal and foreign policy his father, Ivan III, whom he resembled in his stern, autocratic character. Of the two main church parties of the time, in the first years of his reign, the predominance belonged to non-covetous people, but then it passed to the Josephites, whom Basil III supported until his death.

Vasily III. Miniature from the Tsar's title book

The former, purely service composition of the Moscow boyars, as the Russian North-East was unified, was replenished with recent appanage princes, people much more influential and demanding. In this regard, Vasily treated the boyars with suspicion and distrust, consulting with him only for show, and even then rarely. He conducted the most important affairs not with the help of the boyars, but with the help of humble clerks and nobles (like his close butler Shigona Podzhogin). Vasily treated such rootless nominees rudely and unceremoniously (deacon Dolmatov paid with imprisonment for refusing to go to the embassy, ​​and Bersen-Beklemishev was executed for contradicting the Grand Duke). During the reign of Vasily III, the conflict between the grand-ducal power and the boyars, which during the reign of his son, Ivan the Terrible, led to the horrors of the oprichnina, began to gradually intensify. But Vasily behaved with the boyars still very restrained. Neither of noble representatives of the boyar class were not executed under him. Vasily, for the most part, limited himself to taking oaths from the boyars (Shuisky, Belsky, Vorotynsky, Mstislavsky) that they would not leave for Lithuania. Only Prince Vasily Kholmsky fell into disgrace under him (for what, it is unknown).

Unification of Muscovite Rus' under Ivan III and Vasily III

But Vasily treated close relatives who, due to dynastic kinship, could challenge his power with the usual severity of his predecessors. Vasily's rival, his nephew Dmitry Ivanovich (grandson of Ivan III from his eldest son, Ivan), died in imprisonment. Vasily III established strict supervision over his brothers, Yuri and Andrei. Andrei was allowed to marry only when Vasily III himself became the father of two children. Vasily's brothers hated his favorites and the new order.

Not wanting to transfer the throne to either Yuri or Andrei, Vasily, after a long childless marriage, divorced his first wife, the barren Solomonia Saburova, and married (1526) Elena Vasilyevna Glinskaya, the niece of the famous Western Russian nobleman Mikhail Glinsky. From her he had sons Ivan (in 1530, the future Ivan the Terrible) and Yuri (1533). Solomonia Saburova was imprisoned in the Suzdal Intercession Monastery, and opponents of the divorce (Metropolitan Varlaam, as well as the leaders of non-covetous people Vassian Kosoy Patrikeev and the famous Byzantine scientist Maxim the Greek) also suffered.

Solomonia Saburova. Painting by P. Mineeva

Foreign policy of Vasily III

After the death of his son-in-law, Grand Duke Alexander of Lithuania (1506), Vasily decided to take advantage of the turmoil that arose among the noble lords of Lithuania. Among them, Mikhail Glinsky, who was insulted by Alexander's brother and successor, Sigismund, stood out for his education, military glory, wealth and land holdings. Mikhail Glinsky in response went into the service of Vasily III. This circumstance, as well as the poor treatment in Lithuania of Vasily’s sister (Alexander’s wife) Elena, who died in 1513, as was suspected of poison, caused a war between Lithuania and Moscow. During it, Glinsky lost all his former Lithuanian possessions, in return for which he received Medyn and Maloyaroslavets from Vasily. Sigismund's alliance with the Crimean Khan Mengli-Girey caused the second war between Vasily III and Lithuania in 1512. On August 1, 1514, Vasily, with the assistance of Glinsky, took Smolensk from the Lithuanians, but on September 8 of the same year, Sigismund’s commander, Prince Ostrozhsky, inflicted a heavy defeat on the Moscow army at Orsha. However, according to the truce of 1522, concluded through the ambassador of the German Emperor Maximilian I, Herberstein, Smolensk remained with Moscow.

Crimean Tatar archer

Besides Lithuania, the main concern of the reign of Vasily III was Tatar relations, especially Crimean ones. Having submitted to powerful Turkey at the end of the 15th century, Crimea began to receive strong support from it. The raids of the Crimean Tatars alarmed the Moscow state more and more (raid on the Oka in 1507, on the Ryazan Ukraine in 1516, on the Tula in 1518, the siege of Moscow in 1521). Russia and Lithuania alternately gave gifts to the Crimean robbers and embroiled them in their mutual squabbles. The strengthened Crimean khans tried to subjugate Kazan and Astrakhan in order to restore the former Golden Horde - from the Upper Volga region and the Urals to the Black and Caspian seas. Vasily III did his best to oppose the annexation of Kazan to Crimea, which in 1521 led to the most dangerous Tatar raid on Rus' from the south and east. However, Kazan, torn apart by internal strife, became more and more subordinate to Moscow (the siege of Kazan in 1506, peace with its khan, Muhammad-Amen in 1507, the appointment from Moscow of the Kazan king Shah-Ali (Shigaleya) in 1519. and Jan-Ali in 1524, the construction by Vasily on the border with the Kazan possessions of the powerful fortress of Vasilsursk in 1524, etc.). With this constant pressure on Kazan, Vasily also anticipated the achievements of Ivan the Terrible. In 1523, the Crimean Khan Muhammad-Girey captured Astrakhan, but was soon killed there by the Nogais.