The reign of Ivan III occupies a prominent place in Russian history. His merit in the unification of North-Eastern Rus' is enormous. However, the activities of the sovereign were not limited to the unification of Russian lands. Ivan III also laid the foundation of Russian statehood. Let us analyze the main aspects of his political activities.
Throughout the entire period of the reign of Ivan III (1462-1505), many principalities and cities were annexed to the Moscow state: Yaroslavl, Ryazan, Perm land, Uglich, Vyatka, Novgorod and Tver. The unification of Russian lands took place both peacefully and militarily. For example, Yaroslavl and Ryazan, whose princes became appanages, became part of Moscow without resistance. This speaks of the strength and authority of Ivan III on the territory of what was then North-Eastern Rus'. Ivan III is known not only for the annexation of lands, but also for his campaigns in the Urals. In 1499-1500 Semyon Kurbsky made a campaign against the tribes of these lands, as a result, these tribes paid tribute in the form of furs, which was then very much valued and was one of the sources of income for the Moscow treasury. But the most striking moment of the collective policy was, of course, the capture of Novgorod.
Subordination of the Novgorod Republic
A significant part of the Novgorod boyar elite was inclined towards an alliance with Lithuania, and this became the reason for Ivan III to attack Novgorod. In 1471, a battle took place on the Sheloni River near Novgorod, in which the Muscovites prevailed, despite the significant numerical superiority of the Novgorodians. In the same year, the Korostyn Peace was concluded, which became an important step towards the elimination of the independence of the Novgorod Republic. In 1475, Ivan III came to Novgorod with legal proceedings against the Novgorod boyars, as a result of which many boyars were convicted, and the authority of Ivan III in Novgorod grew. Further, during the Moscow-Novgorod war of 1477-1478. The Novgorod boyars swore allegiance to Ivan III, and in 1478 Novgorod was finally captured. The main attribute of power in Novgorod - the veche bell - was removed and taken to Moscow. This meant the end of the veche Novgorod republic, and this was truly the brightest moment of collective politics. The Novgorod boyars were taken to Moscow, and the Moscow boyars were imprisoned in Novgorod. Ivan III showed strength to Novgorod, which from that moment forever forgot about its independence.
Capture of Tver
Seven years later Tver was captured. However, after the capture of Novgorod, the independence of Tver was doomed. The reason for the seizure was the alliance of the Tver prince Mikhail Borisovich with the Polish king Casimir IV. In 1484, Ivan III destroyed the Tver estates, after which he made peace with the Tver prince. According to it, Prince Mikhail renounced the alliance with Poland and became an appanage prince. But in 1485, Ivan III finally captured Tver. Mikhail Borisovich fled to Lithuania. And again Ivan III showed strength - he imprisoned his son Ivan Ivanovich the Young in Tver, and forced the residents to kiss the cross to the young prince. It is not difficult to imagine how the authority of Ivan III increased after this. The capture of Novgorod and Tver clearly indicates that Ivan III was an intelligent and far-sighted politician.
Registration of Great Russian statehood
In general, the policy of collecting lands was quite progressive and timely, since the formed Russian ethnic group on the territory of North-Eastern Rus', having one language, one culture, needed a unified order and independence. And in achieving this order, Ivan III probably played the main role, reuniting the lands of northern and northeastern Rus'. He became the author of the first Russian Code of Law (uniform for the entire population of Muscovy), in which he introduced the concept of the elderly - the amount that a peasant had to pay when passing from one owner to another. This is how the feudal structure of the country was strengthened. Ivan III formed the Boyar Duma, which he could rely on when solving matters of national importance; created an army of serving nobles, subordinate to the tsar, guarding the territory of the Moscow state. Exactly nobility took a direct part in collecting Russian lands. It is impossible not to mention that in 1472 Ivan III stopped paying tribute to the Mongols - in fact, the Moscow state ceased to depend on the Horde. In 1480, as a result of standing on the Ugra River, the independence of Moscow was finally approved.
The personality of Ivan III in history
Undoubtedly, Ivan III is one of the most significant personalities in Russian history. He laid the core of an independent Russian state, forever freeing Muscovite Rus' from the Horde yoke; strengthened the feudal order, uniform for the entire country; centralized power in his own hands. Ivan III was not only the Sovereign of All Rus', but also a global personality in general.
Ivan III Vasilievich (1440-1505), Grand Duke Moscow since 1462
Throughout the 43 years of his reign, Ivan III Vasilyevich, the Grand Duke of Moscow, was engaged in uniting Russian lands around Moscow. Over the years, the principality included the Novgorod lands, the Tver principality, Yaroslavl, Rostov and partially Ryazan. After successful wars with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Moscow Principality acquired new cities. But the main merit of Ivan III was that under him the power of the Horde khan, which lasted from 1243 to 1481, ended. Rus' has become a free state, capable of pursuing an independent policy.
The eldest son of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily II the Dark, Ivan, was born and grew up during a period of endless feudal strife and a brutal struggle for the throne. He was named Timofey, but then, taking into account the upcoming church holiday John Chrysostom began to be called Ivan. Little information has been preserved about his childhood.
In 1445, his father’s army suffered a heavy defeat from Tatar newcomers near Suzdal. Prince Vasily was wounded and captured. Power in Moscow was seized by Prince Dmitry Shemyaka from the family of Ivan Kalita. Confusion reigned in the city, which was aggravated by a large fire. But Grand Duke Vasily managed to return from captivity, and a ransom was paid to the Tatars for him. Together with his children, he went to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. Prince Shemyaka immediately ordered Vasily to be kidnapped and brought to the Kremlin. Prince Vasily was captured and brought to Moscow, and he was blinded in the Kremlin. Hence his nickname, the Dark One.
The children did not fall into the hands of Shemyaka. The boyars loyal to Vasily hid them in Murom. Vasily himself was in Uglich, he was not going to give up his power and went to Tver to ask for help from the Grand Duke of Tver
Boris. He agreed, but in exchange for the engagement of 6-year-old Prince Ivan to Boris’s daughter Maria. After the engagement, Vasily the Dark headed for Moscow with his army. Prince Shemyaka could not provide him with worthy resistance and fled. Vasily the Dark took the throne that rightfully belonged to him. But the turmoil did not end there. Shemyaka continued to threaten, now from the north. And already in 1452, the young prince Ivan had to go on a campaign against Shemyaka with his family. According to chroniclers, he completed this task and returned home with victory...
At the age of 16, realizing that his eldest son needed to gain experience, Vasily made him his co-ruler. Prince Ivan learned to govern the Moscow principality. Immediately after the death of his 47-year-old father at the age of 22, he took the throne of the Grand Duke of Moscow. According to the will, he received the largest inheritance, which, in addition to Moscow, included Kolomna, Vladimir, Pereyaslavl, Kostroma, Ustyug, Suzdal, Nizhny Novgorod. Ivan's younger brothers received smaller inheritances; they ended up with the cities of Uglich, Vologda and Volokolamsk.
In honor of his ascension to the throne, Ivan III ordered the release of gold coins with his name and the name of his son, the next heir to the throne, Ivan the Young. But in 1467, the prince’s wife Maria died. They began to advise Ivan to woo the niece of the last Byzantine emperor, the Greek princess Sophia Paleologus.
Despite all the contradictions and skirmishes on the borders with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Ivan began to “gather lands.” He concluded treaties with the Tver and Belozersky principalities, and placed his relative on the throne of the Ryazan principality. Later, in 1471, it was joined by the Yaroslavl principality, followed by the Dmitrov principality and in 1474 the Rostov principality.
Relations with Veliky Novgorod developed differently. Its residents did not want to lose their independence and serve the Moscow prince. The opponents of Moscow were led by the energetic widow of the mayor Marfa Boretskaya and her sons; she found support from the Lithuanian princes. But the Novgorodians were Orthodox, and the Lithuanians were Catholics. And yet the Novgorodians agreed to invite the Grand Duke of Lithuania. This caused the indignation of Ivan III. He ordered an army to move to Novgorod, which, to intimidate, mercilessly plundered everything in its path.
The Novgorod militia was completely defeated. In August 1471, a peace treaty was concluded, according to which the Novgorodians agreed not to invite the Lithuanian prince to their place and to pay indemnity to Moscow.
After long negotiations in 1472, Ivan III remarried. This marriage became an important event in the life of the Moscow prince and the entire principality. Sophia Paleologus, according to contemporaries, was an educated and cunning woman who began to introduce the orders and rules of the Byzantine court into Moscow life. Appearance the prince became different, more majestic, regal.
Under the influence of his wife, Ivan III continued to collect Russian lands and, among other things, decided to completely subjugate the obstinate and proud Novgorod. He demanded that the Novgorodians call him sovereign. This caused discontent in the Novgorod veche; Marfa Boretskaya again began negotiations with the Lithuanian prince. In the fall of 1475, Ivan III personally arrived in Novgorod to deal with the perpetrators of the unrest. Novgorod surrendered without a fight and in 1478 finally came under the authority of Moscow and recognized Ivan III as its sovereign. The veche bell and the entire city archive were sent to Moscow as symbols of complete defeat, and the Novgorod boyars were resettled in other cities.
But if Moscow strengthened its power, then Golden Horde did not receive tribute from Ivan III. In 1476, an embassy from the Khan of the Golden Horde, Akhmat, arrived in Moscow. It demanded that the Grand Duke pay tribute and bow to the khan’s image, which was called “basma”. Ivan III tore the basma, trampled it under his feet and refused to pay the Horde an annual tribute. Having learned about this, Akhmat began to prepare for a campaign against Moscow to punish the daring prince.
In 1480, Khan Akhmat decided to speak out and moved to the Oka. Ivan sent his troops there and got ahead of the Tatars. Seeing powerful regiments in front of him, the khan did not want to engage in battle and went further west, to the Ugra. But Russian troops arrived there before the Tatars and occupied all the fords. The detachments stood on different banks of the Ugra, not daring to start first.
Simultaneously with the departure of the main troops, Ivan III, knowing that Akhmat left only wives, children and old people in the Horde, ordered the governor of Zvenigorod, Prince Vasily Nozdrevaty, to board ships with a small detachment and the army of the Crimean prince Nordoulat and go down the Volga and defeat the defenseless Zolotaya Horde. The Grand Duke was sure that as soon as the khan learned about this attack, he would immediately rush back to defend his uluses. Therefore, Ivan waited.
This “standing on the Ugra” lasted until late autumn, until frost hit. At this time, news came from the Horde about the attack of Russian troops. The Tatar army hurried to return home without getting involved in the battle. Russian troops won a victory without losing a single person. The “Standing on the Ugra” took place exactly 100 years after the Battle of Kulikovo Field and the defeat of the Mongol-Tatar troops. The retreat of Akhmat's troops is considered the end of the Horde yoke. In 1481, Khan Akhmat was killed by his own people. The Golden Horde broke up into separate uluses, which no longer posed a particular danger to Rus'.
In subsequent years, Ivan III fought with Lithuania and acquired parts of the Smolensk, Novgorod-Seversky and Chernigov principalities. He became the first Moscow prince to lay claim to the territory Kievan Rus, which at that time was part of the Polish-Lithuanian state.
Despite the wars, Ivan built a lot in Moscow. Under him, complex palace ceremonies were introduced, the Code of Laws was issued, and he began to be called the “Sovereign of All Rus'.” After the death of Ivan III, his son Vasily III became the heir.
A double-headed Byzantine eagle appeared on the coat of arms of Muscovite Rus', and Moscow began to be viewed as the successor of Byzantium; it was no coincidence that it was called the Third Rome (the second was the fallen Constantinople).
The process of unification of North-Eastern and North-Western Rus' was completed by the end of the 15th century. The formed centralized state began to be called Russia.
The final formation of a unified Russian state dates back to the reign of Ivan III (1462–1505):
1) the annexation of Yaroslavl in 1463 and Rostov in 1474 took place almost peacefully;
2) part of the population of Novgorod offered fierce resistance in 1478;
3) in 1485, after small battles, Tver was annexed.
Already under the son of Ivan III, Vasily III (1505–1533), in 1510 Pskov became part of Russia, and Ryazan was the last in 1521. In 1480, the Mongol-Tatar yoke was lifted and Russia became independent.
United Russian State: 1)central authority in the country carried out by the Grand Duke and together with him the Boyar Duma (an advisory body under the ruler). At the same time as the boyar elite, the service nobility also came into force. It often served as a support for the Grand Duke during his struggle with the noble boyars. For their service, the nobles acquired estates that could not be inherited. At the beginning of the 16th century. were educated orders- institutions that performed the functions of managing military, judicial and financial affairs. The order was headed by a boyar or clerk- a major government official. Over time tasks government controlled became more complex, the number of orders increased. The design of the order system made it possible to strengthen the centralized management of the country;
2) the country was divided into counties(which were former appanage principalities) led by a governor. The counties, in turn, were divided in the parish led by volostels;
3) governors and volostels received lands in feeding, from which they collected part of the taxes in their favor. Appointment to positions was based on localism(this was the name for the order in which preference during appointment to public service people were well-born, noble, and not distinguished by knowledge, intelligence and corresponding abilities). Later the feedings were cancelled. Local control was in the hands of lip prefects(guba - district), who were elected from local nobles, as well as zemstvo elders, who were chosen from among the black-sown population, and city clerks– from city residents;
4) in the 16th century. the apparatus of state power emerged in the form estate-representative monarchy. Activities that were aimed at strengthening the grand ducal power were very actively carried out by Ivan IV. On initial stage During his reign, Ivan IV still put up with the existence of the Elected Rada - the Near Duma of the sovereign, which included his closest like-minded people. The elected Rada was not official government agency, but in fact she controlled Russian state on behalf of the king.
In 1549 the first one was convened Zemsky Sobor, which was an advisory body, a meeting of class representatives from boyars, nobles, clergy, merchants, townspeople and black-growing peasants. By decisions of the Zemsky Sobor, measures were taken that significantly expanded the rights of the nobles and limited the rights of large feudal lords - boyars, who could form opposition to the tsar. Zemsky Sobors were not permanent bodies of state power; they met irregularly.
The grateful descendants of their ruler Ivan III Vasilyevich called him “the Collector of Russian Lands” and Ivan the Great. And he extolled this statesman even higher than. He, the Grand Duke of Moscow, ruled the country from 1462 to 1505, managing 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 free 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 Great Moscow Prince Vasily II Vasilyevich and Maria Yaroslavna, 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, the prince, was immediately placed on the throne. For his release, Vasily II was forced to promise the Tatars a ransom, 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 to the Horde. Dmitry Yuryevich became the organizer of a conspiracy against the Grand Duke, together with his comrades-in-arms, he took Vasily II prisoner and blinded him. Those close to Vasily II and his children managed to hide in Murom. But soon the freed prince, who by that time had received the nickname Dark due to his blindness, went to Tver. There he enlisted the support of Grand Duke Boris Tverskoy, 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 ceased. Having married his bride in 1452, Ivan became his father's co-ruler. The city of Pereslavl-Zalessky came 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 over the reign on his own: Vasily II died.
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 largest cities: Kolomna, Vladimir, Pereyaslavl, Kostroma, Ustyug, Suzdal, Nizhny Novgorod. Ivan's brothers Andrey Bolshoy, Andrey Menshoy and Boris were given control over Uglich, Vologda and Volokolamsk.
Ivan III, as his father bequeathed, continued the policy of gathering. He consolidated the Russian state by all possible means: sometimes by diplomacy and persuasion, and sometimes by force. In 1463, Ivan III managed to annex the Yaroslavl principality, and in 1474 the state expanded due to the lands of Rostov.
But that was just the beginning. Rus' continued to expand, acquiring vast expanses of Novgorod lands. Then Tver surrendered to the mercy of the winner, and behind it Vyatka and Pskov gradually came into the possession of Ivan the Great.
The 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 tried to annex Novgorod since the time of Ivan Kalita, but only succeeded in imposing tribute on the city. Novgorodians sought to maintain independence from Moscow and even sought support from Principality of Lithuania. 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 protege, Prince Mikhail Olelkovich, in 1470 Novgorod signed an agreement with King Casemir. Having learned about this, Ivan III sent ambassadors to the northern city, and after disobedience, 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 negotiations, Novgorod was declared the patrimony of the Moscow prince.
Six years later, Ivan III launched another campaign against Novgorod, after the city’s boyars refused to recognize him as sovereign. For two years, the Grand Duke led a grueling siege for the Novgorodians, ultimately finally subjugating the city. In 1480, the resettlement of Novgorodians began to the lands of the Moscow Principality, and Moscow boyars and merchants to Novgorod.
But the main thing is that from 1480 the Grand Duke of Moscow stopped paying tribute to the Horde. Rus' finally sighed from the 250-year yoke. It is noteworthy that 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 Ugra River (the famous standing on the Ugra). But the battle never took 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 set of state laws was written and adopted - the Code of Laws, which cemented the young power. The rudiments of diplomacy and a local landowning system, advanced for its time, also appeared. Beginning to form serfdom. Peasants, who previously moved from one owner to another freely, were now limited to the term of St. George's Day. For the transition, peasants were allocated certain time year - week before and after autumn holiday.
Thanks to Ivan the Third, the Grand Duchy of Moscow turned into a strong state, which became known in Europe. And Ivan the Great himself turned out to be the first Russian ruler to call himself “the sovereign of all Rus'.” Historians claim that today’s Russia basically has the foundation that Ivan III Vasilyevich laid with his activities. Even the double-headed eagle migrated to the coat of arms of the state after the reign of the Grand Duke of Moscow. Another symbol of the Moscow principality borrowed from Byzantium was the image of St. George the Victorious slaying a serpent with a spear.
They say that the doctrine of “Moscow is 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 Tverskaya. 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 last emperor Byzantium Zoe Palaeologus turned out to be fateful both for the sovereign himself and for all of Rus'. Baptized in Orthodoxy, she brought a lot of new and useful things into the archaic life of the state.
Etiquette appeared at court. Sofya Fominichna Paleolog insisted on rebuilding the capital, “dispatching” famous Roman architects from Europe. But the main thing is that it was she who begged her husband to decide to refuse 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 over the prince, did not like this. In this marriage, which became the first dynastic, numerous offspring appeared - 5 sons and 4 daughters. State power passed to one of the sons.
Death of Ivan III
Ivan III outlived 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 Sofia Paleologue - 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, and in Veliky Novgorod on the “Millennium of Russia” monument. Several biographies of the Grand Duke are devoted documentaries, including from the series “Rulers of Rus'”. The love story of Ivan Vasilyevich and Sofia Paleolog formed the basis of the plot of the Russian series by Alexei Andrianov, where the main roles were played by and.
In the 13th century, the country languished under the humiliating yoke imposed by the Mongol conquest. The country was fragmented into smaller and larger principalities, which were at enmity with each other. The process of unification of Russian lands was slow and dragged on for two centuries. Who in history has shown himself to be the collector of Russian lands? We can single out several extraordinary princes who transformed fragmented Rus' into a coherent Russia.
The emergence of the Moscow Principality
Dying great Alexander Nevsky allocated his youngest two-year-old son Daniil a tiny inheritance, in the center of which stood Moscow. Only at the age of fifteen did Daniil Alexandrovich begin to reign in his lands with great caution, trying to live peacefully with his neighbors, since he was weak.
Contemporaries appreciated the peaceful life of the Moscow principality, and people flocked to it. Moscow slowly became overgrown with merchant shops and craft workshops. Only towards the end of his life did Daniil Alexandrovich annex Kolomna, which opened the way to the Volga, and Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, which was the “key” to the capital city of Vladimir, to his lands. It can be considered that he was the first collector of Russian lands. He died at the very beginning of the 16th century and left behind five sons who continued his policies.
Ivan Danilovich
Prince Ivan was the fourth son of Daniil, and he had practically no hopes of reigning in Moscow. But his three older brothers - Yuri, Boris and Afanasy - died and left no heirs. So, in 1325, at the age of forty-two, Ivan I Danilovich began reigning in the Moscow lands. At that age, princes often died, but for Prince Ivan, life had just begun. Then no one knew that he was a collector of Russian lands.
Two years later, the Horde members were killed in Tver. This local uprising brought a punitive Mongol campaign on Rus'. Prince Ivan was forced to go suppress the uprising in Tver and as a result received Veliky Novgorod and Kostroma, as well as the throne of Vladimir.
Conditionally, Ivan Kalita became the senior prince over all the princes of Rus', this right was given to him by reigning in Vladimir. Ivan Kalita firmly established order by any means necessary. The collector of Russian lands united in Moscow church power, which was previously located in Vladimir, with secular power. For this purpose, in 1326 he founded the Church of the Mother of God for Metropolitan Peter. And after Kalita’s death, the Orthodox department remained in Moscow. Whether the Russian princes liked it or not, Moscow united the entire northeast around itself.
Personality of Ivan I Danilovich
He avoided conflicts with the Horde by all means, because it disrupted the peaceful course of life. He was entrusted with collecting tribute from all over Rus' and sending it to the Horde after But it was difficult. Everyone, under any pretext, especially the Novgorodians, tried to evade paying tribute. It was necessary to either frighten with an invasion or appease the obstinate with gifts. It was especially difficult when the Horde demanded extraordinary payments. In addition, it was necessary to restore order throughout the entire territory and deal harshly with the robbers who attacked both tribute convoys and civilians. Thus, the number of robberies decreased and the life of ordinary people became easier.
Strange nickname
Prince Ivan received his nickname “Kalita” (wallet, bag of money) for his ability to manage money, which he willingly distributed to the poor when leaving his chambers. He was immediately surrounded by a crowd, and there was a coin for everyone.
Even if the same person approached him several times, the prince never refused. So he received another nickname - Kind. In addition, he, knowing how to save, always sent tribute in a timely manner, and therefore, except for him, no one else from the Russian princes went to the Horde. This led to the fact that the exclusive right to communicate with the Horde was assigned to his heirs. Ivan Danilovich used the accumulated money for the benefit of the principality: he bought Uglich, Belozersk and Galich. That's what he was, a collector of Russian lands.
Family life
The prince was married twice. The first wife was Elena, presumably the daughter of the Smolensk prince. The second wife was Ulyana, to whom Ivan left a rich inheritance and gold jewelry from his first wife.
"Great Silence"
And from 1328 to 1340, the long-awaited peace was established in the country. There were no more devastating raids by the “filthy”. Cities were built and grew, the population, which no one destroyed or captured, increased, a peaceful and calm life was established, and strength was accumulated to fight the Mongols. Prince Ivan Kalita entered into dynastic marriages of sons and daughters with the Yaroslavl, Rostov and Belozersk princes in order to manage their inheritance. And he married the heir Simeon Ivanovich to the daughter of Gediminas in order to ensure the security of the western borders. Prince Ivan Danilovich is also a collector of Russian lands. This is certain.
At this time, Ivan Danilovich strengthened Moscow. He built five cathedrals. Metropolitan Peter laid the first stone in the foundation of the Assumption Cathedral with his own hands. Thus Moscow turned into a religious capital.
Ivan Danilovich built a strong oak Kremlin in 1339. This was a very important matter. After all, the Mongols were very suspicious of any attempts to strengthen cities. Before his death, the prince took monastic vows and left his eldest son Simeon as heir. After the repose of Ivan Kalita, in 1340, his sons completed the decoration of the temples with multicolor painting, ordered ritual utensils from jewelers, and cast new bells for the belfry.
Continuing the work of father and grandfather
The policy pursued by Ivan Kalita, the collector of Russian lands, was, in short, continued by his sons and Ivan the Red. They learned everything from their father - to get along with their neighbors and the Horde, to pacify the disobedient with gifts or threats. Peace reigned in Rus' as a whole. And so time passed. The year 1359 came. During thirty years of peace, a whole generation of people grew up who did not know the raids of the Mongols. But the prince, whose glory does not fade over the centuries, Dmitry Ivanovich, could not come to terms with the economic and political dependence of Rus' on the Horde. The Mongols no longer had the same unity. They were torn apart by internal contradictions. Dmitry Ivanovich decided to take advantage of the opportune moment and overthrow the yoke.
He won the bloody Battle of Kulikovo in the early autumn of 1380, defeating Mamaev’s army. But the time for the complete liberation of Rus' has not yet come. Two years later, Tokhtamysh’s troops ravaged and burned Moscow, and again the Moscow princes, humiliated and fawning, went to the Horde khans with gifts and received
Ivan Vasilyevich - the last collector of Russian land
The son of Prince Vasily the Dark, who was blinded by other Russian princes with high ambitions during internecine wars, sat next to his father from the age of eight and was his co-ruler. It was a tough, even cruel school. Prince Vasily himself was an incompetent ruler, but his son turned out to be a powerful statesman.
Having ascended the throne of Moscow in 1462, he did not go to the Mongols for a label to reign. Under him, the Moscow principality grew in land and people. He decisively ended with the fragmentation of the state. Under him, the Yaroslavl (1463), Rostov (1474), Tver (1485) principalities, as well as the Vyatka land (1489) were annexed. In 1478, he destroyed the republic in Novgorod and completely subjugated the city and its lands to himself. Of course, this was the Grand Duke - the collector of Russian lands.
Reconstruction of the Moscow Kremlin
Grandiose and large-scale work began in 1495. All the remains of the walls of the old Kremlin were razed, new ones were built tall towers and the walls dammed the Neglinka River.
It turned into a lake that protected the Kremlin from the north from fires and enemies. They dug a ditch along the eastern wall, and water from the lake flowed into it. The Kremlin has become an inaccessible island. In 1479, a new Assumption Cathedral was built inside the Kremlin. Then the Italians built it and was intended to receive foreign ambassadors. Several churches and temples were also built, and the Kremlin became completely unrecognizable.
Personal life
The Grand Duke of Moscow was married twice. There was constant strife within his family. Ivan Young, son from his first wife, was the heir. But he fiercely hated his father’s second wife, Sophia Paleologue, and her sons. The new Greek family responded with the same hatred.
In 1490, Ivan the Young fell ill. The Greek woman provided him with her doctor, and he died. Ivan III made Ivan the Young's son, Dmitry, his heir. But Vasily, Sophia’s eldest son, threatened his father that he would run away to Lithuania and start a war with him for the throne. Ivan III surrendered and bequeathed the throne to Vasily. After the death of his father, Vasily sent all his relatives to prison, where they died. But first a significant event for Russia will happen.
On the Ugra River
Since 1476, Ivan III stopped paying tribute to the Horde. The Horde became worried and began to gather strength for a campaign against Moscow. In 1480, the troops of the Great Horde, which by this time had split into three khanates that were at war with each other, under the leadership of Khan Akhmat, approached almost a hundred kilometers to Moscow. It was late autumn. The Horde tried to cross several times, but their attempts were repulsed by artillery, which Ivan III reorganized and made consistent with all the best examples.
The army was commanded by Ivan Molodoy. Ivan III himself did not go into the active army, but prepared and supplied ammunition, fodder and food. For several weeks, two armies stood on opposite banks of the Ugra. Frosts struck, and Khan Akhmat led his army back. Thus ended the 240-year yoke.
When the Moscow princes showed the entire Russian society that they wanted and could free the country from the Mongol yoke, then all sympathies were on their side. But the end of the shameful dependence required tightening power within the state so that it would not again crumble into small destinies. But this is a task that the next generations will solve. In the meantime, the victory was expressed in a new title - sovereign of all Rus'.
