Vasily III: what trace in history was left by the son of Sophia Palaeologus. Vasily III Ivanovich

Under Vasily III, the last semi-independent estates and principalities joined Moscow. The Grand Duke limited the privileges of the princely-boyar aristocracy. He became famous for the victorious war against Lithuania.

Childhood and youth

The future emperor of the Rus was born in the spring of 1479. They named the grand-ducal offspring in honor of Basil the Confessor, at baptism they gave the Christian name Gabriel. Vasily III is the first son born to her husband Sophia Palaeologus, and the second in seniority. At the time of his birth, his half-brother was 21 years old. Later, Sophia gave birth to her wife four more sons.

The path of Vasily III to the throne was thorny: Ivan the Young was considered the main heir and successor of the sovereign. The second rival to the throne was the son of Ivan the Young - Dmitry, who was favored by his august grandfather.

In 1490, the eldest son of Ivan III died, but the boyars did not want to see Vasily on the throne and sided with Dmitry and his mother Elena Voloshanka. The second wife of Ivan III, Sophia Palaeologus, and her son were supported by the clerks and boyar children who led the orders. Basil's supporters pushed him to a conspiracy, advising the prince to kill Dmitry Vnuk and, having seized the treasury, flee from Moscow.

The people of the sovereign uncovered the conspiracy, those involved were executed, and Ivan III put the rebellious son into custody. Suspecting his wife Sophia Palaeologus of bad intentions, the Grand Duke of Moscow began to be wary of her. Having learned that the witch doctors are coming to his wife, the emperor ordered to seize the "dashing women" and drown them under cover of night in the Moscow River.

In February 1498, Dmitry was crowned to reign, but a year later the pendulum swung in the opposite direction: the sovereign's mercy left his grandson. Vasily, at the behest of his father, took Novgorod and Pskov into reign. In the spring of 1502, Ivan III imprisoned his daughter-in-law Elena Voloshanka and grandson Dmitry, and blessed Vasily for the great reign and declared all Russia an autocrat.

Governing body

In domestic politics, Vasily III was an adherent of harsh rule and believed that power should not be limited to anything. He immediately dealt with the disaffected boyars and relied on the church in opposition to the opposition. But in 1521, Metropolitan Barlaam came under the hot hand of the Grand Duke of Moscow: for his unwillingness to take the side of the autocrat in the struggle against the appanage prince Vasily Shemyakin, the priest was exiled.

Vasily III considered criticism unacceptable. In 1525, he executed the diplomat Ivan Bersen-Beklemishev: the statesman did not accept the Greek innovations introduced into the life of Russia by the mother of the sovereign Sophia.

Over the years, the despotism of Vasily III intensified: the sovereign, increasing the number of land nobility, limited the privileges of the boyars. The son and grandson continued the centralization of Russia begun by Father Ivan III and grandfather Vasily the Dark.

In church policy, the new sovereign sided with the Josephites, who defended the monasteries' right to own land and property. Their non-covetous opponents were executed or imprisoned in monastic cells. During the reign of Father Ivan the Terrible, a new Code of Laws appeared, which has not survived to this day.

In the era of Vasily III Ivanovich, a construction boom fell, which was initiated by his father. The Archangel Cathedral appeared in the Moscow Kremlin, and the Church of the Ascension of the Lord in Kolomenskoye.

The two-storey traveling palace of the tsar, one of the oldest monuments of civil architecture in the Russian capital, has also survived to this day. There were many such small palaces ("putinks"), in which Vasily III and the entourage accompanying the tsar rested before entering the Kremlin, but only the palace on Staraya Basmannaya has survived.

Opposite the "putinka" there is another architectural monument - the temple of Nikita the Martyr. It appeared in 1518 at the behest of Vasily III and was originally made of wood. In 1685, a stone church was built in its place. They prayed under the arches of the ancient temple, Fedor Rokotov,.

In foreign policy, Vasily III was noted as a collector of Russian lands. At the beginning of his reign, the Pskovites were asked to join them to the Moscow principality. The tsar dealt with them, as Ivan III had done with Novgorodians earlier: he resettled 3 hundred noble families from Pskov to Moscow, giving their estates to servicemen.

After the third siege in 1514, Smolensk was taken, for the conquest of which Vasily III used artillery. The annexation of Smolensk was the Tsar's largest military success.

In 1517, the tsar put into custody the last prince of Ryazan, Ivan Ivanovich, who had conspired with the Crimean Khan. Soon he was tonsured a monk, and his inheritance was "extended" to the Moscow principality. Then Starodubskoe and Novgorod-Severskoe princedoms surrendered.

At the beginning of his reign, Vasily III made peace with Kazan, and after breaking the agreement, he set out on a campaign against the khanate. The war with Lithuania was crowned with success. The result of the reign of the sovereign of all Russia Vasily Ivanovich was the strengthening of the country, they learned about it beyond the distant borders. Relations were established with France and India.

Personal life

Ivan III married his son a year before his death. It was not possible to find a noble spouse: Solomonia Saburova, a girl of a non-boyar family, was chosen as Vasily's wife.

At the age of 46, Vasily III was seriously concerned that his wife did not give him an heir. The boyars advised the tsar to divorce the barren Solomonia. Metropolitan Daniel approved the divorce. In November 1525, the Grand Duke parted with his wife, who was tonsured as a nun at the Nativity Convent.

After the tonsure, rumors flared up that the ex-wife imprisoned in the monastery gave birth to a son, Georgy Vasilyevich, but there is no convincing evidence of this. According to popular rumor, the grown-up son of Saburova and Vasily Ivanovich became a robber Kudeyar, sung in Nekrasov's "Song of the Twelve Thieves".

A year after the divorce, the nobleman opted for the daughter of the late Prince Glinsky. The girl conquered the king with her education and beauty. For the sake of the prince even shaved off his beard, which was contrary to Orthodox traditions.

4 years passed, and the second wife did not give the long-awaited heir to the king. The Emperor and his wife went to the Russian monasteries. It is believed that the prayers of Vasily Ivanovich and his wife were heard by the Monk Paphnutius Borovsky. In August 1530, Elena gave birth to her first child, Ivan, the future Ivan the Terrible. A year later, a second boy appeared - Yuri Vasilievich.

Death

The tsar did not enjoy fatherhood for long: when the first-born was 3 years old, the sovereign fell ill. On the way from the Trinity Monastery to Volokolamsk, Vasily III discovered an abscess on his thigh.

After the treatment, there was a short relief, but after a couple of months the doctor made a verdict that only a miracle could save Vasily: the patient began to get blood poisoning.

In December, the king died, blessing the firstborn to the throne. The remains are buried in the Moscow Archangel Cathedral.

Researchers assume that Vasily III died of cancer in the last stage, but in the 16th century, doctors did not know about such a disease.

Memory

• During the reign of Vasily III, a new Code of Law was created, the Archangel Cathedral, the Church of the Ascension of the Lord were built.
• In 2007, Alexey Shishov published his research "Vasily III: The Last Collector of the Russian Land."
• In 2009, the premiere of the series "Ivan the Terrible" by the director took place, in which the role of Vasily III went to the actor.
• In 2013, Alexander Melnik's book "The Moscow Grand Duke Vasily III and the Cults of Russian Saints" was published.

In 1934, A.D. Varganov, a young explorer of Suzdal and director of the Suzdal Museum, carried out archaeological excavations in the basement of the Intercession Cathedral of the Intercession Monastery in Suzdal. During the excavations, a small unnamed tomb was discovered, located between the tombs of a certain "eldress Alexandra", who died in 1525, and "eldress Sophia", who died in 1542. It is known that Sophia is the first wife of the Great Moscow Prince and Tsar Vasily III, Solomonia Yuryevna Saburova, accused of infertility and tonsured into a monastery in 1525.However, there were rumors that the accusation was unfair, that Solomonia was expecting a child and gave birth to a son in the monastery. who soon died. Varganov was very interested in the unnamed tomb: what if this is the tomb of the son of Solomonia Saburova? He decides to open the burial. Imagine his surprise when he found no traces of burial in the tomb. Instead of a skeleton, there was a wooden doll half-rotted from time to time, dressed in a silk boy's shirt, which in the 16th century. were worn by children of the royal family. Restored, this shirt is in the historical exposition of the Suzdal Museum, next to it is the cover of that tomb.

So, a 16th century false burial? Who needs it? Historians tried to unravel the mystery of this burial throughout the entire 20th century.
Grand Duke Vasily III was the son of Ivan III and his second wife, the Byzantine princess Sophia Palaeologus. He ruled from 1505 to 1533. Under him, the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow was completed. In relations with the Tatar khanates, he already called himself "the king of all Russia". The German ambassador Sigismund Herberstein wrote about him: "This is such a sovereign like no other monarch in Europe was. He alone rules."
At the age of 26, he decided to get married. It was then that the famous "girlish commotion" took place, which has now become the subject of Yury Milyutin's operetta. The Grand Duke ordered to gather the most beautiful girls for the show, regardless of their nobility. Out of one and a half thousand they selected and brought to Moscow 500, of which they chose 300, out of three hundred 200, after 100, finally only 10, carefully examined by midwives; of these ten, Vasily chose a bride for himself and then married her. Isn't it a 16th century beauty contest?
Vasily's choice fell on Solomonia Yuryevna Saburova, who came from an old, but "seedy"Moscow boyar family.
They lived, according to the chronicles, in complete harmony. However, years passed, and Solomonia remained childless. Basil did not want to leave the throne to his brothers. He did not even allow them to marry until he himself had an heir, but time passed, neither doctors, nor priests, nor trips to monasteries and fervent prayers helped - there were no children. Then Vasily decided to divorce Solomonia and exile her to a monastery. He already had another bride in mind, a young beauty Elena Glinskaya.
For Russia at that time, this case was unparalleled. First, the Orthodox Church allowed one of the spouses to enter a monastery only with their mutual consent. But Solomonia did not even want to hear about the divorce. Secondly, there could be no question of any new marriage with a living first wife.
With a request for permission to divorce, Vasily III turned to the Patriarch of Constantinople, the head of all Orthodox churches in the world, but received a categorical refusal. The Moscow Metropolitan Daniel comes to the aid of the Grand Duke, who found the prince an excuse for divorce, saying: "The barren fig tree is cut and removed from the grapes." The search for the "infertility" of Solomon began. In the course of it, it turned out that the Grand Duchess resorted to the help of fortune-tellers and healers, to witchcraft and "conspiracies" - this sharply worsened her situation, since a suspicion arose whether there was damage to the Grand Duke from that witchcraft ?! Solomon's fate was sealed. On November 29, 1525, she was tonsured at the Moscow Rozhdestvensky Monastery.

There is evidence that the tonsure was forcible, that Solomonia opposed him. About itwrites Prince Andrei Kurbsky. German ambassador
Herberstein writes that Solomonia tore off the monk's doll and trampled on it with her feet, for which the boyar Shigonya-Podzhogin hit her with a whip! However, many boyars and churchmen sympathized with Solomonia, and the boyar Bersen-Beklemishev even tried to stand up for her, but Vasily exclaimed furiously: "Go away, smerd, you don't need me!" Since many in Moscow supported Solomon, Vasily III sent her away from Moscow - to the Suzdal Intercession Monastery. Less than two months later, Vasily III played a wedding with Elena Glinskaya, who had just turned 16 years old. The prince was already 42 years old, to please his young wife and look younger, Vasily, deviating from the customs of antiquity, even shaved off his beard!
Several months passed ... And suddenly rumors spread across Moscow thatKudeyar

Solomonia in the monastery gave birth to Basil III of the heir to the throne, Tsarevich George. The Glinskys were furious, Vasily also did not like these rumors. The rumor mongers were identified and punished, and clerks were hastily sent to Suzdal to clarify this scandalous case. Solomonia met the clerks with hostility and refused to show them the child, declaring that they were "unworthy of their eyes to see the prince, and when he clothed himself in his majesty, he will avenge his mother's offense." Then boyars and churchmen were sent, but no documents about the results of this investigation have been preserved. It is only known that Solomonia announced the death of her son. The tomb was shown to the grand-ducal ambassadors.

However, did Solomon have a son? This remained unknown. Some historians are convinced that there was. The archaeologist and historian Count S.D. Sheremetyev believed that Solomonia hid her son with reliable people, as she understood that he would not be left alive. This version is confirmed by the discovery by Varganov of an empty tomb in 1934. In addition, in his second marriage, Vasily III also had no children for a long time. Only in 1530 was a son Ivan born to the Grand Duke - the future Ivan the Terrible. Now any talk about the canonicity of Basil III's second marriage meant denying the legality of the rights of the heir to the throne. For this they cut off their heads, starved them in dungeons, and sent them to the north. Soon, Elena Glinskaya had a second son, Yuri (who turned out to be deaf and dumb), and only now Vasily III allowed his brothers to marry. By this time there were only two of them.

Vasily III died in 1533. Under the young Ivan, power passed to his mother, who ruled together with her favorite, Prince Ivan Obolensky. It was rumored that he was the father of Elena's children (Ivan suffered from epilepsy, like Prince Obolensky). For Elena, Solomonia and her son, if he existed, were very dangerous. Therefore, Solomonia was exiled to Kargopol, where she was held in prison until the death of Elena Glinskaya. After the death of Elena Glinskaya, the Shuisky princes came to power, disparagingly treating the young Ivan IV. It would seem that this is a convenient opportunity for the appearance of Tsarevich George on the political arena. However, nothing of the kind happened. And yet there is a lot of mystery in this story.

If George was not there, then why did Ivan IV, already firmly established on the throne, demanded all the archival documents of the investigation about Solomon's "infertility"? And where did these documents disappear to? Some historians believe that Ivan the Terrible was looking for Solomon's son George all his life. It is known that Ivan IV made devastating campaigns against Tver and Novgorod the Great. On his order, there were carried out mass exterminations of men. There are suggestions that Ivan the Terrible received reports that George was hiding in these cities, and tried to destroy him.
The name of George is popularly associated with the legendary robber Kudeyar, the hero of many songs and legends, the Russian Robin Hood. According to one of the legends, Kudeyar robbed in the forests between Suzdal and Shuya. Here, in the estates of the Shuisky princes, Kudeyar could hide in his youth from the anger of the Glinsky. But these are just assumptions, not supported by any documents.

In 1542 Solomonia died. After 8 years, Patriarch Joseph recognized her as a saint. The relics of Eldress Sophia were and remain revered by many people. Ivan the Terrible himself allegedly laid on her tomb a shroud woven by his wife Anastasia. We came to the relics of St. Sophia and both of his sons with their wives, and the first tsar from the Romanov dynasty, and many others.
Well, George? Did it really exist, or is it just fiction? Nobody knows about this and is unlikely to find out. Now in the basement of the monastery's Pokrovsky Cathedral, among the numerous ancient tombs, services are performed - here again a temple, as in ancient times. The relics of St. Sophia has been moved to the main temple, and the nameless small tomb is no longer disturbed.

Based on materials from the newspaper "Evening Bell"

Vasily the Third Ivanovich was born on the twenty-fifth of March 1479 in the family of Ivan the Third. However, Ivan Molodoy, his eldest son, was declared co-ruler of Ivan back in 1470. There was no hope that it was Vasily who would receive power, but in 1490, Ivan the Young died. Soon Basil III was declared heir. At the same time, he became the official heir of his father only in 1502. At that time, he was already the Grand Duke of Novgorod and Pskov.

Like foreign policy, domestic policy was a natural continuation of the course started by Ivan III, who directed all his actions towards centralizing the state and defending the interests of the Russian Church. In addition, his policies led to the annexation of vast territories to Moscow.

So in 1510 Pskov was annexed to the Moscow principality, four years later - Smolensk, and in 1521 Ryazan. A year later, the Novgorod-Seversk and Starodub princedoms were also annexed. The careful innovative reforms of Vasily III led to a significant restriction of the privileges of the princely-boyar families. All important state affairs were now taken personally by the prince, and he could receive advice only from trusted persons.

The policy of the ruler in question had a clearly defined goal of preserving and protecting the Russian land from regular raids, which periodically took place "thanks" to the detachments of the Kazan and Crimean khanates. To resolve this issue, the prince introduced a rather interesting practice, inviting noble Tatars to the service and allocating vast territories for them to rule. In addition, in foreign policy, Vasily the Third was friendly to distant powers, considering the possibility of concluding an anti-Turkish union with the Pope, etc.

During his entire period of reign, Vasily the Third was married twice. His first wife was Solomonia Saburova, a girl from a noble family of boyars. However, this marriage union did not bring heirs to the prince and was dissolved for this reason in 1525. A year later, the prince marries Elena Glinskaya, who gave him two sons, Yuri and Stepan.

On December 3, 1533, Vasily the Third died of blood poisoning, after which he was buried in the Moscow Kremlin. Historians believe that the most important result of the era of his reign is the unification of the northeastern and northwestern territories of Russia. After Basil the Third, his young son Ivan ascended to the Russian throne under the regency of Glinskaya, who became the most famous tsar of Russia.

Video lecture by Vasily III:

Vasily 3 (reigned 1505-1533) were marked by the final collection of Russian lands around Moscow. It was under Vasily III that the process of uniting the lands around Moscow was completed and the process of creating the Russian state continued to take shape.

Most historians agree that Vasily 3, as a ruler and personality, was much inferior to his father, Ivan 3. It is hard to say for sure whether this is so or not. The fact is that Vasily continued the business (and successfully) started by his father, but did not have time to start his own important business.

End of specific system

Ivan 3 transferred all power to Vasily 3, and ordered his younger sons to obey their older brother in everything. Vasily 3 got 66 cities (30 other sons), as well as the right to determine and conduct the country's foreign policy and mint coins. The specific system was preserved, but the power of the Grand Duke over others became stronger and stronger. Very accurately described the system of Russia of that period, Joseph Volotsky (church leader), who called the reign of Basil 3 the rule over "All Russian land sovereign sovereign." Sovereign sovereign- and so it was in fact. There were sovereigns who owned the inheritance, but there was a single sovereign over them.

In the fight against the inheritance, Vasily 3 showed cunning - he forbade his brothers, the owners of the inheritance, to marry. Accordingly, those did not have children and their power was withering away, and the lands passed into subordination to Moscow. By 1533, only 2 estates were seated: Yuri Dmitrovsky and Andrei Staritsky.

Domestic policy

Unification of lands

The internal politics of Vasily III continued the path of his father, Ivan III: the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow. The main undertakings in this regard were as follows:

• Submission of independent principalities.
• Strengthening the borders of the state.

In 1510, Vasily 3 subjugated Pskov. In many ways, the Pskov prince Ivan Repnya-Obolensky, who was a cruel and unprincipled man, contributed to this. The Pskovites did not like him, they staged riots. As a result, the prince was forced to turn to the main sovereign, asking him to pacify the citizens. After that, there are no exact sources. It is only known that Vasily III arrested the ambassadors who were sent to him from the townspeople, and offered them the only solution to the problem - subordination to Moscow. On that and decided. To gain a foothold in this region, the Grand Duke sends 300 of the most influential families of Pskov to the central regions of the country.

In 1521 the Ryazan principality submitted to the power of Moscow, in 1523 the last southern principalities. Thus, the Sami, the main task of domestic policy during the reign of Vasily III was solved - the country was united.

Map of the Russian state under Vasily 3

A map on which the last stages of the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow are indicated. Most of these changes took place during the reign of Prince Vasily Ivanovich.

Foreign policy

The expansion of the Russian state under Vasily III also turned out to be quite extensive. The country managed to strengthen its influence, despite its fairly strong neighbors.

Western direction

War of 1507-1508

In 1507-1508 there was a war with Lithuania. The reason was that the borderline Lithuanian principalities began to swear allegiance to Russia. The last to do this was Prince Mikhail Glinsky (before that the Odoevsky, Belsky, Vyazemsky and Vorotynsky). The reason for the reluctance of the princes to be part of Lithuania is rooted in religion. Lithuania forbade Orthodoxy and forcibly implanted Catholicism in the local population.

In 1508, Russian troops besieged Minsk. The siege was successful and Sigismund I asked for peace. As a result, all the lands that were annexed by Ivan 3 were assigned to Russia. It was a great breakthrough and an important step in foreign policy and in strengthening the Russian state.

War of 1513-1522

In 1513, Vasily 3 learns that Lithuania has agreed with the Crimean Khanate and is preparing for a military campaign. The prince decided to play ahead and laid siege to Smolensk. The assault on the city was heavy and the city repulsed two attacks, but in the end, in 1514, Russian troops still took the city. But in the same year, the Grand Duke lost the battle of Orsha, which allowed the Lithuanian-Polish troops to approach Smolensk. The city could not be taken.

Minor battles continued until 1525, when peace was signed for 5 years. As a result of the peace, Russia retained Smolensk, and the border with Lithuania now ran along the Dnieper River.

South and East directions

The eastern and southern directions of the external policy of Prince Vasily Ivanovich should be considered together, since the Crimean Khan and the Kazan Khan acted together. Back in 1505, the Kazan Khan invaded the Russian lands with plunder. In response, Vasily 3 sends an army to Kazan, forcing the enemy to again swear allegiance to Moscow, as it was under Ivan 3.

1515-1516 - the Crimean army reaches Tula, devastating lands along the road.

1521 - the Crimean and Kazan khans began a military campaign against Moscow at the same time. Having reached Moscow, the Crimean Khan demanded that Moscow pay tribute, as it was before, and Vasily 3 agreed, since the enemy was numerous and powerful. After that, the khan's army went to Ryazan, but the city did not surrender, and they returned to their lands.

1524 - the Crimean Khanate captures Astrakhan. All Russian merchants and the governor were killed in the city. Vasily 3 concludes a truce and sends an army to Kazan. Kazan ambassadors arrive in Moscow for negotiations. They dragged on for several years.

1527 - on the Oka River, the Russian army defeated the army of the Crimean Khan, thereby stopping constant raids from the south.

1530 - the Russian army sent to Kazan and took the city by storm. A ruler, a Moscow protege, was appointed in the city.

Key dates

• 1505-1533 - the reign of Vasily 3
• 1510 - annexation of Pskov
• 1514 - annexation of Smolensk

The king's wives

In 1505, Vasily 3 decided to marry. A real bride was arranged for the prince - 500 noble girls from all over the country came to Moscow. The choice of the prince focused on Solomnia Saburova. They lived together for 20 years, but the princess could not give birth to an heir. As a result, by the decision of the prince, Solomnia was tonsured a nun and sent to the Suzdal Women's Intercession Monastery.

In fact, Vasily 3 carried out a divorce from Solomon, violating all the laws of that time. Moreover, for this they even had to remove Metropolitan Barlaam, who refused to arrange a divorce. Ultimately, after the change of metropolitan, Solomonia was accused of witchcraft, after which she was tonsured a nun.

In January 1526, Vasily 3 married Elena Glinskaya. The Glinsky family was not the most noble, but Elena was beautiful and young. In 1530 she gave birth to her first son, who was named Ivan (the future Tsar Ivan the Terrible). Soon, another son was born - Yuri.

Hold power at any cost

For a long time, the reign of Vasily 3 seemed impossible, since his father wanted to transfer the throne to his grandson from his first marriage, Dmitry. Moreover, in 1498, Ivan 3 crowned Dmitry to reign, declaring him heir to the throne. The second wife of Ivan 3, Sophia (Zoya) Palaeologus, together with Vasily, organize a conspiracy against Dmitry in order to get rid of a competitor in the throne's inheritance. The conspiracy was discovered, and Vasily was arrested.

• In 1499, Ivan 3 pardons his son Vasily and releases him from prison.
• In 1502, Dmitry himself was accused and imprisoned, and Vasily was blessed to reign.

In the light of the events of the struggle for the rule of Russia, Vasily 3 clearly understood that power is important at any cost, and everyone who interferes with this is an enemy. For example, what words are in the annals:

I am the king and lord by right of blood. I did not ask for titles from anyone and did not buy them. There are no laws by which I have to obey someone. Believing in Christ, I reject any rights begged from others.

Prince Vasily 3 Ivanovich

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 Paleologue, 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 Palaeologus. In addition to the older one, he had four younger brothers:

• Yuri Ivanovich, prince dmitrovsky (1505-1536)
• Dmitry Ivanovich Zhilka, Prince of Uglitsky (1505-1521)
• Semyon Ivanovich, Prince of Kaluga (1505-1518)
• Andrey Ivanovich, prince of old and Volokolamsk (1519-1537)

Ivan III, pursuing a policy of centralization, took care of the transfer of all power through the eldest son, with the limitation of the power of the younger sons. Therefore, already in 1470, he announced 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 formed at the court: one was 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 prevailed, Ivan III intended to crown his grandson on the kingdom. Under these conditions, surrounded by Vasily III, a conspiracy matured, which was revealed, and its participants, including Vladimir Gusev, were executed. Vasily and his mother Sophia Palaeologus fell into disgrace. However, the grandson's supporters came into conflict with Ivan III, which ended with the grandson's disgrace in 1502. On March 21, 1499, Vasily was declared the Grand Duke of Novgorod and Pskov, and in April 1502, the Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir and All Russia, an autocrat, that is, he became co-ruler of Ivan III.

The first marriage was arranged by his father Ivan, who at first tried to find him a bride in Europe, but ended up with a choice of 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 came from the Tatar murza Chet.

Since the first marriage was fruitless, Vasily achieved a divorce in 1525, and at the beginning of the next (1526) year he married Elena Glinskaya, daughter of the Lithuanian prince Vasily Lvovich Glinsky. Initially, the new wife also could not get pregnant, but in the end, 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 the power of the Grand Duke should not be limited by anything, which is why he enjoyed the active support of the Church in the fight against the feudal boyar opposition, sharply cracking down on all the disaffected. In 1521, Metropolitan Varlaam was exiled due to his refusal to participate in the struggle of Vasily against Prince Vasily Ivanovich Shemyachich, the princes of Rurikovich Vasily Shuisky and Ivan Vorotynsky were expelled. The diplomat and statesman Ivan Bersen-Beklemishev was executed in 1525 because of criticism of Vasily's policies, namely, because of the open rejection of the Greek novelty that came to Russia along with Sophia Palaeologus. 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, fully manifested already under his father Ivan III and grandfather Vasily the Dark, only intensified in the era of Vasily.

In church politics, Vasily unconditionally supported the Josephites. Maxim the Greek, Vassian Patrikeev and other non-covetants were sentenced at Church councils, some to death, others to imprisonment in monasteries.

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

As Herberstein reported, at the Moscow court it was believed that Vasily was superior to all the monarchs of the world and even the emperor in power. On the obverse side of his seal there was an inscription: "Great Sovereign Basil by the grace of God, the king and lord of all Russia." On the reverse side it read: "Vladimirskaya, Moscowskaya, Novgorodskaya, Pskovskaya and Tverskaya, and Yugorskaya, and Permskaya, and many sovereign lands."

The time of Vasily's reign was the era of the construction boom in Russia, 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, fortresses were founded.

Unification of Russian lands

Basil 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 to gather with him, including all petitioners who were dissatisfied with them. Arriving at 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 homeland. Vasily ordered to cancel the veche. At the last in the history of the Pskov veche, it was decided not to resist and to fulfill the demands of Vasily. On January 13, the veche bell was removed and sent to Novgorod with tears. On January 24, Vasily arrived in Pskov and treated him in the same way as his father had with Novgorod in 1478. The 300 most noble families of the city were resettled to the Moscow lands, and their villages were given to the Moscow service people.

It was the turn of Ryazan, which had long been in Moscow's sphere of influence. In 1517, Vasily summoned to Moscow the Ryazan prince Ivan Ivanovich, who was trying to enter into an alliance with the Crimean Khan, and ordered him to be imprisoned (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-Severskoe, with whose prince Vasily Ivanovich Shemyachich they followed the example of Ryazan - they were 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 Dmitry Ivanovich Zhilka of Uglitsky 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 warmly in Moscow. The war with Lithuania led to a rather favorable peace for the Moscow prince in 1509, according to which the seizures of his father were recognized by the Lithuanians.

In 1512, a new war began with Lithuania. On December 19, Vasily Yuri Ivanovich and Dmitry Zhilka set out on a campaign. Smolensk was besieged, but it did not work to take it, and the Russian army returned to Moscow in March 1513. On June 14, Vasily set out on a campaign again, but having sent the governor to Smolensk he himself remained in Borovsk, waiting for what would happen next. Smolensk was again besieged, and its governor, Yuri Sologub, was defeated in an open field. Only after that did Vasily personally come to the troops. But this siege was unsuccessful: the besieged managed to restore what was destroyed. Having devastated the outskirts of the city, Vasily ordered to 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 marched with Vasily. A new siege began on 29 July. The artillery, led by the gunner Stefan, inflicted heavy losses on the besieged. On the same day, Sologub and the city's clergy went to Vasily and agreed to surrender the city. On July 31, the inhabitants 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 at Orsha, but the Lithuanians could not return Smolensk. Smolensk remained a disputed territory until the end of the reign of Vasily III. At the same time, the inhabitants of the Smolensk region were taken to the Moscow regions, and the inhabitants of the regions closest to Moscow were resettled to Smolensk.

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

In 1522, the Crimeans were again expected in Moscow, Vasily with his army even stood on the Oka. The khan did not come, but the danger from the steppe did not pass. Therefore, in the same 1522, Vasily concluded an armistice, according to which Smolensk remained with Moscow. Kazan 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 the Sura, which was to become a new reliable place of bargaining with the Kazan Tatars. In 1524, after the third campaign against Kazan, the allied Crimea Sahib Girey was overthrown, and instead of him Safa Girey was proclaimed khan.

In 1527, the attack of Islyam I Giray on Moscow was repelled. Gathering in Kolomenskoye, Russian troops took up defenses 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 Osetr River. Another steppe invasion was repulsed.

In 1531, at the request of the Kazan people, the Kasimov prince Dzhan Ali Khan was proclaimed khan, but he did not hold out for 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 Yurievna Saburova (from September 4, 1505 to November 1525).
• Elena Vasilievna Glinskaya (since January 21, 1526).

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