Moskovsky Vasily III rules in 1505-1533 His era became the time of continuation of the achievements of his father Ivan III. The prince united the Russian lands around Moscow and fought with numerous external enemies.

Succession to the throne

Vasily Rurikovich was born in 1479 into the family of the Grand Duke of Moscow John III. He was the second son, which means he did not claim the throne after the death of his father. However, his older brother John the Young tragically died at the age of 32. fatal disease. He developed a leg ailment (apparently gout), which caused terrible pain. My father ordered a famous European doctor from Venice, who, however, was unable to overcome the disease (he was later executed for this failure). The deceased heir left a son, Dmitry.

This led to a dynastic dispute. On the one hand, Dmitry had the right to power as the son of a deceased heir. But the Grand Duke had living younger sons. At first, John III was inclined to pass the throne to his grandson. He even arranged a ceremony to crown him as king (this was the first such ceremony in Rus'). However, Dmitry soon found himself in disgrace with his grandfather. It is believed that the reason for this was the conspiracy of John’s second wife (and Vasily’s mother). She was from Byzantium (by this time Constantinople had already fallen under the pressure of the Turks). The wife wanted power to pass to her son. Therefore, she and her faithful boyars began to convince John to change his mind. Shortly before his death, he agreed, denied Dmitry his rights to the throne and bequeathed Vasily to be the Grand Duke. The grandson was imprisoned and soon died there, briefly outliving his grandfather.

The fight against appanage princes

Grand Duke Vasily 3, whose foreign and domestic policies were a continuation of the actions of his father, ascended the throne in 1505, after the death of John III.

One of key principles Both monarchs had the idea of ​​absolute autocracy. That is Grand Duke tried to concentrate power only in the hands of monarchs. He had several opponents.

First of all, other appanage princes from the Rurik dynasty. Moreover we're talking about about those who were direct representatives of the Moscow house. The last major unrest in Rus' began precisely because of disputes about power around uncles and nephews, who were descendants of Dmitry Donskoy.

Vasily had four younger brother. Yuri received Dmitrov, Dmitry - Uglich, Semyon - Kaluga, Andrey - Staritsa. Moreover, they were only nominal governors and were completely dependent on the Moscow prince. This time the Rurikovichs did not make the mistake that was made in the 12th century, when the state centered in Kyiv collapsed.

Boyar opposition

Another potential threat to the Grand Duke was represented by numerous boyars. Some of them, by the way, were distant descendants of the Rurikovichs (such as the Shuiskys). Vasily 3, whose foreign and domestic policies were subordinated to the idea of ​​the need to combat any threats to power, nipped the opposition at its very root.

Such a fate, for example, awaited Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky. This nobleman was suspected of correspondence with the Lithuanian prince. Shortly before this, Vasily managed to recapture several ancient Russian cities. Shuisky became the governor of one of them. After the prince became aware of his alleged betrayal, the disgraced boyar was imprisoned, where he died in 1529. Such an uncompromising fight against any manifestations of disloyalty was the core of the policy to unite the Russian lands around Moscow.

Another similar incident occurred with Ivan Beklemishev, nicknamed Bersen. This diplomat openly criticized the Grand Duke for his policies, including his desire for everything Greek (this trend became the norm thanks to the prince's mother Sophia Paleologus). Beklemishev was executed.

Church disputes

Church life was also the object of the Grand Duke's attention. He needed the support of religious leaders to ensure legitimacy own decisions. This union of state and church was considered the norm for the then Rus' (by the way, the word “Russia” began to be used under John III).

At this time, there was a dispute in the country between the Josephites and the non-possessors. These two church-political movements (mainly within the monasteries) had opposing points of view on religious issues. Their ideological struggle could not pass by the ruler. The non-acquisitives sought reforms, including the abolition of land ownership by monasteries, while the Josephites remained conservatives. Vasily III was on the side of the latter. The prince's foreign and domestic policies corresponded to the views of the Josephites. As a result, the church opposition was repressed. Among its representatives were such famous people as Maxim Grek and Vassian Patrikeev.

Unification of Russian lands

Grand Duke Vasily 3, whose foreign and domestic policies were closely intertwined, continued to annex the remaining independent Russian principalities to Moscow.

Even during the reign of John III, it became a vassal of its southern neighbor. In 1509, a meeting was held in the city, at which residents expressed dissatisfaction with Vasily’s rule. He arrived in Veliky Novgorod to discuss this conflict. As a result, the veche was canceled, and the estate.

However, such a decision could cause unrest in the freedom-loving city. To avoid “ferment of minds,” the most influential and noble aristocrats of Pskov were relocated to the capital, and their places were taken by Moscow appointees. This effective technique was used by John when he annexed Veliky Novgorod.

Ryazan prince Ivan Ivanovich in 1517 tried to conclude an alliance with Crimean Khan. Moscow was inflamed with anger. The prince was taken into custody, and Ryazan became part of the united Russian state. Internal and foreign policy Vasily 3 turned out to be consistent and successful.

Conflict with Lithuania

Wars with neighbors - another one important point, which distinguished the reign of Vasily 3. The domestic and foreign policies of the prince could not help but contribute to conflicts between Muscovy and other states.

The Principality of Lithuania was another Russian center and continued to claim a leading position in the region. It was an ally of Poland. In the service of Lithuanian prince there were many Russian Orthodox boyars and feudal lords.

Smolensk became the main city between the two powers. This ancient city in the 14th century it became part of Lithuania. Vasily wanted to return it to Moscow. Because of this, there were two wars during his reign (in 1507-1508 and 1512-1522). As a result, Smolensk was returned to Russia.

This is how Vasily 3 confronted many opponents. The foreign and domestic policies (the table is an excellent format for a visual representation of what we said) of the prince, as already mentioned, was a natural continuation of the actions of Ivan 3, taken by him to defend the interests Orthodox Church and centralization of the state. Below we will discuss what all this resulted in.

Wars with the Crimean Tatars

Success accompanied the measures taken by Vasily III. Foreign and domestic policies (the table briefly shows this well) were the key to the development and enrichment of the country. Another cause of concern was They made constant raids on Rus' and often entered into an alliance with Polish king. Vasily III did not want to put up with this. Domestic and foreign policy (it is unlikely to be possible to talk about this briefly) had a clearly defined goal - to protect the lands of the principality from invasions. For this purpose, a rather peculiar practice was introduced. They began to invite Tatars from the most noble families to the service, allocating them land holdings. The prince was also friendly towards more distant states. He sought to develop trade with European powers. He considered the possibility of concluding a union (directed against Turkey) with the Pope.

Family problems

As in the case of any monarch, it was very important who Vasily 3 married. Foreign and domestic policy were important areas of his activity, but the presence of a successor to the family depended future destiny states. The first marriage of the heir to the Grand Duchy was organized by his father. For this purpose, 1,500 brides from all over the country arrived in Moscow. The prince's wife was Solomonia Saburova from a small boyar family. This was the first time that a Russian ruler married someone other than a representative ruling dynasty, and with a girl from bureaucratic circles.

However this family union turned out to be unsuccessful. Solomonia turned out to be infertile and could not conceive a child. Therefore, Vasily III divorced her in 1525. At the same time, some representatives of the Church criticized him, since formally he did not have the right to such an act.

Already in next year Vasily married Elena Glinskaya. This late marriage gave him two sons - John and Yuri. After the death of the Grand Duke, the eldest was declared heir. John was then 3 years old, so the Regency Council ruled instead of him, which contributed to numerous squabbles at court. Also popular is the theory that it was the boyar unrest, which the child witnessed in childhood, that spoiled his character. Later, the already matured Ivan the Terrible became a tyrant and dealt with undesirable confidants in the most cruel ways.

Death of the Grand Duke

Vasily died in 1533. During one of his trips, he discovered a small tumor on his left thigh. It festered and led to blood poisoning. Using modern terminology, we can assume that it was an oncological disease. On his deathbed, the Grand Duke accepted the schema.

Governing body Vasily III(briefly)

Reign of Vasily III (briefly)

On March 25, 1479, Vasily the Third, the future ruler, was born. Vasily was born into the family of Ivan the Third and was his second son. For this reason, in 1470, the prince announced Ivan the Young (eldest son) as his co-ruler, intending to transfer complete rule to him in the future. However, unfortunately, Ivan died in 1490, and already in 1502, Vasily the Third Ivanovich, who at that time was already the Pskov and Great Novgorod prince, was declared co-ruler and future full-fledged heir of Ivan the Third.

In his policy, Vasily the Third fully adhered to the course that was chosen by his father. Its main goals were:

· centralization and strengthening of power;

· defending the interests of the Orthodox Church.

During the reign of Vasily the Third, the Starodub and Novgorod-Seversky principalities, as well as the lands of Ryazan, Smolensk and Pskov, were annexed to the Moscow principality.

Trying to protect Russian borders from active regular Tatar raids from the Crimean and Kazan kingdoms, Vasily the Third introduced the practice of introducing Tatar princes into the service, giving them considerable territories for this. The policy of this ruler in relation to distant states was quite friendly. Vasily even discussed with the Pope about the possibility of a union against Turkey, which was disadvantageous for both, and also tried to develop trade contacts with Austria, Italy and France.

In domestic policy Vasily the Third concentrated his efforts on strengthening the autocracy, which soon led to the “curtailment” of the privileges of the boyars and princes. For example, they were removed from solving important state issues, which from now on were taken exclusively by Vasily the Third and his circle of close advisers. At the same time, representatives of the boyar class were able to retain important places in the prince’s army.

Historians indicate that the prince was married twice. The first time was with Solomonia Saburova, who herself was from a noble boyar family, but turned out to be childless. And the second time he married Elena Glinskaya, who bore him two sons, the youngest of whom, Yuri, suffered from dementia.

On December 3, 1533, Moscow Prince Vasily the Third died from a blood poisoning disease, after which he was buried in the Moscow Kremlin (Archangel Cathedral). In subsequent years, the boyars Belsky and Glinsky acted as regents for the young Ivan.

– son of Ivan III from his first marriage, a struggle began to determine the future heir to the throne. Vasily III won. He managed to become his father's co-ruler. Before the death of Ivan III, Vasily was considered the Grand Duke of Novgorod, and in 1502 he also received the Great Reign of Vladimir from his father.

In September 1505 he married the daughter of boyar Saburov Solomonia, chosen by his father from 1,500 applicants. On October 27, 1505, immediately after the death of his father, he fully assumed the throne, having received, according to his father’s will, the great reign of Moscow, the right to manage the capital and all its income, the right to mint coins, 66 cities and the title of “Tsar of All Rus'.”

Like his father, Vasily III continued the policy of “gathering lands” and strengthening the grand ducal power, including in relation to Lithuania and Poland. Its ultimate goal was the annexation of all Western Russian regions to Moscow, and its immediate tasks were the annexation of individual cities, the subjugation of border petty princes, and the defense of the interests of Orthodoxy in Western Rus'(Vasily’s sister Elena was married to the ruler of Lithuania and Poland, Alexander Jagiellonczyk, after his death the new ruler Sigismund began to oppress his Russian sister-in-law). The successes of Vasily and his sister Elena, who continued to defend the interests of Moscow among the Gentiles, were expressed in the treaty of Moscow with Lithuania and Poland in 1508, which retained Moscow’s acquisitions of Ivan III in western lands outside Moscow.

Subsequent actions of the Moscow prince were directed to the lands adjacent to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. So, in 1510 Pskov went to Moscow, its veche was destroyed, veche bell filmed and taken to Moscow. In 1512, a new campaign began - against Smolensk, but it was unsuccessful. Only in 1514 the city surrendered, but the Poles did not give up hope of recapturing it again. The war continued with varying success; at the same time, diplomatic negotiations were conducted (he acted as a mediator in them from 1517 Austrian Emperor Maximilian through his ambassador Baron Sigismund Herberstein), but only in 1520 a truce was concluded for five years with Smolensk remaining behind Moscow. During the Smolensk War, Vasily managed to seize the lands of Volotsk (1513) and Kaluga (1518). In 1521, the Ryazan and Uglich principalities were annexed to Moscow, and in 1523, Novgorod-Seversky. The formation of the political territory of a single Great Russian nation state ended: “Vasily III thereby not only did not humiliate Russia, but elevated it” (N.M. Karamzin). This was all the more necessary since constant raids were carried out from the southern borders Crimean Tatars(1507, 1516–1518 and 1521), which threatened the integrity of Russian territory. Only in 1520–1521 Tatar army consisted of over 20 thousand soldiers under the leadership of the governor Khabar Simsky. They advanced relatively quickly to Tula and could have posed a threat to the capital if they had not been defeated in time at Pereyaslavl in Ryazan. Lithuania also encouraged attacks on Moscow, so non-military forms of normalizing relations (Crimeans were treated to “funerals” for the Khan, princes, and Murzas) did not bring success.

By the early 1520s, relations between Moscow and Kazan remained difficult. Beginning in 1505, when Khan Muhammad-Emin came to power in Kazan, the Kazan Tatars raided Nizhny Novgorod continued regularly. The political coup in the Kazan Khanate of 1521 (Sahib-Girey came to power) also did not change the nature of relations; on the contrary, joint raids of the Crimean and Kazan Tatars on Moscow began. Therefore, Vasily III in 1521 decided to build fortified cities in the area of ​​the “wild field” (in particular, Vasilsursk), and at the same time - the Great Zasechnaya Line (1521–1523). Another diplomatic technique of Vasily III was the invitation of Tatar princes to Moscow service; the number of them, who received vast lands, grew rapidly.

In relation to more distant countries, the government of Vasily III pursued as friendly a policy as possible. Vasily III negotiated with Prussia, inviting it to an alliance against Lithuania and Livonia (in 1526, under the order of Vasily III, negotiations on eternal peace with the Lithuanians and Poles were resumed, but neither side wanted to give up Smolensk). Chronicles indicate that Vasily III also received the ambassadors of Denmark, Sweden, and Turkey, and discussed with the Pope the possibility of union and war against Turkey. At the end of the 1520s, relations between Muscovy and France began; in 1533 an embassy arrived from the Hindu sovereign, Sultan Babur. Trade relations connected Moscow with the Hanseatic cities, Italy, and Austria.

Having gathered the lands into a single kingdom, Vasily III carefully began the fight against the noble boyars. He was distrustful of his brothers, Yuri and Andrei, although he entered into agreements with them. However, the brothers had their own yards, their own service people and military detachments, on which even smaller ones were dependent who were in the position of “service” princes or princes sitting in ancient estates land owners. To strengthen autocracy, Vasily III took measures to exchange lands, removing the remnants of appanage rule to new places. The result of this policy was the rapid growth of local noble land ownership, the expansion of measures to limit the immune political privileges of the princely-boyar aristocracy. At the same time, the border fortifications that existed in the princely estates were destroyed, while “guarantees” were taken from the boyars and other nobility that they they “will not drive him away” (Vasily III feared the growth of the princely-boyar opposition, as evidenced by the execution of the most suspected of them, boyar Bersen Beklemishev). “Advices” and “sentences” with the Boyar Duma had a somewhat formal character in his time: all matters were decided by Vasily III personally, in contact with clerks and a few trusted people, among whom the most prominent place was occupied by the clerk of the Tver boyars, the butler Ivan Shigona.

The reign of Vasily III was marked by the rise of Russian culture and the spread of the Moscow style literary writing, who took leading place among other regional literatures. It happened then architectural appearance the Moscow Kremlin, which turned into an impregnable fortress. The completed architectural appearance has acquired Cathedral of the Archangel. During the reign of Vasily III and the completion of the political formation of the Russian centralized state The polemic between the “Josephites” and the “non-covetous”, which had a significant impact on the development of church thought and bookishness, also collapses. Despite the proven personal closeness of Vasily III to the leader of the “non-possessors” Vassian Kosoy, the Josephites gained the upper hand in their polemics. Vasily actively used the authority of Joseph Volotsky and his ideas to justify divine origin their ancestors, allegedly descending from the Roman emperors. Among the Josephites, Vasily III showed special favor to Metropolitan Daniel, who provided the Tsar and the Grand Duke with a significant service during the divorce. The reason for the divorce was a childless marriage with Solomonia Saburova. Despite the protests of the church hierarchs, Vasily III obtained a divorce, insisted on the tonsure of Solomonia as a nun and her deportation to Kargopol convent. The tsar himself remarried - to Elena Vasilievna Glinskaya, the daughter of a Polish prince. From this marriage were born the sons Ivan (the future Terrible) and the feeble-minded Yuri.

According to the stories of contemporaries, Vasily III was of a harsh disposition and did not leave a grateful memory of his time in folk poetry. He died from a malignant abscess on December 3, 1533, having managed to take a haircut in his agony under the name of Varlaam. The reign of Moscow was transferred to his 3-year-old son Ivan, and E.V. Glinskaya was appointed regent.

He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral in Moscow.

Lev Pushkarev,Natalia Pushkareva

Vasily III Ivanovich (1479 - 1533) - Grand Duke of Vladimir and Moscow from 1505, son of Ivan III Vasilyevich and Sophia Paleologue - the latter’s niece Byzantine Emperor. Father of Ivan IV the Terrible.

Grand Duke Vasily III

According to existing marriage agreements, the children of the Grand Duke of Moscow and 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. At court they suspected poisoning, 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 arrest. 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. Before the death of the Grand Duke of Moscow, Vasily Ivanovich was considered the Grand Duke of Novgorod, and in 1502 he also received the great reign of Vladimir from his father.

Marriage of Vasily III and Solomonia Saburova

At the age of 26, they decided to marry Prince Vasily. To choose a bride, his father, Grand Duke Ivan III, ordered the first beauties from all the Russian principalities to be collected in Moscow, since he was unable to find a bride for Vasily among the foreign ruling houses. 1,500 girls arrived in Moscow - very beautiful, noble and ignorant, of which 300 were gradually selected, then the 200, 100 and 10 best were shown to Vasily, who chose the daughter of eminent Moscow boyars, Solomonia Saburova.

Saburova, Solomonia Yurievna

In 1505 the wedding took place, 4 months later Ivan III died, Vasily became the Grand Duke. The marriage was long and happy, but there were no children. The grand ducal couple traveled to monasteries, made rich deposits, but still there were no children, the marriage remained childless. Vasily III had four brothers to whom he did not want to leave the throne and did not allow them to marry. According to their father's will, the brothers received 30 cities into their possession, and Vasily - 66. Vasily III almost hated the brothers, who considered their father's will unfair, awaiting his death and transition supreme power to one of them.

Having fallen ill, Vasily III even intended to transfer the right of inheritance to the throne to the husband of his sister Evdokia - the Tatar prince Kuidakul, in Orthodoxy Peter, but he died suddenly (most likely, he was poisoned). Vasily III learned of rumors about his own infertility. He also learned that his wife had turned to fortune-tellers and witches several times so that they could save the grand-ducal couple from childlessness. The Church categorically forbade (and forbids) turning to fortune-tellers and sorcerers, and evaluates such actions as a great sin.

Then such actions of the queen were assessed not only as a sin, but also as harm to her husband, who turned out to be a victim of damage. One of the fortune tellers confidently told the queen that they would never have children. Vasily III began to think about the inevitability of their divorce, and to resolve this issue he assembled a council of clergy and boyars. Moscow Metropolitan Daniel expressed his readiness to take the sin of the prince’s divorce upon his soul. Some boyars and clergy openly opposed divorce (Prince Patrikeev - monk Vassian Kosoy, monk Makrsim the Greek, Prince Semyon Kurbsky), all of them were severely punished and imprisoned for this. Most people were against the divorce, condemned the intention of Vasily III, but were afraid of his anger and remained silent.

Vasily III was guided by state interests in his personal life. After difficult thoughts, Vasily III decided to divorce. With the permission of Metropolitan Daniel, he divorced and received the right to remarry. Ex-wife Vasily III imprisoned Solomonia Saburova in the Moscow Nativity Monastery in 1525, then she was taken to the Suzdal Intercession Monastery, where she lived for 14 years and died, having survived ex-husband and his new wife.

Venerable Sophia, in the world Solomonia, Grand Duchess,

The legend claims that Solomonia, abandoned by the king, allegedly secretly gave birth to a son and he was secretly raised in one of the boyar houses. According to another version, he allegedly became the famous robber Kudeyar.

Vasily III Vasiliy III 1505-1533.

Vasily III probably felt sorry for his divorced wife in his soul, at least partially reproaching himself for the sin of divorce, and as best he could (within the bounds of decency) showed concern for her and the city and monastery where she ended up. So, in the Suzdal Kremlin in 1528-1530. At the behest and with the assistance of Vasily III, the restoration of the Nativity Cathedral was carried out. For the proper maintenance of the divorced queen in the Suzdal Intercession Monastery, he allocated the village of Vysheslavskoye with peasants to the monastery. In the Intercession Monastery, by order of Vasily III, a small room for a separate altar was built in the gate church, intended only for one nun - Sophia, his divorced wife. In general, Vasily III somehow in advance singled out the Intercession Monastery from other women’s monasteries, almost guessing about its special role in the fate of the grand-ducal couple. During the first decade family life with Solomonia Saburova, he came to the Intercession Monastery, allocated significant funds, which laid the foundation for the monastery’s well-being and made it possible to begin detailed stone construction in it.

Marriage of Ivan III with Elena Glinskaya

The tsar's second wife was Elena Vasilyevna Glinskaya (1509-1538), in whose veins Lithuanian blood flowed. Her uncle Alexander fled from Lithuania to Russia. This meant that the tsar’s chosen one came from a family of fugitives and traitors who had disgraced themselves in their homeland, Lithuania.

Elena Glinskaya Grand Duchess Moscow

The fact is very unpleasant: the great princes usually chose their wives from glorious boyar families or from respected families - royal, royal - outside Russia. Contemporaries wrote that Tsar Vasily III fell passionately in love with the young Elena Glinskaya, in order to please her, he decided to do an unprecedented thing: he began to look younger and even shaved his beard and used cosmetics.

Two months after the divorce and tonsure of Solomonia Saburova, Tsar Vasily III married Elena Glinskaya (he was 48 years old, she was 18). The tsar, in love with his young wife, did not notice in her retinue her former lover, Prince Ivan Fedorovich Telepnev-Obolensky-Saburov-Ovchina (he was soon elevated to noble ranks of the state and, perhaps, is the father of the next tsar - Ivan IV, born in 1530) .

Vasily III Ivanovich

For seven years the king enjoyed life with his young wife, who bore him sons Ivan and Yuri(the first then became Tsar Ivan the Terrible). The fate of the young queen was hardly enviable.

Only after the death of her husband was she able, by adding more honorary positions to I.F. Telepnev-Obolensky, to somehow legitimize him as her practically official favorite; this happened for the first time in a grand-ducal family in Rus'.

E.V. Glinskaya and her prince brothers and I.F. Telepnev-Obolensky after the death of Vasily III began to rule Moscow and Russia. But the fate of all of them was bad: Glinskaya was poisoned in 1538, Telepnev-Obolensky was starved to death in captivity, etc. This was retribution for feigned love for the king and the desire for power, profit, and wealth by any means.

PRINCE VASILY III IVANOVICH

Vasily III Ivanovich. Miniature from the Tsar's titular book. 1672

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 to the grand-ducal throne caused discontent among many boyars.

Like his father, he continued the policy of “gathering lands” and strengthening the 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 of the Crimean Tatars on Rus' began (1507, 1516-1518 and 1521). The Moscow ruler had difficulty negotiating peace with Khan Mengli-Girey.

Vasily III Ivanovich.

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 of ​​the “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 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.

Grand Duke Vasily III Ivanovich

POLITICS IN THE REIGN OF VASILY III IVANOVICH

In his domestic policy, he enjoyed the support of the Church in the fight against the feudal opposition. The landed nobility also increased, and the authorities actively limited the privileges of the boyars.

Vasily III treated the boyars carefully; not one of them, except for the comparatively humble Bersen Beklemishev, was subjected to death penalty, and there was little opal. But attention Big Vasily III did not render any assistance to the boyars, consulted with the boyar duma, apparently more for form and “meeting”, that is, he did not like objections, resolving matters mainly with clerks and a few trusted people, among whom the butler Ivan Shigona occupied the most prominent place, clerk from the Tver boyars.

The years of the reign of Vasily III Ivanovich were marked by the rise of Russian culture, widespread 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 was declared heir to the throne ( future king Grozny), son of Vasily Ivanovich, and Elena Glinskaya was appointed regent.

Vasily was married twice.
His wives:
Saburova Solomonia Yurievna (from September 4, 1506 to November 1525).
Glinskaya Elena Vasilievna (from January 21, 1526).

There were 2 children (both from the 2nd marriage): Ivan IV the Terrible (1530 -1584) and Yuri (1532-1564).

The ultimate success of the unification of Russian lands into single state was the achievement of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III Ivanovich (1505-1533). It is no coincidence that the Austrian diplomat Sigismund Herberstein, who visited Russia twice in the first third of the 16th century and left the famous “Notes on Muscovy,” wrote that Vasily III was superior in power to “almost all the monarchs of the whole world.” However, the sovereign was unlucky - a bizarre historical memory, having given due credit to his father and no less rightly cemented the cruel image of his son Ivan the Terrible, did not leave enough free space to Vasily III himself. As if “hovering” between two sovereign Ivans, Vasily III always remained in their shadow. Neither his personality, nor his methods of government, nor the forms of succession in power between Ivan III and Ivan the Terrible have yet been studied sufficiently fully.

Childhood, youth

Vasily III was born on March 25, 1479 and was named in honor of the confessor Vasily of Paria, inheriting one of the traditional Moscow princely family Danilovich name. He became the first son from the second marriage of Ivan III with Sophia Paleologus, who came from the Morean line of the dynasty that ruled in Byzantium until 1453. Before Vasily, only girls were born to the grand ducal couple. In later chronicles, a wonderful legend was even recorded about how Sophia, who suffered from the absence of her son, received a sign from the very St. Sergius about the birth of the future heir to the throne. However, the long-awaited firstborn was not the main contender for the throne. From his first marriage, Ivan III had an eldest son, Ivan the Young, who was declared co-ruler of Ivan III at least eight years before the birth of Vasily. But in March 1490, Ivan the Young died, and Vasily had a chance. Researchers traditionally talk about the struggle between two court factions, which especially intensified in the second half of the 1490s. One of them relied on the son of Ivan the Young - Dmitry Vnuk, the other promoted Vasily. The balance of power and passion of this struggle is unknown to us, but we know its outcome. Ivan III, who initially declared Dmitry Vnuk as heir and even for some time imprisoned Vasily “for bailiffs in his own court,” changed his anger to mercy in March 1499: Vasily was proclaimed “Sovereign Grand Duke.”

Reign (1505-1533)

Vasily's co-government lasted more than six years. On October 27, 1505, Ivan III passed away, and Vasily became an independent sovereign.

Domestic policy

Fight against destinies

Most of the possessions of the deceased Grand Duke passed to Vasily: 66 cities against 30 that went to the other four sons, and Moscow, which had always been split up between sons, now passed entirely to the eldest heir. The new principles of transfer of power established by Ivan III reflected one of the main trends political life countries - the desire for autocracy: specific system was not only the main source of strife, but also a serious obstacle to the economic and political unity of the country. Vasily III continued the centralizing policy of his father. Around 1506, the Grand Duke's governor established himself in Perm the Great. In 1510, the formal independence of the Pskov land was abolished. The reason for this was a major clash between the Pskovians and Grand Duke's Viceroy Prince Repnin-Obolensky. The Pskov residents’ complaint against the governor’s arbitrariness was not satisfied, but a stunning demand followed: “Otherwise you wouldn’t have had a veche, and naturally they would have removed the veche bell.” Pskov no longer had the strength to reject it. By order of Vasily III, many boyar families and “guests” were evicted from Pskov. In 1521, the Ryazan Principality, which followed Moscow policy for more than half a century, also joined the Grand Duchy of Moscow. The Pskov land and the Ryazan principality were strategically important outskirts in the northwest and southeast, respectively. A sharp strengthening of Moscow’s position here would extremely complicate its relations with its neighbors. Vasily III believed that the existence of buffer vassal lands located on strategically important outskirts was more expedient than their direct inclusion in the state until the state did not have sufficient forces to reliably secure new territories. The Grand Duke fought against the appanages using various methods. Sometimes the appanages were destroyed purposefully (for example, the abolition of the Novgorod-Seversky appanage in 1522, where the grandson of Dmitry Shemyaka, Prince Vasily Ivanovich, ruled), usually Vasily simply forbade his brothers to marry and, therefore, have legitimate heirs. After the death of Vasily III himself in 1533, the inheritance of his second son Yuri, as well as his brother Andrei Staritsky, remained. There also remained several minor fiefs of the Verkhovsky princes, located in the upper reaches of the Oka. But the specific system was essentially overcome.

Local system

Under Vasily III it is strengthened local system- a mechanism that made it possible to solve two pressing problems facing the state: at that time, the needs of ensuring a combat-ready army were closely intertwined with the need to limit political and economic independence large aristocracy. The essence of the mechanism of local land ownership was the distribution of lands to the “landowners”-nobles for temporary conditional possession for the period of the “princes’ service.” The “landowner” had to perform his service regularly, could lose his land for violating his duties, and had no right to dispose of the lands given to him, which remained the supreme property of the grand dukes. At the same time, social guarantees were introduced: if a “landowner”-noble died in service, the state took care of his family.

Localism

The principle of localism began to play a most important role in the work of the state machine under Vasily III - a system of hierarchy, according to which the highest positions in the army or in the civil service could be filled exclusively in accordance with the birth of the prince or boyar. Although this principle prevented access to the administration of talented managers, it largely made it possible to avoid struggle at the top of the country's political elite, which was rapidly flooded with heterogeneous immigrants from different Russian lands during the formation of a unified Russian state.

" " and "non-possessors"

In the era of Vasily III, the problem of monastic property, primarily the ownership of lands, was actively discussed. Numerous donations to the monasteries led to the fact that by the end of the 15th century, a significant part of the monasteries became wealthy landowners. One solution to the problem was proposed: to use funds to help the suffering, and to make stricter regulations in the monasteries themselves. Another solution came from Reverend Neil Sorsky: monasteries should completely abandon property, and monks should live “by their handicrafts.” The grand ducal power, interested in land fund, necessary for distribution to estates, also advocated limiting monastic property. At a church council in 1503, Ivan III made an attempt to carry out secularization, but was refused. However, time passed, and the position of the authorities changed. The “Josephite” environment put a lot of effort into developing the concept of a strong state, and Vasily III turned away from the “non-acquisitive”. Final victory"Josephites" took place at the council of 1531.

New political theories

Success in state building, the strengthening Moscow self-awareness, political and ideological necessity gave impetus to the emergence in the era of Vasily III new political theories, designed to explain and justify the special political rights of the Grand Dukes of Moscow. The most famous are “The Tale of the Princes of Vladimir” and the messages of Elder Philotheus to Vasily III about the Third Rome.

Foreign policy

Russo-Lithuanian wars (1507-1508; 1512-22)

During the Russian-Lithuanian wars, Vasily III managed to conquer Smolensk in 1514, one of largest centers Russian-speaking lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Smolensk campaigns were led personally by Vasily III, and in the official chronicle the triumph of Russian weapons will be expressed by the phrase about the liberation of Smolensk from “evil Latin charms and violence.” The crushing defeat of Russian troops in the Battle of Orsha in the fall of 1514 that followed the liberation of Smolensk stopped Moscow’s advance to the West. However, during the military campaigns of 1517 and 1518, Russian commanders managed to defeat the Lithuanian forces near Opochka and Krevo.

Relations with Orthodox peoples

The reign of Vasily III was marked by the deepening of Russia's contacts with Orthodox peoples and lands conquered by the Ottoman Empire, including Mount Athos. The severity of the church schism between the Metropolis of All Rus' and the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which began in the middle of the 15th century after the election of the Russian Metropolitan Jonah without the sanction of Constantinople, is also gradually softening. A clear confirmation of this is the message of Patriarch Theoliptus I to Metropolitan Varlaam, compiled in July 1516, in which the patriarch, long before the official acceptance of the royal title by the Russian sovereigns, honored Vasily III royal dignity - “the highest and shortest king and the great king of all Orthodox lands, Great Rus'.”

Russian-Crimean relations

Russian-Crimean relations were not easy. They reached their peak when, in July 1521, Khan Muhammad-Girey made a devastating campaign against Rus' with the goal of “putting an end to the outrageous rebellions of idolaters fierce against Islam.” Southern and central volosts of the Moscow Principality ( advanced forces Krymchaks reached the outskirts of Moscow) huge damage was caused. Muhammad-Girey captured a huge full. Since then, the defense of the Coast - southern border, which passed along the Oka River - becomes the most important task ensuring state security.

Relations with the West

Attempts that began during the time of Ivan III to achieve an alliance with the Grand Duchy of Moscow against Ottoman Empire continued under Vasily III. The sovereigns invariably emphasized hatred of the infidel “terror” and “enemies of Christ,” but did not enter into an agreement. They're in equally they refused to become subordinate to the “Latins” and did not want to spoil the still quite friendly relations with the Ottoman Empire.

Personal life

In 1505, Vasily III married Solomonia Saburova. For the first time, a representative of a boyar, and not a princely family, became the wife of the Grand Duke of Moscow. The couple, who had been married for twenty years, had no children, and Vasily III, who needed an heir, decided to marry a second time. Solomonia was sent to a monastery, and Elena Glinskaya, who came from a family of Lithuanian boyars who went to serve in Moscow, became the new wife of the sovereign. From this marriage the future Tsar of All Rus' Ivan the Terrible was born.

On December 3, 1533, Vasily III died due to a progressive illness that appeared during a hunt. Before his death, he accepted monasticism with the name Varlaam. Soon after the death of the Grand Duke, the most interesting “Tale of the Illness and Death of Vasily III” was created - a chronicle of the last weeks of the sovereign’s life.