Vasily 2 dark annexed lands. Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily II the Dark

Vasily II Vasilyevich the Dark (March 10, 1415 - March 27, 1462) - Grand Duke of Moscow from 1425, fifth (youngest) son of the Grand Duke of Vladimir and Moscow Vasily I Dmitrievich and Sofia Vitovtovna /

Power struggle

Civil war in Muscovite Rus' (1425-1453)

After the death in 1430 of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas, the grandfather of Vasily II, a coalition of appanage princes led by his uncle, Prince of Zvenigorod Yuri Dmitrievich and his sons Vasily Kosy and Dmitry Shemyaka, opposed him. During the war, complicated by the simultaneous struggle with Kazan and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the grand ducal throne passed several times to the Galician princes, who were supported by Novgorod and temporarily Tver.

Expelled from Moscow in 1433 by Yuri, who seized the Grand Duke's throne, Vasily II received the title of Prince of Kolomna. “This city became the true capital of the great reign, both crowded and noisy,” historian N.M. Karamzin describes Kolomna of that time. Kolomna served as the center of united forces that sympathized with the Grand Duke in his policy of “gathering Rus'.” Many residents left Moscow, refusing to serve Prince Yuri, and headed to Kolomna. The streets of Kolomna were filled with carts, the city for some time turned into the capital of North-Eastern Rus' with almost the entire administrative, economic and political staff. Having received support, Vasily was able to regain his throne, but during the war he was deprived of it several more times.

Karl Goon. " Grand Duchess Sofia Vitovtovna at the wedding of Grand Duke Vasily the Dark", (1861), oil on canvas, Vytautas the Great Military Museum, Kaunas, Lithuania

On July 7, 1445, in a battle near the outskirts of Suzdal, Vasily II with the united Russian troops was defeated by the Kazan army, under the command of the Kazan princes - Mahmud and Yakub (sons of Khan Ulu-Muhammad), as a result of which Vasily II himself and his cousin Mikhail Vereisky was taken prisoner, but on October 1, 1445, they were released. There are no exact data on the conditions of this release, but it was a large amount, and a number of cities were also given over to feed.

Also, under the terms of this enslaving agreement, according to some sources, it was created within Russia, in Meshchera Kasimov Khanate, whose first khan was the son of Ulu-Muhammad, Prince Kasim.

Boris Chorikov. Princes and boyars volunteer to return the Grand Duke's throne to Vasily the Dark, 1446

In 1446, Vasily II was captured in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and on February 16 at night on behalf of Dmitry Yuryevich Shemyaka, Ivan Mozhaisky and Boris Tverskoy, who, as historian N.M. Karamzin writes, told him to say “Why do you love the Tatars and give them Russians?” cities to feed? Why do you shower the infidels with Christian silver and gold? Why do you exhaust the people with taxes? Why did you blind our brother, Vasily Kosoy?” In 1447, Vasily visited the Ferapontov Monastery and received the blessing of Abbot Martinian for a campaign against Dmitry Shemyaka, who had captured Moscow. With great difficulty he regained the Moscow throne.

Foreign policy

Relations with Lithuania and Novgorod

After the invasion of the troops of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas into the Pskov land in 1426, Vytautas, without achieving success, began negotiations with the Pskovites, allies of Vasily II. In order to soften the terms of peace, Vasily sent his ambassador Alexander Vladimirovich Lykov to Vytautas. Relations between Pskov and Lithuania, however, continued to remain tense even after the truce.

Realizing the inevitability of a new clash with Vasily Kosy, Vasily II tried to normalize relations with the Novgorod Republic. In the winter of 1435-1436. he ceded part of the disputed lands to the Novgorodians, pledging to send his people to delimit the lands. After the victory over Vasily Kosy, the Grand Duke refused to fulfill his previous obligations. Nevertheless, the Novgorodians, wanting to maintain their independence in international relations, did not resist Moscow’s policies (thus, in the spring of 1437, Novgorod, without resistance, paid Moscow the “black forest” - one of the heaviest taxes).

In 1440, after the death of Grand Duke Sigismund at the hands of conspirators, Kazimir Jagailovich (since 1447 - Polish king) ascended the Lithuanian throne. Soon a quarrel broke out in Lithuania between Prince Yuri Semenovich (Lugvenievich) and Casimir IV. Yuri, who was entrenched in Smolensk, was knocked out by Kazimir after the first unsuccessful attempt, and Yuri fled to Moscow. The “pro-Russian” party of Lithuania was among the opponents of Casimir IV.

The Novgorodians and Pskovites hastened to conclude agreements with Casimir IV. In response to this, Vasily II launched a campaign against the Novgorod Republic in the winter of 1440-1441. His Pskov allies ravaged the Novgorod land. Vasily II captured Demon and destroyed a number of Novgorod volosts. In response to this, the Novgorodians also organized a series of ruinous campaigns into the grand ducal possessions. Soon, Novgorod Archbishop Euthymius and the Grand Duke (together with the Pskovites) concluded a peace treaty, according to which Novgorod paid Moscow a huge ransom (8,000 rubles).

The foreign political isolation of Dmitry Shemyaka and the Novgorod Republic, in which he strengthened after the loss of the Moscow reign, was facilitated by the peace treaty of Vasily II with the Polish king and Grand Duke of Lithuania Casimir IV in 1449. In 1453 Dmitry Shemyaka was poisoned, and in 1456 Novgorod Republic was forced to admit its dependence on Moscow under the Yazhelbitsky Treaty.

At the same time, Vasily undertook not to support Mikhail Sigismundovich, who, after the death of his father and Svidrigail Olgerdovich, headed that part of the Lithuanian-Russian nobility that opposed the growing influence of the Polish feudal lords and catholic church on the lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and recognized the power of Casimir in all Russian-Lithuanian lands.

Relations with the Horde

Relations between the Moscow Principality and the Horde were also tense. After a difficult war with Prince Seyid-Akhmet, Ulu-Muhammad settled with small forces near the town of Belev, a vassal of Lithuania. Due to the importance of the city in economic and strategic relations, Vasily II in 1437 sent troops against the khan led by Dmitry Yuryevich Shemyaki and Dmitry Yuryevich Krasny. Covering their path with robberies and robberies, the princes, having reached Belev, overthrew the Tatars, forcing them to seek refuge in the city. Despite the fact that the attempt to capture the city for the Moscow governors was unsuccessful, the next day the Tatars began negotiations. Relying on their own strength, the governors broke off negotiations and resumed the battle on December 5. The Russian regiments were defeated. The troops of Ulu-Muhammad retreated from Belev.

Impressed by the success at Belev, Ulu-Muhammad approached Moscow on July 3, 1439. Vasily II, not ready to repel enemy troops, left Moscow, entrusting responsibilities for the defense of the city to the governor Yuri Patrikeevich. Having failed to take possession of the city, Ulu-Mukhammed, having stood near Moscow for 10 days, turned back, plundering the surrounding area.

Tatar raids on Russian lands did not stop, becoming more frequent at the end of 1443 due to severe frosts. In the end, the recent enemy of Rus', Tsarevich Mustafa, due to difficult living conditions in the steppe, settled in Ryazan. Not wanting to tolerate the presence of the Tatars on his lands, Vasily II went on a campaign against the uninvited guests, and the united Russian-Mordovian troops defeated the Tatar army on the Listani River. Prince Mustafa was killed. It was during this battle that Fyodor Vasilyevich Basyonok distinguished himself for the first time.

By the mid-1440s, Ulu-Muhammad's raids on Rus' became noticeably more frequent, and in 1444 the khan began to make plans to annex Nizhny Novgorod, which was facilitated by the close ties of the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod princes with the Horde. A fierce struggle developed between the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily II and the Kazan Khan for Nizhny Novgorod, which was then a rich Volga city and an important strategic center. In the winter of 1444, the Khan, having captured Nizhny Novgorod, advanced even further, capturing Murom. In response to these actions, Vasily the Second gathered troops and set out from Moscow during Epiphany. Vasily II, according to chronicle sources, had impressive forces, and therefore the khan did not dare to engage in battle and retreated to Nizhny Novgorod. Soon the city was recaptured, and the Tatars were defeated near Murom and Gorokhovets. Having successfully completed the campaign, the Grand Duke returned to Moscow.

In the spring of 1445, Khan Ulu-Mukhammed sent his sons Mamutyak and Yakub on a campaign against Rus'. Having learned about this, Vasily II did not attach any importance to this event, as he was reassured by the successes of the previous year. From Moscow, the Grand Duke set out for Yuryev, where the governors Fyodor Dolgoldov and Yuri Dranitsa then arrived, leaving Nizhny Novgorod. The campaign was poorly organized: princes Ivan and Mikhail Andreevich and Vasily Yaroslavich arrived to the Grand Duke with small forces, and Dmitry Shemyaka did not take part in the campaign at all. The army of the Grand Duke suffered a catastrophic defeat in the battle of Suzdal. Vasily II was captured, but was released on October 1. Dmitry Shemyaka briefly established himself on the throne. A large ransom was promised for Vasily II. In addition, the Tatar feudal lords were given “feedings” - the right to extort from the population of Rus'. On November 17, 1445, Vasily II returned to Moscow, but was met coldly, aloof and hostile.

Results of the board]

Vasily II eliminated almost all small fiefs within the Moscow principality and strengthened the grand-ducal power. As a result of a series of campaigns in 1441-1460, the dependence of the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod principality on Moscow increased, Novgorod land, Pskov and Vyatka land. By order of Vasily II, Russian Bishop Jonah was elected metropolitan (1448). He was ordained metropolitan not by the Patriarch of Constantinople, but by a council of Russian bishops, which marked the beginning of the independence of the Russian Church from the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

A few days before his death, he ordered the execution of the children of the boyars of Prince Vasily, suspected of conspiracy.

Vasily II was sick with dry disease (tuberculosis). He ordered to treat himself in the usual way at that time: light the lamp several times. different parts tinder bodies. This naturally did not help, and gangrene developed in the places of numerous burns and he died in March 1462.

Ivan III Vasilievich(also known as Ivan the Great; January 22, 1440 - October 27, 1505) - Grand Duke of Moscow from 1462 to 1505, son of the Moscow Grand Duke Vasily II Vasilyevich the Dark.

During the reign of Ivan Vasilyevich, a significant part of the Russian lands around Moscow was united and its transformation into the center of the all-Russian state. The final liberation of the country from the power of the Horde khans was achieved; The Code of Laws, a set of state laws, was adopted, and a number of reforms were carried out that laid the foundations for the local land tenure system.

Accession to the Grand Duke's throne

In subsequent years, Prince Ivan becomes his father's co-ruler. The inscription “Ospodari of All Rus'” appears on the coins of the Moscow State; he himself, like his father, Vasily, bears the title “Grand Duke”. For two years, the prince, as an appanage prince, ruled Pereslavl-Zalessky, one of the key cities of the Moscow state. Military campaigns, where he is the nominal commander, play an important role in the education of the heir to the throne. So, in 1455, Ivan, together with the experienced governor Fyodor Basenko, made a victorious campaign against the Tatars who had invaded Rus'. In August 1460, he led the army of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, closing the path to Moscow to the Tatars of Khan Akhmat who invaded Rus' and besieged Pereyaslavl-Ryazan.

In March 1462, Ivan's father, Grand Duke Vasily, became seriously ill. Shortly before this, he drew up a will, according to which he divided the grand-ducal lands between his sons. As the eldest son, Ivan received not only the great reign, but also the bulk of the territory of the state - 16 main cities (not counting Moscow, which he was supposed to own together with his brothers). Only 12 cities were bequeathed to the remaining children of Vasily; while most of the former capitals appanage principalities(in particular, Galich - the former capital of Dmitry Shemyaka) went to the new Grand Duke. When Vasily died on March 27, 1462, Ivan without any problems became the new Grand Duke and carried out his father’s will, allocating lands to his brothers according to the will.

Foreign policy

Throughout the reign of Ivan III, the main goal foreign policy the country was the unification of north-eastern Rus' into a single state. It should be noted that this policy turned out to be extremely successful. At the beginning of Ivan's reign, the Moscow principality was surrounded by the lands of other Russian principalities; dying, he handed over to his son Vasily the country that united most of these principalities. Only Pskov, Ryazan, Volokolamsk and Novgorod-Seversky retained relative (not too broad) independence.

Starting from the reign of Ivan III, relations with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania became particularly acute. Moscow's desire to unite the Russian lands was clearly in conflict with Lithuanian interests, and constant border skirmishes and the transfer of border princes and boyars between states did not contribute to reconciliation. Meanwhile, successes in the expansion of the country also contributed to the growth of international relations with European countries.

During the reign of Ivan III, the final formalization of the independence of the Russian state took place. The already fairly nominal dependence on the Horde ceases. The government of Ivan III strongly supports the opponents of the Horde among the Tatars; in particular, an alliance was concluded with the Crimean Khanate. The eastern direction of foreign policy also turned out to be successful: combining diplomacy and military force, Ivan III enters into the wake of Moscow politics Khanate of Kazan.

"Gathering Lands"

Having become the Grand Duke, Ivan III began his foreign policy activities by confirming previous agreements with neighboring princes and generally strengthening his position. Thus, agreements were concluded with the Tver and Belozersky principalities; Prince Vasily Ivanovich, married to the sister of Ivan III, was placed on the throne of the Ryazan principality.

Beginning in the 1470s, activities aimed at annexing the remaining Russian principalities intensified sharply. The first was the Yaroslavl principality, which finally lost the remnants of independence in 1471, after the death of Prince Alexander Fedorovich. The heir of the last Yaroslavl prince, Prince Daniil Penko, entered the service of Ivan III and later received the rank of boyar. In 1472, Prince Yuri Vasilyevich of Dmitrov, Ivan’s brother, died. The Principality of Dmitrov passed to the Grand Duke; however, the rest of the brothers of the deceased Prince Yuri opposed this. The brewing conflict was hushed up not without the help of Vasily’s widow, Maria Yaroslavna, who did everything to quell the quarrel between the children. As a result, Yuri’s smaller brothers also received part of Yuri’s lands.

In 1474 it was the turn of the Rostov principality. In fact, it was part of the Moscow Principality before: the Grand Duke was a co-owner of Rostov. Now the Rostov princes sold “their half” of the principality to the treasury, thus finally turning into a serving nobility. Grand Duke transferred what he received to his mother's inheritance.

Annexation of Novgorod

Main articles: Moscow-Novgorod War (1471), Moscow-Novgorod War (1477-1478)

Painting by K. V. Lebedev “Martha Posadnitsa. Destruction of the Novgorod Veche"

The situation with Novgorod developed differently, which is explained by the difference in the nature of the statehood of the appanage principalities and the trade-aristocratic Novgorod state. The clear threat to independence from the Moscow Grand Duke led to the formation of an influential anti-Moscow party. It was headed by the energetic widow of the mayor Marfa Boretskaya and her sons. The obvious superiority of Moscow forced supporters of independence to search for allies, primarily in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. However, in the conditions of hostility between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, an appeal to the Catholic Casimir, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, was received extremely ambiguously by the evening, and the Orthodox Prince Mikhail Olelkovich, son of Prince of Kyiv and cousin of Ivan III, who arrived on November 8, 1470. However, due to the death of the Novgorod Archbishop Jonah, who invited Mikhail, and the subsequent aggravation of the internal political struggle, the prince did not stay in the Novgorod land for long, and already on March 15, 1471 he left the city. The anti-Moscow party managed to achieve major success in the internal political struggle: an embassy was sent to Lithuania, after the return of which a draft agreement was drawn up with Grand Duke Casimir. According to this agreement, Novgorod, while recognizing the power of the Grand Duke of Lithuania, nevertheless kept its state structure intact; Lithuania pledged to help in the fight against the Principality of Moscow. A clash with Ivan III became inevitable.

On June 6, 1471, a detachment of ten thousand Moscow troops under the command of Danila Kholmsky set out from the capital in the direction of the Novgorod land, a week later the army of Striga Obolensky set out on a campaign, and on June 20, 1471, Ivan III himself began a campaign from Moscow. The advance of Moscow troops through the lands of Novgorod was accompanied by robberies and violence designed to intimidate the enemy.

Novgorod also did not sit idle. A militia was formed from the townspeople, and the mayors Dmitry Boretsky and Vasily Kazimir took command. The size of this army reached forty thousand people, but its combat effectiveness, due to the haste of its formation from townspeople not trained in military affairs, remained low. In July 1471, the Novgorod army advanced in the direction of Pskov, with the goal of preventing the Pskov army, allied to the Moscow prince, from connecting with the main forces of Novgorod’s opponents. On the Sheloni River, the Novgorodians unexpectedly encountered Kholmsky’s detachment. On July 14, a battle began between the opponents.

During the Battle of Shelon, the Novgorod army was completely defeated. The losses of the Novgorodians amounted to 12 thousand people, about two thousand people were captured; Dmitry Boretsky and three other boyars were executed. The city found itself under siege; among the Novgorodians themselves, the pro-Moscow party gained the upper hand and began negotiations with Ivan III. On August 11, 1471, a peace treaty was concluded, according to which Novgorod was obliged to pay an indemnity of 16,000 rubles, retained its state structure, but could not “surrender” to the rule of the Lithuanian Grand Duke; A significant part of the vast Dvina land was ceded to the Grand Duke of Moscow. One of the key issues in relations between Novgorod and Moscow was the issue of judicial power. In the autumn of 1475, the Grand Duke arrived in Novgorod, where he personally dealt with a number of cases of unrest; Some anti-Moscow opposition figures were declared guilty. In fact, during this period, a judicial dual power developed in Novgorod: a number of complainants were sent directly to Moscow, where they presented their claims. It was this situation that gave rise to the reason for new war which ended with the fall of Novgorod.

In the spring of 1477, a number of complainants from Novgorod gathered in Moscow. Among these people were two minor officials - the sub-troop Nazar and the clerk Zakhary. In presenting their case, they called the Grand Duke “sovereign” instead of the traditional address “master,” which assumed the equality of “Mr. Grand Duke” and “Mr. of Great Novgorod.” Moscow immediately seized on this pretext; Ambassadors were sent to Novgorod, demanding official recognition of the title of sovereign, the final transfer of the court into the hands of the Grand Duke, as well as the establishment of a Grand Duke's residence in the city. The veche, after listening to the ambassadors, refused to accept the ultimatum and began preparations for war.

On October 9, 1477, the grand ducal army set out on a campaign against Novgorod. It was joined by the troops of the allies - Tver and Pskov. The siege of the city that began revealed deep divisions among the defenders: supporters of Moscow insisted on peace negotiations with the Grand Duke. One of the supporters of the conclusion of peace was the Novgorod Archbishop Theophilus, which gave the opponents of the war a certain advantage, expressed in sending an embassy to the Grand Duke with the archbishop at its head. But the attempt to come to an agreement on the same terms was not crowned with success: on behalf of the Grand Duke, strict demands were made to the ambassadors (“I will ring the bell in our fatherland in Novgorod, there will be no mayor, and we will keep our state”), which actually meant the end of Novgorod independence. Such a clearly expressed ultimatum led to the outbreak of new unrest in the city; Because of the city walls, high-ranking boyars began moving to Ivan III's headquarters, including the military leader of the Novgorodians, Prince Vasily Grebenka-Shuisky. As a result, it was decided to give in to Moscow’s demands, and on January 15, 1478, Novgorod surrendered, the veche rules were abolished, and the veche bell and the city archive were sent to Moscow.

Death of the Grand Duke

In the summer of 1503, Ivan III became seriously ill. Shortly before this (April 7, 1503), his wife, Sophia Paleologus, died. Leaving his affairs, the Grand Duke went on a trip to the monasteries, starting with the Trinity-Sergius. However, his condition continued to deteriorate: he became blind in one eye; partial paralysis of one arm and one leg occurred. On October 27, 1505, Grand Duke Ivan III died. According to V.N. Tatishchev (however, it is unclear how reliable), the Grand Duke, having called his confessor and metropolitan to his bed before his death, nevertheless refused to take monastic vows. As the chronicle noted, “the sovereign of all Russia was in the state of the Grand Duchess... 43 years and 7 months, and all the years of his life were 65 and 9 months.” After the death of Ivan III, a traditional amnesty was carried out. The Grand Duke was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

According to the spiritual charter, the grand-ducal throne passed to Vasily Ivanovich, the other sons of Ivan received appanage cities. However, although the appanage system was actually restored, it differed significantly from the previous period: the new Grand Duke received much more lands, rights and benefits than his brothers; The contrast with what Ivan himself received at one time is especially noticeable. V. O. Klyuchevsky noted the following advantages of the grand ducal share:

The Grand Duke now owned the capital alone, giving his brothers 100 rubles from his income (previously, the heirs owned the capital jointly)

The right of court in Moscow and the Moscow region now belonged only to the Grand Duke (previously, each of the princes had such a right in his part of the villages near Moscow)

Only the Grand Duke now had the right to mint coins

Now the possessions of the appanage prince who died childless passed directly to the Grand Duke (previously such lands were divided between the remaining brothers at the discretion of the mother).

Thus, the restored appanage system was noticeably different from the appanage system of previous times: in addition to increasing the grand ducal share during the division of the country (Vasily received more than 60 cities, and his four brothers got no more than 30), the Grand Duke also concentrated political advantages in his hands.

REFORM OF THE ELECTED RADA

The turbulent events of 1547 necessitated deep state reforms. Soon a group of people close to him formed around the young king, which one of its members, Prince A.M. Kurbsky, later called the Chosen Rada.

At the head of this circle of serving nobility and courtiers stood a nobleman from a wealthy but humble family, A.F. Adashev and archpriest of the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin Sylvester. They were joined by the noble princes A. Kurbsky, N. Odoevsky, M. Vorotynsky and others. The Rada also included the first chief Ambassadorial order Duma clerk I.M. Viscous. Metropolitan Macarius actively supported the activities of this circle.

While not formally a government agency, Elected Rada was, in fact, the government of Russia and for 13 years ruled the state on behalf of the Tsar, consistently implementing a series of major reforms. In their content, these transformations coincided with the demands of the petitions addressed to the Tsar, which were written in 1549 by the talented publicist nobleman Ivan Peresvetov. He advocated a decisive strengthening of the foundations of the Russian state.

The new Code of Law, which was adopted in 1550, was also in line with centralization. It was based on the Code of Law of 1497, but included more streamlined articles on the rules for the transfer of peasants, limited the rights of governors, toughened penalties for robbery, and introduced articles on punishment for bribery. Changes and additions were made to the Code of Laws related to the strengthening of central power: control over governors, collection of a single state duty, and the right to collect trade duties (tamgas) passed to the tsarist administration. The population had to bear the tax - a combination of natural and monetary duties.

In the middle of the 16th century, a uniform measure for collecting taxes was established for the entire state - “plow” (a land unit that depended on the position of the owner and the quality of the land, on average from 400 to 600 hectares).

In order to strengthen the armed forces, in 1550 the government of Ivan IV began to implement military reforms. Thus, localism (the procedure for filling positions in the army depending on nobility) was abolished for the duration of the campaigns.

In the Moscow district, in accordance with the decree of Ivan IV of October 1, 1550, the “chosen thousand” were “placed” - 1078 provincial nobles, “best servants”, who were supposed to form the core of the noble militia, the support of autocratic power. (This project apparently was never fully realized.)

Finally, a unified procedure for military service was determined: “by fatherland” (by origin) and “by device” (by recruitment). Nobles and boyars' children (small feudal lords in the service of princes and boyars) served "in the homeland". The service was regulated by the “Code of Service” published in 1556; it was inherited and began at the age of 15. Until this age, a nobleman was considered a minor. This category of service people was formally provided with a salary of 150 to 450 acres of land in three fields and from 4 to 7 rubles. per year. In fact, the state did not have that kind of money or that much free land. For every 150 acres of land, the boyars and nobles had to field one warrior “on horseback and in arms”; in case of failure, a fine was imposed.

In 1550, from among the service people, a rifle army was formed “according to the instrument”, which had both firearms (squeaks) and bladed weapons (reeds and sabers). At first, 3 thousand people were recruited into the archers, who were consolidated into 6 “orders” (regiments). They formed the king's personal guard. By the end of the 16th century, the standing Streltsy army numbered up to 25 thousand people, who were the most powerful fighting force of the Russian army. The “instrument people” also included Cossacks, gunners, collar workers, state blacksmiths and some others. While serving in cities and on the borders, “instrument people” settled in separate settlements, receiving collective land “dachas” for their service, and also, extremely rarely, grain and cash salaries. Foreigners (Poles and Germans) were also hired into military service, whose number in the Russian army by the end of the 16th century was about 2.5 thousand people.

Vasily II the Dark

Vasily II Vasilyevich the Dark, Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir, son of Grand Duke Vasily I Dmitrievich. Born in 1415, reigned from 1425 to 1462.

Vasily Vasilyevich was 10 years old when his father died. His candidacy for the grand ducal throne could also be considered legally unstable: the will of Dmitry Donskoy, his grandfather, contained words that substantiated the claim of Vasily’s uncle, Yuri Dmitrievich, to the great reign.

The resolution of the dispute between uncle and nephew depended in fact on the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas, the guardian of the family of Vasily I. Relying on him, Metropolitan Photius persuaded Yuri to a peace treaty (1425), according to which he undertook not to achieve a great reign by force; only the khan's award was recognized as authoritative in case Yuri renewed his claims.

Dependent on Lithuania, the Moscow government did not protest against the appointment of a special Western Russian metropolitan in 1425. It was not difficult for Lithuania to obtain the abdication (in 1428) of the Moscow Grand Duke from independent politics in Veliky Novgorod and Pskov. Yuri had to formally limit his possessions to Galich and Vyatka, renounce his claims to the great reign, undertake not to accept Moscow emigrants into his service, etc. In 1430, Vitovt died; Svidrigailo settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and Yuri, who was associated with him, was not slow in abandoning the treaty of 1428. At the beginning of 1431

Yuri and Vasily II were already in the Horde; the litigation dragged on there for more than a year and ended in favor of Vasily II. According to the chronicle story, Yuri stood on the basis of Donskoy’s will; Moscow boyar Ivan Dmitrievich Vsevolozhsky opposed the sovereign will of the khan to the will, denying the legal value of “dead” letters. Vasily II was seated on the table by the Horde ambassador - for the first time in Moscow. Yuri Khan was given the city of Dmitrov, which was soon (1432) taken from him by Vasily. At a critical moment, Vsevolozhsky’s promise to marry his daughter was broken, and in 1433 Vasily II married the daughter of the appanage prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich. In addition, at the wedding of the Grand Duke, his mother, Sofya Vitovtovna, treated Yuri’s son, Vasily Kosy, rudely.

The offended Vsevolozhsky went over to Yuri's side; Vasily Kosoy and his brothers Dmitry Shemyaka and Dmitry Krasny went to their father. In April 1433, 20 versts from Moscow, Vasily II was defeated and took refuge in Kostroma, where he was captured. Of all his possessions, only Kolomna remained behind him. But disagreements among the victors forced Yuri to cede the great reign to Vasily II.

Yuri's sons did not lay down their arms; Yuri soon reconciled with them. Vasily II suffered defeat after defeat. In 1434 he had to take refuge in Novgorod; Moscow was occupied by Yuri. The sudden death of Yuri split the opponents of Vasily II for the second time; the younger brothers did not pester the eldest, Vasily Kosoy, who declared himself the Grand Duke; with their help, Vasily II regained his great reign. In 1435 Kosoy was defeated on the Kotorosl River and bound by a treaty. Vasily II's position, however, was not strong. The strife, which disrupted the economic life of the Moscow center for several years in a row, shook the loyalty of the Moscow commercial and industrial circles, which were seeking peace. In Tver, Shemyaka began to lean towards Kosoy (and was imprisoned on suspicion of this). Kosoy himself violated the agreement in 1436 and opposed Vasily II. In open battle he was defeated; in captivity he was blinded, Shemyaka was freed and granted patrimony. Until now there has been a purely dynastic dispute; the second attack of strife occurred on both sides under the banner of national principle. Two factors contributed to this. Union of Florence 1439 created a line between Uniate (at first) and Catholic Lithuania - and Eastern Russia, which did not change Orthodoxy; at the same time, the aggressive policy of the Eastern Tatar hordes intensified, and the Tatar element began to penetrate the ruling elite of Moscow society.

Vasily II eliminated almost all small fiefs within the Moscow principality and strengthened the grand-ducal power. As a result of a series of campaigns in 1441-1460, the dependence on Moscow of the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod principality, the Novgorod land, Pskov and the Vyatka land increased.

By order of Vasily II, the Russian Bishop Jonah was elected metropolitan (1448), which marked the proclamation of the independence of the Russian Church from the Patriarch of Constantinople and strengthened international situation Rus'.

The results of the reign of Vasily II can be characterized as a series of major successes: an increase in the territory of the Moscow Grand Reign, independence and a new formulation of the tasks of the Russian Church, a renewed idea of ​​Moscow autocracy and the internally strengthened power of the Grand Duke.

Vasily II the Dark is the grandson of two rulers. One grandfather is the Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir, who went down in history primarily as a commander who won the Battle of Kulikovo. The second, on the mother’s side, is the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt. Vasily himself became famous for the fact that the last internecine war in Rus' took place during his reign.

Childhood and youth

The future ruler, born on March 10, 1415, - youngest child in the family of Prince Vasily I of Vladimir and Moscow. Sophia, nee Princess of Lithuania, bore her husband five sons, four of whom became victims of pestilence before reaching adulthood. Literally on the eve of the boy’s decade, his father died, and before his death he managed to ask his father-in-law for help for his only heir.

So, in less than 10 years, Vasily became the Grand Duke of Moscow in 1425. Of course, in fact, the Dowager Princess Sophia ruled in company with Metropolitan Photius and the boyar Vsevolozhsky.

The young ruler's uncles, Donskoy's sons Yuri, Andrey, Peter and Konstantin, had their sights set on the princely throne. Yuri, Prince of Zvenigorod, was convinced that he would become the ruler after his brother Vasily I - this is what their father bequeathed.

Nevertheless, with the support of his grandfather Vytautas, young Vasily Vasilyevich managed to sit on the throne. The uncle recognized his relative as his superior, but, ambitious and power-hungry, he harbored a grudge. And he tried to take over, barely waiting for the right opportunity.

An opportunity presented itself in 1430: grandfather Vytautas died, and Vasily found himself defenseless against the machinations of his older relative. Not wanting to be an appanage prince, Yuri threatened that he would go to war with Moscow.

Board

In those days, the Rurikovichs needed permission to rule Tatar-Mongol khans- a label for reign. And so in 1431, Vasily II and Yuri Zvenigorodsky went to the Horde for permission. Yuri pressed on the ancient right of succession to the throne, according to which power passed from brother to brother, and on his father’s will. But the experienced courtiers who accompanied the young prince managed to find an approach to the heart and mind of the then Khan Makhmet, and he confirmed that the Prince of Moscow was rightfully Vasily.

In 1433, numerous princely relatives attended the wedding of Vasily II and Maria Yaroslavna. Yuri Dmitrievich, who harbored a grudge, did not show up for the celebration and sent his children - and Vasily Kosoy.

What wedding is complete without a fight, in this case - without a loud scandal. The Dowager Princess noticed that Vasily Kosoy was wearing a gold belt, which supposedly belonged to her father-in-law Donskoy, but was stolen. Ripping off the guy’s belt, the princess announced that this piece of clothing rightfully belonged to Vasily’s family. Indignant, the groom's cousins ​​immediately left the holiday.

The story with the belt was the last straw: after a few weeks, Yuri moved to war against the Principality of Moscow. Having defeated his nephew in the Battle of Klyazma, the power-hungry exiled him to Kolomna. There, the boyars began to gather around the exiled prince, whom Yuri had short-sightedly removed from their grain positions and kicked out from warm places at court. In 1434, with the support of the boyars, and also thanks to the death of his uncle, Vasily II returned to the throne.

Being in power, Yuri Zvenigorodsky bequeathed the position of ruler to his own son Vasily Kosoy. He even managed to reign for one month, but then he was forced to flee, not forgetting, however, to take the treasury with him. Then Vasily Yuryevich staged another civil strife, but in 1436 Vasily II took his cousin prisoner and blinded him.

After this, Rus' lived in peace for several years, and suddenly there was a new misfortune - the Tatars. Golden Horde then it disintegrated, and its largest part became the Kazan Khanate. In July 1445, the sons of Khan Makhmet, Mahmud and Yakub, checked in near Suzdal. Few at that time Russian army lost. Vasily II was captured by the Tatars. To regain freedom, Vasily the Dark paid a ransom and gave several Russian cities to the Kazan people.

While the prince was in captivity, Dmitry Shemyaka took over the rule of Moscow. Not wanting to lose power with the return of his cousin, this grandson of Donskoy organized a coup. In the winter of 1446, with the help of traitors, Vasily Vasilyevich was captured in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Soon he was blinded, and from then on Vasily II began to bear the nickname Dark.

The prince's injury did not stop him. The war continued. From Uglich, the place of his last exile, in 1447 Vasily, with the blessing of the abbot of the Ferapontov Monastery, moved to Moscow. This time, having returned the throne, Vasily II the Dark ruled until his death.

Dmitry Shemyaka died in 1453, and it was rumored that he was poisoned by the prince’s people. This is where the story ends internecine wars in Rus'.

During his reign - from 1432 to 1462 - Vasily the Dark made many mistakes. Nevertheless, by the end of his life the prince’s biography was decorated with significant results. He subjugated almost all the small fiefs, and the rest became more dependent on the Principality of Moscow. IN church affairs the prince did everything so that the Russian Orthodox Church became independent from Byzantium.

Personal life

Having married at the age of 18, Vasily II lived his entire life with his only woman - the daughter of Yaroslav, appanage prince Borovsky. Maria Yaroslavna bore her husband eight children. Two of them - Yuri Bolshoi and Simeon - died in childhood.

Sons Yuri Molodoy, Andrey Bolshoy, Boris and Andrey Menshoy reigned in small fiefs. The second eldest son Ivan, in view of early death princely first-born, inherited the grand-ducal throne from his father, becoming. And the penultimate one in the Rurikovich family was born the only daughter Anna.

If you believe the historian Evgeny Pchelov, Vasily the Dark had not eight, but ten children. The last two - Dmitry and Maria - died as children.

Death

Vasily Vasilyevich died in 1462. At the end of his life, he fell ill with tabes, the same tuberculosis, and was treated with cauterizations. Incorrect treatment led to gangrene.

Tuberculosis with gangrene brought the prince to the grave when he was 47 years old. But for 37 of them, albeit with interruptions due to exile, captivity and other consequences of civil strife, he was the Grand Duke of Moscow.

"Eye for an eye"

The grandson of Dmitry Donskoy, Vasily II, ascended the Moscow throne in 1425, at the age of ten. But his uncle, Prince of Galicia and Zvenigorod Yuri Dmitrievich, did not want to recognize his nephew as the senior prince. The struggle between them went on for many years. In 1434, Yuri nevertheless occupied Moscow, but soon died. His sons - Vasily Kosoy and Dmitry Shemyaka - failed to retain the great reign. In 1436, Vasily II captured Vasily Kosoy and ordered him to be blinded. Dmitry Shemyaka calmed down for a while, but harbored revenge in his soul.

He had to wait a long time. Only 9 years later, in 1445, Shemyaka finally had an opportunity to take revenge on Vasily II. At this time, a small army of Kazan Tatars - about three and a half thousand sabers - attacked the Vladimir-Suzdal lands. Vasily II recklessly attacked the enemy, having only one and a half thousand soldiers at hand. In the battle near Suzdal, the Grand Duke showed miracles of courage, receiving many wounds. Despite this, the Moscow army was defeated, and Vasily II himself was captured. However, the Tatars themselves did not expect such success and simply did not know what to do with their victory. After dragging Vasily II with them for several months, they finally released him for a fabulous ransom at that time - 200 thousand rubles.

However, these few months played a fatal role in the fate of Vasily II. Taking advantage of his absence, Dmitry Shemyaka suddenly burst into Moscow, captured the family of the Grand Duke, and the next year captured him himself. For Vasily II, the day of judgment came. By order of Shemyaka, both eyes were gouged out and imprisoned in Uglich. Since then, Vasily II has been given the nickname Dark, that is, blind.

Shemyaka's reign in Moscow left behind a painful memory. From now on, the expression “Shemyakin court” became synonymous with unjust court in Rus'. In the end, Shemyaka had to flee from Moscow to Novgorod. But the hand of the Moscow prince overtook him there too. In 1453, the cook Shemyaki, bribed by the people of Vasily II, fed his master poisoned chicken. Thus ended the most debilitating civil strife in the Moscow state, which lasted almost 30 years.

The Awake Sovereign

Although the Moscow Prince Vasily II Vasilyevich was nicknamed the Dark One, he saw some things better than his sighted contemporaries. This was especially evident in the case of the union of the Eastern and Western churches, when the Moscow boyars and bishops Orthodox faith didn't oversleep.

The main events initially unfolded far from the Russian land - in Byzantium and Italy. At the beginning of the 15th century Byzantine Empire was on the verge of death. Strictly speaking, it was no longer an empire, but a miserable piece of land around Constantinople. However, the Ottoman Turks were ready to absorb this last stronghold of the once great power. To ward off the Turkish threat from Byzantium, Emperor John VIII Palaiologos turned to Pope Eugene IV with a proposal to organize a pan-European crusade against the Turks. The pope promised to support the emperor, but on the condition that the Orthodox Church submit to the Roman throne. Politics prevailed over religious feelings, and John VIII yielded to the pope's demands. However, such a thing required the consent of everyone Orthodox dioceses. And so, in 1438, a church council met in Florence, to which church hierarchs were invited Orthodox countries, including Rus'.

The Metropolitan of All Rus' at that time was the Greek Isidore, since the Russian Church was still formally subordinate to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Isidore led a large Moscow delegation that arrived in Florence along the winter route on two hundred sleighs. Being a subject of the Byzantine emperor, Isidore did not even think of defending the interests of the Russian Church at the Council of Florence. Fulfilling the wishes of John VIII, he announced on her behalf annexation to Rome and assured the pope that upon returning to Moscow he would easily settle all formalities. “Russian bishops are ignorant,” said Isidore, “but the Grand Duke is young and at my will.”

And in fact, when Isidore announced in Moscow the final unification of the Eastern and Western churches, he did not encounter much resistance from the Moscow boyars and clergy. The theological aspects of the question brought boredom and drowsiness to everyone. The chronicler innocently reports that the boyars and bishops “all kept silent and dozed off and fell asleep.” Only Vasily II did not sleep. Understanding perfectly well what Isidore was driving at, the Grand Duke publicly called the Metropolitan a heretic and false teacher and ordered him to be imprisoned in the Chudov Monastery. Then the boyars and the clergy came to their senses. “We were dozing,” they repented before Vasily, “and you, the sovereign, alone stayed awake, discovered the truth, saved the faith.”

Thus, Rus' avoided the danger of becoming an ecclesiastical appendage of Rome and retained its spiritual identity. At the same time, Isidore’s betrayal served as a reason to end Rus'’s ecclesiastical dependence on the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Bishop Jonah of Ryazan, Russian by nationality, was elected the new Russian metropolitan. From then on, the Russian Church became an independent, autocephalous diocese.

"Skorotatarshchina"

During the reign of Vasily II the Dark, Moscow again saw the Tatars under its walls. This Tatar raid of 1451 received ancient Russian literature the name "fast Tatarism" because it ended as suddenly as it began.

This time Vasily II was well prepared for the attack, setting up a barrier on the Oka. However, the Moscow governor, who was placed at the head of the defense, was afraid of the Tatar hordes and cleared the river bank. Without encountering resistance, the Tatars under the command of Tsarevich Mazovsha rushed to Moscow and early in the morning on Friday, June 3, appeared under its walls. There was a drought, so when the Tatars set fire to the wooden Moscow suburbs, the fire immediately engulfed the stone Kremlin from all sides. Smoke covered the entire city, making it difficult to see the enemy's preparations. The enemy approached the city gates and weak areas of the city fortifications, where stone walls had not yet been erected. But Muscovites successfully repelled attacks everywhere. When the suburbs surrounding the Kremlin burned down and it became finally possible to take a deep breath, the defenders of Moscow began to make forays here and there. By dusk, the Tatars retreated from Moscow, and the townspeople began hastily preparing for tomorrow's battle, putting in order their cannons, rifles, bows, shields and other weapons.

Great was their amazement and joy when the next morning it was discovered that the Tatars had suddenly fled. In the empty Tatar camp, looted items and heavy objects made of iron and copper were lying around. Apparently, Mazowsza was convinced that it was useless to besiege a strong city with a large garrison and left, abandoning everything that could slow down the rapid retreat.

The list of Moscow disasters of the 14th-15th centuries ends with the imminent Tatar war. Fires continued to devastate Moscow, and the Tatars threatened it again in 1480. However, from the second half of the 15th century new growth The Moscow state, associated with the name of the unifier of Rus' - Ivan III Vasilyevich.
_______________ ________________________________________ __________________
Collecting pre-orders for my book "The Dwarf of Peter the Great" ( With a collection of intriguing stories about people of the past, real and fictional) extended for 2 months.New "promotions" have been added, come on over! Page address on the Planeta.ru website

Vasily II the Dark