Was Ivan the Terrible the son of Vasily III, or Invented alcove secrets of the 16th century. Vasily III Ivanovich. Biography

Reign of Basil III (briefly)

Reign of Basil III (briefly)

On March 25, 1479, Vasily the Third, the future ruler, was born. Vasily was born in the family of Ivan the Third and was his second son. For this reason, in 1470, the prince announced Ivan the Young (the eldest son) as his co-ruler, intending to transfer full control 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 the 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 the state;

defending the interests of the Orthodox Church.

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

Trying to protect the Russian borders from active regular Tatar raids from the Crimean and Kazan kingdoms, Vasily III introduces 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. Basil even discussed with the Pope about the possibility of a union against unfavorable for both Turkeys, and also tried to develop trade contacts with Austria, Italy and France.

In domestic politics Vasily the Third concentrated his forces on strengthening the autocracy, which soon led to the "cutting" 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 estate were able to retain important places in the prince's army.

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

In 1533, on the third of December, Moscow Prince Vasily the Third died of a blood poisoning disease, after which he was buried in the Moscow Kremlin (Arkhangelsk Cathedral). In the following years, the boyars Belsky and Glinsky acted as regents for the young Ivan.

Illness and death of Vasily III

September 21, 1533 Vasily III together with his wife and two sons, he left Moscow on a traditional pilgrimage trip to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. On September 25, he attended the divine services on the day of memory of Sergius of Radonezh. Having paid tribute to the heavenly, the sovereign took up the earthly and went to the village of Ozeretskoye on Voloka, where he had a hunting lodge and grounds for "the sovereign's coolness." It didn’t work out to cool off: for no reason at all, on the inside of the thigh, near the groin, a purple tumor the size of a pinhead appeared. The vague hope that Grand Duke just rubbed the crotch with a saddle, quickly disappeared. The temperature rose, the pain began, the inflammation grew.

The historian A.E. Presnyakov, who, together with the doctors, studied the information about the illness of Vasily III, came to the conclusion that the sovereign fell ill with acute purulent periostitis. Periostitis - inflammation of the periosteum. The purulent form of the disease is caused by an infection and often affects the femur. The periosteum becomes inflamed, exfoliates, and neighboring tissues are affected. Pus accumulates inside them. It is possible to cure the disease, especially in advanced form, only by surgery. Otherwise, pus enters the bloodstream, blood poisoning and painful death are possible. The diseased limb is shown complete rest, so as not to injure the already exfoliating bone.

The court physicians did not know anything about purulent operations or rest. Instead, the sick Grand Duke traveled from village to village, in the hope that he would be forgotten on the road and the pain would pass. From Ozeretsky, he went to the village of Nakhabino, Troitsky district near Moscow, from there to the village of Pokrovskoye. On October 6, in honor of Vasily III, the Tver and Volotsk butler I. Yu. Shigon gave a feast in Volokolamsk. The courtiers with sincere enthusiasm raised goblet after goblet for the health of the sovereign. It did not help: after the feast, Vasily III became so ill that he could hardly walk to the “soap room” standing in the courtyard.

The sovereign decided not to pay attention to the disease and on October 8 he gathered in the Volokolamsk village of Kolp to hunt. By his order, hunters, dogs, falcons were sent there. It was not possible to overcome the illness: having traveled two miles, Vasily III almost fell off his horse. The weakened, exhausted, frightened sovereign was taken back to Volokolamsk. Doctors Nikolai Bulev and Theophilus arrived there, as well as Mikhail Glinsky, who did not fail to give some medical advice with a smart look. It was decided to treat the patient. Wheat flour with unleavened honey and baked onions were applied to the sore spot, which immediately had an effect: the sore became inflamed, “began to blush”. Soon she was overwhelmed.

Vasily III spent two weeks in Kolpi in bed. When it became clear that it was pointless to wait for improvement, he ordered him to be carried to Volokolamsk. Carry on his hands, on a stretcher, because he would not have survived the carriage on a horse or in a cart. Vasily III, in fact, with his victories, deserved that the soldiers, boyar children and princes carried him in their arms. But still, this last procession was bitter and sad.

In Volokolamsk, perhaps due to shaking during the transition, an abscess broke through, and a lot of pus flowed out of the tumor (“like up to the half-pelvis and along the pelvis”). Weakness set in, appetite disappeared. Vasily III could not bring himself to swallow even a spoonful of food. Realizing that things were bad, he secretly ordered bed-keeper Y. I. Mansurov and deacon Lesser Putyatin to go to Moscow and bring the wills of his father and other Kalitiches. As a sample. It was necessary to prepare for death, and the monarch, even in death, does not belong to himself. We need to give the final orders.

Such orders could only be discussed collectively - Vasily III understood that he would no longer have the opportunity to control their execution, all hope for associates, executors. A meeting of a narrow circle of closest trusted persons took place at the bedside of the dying man on October 26. It was attended by butlers I. Yu. Shigon, I. I. Kubensky, Prince M. L. Glinsky, boyars D. F. Belsky and I. V. Shuisky, clerk Menshoy Putyatin. Prince Yuri Dmitrovsky was eager to meet, but they did not let him in and ordered him to leave for Dmitrov. Vasily III wanted to hide his illness from his specific brother, fearing that he would lose his head from the proximity of the vacant throne and do something strange. The secret was unlikely to be completely preserved, but, one way or another, Yuri was not included in the number of persons who decided the fate of the throne and the dynasty. Therefore, no bets were placed on him. The sovereign had long ago written off the appanage ruler from among those with whom one could deal. How can one not recall the woeful phrase of the beginning of the reign of Vasily III, when he complained that the brothers in their destinies, humanly, could not arrange anything, and there they climbed to manage all of Russia.

What decisions were made at the meeting is unknown. There is evidence that in October, before a meeting with the boyars, Vasily III destroyed the old spiritual letter (1510). So, the question of the content of the new one was discussed. But we don't know any details.

On November 6, the crisis began. Pus flowed from the wound in a stream, and a certain “rod” a few centimeters long came out. Apparently, parts of the decomposed periosteum came out of the leg with pus and decomposed tissues. Vasily III felt better for a while, but then the doctors intervened again. The new doctor, Jan Maly, resolutely set about treating the inflamed tissues with ointments, which made the inflammation even worse. Alas, the medicine of the 16th century successfully fought not with the disease, but with the remnants of the grand duke's health.

At the bedside of Vasily III, advisers again gathered, participants in the meeting on October 26. They were joined by clerks E. Tsyplyatev, A. Kuritsyn, T. Rakov. It was decided no longer to rely on doctors, but to hope for a miracle. To do this, take the patient to the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery and pray for his recovery. On November 15, Vasily III, sagging in the arms of princes D. Kurlyatev and D. Paletsky, was dragged into the Assumption Cathedral of the monastery, where he listened to the last prayer service in his life in the once beloved and revered monastery church. After that, for almost a week, Vasily III was transported to Moscow in a special wagon, with frequent stops. On November 21, he arrived in the village of Vorobyevo. The disease continued to be hidden from Muscovites and foreign diplomats.

November 23, 1533 Vasily III last once entered the Kremlin. On the same day, a meeting was held with the participation of the specific prince Andrey Staritsky, the boyars V.V. Shuisky, M.Yu. Zakharyin, M.S. Vorontsov, the Tver butler I, Yu. and F. Mishurin. Later they invited Prince M. L. Glinsky, the boyars I. V. Shuisky and M. V. Tuchkov. It was on November 23 at this meeting that the main points of the spiritual diploma of Vasily III were agreed and his will was drawn up.

It has not reached us. We can only guess what was discussed and reconstruct some indisputable provisions. Ivan IV Vasilyevich, who was three years old, was declared the heir to the throne, the Grand Duke and Sovereign of All Rus'. The specific princes, Yuri Dmitrovsky and Andrei Staritsky, were ordered to submit to this royal will. At the same time, the tone towards Yuri (who arrived in Moscow at the end of November with his boyar children in the hope of somehow participating in the division of power) should have been more categorical and tough, towards the loyal Andrey Staritsky - softer.

Traditionally, the great princes of Moscow in their wills again divided Rus' between the Kalitichis, distributed and redistributed new destinies. That is, according to the idea, the possessions of the brothers Vasily III - Yuri and Andrei, and his youngest son Yuri should be outlined in the spiritual. Since there is no text, we can only restore these destinies hypothetically, upon selection. With regard to Yuri Dmitrovsky, this is impossible - they did not have time to allocate anything to him, having arrested Vasily III shortly after the death. Andrei Staritsky, in addition to his Staritsky possessions, preserved unchanged, received Volokolamsk. Yuri Vasilyevich, who had just entered his second year, became the ruler of the Uglich inheritance.

The main intrigue of the will of Vasily III, over which historians puzzle, is to whom did he really transfer power in a country in which the official ruler, Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich, turned out to be a baby on the throne. It is clear that a three-year-old child could not rule. And who ruled? And was the coming to power of the wife of Vasily III, Elena Glinskaya, the fulfillment of the last will of Vasily III, or was it usurpation?

The official Resurrection Chronicle, which is most closely related to the events described (created in the 1540s), is expressed clearly and unambiguously in this respect: the sovereign “orders the Grand Duchess and his children to his father Danilo the Metropolitan, and Grand Duchess Elena orders the state to keep under her son until the indignation of his son." However, the author of the Pskov First Chronicle claims that Vasily III ordered that until the fifteenth birthday of the Grand Duke, he should be observed by "a few of his boyars."

Most historians are of the opinion that Vasily III transferred power not to Elena Glinskaya, but to the boyar regency council. The main argument in favor of this point of view is the fact that in the Tale of the illness and death of Vasily III most detailed the participants of all the meetings that were at the bedside of the dying sovereign are described in this way. It was at these meetings that the fate of the country was decided. But in them the role of boyars-advisers is primary. Elena either did not participate in them at all, or played the role of an extra.

As for personnel this council, there is no unity of opinion here. It is obvious that these were persons from among those who took part in the meetings at the deathbed of Vasily III. But how many such people were there? (Historians speak of "seven boyars", "ten boyars" or, on the contrary, two or three especially trusted people.) And who was among them? As the historian M. M. Krom showed, the candidates of M. L. Glinsky, M. Yu. Zakharyin and I. Yu. Shigona look the most preferable. Metropolitan Daniel became the guardian of the infant Grand Duke Ivan.

The chronicle paints us dramatic moments of the last hours of the sovereign, his farewell to his wife. Elena screamed and cried, and the sovereign, himself wildly, to the point of screaming, suffering from pain, could not even give her the last parting word, but "sent her away strongly." He kissed her goodbye and told her to leave. She did not want to, resisted, but they took her away. Vasily III died in agony on the night of December 3-4, 1533. Before his death, he took monastic vows with the name Varlaam. He was buried in the family tomb of the Kalitichs - the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

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The reign of Basil 3 briefly became the time of the end. Basil 3 actually destroyed the remnants of the specific principalities and created a single state. His son already got a powerful state.

In short, in the first half of the XVI century. Russia has experienced a great economic recovery. Even Vasily's father began to pursue an active policy in this direction. He made several campaigns towards Siberia and the Urals, made an alliance with the Crimean Khanate. This policy made it possible to stabilize relations on the southern borders and bring peace there.

The reign of Ivan 3 and Vasily 3


The reign of Ivan 3 and Vasily 3 allowed to stabilize the state inside the country, was able to defeat another hostile state for Moscow Rus' - the Livonian Order. The Livonian Order attacked Pskov. The board of Pskov and Novgorod was similar, both territories were a republic. However, the power of Novgorod was much greater. By the way, Pskov himself helped annex Novgorod to the territory of the Russian state. But when the Order attacked Pskov, it had to rely only on the help of Moscow. He did not have a large army of his own.

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

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

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

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

It so happened that the reign of Vasily 3 until his death is perceived by many as the time between the two Ivans. IvanIII became the first sovereign, became the first to collect Russian lands.aka Grozny also made a great contribution to the history of Muscovite Rus'. But here is the reign of BasilIII is somehow missed by many. But he ruled for almost 30 years. The term is very impressive.

The beginning of the reign of Vasily 3


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

Vasily Ivanovich knew exactly what fate awaited him. He was being prepared for the possibility that he could soon head the Muscovite state. But Vasily did not find out about this early years. The fact is that they had a son born in their first marriage - Ivan "Young". He was heir to the throne. Ivan Ivanovich had a son Dmitry. The boy could also claim the throne in the event of the death of his father. Of course, there was no clear decree that Ivan the Young would get the throne. However, the young man actively participated in public affairs, many perceived him as the heir. In 1490 Ivan fell ill and soon died.

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

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

In 1505, Vasily Ivanovich, the second oldest son of Vasily, was on the throne, he was born in a second marriage to the Byzantine princess Sophia Paleolog. As already mentioned, Vasily continued the political course of his father. He built new temples, stone houses. By 1508, a new palace had been built, and Vasily III moved his family there.

Interestingly, many historians describe the character of BasilIII as a haughty and proud person. He believed in his exclusivity as the ruler of Russia, probably this vanity was inspired by his mother - Sophia Paleolog and father - IvanIII. He suppressed all resistance in Rus' very harshly, sometimes using cunning and ingenuity. However, there are very few people he executed. His reign was not like the reign, there was no terror at all. BasilIII preferred to eliminate his opponents without the use of execution.

The reign of Basil 3


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

At various times, close associates of Vasily III were:

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

Major events in domestic and foreign policy:

  • The confrontation between Moscow and the Crimean Khanate, as a result, Khan Mohammed Giray went over to the side of Lithuania;
  • Strengthening the southern borders, building Zaraysk, Tula and Kaluga;
  • 1514 capture of Smolensk by the troops of Daniil Schenya;
  • 1518 an invitation from a monk from Mount Athos to translate Greek books, Mikhail Trivolis (Maxim the Greek) arrived;
  • 1522 Daniel became the new metropolitan (he replaced the previously deposed
  • Varlaam);
  • Accession of the Ryazan principality (1522).

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

Russia in the reign of Vasily 3

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

The last will of the ruler was:

  • Securing the throne for the heir - three years old;
  • Become a monk.

No one doubted the right to the throne for Ivan, but many opposed the tonsure of Vasily. But Metropolitan Daniel managed to smooth over this situation, and in early December, when the sovereign was already quite ill, he was tonsured. Then, on December 3, he already departed to another world.

The reign of Vasily III became milestone in the final unification of the Russian lands and their centralization. Many historians speak of his reign as a transitional one, but this is far from being the case.

The reign of Basil 3 briefly video

Predecessor:

Successor:

Ivan IV the Terrible

Religion:

Orthodoxy

Birth:

Buried:

Archangel Cathedral in Moscow

Dynasty:

Rurikovichi

Sofia Paleolog

1) Solomoniya Yurievna Saburova 2) Elena Vasilievna Glinskaya

Sons: Ivan IV and Yuri

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 Paleolog, 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 Paleolog. In addition to the eldest, he had four younger brothers:

  • Yuri Ivanovich, Prince Dmitrovsky (1505-1536)
  • Dmitry Ivanovich Zhilka, Prince of Uglich (1505-1521)
  • Semyon Ivanovich, Prince of Kaluga (1505-1518)
  • Andrei Ivanovich, Prince of Staritsky and Volokolamsk (1519-1537)

Ivan III, pursuing a policy of centralization, took care of the transfer of full power through the eldest son, with the restriction of the power of younger sons. Therefore, already in 1470, he declared his eldest son from the first wife of Ivan the Young as his co-ruler. However, in 1490 he died of an illness. Two parties were created at the court: one grouped around the son of Ivan the Young, the grandson of Ivan III Dmitry Ivanovich and his mother, the widow of Ivan the Young, Elena Stefanovna, and the second around Vasily and his mother. At first, the first party took over, Ivan III intended to crown his grandson to 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 Paleolog 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 Rus', 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 a bride for him in Europe, but ended up choosing from 1,500 girls presented to the court for this purpose from all over the country. The father of the first wife of Vasily Solomoniya, Yuri Saburov, was not even a boyar. The Saburov family descended from the Tatar Murza Chet.

Since the first marriage was fruitless, Vasily obtained a divorce in 1525, and at the beginning of the next (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, their son Ivan was born, the future Ivan the Terrible, and then the second son, Yuri.

Internal affairs

Vasily III believed that nothing should limit the power of the Grand Duke, which is why he enjoyed the active support of the Church in the fight against the feudal boyar opposition, harshly cracking down on all those who were dissatisfied. In 1521, Metropolitan Varlaam was exiled because of his refusal to participate in the struggle of Vasily against Prince Vasily Ivanovich Shemyachich, the Rurik princes Vasily Shuisky and Ivan Vorotynsky were expelled. Diplomat and statesman Ivan Bersen-Beklemishev was executed in 1525 because of criticism of Vasily's policy, namely because of the open rejection of the Greek novelty that came to Rus' along with Sophia Paleolog. During the reign of Vasily III, the landed nobility increased, the authorities actively limited the immunity and privileges of the boyars - the state followed the path of centralization. However, the despotic features of government, which were already fully manifested under his father Ivan III and grandfather Vasily the Dark, in the era of Vasily only intensified even more.

In church politics, Basil unconditionally supported the Josephites. Maxim Grek, Vassian Patrikeev and other non-possessors were sentenced at church councils to death, others to imprisonment in monasteries.

During the reign of Vasily III, a new Sudebnik was created, which, however, has not come down to us.

As Herberstein reported, at the Moscow court it was believed that Vasily was superior in power to all the monarchs of the world and even the emperor. On the front side of his seal there was an inscription: "The Great Sovereign Basil, by the grace of God, the king and master of all Rus'." On the reverse side it was written: "Vladimir, Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov and Tver, and Yugorsk, and Perm, and many lands Sovereign."

The reign of Vasily is the era of the construction boom in Rus', which began during the reign of his father. The Archangel Cathedral was erected in the Moscow Kremlin, and the Church of the Ascension was built in Kolomenskoye. Stone fortifications are being built in Tula, Nizhny Novgorod, Kolomna, and other cities. New settlements, prisons, fortresses are 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 posadnik and other representatives of the city to gather in his presence, including all the petitioners who were dissatisfied with them. Having arrived to him at the beginning of 1510 on the feast of Epiphany, the Pskovites were accused of distrusting the Grand Duke and their deputies were executed. The Pskovites were forced to ask Vasily to accept themselves into his fatherland. Vasily ordered to cancel the veche. At the last veche in the history of Pskov, it was decided not to resist and to fulfill the requirements 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 did with Novgorod in 1478. 300 of the most noble families of the city were resettled in Moscow lands, and their villages were given to Moscow service people.

It was the turn of Ryazan, which had long been in Moscow's sphere of influence. In 1517, Vasily summoned the Ryazan prince Ivan Ivanovich to Moscow, who was trying to enter into an alliance with the Crimean Khan, and ordered him to be put under guard (after Ivan was tonsured a monk and imprisoned in a monastery), and he took his inheritance for himself. After Ryazan, the Starodub principality was annexed, in 1523 - Novgorod-Severskoye, whose prince Vasily Ivanovich Shemyachich followed the example of Ryazan - was imprisoned in Moscow.

Foreign policy

At the beginning of his reign, Vasily had to start a war with Kazan. The campaign was unsuccessful, the Russian regiments, commanded by Vasily's brother, Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Zhilka of Uglich, were defeated, but the Kazanians asked for peace, which was concluded in 1508. At the same time, Basil, taking advantage of the unrest in Lithuania after the death of Prince Alexander, put forward his candidacy for the throne of Gediminas. In 1508, the rebellious Lithuanian boyar Mikhail Glinsky was received very cordially in Moscow. The war with Lithuania led to a rather favorable peace for the Moscow prince in 1509, according to which the captures of his father were recognized by the Lithuanians.

In 1512 began new war with Lithuania. On December 19, Vasily Yuriy Ivanovich and Dmitry Zhilka set out on a campaign. Smolensk was besieged but failed to take it, and the Russian army returned to Moscow in March 1513. On June 14, Vasily again went on a campaign, 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 Vasily personally came to the troops. But this siege was also unsuccessful: the besieged managed to restore what was being destroyed. Having devastated the surroundings 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 marched to Smolensk, this time his brothers Yuri and Semyon went along 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 clergy of the city came out to Basil 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 near 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 close to Moscow were resettled in Smolensk.

In 1518, Shah Ali Khan, friendly to Moscow, became Khan of Kazan, but he did not rule for long: in 1521 he was overthrown by the Crimean protégé Sahib Giray. In the same year, fulfilling allied obligations with Sigismund, the Crimean Khan Mehmed I Giray announced a raid on Moscow. Together with him, the Kazan Khan stepped out of his 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 Astrakhans and the army gathered by Vasily, however, taking a letter from the Grand Duke that he recognizes himself as a faithful tributary and vassal of the Crimea. On the way back, having met the army of the governor Khabar Simsky at Pereyaslavl Ryazansky, 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 (such was the generic name of Khabar) withheld the letter, and dispersed the Tatar army with cannons.

In 1522, the Crimeans were again expected in Moscow, Vasily and his army even stood on the Oka. Khan did not come, but the danger from the steppe did not pass. Therefore, Vasily in the same 1522 concluded a truce, according to which Smolensk remained with Moscow. The Kazanians 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 for bargaining with the Kazan Tatars. In 1524, after the third campaign against Kazan, Sahib Giray, who was allied to the Crimea, was overthrown, and Safa Giray was proclaimed Khan instead.

In 1527, Islyam I Giray attacked Moscow. Having gathered in Kolomenskoye, Russian troops took up defense 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 Jan-Ali Khan was proclaimed khan, but he did not last long - after the death of Vasily, he was overthrown by the local nobility.

Annexations

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

Marriages and children

Wives:

  • Solomoniya 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 George was born.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

At the council of 1525, Maxim was accused of sharply criticizing Russian church books, of praising the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople, and of making some dogmatic mistakes. The last accusation arose because Maxim, when writing in Slavic, sometimes made mistakes and was misunderstood. As for the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Maxim never concealed his opinion that the Metropolitan of Moscow needed a blessing from the Patriarch. Maxim considered himself a member of the Greek church, and not subject to the authorities of the Russian church. Maxim was severely punished. He was imprisoned in the Volotsk Monastery "for repentance and correction"; he was forbidden to teach anyone, compose anything and correspond with anyone.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vasily III liked to communicate with Western people, especially with doctors and engineers. The way of life in the West was closely connected with religion. For Russians of that time - and not only for Russians - religion was the core of culture. Bassian, taught by the bitter experience of Maximus the Greek, succumbed to Western influence to a large extent. Just at the time of Basil III, the power of the Roman Catholic Church in Europe ceased to be monolithic, and Protestantism raised its head. The master of the Teutonic Order became a Lutheran and in 1525 founded a new secular state - Prussia. The new Protestant state sought to influence relations between Moscow and Poland, thus, religious changes in Prussia in a certain way influenced international politics. However, for some time Protestantism in Rus' did not have a special meaning - Roman Catholicism remained a symbol of the West. All the time that Vasily III was in power, the pope hoped to convert Rus' to the "Roman faith." He was disappointed, but there is no doubt that Vasily and some of the Russians around him favorably perceived Western teaching, in the form in which it was presented by Catholics, although they were not ready for conversion to Catholicism.

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

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

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

Thus, the three-year-old boy Ivan became the sovereign of All Rus'. Until he comes of age, he should have ruled the country. a regency consisting of Grand Duchess Elena, Metropolitan Daniel and leading boyars. This reign could have been successful, subject to the consent and cooperation of the regents. But the agreement did not last long, then strife began, which was destined to painfully affect not only the boy Ivan, but also the stability of Great Rus'.

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