After the death in 1505 of Grand Duke Ivan III, Vasily III occupied the Grand Duke's throne. He was born in 1479 in Moscow and was the second son of Ivan III and Sophia Palaiologos, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor. Vasily became the heir to the throne after the death of his older brother Ivan in 1490. Ivan III wanted to transfer the throne to his grandson Dmitry Ivanovich, but shortly before his death he abandoned this intention. Vasily III in 1505 married Solomonia Saburova, who came from an old Moscow boyar family.

Vasily III (1505-1533) continued his father's policy of creating a unified Russian state and expanding its borders. During his reign, the last Russian principalities were annexed, which had previously formally retained independence: in 1510 - the lands of the Pskov Republic, in 1521 - the Ryazan principality, which in fact had long been completely dependent on Moscow.

Vasily III consistently pursued a policy of liquidation of specific principalities. He did not fulfill his promises to grant inheritances to noble immigrants from Lithuania (the princes of Belsky and Glinsky), and in 1521 he liquidated the Novgorod-Seversky principality - the lot of Prince Vasily Ivanovich, the grandson of Shemyaka. All other specific principalities either disappeared as a result of the death of their rulers (for example, Starodubskoye), or were liquidated in exchange for granting high places to the former specific princes at the court of Vasily III (Vorotynskoye, Belevskoye, Odoevskoye, Masalskoye). As a result, by the end of the reign of Vasily III, only the inheritances that belonged to the brothers of the Grand Duke - Yuri (Dmitrov) and Andrey (Staritsa), as well as the Kasimov Principality, where pretenders to the Kazan throne from the Genghisides dynasty ruled, but with very limited rights of princes (they had it was forbidden to mint their own coins, the judicial power was limited, etc.).

The development of the local system continued, the total number of service people - landowners was already about 30 thousand.

Basil III supported the expansion of the political role of the church. Many churches were built at his personal expense, including the Kremlin Cathedral of the Annunciation. At the same time, Vasily III completely controlled the church. This is evidenced, in particular, by his appointment of Metropolitans Varlaam (1511) and Daniel (1522) without convening a Local Council, that is, in violation of church law. This happened for the first time in the history of Russia. And in former times, the princes played an important role in the appointment of metropolitans, archbishops and bishops, but at the same time, church canons were necessarily observed.

The ascension in the summer of 1511 to the metropolitan throne of Varlaam led to the strengthening of the position of non-possessors among the highest church hierarchs. By the beginning of the 1920s, Vasily III lost interest in nonpossessors and lost hope of depriving the church of its land holdings. He believed that much more benefits could be drawn from an alliance with the Josephites, who, although they firmly held on to church possessions, were ready for any compromises with the Grand Duke. In vain, Vasily III asked Metropolitan Varlaam, a non-possessor by his convictions, to help him fraudulently lure the last Novgorod-Seversky prince Vasily Shemyachich to Moscow, who, without the metropolitan's safe-conduct, resolutely refused to appear in the capital. Varlaam did not make a deal with the Grand Duke and, at the insistence of Vasily III, was forced to leave the metropolitan see. On February 27, 1522, the more accommodating hegumen of the Valaam Monastery, the Josephite Daniel, was appointed in his place, who became an obedient executor of the will of the Grand Duke. Daniil issued a "metropolitan's letter of protection" to Vasily Shemyachich, who, upon entering Moscow in April 1523, was captured and imprisoned, where he ended his days. This whole story created a storm of indignation in Russian society.

Vasily III was remembered by his contemporaries as an imperious man, who did not tolerate objections, who single-handedly made the most important decisions. He dealt harshly with the undesirable. Even at the beginning of his reign, many supporters of Prince Dmitry Ivanovich (grandson of Ivan III) were disgraced, in 1525 - opponents of the divorce and second marriage of the Grand Duke, among them were the then leader of non-possessors Vassian (Patrikeev), a prominent figure in the church, writer and translator Maxim A Greek (now canonized), a prominent statesman and diplomat P.N.Bersen-Beklemishev (he was subjected to a cruel execution). In fact, Vasily's brothers and their specific households were in isolation.

At the same time, Vasily III sought to substantiate the supposedly divine origin of the grand duke's power, relying on the authority of Joseph Volotsky, who in his works acted as an ideologist of strong state power and "ancient piety" (canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church), as well as on the ideas of the "Tale of Princes of Vladimir” and others. This was facilitated by the increased authority of the Grand Duke in Western Europe. In an agreement (1514) with the emperor of the "Holy Roman Empire" Maximilian, Vasily III was even named king.

Vasily III pursued an active foreign policy, although not always successful. In 1507-1508. he waged war with the Principality of Lithuania, and the Russian troops suffered a number of serious defeats in field battles, and the result was the preservation of the status quo. Basil III managed to achieve success in Lithuanian affairs thanks to the events that unfolded in the lands subject to Lithuania.

At the court of the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Alexander Kazimirovich, the princes of Glinsky, who descended from Mamai and owned vast lands in Ukraine (Poltava, Glinsk), enjoyed enormous influence. Sigismund, who replaced Alexander, deprived Mikhail Lvovich Glinsky of all his posts. The latter, together with his brothers Ivan and Vasily, revolted, which was hardly suppressed. The Glinskys fled to Moscow. Mikhail Glinsky had extensive connections at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian (it was the vast empire of that time, including almost half of Europe). Thanks to the mediation of Glinsky, Vasily III established allied relations with Maximilian, who opposed Poland and Lithuania. The most important success of the military operations of Vasily III was the capture of Smolensk after two unsuccessful assaults. The war continued until 1522, when a truce was concluded through the mediation of representatives of the Holy Roman Empire. Although Lithuania did not recognize the loss of Smolensk, the city became part of the Russian state (1514).

The eastern policy of Vasily III was rather complicated, where the central factor was the relationship of the Russian state with the Kazan Khanate. Until 1521, under the khans Mohammed Edin and Shah-Ali, Kazan was in vassal dependence on Moscow. However, in 1521, the Kazan nobility expelled Vasily III's henchman, the Kasimov Khan Shah-Ali, and invited the Crimean prince Sahib-Girey to the throne. Relations between Moscow and Kazan deteriorated sharply. The Kazan Khanate, in essence, got out of obedience to the Russian state. Both sides began to use military force. Kazan raids resumed, that is, military campaigns on Russian lands, organized by the top of the Kazan Khanate to capture booty and prisoners, as well as an open show of force. In 1521, Kazan commanders took part in a large Crimean campaign against Moscow, Kazan troops made 5 raids on the eastern regions of the Russian state (Meshchera, Nizhny Novgorod, Totma, Uneka). Kazan raids were also undertaken in 1522 (two) and in 1523. To defend the eastern border in 1523, the Russian fortress Vasilsursk was built on the Volga at the mouth of the Sura. However, Moscow did not abandon attempts to restore its control over the Kazan Khanate, to return Khan Shah Ali, obedient to her, to the Kazan throne. For this purpose, a number of campaigns against Kazan were made (in 1524, 1530 and 1532), however, they were unsuccessful. True, in 1532 Moscow still managed to put Khan Jan-Ali (Enalei), brother of Shah-Ali, on the Kazan throne, but in 1536 he was killed as a result of another palace conspiracy, and Safa Giray became the new ruler of the Kazan Khanate - representative of the Crimean dynasty, hostile to the Russian state.

Relations with the Crimean Khanate also escalated. Moscow's ally, Khan Mengli-Girey, died in 1515, but even during his lifetime, his sons actually got out of their father's control and independently raided Russian lands. In 1521, Khan Magmet-Girey inflicted a serious defeat on the Russian army, besieged Moscow (Vasily III was even forced to flee the city), Ryazan was later besieged, and only the skillful actions of the Ryazan governor Khabar Simsky (who successfully used artillery) forced the khan to go back to Crimea. Since that time, relations with Crimea have become one of the most acute problems of Russian foreign policy for centuries.

The reign of Basil III was almost marked by a dynastic crisis. Vasily's marriage to Solomonia Saburova was childless for more than 20 years. The dynasty of Moscow princes could be interrupted, especially since Vasily III forbade his brothers Yuri and Andrei to marry. In 1526, he forcibly tonsured Solomonia into a monastery, and the following year he married Princess Elena Vasilievna Glinskaya, who was half her husband's age. In 1530, the son of Ivan, the future Tsar Ivan IV, was born to the fifty-year-old Grand Duke.

The final success of the unification of Russian lands in a single state was the achievement of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III Ivanovich (1505-1533). It is no coincidence that the Austrian diplomat Sigismund Herberstein, who visited Russia twice in the first third of the 16th century and left the famous Notes on Muscovy, wrote that Vasily III surpassed in power "almost all the monarchs of the whole world." Nevertheless, the sovereign was not lucky - a bizarre historical memory, having deservedly paid tribute to his father and no less justly fixed the cruel image of his son Ivan the Terrible, did not leave enough free space for Vasily III himself. As if "hanging" between two sovereign Ivanovs, Vasily III always remained in their shadow. Neither his personality, nor the methods of government, nor the forms of succession in power between Ivan III and Ivan the Terrible have not yet been fully studied.

Childhood, youth

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

Board (1505-1533)

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

Domestic policy

The fight against the inheritances

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

local system

Under Basil III, the local system was being strengthened - a mechanism that made it possible to solve two pressing problems facing the state: at that time, the need to ensure a combat-ready army was closely intertwined with the need to limit the political and economic independence of a large aristocracy. The essence of the mechanism of local land tenure was the distribution of land to "landlords"-nobles in temporary conditional possession for the duration of the "princes of service". The “landowner” had to serve properly, could lose land for violation of his duties and had no right to dispose of the land given to him, which remained in the supreme property of the grand dukes. At the same time, social guarantees were also introduced: if a “landowner”-nobleman died in the service, the state took care of his family.

Localism

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

" " and "non-possessors"

In the era of Basil III, the problem of monastic property, first of all, the possession of lands, was actively discussed. Numerous donations to monasteries led to the fact that by the end of the 15th century, a significant part of the monasteries became wealthy landowners. One solution to the problem was proposed: to use funds to help the suffering, in the monasteries themselves to make more stringent charters. Another decision came from the Monk Nil of Sorsk: the monasteries should completely give up their property, and the monks should live “by their own needlework”. The grand ducal authorities, interested in the land fund necessary for distribution to the estates, also advocated the restriction of monastic property. At the church council of 1503, Ivan III made an attempt to secularize, but was refused. However, time passed, and the position of the authorities changed. The “Josephian” environment made a lot of efforts to develop the concept of a strong state, and Vasily III turned away from the “non-possessors”. The final victory of the "Josephites" took place at the council of 1531.

New political theories

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

Foreign policy

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

During the Russo-Lithuanian wars, Vasily III managed to conquer Smolensk in 1514, one of the largest centers of the Russian-speaking lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Smolensk campaigns were personally led by Vasily III, and in the official annals the triumph of Russian weapons will be expressed by the phrase about the liberation of Smolensk from "evil Latin charms and violence." The crushing defeat of the Russian troops in the battle of Orsha in the autumn of 1514, which followed the liberation of Smolensk, stopped Moscow's advance to the West. However, during the military campaigns of 1517 and 1518, the Russian governors managed to defeat the Lithuanian forces near Opochka and Krev.

Relations with Orthodox peoples

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

Russian-Crimean relations

Russian-Crimean relations did not develop easily. They reached their peak when, in July 1521, Khan Mohammed Giray made a devastating campaign against Russia in order to "put an end to the outrageous rebellions of idolaters who were bitter against Islam." Huge damage was caused to the southern and central volosts of the Moscow principality (the advanced forces of the Krymchaks reached the outskirts of Moscow). Mohammed Giray captured a huge crowd. Since then, the defense of the Shore - the southern border, which ran along the Oka River - has become the most important task of ensuring the security of the state.

Relations with the West

Beginning in the time of Ivan III, attempts to achieve an alliance with the Grand Duchy of Moscow against the Ottoman Empire continued under Vasily III. The sovereigns invariably emphasized their hatred for the unfaithful “abominations” and “enemies of Christ”, but did not conclude an agreement. They equally refused to become subordinate to the "Latins" and did not want to spoil the still quite friendly relations with the Ottoman Empire.

Personal life

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

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

There are rulers who left a noticeable mark in the history of their country, and there are those who are in their shadow. The latter, no doubt, include Vasily 3, whose domestic and foreign policy, at first glance, did not produce tangible results. But was this sovereign such an insignificant person?

Descendant of the basileus

On a March night in 1479, the wife of Ivan the Third gave birth to a son. On April 4, the Archbishop of Rostov Vassian Rylo and the Trinity Abbot Paisius baptized the boy, giving him the name Vasily. The baby's mother, Sophia Palaiologos, came from the family of the deposed Byzantine emperor. Thanks to her ability to intrigue, maneuver and understand the intricacies of the interests of the grand ducal court, Vasily in October 1505 was able to take the throne of his father, becoming the sovereign of all Russia.

What has been inherited

When characterizing the domestic and foreign policy of Vasily 3, it is necessary to take into account the situation in the Moscow principality at the time of his coming to power. Ivan III did not have time to complete the unification of the Russian lands begun in the 13th century. This became the main direction of the state activity of his son - Vasily 3.

The domestic and foreign policy of the Grand Duke, however, was built not only on the basis of this. As before, it was important for Russia to ensure reliable protection of its borders from Tatar raids, as well as to reform the administration, taking into account the newly annexed territories.

The first years of the reign of Vasily III cannot be called successful:

• in April 1506 the military campaign to Kazan ended in failure;
• in the summer of the same year, Vasily failed in the struggle for the Lithuanian throne;
• in July 1507, the Crimean Khanate, violating the peace agreements, attacked the Russian border.

Conquest of the Pskov Republic

The first truly successful act of foreign and domestic policy of Vasily 3 was the annexation of Pskov in 1510. The reason for this was the complaints of the townspeople against Ivan Repnya, the Moscow Grand Duke's governor. Vasily invited the Pskov posadniks to come to Novgorod, where, on his orders, they were arrested. The clerk Dalmatov, sent to Pskov, who enjoyed the special confidence of Vasily 3, demanded on his behalf to abolish the people's council and submit to the Moscow prince, which was done. The Pskov boyars were deprived of their possessions, which Vasily III immediately distributed to his service people.

Accession of other lands

In 1514, after the Russo-Lithuanian War, Smolensk came under the authority of Moscow. However, Vasily III sought not only to annex new territories to the Moscow principality, but also to eradicate the remnants of the appanage system. So, during his reign, some destinies of the following princes ceased to exist:

• Volotsky Fyodor (in 1513).
• Kaluga Semyon (by 1518).
• Uglitsky Dmitry (by 1521).

Strengthening the borders

Vasily's relations with the Kazan and Crimean khanates were not stable. Therefore, with the support of small and medium-sized feudal lords, he pursued a policy of developing lands located south and east of Moscow. Vasily III began the construction of the notch line - defensive structures to repel the raids of the Crimean and Nogai Tatars.

They were a system of forest blockages (notches), ditches, strongholds, palisades and ramparts. The first defensive line was located in the area of ​​Tula, Ryazan and Kashira. Its construction was completed only in the second half of the 16th century.

Third Rome

The power of the Grand Duke, as the supreme ruler, was further strengthened under Vasily III. In official documents, he was called the king, and the title of autocrat acquired official status. The recognition of the divinity of the grand duke's power became widespread.

For example, at the beginning of the 16th century, Moscow began to be called the Third Rome. According to this religious theory, Russia, its Orthodox Church and the Russian people as a whole were assigned a special purpose. The theory belonged to the monk Philotheus, hegumen of the Eleazarov Monastery in Pskov.

He wrote that the basis of history is divine providence. The first Rome, in which Christianity was born, fell under the onslaught of the barbarians in the 5th century, the second Rome - Constantinople, was conquered by the Turks in 1453, only Russia remained - the defender of the true Orthodox faith. The concept of "Moscow - the Third Rome" substantiated the greatness of Russia as an independent state in religious and political terms. Thus, the domestic and foreign policy of Vasily 3 Ivanovich received a solid religious justification.

Control system

With the formation of a single state, the system of internal management also changed. The Boyar Duma began to play the role of a permanent deliberative body under the supreme power. With the loss of the sovereignty of the specific principalities, their nobility could not always participate in council meetings. Only those whom Vasily 3 personally favored by the boyars had such a right. The Duma consisted of a small circle of people - the descendants of the great and specific princes who accepted the citizenship of Moscow. It included:

• boyars;
• devious;
• boyar children;
• duma nobles;
• later clerks.

The Boyar Duma was the body through which the domestic and foreign policy of Vasily 3 was carried out.

The relationship between the members of the Grand Duke's court was regulated by the local system. The position or rank depended on the nobility of the family or the former service. Because of this, conflicts often arose, for example, in the appointment of governors, ambassadors, heads of orders. Localism established a hierarchy of noble families, which guaranteed them a corresponding position at the court of the sovereign.

Administrative division

During the reign of Vasily 3, the territory of the Moscow State was divided into:

• counties, the borders of which corresponded to the borders of the former specific principalities;
• parish.

The governors were the heads of the counties, and the volosts were the heads of the volosts, who received them for feeding. That is, the maintenance of these officials fell on the shoulders of the local population.

Government

During the reign of Vasily 3, the domestic and foreign policy pursued by the Grand Duke required the establishment of new nationwide departments:

• the palace that was in charge of the lands of the Grand Duke;
• treasury involved in finance, levying taxes and customs duties.

The state seal and the archive were also kept in the treasury, whose employees were also in charge of embassy affairs. Later, such authorities emerged from this institution, such as orders, which were engaged in the management of certain areas of public life.

Changes in land ownership

Now the Grand Duke was the supreme owner of all the lands, who granted them to his subjects. There was, in addition, boyar and patrimonial land ownership, it could be inherited, mortgaged or sold.

Local landownership was given by the Grand Duke in temporary conditional possession as a salary for military service. It could not be sold, bequeathed or transferred to the monastery as a gift.

Results

At the end of 1533, the autocrat of the Grand Duchy of Moscow suddenly fell ill and died. The state was headed by his son, who went down in history under the name of Ivan the Terrible.

Briefly characterizing the domestic and foreign policy of Vasily 3, we can conclude that the Grand Duke pursued it quite successfully. He managed not only to complete the unification of the Russian lands, but also to a large extent to eradicate the remnants of the appanage system within the country.

Years of government: 1505 - 1533

From the biography

• The son of Ivan 3 and Sophia Paleolog - the nieces of the last Byzantine emperor, the father of the future Tsar Ivan the Terrible (b. 1530)
• He is called "the last collector of the Russian land", since the last semi-independent Russian principalities were annexed to his reign.
• In the treaty of 1514 With Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian 1- was the first to be named king.
• Idea " Moscow-third Rome"- This is a political ideology that denoted the worldwide significance of Moscow as a political and religious center. According to the theory, the Roman and Byzantine empires fell because they deviated from the true faith, and the Muscovite state is the “third Rome”, and there will be no fourth Rome, since Muscovite Russia stood, stands and will stand. The theory was formulated by a Pskov monk Philotheus in his letters to Vasily 3.

• Note: In 395, the Roman Empire split into Western and Eastern. The Western Roman Empire fell in 476, breaking up into a number of independent states: Italy. France, Germany, Spain. The Eastern Empire - Byzantium - fell in 1453, in its place the Ottoman Empire was formed.
• Josephites these are representatives of the church-political movement, which was formed during the reign of Vasily 3. These are the followers Joseph Volotsky. They advocated strong church power, for the influence of the church in the state, for monastic and church land ownership. Philotheus was a Josephite. Vasily 3 supported them in the fight against the opposition.
• Nonpossessors - sought to restore the shaken authority of the church, which was caused by the desire of the clergy to master more and more land. In charge of - Neil Sorsky. They are for the secularization of church lands, that is, its return to the Grand Duke.

The struggle of the non-possessors and the Josephites, which began under Ivan 3, testified to the complex relationship of the princes with the church, the constant rivalry for supremacy in power. Basil 3 relied on the church opposition, and at the same time he understood that relations with the church began to become more complicated.

Historical portrait of Basil III

Activities

1. Domestic policy

Activities	results
1. Completion of the folding of the centralized state.	1510 - annexation of Pskov. The veche system has been abolished. At the head - Moscow governors. 1513 - annexation of Volotsk. 1514 - annexation of Smolensk. In honor of this, the Novodevichy Convent was built in the city - a copy of the Moscow Kremlin. 1518 - annexation of Kaluga. 1521 - annexation of Ryazan and Uglich. 1523 - annexation of the Novgorod-Seversky principality. Association based on a new ideology "Moscow is the third Rome". The author is Philotheus.
Support for the church and reliance on it in domestic politics.	Support for the non-possessors, and then the Josephites in the fight against the feudal opposition.
Further strengthening of the power of the Grand Duke.	The prince had the highest court, was the supreme commander in chief, all laws were issued on his behalf. Limiting the privileges of the boyars, relying on the nobility, increasing the land ownership of the nobles.
Improving the system of public administration.	A new body of power appeared - the Boyar Duma, with which the prince consulted. The tsar himself appointed the boyars to the Duma, taking into account the locality. The clerks began to play an important role. They conducted office work. Local governors and volostels ruled. The position of a city clerk appeared.

2. Foreign policy

Activities	results
1. Defense of the borders of Russia in the southeast from the raids of the Crimean and Kazan khans.	1521 - the raid of the Crimean Khan on Moscow. The constant raids of Mengli-Girey - in 1507, 1516-1518, 1521. Vasily 3 negotiated peace with difficulty. In 1521 - began to build fortress cities on the borders with these khanates in the "wild field".
The struggle for the annexation of lands in the west.	1507-1508, 1512-1522 - Russian-Lithuanian wars, as a result: Smolensk was annexed, the western lands conquered by Ivan 3, his father. But the defeat at Orsha in 1514
3. Establishing peaceful trade relations with countries.	Under Basil 3, Russia developed good trade relations with France and India, Italy, and Austria.

RESULTS OF ACTIVITIES

• Under Basil 3, the process of formation of a centralized state was completed.
• A unified state ideology was created, contributing to the unification of the country.
• The church continued to play an important role in the state.
• Greatly increased the power of the princes.
• There was a further improvement of the system of state administration, a new authority appeared - the Boyar Duma.
• The prince led a successful policy in the west, many western lands were annexed.
• Vasily 3 held back the raids of the Crimean and Kazan khans with all his might, managed to negotiate peace with them.
• Under Vasily 3, the international authority of Russia was significantly strengthened. Trade relations were conducted with many countries.

Chronology of the life and work of Vasily III

1505-1533	The reign of Basil 3.
1510	+ Pskov
1513	+ Volotsk.
1514	+ Smolensk. Construction of the Novodevichy Convent.
1518	+ Kaluga
1521	+ Ryazan. Uglich
1507, 1516-1518, 1521	Raids of the Crimean and Tatar khans.
1521	The raid of the Crimean Khan Mengli-Girey to Moscow.
1507-1508,1512-1522	Wars with Lithuania.
1514	Defeat near Orsha in the war with Lithuania.
1523	+ Novgorod-Seversky.
1533	The death of Vasily 3, the three-year-old son Ivan, the future Ivan the Terrible, became the heir.

Vasily III (03/25/1479 - 12/3/1533) came to the throne in October 1505.

According to the spiritual charter of Ivan III, he inherited the title of his father, the right to mint coins, and received the management of 66 cities. Among these cities, such centers as Moscow, Tver, Novgorod.

His brothers got 30 cities. They also had to obey Ivan like their father. Vasily III tried to continue his father's work both in domestic and foreign policy.

He wanted to show his power, autocracy, while he was deprived of the abilities and virtues of his father.

Vasily III strengthened the positions of Russia in the west, and did not forget about the return of the lands of Russia, which were under the rule of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Levonian Order.

During the first war between Lithuania and the Muscovite state in 1507 - 1508, the Polish king Sigismund I and the Grand Duke of Lithuania tried to unite the Muscovite opponents together. It's just that they didn't succeed.

The rebel Mikhail Glinsky was supported by Moscow and Lithuania was forced to sign an eternal peace treaty with the Russians. Yes, the parties existed in the world for only four years. Already in 1512, a new war began, which lasted almost ten years.

In the south, too, it was not calm, the danger from the Tatars did not decrease. Although we remember that the Great Horde fell in 1502. Crimean and Tatar Tatars instilled fear in the inhabitants of the southern and eastern outskirts of the Russian state. And if the attackers managed to bypass the border, then they went to the center, and even threatened Moscow.

Vasily III sent gifts to the khans in order to achieve peace with him. But at the same time, he did not forget to bring the army to the banks of the Oka River in order to protect himself from an uninvited guest. Defensive stone fortresses were also built in Tula, Kolomna, Kaluga, Zaraysk.

Domestically, Vasily III did well. He decided to finally subdue him (1510), conquered Ryazan (1521). The support of the Grand Duke is the servants of the boyars and nobles. For the duration of their service to the sovereign, they were allocated an estate. The peasants who lived on these lands, by order of the Grand Duke, were obliged to support the landowners.

The peasants plowed and sowed land (corvée), mowed hay and harvested crops, grazed cattle and fished. Also, ordinary people gave away part of the products of their labor (food quitrent). The distribution of land, during the unification of Russian lands, took on the character of a system. And she just wasn't enough. The government even wanted to take away the monastic and church lands, but failed. The church promised the support of the authorities, if only they would leave the land.

Under Vasily III, the development of the estate system led to the emergence of landlord estates throughout Russia, except for the northern territories. The persistent and cautious king ruled his state politically stable. The growth of the economy was noticed, new cities were built, crafts developed. In large villages, which were located on the main roads, there were torzhki - a place of trade for artisans.

In such villages, the yards of “non-plowed peasants” arose, that is, the yards of those who stopped plowing the land and took up crafts and trade. These were blacksmiths, tailors, shoemakers, coopers and others. I must say that the population was small, in Moscow, for example, it was about 100 thousand people. There were even fewer people in other cities.

Under Vasily III, the unification of the Russian principalities into one state was completed. In addition to Russians, the state included Mordovians, Karelians, Udmurts, Komi and many other nationalities. The Russian state was multinational. The authority of the Russian state grew in the eyes of the Eastern and European rulers. Moscow "autocracy" firmly established itself in Russia. After the death of Vasily III, they came, followed by the wedding to the royal throne of the son of Basil.