Why did the Moscow princes stop calling their sons Daniel? The youngest son of Alexander Nevsky: biography and interesting facts.

Name: Daniil Moskovsky (Daniil Alexandrovich)

Date of Birth: 1261

Age: 42 years

Activity: prince, ancestor of Moscow tsars

Family status: was married

Daniil Moskovsky: biography

Prince Daniel of Moscow - son, father, ancestor of the Moscow tsars. Engaged in creation, not war. He is revered as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Childhood and youth

In 1261, the fourth, youngest, son was born in the family of the Grand Duke of Kiev and Vladimir, Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky. The baby was named in honor of St. Daniel the Stylite, whose memorial day Christians celebrate on December 11, so historians suggest that the prince was born in late autumn or early winter. Alexander Nevsky died when the boy was two years old.


Princess Alexandra (in some texts Paraskeva) Bryachislavna gave birth to her husband four sons - Vasily, Dmitry, Andrei, Daniel - and a daughter Evdokia. After the death of her husband, the princess was tonsured at the Vladimir Assumption Monastery under the name of Vassa, earning the respect of local residents with a righteous life. Guardianship of little Daniil was taken over by his uncle, Prince Yaroslav of Tver.

Evdokia's relatives married Prince Konstantin Rostislavich Smolensky, and the brothers divided their father's inheritance. The youngest was allocated the Moscow principality for feeding - at that time the smallest and poorest, not going to any comparison with Novgorod or Vladimir. For the first seven years, instead of the young prince, his uncle-guardian Yaroslav ruled, and the boy studied literacy, military and political arts.


As it is told in the life of the saint, little Daniel loved the temple of God more than the science of government: he spent his free time in the church, listening to choral singing and prayers. In 1272, Yaroslav Yaroslavich dies, and the eleven-year-old boy has to take over the reign of the principality and move to Moscow. The young man began the arrangement in the new place with the reconstruction of the Kremlin, in particular, he ordered the construction of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior.

Governing body

Prince Daniel became famous for caring for people. Before the arrival of the young master in Moscow, governors ruled there, worried about personal enrichment more than about the prosperity of the city. The prince personally checked the taxation system, traveled to the surrounding villages with a check, talked with the elders and merchants. For trade, he allocated a place near the walls of the Kremlin, which later became Red Square.


By order of Daniel, the Great Horde Road was built, which made Moscow a crossroads of trade routes. Instead of wooden churches, stone ones were built, whole complexes of buildings were erected: bishops' houses and fortified monasteries. The role of the monks in those turbulent times was not limited to prayers for the laity, the stone monasteries were real fortresses, and the monks took up arms during the war.

The favorite brainchild of the prince was the monastery, which was named in honor of the patron saint of the prince, St. Daniel the Stylite. The place for the Svyato-Danilov Spassky (simply Danilov or Danilovsky) monastery was not chosen by chance: it became the first in a chain of fortified monasteries that protected the approaches to Moscow from the south. In 1296, the ruler ordered the construction of the Epiphany Monastery, and in 1300, a stone bishop's house and a church named after and.


Throughout his life, Daniil Alexandrovich pursued a peaceful policy. In the biography of the prince there are no dark episodes with fratricide and insidious intrigues. In 1282, together with the prince of Tver, he took the side of his brother Andrei, who fought for the throne of the Grand Duke of Vladimir against another son of Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry. But through the mediation of Daniel, his brothers were reconciled without a fight.

Since 1283, he supported his brother Dmitry, who sat on the throne of Vladimir. In 1293, Andrey Gorodetsky led the army of the Golden Horde under the command of the Khan's commander Tudan (Dyuden) to the Russian lands. Dudenev's army plundered and burned Moscow, but the prince shared his property with the people, which allowed the population to quickly rebuild the city.


The treacherous act of Prince Andrei was not forgotten by his brother, and in 1294, after the death of Prince Dmitry, Daniil Alexandrovich opposed Andrei. Despite all the civil strife, in 1296 the princes at a meeting in Vladimir, with the assistance of church leaders, managed to agree on peace.

But in 1301, the Moscow prince demonstrated the talents of a skilled commander, defeating the troops of the Ryazan prince Konstantin Romanovich near Kolomna together with his Tatar allies. Having dispersed the Tatars and captured Kolomna, Daniil Aleksandrovich did not join the conquered lands to his possessions and did not even allow the soldiers to plunder them. Such behavior looked in the eyes of contemporaries worthy of surprise.


In 1302, the childless prince Ivan Dmitrievich Pereyaslavsky died and bequeathed his lands to his uncle Daniel, whom he respected for his intelligence and piety. Having inherited the Principality of Pereyaslav, Daniil of Moscow did not begin to transfer the capital to the rich and fortified Pereyaslavl, but became one of the most influential princes, increasing the wealth of Moscow.

Personal life

The name and origin of the prince's wife are not found in the surviving primary sources. However, Pyotr Vladimirovich Dolgorukov, who compiled the Russian Genealogical Book in the 19th century, wrote it down under the name of Evdokia Alexandrovna.


Nothing is known for certain about Daniel's daughters either, because the stories of women in that era rarely found their way into the annals. And the prince had five sons: Yuri, Alexander, Boris, Ivan and Athanasius.

Death

It is reliably known that Daniil Alexandrovich died in 1303 from an illness, having managed to take monastic vows before his death in accordance with the tradition of the rulers of that time. Two versions are known about the place of burial. One, set out in the "Book of Powers" and included in the canonical lives of the saint, says that the prince bequeathed to bury him in the common cemetery at the Danilovsky Monastery, which was done.


The second version is based on the unpreserved Trinity Chronicle, written in the 14th century and burned in a fire in 1812. , who worked with the chronicle, gleaned information from there that the body was buried in the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel in Moscow. The same place is also called the Front Chronicle Code.

Be that as it may, but in 1652 the incorruptible relics of the saint appeared to the world. The Tsar ordered them to be transferred to the temple of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, located in the Danilovsky Monastery, where the relics were placed in a specially made coffin. This event took place on August 30 (September 12) and since then has been celebrated annually by the church.


After the 1917 revolution, the relics were kept in the Trinity Cathedral. In 1930 they were moved to the Church of the Resurrection of the Word on Uspensky Vrazhek. During the struggle of the Soviet authorities with religion, the relics were lost and have not yet been found. They commemorate the saint on March 4 (17) and on the passing feast - the day of the Cathedral of the Moscow Saints. These days, the prescribed canons and akathists are read in churches.


On icons, St. Daniel of Moscow is most often depicted in long princely robes, over which a monastic vestment (kukol) is put on. In his hands he usually holds a model of the monastery he built. They turn to the saint with a prayer for deliverance from quarrels and disagreements, they ask him for help in finding a house and protection from thieves, for the successful outcome of the trial, they are considered the patron saint of the engineering troops of the Russian armed forces.

Memory

  • 1547 - the question of canonization was raised, stichera and a canon were written
  • 1652 - acquisition of relics
  • 1791 - canonization of the noble prince as a locally venerated saint
  • 1975 - D. M. Balashov's novel "The Younger Son" was written
  • 1983 - the Danilov Monastery was revived as a stauropegial monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church
  • 1988 - The Order of the Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow of three degrees was established
  • 1996 - a nuclear submarine of the Northern Fleet is named after the prince
  • 1997 - a monument was erected in the square of Danilovskaya Square in Moscow
  • 1997 - the image of Daniel of Moscow and the Danilov Monastery appeared on Russian stamps
  • 1998 - an Orthodox chapel was built in the park on Serpukhovskaya Zastava Square in Moscow
  • 2013 - documentary film "Peacemaker. Saint Daniel of Moscow»

What is common between everyone who bears the name Danil? In this article we will consider the name Daniel: the meaning of the name, character and fate. After all, it has been known since ancient times that the name determines how a person’s life will turn out.

Daniel: the meaning of the name, the main character traits and fate

Origin and meaning of the name Daniel

Danya, Daniel: The origin and meaning of the name

First, let's find out the secret of the origin of the name Daniel and its meaning.

In Hebrew, the name Daniel means "God is the judge." This name is of biblical origin. The Bible mentioned a prophet named Daniel, believers greatly revere him. Later this name was borne by several Christian saints.

Interesting fact: There are several forms of the name Daniel, one of them, Danila, is Russian folk. The name Danila was very common inXIX century and was considered simple, peasant. These days, this name cannot be called common, but it is not rare either.

What character can the boy Daniel have?

The name leaves an imprint on the inner qualities of a person. What is the character of a child named Daniel?

All Daniels are calm. They never fuss, they are difficult to piss off, and they do not like a bright display of emotions in others. They meet all the troubles armed with wisdom. They are ready to take decisive action to deal with problems. If Daniel is unable to influence the environment, he patiently accepts reality as it is, he is not characterized by irascibility, aggression and irritation.

Daniel strives for excellence in everything he undertakes. Daniil understands that nowadays time flows very quickly, and thanks to science, new knowledge appears every day, so he studies always and everywhere, and tries to keep abreast of the latest discoveries. What annoys him the most is when other people say something based on outdated information. Curiosity makes him a great debater. He is good-natured, but vehemently defends his point of view. It is a pleasure to look at Daniel when he talks about what he likes. He is ready to talk about his hobbies for hours, although to some he may seem laconic, Daniel just prefers to keep quiet if the topic of conversation is indifferent to him.

Daniel is very demanding of himself, which can cause dissatisfaction. If he is not satisfied with himself, he may begin to unnecessarily torment himself, which will cause psychological problems and internal conflicts.

Daniel treats those around him more condescendingly. But, noticing shortcomings or changes not for the better, he will not hesitate to tell his interlocutor about them. However, he does this in a very good-natured manner - rudeness is not inherent in him - and therefore Daniel's friends calmly perceive all his remarks and listen to his advice. Still, because for them he is an authority who knows everything.

Daniil is monogamous by nature, but he always puts his friends above the chosen one, he values ​​\u200b\u200bfriendship, he has a lot of friends whom he has known for many years. Daniel likes to spend his free time with friends, relatives and wife should get used to this and treat this fact patiently. This does not diminish their feelings for them in any way. But important holidays, New Year or birthday, D. prefers to spend with his family. Daniel is very hospitable, he loves to receive guests. Daniil prefers to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible, and does not like to cook regular meals. But in the case of preparing for some kind of festival, he gladly prepares exquisite complex dishes, which undoubtedly surprises the guests.

What fate awaits Daniel?

The meaning of the name Daniel, the main character traits and the fate of Dani

Knowing the character of a person, one can draw conclusions about his life. In this section, we will take a closer look at the name Daniel, the meaning of the name and fate.

In his youth, D. dreams of an ideal chosen one. He is not very liberated in communicating with the opposite sex, and therefore it is not always easy for him to make acquaintances. Friends see Daniel as a bosom friend rather than a potential partner. With age, he becomes more and more open and acquires the necessary skills of seduction. A woman who has become the chosen one of Daniel will be surrounded by care and affection. Although D. is not inclined to express his feelings openly. He is stingy with compliments and praise, even if he idolizes his companion.

Advice: Daniel's girl should not worry that the young man rarely says kind words to her. She should pay attention to non-verbal signs of his attitude towards her - looks, silent care, sometimes invisible signs of attention.

Having married, Daniel prefers to spend time at home with his wife. He is not averse to doing some housework, and is happy to mess around with children - he walks with them, takes them to sports clubs, watches cartoons.

As for his career, here he can achieve success in many areas:

  • Creative professions. Daniel has a well-developed imagination, and therefore he can become an actor or a writer.
  • Natural Sciences. Daniel has a penchant for the exact sciences, he will make an excellent scientist or writer.
  • Leading positions. Daniel does not strive for leadership, but he always achieves the highest degree of skill in any business he undertakes. Therefore, achieving career heights is inevitable for him, even if he himself does not want it.

What will the child named Daniel be like?

What character will a child named Daniel have?

So, you decided to name your child Daniel? We will tell you about the name Daniel, the meaning of the name for a boy.

Little Daniel is a quiet and calm child who does not disturb his parents. Daniel prefers to spend time alone, reading or playing. At the same time, he easily makes acquaintances with other guys, and he can in no way be called shy or downtrodden. It is not difficult for Daniil to find a place for himself in any company, where he quickly wins the love and respect of others. With age, Daniel begins to become more active, and it would be good for parents to find a sports section that the boy will like.

Daniel does not like to lie, and therefore parents and teachers can trust him. Daniel would rather confess to some of his misdeeds than to invent a false excuse for himself. He expects the same from others, and therefore it is better to be frank with him. D. does not like to argue and prefers to resolve conflicts through diplomacy.

Daniil studies well, although he may get poor grades in some lessons. And the point is not that these subjects are poorly given to him - they are simply not interesting to him, and therefore he does not want to pay due attention to them. A good teacher will be able to instill in Daniel an interest in his subject, even if he initially hates it. If this did not happen, parents should think about finding a good tutor for him.

Daniel has authority among his peers, they often turn to him for help and ask his opinion on issues of interest to them. D. willingly gives advice, helps with studies. Even if he does not have sufficient knowledge in some areas, he speaks very confidently, so that others have no doubts about Daniel's competence.

Website visitor comments

    Very interesting information, but I'm interested in the question: is there a difference between the names Daniel and Danil? I just don't think so. And a friend, a philologist and an ardent fanatic concurrently, says that the Bible describes one prophet, whose name was Daniel, and then God called him Daniel, and it seems that the meaning of the name has changed. Not sure exactly, wanted to ask you.

    Yes, Nadia, it is true. There is a difference, although for the eye it is purely symbolic. But each name has its own unique meaning, and even in such nuances there are differences. It’s just that Daniel is an older name, appeared at the time of the writing of the Bible, and Daniel is more modern, a derivative of the first name, so what. If this is important for you, then try to find more information and choose which of the two names you like best.

    My cousin's name is Daniel. Even as a toddler, he was a very calm child, but also sociable. Once I even made friends on the beach with a child who spoke Turkish. And although they did not know the language, they still somehow babbled and seemed to even understand each other !! And at the expense of the chosen one, in general, 100 out of 100. Sometimes it seems to me that she is more of a sister / girlfriend than a wife. I can't even imagine the two of them in the same bed. Everything is very well marked.)

    our Daniil, who is 5 years old, is a very active and stubborn and sociable child, maybe due to his age, he is already an adult)))) A very quick-witted and mischievous kid, a very active child. He starts a fight himself, he can start waving his fists, a little defender, and when he is offended he will never complain about the offender, that's how they are Daniil.

    Hello!
    I’m expecting a baby, I don’t know the gender of the baby yet, although I’m already 24 weeks old. She sits on the priest and doesn’t want to show. We decided that if there is a boy, we’ll call Daniel. and achieve a lot in life. I want my son to be like this.

    Mom told me that she chose a name for me just based on the description. I really always strive for perfection, I just try to bring everything to the maximum. this is especially true for my work and my actions, I don’t show such categoricalness to others, but sometimes I really want to be softer towards myself, but I can’t change my character.

    My wife wants to name her son Daniel. Daniil Denisovich, sounds good to me! After reading the article, I want to believe that the son will take only dignity on his behalf. Although, much depends on the person himself, but they say that the name predetermines fate, well, so be it. If there is a craving for sports, I will definitely give it to hockey. But in general, in life I will try to develop and direct his qualities of character in the right direction. Thanks for the info.

    Daniel is still very businesslike and hardworking, he takes on any job. My 6-year-old Daniel today tore off the skirting boards and unscrewed the hinges at the door, working with a screwdriver, screwdrivers and chisels. In the village he hammered nails, as soon as he began to walk, he would find a hole and hammer a carnation into it. No wonder they say Danila-master. Inquisitive, he has been reading and playing chess for two years already.. I did not regret for a second that I called him by that name. Of course, she called them after the saints.

    My son is an exception. I also chose the name based on the description. More hooliganism of the guy was not in the kindergarten or in the classroom. Constantly mischievous. One never liked to play, the little one did not play with toys himself.

    We named our son Daniel, we really liked the name and its meaning. While he is still a baby with us, the character does not manifest itself clearly. No different from peers, sleeps, eats, stays awake. Let's see what it will be like if the character traits described here match.

    Honestly, no one knows that name. I don't know if it's true or not. Do you believe in the meaning of the name and can the name affect the fate of the child? Now we are waiting for replenishment in the family, the gender is not yet known, we are racking our brains, we have already gone through a bunch of options and we cannot choose

    I have a colleague Daniel. He is calm and reasonable, a good friend. At the same time, it is straightforward, but this does not offend people, but rather attracts them. At the expense of the fact that he likes to argue, that's for sure. When we go home after work, we always argue, besides, he is a great conversationalist

    My husband is Daniel. I am surrounded by care and affection. Although Daniel is not inclined to express his feelings openly. He is stingy with compliments and praise, at first I thought that our feelings had cooled. But he is like that, he does not like to express emotions brightly and proves everything with deeds.

    My husband likes to spend his free time with friends, I'm used to it and I'm patient. But important holidays, New Year or birthday, he prefers to spend with his family. My husband is very hospitable, loves to receive guests. So everything written in the article is the same

    Our son Daniel is a quiet and calm child, he does not disturb us. Really prefers to spend time alone, reading or playing. At the same time, he is sociable, easily makes acquaintances with other guys, he has many friends. Secondary school student

    I am faced with the choice of a university and a profession. I like both creativity and the exact sciences. The fact that “always achieves the highest degree of excellence in any business that he undertakes” is about me. I love getting things done and achieving my goals.

    I myself did not notice how by the age of 15 I became much smarter. I have always been a leader in my company without achieving this, and all decisions depended on me, where we go and what we will do I chose, and if I do not agree, then no one will do it. I am very kind, not sociable (closed with strangers), I prefer loneliness and spend time doing my favorite thing, I trust (I open my whole self) and communicate with people who have known me for a long time and have similar interests to me. I am very inquisitive. I dream of bringing something new into this world, leaving something behind me, making a discovery. Very secretive, I will never tell my secrets even to my parents (they don’t know me very well. In order for me to learn quickly, I need an individual approach to me (It will be useful for parents). Very observant of people, I want to fully study human psychology. I must be smart and it’s hard, it’s hard to understand a lot in this world, every night I’m in deep thought, for me the universe is a mystery that I try to solve every day, I believe in mysticism. a lot of things in this life, and it would be stupid to just die. I would like to become an extrovert, but this is not mine. Your choice parents, make a smart introvert (maybe it's better for future science) or choose another name, and make your son an ordinary person, not thinking about any bullshit, and he will live like all other normal people. This is just my opinion. I haven’t met people like me yet .. maybe because I wasn’t looking for another Daniel, and he wasn’t looking for me either) it’s logical) Your choice .

The first independent prince of Moscow, the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky, was called Daniel Alexandrovich. And after him, there was not a single namesake of his on the princely throne, although even for a century the princes of the Moscow House called their sons, even the first-born, like that.

holy prince

Daniil Alexandrovich of Moscow was a "correct" prince. He lived with his wife in harmony and love, raised his sons, was a fair master, a zealous master as a subject.

With neighbors, with the exception of the Ryazan prince, he tried to live peacefully, and not to interfere in the strife and strife of older brothers. Daniil often played the role of an intermediary, calling for peace between two irreconcilable Aleksandrovichs: Dmitry Pereyaslavsky and Andrey Gorodetsky.

His life ended quietly, he never visited the reign of Vladimir, because his brother Andrei survived him. The children bequeathed not to quarrel.

After the death of the prince, they started talking about the miracles that happened at his grave. Yes, and for many decades the people of Moscow remembered their beloved prince. And he generously named the babies with the name of Daniel.

Daniel Ivanovich

The first in honor of the father of his second son was named Danila by Ivan Kalita, however, then he was not Kalita yet, his brother reigned in Moscow Yuri Danilovich Ryzhiy.

He reigned, consumed by a thirst for power. At the turn of 1319-1320, a baby was born to Prince Ivan and Princess Elena, his first wife, named after the faithful father. And he lived only a few weeks.

Around the same time at the Moscow Thousand Protasia (Velyamina) an adult son dies by the name of Danila, a favorite of his father and a fine fellow in the prime of his life, his father hoped to transfer the title and his position as a thousandth to him. And Protasius called him in honor of his beloved prince, whom he served all his life.

Already then they started talking, they say, the holy prince Danila calls his namesakes, named after him, to himself.

Daniel Semenovich

The son of Ivan Kalita, Simeon Ivanovich Proud, in general, was unlucky in relation to children. The prince had three wives, and the princely throne eventually passed to his brother - Ivan Ivanovich Krasny.

Simeon had 4 sons from his third wife, Maria Alexandrovna from Tver. The eldest did not live even a year, he bore the name of Daniel, however, the sons, named differently, also did not live long.

Daniel Dmitrievich

The next prince, who in 1370 named his first-born son in honor of the legendary and revered ancestor, was Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy.

At first, the son grew up and pleased his parents, the marriage of Dmitry Donskoy and the princess Evdokia was both agreeable and prolific.

But in 1379, 9-year-old Danila dies. And Vasily Dmitrievich, who was born a year later than his brother, becomes the main heir.

Daniil Vasilievich

Vasily Dmitrievich, married to Sofia Vitovtovna, also suffered because of the children. His eldest son Yuri died at the age of five. The second son, Ivan, was called by God during the plague in 1417.

The third son was named Daniel. He lived for 5 months and in 1402 died from some kind of pestilence, probably a childhood one.

Sophia became pregnant again, gave birth to a son, Semyon, but he did not heal in the world either. The heir, the future Vasily the Dark, was born only in 1415. 10 years before the death of the father.

Legend

More in the families of the princes of the Moscow House of Rurikovich, not a single ruler named Daniel. They didn’t even believe in a curse, Daniil Alexandrovich was once too revered in Moscow.

They believed in retribution for sin. What sin? Whose? Daniil Alexandrovich himself once captured the Ryazan prince Konstantin Romanovich. Then Moscow was at war with Ryazan because of Kolomna.

The prince was imprisoned, Daniil Alexandrovich hoped to take the "kiss of the cross" from Konstantin, and then let him go to Ryazan in peace.

But the case dragged on and Daniil did not have time to release the prisoner, but his successor Yuri Danilovich decided the matter: they secretly killed the Ryazan prince in the gate. Violating, thereby, God's will and the will of Daniel Alexandrovich.

For this sin, the prince exacted, taking away all the boys of the Moscow princely house, named after him.

Illustrations from the public access of the Internet

The first Moscow prince Daniel was the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky. Thanks to his prudence and peacefulness, he was known among his contemporaries as a great righteous man, and his descendants canonized him among the saints.

junior

The last, fourth child in the family of Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky and the righteous Vassa was baby Daniel. At the age of two, he lost his father, and he inherited a small Moscow inheritance, the smallest among all. The baby was sent to be raised by his uncle in Tver. There he learned not only literacy and military science, but also philanthropy. At the age of 15, the lad ascended the throne, and one of his first orders was the order to found a monastery in honor of his heavenly patron, the Monk Daniel the Stylite. It was the first monastery in Moscow.

The young prince was faced with the task of preserving his small inheritance from the warlike brothers, thirsting for the glory of the great father. In turn, he helped one or the other brother to negotiate peacefully, while they fought for the grand princely throne of Vladimir. In 1293, Daniil's elder brother Andrei called for help the Tatar commander Dudeney, with whose army he began to devastate small Russian principalities. Tver, Mozhaisk, Kolomna, Dmitrov, Murom were burned. When the turn came to Moscow, Daniil surrendered the city without a fight and withdrew the civilian population in order to avoid heavy losses. Moscow, burned to the ground, was soon restored, and the Moscow prince, with the support of his allies, went on a campaign against Andrei. However, on the battlefield, he tried to persuade him to disperse so as not to shed blood. After several years of civil strife, a congress of princes took place in Dmitrov, at which an important truce was concluded at that time.

Politician

Having heard about the diplomatic talent of the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky, the Novgorod boyars called on Daniil to reign. However, the struggle for the local throne was of no interest to the young ruler, and he refused the offer. Meanwhile, Daniel still had to make a military campaign against the neighboring Ryazan principality in 1300. The fact is that the local prince Konstantin Romanovich decided with the help of the Tatars to "walk" through the lands of Moscow. Preventing malicious intent, the Moscow prince defeated a detachment of infidels, and at the same time captured Konstantin himself. Moreover, the fortress of Kolomna on the Oka fell under the possession of Moscow. Now it is a small provincial town, but then Kolomna was an important outpost and trade center. The Ryazan prince was kept in dungeons until 1306 and after the death of Daniel was executed by his son.

Prince of Pereslavl-Zalessky Ioann Dmitrievich - Daniel's childless nephew - shortly before his death bequeathed his inheritance to his uncle. At that time it was one of the largest principalities of North-Eastern Russia with a powerful fortress and a fairly rich population. However, Daniel remained faithful to his patrimony, did not transfer the capital and remained in Moscow.

"God hasn't forgotten me"

In 1303, Daniel fell seriously ill. He accepted the great schema and bequeathed to bury himself in the fraternal cemetery of the Danilov Monastery. On March 4 of the same year, he passed away. After almost 30 years, the monastery was moved to the Kremlin, the cathedral was turned into a parish church, and the cemetery became secular. Gradually, the grave of the noble prince was lost, and the temple was abandoned. However, a century and a half later, Daniel appeared to one of Ivan III's close associates and said: “Do not be afraid of me - I am a Christian and the master of this place, my name is Daniel, Prince of Moscow, by the will of God I am put here. Tell Grand Duke John from me: you yourself console yourself, but you have forgotten me, but God has not forgotten me. Then the ruler ordered to perform cathedral requiems for his relatives-princes.

During the time of Ivan the Terrible, the dying son of a Kolomna merchant was healed at the tomb of Daniel. The shocked tsar renewed the ancient monastery and established an annual religious procession to the burial place of the noble prince with the performance of requiems there. In 1652, the incorruptible relics of Prince Daniel were found, he was glorified as a saint. His relics were transferred to the Church of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, where they were kept until 1930, when the monastery was closed. Then for some time they were in the Church of the Resurrection of the Word, which is next to the Danilov Monastery. After the church was closed in 1932, the relics of the saint disappeared. Now in the monastery there are several particles of the relics of St. Daniel, placed in a shrine, an ark and icons.

Prince Daniel grew up as a meek and gentle boy, helping the poor and suffering. Like his father, Alexander Nevsky, he loved God's temple, prayer and church singing. In childhood, as befits a future ruler, he studied secular sciences, martial arts and government.

Only in 1272 did the brothers give him the poorest and most insignificant (at that time) principality of Moscow for reigning. The prince was satisfied with the allocated principality and did not express any complaints.

The young prince liked the city very much. It had everything for hunting, and for trade, and for agricultural activities. Only the owner was missing. All recent years, the princes did not live in Moscow, but the city was ruled by governors. Arrears, postscripts, embezzlement and theft were revealed everywhere.

The prince began with the construction of a monastery in the city. The prince himself traveled around the surrounding villages, received reports from the elders. The expansion of the Kremlin began in the city. Daniel personally supervised the erection of walls and fortifications.

Thanks to the prince, we have Red Square, which under him became the main shopping arcade.

The new Moscow prince Daniel did a lot with his policy to ensure that the capital of Moscow appeared from a small and unenviable inheritance, and he himself became the first Grand Duke of Moscow.

The times of Daniil of Moscow were especially difficult for Russia. Not only could Russia not recover from the Mongol-Tatar invasion, but their princes tore the country apart in internecine hostility. And here the policy of Prince Daniel of Moscow, who tirelessly strove for unity and peace on Russian soil, had a great influence. It was he who managed to prevent impending bloodshed.

A particularly bloody lesson was the betrayal of his elder brother, Andrei: he brought the Tatar horde to Russia, led by Tudan (Dyuden), who devastated and plundered many Russian cities, including Murom, Suzdal, Tver, Mozhaisk, Kolomna. Trying to prevent bloodshed, Daniel let the Tatars into Moscow, since there were no forces to fight back. After the departure of the invaders, who left behind the ashes, the prince distributed all his property to the affected townspeople.

An important moment in the biography of Daniil of Moscow and, in general, a turning point for the fate of the country was the congress of all Russian princes in the city of Dmitrov in 1301. It was here that Daniil of Moscow persuaded everyone to make peace and stop internal strife.

In 1302, the nephew of Daniil of Moscow, Ivan Dmitrievich, Prince of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, died. Ivan Dmitrievich was childless and loved and respected his uncle very much, to whom he bequeathed his entire principality to his property.

This accession, in fact, put forward the Moscow principality among the largest. Another result of this accession was the beginning of the unification of Russian lands into a single powerful state.

Nevertheless, in 1301, the Ryazan prince Konstantin Romanovich, with the assistance of the Tatars, attacked the Moscow principality. Daniil Alexandrovich defeated the enemy, captured the Ryazan prince and destroyed a large number of Tatars. This was the first victory over the Tatars, albeit small, but very significant.

The Grand Duke did not take advantage of the victory to seize other people's lands, and in Moscow he rendered appropriate honors to the defeated Ryazan prince. The victory over the prince of Ryazan demonstrated to the Russian people the mercy and disinterestedness of Daniil of Moscow.

In 1303, the Grand Duke fell seriously ill. On the eve of his death, he became a monk. Daniil Alexandrovich was buried in the Danilov Monastery. His relics were found in 1652 and transferred by order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich to the temple of the Seven Ecumenical Councils in the monastery he founded.

After the death of Daniil Alexandrovich, the title of grand-ducal power is inherited by his son Ioann Danilovich, and after him this dignity passes from one to another, from father to son, in a straight line, until the death of Fyodor Ioannovich in 1598.