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The last flower of Byzantium
10 Facts About Russian Tsarina Sophia Paleolog / World History
How the Byzantine princess deceived the Pope, and what she changed in the life of Russia. More about Third Rome
"Sofia". Frame from the series
1. Sofia Paleolog was the daughter of the Despot of the Morea (now the Peloponnese) Thomas Palaiologos and niece of the last emperor of the Byzantine Empire Constantine XI.
2. Sophia was named at birth Zoey. It was born two years after the Ottomans captured Constantinople in 1453, and the Byzantine Empire ceased to exist. Morea was captured five years later. Zoe's family was forced to flee, finding refuge in Rome. To obtain the support of the Pope Thomas, Palaiologos converted to Catholicism with his family. With the change of faith, Zoya became Sophia.
3. The immediate guardian of Sophia Paleolog was appointed Cardinal Vissarion of Nicaea, a supporter of the union, that is, the unification of Catholics and Orthodox under the authority of the Pope. Sophia's fate was supposed to be decided by an advantageous marriage. In 1466 she was offered as a bride to a Cypriot King Jacques II de Lusignan but he refused. In 1467 she was offered as a wife Prince Caracciolo, a noble Italian rich man. The prince agreed, after which a solemn betrothal took place.
4. The fate of Sophia changed dramatically after it became known that Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III widowed and looking for a new wife. Vissarion of Nicaea decided that if Sophia Paleolog becomes the wife of Ivan III, the Russian lands could be brought under the influence of the Pope.
Sofia Paleolog. Reconstruction from the skull of S. Nikitin
5. On June 1, 1472, in the Basilica of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Rome, Ivan III and Sophia Palaiologos were betrothed in absentia. Russian Deputy Grand Duke Ambassador Ivan Fryazin. Wife was present as guests. Ruler of Florence Lorenzo the Magnificent Clarice Orsini and Queen Katarina of Bosnia.
6. During the marriage negotiations, representatives of the Pope were silent about the transition of Sophia Palaiologos to Catholicism. But a surprise awaited them too - immediately after crossing the Russian border, Sophia announced to Bessarion of Nicaea, who accompanied her, that she was returning to Orthodoxy and would not perform Catholic rites. In fact, this was the end of the attempt to carry out the union project in Russia.
7. The wedding of Ivan III and Sophia Paleolog in Russia took place on November 12, 1472. Their marriage lasted 30 years, Sofia gave birth to her husband 12 children, but the first four were girls. Born in March 1479, the boy, named Vasily, later became the Grand Duke of Moscow Basil III.
8. At the end of the 15th century, a fierce struggle unfolded in Moscow for the right to succession to the throne. The son of Ivan III from his first marriage was considered the official heir Ivan Young who even had the status of co-ruler. However, with the birth of her son Vasily, Sophia Palaiologos joined the struggle for his rights to the throne. The Moscow elite was divided into two warring parties. Both of them fell into disgrace, but in the end, the victory remained with the supporters of Sophia Palaiologos and her son.
9. Under Sophia Palaiologos, the practice of inviting foreign specialists to Russia became widespread: architects, jewelers, miners, gunsmiths, doctors. For the construction of the Assumption Cathedral from Italy was invited architect Aristotle Fioravanti. Other buildings on the territory of the Kremlin were also rebuilt. At the construction site, white stone was actively used, which is why the expression “white-stone Moscow”, which has been preserved for centuries, appeared.
10. In the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, a silk shroud is kept, sewn by the hands of Sophia in 1498; her name is embroidered on the veil, and she calls herself not the Grand Duchess of Moscow, but the “Tsarina of Tsaregorodskaya”. With her filing, the Russian rulers began, first unofficially, and then at the official level, to call themselves tsars. In 1514, in an agreement with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I Sophia's son Vasily III for the first time in the history of Russia is named Emperor of the Rus. This charter is then used Peter I as proof of their rights to be crowned as emperor.
The wedding of Ivan III with Sophia Paleolog in 1472. Engraving of the 19th century.
Sofia Paleolog
How a Byzantine princess built a new empire in Russia
The niece of the last ruler of Byzantium, having survived the collapse of one empire, decided to revive it in a new place. Mother of the "Third Rome"
At the end of the 15th century, in the Russian lands united around Moscow, the concept began to emerge, according to which the Russian state was the successor of the Byzantine Empire. A few decades later, the thesis "Moscow - the Third Rome" will become a symbol of the state ideology of the Russian state.
A major role in the formation of a new ideology and in the changes that were taking place at that time inside Russia was destined to be played by a woman whose name was heard by almost everyone who had ever come into contact with Russian history. Sophia Paleolog, the wife of Grand Duke Ivan III, contributed to the development of Russian architecture, medicine, culture and many other areas of life.
There is another view of her, according to which she was the "Russian Catherine de Medici", whose intrigues set off the development of Russia along a completely different path and brought confusion to the life of the state.
The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in between. Sophia Paleolog did not choose Russia - Russia chose her, a girl from the last dynasty of Byzantine emperors, as a wife for the Grand Duke of Moscow.
Thomas Palaiologos, Sophia's father
Byzantine orphan at the papal court
Zoya Paleologina, the daughter of the despot (this is the title of the position) Morea Thomas Palaiologos, was born at a tragic time. In 1453, the Byzantine Empire, the successor of Ancient Rome, after a thousand years of existence, collapsed under the blows of the Ottomans. The fall of Constantinople, in which Emperor Constantine XI, brother of Thomas Palaiologos and uncle Zoe, died, was a symbol of the empire's downfall.
The Despotate of Morea, a province of Byzantium ruled by Thomas Palaiologos, held out until 1460. These years, Zoya lived with her father and brothers in Mystra, the capital of Morea, a city located next to Ancient Sparta. After Sultan Mehmed II captured the Morea, Thomas Palaiologos went to the island of Corfu, and then to Rome, where he died.
Children from the royal family of the lost empire lived at the court of the Pope. Shortly before the death of Thomas Palaiologos, in order to gain support, he converted to Catholicism. His children also became Catholics. Zoya after baptism in the Roman rite was named Sophia.
Vissarion of Nicaea
A 10-year-old girl, taken into the care of the papal court, did not have the opportunity to decide anything on her own. Cardinal Bessarion of Nicaea, one of the authors of the union, which was supposed to unite Catholics and Orthodox under the common authority of the Pope, was appointed her mentor.
Sophia's fate was going to be arranged through marriage. In 1466, she was offered as a bride to the Cypriot king Jacques II de Lusignan, but he refused. In 1467, she was offered as a wife to Prince Caracciolo, a noble Italian rich man. The prince agreed, after which a solemn betrothal took place.
Bride on the "icon"
But Sophia was not destined to become the wife of an Italian. In Rome, it became known that the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III had been widowed. The Russian prince was young, at the time of the death of his first wife he was only 27 years old, and it was expected that he would soon be looking for a new wife.
Cardinal Vissarion of Nicaea saw this as a chance to promote his idea of Uniatism to Russian lands. From his filing in 1469 Pope Paul II sent a letter to Ivan III, in which he proposed 14-year-old Sophia Paleolog as a bride. The letter referred to her as an "Orthodox Christian" without mentioning her conversion to Catholicism.
Ivan III was not devoid of ambition, which his wife would often play later on. Upon learning that the niece of the Byzantine emperor was proposed as a bride, he agreed.
Viktor Muyzhel. "Ambassador Ivan Fryazin presents Ivan III with a portrait of his bride Sophia Paleolog"
Negotiations, however, had just begun - it was necessary to discuss all the details. The Russian ambassador sent to Rome returned with a gift that shocked both the groom and his entourage. In the annals, this fact was reflected in the words “bring the princess on the icon.”
The fact is that in Russia at that time secular painting did not exist at all, and the portrait of Sophia sent to Ivan III was perceived in Moscow as an “icon”.
Sofia Paleolog. Reconstruction from the skull of S. Nikitin
However, having figured out what was happening, the Moscow prince was pleased with the appearance of the bride. In historical literature, there are various descriptions of Sophia Paleolog - from beauty to ugliness. In the 1990s, studies of the remains of the wife of Ivan III were carried out, during which her appearance was also restored. Sophia was a short woman (about 160 cm), prone to corpulence, with strong-willed features that can be called, if not beautiful, then rather pretty. Be that as it may, Ivan III liked her.
The failure of Vissarion of Nicaea
The formalities were settled by the spring of 1472, when a new Russian embassy arrived in Rome, this time for the bride herself.
On June 1, 1472, an absentee betrothal took place in the Basilica of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The Deputy Grand Duke was the Russian ambassador Ivan Fryazin. The wife of the ruler of Florence, Lorenzo the Magnificent, Clarice Orsini and the Queen of Bosnia, Katharina, were also guests. The Pope, in addition to gifts, gave the bride a dowry of 6,000 ducats.
Sophia Paleolog enters Moscow. Miniature of the Front Chronicle
On June 24, 1472, a large convoy of Sophia Paleolog, together with the Russian ambassador, left Rome. The bride was accompanied by a Roman retinue led by Cardinal Bessarion of Nicaea.
It was necessary to get to Moscow through Germany along the Baltic Sea, and then through the Baltic States, Pskov and Novgorod. Such a difficult route was due to the fact that Russia once again began to have political problems with Poland during this period.
From time immemorial, the Byzantines were famous for their cunning and deceit. The fact that Sophia Palaiologos inherited these qualities in full, Bessarion of Nicaea found out soon after the bride's convoy crossed the border of Russia. The 17-year-old girl announced that from now on she would no longer perform Catholic rites, but would return to the faith of her ancestors, that is, to Orthodoxy. All the ambitious plans of the cardinal collapsed. Attempts by Catholics to gain a foothold in Moscow and increase their influence failed.
November 12, 1472 Sophia entered Moscow. Here, too, there were many who were wary of her, seeing her as a "Roman agent." According to some information, Metropolitan Philip, dissatisfied with the bride, refused to conduct the wedding ceremony, which is why the ceremony was held by the Kolomna Archpriest Hosea.
But be that as it may, Sophia Paleolog became the wife of Ivan III.
Fedor Bronnikov. "Meeting of Princess Sophia Paleolog by Pskov posadniks and boyars at the mouth of the Embakh on Lake Peipsi"
How Sophia delivered Russia from the yoke
Their marriage lasted 30 years, she gave birth to her husband 12 children, of which five sons and four daughters survived to adulthood. Judging by historical documents, the Grand Duke was attached to his wife and children, for which he even received reproaches from high-ranking ministers of the church, who believed that this was detrimental to state interests.
Sophia never forgot about her origin and behaved as, in her opinion, the emperor's niece was supposed to behave. Under her influence, the receptions of the Grand Duke, especially the receptions of ambassadors, were furnished with a complex and colorful ceremonial, similar to the Byzantine one. Thanks to her, the Byzantine double-headed eagle migrated to Russian heraldry. Thanks to her influence, Grand Duke Ivan III began to call himself the "Russian Tsar". Under the son and grandson of Sophia Paleolog, this naming of the Russian ruler will become official.
Judging by the actions and deeds of Sophia, she, having lost her native Byzantium, seriously set about building it in another Orthodox country. To help her was the ambition of her husband, on whom she successfully played.
When the Horde Khan Akhmat prepared an invasion of Russian lands and in Moscow they discussed the issue of the amount of tribute with which you can pay off misfortune, Sophia intervened in the matter. Bursting into tears, she began to reproach her husband for the fact that the country was still forced to pay tribute and that it was time to end this shameful situation. Ivan III was not a warlike person, but his wife's reproaches touched him to the core. He decided to gather an army and march towards Akhmat.
At the same time, the Grand Duke sent his wife and children first to Dmitrov, and then to Beloozero, fearing a military failure.
But failure did not happen - on the Ugra River, where the troops of Akhmat and Ivan III met, the battle did not happen. After what is known as “standing on the Ugra”, Akhmat retreated without a fight, and dependence on the Horde ended completely.
15th century rebuilding
Sophia inspired her husband that the sovereign of such a great power as he could not live in the capital with wooden churches and chambers. Under the influence of his wife, Ivan III began the restructuring of the Kremlin. For the construction of the Assumption Cathedral, the architect Aristotle Fioravanti was invited from Italy. At the construction site, white stone was actively used, which is why the expression “white-stone Moscow”, which has been preserved for centuries, appeared.
The invitation of foreign experts in various fields became a widespread phenomenon under Sophia Paleolog. The Italians and Greeks, who took up the post of ambassadors under Ivan III, will begin to actively invite their fellow countrymen to Russia: architects, jewelers, coiners and gunsmiths. Among the visitors there were a large number of professional doctors.
Sophia arrived in Moscow with a large dowry, part of which was occupied by a library that included Greek parchments, Latin chronographs, ancient Eastern manuscripts, among which were the poems of Homer, the works of Aristotle and Plato, and even books from the Library of Alexandria.
These books formed the basis of the legendary missing library of Ivan the Terrible, which enthusiasts are trying to find to this day. Skeptics, however, believe that such a library did not really exist.
Speaking about the hostile and wary attitude towards Sophia of the Russians, it must be said that they were embarrassed by her independent behavior, active interference in state affairs. Such behavior for Sophia's predecessors as Grand Duchesses, and simply for Russian women, was uncharacteristic.
Battle of the heirs
By the time of the second marriage of Ivan III, he already had a son from his first wife - Ivan Molodoy, who was declared heir to the throne. But with the birth of children, Sophia began to grow tension. The Russian nobility split into two groups, one of which supported Ivan the Young, and the second - Sophia.
Relations between the stepmother and stepson did not work out, so much so that Ivan III himself had to exhort his son to behave decently.
Ivan Molodoy was only three years younger than Sophia and did not feel respect for her, apparently considering his father's new marriage a betrayal of his dead mother.
In 1479, Sophia, who had previously given birth only to girls, gave birth to a son named Vasily. As a true representative of the Byzantine imperial family, she was ready to provide her son with the throne at any cost.
By this time, Ivan the Young was already mentioned in Russian documents as a co-ruler of his father. And in 1483 the heir married daughter of the ruler of Moldavia, Stephen the Great, Elena Voloshanka.
The relationship between Sophia and Elena immediately became hostile. When in 1483 Elena gave birth to a son Dmitry, Vasily's prospects for inheriting his father's throne became completely illusory.
Women's rivalry at the court of Ivan III was fierce. Both Elena and Sophia were eager to get rid of not only their rival, but also her offspring.
In 1484, Ivan III decided to give his daughter-in-law a pearl dowry left over from his first wife. But then it turned out that Sophia had already given it to her relative. The Grand Duke, enraged by the arbitrariness of his wife, forced her to return the gift, and the relative herself, together with her husband, had to flee from the Russian lands out of fear of punishment.
Death and burial of Grand Duchess Sophia Paleolog
The loser loses everything
In 1490, the heir to the throne, Ivan the Young, fell ill with "aching legs." Especially for his treatment from Venice was called doctor Lebi Zhidovin, but he could not help, and on March 7, 1490, the heir died. The doctor was executed by order of Ivan III, and rumors circulated in Moscow that Ivan Young died as a result of poisoning, which was the work of Sophia Paleolog.
There is no evidence for this, however. After the death of Ivan the Young, his son became the new heir, known in Russian historiography as Dmitry Ivanovich Vnuk.
Dmitry Vnuk was not officially proclaimed heir, and therefore Sophia Paleolog continued her attempts to achieve the throne for Vasily.
In 1497, a conspiracy of supporters of Vasily and Sophia was uncovered. Enraged, Ivan III sent its participants to the chopping block, but did not touch his wife and son. However, they were in disgrace, actually under house arrest. On February 4, 1498, Dmitry Vnuk was officially proclaimed heir to the throne.
The fight, however, was not over. Soon, Sophia's party managed to achieve revenge - this time, the supporters of Dmitry and Elena Voloshanka were given into the hands of the executioners. The denouement came on April 11, 1502. New accusations of a conspiracy against Dmitry Vnuk and his mother Ivan III considered convincing, sending them under house arrest. A few days later, Vasily was proclaimed co-ruler of his father and heir to the throne, and Dmitry Vnuk and his mother were placed in prison.
Birth of an empire
Sophia Paleolog, who actually elevated her son to the Russian throne, herself did not live up to this moment. She died on April 7, 1503 and was buried in a massive white stone sarcophagus in the tomb of the Ascension Cathedral in the Kremlin next to the grave. Maria Borisovna, the first wife of Ivan III.
The Grand Duke, who was widowed for the second time, outlived his beloved Sophia by two years, passing away in October 1505. Elena Voloshanka died in prison.
Vasily III, having ascended the throne, first of all tightened the conditions of detention for a competitor - Dmitry Vnuk was shackled in iron shackles and placed in a small cell. In 1509, the 25-year-old noble prisoner died.
In 1514, in an agreement with the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, Vasily III was named Emperor of the Rus for the first time in the history of Russia. This charter is then used by Peter I as proof of his rights to be crowned as emperor.
The efforts of Sophia Palaiologos, a proud Byzantine who set about building a new empire to replace the lost one, were not in vain.
They say that every city founded in antiquity or in the Middle Ages has its own secret name. According to legend, only a few people could know him. The city's secret name contained its DNA. Having learned the "password" of the city, the enemy could easily take possession of it."Secret Name"
According to the ancient urban planning tradition, at the beginning the secret name of the city was born, then there was a corresponding place, the “heart of the city”, which symbolized the World Tree. Moreover, it is not necessary that the navel of the city should be located in the "geometric" center of the future city. The city is almost like Koshchei’s: “... his death is at the end of a needle, that needle is in an egg, that egg is in a duck, that duck is in a hare, that hare is in a chest, and the chest stands on a tall oak, and that Koschei tree, like its own eye, protects ".
Interestingly, ancient and medieval city planners always left hints. Love for puzzles distinguished many professional guilds. Some Freemasons are worth something. Before the profanation of heraldry in the Enlightenment, the role of these rebuses was performed by the coats of arms of cities. But this is in Europe. In Russia, until the 17th century, there was no tradition at all to encrypt the essence of the city, its secret name, in the coat of arms or some other symbol. For example, George the Victorious migrated to the coat of arms of Moscow from the seals of the great Moscow princes, and even earlier - from the seals of the Tver principality. It had nothing to do with the city.
"Heart of the City"
In Russia, the starting point for the construction of the city was the temple. It was the axis of any settlement. In Moscow, this function was performed by the Assumption Cathedral for centuries. In turn, according to the Byzantine tradition, the temple was to be built on the relics of the saint. At the same time, the relics were usually placed under the altar (sometimes also on one side of the altar or at the entrance to the temple). It was the relics that represented the “heart of the city”. The name of the saint, apparently, was the very "secret name". In other words, if St. Basil's Cathedral was the "founding stone" of Moscow, then the "secret name" of the city would be "Vasilyev" or "Vasilyev-grad".
However, we do not know whose relics lie at the base of the Assumption Cathedral. There is not a single mention of this in the annals. Probably the saint's name was kept secret.
At the end of the 12th century, a wooden church stood on the site of the current Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin. A hundred years later, the Moscow prince Daniil Alexandrovich built the first Assumption Cathedral on this site. However, for unknown reasons, after 25 years, Ivan Kalita builds a new cathedral on this site. It is interesting that the temple was built on the model of St. George's Cathedral in Yuryev-Polsky. It's not entirely clear why? St. George's Cathedral can hardly be called a masterpiece of ancient Russian architecture. So there was something else?
perestroika
The model temple in Yuryev-Polsky was built in 1234 by Prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich on the site on the foundation of the white stone church of St. George, which was built in 1152 when the city was founded by Yuri Dolgoruky. Apparently, some increased attention was paid to this place. And the construction of the same temple in Moscow, perhaps, was supposed to emphasize some kind of continuity.
The Assumption Cathedral in Moscow stood for less than 150 years, and then Ivan III suddenly decided to rebuild it. The formal reason is the dilapidation of the structure. Although one and a half hundred years for a stone temple is not God knows how long. The temple was dismantled, and in its place in 1472 the construction of a new cathedral began. However, on May 20, 1474, an earthquake occurred in Moscow. The unfinished cathedral was seriously damaged, and Ivan decides to dismantle the remains and start building a new temple. Architects from Pskov are invited for construction, but for mysterious reasons, they categorically refuse to build.
Aristotle Fioravanti
Then Ivan III, at the insistence of his second wife Sophia Palaiologos, sends emissaries to Italy, who were supposed to bring the Italian architect and engineer Aristotle Fioravanti to the capital. By the way, in his homeland he was called the “new Archimedes”. It looks absolutely fantastic, because for the first time in the history of Russia, a Catholic architect is invited to build an Orthodox church, the main church of the Moscow State!
From the point of view of the then tradition - a heretic. Why an Italian was invited, who had never seen a single Orthodox church, remains a mystery. Maybe because not a single Russian architect wanted to deal with this project.
The construction of the temple under the leadership of Aristotle Fioravanti began in 1475 and ended in 1479. It is interesting that the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir was chosen as a model. Historians explain that Ivan III wanted to show the continuity of the Muscovite state from the former "capital city" of Vladimir. But this again does not look very convincing, since in the second half of the 15th century, the former authority of Vladimir could hardly have had any image value.
Perhaps this was due to the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which in 1395 was transported from the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir to the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow, built by Ivan Kalita. However, history has not preserved direct indications of this.
One of the hypotheses why Russian architects did not get down to business, and an Italian architect was invited, is connected with the personality of the second wife of John III, the Byzantine Sophia Palaiologos. A little more about this.
Sophia and the "Latin faith"
As you know, Pope Paul II actively promoted the Greek princess as a wife to Ivan III. In 1465 her father, Thomas Palaiologos, brought her with his other children to Rome. The family settled at the court of Pope Sixtus IV.
A few days after their arrival, Thomas died, having converted to Catholicism before his death. History has left us no information that Sophia converted to the "Latin faith", but it is unlikely that the Palaiologos could remain Orthodox while living at the court of the Pope. In other words, Ivan III, most likely, wooed a Catholic. Moreover, not a single chronicle reports that Sophia converted to Orthodoxy before the wedding. The wedding took place in November 1472. In theory, it was supposed to take place in the Assumption Cathedral. However, shortly before this, the temple was dismantled to the foundation in order to begin new construction. This looks very strange, because about a year before that, it was known about the upcoming wedding. It is also surprising that the wedding took place in a specially built wooden church near the Assumption Cathedral, which was demolished immediately after the ceremony. Why no other Kremlin cathedral was chosen remains a mystery.
What happened?
Let's get back to the refusal of Pskov architects to restore the destroyed Assumption Cathedral. One of the Moscow chronicles says that the Pskovites allegedly did not take up the work because of its complexity. However, it is hard to believe that Russian architects could refuse Ivan III, a rather harsh man, on such an occasion. The reason for the categorical refusal should have been very weighty. It was probably related to some heresy. A heresy that only a Catholic could bear - Fioravanti. What could it be?
The Assumption Cathedral, built by an Italian architect, does not have any "seditious" deviations from the Russian tradition of architecture. The only thing that could cause a categorical refusal is holy relics.
Perhaps the relics of a non-Orthodox saint could become a "mortgage" relic. As you know, Sophia brought many relics as a dowry, including Orthodox icons and a library. But, probably, we do not know about all the relics. It is no coincidence that Pope Paul II lobbied for this marriage so much.
If during the reconstruction of the temple there was a change of relics, then, according to the Russian tradition of urban planning, the “secret name” and, most importantly, the fate of the city changed. People who understand history well and subtly know that it was with Ivan III that the change in the rhythm of Russia began. Then the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
November 12, 1472 Ivan III marries for the second time. This time, the Greek princess Sophia, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos, becomes his chosen one.
Belokamennaya
Three years after the wedding, Ivan III will begin the arrangement of his residence with the construction of the Assumption Cathedral, which was erected on the site of the dismantled Kalita temple. Whether this will be due to the new status - the Grand Duke of Moscow by that time will position himself as the "sovereign of all Russia" - or whether his wife Sophia, dissatisfied with the "wretched situation", will "prompt" the idea, it is difficult to say for sure. By 1479, the construction of the new temple will be completed, and its properties will later be transferred to the whole of Moscow, which is still called "white stone". Large-scale construction will continue. The Annunciation Cathedral will be built on the foundations of the old palace church of the Annunciation. To store the treasury of the Moscow princes, a stone chamber will be built, which will later be called the Treasury Yard. Instead of the old wooden choirs for the reception of ambassadors, they will begin to build a new stone chamber, called the Embankment. The Palace of Facets will be built for official receptions. A large number of churches will be rebuilt and built. As a result, Moscow will completely change its appearance, and the Kremlin will turn from a wooden fortress into a "Western European castle."
New title
With the advent of Sophia, a number of researchers associate the new ceremonial and the new diplomatic language - complex and strict, prim and strained. Marriage to the noble heiress of the Byzantine emperors will allow Tsar John to position himself as the political and ecclesiastical successor of Byzantium, and the final overthrow of the Horde yoke will make it possible to transfer the status of the Moscow prince to inaccessible high level national ruler of the entire Russian land. “Ivan, Sovereign and Grand Duke” leaves the government acts and “John, by the grace of God, Sovereign of All Russia” appears. The significance of the new title is complemented by a long list of the limits of the Muscovite state: "The Sovereign of All Russia and the Grand Duke of Vladimir, and Moscow, and Novgorod, and Pskov, and Tver, and Perm, and Yugorsky, and Bulgarian, and others."
divine origin
In his new position, the source of which was partly the marriage with Sophia, Ivan III finds the former source of power insufficient - the succession from his father and grandfather. The idea of the divine origin of power was not alien to the ancestors of the sovereign, however, none of them expressed it so firmly and convincingly. To the proposal of the German Emperor Frederick III to reward Tsar Ivan with a royal title, the latter will answer: “... by the grace of God we are sovereigns on our land from the beginning, from our first ancestors, and we have the appointment from God”, indicating that in the worldly recognition of his power, the Moscow prince does not need.
double headed eagle
To visually illustrate the succession of the fallen house of the Byzantine emperors, a visual expression will also be found: from the end of the 15th century, the Byzantine emblem - a double-headed eagle - will appear on the royal seal. There are a large number of other versions where the two-headed bird “flew” from, but it is impossible to deny that the symbol appeared during the marriage of Ivan III and the Byzantine heiress.
The best minds
After Sophia's arrival in Moscow, a rather impressive group of immigrants from Italy and Greece will form at the Russian court. Subsequently, many foreigners will occupy influential public positions, and more than once will carry out the most important diplomatic state assignments. The ambassadors visited Italy with enviable regularity, but often the list of tasks did not include the solution of political issues. They returned with another rich "catch": architects, jewelers, coiners and weapons craftsmen, whose activities were directed in one direction - to promote the prosperity of Moscow. Visiting miners will find silver and copper ore in the Pechora Territory, and in Moscow they will start minting coins from Russian silver. There will also be a large number of professional doctors among the visitors.
Through the eyes of foreigners
During the reign of Ivan III and Sophia Paleolog, the first detailed notes of foreigners about Russia appear. Before some, Muscovy appeared as a wild land in which rude morals reign. For example, for the death of a patient, a doctor could be beheaded, stabbed, drowned, and when one of the best Italian architects, Aristotle Fioravanti, fearing for his life, requested to return to his homeland, he was deprived of his property and imprisoned. Other travelers saw Muscovy, those who did not stay long in the bear region. The Venetian merchant Josaphat Barbaro was amazed at the well-being of Russian cities, "abundant in bread, meat, honey and other useful things." The Italian Ambrogio Cantarini noted the beauty of Russians, both men and women. Another Italian traveler, Alberto Campenze, in a report for Pope Clement VII, writes about the well-established border service by the Muscovites, the ban on selling alcohol, except on holidays, but most of all he is captivated by Russian morality. “To deceive each other is revered by them as a terrible, heinous crime,” writes Campenze. - Adultery, violence and public debauchery are also very rare. Unnatural vices are completely unknown, and perjury and blasphemy are not heard at all.
New orders
External paraphernalia played a significant role in the exaltation of the king in the eyes of the people. Sofya Fominichna knew about this on the example of the Byzantine emperors. Lush palace ceremonial, luxurious royal robes, rich decoration of the courtyard - all this was not in Moscow. Ivan III, already a powerful sovereign, lived not much wider and richer than the boyars. Simplicity was heard in the speeches of the closest subjects - some of them came, like the Grand Duke, from Rurik. The husband heard a lot about the court life of the Byzantine autocrats from his wife and from the people who came with her. He probably wanted to become “real” here as well. Gradually, new customs began to appear: Ivan Vasilievich “began to behave majestically”, was titled “king” before the ambassadors, received foreign guests with special pomp and solemnity, and ordered to kiss the royal hand as a sign of special mercy. A little later, court ranks will appear - the bed-keeper, nursery, equestrian, and the sovereign will begin to favor the boyars for merit.
After a while, Sophia Paleolog will be called an intriguer, she will be accused of the death of her stepson Ivan the Young and they will justify “disorders” in the state with her witchcraft. However, this marriage of convenience will last 30 years and become, perhaps, one of the most significant matrimonial unions in history.
Sophia Paleolog was one of the most significant figures on the Russian throne both in her origin and in personal qualities, and also because of the people she attracted to the service of the Moscow rulers. This woman had the talent of a statesman, she knew how to set goals and achieve results.
Family and lineage
The Byzantine imperial dynasty of Palaiologos ruled for two centuries, from the expulsion of the crusaders in 1261 to the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453.
Sophia's uncle Constantine XI is known as the last emperor of Byzantium. He died during the capture of the city by the Turks. Of the hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, only 5,000 went on the defensive, foreign sailors and mercenaries, led by the emperor himself, fought with the invaders. Seeing that the enemies were winning, Constantine exclaimed in despair: “The city has fallen, but I am still alive,” after which, having torn off the signs of imperial dignity, he rushed into battle and was killed.
Sophia's father, Thomas Palaiologos, was the ruler of the Despotate of Morea on the Peloponnese peninsula. By her mother, Catherine of Akhai, the girl came from a noble Genoese family of Centurione.
The exact date of Sophia's birth is unknown, but her older sister Elena was born in 1431, and her brothers in 1453 and 1455. Therefore, most likely, those researchers who claim that at the time of her marriage to Ivan III in 1472, she was, according to the concepts of that time, already quite a few years old are right.
Life in Rome
In 1453, the Turks captured Constantinople, and in 1460 they invaded the Peloponnese. Thomas managed to escape with his family to the island of Corfu, and then to Rome. To guarantee the location of the Vatican, Thomas converted to Catholicism.
Thomas and his wife died almost simultaneously in 1465. Sophia and her brothers were under the patronage of Pope Paul II. The training of young Palaiologos was entrusted to the Greek philosopher Bessarion of Nicaea, the author of the project for the union of the Orthodox and Catholic churches. By the way, Byzantium agreed to the above alliance in 1439, counting on support in the war against the Turks, but did not wait for any help from European rulers.
The eldest son of Thomas, Andrew, was the legitimate heir of the Palaiologoi. Subsequently, he managed to get two million ducats from Sixtus IV for a military expedition, but spent them on other purposes. After that, he wandered around European courtyards in the hope of finding allies.
Andrew's brother Manuel returned to Constantinople and ceded his rights to the throne to Sultan Bayezid II in exchange for maintenance.
Marriage with Grand Duke Ivan III
Pope Paul II hoped to marry Sophia Palaiologos for his own benefit, in order to expand his influence with her assistance. But although the pope gave her a dowry of 6,000 ducats, she had no land or military force behind her. She had a famous name, which only scared away the Greek rulers who did not want to quarrel with the Ottoman Empire, and Sophia refused marriages with Catholics.
The Greek ambassador proposed to Ivan III a marriage proposal to a Byzantine princess two years after the Grand Duke of Moscow had been widowed in 1467. He was presented with a miniature portrait of Sophia. Ivan III agreed to the marriage.
However, Sophia was brought up in Rome and was educated in the spirit of Uniatism. And the Rome of the Renaissance was the place of concentration of all the vices of mankind, and this moral decay was headed by the pontiffs of the Catholic Church. Petrarch wrote about this city: "It is enough to see Rome to lose faith." All this was well known in Moscow. And despite the fact that the bride unequivocally demonstrated her commitment to Orthodoxy while on the road, Metropolitan Philip disapproved of this marriage and avoided the wedding of the royal couple. The rite was performed by Archpriest Hosea of Kolomna. The wedding took place immediately on the day of the bride's arrival - November 12, 1472. Such a rush was explained by the fact that it was a holiday: the day of memory of John Chrysostom - the patron saint of the Grand Duke.
Despite the fears of the zealots of Orthodoxy, Sophia never tried to create the basis for religious conflicts. According to legend, she brought with her several Orthodox shrines, including the Byzantine miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Blessed Sky”.
The role of Sophia in the development of Russian art
In Russia, Sophia faced the problem of the lack of sufficiently experienced architects of large buildings. There were good Pskov craftsmen, but they had experience in building mainly on a limestone foundation, while Moscow stands on fragile clay, sand and peat bogs. So, in 1474, the almost completed Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin collapsed.
Sophia Paleolog knew which of the Italian specialists was capable of solving this problem. One of the first invited by her was Aristotle Fioravanti, a talented engineer and architect from Bologna. In addition to many buildings in Italy, he also designed bridges across the Danube at the court of the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus.
Maybe Fioravanti would not have agreed to come, but shortly before that he was falsely accused of selling counterfeit money, moreover, under Sixtus IV, the Inquisition began to gain momentum, and the architect considered it good to leave for Russia, taking his son with him.
For the construction of the Assumption Cathedral, Fioravanti set up a brick factory and identified as suitable deposits of white stone in Myachkovo, from where they took building material a hundred years before for the first stone Kremlin. The temple looks like the ancient Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir, but inside it is not divided into small rooms, but is one large hall.
In 1478, Fioravanti, as chief of artillery, went with Ivan III on a campaign against Novgorod and built a pontoon bridge across the Volkhov River. Later, Fioravanti participated in campaigns against Kazan and Tver.
Italian architects rebuilt the Kremlin, giving it a modern look, erected dozens of churches and monasteries. They took into account Russian traditions, harmoniously combining them with their new products. In 1505-1508, under the guidance of the Italian architect Aleviz the New, the Kremlin Cathedral of Michael the Archangel was erected, during the construction of which the architect made the zakomaras not smooth, as before, but in the form of shells. Everyone liked this idea so much that it was subsequently used everywhere.
Sophia's involvement in the conflict with the Horde
Historian V.N. Tatishchev in his writings cites evidence that, under the influence of his wife, Ivan III went into conflict with the Golden Horde Khan Akhmat, refusing to pay tribute to him, since Sophia was very oppressed by the dependent position of the Russian state. If this is true, then Sophia acted under the influence of European politicians. The events unfolded as follows: in 1472, the Tatar raid was repulsed, but in 1480 Akhmat went to Moscow, concluding an alliance with the king of Lithuania and Poland, Casimir. Ivan III was not at all sure of the outcome of the battle and sent his wife with the treasury to Beloozero. In one of the chronicles, it is even noted that the Grand Duke panicked: “Horror found me on the river, and I wanted to run away from the shore, and I sent my Grand Duchess Roman and the treasury with her to Beloozero.”
The Venetian Republic was actively looking for an ally who would help stop the advance of the Turkish Sultan Mehmed II. The mediator in the negotiations was the adventurer and merchant Jean-Battista della Volpe, who had estates in Moscow and was known to us as Ivan Fryazin, it was he who was the ambassador and head of the wedding procession of Sophia Paleolog. According to Russian sources, Sophia kindly received members of the Venetian embassy. From all of the above, it follows that the Venetians were playing a double game and made an attempt, through the Grand Duchess, to plunge Russia into a difficult conflict with a bad prospect.
However, Moscow diplomacy also did not waste time: the Crimean Khanate of Girey agreed to interact with the Russians. Akhmat's campaign ended with "Standing on the Ugra", as a result of which the khan retreated without a general battle. Akhmat did not receive the promised help from Casimir because of the attack on his lands by Ivan III's allied Mengli Giray.
Difficulties in family relationships
The first two children (girls) of Sophia and Ivan died in infancy. There is a legend that the young princess had a vision of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the patron saint of the Moscow state, and after this sign from above, she gave birth to a son, the future Vasily III. In total, 12 children were born in the marriage, of which four died in infancy.
From his first marriage with a Tver princess, Ivan III had a son, Ivan Mladoy, heir to the throne, but in 1490 he fell ill with gout. From Venice, the doctor Mister Leon was discharged, who vouched for his recovery with his head. The treatment was carried out by such methods that completely ruined the prince's health, and at the age of 32 Ivan Mladoy died in terrible agony. The doctor was publicly executed, and two warring parties formed at the court: one supported the young Grand Duchess and her son, the other supported Dmitry, the infant son of Ivan the Younger.
For several years, Ivan III hesitated over who to give preference to. In 1498, the Grand Duke crowned Dmitry's grandson, but a year later he changed his mind and gave preference to Vasily, Sophia's son. In 1502, he ordered Dmitry and his mother to be imprisoned. A year later, Sophia Paleolog died. For Ivan, this was a heavy blow. In mourning, the Grand Duke made a number of pilgrimages to monasteries, where he diligently indulged in prayers. He died two years later at the age of 65.
What was the appearance of Sophia Paleolog
In 1994, the remains of the princess were removed and studied. Criminalist Sergei Nikitin restored her appearance. She was short in stature - 160 cm, full build. This was confirmed by the Italian chronicle, which sarcastically called Sophia fat. In Russia, there were other canons of beauty, which the princess fully corresponded to: fullness, beautiful, expressive eyes and beautiful skin. Scientists have determined that the princess died at the age of 50-60 years.
Sophia Fominichna Paleolog, she is Zoya Paleologina (born approximately 1455 - death April 7, 1503) - Grand Duchess of Moscow. Wife of Ivan III, mother of Vasily III, grandmother of Ivan IV the Terrible. Origin - the Byzantine imperial dynasty of the Palaiologos. Her father, Thomas Palaiologos, was the brother of the last emperor of Byzantium, Constantine XI, and despot of Morea. Sophia's maternal grandfather was Centurione II Zaccaria, the last Frankish prince of Achaia.
Profitable marriage
According to legend, Sophia brought with her a “bone throne” (now known as the “throne of Ivan the Terrible”) as a gift to her husband: its wooden frame was covered with plates of ivory and walrus ivory with biblical scenes carved on them.
Sophia also brought several Orthodox icons, including, presumably, a rare icon of the Mother of God “Blessed Heaven”.
The meaning of the marriage of Ivan and Sophia
The marriage of the Grand Duke with the Greek princess had important consequences. There were cases before that Russian princes married Greek princesses, but these marriages were not as important as the marriage of Ivan and Sophia. Byzantium was now enslaved by the Turks. The Byzantine emperor used to be considered the main protector of all Eastern Christianity; now the Moscow sovereign became such a protector; with the hand of Sophia, he, as it were, inherited the rights of the Palaiologos, even assimilates the coat of arms of the Eastern Roman Empire - the double-headed eagle; on the seals that were hung on the letters, they began to depict a double-headed eagle on one side, and on the other, the former Moscow coat of arms, George the Victorious, slaying the dragon.
The Byzantine order began to have a stronger and stronger effect in Moscow. Although the last Byzantine emperors were not powerful at all, they held themselves very highly in the eyes of everyone around them. Access to them was very difficult; many different court ranks filled the magnificent palace. The splendor of palace customs, luxurious royal clothes, shining with gold and precious stones, the unusually rich decoration of the royal palace - all this in the eyes of the people greatly exalted the person of the sovereign. Everyone bowed before him, as before an earthly deity.
It was not the same in Moscow. The Grand Duke was already a powerful sovereign, but he lived a little wider and richer than the boyars. They treated him respectfully, but simply: some of them were from specific princes and, like the Grand Duke, they also originated from. The unpretentious life of the tsar and the simple treatment of the boyars could not please Sophia, who knew about the royal greatness of the Byzantine autocrats and saw the court life of the popes in Rome. From his wife, and especially from the people who came with her, Ivan III could hear a lot about the court life of the Byzantine kings. He, who wanted to be a real autocrat, must have liked many Byzantine court orders very much.
And so, little by little, new customs began to appear in Moscow: Ivan Vasilievich began to behave majestically, in relations with foreigners he was titled "king", he began to receive ambassadors with magnificent solemnity, he established the rite of kissing the royal hand as a sign of special mercy. Then came the court ranks (jaselnichiy, equerry, bedding). The Grand Duke began to favor in the boyars for merit. In addition to the son of the boyar, at this time another lower rank appears - the roundabout.
The boyars, who were previously advisers, duma princes, with whom the sovereign, as usual, conferred on every important matter, as with comrades, now turned into his humble servants. The grace of the sovereign can exalt them, anger can destroy them.
At the end of his reign, Ivan III became a real autocrat. These changes were not to the liking of many boyars, but no one dared to express this: the Grand Duke was very severe and punished severely.
Innovations. Sophia's influence
Since the arrival of Sophia Palaiologos in Moscow, relations have been established with the West, especially with Italy.
An attentive observer of Moscow life, Baron Herberstein, who twice came to Moscow as the ambassador of the German emperor under Ivanov's successor, after hearing a lot of boyar talk, notices about Sophia in his notes that she was an unusually cunning woman, who had a great influence on the Grand Duke, who, at her suggestion, did a lot . Even the determination of Ivan III to throw off the Tatar yoke was attributed to her influence. In boyar tales and judgments about the princess, it is not easy to separate observation from suspicion or exaggeration, guided by hostility.
Moscow of that time was very unattractive. Wooden small buildings, placed at random, crooked, unpaved streets, dirty squares - all this made Moscow look like a large village, or rather, a collection of many village estates.
After the wedding, Ivan Vasilyevich himself felt the need to rebuild the Kremlin into a powerful and impregnable citadel. It all started with the catastrophe of 1474, when the Assumption Cathedral, built by Pskov craftsmen, collapsed. Rumors immediately spread among the people that the trouble had befallen because of the “Greek”, who had previously been in “Latinism”. While the reasons for the collapse were being clarified, Sophia advised her husband to invite architects from Italy, who were then the best masters in Europe. Their creations could make Moscow equal in beauty and majesty to European capitals and maintain the prestige of the Moscow sovereign, as well as emphasize the continuity of Moscow not only to the Second, but also to the First Rome.
One of the best Italian builders of that time, Aristotle Fioravanti, agreed to go to Moscow for 10 rubles of salary per month (decent money at that time). In 4 years, he built a temple magnificent for that time - the Assumption Cathedral, consecrated in 1479. This building has survived to this day in the Moscow Kremlin.
Then other stone churches began to be built: in 1489 the Annunciation Cathedral was erected, which had the significance of the tsar's house church, and shortly before the death of Ivan III, the Archangel Cathedral was built again instead of the former dilapidated church. The sovereign planned to build a stone chamber for solemn meetings and receptions of foreign ambassadors.
This building, built by Italian architects, known as the Chamber of Facets, has survived to this day. The Kremlin was surrounded again by a stone wall and decorated with beautiful gates and towers. For himself, the Grand Duke ordered to build a new stone palace. Following the Grand Duke, the metropolitan also began to build brick chambers for himself. The three boyars also built stone houses for themselves in the Kremlin. Thus, Moscow began to gradually build up with stone buildings; but these buildings for a long time and after that were not part of the custom.
Birth of children. state affairs
Ivan III and Sophia Paleolog
1474, April 18 - Sophia gave birth to the first (quickly deceased) daughter Anna, then another daughter (who also died so quickly that they did not have time to christen her). Disappointments in family life were compensated by activity in state affairs. The Grand Duke consulted with her in making state decisions (in 1474 he bought out half of the Rostov principality, entered into a friendly alliance with the Crimean Khan Mengli Giray).
Sophia Paleolog took an active part in diplomatic receptions (the Venetian envoy Cantarini noted that the reception she organized was "very majestic and affectionate"). According to a legend cited not only by Russian chronicles, but also by the English poet John Milton, in 1477 Sophia was able to outwit the Tatar Khan, declaring that she had a sign from above about the construction of a church to St. and the actions of the Kremlin. This legend presents Sophia as a resolute nature (“she put them out of the Kremlin, demolished the house, although the temple was not built”).
1478 - Russia actually stopped paying tribute to the Horde; 2 years left before the complete overthrow of the yoke.
In 1480, again on the “advice” of his wife, Ivan Vasilievich left with the militia to the Ugra River (near Kaluga), where the army of the Tatar Khan Akhmat was stationed. "Standing on the Ugra" did not end with a battle. The onset of frost and lack of food forced the khan and his army to leave. These events put an end to the Horde yoke.
The main obstacle to strengthening the grand duke's power collapsed and, relying on his dynastic connection with "Orthodox Rome" (Constantinople) through his wife Sophia, the sovereign proclaimed himself the successor to the sovereign rights of the Byzantine emperors. The Moscow coat of arms with George the Victorious was combined with the double-headed eagle - the ancient coat of arms of Byzantium. This emphasized that Moscow is the heir of the Byzantine Empire, Ivan III is “the king of all Orthodoxy”, the Russian Church is the successor of the Greek one. Under the influence of Sophia, the ceremonial of the Grand Duke's court acquired hitherto unseen splendor, similar to the Byzantine-Roman.
Rights to the Moscow throne
Sophia began a stubborn struggle to justify the right to the Moscow throne for her son Vasily. When she was eight years old, she even tried to organize a conspiracy against her husband (1497), but he was uncovered, and Sophia herself was condemned on suspicion of magic and connection with the “sorceress woman” (1498) and, together with Tsarevich Vasily, was subjected to disgrace.
But fate was merciful to her (during the years of her 30-year marriage, Sophia gave birth to 5 sons and 4 daughters). The death of the eldest son of Ivan III, Ivan the Young, forced Sophia's husband to change his anger to mercy and return the exiles to Moscow.
Death of Sophia Paleolog
Sophia died on April 7, 1503. She was buried in the grand ducal tomb of the Ascension Convent in the Kremlin. The buildings of this monastery were dismantled in 1929, and the sarcophagi with the remains of the Grand Duchesses and Empresses were transported to the basement chamber of the Archangel Cathedral in the Kremlin, where they remain today.
After death
This circumstance, as well as the good preservation of the skeleton of Sophia Paleolog, made it possible for experts to recreate her appearance. The work was carried out at the Moscow Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination. Apparently, there is no need to describe in detail the recovery process. We only note that the portrait was reproduced using all scientific methods.
A study of the remains of Sophia Paleolog showed that she was short - about 160 cm. The skull and each bone were carefully studied, and as a result it was found that the death of the Grand Duchess occurred at the age of 55-60 years. As a result of studies of the remains, it was established that Sophia was a plump woman, with strong-willed facial features and had a mustache that did not spoil her at all.
When the appearance of this woman appeared before the researchers, it became clear once again that nothing happens by chance in nature. We are talking about the amazing similarity of Sophia Paleolog and her grandson, Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, whose true appearance is well known to us from the work of the famous Soviet anthropologist M.M. Gerasimov. The scientist, working on the portrait of Ivan Vasilyevich, noted the features of the Mediterranean type in his appearance, linking this precisely with the influence of the blood of his grandmother, Sophia Paleolog.
