NEVA BATTLE:

Taking advantage of the fact that after the devastation of North-Eastern Russia by the Mongols, Novgorod and Pskov had nowhere to wait for help, the Swedish and German knights stepped up their expansion in North-Western Russia. Summer 1240 - the Swedish army under the command of Birger appeared on the Neva River on ships. The army consisted of Swedes, Norwegians and representatives of the Finnish tribes. Having received news of the appearance of the enemy, the Novgorod prince Alexander Yaroslavovich decided to suddenly attack him. On July 15, the Novgorodians suddenly attacked the Swedes. Birger's army was taken by surprise. The losses of the Novgorodians were insignificant, amounting to 20 people, while the Swedes loaded three ships with the bodies of only noble people, and left the rest on the shore. The victory over the Swedes was of great political importance. The Swedes failed to cut off Novgorod from the sea, capture the coast of the Neva and the Gulf of Finland.

By the beginning of the 14th century. Moscow and Tver became the strongest principalities of North-Eastern Russia. The princes were: - the son of Alexander Nevsky, Daniil Alexandrovich, who annexed Mozhaisk and Kolomna to the Rostov Principality;  son of Daniil Yuri Danilovich since 1304;  Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tverskoy;  son of Mikhail Yaroslavich Dmitry Terrible Eyes;  brother of Dmitry Tverskoy Alexander (1326 - 1328). Together with the Grand Duke Alexander of Tver, Khan Uzbek sent a Horde detachment to Russia, led by his relative Cholkhan (in Russia he was called Shchelkan). In Tver, an uprising of the townspeople against the Horde began (1327), which was supported by Prince Alexander himself. The rebels killed Cholkhan's detachment. These events were skillfully used by the new Moscow prince, the younger brother of Yuri Danilovich, Ivan Kalita. He led a punitive Horde expedition to Tver. The Tver land was devastated, Alexander Mikhailovich fled to Pskov, and the great reign of Vladimir was divided between Ivan Kalita and Alexander of Suzdal.

IVAN KALITA:

Ivan Kalita managed to:  consolidate his influence in Novgorod;  purchase in the Horde labels for specific principalities with centers in Uglich, Galich and Beloozero. In addition, Ivan 1 bought villages in other principalities. John Danilovich inherited the Principality of Moscow, the territory of which expanded significantly during the years of his reign. 1332 - most of the Vladimir principality with the cities of Vladimir, Bogolyubovo, Yaropolch, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, Nizhny Novgorod was annexed to the Moscow principality. He bought villages and even cities from the impoverished princes. That is how Belozersk, Galich and Uglich passed to the Moscow principality. 1326 - the residence of the metropolitan was transferred from Vladimir to Moscow, which testified to the increased political influence of Moscow. John Danilovich was nicknamed "Kalita" because of the large purse with money that he carried with him. Prince John managed to earn the full confidence of the khan, and he was instructed to collect tribute from the Russian princes. When collecting tribute, the prince significantly replenished his own treasury. The policy of Ivan Kalita was continued by his sons Semyon the Proud (1340-1353) and Ivan 2 the Red (1353-1359).

CONDITIONING THE FORMATION OF THE RUSSIAN STATE WITH THE CENTER IN MOSCOW:

In North-Eastern Russia in the XIV century. the process of formation of a single Russian state with its center in Moscow begins. This is due to: - The princes of North-Eastern Russia practically did not participate in the devastating strife of the 30s. 12th c. - At the same time, they sought recognition of their supremacy over the Novgorod land. - Until the second half of the 14th century. North-Eastern Russia did not experience the direct onslaught of Lithuania. - As for the Horde, although it had a generally negative impact on the development of the Vladimir-Suzdal land, at the same time, the Grand Dukes of Vladimir were recognized by the khans as the “oldest” in Russia, which reinforced their claims to supreme power over other Russian lands. - Finally, the residence of the Metropolitan of All Russia, the head of the Russian Church, moved to North-Eastern Russia.

IVAN III:

Throughout the reign of Ivan III, the main goal of the country's foreign policy was the unification of northeastern Rusiv into a single state. At the beginning of the reign of Ivan, the Moscow principality was surrounded by the lands of other Russian principalities; dying, he handed over to his son Vasily the country that united most of these principalities. Only Pskov, Ryazan, Volokolamsk, Novgorod-Seversky retained relative (not too wide) independence.

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

The main result of the reign of Ivan III was the unification around Moscow of most of the Russian lands. Russia included: Novgorod land, for a long time the former rival of the Moscow principality, the Tver principality, as well as the Yaroslavl, Rostov, and partially Ryazan principalities. Only the Pskov and Ryazan principalities remained independent, however, they were not completely independent either. After successful wars with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Novgorod-Seversky, Chernigov, Bryansk and a number of other cities (before the war, they accounted for about a third of the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania) became part of the Muscovite state.

The reign of Ivan III was also marked by success in domestic politics. In the course of the reforms, a code of laws of the country was adopted - the "Sudebnik" of 1497. At the same time, the foundations of the command system of government were laid, and the local system also appeared. The centralization of the country and the elimination of fragmentation were continued; the government waged a fairly tough fight against the separatism of the specific princes. The era of the reign of Ivan III became a time of cultural upsurge. The erection of new buildings (in particular, the Moscow Assumption Cathedral), the flourishing of chronicle writing, the emergence of new ideas - all this testifies to significant success in the field of culture.

Rurikovich. From Ivan Kalita to Ivan the Terrible.

Toroptsev, A.P. Rurikovich. From Ivan Kalita to Ivan the Terrible. - M. 6 Olma Media Group, 2006. - 208 p. : ill.

The second book about the princes of the Rurik family covers the period from 1303 to 1612. During this time, the Russian state has undergone several qualitative changes. In the first third of the XIV century. - disparate, constantly fragmenting principalities, exhausted by civil strife and dependence on the Golden Horde. The wise policy of Ivan I Kalita, from the inside, economically strengthened the Moscow space, which in the near future will become the core of a centralized state. Then a long, stubborn war with the Horde, which lasted almost half a century. And the Battle of Kulikovo as the apotheosis of that war. And the famous "Standing on the Ugra", after which the dependence of Russia on the Horde was eliminated. And the formation by Ivan III Vasilyevich of the skeleton of a centralized Russian state. And the consolidation of his business by his son - Vasily III Ivanovich. And then the era of Ivan IV Vasilievich, during which the country rushed at fast historical speeds to an imperial-type power.
The most difficult three centuries of Russian history in all respects ended with the Time of Troubles, the fall of the Rurik dynasty.
About how they lived, how they led the country in these 300 years, and will be discussed in the book.

After the defeat from the Horde, Russia faced a dilemma: to remain a western ulus (a vassal state of the Golden Horde) or to embark on the path of struggle for liberation. To implement the second scenario of development, it objectively needed to strengthen the statehood. This idea was expressed both in the ideology of Russian society and in its political and legal practice. The latter was associated with the growth of unifying tendencies. Its result was the process of unification of Russian lands around Moscow and, as a result, the centralization of state power. Historically, Moscow became the center of the association, although other Russian principalities also had similar economic and geographical characteristics. It is traditionally believed that the rise of Moscow, one of the numerous specific principalities of the Vladimir-Suzdal land, was facilitated by:

Favorable geographical position (the city was located at the crossroads of important trade routes and was isolated from external enemies by other principalities);

The purposeful policy of the Moscow princes (far from flawless from the point of view of general Christian morality, but testifying to the ability to use circumstances). Being dexterous and flexible politicians, they realized that it is much more profitable to act on the Horde with money than with weapons, and diligently courted the khans and their numerous relatives (depending on the degree of their influence), making them an instrument of their policy in the struggle for the grand ducal label in Russia ;

Support for the Russian Orthodox Church, whose political ideal was the collection of lands around Moscow.

The rise of Moscow led to the subsequent unification of the Russian lands around it, aware of their cultural and religious community, but most importantly, connected by common foreign policy interests and, above all, by the desire to gain independence.

The formation of the Russian centralized state had significant features in comparison with a similar process that coincided in time in a number of Western European countries. If in the West the process of centralization was based on the common economic interests of individual territories, the union of kings and associations of cities that always had a certain degree of independence), then in Russia the socio-economic prerequisites for the formation of a centralized state were not decisive. The joint struggle of all the principalities against the Golden Horde came to the fore here. This trend, which determined the relationship between external military danger and the typology of the organization of state power in Russia, has been constantly operating throughout the entire national history.

The beginning of the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow was preceded by a fierce struggle for leadership between the Moscow and Tver specific principalities, from which Moscow emerged victorious. The Moscow prince Ivan Kalita (1325–1340) together with the Tatar army suppressed the anti-Horde uprising in Tver in 1327 and received a label from the Khan of the Golden Horde for a great reign. In the future, the Moscow princes managed to keep the grand prince's throne behind them. The collection of tribute from all Russian lands becomes their prerogative. The assessment of Ivan Kalita's activity in the historical literature is ambiguous and ranges from recognizing its objective necessity in the interests of the centralization of the state, to accusing the Moscow prince of betraying the people's interests and strengthening personal power at any cost. Objectively, the weakening of Tver provided Moscow with political leadership in the unification process and made it possible to move on to organizing a nationwide struggle against the Horde yoke. The merits of Ivan Kalita include the absence of Mongol-Tatar raids on Russia, which, according to a number of historians, allowed a generation to grow up, devoid of mental fear of the conquerors, in whose eyes they were no longer invincible opponents.

In the mid 70s. 14th century the Moscow prince, grandson of Kalita, Dmitry Donskoy (1359-1389) began an open struggle with the Golden Horde and in 1380 defeated the Mongol-Tatar army on the Kulikovo field. This victory strengthened the authority and importance of Moscow as the center of the unification, turned Moscow into the actual capital of North-Eastern Russia. Prince Dmitry Donskoy for the first time handed over to his son a great reign, without coordinating this issue with the Khan of the Golden Horde.

By the middle of the XV century. after the completion of the feudal war between the grandson of Dmitry Donskoy Vasily II (Dark) and his uncle Yuri Dmitrievich and cousins ​​​​Vasily Kosy and Dmitry Shemyaka, conditions are emerging for the completion of the unification of Russian lands and the creation of a single state.

The results of the reign of Ivan III and Vasily III. The unification process was completed at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries. and is associated primarily with the name of Ivan III (1462-1505).

During the years of the great reign of Ivan III, the Grand Duchy of Yaroslavl (1463), the Perm Territory (1472), the Principality of Rostov (1474), Novgorod and its lands (1478), the Principality of Tver (1485), Vyatka land (1489) were annexed to Moscow. The increase in the power of the country, the independence and independence of the state, Ivan III realized primarily in relations with the Golden Horde. In 1476, he refused to pay the annual tribute and entered into an alliance with the Crimean Khan, an opponent of the Golden Horde. A number of private defeats of the Horde troops followed. The logical result was "Standing on the Ugra" (1480), when the Golden Horde army did not dare to clash with the army of Ivan III and retreated, putting an end to the Mongol-Tatar yoke.

In 1472, Ivan III married the niece of the last emperor of Byzantium, Zoya (Sophia) Paleolog, who elevated the importance of monarchical power in Russia. At the Moscow court, a strict ceremonial was established according to the Byzantine model. From the end of the XV century. The seals of Ivan III depicted not only the coat of arms of Moscow with George the Victorious, but also the coat of arms of the state with a double-headed eagle, by analogy with the coat of arms of Byzantium.

Changes in the socio-political status of the Grand Duke of Moscow were reflected in his title, now he was called "John, by the grace of God, sovereign of all Russia ...". The new title expressed not only the idea of ​​the Moscow prince as the national ruler of the entire Russian land, but also the idea of ​​the divine origin of his power.

The power of the Grand Duke increasingly acquired the features of autocracy. The Boyar Duma, an advisory body under the Grand Duke, was losing its former significance.

The central state apparatus had not yet taken shape, but its two highest bodies - the Palace and the Treasury - already existed. The first was in charge of the Grand Duke's lands, litigations for land ownership. The treasury was the main financial repository, the state archive and the foreign policy department.

In administrative order, the country was divided into counties, camps and volosts, headed by governors and volosts. They received territories "for feeding", that is, they took part of the taxes collected in this territory. Feeding was a reward not for administrative activities, but for previous service in the army.

In 1497, the Code of Laws was adopted - the first code of laws of a single state. It allowed dependent peasants to leave their masters for others for 15 days a year (a week before and a week after St. George's Day).

Under the son of Ivan III - Vasily, Pskov (1510), Smolensk (1514) and Ryazan land (1521) were included in the Russian state. During these years, the unification of Russian lands was completed. From the end of the XV century. the term "Russia" began to be used, which meant one of the largest states in Europe.

The state united around Moscow represented a qualitatively new stage in the development of statehood. In terms of area, it was almost six times larger than the former Principality of Moscow.

The creation of a unified state had a serious impact on the development of the country's economy and social system. The nature of land tenure of the princes is changing. It is getting closer and closer to boyar land ownership. The main forms of land ownership were estates and estates. The estates were owned by princes, boyars and the church. Serving people - the nobles, being the support of the Grand Duke, received estates from him, which were assigned to the nobles only for the duration of their service. Serious changes have taken place in the army. Its main strength now consisted not of squads, but of the militias of the nobles, the noble cavalry, and foot regiments. The nobility, as a new component of the ruling class, was not associated with the boyars and the descendants of the former specific princes, who potentially opposed the Grand Duke. Owing their material well-being exclusively to the sovereign, the nobles formed the basis for the further strengthening of autocratic power.

From the end of the XV century. estates began to take shape in Russia - the feudal aristocracy (boyars), the nobility, the clergy, the townspeople and the peasantry.

Thus, at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries. An autocratic monarchy was established in Russia, in which the Grand Duke held political power. However, an extensive state apparatus had not yet taken shape, which limited the ability of the central government to manage public life.

The essence of centralization is as follows:

1) the final liquidation of the remnants of the political independence of the lands;

2) development of national law and national legislation;

3) the formation of a nationwide tax system;

4) the creation of centralized armed forces subordinated exclusively to autocratic power;

5) creation of a local management system based on a bureaucratic management system (abolition of the “feeding” system)

6) creation of a system of branch management bodies - the creation of an order system;

Russian princes of the Rurik family, the period from 1303 to 1612. In history, during this time, the Russian state has undergone several qualitative changes. In the first third of the XIV century. - scattered, constantly fragmenting Russian principalities, exhausted by civil strife and this dependence on the Golden Horde, and the wise policy of Ivan I Kalita, from the inside, economically strengthening the Moscow space, which in the near future will become the core of a centralized Russian state. Peaceful 40 years after the death of Prince Ivan Kalita - the accumulation of strength and power of the state. Then a long, stubborn war between the Russian princes and the Horde, which lasted almost half a century. And the Battle of Kulikovo as the apotheosis of that war.

"The last strife of the Russian princes", which ended in the victory of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily II Vasilyevich Dark. And the rise of Moscow as the economic, cultural, military and political center of the country. And the famous "Standing on the Ugra", after which this dependence of Russia on the Horde was eliminated. And the formation by Ivan III Vasilyevich of the skeleton of a centralized Russian state. And the consolidation of his case by his son - Vasily III Ivanovich. And then the era of Ivan IV Vasilyevich, during the reign of which the country rushed at fast historical speeds to an imperial-type power. From the capture of Kazan in 1552. and Astrakhan in 1556. The Russian state "de facto" turned into a small multinational empire.

Based on this reality, it was necessary to change the entire structure of the state. The same fact alerted all the neighbors of Muscovy, which was rapidly growing due to the increment of the eastern territories. In the middle of the 1580s. Russian pioneers, led by Yermak, opened the gates to the richest Siberia, whose gifts (in the form of yasak) poured into Moscow. This made new adjustments in the life of the country and in Moscow's relations with its neighbors...

The most difficult three centuries of Russian history in all respects ended with the Time of Troubles, the fall of the Rurik dynasty. About how they lived, how they led the country in these 300 years, and will be discussed in this section of the site.

Alexander Petrovich Toroptsev

Russian princes

Prince Yuri Danilovich

Metropolitan Peter

Prince Ivan Danilovich Kalita

Prince Semyon Ivanovich Proud

Prince Ivan II Ivanovich Krasny (Krotkiy)

Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy

Prince Vasily Dmitrievich

Prince Vasily II Vasilyevich

Prince Ivan III Vasilyevich

The end of the "Tatar-Mongol yoke" in Russia under Prince Ivan III

Grand Coordinator Prince Ivan III

Lithuanian princes

PRINCES OF ALL RUSSIA AND THE GREAT TROUBLE

History, though logical, but capricious. She offered the Russian people and, most importantly, the Rurik princes, to solve the most difficult historical task in the shortest possible time. Having created the skeleton of a centralized state, the grand dukes (and after the wedding of Ivan IV Vasilyevich, the tsars) had to, in Russian, sedately, slowly complete the construction of this state, receive political and economic dividends from such labor-intensive work, and only then take on the decision of another , an even more difficult task - for the construction of a multinational power of the imperial type.

Already in 1552. and 1556. the political map of the Russian state has changed fundamentally. The conquest of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates, in fact, turned the Land of Muscovy into a small, but still an empire. It was necessary to urgently rebuild all the institutions of the state. But how to do this if, firstly, the Country of Muscovy and all its people (from top to bottom) are not really used to a single centralized Russian state; secondly, neither they nor their ancestors ever thought about the empire. In addition, the overgrown family of the Rurik princes, which represented both an economic and political power, was in the system of spiritual and spiritual values ​​of the forever passing time. Could the Rurik princes reorganize? Could the princes forget those customs and laws that allowed them to become such a powerful ruling clan in Eastern Europe? No, they couldn't. And the boyars, not from the kind of Rurikovich, also could not get out of this system of values.

This was the main knot of contradictions. How to cut it?

Alexander Petrovich Toroptsev

Characteristics of the historical period

In the middle of the 15th century, Russian lands and principalities were in a state of political fragmentation. There were several strong political centers, to which other regional units partly adjoined. Each such unit pursued a fairly independent internal policy, defending its lands from the invasion of its closest enemies. Some united and created some kind of alliances, in the hope of helping the other side in confronting external enemies. Such centers of power were Moscow, Novgorod the Great, Tver, as well as the Lithuanian capital - Vilna, which was subject to the entire vast Russian region, called "Lithuanian Rus".

All this eventually led to the need to create a single centralized state, in particular the Russian one. The advantage of its formation is the ability to organize resistance to external enemies with common forces. In addition, internal internecine wars would be eradicated, and economic development would be facilitated by the introduction of unified legislation, a unified monetary system, and unified systems of measures and weights. This was the goal of the reign of the two great princes - father and son - Ivan III and Vasily III. They made a huge contribution to the gathering of Russian lands under a single command. Many lands resisted, did not want to lose their independence, but the result, as they say, is "on the face." Russia became much more powerful, and subsequently many European states began to reckon with it.

fragmentation centralized Russian state

Activities of Ivan III

Accession to the throne.

Ivan III was born on January 22, 1440. His father is Vasily II the Dark. In an attempt to save the state from turmoil and legitimize the new order of succession to the throne, Vasily II named Ivan the Grand Duke during his lifetime. All letters were written by them from the two Grand Dukes.

It was 1462, when Vasily the Dark fell ill with dryness. Apparently, he prescribed himself a treatment (cauterization with smoldering tinder) himself. The Grand Duchess tried to forbid such self-treatment, but the patient did not listen to his wife's advice. As a result, the wounds of the prince festered and on the night of March 27 he died. Vasily the Dark at that time was 47 years old. There was a long tradition, practiced for many years, in case of sudden death, the Moscow princes previously wrote wills or, as they were also called, “spiritual letters”. Sometimes they were written just before his death. The spiritual of Vasily the Dark has been preserved in the original to this day. This is a list of cities, villages, villages, various income items and valuable things that were inherited by each of the sons of the Grand Duke, as well as the widowed princess.

From the moment of the death of Vasily the Dark, the independent reign of Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich begins. He emerges at last from the shadow of his father. Now it is he, and not Vasily II, who has the final say in the Moscow Kremlin. According to his father's will, he exactly distributed among the four brothers the 12 cities assigned to him in inheritance. 14 cities, which were the largest, received Ivan III himself. At the beginning of his reign, the new sovereign established, thanks to Italian moneymakers, the minting of gold coins.

Liberation from the power of the Horde.

While Russia was overcoming fragmentation, the Horde was undergoing disintegration. Nogai, Crimean, Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberian Hordes arose on its territory. Power was in the hands of Akhmat Khan from the Great Horde.

Moscow stopped paying tribute to the Tatars, and in 1480 Akhmat began to prepare a new offensive in order to take over Russia again. The situation seemed to be favorable for the implementation of these plans, since all the neighbors took up arms against Russia.

In the summer of 1480, Akhmat Khan moved closer to the Russian borders, but the time has long passed when the Horde could muster a hundred thousand horsemen. Now Akhmat Khan had no more than 30-40 thousand soldiers. The forces of Ivan III were approximately the same. For more than two months, Akhmat Khan remained inactive near Moscow, while Ivan III was waiting for the Tatars on the Oka.

The Moscow principality was in danger, it was not prepared for a long siege: the Kremlin had decayed for a hundred years.

The fighting on the Ugra lasted about four days. The cessation of hostilities was caused by an exchange of messengers. After the start of negotiations, Akhmat Khan withdrew and stopped near the coast. Khan spent ten days on the Ugra, of which he spent six on obviously fruitless negotiations. He was afraid to start a battle with the Russians without help from the king. But Casimir did not intend to fulfill his obligations, and in early November, Akhmat Khan ordered a retreat. The day of the retreat of the Tatars, November 11, 1480, is considered to be the day of the complete liberation of the Russian land from the Horde yoke.

Having won the "standing on the Ugra", Ivan III persistently tried to subjugate the Kazan Khanate. The first "Kazan capture" was possible due to the weakening of the Horde. In 1502, the Crimea defeated the sons of Akhmat Khan and put an end to the history of the Great Horde.

Domestic policy of Ivan III

The main goal of Ivan III's domestic policy was the collection of lands, the creation of a single centralized state. To do this, he wanted to eradicate the remnants of specific fragmentation. The second wife of Ivan III, Sophia Paleolog, did her best to support her husband's desire to increase the Muscovite state and strengthen the power of the autocracy.

For about a century and a half, Moscow collected tribute from Novgorod, took away land and tried to completely subjugate it, for which the Novgorodians did not like Moscow. The realization that Ivan III had plans to subjugate the Novgorodians made them unite to create a society for the salvation of Novgorod, which was headed by Marfa Boretskaya.

Novgorod concluded an agreement with Casimir, the Polish king and the great Lithuanian prince, which states that Novgorod passes under his supreme authority, but retains some independence and reserves the right to the Orthodox faith, and Casimir undertakes to defend Novgorod from the Moscow prince.

Ivan III sent ambassadors to Novgorod several times with the aim of a peaceful settlement, but in vain. As a result, a campaign was made in 1471, during which the Novgorodians were defeated on the Ilmen and Shelon rivers, without waiting for help from Casimir. After the revolt suppressed in 1477, Veliky Novgorod was completely subjugated in January 1478.

Ivan III subjugated the lands in various ways, starting with wars and ending with a competent policy. Other principalities were also subordinated: Yaroslavl (1463), Rostov (1474), Tver (1485), Vyatka lands (1489). And in 1500 - Yugra lands. And he also found a way to interfere in the affairs of Ryazan, passing off his sister for their prince, and later received the city by inheritance.

The gathering of Ivan III was also reflected in his brothers, he took away their inheritances, depriving them of the opportunity to participate in state affairs. In total, the territory subject to Ivan III during the years of his reign increased by about six times (from 430 thousand square kilometers to 2800 thousand).

question of succession.

The first wife of Ivan III was Maria Borisovna, the daughter of the Prince of Tver. They had a son, Ivan Molodoy, but soon Maria died before reaching the age of thirty. After that, the prince married Sophia Paleolog, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor. Almost simultaneously with the birth of Vasily, the son of Sophia, the heir of Ivan the Young, Dmitry, is also born. But under the circumstances, Ivan Young dies, and his father in 1498 makes a choice in favor of his grandson. But the celebration was short-lived, not without the participation of Sophia, soon her son Vasily, who ascended the throne in 1505, soon becomes the official heir, and orders the arrest of the enemy. He, in turn, dies in a cell under unclear circumstances.

Foreign policy.

As for the foreign policy of Ivan III, first of all we are talking, of course, about liberation from the influence of the Golden Horde, but these are far from all the achievements of the Grand Duke.

Moscow had very tense relations with Lithuania: wars over the Russian lands, but with the increase in the power of the Moscow prince, many lands were annexed to him. King Casimir concluded agreements with opponents of Ivan III, promising help in clashes with him. But his forces were not enough to wage an open war with Moscow, and often the allies were deceived. Novgorod and even the Golden Horde serve as an example, both clashes were successful for Ivan III.

The death of Casimir led to the division of his lands between his sons Alexander and Albrecht. Ivan III gave his daughter Elena for the newly-made Lithuanian prince Alexander, but then their relationship worsened, which ended in the war of 1500, which ended successfully for Russia (parts of the Novgorod-Seversky, Smolensk and Chernigov principalities were conquered).

Ivan III also tried several times to subdue the Kazan kingdom, which eventually ended with the capture of Kazan in 1487 and the elevation of Khan Makhmet-Amin to its throne, who for many years was on good terms with Ivan Vasilyevich.

Activities of Basil III.

Domestic politics

Vasily III continued the policy of his father in almost everything. First of all, of course, this concerned just domestic politics, namely the policy of gathering Russian lands. His goal was the same: overcoming fragmentation and strengthening the autocratic power. Both, by the way, he managed to bring to life.

Conquest of Pskov

First of all, Vasily wanted to subjugate Pskov, whose independence was based on a solid economic foundation - they had trade ties with the Baltic states. Naturally, the Moscow prince really wanted to keep such a highly profitable sphere under his control.

In the spring of 1509, the princely governor of Pskov, Peter Vasilyevich Shestunov, was replaced by Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Repnya-Obolensky. The new governor of Pskov was very strict, so, probably, such a castling was arranged on purpose, in order to force people to turn to the sovereign with complaints. I must say, the plan was successful, the townspeople did not keep themselves waiting. But the Pskov governor, of course, did not want to lose his post and filed a counter-complaint. The conflict required the intervention of the Moscow prince.

In 1509, Vasily III arrived in Novgorod and ordered the arrival of the governor of Pskov, Ivan Mikhailovich Ryapne-Obolensky, and the townspeople, with the aim of justice and resolving their conflicts. In 1510, he, acting as a judge, ruled that the people of Pskov did not listen to the governor, and expressed all sorts of disrespect for the envoy of the sovereign and himself, respectively. Then Vasily III announced that Pskov was coming under the authority of Moscow, and the veche was dissolved. The townspeople decided to submit. On January 13, the veche bell was removed and sent to Novgorod with tears. After that, Vasily arrived in Pskov and resettled 300 of the most noble families in Moscow, and the villages of the Pskov boyars were given to Moscow. Another city was conquered and annexed to Moscow.

Capture of Smolensk

In 1512, the Lithuanian war began, the goal of which was Smolensk. Vasily organized a campaign with brothers Dmitry and Yuri. Smolensk was under siege for more than six weeks, but to no avail, the city was not going to surrender, Vasily had to return to Moscow. But the Grand Duke was stubborn and soon went on a campaign again, stopping in Borovsk, sending a governor to Smolensk. The city was again besieged and Vasily arrived near Smolensk, but this time the siege did not produce results: what the Muscovites destroyed during the day, the Smolensk people repaired at night. Vasily again ordered to retreat. On July 8, 1514, he spoke for the third time. But this time luck was on his side, on the same day Sologub (Smolensk governor) agreed to surrender the city. Also for this campaign were taken Mstislavl, Krichev and Dubrovny.

The collection of Russian lands continued, and in 1517 Ryazan was annexed. With cunning, Vasily summoned the Ryazan prince, after which he was captured. Soon the Starodub principality was annexed, in 1523 - Novgorod-Seversky, it was captured in the same way as in the case of Ryazan.

Foreign policy.

As for the external affairs of Vasily III, here he also managed to prove himself. At the very beginning of his reign, a war with Kazan took place, which ended unsuccessfully. The Russian regiments were defeated, and the Kazanians wanted to make peace, which was done in 1508.

Also, approximately simultaneously with the events in Kazan, a turmoil arose in Lithuania, the cause of which was the death of the Lithuanian prince Alexander, Vasily decided to take advantage of this moment and put forward his candidacy for the throne. But after the relationship began to deteriorate, as a result of the war with Lithuania, which led to a favorable peace for the Moscow prince in 1509, according to which the captures of his father were recognized by the Lithuanians.

This was followed by a new war with Lithuania, which ended with the capture of Smolensk. However, in the same year, but a little later - on September 18, the Lithuanians at Orsha inflicted a heavy defeat on the army of Vasily III, but this revenge did not become significant, since Smolensk still remained with Russia.

Also, in addition to the Lithuanians, the Crimean Tatars also haunted Vasily III during his reign. After the subjugation of Crimea to Turkey at the end of the 15th century, Crimea received huge support from it, thanks to which the Crimean khans began to gain power again, and the number of raids on the Muscovite state increased, which became more and more dangerous (raid on the Oka in 1507, on the Ryazan land 1516, on Tulskaya 1518, the siege of Moscow in 1521). Attempts were made to subjugate Kazan and Astrakhan in order to restore the Golden Horde. Vasily III tried with all his might to resist the annexation of Kazan to the Crimea, which resulted in a dangerous raid in 1521 by the Tatars on Russia immediately from the south and east. However, Kazan experienced internal disagreements, and more and more submitted to Moscow (the siege of Kazan in 1506, the ascension to the throne of the friendly Khan Muhammad-Emin in 1507).

In 1518 Khan Mohammed-Emin dies in Kazan, the question of an heir is raised. Two groups are fighting: pro-Moscow and pro-Crimea, the latter wins and turns to Vasily III with a request to select an heir. The choice falls on Khan Shigalei. In 1521 there was a coup and the Crimean princes began to rule in Kazan.

In 1521 the Crimean Tatars are raiding, and the Kazan Tatars are attacking in the east. The troops reached Moscow, taking a ransom from the Moscow boyars. However, the governor Simsky managed to defeat the enemy at Pereyaslavl Ryazansky (present-day Ryazan), and the city itself was annexed to the possessions of Moscow. And in 1524. a new campaign against Kazan took place, after which peace was concluded.

In the history of Russia, it is customary to distinguish three stages of unification and the formation of a single centralized state:

The first stage of unification (the first half of the 14th century) is associated with the activities of the Moscow princes Daniil Alexandrovich (1276-1303) and Ivan Danilovich Kalita (1325-1340).

The second stage of the unification (the second half of the 14th - the first half of the 15th centuries) is associated with the activities of the Moscow prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy (1359-1389), his son Vasily I (1389-1425) and grandson Vasily II the Dark (1425-1462).

The third stage of unification (second half of the 15th - first quarter of the 16th centuries), associated with the activities of Grand Duke Ivan III (1462-1505) and his son Vasily III (1505-1533), completed the process of creating a unified Russian state.

The third stage considered by us is considered the final one in the process of formation. For many years, Russia has been striving for this: a single economy, autocratic power, the possibility of protection from external enemies, and finally, centuries-old activity is completed. And completed successfully. A lot of blood was shed, but the result is impressive. Russia occupied a vast territory, approximately equal in size to the whole of Europe. A state of such magnitude staggers the imagination of contemporaries. The formation of the Russian centralized state is of great international importance. Russia occupies a prominent place among European states. The authority of Russia has increased, it has diplomatic ties with many countries, including Europe and Asia.

Bibliography

1.L.V. Cherepnin - "Formation of the Russian centralized state in the XIV-XV centuries"

.Nikolai Borisov - "IVAN III" (Young Guard 2000)

.Skrynnikov R.G. - "Ivan III"

.Filyushkin A.I. - "Vasily III"

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