The key for the history of Russia, the unification of lands around Moscow began in the early years of the 14th century, and ended at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. During this period, the former feudal order was destroyed and a powerful centralized state arose.

Center of a small principality

For a long time Moscow was an inconspicuous fortress on the Vladimir-Suzdal land in the north-east of Russia. This small town was not distinguished by wealth and political significance. Own prince appeared there in 1263. They became Daniil Alexandrovich - the offspring of the famous Alexander Nevsky. As the youngest son of the prince, he received the poorest and smallest inheritance.

Shortly before that, Russia survived the Tatar-Mongol invasion. The country, destroyed by the enemy army, paid tribute to the Golden Horde. Khan recognized the ruler of the city of Vladimir as the senior prince. All his relatives Rurikovich, who owned inheritances, had to obey him. At the same time, the throne of Vladimir was transferred by the label of the khan at his whim. Inheritance may not have followed the typical principle of medieval monarchy, with the son receiving the father's titles.

As a positive start, the unification of the lands around Moscow put an end to this confusion, but as long as the Moscow princes were weak and did not have serious resources, they had to balance between other influential rulers. Daniel supported one or the other older brother (Dmitry or Andrei), who fought for the throne of Vladimir.

The first political successes in Moscow were due to a fortunate combination of circumstances. In 1302, Daniel's childless nephew Ivan Dmitrievich, who bore the title of Prince Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, died. So the petty feudal lord received a neighboring city for nothing and was retrained as a medium feudal lord. This was the beginning of the unification of Russian lands around Moscow. However, Daniel did not have time to get used to his new status. The first Moscow appanage prince died in 1304.

Fight for Vladimir

The father's place was taken by Yuri Daniilovich, who ruled in 1303-1325. First of all, he annexed the Mozhaisk principality, putting the owner of this tiny neighboring inheritance in prison. So Moscow took several important steps in order to start a dispute with the largest political power in North-Eastern Russia - Tver. In 1305, her prince Mikhail received a label from the khan to the throne of Vladimir.

It seemed that Moscow had no chance of defeating a richer and larger opponent. However, the dilemma was that in that period of Russian history, far from everything was decided by force of arms. The unification of the lands around Moscow took place thanks to the cunning and ability of its rulers to please the Tatars.

The Horde gave Vladimir to the princes, who had the opportunity to pay more. The financial position of Tver was noticeably better than that of Moscow. However, the khans were guided by another rule. It can be described as "divide and conquer". Strengthening one principality, the Tatars tried not to give him too much, and if the inheritance became too influential, the favor of the Baskaks could change to anger.

Moscow vs. Tver

Having lost to Mikhail in 1305 in a diplomatic clinch, Yuri did not calm down. First, he unleashed an internecine war, and then, when it did not lead to anything, he began to wait for an opportunity to strike at the reputation of the enemy. This opportunity has been waiting for several years. In 1313, Khan Tokhta died, and Uzbek took his place. Mikhail had to go to the Horde and receive confirmation of the grand duke's label. However, Yuri was ahead of him.

Having found himself at Uzbek before his opponent, the Moscow prince did everything to gain the trust and favor of the new khan. To do this, Yuri married the sister of the Tatar ruler Konchaka, who converted to Orthodoxy and received the name Agafya in baptism. Also, Mikhail's main opponent managed to conclude an alliance with the Novgorod Republic. Its inhabitants were afraid of the powerful prince of Tver, whose possessions were on their borders.

Having married, Yuri went home. He was accompanied by the Tatar nobleman Kavgady. Mikhail, taking advantage of the fact that the Horde stood in a separate camp, attacked his opponent. The Moscow prince was again defeated and began to ask for peace. Opponents agreed to go to the khan for trial. At that moment, clouds began to gather over Mikhail. Having won, he captured Konchaka. Yury's wife and sister, who was in the camp of the prince of Tver, died for unknown reasons.

The tragedy was the turning point of the conflict. Yuri calmly took advantage of what happened. He returned to Uzbek, exposing Mikhail in his eyes as Konchaka's executioner. Kavgady, either bribed or simply not in love with Mikhail, also slandered him. Soon the prince of Tver arrived at the khan's court. He was stripped of his label and brutally executed. The title of the ruler of Vladimir passed to Yuri. The beginning of the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow was completed, now the Moscow rulers needed to keep the received power in their hands.

Kalita's successes

In 1325, Yuri Daniilovich again arrived in the Horde, where he was hacked to death by the son of Mikhail Tverskoy Dmitry Chernye Ochi, who avenged the death of his father. Power in Moscow was inherited by the younger brother of the deceased, Ivan Kalita. He was known for his ability to earn and keep money. Unlike his predecessor, the new ruler acted more cautiously and defeated enemies more by cunning than by cunning.

After the death of Yuri, Uzbek, using a proven strategy, castling. He gave the main Russian principality to the new ruler of Tver, Alexander Mikhailovich. It seemed that Ivan Daniilovich was left with nothing, but such an impression of his contemporaries turned out to be deceptive. The struggle with Tver was not over, it was only its beginning. The unification of the lands around Moscow continued after another sharp turn in history.

In 1327, a spontaneous anti-Tatar uprising broke out in Tver. The inhabitants of the city, tired of the excessive extortions of strangers, killed the tribute collectors. Alexander did not organize this speech, but he joined it and eventually led the protest of his subjects. Furious Uzbek instructed Kalita to punish the disobedient. Tverskaya land was devastated. Ivan Daniilovich regained Vladimir, and since then, the Moscow princes, apart from very short breaks, have not lost sight of the formal capital of North-Eastern Russia.

Ivan Kalita, who ruled until 1340, also annexed (or rather bought) such important neighboring cities as Uglich, Galich and Beloozero to his state. Where did he get the money for all these acquisitions? The Horde made the Moscow prince the official collector of tribute from all over Russia. Kalita began to control extensive financial flows. Wisely and prudently managing the treasury, he was able to build a system in which a significant part of the collected money settled in Moscow. His principality began to systematically grow rich against the background of neighboring regions lagging behind in financial well-being. This is the most important causal relationship, according to which there was a gradual unification of the lands around Moscow. The sword gave way to a belt purse. In 1325, another important event that led to the unification of the lands around Moscow was the move to this city of the metropolitans, who previously considered Vladimir their residence.

New challenges

After Ivan Kalita, two of his sons ruled one after another: Simeon (1341 - 1353) and Ivan (1353 - 1359). During this almost twenty-year period, part of the Novosilsky principality (Zabereg) and some Ryazan places (Vereya, Luzha, Borovsk) were annexed to the Grand Duchy. Simeon went to the Horde five times, tried to bow and please the Tatars, but at the same time behaved imperiously in his homeland. For this, contemporaries (and after him historians) called him Proud. Under Simeon Ivanovich, the rest of the petty princes of North-Eastern Russia became his "handmaids". The main adversary, Tver, behaved cautiously and no longer challenged Moscow's supremacy.

Thanks to Simeon's good relations with the Horde, the nomads did not disturb Russia with raids. However, at the same time, all the principalities, without exception, had to endure another misfortune. It was the deadly epidemic "Black Death", which at the same time raged in the Old World. The ulcer came to Russia through Novgorod, where traditionally there were many Western merchants. A terrible disease turned the habitual life upside down, stopped all positive social and political processes, including the unification of the lands around Moscow. A brief acquaintance with the scale of the trouble is enough to understand that it turned out to be worse than any Tatar-Mongol invasion. Cities were dying out by half, many villages were empty to the last house. Simeon also died of the plague along with his sons. That is why the throne was inherited by his younger brother.

Ivan, whose reign was completely colorless, was remembered in Russian history only for his beauty, for which he was nicknamed Red. The only important event of that period can be considered the granting by the khan to the Moscow ruler of the right to judge other specific princes. Of course, the new order only accelerated the unification of the lands around Moscow. The short reign of Ivan ended with his sudden death at the age of 31.

Two pillars of Moscow

The heir of Ivan the Red was his young son Dmitry, who in the future defeated the Tatar-Mongolian army on the Kulikovo field and immortalized his name. However, the first years of his nominal reign, the prince was at a very young age. Other Rurikovichs tried to take advantage of this, who rejoiced at the opportunity to either gain independence or get a label on Vladimir. Dmitry Konstantinovich Suzdalsky succeeded in the last enterprise. After the death of Ivan the Red, he went to the Khan's capital Saray, where he really received in Vladimir.

Moscow briefly lost the formal capital of Russia. However, situational circumstances failed to reverse the trend. The prerequisites for the unification of Russian lands around Moscow were different: social, economic and political. When the principality grew and became a serious power, its rulers received two major pillars that did not allow the state to fall apart. These pillars were the aristocrats and the church.

Having grown rich and safe under Kalita, Moscow attracted more and more boyars to its service. The process of their exodus to the Grand Duchy was gradual, but uninterrupted. As a result, when the young Dmitry was on the throne, a boyar council immediately formed around him, which made effective and useful decisions that made it possible to maintain the stability acquired with such difficulty.

The Orthodox Church helped the aristocrats. The reasons for the unification of the lands around Moscow were the support of this city by the metropolitans. In 1354-1378. he was Alexy (in the world Eleutherius Byakont). During the early childhood of Dmitry Donskoy, the metropolitan was also the de facto head of executive power in the Moscow principality. This energetic man initiated the construction of the Kremlin. Alexei also resolved conflicts with the Horde.

Acts of Dmitry Donskoy

All stages of the unification of the lands around Moscow had certain features. At first, the princes had to act not so much by political as by intriguing methods. This was Yuri, this was partly Ivan Kalita. But it was they who managed to lay the foundations for the well-being of Moscow. When the actual reign of the young Dmitry Donskoy began in 1367, thanks to his predecessors, he had all the resources to build a unified Russian state with a sword and diplomacy.

How did the Moscow principality grow in that period? In 1360, Dmitrov was annexed, in 1363 - Starodub on the Klyazma and (already finally) Vladimir, in 1368 - Rzhev. However, the key event of the then Russian history was the non-annexation of appanages to Moscow, and the beginning of an open struggle against the Tatar-Mongol yoke. The centralization of power and its strengthening could not but lead to such a turn of events.

The prerequisites for the unification of the lands around Moscow consisted at least in the natural desire of the nation to live within the framework of one state. These aspirations (primarily of ordinary people) clashed with feudal orders. However, they came to an end in the late Middle Ages. Similar processes of the disintegration of the feudal system, with some advance, took place in Western Europe, where their own national states were built from a multitude of duchies and counties.

Now that the process of unification of Russian lands around Moscow has become irreversible, a new problem has arisen: what to do with the Horde yoke? The tribute hindered economic development and belittled the dignity of the people. Of course, Dmitry Ivanovich, like many of his predecessors, dreamed of the full independence of his homeland. Having gained full power, he began to implement this plan.

After the Battle of Kulikovo

The long process of uniting the lands around Moscow could not be completed without the liberation of Russia from the Tatar-Mongol yoke. Donskoy understood this and decided that it was time to act. The conflict broke out in the mid-1370s. The Moscow prince refused to pay tribute to the Baskaks. The Golden Horde armed itself. The temnik Mamai stood at the head of the Basurman army. Collected shelves and Dmitry Donskoy. He was assisted by many specific princes. The war with the Tatars was an all-Russian affair. Only the Ryazan prince turned out to be a black sheep, but the Donskoy army managed without his help.

On September 21, 1380, a battle took place on the Kulikovo field, which became one of the main military events in the entire national history. The Tatars were defeated. Two years later, the horde returned and even burned down Moscow. Nevertheless, an open struggle for independence began. It went on for exactly 100 years.

Donskoy died in 1389. At the last stage of his reign, he annexed the Meshchersky region, Medyn and Ustyuzhna to the Grand Duchy. The son of Dmitry Vasily I, who ruled in 1389 - 1425. completed the absorption of the Nizhny Novgorod principality. Also under him, the unification of Moscow lands around Moscow was marked by the annexation of Murom and Tarusa with the purchase of a khan's label. The prince deprived the Novgorod Republic of Vologda by military force. In 1397 Moscow received Ustyug as a lot from Rostov. The expansion to the north continued with the addition of Torzhok and Bezhetsky Verkh.

On the brink of collapse

Under Vasily II (1425 - 1462), the Moscow principality experienced the largest internecine war in its history. His own uncle Yuri Dmitrievich encroached on the rights of the legitimate heir, who believed that power should not be transferred from father to son, but according to the long-standing principle "by the right of seniority." greatly slowed down the unification of Russian lands around Moscow. Yuri's short reign ended with his death. Then the sons of the deceased joined the fight: Dmitry Shemyaka and

The war was particularly brutal. Vasily II was blinded, and later he himself ordered Shemyaka to be poisoned. Because of the bloodshed, the result, to which the previous stages of the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow led, could sink into oblivion. However, in 1453 he finally defeated all his opponents. Even his own blindness did not prevent him from ruling. In the last years of his power, Vychegodskaya Perm, Romanov and some Vologda places were annexed to the Moscow principality.

Annexation of Novgorod and Tver

Most of all, the son of Vasily II Ivan III (1462-1505) did the most for the unification of the country from the Moscow princes. Many historians consider him the first all-Russian ruler. When Ivan Vasilyevich came to power, the Novgorod Republic was his largest neighbor. Its inhabitants supported the Moscow princes for a long time. However, in the second half of the 15th century, the aristocratic circles of Novgorod reoriented themselves towards Lithuania, which was considered the main counterweight to the Grand Duke. And this opinion was not groundless.

Owned the territory of modern Belarus and Ukraine. Kyiv, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Smolensk and other important Russian cities belonged to this state. When Ivan III felt danger in the union of Novgorod and Lithuania, he declared war on the republic. In 1478 the conflict was settled. Novgorod land entirely joined the Muscovite state.

Then came the turn of the Tver principality. The times when it could compete with Moscow on equal terms are long gone. The last prince of Tver, Mikhail Borisovich, as well as the Novgorodians, tried to conclude an alliance with Lithuania, after which Ivan III deprived him of power and annexed Tver to his state. This happened in 1485.

The reasons for the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow also consisted in the fact that at the final stage of this process, Russia finally got rid of the Tatar-Mongol yoke. In 1480, he was the last to try to force the Moscow prince to submit and pay tribute to him. There was no full war. Moscow and Tatar troops stood on different banks, but did not clash in battle. Akhmat left, and soon the Golden Horde broke up into several uluses.

In addition to Novgorod and Tver, Ivan III annexed Yaroslavl, Vazhskaya, Vyatka and Perm lands, Vyazma and Yugra to the Grand Duchy. After the Russo-Lithuanian war of 1500-1503. Bryansk, Toropets, Pochep, Starodub, Chernigov, Novgorod-Seversky and Putivl went to Moscow.

The formation of Russia

Ivan III's successor on the throne was his son Vasily III (1505-1533). Under him, the unification of the lands around Moscow was completed. Vasily continued the work of his father, first of all finally making Pskov part of his state. Since the end of the XIV century, this republic has been in a vassal position from Moscow. In 1510, Basil deprived her of autonomy.

Then came the turn of the last specific Russian principality. Ryazan has long been an independent southern neighbor of Moscow. In 1402, an alliance was concluded between the principalities, which in the middle of the 15th century was replaced by vassalage. In 1521 Ryazan became the property of the Grand Duke. Like Ivan III, Vasily III did not forget about Lithuania, which owned many primordially Russian cities. As a result of two wars with this state, the prince annexed Smolensk, Velizh, Roslavl and Kursk to his state.

By the end of the first third of the 16th century, Moscow "gathered" all the Russian lands, and thus a single national state was formed. This fact allowed the son of Vasily III, Ivan the Terrible, to take the title of king according to the Byzantine model. In 1547, he became not just a great Moscow prince, but a Russian sovereign.

The unification of Russia is a process of political unification of disparate Russian lands into a single state.

Prerequisites for the unification of Kievan Rus

The beginning of the unification of Russia dates back to the 13th century. Until that moment, Kievan Rus was not a single state, but consisted of disparate principalities that were subordinate to Kyiv, but still largely remained independent territories. Moreover, smaller destinies and territories arose in the principalities, which also lived an autonomous life. The principalities were constantly at war with each other and with Kyiv for the right to independence and independence, and the princes killed each other, wanting to claim the throne of Kyiv. All this weakened Russia, both politically and economically. As a result of constant civil strife and enmity, Russia could not gather a single strong army in order to resist the nomadic raids and overthrow the Mongol-Tatar yoke. Against this background, the power of Kyiv was weakening and a need arose for the emergence of a new center.

Reasons for the unification of Russian lands around Moscow

After the weakening of the power of Kyiv and constant internecine wars, Russia desperately needed to be united. Only an integral state could resist the invaders and finally throw off the Tatar-Mongol yoke. A feature of the unification of Russia was that there was no one clear center of power, political forces were scattered throughout the territory of Russia.

At the beginning of the 13th century, there were several cities that could become the new capital. The centers of the unification of Russia could be Moscow, Tver and Pereyaslavl. It was these cities that had all the necessary qualities for the new capital:

• They had a favorable geographical position and were removed from the borders on which the invaders ruled;
• They had the opportunity to actively engage in trade due to the intersection of several trade routes;
• The princes ruling in the cities belonged to the Vladimir princely dynasty, which had great power.

In general, all three cities had approximately equal chances, however, the skillful rule of the Moscow princes led to the fact that it was Moscow that seized power and gradually began to strengthen its political influence. As a result, it was around the Moscow principality that a new centralized state began to form.

The main stages of the unification of Russia

In the second half of the 13th century, the state was in a state of strong fragmentation, new autonomous territories were constantly separated. The Tatar-Mongol yoke interrupted the process of natural unification of lands, and the power of Kyiv by this period was greatly weakened. Russia was in decline and needed a completely new policy.

In the 14th century, many territories of Russia united around the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In the 14-15 centuries, the great Lithuanian princes owned Gorodensky, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Kyiv and other principalities, Chernihiv, Volyn, Smolensk and a number of other lands were under their rule. The reign of the Ruriks was coming to an end. By the end of the 15th century, the Lithuanian principality had grown so much that it came close to the borders of the Moscow principality. The North-East of Russia all this time remained under the rule of a descendant of Vladimir Monomakh, and the Vladimir princes bore the prefix "all Russia", but their real power did not extend beyond Vladimir and Novgorod. In the 14th century, power over Vladimir passed to Moscow.

At the end of the 14th century, Lithuania joined the Kingdom of Poland, after which a series of Russo-Lithuanian wars followed, in which Lithuania lost many territories. New Russia began to gradually unite around the strengthened Moscow principality.

In 1389 Moscow becomes the new capital.

The final unification of Russia as a new centralized and unified state was completed at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries during the reign of Ivan 3 and his son Vasily 3.

Since then, Russia periodically annexed some new territories, but the basis of a single state had already been created.

Completion of the political unification of Russia

In order to keep the new state together and avoid its possible collapse, it was necessary to change the principle of government. Under Vasily 3, estates appeared - feudal estates. The fiefdoms were often crushed and smaller, as a result, the princes, who received their new possessions, no longer had power over vast territories.

As a result of the unification of the Russian lands, all power was gradually concentrated in the hands of the Grand Duke.

History of Russia IX–XVIII centuries. Moryakov Vladimir Ivanovich

2. The main stages of the unification of Russian lands in the XIV - early XVI century

Speaking about the unification process in the Russian lands, it should be borne in mind that this concept includes not only the unification of lands around one center, but also the struggle against the Golden Horde yoke and the process of strengthening the grand duke's power. The unification process in the Russian lands lasted for about two centuries. It can be divided into three stages.

The first covers the period from the end of the XIII century. until the 80s of the XIV century. At this stage in the lands of North-Eastern Russia there was an economic upsurge. At the beginning of the XIV century. the Ryazan, Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod, Tver and Moscow principalities stood out, which fought among themselves for the great reign of Vladimir. In the course of it, the question was decided which of the principalities would become the center of the unification of Russian lands. The result of the collision was the rise of the Moscow principality, which until the 80s of the XIV century. defended in the fight against their opponents the right to be the center of the association. The strengthening of the Moscow state led to the intensification of the struggle against the Golden Horde. The victory on the Kulikovo field in 1380, won under the banner of Moscow, finally established it as a universally recognized center for the unification of Russian lands.

The second stage (80s of the 13th century - 1462) is characterized by further unification of the lands around Moscow, which after 1380 took on the character of a state association. The struggle against the Horde yoke continued. The strengthening of the power of the Moscow Grand Duke led to a war between him and the specific princes of the Moscow princely house, the central issue of which was the subordination of the specific princes to the Moscow Grand Duke.

The third stage covers the period from 1462 to 1533. At this time, the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow was completed, in 1480 the liberation from the Horde yoke took place. At this stage, all-Russian state government bodies are formed.

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The end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century - the line between the Middle Ages and the New Age, called the Renaissance, became the period of the final formation of most European states. At the same stage, the process of unification of Russian lands around the Moscow principality was completed. The names of its initiators and executors are alive in the memory of the people. These were the Grand Dukes Ivan III, who ruled from 1462 to 1505, and his son Vasily III, who was in power from 1505 to 1533.

Features of the centralization of the countries of Western Europe and Russia

It should be immediately noted that in Russia and in the leading European countries, the unification of previously fragmented lands took place in various historical realities. In the West, the creation of centralized states was stimulated by the growth of material production, which, in turn, increased due to the improvement of commodity-money relations and the exit of the economy from the narrow framework of natural economy.

In Russia, things were different. Two centuries of the Horde yoke slowed down the development of its economy and culture, and as a result, the unification of Russia took place against the background of the feudal organization of the economy, which undoubtedly served as an obstacle to this process. In addition, the creation itself was possible only in the northwest and northeast of the country, since most of the southern lands that were previously part of Kievan Rus were annexed to Hungary, Poland and Lithuania.

Fragmentation is the reason for the seizure of Russian lands

Undoubtedly, the main reason for the conquest of Specific Russia by the Golden Horde was its fragmentation, an example of which is the Vladimir principality, divided after the death of its ruler among the heirs, and after that becoming easy prey for the conquerors. And similar phenomena in the history of Russia of that period can be traced everywhere. Many great principalities, after their division into small destinies, lost their former power and lost the ability to resist the enemy. Domestic history is full of such examples.

However, according to the researchers, the presence of a constant threat from the Golden Horde, and subsequently the individual khanates into which it broke up, and the aggressive policy of the Western neighbors significantly accelerated the completion of the unification of Russian lands around Moscow, making it vital. Great merit in its implementation belongs to Ivan III, who ascended the throne in 1462.

Creator of the unified state

Subsequently, becoming a truly key figure in Russian history, this ruler received the highest, at that time, power in his hands when he was only twenty-two years old. Having established himself as a successful and far-sighted politician, he was the first in Russian history to be called the "Sovereign of All Russia." It was during the period of his reign that the double-headed eagle became our coat of arms, and the stone Kremlin that exists to this day was erected in Moscow.

Ivan III, having married the niece of the Byzantine emperor, introduced magnificent ceremonies into court use, not inferior to those that were accepted at European courts. It was during his reign that the former word Rus began to be supplanted by the current one - Russia. He carried out a cardinal administrative reform and became one of the authors of the famous Sudebnik - a code of civil and criminal laws.

Code of Laws of Ivan III

According to this document, which was very progressive for its time, the Boyar Duma was established under the Grand Duke. Its representatives received the authority to manage certain areas of public life, and also became governors in regiments and princely governors in cities.

There was also such an innovation as orders - bodies that were in charge of specially appointed boyars or order clerks. In rural areas, or in other words - volosts, the leadership was carried out by the so-called volosts - leading structures consisting of free people.

The Sudebnik established strict control of the center over the leadership of local boyars and stipulated possible penalties if they failed to comply with princely orders. A number of his articles dealt with the organization of the troops. Instead of the former scattered squads of specific princes, a single army was created. Local noble landowners were obliged, if necessary, to be at the disposal of the Grand Duke and, at their own expense, arm a certain number of foot and horse slaves brought with them. Their number depended on the size of the estate owned by the owner.

Accession to Moscow of previously independent specific principalities

A wise, and sometimes very cunning politician, Ivan managed, avoiding open clashes, to carry out the annexation of the entire north-east of Russia to Moscow. This began in 1468, when the specific Yaroslavl princes, recognizing the supreme power of Ivan, entered into his subordination.

Four years later, Great Perm became part of his principality. By that time, the Rostov principality remained only half independent - the second part of it had been bought (that's right!) by the father of Ivan III, the Moscow prince Vasily the Dark. In 1474, the deal was continued, and as a result, the entire remaining territory went to Russia.

Some difficulties arose with the annexation of Tver, which had previously been surrounded by a ring of Moscow lands. Her boyars, to the last, tried to argue with Ivan, defending their independence, but the sight of his large squad approaching the walls of the city was such a convincing argument that they hurried to take the oath of allegiance.

The subsequent process included the annexation in 1489, which was an important fishing area. It was they who replenished the treasury with the most important currency, valued on the international market - furs.

As a result of the policy of centralization of Russia, which Ivan III consistently pursued, in addition to the steady growth of its economy and military power, the prestige of the state also increased. This contributed to the fact that in the early years of the 16th century, a significant number of Russian princes, who originated from the western regions of the country, but for various reasons, who switched to the service of the Lithuanian rulers, returned to their homeland.

The tragedy of Novgorod

However, not at all its stages, the completion of the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow proceeded so smoothly. An example of this is the dramatic events that unfolded around Novgorod, which until then had remained an independent boyar republic. In it, as a result of the management reform carried out in 1410, the power of the oligarchic boyars was strengthened, and by the decree of Vasily the Dark from 1456, the highest judicial power was given to the local prince.

Fears (and not unfounded) of losing a significant part of the privileges after the subordination of Novgorod to Moscow prompted the boyars, led by the townsman's widow, to seek help from the Lithuanian prince Casimir, agreeing to vassalage if he supported him in the fight against Ivan III. In response to this, the Moscow prince took the most decisive measures, as a result of which, in 1471, a united army, made up of squads from all the principalities subject to Moscow, moved to the rebellious city.

A significant argument that allowed Ivan III to assemble such an impressive army in a short time was the desire of the Novgorodians to come under the authority of a Catholic ruler, thereby giving reason to accuse them of wanting to exchange the Orthodox faith for the “Latin”. In contrast to the Moscow squads, the rebels gathered a very large, but untrained and poorly armed militia. During the decisive battle that took place on the Shelon River, they were defeated and put to flight.

However, despite the complete defeat, the Novgorodians managed to come to an agreement with the prince, and, having paid a hefty indemnity, for some time to maintain the remnants of their former independence. Novgorod was finally annexed to Moscow in 1478. A symbolic gesture of deprivation of the right to self-determination was the seizure of the veche bell from the Novgorodians, which from time immemorial has called them to resolve important pressing issues.

After the subjugation of Novgorod to the Moscow prince, the conquest of the Tver principality, which until then had retained its independence, was to be conquered. Here, in a certain way, the same story was repeated as in Novgorod. The prince of Tver, rightly believing that he would not be able to resist the superior forces of Moscow, turned for help to the same Lithuanian ruler as the Novgorodians, and as a result suffered their same fate.

During all forty-three years of his reign, Ivan III pursued a single goal - the unification of disparate Russian lands. For this, he went down in national history as the "collector of Russian lands." He subjugated many previously independent great principalities.

End of the Horde yoke

But, among other things, his reign was marked by such an important event as the end of the period of the Horde yoke, which marked the victory of the troops of the Moscow prince over the hordes of Ahmed Khan in 1480. It was achieved not so much by military superiority as by skillful diplomacy, as a result of which Ivan III managed to make his ally the Crimean Khan, who was the worst enemy of his current enemy, and at the same time neutralize the actions of Ahmed Khan's ally, the Lithuanian king. As a result, realizing the hopelessness of the battle, the Tatars left their positions and retreated.

Father's successor

In 1505, the son of Ivan III, Vasily III, ascended the throne of Moscow, from the first days of his reign, he showed himself to be the successor of his father's work. As a true autocrat, he pursued a tough policy, the purpose of which was to destroy the former system of appanages and annex to Moscow the independent principalities of Russia that still remained at that time.

It is fair to say that the young prince was not inferior to his father either in the decisiveness of his actions, or in the ability to choose the most favorable moment for them. In this regard, the accession to the Moscow principality of Pskov, which until then was under the control of Lithuania, is very characteristic. To do this, Vasily took advantage of its weakening caused by the invasion of the Crimean Tatars.

He was not without the cunning inherent in his father. So, for example, in 1509, Vasily 3 ordered representatives of the Pskov settlement to come to meet him in Novgorod, as well as everyone who was dissatisfied with his desire to bring Pskov under Moscow jurisdiction. He accused all those who arrived on his orders of distrust of him and executed most of them.

The reign of Basil 3 put an end to the former independence of the city. After the execution of the townsmen's representatives in Pskov, the last veche in its history took place, at which a decision was made on the unconditional fulfillment of all the requirements of the prince. The Pskov veche bell, like its Novgorod counterpart, was removed and forever taken out of the city.

In order to protect himself from possible opposition in the future, by annexing the city to his possessions, the young prince evicted three hundred of the richest families from it and in their place settled an equal number of residents who were obviously loyal to him from other areas. However, this idea does not belong to him, but to his father Ivan III, who did exactly the same with the wealthy inhabitants of the conquered Novgorod. Having abolished the former veche system in Pskov, Vasily 3 entrusted the administration to his governors.

Further land consolidation process

Four years later, continuing the unification of Russia he was conducting, Vasily III annexed Smolensk, which he had conquered from the Lithuanians in 1514, to his principality. The memory of this event was immortalized by the creation of the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow. The Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, recognized as miraculous, and revered as the primordial defender of the borders of Russia, was solemnly transferred to it.

The final completion of the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow was achieved after the Ryazan principality became part of the state in 1521. It had previously been in a certain dependence on the Moscow princes, but at the same time it retained some independence. However, it was the turn of the inhabitants of Ryazan to become subjects of Moscow.

The main organs of government

This was completed in a single state, which became the largest in Europe, and has since been called Russia. But this process affected only the territories located in the northeast and northwest of Russia. Bringing under the Moscow scepter the principalities located in the southwestern lands and continuing to remain under the jurisdiction of Hungary, Poland and Lithuania, was a matter of the future.

The completion of the unification of Russian lands around Moscow required the creation of an apparatus capable of providing centralized control of the newly created state. They became the boyar duma. It had previously included representatives of the two highest (at that time) estates of the boyars and okolnichy, but from the middle of the 15th century, its composition was replenished by the princes of the lands attached to Moscow, loyal to the supreme ruler. The Boyar Duma was deprived of legislative power and had the character of only an advisory body.

During the reign of Vasily 3, two government departments were established, which laid the foundation for the subsequently formed order system. These were the so-called Palace and Treasury. The first managed the lands belonging to the Grand Duke, and the second was in charge of finances, archives and the state press.

According to most researchers, the completion of the unification of Russian lands around Moscow was largely achieved due to the role that the Russian Orthodox Church played in this process. Its significance in solving pressing state issues was strengthened by the elevation in 1448 to the metropolitan throne of the Ryazan Metropolitan Jonah. Since that time, the church in Russia received the status of autocephalous, that is, independent and independent of others, and could actively influence the domestic and foreign policy of the state.

New Level Diplomacy

The Moscow principality of the 16th century, formed as a result of the unification of previously disparate lands, acquired a completely different status in matters of international politics. If before it consisted only of relations with the Horde khans and a limited circle of specific princes, then after the country began to be an association of the Great Russian people, and its ruler was called the sovereign, she took her rightful place in Europe.

Russian diplomacy has reached a completely different level. After the unification of the lands of North-Eastern Russia was completed, foreign embassies began to arrive in Moscow in the old days, not risking to go deeper into the Russian expanses beyond Novgorod. Of course, this introduced a certain complexity, since previously one had to deal only with specific princes who professed the same faith and spoke the same language. Now, during the negotiations, it was necessary to take into account the peculiarities of other religions and use the services of translators, and subsequently learn the languages ​​themselves.

The merits of the two Moscow princes Ivan III, as well as his son and successor of the affairs of Vasily III, are undeniable. Thanks to their labors, letters sent abroad have since been signed with the title "Prince of Moscow and All Russia." This meant that all of Russia closed into a monolith, capable of withstanding any trials in the future.