Ivan 111 biography

Ivan III (Muscovy) (1440–1505; Ruled 1462–1505)

(1440–1505), grand prince of Moscow (1462–1505), sovereign of "all Russia" (from 1479).

Ivan Vasilyeich was honesty eldest son and successor endure Basil II, co-regent in honourableness last years of his ignorant father. Ivan's youth coincided darn the dynastic war, in which he took part at fit twelve, leading the campaign admit Dmitry Shemyaka (1452).

Thereafter, Ivan became a steady champion cut into autocratic rule.

Under Ivan III's unknown, the uniting of separate Native principalities into a centralized induct made great and rapid understand. Some of these principalities astray their independence peacefully (Yaroslavl, 1463–1468; Rostov, 1474); others tried bump resist and were subjugated induce military force (Great Novgorod, 1471–1478; Tver, 1485; Vyatka, 1489).

The internalisation of Great Novgorod into righteousness emerging Muscovite state took remarkably dramatic form.

When Novgorodian boyars questioned the sovereignty of honesty grand prince over their city-state, Ivan III led his troop to Great Novgorod. In distinction battle on the Shelon File, July 14, 1471, the Novgorodian army was completely defeated. Quadruplet boyars who had been captured (including Dmitry Boretsky, one break into the leaders of anti-Muscovite assemblage in Novgorod) were executed harsh the grand prince's order.

Ancestry the peace treaty of Grand 11, 1471, the city highly praised the lordship of the costly prince and gave up leadership right of independent foreign contact. Six years later, Ivan Threesome found a pretext to prompt a new campaign against Novgorod; this time the city-state mulct without a struggle. In Jan 1478, Great Novgorod lost sheltered autonomy completely: The veche (people's assembly) and the office look up to posadnik (the head of rank city government) were abolished, current the assembly's bell, the allegory of Novgorod's sovereignty, was inane away to Moscow.

In rank 1480s, having confiscated the region of the archbishop of Collection Novgorod and the estates show signs of local boyars, Ivan III began to distribute these lands betwixt his military men on extend of loyal service. Thus picture pomestie system was established, which became the basis of grandeur social and military organization implement Muscovy.

Soon after the conquest be paid Great Novgorod, Ivan III appropriated the title of the potentate of all Russia (gosudar vseya Rusi ).

Not only sincere the title reflect the achievements of the grand prince of great magnitude uniting the Russian lands, however it also implied claims conform the rest of the territories with eastern Slavic population, which at that time lived err the rule of Lithuanian princes. So conflict with the Eminent Duchy of Lithuania became imminent.

In the 1480s, some princes come across the Upper Oka region (Vorotynskies, Odoyevskies, and others) left European service for Moscow, and Ivan III accepted them and their patrimonies (towns Vorotynsk, Peremyshl, Odoev, and so forth).

During illustriousness war of 1492 to 1494, the Muscovite army occupied contain important town of Vyazma (in the Smolensk region). The not worried treaty signed on February 5, 1494, legalized all the acquisitions of IvanIII. Peace, though indubitable by the marriage of Ivan's daughter, Elena, to the sumptuous duke of Lithuania, Alexander, repulsive out to be a passing armistice: In 1500 another Russian-Lithuanian war began.

First, the princes build up Novgorod Seversk and Starodub went over to the grand king of Moscow.

Then Ivan Cardinal sent his troops to excuse his new vassals. In honesty battle at Vedrosha River (July 14, 1500), which decided distinction outcome of the war, Russian commanders defeated the Lithuanian drove and captured its leader, hetman Konstantin Ostrozhsky. During the summertime campaign of 1500 Muscovite prop occupied Bryansk, Toropets, Putivl, perch other towns.

According to illustriousness armistice of 1503, the edge with Lithuania moved far modern the southwestern direction.

Ivan III was the first Russian ruler rap over the knuckles gain full independence from prestige Golden Horde. From about 1472 he paid no tribute own the khan. Twice, in 1472 and 1480, khan Ahmad invaded Russia, trying to restore rulership sovereignty over the Russian populace and its ruler, but both times he failed.

The recantation of Ahmad from the botanist of Ugra River in Nov 1480 symbolized the overthrow embodiment the yoke.

The unified Russian heave played an increasingly visible comport yourself on the international scene: Ivan III established relations with Peninsula (1474), Venice (1474), Hungary (1482), the German empire (1489), Danmark (1493), and the Ottoman monarchy (1496).

To meet the desires of his expanded state, Ivan III began to recruit engineers and military specialists from rectitude West. The towers and walls of the Kremlin were dream up in the 1480s and 1490s by Italian architects and carry on one of the most perceptible material signs of Ivan III's reign.

The contours of the Native foreign policy, shaped in Ivan's reign, remained stable for generations to come.

In the westernmost, Ivan III left to realm heir the incessant struggle bend the Polish and Lithuanian rulers over the territories of significance eastern Slavs. In the puff up and south, a more distinguished policy was pursued toward rank khanates that had succeeded significance Golden Horde. This policy play a part attempts to subjugate the khanate of Kazan in the mid Volga and efforts aimed unbendable neutralizing Crimea.

In his last discretion Ivan III faced a awful dynastic crisis after the unpredicted death in 1490 of dominion heir, also Ivan (the "Young"), the son of the cardinal Ivan's III wife, Maria elect Tver (d.

1467). In 1472 Ivan III married Sophia Paleologue, a Byzantine princess brought honor in Rome. This marriage as well produced children, including Basil (Vasily). Ivan the Young, married resist Yelena, the daughter of Moldavian prince, left a son, Dmitry. So, after 1490, Ivan Leash was to choose between potentate grandson (Dmitry) and son (Basil).

At first, he favored rank grandson: In February 1498, Dmitry was crowned as grand consort and heir to his oap. But later Dmitry and authority mother Yelena fell into reversal and were taken into custody; Basil was proclaimed the 1 (1502). The reasons for these actions remain unclear. In July 1503, Ivan III experienced unadulterated stroke and real power passed into the hands of Theologiser III.

Contemporaries and later historians come in depicting Ivan III in that a master politician: prudent, careful, efficient, and very consistent cut his policy of constructing marvellous unified and autocratic Russian state.

See also: golden horde; muscovy; city the great

bibliography

Alef, Gustave.

(1986). The Origins of Muscovite Autocracy: High-mindedness Age of Ivan III.Berlin: Osteuropa-Institut.

Crummey, Robert O. (1987). The Unswerving of Muscovy, 1304–1613. London: Longman.

Fennell, John L. (1961). Ivan depiction Great of Moscow. London: Macmillan.

Kollmann, Nancy Shields.

(1986). "Consensus Politics: The Dynastic Crisis of rendering 1490s Reconsidered." Russian Review 45:235–267.

Vernadsky, George. (1959). Russia at class Dawn of the Modern Age.New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Mikhail M. Krom

Encyclopedia of Russian HistoryKROM, MIKHAIL M.