Vasily 3: Foreign and Domestic Politics

The Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III ruled in 1505-1533. His era was the time of the continuation of the accomplishments of his father, Ivan III. The prince united the Russian lands around Moscow and fought with numerous external enemies.

Succession to the throne

Vasily Rurikovich was born in 1479 in the family of the Grand Duke of Moscow John III. He was the second son, and therefore did not claim the throne after the death of his otzta. However, his elder brother John the Young tragically died at the age of 32 from a fatal illness. He developed a leg ailment (probably gout), which caused terrible pains. My father wrote a famous European doctor from Venice, who, however, could not overcome the disease (later he was executed for this failure). The deceased heir left Dmitry's son.

This led to a dynastic dispute. On the one hand, Dmitry had the right to power as the son of a deceased heir. But the Grand Duke had younger sons alive. At first, John III was inclined to transfer the throne to his grandson. He even arranged a wedding ceremony for his kingdom (this was the first such rite in Russia). However, soon Dmitry was in disgrace with his grandfather. It is believed that the reason for this was the conspiracy of the second wife of John (and mother of Basil), Sophia Paleologus. She was from Byzantium (by this time Constantinople had already fallen under the pressure of the Turks). The wife wanted the power passed to her son. Therefore, she and her faithful boyars began to persuade John to change his decision. Shortly before his death, he agreed, refused to Dmitry in his rights to the throne, and bequeathed to Basil to be a Grand Duke. The grandson was imprisoned and soon died there, surviving his grandfather for a short time.

Struggle against specific princes

Grand Duke Vasily 3, whose foreign and domestic policies were a continuation of his father's actions, ascended the throne in 1505, after the death of John III.

One of the key principles of both monarchs was the idea of absolute autocracy. That is, the Grand Duke tried to concentrate power only in the hands of monarchs. He had several opponents.

In the first place - other specific princes of the Rurik dynasty. And we are talking about those who were the direct representative of the Moscow house. The last major upheaval in Russia began precisely because of disputes over power around the uncles and nephews, who were the descendants of Dmitry Donskoy.

Vasily had four younger brothers. Yuri received Dmitrov, Dmitry - Uglich, Semyon - Kaluga, Andrew - Staritsu. At the same time, they were only nominal governors and completely dependent on the Moscow prince. This time the Rurikovichs did not commit the mistake that was made in the 12th century, when the state with its center in Kiev collapsed.

Boyar Opposition

Another potential threat to the Grand Duke was represented by numerous boyars. Some of them, incidentally, were distant descendants of the Rurik (as, for example, the Shuiskys). Vasily 3, whose foreign and domestic policies were subject to the idea of the need to combat any threats to power, suppressed the opposition at its very core.

Such a fate, for example, waited for Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky. This nobleman was suspected of correspondence with the Lithuanian prince. Shortly before this Vasily managed to win back several ancient Russian cities. Shuisky became the governor of one of them. After his alleged treason became known to the prince, the disgraced boyar was imprisoned, where he died in 1529. Such an uncompromising struggle against any manifestations of disloyalty was the core of the policy of uniting Russian lands around Moscow.

Another similar case occurred with Ivan Beklemishev, nicknamed Berseni. This diplomat openly criticized the Grand Duke for his policies, including for striving for everything Greek (this trend became the norm thanks to the mother of Prince Sophia Paleologus). Beklemisheva was executed.

Church disputes

Church life was also the object of attention of the Grand Duke. He needed the support of religious leaders to ensure the legitimacy of his own decisions. This union of the state and the church was considered the norm for Russia at that time (by the way, the word "Russia" was used under John III).

At this time in the country there was a dispute between Josephs and non-possessors. These two ecclesiastical and political movements (mainly within the monasteries) had opposing views on religious issues. Their ideological struggle could not pass by the ruler. Non-avaricious people aspired to reforms, including the abolition of land ownership by monasteries, while Josephis remained conservatives. On the side of the latter was Vasily III. The prince's foreign and domestic policies corresponded to those of the Josephites. As a result, the church opposition was repressed. Among its representatives were such famous people as Maxim Grek and Vassian Patrikeev.

Association of Russian lands

Grand Duke Vasily 3, whose foreign and domestic policies were closely intertwined, continued to annex the remaining Russian princedoms to Moscow.

The Pskov republic even during the reign of John III became a vassal of the southern neighbor. In 1509 a veche was held in the city, at which the residents expressed displeasure with the reign of Vasily. He arrived in Veliky Novgorod to discuss this conflict. As a result, the veche was canceled, and Pskov was annexed to the Moscow patrimony.

However, such a decision could cause unrest in the freedom-loving city. To avoid "fermenting of minds", the most influential and notable aristocrats of Pskov were moved to the capital, and their place was taken by Moscow appointees. This effective technique was used by John when he joined Novgorod the Great.

Ryazan Prince Ivan Ivanovich in 1517 tried to conclude an alliance with the Crimean Khan. Moscow was blazing with anger. The prince was taken into custody, and Ryazan became part of the united Russian state. Domestic and foreign policy of Vasily 3 was consistent and successful.

Conflict with Lithuania

War with the neighbors is another important point, which differed the rule of Vasily 3. The internal and foreign policy of the prince could not but contribute to the conflicts of Muscovy with other states.

The Lithuanian principality was another Russian center and continued to claim the leading position in the region. It was an ally of Poland. In the service of the Lithuanian prince there were many Russian Orthodox boyars and feudal lords.

Smolensk became the main apple of discord between the two powers. This ancient city became part of Lithuania in the 14th century. Basil also wanted to return it to Moscow. Because of this, there were two wars in his reign (in 1507-1508 and 1512-1522). As a result, Smolensk was returned to Russia.

Vasiliy resisted many enemies. The foreign and domestic policy (the table is a great format for illustrating what we have said), as already mentioned, was a natural continuation of Ivan's actions 3, undertaken by him for upholding the interests of the Orthodox Church and the centralization of the state. Below we will discuss what all this resulted in.

Wars with the Crimean Tatars

Success was accompanied by the measures undertaken by Vasily 3. Foreign and domestic policy (a short table shows it well) was the key to the development and enrichment of the country. Another reason for concern was the Crimean Tatars. They made constant raids on Russia and often entered into an alliance with the Polish king. Vasiliy did not want to put up with this. Domestic and foreign policy (it is unlikely to be told briefly about this) had a clearly defined goal - to protect the principality lands from invasions. To this end, a rather peculiar practice was introduced. Tatars from the most important families began to be invited to the service, allocating land ownership to them. The prince was also friendly to more distant states. He strove to develop trade with the European powers. He considered the possibility of concluding a union (directed against Turkey) with the Pope.

Family problems

As in the case of any monarch, it was very important to whom Vasili married. 3. Foreign and domestic policy were important spheres of his activity, however, the future destiny of the state depended on the existence of a successor of the clan. The first marriage of an heir to the Grand Duchy was organized by his father. For this purpose, 1500 brides from all over the country arrived in Moscow. The prince's wife was Solomoniya Saburova from a small boyar family. This was the first time when a Russian ruler was married not by a representative of the ruling dynasty, but by a girl from official circles.

However, this family union was unsuccessful. Solomonia was barren and could not conceive a child. Therefore, Basil III in 1525 with her divorced. At the same time, some representatives of the Church criticized him, since he formally had no right to such an act.

The following year, Vasily married Elena Glinskaya. This late marriage gave him two sons - John and Yuri. After the death of the Grand Duke, the elder was declared an heir. John was then 3 years old, therefore, instead of him, the Regency Council, which contributed to numerous squabbles at the court. Also popular is the theory that it is the boyar troubles, which the child witnessed as a child, spoiled his character. Later, the already matured, Ivan the Terrible became a tyrant and dealt with disagreeable people in the most cruel ways.

The death of the Grand Duke

Vasily died in 1533. During one of the trips, he found a small swelling in his left thigh. She was festering and led to blood poisoning. Using modern terminology, we can assume that this was an oncological disease. On his deathbed the Grand Duke accepted the schema.