The second half of the fifteenth century is one of the most important periods in the history of Russia. At this time, the future state finally gets rid of Tatar oppression and forms the political foundation for the founding of a new country. The Muscovite ruler Ivan the Third was a man of great political ambitions and decisive undertakings.
He worthily continued the work of his father and in almost fifty years of his reign he was able to unite all the surrounding lands around Moscow. That is why in the annals of this ruler remained as the first king and sovereign of all Russia, revived his own country, becoming its full ruler.
Association of Russian lands
The collection of land under the patronage of the Moscow Principality lasted about thirty years. Adjacent princes did not always recognize the power of the Moscow ruler Ivan Vasilyevich. The Yaroslavl region voluntarily agreed to recognize the primacy of the Prince of Moscow, and the Tver and Rostov principality had to pacify. One of the most serious battles of those times was the conquest of the Novgorod freemen - the defeat of the Novgorodians on the Shelon River entailed the pacification of the obstinate principality and its entry into Great Russia.
Relations with the Mongols
Having strengthened his influence in the region, Ivan the Third behaved with the Mongols as an independent sovereign of his own lands. The future first sovereign of all Russia no longer wanted to pay tribute and go to bow, as his fathers and grandfathers did. For thirty years of the reign of Ivan III, the Tatar’s foot didn’t set foot on its lands, the blood of Orthodox Christians did not pour, there were no ravaged lands and burnt cities.
A whole generation of people who did not know the Tatar yoke has grown.
Khan Akhmat decided to pacify the obstinate prince and return the Russian lands to the sphere of influence of the Horde. The cautious and ambitious ruler of the Horde began to prepare for a campaign in Moscow. But all his ambitious aspirations ended in 1480. Great standing on
the Ugra River showed the power of the Russian army. Khan fled, the Tatars' power over Russian lands, which lasted more than two hundred years, ended. Ivan III - the first sovereign of all Russia, saved his state from years of slavery.
Wars with the northern neighbors
The capture and accession of Novgorod pushed the borders of the Russian state to Livonia and Sweden. Constant skirmishes and deteriorating Livonian-Pskov relations led to serious military clashes. In 1481, after a successful Russian campaign in Livonian lands, a peace treaty was signed for a period of ten years. Nevertheless, Ivan the Third ordered the construction of defensive structures in the north-west of the country. Such forethought was not out of place: at the beginning of the 16th century, relations again intensified. After losing several serious battles, Ivan the Third in 1503 agreed to sign the next peace agreement, in which the borders of the two states were officially confirmed.
Relations with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The strengthening and establishment of independence of the Moscow principality, the expansion of its territory, clashed the interests of the young state with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Subsequent wars consolidated the superiority of the Russians over the disputed territories.
The peace treaty between the two states was signed in 1503. According to him, Gomel, Bryansk, Rylsk, Putivl, Chernigov and other cities formerly owned by Lithuania departed to the power of the Moscow principality. True, this agreement was concluded for a short period (6 years), but after its expiration, neither one nor the other side began to revise the paragraphs of this document.
Thus, in a short time, Russian lands were united around Moscow. The title "Sovereign of All Russia" was first adopted by the ruler of the once separate principalities.
Consequence of the merger
A sharp jump from the position of tributaries to an independent and large state required appropriate framing. Thanks to the unification of Russian lands, the very idea of being called their master lay on the surface. Prior to this, the prefix "All Russia" was supposed to reign Kiev princes and their descendants. After the fragmentation of Kievan Rus, this title was given to the princes of Vladimir (as the direct heirs of Yaroslav the Wise). After the annexation of the Principality of Vladimir to Moscow, the prefix “All Russia” naturally passed to the Moscow princes.
The word "sovereign" has also undergone significant changes. At first, the owner of the lands of acquired property and other property was called “gospodar”. This word is still found in Ukrainian, Belarusian and Moldavian languages. In the northeastern lands of Russia, the word began to be used after the wedding of Prince of Moscow Vasily to Sophia Paleolog, the direct heiress of the rulers of Byzantium. The inscriptions on the coins of the period of the early reign of Ivan Vasilyevich point to him precisely as "Thanks to All Russia."
Later, the word was transformed into "sovereign" and became common. From these two halves the title of ruler of a new state was created. Ivan III is the first sovereign of all Russia known by this new title.
New state
The adoption of the title “Emperor of All Russia” by Tsar Ivan III fell on 1494. At this time, the confrontation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the Moscow state ended , and Prince of Lithuania officially recognized Prince Ivan Vasilyevich as the sovereign (sovereign) of the Russian lands. The title "Emperor of All Russia" was first adopted, according to some versions, by a relative of Ivan the Third - Dmitry Shemyak. But only Ivan III was able to rightfully call himself the ruler of Russian lands, because during his reign the territory of Moscow-controlled lands increased many times over.
Sovereign and king
The first sovereign of all Russia had another title. At this time, for the first time, the ruler of Russia began to be called not princes, but kings. Prior to this, only the khans of the Golden Horde and the ancient Jewish rulers, known from the Old Slavonic translations of biblical legends, could be called kings. The word "king" meant the sole monarch who had the right to execute and pardon subjects at his discretion. Unlike European kings, who initially recognized private property, the king was the sole owner of all his lands. It is no coincidence that the word “king” became synonymous with “autocrat”.
Ruler title
The role of an independent independent ruler of a new state is difficult to overestimate. The title "Sovereign of All Russia" was first adopted not by a stranger, not a protege of the Tatar-Mongols, this title rightfully began to belong to a tough and far-sighted politician who turned provincial principalities into a power of a European level. Over the life of one generation, Russia has become a respected and strong country, which was reckoned with in the north and in the south. For the first time, representatives of neighboring states came to Moscow as the capital of a new country. For the first time, the Moscow principality entered the political arena under a new name - Russia. The title “Sovereign of All Russia” first adopted the official sound and became an integral part of the greatness of the Russian rulers. This official appeal to a representative of the ruling family first sounded in relation to Ivan III and his heirs, and then he was picked up by representatives of the Romanov dynasty. After Peter, the Russian autocrats preferred to call themselves "emperors." But the title of sovereigns of all Russia remained with them by right of inheritance and was included, among others, in all official appeals to the tsar's family.