This woman was credited with many important state deeds. What makes Sofia Paleolog so different? Interesting facts about her, as well as biographical information, are collected in this article.
Cardinal's offer
In February 1469, the ambassador of Cardinal Vissarion arrived in Moscow. He handed the letter to the Grand Duke with a proposal to marry Sophia, daughter of Theodore I, despot of Morea. By the way, this letter also said that Sophia Paleolog (real name is Zoya, they decided to replace him with an Orthodox one for diplomatic reasons) had already refused two crowned grooms who had married to her. These were the Duke of Mediolan and the French king. The fact is that Sophia did not want to marry a Catholic.
Sophia Paleolog (of course you can’t find a photo of her, but the portraits are presented in the article), according to the ideas of that distant time, was already not young. However, she was still very attractive. She had expressive, surprisingly beautiful eyes, and also matte tender skin, which was considered a sign of excellent health in Russia. In addition, the bride was distinguished by an article and a sharp mind.
Who is Sofia Fominichna Paleolog?
Sophia Fominichna - niece of Constantine XI Paleologist, the last emperor of Byzantium. Since 1472, she was the wife of Ivan III Vasilyevich. Her father was Thomas Paleolog, who fled to Rome with his family in 1453, after the Turks captured Constantinople. Sophia Paleolog lived after the death of her father in the care of the great pope. For a number of reasons, he wished to marry her to Ivan III, widowed in 1467. He answered in agreement.
Sofia Paleolog gave birth to a son in 1479, who later became Vasily III Ivanovich. In addition, she managed to declare Vasily the Grand Duke, whose place was to be taken by Dmitry, the grandson of Ivan III, crowned to the kingdom. Ivan III used marriage with Sofia to strengthen Russia in the international arena.
Icon "Holy Sky" and the image of Michael III
Sofia Paleolog, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, brought several Orthodox icons. It is believed that among them was the icon "Grace of Heaven", a rare image of the Mother of God. She was in the Kremlin's Arkhangelsk Cathedral. However, according to another legend, the relic was transported from Constantinople to Smolensk, and when the latter captured Lithuania, this icon was blessed for marriage to Sofia Vitovtovna, Princess, when she married Vasily I, the Moscow prince. The image, which is now in the cathedral, is a list of ancient icons, made in the late 17th century by order of Fedor Alekseevich (pictured below). Muscovites traditionally brought lamp oil and water to this icon. It was believed that they were filled with healing properties, because the image had healing power. This icon is one of the most revered in our country today.
After the wedding of Ivan III, the image of Michael III, the Byzantine emperor who was the ancestor of the Paleologue dynasty, also appeared in the Archangel Cathedral. Thus, it was argued that Moscow was the successor to the Byzantine Empire, and the sovereigns of Russia were the heirs of the Byzantine emperors.
The birth of the long-awaited heir
After Sofia Paleolog, the second wife of Ivan III, married him in the Assumption Cathedral and became his wife, she began to think about how to gain influence and become a real queen. The paleologist understood that for this it was necessary to present the prince with a gift that only she could make: give birth to him a son who would become the heir to the throne. Unfortunately, Sophia, the first-born was a daughter who died almost immediately after birth. A year later, a girl was born again, who also died suddenly. Sophia Paleologus cried, prayed to God to give her an heir, distributed handfuls to the wretched, gave sacrifices to churches. After some time, the Mother of God heard her prayers - Sofia Paleologus became pregnant again.
Her biography was finally marked by a long-awaited event. It took place on March 25, 1479 at 8 pm, as was said in one of the Moscow chronicles. A son is born. He was named Vasily of Paris. The boy was baptized by Vasiyan, the Rostov archbishop, in the Sergius Monastery.
What did Sofia bring with her
Sophia managed to inspire what was dear to herself, and what was appreciated and understood in Moscow. She brought with her the customs and traditions of the Byzantine court, pride in her own origin, as well as the chagrin of having to marry a tributary of the Mongol-Tatars. Sophia hardly liked the simplicity of the atmosphere in Moscow, as well as the unceremonious relations that prevailed at the time at court. Ivan III himself was forced to listen to reproachful speeches from the obstinate boyars. However, in the capital and without it, many had a desire to change the old order, which did not correspond to the position of the Moscow sovereign. And the wife of Ivan III with the Greeks brought by her, who saw both Roman and Byzantine life, could give the Russians valuable guidance on what patterns and how the desired changes should be implemented.
Sofia influence
The prince’s wife cannot be denied influence on the backstage life of the courtyard and its decorative environment. She skillfully built personal relationships, she perfectly managed court intrigues. However, the political paleologist could respond only with suggestions that echoed the vague and secret thoughts of Ivan III. In particular, the idea was clear that with her marriage the princess made the Moscow rulers the successors of the emperors of Byzantium with the interests of the Orthodox East, holding on to the latter. Therefore, Sophia Paleolog in the capital of the Russian state was valued mainly as the Byzantine princess, and not as the great Moscow princess. She herself understood this. As Princess Sophia, she used the right to receive foreign embassies in Moscow. Therefore, her marriage with Ivan was a kind of political demonstration. It was announced to the whole world that the heiress of the Byzantine house, which had fallen shortly before, transferred his sovereign rights to Moscow, which became the new Constantinople. Here she shares these rights with her spouse.
Reconstruction of the Kremlin, the overthrow of the Tatar yoke
Ivan, sensing his new position in the international arena, found the Kremlin's ugly and cramped old atmosphere. From Italy, following the princess, the masters were discharged. They built on the site of a wooden choir the Faceted Chamber, the Assumption Cathedral (St. Basil's Cathedral), as well as a new stone palace. At that time, a strict and complicated ceremonial began to start in the Kremlin at the court, which imparted arrogance and stiffness to Moscow life. Just as in his palace, Ivan III began to speak in external relations with a more solemn gait. Especially when the Tatar yoke without a fight, as if by itself, fell off his shoulders. And it weighed almost two centuries over the entire north-eastern Russia (from 1238 to 1480). A new language, more solemn, appears at this time in government papers, especially diplomatic ones. Magnificent terminology is emerging.
Sophia's role in the overthrow of the Tatar yoke
The paleologist in Moscow was not liked for the influence she exerted on the Grand Duke, as well as for the changes in Moscow’s life - “great disorder” (as expressed by the boyar Bersen-Beklemishev). Sophia intervened not only in domestic but also in foreign affairs. She demanded that Ivan III refuse to pay tribute to the Horde Khan and finally free himself from his power. Skillful advice Paleologist, as evidenced by V.O. Klyuchevsky always met the intentions of her husband. Therefore, he refused to pay tribute. Ivan III trampled the Khan’s letter in the Zamoskovrechye, in the Horde courtyard. Later, the Transfiguration Church was built on this site. However, the people then “spoke” to the Paleolog. Before Ivan III went to great standing on the Ugra in 1480 , he sent his wife and children to Beloozero. For this, subjects attributed to the sovereign the intention to quit power if Khan Akhmat took Moscow and run away with his wife.
"Duma" and the change in the treatment of subordinates
Ivan III, freed from the yoke, finally felt like a sovereign sovereign. Palace etiquette through the efforts of Sophia began to resemble the Byzantine. The prince gave his wife a “gift”: Ivan III allowed the Palaeologist to gather his own “thought” from members of the retinue and arrange “diplomatic receptions” in his half. The princess received foreign ambassadors and politely talked with them. This was an unprecedented innovation for Russia. The appeal at the court of the sovereign also changed.
Sofia Paleologue brought her husband sovereign rights, as well as the right to the Byzantine throne, as noted by F. I. Uspensky, a historian who studied this period. The boyars had to reckon with this. Ivan III loved disputes and objections before, but under Sophia he radically changed the treatment of his courtiers. Ivan began to hold inaccessible, easily fell into a rage, often imposed disgrace, demanded special respect for himself. Rumor also attributed all these adversities to the influence of Sophia Paleolog.
Fight for the throne
She was accused of violating the succession to the throne. In 1497, the enemies told the prince that Sophia Paleolog had planned to poison his grandson in order to put his own son on the throne, that she was secretly visited by those preparing poisonous potions, that Vasily himself was also participating in this plot. Ivan III took the side of his grandson in this matter. He ordered the dungeons to be drowned in the Moskva River, arrested Vasily, and removed his wife from himself, by demonstratively executing several members of the “Duma” Paleolog. In 1498, Ivan III married Dmitry in the Assumption Cathedral as heir to the throne.
However, Sophia had the ability to court intrigues in her blood. She accused Elena Voloshanka of commitment to heresy and was able to achieve her fall. The Grand Duke put disgrace on his grandson and daughter-in-law and called Basil in 1500 the rightful heir to the throne.
Sophia Paleolog: role in history
The marriage of Sophia Paleologue and Ivan III, of course, strengthened the Moscow state. He contributed to its transformation into the Third Rome. Sofia Paleolog lived in Russia for more than 30 years, having given birth to 12 children to her husband. However, she never managed to fully understand a foreign country, its laws and traditions. Even in official chronicles there are records condemning her behavior in some situations difficult for the country.
Sofia attracted architects and other cultural figures, as well as doctors, to the Russian capital. The creations of Italian architects made Moscow not inferior in their majesty and beauty to the capitals of Europe. This helped to strengthen the prestige of the Moscow sovereign, emphasized the continuity of the Russian capital to Second Rome.
Sofia's death
Sophia died in Moscow on August 7, 1503. She was buried in the Ascension Monastery of the Moscow Kremlin. In December 1994, in connection with the transfer to the Archangel Cathedral of the remains of tsarist and princely wives, S. A. Nikitin restored her sculptural portrait from the preserved skull of Sofia (pictured above). Now we can at least approximately imagine what Sophia Paleolog looked like. Interesting facts and biographical information about her are plentiful. We tried to select the most important, composing this article.