Ivan 3 stands out among Moscow princes. The results of the reign of this sovereign are really impressive. He managed to unite almost all Russian-speaking lands around Moscow. Under him, the Mongol yoke was finally dropped. These and other successes of Ivan Vasilievich became possible thanks to his flexible diplomacy and wisdom.
Political situation
Ivan III was born in 1440 in the family of the Moscow Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich Dark. His father had to fight almost all of his rule with relatives - candidates for the throne. During the feud, Vasily was blinded and the last years of his life almost incompetent. The eldest son Ivan became his eyes and ears. From a young age, the heir studied public administration. All the skills he had gained with his father helped him in the future, when the Grand Duke had to make difficult and responsible decisions.
With the death of Vasily Vasilievich in 1462, Ivan 3 began to reign. The results of his father’s reign, despite the strife, were encouraging. Moscow has become the main Russian political center. Its neighbors were the Golden Horde, the Tver and Ryazan principalities, Lithuania and the Novgorod Republic. All these states had periodic conflicts with the Kremlin, so Ivan Vasilievich had to get used to the constant turmoil in foreign policy from the first years of his reign.
The fight with Lithuania
In the era of Mongol rule, Moscow managed to unite most of the lands that belonged to northeastern Russia. These were territories in the valley of the upper Volga and its tributary Oka. However, another force appeared in the west that could become an alternative Russian center.
It was Lithuania, in which, despite the reign of the Lithuanian dynasty, a significant majority of the population were eastern Slavs. In the XIV-XV centuries. this state went on rapprochement with Catholic Poland. Two countries entered into a union and created the Commonwealth. The Novgorod aristocracy, headed by Martha Boretskaya, was drawn to a new union . Such a development of events could not be allowed by Ivan 3. The results of the reign of this sovereign showed that he seriously realized the Polish-Lithuanian threat and did his best to overtake his opponent in "collecting lands" at least a step.
The abolition of the Novgorod Republic
In 1471, the Prince of Moscow declared war on Novgorod. According to the Korostyn peace treaty, vassal independence of the republic from the Kremlin was confirmed. This compromise calmed the situation for a while.
Ivan had many spies in Novgorod who looked after the mood of the local aristocracy. When they informed the prince about a new attempt to send an ambassador to the Polish king, in Moscow it was decided to use this betrayal as a pretext for war. Novgorod surrendered almost without a fight. So in 1478 he was finally annexed to the emerging Russian state. The main symbol of local freedom, the veche bell was taken to Moscow.
Joining Tver
Ivan 3 also acted decisively in disputes with other neighbors, the results of whose reign showed the effectiveness of his offensive policy. In former times, Tver was the main enemy of Moscow. That era was left behind, and now the ruler of this principality, Mikhail Borisovich, tried to compromise with the Kremlin. When Ivan Vasilievich was a young man, he was married to the sister of the Tver ruler Mary. The couple had an only son. He was also named Ivan. On the maternal side, this boy became a contender for the Tver throne.
When Mikhail tried to get closer to Poland, Ivan Vasilievich immediately came with an army to his capital. The Tver prince, realizing the hopelessness of his situation, fled abroad. So in 1485, Ivan managed to annex his inheritance without war.
At the same time, other “independent” Russian cities remained in a vassal position with respect to Moscow - Pskov and Ryazan. This success was the result of the reign of Ivan 3. The table shows the main events associated with his reign.
The results of the reign of Ivan III| Year | Event |
| 1478 | The abolition of the Novgorod Republic |
| 1480 | The end of dependence on the Mongols |
| 1485 | Accession of the Tver Principality |
The end of the Khan yoke
Another important problem for the entire Russian people has long been the Mongol-Tatar threat. For a long time, the khans collected tribute from the Slavic princes. In 1380, Dmitry Donskoy defeated the Tatars in the Battle of Kulikovo. Since then, their influence has become much weaker, due to political fragmentation in the Golden Horde. The characteristics and results of the reign of Ivan 3 were in the final resolution of this problem.
The last khan who tried to make the Moscow prince his tributary was the khan of the Great Horde Akhmat. He no longer owned Siberia, Crimea and the Nogais, like his predecessors, but was still dangerous. In 1480, he went on a campaign in Moscow. Ivan Vasilievich went to repel the enemy at the head of the squad. Two armies stood on the opposite banks of the Ugra River, and did not clash in battle due to the indecision of Akhmat. Realizing that he could not make friends with the prince, he turned back. After this episode, the Mongol-Tatar yoke was finally dropped. The results of the reign of Ivan 3, in short, were that he was able to protect Moscow from an external threat. The prince passed away in 1505, overshadowed by his victories and successes.