Vasily 3: brief foreign and domestic policy

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

Succession

Vasily Rurikovich was born in 1479 in the family of the Grand Duke of Moscow, John III. He was the second son, which means he did not pretend to the throne after the death of his est. However, his elder brother John the Young tragically died at 32 from a fatal illness. He developed a foot ailment (apparently gout), which caused terrible pain. Father discharged from Venice a famous European doctor who, however, could not overcome the disease (he was later executed for this failure). The deceased heir left his son Dmitry.

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 ceremony for his wedding to the kingdom (this was the first such ceremony in Russia). However, Dmitry was soon disgraced by his grandfather. It is believed that the reason for this was the plot of the second wife of John (and mother of Basil) Sofia Paleolog. She was from Byzantium (by this time Constantinople had already fallen under the pressure of the Turks). The wife wanted the power to pass to her son. Therefore, she and her faithful boyars began to convince John to change his mind. Shortly before his death, he agreed, denied Dmitry his right to the throne, and bequeathed to Vasily to be the Grand Duke. The grandson was imprisoned and soon died there, briefly outliving his grandfather.

The fight against the specific princes

Grand Duke Vasily 3, whose foreign and domestic policy was a continuation of the actions of his father, 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 the monarchs. He had several opponents.

First of all, other princes from the Rurik dynasty. And we are talking about those who were a direct representative of the Moscow house. The last major turmoil in Russia began precisely because of disputes about power around uncles and nephews who were descendants of Dmitry Donskoy.

Vasily had four younger brothers. Yuri received Dmitrov, Dmitry - Uglich, Semyon - Kaluga, Andrey - Staritsa. Moreover, they were only nominal governors and were completely dependent on the Prince of Moscow. This time, the Rurikovich did not make the mistake that was made in the XII 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, by the way, were distant descendants of the Rurikovich (as, for example, Shuiskys). Vasily 3, whose foreign and domestic policies were subordinate to the idea of ​​the need to combat any threats of power, nipped the opposition at its very root.

Such a fate, for example, was waiting for Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky. This nobleman was suspected in correspondence with the Lithuanian prince. Shortly before this, Vasily managed to recapture several ancient Russian cities. The deputy of one of them became Shuisky. After the prince became aware of his alleged betrayal, 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 the Russian lands around Moscow.

Another similar incident occurred with Ivan Beklemishev, nicknamed Bersen. This diplomat openly criticized the Grand Duke for his policy, including his desire for everything Greek (this trend became the norm thanks to the mother of Prince Sofia Paleolog). Beklemishev was executed.

Church disputes

Church life was also the subject 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 the then Rus (by the way, the word "Russia" began to be used under John III).

At this time, a dispute took place in the country between the Josephites and non-possessors. These two church-political movements (mainly inside monasteries) had opposite points of view on religious issues. Their ideological struggle could not pass by the ruler. Non-possessors sought reform, including the abolition of land ownership by monasteries, while the Josephites remained conservatives. On the side of the latter was Vasily III. The foreign and domestic policies of the prince were in line with the views of the Josephites. As a result, the church opposition was repressed. Among its representatives were such famous persons 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 independent Russian principalities to Moscow.

The Pskov Republic during the reign of John III became a vassal of its southern neighbor. In 1509, a veche gathered in the city, at which residents expressed dissatisfaction 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 a freedom-loving city. In order to avoid "brain-wandering", the most influential and noble aristocrats of Pskov were relocated to the capital, and their place was taken by Moscow appointees. This effective technique was used by John when he joined Veliky Novgorod.

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

Conflict with Lithuania

War with neighbors is another important point that distinguished the reign of Vasily 3. The prince’s domestic and foreign policy could not help but contribute to Muscovite conflicts with other states.

The Principality of Lithuania was another Russian center and continued to claim a 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.

The main bone of contention between the two powers was Smolensk. This ancient city in the 14th century became part of Lithuania. Vasily 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.

So opposed to many opponents Vasily 3. Foreign and domestic policy (table - an excellent format for a visual representation of what we said) of the prince, as already mentioned, was a logical continuation of the actions of Ivan 3, undertaken by him to defend the interests of the Orthodox Church and centralize the state. Below we will discuss what all this resulted in.

Wars with the Crimean Tatars

Success was accompanied by the measures taken by Vasily 3. Foreign and domestic policy (the table briefly shows this well) was the key to the development and enrichment of the country. Another cause of concern was the Crimean Tatars. They made constant raids on Russia and often entered into an alliance with the Polish king. Vasily did not want to put up with this. Domestic and foreign policy (it’s unlikely to give a brief account of this) had a clearly defined goal - to protect the lands of the principality from invasions. To this end, a rather peculiar practice was introduced. Tatars from the noblest families began to be invited to the service, allotting them land at the same time. The prince was friendly to the more distant states. He strove to develop trade with the European powers. He was considering 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 who Vasily would marry. Foreign and domestic policy were important areas of his activity, but the future fate of the state depended on the existence of a successor. The first marriage of the heir to the Grand Duchy was organized by his father. For this, 1,500 brides from all over the country arrived in Moscow. Solomoniy Saburov from a small noble family became the wife of the prince. This was the first time that the Russian ruler was married together not with a representative of the ruling dynasty, but with a girl from bureaucratic circles.

However, this family union was unsuccessful. Solomonia was barren and could not conceive a child. Therefore, Vasily III divorced her in 1525. At the same time, some representatives of the Church criticized him, since formally he did not have the right to such an act.

The very next year, Vasily married Elena Glinsky. This late marriage gave him two sons - John and Yuri. After the death of the Grand Duke, the elder was declared heir. John was then 3 years old, so the Regency Council ruled instead, which contributed to numerous squabbles at court. Also popular is the theory that it was the boyar turmoil that a child witnessed in childhood that spoiled his character. Later, Ivan the Terrible, who had already matured, became a tyrant and cracked down on objectionable approximates in the most cruel ways.

The death of the Grand Duke

Vasily died in 1533. During one of the trips, he discovered a small tumor on his left thigh. She was rotten and led to blood poisoning. Using modern terminology, we can assume that it was an oncological disease. On his deathbed, the Grand Duke took the schema.