Prince Mikhail of Tverskoy was surrounded by legends before he was born. Both the life and death of this man are mentioned both in historical chronicles and in the biography of saints. December 5 is the day of remembrance of this great martyr. And in the holy calendar there is a separate page entitled "Prince Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tver."
short biography
The birth of the prince was preceded by a beautiful legend about the meeting of his father, Prince Yaroslav Yaroslavich, with his mother Ksenia. According to legend, once the prince hunted near Tver, near the village. Edimonovo. He went into the church on the banks of the river and saw his warrior Gregory getting married to the beautiful Xenia. The prince was so captivated by the beauty of Xenia that he decided to marry her. Saddened Gregory became a monk and founded a monastery on the banks of the river. Tvertsy.
The newlyweds did not live happily for long. According to the traditions of that time, Yaroslav Yaroslavich went to the Golden Horde for a label to reign, and on the way back he fell ill and died. He never saw his son, who was born at the end of 1271.
First years of life
The Dowager Princess called her son Michael. After the death of the two eldest sons of Yaroslav Yaroslavich, it is he who becomes the hereditary ruler of the Tver Principality. He received confirmation of the right to reign at the age of 11, after the death of his uncle Svyatoslav. But in fact, power was concentrated in the hands of Princess Xenia and the boyars. When Mikhail was 15 years old, Lithuanian raids became more frequent on Tver. Thanks to the friendly policies of the neighboring principalities, it was possible to consolidate efforts and push the invaders far to the west. After that, significant funds were allocated to strengthen Zubtsov, the extreme outpost of the Principality of Tver.
Mikhail Tverskoy did not forget about the strengthening of Orthodoxy in his native lands. On the advice of the Dowager Princess Xenia, the Transfiguration Church was built on the site of the ancient church of Cosmas and Damian.
The rich decoration of the temple was entirely paid from the princely treasury. Much later, for his holiness and reverential attitude to Orthodox values, the prince was included in the holy calendar and there was called "holy noble prince Michael of Tver".
First test
The Principality of Tver in those days was formally considered independent from Moscow, but, thanks to close family ties, Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tverskoy could lay claim to the princely throne. This circumstance was very unprofitable for the sons of Alexander Nevsky - Dmitry and Andrei, who for a long time disputed the Moscow throne. After a short victory of Dmitry, Andrei gathered an army, bowed the Tatars to his side, and in 1293 invaded Russian lands. The rebel prince took and robbed 14 cities, without sparing neither Vladimir nor Moscow, after which he was about to go to Tver lands.
At this time, Mikhail Tverskoy was in the Horde, where he was very graciously received by the khan. In the absence of the prince, the Tverichi vowed to hold the defenses to the last warrior. Great reinforcements in Tver came from other principalities that suffered as a result of Andrei’s raid. Upon learning of the impending danger, Mikhail Yaroslavich Tverskoy was going home. On his way, the enemies set up an ambush, in which the prince, thanks to a happy accident, did not fall. The residents of Tver, learning about the return of Michael, went out to meet him with a procession. But the Tatars, having seen that Mikhail had returned to Tver, refused to storm her. The city has survived.
The marriage of Mikhail Tversky
According to the chroniclers, Mikhail Tverskoy would be tall, distinguished by restraint and did not tolerate drunkenness. Both the boyars and ordinary people loved him. Many neighbors of the princes tried to get in touch with the lord of the entire Tver land, they were married to the prince of their daughters and sisters. In those days, they married early, and Prince Mikhail of Tver, at the age of twenty-two years, got married to Princess Anne. The girl was the daughter of Rostov prince Demetrius. The marriage initially promised to be happy, but the evil rock constantly experienced the happiness of the newlyweds. In the late night of 1298, a strong fire broke out in the Prince’s chambers. Miraculously, the young wife and Mikhail Tverskoy himself escaped. The biography of the prince claims that after this incident he became very ill, and all his property was destroyed.
Feuds
1304 was the date of the death of Grand Duke Andrei Alexandrovich. The main contender for the throne was Mikhail Tverskoy as the eldest in the family. But his inheritance rights began to dispute the grand-nephew, Grigory Danilovich. According to the customs of that time, the princes were to go to the Horde to get a label for reign there. Anna begged her husband to abandon the grand prince label, but he acted in his own way.
At the same time with Mikhail, Gregory also went there. When the princes passed through Vladimir, they were met by St. Metropolitan Maxim. He begged Gregory not to dispute Michael's rights. Maxim was sure that Gregory would receive any city from Mikhail if he reconciled with his seniority, but the Prince of Moscow claimed that he was going to the Horde on his own business and did not intend to claim reign.
Meeting in the Horde
The two applicants met at the headquarters of the Tatar Khan, and their rivalry broke out with renewed vigor. Turkish Murza took advantage of the feud and promised a shortcut to the one who will bring more gifts. Both George and Michael were forced to spend more and more, seeking the favor of the khan representatives and recruiting supporters among those close to the khan. Such a policy devastated the treasury of Michael, and placed a heavy burden on the bonded people. In the end, he went around Gregory and received the coveted label.
Great confrontation
In 1305, Mikhail returned to Russian lands and solemnly occupied the Moscow throne. But agreement with Gregory was never reached: the relatives fought against each other more than once, and the confrontation continued.
At the beginning of 1313, power in the Horde changed, and a young Tatar named Uzbek became khan. According to his religious beliefs, Uzbek was a Muslim and actively planted a new faith on Russian lands.
At the same time, Prince Gregory did not forget his resignation. Constantly being near the young khan, he gradually gained his full confidence. Gregory even married the sister of Khan Konchak, who after the baptism was given the name Agafya. Having made friends with the Uzbek, the Moscow prince bowed him to his side and ensured that the princely label was inscribed on it. And now it was Grigory who was to sit on the Moscow throne.
Invasion
Together with Gregory, the ambassadors of the khan headed by Kavgady, who was part of the narrow circle of the most trusted persons of the ruler of the Horde, should go to Russia. Having learned about this, Mikhail Tverskoy meekly refused the Moscow reign and returned to his native Tver principality.
But Gregory did not forget the insult and did not want to solve the problem peacefully. Gathering a large army, he moved to Tver. On his way, he incinerated the cities and villages, burned the fields, killed and enslaved men, and gave women and girls for reproach. Having completely devastated the Tver lands on one side of the Volga, he saved up forces for invading the Trans-Volga territory. The scale of the disaster was so great that Mikhail Tverskoy gathered the boyars and the bishop and turned to them for advice. The bishop and the boyars unanimously defended their native land and advised the prince to fight the treacherous nephew.
Battle of s. Bortenev
Opponents clashed at the end of December 1317 near Tver, in the small village of Bortenev. As a result of a bloody battle, the troops of the Moscow prince were defeated and fled. George retreated to Torzhok, and from there fled to Veliky Novgorod. His wife Agafya Konchak, his brother Boris and many other tribesmen were captured. With victory and great joy, Mikhail returned to his native Tver. His armor was dissected, but he himself was not injured. Michael served a prayer service in honor of his victory and brought generous gifts to the church. After the defeat, Gregory gathered a new army from Pskov and Novgorod, but bloodshed was avoided. Princes made peace.
Nedolog was a new world. The wife of the Moscow prince Agafia, who was in the position of a noble captive in Tver, unexpectedly died. Rumors spread that she had been poisoned. George went to the Horde, and he managed to convince the khan of the violent death of his sister. As a guarantor of his innocence, Mikhail gave hostage to his son Konstantin, but this did not help. The angry Uzbek ordered Mikhail to urgently appear in the Horde.
Death of a prince
With a hard heart, Mikhail Tverskoy went to Khan Uzbek. He understood that, most likely, he would not return back. Arriving in the Horde, the prince, introduced himself to the khan, rejected all the charges and requested a trial. The Uzbek did not dare to personally kill the prince and gave it to his assistant Kavgady. On November 22, 1318, after an unrighteous trial, Mikhail Tverskoy died in his own tent, torn to pieces by a host of ill-wishers led by Kavgadyi.
Michael's wife, Anna, begged George to give her husband's body for burial. Tverichi met the coffin with the body of Michael on the banks of the Volga. The body of the Tver prince was buried with a large crowd of people in the Transfiguration Monastery.
Accepting martyrdom, the prince protected his lands from the wrath of the Tatars and George. For piety and the defense of Orthodoxy, he was canonized. According to the Orthodox canon, St. Michael of Tver became the patron saint of Tver land. His icons are in the churches of Russian cities and villages, and he himself is considered the defender of the Russian land and the patron saint of the Orthodox. Monuments to Mikhail Tversky are in his native land.
Currently, the most significant of them stands on Sovetskaya Square in the city of Tver.