The end of the 13th century and the first quarter of the 14th century. for the Moscow principality were marked by fairly calm times, without internal shocks and only a single invasion of the Horde. The territory increased due to the accession of new lands, feudal land ownership increased. All this became possible thanks to the prudent policy of the young ruler. This is the time when the son of Dmitry Donskoy, the great Moscow prince Vasily 1, occupied the princely throne. You will find years of rule and what the ruler is famous for, as well as brief information about his family and children in the article.
Khan's shortcut
At the end of the 13th century, a new state formation was separated from the powerful empire of Genghis Khan - the Golden Horde, which existed in the immediate vicinity of the Russian principalities until the end of the 14th century. And although they retained their statehood, administration, and church, the obligation to pay taxes fell on their shoulders. This assignment was assigned to an individual prince by issuing a Khan's label, which, as it were, granted the right to the title of Grand Duke, as well as political and military support from the Horde. He was initially taken to Mongolia, and then to Sarai.
In 1832, after the ruin of Moscow, D. Donskoy sent a delegation to Khan Tokhtamysh in order to get a label for reign, headed by the 11-year-old eldest son of Dmitry, the future Grand Duke Vasily 1, whose reign began in 1389.
Early period
The future prince received his name in honor of St. Basil of Caesarea, since he was born the day before the celebration of his memory - December 10, 1371. Mother Vasily Evdokiya Dmitrievna was from Suzdal, was the daughter of the Grand Prince of Suzdal Dmitry Konstantinovich.
As mentioned above, after the ruin of Moscow in 1882, the young prince led a delegation to the Horde. The Khan's label was received by Dmitry Donskoy, only Tokhtamysh left his son as a hostage. Vasily escaped when he was 14 years old. His path lay through the Moldavian principality of Peter Mushate. He could get to Russia only through Polish and Lithuanian possessions. Dmitry Ivanovich sent to meet his son the boyars, who were supposed to persuade the Poles to the side of the prince. In their work, the ambassadors succeeded and safely delivered Vasily to Moscow.
Vasily 1 Dmitrievich: years of reign
The right to the throne of Vladimir from the Horde, Vasily I received in 1389, after the death of his father. To protect himself and his territories, he almost immediately began negotiations with his most serious competitors: brother Yuri Dmitrievich and uncle Vladimir Khrabry. The first inherited from Dmitry Donskoy Zvenigorod, Ruza, Galich and Vyatka, and the second was the specific prince Serpukhov, Galitsky, Borovsky, Uglitsky and Dmitrovsky. Vasily agreed with his uncle on submission in exchange for certain land concessions.
In general, Vasily began the first years of his reign with the continuation of his father's initiatives, especially those related to the legal relationship between the Grand Duke and the inheritance, systematically asserting his main role, but at the same time leaving partial ownership in Moscow lands for his subordinates. He remained faithful to the policy of his father and grandfather in the future. Support and assistance in resolving political issues for the young ruler was provided by Metropolitan Cyprian and the Moscow boyars.
The prince died on February 27, 1425, at the age of 53 years. The grave is located in the Arkhangelsk Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. His receiver was the youngest son - Vasily the Dark (photo above). The beginning of his reign is fraught with civil war in Moscow Russia.
Relations with the Horde
Vasily I tried to maintain neutral relations with the Golden Horde. In 1392, he first bought her the right to Nizhny Novgorod, sending the prince of Gorodets to compulsory settlement in Suzdal. Then were acquired Meschera, Gorodets, Murom and Tarusa. This, in fact, was a precedent for the repurchase of possessions with existing legal heirs. Labels on the right of ownership were previously issued only on the escheat.
Vasily 1 (reign of 1389-1425) held the opinion of his independence from the Horde and practically did not share his income with the khan. The ambassadors sent for tribute left either with nothing or with very poor gifts. However, in 1407-1408. under the command of the Temnik Edigey, an invasion of the Moscow Principality was committed. The culmination of this campaign was the siege of the Kremlin for three weeks, which, however, was not successful. Basil I did not send his troops, but made attempts at diplomatic negotiations, thereby renewing the war for power within the Horde itself. Upon learning that another enemy was attacking him, Edigey hastily left the Russian capital, taking the mercy, and also ravaging many cities of the principality, including Ryazan, which was burned.
Relations with Lithuania
The ability to diplomacy and negotiation is one of the main qualities possessed by the Grand Duke Vasily 1. The years of rule in Moscow began almost simultaneously with his marriage to the daughter of Lithuanian Prince Vitovt in 1390. It would seem that this step was supposed to contribute to solving problems with Novgorod. But Vytautas had his goals and plans. He became the Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1392 and was inclined to use the new family ties only in his political interests.
Evidence of this is the capture of Smolensk at the time of squabbles inside the princely house. Basil I accepted this, considering it more reasonable to keep the peace to a certain point than to go to war with a powerful and greedy ruler. Then Vitovt attacked the Principality of Ryazan and, according to the annals, planned to use ties with the Horde to establish his power over Russia. In 1405, after he made a trip to Pskov, Vasily I began to gather troops, calling for Tatars and tverichi. Opponents met on the Plava river near Tula, but the battle did not take place. A truce was concluded for a year.
Ultimately, in the Lithuanian direction, Vasily I made great concessions in the territorial plan, allowed the Lithuanian prince to intervene in internal affairs, but at the same time, his policy contributed to the influx of Lithuanian Orthodox aristocracy under Moscow’s control, the prevention of bloodshed between the principalities and the use of Vytautas’s authority to deter civil strife .
Wife and kids
In Christmas year 1391, Vasily 1 (reign of 1389-1425) married Sophia, the Lithuanian princess and the only daughter of the great Lithuanian prince Vitovt. She gave birth to nine children for Vasily: four girls, one of whom in the future married Emperor John VIII Paleolog, and five boys, of whom only one survived. In 1425, Sofia (the princess and her husband in the picture above) became regent with the young heir Vasily II along with Vitovt and the princes Peter and Andrei Dmitrievich. In old age, the prince’s wife went to the Ascension Monastery, where she continued to build the Ascension Church, which was once begun by the wife of D. Donskoy. The princess died on October 27, 1453 at a venerable age (82 years).
This is just a short story telling about how Vasily 1 came to power. The years of rule and what the Grand Duke did for Russia is one of the most interesting topics in history. His heir got a principality rather stable in domestic and foreign policy, not ruined by exhausting wars and significantly increased in territory.