The struggle of the non-possessors and the Josephites, which began even under Ivan 3, testified to the complex relationship of the princes with the church, the constant rivalry for supremacy in power. Basil 3 relied on the church opposition, and at the same time he understood that relations with the church began to become more complicated.
| Activities | results |
| 1. Completion of the folding of the centralized state. | 1510 - annexation of Pskov. The veche system has been abolished. At the head - Moscow governors. 1513 - annexation of Volotsk. 1514 - annexation of Smolensk. In honor of this, the city built Novodevichy Convent- a copy of the Moscow Kremlin. 1518 - annexation of Kaluga. 1521 - annexation of Ryazan and Uglich. 1523 - annexation of the Novgorod-Seversky principality. Association based on a new ideology "Moscow is the third Rome". The author is Philotheus. |
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Support for the non-possessors, and then the Josephites in the fight against the feudal opposition. |
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The prince had the highest court, was the supreme commander in chief, all laws were issued on his behalf. Limiting the privileges of the boyars, relying on the nobility, increasing the land ownership of the nobles. |
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A new body of power appeared - the Boyar Duma, with which the prince consulted. The tsar himself appointed the boyars to the Duma, taking into account the locality. The clerks began to play an important role. They conducted office work. Local governors and volostels ruled. The position of a city clerk appeared. |
| Activities | results |
| 1. Defense of the borders of Russia in the southeast from the raids of the Crimean and Kazan khans. | 1521 - the raid of the Crimean Khan on Moscow. The constant raids of Mengli Giray - in 1507, 1516-1518, 1521. Vasily 3 hardly agreed on peace. In 1521 - began to build fortress cities on the borders with these khanates in the "wild field". |
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1507-1508, 1512-1522 - Russian-Lithuanian wars, as a result: Smolensk was annexed, the western lands conquered by Ivan 3, his father. But the defeat at Orsha in 1514 |
| 3. Establishing peaceful trade relations with countries. | Under Basil 3, Russia developed good trade relations with France and India, Italy, and Austria. |
| 1505-1533 | The reign of Basil 3. |
| 1510 | + Pskov |
| 1513 | + Volotsk. |
| 1514 | + Smolensk. Construction of the Novodevichy Convent. |
| 1518 | + Kaluga |
| 1521 | + Ryazan. Uglich |
| 1507, 1516-1518, 1521 | Raids of the Crimean and Tatar khans. |
| 1521 | The raid of the Crimean Khan Mengli-Girey to Moscow. |
| 1507-1508,1512-1522 | Wars with Lithuania. |
| 1514 | Defeat near Orsha in the war with Lithuania. |
| 1523 | + Novgorod-Seversky. |
| 1533 | The death of Vasily 3, the three-year-old son Ivan, the future Ivan the Terrible, became the heir. |
The reign of Basil 3 briefly became the time of the end. Basil 3 actually destroyed the remnants of the specific principalities and created a single state. His son already got a powerful state.
In short, in the first half of the XVI century. Russia has experienced a great economic recovery. Even Vasily's father began to pursue an active policy in this direction. He made several campaigns towards Siberia and the Urals, made an alliance with the Crimean Khanate. This policy made it possible to stabilize relations on the southern borders and bring peace there.
The reign of Ivan 3 and Vasily 3 allowed to stabilize the state inside the country, was able to defeat another hostile state for Moscow Russia - the Livonian Order. The Livonian Order attacked Pskov. The board of Pskov and Novgorod was similar, both territories were a republic. However, the power of Novgorod was much greater. By the way, Pskov himself helped annex Novgorod to the territory of the Russian state. But when the Order attacked Pskov, it had to rely only on the help of Moscow. his troops in in large numbers he didn't have.
Pskov began to gradually turn into a territory where dual control was established:
It is clear that the Moscow governor could not agree with the Veche in everything, there were conflicts. When Vasily 3 came to the throne, he decided that it was no longer necessary to appoint a prince. He planned to abolish this system. Prince Repnya-Obolensky was sent to the city. He provoked a conflict with Veche and Vasily began to prepare for the attack and conquest of Pskov.
In 1509 Vasily III and his army approached Novgorod. The inhabitants of Pskov found out about this, and hurried to the sovereign with their gifts. Vasily pretended to accept all the gifts. Everyone was ordered to appear at the sovereign's court. There, the inhabitants of Pskov were taken into custody. The People's Veche was abolished, about 300 families were evicted by order of the sovereign, and the lands were given over to service people from Moscow. In 1510, the Pskov Republic ceased to be independent.
It so happened that the reign of Vasily 3 until his death is perceived by many as the time between the two Ivans. IvanIII became the first sovereign, became the first to collect Russian lands.aka Grozny also made a great contribution to the history of Muscovite Russia. But here is the reign of BasilIII is somehow missed by many. But he ruled for almost 30 years. The term is very impressive.
The beginning of the reign of Vasily 3 began with the annexation of Pskov. In general, it is worth saying that Vasily III began to continue the work of his eminent father, Tsar Ivan III. The main directions of his policy coincided with his father's. Officially, Vasily Ivanovich was on the throne for 28 years. The years of the reign of Vasily 3 are 1505-1533, but in fact he began to rule when Ivan III was still on the throne. Basil was the official co-emperor.
Vasily Ivanovich knew exactly what fate awaited him. He was being prepared for the possibility that he could soon head the Muscovite state. But Vasily did not find out about this early years. The fact is that they had a son born in their first marriage - Ivan "Young". He was heir to the throne. Ivan Ivanovich had a son Dmitry. The boy could also claim the throne in the event of the death of his father. Of course, there was no clear decree that Ivan the Young would get the throne. However, the young man actively participated in public affairs, many perceived him as the heir. In 1490 Ivan fell ill and soon died.
Thus, at different times, three claimed the throne:
In 1505, Vasily Ivanovich was on the throne - the second oldest son Vasily, he was born in a second marriage with Byzantine princess Sofia Paleolog. As already mentioned, Vasily continued the political course of his father. He built new temples stone houses. By 1508, a new palace had been built, and Vasily III moved his family there.
Interestingly, many historians describe the character of BasilIII as a haughty and proud person. He believed in his exclusivity as the ruler of Russia, probably this vanity was inspired by his mother - Sophia Paleolog and father - IvanIII. He suppressed all resistance in Russia very harshly, sometimes using cunning and ingenuity. However, there are very few people he executed. His reign was not like the reign, there was no terror at all. BasilIII preferred to eliminate his opponents without the use of execution.
Based on their political views, Vasily sought to pursue a tough and clear policy. He sometimes consulted with his associates, but made most decisions on his own. But still, the Boyar Duma played an important role in governing the country. The reign of Vasily 3 did not become "disgraced" for the boyars. The Duma met regularly.
At various times, close associates of Vasily III were:
Major events in domestic and foreign policy:
Creating and decorating churches, Vasily Ivanovich adhered to his interests in religion and art. He had excellent taste. In 1515, the Assumption Cathedral was completed on the territory of the Kremlin. When he first visited the cathedral, he noted that he felt great here. Vasily also showed great interest in the Old Russian language, he studied it, he could speak it quite well. And he loved his wife Elena very much (she was his second wife) and son. There are several letters that show how warmly he treated them.
In September 1533, Vasily III visited the Trinity-Sergius Monastery with his wife and children, then he went hunting. Soon after his arrival, Vasily fell ill. An anguish formed on the sovereign's left thigh. The inflammation gradually became more and more widespread, later the doctors diagnosed it as “blood poisoning”. It became clear that the sovereign could no longer be saved. Basil behaved very courageously in the face of impending death.
The last will of the ruler was:
No one doubted the right to the throne for Ivan, but many opposed the tonsure of Vasily. But Metropolitan Daniel managed to smooth over this situation, and in early December, when the sovereign was already quite ill, he was tonsured. Then, on December 3, he already departed to another world.
The reign of Vasily III became milestone in the final unification of the Russian lands and their centralization. Many historians speak of his reign as a transitional one, but this is far from being the case.
Vasily Ivanovich was born on March 25, 1479. He was the first son of Ivan III from his second marriage, with Sofia Paleolog, who was a representative of the last Byzantine imperial dynasty.
However, Vasily did not claim the throne, since Ivan III had from his first marriage the eldest son, Ivan the Young, who, approximately eight years before the birth of Vasily, had already been declared co-ruler of Ivan III. In 1490, Ivan the Young died, and Vasily had a chance to claim a great reign. At court, a struggle broke out between two factions. One played for the son of Ivan the Young - Dmitry Vnuk, and the other for Vasily. As a result, Ivan III himself proclaimed Vasily "sovereign grand duke."
Basil's reign lasted six years, and after Ivan III died in 1505, he became an independent sovereign.
Basil III continued the centralization policy of his father. In 1506, the Grand Duke's governor established himself in the Great Perm. In 1510, the formal independence of the Pskov land was abolished. In 1521, the Ryazan principality joined the Grand Duchy. The fight against the inheritances Grand Duke led the most different ways. Sometimes the inheritances were simply destroyed on purpose, sometimes the brothers were not allowed to marry, and therefore, to have legitimate heirs.
The local system was strengthened, which helped to ensure the combat effectiveness of the army and limit the independence of the aristocracy. The land was given to the nobles in conditional possession for the duration of the “princely service”.
Localism developed - a system of hierarchy, in which positions and titles were occupied exclusively in accordance with the nobleness of the prince or boyar.
The general strengthening of the state, political and ideological necessity gave impetus to the development of theories substantiating the special political rights of the Grand Dukes of Moscow.
In 1514, Smolensk, one of the largest Russian-speaking centers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, was conquered. Campaigns to Smolensk were personally led by Vasily III, but the defeat of the Russian troops near Orsha for some time suspended the movement of Russian troops to the west.
Russian-Crimean relations remained tense. In 1521, the campaign of the Crimean Khan Mohammed Giray was sent to Moscow. Crimean Tatars almost reached Moscow. The country was heavily damaged. Vasily III had to concentrate his efforts on the defense of the southern borders, passing along the Oka River.
Basil III began to deepen Russia's contacts with the Orthodox peoples conquered by the Ottoman Empire, including Athos. Attempts were made to improve relations with the Holy Roman Empire and the papal curia against Ottoman Empire.
In 1505, Vasily III married Solomonia Saburova. For the first time, a representative of the boyar, and not the princely, family became the chosen one of the Grand Duke. For twenty years there were no children in this marriage, and Vasily III married a second time. The new wife of the sovereign was Elena Glinskaya, who came from the Lithuanian boyars. From this marriage, the future Tsar of All Russia was born.
Grand Duke Vasily III Ioannovich, engraving by Andre Theve
Vasily III Ioannovich (March 25, 1479 - December 3, 1533) - Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir.
He was born in the family of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III and his second wife Sophia Paleolog. At birth, the child was named Gabriel.
He had one older brother and four younger ones, so all power had to go to. In addition, at that time Ivan III was engaged in the centralization of power, so he decided to limit power younger sons. In 1470, the prince appointed his eldest son as his co-ruler. But 20 years later, in 1490, Ivan Ivanovich died for an unknown reason.
After that, the question arose: who will become the next prince? Two camps formed: the first advocated the appointment Dmitry Ivanovich(son of Ivan Ivanovich), and the second - for Vasily.
Initially, the majority was on the side of the first camp, most of the nobles were in favor of Dmitry and Elena Stefanovna. They did not like Sophia and Vasily, but Vasily was able to enlist the support of the children of the boyars and clerks.
Clerk Fyodor Stromilov informed Vasily that Ivan III had chosen Dmitry as his successor, so he, together with Yaropkin, Poyarok and other supporters, advised to kill Dmitry, take the treasury in Vologda and leave the capital. Vasily III agreed, but this conspiracy was not carried out, in December 1497 the Grand Duke became aware of it. After that, Ivan III took into custody his son and everyone who was involved in this conspiracy. Some of the conspirators were executed, some were imprisoned.
In addition, his wife also caused dissatisfaction with the prince, since Sophia Paleolog often invited fortune-tellers with a potion to her place, Ivan III even began to fear that she wanted to poison him. All these women who came to Sophia were drowned.
February 4, 1498 Dmitry was married to the great reign, the solemn event took place in the Assumption Cathedral.
But a year later, a conflict arose between the princes Patrikeev and Ryapolovsky, at that time they were the main supporters of Dmitry, and Ivan III. The chronicles did not describe the reason for the quarrel, but the result was that the Ryapolovskys were executed. After this event, Ivan III appointed Vasily III the Grand Duke of Novgorod and Pskov.
On April 11, 1502, the ruler ordered Dmitry and Elena Stefanovna to be taken into custody, Dmitry Ivanovich lost the status of Grand Duke.
In 1505, the ruler died, and 4 years later Dmitry also died.
Ivan III was looking for a wife for his son, he instructed his eldest daughter Elena Ivanovna to find out if there were marriageable brides in Poland, Denmark and Germany. At that moment, Catherine was the wife of the Duke of Lithuania and the King of Poland. But all his attempts were unsuccessful. As a result, the bride Vasily was chosen from 1500 noble girls who were invited to the court from all over the Russian state.
The choice fell on Solomoniya Yurievna Saburova, and her father was not a boyar. Only after the wedding, which took place on September 4, 1505, did he receive this title. For the first time in the history of the state, the monarch did not marry a princess or a representative of the princely aristocracy.
But during the entire marriage they had no children. Solomonia used all the means that healers sent from all over the world, but nothing helped. After 20 years of marriage, the Grand Duke began to worry about the lack of heirs, the boyars suggested that Vasily III divorce, this idea was supported by Metropolitan Daniel. In November 1525, a divorce was announced between the spouses, Solomonia was tonsured at the Nativity maiden monastery, giving her the name Sophia, after some time she was transferred to the Suzdal Intercession Monastery.
There is also an opinion that at the time of the divorce, Solomonia was pregnant. It is believed that she gave birth to Vasily's son - George.
In January 1526, Vasily III married Elena Vasilievna Glinskaya. In the first years of marriage, she also could not get pregnant, but on August 25, 1530, their son was born -. In 1532, Elena gave birth to a second child - Yuri Vasilyevich.
The ruler was of the opinion that the power of the Grand Duke should be unlimited. He waged an active struggle against the opposition of the boyars, expelled and executed them.
In the church sphere, Vasily supported the followers of Joseph Volotsky, there was a struggle with non-possessors - they were executed or sent to monasteries.
Basil III continued his father's policy of centralizing the state. During his reign, he annexed Pskov, the Volotsk appanage, the Ryazan and Novgorod-Seversk principalities.
Under Vasily, the immunity and privileges of the boyars were limited. The ruler consulted with the boyars on various issues more for appearances, since he made decisions himself.
The era of his reign is characterized by active construction. Under Vasily, the Archangel Cathedral in Moscow, the Church of the Ascension of the Lord in Kolomenskoye, as well as stone fortifications in Nizhny Novgorod, Thule, etc.
From the very beginning of his reign, the prince was forced to start a war with Kazan. His army, led by his brother Vasily, failed in the campaign and was defeated, but the inhabitants of Kazan offered to make peace, the agreement came into force in 1508.
After the death of Alexander, the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the King of Poland, Vasily claimed the Lithuanian throne, but it went to Sigismund. The new ruler demanded the return of the lands that had been conquered by Ivan III. But the lands remained part of the Russian state.
In 1512 began war with Lithuania. Two years later, Vasily captured Smolensk, after which Prince Mstislavsky went over to his side. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania tried to return Smolensk, in the battle Russian army under the leadership of Ivan Chelyadinov was defeated near Orsha. Smolensk did not pass back into the power of Lithuania, but the question of who owns this territory has not been resolved. Only in 1520 the parties concluded a peace treaty for 5 years, Smolensk remained with Vasily.
With the Crimea, the former relations have been preserved. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania incited Crimea to raid Russian lands, and Russian state- in Lithuanian. In 1521, the Tatars made another raid on Moscow. They reached Moscow while Vasily was away, and forced the boyars to pay tribute, but on the way back, governor Khabar Simsky defeated their army.
When the prince was heading from the Trinity Monastery to Volokalamsk, a subcutaneous abscess appeared on his left thigh, which developed rather quickly. Doctors could not find out the reason and help Vasily III. The prince felt better for a while when they were able to clean the abscess, but then his condition worsened noticeably again. At the end of November 1533, Vasily was greatly weakened. The doctor Nikolai Glinskoy examined the patient and said that there was no hope for a cure. After that, the prince gathered several boyars, invited Metropolitan Daniel, wrote a will and appointed his son, Ivan IV, as his heir. Just before his death, Vasily aroused a desire to become a monk, Metropolitan Daniel tonsured him a monk with the name Varlaam.
On December 5, 1533, Vasily III died due to blood poisoning. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral in Moscow.
The ultimate success of the unification of Russian lands in single state was the achievement of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III Ivanovich a (1505-1533). It is no coincidence that the Austrian diplomat Sigismund Herberstein, who visited Russia twice in the first third of the 16th century and left the famous Notes on Muscovy, wrote that Vasily III surpassed in power "almost all the monarchs of the whole world." However, the sovereign was not lucky - a bizarre historical memory, having deservedly paid tribute to his father and no less justly fixed the cruel image of his son Ivan the Terrible, did not leave enough free space Vasily III himself. As if "hanging" between two sovereign Ivanovs, Vasily III always remained in their shadow. Neither his personality, nor the methods of government, nor the forms of succession in power between Ivan III and Ivan the Terrible have not yet been fully studied.
Childhood, youth
Vasily III was born on March 25, 1479 and was named in honor of the confessor Vasily Pariysky, having inherited one of the names traditional for the Moscow princely family of Danilovich. He became the first son from the second marriage of Ivan III with Sophia Paleolog, who came from the Morean line of the Byzantine dynasty that ruled until 1453. Before Vasily, only girls were born to the grand ducal couple. Later chronicles even recorded a wonderful legend about how Sophia, suffering from the absence of her son, received a sign from St. Sergius himself about the birth of the future heir to the throne. However, the long-awaited first-born was not the main contender for the throne. From his first marriage, Ivan III had an eldest son, Ivan the Young, who at least eight years before the birth of Vasily was declared co-ruler of Ivan III. But in March 1490, Ivan the Young died, and Vasily had a chance. Researchers traditionally talk about the struggle between two court factions, which especially intensified in the second half of the 1490s. One of them relied on the son of Ivan the Young - Dmitry Vnuk, the other promoted Vasily. The alignment of forces and passions of this struggle are unknown to us, but we know its outcome. Ivan III, who initially declared Dmitry Vnuk as the heir and even imprisoned Vasily for some time "for bailiffs in his own yard", changed his anger to mercy in March 1499: Vasily was proclaimed "sovereign grand duke."
Board (1505-1533)
Basil's co-government lasted more than six years. On October 27, 1505, Ivan III passed away, and Vasily became an independent sovereign.
Domestic policy
The fight against the inheritances
Most of the possessions of the deceased Grand Duke passed precisely to Vasily: 66 cities against 30, inherited by the remaining four sons, and Moscow, which had always been divided between sons, now completely passed to the eldest heir. The new principles for the transfer of power established by Ivan III reflected one of the main trends in the country's political life - the desire for autocracy: the appanage system was not only the main source of strife, but also a serious obstacle to the economic and political unity of the country. Basil III continued the centralization policy of his father. Around 1506, the grand princely governor established himself in Perm the Great. In 1510, the formal independence of the Pskov land was abolished. The reason for this was a major clash between the Pskovites and the Grand Duke's governor, Prince Repnin-Obolensky. The satisfaction of the complaint of the Pskovites about the arbitrariness of the governor did not take place, but a stunning demand followed: “Otherwise you wouldn’t have an eternity, and the bell of the veche was removed.” Pskov no longer had the strength to reject him. By order of Vasily III, many boyar families and "guests" were evicted from Pskov. In 1521, the Ryazan principality joined the Grand Duchy of Moscow, which followed the Moscow policy for more than half a century. The Pskov land and the Ryazan principality were strategically important outskirts in the northwest and southeast, respectively. A sharp strengthening of Moscow's position here would extremely complicate its relations with its neighbors. Basil III believed that the existence of buffer vassal lands located on strategically important outskirts is more expedient than their direct inclusion in the state, until the state has sufficient forces to reliably secure new territories. The Grand Duke fought against the appanages, using various methods. Sometimes the destinies were destroyed on purpose (for example, the abolition of the Novgorod-Seversky appanage in 1522, where the grandson of Dmitry Shemyaka, Prince Vasily Ivanovich ruled), usually Vasily simply forbade the brothers to marry and, therefore, have legitimate heirs. After the death of Vasily III himself in 1533, the appanages were retained for his second son Yuri, as well as his brother Andrei Staritsky. There were also a few minor destinies of the Verkhovsky princes, located in the upper reaches of the Oka. But the specific system was essentially overcome.
local system
Under Basil III, the local system was being strengthened - a mechanism that made it possible to solve two pressing problems facing the state: at that time, the need to ensure a combat-ready army was closely intertwined with the need to limit the political and economic independence of a large aristocracy. The essence of the mechanism of local land tenure was the distribution of land to "landlords"-nobles in temporary conditional possession for the period of carrying out the "princes of service". The “landowner” had to serve properly, could lose land for violation of his duties and had no right to dispose of the land given to him, which remained in the supreme property of the grand dukes. At the same time, they introduced social guarantees: if the "landlord"-nobleman died in the service, the state took care of his family.
Localism
The most important role in the work of the state machine under Vasily III began to be played by the principle of localism - a system of hierarchy, according to which the highest positions in the army or in the civil service could be occupied solely in accordance with the nobleness of the prince or boyar. Although this principle prevented access to the administration of talented managers, it largely made it possible to avoid the struggle at the top of the political elite of the country, which was rapidly flooded with heterogeneous people from different Russian lands during the formation of a single Russian state.
" " and "non-possessors"
In the era of Basil III, the problem of monastic property, first of all, the possession of lands, was actively discussed. Numerous donations to monasteries led to the fact that by the end of the 15th century, a significant part of the monasteries became wealthy landowners. One solution to the problem was proposed: to use funds to help the suffering, in the monasteries themselves to make more stringent charters. Another decision came from the Monk Nil of Sorsk: the monasteries should completely give up their property, and the monks should live “by their own needlework”. The grand ducal authorities, interested in the land fund necessary for distribution to the estates, also advocated the restriction of monastic property. At the church council of 1503, Ivan III made an attempt to secularize, but was refused. However, time passed, and the position of the authorities changed. The “Josephian” environment made a lot of efforts to develop the concept of a strong state, and Vasily III turned away from the “non-possessors”. The final victory of the "Josephites" took place at the council of 1531.
New political theories
Successes in state building, the growing Moscow self-consciousness, political and ideological necessity gave impetus to the emergence in the era of Vasily III of new political theories designed to explain and justify the special political rights of the Grand Dukes of Moscow. The most famous are "The Tale of the Princes of Vladimir" and the messages to Basil III of Elder Philotheus about the Third Rome.
Russian-Lithuanian wars (1507-1508; 1512-22)
During the Russo-Lithuanian wars, Vasily III managed to conquer Smolensk in 1514, one of largest centers Russian-speaking lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Smolensk campaigns were personally led by Vasily III, and in the official annals the triumph of Russian weapons will be expressed by the phrase about the liberation of Smolensk from "evil Latin charms and violence." The crushing defeat of the Russian troops in the battle of Orsha in the autumn of 1514, which followed the liberation of Smolensk, stopped Moscow's advance to the West. However, during the military campaigns of 1517 and 1518, the Russian governors managed to defeat the Lithuanian forces near Opochka and Krev.
Relations with Orthodox peoples
The reign of Basil III was marked by the deepening of Russia's contacts with the Orthodox peoples and lands conquered by the Ottoman Empire, including Athos. Gradually softens and sharpness church schism between the Metropolis of All Russia and the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which began in the middle of the 15th century after the election of the Russian Metropolitan Jonah without the sanction of Constantinople. A vivid confirmation of this is the message of Patriarch Theoliptus I to Metropolitan Varlaam, compiled in July 1516, in which the patriarch, long before the official acceptance of the royal title by Russian sovereigns, honored Vasily III with the royal dignity - “the highest and shortest tsar and the great king of all Orthodox lands, Great Russia ".
Russian-Crimean relations
Russian-Crimean relations did not develop easily. They reached their peak when, in July 1521, Khan Mohammed Giray made a devastating campaign against Russia in order to "put an end to the outrageous rebellions of idolaters who were bitter against Islam." Huge damage was caused to the southern and central volosts of the Moscow principality (the advanced forces of the Krymchaks reached the outskirts of Moscow). Mohammed Giray captured a huge crowd. Since then, the defense of the Shore - the southern border, which ran along the Oka River - has become the most important task of ensuring the security of the state.
Relations with the West
Beginning in the time of Ivan III, attempts to achieve an alliance with the Grand Duchy of Moscow against the Ottoman Empire continued under Vasily III. The sovereigns invariably emphasized hatred for the unfaithful “abominations” and “enemies of Christ”, but did not conclude an agreement. They're in equally they refused to become subordinate to the "Latins" and did not want to spoil the still quite friendly relations with the Ottoman Empire.
Personal life
In 1505, Vasily III married Solomonia Saburova. For the first time, a representative of the boyar, and not the princely, family became the wife of the Grand Duke of Moscow. The couple, who had been married for twenty years, had no children, and Vasily III, who needed an heir, decided to marry a second time. Solomonia was sent to a monastery, Elena Glinskaya, who came from a family of Lithuanian boyars who had left for Moscow service, became the new wife of the sovereign. From this marriage, the future Tsar of All Russia, Ivan the Terrible, was born.
On December 3, 1533, Vasily III died due to a progressive illness that manifested itself during a hunt. Before his death, he accepted monasticism with the name Varlaam. Soon after the death of the Grand Duke, the most interesting Tale of the Illness and Death of Vasily III was created - a chronicle of the last weeks of the life of the sovereign.
