Grand Duke Ivan III Vasilyevich. The significance of his activities

Years of life: 1440-1505. Reign: 1462-1505

Ivan III is the eldest son of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily II the Dark and Grand Duchess Maria Yaroslavna, daughter of the Serpukhov prince.

In the twelfth year of his life, Ivan was married to Maria Borisovna, princess of Tver, in the eighteenth year he already had a son, Ivan, nicknamed Young. In 1456, when Ivan was 16 years old, Vasily II the Dark appointed him as his co-ruler, and at the age of 22 he became the Grand Duke of Moscow.

Even as a youth, Ivan participated in campaigns against the Tatars (1448, 1454, 1459), had seen a lot, and by the time he ascended the throne in 1462, Ivan III had an already established character, was ready to make important state decisions. He had a cold, judicious mind, a strong temper, an iron will, and was distinguished by a special lust for power. By nature, Ivan III was secretive, cautious, and did not rush to the intended goal quickly, but waited for an opportunity, chose the time, moving towards it with measured steps.

Outwardly, Ivan was handsome, thin, tall and slightly round-shouldered, for which he received the nickname "Humpback".

Ivan III marked the beginning of his reign by issuing gold coins, on which the names of Grand Duke Ivan III and his son Ivan the Young, heir to the throne, were minted.

The first wife of Ivan III died early, and Grand Duke entered into a second marriage with the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI, Zoya (Sophia) Paleolog. Their wedding took place in Moscow on November 12, 1472. She immediately joined in political activity actively helping her husband. Under Sophia, he became more severe and cruel, demanding and power-hungry, demanded complete obedience and punished disobedience, for which Ivan III was the first of the Tsars to be called the Terrible.

In 1490, the son of Ivan III from his first marriage, Ivan Molodoy, unexpectedly died. From him there was a son Dmitry. The question arose before the Grand Duke, who should inherit the throne: son Vasily from Sophia or grandson Dmitry.

Soon a conspiracy against Dmitry was uncovered, the organizers of which were executed, and Vasily was taken into custody. February 4, 1498 Ivan III crowned his grandson to the kingdom. This was the first coronation in Russia.

In January 1499, a conspiracy against Sophia and Vasily was uncovered. Ivan III lost interest in his grandson and reconciled with his wife and son. In 1502, the tsar placed Dmitry in disgrace, and Vasily was declared the Grand Duke of All Russia.

The great sovereign decided to marry Vasily to Danish princess, but the Danish king declined the offer. Fearing not to have time to find a foreign bride before his death, Ivan III chose Solomonia, the daughter of an insignificant Russian dignitary. The marriage took place on September 4, 1505, and on October 27 of the same year, Ivan III the Great died.

Domestic policy of Ivan III

The cherished goal of Ivan III's activity was to collect lands around Moscow, to put an end to the remnants of specific disunity in order to create united state. The wife of Ivan III, Sophia Paleolog, strongly supported her husband's desire to expand the Muscovite state and strengthen autocratic power.

For a century and a half, Moscow extorted tribute from Novgorod, took away land and almost brought the Novgorodians to their knees, for which they hated Moscow. Realizing that Ivan III Vasilyevich finally wants to subjugate the Novgorodians, they freed themselves from the oath to the Grand Duke and formed a society for the salvation of Novgorod, headed by Martha Boretskaya, the widow of the posadnik.

Novgorod concluded an agreement with Casimir, the King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania, according to which Novgorod passes under his supreme authority, but at the same time retains some independence and the right to Orthodox faith, and Casimir undertakes to protect Novgorod from the encroachments of the Moscow prince.

Twice Ivan III Vasilyevich sent ambassadors to Novgorod with good wishes to come to their senses and enter the lands of Moscow, the Metropolitan of Moscow tried to convince the Novgorodians to "correct", but all in vain. I had to Ivan III to make a trip to Novgorod (1471), as a result of which the Novgorodians were defeated first on the Ilmen River, and then Shelon, Casimir did not come to the rescue.

In 1477, Ivan III Vasilyevich demanded from Novgorod the full recognition of him as his master, which caused a new rebellion, which was suppressed. January 13, 1478 Velikiy Novgorod completely submitted to the power of the Moscow sovereign. In order to finally pacify Novgorod, Ivan III replaced the Archbishop of Novgorod Theophilus in 1479, moved the unreliable Novgorodians to Moscow lands, and settled Muscovites and other residents on their lands.

With the help of diplomacy and force, Ivan III Vasilyevich subjugated others appanage principalities: Yaroslavl (1463), Rostov (1474), Tver (1485), Vyatka lands (1489). Ivan married his sister Anna to a Ryazan prince, thus securing the right to interfere in the affairs of Ryazan, and later inherited the city from his nephews.

Ivan acted inhumanly with his brothers, taking away their inheritances and depriving them of the right to any participation in state affairs. So, Andrei Bolshoy and his sons were arrested and imprisoned.

Foreign policy of Ivan III.

During the reign of Ivan III in 1502, the Golden Horde ceased to exist.

Moscow and Lithuania often fought over the Russian lands under Lithuania and Poland. As the power of the great sovereign of Moscow increased, more and more Russian princes with their lands passed from Lithuania to Moscow.

After Casimir's death, Lithuania and Poland were again divided between his sons, Alexander and Albrecht, respectively. The Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander married the daughter of Ivan III Elena. Relations between son-in-law and father-in-law worsened, and in 1500 Ivan III declared war on Lithuania, which was successful for Russia: parts of the Smolensk, Novgorod-Seversky and Chernigov principalities were conquered. In 1503, a truce agreement was signed for 6 years. Ivan III Vasilyevich rejected the offer of eternal peace until Smolensk and Kyiv were returned.

As a result of the war of 1501-1503. the great sovereign of Moscow forced the Livonian Order to pay tribute (for the city of Yuryev).

Ivan III Vasilyevich during his reign made several attempts to subdue the Kazan kingdom. In 1470, Moscow and Kazan made peace, and in 1487 Ivan III took Kazan and enthroned Khan Mahmet-Amin, who had been a faithful novice of the Moscow prince for 17 years.

Reforms of Ivan III

Under Ivan III, the design of the title of "Grand Duke of All Russia" began, and in some documents he calls himself the king.

For internal order in the country, Ivan III in 1497 developed a Code of Civil Laws (Sudebnik). The chief judge was the Grand Duke, the highest institution was the Boyar Duma. Mandatory and local government systems appeared.

The adoption of the Code of Laws by Ivan III became a prerequisite for the establishment of serfdom in Russia. The law limited the exit of peasants and gave them the right to transfer from one owner to another once a year (St. George's day).

The results of the reign of Ivan III

Under Ivan III, the territory of Russia expanded significantly, Moscow became the center of the Russian centralized state.

The era of Ivan III was marked by the final liberation of Russia from the Tatar-Mongol yoke.

During the reign of Ivan III, the Assumption and Annunciation Cathedrals, the Palace of Facets, the Church of the Deposition of the Robe were built.

The successor of Vasily the Dark was his eldest son Ivan III Vasilievich. The blind father made him his co-ruler and, during his lifetime, gave him the title of Grand Duke. Growing up in a difficult time of civil strife and unrest, Ivan early acquired worldly experience and a habit of business. Gifted with great intelligence and strong will, he brilliantly conducted his affairs and, one might say, completed the collection of Great Russian lands under the rule of Moscow, forming the Great Russian state from his possessions. When he began to reign, his principality was surrounded almost everywhere by Russian possessions: the lord of Veliky Novgorod, the princes of Tver, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Ryazan. Ivan Vasilyevich subjugated all these lands either by force or by peace agreements. At the end of his reign, he had only heterodox and tribal neighbors: Swedes, Germans, Lithuanians, Tatars. This circumstance alone was to change his policy. Earlier, surrounded by the same rulers as himself, Ivan was one of the many specific princes, even the most powerful, now, having destroyed these princes, he has become a single sovereign of an entire nation. At the beginning of his reign, he dreamed of "imaginations", as his specific ancestors dreamed of them (§ 36); in the end, he had to think about protecting the whole people from his infidel and foreign enemies. In short, at first his policy was specific, and then became national .

Ivan III at the Monument "1000th Anniversary of Russia" in Veliky Novgorod

Having acquired such significance, Ivan III could not, of course, share his power with other princes of the Moscow house. Destroying other people's destinies (in Tver, Yaroslavl, Rostov), ​​he could not leave specific orders in his own family. At the first opportunity, he took the inheritance from his brothers and limited their old rights. He demanded from them obedience to himself as a sovereign from subjects. In drawing up his will, he cheated his younger sons in favor of their elder brother, Grand Duke Vasily, and deprived them of all sovereign rights, subordinating them to the Grand Duke as simple service princes. In a word, everywhere in everything Ivan looked at the Grand Duke as an autocratic and autocratic monarch, to whom both his service princes and simple servants were equally subordinate. The new idea of ​​a popular sovereign sovereign led to changes in palace life, to the establishment of court etiquette (“rank”), to greater splendor and solemnity of customs, to the assimilation of various emblems and signs that expressed the concept of the high dignity of grand ducal power. So, together with the unification of northern Russia, the transformation of the Moscow specific prince into the sovereign-autocrat of all Russia took place.

Finally, having become a national sovereign, Ivan III adopted a new direction in the external relations of Russia. He threw off the last remnants of dependence on the Golden Horde Khan. He began offensive operations against Lithuania, from which Moscow had only defended itself so far. He even made claims to all those Russian regions that the Lithuanian princes had owned since the time of Gediminas: calling himself the sovereign of "all Russia", by these words he meant not only northern, but also southern and western Russia. Ivan also pursued a firm offensive policy regarding the Livonian Order. He skillfully and decisively used the forces and means that his ancestors had accumulated and which he himself created in his state.

This is what is important historical meaning reign of Ivan III. The unification of northern Russia around Moscow began a long time ago: under Dmitry Donskoy, its first signs were discovered; it happened under Ivan III. Therefore, Ivan III can rightly be called the creator of the Muscovite state.

Activities:

1) Unification of Russian lands under the rule of Moscow

During the reign of Ivan III, there was a significant territorial growth of the state, which received its modern name - Russia. In 1463, the territory of the Yaroslavl principality was annexed, in 1474 - Rostov, in 1472 - Dmitrov, in 1478 - Veliky Novgorod, in 1481 - Vologda, in 1485 - Tver, in 1491 - Uglich.

2) Codification of laws

In 1497, all the laws of the state were brought together, a single set of laws was created - the Sudebnik. The document for the first time sounded the provision on St. George's Day (November 26), which suggested the restriction of peasant freedom and the possibility of transferring one land owner to another a week before and a week after St. George's Day with the payment of an elderly (transition fee).

3) Strengthening the state, creating new authorities

The Palace was created (headed by the butler, initially in charge of the lands of the Grand Duke - the palace) and the Treasury (headed by the treasurer, controlled the collection of taxes and the collection of customs duties; the state seal was kept in the Treasury and state archive; The Treasury also dealt with foreign policy issues).

4) The liberation of Russia from the Horde dependence

In 1472 (1473) Ivan III stopped paying tribute to the Great Horde. Khan Akhmat, in response to these actions, decided to punish the recalcitrant prince, to repeat the “batu invasion” of Russia. On October 8, 1480, the enemy troops met on the banks of the Ugra River (a tributary of the Oka River). The “standing on the Ugra” began, it lasted until November 11, 1480. The troops of Khan Akhmat turned back. Thus, this symbolized the rejection of military confrontation with Russia and the acquisition of the last complete independence.

5) Development of architecture

Already in 1462, construction began in the Kremlin: repairs were begun on the walls that needed to be repaired. In the future, large-scale construction in the Grand Duke's residence continued: in 1472, at the direction of Ivan III, on the site of a dilapidated cathedral built in 1326-1327 under Ivan Kalita , it was decided to build a new Assumption Cathedral . The construction was entrusted to Moscow craftsmen; however, when there was very little left before the completion of the work, the cathedral collapsed. In 1475 he was invited to Russia Aristotle Fioravanti who immediately got down to business. The remains of the walls were demolished, and a temple was built in their place, which invariably aroused the admiration of contemporaries. On August 12, 1479, the new cathedral was consecrated. From 1485, intensive construction began in the Kremlin, which did not stop throughout the life of the Grand Duke. Instead of the old wooden and white stone fortifications, brick ones were built; by 1515 Italian architectsPietro Antonio Solari, Marco Ruffo , as well as a number of others, turned the Kremlin into one of the strongest fortresses of that time. Construction continued inside the walls: in 1489, Pskov craftsmen built Annunciation Cathedral, in 1491 Faceted Chamber . In total, according to chronicles, about 25 churches were built in the capital in 1479-1505. Large-scale construction (primarily of a defensive orientation) was also carried out in other parts of the country: for example, in the years 1490-1500 it was rebuilt novgorod kremlin . Fortifications were also renovated. Pskov, Staraya Ladoga, Pit, Orekhovo, Nizhny Novgorod (since 1500); in 1485 and 1492, large-scale work was carried out to strengthen Vladimir.

The eldest son and heir of Vasily II, Ivan III, was twenty-two at the time of his father's death. In order to ensure his succession to the throne, Vasily II proclaimed him the Grand Duke and co-ruler back in 1449. In his will, Vasily "blessed" Ivan with his fatherland (family possession) - the Grand Duchy. No confirmation of Ivan's power was required from the Khan of the Golden Horde.

Throughout his reign, Ivan III was aware of his rights and the greatness of his kingdom. When in 1489 the envoy of the German emperor offered Ivan royal crown, the latter replied: "We are the true rulers in our land, from our ancestors, and we are anointed by God - our ancestors and we ... And we have never looked for confirmation of this from anyone, and now we do not want one.

Ivan's mother was a Russian princess of the Serpukhov branch of the house of Daniel (the Danilovich clan) and a distant relative of his father. This, however, does not mean that Ivan III was purely Russian by blood. His ancestor, Saint Vladimir of Kyiv, was of Scandinavian origin. Between the reigns of Vladimir and Alexander Nevsky through mixed marriages Russian princes and foreign princesses, a lot of non-Slavic blood was added. Among the distant ancestors of Ivan III were one Swedish princess, one Byzantine, one Polovtsian and one Ossetian. Moreover, Ivan's grandfather (Vasily I) married a Lithuanian princess, the daughter of Grand Duke Vytautas, and thus Ivan's father was half Lithuanian by blood.

We own brief description the physical appearance of Ivan. according to the memoirs of the Italian traveler Ambrogio Contarini, who saw him in Moscow in the winter of 1476-1477: “The Grand Duke should be thirty-five years old (he was thirty-six); he is tall, thin and handsome." . There is an image of Ivan III kneeling before the pope in the wall paintings of Santo Spirito in Rome, which is pure fiction of the artist. The portrait of Ivan in profile (engraving) in Tevet's Universal Cosmography (1555) also cannot be considered authentic, since it reproduces a different type of face and beard than we find in a similar to Ivan III (three-quarters) image, made in the technique of colored embroidery (1498). (It should be noted, however, that the embroidery technique does not serve as a proper medium for a neat naturalistic portrait.)

Physically, Ivan was strong and active. Contarini says that "it was his custom to visit various parts his dominions every year." And, of course, Ivan was absent during Contarini's visit to Moscow from late September to late December 1476. There are references (in connection with the war of Khan Akhmat against Moscow in 1480) about Ivan's lack of physical courage. These stories are hardly reliable. The fact is that Ivan did not seek military glory as such and preferred to achieve success by calculation rather than relying on chance.

We have little information about his inner qualities as a person. His diplomatic letters and statements were probably written by his secretaries, although he should have told them what to write. The personal element in them is subordinated to the political, even in his letters to his daughter Elena, who became Grand Duchess Lithuanian in 1495. Only fragments of other people's impressions of him can be found in the documents of this period. No private letters to him or memories of him have been preserved. So, we can judge his character mainly by his policies and actions, as they are reflected in government papers. various types and in chronicles. In this connection, we again cannot be sure to what extent in each case the initiative belonged to him, and to what extent he was influenced by his advisers. Among them were very gifted people.

As a result of all this, our portrait of Ivan as a person and ruler cannot be defined; but despite the lack of evidence, he is considered one of the most capable Muscovite rulers, and perhaps the most capable. He had a broad vision and a definite political program. He prepared his plan of action in advance and, never making an ill-considered move, he knew the price of calmly waiting for the situation to mature. He relied more on diplomacy than on war. He was consistent, cautious, restrained and cunning. Although he resorted to harsh measures against his enemies when he saw the need to do so, he was not overly cruel by the standards of the day. He enjoyed art, architecture. With the help of Italian and Pskov architects, he changed the face of Moscow, especially the Kremlin. Among the luxurious buildings he planned were the new Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin (built in 1475-1479 by Aristotle Fiorovanti), as well as the Cathedral of the Annunciation (built by Pskov craftsmen in 1482-1489) and the Faceted Chamber, created by the Italians in 1473-1491. and intended for the receptions of the Grand Duke.

Ivan was interested in religious issues, but his approach to church affairs was driven by more political than religious considerations. As a family man, he deeply respected his mother and loved his first wife. His second marriage was politically motivated and brought him a lot of trouble, family troubles and political intrigue, especially towards the end of his reign and life. Ivan's advisers and assistants admired his abilities and deeply respected him; they usually referred to him as "sovereign" (ruler). But few really loved him.

Studying any important historical personality- in fact, studying any person - we are faced with the problem of determining what an individual is like in his personal and hereditary traits. In this case, the lack of genuine evidence makes it difficult to answer this question. As for heredity, the Danilovichs usually married Russian princesses up to the grandfather of Ivan III Vasily I, whose wife, as already mentioned, was a Lithuanian princess (Gediminas' house). This marriage, which infused new blood, was important in the history of the family. Both in a biological and political sense, he predetermined the fate of Ivan's father and Ivan himself.

Both the ancestor of the Danilovichs, the first prince of Moscow Daniel, the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky, and his immediate descendants ruled during the difficult period of Mongol rule in dismembered Russia. In the name of salvation, they resorted, depending on the circumstances, either to complete submission to the khan, or to defiant rejection of the khan's orders. In their relations with other Russian princes, they were cruel and greedy. They never parted with acquired possessions and were good rulers of their vast lands, which was the economic basis of their political power.

Focusing on material things, they at the same time had a political vision. In 1317, the eldest son of Daniel, Yuri III, received the khan's yarlyk (right of ownership) to the Grand Duchy of Vladimir. A few years after the assassination of Yuri by the prince of Tver, his younger brother Ivan I managed to obtain a similar label in 1332. After that, the Moscow princes considered the Vladimir table as their fiefdom. The Grand Duke was recognized as the head of the family, but thanks to the strength of tradition, his relatives - the younger Daniloviches - each received their own property, which they ruled independently. This foreshadowed potential conflicts, and intense family strife unfolded during the reign of Ivan III's father Vasily II, who eventually overpowered his rivals, confiscated most of the lesser princes' possessions and declared his suzerainty over those who remained in power. They have now become vassals of the Grand Duke. Among the factors that led to the establishment of the new order, great importance undoubtedly had the Lithuanian origin of Vasily II - in particular the patronage of his grandfather Vitovt.

Some of the traits of Ivan III, such as his stubbornness and rigid retention of acquired possessions, were common to all Daniloviches. He lacked the courage inherent in many members of his family, and especially Daniil himself, Yuri (the eldest son of Daniil, an indirect ancestor of Ivan III) and Dmitry Donskoy. On the Lithuanian side, his consistency in preparing the ground for own actions, as well as his restraint, made him look like Vitovt's uncle - Olgerd. If Ivan really inherited these features from the Lithuanian ancestors of his grandmother, then we must look for them in the ancestors of grandfather Vitovt (Olgerd's father) Gediminas. However, very little is known about the personality traits of Gediminas' ancestors to attempt to draw any definite conclusions about it.

The answer to the question about the original, individual in the character of Ivan will be the most difficult. In any case, it seems that a sense of the significance of his power and position was a new element in public administration. For his father, the centralization of grand ducal power was a necessary measure. For Ivan, this was not only a political program, but also a matter of principle. Moreover, it seems to be based on deep personal feelings that can be partly explained psychological trauma received in early childhood. In 1446, when Ivan was a boy of six, his father was captured and blinded. cousin and rival Dmitry Shemyaka. Ivan and his younger brother Yuri (five years old) were also imprisoned by Shemyaka. They were released only thanks to the perseverance of the head of the Russian church, Jonah, the then Bishop of Ryazan.

As for the advisers and assistants of Ivan III, at first he retained in their positions those who ran affairs during the last time of his father's reign. The most respected among them was the wise old Metropolitan Jonah, but he died in 1461. His heir, Metropolitan Theodosius, was a holy man who tried to raise the moral and intellectual level of the clergy, but was not at all interested in politics. In 1464, Theodosius expressed his desire to retire to a monastery and was replaced by Philip I. The most influential among the boyars of Vasily II was Prince Ivan Yuryevich Patrikeev, a descendant of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas. His father, Prince Yuri Patrikeev, married one of the sisters of Vasily II. Prince Ivan Yurievich was thus the first cousin of Ivan III. Many other princes of the houses of Gediminas and Rurik served Vasily II and then young Ivan III as rivals and commanders. Members of the few old Moscow non-princely boyar families also had a significant impact on affairs before and after the death of Vasily II. Among the Moscow military leaders of this time, Konstantin Bezzubtsev and Prince Ivan Striga-Obolensky played a leading role.

The activity of Ivan 3 characterizes him as a prudent, far-sighted ruler. He showed extraordinary abilities in military affairs and diplomacy. Having ascended the throne at the age of twenty-two, he became the most prominent ruler in the history of Russia. What is known about the life and work of the prince?

Biography of the power-hungry king

Ivan Vasilyevich was born in 1440. He became the eldest son of Vasily 2 Dark of Moscow) and Maria Yaroslavna (daughter of the Serpukhov prince).

At the age of twelve, Ivan was married to Maria Borisovna, who was a Tver princess. At the age of eighteen he became a father. His son was named after his father. To avoid confusion, the son bore the nickname "Young".

The activity of Ivan 3 began in 1456. The father appointed a sixteen-year-old heir as his co-ruler. Before the beginning of the sole rule, Ivan managed to take part in three campaigns against the Tatars.

He had a pleasant appearance, thin physique, tall stature. Because of his slight stoop, he was called "Hunchback".

Ivan 3 entered the throne with an established character. He had a tough temper, but he knew how to be reasonable. The prince was distinguished by lust for power, had an iron will, secrecy and caution.

Ivan 3 did not live long with his first wife. She died early. His second wife was his niece last emperor Byzantium Constantine 11. Her name was Zoya, in Russia she became Sophia. The wedding took place in 1472 in Moscow. The wife participated in political life states. After the marriage, Ivan 3 became more severe and tougher, he demanded complete obedience, and punished for disobedience. It was for this that he became the first tsar, who received the nickname "Terrible".

In 1490, Ivan the Young, who was the heir to the throne, died. The tsar had to decide who would be his successor - son Vasily from his second wife or grandson Dmitry Ivanovich. In 1498 he crowned Dmitry to the kingdom. But a year later, Ivan lost interest in his grandson. Which of the two pretenders became king will become known at the end of the article. How did Ivan 3 prove himself as a ruler?

Foreign policy

During the state activity of Ivan 3, the influence of the Golden Horde began to fade, until in 1502 the power of the conquerors ceased to exist at all. Nevertheless, the owners of the Russian lands had more than enough enemies.

Moscow had serious confrontations with Lithuania. This was due to the fact that with the strengthening of the Muscovite state, the Russian princes came under his patronage. So Lithuania was deprived of the lands conquered from Russia.

The rulers tried to negotiate peacefully. The Lithuanian prince Alexander even married Elena, who was the daughter of Ivan 3. But this did not save the son-in-law and father-in-law from worsening relations. In 1500, the conflict resulted in a declaration of war.

Ivan 3 won. He captured some territories of the Smolensk, Chernigov, Novgorod-Seversky principalities. In 1503, Moscow and Lithuania signed a truce for six years. The Moscow Tsar did not want to sign eternal peace, since Lithuania did not want to give up Smolensk with Kyiv.

Principalities that earlier, from the beginning of the reign of Ivan 3, joined Moscow:

• Tverskoe;
• Belozerskoye;
• Ryazan;
• Yaroslavl;
• Dmitrovskoe;
• Rostov.

Things were much more complicated with the annexation of Novgorod. Historically, the strong power of aristocratic merchants was entrenched there. They did not want to recognize Moscow. Ivan 3 became the head of the anti-Moscow movement. It took eight years to take possession of Novgorod. It happened in 1478.

The Moscow tsar made several attempts to subjugate the Kazan kingdom. Relations between states were unstable. In Kazan, there were many opponents of the influence of the Muscovite kingdom. In 1505, another war began, which had to be continued by the heir of Ivan 3.

The main goal of the sovereign in foreign policy was the unification of the northeastern lands of Russia. In this direction, he achieved significant success. Also, the prince was able to expand international ties with such states as the Holy Roman Empire, Ottoman Empire, Crimean Khanate, Denmark, Venice.

Domestic politics

In addition to expanding the territories of the Muscovite state, the activities of Ivan 3 were aimed at strengthening autocratic power. Sophia's wife helped the ruler in every possible way.

During the reign of Ivan 3, the title "Grand Duke of All Russia" began to take shape. One of major achievements ruler was the development of the Code of Civil Laws. It happened in 1497. What was the document?

"Sudebnik"

The main activities of Ivan 3 concerned the strengthening of their own power. This required not only to unite the lands around itself, but also to create political and legal unity. Therefore, by the end of the fifteenth century, a single legislative code called "Sudebnik" appeared.

The compiler of the "Sudebnik" was not Ivan 3. Most often, authorship is attributed. However, many modern researchers consider this opinion to be erroneous.

The following questions are reflected in the "Sudebnik":

• unified rules of procedure;
• norms of criminal law;
• land tenure issues;
• legal status of slaves.

The most important point was Article 57. In accordance with it, the peasants had the right to change the landowner only once a year. To do this, they were given two weeks on St. George's Day, which took place on November 26. That is, the peasants could leave from one landowner to another from the nineteenth of November to the third of December of each year. Such a law became a prerequisite for the emergence of serfdom.

In general, the appearance of the Code of Laws has become an important measure to strengthen the political unity of the state.

Relations with the Church

The activities of Ivan 3 touched upon church issues. At this time, two ecclesiastical-political currents appeared, which looked at the practice of church life in different ways. Also, during the reign of the king, the "heresy of the Judaizers" appeared, developed and was defeated.

The main point in conflicts with churchmen was property and financial issues. For example, fees for establishing a church position. The ruler achieved the abolition of the ability to buy positions.

Cultural development

The activities of Ivan 3 are connected not only with the political unification of the country. He paid much attention to the construction of fortresses and churches. During this period, chronicle writing flourished.

The ruler invited Italian masters to his place. They introduced Russian architecture to the architectural techniques of the Renaissance.

Outstanding buildings:

• Assumption Cathedral;
• Blagoveshchensky cathedral;
• Faceted Chamber;
• the Novgorod Kremlin was rebuilt;
• fortress Ivan-gorod.

For twenty years, intensive construction was carried out in the Kremlin. Wooden and stone structures were replaced by brick ones, and the palace premises were expanded. The masters were able to complete the work only after the death of Ivan 3 Vasilyevich.

Appearance of the double-headed eagle

The transformative activity of Ivan 3 required the introduction of symbols of power. Since 1497, the Moscow state began to use the image of a double-headed eagle as a symbol of power. It began to be used on seals and coins.

Prior to that, he was the emblem of the Tver principality. Even earlier, the image of a double-headed eagle was used in the Chernigov Principality. The double-headed eagle has been used by many states and aristocratic courts since ancient times.

Board results

The main activity of Ivan 3 was to expand the territory of the kingdom, turning Moscow into the center of the Russian state. He managed to increase his kingdom several times over. All power was collected in the hands of the Moscow ruler.

Ivan 3 continued the centralization of the country, eliminating fragmentation. Under him, a fierce struggle was waged against the separatism of remote principalities. Sometimes the form of his government acquired a despotic character with excessive use of violence in solving state issues.

However, the strengthening of autocratic power had a positive effect on the development of culture. About twenty-five churches were built, new ideas appeared, and Afanasy Nikitin's book "Journey Beyond Three Seas" and "The Tale of Dracula" by Fyodor Kuritsyn were published.

Successor of Ivan 3

Inside the royal family long years there was a struggle for succession between the grandson Dmitry and son Vasily. Finally, everything was resolved a few years before the death of Ivan 3. Briefly: Vasily Ivanovich continued the activities of the king. From 1502, he became co-ruler with his father, and in 1505 he acquired the grand-ducal throne.

Grandson Dmitry died in captivity a few years after the death of his mother. The remaining four sons of the late prince received specific cities. But their power was not as full as that of their older brother.