Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily II the Dark. Brief biography of Vasily the Dark

Vasily 2 was the youngest son in the family and when his father died, the boy was only 10 years old. Despite the fact that he was the direct heir to the throne, his claims to the throne were disputed by his uncle Yuri Dmitrievich, who could also claim the title of Grand Duke according to the will of Dmitry Donskoy.

After the death of his father, the Lithuanian Prince Vytautas (Vasily’s maternal grandfather) became Vasily’s guardian, who had to decide who would become the new Grand Duke. Vitovt, who had his own plans for Rus', made every effort to conclude a peace treaty between Vasily and Yuri Dmitrievich. According to the agreement, Vasily 2 became the new Grand Duke, and Yuri Dmitrievich abandoned the struggle for power by force. The only opportunity for the latter to receive a title is to apply for a label to reign in the Golden Horde.

Thus, the year 1425 begins the reign of Vasily 2 the Dark.

However, in 1430, Vitovt dies, and Prince Yuri Dmitrievich begins his struggle for the right to become Grand Duke. He conspires with other princes and, with the support of his sons and a fairly large army, invades Moscow, seizes power and drives Vasily out of the city in 1433. Vasily, who received in return the title of Prince of Kolomna, gathers his own army from townspeople who sympathize with him and heads with him to Moscow to drive out Yuri. The campaign turns out to be successful, and Vasily again becomes the head of Moscow.

Throughout his reign, Vasily will be forced to defend his right to power in numerous skirmishes, first with Uncle Yuri, and then with other claimants to the throne. As a result of one of these skirmishes, he is blinded, for which he later receives the nickname “Dark”.

During the years of his reign, Vasily 2 lost the throne several times during feudal wars with other princes, but soon regained it again. Basil ruled intermittently from 1425 to 1462, until his death.

Foreign and domestic policy

The main goal of the policy pursued by Vasily 2 was the unification of Rus', getting rid of foreign invaders and creating a single state. During his reign, Vasily faced several main rivals:

• the Principality of Lithuania, which had power over most of the Russian lands;
• the Golden Horde, which regularly levied tribute and ravaged territories;
• Novgorod, where the second most important political center of the country was located.

Relations with Lithuania

Vasily 2 repeatedly tried to conclude a peace treaty with the Lithuanian princes, which would be beneficial not only to Lithuania, but also to Rus', but he never succeeded. During his reign, Lithuania attacked Rus' several times, wanting to increase its possessions and crush new territories under its rule, but these attempts were unsuccessful.

Relations with the Golden Horde

The activities of Vasily 2 the Dark were aimed at getting rid of other people's influence. He actively tried to defend the independence of the state and made regular campaigns against the Mongol-Tatars. One of these campaigns, in 1437, was practically crowned with success. Russian troops recaptured the city of Belev and forced the Tatars to negotiate, but at the very last moment the Russian commanders decided that they could completely defeat the enemy army and refused to negotiate. In a fierce battle, the Tatars won and regained the city.

In 1439, inspired by the victory, the khans of the Golden Horde decided to march with their troops to Moscow. The city remained under siege for about ten days, but never surrendered - the Tatars went back, ravaging all the lands near Moscow along the way.

In 1444, Vasily and the Tatar Khan wage a fierce struggle for the right to rule over Nizhny Novgorod, in which Vasily emerges victorious. However, soon, just a year later, in 1445, Vasily was captured. And, although he is soon ransomed, upon returning to Moscow he does not find the same support among the population and spends the rest of his reign relatively calmly.

Domestic politics and Novgorod

The most active struggle within the country is taking place between Moscow and Novgorod, where the opposition authorities are concentrated. For many decades, Novgorod has been trying to defend its independence from Moscow, but the consistent policy of Vasily 2, as well as a number of military victories in the fight against Lithuania, eventually forced Novgorod to surrender. Since 1456, Novgorod has been subordinate to Moscow.

Results of the reign of Vasily 2

• Strengthening the power of the Grand Duke and the role of Moscow as the new capital;
• Unification of lands under the rule of Moscow;
• The formation of an independent Russian church. It was under Vasily 2 that the metropolitan was first elected by a council of Russian bishops.

Vasily 2 died of tuberculosis and gangrene in 1462. The next prince was the son of Vasily the Dark,

Vasily 2 the Dark (reigned 1415-1462) is a Moscow prince who made a significant contribution to strengthening his principality and establishing it as a “gatherer of Russian lands.” This was a prominent representative of the last civil strife in the Russian state, who managed to emerge victorious in this bloody battle. In this article we will look at life path this person, we will find out why Vasily 2 received the nickname “Dark”, and also why victory was on the side of Vasily 2.

Vasily 2 the Dark: a short biography

Vasily the Second “Dark” was born in 1415 in Moscow. Vasily's mother was the influential Lithuanian princess Sofya Vitovtovna, who was the regent of the young prince. However, not everyone in the Russian state wanted to recognize the new ruler. Vasily's uncle, the Galich prince Yuri, relying on the will of Dmitry Donskoy, declared his right to the Moscow throne. Yuri’s sons, Dmitry Kosoy and Vasily Shemyaka, also had the right to the grand ducal title. For a long time, Yuri was afraid to directly declare his right to the throne, since regent Sophia relied on her powerful father, the Lithuanian ruler Vytautas. However, after his death in 1430, Yuri went to the Horde, wanting to challenge his 15-year-old nephew for the right to the throne. But with the support of the influential boyar Ivan Vsevolozhsky, Vasily received the khan's label for reign. Boyar Vsevolozhsky intended to give his daughter to Vasily and thereby gain a strong place near the throne, but Vasily’s mother had other plans. She prophesied Princess Marya Yaroslavna as Vasily’s wife, so she considered this marriage more profitable.

At the wedding, there was a conflict between Sophia and Yuri’s sons. Sophia publicly tore off the gold belt from Vasily Kosoy, declaring that it was stolen from their family. The offended Yuryevichs left the celebration, and the boyar Vsevolozhsky left with them, offended by Sophia for disrupting his plan with his daughter’s engagement. Subsequently, he became a faithful adviser to Yuri and his sons.

This event became the beginning of a long civil strife in the Russian state. On the way home, Yuri's sons plundered Yaroslavl, Vasily's possession.In 1433, the blitz of the Sergius-Troitsky Monastery clashed between the armies of Vasily and Yuryevich. Vasily was defeated and captured, and Yuri ascended the throne. Dmitry and Vasily Yuryevich tried to persuade him to commit suicide with his nephew, but their father, rightly deciding that this act would turn the majority of his subjects against him, decided to do the opposite - he presented Vasily with rich gifts and sent him to reign in Kolomna. However, this gesture of goodwill visible results didn't bring it. On the contrary, people began to flock to Kolomna, dissatisfied with Yuri’s usurpation. Moscow was empty, and Kolomna instantly turned into new capital. Soon the new prince realizes that the local population does not want to see him as a prince and returns the Moscow throne to Vasily.

However, his sons, Vasily Kosoy and Dmitry Shemyaka, do not agree with this decision. Gathering an army, in 1434 they defeated Vasily’s army near Rostov and captured Moscow. Soon Yuri dies, and before his death he bequeaths Moscow to his son Vasily Kosoy.

Vasily's brothers, Dmitry Shemyaka and Dmitry Krasny did not recognize the new ruler and entered into an alliance with Vasily the Dark. When the united troops of the princes approached, Vasily disappeared, taking the treasury with him. Having gathered a new army in Novgorod, Vasily Kosoy gave battle to Yuri near the Kotorosl River and was defeated. Vasily Kosoy requested a truce, but soon violated it himself, speaking at the position of Vasily II in Rostov. In 1436, a battle took place on the Cherek River, as a result of which Vasily Kosoy was defeated and captured. The prisoner was taken to Moscow, where he was blinded. His brother Dmitry, who was in captivity in Kolomna, was released by order of Vasily and endowed with the lands of his rebellious brother.

However, with the defeat of Vasily Kosoy, feudal strife in the Russian state did not stop. In 1439, the Kazan Khan Ulu-Mukhammed approached Moscow. Vasily II, Prince of Moscow, was unable to organize a successful defense of the capital and was forced to leave Moscow, while his ally, Dmitry Shemyaka, refused to come to the aid of his brother. This was the start of a new feudal war.

The beginning of the 40s turned out to be a difficult time for Rus'. A plague epidemic began, and the drought of 1442-44 led to mass famine. At the same time, attacks from the Kazan kingdom intensified. After the victory in 1445 over the Tatars on the river. Nerl, Vasily decided that they did not pose a threat. However, soon, the sons of Ulu-Muhammad led a huge army to Rus'.

Vasily marched against them and suffered an absolute disaster at Suzdal and was captured. The Tatars set a huge ransom of 25,000 rubles for Vasily. Sophia, the prince's mother, was forced to introduce new taxes in the capital in order to collect the required ransom. Also, a number of cities in the Volga region were given to the Tatars for plunder, on the site of which the Kasimov kingdom arose, where the sons of Ulu-Muhammad ruled.

After gaining freedom, Vasily went to the Sergius Trinity Monastery to pray for his salvation. At the same moment, Dmitry Shemyaka treacherously captured Moscow, and then ordered Vasily to be brought to him. He blinded him just as the Moscow prince blinded his brother. This is the answer to the question why Vasily the Dark received such a nickname. However, Shemyaka could not reign calmly on the grand-ducal throne, since the capital’s nobility did not want to see him as their ruler. Many nobles fled to neighboring Lithuania, intending to wait until Vasily regained the throne.

Under these conditions, Shemyaka decided to appease his cousin, gave him Vologda as his possession and sent him rich gifts. However, Vasily decided not to trust his treacherous brother. Having secured the support of the Tver prince, as well as the Lithuanians, the prince opposed Shemyaka. Frightened by this army, the usurper fled to Kargopol in 1447. Vasily again took the grand-ducal throne and freed his wife from captivity and returned his mother, who had been sent into exile.

The newly created prince decided to put an end to the problem of succession to the throne once and for all. He enlisted the support of Metropolitan Jonah, who at the council of bishops condemned the “sedition of the Yuryevichs” and ordered to pursue Shemyaka wherever possible. Ultimately, Dmitry was overtaken in Novgorod and poisoned. After the death of Shemyaka, Vasily the Dark dealt with his allies, taking away their allotments and annexing them to Moscow. Novgorod was forced to pay 8,500 rubles as compensation.

Vasily 2 Dark: domestic and foreign policy

With the accession of Vasily to the Moscow throne and the defeat of Shemyaka, the last feudal war in Russia and one of the last in Europe ended. Here it is important to determine why Vasily the Dark won. There are several reasons for this.

Firstly, Shemyaka’s cruelty and unscrupulousness did not correspond to Christian norms, which had great importance in that era. The Dark One was perceived as a martyr, and Shemyaka as an apostate and fratricide. In addition, the nobility and ordinary people perceived Vasily as a guarantor of stability and unity of the state.

Secondly, Vasily was able to eliminate the specific separatism of the boyars. He confiscated the land holdings of the boyars who supported the rebellious princes. The boyars extremely valued their lands, so such a policy forced them to remain loyal to the grand ducal throne.

Thirdly, Vasily was able to strengthen the authority of the Orthodox Church and gain its support. This was facilitated by the fact that in 1439 the Byzantine patriarch signed a union with Catholic Church. Russian Orthodox Church rejected this document because she did not want to become dependent on the Pope. As a result, the metropolitan in Rus' began to be elected through a council of bishops, and not by decree of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Subsequently, Moscow became associated with the “Third Rome,” a bastion of genuine Orthodoxy. And the prince began to be perceived as a conductor of this idea to the broad masses. The first independent metropolitan in Rus' was Jonah, who supported Vasily in the fight against the rebels.

This determined the victory of Vasily the Dark in the civil strife and allowed him to continue strengthening the Moscow principality, begun by his ancestors. During the reign of Vasily the Dark, almost all the surrounding lands were annexed to Moscow (in 1454 - Mozhaisk, in 1456 - Uglich and others). Influence in the subordinate Yaroslavl and Vyatka principalities was strengthened. In the annexed fiefs, Moscow proteges were appointed, the Grand Duke's seal was installed, and coins of Vasily the Dark were minted.

The process of annexing the Novgorod Republic to Moscow began. After the defeat of Shemyaka and his Novgorod supporters, the Yazhelbitsky Peace Treaty was signed between the veche and Vasily II, according to which the independence of the Novgorod Republic was greatly limited. Now Novgorod could not conduct an independent foreign policy and issue its own laws, and the seals of Novgorod officials were replaced by the seal of the Moscow prince.

At the same time, Vasily resolved the issue of succession to the throne. His son Ivan was declared co-ruler of Vasily and direct heir to the Moscow throne. Thus, Vasily approved the direct order of succession to the throne “from father to son.”

As for foreign policy, two directions can be distinguished. The first is relations with Lithuania. In 1449, the Perpetual Peace was concluded with Lithuania, as a result of which both states renounced mutual territorial claims and pledged not to support internal political opponents. As for relations with the Horde, things were not so rosy. In the period from 1449 to 1459, the Horde repeatedly attacked Russian lands and plundered cities. The Russians managed to resist the attacks of the Kazan and Crimean Khanates with varying degrees of success. However, already in 1447 Vasily stopped sending tribute to the Tatar-Mongols.

Until now, Vasily 2, whose domestic and foreign policy was aimed at strengthening the Moscow principality and centralizing the lands around his inheritance, remains a controversial personality. Some researchers believe that he did not possess any political or military qualities, and his successes are the fruits of a fortunate combination of circumstances. Other historians are inclined to argue that Vasily II made a great contribution to strengthening the role of Moscow and consolidating the lands around it.

After the Battle of Kulikovo, the Tatars came to Rus' more than once. In 1382, Moscow was taken by Khan Tokhtamysh, but this was already one of the last victories of the Tatars; their state began to gradually weaken as a result of the emerging fragmentation. In the 1st half of the 15th century. The Crimean Khanate, the Kazan Khanate, the Astrakhan Khanate emerged from the Golden Horde, and in the 2nd half of the 15th century. - in the territory Western Siberia. Absorbed internal problems the Tatars began to carry out their raids less frequently. It would seem that under these conditions the process of centralization should have accelerated.

The son of Dmitry Donskoy, Vasily I (1389-1425), ascended the throne when he was 18 years old. For my short life he has already experienced many adventures. He had to spend three years in the Horde as a hostage of the Golden Horde Khan. He tried to escape, was captured, and returned prisoner. But he did not resign himself and ran again. The second attempt was more successful. He made his way to Moscow in a roundabout way. On the way, he met the Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas and was engaged to the daughter of the Lithuanian prince.

Prince Vasily Dmitrievich annexed to Moscow the rich Principality of Nizhny Novgorod and certain appanages of the Ryazan Principality, which became surrounded on three sides by the possessions of Moscow. In the North, the lands of the Urals (Great Perm) were annexed.

Further unification and liberation of the Russian lands was slowed down by brutal strife between the princes in the second quarter of the 15th century, which was called the feudal war and lasted about 30 years. The reason for it was a dynastic conflict between the princes of the Moscow house. After the death of Vasily I, his 9-year-old son Vasily Vasilyevich (born in 1415) and son Dm became contenders for the throne. Donskoy Yuri Dmitrievich, Prince of Galitsky and Zvenigorodsky. According to Donskoy's will, after the death of Vasily I, the throne was supposed to pass to Yuri Dmitrievich, but it was not specified what to do if Vasily had a son. The forces in the ensuing struggle were clearly unequal: Yuri Pyl is known as a brave warrior, builder of fortresses and temples. And the guardian of the 9-year-old boy was the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt. In 1430, Vytautas dies, and Yuri’s hands are freed. Yuri Dmitrievich refused to recognize his nephew's seniority and tried to seize the grand-ducal throne.

In 1433, he expelled Vasily from Moscow and took the grand-princely throne. However, the Moscow boyars supported the young prince, and Yuri was forced to leave Moscow (he died a year later). The fight was continued by his sons Vasily Kosoy and Dmitry Shemyaka. The war was waged using barbaric means, in the name of which Vasily Kosoy was blinded.

After a lull in 1440, a new round of struggle begins. Shemyaka managed to rouse the Novgorodians to fight, but was defeated by the Moscow prince. The Tatars took part in the fight. In one of the battles with the Tatars, the Moscow prince was captured, but for a huge ransom he managed to break free and return to Moscow. The huge ransom, which placed a burden on the shoulders of the population, aroused discontent among the townspeople against the prince. His enemies took advantage of this dissatisfaction, and a conspiracy matured. Dmitry Shemyaka captured Moscow, and Vasily was captured and blinded, after which he received the nickname Dark. But the victory ultimately remained with Vasily Vasilyevich. In 1447, Vasily the Dark solemnly entered Moscow.

The feudal war, however, lasted until 1453 and cost the country dearly: the burning of the village, hundreds of killed supporters of Shemyaka and Vasily the Dark, the increased dependence of the principalities on the Horde - emphasized this circumstance. On the other hand, it confirmed the need for the process of unification of Russian lands, showing the danger of new princely strife.

Vasily the Dark died in 1462, appointing his twenty-two-year-old son Ivan, who was his co-ruler during his lifetime, as his heir.

Moscow Grand Duke Vasily 2 the Dark, whose reign was 1425-1462, was the son of Vasily I and the grandson of Dmitry Donskoy. During his era, the last Russian internecine war took place. Vasily Vasilyevich lost power several times and returned to it again. He received the nickname “Dark” after being blinded by his opponent Dmitry Shemyaka.

Nephew vs uncle

Vasily Vasilyevich was born in 1415. His father died when the boy was only ten years old. At first, the boyar regency council ruled for the child. Vasily I transferred power to his son, contrary to the long-standing law, according to which the throne, according to seniority, should have passed to the next brother of the deceased - Yuri Dmitrievich. This prince received only the city of Galich as his inheritance and considered himself deprived. Subsequently, this dynastic conflict led to a long and bloody internecine war.

Vasily 2 the Dark, whose domestic and foreign policy in the first years of his reign was determined by advisers from among the boyars, had a powerful defender in the person of his maternal grandfather, the Lithuanian prince Vytautas. This monarch ruled a huge power from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Yuri Dmitrievich rightly feared the intercession of a dangerous neighbor. However, in 1430, the elderly Vytautas died.

Khan's court

For some time, the conflict between uncle and nephew was frozen. However, in 1431, old feuds again made themselves felt. Yuri, not wanting to remain an appanage prince, threatened his nephew with war. Then Vasily II the Dark suggested going to the Horde (at that time Rus' was still dependent on the Tatars), where King Mahmet ruled.

The opponents faced the khan's trial. Young Vasily had experienced boyars who were able to turn the Tatar Murzas against Yuri and his supporters. Convinced by Moscow diplomats, the nobles began to petition their king for Vasily. At the trial, the Moscow prince defended his case with the charter, according to which inheritance was carried out from father to son, and not from brother to brother. Yuri referred to the will of Dmitry Donskoy, which stated that he was considered the successor of Vasily I.

In the end Mahmet took sides young prince. Moreover, Yuri, by order of the khan, had to lead his horse. Vasily 2 the Dark did not want to humiliate his relative and abandoned this ancient Tatar rite. As a token of compensation, my uncle received the city of Dmitrov, which remained after the death of another son of Donskoy, Pyotr Dmitrievich. Upon returning home, Vasily was again solemnly placed on the grand-ducal throne (the ceremony was performed by the Tatar nobleman Ulan Tsarevich). This event became symbolic because it was after it that the city of Vladimir formally lost its status as the capital of Rus'.

A stolen belt and a ruined wedding

Especially at the Khan's court important role played by a Moscow boyar named John. He spoke more convincingly than others before Makhmet, after which Vasily 2 the Dark finally won the argument with his uncle. John wanted the young ruler to marry his daughter. Vasily did not do this and in 1433 he married the daughter of the Serpukhov prince, Maria Yaroslavna.

John was offended and went to Yuri. In the future, boyars tossing from one camp to another will become commonplace. In the meantime, Vasily’s quarrel with his adviser demonstrated that the conflict with Yuri is far from over.

At the wedding of the Grand Duke, another memorable incident occurred, which many contemporaries associated with the beginning of a new internecine war. His cousins ​​(sons of Yuri himself) Vasily Kosoy and Dmitry Shemyaka came to the feast for young Vasily. Suddenly the holiday was overshadowed by a scandal. Vasily Kosoy was wearing a golden belt. The mother of the Grand Duke Sophia recognized this jewel, which was once allegedly stolen from Dmitry Donskoy. The woman, not paying attention to decency, tore off the belt from Vasily Kosoy, declaring that the valuable thing rightfully belonged to her family.

Yuri's children were offended, left the palace in anger and immediately went to their father in Uglich. The scene with the belt was especially inappropriate due to the fact that Kosoy and Shemyaka were going to become peacemakers and mediators between warring relatives. Now, on the contrary, they began to turn their father against Vasily Vasilyevich.

The war begins

The amount of accumulated grievances between the princes became critical. A few weeks after the memorable wedding, war broke out. Yuri's army advanced to Moscow. Vasily 2 the Dark did not suspect anything about enemy actions until the very moment when the Rostov governor galloped up to him, reporting that his uncle had already captured neighboring Pereslavl. The Grand Duke's council was inactive - since the time of Dmitry Donskoy and his son, the boyar entourage had become smaller and cowardly. Instead of an army, an embassy was sent to Yuri. The prince was already standing in the vicinity of the Trinity Monastery and was not going to make concessions.

The reign of Vasily II the Dark was about to end. In April 1433, the young man took his wife and mother and moved to Tver. He soon surrendered to Yuri, who had already entered Moscow and was declared Grand Duke. Many close associates advised the winner not to show mercy. Yuri, however, listened to the nobleman Simeon Morozov, who said the opposite, and let his nephew rule the estate in Kolomna. The relatives said goodbye together. The feast passed, Vasily, having received generous gifts, left Moscow.

In Kolomna

It soon became clear that Prince Vasily II the Dark was not inferior to his uncle in his lust for power. Suddenly, many boyars and noble citizens began to leave Moscow and went to Kolomna together. Once in the capital, Yuri brought with him his close aristocracy. These boyars from Uglich and other appanage cities occupied the positions of the former Moscow aristocrats. Many noble people who were left out of work realized their mistake and began to go over to the side of Vasily, who, on the contrary, having come to power, did not change anything from the old orders of his father and grandfather.

Suddenly Kolomna became the de facto capital of the grand duchy. Yuri's sons blamed boyar Morozov for everything, who advised Vasily to be released. The nobleman was killed. Frightened by their father's anger, Shemyaka and Kosoy left for Kostroma. Yuri, meanwhile, decided to return to Galich himself, since he understood that under new circumstances he would not be able to hold Moscow for long. In September 1433, Vasily returned to the capital. However, the troubles of his reign were just beginning.

Continuing the fight

Less than a year after the change of power in Moscow, Yuri again gathered regiments and defeated the army of the Grand Duke on the Kusi River. Vasily II the Dark, whose policy was not much different from his uncle’s, ruined Galich. In 1434, Yuri and his sons defeated his nephew in a battle within Rostov. Vasily cowardly fled to Nizhny Novgorod. The winner took Moscow and captured his wife and mother.

Having again become the Grand Duke, Yuri enlisted the support of his nephews Mikhail and Ivan Andreevich (who owned Beloozero, Kaluga and Mozhaisk), as well as Ivan Fedorovich Ryazansky. The new allies promised not to have anything to do with Vasily, who had become an exile. It seemed that this time Yuri Dmitrievich would be able to retain the throne. But just a few months later (June 5, 1434) he died, just short of his sixtieth birthday.

Against Vasily Kosoy

After the death of Yuri, Vasily Vasilyevich, having found mutual language with Dmitry Shemyaka and his younger brother Dmitry the Red, expelled Vasily Kosoy from the capital and once again became the Moscow sovereign. The allies were rewarded. Shemyak received Rzhev and Uglich, Krasny - Zvenigorod, Bezhetsky Verkh and Vyatka. Their contract document has been preserved, in which the princes assured each other of friendly intentions. In fact, all the grandchildren of Dmitry Donskoy were hard-hearted and cowardly, which predetermined the inevitability of another internecine war.

The most unreasonable of the princes turned out to be Vasily Kosoy. He surrounded himself with vagabonds and robbers, and with this gang, after a few months of peaceful life, he began to rob his cousin’s property. His army captured Ustyug, killed the Grand Duke's governor and many unarmed residents. At this time, Shemyaka came to Moscow with the intention of inviting Vasily Vasilyevich to his own wedding. Angered by the actions of Kosoy, the sovereign put Dmitry in chains and sent him into exile in Kolomna. It was an dishonorable and thoughtless act.

Finally, Vasily 2 the Dark, in short, tired of the atrocities of his cousin, gathered an army (which was joined by Dmitry the Red) and met his gang not far from Rostov. Kosoy, hoping to defeat the enemy by cunning, begged for a truce. Vasily Vasilyevich disbanded the army, after which his camp was suddenly attacked by enemy soldiers. This time the Grand Duke showed a determination that was rare for himself. Without moving, he himself notified the troops of the alarm by blowing a special trumpet. The army of Kosoy hoped for a mistake by the Muscovites, but it itself was shamefully defeated and scattered.

Victories and defeats

The defeated Vasily Yuryevich tried to escape, but was captured. Grand Duke, forgetting about mercy, ordered his cousin to be blinded. Even at the most dark ages In Russian history, such execution enjoyed a bad reputation and was considered simply barbaric. To calm his conscience, Vasily II the Dark, whose biography was full of errors, ordered the release of Shemyaka and returned the appanage cities to him. Kosoy lived in solitude for another 12 years, forgotten by all relatives and friends.

In 1437, Khan of the Golden Horde Makhmet was deprived of power by his brother Kichim. Once he contributed to Vasily’s accession to the throne and now hoped for his help. Khan, together with an army of three thousand, approached the Russian borders, but received news that the Grand Duke demanded that he leave. Then the Tatars took the border town of Belev.

Vasily 2 the Dark, who lived in peace for a short time, was forced to gather an army again. He entrusted the army to Shemyaka. The cousin was defeated. Makhmet, however, realizing that he could not stay in Belev, went to the Volga region, where he restored Kazan from the Ashes and became the actual founder of the Kazan Khanate - a state that was the most important eastern neighbor Moscow Principality in the XV - XVI centuries.

Captured by the Tatars

The Kazan Khanate immediately became a serious headache for Vasily Vasilyevich. Regular invasions of the Tatars began. Makhmet even captured and plundered the old part of Nizhny Novgorod. In 1445, his two sons, Mahmud and Yakub, headed for Suzdal with an army. The Grand Duke led the army, hoping for help from the appanage princes. Shemyaka did not give his cousin a single warrior.

How, after several years of peace, Vasily II the Dark was unable to gather a large army, why the Dark One frivolously decided to defeat the Tatars with small forces, there are no exact answers to these questions in the chronicles. One way or another, on July 7, 1445, the small Moscow army was defeated. Foreign policy Vasily 2 the Dark turned into a complete failure. The Grand Duke was captured by the Tatars. The Kazan princes, as a sign of victory, removed his gold jewelry and sent them as intimidation to Moscow.

Not a single Moscow prince had previously been captured by non-believers. The news of Vasily's unfortunate fate caused panic in the capital, which was aggravated by a major fire. At the same time, taking advantage of the anarchy, the Tver prince Boris Alexandrovich plundered Torzhok.

Although the Kazan princes won, they did not have the strength to further ravage the Russian lands. They returned to their father. Meanwhile, Mahmet learned that the neighboring Mongol khan had captured Kazan. These circumstances led to the release of Vasily and the end of the war. The Grand Duke paid a large ransom and gave several small towns to feed the Tatars.

Blindness

It is believed that Vasily 1, Vasily 2 the Dark and Ivan III finally united the Russian lands around Moscow. Before this happened, the country had to experience a lot of troubles. For Vasily himself, even captivity was not the last test.

Dmitry Shemyaka, who did not provide support to the Grand Duke in the war with the Tatars, was afraid of revenge. After Vasily returned home, he set about organizing the conspiracy. Shemyaka was joined by Ivan Mozhaisky and Boris Tverskoy. The conspirators also found comrades-in-arms among some Moscow boyars.

In February 1446, Vasily 2 the Dark, whose brief biography speaks of him as a devout person, took his two sons with him and went on a traditional trip to the Trinity Lavra. Shemyaka found out about this and, together with a loyal detachment, came to Moscow. He had accomplices in the city, who opened the gates and let the prince into the Kremlin. Dmitry took Vasily's family captive and sent Ivan Mozhaisky to the Trinity Monastery.

When rumors about the capture of the capital reached the Grand Duke, he did not believe in this dubious news. His guards also acted carelessly. Ivan's armed detachment, hiding in the carts, attacked the guards and killed them. Finally Vasily realized that things were bad. Finding himself surrounded, he locked himself in the church. Soon Ivan Mozhaisky came to the monastery. Vasily begged him not to violate the sanctity of the temple and not to commit a crime.

The traitor assured the sovereign of his good intentions, and he surrendered into the hands of the enemy. Immediately they announced to Vasily that he was a prisoner of Grand Duke Dmitry Yuryevich. The slave was sent under guard to Moscow. Four days later he was blinded. Vasily was subjected to the same execution to which he had once doomed his cousin and namesake Vasily Kosoy. The blinding was carried out on behalf of Shemyaka, Boris Tverskoy and Ivan Mozhaisky. The conspirators explained their actions by saying that the overthrown prince condoned the Tatars.

Return to power

The blinded Vasily was poisoned into exile in Uglich. His sons Ivan (the future Ivan III) and Yuri ended up in the hands of faithful monks, who transported them to the fortified and neutral Murom. Dmitry resorted to deception and, at the request of the local bishop, lured his nephews to Moscow. He promised the church that after this he would free Vasily. However, Shemyaka broke his word. He also sent his nephews to Uglich, where he left his blind cousin.

Dmitry's treachery turned more and more boyars and military men against him. Finally, fearing a rebellion, he freed Vasily and gave him reign in Vologda. Numerous supporters began to gather around the blind man. Some wanted to serve him with the sword, others with prayer. Moreover, Vasily entered into an alliance with Boris Tverskoy (as a sign of agreement, the wedding of their children was celebrated: Ivan Vasilevich and Maria Borisovna).

Dmitry learned about his cousin’s intentions and stood with the army next to Volok Lamsky. Vasily’s army bypassed his positions with a cunning maneuver, approached Moscow and took the capital without a fight. The Grand Duke again took the throne - this time until his death. On January 27, 1450, Shemyaka suffered a decisive defeat in a battle near Galich. He continued the fight, but having lost his father's inheritance, he was left without supporters. In 1453, Dmitry Yuryevich, who was in exile in Novgorod, was poisoned by the people of the Grand Duke.

Death. Results of the reign

Although at its first stage the reign of Vasily 2 the Dark was a series of internecine wars, then the Grand Duke managed to stabilize the situation in the country. Most of small fiefs were annexed to his power, and those that retained imaginary independence were in fact completely dependent on Moscow. Domestic policy Vasily 2 the Dark in church affairs was built on the principle of independence from Constantinople (in 1488 in Rus', without regard for the Greeks, Bishop Jonah was elected metropolitan).

The Grand Duke lived a short life. He died in 1462 at the age of 47. Towards the end of his life, tuberculosis was added to Vasily’s blindness. The Emperor was treated with cauterizations, which caused him to develop gangrene. Vasily was succeeded by his son Ivan III, who continued to strengthen the Grand Duchy and finally united Rus'. After a long internecine war, the law according to which power was transferred from parents to children, and not from brothers to brothers, was finally established in the Moscow state.

Moscow Prince Vasily II the Dark ruled in an era when his principality gradually became the core of a unified Russian state. The period of this Rurikovich's reign also saw a major internecine war between him and his relatives - contenders for power in the Kremlin. This feudal conflict was the last in the history of Rus'.

Family

The future Prince Vasily 2 the Dark was the fifth son of Vasily I and Sofia Vitovtovna. On the maternal side, the child was a representative of the Lithuanian ruling dynasty. On the eve of his death, Vasily I sent a letter to his father-in-law Vitovt, in which he asked him to protect his young nephew.

The first four sons died in childhood or youth from a then common disease, which is known in the chronicles as “pestilence.” Thus, Vasily 2 the Dark remained the heir of Vasily I. From a state point of view, having a single offspring was only a plus, because it allowed the ruler not to divide his power among numerous children. Because of this specific custom, she has already died Kievan Rus and the Vladimir-Suzdal land suffered for many years.

Political situation

The Principality of Moscow had a doubly need to remain united due to foreign policy threats. Despite the fact that Vasily II's grandfather Dmitry Donskoy defeated the Tatar-Mongol army in 1380, Rus' remained dependent on the Golden Horde. Moscow remained the main Slavic Orthodox political center. Its rulers were the only ones who could resist the khans, if not on the battlefield, then through compromise diplomacy.

From the west, the East Slavic principalities were threatened by Lithuania. Until 1430, it was ruled by Vytautas, the grandfather of Vasily II. During the decades of fragmentation of Rus', Lithuanian rulers were able to annex the Western Russian possessions of Galicia, Volyn, Kiev). Under Vasily I, Smolensk lost its independence. Lithuania itself was increasingly oriented towards Catholic Poland, which led to an inevitable conflict with the Orthodox majority and Moscow. Vasily II needed to balance between dangerous neighbors and maintain peace within your state. Time has shown that he did not always succeed in this.

Conflict with uncle

In 1425, Prince Vasily Dmitrievich died, leaving a ten-year-old son on the throne. The Russian princes recognized him as the main ruler of Rus'. However, despite the expressed support, little Vasily’s position was extremely precarious. The only reason why no one dared to touch him was his grandfather - the powerful Lithuanian sovereign Vytautas. But he was quite an old man and died in 1430.

What followed was a whole chain of events that led to a major internecine war. The main culprit of the conflict was Vasily II's uncle Yuri Dmitrievich, the son of the legendary Dmitry Donskoy. Before his death, the winner Mamai, according to tradition, bequeathed inheritance to his youngest offspring. Understanding the danger of this tradition, Dmitry Donskoy limited himself to giving Yuri small cities: Zvenigorod, Galich, Vyatka and Ruza.

The children of the deceased prince lived in peace and helped each other. However, Yuri was known for his ambition and love of power. According to his father's will, he was supposed to inherit everything in the event of the premature death of his elder brother Vasily I. But he had five sons, the youngest of whom became the ruler of the Kremlin in 1425.

All this time, Yuri Dmitrievich remained an insignificant prince of Zvenigorod. The Moscow rulers managed to preserve their state and expand it thanks to the fact that the order of succession was legalized, according to which the throne passed from father to eldest son, bypassing younger brothers. In the 15th century, this order was a relative innovation. Before this, in Rus', power was inherited according to the right of ladder, or the right of seniority (that is, uncles had priority over nephews).

Of course, Yuri was a supporter of the old order, since it was they who allowed him to become a legitimate ruler in Moscow. In addition, his rights were supported by a clause in his father's will. If we remove particulars and personalities, then in the Moscow principality under Vasily II two systems of inheritance collided, one of which was supposed to sweep away the other. Yuri was just waiting for the right moment to declare his claims. With the death of Vitovt, this opportunity presented itself to him.

Court in Orda

During the years of Tatar-Mongol rule, the khans issued which gave the Rurikovich the right to occupy one or another throne. As a rule, this tradition did not interfere with the usual succession to the throne, unless the applicant was insolent to the nomads. Those who disobeyed the khan's decisions were punished by having their lot attacked by a bloodthirsty horde.

The descendants of Dmitry Donskoy still received labels for reign and paid tribute, even though the Mongols also began to suffer from their own civil strife. In 1431, the grown-up Vasily II the Dark went to the Golden Horde to receive his permission to rule. At the same time, Yuri Dmitrievich went to the steppe with him. He wanted to prove to the khan that he had more rights to the Moscow throne than his nephew.

The ruler of the Golden Horde, Ulu-Muhammad, resolved the dispute in favor of Vasily Vasilyevich. Yuri suffered his first defeat, but was not going to give in. In words, he recognized his nephew as his “elder brother” and returned to his native land to wait new opportunity for impact. Our history knows many examples of perjury, and in this sense, Yuri Dmitrievich was not much different from many of his contemporaries and predecessors. At the same time, Vasily also broke his promise. At the khan's trial, he promised his uncle to give the city of Dmitrov as compensation, but he never did.

The beginning of civil strife

In 1433, the eighteen-year-old Moscow prince got married. The wife of Vasily II was Maria, the daughter of the appanage ruler Yaroslav Borovsky (also from the Moscow dynasty). Numerous relatives of the prince were invited to the celebrations, including the children of Yuri Dmitrievich (he himself did not appear, but remained in his Galich). and Vasily Kosoy will still play their serious role in the internecine war. For now they were guests of the Grand Duke. In the midst of the wedding, a scandal broke out. The mother of Vasily II, Sofya Vitovtovna, saw on Vasily Kosoy a belt that supposedly belonged to Dmitry Donskoy and was stolen by the servants. She tore off an item of clothing from the boy, which caused a serious quarrel between relatives. The insulted sons of Yuri Dmitrievich urgently retreated and went to their father, causing a pogrom in Yaroslavl along the way. The episode with the stolen belt became the property of folklore and a popular plot in legends.

A domestic quarrel became the very reason that the Zvenigorod prince was looking for to start a serious war against his nephew. Having learned about what happened at the feast, he gathered a loyal army and went to Moscow. The Russian princes again prepared to shed the blood of their subjects for the sake of personal interests.

The army of the Grand Duke of Moscow was defeated by Yuri on the banks of the Klyazma. Soon my uncle occupied the capital. Vasily received Kolomna as compensation, where, in fact, he ended up in exile. Finally, Yuri fulfilled his old dream of his father's throne. However, having achieved what he wanted, he made several fatal mistakes. The new prince came into conflict with the capital's boyars, whose influence in the city was extremely great. The support of this class and their money were then very important attributes of power.

When the Moscow aristocracy realized that its new ruler had begun to force old people out of office and replace them with his own candidates, dozens of key supporters fled to Kolomna. Yuri found himself isolated and cut off from the capital's army. Then he decided to make peace with his nephew and agreed to return the throne to him after several months of reign.

But Vasily was not much more intelligent than his uncle. Returning to the capital, he began open repressions against those boyars who supported Yuri in his claims to power. Opponents made the same mistakes, not taking into account the sad experience of their opponents. At the same time, the sons of Yuri declared war on Vasily. The Grand Duke was again defeated near Rostov. His uncle again became the ruler of Moscow. However, a few months after the next castling, Yuri died (June 5, 1434). There were persistent rumors throughout the capital that he was poisoned by one of his close associates. According to Yuri's will, his eldest son Vasily Kosoy became prince.

Vasily Kosoy in Moscow

Throughout Yuri's reign in Moscow, Vasily Vasilyevich 2 was on the run, unsuccessfully fighting against his sons. When Kosoy informed his brother Shemyaka that he was now ruling in Moscow, Dmitry did not accept this change. He made peace with Vasily, according to which, if the coalition was successful, Shemyak received Uglich and Rzhev. Now the two princes, who had previously been opponents, united their armies to expel the eldest son of Yuri of Zvenigorod from Moscow.

Vasily Kosoy, having learned about the approach of the enemy army, fled from the capital to Novgorod, having previously taken his father’s treasury with him. He reigned in Moscow for only one summer month in 1434. While on the run, the exile gathered an army with the money he took and went with it towards Kostroma. First, it was defeated at the Kotorosl River near Yaroslavl, and then again at the Battle of the Cherekha River in May 1436. Vasily was captured by his namesake and barbarously blinded. It was because of his injury that he received the nickname Scythe. The former prince died in captivity in 1448.

War with the Kazan Khanate

For some time, peace was established in Rus'. The Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily II tried to prevent war with his neighbors, but he failed. The cause of the new bloodshed was the Kazan Khanate. By this time, one Golden Horde divided into several independent uluses. The Kazan Khanate became the largest and most powerful. The Tatars killed Russian merchants and periodically organized campaigns against the border areas.

In 1445, an open war broke out between the Slavic princes and the Kazan Khan Mahmud. On July 7, a battle took place near Suzdal, in which the Russian squad suffered a crushing defeat. Mikhail Vereisky and his cousin Vasily II the Dark were taken prisoner. The years of this prince's reign (1425-1462) were full of episodes when he was completely deprived of power. And now, finding himself in the khan’s captivity, he was briefly cut off from events in his homeland.

Hostage of the Tatars

While Vasily remained a hostage to the Tatars, the ruler of Moscow was Dmitry Shemyaka, the second son of the late Yuri Zvenigorodsky. During this time, he acquired numerous supporters in the capital. Meanwhile, Vasily Vasilyevich persuaded the Kazan Khan to release him. However, he had to sign an enslaving agreement, according to which he had to pay a huge indemnity and, even worse, give several of his cities to the Tatars for feeding.

This caused a wave of indignation in Rus'. Despite the grumbling of many residents of the country, Vasily II the Dark began to rule again in Moscow. The policy of concessions to the Horde could not but lead to disastrous consequences. In addition, the prince came to the Kremlin at the head of the khan’s army, which was given to him by the Tatars, in order to be sure to return the throne.

Dmitry Shemyaka, after the return of his opponent, retired to his Uglich. Very soon, Moscow supporters began to flock to him, among whom were boyars and merchants, dissatisfied with Vasily’s behavior. With their help, the Uglitsky prince organized a coup, after which he again began to rule in the Kremlin.

In addition, he enlisted the support of some appanage princes who had previously refrained from conflict. Among them were the Mozhaisk ruler Ivan Andreevich and Boris Tverskoy. These two princes helped Shemyaka treacherously capture Vasily Vasilyevich within the sacred walls of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. On February 16, 1446, he was blinded. The reprisal was justified by the fact that Vasily conspired with the hated Horde. In addition, he himself once ordered the blinding of his enemy. Thus, Shemyaka took revenge for the fate of his older brother Vasily Kosoy.

After being blinded

After this episode, Vasily 2 the Dark was sent into exile for the last time. In short, it tragic fate gained him more supporters among the wavering aristocracy. The blinding also brought to reason the majority of the princes outside the Moscow state, who became ardent opponents of Shemyaka. Vasily 2 the Dark took advantage of this. Why the Dark One got his nickname is known from the chronicles, which explain this epithet by blindness. Despite the injury, the prince remained active. His son Ivan (the future Ivan III) became his eyes and ears, helping in all state affairs.

By order of Shemyaka, Vasily and his wife were kept in Uglich. Maria Yaroslavna, like her husband, did not lose heart. When supporters began to return to the exiled prince, a plan to capture Moscow matured. In December 1446, Vasily and his army occupied the capital; this happened at a time when Dmitry Shemyaka was away. Now the prince finally established himself in the Kremlin until his death.

Our history has seen many civil strifes. More often than not, they ended not in compromise, but in the complete victory of one of the parties. In the middle of the 15th century the same thing happened. Shemyaka gathered an army and prepared to continue the fight with the Grand Duke. A few years after Vasily returned to Moscow, on January 27, 1450, the Battle of Galich took place, which historians consider the last internecine battle in Rus'. Shemyaka suffered an unconditional defeat and soon fled to Novgorod. This city often became a shelter for exiles. Residents did not extradite Shemyaka, and he died of natural causes in 1453. However, it is possible that he was secretly poisoned by Vasily’s agents. Thus ended the last civil strife in Rus'. Since then, the appanage princes had neither the means nor the ambitions to resist the central government.

Peace with Poland and Lithuania

IN at a young age Prince Vasily II the Dark was not distinguished for his foresight. He did not spare his subjects in the event of war and often made strategic mistakes that became the cause of bloodshed. The blinding changed his character greatly. He became humble, calm and maybe even wise. Having finally established himself in Moscow, Vasily set about building peace with his neighbors.

The main danger was Polish king and Lithuanian Prince Casimir IV. In 1449, an agreement was concluded between the rulers, according to which they recognized established borders and promised not to support their neighbor’s competitors within the country. Casimir, like Vasily, faced the threat of internecine war. His main opponent was Mikhail Sigismundovich, who relied on the Orthodox part of Lithuanian society.

Treaty with the Novgorod Republic

Subsequently, the reign of Vasily 2 the Dark continued in the same vein. Due to the fact that Novgorod sheltered Shemyaka, the republic found itself in isolation, which, according to the agreement, was supported by the Polish king. With the death of the rebellious prince, ambassadors arrived in Moscow with a request to lift the trade embargo and other decisions of the prince, because of which the life of the townspeople was greatly complicated.

In 1456, the Yazhelbitsky Peace Treaty was concluded between the parties. He secured the vassal position of the Novgorod Republic from Moscow. The document again de jure confirmed the leading position of the Grand Duke in Rus'. Later, the treaty was used by Vasily's son Ivan III to annex the rich city and the entire northern region to Moscow.

Results of the board

Vasily the Dark spent the last years of his life in relative peace and quiet. He died in 1462 from tuberculosis and improper treatment for this scourge. He was 47 years old, 37 of which he (with interruptions) was a Moscow prince.

Vasily managed to eliminate small fiefs within his state. He increased the dependence of other Russian lands on Moscow. An important church event took place under him. By order of the prince, Bishop Jonah was elected metropolitan. This event marked the beginning of the end of the dependence of the Moscow Church on Constantinople. In 1453, the capital of Byzantium was taken by the Turks, after which the actual center of Orthodoxy moved to Moscow.