Which prince was blinded? Literary and historical notes of a young technician

Biography of Prince Vasily 2 Vasilyevich the Dark

Vasily 2 Vasilyevich (Dark) - (born March 10, 1415 - death March 27, 1462) Son of Vasily 1 Dmitrievich. Grand Duke of Moscow. Under Vasily 2, a long internecine war was waged. A coalition of appanage princes under the leadership of his uncle, the Galician prince Yuri Dmitrievich and his sons Vasily Kosoy and Dmitry Shemyaka, opposed him. At the same time, there was a struggle with Kazan and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Grand Duke's throne passed several times to the Galician princes (1433–1434), who enjoyed the support of Novgorod and Tver.

Vasily was blinded in 1446 by Dmitry Shemyaka (hence the "Dark"), but ultimately won in the early 50s. XV century victory.

Vasily the Dark was able to eliminate almost all the small fiefs within the Moscow principality, strengthening the grand-ducal power. As a result of the campaigns of 1441–1460. The dependence on Moscow of the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod principality, Novgorod the Great, Pskov, and Vyatka increased significantly.

By order of Vasily 2, the Russian Bishop Jonah was elected metropolitan (1448), which marked the proclamation of the independence of the Russian Church from the Patriarch of Constantinople and contributed to the strengthening of the international position of Rus'.

Biography of Vasily 2 the Dark

Origin. Inheritance

1425, February 27 - the Grand Duke of Vladimir and Moscow Vasily 1 Dmitrievich died, leaving his inheritance, “conceptions” and the Grand Duchy to his only son Vasily, who at that time was not yet 10 years old. The beginning of Vasily's reign was marked by a plague epidemic and severe drought in 1430 - 1448. The position of the young Grand Duke on the throne was precarious. He had uncles, appanage princes Yuri, Andrey, Peter and Konstantin Dmitrievich. The eldest of them, Yuri Dmitrievich, himself laid claim to the great reign. Prince Yuri believed that the order of succession could not be established by Vasily 1, because it was determined by the spirituality of their father, Dmitry Donskoy. Yuri Dmitrievich believed that, in accordance with this will, after the death of Vasily, it was he, Prince Yuri, who should have inherited the grand-ducal throne, as the eldest of the family.

Power struggle

In the struggle for power, Yuri Dmitrievich relied, on the one hand, on the support of his brother-in-law, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Svidrigail Olgerdovich, and on the other, on the intercession of his friend, the influential Horde Murza Tegini, before the khan. However, the Moscow boyars, led by the talented diplomat Ivan Dmitrievich Vsevolozhsky, were well versed in the current balance of power. Ivan Dmitrievich was able to turn the majority of the Horde Murzas against Tegini, which means he made them supporters of his prince.

Court in Orda

When, at the khan’s trial, Yuri Dmitrievich began to substantiate his claims to the great reign by referring to ancient family law, the Moscow diplomat with one phrase was able to achieve the khan’s decision in his favor, saying: “Prince Yuri is looking for a great reign according to the will of his father, and Prince Vasily - by your grace."

The Khan, very pleased with this manifestation of submission on the part of the Muscovites, ordered the label to be issued to Vasily and even ordered Yuri Dmitrievich, as a sign of submission to the Khan’s will, to lead by the bridle the horse with the Grand Duke sitting on it.

The beginning of civil strife

This episode was the reason for the continuation of the war. 1433 - during the wedding of Vasily Vasilyevich, his mother, Sofya Vitovtovna, tore off a precious gold belt from another Vasily - the son of Yuri Dmitrievich. A little earlier, one of the old boyars told Sophia that this belt once belonged to Dmitry Donskoy, and then it was stolen and ended up in the family of Yuri Dmitrievich. The scandal, needless to say, was louder: the prince appeared at the wedding feast wearing a stolen item! Of course, Vasily Yuryevich and his brother Dmitry Shemyaka immediately left Moscow. Their father, Yuri Dmitrievich, took advantage of this opportunity and moved an army against his nephew.

In the battle on Klyazma, the Grand Duke's smaller army was defeated by Yuri Dmitrievich, and Vasily himself was captured and sent by Yuri to Kolomna. On Holy Week in 1434, Yuri Dmitrievich entered Moscow, but turned out to be an unwelcome guest there. The next year, Yuri again defeated the army of the Grand Duke and once again entered Moscow, which he had previously been forced to leave due to the hostility of the boyars and nobles. The mother and wife of a Moscow prince who fled to Nizhny Novgorod were captured. Unexpectedly, Yuri died.

Sofya Vitovtovna at the wedding of Grand Duke Vasily 2

Historical portrait of Vasily the Dark

For the most part, historians consider Vasily 2 the Dark to be a completely ordinary person, not distinguished by any talents. The scale of this personality seems incommensurate with the “sea of ​​troubles” that she had to overcome. The tragedy of Vasily’s fate is noted by all researchers. Although, in fairness, it should be noted that the Grand Duke endured a lot of suffering through his own fault. And yet, the victory over numerous rivals - talented and cunning - is difficult to explain only by the reasonableness and experience of advisers and the well-functioning state system. We must pay tribute to the tenacity of Vasily the Dark, his ability to start the fight again after defeat and his ability, in modern language, to “select personnel.” In the many years of war that Vasily had to wage with his enemies, the opposing sides did not hesitate in choosing their means, acting with cunning and force. It is hardly appropriate to whitewash both Vasily and his opponents.

Civil strife continues

Vasily 2 returned to Moscow, made peace with the sons of the deceased: Vasily, Dmitry Shemyaka and Dmitry Krasny. But the first of them broke his oath by attacking Moscow, but was captured and blinded (which is why he received the nickname Scythe). Shemyaka was detained in Moscow, where he came to invite Grand Duke Vasily 2 to his wedding. Later, the Trinity Abbot Zinovy ​​was able to try them on.

In the meantime, an attempt was made to unite the Catholic and Orthodox churches. 1441, March - Metropolitan Isidore returned to Moscow from the Florence Church Council, where an act was adopted on the unification of Christian churches under the leadership of the Pope. Secular authorities and the clergy made an attempt to persuade him to renounce the union, but, seeing how stubborn the Metropolitan was, they imprisoned him in the Chudov Monastery, from where he fled to Tver, and then to Rome.

Captured by the Tatars. Blindness

1445 - Vasily 2 was captured by the Tatar princes Mahmutek and Yakub. Shemyaka asked the Tatars not to let the Grand Duke go, but he was able to free himself by promising a huge ransom. In addition to money, he had to give several areas of his principality “for feeding” to the princes. But the “towns and volosts” distributed for feeding belonged to Moscow only formally. Prince Vasily managed to put the Kazan people who came with him not only into the wilderness, but also onto disputed lands.

1446 - Dmitry captured Moscow and captured both grand duchesses. Vasily himself was captured in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery and blinded in Moscow, hence the nickname Dark.

Date of Dmitry Shemyaka and Vasily Dark

After being blinded

He received Vologda as an inheritance, but soon began to fight again in alliance with the Tver prince Boris Alexandrovich, whose daughter, Maria, his son Ivan was married to. 1446, December - Vasily the Dark was able to return the capital and the throne, but the war continued. 1450 - Dmitry Shemyaka arrived in Novgorod, where on July 18, 1453 he was blinded by the agents of Vasily 2. If earlier princes had captured, dethroned and maimed their relatives, now the Grand Duke decided to kill his cousin, unless, of course, the information about the poisoning is correct.

1456 - the Moscow army defeated the Novgorodians. The Novgorod Republic was forced to renounce independence in foreign policy affairs. When in January 1460 the Grand Duke and his sons Yuri and Andrey arrived in Novgorod to venerate local shrines, the issue of killing the guests was discussed at the veche, and only Archbishop Jonah managed to dissuade the townspeople from this idea.

Death

Vasily 2 Dark suffered from dry illness (tuberculosis). He was treated in the usual way at that time: lighting tinder on different parts of the body several times. This, of course, did not help, and gangrene developed in the areas of many burns. On March 27, Vasily II the Dark died, bequeathing to his eldest son and co-ruler Ivan the Grand Duchy of Vladimir and the most extensive inheritance. Prince Ivan, the future, nicknamed the Great, received at his disposal an effective corporation, which was completely devoid of internal competition. Very soon it will become the largest state in Europe.

Results of the board

Centralization of grand ducal power
Subordination of small appanage principalities to the Moscow Principality
Increasing Moscow's influence on Suzdal, Pskov, Novgorod
Preservation of religious independence

Vasily II Vasilievich Dark
Years of life: 1415-1462
Reign: 1432-1446, 1447-1462

From the Rurik dynasty. From the family of Moscow Grand Dukes. Son of Grand Duke Vasily I Dmitrievich and Princess of Lithuania . Grandson .

Vasily Dark became a Moscow prince at the age of 9, after the death of his father Vasily I Dmitrievich in 1425. The real power was with the widow princess Sofia Vitovtovna, boyar I.D. Vsevolozhsk and Metropolitan Photius. However, Vasily’s uncles, Yuri, Andrey, Peter and Konstantin Dmitrievich, applied for the leadership. At the same time, Yuri Zvenigorodsky, according to the will of his father Dmitry Donskoy, was to receive a great reign after the death of his brother, Vasily I Dmitrievich.

Both sides began preparing for an internecine war, but agreed on a temporary truce and in 1428 entered into an agreement according to which the 54-year-old uncle Yuri Zvenigorodsky recognized himself as the “younger brother” of the 13-year-old nephew Vasily Vasilyevich. Sofya Vitovtovna took advantage of the influence of her father Vitovt, after which it was difficult for Yuri to persist in his desire to take the throne.

Prince Vasily the Dark

The beginning of the reign of Vasily Vasilyevich was marked by a plague epidemic and a terrible drought in 1430, 1442 and 1448. The reign of Vasily II Vasilyevich all his life took place in conditions of a long internecine struggle for power with the Prince of Zvenigorod Yuri Dmitrievich, and then with his son.

In 1430, Yuri dissolved the peace, taking advantage of the death of the actual head of Metropolitan Photius, as well as Vasily Vasilyevich’s grandfather, Vitovt. Yuri Dmitrievich went to the Horde to sue Vasily. Vasily Vasilyevich also hastily went to the horde with his boyars.

In the spring of 1432, the rivals appeared before the Tatar princes. Yuri Yuryevich defended his rights according to the right of ancient tribal custom, referring to the chronicles and the will of his father Donskoy. From Vasily’s side, Ivan Dmitrievich Vsevolozhsky spoke about rights; with skillful flattery he was able to persuade the khan to give a label to Vasily.

Vsevolozhsky hoped that the Grand Duke would marry his daughter. But upon arrival in Moscow, things took a different turn. Sofia Vitovna, the mother of Vasily Vasilyevich, insisted that her son become engaged to Princess Marya Yaroslavna, considering this marriage more profitable from different points of view. Vsevolzhsky harbored a grudge and left Moscow, and soon went over to Yuri’s side and became his adviser.

Vasily the Dark years of reign

After Vasily received the label, the struggle for power did not stop. In 1433, a battle took place between uncle and nephew on the banks of the river. Klyazma near Moscow, and Yuri won.

Yuri expelled Vasily from Moscow in 1433. Vasily II received the title of Prince of Kolomna. The city of Kolomna became the center of united forces that sympathized with the prince in his policy of “gathering Rus'.” Many Muscovites refused to serve Prince Yuri and came to Kolomna, which for some time became an administrative, economic and political state. Having received support, Vasily Vasilyevich was able to regain the throne in 1434 after the death of Yuri, but during the war he was deprived of it several more times.

In 1436, Yuri's son Vasily Kosoy spoke out against Vasily II Vasilyevich the Dark, but was defeated, captured and blinded.

Basil II's refusal in 1439 to accept the Florentine union with the Roman Catholic Church was of great importance for the preservation of his own culture and statehood.

On July 7, 1445, in a battle near the outskirts of Suzdal, Vasily II Vasilyevich with the united Russian troops was defeated by Kazan troops under the command of the Kazan princes Mahmud and Yakub (sons of Khan Ulu-Muhammad). After which Vasily II and his cousin Mikhail Vereisky were taken prisoner, but on October 1, 1445 they were released. A large sum was given for them, and a number of cities were given to the Kazan princes. Under the terms of this enslaving agreement, the Kasimov Khanate was created within Russia, in Meshchera, the 1st khan of which was Tsarevich Kasim, the son of Ulu-Muhammad.

Why Vasily the Dark

In 1446 Vasily II was captured in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and on February 16 at night on behalf of Dmitry Yuryevich Shemyaka, Ivan Mozhaisky and Boris Tverskoy and was blinded, after which he received the nickname “Dark”. Then, Vasily Vasilyevich and his wife were sent to Uglich, and his mother Sofya Vitovtovna was exiled to Chukhloma.

But Vasily II continued the war anyway. In 1447, Vasily received Martinian's blessing for a campaign against Dmitry Shemyaka, who had captured Moscow, by visiting the Ferapontov Monastery. With great difficulty, Vasily the Dark regained the Moscow throne, winning in the early 50s. XV century victory.

By order of Vasily II, in 1448, the Russian bishop Jonah was elected metropolitan, which became a sign of the declaration of independence of the Russian church from the Patriarch of Constantinople and strengthened the international position of Rus'.

After the death of Shemyaka in 1453, thanks to successful campaigns against Novgorod, Pskov and Vyatka, Vasily was able to restore the unity of the lands around Moscow, eliminating almost all the small fiefs within the Moscow principality.

Vasily II Vasilyevich the Dark died of a dry disease - tuberculosis in 1462 on March 27. Before his death, he wanted to become a monk, but the boyars dissuaded him. He was buried in Moscow in the Archangel Cathedral.

During the reign of Vasily the Dark, the city of Kazan was restored, the Kingdom of Kazan was founded and the Crimean Khanate arose.

The only wife of Vasily II since 1433 was Maria Yaroslavna, the daughter of the appanage prince Yaroslav Borovsky.

Vasily and Maria had 8 children:

• Yuri the Great (1437 – 1441)
• Ivan III (January 22, 1440 - October 27, 1505) - Grand Duke of Moscow from 1462 to 1505.
• Yuri Molodoy (1441 - 1472) - Prince of Dmitrov, Mozhaisk, Serpukhov.
• Andrei Bolshoi (1444-1494) - Prince of Uglitsky, Zvenigorod, Mozhaisk.
• Simeon (1447-1449).
• Boris (1449-1494) - Prince of Volotsk and Ruza.
• Anna (1451-1501).
• Andrei Menshoi (1452-1481) - Prince of Vologda.

Vasily II 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,

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 of the Grand Duke died in childhood or youth from a disease that was common at that time, 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 appanage custom, Kievan Rus had already perished and the Vladimir-Suzdal land had 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 principalities (Polotsk, Galicia, Volyn, Kiev) to their possessions. 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 his 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 due 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 grants that gave the Rurikovichs 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 for a new opportunity to strike. 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.

Having learned about the approach of the enemy army, he 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 near Yaroslavl, and then again in 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, the united Golden Horde was 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, his 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

At a young age, Prince Vasily II the Dark was not distinguished by 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 the 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.