Vasili III of Russia

Vasili III Ivanovich (Russian: Василий III Иванович, also Basil; 25 March 1479 – 3 December 1533, Moscow) was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1505 to 1533. He was the son of Ivan III Vasiliyevich and Sophia Paleologue and was christened with the name Gavriil (Гавриил). He had three brothers: Yuri, born in 1480, Simeon, born in 1487 and Andrei, born in 1490, as well as five sisters: Elena (born and died in 1474), Feodosiya (born and died in 1475), another Elena (born 1476), another Feodosiya (born 1485) and Eudoxia (born 1492).^[1]

Foreign affairs

Map of Russia (Moscovia) published by Sigismund von Herberstein in 1549

Vasili III continued the policies of his father Ivan III and spent most of his reign consolidating Ivan's gains. Vasili annexed the last surviving autonomous provinces: Pskov in 1510, appanage of Volokolamsk in 1513, principalities of Ryazan in 1521 and Novgorod-Seversky in 1522.

Vasili also took advantage of the difficult position of Sigismund of Poland to capture Smolensk, the great eastern fortress of Lithuania (siege started 1512, ended in 1514), chiefly through the aid of the rebel Lithuanian, Prince Mikhail Glinski, who provided him with artillery and engineers. The loss of Smolensk was an important injury inflicted by Russia on Lithuania in the course of the Russo-Lithuanian Wars and only the exigencies of Sigismund compelled him to acquiesce in its surrender (1522).

In 1521 Vasili received an emissary of the neighboring Iranian Safavid Empire, sent by Shah Ismail I whose ambitions were to construct an Irano-Russian alliance against the common enemy, the Ottoman Empire.^[2]

Vasili was equally successful against the Crimean Khanate. Although in 1519 he was obliged to buy off the Crimean khan, Mehmed I Giray, under the very walls of Moscow, towards the end of his reign he established Russian influence on the Volga. In 1531–32 he placed the pretender Cangali khan on the throne of Khanate of Kazan.

Domestic affairs

Father Vasili

St. Basil of Caesarea and prince Vasili III of Russia. Icon

Regarding internal policy, Vasili III enjoyed the support of the Church in his struggle with the feudal opposition. In 1521, metropolitan Varlaam was banished for refusing to participate in Vasili's fight against an appanage prince, Vasili Ivanovich Shemyachich. Rurikid princes Vasili Shuisky and Ivan Vorotynsky were also sent into exile. The diplomat and statesman, Ivan Bersen-Beklemishev, was executed in 1525 for criticizing Vasili's policies. Maximus the Greek (publicist), Vassian Patrikeyev (statesman) and others were sentenced for the same reason in 1525 and 1531. During the reign of Vasili III, the landownership of the gentry increased, while authorities actively tried to limit immunities and privileges of boyars and the nobility.

Family life

The Church of Ascension was built by Basil III to commemorate the birth of his heir.

By 1526 when he was 47 years old, Vasili had been married to Solomonia Saburova for over 20 years with no heir to his throne being produced. Conscious of her husband's disappointment, Solomonia tried to remedy this by consulting sorcerers and going on pilgrimages. When this proved unsuccessful, Vasili consulted the boyars, announcing that he did not trust his two brothers to handle Russia's affairs. The boyars suggested that he take a new wife, and despite much opposition from the clergy, he divorced his barren wife and married Princess Elena Glinskaya, the daughter of a Serbian princess and niece of his friend Michael Glinski. Not many of the boyars approved of his choice, as Elena was of Catholic upringing. Vasili was so smitten that he defied Russian social norms and trimmed his beard to appear younger. After three days of matrimonial festivity, the couple consummated their marriage, though initially it appeared that Elena was as sterile as Solomonia. The Russian populace began to suspect this was a sign of God's disapproval of the marriage. However, to the great joy of Vasili and the populace, the new tsaritsa gave birth to a son, who would succeed him as Ivan IV. Three years later, a second son, Yuri, was born.^[1] According to a story, Solomonia Saburova also bore a son in the convent where she had been confined, just several months after the controversial divorce.

Death

Whilst out hunting on horseback near Volokolamsk, Vasili felt a great pain in his right hip, the result of an abscess. He was transported to the village of Kolp, where he was visited by two German doctors who were unable to stop the infection with conventional remedies. Believing that his time was short, Vasili requested to be returned to Moscow, where he was kept in the Saint Joseph Cathedral along the way. By 25 November 1533, Vasili reached Moscow and asked to be made a monk before dying. Taking on the name Varlaam, Vasili died at midnight, 4 December 1533.^[1]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Vasili III of Russia

16. Dmitriy Ivanovich Donskoy

8. Vasiliy I Dmitriyevich of Moscow

17. Eudoxia Dmitriyevna of Suzdal

4. Vasily II Vasiliyevich of Moscow

18. Vytautas, Grand Duke of Lithuania

9. Sophia of Lithuania

19. Anna of Smolensk

2. Ivan III Vasilevich of Moscow

20. Vladimir Andrejevich, Prince of Serpukhov and Borovsk

10. Yaroslav Vladimirovich, Prince of Serpukhov, Borovsk and Maloyaroslavets

21. Elena of Lithuania

5. Maria Yaroslavna of Borovsk

22. Feodor Feodorovich "Goltiay" Koshkin

11. Maria Feodorovna Goltiayeva Koshkina

1. Vasili III of Russia

24. John V Palaiologos

12. Manuel II Palaiologos

25. Helena Kantakouzene

6. Thomas Palaiologos

26. Constantine Dragaš

13. Helena Dragaš

3. Zoe Palaiologina

28. Andronikos Asen Zaccaria

14. Centurione II Zaccaria

29. Daughter of Erard III Le Maure, Baron of Arcadia

7. Catherine Zaccaria

30. Leonardo II Tocco

15. Creusa Tocco

References

Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). "Basil (Muscovy)". In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

1 2 3 Troyat, Henri (1993). Ivan le terrible (in French). ISBN 2-08-064473-4.
↑ "Relations between Tehran and Moscwo, 1979–2014". Retrieved 22 December 2014.

Regnal titles
Preceded by Ivan III	Grand Prince of Moscow 1505–1533	Succeeded by Ivan IV

Sovereigns of the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality, Grand Principality of Moscow, Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire

Grand Princes	Yuri Dolgorukiy Andrei I Bogolyubsky Mikhail of Vladimir Vsevolod the Big Nest Yuri II of Vladimir Konstantin of Rostov Yuri II of Vladimir Yaroslav II of Vladimir Sviatoslav III of Vladimir Andrey II of Vladimir Alexander Nevsky Yaroslav of Tver Vasily of Kostroma Dmitry of Pereslavl Andrey of Gorodets Mikhail of Tver Yuri of Moscow Dmitry the Terrible Eyes Alexander of Tver Ivan I Simeon the Proud Ivan II Dmitry of Suzdal Dmitry Donskoy Vasily I Vasily II Ivan III the Great Vasily III Ivan IV

Tsars	Ivan IV the Terrible Feodor I Boris Godunov Feodor II Dmitriy I (also as Emperor) Vasili IV Vladislav I Michael I Alexis Feodor III Peter I and Ivan V (co-rulers)

Emperors and Empresses	Peter I the Great Catherine I Peter II Anna Ivan VI Elizabeth Peter III Catherine II the Great Paul Alexander I Nicholas I Alexander II Alexander III Nicholas II

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 121961806 LCCN: n2005016814 GND: 118764411 BNF: cb15052610b (data)

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