Vasily II (Russia)

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Wassili II. Wassiljewitsch the Blind, Grand Duke of Moscow

Vasily II. Vasilyevich the Blind ( Russian Васи́лий II Васи́льевич Тёмный ; * March 10, 1415 in Moscow ; † March 27, 1462 ibid) was since 1425 the Russian Grand Duke of Moscow (Russian вели́кий князiki) knjasкоowski князь москоowski.

Life

Vasily II was the youngest and only surviving son of his predecessor Vasily I Dmitrievich . His mother was Sofija Vytautaitė (1371-1453). He first of two cousins, Vasily had to the cross-eyed (russ Василий Юрьевич Косой -. Vasily Yuryevich Kossoi) (russ. Дмитрий Юрьевич Шемяка) and Dmitry Yuryevich Shemyaka, help thinking that about her father Yuri of Zvenigorod (Prince of Galich -Merski) the The situation of the only 10-year-old Grand Duke, who found support from his maternal grandfather Vytautas the Great, for their own claims to the throne. In 1430, after Vytautas' death, Juri obtained permission from the Golden Horde under Khan Ulug Mehmed to take Moscow. The Khan did not support him for political reasons, but Yuri managed to take Moscow with an army in 1433 through the betrayal of the boyar Ivan Vsevolschski (Russian Ива́н (Иоа́нн) Дми́триевич Всево́лжский) to Vasili and to put the grand prince captive. Yuri accepted the title of Grand Duke, forgave his nephew Vasily II and gave him the city of Kolomna , which the latter used to take action against his uncle in return. Yuri left Moscow renouncing the throne because of the uncertain situation of Moscow rule and moved to his native Lithuania . The traitor Vsevolschski was blinded on Vasili's orders . Months later, Juri's sons (Vasily and Dmitri) expelled Vasily II from Moscow, who went to the Golden Horde. Yuri died in 1434, and Vasily the Cross-eyed occupied the Kremlin and was proclaimed Grand Duke. His brother Dmitri Shemjaka had plans of his own and conspired with the rightful Vasily II against his own brother, whom they were able to drive from the Kremlin in 1435. He was captured and blinded, ruining his throne interests.

Vasily II ruled unchallenged until 1439 and now, after the collapse of the Golden Horde, had to deal with the attacks of the successor khanates of the Tatars ( Khanate Kazan , Khanate of Crimea and Khanate Astrakhan ). In 1439 he left his capital while fleeing from the siege by Khan Ulug Mehmed of the Kazan Khanate . In 1445, after a heavy defeat against the Khan, Vasily II was his prisoner and only ransomed by his Russian subjects in the same year with a large ransom. Dmitri Shemjaka was now the master of Moscow and saw his opportunity to remain Grand Duke. In revenge for the blinding of Vsevolschsky by Vasily, he also had his eyesight taken away in 1446 and banished him to Uglich . Since then, Vasily II had the nickname "the blind " (Russian Тёмный - Tjomny), precisely the "dark-sighted". Nevertheless, he had many strong friends who supported him at all times, which Vasily II took advantage of when Dmitri called him from Uglich to Vologda and gave him the city for appanage . From this new position the “blind man” and his loyal followers recaptured their rightful throne. Vasily II managed to defeat his cousin Dmitri around 1453, who fled to Novgorod , where he was poisoned by Moscow agents with a fish dish. His children fled to Lithuania. Wassili II. Rewarded to the messengers of death message regal by tradition and ge knights have.

In his 37-year rule, which was marked by devastating battles within his relatives and with the Tatars and cost him his eyesight, he strengthened the power of the Grand Duchy of Moscow by eliminating the existing small principalities and created the power of the Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1448 through the election of Jonas (Russian Иона; * (?) in Soligalich , † March 23, 1461 in Moscow) for the first Moscow Metropolitan one of the patriarchs of Constantinople Opel independent, independent russian Orthodox Church , which was in 1451 recognized by Konstantin Opel.

Vasily II was married to Maria von Borowsk , who gave birth to his successor Ivan Vasilyevich, who was named Ivan III. was co-regent in the last five years of his father's rule and ascended the throne after him in 1462.

swell

  1. Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamsin: Marfa, the governor or the submission of Novgorod

literature

  • Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamsin : Marfa, the governor or the submission of Novgorod . (Russian Марфа Посадница, или Покорение Новагорода), 1803
  • Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamsin: History of the Russian State . (Russian История государства Российского), 1818
predecessor Office successor
Vasily I. Grand Duke of Moscow
1425–1462
Ivan III