The unification of Russia was slowed down by the conflict that arose within the Moscow grand-ducal family. The dynastic war, which dragged on for a quarter of a century, was caused by a number of reasons (Scheme 53). In the feudal law of that time, there were two principles of inheritance of princely power: direct (from father to son) and indirect (by seniority in the clan). The difference between these principles often served as the basis for dynastic conflicts. AT Ancient Russia both principles could operate, in the future Muscovy - only direct inheritance. The text of Dmitry Donskoy's will was also contradictory. It could be interpreted from various hereditary positions. The rivalry between the descendants of Prince Dmitry Donskoy began in 1425 after the death of Vasily I (Scheme 54).
There were two pretenders to the throne: the young son of the deceased prince Vasily II and the younger brother of Vasily I Yuri, who reigned in Zvenigorod and Galich. Yuri Zvenigorodsky determined his claims to Moscow by the fact that his nephew took the throne without the khan's label. The receipt of a label by Vasily Vasilyevich in 1431 did not clarify the situation. Two years later, at the wedding of the Moscow prince, loud scandal: his cousin and namesake Vasily Yurievich put on a golden belt - a symbol of grand ducal power. This incident led to the outbreak of armed conflicts.
Scheme 53
Twice (in 1433 and 1434) the troops of Yuri Dmitrievich captured Moscow. For the first time, Yuri was forced to leave the city due to a conflict with the Moscow boyars. For the second time, he was prevented from enjoying the fruits of victory by death. After that, the sons of Yuri Vasily Kosoy and Dmitry Shemyaka entered the struggle for power. The first of the brothers proclaimed himself the Grand Duke. Both Shemyaka and Dmitry Krasny did not support their brother and took the side of their cousin. In 1436, Vasily Yurievich was arrested, brought to Moscow and blinded. The throne again passed to Vasily Vasilyevich.
Scheme 54
Nine years later, the Tatar Khan Ullug-Mukhammed raided Russia. The Moscow army was defeated, and he Grand Duke was taken prisoner. Taking advantage of his absence, Dmitry Shemyaka seized power. Having promised the khan a huge ransom, Vasily was released from the Horde captivity and returned to Moscow with a label for a great reign. Together with him, a detachment of Tatars arrived in the city to receive a ransom.
Taking advantage of the dissatisfaction of the townspeople with Dmitry, Vasily again established himself on the Moscow throne. But their confrontation continued. In 1446, Vasily 11 was blinded and exiled by Dmitry to Vologda. After that, Vasily received the nickname Dark, which meant blind. The blinding of a close relative (this barbaric means of reprisal was not used for the first time in princely strife) undermined the authority of Dmitry Yuryevich in society.
A year later, Vasily regained his reign, and Dmitry Shemyaka was forced to flee from Moscow. In 1450, his troops were defeated near Galich. The unsuccessful pretender to the great reign died in Novgorod in 1453. The dynastic war ended in victory for the direct descendants of Dmitry Donskoy. After that, the unification of individual principalities into single state became inevitable.
Completion of the unification of Russian lands. Liberation of Russia from Horde dependence
By the middle of the XV century. after the end of the dynastic war, there were already all the prerequisites for the unification of Russian lands into a single state (Scheme 55). These conditions can be divided into three large groups: socio-economic, political and spiritual. Socio-economic factors reduced to the development of feudal landownership. Once the emergence of large boyar estates served as one of the main reasons for the collapse of the early feudal Kievan Rus. By the 15th century the situation has changed radically. The representatives of the boyars that had been formed and strengthened by that time became profitable to acquire land outside their principality. To the number political background can be attributed to the strengthening of the Russian lands of power and leadership of the Moscow princes. This trend is clearly demonstrated by the dynastic war of the second third of the 15th century. It was not the rulers of individual lands who fought for the political leadership of their principality, but the closest descendants of Dmitry Donskoy for the possession of the Moscow throne. An important role was played by the factor of struggle with an external adversary. Liberation from the centuries-old domination of the Horde required a strong centralized authority. Finally, among spiritual background should include the presence in all Russian lands of a common religion - Orthodoxy and awareness of the unity of Russia in culturally. All these indicated reasons led to the formation of a single Muscovite state.
Scheme 55
The leading role in the political unification of Russia was played by the son of Vasily the Dark Ivan III Vasilyevich (1462–1505) (Scheme 56). Its final stage includes the annexation of Rostov, Yaroslavl, Tver and some other principalities, as well as the Novgorod Republic. The subjugation of these territories took place in different ways. Yaroslavl and Rostov princes swore allegiance to Ivan III voluntarily. He inherited the cities of Dmitrov, Vologda and Uglich. The most difficult task was the elimination of the independence of Veliky Novgorod. His boyars, led by the posadnik Marfa Boretskaya, fearing to lose their privileges, put up stubborn resistance. The boyars entered into an agreement with the Lithuanian prince, agreeing to transfer Novgorod to vassalage from Lithuania. Accusing the Novgorodians of apostasy from Orthodoxy, Ivan III organized a campaign against them in 1471. The Novgorod army was defeated by the Moscow prince on the river. Sheloni. In 1478 the Novgorod Republic finally capitulated. Marfa Boretskaya was arrested, the boyars were resettled in the center of the country, and veche bell taken to Moscow. The principality of Tver was also annexed by military means.
Growth political influence The Grand Duke was promoted by his marriage to the niece of the last Byzantine emperor, Sophia Palaiologos. By that time, Byzantium, conquered by the Turks, had already ceased to exist. Marriage to Sophia raised the status of Ivan III as the sovereign of all Russia.
An important achievement foreign policy Ivan III was the elimination of the Horde yoke. By this time Golden Horde weakened and almost collapsed. Kazan, Crimean and Astrakhan khanates stood out from its composition. In 1476, the Moscow prince refused to obey the Khan of the Horde. Preparing for the inevitable clash with the Horde, Ivan III made an alliance with Crimean Khan Mengli Giray. In the summer of 1480, the Khan of the Horde Akhmat set out on a campaign against Russia. Akhmat's ally was the Lithuanian prince Casimir. The Horde army met with the main Russian forces on the river. Ugra (tributary of the Oka). Internal strife in the Principality of Lithuania prevented Casimir from coming to the rescue of Akhmat. In addition, the ally of Ivan III, Khan Mengli-Girey, attacked the possessions of Casimir. The attempts of the Horde to force the Morning ended in failure, the khan's troops were driven back. Because of the snow that fell in early November, the Tatar horses were threatened with complete starvation. Not daring to give a big battle, Akhmat withdrew his troops. Thus, Russia was delivered from the Mongol-Tatar rule that lasted 240 years. Since the foreign yoke was removed without major battle or a military campaign, the events of the autumn of 1480 went down in history as "standing on the Ugra". Departing from the borders of Russia, Akhmat promised to return with an army the next year. His plans were not destined to come true, since soon the khan was killed by the ruler of another Tatar state. At the very beginning of the XVI century. The Golden Horde finally ceased to exist. Its last remnants were defeated by Mengli Giray.
Scheme 56
Relations between Muscovite Russia and Lithuanian principality. A series of minor military clashes on the border led to the conclusion of an agreement in 1494, according to which the Moscow prince received a number of possessions along the upper reaches of the Oka. According to the same treaty, Ivan III was recognized as the title "sovereign of all Russia." Lithuanian prince Alexander married the daughter of Ivan III Elena. However, in 1500-1503. between Moscow and Lithuania again there was a military conflict. Ivan III managed to win back a number of Western Russian lands. A truce took place, as a result of which all the conquered territories were recognized as the Muscovite state.
An important milestone in the formation of statehood was the adoption in 1497 of a set of all-Russian laws - the Sudebnik of Ivan III, which is often called the Grand Duke. The Code of Laws contains articles on the central and local courts, as well as articles defining the basic norms of criminal and civil law. The code of law consolidated the foundations of the central boyar and local legal proceedings and determined the range of issues to be considered by the court of the Grand Duke. The code of laws clearly shows the desire for the centralization of the court, which in this period corresponded to the interests of further strengthening the feudal state. The articles established the functions of the boyar court, provided for control over its activities through the participation of clerks.
The ruling feudal class of the Moscow kingdom was formed from the descendants of the specific princes, their boyars, representatives of the old Moscow boyars, and service people. There were two forms of feudal ownership of land (Scheme 57). The patrimonial hereditary form constituted the economic base of the upper layer of the feudal aristocracy - the boyars. Another form of ownership was called local. Such land ownership provided for the receipt of land not by inheritance from ancestors, but from the Grand Duke for service. The feudal lords granted land in this way were called nobles.
Scheme 57
Large landowners since the XIV century. become Orthodox monasteries. The question of the expediency of church land ownership and its compatibility with Christian morality caused at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. many ideological disputes. The right of the church to be a land owner was defended by hegumen of the Volokolamsk monastery Joseph Volotsky. The followers of his views were called Josephites, or money-grubbers, while their ideological opponents were called non-possessors. This direction was headed by the founder of the Trans-Volga Sorsky monastery Nil Sorsky. He urged the monks to refrain from acquiring wealth, to live in poverty and care, first of all, about spiritual improvement.
In the XV century. the number of dependent peasantry increases (Scheme 58). Peasants who fell into dependence on the feudal lord and were obliged to give half of their crops were called ladles, and those deprived of arable land and unable to pay taxes were called beans. Dependent people there were also bonded serfs working off their debt from the master. And yet, the majority of Russian peasants at that time were not yet in complete serfdom. Once a year, a peasant could leave his feudal lord and move on to another. The Sudebnik of 1497 set the deadline for the peasant transition: a week before and a week after St. George's Day (November 26).
However, during the XV-XVI centuries. serfdom steadily increased. The peasants, who did not want to put up with feudal oppression, fled to the southern and eastern outskirts of the country. This is how the free Cossacks began to form - an estate that was to play an important role in the history of Russia. A significant part of the population was made up of "black", or black-skinned, peasants, united in the so-called "black" volosts. These peasants did not have a feudal lord over them and were exploited directly by the state. The nature of land ownership in such volosts causes historical science a lot of controversy. Some researchers believe that "black" volosts are the property of peasant communities, while others see them as an element of state feudalism.
Scheme 58
significant role in the social and economic life countries played urban population(see diagram 58). By the beginning of the 16th century, according to the famous historian A.A. Zimin, there were already at least 140 cities, the largest of which was Moscow. The population of the Russian capital was several tens of thousands of people. City dwellers were divided into draft and non-draught people. Non-draught people are a privileged stratum of the population, exempt from state taxes and taxes. It included representatives of the administration and large landowners. In turn, the draft population was divided into two groups. Most artisans and merchants were considered residents of the "black" settlements and carried burdensome duties in favor of the state. In the best position were those who lived in the "white", i.e. privately owned, settlements. Belomestsy had a number of significant tax benefits.
By the beginning of the XVI century. In most European countries, a political system has developed, which is commonly called estate-representative monarchy. The monarch shared power with estate-representative assemblies. Such bodies were formed from representatives of the ruling and politically active estates, and primarily from the nobility and clergy. Close to the class-representative monarchy in the XV-XVI centuries. there was also the political system of the Muscovite state (Scheme 59). At the head of the country was the Grand Duke (from 1547 - the king). The monarch shared his powers with Boyar Duma, consisting of representatives of the highest aristocracy. There were two Duma ranks: boyar and roundabout. Later, the Duma began to be replenished with people of less noble origin: nobles and clerks (officials). The basis of the state apparatus was the palace and the treasury. The highest officials were treasurers and printers (custodians of the seal). The local government system was built on the principle of "feeding". Grand princely governors received the right to part of the court fees and taxes collected in the territories they ruled. "Feeding" led to numerous bribes and abuses of officials.
Scheme 59
Ivan III was succeeded by his son Vasily III Ivanovich(1505–1533) (scheme 60). Continuing the policy of his father, in 1510 he liquidated the independence of the Pskov Republic. During his reign, there was a war with Lithuania, as a result of which Smolensk was annexed to the Russian state in 1514. In 1521, the Ryazan Principality, which was actually subordinate to Moscow, became part of the state. Thus, the unification of the Russian lands was completed, the remnants of feudal fragmentation were a thing of the past. Only one large inheritance remained in the state, belonging to the younger branch of the grand-ducal family - the princes of Staritsky.
From Russia to Muscovy
Internecine wars of the second quarter of the 15th century
Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy
One of the most dramatic events in the history of medieval Russia is the war between representatives of the Moscow princely house, which lasted from 1425 to 1453. The reason for the war is the division of large principalities into smaller (specific). The system of appanages in the Moscow principality arose in the first half of the 14th century as a special, then most convenient form of governing the lands under the rule of the descendants of the first Moscow prince Daniel Alexandrovich (1276-1303).
According to the will of the Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy, several destinies were created. The eldest son, Vasily I, occupied the grand prince's throne. The second, Yuri, received Zvenigorod near Moscow and Galich in Kostroma land; the third son, Andrei, became the master in Mozhaisk and Vereya; the fourth, Peter, inherited Dmitrov and Uglich.
During the reign of Vasily I, Yuri did not claim anything, but he hoped that after the death of his elder brother, the Moscow grand throne would pass to him, as stated in the will of Dmitry Donskoy. However, dying, Vasily I bequeathed the throne of Moscow to his ten-year-old son Vasily II. But the Zvenigorod prince did not resign himself to the collapse of his ambitious hopes. He moved to his Kostroma possessions and began to gather troops. And only thanks to the mediation of Metropolitan Photius, a temporary truce was concluded between the uncle and nephew. The matter was referred to the Horde. However, none of the parties was in a hurry to implement it.
Yuri Zvenigorodsky enters Moscow
Until 1431, Yuri sat out in his specific possessions. After the death of Metropolitan Photius (1431), who was on the side of Vasily II, Yuri moved to more decisive action. He broke the peace concluded in 1428 with Vasily II and demanded a khan's trial. In 1431-1432. both rivals went to the court of Khan Ulu-Mohammed. Khan decided the dispute in favor of Basil II. However, due to a quarrel that broke out during the wedding of Vasily II, the son of Yuri Zvenigorodsky, also Vasily, was publicly accused of stealing a golden belt from the prince's treasury. Yuri gathered a large army, suddenly approached Moscow and utterly defeated the Moscow army on the Klyazma River. Yuri's old dream came true - he occupied Moscow and declared himself the Grand Duke. Vasily II was given Kolomna as an inheritance. But many Moscow boyars and nobles, not wanting to obey Yuri, followed Vasily to Kolomna. Convinced that the Muscovites did not want to recognize him as their prince, Yuri soon gave Moscow to Vasily II, and he returned to Galich. But Vasily decided to achieve a complete victory over an old enemy. He sent an army that ravaged Galich. In response to this, the Zvenigorod prince at the beginning of 1434 again went to war against Moscow. Having defeated the Grand Duke's army, he occupied the city for the second time. But Yuri did not celebrate the victory for long, because. in Moscow, he soon died.
With the death of Yuri Zvenigorodsky, the first stage of the internecine war ended. If Yuri himself demanded "legality", the observance of the tradition, according to which a brother inherits his brother, then his sons - Vasily Kosoy, Dmitry Shemyaka and Dmitry Krasny - fought only for the sake of self-preservation. After the death of their father, the brothers could not maintain unity. Both Dmitrys allied with Vasily II and expelled their brother Vasily Kosoy from Moscow. Vasily II rewarded them with destinies for this. Shemyaka received Uglich and Rzhev, Krasny - Bezhetsky Top. Vasily Kosoy, having fled from Moscow, robbed northern cities and volosts.
Grand Duke Vasily the Dark (II) rejects the union Orthodox Church from Latin
When Dmitry Shemyaka came to Moscow to call the Grand Duke to his wedding with Princess Sophia, Vasily arrested him, as he suspected Shemyaka of having ties with Vasily Kosy. Following this, Vasily II defeated the army of Kosoy and, having taken him prisoner, ordered to blind him. After a five-year break, in 1441 a new "non-peace" began. The Grand Duke undertook a campaign against Galich in order to punish Shemyaka for not sending his troops to repulse Khan Ulu-Mohammed. But Shemyaka managed to leave for Novgorod. The clash ended in a draw. Khan Ulu-Mukhammed, expelled from the Crimea, settled in Kazan and in 1445 released his sons to Russia. The Grand Duke opposed them. Shemyaka retired from participation in the campaign. In a fierce battle near Suzdal, Russian troops were defeated, and Vasily II was taken prisoner.
However, Khan Ulu-Mohammed soon released Vasily II, as he decided that his ambassador had been killed by the Galichs. Liberation was dearly given to Vladimir. He promised to pay a huge ransom, for which a Tatar detachment arrived in Russia. Dmitry Shemyaka hastened to take advantage of the dissatisfaction of the people with requisitions. Speaking under the slogan of fighting for the faith, Shemyaka attracted Ivan Mozhaisky and Boris Tverskoy to his side. Some of the Moscow boyars and townspeople joined the conspiracy. In February 1446, Vasily II went with his children to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. Taking advantage of the moment, Shemyaka captured Moscow with a swift raid, and Ivan Mozhaisky arrested the Grand Duke in the monastery. Vasily II was blinded and imprisoned. The reign of Dmitry Shemyaka began.
But it soon became clear that Shemyaka was not able to strengthen the heavily shattered by strife and Tatar raids. public order. During his reign, bribery, arbitrariness and lawlessness flourished. Khan Ulu-Mohammed was dissatisfied with the change of power in Russia and therefore sent his troops to Uglich. The sons of Grand Duke Vasily II took refuge in Murom. But Shemyaka lured them to Moscow, promising immunity, and then sent them to prison in Uglich. Meanwhile, the supporters of Vasily II made an attempt to free him from captivity and severely battered Shemyaka's troops. Shemyaka released Vasily II from prison, made peace with him and gave him Vologda as his inheritance. Two months later, Vasily II teamed up with Boris of Tver. Gradually, a significant army gathered at Vasily II, and Dmitry Shemyaka and Ivan Mozhaisky were inactive, their adherents left the camp. Vasily captured Moscow, Shemyaka fled to Galich.
Started final stage war, in which the clear preponderance of Prince Vasily II was felt. In 1448, Vasily II moved to Galich. The world has been restored. The following year, Dmitry Shemyaka began hostilities, but his campaign against Kostroma was unsuccessful. In the winter of 1450, having gathered significant forces, Vasily II decided to finally deal with an old enemy. Near Galich, the Grand Duke's army defeated Dmitry Shemyaka. Galich was taken, and Shemyaka fled to Novgorod. In 1453 Dmitry was poisoned by his own cook, bribed by the people of Vasily II.
Date of Dmitry Shemyaka with Prince Vasily II the Dark
In general, this war is distinguished by not the most humane methods to achieve goals. Very often, power was seized at the moment when the opponent was unable to fight back. For this, the enemy was blinded, lured into traps, while guaranteeing immunity, etc. In addition, the war increased the period of the Horde yoke in Russia by at least half a century, since during the war Russia could not resist the Horde, and the state needed at least 20 years to recover and reunite after the war.
After the end of the war, in the second half of the 15th century, the Russian lands were in a state of political fragmentation. There were several large centers to which all other regions gravitated. Such independent centers were Moscow, Tver, Novgorod and Vilna - the Lithuanian capital. It should be emphasized that it was the most “broken” areas that stood out. Moscow during the feudal war passed from hand to hand several times. Lithuania and Novgorod fought with the crusaders. But before the feudal war there were many more such political centers.
Gabriel Tsobechia
In addition to external enemies, the strengthening of Russia was also threatened by an internal danger - enmity among the descendants of Ivan Kalita. Long time Moscow princes managed to maintain unity. However, the danger of rebellion was concealed in itself by the appanage system, in which each member of the ruling family, in principle, had the opportunity to claim supreme power. Possessing huge inheritances, the younger brothers of the ruler, united, could defeat him in a military confrontation. In addition, any rebel could count on the support of external enemies of Moscow, who were interested in weakening it. Thus, everything rested only on the authority of the Moscow prince, his ability to negotiate with his younger brothers. But one wrong decision was enough - and the fire of enmity broke out.
The first internecine war of Vasily II began in 1425, when his 10-year-old son took the Moscow throne after the death of Vasily I Vasily II.
Taking advantage of the general indignation, Prince Dmitry Shemyaka (the nickname comes from the word "shemyaka", that is, a fighter, a strong man) plotted against Vasily II. In February 1446, Vasily went on a pilgrimage to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. Meanwhile, Shemyaka suddenly captured Moscow. Then he sent his men in pursuit of Vasily. Taken by surprise, the Grand Duke was brought to the capital as a prisoner. By order of Shemyaka, he was blinded and sent to prison in Uglich.
The reign of Dmitry Shemyaka in Moscow lasted about a year. Like his father, Shemyaka failed to enlist the support of the Moscow nobility. In Moscow, he was not loved and considered a usurper. The boyars persuaded Shemyaka to release Vasily II from custody and give him Vologda as an inheritance. From there, Vasily soon fled to Tver. Thanks to the support of the prince of Tver Boris Alexandrovich from the persecutor regained the throne of Moscow. And his rival was forced to seek refuge in Veliky Novgorod.
Having settled in Novgorod, Dmitry Shemyaka from time to time made predatory raids on Moscow lands. The Novgorodians refused to extradite him to the Moscow authorities. Then Vasily and his advisers decided to resort to secret means. In the summer of 1453 they managed to bribe Shemyaka's personal chef. He added poison to his master's food. After several days of torment, She-myaka died. Thus ended the long internecine war in Muscovite Russia.
At the end of the XIV century. within the Moscow principality, several specific principalities allocated by Dmitry Donskoy to his younger sons (except for the pre-existing inheritance of his cousin Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhov). Of these, the largest and most economically developed was the Principality of Galicia, inherited (together with Zvenigorod) by the second son of Dmitry Donskoy, Yuri. After the death of Vasily I, Yuri began to fight with his nephew Vasily II for the Grand Duke's throne, justifying his rights to it by the already archaic principle of clan seniority of uncles over nephews. Having not met support for his claims from Metropolitan Photius and the Moscow boyars, Yuri tried to get a label for a great reign in the Horde. But the rulers of the Horde, where another turmoil took place, did not want to quarrel with Moscow, and Yuri began an armed struggle, relying on the resources of his principality. Twice (in 1433 and 1434) he managed to capture Moscow. However, Yuri did not manage to establish himself in it because of the hostile attitude towards him from the Moscow boyars, townspeople and grand-ducal "service people, who saw in him, first of all, a rebellious appanage prince.
Expansion of the territory of the feudal war
After the death of Yuri in 1434, the struggle against Vasily II was continued by his sons Vasily Kosoy and Dmitry Shemyaka. Outwardly, the struggle between them continued to maintain the appearance of a dynastic dispute for the grand throne between the two lines of Dmitry Donskoy's descendants, although the sons of Yuri no longer had any reason to dispute the rights of Vasily II. The struggle between them essentially became a decisive clash between supporters and opponents of state centralization. The question was decided: on what grounds should the relations of the Moscow princes with other princes be built, since the role of Moscow as a leading political center Russia has become an obvious fact. The coalition of appanage princes, led by the Galician princes, which unleashed a feudal war, represented a feudal-conservative reaction to the successes achieved by Moscow in the political unification of the country and the strengthening of grand ducal power by narrowing and eliminating the political independence and sovereign rights of the princes in their possessions - "fatherlands".
The initially successful struggle of Vasily II with a coalition of specific princes (in 1436, Yuri's son Vasily Kosoy was captured and blinded) was soon complicated by the active intervention of the Tatars. Expelled from the Golden Horde by Yedigei, the grandson of Tokhtamysh Khan Ulu-Mukhammed (the founder of the future Kazan Khanate), having settled in 1436-1437. with his horde in the Middle Volga region, used the feudal turmoil in Russia to capture Nizhny Novgorod and devastating raids into the depths of Russian lands. In 1445, in the battle near Suzdal, the sons of Ulu-Mohammed defeated the Moscow army, capturing Vasily II. He was released from captivity for a huge ransom, the severity of which and the violence of the Tatars who arrived to receive it caused widespread discontent, depriving Vasily II of support from the townspeople and serving feudal lords. This was taken advantage of by Dmitry Shemyaka and the appanage princes who supported him, who plotted against Vasily II, which was joined by part of the Moscow boyars, merchants and clergy. In February 1446, Vasily II, who arrived at the Trinity-Sergius Monastery on a pilgrimage, was handed over by the monks to the conspirators, blinded and exiled to Uglich. Moscow for the third time passed into the hands of the Galician princes.
End of the feudal war
The policy of Shemyaka, who seized the throne of the Grand Duke, contributed to the restoration and strengthening of the order of feudal fragmentation. The Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod principality, liquidated by Vasily I, was restored to the rights of the great principality. Shemyaka pledged to respect and protect the independence of the Novgorod boyar republic. The letters of commendation he issued to secular and spiritual feudal lords expanded the scope of the immunity rights of the feudal nobility. Shemyaka's policy, which eliminated progress made Moscow in the political unification of the country and the organization of an all-Russian rebuff to the aggression of the Horde, could not but cause a broad movement against him among the service feudal lords, the mass of townspeople and that part of the clergy that was interested in strengthening the grand ducal power and its unifying policy. A long feudal war led to the economic ruin of a number of regions, to a sharp deterioration in the situation working population cities and villages, to the arbitrariness and violence of the feudal nobility and local authorities from which the lower strata also suffered ruling class. The growth of the anti-feudal movement in the country was one of the most important reasons that forced the bulk of the ruling class to rally around the power of the grand dukes.
At the end of 1446, Shemyaka was expelled from Moscow, and the great reign again passed into the hands of Vasily the Dark. Shemyaka still tried to continue the fight, but its outcome was a foregone conclusion. Having suffered a series of military defeats, he was forced to flee to Novgorod, where he died in 1453 (possibly poisoned by agents of Vasily II).
Feudal War, which appeared milestone in the formation of a unified Russian state, ended in the defeat of the coalition of specific princes, who tried to stop the liquidation of the feudal fragmentation order, to defend the independence of their principalities. The defeat of the specific princes and the strengthening of the grand duke's power created the conditions for the transition to the final stage of the unification process.
This video lesson is intended for self-acquaintance with the topic “Rus in the second quarter of the 15th century. feudal war. Vasily II. From it, students will be able to learn about the causes of the war - the death of Dmitry Donskoy and the reign of Vasily I. Next, the teacher will talk about the policy of all the rulers of the second quarter of the 15th century.
Topic: Russia in the XIV - the first half of the XV centuries
Lesson: Russia in the second quarter15th century feudal war. VasiliyII
1. Basil's reignI (1389-1425)
After the death of Dmitry Donskoy, his 15-year-old son Vasily I (1389-1425) occupied the thrones of Moscow and the Grand Duke, who successfully continued his father's policy of uniting the Russian lands. In 1392-1395. were annexed to Moscow Nizhny Novgorod, Gorodets, Tarusa, Suzdal and Murom. At the same time, the Grand Duke of Moscow began a war with Novgorod, during which he captured Torzhok, Volokolamsk and Vologda. True, in next year, having been defeated by the Novgorodians, Vasily was forced to return the Dvina land, but the most important shopping centers- Torzhok and Volokolamsk - remained behind Moscow.
At the same time, Vasily I, taking advantage of the new “zamyatna” in the Horde, broke off tributary relations with the Tatars and stopped paying the hateful “Horde exit” to Sarai. But in 1408, one of the former emirs of Tamerlane, Edigey, who became the Khan of the Golden Horde, made a devastating raid on Russia and forced Moscow to resume paying tribute.
In 1406-1408. an unsuccessful Russian-Lithuanian war took place, during which Smolensk fell out of Moscow's sphere of influence for a whole century.
Rice. 1. Muscovite-Lithuanian war 1406-1408
The second half of the reign of Basil I was not rich in events, except for new war with Novgorod (1417), as a result of which Moscow annexed Vologda.
2. Feudal war and the reign of BasilII (1425-1462)
per process political association Russian lands around Moscow significant influence It was the feudal war of the second quarter of the 14th century, the causes of which many historians (L. Cherepnin, A. Zimin) traditionally saw in the dynastic crisis. The essence of the problem was this: for a long time in Russia there was a tribal order of succession to the throne, but after the famous plague epidemic of 1353, during which most members of the grand-ducal family died, it naturally changed into family order that was not legally enshrined anywhere. Moreover, according to the will of Dmitry Donskoy (1389), his sons Vasily and Yuri were to inherit his throne in turn. However, Grand Duke Vasily I, violating his father's will, handed over the throne to his 10-year-old son Vasily II (1425-1462), and not younger brother Yuri Zvenigorodsky (1374-1434).
Rice. 2. Monument to Yuri Zvenigorodsky ()
At the same time, Professor A. Kuzmin, the greatest connoisseur of Russian history, rightly points out that the cause of this war lay not only in the dynastic crisis. More significant was the fact that the actual ruler of Russia under Vasily II was his grandfather, the great Lithuanian prince Vitovt (1392-1430), which caused sharp rejection among many specific princes and boyars who united around Yuri Zvenigorodsky and his sons.
When studying the feudal war in Russia in historical science, they traditionally argued over two key issues:
1) what were chronological framework this war;
2) what was this war.
In the historical literature, one can find completely different chronological frames of this war, in particular, 1430-1453, 1433-1453. and 1425-1446. However, most historians (A. Zimin, L. Cherepnin, R. Skrynnikov, V. Kobrin) date this war to 1425-1453. and there are several main stages in it:
- 1425-1431 - the initial, "peaceful" period of the war, when Yuri Zvenigorodsky, not wanting to go into open conflict with Vitovt and Metropolitan Fitiy, tried to legally obtain a label for the great reign of Vladimir in the Golden Horde;
- 1431-1436 - the second period of the war, which began after the death of Vitovt and Metropolitan Photius and was associated with the active hostilities of Yuri and his sons Vasily Kosoy and Dmitry Shemyaka against Vasily II, during which the Zvenigorod princes twice occupied the Moscow throne (1433-1434). However, after the death of Yuri, who was reputed to be an outstanding commander, Moscow troops defeated the Zvenigorod regiments at Kotorosl (1435) and Skoryatin (1436) and captured Vasily Kosoy, who was blinded.
Rice. 3. Date of Dmitry Shemyaka with Vasily II ()
- 1436-1446 - the third period of the war, marked by a shaky truce of the parties, which ended with the capture and blinding of Vasily II (the Dark) and his abdication in favor of Dmitry Shemyaka;
- 1446-1453 - fourth, The final stage war, which ended with the complete victory of Vasily II and the death of Dmitry Shemyaka in Novgorod.
As regards the evaluation of the feudal war, there are three main approaches. One group of historians (L. Cherepnin, Yu. Alekseev V. Buganov) believed that the feudal war was a war between "reactionary" opponents (Zvenigorod princes) and "progressive" supporters (Vasily II) of the unification of Russian lands around Moscow. At the same time, the sympathies of these historians were clearly on the side of Vasily the Dark. Another group of historians (N. Nosov, A. Zimin, V. Kobrin) argued that during the feudal war the question was decided which branch of the Moscow princely house would lead and continue the process of unification of Russia. At the same time, this group of authors clearly sympathized with the “industrial North” and its princes, and not with the “serf center” and Vasily II, whom they considered “outstanding mediocrity”, since they believed that with the victory of the Galician-Zvenigorod princes, Russia could go more progressive ( pre-bourgeois) path of development than it actually happened. The third group of historians (R. Skrynnikov) believe that in the above concepts, a discrepancy between theoretical constructions and actual material. According to these scholars, the feudal war was an ordinary, princely civil strife, well known from past centuries.
After the end of the feudal war, Vasily II successfully continued the policy of collecting lands around Moscow, in 1454 he conquered Mozhaisk from Lithuania, in 1456 he defeated the Novgorodians near Russa and imposed the Yazhelbitsky Treaty on them, which significantly limited the sovereign status of Novgorod in external relations with foreign powers ; in 1461 the grand duke sent his governor to Pskov for the first time.
In addition, during the reign of Vasily the Dark, another epoch-making event took place: refusing to sign the Union of Florence (1439), a new metropolitan was elected in Moscow for the first time without the sanction of Constantinople - Archbishop Jonah of Ryazan (1448), and ten years later the Moscow the metropolis became completely autocephalous, that is, independent of the Patriarchate of Constantinople (1458).
Rice. 4. Basil rejects the Union of Florence ()
List of references for studying the topic "Feudal war in Russia. Vasily II":
1. Alekseev Yu. G. Under the banner of Moscow. - M., 1992
2. Borisov N. S. Russian Church in political struggle XIV-XV centuries - M., 1986
3. Kuzmin A. G. History of Russia from ancient times to 1618 - M., 2003
4. Zimin A. A. Knight at the crossroads. Feudal war in Russia in the 15th century. - M., 1991
5. Skrynnikov R. G. State and Church in Russia XIV-XVI centuries. - M., 1991
6. Cherepnin L. V. Education of the Russian centralized state in the XIV-XV centuries. - M., 1960
