Vasili I of Russia
Encyclopedia
Vasiliy I Dmitriyevich (30 December 1371 – 27 February 1425) was Grand Prince of Moscow
from 1389.
He was the oldest son of Dmitri Donskoi
and Grand Princess Eudoxia, daughter of Grand Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich of Nizhny Novgorod
.
Basil I continued the process of unification of the Russian lands: in 1392, he annexed the principalities of Nizhny Novgorod
and Murom
; in 1397–1398 – Kaluga
, Vologda
, Veliki Ustyug and Komi peoples
' lands.
During his reign, feudal landownership kept growing. With the growth of princely authority in Moscow, feudals' judicial powers were partially diminished and transferred to Vasili's deputies and heads of volost
s.
, Basil I entered into alliance with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
in 1392 and married Sophia of Lithuania
, the only daughter of Vytautas the Great
. The alliance turned out to be fragile, since Vytautas would later capture Vyazma
and Smolensk
in 1403–1404.
Timur
raided the Slavic lands in 1395; he ruined the Volgan regions but did not penetrate so far as Moscow
. Timur's raid was of service to the Russian prince as it damaged the Golden Horde
, which for the next twelve years was in a state of anarchy. During the whole of this time no tribute was paid to the khan
, Olug Moxammat, though vast sums of money were collected in the Moscow treasury for military purposes. In 1408 Edigu
ravaged Russians territory, but was unable to take Moscow. In 1412, however, Basil found it necessary to pay the long-deferred visit of submission to the Horde.
The growing influence of Moscow abroad was underlined by the fact that Basil married his daughter Anna to Emperor John VIII Palaeologus of Byzantium
.
. She was a daughter of Vytautas the Great
and his wife Anna. They had nine known children:
Grand Duchy of Moscow
The Grand Duchy of Moscow or Grand Principality of Moscow, also known in English simply as Muscovy , was a late medieval Rus' principality centered on Moscow, and the predecessor state of the early modern Tsardom of Russia....
from 1389.
He was the oldest son of Dmitri Donskoi
Dmitri Donskoi
Saint Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy , or Dmitry of the Don, sometimes referred to as Dmitry I , son of Ivan II the Meek of Moscow , reigned as the Prince of Moscow from 1359 and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1363 to his death. He was the first prince of Moscow to openly challenge Mongol authority in...
and Grand Princess Eudoxia, daughter of Grand Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich of Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
.
Domestic policy
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
and Murom
Murom
Murom is a historic city in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which sprawls along the left bank of Oka River. Population: -History:In the 9th century CE, the city marked the easternmost settlement of the Eastern Slavs in the land of the Finno-Ugric people called Muromians. The Russian Primary Chronicle...
; in 1397–1398 – Kaluga
Kaluga
Kaluga is a city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Population: It is served by Grabtsevo Airport.-History:...
, Vologda
Vologda
Vologda is a city and the administrative, cultural, and scientific center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the Vologda River. The city is a major transport knot of the Northwest of Russia. Vologda is among the Russian cities possessing an especially valuable historical heritage...
, Veliki Ustyug and Komi peoples
Komi peoples
The Komi people is an ethnic group whose homeland is in the north-east of European Russia around the basins of the Vychegda, Pechora and Kama rivers. They mostly live in the Komi Republic, Perm Krai, Murmansk Oblast, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in the Russian...
' lands.
During his reign, feudal landownership kept growing. With the growth of princely authority in Moscow, feudals' judicial powers were partially diminished and transferred to Vasili's deputies and heads of volost
Volost
Volost was a traditional administrative subdivision in Eastern Europe.In earlier East Slavic history, volost was a name for the territory ruled by the knyaz, a principality; either as an absolute ruler or with varying degree of autonomy from the Velikiy Knyaz...
s.
Foreign policy
To prevent Russia from being attacked by the Golden HordeGolden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
, Basil I entered into alliance with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
in 1392 and married Sophia of Lithuania
Sophia of Lithuania
Sophia was the only daughter of Vytautas the Great of Lithuania and his first wife Anna. On January 21, 1391, while her father was engaged in the Lithuanian Civil War, she married Vasili I of Russia. She was the longest serving consort of Russia.After his death in 1425 she became regent for their...
, the only daughter of Vytautas the Great
Vytautas the Great
Vytautas ; styled "the Great" from the 15th century onwards; c. 1350 October 27, 1430) was one of the most famous rulers of medieval Lithuania. Vytautas was the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which chiefly encompassed the Lithuanians and Ruthenians...
. The alliance turned out to be fragile, since Vytautas would later capture Vyazma
Vyazma
Vyazma is a town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk and Mozhaysk. Throughout its turbulent history, the city defended western approaches to the city of Moscow...
and Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
in 1403–1404.
Timur
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
raided the Slavic lands in 1395; he ruined the Volgan regions but did not penetrate so far as Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Timur's raid was of service to the Russian prince as it damaged the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
, which for the next twelve years was in a state of anarchy. During the whole of this time no tribute was paid to the khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
, Olug Moxammat, though vast sums of money were collected in the Moscow treasury for military purposes. In 1408 Edigu
Edigu
Edigu was a Mongol emir of the White Horde who founded the new political entity, which came to be known as the Nogai Horde....
ravaged Russians territory, but was unable to take Moscow. In 1412, however, Basil found it necessary to pay the long-deferred visit of submission to the Horde.
The growing influence of Moscow abroad was underlined by the fact that Basil married his daughter Anna to Emperor John VIII Palaeologus of Byzantium
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
.
Marriage and children
He married Sophia of LithuaniaSophia of Lithuania
Sophia was the only daughter of Vytautas the Great of Lithuania and his first wife Anna. On January 21, 1391, while her father was engaged in the Lithuanian Civil War, she married Vasili I of Russia. She was the longest serving consort of Russia.After his death in 1425 she became regent for their...
. She was a daughter of Vytautas the Great
Vytautas the Great
Vytautas ; styled "the Great" from the 15th century onwards; c. 1350 October 27, 1430) was one of the most famous rulers of medieval Lithuania. Vytautas was the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which chiefly encompassed the Lithuanians and Ruthenians...
and his wife Anna. They had nine known children:
- Anna of MoscowAnna of MoscowAnna Vasilievna of Moscow was the first wife of John VIII Palaiologos. She died while her husband was still the junior co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.-Family:...
(1393 – August 1417), wife of John VIII PalaiologosJohn VIII PalaiologosJohn VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus , was the penultimate reigning Byzantine Emperor, ruling from 1425 to 1448.-Life:John VIII Palaiologos was the eldest son of Manuel II Palaiologos and Helena Dragaš, the daughter of the Serbian prince Constantine Dragaš... - Yury Vasilievich (30 March 1395 – 30 November 1400)
- Ivan Vasilievich (15 January 1396 – 20 July 1417), husband of a daughter of Ivan Vladimirovich of PronskPronskPronsk is an urban locality and the administrative center of Pronsky District of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. Population: Pronsk was first attested in chronicles in 1186...
. - Anastasia Vasilievna (d. 1470), wife of Vladimir Alexander, Prince of KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, son of Vladimir OlgerdovichVladimir OlgerdovichVladimir Olgerdovich was a son of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his first wife Maria of Vitebsk. He was Grand Prince of Kiev from 1362 to 1394. His sons Ivan and Alexander started the Belsky and Olelkovich families.... - Daniil Vasilievich (6 December 1400 – May 1402).
- Vasilisa Vasilievna. Married first Alexander Ivanovich "Brukhaty", Prince of SuzdalSuzdalSuzdal is a town in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, situated northeast of Moscow, from the city of Vladimir, on the Kamenka River. Population: -History:...
and secondly his first cousin Alexander Daniilovich "Vzmetenj", Prince of SuzdalSuzdalSuzdal is a town in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, situated northeast of Moscow, from the city of Vladimir, on the Kamenka River. Population: -History:...
. They were both fifth-generation descendants of Andrei II of Vladimir. - Simeon Vasilievich (13 January – 7 April 1405)
- Maria Vasilievna. Married Yuri Patrikievich, son of PatrikejPatrikasPatrikas Narimantaitis was a grandson of Gediminas who exchanged his lands in and near Starodub in Siveria for the Korela and Oreshek fortresses in the Novgorod Republic. He also founded the town of Yamburg in Ingria...
, Prince of StarodubStarodubStarodub is a town and the administrative center of Starodubsky District of Bryansk Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Babinets River , southwest of Bryansk. Population: 16,000 .-History:...
and his wife Helena. The marriage solidified his role as a BoyarBoyarA boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....
attached to Moscow. - Vasily II of Moscow (10 March 1415 – 27 March 1462)
See also
- Rulers of Russia family treeRulers of Russia family treeThese images show family trees for the different royal houses that ruled Vladimir, Moscow and Russia from AD 1157 to 1917.-External links:*...