Who married Sophia Paleolog. Sophia Palaiologos - Byzantine princess

16.10.2019

Ivan III Vasilyevich was widowed in 1467. Two years later, an embassy from Rome came to Moscow. Cardinal Vissarion, a champion of the Florentine unity of churches, in a letter offered Ivan Vasilyevich the hand of Sophia, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor, the daughter of his brother Thomas, Prince of Morea, who, after the fall of Constantinople, found refuge in Rome with his family. Pope Paul II, through his cardinal, decided to arrange the marriage of Sophia with the Grand Duke in order to establish relations with Moscow and try to assert his authority over the Russian Church.

Such a proposal pleased the proud Ivan; but he, in his cautious disposition, did not immediately agree. He consulted with his mother, and with the metropolitan, and with the closest boyars. Everyone found, like the king himself, this marriage desirable. Ivan Vasilyevich sent Ivan Fryazin, his moneyman (who minted the coin), as an ambassador to Rome. He returned from there with letters from the pope and a portrait of Sophia and was again sent to Rome to represent the groom at the betrothal. The pope thought of restoring the Florentine connection and hoped to find in the Russian sovereign a strong ally against the Turks. Fryazin, although he accepted Orthodoxy in Moscow, did not particularly value it and therefore was ready to promise the pope everything he wanted, if only to quickly settle the matter.

1472, summer - Sophia Palaiologos was already on her way to Moscow. She was accompanied by Cardinal Anthony; besides this, there were many Greeks with her. On the way, solemn meetings were arranged for her. When she drove up to Pskov, posadniks and clergy came out to meet her with crosses and banners. Sophia went to the Trinity Cathedral, where she fervently prayed and kissed the icons. The people liked it; but the Roman cardinal, who was with her, confused the Orthodox.

He was dressed, according to the chronicler, not according to our custom - all in red, he had gloves on his hands, which he never took off and blessed in them. Before him they carried a cast silver crucifix on a long pole (Latin kruzh). He was not baptized and did not venerate images; he kissed only the icon of the Mother of God, and then at the request of the princess. The Orthodox did not like this very much.

From the church, Sophia went to the princely court. There, the posadniks and boyars treated her and those close to her with various dishes, honey and wine; finally brought her presents. The boyars and merchants gave it as gifts, whoever could. From all of Pskov, they brought her a gift of 50 rubles. It was also solemnly received in Novgorod.

When Sophia was already approaching Moscow, the Grand Duke conferred with his mother, brothers and boyars, what to do: he found out that wherever Sophia entered, the papal cardinal was walking ahead, and before him they carried a Latin kryzh. Some advised not to forbid it, so as not to offend the pope; others said that it had never happened before in Russia that such honor was given to the Latin faith; Isidore tried to do this, but for that he died.

The Grand Duke sent to ask the Metropolitan how he thought about it, and received the following answer:

“Not only is it not fitting for a papal ambassador to enter the city with a cross, but even to drive up close. If you honor him, then he will go through one gate to the city, and I, your father, will go out of the city through another gate! Not only to see, but also to hear about it is indecent for us. Whoever honors someone else's faith, he swears at his own!

Such intolerance of the Metropolitan to Klatinism already showed in advance that the papal ambassador would not be able to achieve anything. Grand Duke ordered the boyar to take the cross from him and hide it in a sledge. At first the legate was reluctant to yield; in particular, Ivan Fryazin resisted, who wanted the papal ambassador to be received in Moscow with the same honor as he, Fryazin, was received in Rome; but the boyar insisted, and the order of the Grand Duke was carried out.

Sophia's arrival in Moscow

1472, November 12 - Sophia entered Moscow. They got married on the same day; and the next day the papal ambassador was received. He brought gifts from the Pope to the Grand Duke.

Within three months there was a Roman embassy in Moscow. Here he was treated, held in great honor; Ivan III generously endowed the cardinal. He tried to talk about the unification of the churches, but, as expected, nothing came of it. Ivan Vasilyevich gave this church matter to the decision of the metropolitan, and he found some scribe Nikita Popovich to compete with the legate. This Nikita, according to the chronicler, argued with the cardinal, so that he did not know what to answer, - he excused himself only by the fact that he did not have the books necessary for the dispute. The pope's attempt to unite the churches ended, and this time, in complete failure.

Dowry of Sophia Paleolog

Sofia brought with her a generous dowry. It was the legendary "liberia" - a library allegedly brought on 70 carts (better known as the "library of Ivan the Terrible"). It included Greek parchments, Latin chronographs, ancient Eastern manuscripts, among which were the poems of Homer unknown to us, the works of Aristotle and Plato, and even the surviving books from the legendary Library of Alexandria.

According to legend, Sophia brought with her a “bone throne” (now known as the “throne of Ivan the Terrible”) as a gift to her husband: its wooden frame was covered with plates of ivory and walrus ivory with biblical scenes carved on them.

Brought Sophia and a few Orthodox icons, including, presumably, a rare icon Mother of God"Blessed Sky".

The meaning of the marriage of Ivan and Sophia

The marriage of the Grand Duke with the Greek princess had important consequences. There were cases before that Russian princes married Greek princesses, but these marriages were not as important as the marriage of Ivan and Sophia. Byzantium was now enslaved by the Turks. The Byzantine emperor used to be considered the main protector of all Eastern Christianity; now the Moscow sovereign became such a protector; with the hand of Sophia, he, as it were, inherited the rights of the Palaiologos, even assimilates the coat of arms of the Eastern Roman Empire - the double-headed eagle; on the seals that were hung on the letters, they began to depict a double-headed eagle on one side, and on the other, the former Moscow coat of arms, George the Victorious, slaying the dragon.

The Byzantine order began to have a stronger and stronger effect in Moscow. Although the last Byzantine emperors were not powerful at all, they held themselves very highly in the eyes of everyone around them. Access to them was very difficult; many different court ranks filled the magnificent palace. The splendor of palace customs, luxurious royal clothes, shining with gold and precious stones, extraordinarily rich decoration royal palace- all this in the eyes of the people greatly exalted the person of the sovereign. Everyone bowed before him, as before an earthly deity.

It was not the same in Moscow. The Grand Duke was already a powerful sovereign, but he lived a little wider and richer than the boyars. They treated him respectfully, but simply: some of them were from specific princes and, like the Grand Duke, also had their origin from Rurik. The unpretentious life of the tsar and the simple treatment of the boyars could not please Sophia, who knew about the royal greatness of the Byzantine autocrats and saw the court life of the popes in Rome. From his wife, and especially from the people who came with her, Ivan III could hear a lot about the court life of the Byzantine kings. He, who wanted to be a real autocrat, must have liked many Byzantine court orders very much.

And so, little by little, new customs began to appear in Moscow: Ivan Vasilievich began to behave majestically, in relations with foreigners he was titled "king", he began to receive ambassadors with magnificent solemnity, he established the rite of kissing the royal hand as a sign of special mercy. Then came the court ranks (jaselnichiy, equerry, bedding). The Grand Duke began to favor in the boyars for merit. In addition to the son of the boyar, at this time another lower rank appears - the roundabout.

The boyars, who were previously advisers, duma princes, with whom the sovereign, as usual, conferred on every important matter, as with comrades, now turned into his humble servants. The grace of the sovereign can exalt them, anger can destroy them.

At the end of his reign, Ivan III became a real autocrat. These changes were not to the liking of many boyars, but no one dared to express this: the Grand Duke was very severe and punished severely.

Innovations. Sophia's influence

Since the arrival of Sophia Palaiologos in Moscow, relations have been established with the West, especially with Italy.

An attentive observer of Moscow life, Baron Herberstein, who twice came to Moscow as the ambassador of the German emperor under Ivanov's successor, after hearing a lot of boyar talk, remarks about Sophia in his notes that she was an unusually cunning woman who had big influence on the Grand Duke, who, at her suggestion, did a lot. Even the determination of Ivan III to throw off the Tatar yoke was attributed to her influence. In boyar tales and judgments about the princess, it is not easy to separate observation from suspicion or exaggeration, guided by hostility.

Moscow of that time was very unattractive. Wooden small buildings, placed at random, crooked, unpaved streets, dirty squares - all this made Moscow look like a large village, or rather, a collection of many village estates.

After the wedding, Ivan Vasilyevich himself felt the need to rebuild the Kremlin into a powerful and impregnable citadel. It all started with the catastrophe of 1474, when the Assumption Cathedral, built by Pskov craftsmen, collapsed. Rumors immediately spread among the people that the trouble had befallen because of the “Greek”, who had previously been in “Latinism”. While the reasons for the collapse were being clarified, Sophia advised her husband to invite architects from Italy, who were then the best craftsmen in Europe. Their creations could make Moscow equal in beauty and majesty European capitals and to maintain the prestige of the Moscow sovereign, as well as to emphasize the continuity of Moscow not only to the Second, but also to the First Rome.

One of the best Italian builders of that time, Aristotle Fioravanti, agreed to go to Moscow for 10 rubles of salary per month (decent money at that time). In 4 years, he built a temple magnificent for that time - the Assumption Cathedral, consecrated in 1479. This building has survived to this day in the Moscow Kremlin.

Then other stone churches began to be built: in 1489 the Annunciation Cathedral was erected, which had the significance of the tsar's house church, and shortly before the death of Ivan III, the Archangel Cathedral was built again instead of the former dilapidated church. The sovereign planned to build a stone chamber for solemn meetings and receptions of foreign ambassadors.

This building, built by Italian architects, known as the Chamber of Facets, has survived to this day. The Kremlin was surrounded again by a stone wall and decorated with beautiful gates and towers. For himself, the Grand Duke ordered to build a new stone palace. Following the Grand Duke, the metropolitan also began to build brick chambers for himself. The three boyars also built stone houses for themselves in the Kremlin. Thus, Moscow began to gradually build up with stone buildings; but these buildings for a long time and after that were not part of the custom.

Birth of children. state affairs

1474, April 18 - Sophia gave birth to the first (quickly deceased) daughter Anna, then another daughter (who also died so quickly that they did not have time to christen her). Disappointment in family life offset by activity public affairs. The Grand Duke consulted with her in making state decisions (in 1474 he bought out half of the Rostov principality, entered into a friendly alliance with the Crimean Khan Mengli Giray).

Sophia Paleolog took an active part in diplomatic receptions (the Venetian envoy Cantarini noted that the reception she organized was "very majestic and affectionate"). According to the legend given not only by Russian chronicles, but also English poet John Milton, in 1477 Sophia was able to outwit the Tatar Khan, announcing that she had a sign from above about the construction of a church to St. Nicholas in the place in the Kremlin where the house of the Khan's governors stood, who controlled the gathering of yasak and the actions of the Kremlin. This legend presents Sophia as a resolute nature (“she put them out of the Kremlin, demolished the house, although the temple was not built”).

1478 - Russia actually stopped paying tribute to the Horde; 2 years left before the complete overthrow of the yoke.

In 1480, again on the “advice” of his wife, Ivan Vasilievich left with the militia to the Ugra River (near Kaluga), where the army of the Tatar Khan Akhmat was stationed. "Standing on the Ugra" did not end with a battle. The onset of frost and lack of food forced the khan and his army to leave. These events put an end to the Horde yoke.

The main obstacle to strengthening the grand duke's power collapsed and, relying on his dynastic connection with "Orthodox Rome" (Constantinople) through his wife Sophia, the sovereign proclaimed himself the successor to the sovereign rights of the Byzantine emperors. The Moscow coat of arms with George the Victorious was combined with the double-headed eagle - the ancient coat of arms of Byzantium. This emphasized that Moscow is the heiress Byzantine Empire, Ivan III - "the king of all Orthodoxy", the Russian Church is the successor of the Greek. Under the influence of Sophia, the ceremonial of the Grand Duke's court acquired hitherto unseen splendor, similar to the Byzantine-Roman.

Rights to the Moscow throne

Sophia started hard fight for substantiating the right to the Moscow throne for his son Vasily. When she was eight years old, she even tried to organize a conspiracy against her husband (1497), but he was uncovered, and Sophia herself was condemned on suspicion of magic and connection with the “sorceress woman” (1498) and, together with Tsarevich Vasily, was subjected to disgrace.

But fate was merciful to her (during the years of her 30-year marriage, Sophia gave birth to 5 sons and 4 daughters). The death of the eldest son of Ivan III, Ivan the Young, forced Sophia's husband to change his anger to mercy and return the exiles to Moscow.

Death of Sophia Paleolog

Sophia died on April 7, 1503. She was buried in the grand ducal tomb of Voznesensky convent in the Kremlin. The buildings of this monastery were dismantled in 1929, and the sarcophagi with the remains of the Grand Duchesses and Empresses were transported to the basement chamber of the Archangel Cathedral in the Kremlin, where they remain today.

After death

This circumstance, as well as the good preservation of the skeleton of Sophia Paleolog, made it possible for experts to recreate her appearance. The work was carried out at the Moscow Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination. Apparently, there is no need to describe in detail the recovery process. We only note that the portrait was reproduced using all scientific methods.

A study of the remains of Sophia Paleolog showed that she was short - about 160 cm. The skull and each bone were carefully studied, and as a result it was found that the death of the Grand Duchess occurred at the age of 55-60 years. As a result of studies of the remains, it was established that Sophia was a plump woman, with strong-willed facial features and had a mustache that did not spoil her at all.

When the appearance of this woman appeared before the researchers, it became clear once again that nothing happens by chance in nature. It's about about the amazing similarity of Sophia Paleolog and her grandson - Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, whose true appearance is well known to us from the work of the famous Soviet anthropologist M.M. Gerasimov. The scientist, working on the portrait of Ivan Vasilyevich, noted the features of the Mediterranean type in his appearance, linking this precisely with the influence of the blood of his grandmother, Sophia Paleolog.

Although his son, Ivan the Terrible, is remembered more often, it was Vasily III who largely determined both the vectors of state policy and the psychology of the Russian government, ready to do anything to preserve itself.

spare king

Vasily III was on the throne thanks to successful fight for the power that his mother, Sophia Palaiologos, held. As early as 1470, Vasily's father, Ivan III, announced his eldest son from Ivan the Young's first marriage as his co-ruler. In 1490, Ivan the Young suddenly died of an illness and two parties began to fight for power: one supported the son of Ivan the Young Dmitry Ivanovich, the other - Vasily Ivanovich. Sophia and Vasily overdid it. Their conspiracy against Dmitry Ivanovich was revealed and they even fell into disgrace, but this did not stop Sophia. She continued to influence the government. There were rumors that she even cast spells against Ivan III. Thanks to the rumors spread by Sophia, the closest associates of Dmitry Ivanovich fell out of favor with Ivan III. Dmitry began to lose power and also fell into disgrace, and after the death of his grandfather, he was shackled and died 4 years later. So Vasily III, the son of a Greek princess, became the Russian Tsar.

solomonia

Vasily III chose his first wife as a result of a review (1500 brides) during his father's lifetime. She became Solomonia Saburova, the daughter of a scribe-boyar. For the first time in Russian history the ruling monarch did not take as his wife a representative of the princely aristocracy or a foreign princess, but a woman from the highest stratum of “service people”. The marriage was fruitless for 20 years, and Vasily III took extreme, unprecedented measures: he was the first of the Russian tsars to exile his wife to a monastery. In terms of children and the inheritance of power, Vasily, accustomed to fight for power in all possible ways, had a "fad". So afraid that possible sons brothers become contenders for the throne, Basil forbade his brothers to marry until his son was born. The son was never born. Who is to blame? Wife. Wife - in the monastery. It must be understood that this was a very ambiguous decision. Vassian Patrikeev, Metropolitan Varlaam, and the Monk Maxim the Greek, who opposed the dissolution of the marriage, were exiled, and the metropolitan was defrocked for the first time in Russian history.

Kudeyar

There is a legend that during the tonsure, Solomonia was pregnant, gave birth to a son, George, whom she handed over "in safe hands", and announced to everyone that the newborn had died. After that, this child became the famous robber Kudeyar, who, with his gang, robbed rich convoys. Ivan the Terrible was very interested in this legend. The hypothetical Kudeyar was his older half-brother, which means he could claim power. This story is most likely folk fiction. The desire to “ennoble the robber”, as well as to allow oneself to believe in the illegitimacy of power (and therefore the possibility of its overthrow) is characteristic of the Russian tradition. In our country, every ataman is a legitimate king. With regard to Kudeyar, a semi-mythical character, there are so many versions of his origin that would be enough for half a dozen atamans.

Lithuanian

By the second marriage, Vasily III married a Lithuanian, young Elena Glinskaya. "All in the father," he married a foreigner. Only four years later, Elena gave birth to her first child, Ivan Vasilyevich. According to legend, at the hour of the birth of a baby, a terrible thunderstorm seemed to break out. Thunder rumbled through clear sky and shook the earth to its foundations. The Kazan khansha, having learned about the birth of the tsar, announced to the Moscow messengers: “Your tsar was born, and he has two teeth: with one he will eat us (Tatars), and with the other you.” This legend is among many composed about the birth of Ivan IV. There were rumors that Ivan was an illegitimate son, but this is unlikely: an examination of the remains of Elena Glinskaya showed that she had red hair. As you know, Ivan was also red. Elena Glinskaya was similar to the mother of Vasily III, Sophia Palaiologos, she controlled power no less confidently and passionately. After the death of her husband in December 1533, she became the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Moscow (for this, she removed the regents appointed by her husband). Thus, she became the first ruler of the Russian state after Grand Duchess Olga (except for Sophia Vitovtovna, whose power in many Russian lands outside the Moscow principality was formal).

Italianomania

Vasily III inherited from his father not only a love for strong-willed overseas women, but also a love for everything Italian. Hired by Vasily the Third, Italian architects built churches and monasteries, kremlins and bell towers in Russia. Vasily Ivanovich's guards also consisted entirely of foreigners, including Italians. They lived in Nalivka, a "German" settlement in the area of present-day Yakimanka.

fighter

Vasily III was the first Russian monarch to be free of chin hair. According to legend, he cut his beard to look younger in the eyes of Elena Glinskaya. In a beardless state, he did not last long, but this almost cost Russia independence. While the Grand Duke was flaunting his smooth-shaven youth, the Crimean Khan Islyam I Gerai came to visit, complete with armed, red-bearded fellow countrymen. The case threatened to turn into a new Tatar yoke. But God saved. Immediately after the victory, Vasily again let go of his beard. In order not to wake up dashing.

The fight against nonpossessors

The reign of Vasily III was marked by the struggle of the “non-possessors” with the “Josephites”. For a very short time, Vasily III was close to the “non-possessors”, but in 1522, instead of Varlaam, who fell into disgrace, Daniel, a disciple of Joseph Volotsky and the head of the Josephites, was appointed to the metropolitan throne, becoming an ardent supporter of strengthening the grand ducal power. Vasily III sought to substantiate the divine origin of the grand ducal power, relying on the authority of Joseph Volotsky, who in his works acted as the ideologist of a strong state power and "ancient piety". This was facilitated by the increased authority of the Grand Duke in Western Europe. In an agreement (1514) with the emperor of the "Holy Roman Empire" Maximilian, Vasily III was even named king. Vasily III was cruel with his opponents: in 1525 and 1531. twice condemned Maxim the Greek, who was imprisoned in a monastery.

This woman was credited with many important state deeds. Why is Sophia Paleolog so distinguished? Interesting Facts about her, as well as biographical information are collected in this article.

Sofia Fominichna Paleolog, aka Zoya Paleologina, was born in October 1455. Origin from the Byzantine imperial dynasty of Palaiologos.
Grand Duchess of Moscow, second wife of Ivan III, mother of Vasily III, grandmother of Ivan the Terrible.

Cardinal's Proposal

In February 1469, the ambassador of Cardinal Vissarion arrived in Moscow. He handed over a letter to the Grand Duke with a proposal to marry Sophia, the daughter of Theodore I, Despot of Morea. By the way, this letter also said that Sophia Paleolog (real name - Zoya, they decided to replace it with an Orthodox one for diplomatic reasons) had already refused two crowned suitors who were wooing her. They were the Duke of Milan and the French king. The fact is that Sophia did not want to marry a Catholic.

Sophia Palaiologos (of course, her photo cannot be found, but the portraits are presented in the article), according to the ideas of that distant time, she was no longer young. However, she was still quite attractive. She had expressive, amazing beautiful eyes, as well as matte delicate skin, which was considered in Russia a sign of excellent health. In addition, the bride was distinguished by her article and a sharp mind.

Who is Sofia Fominichna Paleolog?

Sofia Fominichna is the niece of Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last emperor of Byzantium. Since 1472, she was the wife of Ivan III Vasilyevich. Her father was Thomas Palaiologos, who fled to Rome with his family in 1453, after the Turks captured Constantinople. Sophia Palaiologos lived after the death of her father in the care of the great pope. For a number of reasons, he wished to marry her to Ivan III, who was widowed in 1467. He answered yes.

Sophia Palaiologos gave birth to a son in 1479, who later became Basil III Ivanovich. In addition, she achieved the announcement of Vasily the Grand Duke, whose place was to be taken by Dmitry, the grandson of Ivan III, who was crowned king. Ivan III used his marriage to Sophia to strengthen Russia in the international arena.

Icon "Blessed Sky" and the image of Michael III

Sofia Paleolog, grand duchess Moscow, brought several Orthodox icons. It is believed that among them was the icon "Blessed Sky", a rare image of the Mother of God. She was in the Kremlin Archangel Cathedral. However, according to another legend, the relic was transported from Constantinople to Smolensk, and when the latter was captured by Lithuania, Sofya Vitovtovna, the princess, was blessed with this icon for marriage when she married Vasily I, the Moscow prince. The image, which is in the cathedral today, is a list with ancient icon, made at the end of the 17th century by order of Fyodor Alekseevich.

Muscovites, according to tradition, brought lamp oil and water to this icon. They were thought to be filled medicinal properties, because the image had healing power. This icon today is one of the most revered in our country.

In the Archangel Cathedral, after the wedding of Ivan III, an image of Michael III, the Byzantine emperor, who was the ancestor of the Palaiologos dynasty, also appeared. Thus, it was argued that Moscow is the successor of the Byzantine Empire, and the sovereigns of Russia are the heirs of the Byzantine emperors.

The birth of the long-awaited heir

After Sophia Paleolog, the second wife of Ivan III, married him in the Assumption Cathedral and became his wife, she began to think about how to gain influence and become a real queen. Paleolog understood that for this it was necessary to present the prince with a gift that only she could do: to give birth to a son who would become the heir to the throne. To Sophia's chagrin, the firstborn was a daughter who died almost immediately after birth. A year later, a girl was born again, who also died suddenly. Sophia Palaiologos cried, prayed to God to give her an heir, handed out handfuls of alms to the poor, donated to churches. After some time, the Mother of God heard her prayers - Sophia Paleolog became pregnant again.

Her biography was finally marked by a long-awaited event. It took place on March 25, 1479 at 8 pm, as stated in one of the Moscow chronicles. A son was born. He was named Vasily Pariysky. The boy was baptized by Vasiyan, Archbishop of Rostov, in the Sergius Monastery.

What did Sofia bring with her?

Sophia managed to inspire what was dear to her, and what was appreciated and understood in Moscow. She brought with her the customs and traditions of the Byzantine court, pride in her own lineage, and annoyance at having to marry a Mongol-Tatar tributary. Sophia hardly liked the simplicity of the situation in Moscow, as well as the unceremonious relations that prevailed at that time at court. Ivan III himself was forced to listen to reproachful speeches from obstinate boyars. However, in the capital, even without it, many had a desire to change the old order, which did not correspond to the position of the Moscow sovereign. And the wife of Ivan III with the Greeks brought by her, who saw both Roman and Byzantine life, could give the Russians valuable instructions on what models and how to implement the changes desired by everyone.

The prince's wife cannot be denied influence on the behind-the-scenes life of the court and its decorative setting. She skillfully built personal relationships, she was excellent at court intrigues. However, Paleolog could only respond to political ones with suggestions that echoed the vague and secret thoughts of Ivan III. Especially clear was the idea that by her marriage the princess was making the Muscovite rulers the successors of the emperors of Byzantium, with the interests of the Orthodox East holding on to the latter. Therefore, Sophia Paleolog in the capital of the Russian state was valued mainly as a Byzantine princess, and not as a Grand Duchess of Moscow. She herself understood this. As Princess Sophia enjoyed the right to receive foreign embassies in Moscow. Therefore, her marriage to Ivan was a kind of political demonstration. It was announced to the whole world that the heiress of the Byzantine house, which had fallen shortly before, transferred its sovereign rights to Moscow, which became the new Constantinople. Here she shares these rights with her husband.

Ivan, sensing his new position in the international arena, found the old Kremlin environment ugly and cramped. From Italy, following the princess, the masters were discharged. They built the Palace of Facets, the Assumption Cathedral (St. Basil's Cathedral), and a new stone palace on the site of the wooden choirs. In the Kremlin at that time, a strict and complex ceremonial began to start up at the court, imparting arrogance and stiffness to Moscow life. Just as in his own palace, Ivan III began to act in external relations with a more solemn step. Especially when the Tatar yoke without a fight, as if by itself, fell off the shoulders. And it weighed almost two centuries over the entire north-eastern Russia (from 1238 to 1480). New language, more solemn, appears at this time in government papers, especially diplomatic ones. There is a lot of terminology.

Sophia Paleolog was not loved in Moscow for the influence she exerted on the Grand Duke, as well as for the changes in the life of Moscow - "great disorders" (in the words of the boyar Bersen-Beklemishev). Sophia interfered not only in internal, but also in foreign affairs. She demanded that Ivan III refuse to pay tribute to the Horde Khan and finally free himself from his power. Skillful advice Paleolog, as evidenced by V.O. Klyuchevsky, always met the intentions of her husband. Therefore, he refused to pay tribute. Ivan III trampled on the khan's charter in Zamoskovreche, in the Horde courtyard. Later, the Transfiguration Church was built on this site. However, even then the people "spoke" of Paleologus. Before Ivan III came out in 1480 to the great stand on the Ugra, he sent his wife and children to Beloozero. For this, the subjects attributed to the sovereign the intention to quit power in the event that Khan Akhmat took Moscow, and to flee with his wife.

"Duma" and a change in the treatment of subordinates

Ivan III, freed from the yoke, finally felt like a sovereign sovereign. Palace etiquette through the efforts of Sophia began to resemble Byzantine. The prince gave his wife a "gift": Ivan III allowed Sophia to gather her own "thought" from the members of the retinue and arrange "diplomatic receptions" in her half. The princess received foreign ambassadors and conversed politely with them. This was an unprecedented innovation for Russia. The treatment at the court of the sovereign also changed.

Sophia Palaiologos brought sovereign rights to her husband, as well as the right to the Byzantine throne. The boyars had to reckon with this. Ivan III used to love disputes and objections, but under Sophia, he radically changed the treatment of his courtiers. Ivan began to hold himself impregnable, easily fell into anger, often imposed disgrace, demanded special respect for himself. Rumor also attributed all these misfortunes to the influence of Sophia Palaiologos.

Fight for the throne

She was also accused of violating the throne. Enemies in 1497 told the prince that Sophia Paleologus planned to poison his grandson in order to put her own son on the throne, that fortune-tellers preparing a poisonous potion were secretly visiting her, that Vasily himself was participating in this conspiracy. Ivan III took the side of his grandson in this matter. He ordered the soothsayers to be drowned in the Moscow River, arrested Vasily, and removed his wife from him, defiantly executing several members of the Paleolog "thought". In 1498, Ivan III married Dmitry in the Assumption Cathedral as heir to the throne.
However, Sophia had in her blood the ability to court intrigues. She accused Elena Voloshanka of heresy and was able to bring about her downfall. The Grand Duke placed his grandson and daughter-in-law in disgrace and named Vasily in 1500 as the legitimate heir to the throne.

The marriage of Sofia Paleolog and Ivan III, of course, strengthened Moscow state. He contributed to its transformation into the Third Rome. Sofia Paleolog lived for over 30 years in Russia, having given birth to 12 children to her husband. However, she never managed to fully understand a foreign country, its laws and traditions. Even in official chronicles there are records condemning her behavior in some situations that are difficult for the country.

Sofia attracted architects and other cultural figures, as well as doctors, to the Russian capital. The creations of Italian architects have made Moscow not inferior in majesty and beauty to the capitals of Europe. This helped to strengthen the prestige of the Moscow sovereign, emphasized the continuity of the Russian capital to the Second Rome.

Sophia's death

Sophia died in Moscow on August 7, 1503. She was buried in the Ascension Convent of the Moscow Kremlin. In December 1994, in connection with the transfer of the remains of the royal and princely wives to the Archangel Cathedral, S. A. Nikitin restored her sculptural portrait based on the preserved skull of Sophia (pictured above). Now we can at least roughly imagine what Sophia Paleolog looked like.

In the middle of the 15th century, when Constantinople fell under the onslaught of the Turks, the 17-year-old Byzantine princess Sophia left Rome to transfer the spirit of the old empire to a new, still emerging state.
With her fabulous life and journey full of adventure - from the poorly lit passages of the papal church to the snowy Russian steppes, from the secret mission behind the betrothal to the Moscow prince, to the mysterious and still not found collection of books that she brought with her from Constantinople, - we were introduced by the journalist and writer Yorgos Leonardos, the author of the book "Sophia Palaiologos - from Byzantium to Russia", as well as many other historical novels.

In a conversation with a reporter from the Athens-Macedonian Agency about the filming of a Russian film about the life of Sophia Palaiologos, Mr. Leonardos emphasized that she was a versatile person, a practical and ambitious woman. The niece of the last Palaiologos inspired her husband, Prince Ivan III of Moscow, to create a strong state, earning the respect of Stalin almost five centuries after her death.
Russian researchers highly appreciate the contribution that Sophia left in the political and cultural history medieval Russia.
Yorgos Leonardos describes Sophia's personality as follows: “Sophia was the niece of the last emperor of Byzantium, Constantine XI, and the daughter of Thomas Palaiologos. She was baptized in Mistra, giving the Christian name Zoya. In 1460, when the Peloponnese was captured by the Turks, the princess, along with her parents, brothers and sister, went to the island of Corfu. With the participation of Vissarion of Nicaea, who had already become a Catholic cardinal in Rome by that time, Zoya moved to Rome with her father, brothers and sister. After the premature death of her parents, Vissarion took over custody of three children who converted to the Catholic faith. However, Sophia's life changed when Paul II took the papacy, who wanted her to enter into a political marriage. The princess was betrothed to Prince Ivan III of Moscow, hoping that Orthodox Russia will convert to Catholicism. Sophia, who came from the Byzantine imperial family, was sent by Paul to Moscow as the heiress of Constantinople. Her first stop after Rome was the city of Pskov, where the Russian people enthusiastically accepted the young girl.

The author of the book considers a visit to one of the Pskov churches to be a key moment in Sophia’s life: “She was impressed, and although the papal legate was next to her, following her every step, she returned to Orthodoxy, defying the will of the pope. On November 12, 1472, Zoya became the second wife of the Moscow prince Ivan III under the Byzantine name Sophia.
From this moment, according to Leonardos, her brilliant path begins: “Under the influence of a deep religious feeling, Sofia convinced Ivan to throw off the burden Tatar-Mongol yoke, because at that time Russia paid tribute to the Horde. Indeed, Ivan liberated his state and united various independent principalities under his rule.

Sophia's contribution to the development of the state is great, because, as the author explains, "she started the Byzantine order at the Russian court and helped create the Russian state."
“Since Sophia was the only heiress of Byzantium, Ivan believed that he had inherited the right to the imperial throne. He took over yellow Palaiologos and the Byzantine coat of arms - a double-headed eagle, which lasted until the revolution of 1917 and was returned after the collapse Soviet Union and also called Moscow the Third Rome. Since the sons of the Byzantine emperors took the name of Caesar, Ivan took this title for himself, which in Russian began to sound like "tsar". Ivan also elevated the Archbishopric of Moscow to a patriarchy, making it clear that the first patriarchy is not Constantinople captured by the Turks, but Moscow.”

According to Yorgos Leonardos, “Sofia was the first to create in Russia, on the model of Constantinople, a secret service, a prototype of the tsarist secret police and the Soviet KGB. This contribution is still recognized today. Russian authorities. So, former head Federal Service Security of Russia Alexei Patrushev on the Day military counterintelligence On December 19, 2007, he declared that the country honors Sophia Palaiologos, as she defended Russia from internal and external enemies.
Also, Moscow “owes her a change in its appearance, since Sofia brought here Italian and Byzantine architects who built mainly stone buildings, for example, the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin, as well as the Kremlin walls that still exist. Also, according to the Byzantine model, secret passages were dug under the territory of the entire Kremlin.

© Sputnik. Sergei Pyatakov

“Since 1472, the history of the modern - tsarist - state begins in Russia. At that time, due to the climate, they did not engage in agriculture here, but only hunted. Sophia convinced the subjects of Ivan III to cultivate the fields and thus initiated the formation Agriculture in the country".
Sophia’s personality was also respected under the Soviet regime: according to Leonardos, “when the Ascension Monastery was destroyed in the Kremlin, in which the remains of the tsarina were stored, they were not only not disposed of, but by Stalin’s decree they were placed in a tomb, which was then transferred to the Arkhangelsk the cathedral".
Yorgos Leonardos said that Sophia brought 60 carts from Constantinople with books and rare treasures that were kept in the underground treasuries of the Kremlin and have not been found so far.
“There are written sources,” says Mr. Leonardos, “indicating the existence of these books, which the West tried to buy from her grandson, Ivan the Terrible, to which he, of course, did not agree. Books continue to be searched to this day.

Sophia Palaiologos died on April 7, 1503 at the age of 48. Her husband, Ivan III, became the first ruler in the history of Russia, who was named the Great for his deeds, committed with the support of Sophia. Their grandson, Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, continued to strengthen the state and went down in history as one of the most influential rulers of Russia.

“Sophia transferred the spirit of Byzantium to the newly emerging Russian empire. It was she who built the state in Russia, giving it Byzantine features, and on the whole enriched the structure of the country and its society. Even today in Russia there are surnames that go back to Byzantine names, as a rule, they end in -ov,” said Yorgos Leonardos.
As for the images of Sophia, Leonardos emphasized that “her portraits have not been preserved, but even under communism, with the help of special technologies scientists have recreated the appearance of the queen from her remains. This is how the bust appeared, which is placed near the entrance to the Historical Museum next to the Kremlin.”
“The legacy of Sophia Paleolog is Russia itself…” Yorgos Leonardos summed up.

The first wife of Ivan III, Princess Maria Borisovna of Tver, died on April 22, 1467. After her death, Ivan began to look for another wife, farther and more important. On February 11, 1469, ambassadors from Rome appeared in Moscow to offer the Grand Duke to marry the niece of the last Byzantine Emperor Constantine II, Sophia Palaiologos, who lived in exile after the fall of Constantinople. Ivan III, having overcome religious disgust in himself, ordered the princess from Italy and married her in 1472. So, in October of the same year, Moscow met her future empress. A wedding ceremony took place in the still unfinished Assumption Cathedral. The Greek princess became the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Vladimir and Novgorod.

This princess, then known in Europe for her rare fullness, brought to Moscow “a very subtle mind and received a very important meaning here.” She was an “unusually cunning woman who had a great influence on the Grand Duke, who did a lot at her suggestion.” it is to her influence that Ivan III's determination to throw off the Tatar yoke is attributed. However, Sophia could only inspire what she herself valued and what was understood and appreciated in Moscow. She, with the Greeks she brought, who had seen both Byzantine and Roman views, could give valuable instructions on how and according to what models to introduce the desired changes, how to change the old order, which so did not correspond to the new position of the Moscow sovereign. Thus, after the sovereign's second marriage, many Italians and Greeks began to settle in Russia, and Greek-Italian art flourished along with Russian art itself.

Feeling himself in a new position next to such a noble wife,

heiress of the Byzantine emperors, Ivan replaced the former ugly Kremlin setting. Craftsmen sent from Italy built a new Assumption Cathedral, the Palace of Facets and a new stone palace in place of the former wooden choirs. Moreover, many Greeks who came to Russia with the princess became useful with their knowledge of languages, especially Latin, which was then necessary in external state affairs. They enriched the Moscow church libraries with books saved from Turkish barbarism and "contributed to the splendor of our court by communicating to it magnificent Byzantine rites."

But the main significance of this marriage was that the marriage to Sophia Paleolog contributed to the establishment of Russia as the successor of Byzantium and

proclamation of Moscow as the Third Rome, a stronghold of the Orthodox

Christianity. Already under the son of Ivan III, the idea of the Third Rome was firmly

rooted in Moscow. After his marriage to Sophia, Ivan III ventured for the first time

show European political world new title of sovereign of all Russia

and made me acknowledge it. If earlier the appeal to "lord" expressed

attitude of feudal equality (or, in extreme cases, vassalage),

then "sovereign" or "sovereign" - citizenship. This term meant the concept

about a ruler who does not depend on any external force, who does not pay anyone

tribute. Thus, Ivan could take this title, only ceasing to be

tributary of the Horde Khan. The overthrow of the yoke removed the obstacle to this,

and marriage to Sophia gave a historical justification for that. So, feeling

themselves both in political power and in Orthodox Christianity,

finally, and by marriage relationship the successor of the fallen house of the Byzantine

emperors, the Moscow sovereign also found a visual expression of his

dynastic connection with them: from the end of the 15th century. appears on his seals

The Byzantine coat of arms is a double-headed eagle.

Thus, the marriage of Ivan and Sophia had a highly political significance, which declared to the whole world that "the princess, as the heiress of the fallen Byzantine house, transferred his sovereign rights to Moscow as to the new Constantinople, where she shares them with her husband."