😉 Greetings to history buffs and regular visitors to this site! In the article “Sophia Palaeologus: biography of the Grand Duchess of Moscow” about the life of the second wife of the sovereign of all Russia Ivan III. At the end of the article, a video with an interesting lecture on this topic.
Biography of Sophia Paleologue
The reign of Ivan III in Russia is considered the time of the establishment of the Russian autocracy, the consolidation of forces around the united Moscow principality, the time of the final overthrow of the Mongol-Tatar yoke.
Sovereign of All Russia, Ivan III
Ivan III married for the first time very young. When he was only seven years old, he was betrothed to the daughter of the Tver prince Maria Borisovna. This step was dictated by political motives.
Parents, who had been at enmity until that time, entered into an alliance against Dmitry Shemyaka, who sought to seize the princely throne. The young couple were married in 1462. But after five years of a happy marriage, Maria died, leaving her husband a young son. They said she was poisoned.
Matchmaking
Two years later, Ivan III, due to dynastic interests, began the famous matchmaking to a Byzantine princess. The emperor’s brother Thomas Palaeologus lived with his family in Rome. His daughter, Sophia, raised by the papal legates, was proposed by the Romans as a wife to the Moscow prince.
The Pope hoped in this way to spread the influence of the Catholic Church in Russia, to use Ivan III in the fight against Turkey, which seized Greece. An important argument was Sophia’s right to the throne of Constantinople.
For his part, Ivan III wanted to assert his authority by marrying the legitimate heiress of the royal throne. Having received an offer from Rome, the sovereign, after consulting with his mother, the metropolitan and the boyars, sent an ambassador to Rome – the coin master Ivan Fryazin, an Italian by birth.
Fryazin returned with a portrait of the princess and with assurances of the complete benevolent disposition of Rome. He also went to Italy for the second time with the authority to represent the person of the prince at the betrothal.
Wedding
In July 1472, Sophia Palaeologus left Rome, accompanied by Cardinal Anthony and a large retinue. In Russia, she was greeted very solemnly. A messenger rode in front of the retinue, warning of the movement of the Byzantine princess.
The wedding took place in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin in 1472. Sophia’s stay in Russia coincided with great changes in the life of the country. The Byzantine princess did not live up to the hopes of Rome. She did not campaign for the Catholic Church.
Away from the watchful legates, for the first time, perhaps, she felt like the heir to the kings. She wanted freedom and power. At the house of the Moscow prince, she began to revive the order of the Byzantine court.
“The wedding of Ivan III with Sophia Palaeologus in 1472” XNUMXth century engraving
According to legend, Sophia brought many books with her from Rome. In those days, the book was a luxury item. These books were included in the famous tsarist library of Ivan the Terrible.
Contemporaries noticed that after marrying the niece of the emperor of Byzantium, Ivan became a formidable sovereign in Russia. The prince began to independently decide the affairs of the state. The innovations were perceived differently. Many were afraid that the new order would lead to the destruction of Russia, as well as Byzantium.
The sovereign’s decisive steps against the Golden Horde are also credited with the influence of the Grand Duchess. The chronicle brought to us the angry words of the princess: “How long will I be a Khan’s worker ?!” Obviously, by this she wanted to affect the pride of the king. Only under Ivan III did Russia finally throw off the Tatar yoke.
The family life of the Grand Duchess was successful. This is evidenced by the numerous offspring: 12 children (7 daughters and 5 sons). Two daughters died in infancy. Ivan IV the Terrible is her grandson. The years of the life of Sophia (Zoe) Palaeologus: 1455-1503.
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