What kind of cathedral was built by Sophia paleologist? Sofia Paleolog

On November 12, 1472, Ivan III married for the second time. This time his chosen one is the Greek princess Sophia, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos.

White stone

Three years after the wedding, Ivan III will begin the arrangement of his residence with the construction of the Assumption Cathedral, which was erected on the site of the dismantled Kalita Church. Whether this will be connected with the new status - the Grand Duke of Moscow will by that time position himself as “the sovereign of all Rus'” - or whether the idea will be “suggested” by his wife Sophia, dissatisfied with the “wretched situation”, it is difficult to say for sure. By 1479, the construction of the new temple will be completed, and its properties will subsequently be transferred to the whole of Moscow, which is still called “white stone”. Large-scale construction will continue. The Annunciation Cathedral will be built on the foundation of the old palace church of the Annunciation. To store the treasury of the Moscow princes, a stone chamber will be built, which will later be called the “Treasury Yard”. Instead of the old wooden mansion, a new stone chamber will be built to receive ambassadors, called the “Embankment”. The Faceted Chamber will be built for official receptions. A large number of churches will be rebuilt and built. As a result, Moscow will completely change its appearance, and the Kremlin will turn from a wooden fortress into a “Western European castle.”

New title

With the appearance of Sophia, a number of researchers associate a new ceremony and a new diplomatic language - complex and strict, prim and strained. Marriage to a noble heiress of the Byzantine emperors will allow Tsar John to position himself as the political and church successor of Byzantium, and the final overthrow of the Horde yoke will make it possible to transfer the status of the Moscow prince to the unattainably high level of national ruler of the entire Russian land. From government acts “Ivan, Sovereign and Grand Duke” leaves and “John, by the grace of God, sovereign of all Rus'” appears. The significance of the new title is complemented by a long list of the boundaries of the Moscow state: “Sovereign of All Rus' and Grand Duke of Vladimir, and Moscow, and Novgorod, and Pskov, and Tver, and Perm, and Yugorsk, and Bulgarian, and others.”

Divine origin

In his new position, the source of which was partly his marriage with Sophia, Ivan III finds the previous source of power insufficient - succession from his father and grandfather. The idea of ​​the divine origin of power was not alien to the ancestors of the sovereign, however, none of them expressed it so firmly and convincingly. To the proposal of the German Emperor Frederick III to reward Tsar Ivan with a royal title, the latter will answer: “... by the grace of God we are sovereigns on our land from the beginning, from our first ancestors, and we have been appointed by God,” indicating that in the worldly recognition of his power the Moscow prince does not need.

Double headed eagle

To visually illustrate the succession of the fallen house of the Byzantine emperors, a visual expression will be found: from the end of the 15th century, the Byzantine coat of arms - a double-headed eagle - will appear on the royal seal. There are a large number of other versions where the two-headed bird “flew” from, but it is impossible to deny that the symbol appeared during the marriage of Ivan III and the Byzantine heiress.

The best minds

After Sophia’s arrival in Moscow, a fairly impressive group of immigrants from Italy and Greece will form at the Russian court. Subsequently, many foreigners will occupy influential government positions, and will more than once carry out the most important diplomatic government assignments. Ambassadors visited Italy with enviable regularity, but often the list of assigned tasks did not include resolving political issues. They returned with another rich “catch”: architects, jewelers, coiners and gunsmiths, whose activities were directed in one direction - to contribute to the prosperity of Moscow. Visiting miners will find silver and copper ore in the Pechora region, and coins will begin to be minted from Russian silver in Moscow. Among the visitors there will be a large number of professional doctors.

Through the eyes of foreigners

During the reign of Ivan III and Sophia Paleologus, the first detailed notes by foreigners about Rus' appeared. To some, Muscovy appeared as a wild land in which rude morals reigned. For example, for the death of a patient, a doctor could be beheaded, stabbed, drowned, and when one of the best Italian architects, Aristotle Fioravanti, fearing for his life, asked to return to his homeland, he was deprived of his property and imprisoned. Muscovy was seen differently by travelers, those who did not stay long in the bear region. The Venetian merchant Josaphat Barbaro was amazed at the welfare of Russian cities, “abundant with bread, meat, honey and other useful things.” The Italian Ambrogio Cantarini noted the beauty of Russians, both men and women. Another Italian traveler Alberto Campenze, in a report for Pope Clement VII, writes about the excellent border service set up by the Muscovites, the ban on selling alcohol except on holidays, but most of all he is captivated by the morality of the Russians. “They consider it a terrible, vile crime to deceive each other,” writes Campenze. – Adultery, violence and public debauchery are also very rare. Unnatural vices are completely unknown, and perjury and blasphemy are completely unheard of.”

New orders

External attributes played a significant role in the rise of the king in the eyes of the people. Sofya Fominichna knew about this from the example of the Byzantine emperors. A magnificent palace ceremony, luxurious royal robes, rich decoration of the courtyard - all this was not present in Moscow. Ivan III, already a powerful sovereign, lived not much more widely and richly than the boyars. Simplicity was heard in the speeches of his closest subjects - some of them, like the Grand Duke, came from Rurik. The husband heard a lot about the court life of the Byzantine autocrats from his wife and from the people who came with her. He probably wanted to become “real” here too. Gradually, new customs began to appear: Ivan Vasilyevich “began to behave majestically,” before the ambassadors he was titled “tsar,” he received foreign guests with special pomp and solemnity, and as a sign of special mercy he ordered to kiss the royal hand. A little later, court ranks will appear - bed keeper, nursery keeper, stable keeper, and the sovereign will begin to reward the boyars for their merits.
After a while, Sophia Paleologue will be called an intriguer, she will be accused of the death of Ivan the Young’s stepson and the “unrest” in the state will be justified by her witchcraft. However, this marriage of convenience would last 30 years and would become perhaps one of the most significant marital unions in history.

Her personality has always worried historians, and opinions about her varied to the contrary: some considered her a witch, others idolized her and called her a saint. Several years ago, director Alexey Andrianov presented his interpretation of the phenomenon of the Grand Duchess in the serial film “Sofia,” which was broadcast on the Rossiya 1 TV channel. We'll figure out what's true and what's in it.

The film novel “Sofia,” which has made its presence known on the wide screen, stands out from other historical domestic films. It covers a distant era that had not even been filmed before: the events in the film are dedicated to the beginning of the formation of Russian statehood, in particular the marriage of the Great Moscow Prince Ivan III with the last heir to the Byzantine throne.

A little excursion: Zoya (that’s what the girl was named at birth) was proposed as a wife to Ivan III at the age of 14. Pope Sixtus IV himself really hoped for this marriage (he hoped to strengthen Catholicism in Russian lands through marriage). Negotiations lasted a total of 3 years and were ultimately crowned with success: at the age of 17, Zoya was engaged in absentia in the Vatican and sent along with her retinue on a journey through Russian lands, which only after inspecting the territories ended with her arrival in the capital. The Pope’s plan, by the way, completely fell apart when the newly minted Byzantine princess was baptized in a short time and received the name Sophia.

The film, of course, does not reflect all historical vicissitudes. In 10 hour-long episodes, the creators tried to contain, in their opinion, the most important of what happened in Rus' at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. It was during this period that, thanks to Ivan III, Rus' finally freed itself from the Tatar-Mongol yoke, the prince began to unite the territories, which ultimately led to the formation of a solid, strong state.

The fateful time became so in many ways thanks to Sofia Paleolog. She, educated and culturally enlightened, did not become a mute addition to the prince, capable only of procreating the family and the princely surname, as was the custom in that distant time. The Grand Duchess had her own opinion on everything and could always voice it, and her husband invariably rated it highly. According to historians, it was probably Sofia who put into Ivan III’s head the idea of ​​uniting the lands under a single center. The princess saw unprecedented power in Rus', believed in its great goal, and, according to the hypothesis of historians, the famous phrase “Moscow is the third Rome” belongs to her.

The niece of the last emperor of Byzantium, Sophia also “gave” Moscow the coat of arms of her dynasty - that same double-headed eagle. It was inherited by the capital as an integral part of its dowry (along with the book library, which later became part of the legacy of the great library of Ivan the Terrible). The Assumption and Annunciation Cathedrals were designed and created thanks to the Italian Alberti Fioravanti, whom Sofia personally invited to Moscow. In addition, the princess summoned artists and architects from Western Europe to ennoble the capital: they built palaces and erected new churches. It was then that Moscow was decorated with the Kremlin towers, the Terem Palace and the Archangel Cathedral.

Of course, we cannot know what the marriage of Sofia and Ivan III really was like; unfortunately, we can only guess about this (we only know that, according to various hypotheses, they had 9 or 12 children). A serial film is, first of all, an artistic perception and understanding of their relationship; it is, in its own way, the author’s interpretation of the princess’s fate. In the film novel, the love line is brought to the fore, and all other historical vicissitudes seem to be an accompanying background. Of course, the creators do not promise absolute authenticity; it was important for them to make a sensual picture that people will believe in, whose characters will sympathize with, and sincerely worry about their serial fate.

However, the filmmakers paid enormous attention to everything regarding details. In this regard, it is possible and necessary to learn about history in a film: historically accurate sets were created specifically for filming (the decoration of the prince’s palace, the secret offices of the Vatican, even the smallest household items of the era), costumes (of which more than 1000 were made, mostly by hand). For the filming of “Sofia,” consultants and experts were hired so that even the most fastidious and attentive viewer would not have any questions about the film.

In the film novel, Sofia is a beauty. Actress Maria Andreeva - the star of the popular Spiritless - at not quite 30, on the screen (at the date of filming) she really looks 17. But historians have confirmed that in fact Paleologue was not a beauty. However, ideals change not only over centuries, even over decades, and therefore it is difficult for us to talk about it. But the fact that she suffered from excess weight (according to her contemporaries, even critically) cannot be omitted. However, the same historians confirm that Sofia was indeed a very smart and educated woman for her time. Her contemporaries also understood this, and some of them, either out of envy or because of their own ignorance, were sure that Paleologue could only become so smart thanks to connections with dark forces and the devil himself (based on this controversial hypothesis, one federal TV channel even directed the film “The Witch of All Rus'”).

However, Ivan III in reality was also unprepossessing: short, hunchbacked and not distinguished by beauty. But the filmmakers obviously decided that such a character would not evoke a response in the souls of the audience, so the actor for this role was selected from among the country's main heartthrobs, Evgeny Tsyganov.

Apparently, the director wanted to please the eye of the fastidious viewer first of all. In addition, for him, the viewer craving spectacle, they created an atmosphere of real historical action: large-scale battles, massacres, natural disasters, betrayal and court intrigue, and in the center - a beautiful love story of Sophia Palaeologus and Ivan III. The viewer can only stock up on popcorn and enjoy the beauty of a well-filmed romantic story.

Photo: Getty Images, stills from the serial film

The exact date of her birth is unknown. At the age of about five or seven, she experienced the horror of the defeat of Constantinople by the troops of the Turkish Sultan and the death of her uncle, the last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI. Fleeing from the Turks, her father, Derator's brother Fomo Palaiologos, fled with his children to Rome, under the protection of the Pope.
Nineteen years later, at the end of June 1472, a solemn procession set off from Rome to Moscow: the Byzantine princess Sophia Paleologus, a woman who was destined to play an important role in the historical destinies of Russia, was going to the wedding with the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III.

Pope's mistake

In 1465, Thomas Palaiologos died. The education and upbringing of the royal orphans - brothers Andrei and Manuel and their younger sister Sophia - was entrusted to Cardinal Vissarion of Nicaea. He paid special attention to European Catholic traditions and, calling Sophia “the beloved daughter of the Roman Church,” insistently inspired that she should humbly follow the principles of Catholicism in everything.
In 1468, surrounded by the Pope, the idea matured to marry Sophia to the recently widowed Moscow sovereign Ivan III. The Vatican intended to kill two birds with one stone with this marriage: firstly, it hoped that the Grand Duke of Muscovy could now agree to a union of churches and submit to Rome, and secondly, he would become a powerful ally in the fight against the Turks. And the influence of the future wife on the Grand Duke was assigned a decisive role.

It must be admitted that the diplomatic “game” of organizing a marriage with the Moscow sovereign was carefully conceived and brilliantly executed. But this operation brought the exact opposite result to what was intended!

Ivan III did not intend to fight for the “inheritance” with the Turks, much less agree to a union. And most importantly: having become the Grand Duchess, Sophia Fominishna (as they began to call her in Rus') did not justify the hopes of the papal throne for the subordination of Russia to the Vatican. She not only did not contribute to the Catholicization of Rus', but also kicked out the cardinal who accompanied her, and all the years of her life allotted to her faithfully served Orthodoxy and the Russian State.

Sophia was deeply Orthodox at heart. She skillfully hid her faith from the powerful Roman “patrons”, who did not help her homeland, betraying it to the Gentiles for ruin and death.

Journey. Meeting. Wedding

Inter-dynastic marriages are not an easy matter; matchmaking dragged on for three whole years. Finally, in January 1472, Ivan III sent an embassy to Rome for his bride. And in June of the same year, Sophia set off on the journey with an honorary retinue and the papal legate Anthony. According to Catholic tradition, the legate at the front of the procession carried a Latin cross, which greatly worried the population of Muscovy. In order not to create unnecessary diplomatic and political problems, the legate’s cross was carefully... stolen and thrown into his chambers already in Moscow, a few days after the wedding...
And here is Moscow! The Grand Duke and Princess saw each other in person for the first time and - no one was disappointed!

According to the ideas of that time, Sophia was considered an elderly woman (she was 25-27 years old), but she was very attractive, with amazingly beautiful, expressive dark eyes and soft matte skin, which in Rus' was considered a sign of excellent health. The princess was of average height and somewhat plump (in Rus' this was called corpulence and was considered an advantage for the weaker sex), but she had a stature worthy of a representative of the proud family of Byzantine basileus. And also (and this is perhaps the most important thing) - the princess had a sharp mind and, as we would say now, statesmanlike thinking. But this will appear a little later, but for now the princess, standing on the threshold of the temple where the wedding will take place, looks at her betrothed. The Grand Duke was still young, only 32 years old, and handsome - tall and handsome. His eyes were especially remarkable, “formidable eyes”: the chronicler says that when the prince was angry, women fainted from his gaze!
Metropolitan Philip performed the wedding ceremony, the Russian sovereign power became related to the Byzantine imperial power...

Princess's dowry

The dowry of the representative of the Byzantine basileus family turned out to be very significant. And we are not talking about gold and silver, although there was enough of it - the emperor’s niece was by no means poor. The main thing in the princess's dowry was something that could not be measured in money - neither then, nor five centuries later!
After the wedding, Ivan III adopted the Byzantine double-headed eagle as a coat of arms - a symbol of royal power; He also placed it on his seal.

In the basement of the stone Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God on Senya (the home church of the Moscow Grand Duchesses), a priceless treasure that arrived on Sophia’s wedding train - “Liberia”, a huge collection of ancient books and manuscripts (better known as the legendary “library of Ivan the Terrible”, the search for which has been going on for more than three centuries). "Liberia" included Greek parchments, Latin chronographs, ancient Eastern manuscripts; Its pricelessness is evidenced by the fact that there were poems by Homer unknown to us, works by Aristotle and Plato, Ovid and Virgil, and even surviving books from the famous Library of Alexandria!

As a gift to her husband, Sophia was “presented” with a luxurious throne, the wooden frame of which was covered with plates of ivory and walrus ivory with scenes on biblical themes carved on them (it is known to us as the throne, again, of Ivan the Terrible, and now it is the oldest in the Kremlin meeting).

Sophia also brought with her several Orthodox icons. A very rare icon of the Mother of God “Gracious Heaven” was included in the iconostasis of the Kremlin Archangel Cathedral, and from the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, which she brought, in the 19th century the artist Sorokin painted the image of the Lord for the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This image has miraculously survived to this day. In the Kremlin Cathedral of the Savior on Bor, and today on the lectern you can see another icon from Princess Sophia’s dowry - the image of the All-Merciful Savior.

“Princess of Tsargrodskaya, Grand Duchess...”

And then a new life began for Sophia - the life of the Grand Duchess of Moscow, and participation in large and small state affairs. And what she created in this field deserves very high praise - because even the struggle for power was aimed at strengthening the power of the sovereign of a single and indivisible Rus'.
Sophia brought with her her ideas about the court and the power of government, and many of the Moscow orders did not suit her heart. She did not like that the boyars behaved too freely with their sovereign. That the Russian capital is built entirely of wood, even the sovereign's mansions in the Kremlin, and the fortress walls are dilapidated. And Sofya Fominishna, rolling up her sleeves, got down to business.
One can only envy her energy and determination - especially considering that she became, in modern terms, a mother of many children, giving birth to nine children for the Grand Duke!..

Through the efforts of Sophia, palace etiquette began to resemble Byzantine etiquette. With the permission of the Grand Duke, she created her own “Duma” of members of the retinue and arranged real diplomatic receptions for foreign ambassadors and guests in the female half of the Grand Duke’s chambers, conducting conversations with them “stately and affectionately.” For Rus' this was an unheard of innovation. Ivan III, under the influence of Sophia, also changed his treatment of the courtiers: he began to behave inaccessibly and demand special respect.
According to legend, the name of Sophia Paleologus is associated with the construction of some new Kremlin churches; her contribution to the reconstruction of the Kremlin is also great.
Ivan III himself felt the need to create a real citadel from the grand-ducal residence - impregnable militarily and magnificent architecturally. The final impetus for this was the collapse of the Assumption Cathedral, erected by Pskov craftsmen.

Sophia advised her husband to invite Italian architects, who were then considered the best in Europe. Their creations could make Moscow equal in beauty and majesty to European capitals and support the prestige of the Moscow sovereign, as well as emphasize the continuity of Moscow not only with the Second Rome (Constantinople), but also with the First. Perhaps it was Sophia who prompted her husband to invite Aristotle Fioravanti, who was famous in his homeland as the “new Archimedes”. The architect happily agreed to the Grand Duke's proposal.

The consequences of this invitation were the new Assumption Cathedral, the famous Chamber of Facets and a new stone palace on the site of the former wooden mansion.
Not everyone knows that a special, secret order was waiting for the famous architect in Moscow - executing it, Fioravanti drew up a master plan for the new Kremlin with numerous underground passages, galleries and hiding places. And very few people know that the talented Italian also completed one more task - as it turned out, extremely important for Rus': it was he who actually created the Russian field artillery!

“I don’t want to be a Tatar tributary...”

Now, from the heights of the past centuries, we see that almost all of Sophia’s activities were aimed at the benefit of Rus', at strengthening its foreign policy position and internal stability. Many of Sophia's contemporaries (mostly high-born boyars) did not like the Grand Duchess - for her influence on Ivan III, for the changes in Moscow life, for interference in state affairs. It must be admitted that her husband turned out to be wiser than these “many”, and very often followed Sophia’s advice. Perhaps the point was that, as noted by the famous historian V.O. Klyuchevsky, Sophia’s skillful advice always answered the secret intentions of her husband!

A striking example of Sophia’s useful intervention is the final liberation of Rus' from the Mongol-Tatar yoke: given the tough nature of the Byzantine princess, it can be assumed that her decisive position influenced the decision of Ivan III.

...The ambassador of the Khan of the Golden Horde, Akhmat, arrived in Moscow with an ultimatum for the immediate payment of tribute, and for Ivan III the moment of truth came - either submission - or war. According to legend, at the most critical moment Sophia, who insisted on refusing to pay tribute to the Horde khan, declared to the hesitant sovereign: “I refused my hand to rich, strong princes and kings, for the sake of faith I married you, and now you want to make me and my children tributaries; Don’t you have enough troops?”

At the next meeting with the ambassador, the Grand Duke demonstratively tore up the Khan's letter and ordered the ambassador to be driven out. From the school history textbook we remember that after the great “stand on the Ugra” the Tatars turned their army around and went home.
The hated yoke is over...

A significant role in the fact that the Tatars did not decide on a general battle was played by... Russian artillery under the command of Aristotle Fioravanti, which twice scattered the Tatar cavalry, which was trying to cross the river and enter the battle.

Who will ascend the throne?

It was not easy for Sophia when her ill-wishers from the grand ducal circle went on the offensive. When Ivan III's son from his first wife, Ivan Molodoy, fell ill with gout, Sophia ordered a doctor for him from abroad. It seems that the disease was not fatal, and the doctor was a noble one - however, Ivan died suddenly. The doctor was executed, and bad rumors spread around Moscow about Sophia: they say that she poisoned the heir in order to clear the path for her first-born, Vasily, to the throne.
Storm clouds began to gather above Sophia's head. From his eldest son, Ivan III had a grandson, Dmitry, “guarded” by his mother Elena Voloshanka and the boyars, and from Sophia he had an eldest son, Vasily. Which of them was supposed to get the throne?.. In 1497, the princess’s enemies whispered to the Grand Duke that Sophia wanted to poison his grandson, that she was secretly visited by sorcerers preparing poisonous potions, and that even Vasily himself was participating in the conspiracy. Ivan III took the side of his grandson, arrested Vasily, ordered the sorcerers to be drowned in the Moscow River, and removed his wife from him. A year later, he married his grandson in the Assumption Cathedral as heir to the throne.

However, it was not for nothing that all of Sophia’s contemporaries considered her a woman of “outstanding intelligence and strong will”... And she knew how to weave intrigues no worse than her secret and open enemies: for less than two years, Sophia and Vasily were in disgrace. The former princess managed to bring about the downfall of Elena Voloshanka, accusing her of... adherence to heresy (proving your innocence with such accusations is very problematic). There was no Holy Inquisition in Rus', heretics were not burned at the stake, so Ivan III simply put Elena and his grandson in prison, where they spent the rest of their lives. In 1500, the Grand Duke and Sovereign of All Rus' named Vasily the legal heir to the throne.

“The Queen of Tsargorod, Grand Duchess of Moscow Sofya Fominishna” won. Who knows what path Russian history would have taken if not for Sophia!
On April 7, 1503, Sophia Paleologus died. With all the honors due to her title, she was buried in the grand-ducal tomb of the Ascension Convent in the Kremlin.

The sudden death of Ivan III's first wife, Princess Maria Borisovna, on April 22, 1467, made the Grand Duke of Moscow think about a new marriage. The widowed Grand Duke chose the fairy princess Sophia Paleologue, who lived in Rome and was reputed to be a Catholic. Some historians believe that the idea of ​​the “Roman-Byzantine” marriage union was born in Rome, others prefer Moscow, and others prefer Vilna or Krakow.

Sophia (in Rome they called her Zoe) Palaeologus was the daughter of the Morean despot Thomas Palaeologus and was the niece of Emperors Constantine XI and John VIII. Despina Zoya spent her childhood in Morea and on the island of Corfu. She came to Rome with her brothers Andrei and Manuel after the death of her father in May 1465. The Palaiologos came under the patronage of Cardinal Vissarion, who retained his sympathies for the Greeks. The Patriarch of Constantinople and Cardinal Vissarion tried to renew the union with Russia through marriage.

Yuri the Greek, who arrived in Moscow from Italy on February 11, 1469, brought a certain “leaf” to Ivan III. In this message, the author of which, apparently, was Pope Paul II himself, and the co-author was Cardinal Vissarion, the Grand Duke was informed about the stay in Rome of a noble bride devoted to Orthodoxy, Sophia Paleologus. Dad promised Ivan his support if he wanted to woo her.

In Moscow they did not like to rush in important matters and they pondered over the new news from Rome for about four months. Finally, all thoughts, doubts and preparations were left behind. On January 16, 1472, Moscow ambassadors set off on a long journey.

In Rome, Muscovites were honorably received by the new Pope Gikctom IV. As a gift from Ivan III, the ambassadors presented the pontiff with sixty selected sable skins. From now on, the matter quickly came to an end. A week later, Sixtus IV in St. Peter's Cathedral performs a solemn ceremony of Sophia's betrothal in absentia to the Moscow sovereign.

At the end of June 1472, the bride, accompanied by Moscow ambassadors, the papal legate and a large retinue, went to Moscow. At parting, dad gave her a long audience and his blessing. He ordered that magnificent, crowded meetings be held everywhere for Sophia and her retinue.

Sophia Paleologus arrived in Moscow on November 12, 1472, and her wedding to Ivan III immediately took place. What is the reason for the rush? It turns out that the next day the memory of St. John Chrysostom, the heavenly patron of the Moscow sovereign, was celebrated. From now on, the family happiness of Prince Ivan was given under the protection of the great saint.

Sophia became the full-fledged Grand Duchess of Moscow.

The very fact that Sophia agreed to go from Rome to distant Moscow to seek her fortune suggests that she was a brave, energetic and adventurous woman. In Moscow, she was expected not only by the honors given to the Grand Duchess, but also by the hostility of the local clergy and the heir to the throne. At every step she had to defend her rights.

Ivan, for all his love for luxury, was thrifty to the point of stinginess. He saved on literally everything. Growing up in a completely different environment, Sofia Paleolog, on the contrary, strived to shine and show generosity. This was required by her ambition as a Byzantine princess, niece of the last emperor. In addition, generosity made it possible to make friends among the Moscow nobility.

But the best way to establish oneself was, of course, childbearing. The Grand Duke wanted to have sons. Sophia herself wanted this. However, to the delight of her ill-wishers, she gave birth to three daughters in a row - Elena (1474), Theodosia (1475) and again Elena (1476). Sophia prayed to God and all the saints for the gift of a son.

Finally her request was fulfilled. On the night of March 25-26, 1479, a boy was born, named Vasily in honor of his grandfather. (For his mother, he always remained Gabriel - in honor of the Archangel Gabriel.) Happy parents connected the birth of their son with last year's pilgrimage and fervent prayer at the tomb of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the Trinity Monastery. Sophia said that when approaching the monastery, the great elder himself appeared to her, holding a boy in his arms.

Following Vasily, she gave birth to two more sons (Yuri and Dmitry), then two daughters (Elena and Feodosia), then three more sons (Semyon, Andrei and Boris) and the last, in 1492, daughter Evdokia.

But now the question inevitably arose about the future fate of Vasily and his brothers. The heir to the throne remained the son of Ivan III and Maria Borisovna, Ivan the Young, whose son Dmitry was born on October 10, 1483 in his marriage to Elena Voloshanka. In the event of the death of Derzhavny, he would not hesitate to get rid of Sophia and her family in one way or another. The best they could hope for was exile or exile. At the thought of this, the Greek woman was overcome with rage and impotent despair.

In the winter of 1490, Sophia’s brother, Andrei Paleologus, came to Moscow from Rome. The Moscow ambassadors who had traveled to Italy returned with him. They brought a lot of all kinds of craftsmen to the Kremlin. One of them, the visiting doctor Leon, volunteered to heal Prince Ivan the Young from a leg disease. But when he put jars for the prince and gave him his potions (from which he could hardly die), a certain attacker added poison to these potions. On March 7, 1490, 32-year-old Ivan the Young died.

This whole story gave rise to many rumors in Moscow and throughout Rus'. The hostile relationship between Ivan the Young and Sophia Paleolog was well known. The Greek woman did not enjoy the love of Muscovites. It is quite understandable that rumor attributed to her the murder of Ivan the Young. In “The History of the Grand Duke of Moscow,” Prince Kurbsky directly accused Ivan III of poisoning his own son, Ivan the Young. Yes, such a turn of events opened the way to the throne for Sophia’s children. Derzhavny himself found himself in an extremely difficult situation. Probably, in this intrigue, Ivan III, who ordered his son to use the services of a vain doctor, turned out to be only a blind tool in the hands of a cunning Greek woman.

After the death of Ivan the Young, the question of the heir to the throne intensified. There were two candidates: the son of Ivan the Young - Dmitry and the eldest son of Ivan III and Sophia

Paleolog - Vasily. The claims of Dmitry the grandson were reinforced by the fact that his father was officially proclaimed Grand Duke - co-ruler of Ivan III and heir to the throne.

The sovereign was faced with a painful choice: to send either his wife and son, or his daughter-in-law and grandson to prison... The murder of a rival has at all times been the usual price of supreme power.

In the fall of 1497, Ivan III leaned towards Dmitry. He ordered that a solemn “crowning to the kingdom” be prepared for his grandson. Having learned about this, supporters of Sophia and Prince Vasily formed a conspiracy that included the murder of Dmitry, as well as Vasily’s flight to Beloozero (from where the road to Novgorod opened before him), and the seizure of the grand ducal treasury stored in Vologda and Beloozero. However, already in December, Ivan arrested all the conspirators, including Vasily.

During the investigation, it became clear that Sophia Paleolog was involved in the conspiracy. It is possible that she was the organizer of the enterprise. Sophia obtained poison and waited for the right opportunity to poison Dmitry.

On Sunday, February 4, 1498, 14-year-old Dmitry was solemnly declared heir to the throne in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Sophia Paleologus and her son Vasily were absent from this coronation. It seemed that their cause was completely lost. The courtiers rushed to please Elena Stefanovna and her crowned son. However, the crowd of flatterers soon retreated in bewilderment. The Sovereign never gave Dmitry real power, giving him control over only some northern districts.

Ivan III continued to painfully search for a way out of the dynastic impasse. Now the original plan did not seem successful to him. The sovereign felt sorry for his young sons Vasily, Yuri, Dmitry Zhilka, Semyon, Andrey... And he lived together with Princess Sophia for a quarter of a century... Ivan III understood that sooner or later Sophia’s sons would rebel. There were only two ways to prevent the performance: either destroy the second family, or bequeath the throne to Vasily and destroy the family of Ivan the Young.

This time the Sovereign chose the second path. On March 21, 1499, he “bestowed... his son Prince Vasil Ivanovich, named him Sovereign Grand Duke, gave him Velikiy Novgorod and Pskov as a grand prince.” As a result, three great princes appeared in Rus' at once: father, son and grandson!

On Thursday, February 13, 1500, a magnificent wedding was held in Moscow. Ivan III gave his 14-year-old daughter Feodosia in marriage to Prince Vasily Danilovich Kholmsky, the son of the famous commander and leader of the Tver “compatriots” in Moscow. This marriage contributed to the rapprochement between the children of Sophia Paleolog and the top of the Moscow nobility. Unfortunately, exactly a year later, Theodosia died.

The denouement of the family drama came only two years later. “The same spring (1502) Prince Great April And on Monday he put disgrace on his grandson Grand Duke Dmitry and on his mother Grand Duchess Elena, and from that day he did not order them to be remembered in litanies and litias, nor to be named Grand Duke, and put them behind the bailiffs.” Three days later, Ivan III “bestowed his son Vasily, blessed him and placed him in the Grand Duchy of Volodymyr and Moscow and All Rus' as autocrat, with the blessing of Simon, Metropolitan of All Rus'.”

Exactly one year after these events, on April 7, 1503, Sophia Paleologus died. The body of the Grand Duchess was buried in the cathedral of the Kremlin Ascension Monastery. She was buried next to the grave of the Tsar’s first wife, Princess Maria Borisovna of Tver.

Soon the health of Ivan III himself deteriorated. On Thursday, September 21, 1503, he, along with the heir to the throne Vasily and his younger sons, went on a pilgrimage to the northern monasteries. However, the saints were no longer inclined to help the repentant sovereign. Upon returning from the pilgrimage, Ivan was struck by paralysis: “... it took away his arm and leg and eye.” Ivan III died on October 27, 1505.

This woman was credited with many important government deeds. What made Sofia Paleolog so different? 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. Origins from the Byzantine imperial dynasty of the Palaiologos.
Grand Duchess of Moscow, second wife of Ivan III, mother of Vasily III, grandmother of Ivan the Terrible.

Cardinal's proposal

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

Sofia Paleolog (of course, you can’t find a photo of her, but portraits are presented in the article), according to the ideas of that distant time, was no longer young. However, she was still quite attractive. She had expressive, amazingly beautiful eyes, as well as matte, delicate skin, which in Rus' was considered a sign of excellent health. In addition, the bride was distinguished by her stature and 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 Paleologus 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 agreed.


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


Icon "Blessed Heaven" and the image of Michael III

Sofia Palaeologus, Grand Duchess of Moscow, brought several Orthodox icons. It is believed that among them was the “Blessed Heaven” icon, 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, this icon was used to bless the marriage of Princess Sofya Vitovtovna when she married Vasily I, Prince of Moscow. The image that is in the cathedral today is a copy of an ancient icon, made at the end of the 17th century by order of Fyodor Alekseevich.

Muscovites traditionally brought lamp oil and water to this icon. It was believed that they were filled with healing properties, because the image had healing powers. This icon is one of the most revered in our country today.

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

The birth of the long-awaited heir

After Sofia Palaeologus, 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. Paleologue understood that for this she had to present the prince with a gift that only she could give: to give birth to him a son who would become the heir to the throne. To Sofia’s chagrin, the first-born was a daughter who died almost immediately after birth. A year later, a girl was born again, but she also died suddenly. Sofia Palaeologus cried, prayed to God to give her an heir, distributed handfuls of alms to the poor, and donated to churches. After some time, the Mother of God heard her prayers - Sofia 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 of Paria. The boy was baptized by Vasiyan, the Archbishop of Rostov, in the Sergius Monastery.

What did Sofia bring with her?

Sofia managed to instill in her what was dear to her, and what was valued and understood in Moscow. She brought with her the customs and traditions of the Byzantine court, pride in her own origins, as well as annoyance at the fact that she had to marry a tributary of the Mongol-Tatars. It is unlikely that Sophia liked the simplicity of the situation in Moscow, as well as the unceremoniousness of the relations that reigned at the court at that time. Ivan III himself was forced to listen to reproachful speeches from the 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 she brought, who saw both Roman and Byzantine life, could give the Russians valuable instructions on what models and how they should 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 environment. She skillfully built personal relationships and was excellent at court intrigue. However, Paleologue could only respond to political ones with suggestions that echoed the vague and secret thoughts of Ivan III. The idea was especially clear that by her marriage the princess was making the Moscow rulers successors to the emperors of Byzantium, with the interests of the Orthodox East clinging to the latter. Therefore, Sophia Palaeologus 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 Sofia, she 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 previous environment of the Kremlin ugly and cramped. Masters were sent from Italy, following the princess. They built the Faceted Chamber, the Assumption Cathedral (St. Basil's Cathedral), and a new stone palace on the site of the wooden mansion. In the Kremlin at this time, a strict and complex ceremony began to take place at the court, imparting arrogance and stiffness to Moscow life. Just as in his palace, Ivan III began to act in external relations with a more solemn gait. Especially when the Tatar yoke fell off the shoulders without a fight, as if by itself. And it weighed heavily over all of northeastern Russia for almost two centuries (from 1238 to 1480). A new language, more solemn, appeared at this time in government papers, especially diplomatic ones. A rich terminology is emerging.

Sofia Paleologue 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 unrest” (in the words of boyar Bersen-Beklemishev). Sofia interfered not only in domestic, but also in foreign policy affairs. She demanded that Ivan III refuse to pay tribute to the Horde khan and finally free himself from his power. The skilful advice of the Paleologist, as evidenced by V.O. Klyuchevsky, always responded to her husband’s intentions. 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 “talked” about Paleologus. Before Ivan III left for the great stand on the Ugra in 1480, he sent his wife and children to Beloozero. For this, the subjects attributed to the sovereign the intention to give up power in the event that Khan Akhmat took Moscow, and to flee with his wife.

"Duma" and changes in treatment of subordinates

Ivan III, freed from the yoke, finally felt like a sovereign sovereign. Through the efforts of Sofia, palace etiquette began to resemble Byzantine. The prince gave his wife a “gift”: Ivan III allowed Sofia to assemble her own “duma” from the members of her retinue and organize “diplomatic receptions” in her half. The princess received foreign ambassadors and politely talked with them. This was an unprecedented innovation for Rus'. The treatment at the sovereign's court also changed.

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

Fight for the throne

She was also accused of violating the succession to the throne. In 1497, enemies told the prince that Sophia Palaeologus planned to poison his grandson in order to place her own son on the throne, that she was secretly visited by sorcerers preparing a poisonous potion, and that Vasily himself was participating in this conspiracy. Ivan III took the side of his grandson in this matter. He ordered the sorcerers to be drowned in the Moscow River, arrested Vasily, and removed his wife from him, demonstratively executing several members of the “Duma” Paleologus. In 1498, Ivan III crowned Dmitry in the Assumption Cathedral as heir to the throne.
However, Sophia had the ability for court intrigue in her blood. She accused Elena Voloshanka of adherence to heresy and was able to bring about her downfall. The Grand Duke put his grandson and daughter-in-law into disgrace and named Vasily the legal heir to the throne in 1500.

The marriage of Sofia Paleolog and Ivan III certainly strengthened the Moscow state. He contributed to its transformation into the Third Rome. Sofia Paleolog lived for more than 30 years in Russia, giving birth to 12 children to her husband. However, she never managed to fully understand the foreign country, its laws and traditions. Even in official chronicles there are entries 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 made Moscow not inferior in majesty and beauty to the capitals of Europe. This contributed to strengthening the prestige of the Moscow sovereign and emphasized the continuity of the Russian capital to the Second Rome.

Death of Sofia

Sofia 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, using the preserved skull of Sophia, restored her sculptural portrait (pictured above). Now we can at least approximately imagine what Sophia Paleolog looked like.