At the end of the 15th century, in the Russian lands united around Moscow, the concept began to emerge, according to which the Russian state was the successor of the Byzantine Empire. A few decades later, the thesis “Moscow is the Third Rome” will become a symbol of the state ideology of the Russian state.

A major role in the formation of a new ideology and in the changes that were taking place at that time inside Russia was destined to be played by a woman whose name was heard by almost everyone who had ever come into contact with Russian history. Sophia Paleolog, wife of Grand Duke Ivan III, has contributed to the development of Russian architecture, medicine, culture and many other areas of life.

There is another view of her, according to which she was the "Russian Catherine de Medici", whose intrigues set off the development of Russia along a completely different path and brought confusion to the life of the state.

The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in between. Sophia Paleolog did not choose Russia - Russia chose her, a girl from the last dynasty of Byzantine emperors, as a wife for the Grand Duke of Moscow.

Byzantine orphan at the papal court

Thomas Palaiologos, Sophia's father. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Zoya Paleologina, daughter Despot (this is the title of the position) Morea Thomas Palaiologos, was born at a tragic time. In 1453, the Byzantine Empire, the successor of Ancient Rome, after a thousand years of existence, collapsed under the blows of the Ottomans. The fall of Constantinople was a symbol of the empire's death, in which Emperor Constantine XI, brother Thomas Palaiologos and Uncle Zoe.

The Despotate of Morea, a province of Byzantium ruled by Thomas Palaiologos, held out until 1460. These years, Zoya lived with her father and brothers in Mystra, the capital of Morea, a city located next to Ancient Sparta. After Sultan Mehmed II captured the Morea, Thomas Palaiologos went to the island of Corfu, and then to Rome, where he died.

Children from the royal family of the lost empire lived at the court of the Pope. Shortly before the death of Thomas Palaiologos, in order to gain support, he converted to Catholicism. His children also became Catholics. Zoya after baptism in the Roman rite was named Sophia.

Vissarion of Nicaea. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

A 10-year-old girl, taken into the care of the papal court, did not have the opportunity to decide anything on her own. She was appointed mentor Cardinal Vissarion of Nicaea, one of the authors of the union, which was supposed to unite Catholics and Orthodox under the common authority of the Pope.

Sophia's fate was going to be arranged through marriage. In 1466 she was offered as a bride to a Cypriot King Jacques II de Lusignan but he refused. In 1467 she was offered as a wife Prince Caracciolo, a noble Italian rich man. The prince agreed, after which a solemn betrothal took place.

Bride on the "icon"

But Sophia was not destined to become the wife of an Italian. In Rome, it became known that the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III had been widowed. The Russian prince was young, at the time of the death of his first wife he was only 27 years old, and it was expected that he would soon be looking for a new wife.

Cardinal Vissarion of Nicaea saw this as a chance to promote his idea of ​​Uniatism to Russian lands. From his filing in 1469 Pope Paul II sent a letter to Ivan III, in which he proposed 14-year-old Sophia Paleolog as a bride. The letter referred to her as an "Orthodox Christian" without mentioning her conversion to Catholicism.

Ivan III was not devoid of ambition, which his wife would often play later on. Upon learning that the niece of the Byzantine emperor was proposed as a bride, he agreed.

Viktor Muyzhel. "Ambassador Ivan Fryazin presents Ivan III with a portrait of his bride Sophia Paleolog." Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Negotiations, however, had just begun - it was necessary to discuss all the details. The Russian ambassador sent to Rome returned with a gift that shocked both the groom and his entourage. In the annals, this fact was reflected in the words “bring the princess on the icon.”

The fact is that in Russia at that time secular painting did not exist at all, and the portrait of Sophia sent to Ivan III was perceived in Moscow as an “icon”.

Sofia Paleolog. Reconstruction from the skull of S. Nikitin. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

However, having figured out what was happening, the Moscow prince was pleased with the appearance of the bride. In historical literature, there are various descriptions of Sophia Paleolog - from beauty to ugliness. In the 1990s, studies were carried out on the remains of the wife of Ivan III, during which her body was also restored. appearance. Sophia was a short woman (about 160 cm), prone to corpulence, with strong-willed features that can be called, if not beautiful, then rather pretty. Be that as it may, Ivan III liked her.

The failure of Vissarion of Nicaea

The formalities were settled by the spring of 1472, when a new Russian embassy arrived in Rome, this time for the bride herself.

On June 1, 1472, an absentee betrothal took place in the Basilica of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Russian Deputy Grand Duke Ambassador Ivan Fryazin. The guests were wife of the ruler of Florence, Lorenzo the Magnificent, Clarice Orsini And Queen Katarina of Bosnia. The Pope, in addition to gifts, gave the bride a dowry of 6,000 ducats.

Sophia Paleolog enters Moscow. Thumbnail Front chronicle. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

On June 24, 1472, a large convoy of Sophia Paleolog, together with the Russian ambassador, left Rome. The bride was accompanied by a Roman retinue led by Cardinal Bessarion of Nicaea.

It was necessary to get to Moscow through Germany along the Baltic Sea, and then through the Baltic states, Pskov and Novgorod. Such a difficult route was due to the fact that Russia once again began to have political problems with Poland during this period.

From time immemorial, the Byzantines were famous for their cunning and deceit. The fact that Sophia Palaiologos inherited these qualities in full, Bessarion of Nicaea found out soon after the bride's convoy crossed the border of Russia. The 17-year-old girl announced that from now on she would no longer perform Catholic rites, but would return to the faith of her ancestors, that is, to Orthodoxy. All the ambitious plans of the cardinal collapsed. Attempts by Catholics to gain a foothold in Moscow and increase their influence failed.

November 12, 1472 Sophia entered Moscow. Here, too, there were many who were wary of her, seeing her as a "Roman agent." According to some information, Metropolitan Philip, dissatisfied with the bride, refused to hold the wedding ceremony, because of which the ceremony was held Kolomna Archpriest Hosea.

But be that as it may, Sophia Paleolog became the wife of Ivan III.

Fedor Bronnikov. "Meeting of Princess Sophia Paleolog by Pskov posadniks and boyars at the mouth of the Embakh on Lake Peipsi". Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

How Sophia delivered Russia from the yoke

Their marriage lasted 30 years, she gave birth to her husband 12 children, of which five sons and four daughters survived to adulthood. Judging by historical documents, the Grand Duke was attached to his wife and children, for which he even received reproaches from high-ranking ministers of the church, who believed that this was detrimental to state interests.

Sophia never forgot about her origin and behaved as, in her opinion, the emperor's niece was supposed to behave. Under her influence, the receptions of the Grand Duke, especially the receptions of ambassadors, were furnished with a complex and colorful ceremonial, similar to the Byzantine one. Thanks to her, the Byzantine double-headed eagle migrated to Russian heraldry. Thanks to her influence, Grand Duke Ivan III began to call himself the "Russian Tsar". Under the son and grandson of Sophia Paleolog, this naming of the Russian ruler will become official.

Judging by the actions and deeds of Sophia, she, having lost her native Byzantium, seriously set about building it in another Orthodox country. To help her was the ambition of her husband, on whom she successfully played.

When the Horde Khan Akhmat prepared an invasion of Russian lands and in Moscow they discussed the issue of the amount of tribute with which you can pay off misfortune, Sophia intervened in the matter. Bursting into tears, she began to reproach her husband for the fact that the country was still forced to pay tribute and that it was time to end this shameful situation. Ivan III was not a warlike person, but his wife's reproaches touched him to the core. He decided to gather an army and march towards Akhmat.

At the same time, the Grand Duke sent his wife and children first to Dmitrov, and then to Beloozero, fearing a military failure.

But failure did not happen - on the Ugra River, where the troops of Akhmat and Ivan III met, the battle did not happen. After what is known as “standing on the Ugra”, Akhmat retreated without a fight, and dependence on the Horde ended completely.

15th century rebuilding

Sophia inspired her husband that the sovereign of such a great power as he could not live in the capital with wooden churches and chambers. Under the influence of his wife, Ivan III began the restructuring of the Kremlin. For the construction of the Assumption Cathedral from Italy was invited architect Aristotle Fioravanti. At the construction site, white stone was actively used, which is why the expression “white-stone Moscow”, which has been preserved for centuries, appeared.

The invitation of foreign experts in various fields became a widespread phenomenon under Sophia Paleolog. The Italians and Greeks, who took up the post of ambassadors under Ivan III, will begin to actively invite their fellow countrymen to Russia: architects, jewelers, coiners and gunsmiths. Among the visitors were a large number of professional doctors.

Sophia arrived in Moscow with a large dowry, part of which was occupied by a library that included Greek parchments, Latin chronographs, ancient Eastern manuscripts, among which were poems Homer, essays Aristotle And Plato and even books from the Library of Alexandria.

These books formed the basis of the legendary missing library of Ivan the Terrible, which enthusiasts are trying to find to this day. Skeptics, however, believe that such a library did not really exist.

Speaking about the hostile and wary attitude towards Sophia of the Russians, it must be said that they were embarrassed by her independent behavior, active interference in state affairs. Such behavior for Sophia's predecessors as Grand Duchesses, and simply for Russian women, was uncharacteristic.

Battle of the heirs

By the time of the second marriage of Ivan III, he already had a son from his first wife - Ivan Young who was declared heir to the throne. But with the birth of children, Sophia began to grow tension. The Russian nobility split into two groups, one of which supported Ivan the Young, and the second - Sophia.

Relations between the stepmother and stepson did not work out, so much so that Ivan III himself had to exhort his son to behave decently.

Ivan Molodoy was only three years younger than Sophia and did not feel respect for her, apparently considering his father's new marriage a betrayal of his dead mother.

In 1479, Sophia, who had previously given birth only to girls, gave birth to a son named Vasily. As a true representative of the Byzantine imperial family, she was ready to provide her son with the throne at any cost.

By this time, Ivan the Young was already mentioned in Russian documents as a co-ruler of his father. And in 1483 the heir married daughter of the ruler of Moldavia, Stephen the Great, Elena Voloshanka.

The relationship between Sophia and Elena immediately became hostile. When in 1483 Elena gave birth to a son Dmitry, Vasily's prospects for inheriting his father's throne became completely illusory.

Women's rivalry at the court of Ivan III was fierce. Both Elena and Sophia were eager to get rid of not only their rival, but also her offspring.

In 1484, Ivan III decided to give his daughter-in-law a pearl dowry left over from his first wife. But then it turned out that Sophia had already given it to her relative. Grand Duke, enraged by the arbitrariness of his wife, forced her to return the gift, and the relative herself, together with her husband, out of fear of punishment, had to flee the Russian lands.

Death and burial of Grand Duchess Sophia Paleolog. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

The loser loses everything

In 1490, the heir to the throne, Ivan the Young, fell ill with "aching legs." Especially for his treatment from Venice was called doctor Lebi Zhidovin, but he could not help, and on March 7, 1490, the heir died. The doctor was executed by order of Ivan III, and rumors circulated in Moscow that Ivan Young died as a result of poisoning, which was the work of Sophia Paleolog.

There is no evidence for this, however. After the death of Ivan the Young, his son became the new heir, known in Russian historiography as Dmitry Ivanovich Vnuk.

Dmitry Vnuk was not officially proclaimed heir, and therefore Sophia Paleolog continued her attempts to achieve the throne for Vasily.

In 1497, a conspiracy of supporters of Vasily and Sophia was uncovered. Enraged, Ivan III sent its participants to the chopping block, but did not touch his wife and son. However, they were in disgrace, actually under house arrest. On February 4, 1498, Dmitry Vnuk was officially proclaimed heir to the throne.

The fight, however, was not over. Soon, Sophia's party managed to achieve revenge - this time, the supporters of Dmitry and Elena Voloshanka were given into the hands of the executioners. The denouement came on April 11, 1502. New accusations of a conspiracy against Dmitry Vnuk and his mother Ivan III considered convincing, sending them under house arrest. A few days later, Vasily was proclaimed co-ruler of his father and heir to the throne, and Dmitry Vnuk and his mother were placed in prison.

Birth of an empire

Sophia Paleolog, who actually elevated her son to the Russian throne, herself did not live up to this moment. She died on April 7, 1503 and was buried in a massive white stone sarcophagus in the tomb of the Ascension Cathedral in the Kremlin next to the grave. Maria Borisovna, the first wife of Ivan III.

The Grand Duke, who was widowed for the second time, outlived his beloved Sophia by two years, passing away in October 1505. Elena Voloshanka died in prison.

Vasily III, having ascended the throne, first of all tightened the conditions of detention for a competitor - Dmitry Vnuk was shackled in iron shackles and placed in a small cell. In 1509, the 25-year-old noble prisoner died.

In 1514, in an agreement with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I Vasily III for the first time in the history of Rus' is called the emperor of the Rus. This charter is then used Peter I as proof of their rights to be crowned as emperor.

The efforts of Sophia Palaiologos, a proud Byzantine who set about building a new empire to replace the lost one, were not in vain.

Sophia Fominichna Paleolog, she is Zoya Paleologina (born approximately 1455 - death April 7, 1503) - Grand Duchess of Moscow. Wife of Ivan III, mother of Vasily III, grandmother of Ivan IV the Terrible. Origin - the Byzantine imperial dynasty of the Palaiologos. Her father, Thomas Palaiologos, was the brother of the last emperor of Byzantium, Constantine XI, and despot of Morea. Sophia's maternal grandfather was Centurione II Zaccaria, the last Frankish prince of Achaia.

Profitable marriage

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.

Sophia also brought several Orthodox icons, including, presumably, a rare icon of the Mother of God “Blessed Heaven”.

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, the unusually rich decoration of the 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, they also originated from. 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, notices about Sophia in his notes that she was an unusually cunning woman, who had a great influence on the Grand Duke, who, at her suggestion, did a lot . Her influence was even attributed to the determination of Ivan III to throw off Tatar yoke. 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 to European capitals and maintain the prestige of the Moscow sovereign, as well as 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 beautiful gate 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. Three boyars also built themselves stone houses 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

Ivan III and Sophia Paleolog

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). Disappointments in family life were compensated by activity in 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 a legend cited not only by Russian chronicles, but also by the English poet John Milton, in 1477 Sophia was able to outwit the Tatar Khan, declaring that she had a sign from above about the construction of a church to St. 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 - Rus' 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 heir of the Byzantine Empire, Ivan III is “the king of all Orthodoxy”, the Russian Church is the successor of the Greek one. 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 began a stubborn struggle to justify the right to the Moscow throne for her 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 the Ascension 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. We are talking 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.

Great love stories. 100 stories about a great feeling Mudrova Irina Anatolyevna

Ivan III and Sophia Paleolog

Ivan III and Sophia Paleolog

Ivan III Vasilyevich was the Grand Duke of Moscow from 1462 to 1505. During the reign of Ivan Vasilievich, a significant part of the Russian lands around Moscow was united and it became the center of the all-Russian state. The final liberation of the country from the rule of the Horde khans was achieved. Ivan Vasilyevich created the state, which became the basis of Russia up to the present.

The first wife of Grand Duke Ivan was Maria Borisovna, daughter of the Prince of Tver. On February 15, 1458, the son Ivan was born in the family of the Grand Duke. The Grand Duchess, who had a meek character, died on April 22, 1467, before reaching the age of thirty. The Grand Duchess was buried in the Kremlin, in the Ascension Convent. Ivan, who was at that time in Kolomna, did not come to his wife's funeral.

Two years after her death, the Grand Duke decided to marry again. After a consultation with his mother, as well as with the boyars and the metropolitan, he decided to agree to the recently received proposal from the Pope to marry the Byzantine princess Sophia (in Byzantium she was called Zoya). She was the daughter of the Morean despot Thomas Palaiologos and was the niece of Emperors Constantine XI and John VIII.

Decisive in the fate of Zoya was the fall of the Byzantine Empire. Emperor Constantine XI died in 1453 during the capture of Constantinople. After 7 years, in 1460, Morea was captured by the Turkish Sultan Mehmed II, Thomas fled with his family to the island of Corfu, then to Rome, where he soon died. In order to gain support, Thomas converted to Catholicism in the last year of his life. Zoya and her brothers - 7-year-old Andrei and 5-year-old Manuel - moved to Rome 5 years after their father. There she received the name Sophia. The paleologists came under the auspices of Cardinal Bessarion, who retained sympathy for the Greeks.

Zoya has turned over the years into an attractive girl with dark sparkling eyes and pale white skin. She was distinguished by a subtle mind and prudence in behavior. According to the unanimous assessment of contemporaries, Zoya was charming, and her mind, education and manners were impeccable. Bologna chroniclers in 1472 enthusiastically wrote about Zoe: “Truly, she is charming and beautiful ... She was not tall, she seemed about 24 years old; the eastern flame sparkled in her eyes, the whiteness of her skin spoke of the nobility of her family.

In those years, the Vatican was looking for allies to organize a new crusade against the Turks, intending to involve all European sovereigns in it. Then, on the advice of Cardinal Vissarion, the pope decided to marry Zoya to the Moscow sovereign Ivan III, knowing about his desire to become the heir to the Byzantine basils. The Patriarch of Constantinople and Cardinal Vissarion tried to renew the union with Russia with the help of marriage. It was then that the Grand Duke was informed of the stay in Rome of a noble bride devoted to Orthodoxy - Sophia Paleolog. Dad promised Ivan his support in case he wants to woo her. The motives for marrying Sophia with Ivan III, of course, were associated with status, the brilliance of her name and the glory of her ancestors played a role. Ivan III, who claimed the royal title, considered himself the successor of the Roman and Byzantine emperors.

January 16, 1472 Moscow ambassadors set off on a long journey. In Rome, the Muscovites were honorably received by the new Pope Sixtus IV. As a gift from Ivan III, the ambassadors presented the pontiff with sixty selected sable skins. The case quickly came to an end. Pope Sixtus IV treated the bride with paternal care: he gave Zoe a dowry, in addition to gifts, about 6,000 ducats. Sixtus IV in St. Peter's Cathedral performed a solemn ceremony of Sophia's absentee betrothal to the Moscow sovereign, who was represented by the Russian ambassador Ivan Fryazin.

On June 24, 1472, after saying goodbye to the pope in the gardens of the Vatican, Zoya headed to the far north. The future Grand Duchess of Moscow, as soon as she found herself on Russian soil, while still on her way down the aisle to Moscow, treacherously betrayed all the hopes of the pope, immediately forgetting all her Catholic upbringing. Sophia, who apparently met in her childhood with the elders of Athos, who were opposed to the subordination of the Orthodox to the Catholics, was deeply Orthodox at heart. She immediately openly, vividly and defiantly showed her devotion to Orthodoxy, to the delight of the Russians, kissing all the icons in all churches, impeccably behaving in the Orthodox service, being baptized as Orthodox. The plans of the Vatican to make the princess a conductor of Catholicism to Rus' failed, since Sophia immediately demonstrated a return to the faith of her ancestors. The papal legate was deprived of the opportunity to enter Moscow, carrying a Latin cross in front of him.

In the early morning of November 21, 1472, Sophia Paleolog arrived in Moscow. On the same day in the Kremlin, in a temporary wooden church, set up near the Assumption Cathedral under construction, so as not to stop worship, the sovereign married her. The Byzantine princess saw her husband for the first time then. The Grand Duke was young - only 32 years old, handsome, tall and stately. Especially remarkable were his eyes, "terrible eyes." And before, Ivan Vasilyevich had a tough character, but now, having become related to the Byzantine monarchs, he turned into a formidable and powerful sovereign. This was a considerable merit of his young wife.

Sophia became a full-fledged Grand Duchess of Moscow. The very fact that she agreed to go to seek her fortune from Rome to distant Moscow suggests that she was a brave, energetic woman.

She brought a generous dowry to Rus'. After the wedding, Ivan III adopted the coat of arms of the Byzantine double-headed eagle - a symbol of royal power, placing it on his seal. The two heads of the eagle face West and East, Europe and Asia, symbolizing their unity, as well as the unity (“symphony”) of spiritual and secular power. Sophia's dowry was the legendary "liberia" - the library (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 famous library of Alexandria.

According to legend, she brought with her a “bone throne” as a gift to her husband: its wooden frame was all covered with ivory and walrus ivory plates with biblical themes carved on them. Sophia brought with her several Orthodox icons.

With the arrival in the capital of Russia in 1472 of a Greek princess, the heiress of the former greatness of the Palaiologos, a rather large group of immigrants from Greece and Italy was formed at the Russian court. Many of them eventually occupied significant government positions and more than once carried out important diplomatic missions of Ivan III. All of them returned to Moscow with large groups of specialists, among whom were architects, doctors, jewelers, coiners and gunsmiths.

The great Greek brought with her her ideas about the court and the power of power. Sophia Paleolog not only made changes at court - some Moscow monuments owe their appearance to her. Much of what is now preserved in the Kremlin was built during the reign of Grand Duchess Sophia.

In 1474, the Assumption Cathedral, built by Pskov craftsmen, collapsed. The Italians were involved in its restoration under the guidance of the architect Aristotle Fioravanti. When she was built, the Church of the Deposition of the Robe, the Faceted Chamber, named so on the occasion of finishing it in Italian style- edges. The Kremlin itself - a fortress that guarded the ancient center of the capital of Rus' - grew and was created before her eyes. Twenty years later, foreign travelers began to call the Moscow Kremlin in a European way “castle”, due to the abundance of stone buildings in it.

So, through the efforts of Ivan III and Sophia Paleolog, the Renaissance flourished on Russian soil.

However, Sophia's arrival in Moscow did not please some of Ivan's courtiers. By nature, Sophia was a reformer, participation in public affairs was the meaning of the life of the Moscow princess, she was a decisive and intelligent person, and the nobility of that time did not like it very much. In Moscow, she was accompanied not only by the honors accorded 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.

The best way to assert yourself was, of course, childbearing. The Grand Duke wanted to have sons. Sophia herself wanted this. However, to the delight of ill-wishers, she gave birth to three daughters in a row - Elena (1474), Elena (1475) and Theodosia (1475). Unfortunately, the girls died shortly after birth. Then another girl was born, Elena (1476). Sophia prayed to God and all the saints for the gift of a son. There is a legend associated with the birth of Sophia's son Vasily, the future heir to the throne: as if during one of the pilgrimage to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, in Klementyev, Grand Duchess Sophia Paleolog had a vision of St. gender." On the night of March 25-26, 1479, a boy was born, named after his grandfather Vasily. For his mother, he always remained Gabriel - in honor of the Archangel Gabriel. Following Vasily, she had 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, a daughter, Evdokia.

Ivan III loved his wife and took care of the family. Before the invasion of Khan Akhmat in 1480, for the sake of safety, with the children, the court, the boyars and the princely treasury, Sophia was sent first to Dmitrov, and then to Beloozero. Vladyka Vissarion warned the Grand Duke against constant thoughts and excessive attachment to his wife and children. In one of the chronicles, it is noted that Ivan panicked: “Horror is found on n, and you want to run away from the shore, and your Grand Duchess Roman and the treasury with her are ambassadors to Beloozero.”

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 the proclamation of Moscow as the Third Rome, the stronghold of Orthodox Christianity. After his marriage to Sophia, Ivan III for the first time dared to show the European political world the new title of sovereign of all Rus' and forced him to recognize it. Ivan was called "the sovereign of all Rus'."

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

Throughout the 1480s, Ivan Ivanovich's position as the legitimate heir was quite strong. However, by 1490, the heir to the throne, Ivan Ivanovich, fell ill with "kamchugo in the legs" (gout). Sophia ordered a doctor from Venice - "Mistro Leon", who presumptuously promised Ivan III to cure the heir to the throne. Nevertheless, all the efforts of the doctor were fruitless, and on March 7, 1490, Ivan the Young died. The doctor was executed, and rumors spread around Moscow about the poisoning of the heir. Modern historians regard the hypothesis of the poisoning of Ivan the Young as unverifiable due to a lack of sources.

On February 4, 1498, the coronation of Prince Dmitry Ivanovich took place in the Assumption Cathedral in an atmosphere of great splendor. Sophia and her son Vasily were not invited.

Ivan III continued to painfully seek a way out of the dynastic impasse. How much pain, tears and misunderstanding had to be experienced by his wife, this strong, wise woman who was so eager to help her husband build new Russia, Third Rome. But time passes, and the wall of bitterness, which was erected with such zeal around the Grand Duke by his son and daughter-in-law, collapsed. Ivan Vasilyevich wiped away his wife's tears and wept with her himself. As never before, he felt that the white light was not sweet to him without this woman. Now the plan to give the throne to Dmitry did not seem successful to him. Ivan Vasilyevich knew how all-consumingly Sophia loved her son Vasily. He was sometimes even jealous of this motherly love, realizing that the son completely reigns in the heart of the mother. The Grand Duke 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 the sons of Sophia would revolt. 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.

On April 11, 1502, the dynastic struggle came to its logical conclusion. According to the chronicle, Ivan III "placed disgrace on the grandson of his Grand Duke Dmitry and on his mother, Grand Duchess Elena." Three days later, Ivan III "granted his son Vasily, blessed and planted autocrat on the Grand Duchy of Volodimer and Moscow and All Rus'."

On the advice of his wife, Ivan Vasilyevich released Elena from prison and sent her to her father in Wallachia (we needed good relations with Moldova), but in 1509 Dmitry died “in need, in prison”.

A year after these events, on April 7, 1503, Sophia Paleolog died. The body of the Grand Duchess was buried in the cathedral of the Kremlin Ascension Monastery. Ivan Vasilyevich, following her death, lost heart, became seriously ill. Apparently, the great Greek Sophia gave him the necessary energy to build a new power, her mind helped in state affairs, her sensitivity warned of dangers, her all-conquering love gave him strength and courage. Leaving all his affairs, he went on a trip to the monasteries, but failed to atone for sins. He was stricken with paralysis: "... took away his arm and leg and eye." On October 27, 1505, he died, "having been in the great reign for 43 years and 7 months, and all the years of his stomach 65 and 9 months."

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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 dimly lit passageways of the papal church to the snowy Russian steppes, from the secret mission behind her betrothal to a Moscow prince, to the mysterious and still undiscovered collection of books she brought with her from Constantinople, we were introduced by the journalist and writer Yorgos Leonardos, author of the book "Sophia Palaiologos - from Byzantium to Russia", as well as many other historical novels.

In a conversation with an Athens-Macedonian Agency correspondent about the filming of a Russian film about the life of Sophia Palaiologos, Mr. Leonardos stressed 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 of medieval Rus'.

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 Rus' would 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.

© Sputnik/Valentin Cheredintsev

The author of the book considers visiting one of the Pskov churches 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 Rus' paid tribute to the Horde. Indeed, Ivan liberated his state and united various independent principalities under his rule.

© Sputnik/Balabanov

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 emblem - a double-headed eagle, which lasted until the revolution of 1917 and was returned after the collapse of the 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 was not Constantinople captured by the Turks, but Moscow.”

© Sputnik/Alexey Filippov

According to Yorgos Leonardos, “Sofia was the first to create in Rus' on the model of Constantinople a secret service, a prototype of the tsarist secret police and the Soviet KGB. This contribution of hers is recognized by the Russian authorities today. So, the former head of the Federal Security Service of Russia, Alexei Patrushev, on the Day of Military Counterintelligence on December 19, 2007, said that the country honors Sophia Palaiologos, as she defended Rus' 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/Sergey Pyatakov

“Since 1472, the history of the modern – tsarist – state begins in Rus'. 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 laid the foundation for the formation of 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 queen were stored, not only were they not disposed of, but by Stalin’s decree they were placed in a tomb, which was then transferred to Arkhangelsk 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.

© Sputnik/Vladimir Fedorenko

“Sophia transferred the spirit of Byzantium to the newly emerging Russian empire. It was she who built the state in Rus', 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 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 material was prepared by the editors of the site

Sofia Paleolog-Byzantine princess.

Sofia Fominichna Paleolog, she is also Zoya Paleologin (c. 1455 - April 7, 1503), Grand Duchess of Moscow, second wife of Ivan III, mother of Vasily III, grandmother of Ivan IV the Terrible. Descended from the imperial dynasty of Palaiologos.

Family

Her father, Thomas Palaiologos, was the brother of the last emperor of Byzantium, Constantine XI, and despot of the Morea (Peloponnese).

Thomas Palaiologos, Sophia's father (Fresco by Pinturicchio, Piccolomini Library)

Emperor John VIII, Sophia's uncle (fresco by Benozzo Gozzoli, Magi Chapel)

Emperor Constantine XI, Sophia's uncle

Her maternal grandfather was Centurione II Zaccaria, the last Frankish prince of Achaia. Centurione came from a Genoese merchant family. His father was placed to rule Achaia by the Neapolitan king Charles III of Anjou. Centurione inherited power from his father and ruled in the principality until 1430, when the despot of the Morea, Thomas Palaiologos, launched a large-scale offensive against his possessions. This forced the prince to retreat to his hereditary castle in Messenia, where he died in 1432, two years after the peace treaty, according to which Thomas married his daughter Catherine. After his death, the territory of the principality became part of the despotate.

Zoya's elder sister Elena Paleologina Morejskaya (1431 - November 7, 1473) was the wife of the Serbian despot Lazar Brankovich from 1446, and after the capture of Serbia by Muslims in 1459, she fled to the Greek island of Lefkada, where she took the veil. Thomas also had two surviving sons, Andrei Palaiologos (1453–1502) and Manuel Palaiologos (1455–1512).

Italy

Decisive in the fate of Zoya was the fall of the Byzantine Empire. Emperor Constantine died in 1453 during the capture of Constantinople, 7 years later, in 1460, Morea was captured by the Turkish Sultan Mehmed II, Thomas went to the island of Corfu, then to Rome, where he soon died. Zoya and her brothers, 7-year-old Andrei and 5-year-old Manuel, moved to Rome 5 years after their father. There she received the name Sophia. Palaiologos settled at the court of Pope Sixtus IV (customer of the Sistine Chapel). In order to gain support, Thomas converted to Catholicism in the last year of his life.

Sixtus IV, Titian

After the death of Thomas on May 12, 1465 (his wife Catherine died a little earlier in the same year), the well-known Greek scientist, Cardinal Bessarion of Nicaea, a supporter of the union, took care of his children. His letter has been preserved, in which he gave instructions to the teacher of orphans. From this letter it follows that the pope will continue to release 3600 ecu per year for their maintenance (200 ecu per month: for children, their clothes, horses and servants; plus it was necessary to save for a rainy day, and spend 100 ecu on the maintenance of a modest yard , which included a doctor, a professor of Latin, a professor of Greek, a translator and 1-2 priests).

Vissarion of Nicaea

After the death of Thomas, the crown of the Palaiologos was de jure inherited by his son Andrei, who sold it to various European monarchs and died in poverty. The second son of Thomas Palaiologos, Manuel, during the reign of Bayezid II returned to Istanbul and surrendered to the mercy of the Sultan. According to some sources, he converted to Islam, started a family and served in the Turkish navy.

In 1466, the Venetian lordship offered the Cypriot king Jacques II de Lusignan the candidacy of Sophia as a bride, but he refused. According to Fr. Pirlinga, the brilliance of her name and the glory of her ancestors were a poor bulwark against the Ottoman ships cruising the waters of the Mediterranean. Around 1467, Pope Paul II, through Cardinal Vissarion, offered her hand to Prince Caracciolo, a noble Italian rich man. They were solemnly engaged, but the marriage did not take place.

Wedding

Ivan III was widowed in 1467 - his first wife Maria Borisovna, Princess of Tverskaya died, leaving him his only son, heir - Ivan the Young.

Sophia's marriage to Ivan III was proposed in 1469 by Pope Paul II, presumably in the hope of gaining influence. catholic church in Rus' or, perhaps, the rapprochement of the Catholic and Orthodox churches - to restore the Florentine connection of churches. Ivan III's motives were probably related to status, and the recently widowed monarch agreed to marry a Greek princess. The idea of ​​marriage may have been born in the mind of Cardinal Vissarion.

The negotiations lasted three years. The Russian chronicle narrates: On February 11, 1469, the Greek Yuri arrived in Moscow from Cardinal Vissarion to the Grand Duke with a sheet in which Sophia, the daughter of the Amorite despot Thomas, an “Orthodox Christian” was offered to the Grand Duke as a bride (she was silent about her conversion to Catholicism). Ivan III consulted with his mother, Metropolitan Philip and the boyars, and made a positive decision.

Banner "Sermon of John the Baptist" from the Oratorio San Giovanni, Urbino. Italian experts believe that Vissarion and Sophia Palaiologos (3rd and 4th characters from the left) are depicted in the crowd of listeners. Gallery of the Province of the Marche, Urbino.

In 1469, Ivan Fryazin (Gian Battista della Volpe) was sent to the Roman court to woo Grand Duke Sophia. The Sofia chronicle testifies that a portrait of the bride was sent back to Rus' with Ivan Fryazin, and such secular painting turned out to be an extreme surprise in Moscow - “... and bring the princess written on the icon.(This portrait has not been preserved, which is very regrettable, since it was probably painted by a painter in the papal service, the generation of Perugino, Melozzo da Forli and Pedro Berruguete). The Pope received the ambassador with great honour. He asked the Grand Duke to send the boyars for the bride. Fryazin went to Rome for the second time on January 16, 1472, and arrived there on May 23.

Viktor Muyzhel. "Ambassador Ivan Frezin presents Ivan III with a portrait of his bride Sophia Paleolog"

On June 1, 1472, an absentee betrothal took place in the Basilica of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Ivan Fryazin was the deputy of the Grand Duke. The wife of the ruler of Florence, Lorenzo the Magnificent, Clarice Orsini and the Queen of Bosnia, Katharina, were also guests. The Pope, in addition to gifts, gave the bride a dowry of 6,000 ducats.

Clarici Medici

On June 24, 1472, a large convoy of Sophia Palaiologos, together with Fryazin, left Rome. The bride was accompanied by Cardinal Bessarion of Nicaea, who was supposed to realize the opportunities that were opening up for the Holy See. Legend has it that Sophia's dowry included books that would form the basis of the collection of the famous library of Ivan the Terrible.

Sophia's retinue: Yuri Trakhaniot, Dmitry Trakhaniot, Prince Konstantin, Dmitry (ambassador of her brothers), St. Cassian the Greek. And also - the papal legate Genoese Anthony Bonumbre, Bishop of Accia (his annals are erroneously called a cardinal). The nephew of diplomat Ivan Fryazin, architect Anton Fryazin, also arrived with her.

Fedor Bronnikov. "Meeting of Princess Sophia Paleolog by Pskov posadniks and boyars at the mouth of the Embakh on Lake Peipsi"

The itinerary of the journey was as follows: north from Italy through Germany, they arrived at the port of Lübeck on September 1. (I had to go around Poland, through which travelers usually went to Rus' by land - at that moment she was in a state of conflict with Ivan III). The sea voyage across the Baltic took 11 days. The ship landed in Kolyvan (modern Tallinn), from where the motorcade in October 1472 proceeded through Yuryev (modern Tartu), Pskov and Velikiy Novgorod. November 12, 1472 Sophia entered Moscow.

Sofia Paleolog enters Moscow. Miniature of the Front Chronicle

Even during the bride's journey through the Russian lands, it became obvious that the plans of the Vatican to make her a conductor of Catholicism failed, since Sophia immediately demonstrated a return to the faith of her ancestors. The papal legate Anthony Bonumbre was deprived of the opportunity to enter Moscow, carrying a Latin cross in front of him (see Korsun cross).

The wedding in Russia took place on November 12 (22), 1472 in the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. They were married by Metropolitan Philip (according to the Sophia Time Book - Archpriest Hosea of ​​Kolomna). According to some indications, Metropolitan Philip was against a marriage union with a Uniate woman. The official chronicle of the Grand Duke claims that it was the Metropolitan who married the Grand Duke, but the unofficial code (as part of the Sophia II and Lvov Annals) denies the participation of the Metropolitan in this ceremony: “The archpriest of Kolomna Osei was crowned, outside the local archpriest and confessor did not command ...”.

The wedding of Ivan III with Sophia Paleolog in 1472. Engraving of the 19th century.

Dowry

The Moscow Kremlin Museums have several items associated with her name. Among them are several precious reliquaries originating from the Annunciation Cathedral, whose setting was probably created already in Moscow. According to the inscriptions, it can be assumed that she brought the relics in them from Rome.

Korsun cross

"Savior Not Made by Hands". Board - 15th century (?), painting - 19th century (?), salary - last quarter (17th century). Tsata and drobnitsa with the image of Basil the Great - 1853. MMK. According to legend, recorded in Ser. 19th century, the image was brought to Moscow from Rome by Sophia Paleolog.

Reliquary pectoral icon. Frame - Moscow, second half of the 15th century; cameo - Byzantium, XII-XIII centuries. (?)

Pectoral icon. Constantinople, X-XI centuries; frame - late XIII - early XIV century

Icon of Our Lady Hodegetria, 15th century

Married life

Sophia's family life, apparently, was successful, as evidenced by numerous offspring.

For her, special mansions and a courtyard were built in Moscow, but they soon burned down in 1493, and the treasury of the Grand Duchess also perished during the fire. Tatishchev conveys evidence that, thanks to the intervention of Sophia, the Tatar yoke was thrown off by Ivan III: when the demand of tribute by Khan Akhmat was discussed at the council of the Grand Duke, and many said that it was better to pacify the wicked with gifts than to shed blood, it was as if Sophia burst into tears and with reproaches she persuaded her husband to end the tributary relationship.

Painting by N. S. Shustov “Ivan III overthrows the Tatar yoke, tearing the image of the Khan and ordering the death of ambassadors”

Before the invasion of Akhmat in 1480, for the sake of safety, with the children, the court, the boyars and the princely treasury, Sofia was sent first to Dmitrov, and then to Beloozero; in the event that Akhmat crosses the Oka and takes Moscow, then she was told to run further north to the sea. This gave rise to Vissarion, the lord of Rostov, in his message to warn the Grand Duke against constant thoughts and excessive attachment to his wife and children. In one of the chronicles, it is noted that Ivan panicked: “horror found on n, and you want to run away from the shore, and his Grand Duchess Roman and the treasury with her were sent to Beloozero.”

Ovechkin N.V. Ivan III. 1988. Canvas. Oil

The family returned to Moscow only in winter. The Venetian ambassador Contarini says that in 1476 he introduced himself to the Grand Duchess Sophia, who received him politely and affectionately and convincingly asked her to bow to the brightest republic from her.

There is a legend connected with the birth of Sophia's son Vasily III, heir to the throne: as if during one of the pious trips to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, in Klementyevo, Grand Duchess Sophia Paleolog had a vision of St. Sergius of Radonezh, who “throw into the bowels of her youth of the young male sex”

"Vision of St. Sergius of Radonezh to the Grand Duchess of Moscow Sophia Paleolog. Lithography. Workshop of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. 1866

Over time, the second marriage of the Grand Duke became one of the sources of tension at court. Soon enough, two groups of court nobility formed, one of which supported the heir to the throne, Ivan Ivanovich the Young, and the second, the new Grand Duchess Sophia Paleolog. In 1476, the Venetian A. Contarini noted that the heir "is in disfavor with his father, because he does not behave well with Despina" (Sofya), but since 1477 Ivan Ivanovich has been mentioned as a co-ruler of his father.

Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich on a walk

Avilov Mikhail Ivanovich

In subsequent years, the grand ducal family increased significantly: Sophia gave birth to a total of nine children to the grand duke - five sons and four daughters.

Meanwhile, in January 1483, the heir to the throne, Ivan Ivanovich Molodoy, also married. His wife was the daughter of the sovereign of Moldavia, Stephen the Great, Elena Voloshanka, who immediately found herself with her mother-in-law "on knives". On October 10, 1483, their son Dmitry was born. After the annexation of Tver in 1485, Ivan Molodoy was appointed prince of Tver as his father; in one of the sources of this period, Ivan III and Ivan Molodoy are called "autocrats of the Russian land." Thus, during all the 1480s, the position of Ivan Ivanovich as the legitimate heir was quite strong.

Ivan and Elena's wedding

The position of the supporters of Sophia Palaiologos was less favorable. So, in particular, the Grand Duchess failed to get government posts for her relatives; her brother Andrey left Moscow with nothing, and her niece Maria, the wife of Prince Vasily Vereisky (the heir to the Vereisko-Belozersky principality), was forced to flee to Lithuania with her husband, which also affected Sophia's position. According to sources, Sophia, having arranged the marriage of her niece and Prince Vasily Vereisky, in 1483 gave her relative a precious piece of jewelry - a "sazhen" with pearls and stones, which had previously belonged to the first wife of Ivan III, Maria Borisovna. The Grand Duke, who wished to bestow a “sazhen” on Elena Voloshanka, upon discovering the loss of the jewelry, became angry and ordered a search to be launched. Vasily Vereisky did not wait for measures against himself and, having captured his wife, fled to Lithuania. One of the results of this story was the transition of the Vereysko-Belozersky principality to Ivan III according to the will of the appanage prince Mikhail Vereisky, Vasily's father. Only in 1493 Sophia procured Vasily the mercy of the Grand Duke: the disgrace was removed.

"The great prince granted his grandson a great reign"

By 1490, however, new circumstances came into play. The son of the Grand Duke, heir to the throne Ivan Ivanovich fell ill "kamchugo in the legs"(gout). Sophia ordered a doctor from Venice - "Mistro Leona" who presumptuously promised Ivan III to cure the heir to the throne; nevertheless, all the efforts of the doctor were fruitless, and on March 7, 1490, Ivan the Young died. The doctor was executed, and rumors spread around Moscow about the poisoning of the heir; a hundred years later, these rumors, already as indisputable facts, were recorded by Andrei Kurbsky. Modern historians regard the hypothesis of the poisoning of Ivan the Young as unverifiable due to a lack of sources.

Death of Grand Duke Ivan Ivanovich.

On February 4, 1498, the coronation of Prince Dmitry took place in the Assumption Cathedral. Sophia and her son Vasily were not invited. However, on April 11, 1502, the dynastic struggle came to its logical conclusion. According to the chronicle, Ivan III “placed disgrace on the grandson of his Grand Duke Dmitry and on his mother, the Grand Duchess Elena, and from that day on he did not order them to be remembered in litanies and litias, nor called the Grand Duke, and plant them for bailiffs.” A few days later, Vasily Ivanovich was granted a great reign; soon Dmitry the grandson and his mother Elena Voloshanka were transferred from house arrest to imprisonment. Thus, the struggle within the grand-ducal family ended in the victory of Prince Vasily; he became the co-ruler of his father and the rightful heir to a huge power. The fall of Dmitry the grandson and his mother also predetermined the fate of the Moscow-Novgorod reform movement in Orthodox Church: the Church Council of 1503 finally defeated it; many prominent and progressive figures of this movement were executed. As for the fate of those who lost the dynastic struggle, it was sad: on January 18, 1505, Elena Stefanovna died in captivity, and in 1509 Dmitry himself died “in need, in prison”. “Some believe that he died from hunger and cold, others that he suffocated from smoke”- Herberstein reported about his death

"Veil of Elena Voloshanka". Workshop of Elena Stefanovna Voloshanka (?) depicting the 1498 ceremony. Sophia is probably depicted in the lower left corner in a yellow cloak with a round patch on her shoulder - a tablion, a sign of royal dignity.

Death

She was buried in a massive white stone sarcophagus in the tomb of the Ascension Cathedral in the Kremlin next to the grave of Maria Borisovna, the first wife of Ivan III. On the lid of the sarcophagus, the word "Sophia" was scratched with a sharp instrument.

This cathedral was destroyed in 1929, and the remains of Sophia, as well as other women of the reigning house, were transferred to the underground chamber of the southern extension of the Archangel Cathedral.

Death and burial of the Grand Duchess

Personality

The attitude of contemporaries

The Byzantine princess was not popular, she was considered smart, but proud, cunning and treacherous. Hostility towards her was expressed even in the annals: for example, regarding her return from Beloozero, the chronicler notes: “Grand Duchess Sophia ... ran from the Tatars to Beloozero, and no one drove; and in which countries she went, the more so Tatars - from boyar serfs, from Christian bloodsuckers. Repay them, O Lord, according to their deeds and according to the wickedness of their undertakings.

The disgraced duma man of Vasily III, Bersen Beklemishev, in a conversation with Maxim Grek, spoke of her like this: “Our Russian land lived in silence and in peace. As the mother of the Grand Duke Sophia came here with your Greeks, so our land got mixed up and great disturbances came to us, just like you had in Tsar-grad under your kings. Maxim objected: “Lord, the Grand Duchess Sophia on both sides was of a great family: on her father, the royal family, and on her mother, the Grand Duke of the Italian side.” Bersen replied: “Whatever it may be; Yes, it has come to our disorder. This disorganization, according to Bersen, was reflected in the fact that since that time “the great prince changed the old customs”, “now our Sovereign, having locked himself in thirds by the bed, does all sorts of things.”

Prince Andrei Kurbsky is especially strict with Sophia. He is convinced that “The devil instilled evil morals into the good Russian princes, especially by their evil wives and sorcerers, like in Israel the kings, more than whom they were raped from foreigners”; accuses Sophia of poisoning John the Young, of the death of Elena, of imprisoning Dmitry, Prince Andrei Uglitsky and other persons, contemptuously calls her a Greek woman, Greek "sorceress".

In the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, a silk veil is kept, hand sewn Sophia in 1498; her name is embroidered on the veil, and she calls herself not the Grand Duchess of Moscow, but "royal tsar's city". Apparently, she highly valued her former title, if she remembers it even after 26 years

Shroud from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra

Appearance

When in 1472 Clarice Orsini and the court poet of her husband Luigi Pulci witnessed an absentee marriage that took place in the Vatican, the poisonous wit Pulci, in order to amuse Lorenzo the Magnificent, who remained in Florence, sent him a report on this event and the appearance of the bride:

“We entered a room where a painted doll sat in an armchair on a high platform. She had two huge Turkish pearls on her chest, a double chin, thick cheeks, her whole face shone with fat, her eyes were wide open like bowls, and around her eyes there were such ridges of fat and meat, like high dams on the Po. The legs are far from thin either, and so are all other parts of the body - I have never seen such a funny and disgusting person as this fair cracker. All day long she chatted incessantly through an interpreter - this time it was her brother, the same thick-legged cudgel. Your wife, as if bewitched, saw in this monster in a woman's guise a beauty, and the interpreter's speech clearly gave her pleasure. One of our companions even admired the painted lips of this doll and considered that she spits amazingly gracefully. All day, until evening, she chatted in Greek, but we were not allowed to eat or drink in Greek, Latin, or Italian. However, she somehow managed to explain to Donna Clarice that she was wearing a narrow and ugly dress, although this dress was of rich silk and cut from at least six pieces of fabric, so that they could cover the dome of Santa Maria Rotunda. Since then, every night I dream of mountains of butter, fat, lard, rags and other similar muck.

According to the review of the Bolognese chroniclers, who described the passage of her procession through the city, she was short in stature, possessed a very beautiful eyes and amazing whiteness of the skin. In appearance they gave her 24 years.

In December 1994, studies of the remains of the princess began in Moscow. They are well preserved (almost complete skeleton except for some small bones). Criminalist Sergei Nikitin, who restored her appearance using the Gerasimov method, points out: “After comparing the skull, spine, sacrum, pelvic bones and lower limbs, taking into account the approximate thickness of the missing soft tissues and interosseous cartilage, it was possible to find out that Sophia was short, about 160 cm, full, with strong-willed features. According to the degree of overgrowth of the sutures of the skull and wear of the teeth, the biological age of the Grand Duchess was determined at 50-60 years, which corresponds to historical data. At first, her sculptural portrait was molded from special soft plasticine, and then a plaster casting was made and tinted to look like Carrara marble.

Great-great-granddaughter, Princess Maria Staritskaya. According to scientists, her face shows a great resemblance to Sophia

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia_Paleolog