Vasily I Dmitriyevich (; 30 December 137127 February 1425) was Grand Prince of Vladimir and Moscow from 1389. He was the heir of

Dmitry Donskoy Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy (; 12 October 1350 – 19 May 1389) was Prince of Moscow from 1359 and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1363 until his death. He was the heir of Ivan II. He was the first prince of Moscow to openly challenge Mongol ...

, who reigned from 1359 to 1389. He entered an alliance with the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

in 1392 and married Sophia, the only daughter of

Vytautas Vytautas the Great (; 27 October 1430) was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He was also the prince of Grodno (1370–1382), prince of Lutsk (1387–1389), and the postulated king of the Hussites. In modern Lithuania, Vytautas is revere ...

, though the alliance turned out to be fragile, and they waged war against each other in 1406–1408. The raid on the

Volga region The Volga region, known as the ( , ; rus, Поволжье, r=Povolžje, p=pɐˈvoɫʐje; ), is a historical region in Russia that encompasses the drainage basin of the Volga River, the longest river in Europe, in central and southern European ...

in 1395 by the

Turco-Mongol The Turco-Mongol or Turko-Mongol tradition was an ethnocultural synthesis that arose in Asia during the 14th century among the ruling elites of the Golden Horde and the Chagatai Khanate. The ruling Mongol elites of these khanates eventually ass ...

emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...

resulted in a state of anarchy for the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as ''Ulug Ulus'' ( in Turkic) was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the division of ...

and the independence of

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. In 1412, Vasily resumed submission to the Horde.

Family and early life

Vasily was the oldest son of

and Grand Princess Eudoxia, daughter of Grand Prince

Dmitry Konstantinovich Dmitry Konstantinovich (; 1323–1383) was Prince of Suzdal and Grand Prince of Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal from 1365. He took the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir from his son-in-law, Dmitry Donskoy, from 1360 to 1363.

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...

Reign

While still a young man, Vasily, who was the eldest son of Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy (ruled Moscow 1359–89), travelled to the Tatar khan Tokhtamysh (1383) to obtain the Khan's '' yarlik'' (patent) for his father for the title of grand prince of Vladimir. Diplomatically overcoming the challenge of the prince of Tver, who also sought the patent, Vasily succeeded in his mission. But he was subsequently kept at

Tokhtamysh Tokhtamysh ( Turki/ Kypchak and Persian: توقتمش; ; ; – 1406) was Khan of the Golden Horde from 1380 to 1395. He briefly succeeded in consolidating the Blue and White Hordes into a single polity. Tokhtamysh belonged to the House of Bo ...

's court as a hostage until 1386 when, taking advantage of Tokhtamysh's conflict with his suzerain Timur Lenk (

Tamerlane Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol tradition, Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timuri ...

), he escaped and returned to Moscow. With Tokhtamysh's permission, Vasily I took over Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal in 1393. Nizhny Novgorod was given to Vasily by the Khan of the Golden Horde in exchange for the help Moscow had given against one of his rivals. He also took

Murom Murom (, ) is a historical types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which sprawls along the west bank of the Oka River. It borders Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and is situated from the administrative center Vladimir, ...

. In 1397–1398

Kaluga Kaluga (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia. It stands on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Its population was 337,058 at the 2021 census. Kaluga's most famous residen ...

Vologda Vologda (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the river Vologda (river), Vologda within the watershed of the Northern Dvina. Population: The city serves as ...

, Veliki Ustyug and the lands of the

Komi peoples The Komi ( also ) are a Permians, Permian ethnic group who are indigenous to, and primarily inhabit a region around the basins of the Vychegda, Pechora River, Pechora and Kama river, Kama rivers in northeastern European Russia. They mostly reside ...

were annexed. To prevent Muscovy from being attacked by the

, Vasily I entered into an

alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...

with the

in 1392 and married

Sophia of Lithuania Sophia Vitovtovna of Lithuania (, ; 1371 – 1453) was the grand princess of Moscow as the wife of Vasily I from 1391 to 1425. She was regent for her son Vasily II from 1425 to 1432. Her father was Vytautas, the grand duke of Lithuania. Life ...

, the only daughter of

Vytautas the Great Vytautas the Great (; 27 October 1430) was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He was also the prince of Grodno (1370–1382), prince of Lutsk (1387–1389), and the postulated king of the Hussites. In modern Lithuania, Vytautas is revere ...

. The alliance turned out to be fragile, and they waged war against each other in 1406–1408. Vytautas had positioned himself as an unifier of all Rus’ lands, the Polish historian Koneczny spoke of the potentiality "that could have been realised had the program of the subjugation of all of Rus’ been implemented". Furthermore, he saw the potentiality of the

becoming an empire by virtue of all of Rus’ being under Lithuanian domination. Vytautas, thus attacked Novgorod and Pskov, clashing with his son-in-law Vasily but later making peace. This peace allowed Vytautas to strike against the Teutonic order at the

Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila), a ...

. However, the terms of the Union of Horodlo negotiated by Polish King Jogaila, which discriminated against Orthodox Christians, caused Lithuania to lose its influence over the Russian states. Mongol emir

raided the Slavic lands in 1395; he ruined the

but did not penetrate as far as

. Timur's raid was of service to the Muscovite prince as it damaged the

, which for the next twelve years was in a state of anarchy. During the whole of this time no tribute was paid to the

khan Khan may refer to: * Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name * Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by various ethnicities Art and entertainment * Khan (band), an English progressiv ...

Olug Moxammat Ulugh Muhammad or Muhammad Khan (1405–1445; Chagatai, Volga Türki, and Persian: الغ محمد; Kypchak: محمد خان; written as Ulanus by orientalists) was a medieval Tatar statesman, Gengisid, Khan of the Golden Horde (before 143 ...

, though vast sums of money were collected in the Moscow treasury for military purposes. In 1408

Edigu Edigu (also Edigey, Eðivkäy or Edege Mangit; 1352–1419) was a Turko-Mongol emir of the White Horde who founded a new political entity, which came to be known as the Nogai Horde. Life Edigu was from the Crimean Manghit tribe, the son of ...

burnt

, Gorodets,

Rostov Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

, and many other towns but failed to take

, though he had still burnt it. In 1412, however, Vasily found it necessary to pay the long-deferred visit of submission to the Horde. The growing influence of Moscow abroad was underlined by the fact that Vasily married his daughter Anna to Emperor

John VIII Palaeologus John VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus (; 18 December 1392 – 31 October 1448) was the penultimate Byzantine emperor. Ruling from 1425 to 1448, he attempted to bring about the reunification of the Orthodox and Catholic churches and prior ...

Byzantium Byzantium () or Byzantion () was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' continued to be used as a n ...

Domestic policy

During his reign,

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

landownership A landlord is the owner of property such as a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate that is rented or leased to an individual or business, known as a tenant (also called a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). The term landlord applies ...

kept growing. With the growth of princely authority in Moscow, the

judicial The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

powers of landowners were partially diminished and transferred to Vasily's deputies and heads of

volost Volost (; ; ) was a traditional administrative subdivision in Kievan Rus', the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and the Russian Empire. History The '' Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary'' (1890–1907) states that the origins of the concept is unc ...

s. Chronicles speak of a monk called Lazar the Serb who arrived from Serbia, inventing and building a clock on a tower in the Grand Prince's

Terem Palace Terem Palace or Teremnoy Palace () is a historical building in the Moscow Kremlin, Russia, which used to be the main residence of the Russian czars in the 17th century. Its name is derived from the Greek word ''τέρεμνον'' (i.e., "dwelling ...

in Moscow behind the Cathedral of the Annunciation at the request of Vasily I, in 1404. It was the first ever

mechanical clock A clock or chronometer is a device that measures and displays time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month, and the ye ...

in Moscow and the first in any Russian city. It was among the first ten such advanced clocks in Europe, and was regarded as a technical miracle at the time. The most important ecclesiastical event of the reign was the elevation of the Bulgarian,

Gregory Tsamblak Gregory Tsamblak (; ; ; sr-Cyr, Григорије Цамблак; ; ), member of the Tzamplakon family, was a writer and cleric active in Bulgaria, Moldavia, Serbia, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Principality of Kiev. Biography Early life ...

, to the metropolitan see of Kiev by

, grand-duke of Lithuania; the immediate political consequence of which was the weakening of the hold of Moscow on southwestern Rus'.

Marriage and children

Vasily married

, the only child of

and his wife,

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

. They had nine known children, five boys (of which only one survived to mature adulthood) and four girls: * Anna of Moscow (1393 – August 1417), wife of

John VIII Palaiologos John VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus (; 18 December 1392 – 31 October 1448) was the penultimate Byzantine emperor. Ruling from 1425 to 1448, he attempted to bring about the reunification of the Orthodox and Catholic churches and prior ...

, died of

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of Plague (disease), plague caused by the Bacteria, bacterium ''Yersinia pestis''. One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and ...

*Yury Vasilievich (30 March 1395 – 30 November 1400) *Ivan Vasilievich (15 January 1397 – 20 July 1417), died on the way from

Kolomna Kolomna (, ) is a historic types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, situated at the confluence of the Moskva River, Moskva and Oka Rivers, (by rail) southeast of Moscow. Population: History Mentioned for the fir ...

as a result of " pestilence", just six months after marrying the daughter of Prince Ivan Vladimirovich of

Pronsk Pronsk () is the name of several inhabited localities in Ryazan Oblast, Russia. ;Urban localities *Pronsk, Pronsky District, Ryazan Oblast, a work settlement in Pronsky District Pronsky District () is an administrativeLaw #128-ZS and municipalL ...

and receiving the inheritance of

*Anastasia Vasilievna (d. 1470), wife of Vladymir Alexander, Prince of

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

. Her husband was a son of Vladymir, Prince of Kiev. His paternal grandparents were

Algirdas Algirdas (; , ; – May 1377) was List of Lithuanian monarchs, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his brother Kęstutis (who defended the western border of the Duchy) he created an empire stretching from the pre ...

and

Maria of Vitebsk Maria of Vitebsk (died before 1349) was the first wife of Algirdas, future Grand Duke of Lithuania (marriage took place around 1318). Life Very little is known about her life. The only child of a Russian prince Yaroslav, Maria was the only heir to ...

. *Daniil Vasilievich (6 December 1400 – May 1402), died of pestilence *Vasilisa Vasilievna, wife of Alexander Ivanovich "Brukhaty", Prince of

Suzdal Suzdal (, ) is a Types of inhabited localities in Russia, town that serves as the administrative center of Suzdalsky District in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which is located along the Kamenka tributary of the Nerl (Klyazma), Nerl River, north o ...

, and Alexander Daniilovich "Vzmetenj", Prince of Suzdal. *Simeon Vasilievich (13 January – 7 April 1405), died of pestilence *Maria Vasilievna, wife of Yuri Patrikievich. Her husband was a son of

Patrikas Patrikey Glebovich or Patrikas Narimantaitis (, Finnish: ''Patrika Narimantinpoika'') was a grandson (or great-grandson) of Gediminas who exchanged his lands in and near Starodub in Siveria for the Korela and Oreshek fortresses in the Novgorod Re ...

, Prince of

Starodub Starodub (, , ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Bryansk Oblast, Russia, on the Babinets (river), Babinets River in the Dnieper basin, southwest of Bryansk. Population: 16,000 (1975). History Starodub has been known ...

, and his wife, Helena. His paternal grandfather was

Narimantas Narimantas or Narymunt (baptized ''Gleb''; 1277 or just before 1300 (according to Wasilewski 1992) – 2 February 1348) was a Lithuanian duke and the second eldest son of Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. During various periods of his life, h ...

. *

Vasily II of Moscow Vasily II Vasilyevich (; 10 March 141527 March 1462), nicknamed the Blind or the Dark (), was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1425 until his death in 1462. He succeeded his father, Vasily I, only to be challenged by his uncle Yuri of Zveni ...

(10 March 1415 – 27 March 1462) Sophia also suffered many miscarriages: * A miscarriage of a daughter in the 4th month of pregnancy (19 December 1391). * A miscarriage of a daughter in the 6th month of pregnancy (16 August 1392). * A miscarriage in the 1st month of pregnancy (22 January 1394). * A miscarriage of a son in the 4th and a half-month of pregnancy (17 January 1396). * A miscarriage in the 1st month of pregnancy (4 December 1398). * A miscarriage in the 1st month of pregnancy (30 January 1399). * A miscarriage in the 1st month of pregnancy (30 March 1401). * A miscarriage of a son in the 5th and a half-month of pregnancy (11 January 1403). * A miscarriage of a son in the 4th and a half-month of pregnancy (20 March 1406). * A miscarriage in 1410. * A miscarriage in 1412. * A miscarriage in 1414. * A miscarriage in 1416. * A miscarriage in 1418. * A miscarriage in 1420.

Ancestry

References

Bibliography

* (e-book).

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasily 01 of Moscow 1371 births 1425 deaths 14th-century grand princes of Moscow 15th-century grand princes of Moscow Daniilovichi family