Yuri Vasilievich (Юрий Васильевич; 30 October 1532 – 24 June 1563) was the only brother of

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar of all Russia, Tsar and Grand Prince of all R ...

. He was born

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

, and was thus never considered to be a candidate as heir to the Russian throne. He ruled the appanage principality of

Uglich Uglich ( rus, У́глич, p=ˈuɡlʲɪtɕ) is a historic town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River. Population: History The city was first documented in 1148 as ''Ugliche Pole'' (''Corner Field''). The town's name is thou ...

on the

Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

. Yuri was the second son of Vasily III of Russia and

Elena Glinskaya Elena Vasilyevna Glinskaya (; – 4 April 1538) was the grand princess consort of Moscow as the second wife of Vasili III of Russia, and '' de facto'' regent of Russia from 1533 until her death in 1538. She was the mother of the first crowned ...

. He was a year and a half old when his father died of a leg

abscess An abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body, usually caused by bacterial infection. Signs and symptoms of abscesses include redness, pain, warmth, and swelling. The swelling may feel fluid-filled when pre ...

, and six when his mother was apparently poisoned. According to letters written by his older brother Ivan to another Russian prince,

Andrey Kurbsky Prince Andrey Mikhailovich Kurbsky (1528?–1583) was a Russian political figure, military leader, and political philosopher, known as an intimate friend and then a leading political opponent of the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible (). He defected ...

, the two children customarily felt neglected and offended by the mighty

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

s from the Shuisky and Belsky families. An excerpt from their correspondence, describing their mistreatment, reads as, “My brother Yuri, of blessed memory, and me they brought up like vagrants and children of the poorest… What have I suffered for want of garments and food!” Unlike his brother who spent his spare time in learning

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

, Yuri was apparently only interested in food and games including ice-skating. Yuri accompanied his brother during the latter's coronation as

Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

, and was later given a private residence with servants. On 16 June 1552, during the Russo-Kazan war, Yuri was given full charge of state affairs while his brother accompanied the army to

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

. Yuri was married on 3 November 1547 to Princess Ulyana of

Palekh Palekh () is an urban locality (a settlement) and the administrative center An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is l ...

(Paletskaya) and had a son, Vasili, in 1559. The child died 11 months later. Yuri died three years later from natural causes. His wife was sent to the

Novodevichy Convent Novodevichy Convent, also known as Bogoroditse-Smolensky Monastery (), is probably the best-known cloister of Moscow. Its name, sometimes translated as the ''New Maidens' Monastery'', was devised to differ from the Ascension Convent, Old Maidens ...

. Yuri's property was inherited by his elder brother.

References

* Troyat, Henri ''Ivan le Terrible''. Flammarion, Paris, 1982 * de Madariaga, Isabel ''Ivan the Terrible''. Giulio Einaudi editore, 2005 {{DEFAULTSORT:Yuri Of Uglich 1532 births 1563 deaths Daniilovichi family People from Uglich Deaf royalty and nobility Russian royalty and nobility with disabilities 16th-century Russian people People of Byzantine descent Russian deaf people Sons of princes regnant