Vasily II of Moscow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vasily II the Blind |
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| Grand Prince of Moscow | |
| Reign | 27 February 1425 – 27 March 1462 |
| Predecessor | Vasily I |
| Successor | Ivan III |
| Born | 10 March 1415 Moscow, Grand Duchy of Moscow |
| Died | 27 March 1462 (aged 47) Moscow, Grand Duchy of Moscow |
| Consort | Maria Yaroslavna |
| Issue | Ivan Vasilievich Anna Vasilievna Andrey Bolshoy |
| Dynasty | Rurik |
| Father | Vasily I of Russia |
| Mother | Sophia of Lithuania |
| Religion | Eastern Orthodox |
Vasily Vasiliyevich (Russian: Василий Васильевич; born March 10, 1415 – died March 27, 1462) was a powerful ruler of Moscow. He is best known as Vasily II the Blind (Василий II Тёмный). He became Grand Prince of Moscow in 1425 and ruled until 1462. His time as ruler was filled with a major civil war in Old Russia. During this war, Vasily was captured and even blinded by his enemies. But he fought back and managed to get his throne back. Because he could not see, he later made his son, Ivan III the Great, a co-ruler to help him govern.
Contents
Early Years and Family Struggles
Vasily II was the youngest son of Vasily I of Moscow and Sophia of Lithuania. Sophia was the daughter of Vytautas the Great. Vasily was the only son of his father to live past childhood. His older brother, Ivan, had died when he was 22.
When his father, Vasily I, died, Vasily II was only 10 years old. He was named the new Grand Duke. His mother, Sophia, helped him rule as a regent. However, his uncle, Yuri of Zvenigorod, and Yuri's two sons, Vasily the Cross-Eyed and Dmitry Shemyaka, wanted the throne for themselves.
Their claim was based on the will of Dmitri Donskoi, who was Yuri's father and Vasily II's grandfather. Dmitri's will said that if Vasily I died without children, Yuri would become the ruler. But Vasily I did have a child (Vasily II). So, many people believed this part of the will no longer applied. Vasily II's claim to the throne was strongly supported by his grandfather, Vytautas.
Fighting for the Throne
When Vytautas died in 1430, Yuri went to the Golden Horde. He returned with permission to take the Moscow throne. But the Khan of the Golden Horde did not give him much more help. This was partly due to the clever actions of Ivan Vsevolzhsky, a prince from Smolensk.
Yuri gathered an army and attacked Moscow. Vasily II was betrayed by Vsevolzhsky and was defeated and captured in 1433. Yuri became the Grand Duke of Moscow. He pardoned Vasily II and sent him to rule the town of Kolomna. This was a mistake for Yuri. Vasily II immediately began to plan against his uncle and gather supporters. Yuri realized his throne was not safe. He gave up the throne and left Moscow. When Vasily II returned to Moscow, he had Vsevolzhsky blinded for his betrayal.
After Yuri died in 1434, his sons continued the fight. Vasily the Cross-Eyed entered the Kremlin and was declared the new Grand Duke. But Dmitry Shemyaka, his brother, also wanted the throne. Dmitry quarreled with his brother and made an alliance with Vasily II. Together, they forced Vasily the Cross-Eyed out of the Kremlin in 1435. Vasily the Cross-Eyed was then captured and blinded. This meant he could no longer fight for the throne.
Challenges from Kazan and Shemyaka
During Vasily II's rule, the powerful Golden Horde began to break apart into smaller Khanates. Even though his throne was more secure, Vasily had to deal with new threats from these Tatar groups.
In 1439, Vasily II had to escape from Moscow. The city was under attack by Ulugh Muhammad, the ruler of the new Kazan Khanate. Six years later, Vasily II led his own army against Ulugh Muhammad. But he was defeated and taken prisoner. The Russian people had to collect a huge amount of money to pay for their prince's release. Vasily II was set free about five months later.
While Vasily II was a prisoner, Dmitry Shemyaka took control of Moscow. Remembering what happened to his own brother, Dmitry had Vasily II blinded in 1446. He then sent Vasily into exile in Uglich. This is why Vasily II became known as 'the blind' (Tyomniy, meaning 'dark').
However, Vasily II still had many supporters in Moscow. Dmitry eventually called him back from exile and gave him Vologda to rule. This was another mistake. Vasily II quickly gathered his supporters and took back the throne.
Vasily II finally won against his cousin in the 1450s. He captured Galich-Mersky and poisoned Dmitry. Dmitry's children escaped to Lithuania. These events finally ended the old system of collateral succession. This system, where brothers or uncles could inherit the throne, had caused many civil wars in the Middle Ages.
Later Rule and Important Changes
With the civil war finally over, Vasily II worked to make his own power stronger. He removed almost all the small independent areas within the Moscow principality. His military actions between 1441 and 1460 helped Moscow gain more control over Suzdal, the Vyatka lands, and the independent cities of Novgorod and Pskov.
Around this time, the city of Constantinople was captured by the Turks. The leader of the church there, the Patriarch, agreed to accept the authority of the Pope in the Council of Florence. Vasily II quickly rejected this agreement. In 1448, he ordered that bishop Jonah be appointed the main metropolitan of Russia. This was a big step. It meant the Russian Orthodox Church declared its independence from the Patriarch of Constantinople. This move made Russia more respected among other Orthodox Christian countries.
In his later years, Vasily II received great help from Metropolitan Jonah and his boyars (nobles). His older son, Ivan III, also helped a lot. Ivan was named a co-ruler in the late 1450s. When Vasily II died in 1462, Ivan III became the new Grand Prince of Moscow. Vasily's daughter, Anna, married a prince from Ryazan.
See also
In Spanish: Basilio II de Moscú para niños
