Sophia Palaeologus was one of the most significant figures on the Russian throne both in her origin and in personal qualities, as well as due to the kind of people she attracted to serve the Moscow rulers. This woman had the talent of a statesman, she knew how to set goals and achieve results.
Family and lineage
The Byzantine imperial dynasty of the Palaeologus ruled for two centuries: from the expulsion of the crusaders in 1261 to the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453.
Sophia's uncle Constantine XI is known as the last emperor of Byzantium. He died during the capture of the city by the Turks. Out of hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, only 5,000 came out on the defensive; foreign sailors and mercenaries led by the emperor himself fought against the invaders. Seeing that the enemies were winning, Constantine exclaimed in despair: "The city has fallen, but I am still alive," after which, having stripped off the signs of imperial dignity, he rushed into battle and was killed.
Sophia's father, Thomas Paleologus, was the ruler of the Moray despotate in the Peloponnese peninsula. According to her mother, Catherine Achaiskaya, the girl came from a noble Genoese family of Centurione.
The exact date of birth of Sophia is unknown, but her older sister Elena was born in 1431, and her brothers in 1453 and 1455. Therefore, most likely, those researchers are right who claim that at the time of her marriage with Ivan III in 1472, according to the concepts of that time, she was already quite many years.
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Life in rome
In 1453, the Turks captured Constantinople, and in 1460 they invaded the Peloponnese. Thomas managed to escape with his family to the island of Corfu, and then to Rome. To ensure the location of the Vatican, Thomas converted to Catholicism.
Thomas and his wife died almost simultaneously in 1465. Sophia and her brothers were under the patronage of Pope Paul II. The training of young Paleologues was entrusted to the Greek philosopher Vissarion of Nicaea, the author of the project of the union of the Orthodox and Catholic churches. By the way, Byzantium went to the aforementioned alliance in 1439, counting on support in the war against the Turks, but it never received any help from the European rulers.
The eldest son of Thomas, Andrei, was the legal heir of the Paleologues. Subsequently, he managed to beg from Sixtus IV two million ducats for a military expedition, but spent them on other purposes. After that, he wandered around the European courts in the hope of finding allies.
Andrey's brother Manuel returned to Constantinople and ceded his rights to the throne to Sultan Bayezid II in exchange for maintenance.
Marriage with Grand Duke Ivan III
Pope Paul II hoped to marry Sophia Palaeologus for his own benefit, in order to expand his influence with her assistance. But although the pope assigned her a dowry of 6 thousand ducats, there was neither land nor military power behind her. She had a famous name that only frightened off the Greek rulers who did not want to quarrel with the Ottoman Empire, and Sophia refused to marry Catholics.
The Greek ambassador proposed to Ivan III a project of marriage with a Byzantine princess two years after the Grand Duke of Moscow was widowed in 1467. He was presented with a miniature portrait of Sophia. Ivan III agreed to the marriage.
However, Sophia was brought up in Rome and was educated in the spirit of Uniatism. And the Rome of the Renaissance was a place where all the vices of mankind were concentrated, and this moral decay was headed by the pontiffs of the Catholic Church. Petrarch wrote about this city: "It is enough to see Rome to lose faith." All this was well known in Moscow. And despite the fact that the bride, while on the way, clearly demonstrated her commitment to Orthodoxy, Metropolitan Philip disapproved of this marriage and avoided the wedding of the royal couple. The ceremony was performed by the archpriest of Kolomna Hosea. The wedding took place immediately on the day of the bride's arrival - November 12, 1472. This haste was explained by the fact that it was a holiday: the day of remembrance of John Chrysostom - the patron saint of the Grand Duke.
Despite the fears of adherents of Orthodoxy, Sophia never tried to create a ground for religious conflicts. According to legend, she brought with her several Orthodox shrines, including the Byzantine miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Blessed Heaven”.
Sophia's role in the development of Russian art
In Russia, Sophia faced the problem of the lack of sufficiently experienced architects of large buildings. There were good Pskov craftsmen, but they had experience in building mainly on a limestone foundation, and Moscow stands on fragile clays, sand and peat bogs. So, in 1474, the almost completed Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin collapsed.
Sophia Palaeologus knew which of the Italian specialists was capable of solving this problem. One of the first people she invited was Aristotle Fioravanti, a talented engineer and architect from Bologna. In addition to many buildings in Italy, he also designed bridges across the Danube at the court of the Hungarian king Matthias Corvin.
Perhaps Fioravanti would not have agreed to come, but shortly before that he was falsely accused of selling counterfeit money, moreover, under Sixtus IV, the Inquisition began to gain momentum, and the architect considered it good to go to Russia, taking his son with him.
For the construction of the Assumption Cathedral, Fioravanti installed a brick factory and identified it as suitable deposits of white stone in Myachkovo, from where the building material was taken a hundred years earlier for the first stone Kremlin. The temple looks like the ancient Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir, but inside it is not divided into small rooms, but represents one large hall.
In 1478, Fioravanti, as chief of artillery, went with Ivan III on a campaign against Novgorod and built a pontoon bridge across the Volkhov River. Later, Fioravanti took part in campaigns to Kazan and Tver.
Italian architects rebuilt the Kremlin, giving it a modern look, erected dozens of churches and monasteries. They took into account Russian traditions, harmoniously combining them with their new products. In 1505-1508, under the leadership of the Italian architect Aleviz New, the Kremlin Cathedral of Archangel Michael was erected, during the construction of which the architect made the zakomaras not smooth, as before, but in the form of shells. Everyone liked this idea so much that it was subsequently used everywhere.
Sophia's participation in the conflict with the Horde
Historian V. N. Tatishchev in his writings gives evidence that, under the influence of his wife, Ivan III went into conflict with the Golden Horde Khan Akhmat, refusing to pay tribute to him, since Sophia was very oppressed by the dependent position of the Russian state. If this is true, then Sophia acted under the influence of European politicians. The events developed as follows: in 1472 the Tatar raid was repulsed, but in 1480 Akhmat went to Moscow, having concluded an alliance with the king of Lithuania and Poland, Casimir. Ivan III was not at all sure of the outcome of the battle and sent his wife with the treasury to Beloozero. In one of the chronicles it is even noted that the Grand Duke panicked: "The horror is on the way, and flee from the shore, and his Grand Duchess Roman and the treasury with her are an ambassador to Beloozero."
The Venetian Republic was actively looking for an ally to help stop the advance of the Turkish Sultan Mehmed II. The mediator in the negotiations was the adventurer and merchant Jean-Battista della Volpe, who had estates in Moscow and was known to us as Ivan Fryazin, it was he who was the ambassador and head of the wedding cortege of Sophia Paleologue. According to Russian sources, Sophia kindly received members of the Venetian embassy. From the foregoing, it follows that the Venetians were playing a double game and made an attempt, through the Grand Duchess, to plunge Russia into a difficult conflict with a bad prospect.
However, Moscow diplomacy wasted no time either: the Crimean Khanate Gireyev agreed to interact with the Russians. Akhmat's campaign ended with "Standing on the Ugra", as a result of which the khan retreated without a general battle. Akhmat did not receive the promised assistance from Kazimir because of the attack on his lands by Ivan III's allied Mengli Giray.
Difficulties in family relationships
The first two children (girls) Sophia and Ivan died in infancy. There is a legend that the young princess had a vision of St. Sergius of Radonezh - the patron saint of the Moscow state, and after this sign from above she gave birth to a son - the future Vasily III. In total, 12 children were born in the marriage, of whom four died in infancy.
From his first marriage with the Tver princess, Ivan III had a son, Ivan Mlada, the heir to the throne, but in 1490 he fell ill with gout. The doctor Mister Leon was discharged from Venice, who vouched with his head for his recovery. The treatment was carried out by such methods that finally ruined the health of the prince, and at the age of 32, Ivan Mlada died in terrible agony. The doctor was publicly executed, and two warring parties were formed at the court: one supported the young Grand Duchess and her son, the other - Dmitry, the young son of Ivan the Young.
For several years, Ivan III hesitated as to whom to give preference to. In 1498, the Grand Duke crowned his grandson Dmitry, but a year later he changed his mind and gave preference to Vasily, the son of Sophia. In 1502, he ordered the imprisonment of Dmitry and his mother. A year later, Sophia Paleologue died. For Ivan it was a heavy blow. In mourning, the Grand Duke made a number of pilgrimage trips to monasteries, where he devoted himself to prayer. He passed away two years later at the age of 65.
What was the appearance of Sophia Palaeologus
In 1994, the remains of the princess were excavated and studied. Forensic scientist Sergei Nikitin restored her appearance. She was not tall - 160 cm, full of build. This was confirmed by the Italian chronicle, which sarcastically called Sophia tolstoy. In Russia, there were other canons of beauty, to which the princess fully corresponded: fullness, beautiful, expressive eyes and beautiful skin. Scientists have determined that the princess died at the age of 50-60.
Galina Pogodina