The son of Grand Duke Vasily I Dmitrievich Vasily II of Moscow (Dark) was born in Moscow on March 10, 1415.
In the fifteenth century, Russia was in a state of fragmentation. The Grand Duke, although he received a label for reign from the Golden Horde Khan, still could not count on the unconditional subordination of the appanage princes. The principle of the transfer of the throne by seniority increasingly came into conflict with the decisions of the Golden Horde. Preference was given to princes pleasing to the khan, who obsequiously served him or skillfully created the appearance of such a service. Many of the governors provoked open aggression among the population and could not hold on to power for a long time. The state of the Moscow principality was not strong enough to dictate its will to all of Russia, so civil strife happened quite often.
In 1425, the ten-year-old Vasily Vasilyevich, the son of the former Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich, ascended the Moscow throne. The reign of young Vasily was under serious threat, since it contradicted the customs, as well as the will of Dmitry Donskoy. As soon as the news of the death of Vasily Dmitrievich spread around the specific possessions, violent feuds began. Vasily's uncle, Yuri Zvenigorodsky, claimed the throne. In addition, Yuri had two adult sons who supported his father in the confrontation. Vasily's mother was the daughter of the strong Lithuanian ruler Vitovt, who took under his patronage the principality of the young grandson. To pacify warlike relatives, young Vasily, together with his grandfather Vitovt, had to go on a military campaign, which ended successfully. As such, there was no battle, since the power of the Lithuanian army and Vasily's army surpassed the forces of Yuri both in number and in terms of combat capability. Peace was concluded with Yuri until the dispute was resolved in the Horde court. The military might of the Lithuanian prince held back the pretenders to the Moscow throne until his death in 1430.
However, Vitovt himself behaved more like a conqueror than a patron. Not fearing a serious rebuff from his underage grandson, he moved his troops towards the Russian borders. A major failure awaited him in the capture of the Pskov town of Opochka. Karamzin describes the cunning of the besieged townspeople who weakened the bridge over the ditch dotted with sharp stakes. Many Lithuanian soldiers died while trying to take the stubborn city. However, peace was concluded in favor of Vitovt, and Opochka undertook to pay the Lithuanian prince 1,450 silver rubles. Then the experienced commander moved to Novgorod, whose inhabitants thoughtlessly called him a traitor and a hawk. As a result of the negotiations, Novgorod paid Vitovt another 10 thousand silver rubles and an additional thousand for the release of the prisoners. Simultaneously with the campaigns, the Lithuanian prince communicated with his grandson and daughter and even invited them to visit, focusing on his location and paternal concern.
The position of Prince Vasily was limited by the influence of the noble boyars, who, in fact, ruled the principality. Vasily, according to the testimony of his contemporaries, was not gifted with either leadership or military leadership, he did not have any special intelligence and other abilities of the ruler. Vitovt's grandson turned out to be a puppet in the hands of the Moscow boyars, so a change in candidacy was not desirable for Muscovites. The cunning and deliberate actions of one of the advisers of Prince Dmitry Vsevolzhsky allowed Vasily to receive a label for reign. The words of the diplomatic boyar that the decision of the Horde Khan should be considered legal even if it contradicts the old Russian traditions of succession to the throne turned out to be decisive in the dispute with Yuri. Vasily, in need of the help of an influential and cunning boyar, promised to marry his daughter upon his return to Moscow, but he could not keep his word.
P. Chistyakov "Grand Duchess Sofya Vitovtovna at the wedding of Grand Duke Vasily the Dark", 1861
Having received the label to reign, Vasily married Princess Maria Yaroslavovna, at the insistence of his mother Sophia. Offended by such a perfidious deception, Vsevolzhsky immediately left Moscow and joined the opponents of the young Grand Duke. Yuri set out immediately and, taking advantage of the prince's inexperience and the suddenness of his appearance, occupied Moscow. The hastily assembled army of Vasily was defeated, and the Grand Duke himself was forced to flee to Kostroma. The sons of Yuri, nicknamed the Kosoy and Shemyak, insistently demanded to deal with the rival, but the influential boyar Morozov at that time stood up for Vasily. Yuri did not dare to stain his honor with the blood of a relative, but he took his word from Vasily not to claim the great reign anymore.
Karamzin explains the hatred of her cousin on the part of Shemyaka and Kosoy by the fact that at the wedding of the Grand Duke Sofya Vitovtovna, forgetting all decency, tore off the precious belt that belonged to Dmitry Donskoy from Vasily Kosoy. The brothers humiliated by such an act were forced to immediately leave the feast and the city.
However, Yuri, leaving Vasily alive, did not take into account an important circumstance. The puppet Vasily turned out to be much more attractive to the Moscow boyars than the domineering and clever winner. As a result, the freed Vasily very quickly received support and gathered impressive forces. The nephew broke his word not to demand the Moscow throne and, with the help of the boyars, forced Yuri to leave the city. Having coped with the main competitor, Vasily faced his two sons, who harbored anger for past insults. Both considered themselves worthy to replace Basil II on the great throne and were very dangerous rivals.
In 1434, Yuri joined the troops of Vasily Kosoy and Dmitry Shemyaka and defeated Vasily's army. As a result, the Grand Duke fled to Nizhny Novgorod. However, Yuri suddenly died, so Vasily Kosoy remained in Moscow as ruler. This behavior aroused the indignation of the brothers Shemyaka and Krasny, and they turned to their former enemy Vasily Vasilyevich for help. The scythe was expelled from Moscow and vowed never to claim the throne. In 1435, Vasily Kosoy broke his oath and again moved to Moscow, but was brutally defeated. A year later, Kosoy again went against Vasily and tried to defeat him by cunning, but was captured and blinded as punishment for perjury.
The short-lived peace was broken in 1439 by the Tatar raid led by Ulu-Muhammad, who at one time was not supported by Vasily in the confrontation with the Horde appanage princes. Vasily left Moscow and, being safe on the Volga, more than once called on Dmitry Shemyak for help. However, there was no response to the calls. After Ulu-Muhammad left the city, plundering the surroundings, Vasily returned and, having collected troops, drove his cousin out of his possessions in Novgorod. After a while Shemyaka returned with his army, but made peace with Vasily.
In 1445, the invasion of the vindictive Tatar Khan Ulu-Muhammad was repeated. This time Vasily, after a fierce battle, was taken prisoner, from which it was possible to redeem only for huge money. The return of the prince was greeted coldly. The additional burden of ransom fell on the shoulders of the plundered population, which began to show open indignation. Dmitry Shemyaka and a group of conspirators in 1446 attacked Vasily, who was performing a prayer service. However, Dmitry Yuryevich did not dare to kill his brother, and only blinded him, recalling the fate of Vasily Kosoy. Already in 1446 Shemyaka, under pressure from the boyars, was forced to release Vasily. As soon as the prince got his freedom, a strong coalition formed around him. Vasily was again enthroned, and Dmitry Yuryevich had to flee.
After a short struggle, peace was again concluded between the brothers, however, the enmity did not stop. Shemyaka constantly made attempts to gather an army and cause indignation among the population, as a result of which he was persecuted by Vasily and was poisoned in 1453. According to the testimony of contemporaries, from the moment of his blinding, Vasily changed a lot and began to rule wisely and justly. However, such a statement is highly doubtful. Most likely influential boyars ruled on behalf of the prince. Vasily himself was an obedient tool in their hands. Vasily II died of tuberculosis in 1462 after unsuccessful treatment with tinder.
During civil strife, the Tatars invaded Russia and plundered the population, burned cities, and took away the peasants. The princes were so absorbed in internal confrontation that they could not resist the nomads. Russia remained weak and divided for a long time, but the reign of Vasily had positive results. The grand-ducal power significantly increased after a bloody struggle, and many lands fell into direct dependence on the Moscow principality. During the reign of Vasily Vasilyevich, the gradual unification of the Russian lands continues.
