Consolidation of The Moscow Princedom in Reign of Vasily I

Vasily I (1389-1425), an elder son of Dmitry Donskoy, inherited the throne by the last will of his father, who blessed him to rein, thus, nullifying the right of The Golden Horde to nominate Great Dukes of Russia. Vasily Dmitrievich, in his turn, kept to the same independent policy.

In the middle of 1392 Vasily I went to Tokhtamysh, The Golden Horde Khan, and obtained the right to reign in Nizhni Novgorod, Gorodets, Murom and Tarsu. Very few princes of Northeast Russia who preserved independence were forced to recognize leadership of Vasily I. Some of them became voevodes and governors of The Grand Duke. Such powerful princes as The Obolensky, Starodubsky, Belozersky kept control over their ancient demesnes and at the same time served Vasily I and in this way gained new lands.

In the early 90's Moscow even tried to limit independence of Veliky Novgorod. In 1391 Metropolitan Kiprian sent to Novgorod demanded to cancel authorities of an archbishop and transfer power to a metropolitan. Novgorod people refused to fulfil this requirement and in 1393 Vasily I levied war against Veliky Novgorod. Moscow troops managed to seize Torzhok, Volokolamsk and Vologda.

Soon Novgorod was compelled to conclude a treaty. It had to accept terms of the Grand Duke of Moscow. But in 1395 Novgorod people again refused to obey the power of metropolitan. Vasily I succeeded in temporal amicable joining of The Dvina Land - the richest "colony" of Novgorod.

In 1397 he granted Dvina merchants privileges to trade in Ustyug, Vologda and Kostroma. And when The Dvina Land passed under the protection of Moscow, Vasily I broke the agreement with Novgorod and occupied Volokolamsk, Torzhok, Vologda and Bezhetsky again. In 1398, in response, Verkhny Novgorod moved troops to Orlets, the centre of The Dvina Land. After a month of the siege the city fell; the Dvina boyards were savagely punished; the people of Dvina were laid under huge contribution. Vasily I and Novgorod concluded a new peace treaty.

By the end of XIV century the lands in the Vychega River Basin were also joined to Moscow. These territories were populated by Komi People ("Great Perm").

On the whole the process of territorial development of the Moscow Princedom in reign of Vasily I obtained a character and value of all-national association of lands.

On this theme:


• Changes in the System of Public Management.
  
• The Last Will of Ivan III.
  
• Relations of Moscow with The Great Lithuanian Princedom and The Golden Horde
  
• Muscovy
  
• The Feudal War in the second quarter of XV Century.
  
• Vasily II the Dark
  
• The Reign of Vasily Shuysky (1606-1610)
  
• Stasov V. P.
  
• Internal Policy
  
• Ivan III Reign.
  
• Autocephaly of the Russian Orthodox Church in the middle of XV century
  
• Vasily III
  
• Vasily IV Ivanovich Shuysky
  
• Saint Michael's Castle
  
• International Position of Russia