Ivan III
1462 - 1505 CE

Ivan III was born to Maria of Borovsk  and Vasily II in 1440 CE. He is also known as  Ivan the Great. He had a tumultuous youth but succeeded his father Vasily II as Grand prince of Moscow in 1462 CE. He started ambitious unification of the russian lands under Moscow. He bought  the Yaroslavl in 1463 and the Rostov in 1474.  Ivan's greatest triumph was the conquest of Novgorod in 1478.  It had the Veche - the most democratic government. It could  even vote the prince of the city out of office. Novgorod's wealth and large numbers of Muscovites moving to Novgorod's lands brought a war in 1478. After conquering Novgorod, Ivan dissolved the Veche and carried off the Veche's bell (a symbol of liberty) to Moscow. He also deported the Novgorod boyars to remote areas, starting a practice for removing dissenters -a technique that  later tsars and communists had used.

Ivan III also repelled Khanate of the Golden Horde's attempts to reimpose it's rule in Russia. He also repelled Tatars' invasion and freed Moscow from domination by the Tatars  in 1480.  Ivan suppressed rebellion at home in the same year.  Ivan conquered Tver in 1485. He also fought Lithuania (1492-94 and 1500-03) in an attempt to reconquer the Ukraine but was only partly successful.

Ivan married Maria of Tver in 1452. They had a child named Ivan born in 1456. Maria died in 1467.  Ivan married Sophia, a  Byzantine princess and niece of the last Byzantine emperor in 1472. they had nine children. They were Vasily III, b. 1479;  Helene, b.  1474;  Helene, b.  1476; Yuri, b.  1480; Dimitri, b.  1481; Simeon, b. 2 1487; Theodosia, b. 2 1488; Andrew, b. 1490; and  Eudoxia, b. 1492.  Ivan adapted  Byzantine model for his court and began to use the title of Czar (a variation of the word  caesar).  Ivan finally chose in 1502,  Vasily III his eldest son with  Sophia as his successor. Ivan died on Oct. 27, 1505.
 

Monetary System

4 Chetverestsa = 1 Denga
200 Denga = 1 Ruble

Gold Korabelnik of Ivan III. 1462-1505 CE.
(imitation of the English nobles)
Obverse:  Tsar seated on board a stylized ship.
Reverse: Stylized cross with with the name Ivan Ivanovich son and co-ruler of Ivan III
Diameter: 33 millimeter. Weight: ~ 7.3 grams

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RK. November 14, 2002.