Kalita board. Ivan i Kalita

Ivan I Danilovich Kalita (born ca. 1283 or 1288 - death March 31, 1340) - son of Moscow Prince Daniil Alexandrovich, grandson of Alexander Nevsky, Prince of Moscow, Prince of Novgorod and Grand Duke of Vladimir.

What is known about Ivan Kalita

Ivan Kalita spent most of his time in the capital city of a small Moscow estate, doing a lot of economic affairs and family. According to the chronicle, his wife's name was Elena. Some historians believe that she was the daughter of the Smolensk prince Alexander Glebovich.

It is believed that Ivan and his first wife lived as a happy married couple. 1317, September - they had their first child - Simeon. 1319, December - second son Daniel was born. Kalita remains in the memory of Muscovites as a builder who expanded and strengthened Moscow.

Ivan Danilovich was known as a Christ-loving person, seeking friendship and support from church hierarchs. He showed special respect to Metropolitan Peter, who increasingly visited Moscow. One of the most authoritative and popular people in Rus', Peter settled in Moscow in his courtyard in 1322; a new vast “yard” was built for him in the eastern part of the Moscow Kremlin. Peter and Ivan Kalita spent a lot of time talking. It was here that the Moscow appanage prince began to turn into the “collector of Rus'” Ivan Kalita. After the death of Yuri in 1325, Ivan, as his brother’s heir, began to reign alone in the Moscow volost.

The path to the throne

Kalita sat on the Moscow throne from 1325 to 1340. His nickname is Kalita, i.e. money bag, purse. Ivan Kalita was one of the most powerful and richest princes in Rus'. For a long time he remained in the shadow of his older brother, Prince Yuri. At the turn of the XIII-XIV centuries, according to the chronicle, Ivan was the governor of Novgorod, reigned in Pereyaslavl-Zalessky and repeatedly replaced his brother in the Moscow reign during his stay in the Golden Horde.

It should not be assumed that the strengthening of Moscow began only after Prince Ivan Danilovich came to power. Back in 1304, Ivan’s elder brother, Prince Yuri of Moscow, made an aggressive campaign against Mozhaisk, in which his younger brothers, including Ivan, took part. As a result of this campaign against a weak neighbor, the Mozhaisk inheritance was annexed to Moscow. Mozhaisk was an important territorial acquisition of Moscow. It was a rather large city by those standards, located at the sources of the Moscow River. It gave Moscow merchants the opportunity to successfully trade, replenishing the princely treasury.

Moscow Kremlin under Ivan Danilovich Kalita

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In the very first year of his reign, he, wishing to make a good start to his reign, summoned Metropolitan Peter from Vladimir to Moscow for permanent residence. This immediately made Moscow the spiritual center of Rus' and provided the Moscow prince with the support of the church. Moscow became the residence of the Metropolitan of “All Rus',” and Peter contributed to Ivan in pursuing a policy of centralization of Russian lands.

Kalita was a cruel ruler, at the same time smart and persistent in achieving his goals. He got along with the Tatar-Mongol Khan Uzbek, and repeatedly traveled to the Horde, where he earned the Khan’s favor and trust. 1327 - Ivan took part in the campaign against Tver of the Golden Horde detachments. As a reward in 1328, he received from the khan the Principality of Kostroma, as well as the title of Prince of Novgorod.

The first, long trip to the Golden Horde, which lasted about a year and a half, gave the prince a lot. He became thoroughly acquainted with the Khan's court, made numerous useful acquaintances, and learned the customs and way of life of the Tatars and their rulers. Most likely, the younger brother of the Russian Grand Duke made a good impression on Khan Uzbek. During the year and a half of his residence in the Horde, Uzbek Khan managed to take a good look at the young Russian prince and come to the conclusion that he ideally corresponded to the political views of the Horde on the state of Rus', the richest tributary and the most dangerous due to his revival.

Ivan Kalita giving alms

"The Great Silence"

1332 - Kalita obtained from Uzbek a label for the Grand Duchy of Vladimir and recognition of himself as the Grand Duke of All Rus'. For peaceful relations with the Golden Horde, Kalita collected a huge tribute from the population for her, and Ivan mercilessly suppressed all popular discontent caused by heavy extortions. Also, with the help of the Tatars, he eliminated many of his political rivals - other princes. The basis for this “great silence” in the Moscow state was the regular collection of Horde tribute.

After this, according to the chronicle, there was silence throughout North-Eastern Rus' for many years. Fearing the wrath of the khan, the Tatars stopped raiding Rus'. The Uzbek did not even send his people to the prince’s lands, entrusting the collection of taxes from the population to Ivan. Kalita accumulated great wealth.

IN. Klyuchevsky highly appreciated the “great silence” that Ivan Kalita was able to create: “...numerous Russian princes servile before the Tatars and fought with each other. But the grandchildren, peers of Ivan Kalita, grew up and began to look closely and listen to unusual things in the Russian land. While all the Russian outskirts suffered from external enemies, the small middle Moscow principality remained safe, and ordinary people flocked there from all over the Russian land.

At the same time, the Moscow princes, brothers Yuri and Ivan Kalita, without looking back or thinking, using all available means against their enemies, putting everything they could bet into the game, entered into a fight with the eldest and strongest princes for primacy, for the senior Vladimir reign, and with the assistance of the Horde itself they were able to recapture it from their rivals. At the same time, it was arranged that the Russian metropolitan, who lived in Vladimir, began to live in Moscow, giving this town the significance of the ecclesiastical capital of the Russian land.

And as soon as all this happened, everyone felt that the Tatar devastation had stopped and a long-unexperienced silence had come in the Russian lands. After Kalita’s death, Rus' long remembered his reign, when for the first time in 100 years of slavery she was able to breathe freely, and loved to decorate the memory of this prince with a grateful legend. Thus, in the first half of the 14th century, a generation grew up that grew up under the impression of this silence, which began to wean itself from the fear of the Horde, from the nervous trembling of its fathers at the thought of the Tatars. It is not for nothing that the representative of this generation, the son of Grand Duke Ivan Kalita, Simeon was nicknamed Proud by his contemporaries. This generation felt encouraged that the light would soon dawn.”

Activities of Ivan Kalita

The Horde Khan thanked Ivan for collecting tribute - the Sretensky half of the Rostov Principality became part of his possessions.

Ivan was given the right to collect arrears from the Rostov land. Having carried out a real pogrom in the city of Rostov, the princely governors Vasily Kocheva and Mina were able to collect arrears.

Previously, the Moscow princes, having free money, bought land from private individuals and from church institutions, from the metropolitan, from monasteries, and from other princes. Kalita constantly sought to expand the territory of his principality and to gather Russian lands around Moscow. He used the accumulated funds to acquire the territories of his neighbors. The influence of the prince spread to a number of lands of North-Eastern Rus' (Novgorod land, Rostov, Tver, Uglich, Galich, Pskov, Beloozero). And although local princes were the rulers of these cities, they, in fact, were only governors of the Moscow prince.

An oak Kremlin was erected in Moscow, which protected not only the city center, but also the suburbs outside it. Also in Moscow, he built the Assumption and Archangel Cathedrals, the Church of St. John the Climacus, the Church of the Transfiguration, and opened a monastery with it. In Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, Ivan founded the Goritsky (Uspensky) Monastery.

Assumption Cathedral under Grand Duke Ivan Kalita

The beginning of autocracy. Results of the board

The years of Kalita's reign became an era of Moscow's strengthening and its rise above other Russian cities.

According to the chronicle, the prince took care of the safety of the inhabitants, strictly persecuted and executed robbers and thieves, always carried out “just justice”, and helped the poor and beggars. For this he received his second nickname - Kind.

Kalita was a major political figure of his era. Although his activities were assessed ambiguously by historians, they nevertheless contributed to laying the foundations for the political and economic power of Moscow, and the beginning of the economic rise of Rus'. He introduced the agricultural law and established a new order of inheritance. After the death of the prince, the grand-ducal throne more or less permanently passed to his direct descendants. Since the reign of Kalita, it has been customary to talk about the beginning of autocracy.

Under the prince, a new principle of state structure - the principle of ethnic tolerance - received its final embodiment. Selection for service was carried out on the basis of business qualities, regardless of ethnicity, but subject to voluntary baptism. They recruited Tatars who fled from the Horde, Orthodox Lithuanians who left Lithuania due to Catholic pressure, and ordinary Russian people. Orthodoxy became the force connecting everyone who came to serve the Moscow prince. Fleeing from the Tatars, Russian people gathered to Moscow, which could protect them.

During the reign of Ivan Danilovich, the Lithuanian-Russian principality, which united Smolensk, Podolsk, Vitebsk, Minsk, Lithuania, and subsequently the Middle Dnieper region, acquired international political weight and began to lay claim to the entire ancient Russian heritage. The Horde encouraged and further inflamed the contradictions between the two great principalities, alternately taking the side of one of the parties, following the policy still developed under Genghis Khan. All these achievements of the Horde policy in Eastern Europe were possible, apparently, because important changes were then taking place in the Horde itself.

Heritage

Ivan Danilovich laid the foundations for the power of the Moscow Principality. Metropolitan Alexei, who became the de facto head of state after the death of Ivan Kalita, was able to achieve from the Golden Horde that the great reign was assigned to the dynasty of Moscow princes. This contributed to the strengthening of Moscow and the prevention of internecine wars for the right to receive the khan's label for the great reign.

According to the will of Ivan Kalita, the Moscow principality was divided between his sons Semyon, Ivan and Andrey; Kalita's heir was his eldest son Semyon the Proud.

The Grand Duke of All Rus' Ivan I Danilovich Kalita died on March 31, 1341 in Moscow. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin.

Grand Duke

(1288 - March 31, 1340, Moscow) - Prince of Moscow from 1325 to 1340, Grand Duke of Vladimir (label from the Khan in 1331) until 1340, Prince of Novgorod from 1328 to 1337. Second son of Moscow Prince Daniil Alexandrovich. He received the nickname “Kalita” for his wealth ( Kalita- an old Russian name for a money bag).

Before the Great Reign

In 1296-1297 he was the governor of his father Daniil Alexandrovich in Novgorod. In 1304, in the absence of his older brother Yuri Danilovich, Ivan went to Pereslavl to defend it from the Tver princes. Soon Tver regiments appeared near the city under the command of boyar Akinf. He kept Ivan under siege for three days, on the fourth day the boyar Rodion Nestorovich came from Moscow, went to the rear of the Tver people, and at the same time Ivan made a sortie out of the city, and the enemy suffered a complete defeat.

When in 1319 Yuri Danilovich received a label from the khan for the great reign and left for Novgorod, Moscow was left under the complete control of Ivan.

The main character trait of Ivan was the ability to get along with the khan. He often traveled to the Horde and soon earned the favor and trust of Uzbek. While other Russian lands suffered from Horde invasions, the possessions of the Prince of Moscow remained calm, filled with inhabitants and, compared to others, were in a flourishing state:

In 1320, Ivan Danilovich went to the Horde for the first time to Uzbek, to establish himself as the heir to the Moscow principality.

In 1321, Dmitry Tverskoy recognized the legitimacy of the power of Yuri Danilovich of Moscow and transferred to him the Horde tribute from the entire Tver principality. But Yuri, instead of taking the Tver tribute to the Horde, took it to Novgorod and put it into circulation through intermediary merchants, wanting to receive interest. Yuri's actions with the Horde tribute angered Khan Uzbek. And in 1322, Dmitry Tverskoy (Terrible Eyes) went to the Horde and received a label for the great reign there. Yuri himself is summoned to Sarai-Berk. Ivan Danilovich, who is in Sarai-Berk at this time, demonstratively does not interfere in anything, completely distancing himself from his brother’s affairs. Having gained power, Dmitry tries to catch Yuri on the way to the Horde, but he runs away to Pskov, and then to Novgorod.

When in 1325 Yuri Danilovich arrived in Sarai-Berke and began to seek a label for the great reign, Dmitry Tverskoy (Terrible Eyes), during a personal meeting, in a fit of anger, hacked Yuri to death with a saber. Dmitry was captured by the Horde and executed by order of the khan, and the label of Grand Duke went to Dmitry's brother, Alexander Mikhailovich, and Ivan I became the Prince of Moscow, as the khan approved in 1320, the heir of his brother Yuri.

In the first year of his reign, Ivan achieved in 1325 that the residence of Metropolitan Peter was moved to Moscow from Vladimir.

Alexander Mikhailovich, who reigned in Tver, took part in a popular uprising in 1327, in which the Tver residents killed the Horde ambassador Chol Khan (Shevkal) and his entire retinue. Uzbek Khan was very angry when he learned about the murder of Chol Khan and sent for the Moscow prince, but, according to other sources, Kalita went to the Horde himself, in a hurry to take advantage of the Tver incident. The Uzbek gave him a label for a great reign and 50,000 troops.

Grand Duke

He was a cruel and cunning ruler in achieving his goals. He played a major role in strengthening the economic and political union of the Moscow Principality and the Golden Horde, for which he collected tribute from the Russian lands. He mercilessly suppressed popular discontent, caused by heavy extortions, and dealt with political opponents - other Russian princes.

Having also attached the Prince of Suzdal to himself, Kalita went to the Tver Principality, where the Horde burned cities and villages, took people into captivity and, as the chronicle reports, “lay the whole Russian land empty.” In addition to the Horde, the princes of Ryazan with their army, as a rule, took part in Kalita’s raids.

Novgorod paid off by giving the Horde 2000 hryvnias of silver and many gifts. Prince Alexander of Tver fled to Novgorod, then to Pskov, and in 1329 he left for Lithuania.

Having received the title of Prince of Novgorod in 1328, Ivan Kalita began to strengthen his power there too. In 1331, Ivan and his squad entered the Novgorod land in the city of Torzhok. There he met Archbishop Vasily (Kalitochka), who did not return from Metropolitan Theognost to Novgorod.

Alexander Mikhailovich's brother, pl. Konstantin, ruling the devastated Tver land, pleased Ivan as the khan's favorite. After the death of the Suzdal prince Alexander Vasilyevich in 1332 (his brother Konstantin became the prince of Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod), with whom Ivan Kalita shared the great reign, Ivan Kalita went to the Horde with many gifts, wanting to receive a label for sole rule, but only Vladimir managed to establish himself and Volga region. He also ransomed Narimunt Gediminovich from captivity in the Horde, secured his favor, baptized him into Orthodoxy and sent him to Lithuania, to Father Gedimin. The Novgorodians, fearing both Kalita (at that time only the titular Novgorod prince) with the Horde, and the Swedes, invited Narimunt (to the northern volosts), giving him Ladoga, the Oreshek fortress, Korelsk (Korela), Korelsky land and half of Koporye as his homeland, but he entrusted the management of them to his son Alexander (Orekhovsky Prince Alexander Narimuntovich), and Narimunt lived more in Lithuania, and in 1338, when he not only did not come to the call of Novgorod to defend it against the Swedes, he also recalled his son Alexander.

In 1333, Ivan I, having squandered considerable funds in the Horde, and besides, even starting the construction of a new stone church in Moscow before the arrival of Metropolitan Theognostus, Ivan demanded that the Novgorodians pay tribute in an increased amount, but they refused. In addition to Torzhok, Ivan’s troops also occupied Bezhetsky Verkh. Novgorod Archbishop Vasily (Kalika) began the construction of a new stone Detinets in Novgorod, fearing the troops of Ivan and the Swedes. But the troops did not enter the battle. Negotiations were held, which ended with Archbishop Vasily going to Pskov and making peace between Pskov and Novgorod.

Ivan, after these events, concludes a separate peace with Gediminas with the help of Metropolitan Theognost, who had just arrived in Moscow. The world is sealed by the marriage of Ivan Kalita's heir, Simeon Ivanovich, with Gediminas' daughter Aigusta.

Ivan gave one of his daughters to Vasily Davydovich Yaroslavsky, and the other to Konstantin Vasilyevich Rostovsky in order to manage the estates of his sons-in-law.

In 1336, through the mediation of Metropolitan Theognost, he made peace with Novgorod. Ivan pays a visit to Novgorod. Novgorod calls him to be its prince and pays the money due, like the prince of Novgorod. Ivan also wanted to send troops to Pskov, but Novgorod opposed this. At this time, Gedimin raided the Novgorod land, avenging the peace with Moscow. Ivan, in retaliation, sent his troops to Lithuania, where they plundered the outlying lands near the border. Gediminas, busy with feuds with the Livonian Order, did not start a war.

In 1337, Alexander Tverskoy submitted to the khan and in return received his principality back. In 1339, Ivan went to the Horde with a denunciation against Alexander, after which he received an order to appear before the khan. Arriving at the khan, both Alexander and his son Fedor were executed. Kalita returned to Moscow in great joy, sent to Tver in order to humiliate the residents of Tver, ordered the bell to be removed from the Church of the Holy Savior and brought to Moscow.

Ivan I strengthened the Muscovite-Horde influence on a number of lands in the North of Rus' (Tver, Pskov, Novgorod, etc.). He accumulated great wealth (hence his nickname “Kalita” - “wallet”, “money bag”), which he used to buy lands in other people’s principalities and possessions, another version is from the habit of constantly carrying a wallet (“kalita”) with money for distribution of mercy. Kalita bought Uglich. In addition, he bought and exchanged villages in different places: near Kostroma, Vladimir, Rostov, along the Msta and Kirzhach rivers, and even in Novgorod land, contrary to Novgorod laws that prohibited princes from buying land there. He established settlements in the Novgorod land, populated them with his people, and thus also had the opportunity to impose his power. His grandson Dmitry Donskoy in his spiritual letter reported that Ivan Kalita bought Uglich, Galich Mersky and Beloozero.

He was buried in Moscow - in the Archangel Cathedral.

Family

Spouses

• Princess Helena (d. 1331)
• Princess Ulyana

Children

1. Simeon the Proud, (1318-1353)
2. Daniel, born 1320
3. Ivan II the Red, (1326-1359)
4. Andrey, (1327-1353)
5. Maria (d. 1365), married since 1338 to Konstantin Vasilyevich (Prince of Rostov-Borisoglebsky).
6. Evdokia (d. 1342, married to Prince of Yaroslavl Vasily Davydovich Terrible Eyes

Ivan Danilovich Kalita - grandson of the legendary Prince Alexander Nevsky, Prince of Moscow, Grand Duke of Vladimir, one of the founders of the collection of Russian lands, was born around 1283-1288. After the murder of his elder brother, Prince Yuri Danilovich, in the Golden Horde, he ascended the Moscow throne.

During his reign, he achieved serious success in overcoming the fragmentation of Russian lands and uniting part of them around the Moscow Principality. In 1325, he achieved the transfer of the metropolitan throne to Moscow, which made it the spiritual and religious center of Rus'. Under Ivan Kalita, the first stone churches were built.

He often visited the Golden Horde, gave expensive gifts, and gained confidence in the ruler, Uzbek Khan. In 1327, he skillfully took advantage of the murder of the Horde ambassador in Tver and participated (together with 50 Horde troops) in the defeat and devastation of the Tver principality, the main rival of Moscow. For this he received a charter (label) for a great reign with the right to collect taxes himself (unlike other Russian principalities). This saved the lands under his control from the cruel Baskaks - tribute collectors from the Golden Horde - for almost 40 years.

He significantly strengthened the princely power, filled the treasury with money (which, apparently, earned him the nickname Kalita - purse, money bag). He bought the cities of Uglich and Ryazan under his authority. He achieved control of the estates of the husbands of his two daughters - part of the Rostov and Yaroslavl principalities. The attempt to subjugate Novgorod was unsuccessful and was carried out by the descendants of Grand Duke Ivan Danilovich.

Ivan Kalita was married twice, his family had seven children. The Grand Duke died in 1340, passing the throne to his eldest son, Simeon the Proud. The son continued the work of his father, and the grandson, Dmitry Donskoy, defeated the Horde in the Battle of Kulikovo.

Interesting facts

Biography of Ivan Kalit about the main thing

Ivan Kalita was born, according to one source, either around 1283, or on November 1, 1288. The exact data has not been preserved. He was baptized in honor of St. John the Baptist. He was not the heir to the Moscow principality, although he was born into the family of Daniil Alexandrovich, the Moscow prince. His elder brother Yuri became the Moscow prince in 1303. Ivan Danilovich himself in 1296-1297. represented his father in one of the largest cities of Veliky Novgorod, and in 1304 he was engaged in the defense of Pereyaslavl from the Tver princes, where he managed to win only with the help of the troops of the boyar Rodion Nestorovich. In 1320, his brother Yuri received a written command (yarlyk) from the Khan of the Golden Horde, Uzbek Khan, for a great reign, and Ivan became the ruler of Moscow. In 1321, Grand Duke Yuri, having received tribute from the Tver Principality to be transferred to the Horde, did not take it to its destination, but handed it over to Novgorod merchants for additional profit. Uzbek Khan handed over the Grand Duke's throne to Dmitry Tverskoy for disobedience. In the battle to regain his label, Yuri was killed in 1325. After Dmitry's death in 1326, his brother Alexander became Grand Duke.

Ivan Danilovich, having become a Moscow prince, first of all achieved the transfer of the metropolitan see to Moscow. At the same time, during the uprising in Tver, the ambassador of the Golden Horde, Chol Khan, and his retinue were killed. When this became known, Ivan left for Uzbek Khan. It is not known for certain whether he did this on his own initiative or on call. Ivan Danilovich received a label for the great reign and an army of 50,000 people for a campaign against the Tver principality. On this campaign he teams up with the Suzdal people. Alexander Tverskoy fled first to Novgorod, and then to Pskov. As a result, Novgorod had to pay a large tribute to the Horde, and the Tver principality was burned and plundered, and the metropolitan excommunicated the residents of Pskov. By 1328, the grand-ducal rule was divided between two princes: Ivan Danilovich and Alexander Vasilyevich of Suzdal. After the death of Alexander, and then his brother Konstantin, Kalita travels to the Horde to receive a label. Ivan Danilovich strengthened his influence by dynastic marriages of his daughters to appanage princes. In 1331, on religious grounds, a conflict arose between Novgorod and Moscow. The cause of the conflict was the refusal of Metropolitan Theognost to recognize Arseny as Archbishop of Novgorod. He recognized Vasily. Ivan demanded an increased tribute from Novgorod, but he was refused. The lands of Novgorod were invaded, but peace was eventually concluded. In 1336, Ivan made peace with Novgorod, as a result becoming the Prince of Novgorod. In 1339, following Ivan's denunciation, Alexander Tverskoy and his son were executed by order of the khan. In 1340 he took monastic vows under the name Ananias, but soon died. His son Semyon, nicknamed Proud, became the heir.

In his policy, Ivan 1 remained quite flexible, but persistent. He repeatedly traveled to the Golden Horde, which earned him the Khan’s trust and ensured peace and prosperity in the territory of the Moscow Principality. With a firm hand, he suppressed people's dissatisfaction with heavy taxes. For his activities he received the nickname “Kalita”, which means purse, bag for money. But according to another version, he always carried a wallet with him to distribute alms to the poor. During his reign, the Cathedral of the Savior on Bor, the Assumption Cathedral, the Archangel Cathedral were founded, and the Moscow Kremlin was rebuilt from oak, but these buildings have not survived to this day. One of the main results of his reign was the expansion of the sphere of influence of the Moscow principality thanks to dynastic marriages and land purchases.

Interesting facts and dates from life

Prince of Moscow Ivan I Danilovich Kalita became famous in history as a diplomatic ruler who expanded the territory of the principality. He established relations with the Horde Khan. In 2001, Ivan Kalita was elevated to the rank of locally revered saints of Moscow.

The childhood of Ivan Kalita, who was born in Moscow, is not remarkable for historians. He was an ordinary youth who grew up in the family of Prince Danila Alexandrovich and the ruler’s wife. As a child, the boy constantly heard stories about the Tatars, who constantly raided Rus'. Many elders were afraid. Unpleasant sensations were transmitted to little Ivan, especially since in early childhood the boy witnessed the capture of Moscow.

From infancy, the boyars and father told the future ruler about what was happening in the state. At the age of 3, the child was put on a horse and began to learn horse riding. Immediately after this posag ceremony, the boy was handed over to male educators. The teachers paid more attention to the basics of government, since the prince wanted to see Ivan at the head, and not his eldest son Yuri.

Ivan Kalita was known as a cautious and prudent youth, unlike his brother, who was distinguished by a quarrelsome, harsh temperament. In 1303 Daniel dies. 21-year-old Yuri was elevated to the throne, and 15-year-old Ivan became the prince's assistant. While his elder brother was away, Ivan had to defend Pereslavl. Tough character and excellent training helped to survive, despite the small number of the army.

Diplomatic negotiations with the khans lead to dire consequences. During a trip to the Golden Horde, the newly created ruler is killed. The throne passes, as Daniil of Moscow planned, to his youngest son, Ivan Kalita.

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Ivan Kalita is an unusual ruler. From the first days, the prince did not conquer new territories, but began to promote Orthodoxy. On behalf of the ruler, the residence of the metropolitan was moved from Vladimir to Moscow. Thus, the city turned into the spiritual capital of Rus'. Moscow's authority has increased.

Problems with the division of lands began in 1327, when the people in Tver rebelled, and later the Horde ambassador was killed. Ivan Kalita went to the khan, who gave the ruler a label for the great reign. Together with the Suzdalians, the prince recaptured Tver, while Alexander Mikhailovich Tverskoy fled from possible punishment to Novgorod (he was later found in Pskov).

A year later, Khan Uzbek decided to divide the principalities between Ivan and Alexander Vasilyevich Suzdal. Novgorod and Kostroma went to Kalita, and Nizhny Novgorod and Gorodets went to the second prince. In 1331, Alexander Vasilyevich dies, the throne is taken by Constantine. At this time, the territories subordinate to the Prince of Suzdal returned to the Grand Duchy.

In the period from 1328 to 1330, Ivan Kalita entered into two profitable marriages - his daughters married Vasily Yaroslavsky and Konstantin Rostovsky. Alliances are beneficial for the ruler, since the appanages are at the disposal of the prince. Tension between Moscow and Novgorod reached its peak in 1331.

The conflict began with the refusal of Metropolitan Theognost to install Arseny as Archbishop of Novgorod. The post was given to Vasily Kalika. At this time, Kalita makes demands for increased tribute. The refusal infuriates the ruler - the prince advances with an army to the Novgorod land. It did not come to hostilities, since Ivan planned to resolve the issue peacefully.

Kalita's behavior, namely the marriage of Simeon's son with Aigusta, daughter of Gediminas, caused concern among the Novgorodians. The rulers decided to act: an invitation followed from Narimunt, who was given the fortress of Oreshek, the patrimony of Ladoga, Korelsk, and half of Koporye. Instead of the guest, Alexander Narimuntovich came to rule, while his father remained in Lithuania. The Novgorodians did not receive support from such an alliance. Narimunt did not arrive to fight against the Swedes and recalled his son from the lands.

Only in 1336, after Metropolitan Theognost intervened in the matter, peace came between Novgorod and Kalita. Prince Ivan receives the desired tribute and the title of Novgorod ruler. Gediminas tried to take revenge on the Novgorod land for the peace concluded with Moscow, but the war never began.

In 1337, Alexander Tverskoy and his son were executed. Khan made this decision after Ivan Kalita’s denunciation. Soon the prince returns to Moscow. By order of the ruler, the bell is removed from the Church of St. Savior and transported to the capital. Kalita subdues her brother Alexander Mikhailovich.

Kalita's biography contains many campaigns of conquest against unwanted princes. In 1339, the Moscow army was sent to Smolensk due to reluctance to pay tribute to the Horde. The conflict between Novgorod and Moscow is reviving again. Ivan was unable to resolve the dispute until the end of his life.

Ivan Kalita's policies are called controversial. The prince erects several churches on the territory of the Moscow state: the Cathedral of the Savior on Bor, the Assumption Cathedral, the Archangel Cathedral, and the Church of St. John the Climacus. During his reign (from 1328 to 1340), Kalita built the new Moscow Kremlin from oak. The ruler is distinguished by a craving for faith. Shortly before his death, Ivan writes the Siya Gospel. Now the scripture is in the library of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Kalita's contemporaries characterized the ruler as a flexible and persistent prince. Khan of the Horde respected and trusted the Muscovite. This helped save Moscow from the raids of the Horde. The welfare of his subjects grew, discontent disappeared. Ivan Danilovich saved the principality from plunder and war for 40 years. Kalita mercilessly dealt with his opponents and suppressed popular unrest over tribute.

Ivan I achieved unprecedented influence over some lands, including Novgorod, Tver and Pskov. During the years of his reign, the prince accumulated wealth, which was inherited by his children and grandchildren, among whom was. From the confessions of the heir it followed that Kalita acquired lands in foreign principalities.

Personal life

Ivan Kalita was married twice. In 1319, Elena became the ruler's wife. Historical data about the origin of the girl has not been preserved. They had four sons - Simeon, Daniel, Ivan and Andrey. An unknown illness ruined the health of the princely wife.

In 1332, Elena died, and a year later Ivan married again. The chosen one was Ulyana. The marriage produced four daughters - Maria, Evdokia, Feodosia, Feotinia. Kalita married off the girls for personal gain. The prince set the only condition for his sons-in-law - the ruler himself would manage the estates.

Death

A few months before his death, Ivan Kalita took monastic vows. Preventing strife between his sons, the ruler distributed property during his lifetime. Simeon the Proud became the owner of two-thirds of the inheritance. His father left him in the role of patron of the younger children. On his deathbed, Kalita took care of the state. This division made it possible to avoid fragmentation of the Moscow principality. The prince's death came in March 1340. The funeral took place in the Archangel Cathedral, built by order of Ivan I.

History does not know another such ruler who is equally advocating for Moscow. The city was transformed during the reign of Ivan Kalita. The prince did not commit brutal murders of his opponents during the years of his reign, unlike his brother. The tradition of giving nicknames to rulers began with Ivan I. Kalita means a purse or a leather bag for storing coins.

Legend

There is a legend according to which the prince was known as a generous man.

“In the summer of 6837 (i.e. in 1329 - approx.) the great prince Ivan Danilovich went to peace in Veliky Novgorod and stood in Torzhok. And 12 men came to him pretending to be the Holy Savior with a cup for a feast. And 12 men exclaimed, pretending to be the Holy Savior: “God grant many years to the Grand Duke Ivan Danilovich of All Rus'. Give water and feed your poor." And the great prince asked the boyars and old people of Novotorzh: “What kind of people came to me?”

And the men of the new market told him: “This, sir, is not a pretend of the Holy Savior, and that cup was given to them by 40 Kaliks who came from Jerusalem.” And the great prince looked at the cup from them, put it on his crown and said: “What, brothers, will you take from me as a contribution to this cup?” The Pritrivreans answered: “Whatever you give us, we’ll take it.” And the great prince gave them a new hryvnia deposit: “Come to me every week and take from me two cups of beer, the third - honey. Also, go to my governors and mayors and to weddings, and take yourself three cups of beer.”

Memory

In those days, rulers were depicted in paintings, so one can only imagine what Ivan Kalita would have looked like in a photo. The prince's contemporaries did not focus on appearance, but rather described his character and behavior. For example, Kalita is a calculating man who was distinguished by his intelligence. The ruler was called merciful. Kalita often gave food to the poor during his trips around Rus'. I tried to fulfill the requests of the people. Ivan I served to the same person several times.

In the modern world, the Moscow ruler is not forgotten. For example, specialists developed a unique car at the Moskvich plant. The vehicle is named “Moskvich “Ivan Kalita”. In 2006, the Order of Ivan Kalita, the medal of the Order of Ivan Kalita, was awarded for the first time in the Moscow region.

- Grand Duke of Vladimir (1328–41), Prince of Moscow, first collector of North-Eastern Rus'. In the fight against other princes, Ivan Kalita often used the help of the Tatars. Even during the life of his brother Yuri Danilovich, Ivan took part in the administration of the Moscow principality. In 1304, Ivan defended Pereyaslavl, recently annexed by Moscow, from the Tver princes. For three days Pereyaslavl was kept under siege by the Tver regiments of the boyar Akinf. On the fourth day, boyar Rodion Nestorovich, who came from Moscow, struck the Tver people in the rear, and Ivan made a sortie out of the city. The Tverians were defeated. When in 1319 Yuri Danilovich received the label for the great reign from the khan and left for Novgorod, Moscow was left under the control of Ivan.

In 1322, the Horde took away the label for the great reign from Moscow and returned it to the Tver people. After the murder of Yuri Danilovich in the Horde by the Tver prince Dmitry Groznye Ochi (1325), the Moscow reign passed to Kalita. Dmitry was executed in the Horde by the Tatars, but the great reign of Vladimir Khan Uzbek gave him to his brother, Prince Alexander of Tver. However, the situation soon changed dramatically. The Horde nobleman Shchelkan (Cholkhan), the son of that governor Duden, who in 1293 ravaged Northern Rus' with such cruelty that his campaign was compared to Batu’s invasion, arrived in Tver with a large retinue. Shchelkan behaved in Tver with great pride; its Tatars committed violence against the inhabitants. There were rumors among the people about Cholkhan's intention to sit in the reign of Tver himself and destroy the Orthodox faith. On August 15, 1327, on the Feast of the Dormition, the Tatars tried to take the mare from the Tver deacon Dudko. He began to call his fellow countrymen for help. The residents of Tver struck the alarm bell; the people began to beat the Tatars. The rest of them locked themselves with Cholkhan in the prince's courtyard, but the townspeople set it on fire. The entire Tatar embassy was killed; The Horde merchants who were in Tver were also beaten.

Ivan Kalita rejoiced at this opportunity to destroy his Tver rivals, hurried to the Horde, returned with a 50,000-strong Tatar army and devastated the entire Tver land with fire and sword. The following year, Ivan received from the khan a label for a great reign. The Uzbek was informed that the Tver uprising was incited by Prince Alexander himself. The Khan gave Tver to Alexander's brother, Konstantin. Alexander himself fled to Novgorod, and then to Pskov. Kalita and other princes demanded that Alexander go to the khan in the Horde, but the Pskovites did not let him in. Kalita, other princes and Novgorodians went to Pskov; but, having learned about the preparations of the Pskovites for defense, they decided to act not with weapons, but with another measure: Metropolitan Theognost sent excommunication to Alexander and all of Pskov if the demand of the princes was not fulfilled.

Theognost's threat to excommunicate Pskov from the church forced Alexander to leave for Lithuania for a while (1329). The princes left the Pskov people alone. Soon Alexander returned to Pskov under the patronage of the Lithuanian prince Gediminas and ruled this city for several years. But he missed Tver; he was tormented by the thought that his children would be deprived of their reign in the Tver land. Alexander sent his son Fyodor to Khan Uzbek, and then he himself went to the Horde to confess. The Uzbek forgave him and returned the reign of Tver to him (1337). Ivan Kalita's rivalry with Tver threatened to resume. Some Tver boyars were unhappy with Alexander's return. They left Tver and went into the service of the stronger Prince Kalita.

Kalita went to the Tatars. At his suggestion, the khan sent Alexander an order to appear in the Horde. Alexander sent his son Fyodor ahead, and then went himself. He had already received news from his son and sensed trouble; but, like his father, he preferred to die himself rather than bring Tatar vengeance on his subjects. When the prince, escorted by the Tverians, got into the boat, a strong wind rose; the rowers could not cope with it, the boat was carried back. This was considered a bad sign, but it did not prompt Alexander to postpone the trip.

In the Horde, Alexander learned that the day of his execution had already been set - October 29, 1339. On this day, Alexander and his son Fedor confessed and themselves went out to meet the murderers, led by Murza Tovlubiy. The Tatars pierced Alexander and Fedor and cut off their heads. The boyars took their bodies to Tver, where the cautious Konstantin Mikhailovich again sat down to reign. Ivan Kalita returned to Moscow from the Horde with a great award and, celebrating the victory over Tver, ordered the large bell of the Tver Spassky Cathedral to be removed and transported to Moscow.

Ivan Kalita also ruled autocratically in other principalities. In Rostov, his governors committed all sorts of violence against the residents and hanged the senior Rostov boyar Averky by the feet (1330). The Prince of Suzdal, Alexander Vasilyevich, was an obedient henchman of Moscow. Ivan Kalita gave one of his daughters to Prince Vasily Davydovich Yaroslavsky, and the other to Konstantin Vasilyevich Rostovsky and autocratically disposed of the estates of his sons-in-law. In 1332, Kalita began a war with Novgorod, which refused to pay the ancient tribute (“Zakamsky silver”), but soon made peace. At the end of his reign, he again demanded a large sum from the Novgorodians and, when they refused to pay it, he recalled his governors. This feud ended under his son. The Ryazan princes, in view of the Tatar threat, also had to obey Ivan I. In 1340, Kalita, on the orders of the khan, sent an army against the disobedient Horde of the Smolensk prince Ivan Alexandrovich and, together with the Tatars, devastated the Smolensk region.

Ivan Kalita, on the one hand, appears with the unsightly features of a cruel and sneaky man who servilely served in the Horde. But, on the other hand, the allegations that he “sold Rus' to the Tatars” are unfair and frivolous. If this were so, then the Tatar yoke over North-Eastern Russia under Kalita should have strengthened. But in reality we see the opposite: after the final victory of Ivan I in the fight against Tver, Mongol rule over Russia did not strengthen, but weakened significantly. After 1327, the devastating Tatar raids ceased for four whole decades. The possessions of Ivan Kalita and the entire Russian North-East began to enjoy peace and prosperity: “There was silence for the Christians and the Tatars stopped fighting the Russian land,” say the chroniclers, meaning in this case the Russian land as the Vladimir and Moscow principalities. This "silence" continued until the mid-1360s. Under Ivan Kalita, Rus' gained much more independence in relations with the khan. Horde tribute was previously collected here by visiting Muslim and Jewish financiers. They took this tax at the mercy of the khan and then, through cruel violence, collected a much larger amount from the Russian population. Thanks to Kalita’s smart policy, the Tatars stopped allowing these extortionists into Rus'. The Horde “exit” was now collected and transported to the Horde by the Russian princes themselves, and this greatly relieved the people. Rus' still remained under the supreme authority of the Horde, but received a much higher vassal status than before. Under those conditions, this was a major achievement.

Ivan Kalita was a thrifty owner who tried to increase his principality and wealth. In his will, he carefully counts all the villages and golden vessels he bought. This trait is indicated by his nickname Kalita - a bag of money, a hoarder (Karamzin explains this nickname differently - by the fact that Ivan always carried a bag of money with him - “kalita” - to distribute to the poor). Ivan Kalita took care of the internal structure of his possessions. He built a new oak Kremlin in Moscow, protecting not only the city center, but also part of the suburb. Moscow began to grow quickly. Boyars from Tver, Chernigov, Kyiv and even from the Horde (Murza Chet) flocked to the strong Prince of Moscow. Ivan took care of the internal security of his possessions and strictly persecuted robbers and thieves.

An important event of the reign of Ivan Kalita was the resettlement of Metropolitan Peter from Vladimir to Moscow for permanent residence. Kalita acquired the special favor of the Metropolitan and, at his request, erected a stone Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. Peter died in Moscow and was buried there. The new Metropolitan Theognost, following the example of his predecessor, also settled in Moscow. In addition to the named cathedral, Ivan built three more stone churches in Moscow. Stone churches in Vladimir Rus', devastated by the Tatars, were then a rarity.

There is no exact information about land annexations to the Moscow principality during the era of Ivan Kalita. His acquisition of the cities of Galich, Uglich and Belozersk, which is indicated by Dmitry Donskoy’s spirituality, is doubtful, since Ivan himself does not speak about them in his spiritual letters. According to Solovyov’s explanation, Kalita bought these cities, but left some of the rights of sovereign princes to the sellers. Before his death, Ivan Kalita took monastic vows. He divided all his property between his three sons and his wife: he left Moscow as a common possession to his heirs, to his son Simeon he gave the cities of Mozhaisk, Kolomna and 16 volosts, to Ivan - Zvenigorod, Kremichna, Ruza and 10 volosts, to Andrey - Lopasnya, Serpukhov and 9 more volosts, wife Elena and daughters - 14 volosts.