Sophia Palaiologina

Zoe Palaiologina
Grand Princess consort of Moscow
Reconstruccion by Sergey Nikitin, 1994.
Tenure	12 November 1472 – 7 April 1503
Born	c. 1455
Died	7 April 1503 (aged 47–48)
Burial	Ascension Convent, Kolomenskoye Archangel Cathedral, Kremlin (1929)
Spouse	Ivan III of Russia
Issue	Vasili Ivanovich Yury Ivanovich Dmitry Ivanovich Syamyon Ivanovich Andrey Ivanovich Alena Ivanovna Feadosiya Ivanovna Ewdakiya Ivanovna
House by marriage House by birth	House of Rurik House of Paleologue
Father	Thomas Palaeologus
Mother	Catherine Zaccaria
Religion	Eastern Orthodox

Zoe Palaiologina (Greek: Ζωή Παλαιολογίνα), who later changed her name to Sophia Palaiologina (Russian: София Фоминична Палеолог; between 1440/49 or c. 1455 – 7 April 1503), was a Byzantine princess member of the Imperial Palaiologos family, by marriage Grand Duchess of Moscow as the second wife of Grand Prince Ivan III. Through her eldest son Vasili III, she was also the grandmother of Ivan the Terrible, the first Tsar of All the Russias.

Biography

Family

Zoe's father was Thomas Palaiologos, Despot of Morea and younger brother of the last Byzantine Emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos. Her mother was Catherine, the only legitimate daughter and heiress of Centurione II Zaccaria, the last independet Prince of Achaea and Baron of Arcadia.

The marriage between Thomas Palaiologos and Catherine Zaccaria produced four children: Helena, later wife of Lazar Branković, Despot of Serbia, Zoe, Andreas and Manuel.

In Italy

The fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 was a turning point in Zoe's fate. Seven years later, in 1460, the Ottoman army duly attacked Morea and quickly breached the Hexamilion wall across the Isthmus of Corinth, which was too long to be effectively manned and defended by Thomas' forces. Thomas and his family escaped to Corfu and, then to Rome, where (already been recognized as the legitimate heir to the Byzantine Empire by the Pope) made a ceremonial entrance as Byzantine Emperor on 7 March 1461. Catherine, who remained in Corfu with her children, died there on 16 August 1462.

Zoe and his brothers remained in Corfu until 1465, when their dying father recalled them to Rome. Thomas Palaiologos died on 12 May 1465.

Adopted by the Papacy after her father's death together with her brothers, her Greek name Zoe was changed to Sophia. Born into the Orthodox religion, it's possible that she was raised as a Catholic in Rome. She spent the next years in the court of Pope Sixtus IV.

The care of the Imperial children was assigned to a famous scientist Greek, Cardinal Basilios Bessarion. Surviving letters of the Cardinal showed the care where the Pope followed the evolution and welfare of Sophia and her brothers: they received the amount of 3,600 crowns (in payments of 200 crowns per month for ther clothes, horses and servants, and additional 100 crowns for the maintenance of a modest household, who includes a doctor, a Latin teacher, a Greek teacher, a translator and one or two priests).

After the death of Thomas Palaeologus, his oldest son Andreas became in the de jure Byzantine Emperor, but after sold his rights to several European monarchs he finally died in poverty. During the reign of Bayezid II, Manuel returned to Constantinople (now Istanbul) and remained at the mercy of the Sultan; according to some sources, he converter to the Islam, raised a family and served in the Turkish Navy.

In 1466 the Venetian Republic invited King James II of Cyprus to asked the hand of Sophia in marriage, but he refused. Around 1467, Pope Paul II offered Sophia's hand to a Prince Caracciolo. They were solemnly betrothed, but the marriage never took place.

Marriage

Maria of Tver, the first wife of Grand Prince Ivan III of Moscow, died in 1467. This marriage only produced a son, Ivan the Young, born in 1458.

The marriage between Sophia and Ivan III was proposed by Pope Paul II in 1469, probably with the hope of strengthening the influence of the Catholic Church in Russia or the unification of the Orthodox and Catholic as was stipuladed in the Council of Florence. The motives of Ivan III for pursue this union were probably connected with the status and rights of the Greek princess over Constantinople. The idea of this marriage perhaps was born in the mind of Cardinal Bessarion.

The negotiations lasted for three years. Russian chronicles related the events as follows:

• On 11 February 1469 a delegation leaded by Cardinal Bessarion arrived in Moscow with the formal proposal of marriage between Sophia and the Grand Prince. Ivan III, who after consulted with his mother Maria of Borovsk, the Metropolitan Philip and his boyars, received a possitive decision.

Ivan Fryazin showed to Ivan III the portrait of Sophia Palaiologina, by Viktor Muizhel.

• In 1469 Ivan Fryazin (Gian-Battista della Volpe) was sent to the Roman court to made the proper negociations for the match. According to the chronicles, he was sent back to Moscow with a portrait of the princess, who caused an extreme surprise in the court (This portrait wasn't preserved, which is very unfortunate, because surely was painted by one of the painters at the papal service at that time, like Pietro Perugino, Melozzo da Forlì or Pedro Berruguete). The Pope received the Russian Ambassador with great honors.

• On 16 January 1472 Fryazin was sent again to Rome, this time with the purpose to bring the bride of his master. He arrived there on 23 May.

• On 1 June 1472 at St. Peter's Basilica was performed the marriage by proxy; in representation of Grand Prince Ivan III was Fryazin. Among the guests in the ceremony was Clarice Orsini (wife of Lorenzo the Magnificent, ruler of Florence) and Queen Catherine of Bosnia. As a dowry, Sophia received the amount of 6,000 ducats.

• On 24 June 1472 Sophia and Fryazin, with a grand entourage, left Rome. The bride was accompanied by Cardinal Bessarion, who probably could acted as an agent in the Moscow court. Legend says that a part of Sophia's dowry were books that will be the basis of the famous library of Ivan the Terrible. Travel itinerary was as follows: to the north of Italy through Germany to the port of Lübeck, where they arrived on September 1st. The voyage across the Baltic Sea took 11 days. The ship landed in Kolyvan (now Tallinn) in October 1472 and continue the trip for St. George (now Tartu), Pskov (where she was officially celebrated —it was noticed that she thanked the public herself for the celebrations) and Novgorod. On 12 November 1472 Sophia finally arrived to Moscow.

Even while traveling to Russian lands, became apparent that the Vatican plans to make Sophia their representant of Catholicism failed as was soon demonstrated when immediately after her wedding she returned to the faith of her ancestors. Papal Legate Anthony was unable to enter Moscow, carrying in front the Latin cross (Korsun cross).

The formal wedding between Ivan III and Sophia took place at the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow on 12 November 1472. The ceremony was performed by Metropolitan Philip, although other sources states that was celebrated by Hosea, Abbot of Kolomna.

In the Kremlin Museum are stored several items related to her. Among them a few precious icons, who previously where placed in the Annunciation Cathedral, whose frame is created, probably in Moscow. According to the inscriptions showed there, can be assumed that they are in her power she came from Rome.

For her in Moscow were built special mansions and gardens, but in 1493 they where burned, and during the fire was lost much of the treasure of the Grand Duchess. In 1472, she was affected by the formal tributary gesture by which her spouse greeted the Mongolian representatives, and is believed to have convinced him to abandon the tributary relationship to the Mongols, which was completed in 1480.

Sophia was apparently not obliged to follow the custom of traditional isolation which was expected of other Russian noble and royal women at the time; it is noted that she was not confined to the women's quarters, but greeted foreign representatives from Europe similarly as the queens of Western Europe.

Before the invasion of Akhmad in 1480, Sophia, her children, household and treasury where sent firstly to Dmitrov and then on Belozersk; in the case, that Akhmad will finally take Moscow, she was adviced to flee to further north to the sea. This precautions caused that Vissarion, Bishop of Rostov, warned the Grand Duke that the excessive attachment to his wife and children would be his destruction.

The family returned to Moscow only in the winter. The Venetian ambassador Ambrogio Contarini says that in 1476 he was audience whith the Grand Duchess, who received him politely and kindly and respectfully asked about the Doge.

There is a legend associated with the birth of Sophia's eldest son, the future Vasily III: that during one of her pious trips to Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, the Grand Princess had a vision of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, who "presented her the long-waited son between his arms"

Dynastic problems and rivalry

Over time, the second marriage of the Grand Prince was one of the main sources of tension in the court, thanks to the "shrewd" character of the new Grand Princess, and for the increased rumours that her husband let himself be directed by her suggestions. It's thought that Sophia introduced grand Byzantine ceremonies and meticulous court etiquette in the Kremlin, the idea of Moscow as a Third Rome evidently pleasing her.

Soon emerged two parties into the court nobility, one of which supported the heir to the throne, Ivan the Young, and the second, who sided with Sophia. In 1476 the Venetian Ambrogio Contarini noted that the heir to the throne had lost the favor of his father, thanks to the intrigues of the Despina (title given to Sophia after her father); however, if existed any tension between father and son, this didn't excluded him from his rights, because since 1477 Ivan the Young was officially referred as the co-ruler of Ivan III.

In subsequent years, princely family increased significantly: between 1474 and 1490 the Grand Princess gave birth eleven children, five sons and six daughters.

Another source of tension in the Russian court appeared in January 1483, when Ivan the Young married. His wife was Ilincu, daughter of Stephen III the Great, Prince of Moldavia, who after her marriage took the name of Elena. The new wife of the heir soon became involved in the court intrigues, especially when on 10 October 1483 she gave birth a son, Dmitry. After the annexation of Tver in 1485, Ivan the Young was appointed Grand Prince of this domains by his father; thus, during all the 1480s Ivan's position as the rightful heir was quite strong.

The position of Sophia's supporters was less secured at that time. In particular, the Grand Princess was unable to obtain government posts to her relatives: her brother Andreas departed from Moscow with nothing, and her niece Maria (wife of Vasily Mikhailovich, Hereditary Prince of Verey-Belozersky) was forced to flee to Lithuania with her husband, an event who further undermined Sophia's position at court. According to sources, Sophia arranged the marriage of her niece with Prince Vasily in 1480, and in 1483 she gave to some jewelry who belonged to Ivan III's first wife. When Ivan the Young asked for this jewels(who logically wanted to gave his wife Elena as a gift), he discovered that are missing; outraged, he ordened a search. Prince Vasily didn't wait for expected punishment against him, and taking his wife fled to Lithuania. One direct consecuence of this episode was that Prince Michael of Verey-Belozersky, Vasily's father bequeathed his domains to the Grand Prince after his death, effectively desinherited his son. Only in 1493 Sophia was able to obtain the pardon for her niece and her husband, but for unknown reasons they never returned.

However, by 1490 entered into force the new circumstances. The son of the Grand Duke, heir to the throne Ivan ill "kamchyugoyu in the legs" ( gout ). Sophia has written from Venice doctor - "Mistry Leon" which arrogantly promised Ivan III cure heir to the throne; Nevertheless, all efforts were fruitless doctor, and March 7, 1490 Ivan Young died. The doctor was executed, and Moscow rumors about poisoning the heir; a hundred years later these rumors, this time as indisputable facts, wrote Andrew Kurbski . Modern historians refer to the hypothesis of the poisoning of Ivan the Young as unverifiable due to lack of resources.

February 4, 1498 at the Assumption Cathedral in the atmosphere of great splendor passed coronation grand prince Dmitry. Sophia and her son Basil was not invited. However, 11 April 1502 dynastic struggle has come to its logical conclusion. According to the chronicle, Ivan III «put disgrace to his grandson Grand Duke Dmitreev and his mother at the Grand Duchess Elena, and on the days they did not tell pominati in litanies and litiah nor naritsati Grand Duke, and plant them for the officers." A few days later Vasily was granted the great reign; Soon Dmitry-grandson and his mother Helen Voloshanka were transferred from house arrest to prison. Thus, the struggle within the grand family ended with the victory of Basil grand prince; he became a co-ruler of his father and heir of a nation. Fall Dmitry-grandson and his mother also determined the fate of the Moscow-Novgorod Reformation movement in the Orthodox Church: Church Council in 1503 finally defeated it; Many prominent and progressive leaders of this movement were executed. As for the fate of the losers themselves dynastic struggle, it was sad: 18 January 1505 died in prison Elena Stefanovna, and in 1509 "in Nouzha in tyurme" died himself Dmitry. "Some believe that he died of hunger and cold, while others - that he suffocated from the smoke" - reported Herberstein about his death.

Death

Destruction of Sophia Palaiologina grave in 1929.

She died April 7, 1503, two years before the death of her husband (he died October 27, 1505).

She was buried in a massive white stone sarcophagus in the crypt of the Cathedral of the Ascension in the Kremlin next to the grave of Mary Borisovny , the first wife of Ivan III. On the lid of the sarcophagus sharp instrument scratched the word "Sophia".

This cathedral was destroyed in 1929, and the remains of Sophia, as well as other women who reigned at home, were transferred to the underground chamber southern extension of the cathedral .

Issue

• Elena (18 April 1474 – 9 May 1476).
• Theodosia (May 1475 – young).
• Elena (19 May 1476 – 20 January 1513), married Alexander Jagiellon but had no issue.
• Vasili (26 March 1479 – 3 December 1533), became Grand Prince of Moscow.
• Yury (23 March 1480 – 3 August 1536), Prince of Dmitrov, died of starvation in prison.
• Dmitri (6 October 1481 – 14 February 1521), Prince of Uglich.
• Eudokia (February 1483 – 8 February 1513), married Khudakul, Kazan Tsar of the Tartars (baptized as Peter) but had no issue.
• Elena (8 April 1484 – young).
• Theodosia (29 May 1485 – 19 February 1501), married Vasili, Prince of Kholm but had no issue.
• Simeon (21 March 1487 – 26 June 1518), Prince of Kaluga, fled to Lithuania after being accused of treason.
• Andrei (5 August 1490 – 11 December 1537), Prince of Staritza, killed in prison.

Family of Sophia Palaiologina

16. Andronikos III Palaiologos 8. John V Palaiologos 17. Anna of Savoy 4. Manuel II Palaiologos 18. John VI Kantakouzenos 9. Helena Kantakouzene 19. Irene Asanina 2. Thomas Palaiologos 20. Dejan 10. Constantine Dragaš 21. Theodora Nemanjić 5. Helena Dragaš 1. Sophia Palaiologina 24. Centurione I Zaccaria 12. Andronikos Asen Zaccaria 6. Centurione II Zaccaria 26. Erard III Le Maure, Baron of Arcadia 13. Unnamed 3. Catherine Zaccaria 28. Leonardo I Tocco 14. Leonardo II Tocco 29. Maddalena Acciaiuoli dei Buondelmonti 7. Creusa Tocco

External links

• Xponoc и Содружество литературных проектов