The accession of Novgorod to the Moscow State
Novgorod land far exceeded other lands in size, possession of Veliky Novgorod stretched from the r. Narova to the Ural Mountains. A special feature of Novgorod was the presence of republican principles. Novgorod was ruled by the archbishop and posadniki elected by the council from the boyar families. Princely land in Novgorodchine absent. In the second half of the 15th century, the Grand Duchy of Moscow increased its pressure on Novgorod. Ivan III Vasilyevich pursued a policy of "collecting lands." The threat of independence forced the Novgorod merchant-aristocratic elite to seek an alliance with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Novgorod, despite its wealth, could not resist Moscow itself. The anti-Moscow party was led by its energetic mayor's widow, Martha Boretskaya, and her sons. However, part of Novgorod was against the appeal to the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Casimir, because there was enmity between Catholics and Orthodox. Therefore, an Orthodox prince Mikhail Olelkovich, the son of a Kiev prince and cousin of Ivan III, was invited to Novgorod. He arrived in Novgorod 8 on November 1470 of the year.
However, Prince Michael stayed in Novgorod not for long. In connection with the death of the Novgorod archbishop Jonah, who invited Michael, a new wave of internal political struggle followed in Novgorod. As a result, 15 March 1471, Prince Michael left the city. The anti-Moscow party gained the upper hand and an embassy was sent to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. A draft treaty was drawn up with the Grand Duke Casimir. According to him, Veliky Novgorod recognized the supreme power of the great Lithuanian prince, but retained its former structure. Casimir promised to provide military assistance in the fight against Moscow. The conflict between Moscow and Novgorod has become inevitable.
Ivan III Vasilyevich tried to solve the matter in peace. He sent his ambassador, Ivan Tovarkov-Pushkin, to the Novgorodians with "good speeches." However, his mission was not crowned with success. Ivan III tried to influence Novgorod with the help of representatives of the Orthodox Church. The Moscow Metropolitan blamed Novgorod for betraying Orthodoxy, demanding from Novgorod the rejection of the "Latin state." But the intervention of the church could not muffle political passions.
The oncoming war with Moscow split the Novgorodians in two. In the Chamber, the opponents of Moscow shouted: “We don’t want for the Grand Duke of Moscow, nor do they call him his“ homeland ”. Free ezmy people Velikiy Novgorod "; "We want a king!" Military preparations in Novgorod took a significant scale. Only on the Pskov border in July 1471 of the year was sent 40 thousand troops. The Novgorod army was supposed to prevent the allied Moscow prince of the Pskov army from uniting with the main forces of the opponents of Novgorod. 12-thousand a detachment under the command of Vasily Shuisky was sent to protect the Novgorod lands down the Northern Dvina. The property was taken from those who refused to go camping. Despite the large number of the Novgorod army, its combat capability was low. The city was formed hastily, the townspeople were not trained in military affairs, many did not want to fight against the Grand Duke of Moscow.
In Moscow, they knew about the preparations of Novgorod and also prepared for a military campaign. Ivan III planned to organize an all-Russian campaign against Novgorod, giving it a religious coloring. 6 June 1471 from Moscow was made by the 10 ths. Squad, led by Daniel Kholmsky. The troops under the command of Kholmsky moved around the Ilmensky Lake from the south to the town of Rusu. A week later, the forces moved under the start of Striga Obolensky to Volochek and Msta. On June 20, the main forces of the Moscow troops, under the authority of the grand duke, marched from Moscow and moved towards the allies through Tver. There the Tver regiment joined the Moscow troops.
Having reached the border, the Moscow troops adopted the order of battle: the regiments of Kholmsky and Strigi walked to the right and left, the Grand Duke in the center, somewhat behind them. They attacked without wagons, Moscow warriors plundered the local population (this was common during the medieval wars). To frighten the Novgorodians, Moscow governors without “mercy” dealt with prisoners, punished them like rebellious serfs - “their noses, ears and lips cut them.” Kholmsky detachment seized the fortress of Demyan and burned Rus. He stopped at Korostyn and began waiting for the Allied Pskov troops. Novgorod command sent to meet Moscow troops in a hastily assembled detachment on ships on Lake Ilmen. In the first battle of Korostyn Novgorod troops were defeated.
Kholmsky received the order of the Grand Duke to go to Shelon and unite with the Pskovs. At this time, the Novgorod army under the command of Vasily Kazimir and Dmitry Boretsky moved up the r. Sheloni. The infantry was seated on ships, and the cavalry was on the shore. Having met, both rati walked for some time along different banks of the river. Following a long-standing custom, the Novgorodians, before the battle, started a verbal skirmish, “chulnye words wearily on the governor of the Grand Duke” and on himself. 14 July 1471, the battle took place. Novgorod ship's army fought bravely and "beat the Muscovite a lot" at the crossing. However, when the Novgorodians overturned the Moscow regiments and drove them behind Shelon, the soldiers of the ruler of the Kasimov khanate Daniyar hit them from ambush. Novgorod infantry flinch and ran. The situation could straighten the cavalry regiment of Archbishop Theophilus, but his governors did not move, saying that they were sent only against Pskov. Apparently, they acted on instructions received from the archbishop. Novgorod suffered the main losses during the persecution. Moscow army pursued Novgorod 12 miles. In this battle, about 12 thousand of Novgorod fell, and about 2 thousand more were taken prisoner. Among the prisoners were posadniks and the main Novgorod boyars. Ivan Vasilyevich, arriving in Rusu, arranged a trial and reprisal. Dmitry Boretsky and three other mayors were beaten with a whip, and then beheaded. Vasily Kazimir and three boyars were sent to Kolomna prison. From other noble people took something, simple Novgorod simply let go.
On July 27, the Grand Duke arrived in Korostyn, where he began peace negotiations with representatives of Novgorod. 11 August 1471 between Moscow and Novgorod the Great signed a peace agreement. The Novgorod Republic recognized its defeat, promised to sever relations with Lithuania and pay Moscow a large contribution in the amount of 15,5 thousand rubles. By order of the Moscow sovereign, defenses were demolished in the Novgorod fortresses of Demyan and Rus. Grand Duke Ivan III was in a hurry at the conclusion of this treaty. Opponents of Moscow at that time tried to create a broad coalition with the participation of Lithuania, the Great Horde and Livonia. Therefore, the Moscow sovereign accepted the main demand of Novgorod citizens - to preserve the veche system in Novgorod. Novgorod retained the right to invite princes to his throne, excluding the enemies of Moscow. However, the entire population of Novgorod was sworn. In addition, a large part of the vast Dvina land was ceded to Moscow.
Moscow-Novgorod war 1477 — 1478
In the autumn of 1475, Ivan III Vasilyevich arrived in Novgorod by “peace”, but accompanied by impressive strength. The reason for his arrival in Veliky Novgorod was the conflict of the boyars of Slavkov Street (they were to Moscow) with the boyars of the Nerevsky end (many of them were guided by Lithuania). The strife between these parts of Novgorod was accompanied by mutual attacks, pogroms and looting. The Grand Duke, violating the tradition of Novgorod - Novgorod officials had the right to judge only the Council of gentlemen and the Chamber, declared several leaders of the anti-Moscow party guilty. Several Novgorod boyars were sent to Moscow. Archbishop Theophilus wanted to help out the arrested boyars and came to Moscow, but his mission was not successful.
In fact, during this period, a judicial dual power developed in Veliky Novgorod: some complainants were sent directly to Moscow and there they presented their claims. The Moscow sovereign, seeking complete subordination of Novgorod, wanted to abolish the special Novgorod court, replacing it with a grand ducal one. This situation became a pretext for a new Moscow-Novgorod war, which ended with the fall of the aristocratic trade republic.
In the spring of 1477, “complainants against posadnik and boyars” were drawn to Moscow, among them were supporters of Moscow - posad Vasily Nikiforov and boyar Ivan Kuzmin. Together with the others, Ivan III Vasilyevich received two minor officials - Nazvo and Podkowski, Zechariah. In presenting their complaint, they called the Grand Duke “sovereign” instead of the traditional “master” appeal, this title assumed the equality of “Mr. Grand Prince” and “Lord Great Novgorod”. Moscow used this situation to resolve the Novgorod issue completely.
Ambassadors Khromoy-Chelyadnin and Tuchko-Morozov were sent to Novgorod, who, referring to the words of Nazar and Zechariah, began to demand official recognition for Ivan Vasilyevich of the title of sovereign Novgorod. They also demanded the arrangement of the residence of the Grand Duke at the Yaroslavovka Settlement and the replacement of the court of Novgorod by the Grand Prince’s Court. Veche, after listening to the Moscow ambassadors, said that Novgorod had not authorized any changes in the title of Vladyka of Moscow. “We,” said the inhabitants of the city, “so we did not send, we sent the boyars, but the people do not know that.” Nazar and Zachary were outlawed. A new wave of clashes between the pro-Moscow and pro-political parties began. Boyar Nikiforov, who secretly took the oath to the Moscow prince and entered his service, was killed. Posadnik Ovinov and his brother took refuge in the archbishop's court. But it did not save them, they were killed in the lord's courtyard. The archbishop could not save them. Influential boyars Fedorov and Zakharyin were put in custody. Moscow ambassadors were released “with honor”, but all demands of Moscow were decisively rejected.
9 October 1477, the Moscow army moved to Novgorod. She was joined by shelves from Tver and Pskov. In November, Novgorod the Great was besieged. Novgorodians actively prepared for defense and refused to surrender. To prevent an attack from the river, the military leader of Novgorod, Prince Vasily Grebyonka-Shuisky and the townspeople hastily built a wall on the ships, blocking the Volkhov. The townspeople hoped that a large enemy army would not be able to provide themselves with food and sooner or later would leave, fleeing from hunger and cold. However, their calculations were only partially justified. Ivan did not try to storm the powerful fortifications of Novgorod and dismissed half of the army in the vicinity, so that the soldiers could get food by robbery. In addition, the great service of the army of the Grand Duke had Pskov, who began to supply it with food.
Novgorod had a chance to survive if there was unity in the ranks of his defenders. Supporters of Moscow, remembering the recent executions, hurried to leave the city and get into the grand prince's camp. Among the first defectors was the boyar Tucha and the son of the murdered boyar Nikiforov. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that the most determined opponents of Moscow were already executed or were in prison. There were no people who would be able to organize decisive and long-lasting resistance. Supporters of Moscow began to insist on negotiations with the Grand Duke. One of the supporters of the beginning of negotiations and the conclusion of peace was the Novgorod Archbishop Theophilus.
On November 23, the Novgorod embassy together with Vladyka Theophilus appeared in the tent of the Moscow sovereign on the banks of the Ilmen. Novgorodians wanted to make peace on the terms of the 1471 agreement of the year. Ivan Vasilyevich gave a feast in their honor, but rejected all the proposals of Novgorod. Hopes for an honorable world disappeared. The sovereign of Moscow declared that he wanted to see Novgorod with the same “patronage” as Moscow. Then the Moscow boyars told the Novgorod the will of the great sovereign Ivan Vasilyevich: "... in Novgorod there will be neither a veche bell or a posadnik, but there will be one power of the sovereign, as in the country of Moscow."
When the ambassadors set out these demands at the meeting, distemper began in the city. "Vstache black on the boyars and boyars on the mobile." New boyars ran to the Moscow camp. Posadniki tried to reach an agreement with the Moscow boyars. Muscovites assured their ambassadors that the sovereign would not evict the Novgorodians "to the Bottom" and would not take their land. These assurances put an end to the hesitations of the Novgorod government. Wanting to obtain guarantees of the inviolability of their property, the boyars asked the grand duke to personally confirm the agreement, swearing on the cross. But received a refusal.
Seeing that in the city there was a "great rebellion" and "disorder," Prince Grebenka-Shuisky laid down a kiss on the cross to Novgorod and asked Ivan Vasilyevich to take me into his service. Vasily Grebenka was not punished. He was promoted to the rank of boyar and became governor of Nizhny Novgorod. Novgorod, having lost the military leader, decided to yield to the requirements of the Grand Duke. 13 January 1478, they announced the subordination of Novgorod to the Moscow prince. Novgorodians agreed to restore the princely grand domain in the lands of Novgorod and defined the procedure for collecting taxes in favor of the Grand Duke.
15 January 1478, the Moscow boyars entered Novgorod and took the oath to the residents of the city. Veche's order was destroyed, the veche in Novgorod was no longer convened. Veche bell and the archive of the city was taken to Moscow. Novgorod court, elected positions were abolished. Novgorod Republic was destroyed.
Already in February, the sovereign of the order to arrest Marfa Boretskaya. The huge patrimony of the Boretskys was transferred to the treasury. Marfa and her grandson were first brought to Moscow, and then sent to Nizhny Novgorod, where she was tonsured as a nun under the name of Mary. Vasily Kazimir and three other Novgorod mayor were taken to the service, but they soon fell into disgrace and lost their votchina.
Ivan III was still afraid of the intervention of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, having received a denunciation of the leaders of the Prolith party, ordered the arrest of the boyar I. Savelkov. In total, up to 30 people were arrested in the case of secret relations with Lithuanians, and their lands were confiscated. At the end of the 1480s, according to the writing books, the Moscow sovereign ordered the 1054 people to be evicted from Novgorod. Together with family members, about 7 thousand people were evicted. The “golden belts” were evicted - approximately 300 of the most distinguished families of Novgorod land and 500 - 600 merchants. The common people have not been affected by this eviction. Novgorod boyars and merchants were distributed in various cities, from Vladimir and Rostov to Murom and Kostroma. Novgorod aristocracy was actually destroyed, it was reduced to the level of ordinary service people.
Thus, Moscow eliminated the possibility of insurrection, since the Novgorod boyars and merchants still had great economic opportunities. With an unfavorable foreign policy situation for Moscow, the Novgorodians could try to regain independence.
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