Vasili II of Russia

Vasili II Vasiliyevich Tyomniy (Blind) (??????? II ?????????? ?????? in Russian) (March 10, 1415 – March 27, 1462) was the Grand Prince of Moscow whose long reign (1425-1462) was plagued by the greatest civil war of medieval Russian history.

Vasili's fight with Kazan and Shemyaka

Vasili's reign saw the collapse of the Golden Horde and its break up into smaller Khanates. Now that his throne was relatively secure, he had to deal with the Tatar threat.

Related Topics:
Golden Horde - Khanate

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In 1439, Vasili had to flee the capital, when it was besieged by Olug Moxammat, ruler of the nascent Kazan Khanate. Six years later, he personally led his troops against Olug Moxammat, but was defeated and taken prisoner. The Muscovites were forced to gather an enormous ransom for their prince, so that Vasili could be released some 5 months later.

Related Topics:
1439 - Olug Moxammat - Kazan Khanate

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During that time, the control of Moscow passed to Dmitry Shemyaka. Keeping in mind the fate of his own brother, Dmitry had Vasili blinded and exiled him to Uglich (1446). Hence, Vasili's nickname Tyomniy, which stands for "blind" (or, more accurately, "seeing darkness"). As Vasili still had a number of supporters in Moscow, Dmitry recalled him from exile and gave him Vologda as an appanage. That proved to be a new mistake, as Vasili quickly assembled his supporters and regained the throne.

Related Topics:
Dmitry Shemyaka - Uglich - 1446 - Vologda

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Vasili's final victory against his cousin came in 1450s, when he captured Galich-Mersky and poisoned Dmitry. The latter's children managed to escape to Lithuania. These events finally put to rest the principle of collateral succession, which was a major cause of medieval internecine struggles.

Related Topics:
1450 - Galich-Mersky - Lithuania - Collateral succession

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