Boris of Tver or Boris the Great (ca. 1399–February 10, 1461) was a

Grand Prince of Tver The title of Prince of Tver was borne by the head of the branch of the Rurikid dynasty that ruled the Principality of Tver. In 1247 Tver was allocated to Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky, and became an independent principality. In 1252, the principa ...

from April 22, 1426 to his death.

Biography

Domestic and foreign politics

The year 1425 was devastating for the

Principality of Tver The Principality of Tver (russian: Тверское княжество, la, Tferiae Vasily I of Moscow Vasily I Dmitriyevich ( rus, Василий I Дмитриевич, Vasiliy I Dmitriyevich; 30 December 137127 February 1425) was the Grand Prince of Moscow ( r. 1389–1425), heir of Dmitry Donskoy (r. 1359–1389). He ruled as a Golden Horde ...

, in the same year

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pe ...

killed three Grand Dukes of Tver: Ivan Mikhailovich, Boris' father Aleksander Ivanovich and brother Jury Aleksandrovich. Thus Boris Aleksandrovich became the ruler of the principality. At the beginning of his reign the muscovite Grand Prince

Vasily II Vasily Vasiliyevich (russian: Василий Васильевич; 10 March 141527 March 1462), also known as Vasily II the Blind (Василий II Тёмный), was the Grand Prince of Moscow whose long reign (1425–1462) was plagued by th ...

was very young, so the power was concentrated in hands of his warden

Vytautas Vytautas (c. 135027 October 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian: ', be, Вітаўт, ''Vitaŭt'', pl, Witold Kiejstutowicz, ''Witold Aleksander'' or ''Witold Wielki'' Ruthenian: ''Vitovt'', Latin: ''Alexander Vitoldus'', O ...

. That was the last chance for Tver to prevent Moscow from complete dominance. In 1427 Boris I came to service of Vytautas together with Ivan III of Ryazan, still staying the ruler of Tver. However, in 1430 Vytautas died and the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

immensed in the internal strife. Meanwhile in Rus' started the

Muscovite Civil War The Muscovite Civil War, Muscovite War of Succession,Janet L. B. Martin, John D. Martin''Medieval Russia, 980-1584''(1995), p. 400. Cambridge University Press. or Great Feudal War, was a prolonged conflict that cast its shadow over the entire rei ...

, that weakened the Moscow princes and let the Principality of Tver more independence. In 1454 with the death of

Dmitry Shemyaka Dmitriy Yurievich Shemyaka (Дмитрий Юрьевич Шемяка in Russian) (died 1453) was the second son of Yury of Zvenigorod by Anastasia of Smolensk and grandson of Dmitri Donskoi. His hereditary patrimony was the rich Northern to ...

the war was ended, and both Boris I and Ivan III of Ryazan swore their allegiance to Moscow. To tie this alliance, in 1454 Boris married his daughter Maria to

Ivan Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...

, the future Grand Prince of Moscow. With the help of Saint Jonah, Boris promised

Vasily Vasili, Vasily, Vasilii or Vasiliy ( Russian: Василий) is a Russian masculine given name of Greek origin and corresponds to ''Basil''. It may refer to: *Vasili I of Moscow Grand Prince from 1389–1425 *Vasili II of Moscow Grand Prince fr ...

to always support their children and Moscow's interests. During his reign, the story of

Third Rome The continuation, succession and revival of the Roman Empire is a running theme of the history of Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. It reflects the lasting memories of power and prestige associated with the Roman Empire itself. Several polit ...

("the second Constantinople") started in Tver, when the monk Foma (Thomas) of Tver had written ''The Eulogy of the Pious Grand Prince Boris Alexandrovich'' in 1453. The

Kremlin Armoury The Kremlin Armoury,Officially called the "Armou/ory Chamber" but also known as the cannon yard, the "Armou/ory Palace", the "Moscow Armou/ory", the "Armou/ory Museum", and the "Moscow Armou/ory Museum" but different from the Kremlin Arsenal. ( ...

keeps one of the Boris's hunting artefacts - the

Bear spear A bear spear was a medieval type of spear used in hunting for bears and other large animals. The sharpened head of a bear spear was enlarged and usually took the form of a bay leaf. Right under the head there was a short crosspiece that helped f ...

Marriages and family

He first married to Anastasia Andreevna of

Mozhaysk MozhayskAlternative transliterations include ''Mozhaisk'', ''Mozhajsk'', ''Mozhaĭsk'', and ''Možajsk''. ( rus, Можа́йск, p=mɐˈʐajsk) is a town and the administrative center of Mozhaysky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located to th ...

Dmitry Donskoy Saint Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy ( rus, Дми́трий Ива́нович Донско́й, Dmítriy Ivanovich Donskóy, also known as Dimitrii or Demetrius), or Dmitry of the Don, sometimes referred to simply as Dmitry (12 October 1350 – 1 ...

granddaughter. They had a daughter Maria of Tver (future wife of

Ivan III of Moscow Ivan III Vasilyevich (russian: Иван III Васильевич; 22 January 1440 – 27 October 1505), also known as Ivan the Great, was a Grand Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of all Rus'. Ivan served as the co-ruler and regent for his blin ...

). The second marriage was to Anastasia Alexandrovna of Suzdal, daughter of Aleksander Vasilyevich

Shuysky The Princes Shuisky (russian: Шуйские, Shuyskiye) was a Rurikid family of Boyars descending from Grand Duke Dimitri Konstantinovich of Vladimir-Suzdal and Prince Andrey Yaroslavich, brother to Alexander Nevsky. The surname is derived f ...

. She gave Boris two sons - Mikhail III of Tver and Alexander (died between 1454-1455). In 1485 she tried to hide Mikhail's treasury and sentenced to exile in

Pereslavl-Zalessky Pereslavl-Zalessky ( rus, Переславль-Залесский, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈslavlʲ zɐˈlʲɛskʲɪj, lit. ''Pereslavl beyond the woods''), also known as Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located on the main Mosc ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boris Of Tver 1400 births 1461 deaths Princes of Tver Rurik dynasty Yurievichi family