''Sophia'' (russian: Софи́я, Sofíya) is a Russian

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

television series about

Sophia Palaiologina Zoe Palaiologina ( grc-x-byzant, Ζωή Παλαιολογίνα), whose name was later changed to Sophia Palaiologina (russian: София Фоминична Палеолог; ca. 1449 – 7 April 1503), was a Byzantine princess, member of ...

, Grand Duchess of Moscow. The film was directed by Aleksei Andrianov, and produced by film company "Moskino" (russian: link=no, Москино) with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of Russia and

Ministry of Defence of Russia The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (russian: Министерство обороны Российской Федерации, Минобороны России, informally abbreviated as МО, МО РФ or Minoboron) is the govern ...

Plot

Setting: the second half of the 15th century. The head of the

Duchy of Moscow The Grand Duchy of Moscow, Muscovite Russia, Muscovite Rus' or Grand Principality of Moscow (russian: Великое княжество Московское, Velikoye knyazhestvo Moskovskoye; also known in English simply as Muscovy from the Lati ...

Ivan III 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 bl ...

, accepts an offer from ambassadors to Rome to marry princess Zoe of the ancient

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

Palaiologos The House of Palaiologos ( Palaiologoi; grc-gre, Παλαιολόγος, pl. , female version Palaiologina; grc-gre, Παλαιολογίνα), also found in English-language literature as Palaeologus or Palaeologue, was a Byzantine Greek f ...

family. He sends

voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the me ...

Khromoy and monetary master Ivan Fryazin to Rome, who bring Zoe to Moscow, where she takes a new name after

rebaptism Rebaptism in Christianity is the baptism of a person who has previously been baptized, usually in association with a denomination that does not recognize the validity of the previous baptism. When a denomination rebaptizes members of another denomi ...

– Sophia. She does not meet the expectations of the Pope to expand the influence of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in Russia. The attempts to send emissaries with the aim of urging Sophia to follow the line of Rome and further killing her end in failure. The most notable moments of Ivan III's rule are shown, including: the war with

Novgorod Republic The Novgorod Republic was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east, including the city of Novgorod and the Lake Ladoga regions of m ...

, disagreement and later peace with Ivan's brothers (Boris and

Andrey Bolshoy Andrey Vasilyevich Bolshoy, nicknamed Goryai (russian: Андрей Васильевич Большой) (14 August 1446 – 6 November 1493), was the third son of Vasili II of Russia who transformed his capital in Uglich into a major centre of ...

), victory over the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fr ...

, and also the opposition of Sophia to

Elena Elena may refer to: People * Elena (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name * Joan Ignasi Elena (born 1968), Catalan politician * Francine Elena (born 1986), British poet Geography * Elena (town), a town in Veliko ...

, the wife of Ivan's elder son.

Cast

* Mariya Andreyeva as

, Grand Duchess of Moscow *

Yevgeny Tsyganov Yevgeny Eduardovich Tsyganov (russian: link=no, Евгений Эдуардович Цыганов; born 15 March 1979) is a Russian stage and film actor, director, screenwriter and composer. Early life Yevgeny Tsyganov was born in Moscow in th ...

, Grand Duke of Moscow *

Nadezhda Markina Nadezhda Konstantinovna Markina (russian: Наде́жда Константиновна Маркина; born 29 January 1959) is a Soviet and Russian actress. She was nominated for the Best Performance by an Actress at the European Film Awards, t ...

as Maria Yaroslavna, Grand Duchess of Moscow, Ivan III's mother *

Pyotr Zaychenko Pyotr Petrovich Zaychenko (russian: Пётр Петрович Зайченко; 1 April 1943 – 21 March 2019) was a Soviet-born Russian film and theater actor.

as Philip I, metropolitan of Moscow and all Rus' (this character is a composite character based on personalities of metropolitans

Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...

(died 5 April 1473) and

Gerontius Gerontius (; Latinized Greek for 'old man') can refer to: Music and literature * ''The Dream of Gerontius'', a 1900 choral work by Edward Elgar, a setting of a poem of the same name by John Henry Newman * ''The Dream of Gerontius'', the poem by ...

of Moscow (died 28 May 1489), more on the last's) * Boris Nevzorov as Grigoriy Mamonov,

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the Feudalism, feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Kievan Rus', Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria, Russian nobility, Russia, Boyars of Moldavia and Wallachia, Wallachia and ...

and

okolnichy Okolnichy (russian: око́льничий, ) was an old Muscovite court official position. According to the ''Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary'', directives on the position of ''okolnichy'' date back to the 14th century. Judging by ...

in the court of Grand Duchy of Moscow * Giuliano Di Capua as Ivan Fryazin, monetary master, diplomat, adventurer * Ilya Ilyinykh as

Ivan the Young Ivan Ivanovich (also known as, Ivan the Young, Ioann Ioannovich and Ivan Molodoy) (''Иван Иванович'', ''Иоанн Иоаннович'', ''Иван Молодой'' in Russian) (15 February 1458 – 6 March 1490), was the eldest son an ...

, the elder son of Ivan III, the heir of throne * Nikolay Kozak as Fyodor Khromy,

and boyar in the service of Grand Duchy of Moscow * Miriam Sekhon as Laura, assistant of Sophia Palaiologina * Sofia Nikitchuk as Elena Voloshanka, Ivan the Young's wife * Anatoliy Uzdenskiy as Fyodor Kuritsyn, Duma's dyak, chronicler and treasurer in the court of Ivan III * Aleksandr Baluev as

Stephen the Great Stephen III of Moldavia, most commonly known as Stephen the Great ( ro, Ștefan cel Mare; ; died on 2 July 1504), was Voivode (or Prince) of Moldavia from 1457 to 1504. He was the son of and co-ruler with Bogdan II, who was murdered in 1451 ...

hospodar Hospodar or gospodar is a term of Slavonic origin, meaning "lord" or "master". Etymology and Slavic usage In the Slavonic language, ''hospodar'' is usually applied to the master/owner of a house or other properties and also the head of a family. ...

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...

Sergei Puskepalis Sergei Vytautovich Puskepalis ( rus, Сергей Витаутович Пускепалис; 15 April 1966 – 20 September 2022) was a Russian actor and theatre director. He is best known for his roles in the award-winning movies '' Simple Thing ...

Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (in full Casimir IV Andrew Jagiellon; pl, Kazimierz IV Andrzej Jagiellończyk ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447, until his death. He was one of the ...

, Grand Duke of Lithuania *

Amadu Mamadakov Amadu is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name: *John Amadu Bangura (1920–1970), the acting Governor-General of Sierra Leone from 18 April to 22 April 1968 * Alfred Amadu Conteh, African American sculptor, pai ...

Ahmed Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet. Etymology The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...

, Khan of the Great Horde *

Ivan Kolesnikov Ivan Sergeyevich Kolesnikov (russian: Ива́н Серге́евич Коле́сников; born March 18, 1983) is a Russian film, television, and stage actor. Nika Award's winner (2016). Early life Kolesnikov was born in Moscow, Russian ...

as Yuriy, knyaz of

Dmitrov Dmitrov ( rus, Дмитров, p=ˈdmʲitrəf) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Dmitrovsky District, Moscow Oblast, Dmitrovsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located to the north of Mosco ...

, Ivan III's younger brother * Sergei Marin as

, knyaz of

Uglich Uglich ( rus, У́глич, p=ˈuɡlʲɪtɕ) is a historic town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River. Population: History The city was first documented in 1148 as ''Ugliche Pole'' (''Corner Field''). The town's name is though ...

, Ivan III's younger brother * Ivan Vakulenko as Boris, knyaz of Volok, Ivan III's younger brother * Konstantin Topolaga as

knyaz , or ( Old Church Slavonic: Кнѧзь) is a historical Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times of history and different ancient Slavic lands. It is usually translated into English as prince or duke, dependi ...

Daniil of Kholm, warlord * Pvel Sborshchikov as knyaz Vasiliy Nozdrovaty-Zvenigorodsky, warlord * Lidia Bayrashevskaya as

Marfa Boretskaya Marfa Boretskaya, also known as Martha the Mayoress (russian: Марфа Посадница - Marfa Posadnitsa), was the wife of Isaac Boretsky, Novgorod's posadnik in 1438–1439 and again in 1453. According to legend and historical traditi ...

mayoress In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Novgorod * Nikolay Shrayber as knyaz Vasiliy Grebyonksa-Shuysky, warlord of Novgorod * Boris Tokarev as

Aristotele Fioravanti Ridolfo "Aristotele" Fioravanti (c. 1415 or 1420 in Bologna – c. 1486 in Tsardom of Russia) was an Italian Renaissance architect and engineer, active in Muscovy from 1475, where he designed the Dormition Cathedral, Moscow during 1475–1479. Hi ...

, Italian architect * Andrey Barilo as

Andreas Palaiologos Andreas Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( el, Ἀνδρέας Παλαιολόγος; 17 January 1453 – June 1502), sometimes anglicized to Andrew, was the eldest son of Thomas Palaiologos, Despot of the Morea. Thomas was a brother of Constantine& ...

, Sophia's brother * Kirill Kozakov as '' Antonio Bonombra,

papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title ''legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...

Semyon Treskunov Semyon Alekseevich Treskunov (russian: Семён Алексе́евич Трескуно́в; born 14 November 1999) is a Russian actor. He appeared in more than ten films since 2012. Early life Semyon Treskunov was born in Moscow, Russia. His ...

as young Ivan IV son of Vasiliy, future "Tsar of All the Russias" * Yuriy Nazarov as Macarius, Ivan the Terrible's mentor, metropolitan *

Egor Koreshkov Egor Aleksandrovich Koreshkov (russian: Его́р Алекса́ндрович Корешко́в; born March 31, 1986) is a Russian actor. He appeared in over 50 films. Biography Egor was born on March 31, 1986 into a family of musicians. He s ...

as Pietro * Sergey Borisov as Godynya, head sword-bearer of Grand Duchy * Andrey Evdokimov as Syomka Khvost, sword-bearer of Grand Duchy * Maksim Radugin as Sergio

Production

The series' pilot name was ''Sophia Palaiologina'' (russian: link=no, Софи́я Палеоло́г). Filming started in November 2014 and was set abroad — in Italy and

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, and in Russia in

Moscow Kremlin The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of the kremlins (R ...

and

Pskov Krom The Pskov Krom (russian: Псковский Кром, Pskovsky Krom), also known as the Pskov Kremlin (russian: Псковский Кремль, Pskovsky Kreml'), is an ancient citadel in Pskov, Russia. In the central part of the city, the Krom ...

, and also in

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...

,''Инна Крылова'' «В Псковской области снимают сериал о Софии Палеолог»

Komsomolskaya Pravda ''Komsomolskaya Pravda'' (russian: link=no, Комсомольская правда; lit. "Komsomol Truth") is a daily Russian tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper, founded on 13 March 1925. History and profile During the Soviet era, ...

(23 June 2016)

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

and

Kaluga Oblast Kaluga Oblast (russian: Калу́жская о́бласть, translit=Kaluzhskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Kaluga. The 2021 Russian Census found a population of 1,069,904. G ...

Borovsk Borovsk (russian: Бо́ровск) is a town and the administrative center of Borovsky District of Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Protva River just south from the oblast's border with Moscow Oblast. Population: 12,000 (1969). History ...

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...

Astrakhan Astrakhan ( rus, Астрахань, p=ˈastrəxənʲ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in Southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the ...

and

. The decorations of Moscow Kremlin were built for the filming in the territory of

VDNKh VDNKh may refer to: * The name of the exhibition centers in former Soviet Republics ** VDNKh (Russia), known as All-Russia Exhibition Center in 1992–2014 ** National Complex Expocenter of Ukraine (formerly "VDNH of the Ukrainian SSR") ** Exhibi ...

, which matched its historical 15th century image (then it did not have the familiar red colour, but was white). Also, the decorations of Dormition Cathedral were built. Property men found antique tableware of that time specially for the series. Golden coins for the series were minted from the original

ducat The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wi ...

s. Over a thousand costumes were made for the project. Thousands of Russians attended an exhibition of the creations for this TV project.

Airing and streaming

The series premiered on 28 November 2016 on

Russia 1 Russia-1 (russian: Россия-1) is a state-owned Russian television channel, first aired on 14 February 1956 as Programme Two in the Soviet Union. It was relaunched as RTR on 13 May 1991, and is known today as Russia-1. It is the flagship cha ...

. From 28 November to 1 December, the series aired from 21:00 to 23:00 in

UTC+3 UTC+03:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +03:00. In areas using this time offset, the time is three hours later than the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Following the ISO 8601 standard, a time with this offset would be wri ...

(2 episodes). According to the site Vokrug TV, ''Sophia'' was one of the main premieres of the autumn 2016. The series is available for viewing in the U.S. via

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

Soundtrack

The song ''Я тебе верю'' (''I Believe You'') from the series' opening sequence was performed by singer

Grigory Leps Grigory Viktorovich Lepsveridze (russian: link=no, Григо́рий Ви́кторович Лепсверидзе, ka, გრიგორი ვიქტორის ძე ლეფსვერიძე), known as Grigory Leps (born 16 July ...

. The music was written by

Igor Matvienko Igor Igorevich Matvienko (russian: Игорь Игоревич Матвиенко; born February 6, 1960, in Moscow, RSFSR) is a Soviet and Russian producer, composer, founder of the bands Lyube, Ivanushki International, Korni, Fabrika, KuB ...

, and lyrics by Dzhakhan Pollyeva.Премьера песни Григория Лепса к новому грандиозному сериалу «София»!
// Russia.tv

References

External links

TV series' official website

''Sophia'' at IMDb
{{Alexey Andrianov Russia-1 original programming Russian drama television series 2016 Russian television series debuts 2016 Russian television series endings 2010s Russian television series Historical television series Russian-language television shows Cultural depictions of Sophia Palaiologina Russian biographical television series