This book is dedicated to the women who belonged to the circle of the great prince and ruler Ivan III. They were his chief assistants in creating the Russian centralized state. His first wife, Maria Tverianka, unintentionally contributed to Moscow’s annexation of the Principality of Tver, while his sister Anna aided the annexation of the Principality of Ryazan. His second wife, the Byzantine princess Sophia Palaiologina, helped expand international contacts and attract a wide range of specialists to serve in Russia. And finally, their daughter Elena, becoming the Queen of Poland, defended her father’s interests in the Polish–Lithuanian state.
Contents:
The formation of the Russian centralized state
Ivan III’s first wife, Maria Borisovna Tverianka
Byzantine princess Sophia Palaiologina — Ivan III’s second wife
Elena Vološanka
Princess Elena Ivanovna on the Lithuanian–Polish throne
Anna Vasilyevna of Ryazan
Solomonia Saburova
Appendices:
Dates related to the life of Maria Tverianka
Dates related to the life of Sophia Palaiologina
Dates related to the life of Elena Vološanka
Dates related to the life of Princess Elena Ivanovna
Dates related to the life of Anna Ryazan
Dates connected with the life of Solomonia Saburova