A.D. 

 I580. 



The yoke of 

 the Tartars 

 shaken off. 



Basi/ius. 



Ivan Vasilo- 

 wich. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



his hands. Which house being razed and those Tar- 

 tarian espials beeing excluded, the Tartars at length 

 were quite bereaved and utterly dispossessed of their 

 authoritie which they had exercised over the Russians 

 for many yeres, and could never yet recover it ; albeit 

 they have given sundry attempts. Of his wife Sophia 

 he begate sixe children, namely, a daughter called 

 Helena, & five sonnes, that is to say, Gabriel, Deme- 

 trius, George, Simeon, and Andrew. 



The Dukedome of right appertayned unto Demetrius 

 the sonne of John, which was the sonne of Vasilowich 

 by his first marriage. Howbeit Sophia prevailed so 

 with her husband, that neglecting his graund-childe 

 Demetrius, hee bestowed his Dukedome upon Gabriel 

 his sonne. 



Andrew the younger had a sonne called Vulodimir, 

 of whom Mary was borne, which in the yeere of Christ 

 1 573. was maried unto Magnus the Duke of Hoist. 



Gabriel having obtained the great dukedome of Russia, 

 changed his name calling himselfe Basilius, and applied 

 his minde to the atchieving of high and great enterprises. 

 For hee reduced a great part of the dukedome of Mos- 

 covie, which Vitoldus the great Duke of Lithuania helde 

 in possession, under his owne jurisdiction, and wonne 

 upon the river of Boristhenes (which the Russians call 

 Neiper) many cities and especially Smolensco, in the 

 yeere of our Lord 15 14. Having divorced his first wife, 

 hee begate of Helena daughter unto Duke Glinskie, Ivan 

 Vasilowich, which now this present 1580. reigneth as 

 great Duke. Hee was borne in the yeere of our Lorde 

 1528. the 25. of August, sixe houres after the rising of 

 the sonne. The great dukedome of Russia fell unto the 

 said Ivan Vasilowich in the fifth yeere of his age, having 

 his uncle George for his great protector: being 25. yeeres 

 of age, and being of a strong body and of a couragious 

 mind he subdued the Tartars of Cazan and Astracan 

 upon the river of Volgha, carrying their Dukes and chief- 

 taines into captivitie. 



190 



