RUSSIA 
463 
in the Russian history. At this time, viz. from 1462 to 
1505, reigned Ivan Vasiliivitch, or, as he is commonly called, 
John Basilovitz. This able prince, by his invincible spirit 
and refined policy, became both the conqueror and deliverer 
of his country, and laid the first foundation of its future 
grandeur. Observing with indignation the narrow limits of 
his power at his succession to the throne, after the death of 
his father Vasiliis the Blind, he began immediately to resolve 
within himself the means of enlarging his dominions. Mar¬ 
riage, though he had ip reality no regard or inclination for 
women, seemed to him one of the best expedients he could 
begin with; and accordingly he demanded and obtained 
Maria, sister of Michael duke of Twer, whom he soon after 
deposed, under pretence of revenging the injuries done to 
his father, and added this duchy to his own territories of 
Moscow. Maria, by whom he had a son named Ivan, who 
died before him, did not live long; and upon her death he 
married Sophia, daughter of Thomas Paleologus, who had 
been driven from Constantinople, and forced to seek shelter 
at Rome, where the Pope portioned this princess, in hopes of 
thus procuring great advantage to the Romish religion; but 
his expectations were frustrated, Sophia being obliged to con¬ 
form to the Greek church after her arrival in Russia. 
What could induce Ivan to seek a consort at such a 
distance is nowhere accounted for, unless it be, that he hoped 
by this means to establish a pretension to the empire of the 
east, to which her father was the next heir; but however that 
may be, the Russians certainly owed to this alliance their 
deliverance from the Tartar yoke. Shocked at the servile 
homage exacted by these proud victors, her husband going 
to meet their ambassadors at some distance from the city, and 
standing to hear what they had to say, whilst they were at 
dinner, Sophia told him she was surprised to find that she 
had married a servant to the Tartars. Nettled at this re¬ 
proach, he soon after disclaimed all subjection to the Tar¬ 
tars, attacked their territories, and made himself master of 
Kazan. Here he was solemnly crowned with a diadem 
which is said to be the same that is still in use in the corona¬ 
tion of the Russian sovereigns. This took place about the 
year 1470, and led to a complete emancipation of Russia 
from the Tartar dominion. Ivan afterwards carried his arms 
against the neighbouring states. The province of Permia, 
with Asiatic Bulgaria, and great part of Lapland, soon sub¬ 
mitted to him, and the great Novgorod, a city then so 
famous, that the Russians were accustomed to intimate their 
idea of its importance by the proverbial expression, Who 
can resist God and the great Novgorod ? was reduced by his 
generals after a seven years siege, and yielded immense 
treasure. This place was so wealthy, that Alexander Witold, 
prince of Lithuania, to whom the Novgorodians were then 
tributary, derived from it a yearly contribution of 100,000 
rubles. The booty carried off by Ivan to Moscow, is said to 
have consisted of 300 cart loads of gold, silver, and precious 
stones, with a much greater quantity of furs, cloths, and other 
merchandise. After he quitted the city, which had been 
awed by his presence, the discontents excited at his violent 
measures broke out into acts of mutiny, on which he, in 
1485, carried off fifty of the principal families, and distri¬ 
buted them through several of the Russian towns. Indeed 
from this period Novgorod never recovered its former 
splendour. 
After this, Ivan invaded the territories of Livonia and 
Esthonia, in consequence of an affront offered to him by the 
inhabitants of Reval. He died in 1505, and was succeeded 
by his son Vasilii Ivanovitch, commonly called Basilius III. 
The Tartars of Kazan were still suffered to maintain a shew 
of independency, by electing their own khans; but a Russian 
noble, under the denomination of wayvode, was associated 
with the khan in the government, and took care that the ad¬ 
ministration should be conducted in such a manner as to 
secure the interests of his master. About fourteen years after 
the death of Ivan, however, the Tartars resolved to overturn 
so humiliating an administration. They murdered the Rus¬ 
sian wayvode, expelled theirnominal khan, and united them¬ 
selves with their brethren of the Crimea. With their assist¬ 
ance they assembled a mighty force, entered the Russian 
dominions, and carried their arms even to the gates of 
Moscow. The grand prince Vasilii found himself at the time 
unable to resist the barbarians, and therefore purchased an 
exemption from general pillage by great presents, and a pro¬ 
mise of renewed allegiance. The Tartars retired, but carried 
off immense booty, and nearly 300,000 prisoners, the greater 
part of whom they sent to Theodosia in the Crimea, and sold 
them to the Turks. This humiliation of Vasilii did not, 
however, long continue, and he was soon enabled to make 
head against the Tartars, and to recover his former pos¬ 
sessions. 
It was under the son and successor of Vasilii, Ivan IV, 
or, as he is styled by the Russian historians, Ivan Vasslii- 
vitch II. that Russia completely emancipated herself from 
her subjection to the Tartars, and acquired a vast accession 
of territory, which extended her empire into the north-east 
of Asia, and rendered her, for the first time, superior in ex¬ 
tent to any state that had appeared since the Roman empire. 
Vasilii died in 1533, having reigned 28 years, and lived 55. 
His son Ivan was only three years old when he succeeded to 
the throne, and the queen-mother was appointed regent 
during his minority. During her administration the state 
became a prey to anarchy and confusion. She died in 1538; 
and though the names and characters of those who assumed 
the regency after her death are not known, it appears that 
they must have conducted the administration with considera¬ 
ble prudence and circumspection, as, when Ivan attained his 
17th year, he was enable to assume the reins of government 
without opposition ; and from the important transactions in 
which he immediately engaged, must have been possessed of 
considerable resources. 
In taking into his own hands the government of the state, 
Ivan displayed so much prudence and manly fortitutude, as 
soon raised him very high in the estimation of his subjects. 
He saw himself surrounded on all sides with contending fac¬ 
tions, and to suppress these was the first object of his care. 
He was successful in his great design, and having secured the 
domestic tranquillity of his dominions, he had leisure to direct 
his attention to the more remote, but not less predominant, 
objects of his ambition. He resolved to attempt liberating his 
country for ever from the dominions of the Tartars, and he suc¬ 
ceeded. In 1551, he marched an army in the depth of win¬ 
ter into the district of Kazan, and laid siege to the capital, 
regardless of the murmurs of his troops, who loudly and 
openly expressed their dislike to this expedition, declaring 
that no good commander would think of conducting his forces 
to sieges and battles during the inclemencies of winter, or 
attempt at such a season to attack the enemy in their quarters. 
Exasperated at these murmurs, he determined to punish se¬ 
verely the principal officers who had contributed to foment the 
discontents of the soldiers, and by this well timed severity he 
effectually repressed all opposition to his will. 
Before entering seriously on the siege of Kazan, he built 
several forts on the frontiers of the Tartar territories, by 
which he hoped to awe these barbarians, and prevent them 
from disturbing the peace of his dominions. He then in¬ 
vested Kazan, and in the year 1552, made himself master of it 
by the new, and, to the Tartars, unheard of method of spring¬ 
ing a mine below the walls. 
As Kazan was taken by storm, the inhabitants were treated 
with much rigour; and the slaughter was so dreadful, that 
even the flinty heart of Ivan is said to have relented at the 
heaps of dead bodies which struck his sight on entering the- 
city. The inhabitants that escaped slaughter, and the re-, 
mains of the Tartars, were offered mercy on condition they 
should embrace the Christian faith. By this important con¬ 
quest the dominion of the Tartars, which had oppressed the 
Russians for more than three centuries, was completely and 
permanently overthrown. 
About two years after he had abolished the power of the 
Tartars, he extended his conquests eastward to the shores of 
the Caspian, and took possession of the territory that lay on 
the right bank of the Volga, round the city of Astracan, 
which was also inhabited by the Tartar hordes. 
„ Ivan, 
