Glinsky, Mikhail Lvovich

Born into the Glinsky family, Mikhail Lvovich was rich from birth and had significant estates. Possessing a remarkable mind by nature, he learned a lot during his 12-year stay abroad. He served in the army of Albrecht of Saxony, with Maximilian I participated in the Italian wars . He converted to Catholicism in Italy , and was in Spain ; learned to speak the main European languages. Returning to Lithuania, he was liked by King Alexander , who constantly turned to him for advice. In 1499, Alexander made him marshal of his court, and when he went to Krakow for the coronation , Glinsky accompanied him as ambassador from Lithuania.

Enormous wealth helped him gain supporters and friends, mainly, however, from among the Russian boyars . The Lithuanian nobility was very afraid that Glinsky, upon the death of a childless Alexander, could seize power in his own hands, transfer the capital to Russia and rely on this latter. When the king became dangerously ill, many suspected that, in conspiracy with Dr. Balinsky, Glinsky wanted to poison the king, and this suspicion intensified even more when the prince released the doctor arrested by Chancellor Lasky and gave him the opportunity to escape to Krakow. Glinsky’s victories in clashes with the Crimean Khanate , including in the Battle of Kletsk in 1506 , only increased envy and hatred for him. Soon the king passed away. Pans opposed the sending of his body for burial in Krakow, fearing that, in their absence, Glinsky could easily take possession of Vilna . Meanwhile, the king Sigismund arrived in the Lithuanian capital. Glinsky’s enemies, especially Jan Zaberezinsky , ensured that Glinsky was forbidden to freely enter the sovereign’s chambers. Glinsky demanded a trial with his opponents, but the king behaved sluggishly and indecisively in this matter; Glinsky turned to the mediation of the Hungarian king Vladislav ( 1507 ), but in vain.

Then Glinsky, together with his brothers Ivan and Vasily , left for his Turov , summoned servants and friends, and appointed the king a term by which he should be given a court. The Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III took the opportunity and offered all Glinsky protection, mercy and salary. Sigismund’s attempt to return Glinsky to Lithuania did not take place, and Glinsky concluded a formal agreement with Moscow ^[1] . At the beginning of 1508, he openly raised the banner of rebellion . With his brother Vasily, he overlaid Minsk , but, not being able to take it, he went to Kletsk . Here the brothers split up: Vasily went to the Kiev suburbs to raise the Russians, and Mikhail devastated the Slutsk and Kopyl volosts and took Mozyr . Upon coming to his aid from the Grand Duke under the leadership of the governor Eustathius Dashkovich , from 20 thousand cavalry, Glinsky from Mozyr went to other Belarusian fortresses and entered into agreements with the ambassadors of Moscow, Moldavia and Crimea, acting as if sovereign sovereign. Moscow governors approached Glinsky on Berezina, besieged Minsk together with him and sent troops to Vilna itself; others fought in the Smolensk region, while others approached Bobruisk . Soon, the Grand Duke sent more regiments to Orsha , but the king, who arrived in time with the troops, forced them to lift the siege and retreat.

Glinsky went to Moscow, where he was received very graciously. But soon a peace was concluded between Sigismund and Basil, putting the Glinsky in the position of exiles. They lost their possessions in Lithuania and left with their supporters in Moscow. Mikhail Glinsky was given two cities: Yaroslavets and Borovsk . The king asked Vasily several times to give him the Glinsky, promising to forgive them the past. The Grand Duke replied that the Glinskys came to him during the war and thus became his subjects, and he does not give out subjects to anyone.

Participation in the Russian-Lithuanian War

When the war broke out again between Moscow and Lithuania ( 1512 ), Glinsky sent his confidante, the German Schleinitz , to Silesia , the Czech Republic and Germany to hire equestrian soldiers and Landsknechts , who were moving to Moscow via Livonia. The prince was led by the Grand Duke Vasily; Glinsky was one of the governor of a large regiment . August 1, 1514 . Smolensk was taken by Russian troops.

Mikhail Glinsky hoped to get this city from the Grand Duke; but Vasily, according to Herberstein , laughed at his excessive ambition, after which Glinsky turned to Sigismund, who assured him of his mercy. By preliminary agreement, the Lithuanian army went to the Dnieper; when it was already near Orsha, Glinsky ran to him at night; but one of his servants informed the Russian governor, Prince Mikhail Bulgakov-Golitsa , who captured Glinsky and sent him to the Grand Duke. Glinsky did not lock himself in treason: they found the Sigismund letters from him. Preparing for death, Glinsky boldly spoke about his services and Vasily's ingratitude. He was chained and sent to Moscow.

Prison

In 1517, together with the Lithuanian ambassadors, Herberstein, the ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire Emperor Maximilian I, was in Moscow. When the Lithuanian ambassadors left the prince after an audience, Herberstein remained and privately handed Vasily Maximilian’s letter of Glinsky: the emperor wrote that Glinsky could be guilty, but that he was already rather punished for that captivity - that he has famous virtues, was brought up at the Vienna court, served faithfully to him and the Saxon Elector - that Vasily will make great pleasure to Maximilian if Glyn is released one in Spain. Vasily replied that Glinsky would have laid his head on the block, if he had not expressed a desire to return to the Orthodox faith.

Glinsky remained imprisoned for a long time. In 1526, Grand Duke Vasily married Michael's niece, Elena Vasilievna . A year later, the young wife of the Grand Duke secured freedom for his uncle, for the guarantee of many boyars, who undertook to pay 5 thousand rubles to the treasury in the event of the flight of Mikhail.

Post-release activities

In 1530, Mikhail Glinsky was the governor in the cavalry near Kazan; in 1533 he was near Volokolamsk with a sovereign who fell ill during the hunt. In his dying orders, the Grand Duke, turning to the boyars, asked them, among other things, not to offend Prince Mikhail as a relative of his wife, to take him for his own, not for an alien, but appointing Glinsky to be advisers to Helen, asking him to be great to the princess and his sons, he "shed his blood and gave his body to be broken up."

After the death of Vasily, matters were decided by the Board of Trustees under the young Prince Ivan, the council included brothers of the sovereign and 20 boyars, including Glinsky. Many thought that two people would have a thought and a ruler: Mikhail Glinsky and the stable boyar Ivan Fedorovich Ovchina-Telepnev-Obolensky , Elena’s favorite. It happened otherwise: Glinsky boldly spoke to his niece about the indecency of her relationship with Obolensky. As a result, he was accused of planning to take over the state: he was imprisoned ( 1534 ), where he died.

Mikhail Lvovich Glinsky was married to Princess Elena Ivanovna Telepneva-Obolenskaya, daughter of Prince Ivan Vasilyevich Nyemoy-Obolensky and cousin of Prince Ivan Fedorovich Ovchina-Telepnev-Obolensky (favorite of Elena Glinsky ). From the marriage he had: son Vasily (d. 1565 ) and a daughter, unknown by name, who became the wife of Prince Fedor Ivanovich Troekurov .

• Glinsky, Mikhail Lvovich // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Karamzin N.M. History of the Russian state . - SPb. : Type. N. Grech , 1816-1829. - T. 7.
• Karamzin N.M. History of the Russian state . - SPb. : Type. N. Grech , 1816-1829. - T. 8.
• Solovyov S. M. The reign of Grand Duchess Elena // History of Russia since ancient times.

• V. Korsakova. Glinsky, Mikhail Lvovich // Russian Biographical Dictionary : in 25 volumes. - SPb. - M. , 1896-1918.