Vasily Mikhailovich (Prince of Tver)

Vasily was the youngest of four sons of Mikhail Yaroslavich and Rostov Princess Anna Dmitrievna (Anna spent the last year of her life with her son in Kashin and is known as Saint Anna Kashinskaya).

After the Tver uprising of 1327, Vasily, along with his brother Konstantin, fled to Ladoga . Their elder brother Alexander , who was eventually accused of organizing an uprising, fled to Pskov . When in 1329 Prince Ivan Kalita made an army against Pskov and arrived in Novgorod , then among the princes accompanying him were Konstantin and Vasily.

The next time Vasily Mikhailovich was mentioned 10 years later: when the khan Uzbek , by the stipulation of Ivan Kalita, summoned Alexander from Tver to deal with him, Vasily escorted his brother a few miles from the city. After the execution of Alexander in the Horde and the further rise of Kalita, Konstantin and Vasily sent a large Cathedral bell, to which Tverites were very proud, to Tver from Moscow to sign their dependence on him.

In 1346, after the death of the penultimate of the sons of Mikhail Yaroslavich, Tver Prince Konstantin Mikhailovich, brother Vasily, their nephew Vsevolod Alexandrovich , as the son of their older brother, went to the Horde and obtained a label from the Khan for Tver reign. Meanwhile, the Principality of Tver, in accordance with the ancient (and already archaic by that time) logistical right, should have passed to the eldest in the family - Vasily. Upon learning of the death of his brother, Vasily Mikhailovich also went to the Horde, but knowing that there was no need to appear with the khan empty-handed, he took a tribute from the Kholmsky volost, which was the lot of Vsevolod.

Vsevolod, learning about the uncle’s deed, went to meet him with the Khan’s ambassador and robbed him. Basil was supposed to return to Kashin .

Vsevolod strengthened in Tver, but the enmity between him and his uncle did not end. “There was a quarrel between them,” says the chronicler, “and the people of Tver were a burden, and many Tver people dispersed from such a disorder; the enmity was strong between the princes, almost got to the point of bloodshed. ” Vsevolod Alexandrovich was supported by the Grand Duke of Vladimir Semyon the Proud , who married his sister Maria in 1347 .

Only in 1349 did Tver Bishop Theodore convince Vsevolod to make peace with his uncle. According to the agreement, inheritance was established by the right of seniority in the family, that is, it again confirmed the archaic ladder law. Vasily Mikhailovich became the Tver prince, and Vsevolod returned to reign in the Hill . Both princes sealed the agreement with a cross kiss, vowing to live in council and unity. When reconciliation became known, many people began to move to Tver volosts, the population multiplied, and all the tverichs were very happy.

However, as soon as Vasily received a label from the Horde, he again began to get angry and remember the past. Then Vasily began to oppress the Kholm boyars and princely servants. The Grand Duke Semyon, who was the son-in-law of Vsevolod and the matchmaker of Vasily, tried to reconcile them - but to no avail. This could not be done a second time by Bishop Theodore, who even wanted to leave the diocese so as not to see the injustices that Basil committed against his nephew.

In 1357, Metropolitan Alexy himself undertook to reconcile his uncle with his nephew. The princes came to Vladimir and argued among themselves a lot, but never reconciled. Both Grand Duke Ivan and Metropolitan Alexy apparently sided with Vasily Mikhailovich.

When Vsevolod decided to complain to Khan Berdibek and went to the Horde, he without any investigation took the side of Vasily and gave Vsevolod to his ambassadors. Uncle treated his nephew as a slave, and that was, according to the chronicler, "great languor." Basil also took the estates from the Kholmsky boyars and began to impose heavy tributes on people.

In 1356, the Lithuanian prince Olgerd captured Rzhev . But the Tverites and residents of Mozhaisk , armed themselves, in 1358 expelled the Lithuanians from there.

Only in 1360, under the pressure of Olgerd, to whom Vsevolod fled, did Vasily give the Kholm prince and his brothers a third of his fatherland. Metropolitan Roman and Volyn Roman came to Tver for negotiations.

In 1363, Vasily made an army against his younger brother Vsevolod, another of his nephew Mikhail Mikulinsky (future Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich Tversky ), but soon reconciled with him.

In 1364 there was a plague epidemic during which many of the Tver princes (including Vsevolod Kholmsky) died.

In 1365, another nephew of Vasily, Prince Semyon Konstantinovich , died of the plague. He bequeathed his cousin to Mikhail, bypassing his brother Eremey and Uncle Vasily. Basil and Jeremiah challenged this at the trial of the church. At the behest of the Metropolitan, the dispute was considered by the Tver Bishop Vasily and took the side of Michael.

Knowing that Grand Duke Dmitry and the Metropolitan supported his uncle, Mikhail in 1367 went for help to Lithuania, to his son-in-law Olgerd. This was used by Vasily and Yeremey.

They complained about the decision of Bishop Vasily to the Metropolitan, and he was forced to travel to Moscow, having suffered heavy losses there.

Then Vasily, with his son Mikhail and Yeremey, with the support of the Moscow regiments, entered Mikulin, where he tortured and robbed many people. He could not take the city fortress, but devastated the volosts and villages. Moscow and Volotsk regiments burned everything on one side of the Volga , not excluding volosts belonging to the Church of St. Savior . Many people were taken prisoner by them.

However, in the same year, Mikhail returned with Lithuanian troops and captured Tver, where he captured many of their boyars and servants wives of Vasily and Yeremey. After that, he spoke to Kashin, where Vasily was, but on the way, in the village of Andreevsky, ambassadors from his uncle and Bishop Vasily were waiting for him. They convinced Michael to make peace with Basil and Jeremiah, kissing the cross. Basil had to leave Tver to his nephew, content only with Kashin.

Soon, however, Yeremey violated the kiss of the cross, and Moscow forced Michael to abandon Gorodok. He, with the help of Lithuania, began to prepare for a new war. In the midst of these events, Vasily Mikhailovich died.

Vasily Mikhailovich from 1329 was married to Elena, the daughter of Prince of Smolensk , Ivan Alexandrovich .

Children:

• Basil (c. 1330–1362), Prince Kashinsky
• Michael (1331–1373), Prince Kashinsky

• Lithuanian-Moscow war (1368–1372)
• Grand Duchy of Tver

• Tver (great and specific princes) // Russian Biographical Dictionary : in 25 volumes. - SPb. - M. , 1896-1918.
• Karamzin N.M. History of Russian Goverment. - Rostov-on-Don: Publishing house "Phoenix", 1995
• Solovyov S. M. The history of Russia since ancient times

• Grand Duchy of Tver in 1360 (map)