Grand Duchy of Tver

The principality was on the Volga trade route connecting the Caspian with the Baltic . It is noteworthy that at the beginning of the XI century, Prince of Murom, Gleb Vladimirovich , in a hurry to his sick father in Kiev , in 1015, chose the path not direct (through the lands of freedom-loving Vyatichi ), but a roundabout, but running along a crowded area - up the Volga River to the river Darkness and from there to the south through Smolensk .

In the north, the lands of Veliky Novgorod adjoined the principality with the cities of Torzhok and Bezhetskaya pyatina , which were more than once captured by tverichi; from the west - the Principality of Smolensk (the city of Rzhev did not belong to Tver for long); from the south and east - the possessions of Pereyaslavl, Moscow and Rostov. Approximately the Tver Principality occupied an area of ​​300 versts long and from 60 to 100 versts wide, only about 25 thousand square meters. verst.

In addition to Tver, there were many cities within the principality; of these, the more significant, who had their own princes, were Kashin , Mikulin , Zubtsov , Ksnyatin , Teliatyev Gorod , Kholm , Dorogobuzh , Chernyatin , White Town and Klin . Kashin was the most powerful inheritance, sometimes arguing over primacy with Tver itself; the Kholmsky and Mikulinsky princes also mattered, but far from the Kashinsky ones, as a result of which, on an equal footing with the rest, they were called the “smaller, younger brothers”.

Detachment and Exaltation of the Principality

In the XII and at the beginning of the XIII century, Tver (the first mention under 1135) was part of the Pereyaslavl-Zalessky principality . Presumably, the separation of the principality occurred after the assassination of the Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (1246) in the Horde, when his successor Grand Duke Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich passed Tver to the son of the late Yaroslav Yaroslavich (1230-1272).

Yaroslav Tverskoy took an active part in the struggle of his elder brothers for the throne of Vladimir, Alexander Nevsky and Andrei Suzdalsky , which ended in failure of the latter, Yaroslav’s ally, which was especially hard on Yaroslav’s family: when Tatars (Alexander’s allies) captured Pereyaslavl , his wife was killed, and the sons were taken prisoner. Then Yaroslav reigned for some time in Pskov (1254) and Novgorod (1255). After the death of Alexander Nevsky, he is the rival of his brother Andrei, goes to the Horde , where he receives a label for the great reign (1263). As the Grand Duke of Vladimir, he is called Russian historiography as Yaroslav Yaroslavich. Yaroslav Yaroslavich continues the policy of Alexander Nevsky in relation to the Livonian Order, sending troops to help Novgorod, which led to the Battle of Rakovors and further actual reconciliation with him for 30 years. He fought with varying success against the Novgorodians over the reign in Veliky Novgorod: in 1270, the Novgorodians accepted Yaroslav, but reprimanded him to rule them “with all their will”. He was the first Grand Duke to rule the great reign of his inheritance.

Simultaneously with the establishment of the Principality of Tver in Tver, the second , along with Rostov , episcopal department of Suzdal Rus was founded ^[2] . Under the son of Yaroslav Svyatoslav (1271–1282 or 1286, it is not known for certain) the Principality of Tver was calm and took little part in princely feuds. After the death of Svyatoslav (1282 or 1286), his brother Michael reigned (1318).

At first, Mikhail successfully repelled the raids of the Lithuanians; then, not wanting to obey Grand Duke Dmitry Alexandrovich , he repelled the devastating raid of the latter in alliance with the Tatars. In 1293, the Tatar prince Takhtamer came to Tver from Horde, who "made a lot of burdens on people." In the same year, Mikhail became an ally of the Rostov-Yaroslavl princes, on whom Andrei Alexandrovich relied in his fight against his elder brother Dmitry. Then Mikhail Yaroslavich in alliance with Moscow and Pereyaslavl opposed Andrei. Due to the marriage of Mikhail to the daughter of Rostov Prince Dmitry , Anna (later St. Anna Kashinsky ), Kashinsky inheritance was annexed to Tver.

In 1295, Tver and Novgorod made a defensive alliance “either from the Tartar, or from someone else” - this was the first attempt by the Russian prince to repulse the Tatars.

Fighting Moscow

After the death of Grand Duke Andrei Alexandrovich (1304), a struggle broke out between Mikhail Yaroslavich Tversky, who received a label for the great reign of Vladimir, and Yuri Danilovich of Moscow. The struggle took place over destinies ( Pereslavl-Zalessky 1305, Kostroma 1305, 1317, Gorodets and Nizhny Novgorod 1311–1312), for influence in Novgorod (Mikhail organized a food blockade in Torzhok in 1312, and also made an unsuccessful campaign against Novgorod itself in 1314), for an alliance with the church (at the death of Metropolitan Maxim in 1305, the Galician hierarch Peter became the metropolitan, and not Tver - Gerontius). Mikhail went to Moscow twice (1305 and 1308), but could not take it. Once Tverichi defeated Muscovites and Tatars (1317, the Battle of Bortenev ) and once stood with them on two banks of the Volga (near Kostroma, 1317). Once Tverich defeated the Novgorodians (near Torzhok, 1314) and twice stood with them on two banks of the Volga (near Tver, 1314, 1317). In 1318, taking advantage of the death in the Tver captivity of his wife Agafya (Konchaki) , the sister of the Uzbek khan, Yuri Daniilovich, appeared to the khan in the horde and accused Mikhail of her death. Mikhail, called into the horde after painful torture, was killed by the people of Yuri Daniilovich and the Tatars. The dead body of Prince Michael, became the subject of political bargaining, on the part of Yuri and was issued for burial to relatives, only a year later - when the heirs of the deceased made concessions

In 1319, the lands of the Principality of Tver under the will of Michael were divided between his four sons. The eldest son, Dmitry the Terrible Eyes, sat in Tver, Alexander became the prince of Kholmsky and Mikulinsky, Konstantin became the prince of Dorogobuzh, and the youngest son Vasily received Kashin.

When Yuri Danilovich of Moscow became the Grand Duke (1319), he collected tribute from the Tver Principality for the khan (2000 hryvnias), but did not send her to the Horde. The son of Mikhail, Dmitry the Terrible Eyes , turned to the khan with a complaint against Yuri in disguising tribute and received a label (1322). After 3 years, he killed Yuri in front of the khan, for which a year later he himself was executed in the Horde (1326), and the great reign of Vladimir was transferred to his brother Alexander Mikhailovich , who at the same time concluded an agreement with Novgorod.

Tver Uprising

Two years later, an uprising broke out in Tver against the cousin of Uzbek khan, Cholkhan , who was there . His people were killed, and he himself was burned in the princely palace, which he captured. The events of 1327 were reflected in the Tver collection , the Rogozhsky chronicler , as well as in oral folk art (“ Song of the Shchelkan Dudentievich ”). A punitive expedition of the 50,000th Horde army followed with the support of Moscow and Suzdal detachments. Tver was defeated, Alexander Mikhailovich fled to Pskov and was accepted for reign there (from 1327 to 1337), Alexander Vasilyevich Suzdalsky rode in Vladimir, Ivan Danilovich of Moscow (also in 1328 who received a label for the great reign), and in Tver - Konstantin Mikhailovich , married to the daughter of Yuri of Moscow Sofya.

Later, when Alexander returned to Tver (in 1337, Konstantin peacefully ceded the throne to his elder brother and retired to his Dorogobuzh), he was slandered by Ivan Kalita and died in the Horde with his son Fedor (1339), Konstantin again became the Tver prince, where he ruled before his death in 1345, when he was taken to Moscow, the bell was taken from the Tver Transfiguration Cathedral , and the Aleksandrovichi received a fatherly inheritance in the western part of the principality: Vsevolod - Holm , Mikhail - Mikulin , their younger brothers, Vladimir and Andrei, subsequently received Zubtsovskaya volost (until 1366).

The emergence of the Grand Duchy

According to the Rogoz chronicler, in 1339 the Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich returned from the Horde. However, according to the research of E. Klyug ^[3] , this mention of the Tver prince as a great may be later, like similar references to Svyatoslav Yaroslavich and Mikhail Yaroslavich. In the Moscow-Tver treaties of the late XIV-XV centuries, Alexander Mikhailovich is referred to as the Grand Duke, his successors Konstantin and Vasily as simply princes, and from then on beginning with Mikhail Alexandrovich (all descendants of Alexander Mikhailovich) as grand dukes, although in the local document (privileges I’m in charge of the monastery, given between 1363 and 1365) Vasily Mikhailovich named the Grand Duke.

Under the agreement of 1375, Mikhail Aleksandrovich recognized himself as the younger brother of the Moscow prince, but under the agreement of 1399, he was simply a brother. The change occurred in connection with the events of 1382, when the Principality of Tver became independent from the Grand Duchy of Vladimir, merged with the Principality of Moscow, and the princes of Tver received the right to independent relations with the Horde. In particular, all the great princes independently collected tribute for the khan ^[4] (the episode with the concealment of the Tver tribute by the Moscow and Grand Vladimir prince Yuri Danilovich under the Tver prince Dmitry Mikhailovich testifies to the different nature of the relationship between Tver and the Horde at least in 1319-1322, than at the end of the 14th century).

Civil strife

In 1345, a conflict arose between Konstantin Tversky and his nephew Vsevolod Kholmsky, Vsevolod fled to Moscow, then both went to the Horde, where Konstantin died before the Khan's court. Constantine’s expensive possessions went to his sons, Yeremey (d. 1372) and Semen (d. 1364). Tver reign according to the old order of inheritance was supposed to go to the youngest of the Mikhailovichs - Vasily Kashinsky , he took a tribute from the Kholmsky principality and went with her for a label, but Vsevolod, who followed towards the label and the Khan's ambassador, took away the collected tribute. Vsevolod was supported by Semyon Proud , who married Maria Alexandrovna (1346), and in 1347 he was approved by the Khan on the Tver reign. However, soon Vasily and Vsevolod reconciled through the mediation of the Tver Bishop Fyodor, and Vsevolod in 1348 gave Basil the reign. Having established himself in Tver, Vasily Mikhailovich transferred Kashin to his eldest son, Vasily (reigned in 1348–1362). In 1349, Mikhail Vasilyevich Kashinsky married the daughter of Semyon Gordogo, and Olgerd Gediminovich - to Ulyana Alexandrovna . In 1351, the Horde finally recognized the Tver reign for Basil. In 1356, a new conflict arose when Vsevolod tried to get a label in the Horde, but was captured and extradited to Vasily, in 1357 they were reconciled in Vladimir by Metropolitan Alexy , and in 1358 Vsevolod fled to Lithuania and returned with the Lithuanian-Russian Metropolitan Roman .

Already in 1362, during the lifetime of Vsevolod Alexandrovich, Vasily Mikhailovich Tverskoy besieged Mikhail Alexandrovich in Mikulin. In the same 1362, the eldest son of the Tver prince, Vasily Vasilyevich Kashinsky, died. He was succeeded by brother Mikhail (d. 1373). In 1364, Vsevolod Kholmsky and Semyon Konstantinovich Dorogobuzhsky died of a plague, bequeathing their inheritance to the White Town of Mikhail Alexandrovich Mikulinsky, which caused dissatisfaction with Yeremey Konstantinovich , as well as Vasily Mikhailovich Tversky. Metropolitan Alexy instructed the Tver Bishop Vasily to sort out the case, and he decided the case in favor of Mikhail Mikulinsky, for which he was called to Moscow and underwent a great protor there . Vasily and Yeremey launched an attack on Mikulin, but Mikhail returned from Olgerd with Lithuanian help, captured the wives of Vasily Mikhailovich and Eremey Konstantinovich , many of their boyars, in Tver, and approached Kashin. Then Michael was called to Moscow and captured there, but was released when the Horde ambassadors appeared in Moscow. In 1368, Vasily Mikhailovich died, and Mikhail Alexandrovich, by right of seniority, became the Tver prince not only in fact, but also legally, which immediately caused a new conflict with Moscow. Since 1364, the Kholm principality was owned by Mikhail's nephews, the Vsevolodovich brothers, Yuri (d. 1408) and Ivan (d. 1402).

In 1368 and 1370, Dmitry of Moscow sent the army twice to Tver, and twice this led to the siege of Moscow by the Lithuanians. Then Michael received a label for the great reign in the Horde (1371), but Dmitry did not obey and again opposed him. Olgerd again invaded the Principality of Moscow, but lost a guard regiment and made peace with Dmitry, and Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovskaya married Elena Olgerdovna (1372). In 1372, Yeremey Konstantinovich Dorogobuzhsky died, leaving his part of the principality to the sons Dmitry (d. 1407) and Ivan (d. 1406). In 1373, Mikhail Vasilievich, who died in Kashin, was succeeded by his son Vasily. In 1374, Moscow boyars, dissatisfied with Dmitry’s policies, fled to Tver, Mikhail Aleksandrovich again received a label and tried to assert his authority in Torzhok and Uglich, but Tver was besieged by a huge army of Dmitry Moskovsky and his allies, which included Smolensky and formerly dependent on Lithuania and Bryansk princes. Michael was forced to recognize himself as Dmitry’s “younger brother” and form an anti-Horde alliance with him (1375). In the battle on the Kulikovo field (1380) the squads of the Kashinsky and Kholm princes participated.

In 1382, after the death of Prince Vasily Mikhailovich, Kashin was again annexed to Tver, and Mikhail received a label from the Khan Tokhtamysh for the Grand Duchy of Tver. At the same time, the great principality of Vladimir, from which Tver thus gained independence, became the final property of the Moscow princes ^[5] . First, the son of the Tver prince, Alexander "Horde", sat in Kashin. In 1389, he died in battle, fighting as part of the Horde troops. From 1389 to 1395, another son of Mikhail Tversky, Boris, sat in Kashin. And after his death, Vasily Mikhailovich (brother of Boris) and Ivan (son of Boris) were simultaneously planted in Kashin. The last years of the reign of Michael were peaceful, and the principality rose strongly economically.

XV century

The Grand Duke of Tver Mikhail Alexandrovich died in 1399 at the age of 66. Michael bequeathed a great reign not only to his son Ivan (1399-1425), but also to his children Alexander and Ivan, thereby abandoning the old order of inheritance ^[6] . The youngest son of Mikhail, Fedor, received Mikulin as an inheritance. In 1402, Ivan Vsevolodovich Kholmsky died, having bequeathed before his half of the principality of Tver. Half of the Kholm principality, as well as Staritsa, were received by the son of the Tver prince, Alexander Ivanovich. Ivan Mikhailovich pursued a consistent policy of centralization in the Principality of Tver. Moscow, busy fighting Lithuania and the Tatars, did not intervene in Tver affairs. Ivan Mikhailovich answered the same: in 1408, during the invasion of Ediguy, he did not obey his order "to be in Moscow" with artillery.

The Tver region during this period was visited by many disasters: in 1413 Tver burned out, in 1417, 1422 and 1423 there was a famine.

Ivan was succeeded by his son Alexander , who soon died from the "pestilence"; the same fate befell his eldest son, Yuri . The Tver Grand Duke table was occupied by Yuri's brother, Boris Alexandrovich (1425-1461). Благодаря союзу с литовским князем Витовтом и с Москвой он поднял значение Твери до прежнего уровня, так что после его смерти никто не дерзнул оспаривать право на княжение у его 8-летнего сына Михаила Борисовича (1461—1485).

Михаил не раз помогал московскому князю Ивану III в его борьбе с Новгородом (в 1471 и 1477 годах) и против татар (1480). Это не помешало Ивану, окончательно покорившему Новгород и Ярославское княжество , нанести удар по самостоятельности своего союзника, причём он воспользовался недовольством тверских удельных князей и бояр и переманил их на свою сторону. Михаил заключил союз с польским королём Казимиром ; это привело к открытому разрыву между Москвою и Тверью, Тверь была взята войсками Ивана (12 сентября 1485 года); Михаил бежал в Литву, и Тверское княжество утратило навсегда свою самостоятельность. Иван отдал Тверское княжество в удел своему сыну (и внуку Бориса Александровича Тверского по матери) Ивану Ивановичу (1485—1490), после смерти которого в ней были посажены наместники.

В 1491—1492 годах тверские земли переписаны «по-московски на сохи», чем и завершилось окончательное присоединение их к Москве.

При Иване IV Грозном в селе Кушалино проживал и носил титул великого князя Тверского, в реальности подчиняясь московскому царю, крещёный касимовский хан Симеон Бекбулатович ; этот титул он сохранял до 1585 года.

Тверское княжество было довольно густо заселено: во времена своего могущества оно (по свидетельству иностранцев) могло выставить до 40 тыс. дворян, а простолюдинов вдвое и втрое более, следовательно, всего до 160 тысяч человек; отсюда можно заключить, что общее число жителей княжества равнялось 700—800 тысяч, или около 26 жителей на 1 кв. Km .

Тверское княжество было краем, где процветали ремесла и торговля; г. Тверь был меновым центром для товаров, шедших с запада и востока; в «песне о Щелкани» (XIV век) Тверь называется «богатою». Тверской купец Афанасий Никитин в XV веке ездил по торговым делам в Индию . Большим влиянием пользовалось духовенство.

Князь заведовал управлением, судом, военными делами и финансами (чеканили монеты: серебряные — «гривны» и медные — «пулы»). Княжеская дружина разделялась на старшую ( бояре ) и младшую (слуги и дворяне ). Все остальное население носило название людей «земских», «простых», «чёрных», «тяглых» и т. п. Городское « тяглое » население разделялось на сотни, управляемые «соцкими», подчиненными « тысяцким »; о вечевом устройстве есть некоторые намеки в летописях («на вече» было решено перебить татар Чолхана); уезды разделялись на волости , станы и околицы. Земля принадлежала князю, духовенству и дружине.

Поселяне, обрабатывавшие землю, находились, смотря по условию, в большей или меньшей зависимости от землевладельца. Большинство крестьян в определённые сроки ( Юрьев день ) могло переходить от одного владельца к другому, из одного княжества в другое; но были и несвободные люди, число которых с течением времени увеличивалось, особенно на землях князя, некоторым землевладельцам князья давали право не отпускать крестьян и право суда над живущими на их землях, кроме «душегубства и разбоя».

Доходы князя (помимо личных) состояли из прямых налогов (« дани ») и косвенных (« яма », « корма », «тамги», «мыта»). Некоторым землевладельцам, особенно монастырям, князья жаловали грамоты, освобождавшие поселенных на их землях людей от «дани» и других поборов в пользу князя.

• Список русских княжеств#Тверское княжество
• Формирование территории Русского государства

• Тверские (великие и удельные князья) // Русский биографический словарь : в 25 томах. - SPb. - M. , 1896-1918.
• История родов русского дворянства: В 2 кн. / авт.-сост. П. Н. Петров . — М. : Современник; Лексика, 1991. — Т. 1. — С. 250-253. - 50,000 copies. — ISBN 5-270-01513-7 .
• Монин М. А. Планета Тверь. Культура Тверского княжества периода независимости (1247 – 1485 гг.). Москва Спутник+, 2016 г. 333 с . ISBN: 978-5-9973-3982-1
• Рихтер Д. И. Тверское княжество // Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона : в 86 т. (82 т. и 4 доп.). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Штыков Н. В. Социально-политическое развитие Тверской земли в XIV - первой четверти XV вв.: Дисс. ... cand. East. sciences. — СПб., 2004. 234 c.

• Борзаковский В. С. История тверского княжества на сайте «Руниверс»
• Grand Duchy of Tver in 1322 (map)
• Grand Duchy of Tver in 1360 (map)
• Map of the Lithuanian-Moscow War 1368–1372
• Grishin I.V., Khramenkov A.V. "Types of Russian coins of the Grand Duchy of Tver"