Ivan III of Ryazan explained

Succession:Grand Prince of Ryazan
Reign:1427 – 1456
Predecessor:Grand Prince Fyodor II of Ryazan
Successor:Grand Prince Vasily of Ryazan
Birth Date:1395
Birth Place:Ryazan
Death Date:1456
Death Place:Ryazan
Spouse:Grand Princess Anna
Issue:Grand Prince Vasily Ivanovich
Feodosiya Ivanovna
House:House of Ryazan, Sviatoslavichi
Father:Fyodor II of Ryazan
Mother:Sofia Dmitriyevna
Religion:Christian, Russian Orthodoxy

Ivan III or Ivan Fyodorovich (Russian: Ива́н Фёдорович) was the Grand Prince of Ryazan (1427–1456) and younger son of Grand Prince Fyodor II of Ryazan. During his reign, he retained good diplomatic relationships with both the Grand Duchies of Lithuania and Moscow. He signed treaties with both Vytautas of Lithuania and Vasily II of Moscow, and sent his children to the court in Moscow for safety. Towards the end of his life, he took monastic vows and was succeeded by his eight-year-old son, Vasily.

Biography

Ivan was the younger son of Fyodor II of Ryazan, but he became first in line to the throne after the death of his brother in 1407. His mother was Sofia, the daughter of Dmitry Donskoy.[1]

On the death of his father in 1427, Ivan became Grand Prince. He kept good relationships with his large and powerful neighbours. In 1429, he attended the Congress of Lutsk and made Ryazan a vassal of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania under Vytautas.[2] He signed a peace treaty with Vasily II of Moscow in 1447 and married his son and heir to Vasily's daughter. Near to his death he sent his two children to the court in Moscow for safety.[3] It was during Ivan's reign that coins from Ryazan started to include the name of the grand prince.[4]

With his wife Anna he had two sons, Peter and Vasily, and a daughter, Feodosiya.[3] In 1456 he took the monastic vows under the name Iona and soon afterwards died. His eight-year-old son Vasily succeeded him but remained in the court of Vasily II, not returning to Ryazan until 1463.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Ilovaysky, Dmitry Ivanovich. История Рязанского княжества. ru. 1884. Moscow. 205.
  2. Book: Robert. Auty. Dimitri. Obolensky. Companion to Russian Studies: Volume 1: An Introduction to Russian History. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1976. 89.
  3. Book: V.V.. Boguslavsky. V.V.. Burminov. Иллюстрированный исторический словарь. Moscow. Профит Стайл. 2008. ru. 228.
  4. Book: Fritz Rudolf Künker. Künker Auktion 130 - The De Wit Collection of Medieval Coins, 1000 Years of European Coinage, Part II: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Hungary, Silesia, Poland, Baltic States, Russia and the Golden Horde. 489.