‬Ivan III Vasilievich‪ (1440–1505)

The collection is dedicated to the life and reign of Ivan III, the remarkable ruler who united Russian lands under one state.

Ivan was born on January 22, 1440, in Moscow, to Grand Duke Vasily II of Moscow and Grand Duchess Maria Yaroslavna. His childhood was marked by the conflict between his father and his uncle, Yuri Dmitrievich, which led to the blinding and death of Vasily Kosoy. After his father's death in 1462, Ivan took over the throne and ruled for 43 years until his own death in 1505.

Ivan III was a remarkable ruler, whose reign for many years shaped the future development of Russia, with all its benefits and challenges. He established a centralized state by annexing the Novgorod lands, stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Arctic Ocean, and Tver, Moscow's longtime rival. The Grand Duke returned Russia to the international stage by restoring ties with the Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, and Italy, which had been broken in the 13th century.

In 1480, under Ivan's leadership, Russia broke free from the Tatar yoke and launched an offensive, capturing Kazan for the first time in 1487. By the end of the 15th century, Constantinople had fallen to the Turks, leaving Russia as the sole independent Orthodox nation. Under Ivan, the state emblem with the double-headed eagle was established, and he hosted the wedding of his grandson, Dmitry Ivanovich, in 1498.

It was a period of rapid cultural growth. In 1499, under the leadership of Archbishop Gennady of Novgorod, the first complete translation of the Bible into the Slavic language was completed. Italian engineers and architects constructed the walls and towers of the Moscow Kremlin and Ivangorod, opposite Narva; palaces and churches in Moscow and its environs. The crises of the second half of the 16th century, particularly the Time of Troubles, destroyed many of these achievements, and they were forgotten. N. M. Karamzin was the scholar who rediscovered Ivan III to the general public.