Grand princess Sophia (Zoe) Fominichna Palaiologina

http://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ζωή_Σοφία_Παλαιολογίνα

http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/София_Палеолог

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_Palaiologina

Zoe Palaiologina (Greek Ζωή Παλαιολόγου, Russian Софья Фоминична Палеолог, c. 1455 – April 7, 1503), Grand Duchess of Moscow, was a niece of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI and second wife of Ivan III of Russia.

Her father was Thomas Palaeologus, the Despot of Morea. Together with her brothers, she was taken to Rome after conquest of Morea by Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire in 1460. In Rome, her Greek name Zoe was changed to Sophia. In 1469, Pope Paul II offered to marry her to the Russian monarch in order to unite the Orthodox and Catholic churches. The widowed Russian prince married Sophia at the Dormition Cathedral on November 12, 1472. The cardinal Johannes Bessarion, sent by the Pope to Moscow, however, did not succeed in his mission.

Over the years, Sophia started to wield great influence on her husband. It is thought that she was the first to introduce the Kremlin to grand Byzantine ceremonies and meticulous etiquette. The idea of Moscow as the Third Rome evidently pleased her. Shortly before her death she persuaded her husband to pass the throne to her son Vasili, rather than to Ivan's grandson Dmitry, as had been planned earlier. Apart from Vasili III, only her fifth son, Andrey of Staritsa, left issue.

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Sophia Palaiologina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Zoe Palaiologina (Greek: Ζωή Παλαιολογίνα, Russian: Софья Фоминична Палеолог, c. 1455 – April 7, 1503), Grand Duchess of Moscow, was a niece of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI and second wife of Ivan III of Russia.

Her father was Thomas Palaeologus, the Despot of Morea. Together with her brothers, she was taken to Rome after the conquest of Morea by Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire in 1460. In Rome, her Greek name Zoe was changed to Sophia. In 1469, Pope Paul II offered to marry her to the Russian monarch in order to unite the Orthodox and Catholic churches. The widowed Russian prince married Sophia at the Dormition Cathedral on 12 November 1472. The cardinal Johannes Bessarion, sent by the Pope to Moscow, however, did not succeed in his mission.

Over the years, Sophia started to have great influence in her husband's decision making. It is thought that she was the first to introduce the Kremlin to grand Byzantine ceremonies and meticulous court etiquette], the idea of Moscow as a Third Rome evidently pleased her. Shortly before her death she persuaded her husband to pass the throne to her son Vasili, rather than to Ivan's grandson Dmitry, as had been planned earlier. Apart from Vasili III, only her fifth son, Andrey of Staritsa, left issu

nine 9 children.

Софья родила великому князю в общей сложности девятерых детей — пятерых сыновей и четыре дочери.

Софья (Зоя) Палеолог (ум. 1503) - племянница последнего византийского императора Константина XI Палеолога, жена Ивана III Васильевича с 1472. Дочь Фомы Палеолога, который в 1453 году, после взятия турками Константинополя, бежал с семьей в Рим. После смерти отца жила на попечении папы римского, который по ряду своих соображений решил выдать ее замуж за овдовевшего в 1467 Ивана III, ответившего согласием. Современники говорили о ее редкой полноте и остром уме. Ее влиянию приписывали важнейшие государственные деяния. В.О. Ключевский считал: "Ей нельзя отказать во влиянии на декоративную обстановку и закулисную жизнь Московского двора, на придворные интриги и личные отношения; но на политические дела она могла действовать только внушениями, вторившими тайным или смутным помыслам самого Ивана". Родила в 1479 сына, будущего Василия III Ивановича, и добилась объявления его великим князем вместо венчанного на царство внука Ивана III - Дмитрия. Брак с Софьей был использован Иваном III для укрепления международного авторитета Руси.

Использованы материалы кн.: Шикман А.П. Деятели отечественной истории. Биографический справочник. Москва, 1997 г.