Ivan III Vasilyevich, Grand Duke of Moscow, reigned from January 22, 1440 to October 27, 1505. Ivan III eventually unified the Grand Duchy of Moscow, including Yaroslavl, Novgorod, Perm, and Tver. In 1497, Ivan III promulgated a code of law that was implemented throughout Russia, appointing local officials of the Grand Duke in various regions and cities. From then on, the status of the Moscow Duchy completely changed - from one of the many duchies in Northeast Russia in the past to a powerful unified country. The power of the Grand Duke of Moscow has also changed. From being the most powerful among several equal princes in the past, he has become the sole monarch of the entire Russia, with all other princes being his subjects and serving him. [3] In the final years of his life, he had actually become the monarch of the unified Russian nation. [2]
After marrying a Byzantine princess, Ivan III began to consider himself as the heir to the Byzantine emperor. In addition, Ivan III also introduced the Byzantine coat of arms, the double headed eagle coat of arms, to Russia. From then on, the two headed eagle became the national emblem of Russia. The idea of the "Third Roman" prompted the Moscow regime to attempt to turn the Duchy of Moscow into a "kingdom" and the Grand Duke of Moscow into a Tsar (previously only Byzantine emperors had this title). In this way, by the end of the 15th century, Moscow and Russia became a unified centralized state - Russia.

At the age of seven, Ivan's father Vasily II chose Maria, the daughter of Grand Duke Tver, as Ivan's future wife among the daughters of the Grand Duchess of the various states of Rus. Grand Duke Tver did not object, as this marriage symbolizes reconciliation between the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Duchy of Tver.
After Ivan ascended the throne and launched an attack on the Kazan Khanate, Maria suddenly fell ill and died. Ivan originally planned to find a wife in the Russian city-state after the war ended, but the Roman Catholic Church unexpectedly sent an envoy to Moscow, proposing to marry Princess Sophia.
On May 29, 1453, the Ottoman Sultan "Conqueror" Muhammad II captured Constantinople, and the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire, January 17, 395 – May 29, 1453) fell. The younger brother of the last Byzantine emperor fled to the Roman Catholic Church with his daughter Sophia for refuge. In the face of Türkiye's aggressive expansion momentum, Italy first felt anxious because after seizing Constantinople and destroying the Byzantine Empire, the Turks occupied the Balkan Peninsula, directly threatening the eastern borders of Italian countries.
Pope Siscott IV wanted to persuade the Grand Duchy of Moscow to launch a war against Islamist Türkiye on the northern line in the name of saving the Christian civilization through marriage, so as to ease the threat of Türkiye faced by Europe. In addition, after the fall of the Byzantine Empire, the city states of Russia, led by Moscow, became the last pillar of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Roman Catholic Church has been trying to merge the long divided Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy into one, establishing a unified Christian church centered around Rome. So marrying Princess Sophia to the Grand Duchy of Moscow, consolidating the connection between Moscow in western and eastern Europe, will lay the foundation for the merger of the two religions.
Soon, a reply from Ivan III to the Pope's proposal came. Ivan III expressed his agreement to this marriage, but the envoy sent by Ivan III proposed a condition: the children born to Ivan III and Princess Sophia shall not inherit the position of Grand Duke of Moscow. Princess Sophia agreed without any hesitation. According to historical records, Princess Sophia was very intelligent and had strong political ambitions.
Princess Sophia chose the latter to pursue her political ambitions between staying under the custody of the Roman Catholic Church and marrying into the unknown Grand Duchy of Moscow. In the minds of Europeans at that time, although the city states of Russia also believed in Christianity, their economy was backward, their natural living environment was harsh, and their residents belonged to semi civilized barbarians. Compared to the Tatars, their level of civilization was not much higher. So many people were surprised by Princess Sophia's decision.

Ivan III, who was far away in Moscow, was also eagerly waiting for the arrival of Princess Sophia. Marrying the last princess of the Byzantine Empire legally means that the Grand Duchy of Moscow becomes the legitimate heir of Byzantium. The Grand Duchy of Moscow can at least nominally become the capital of the Russian city states, and Ivan III's position will be transformed from a Grand Duke to a unified monarch of various city states. The Russian city states can be rightfully incorporated into the territory of Moscow. As for Sisscott IV's hope that the Grand Duchy of Moscow would launch a war against Türkiye in the name of saving the Christian civilization, this idea is too naive.
For the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the primary strategic goal is to unify the city states of Russia, establish a centralized unified country, resist foreign invasion, rather than launch a war against Türkiye in the name of saving religion. In addition, the Grand Duchy of Moscow did not have the ability to fight with Türkiye at that time. At least it had to conquer the Crimean Khanate and Cossacks on the southern grassland first, which was obviously an unrealistic goal at that time. After a long journey, Princess Sofia arrived in Moscow. In November, a grand wedding was held in Moscow between Ivan III and Princess Sophia.
After Sophia joined the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the name of the Grand Duchy of Moscow was rightfully referred to as the successor of the Byzantine Empire, and the Byzantine Empire's two headed eagle emblem became the national emblem of Russia. From then on, the two headed eagle also became a symbol of Russia. During this period, the saying "Russia is the third Roman Empire" emerged, which became a major aspect of Russian national ideology for a considerable period of time in the future. Ivan III was not satisfied with the title of "Grand Duke of Moscow", but he did not want to call himself "King". In official documents, he fully claimed to be "God's favored ruler of all Russia and Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Ivan III", making him the first ruler to be known as "All Russian Sovereign" (γ осударарвсеа).
When Princess Sophia married into Moscow, she brought a large number of books, all of which were snatched from Constantinople on the eve of the fall of the Byzantine Empire. On the one hand, these books played a certain role in the cultural development of Russia, and on the other hand, the Grand Duchy of Moscow also played an irreplaceable role in the inheritance and development of Byzantine culture. From this perspective, there is still some basis for the view that Moscow was the third Roman Empire. Since the arrival of Sophia, the court system of the Moscow Grand Duchy has been reformed according to the standards of the Byzantine Empire. From then on, the various rules and etiquette of the Moscow Grand Duchy have become increasingly complete, becoming a complete system. The various ceremonies held in the palace also require a sense of propriety in advance and retreat, making them more solemn and grand, reflecting the demeanor of a great nation.
Sophia's reform of the court system has caused a lot of dissatisfaction, and conservative ministers have adopted a passive confrontation approach, delaying or finding various excuses to not implement many reform measures. Sophia was a person with strong political ambitions, so she gradually realized that in order to make a difference in politics, she must break free from the image of an outsider and gain the love and admiration of Moscow's subjects. And to achieve this, the first thing is: it must be for Ivan III

In 1474, two years after the marriage of Ivan III and Princess Sophia, Princess Sophia finally gave birth to Ivan's first child: a princess. What pleased the aristocrats who opposed Sophia was that in the next two years, Sophia's two children were still princesses. Sophia kept praying, hoping to have a son. Finally, in the early morning of March 26, 1479, Sophia and Ivan's first son was born. Ivan named his child Vasily in memory of his father. In the following years, Sophia gave birth to five sons and three daughters for Ivan. In this way, Ivan III and Princess Sophia had a total of twelve children. Sophia gave great hope to her eldest son Vasily, hoping that Vasily could replace Ivan's son Ivan, who was born to his ex-wife, and become the Grand Duke of Moscow. But Ivan III never thought of deposing the crown prince, so Sophia decided to stand by and take action.
In 1476, the Golden Horde sent envoys to the Grand Duchy of Moscow with the aim of demanding tribute. At this time, the Grand Duchy of Moscow had severed ties with the Golden Horde for many years, and Moscow had actually gained complete independence, although it still had a nominal vassal relationship with the Golden Horde.
After conquering the city states of Rus, the Tatar army did not include them in the direct territory of the Golden Horde, nor did they send troops to occupy or appoint administrative officials to implement effective rule. The practice of the Golden Horde was to maintain a vassal relationship with the city states of Rus.
In order to maintain its rule, the Golden Horde used various provocative methods, even military means, to incite discord between the principalities and stir up disputes. During the period of the Grand Duchy of Vladimir, until the later period of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, almost every heir who ascended the throne would trigger a war of aggression between the duchies.
Half a century after the establishment of the Golden Horde, in the early 14th century, the Khanate achieved a relatively mild Islamization, marking the completion of the Turkicization of the Golden Horde. During this period, Turkic language became the common language of the Golden Horde, and a Tatar ethnic group that believed in Islam was born from then on. The Golden Horde spans across Europe and Asia, with a vast territory and numerous ethnic groups within its borders. However, there is a huge gap in the economic and cultural development levels of each ethnic group, with different religious beliefs and historical traditions. Its ultimate disintegration is inevitable.

After the mid-14th century, the Golden Horde fell into internal turmoil, and the nobles and nobles of the Tatars fought fiercely for the throne, causing political turmoil. In the late 14th century, Timur Khan from Samarkand in Central Asia led his army to sweep across the Eurasian continent, twice invading the hinterland of the Golden Horde, and finally capturing the capital of the Golden Horde, Sarai, which was flattened. From then on, the Golden Horde suffered a severe blow to its vitality and was unable to recover.
After the mid-15th century, the Golden Horde officially split into several regimes: the Kazakh Khanate in the east, the Kazan Khanate in the west (1438-1552), the Crimean Khanate (1441/1442-1783), the Astrakhan Khanate (1466-1556), the Siberian Khanate, the Nogai Khanate, and so on. [4] Although the Golden Horde was at the end of its strength, its national strength had not yet been exhausted. It still sent envoys to the Grand Duchy of Moscow, as before, to demand tribute.
At the beginning of his reign, Ivan III sought nothing but self-protection. But as the Duchy of Moscow grew stronger, he gradually developed the idea of unifying the Duchy of Russia. Since Princess Sophia married into the Duchy of Moscow and Ivan III proclaimed himself as the "Third Roman", the situation of integrating the city states of Novgorod and other Rus into her territory, eliminating the powerful enemy Kazan Khanate, and resisting Lithuania and the Golden Horde has become inevitable. In order to effectively resist the Golden Horde and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Ivan III spared no expense and spent a large amount of money to bribe the upper class nobles of the Crimean Khanate, finally forming an alliance with the Crimean Khanate. In the Battle of the Ugra River, the support of the Crimean Khanate played a decisive role.
Afterwards, the Crimean Khanate also continued to invade the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Crimean Khanate led a large army and several times invaded the interior of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, capturing Kiev and other areas. In addition, Ivan III actively maintained good relations with other khanates that had split from the Golden Horde, including the Nogai Khanate and the Siberian Khanate. Eventually, the Moscow Grand Duchy, the Crimean Khanate, the Nogai Khanate, and the Siberian Khanate formed an alliance. Faced with the request to pay tribute brought by the envoy of the Golden Horde, Ivan III did not think much and refused.
The envoy of the Golden Horde, in addition to being surprised, couldn't help but feel angry and argued with Ivan III on the spot. Ivan III, who had always been cautious in his actions, went against the norm. In anger, he tore up the official documents brought by the envoy of the Golden Horde requesting tribute, and ordered the envoy to be executed.
Ivan III's actions declared the formal separation from the Golden Horde, which means that the Golden Horde's two and a half centuries long rule over the Grand Duchy of Moscow came to an end. But at that time, many people were not happy about it, they were more worried about retaliation from the Golden Horde.

Ivan III worked hard to incorporate some of the city states around Moscow into his territory, and his greatest concern was to incorporate Novgorod into his territory. Ivan III advocated the strategic approach of using military force to attack diplomatic relations and subdue enemy forces rather than war, and through diplomatic means, he took over the city states of Rostov, Yaroslavl, and Veleya. Rostov City was almost bought by Ivan III with money. Therefore, Ivan once again turned his gaze to Novgorod, strengthening his influence on him.
Since the great defeat of Novgorod in the Battle of Hillon in 1471, Moscow has taken over the judicial and legislative power of the city, but at the same time, it does not affect the economic interests of the nobles in the city. This certainly does not make the Novgorod nobles with strong pro Lithuanian sentiments resistant to Moscow. A few years later, the city was divided apart from the pro Lithuanian and pro Moscow aristocrats. More and more Novgorod people are going to Moscow for civil litigation and business, and their political and economic connections are becoming increasingly close. At this time, Moscow looks very much like the capital. The struggle between the two aristocratic factions in the city is becoming increasingly fierce, with the pro Moscow faction advocating for a change in the legal relationship between Novgorod and Moscow, believing that the time is ripe to incorporate Novgorod into Moscow's territory.
In 1474, two pro Moscow nobles arrived from Novgorod, claiming to have been appointed by the city's aristocratic council to come to Moscow to pay their respects to Ivan III. In the audience, the two nobles were extremely humble, changing Novgorod's previous title of "suzerain" to Ivan III and repeatedly referring to him as "His Majesty.". This is equivalent to indirectly acknowledging Moscow's sovereignty over Novgorod. Ivan III was quite surprised by Novgorod's statement. Excited, he sent a special envoy to Novgorod to convene a meeting of nobles and inquire whether the nobility of Novgorod recognized Moscow's sovereignty as these two nobles had said. At the aristocratic council, the pro Lithuanian aristocracy strongly opposed Ivan III, claiming that they had never sent a special envoy to Moscow to meet him, and that Novgorod would not be incorporated into Moscow's territory. Novgorod was very eager to maintain his existing semi independent legal status. Ivan III's envoy returned in frustration. That night, the unsatisfied pro Lithuanian aristocrats led their servants to raid the homes of the pro Moscow aristocrats and destroyed many of their houses. The news from Novgorod greatly angered Ivan III.
On September 30, 1477, Ivan III sent an edict to Novgorod declaring the severance of all relations with him, and from that day on, both sides were in a state of war. On October 9th, Ivan III left Moscow with troops and went to Novgorod for a campaign. On November 27th, Ivan III's army arrived in Novgorod and surrounded the city. Ivan III once again adopted a strategy of encirclement rather than attack, with a heart attack as the top priority, forcing the nobles of Novgorod to voluntarily negotiate outside the city under the threat of food and supplies being cut off. On December 5, 1477, as in 1471, Novgorod once again sent the bishop of the city to negotiate at the residence of Ivan III. Ivan III showed unprecedented toughness in negotiations

Ivan III announced that Novgorod must be incorporated into the territory of Moscow, but the nobles in the city could retain their territories, and their children did not have to serve in the Moscow army. Novgorod people did not have to stay far from the city to serve in the military. On January 4th of the following year, there was no response from the city. Ivan III carefully considered and added an additional clause to the original conditions: half of the land and property owned by the church in the city must be handed over to Moscow. Ivan III's plan was calculated perfectly. The Novgorod Church was very wealthy, and this move did not involve the interests of the nobles in the city. This not only enriched Moscow's treasury but also did not attract opposition from the ruling nobles. In fact, it was equivalent to sacrificing the interests of the church and reaching a compromise between the two sides. On the 6th, amidst hunger and cold, Novgorod agreed to Ivan III's conditions.
On the 15th, a ceremony was held throughout Novgorod to pledge allegiance to Ivan III. After taking over Novgorod, Ivan III appointed a governor to stay in Novgorod and represent Moscow in handling government affairs. At the same time, he moved the address of the aristocratic council in the city to Yaroslavl. As a symbol of Moscow's sovereignty, Ivan III dismantled the large clock in the city's parliament hall during his withdrawal and transported it back to Moscow. Thus, Novgorod was incorporated into the territory of Moscow. Ivan III's army was bloodless, without firing a single shot or bullet, and he successfully expanded his territory hundreds of miles to the north. At this time, on the eastern border of Moscow, besides Novgorod, there was also the Kasimov Khanate under its control, and the formidable enemy of the Moscow Grand Duchy, the Kazan Khanate, had greatly reduced its threat to Moscow due to constant internal strife.
After the annexation of Novgorod, the Ahma Khan of the Golden Horde actively established contacts with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and formed an alliance. Both sides agreed that the Golden Horde and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania would simultaneously send troops to attack Moscow from the east and west sides. In the summer of 1480, Ahmad Khan personally led troops to attack Moscow. This battle is destined to be a decisive battle between the Moscow Duchy and the Golden Horde.
In this way, two years after the merger of Novgorod, the long-awaited Golden Horde in Moscow finally led troops to kill them. Ivan III sent troops to confront the enemy and stationed in Kolomna. On September 30th, just as the fighting ahead was tense, Ivan III suddenly returned to Moscow with a few followers. Angry crowds surrounded him, accusing him of fleeing at the last minute. Archbishop Vasian of Rostov said to him, "The people of Christ are dissatisfied with you because you betrayed them and avoided them far away." Marx wrote that in the third invasion of the Tatars, Ivan III, who "trembled at the slightest armed conflict," "left behind 200000 troops and fled, becoming a shameful deserter.". In "Master's Reading of World History", it is analyzed that when the Ugra River freezes, Ivan III orders his army to retreat in order to fight on more favorable positions. Ivan III consciously refrained from attacking; He engaged in continuous negotiations with Ahema and did not wish to initiate military action until his brothers' armies met with him. In this crucial battle, Ivan III's caution almost destroyed his country. Faced with the surging attack of the Golden Horde, Ivan once fled back from the front line,

The vanguard of Ahma Khan's army quickly arrived on the south bank of the Oka River, less than 200 kilometers away from Moscow. Seeing the Moscow army on the other side of the river in full readiness, Ahma Khan decided to avoid the sharpness and switch to a roundabout tactic. So he ordered to move westward, bypass the gathering place of the Moscow army, enter the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the south, and quickly push to the south bank of the Ugra River, with the intention of launching an attack on Moscow from the south; At the same time, people were also dispatched to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, requesting Casimir II to quickly send reinforcements and flank Moscow.
After arriving on the south bank of the Ugra River, Ahema Khan discovered that Moscow's army had reappeared on the other side of the river. There were no crossing ships and they were unable to cross the river to launch a strong attack. Therefore, Ahema Khan ordered to camp on the spot and wait for the arrival of Lithuanian reinforcements. It was already late autumn at that time, and Ahma Khan hoped that after entering winter, the Ugra River would freeze. At that time, he would join forces with Lithuania and work together to eliminate the Moscow army on the opposite bank.
On October 26, 1480, the Ugra River finally froze. The cavalry on the Moscow front retreated 30 kilometers before the small town of Kremenets on the banks of the Luza River joined the main force of Moscow. But Ahma Khan did not immediately advance, he was waiting for Lithuania's reinforcements. At this time, Lithuania's reinforcements were busy dealing with the attack of Moscow's ally, the Crimean Khanate, and were no longer able to reinforce the Ahma Khan. Ahema Khan waited on the southern bank of the Ugra River until November 11, 1480, but the Lithuanian reinforcements still did not arrive. Faced with the cold weather, Ahema Khan hesitated repeatedly and failed to issue the order to cross the river and pursue the Moscow army. After sighing in the north, he ordered his troops to withdraw and returned to the Golden Horde in the south empty handed. In this way, the two sides did not have a chance to confront each other and ended the battle known as the "Ugra River standoff" in history. The Ugra River standoff marked the official end of the 240 year rule of the Golden Horde over the city states of Russia. After retreating from the Ugra River, Ahema Khan was ambushed by the Ibakh Khan army of the Siberian Khanate on his way back to the Golden Horde. He was defeated and killed. In 1502, the army of the Crimean Khanate, led by Mongogire Khan, captured the capital of the Golden Horde, Sarai, and the Golden Horde, which had lasted for two and a half centuries, was completely destroyed.
After the Ugra standoff, Ivan III continued to unify the cause. Soon, Ivan III set his next goal: the Grand Duchy of Tver. The Grand Duchy of Tver is located less than 200 kilometers northwest of Moscow and can be called the northwest gateway of Moscow.

In 1484, Ivan III learned that Grand Duke Mikhail of Tver had a deep personal relationship with Moscow's arch rival, Grand Duke Casimir IV of Lithuania, and also married Casimir IV's granddaughter. Ivan III used this as an excuse to declare war on the Duchy of Tver. The Moscow army was unstoppable and quickly occupied Tver. Grand Duke Mikhail hoped that Lithuania could send reinforcements to repel the Moscow army, but this time, as usual, Casimir IV still did not want to conflict with Moscow. Mikhail had no choice but to surrender to Ivan III. Ivan III accepted surrender, and Mikhail also promised to interrupt relations with Lithuania. But in the second year, Ivan III's subordinates captured the messenger sent by Mikhail to Lithuania. This time Ivan III decided to completely occupy Tver. On September 8th, the Moscow army surrounded Tver, and on September 10th, the Moscow army occupied the outer city of Tver. The next day, the nobles in the city came to Ivan III's military camp one after another, pleading for his forgiveness and swearing allegiance to Ivan. That night, Grand Duke Mikhail of Tver fled to Lithuania. On September 12th, under the leadership of the bishop, the Tver people stormed out of the city, surrendered to Ivan III, and swore allegiance. Ivan conferred upon his eldest son, Crown Prince Ivan, the new Grand Duke of Tver, and thereafter Tver's territory gradually merged into Moscow's territory. Ivan III successively appointed local officials representing Moscow in various city states, and the independence of each duchy was lost, gradually forming a new type of Russian state with Moscow as its capital. During this period, the power of the Kazan Khanate continued to decline, and the Grand Duchy of Moscow vigorously supported the pro Moscow forces within the Khanate. Finally, in 1487, the pro Moscow Muhammad Amin was elevated to the throne. In this way, two khanates under Moscow's control appeared on the eastern border of Russia: the tiny Kasimov Khanate and the Kazan Khanate. Next, Ivan III infiltrated Moscow's influence into the western region of the Urals and successively conquered Perm, Vogur, Vyatka and other places. In just over a decade, the Grand Duchy of Moscow leapt to become a great power on the plains of Eastern Europe.
In 1486, Nikolai Popery, a Silesian residing within the Holy Roman Empire, came to the Grand Duchy of Moscow by chance. After returning to Europe, Popery shared his observations with Europeans. Prior to this, Europeans generally believed that the Grand Duchy of Moscow was a semi civilized nation similar to the Tatars, under the rule of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania; Popery's account undoubtedly taught a lesson to biased Europeans. The strength of the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the wealth of Ivan III left a deep impression on Europeans. In 1489, Popery returned to the Grand Duchy of Moscow to pay his respects to Ivan III. This time, he came to Moscow as a special envoy of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III. In Moscow, in order to avoid being noticed, Popper secretly met with Ivan III and brought a message from Frederick III: If Ivan III requests to be crowned king to the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick III will fulfill Ivan III's request. According to the logic of the Holy Roman Empire, which ruled over the entire Europe at that time, a request was made to the imperial emperor to be canonized as a state

Ivan III did not need such recognition, and of course he would not be subservient to others. Although Ivan III did not take the arrogance and ignorance of European monarchs seriously, he still gave a humble but dignified answer: "God bowed down, my ancestors sheltered me; I inherited the great authority through my lack of virtue. Only the divine right of monarchy has been granted since ancient times; my ancestors all relied on fate and did not dare to seek perfection through holding stirrups. Therefore, what our ancestors did not do was also what I did not want." This means that for generations, our ancestors became great dukes because of God's grace, not by anyone else's canonization, so Ivan III did not want to be honored by others. Sealing and recognition. Ivan III felt that this was not enough and entrusted Popper to convey a letter of state to Frederick III. In this important external document, Ivan III referred to himself as "God's favored ruler of all Russia and Grand Duke Ivan III of the Grand Duchy of Moscow." This indicates that Ivan III was not a king waiting to be crowned, but a monarch who could be on equal footing with the Holy Roman Emperor. In Ivan III's view, this was already quite polite to the Holy Roman Empire, and he occasionally referred to himself as the "Tsar" twice for other small neighboring countries.
In 1487, it was during the first war between Moscow and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Ivan III never forgot to expand his territory in the western and northwestern directions, with the primary goal of incorporating all Russian city states into his territory. Even if these city states were under the rule of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, he risked war with Lithuania to achieve his predetermined military and political goals. On the other hand, intimidated by the military strength of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Ivan III dared not rashly engage in a big fight. In order to avoid a full-scale war with Lithuania, Ivan adopted a strategy of "running fast with small steps" and intensified his encroachment activities on the western, northwestern, and southwestern borders.
Ivan III declared that as long as these small principalities established by the Slavs recognize the sovereignty of Russia, with the Grand Duchy of Moscow as its capital, and are willing to remove the duchy's title and merge into Russian territory, Moscow will only retain its defense and diplomatic powers in these duchies, while allowing the existing Grand Duchies to retain their own territory and all property on their territory. The Grand Duchy of Moscow only sends a small number of troops to these duchies to "protect" them from potential foreign aggression. In this way, Ivan III gradually ceased to personally lead the army and conquer neighboring principalities, but instead expanded his territory by mastering diplomatic and defense powers, deploying troops to various regions, and appointing supervisors. During this period, Ivan III's diplomatic and military methods were effective: Western city states led by the Grand Duchy of Beryov surrendered one after another.

In 1492, King Casimir IV of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania passed away. Kasimir's two sons divided the originally unified Kingdom of Poland Lithuania, with the eldest son becoming the King of Poland and the second son Alexander becoming the Grand Duke of Lithuania. The division of the kingdom has greatly weakened its military strength, and Lithuania is actually no longer able to resist Moscow's army. Ivan III saw a great opportunity to expand his territory. He immediately contacted the Crimean Khanate in the south and jointly launched an attack on Lithuania. At the beginning of the war, Moscow's army penetrated deep into Lithuanian territory and captured one city-state after another. Unlike previous wars, this time Ivan III did not personally lead troops, but instead, as all great monarchs have shown, designated generals to lead troops to fight for various armies, and gave strategic goals to these generals in advance. At the same time, after occupying each city, he also assigned a supervisor from Moscow to rule.
Ivan III still adopted a strategy of combining military and diplomatic means. While strengthening military strikes against Lithuania, he also sent diplomatic representatives to various kingdoms under the rule of the Crimean Khanate, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Holy Roman Empire to explain Moscow's military actions. These representatives claimed that the city states occupied by the Moscow army were originally the Russian city states, mainly inhabited by Slavs, and that these city states were already wavering between Lithuania and Moscow. Therefore, Ivan III's military actions were a legitimate move to consolidate the Russian national border. Ivan III's military operation achieved great success.
The Moscow army occupied the city states of Meshchevsk, Sherpeisk, Vyazma, and Metzetsk. The Grand Duke of Lithuania, Alexander, sought peace with Ivan III and both sides ceased hostilities. Alexander believed that he was powerless to confront Moscow alone, so he wanted to reconcile with Moscow through marriage and protect his territory.
Alexander sent someone to propose to Ivan III and proposed to marry Ivan III's eldest daughter. The negotiations continued until 1494, when Ivan III reluctantly agreed to Alexander's request. On February 5th of that year, Ivan III signed a peace treaty with Alexander, and Lithuania recognized Moscow's sovereignty over city states such as Meshchevsk. Ivan III agreed to marry his eldest daughter to Alexander.
History since ancient times has proven that intermarriage, as a political marriage, is not a reliable diplomatic means. Soon, newlywed Alexander and his wife turned against each other, and Ivan III's eldest daughter left Lithuania and returned to Moscow. Some small city states on the border between Lithuania and Moscow have turned to Moscow, intensifying the struggle between the two sides, and the brief peaceful relationship cannot be sustained. In 1500, a full-scale war finally broke out between Lithuania and Moscow.

After the war began, Moscow's ally in the south, the Crimean Khanate, came out with all their might, greatly contributing to Moscow's military success. The Grand Princes of various Ukrainian city states were intimidated by the dual threat of Moscow and the Crimean Khanate, and pledged allegiance to Moscow, willing to become vassals of the Moscow Grand Duchy.
At a time when Ivan III was preparing to make great achievements in expanding his territory, there was a major upheaval in his family.
In 1490, Ivan III's eldest son, Crown Prince Ivan of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, fell ill and lay in bed. Ivan was born to Ivan III and his ex-wife, Maria, the daughter of Grand Duke of Tver. The marriage was decided by Ivan's father Vasily II at the age of seven. Ivan III's second wife, also known as Byzantine Princess Sophia, was legally Ivan's stepmother and recommended the best Byzantine doctor around her, who Sophia brought with her from Rome when she married Moscow. Two months later, Crown Prince Ivan Buji passed away.
Rumors circulated throughout the duchy that Princess Sophia had murdered Ivan under the guise of healing, in order for Sophia and Ivan III's eldest son Vasily III to become the crown prince and ascend to the throne as Grand Duke of Moscow. Ivan III vented his anger on Sophia, believing that she was behind the scenes plotting the death of the crown prince. But without concrete evidence, Ivan III could only execute the doctor who treated the illness. In order to appease Ivan's wife Yelena and the nobles in the city, Ivan III announced the appointment of his grandson, Ivan's son, the young Dimitri (born in 1483), as crown prince.
Sophia, the stepwife, hoped that her son Vasily III (born in 1479) would be the heir, so a palace conspiracy was secretly brewing. After the conspiracy was exposed, Sofia and Vasily were exiled and imprisoned.
In 1498, Ivan III held a coronation ceremony for his grandson Dimitri. In 1500, Vasily rebelled and defected to Lithuania. Ivan III had to make concessions and in 1502, he bestowed the title of Grand Duke Vasily and imprisoned Dimitri and his mother.
After Vasily III ascended the throne, he continued Ivan III's exploration of territory. On the western front, the Moscow army achieved successive victories and occupied an area of land equivalent to one-third of Lithuania's territory at that time during the war with Lithuania.
In 1503, after losing 19 city states, over 70 territories, 22 towns, and 13 townships, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Alexander, sought peace with Moscow. Both sides signed a peace treaty again, and the city states of Chernihiv, Putivly, Gomeli, Bryansk, etc. were incorporated into the territory of Russia. The situation at this time was extremely favorable for the Duchy of Moscow: on the front of the western front was Sesmolensk, and the Moscow army was stationed 400 kilometers away from the capital of Lithuania, Vilno (now Vilnius); On the northern front, relying on Novgorod, one can launch an attack from a high position on the Novgorod Pskov front against Lithuania from north to south.
On October 27, 1505, Ivan III, who was seriously ill and bedridden, passed away at the age of 65.