Ivan II Ivanovich the Fair (Иван II Иванович Красный in
Russian) (30 March 1326 – 13 November 1359) was the second son of
Ivan Kalita who succeeded his brother
Simeon the Proud, who died of the
Black Death, as
Grand Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of
Vladimir in 1353. Until that date, he had ruled the towns of
Ruza and
Zvenigorod.
Reign
Upon succeeding his brother and because of increased civil strife among the
Golden Horde, Ivan briefly toyed with the idea of abandoning traditional Moscow allegiance to the
Mongols and allying himself with
Lithuania, a growing power in the west. This policy was quickly abandoned and Ivan asserted his allegiance to the Golden Horde.
Contemporaries described Ivan as a pacific, apathetic ruler, who didn't flinch even when
Algirdas of
Lithuania captured his father-in-law's capital,
Bryansk. He also allowed
Oleg of
Riazan to burn villages on his territory. However,
Orthodox churchmen aided consolidating the power of the Grand Prince. He received much aid from the capable
Metropolitan Alexius. Like his brother, Ivan II was not as successful as his father or grandfather with regards to territorial expansion. Nevertheless, he was able to annex areas southwest of
Moscow, including the areas of
Borovsk, and
Vereya.
He is buried in the
Cathedral of the Archangel Michael in
Moscow.
Marriages and children
Ivan was married twice. In 1341, Ivan married his first wife Fedosia Dmitrievna of
Bryansk. She was a daughter of Dmitry Romanovich, Prince of Bryansk. She died childless in Autumn, 1342.
Ivan remained a widower for three years. In 1345, Ivan married his second wife Alexandra Ivanovna Velyaminova. She was a daughter of Vasily Velyaminov, a
mayor of Moscow. They had at least four children:
- Liuba Ivanovna. Assumed the name "Anna" following her marriage to Dmitry Mikhailovich, Prince of Volhynia (d. 1399). Her husband was a son of Karijotas.
- Ivan Ivanovich, Prince of Zvenigorod (c. 1356 - October, 1364).
See also
