Welcome to the Russian rulers podcast. I'm your host Mark Shouse.

Episode 12. Ivan the Great Part 3.

We've followed Ivan the Great for the past two episodes, from a start as the sole

Grand Prince of Moscow at the age of 22 with the death of his father Vassily the Blind.

Through his annexation of Novgorod in all its territories,

through his marriage to the niece of the last Byzantine Emperor Zoe Paleologue,

to his throwing off the yoke of the Mongols and finally to the submission of the city of Tvier ending a family feud going back to 1304.

Lithuania under Casimir the 4th was still a thorn in Ivan's side as he wanted complete

control of the lands his ancestors had through the Rurik line namely Kiev. His break came in 1492 with the death of

Kasmere. This precipitated the split of the Lithuania and Poland bond.

John Albert, the eldest son of Kazmere became the Polish king,

with Alexander the younger son becoming the Grand Duke of Lithuania.

Now much of Russia's annoyance with Lithuania came from its relationships with the Catholic

Poles.

Lithuania, at that time, been pretty much a pagan land until comparatively recently, with a number of Orthodox

nobility surviving the collapse of Kiev.

At first, the aggressive converters from the Catholics focused on the pagan population.

But there was growing pressure on the Orthodox citizens to convert,

which angered the Muscovites, especially the Metropolitan.

Ivan jumped into the weakening of his adversary. especially the Metropolitan.

Ivan jumped into the weakening of his adversaries

and pressured Alexander to give him lands along the Lithuanian Russian border,

...