ANASTASIA VASILIEVNA (born in 1397/1398 in Moscow - † 1470), Princess of Kiev, since August 22, 1417 the wife of Olelko (Alexander) Vladimirovich, the Prince of Kiev; the sister of the Grand Prince of Moscow Vasily II the Dark

Father

  • Vasily I Dmitrievich, Prince of Moscow and the Grand Prince of Vladimir (1389-1425)

Mother

  • Sophia Vitovtovna, Princess of Moscow and the Grand Princess of Vladimir, the wife of Vasily I, daughter of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitautas the Great

Biography

Anastasia Vasilievna was one of the daughters of Vasily I Dmitrievich and Sophia Vitovtovna. Since the date of birth is known only for the eldest of their daughters, Anna, it is difficult to establish Anastasia's place among her sisters.

In 1417 Anastasia was married almost simultaneously with her sister, Vasilisa [I, p. 166, 202; 5, p. 24]. Her husband was the grandson of the Lithuanian prince Algirdas Olelko (Alexander) Vladimirovich, who was at that time the prince of Slutsk and Kopyl. Olelko took an active part in political events in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, accompanying Vitautas in military campaigns.

After Vitautas's death a struggle for power broke out in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania between Svidrigailo, Algirdas's son from his second wife Ulyana (Juliana) of Tver, and Sigismund I the Old *, Olelko Vladimirovich took part in it. J. Dlugosz mentions Olelko as one of the contenders for the Lithuanian throne [1, p. 88], however, the political influence of the prince at that time was unlikely to be that great. Nevertheless, the development of events depended on the side that Olelko supported, as he enjoyed great authority [2, p. 146; 7, p. 180].

Anastasia and her children were also drawn into the confrontation between the Polish nobles and the Lithuanian rulers. After the arrest of Olelko and his imprisonment in Kernovo, she, along with her sons,  became a captive in Utyany. Casimir Jagiellon, who became the Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1440, freed Olelko and his family and returned the seized lands to him [3, p. 99; 6, p. 185; 8, p. 39].

In a number of works dedicated to Olelko and Anastasia, her participation in the Moscow events of 1425-1453 is also mentioned. Anastasia had her own agent in Moscow, who told her the latest news, she also received supporters of Vasily II the Dark and was in correspondence with Metropolitan Jonah [4, p. 216].

Anastasia outlived her husband, who died in 1455, for a long time. She died in 1470.  

* In modern Lithuanian historiography, the events of 1432-1438 are called the Civil war, while in Russian historiography the terms "Svidrigailo uprising" or "Svidrigailo's war" are used [3, p. 201–204].

 

Children

  • Semyon Olelkovich, the last prince of Kiev, successor to his father, Olelko Vladimirovich by decision of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Casimir IV
  • Mikhail Olelkovich, Prince of Slutsk, governor of Novgorod
  • Yuliana Olelkovna, the first wife of Yuri Fedorovich, Prince of Pronsk, grandson of Ivan Vladimirovich, Prince of Pronsk and Ryazan
  • Feodora Olelkovna, the wife of prince Simeon Yurievich (of Olshanski?)
  • Evdokia Olelkovna, the second wife of the ruler of Moldavia Stephen the Great (1433–1504).

Sources

I. PSRL. T. XVIII. Simeonovskaia letopis'. M., 2007.

Bibliography

1.      Batiushkov  P.N. Volyn', istoricheskie sud'by iugo-zapadnogo kraia. SPb., 1888.

2.      Gudavichius E. Istoriia Litvy s drevneishikh vremen do 1569 goda. M., 2005.

3.      Dvornichenko A.Iu. Russkie zemli Velikogo kniazhestva Litovskogo: Ocherki istorii obshchiny, soslovii, gosudarstvennosti (do nachala XVI v.). SPb., 1993. 

4.      Kogan V.M., Dombrovskii-Shalagin V.I. Kniaz' Riurik i ego potomki. Istoriko-genealogicheskii svod. SPb, 2004.

5.      Kuchkin V.A. Moskovskie Riurikovichi (genealogiia, demografiia) // Istoricheskii vestnik, 2013. № 04 (151). S. 6–73.

6.      Leontovich F.I. Ocherki istorii litovsko-russkogo prava. Obrazovanie territorii Litovskogo gosudarstva. SPb., 1894.

7.      Liubavskii M.K. Litovsko-russkii seim. M., 1900.

8.        Liubavskii M.K. Oblastnoe delenie i mestnoe samoupravlenie v Litovsko-Russkom gosudarstve do Liublinskoi unii vkliuchitel'no. M., 1893.

Internet Resources

Gudavichius E. Istoriia Litvy s drevneishikh vremen do 1569 goda. M., 2005.