Yury of Zvenigorod

Yury Dmitrievich (26 November 1374 in

Inheritance and claims

At his father's death, Yury received in appanage the towns of Zvenigorod, Ruza, and Galich.

Upon his brother's death, Yury immediately asserted his claim to the throne of

Instead of imprisoning his nephew, Yury allowed him to settle in Kolomna and rule the town as his appanage. This show of magnanimity cost him dearly, as scores of Muscovite boyars and noblemen fled to Vasily's court in Kolomna. This shift in momentum impelled Yury to conclude a treaty with Vasily, whereby the uncle renounced his claims to Moscow, promised to deny assistance to his sons, and exchanged Dmitrov for other territories. Vasily returned to Moscow, while Yury withdrew to Galich.^[1]

Further conflicts

The following year, Kosoy and Shemyaka defeated Vasily II on the banks of the Kus River. The grand prince was informed that Yury's troops had been seen among his enemies and decided to punish him for this treachery. In winter 1434, he set Galich ablaze, but Yury had escaped northward to Belozersk. On 16 March, the armies of the uncle and the nephew clashed between Rostov and Pereslavl. Vasily's army was roundly defeated and he sought refuge in Nizhny Novgorod.

On 31 March 1434, on the Bright Week Wednesday, Yury again entered Moscow, where he captured Vasily's family and treasury. He was preparing a new campaign against Vasily when he died suddenly, on 5 July 1434, succeeded by his eldest son, Vasily Kosoy.^[1]

References

External links

• (in Russian) Biography of George II of Moscow
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (in Russian). 1906. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)