Daniel of Moscow
Daniil Aleksandrovich (Russian: Даниил Александрович; 1261 – 4 March 1303), also known as Daniil of Moscow,[1] was the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky and forefather of all the Grand Dukes of Moscow. His descendants are known as the Daniilovichi.[2]
| Daniel of Moscow | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Moscow | |
 Miniature from the Tsarskiy titulyarnik ("Tsar's Book of Titles", 1672) | |
| Prince of Moscow | |
| Predecessor | Boris (disputed) |
| Successor | Yuri I |
| Born | 1261 Vladimir, Vladimir-Suzdal principality |
| Died | 4 March 1303 (aged 41 or 42) Moscow, Grand Duchy of Moscow |
| Burial | |
| Consort | Maria |
| Issue | Yury of Moscow Aleksandr Boris of Kostroma Afanasy of Novgorod Fedora Ivan I of Moscow |
| Dynasty | Rurik |
| Father | Alexander Nevsky |
| Religion | Russian Orthodox Church |
Daniel of Moscow | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Fresco in the Cathedral of the Archangel, Moscow | |
| Born | 1261 Vladimir |
| Died | 4 March 1303 |
| Venerated in | Russian Orthodox Church |
| Burial place | Cemetery of Danilov (Russian: Даниловское кладбище) |
| Patronage | Russian Engineer Troops |
Early life
Prince Daniel of Moscow was born at Vladimir, capital of the Great Vladimir-Suzdal principality, in 1261. He was the fourth and youngest son of Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky—famous in the history of the Russian State and the Russian Orthodox Church — and his second wife, Princess Vassa. [3] One of the most junior princes in the House of Rurik, Daniel is thought to have been named after his celebrated relative, Daniel of Galicia.
Government
His father died when he was only two years old. Of his father's patrimonies, he received the least valuable, Moscow.[3] When he was a child, the tiny principality was being governed by tiuns (deputies), appointed by his paternal uncle, Grand Prince Yaroslav III.
Daniel has been credited with founding the first Moscow monasteries, namely the Lord's Epiphany, and The Danilov Monestery (Saint Daniel Monestery): named in his honor, situated on the right bank of the Moskva River at a distance of 5 miles from the Moscow Kremlin, and founded, by Daniel, as the first monastery wooden church of St. Daniel-Stylite no later than 1282.
He also built the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin in the 1280s, dedicated to the Great Martyr Demetrius.
Struggle for Vladimir
Daniel took part in his brothers'—Dmitri of Pereslavl (Pereslavl-Zalessky) and Andrey of Gorodets—struggle for the right to govern Vladimir-Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod, respectively.
The Mongol warlords Nogai Khan and Tokhta grew in power in the late 1280s, and in 1291 they jointly conquered Sarai, capital of the Golden Horde.[4] However, in 1293 Nogai and Tokhta got into war with each other, and were appealing to the Rus' princes (who were themselves in conflict over the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir) to join their side against the other.[4] Prince Andrey of Gorodets and Kostroma, prince Theodore the Black (Fedor/Fyodor) of Yaroslavl, and the Rostov princes made the journey to Sarai in order to pay homage to Tokhta, and receive confirmation of their yarliks (patents).[1] Prince Dmitry of Pereslavl (who in the early 1280s had ousted Andrey from Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod with the support of the army of Nogai, becoming his vassal[5]) and his supporters prince Mikhail of Tver and prince Daniil of Moscow refused to travel to Sarai and recognise Tokhta.[1] In response, Tokhta and his Rus' allies Andrey and Theodore conducted a punitive expedition against the Rus' allies of Nogai, attacking the cities of Vladimir, Moscow and Tver, and devastating the countryside.[1] Dmitry fled once again, but it was not until he died in 1294 that the Vladimir throne dispute was resolved in favour of Andrey.[1]
Struggle for Pereslavl-Zalessky
After Dmitry's death in 1294, Daniel made an alliance with Mikhail of Tver and Ivan of Pereslavl-Zalessky (Dmitry's son) against Andrey of Gorodets of Novgorod, who was allied with the new khan Tokhta.[1] The main conflict in the following years would be over the question whether Andrey had the right to reign over Pereslavl-Zalessky as Grand Prince of Vladimir, or whether it was an appanage which was inherited from father (Dmitry) to son (Ivan Dmitrevich).[1] In the assembly of 1296, the Rus' princes as well as Tokhta's representative Nevrui and the bishop of Sarai deliberated on the issue. Ivan Dmitrevich won the argument with the support of Mikhail of Tver and Daniil of Moscow, against Andrey, supported by Theodore of Yaroslavl and Konstantin of Ryazan.[1] Later in 1296, and again in 1298, Andrey unsuccessfully tried to seize Pereslavl-Zalessky by force anyway, but was repelled both times with the support of the Tverians and Muscovites.[6]
Konstantin, the prince of Ryazan, tried to capture the Moscow lands with the help of a Mongol force. Prince Daniel defeated it near Pereslavl.
Final years
In 1301,[7] he went to Ryazan with an army and imprisoned the ruler of the Ryazan Principality "by some ruse", as the chronicle says, and destroyed a multitude of Tatars. To secure his release, the prisoner ceded to Daniel his fortress of Kolomna. It was an important acquisition, as now Daniel controlled all the length of the Moskva River.
In 1302 his childless nephew and ally, Ivan of Pereslavl, bequeathed to Daniel all his lands, including Pereslavl-Zalessky.
Death and canonization
At the age of 42 on the 5 March 1303 Daniel died. Before his death he became a monk and, according to his will, was buried in the cemetery of the St. Daniel Monastery. This was a common cemetery and by being buried there he was demonstrating humility. He was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1791 but only for local veneration.[8]
In the year 1330, the monastery was moved to Kremlin and the monastery was turned into a common parish. The cemetery became open to the public and his grave was lost. On August 30, 1652, many relics from Daniel of Moscow were found and were placed in a tomb in the Danilov Monastery in his honor.[9]
Marriage and children
His wife was named Maria. They had at least six children:
- Yury of Moscow (1281 – 21 September 1325).
- Aleksandr Daniilovich (died Autumn 1308).
- Boris Daniilovich, Prince of Kostroma (died 1320).
- Afanasy Daniilovich, Prince of Novgorod (died 1322).
- Fedora Daniilovna. Married Yaroslav Romanovich, Prince of Ryazan (died 1299).
- Ivan I of Moscow (1288 – 31 March 1340).
| Yurievichi connection of Moscow, Novgorod-Suzdal, and Tver | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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References
- Martin 2007, p. 191.
- Martin 2004, p. 428.
- History of St. Daniel Monastery of Moscow
- Martin 2007, pp. 189–191.
- Martin 2007, p. 190.
- Martin 2007, pp. 191–192.
- "Clipping from the Laurentian Codex about the prince Daniile Alexandrovich Moskovsky", Informarus
- "Right-Believing Prince Daniel of Moscow", Orthodox Church in America
- "St. Daniel of Moscow – the peace-loving prince". New York City Deanary. Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. 2015-03-17. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
Bibliography
- Martin, Janet (2004). Medieval Russia: 980–1584. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521368322. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2015. (digital printing 2004)
- Martin, Janet (2007). Medieval Russia: 980–1584. Second Edition. E-book. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-511-36800-4.
External links
- Cawley, Charles, His listing ., Medieval Lands database, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy