Text 2
Ivan III reign
I. Read the text and find out what the following figures mean: 30, 1509, 1497, 1440, 1490, 60, 1502, 40, 15, 1462.
I
van
III, Grand Duke of Muscovy, son of Vasily Vasilievich the Blind,
Grand Duke of Moscow, and Maria Yaroslavovna, was born in 1440. He
was co-regent
with his father during the latter years of his life and succeeded
him in 1462. It was Ivan III who finished a two-century long process
of association of Russian Lands and completely overthrew
the Golden Horde Yoke.
Distinguished by great intellect and will-power, this prominent
Moscow sovereign
succeeded in gathering of the lands under the power of Moscow.
At the beginning of his reign Muscovy was surrounded by sovereign territories, the lands of The Great Novgorod, independent principalities of other Russian princes: Tver, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Ryazan. But by the end of the 15th century the Eastern Europe had undergone enormous political changes. The Moscow Land now had a border directly with Sweden and German Lands in Baltic, Lithuania and the remains of The Golden Horde in the south.
Ivan III laid the foundation for Russian autocracy. He considerably enlarged the State’s territory, strengthened its political system, State machinery, raised greatly the international prestige of Moscow. This new international status was reflected in imposing court etiquette and in new state symbols. In fact, Ivan III was the actual founder of Muscovy.
[http://russia.rin.ru/guide_e/2/2/1.html]
The Last Will of Ivan III.
Initially, Ivan III proclaimed his first wife’s son, Ivan the Young, his successor and co-ruler. Afterwards, this situation was called the Dynastic Crisis: Ivan’s son Ivan the Young, died in 1490, leaving an only child, Dmitry the Grandson. The latter was crowned as successor by his grandfather in 1497, but later Ivan reverted his decision in favour of Sophia’s elder son Vasily who was ultimately crowned co-regent with his father (April 14, 1502). Dmitry the Grandson was put into prison where he died, unmarried and childless, in 1509, already under the rule of his uncle.
In the last will Ivan III summed up his more than 40-years reign. He handed down to Vasily more than 60 cities while all his other sons altogether got 30 cities. Younger brothers of Vasily had no right to mint own coin, try criminal cases; their lands also passed to Vasily. The brothers swore to obey Vasily in everything, and in case of his death submit to his elder son – their nephew.
[http://russia.rin.ru/guides_e/6877.html]
II. Find the nouns that are used in the text with the following verbs (there can bу more than one variant):
1) to undergo
2) to enlarge
3) to strengthen
4) to proclaim
5) to revert
6) to hand down
7) to mint
III. Explain the following notions, use them in the same context as they are used in the text:
1) co-regent
2) to overthrow
3) Yoke
4) sovereign
5) principality
6) autocracy
7) court etiquette
8) successor
9) the Dynastic Crisis
10) to submit
IV. In pairs discuss the strong and weak points of Ivan’s reign. Can you give examples to support your viewpoint?
V. Give the English interpretation of the following Russian text.
Несмотря на силу татаро-монголов, их большую численность и громадные территории, которые они заняли, их власть постепенно убывала. В начале XVI века (1502) Золотая Орда распалась, но ещё долго после этого крымские и казанские татары продолжали совершать набеги и грабили русские земли. Тогда и произошло главное событие – разрозненные земли русских были собраны воедино. Образовалось Московское государство. Как символ нового государства появился новый герб – двуглавый орел, который пришел из Византии, когда Иван III женился на племяннице последнего византийского императора.
Изоляция, в которой Россия существовала на протяжении более двух веков, закончилась. Иван III установил отношения со многими европейскими государствами. Начала развиваться торговля.
Развивались также и культурные связи. Приглашались архитекторы из Италии, которые создали такие монументальные сооружения, как Грановитая Палата и успенский Собор.