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Vasili Yuryevich Kosoy of Zvenigorod (Russian: Василий Юрьевич Косой, князь Звенигородский), Prince of Zvenigorod (Moscow), Grand Prince of Moscow, was born circa 1405 in Zvenigorod, Moscow Oblast, Russia to Yuri Dmitriyevich of Zvenigorod (1374-1434) and Anastasia Yuryevna of Smolensk (c1383-1422) and died 1448 Moscow, Russia of unspecified causes. He married Anastasiya Andreyevna of Radonezh (c1405-c1455) .
Vasili Yuryevich of Zvenigorod nicknamed Kosoy (the cross-eyed) (c1405-1448), Prince of Zvenigorod (1421-1448), Grand Prince of Moscow (1434) was, the eldest of the four sons of Grand Duke Yuri Dmitriyevich of Zvenigorod
Date of birth
The dates of birth of Vasili Kosoy and of his younger brothers are not known. Their father Yuri Dmitrievich of Zvenigorod married princess Anastasia Yuryevna of Smolensk in 1400. [1] [2] She died on July 11, 1422 and during her marriage gave birth to four sons: Ivan Yuryevich, Vasili Kosoy, Dmitri Shemyaka and Dmitri Krasnyi[3] Ivan is not mentioned by some studies, possibly because he retired to a monastery around 1432 and was not involved in the political turmoil of the following years. The year of birth of these sons is therefore limited to the interval between 1401 and 1422.
While the year of birth remains uncertain, it should be assumed that Vasili Kosoy was born c1405 and Dmitri Shemyaka c1410.
Participation in internecine war
Before the grand reign
Vasily Kosoy begins to be mentioned in the annals from 1433. This year, together with his brother Dmitri Shemyaka, he feasted in Moscow at the wedding of Grand Duke Vasili Vasilyevich, during which Sophia of Lithuania publicly ripped Vasily Yuryevich off the gold belt allegedly stolen in the past from Dmitri Donskoy by the thousand-strong Vasily Protasievich and, in time, by Vasily Kosomu. The insulted Yuryevichs immediately left and went to their father in Halych; on the way they looted Yaroslavl and the treasuries of all the princes ravaged."
In the same year, Kosoy participated in the battle of his father with the Grand Duke on the Battle of the Klyazma River (1433). By the occupation of Yuri of Moscow, the people began to run over to the Grand Duke Vasily in Kolomna, given to him by Yuri on the advice of boyar Semyon Morozov. Yurievichi killed this boyar, considering him the culprit of an unfavorable turn of business for them, and fled to Kostroma . Meanwhile, their father reconciled with Vasily, yielding to him Moscow and promised not to receive his two older sons and not help them.
In the incident that took place on the bank of the river Kus' battle, the Yurevichi took over, and in 1434 the great prince ravaged Galich because, contrary to the treaty, Yuri's troops participated in the Battle of the Kusi River. This circumstance restored the connection between father and children.
Grand Prince of Moscow
After the battle in the Rostov Principality, Yuri Dmitriyevich occupied Moscow, but soon died ( June 5, 1434), and his eldest son Vasily Kosoy declared himself the Grand Duke, as he informed his younger brothers, who were then in Vladimir, in pursuit of Vasili Vasilyevich .
The Yurievichs did not recognize his reign and sent him to Nizhny Novgorod to call Vasili II Vasilyevich on the grand table, and the older brother was answered: "If it was not God's wish that our father reigned, then we ourselves do not want you." At the approach of the united princes to Moscow, Vasily Yurievich, having taken away the treasury of his father, fled to Novgorod . After spending a month and a half in Novgorod, Kosoy went to Zavolochye , then to Kostroma and began to prepare for a march to the Grand Duke. Killed on the banks of the river Kotorosli, he fled to Kashin.
Continuation of the struggle with Vasili II Vasilyevich

Death of Vasili Kosoy -16th century miniature
After a short-lived peace, the Grand Duke spoke against Vasily Kosoy with his brother Dmitri Krasny .
The enemies met near the village of Skoryatin, in the Rostov land. Not hoping for his own strength, Vasili Yuryevich set out on cunning: wanting to "steal the Grand Duke," he offered him a truce until the morning, which was accepted. The Grand Duke dissolved his warriors "fodder" (foraging), and Kosoy, using this, wanted to attack him. But Vasili Vasilyevich was informed in time of the danger that threatened him, and the Moscow regiments had time to collect themselves well: Kosoy was defeated in the battle on the Ceryoha river, seized and brought to the Grand Duke, who sent him to Moscow. Part vyatchan, not in time to come to the aid of Kosom, took prisoner Yaroslavl Prince Alexander Bruhat. Taking from him a ransom, the vyatches, however, did not release Prince Alexander. Vasili Vasilyevich, upon learning of such perfidy of Vasily Yuryevich's associates, ordered him to put out one eye (after which, according to one version, the prince was nicknamed "The Scythe").
Then the chronicles do not say more about Vasili Kosoy than until his death, followed, apparently, in prison, in 1448
Family
Vasili Yuryevich was married to Anastasiya Andreyevna, the daughter of Andrei Vladimirovich, the prince of Serpukhov-Radonezh, but the offspring of this marriage is not known.
References
Siblings
Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
Ivan Yuryevich (c1403-c1463) | |||
Vasili Yuryevich Kosoy (c1405-1448) | 1405 Zvenigorod, Moscow Oblast, Russia | 1448 Moscow, Russia | Anastasiya Andreyevna of Radonezh (c1405-c1455) |
Dmitri Yuryevich Shemyaka of Moscow (c1408-1453) | 1408 | 17 July 1453 Novgorod, Novgorod Oblast, Russia | Sophia Dmitriyevna of Zaozero (c1420-c1460) |
Dmitri Yuryevich Krasnyi (c1412-1440) | 1412 | 22 September 1440 |
Residences
Footnotes (including sources)
Vasili Yuryevich Kosoy (c1405-1448)
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Regnal titles | ||
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Preceded by Yuri Dmitriyevich |
Prince of Zvenigorod 1421–1448 |
Succeeded by Vasili Yaroslavich |
Preceded by Yuri Dmitriyevich |
Grand Prince of Moscow 5 Jun 1334–Jul 1334 |
Succeeded by Vasili Vasilyevich |