Helena of Moscow

Helena of Moscow (Polish Helena Ivanovna Moskiewska; born May 19, in 1476 Moscow, † January 20, 1513 in Vilnius) was from 1495 through marriage Grand Duchess of Lithuania and from 1501 Titularkönigin of Poland from the dynasty of Rurik. Since they did not convert to the Catholic faith, they could not be crowned Queen according to Polish law.

Life

Helena was the daughter of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III. and his wife, the Byzantine Catholic Sofia Palaiologa, a niece of Emperor Constantine XI. , the last emperor of Byzantium, born in the Moscow Kremlin.

On February 18, 1495, she was in Vilnius married to Grand Duke Alexander of Lithuania, later King of Poland. The connection should improve relations between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Grand Duchy of Moscow. However, the experiments of Alexander, to convert them, contrary to its commitments to the Catholic faith, were responsible for various military conflicts ( 1500-03, 1507-1508 and 1512-22 ) between the two countries in which Helena was busy between her husband and father Ivan convey.

Helena was very educated and surrounded himself at the royal court with numerous Polish humanists.

After the death of Alexander, in 1506, she lived in Lithuania, and died before the age of 37 on January 20, 1513 and was buried alongside her husband in the Cathedral of Vilnius.

From the marriage with King and Grand Duke Alexander no children were born.

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