Ivan III

Ivan III

Ivan III, the Great (1440-1505), was grand prince of Moscow from 1462 to 1505. He is considered Russia's first national leader. Ivan was born in Moscow. Before Ivan's reign, Russia was a divided country whose princes were often at war with one another. Russia was also part of the Mongol Empire. Ivan ended Mongol control of Russia in 1480 and then united Russia under his rule. He achieved these goals by being a ruthless warrior, a clever diplomat, and a shrewd buyer of land. Also under his rule, the Russian frontier began to extend east into Siberia.

Excerpt adapted from the "Ivan III, the Great" article, The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999