March 27, 1462

Ivan III of Russia

Vasily II dies in Moscow and Ivan III inherits the grand principality

The new ruler had already been signing documents as a grand prince for more than a decade before his father died.

27 March 1462, in Moscow

Vasily II, grand prince of Moscow and Vladimir, died in Moscow on 27 March 1462. Russian encyclopedic sources date both the death and Ivan's inheritance to that day; some modern English references start Ivan's reign on 28 March, the difference being whether the death-day or the following day counts as the first regnal day.

The Russian Orthodox Encyclopedia says Ivan inherited the grand principality, Nizhny Novgorod, Suzdal and substantial additional lands.

Four brothers, four towns

Ivan's four younger brothers received appanages under Vasily's settlement. Yuri's centred on Dmitrov, Andrey the Elder's on Uglich, Boris's on Volok Lamsky and Andrey the Younger's on Vologda.

These were subordinate appanages, not shares equal to Ivan's grand-princely domain.

Continuity, not elevation

This was an inheritance by an established co-ruler rather than an improvised succession after a power vacuum. Ivan had appeared in documents alongside his father as a grand prince since the late 1440s, and had exercised authority when Vasily was absent.

What he became was grand prince of Moscow and Vladimir — not the ruler of a fully formed nation-state called Russia.

His later annexations, titles, symbols and confrontation with the Great Horde all came afterwards.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 6 sources not yet audited Date disputed

How this was checked

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Date disputed. Sources disagree about when this happened.

What the sources leave uncertain

Russian encyclopedic sources date Vasily's death and Ivan's inheritance to 27 March, while some modern English references begin Ivan's reign on 28 March. The difference appears to be whether the death-day or following day is treated as the first regnal day.
The date is the conventional fifteenth-century date, not a proleptic-Gregorian conversion.