Ivan was pleased with this marriage into a house with which he was related already,—his aunt, Anna, the sister of his father, had been wife of John, the eldest brother of Thomas Palaeologus. Sixtus IV, Pope at that time, received very graciously the envoys who came for the bride and brought rich presents. The chief of these envoys was Giovanni Battista Volpe of the city of Vicenza, who, employed at the mint, lived in Moscow, and was known there as Ivan Friazine. The Pope and the Sacred College spoke to the envoys as if the Russian Church had joined the Florentine union already. Sixtus, like those who preceded him, thought to drive out the Osmanli, and had formed a league to that end, both with Naples and Venice. In May he blessed banners for that enterprise, and three days later the marriage of Sophia was solemnized in the Basilica of St. Peter. Then Sophia and her suite and Ivan Friazine, who represented the Grand Prince, were sent on their way accompanied by the papal legate, Antonio, to whom, as it seems, was committed the task of establishing the Florentine union in Russia.
They journeyed through Italy and Germany to Lubeck, where they took ship, and after sailing eleven days on the Baltic, reached Revel; thence they passed through Pskoff and Novgorod to Moscow. The legate, Antonio, in a red robe and hat, and wearing red gloves which he never removed, had a crucifix borne before him as he passed through the cities. He made no sign of the cross [[465]]in Orthodox churches, and kissed no images, as did Sophia and those who were with her. This roused much scandal among Orthodox people, who remembered the Latin apostasy of Isidor. Reports of these facts reached Moscow and the council at once considered how to act with the legate. Ivan sought advice from the metropolitan, Philip, who answered that if Antonio entered Moscow with the crucifix at one gate, he would leave the city directly by another gate. That he who honors a strange faith belittles the faith of his own land. Ivan sent a boyar to have the legate hide the cross in his equipage, and after some opposition Antonio yielded to this request. The marriage took place the day of Sophia’s arrival.
For form’s sake, it was needful to make some decision regarding Antonio, whose special mission it was to unite the two Churches. They arranged a discussion between him and Philip, who called in Nikita, a man of deep reading, who, if we credit the chronicle, talked with such wisdom that the legate was forced to declare that he had not the books which he needed. In every case he soon saw that there was no chance of union. Still he remained eleven weeks in Moscow, after which Ivan dismissed him with honor. The envoys who had come with Sophia from her brothers returned to Rome also. The Grand Prince sent gifts of great value to the Pope, and also to Sophia’s brothers. Ivan, related by this marriage to the Greek and Roman Cæsars, now adopted the double eagle for the arms of Russia, still to be seen in its archaic form in the “Palais à Facettes” of the Kremlin. His seal bore on one side an eagle, on the other a horseman trampling a dragon. On this seal was the inscription “Grand Prince by the Grace of God, Sovereign of Russia.”
The confidence of Rome in Sophia was baseless. She carried from Rome, as seems evident, ideas not touching on gratitude, and had bitter memories of what she had passed through in many ways. On her long journey to Moscow she had time to think over her position, and was no doubt advised by the keen Greeks who accompanied her. Ivan Friazine himself, who knew the Grand Prince very well, might have opened her eyes in church matters. Sophia not only rejected the union in which she had been reared, but adhered to the Orthodox Church very firmly. She was a woman of strong character, and bore the Mongol yoke with impatience. [[466]]Having great influence over Ivan, she incited him continually to struggle against its oppression.
We must now turn to Novgorod. The late war and peace with Ivan had greatly intensified the conflict of parties. Popular government, which had existed for centuries in that Commonwealth, had lost the best points of its character. No matter how unequal were the powers in this struggle with Moscow, only a cracked and shattered system could be so weak as was Novgorod. The boyars, freed from Moscow detention, strengthened the Boretski adherents, who began promptly to pour out their hatred of Moscow on Moscow adherents. The struggle was limited no longer to mob meetings; violence began, and whole streets were plundered. Once a number of boyars, with the city posadnik, Anani, as their leader, assembled a party of followers, and attacked two streets, wounding and robbing their enemies who lived there. Another time Panfil, an elder, with boyars, and a party of similar character, broke into the houses of other boyars, beat their servants, and bore off much property. When such were the acts of men in authority, whose duty it was to keep order, it is clear that there was anarchy in Novgorod. The opponents of the widow and her sons could find no protection at home; hence they turned to the Grand Prince.
Ivan delayed not in making his answer. Setting out in the autumn of 1475 with a large armed attendance, he sent a courier in advance with the tidings that he was on the way to his inheritance, Great Novgorod. Barely had he entered the lands of the city when people came forth with complaints of oppression. Later on boyars and men of importance received him with presents, as did the archbishop, Prince Shuiski, the posadnik, and others.
November 21, the Grand Prince arrived at the Gorodische, and went to mass there. On the twenty-third he entered Novgorod officially, and prayed in Sophia Cathedral. He dined with the archbishop and returned to the Gorodische. His military forces found lodgings in monasteries.
The unexpected arrival of the Grand Prince confused the partisans of Kazimir. They were silent and tried to rival their opponents in hospitality to Ivan. The Grand Prince dined once with Prince Shuiski, and thrice with the archbishop. He feasted once at the house of the former posadnik; he dined also with the commander and with notable boyars. At each house many casks [[467]]of wine from “beyond the sea,” mead in barrels, rich cloth, foreign gold, tusks of walrus, trained falcons, sables, horses, gold goblets filled with pearls, horns mounted in silver, and silver dishes, were presented to him. It is evident that Novgorod men did their best to surpass one another.
But the stern widow did not bend to the Grand Prince. Martha Boretski offered neither hospitality nor presents. The former posadniks, merchants, and rich men, who did not succeed in feasting Ivan, came to him with gifts and with homage. The posadnik and the commander brought one thousand rubles from the city. Ivan gave a banquet himself, to which Prince Shuiski, the posadnik, many merchants, and wealthy persons were invited. The Grand Prince sat long at table with his guests, gave them fine garments, rich goblets, sabres, and horses.
But feasting did not draw Ivan from the object of his coming. He received Novgorod complainants who sought for redress of injustice. Touching the street attack by boyars, Ivan commanded to arrest the chief offenders, the posadnik Vassili Anani, and the boyars Bogdan Osipoff, Feodor Boretski, and Ivan Lashinski. In accordance with Novgorod rule, Ivan required the Assembly to attach its own officers with his to the defendants. The comrades of those offenders were freed on the archbishop’s recognizance in the sum of fifteen hundred rubles.