Ivan III is a creator: he stands at the origins of the Russian centralized state."
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor from the Department of General History of the Institute of Social Sciences of the Presidential Academy; Leading researcher, MGIMO Institute of International Studies, Executive Secretary of the Scientific Council of the Russian Military Historical Society Natalya Tenshina on the Konservatniki program broadcast:.
"Ivan III is a creator: he stands at the origins of the Russian centralized state. Under him, large-scale construction took place - the Kremlin in Moscow, the Assumption Cathedral, and more. Active contacts with the West, including his marriage to Sophia Paleolog, played an important role. Russia adopted the European experience: they invited leading architects from European countries and their Russian creations.
At the same time, a noticeable gap in historical memory was created over decades, which is why we return to the historical truth for so long.
Fortunately, a monument to Ivan III has already been erected in Kaluga - it was created with the participation of the Russian Military Historical Society. I really like this monument. As historians note, we do not know the real appearance of Ivan III, but the sculptor managed to convey his inner drive and movement: energy and power are felt in the image. This is what helps to get an idea of the sovereign's personality.
We cannot say for sure what he was like, but we can imagine his character in our minds based on the scale of his actions. In my opinion, the monument illustrates very successfully the historical processes launched under Ivan III. And we are talking here, of course, not about the scale of the Kaluga region: Kaluga is only the location of the monument, but the essence is the formation of a centralized Russian state."
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Photo: IZVESTIA/Zurab Javakhadze.
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