Ivan III (the Great)

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Ivan III (the Great) (1440–1505) Grand Duke of Moscow (1462–1505). He laid the foundations of the future Russian Empire. By 1480 Moscow's northern rivals, including Novgorod, were absorbed by conquest or persuasion, domestic rebellion was crushed, and the Tatar threat was ended permanently. His later years were troubled by conspiracies over the succession. He began to use the title Tsar (‘Caesar’) and employed Italian artists in the buildings of the Kremlin.

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