- Yuri Vasilevich (son of Vasili IIl)
Yuri Vasilevich ("Юрий Васильевич") (
October 30 1532 -June 24 1563 ) of the House ofRurik , was Prince ofUglich , and the second son ofVasili III of Russia andElena Glinskaya , as well as being the younger brother ofIvan the Terrible . He was borndeaf mute , and was thus never considered as a candidate as heir to the Russian throne.He was a year and a half old when his father died of a leg
abscess , and six when his mother was apparently poisoned. According to letters written by his older brother Ivan, the two children customarily felt neglected and offended by the mightyboyar s from the Shuisky andBelsky families. Unlike his brother who spent his spare time in learningtheology , Yuri was apparently only interested in food and games. Yuri accompanied his brother during the latters coronation asTsar , and was later given a private residence with servants. On June 16 1552, during the Russo-Kazan war, Yuri was given full charge of state affairs while his brother accompanied the army toKazan . Yuri married and had a son in 1560 named after his father. The child died 11 months later.Yuri died three years later from natural causes. His wife was sent to a
convent in Novodevič'ij. Yuri's property was inherited by his elder brother.References
* Troyat, Henri "Ivan le Terrible". Flammarion, Paris, 1982
* de Madariaga, Isabel "Ivan the Terrible". Giulio Einaudi editore, 2005
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