Sophia Paleologue

Zoe Palaiologina, renamed Sophia (both for Latin and for Russian) (? – 1503), Grand Duchess of Moscow, the second wife of Ivan III, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI. Together with her brothers, she was taken to Rome after the fall of Constantinople and her father's lordship in Peloponnesos. In 1469, the Pope offered Ivan III to marry her in order to unite the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. Ivan III married Sophia in 1472, but the cardinal, sent by the Pope, didn’t succeed in his mission. Sophia had a big influence on Ivan III: she introduced splendor never before seen to the court and strict etiquette. She died in 1503, leaving five sons. Her son Basil (Vasili) III succeeded her husband on the Muscovian throne.