d by as many families from Moscow. When he departed from Pskof,
he left a garrison of 5,000 guards and 500 artillerymen. That was the
end of the last republic in Russia. (1510.)

In 1521, it was the turn of Riazan whose duke was accused of having
entered into an alliance with the Khan of the Crimea. He was summoned
to Moscow, where he was arrested, but he managed to escape. His
dukedom, however, was annexed to Moscow. Two years later, in 1523, (p. 108)
the Duke of Novgorod-Severski was put in prison for underhand dealing
with Poland, and that dukedom was added to Vassili's territories. This
rounded up Vassili's possessions in Central Russia.

The grand duke continued his father's policy toward Lithuania. When
Alexander died, he tried to become Grand Duke of Wilna, but the King
of Poland was too quick for him. War broke out, but neither gained any
important advantage, and in 1509 a _perpetual peace_ was concluded
wherein Vassili renounced all claims upon Kief and Smolensk. The
"perpetual peace" lasted three years. Vassili then went to the other
extreme, by declaring that "as long as his horse was in marching
condition and his sword cut sharp, there should be neither peace nor
truce with Lithuania." In 1514, the Russian army besieged and took
Smolensk, but in the same year they were badly defeated in the battle
of Orcha.

The two grand dukes tried to involve as many allies as they could. The
Khan of the Crimea, the useful friend of Vassili's father, had become
the son's enemy; Vassili offset him by an alliance with the Khan of
Astrakhan. When Sigismund tried to secure the help of Sweden, Vassili
sought that of Denmark; and when his enemy set the Dnieper Cossacks at
him, the grand duke induced the Teutonic Order to invade Poland. After
Sigismund was defeated at Smolensk, the Emperor of Germany and the
Pope offered to mediate; the latter advised Vassili to let Lithuania
alone, and to turn his attention toward Constantinople. Negotiations
commenced in 1520, but it was six years later before a truce was (p. 109)
concluded. On this occasion Vassili made a speech in which he praised
Emperor Charles V, and Pope Clement VII,--but Lithuania lost Smolensk.
It was during this war that the partition of Poland was first
mentioned.

Vassili did not neglect the east, even while engaged in the west.
Kazan had expelled the nephew of the Khan of the Crimea whom Ivan III
had appointed, and elected a Khan hostile to Russia. Two expedit