Ivan III of Russia, also known as Ivan the Great, was a Grand Prince of Moscow who reigned from April 1462 to October 1505 and assumed the title of Grand Prince of all Rus' following the annexation of Tver. His most significant achievement was the gathering of the Russian lands. He rejected the Tatar yoke and earned a decisive victory over the Great Horde that ended Mongol dominance over Russia after 240 years. He also tripled the territory of his state through conquest, purchase, or marriage contract. He is credited with the renovation of the Moscow Kremlin and laying the foundations of the Russian state. Following his marriage to Byzantine princess Sofia Paleologue, he, was the first Russian ruler, who styled himself 'tsar' and adopted the idea of Moscow as Third Rome.
