Vasily II of Moscow

Vasily II
Sovereign of all Russia
Portrait in the Tsarskiy titulyarnik (1672)
Grand Prince of Moscow
Reign27 February 1425  27 March 1462
(disputed from 1425 to 1453)
PredecessorVasily I
SuccessorIvan III
Born10 March 1415
Moscow
Died27 March 1462(1462-03-27) (aged 47)
Moscow
ConsortMaria Yaroslavna
IssueIvan Vasilyevich
Anna Vasilyevna
Andrey Bolshoy
DynastyRurik
FatherVasily I of Moscow
MotherSophia of Lithuania
ReligionRussian Orthodox

Vasily II Vasilyevich (Russian: Василий II Васильевич; 10 March 1415  27 March 1462), nicknamed the Blind or the Dark (Russian: Тёмный), was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1425 until his death in 1462.

He succeeded his father, Vasily I, only to be challenged by his uncle Yuri of Zvenigorod. During this time, Moscow changed hands several times. At one point, Vasily was captured and blinded by his cousin Dmitry Shemyaka in 1446. The final victory went to Vasily, who was supported by most people. Due to his disability, he made his son Ivan III his co-ruler in his later years.