IVAN II

born March 30, 1326 died Nov. 13, 1359 in full Ivan Ivanovich, byname Ivan The Red, Russian Ivan Krasny grand prince of Moscow and Vladimir. The son of Ivan I, he succeeded his brother Semen on the throne of Moscow in 1353 and was granted the patent to that principality by the Khan of the Golden Horde in spite of the vigorous claim laid by Konstantin Vasilyevich of Suzdal. At first the principalities of Suzdal, Ryazan, and the republic of Novgorod refused to recognize Ivan as grand duke, and they waged war against him until 1354. Ivan was dominated by his aristocratic advisors (boyars), prominent among whom was the military commander in Moscow, Aleksey Khvost, and the metropolitan Aleksei. As grand prince Ivan continued the policies of his father, which were aimed at uniting the Russian lands. His son was Dmitri Donskoy, to whom the principates of Moscow and Vladimir passed upon Ivan's death.