In Russian history, the first half of the 14th century was marked by an uncompromising struggle between Tver and Moscow for central power in North-Eastern Russia. This struggle lasted for over forty years and was characterized by fierce competition, Byzantine-style intrigues, assassinations, and bloody violence, as well as the taking of hostages and the destruction of the Russian land. A significant factor in the balance of power was the prerogative of the Golden Horde khans to appoint the Grand Princes of Vladimir.

The khan's purchased label often covered up any falsehoods. Skillfully directed by gold, slander, or flattery, the khan's favor was a significant factor in the struggle for the Vladimir throne. It was not without reason that Russian chroniclers referred to the godless Tatars as the rod of God, guiding sinners to the path of repentance. The Moscow princes, starting with Yuri Danilovich, were the most successful in using this rod. During the conflict between Moscow and Tver, it was the Tver ruling house that suffered the greatest losses. During only 21 years (1318 - 1339), four Tver princes were tortured and executed in the Horde. The bloody count of deaths began with Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tver, followed by his two sons, Dmitry and Alexander, and his grandson, Fyodor.

Tver did not immediately become Moscow's rival. The city was almost a hundred years younger than Moscow and was first mentioned in the chronicles in the early 13th century. However, it had existed much earlier. The advantageous geographical location of the territory at the confluence of the Tvertsa River and the Volga River was appreciated by the Suzdal princes during their frequent clashes with the Novgorodians. The independent Principality of Tver was established in 1247, with Yaroslav, one of the younger sons of Grand Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, becoming its first prince. After Alexander Nevsky's death in 1263, Yaroslav, as the eldest in the family, became his successor on the Grand Vladimir throne. However, the new Grand Prince spent most of his time not in Vladimir, but in his beloved Tver. Using his power, he significantly expanded the territory of his domain at the expense of his neighbors, particularly Novgorod. After Yaroslav's death, his eldest son from his first marriage, Svyatoslav, succeeded him on the Tver throne, although his reign was short-lived.

In 1282, the Tver throne was occupied by Yaroslav's youngest son, Mikhail, who was born to the prince's second wife in 1271. When his father passed away, Mikhail was not even a year old. Initially, he was raised by his mother, Ksenia (Oksinya) Yurievna, who came from the ancient family of the Chernigov princes. Princess Ksenia was an intelligent, pious, and virtuous woman who eventually became a nun. She raised her son in the rules of piety and faith, and gave him the first lessons in Orthodoxy. For our ancestors, Orthodoxy was the core that shaped the character of a true warrior and defender of their homeland. Mikhail remained deeply religious until the end of his life, which allowed him to endure the torture and suffering he faced in the Horde with courage and dignity.

Religious education included not only the study of church canons, but also learning to read and write from the Bible and the Lives of saints. The prince also read Old Russian books - "Russkaya Pravda", texts of the famous" Teachings " of Prince Vladimir Monomakh to children preserved in the annals. The great ancestor and victor of the Polovtsians taught his descendants what the future ruler and defender of the Fatherland should know and do: "Just do not forget the most miserable ones... Do not allow the strong to destroy the weak. Wherever you go, do not allow your own people or strangers to do evil in the villages or fields, lest they begin to curse you... Do not kill the righteous or the guilty, and do not command others to kill them... Do not pass by a person without greeting them with a kind word... For God's sake, do not be lazy, for only by doing good can you receive God's mercy.

When Mikhail turned four years old, he was taken under the care of his father's experienced boyars, who taught the young prince the tricks of warfare, how to ride a horse and handle a spear, how to shoot a bow and wield a sword. They also taught him how to command his troops and lead them in battle and on campaign. His teachers were noblemen who had participated in numerous battles, not only against German knights and Lithuania, but also in internal conflicts.

The prince grew up in a difficult time. The Rus, left by Alexander Nevsky as an inheritance to his children, was once again put on the brink of survival. The long-lasting internecine struggle for the Grand Principality between his sons, Dmitry of Pereyaslavl and Andrei of Gorodets, which involved all the principalities of North-Eastern Rus and Novgorod, significantly weakened the country. The feudal princes were divided into two camps, each supporting their own candidate. All means were used in this fierce struggle, including the assistance of the Horde regiments. Taking advantage of the situation, the Tatars often reminded Russia of Batu Khan's reign. One after another, the Tatars wreaked havoc and destruction on the long-suffering country. In 1281, the Horde army, led by Temniks Kavgady and Alcheday, ravaged Murom, the outskirts of Vladimir, Suzdal, Yuryev, and Rostov, as well as other lands as far as Torzhok. Tver was also plundered.

As an independent politician, Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tver first made a name for himself in 1296. Shortly after the Vladimir Princely Congress, Mikhail's views diverged from those of his former allies, Daniel of Moscow and Ivan Dmitrievich of Pereyaslavl, and he sided with Andrey of Gorodets, who, according to the first version of the Life of the Prince of Tver, blessed Mikhail "to his throne and the Grand Princely Rule" before his death.

Grand Prince Andrei died on July 27, 1304. Mikhail Yaroslavich became the oldest ruler of North-Eastern Russia, not by age, but by position. He was the only grandson of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, the father of Alexander Nevsky, whose descendants held the Grand Principality of Vladimir. As the "elder of the patrimony and ancestral lands," Mikhail Yaroslavich traveled to Sarai to obtain the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir. However, Yuri Danilovich of Moscow did not want to give up his power, and he also went to the Horde, hoping to win the khan over to his side. During Mikhail and Yuri's absence, the Tver army, led by Akinf the Great, attempted to capture Pereyaslavl, where the Moscow governor was stationed, but they were defeated by the Moscow army, led by Yuri's younger brother, Ivan Kalita, who would later become the Grand Prince of Moscow.

In the Horde, Khan Tokhta decided the issue of the Grand Principality in favor of the eldest Mikhail Yaroslavich. However, Yuri of Moscow did not accept this decision and began a constant struggle with Mikhail in 1305.

While at the first stage of the struggle between Moscow and Tver, the church, represented by Metropolitan Maxim, supported Mikhail Yaroslavich, during the conquest of the Principality of Nizhny Novgorod, the new supreme hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Peter, was a consistent supporter and ally of Yuri of Moscow. Mikhail Yaroslavich's relationship with the new metropolitan was strained from the very beginning. Peter was appointed to the Russian diocese in 1308, shortly after Maxim's death. Moreover, the Patriarch of Constantinople preferred Peter over the Tver-appointed Metropolitan Gerontius. Upon his arrival in Russia, Peter was received with hostility by the Grand Prince, and Mikhail's supporter, the Tver bishop Andrei, immediately accused the hierarch of simony (the sale of high-ranking church positions). However, at the Council held in Pereyaslavl-Zalessky in 1311, Peter was acquitted, largely due to the support of the Moscow princes and their allies. From then on, Peter actively supported Moscow's efforts to expand its influence.

In 1312, Khan Tokhta died. The following year, Mikhail went to Sarai to present himself to the new ruler, Uzbek. While he was in the Horde, Yuri Danilovich resumed his struggle for Novgorod. Yuri's renewed attempt to assert his rights as Grand Prince led to his own summons to the Horde for an explanation. The Novgorod boyars also accompanied Yuri, hoping to use their financial resources to secure a charter for the Novgorodian principality for the Moscow prince, and perhaps even the Grand Principality. However, Uzbek, like his predecessor, not only made a decision in favor of Mikhail, but also provided him with a detachment led by the military commander Taiyemir. Mikhail returned to Russia and began to restore his rights in Novgorod. The Moscow governors were expelled from the city, and the local boyars swore allegiance to Mikhail.

In just five years, the situation has changed radically. During his long stay in the Horde, Yuri Danilovich not only cajoled the khan, but also married his sister Konchaka, who was baptized under the name Agafya. Clouded by the cunning speeches of the Moscow boyars, who proved that the source of law in Russia is not the old chronicles and legal norms set out in them, but only his khan's grace. Uzbek gave the supreme power in North - Eastern Russia to the Moscow prince. It was an unprecedented decision. Never before had the Horde tsars deprived Russian princes of the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir without any apparent reason.

Mikhail accepts what has happened with humility, bowing his head to the decision of the Tatar khan and recognizing Yuri's supremacy. It seems that everything has been resolved, and now all that remains is to restore and strengthen Russia. However, this is not the case with the princes. Just as Mikhail sought to finish off his defeated rival in 1308, the Moscow prince now begins to devastate the Principality of Tver. Mikhail attempts to resolve the matter peacefully by sending envoys to Moscow, but they are even denied access to Yuri. If peace is not an option, war must be prepared. Mikhail was defending himself, and quite successfully. In December 1317, the Tver army, led by Mikhail, defeated the Moscow army at the village of Bortenevo. Yuri Danilovich managed to escape from the battlefield, but his family was captured. The Khan's ambassador, Kavgady, was also forced to surrender.

But the victory at Bortenev was a Pyrrhic victory for the Prince of Tver. It was from this moment that the historical drama that led to his death began to unfold. During his captivity, Yuri's wife Agafia died either from poison or from illness. Soon after, Kavgadyi, who had been released by Mikhail, began to plot against the Prince of Tver in the Horde. Yuri of Moscow did not remain indebted. According to the author of "The Tale of Mikhail of Tver,"In 1318, Uzbek summoned all the participants of the drama to Sarai.

On the banks of the Nerl River, Mikhail parted with his mother. The parting was difficult, as the Prince of Tver was going to his certain death. He knew this himself. In vain, his sons, Dmitry and Alexander, pleaded with their father not to go to his certain doom, but to send them to the Horde in his place. But the Prince did not think about himself. "The Tsar demands me, not you," Mikhail replied to his children, "and for my disobedience, the Fatherland will be destroyed, and I will not escape death. Is it not better to lay down my life for my brothers?" Mikhail confessed to his confessor: "Instead of bringing relief to the Christians, I have only brought them burden in my life; may my death be for their benefit!"

The Prince of Tver went to the Horde, where his twelve-year-old son Konstantin, who was a hostage, told him about the denunciations of Kavgady and Yuri of Moscow. Soon, a trial was held. Mikhail was accused of not paying the full amount of tribute, the death of Uzbek's sister Agafia, and the capture of the Khan's ambassador. The Prince responded to the unjust judges that he was not responsible for the death of Konchaka, and "in battle, one does not recognize ambassadors; I saved Kavgady and released him with honor." But no amount of justification could convince the judges of the prince's innocence. The Khan's ambassador was particularly enraged, unable to forgive the Tver prince for his humiliation.

Mikhail was chained and had a heavy collar placed around his neck. The final decision on the fate of the Tver prince was to be made by Uzbek, who was hunting on the banks of the Terek River at the time. Mikhail was taken to Uzbek, who endured the humiliation and torture with great fortitude. The loyal servants who were with the prince in the Horde suggested that he should escape. However, Mikhail replied, "If I save myself, I will not save my homeland."

On November 22, 1318, the final act of the tragedy unfolded. The Tatars removed all of the prince's men, leaving Mikhail alone in the square. The villains then threw the prince to the ground and beat him mercilessly, and one of them, whose name has been preserved in history, Romanets, plunged a knife under the prince's ribs and cut out his heart.

Soon, the body of the deceased Tver prince was brought to Moscow. His wife and the Tver boyars pleaded with Yuri to transport the remains of the former ruler to Tver. The Tverites met the prince's coffin on the banks of the Volga River. The solemn burial of the Tver prince, who had been martyred in the Horde, took place on September 6, 1320, and marked the beginning of the local pantheon of saints. Thus, Mikhail Yaroslavich became the first saint patron of Tver.

Fate did not spare the enemies without the fault of the deceased Tver prince. Soon after the murder, Kavgady suddenly died (1319). And Yuri of Moscow did not enjoy the grand ducal power for long. On the eve of the seventh anniversary (November 21, 1325) of the death of Mikhail Yaroslavich in the Horde, his eldest son Dmitry avenged the death of his father and killed Yuri right in the Horde, not being afraid of the khan's revenge.

The special worship of Mikhail Yaroslavich's remains in the Transfiguration Monastery dates back to the late 14th and early 15th centuries. This fact has its own explanation. It was during this time that, thanks to the skillful and purposeful efforts of Prince Boris Alexandrovich, the central government in Tver significantly strengthened, leading to a brief period of prosperity for the principality. The princely authority sought to mobilize all available resources to counter the rapidly growing power of Moscow. The church played a crucial role in this process, as it intensified the practice of canonization in Tver.

According to the authorities, the presence of locally venerated saints was supposed to symbolize the fact that Tver was a major political center capable of pursuing its own independent policy from Moscow. Naturally, the clergy turned first to the memory of Mikhail Yaroslavich, who had fallen as a result of a political intrigue by his rival in Moscow.

In the mid-16th century, when all the previously independent lands united around Moscow, the local religious centers, such as the capitals of the principalities and Novgorod, were replaced by a unified pantheon of Russian saints. The inclusion of certain local saints in the national list was determined by the political situation. In 1549, Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tver was included in the list of saints proposed for the national canonization, despite his anti-Moscow activities. This was done in the context of anti-Tatar propaganda, when Ivan IV the Terrible's Eastern policy required ideological support. As a result, his Life was partially reedited in Moscow. The prince was now celebrated as a martyr who died at the hands of the "godless Tatars" for his faith and for the entire Russian land, and his memory was celebrated annually on November 22 (Old Style).

At birth, the Prince of Tver was named after the Archangel Michael, the patron saint of Russian rulers. This may have inspired him to believe in his divine mission to unite Russia and resist the Mongol-Tatars. However, Mikhail's efforts were not enough to save him, and Tver did not become the center of the Russian state. Instead, Moscow was destined to lead the fight against the foreign yoke, a task that was brilliantly accomplished seventy years later by another Russian prince, Saint Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy.