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He was the second son of
Konstantin Vasil'yevich, appanage prince of Suzdal
and his second wife, Yelyena. Dmitri Konstantinovich was appanage prince of
Suzdal (ca 1355), grand prince of Vladimir (1360-62) or (59-63); and grand
prince of Nizhigorod (1364-83). He married Vasilia or Anna (unknown parentage).
His sons were Vasilii Kirdyapa, appanage prince of
Gorodets; Ivan, crown prince of Suzdal, who died without heirs; Semyon, appanage prince of Suzdal. Vasilii Kirdyapa
began the Shuiski family that played such a prominent role as boyars during the
reigns of Vasilii III and Ivan IV and then placed Vasilii Shuiski on the throne
of Moscow. Semyeon began the cadet branch of the Shuiskii family whose members
fought Moscow unsuccessfully. His daughters were Evdokia and Maria. Evdokia
married Dmitri Ivanovich Donskoi of Moscow. Maria
married the boyar, Nikolai Vasil'yevich Vel'yaminov. The family is shown on
this chart.
Initially he fought against Dmitrii Ivanovich Donskoi for the title of Grand
Prince of Vladimir. He held the title between 1360 and 1363, while Dmitrii
Ivanovich was a teenager. He attempted to promote the interests of Nizhgorod
but was eventually blocked from regaining power as grand prince of Vladimir by
Dmitrii Donskoi. When his brother, Boris Konstantinovich, began to oppose him
and claim the titles, Dmitrii Konstantinovich was forced to ally himself with
Dmitrii Ivanovich and give his daughter, Evdokia, to him in marriage in 1366.
The two Dmitrii's then campaigned together to expand Russian control eastward
into the lands of the Mordvinians and Volga Bolgars. His troops were defeated
along with the Muscovite contingents by the Tatars in the battle on the P'iana
River in 1377. He began conversion of the kremlin in Nizhnii Novgorod to stone
in 1372. Dmitrii Konstantinovich attempted to supplant Moscow in favor with the
Tatars in 1382 by sending his sons to serve Toqtamish and assisting the Khan in
capturing Moscow.
Chronology:
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