MIKHAIL ANDRYEYEVICH (after 1403 - 1485)

He was a son of Andrei Dmitriyevich, appanage prince of Mozhaisk and Agrafyena Aleksandrovna, princess of Starodub. He became appanage prince of Veria from 1432 to 1485. He married Yelena, daughter of Yaroslav Vladimirovich, appanage prince of Maloyaroslavets, Their sons were Vasilii Udaloi; and Ivan, prince of Veria without udel, who died before 1485; and their daughter was Anastasia, who married Iosif Andryeyevich, prince of Dorogobuzh. The family is shown on this chart.

Apparently he was not only loyal, but an outstanding military commander. He brought his personal skill and personal military servitors to Vasilii II in the fight against their uncle, Yurii of Galich, and then against their cousin, Dmitrii Shemiaka. In 1445 he fought with Vasilii in the campaign to retake Nizhni-Novgorod from Ulug Mohammed and was captured along with Vasilii. He continued his loyal service for Ivan III and led his own troops on the campaign against Novgorod in 1471, during which he captured Deman. During the dangerous Tatar campaign of 1480 he provided critical support. He was instrumental in persuading Ivan's estranged brothers to come with their armies from the Lithuanian border to the Ugra River. Then during the critical months, while the Grand Prince and field armies held the river line, he was in charge of the siege preparations of Moscow itself.