Helena of Moscow

Helena of Moscow
Helena with her husband Alexander Jagiellon
Queen consort of Poland
Tenure	3 October 1501 – 19 August 1506
Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania
Tenure	15 February 1495 – 19 August 1506
Born	(1476-05-19)19 May 1476 Kremlin, Moscow, Grand Duchy of Moscow
Died	20 January 1513(1513-01-20) (aged 36) Braslaw, Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Burial	Cathedral of the Theotokos, Vilnius
Spouse	Alexander Jagiellon
House	Daniilovichi
Father	Ivan III of Moscow
Mother	Sophia Palaiologina
Religion	Eastern Orthodox

Helena Ivanovna of Moscow (Russian: Елена Ивановна; Lithuanian: Elena; Polish: Helena Moskiewska; 19 May 1476 – 20 January 1513) was daughter of Ivan III the Great, Grand Prince of Moscow, and an uncrowned Grand Duchess of Lithuania and Queen of Poland as she would not convert from Eastern Orthodoxy to Catholicism. Her childless marriage to Grand Duke of Lithuania and later King of Poland Alexander Jagiellon was a constant source of tension between the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Instead of guaranteeing peace, Helena's marriage gave her father Ivan III an excuse to interfere in Lithuanian affairs accusing Alexander of mistreating Helena and repressing Orthodox believers. This became the pretext to renew the Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars in 1500.^[1] The war ended with a six-year truce in 1503; the Grand Duchy of Lithuania lost about a third of its territory. Despite political tensions and religious differences, the marriage was a loving one and the royal couple was close. After her husband's death in 1506, Helena wanted to return to Moscow but was not allowed. When she planned to run away, she was arrested and reportedly poisoned.