Ivan III 'the Great'

Hello! My name is Ivan, and I was a prince who lived a long, long time ago in a city called Moscow. I was born in the year 1440. When I was a boy, I learned all about how to be a kind and strong leader for my people. It was my job to take care of everyone and help them.

When I became the leader in 1462, the lands all around me were like separate little puzzle pieces. I had a very big idea! I wanted to bring all the pieces together to make one big, beautiful country. I traveled and talked to lots of people, asking them to join my big family of Moscow. We all agreed to work together, and this made our country, which we would call Russia, very strong. In 1480, we showed everyone how strong we were by standing together, and after that, we didn't have to listen to outside rulers anymore.

I wanted my home city of Moscow to be safe and beautiful. I asked for help from the best builders to create amazing things. We built tall, strong red brick walls and towers around the heart of our city, called the Kremlin. Inside, we built magnificent churches with shiny, golden onion domes that sparkled in the sun. It was a wonderful place for everyone to feel proud of.

After many years of leading and building, I lived to be 65 years old and passed away in 1505. People today call me 'Ivan the Great' because I helped bring all the Russian lands together into one country. The strong Kremlin walls and beautiful churches I helped build are still standing in Moscow for everyone to see!