Abstract
The coronation ceremony of Dmitry Ivanovich (1498), the grandson of Grand Prince Ivan III, was an unparalleled occasion as this event represented the first act of coronation in Russian history. Ivan III was to deal with a problematic situation whether to bequeath the right to rule to Dmitry or his second-born son Vasili, whom he conceived with his second wife Sophia Palaiologina.
Since there was no such precedent in Russian history, the coronation ceremony was inspired by Byzantine traditions. The crown jewels and the legend that surrounded them (the so-called Monomakh cap was supposedly given to Vladimir II Monomakh by his grandfather, Byzantine Emperor Konstantin XI Monomakh) testify the effort of Russian rulers to act as successors to Byzantine heritage.
However, the knowledge of Byzantine rite was not introducted into Russian culture by Sophia Palaiologina but rather through Russian contact with Byzantine literature and religious rites.