Abstract
Towards the end of his reign, Grand Prince of Moscow Ivan III had to resolve a difficult issue concerning the succession to his throne. Since his eldest son Ivan Molodoj had already deceased, the prospective heir could have been either Ivan Molodoj's son Dmitrij Ivanovič or the other son of Ivan III who descended from his second marriage to Sofia Palaiologovna, Vasilij.
There was no precedent applicable to such situation in Russian history. Initially, Ivan III decided to arrange the first coronation of the Grand Prince for his grandson Dmitrij.
Shortly after, Dmitrij fell into disgrace and Vasilij III became the new successor. The circumstances surrounding these events are not completely explicated in primary sources.