Andrey Kurbsky

Timeline

1. 1548–1558Moscow · RussiaBorn into the Kurbsky family, he entered the tsar's service as a youth; he distinguished himself in the conquest of Kazan (1552) and southern frontier campaigns of the 1550s, becoming one of Ivan's trusted generals between 1551 and 1558.
2. 1558–1564Novgorod · RussiaAfter the Livonian War broke out in 1558 he took part in the westward campaigns; in the early 1560s he fell from favor, anticipating a purge under Ivan IV and the oprichnina policy, and in 1564 defected from the Livonian front to Lithuania.
3. 1564–1583Kovel · UkraineAfter joining the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth he was granted estates including Kovel, and exchanged famous letters with Ivan IV denouncing tyrannical rule; in later years he translated and wrote, taking part in Orthodox cultural work, and died near Kovel in 1583.