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that Moscow was able to fully shake off its tributary burdens. In 1480, Ivan III
formally proclaimed that Moscow would not pay tribute, a claim endorsed by
the Battle of the Ugra River. Although the Mongols continued to raid Russian
territories through the late 16th century, their power declined as a result of
internal divisions. During the 15th century, the Golden Horde disintegrated into
a number of khanates (Astrakhan, Crimea, Kazan, and Siberia). With the
exception of Crimea, they fell to the growing power of Muscovy during the
16th and early 17th centuries.
Concurrent with the decline of Mongol power the principality of Moscow,
previously a minor player in the world of Russian principalities, began its rise
toward supremacy. The two processes were interrelated. The town of Moscow
was probably established by Iurii Dolgorukii in 1147 within the territories of the
principality of Vladimir/Suzdal, and not far from Novgorod. For much of the
12th and 13th centuries it was eclipsed by both.
As with other cities, the Mongols destroyed Moscow in 1237. Toward the
end of the century, the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky, Daniel, became the
ruler of Moscow, holding it an appanage. Daniel concentrated on building his
small principality and extending it along the Moscow River, and he inherited
more property from a childless ruler nearby. Daniel's son, Iurii, who succeeded
him in 1303, increased the appanage still further and turned to fight the prince
of Tver, Moscow's rival city, with Michael as its prince.
Iurii married a sister of the khan of the Golden Horde (she became Ortho-
dox), and received an appointment as grand prince. Iurii went against Tver
again, but his wife was taken prisoner and died. The prince of Tver had to go to
Sarai, where he was executed, and Iurii was reaffirmed as grand prince. The fam-
ilies of Iurii and Michael continued fighting and killing each other for about 20
years, leading to a Mongol army destroying Tver, with help from Moscow's army.
In 1328 Yuri's younger brother Ivan Kalita, prince of Moscow, was named
grand prince, a position he held until his death in 1341. Ivan's nickname
Kalita
(Moneybags) refers to his skill at collecting tribute for the Mongols from other
Russian princes. He used the money he kept from the tribute to purchase more
land: entire appanages from bankrupt rulers, and separate villages. He added
Vladimir to his rule, keeping the capital in Moscow. In addition, Ivan persuaded
the new metropolitan of the Russian Church to move to Moscow. Moscow
became the new spiritual center of Russia, and the connections between the
church leadership and the grand princes were to become ever stronger. In fact,
a new metropolitan, Alexis, helped to advise one of Ivan's sons as grand prince.
Ivan's son Simeon the Proud (who called himself prince of all Russia) had told
his heirs to follow Alexis's advice. Simeon's brother (Ivan's son) Ivan the Meek
took over but left affairs largely in Alexis's hands. Metropolitan Alexis even
traveled to Sarai to deal with the Golden Horde, where things were falling apart
because of a civil war that produced 20 rulers in 20 years.
Ivan II's death brought a contest for the new ruler, between Ivan's son
Dmitrii and a relative Dmitrii from Suzdal. The people of Moscow rallied behind
their own boy and behind the principle of direct succession from father to son.
The new grand prince, Dmitrii, reigned for three decades, until 1389. Continu-
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