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began to penetrate farther west, and within four
years he had conquered the Volga Bulgarians
and the politically fragmented Russian principal-
ities with the exception of Novgorod, capturing
the great city of Kiev in December 1240. Batu
established the
GOLDEN HORDE
, with its capital at
SARAI
on the eastern banks of the Volga, near
ASTRAKHAN
, and from there the Mongols ruled
the Russian principalities through a system of
tribute. After about a century, the Mongol grip
on its vassal states began to weaken. During the
14th century, the western and southern Russian
principalities fell under the sway of the newly
established Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Within
the territory still held by the Golden Horde, the
small principality of Moscow absorbed many of
its neighbors until it felt strong enough to chal-
lenge the Horde. In 1380 the Muscovite Prince
DMITRII DONSKOI
led a coalition of Russian princes
to defeat the Tatars at the Battle of Kulikovo. The
defeat was mostly a harbinger of future changes,
because it was not for another hundred years
that Moscow was able to fully shake off its trib-
utary burdens. In 1480,
IVAN III
formally pro-
claimed that Moscow would not pay tribute, a
claim that was enabled by the Battle of the Ugra
River. Although the Mongols continued to raid
Russian territories throughout the late 16th cen-
tury, 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 the Crimea, they fell to the
growing power of Muscovy during the 16th and
early 17th centuries.
Vladimir-Suzdal, one of the principalities that
formed part of
KIEVAN RUS
. A minor town at the
time of the
MONGOL CONQUEST
in 1240, Moscow
survived through luck, geographical location,
and the cunning of its ruling princes, and in
1340, its prince
IVAN I
(Kalita) was awarded the
title of grand prince by the Mongol khan. In
1380, during the reign of
DMITRII DONSKOI
, Mus-
covite forces defeated the Mongols at the Battle
of Kulikovo field, the first Russian victory over
the Mongols in more than a century. Up through
the reign of
IVAN III
the Great, the principality of
Moscow—also known as Muscovy—continued
to increase its power by annexing or conquering
neighboring territories. In 1480, Ivan the Great
formally renounced the payment of tribute to
the Mongols at
SARAI
, an event usually consid-
ered to mark the end of Mongol rule in Russia,
although military confrontations between the
two sides continued until the late 16th century.
Together with its emergence as a military power,
Moscow benefited from its importance as a cen-
ter of spiritual power. In 1320, the metropolitan
of the Russian Orthodox Church moved to
Moscow. By 1589 the importance of Russia in
the Orthodox world was recognized with the
establishment of a
PATRIARCHATE
in Moscow.
After briefly experiencing foreign rule during the
TIME OF TROUBLES
(1598-1613), Moscow flour-
ished during the 17th century, developing a
unique culture that was different from the West
yet open to Western influences. The reign of
PETER I
the Great (1689-1725) marked an impor-
tant turning point in the fortunes of the city.
Seeking to align Russia closer to Western cul-
ture, Peter established a new capital on the
banks of the Neva River, near the Baltic Sea,
which he named St. Petersburg. In 1712, St.
Petersburg formally became the capital of Rus-
sia. For the next 200 years, with the exception
of the brief reign of
PETER II
, Peter the Great's
grandson, who attempted to restore Moscow as
capital, Moscow was relegated to second-city
status, although new rulers were still officially
crowned in the Kremlin. Overshadowed by St.
Petersburg, a few events stand out in the city's
Moscow
(Moskva)
An urban settlement on the confluence of the
Moscow and Neglinnaia Rivers that emerged
from relative obscurity in the 14th century to
lead the process of unification of the subjugated
Russian principalities in their struggle against
Mongol rule. The first recorded mention of the
town dates back to 1147, when records show
that it belonged to Prince Yuri Dolgoruki of
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