IVAN I., called Kalita, or Money-Bag (d. 1341), grand duke of Vladimir, was first sobiratel, or "gatherer" of the scattered Russian lands, thereby laying the foundations of the future autocracy as a national institution. He adopted a policy of complete subserviency to the khan of the Golden Horde, who in return for a liberal and punctual tribute, permitted him to aggrandize himself at the expense of the lesser grand dukes. Moscow and Tver were the first to fall. The latter Ivan re ceived from the hand of the khan, of ter devastating it with a host of 50,00o Tatars (1327). When Alexander of Tver fled to Pskov, Ivan procured his banishment by the aid of the metropolitan, Theognost, who threatened Pskov with an inter dict. In 1330 Ivan extended his influence over Rostov by the drastic methods of blackmail and hanging. But he threatened the republic of Great Novgorod in vain. In 1340 Ivan assisted the khan to ravage the domains of Prince Ivan of Smolensk, who had refused to pay the customary tribute to the Horde.
Ivan's own domains remained free from Tatar incursions, and therefore attracted immigrants and their wealth from surround ing principalities. Ivan was a niggard, keeping an exact account of every village or piece of plate that his moneybags acquired, whence his nickname. During his reign the metropolitan see was transferred from Vladimir to Moscow, which gave Mus covy the pre-eminence over all the other Russian states. The Metropolitan Peter built the first stone cathedral of Moscow, and his successor, Theognost, followed suit with three more stone churches. Simultaneously Ivan substituted stone walls for the ancient wooden ones of the Kremlin, or citadel, which made Moscow a still safer place of refuge.