THE RISE OF MOSCOW After the conquest of Kiev by Andrew Bogolubsky the title of grand duke passed from Kiev to a northern town, Suzdal, and from there to Vladimir on the Kliazma. But as early as 1147 Mos cow is mentioned in the annals. Its situation was exactly at the centre of Russia between the Oka and the upper Volga. It had long been a great centre of continental river trade, far from the southern area of Tatar devastation. The line of dukes of Moscow starts from Alexander Nevsky's younger son Daniel. The follow ing is their genealogy during the domination of the Golden Horde ( I 240-1480).
All these princes had to ingratiate themselves with the Khans of the Golden Horde to receive from them the yarlyk (invest iture) as grand dukes. They regularly journeyed to Sarai, the cap ital of the Khans at the mouth of the Volga and underwent every kind of humiliation. But they returned as chief collectors of the Tatar tribute, which gave them power over neighbouring duke doms. Only the dukedom of Tver competed with them very stubbornly.
The dukes themselves involved the Tatars in their feuds and brought punitive expeditions on Russia. The khan's protection gave the Moscovite dukes the upper hand over their enemies. They very soon succeeded in increasing their possessions. Ivan I. extended his domains, by purchase and by violence, over the whole province of Moscow. Demetrius added to it the upper Volga re gion (excepting Tver and Yaroslavl), Tula and Kasinov; Basil I. —the remaining part of Oka and Susdal, Vladimir, Murom and Nijni-Novogorod; Basil II.—Elets in the south, Vologda and Us tyug in the north. A religious sanction was given to Moscovite unionist tendencies by the metropolitans of the Russian church who in the persons of Peter, Theognost and Alexis settled in Mos cow. Accordingly, the grand dukes of Moscow added to their title: "of all Russia." Demetrius won a great name by his brilliant victory over the Tatars of the Golden Horde led by Mamai in a bloody battle on Kulikovo plain (138o). He thus appeared as a leader of all the national forces (excepting the grand duke of Ryazan) against the oppressors, and he received the blessings of the church at the hand of St. Sergius of Radonesh, the prior of
the convent of the Holy Trinity. However two years later Moscow was sacked and burnt by another conqueror, Tokhtamish, who in his turn was defeated by Timur, his former protector. The Mongolian yoke lasted for another hundred years, although in milder forms. While Moscow was steadily growing in importance in comparison with the rival grand dukedoms of Tver and Rya zan, the boyars and other "men of service" came in crowds to serve "the grand duke of all Russia." The institutions of Moscow which up to then resembled very much those of a large private estate, began to evolve into a system of State administration.