The formation of the Russian centralized state, the process of which covered a long period from the 14th to the 16th centuries, was made possible thanks to the skillful policy of the Moscow princes. The small town of North-Eastern Russia, the first mention of which in the annals refers to 1147, was not thought by contemporaries as the future capital of Russia. Firstly, there were larger cities with a more ancient tradition. Secondly, for a long time Moscow was one of many contenders for the role of the center. Its competitors at different times included the then main city of Russia - Vladimir, as well as Nizhny Novgorod and Kostroma. But the most serious opponent, the confrontation with which took the whole XIV century, was Tver.
The first Moscow princes
In the XIII century, Moscow was rarely allocated as a specific city for one of the many Rurikovich - Russian princes. So, in 1246-1248. Here Alexander Nevsky’s brother reigned Michael Horobrit. Moscow was an outpost for him in the struggle for the grand-ducal table. In the end, he managed to win, but in 1248 he was killed near the Protva River in a battle with the Lithuanians.
The local dynasty of princes began to take shape in 1276, when the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky, Daniel received Moscow as an inheritance. It was a relatively poor area, but the prince managed to significantly expand his possessions. First of all, he sought to gain control over the entire Moskva River, and this plan was realized in 1301 with the capture of Kolomna, located at the confluence of the river in the Oka. The next territorial increment occurred a year later: Prince Daniel received the Pereyaslavsky inheritance by will, the first step in the policy of the Moscow princes to unite the lands.
Yuri Danilovich (1303 - 1325)
The legacy of the last Pereyaslavl prince had to be defended with weapons in his hands and this was done under the rule of Yuri - the eldest son of Daniel. Under him, the foreign policy of the Moscow princes was aimed not only at the annexation of nearby territories, but also at cooperation with the khans of the Golden Horde. This was especially important in connection with the clash of Moscow interests with Tver: the annexation of vast territories (Mozhaisk was torn away from the Smolensk principality) caused discontent of Mikhail Yaroslavich, who was the first in Russian history to accept the title of “Prince of All Russia”. The marriage of Yuri Danilovich to the sister of Khan Uzbek allowed the Moscow prince to enter the fight against Tver.
The struggle for hegemony in North-Eastern Russia
With the support of the Tatars, Yuri Danilovich began a campaign to Tver, but Mikhail Yaroslavich turned out to be the best commander and defeated the troops of the Moscow prince. However, the victory turned into a defeat: Yuri’s wife was captured and died after a while. The angry khan summoned the war veterans to the Horde, where he passed the death sentence to Mikhail. The children of the deceased prince in front of the khan killed the Moscow ruler. After that, the status quo was restored: Alexander Mikhailovich became the Tver prince, and Yuri Ivan Danilovich, the brother of Yuri, went down in history under the nickname Kalita.
Victory over Tver
Unlike the Tver princes, distancing themselves from the Horde, Ivan Danilovich hastened to establish friendly relations with the khan. In 1327, together with the Tatars, he crushed the Tver uprising and subjected the principality to a terrible ruin. Prince Alexander fled to Novgorod, and Tver was never able to gather enough strength to confront Moscow.
For his service, Kalita received a label from the Khan for a great reign and, more importantly, the right to collect tribute from Russian lands. A significant part of the funds raised was deposited in the hands of the Moscow prince. This allowed to increase the territory of the principality not so much by conquests as by acquisitions. The reign of Kalita in the Moscow principality included Galich, Beloozero, Uglich and part of the Rostov principality.
Reasons for the rise of Moscow
The policy of the Moscow princes was aimed at a constant increase in the territory of the principality and an increase in its political weight. Over the seventy years of its existence, the Principality of Moscow has gone from a provincial inheritance to the main center of power in North-Eastern Russia. There were several reasons for this:
- advantageous geographical position of Moscow (lack of direct borders with potentially unfriendly states and control over the main trade routes of the northeast);
- features of the policy of the Moscow princes (cooperation with the Horde, accession of escheat, and the purchase of land);
- accumulation in the Moscow treasury of significant funds after obtaining the right to collect tribute;
- the recruitment of the most capable people and the high salary of their work;
- support for the Russian Orthodox Church (since 1326 the residence of the Metropolitan has been in Moscow);
- intensive development of the economy, the formation of a feudal land use system;
- lack of Tatar raids.
Further growth of the Principality of Moscow
The activities of Ivan Kalita not only determined the main directions of the policy of the Moscow princes. She instilled in them a special mentality. To characterize the policies of Moscow princes, it is especially interesting to study their spiritual letters (wills), which shows that they considered princely and state property as one. Along with the distribution of inheritance between the sons, the Grand Dukes shared the entire household belongings: chests, fur coats, jewelry. The parsimony and frugality of these people sometimes exceeded all reasonable limits, but, on the other hand, thanks to it, Moscow managed to gather enough strength to challenge the Horde.
The process of accumulation of funds continued under the successors of Kalita: Semen (1340 - 1353) and Ivan (1353 - 1359). During this period, the Dmitrov and Starodub destinies were included in the Moscow principality. A more significant achievement was the establishment of control over the rich Novgorod Republic - the Moscow princes managed to achieve the appointment of their proteges there as governors.
However, this same period was a time of relative weakening of Moscow. A significant threat to its centralization policy was the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which established control over South-Western Russia, including Kiev. The princes of Lithuania managed to open an independent metropolis in this city, which significantly weakened the influence of Moscow in this region. In addition, attracted by more favorable conditions of service, many prominent Moscow boyars left the princely court.
Dmitry Donskoy (1369 - 1390)
Ivan the Red died relatively young, and according to his will, the great reign should have been inherited by his eldest son Dmitry. However, the new Moscow prince was barely nine years old. Taking advantage of both this and the weakening of Moscow, the Nizhny Novgorod prince put forward claims for a great reign. Only thanks to the efforts of Metropolitan Alexy, who, according to legend, cured Taidul of the Horde Khan from blindness, did the Golden Horde Khan leave a mark in Dmitry’s hands. Already by force of arms had to defend their rights from the claims of the strengthened Tver prince.
The consolidation of the Russian lands around Moscow, the victory over the main rivals made possible a confrontation with the Horde. The fact that the Tatars no longer have the same strength was evidenced by the victory over them first of the Ryazan prince (1365), and then of Nizhny Novgorod (1367).
The fight against the Mongol-Tatar yoke
The former peace-loving policy of the Moscow princes came to an end. In 1374, Dmitry openly announces the cessation of payment of tribute and prepares for war. However, the first battles were unsuccessful, the defeat of the Russian troops on the Pian River in 1377 was especially difficult for Moscow. But already next year, Muscovites managed to take revenge on the Vozha River. The real war broke out in 1380.
As a result of intrigue and a fierce struggle, the power in the Horde was captured by the tempter of Mamai. To confirm his rights to the khan’s throne, as well as to receive funds, he decided to return Russia to obedience. However, the times of fragmentation have passed. Under the leadership of Dmitry, a truly all-Russian army gathered (only Ryazan, Tver and Novgorod evaded the battle). The fierce battle on the Kulikovo field (1380) ended with a decisive victory for Dmitry, who received the honorary nickname Donskoy.
The policy of Moscow princes at the turn of the century
However, the victory of Donskoy did not lead to liberation from the Horde dependence. Two years later, the new Khan Tokhtamysh invaded the Moscow principality and burned the capital. The Grand Duke had to renew the payment of tribute.
Donskoy's successor, Vasily I (1390 - 1425), pursued a more cautious and peaceful policy, clearly understanding that not only the Horde, but also Lithuania was a danger to Russia. He was in no hurry to make major land acquisitions; only the principality of Nizhny Novgorod was annexed to him.
The gradual growth of Moscow’s power was disrupted by the feudal war of 1425-1443 that broke out after the death of Vasily. His brother Yuri (later his children) and son Vasily claimed for a great reign. The medieval notions of seniority were finally rejected after the victory of Basil: now the great reign was inherited only from father to son.
The fall of the Horde yoke and the completion of the unification of Russia
In 1462, Ivan III took the Moscow throne. Moscow urgently needed to reaffirm its leadership rights undermined by the feudal war. Remembering the role of Novgorod in the events of 1425 - 1443 (the republic supported the claims of Yuri and his descendants), the Moscow prince took decisive steps to destroy his independence. In 1471, Novgorodian troops were defeated on the Sheloni River, and in 1478 the republic lost even formal signs of independence.
In 1480, the famous standing on the Ugra took place. The Horde made its last attempt to keep Russia within its sphere of influence, but the force was on the side of the Moscow prince. This year marks the end of the Mongol-Tatar yoke.
The final completion of the unification of Russia occurred under the successor of Ivan - Vasily (1505 - 1533). Under him, the independence of the Pskov Republic (1510) and the Ryazan Principality (1521) was eliminated. After long wars with Lithuania, it was possible to include Smolensk in Russia. The centralization process was completed, and the far-sighted and skillful policy of the Moscow princes played a significant role in this.