Beginnings
With the fall of Kyiv came the rise of a new nation, the Grand Duchy of Moscow. However, they weren’t completely free. The Mongols had come through and made Moscow a vassal. This means that Moscow had to pay an annual tribute to the Golden Horde in exchange for protection. Moscow expanded until there were two nations in Russia, Moscow and the Novgorod Republic. The Novgorod Republic was the easternmost part of the Hanseatic League, a trade network of northern European cities. However, Moscow was the Russian Orthodox Church’s seat, making Moscow what the Pope is today.
“Independence”
Moscow was still under the rule of the Mongols, but there was a lot of unrest in Moscow. This unrest went far enough for Prince Dmitry Donskoy to defeat the Mongols at the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380. After this battle, the Mongols relaxed their rule over Moscow, and the town was ready for conquest. They expanded to the south, absorbing Tver and Novgorod in the process. They increased trade with Eastern Europe, taking over Novgorod’s role in the Hanseatic League. Trade and religion flourished, but trouble came when a new khan became ruler of the Mongols. Once again, they sacked Moscow, but once again, they rebuilt from the ashes.
True Independence
Ivan III, or Ivan the Great, defeated the Mongols once and for all, and Moscow was finally free. He was the first ruler of the Russian area to gain the title of “Grand Duke of all Rus.” His empire stretched from modern-day Finland, including Estonia, Latvia, Eastern Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine. It was the largest, and still is, the largest empire Europe had ever seen since the Romans. After Constantinople fell to the Ottomans, he claimed the succession of the Roman Empire. He even claimed the empire through marriage. His son, Vasili III, conquered the rest of the Russian city-states and united Russia. Also, since Moscow wasn’t a duchy anymore, he renamed the country to its modern name, Russia.
