Moscow rises quietly under tribute to the Horde

1280

The small wooden town of Moscow, a tributary of the Golden Horde like every Rus principality, began its rise under princes clever enough to collect tribute for the Mongols and skim a share for themselves. Within a century it would eclipse older Rus centers. The Muscovite princes' willingness to serve as the Horde's tax collectors earned them Mongol favor and the resources to expand at their neighbors' expense.