BASIL I  . DMITREVICH (1371-1425), SOH of Dmitri (Demetrius) Donskoi, whom he succeeded in 1389, married Sophia, the daughter of Vitovt, grand-duke of Lithuania . In his reign the grand-duchy of Muscovy became practically hereditary, and asserted its supremacy over all the surrounding principalities . Nevertheless Basil received his yarluik, or investiture, from the Golden Horde and was compelled to pay tribute to the grand khan, Tokhtamuish . He annexed the principality of Suzdal to Moscovy, together with Murom, Kozelsk Peremyshl, and other places; reduced the grand-duchy of Rostov to a state of vassalage; and acquired territory from the republic of Great Novgorod by treaty . In his reign occurred the invasion of Timur (1395), who ruined the Volgan regions, but did not penetrate so far as Moscow . Indeed Timur's raid was of service to the Russian prince as it all but wiped out the Golden Horde, which for the next twelve years was in a state of anarchy . During the whole of this time no tribute was paid to the khan, though vast sums of money were collected in the Moscow treasury for military purposes . In 1408 the Mirza Edigei ravaged Muscovite territory, but was unable to take Moscow . In 1412, however, Basil found it necessary to pay the long-deferred visit of sub-mission to the Horde . The most important ecclesiastical event of the reign was the elevation of the Bulgarian, Gregory Tsamblak, to the metropolitan see of Kiev (1425) by Vitovt, grand-duke of Lithuania; the immediate political consequence of which was the weakening of the hold of Muscovy on the south-western Russian states . During Basil's reign a terrible visitation of the " Black Death " decimated the population .

See T . Schiemann, Russland bis ins 17 . Jahrhundert (

Gotha, 1885-1887) .