IVAN I  ., called Kalita, or Money-Bag (d . 1341), grand duke of Vladimir, was the first sobiratel, or " gatherer "of the scattered Russian lands, thereby laying the foundations of the future autocracy as a national institution . This he contrived to do by adopting a policy of complete subserviency to the khan of the Golden Horde, who, in return for a liberal and punctual tribute, permitted him to aggrandize himself at the expense of the lesser grand dukes . Moscow and Tver were the first to fall . The latter 4 Novgorod altogether; but though he frequently violated its Ivan received from the hand of the khan, after devastating it ancient privileges in minor matters, the attitude of the republic with a host of 50,000 Tatars (1327) . When Alexander of Tver was so wary that his looked-for opportunity did not come till fled to the powerful city of Pskov, Ivan, not strong enough to i 1479 . In that year the ambassadors of Novgorod played into attack Pskov, procured the banishment of Alexander by the aid his hands by addressing him in public audience as " Gosudar " of the metropolitan, Theognost, who threatened Pskov with an (sovereign) instead of " Gospodin " (" Sir ") as heretofore . Ivan interdict . In 1330 Ivan eatended his influence over Rostov at once seized upon this as a recognition of his sovereignty, by the drastic methods of blackmail and hanging . But Great and when the Novgorodians repudiated their ambassadors, he Novgorod was too strong for him, and twice he threatened that marched against them . Deserted by Casimir IV., and surrounded republic in vain . In 1340 Ivan assisted the khan to ravage the on every side by the Muscovite armies, which included a Tatar domains of Prince Ivan of Smolensk, who had refused to pay the contingent, the republic recognized Ivan as autocrat, and customary tribute to the Horde .

Ivan's own domains, at any

rate during his reign, remained free from Tatar incursions, and prospered correspondingly, thus attracting immigrants and their wealth from the other surrounding principalities . Ivan was a most careful, not to say niggardly economist, keeping an exact account of every village or piece of plate that his money-bags acquired, whence his nickname . The most important event of his reign was the transference of the metropolitan see from Vladimir to Moscow, which gave Muscovy the pre-eminence over all the other Russian states, and made the metropolitan the ecclesiastical police-superintendent of the grand duke . The Metropolitan Peter built the first stone cathedral of Moscow, he emerged victorious .