Prince of Moscow facts for kids

The Prince of Moscow (Russian: князь московский, romanized: kniaz moskovskii) was the main ruler of the Principality of Moscow. Later, this title changed to Grand Prince of Moscow (великий князь московский, velikii kniaz moskovskii).

Moscow was first a smaller part of a bigger area called Vladimir-Suzdal. But by the late 1300s, the Prince of Moscow became the most important ruler. They were then known as the grand prince of Vladimir and Moscow. Over time, their title grew to grand prince of Vladimir, Moscow and all Russia.

How Moscow's Princes Grew Powerful

The big area of Vladimir-Suzdal started to break into many smaller, fighting parts in the 1200s. The princes of Moscow were from the family of Daniel.

Daniel never became the main ruler of Vladimir before he died in 1303. This meant his son, Yury of Moscow, didn't have a clear right to the Vladimir throne. So, when another ruler died in 1304, the Mongol leader, Tokhta Khan, gave the main title to Mikhail of Tver.

However, the princes of Moscow were very clever. They managed to get on the good side of the Mongol khans (leaders) of the Golden Horde. By the early 1300s, the khans started giving the Moscow princes the important ruling document called a yarlik. This document gave them the right to be the Grand Prince, even if it went against old family traditions.

The Golden Horde wanted to use Moscow to weaken Tver, which was the strongest area at the time. But by the second half of the 1300s, the Golden Horde got caught up in a long war of succession called the Great Troubles. This gave the Moscow princes a chance to become very strong. The khans realized too late that Moscow was growing too powerful.

A famous Moscow prince, Dmitry Donskoy, showed how strong Moscow had become. In his will in 1389, he passed the title of Grand Prince directly to his son, Vasily I. This was a big deal because it meant he was taking away the khan's right to choose the next Grand Prince.

List of Moscow's Rulers

Here are the princes who ruled Moscow, from the first prince to the one who became the first Tsar of Russia:

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Daniel Даниил Александрович	1261 – 4 March 1303	1283	4 March 1303	Son of Alexander Nevsky and Maria	Yurievichi
Yury Юрий Данилович	1281 – 21 November 1325	4 March 1303	21 November 1325	Son of Daniel Elder brother of Ivan I	Daniilovichi
Ivan I Иван I Даниилович Калита	1288 – 1340	1332	31 March 1340	He was a successor of Alexander of Suzdal as Grand Prince of Vladimir and a successor of Yury of Moscow as Grand Prince of Moscow	Daniilovichi
Simeon Семён Иванович Гордый	7 November 1316 – 27 April 1353	31 March 1340	27 April 1353	Son of Ivan I and Helena	Daniilovichi
Ivan II Иван II Иванович Красный	30 March 1326 – 13 November 1359	27 April 1353	13 November 1359	Son of Ivan I and Helena Younger brother of Simeon of Moscow	Daniilovichi
Dmitry Donskoy Дмитрий Иванович Донской	12 October 1350 – 19 May 1389	13 November 1359	19 May 1389	Son of Ivan II and Alexandra Vasilyevna Velyaminova	Daniilovichi
Vasily I Василий Дмитриевич	30 December 1371 – 27 February 1425	19 May 1389	27 February 1425	Son of Dmitry I and Eudoxia Dmitriyevna	Daniilovichi
Vasily II Василий Васильевич (Василий Тёмный)	10 March 1415 – 27 March 1462	27 February 1425	30 March 1434	Son of Vasily I and Sophia of Lithuania. Deposed Regent: Sophia of Lithuania (1425–1432)	Daniilovichi
Yury of Zvenigorod Юрий Дмитриевич	26 November 1374 – 5 June 1434	31 March 1434	5 June 1434	Son of Dmitry I and Eudoxia Dmitriyevna Younger brother of Vasily I	Daniilovichi
Vasily the Squint of Zvenigorod Василий Юрьевич (Василий Косой)	1421 – 1448	5 June 1434	1435	Son of Yury of Zvenigorod and Anastasia of Smolensk	Daniilovichi
Vasily II the Dark Василий Васильевич (Василий Тёмный)	10 March 1415 – 27 March 1462	1435	1446	Restored	Daniilovichi
Dmitry Shemyaka Дмитрий Юрьевич (Дмитрий Шемяка)	1400s – 17 July 1453	1446	26 March 1447	Son of Yury of Zvenigorod and Anastasia of Smolensk, brother of Vasily the Squint First to use the title of Ospodar of all the Rus'	Daniilovichi
Vasily II the Dark Василий Васильевич (Василий Тёмный)	10 March 1415 – 27 March 1462	27 February 1447	27 March 1462	Restored Co-ruler: Ivan (since 1449)	Daniilovichi
Ivan III the Great Иван Васильевич (Иван Великий)	22 January 1440 – 6 November 1505	5 April 1462	6 November 1505	Son of Vasily II and Maria of Borovsk Co-rulers: Ivan the Young (1471–1490), Dmitry the Grandson (1498–1502), Vasily (since 1502)	Daniilovichi
Vasily III Василий Иванович	25 March 1479 – 13 December 1533	6 November 1505	13 December 1533	Son of Ivan III and Sophia Paleologue	Daniilovichi
Ivan IV the Terrible Иван Васильевич	25 August 1530 – 28 March 1584	13 December 1533	26 January 1547	Son of Vasily III and Elena Glinskaya Regent: Elena Glinskaya (1533–1538)	Daniilovichi

See also

• List of Russian monarchs
• Family tree of Russian monarchs