Ivan I of Russia

Ivan I Danilovich Kalita (Ива́н I Дани́лович Калита́ in Russian)(1288 - March 31, 1340), Prince of Moscow (since 1325), Grand Prince of Vladimir (since 1328), son of Daniil Aleksandrovich (Prince of Moscow).

After the defection of Tver to Lithuania, khan Muhammad Ozbeg of the Blue Horde was forced to rely on Ivan as his preeminent Russian vassal. Ivan was the Mongol's leading tax collector and made himself and Moscow very wealthy by maintaining his loyalty to the Horde (hence, the nickname Kalita, or moneybag). He used this wealth to give loans to neighbouring Russian principalities. These cities gradually fell deeper and deeper into debt, a condition that would allow Ivan's successors to annex them. Ivan's greatest success, however, was convincing the Khan in Saray that his son should succeed him as Grand Prince of Vladimir, from then on the important position always belonged to the ruling house of Moscow.