Simeon, the Grand Prince of Moscow, was succeeded by Ivan, his brother. Constantine of Suzdal, assisted by Novgorod, strove in vain to obtain the Grand Principality. Though Novgorod sent great gifts to the Horde, we may be sure that the Moscow gifts were not of less value. This Ivan, called the Mild, who, according to contemporary opinion, looked on the honor and glory of this world as nothing, and was considered notably good by his people, later historians speak of as being weak, though facts do not bear out this estimate. The difficulties of his time rose from circumstances, and not from Ivan’s lack of ability. In fact his patience was perhaps the best weapon that could have been used. The evils not being serious, dropped away of themselves, and Ivan left to his successor a principality strengthened by peace, and not weakened by struggles.
The first trouble of his reign was an attack from Ryazan. Oleg, the new prince there, seized Lopasnya. A Moscow boyar, Ivan’s lieutenant, was imprisoned, and was freed only after a heavy ransom had been paid. Oleg, not hoping to keep the place without the Khan’s sanction, took means to obtain it.
Five years later Mamat Hodja informed Ivan that he had been appointed by the Khan to establish an exact boundary between Ryazan and Moscow. The Moscow prince, knowing that this was a move directed against him, refused to let Mamat enter Moscow territory, and sent word to him that his boundaries were known to himself and undoubted. Mamat could accomplish nothing; so he started to return to the Horde. On the road he quarreled with one of the Khan’s favorites and killed him. He fled to the mouth of the Don, but quick pursuers overtook him, and he was slain at command of the Khan. Thus the places seized by Oleg were not yielded by Moscow.
More serious than Oleg’s attempt to change the boundaries, which remained without result, were the efforts of the Suzdal prince, Constantine, who, assisted by Novgorod, strove to win the Grand Principality. Failing in this, he still did not make peace with Moscow, neither did Novgorod, which withheld Mongol tribute, and expelled Moscow lieutenants. [[343]]
Not succeeding at the Horde, Constantine withdrew to Nizni-Novgorod, where he built a stone church to the Saviour, and strengthened the Kremlin. Boris, his son, he married to a daughter of Olgerd: he made friends with Lithuania; kept up with Novgorod relations hostile to Moscow, and bore himself haughtily at all times.
Olgerd attacked now most actively. His plan was to master all Russia, as he had mastered Polotsk, Kief, and Vilna. While at war with Smolensk he captured the heir to that place and detained him. In regions touching Kaluga and Tula, such as Obolensk, Novasil, and Odoeff he seated his lieutenants as in Grodno or Vitebsk. In regions where his plans had been balked by Simeon of Moscow, he made himself master in Ivan’s time. In all places he injured the Moscow prince, set aside his authority, and extended his own power; in one place by dominion, in another by influence. In Tver, in Nizni-Novgorod, even in Ryazan, he had adherents. In Tsargrad itself he met no refusal. At his request, and through gifts, a second metropolitan, named Roman, was appointed for Russia.
Olgerd considered as his own not only all parts of Western and Southern Russia, but also those regions which were under the Khan; caring little that the Mongol was its master. Nay, he used this fact as reason for extending dominion, since the shield of Lithuania promised freedom from the Mongol. Olgerd looked on the Tver principality as half conquered. In Tver at this time, the reduced princes, descendants of Constantine and Vassili, the younger sons of Michael the Martyr, were on the verge of political extinction.
Alexander, Michael’s second son, had become the eldest of the line, through the death of Michael’s brother Dmitri Terrible-Eyes, who died childless. The chief power of this prince and his brothers came from Olgerd, whose wife was Julianna, their sister, the mother of Yagello, It is clear that at this time Olgerd’s influence in Tver was very great. The descendants of Constantine and Vassili, who had become poor and were quarreling continually, sought the assistance of Moscow, while Olgerd’s brothers-in-law turned from Moscow and were growing hostile to Ivan.
Tver began to recognize Roman, Olgerd’s metropolitan. Novgorod also, through enmity to Moscow, preferred Roman. Even [[344]]Boris, Olgerd’s new son-in-law, refused somewhat later in Nizni to communicate with Moscow in church matters, and turned to Lithuania. But if in places like those just mentioned, subject only to Olgerd’s remote influence, there was such opposition to the Moscow metropolitan of Kief and all Russia, in places half subject to Olgerd,—and there were many such,—if people wished to recognize him, the civil power stopped them when possible. In places where Olgerd had real power, Roman, the metropolitan whom he had created, was declared metropolitan of Kief and all Russia.
Olgerd’s design was to unite Russia, both spiritually and temporally. To do this he must eliminate the metropolitan of Moscow, and bring all princes under his own dominion. At this time, too, the Horde sternly demanded fresh tribute. This was the situation which confronted Ivan the Mild. It was not created by him, and was not the result of his qualities. It may be that Olgerd’s daring was roused and strengthened by Ivan’s mildness, but in the end Lithuania gained nothing by it. The ill-will between Novgorod and Moscow ended easily. Novgorod continued its opposition for a year and a half, but no evil to Moscow resulted from it.