Welcome to the Russian rulers podcast. I'm your host Mark Shouse.

Episode number 7. Ivan moneybags, Simione the Proud, and Ivan the Meek.

Last episode we discussed the murder of Grand Prince Uri by Dimitri,

and Dimitri's cruel death at the hands of the Golden Horde.

The Mongols were now in need of a strong ruler to work for them, someone who could fund their increasingly lavish lifestyle.

They needed Ivan I, Yuri's younger brother, whom they named Grand Prince of Vladimir, the tax collector's title,

and 1328.

Ivan the first was commonly known as Ivan Kalita, which roughly translates to Ivan moneybags, and was an

exceedingly talented Grand Prince who knew how to balance the accumulation of wealth, the enriching of his overlords the golden

horde, and keeping the people under him happy.

Keep the common folk happy and you ease any pressure from within. Keep the Golden Horde happy with a steady stream of

money and you can amass personal wealth unabated. Add to it an excellent relationship with the all-powerful Orthodox Church and you simply can't go wrong.

Metropolitan Peter, who did not get along with either Grand Prince Michael or Dimitri,

preferred Ivan's father Yuri, and he viewed Ivan as a dear friend.

Together, they were to build numerous churches and monasteries.

Ivan and Peter together built the first brick church and the first stone church, the cathedral

of the assumption, a picture of which I've posted up on my website,

Arkshouse.com.

Countless other churches were built all over the city of Moscow

along with the surrounding area.

I even made Moscow the center of the Russian Orthodox religious world

way before it became the political powerhouse that would be in the future.

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