The grand principality of
Vladimir-Suzdal fell apart into feuding
appanages over the course of the 13th century. The princes of Moscow were descendants of
Daniel. As Daniel never became
grand prince of Vladimir before he died in 1303, this meant that according to traditional succession practices, his descendants were
izgoi: his son and successor
Yury of Moscow had no legitimate claim to the throne of Vladimir. This is why
Tokhta Khan granted
Mikhail of Tver the grand princely title when
Andrey of Gorodets died the next year (27 July 1304). Nevertheless, the princes of Moscow managed to play towards the favour of the Mongol khans of the
Golden Horde in order to be awarded the grand princely title through a
yarlik by the second quarter of the 14th century, in disregard of dynastic traditions. The Horde sought to use Moscow to weaken the
Principality of Tver (the strongest principality), but by the second half of the 14th century, when the Horde got embroiled in a decades-long
war of succession known as the
Great Troubles, the Muscovite princes managed to grow too powerful, and the khans were too late to start awarding the
yarlik of grand prince of Vladimir to the princes of Tver instead in order to keep Moscow in check.
Dmitry Donskoy passed the grand principality to his son
Vasily I in his 1389 will, thus usurping the right of the khan to choose the grand prince. ==List==