Prince Ivan I becomes Grand Prince, 1328; Ivan Moneybags
In 1328, Prince Ivan I of Moskva became a grand prince, thus making Moskva a grand principality. The Golden Horde as overlord of many Rus lands would bestow the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir to a Rus prince of the khan's choice. This title was like that of the earlier Grand Prince of Kiev, indicating that the grand prince was senior to other Rus princes. Rus princes under the Golden Horde often competed fiercely, including waging war with one another, to win the khan's favor. Not long before Ivan's appointment, three princes of Tver, including Prince Mikhail (covered earlier) had been titled grand princes by the khan, only to become mistrusted and then murdered.
By Ivan's time, the grand prince collected the tribute for the Golden Horde from its subject Rus lands. Ivan I reliably executed this task, so that the horde came to trust him as loyal, keeping him as grand prince. Like tribute and tax collectors in many countries at this time, the collector kept any excess tribute he was able to extract. Prince Ivan was so good at this that he came to be called Ivan Kolita, Ivan Moneybags.
Ivan remained in Moskva when he became Grand Prince of Vladimir. During his reign, Vladimir became part of the Moskva principality and the grand princes henceforth were the Grand Princes of Moskva. Ivan's successors Semyon and Ivan II continued his pro-horde policies, but his grandson Dmitriy would fight the Golden Horde.