Political Landscape of the Grand Duchy of Muscovy under the Tatar Yoke in the Early 15th Century

Timeline

1. 1401Moscow · Rus'Vasily I still ruled Moscow under the 'grand princely patent' (yarlyk) issued by the Golden Horde, owing tribute to the khan's courts at Sarai and elsewhere; the Tatar Yoke legally continued to constrain the source of supreme authority in the northeastern Russian lands.
2. 1404–1408Northeastern Russian principalities · Rus'Within the framework of the Tatar Yoke, Moscow gradually gained control of surrounding territories such as Nizhny Novgorod and Rostov through marriage, annexation, and the 'gathering of the Russian lands' policy, weakening rivals like Tver and becoming the political center of northeastern Rus'.
3. 1410Borderlands between the Golden Horde and Moscow · Volga–UralInternal divisions and weakening khan authority within the Golden Horde left Moscow increasingly autonomous in foreign military and diplomatic affairs; the Tatar Yoke shifted from strong constraint to a formal suzerain relationship, creating conditions for gradually throwing off khan authority after the 1440s.