RUSSIA IS BIG ONLY BECAUSE OF THE MONGOLS

• Moscow rose to prominence during the Mongol Tatar yoke, some time after Russian rulers were accorded the status of tax collectors for the Mongols. The fact that the Russians collected tribute and taxes for the Mongols meant that the Mongols themselves would rarely visit the lands that they owned. The Russians eventually gained military power, and their ruler Ivan III overthrew the Mongols completely to form the Russian Tsardom. After the Great stand on the Ugra River proved the Mongols vulnerable, the Grand Duke of Moscow gained independence.