Background
He was the second son of Ivan Kalita, and succeeded his brother Simeon the Proud, who died of the Black Death.
He was the second son of Ivan Kalita, and succeeded his brother Simeon the Proud, who died of the Black Death.
Until that date, he had ruled the towns of Ruza and Zvenigorod. This policy was quickly abandoned and Ivan asserted his allegiance to the Golden Horde. Contemporaries described Ivan as a pacific, apathetic ruler, who didn"t flinch even when Algirdas of Lithuania captured his father-in-law"s capital, Bryansk.
He also allowed Oleg of Riazan to burn villages on his territory.
However, Orthodox churchmen aided in consolidating the power of the Grand Prince. He received much aid from the capable Metropolitan Alexius.
Nevertheless, he was able to annex areas southwest of Moscow, including the areas of Borovsk, and Vereya. He is buried in the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael in Moscow.