r appeared among them. Tamerlane, after conquering Bokhara,
Hindostan, Iran, and Asia Minor, entered Europe, and ordered Mamai to
be put to death. He summoned Dmitri Donskoi to appear before him, and
received a curt refusal. Tamerlane sent one of his generals with
an immense army to Moscow, and Dmitri, not finding the former (p. 092)
support, went to Kostroma to collect troops. The Tartars appeared
before Moscow, which they tried to carry by assault but failed. They
pretended to enter into negotiations, when they surprised the gates
and Moscow was delivered up to fire and sword. It is said that 24,000
inhabitants were slaughtered. Vladimir and other towns suffered the
same fate.

It is told that Dmitri wept when he saw the charred remains of his
capital after the Tartars had withdrawn. There was nothing for it but
to make peace with the khan, and once more the Tartar tax gatherers
went their rounds. But Dmitri's heart was sore against the Dukes of
Tver and Riazan who had abetted Mamai, and Novgorod, which had used
the opportunity of Moscow's distress to plunder some of its towns.
After the country had sufficiently recovered, he compelled the Duke of
Riazan to conclude "a perpetual peace," and Novgorod paid an indemnity
besides agreeing to an annual tribute.

When Dmitri died in 1389, he left Moscow the most powerful of Russian
dukedoms. He was succeeded by his eldest son Vassili, with the consent
of his cousin Vladimir, who was the eldest of the family. Vassili
mentioned Novgorod as "his patrimony," and acted as if the republic
was his private property. He visited Sarai in 1392, and while there
bought an iarlikh, which placed him in possession of Souzdal, Nishni
Novgorod, and Mourom. In 1393, the people of Novgorod revolted, but
Vassili's army convinced them that the republic was fast losing its
former power.

At this time Tamerlane, dissatisfied with his generals, arrived in
Europe and after pillaging the Golden Horde, moved westward, (p. 093)
spreading ruin and desolation. He drew near to Moscow, where the
famous eikon of the Virgin was taken in solemn procession, when the
Tartar army stopped and turned to the south, where Azof, Astrakhan,
and Sarai, were plundered and destroyed. (1395.) After Tamerlane's
withdrawal, Vassili pretended not to know to whom to pay the
tribute,--and so paid none at all. The Tartars under Ediger marched
upon Moscow to collect it, but the city was bravely defended and
Ediger,