During the century following the Mongol invasion and subjugation of the Russian lands to the Golden Horde the princes of Moscow, the Daniilovichi, gained prominence in north-eastern Russia. Within their domain, however, the Daniilovichi came to depend less on the khans and to develop domestic sources of support, rooted in their own court, in their relationships with former dynastic rivals and in the Church. During fragmentation of the Golden Horde, Dmitrii Ivanovich, who ruled to 1389, and his successors Vasilii I Dmitr' evich (1389-1425) and Vasilii II Vasil' (1425-62) nurtured and developed the foundational elements to establish their legitimacy as rulers of a state of Muscovy and to monopolise for their direct descendants the position of prince of its expanding territorial possessions. The demographic and economic disturbances experienced by the horde contributed to mounting political tensions that erupted after Khan Berdibek was killed. Ecclesiastical unity of all the Orthodox Rus', raised the prospect of political unity.