The Kievian Rus` ( 882 - 1240 ) was the first East Slavic state. Around 1219 the Mongol tribes first entered the Kievian Russia. The city of Kiev was devastated by them in 1240. After that all Russian principalities were forced to submit to Mongol rule and the Golden Horde empire lasted until 1480. In 1327 Ivan I of Moscow allowed the Russian Orthodox church to move its headquarters to Moscow. He then became the chief intermediary between Mongols and Russians. Moscow flourished because of trade and also many nobles wanted to settle in the Moscow lands. Answer: The new political and cultural center of Russia after the fall of Mongol empire was: 1 ) Moscow.
