WI: Moscow not seat of Russian church--effects on Russian unification

In 1325, the Grand Prince of Moscow Ivan I Kalita convinced the Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Peter (the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church) to move his seat to Moscow. Historians tend to attribute this to being one of the key factors that led Moscow to unify the Russian states, since Moscow was now the seat of the Russian church.

So what might happen if Metropolitan Peter declines Ivan Kalita's offer? Perhaps he dies a year or two earlier (he died a year or so after he moved to Moscow) and the new Patriarch does not move his seat? Is the principality that gains the seat of the Russian church guaranteed to unify the Russian states (unless it's a place in the north like Novgorod, which has plenty of factors working against it)? Is Tver the most likely place to unify Russia in the absence of this key gain to Muscovite power, or could another city like Yaroslavl, Rostov, Ryazan, etc. accomplish that instead?
 
I think the migration of the Metropolitan is a consequence of Moscow's increasing strength, and not really the cause. Before Moscow, the Metropolitan's seat was in Vladimir. Whichever of the Russian principalities gains full control of Vladimir (which was the highest office of Rus, and a necessary milestone on the road to unified Russia) will also gain the seat of the church anyway - even if the Metropolitan doesn't move. And the weaker and more vulnerable principalities can neither take over Vladimir nor persuade the church to move its seat to their lands.

So Tver or one of the others could unify Russia - but they need a PoD to make them significantly stronger before the Metropolitan even comes into the picture.
 
The Prince of Tver was already the ruler of Vladimir. But apparently he had some conflicts with Metropolitan Peter, and had some issues with the Golden Horde that resulted in his death.

Ivan Kalita was a very brilliant politician, but the Metropolitan moving to Moscow seems to be more of just the crowning of his many successful achievements in creating a stable realm that was constantly expanding. Not something Tver couldn't counter (seems like it would have to be Tver since they had the title of Prince of Vladimir, unless one of the other principalities produced a ruler on the tier of Ivan Kalita or greater, or alternatively the Mongols grow tired of both Moscow and Tver).
 
The problem is that being prince depended on the favor of the Khan, but to the best of my knowledge aside from Mamai and Tokthamysh, very few wielded power or last long enough to do. Also, Russian princes also took part in succession disputes, so have the Prince of Moscow back the wrong horse, no pun intended.
 
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