Dmitry II was the son of Grand Prince
Mikhail of
Russia and also
prince of the city of Tver like his father. He was involved in the struggle between the rulers of Tver and those of
Moscow for the favor of the
Mongol Khans who were the overlords of Russia at the time. Dmitry became Grand Prince because the Khan Ozbeg selected him to replace his cousin
Yuri III of Moscow in
1322; Dmitry had probably gone to the Khan's court and intrigued to get the position of Grand Prince taken away from Yuri, who had only held it for three years.
Yuri was not all that happy with losing the title of Grand Prince, and continued to spend time at the Khan's court working to get his title back. In 1325, Dmitry met Yuri in the Mongol city of Sarai, and murdered him. The Mongols were displeased with this and had Dmitry executed in 1326. He was succeeded by his younger brother Alexander.