Battle of Kulikovo 14th century. Russian history in the mirror of fine arts. More about the Battle of Kulikovo
The Battle of Kulikovo is a famous battle that took place in 1380. The battle took place on the south side, where the bank of the Don River was located, or to be more precise, on the Kulikovo field. That is why this battle was called - Kulikovo. The exact date of the battle is September 8, 1380. The battle was fought between two opponents, one of which was the Tatar-Mongol conqueror, Khan Mamai, and the other, Moscow Prince Dmitry.
The battle was fierce, but both sides were strong, since the Tatar-Mongol Khan had a very large army, although the prince had quite a few brave fighters. Such a war went between these two opponents not in vain, because the Horde used to be the most important force over all Russian lands.
But when the princes felt their own strength, they decided to repulse these Tatars, who brazenly ravaged their lands. That is why Prince Dmitry finally broke off relations with the Mongol-Tatars. Naturally, this angered the new adversary. To begin with, the prince walked through the lands of the Horde, and captured several cities that belonged to the Horde. And the horde turned out to be not fully prepared for the battle, which is why it turned out to be quite easy to conquer the cities.
More about the Battle of Kulikovo
For a long time the Russian principalities were under the rule of the Golden Horde. This happened because of their fragmentation, civil strife at a time when the Mongols began to encroach on Russia. But, at the beginning of the 15th century, the power and influence of the invaders began to wane. And the Moscow lands were gaining power. Dmitry Ivanovich was in the principality there. In the future, he will receive the nickname Donskoy, for the victory over the Mongols on the Kulikovo field, near the Dnieper, in 1380.
Prince Dmitry refused to pay tribute when the Mongols wanted to increase it in size. The tax from the conquered lands was then collected by the Mongolian governors - the Baskaks. They informed their ruler about the refusal to pay. The Mongol Khan Mamai, having learned about the disobedience of the Moscow prince, moved to the Russian lands with his army. Dmitry, having learned about this, began to gather an army to repulse the invaders. The prince turned to other Russian principalities, urging them to join him against the Horde. However, not many responded to his call. The principalities of Smolensk and Vladimir took part in this battle. The rest, who remained silent, and who even spoke on the enemy side.
Before the start of the battle, Dmitry visited St. Sergius of Radonezh, asking him for advice and blessings. And the saint blessed the prince and the Russian army for this battle.
Mamaev's army significantly outnumbered the Russian one. It included not only the Horde. There were also many mercenaries, including those from Russian lands. Lithuanian, Ossetian soldiers fought on his side.
Dmitry approached the battle cunningly. On September 7, regiments were distributed. Behind the front line, the prince posted infantry, and horse regiments marched on the left and right sides. And yet, he resorted to one trick. An ambush regiment was hidden in the forest, which helped to win.
At night, the army moved to the right bank of the Don. They burned their bridges behind them.
And at the dawn of the next day, opponents met on the famous field, located near the mouth of the Don and Nepryavda rivers.
Annalistic evidence of a preliminary duel between the two strongest warriors of both sides has been preserved. Peresvet spoke from the Russian army, and Chelubey from the Horde. However, no one's strength outweighed. Both warriors turned out to be equal to each other and, inflicting mortal wounds on one another, both collapsed dead.
And after this duel, the Russian army and the Horde met in battle. The advantage was on the side of the enemy. There were about 10,000 soldiers in the Russian army, although according to chronicle evidence, much more. Historians came to a smaller amount, considering that such a number of people did not fit in a rather small area. In any case, the enemy was outnumbered. But, at the most difficult moment for the Russian army, a reserve regiment came to the rescue. He suddenly appeared from the forest. The Mongols, thinking that their even greater force had arrived in time to help the Russians, got scared and fled from the battlefield. The Prince of Moscow himself was wounded in battle. The battle did not last long - a few hours, but many people died.
The victory in the battle on the Kulikovo field remained with the Russian army. It was not decisive. After him, the yoke in Russia lasted for another century. The battle was spectacular. Dmitry Donskoy made it clear that he was not at all omnipotent and invincible Golden Horde that can overthrow her power. However, all Russian lands need to unite against it, that their strength lies in unity, and not in disunity.
There are disputes among scientists about some data about this battle, much information about it is in question. And this applies not only to the size of the armies. The place of the battle itself is in doubt. And some consider the duel of Peresvet with Chelubey to be a fiction of the chronicler.
Battle of Kulikovo and its significance
The battle on the Kulikovo field is one of the brightest moments in the history of Russia. Despite this fact, the battle between the troops of Dmitry Donskoy and the hordes of Mamai is ostracized in modern history. By and large, the named battle is just a fragment of the Horde internecine wars.
First, it is necessary to name the prerequisites for the battle on the Kulikovo field. The time when the battle takes place, 14th century. From school course history remember that the Golden Horde in this time period is in crisis. The main reasons for the crisis were the fragmentation of the Horde and internal military conflicts. Also, an important role was played by the fact that Mamai became the head of the Horde.
IN Kievan Rus changes are also taking place, but unlike the Horde, for the better. The main thing is that the period of fragmentation has ended and Moscow has become the main principality.
Consider 1378. The indicated date is Mamai's first campaign against Moscow, which, by the way, was not crowned with victory.
1380. The Tatars approve a new amount of tribute. Dmitry Donskoy ignores this fact. And it was precisely this behavior of the Russian prince that became the reason for the battle on the Kulikovo field.
Ninth month 1380. The Donskoy has about a hundred soldiers. Mamai has more fighters, but not by much. Approximately one hundred and fifty people. Among the Tatars there are also warriors from the Lithuanian principality, because the latter are interested in Russian lands.
The battle itself took place at the mouth of the Nepryavda and Don rivers. In the annals one can find very scarce descriptions of such a historical moment. The battle of the strongest men of the warring parties, Chelubey and Peresvet, who fought before the start of the battle, is interesting. But it is worth remembering that not all documents mention this fact, which makes it doubtful whether the heroes really existed.
If we talk about the battle itself on the Kulikovo field, then it is worth noting the strategic move of the Russian army: luring the cavalry of the Tatars and the subsequent blow to the rear from an ambush. Thus, the Tatar troops were pushed back to the river and almost all were killed, and those who remained alive were captured.
In general, analyzing the Battle of Kulikovo from a modern historical point of view, we can conclude that there is a lot of understatement in it. Today it is impossible to reconstruct the course of the battle due to the inconsistency of historical sources that tell about it.
What is the significance of the Battle of Kulikovo? The meaning of this historical event great: the young Moscow principality showed its power and combat readiness. Although Russia paid tribute to the Tatars for a long time, the battle became the impetus for its further deliverance from the yoke of foreigners.
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The scheme of the Battle of Kulikovo is important topic in the study of this event in the history of medieval Russia of the 14th century. It indicates the participants in the battle, the location of the troops, the location of the regiments, cavalry and infantry, as well as the features of the terrain. It clearly shows the course of the battle and therefore must be used when referring to the theme of the struggle for liberation from the Tatar-Mongol yoke.
General characteristics of the era
The scheme of the Battle of Kulikovo allows us to better understand the strategic maneuver undertaken by the Moscow prince and his entourage to win. However, before embarking on such an analysis, it is necessary to briefly characterize the socio-political situation in the Russian lands. By the middle of the 14th century, there was a tendency to unite the fragmented principalities into a single state. Moscow became the center around which this important process began. However, its superiority was not yet decisive, since at the time in question there were still other strong principalities, the rulers of which claimed to become all-Russian leaders.
One of the most significant events of the time under consideration was the Battle of Kulikovo. was marked by a number of important events. In the middle of the century, a crisis began in the Golden Horde. Civil strife began to occur in it, one khan replaced another, which could not but weaken it. However, with the actual coming to power of Mamai (who ruled on behalf of the ruler who was under his influence), the situation changed. He began to gather forces to strike at the Russian lands, and he succeeded. Temnik even enlisted the support of Prince Jagiello and used the Genoese cavalry. Moscow Prince Dmitry Donskoy also gathered a large army from almost all principalities and set out to meet the enemy.
Packing and start of the trip
The Battle of Kulikovo (14th century) became the largest military clash in medieval Russia. She made a great impression on her contemporaries, as evidenced by the appearance of a number of literary monuments dedicated to this event. Dmitry Ivanovich carefully prepared for battle. He called for help from all the Russian princes, who united under the banner of Moscow. The collection was appointed at Kolomna - an important strategic point under the capital of the principality. From here, the troops marched to the Don and, having reached this river, crossed it in order to cut off their path to retreat in advance.
Troop disposition
The scheme of the Battle of Kulikovo shows how the opposing sides deployed their forces. Below is shown how the infantry was located. Ahead of the Russian troops was a guard, or forward regiment. His main task was to withstand the onslaught of the enemy and protect a large regiment. Behind were the reserve units, which covered the main forces. To the right and to the left were two regiments. The main idea was the decision to hide a special separate ambush regiment for a surprise attack on the enemy.
The Mongolian forces consisted of cavalry and infantry and a Genoese unit. Mamai also expected and counted on the help of Prince Jagiello, who also moved with his forces to help him. The task of the Russian command was to prevent the connection of their groups.
Before the collision
The scheme of the Battle of Kulikovo clearly shows the features of the location of the combat forces. The location of the ambush regiment, of course, can be considered a good decision of the prince and his assistants. However, Mamai's forces were also very large. In addition, the battle took place on a terrain surrounded on three sides by river flows: the field was located in a bend where the Nepryadva River flows into the Don. The main stages of the Battle of Kulikovo are as follows: duel, confrontation of troops and pursuit of the enemy by Russian regiments.
Beginning of the battle
The battle of September 8, 1380, also called the “Mamay Battle”, began with a duel between two fighters: Peresvet and Chelubey, who died in the clash. After that, the battle of the troops began. The main goal of the Mongols was to crush and overturn the main, main regiment, but it was successfully defended by the fighters of the advanced detachment. With the help of reserve forces, the soldiers of the large regiment held out and withstood the onslaught of the enemy. Then Mamai brought down forces on the flanks. The regiment of the right hand was greatly weakened, but the Mongols managed to break through the forces on the left flank. Thus, they were able to bypass the main forces and press them against the river.
Climax of the battle
The Battle of Kulikovo, in which the troops were located in such a way that the Russians did not have the opportunity to retreat, after the events described above, entered a decisive stage. When the Mongol cavalry broke through the left regiment, an ambush army unexpectedly entered the battle under the command of Prince Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhov and the governor. It was these forces that determined the outcome of the battle. The regiment attacked the enemy cavalry, which, having turned to flight, crushed its own cavalry. It was a decisive turning point in the course of the battle, which determined the victory of the Russians.
Final stage and meaning
The history of the Battle of Kulikovo ends with the flight of Mamai and his remaining forces from the battlefield. For some time the Russian troops pursued them. Temnik fled to the Crimea, where he was soon defeated by the new ruler, Tamerlane, where he was killed.
The importance of the battle of 1380 is enormous. Firstly, she raised the question of the final liberation of the Russian lands from the Tatar-Mongol yoke. Secondly, it strengthened the prestige and strength of Moscow as the basis and initiator of the unification of the fragmented principalities into a single state. Thirdly, the victory contributed to the spiritual upsurge of the Russian people, who dedicated a number of outstanding literary monuments to this event, the most famous of which are "Zadonshchina" and "The Legend of the Mamaev Battle".
Results
After the Battle of Kulikovo Tatar-Mongol yoke was not overthrown. The final liberation took place only after a hundred years. Nevertheless, after this significant victory, Dmitry Donskoy in his will expressed the hope that the Russian lands would be freed from Horde dependence, and also, without the sanction of the Horde Khan, he bequeathed to his eldest heir the Grand Duchy of Vladimir, a label to which only the khans had always favored before. And although two years later Moscow experienced a terrible invasion of the new Horde ruler Tokhtamysh, who devastated it, nevertheless it became obvious that this particular city became the center of the unification of Russian lands. The Mamaev battle showed her strength and ability to organize troops to fight the enemy. After this event, it took on the role of the initiator in the unification of the Russian lands. Many historians draw attention to the fact that the fact that Moscow gathered almost all the forces from Russian lands for the battle played a big role in this.
Battle of Kulikovo (Battle of Mamay), a battle between the united Russian army led by the Moscow Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich and the army of the Temnik of the Golden Horde Mamai, which took place on September 8, 1380 on the Kulikovo field (a historical area between the rivers Don, Nepryadva and Beautiful Mecha in the south east of the Tula region.
Strengthening of the Moscow principality in the 60s of the XIV century. and the unification around him of the rest of the lands of North-Eastern Russia went almost simultaneously with the strengthening of the power of the Temnik Mamai in the Golden Horde. Married to the daughter of the Golden Horde Khan Berdibek, he received the title of emir and became the arbiter of the fate of that part of the Horde, which was located west of the Volga to the Dnieper and in the steppe expanses of the Crimea and Ciscaucasia.
The militia of the Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich in 1380 Lubok XVII century.
In 1374, Prince Dmitry Ivanovich of Moscow, who also had a label for the Grand Duchy of Vladimir, refused to pay tribute to the Golden Horde. Then the khan in 1375 handed over the label to the great reign of Tver. But virtually the entire North-Eastern Russia came out against Mikhail of Tverskoy. The Moscow prince organized a military campaign against the Tver principality, which was joined by the Yaroslavl, Rostov, Suzdal and regiments of other principalities. Dmitry was supported by Novgorod the Great. Tver capitulated. According to the concluded agreement, the Vladimir table was recognized as the "fatherland" of the Moscow princes, and Mikhail of Tverskoy became Dmitry's vassal.
However, the ambitious Mamai continued to consider the defeat of the Moscow Principality, which had emerged from subordination, as the main factor in strengthening his own positions in the Horde. In 1376, the Khan of the Blue Horde, Arab-shah Muzzaffar (Arapsha of Russian chronicles), who transferred to the service of Mamai, ruined the Novosilsky principality, but returned back, avoiding a battle with the Moscow army that had gone beyond the Oka line. In 1377, he was on the river. Drunk did not defeat the Moscow-Suzdal army. The governors sent against the Horde showed carelessness, for which they paid: “And their princes, and boyars, and nobles, and governors, consoling and rejoicing, drinking and fishing, acting like a house”, and then ruined the Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan principalities.
In 1378, Mamai, trying to force him to pay tribute again, sent an army to Russia led by Murza Begich. The Russian regiments that came forward were led by Dmitry Ivanovich himself. The battle took place on August 11, 1378 in the Ryazan land, on the tributary of the Oka river. Vozhe. The Horde were utterly defeated and fled. The battle on the Vozha showed the increased power of the Russian state, which was taking shape around Moscow.
To participate in the new campaign, Mamai attracted armed detachments from the conquered peoples of the Volga region and the North Caucasus, in his army there were also heavily armed infantrymen from the Genoese colonies in the Crimea. The allies of the Horde were the great Lithuanian prince Jagiello and Prince of Ryazan Oleg Ivanovich. However, these allies were on their own minds: Jagiello did not want to strengthen either the Horde or the Russian side, and as a result, his troops did not appear on the battlefield; Oleg Ryazansky agreed to an alliance with Mamai, fearing for the fate of his border principality, but he was the first to inform Dmitry about the advance of the Horde troops and did not participate in the battle.
In the summer of 1380, Mamai began a campaign. Not far from the confluence of the Voronezh River with the Don, the Horde broke their camps and, wandering, expected news from Jagiello and Oleg.
In the terrible hour of danger hanging over the Russian land, Prince Dmitry showed exceptional energy in organizing a rebuff to the Golden Horde. At his call, military detachments, militias of peasants and townspeople began to gather. All Russia rose to fight the enemy. The collection of Russian troops was appointed in Kolomna, where the core of the Russian army marched from Moscow. The court of Dmitry himself, the regiments of his cousin Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovsky and the regiments of Belozersky, Yaroslavl and Rostov princes walked separately along different roads. The regiments of the Olgerdovich brothers (Andrey Polotsky and Dmitry Bryansky, the Jagiello brothers) also moved to join the troops of Dmitry Ivanovich. The brothers' troops included Lithuanians, Belarusians and Ukrainians; citizens of Polotsk, Drutsk, Bryansk and Pskov.
After the arrival of the soldiers in Kolomna, a review was held. The assembled army on the Maiden's Field was striking in its large number. The gathering of troops in Kolomna had not only military, but also political significance. Ryazan Prince Oleg finally got rid of hesitation and abandoned the idea of joining the troops of Mamai and Jagiello. In Kolomna, a marching order of battle was formed: Prince Dmitry led the Big Regiment; Serpukhov Prince Vladimir Andreevich with Yaroslavl - the regiment of the Right Hand; in the regiment of the Left Hand, Gleb Bryansky was appointed commander; The advanced regiment was made up of Kolomna.
Saint Sergius of Radonezh blesses Saint Prince Demetrius of the Don.
Artist S.B. Simakov. 1988
August 20 Russian army left Kolomna on a campaign: it was important to block the path of the hordes of Mamai as soon as possible. On the eve of the campaign, Dmitry Ivanovich visited Sergius of Radonezh in the Trinity Monastery. After the conversation, the prince and abbot went out to the people. Having overshadowed the prince with the sign of the cross, Sergius exclaimed: “Go, lord, to the filthy Polovtsians, calling on God, and the Lord God will be your helper and intercessor.” Blessing the prince, Sergius predicted victory for him, albeit at a high price, and released two of his monks, Peresvet and Oslyabya, on the campaign.
The entire campaign of the Russian rati to the Oka was carried out in a relatively short time. The distance from Moscow to Kolomna, about 100 km, the troops passed in 4 days. They arrived at the mouth of Lopasna on 26 August. Ahead was a sentry guard, which had the task of protecting the main forces from a sudden attack by the enemy.
On August 30, Russian troops began crossing the Oka near the village of Priluki. Okolnichiy Timofey Velyaminov with a detachment controlled the crossing, waiting for the approach of the foot rati. On September 4, 30 km from the Don River in the Berezuy tract, the allied regiments of Andrei and Dmitry Olgerdovich joined the Russian army. Once again, the location of the Horde army was clarified, which, in anticipation of the approach of the allies, wandered around Kuzmina Gati.
The movement of the Russian army from the mouth of the Lopasna to the west was intended to prevent the Lithuanian army of Jagiello from connecting with the forces of Mamai. In turn, Jagiello, having learned about the route and the number of Russian troops, was in no hurry to join the Mongol-Tatars, trampling around in the Odoev area. Russian command, having received this information, resolutely sent troops to the Don, trying to prevent the formation of enemy units and strike at the Mongol-Tatar horde. On September 5, the Russian cavalry reached the mouth of the Nepryadva, which Mamai learned about only the next day.
To develop a plan for further action on September 6, Prince Dmitry Ivanovich convened a military council. The votes of the council members were divided. Some suggested going beyond the Don and fighting the enemy on the south bank of the river. Others advised to stay on the northern bank of the Don and wait for the enemy to attack. The final decision depended on the Grand Duke. Dmitry Ivanovich uttered the following significant words: “Brothers! Better an honest death than an evil life. It was better not to go out against the enemy than, having come and done nothing, to return back. Today we will all cross over the Don and there we will lay our heads for the Orthodox faith and our brothers. The Grand Duke of Vladimir preferred offensive actions that allowed him to keep the initiative, which was important not only in strategy (beating the enemy piecemeal), but also in tactics (choosing the battlefield and surprise strike on the enemy’s army). After the council in the evening, Prince Dmitry and the governor Dmitry Mikhailovich Bobrok-Volynsky moved beyond the Don and examined the area.
The area chosen by Prince Dmitry for the battle was called the Kulikovo field. On three sides - west, north and east, it was bounded by the Don and Nepryadva rivers, cut up by ravines and small rivers. The right wing of the Russian rati, which was being built in battle order, was covered by rivers flowing into the Nepryadva (Upper, Middle and Lower Dubiki); the left one is a rather shallow river Smolka, which flows into the Don, and dried-up channels of streams (beams with gentle slopes). But this lack of terrain was compensated - behind the Smolka rose a forest in which it was possible to place a general reserve, guarding the fords across the Don and strengthening the battle order of the wing. Along the front, the Russian position had a length of more than eight kilometers (some authors significantly reduce it and then question the number of troops). However, the area convenient for the action of the enemy cavalry was limited to four kilometers and was located in the center of the position - near the converging upper reaches of the Lower Dubik and Smolka. Mamai's army, having an advantage in deploying over 12 kilometers along the front, could attack the Russian battle formations with cavalry only in this limited area, which excluded the maneuver of horse masses.
On the night of September 7, 1380, the crossing of the main forces began. Foot troops and convoys crossed the Don along built bridges, the cavalry - wade. The crossing was made under the cover of strong guard detachments.
Morning on the Kulikovo field. Artist A.P. Bubnov. 1943-1947.
According to the watchman Semyon Melik and Pyotr Gorsky, who had a skirmish with enemy reconnaissance on September 7, it became known that the main forces of Mamai were at a distance of one crossing and should be expected at the Don by the morning of the next day. Therefore, in order for Mamai not to preempt the Russian army, on the morning of September 8, the army of Russia, under the cover of the Guard Regiment, adopted a battle formation. On the right flank, adjoining the steep banks of the Lower Dubik, stood the regiment of the Right Hand, which included the squad of Andrei Olgerdovich. In the center are the squads of the Big Regiment. They were commanded by the Moscow roundabout Timofey Velyaminov. On the left flank, covered from the east by the Smolka River, the regiment of the Left Hand of Prince Vasily Yaroslavsky was built. In front of the Big Regiment was the Advance Regiment. Behind the left flank of the Bolshoi Regiment, a reserve detachment was secretly located, commanded by Dmitry Olgerdovich. Behind the Left Hand Regiment in the Zelenaya Dubrava forest, Dmitry Ivanovich placed a select cavalry detachment of 10-16 thousand people - the Ambush Regiment, led by Prince Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovsky and an experienced voivode Dmitry Mikhailovich Bobrok-Volynsky.
Kulikovo battle. Artist A. Yvon. 1850
Such a formation was chosen taking into account the terrain and the method of struggle used by the Golden Horde. Their favorite technique was to cover one or both flanks of the enemy with cavalry detachments, followed by an exit to his rear. The Russian army took up a position, reliably covered from the flanks by natural obstacles. According to the conditions of the terrain, the enemy could attack the Russians only from the front, which deprived him of the opportunity to use his numerical superiority and use the usual tactical technique. The number of Russian troops, built in battle order, reached 50-60 thousand people.
The Mamai army, which approached on the morning of September 8 and stopped 7-8 kilometers from the Russians, numbered about 90-100 thousand people. It consisted of the vanguard (light cavalry), the main forces (the Genoese mercenary infantry was in the center, and the heavy cavalry deployed in two lines on the flanks) and the reserve. In front of the Horde camp, light detachments of reconnaissance and security scattered. The idea of the enemy was to cover the Russian. army from both flanks, and then surround it and destroy it. The main role in solving this problem was assigned to powerful cavalry groups concentrated on the flanks of the Horde army. However, Mamai was in no hurry to join the battle, still hoping for Jagiello's approach.
But Dmitry Ivanovich decided to draw Mamai's army into battle and ordered his regiments to advance. The Grand Duke took off his armor, gave it to the boyar Mikhail Brenk, and he himself put on a simple armor, but not inferior in its protective properties to the prince's. The Grand Duke's dark red (black) banner was placed in the Big Regiment - a symbol of honor and glory of the united Russian army. It was handed to Brenck.
Duel of Peresvet with Chelubey. Painter. V.M. Vasnetsov. 1914
The battle began at about 12 noon. When the main forces of the parties approached, a duel took place between the Russian warrior monk Alexander Peresvet and the Mongol hero Chelubey (Temir-Murza). As the folk legend says, Peresvet rode out without protective armor, with one spear. Chelubey was fully armed. The warriors dispersed the horses and hit the spears. A powerful simultaneous blow - Chelubey collapsed dead head to the Horde army, which was a bad omen. Re-light stayed in the saddle for several moments and also fell to the ground, but with its head towards the enemy. So the folk legend predetermined the outcome of the battle for a just cause. After the duel, a fierce slaughter broke out. As the chronicle writes: “The power of the Tatar greyhound is great with the Sholomyani coming and that packs, not acting, stash, for there is no place where they will part; and taco stasha, a copy of the pawn, the wall against the wall, each of them on the splash of their front property, the front ones are more beautiful, and the back ones are due. And the prince is also great, with his great Russian strength, from another Sholomyan, go against them.
For three hours, Mamai's army unsuccessfully tried to break through the center and the right wing of the Russian rati. Here the onslaught of the Horde troops was repulsed. Andrei Olgerdovich's detachment was active. He repeatedly went on the counterattack, helping the regiments of the center to hold back the onslaught of the enemy.
Then Mamai concentrated his main efforts against the regiment of the Left Hand. In a fierce battle with a superior enemy, the regiment suffered heavy losses and began to retreat. The reserve detachment of Dmitry Olgerdovich was introduced into the battle. The warriors took the place of the fallen, trying to hold back the onslaught of the enemy, and only their death allowed the Mongol cavalry to move forward. The soldiers of the Ambush Regiment, seeing the difficult situation of their brothers-in-arms, rushed into battle. Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovskoy, who commanded the regiment, decided to join the battle, but his adviser, the experienced voivode Bobrok, kept the prince. Mamaev's cavalry, crowding the left wing and breaking through the battle formation of the Russian rati, began to go to the rear of the Big Regiment. The Horde, reinforced by fresh forces from the Mamaia reserve, bypassing the Green Oakwood, attacked the soldiers of the Big Regiment.
The decisive moment of the battle has come. The Ambush Regiment, the existence of which Mamai did not know, rushed to the flank and rear of the Golden Horde cavalry that had broken through. The strike of the Ambush Regiment came as a complete surprise to the Tatars. “The wickedness fell into great fear and horror ... and exclaimed, saying: “Alas for us! ... the Christians have been wiser over us, leaving Lutchia and daring princes and governors in secret and prepared them for us untiringly; our hands are weakened, and our splashes are tired, and our knees are numb, and our horses are tired, and our weapons are worn out; and who can be against them? ... ". Using the emerging success, went on the offensive and other regiments. The enemy took to flight. The Russian squads pursued him for 30-40 kilometers - to the Beautiful Sword River, where the convoy and rich trophies were captured. The army of Mamai was completely defeated. It has practically ceased to exist.
Returning from the chase, Vladimir Andreevich began to gather an army. Myself Grand Duke was shell-shocked and knocked off his horse, but was able to get to the forest, where he was found after the battle under a cut down birch in an unconscious state. But the Russian army also suffered heavy losses, which amounted to about 20 thousand people.
For eight days, the Russian army collected and buried the dead soldiers, and then moved to Kolomna. On September 28, the winners entered Moscow, where the entire population of the city was waiting for them. The battle on the Kulikovo field was of great importance in the struggle of the Russian people for liberation from the foreign yoke. It seriously undermined the military power of the Golden Horde and accelerated its subsequent collapse. The news that "Great Russia defeated Mamai on the Kulikovo field" quickly spread throughout the country and far beyond its borders. For an outstanding victory, the people nicknamed Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich "Donskoy", and his cousin, Prince Vladimir Andreevich of Serpukhov - the nickname "Brave".
Detachments of Jagiello, having not reached the Kulikovo field 30-40 kilometers and having learned about the victory of the Russians, quickly returned to Lithuania on a march. Mamai's ally did not want to take risks, since there were many Slavic detachments in his army. In the rati of Dmitry Ivanovich there were prominent representatives of the Lithuanian soldiers who had supporters in the army of Jagiello, and they could go over to the side of the Russian troops. All this forced Jagiello to be as careful as possible in making decisions.
Mamai, leaving his defeated army, fled with a handful of comrades-in-arms to Kafa (Feodosia), where he was killed. Khan Tokhtamysh seized power in the Horde. He demanded that Russia resume the payment of tribute, arguing that it was not the Golden Horde that was defeated in the Battle of Kulikovo, but the usurper of power, the Temnik Mamai. Dmitry refused. Then in 1382, Tokhtamysh undertook a punitive campaign against Russia, seized and burned Moscow by cunning. The largest cities of the Moscow land - Dmitrov, Mozhaisk and Pereyaslavl - were also subjected to ruthless ruin, and then the Horde marched with fire and sword through the Ryazan lands. As a result of this raid, the Horde dominion over Russia was restored.
Dmitry Donskoy on the Kulikovo field. Artist V.K. Sazonov. 1824.
In terms of its scale, the Battle of Kulikovo has no equal in the Middle Ages and occupies a prominent place in the history of military art. The strategy and tactics used in the Battle of Kulikovo by Dmitry Donskoy surpassed the strategy and tactics of the enemy, they were distinguished by their offensive nature, activity and purposefulness of actions. Deep, well-organized reconnaissance made it possible to make the right decisions and make an exemplary march to the Don. Dmitry Donskoy was able to correctly assess and use the conditions of the area. He took into account the tactics of the enemy, revealed his plan.
Burial of fallen soldiers after the Battle of Kulikovo.
1380. Front chronicle of the 16th century.
Based on the conditions of the terrain and the tactics used by Mamai, Dmitry Ivanovich rationally deployed the forces at his disposal on the Kulikovo field, created a general and private reserve, and thought through the issues of interaction between the regiments. The tactics of the Russian army received further development. The presence of a general reserve (Ambush Regiment) in battle order and its skillful use, expressed in the successful choice of the moment of commissioning, predetermined the outcome of the battle in favor of the Russians.
Assessing the results of the Battle of Kulikovo and the activities of Dmitry Donskoy preceding it, a number of modern scientists who have most fully studied this issue do not believe that the Moscow prince set himself the goal of leading the anti-Horde struggle in the broad sense of the word, but only opposed Mamai as a usurper of power in the Golden Age. Horde. So, A.A. Gorsky writes: “Open disobedience to the Horde, which grew into an armed struggle against it, occurred at a time when power there fell into the hands of an illegitimate ruler (Mamai). With the restoration of "legitimate" power, an attempt was made to limit itself to a purely nominal, without paying tribute, recognition of the supremacy of the "king", but the military defeat of 1382 frustrated it. Nevertheless, the attitude towards alien power has changed: it has become obvious that, under certain conditions, its non-recognition and successful military opposition to the Horde are possible. Therefore, as other researchers note, despite the fact that the performances against the Horde still take place within the framework of the previous ideas about the relationship between the Russian princes - "ulusniks" and the Horde "tsars", "The Battle of Kulikovo undoubtedly became a turning point in the formation of a new self-consciousness of the Russian people ", and" the victory on the Kulikovo field secured for Moscow the importance of the organizer and ideological center of the reunification of the East Slavic lands, showing that the path to their state-political unity was the only way to their liberation from foreign domination ".
Monument-column, made according to the project of A.P. Bryullov at the factory of Ch. Byrd.
Installed on the Kulikovo field in 1852 on the initiative of the first researcher
battles of the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod S. D. Nechaev.
The times of the Horde invasions were a thing of the past. It became clear that in Russia there are forces capable of resisting the Horde. The victory contributed to the further growth and strengthening of the Russian centralized state and raised the role of Moscow as the center of unification.
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September 21 (September 8 according to the Julian calendar) in accordance with the Federal Law of March 13, 1995 No. 32-FZ "On the days military glory And anniversaries Russia ”is the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the Day of the Victory of the Russian regiments led by Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy over the Mongol-Tatar troops in the Battle of Kulikovo.
Chronicle collection, called the Patriarchal or Nikon Chronicle. PSRL. T. XI. SPb., 1897. S. 27.
Cit. Quoted from: Borisov N.S. And the candle wouldn't go out... historical portrait Sergius of Radonezh. M., 1990. S.222.
Nikon chronicle. PSRL. T. XI. S. 56.
Kirpichnikov A.N. Kulikovo battle. L., 1980. S. 105.
This number was calculated by the Soviet military historian E.A. Razin on the basis of the total population of the Russian lands, taking into account the principles of recruiting troops for all-Russian campaigns. See: Razin E.A. History of military art. T. 2. SPb., 1994. S. 272. The same number of Russian troops is determined by A.N. Kirpichnikov. See: Kirpichnikov A.N. Decree. op. P. 65. In the works of historians of the XIX century. this number varies from 100 thousand to 200 thousand people. See: Karamzin N.M. History of Russian Goverment. T.V.M., 1993.S. 40; Ilovaisky D.I. Collectors of Russia. M., 1996. S. 110.; Soloviev S.M. History of Russia since ancient times. Book 2. M., 1993. S. 323. Russian chronicles give extremely exaggerated data on the number of Russian troops: the Resurrection Chronicle - about 200 thousand. See: Resurrection Chronicle. PSRL. T. VIII. SPb., 1859. S. 35; Nikon Chronicle - 400 thousand. See: Nikon Chronicle. PSRL. T. XI. S. 56.
See: Skrynnikov R.G. Battle of Kulikovo // Battle of Kulikovo in the history of culture of our Motherland. M., 1983. S. 53-54.
Nikon chronicle. PSRL. T. XI. S. 60.
There. S. 61.
"Zadonshchina" speaks of the flight of Mamai himself-nine to the Crimea, that is, the death of 8/9 of the entire army in the battle. See: Zadonshchina // Military stories Ancient Russia. L., 1986. S. 167.
See: The Legend of the Battle of Mamaev // Military Tales of Ancient Russia. L., 1986. S. 232.
Kirpichnikov A.N. Decree. op. pp. 67, 106. According to E.A. Razin the Horde lost about 150 thousand, the Russians killed and died from wounds - about 45 thousand people (See: Razin E.A. Decree. Op. T. 2. S. 287-288). B. Urlanis talks about 10 thousand killed (See: Urlanis B.Ts. History of military losses. SPb., 1998. P. 39). The "Tale of the Mamaev Battle" says that 653 boyars were killed. See: Military stories of Ancient Russia. P. 234. The figure of the total number of dead Russian warriors of 253,000 cited there is clearly overestimated.
Gorsky A.A. Moscow and the Horde. M. 2000. S. 188.
Danilevsky I.N. Russian lands through the eyes of contemporaries and descendants (XII-XIV centuries). M. 2000. S. 312.
Shabuldo F.M. The lands of Southwestern Russia as part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Kyiv, 1987. S. 131.
Yuri Alekseev, Senior Researcher
Research Institute of Military History
Military Academy of the General Staff
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
