When the battle took place on the Kulikovo field. Battle of Kulikovo (Mamaevo Massacre) – dates, events, results. Assessing the strengths of the parties

The Battle of Kulikovo is an epochal battle in the history of Russia, which took place on September 8, 1380 and culminated in victory over the Tatar-Mongols. This date has been celebrated as Military Glory Day since 1995.

Historians still argue about the location, course of the battle, disposition and number of soldiers. The main chronicle source is considered to be “Zadonshchina”, written according to the stories of participants in the battles. A century later, “The Tale of the Massacre of Mamayev” and “The Tale of the Battle of Kulikovo” appeared. There are other descriptions of varying degrees of accuracy, including reports from Western European chronicles.

When transmitted from generation to generation, this evidence was distorted, so scientists, when recreating the historical outline, make a comparative analysis of all the information.

Since the 12th century, the Russian principalities were at enmity with each other and therefore were unable to resist the attacking Tatar-Mongols. As a result, Rus' lost its political and economic independence for 240 years: a yoke was established. The year 1240 is considered the beginning of enslavement.

Russian princes had to swear allegiance to the Khan of the Golden Horde and receive labels for rule. The Khan brought them to justice, took them hostages, and executed those they disliked. The Tatars pursued a cunning policy of disunity and sowed civil strife. The bone of contention was the “great table” - the Principality of Vladimir. The Vladimir prince had great power: he collected tribute and judged the other princes on behalf of the khan.

In addition to the annual tribute of food, handicrafts, money, and slaves, they had to pay maintenance to the khan’s henchmen, collect extraordinary taxes and funds for gifts to the khan’s court.

The development of the country slowed down, cities were emptying and falling into decay, fertile lands were not cultivated.

But time healed the wounds, life took its toll. Agriculture and handicrafts were improved, and trade developed. National self-awareness grew. There was a need for territorial, spiritual, cultural unification. This was prevented by the Horde yoke.

To successfully fight the Tatar-Mongols, the Russian princes had to forget about the feuds and unite. The most powerful principalities were Moscow, Tver, Suzdal, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan. Moscow became the leader in uniting the Russian lands. This was facilitated by the flexible policy of the Moscow princes, the favorable location of the lands at the intersection of routes from other principalities, developed agriculture and crafts, and the support of the majority of the population.

Reasons for the battle

The confrontation between Moscow and the Horde began nine years before the battle. Temnik Mamai, wanting to quarrel the Russian princes and punish the Moscow prince Dmitry for obstinacy, decided to transfer his right to the Vladimir throne to Mikhail, prince of Tver. Dmitry, grandson of Ivan Kalita , did not recognize Mamai’s decree and did not give up the throne to Mikhail.

Moscow began to gather forces around itself to repel the enslavers. The following events can be considered the prerequisites for the battle:

In 1375, Moscow achieved the conclusion of an alliance treaty with Tver.
In 1376 there was a successful Volga campaign.
In 1378, the warriors of Prince Dmitry defeated the troops of Murza Begich on the Vozha River.

There were, of course, defeats, as a result of which the Tatars devastated the Nizhny Novgorod, Novosilsk and Ryazan principalities.

The princes began to realize that strength lies in unity. Russian soldiers, gaining experience in battles, ceased to consider the Mongols invincible.

In response to Moscow’s refusal to pay increased tribute, Mamai gathered a horde of supporters and went to Moscow. He longed to repeat Batu’s conquests and punish the rebellious princes.

Participants in the Battle of Kulikovo

Dmitry called on his comrades to rally against a common enemy. Regiments from Serpukhov, detachments of Belozersk, Yaroslavl and Rostov princes, representatives from Suzdal, Tver and Smolensk came to his aid. The entire North-East of Rus' sent its fighters. Great help came from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Professional military men and militias joined the ranks: townspeople, artisans, and peasants. Foot and horse soldiers armed themselves with spears, sabers, and bows. The protective equipment included chain mail, armor, helmets, and metal shields.

Kolomna became the collection point. An army was formed there:

Prince Dmitry Ivanovich led a large regiment.
Prince Vladimir took command of the regiment of his right hand.
Prince Gleb of Bryansk led the regiment with his left hand.
The advanced regiment was formed from Kolomna residents.

On the march, the Lithuanian cavalry regiments of the sons of Olgerd, princes Andrei and Dmitry, joined the army.

Before the battle, Prince Vladimir and his warriors took refuge in a green oak grove behind the Smolka River, and Andrei and his regiment took his position on the right flank.

Historians cannot say exactly how many warriors fought in this battle. According to various estimates, from 50 to 200 thousand soldiers gathered under the banner of Dmitry. They were opposed by 60 to 200 thousand Tatars. The superiority in numbers was on the enemy's side.

Before the campaign, Dmitry Ivanovich was blessed by the holy Venerable Sergius of Radonezh. The defenders were joined by two warrior monks - Oslyablya and Peresvet. The face of Jesus Christ was depicted on the battle banner of the army.

Mamai, whose army had been weakened by previous skirmishes with Russian squads and Tokhtamysh's horde, attracted mercenaries from all sides. Representatives of the peoples of the Caucasus and the Volga region, hired infantrymen - Genoese from the Crimea, etc., fought for him.

In order to prevent Mamai’s forces from uniting with the detachments of Prince Jagiello of Lithuania and Oleg Ryazansky, Prince Dmitry made risky maneuvers. Contrary to Mamai’s expectations, he crossed the Oka River, and then swam with troops to the southern bank of the Don and destroyed the crossing, “burning all the bridges.” The rear was well protected by a river, forest and ravines so that the Tatars would not use encirclement tactics. There was no one to rely on: the path for the reserve to approach was cut off. There was nowhere to retreat. But this plan of the prince brought victory.

The battle took place on September 8, 1380 in the central part of the Kulikovo field, between the Don and Nepryadva rivers.

The fierce battle lasted about three hours on a bridgehead of ten miles (a little more than ten kilometers). The small area did not allow the Tatar cavalry to turn around.

Scheme of confrontation

Dmitry Ivanovich placed a guard regiment in the vanguard, behind it stood the advanced regiment, behind was a large foot regiment with a reserve, and cavalry was located on the flanks. Light cavalry remained in reserve, there was also a secret ambush regiment behind the left flank.

On the eve of the battle, Dmitry toured all the regiments. Due to the morning fog, the contraction began at 12 o'clock. Before this, Russian troops exchanged trumpet signals. After skirmishes among the advanced infantrymen, the Tatar Chelubey and the monk Alexander Peresvet entered into a legendary duel. Both died, but Peresvet managed to knock his opponent out of the saddle. A fierce battle began.

Boyar Mikhail Andreevich Brenk fought in a large regiment in princely armor. He diverted the attention of the Tatars to himself and laid down his head on the battlefield. Prince Dmitry was dressed like a simple warrior and inspired the warriors with his valor.

At first, the preponderance of forces was on Mamai’s side. The Tatar cavalry completely destroyed the advance detachment and attacked the large regiment and the left flank, trying to go to the rear and encircle. The warriors suffered heavy losses. The introduction of the reserve delayed the Tatar offensive in the center. Then they increased pressure on the left and pushed the Russians back. Unexpectedly, they were hit in the back by an ambush cavalry under the control of Prince Serpukhovsky and the governor, boyar Bobrok-Volynsky. The mounted Tatars were driven into the river and destroyed. Immediately the Lithuanian cavalry from the reserve and right flank went on the offensive.

Mamai, according to the custom of Mongol military leaders, watched the battle from afar, from the Red Hill. When the outcome of the battle was predetermined, he fled along with the remnants of the army. Russian soldiers set off in pursuit and finished off the enemy at a distance of 50 km from the battle site. The Grand Duke himself fell from his horse wounded. After the battle, he was found unconscious in the forest.

The Russian losses were colossal: half the army. Noble princes, boyars, governors, and ordinary people also died. The fallen were collected for 8 days. In memory of them, a church was cut down from the oak trees of the Green Oak Forest.

Convoys with the wounded reached home , but not all of them arrived: On the way, they were attacked by the subjects of Prince Jagiello and the marauders from Ryazan.

Results and consequences of the battle

For the victory over the Horde, the people nicknamed Dmitry Donskoy, and Prince Vladimir received the nickname Brave. The Moscow principality confirmed its main role in the consolidation of Russian lands.

The significance of the Battle of Kulikovo can be briefly formulated as follows: it gave confidence to the Russian people in the possibility of liberation from the centuries-old yoke.

Later, Mamai wanted to gather an army to achieve revenge, but was defeated by Genghisid Khan Tokhtamysh, the new ruler of the Golden Horde.

After the battle of 1380, the Horde carried out raids more than once. In 1482, the invaders burned Moscow and forced them to pay tribute again, albeit in a smaller amount.

There were many bloody battles ahead for independence. The end of the Tatar-Mongol yoke is considered to be 1480.

In memory of the victory on Red Hill in 1848, the architect A.P. Bryullov (brother of the painter Karl Bryullov) built a column.

The Battle of Kulikovo is reflected in the following:

Poetry (cycle of poems by A. Blok and others).
Painting (paintings by O. Kiprensky, V. Vasnetsov, I. Glazunov, etc.).
Music.

Now on the site of the Kulikovo Field in the Tula region there is the State Nature Reserve and Military History Museum of the same name.

There are no longer green oak groves on the map, the ravines have been leveled, the fields are overgrown with steppe feather grass. But still, every September, lovers of military-historical reconstruction from all over the world come to the festival where battles once took place.

Glorious victory of Dmitry Donskoy's squad on the Kulikovo field will serve as an example to many generations of Russians.

BATTLE OF KULIKOVO- the battle of Russian regiments led by the Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir Dmitry Ivanovich and the Horde army under the command of Khan Mamai on September 8, 1380 on the Kulikovo field (on the right bank of the Don, in the area where the Nepryadva River flows into it), a turning point in the struggle of the Russian people against the yoke Golden Horde.

After the defeat of the Golden Horde troops on the Vozha River in 1378, the Horde temnik (the military leader who commanded the “darkness”, that is, 10,000 troops), chosen by the khan, named Mamai, decided to break the Russian princes and increase their dependence on the Horde. In the summer of 1380 he gathered an army numbering approx. 100–150 thousand warriors. In addition to the Tatars and Mongols, there were detachments of Ossetians, Armenians, Genoese living in the Crimea, Circassians, and a number of other peoples. The Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiello agreed to be an ally of Mamai, whose army was supposed to support the Horde, moving along the Oka. Another ally of Mamai - according to a number of chronicles - was the Ryazan prince Oleg Ivanovich. According to other chronicles, Oleg Ivanovich only verbally expressed his readiness to ally, promising Mamai to fight on the side of the Tatars, but he himself immediately warned the Russian army about the threatening union of Mamai and Jagiello.

At the end of July 1380, having learned about the intentions of the Horde and Lithuanians to fight with Russia, the Moscow prince Dmitry Ivanovich made an appeal for the gathering of Russian military forces in the capital and Kolomna, and soon gathered an army slightly smaller than Mamai’s army. Mostly it consisted of Muscovites and warriors from lands that recognized the power of the Moscow prince, although a number of lands loyal to Moscow - Novogorod, Smolensk, Nizhny Novgorod - did not express their readiness to support Dmitry. The main rival of the Prince of Moscow, the Prince of Tver, did not give his “wars”. The military reform carried out by Dmitry, having strengthened the core of the Russian army at the expense of the princely cavalry, gave access to the number of warriors to numerous artisans and townspeople who made up the “heavy infantry”. The foot warriors, by order of the commander, were armed with spears with narrow-leaved triangular tips, tightly mounted on long strong shafts, or with metal spears with dagger-shaped tips. Against the foot soldiers of the Horde (of which there were few), Russian warriors had sabers, and for long-range combat they were provided with bows, knobby helmets, metal ears and chain mail aventails (shoulder collars), the warrior’s chest was covered with scaly, plate or stacked armor, combined with chain mail . The old almond-shaped shields were replaced by round, triangular, rectangular and heart-shaped shields.

Dmitry's campaign plan was to prevent Khan Mamai from connecting with an ally or allies, force him to cross the Oka, or do it themselves, unexpectedly going out to meet the enemy. Dmitry received a blessing to fulfill his plan from Abbot Sergius of the Radonezh Monastery. Sergius predicted victory for the prince and, according to legend, sent with him “to battle” two monks of his monastery - Peresvet and Oslyabya.

From Kolomna, where Dmitry’s army of thousands had gathered, at the end of August he gave the order to move south. The rapid march of Russian troops (about 200 km in 11 days) did not allow the enemy forces to unite.

On the night of August 7–8, having crossed the Don River from the left to the right bank along floating bridges made of logs and having destroyed the crossing, the Russians reached the Kulikovo Field. The Russian rear was covered by the river - a tactical maneuver that opened a new page in Russian military tactics. Prince Dmitry rather riskily cut off his possible retreat routes, but at the same time he covered his army from the flanks with rivers and deep ravines, making it difficult for the Horde cavalry to carry out outflanking maneuvers. Dictating his terms of battle to Mamai, the prince positioned the Russian troops in echelon: in front stood the Advance Regiment (under the command of the Vsevolzh princes Dmitry and Vladimir), behind him was the Greater Foot Army (commander Timofey Velyaminov), the right and left flanks were covered by the cavalry regiments of the “right hand” "(commander - Kolomna thousand Mikula Velyaminova, brother of Timofey) and "left hand" (commander - Lithuanian prince Andrei Olgerdovich). Behind this main army stood a reserve - light cavalry (commander - Andrei's brother, Dmitry Olgerdovich). She was supposed to meet the Horde with arrows. In a dense oak grove, Dmitry ordered the reserve Zasadny floor to be located under the command of Dmitry’s cousin, Serpukhov prince Vladimir Andreevich, who after the battle received the nickname Brave, as well as an experienced military commander, boyar Dmitry Mikhailovich Bobrok-Volynsky. The Moscow prince tried to force the Horde, whose first line was always cavalry, and the second - infantry, to a frontal attack.

The battle began on the morning of September 8 with a duel of heroes. From the Russian side, Alexander Peresvet, a monk of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, was put up for the duel, before he was tonsured - a Bryansk (according to another version, Lyubech) boyar. His opponent turned out to be the Tatar hero Temir-Murza (Chelubey). The warriors simultaneously thrust their spears into each other: this foreshadowed great bloodshed and a long battle. As soon as Chelubey fell from the saddle, the Horde cavalry moved into battle and quickly crushed the Advanced Regiment. Further onslaught of the Mongol-Tatars in the center was delayed by the deployment of the Russian reserve. Mamai transferred the main blow to the left flank and began to press back the Russian regiments there. The situation was saved by the Ambush Regiment of Serpukhov Prince Vladimir Andeevich, who emerged from the oak grove, struck the rear and flank of the Horde cavalry and decided the outcome of the battle.

It is believed that Mamaev’s army was defeated in four hours (if the battle lasted from eleven to two o’clock in the afternoon). Russian soldiers pursued its remnants to the Krasivaya Mecha River (50 km above the Kulikovo Field); The Horde Headquarters was also captured there. Mamai managed to escape; Jagiello, having learned of his defeat, also hastily turned back.

The losses of both sides in the Battle of Kulikovo were enormous. The dead (both Russians and Horde) were buried for 8 days. 12 Russian princes and 483 boyars (60% of the command staff of the Russian army) fell in the battle. Prince Dmitry Ivanovich, who participated in the battle on the front line as part of the Big Regiment, was wounded during the battle, but survived and later received the nickname “Donskoy”.

The Battle of Kulikovo instilled confidence in the possibility of victory over the Horde. The defeat on the Kulikovo Field accelerated the process of political fragmentation of the Golden Horde into uluses. For two years after the victory on the Kulikovo field, Rus' did not pay tribute to the Horde, which marked the beginning of the liberation of the Russian people from the Horde yoke, the growth of their self-awareness and the self-awareness of other peoples who were under the yoke of the Horde, and strengthened the role of Moscow as the center of the unification of Russian lands into a single state.

The memory of the Battle of Kulikovo was preserved in historical songs, epics, stories Zadonshchina, The Legend of the Massacre of Mamayev, etc.). Created in the 90s of the 14th - first half of the 15th centuries. following the chronicle stories, the Legend of the Massacre of Mamayev is the most complete coverage of the events of September 1380. More than 100 copies of the Legend are known, from the 16th to the 19th centuries, which have survived in 4 main editions (Basic, Distributed, Chronicle and Cyprian). The widespread one contains a detailed account of the events of the Battle of Kulikovo, which are not found in other monuments, starting with the prehistory (the embassy of Zakhary Tyutchev to the Horde with gifts in order to prevent bloody events) and about the battle itself (participation in it of the Novgorod regiments, etc.). Only the Legend preserved information about the number of Mamai’s troops, descriptions of preparations for the campaign (“harnessing”) of Russian regiments, details of their route to the Kulikovo Field, features of the deployment of Russian troops, a list of princes and governors who took part in the battle.

The Cyprian edition highlights the role of Metropolitan Cyprian, in it the Lithuanian prince Jagiello is named as Mamai’s ally (as it actually was). The Legend contains a lot of didactic church literature: both in the story about the trip of Dmitry and his brother Vladimir to St. Sergei of Rodonezh for a blessing, and about the prayers of Dmitry’s wife Evdokia, by which the prince himself and their children were “saved,” and what was said in the mouth of the governor Dmitry Bobrok - Volynets contains the words that “the cross is the main weapon”, and that the Moscow prince “carries out a good deed”, which is guided by God, and Mamai - darkness and evil, behind which stands the devil. This motif runs through all the lists of the Legend, in which Prince Dmitry is endowed with many positive characteristics (wisdom, courage, courage, military talent, courage, etc.).

The folklore basis of the Legend enhances the impression of the description of the battle, presenting an episode of single combat before the start of the battle between Peresvet and Chelubey, a picture of Dmitry dressing up in the clothes of a simple warrior and handing over his armor to the governor Mikhail Brenk, as well as the exploits of the governor, boyars, ordinary warriors (Yurka the shoemaker, etc. ). The Legend also contains poetics: a comparison of Russian warriors with falcons and gyrfalcons, a description of pictures of nature, episodes of farewells to soldiers leaving Moscow for the battle site with their wives.

In 1807, the Legend was used by the Russian playwright V.A. Ozerov when writing the tragedy Dmitry Donskoy.

The first monument to the heroes of the Kulikovo battle was the church on the Kulikovo field, assembled shortly after the battle from the oak trees of the Green Oak Forest, where the regiment of Prince Vladimir Andreevich was hidden in ambush. In Moscow, in honor of the events of 1380, the Church of All Saints on Kulichiki (now located next to the modern Kitay-Gorod metro station), as well as the Mother of God Nativity Monastery, which in those days gave shelter to widows and orphans of warriors who died in the Battle of Kulikovo, were built. On the Red Hill of Kulikovo Field in 1848, a 28-meter cast-iron column was built - a monument in honor of the victory of Dmitry Donskoy over the Golden Horde (architect A.P. Bryullov, brother of the painter). In 1913–1918, a temple was built on the Kulikovo Field in the name of St. Sergei Radonezhsky.

The Battle of Kulikovo was also reflected in the paintings of O. Kiprensky - Prince Donskoy after the Battle of Kulikovo, Morning on the Kulikovo Field, M. Avilov - The Duel of Peresvet and Chelubey, etc. The theme of the glory of Russian weapons in the 14th century. represented by Yu. Shaporin's cantata On the Kulikovo Field. The 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kulikovo was widely celebrated. In 2002, the Order “For Service to the Fatherland” was established in memory of St. V. book Dmitry Donskoy and Venerable Abbot Sergius of Radonezh. Attempts to prevent the declaration of the day of the Battle of Kulikovo as the day of glory of Russian weapons, which came in the 1990s from a group of Tatar historians who motivated their actions with the desire to prevent the formation of an “enemy image,” were categorically rejected by the President of Tatarstan M. Shaimiev, who emphasized that Russians and Tatars have long “gathered in a single Fatherland and they must mutually respect the pages of the history of the military glory of peoples.”

In Russian church history, the victory on the Kulikovo Field began to be celebrated over time simultaneously with the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated annually on September 21 (September 8, old style).

Lev Pushkarev, Natalya Pushkareva

The Battle of Kulikovo is briefly the most important event in Russian history. The battle took place in 1380 on the Kulikovo Field, hence the name of the battle. This is probably one of the most famous battles of the period of Medieval Rus'; many people know its date along with the Battle of Kalka and the Battle of the Ice.

There is a huge amount of information about the causes, course and results of the Battle of Kulikovo. It is often very difficult for an ordinary person, and even a professional historian, to isolate the most important information from a large flow of information. In this article we will briefly try to understand the origins of the battle, its participants, the course and significance of this event.

Battle of Kulikovo briefly

In general, in historical science in the Battle of Kulikovo, briefly, there are two sections called:

“White myth” - from about the 16th century. people began to become interested in the event of 1380, in connection with this, many vivid myths and legends were invented related to the Battle of Kulikovo; historians of a later time began to use these myths in their works. We are talking, for example, about exaggerating the scale of the battle or about idealizing the personality of Dmitry Donskoy, although it is clear that he is a great commander and hero;
The “black myth” began to be created much later. Here there is a huge misleading of the population, the expression of the most incredible theories. For example, that the Horde yoke did not exist in principle, and accordingly the events on the Kulikovo field should be viewed differently. There is even a theory that the battle actually took place in Moscow between Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible. These theories are absurd and should not be considered, but you should know that in principle these arguments exist.

If we take purely information from sources, we must admit that the events of the battle are presented very well there, even in foreign sources. But it is important to know that the chronicle is not the “ultimate truth”; all records must be checked and considered extremely objectively. If the basis for some reasoning is incorrect conclusions, then the further construction of the reasoning will be fundamentally incorrect. In order to correctly assess the events of the battle, a comparative analysis should be carried out based on:

Chronicle data (most of them);
Documents (much less);
Archaeological data;
Numismatics and other sciences.

But no matter how deep the analysis is carried out by historians and ordinary people, this will not allow them to obtain the most reliable information about this event, as it actually happened. The same applies to many other historical facts. No historian can say about any event in the past: “I know how it really happened!” This statement rather speaks of his lack of professionalism. A historian must question facts and look for evidence.

Sources of the Battle of Kulikovo briefly

The sources of the Battle of Kulikovo are presented in a very diverse manner, primarily we are talking about chronicles. The earliest information about those events is a short chronicle that tells about the battle on the Don. The term “Battle of Kulikovo” itself was introduced in the 19th century. The chronicle story was recorded in the Trinity Chronicle, its approximate writing was 1406-1408. The Trinity Chronicle itself was lost in a fire in 1812, but historians can only use Karamzin’s records mainly. It is worth considering that the story about the battle on the Don is the most reliable source.

The legend about the Battle of Mamaev is a source of the 16th century; the narrative about the course of the battle is presented there colorfully, but historians have come to the conclusion that it is not reliable. This source rather sets out the meaning of the battle for people in the 16th century.

Another source is the Synodikon of the Murdered. Its dating is between the 14th and 15th centuries. This source mentions several princes and boyars who died in the battle.

Let’s also not forget about such a famous historical literary monument - “Zadonshchina”. There are several opinions about when the work was written. Some believe that it was written immediately after the battle, others argue that in the first half of the 15th century. However, this source does not contain detailed information about the battle itself. This is just a literary work that conveys to us the vision of the author himself. But this is a wonderful work and you can still glean some information from it.

So, the main sources about the Battle of Kulikovo:

“A short chronicle story about the massacre on the Don”;
“The Tale of the Massacre of Mamayev”;
Synodik on the murdered;
"Zadonshchina."

Reasons for the Battle of Kulikovo briefly

The most important fact that influenced the causes of the Battle of Kulikovo was the relationship between Russia and the Golden Horde. In 1359, Khan Berdibek, son of Janibek, died; he did not die himself. The “Great Rebellion” begins in the Horde - 25 khans changed in 20 years. It was then that the temnik Mamai became popular; he was not a Genghisid and was not from the highest aristocracy, but he was still able to make excellent career advancement in the Horde.

Relations with the Horde were very important for Rus'; sometimes there were those who refused to pay the “Horde exit”. The output is a domestic tax. Refusal to pay this tax entailed consequences, namely the arrival of a punitive expedition of the Ordynts on the territory. In general, we tried not to quarrel with the Horde.

For the absence of a constant threat, one had to pay a “way out.” On the one hand, this state of affairs had a good effect on the principalities. Many got a chance to improve their inner lives, and Moscow took advantage of this. Since the reign of Ivan Kalita, the Moscow prince received the status of the Vladimir prince, and he himself began to collect tribute from all the principalities in favor of the Horde. There are some assumptions that not all the tribute went to the Horde, some ended up in Moscow.

At the beginning of the 14th century. Civil strife began within the Golden Horde. Dmitry Donskoy in the second half of the 14th century. decided that this was the right time to try to weaken the influence of the Horde on Rus', here are some reasons for the Battle of Kulikovo:

Donskoy stopped paying tribute to the Horde;
The desire of Rus' to free itself from the Horde;
In 1378, the Russians won a victory on the river. Vozhe;
Internecine wars within the Golden Horde;

Prince Dmitry gathers other princes and calls on them to unite. Khan Mamai gathers an army and sets off on a campaign against Rus'.

The troops of the Golden Horde represented a very serious opponent. It was a perfectly organized army according to the Mongol model. Which included light steppe cavalry, plus bagaturs - elite heavy cavalry. By and large, the Russians had not won large battles, especially in the steppe zone, for a long time against the Mongols - such experience was absent. We were increasingly interested in the West - the threat from their side.

The course of the Battle of Kulikovo briefly

The Battle of Vozha, one might say, became the prologue to the victory on the Kulikovo Field. Let's take a closer look at the course of the Battle of Kulikovo. Mamai began to prepare for war; he no longer considered carrying out some kind of solo raid; after the defeat of 1378, his intentions were very tough. Two years of preparation and in 1380 the army went to Rus'. At the same time, he was able to negotiate with Jagiel, Prince of Lithuania, so that he would also act with the Mongols against Rus'. The Ryazan principality was forced to fight on the side of Mamai, since it was captured back in 1374 by the Horde.

In the first days of August 1380, Donskoy was informed. That Mamai’s army came to Rus'. Dmitry reacted instantly; we need to mobilize our troops. By August 15, everyone was supposed to arrive in Kolomna, near Moscow. By August 20, all the troops united and set off towards Serpukhov, where the troops of the local prince were also waiting for them. Near Serpukhov there were convenient fords across the river. Oku - Senkin Ford, for example. Therefore, the localization in this particular locality was not accidental.

On August 26, Russian troops crossed the Oka River and are heading towards the Great Steppe. On September 6, 1380, the troops stopped near the river. Untruths. It is worth noting that the troops moved extremely slowly, even at that time. Early in the morning of September 8, the united Russian army crosses to the other side of the Don.

We have an idea of exactly how the battle took place only from such a source as the “Mamaevo Massacre”, but this source is extremely unreliable, as we discussed above. It is clear that the Horde sent light cavalry each time to fire at the Russian troops. The Russians responded with advanced skirmishers, pulling heavy cavalry forward. And apparently a special role was played by the leadership talent of such a commander as Bobrov-Volynsky - the most experienced of all. His strategy could bring the Tatars under the attack of heavy cavalry, which overthrew the Tatar troops. As for the attack by the ambush regiment, it is difficult to judge whether it actually happened (data about it is dated much later).

As for the number of troops, it is difficult to determine the number. There are even cosmic figures of 400-500 thousand people. But such a number of soldiers could not fit on the landscape of the Kulikovo Field. Many historians, based on available data, suggest that there were about 10-12 thousand Russian troops. There were more Mongols, this is evidenced by the fact that they were constantly advancing, which means they had significant forces for this. But calculating the exact amount is quite difficult.

Summary of the Battle of Kulikovo

The result for the Mongols was disappointing. The rest of the army, led by Mamai, had to flee to Crimea. Mamai soon died there. The Mongol failed to gather the strength to go to Rus' again. The victory had a huge impact on the Russian people. It became clear that the Horde was not so invincible, it could be fought. And for the Golden Horde, the defeat on the Kulikovo Field was almost the first such large-scale and devastating one.

The results of the Battle of Kulikovo were briefly as follows:

The fall of the myth of the invincibility of the Horde;
The Russian people got the opportunity to fight the Mongol yoke;
Moscow rose in power, its authority on the territory of Rus' became indisputable.

Battle of Kulikovo briefly the most important video

In 1380, the most important event in Rus' was the Battle of Mamayevo, also known as the Battle of Kulikovo or the Battle of the Don. The Russians had won victories over the troops of the Golden Horde before, but these were victories over the troops of individual “clans”, individual commanders like Murza Begich (Battle of Vozha) or the Bulgar Emir Bulat-Temir (“First Battle of the Piana River”). The first was defeated by the squad of the Moscow principality, the second by the Nizhny Novgorod people, without any support from stronger princes.

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Some historians believe that Bulat-Temir, Begich and Arapsha or the Arab Shah (who defeated the Suzdal, Nizhny Novgorod and the Moscow detachment assigned to them in the “second battle of Pyan” in 1377) launched raids on Rus' on the direct orders of Mamai.

But in the battle on the Kulikovo field, the union of the princes of Northwestern Rus', led by the prince of Moscow and Vladimir (which was considered more important at that time) Dmitry Ivanovich, had to face virtually all the forces of the Golden Horde, the “ulus of Jochi,” which the illegally headed at that time, Ordu Mamai, gurgen (son-in-law) of Khan Berdibek and beklyarbek (“chief of administration”) of the young puppet khan Muhammad Bulak.

The general position of the warring parties by 1380 and the Battle of Kulikovo briefly

Thanks to the wise policies of previous Moscow princes- Ivan Kalita, Simeon the Proud and the actual educator and co-ruler of Dmitry in his youth, Metropolitan Alexy, the Moscow reign not only managed to take control of the cash flows of the so-called tribute, “exit”, amounts that essentially represented a tax from the Russian principalities to the Horde, but and significantly reduce the amount of these receipts. If before the reign of Dmitry Ivanovich this “tax” was 4 percent, then according to the official agreement wisely concluded by St. Alexy and Mamai, it decreased by half (for comparison, modern income tax is 13 percent).

And since Saint Alexy wisely understood that Mamai was unlikely to be recognized by other Genghisids who had the right to the khan’s throne in the Horde, the agreement to reduce the “Horde exit” was wisely concluded not specifically with Mamai, but with the khan whom Mamai supported during the struggle for power in the Horde. In 1375, Metropolitan Alexy, solely by spiritual authority, was able to achieve the conclusion of a “union of princes”, in which all military forces of North-West Rus', in the event of a foreign invasion, were to submit to the Grand Duke of Vladimir.

Was Rus' ready in 1380 to confront the entire horde?

The label (appointment) for the Great Reign of Vladimir was issued in the Horde. But, if earlier the Tatar khans could “appoint”, in principle, almost any prince to the Great Reign, then since the time of Simeon the Proud, Moscow appanage princes were almost always appointed. Their only rivals were the Tver princes. However, when Mamai, contrary to the agreement (after the death of St. Alexy), tried to appoint a representative of the Tver House, Mikhail Alexandrovich, as the Grand Duke, two events happened that influenced Rus'’s readiness for the confrontation of 1380:

It was already more convenient for the princes of Vladimir Rus' to cooperate in the monetary sphere of collecting a common “exit” with Moscow, and Prince Mikhail, having no experience, was unable to collect tribute.
The commanders of Moscow held the first gathering of troops of the “union of princes” of Vladimir Rus', but they moved their troops not against the Horde, but against Tver.

Conquest of Tver also had three most important consequences for the future quantitative and qualitative composition of Russian troops on the Kulikovo field:

True, most historians are inclined to consider the Prince of Ryazan, Oleg the Udal, as a “fifth column” instead of the Tver prince.

The role of the Prince of Ryazan in the events of 1380

In most textbooks and on most history sites (even Wikipedia!) anyone can read that Oleg Ivanovich Ryazansky “betrayed the common cause” and was “ready to strike in the rear” of the combined Russian forces.

However, the latest research and unbiased analysis cast doubt on this version. Firstly, Oleg Ivanovich was widely known in Rus' at that time as the first Russian prince to inflict a crushing defeat on the Horde army in the battle of the Shishevsky forest with the horde of Prince Tagai in 1366 (long before the victories at Vozha and Pyan). Secondly, Oleg’s allies in this battle, Vladimir Pronsky and Titus Kozelsky, came with their troops to the general gathering in 1380. Thirdly, Prince Oleg had enough opportunities to “hit in the rear” both during the march of Russian troops to the Don and during their return (in the second case, he could have won a victory and become considerably richer from trophies) .

The fact of Oleg’s negotiations with Jagiello and Mamai is a certified fact. But there was no “strike in the rear”. Why?

Jagiello and Oleg Ryazansky: strange inaction

Before the events of the fateful year Oleg Ivanovich was an ally of Prince Dmitry, later, in 1381, he even recognized the younger Grand Duke of Vladimir and Moscow as his “elder brother.” And here another inexplicable fact from the events of 1380 comes to mind for any analyst. Namely: the incomprehensible inaction of the Lithuanian and South Russian troops under the command of Jagiello.

The fact that Jagiello, having gathered troops and “hanging” with them over the rear and flank of the troops of the Vladimir land, did not dare to enter into conflict cannot be explained rationally. If you do not take into account the possibility that it was Oleg Ryazansky who, with his battle-hardened squad, covered all those who fought on the Kulikovo Field.

It is clear that documentary evidence of this fact can hardly be found if there was a “great political game”, but most modern historians are no longer in a hurry to label Oleg Ryazansky as a “traitor to the common cause.”

The Battle of Kulikovo in brief: the forces of the parties, the course of the battle, the layout of troops

As a result, at the general meeting in Kolomna The Russian army gathered the forces of the Moscow, Vladimir, Suzdal, Belozersk, Yaroslavl, Rostov and Serpukhov principalities, along the way they were joined by the Ryazan residents of Vladimir Pronsky and Titus Kozelsky, as well as the sons of Olgerd (brothers Jagiello) Dmitry with the Pskovites and Andrey with the squad and the city army of Pereyaslavl -Zalessky. These same Lithuanian princes, in the service of Moscow, presumably could have assembled part of the squads from the actual “Lithuanian” principalities: Polotsk, Starodubsky, Trubchevsky.

It is considered possible that individual small squads were brought by boyars from Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod, but the participation of the “Novgorod detachment” in the battle is now questioned by historians.

However, historians, despite careful archaeological research, differ in the number of armies by huge numbers. On the Russian side, the following could have participated in the Mamaev Massacre:

400 thousand warriors (Nikon Chronicle).
150−160 thousand (earliest sources).
50−60 thousand (Tatishchev).
5-6 thousand ─ Soviet archaeologist S. B. Veselovsky.

Modern archaeologists A. Bulychev, M. Gonyany, O. Dvurechensky and many others believe that more than 9 thousand and less than 5 thousand on the Russian side, and 8-10 thousand on the Mamai side (mostly horsemen) could not have participated in the battle.

But historians and archaeologists agree on the layout of the troops. The army of the Russian principalities was divided into

On Mamai’s part (as all researchers agree), no special tactical tricks were used; the beklarbek hoped to win the battle with one blow from well-equipped cavalry (most of them in “heavy” armor for those years). The facts about the presence of Genoese crossbowmen in the offensive formations were considered unreliable, although the Genoese could have been on the battlefield as Mamai’s bodyguards.

The course of the battle itself perfectly illustrated with diagrams and maps on Wikipedia and on numerous historical sites, for example, an excellent diagram of the Battle of Kulikovo is at http://student-hist.ru/knaz-dmitriy-donskoy/shema-kulikovskoy-bitvi/

Rough estimates of losses and significance of the Battle of Kulikovo

After the battle, the surviving princes first of all found Prince Dmitry, who had withdrawn from leadership of the troops (his role during the battle remains unclear), and he again took on the burden of leadership (as before the start of the battle), demanding an accurate count of the dead.

It is characteristic that immediately after the Mamaev massacre Contemporaries nicknamed Dmitry’s brother “Donskoy”, Prince Vladimir Andreevich. It was he, together with Bobrok, who waited for the optimal moment to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy army and led the decisive attack, and Grand Duke Dmitry did not need additional “titles” at first. But later the combinations “Dmitry Donskoy” and “Battle of Kulikovo” became inseparable.

The number of Russian and Horde losses varies significantly depending on how much certain historians estimate the initial composition of the armies. One figure is known for sure: more than 500 boyars and six princes (leaders of squads, senior leaders) died on the Russian side. This is a huge number.

Most likely ratio of Russian losses: from half to two thirds of the entire army brought to the battlefield.

Regarding the Horde, it is considered reliable that eight-ninths of the total number of troops died.

The most difficult loss for Mamai was the death of his protege, Khan Muhammad Bulak and the loss of part of the treasury.

As a result, the victory on the Kulikovo Field did not significantly change Russian-Horde relations (already under Dmitry, the payment of “exit” to the “legitimate” khans of the Golden Horde was resumed), moreover, it identified the main future geopolitical rival of Rus' ─ the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

But the positive result of the Mamaev Massacre Moscow began to secure a leading role among other Russian principalities, as well as vast experience in quickly gathering a large number of troops in a moment of danger. Most importantly, the Battle of Kulikovo made it possible to postpone for a short time the intervention of external forces in the unification of Russian lands around Moscow.

COURSE OF EVENTS

The result of the reign of Ivan Kalita (1325-1340) was a significant strengthening of Moscow’s position in northeastern Russia. Attempts to transfer the collection of tribute to the Grand Duke of Vladimir were made earlier, but this order was established only with the reign of Ivan Kalita. The Tver uprising of 1327 drew a line under the activities of the Baskaks in Rus'. The collection of tribute by the Russian prince was not accompanied by such violence as was done by the Horde. The population breathed a calmer breath. The Khan, regularly receiving the Horde's exit, was also pleased and did not send punitive detachments to Rus'. Forty years (1328-1367), as the chronicler noted, “the Tatars stopped fighting the Russian land.” During this time, a generation of new Russian people grew up: they did not see the horror of the Horde pogrom and were not afraid of the Tatars. These people could already take up the sword to defend their right to freedom.

In 1359, during the plague epidemic, the throne of Moscow, by the will of fate, went to a nine-year-old boy, Dmitry Ivanovich. Never before in Horde-ruled Rus' has a child been given a golden label for the great reign of Vladimir. Therefore, the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod prince Dmitry Konstantinovich went to the Horde and begged for a gold label. However, in this matter, Dmitry Konstantinovich was not even supported by his own relatives, and the Moscow boyars and Metropolitan Alexei in 1362 achieved the return of the golden label to Moscow. Obviously, at the same time the young Moscow prince Dmitry visited the Golden Horde.

The rivalry between the Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod rulers ended in 1367 with peace and even union. Moscow Prince Dmitry promised to help Dmitry of Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod suppress the rebellion of his rebellious brother. The Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod prince married his daughter to Dmitry of Moscow and recognized him as his “eldest brother.” The alliance with the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod principality was very important, because Moscow was preparing for war with Tver.

On the eve of the war, a stone Kremlin was erected in Moscow in 2 years (1367). It was built after the “All Saints” fire (it occurred on the day of remembrance of All Saints, hence its name) from white limestone stone and large bricks. Limestone was transported in winter on sleighs, and in summer along the river from quarries located near the village of Myachkova, 30 km from the capital. Some researchers believe that the new Kremlin was not all stone; it partially retained wooden structures. However, in Lower Rus' it was the first stone fortress. She spoke about the power and wealth of Moscow rulers.

In turn, from the late 1350s. There was great civil strife in the Golden Horde. Sources call it the “great trouble.” The horde split. In the Volga region, the khans changed almost every year. The shadow ruler Mamai strengthened himself in the southern Black Sea Horde. He was a temnik and ruled on behalf of the young Genghisid khans. During the years of the “great turmoil” the Horde became very weak. In 1362, in the Battle of Blue Waters, Olgerd defeated it and took away Southern Rus'. But worse than external defeats were internal conspiracies and unrest. They tormented the country, depriving it of its former strength. Over two decades, more than 20 Chingizids visited the throne of the Volga Horde. Central power has weakened. Many princes and murzas were accustomed to living by robbery. Taking advantage of the “stirring” in the Horde, the Tver prince Mikhail Alexandrovich decided to ask for a golden label. Mikhail also counted on the military assistance of his relative, the Grand Duke of Lithuania and Russia Olgerd (Olgerd was married to a Tver princess.)

During the struggle for the golden label, Prince Mikhail of Tver ended up in a Moscow dungeon for a while. Mikhail came to Moscow in 1368 for negotiations under the “guarantees” of his safety given by Metropolitan Alexei, but was arrested. Of course, Mikhail had to be released soon, and the fight continued with Lithuania participating in it. Various Horde khans also turned out to be participants in the Russian strife. Some of them supported Tver, while others supported Moscow.

Olgerd made two trips to Moscow. Moscow chronicles called Olgerd's invasions the first and second Lithuania. In both cases, Olgerd burned the outskirts of Moscow and besieged the city. But he failed to take the new Kremlin. Meanwhile, Mikhail Tverskoy received a gold label (1371), but the residents of Vladimir did not allow him into their city. And Moscow Prince Dmitry said: “I’m not going to the label, and I’m not letting you go into the land to reign on a great scale.”

In 1371, Prince Dmitry of Moscow traveled to the south of the Horde to the temnik Mamai. Mamai abandoned Mikhail Tverskoy. And already in 1375, Moscow regiments, with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexei, besieged Tver. The Yaroslavl, Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov principalities and a number of other fiefs acted in alliance with Moscow. Dmitry of Moscow was also supported by one of the appanage princes of Tver, Kashinsky. As a result, according to the agreement of 1375, the golden label remained with the Moscow prince. The Great Reign of Vladimir was recognized as the “patrimony” of the Moscow princes. Prince Mikhail of Tver called himself a vassal - the “young brother” of Dmitry of Moscow.

There was another significant point in the Moscow-Tver Treaty of 1375. “If God changes the Horde” and the Moscow prince begins to fight with it, then the Tver monarch should also oppose the Horde. Thus, Moscow took the first step not only towards gathering Russian lands around itself, but also in preparing the struggle for their liberation from the Horde. In general, during the competition for the gold label with Tver, Moscow strengthened its position. The authority and strength of Prince Dmitry Ivanovich grew.

However, the main event of Russian history of the 14th century. became the Battle of Kulikovo. It was preceded by two clashes with the Horde. In 1377, Prince Arapsha (Khan Arab Shah) was preparing for a raid on the Nizhny Novgorod lands. Information about this leaked to Rus'. A united army of Nizhny Novgorod residents, Vladimir residents, Muscovites, Murom residents, and Yaroslavl residents came out to meet Arapsha. Arapsha did not appear. The warriors took off their armor. They began to hunt in the surrounding forests, had fun and feasted in a camp near the Piana River. Prince Dmitry of Moscow decided that Arapsha's raid would not take place, and left for his capital. As a result, the unexpected attack of the Tatars led the Russians to defeat. Nizhny Novgorod, left unprotected, was plundered. Other cities were also affected.

The next year, 1378, Mamai sent a new army to Rus' under the command of Murza Begich. A battle broke out on the Vozha River. This time, Moscow troops, led by Dmitry, acted coherently and decisively. The Horde were defeated and fled. The defeat of the Tatars on Vozha did not help strengthen the authority of Mamai. Temnik was going to take revenge. He was accustomed to power and did not want to lose it, but meanwhile Khan Tokhtamysh, the protege of the mighty Central Asian Emir Timur, had already begun to gather the Horde uluses into his fist. Only a resounding victory gave Mamai a chance to survive in the fight with Tokhtamysh for the Horde.

Tokhtamysh was a descendant of Batu's brother - Horde Ichen. Expelled from the Zayaitskaya Horde, he regained its throne, and also seized the throne in the Volga ulus with the help of the powerful Central Asian ruler Timur Lang (Khromets), known in Europe as Tamerlane. Tamerlane's vassal Tokhtamysh hoped to restore the unity and strength of the Golden Horde.

The decisive clash was approaching. In the fall, Mamai led a 150,000-strong army to Rus'. In Cafe, a Genoese colony in Crimea (modern Feodosia), Mamai hired a detachment of armored Western European infantry. Temnik also secured an alliance with the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiello Olgerdovich and the Ryazan Prince Oleg. But the allies were in no hurry to connect with Mamai, they waited. Jogaila was not interested in either the strengthening of Moscow or the victory of the Horde. Oleg was forced to play the role of an ally in order to save his land from plunder. Ryazan was closest to the Horde. Oleg informed the Tatars about the fords on the Oka, and Dmitry of Moscow about the Tatars’ advance route.

A large Russian army, up to 150 thousand, came out to meet the Horde. (True, many historians believe that the numbers of both Tatars and Russians are overestimated by chroniclers). Never before has Rus' brought so many warriors to battle. Vigilantes and militias from many Russian lands came to the Don. There were no Tver, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Novgorod regiments among them, although it is possible that individual residents of these lands took part in the Battle of Kulikovo Field. Two brothers of Yagaila came from Lithuania to support Dmitry with regiments - the eldest sons of Olgerd, Orthodox princes Dmitry and Andrey, who were sitting in Bryansk and Polotsk.

Dmitry of Moscow and his cousin Vladimir of Serpukhov were blessed to fight the Tatars by the Russian ascetic monk, founder of the Trinity Monastery Sergius of Radonezh . Through his lips, the Russian Church for the first time called for a fight against the Horde. This is probably why the memory of St. is so revered in Rus'. Sergius. Two monks of the Trinity Monastery, former boyars - Peresvet and Oslyabya - went together with the Russian army to meet the Horde. Sergius' blessing was very important for Prince Dmitry of Moscow. He had a conflict with the new Russian Metropolitan Cyprian. The prince expelled the metropolitan from Moscow, and he imposed an anathema (curse) on Dmitry.

The bloody battle took place on September 8, 1380 (By the way, some modern historians doubt that the battle took place on the Kulikovo field near the Don. This needs to be mentioned, since so far, despite all the efforts of archaeologists, no material has been found on the Kulikovo field " confirmation" of the battle: no burial grounds, no weapons - only one chain mail and helmet. Some historians (for example, V.A. Kuchkin) suggest that perhaps the battle took place in Moscow on Kulishi). In addition to Dmitry, the battle was directly led by his cousin Vladimir Serpukhovskoy and the governor from the Galicia-Volyn land Dmitry Bobrok. The Russian regiments formed in their traditional eagle formation. But at the same time, about a third of the army was left in ambush and in reserve. The Russians burned the bridges across the Don at the suggestion of the Lithuanian princes, so that the weak in spirit would not be tempted to flee the battlefield.

The battle began with a duel of heroes: monk Alexander from the Trinity-Sergius Monastery (formerly a resident of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Russia, Bryansk boyar Peresvet) and the Horde hero Chelubey. The knights struck each other with spears, Chelubey fell to the ground, and the horse of the Russian hero brought the dead rider to his camp.

The Tatar horsemen went on the attack. They crushed the Russian Watch Regiment. Grand Duke Dmitry fought in the armor of a simple warrior in the Advanced Regiment. The soldiers of this regiment almost all fell. After the battle, Dmitry was found with difficulty: the prince lay unconscious, crushed by a tree cut down in the battle. The Horde initially managed to break through the Russian left flank. They rushed to the rear of the Big Regiment. However, here their path was blocked by the reorganized Big Regiment and reserve detachments.

Then, unexpectedly, a large Ambush Regiment, led by Vladimir Serpukhovsky and Dmitry Bobrok, fell upon the Tatars. Mamai's nukers ran, sweeping away their own reinforcements. Neither the eastern cavalry nor the Genoese mercenary infantrymen saved Mamaia. Mamai was defeated and fled.

The Russians stood, as they said then, “on the bones,” that is, the battlefield remained behind them. They won. Dmitry, from then on nicknamed Donskoy, did not pursue Mamai.

Near the Kalka River, the remnants of Mamaev's troops were defeated for the second time by Khan Tokhtamysh. Mamai tried to take refuge in the Genoese colony of Cafe, but the townspeople killed Temnik, wanting to take possession of his treasury.

The prince returned safely with his army to Rus'. True, the Russian regiments suffered considerable losses. The chronicler wrote: “The entire Russian land has become destitute since the Mamaev massacre beyond the Don.”

The victory on the Kulikovo Field did not bring liberation from the yoke to North-Eastern Rus'. Khan Tokhtamysh, who united the Golden Horde under his rule, demanded submission from Rus'. In 1382, he took Moscow by deception, burned it and killed the inhabitants.

Dmitry Donskoy, confident in the strength of the stone Kremlin, left the capital. Muscovites were going to fight, despite the fact that Metropolitan Cyprian, the grand ducal family and individual boyars fled from the city. The townspeople chose as their leader the 18-year-old Lithuanian prince Ostei, who happened to be in Moscow. Ostey organized the defense, placing “mattresses” on the walls (these were either stone-throwing machines or cannons). Tokhtamysh's attempt to storm Moscow was repulsed. Then the khan resorted to a trick. The Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod princes (brothers of the Moscow princess) who came with Tokhtamysh swore that the Tatars only wanted to punish the “disobedient” Prince Dmitry. And since he is not in the city, the Horde will not touch anyone if the Muscovites voluntarily allow the khan into the capital and bring gifts. Perhaps the Nizhny Novgorod princes themselves believed the words of Tokhtamysh. Muscovites believed and paid for it with their lives. The delegation with gifts led by Ostey was hacked to death, the Horde burst into the city through the open gates, killed people, and burned the city.

Other Russian lands also suffered from the invasion of Tokhtamysh. Dmitry Donskoy's cousin, Vladimir Serpukhovskoy, came out to meet the khan with an army. After the Battle of Kulikovo he was nicknamed Vladimir the Brave. Without waiting for a battle with him, Khan Tokhtamysh went to the steppe, but the Russian principalities were forced to admit again their dependence on the Horde.

However, over time (in the first half of the 15th century), the payment of tribute became irregular, and the khans had almost no control over the fate of the gold label: the label was in the hands of the Moscow princes. The Golden Horde itself was unable to restore its former unity and power. The horde weakened and split. She was consumed by internal internecine warfare. In the end, by the middle of the 15th century. The Golden Horde split into the Crimean Khanate, the Kazan Khanate, the Great Horde, the Nogai Horde and the Siberian Khanate. The Great Horde laid claim to the legacy of the Golden One and sought to unite the Tatar khanates again. The Great Horde demanded tribute from Rus', but the great princes of Moscow and Vladimir rarely paid it a real Horde exit. More often they were limited to the so-called “wake” (gifts). The question of the fall of the yoke has already become a matter of time.

Soon after the invasion of Tokhtamysh, Dmitry Ivanovich sent his son Vasily to the Horde to receive a label for him. After fulfilling the condition of resuming the payment of tribute, the label remained with Dmitry. Before his death, he bequeathed the great reign to his son Vasily as a “fatherland.” Vasily continued his policy aimed at expanding the Moscow principality. In 1390, he went to the Horde and bought a label for the Nizhny Novgorod principality there; in addition, Murom became part of Moscow. Ryazan was gradually drawn into the orbit of Moscow politics. Oleg Ryazansky's son Fedor was married to Vasily's sister.

However, with constant civil strife in the Horde, it was difficult for the Moscow prince to maintain good relations with the Tatars. After the invasion of Moscow in 1382, Tokhtamysh did not rule the Horde for long. He quarreled with his benefactor - the Samarkand ruler Timur (Timur Lang (lame) - Tamerlane). Having gained a foothold in the Horde, Tokhtamysh decided to no longer be a vassal of Timur. He moved his regiments to the Horde. The alliance with the powerful Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt did not help Tokhtamysh either. The decisive battle on the river. Vorskla (1399) Vitovt and Tokhtamysh lost. In that battle, by the way, many heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo fell; for example, governor Dmitry Bobrok died.

During the struggle between Timur and Tokhtamysh, Rus' was exposed to terrible dangers. In 1395, Tamerlane invaded its borders and burned Yelets. Everyone was terrified... An army led by the Moscow prince came out to meet the enemy, but they hoped not so much for weapons as for prayer and a miracle. The battle did not happen: Tamerlane returned to the East, the Asian conqueror was attracted by the wealth of Asian countries. The Russians attributed the good fortune to the miracle created by the icon of the Mother of God. It was no coincidence that the forces of Rus' were depleted; the planned alliance between Moscow and the Lithuanian prince Vitovt did not take place. The misfortunes did not end there. Timur's protege, the Golden Horde Khan Edigei, ravaged Rus' in 1408. Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov, Dmitrov, Serpukhov were taken. The khan burned everything around Moscow and captured thousands of troops. But this time the white-stone Kremlin stood firm and, having received tribute, Edigei went to the Horde...

Foreign researchers for the most part assess the results of Dmitry's reign modestly: the attempt to liberate Rus' failed.

Most domestic scientists consider the time of Dmitry Donskoy to be a turning point in Russian history: the issue of a center uniting the North-Eastern Russian lands was resolved - Moscow finally became it. The nature of Rus''s dependence after the Battle of Kulikovo began to change - the yoke steadily weakened. However, among Russian historians there are opponents of this view. Below are the arguments for both approaches.

N.I. Kostomarov about Prince Dmitry Donskoy and his time:

“The reign of Dmitry Donskoy belongs to the most unfortunate and sad eras in the history of the long-suffering Russian people. Incessant ruin and devastation, either from external enemies or from internal strife, followed one after another on an enormous scale. The Moscow land, apart from minor devastation, was devastated twice by the Lithuanians, and then suffered an invasion by the Horde of Tokhtamysh; Ryazan land - suffered twice from the Tatars, twice from the Muscovites and was brought to extreme ruin; Tverskaya - was ravaged several times by Muscovites; Smolenskaya suffered from both Muscovites and Lithuanians; The Novgorod land suffered ruin from the Tver and Muscovites. This was joined by physical disasters (plague, droughts of 1365, 1371, 1373 and famine, fires) ...

Dmitry himself was not a prince capable of easing the difficult fate of the people through the wisdom of his rule; whether he acted on his own or at the suggestion of his boyars, a number of blunders are visible in his actions. Following the task of subjugating the Russian lands to Moscow, he not only failed to achieve his goals, but even let go of what circumstances brought him; he did not destroy the strength and independence of Tver and Ryazan, and did not know how to get along with them...; Dmitry only irritated them and subjected the innocent inhabitants of these lands to needless destruction; irritated the Horde, but did not take advantage of its temporary ruin... did not take measures to defend against danger (in 1382); and the consequence of all his activities was that ruined Rus' again had to crawl and humiliate itself before the dying Horde.”

CM. Soloviev about Prince Dmitry and his time:

“In 1389, the Grand Duke of Moscow Dimitri died, still only 39 years old. Dimitri's grandfather, uncle and father, in silence, prepared rich means for an open, decisive struggle. Demetrius's merit was that he knew how to use these means, knew how to deploy the prepared forces and give them proper use in time. The best proof of the especially important importance attached to the activities of Demetrius by his contemporaries is the existence of a special legend about the exploits of this prince, a special, ornately written life of him...

Important consequences of Demetrius' activities are found in his spiritual testament; in it we meet a previously unheard-of order: the Moscow prince blesses his eldest son Vasily with the great reign of Vladimir, which he calls his fatherland. Donskoy is no longer afraid of rivals for his son either from Tver or Suzdal...

Speaking about the importance of Dimitriev’s reign in the history of North-Eastern Rus', we must not forget about the activities of the Moscow boyars: they, taking advantage of the circumstances, defended the rights of their young prince and their principality... The latter did not remain ungrateful to the people who so badly wanted him well ... "