The Battle of Kulikovo is a battle between the troops of Dmitry Donskoy and Mamai, which took place on September 8, 1380 on the Kulikovo field. In modern Russia, this field is located in the Tula region. This battle was preceded by the Battle of the Vozha River (1378). In this article, the battle event is briefly considered from different points of view.
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Background of the Battle of Kulikovo
In the second half of the 13th century, Russia was strengthening. Parallel to this Temnik Mamai in the Golden Horde also intensified, and the Russian princes partially contributed to its strengthening, defeating Tagai and Bulat-Timur, the Golden Horde princes who opposed Mamai.
In 1371, Mikhail Alexandrovich, Prince of Tver, received a label from Mamai to reign. However, Dmitry Ivanovich, Prince of Moscow, later known as Donskoy, refused to transfer power. In 1374 he refused to pay tribute to the Horde and gathered a congress of princes who supported his policy in Pereslavl-Zalessky.
The answer from the Horde was the ruin of the Novosilsky principality by Khan Arapsha in 1376. In 1377 he defeated the Russian troops at the Battle of the Pyana River. Later, he ruined the Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan principalities.
In 1378, a battle took place between the troops of Prince Dmitry Ivanovich and the temnik Mamai, known in history as the battle on the Vozha River. The troops of Prince Dmitry defeated the troops of Murza Begich, who led the army of the Horde.
Assessment of the forces of the parties
There are different estimates of the number of troops on each side. The most famous estimates are shown in this table. However, in history there is a big difference between the estimates.
The number of Russian soldiers
The number of Tatar-Mongol warriors
Participants of the Battle of Kulikovo
The composition of the participants in the battle is also not precisely defined, since various sources in history point to different principalities, sent troops to help Dmitry Donskoy. As part of the Russian army, according to various sources, warriors from the principalities fought:
- Moscow
- Serpukhov
- Belozersky
- Yaroslavl
- Rostov
- Tver
- Novgorod lands
- Suzdal
- Ryazan
- Pronsky
- Vyazma
- Vladimir
- Kolomna
- Pskov
- Bryansk
- Smolensk
And also from small destinies in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania:
- Drutsky
- Dorogobuzh
- Novosilsky
- Tarusa
- Obolensky
- Polotsk
- Starodubsky
- Trubchevskiy.
There is also no agreement in history regarding the composition of the Mamai army. According to some reports, there were many mercenaries in the army of Mamai. In this army, according to various sources, were present:
- Tatars
- Mongols
- Cumans
- Armenians
- Fryazians (immigrants from Italy)
- Circassians
- Burtases (union of tribes on the Volga)
- Lithuanians
- Poles
- Ryazans (!)
- Muslim mercenaries.
Place of battle
The chronicle source indicates that the battle took place "on the Don near Nepryadva." However, a careful study of all the possible places of this most important battle in history did not give an indication of the exact location of this battle. In all studied no remains found bodies of fallen soldiers, and the remains of weapons, armor, pectoral crosses, etc. were found in a very small amount (no more than 100 items). However, some items that could have been used by the warriors were found in the vicinity of the alleged battle site, but not in these places.
In addition, there were other battles near the battlefield at different times, albeit on a smaller scale. These battles took place in 1542, 1571, 1607, 1659. Therefore, finding the remains of weapons, armor, etc. may not indicate the place of the battle.
Moreover, many items found by archaeologists in this area could have been made even in the 17th century, so it is too early to say that the place of the legendary battle was found.
Russian troops were divided into five regiments: a large regiment stood in the center, the regiments of the right and left hands stood on the flanks, the guard regiment stood in front of the large one, the ambush regiment stood, according to various sources, to the left of the regiment of the left hand or to the right of the regiment of the right hand. The number of foot and cavalry soldiers in any of the regiments is unknown.
The construction of the Mamai troops remains a controversial issue. However, it is believed that this army was divided into three detachments and fired into a line in front of the Russian army, or was divided into three detachments - the vanguard, center and rearguard.
The battle itself began around noon: there was fog on the field, which did not allow the battle to begin.
Before the battle, there was a duel between Peresvet and Chelubey, as a result of which both died. Some historians believe that this duel did not actually take place.
The course of the battle began in the center. The Tatar-Mongols forced the regiment of the left hand to retreat, its retreat created a threat to attack in the rear of the Big Regiment. However, at this time, the Ambush Regiment attacked the rear of Mamai's troops, so his troops were crushed and put to flight. At the same time, according to some reports, the regiment of the right hand surrounded Mamai's army, which completed the rout. The cavalry was driven into the river and destroyed.
The persecution of the Tatar-Mongols lasted about 50 versts (about 53.3 km), after which, according to some sources, the Russian troops stopped the pursuit, according to others, they collided with the Lithuanian army of Prince Jagiello and retreated after the battle with him.
Losses
Sources of those years report that the Russian troops lost more than 500 boyars, the losses of ordinary soldiers are not specified - "without counting." The warriors lost 253 thousand people, 50 thousand remained. The losses of Mamai, according to the same sources, amount to 800 thousand, but there is an estimate of 1.5 million (!) Dead Horde.
According to modern sources, the losses of the Russian troops are, according to the historian Razin, 25-30 thousand, according to the historian Kirpichnikov, about 5-8 thousand ordinary soldiers and about 800 boyars. There is a version according to which the soldiers of Prince Jagiello finished off the wounded Russian soldiers in the wagon trains. Those killed in the battle were buried from 9 to 16 September.
Political implications
The Battle of Kulikovo and its significance are as follows: Russian principalities liberated from the Horde dominion for two years. In 1382, Khan Tokhtamysh returned the Russian principalities under the rule of the Horde. The result of Mamai is as follows: he fled with the remnants of the army to the Crimea, but was killed by Tokhtamysh in 1380. One heir to his part of the Golden Horde was killed, there were no other competitors for Tokhtamysh.
There is an opinion that it was Tokhtamysh who won the Battle of Kulikovo. He defeated Mamai, who actually led part of the Horde and united the entire Horde under his rule. He also forced the Russian principalities to pay tribute, which had not been done since 1374. In fact, the two enemies of Tokhtamysh were weakened, and after the battle he defeated them one by one. Also, its significance for the Russian principalities was that they gained experience of association, therefore, under the rule of the Moscow princes, they became a formidable force in the fight against the rule of the Horde.
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 such an order was fixed only from the reign of Ivan Kalita. The Tver uprising of 1327 drew a line under the activities of the Baskaks in Russia. The collection of tribute by the Russian prince was not accompanied by such violence as the Horde did. The population sighed more calmly. The Khan, receiving a regular exit from the Horde, was also pleased and did not send punitive detachments to Russia. Forty years (1328-1367), as the chronicler noted, "prestasha the Tatars to fight 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 has a child been given a golden label for the great reign of Vladimir in Russia subject to the Horde. Therefore, the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod prince Dmitry Konstantinovich went to the Horde and begged for a golden label. However, even his own relatives did not support Dmitry Konstantinovich in this matter, 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 an alliance. Moscow Prince Dmitry promised to help Dmitry of Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod suppress the speech of his rebellious brother. The Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod prince gave his daughter to Dmitry of Moscow and recognized him as "the elder brother." The alliance with the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod principality was very important, for Moscow was preparing for a 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 happened on the day of memory of all Saints, hence its name) from white limestone and large bricks. Limestone was transported in winter on sledges, 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 entirely made of stone; it partially retained wooden structures. However, in Nizovaya Rus it was the first stone fortress. She spoke about the power and wealth of the Moscow rulers.
In turn, from the end of the 1350s. in the Golden Horde there was a big civil strife. Sources call it the "great zamyatne". The Horde has split. In the Volga part of it, the khans changed almost every year. In the southern - Black Sea Horde, the shadow ruler Mamai strengthened. He was a temnik and ruled on behalf of the minor Chingizid khans. During the years of the "great commemoration" the Horde was very weakened. In 1362, at the battle of Blue Waters, Olgerd defeated her and took South Russia. But worse than external defeats were internal conspiracies and unrest. They tormented the country, deprived it of its former strength. For two decades, more than 20 Genghisides have been on the throne of the Volga Horde. The central government has weakened. Many princes and murzas are accustomed to live by robbery. Taking advantage of the "zamyatnee" in the Horde, Prince Mikhail Alexandrovich of Tver 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.)
In the course of the struggle for the golden label, Prince Mikhail of Tver ended up in a Moscow dungeon for a while. Mikhail arrived in Moscow in 1368 for negotiations under the "guarantees" of his security given by Metropolitan Alexei, but was arrested. Of course, Mikhail had to be released soon, and the struggle continued with the participation of Lithuania in it. Various Horde khans also turned out to be participants in Russian strife. Some of them supported Tver, and others - Moscow.
Olgerd made two trips to Moscow. The Moscow chronicles called Olgerd's invasions the first and second Lithuanian regions. In both cases, Olgerd burned the outskirts of Moscow and besieged the city. But he failed to take the new Kremlin. Meanwhile, Mikhail of Tverskoy received a golden label (1371), but the inhabitants of Vladimir did not let him into their city. And the Moscow prince Dmitry said: “I’m not going to the label, but I don’t let go to the land to reign for the great.”
In 1371, Prince Dmitry of Moscow traveled to the south of the Horde to visit Temnik Mamai. Mamai retreated from Mikhail Tverskoy. And already in 1375, the Moscow regiments, with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexei, besieged Tver. The Yaroslavl, Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov principalities and a number of other destinies acted in alliance with Moscow. He supported Dmitry of Moscow and one of the specific princes of Tver - Kashinsky. As a result, according to the agreement of 1375, the golden label remained with the Moscow prince. The great princedom of Vladimir was recognized as the "patrimony" of the Moscow princes. Prince Mikhail of Tver called himself a vassal - "young brother" of Dmitry of Moscow.
There was another significant moment 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. So 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, in the course of the rivalry for the golden label with Tver, Moscow strengthened its positions. The authority and strength of Prince Dmitry Ivanovich grew.
However, the main event of Russian history of the XIV century. was the Battle of Kulikovo. It was preceded by two clashes with the Horde. In 1377, Prince Arapsha (Khan Arab Shah) was preparing for an attack on the Nizhny Novgorod lands. Information about this leaked to Russia. A united army of Nizhny Novgorod, Vladimir, Muscovites, Murom, Yaroslavl came out to meet Arapsha. Arapsha did not appear. The soldiers took off their armor. They began to hunt in the surrounding forests, had fun and feasted in the camp near the Pyana River. Prince Dmitry of Moscow decided that the Arapsha 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 without protection, was plundered. Other cities were also affected.
The next year, 1378, Mamai sent a new army to Russia under the command of Murza Begich. A battle broke out on the Vozha River. This time, the Moscow troops, led by Dmitry, acted in a coordinated and decisive manner. The Horde were defeated and fled. The defeat of the Tatars on the Vozha did not contribute to strengthening the authority of Mamai. Temnik was going to take revenge. He was used to power and did not want to lose it, and meanwhile, Khan Tokhtamysh, a 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 resist in the fight against Tokhtamysh for the Horde.
Tokhtamysh was a descendant of Batu's brother - the Horde of Ichen. Expelled from the Zayaitskaya Horde, he regained its throne, and also seized the throne in the Volga ulus with the help of the Central Asian powerful ruler Timur Lang (Khromts), known in Europe as Tamerlane. The vassal of Tamerlane Tokhtamysh hoped to restore the unity and strength of the Golden Horde.
The decisive confrontation was approaching. In the fall, Mamai led a 150,000-strong army to Russia. In Cafe, a Genoese colony in the Crimea (modern Feodosia), Mamai hired a detachment of armored Western European infantry. Temnik also secured an alliance with the great Lithuanian prince Jagiello Olgerdovich and the Ryazan prince Oleg. But the allies were in no hurry to connect with Mamai, they waited. Jagiello did not benefit from 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 told the Tatars the fords on the Oka, and Dmitry Moskovsky about the Tatars' advancement path.
Numerous - up to 150 thousand - Russian army came out to meet the Horde. (True, many historians believe that the number of both Tatars and Russians is overestimated by the chroniclers). Never before has Russia led such a number of warriors to battle. Vigilantes and militias from many Russian lands went to the Don. There were no Tver, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Novgorod regiments among them, although it is possible that some residents of these lands participated in the battle on the Kulikovo field. From Lithuania, two brothers Jogaila came with regiments to support Dmitry - the eldest sons of Olgerd, Orthodox princes Dmitry and Andrei, who were sitting in Bryansk and Polotsk.
Dmitry of Moscow and his cousin Vladimir Serpukhovsky were blessed to fight the Tatars by a Russian ascetic monk, founder of the Trinity Monastery Sergius of Radonezh . Through his lips, the Russian Church for the first time called for the fight against the Horde. Perhaps that is why the memory of St. Sergius. Two monks of the Trinity Monastery in the past boyars - Peresvet and Oslyabya went along with the Russian army towards the Horde. The blessing of Sergius 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 happened on September 8, 1380 (By the way, some modern historians doubt that the battle took place on the Kulikovo field near the Don. This must 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 a helmet. Some historians (for example, V.A. Kuchkin) suggest that the battle may have been in Moscow on Kulishy). In addition to Dmitry, his cousin Vladimir Serpukhovskoy and the governor from the Galicia-Volyn land Dmitry Bobrok directly led the battle. The Russian regiments lined up in their traditional formation - the eagle. But at the same time, about a third of the troops were left in ambush and in reserve. The Russians burned the bridges over the Don at the suggestion of the Lithuanian princes, so that the weak in spirit would not be tempted to flee from the battlefield.
The battle began with a duel of heroes: the monk Alexander from the Trinity-Sergius Monastery (formerly a resident of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Russia, the Bryansk boyar - Peresvet) and the Horde hero Chelubey. The knights hit each other with spears, Chelubey fell to the ground, the horse of the Russian hero brought the dead rider to his camp.
Tatar horsemen went on the attack. They crushed the Russian Guard Regiment. Grand Duke Dmitry fought in the armor of a simple warrior in the Advanced Regiment. The soldiers of this regiment almost all fell. Dmitry was hardly found after the battle: 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 the reorganized Bolshoi Regiment and reserve detachments blocked their path.
Then, unexpectedly, a numerous Ambush Regiment led by Vladimir Serpukhovsky and Dmitry Bobrok fell upon the Tatars. Mamai's nukers fled, sweeping away their own reinforcements. Neither the eastern cavalry nor the Genoese mercenary infantrymen saved Mamai. Mamai was defeated and fled.
The Russians stood up, as they said then, “on the bones”, that is, they left the battlefield behind them. They have won. Dmitry, nicknamed Donskoy since then, 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 hide in the Genoese colony of Cafe, but the townspeople killed the temnik, wanting to take possession of his treasury.
The prince safely returned with his army to Russia. True, the Russian regiments suffered considerable losses. The chronicler wrote: "Oskuda bo the whole Russian land from the Mamaev battle beyond the Don."
The victory on the Kulikovo field did not bring liberation from the yoke of North-Eastern Russia. Khan Tokhtamysh, who united the Golden Horde under his rule, demanded obedience from Russia. In 1382, he took Moscow by deceit, burned it and killed the inhabitants.
Dmitry Donskoy, confident in the fortress 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 the city. The townspeople chose as their leader the 18-year-old Lithuanian prince Ostei, who happened to be in Moscow. Ostei organized the defense, put “mattresses” on the walls (they were either stone-throwing machines, or already guns). Tokhtamysh's attempt to storm Moscow was repulsed. Then the Khan went to the trick. The Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod princes (brothers of the Moscow princess) who came with Tokhtamysh swore that the Tatars wanted to punish only the "disobedient" Prince Dmitry. And since he is not in the city, then the Horde will not touch anyone if the Muscovites voluntarily let 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 broke into the city through the open gates, killed people, and burned the city.
Other Russian lands also suffered from the invasion of Tokhtamysh. The cousin of Dmitry Donskoy, 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 the battle with him, Khan Tokhtamysh went to the steppe, but the Russian principalities were forced to recognize 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 almost did not control the fate of the golden yarlyk: the yarlyk was in the hands of the Moscow princes. The Golden Horde itself failed to restore its former unity and power. The horde was weakening and splitting. She was consumed by internal internecine strife. In the end, by the middle of the XV century. The Golden Horde broke up into the Crimean Khanate, the Kazan Khanate, the Great Horde, the Nogai Horde and the Siberian Khanate. The Great Horde claimed the legacy of the Golden, sought to rally the Tatar khanates again. From Russia, the Great Horde demanded tribute, but the Grand Dukes of Moscow and Vladimir rarely paid her a real Horde output. More often limited to the so-called "commemoration" (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 for the resumption of 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 the 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. The son of Oleg of Ryazan, Fedor, was married to Vasily's sister.
Nevertheless, with constant 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 ruled the Horde for a short time. He quarreled with his benefactor - the Samarkand ruler Timur (Timur Lang (lame) - Tamerlane). Having strengthened himself in the Horde, Tokhtamysh decided not to be Timur's vassal anymore. He moved his regiments to the Horde. The alliance with the powerful Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt did not help Tokhtamysh either. 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, Russia was exposed to terrible dangers. In 1395, Tamerlane invaded its borders and burned Yelets. Everyone was terrified ... An army headed 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 good luck to a miracle created by the icon of the Mother of God. The forces of Russia were exhausted not by chance, the emerging union of Moscow and the Lithuanian prince Vitovt did not take place. The misfortunes did not end there. Timur's henchman, the Golden Horde Khan Edigey, ruined Russia in 1408. Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov, Dmitrov, Serpukhov were taken. Around Moscow, the khan burned everything and captured thousands of people. But this time the white-stone Kremlin resisted and, having received a tribute, Edigey went to the Horde ...
For the most part, foreign researchers evaluate the results of Dmitry's reign modestly: the attempt to liberate Russia failed.
The majority of domestic scientists consider the time of Dmitry Donskoy 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 Russia's dependence after the Battle of Kulikovo began to change - the yoke was steadily weakening. However, even 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 devastation and devastation, either from external enemies, or from internal strife, followed one after another on an enormous scale. Moscow land, apart from minor ruins, was twice devastated by the Lithuanians, and then suffered an invasion of the Horde of Tokhtamysh; Ryazan land - suffered twice from the Tatars, twice from the Muscovites and was brought to extreme ruin; Tverskaya - several times ravaged by Muscovites; Smolenskaya - suffered from both Muscovites and Lithuanians; Novgorod land - suffered ruin from the Tverites and Muscovites. This was joined by physical disasters (plague, droughts in 1365, 1371, 1373 and famine, fires)...
Dmitry himself was not a prince capable of alleviating the plight of the people with the wisdom of government; whether he acted on his own behalf or at the suggestion of his boyars, a number of blunders are visible in his actions. Following the task of subordinating the Russian lands to Moscow, he not only did not know how to achieve his goals, but even let slip what circumstances brought him; he did not destroy the strength and independence of Tver and Ryazan, he did not know how to get along with them ...; Dmitry only irritated them and subjected the innocent inhabitants of these lands to needless ruin; 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 the devastated Russia again had to crawl and humiliate itself before the dying Horde.
CM. Solovyov 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 resources for an open, decisive struggle. The merit of Demetrius was that he knew how to use these means, knew how to deploy the prepared forces and put them to good use in time. The best evidence of the particular 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, decorated 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 princedom of Vladimir, which he calls his fatherland. Donskoy is no longer afraid of rivals for his son either from Tver or from Suzdal ...
Speaking about the importance of the reign of Dimitriev in the history of North-Eastern Russia, we should not forget about the activities of the boyars of Moscow: they, taking advantage of the circumstances, defended the rights of their young prince and their principality ... The latter did not remain ungrateful to people who so much wanted him well ... »
Well, here you are in 4th grade! Literary reading does not get tired of pampering us with new tasks. This time it takes write a story (report) about the Battle of Kulikovo by key words.
Tell us about the battle on the Kulikovo field. In your story, use supporting words: Prince Dmitry Ivanovich of Moscow, to repulse the Golden Horde, prepared for a long time, asked for blessings from Sergius of Radonezh, the saint predicted victory, the Russian army left the Kremlin Gates on August 10, 1380, the battle began on September 8, they crossed the Don, ambush regiment, the blow of the spear knocked down the prince, the Russian troops began to retreat, the enemy cavalry, the ambush regiment collapsed, the Tatars and Khan Mamai fled, a great victory on the Don.
In the VIII century, the Mongol-Tatar army came from the south. Mongol-Tatars are nomadic tribes. They were engaged in cattle breeding: camels, horses, cows, sheep, goats; wandered from place to place in search of new pastures. They could not eat for two or three days and easily endured the cold. Even among themselves, the Mongol-Tatars rarely lived in peace, and even with other peoples they were constantly at enmity. They were known as cruel and ferocious people. For almost 250 years they ruled the Russian land and collected tribute. All attempts to free themselves failed.
In 1359, the eldest son of Ivan the Red began to rule - Moscow Prince Dmitry Ivanovich. It is with his name that the beginning of a decisive struggle for the liberation of Russia from the power of the Horde is connected.Russia could not fight back against the Golden Horde, because there was no peace and harmony between the Russian princes. Prince Dmitryhe understood well that in order to successfully fight the Mongol-Tatars, the Russian principalities must join forces.He sent fast messengers throughout the Russian land with his letters. In 30 days, such an army gathered, which had never before gathered in Russia. There were squads of almost all Russian princes, as well as militias from different cities. The armament of that time was very heavy, from head to toe the warriors were covered with armor made of copper and iron. All kinds of armor were put on the body: chain mail, shells, etc. The weapons were spears and arrows. In addition to arrows and spears, swords, daggers, knives, sabers, and axes were used.
Prince to battle asked for blessings from Sergius of Radonezh- founder of the Trinity Monastery near Moscow. He gave Dmitry two monks of his monastery, warriors glorified in Russia - Peresvet and Oslyabya. Sergius not only gave his blessing for the campaign, but also predicted a glorious victory for the Russian army.
On August 10, 1380, the Russian army left the Kremlin gates. Prince Dmitry swiftly led his army to the south - towards the army of the Mongol ruler Mamai.The troops converged on the Kulikovo field, where the Nepryavda river flows into the Don.
Troops crossed the don and in the morning On September 8, 1380, the battle began. There is a legend that the battle began with a duel between two warriors - heroes. Mamai's bodyguard, Chelubey, rode out of the enemy ranks on a mighty horse. This challenge was accepted by the hero Peresvet. At full gallop they hit each other with spears, and both died. As soon as Chelubey fell from the saddle, enemy cavalry moved into battle and quickly crushed the Vanguard Regiment.
The Russians suffered heavy losses, the boyar Mikhail Brenok, who fought in a large regiment in the armor of the Grand Duke and under his banner, was killed. Prince Dmitry fought in the same regiment in the armor of a simple warrior. He took off his princely attire, put on the armor of a simple warrior and stood in the front ranks of his squad. “I want to drink a common cup with you,” he said to his soldiers. The blow of the spear knocked down the prince, he was injured but survived.
The terrible battle lasted almost a whole day. The Mongols began to overcome, but behind them ambush regiment collapsed – Tatars and Khan Mamai fled. They ran so fast that the Russian soldiers could not catch up with them. Mamai's army was defeated. The Russian victory was complete.
Many glorious sons of the motherland perished on the Kulikovo field. eight daysburied those who died on the battlefield.
In honor of the victory in this battle, the prince - the commander was nicknamed Dmitry Donskoy.
The great victory on the Don is of great importance in the history of the Russian people. It made a decisive change in Russia's relations with its wild conquerors. During its existence, Russia has experienced difficult times more than once and many trials have fallen to its lot. But our people have always found the strength to overcome all hardships and kept faith and hope for a better future.
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The Battle of Kulikovo (Donskoy or Mamayevo Battle) is a decisive battle between the united Russian army under the command of the Moscow Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy and the army of the beklarbek of the Golden Horde Mamai. The battle took place on September 8 (September 21), 1380, on the Kulikovo field, between the rivers Don, Nepryadva and Krasivaya Swords, in the southwestern part of the Epifan district of the Tula province, on an area of about 10 square kilometers.
The reasons
With the beginning in 1362 of the "great jam" in the Horde, with its almost annual change of khans, the relations of the Russian princes with the Golden Horde "kings" changed to a large extent. The weakening of the central power in the Horde made it possible, first of all, for the Moscow prince Dmitry to pursue an increasingly independent policy. After 3 clashes in 1368, 1370 and 1372, Moscow was able to stop the onslaught of Lithuania, in 1375 an agreement was concluded with Tver, directly directed against the Tatars. And already in the spring of 1376, the Russian army led by D.M. Bobrok-Volynsky invaded the middle Volga (Bulgarian cities), took 5,000 rubles from the Horde proteges and planted Russian customs officers there. Temnik Mamai, who by that time had greatly increased his power and influence, could not help but react to this.
1377 - Khan of the Blue Horde, Arab Shah (Tsarevich Arapsha in Russian chronicles), who transferred to the service of Mamai, defeated the combined Nizhny Novgorod-Moscow army on the Pyana River, plundered Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan. And the next year, Mamai, inspired by this success, sent one of his best generals, Murza Begich, against the Moscow prince himself. But in the battle on the Vozha River, the Tatar army was utterly defeated, and Begich himself was killed.
Mamai army
This shook Mamai's position in the Horde (especially since a very dangerous contender for the throne appeared - the natural Chingizid Tokhtamysh), and he began active preparations for the decisive battle. The Russian chronicles say that Mamai intended to repeat the campaign of Batu and defeat the Russian lands so that they could not rise. Mamai gathered all possible forces, entered into a political alliance with the Lithuanian prince Jagiello, tried to attract the Ryazan prince Oleg to his side. A terrible threat hung over the Russian lands.
It is quite difficult to judge the number of Mamai troops. It is precisely known about 4,000 hired Genoese infantry, that Mamai gathered reinforcements from all territories subject to him: the militias of the Yases and Kasogs, residents of the North Caucasus, took part in the battle. In the description of the battle, it is also said about 3 Tatar temniks who stood with Mamai on the Red Hill. The "Tale of the Mamai Battle" says about 800,000 Mamai's troops, which, of course, is a gigantic exaggeration. However, all sources known to us say with confidence that Mamai's army was larger than the Russian one. It seems that we can agree with the number of 80,000.
Russian army
Having received news of the advance of the Mamaev hordes, Prince Dmitry announced the gathering of an all-Russian militia. A review of the Russian troops was appointed in Kolomna on August 15, 1380. The core of the Russian army marched from Moscow to Kolomna - in three parts along three roads. Separately, the court of Dmitry himself moved, separately the regiments of his cousin Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovsky, and separately the regiments of henchmen of the Belozersky, Yaroslavl and Rostov princes.
Representatives of almost all the lands of North-Eastern Russia participated in the all-Russian gathering. In addition to the henchmen of the princes, troops arrived from the Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal, Tver and Smolensk grand principalities. Already in Kolomna, the primary order of battle was formed: Dmitry began to lead a large regiment; Vladimir Andreevich - regiment of the right hand; Gleb Bryansky was appointed commander of the regiment of the left hand; the advanced regiment was made up of Kolomna. There are significant discrepancies in the quantitative composition of the Russian army, but modern historians believe that the number of 60,000 people is closer to the truth.
Saint Sergius blesses Dmitry to fight with Mamai
Troop movement
In addition, Mamai expected to join forces with the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiello and Oleg Ryazansky against Moscow, while he assumed that Dmitry would not risk withdrawing troops beyond the Oka, but would take up a defensive position on its northern bank, as he had already done in 1373 and 1379 gg. The connection of the Allied forces on the southern bank of the Oka was planned for September 14th.
But the Moscow prince, realizing the danger of this unification, on August 26 swiftly withdrew his army to the mouth of the Lopasna and crossed the Oka to Ryazan. It should be noted that he led the army to the Don not along the shortest route, but along an arc to the west of the central regions of the Ryazan principality. On the way to the Don, in the tract of Berezuy, the regiments of the Lithuanian princes Andrei and Dmitry Olgerdovich were added to the Russian troops. At the last moment, Novgorodians joined the Russian army.
Troop formation
On the night of September 7, the Russian army crossed the Don, thereby essentially cutting off their retreat. On the evening of September 7, they were lined up in battle formations. The large regiment and the whole court of Dmitry stood in the center. They were commanded by the Moscow roundabout Timofey Velyaminov. On the flanks, the regiment of the right hand under the command of the Lithuanian prince Andrei Olgerdovich and the regiment of the left hand of princes Vasily Yaroslavsky and Theodore Molozhsky were located. Ahead, in front of a large regiment, was the guard regiment of princes Simeon Obolensky and John of Tarusa. An ambush regiment was placed in the oak forest up the Don under the command of Prince Vladimir Andreevich and Dmitry Mikhailovich Bobroko-Volynsky.
The course of the Battle of Kulikovo
1380, September 8, morning - it was foggy. Until 11 o'clock, until the fog cleared, the troops stood ready for battle, kept in touch with the sounds of trumpets. Dmitry again traveled around the regiments, often changing horses. At 12 o'clock the Tatars also appeared on the Kulikovo field. The Battle of Kulikovo began with several small skirmishes of the forward detachments, after which the legendary duel of the Tatar Chelubey (or Telebey) with the monk Alexander Peresvet took place. Both wrestlers fell dead (it may very well be that this episode, described only in The Tale of the Battle of Mamaev, is a legend).
Then followed the battle of the guard regiment with the vanguard of the Tatars, led by the commander Telyak. The Moscow prince was at first in the sentry regiment, and then joined the ranks of a large regiment, exchanging clothes and a horse with the Moscow boyar Mikhail Andreevich Brenck, who then fought and died under the banner of the Grand Duke.
In the middle of the day, the Tatars went on the attack with all their might. The joint blow of the professional Genoese infantry and the Tatar cavalry was terrible. An extremely fierce battle ensued. The guard regiment of Russians was almost completely destroyed. In the center and on the left flank, the Russians were on the verge of breaking through their battle formations, only a counterattack by Gleb Bryansky could save the situation. On the right flank, the attack of the Tatars was not successful. Then Mamai sent the main blow to the regiment of the left hand. As a result, this regiment could not hold the line, broke away from the large regiment and began to retreat to Nepryadva; the Tatars pursued him, a threat arose to the rear of the Russian large regiment, the Russian army was pushed back to the river, and the Russian battle formations were completely mixed up.
Sometimes they write that it was a tactical idea of the Russians, who lured the Tatars under the blow of an ambush regiment. But it’s hard to believe, because in this way the Tatars broke through to the rear of a large regiment, and to take such a risk ... Maybe a false retreat was intended, but at some point it became quite real. However, perhaps this was what convinced the Tatars that victory was very close, and they were carried away by the pursuit of the retreating Russians.
Vladimir Andreevich, who commanded the ambush regiment, offered to strike earlier, but the governor Bobrok held him back, and when the Tatars broke through to the river and framed the rear of the ambush regiment, he ordered to join the battle. The attack of the cavalry from an ambush from the rear on the main forces of the Mongols became decisive. The Mongol cavalry was driven into the river and killed there. At the same time, the right-flank regiments of Andrei and Dmitry Olgerdovich went on the offensive. The Tatars mixed up and took to flight.
A turning point came in the Battle of Kulikovo. Mamai, who watched the battle from afar and saw the defeat, fled with small forces as soon as the Russian ambush regiment entered the battle. There was no one to regroup the Tatar forces, continue the battle, or at least cover the retreat. Therefore, the entire Tatar army ran.
The ambush regiment pursued the Tatars to the Beautiful Sword River for 50 versts, "beating" their "countless multitude". Returning from the chase, Vladimir Andreevich began to gather an army. Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy himself was wounded and knocked off his horse, but was able to get to the forest, where he was found unconscious after the battle.
Losses
Losses on both sides were very heavy. Of course, one cannot believe the absolutely incredible figures of the "Tale of ...", which speaks of hundreds of thousands of dead. But even according to the most conservative estimates, the Russians lost at least a third (and maybe half) of their troops. The fleeing Mamai was able to save only 1/9 of the army, but it is possible that the bulk of the Tatars nevertheless fled, and did not die. Nevertheless, the victory of the Russian army was complete and unconditional.
From 9 to 16 September, the dead were buried; a church was erected on a common grave (it has long since ceased to exist). The Russians stood on the battlefield for eight days, burying their fallen soldiers.
Battle of Kulikovo and its significance
In disputes about the historical significance of the victory in the Battle of Kulikovo, historians break spears to this day. We are closer to the point of view of F.M. Shabuldo: “The defeat of the main forces of the Mamaev Horde in the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 was a turning point in the struggle of Russia against the Golden Horde, whose military power and political dominance were dealt a serious blow, which accelerated its disintegration into less significant state formations. Another foreign policy opponent of the Grand Duchy of Moscow - the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - also entered a period of hopeless crisis. The victory in the Battle of Kulikovo 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 "
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 the Golden Horde is not at all omnipotent and invincible, that its power can be overthrown. 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. We remember from the school history course that the Golden Horde is in crisis during this time period. 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.
Changes are also taking place in Kievan Rus, 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 possible to doubt 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 significance of this historical event is 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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