Home Roses Kulikovo battle. In what year was the Battle of Kulikovo, or the beginning of the end of the Tatar-Mongol yoke

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Kulikovo battle. In what year was the Battle of Kulikovo, or the beginning of the end of the Tatar-Mongol yoke

In the history of Russia there were many turning points, critical moments, when the very fact of existence, further fate Russian and other peoples living in union, friendship with him, connected by millions of family ties, common grief and joy, were on the verge of enslavement, total plunder, desecration and death. Battle on the Ice, Neva and Borodino battles, defense, Kursk Bulge, Battle of Prokhorovka, Stalingrad. Russia remembers all of them and those rulers, commanders, military leaders, officers and soldiers who did everything and even more for the victory of the Russian spirit and weapons. The question of what year the Battle of Kulikovo took place is not only about an important battle for medieval Russia, but also a temporary point of cardinal change in further relations with the Golden Horde, the beginning of liberation from a heavy burden Tatar- Mongolian yoke.

To appreciate the importance of the Battle of Kulikovo, which took place in 1380, it is necessary to return to the beginning of the invasion of the united army Mongol Empire under the leadership of the great khan of the Golden Horde in 1237-1240 and the events that followed:

The grandson of Genghis Khan, Batu was the great khan of the Jochi ulus, named after his father, the son of the great conqueror of the world from the distant steppes of Mongolia. A more familiar name for this part of the Mongol Empire, then already close to the lands inhabited by Slavic tribes, – Golden Horde.
Batu's plans to conquer medieval Russia, and then the whole of Europe, were held back by only one thing - the lack of a sufficient number of troops for such a large-scale invasion.
In 1235 Batu called general meeting khans - kurultai, at which he convinced them to single out tumens, to organize a general military campaign under his command.
Most of the cities of Russia, the eastern part of Europe, as a result of the invasion of a half-million army, were taken, plundered, burned.
Kyiv, Moscow and other large cities of Russia at that time fell, which for 2.5 centuries became a vassal of the Golden Horde, and was obliged not only to pay tribute, but also to receive labels to the princes of all major cities, their associations to the right to be specific rulers of their "uluses" at the behest of the great khans.

Naturally, such a situation could not suit either the princes or the freedom-loving Russian people. Riots, uprisings, the murder of the Khan's Baskaks, who came for tribute, were a fairly frequent occurrence, but they could not change the situation.

Unfortunately, in comparison with the well-organized state machine built by the so-called Genghisides - the direct descendants of Genghis Khan, the control system, largely borrowed from China they had previously captured, a huge disciplined army, the Russian disunited principalities were weak, did not have sufficient economic, military potential.

To organize a rebuff, gathering forces, means into a single fist, train, arm the troops, was only within the power of the heirs of the glory of the great commander and diplomat of medieval Russia Alexander Nevsky, his direct descendants from the Rurik dynasty, who ruled in many cities. For decades, several generations of Russian people have united around Vladimir and Moscow - two centers of power of the emerging powerful state, their far-sighted rulers who were true patriots.

The most famous of them for posterity was Ivan Kalita, the grandfather of the future winner in the battle on the Kulikovo field. A skilled diplomat, tough when it was necessary for the cause, a collector of Russian lands under the rule of Moscow and Vladimir, whose princes he was. Not going into direct conflict with the khans of the Golden Horde, getting on well with them, the prince was not in vain nicknamed Kalita, i.e. a purse into which money flowed in a stream.

Large-scale construction in Moscow, strengthening the role of the clergy, assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church, including in the construction of new churches, the creation of princely squads, which later became strike force in the battles for the liberation of Russia, the basis of a professional army. This is what he did all his life, not famous for military victories, the ruler of Novgorod, Moscow, Vladimir principalities, which is still remembered by grateful descendants.

Dmitry I Ivanovich will receive such a nickname only after the Battle of Kulikovo, and before it, the young great-great-grandson of Alexander Nevsky, who was born in 1350, became the prince of Moscow in 1359, the grand prince of Vladimir in 1363, will have to grow up, get a decent education, comprehend the art of war and only then leave for your short 38-year-old life path a bright, memorable trace in the history of Russia:

Since 1995, the day in which the Battle of Kulikovo took place has been established as the Day military glory Russia. According to the new style, this is September 21, which is celebrated as the Victory Day of the Russian regiments, led by Prince Dmitry Donskoy, over the Mongols.

After the battle on the Vozha River, both Dmitry and the Horde understood that the fate of one of the contending parties would be decided in the next battle. Therefore, in the autumn of 1379, the Tatar-Mongols undertook a campaign against the Ryazan principality, which pursued reconnaissance goals.

In the hope of rich booty, mercenaries flocked to the Horde; by the beginning of the campaign, Mamai managed to gather a huge army. Its number was determined in different ways - from 250 to 400 thousand people.

The foreign policy situation was smoothed out favorably for the Horde.

The Ryazan prince Oleg and the Lithuanian prince Yagailo promised Mamai their help, which, in his opinion, made the position of Moscow hopeless.

Along with the violent suppression of opposition elements great attention Dmitry gave the moral preparation of the population for the upcoming struggle, using for this the church, which served as a conductor of the ideas of the centralization of Russia and liberation from the Tatar-Mongol yoke. At the same time, Dmitry sought to protect the Russian church from interference in its affairs by Byzantium, which was not interested in strengthening Moscow.

The attitude of the Grand Duke towards the church most revealingly determines the following event. After the death of Metropolitan Alexei, Dmitry, not waiting for Byzantium to send a new metropolitan, appointed one of his close associates, Bishop Dmitry, head of the church. He enjoyed wide popularity in Russia. However, the new metropolitan found enemies who wanted to take this place of honor themselves. The most enterprising of them was the Bishop of Suzdal Dionysius. The fight with him is over. tragic death Moscow metropolitan.

In the summer of 1380, rumors spread in Moscow about a new formidable invasion of the Tatars. By this time, Mamai's troops had crossed the Volga and concentrated the main forces at the mouth of the Voronezh River within the Ryazan Principality.

Waiting for the approach of the troops of his allies, Mamai slowly moved towards the Don. Thus, the army of Mamai occupied a central position. From the east, Prince Oleg of Ryazan was to join him.

As soon as Dmitry received the news of the invasion of the Tatars, sent from Moscow to all the principalities galloped with the order to immediately march with the army to Moscow. In order to gain time and find out the intentions and forces of the Tatars, a diplomatic embassy headed by Zakhary Tyutchev was sent to Mamai's headquarters.

It was decided to concentrate troops in Kolomna by July 31, and before that to advance to southbound strong reconnaissance force. Courageous and steadfast warriors were sent to reconnaissance under the command of Rodion Rzhevsky, Andrei Volosaty and Vasily Tupik, experienced in military affairs.

This advanced detachment was ordered to go to the Bystraya River or in the area of the Quiet Pine River and observe the enemy, part of the forces to go even further south in the direction of the Horde and capture a prisoner ("tongue") in order to find out Mamai's intentions.

These days Dmitry was in Moscow. He collected and prepared troops, which at that time squad after squad approached from neighboring principalities. The search carried out by Vasily Tupik turned out to be successful. Dmitry ordered a second military council to be taken.

Having waited for the approach of squads from the most remote principalities and having given the last orders, Dmitry began to march south to Kolomna.

On the way to the Grand Duke, one after another, news came from intelligence about the concentration and advancement of the Tatar troops. It was necessary to hurry. On the morning of August 24, Russian troops arrived in Kolomna.

The next day (August 25), on the orders of Dmitry, numerous squads lined up on the wide meadow bank of the Oka, called the Maiden's Field. Grand Duke reviewed the troops and appointed a voivode to each regiment.

Dmitry determined the marching order of the rati, which was to consist of an advanced regiment led by princes Dmitry and Vladimir Vsevolodovich Drutsky, a regiment right hand- Prince Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovsky, a large regiment, in which Dmitry Ivanovich himself was, and a regiment of the left hand, led by Gleb Bryansky.

Most short cut towards the Tatars led south through the lands of the Ryazan principality. However, Dmitry abandoned this short route. Therefore, Dmitry ordered to bypass the Ryazan lands from the west. The route indicated by the Grand Duke passed along the left bank of the Oka River in the south westbound.

Before reaching Serpukhov, at the mouth of the Lopasnya River, the troops were to cross the Oka and then move south towards the Don towards the Tatars. This path captured only the westernmost outlying lands of the Ryazan principality.

After the crossing of the troops across the Oka, at the mouth of Lopasna, the voivode Timofey Vasilievich Velyaminov was left, who had the task of directing the late squads and lagging behind foot troops after the main forces. He also had to sternly warn the newly arrived troops so that not a single civilian in Ryazansky was offended.

The route indicated by Dmitry was fully consistent with the strategic and political situation. Such a plan and the implementation of a swift offensive march put Dmitry Donskoy on a par with the great generals of antiquity.

On August 30, Russian troops concentrated in the area of the Lopasni River and began crossing the Oka. Their number reached 200 thousand, which, however, is some exaggeration. Most of researchers involved in the study of the Battle of Kulikovo, indicates that Dmitry brought up to 150 thousand soldiers to the banks of the Don.

Having ordered the governor Velyaminov to collect the rest, Dmitry forced the march. Not a single day did he allow the troops to rest. The distance from the Oka to the Don - over two hundred kilometers - the troops passed within seven days.

In 23 fields from the Don, in the vicinity of the village of Bereza, Dmitry stopped the troops in order to enable the approaching squads of the Polotsk and Bryansk principalities to join. An equestrian reconnaissance detachment was sent from Bereza to the Don under the command of the governor Semyon Melik, followed by the main forces slowly moving forward.

On the same day, Dmitry convened a military council in the village of Chernov 3. It was necessary to solve the main question: on which bank of the Don to fight. Part of the governor was in favor of using the Don and Nepryadva as advantageous natural barriers that covered the Russian army from the front.

More resolute governors objected to them, demanding an immediate crossing to the right bank of the Don.

By this time, it became known that the troops of Jagiello, advancing from the West, went out in advance detachments to Odoev, and their main forces were at a distance of one or two transitions from the Russian rati; coming from the East Ryazan prince. Dmitry was clearly aware of what real threat represented the troops of Jagiello and Oleg, advancing from the rear. Having transported troops across the Don, Dmitry prevented this danger.

The crossing of the Don also corresponded to the general strategic plan of the entire campaign, which was to break the enemy in parts, with the first blow to bring down on the more dangerous and strong enemy. On the tactical side, having crossed to the opposite side of the river, the Russian troops seized the initiative of action, imposed a battle on the enemy on an unfavorable terrain for him. Russian commanders led by Dmitry were given the opportunity to carefully assess the terrain, indicate in advance the battle order and the location of the reserves. The last circumstance in the Battle of Kulikovo played a decisive role.

On September 7, between the mouth of the Nepryadva and the village of Tatinka, Russian troops established crossings and found fords. On the night of September 8, Dmitry's troops crossed to the right bank of the Don.

Fig.2

On the right wing of the crossing troops, where several small tributaries flowed into the Nepryadva - the Upper, Middle and Lower Dubyaki - there were deep and steep ravines covered with forest. In the east, two small tributaries flowed into the Don - Smolka and somewhat to the south - Kurts. The banks of the Smolka were also covered with forest. This tributary, flowing almost parallel to the Don, was of great tactical importance. The forest that had grown between the Smolka and the Don - the Green Dubrava - made it possible to covertly concentrate a general reserve in it. All this vast space between the rivers Nepryadva and Don, occupied by Russian troops, gradually expanding in a southerly direction, from where an offensive of the Tatars was expected, was called the Kulikovo field.

On September 7, when the Russian military leaders were deciding on the crossing and the upcoming battle, the Tatar troops moved in a forced march from the Gusinoy Brod area in the direction of the Don. However, the Tatars failed to detain the Russians at the crossings. Their advanced units reached the Kulikovo field, when the main forces of the Russian troops had already crossed over to South coast rivers. The night of September 8, the opponents spent on the Kulikovo field, located opposite each other.

The assessment of the terrain and the corresponding formation of troops for battle testify to the high tactical skill of Dmitry Donskoy. When placing the Russian rati on the Kulikovo field, not only weak and strengths each Russian squad, but their nature of the troops and enemy tactics. The main branch of the Tatar troops was the cavalry. Beloved tactical technique Tatars was the coverage by strong cavalry groups of one or both flanks of the enemy. Disorder of one of the flanks with the subsequent exit of the cavalry to the rear of the enemy, as a rule, ended in his complete defeat.

Dmitry and his troops were no less carefully assessed. He placed the most combat-ready and numerous squads on the left wing. Selected squads became part of the ambush regiment, the command of which was entrusted to the skillful and illustrious associates of Dmitry - the boyar Bobrok and Prince Vladimir Serpukhovsky.

Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovskoy was also an experienced, courageous and energetic military leader. His name is mentioned in all Dmitry's campaigns.

On the morning of September 8, the Russian regiments lined up in battle order. Accompanied by famous governors, Dmitry traveled around the troops.

By 11 o'clock in the morning, the thick fog covering the Kulikovo field began to dissipate. Dmitry, returning under the grand ducal banner fluttering in the center of the battle order of a large regiment, gave his last orders and, instructing the boyar Brenk to guard the banner, went to the advanced regiment to take part in the battle.

At twelve o'clock in the afternoon, both sides launched a simultaneous offensive.

The battle began with a duel between two warriors. The Tatar Temir Murza was the first to leave and, boasting, began to call the enemy from the Russian squads. Alexander Peresvet, a monk of the Trinity Monastery, volunteered to fight with the Tatar. The warriors jumped at each other. The blow of the riders who collided in the duel was so strong that both were dead and even the horses under them were killed.

The duel between Peresvet and Temir Murza was the signal for a common battle.

The advanced regiment, in which Dmitry fought, was the first to take the blow from the entire mass of the Tatar troops. In a short skirmish, almost the entire regiment was destroyed. Dmitry with a small group of soldiers managed to break through to a large regiment. A fierce battle began between the main forces.

The main forces of the Tatars were thrown against the left wing of the Russian troops. The regiment of the left hand repulsed the fierce attacks of the numerous Tatar cavalry. Almost all governors, including the princes of Belozersky, were killed. The regiment suffered huge losses and, unable to restrain the ever-increasing onslaught of the enemy, began to retreat. Soon the Tatars managed to break through the battle order of the regiment. To restore the situation, a private reserve under the command of Dmitry Olgerdovich rushed to the left flank. Having taken the brunt of the main blow of the Tatars, the reserve squads died a heroic death. The situation remained critical. Inspired by success, the Tatar cavalry rushed into the gap.

The defeat of the regiment of the right hand created a real threat of the Tatars entering the flank and rear of a large regiment. All hope was now placed on the ambush regiment hidden in the Green Oak. Vladimir Serpukhovskoy and Dmitry Bobrok closely followed the battle, which had already lasted for more than an hour and a half. Several times Vladimir offered to join the battle, and each time the more cold-blooded and experienced Bobrok kept him from this act. Only when it became known about the defeat of the regiment of the left hand and that the front of the Russian rati was broken through, Bobrok realized that the critical moment of the battle had come. Like a storm, selected squads attacked the Tatar cavalry. Mamai no longer had reserve troops to repel the swift onslaught of Bobrok. Confused by the unexpected blow, the Tatar cavalry began to retreat in a panic.

For eight days, Russian troops were on the Kulikovo field until all the dead soldiers were buried, the place of fraternal ones is the village of Rozhdestveno-Monastyrshchina.

The military-political and strategic importance of the Battle of Kulikovo was enormous. She radically changed foreign policy situation for Russia.

On September 21, Russian squads arrived in Kolomna, from where, after a 4-day rest, they set out for Moscow. The news of the victory over the Tatars caused a general upsurge and enthusiasm of the Russian people.

The Battle of Kulikovo showed the Russian people that shameful Tatar yoke can be reset, but for this you need to unite and fight with common efforts. Being outstanding statesman Dmitry Donskoy understood this more than anyone else. It is no coincidence that after the Battle of Kulikovo, he ordered to call himself "the Grand Duke of All Russia"

The Battle of Kulikovo is of considerable tactical interest. It is not only evidence of the independent national path of development of Russian military art and its advanced, progressive nature, but also an indicator of the high tactical skill of Dmitry Donskoy.

Conclusion: For the Horde, and especially for Mamai, the Battle of Kulikovo was an irreparable blow. In order to raise the undermined prestige of the Horde and somehow improve the situation, Mamai began to feverishly cook new campaign. AT short term he managed to gather an army, but the defeat of the Horde took advantage of the neighboring Tatar peoples. From the east, the Golden Horde was invaded Tatar army led by Tokhtamysh. In the battle on the Kalka River, Mamai was defeated. With a small group of soldiers, he fled to Kafu (Feodosia), where he was killed local residents.

The battle of Kulikovo among Russians is usually associated with the liberation of Russia from the Mongol-Tatar yoke. Without detracting from the merits of Prince Dmitry Donskoy, we note that this is not entirely true - for several decades after that, Russia paid tribute to the Tatar khans.

In 1359, the Tatar nobleman Kulpa killed the eighth Khan of the Golden Horde, Berdibek. After that, a period known as the "great jam" began in the Horde. At one time, Berdibek ordered the killing of 12 relatives who could claim the throne. Therefore, when Kulpa declared himself Khan of the Horde, there were almost no legitimate contenders from the Genghis Khan family for the throne. However, this did not promise an easy life to the impostor. The son-in-law of the murdered Berdibek - the temnik Mamai - decided to avenge his wife's father, and at the same time become the ruler of the Horde. And he almost succeeded.

Imposter Khan

In 1360, Kulpa and his two sons were killed, and Mamai proclaimed his protege Abdullah (Ab-dullah) from the Batuid clan as khan. The cowardly Abdullah was a puppet of Mamai, who personally could not take the throne without being a Chingizid. The former temnik managed to establish himself in the western part of the Golden Horde (from the Crimea to the right bank of the Volga), and during the internecine war in the middle of the 14th century, he even captured the capital of the Horde - Saray.

In 1377, a young pretender to the throne of the Horde, Chingizid Tokhtamysh, with the support of Tamerlane, began a war against the Temnik. By the spring of 1380, he captured all the lands up to the Northern Azov region, leaving Mamai only his Polovtsian steppes in the Crimea.

Naturally, the Russian princes also knew about the position of Mamai, skillfully using internal conflicts in the Horde. In 1374, between Moscow and the Mamaev Horde, a “great rose world” began, as a result of which Prince Dmitry Ivanovich refused to pay tribute.

We know about the Battle of Kulikovo, which took place on September 16, 1380, from ancient Russian chronicles. According to them, the number ranged from two hundred to four hundred thousand soldiers. Modern historians come to the conclusion that the Russian army was much smaller: 6-10 thousand soldiers. The same can be said about Mamai's army, which was based not on Tatar horsemen and archers, but on mercenaries - the Genoese infantry located in the center. Thus, 15-20 thousand people converged in the battle. However, for that time, this was an impressive figure.

Describing the campaign of Dmitry Donskoy, they sometimes say that for him it was a matter that required desperate courage. A feat bordering on suicide. However, by that time, the Russians had already successfully fought the Tatars more than once. Back in 1365, Prince Oleg of Ryazan defeated Khan Tagai on the Void River. And in 1367, Prince Dmitry of Suzdal overturned the troops of Khan Bulat-Timur near the Pyana River. Yes, and Dmitry Ivanovich himself in 1378 defeated the army of Mamai's henchman, Murza Begich, in the battle on the Vozha River.
By the way, the first two mentioned battles contributed to the approval of Mamai on the throne of the Western Horde. And Mamai, in turn, did not forget the Russian allies, generously endowing them with "taxation benefits." Which, on the one hand, increased their status among the Russian princes. On the other hand, it aroused envy among less fortunate rivals.

What did they fight for?

As a result, the regiments of the Lithuanian princes Andrei and Dmitry Olgerdovich fought on the side of the Moscow army. And on the side of Mamai, they were preparing to speak, but did not have time to arrive at the beginning of the battle, the regiments of the Ryazan prince Oleg. It turns out that Dmitry had Lithuanians (an old enemy of Russia), and Mamai had Russians.

The consequences of the battle are also very ambiguous. Instead of a decisive blow to the ridge of the Horde, Dmitry, in fact, helped its consolidation under the rule of another Khan, Tokhtamysh. Subsequently, the remnants of Mamai's troops voluntarily accepted the power of Tokhtamysh, and Mamai himself fled.

In 1380, Tokhtamysh sent Dmitry the news of his accession to the Horde and gratitude for the defeat of Mamai. The ambassadors also notified Dmitry that now that the Horde is strong again, he will have to pay tribute, as before. The Moscow prince proudly replied that he was no longer submissive to the khan, and did not want to pay tribute. Payback followed immediately.

In 1382, Tokhtamysh besieged and took Moscow, completely plundering the city and killing 2/3 of the population. In addition, Vladimir, Zvenigorod Mozhaisk, Yuryev, Kolomna and Pereyaslavl were looted and partially burned.

A year later, Dmitry Donskoy sent his son Vasily to Tokhtamysh with a tribute and humbly asked him to receive a label for reigning. So, despite the success of the Battle of Kulikovo, the Horde almost immediately regained its position. It turns out that, in addition to demonstrating the valor of Russian soldiers, the battle on the Kulikovo field did not bring any success to Russia.

The sudden attack on Ryazan caused panic in the city. Without meeting resistance, the Tatars captured the cities and villages of the Ryazan land, plundered and burned them, but did not dare to go to Moscow. The reason for this, no doubt, was the destruction of the best part of the Tatar army in 1378. The chronicler wrote about this campaign of Mamai: “... having seen Mamai the exhaustion of his squad ... having collected his residual strength and a lot of army, he looked like an exile in the Ryazan land” 1.

Having devastated the Ryazan principality, the Tatars returned to the east. By 1380, Mamai managed to stop the civil strife within the Horde. The opponents of Mamai were executed, the troops of individual Tatar principalities were united into one army, with a single ruler in the person of Mamai, who owned all the power. And yet, it seemed to Mamai that his own forces were not enough to fight Moscow.

The foreign policy situation was smoothed out favorably for the Horde.

The Ryazan prince Oleg and the Lithuanian prince Jagiello promised Mamai their help, which, in his opinion, made Moscow’s position hopeless. Dmitry knew nothing about the perfidious plan of the Ryazan prince and the preparation of Lithuania for a campaign against Russia. The cruel civil strife of the Lithuanian princes allowed Dmitry not to be very afraid for his western borders. However, in order to firmly ensure security on this side, in the winter of 1379/80 (December 9) against Principality of Lithuania a campaign was undertaken by Moscow troops led by Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovsky, without encountering resistance, occupied a significant territory of the Principality of Lithuania.

Some Lithuanian princes voluntarily recognized the power of the Moscow prince, for example, when the troops approached Trubchevsk, Prince Dmitry Olgerdovich Trubchevsky "... did not fight, did not raise his hand against the Grand Duke." With his family and boyars, he went to the service of the Moscow prince, who received him with "great honor and with much love", placing him as prince in the city of Pereyaslavl.

Along with the violent suppression of opposition elements, Dmitry paid great attention to the moral preparation of the population for the upcoming struggle, using for this the church, which served as a conductor of the ideas of the centralization of Russia and liberation from the Tatar-Mongol yoke. At the same time, Dmitry sought to protect the Russian church from interference in its affairs by Byzantium, which was not interested in strengthening Moscow. According to the chronicler, when a new metropolitan arrived from Byzantium, Dmitry did not receive him. “We have Metropolitan Alexei, but why are you putting your money on the living Metropolitan?” - he severely objected to this encroachment.

The attitude of the Grand Duke towards the church most revealingly determines the following event. After the death of Metropolitan Alexei, Dmitry, not waiting for Byzantium to send a new metropolitan, appointed one of his close associates, Bishop Dmitry, head of the church. He enjoyed wide popularity in Russia. However, the new metropolitan found enemies who wanted to take this place of honor themselves. The most enterprising of them was the Bishop of Suzdal Dionysius. The struggle with him ended in the tragic death of the Moscow metropolitan.

Waiting for the approach of the troops of his allies, Mamai slowly moved towards the Don. Thus, the army of Mamai occupied a central position. From the east, Prince Oleg of Ryazan was to join him,

Together, Oleg's betrayal caused deep indignation in Russia.

At a military council convened by Dmitry in Moscow, he outlined a plan for future actions. Its basis was: to seize the initiative, prevent the connection of opponents and break them in parts, starting with the Tatars. At the same time, Dmitry sought to achieve a neutral position of the Ryazan principality and, when developing the route of the campaign, he ordered to bypass the Ryazan lands

It was decided to concentrate troops in Kolomna by July 31, and before that, to advance a strong reconnaissance detachment to the south. Courageous and steadfast warriors were sent to reconnaissance under the command of Rodion Rzhevsky, Andrei Volosaty and Vasily Tupik, experienced in military affairs.

This forward detachment was ordered to go to the Bystraya River or in the area of the Quiet Sosna River1 and observe the enemy, part of the forces to go even further south in the direction of the Horde and capture a prisoner (“tongue”) in order to find out Mamai’s intentions.

These days Dmitry was in Moscow. He collected and prepared troops, which at that time squad after squad approached from neighboring principalities. The search made by Vasily Tupik turned out to be successful. The prisoner captured by him was taken to Moscow and gave valuable testimony. The Tatar confirmed the available information about Mamai's conspiracy with Lithuania and Oleg and about his intention to invade the Moscow principality. He also said that Mamai was in no hurry, as he was waiting for the approach of the allies, the connection with which would take place on September 1 in the Kolomna region.

Now the situation for Dmitry was completely clear. The forced delay of the Tatars allowed him to postpone the final concentration of troops in Kolomna from July 31 to August 15. Dmitry ordered a second military council to be taken.

Pointing to the inevitability of the campaign and the postponement of the concentration of troops, Dmitry turned to the assembled princes, boyars and governors with an ardent appeal, “to be strong and courageous against the Tatars” 1 . According to the chronicle, this appeal of the Grand Duke was met with great enthusiasm. “We are ready to suffer for Russia and your grievances,” the Russian combatants unanimously declared 2 .

Dmitry used every means to raise the spirit of his troops, to inspire him with confidence in victory over the Tatars. Divine services were constantly taking place in the city, clergymen stood at the city gates, blessing the soldiers who marched to Kolomna.

Having waited for the approach of squads from the most remote principalities and having given the last orders, Dmitry began to march south to Kolomna.

The next day (August 25), on the orders of Dmitry, numerous squads lined up on the wide meadow bank of the Oka, called the Maiden's Field. The Grand Duke reviewed the troops and appointed a governor to each regiment.

Dmitry determined the marching order of the rati, which was to consist of an advanced regiment led by princes Dmitry and Vladimir Vsevolodovich Drutsky, a regiment of the right hand - Prince Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovsky, a large regiment, in which Dmitry Ivanovich himself was, and a regiment of the left hand, led by Gleb Bryansky.

The shortest way to meet the Tatars led south through the lands of the Ryazan principality. However, Dmitry abandoned this short route. For this they were.

their reasons arising from the political and strategic environment. Therefore, Dmitry ordered to bypass the Ryazan lands from the west. The route indicated by the Grand Duke ran along the left bank of the Oka River in a southwestern direction.

The Ryazan governors learned about the offensive of the Moscow troops after they had crossed the Oka River. The sudden appearance of Dmitry's troops caused confusion and confusion among those around Oleg. The bewildered Oleg herself did not know how to warn her ally, Grand Duke Jagiello Olgerdovich of Lithuania, of the advance of the Moscow troops.

In his calculations, Dmitry also took into account the expected offensive of the Lithuanian troops. The Lithuanian prince was, in his opinion, the most real ally of the Tatars. In order to prevent the connection of the allied forces, Dmitry led the offensive in a westerly direction, hoping, depending on the situation, to defeat them separately.

On August 30, Russian troops concentrated in the area of the Lopasni River and began crossing the Oka. Their number reached 200 thousand, which, however, is some exaggeration. Most of the researchers who studied the Battle of Kulikovo indicate that Dmitry brought up to 150 thousand soldiers to the banks of the Don.

Soon a group of soldiers returned from reconnaissance, delivering a captive Tatar from Mamai's retinue to the Grand Duke. The main forces of the Tatars, as the prisoner showed, were in the Kuzmina Gati area. 1 Mamai was in no hurry to march on Moscow, as he was waiting for the troops of the Ryazan prince Oleg and the Lithuanian prince Jagiello to approach. It also turned out that Mamai did not know about the performance of the Russian troops and that his troops could approach the Don only after three days. When asked about the number of Tatar troops, the prisoner replied that "there are countless of them" 2. As it turned out later, there were twice as many Tatars as Russians. According to most historians, Mamai had over 300 thousand soldiers.

On the same day, Dmitry convened a military council in the village of Chernov3. It was necessary to solve the main question: on which bank of the Don to fight. Part of the governor was in favor of using the Don and Nepryadva as advantageous natural barriers that covered the Russian army from the front. They also pointed out the danger of crossing in case of defeat.

More resolute governors objected to them, demanding an immediate crossing to the right bank of the Don.

Dmitry had the last word.

“Brothers,” he said, “an honest death is better than an evil belly”; it was better not to go against these godless ones, than, having come to do nothing, he would return back; Let us now pass to this day for the Don, and there we lay our heads for Orthodox faith and for our brethren.

After these words, Dmitry ordered to build bridges and look for fords across the Don for crossing to the opposite bank.

By this time, it became known that the troops of Jagiello, advancing from the West, went out in advance detachments to Odoev, and their main forces were at a distance of one or two transitions from the Russian rati; the attack of the Ryazan prince was expected from the East. Dmitry was clearly aware of the real threat posed by the troops of Jagiello and Oleg, advancing from the rear. Having transported troops across the Don, Dmitry prevented this danger.

The crossing of the Don also corresponded to the general strategic plan of the entire campaign, which was to break the enemy in parts, with the first blow to bring down on a more dangerous and stronger enemy. On the tactical side, having crossed to the opposite side of the river, the Russian troops seized the initiative of action, imposed a battle on the enemy on an unfavorable terrain for him. Russian commanders led by Dmitry were given the opportunity to carefully assess the terrain, indicate in advance the battle order and the location of the reserves. The last circumstance in the Battle of Kulikovo played a decisive role.

Rice. 3

September, the opponents spent on the Kulikovo field, located opposite each other.

The assessment of the terrain and the corresponding formation of troops for battle testify to the high tactical skill of Dmitry Donskoy. When placing the Russian rati on the Kulikovo field, not only the strengths and weaknesses of each Russian squad were taken into account, but their character of the troops and enemy tactics. The main branch of the Tatar troops was the cavalry. A favorite tactical technique of the Tatars was the coverage of one or both flanks of the enemy by strong cavalry groups. Disorder of one of the flanks with the subsequent exit of the cavalry to the rear of the enemy, as a rule, ended in his complete defeat.

Dmitry did not give the Tatars the opportunity to use this maneuver on the Kulikovo field. The right flank was securely covered by three wooded ravines with the Nepryadva River and streams flowing along the bottom of them. Thus, the exit of the Tatar cavalry to the flank of the Russian troops on the right, according to the conditions of the terrain, was completely excluded.

Dmitry Bobrok was known as an outstanding Russian military leader. Under his command, Russian troops defeated the Kazan Tatars in 1376; defeated the Ryazan squad under Skornishchev.

Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovskoy was also an experienced, courageous and energetic military leader. His name is mentioned in all Dmitry's campaigns.

All this indicates how carefully, taking into account all the possibilities of the battle, Dmitry prepared for the upcoming battle.

On the morning of September 8, the Russian regiments lined up in battle order. Accompanied by famous governors, Dmitry traveled around the troops.

By 11 o'clock in the morning, the thick fog covering the Kulikovo field began to dissipate. Dmitry, returning under the banner of the Grand Duke, fluttering in the center of the battle formation of a large regiment, gave his last orders and, instructing

to guard the banner of the boyar Brenka, went to the advanced regiment to take part in the battle.

At twelve o'clock in the afternoon, both sides launched a simultaneous offensive.

The duel between Peresvet and Temir Murza was the signal for a common battle.

The defeat of the regiment of the right hand created a real threat of the Tatars entering the flank and rear of a large regiment. All hope was now placed on the ambush regiment hidden in the Green Oak. Vladimir Serpukhovskoy and Dmitry Bobrok closely followed the battle, which had already lasted for more than an hour and a half. Several times Vladimir offered to join the battle, and each time the more cold-blooded and experienced Bobrok kept him from this act. Only when it became known about the defeat of the regiment of the left hand and that the front of the Russian rati was broken through, Bobrok realized that the critical moment of the battle had come. “... Our hour has come. Go ahead, brothers and friends,” Bobrok turned to the soldiers and gave the order to attack the Tatars. Like a storm, selected squads attacked the Tatar cavalry. Mamai no longer had reserve troops to repel the swift onslaught of Bobrok. Confused by the unexpected blow, the Tatar cavalry began to retreat in a panic.

Following the ambush regiment, the rest of the regiments also launched a general counterattack. Mamai did not even try to hold back the crowds of his fleeing warriors. Together with them, in panic fear, he also fled from the Kulikovo field.

For eight days, Russian troops were on the Kulikovo field until all the dead soldiers were buried, the place of fraternal ones is the village of Rozhdestveno-Monastyrshchina.

The military-political and strategic importance of the Battle of Kulikovo was enormous. It radically changed the foreign policy situation for Russia.

The Battle of Kulikovo showed the Russian people that the shameful Tatar yoke can be thrown off, but for this it is necessary to unite and fight with common efforts. Being an outstanding statesman, Dmitry Donskoy understood this more than anyone else. It is no coincidence that after the Battle of Kulikovo, he ordered to call himself "the Grand Duke of All Russia"

Conclusion: For the Horde, and especially for Mamai, the Battle of Kulikovo was an irreparable blow. In order to raise the undermined prestige of the Horde and somehow improve the situation, Mamai began to feverishly prepare a new campaign. In a short time he managed to gather an army, but the neighboring Tatar peoples took advantage of the defeat of the Horde. From the east, the Tatar army, led by Tokhtamysh, invaded the Golden Horde. In the battle on the Kalka River, Mamai was defeated. With a small group of soldiers, he fled to Kafu (Feodosia), where he was killed by local residents. "... and tacos Mamai evilly died his damned belly"

The battle on the reins convinced the Russians of the possibility of defeating the Tatars. But the relationship had to change when Mamai, who still ruled in the name of Khan Abdul and then Magomed, finally got rid of the latter and proclaimed himself Khan. Now he had the opportunity to move the entire horde to punish the Moscow prince, who could not be humbled by one detachment. It turns out that in order to enslave Russia again, he needed to repeat Batu's invasion. They say that the Vozhskoye defeat infuriated Mamai, and he did not want to calm down until he took revenge on Dmitry. Lithuanian Jagiello entered into an alliance with him, who had many reasons not to be kind to the Moscow prince. They decided to unite on September 1, 1380. Upon learning of this, Dmitry immediately began to gather troops. Only Prince Oleg of Ryazan did not come to his aid, as he was intimidated by the very recent raids of the Tatars. And since Ryazan is a border city for the horde, the first blow would have fallen on it. Therefore, Oleg chose to connect with Mamai and Jagiello. Dmitry Donskoy entered the campaign in August 1380. Before the start of the campaign, he was St. Sergius at the Trinity Monastery. Sergius blessed him for the war, promising victory, albeit combined with heavy bloodshed, and sent two monks, Peresvet and Oslyabya, distinguished in the world for their courage, to go on a campaign with him. Dmitry gathered a huge army, which 150,000 people had not seen before in Russia. When the news of strong weapons reached Mamai, he tried to end the matter amicably, but Donskoy rejected this proposal. On September 8, at three o'clock in the morning, when the morning fog cleared a little, the Russian regiments formed up behind the Don, at the mouth of the Nepryavda. At about twelve o'clock the Tatars began to appear, they were descending from the hill to the wide Kulikovo field. The Russians also descended from the hill, and the guard regiments began a battle that had never happened before in Russia. Blood flowed like water over an area of ten miles, horses could not walk over corpses, warriors died under horse hooves, suffocated from crowding. The foot Russian army was already lying like mowed hay, and the Tatars began to overcome. But still fresh Russian regiments under the command of princes Vladimir Andreevich and Dmitry Mikhailovich Volynsky-Bobrok stood in an ambush in the forest. When the wind changed and stopped blowing right in the face of the Russians, the ambush militia rushed at the Tatars. This appearance of fresh forces on the side of the Russians decided the fate of the battle. Mamai, who was standing on a hill and watching the battle from there, saw that the victory had leaned towards the Russians, and fled. The Russians drove the Tatars to the Sword River and took possession of their entire camp. The Battle of Kulikovo was of great importance for Northern Russia and for Moscow. Contemporaries considered her the greatest event and the winner of the Tatars, Grand Duke Dmitry was given the nickname Donskoy for the victory on the Don. Military significance The Kulikovo victory consisted in the fact that it destroyed the former conviction of the invincibility of the horde and showed that Russia had grown stronger for the struggle for independence. Losses from the Battle of Kulikovo were infinitely great. In 1382, the Tatars, led by Khan Tokhtamysh, managed to defeat Russia and again imposed tribute on Russian lands. Thus, the overthrow of the Mongol-Tatar yoke was postponed for another hundred years. The overthrow of the Mongol-Tatar yoke. Before the reign of Ivan III Russia continued to periodically suffer from Tatar raids.

In 1462, after the death of Vasily the Dark, his eldest son Ivan Vasilyevich became the prince. Having grown up in a difficult time of internecine strife and unrest, Ivan early acquired worldly experience and a habit of business. He brilliantly conducted his affairs and, one might say, completed the collection of Great Russian lands under the rule of Moscow, forming a single Great Russian state from his possessions. And of course one of the most significant events his reign was the liberation of Russia from the oppression of the Mongol-Tatar yoke. As for the Golden Horde, Ivan III stopped all relations dependent on it, did not give tribute, did not go to the horde, did not show respect to the khan. Once Ivan III even threw the khan's basma on the ground and trampled with his foot, that is, that sign, probably, a golden plate with an inscription that the khan handed over to his ambassadors to Ivan, as a sign of their authority and power. The weak Golden Horde Khan Akhmat tried to act against Moscow in alliance with Lithuania, but since Lithuania did not give him reliable assistance, he limited himself to raids on Moscow's borders. In 1472, he came to the banks of the Oka and, having plundered, went back, not daring to go to Moscow.

In 1480 he repeated his raid. Leaving the upper reaches of the Oka to his right, Akhmat came to the Ugra River, to the border places between Moscow and Lithuania. But even here he did not receive help from an ally, since at that very time Lithuania was attacked by Crimean Khan, an ally of the Moscow prince. Moscow met Akhmat with a strong army. On the Ugra stood against each other Akhmat and Ivan III, both in indecision to start a direct battle. The behavior of Ivan III was considered by many to be cowardice. However, having stood on the Ugra from summer to November, waiting for snow and frost, Akhmat was forced to go home. He himself was soon killed in strife, and his sons died in the fight against the Crimean horde. The Golden Horde finally collapsed in 1502. Thus ended the Tatar yoke for Moscow, which gradually subsided and in its last days was nominal. But for about three more centuries, the Russian people had to fight the constant Tatar robbery coming from the remaining small nomadic Tatar hordes.