Moscow
78-556: Kulikovo may refer to: The Battle of Kulikovo , fought in 1380 between armies of the Golden Horde, under the command of Mamai, and various Rus' principalities, under the united command of Prince Dmitry of Moscow; widely regarded by Russian historians as the turning point at which Mongol influence began to wane and Moscow's power began to rise Kulikovo Field , in Tula Oblast, Russia, home to
156-406: A numerological value. The army came to the "clean field" near Nepryadva mouth and assumed a battle formation. After some time, Tatars appeared and began to form their order of battle against the "Christians". The Russian army was organized into six "regiments" - a Patrol, a Forward, two regiments of "Right" and "Left Hand," a Large regiment and an Ambush regiment. In turn, each of the regiments
234-465: A "legitimate khan" and his nobles defected to his rival Tokhtamysh khan. Mamai again fled to Caffa and was killed there. The war with Moscow had led Mamai's Horde to a complete crash. With one stroke Tokhtamysh received full power, thus eliminating the 20-year split of the Golden Horde. According to historian Gorsky, it was Tokhtamysh who received the most concrete political benefit from the defeat of Mamai. Prince Dmitri, who became known as Donskoy (of
312-481: A Persian blade dug out from the field was discovered in the house of a local family and transferred to the Kulikovo field museum. After visiting the field and the village of Monastyrschina, Tikhomirov noted that "swords, axes, arrows, spears, crosses, coins and other similar things" that were of value were frequently found there and owned by private persons. Numerous fragments of weapons, crosses and armour were also noted by
390-414: A catalogue of findings in the Kulikovo field. According to the compilers, the following items of weapons belonging to the time of the battle: four spearheads (and two fragments), a tip of a javelin, two fragments of axe blades, a fragment of an armour plate, a fragment of chain mail , and several arrowheads. Many weapons found in the vicinity of the Kulikovo field (such as bardiches , firearms), date back to
468-514: A coat and a helmet, so the Grand Prince could fight like an ordinary boyar, remaining unrecognized. The battle opened with a single combat between two champions. The Russian champion was Alexander Peresvet and the Horde's champion was Temir-Murza (also Chelubey or Cheli-bey, also Tovrul or Chrysotovrul). During the first pass of the contest, each champion killed the other with his spear and both fell to
546-461: A few years later when Timur burnt down the archives of the Golden Horde in Sarai. Each of the literary works of the Kulikovo cycle contains at least some historical errors or fictions. The earliest three works ("Chronicle Tale", Zadonshchina and "Narration") probably derived from a common source. Scholars usually consider the "Narration" to be the youngest version of this Slavonic primary source, and
624-628: A garden square and necropolis in Odesa, Ukraine, possibly named after the Battle of Kulikovo Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Kulikovo . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kulikovo&oldid=1177655252 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
702-514: A hundred copies of the "Narration" have survived, indicating the greater popularity of these later versions, which systemically rewrote various episodes from the Zadonshchina to make them more religious. For example, the "Narration" adds an invocation of Volodimer I of Kiev baptising the Rus' Land , Alexander Peresvet pronouncing a prayer before going into battle, and unlike in the Zadonshchina , nobody
780-496: A museum complex to commemorate the above battle Kulikovo, Arkhangelsk Oblast , a Russian rural locality (a settlement) Kulikovo, Dobryansky District , a Russian rural locality (a village) within Perm Krai Kulikovo, Kaduysky District, Vologda Oblast , a Russian rural locality (a village) See also [ edit ] All pages with titles containing Kulikovo Kulikov (disambiguation) Kulykove Pole ,
858-553: A panic. It seemed that the rout of the Russian army was close and the Tatars put all their forces into action. At that time, the cavalry of the ambush regiment launched a surprise counterstrike on the Horde's flank, which led to the collapse of the Horde's line. People and horses, tired from a long battle, could not resist the blow of fresh forces. After the Horde was routed, the Russians chased
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#1732845591297936-511: A result, in 1365, forced the princes of Nizhny Novgorod to give up claims to the Grand Duchy of Vladimir finally. In 1368, the conflict between Moscow and Tver began. Prince of Tver Mikhail used the help of Lithuania, and in addition, in 1371 Mamai gave him a jarliq to the Grand Duchy of Vladimir. But the Moscow troops simply did not let the new "Grand Prince" enter Vladimir, despite the presence of
1014-579: A surprise flank attack of a Horde. The Ambush regiment under the command of Vladimir the Bold and Dmitry Bobrok (brother-in-law of the Grand Prince) was hidden behind the line of Russian troops in an oak grove. The Grand Prince himself went to the front lines, leaving his trusted boyar Mikhail Brenok as the head of the Large Regiment under the great banner. He also exchanged with the boyar horses and gave him
1092-649: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Battle of Kulikovo Mamai , controlling the western part of the Golden Horde The Battle of Kulikovo ( Russian : Куликовская битва , romanized : Kulikovskaya bitva ) was fought between the forces of Mamai , a powerful Mongol military commander of the Golden Horde , and Russian forces led by Grand Prince Dmitry of Moscow . The battle took place on 8 September 1380, at Kulikovo Field near
1170-454: Is known that at the time some of the finds were collected by economist Vasily Lyovshin , who had a personal interest in the history of the battle. A large number of antiquities were discovered in the 19th century and their relatively large number led to the publication of the first catalogue of Kulikovo artefacts by Ivan Sakharov , Secretary of the Department of Russian and Slavic Archaeology of
1248-410: Is no exact data on the number of the army of Dmitry. It can only be said that by the standards of that time, it was a very large army, and even in the 15th century the Moscow princes could not assemble an equally powerful force, which led to fantastic stories about hundreds of thousands of warriors. The definition of the real size of medieval armies based on chronicles is a difficult task. Estimates of
1326-432: Is not available). Grand Duchy of Ryazan could be represented by the troops of the appanage Principality of Pronsk , whose rulers have long rivalled their Grand Princes. Also, the presence of small detachments from the borderlands of Murom , Yelets and Meshchera is "not excluded". Probably, the army of Dmitri was enforced by Jogaila 's rebellious brothers Andrei of Polotsk and Dmitri of Bryansk . The first data on
1404-519: Is said to be fighting "for the Rus' Land", but only "for the Christian faith and Grand Prince Dmitrii Ivanovich". The paintings on the theme of the battle were created by many Russian and Soviet artists such as Orest Kiprensky , Vasily Sazonov , Mikhail Nesterov , Alexander Bubnov , Mikhail Avilov . The French painter Adolphe Yvon , later known for his works on the Napoleonic Wars, in 1850 wrote
1482-485: Is sometimes challenged. Mamai camped his army on the bank of the Don River , waiting for the arrival of his allies. In August 1380 Prince Dmitri learned of the approaching army of Mamai. It is alleged that Oleg Ryazansky sent a message to him. The interpretations of such an act are different. Some believe that he did this because he was not a supporter of Mamai, while others believe that he expected to intimidate Dmitry – in
1560-405: Is unknown whether "The Tale" is based on an unknown earlier source, or whether it reflects a retrospective attempt to describe the battle based on tactics and practices of the 16th century. Due to the absence of other sources, the course of the battle according to "The Tale" was adopted as a basis for subsequent reconstructions of the battle. On 7 September, Prince Dmitri was told that Mamai's army
1638-445: The Don River (now Tula Oblast , Russia ) and was won by Dmitry, who became known as Donskoy ("of the Don") after the battle. Although the victory did not end Mongol domination over Russia, it is traditionally regarded as the turning point at which Mongol influence began to wane and Moscow's power began to rise. The battle would allow Moscow to strengthen its claims of ascendancy over
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#17328455912971716-611: The Golden Horde . In 1371, the Muscovites defeated prince Oleg II Ivanovich of Ryazan in the Battle of Skornishchevo ; he was exiled for six months before returning to his throne. In 1380, Oleg II did not take part in the Battle of Kulikovo , although he was an ally of Mamai . During almost all its history, the Ryazan Principality conflicted with its provincial Pronsk Principality until Ryazan completely annexed Pronsk in 1483 during
1794-615: The Grand Principality of Ryazan (Russian: Великое княжество Рязанское ), was a principality from 1129 to 1521. Its capital was the city of Ryazan , now known as Old Ryazan, which was destroyed in 1237 during the Mongol invasions . The capital was moved to Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky, later renamed Ryazan. Initially a part of the Principality of Murom , it fully split off from the Principality of Chernigov by 1129 as Murom-Ryazan . Murom
1872-471: The Principality of Moscow , and the Principality of Ryazan . Meanwhile, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania continued its expansion. It competed with Moscow for supremacy over Tver and in 1368–1372 made three campaigns against Moscow. After the death of Algirdas in 1377, his eldest sons Andrei of Polotsk and Dmitri of Bryansk began to struggle with their step-brother Jogaila for their legitimate right to
1950-407: The Zadonshchina is a rather chivalric and militaristic story with only superficial religious elements, while the "Narration" is a very Christian religious retelling of the events narrated in the Zadonshchina . The two German chroniclers were not eyewitnesses, but in all likelihood received their information from Lithuanian informants, who had their own biases. According to Ostrowski (1998, 2000),
2028-538: The "precious things" from the field, once numerous, were "scattered across Russia" and formed private collections, such as those of Nechayev, Countess Bobrinskaya and other noble persons. The fate of these collections is not always clear and not all of them have been preserved to this day; General Governor Alexander Balashov and educator Dmitri Tikhomirov pointed to the fact that in their time iron objects were often collected, melted down by peasants and used for their purposes. One such cases occurred recently, in 2009, when
2106-420: The 16th–18th centuries and cannot in any way relate to the Kulikovo battle of 1380. The historical evaluation of the battle has many theories as to its significance in the course of history: 53°39.15′N 38°39.21′E / 53.65250°N 38.65350°E / 53.65250; 38.65350 Grand Duchy of Ryazan The Principality of Ryazan ( Russian : Рязанское княжество ), later known as
2184-399: The Christian elements in it pale in comparison to its military and chivalric ethos . On the other hand, the "Narration of the Battle with Mamai", which has been largely derived from the Zadonshchina , is "a highly religious depiction of the battle, replete with constant prayers, miracles, and religious symbolism". As of 2022, there were 6 known manuscripts of the Zadonshchina , while over
2262-529: The Don) after the battle, did not manage to become fully independent from the Golden Horde, however. In 1382, Khan Tokhtamysh launched another campaign against the Principality of Moscow . He captured and burned down Moscow, forcing Dmitri to accept him as sovereign. However, the victory at Kulikovo was an early sign of the decline of Mongol power. In the century that followed, Moscow's power rose, solidifying control over
2340-515: The German chronicles were generally earlier and more accurate than the Kulikovo cycle sources, and showed that the battle did take place on the Don River, but was not as significant as claimed. The Battle of Kulikovo gave rise to an unprecedentedly large stratum of medieval Rus' literature; no other historical event has received such wide coverage. Russian historians singled out a body of "literary works of
2418-485: The Imperial Russian Archaeological Society. Historian Stepan Nechayev noted in his writings that during their agricultural operations, local peasants discovered old weapons, crosses, chainmail, and used to find human bones before; some of those finds were purchased by him, and their descriptions appeared on the pages of Vestnik Evropy . In 1825, it was reported by a famous Russian adventurer that
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2496-568: The Kulikovo cycle", or "Kulikovo cycle" for short. The most important works are: While the Zadonshchina is based on the literary model of The Tale of Igor's Campaign (also known as Lay of the Host of Igor’ ), the latter had elements of Slavic paganism , which in the Zadonshchina narrative were replaced by the idea that the Rus' soldiers fought "for the Rus’ Land and the Christian faith"; yet
2574-501: The Mamai itinerary and about the approaching forces of Jogaila. So, after reviewing the army, on August 20 he moved west along the Oka River, crossed it at the town of Lopasnya on August 24–25 and moved south towards Mamai. On September 6, the Russian army reached the Don River, where it was reorganized, taking into account the units that joined during the movement from Kolomna. At the council, it
2652-632: The Nechayevs and the Chebyshevs, whose rich collections were still remembered by local citizens in the 1920–1930s. Their estates were situated around the village of Monastyrschina, close to the site of the battle, but during the Civil War most of their collections were lost and only a significant part of the Nechayevs’ collection survived the revolutionary period, whereas the extensive use of agricultural machinery in
2730-611: The Nikon Chronicle, "to Lithuania") and the Ryazan boyars received Moscow governors. Soon Prince Oleg returned to power, but he was forced to accept Prince Dmitry as his sovereign ("older brother") and to sign a treaty of peace. Mukhammad-Bulek, Mamai's figurehead Khan, was killed in battle. Mamai escaped to the Genoese stronghold Caffa in Crimea . He assembled a new army, but now he did not have
2808-586: The Princes of the Smolensk Land and part of the Upper Oka Principalities were represented in the army of Dmitry, but there were no troops from Nizhny Novgorod and from the Principality of Tver (except for Kashin, who became independent under the treaty of 1375). The probability of the presence of a detachment from Veliky Novgorod is quite high (although in the early Novgorod chronicles, such information
2886-457: The Russian historian Gorskii, the list of princes and commanders (according to which one can estimate the composition of the army), cited in "The Tale of the Rout of Mamai" and the sources derived from it, is completely untrustworthy. However, he identified two chronicles with a sufficiently high level of reliability. According to his reconstruction, detachments from most of North-Eastern Russia, part of
2964-557: The Tatar ambassador. The campaigns of the Lithuanian army also failed and so the jarliq returned to Dmitry. According to the results of the truce with Lithuania in 1372, the Grand Duchy of Vladimir was now recognized as the hereditary possession of the Moscow princes. In 1375 the Prince of Tver once again received a jarliq for the Grand Duchy from Mamai. Then Dmitri with a strong army (larger than it
3042-443: The Tatar side. Mamai's allies, Grand Prince Oleg II of Ryazan and Grand Prince Jogaila of Lithuania, were late to the battle and the number of their troops can be ignored. The early sources contain few details about the course of the battle. "The Tale of the Rout of Mamai", which dates back to the 16th century, gives a complete picture detailing the alignment of forces and the events on the field and adds many colourful details. It
3120-402: The Tatars for over 50 kilometres (31 mi), until they reached Krasivaya Mecha River . The losses in the battle were great. A third of the commanders of 23 "banners" were killed in action. Grand Prince Dmitry himself survived, although wounded and fainted from exhaustion. His entire escort died or scattered and he was hardly found among the corpses. For six days the victorious army stood "on
3198-698: The Tula Diocese" (1895), editor Pavel Malitsky received reports from inhabitants of the Tula Oblast , who had found spearheads, poleaxes and crosses on the field. Spears and arrows dug out by the locals are also mentioned in the worksheets of the Tula Provincial Academic Archival Commission. Many artifacts were collected by noble families that owned Kulikovo, such as the Oltufyevs, the Safonovs,
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3276-422: The armies on the Kulikovo field fought by several separate consolidated units, that tried to keep the battle order. As soon as this order was disrupted, the survivors from the unit fled and a new detachment was put in their place. Gradually, more and more units were drawn into the battle. As described in the "Expanded Chronicle Tale": "And a corpse fell on a corpse, a Tatar body fell on a Christian body; then here, it
3354-460: The battle. According to the "Narration", Donskoy fought on horseback with his clothes, was wounded and left the field of battle, and was found unconscious under a tree after the battle; according to the "Chronicle Tale", Donskoy switched clothes with a boyar, fought in the frontline until the end of combat, and did not sustain even a scratch. The style of the Slavonic sources also differs significantly:
3432-577: The bones". Upon learning of Mamai's defeat, Prince Jogaila turned his army back to Lithuania. People of the Ryazan Land attacked separate detachments coming from the battlefield, plundered them and taken prisoners (the question of the return of prisoners remained actual for twenty years, it was mentioned in the Moscow–Ryazan Treaties of 1381 and 1402). Prince Dmitry of Moscow began to prepare for reprisal, but Prince Oleg of Ryazan fled (according to
3510-408: The book of 1966 argues that the maximum strength of the army of six regiments on Kulikovo Field could not exceed 36,000. Archaeologist Dvurechensky, an employee of the "Kulikovo field" museum, in his report of 2014 determined the number of the Russian army as 6,000–7,000 warriors. Close assessments are given by modern Russian historians Penskoy and Bulychev. The main impetus for reducing the estimates of
3588-511: The city of Kolomna from Ryazan, and the prince of Ryazan was killed after several years in captivity. After the killing of Khan Berdi Beg of the Golden Horde in 1359, the Great Troubles had arisen there. Warlord ( temnik ) Mamai , who was the son-in-law and beylerbey of Berdi Beg, soon took power in the western part of the Golden Horde . Mamai enthroned Abdullah Khan in 1361 and after his mysterious death in 1370, Muhammad Bolak
3666-450: The famous 19th-century Tula historian Ivan Afremov , who suggested building a museum for these artefacts. Some of the finds are known to have been sent as gifts to government officials and members of the Imperial family ; in 1839 and 1843, the head of a mace and the blade of a sword were gifted to Emperor Nicholas I by a Kulikovo nobleman. While preparing his work "Parishes and Churches of
3744-519: The field contributed to a loss of remaining artefacts. Several antiquities, however, were found and transferred to museums in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Works on relics from Kulikovo were published in the 1920s and 1930s by local lore specialists Vladimir Narcissov and Vadim Ashurkov . Most recent descriptions of Kulikovo weaponry and other artefacts have been presented in publications by Vasily Putsko, Oleg Dvurechensky and other historians. The 2008 book by Dvurechensky et al. presents
3822-449: The ground. Thus, it remained unclear whose victory was predicted by the duel's outcome. After the fights of the advanced detachments, the main forces of both armies clashed. According to the "Expanded Chronicle Tale" it happened "at the sixth hour of the day" (the daylight was divided into twelve hours, the duration of which changed throughout the year). "The sixth hour of the day" approximately corresponds to 10.35 am. According to one of
3900-425: The influence of the neighboring northern principality of Vladimir, but he was defeated by another Ryazan prince Ingvar Igorevich who in turn became a sole ruler of the state. In December 1237, the duchy became the first of all other former states of Kievan Rus' to suffer from the Mongol invasion . The duchy was completely overrun, with almost the whole princely family killed, the capital destroyed and later moved to
3978-703: The later sources, the Tatars met the first blow of the Russian cavalry on foot, exposing the spears in two rows, which gave rise to stories about the "hired Genovese infantry." Russian sources, even the earliest ones, unanimously tell us that after the clash of the main forces, a cruel melee began, which lasted a long time and in which the "innumerable multitude of people" perished on both sides. The medieval German historian Albert Krantz describe this battle in his book Vandalia : "both of these people do not fight to stand in large detachments, but in their usual way they rush to throw missiles, strike and then retreat backwards". An expert on medieval warfare, Kirpichnikov assumed that
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#17328455912974056-517: The least reliable, but even scholars who claim it has some historical elements have openly admitted that it has its flaws. For example, the "Narration" mistakenly claimed that Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev in 1380 resided in Moscow rather than Kyiv, that Algirdas (died 1377) was still grand duke of Lithuania in 1380, and that Dmitry Donskoy had a meeting with Sergius of Radonezh , which almost certainly did not happen. They also contradict each other on some fundamentals such as Donskoy's role during
4134-524: The monumental painting "The Battle of the Kulikovo Field" by order of Nicholas I . A minor planet , 2869 Nepryadva , discovered in 1980 by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh , was named in honour of the Russian victory over the Tataro - Mongols . Medieval sources do not give a precise description of the site of the battle, but they mention a large clear field beyond the Don River and near
4212-458: The mouth of the Nepryadva River. In the 19th century, Stepan Nechaev came up with what he believed was the exact location of the battle and his hypothesis was accepted. Studies of old soils in the 20th century showed that the left bank of Nepryadva near its influx in the Don was covered with dense forests, while on the right there was a wooded steppe with vast openings. On one of them, between
4290-416: The number of the Russian army by historians gradually departed from the hundreds of thousands of soldiers described in the chronicles and medieval literature. Military historian General Maslovsky in the work of 1881 estimated it to be 100,000–150,000. The historian of military art Razin in the book of 1957 estimated it to be 50,000–60,000. The historian and archaeologist, medieval warfare expert Kirpchinikov, in
4368-440: The other Russian principalities, in which it would ultimately become the centre of a centralized Russian state. Following the Mongol invasion of Rus' in the 13th century, the numerous principalities became vassals of the Golden Horde . During this period, the principality of Moscow was growing in power and was often challenging its neighbours over territory, including clashing with Ryazan . Thus, in 1300, Moscow seized
4446-641: The other Russian principalities. Russian vassalage to the Golden Horde officially ended in 1480, a century after the battle, following the defeat of the Horde's invasion at the great stand on the Ugra River . Only five primary sources about the battle have survived into modern times: one in Church Slavonic , two in Middle High German , and two Bolgar sources. No sources from the Tatar side are available; if they had been written, they were probably destroyed
4524-573: The past, none of the Russian princes dared to meet in battle with the Khan himself. Nevertheless, Dmitry quickly assembled an army in Kolomna . There he was visited by the ambassadors of Mamai. They demanded an increased tribute, "as under the Khan Jani Beg ". Dmitry agreed to pay tribute, but only in the amount provided for by his previous contract with Mamai. In Kolomna, Dmitry received updated information about
4602-487: The place where the river flows from the lake. As early as the beginning of the 20th century, it was believed that Nepryadva derived from Lake Volovo (Volosovo). The first searches for traces of the battle were done by amateurs in the 18th and 19th centuries by asking for items from peasants who ploughed the land, and frequently reported having discovered fragments of "weapons, baptismal crosses, icons, medallions and other items" that were allegedly related to Kulikovo. It
4680-665: The present-day location of Ryazan , located 40 miles north from the original site of the capital today known as Ryazan Staraya (Old Ryazan). In 1238, some of the armed forces of Ryazan withdrew to unite with the Vladimir-Suzdal army and meet with the forces of Batu Khan near Kolomna . In 1301 Prince Daniel of Moscow took Ryazan due to the boyars ' betrayal and imprisoned Prince Konstantin Romanovich [ ru ] . In 1305 Daniel's son Prince Yury of Moscow ordered his death. The two next successors of Konstantin were killed by
4758-493: The rivers Nepryadva and Smolka, the place of the battle was finally localized by a team of archaeologists led by Dvurechensky in 2005. The historian Azbelev (2016) subjected this localization to sharp criticism. Trying to prove that 400,000 people were involved in the battle on both sides, he assumed that the real battlefield was not at the mouth, but at the source of Nepryadva since the Old Russian word ust'e had also designated
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#17328455912974836-407: The strength of the army was the analysis of demography and mobilization potential. It was noted that even a much larger and more densely populated Russia of the 16th century rarely could expose 30,000–40,000 soldiers at a time. It was also noted that the timeframe for mobilization (about two weeks) was too small to mobilize a huge army of unskilled militiamen (even apart from the fact that this approach
4914-436: The threat from Tokhtamysh, Mamai chose to personally lead his army against the forces of Moscow. In preparation for the invasion, he allied with Prince Jogaila of Lithuania. Ryazan Prince Oleg was defeated by Mamai in 1378 (and his capital was burnt), he had no strength to resist Mamai, and Ryazan's relationship with Moscow had long been hostile. Therefore, in the campaign of 1380 Oleg took the side of Mamai, although this fact
4992-545: The throne and allied with the Grand Prince of Moscow. Simultaneously with the beginning of the Great Troubles in the Horde in 1359, Prince of Moscow Ivan II died and the new Khan of the Horde by his jarliq (law pronouncement) transferred the throne of the Grand Duchy of Vladimir to the Prince of Nizhny Novgorod . But the Moscow elite (in 1359, the new Prince Dmitry was only 9 years old) did not accept this. They used equally armed force and bribes to various Khans and as
5070-474: The total number of troops collected by Dmitry appeared in the Expanded Chronicle Tale , which estimates them to 150–200,000. This number is completely unreliable, as such masses of people simply could not physically fit on the field; even the number of 100,000 seems overestimated. Late literature sources determine the number of Russian troops at 300,000 or even 400,000 armoured soldiers only. Thus, there
5148-468: The tributary lands of the Golden Horde. In 1378, he sent forces led by the warlord Murza Begich to ensure Prince Dmitri's obedience, but this army suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of the Vozha River . Meanwhile, another khan, Tokhtamysh , seized power in the eastern part of the Golden Horde. He enjoyed the support of Tamerlane and was ready to unite the entire Horde under his rule. In 1380, despite
5226-540: The war for the throne of the Golden Horde. In the following years the Tatars raided Dmitry's allies and the Moscow troops made a campaign against Tatars over the Oka River in 1376 and seized the city Bolghar in 1377. In the same year "Mamai's tatars" defeated the army of Nizhny Novgorod with an auxiliary detachment left by Dmitry at the Battle on Pyana River . The Tatars then began to raid Nizhniy Novgorod and Ryazan . Mamai continued attempts to reaffirm his control over
5304-524: Was a culmination point in the history of Ryazan when during the civil war inside the Duchy six leaders of the state were killed by Gleb Vladimirovich who later defected to the Cumans . Around that time the duchy came under significant influence of Vladimir-Suzdal which was a factor in the fight of Ryazan to resume its sovereignty. In 1217, Gleb Vladimirovich with the support of Cumans tried to take Ryazan back out of
5382-616: Was approaching. On the morning of 8 September, in a thick fog, the army crossed the Don River. According to the Nikon Chronicle , after that the bridges were destroyed. The day of 8 September was very special, as it was the feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos , who was considered a patron Saint of Russia. According to the chronology adopted in Russia it was the year 6888 Anno Mundi , which also had
5460-457: Was completely contrary to all the military traditions of that time). Attempts to reduce the size of the army are criticized by some authors. Estimates of the forces of the Tatars in Russian sources are equally unreliable, they only show an overwhelming numerical superiority. So, in one variant of "The Tale" the number of Russian troops was boldly given at 1,320,000 but the Tatar army was named "innumerable". There were no medieval sources from
5538-454: Was decided to cross the Don before the enemies could combine their forces, although this step cut off the path to retreat in case of defeat. The earliest chronicle tales do not provide details on the composition of the Russian army. Among the dead in the battle there are named only Princes of Beloozero (which by that time were in strong submission to Moscow), noble Moscow boyars, and Alexander Peresvet . The latter, according to some sources,
5616-604: Was divided into smaller tactical units – "banners" (a total of about 23). On the field the army was arranged in multiple lines, and probably, the location of the regiments did not match their names (there is no evidence that the regiments of the Left and Right Hand disposed in line with the Large Regiment). The terrain did not allow for a broad front; probably, the units entered into battle gradually. The army's flanks were protected by ravines with dense thickets which excluded any chance for
5694-422: Was enthroned. Mamai was not a Genghisid (descendant of Genghis Khan), and as such his grip on power was tenuous, as there were true Genghisids with claims to mastery. Therefore, he had to constantly fight for supreme power and at the same time struggle against separatism. While there was a war of succession in the declining Golden Horde , new political powers were appearing, such as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ,
5772-435: Was from Lithuania (rather from Bryansk). The poetic story " Zadonshchina ", along with a figure of 253,000 fallen in the battle, gives dozens of dead princes, boyars, "Lithuanian pans " and "Novgorod posadniks " from all over North-Eastern Rus', but all this data is doubtful. There are mentioned even 70 fallen Ryazan boyars, although according to all other sources the Duchy of Ryazan was the forced ally of Tatars. According to
5850-441: Was in the Kulikovo battle) quickly moved to Tver and forced it to capitulate. Mikhail recognized himself as the "little brother" of the prince of Moscow and ensured to participate in wars with the Tatars. The open conflict between Dmitry and Mamai began in 1374, the exact reasons are unknown. It is believed that the illegitimacy of the puppet khans of Mamai was by that time too obvious, and he demanded more and more money, as he lost
5928-432: Was ousted from Chernigov by Vsevolod Olgovich , which remained in possession of his descendants after he died in 1129. The political centre of the principality was later moved to Ryazan. By the end of the 12th century, the principality waged wars with the neighbouring Grand Duchy of Vladimir . In the course of that stand-off, the city of Ryazan was burned twice in a span of twenty years from 1186 to 1208. In 1217, there
6006-452: Was possible to see how a Rusyn pursued a Tatar, and a Tatar pursued a Rusyn." The tightness of the field did not allow the Tatars to realize their mobility and use their tactics of flanking. Nevertheless, in a fierce battle, the Tatars began to gradually overcome. They broke through to the banner of the Large Regiment, threw it down and killed Boyar Brenok. The regiment of the "Left Hand" was also overturned and some "Moscow recruits" fell into
6084-412: Was taken by Moscow in 1392, while Ryazan later became dependent on Moscow and was formally taken over by Vasili in 1521, and incorporated into the centralized Russian state. It maintained its formal independence longer than any other Russian principality. Initially a part of the Principality of Chernigov , Murom-Ryazan became a separate principality under the reign of Yaroslav Sviatoslavich after he
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