About the "label" of Mamai to the Grand Duke Olgerd. Battle of Kulikovo in reconstructions and painting Who was Mamai's ally in 1380

Kulikovo battle. 1380
Officially in Russia 400 years of Christianity. Leaders of the Slavic army:
Vel Kn. Vladimir and Moscow Prince. Dmitry Iv. Donskoy. Same way; Book. Vladimir And. Serpukhovskaya (Brave) and Prince. Bobrok - Volynsky Dm. Mich. It was he who, at the decisive moment, ambushed the Tatars.
Their enemy: The ruler of the Golden Horde - Temnik Mamai.
The battle took place on the Kulikovo field and began with a duel between Peresvet and Chelubey.
Mamai was an ally; Vel. Book. Lithuanian Jagiello, his army followed the river. Oka, to connect with the army of Mamai, which was approaching the river. Oke from the South.
The intention of the imminent Battle of Kulikovo was to prevent the troops of Mamai and Jagiello from uniting.

Peresvet (Alexander):
He was a pagan (Name Peresvet - yavl. Pagan). Bryansk boyar of a large, noble and ancient family. Having fallen in love with the girl, he sent matchmakers, but was refused. The motivation for the refusal was that Peresvet is a desired groom and son-in-law, but a pagan, although otherwise he is good in everything - and the girl is a Christian. The future father-in-law advised, Peresvet was baptized, then the girl would become his wife, and no one would put up obstacles.
Peresvet gathered a tribal council. He was advised to take a wife from a pagan family. (At that time, three more pagan clans remained in the Bryansk region, the rest were already baptized, including the clan of the beloved girl). Peresvet managed to win over the youth to his side by the fact that almost all clans in the district are already baptized and it would be time for us, because Christ reigned in Russia. The princes are also all baptized. But most of all, he put pressure on the fact that he was the only heir, and did not want to unloved wife. His uncle told him then that his nephew should think carefully before making a decision. For having betrayed the Gods, a person will not receive happiness, but will find suffering. To which Peresvet reasonably remarked: - I will be accepted under the protection of Christ when I become a Christian.
So having split his family in two, Peresvet came to be baptized with young relatives, in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. He was christened and given the Christian name Alexander, Sergius of Radonezh himself, who, as you know, had a hypnotic talent. Everyone knows his miracles in public, and to suggest that this is not witchcraft, but God's miracles, for a hypnotist was worth nothing. Moreover, the Sergius Lavra made an impressive contribution to the Byzantine Patriarchate, so the patriarchs turned a blind eye to the miracles performed by Radonezh and turned them to strengthen the church in their favor. By the way, for the same miracles, even for much smaller ones, earlier, in Europe, the Inquisition burned people at the stake, after declaring them sorcerers, etc. Modern hypnotist middle class, able to do the same miracles as Radonezh. So it turned out; That Peresvet (and now Alexander) needs to atone for the sin of long thought (400 years). Because for a long time the ancestors of Peresvet should have become Christians. Peresvet itself! He must atone for this sin of his fathers, but since he came into the bosom of the church of his own free will, the punishment will not be severe. Peresvet was to take monastic vows for a short time (about 7 years).
Of course, Radonezh knew what need forced Peresvet to appear in the church. And everything would be fine if Peresvet was poor, but to his misfortune it was not so. The wealth of Peresvet haunted Radonezhsky. He uses military operations in his favor, especially since he was not afraid of Mamai, some sources claim that Radonezhsky could have prevented the war, but for one reason or another he did not. Everyone knows that the Khan did not touch a single church. Radonezh sends Peresvet with the army of Prince. Dmitry. (Having previously inspired him with a certain attitude (zombified, the prerogative of hypnosis), for example, do not return alive.) It is known that all the property of the monk Alexander (formerly Peresvet) passed shortly after the battle to the church. And a little later, when the old relatives of Peresvet died, and all the lands that belonged to them. Also, Sergius of Radonezh sends, along with Peresvet, his adept Oslyablya. So that during the battle, unnoticed by others, he got rid of Peresvet. Radonezh, punished Oslyable, if for some reason Peresvet remains alive after the battle, then he should not get to the house alive. In this case, Oslyablya had to use poison. It was Oslyablya who advised Peresvet to fight, (which is tantamount to suicide), promising that in case of victory he would atone for the sin of his ancestors and be freed from monasticism.
Peresvet was strong man, otherwise Oslyablya would not have been needed, in the intense mobilization of all sacral-spiritual and physical strength, before the fight, with a more than formidable opponent, there was a short-term clarification of reason. He heard him being asked, name yourself? He called his pagan: I am Peresvet, not Alexander, The sound of a native name, and the proximity of death dispelled the remnants of a strange fog in my head. When it dawned on him where he was and what he had to do, he again shouted his pagan name, but already menacingly and meaningfully feeling his near death with all his being, (The words spoken by his uncle at the council came to mind). Raising his horse galloping, Peresvet loudly asked for forgiveness from the ancient gods. For some time he looked in surprise at the defeated enemy, and smiled happily, Forgive me.
Now it becomes clear why, instead of a warrior-knight, a monk came out.
This explains something else, because after the fighters collided. The Chelubey was pierced by the army, and died a naturally violent death for a person, but there was not a single scratch on Peresvet. He turned his horse and rode towards his jubilant army. Dmitry Donskoy himself rode forward to express his gratitude to the warrior. But strangely, Peresvet was sitting in the saddle with a smile, but he was dead. That's basically it.
It remains to be added that at the last minute, having abandoned Christianity, and regaining the lost freedom of a pagan, he put all his human strength in order to deservedly receive the forgiveness of Perun, (the Thunderer, the Gloomy Warrior God) and killed the formidable Chelubey, he simply could not help but kill his.

Chelubey (Temir-Murza, Chelobey, Chelombey).
The tribute collector was incredibly strong and agile. Coming for tribute to Russian cities, he arranged amusing fights (competitions). So here it is! Not a single Russian settlement was a hero who could resist Temir-Murza (real name).
His Russian nicknames speak for themselves, Chelubey,
Chelobey; if an opponent of Temir-Murza in a funny fight missed a blow to the head, he usually fell dead.
Chelombey; Since Temir-Murza was a tributary, temnik Mamai, and there was not always enough money to pay tribute, the Slavs had to beat with their foreheads, namely Temir-Murza, and beg to wait a little. If Temir-Murza liked the way they bowed to him (This feature was noticed in Russia, and they used it with might and main), then he usually made concessions and accepted the petition.
What can I say, Mamai himself was afraid of Temir-Murza and cajoled in every possible way, because the batyr broke the neck of a three-year-old bull, taking him by the horns, which his opponents could not do. Amusing battles were also arranged in the Horde itself, and Mamai took any actions in order not to get on the same field with Temir-Murza. Basically it was a cunning unobtrusive bribery and gifts.
So the Khan gave Temir-Murza a Persian slave. Love arose between them. The slave warned her beloved about the danger that threatened him, asked him not to go camping, and he himself did not want to. But Mamai begged him to at least have a duel and then go home. The Uruses will not be able to put anyone against you. Only your name instills fear and trembling in the knees, exhorted Mamai (he also seemed to know that they would kill a strong man, Temir - Murza, pricked his high pride, like an awl - ass). Temir-Murza gave his consent to the khan. And he was killed on September 8, 1380.
By the way, by nature, Temir-Murza was kind and accommodating, trusting and flexible, however, like any strong man.

Duel

Looks at the Mamai field by the river,
There are fighting regiments of Russians.
They are solid, monolithic, like a mountain,
He said to Chelubey: "It's time."

Temir-Murza is called Chelubey,
No wonder many beat him with their foreheads.
Mighty and huge Tatar batyr,
He is not afraid of any hero.

Batyr laughed, jumped on his horse:
- You, bright khan, wait for me with victory ...
Well, who is strong here, come out, do not be shy!
Chelubey screams insultingly at the Slavs.

Dmitry anxiously looks at the army:
Is there someone who will defeat the enemy.
The boyars are shy, look away,
They cross themselves, crumple, look under their feet.

A gray-haired warrior drove up to Dmitry here:
-Let me say, prince, who it is.
Before the battle, this warrior told me everything,
How he lived, how he loved, how he became a monk.

He was a pagan, he remembered the old covenant,
In Perun, he saw the divine light.
They deceitfully tonsured him as a monk,
So that in the future he would not have his good.

But Peresvet did not forget his name!
After all, he was before Christ Alexander.
He told me: Now I'm going with Perun,
I can't be a traitor to God.

Jesus of Byzantium will not save me,
And he won't take my soul.
Rushed into battle like an eagle, Peresvet,
Through the screams came Perun's answer.

There was no reason for him to be afraid.
He sent a rampage into Chelubey's chest.
And only the enemies in a duel came together,
How the Gods of War poured into them with all their might.

Dust clogged Peresvet's eyes,
But God cannot miss in battle.
The spear of Chelubey pierced with a crunch,
The Slavs rejoice - there is no more villain.

The prince wanted to hug the winner,
But the mortal knight has already overcome the dream,
Barely audible in his mustache whispers a gray-haired warrior:
-A dashing warrior went to Perun.

We all now honor a foreign god,
The road to suffering is now open to us.
Not to know the yoke of centuries-old shackles,
If we hadn't betrayed the ancient Gods...

Battle of Kulikovo (Battle of Mamay), a battle between the united Russian army led by the Moscow Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich and the army of the Temnik of the Golden Horde Mamai, which took place on September 8, 1380 on the Kulikovo field (a historical area between the rivers Don, Nepryadva and Beautiful Mecha in the south east of the Tula region.

Strengthening of the Moscow principality in the 60s of the XIV century. and the unification around him of the rest of the lands of North-Eastern Russia went almost simultaneously with the strengthening of the power of the Temnik Mamai in the Golden Horde. Married to the daughter of the Golden Horde Khan Berdibek, he received the title of emir and became the arbiter of the fate of that part of the Horde, which was located west of the Volga to the Dnieper and in the steppe expanses of the Crimea and Ciscaucasia.

The militia of the Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich in 1380 Lubok XVII century.

In 1374, Prince Dmitry Ivanovich of Moscow, who also had a label for the Grand Duchy of Vladimir, refused to pay tribute to the Golden Horde. Then the khan in 1375 handed over the label to the great reign of Tver. But virtually the entire North-Eastern Russia came out against Mikhail of Tverskoy. The Moscow prince organized a military campaign against the Tver principality, which was joined by the Yaroslavl, Rostov, Suzdal and regiments of other principalities. Dmitry was supported by Novgorod the Great. Tver capitulated. According to the concluded agreement, the Vladimir table was recognized as the "fatherland" of the Moscow princes, and Mikhail of Tverskoy became Dmitry's vassal.

However, the ambitious Mamai continued to consider the defeat of the Moscow Principality, which had emerged from subordination, as the main factor in strengthening his own positions in the Horde. In 1376, the Khan of the Blue Horde, Arab-shah Muzzaffar (Arapsha of Russian chronicles), who transferred to the service of Mamai, ruined the Novosilsky principality, but returned back, avoiding a battle with the Moscow army that had gone beyond the Oka line. In 1377, he was on the river. Drunk did not defeat the Moscow-Suzdal army. The governors sent against the Horde showed carelessness, for which they paid: “And their princes, and boyars, and nobles, and governors, consoling and having fun, drinking and fishing, acting like a house”, and then ruined the Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan principalities.

In 1378, Mamai, trying to force him to pay tribute again, sent an army to Russia led by Murza Begich. The Russian regiments that came forward were led by Dmitry Ivanovich himself. The battle took place on August 11, 1378 in the Ryazan land, on the tributary of the Oka river. Vozhe. The Horde were utterly defeated and fled. The battle on the Vozha showed the increased power of the Russian state, which was taking shape around Moscow.

To participate in the new campaign, Mamai attracted armed detachments from the conquered peoples of the Volga region and North Caucasus, in his army there were also heavily armed infantrymen from the Genoese colonies in the Crimea. The allies of the Horde were the great Lithuanian prince Jagiello and the prince of Ryazan Oleg Ivanovich. However, these allies were on their own minds: Jagiello did not want to strengthen either the Horde or the Russian side, and as a result, his troops did not appear on the battlefield; Oleg Ryazansky agreed to an alliance with Mamai, fearing for the fate of his border principality, but he was the first to inform Dmitry about the advance of the Horde troops and did not participate in the battle.

In the summer of 1380, Mamai began a campaign. Not far from the confluence of the Voronezh River with the Don, the Horde broke their camps and, wandering, expected news from Jagiello and Oleg.

In the terrible hour of danger hanging over the Russian land, Prince Dmitry showed exceptional energy in organizing a rebuff to the Golden Horde. At his call, military detachments, militias of peasants and townspeople began to gather. All Russia rose to fight the enemy. The collection of Russian troops was appointed in Kolomna, where the core of the Russian army marched from Moscow. The court of Dmitry himself, the regiments of his cousin Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovsky and the regiments of Belozersky, Yaroslavl and Rostov princes walked separately along different roads. The regiments of the Olgerdovich brothers (Andrey Polotsky and Dmitry Bryansky, the Jagiello brothers) also moved to join the troops of Dmitry Ivanovich. The brothers' troops included Lithuanians, Belarusians and Ukrainians; citizens of Polotsk, Drutsk, Bryansk and Pskov.

After the arrival of the soldiers in Kolomna, a review was held. The assembled army on the Maiden's Field was striking in its large number. The gathering of troops in Kolomna had not only military, but also political significance. Ryazan Prince Oleg finally got rid of hesitation and abandoned the idea of ​​​​joining the troops of Mamai and Jagiello. In Kolomna, a marching order of battle was formed: Prince Dmitry led the Big Regiment; Serpukhov prince Vladimir Andreevich with Yaroslavl - regiment right hand; in the regiment of the Left Hand, Gleb Bryansky was appointed commander; The advanced regiment was made up of Kolomna.

Saint Sergius of Radonezh blesses Saint Prince Demetrius of the Don.
Artist S.B. Simakov. 1988

On August 20, the Russian army set off from Kolomna on a campaign: it was important to block the way for the hordes of Mamai as soon as possible. On the eve of the campaign, Dmitry Ivanovich visited Sergius of Radonezh in the Trinity Monastery. After the conversation, the prince and abbot went out to the people. Having overshadowed the prince with the sign of the cross, Sergius exclaimed: “Go, lord, to the filthy Polovtsians, calling on God, and the Lord God will be your helper and intercessor.” Blessing the prince, Sergius predicted victory for him, albeit at a high price, and released two of his monks, Peresvet and Oslyabya, on the campaign.

The entire campaign of the Russian rati to the Oka was carried out in a relatively short time. The distance from Moscow to Kolomna, about 100 km, the troops passed in 4 days. They arrived at the mouth of Lopasna on 26 August. Ahead was a sentry guard, which had the task of protecting the main forces from a sudden attack by the enemy.

On August 30, Russian troops began crossing the Oka near the village of Priluki. Okolnichiy Timofey Velyaminov with a detachment controlled the crossing, waiting for the approach of the foot rati. On September 4, 30 km from the Don River in the Berezuy tract, the allied regiments of Andrei and Dmitry Olgerdovich joined the Russian army. Once again, the location of the Horde army was clarified, which, in anticipation of the approach of the allies, wandered around Kuzmina Gati.

The movement of the Russian army from the mouth of the Lopasna to the west was intended to prevent the Lithuanian army of Jagiello from connecting with the forces of Mamai. In turn, Jagiello, having learned about the route and the number of Russian troops, was in no hurry to join the Mongol-Tatars, trampling around in the Odoev area. The Russian command, having received this information, resolutely sent troops to the Don, trying to prevent the formation of enemy units and strike at the Mongol-Tatar horde. On September 5, the Russian cavalry reached the mouth of the Nepryadva, which Mamai learned about only the next day.

To develop a plan for further action on September 6, Prince Dmitry Ivanovich convened a military council. The votes of the council members were divided. Some suggested going beyond the Don and onto south coast rivers to fight the enemy. Others advised to stay on the northern bank of the Don and wait for the enemy to attack. The final decision depended on the Grand Duke. Dmitry Ivanovich uttered the following significant words: “Brothers! Better an honest death than an evil life. It was better not to go out against the enemy than, having come and done nothing, to return back. Today we will all cross over the Don and there we will lay our heads for Orthodox faith and take ours." The Grand Duke of Vladimir preferred offensive actions that allowed him to keep the initiative, which was important not only in strategy (beating the enemy piecemeal), but also in tactics (choosing the battlefield and surprise strike on the enemy’s army). After the council in the evening, Prince Dmitry and the governor Dmitry Mikhailovich Bobrok-Volynsky moved beyond the Don and examined the area.

The area chosen by Prince Dmitry for the battle was called the Kulikovo field. On three sides - west, north and east, it was bounded by the Don and Nepryadva rivers, cut up by ravines and small rivers. The right wing of the Russian rati, which was being built in battle order, was covered by rivers flowing into the Nepryadva (Upper, Middle and Lower Dubiki); the left one is a rather shallow river Smolka, which flows into the Don, and dried-up channels of streams (beams with gentle slopes). But this lack of terrain was compensated - behind the Smolka rose a forest in which it was possible to place a general reserve, guarding the fords across the Don and strengthening the battle order of the wing. Along the front, the Russian position had a length of more than eight kilometers (some authors significantly reduce it and then question the number of troops). However, the area convenient for the action of the enemy cavalry was limited to four kilometers and was located in the center of the position - near the converging upper reaches of the Lower Dubik and Smolka. Mamai's army, having an advantage in deploying over 12 kilometers along the front, could attack the Russian battle formations with cavalry only in this limited area, which excluded the maneuver of horse masses.

On the night of September 7, 1380, the crossing of the main forces began. Foot troops and convoys crossed the Don along built bridges, the cavalry - wade. The crossing was made under the cover of strong guard detachments.

Morning on the Kulikovo field. Artist A.P. Bubnov. 1943-1947.

According to the watchman Semyon Melik and Pyotr Gorsky, who had a skirmish with enemy reconnaissance on September 7, it became known that the main forces of Mamai were at a distance of one crossing and should be expected at the Don by the morning of the next day. Therefore, in order for Mamai not to preempt the Russian army, on the morning of September 8, the army of Russia, under the cover of the Guard Regiment, adopted a battle order. On the right flank, adjoining the steep banks of the Lower Dubik, stood the regiment of the Right Hand, which included the squad of Andrei Olgerdovich. In the center are the squads of the Big Regiment. They were commanded by the Moscow roundabout Timofey Velyaminov. On the left flank, covered from the east by the Smolka River, the regiment of the Left Hand of Prince Vasily Yaroslavsky was built. In front of the Big Regiment was the Advance Regiment. Behind the left flank of the Bolshoi Regiment, a reserve detachment was secretly located, commanded by Dmitry Olgerdovich. Behind the Left Hand Regiment in the Zelenaya Dubrava forest, Dmitry Ivanovich placed a select cavalry detachment of 10-16 thousand people - the Ambush Regiment, led by Prince Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovsky and an experienced voivode Dmitry Mikhailovich Bobrok-Volynsky.

Kulikovo battle. Artist A. Yvon. 1850

Such a formation was chosen taking into account the terrain and the method of struggle used by the Golden Horde. Their favorite technique was to cover one or both flanks of the enemy with cavalry detachments, followed by an exit to his rear. The Russian army took up a position, reliably covered from the flanks by natural obstacles. According to the conditions of the terrain, the enemy could attack the Russians only from the front, which deprived him of the opportunity to use his numerical superiority and use the usual tactical technique. The number of Russian troops, built in battle order, reached 50-60 thousand people.

The Mamai army, which approached on the morning of September 8 and stopped 7-8 kilometers from the Russians, numbered about 90-100 thousand people. It consisted of the vanguard (light cavalry), the main forces (the Genoese mercenary infantry was in the center, and the heavy cavalry deployed in two lines on the flanks) and the reserve. In front of the Horde camp, light detachments of reconnaissance and security scattered. The idea of ​​the enemy was to cover the Russian. army from both flanks, and then surround it and destroy it. The main role in solving this problem was assigned to powerful cavalry groups concentrated on the flanks of the Horde army. However, Mamai was in no hurry to join the battle, still hoping for Jagiello's approach.

But Dmitry Ivanovich decided to draw Mamai's army into battle and ordered his regiments to advance. The Grand Duke took off his armor, handed it over to the boyar Mikhail Brenk, and he himself put on a simple armor, but not inferior in its protective properties princely. The Grand Duke's dark red (black) banner was placed in the Big Regiment - a symbol of honor and glory of the united Russian army. It was handed to Brenck.

Duel of Peresvet with Chelubey. Painter. V.M. Vasnetsov. 1914

The battle began at about 12 noon. When the main forces of the parties approached, a duel took place between the Russian warrior monk Alexander Peresvet and the Mongol hero Chelubey (Temir-Murza). As the saying goes folk tradition, Peresvet left without protective armor, with one spear. Chelubey was fully armed. The warriors dispersed the horses and hit the spears. A powerful simultaneous blow - Chelubey collapsed dead head to the Horde army, which was bad omen. Re-light stayed in the saddle for several moments and also fell to the ground, but with its head towards the enemy. So the folk legend predetermined the outcome of the battle for a just cause. After the duel, a fierce slaughter broke out. As the chronicle writes: “The power of the Tatar greyhound is great with the Sholomyani coming and that packs, not acting, stash, for there is no place where they will part; and taco stasha, a copy of the pawn, the wall against the wall, each of them on the splash of their front property, the front ones are more beautiful, and the back ones are due. And the prince is also great, with his great Russian strength, from another Sholomyan, go against them.

For three hours, Mamai's army unsuccessfully tried to break through the center and the right wing of the Russian rati. Here the onslaught of the Horde troops was repulsed. Andrei Olgerdovich's detachment was active. He repeatedly went on the counterattack, helping the regiments of the center to hold back the onslaught of the enemy.

Then Mamai concentrated his main efforts against the regiment of the Left Hand. In a fierce battle with a superior enemy, the regiment suffered heavy losses and began to retreat. The reserve detachment of Dmitry Olgerdovich was introduced into the battle. The warriors took the place of the fallen, trying to hold back the onslaught of the enemy, and only their death allowed the Mongol cavalry to move forward. The soldiers of the Ambush Regiment, seeing the difficult situation of their brothers-in-arms, rushed into battle. Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovskoy, who commanded the regiment, decided to join the battle, but his adviser, the experienced voivode Bobrok, kept the prince. Mamaev's cavalry, crowding the left wing and breaking through the battle formation of the Russian rati, began to go to the rear of the Big Regiment. The Horde, reinforced by fresh forces from the Mamaia reserve, bypassing the Green Oakwood, attacked the soldiers of the Big Regiment.

The decisive moment of the battle has come. The Ambush Regiment, the existence of which Mamai did not know, rushed to the flank and rear of the Golden Horde cavalry that had broken through. The strike of the Ambush Regiment came as a complete surprise to the Tatars. “The wickedness fell into great fear and horror ... and exclaimed, saying: “Alas for us! ... the Christians have been wiser over us, leaving Lutchia and daring princes and governors in secret and prepared them for us untiringly; our hands are weakened, and our splashes are tired, and our knees are numb, and our horses are tired, and our weapons are worn out; and who can be against them? ... ". Using the emerging success, went on the offensive and other regiments. The enemy took to flight. The Russian squads pursued him for 30-40 kilometers - to the Beautiful Sword River, where the convoy and rich trophies were captured. The army of Mamai was completely defeated. It has practically ceased to exist.

Returning from the chase, Vladimir Andreevich began to gather an army. The Grand Duke himself was shell-shocked and knocked off his horse, but was able to get to the forest, where he was found unconscious after the battle under a felled birch. But the Russian army also suffered heavy losses, which amounted to about 20 thousand people.

For eight days, the Russian army collected and buried the dead soldiers, and then moved to Kolomna. On September 28, the winners entered Moscow, where the entire population of the city was waiting for them. The battle on the Kulikovo field was of great importance in the struggle of the Russian people for liberation from the foreign yoke. It seriously undermined the military power of the Golden Horde and accelerated its subsequent collapse. The news that "Great Russia defeated Mamai on the Kulikovo field" quickly spread throughout the country and far beyond its borders. For an outstanding victory, the people nicknamed Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich "Donskoy", and his cousin, Prince Vladimir Andreevich of Serpukhov - the nickname "Brave".

Detachments of Jagiello, having not reached the Kulikovo field 30-40 kilometers and having learned about the victory of the Russians, quickly returned to Lithuania on a march. Mamai's ally did not want to take risks, since there were many Slavic detachments in his army. In the rati of Dmitry Ivanovich there were prominent representatives of the Lithuanian soldiers who had supporters in the Jagiello army, and they could go over to the side of the Russian troops. All this forced Jagiello to be as careful as possible in making decisions.

Mamai, leaving his defeated army, fled with a handful of comrades-in-arms to Kafa (Feodosia), where he was killed. Khan Tokhtamysh seized power in the Horde. He demanded that Russia resume the payment of tribute, arguing that in the Battle of Kulikovo, not Golden Horde, and the usurper of power is the temnik Mamai. Dmitry refused. Then in 1382, Tokhtamysh undertook a punitive campaign against Russia, seized and burned Moscow by cunning. were also ruthlessly destroyed Largest cities Moscow land - Dmitrov, Mozhaisk and Pereyaslavl, and then the Horde marched with fire and sword through the Ryazan lands. As a result of this raid, the Horde dominion over Russia was restored.

Dmitry Donskoy on the Kulikovo field. Artist V.K. Sazonov. 1824.

In terms of its scale, the Battle of Kulikovo has no equal in the Middle Ages and occupies a prominent place in the history of military art. The strategy and tactics used in the Battle of Kulikovo by Dmitry Donskoy surpassed the strategy and tactics of the enemy, they were distinguished by their offensive nature, activity and purposefulness of actions. Deep, well-organized reconnaissance made it possible to make the right decisions and make an exemplary march to the Don. Dmitry Donskoy was able to correctly assess and use the conditions of the area. He took into account the tactics of the enemy, revealed his plan.

Burial of fallen soldiers after the Battle of Kulikovo.
1380. Front chronicle of the 16th century.

Based on the conditions of the terrain and the tactics used by Mamai, Dmitry Ivanovich rationally deployed the forces at his disposal on the Kulikovo field, created a general and private reserve, and thought through the issues of interaction between the regiments. Received further development tactics of the Russian army. The presence of a general reserve (Ambush Regiment) in battle order and its skillful use, expressed in the successful choice of the moment of commissioning, predetermined the outcome of the battle in favor of the Russians.

Assessing the results of the Battle of Kulikovo and the activities of Dmitry Donskoy preceding it, a number of modern scientists who have most fully studied this issue do not believe that the Moscow prince set himself the goal of leading the anti-Horde struggle in the broad sense of the word, but only opposed Mamai as a usurper of power in the Golden Age. Horde. So, A.A. Gorsky writes: “Open disobedience to the Horde, which grew into an armed struggle against it, occurred at a time when power there fell into the hands of an illegitimate ruler (Mamai). With the restoration of "legitimate" power, an attempt was made to confine itself to a purely nominal, without paying tribute, recognition of the supremacy of the "king", but the military defeat of 1382 frustrated it. Nevertheless, the attitude towards alien power has changed: it has become obvious that, under certain conditions, its non-recognition and successful military opposition to the Horde are possible. Therefore, as other researchers note, despite the fact that the uprisings against the Horde are still taking place within the framework of the previous ideas about the relationship between the Russian princes - "ulusniks" and the Horde "tsars", "The Battle of Kulikovo undoubtedly became a turning point in the formation of a new self-consciousness of the Russian people ", and" the victory on the Kulikovo field secured for Moscow the importance of the organizer and ideological center of the reunification of the East Slavic lands, showing that the path to their state-political unity was the only way to their liberation from foreign domination ".

Monument-column, made according to the project of A.P. Bryullov at the factory of Ch. Byrd.
Installed on the Kulikovo field in 1852 on the initiative of the first researcher
battles of the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod S. D. Nechaev.

The times of the Horde invasions were a thing of the past. It became clear that in Russia there are forces capable of resisting the Horde. The victory contributed to the further growth and strengthening of the Russian centralized state and raised the role of Moscow as the center of unification.

_____________________________________

September 21 (September 8 according to the Julian calendar) in accordance with the Federal Law of March 13, 1995 No. 32-FZ "On the days of military glory and memorable dates of Russia" is the Day of military glory of Russia - the Victory Day of Russian regiments led by Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy over the Mongol-Tatar troops in the Battle of Kulikovo.

Chronicle collection, called the Patriarchal or Nikon Chronicle. PSRL. T. XI. SPb., 1897. S. 27.

Cit. Quoted from: Borisov N.S. And the candle would not die out... Historical portrait of Sergius of Radonezh. M., 1990. S.222.

Nikon chronicle. PSRL. T. XI. S. 56.

Kirpichnikov A.N. Kulikovo battle. L., 1980. S. 105.

This number was calculated by the Soviet military historian E.A. Razin on the basis of the total population of the Russian lands, taking into account the principles of recruiting troops for all-Russian campaigns. See: Razin E.A. History of military art. T. 2. SPb., 1994. S. 272. The same number of Russian troops is determined by A.N. Kirpichnikov. See: Kirpichnikov A.N. Decree. op. P. 65. In the works of historians of the XIX century. this number varies from 100 thousand to 200 thousand people. See: Karamzin N.M. History of Russian Goverment. T.V.M., 1993.S. 40; Ilovaisky D.I. Collectors of Russia. M., 1996. S. 110.; Soloviev S.M. History of Russia since ancient times. Book 2. M., 1993. S. 323. Russian chronicles give extremely exaggerated data on the number of Russian troops: the Resurrection Chronicle - about 200 thousand. See: Resurrection Chronicle. PSRL. T. VIII. SPb., 1859. S. 35; Nikon Chronicle - 400 thousand. See: Nikon Chronicle. PSRL. T. XI. S. 56.

See: Skrynnikov R.G. Battle of Kulikovo // Battle of Kulikovo in the history of culture of our Motherland. M., 1983. S. 53-54.

Nikon chronicle. PSRL. T. XI. S. 60.

There. S. 61.

"Zadonshchina" speaks of the flight of Mamai himself-nine to the Crimea, that is, the death of 8/9 of the entire army in the battle. See: Zadonshchina // Military stories Ancient Russia. L., 1986. S. 167.

See: The Legend of the Battle of Mamaev // Military Tales of Ancient Russia. L., 1986. S. 232.

Kirpichnikov A.N. Decree. op. pp. 67, 106. According to E.A. Razin the Horde lost about 150 thousand, the Russians killed and died from wounds - about 45 thousand people (See: Razin E.A. Decree. Op. T. 2. S. 287-288). B. Urlanis talks about 10 thousand killed (See: Urlanis B.Ts. History of military losses. SPb., 1998. P. 39). The "Tale of the Mamaev Battle" says that 653 boyars were killed. See: Military stories of Ancient Russia. P. 234. The figure of the total number of dead Russian warriors of 253,000 cited there is clearly overestimated.

Gorsky A.A. Moscow and the Horde. M. 2000. S. 188.

Danilevsky I.N. Russian lands through the eyes of contemporaries and descendants (XII-XIV centuries). M. 2000. S. 312.

Shabuldo F.M. The lands of Southwestern Russia as part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Kyiv, 1987. S. 131.

Yuri Alekseev, Senior Researcher
Research Institute of Military History
Military Academy of the General Staff
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

On September 8, exactly 630 years ago, in the early morning, the Russian army crossed the Don and entered the Kulikovo field to fight the Horde.

A.P. Bubnov. "Morning on the Kulikovo field"". 1943-47.

The Russians were led by the Moscow prince, the grandson of Ivan Kalita, Dmitry Ivanovich, the Horde was led by the temnik Mamai.

V. Motorin. Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich

The army of Prince Dmitry Ivanovich. Prince's team. Armor reconstruction.

The army of Prince Dmitry Ivanovich. Infantry. Reconstruction of armor.

On the flanks were regiments of the right and left hands. A reserve regiment was left in the rear.

The army of Prince DmitryIvanovich. Cavalry. Armor reconstruction.

Mikhail Shankov, Ambush Regiment, 1991

A strong ambush regiment hid in the oak forest. They were commanded by a cousin of Dmitry Ivanovich, Prince Vladimir of Serpukhovskoy and his son-in-law Dmitry Bobrok-Volynsky.

Prince Vladimir Andreevich of Serpukhov.

V. Motorin. Bobrok-Volynsky.

Before the battle, Dmitry of Moscow traveled around all the troops lined up on the field and appealed to stand up for the Russian land.

Parting words of St. Sergei of Radonezh: "Go, sir, go ahead. God and the Holy Trinity will help you!"

The Horde cavalry appeared on the horizon at about 10 o'clock in the morning. Mamai was an experienced commander. He immediately realized that on the Kulikovo field he would not be able to use his main advantage in the cavalry.

Army of Mamai. Armor reconstruction.

Dense oak forests and rivulets with swampy banks reliably covered the Russian flanks from a detour. There was only one thing left - to attack the Moscow army in the forehead, from the front. Mamai ordered some of his riders to dismount to help the mercenary Italian infantry.

Army of Mamai. Reconstructionarmor.

Army of the Golden Horde. Allies - Genoese mercenaries. Reconstructionarmor.

On the flanks, he placed a heavily armed cavalry, behind the Red Hill - a strong reserve.

Army of the Golden Horde. Armor reconstruction.

The battle began at about 12 o'clock with a duel between the Russian warrior monk Peresvet and the Horde hero Chelubey. Two knights converged on spears and both died.

M. Avilov. "Fight of Peresvet with Chelubey"

After that, the Horde light cavalry attacked the guard cavalry regiment of the Russians. The Tatar archers met the stubborn resistance of the princely warriors. The Horde army launched an attack across the entire width of the Kulikovo field. The sentry regiment had to retreat to the advanced one, but it could not withstand the onslaught. Then a large foot regiment entered the battle. The fierce battle went on for two hours, breaking up into separate martial arts, each "defeat your opponent and sakshe."

Mamai nevertheless found a way to break through to the rear of the Russian position. On its left flank, in front of the grove, there was a rather wide hollow, the flat bottom of which allowed the heavily armed riders to gain ramming speed. Mamai and threw the reserve cavalry here. She broke through the formation of the Russian regiment of the left hand and ended up between the Don and the rear of the fighting large regiment. Ordyntsev stopped the Russian reserve, which immediately joined the battle.

Of the battle order of the Russian rati, under the onslaught of the superior forces of the Horde, only the regiment of the right hand withstood.

V. Motorin. Attack of the Ambush Regiment.

At a critical moment, a Russian ambush regiment flew out of the oak forest. He hit the rear and the flank of the Horde cavalry that had broken through to the Don. This blow allowed the Russian princes and governors to reorganize the regiments to continue the battle.

It lasted for about another hour. Mamaev's army was utterly defeated and fled.

Mamai's ally, the great Lithuanian prince Jagiello, who was 30-40 km from the Kulikovo field, having learned about the terrible defeat of the Golden Horde troops, turned back.

Allies of Mamai. The army of the Lithuanian prince Jagiello. Armor reconstruction.

The Russian cavalry pursued the enemy literally on the heels - from the Kulikovo field to the tributary of the Don River, the Beautiful sword. The chase continued until dark.

N.S. Prisekin. Battle of Kulikovo

The victory went to the Russians at a high price. The losses of the parties were enormous. Among the dead were many Russian princes and boyars. Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich himself fought courageously and steadfastly in the ranks of a large regiment.

For the great victory on September 8, 1380, Prince Dmitry received the name - Donskoy, and his cousin Prince Vladimir of Serpukhov began to be called the Brave.

Used fragments of the article by A. Shishov "Dmitry Donskoy" from the book "100 great military leaders", materials from Wikipedia and sites:

http://www.excelion.ru/ turizmiputeshestviya/otdexzarybezom/ visokosnye-gody-prinosjat-udachu- russian.html?page=2

It is also called Mamaevo or the Battle of the Don - the battle of the troops of the Russian principalities with the Horde "in the summer of 6888 from the creation of the world" on the territory of the Kulikovo field between the rivers Don, Nepryadva and Beautiful Mecha.

After the defeat of the Golden Horde troops on the Vozha River in 1378, the Horde temnik (that is, the commander who commanded the "darkness", in other words, ten thousand fighters) named Mamai decided to break the Russian princes. He gathered an army numbering about 100-150 thousand soldiers. In addition to the Tatars and Mongols, there were detachments of Ossetians, Armenians, Genoese, Circassians, and a number of other peoples living in the Crimea.

Mamai's ally agreed to be the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiello. Another ally of Mamai - according to a number of chronicles - was the Ryazan prince Oleg Ivanovich. According to other chronicles, Oleg Ivanovich only verbally expressed his readiness to ally, promising Mamai to fight on the side of the Tatars, he himself immediately warned the Russian army about the impending danger.

Having learned about the intentions of the Horde and Lithuanians to fight with Russia, Moscow Prince Dmitry Ivanovich appealed to gather Russian military forces in the capital and Kolomna, and soon he had an army that was slightly inferior in number to Mamai's army. Basically, it included Muscovites and warriors from the lands that recognized the power of the Moscow prince, although a number of cities loyal to Moscow - Novogorod, Smolensk, Nizhny Novgorod - did not express their readiness to support Dmitry.

On the night of August 7-8, having crossed the Don River from the left to the right bank along floating log bridges and destroyed the crossing, the Russians reached the Kulikovo field. Prince Dmitry rather riskily cut off his possible retreat, but at the same time covered his army from the flanks with rivers and deep ravines.

The battle began with a duel of heroes. From the Russian side, Alexander Peresvet, a monk of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, was exposed. His opponent was the Tatar hero Temir-Murza (Chelubey). The warriors simultaneously plunged spears into each other: this foreshadowed great bloodshed and a long battle.

It is believed that Mamaev's army was defeated in four hours. Mom managed to escape. The losses on both sides were huge. The dead (both Russians and the Horde) were buried for 8 days. Prince Dmitry Ivanovich was wounded during the battle, but survived and later received the nickname "Donskoy".

In the people's memory, the great battle was preserved as the first attempt to unite the Russian lands in the name of a common cause. Therefore, the Battle of Kulikovo is often called the cradle of the modern Russian people. After the Kulikovo victory of Prince Dmitry, the power of the Horde was shaken. The victory played an important role in the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow.

About other memorable dates

From the school bench we know that the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Ivanovich (1359-1389) made an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Mongol-Tatar yoke. In 1380, he defeated the hordes of Khan Mamai on the Kulikovo field, for which he was awarded the nickname Donskoy. But in 1382, the new Khan Tokhtamysh took and burned Moscow by deceit, and Russia became dependent on the Golden Horde for almost a hundred years.

Much in this traditional version is bewildering on closer examination of the facts. First of all, it turns out that even during the Battle of Kulikovo, Tokhtamysh was one of the khans of the Golden Horde and fought with Mamai for the throne. Further, it is doubtful that the Muscovites were so naive and believed the oath of the Nizhny Novgorod princes who accompanied Tokhtamysh that the khan would not touch the city if only they let him in.

It is even more strange that Dmitry's behavior in 1380 and 1382 was fundamentally different. In the first case, he was not afraid to immediately take up arms against the formidable Mamai, in the second, as soon as he heard about the approach of the Horde, he fled with his family from Moscow to Kostroma, ostensibly to gather troops, without organizing any power in the capital and leaving it to its fate. The Tokhtamyshev Tatars received the only rebuff from Dmitry's cousin, the Serpukhov specific prince Vladimir Andreevich (who, by the way, also played a decisive role in the Battle of Kulikovo).

Many of the later news about these events also do not fit together. If you believe the annalistic information about the number of Russian troops, then in this case, when the advanced Russian regiments entered the Kulikovo field, the rearguard had only to leave the gates of Moscow (as they taught us at the university).
It is also doubtful that Dmitry visited Sergius of Radonezh before the campaign against the Tatars. At that moment, the Moscow prince and famous old man, the founder of the Trinity Lavra, were in sharp conflict over the election of a metropolitan. Sergius believed that the prince should accept the appointed Patriarch of Constantinople Metropolitan Cyprian. Dmitry wanted to appoint his own candidate, a certain Mityai. So the legend of Peresvet and Oslyab should, apparently, be attributed to the realm of fairy tales.

Many lands of Russia did not take part in Dmitry's militia on Mamai because of the political conflict with Moscow. But some specific Lithuanian princes came to the aid of Dmitry. The Grand Duke of Lithuania Olgerd was considered an ally of Mamai. At the same time, Lithuania was the main opponent of the Golden Horde. The lands attached to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were exempted from paying tribute to the khans. Lithuania acted offensively in this struggle until the defeat on the Vorskla River in 1399.

In the army of Mamai there were many hired Genoese infantry from the Crimea, as well as Armenians, Circassians and other peoples of the Caucasus and the Black Sea region. This indicates the territories that were under the rule of Mamai at that time. By the way, Mamai is incorrectly endowed with the title of Khan in most books. Mamai was only a "temnik" - a military leader. The main part of the Golden Horde - the lower reaches of the Volga, the south of the Urals and Siberia - was already subject to Khan Tokhtamysh.

It is curious that during the campaign to the Kulikovo field and when returning from it, the Moscow army ruined the Ryazan land twice. This was done by Dmitry allegedly in retaliation for the fact that the Ryazan Grand Duke Oleg did not give Dmitry help in the militia against Mamai and was written off with that. However, two years before that, Dmitry did not help Oleg when the Ryazan land was devastated by the Mamaev hordes, although in the same 1378, a little earlier, Dmitry's army defeated the Mamaev Tatars on the Vozha River in Ryazan land.

That is, Dmitry had the opportunity to help Oleg. The question arises: did Dmitry fight with the Tatars on the Vozha River? Isn't it with the Ryazans, really? The fact that in the same 1378, at the same time as Ryazan, Mamai also took Nizhny Novgorod (isn't there too many campaigns in one campaign for one commander?), And in 1382 the Nizhny Novgorod princes besieged Moscow together with Tokhtamysh and steel, according to the chronicle, main reason destruction of the capital city.

All this leads to the idea that the Battle of Kulikovo was just one of the episodes in the struggle for power in the Golden Horde between Tokhtamysh and Mamai. In this struggle, the Russian princes were on the side of one or another of the two applicants. The significance of a nationwide movement to overthrow the yoke was given to the Battle of Kulikovo already in hindsight.

The events of those years could be reconstructed in this way. Dmitry Donskoy stops paying tribute to the usurper Mamai, who settled in the near part of the Horde, but for support he finds an ally in Mamai's rival, Tokhtamysh, who seems not so dangerous because of the distance. In 1378 Dmitry defeated the Ryazanians, who were on the side of Mamai. Mamai himself at this time is ruining Nizhny Novgorod, standing behind Tokhtamysh.

In 1380, at the direction of Tokhtamysh, Dmitry prevented the uniting of the troops of Mamai and Olgerd, smashing the first on the Kulikovo field (along the way, once again cracking down on his old enemies, the Ryazanians). The power of Mamai is coming to an end, and Dmitry hopes for the gratitude of Tokhtamysh and is in no hurry to show the traditional signs of humility. Suddenly he finds out that Tokhtamyshev's army is already close...

However, the last episode could be different. The attack on Moscow turned out to be so sudden only because it was undertaken exclusively by neighbors - the Nizhny Novgorod princes, also old rivals of Moscow. But Muscovites were embarrassed to admit that some kind of Nizhny Novgorod turned out to be stronger than Moscow, so the capture of the city in 1382 was attributed to powerful Tatars.
After the pogrom (regardless of who committed it), Dmitry hurried to the Horde to Tokhtamysh in order to get a label from him for a great reign (otherwise he would have gone to the princes of Nizhny Novgorod), left his son hostage with the khan and later until his death provided traditional signs obedience to the Golden Horde. It is possible that the lack of his resistance to the invasion of enemies in Moscow is explained by the fear of not getting the sanction for the great reign from the hands of Tokhtamysh.
Of course, the above is only a version. But to the same extent as traditional.