Everything about Kulikovo totally explained
The Battle of Kulikovo was fought by the
Tartaro-
Mongols (the
Golden Horde) and the
Russians. The battle took place on
September 8,
1380 at the
Kulikovo Field near the
Don River (now
Tula Oblast) and resulted in a Russian victory. The battle's site is commemorated by a memorial church, built to a design by
Aleksey Shchusev.
Background
Moscow, along with many other Russian lands, was conquered by the armies of
Batu Khan, grandson of
Genghis Khan in the
13th century, and was made a tribute payer to the Golden Horde. Russian leaders long sought for independence. Under
Prince Dmitri Ivanovich,
Grand Duchy of Moscow became the most powerful of Russian princedoms.
In 1370, Tatar
warlord Mamai took the power in
Golden Horde and accepted the title of
Great Khan. As he wasn't a
genghisid, his position remained vulnerable as there were legal descendants of Genghis Khan who could pretend the throne. Mamai sought to affirm his sovereignty over the tributary lands of Golden Horde. In 1378 he sent forces led by warlord Murza Begich to enforce Moscow Prince's obedience. But Horde army was defeated at the
battle of the Vozha River and Begich was killed.
Two years later Mamai led his armies to Rus himself. Prior to invasion, he made negotiations with Prince
Jogaila of Lithuania and Russian prince
Oleg of Ryazan, a fierce enemy to Dmitry. The armies of Lithuania and Ryazan were sent to join Tatars. Mamai set his camp on the shore of Don, waiting for allies.
Dmitry mobilised his troops and allies in
Kolomna to resist the invasion. In
Troitse-Sergieva Lavra he met St.
Sergius of Radonezh, who blessed the Russian armies to fight. Dmitri knew about approaching armies of Lithuania and Ryazan, and decided not to wait but to attack Mamai immediately before he could be reinforced. On
September 7,
1380, Russians crossed the Don.
Forces
Combined Russian
armies under the command of the Grand Prince of
Vladimir,
Dmitri Ivanovich of Moscow (called "Dmitry of the Don" afterwards) faced a much larger Tatar force under the command of
Mamai, a strongman of the
Golden Horde. Mamai's, Grand Prince Oleg of
Ryazan and Grand Prince
Jogaila of
Lithuania were late to the battle. The old Russian poem
Zadonshchina says 150,000 Russians and 300,000 Tartaro-Mongols, but the actual size of the Kulikovo Field wouldn't allow such a quantity of troops. Most likely the figures were closer to 80,000 Russians including seven thousand rebel Lithuanians and 125,000 Tatars.
The Battle
On the morning of
September 8, a thick fog covered the Kulikovo Field. The fog cleared around 11 A.M, at which point both armies began simultaneously advancing on each other.
The battle was allegedly opened by a single combat of two champions. The Russian champion was
Alexander Peresvet, a monk from the
Trinity Abbey sent to the battle by
Saint Sergius. The Horde champion was Temir-murza (also Chelubey or Cheli-bey). The champions killed each other in the first run, though according to Russian
legend, Peresvet didn't fall from the
saddle, while Temir-murza fell.
After approximately three hours of battle (from noon to 3 p.m.) the Russian forces were successful, although suffering great casualties, in holding off the Horde's attack. The cavalry of
Vladimir, Prince of Serpukhov (Dmitri's cousin), led by Dmitri Bobrok, Prince of
Volynia launched a flanking surprise counter strike and achieved victory over the Horde forces.
Mamai escaped to
Crimea, where he was assassinated by his enemies, leaving the Horde under the command of
Tokhtamysh.
Legacy
This victory was the beginning of the end of the
Mongol yoke, which officially ended with the
great standing on the Ugra river a century later. Its spiritual importance for the unification of the Russian lands was even more important. As one historian put it, the Russians went to the Kulikovo Field as citizens of various principalities and returned as a united Russian nation. This view, however - made from the perspective of later Russian history - was possibly not shared at the time by the prince
Oleg of Ryazan who allied the losing side.
A
minor planet 2869 Nepryadva discovered in 1980 by
Soviet astronomer
Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh was named to honor the Russian victory over
Tataro-
Mongols in the battle at Kulikovo near Nepryadva River on September 8, 1380.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Kulikovo'.
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