Battle of Kulikovo

For the opera 'The Battle of Kulikovo' see Dmitry Donskoy (opera)

Battle of Kulikovo
Part of Mongol Yoke
XVII century illustration
Date September 8, 1380 Location Kulikovo Field near the Don River Result Decisive Moscow victory, securing the title of Grand Duke after the Moscow faction. First historical mention of Russia as an independent country.
Belligerents
Grand Duchy of Moscow Principality of Beloozero Principality of Rostov Principality of Yaroslavl Principality of Suzdal—Nizhny Novgorod Principality of Murom	Golden Horde
Commanders and leaders
Dmitri Ivanovich of Moscow	Mamai
Strength
50,000-60,000 near 30,000	100,000 – 150,000 near 30,000
Casualties and losses
20,000 killed 5,000 - 8,000	Almost entire army killed near 10,000

The Battle of Kulikovo (Russian: Мамаево побоище, Донское побоище, Куликовская битва, битва на Куликовом поле) was a battle between Tatar Mamai and Muscovy Dmitriy and portrayed by Russian historiography as a stand-off between Russians and the Golden Horde. However, the political situation at the time was much more complicated and concerned the politics of the Northeastern Rus'. The battle took place on September 8, 1380, at the Kulikovo Field near the Don River (now Tula Oblast) and resulted in a victory of Dmitri Donskoi. The battle's site is commemorated by a memorial church built from a design by Aleksey Shchusev.

Background

See also: Golden Horde#Decline

Upon the Mongol-Tatar conquest the territories of disintegrating Kievan Rus became part of the western region of the Mongol Empire, the Golden Horde, the center of which was established in the lower Volga region. The numerous Russian (or Ruthenian) principalities were not, however, fully integrated into the Empire, but were required to pay a tax. During that time the small regional principality of Moscow had grown into a well-respected political entity and often challenged its neighbors for territorial claims, particularly the Grand Duchy of Ryazan. The Moscow-Ryazan stand-off took place long before the Mongol-Tatar conquest, during the rise of regional powers within the Kievan Rus.

A civil war had arisen on the territory of the falling Golden Horde and new political powers were appearing, such as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Grand Duchy of Ryazan and others. In 1370, after the mysterious death of Khan Abdulla the Tatar, warlord (temnik) Mamai took control of the Golden Horde as a regent appointed to oversee over the immature Khan Muhammad Bolak. The growing Grand Duchy of Lithuania was gaining momentum, taking over former territories of the Golden Horde and, after the Battle of Blue Waters, securing power not only over Kiev but also parts of the northern Black Sea coast. As Mamai was not a Genghisid, his position remained vulnerable since there were legal descendants of Genghis Khan who were in a position to lay claim to the throne. During that time the Prince of Moscow was denied the passing of a jarliq for the Grand Duchy of Vladimir, which he possessed since 1362. In 1371 Mamai passed it to the Prince of Tver. The prince of Moscow, Dmitri Donskoi, refused to accept subordination to the new leadership. In 1377 a friend of Mamai Arpash raided Nizhniy Novgorod and Ryazan after defeating the Suzdal-Moscow united army of Dmitri at the Battle on Pyana River. Mamai sought to affirm his sovereignty over the tributary lands of the Golden Horde. In 1378 he sent forces led by warlord Murza Begich to ensure the Moscow prince's obedience. The Horde army was defeated at the Battle of the Vozha River,however, and Begich was killed. Simultaneously another khan Tokhtamysh (in Middle Asia) challenged the throne of the Golden Horde. Although unsuccessful at first, he managed to find more solid support to establish himself as the new khan of the Golden Horde.

Two years later Mamai himself led his armies to Rus. Prior to invading, he conducted negotiations with Prince Jogaila of Lithuania and Russian prince Oleg of Ryazan, a fierce enemy of Dmitry. The armies of Lithuania and Ryazan were sent to join the Tatars. Mamai established 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 before the battle^{[citation needed]}. Dmitri knew about the 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, the Russians crossed the Don.

Forces

Memorial column on the Kulikovo field was designed by Alexander Brullov in 1848

Duel of Alexander Peresvet and Mamai's champion. By Victor Vasnetsov

Combined Russian armies under the command of the Grand Prince of Vladimir, Dmitri Ivanovich of Moscow (called "Dmitry of the Don", in Russian "Donskoy", afterwards) faced a much larger Tatar force under the command of Mamai, a strongman of the Golden Horde. Mamai's allies, Grand Prince Oleg of Ryazan and Grand Prince Jogaila of Lithuania, were late to the battle. The old Russian poem Zadonshchina lists 150,000 Russians and 300,000 Tartaro-Mongols as taking part in the battle, but the actual size of the Kulikovo Field would not allow such a quantity of troops. The figures were more likely closer to 60,000 Russians, including 7,000 rebel Lithuanians, and 125,000 Tatars.

The battle

Dmitry Donskoy in the thick of the fray.

Exhausted Dmitry having his wounds cared for after the battle. By Vasily Sazonov

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 advancing on each other.

The battle was 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 sources, Peresvet did not fall from the saddle, while Temir-murza did.

Dmitry exchanged his armor with young Moscow boyarin Mikhail Brenok, in order to pretend to be an ordinary knight. Brenok was to imitate the Prince himself, bearing his banner and wearing his armor. The trick was successful: Tatars aimed at Dmitry's banner and ultimately killed Brenok, believing he was the Prince. Dmitry himself survived, although wounded while fighting, and immediately after the battle fainted from bleeding and exhaustion.

File:Battle of Kulikovo 17th-century miniature.jpg

A 17th-century miniature of the battle

After approximately three hours of battle (from noon to 3 p.m.) the Russian forces were successful, despite 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 counterstrike 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.

The Location

Ancient sources do not give a precise description of the place of the battle. As a result, until the 19th century the precise location of the battle was unknown. In the 19th century Stepan Nechaev came up with what he believed was the exact location of the battle and his hypothesis was accepted. In the 20th century Anatoly Fomenko offered a hypothesis that the battle took place in the centre of Moscow on Taganka Square as a part of his general revisionist New Chronology program.

Legacy

This victory was an early signal of the end of the "Mongol yoke" (vassalage), 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 Nikolay Karamzin said, the Russians went to the Kulikovo field as citizens of various principalities and returned as a united Russian nation.

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.

Perspectives

The historical evaluation of the battle has many theories of what the event represented in the course of history.

• The traditionally Russian point of view sees the battle as the first step in the liberation of the Russian lands from the Golden Horde dependency.
• Some analysts of the Eastern Orthodox approach portray the battle as a stand-off between the Christian Rus and steppe non-Christians.
• Russian historian Sergey Solovyov saw the battle as critical for the history of Eastern Europe in stopping another invasion from the Asia, similar to the Battle of Châlons of the 5th century and the Battle of Tours of the 8th century in Western Europe.
• Some critical analysts believe that the meaning of the battle is overevaluated and represents nothing more than a simple regional conflict within the Golden Horde.
• Another Russian historian, Lev Gumilev, sees in Mamai a representative of economic and political interests from outside, particularly Western Europe, which in the battle were represented by numerous Genoese mercenaries, while the Moscow army stood in support of the rightful ruler of the Golden Horde Tuqtamış xan.

See also

"The Field of Kulikovo" (1890s). A large-scale hand-drawn lubok by I.G. Blinov (ink, tempera, gold).

Persons

• Dmitri Donskoi
• Alexander Peresvet
• Oslyabya
• Kulikovo Field
• Stepan Nechaev

Related battles

• Battle of the Vozha River
• Great stand on the Ugra River
• Tatar invasions
• Russo-Kazan Wars
• Mongol invasion of Rus
• Timeline of the Tataro-Mongol Yoke in Russia

References

• The Zadonshchina
• The Battle of Kulikovo
• History of Kulikovo Battle

External links

• Battle of Kulikovo animated battle map by Jonathan Webb
• (Ukrainian) Unveiling the myths (Kulikovo battle)