Battle of Kulikovo briefly

Russian man harnesses for a long time, but drives fast

Russian folk proverb

The Battle of Kulikovo took place on September 8, 1380, but this was preceded by a number of important events. Beginning in 1374, relations between Russia and the Horde began to noticeably become more complicated. If earlier the issues of paying tribute and the primacy of the Tatars over all the lands of Russia did not cause discussion, now a situation began to develop when the princes began to feel their own strength, in which they saw an opportunity to repulse the formidable enemy who had been devastating their lands for many years. It was in 1374 that Dmitry Donskoy actually broke off relations with the Horde, not recognizing Mamai's power over himself. Such free-thinking could not be ignored. The Mongols did not leave.

Background of the Battle of Kulikovo, briefly

Along with the events described above, the death of the Lithuanian king Olgerd occurred. His place was taken by Jagiello, who first of all decided to establish relations with the powerful Horde. As a result, the Mongol-Tatars received a powerful ally, and Russia was squeezed between enemies: from the east by the Tatars, from the west by the Lithuanians. This in no way shook the determination of the Russians to repulse the enemy. Moreover, an army was assembled, headed by Dmitry Bobrok-Valintsev. He made a trip to the lands on the Volga and captured several cities. Which belonged to the Horde.

The next major events that created the prerequisites for the Battle of Kulikovo took place in 1378. It was then that a rumor spread throughout Russia that the Horde had sent a large army in order to punish the recalcitrant Russians. The previous lessons showed that the Mongol-Tatars burn everything in their path, which means that they cannot be allowed into fertile lands. Grand Duke Dmitry gathered a squad and went to meet the enemy. Their meeting took place near the Vozha River. The Russian maneuver had a surprise factor. Never before had the prince's squad descended so deep into the south of the country to fight the enemy. But the fight was inevitable. The Tatars turned out to be unprepared for it. The Russian army won quite easily. This even more instilled confidence that the Mongols are ordinary people and they can be fought.

Preparation for the battle - the battle of Kulikovo briefly

The events near the Vozha River were the last straw. Mom wanted revenge. He was haunted by the laurels of Batu and the new khan dreamed of repeating his feat and going through fire throughout Russia. Recent events showed that the Russians were not as weak as before, which means that the Mughals needed an ally. He was found fairly quickly. The role of Mamai's allies was:

• King of Lithuania - Jagiello.
• Prince of Ryazan - Oleg.

Historical documents indicate that the prince of Ryazan took a controversial position, trying to guess the winner. To do this, he entered into an alliance with the Horde, but at the same time regularly reported to other principalities information about the movement of the Mongol army. Mamai himself gathered a strong army, which included regiments from all the lands that were controlled by the Horde, including the Crimean Tatars.

Training of Russian troops

The impending events demanded decisive action from the Grand Duke. It was at this moment that it was necessary to assemble a strong army that would be able to repulse the enemy and show the whole world that Russia was not completely conquered. About 30 cities expressed their readiness to provide their squad to the united army. Many thousands of soldiers entered the detachment, commanded by Dmitry himself, as well as other princes:

• Dmitry Bobrok-Volynits
• Vladimir Serpukhovsky
• Andrey Olgerdovich
• Dmitry Olgerdovich

At the same time, the whole country rose to fight. Literally everyone who could hold a sword in their hands was recorded in the squad. Hatred of the enemy became the factor that united the divided Russian lands. Let it be just for a while. The united army advanced to the Don, where it was decided to repulse Mamai.

Battle of Kulikovo - briefly about the course of the battle

On September 7, 1380, the Russian army approached the Don. The position was quite dangerous, since holding the raki had both advantages and disadvantages. Advantage - it was easier to fight against the Mongol-Tatars, since they would have to force the river. The disadvantage is that at any moment Jagiello and Oleg Ryazansky could arrive at the battlefield. In this case, the rear of the Russian army would be completely open. The decision was made the only correct one: the Russian army crossed the Don and burned all the bridges behind them. This managed to secure the rear.

Prince Dmitry resorted to cunning. The main forces of the Russian army lined up in a classical manner. Ahead was a "large regiment", which was supposed to hold back the main onslaught of the enemy, along the edges were a regiment of the right and left hands. At the same time, it was decided to use the Ambush Regiment, which was hidden in the thicket of the forest. This regiment was led by the best princes Dmitry Bobrok and Vladimir Serpukhovsky.

The Battle of Kulikovo began in the early morning of September 8, 1380, as soon as the fog cleared over the Kulikovo field. According to chronicle sources, the battle began with the battle of the heroes. The Russian monk Peresvet fought with the Horde Chelubey. The blow of the spears of the heroes was so strong that both of them died on the spot. After that, the battle began.

Dmitry, despite his status, put on the armor of a simple warrior and stood at the head of the Big Regiment. With his courage, the prince infected the soldiers for the feat that they were to accomplish. The starting onslaught of the Horde was terrible. They threw all the force of their blow onto the regiment of the left hand, where the Russian troops began to noticeably lose ground. At the moment when Mamai's army broke through the defenses in this place, and also when it began to make a maneuver in order to go into the rear of the main forces of the Russians, the Ambush Regiment entered the battle, which with terrible force and unexpectedly hit the attacking Horde themselves in the rear. The panic began. The Tatars were sure that God himself was against them. Convinced they had killed everyone behind them, they said it was the dead Russians rising up to fight. In this state, the battle was lost by them quickly enough and Mamai and his horde were forced to hastily retreat. Thus ended the Battle of Kulikovo.

Many people were killed in the battle on both sides. Dmitry himself could not be found for a very long time. Toward evening, when they were dismantling the pipes of the dead from the field, they found the body of the prince. He was alive!

The historical significance of the Battle of Kulikovo

The historical significance of the Battle of Kulikovo cannot be overestimated. For the first time, the myth of the invincibility of the Horde army was broken. If earlier it was possible for various armies to succeed in minor battles, then no one has yet managed to defeat the main forces of the Horde.

An important point for the Russian people was that the Battle of Kulikovo, briefly described by us, allowed them to feel self-confidence. For more than a hundred years, the Mongols forced them to consider themselves second-class citizens. Now this was over, and for the first time, talk began that the power of Mamai and his yoke could be thrown off. These events found expression literally in everything. And it is precisely with this that those cultural transformations that affected all aspects of the life of Russia are largely connected.

The significance of the Battle of Kulikovo also lies in the fact that this victory was perceived by everyone as a sign that Moscow should become the center of a new country. After all, only after Dmitry Donskoy began to collect land around Moscow, there was a major victory over the Mongols.

For the horde itself, the significance of the defeat on the Kulikovo field was also extremely important. Mamaia lost most of his army, and was soon completely defeated by Khan Takhtomysh. This allowed the Horde to join forces again and feel its own strength and significance in those spaces that had not even thought of resisting it before.

Question 6.

The Battle of Kulikovo took place on September 8, 1380. In the Horde for 20 years there was a struggle for power, it was thanks to this that the struggle against the Tatars became possible. During civil strife, Tatar exiles and losers ran out to the north, who were threatened with death in the Horde. They gathered in large military detachments under the leadership of their princelings and lived by plundering Russian and Mordovian settlements in the region of the Oka and Sura rivers. Considering them to be simple robbers, the Russian people chased and beat them. The princes of Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod and the Grand Duke Dmitry himself sent their armies against them. The resistance of Russia embittered the Tatars and forced them, in turn, to gather more and more forces against Russia. They gathered under the command of Prince Arapsha, inflicted a severe defeat on the Russian troops on the Pyan River (a tributary of the Sura), ravaged Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod (1377). For this, Muscovites and Nizhny Novgorod ravaged the Mordovian places where the Tatars held on, on the Sura River. Having mastered the Horde, Mamai sent his army to Russia to punish the obstinate princes. Nizhny Novgorod was burned. Ryazan suffered. But Dmitry Ivanovich did not let the Tatars into his lands and defeated them in the Ryazan region on the Vozhzha River (1378). Fighting off the robber gangs, the Russian princes gradually became involved in the fight against the khan's troops, who supported the robbers. Having experienced disobedience from Russia, Mamai had to either give up power over Russia, or go to conquer it again. 2 years after the battle on Vozhzha, Mamai undertook a campaign against Russia. Mamai's allies were the Lithuanian prince Jagiello and the Ryazan prince Oleg (he sought to save his land from new ruin). Jagiello promised Mamai to unite with him on September 1, 1380. Having learned about the campaign of the Tatars, Dmitry gathered around him all the entrusted princes (Rostov, Yaroslavl, Belozersky). According to the news about the movement of Mamai, Dmitry went on a campaign in August 1380. Before the start of the campaign, he was with St. Sergius in the monastery and received a blessing for the battle. The famous abbot gave the Grand Duke 2 heroes - Peresvet and Osleby, as a visible sign of his sympathy for the feat of Prince Dmitry. Initially, the Moscow army moved Kolomna, to the borders of Ryazan, because. they thought that Mamai would go to Moscow through Ryazan. When they learned that the Tatars were going west to connect with Lithuania, the Grand Duke also moved west, to Serpukhov, and decided not to wait for Mamai on his borders, but to go to meet him, and meet him before he had time to meet with Lithuanian army. Dmitry crossed the Oka to the south, went to the upper reaches of the Don, crossed the Don, and on the Kulikovo field at the mouth of the Nepryadva River, he met Mamaev's army. The Lithuanian prince did not have time to connect with her, and was one day's journey from the meeting place of the Russians and Tatars. Fearing a bad outcome of the upcoming battle, the Grand Duke set up in a secret place, in an oak forest near the Don, a special ambush regiment under the command of his cousin Prince Vladimir Andreevich and the boyar Bobrok. Dmitry's fears were justified: the Tatars overcame and pressed the Russians. At the critical moment, the ambush regiment hit the Tatars, crushed them and drove them off. The Tatars, who did not expect a blow, abandoned their camp and fled. Mamai himself fled from the battlefield with a small retinue. The Russians pursued the Tatars and took rich booty. The return of the Grand Duke was solemn, but also sad. Great was the victory, but the losses were enormous. After 2 years (1382), the new Khan Tokhtamysh, who overthrew Mamai, made a trip to Russia, took Moscow, robbed it and burned it, other cities were also devastated. Prince Dmitry went to the North. The Tatars left with a lot of booty, and Dmitry had to recognize himself again as a tributary of the Tatars and give the khan his son Vasily as a hostage. Thus, the yoke was not overthrown, and Northern Russia was exhausted by the unsuccessful struggle for liberation.

The Battle of Kulikovo was of great importance for Northern Russia and for Moscow. The military significance of the Kulikovo victory lay in the fact that it destroyed the former belief about the invincibility of the Tatars and showed that Russia had grown stronger for the struggle for independence. The raid of Tokhtamysh did not reduce this value - in 1382 the Tatars won only because they attacked suddenly. The political and national significance of the Battle of Kulikovo was that it gave impetus to a decisive national unification under the rule of one sovereign, the Moscow prince. Having taken upon himself the Tatar onslaught, Dmitry was a good defender of the Russian land, and having repelled this onslaught, he showed such power that put him at the head of the whole people, above all other princes. All the people reached out to him, as to their only sovereign. Moscow became the center of popular unification, obvious to everyone, and the Moscow princes could only enjoy the fruits of the Donskoy policy and collect the lands that had fallen into their hands into one whole.

The Battle of Kulikovo is a battle between the troops of Dmitry Donskoy and Mamai, which took place on September 8, 1380 on the Kulikovo field. In modern Russia, this field is located in the Tula region. This battle was preceded by the Battle of the Vozha River (1378). In this article, the battle event is briefly considered from different points of view.

Background of the Battle of Kulikovo

In the second half of the 13th century, Russia was strengthening. Parallel to this Temnik Mamai in the Golden Horde also intensified, and the Russian princes partially contributed to its strengthening, defeating Tagai and Bulat-Timur, the Golden Horde princes who opposed Mamai.

In 1371, Mikhail Alexandrovich, Prince of Tver, received a label from Mamai to reign. However, Dmitry Ivanovich, Prince of Moscow, later known as Donskoy, refused to transfer power. In 1374 he refused to pay tribute to the Horde and gathered a congress of princes who supported his policy in Pereslavl-Zalessky.

The answer from the Horde was the ruin of the Novosilsky principality by Khan Arapsha in 1376. In 1377 he defeated the Russian troops at the Battle of the Pyana River. Later, he ruined the Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan principalities.

In 1378, a battle took place between the troops of Prince Dmitry Ivanovich and the temnik Mamai, known in history as the battle on the Vozha River. The troops of Prince Dmitry defeated the troops of Murza Begich, who led the army of the Horde.

Assessment of the forces of the parties

There are different estimates of the number of troops on each side. The most famous estimates are shown in this table. However, in history there is a big difference between the estimates.

The number of Russian soldiers

The number of Tatar-Mongol warriors

Participants of the Battle of Kulikovo

The composition of the participants in the battle is also not precisely defined, since various sources in history point to different principalities, sent troops to help Dmitry Donskoy. As part of the Russian army, according to various sources, warriors from the principalities fought:

1. Moscow
2. Serpukhov
3. Belozersky
4. Yaroslavl
5. Rostov
6. Tver
7. Novgorod lands
8. Suzdal
9. Ryazan
10. Pronsky
11. Vyazma
12. Vladimir
13. Kolomna
14. Pskov
15. Bryansk
16. Smolensk

And also from small destinies in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania:

1. Drutsky
2. Dorogobuzh
3. Novosilsky
4. Tarusa
5. Obolensky
6. Polotsk
7. Starodubsky
8. Trubchevskiy.

There is also no agreement in history regarding the composition of the Mamai army. According to some reports, there were many mercenaries in the army of Mamai. In this army, according to various sources, were present:

1. Tatars
2. Mongols
3. Cumans
4. Armenians
5. Fryazians (immigrants from Italy)
6. Circassians
7. Burtases (union of tribes on the Volga)
8. Lithuanians
9. Poles
10. Ryazans (!)
11. Muslim mercenaries.

Place of battle

The chronicle source indicates that the battle took place “on the Don near Nepryadva”. However, a careful study of all the possible places of this most important battle in history did not give an indication of the exact location of this battle. In all studied no remains found bodies of fallen soldiers, and the remains of weapons, armor, pectoral crosses, etc. were found in a very small amount (no more than 100 items). However, some items that could have been used by the warriors were found in the vicinity of the alleged battlefield, but not at these places.

In addition, there were other battles near the battlefield at different times, albeit on a smaller scale. These battles took place in 1542, 1571, 1607, 1659. Therefore, finding the remains of weapons, armor, etc. may not indicate the place of the battle.

Moreover, many items found by archaeologists in this area could have been made even in the 17th century, so it is too early to say that the place of the legendary battle was found.

Russian troops were divided into five regiments: a large regiment stood in the center, the regiments of the right and left hands stood on the flanks, the guard regiment stood in front of the large one, the ambush regiment stood, according to various sources, to the left of the regiment of the left hand or to the right of the regiment of the right hand. The number of foot and cavalry soldiers in any of the regiments is unknown.

The construction of the Mamai troops remains a controversial issue. However, it is believed that this army was divided into three detachments and fired into a line in front of the Russian army, or was divided into three detachments - the vanguard, center and rearguard.

The battle itself began around noon: there was fog on the field, which did not allow the battle to begin.

Before the battle, there was a duel between Peresvet and Chelubey, as a result of which both died. Some historians believe that this duel did not actually take place.

The course of the battle began in the center. The Tatar-Mongols forced the regiment of the left hand to retreat, its retreat created a threat to attack in the rear of the Big Regiment. However, at this time, the Ambush Regiment attacked the rear of Mamai's troops, so his troops were crushed and put to flight. At the same time, according to some sources, the regiment of the right hand surrounded Mamai's army, which completed the rout. The cavalry was driven into the river and destroyed.

The persecution of the Tatar-Mongols lasted about 50 versts (about 53.3 km), after which, according to some sources, the Russian troops stopped the pursuit, according to others, they collided with the Lithuanian army of Prince Jagiello and retreated after the battle with him.

Losses

Sources of those years report that the Russian troops lost more than 500 boyars, the losses of ordinary soldiers are not specified - "without counting." The warriors lost 253 thousand people, 50 thousand remained. The losses of Mamai, according to the same sources, amount to 800 thousand, but there is an estimate of 1.5 million (!) Dead Horde.

According to modern sources, the losses of the Russian troops are, according to the historian Razin, 25-30 thousand, according to the historian Kirpichnikov, about 5-8 thousand ordinary soldiers and about 800 boyars. There is a version according to which the soldiers of Prince Jagiello finished off the wounded Russian soldiers in the wagon trains. Those killed in the battle were buried from 9 to 16 September.

Political implications

The Battle of Kulikovo and its significance are as follows: Russian principalities liberated from the Horde dominion for two years. In 1382, Khan Tokhtamysh returned the Russian principalities under the rule of the Horde. The result of Mamai is as follows: he fled with the remnants of the army to the Crimea, but was killed by Tokhtamysh in 1380. One heir to his part of the Golden Horde was killed, there were no other competitors for Tokhtamysh.

There is an opinion that it was Tokhtamysh who won the Battle of Kulikovo. He defeated Mamai, who actually led part of the Horde and united the entire Horde under his rule. He also forced the Russian principalities to pay tribute, which had not been done since 1374. In fact, the two enemies of Tokhtamysh were weakened, and after the battle he defeated them one by one. Also, its significance for the Russian principalities was that they gained experience of association, therefore, under the rule of the Moscow princes, they became a formidable force in the fight against the rule of the Horde.

In short, the Battle of Kulikovo is one of the brightest pages in Russian historiography. In any nation must be present heroic historical episodes. The real significance of the battle between the squad of Dmitry Donskoy and the horde of Mamai is now seriously questioned

researchers. The Battle of Kulikovo was just another episode of internecine clashes in the Horde. Not the first and not the last.

Briefly: The Battle of Kulikovo and its background

In the second half, the Golden Horde is increasingly in decline. This state, like many large-scale formations, faced fragmentation and internal strife, which seriously weakened its military power. At the same time, against this background, the revival of Russian principalities took place. Moscow becomes the new center of the Eastern Slavs. In the Golden Horde, torn apart by internecine strife, the temnik Mamai comes to power. The first attempt to break the towering Moscow was made as early as 1378. However, then the horde of Mamai was defeated. Two years later, the formal reason for the battle of Kulikovo was the demonstrative refusal of Dmitry Donskoy to increase the amount of tribute, which had already been paid to the Tatar khans for a century and a half. In response to this, the Horde temnik again began to gather an army.

Briefly: Battle of Kulikovo

By September 1380, Dmitry Donskoy had a combined squad of several principalities with a total number of 50-100 thousand people. On the side of Mamai, the Horde army came out directly, numbering from 60 to 150 thousand men, as well as mercenaries (Genoese archers, jars and others) and allies from the latter had an interest in the western Russian territories and also did not want a new rise of Russia. The great strategic success of the princely commanders was that they did not allow the unification of the two troops. This fact not least allowed to win the battle. Authentic sources describe the course of it quite briefly. The Battle of Kulikovo took place at the mouth of the Nepryadva. For a long time, modern historians doubted the veracity of this chronicle message. However, in recent years, most of the scientific community has agreed with this fact. According to the same chronicle sources, the general battle was preceded by a battle between the strongest heroes of the two sides: Chelubey and Peresvet. However, this is not mentioned everywhere. Apparently, this is just a beautiful story of medieval chroniclers. Little is known about the battle itself. The chronicles only repeat that the Russian commanders used it in the form of luring the Tatar cavalry and then hitting it in the rear from the side of the ambush regiment. The Horde were driven back to the river and killed.

The historical significance of the Battle of Kulikovo. Briefly

As you can see, this historical episode is full of innuendo, and its complete historical reconstruction is no longer possible today due to the lack of consistent sources. It's hard to summarize, but we'll try. As a result of this victory, Russia did not at all get rid of the Horde yoke. The princes continued to pay tribute for a hundred years. However, the important point was that the Moscow principality continued its victorious pace. This made it possible to rally around most of the Russian lands and put an end to the yoke in the future.

The victory of Russia on the Kulikovo field was in many ways a turning point in the history of Russia. After the Kulikovo field, Russia became a different country. For the first time, the Russian people straightened their neck bent before the Horde, tried to throw off the stupor of slavery, humiliation, currying before the Tatars. For one hundred and forty years they felt like humiliated and dependent people, second-class people in their own country. Now the light of national freedom shone ahead. Along with the Kulikovo victory came national pride and dignity. This victory stirred up the national consciousness of the people, its national memory, and this was the main result of the victory. It is no coincidence that on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo Russia was seized by an atmosphere of national upsurge.

It is no coincidence that the end of the 14th and the first decades of the 15th century. were marked by an impressive rise in Russian economic life, culture, art, literature, religious upsurge. The spirit of freedom liberated people, contributed to the revival of the Motherland in all spheres of life. People realized that there is a higher goal in their life than personal well-being and personal selfish interest. This goal is the freedom of the whole people, the freedom of the country. And this goal made them richer in spirit and happier. And princes, and boyars, and churchmen, and merchants, and artisans, and peasants. In the struggle for this great goal, they were together.

For Eastern Europe, historians compared the significance of this victory with the victory of Europeans in the Catalaunian fields in France over the hordes of the Huns led by Attila. After the defeat of the Horde at Blue Waters from Olgerd and the Battle of Kulikovo, the next long-term offensive of Asia against Europe was suspended. From now on, the historical initiative in relations with the Horde goes over to the side of Russia: Russia is advancing, and the Horde and the uluses falling away from it are defending themselves. The Battle of Kulikovo marked the beginning of this process.

The Battle of Kulikovo showed that Moscow has become a true spokesman for all-Russian national interests and a true leader in the unification of Russian lands, despite subsequent difficulties and obstacles along this path both from the Horde and Moscow's opponents in Russia itself. Moscow, relying on all-Russian support, continues to put pressure on the Russian principalities that have not yet been annexed to it. The halo of victory in the Battle of Kulikovo greatly helped both Dmitry Donskoy and his successors with this effort.

The bloodless and depleted Russian army returned in triumph to Moscow. The wounded, tired Dmitry Donskoy returned to Russia in triumph, after this victory he became the national leader of all Russian lands in the fight against external enemies. The powerful state of Mamaia collapsed. But besides his will, Dmitry Donskoy helped Mamai's rival, Khan Tokhtamysh, gain a foothold in the Horde. Under his rule, the unity of the Golden Horde was restored, and now the new ambitious khan dreamed of restoring his power over the "Russian ulus". By the end of the same year, Tokhtamysh informed all Russian princes about his accession to the Golden Horde throne. But he understood that real power could only be returned by force. And he also understood that Russia was drained of blood, and only now it was suddenly possible to inflict a mortal blow on it.

Tokhtamysh began to prepare for a campaign against Moscow immediately. He gathered a huge army, consisting of his fresh tumens, who came with him from the Volga region. In the summer of 1382, he detained all Russian merchants in the Horde so that they could not convey the news of the impending campaign to Moscow. He no longer risked, as Mamai had earlier, going openly against Moscow. And this pointed to the strength of Moscow and the weakness of the Horde. But she was still powerful.

The appearance in 1382 near the Oka of the new Golden Horde army came as a complete surprise to Dmitry Donskoy.

The Horde crossed the Oka along the fords, which were indicated to the Tatars by the Ryazan prince Oleg, who trembled before the Horde.

Dmitry Donskoy hastily left for Pereyaslavl, then to Kostroma to gather forces. Moscow was left without its leader. The Muscovites burned all the suburbs, all wooden buildings in advance, in order to deprive the Tatars of the opportunity to build mobile towers to storm the walls.

Tokhtamysh freely approached the Kremlin itself.

The very next day, the first assault on the Kremlin walls was undertaken with the help of ladders. But the Muscovites fought back. Then two more assaults followed, but the stone stronghold stood impregnable. And then Tokhtamysh went to the trick: he asked the Muscovites for a small tribute and permission to enter the Kremlin to see the city. He swore that he would not do anything wrong and immediately move away. He has an account only with the Grand Duke. On reflection, the Muscovites agreed - and were severely punished.

As soon as the heavy, iron-wrought gates opened, the Tatars broke into the Kremlin, cut down its defenders, robbed the princely palace and boyar houses, churches, seized the princely treasury, burned ancient books. Then the Tatars went "corralled" to other Russian lands, robbing them and killing people. Near Volokolamsk, one of their detachments was defeated by Prince Vladimir Serpukhovsky. Russia began to come to its senses. However, as soon as information about the approach of the troops of Dmitry Donskoy and a strong detachment of Vladimir Serpukhovsky reached Tokhtamysh, he quickly retreated away, plundering the Ryazan land along the way. It also showed that the Horde was not the same. The blow dealt to her on the Kulikovo field did not go unnoticed for Sarai.

The plight of Moscow immediately tried to use the prince of Tver and laid claim to the great reign. However, the Horde was careful not to redistribute tables and territories in Russia. Although the hatred for Moscow, for Dmitry Donskoy was very great there, Tokhtamysh realized that this would lead to a new big war with Russia, for which he was not ready. Dmitry Ivanovich was not ready for a new conflict either. As a result, Russia continued to pay tribute to the Horde, but in his will Dmitry Donskoy inherited the title to the great reign of Vladimir to his eldest son Vasily, without asking Saray's permission. He called the Vladimir lands in his will his "fatherland". It was significant. The Horde was in decline. Russia, on the contrary, was gaining strength and slowly but surely moving towards its unity under the leadership of Moscow, overcoming the intrigues of external enemies - Lithuania and the Horde, as well as breaking the resistance of the opponents of this unity in the person of the Tver, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod principalities.

Returning to Moscow, Dmitry Donskoy bitterly saw the burned city, thousands of Muscovites killed. The first money in payment of tribute went to the Horde.

And yet, the efforts that he spent for the good of Russia were not in vain. Soon the Belozersk Principality was annexed to Moscow. Jagiello sent his ambassadors to Moscow, offering alliance and friendship. The economy of Russia was quickly reviving, more and more people were drawn to the Moscow principality. The strong army of the great Moscow-Vladimir prince was recreated again. A solid wall next to him stood the service boyars - the backbone of the economic and military power of the developing Russian state.

Dmitry Donskoy died in 1389. He lived for less than forty years. A significant part of them was devoted to the fight against Lithuania, the Horde, and various Russian principalities. In his life he did about two dozen military campaigns, participated in many battles, spent hundreds of hours in the saddle. He left the principality to his eldest son Vasily, which soon became the core of the emerging unified Russian state.