Battle of Kulikovo

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Battle of Kulikovo
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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 were in a
  position to lay claim to the throne. 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 enforce the Moscow
  Prince's obedience. But the 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 invading, he conducted
  negotiations with Prince Jogaila of Lithuania and
  Russian prince , a fierce enemy to Dmitry. The
  armies of Lithuania and Ryazan were sent to join
  the Tatars. Mamai set his camp on the shore of
  Don, waiting for allies.

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Battle of Kulikovo
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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 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, but the actual size of the
  Kulikovo Field would not 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.

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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 did
  not 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.

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Legacy

• This victory was the early signal 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 itcitation needed, the Russians
  went to the Kulikovo Field as citizens of various
  principalities and returned as a united Russian
  nation. This view was possibly not shared by
  prince , who allied with 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. 1

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Battle of Kulikovo

• The Kulikovo battle of 1380 is the most important
  event in the history of the Medieval Russia,
  which to a great extent defined the further
  destiny of the Russian State. The battle on the
  Kulikovo field commenced the North-West Russia
  liberation from the Yoke of the Golden Horde. The
  increasing power of Moscow Principality, the
  growth of its authority among other Russian
  Principalities, Moscows refusal to pay tribute
  became the main reasons for Mamai, the leader of
  the Golden Horde, to organize a big military
  campaign against Russia. In order to win victory
  over the Golden Horde it was necessary to unite
  Russia under expanding influence of Moscow
  Principality.
• By the fall of 1380 the main forces of Mamai
  crossed the Volga River and slowly moved to the
  North to meet their allies in the basin of the
  Oka River. For the first time in Russian history
  of the XII-XIV centuries as well a great number
  of warriors joined the banner of the Grand Prince
  of Moscow Dmitry Ivanovich. Having crossed the
  Oka River the Russian warriors rapidly moved to
  the Kulikovo field. On the 6th of September
  Russian regiments reached the Don River by the
  Old Dankovskaya road. Military council decided to
  cross the Don River and meet the enemy. Late at
  night on September 7th the troops crossed the
  river and early in the morning, on September 8th,
  began to deploy in combat formation to the
  watershed, the place where Mamais forces were
  moving from.

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Battle of Kulikovo

• Russian troops formed up the traditional three
  line order. The Outpost regiment took position in
  the vanguard and the Front regiment was located
  behind it. The main line of the Russian combat
  formation had three part division. The Big
  regiment stood in the middle and its flanks were
  protected by the Right Hand and the Left Hand
  regiments. The reserves were located behind the
  Big regiment. Russian generals, predicting the
  course of the battle, located the Ambush regiment
  in the Green oak woods, to the east from the Left
  Hand regiment. Flanks of Russian warriors stood
  close to the Nizhni Dubik and Smolka Rivers
  banks, covered with forests. Mamai positioned his
  troops in the line order too. In the middle there
  was hired Genoese infantry. On the flanks and
  behind the infantry there were troops of the
  Hordes cavalry and hired warriors. The reserves
  were just behind them. The battle began at about
  11 oclock by the attacks of the Hordes infantry
  and cavalry against Russian Outpost and Front
  regiments. Having withstood the first onslaught,
  suffering heavy losses, the regiments went back
  to the main Russian forces. The Hordes cavalry
  began severe front attacks along all the defense
  line of the Russian troops. Trying to create
  preponderance, Mamai sent his reserves against
  the Left Hand regiment. Despite the hard-fought
  resistance of Russian troops, the Hordes army
  managed to break through its lines. Left Hand
  regiment began to drop back with great losses.
  Even the reserves could not save the situation.
  At about 2 oclock the Golden Horde moved to the
  rear of the Russian troops, outflanking the Big
  regiment. Thus a real threat of encircling and
  destroying Russian forces arose. It was the
  culmination moment of the battle. And at this
  moment the Russian Ambush regiment attacked the
  back of the Hordes cavalry. Unexpected
  involvement of new Russian troops drastically
  changed the situation. The attack of the Ambush
  regiment was the signal for Moscow warriors to
  launch an offensive. Mamai's army flew. Till
  night Russian troops pursued them. It was a clear
  victory. Golden Horde troops were completely
  destroyed. The threat of the total destruction of
  Russia, the results of which is hard to imagine,
  was eliminated. Dead warriors had been picked up
  on the field and buried in the communal grave
  during seven days.

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Battle of Kulikovo

• Christian church, its monasteries and hegoumenons
  (monks) assisted in faith consolidation in
  peoples hearts and in the growth of Moscow
  Principality. One of the most favorite spiritual
  tutors was Saint Sergy of Radonej. It was he who
  inspired in the Russian confidence the victory
  over the Golden Horde on the Kulikovo field. The
  Trinity Monastery, created by Sergy, became the
  symbol of Russias unification.
• The Kulikovo battle turned out to be the largest
  fight of the middle Ages. More than one hundred
  thousand warriors participated in it. The Golden
  Horde was thoroughly defeated. The Kulikovo
  battle became the turning point in the struggle
  of Russia against the Tatar-Mongol Yoke and
  influenced the formation of the united Russian
  State, the creation of the Russian national
  consciousness. The victory on the Kulikovo field
  hastened the process of the Russian state
  consolidation and it had passed through the whole
  history of Russia as the connected thread. In the
  time of Ivan III the united Russia overthrew the
  Golden Horde Yoke forever at the Ugra River in
  1480.

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