The date of the liberation of Rus' from the Tatar-Mongol yoke is traditionally considered to be 1480 and this event is associated with the Standing on the Ugra. However, in reality everything was much more complicated. The struggle of the Russian people with the conquerors, which began already in the middle of the 13th century, produced its results: during the 13th - 15th centuries, the forms of Rus'’s dependence on the Horde gradually changed towards weakening, and in the 15th century this dependence was reduced mainly to the payment of tribute, while in At the end of the 14th and 15th centuries there were long periods of time when tribute was not paid at all and Muscovite Rus' was actually an independent state. In addition, the data from the sources at our disposal allows us to assert that the cessation of tributary dependence, and therefore the liberation of Rus', occurred somewhat earlier than 1480.
In the first century of the yoke, the fight against the Tatar-Mongols took place in the form of popular uprisings and individual cases of armed confrontation with the Horde on the part of the princes. However, in conditions of overwhelming military superiority of the Tatar-Mongols and the lack of unity of the Russian principalities, such actions, even if they ended successfully (such as the uprising of 1262 or the defeat of the Tatar detachment by Dmitry Pereyaslavsky in 1285), could not lead to liberation, and even such goals Our princes, apparently, did not set themselves the task; the cases of armed resistance to the Tatars, with rare exceptions, were associated with princely civil strife. However, already at the end of the 13th - beginning of the 14th century, significant results were achieved, the situation began to change: by the end of the 13th century, the collection of tribute passed to the Russian princes, and the Baskaks disappeared. In the last quarter of the 14th century, a radical change occurred in the relations between Rus' and the Horde; the national liberation struggle of Rus' against the Mongol-Tatars, unlike the previous period, took on an organized character and had as its goal complete liberation from foreign domination. The strengthening of the Moscow principality and the favorable foreign policy situation associated with long-term civil strife in the Horde allowed Moscow to refuse to pay tribute in 1374, in 1377-1378 a number of battles with the Horde took place and finally, in 1380, the Russian people won Great Victory on the Kulikovo field. And even despite the fact that in 1383 Moscow, in connection with the invasion of Tokhtamysh and the defection of neighboring principalities to the Horde, was forced to temporarily resume the payment of tribute, the significance and results of the Kulikovo Victory and the struggle that preceded it were enormous: the most severe forms were finally a thing of the past dependencies of Rus' associated with the assertion of the power of the Russian princes by the khan's labels, the great reign was established for the Moscow princes, i.e. in fact, the yoke was reduced mainly to the irregular payment of tribute. In addition, tributary dependence was restored to a sufficient extent short term, until 1395, when, taking advantage of the defeat of the Horde by Tamerlane, the Moscow Principality again stopped paying the “exit” and even took offensive actions against the Horde, so in 1399 Moscow troops made a successful campaign against the lands that were part of the Golden Horde. Thus, Muscovite Rus' entered the 15th century as an independent state, completely free from Horde domination.
Naturally, the Horde could not come to terms with the loss of power over Russia, and in 1408 the Horde ruler Edigei launched a large-scale invasion, but failed. Despite the significant damage caused by the destruction of a number of cities of the Moscow principality, Edigei failed to take the capital and force Vasily I to resume paying tribute. From the message sent by Edigei to Vasily the following year, you can get information about the relationship between Rus' and the Horde at the beginning of the 15th century: the Grand Duke’s trips to the Horde stopped: “So Temir-Koutlui sat on the kingdom, the sovereign became Oulousu, so from those places you did not have a king in the horde, you did not know the king, neither the princes, nor the older boys, nor the younger ones, you did not send anyone. So that kingdom passed, and then Shadibik reigned for 8 years: you never visited him like that again, you didn’t send a son or a brother with anyone. Shadibikov’s kingdom passed away, and now Boulat sat down on the kingdom, already reigning for the third year: you have never been like that, neither son nor brother nor the oldest boyar.”(Novgorod IV Chronicle. PSRL. T. 4 http://psrl.csu.ru/toms/Tom_04.shtml),; at the same time, sometimes Moscow even tried to use the horde for its own foreign policy purposes, for example, in the period 1404-1407, Moscow promised to resume paying tribute, but in reality did not pay it ( “Why do you send complaints and letters of complaint to us every time, but you tell us so hard that “you’ve exhausted all your souls, and there’s no way out”? Otherwise, before this, we did not know your oulos, only we heard; and what about your orders or your letters to us, then you lied to us all; and what did you have in your treasure from every village, a ruble dried up for two, and where did you put the silver?”(Novgorod IV Chronicle. PSRL. T. 4), used (in 1407) mercenary Tatar troops to fight Lithuania. However, in 1412, Vasily Dmitrievich made a trip to the Horde, accompanied by the payment of tribute. The reason for the change in Moscow's policy was the unfavorable political situation. Soon after the invasion of Moscow, Edigei, having failed to achieve his goals through military means, restored the independence of the Nizhny Novgorod principality, annexed to Moscow in 1392. In 1410, Nizhny Novgorod and Tatars plundered Vladimir. Military actions against the Nizhny Novgorod princes undertaken the following year were unsuccessful; the Moscow army was defeated. The need to return the Nizhny Novgorod land to the rule of Moscow was the reason for the resumption of relations with the Horde. However, there was no return to the times of the 13th-14th centuries: the great reign remained with the Moscow princes; in foreign policy matters, Moscow acted completely independently, while showing open disobedience to the will of the khan, for example, not achieving a return during his trip to the Horde Nizhny Novgorod, Vasily I in 1414 nevertheless restored control over the Nizhny Novgorod land, forcibly removing the Nizhny Novgorod prince from power, despite the fact that the latter received the khan's label.
There is no exact data on how regularly tribute was paid after 1412. Indirect confirmation that Muscovite Rus', at least in the second half of the 20s and until the beginning of the 30s of the 15th century. did not pay the “exit” may be the Tatar raids on Galich and Kostroma in 1429 and the campaign against the Horde of Moscow troops in 1431. Although it is possible that these Tatar attacks could be ordinary predatory raids carried out without the sanction of the khan, while some or invasions similar to Edigeev or Tokhtamyshev, which were undertaken by the Tatars in the event of Moscow’s refusal to pay tribute, sources do not report. But on the other hand, it is also possible that due to the almost constant strife of the Horde, the khans simply did not have the opportunity to organize a large-scale invasion, and it is likely that in the years 1413-1430, tribute was either not paid at all, or was paid rarely and irregularly .
What is known for certain is that the payment of tribute resumed after 1431, when the son and brother of Vasily I, Vasily II Vasilyevich and Yuri Dmitrievich, competing for the grand ducal throne, tried to win over the khan, visited the Horde, and continued in the 30-50s XV century, despite the collapse of the unified Horde state. In the 30s, civil strife once again resumed in the Horde, which ultimately led to its collapse: the independent Kazan Khanate, the Crimean Khanate, the horde of Said-Ahmad, and the Siberian Khanate were formed. The Great Horde becomes the largest state entity - the “legal successor” of the former Golden Horde. Thus, as during the “great turmoil” of the 14th century, very real prerequisites were created for the complete liberation of Rus' from the remnants of Horde dependence, but this did not happen, the reason for which was the long-term civil strife in the Moscow principality, called “ feudal war " Only united Rus' was able to successfully resist the Horde, but in the absence of unity and internecine war, dependence on the Horde continued to persist. As for the trip to the Horde of Vasily II and his uncle Yuri Dmitrievich in 1431-1432 and the dispute between them about the label, then at first glance it may seem that it is no different from the trips of Russian princes to the Horde of the 13th-14th centuries, but unlike those times when princes were obliged to appear in the Horde at the request of the khan, the reason for visiting the horde in 1431-1432 was not the will of the Horde ruler, but the initiative of the warring princes themselves, each of whom, in the conditions of the struggle for power, hoped to find an ally in the person of the khan. As you know, Yuri Dmitrievich failed to achieve a great reign with the help of the Tatars; Khan Ulu-Muhammad chose to give the label to Vasily II. However, no one had taken into account the will of the khan for a long time, so immediately upon returning to Rus', Vasily II violated the khan’s order and took away from Yuri the city of Dmitrov, given by the khan to Yuri, and Yuri himself overthrew Vasily in 1433. Thus, even during the feudal war, the situation continued to persist in which Rus'’s dependence on the Horde was expressed exclusively in the payment of tribute. In addition, in the 40s, due to the collapse of the Horde, Muscovite Rus' had to deal with several Tatar hordes, paying tribute to some khans and repelling the raids of others. After the overthrow of Ulu-Mukhamed, tribute was paid to the Great Horde of Kichi-Mukhamed; as a result of the defeat in 1445 from Ulu-Mukhamed, who founded the independent khanate, and the capture of Vasily II, the latter was forced to pay tribute to the Kazan Khan, but dependence on Kazan did not last long: under 1447 there are information about the payment of the “exit” to Said-Ahmad, and in 1448 about repelling the invasion of the Kazan Tatars on Vladimir and Murom; in the same 1448, tributary relations with the horde of Said-Ahmad ended, while the latter repeatedly (in 1449, 1451, 1454, 1455, 1459) launched attacks on the Principality of Moscow, which were successfully repelled by Russian troops. The armed clashes of 1448-1459 with the hordes of Ulu-Muhamed and Said-Ahmad are proof of the absence of tributary relations with these state entities. However, based on this, it is not necessary to draw a conclusion about the end of the Horde yoke. The fact is that the sources do not mention any military clashes with the Great Horde of Kichi-Mukhamed, and therefore it can be argued that tribute was paid to the Great Horde in the period from 1448 to 1459.
However, in the next decade the situation changes. In 1459, Russian troops defeated Said-Akhmad's horde, soon the state itself ceased to exist, Said-Akhmad was captured in Lithuania and died there, and in 1460 the chronicles report an attack on Ryazan by the Greater Horde troops. It should be borne in mind that starting from 1456, the Ryazan Principality, formally continuing to remain an independent great principality, was actually annexed to Moscow, the young Ryazan prince was in Moscow, and Ryazan itself was ruled by Moscow governors. So the attack on Ryazan was also a hostile action against the Principality of Moscow. In this regard, it can be assumed that in 1459, after eliminating the danger from Said-Akhmad, Vasily the Dark broke off relations with Kichi-Mukhamed, which was the reason for the Tatars’ campaign against Ryazan. However, another explanation for this event is also possible: it is known that after the death of Kichi-Mukhamed, his two sons Mahmud, who was the khan during the invasion of Ryazan, and Akhmat (the same “hero” of the stand on the Ugra) remained. In the chronicles, the khan who led the campaign against Ryazan is called in one case “Akhmut”, and in another - Mehmet”, i.e. It is not clear who was the organizer of this invasion: if Mahmud, who was khan at that time, then in this case the reason for the invasion could well have been Moscow’s refusal to pay tribute, but if it was Akhmat’s raid unauthorized by the khan, then we can talk about the cessation of paying tribute in 1459-1460. premature. Thus, the question of whether tribute was paid at the end of the reign of Vasily II the Dark remains open. But already from the beginning of the independent reign of Ivan III, one can confidently assert the end of tributary relations, evidence of which is the failed invasion of 1465: “That same summer, the godless Tsar Mahmut went to the Russian land with the entire Horde and ended up on the Don. By the grace of God and His Most Pure Mother, King Azigirei came to him and took him and the Horde. And we began to fight among ourselves, and so God delivered the Russian land from the filthy ones.”(Nikon Chronicle. PSRL. T. 12, pp. 116-117 http://psrl.csu.ru/toms/Tom_12.shtml)
At the same time, this chronicle message contains an important detail that the khan went to Rus' “with the entire horde,” from which it becomes clear that this was not just a raid, but an all-Horde large-scale action, the reasons for which were nothing other than non-payment of the “exit” “It’s impossible to explain. Then the Tatars failed to carry out their plans, the Great Horde army was suddenly attacked by the Crimeans and defeated, and Mahmud was soon overthrown by Akhmat. And although there were no major Horde invasions until the end of the 60s, nevertheless, the danger from the Great Horde remained: in 1468. There were Tatar attacks on the southern outskirts of Rus', therefore, in the second half of the 60s, tribute was not paid, and Rus' was at war with the Horde. However, there is information about the resumption of tributary relations in the early 70s. The Vologda-Perm Chronicle, when describing the Standing on the Ugra, explaining the reasons for Akhmat’s campaign in 1480, cites important information, allowing you to set the date for the final termination of tribute payment: “Ivan Delya’s tongue came, but because of his lies, he doesn’t come to me, and doesn’t hit me with his forehead, and THE NINE YEAR HAS NOT GIVEN ME A WAY OUT”(Vologda-Perm Chronicle. PSRL. T. 26. http://psrl.csu.ru/toms/Tom_26.shtml).
Consequently, in 1470-1471, after a long break, tribute was paid again. What caused such an unexpected decision of Ivan III. The answer lies in the difficult situation related to the relations of Muscovite Rus' with Novgorod and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It is known from the chronicles that in 1470 a Lithuanian ambassador arrived to Akhmat with a proposal for a joint Lithuanian-Tatar campaign against Rus'. In addition, it was at this time that events took place in Novgorod. important events, which ultimately led to the Battle of Shelon and the subordination of the Novgorod Republic to Muscovite Rus'. Considering that the threat of both an attack by the Tatars and a joint Lithuanian-Tatar invasion was quite real, it can be assumed that Ivan III chose not to risk it and decided to pay tribute, thereby protecting Rus' from a possible attack, since the invasion of the Tatars, while The main military forces of Muscovite Rus' were involved in the Novgorod campaign, creating a serious danger for the Moscow Principality. An indirect confirmation of this is the chronicle message about the presence of the Russian ambassador Grigory Volnin at Akhmat in 1472, whose tasks probably included the delivery of tribute to the Horde, as well as an attempt to thwart the plans of the Lithuanian-Tatar campaign against Rus'. In fact, this payment of tribute had little in common with the usual practice of tributary relations between Rus' and the Horde, in fact being a diplomatic move in order to prevent the invasion of the Horde at a time unfavorable for Moscow. And as shown further events, Ivan III managed to achieve the set goals: in 1471, during the war with Novgorod, when the military-political situation was favorable to the Tatars, the invasion did not take place, most likely as a result of the “exit” being paid in a timely manner.
However, it was still not possible to avoid the invasion. Considering that since the beginning of the reign of Ivan III, Rus' stopped paying tribute and was a completely independent state, the Horde understood that it was possible to restore long-lost power over Russia only as a result of inflicting a decisive military defeat on Moscow. And in 1472, the second, after 1465, large-scale invasion of the Great Horde followed. From July 29 to August 1, the confrontation lasted, thanks to the courage of the defenders of Aleksin, who died but did not surrender, the warriors of the governors Peter Chelyadnin and Semyon Beklemishev, the princes Vasily Mikhailovich Vereisky and the brother of Ivan III Yuri Vasilyevich, who stopped the onslaught of the superior forces of the Horde at the crossing of the Oka River, and the timely With the concentration of the main Russian forces reliably covering the Oka line, Akhmat's invasion ended in complete failure. “For this reason, the Tatars went on board the river to the Otse with a lot of force and rushed all into the river, wanting to come to our side, since there was no army in that place, bringing our own people to a deserted place. But only Pyotr Fedorovich and Semyon Beklemishev stood there with a small group of people, and many Tatars wandered towards them. They began to shoot with them and fought with them a lot, and they already had few arrows, and they thought of running. And at that time, Prince Vasily Mikhailovich came to them with his regiment, and therefore the regiment of Prince Yuryev Vasilyevich came; At that same hour, Prince Yuri himself came after them, and thus began to defeat the Christians over the Tatars.”(Simeonovskaya Chronicle. PSRL vol. 18, p. 242) http://psrl.csu.ru/toms/Tom_18.shtml Rus' won not only a military but also a political victory: it was from 1472 that the payment of tribute finally ceased, therefore then, in 1472, and not in 1480, and the final liberation of Rus' from Horde dependence took place. As for the famous “standing on the Ugra”, this was just an attempt by Akhmat to restore the already overthrown yoke. Having failed to achieve in 1474-1476. By diplomatic means of his goals, in 1480 Akhmat, who by this time had managed to temporarily subjugate the Uzbek and Astrakhan khanates, organized a new invasion, which was the last attempt of the Great Horde to regain long-lost power over Russia, but as we know, it also ended in nothing.
The process of liberation from Tatar-Mongol rule was long and went through several stages. The “first liberation” occurred already in 1374 during the “reconciliation with Mamai,” and although in 1383 tributary relations with the Horde were temporarily resumed, in 1395 the independence of Muscovite Rus' was restored for a fairly long period, until 1412. In fact, the period of the late XIV - early XV was turning point the national liberation struggle of the Russian people, which resulted in liberation from the most severe forms of dependence associated with the complete control of the Horde in the internal political life of Rus', and the final liberation from the yoke, expressed in the 15th century mainly in the payment of tribute, became only a matter of time. The long-term civil strife within the Moscow principality delayed the moment of liberation, but after its cessation, Moscow again in 1462 (and possibly in 1459) stopped paying tribute. The last time tribute was paid was in 1470-1471, and in 1472 Rus' was finally freed from the remnants of Horde dependence.
1. In 1480, the Mongol-Tatar yoke was overthrown, which, to a large extent, was the result of the activities of Ivan III, one of the most progressive Russian princes of that time. Ivan III, the son of Vasily the Dark, ascended the throne in 1462 and ruled until 1505. During his reign, fateful changes took place in the life of Moscow Rus':
- Rus' was finally united around Moscow;
- the Mongol-Tatar yoke was overthrown;
- Rus' became the political and spiritual successor of Byzantium;
- the first Code of Law of the Moscow State was compiled;
- construction of the modern Moscow Kremlin began;
- The Moscow prince began to be called the Sovereign of All Rus'.
2. The decisive step in the unification of Russian lands around Moscow was the suppression of two feudal centers that had been competing with Moscow for many years:
- Novgorod in 1478;
- Tver in 1485
The annexation of Novgorod, an independent trading democratic republic, to the Moscow state took place by force. In 1478, Ivan III, concerned about the desire of the Novgorodians to join Lithuania, came to Novgorod with an army and presented an ultimatum. The Novgorodians, whose forces were inferior to Moscow, were forced to accept it. The Novgorod veche bell, a symbol of democracy, was removed from the bell tower and taken to Moscow, the veche was dissolved. It was during the annexation of Novgorod that Ivan III was first publicly presented as the Sovereign of All Rus'.
3. After the unification of the two largest Russian centers - Moscow and Novgorod, the next step of Ivan III was the overthrow of the Mongol- Tatar yoke:
- in 1478, Ivan III refused to pay tribute to the Horde;
- Khan Akhmat, together with the Golden Horde army, entered the Russian lands;
- in October - November 1480, the Russian and Golden Horde armies became camps on the Ugra River, which was called “standing on the Ugra River”;
- After standing on the Ugra for a month, on November 11, 1480, Khan Akhmat gathered his army and left for the Horde.
This event is considered the moment of the end of the Mongol-Tatar yoke, which lasted 240 years.
However, standing on the Ugra River is a symbol of the overthrow of the yoke, but not its cause.
The main reason for the fairly easy overthrow of the yoke is the actual death of the Golden Horde in 1480 - 1481.
The geopolitical situation in the world was changed by the Turks who came from Asia:
- first, in 1453, the Turks crushed the 1000-year-old Byzantium and took Constantinople;
- then it was the turn of the Golden Horde (also an enemy of the Turks), which in the 1460s - 1470s. was subjected to destructive raids from the south;
- in 1480, the Crimean Tatars, allies of the Turks, opened a “second front” for Rus', launching an invasion of the Golden Horde.
In addition, in the Golden Horde itself (by that time it had already changed its name several times - White Horde, Blue Horde, etc.) centrifugal processes took place - similar to those that led to the collapse Kievan Rus. Golden Horde by 1480 it had actually broken up into small khanates. Sometimes the khanate data was “collected” by one of the “strong people” - military leaders or khans, last time The Golden Horde was united by Akhmat, who then tried to restore vassalage to Muscovite Rus'. However, while standing on the Ugra, news came about a new invasion of the Crimean Tatars and a new “Zamyatin” (civil strife) in the Golden Horde. As a result of this:
- Khan Akhmat was forced to urgently leave Ugra in order to fight the conquerors invading from the south;
- in 1481, Akhmat's army was defeated, Akhmat, the last khan of the Horde, was killed, and the Golden Horde ceased to exist and broke up into small khanates - Astrakhan, Kazan, Nogai, etc. That is why, having left the Ugra on November 11, 1480, the Mongol- the Tatars never returned.
The last attempt to revive the Golden Horde was made in 1492, but was stopped by the Turks, Crimean Tatars, and local separatists. The Golden Horde finally ceased to exist. 4. The Moscow state, on the contrary, was gaining strength and international authority. Ivan III married Sophia (Zoe) Palaeologus, the niece of the last emperor of Byzantium (the Eastern Roman Empire, which collapsed in 1453, like the Golden Horde, under the pressure of the Turkish invasion). The young Moscow state was declared the political and spiritual successor of Byzantium. This was expressed both in the slogan: “Moscow is the Third Rome” (after Rome and the “Second Rome” - Constantinople), and in the borrowing of Byzantine symbols and symbols of power:
- Coat of arms of the Palaiologos family - double headed eagle was taken as the coat of arms of the newly formed Russian (Moscow) state;
- Gradually, a new name for the country was borrowed from Byzantium - Russia (Russia is the Byzantine version of the name Rus; in the Byzantine language, for ease of pronunciation in the names of countries, the letter “u” was changed to “o” and the ending “-ia” (-ia) was added, for example, Romania sounded like Romania, Bulgar like Bulgaria, Rus like Russia).
In honor of the overthrow of the Mongol-Tatar yoke under Ivan III, construction began on a symbol of power - the Moscow Kremlin. According to the plan of Ivan III, the Kremlin was to become the residence of future Russian sovereigns and should personify greatness and sovereignty. The basis was taken from the design of the Italian architect Aristotle Fiorovanti, according to which, instead of the old white stone one, the main part of the modern Moscow Kremlin was built from red brick. Also, under Ivan III in 1497, the Code of Laws was adopted - the first set of laws of the independent Russian state. This Code of Law legalized:
- a unified system of government bodies;
- a unified system of government;
- the right of peasants to change landowners (“Yuriev Day”).
During the reign of Ivan III, the expansion of the territory of Rus' to the east began. So, in the 80s - 90s. XV century Vast areas up to the Urals and the Arctic Ocean were developed, as a result of which, under Ivan III, the territory of the Moscow state increased 6 times.
Ivan III died in 1505, leaving behind a strong, prosperous and independent state.
For several centuries, Russian lands paid tribute to the Golden Horde. Princes from generation to generation went to the Horde to pay money, exchange hostages and take labels for reign. The liberation of Rus' from the Horde yoke occurred in 1480. This date became a turning point in the history of our state.
Mongol-Tatar yoke
The occupation of the entire northeastern region of Russian territory was beyond the capabilities of the Golden Horde. But the invaders needed these lands as a constant reliable source of tribute. The Tatars did not have garrisons on Russian territory; they did not establish their permanent power. But, despite the annual cash offerings, the Tatar-Mongols did not at all guarantee the protection of the principalities. The borders of Rus' were constantly subject to invasion by Swedish and Lithuanian troops. From within, the country was torn apart by contradictions and civil strife. The invaders understood that a fragmented state would not be able to give them a worthy rebuff, so they carefully incited hatred between neighboring principalities.
Ivan Kalita
In 1327, the only uprising of the people against the Horde yoke took place. Rus' fearfully awaited a new punitive raid. At this moment, Ivan Kalita appears on the political horizon. Unable to retreat before the Tatar-Mongols, he decides on the only correct, from his point of view, solution - to lead the army of the Golden Horde against Moscow's longtime enemy - the Tver Principality.
For this, Kalita received a label from the Horde khan and became So the liberation of Rus' from the Horde yoke did not take place.
Age of Strengthening
In the end, Moscow rose above other cities and became the center of the lands of South-Eastern Rus'. Prince Ivan Kalita did a lot to strengthen the city and to ensure that hordes of Horde robbers no longer appeared on Russian lands. His policy was successfully continued by Simeon the Proud. In 1346, he achieved reconciliation with Tver and even married one of the daughters of Tver Prince Vsevolod. This is how the reconciliation of the Russian princes gradually began.
Second memorable date The year 1362 marked the beginning of the liberation of Rus' from the Horde yoke. At this time, the khan gave a label for the great reign to the nephew of Simeon the Proud, Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy. In the same year, the name Mamai appeared in Russian chronicles. No one could then admit that many years later they would have to meet, and this battle would be one of the greatest battles of the Middle Ages. Donskoy brought closer the liberation of Rus' from the Horde yoke. Mamai defended the state once created by Batu. The question was as follows: will Dmitry Ivanovich have time to gather Russian lands around Moscow or will Mamai come with his army to strangle Moscow sedition.
Battle of Kulikovo
Donskoy was only 20 years old when the need arose to repel the Golden Horde. The Russian state developed trade and cultural relations with Western countries, this contributed to the development of military affairs and the growth of industry. It took time to develop tactics and retrain troops. We should not forget that strong centralized power was required by the liberation of Rus' from the Horde yoke.
The year and century of the Battle of Kulikovo were carefully chosen. The Moscow principality already had economic and military leverage over its allies, so the consolidation of the forces of the Russian army and the development of tactical techniques were quite successful.
The Battle of Kulikovo took place on September 8, 1380. For the first time, the Russian army managed to give a worthy rebuff. The Horde had a numerical advantage over Donskoy's troops, but the correct tactics bore fruit - Mamai's main forces were destroyed, and the khan had to retreat. But, despite the fact that the liberation of Rus' from the Horde yoke did not take place this time, the Battle of Kulikovo became the beginning of a revival national identity. And the Golden Horde continued to try to restore its influence and stop the unification of Russian lands.
The era of Ivan III
The period became a time of strengthening Russian troops and cordons of the state. The Kazan kingdom was the tsar's first conquest, after which he was able to subjugate Veliky Novgorod. Such military activity worried him and he began to prepare an invasion. By 1480, everything was ready for the liberation of Rus' from the Horde yoke to finally take place. The year and century for this were not chosen by chance - Rus' became a major political and economic center with its own, quite strong army.
The news that Khan Akhmat was preparing for battle came to Moscow in the early autumn of 1480. Grand Duke Ivan III stationed his strongest regiments on the Oka River. Khan Akhmat learned that he was being met and turned to Kaluga to unite with his ally Casimir. Having correctly determined the direction of movement of the Golden Horde troops, Ivan III intercepted the enemy on Akhmat and threatened to launch an offensive when the river was covered with ice. On October 26, Ugra rose. Akhmat was also standing. On November 11, despite the fact that all paths to the offensive were open, the khan turned back. On this day, the liberation of Rus' from the Horde yoke is celebrated.
Conclusion
The heroic struggle of the Russian people against the invaders ensured the breakdown of the Tatar-Mongol expansion. 240 years Russian state protected Europe from the dark Asian horde, took upon itself the full brunt of the foreign invasion and repelled the blows of the invaders. The year of Rus''s liberation from the Horde yoke allowed our state to follow the path of its own development.
The reign of the outstanding commander Emir Edigei, who tried to keep the state from collapse with an iron fist, did not save the Horde. Immediately after his overthrow in 1411, two new khanates, independent from each other, were formed, and in addition, threatening them, the Great Horde, which had arisen several decades earlier, continued to increase its power. Khan Akhmat, who ruled it in those years, achieved certain successes in restoring the former greatness of the Tatar-Mongol state, but the strengthening was short-lived, and as a result of this, the overthrow of the Horde yoke took on the character of inevitable historical process. The power claims of individual Tatar princes were too strong.
Strengthening the Moscow Principality
During the same period, there was a significant strengthening of Moscow, without which Rus'’s struggle to overthrow the Horde yoke would have been impossible. Clear evidence of this was the refusal of Grand Duke Ivan III to pay the previously established tribute to the Horde. As a result of this, all monetary receipts from Russian lands, which the khans still continued to consider as their uluses - territories under their control, soon ceased. From this time on, an irreconcilable struggle began between the Moscow prince and the Horde khan. The overthrow of the Horde yoke was becoming a reality.
Preparation for military action
Khan Akhmat, the ruler of the Great Horde, realized that only an immediate and powerful blow inflicted on Moscow could force the Russians to pay tribute again. This prompted him to begin preparations for a decisive campaign. Not being satisfied with the size of the army he had assembled (the collapse of the previously united Horde had an effect), Akhmat concluded an agreement on joint military operations with the Lithuanian prince Casimir, who also claimed his share in the general plunder of Russian lands.
Moscow Prince Ivan III, a wise and subtle politician, correctly assessed the situation and enlisted the support of the Crimean Khan Mengli-Girey, who was Akhmat’s irreconcilable rival. The calculation was based on the fact that he was clearly afraid of the strengthening of the Horde ruler, who, after a campaign against Moscow, could turn his troops towards the Crimea, which he had long laid claim to. Looking back into the past, we can clearly conclude that the overthrow of the Horde yoke was largely due to the strife and civil strife to which the Horde was subjected during the period of its collapse. This is evidenced by numerous chronicles that have reached us.
The circumstances under which the overthrow of the Horde yoke began
The year 1480, when Khan Akhmat's army of one hundred thousand marched on Moscow, became fatal for him. According to a previously concluded agreement, Lithuanian troops were also supposed to march with him, but reality radically violated these plans - Moscow’s ally, the Crimean Khan, unexpectedly invaded the Principality of Lithuania with his hordes. His unexpected aggression forced Lithuanian princes concentrate all her forces on repelling her and deprived Akhmat of their support. As a result, the khan had to rely only on his own strength.
Meanwhile, the Russian regiments, promptly notified of the approach of the enemy, occupied the bank of the Oka. Moving towards Moscow, the Tatars captured and plundered Kaluga and Serpukhov in June. The situation was further complicated by the fact that at the same time German knights approached Pskov. A significant detachment under the command of Ivan the Young, the young son of Moscow Prince Ivan III, advanced to meet them. The Grand Duke himself with the main forces was at that time in Kolomna.
Confrontation on the Ugra
Not yet losing hope for Lithuanian reinforcements, Khan Akhmat sent his troops to the mouth of the Ugra River, which flowed along the southwestern border of Russian lands, and, in anticipation of Prince Casimir, took a defensive position. However, in contrast to them, advanced Russian detachments soon appeared on the other side of the river, and after them the main forces, led by the Prince of Moscow, arrived. Thus, the khan could no longer rely on the surprise of the invasion.
For a short time, both sides repeatedly tried to launch an offensive by crossing the river, but none of them succeeded. However, the situation changed in favor of the Russians. The regiments of Uglitsky Prince Andrei and Volotsky - Boris, who previously did not want to support Ivan III, came to their aid. Since Khan Akhmat did not wait for the Lithuanian allies, the preponderance of forces tilted in favor of the Russians.
Autumn, frost and lack of food
Throughout the summer and early autumn of 1480, there were constant skirmishes between troops located on different banks of the river. Occasionally they were interrupted by attempts to achieve some result through negotiations. But Moscow categorically refused to resume paying tribute, and Akhmat did not accept any other peace terms. This continued until November.
Winter came early that year, and already at the beginning of the month the Ugra froze, and its banks were covered with a thick layer of frozen snow. Since the Tatars expected that their campaign would take the form of a rapid military operation, and did not take care of providing the troops with food and fodder, famine soon began in their camp. Their war horses also suffered from lack of food.
The event that prompted the overthrow of the Horde yoke
It is very difficult to briefly explain what happened on November 11, 1480. Moreover, even historians have no idea about this consensus. Disputes between them continue as to whether this was a military stratagem undertaken by Ivan III, or whether chance played a role. But it is known that on that day the prince ordered his troops to be withdrawn deep into the territory to the city of Borovsk. When the Russians left the shore, the reaction of the Tatars was completely unexpected - they fled.
Many explain this by the fact that outwardly the actions of the Russians looked like luring the Tatars into a trap prepared on the opposite bank, and if so, therefore, there must have been significant forces there, which they simply did not suspect. But, one way or another, the Tatars fled. Thus, the overthrow of the Horde yoke occurred as a result of a successfully executed maneuver, and not a bloody battle. However, history knows many similar precedents.
The beginning of a great process
However, this was only the beginning of the process, and the final overthrow of the Horde yoke was still to come. Less than two years had passed before the Tatars ravaged and burned Kyiv, and then carried out a predatory campaign against the southwestern territories of Russia. Lithuania also aggravated the complexity of the situation. By 1501, all military reserves had to be used to repel her aggression, and as a result, Ivan III was forced to temporarily resume paying tribute to the next Horde ruler - the son of Khan Akhmat Sheikh-Ahmed, which significantly delayed the complete overthrow of the Horde yoke. The date November 11th is therefore just the beginning long journey, the end of which came during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, but nevertheless it is believed that it was on this day that an end was put to more than two centuries of yoke.
Even after the liquidation of the Kazan Khanate in 1552, Rus' was still for many years suffered from nomads, but their raids already had the character of banditry forays and were suppressed by regular troops. There was no longer talk of any dependence of the Russian state on the steppe tribes, much less the payment of tribute. One of the darkest pages Russian history was forever turned upside down.
The first stone that formed the basis of Rus''s struggle for liberation from the Mongol-Tatar yoke was the Battle of Kulikovo, which took place on September 8, 1380. The Horde had a numerical superiority over the Russians, but thanks to Dmitry’s excellent tactical ideas, his army managed to encircle and destroy the main forces of Mamai.
The defeat of Mamai, and the subsequent Horde turmoil, which led to the final collapse of the predatory state, a demonstration of the superiority of Russian military art over the military art of the enemy, strengthening state power in Rus' - noticeable consequences of the battle on the Kulikovo field. At the same time, the Battle of Kulikovo marked the beginning of the revival of the national identity of the Russian people.
Dmitry Donskoy played a huge role in this victory. This is a historical figure who managed to understand the people's aspirations and unite all Russian people to achieve them and, before the decisive battle with the oppressors, reconcile the most acute social contradictions. This is his merit in domestic policy. But he not only revived the best traditions of military art, he enriched it with new principles of strategy and tactics, and in incredibly difficult conditions he managed to arm and train the army. Also, his associates in all his affairs were Metropolitan Alexei and Abbot of the Trinity Monastery Sergius of Radonezh. These people were able, under the auspices of the Russian church, to gather all persecuted people under a single banner of liberation. One of the most significant commanders Ancient Rus' was Dmitry Volynsky, it was not at all on a whim that the prince gave the ambush regiment and leadership of the entire battle to his command. Isn't this the highest rating?
The Kulikovo victory created a qualitatively new political situation in Eastern Europe, in which artificially restrained unification processes gained scope for their development. With the Kulikovo victory, the steady ascent of Moscow, the capital of the Russian lands, began. Now signs of the increased personal influence of Dmitry Donskoy appeared. “On all sides, happy Dmitry, having freed Russia from two formidable enemies with one blow, sent messengers to Moscow, Pereslavl, Kostroma, Vladimir, Rostov and other cities where the people, having learned about the transition troops for the Oka, prayed day and night in churches.”
After the Battle of Kulikovo, the Horde tried more than once to restore its weakened influence on Rus' and stop the beginning of the unification of lands around Moscow.
In 1381, Tokhtamysh, who ruled the Horde at that time, decided to invade North-Eastern Rus' in order to thwart the plans of Dmitry and his Metropolitan Cyprian to create an all-Russian anti-Horde front.
He managed to reach Moscow and take it. Having captured Moscow, Tokhtamysh disbanded the detachments in the volosts. Yuryev, Dmitrov, Mozhaisk were robbed. Near Volokolamsk, the detachments collided with the army that Vladimir Andreevich was gathering; the Horde soldiers were cut down in a short battle. Having learned about this, Tokhtamysh gathered the scattered detachments and rushed away as quickly as he had appeared, not wanting to meet with either Vladimir Andreevich, or even more so with Dmitry Donskoy, who moved his army from Kostroma to Moscow.
Thus ended Tokhtamysh’s campaign against Moscow in 1382. The Horde again managed to prevent the excessive strengthening of one of the states Eastern Europe- Moscow.
At the same time, the Horde skillfully fueled the conflict between Moscow and Lithuanian principalities. they increased the intensity of their rivalry, and at the same time fueled the separatist sentiments of the appanage princes within these two great principalities.
This state of affairs continued until 1405, when the Horde Khan Edigei moved his troops on a new campaign against Moscow. At the same time, the attack also hit Ryazan, Pereslavl, Yuryev, Rostov and Dmitrov. Edigei besieged Moscow. Counting on the help of the princes opposed to Vasily, Edigei was mistaken. The times when, at the call of the Horde, Russian princes easily rose up against each other are over. Another unpleasant news for Edigei was that Vasily was able to raise the Horde princes against Khan Bulat-Sultan, Edigei’s henchmen. Strife began in the Horde and Edigei, having lifted the siege of Moscow, hurried to the Horde.
At this time, Photius was the Metropolitan of All Rus'. During his time, the Catholic Church increased its pressure on the Poles, with the goal of establishing Catholicism in as many Russian lands as possible. The absolute majority of the indigenous population of these lands was Orthodox. The weakened and subsided, but still not completely overthrown, Tatar yoke forced the Russian people to unite more and more with each other. Politically, Horde control over the Russian lands was already quite weak, but economically Rus' had not yet fully recovered from the invasions of Tokhtamysh and Edigei and the ongoing small Tatar detachments. The Mongol-Tatar yoke, weakened under the influence of the Kulikovo defeat, still exerted its influence on the Moscow principality. And although in the minds of the Russian people the Mongol was no longer a terrible warrior, whom everyone was afraid of, but passed on from generation to generation folk epic still kept the Russians in some kind of fear and respect for the Mongol-Tatars.
In 1462, after the death of Vasily II, his son Ivan III ascended the throne.
The era of Ivan III is the era of the most complex work of Russian diplomacy, the era of strengthening the Russian army, necessary for the defense of the Russian state. The first conquest of Ivan III was the Kazan Khanate, followed by the annexation of Novgorod, and by 1492 Ivan III began to officially be styled “the sovereign of all Rus'.” But back in 1480, Ivan III began to prepare the political ground for overthrowing the Horde yoke. As soon as Moscow received accurate news from the Wild Field that Khan Akhmat was heading to the Don with all his strength, the Grand Duke set up regiments on the Oka. Khan Akhmat, having learned that strong regiments were deployed on the Oka, went to Kaluga to unite with Casimir. Having determined the direction of the Horde's march, Ivan III intercepted it on the Ugra River. Moscow, meanwhile, was besieged.
Akhmat threatened to launch an offensive when the ice bound the Ugra. On October 26, Ugra rose up. Akhmat was also standing. On November 11, Khan Akhmat, despite the fact that all crossings across the Ugra were open, turned away. He took off running through the Lithuanian volosts of his ally Casimir.
November 11, 1480, the day of Khan Akhmat’s departure from the banks of the Ugra, is considered to be the day of the complete liberation of the Russian land and the Russian people from the Horde yoke, from any dependence on the khans of the Golden Horde.