Mongol campaigns against Rus'. Invasion of the Mongol-Tatars in Rus'

The Russian princely squads were an excellent army at that time. Their weapons were famous far beyond the borders of Rus', but these squads were small in number and numbered only a few hundred people. This was too little to organize the country’s defense against a well-prepared aggressive enemy. The princely squads were unsuitable for action in large forces under a single command, according to a single plan. The main part of the Russian army was made up of urban and rural militias, which were recruited at the moment of danger. It can be said about their weapons and professional training that they left much to be desired. Russian cities with their fortifications could not be an insurmountable obstacle to the powerful siege technology of the nomads. The population of large cities was 20-30 thousand people and in the event of an attack they could field up to 10 thousand defenders, and since the city, as a rule, resisted alone, an army of 60-70 thousand could break the resistance of the defenders within a week. Thus, the Russian state consisted of several large principalities, constantly competing with each other, not possessing one large army capable of resisting the armada of nomads.

In 1223, the 30,000-strong army of Subdey and Ocheuchi, completing the defeat of the states Central Asia, passed through Northern Iran, entered the Caucasus, destroying several ancient and rich cities, defeating Georgian troops, penetrated through the Shirvan Gorge into the Northern Caucasus and clashed with the Alans. The Alans united with the Cumans who were nomadic there, as the Persian historian Rashid ad-Din testifies, and fought together, “but none of them remained victorious.” Then the Mongol-Tatars persuaded the Polovtsian leaders to leave the lands of the Alans, and then “defeated the Alans, having done everything in their power in terms of robbery and murder.”

“In 1223, an unknown people appeared; an unheard of army came, the godless Tatars, about whom no one knows well who they are and where they came from, and what kind of language they have, and what tribe they are, and what kind of faith they have... The Polovtsy are not could resist them and ran to the Dnieper. Their Khan Kotyan was the father-in-law of Mstislav of Galicia; he came with a bow to the prince, his son-in-law, and to all the Russian princes..., and said: The Tatars took away our land today, and tomorrow they will take yours, so protect us; if you do not help us, then we will be cut off today, and you will be cut off tomorrow."

The princes decided to help Kotyan. The hike began in April when the rivers were in full flood. The troops were heading down the Dnieper. The command was exercised by the Kyiv prince Mstislav Romanovich the Good and Mstislav Mstislavich the Udal, who were cousins. Just before the Russian offensive, Mongol-Tatar ambassadors arrived in Rus', who assured that they would not touch the Russians if they did not go to the aid of their neighbors.

On the 17th day of the campaign, the army stopped near Olshen, somewhere on the banks of the Ros. There he was found by the second Tatar embassy. Unlike the first time, when the ambassadors were killed, these were released. Immediately after crossing the Dnieper, Russian troops encountered the enemy’s vanguard, chased it for 8 days, and on the eighth day they reached the bank of the Kalka River (now the Kalchik River, a tributary of the Kalmius River, in Donetsk region, Ukraine). Here Mstislav the Udaloy and some princes immediately crossed the Kalka, leaving Mstislav of Kyiv on the other bank.

According to the Laurentian Chronicle, the battle took place on May 31, 1223. The troops that crossed the river were almost completely destroyed. The onslaught of the brave squad of Mstislav the Udal, who almost broke through the ranks of the nomads, was not supported by other princes and all his attacks were repulsed. The Polovtsian detachments, unable to withstand the blows of the Mongol cavalry, fled, disrupting the battle formations of the Russian army. The camp of Mstislav of Kiev, set up on the other bank and heavily fortified, the troops of Jebe and Subedei stormed for 3 days and were able to take only by cunning and deceit, when the prince, believing the promises of Subedei, stopped resistance. As a result of this, Mstislav the Good and his entourage were brutally destroyed, Mstislav the Udaloy fled. The Russian losses in this battle were very high, six princes were killed, and only a tenth of the soldiers returned home.

The Battle of Kalka was lost not so much because of disagreements between the rival princes, but because of historical factors. Firstly, Jebe’s army was tactically and positionally completely superior to the united regiments of the Russian princes, who had in their ranks mostly princely squads, reinforced in this case by the Polovtsians. This entire army did not have sufficient unity, was not trained in combat tactics, based more on the personal courage of each warrior. Secondly, such a united army also needed a sole commander, recognized not only by the leaders, but also by the warriors themselves, and who would exercise unified command. Thirdly, the Russian troops, having made a mistake in assessing the enemy’s forces, were also unable to correctly choose the battle site, the terrain of which was completely favorable to the Tatars. However, in fairness it must be said that at that time, not only in Rus', but also in Europe, there would not have been an army capable of competing with the formations of Genghis Khan.

The army of Jebe and Subedey, having defeated the militia of the southern Russian princes on Kalka, entered the Chernigov land, reached Novgorod-Seversky and turned back, bringing fear and destruction everywhere with it. In the same 1223, Jebe and Subedey raided Volga Bulgaria, but failed. The Arab historian Ibn al-Asir described these events as follows: “The Bulgars ambushed them in several places, opposed them and, luring them until they went beyond the ambush site, attacked them from the rear.”

The campaign, which lasted two and a half years, allowed the Mongol-Tatars to directly become acquainted with Russian troops and the fortifications of Russian cities; they received information from prisoners about the situation inside the Russian principalities - in-depth strategic reconnaissance was carried out.

Conquest of North-Eastern Rus'

The Military Council (kurultai) of 1235 announced an all-Mongol campaign to the west. Great Khan Udegei sent Batu, the head of the Jochi ulus, as reinforcement to conquer Volga Bulgaria, Diit-Kinchak and Rus' with the main forces of the Mongol army under the command of Subedey. In total, 14 “princes”, descendants of Genghis Khan, took part in the campaign with their hordes. All winter the Mongols gathered in the upper reaches of the Irtysh, preparing for a big campaign. In the spring of 1236, countless horsemen, countless herds, endless carts with military equipment and siege weapons moved west.

In the fall of 1236, their army attacked Volga Bulgaria.
Possessing a huge superiority of forces, they broke through the Bulgar defense line, cities were taken one after another. Bulgaria was terribly destroyed and burned. In the spring of 1237, Subedey's troops advanced into the Caspian steppes and staged a raid on the Cumans, most of whom were killed, the rest fled to Russian lands. In battles with their fast and elusive opponents, the khans used “round-up” tactics: they walked across the steppes in a wide front of small detachments, gradually encircling the Polovtsian nomads. The campaign was led by three high-ranking khans: Guyuk, Mankhe and Mengu. The war in the Polovtsian steppes dragged on throughout the summer. But as a result, the Mongol-Tatars subjugated almost all the lands between the Volga and Don rivers. The most powerful Polovtsian khan, Yuri Konchakovich, was defeated.

Other large army, led by Batu, as well as the khans of Ordu, Berke, Buri and Kulman, fought on the right bank of the Middle Volga River in the lands of the Burats, Arzhans and Mordovians. The events of this campaign are little known.

Thus, the peoples of the Lower and Middle Volga region put up stubborn resistance, which delayed Batu’s advance and only by the fall of 1237 was he able to concentrate all the main forces for the invasion of North-Eastern Rus'. The Russian princes could not have been unaware of the impending offensive. They received information from Russian and Bulgarian merchants. And the situation with the conquest of the southeastern neighbors gave rise to certain thoughts. But despite this, after the battle on the Kalka River, strife between the princes did not stop. Consequently, there was no single army under a single command to repel the onslaught of a powerful enemy, and the one system defense of the southern steppe borders. Many princes hoped for strong wooden fortresses, not taking into account the complex siege technology available to the Mongol-Tatars.

In the fall of 1237, Batu was placed at the head of the united army. In December 1237, the rivers rose. On Sura, a tributary of the Volga, on Voronezh, a tributary of the Don, Batu’s troops appeared. Winter opened the road along the ice of rivers to North-Eastern Rus'.

Based on geographical and demographic considerations, as well as military calculations, it can be assumed that Batu brought 30-40 thousand horsemen to Rus'. Even such a seemingly small army, the Russian sovereign princes had nothing to oppose.

The first city that stood in the way of the conquerors was Ryazan. For the Ryazan princes this was a complete surprise. They were accustomed to raids on Rus' by the Polovtsians and other nomadic tribes in the summer-autumn period. Khan Batu, having invaded the principality, presented an ultimatum, where he demanded “tithes in everything: in princes, in horses, in people.” The prince, in order to gain time, sent his son Fyodor to Khan Batu with rich gifts, and in the meantime he himself began to quickly prepare for battle. He sent messengers to Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich of Vladimir and to Prince of Chernigov for help. But both of them refused the Ryazan prince. Despite this, the people of Ryazan decided to stand to the death for their land and to the ultimatum they replied: “If we are all gone, then everything will be yours!”

Together with the prince of Ryazan, several more “helpful” princes - the Pronsky, Murom and Kolomna principalities - moved towards the Mongol-Tatars. But their squads did not have time to reach the fortified lines on the steppe border. Khan Batu interrupted Fedor's embassy and moved his cavalry to Ryazan land. Somewhere “near the borders of Ryazan” the battle described in “The Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan” took place. During the battle, many “local princes, strong commanders and daring troops” died. With a few soldiers, Prince Yuri Igorevich broke through the ring of enemies and went to Ryazan to organize the defense of his capital. Having been defeated in battle, the Ryazan residents hoped to sit out behind strong city walls. Ryazan stood on the high right bank of the Oka River, below the mouth of the Pronya River. The city was well fortified: on three sides it was surrounded by ditches and powerful ramparts up to 10 meters high, on the fourth side a steep bank broke off towards the Oka River; wooden walls with numerous towers stood on the ramparts. The population from the surrounding villages came running under the walls of the city, and boyar detachments came from distant estates. The entire city population took up arms.

The siege of Ryazan began on December 16, 1237. The Mongol-Tatars surrounded the city so that no one could leave it. The city walls were shelled around the clock from vices (stone-throwing machines). Day and night there were attacks on the city. The well-aimed Mongol archers fired continuously. The killed Mongols were replaced by new ones, but the city never received reinforcements. On December 21, a decisive assault on Ryazan began. They managed to break through the city’s defenses in several directions at once. Heavy fighting broke out in the streets. As a result, all the warriors and most of the inhabitants were brutally destroyed. An army of nomads stood near Ryazan for ten days - they plundered the city, divided the spoils, and plundered neighboring villages.

Before Batu lay several roads into the depths of the Vladimir-Suzdal land. Since Batu was faced with the task of conquering all of Rus' in one winter, he headed to Vladimir along the Oka, through Moscow and Kolomna. On the way, they were unexpectedly attacked by a detachment led by Evpatiy Kolovrat, a Ryazan resident. His detachment numbered about 1,700 people. The nomads were so confused that they mistook them for those risen from the dead. But the 5 soldiers who were captured replied: “We are the war of Grand Duke Yuri Ingorevich - Ryazan, in the regiment of Evpatiy Kolovrat. We have been sent to honor you and honor you honestly.” Batu decided to send his brother-in-law Khoztovrul with the regiments to beat Kolovrat. But Khoztovrul lost, and then Batu sent many of his troops to Evpatiy. In the battle, Kolovrat died, and his head was given to Batu. The Khan was surprised at the courage of the Russian soldiers and ordered the release of the captured part of the squad.

The Grand Duke of Vladimir Yuri Vsevolodovich sent reinforcements to Kolomna, which covered the only convenient route to Vladimir in winter - along the Moscow and Klyazma rivers. The troops were led by the eldest son of Prince Vladimir, Vsevolod. The surviving Ryazan squads led by Prince Roman also came here. Chronicles claim that even Novgorodians came. The experienced governor of Vladimir Eremey Glebovich was also near Kolomna. The city itself was sufficiently fortified in case the troops failed in the field. In terms of the number of troops and the tenacity of the battle, the battle near Kolomna can be considered one of the most significant events of the invasion. Solovyov writes: “The Tatars surrounded them at Kolomna and fought hard; there was a great battle; they killed Prince Roman and the governor Eremey, and Vsevolod with a small retinue ran to Vladimir.” Genghisid Khan Kulkan died in the battle of Kolomna - perhaps the only case in history Mongol conquests.

Having defeated the Vladimir-Suzdal regiments near Kolomna, Batu came to Moscow, which was defended by a detachment of the son of Grand Duke Yuri - Vladimir and governor Philip Nyanka. The city was taken by storm on the 5th day. As a result, Moscow was completely destroyed. Prince Vladimir was captured and the governor was killed. On the way from Ryazan to Vladimir, the conquerors had to storm every city, repeatedly fight with Russian warriors in the “open field”; defend against surprise attacks from ambushes. The heroic resistance of the ordinary Russian people held back the conquerors.

On February 3, the vanguard of the conquerors approached Vladimir. The city of Vladimir was surrounded by high wooden walls and fortified with powerful stone towers. It was covered on three sides by rivers: from the south - the Klyazma River, from the north and east - the Lybid River. Above the western wall of the city rose the Golden Gate - the most powerful defensive structure of ancient Vladimir. Behind the outer contour of the Vladimir fortifications were the internal walls and ramparts of the Middle or Monomakhov city. And finally, in the middle of the capital there was a stone Kremlin - Detinets. Thus, the enemies needed to break through three defensive lines before they could reach the city center - the Princely Court and the Assumption Cathedral. But there were not enough warriors for the numerous towers and walls. At the princely council, it was decided to leave the surviving army in the city and supplement it with the city militia, and the Grand Duke himself to go with his closest squad to the north and gather new armies. On the eve of the siege, Yuri left with his nephews Vasilko, Vsevolod and Vladimir to the Sit River and began to assemble regiments against the Tatars. The defense of the city was led by the sons of the Grand Duke - Vsevolod and Mstislav, as well as the governor Peter Oslyadyakovich.

The Mongol-Tatars approached from the west. Before this, the conquerors took Suzdal by storm, and without any particular difficulties. On February 4th, a small detachment arrived and offered to surrender. In response, arrows and stones flew. Then the Mongols surrounded the city on all sides, cutting it off from the outside world, and the siege of the city began. On February 6, the installation of heavy throwing weapons and shelling began. They managed to break through the walls in some places, but the Mongols were unable to penetrate the city. Early in the morning of February 7, a general assault on the city of Vladimir began. The main blow came from the west. As a result of the shelling, the wooden wall south of the Golden Gate was destroyed and the Mongol-Tatars broke into the city. They broke through the Irininy, Copper and Volga gates to Detinets, where there were almost no soldiers left. The princely family, boyars and townspeople took refuge in the Assumption Cathedral. They categorically surrendered to the mercy of the winner and were burned. The city of Vladimir itself was completely ruined.

Yuri Vsevolodovich stood with his troops near Yaroslavl. Having learned about the death of the capital and the death of his loved ones, the prince, according to the chronicle, “cry out with a great voice with tears, crying for the orthodox Christian faith and the Church.” “It would be better for me to die than to live in the world,” he said, “for which reason I was left alone.” Vasilko, who arrived in time with the Rostov squad, strengthened him for a feat of arms.

Vladimir was the last city of North-Eastern Rus', which was besieged by the united forces of Batu Khan. The Mongol-Tatars had to make a decision so that three tasks would be completed at once: to cut off Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich from Novgorod, defeat the remnants of the Vladimir forces and pass along all river and trade routes, destroying cities - centers of resistance. Batu's troops were divided into three parts: The first moved north to Rostov and further to the Volga (Rostov surrendered without a fight, as did Uglich); Individual units advanced to the Volga River and defeated Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ksnyatin, Kashin and other cities. The second part went east along the ice of the Klyazma River, defeated the city of Starodub and reached the middle Volga - to the city of Gorodets; the third moved to the northwest through Pereyaslavl-Zalesky, Yuryev, Dimitrov, Volok-Lamsky to Tver and Torzhok. As a result of the February campaigns of 1238, the Mongol-Tatars destroyed Russian cities in the territory from the Middle Volga to Tver (fourteen cities in total).

By the beginning of March, the invaders' detachments reached the border of the Middle Volga. Yuri Vsevolodovich, who was gathering troops on the Sit River, found himself in close proximity to these detachments. The unexpected attack of the Mongol-Tatars predetermined the outcome of this battle (March 4, 1238). Few of the Russian soldiers left this terrible battle alive, but the enemies paid a heavy price for the victory. Saint Yuri was hacked to pieces in a desperate battle. Vasilko, wounded, was brought to Batu’s headquarters.
The Tatars forced him to “follow the Nogai custom, to be in their will and to fight for them.” The holy prince angrily rejected the idea of ​​betraying his Motherland and Orthodoxy. “You will never take me away from the Christian faith,” said the holy prince, remembering the ancient Christian confessors. “And having tormented him much, he put him to death, throwing him into the Shern forest.” Thus, the holy Prince Vasilko of Rostov gave up his soul to God, becoming in his death like the holy passion-bearer Boris, the first of the princes of Rostov, whom he imitated in life. Like Saint Boris, Vasilko was not yet thirty years old.
Bishop Kirill of Rostov, coming to the battlefield, buried the dead Orthodox soldiers, found the body of Saint Prince Yuri (only his severed head could not be found in the piles of prostrate bodies), and transferred the honorable remains to Rostov - to the Assumption Cathedral. The body of Saint Vasilko was found in the Shernsky forest by the son of a priest and brought to Rostov. There the prince's wife, children, Bishop Kirill and all the people of Rostov met the body of their beloved prince with bitter tears and buried him under the arches of the cathedral church.

At the end of March 1238, a “roundup” of invaders moved from the Volga to the south, towards Novgorod. Torzhok, standing on Batu’s way, lasted 2 weeks and was taken only on March 23. From there Batu moved further along the Seliger route, but before reaching Novgorod a hundred miles he turned south (from the place called “Ignach-Cross” in the chronicle) and went to Smolensk.

The turn away from Novgorod is usually explained by spring floods. But there are other explanations: firstly, the campaign did not fit into the deadlines, and secondly, Batu was unable to defeat the united forces of North-Eastern Rus' in one or two battles, using numerical and tactical superiority. The difficult and bloody campaign against the northeastern principalities exhausted and bled the Mongol-Tatars. It is likely that Batu did not dare to fight with intact and full-blooded Novgorod and Pskov.

The Mongols failed to take Smolensk. On the approaches to the city, the enemy was met by Smolensk regiments and pushed back. Batu decided to turn northeast and went to the city of Kozelsk. The chronicles do not contain the exact date of the Mongol-Tatars’ approach to this city, and most scientists claim that it was besieged back in April 1238. Kozelsk defended for 51 days, but was taken. Batu called it “Evil City” and ordered it to be razed to the ground.

Batu did not reach Vologda, Beloozero, or Veliky Ustyug, and behind him all of Chud Zavolotskaya and Novgorod possessions remained untouched.

The defeat of Southern Rus' and Eastern Europe

In 1239, the Mongol-Tatars invaded Southern Rus'. At the same time, they followed the path in which the Polovtsy raided. Pereyaslavl-Yuzhny was taken, which no one had ever achieved before. The city was well fortified: it was surrounded on three sides by the high banks of the Trubezh and Alta rivers, as well as high ramparts and walls. But the Tatars managed to take and plunder the city and completely destroy the Church of St. Michael.

The next blow was aimed at the Principality of Chernigov. The Chernigov Detinets (Kremlin), located on a high hill at the confluence of the Strizhen River with the Desna, was surrounded by a “roundabout city”, behind which stretched a three-kilometer rampart covering the “suburb”. By the autumn of 1239 the Tatars surrounded the city of Chernigov. They were met with an army by Prince Mstislav Glebovich (cousin of Mikhail of Chernigov). There was a “fierce battle,” but the Russians lost. October 18, 1239 Chernigov was taken, after which the Tatars destroyed the cities of Putivl, Glukov, Vyr, Rylsk.

Batu began the invasion of Southern Rus' and Eastern Europe in the fall of 1240, again gathering under his command all the people devoted to himself. Batu approached Kyiv in November 1240. “Batu came to Kiev in heavy force, the Tatar force surrounded the city, and nothing was heard from the creaking of carts, from the roar of camels, from the neighing of horses; the Russian land was filled with warriors.” Kyiv was then reigned by Daniil Romanovich Galitsky, who left the city, leaving governor Dmitry to defend the city. The Tatars, from the side where the forest adjoined the city gates, fired at the walls with stone-throwing guns around the clock. As a result, the walls collapsed and the Mongol-Tatars burst into the city in the evening. Overnight, the Kievans built a new wall around the Tithe Church, but the Tatars broke through the defenses of Kiev and after a 9-day siege and assault on December 6, 1240, Kyiv fell.

After this, Batu’s main forces moved further west to Vladimir-Volynsky. The invaders were unable to take the cities of Kremenets, Danilov and Kholm. The fortified towns were excellently suited for defense. Vladimir-Volynsky was taken by the Mongol-Tatars after a short siege. All the cities of the Volyn and Galician lands were subjected to a terrible defeat. (For more details, see "Biography of Daniil Galitsky").

In the spring of 1241, hordes of Mongol-Tatars crossed the border of Rus' and invaded Hungary. The Hungarians offered fierce resistance in the passes of the Carpathians. But Batu crossed the mountains in April 1241. At this time, the Hungarian king Bela II gathered 60 thousand soldiers and set out from Pest. On April 11, a battle began near the Sayo River. The king did not receive any support and was defeated. After a 3-day siege, the city of Pest fell, and then the cities of Arat, Perth, Egres, and Temeshever were devastated.

That same spring, the Mongol-Tatars moved to Poland. At the head of the Mongol army were Batu's brothers - Baydar and Ordu. The nomads captured the cities of Lublin, Zavichos, Sandomierz. On the way to the large city of Krakow, they fought with the Krakow and Sandomor regiments (near Krakow). The Mongol-Tatars won and captured the city itself, but according to legend, a handful of brave men took refuge in the Cathedral of St. Andrew and were never defeated. They also failed to capture the city of Wroclaw.

Czech King Wenceslas I sent 40 thousand soldiers to help the Poles. On April 9, 1241, the allied forces were defeated near Legnica, but the Mongols failed to take the towns of Legnica and Ratibozh. The Czech Republic was preparing for a bitter struggle; in the Battle of Olomouc in 1242, the Mongol-Tatars were defeated.

Then the invaders invaded the lands of Bukovina, Moldova and Romania. Slovakia, which was under Hungarian rule, suffered seriously from their attack. Batu still advanced west to the Adriatic Sea, invaded Silesia and defeated the Duke of Silesia. Thus, the path to Germany was open, but the troops were exhausted and the khan turned his troops back to the east, never reaching the “Sea of ​​the Franks” (according to the will of Genghis Khan).

However, the danger of new invasions has not disappeared. Batu, returning from an unsuccessful campaign to the West, founded the state of the Golden Horde on the borders of Rus'. In 1243, Batu “granted and approved” Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, after this prince other princes - Uglitsky, Rostov, Yaroslavl - flocked to the Horde. The Mongol-Tatar yoke was established.

"From Ancient Rus' to the Russian Empire." Shishkin Sergey Petrovich, Ufa.

Invasion of Batu. Traditional version

In 1234, the "Mongol" armies completed the conquest of Northern China. In 1235, a congress of nobility was held on the banks of the Onon, where it was decided to organize the Great Western Campaign, to reach “the last sea.” In the east, the borders of the empire were washed by the Pacific Ocean. It was necessary to reach the same border in the west. The grandson of Genghis Khan, Batu, was appointed military leader of the campaign. Several khans, who had their own military corps, were sent with him.

The question of the size of the army remains to this day - various researchers give figures from 30 to 500 thousand soldiers. Apparently, those who believe that the army actually had a “Mongol-Tatar” core of 30-50 thousand soldiers, as well as a significant number of less combat-ready militias from the vassal, subordinate tribes of the “Ulus of Jochi”, are right. A significant part of them were representatives of Turkic tribes, Turkmens, Karakalpaks, Kipchaks, there were also Tajiks and warriors of Siberian peoples. There were also a significant number of robbers, adventurers, volunteers of all stripes who flocked to the successful conquerors. Among them were even the Knights Templar (which is a very interesting line).

In 1236, an avalanche overturned the barrier of the Bashkirs and Mansi, who had been waging a border war with enemy troops for 13 years. Some of their defeated detachments were also included in Batu’s army. Then the wave reached Volga Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Bulgars defeated the corps of Jebe and Subedei after the battle on the Kalka River. Now this “debt” has been paid with interest. The Bulgarians had many rich trading cities and towns, which they put up stubborn resistance, but were destroyed one after another. The capital of the state, Great Bolgar (Bilyar), was also captured. The surviving Bulgarians fled into the forests and appeared in Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov and Vladimir.

The Grand Duke of Vladimir Yuri II knew that the “Mongols” had good reasons for enmity with the Bulgarians. But they did not collide with Vladimir Russia; there were no visible reasons for hostility. There was no point in standing up for a foreign, and often hostile, country. Mstislav Udalov had already stood up for his Polovtsian friends, but it ended very badly. It is clear that the pogrom of a neighboring state was an alarming signal. But Rus' has long been dealing with the “steppe”. Usually everything was done with raids on the border areas, and then more or less stable relations were established, including trade, dynastic marriages, and twinning of princes with steppe leaders.

Empire of Genghis Khan at the time of his death.

Initially it seemed that this would be the case. Having defeated Volga Bulgaria, Batu’s army retreated further south, and part of it clashed with the Polovtsians. It must be said that the stubborn war with the Polovtsians will continue for several years, until their complete defeat. Then part of the Polovtsians will go to Europe, Transcaucasia and Asia Minor. Most of the Polovtsy will be subjugated and will form the bulk of the population of the Golden Horde. From Bulgarians, merchants, and random Russians, Batu collected information about Russian principalities, cities, and roads. The best time They considered the winter to strike, when it would be possible, following the example of the Russians, to move along the beds of frozen rivers.

Devastation of the Ryazan land

By this time, the situation with intelligence was very bad for the Russian princes. The times when “heroic outposts” stood in the steppe are long gone. Thus, in Ryazan they learned about the approach of the enemy army from the “Tatar” ambassadors themselves - two khan officials and a certain “sorceress wife”. The ambassadors calmly reported Batu’s demands - to express their submission to the khan, and to begin paying “tithes,” which included not only a tenth of wealth, livestock, horses, but also people - warriors, slaves. The Ryazan princes naturally refused: “When no one of us is alive, then everything will be yours.” Proudly, but hardly reasonable. If the reconnaissance had been carried out well, the princes should have already known about the fate of their neighbors. The tithe that was customarily paid to the church, or the devastation of the entire land, the destruction of cities and thousands of dead and stolen for sale into slavery, their own death. What's better?

The Ryazan rulers did not have the strength to resist Batu’s army. The “Tatar” ambassadors were not touched, but were allowed to continue to Vladimir. Ryazan residents began to look for help. The Ryazan prince Ingvar Ingvarevich, together with the boyar Evpatiy Kolovrat, went to Chernigov for help. Prince of Kolomna Roman Ingvarevich went to Vladimir to ask for troops. However, the Vladimir prince at this time simply could not allocate significant forces to help Ryazan - his selected regiments went with Yaroslav to the Dnieper in 1236 and fought with the Chernigovites for Galich. At the same time, Yuri apparently believed that it was more profitable to sit behind the walls of cities and fortresses. The enemy will devastate the surrounding area, maybe take one or two towns, besiege powerful Russian cities and flee to the steppe.

The Grand Duke of Ryazan Yuri Igorevich began to form an army. The Ryazan people had extensive experience in fighting the Polovtsians, and believed that the “Tatars” were steppe dwellers. Therefore, they decided to bring the squads out to meet the enemy and give battle. The steppe people usually could not withstand the blows of well-armed and trained squads. Yuri Ryazansky, his son Fyodor Yuryevich, Oleg Ingvarevich Krasny, Roman Ingvarevich, and the regiments of the Murom princes came out with their squads. Yuri tried to enter into negotiations with the enemy again and sent an embassy with his son Fedor. However, Batu decided that the time for talking was over. Fedor was killed. A fierce battle took place on the border river Voronezh. Some princely squads fought to the last, others, seeing that the larger enemy army was surrounding them, tried to retreat. Oleg Ingvarevich was captured and was released only in 1252. Murom princes Yuri Davydovich and Oleg Yuryevich died. After this battle, the “Tatars” quite easily captured the cities of the Ryazan land that were left without defenders - Pronsk, Belgorod, Izheslavets, Voronezh, Dedoslavl.

Yuri Ryazansky with the remnants of his squad was able to break through and galloped to his city, organizing a defense. Roman Ingvarevich led his soldiers north to join the Vladimir army. However, the walls of even powerful fortresses were not an obstacle to the “Mongol-Tatars”. Prisoners and auxiliary troops carried out engineering work, erecting a palisade to stop attacks, filling a ditch, preparing siege engines and battering guns. The army had a contingent of engineers for siege work. Initially, the attack was carried out by auxiliary troops, who were not spared, Bulgars, Bashkirs, Turkmens, etc. Their death was not considered a great loss. The large size of the army made it possible to stage one attack after another, and the ranks of the defenders were constantly melting away, and there was no replacement for them. On the sixth day of the siege, December 21, 1237, Ryazan fell. Prince Yuri fell in battle. From Ryazan, Batu’s army moved across the ice of the Oka to Kolomna.

Meanwhile, in Chernigov, the Ryazan prince Ingvar was also not given help - the Chernigov residents at that time were fighting with the regiments of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich for Kyiv and Galich. The prince went back. Ahead was boyar Evpatiy Kolovrat. The picture of completely destroyed and devastated Ryazan enraged him, and he, with a small squad of Ryazan residents and Chernigov volunteers, rushed to catch up with the enemy army. Along the way, his squad was replenished with local residents. Evpatiy overtook the enemy in the Suzdal land and with a sudden blow destroyed a number of rear detachments: “And Evpatiy beat them so mercilessly that the swords were dulled, and he took Tatar swords and cut them with them.” Surprised by the unexpected blow, Batu sent a selected detachment led by the hero Khostovrul against Evpatiy the Furious. However, this detachment was also destroyed, and Khostovrul was struck down by the hand of Evpatiy Kolovrat. The Russian warriors continued their attacks and the Ryazan knight “beat many famous heroes of the Batyevs here...”. According to legend, Batu’s envoy, sent to negotiate, asked Evpatiy, “What do you want?” And I received the answer - “Die!” Batu was forced to send the main forces in a sweep arc, and only then was the Russian squad surrounded. The Russian heroes fought so fiercely, exterminating Batu’s best hundreds, that according to legend, the “Tatars” had to use stone throwers. Batu appreciated strong opponents and, respecting the desperate courage and military skill of Evpatiy Kolovrat, left the last defenders of the hero’s body alive and allowed them to bury him.

Battle of Kolomna. The destruction of Vladimir land

At this time, Yuri II was able to gather some forces and, putting his son Vsevolod at their head with the governor Eremey Glebovich, sent them to help the Ryazan people. However, they were late; near Kolomna they were met only by the squad of Prince Roman Ingvarevich. Both princes were young and brave, in Russian traditions there was an attack, not defense, outside the city walls. Therefore, princes Vsevolod, Roman and governor Eremey Glebovich led their troops into the floodplain of the Moscow River onto the river ice and on January 1, 1238, struck the enemy vanguard.

Russian heavy squads broke through the enemy front, and many noble “Tatars” fell in battle, including Genghis Khan’s youngest son Kulkan. The battle was stubborn and lasted three days. Batu pulled up the main forces, the Russian regiments were forced to retreat to the walls of the city and into the fortress itself. Prince Roman and governor Eremey laid down their heads in battle. Vsevolod with a small squad was able to break out of the encirclement and retreated to Vladimir.

After Kolomna it was Moscow’s turn, it was defended by the youngest son of the Vladimir prince Yuri, Vladimir, and the governor Philip Nyanka. On January 20, 1238, after a 5-day siege, the fortress fell. Along the Yauza and Klyazma, Batu’s army moved towards the capital of the grand duchy. Grand Duke Yuri II found himself in a difficult situation. He sent all available forces with Vsevolod to the Ryazan people; time was needed to gather a new militia, which was not available. Messengers were sent to the Novgorodians, and to Kyiv to their brother Yaroslav. But Novgorod and Kyiv are far away, and the enemy regiments were moving rapidly. As a result, he left his sons Vsevolod and Mstislav to defend the capital city, and he himself went to the Upper Volga to collect regiments. In general, the plan was not stupid. Such a maneuver could have brought success if Vladimir had withstood a long-term siege. At that time Grand Duke could gather vigilantes, militias from cities and churchyards into a fist, and receive reinforcements. A serious threat to the rear of Batu’s army would arise, forcing him to lift the siege. However, for this it was necessary for Vladimir to hold on.

On February 2, “Tatar” detachments appeared near Vladimir and showed the townspeople Prince Vladimir, captured in Moscow. They did not immediately launch an assault; they surrounded the city with a fence. Confusion and despair reigned in the city. Vsevolod and Mstislav either wanted to go beyond the walls and die “with honor,” they were especially eager to fight when Vladimir Yuryevich was killed in front of their mother and brothers, then they asked Bishop Mitrofan to tonsure them, their wives and boyars into the schema. Voivode Pyotr Oslyadyukovich dissuaded them from the sortie and suggested defending from the walls. In general, there was no single firm hand that could organize the multitude of people crowded into the city. Some went to the walls, preparing to fight to the last, others just prayed and waited for the end.

The “Mongolian” command, realizing that there was no need to expect a fierce battle here like at the walls of Kolomna, calmed down. Batu even sent part of the army to take Suzdal to replenish supplies. Suzdal fell quickly, and a large convoy was brought from there. Vladimir was taken according to the same procedure as Ryazan. First they built a tyn around the city, then assembled siege engines, and on the sixth day a general assault began. Vsevolod and Mstislav with their personal squads tried to break through, but the ring was tight, everyone died (according to others, they tried to negotiate and were killed at Batu’s headquarters). On February 7, the “Tatars” burst into the city and set it on fire. Vladimir fell, the entire family of the Grand Duke died. According to another source, the enemy only broke through the first line of defense; in the city itself, fighting continued until February 10.

After the fall of Vladimir, Batu became convinced that the resistance had been broken. The army was divided, so it was easier to feed the soldiers and horses. One corps marched along the Volga to Gorodets and Galich, the second marched to Pereyaslavl, and the third to Rostov. In total, 14 cities were occupied in February. Almost all of them were taken without a fight. People fled through the forests. Only Pereyaslavl-Zalessky offered resistance. In addition, the residents of Torzhok fought for two weeks; its residents waited until the last for help from Veliky Novgorod. The townspeople fought off the attacks and made forays. But the Novgorodians, who had recently declared war on the Vladimir prince for Torzhok, now behaved differently. A meeting was held. They discussed the situation, argued and decided not to send soldiers, but to prepare Novgorod itself for defense. In addition, there is still a question whether the enemy will reach Veliky Novgorod. On March 5, 1238, the heroic Torzhok fell.

The day before his fall, on March 4, the troops of Yuri Vsevolodovich were destroyed in the Battle of the Sit River. He set up a camp in the Volga forests on the river. Sit (northwest of the Yaroslavl region). His brother Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich from Yuryev-Polsky, the Yaroslavl prince Vsevolod Konstantinovich, nephews Vasilko and Vladimir Konstantinovich, the rulers of Rostov and Uglich, came to his call. Burundai's corps was able to defeat the Russian army with a sudden blow. Yuri Vsevolodovich and Vsevolod Konstantinovich fell in battle, Vasilko was captured and executed. Svyatoslav and Vladimir were able to leave.

A very interesting fact should be noted. Batu’s actions clearly contradict the myth of the “Tatar-Mongol” invasion. They instilled in us from school, they love to show it in rich colors and works of art, like the popular works of V. Yan, that the cruel “Mongols” swept through Rus' with fire and sword, destroying everything in their path. All Russians who were not killed were naturally enslaved and then sold. All Russian cities were destroyed and burned. A sort of SS and Sonderkommando of the 13th century. However, if you take a closer look at the invasion. Then you can pay attention to the fact that many cities survived. In particular, the rich and populous Rostov, Yaroslavl, Uglich and other cities entered into negotiations with the “Mongols”. Into negotiations with those who allegedly destroyed everything in their path! They paid the required tribute, provided food, fodder, horses, people for carts, and survived. A very interesting situation would have emerged if the Ryazan princes and Yuri Vsevolodovich had behaved less proudly.

Another fact about the total “terror” on the part of the “Tatar-Mongol troops” - while moving back (Batu’s army turned back before reaching Novgorod 100 versts), the khan’s warriors stumbled upon the “evil city” - Kozelsk. During the siege of Kozelsk, Batu forbade the destruction of surrounding villages; on the contrary, he was merciful to the common people, receiving provisions and fodder. By the way, the siege of Kozelsk and Torzhok are also very interesting facts, which violate the “harmonious” picture of the almighty “Mongolian” hordes sweeping away everything in their path. The capitals of the great principalities - Ryazan and Vladimir - were taken in a few days, and small towns, actually villages with defensive fortifications, fought for weeks.

The behavior of the other princes during this terrible time is also very interesting. It seemed that at such a time - an invasion of unknown “Tatars”, sweeping away everything in their path, they should forget past quarrels, join forces, and actively prepare for battle with the invaders. “Get up, huge country, get up for mortal combat?” No! Everyone behaved as if the events in North-Eastern Rus' did not concern them. The reaction was the same as to ordinary princely strife, and not the invasion of an unknown enemy.

Not only was there no reaction to the invasion of Batu’s army. The Russian princes at this time continued to enthusiastically fight each other! It turns out that the “Tatar” invasion was not an event for them that went beyond the traditional politics of the region?! Mikhail Chernigovsky was still firmly in Galich. To withstand the onslaught of Yaroslav, he entered into an alliance with the Hungarian king Bela IV. He betrothed his son Rostislav to the daughter of the Hungarian monarch. Daniel, who actually pushed Yuri II and Yaroslav into a war with the Chernigov prince, turned out to be a frivolous and unreliable ally. When he realized that the Vladimir regiments did not frighten the Chernigov prince Mikhail and did not force him to cede Galich, Daniil entered into negotiations with the enemy. The Volyn prince agreed to a separate peace, receiving Przemysl for this. Now Mikhail Chernigovsky could concentrate all his forces in order to recapture Kyiv and Chernigov. He left Rostislav in Galich.

Yaroslav Vsevolodovich was preparing to meet the troops of the Chernigov ruler. However, then came heavy and confusing news that the “Tatars” were destroying the cities of Vladimir Rus'. The messages were menacing and unclear, capable of stunning anyone. The mighty and populous Vladimir Rus' collapsed in just a month. Yaroslav convened the regiments and moved home. Mikhail Chernigovsky triumphantly occupied Kyiv. Accepted the title of Grand Duke of Kyiv. He handed over Chernigov to his cousin Mstislav Glebovich. His son Rostislav immediately disregarded the agreement with Daniil and captured Przemysl from him. But the quarrel with Daniel was a very rash step. When Rostislav went on a campaign against the Lithuanian tribes, Daniil suddenly appeared near Galich. The common people, despite the resistance of the boyars, immediately recognized him as their prince and opened the gates. The nobility had no choice but to bow to the prince. He joyfully forgave the traitors again. Rostislav rushed to ask for help in Hungary.

To be continued…

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In 1237 - 1241 Russian lands were attacked by the Mongol Empire, a Central Asian state that conquered in the first half of the 13th century. vast territory of the Eurasian continent from Pacific Ocean to Central Europe. In Europe, the Mongols began to be called Tatars. This was the name of one of the Mongol-speaking tribes that roamed near the border with China. The Chinese transferred its name to all Mongolian tribes, and the name “Tatars” as a designation for the Mongols spread to other countries, although the Tatars themselves were almost completely exterminated during the creation of the Mongol Empire.

The term “Mongol-Tatars”, widespread in historical literature, is a combination of the self-name of the people with the term by which this people was designated by its neighbors. In 1206, at the kurultai - a congress of the Mongolian nobility - Temujin (Temuchin), who took the name of Genghis Khan, was recognized as the great khan of all Mongols. Over the next five years, Mongol troops, united by Genghis Khan, conquered the lands of their neighbors, and by 1215 they conquered Northern China. In 1221, the hordes of Genghis Khan defeated the main forces of Khorezm and conquered Central Asia.

Battle of Kalka.

The first clash of Ancient Rus' with the Mongols occurred in 1223, when a 30,000-strong Mongol detachment marched from Transcaucasia to the Black Sea steppes for reconnaissance purposes, defeating the Alans and Cumans. The Polovtsy, defeated by the Mongols, turned to the Russian princes for help. At their call, a united army led by the three strongest princes of Southern Rus' set out in the steppe: Mstislav Romanovich of Kyiv, Mstislav Svyatoslavich of Chernigov and Mstislav Metis-lavich of Galicia.

May 31, 1223 in the battle on the river. Kalka (near the Sea of ​​Azov), as a result of uncoordinated actions of its leaders, the allied Russian-Polovtsian army was defeated. Six Russian princes died, three, including the Kiev prince, were captured and brutally killed by the Mongols. The conquerors pursued the retreating right up to the Russian borders, and then turned back to the Central Asian steppes. Thus, for the first time in Rus', the military power of the Mongol hordes was felt.

Invasion of the Mongol-Tatars in Rus'.

After the death of the founder of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan (1227), according to his will, at the kurultai of the Mongol nobility in 1235, it was decided to begin an aggressive campaign against Europe. The grandson of Genghis Khan, Batu Khan (called Batu in Russian sources), was placed at the head of the united army of the Mongol Empire. The prominent Mongol commander Subedei, who participated in the Battle of Kalka, was appointed its first military commander.

Campaign to North-Eastern Rus' (1237 - 1238).

A year after the start of the campaign, having conquered Volga Bulgaria, the Polovtsian hordes between the Volga and Don rivers, the lands of the Burtases and Mordovians in the Middle Volga in the late autumn of 1237, Batu’s main forces concentrated in the upper reaches of the Voronezh River to invade North-Eastern Rus'.

The number of Batu's hordes, according to a number of researchers, reached 140 thousand soldiers, and the Mongols themselves numbered no more than 50 thousand people. At this time, the Russian princes could gather no more than 100 thousand soldiers from all lands, and the squads of the princes of North-Eastern Rus' amounted to no more than 1/3 of this number.

Inter-princely strife and strife in Rus' prevented the formation of a united Russian army. Therefore, the princes could only resist the Mongol invasion individually. In the winter of 1237, Batu's hordes ravaged the Ryazan principality, whose capital was burned and all its inhabitants exterminated. Following this, in January 1238, Mongol troops defeated the army of the Vladimir-Suzdal land near Kolomna, led by the son of the Grand Duke Vsevolod Yuryevich, captured Moscow, Suzdal, and on February 7 - Vladimir. On March 4, 1238, on the City River in the upper Volga, the army of Grand Duke Yuri Vsevolodich was defeated. The Grand Duke himself died in this battle.

After the capture of the “suburb” of Veliky Novgorod, Torzhok, which bordered the Suzdal land, the road to North-Western Rus' opened before the Mongol hordes. But the approach of the spring thaw and significant human losses forced the conquerors to turn back to the Polovtsian steppes. An unprecedented feat was accomplished by residents of the small town of Kozelsk on the river. Zhizdre. For seven weeks they held the defense of their city. After the capture of Kozelsk in May 1238, Batu ordered that this “evil city” be wiped off the face of the earth and all its inhabitants destroyed.

Batu spent the summer of 1238 in the Don steppes, restoring his strength for further campaigns. In the spring of 1239 he destroyed the Pereyaslavl principality, and in the fall the Chernigov-Seversk land was devastated.

In 1237, the 75,000-strong army of Khan Batu invaded Russian borders. Hordes of Mongol-Tatars, a well-armed army of the Khan's empire, the largest in medieval history, came to conquer Rus': to wipe out rebellious Russian cities and villages from the face of the earth, impose tribute on the population and establish the power of their governors - the Baskaks - throughout the entire Russian land.

The Mongol-Tatars’ attack on Rus' was sudden, but not only this determined the success of the invasion. For a number of objective reasons, power was on the side of the conquerors, the fate of Rus' was predetermined, as was the success of the Mongol-Tatar invasion.

By the beginning of the 13th century, Rus' was a country torn into small principalities, without a single ruler or army. Behind the Mongol-Tatars, on the contrary, stood a strong and united power, approaching the peak of its power. Only a century and a half later, in 1380, in different political and economic conditions, Rus' was able to field a strong army against the Golden Horde led by a single commander - the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Ivanovich and move from a shameful and unsuccessful defense to active military action and achieve a devastating victory on the Kulikovo field.

Not about any unity of the Russian land in 1237-1240. there was no question, the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars showed the weakness of Rus', the invasion of the enemy and the power of the Golden Horde established for two and a half centuries, the Golden Horde yoke became retribution for internecine enmity and trampling of all-Russian interests on the part of Russian princes, too keen on satisfying their political ambitions.

The Mongol-Tatar invasion of Rus' was swift and merciless. In December 1237, Batu’s army burned Ryazan, and on January 1, 1238, Kolomna fell under enemy pressure. During January - May 1238, the Mongol-Tatar invasion incinerated the Vladimir, Pereyaslav, Yuryev, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Uglitsky and Kozel principalities. In 1239 it was destroyed by Murom, a year later the inhabitants of the cities and villages of the Chernigov principality faced the misfortune of the Mongol-Tatar invasion, and in September - December 1240 the ancient capital city of Rus' - Kiev was conquered.

After the defeat of North-Eastern and Southern Rus', the countries were subjected to the Mongol-Tatar invasion of Eastern Europe: Batu’s army won a number of major victories in Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, but, having lost significant forces on Russian soil, returned to the Volga region, which became the epicenter of the powerful Golden Horde.

With the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars into Rus', the Golden Horde period of Russian history began: the era of the rule of Eastern despotism, oppression and ruin of the Russian people, the period of decline of the Russian economy and culture.

The beginning of the Mongol conquests of the Russian principalities

In the 13th century the peoples of Rus' had to endure a difficult struggle with Tatar-Mongol conquerors, who ruled the Russian lands until the 15th century. (last century in a milder form). Directly or indirectly, the Mongol invasion contributed to the fall of the political institutions of the Kyiv period and the rise of absolutism.

In the 12th century. There was no centralized state in Mongolia; the unification of the tribes was achieved at the end of the 12th century. Temuchin, the leader of one of the clans. At the general meeting (“kurultai”) of representatives of all clans in 1206 he was proclaimed great khan with the name Genghis(“limitless power”).

Once the empire was created, it began its expansion. The organization of the Mongol army was based on the decimal principle - 10, 100, 1000, etc. An imperial guard was created that controlled the entire army. Before the appearance firearms Mongol cavalry prevailed in the steppe wars. She was better organized and trained than any army of nomads of the past. The reason for success was not only perfection military organization Mongols, but also the unpreparedness of their opponents.

At the beginning of the 13th century, having conquered part of Siberia, the Mongols began to conquer China in 1215. They managed to capture its entire northern part. From China, the Mongols brought the newest for that time military equipment and specialists. In addition, they received a cadre of competent and experienced officials from among the Chinese. In 1219, Genghis Khan's troops invaded Central Asia. Following Central Asia there was Northern Iran captured, after which Genghis Khan’s troops made a predatory campaign in Transcaucasia. From the south they came to the Polovtsian steppes and defeated the Polovtsians.

The Polovtsians' request to help them against a dangerous enemy was accepted by the Russian princes. The battle between the Russian-Polovtsian and Mongol troops took place on May 31, 1223 on the Kalka River in the Azov region. Not all Russian princes who promised to participate in the battle sent their troops. The battle ended in the defeat of the Russian-Polovtsian troops, many princes and warriors died.

In 1227 Genghis Khan died. Ögedei, his third son, was elected Great Khan. In 1235, the Kurultai met in the Mongol capital Kara-korum, where it was decided to begin the conquest of the western lands. This intention posed a terrible threat to Russian lands. At the head of the new campaign was Ogedei's nephew, Batu (Batu).

In 1236, Batu's troops began a campaign against the Russian lands. Having defeated Volga Bulgaria, they set out to conquer the Ryazan principality. The Ryazan princes, their squads and townspeople had to fight the invaders alone. The city was burned and plundered. After the capture of Ryazan, Mongol troops moved to Kolomna. In the battle near Kolomna, many Russian soldiers died, and the battle itself ended in defeat for them. On February 3, 1238, the Mongols approached Vladimir. Having besieged the city, the invaders sent a detachment to Suzdal, which took it and burned it. The Mongols stopped only in front of Novgorod, turning south due to muddy roads.

In 1240, the Mongol offensive resumed. Chernigov and Kyiv were captured and destroyed. From here the Mongol troops moved to Galicia-Volyn Rus'. Having captured Vladimir-Volynsky, Galich in 1241 Batu invaded Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Moravia, and then in 1242 reached Croatia and Dalmatia. However, Mongol troops entered Western Europe significantly weakened by the powerful resistance they encountered in Rus'. This largely explains the fact that if the Mongols managed to establish their yoke in Rus', Western Europe only experienced an invasion and then on a smaller scale. This is the historical role of the heroic resistance of the Russian people to the Mongol invasion.

The result of Batu's grandiose campaign was the conquest of a vast territory - the southern Russian steppes and forests of Northern Rus', the Lower Danube region (Bulgaria and Moldova). The Mongol Empire now included the entire Eurasian continent from the Pacific Ocean to the Balkans.

After Ogedei's death in 1241, the majority supported the candidacy of Ogedei's son Hayuk. Batu became the head of the strongest regional khanate. He founded his capital at Sarai (north of Astrakhan). His power extended to Kazakhstan, Khorezm, Western Siberia, Volga, North Caucasus, Rus'. Gradually the western part of this ulus became known as Golden Horde.

The first armed clash between the Russian squad and the Mongol-Tatar army occurred 14 years before Batu’s invasion. In 1223, the Mongol-Tatar army under the command of Subudai-Baghatur went on a campaign against the Polovtsians in close proximity to Russian lands. At the request of the Polovtsians, some Russian princes provided military assistance to the Polovtsians.

On May 31, 1223, a battle took place between Russian-Polovtsian troops and Mongol-Tatars on the Kalka River near the Sea of ​​Azov. As a result of this battle, the Russian-Polovtsian militia suffered a crushing defeat from the Mongol-Tatars. The Russian-Polovtsian army suffered heavy losses. Six Russian princes died, including Mstislav Udaloy, the Polovtsian Khan Kotyan and more than 10 thousand militiamen.

The main reasons for the defeat of the Russian-Polish army were:

The reluctance of the Russian princes to act as a united front against the Mongol-Tatars (most Russian princes refused to respond to the request of their neighbors and send troops);

Underestimation of the Mongol-Tatars (the Russian militia was poorly armed and was not properly prepared for battle);

Inconsistency of actions during the battle (Russian troops were not a single army, but scattered squads of different princes acting in their own way; some squads withdrew from the battle and watched from the sidelines).

Having won a victory on Kalka, the army of Subudai-Baghatur did not build on its success and went to the steppes.

4. Thirteen years later, in 1236, the Mongol-Tatar army led by Khan Batu (Batu Khan), the grandson of Genghis Khan and the son of Jochi, invaded the Volga steppes and Volga Bulgaria (the territory of modern Tataria). Having won a victory over the Cumans and Volga Bulgars, the Mongol-Tatars decided to invade Rus'.

The conquest of Russian lands was carried out during two campaigns:

The campaign of 1237 - 1238, as a result of which the Ryazan and Vladimir-Suzdal principalities - northeast Rus' - were conquered;

The campaign of 1239 - 1240, as a result of which the Chernigov and Kiev principalities and other principalities of southern Rus' were conquered. The Russian principalities offered heroic resistance. Among the most important battles of the war with the Mongol-Tatars are:

Defense of Ryazan (1237) - the very first large city to be attacked by the Mongol-Tatars - almost all residents participated and died during the defense of the city;

Defense of Vladimir (1238);

Defense of Kozelsk (1238) - the Mongol-Tatars stormed Kozelsk for 7 weeks, for which they nicknamed it the “evil city”;

Battle of the City River (1238) - the heroic resistance of the Russian militia prevented the further advance of the Mongol-Tatars to the north - to Novgorod;

The defense of Kyiv - the city fought for about a month.

XIV. MONGOL-TATARS. – GOLDEN HORDE

(continuation)

The rise of the Mongol-Tatar Empire. – Batu’s campaign against Eastern Europe. – Military structure of the Tatars. - Invasion of Ryazan land. - Devastation of Suzdal land and the capital city. – Defeat and death of Yuri II. – Reverse movement to the steppe and the ruin of Southern Rus'. - Fall of Kyiv. – Trip to Poland and Hungary.

For the invasion of the Tatars into Northern Rus', the Lavrentievsky (Suzdal) and Novgorod chronicles are used, and for the invasion of Southern Russia - the Ipatievsky (Volynsky). The latter is told in a very incomplete manner; so we have the most scant news about the actions of the Tatars in the Kyiv, Volyn and Galician lands. We find some details in later vaults, Voskresensky, Tverskoy and Nikonovsky. In addition, there was a special legend about Batu’s invasion of Ryazan land; but published in Vremennik Ob. I. and Dr. No. 15. (About him, in general about the devastation of the Ryazan land, see my “History of the Ryazan Principality,” chapter IV.) Rashid Eddin’s news about Batu’s campaigns was translated by Berezin and supplemented with notes (Journal of M.N. Pr. 1855. No. 5 ). G. Berezin also developed the idea of ​​the Tatar method of operating by raid.

For the Tatar invasion of Poland and Hungary, see the Polish-Latin chronicles of Bogufal and Dlugosz. Ropel Geschichte Polens. I. Th. Palatsky D jiny narodu c "eskeho I. His Einfal der Mongolen. Prag. 1842. Mailata Ceschichte der Magyaren. I. Hammer-Purgstal Geschichte der Goldenen Horde. Wolf in his Geschichte der Mongolen oder Tataren, by the way (chap. VI) , critically reviews the stories of the named historians about the Mongol invasion; in particular tries to refute Palacki’s presentation in relation to the modus operandi of the Czech king Wenzel, as well as in relation to the well-known legend about the victory of Jaroslav Sternberk over the Tatars at Olomouc.

Mongol-Tatar Empire after Genghis Khan

Meanwhile, a menacing cloud moved in from the east, from Asia. Genghis Khan assigned the Kipchak and the entire side to the north and west of the Aral-Caspian to his eldest son Jochi, who was to complete the conquest of this side begun by Jebe and Subudai. But the attention of the Mongols was still diverted by the stubborn struggle in eastern Asia with two strong kingdoms: the Niuchi empire and the neighboring Tangut power. These wars delayed the defeat of Eastern Europe for more than ten years. Moreover, Jochi died; and he was soon followed by Temujin [Genghis Khan] himself (1227), having managed to personally destroy the Tangut kingdom before his death. Three sons survived after him: Jagatai, Ogodai and Tului. He appointed Ogodai as his successor, or supreme khan, as the most intelligent among the brothers; Jagatai was given Bukharia and eastern Turkestan, Tula - Iran and Persia; and Kipchak was to come into the possession of the sons of Jochi. Temujin bequeathed to his descendants to continue the conquests and even outlined a general plan of action for them. The Great Kurultai, assembled in his homeland, that is, on the banks of Kerulen, confirmed his orders. Ogodai, who was still in charge of the Chinese War under his father, tirelessly continued this war until he completely destroyed the Niuchi empire and established his rule there (1234). Only then did he turn his attention to other countries and, among other things, began to prepare a great campaign against Eastern Europe.

During this time, the Tatar temniks, who commanded the Caspian countries, did not remain inactive; and tried to keep the nomads subdued by Jebe Subudai in subjection. In 1228, according to the Russian chronicle, “from below” (from the Volga) the Saksins (a tribe unknown to us) and Polovtsi, pressed by the Tatars, ran into the borders of the Bulgarians; The Bulgarian guard detachments they had defeated also came running from the country of Priyaitskaya. Around the same time, in all likelihood, the Bashkirs, fellow tribesmen of the Ugrians, were conquered. Three years later, the Tatars undertook a reconnaissance campaign deep into Kama Bulgaria and spent the winter there somewhere short of the Great City. The Polovtsians, for their part, apparently took advantage of the circumstances to defend their independence with weapons. At least their main khan Kotyan later, when he sought refuge in Ugria, told the Ugric king that he had defeated the Tatars twice.

Beginning of Batu's invasion

Having put an end to the Niuchi Empire, Ogodai moved the main forces of the Mongol-Tatars to conquer Southern China, North India and the rest of Iran; and for the conquest of Eastern Europe he allocated 300,000, the leadership of which he entrusted to his young nephew Batu, the son of Dzhuchiev, who had already distinguished himself in the Asian wars. His uncle appointed the famous Subudai-Bagadur as his leader, who, after the Kalka victory, together with Ogodai, completed the conquest of Northern China. The Great Khan gave Batu and other proven commanders, including Burundai. Many young Genghisids also took part in this campaign, by the way, the son of Ogodai Gayuk and the son of Tului Mengu, the future successors of the Great Khan. From the upper reaches of the Irtysh, the horde moved westward, along the nomadic camps of various Turkish hordes, gradually annexing significant parts of them; so that at least half a million warriors crossed the Yaik River. One of the Muslim historians, speaking about this campaign, adds: “The earth groaned from the multitude of warriors; the troops went mad from the sheer numbers wild animals and night birds." This was no longer the selected cavalry that launched the first raid and fought on Kalka; now a huge horde with its families, wagons and herds was moving slowly. It constantly migrated, stopping where it found sufficient pastures for its horses and other livestock Having entered the Volga steppes, Batu himself continued to move to the lands of the Mordovians and Polovtsians, and to the north he separated part of the troops with Subudai-Bagadur for the conquest of Kama Bulgaria, which the latter accomplished in the fall of 1236. This conquest, according to Tatar custom, was accompanied by a terrible devastation of the land and beating the inhabitants; by the way, the Great City was taken and set on fire.

Khan Batu. Chinese drawing from the 14th century

By all indications, Batu’s movement was carried out according to a premeditated method of action, based on preliminary intelligence about those lands and peoples that it was decided to conquer. At least this can be said about the winter campaign in Northern Rus'. Obviously, the Tatar military leaders already had accurate information about what time of year is most favorable for military operations in this wooded area, replete with rivers and swamps; among them, the movement of the Tatar cavalry would be very difficult at any other time, with the exception of winter, when all the waters are covered with ice, strong enough to endure horse hordes.

Military organization of the Mongol-Tatars

Only the invention of European firearms and the establishment of large standing armies brought about a revolution in the attitude of sedentary and agricultural peoples to nomadic and pastoral peoples. Before this invention, the advantage in the fight was often on the side of the latter; which is very natural. Nomadic hordes are almost always on the move; their parts always more or less stick together and act as a dense mass. Nomads have no differences in occupations and habits; they are all warriors. If the will of an energetic khan or circumstances united a large number of hordes into one mass and directed them towards sedentary neighbors, then it was difficult for the latter to successfully resist the destructive impulse, especially where the nature was flat. The agricultural people, scattered throughout their country, accustomed to peaceful occupations, could not soon gather into a large militia; and even this militia, if it managed to set out on time, was far inferior to its opponents in speed of movement, in the habit of wielding weapons, in the ability to act in harmony and onslaught, in military experience and resourcefulness, as well as in a warlike spirit.

The Mongol-Tatars possessed all such qualities to a high degree when they came to Europe. Temujin [Genghis Khan] gave them the main weapon of conquest: unity of power and will. While nomadic peoples are divided into special hordes, or clans, the power of their khans, of course, has the patriarchal character of the ancestor and is far from unlimited. But when, by force of arms, one person subjugates entire tribes and peoples, then, naturally, he rises to a height unattainable for a mere mortal. Old customs still live among these people and seem to limit the power of the Supreme Khan; The guardians of such customs among the Mongols are kurultai and noble influential families; but in the hands of the clever, energetic khan many resources have already been concentrated to become a limitless despot. Having imparted unity to the nomadic hordes, Temujin further strengthened their power by introducing a uniform and well-adapted military organization. The troops deployed by these hordes were organized on the basis of strictly decimal division. The tens united into hundreds, the latter into thousands, with tens, hundreds and thousands at the head. Ten thousand made up the largest department called “fogs” and were under the command of the temnik. The place of the previous more or less free relations with the leaders was replaced by strict military discipline. Disobedience or premature removal from the battlefield was punishable by death. In case of indignation, not only the participants were executed, but their entire family was condemned to extermination. The so-called Yasa (a type of code of laws) published by Temuchin, although it was based on old Mongolian customs, but significantly increased their severity in relation to various actions and was truly draconian or bloody in nature.

The continuous and long series of wars started by Temujin developed among the Mongols strategic and tactical techniques that were remarkable for that time, i.e. generally the art of war. Where terrain and circumstances did not interfere, the Mongols operated in enemy soil by round-up, in which they are especially accustomed; since in this way the Khan usually hunted wild animals. The hordes were divided into parts, marched in encirclement and then approached the pre-designated main point, devastating the country with fire and sword, taking prisoners and all kinds of booty. Thanks to their steppe, short, but strong horses, the Mongols were able to make unusually fast and long marches without rest, without stopping. Their horses were hardened and accustomed to endure hunger and thirst just like their riders. Moreover, the latter usually had several spare horses with them on campaigns, which they transferred to as needed. Their enemies were often amazed by the appearance of barbarians at a time when they considered them to be still far away from them. Thanks to such cavalry, the Mongols' reconnaissance unit was at a remarkable stage of development. Any movement of the main forces was preceded by small detachments, scattered in front and on the sides, as if in a fan; Observation detachments also followed behind; so that the main forces were secured against any chance or surprise.

Regarding weapons, although the Mongols had spears and curved sabers, they were predominantly riflemen (some sources, for example, Armenian chroniclers, call them “the people of riflemen”); They used bows with such strength and skill that their long arrows, tipped with an iron tip, pierced hard shells. Usually the Mongols first tried to weaken and frustrate the enemy with a cloud of arrows, and then rushed at him hand-to-hand. If at the same time they met a courageous resistance, they turned to feigned flight; As soon as the enemy began to pursue them and thereby upset their battle formation, they deftly turned their horses and again made a united attack, as far as possible from all sides. They were covered with shields woven from reeds and covered with leather, helmets and armor, also made of thick leather, some even covered with iron scales. In addition, wars with more educated and rich peoples brought them a considerable amount of iron chain mail, helmets and all kinds of weapons, which their commanders and noble people wore. The tails of horses and wild buffalos fluttered on the banners of their leaders. The commanders usually did not enter the battle themselves and did not risk their lives (which could cause confusion), but controlled the battle, being somewhere on a hill, surrounded by their neighbors, servants and wives, of course, all on horseback.

The nomadic cavalry, having a decisive advantage over sedentary peoples in the open field, however, encountered an important obstacle in the form of well-fortified cities. But the Mongols were already accustomed to dealing with this obstacle, having learned the art of taking cities in the Chinese and Khovarezm empires. They also started up battering machines. They usually surrounded a besieged city with a rampart; and where the forest was at hand, they fenced it off with a tine, thus stopping the very possibility of communication between the city and the surrounding area. Then they set up battering machines, from which they threw large stones and logs, and sometimes incendiary substances; in this way they caused fire and destruction in the city; They showered the defenders with a cloud of arrows or put up ladders and climbed onto the walls. In order to tire out the garrison, they carried out attacks continuously day and night, for which fresh detachments constantly alternated with each other. If the barbarians learned to take large Asian cities, fortified with stone and clay walls, the easier they could destroy or burn the wooden walls of Russian cities. Crossing large rivers did not make it particularly difficult for the Mongols. For this purpose they used large leather bags; they were stuffed tightly with clothes and other light things, tied tightly and tied to the tail of the horses, and thus transported. One Persian historian of the 13th century, describing the Mongols, says: “They had the courage of a lion, the patience of a dog, the foresight of a crane, the cunning of a fox, the farsightedness of a crow, the rapacity of a wolf, the battle heat of a rooster, the care of a hen for its neighbors, the sensitivity of a cat and the violence of a boar when attacked.” .

Rus' before the Mongol-Tatar invasion

What could ancient, fragmented Rus' oppose to this enormous concentrated force?

The fight against nomads of Turkish-Tatar origin was already a familiar thing for her. After the first onslaughts of both the Pechenegs and the Polovtsians, fragmented Rus' then gradually became accustomed to these enemies and gained the upper hand over them. However, she did not have time to throw them back to Asia or to subjugate them and return to their former borders; although these nomads were also fragmented and also did not submit to one power, one will. What a disparity in strength there was with the menacing Mongol-Tatar cloud now approaching!

In military courage and combat courage, the Russian squads, of course, were not inferior to the Mongol-Tatars; and they were undoubtedly superior in bodily strength. Moreover, Rus' was undoubtedly better armed; its complete armament of that time was not much different from the armament of the German and Western European armaments in general. Among her neighbors she was even famous for her fighting. Thus, regarding Daniil Romanovich’s campaign to help Konrad of Mazovia against Vladislav the Old in 1229, the Volyn chronicler notes that Konrad “loved Russian battle” and relied on Russian help more than on his Poles. But the princely squads that made up the military class of Ancient Rus' were too few in number to repel the new enemies now pressing from the east; and the common people, if necessary, were recruited into the militia directly from the plow or from their crafts, and although they were distinguished by the stamina common to the entire Russian tribe, they did not have much skill in wielding weapons or making friendly, quick movements. One can, of course, blame our old princes for not understanding all the dangers and all the disasters that were then threatening from new enemies, and not joining their forces for a united rebuff. But, on the other hand, we must not forget that where there was a long period of all kinds of disunity, rivalry and the development of regional isolation, no human will, no genius could bring about a rapid unification and concentration of popular forces. Such a benefit can only be achieved through the long and constant efforts of entire generations under circumstances that awaken in the people the consciousness of their national unity and the desire for their concentration. Ancient Rus' did what was in her means and ways. Every land, almost every significant city bravely met the barbarians and desperately defended themselves, hardly having any hope of winning. It couldn't be otherwise. A great historical people does not yield to an external enemy without courageous resistance, even under the most unfavorable circumstances.

Invasion of the Mongol-Tatars into the Ryazan Principality

At the beginning of the winter of 1237, the Tatars passed through the Mordovian forests and camped on the banks of some river Onuza. From here Batu sent to the Ryazan princes, according to the chronicle, a “sorceress wife” (probably a shaman) and with her two husbands, who demanded from the princes part of their estate in people and horses.

The eldest prince, Yuri Igorevich, hastened to convene his relatives, the appanage princes of Ryazan, Pron and Murom, to the Diet. In the first impulse of courage, the princes decided to defend themselves, and gave a noble answer to the ambassadors: “When we do not survive, then everything will be yours.” From Ryazan, Tatar ambassadors went to Vladimir with the same demands. Seeing that the Ryazan forces were too insignificant to fight the Mongols, Yuri Igorevich ordered this: he sent one of his nephews to the Grand Duke of Vladimir with a request to unite against common enemies; and sent another with the same request to Chernigov. Then the united Ryazan militia moved to the shores of Voronezh to meet the enemy; but avoided battle while waiting for help. Yuri tried to resort to negotiations and sent his only son Theodore at the head of a ceremonial embassy to Batu with gifts and a plea not to fight the Ryazan land. All these orders were unsuccessful. Theodore died in the Tatar camp: according to legend, he refused Batu’s demand to bring him his beautiful wife Eupraxia and was killed on his orders. Help didn't come from anywhere. The princes of Chernigovo-Seversky refused to come on the grounds that the Ryazan princes were not on Kalka when they were also asked for help; probably the Chernigov residents thought that the thunderstorm would not reach them or was still very far from them. And the slow Yuri Vsevolodovich Vladimirsky hesitated and was just as late with his help, as in the Kalka massacre. Seeing the impossibility of fighting the Tatars in an open field, the Ryazan princes hastened to retreat and took refuge with their squads behind the fortifications of the cities.

Following them, hordes of barbarians poured into the Ryazan land, and, according to their custom, engulfing it in a wide raid, began to burn, destroy, rob, beat, captivate, and commit desecration of women. There is no need to describe all the horrors of ruin. Suffice it to say that many villages and cities were completely wiped off the face of the earth; some of their famous names are no longer found in history after that. By the way, a century and a half later, travelers sailing along the upper reaches of the Don saw only ruins and deserted places on its hilly banks where once flourishing cities and villages stood. The devastation of the Ryazan land was carried out with particular ferocity and mercilessness also because it was in this regard the first Russian region: the barbarians came to it, full of wild, unbridled energy, not yet satiated with Russian blood, not tired of destruction, not reduced in number after countless battles. On December 16, the Tatars surrounded the capital city of Ryazan and surrounded it with a tyn. The squad and citizens, encouraged by the prince, repelled the attacks for five days. They stood on the walls, without changing their positions and without letting go of their weapons; Finally they began to grow exhausted, while the enemy constantly acted with fresh forces. On the sixth day the Tatars made a general attack; They threw fire on the roofs, smashed the walls with logs from their battering guns and finally broke into the city. The usual beating of residents followed. Among those killed was Yuri Igorevich. His wife and her relatives sought salvation in vain in the cathedral church of Boris and Gleb. What could not be plundered became a victim of the flames. Ryazan legends decorate the stories about these disasters with some poetic details. So, Princess Eupraxia, hearing about the death of her husband Feodor Yuryevich, threw herself from the high tower together with her little son to the ground and killed herself to death. And one of the Ryazan boyars named Evpatiy Kolovrat was on Chernigov land when the news of the Tatar pogrom came to him. He hurries to his fatherland, sees ashes hometown and is inflamed with a thirst for revenge. Having gathered 1,700 warriors, Evpatiy attacks the rear detachments of the Tatars, overthrows their hero Tavrul and finally, suppressed by the crowd, perishes with all his comrades. Batu and his soldiers are surprised at the extraordinary courage of the Ryazan knight. (The people, of course, consoled themselves with such stories in past disasters and defeats.) But along with examples of valor and love for the homeland, among the Ryazan boyars there were examples of betrayal and cowardice. The same legends point to a boyar who betrayed his homeland and handed himself over to his enemies. In each country, Tatar military leaders knew how to first of all find traitors; especially those were among the people captured, frightened by threats or seduced by caresses. From noble and ignorant traitors, the Tatars learned everything they needed about the state of the land, its weaknesses, the properties of the rulers, etc. These traitors also served as the best guides for the barbarians when moving into countries hitherto unknown to them.

Tatar invasion of Suzdal land

Capture of Vladimir by the Mongol-Tatars. Russian chronicle miniature

From the Ryazan land the barbarians moved to Suzdal, again in the same murderous order, sweeping this land in a raid. Their main forces went the usual Suzdal-Ryazan route to Kolomna and Moscow. Just then they were met by the Suzdal army, going to the aid of the Ryazan people, under the command of the young prince Vsevolod Yuryevich and the old governor Eremey Glebovich. Near Kolomna, the grand ducal army was completely defeated; Vsevolod escaped with the remnants of the Vladimir squad; and Eremey Glebovich fell in battle. Kolomna was taken and destroyed. Then the barbarians burned Moscow, the first Suzdal city on this side. Another son of the Grand Duke, Vladimir, and the governor Philip Nyanka were in charge here. The latter also fell in battle, and the young prince was captured. With how quickly the barbarians acted during their invasion, with the same slowness military gatherings took place in Northern Rus' at that time. With modern weapons, Yuri Vsevolodovich could put all the forces of Suzdal and Novgorod in the field in conjunction with the Murom-Ryazan forces. There would be enough time for these preparations. For more than a year, fugitives from Kama Bulgaria found refuge with him, bringing news of the devastation of their land and the movement of the terrible Tatar hordes. But instead of modern preparations, we see that the barbarians were already moving towards the capital itself, when Yuri, having lost the best part The army, defeated in parts, went further to the north to gather the zemstvo army and call for help from the brothers. In the capital, the Grand Duke left his sons, Vsevolod and Mstislav, with the governor Peter Oslyadyukovich; and he drove off with a small squad. On the way, he annexed three nephews of the Konstantinovichs, appanage princes of Rostov, with their militia. With the army that he managed to gather, Yuri settled down beyond the Volga almost on the border of his possessions, on the banks of the City, the right tributary of the Mologa, where he began to wait for the brothers, Svyatoslav Yuryevsky and Yaroslav Pereyaslavsky. The first one actually managed to come to him; but the second one did not appear; Yes, he could hardly have appeared on time: we know that at that time he occupied the great Kiev table.

At the beginning of February, the main Tatar army surrounded the capital Vladimir. A crowd of barbarians approached the Golden Gate; the citizens greeted them with arrows. "Do not shoot!" - the Tatars shouted. Several horsemen rode up to the very gate with the prisoner and asked: “Do you recognize your prince Vladimir?” Vsevolod and Mstislav, standing on the Golden Gate, together with those around them, immediately recognized their brother, captured in Moscow, and were struck with grief at the sight of his pale, sad face. They were eager to free him, and only the old governor Pyotr Oslyadyukovich kept them from a useless desperate sortie. Having located their main camp opposite the Golden Gate, the barbarians cut down trees in the neighboring groves and surrounded the entire city with a fence; then they installed their “vices”, or battering machines, and began to destroy the fortifications. The princes, princesses and some boyars, no longer hoping for salvation, accepted monastic vows from Bishop Mitrofan and prepared for death. On February 8, the day of the martyr Theodore Stratilates, the Tatars made a decisive attack. Following a sign, or brushwood thrown into the ditch, they climbed onto the city rampart at the Golden Gate and entered the new, or outer, city. At the same time, from the side of Lybid they broke into it through the Copper and Irininsky gates, and from Klyazma - through the Volzhsky. The outer city was taken and set on fire. Princes Vsevolod and Mstislav with their retinue retired to the Pecherny city, i.e. to the Kremlin. And Bishop Mitrofan with the Grand Duchess, her daughters, daughters-in-law, grandchildren and many noblewomen locked themselves in the cathedral church of the Mother of God in the tents, or choirs. When the remnants of the squad with both princes died and the Kremlin was taken, the Tatars broke down the doors of the cathedral church, plundered it, took away expensive vessels, crosses, vestments on icons, frames on books; then they dragged the forest into the church and around the church, and lit it. The bishop and the entire princely family, hiding in the choir, died in smoke and flames. Other churches and monasteries in Vladimir were also plundered and partly burned; many residents were beaten.

Already during the siege of Vladimir, the Tatars took and burned Suzdal. Then their detachments scattered throughout the Suzdal land. Some went north, took Yaroslavl and captured the Volga region all the way to Galich Mersky; others plundered Yuryev, Dmitrov, Pereyaslavl, Rostov, Volokolamsk, Tver; During February, up to 14 cities were taken, in addition to many “settlements and churchyards.”

Battle of the City River

Meanwhile, Georgy [Yuri] Vsevolodovich still stood on the City and waited for his brother Yaroslav. Then terrible news came to him about the destruction of the capital and the death of the princely family, about the capture of other cities and the approach of Tatar hordes. He sent a detachment of three thousand for reconnaissance. But the scouts soon came running back with the news that the Tatars were already bypassing the Russian army. As soon as the Grand Duke, his brothers Ivan and Svyatoslav and his nephews mounted their horses and began to organize regiments, the Tatars, led by Burundai, attacked Rus' from different sides, on March 4, 1238. The battle was brutal; but the majority of the Russian army, recruited from farmers and artisans unaccustomed to battle, soon mixed up and fled. Here Georgy Vsevolodovich himself fell; his brothers fled, his nephews also, with the exception of the eldest, Vasilko Konstantinovich of Rostov. He was captured. The Tatar military leaders persuaded him to accept their customs and fight the Russian land together with them. The prince firmly refused to be a traitor. The Tatars killed him and threw him into some Sherensky forest, near which they temporarily camped. The northern chronicler showers Vasilko with praise on this occasion; says that he was handsome in face, intelligent, courageous and very kind-hearted (“he is light at heart”). “Whoever served him, ate his bread and drank his cup, could no longer be in the service of another prince,” the chronicler adds. Bishop Kirill of Rostov, who escaped during the invasion of the remote city of his diocese, Belozersk, returned and found the body of the Grand Duke, deprived of his head; then he took Vasilko’s body, brought it to Rostov and laid it in the cathedral church of the Mother of God. Subsequently, they also found the head of George and placed him in his coffin.

Batu's movement to Novgorod

While one part of the Tatars was moving to Sit against the Grand Duke, the other reached the Novgorod suburb of Torzhok and besieged it. The citizens, led by their mayor Ivank, courageously defended themselves; For two whole weeks the barbarians shook the walls with their guns and made constant attacks. The novotors waited in vain for help from Novgorod; at last they were exhausted; On March 5, the Tatars took the city and terribly devastated it. From here their hordes moved further and went to Veliky Novgorod along the famous Seliger route, devastating the country right and left. They had already reached the “Ignach-cross” (Kresttsy?) and were only a hundred miles from Novgorod, when they suddenly turned south. This sudden retreat, however, was very natural under the circumstances of that time. Having grown up on the high planes and mountain plains of Central Asia, characterized by a harsh climate and variable weather, the Mongol-Tatars were accustomed to cold and snow and could quite easily endure the Northern Russian winter. But also accustomed to a dry climate, they were afraid of dampness and soon fell ill from it; their horses, for all their hardiness, after the dry steppes of Asia, also had difficulty withstanding swampy countries and wet food. Spring was approaching in Northern Russia with all its predecessors, i.e. melting snow and overflowing rivers and swamps. Along with disease and horse death, a terrible thaw threatened; the hordes caught by it could find themselves in a very difficult situation; the beginning of the thaw could clearly show them what awaited them. Perhaps they also found out about the preparations of the Novgorodians for a desperate defense; the siege could be delayed for several more weeks. There is, in addition, an opinion, not without probability, that there was a raid here, and Batu recently found it inconvenient to make a new one.

Temporary retreat of the Mongol-Tatars to the Polovtsian steppe

During the return movement to the steppe, the Tatars devastated the eastern part Smolensk land and the Vyatichi region. Of the cities they devastated at the same time, the chronicles mention only one Kozelsk, due to its heroic defense. The appanage prince here was one of the Chernigov Olgovichs, young Vasily. His warriors, together with the citizens, decided to defend themselves to the last man and did not give in to any flattering persuasion of the barbarians.

Batu, according to the chronicle, stood near this city for seven weeks and lost many killed. Finally, the Tatars smashed the wall with their cars and burst into the city; Even here the citizens continued to desperately defend themselves and cut themselves with knives until they were all beaten, and their young prince seemed to have drowned in blood. For such defense, the Tatars, as usual, nicknamed Kozelsk “the evil city.” Then Batu completed the enslavement of the Polovtsian hordes. Their main khan, Kotyan, with part of the people, retired to Hungary, and there he received land for settlement from King Bela IV, under the condition of the baptism of the Polovtsians. Those who remained in the steppes had to unconditionally submit to the Mongols and increase their hordes. From the Polovtsian steppes, Batu sent out detachments, on the one hand, to conquer the Azov and Caucasian countries, and on the other, to enslave Chernigov-Northern Rus'. By the way, the Tatars took Southern Pereyaslavl, plundered and destroyed the cathedral church of Michael there and killed Bishop Simeon. Then they went to Chernigov. Mstislav Glebovich Rylsky, Mikhail Vsevolodovich’s cousin, came to the aid of the latter and courageously defended the city. The Tatars placed throwing weapons from the walls at a distance of one and a half arrow flights and threw such stones that four people could hardly lift them. Chernigov was taken, plundered and burned. Bishop Porfiry, who was captured, was left alive and released. In the winter of the following 1239, Batu sent troops north to complete the conquest of the Mordovian land. From here they went to the Murom region and burned Murom. Then they fought again on the Volga and Klyazma; on the first they took Gorodets Radilov, and on the second - the city of Gorokhovets, which, as you know, was the possession of the Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir. This new invasion caused a terrible commotion throughout the entire Suzdal land. The residents who survived the previous pogrom abandoned their homes and ran wherever they could; mostly fled to the forests.

Mongol-Tatar invasion of Southern Rus'

Having finished with the strongest part of Rus', i.e. with the great reign of Vladimir, having rested in the steppe and fattened their horses, the Tatars now turned to Southwestern, Trans-Dnieper Rus', and from here they decided to go further to Hungary and Poland.

Already during the devastation of Pereyaslavl Russky and Chernigov, one of the Tatar detachments, led by Batu’s cousin, Mengu Khan, approached Kiev to scout out its position and means of defense. Stopping on the left side of the Dnieper, in the town of Pesochny, Mengu, according to the legend of our chronicle, admired the beauty and grandeur of the ancient Russian capital, which picturesquely rose on the coastal hills, shining with white walls and gilded domes of its temples. The Mongol prince tried to persuade the citizens to surrender; but they did not want to hear about her and even killed the messengers. At that time, Kiev was owned by Mikhail Vsevolodovich Chernigovsky. Although Menggu left; but there was no doubt that he would return with greater forces. Mikhail did not consider it convenient for himself to wait for the Tatar thunderstorm, he cowardly left Kyiv and retired to Ugria. Soon afterwards the capital city passed into the hands of Daniil Romanovich of Volyn and Galitsky. However, this famous prince, with all his courage and the vastness of his possessions, did not appear for the personal defense of Kyiv from the barbarians, but entrusted it to the thousandth Demetrius.

In the winter of 1240, a countless Tatar force crossed the Dnieper, surrounded Kyiv and fenced it off with a fence. Batu himself was there with his brothers, relatives and cousins, as well as his best commanders Subudai-Bagadur and Burundai. The Russian chronicler clearly depicts the enormity of the Tatar hordes, saying that the inhabitants of the city could not hear each other due to the creaking of their carts, the roar of camels and the neighing of horses. The Tatars directed their main attacks on that part that had the least strong position, i.e. to the western side, from which some wilds and almost flat fields adjoined the city. The battering guns, especially concentrated against the Lyadsky Gate, beat the wall day and night until they made a breach. The most persistent slaughter took place, “spear breaking and shields clumping together”; clouds of arrows darkened the light. The enemies finally broke into the city. The people of Kiev, with a heroic, albeit hopeless defense, supported the ancient glory of the first throne of the Russian city. They gathered around the Tithe Church of the Virgin Mary and then at night hastily fenced themselves off with fortifications. The next day this last stronghold also fell. Many citizens with families and property sought salvation in the choirs of the temple; the choirs could not withstand the weight and collapsed. This capture of Kyiv took place on December 6, on St. Nicholas’ day. The desperate defense embittered the barbarians; sword and fire spared nothing; the inhabitants were mostly beaten, and the majestic city was reduced to one huge heap of ruins. Tysyatsky Dimitri, captured wounded, Batu, however, left alive “for the sake of his courage.”

Having devastated the Kyiv land, the Tatars moved to Volyn and Galicia, took and destroyed many cities, including the capital Vladimir and Galich. Only some places, well fortified by nature and people, they could not take in battle, for example, Kolodyazhen and Kremenets; but they still took possession of the first, persuading the inhabitants to surrender with flattering promises; and then they were treacherously beaten. During this invasion, part of the population of Southern Rus' fled to distant countries; many took refuge in caves, forests and wilds.

Among the owners of South-Western Rus' there were those who, at the very appearance of the Tatars, submitted to them in order to save their inheritance from ruin. This is what the Bolokhovskys did. It is curious that Batu spared their land on the condition that its inhabitants sow wheat and millet for the Tatar army. It is also remarkable that Southern Rus', compared to Northern Russia, offered much weaker resistance to the barbarians. In the north, the senior princes, Ryazan and Vladimir, having gathered the forces of their land, bravely entered into unequal struggle with the Tatars and died with weapons in their hands. And in the south, where the princes have long been famous for their military prowess, we see a different course of action. The senior princes, Mikhail Vsevolodovich, Daniil and Vasilko Romanovich, with the approach of the Tatars, left their lands to seek refuge either in Ugria or in Poland. It’s as if the princes of Southern Rus' had enough determination for a general resistance only during the first invasion of the Tatars, and the Kalka massacre brought such fear into them that its participants, then young princes, and now older ones, are afraid of another meeting with wild barbarians; they leave their cities to defend themselves alone and perish in an overwhelming struggle. It is also remarkable that these senior southern Russian princes continue their feuds and scores for the volosts at the very time when the barbarians are already advancing on their ancestral lands.

Campaign of the Tatars to Poland

After Southwestern Rus', it was the turn of the neighboring Western countries, Poland and Ugria [Hungary]. Already during his stay in Volyn and Galicia, Batu, as usual, sent detachments to Poland and the Carpathians, wanting to scout out the routes and position of those countries. According to the legend of our chronicle, the aforementioned governor Dimitri, in order to save South-Western Rus' from complete devastation, tried to speed up the further campaign of the Tatars and told Batu: “Don’t hesitate long in this land; it’s time for you to go to the Ugrians; and if you hesitate, then there They will have time to gather strength and will not let you into their lands." Even without this, the Tatar leaders had the custom of not only obtaining all the necessary information before a campaign, but also with quick, cunningly planned movements to prevent any concentration of large forces.

The same Dimitri and other southern Russian boyars could tell Batu a lot about the political state of their western neighbors, whom they often visited together with their princes, who were often related to both the Polish and Ugric sovereigns. And this state was likened to fragmented Rus' and was very favorable for the successful invasion of the barbarians. In Italy and Germany at that time, the struggle between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines was in full swing. The famous grandson of Barbarossa, Frederick II, sat on the throne of the Holy Roman Empire. The aforementioned struggle completely distracted his attention, and in the very era of the Tatar invasion, he was diligently engaged in military operations in Italy against the supporters of Pope Gregory IX. Poland, being fragmented into appanage principalities, just like Rus', could not act unanimously and present serious resistance to the advancing horde. In this era we see here the two eldest and most powerful princes, namely, Konrad of Mazovia and Henry the Pious, ruler of Lower Silesia. They were on hostile terms with each other; moreover, Conrad, already known for his short-sighted policy (especially calling on the Germans to defend their land from the Prussians), was least capable of a friendly, energetic course of action. Henry the Pious was related to the Czech king Wenceslaus I and the Ugric Bela IV. In view of the threatening danger, he invited the Czech king to meet the enemies with joint forces; but did not receive timely help from him. In the same way, Daniil Romanovich had long been convincing the Ugric king to unite with Russia to repel the barbarians, and also to no avail. The Kingdom of Hungary at that time was one of the strongest and richest states in all of Europe; his possessions extended from the Carpathians to the Adriatic Sea. The conquest of such a kingdom should have especially attracted the Tatar leaders. They say that Batu, while still in Russia, sent envoys to the Ugric king demanding tribute and submission and reproaches for accepting the Kotyanov Polovtsians, whom the Tatars considered their runaway slaves. But the arrogant Magyars either did not believe in the invasion of their land, or considered themselves strong enough to repel this invasion. With his own sluggish, inactive character, Bela IV was distracted by various disorders of his state, especially feuds with rebellious magnates. These latter, by the way, were dissatisfied with the installation of the Polovtsians, who carried out robberies and violence, and did not even think of leaving their steppe habits.

At the end of 1240 and the beginning of 1241, the Tatar hordes left Southwestern Rus' and moved on. The campaign was maturely thought out and organized. Batu himself led the main forces through the Carpathian passes directly to Hungary, which was now his immediate goal. Special armies were sent in advance on both sides to engulf Ugria in a huge avalanche and cut off all help from its neighbors. By left hand In order to get around it from the south, the son of Ogodai Kadan and the governor Subudai-Bagadur took different roads through Sedmigradia and Wallachia. And on the right hand moved another cousin of Batu, Baydar, the son of Jagatai. He headed along Lesser Poland and Silesia and began to burn their cities and villages. In vain, some Polish princes and commanders tried to resist in the open field; they suffered defeats in unequal battles; and most of them died the death of the brave. Among the devastated cities were Sudomir, Krakow and Breslau. At the same time, individual Tatar detachments spread their devastation far into the depths of Mazovia and Greater Poland. Henry the Pious managed to prepare a significant army; received the help of Teutonic, or Prussian, knights and waited for the Tatars near the city of Liegnitz. Baidarkhan gathered his scattered troops and attacked this army. The battle was very stubborn; Unable to break the Polish and German knights, the Tatars, according to the chroniclers, resorted to cunning and confused the enemies with a deft cry fired through their ranks: “Run, run!” The Christians were defeated, and Henry himself died a heroic death. From Silesia, Baydar went through Moravia to Hungary to connect with Batu. Moravia was then part of the Czech kingdom, and Wenceslaus entrusted its defense to the courageous governor Yaroslav from Sternberk. Ruining everything in their path, the Tatars, among other things, besieged the city of Olomouc, where Yaroslav himself locked himself up; but here they failed; the governor even managed to make a lucky sortie and inflict some damage on the barbarians. But this failure could not have a significant impact on the general course of events.

Mongol-Tatar invasion of Hungary

Meanwhile, the main Tatar forces were moving through the Carpathians. The detachments sent forward with axes partly chopped up, partly burned out those forest axes with which Bela IV ordered to block the passages; their small military coverings were scattered. Having crossed the Carpathians, the Tatar horde poured onto the plains of Hungary and began to brutally devastate them; and the Ugric king was still sitting at the Diet in Buda, where he consulted with his obstinate nobles about defense measures. Having dissolved the Diet, he now only began to gather an army, with which he locked himself in Pest, adjacent to Buda. After a futile siege of this city, Batu retreated. Bela followed him with an army, the number of which had grown to 100,000 people. In addition to some magnates and bishops, his younger brother Coloman, the ruler of Slavonia and Croatia (the same one who in his youth reigned in Galich, from where he was expelled by Mstislav the Udal), also came to his aid. This army carelessly settled down on the banks of the Shayo River, and here it was unexpectedly surrounded by the hordes of Batu. The Magyars succumbed to panic and crowded in disorder in their cramped camp, not daring to join the battle. Only a few brave leaders, including Koloman, left the camp with their troops and, after a desperate battle, managed to break through. The rest of the army was destroyed; the king was among those who managed to escape. After that, the Tatars raged unhindered in Eastern Hungary for the whole summer of 1241; and with the onset of winter they crossed to the other side of the Danube and devastated its western part. At the same time, special Tatar detachments also actively pursued the Ugric king Bela, as before the Sultan of Khorezm Mohammed. Fleeing from them from one region to another, Bela reached the extreme limits of the Ugric possessions, i.e. to the shores of the Adriatic Sea and, like Mohammed, also escaped from his pursuers to one of the islands closest to the shore, where he remained until the storm passed. For more than a year, the Tatars stayed in the Hungarian kingdom, devastating it far and wide, beating the inhabitants, turning them into slavery.

Finally, in July 1242, Batu gathered his scattered troops, burdened with countless booty, and, leaving Hungary, headed back through the Danube valley through Bulgaria and Wallachia to the southern Russian steppes. The main reason for the return campaign was the news of the death of Ogodai and the accession of his son Gayuk to the supreme khan throne. This latter had left Batu’s hordes earlier and was not on friendly terms with him at all. It was necessary to provide for his family in those countries that fell to Jochi’s share in the division of Genghis Khan. But besides the too great distance from their steppes and the threatening disagreements between the Genghisids, there were, of course, other reasons that prompted the Tatars to return to the east without consolidating the subordination of Poland and Ugria. For all their successes, the Tatar military leaders realized that further stay in Hungary or movement to the west was unsafe. Although Emperor Frederick II was still keen on the fight against the papacy in Italy, a crusade against the Tatars was preached everywhere in Germany; The German princes made military preparations everywhere and actively fortified their cities and castles. These stone fortifications were no longer as easy to take as the wooden cities of Eastern Europe. The iron-clad, military-experienced Western European knighthood also did not promise an easy victory. Already during their stay in Hungary, the Tatars more than once suffered various setbacks and, in order to defeat their enemies, often had to resort to their military tricks, such as: a false retreat from a besieged city or a feigned flight in an open battle, false treaties and promises, even forged letters, addressed to the residents as if on behalf of the Ugric king, etc. During the siege of cities and castles in Ugria, the Tatars very sparingly spared their own forces; and more they took advantage of the crowds of captured Russians, Polovtsians and the Hungarians themselves, who, under the threat of beating, were sent to fill up ditches, make tunnels, and go on an attack. Finally, the most neighboring countries, with the exception of the Middle Danube Plain, due to the mountainous, rugged nature of their surface, already provided little convenience for the steppe cavalry.