The first major defeat of the Tatar-Mongols. Ain Jalut, or the last battle of the Mongols In 1236, the Mongols defeated

On September 3, 1260, one of the fateful battles of world history took place in Palestine near the city of Ain Jalut. The Egyptian army under the leadership of Sultan Kutuz and Emir Baybars defeated the Tatar-Mongolian army, commanded by the Naiman commander Kitbuka (Kitbuga). The Mongols for the first time suffered a crushing defeat that stopped their expansion in the Middle East. Over the previous half century, they won all the major battles with all their opponents - the Chinese, Persians, Arabs, Cumans, Bulgars, Russians and European knights, thanks to which they managed to conquer almost all of Eurasia, from Indochina to Hungary and Poland. There were legends about the invincibility of the Tatar-Mongol, but the Egyptian Mamluks, perhaps because of their ignorance, were not afraid of such a formidable enemy.

Interestingly, Kitbuka was a Christian. Christians, on the other hand, made up a significant part of his army, which did not prevent him from acting with cruelty typical of the Horde. In 1258, Kitbuka led one of the tumens that captured Baghdad, destroyed it to the ground and massacred the entire population of the city. According to various estimates, the Mongols then killed from 90 to 200 thousand people. After that, the "sparkling diamond of Mesopotamia" was depopulated for a long time and could never regain its former greatness.
In 1259 it was Syria's turn. The 70,000th army, led by Khan Hulagu, invaded it from the northeast, captured Damascus, Aleppo, Baalbek and Sidon. With the inhabitants of Aleppo, who stubbornly defended themselves, the Mongols did the same as with the Baghdadians, leaving only one skilled jeweler alive. It seemed that soon the same fate awaited the rest of the cities of Syria and Palestine, but in June 1260 news of the sudden death of Mongke, the great khan of the Mongol Empire, reached Hulagu. Hulagu with most of the troops hastily left to the east to take part in the struggle for the throne, leaving 20 thousand soldiers in Syria under the command of Kitbuki. For such arrogance and underestimation of the enemy, he soon had to pay dearly.
However, at first Kitbuk was successful: he invaded Samaria, easily capturing Nablus, and then Gaza. Confident in his abilities, he sent a messenger to the Cairo Sultan Kutuz with the following ultimatum:
The Great Lord chose Genghis Khan and his family, and granted us all the countries on earth. Everyone knows that anyone who refused to obey us ceased to exist along with his wives, children, relatives and slaves. Rumors about our boundless power spread like legends about Rustem and Isfendiyar. So, if you are submissive to us, then come tribute, appear yourself and ask to send our governor to you, and if not, then get ready for war.
Kutuz, who had not previously communicated with the Mongols, became furious at such unheard-of impudence. The first victim of the Sultan's wrath was an innocent messenger, whom Kutuz ordered to be executed. Then he announced a mobilization in Egypt. It is not known how many soldiers he managed to gather, various chroniclers and historians give different numbers, but in any case, the Egyptian army, which was joined by the Kurds who fled from the Mongols, apparently, turned out to be no smaller, but rather larger than that of Kitbuki.
Unexpectedly, in support of their longtime sworn enemies- Muslims were crusaders who still occupied several fortified cities in Palestine, united by a narrow strip of the Mediterranean coast. The King of Jerusalem Konrad Hohenstaufen expressed his readiness to freely let the Egyptians through their lands to the rear of the Tatar-Mongols, as well as to supply them with food and fodder.
Such an act is quite understandable: although Kitbuka and many of his soldiers considered themselves Christians, this would hardly have saved the crusaders from subjugation and plunder. Moreover, the Mongols belonged to the eastern, Nestorian branch of Christianity, which means, according to Catholics, they were contemptible heretics.
The battle at Ain Jalut began with an attack by the Mongol cavalry on the center of the Egyptian army. After a short skirmish, the Egyptian cavalry took to flight, and the Mongols began to pursue them. Carried away by the pursuit, they noticed too late that from both flanks they were covered by the horse lavas of the Egyptians, hitherto hidden behind the hills. The Mongols fell into the trap of feigned retreat, which they themselves repeatedly arranged for their opponents. Their army mixed up, hitting the "pincers", and the Egyptian Mamluks attacked them from two sides. The fleeing center also turned its horses and rejoined the battle.
As a result of furious logging, the encircled army of Kitbuki was completely destroyed, almost no one managed to escape. He himself was taken prisoner and beheaded the same day. Soon the Egyptians, one by one, recaptured the cities captured by the Mongols, in which small garrisons remained, and completely regained control over Syria, Samaria and Galilee.
The Mongols invaded Syria more than once, but they failed to gain a foothold there. The Battle of Ain Jalut was of great psychological significance, dispelling the myth of the invincibility of the Horde. There was one more important point: according to a number of Arab sources, in this battle the Egyptians for the first time used a certain prototype of firearms, however, there are no details, just as there are no images of these weapons.

Mongolian army on the march.

Mongolian archer and heavily armed horseman.

Egyptian Muslim army on the background of the pyramids.

Egyptian cavalry and foot soldiers of the XIII-XIV centuries

Egyptian cavalry during the Arab-Mongolian wars.

The Mongols are chasing the Arabs, the Arabs are chasing the Mongols. Drawings from a Western European medieval manuscript.

Khan Hulagu with retinue, old Persian miniature.

Left: high-ranking general of the Mongolian army. Right: page from the Syrian Nestorian Bible, which, oddly enough, Khan Hulagu and his wife Doktuz-Khatun.

The armies of Genghis Khan and his descendants had no equal in all of Eurasia. During the entire period of conquests, the Mongols did not lose a single major defeat. The hordes of the steppes were capable of crushing any, even many times superior in number, army, no matter how talented the commander led it. From India to Central Europe, bloodthirsty horse archers from the heart of Eurasia were unrivaled. We understand what factors gave the Mongols such a crushing advantage.

harsh life

The way of life of the Mongols was very severe. Climatic conditions The Great Steppe forced them to wander endlessly across it in search of scarce pastures, constantly suffering from cold or heat, hunger and thirst. Mongolian children learned to ride a horse and shoot at about the same time as they learned to walk - there is no other way to survive in the steppe. They spent much more time on horseback than the best riders of settled peoples. The same with the bow, which was both a working tool for them and almost the only way to have fun from a young age. As a result, even the most average Mongol warrior had much higher combat skills than the best warriors of the Mongols' enemies. It’s just that for the Mongols, these skills were not even combat, but labor.

Mongolian horse

The Mongolian horse looks like its owner. This is one of the hardiest horse breeds in the world. She is able to travel great distances, content with meager food and a small amount of water. There is no variety in the life of a nomad: only the steppe, other nomads, and horses. Therefore, the Mongols understand their horses in a way that the rider of another state will never understand.

social order

In addition to the harsh conditions of survival, another important characteristic of the Mongolian people for us was the social system. Their tribal system was a lower level of organization than feudalism, which the vast majority of their opponents had. But Genghis Khan was able to reform Mongolian society, turn the shortcomings of the tribal system into virtues. He became the leader of the leaders, uniting the tribes. But this system was completely different from the European feudal system, in which “the vassal of my vassal is not my vassal”: Genghis Khan built an unprecedentedly clear and rigid vertical of power for those times. In it, each level of management was responsible to the higher for the lower. Yes, the Mongols had an aristocracy. Pasture owners noble noyons and their "boyars" nukers led the detachments.

Mongolian is not surprised by anything

There is one more thing: a good neighborhood. The Mongols in their development were a nation that was very backward from its neighbors. But at the same time, they were always aware of the innovations and innovations that were created by their neighbors, the most advanced powers of that time - China and Khorezm. The Mongols could not be surprised or frightened by anything: they were familiar with most of the military innovations of the era even before Genghis Khan led his hordes to conquer the whole world. This advantage should not be underestimated. In Guns, Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond wrote that Eurasia has so far outstripped the rest of the planet's continents in its development precisely because it is elongated from east to west, and not from north to south. This greatly facilitates cultural exchange: nations similar climatic zones easier to communicate with each other. And the Mongols lived in the most key zone of the mainland for this exchange - just between the Middle East, India, China, and, to a lesser extent, Europe.

Mongolian bows

This ancient weapons The Mongols brought it to perfection. They did not know how to forge iron weapons, but in the skill of making bows they surpassed all other peoples. According to various testimonies, the pulling force of the Mongolian bow was 65-75 kg, while the pulling force of the best bows in Europe and China did not reach 40 kg. Note that the Mongolian bow at the time of the beginning of the conquests of Genghis Khan was an exclusively Mongolian innovation. The bows of other steppe peoples were still an order of magnitude worse. Needless to say, the Mongols also masterfully handled bows. Warriors could fire 12 arrows per minute, which is comparable to the rate of fire of 20th century rifles. In addition, the Mongols did not practice "shelling": they were taught from childhood precisely aimed shooting. The Mongolian minimum is to get into one or another part of the human body at a gallop from 30 steps.

Tactics

The Mongols won hundreds of battles with a fairly simple tactic that the Europeans could not oppose. This is how Marco Polo described it: “In battles with the enemy, they gain the upper hand like this: running away from the enemy, they are not ashamed, running away, turn around and shoot. They taught their horses, like dogs, to turn in all directions. When they are driven, they fight gloriously on the run, and just as strongly, as if they were standing face to face with the enemy; runs and turns back, shoots accurately, beats both enemy horses and people; and the enemy thinks that they are scattered and defeated, and he himself loses, from the fact that his horses are shot down, and the people are pretty much killed.

Over time, the Mongols improved this tactic, came up with other techniques. But they were not always skillfully able to use their advantages to their advantage.

‘Ain al-Jalut. Decisive battle. Part 4

After the death of Kitbuga, all the determination of the Mongol army came to naught. Simply put, the battle scenario for the Mongols has completely changed. There was no other goal left for them but to make their way to the northern exit from the clearing. ‘Ain Al-Jalut to take flight.

And the Muslims began to pursue the Mongols, destroying those who resisted and capturing those who surrendered. The hordes of the Mongols fell slain under the feet of the warriors of Kutuz, like cut leaves of palm trees. The myth was dispelled, prestige fell, and the terrible army of the Mongols was utterly defeated.

The Mongols threw all their forces into breaking through to the exit from ‘Ain al-Jalut. After long battles, with great difficulty and with great effort, they managed to break through the ranks of the Muslims, who blocked the exit from the clearing, after which they hastily fled.

After that, a huge number of Mongol troops hurriedly headed north in search of shelter. Kutuz's troops began their pursuit. Their task was not to win one battle against the enemy, they had a higher goal - to liberate Muslim lands from the invaders.

The Mongols who fled from 'Ain al-Jalut reached Baysan (a town about 20 kilometers northeast of 'Ain al-Jalut). (Al-Maqrizi, " As-Suluk ila ma‘rifati duwal al-muluk ", 1/517)

The Mongol troops that reached Baysan found that the Muslims would not leave them behind and would continue the pursuit for a long time, so their commanders found no other way out but to line up their ranks again and repulse the Egyptian army.

All historians agree that the battle at Baysan was more difficult for the Muslims than the first battle at 'Ain al-Jalut. The Mongols offered fierce resistance and fought to the death.

During this battle, the Mongols launched a swift offensive, and for a while the initiative passed to them. The ranks of Muslims wavered, and this moment became a severe test for the Egyptian army for all the time of its existence.

Kutuz watched all this and saw the real state of affairs. He was not somewhere near these events, but in the very epicenter. Qutuz began to inspire his warriors and call them to perseverance in battle. Then came the call: ""

Kutuz said these words loudly three times, and then humbly turned to the Almighty with prayers: O Allah! Grant victory to Your servant Kutuz over the Mongols ". (Al-Maqrizi, "As-Suluk ila ma'rifati duwal al-muluk", 1/517)

Kutuz at this moment confesses to the Lord in his weakness and helplessness. He says "Give victory to Your servant...". " I am not the ruler of Qutuz... not the ruler of the Muslims... not the Sultan of Egypt... I am your miserable slave". Indeed, Allah Almighty will not leave his slave who sincerely asks him for help.

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

قال الله عز وجل: أنا عند ظن عبدي بي، وأنا معه حيث يذكرني، والله لله أفرح بتوبة عبده من أحدكم يجد ضالته بالفلاة، ومن تقرب إلي شبرا، تقربت إليه ذراعا، ومن تقرب إلي ذراعا، تقربت إليه باعا، وإذا أقبل إلي يمشي، أقبلت إليه أهرول

« Almighty and Great Allah said: "I will be as My servant thinks I am [Allah will do for a person exactly what he expects from Him], and I am with him [I show him My mercy, which finds its expression in help and assistance] where he commemorates Me.

By Allah, indeed, Allah rejoices in the repentance of His servant more than any of you when he unexpectedly finds his camel lost in the desert. To the one who approaches Me by a span, I will approach by a cubit, to the one who approaches by a cubit to Me, I will approach by a fathom, and if someone approaches Me with a step, then I will rush to him at a run "». ( Bukhari 6309 and Muslim 2747)

After all, Kutuz knocked on the doors that open to everyone who knocks on them. He approached the Possessor of Heaven, Earth and everything else. When the rulers on Earth bow before the Lord of earth and heaven, He will certainly show them His mercy.

The sincere obedience of Kutuz became the mountain that fell on the Mongols and doomed them to death. And the hordes, which previously inspired fear and awe, fell on the land of Baysan like dead flies.

This time, the Muslims finally destroyed the myth of the invincible Mongol army. And the moment that Muslims have been waiting for more than forty years has come. The numerous Mongol army was completely destroyed.

An army that was able to conquer half the globe, was destroyed. The army, which shed the blood of millions of people, which devastated hundreds of cities, committed violence and sowed evil on the earth, was utterly defeated.

There is nothing surprising in the fact that Qutuz won. After all, Allah Almighty helps His servant. Kutuz did not come to power when everything was quiet and calm in the country. The state at that moment was not strong. When he sat on the throne, there were no untold riches in the treasury. All circumstances were against him.

However, he turned to Allah Almighty for help, did all the work honestly and conscientiously, and encouraged others to do the same. If every Muslim ruler does what Qutuz did, he will certainly achieve what he has achieved. And he will not need much time for these changes, because Kutuz was able to do all this in just ten months.

It is only important to find sincere honest people who will work and work for the benefit of the state. And Allah Almighty will certainly help!

This battle, which had the most important consequences, took place on Friday in September (26th of the month of Ramadan) 1260.

Muhammad Sultanov

The heroic end of Kit Buk was the last song of Mongol greatness. So let this song be a call today that will awaken our faded courage, inspire our minds, restore bewildered faith and awaken dormant strength in us.

For this historical essay, the journalist and writer Baasangin Nominchimid was awarded the Baldorzh Prize in 2010, awarded in Mongolia for the best journalistic works. For the first time in Russian - translated by S. Erdembileg especially for ARD.

But the most cruel fate awaited the Christians of Damascus. Kutuz, entering the city in a victorious procession, celebrated his triumph, subjecting them to total extermination. The cultural values ​​of the Christians of Syria were incinerated to the ground, which even the most fanatical adherents of Islam from the Arab Umayyad dynasty and the half-savage Kurds from the Fatimids - Ayyubids left untouched. He didn't stop there. Christians were persecuted all over Syria.

An eyewitness of that time wrote that the shed blood of the crusaders was much higher than the blood of Muslims shed during the invasion of Hulagu Khan. The greed of the crusaders of Acre, Tire and Sidon turned into a flow of Christian blood throughout Syria, the destruction of the cultural and religious values ​​​​of Christianity. The crusaders finally lost their possessions in the southwestern part of Syria.

All the sultans who participated on the side of Qutuz in the battle of Ain Jalut were awarded land holdings. Sultan Musa, who at the critical moment of the battle left the right wing of the Mongol troops, which had a decisive influence on the outcome of the battle, retained the right to own his lands. These lands were left to him by the Mongols because he expressed his loyalty to serve them. The double betrayal was rewarded.

But Baibars, the closest associate at the battle of Ain Jalut, who completed his success by pursuing the Mongols through the entire territory of Syria, and captured many Mongol garrisons in various cities up to Aleppo, was deprived of the mercy of Qutuz. Since ancient times, there was a knot of contradiction between them.

Qutuz at one time participated in a conspiracy to assassinate Aktai, the ruler of the Bahreis. And Baibars was one of Aktai's confidants. Their mutual feuds temporarily subsided in the face of an urgent need to unite against a common strong enemy- each of them had accounts with the Mongols. As it was recorded in the sources, Baybars hoped that Qutuz would appoint him Sultan of Aleppo, but this did not happen. And the old hostility flared up again, but became even more irreconcilable. One of them will have to yield, two sultans will not sit on the same throne. Qutuz was justifiably wary of strengthening the power-hungry and strong Baybars.

The sources describe that upon completion of a successful campaign in Syria, Qutuz finally decided to return back to Misir. Along the way, he enjoyed hunting. Once he shot from a bow either a hare or a fox. When he galloped up to the killed prey, someone ran up to him, apparently, prepared in advance by Baibars. That person had previously been sentenced to death penalty, but Kutuz pardoned him. In gratitude for his salvation, he swore to be faithful to him forever and asked permission to touch his right hand in order to receive a blessing.

Suspecting nothing, Kutuz held out his hand to him, and then Beibars, who was standing nearby, pulled his saber from its scabbard and cut off this hand. Then he killed him completely. Those who accompanied Kutuz were taken by surprise and shocked. Surely there were supporters of Baybars among those accompanying Kutuz. Upon returning to Misir, all the glory of the great victory over the Mongols went not to Kutuz, but to Baybars, the crowd greeted him with jubilation in Cairo.

Kutuz ended ingloriously, hacked to death by the hands of his own people. The winner of the Mongols was not worthy to die on the battlefield. Once he overthrew his Sultan Ayyubid, who raised him and entrusted him with the command of the Mamluk army. Having overthrown the Sultan, Qutuz then mercilessly killed his son as well. Kit Buka Noyon was right, having no doubt that by the will of Khukh Tengri, the traitor's life would end in a miserable death. Traitors are killed by traitors.

Why there was no retribution from Hulagu Khan for the death of his commander

Hulagu Khan was greatly saddened when he was informed of the death of his faithful commander. But he could not go to war against Misir, to avenge the death of his nuker. The Khan faced an even more severe challenge than the defeat of his separate army at Ain Jalut.

After the death of the Great Khan Mongke, a struggle for the Khan's throne broke out between the brothers Khulagu, Khubilai and Arigbukha. In the very patrimony of the Mongols, the flames of internecine war flared up, brothers with weapons went against each other, mutual massacre began.

This feud went on for four years. But resistance to the policy of Khubilai, who moved the center of the Mongol Empire to China, continued on a different scale for the next 40 years. Khaidu, a descendant of Ogedei Khan, could not reconcile with Khubilai.

The son of Hulagu Khan with his army fought on the side of Arigbukhi, while Hulagu himself sided with Khubilai.

On the miniature - Hulagu Khan.

After the overthrow of Hulagu Khan of Baghdad - the stronghold of the Islamic world of that time - and the execution of the Caliph of Baghdad, who was his the highest person, Berke, Khan of the Golden Horde, the heir of Batu Khan, who became a devout Muslim, became embittered at Hulagu and did not harbor a threat. He repeatedly exchanged messengers with Baybars, agreeing on a joint action against the ulus of Ilkhan Khulagu.

In addition, the dispute between Hulagu and Berke also came out because of the rich Caucasian lands adjacent to their possessions. The matter was aggravated by the fact that several princes of khan blood from the Golden Horde, who served in the army of Hulagu Khan, were killed under mysterious circumstances. All this led to the fact that at the end of 1260, near Derbent, two Mongol troops clashed with each other in a fratricidal slaughter, mercilessly shedding each other's blood.

An unprecedented number of warriors participated in this battle on both sides. They write that there has never been such an unprecedented battle either in all previous wars under Genghis Khan, or later. Here, in just a few days, incomparably more Mongol blood was shed than that which was shed during the entire history of the Mongol conquests.

Along with this, the descendants of the Jagatai ulus, believing that they were undeservedly deprived, began to claim the lands of the Golden Horde and the lands of the Ilkhans. At the junction of these states, on the border lands in Central Asia, armed skirmishes broke out every now and then.

Due to all these difficult circumstances, Hulagu Khan was unable to send the main forces of his army to Syria and Misir. This allowed the Mamluks to gain a foothold in Syria and then inflict another defeat on a significant group of Mongol troops in 1281 near the city of Homs.

For the first time, the point of the Mongolian saber was blunted in Ain Jalut. But almost at the same time, naturally or accidentally, throughout the Mongol Empire, like a contagious disease, ruthlessly destroying its unity and power, schismatic thoughts and deeds began to spread. Not much time passed before the great Mongol Empire split. From it formed: with the center in China, the superpower of Asia - the Yuan Empire or the Mongol Blue Horde, in Central Asia - the ulus of Jaghatai, in Iran, in the Middle East - the empire of the Ilkhans, from eastern outskirts the Kipchak steppe to the Dniester River, the Golden Horde arose.

If the Mongols had not fallen into internecine wars, as Kit Buka believed, the hooves of Hulagu Khan's cavalry would have razed Syria and Misir to the ground, and neither Baibars' talent as a commander, nor the prowess of the Mamluk Turks would have prevented this. This is recognized by the Arab historians themselves.

In that era, the power of the Mongols, which reached the highest point of its power, no one was able to resist. Throughout the theater of operations - whether in China, in Rus', in Europe or in the Middle East - there was not a single force capable of withstanding the unrestrained onslaught of the Mongol cavalry. Unless the Mongols themselves could fight among themselves on equal terms. Which, unfortunately, happened.

In any historical act there is its starting point, progressive development, the achievement of the highest point - the apogee, then the reverse movement begins - the decline, of which humanity has seen enough. In the XIII century, the deeds of the Mongols reached their peak, then the countdown began, the Mamluks were the starting point of this movement.

However, no other people managed to create such a super-huge empire. Until now, many historians are wondering why, how the Mongols were so invincible.

At that moment, the Mongol Empire stretched over a ninth of all known land at that time, which is approximately 33 million square kilometers. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the colonial possessions of Great Britain, during the period of its highest power, extended to 33.7 million square meters. km, but at that time all unknown lands were already discovered, and with this in mind, its colonial territories accounted for less than one third of all land on Earth.

It has been noted that, starting from the time of Genghis Khan, the Mongols treated only one people with particular severity, pursuing everywhere and trying to suppress. These were the Kipchaks-Turks, related to the Mongols by origin, who roamed over a vast territory from the foot of the Altai Mountains to the Dnieper River, and who were not inferior to the Mongols in military skill and courage. Perhaps, precisely because the Kipchaks competed with them on equal terms, the Mongols treated them with such implacability. Subedei-bogatur first encountered the Kipchaks, pursuing the remnants of the Merkits on the Chui River, since then the Mongol persecution of them continued up to Hungary, to the Magyars. And then even further - to the borders of Misir (Egypt).

The first dynasty of the Mamluk state, called the Bahrei dynasty, which existed from 1250 to 1382, descended precisely from these Kipchaks and Turks. Kutuz was born in Khorezm, and Baibars - either in the Crimea or in Karakhan of today's Kazakhstan.

For the Kazakhs, Baibars is a national pride, they revere him as their epic hero. Monuments were erected in his honor, in our time a serial film was created about him. Baybars Mosque in Cairo and his mausoleum in Syria have been reconstructed by the government of Kazakhstan. (And in Kazakhstan there is the mausoleum-tomb of Jochi Khan. Unfortunately, not to mention any reconstruction, not a single official or delegation of Mongolia visited this mausoleum-tomb, in general, few people know about its existence).

Baybars' victory at Ain Jalut over one tumen of the Mongols brought him fame in no way inferior to the glory of the great Sultan Saladin, who defeated the united army of the crusaders in 1187 in the area of ​​Hattin, at a distance of just over 60 kilometers from Ain Jalut.

In honor of the victory at Ain Jalut, Islamic historians called Baibars the "Islamic Lion".

During the capture of Khorezm by Genghis Khan, a small Turkic tribe that lived in the north of the city of Merv retreated to the west, temporarily finding refuge in Armenia. Then, fleeing the ongoing offensive in the Middle East of the Mongol troops led by Chormogan and Baichu, this tribe reached Anadolu (Modern Anatolia). Later, they laid the foundation for the emergence of the all-powerful Ottoman Empire in the territory that spread from Asia to half of the European continent. It can be said that this empire was born in the footsteps and on the ruins of the world empire created by the Mongols.

Epilogue

The strength of the military campaigns of the Mongols, invincible for a whole century, was exhausted among the sandy hills of Ain-Jalut in the Sinai desert. Has dried up - like a stream of heavy rain goes into the sand.

The well-established and unquestionable idea both in the East and in the West about the invincibility of the Mongol conquerors - the executors of God's command - dissipated. Only the legend remains. Such a fate awaited these conquests.

The entire Arab-Muslim world saw that the Mongols could also be defeated, that they, like everyone else, were made of flesh and blood. And that, when the time comes, they, too, are teetering on the fine line between victory and defeat.

The Mongol army that fought in Ain Jalut was one small group, just one tumen of the Great Empire. It was one of hundreds of their battles. The defeat at Ain-Jalut put an end to further conquests, but it did not in the least shake the foundations of the Mongol Empire, its greatness and power still aroused fear and respect everywhere.

Ain-Jalut, in its meaning, marked farewell to the idea of ​​the domination of the Great Mongol Empire over the rest of the world. Ideas initially unrealizable, doomed to inevitable failure.

Genghis Khan divided people into two groups. Not on the aristocracy and their servants, not on the rich and the poor. And he shared them according to their devotion to the cause they serve, respected honesty and loyalty, despised the greedy, sycophants, hated traitors. Genghis Khan, wherever he met such people, crushed them like creeping reptiles, lice and bedbugs.

Enraged, Genghis Khan executed Jamukha's associates when they betrayed their master and brought him prisoner. At the same time, he showed high confidence to Nayan batyr, who came to serve him, but first giving his master, Targudai Khan, the opportunity to leave. Subsequently, Nayan became one of the commanders of Genghis Khan and served him with honor to the end. Genghis Khan respected the courage and selflessness of Zurgadai, the khan of the Taichiuts, although he was his implacable enemy.

Genghis Khan on the throne. Medieval Persian miniature.

For loyalty and valor, Genghis Khan ranked his nukers among the subjects of Khukh Tengri. Such nukers were Jebe, Subudai, Nayaa, Mukhulai, Kit Buka and many others. By the definition of L. N. Gumilyov, these were “ people of long will." They clearly stood out among the rest with selfless service to the cause, readiness to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the common cause. These qualities were widely manifested among the Mongols in the XIII century. Kit Buka, who died at Ain Jalut, and other batyrs were the last representatives of this generation.

The image of the commander Kit Buk from the depths of centuries rises before us full of pride and valor, at the tragic moment of his death, turning to his descendants: “Let my descendants not be ashamed of me, they will not say that I saved my own skin, running away from the enemy and showing them my back.” He has nothing to be ashamed of before his descendants, but the descendants have something to be ashamed of before him.

The heroic end of Kit Buk turned out to be the last song of the greatness of the Mongols. Let this song today be a call that will awaken our courage that has faded in us, inspire our minds, restore bewildered faith and awaken dormant strength in us.

Chronology

• 1123 Battle of the Russians and Polovtsians with the Mongols on the Kalka River
• 1237 - 1240 The conquest of Rus' by the Mongols
• 1240 The defeat of the Swedish knights on the Neva River by Prince Alexander Yaroslavovich (Battle of the Neva)
• 1242 The defeat of the Crusaders by Prince Alexander Yaroslavovich Nevsky on Lake Peipus (Battle on the Ice)
• 1380 Battle of Kulikovo

The beginning of the Mongol conquests of the Russian principalities

In the XIII century. the peoples of Rus' had to endure a hard struggle with Tatar-Mongol conquerors who ruled in the Russian lands until the 15th century. (the 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 growth of absolutism.

In the XII century. there was no centralized state in Mongolia; the union of the tribes was achieved at the end of the 12th century. Temuchin, the leader of one of the clans. At a general meeting (“kurultai”) of representatives of all clans in 1206 d. he was proclaimed a great khan with the name Genghis(“Infinite Power”).

As soon as the empire was created, it began its expansion. The organization of the Mongolian army was based on the decimal principle - 10, 100, 1000, etc. The imperial guard was created, which controlled the entire army. Before the advent firearms Mongolian cavalry took up in the steppe wars. She was better organized and trained than any nomadic army of the past. The reason for success was not only perfection military organization Mongols, but also the unpreparedness of rivals.

At the beginning of the 13th century, having conquered part of Siberia, the Mongols in 1215 set about conquering China. They managed to capture the entire northern part of it. From China, the Mongols took out the latest for that time military equipment and specialists. In addition, they received cadres of competent and experienced officials from among the Chinese. In 1219, the troops of Genghis Khan invaded Central Asia. After Central Asia was captured Northern Iran, after which the troops of Genghis Khan made a predatory campaign in Transcaucasia. From the south they came to the Polovtsian steppes and defeated the Polovtsians.

The request of the Polovtsy 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, put up their troops. The battle ended with the defeat of the Russian-Polovtsian troops, many princes and combatants died.

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

In 1236, the troops of Batu began a campaign against the Russian lands. Having defeated the Volga Bulgaria, they set off 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, the Mongol troops moved to Kolomna. Many Russian soldiers died in the battle near Kolomna, 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, who took it and burned it. The Mongols stopped only in front of Novgorod, turning south due to mudslides.

In 1240 the Mongol offensive resumed. Chernigov and Kyiv were captured and destroyed. From here, the Mongol troops moved into 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, the Mongol troops entered Western Europe significantly weakened by the powerful resistance they met in Rus'. This largely explains the fact that if the Mongols managed to establish their yoke in Rus', then Western Europe experienced only an invasion, and then on a smaller scale. This is the historical role of the heroic resistance of the Russian people to the invasion of the Mongols.

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

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

The struggle of the Russian people against Western aggression

When the Mongols occupied Russian cities, the Swedes, threatening Novgorod, appeared at the mouth of the Neva. They were defeated in July 1240 by the young prince Alexander, who received the name Nevsky for his victory.

At the same time, the Roman Church was making acquisitions in the countries Baltic Sea. Back in the 12th century, German chivalry began to seize the lands belonging to the Slavs beyond the Oder and in the Baltic Pomerania. At the same time, an offensive was carried out on the lands of the Baltic peoples. The Crusaders' invasion of the Baltic lands and Northwestern Rus' was sanctioned by the Pope and the German Emperor Frederick II. German, Danish, Norwegian knights and hosts from other northern European countries also took part in the crusade. The attack on Russian lands was part of the doctrine of "Drang nach Osten" (pressure to the east).

Together with his retinue, Alexander liberated Pskov, Izborsk and other captured cities with a sudden blow. Having received the news that the main forces of the Order were coming at him, Alexander Nevsky blocked the way for the knights, placing his troops on the ice of Lake Peipus. The Russian prince showed himself as an outstanding commander. The chronicler wrote about him: "Winning everywhere, but we won't win at all." Alexander deployed troops under the cover of a steep bank on the ice of the lake, eliminating the possibility of enemy reconnaissance of his forces and depriving the enemy of freedom of maneuver. Considering the construction of the knights as a “pig” (in the form of a trapezoid with a sharp wedge in front, which was heavily armed cavalry), Alexander Nevsky arranged his regiments in the form of a triangle, with a tip resting on the shore. Before the battle, part of the Russian soldiers were equipped with special hooks to pull the knights off their horses.

On April 5, 1242, a battle took place on the ice of Lake Peipsi, which was called the Battle of the Ice. The knight's wedge broke through the center of the Russian position and hit the shore. The flank attacks of the Russian regiments decided the outcome of the battle: like pincers, they crushed the knightly “pig”. The knights, unable to withstand the blow, fled in panic. The Russians pursued the enemy, “flashed, rushing after him, as if through air,” the chronicler wrote. According to the Novgorod Chronicle, in the battle “400 and 50 Germans were taken prisoner”

Stubbornly resisting the western enemies, Alexander was extremely patient with the eastern onslaught. Recognition of the sovereignty of the khan freed his hands to repel the Teutonic crusade.

Tatar-Mongol yoke

While persistently resisting the Western enemies, Alexander was extremely patient with the Eastern onslaught. The Mongols did not interfere in the religious affairs of their subjects, while the Germans tried to impose their faith on the conquered peoples. They pursued an aggressive policy under the slogan "Who does not want to be baptized must die!". Recognition of the Khan's sovereignty freed forces to repel the Teutonic crusade. But it turned out that the "Mongol flood" is not easy to get rid of. RRussian lands despoiled by the Mongols were forced to recognize vassal dependence on the Golden Horde.

In the first period of Mongol rule, the collection of taxes and the mobilization of Russians into the Mongol troops was carried out on the orders of the great khan. Both money and recruits went to the capital. Under Gauk, Russian princes traveled to Mongolia to receive a label to reign. Later, a trip to Saray was enough.

The incessant struggle waged by the Russian people against the invaders forced the Mongol-Tatars to abandon the creation of their own administrative authorities in Rus'. Rus' retained its statehood. This was facilitated by the presence in Rus' of its own administration and church organization.

To control the Russian lands, the institution of Baskak governors was created - the leaders of the military detachments of the Mongol-Tatars, who monitored the activities of the Russian princes. The denunciation of the Baskaks to the Horde inevitably ended either with the summoning of the prince to Sarai (often he lost his label, and even his life), or with a punitive campaign in the unruly land. Suffice it to say that only in the last quarter of the XIII century. 14 similar campaigns were organized in Russian lands.

In 1257, the Mongol-Tatars undertook a census of the population - "recording in number." Besermen (Muslim merchants) were sent to the cities, to whom the collection of tribute was given. The size of the tribute (“exit”) was very large, only the “royal tribute”, i.e. tribute in favor of the khan, which was first collected in kind, and then in money, amounted to 1300 kg of silver per year. The constant tribute was supplemented by "requests" - one-time requisitions in favor of the khan. In addition, deductions from trade duties, taxes for “feeding” khan officials, etc. went to the khan's treasury. In total there were 14 types of tributes in favor of the Tatars.

The Horde yoke slowed down for a long time economic development Rus', destroyed it Agriculture undermined the culture. The Mongol invasion led to a decline in the role of cities in the political and economic life of Rus', urban construction was suspended, and fine and applied arts fell into decay. A severe consequence of the yoke was the deepening of the disunity of Rus' and the isolation of its individual parts. The weakened country was unable to defend a number of western and southern regions, later captured by the Lithuanian and Polish feudal lords. Rus' trade relations with the West were dealt a blow: only Novgorod, Pskov, Polotsk, Vitebsk and Smolensk retained trade relations with foreign countries.

The turning point was 1380, when Mamai's army of thousands was defeated on the Kulikovo field.

Rus' began to grow stronger, its dependence on the Horde weakened more and more. The final liberation took place in 1480 under Tsar Ivan III. By this time, the period was over, the collection of Russian lands around Moscow and was ending.