Literary and historical notes of a young technician. Gloomy afternoon XXI century Battle on the River Vozhe
In the summer of the following 1378, Mamai sent a large army to Ryazan and Moscow under the command of Murza Begich. Dmitry Ivanovich of Moscow understood the threatening danger, personally rushed with his army to the southern side of the Oka and met the Tatars on the banks of its right tributary, the Vozha River, 15 versts from Pereyaslavl-Ryazan. For several days both troops stood opposite each other on different banks. On August 11, 1378, the Tatars were the first to cross the Vozha and enter the battle. But Dmitry had already prepared his army for battle. One of its wings was commanded by Daniil Pronsky, the other by the Moscow okolnichy Timofey Velyaminov. The Grand Duke himself attacked the enemies with the main regiment. The Tatars did not withstand the battle for long and ran back for Vozha. At the same time, many of them were beaten and drowned in the river. Among the fallen were Begich himself and some other noble Murzas: Khazibey, Koverga, Karuluk, Kastrok. The onset of night prevented the Russian pursuit. The morning after the battle there was thick fog on Vozha. Only when it dispersed did Dmitry cross the river and chase the Tatars. It was no longer possible to catch up with them; but Rus' collected large booty, because the enemies, in a hasty flight, abandoned their tents and carts filled with various goods. The monument to the Battle of Vozha in 1378 are high mounds under which fallen soldiers were buried.
Battle of the Vozha River 1378 Miniature of the second half of the 16th century
Until now, Dmitry Ivanovich still maintained tributary relations with the Horde, although he paid much less tribute than his predecessors. In the Battle of Vozha in 1378, Rus''s first great victory over its enslavers was won. This was already an open and decisive uprising of the Moscow prince against the Golden Horde, a harbinger of the Battle of Kulikovo that took place two years later. One can imagine the rage of Mamai and the Golden Horde Murzas when the fugitives brought them the news of their defeat on Vozha. First of all, Mamai was in a hurry to take out his frustration on the Ryazan region. Gathering the remnants of the defeated army, he rushed to Ryazan. Not expecting such a quick return of the Tatars after their defeat, Oleg Ryazansky turned out to be unprepared for defense and retired to the left forest side of the Oka. The Tatars burned his capital Pereyaslavl and some other cities, destroyed many villages and took away a large number of prisoners. This sudden attack was to be followed by the devastation of the Moscow reign. But, having experienced his power in the battle on Vozha, Mamai first decided to prepare large forces to remind Rus' of Batu’s invasion. His preparations were all the more successful because Mamai managed to restore autocracy in the Golden Horde after long unrest. He ordered the killing of the young Khan Muhammad and himself accepted the khan title, although he did not belong to the royal family of the Jochids (descendants of the eldest son of Genghis Khan, Jochi, who ruled the Golden Horde).
Mamai's campaign against Rus', which began in 1380, ended in the defeat of the Tatars in the battle on the Kulikovo field.
Based on materials from the works of the outstanding Russian historian D. Ilovaisky
Mongol troops were preparing a raid on the Moscow principality. Khan Mamai gathered five tumens under the leadership of Murza Begich and sent them in order to replace the Moscow prince Dmitry Ivanovich, later nicknamed Donskoy. During the reign of Dmitry Donskoy, military power was gaining. The prince found out in time about the impending campaign, and, gathering his squad, moved towards the Tatars. The decision to take the battle on the territory of the Ryazan principality was dictated by several circumstances:
- Begich had in his rear a strong group of hostile troops led by an unreliable ally Oleg Ryazansky.
- The Mongol cavalry was cut off from supply routes and had no time to delay if Begich chose to stall for time. While waiting for reinforcements or in search of a more advantageous position, his troops would begin to be dispersed into counterinsurgency operations.
- Prince Dmitry Ivanovich deliberately imposed on the Tatars a place for battle that was unfavorable for the actions of the Mongol cavalry. The battle on Vozha took place between ravines and swamps, which did not provide room for the use of cavalry.
Russian troops took up defensive positions on the banks of the Vozha River. Moreover, Dmitry hid the left and right wings of his army in nearby ravines. Tatar troops, unaware of the real number of the enemy and confident of their victory, began to cross to the opposite bank. The Battle of the Vozha River began with an oncoming cavalry battle. At the same time, two attacks were carried out from both flanks. The Mongol cavalry, squeezed on three sides and deprived of its leaders, began to retreat randomly.
Russian troops, fearing an ambush, did not dare to begin pursuit. As a result, the Tatars had the opportunity to leave. But the retreat was carried out so hastily that a military convoy was abandoned, which was captured by Russian troops.
The Battle of the Vozha River has several moments that have not been revealed by historians. Ryazansky’s behavior has not been fully clarified. On the one hand, he did not openly oppose the Tatars and let them pass through his territory. At the same time, Begich did not subject Ryazan cities and villages to plunder. Perhaps he hoped for the help of his recent ally Mamai, who some time earlier had helped him in the fight against Khan Arapsha.
The position of Dmitry Ivanovich, who refused to pursue the Mongolian troops, is not entirely clear. Perhaps he took into account the experience of past battles. When the Tatars enticed hostile troops with a feigned retreat, and then united and launched a surprise attack.
The Battle of the Vozha River made it possible to test new tactics of Russian troops. The princely squad did not wait for the enemy in the cities, but itself imposed a battle and chose a place for the future battle. The close-knit ranks of Russian spearmen stood up well against the heavy Mongol cavalry.
The Battle of the Vozha River was of great importance for Even the punitive campaign of Mamai, carried out after, showed that the Tatars did not risk entering into direct confrontation with the Moscow principality without preparation, limiting themselves to the plunder of the Ryazan people. After the battle on the Vozha River, the Moscow Principality immediately began to prepare for a new battle, which thundered two years later on
Event date: 08/11/1378
A battle took place on the banks of the Vozha River, which had a significant impact on the domestic political situation and the international position of the Russian state. The battle, in which large military forces took part, was a dress rehearsal for the Battle of Kulikovo.
In the 70s XIV century Moscow is taking a number of measures to stop internal feudal wars in the country, which significantly increased the possibilities for the struggle to overthrow the Tatar-Mongol yoke. The southern and southeastern borders of the state are being strengthened. This helped to suppress the predatory raids of the Tatars on Russian lands. The independent policy of the Moscow Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich caused discontent in the Horde. The Horde khans are taking countermeasures to weaken the military and economic power of the Russian state. For this purpose, punitive expeditions are carried out.
In 1378, Mamai sent a large detachment of Murza Begich on a predatory raid on Moscow. Begich quickly marched deep into the Ryazan lands to the river. Vozhi. The large Ryazan cities of Pronsk, Pereyaslavl, and Old Ryazan remained in his rear. With such a maneuver, the Tatars probably sought to separate the forces of the Ryazan and Moscow principalities. The residents of Ryazan managed to warn Muscovites about the impending danger in time. Dmitry Ivanovich quickly gathers military force and in a short time advances to meet the Tatars. Prince Daniel of Pron came to his aid with his army.
Approaching Vozha, Begich did not expect to meet a large Russian army here, so the confrontation between troops on the banks of the river continued for several days. Begich hesitated for a long time to begin the crossing in full view of the Russians.
Dmitry Ivanovich used a military trick: he withdrew a large regiment from the bank of Vozha, and two flanking regiments secretly took up positions on the sides of the crossing. One wing was commanded by Timofey Velyaminov, the other by Daniil Pronsky, and a large regiment was led by the Moscow prince himself. After the Tatars began crossing on August 11, the Russians dealt a crushing blow with all their might. After a brutal battle, the enemy fled. The defeat was complete. Many Tatar warriors remained on the battlefield, and many drowned in the river. The large number of the Tatar army is evidenced by the fact that only five Horde Murzas were killed. Only the coming night did not allow us to pursue the enemy who fled in panic. The Russians got large military trophies and the entire baggage train.
Victory in the battle on the river. Vozhe was won through the joint efforts of the Moscow and Ryazan regiments. For the support of Moscow, the Ryazan principality was brutally plundered in the fall of 1378. The attack was led by Mamai himself. Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky was taken and plundered, the district was devastated, and many residents were taken into captivity. For a long time, historians have tried to determine the exact location where the battle took place. Work in recent years makes it possible to assert, with a high degree of probability, that the battle took place in the area of the modern village of Glebovo-Gorodishche (Rybnovsky district). Here is the stone Church of the Assumption, built in 1694, on the site of which stood a wooden temple, mentioned in written sources in 1676. As is known, the battle on Vozha took place “on the 11th day of August... on Wednesday,” and August 15th was One of the most revered holidays by the Orthodox Church is the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It should be noted that immediately after the Battle of Vozhskaya, the Church of the Assumption was founded in Kolomna, in the monastery on “Stramyn”, in Moscow near the great Kolomna road in the Simonov Monastery. Historian N.S. Borisov believes that the foundation of these cathedrals was caused not only by the special political significance of the cult of the Mother of God for Moscow, but also by the fact that the battle on the river. Vozhe occurred a few days before the celebration of the Dormition of the Mother of God. It is likely that the Church of the Assumption in the village. Glebovo-Gorodishche was erected in honor of the victory of Russian weapons in the Battle of Vozhskaya.
Battle of the Vozha River. 1378 Miniature of the front chronicle vault. 70s XVI century
August 19 (11th century), 1378 on the river Vozhe (Ryazan region) a major battle took place between the Russian army led by the Moscow prince Dmitry Ivanovich and the Mongol-Tatars under the command of Murza Begich.
The campaign of the Golden Horde army against Rus' was initiated by Mamai, who apparently feared the strengthening of the Moscow principality.
Successful reconnaissance allowed Dmitry Ivanovich to learn in advance about the impending danger, gather an army and move towards the enemy. Having crossed the Oka, the Russian squad met with the Horde on the banks of the Vozha River, which divided the troops. Perhaps the meeting place was specially calculated by the Russian commanders in advance, because The relief gave an initial tactical advantage to the army of the Moscow prince: it was located on the high western bank.
For several days the opponents did not take active action, and “I stand, having a river between me”. But then the Tatars, having crossed the Vozha, launched a cavalry attack, accompanied by a loud battle cry. In response, Russian soldiers struck from three sides: Prince Dmitry Ivanovich himself in the center, and the okolnichy Timofey and Prince Danila Pronsky from the flanks. The Tatars were overthrown and, throwing down their weapons, fled across the river, and “Ours followed them, beating them, and cutting them, and pricking them, and killing many of them, and stamped them in the river.”. The leader of the Tatars, Begich, and many of their military leaders were killed, but the Russian losses were insignificant. The coming night allowed the remnants of the Golden Horde army to retreat from the battlefield, avoiding complete defeat. The flight of the Tatars was chaotic: a convoy was left behind with all its property, which, of course, went to the victors.
After the battle “Great Prince Dmitry returned from there to Moscow with a great victory and disbanded the army with much self-interest.”
Battle diagram
If we talk about the historical significance of the battle on the Vozha River, then it is rightfully considered one of the most important events in the Russian-Horde confrontation. Of course, the struggle of Rus' with the Golden Horde did not stop from the moment of the first attack of the Tatars, and Russian troops sometimes achieved good success. But the battle on Vozha is quite reasonably considered the first major victory of the Russians over a serious, large army of the Horde. And, despite the fact that the consequences of the battle include the punitive raid of the Tatars on the Ryazan land a year later, the battle undoubtedly had a huge positive significance, giving Russian soldiers the combat and psychological experience of victory over large forces of the Horde. Obviously, this experience was successfully applied in the fall of 1380 on the Kulikovo field.
After the Tatars defeated Dmitry Konstantinovich of Nizhny Novgorod, the main ally of the Moscow prince Dmitry Ivanovich, in the battle on the Piana River (1377), the then all-powerful temnik Mamai in the Horde was in a hurry to deal the same blow to both Moscow itself and its other ally, Oleg Ryazansky. Having won a victory at Pyana, the Tatar prince Arapsha in the fall of the same 1377 went into exile (raid) on the Ryazan land and captured and plundered part of it. Taken by surprise, Oleg Ivanovich was about to be captured, but broke free and ran away, all wounded by Tatar arrows.
In the summer of the following 1378, Mamai sent a large army to Ryazan and Moscow under the command of Murza Begich. Dmitry Ivanovich of Moscow understood the threatening danger, personally rushed with his army to the southern side of the Oka and met the Tatars on the banks of its right tributary, the Vozha River, 15 versts from Pereyaslavl-Ryazan. For several days both troops stood opposite each other on different banks. On August 11, 1378, the Tatars were the first to cross the Vozha and enter the battle. But Dmitry had already prepared his army for battle. One of its wings was commanded by Daniil Pronsky, the other by the Moscow okolnichy Timofey Velyaminov. The Grand Duke himself attacked the enemies with the main regiment. The Tatars did not withstand the battle for long and ran back for Vozha. At the same time, many of them were beaten and drowned in the river. Among the fallen were Begich himself and some other noble Murzas: Khazibey, Koverga, Karuluk, Kastrok. The onset of night prevented the Russian pursuit. The morning after the battle there was thick fog on Vozha. Only when it dispersed did Dmitry cross the river and chase the Tatars. It was no longer possible to catch up with them; but Rus' collected large booty, because the enemies, in a hasty flight, abandoned their tents and carts filled with various goods. The monument to the Battle of Vozha in 1378 are high mounds under which fallen soldiers were buried.
Until now, Dmitry Ivanovich still maintained tributary relations with the Horde, although he paid much less tribute than his predecessors. In the Battle of Vozha in 1378, Rus''s first great victory over its enslavers was won. This was already an open and decisive uprising of the Moscow prince against the Golden Horde, a harbinger of the Battle of Kulikovo that took place two years later. One can imagine the rage of Mamai and the Golden Horde Murzas when the fugitives brought them the news of their defeat on Vozha. First of all, Mamai was in a hurry to take out his frustration on the Ryazan region. Gathering the remnants of the defeated army, he rushed to Ryazan. Not expecting such a quick return of the Tatars after their defeat, Oleg Ryazansky turned out to be unprepared for defense and retired to the left forest side of the Oka. The Tatars burned his capital Pereyaslavl and some other cities, destroyed many villages and took away a large number of prisoners. This sudden attack was to be followed by the devastation of the Moscow reign. But, having experienced his power in the battle on Vozha, Mamai first decided to prepare large forces to remind Rus' of Batu’s invasion. His preparations were all the more successful because Mamai managed to restore autocracy in the Golden Horde after long unrest. He ordered the killing of the young Khan Muhammad and himself accepted the khan title, although he did not belong to the royal family of the Jochids (descendants of Genghis Khan's eldest son, Jochi, who ruled the Golden Horde).
Mamai's campaign against Rus', which began in 1380, ended in the defeat of the Tatars in the battle on the Kulikovo field.