At the beginning of the 14th century, Moscow was still a slightly larger wooden stockade
As the late star of the Rus' cities, Muscovy has always been proud of the qualified eagle dogs of its suzerains since the day of its establishment. So much so that in the case of historical status, economic benefits and strategic value, it is easy to overtake Kiev and Novgorod in the corner. For example, Ivan I, the early founder of the principality, started by suppressing the compatriot city of Tver on behalf of the Golden Horde. After that, he also successfully won the title of "Grand Duke of Vladimir", which can be called the "model filial son" in the history of Russian Mongolian rule.
Since then, Muscovy has become the "Russian core" of the Mongols. Although the Golden Horde did not allow any city to grow too large in principle, it needed a skilled long-term partner to exercise limited jurisdiction over the fragmented coniferous forests of Eastern Europe. Ivan II, who succeeded to the throne in 1341, was very clear and always gave top priority to the task of collecting taxes and paying tribute. Although he will also be busy with some merger activities, he never forgets his own"The Emperor".duty, to the order from the capital city of Sarai.
Ivan I's success was to act as an eagle dog for the Mongols
However, this historical story, full of father's love and son's filial piety, still showed a serious rift after 1361. Due to the vacancy in the position of Great Khan, the elite of the entire Golden Horde was divided into eastern and western factions. Among them, the eastern camp is dominated by Tokhtamysh, who has the blood of the ** family, while the western camp is controlled by Mamai, who was born in a Khitan military household. After a civil war that did not twist and turn, the latter relied on more abundant resources to win, forcing the other side to flee to Timur's array in the river for refuge. But the inherent question of legitimacy often makes the high-spirited Abdul unable to raise his head. As a result, they had to seek more benefits for their subordinates in exchange for unstable loyalty to themselves from most local factions.
At the same time, the Moscow court continued to "follow the ancestral system" and was as satisfied as possible with the vision of the Great Khan of the Golden Horde. Grand Duke Dmitry, who had just succeeded to the throne, was still busy confronting his other neighbors on the western battlefield. After all, it is not the only one that can take advantage of the decline of Mongol power. For example, Lithuania and Ryazan, the great city of Rus', which had been enduring for a long time, were intent on reaping a lot during this rare window. In particular, Lithuania, which has more room for development, has made three attempts to directly enter the main city of Moscow. This forced Dmitry to continue to hold on to his filial character in order to establish himself as a backer in the east of his sphere of influence.
Muscovy thrived under the Mongol Khan
Eventually, it was Mamai who noticed the rapid expansion of Muscovy and decided not to allow it to continue to grow wildly. He first prepared to transfer the title of "Grand Duke of Frankymir" to Novgorod, but only stopped because of Dmitry's huge bribes and the sending of troops to stop him. He then instructed the restoration of the city of Tver and supported it as an important impetus for the revolt against Moscow. However, before the plan could be carried out, Dmitry's army preemptively forced the local ruler to admit it. So he could only personally handle the knife and join forces with Giogeira, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, to send troops to strangle him.
Ironically, Dmitry still fantasizes about hoping to exchange money for peace. Although the Muscovite army had not lost ground in several early encounters, it was still fearful of the forces led by the Great Khan himself. It wasn't until he was convinced that the other party was still gathering troops after receiving the money, that he completely tore it off in a last resort"Filial son".Outerwear.
Although Mamai was a great martial artist, he never lacked the legitimacy of the position of Great Khan
Before the Battle of Kulivoko, Mamai's rule had become precarious
In the spring of 1380 A.D., news of the imminent invasion of Mamai continued to spread from the south to the city of Moscow. This gave Dmitry plenty of time to deploy and move between the various Rus' principalities. By erecting a new anti-Mongol ** image, a sizable coalition army has been gradually raised, the number of which has approached the level of 36,000 people. As for the reconnaissance detachment that was in position in advance, it even tied back the lone enemy rider several times, so as to get more effective information.
In contrast, Mamai's mobilization work was much more tortuous. For at the same time that Dmitry was becoming more and more aggressive, Tokhtamysh, who had fled before, had also returned to the eastern part of the khanate. With the support of Timur, the king of Central Asia, he once again recruited some of the old Mongol tribes. As a result, Mamai was unable to concentrate on all the elites at hand, and needed to rely more on external vassals to fill the vacancies.
Even the Golden Horde still has relatively abundant military resources
As a result, many of the Bolgar Turks, who had settled before the Mongols, were conscripted into the army, while the rest included Circassians and Armenians in the Caucasus, as well as Italian mercenaries in the Crimea. Eventually, his total strength will reach 30,000 men. Although it is lacking in terms of quantity, it is still better in terms of overall quality.
Even so, Mamai did not dare to take a quick decision against Moscow. He ordered his entire army to advance at a slower pace towards the Don valley, often stopping to wait for the Lithuanian allies to arrive from the west. The large number of infantry and firearms in the latter formation was precisely the strongest confidence that the Mongols continued to borrow to attack the city. Another possible ally was the Grand Duke of Ryazan, who also had a bitter feud with the Muscovites. But Dmitry had already led his army across the border, which directly deterred the local tyrants from joining the war. In addition, Giogela also has his own mentality of watching the show, and is not in a hurry to make peace with the Golden Horde, which makes Ma Mai's wishful thinking completely fail.
The Lithuanian army did not arrive at the battlefield in time
On August 24 of that year, the Moscow detachment of the Russian coalition crossed the Oka River. In order to speed up his movements, Dmitry ordered the serfs in his troops to dump sand, stones, and dirt to create a sandbar between the rivers that have been preserved to this day. The allies of the other Rus' city-states also arrived as scheduled, and were reorganized under the arrangement of the absolute leader. Until September, it was re-encamped in the Kulivoko plain along the Don River. Some of the steppe cavalry in the service of Mamai also arrived at the same time, but they were always easily overwhelmed by the hoplite cavalry of the Rus'. However, the frequent appearance of these peripheral cannon fodder also indicates that the distance between the main forces is getting closer and closer.
At this point, Dmitry knew that war was inevitable. On 7 September, he led his whole army and crossed the Don River again by a makeshift bridge made by a large number of serfs. Then build a fortified camp right next to the river, and wait until dawn to face off against the main forces of the Golden Horde. During this period, he did not forget to personally rush to investigate the situation on the battlefield, and successfully found a bush that is very suitable for hiding ambushes. Mamai's troops crossed the river from the south and set up a headquarters on a mountain. However, the limitation of his vision did not allow him to see the entire area, and naturally he could not see the key corner that his opponent had just discovered.
Grand Duke Dmitry with his own personal guard
The deployment of the two armies in the Battle of Kurivoko
On the morning of September 8, 1380 A.D., the two strong men left the camp almost simultaneously and advanced toward the approximate position on the opposite side. Due to the limited size of the Kulivoko Plain, each side had to arrange their troops in column mode and be sent into battle one by one in the subsequent conflicts.
Of course, many years of affectionate bonding have allowed the Russian army to learn and embrace Mongol tactics. Therefore, both sides took the cavalry as the absolute main force, and organized it into 5 independent detachments in the mode of forward-center-left and right wings-rearguard. The only difference comes from the idea of using infantry units. Dmitry's infantry was large and complex, even more than 13 people are not equipped with armor, so reliability is very problematic. Only a small number of personal soldiers under the command of the nobles could play a role, and were arranged to act as a necessary barrier between the cavalry. Mamai's infantry was mostly superior to his own Italian, Armenian, or small Rus' allies, and was far more warlike than the average conscripted peasant. They were also given a very simple task, which was to suppress the armed serfs several times their size in the middle lane.
Well-equipped infantry is only a tiny fraction of the Russian coalition formation
At around 11 a.m., the Battle of Kulivoko officially began. The first was the Mongol-Turkic light cavalry, which acted as the vanguard, and at the same time launched a tentative attack on the left, center, and right flanks of the Russian coalition. This is a very typical grassland tactic to lure the enemy, but it has long been known to the bitter and vengeful old farmers of Rus. Therefore, most of the arrows that came were unexpectedly landed on the infantry shield wall, and they could not attract the bloody noble cavalry out of the formation. However, a similar detachment was also in the forward position of the coalition forces, and it dispersed the light cavalry harassment with a determined charge. Subsequently, under the cover of the light infantry, it was directly implemented against Mamai's **front**.
However, the fierce counterattack of the Russian strikers was soon stopped by the well-armed Genoese mercenaries. The latter not only has elite crossbowmen and hoplites who are well-known throughout Europe, but also a very important R&D and manufacturing center, and has very rich experience in blocking cavalry charges. So, with the help of their Armenian counterparts on the left and right flanks, they regained their position on the front. Even when besieged by a large number of Rus' serfs, they can survive fierce and bloody hand-to-hand combat. On the contrary, their steady advance directly threatened the entire coalition force, drawing many of the detachments that had been deployed on both flanks into the middle.
Genoese mercenary unit serving Mamai
As a result, Ma Mai, who had been watching the battle from a high vantage point, ordered the main cavalry to pour out and carry out a non-stop charge against the already disordered coalition front. But such a rash decision still largely underestimates the will of the Russians to fight. Although they had far fewer cavalry than their opponents, they had large infantry arrays to provide cover. At the same time, the imitation and skillful use of the tactics of the Mongol cavalry also prevented them from being coaxed by the trick of retreating to lure the enemy. Even the opposite, repeatedly leading the stubborn enemy to the front of the infantry formation, and hiding behind himself to release cold arrows. Considering that the two ends of the Kurivok Plain are mostly woodland swamps, the Russians do not have to worry about sudden and roundabout attacks on the flanks.
Towards noon, the onslaught of the Golden Horde army had greatly diminished. Although it still maintained a complete suppression of the coalition forces, it was never able to directly cut through the infantry-dominated front. The frontal battlefield is too narrow, so many people have no room to calmly retreat after being wounded, so they have to stay where they are and wait for death or a new round of trampling by both the enemy and the enemy. Thus, the Russian infantry, who were outnumbered and densely packed, gradually gained the upper hand. Fortunately, Mamai observed the signs of loosening on the opponent's left flank in time, and deployed the last reserve at hand, so that the rigid situation could be reversed again. However, due to the terrain, class, and tactical reasons mentioned above, this round of attacks that blocked all the belongings was still unsuccessful. The small coalition reserves, which were originally located in the rear, also immediately rushed to the weak side to fill the gaps, thus destroying the Khan's last hope of victory.
The sudden appearance of the ambush regiment directly reversed the tide of strength and weakness
At 2 o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, the young Grand Duke of Moscow was finally convinced that the other party had no back, so he decided to use the elite ambush group that he had been hiding in the snow for a long time. It was a heavy cavalry force composed entirely of the sons of nobles, and had quietly taken refuge in the dense forests on the periphery of the left flank long before the main army had finished its formation. Their sudden arrival also directly set the tone for the outcome of the entire battle. The Mongolian right wing, which had the best hope of victory, was the first to collapse because it was overwhelmed. This was followed by the infantry in the center, who barely had a moment of rest, before finally reaching the right flank of the Golden Horde, at the southernmost end of the battlefield. And before most of the people had time to escape, the position of the camp where Mamai himself was located was also exposed to the attack, and he had to leave the scene in disgrace under the madness of the rout.
As a result, the former besiegers were instantly besieged. They were blocked by the vast sea of people, and they could only struggle desperately in the increasingly crowded chaos until the last trace of desire to survive stopped with the pulse. Despite the fact that in the previous 3-4 hours, they had inflicted a huge amount of ** on the Russian coalition forces in front of them, the victory in the battle of Kulivoko was not destined to be on their side.
Circassian in the service of Mamai and Armenian vassals
Dmitry is counting the battlefield
To be sure, the massive Battle of Kulikovo did have a decisive impact on the historical development of Muscovy. Original"Filial son".with"Loyal Dog".The image was completely shattered by this epic victory. But the temporary defeat of the Golden Horde, and the political bankruptcy of Mamai himself, did not completely collapse Mongol rule.
On the contrary, Tokhtamysh, who has crossed the Caucasus Mountains from the river, is the biggest winner of this round of bloody fighting. He will easily take over the throne of the Golden Horde, putting maximum pressure on the rebel cities, including Moscow. As for Dmitry, the victor on the surface, he was also seriously injured by a hammer blow to the head by Guduo during the battle. In just 9 years, he died on the road of power struggle full of interests and anxiety.
1382 Tokhtamysh led an army to besiege Moscow
In addition, the crushing victory at the Battle of Kulivoko was not a major benefit to the Rus' cities. Although they joined forces to destroy Mamai's army of 30,000, they paid the same price for it. In particular, the local aristocracy, who served as the main force of the cavalry, or who stood in the front row to command the serf infantry, endured the misery far beyond the rest of the class**. This gave the Muscovites, who were determined to annex the Quartet, an opportunity to invade the homelands of their neighbors at a faster pace, and to treat them less leniently than those of the Mongol tyrants. Many of the old difficulties and difficulties of later Russian society were also born against this background.
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