In 1227, Genghis Khan died, leaving his son Ogedei as his heir, who continued his campaigns of conquest. In 1236, he sent his eldest son Jochi-Batu, better known to us under the name Batu, on a campaign against the Russian lands. The western lands were given to him in possession, many of which had yet to be conquered. Practically without resistance, having mastered the Volga Bulgaria, in the autumn of 1237 the Mongols crossed the Volga and accumulated on the Voronezh River. For the Russian princes, the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars was not a surprise, they knew about their movements, were waiting for an attack and were preparing to fight back. But feudal fragmentation, princely strife, lack of political and military unity, multiplied by the numerical superiority of the well-trained and brutal troops of the Golden Horde, using modern siege equipment, no longer allowed to count on a successful defense in advance.

The Ryazan volost was the first on the path of Batu's troops. Approaching the city without any special obstacles, Batu Khan demanded to submit to him voluntarily and pay the requested tribute. Prince Yuri of Ryazan was able to agree on support only with the Pronsky and Murom princes, which did not prevent them from refusing and, almost alone, to withstand a five-day siege. On December 21, 1237, Batu's troops captured, killed the inhabitants, including the princely family, the city was plundered and burned. In January 1238, the troops of Batu Khan moved to the Vladimro-Suzdal principality. Near Kolomna, they defeated the remnants of the Ryazants, and approached Moscow, which was a small settlement, a suburb of Vladimir. The Muscovites, led by the voivode Philip Nyanka, offered desperate resistance, the siege lasted five days. Batu divided the army and at the same time began the siege of Vladimir and Suzdal. Vladimirians resisted desperately. The Tatars could not get into the city through, but, having blown up the fortress wall in several places, they broke into Vladimir. The city was subjected to terrible robbery and violence. The Assumption Cathedral, in which people took refuge, was set on fire, and they all died in terrible agony.

Prince Yuri of Vladimir, tried to resist the Mongol-Tatars from the assembled regiments of Yaroslavl, Rostov and adjacent lands. The battle took place on March 4, 1238 on the City River, northwest of Uglich. The Russian army, led by Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich of Vladimir, was defeated. Northeast Rus' was completely ruined. The troops of the Mongol-Tatars, who went to North-Western Rus' to Novgorod, had to besiege the fiercely resisting Torzhok, a suburb of Novgorod, for two whole weeks. Finally bursting into the hated city, they cut down all the remaining inhabitants, making no distinction between warriors, women and even babies, the city itself was destroyed and burned. Not wanting to go along the opened road to Novgorod, Batu's troops turned south. At the same time, they divided into several detachments and destroyed everything. settlements that come across on the way. The small town of Kozelsk became dear to them, the defense of which was headed by a very young prince Vasily. For seven weeks, the Mongol detained the town, which they called the "Evil City", and having captured, they did not spare not only the youths, but also the babies. Having ruined several more large cities, Batu's army went to the steppes to return a year later.

In 1239, a new invasion of Batu Khan fell upon Rus'. Having captured, the Mongols went south. Having approached Kyiv, they could not take it from the raid, the siege lasted almost three months, and in December the Mongol-Tatars captured Kyiv. A year later, Batu's troops defeated the Galicia-Volyn principality and rushed to Europe. The Horde, weakened by this time, having suffered several setbacks in the Czech Republic and Hungary, turned their troops to the East. Having passed through Rus' once again, the crooked Tatar saber, calling for fire, ravaged and devastated the Russian lands, but could not bring its people to their knees.

§ 19. INVASION OF BATY INTO Rus'

The first campaign of Batu. Ulus Juchi was succeeded by his eldest son, Khan Batu, known in Rus' under the name of Batu. Contemporaries noted that Batu Khan was cruel in battle and "very cunning in war." He even instilled great fear in his people.

In 1229, the kurultai elected the third son of Genghis Khan Ogedei as the kaan of the Mongol Empire and decided to organize a large campaign to Europe. The army was led by Batu.

In 1236, the Mongols entered the lands of the Volga Bulgars, devastating their cities and villages, exterminating the population. In the spring of 1237, the conquerors conquered the Polovtsians. The commander Subedei brought reinforcements from Mongolia and helped the khan to establish tight control over the conquered territories. Captured warriors replenished the composition of the Mongol army.

In the late autumn of 1237, the hordes of Batu and Subedei moved to Rus'. The first on their way was Ryazan. The Ryazan princes turned to the princes of Vladimir and Chernigov for help, but did not receive timely assistance. Batu offered the Ryazan prince Yuri Igorevich to pay "a tenth of everything." “When we are all gone,” the people of Ryazan answered, “then everything will be yours.”

Batu. Chinese drawing

Subeday. Chinese drawing

Defense of Ryazan. Artist E. Deshalyt

On December 16, 1237 Batu's army laid siege to Ryazan. The vastly outnumbered Mongols continuously stormed the city. The fighting went on until December 21st. The enemy destroyed the fortifications and razed Ryazan to the ground. Captured Mongols chopped with sabers and shot with bows.

According to legend, the bogatyr Yevpaty Kolovrat, originally from Ryazan nobles, gathered a squad of 1,700 people. They moved after the Mongols and caught up with them in the Suzdal land. "Mercilessly destroying" the conquerors, the warriors, led by Evpaty, fell in an unequal battle. Mongolian commanders spoke about Russian soldiers: “We have been with many kings in many lands, in many fights (battles), but we have not seen such daring men and our fathers did not tell us. For these are winged people, not those who know death, fought so hard and courageously: one with a thousand, and two with darkness. None of them can leave alive from the battle.

From Ryazan, Batu's army moved to Kolomna. The Prince of Vladimir sent reinforcements to the city. However, the victory was again celebrated by the Mongols.

On January 20, 1238, Batu took Moscow by storm and burned the city. The chronicle briefly reported on the consequences of Batu's victory: "People were beaten from the old man to the existing baby, and they betrayed the city and the churches of the holy fire." In February 1238, the Mongol detachments approached Vladimir. The city was surrounded by a palisade so that no one could leave it. The Mongols pulled up vices And catapults and started the attack. On February 8, they broke into the city. The Last Defenders took refuge in the temple of the Virgin, but all died from fire and suffocation, because the Mongols set fire to the city.

Vladimir Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich was not in the city during the assault. He gathered an army to repulse the Mongols in the north of the principality. On March 4, 1238, the battle took place on the City River (a tributary of the Mologa). Russian squads were defeated, the prince died.

Batu moved to the north-west, he was attracted by the wealth of Novgorod. However, early spring, high water, lack of roads, lack of fodder for the cavalry and impenetrable forests forced Batu to turn back 100 miles from Novgorod. On the way of the Mongols stood the small town of Kozelsk. Its inhabitants detained Batu for seven weeks under the walls of the city. When almost all the defenders died, Kozelsk fell. Batu ordered to destroy the survivors, including babies. Kozelsk Batu called the "Evil City".

The Mongols went to the steppe to recuperate.

Mongols at the walls of the Russian city. Artist O. Fedorov

Defense of Kozelsk. chronicle miniature

The second campaign of Batu. In 1239, Batu's troops invaded South Rus', took Pereyaslavl and Chernigov. In 1240 they crossed the Dnieper south of Pereyaslavl. Destroying cities and fortresses along the Ros River, the Mongols approached Kyiv from the side of the Lyadsky (Western) gates. Kyiv prince fled to Hungary.

The defense of the city was headed by Tysyatsky Dmitry. In early December, the Mongols laid siege to Kyiv. Through the gaps formed by the battering rams, the conquerors entered the city. The people of Kiev also resisted on the city streets. They defended the main shrine of Kyiv - the Church of the Tithes - until its vaults collapsed.

In 1246, the Catholic monk Plano Carpini, who was passing through Kiev to the headquarters of Batu, wrote: “When we drove through their land, we found countless heads and bones of dead people lying on the field. Kyiv is reduced to almost nothing: there are barely two hundred houses, and they keep people in the most difficult slavery.

Before Mongol invasion, according to archaeologists, in Rus' there were up to one and a half thousand fortified settlements, of which about a third were cities. After Batu's campaigns in the Russian lands, only their names remained from many cities.

In 1241-1242, Batu's troops conquered Central Europe. They devastated Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and went to the Adriatic Sea. From here, Batu turned east into the steppe.

Attack of the Horde on the Russian city. chronicle miniature

The Mongols are chasing prisoners. Iranian miniature

Vice – battering ram, battering ram.

Catapult – a stone-throwing tool driven by the elastic force of twisted fibers - tendons, hair, etc.

Fodder - feed for farm animals, including horses.

1236 year- the defeat of the Volga Bulgaria by the Mongols.

1237 year- the invasion of the Mongol troops under the leadership of Batu Khan to Rus'.

December 1237- the capture of Ryazan by the Mongols.

1238 year- the capture of 14 Russian cities by the Mongols.

December 1240- the capture of Kyiv by Batu's troops.

Questions and tasks

2. What are the main reasons for the defeat of the Russian squads in the fight against the Mongolian troops?

3. Based on the illustrations “Defense of Ryazan”, “Defense of Kozelsk”, “Mongols are chasing prisoners”, make up a story about the Mongol invasion.

Working with a document

Nikon chronicle about the capture of Kyiv by the troops of Batu:

“In the same year (1240), King Batu came to the city of Kyiv with many soldiers and surrounded the city. And it was impossible for anyone to leave the city, nor to enter the city. And it was impossible to hear each other in the city from the creak of carts, the roar of camels, from the sounds of pipes and organs, from the neighing of herds of horses and from the scream and scream of countless people. Batu put a lot of vices (ram guns) to the city of Kyiv near the Lyatsky Gates, because the wilds came up there. Many vices beat on the walls incessantly, day and night, and the townspeople fought hard, and there were many dead, and blood flowed like water. And Batu sent to Kyiv to the townspeople with these words: "If you submit to me, you will have mercy, but if you resist, you will suffer a lot and die cruelly." But the townspeople did not listen to him in any way, but slandered and cursed him. Batu was very angry and ordered with great fury to attack the city. And people began to faint and ran with their belongings to the church mosquitoes (vaults), and the church walls fell from the weight, and the Tatars took the city of Kiev, on the 6th day of December, on the day of memory of the holy miracle worker Nikola. And Dmitr the governor was brought to Batu wounded, and Batu did not order him to be killed for the sake of his courage. And Batu began to ask about Prince Danilo, and they told him that the prince had fled to Hungary. Batu planted his governor in the city of Kyiv, and he himself went to Vladimir in Volyn.

1.How did the siege of Kyiv take place?

2.Describe the damage that was inflicted on Kyiv by the conquerors.

In the XIII century, all the peoples who inhabited Kievan Rus had to repel the invasion of Batu Khan's troops in a hard struggle. The Mongols were on Russian soil until the 15th century. And only during the last century the struggle was not so cruel. This invasion of Batu Khan into Rus' directly or indirectly contributed to the rethinking of the state structure of the future great power.

Mongolia in the 12th - 13th centuries

The tribes that were part of it united only at the end of this century.

This happened thanks to Temuchin, the leader of one of the peoples. In 1206, a general assembly was held, in which representatives of all nations took part. At this meeting, Temujin was proclaimed a great khan and given the name Genghis, which means "limitless power" in translation.

After the creation of this empire, its expansion began. Since the main occupation of the inhabitants of Mongolia at that time was nomadic cattle breeding, it was natural for them to want to expand their pastures. It was one of the main reasons for all their combat wanderings.

Organization of the Mongols

The Mongolian army was organized according to the decimal principle - 100, 1000 ... The creation of the imperial guard was carried out. Its main function was to control the entire army. The Mongols' cavalry was more trained than any other nomadic army in the past. The Tatar conquerors were very experienced and excellent warriors. Their army consisted of a large number of warriors who were very well armed. They also used tactics, the essence of which was based on the psychological intimidation of the enemy. In front of their entire army, they let in those soldiers who did not take anyone prisoner, but simply brutally killed everyone indiscriminately. These warriors had a very intimidating appearance. Another significant reason for their victories was that the opponent was completely unprepared for such an offensive.

The presence of the Mongolian army in Asia

After the Mongols conquered Siberia at the beginning of the 13th century, they began to conquer China. They took out from the northern part of this country the newest for that century military equipment and specialists. Some Chinese representatives became very literate and experienced officials of the Mongol Empire.

Over time, Mongolian troops conquered Central Asia, Northern Iran and Transcaucasia. On May 31, 1223, a battle took place between the Russian-Polovtsian army and the Mongol-Tatar army. Due to the fact that not all the princes who promised help kept their promise, this battle was lost.

The beginning of the reign of Khan Batu

4 years after this battle, Genghis Khan died, Ogedei took his throne. And when the decision was made by the government of Mongolia to conquer the western lands, the nephew of the Khan, Batu, was appointed the person who would lead this campaign. One of the most experienced commanders, Subedei-Bagatur, was appointed as commander of the troops under Batu. He was a very experienced one-eyed warrior who accompanied Genghis Khan during his campaigns. The main goal of this campaign was not only to expand its territory and consolidate success, but also to enrich, replenish its bins at the expense of plundered lands.

The total number of Batu Khan's troops, which went on such a difficult and long journey, was small. Since part of it was to remain in China and Central Asia to prevent an uprising local residents. A 20,000-strong army was organized for the march to the West. Thanks to mobilization, during which the eldest son was taken from each family, the number of the Mongol army increased to about 40 thousand.

The first path of Batu

The great invasion of Khan Batu into Rus' began in 1235 in winter. Batu Khan and his commander-in-chief did not just choose this time of year to launch their attack. After all, winter began in November, the season when there is a lot of snow around. It was he who could replace the soldiers and their horses with water. At that time, the ecology on our planet was not yet in such a deplorable state as it is now. Therefore, snow could be used without looking back anywhere in the world.

After crossing Mongolia, the army went to Kazakh steppes. In the summer it was already on the banks Aral Sea. The path of the conquerors was very long and difficult. Every day this huge mass of people and cavalry traveled a distance of 25 km. In total, it was necessary to overcome about 5,000 km. Therefore, the batyrs came to the lower reaches of the Volga only in autumn time 1236. But even here they were not destined to rest.

After all, they remembered very well that it was the Volga Bulgars who defeated their army in 1223. Therefore, they defeated the city of Bulgar, destroying it. They ruthlessly slaughtered all its inhabitants. The same part of the townspeople that remained alive simply recognized the power of Batu and bowed their heads before His Majesty. Representatives of the Burtases and Bashkirs, who also lived near the Volga, submitted to the invaders.

The beginning of the Batu invasion of Rus'

In 1237, Batu Khan crossed the Volga with his troops. His army left on its way a large number of tears, destruction and grief. On the way to the lands of the Russian principalities, the Khan's army was divided into two military units, each of which numbered about 10,000 people. One part went to the south, to where the Crimean steppes were located. There, the Butyr army pursued the Polovtsy Khan Kotyan and pushed him closer and closer to the Dnieper. This army was headed by Möngke Khan, who was the grandson of Genghis Khan. The rest of the army, led by Batu himself and his commander-in-chief, headed in the direction where the borders of the Ryazan principality were located.

In the 13th century, Kievan Rus was not a single state. The reason for this was its disintegration at the beginning of the XII century into independent principalities. They were all autonomous and did not recognize the power of the Prince of Kyiv. In addition to all this, they also constantly fought among themselves. This led to the death of a large number of people and the destruction of cities. This state of affairs in the country was typical not only for Rus', but for Europe as a whole.

Batu in Ryazan

When Batu was on the lands of Ryazan, he sent his ambassadors to the local government. They conveyed to the Ryazan commanders the demand of the Khan for the issuance of food and horses to the Mongols. Yuri, the prince who ruled in Ryazan, refused to obey such extortion. He wanted to answer Batu with a war, but in the end, all the Russian squads fled as soon as the Mongol army went on the attack. The Ryazan warriors hid in the city, while the khan surrounded it at that time.

Since Ryazan was practically unprepared for defense, she managed to hold out for only 6 days, after which Batu Khan and his army took it by storm at the end of December 1237. Members of the princely family were killed and the city was sacked. The city at that time was only rebuilt after it was destroyed by the prince of Suzdal Vsevolod in 1208. Most likely, this was main reason that he could not fully resist the Mongol attack. Khan Batu, whose brief biography consists of all the dates that denote his victories in this invasion of Rus', once again celebrated the victory. It was his first, but by no means his last victory.

Khan's meeting with Vladimir prince and Ryazan boyar

But Batu Khan did not stop there, the conquest of Rus' continued. News of his invasion spread very quickly. Therefore, at the time when he held Ryazan under his control, the prince of Vladimir had already begun to gather an army. At its head, he put his son, Prince Vsevolod, and the governor Yeremey Glebovich. This army included regiments from Novgorod and Chernigov, as well as that part of the Ryazan squad that survived.

Near the city of Kolomna, which is located in the floodplain of the Moscow River, there was a legendary meeting of the troops of Vladimir with the Mongolian. It was January 1, 1238. This confrontation, which lasted 3 days, ended with the defeat of the Russian squad. The chief governor died in this battle, and Prince Vsevolod fled with part of his squad to the city of Vladimir, where Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich was already waiting for him.

But before the Mongol invaders had time to celebrate their victory, they had to fight again. This time, Evpaty Kolovrat, who at that time was just a boyar from Ryazan, spoke out against them. He had a very small but courageous army. The Mongols managed to defeat them only due to their superiority in numbers. The governor himself was killed in this battle, but Batu Khan released those who survived. By this he expressed his respect for the courage shown by these people.

The death of Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich

After these events, the invasion of Batu Khan spread to Kolomna and Moscow. These cities also could not resist such great strength. Moscow fell on January 20, 1238. After that, Batu Khan moved with his army to Vladimir. Since the prince did not have enough troops for a good defense of the city, he left part of it, along with his son Vsevolod, in the city in order to protect it from invaders. He himself, with the second part of the soldiers, left the glorious city in order to gain a foothold in the forests. As a result, the city was taken, the entire princely family was killed. Over time, the envoys of Batu accidentally found Prince Yuri himself. He was killed on March 4, 1238 on the River City.

After Batu took Torzhok, whose inhabitants did not wait for help from Novgorod, his troops turned south. They still advanced in two detachments: the main group and a couple of thousand horsemen, led by Burundai. When the main group tried to storm the city of Kozelsk, which was in their way, all their attempts did not bring any result. And only when they united with the Burundai detachment, and only women and children remained in Kozelsk, the city fell. They completely razed this city to the ground along with everyone who was there.

But still the forces of the Mongols were undermined. After this battle, they quickly marched to the lower reaches of the Volga in order to rest and gain strength and resources for a new campaign.

The second campaign of Batu to the West

After a short rest, Batu Khan set out on his campaign again. The conquest of Rus' was not always easy. The inhabitants of some cities did not want to fight with the khan and preferred to negotiate with him. In order for Batu Khan not to touch the city, some simply bought their lives with the help of horses and provisions. There were those who went to serve him.

During the second invasion, which began in 1239, Batu Khan again robbed those territories that had fallen during his first campaign. New cities were also captured - Pereyaslavl and Chernihiv. After them, Kyiv became the main target of the invaders.

Despite the fact that everyone knew what Batu Khan was doing in Rus', confrontations between local princes continued in Kyiv. On September 19, Kyiv was defeated, Batu launched an attack on the Volyn principality. In order to save their lives, the inhabitants of the city gave the khan a large number of horses and provisions. After that, the invaders rushed towards Poland and Hungary.

The consequences of the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars

Due to the protracted and devastating attacks of Khan Batu, Kievan Rus lagged behind in development from other countries of the world. She was very delayed economic development. The culture of the state also suffered. All foreign policy was focused on the Golden Horde. She had to regularly pay tribute, which Batu Khan assigned to them. short biography his life, which was associated exclusively with military campaigns, testifies to the great contribution he made to the economy of his state.

Between scholars and historians in our time there is a dispute about whether these campaigns of Batu Khan preserved the political fragmentation in the Russian lands, or whether they were the impetus for the start of the process of unification of the Russian lands.

In August 1227 Genghis Khan died. But his death did not put an end to the Mongol conquests. The successors of the great kagan continued their aggressive policy. They significantly expanded the boundaries of the empire and turned it from a huge to an immense power. A significant contribution to this was made by the grandson of Genghis Khan Batu Khan. It was he who began the Great Western Campaign, which is also referred to as invasion of Batu.

Start of the hike

The defeat of Russian squads and Polovtsian troops on the Kalka in 1223 did not mean at all for the Mongols that the Polovtsians were completely defeated, and their main ally in the person of Kievan Rus demoralized. It was necessary to consolidate the success, and replenish their bins with new wealth. However, the war with the Jurchen empire of Kin and the state of the Tanguts Xi-Xia prevented the start of a campaign to the west. Only after the capture of the city of Zhongxi in 1227 and the fortress of Caizhou in 1234 did the great conquerors have the opportunity to start a western campaign.

In 1235, a kurultai (congress of the nobility) gathered on the banks of the Onon River. It was decided to resume expansion to the west. This campaign was entrusted to lead the grandson of Genghis Khan Batu Khan (1209-1256). Under him, one of the best commanders, Subedei-bagatur (1176-1248), was appointed commander of the troops. He was an experienced one-eyed warrior who accompanied Genghis Khan in all his campaigns and defeated the Russian squads on the Kalka River.

Mongol Empire on the map

The total number of troops moving on a long journey was small. In total, there were 130 thousand cavalry soldiers in the empire. Of these, 60,000 were in China all the time. Another 40,000 served in Central Asia, where there was a constant need to pacify the Muslims. At the rate of the great khan there were 10 thousand soldiers. So for the western campaign, the Mongols were able to allocate only 20 thousand horsemen. These forces were certainly not enough. Therefore, they mobilized and took the eldest son from each family, recruiting another 20 thousand soldiers. Thus, the entire army of Batu numbered no more than 40 thousand people.

This figure is given by the outstanding Russian archaeologist and orientalist Nikolai Ivanovich Veselovsky (1848-1918). He motivates her by the fact that every warrior on a campaign had to have a riding horse, combat and pack. That is, for 40 thousand soldiers there were 120 thousand horses. In addition, carts and siege weapons moved behind the army. This is again horses and people. All of them had to be fed and watered. The steppe was supposed to fulfill this function, since it was necessary to carry provisions and fodder with them to huge number it was simply impossible.

The steppe, despite the vast expanses, is not omnipotent. She could only feed the specified number of people and animals. For her, this was the optimal number. If a larger number of people and horses went on a campaign, they would very soon begin to die of hunger.

An example of this is the raid of General Dovator on the German rear in August 1941. His body was always in the woods. By the end of the raid, people and horses almost died of hunger and thirst, since the forest could not feed and water the huge mass of living creatures gathered in one place.

The commanders of Genghis Khan turned out to be much smarter than the command of the Red Army. They were practitioners and knew the possibilities of the steppe perfectly. This shows that the figure of 40,000 horsemen is the most probable.

The great invasion of Batu began in November 1235. Batu and Subedei-bagatur chose the time of year for a reason. Winter began, and snow always replaced water for people and horses. In the XIII century, it could be fearlessly eaten in any corner of the planet, as the ecology met the best standards and was in perfect condition.

The troops crossed Mongolia, and then, through the passes in the mountains, went to the Kazakh steppes. IN summer months the great conquerors ended up near the Aral Sea. Here they had to overcome a very difficult section along the Ustyurt plateau to the Volga. People and horses were saved by springs dug in the ground, and caravanserais, which from time immemorial provided shelter and food for numerous merchant caravans.

A huge mass of people and horses walked 25 km a day. The path covered a distance of 5 thousand kilometers. Therefore, in the lower reaches of the Volga, the glorious bagaturs appeared only in the autumn of 1236. But on blessed shores great river they didn't get a well-deserved rest.

The great conquerors were driven by a thirst for vengeance against the Volga Bulgars, who in 1223 defeated the waxes of Subedei-bagatur and Dzhebe-noyon. The Mongols stormed the city of Bulgar and destroyed it. The Bulgars themselves were mostly slaughtered. The survivors recognized the power of the great khan and bowed their heads before Batu. Other Volga peoples also submitted to the invaders. These are Burtases and Bashkirs.

Leaving behind grief, tears and destruction, Batu's troops crossed the Volga in 1237 and moved towards the Russian principalities. Along the way, the army split up. Two fogs (fog - military unit in the Mongol army of 10 thousand people) went south towards the Crimean steppes and began to pursue the Polovtsian Khan Kotyan, pushing him towards the Dniester River. These troops were led by Genghis Khan's grandson Möngke Khan. Batu himself and Subedei-bagatur moved with the remaining people to the borders of the Ryazan principality.

Kievan Rus in the XIII century was not a single state. In the first half of the XII century, it broke up into separate principalities. These were absolutely independent formations that did not recognize the power of the Kyiv prince. There were constant wars between them. As a result, cities were destroyed and people died. This time is called the period of feudal fragmentation. It is characteristic not only for Rus', but also for the rest of Europe.

Some historians, including Lev Gumilyov, argue that the Mongols did not set themselves the goal of capturing and conquering Russian lands. They only wanted to get food and horses to fight the main enemies - the Polovtsians. It is difficult to argue anything here, but, in any case, it is best to rely on facts and not draw any conclusions.

The invasion of Batu into Rus' (1237-1240)

Once on the Ryazan lands, Batu sent parliamentarians demanding food and horses to be given to him. Ryazan Prince Yuri refused. He led his squad out of the city to fight the Mongols. Princes from the city of Murom came to his aid. But when the Mongols turned around like lava and went on the attack, the Russian squads faltered and fled. They locked themselves in the city, and the troops of Batu set up a siege around him.

Ryazan was poorly prepared for defense. It was only recently rebuilt after the destruction by the Suzdal prince Vsevolod the Big Nest in 1208. Therefore, the city lasted only 6 days. At the beginning of the third decade of December 1237, the Mongols took it by storm. The princely family perished, and the invaders plundered the city itself.

By this time, Vladimir Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich had gathered an army. It was headed by the son of Prince Vsevolod and Vladimir Governor Yeremey Glebovich. This army also included the remnants of the Ryazan squad, the Novgorod and Chernigov regiments.

The meeting with the Mongols took place on January 1, 1238 near Kolomna in the floodplain of the Moscow River. This battle lasted 3 days and ended with the defeat of the Russian squads. The Vladimir voivode Yeremey Glebovich was killed, and Prince Vsevolod with the remnants of the army fought off the enemies and reached Vladimir, where he appeared before the strict eyes of his father Yuri Vsevolodovich.

But as soon as the Mongols celebrated their victory, the Ryazan boyar Yevpaty Kolovrat hit them in the rear. His detachment numbered no more than 2 thousand soldiers. With this handful of people, he courageously resisted the two Mongol tumens. The cutting was terrible. But the enemy, in the end, won the victory, thanks to their numbers. Yevpaty Kolovrat himself was killed, and many of his warriors were killed. As a sign of respect for the courage of these people, Baty released the survivors in peace.

After that, the Mongols besieged Kolomna, and another part of the troops surrounded Moscow. Both cities fell. Batu's troops took Moscow by storm on January 20, 1238 after a siege that lasted 5 days. Thus, the invaders ended up on the land of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality and moved towards the city of Vladimir.

Prince Vladimirsky Yuri Vsevolodovich did not shine with military leadership talents. He did not have very much strength, but the prince divided this smallness into two parts. One was charged with the duty to defend the city from the invaders, and the second to leave the capital city and fortify in the dense forests.

The prince entrusted the protection of the city to his son Vsevolod, and he himself left with the second detachment to the banks of the Mologa River and set up camp in the place where the Sit River flowed into it. Here he began to expect an army from Novgorod, so that together with him he would strike at the Mongols and utterly defeat the invaders.

Batu's troops, meanwhile, laid siege to Vladimir. The city lasted only 8 days and fell in early February 1238. The whole family of the prince died, a large number of residents, and the invaders burned and destroyed many buildings.

After that, the main forces of the Mongols moved to Suzdal and Pereslavl, and Batu ordered his commander Burundai to find the Vladimir prince and destroy his troops. He did not long search for the combat squad of Yuri Vsevolodovich. The prince, sitting out on the City River, did not even bother to set up patrols and send patrols.

The Mongols accidentally stumbled upon an unguarded camp. They surrounded him and suddenly attacked. The Russians courageously resisted, but were killed. Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich himself also died. This event happened on March 4, 1238.

Meanwhile, an army led by Batu and Subedei-bagatur besieged Torzhok. Its inhabitants were under siege, since Novgorod promised them help. But the saviors never showed up. While the Novgorodians were holding a veche, while they were gathering, on March 5 Batu took Torzhok. The population of the city was completely slaughtered. But the invaders did not go to Novgorod, but turned south. The spring thaw has said its weighty word, and the Mongols' strength has diminished.

The invaders also moved south in two detachments. These are the main forces and several thousand horsemen led by Burundai. On the way of the main group of troops was the city of Kozelsk. Its inhabitants refused to open the gates. The Mongols organized a siege and began to storm the walls. But their military efforts proved fruitless. Long 7 weeks residents small town resisted the furious attacks of the enemy. At the same time, they themselves made regular sorties and inflicted significant damage on the aggressor.

In mid-May, a detachment of Burundai approached. The enemy grouping intensified, and the final assault began. It continued almost without interruption for 3 days. Finally, when there were no more adult men left on the walls, and they were replaced by women and teenagers, the Mongols managed to take over the city. They completely destroyed it, and slaughtered the surviving inhabitants.

The courageous defense of Kozelsk finally undermined the strength of the Mongol army. With a quick march, practically without stopping anywhere, the Mongols crossed the borders of the Chernigov Principality, and went to the lower reaches of the Volga. Here they rested, gained strength, replenished their tumens with human resources at the expense of the Bulgars and Russians and began the second campaign to the west.

It should be noted that not all Russian cities offered resistance to the invaders. The inhabitants of some of them negotiated with the Mongols. So, for example, rich Uglich supplied the invaders with horses and provisions, and Batu did not touch the city. Some Russian people willingly went to the service of the Mongols. The chroniclers called such "heroes" the "worst Christians."

The second invasion of Batu into Russian lands began in the spring of 1239. The invaders marched through the already devastated cities, and then laid siege to Pereslavl and Chernigov. Having captured these cities and plundered them, the Mongols rushed to the Dnieper. Now their goal was the city of Kyiv. The same languished from princely strife. At the time of the siege, there was not even a single prince in the capital city. The defense was led by the thousand Dmitra.

The siege began on September 5, 1240. The city's garrison was small, but it held out until mid-November. Only on the 19th the Mongols took the city, and Dmitra was captured. Next came the turn of the Volyn principality. The inhabitants of the city of Volyn at first wanted to resist the invaders, but the Bolkhov princes, who had houses in the southern part of the city, agreed with the Mongols. The townspeople gave Batu horses, provisions and thus saved their lives.

Batu's invasion of Europe

Having defeated the Russian principalities individually, the invaders reached the western borders of the once united and mighty Kievan Rus. Before them lay Poland and Hungary. Batu sent a Tumen to Poland, headed by the grandson of Genghis Khan Baydar. In January 1241, the Mongols approached Lublin and sent their ambassadors. But they were killed. Then the invaders took the city by storm. Then they moved towards Krakow and defeated the Polish troops who tried to stop them. Krakow fell on March 22. The Krakow prince Boleslav V (1226-1279) fled to Hungary, where he hid for some time.

In April, the Battle of Liegnitz in Silesia took place. Polish and German troops came out against the Baydar Tumen. In this battle, the Mongols won complete victory and moved further west. In May, they occupied the town of Meissen, but the subsequent advance was stopped by Batu's order. He ordered Baydar to turn south and join the main forces.

The main forces were led by Batu himself and Subedei-bagatur. They consisted of two tumens and operated in the southern regions. Here they stormed the city of Galich and moved to Hungary. Forward, the invaders sent their ambassadors, but the Hungarians killed them, thereby aggravating the situation. The Mongols stormed the cities one by one, and the prisoners were ruthlessly killed, avenging their ambassadors.

The decisive battle with the Hungarian troops took place on the river Chaio on April 11, 1241. The Hungarian king Bela IV (1206-1270) came out against the tumens under the command of Batu and Subedey-bagatura. The Croatian army came to his aid. It was headed by the king's brother Duke Coloman (1208-1241).

The Hungarian army outnumbered the Mongol army twice. It numbered at least 40 thousand soldiers. For sparsely populated Europe, such an army was considered a very serious force. The crowned persons had no doubts about victory, but they were not familiar with the tactics of the Mongol troops.

Subedei-bagatur sent forward a 2,000-strong detachment. He appeared in the field of view of the Hungarians, and they began to pursue him. This went on for almost a whole week, until the warriors clad in armor found themselves in front of the Shio River.

Here the Hungarians and Croats set up camp, and at night the main forces of the Mongols secretly crossed the river and entered the rear of the allied army. In the morning, stone-throwing machines began shelling the camp from the opposite bank of the river. Huge blocks of granite flew towards the Hungarian army. There was a panic, which was aggravated by the archers of Subedei-bagatur. From the nearby hills, they began to shoot arrows at the people rushing around the camp.

Having demoralized the allies, the Mongols broke into their location, and felling began. The Hungarian army managed to break through the encirclement, but this did not save him. The Mongols retreating in panic units caught up and destroyed. All this massacre lasted 6 days, until the troops of Batu broke into the city of Pest on the shoulders of those fleeing.

In the battle on the river Shajo, the Croatian duke Koloman was mortally wounded. He died a few days after the end of the battle, and his brother King Bela IV fled to the Austrians for help. At the same time, he gave the Austrian Duke Frederick II almost all of his treasury.

The Hungarian state was under the rule of the Mongols. Batu Khan waited for the fog coming from Poland, led by Baydar, and turned his gaze to the lands of the Holy Roman Empire. During the summer and autumn of 1241, the Mongols fought on the right bank of the Danube and practically reached the Adriatic Sea. But after the defeat from the Austrian-Czech troops near the city of Neustadt, they left for the Danube.

The forces of the aggressors have weakened after many years of exhausting war. In March 1242, the Mongols turned their horses and moved east. Thus, the invasion of Batu into Europe ended. Khan of the Golden Horde returned to the Volga. Here he founded his main headquarters, the city of Sarai. This is 80 km north of modern Astrakhan.

Initially, the headquarters of the khan was an ordinary camp, but in the early 50s it turned into a city. It stretches along the Akhtuba River (the left branch of the Volga) for 15 km. In 1256, when Batu died, the population of Sarai reached 75 thousand people. The city existed until the end of the 15th century.

The results of the Batu invasion

The invasion of Batu is, of course, a grandiose event. The Mongols traveled a long way from the Onon River to the Adriatic Sea. At the same time, the campaign to the west cannot be called aggressive. It was more of a raid, typical of nomads. The Mongols destroyed cities, killed people, robbed, but after that they left and did not pay tribute to the conquered areas.

Rus' is an example of this. There was no talk of any tribute for 20 years after the invasion of Batu. The only exceptions were the Kiev and Chernigov principalities. Here the invaders collected taxes. But the population quickly found a way out. People began to move to the northern principalities.

This is the so-called Zalessky Rus. It included Tver, Kolomna, Serpukhov, Murom, Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir. That is, just those cities that Batu destroyed in 1237-1238. Thus, the original Russian traditions moved north. As a result, the south lost its significance. This affected further history Russian state. Less than 100 years have passed and leading role started playing no more southern cities, and Moscow, which eventually turned into the capital of a new strong state.

The events in Rus' in 1237 went down in history and affected the future of the Russian people. Historians are sure that it is necessary to pay Special attention when studying the history of this period of time.

The Mongol invasion of Rus', dated to 1237, marked the beginning Tatar yoke . The famous commander Batu led the army. He commanded the cavalry, which many considered invincible, so the mere mention of it could instill fear in the enemies of the horde. It is noteworthy that the attack was not just successful.

The result of a losing battle for Rus' was slavery, which lasted two centuries. And although most historians agree with the opinion that the relationship between the enslavers and those who actually turned into slaves developed quite simply, this is not so. In fact, relations between the two powers could hardly be called simple, since they were formed for a long time and under very strange circumstances.

It is noteworthy that Batu's campaigns against Rus' began long before 1237. 14 years before that, the famous battle on the Kalka had taken place. Then Mstislav was at the head of the Russian army. The Kiev prince led a large army into battle, wanting to repulse the enemy. Two commanders became his opponents: Jebe-noyon, Subedei-bagatur.

And although the Russian commander developed a very effective plan, he failed to defeat the enemies. His army was completely destroyed. For a while, a kind of truce reigned. But already in 1236, the horde became active again, and the Polovtsians were the first to suffer from its raids. The Polovtsy failed to contain the power of the horde, so a year later the Mongol army was already on the border with the Ryazan principality.

As soon as the Polovtsy fell, more than 140,000 horde warriors under the command of Batu Khan, who was a descendant of the great Genghis Khan, began to actively move towards the territory under the rule of the Ryazan principality. According to some reports, the active phase of the invasion began in winter. However, historians also call another date - this autumn. Unfortunately, there is no data that could confirm or refute the veracity of this information.

Note! The exact date of the attack by the Mongol army remains unknown at the present time.

The cavalry, under the leadership of the grandson of Genghis Khan, quickly moved to the very heart of Rus'. None of the princes could give a worthy rebuff to the enemy, so the state was defeated in record time.

Consider briefly the chronology of events:

  • 1237 - a campaign against Ryazan. The prince hoped that he would be able to hold back the enemy and wait for help. But already 6 days after the start of the siege, Ryazan was in the power of Batu.
  • 1238 year. It became clear that the next goal of the Mongols was the conquest of Moscow. Prince Vladimirsky tried to resist. He gathered an army and entered into battle with the enemy. The battle took place near Kolomna, and it did not affect the development of events in any way. After all, after the defeat of the prince, the khan took Moscow under siege. The city lasted only 4 days, after which it was conquered.
  • 1238 year. The longest was the siege of the city of Vladimir. The Horde stood under the gates of the city for exactly 8 days. After that, the city fell under the onslaught of the Horde.

Mongol conquest of Rus'

The conquest of the city of Vladimir was a wise decision. Because after that, the khan received tremendous power. Under his rule were the northern and eastern lands. This was a huge advantage. In 1238, the leader of the Horde made a tactical move. He managed to conquer Torzhok, thanks to which the path to Veliky Novgorod was opened. However, the main trick was to distract attention.

The princes expected the Mongols to move towards Novgorod. But the Khan acted more wisely. He sent an army to besiege Kozelsk. The siege lasted exactly 7 days. It is not known how many days the brave warriors could hold out, but Batu decided to make a deal with them, and the princes accepted his conditions. After all, he promised to save their lives. And although the princes fulfilled their obligations, the grandson of Genghis Khan did not keep his promise. The conquest of Kozelsk marked the end of the first invasion of Batu into Rus'.

Although many believe that the Mongol conquest of Rus' was a one-stage event, it is difficult to accept this.

Historians, who have studied in detail all the available materials, argue that the conquest took place in two stages:

  • The first stage is the battles that took place from 1237 to 1238. Numerous battles took place during these years. As a result, the Horde managed to capture not only the northern, but also the eastern lands.
  • The second stage is the battles dated 1239-1242. At this time, the Khan carried out a large-scale offensive, which allowed him to gain power over the southern territories. It was after the end of the second stage that the yoke appeared.

Useful video: the invasion of the Mongol conquerors in Rus'

First stage

Batu's invasion of Rus' began with a campaign against Ryazan. And although all the soldiers fought bravely, they failed to withstand the 150,000th army. As soon as the Horde broke into the city, they staged a massacre. They killed all the inhabitants of the city. Subsequently, near Ryazan there was another battle that went down in history.

Boyar Evpaty Kolovrat managed to gather a small army under his leadership. He, along with a small army (1,700 soldiers), went after the Mongol army. He managed to break the rearguard of the nomads, but no more. In an unequal battle, everyone who was led by the boyar, like himself, died.

In the autumn of 1237, a large army of the Mongol-Tatars, approaching the city of Ryazan, began a siege. Ambassadors were sent, who demanded tribute from the prince. The requirements of the Horde were unrealistic, since they asked for a tenth of everything that Prince Yuri himself owned. As soon as the refusal was given, the inhabitants of the city began to prepare for defense.

Hoping to get support, the Ryazan prince sent a message to Yuri Vsevolodovich, who at that time was the Prince of Vladimir. However, help did not arrive in time. And so, after the invaders used special tools to break the high walls, the fortress fell.

Second phase

When a new campaign against Rus' began, Batu's tactics changed. This time, Chernigov and Pereyaslav became his targets. Historians note that the change in battle tactics was caused by some difficulties. Now Batu could not carry out swift attacks. And the reason for this was the game on two fronts. Indeed, in parallel with this, he tried to defeat the Polovtsy in the Crimean lands. As a result, the power of the horde has become less impressive.

But even despite this, the princes failed to contain the horde. The next goal of Batu was the majestic Kyiv. And although the city was one of the largest in Rus', it quickly fell. It is noted that after the conquest, the city was almost completely destroyed. Having captured Kyiv, the Horde went to Galich and Vladimir-Volynsky. As soon as new lands were captured, the Tatar-Mongols went on a campaign to European lands.

As it was written above, events during the second invasion did not develop so quickly.

And in many respects this was the reason that the capture of cities had to be carried out gradually:

  1. In 1239, the second campaign of the Horde begins. And again, the horde is under the leadership of Batu, whose influence has increased many times. After all, he managed to make significant progress in expanding the lands belonging to the Tatar-Mongols. This year becomes significant, because the khan manages to conquer Chernigov, Pereyaslav.
  2. Autumn 1240. The army, led by the grandson of Genghis Khan, is heading towards Kyiv. The siege begins.
  3. December 1240. The siege of Kyiv ends. The city was unable to resist the onslaught of the mighty horde for a long time.

Batu's invasion of South Rus'

After Batu managed to capture and completely destroy Kyiv, he decided to divide the horde into two troops. Such a decision was caused by the need to fight on two fronts at once. After all, the leader dreamed of capturing Galich and Vladimir-Volynsky. And Batu's dream quickly came true. As soon as he received power over these lands, another important decision was made - to go on a military campaign to European lands.

Military forces of the Mongol-Tatars

Speaking about the beginning of the invasion, it should be noted that it was quite swift. Although historians are somewhat surprised by the fact that Batu managed to move around the territory of Rus' quickly enough. After all, the number of his troops was very impressive.

This is interesting! It is impossible to say the exact size of the army. By different versions, in the horde there were 50,000, 200,000 and even 400,000 warriors. The correct answer is unknown.

Of course, it cannot be argued that the size of the horde was small. It must also be taken into account that the Russians fought fiercely and killed many nomads. Consequently, it was simply impossible to manage with a small number of warriors. But the question remains, how exactly could the leader provide provisions, for example, for 400,000 troops?

Batu Khan's army

The possible number of horses is also striking. As you know, nomads, going to battle, took several horses with them:

  • riding - on it the rider constantly moved;
  • pack used in the case when it was necessary to transport weapons;
  • the fighting always went without load, so that the rider could at any moment enter the battle on a fresh horse.

And therefore, it is rather problematic to determine whether the army really numbered more than 300,000 soldiers. Since there is no evidence that the horde could provide provisions for so many people and horses.

Useful video: Batu invasion in Rus', shocking facts

Conclusion

Summing up, it is safe to say that such a large-scale battle really changed the course of history. Of course, the merit of Batu cannot be denied. Since it was under his leadership that the nomads managed to significantly expand their own territory.