Prince Donskoy, collector of Russian lands, in the electronic collection of the Presidential Library

On the eve of 665th birthday anniversary of Dmitry Donskoy (1350-1389), celebrated on October 12, we have an opportunity to follow the heroic life of Prince Donskoy through electronic copies of rare books from the Presidential Library collection.

October 12, 1350, in Moscow, in the family of Prince Ivan the Red, the grandson of Ivan Kalita, there was born a son, Dmitry, the future Grand Prince of Moscow and Vladimi. The detailed personal characteristics of Dmitry can be found in the electronic copy of the book by F. Pokrovsky of 1823 "Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy, Grand Prince of Moscow":

"To the surprise of his contemporaries, from the very adolescence Dmitry loved virtue and austere life. Nature provided him with all the physical and mental qualities. Grand height, powerfully built body, keen and penetrating eyes, pleasant and expressive voice made up the smallest part of his physical talent; Dmitry was born for the Throne."

However, the Moscow throne not only had foreign enemies, such as Poles, Lithuanians, Tatar-Mongols but also domestic ones. No sooner had Moscow's troops repelled the Lithuanian Prince Algirdas when the confrontation began with the Prince of Tver Mikhail, who had gone to the Horde to ask for a jarlig (order) providing for the great reign. Khan Mamai, who ruled at the time, did not like Dmitry, who was strong in his right to evade the tribute and easily gave the jarlig to Prince Mikhail. On hearing this, Donskoy decided not to obey the Horde and blocked the path of Mikhail Vladimir. The same year Prince Dmitry went to the Horde in person; the trip was a success, and the Prince of Moscow returned with the jarlig.

By force of his authority backed by the power of the "Horde mandate" Dmitry made the Prince of Tver recognize his seniority and join forces in the struggle against the Golden Horde. In 1376, the Muscovy approved its influence in the Volga-Kama Bulgaria, and in 1378 the army led by Prince Dmitry defeated the Ryazan Prince Oleg near Skornischevo.

Relying on the increased power of the Moscovy, on the support of boyars and townspeople, Prince Dmitry started thinking about gathering a large army that could defeat the Tatar-Mongol yoke, which by that time had become unbearable. The electronic copy of A. Kazadaev’s 1827 "Historical eulogy to Dimitry Donskoy" emphasizes the firm determination of the young prince to expel the Mongols beyond the Russian state:

"Fierce descendants of Genghis Khan, having devastated Asia, divided into great branches spilling the blood of compatriots and tormenting Russia. That was the field, which entered on weak feet the young Dmitri Ivanovich IV, taking in his delicate hands the wavering Power of the Grand Duchy of Moscow! However, as a young eagle, he felt the power of his wings and ascended over the Fatherland, having protected it from everlasting harm..."

Dmitry Ivanovich was the first of the Moscow princes to lead the armed struggle of the people against the Tartars. In 1378, near the Vozha River he destroyed the Tatar army of Begich, and in 1380 the prince of Moscow headed the united Russian forces to meet the Tartar hordes of Mamai, moving towards Russia. In addition, we cannot downplay the role of St. Sergius of Radonezh, who became the spiritual support of the prince-statesman and his army. The electronic copy of I. Morev’s 1893 "Saint Sergius of Radonezh, a great ascetic and sympathizer of the Russian land," says:

"Sergey did a good turn to the autocracy of Russian rulers promoting the unification of Russian lands in the hands of the Prince of Moscow. For example, he twice traveled to his native city of Rostov in order to persuade the Prince of Rostov to make peace and submit to the throne of the Grand Prince of Moscow." It was St. Sergius of Radonezh whom Prince Dmitry asked for a blessing before the Battle of Kulikovo. That blessing was the most significant act of the saint for Rus’, "Go ahead, sir, with no fear! The Lord will help you to defeat the godless enemies!" he said the Grand Prince, addressing him prayers before the campaign."

A lot has been written about the Battle of Kulikovo, but for the Russian headquarters there was a crucial question: whether they should take the fight on this side of the Don or should they cross the river and fight to the death almost at the water's edge? The historical sketch of D. Ilovaisky issued in 1880 "Kulikovo Victory of Dimitry Ivanovich Donskoy" tells that Prince Dmitry did not ask himself whether to cross the Don for a decisive battle with the Horde or not because he was not going to retreat under the onslaught of fierce enemies, "September 7, on Friday, the eve of the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin, the Russian army moved up to the Don. Grand Prince ordered to chop the trees and brushwood in the neighboring groves, and to build bridges for the infantry, while horsemen had to search for fords, which was not very difficult since Don there was still close to its headwaters and was not neither broad nor deep in its current."

In the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380, which ended with the defeat of the Horde, Dmitry Ivanovich demonstrated outstanding leadership talent. For this victory he was named Donskoy.

During his 30-year reign, Dmitry Donskoy managed to become a recognized collector of Russian lands, to significantly expand the boundaries of the Moscow principality. Maintaining friendly relations with the Orthodox Byzantine Empire, Dmitry sought at the same time recognition of the independence of the Russian Orthodox Church by Constantinople. An electronic copy of F. Pokrovsky’s 1823 "Dimitry Ivanovich Donskoy, Grand Prince of Moscow: historical narrative, composed by Theophylact Pokrovsky" gives a fairly complete picture of the life and military exploits of Prince Donskoy.

A set of materials on Dmitry Donskoy becomes more extensive from year to year in the Presidential Library collection, which currently numbers about 400, 000 units.