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Anniversary of the Battle of Kulikovo
September 8 (April 16, according to the proleptic Gregorian calendar), 1380 at Kulikovo field in the upper reaches of the River Don, the battle was fought between the Russian troops under the leadership of Vladimir and Moscow Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy and Tatar army led by Mamai. The battle resulted in a defeat of the Tatar forces and initiated the release of the Russian people from the yoke of the Golden Horde. September 21 is the Day of Military Glory of Russia – the Day of the victory of Russian regiments led by Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy over the Mongolo-Tatar troops in the Battle of Kulikovo (1380).
In the second half of the 14th century Muscovy had a dominant position in Russia. By that time, the grandson of Grand Duke Ivan Kalita, Dmitry Ivanovich, Prince of Moscow, had become so strong that he ceased to pay tribute to the Golden Horde. In 1378 on the River Vozha, Dmitri’s army defeated a Tatar detachment under the command of Begich. Tatar khan Mamai, who had seized power in the Horde, decided to crush the growing power of Moscow. He formed an alliance with the Polish-Lithuanian King Jogailo and gathered a large multi-national army which included detachments of Circassians, Ossetians, some of the steppe peoples, Genoese mercenaries.
At the end of July 1380 Moscow Prince Dmitry Ivanovich, having learned about the approach of the Tartar hordes, turned to the Russian princes calling to gather all forces to repel the enemy. Russian troops, which had recognized the power of Moscow Prince, gathered in Moscow and Kolomna.
Troops led by Jogailo and Mamai were to unite on the River Oka for the general march on Moscow. But Dmitri decided to forestall the enemy and defeat the main forces of the Tatars. On August 26th the Russian army set out from Kolomna, and two days later the Russian troops crossed the Oka River.
Tatars missed the Russians’ crossing over Don River, so in the evening of September 7th the whole army of Dmitri deployed on the right bank of the Don. By 11 a. m. September 8th the Russian troops were ready for battle. By noon Tatars had approached the Russian positions. Their first line was represented by the cavalry, the second one – by the infantry. In the melee Mamai struck a frontal attack with all his might, trying to overthrow the Russian military orders. The Tatars succeeded in cutting off the Russian army from the bridges over the Don. However, covering the left flank of the Russian, Tatar endangered their flank and rear which were attacked by an ambush regiment. Its unexpected appearance decided the outcome of the battle. The Tartars, unable to withstand the attack, retreated.
Both sides suffered heavy losses in the battle, and the Grand Duke Dmitry was seriously wounded. Having learned of the defeat of the Tatars at Kulikovo field, King Jogailo retreated beyond the Russian principalities.
The dead Russian soldiers had been buried during the week after the battle. In those days the Russian Orthodox Church legalized the custom of remembrance of the dead, the so-called "Paternal Saturday”.
The Battle of Kulikovo was of great historic importance in the struggle of the Russian people against the Golden Horde’s rule. It dealt a severe blow to the power of the Horde, speeding up the process of its breakup. An important consequence of this battle was the strengthening of the authority of Moscow and its role in the formation of a unified Russian state.
Lit.: Гумилёв Л. Н. Эхо Куликовской битвы // Огонёк. 1980. № 36. С. 16-17; Государственный музей-заповедник Куликово поле [Электронный ресурс]. URL: https://www.kulpole.ru/; Кирпичников А. Н. Куликовская битва / Под ред. акад. Б. А. Рыбакова; Институт археологии АН СССР. Л., 1980; Летописная повесть о Куликовской битве // Библиотека литературы Древней Руси. СПб., 1999. Т. 6: XIV — середина XV века. С. 583; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://lib.pushkinskijdom.ru/Default.aspx?tabid=4981; Скрынников Р. Г. На страже московских рубежей. М., 1986.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Battle of Kulikovo: [digital collection];
Исторические монографии и исследования Николая Костомарова. СПб., 1867. Т. 3;