Invasion of Batu

Genghis Khan

Jochi Khan

Ogedei

Batu's father Jochi Khan, the son of the great conqueror Genghis Khan, received the land holdings of the Mongols under his father's division from Aral Sea to the west and northwest.

Chingizid Batu became an appanage khan in 1227, when the new supreme ruler of a huge Mongol power Ogedei (the third son of Genghis Khan) transferred to him the lands of Jochi’s father, which included the Caucasus and Khorezm (the possessions of the Mongols in Central Asia). The lands of Khan Batu bordered on those countries in the West that the Mongol army was to conquer - as his grandfather ordered, greatest conqueror in world history.

At the age of 19, Batu Khan was already a fully established Mongol ruler, having thoroughly studied the tactics and strategy of warfare by his illustrious grandfather, who had mastered the military art of the mounted Mongol army. He himself was an excellent horseman, shot accurately with a bow at full gallop, skillfully cut with a saber and wielded a spear. But the main thing is that the experienced commander and ruler Jochi taught his son to command troops, command people and avoid strife in the growing house of the Chingizids.

It was obvious that young Batu, who received the outlying, eastern possessions of the Mongol state along with the khan’s throne, would continue the conquests of his great grandfather. Historically, steppe nomadic peoples moved along a path trodden over many centuries - from East to West. The founder Mongolian state for your long life he never managed to conquer the entire Universe, which he so dreamed of. Genghis Khan bequeathed this to his descendants - his children and grandchildren. In the meantime, the Mongols were accumulating strength.

Finally, at the kurultai (congress) of the Chingizids, convened on the initiative of the second son of the Great Khan Oktay in 1229, it was decided to carry out the plan of the “shaker of the Universe” and conquer China, Korea, India and Europe.

The main blow was again directed to the West from sunrise. To conquer the Kipchaks (Polovtsians), Russian principalities and Volga Bulgars a huge cavalry army was assembled, which was to be led by Batu.

Batu

His brothers Urda, Sheiban and Tangut, his cousins, among whom were the future great khans (Mongol emperors) - Kuyuk, son of Ogedei, and Menke, son of Tuluy, along with their troops, also came under his command. Not only Mongol troops went on a campaign, but also the troops of the nomadic peoples under their control.

Batu was also accompanied by outstanding commanders of the Mongol state - Subedei and Burundai.

Subedey

Subedey had already fought in the Kipchak steppes and in Volga Bulgaria. He was also one of the winners in the battle of the Mongols with the united army of Russian princes and Polovtsians on the Kalka River in 1223.

In February 1236, a huge Mongol army, gathered in the upper reaches of the Irtysh, set out on a campaign. Khan Batu led 120-140 thousand people under his banners, but many researchers call the figure much higher. Within a year, the Mongols conquered the Middle Volga region, the Polovtsian steppe and the lands of the Kama Bulgars. Any resistance was severely punished. Cities and villages were burned, their defenders were completely exterminated. Tens of thousands of people became slaves of the steppe khans and in the families of ordinary Mongol warriors.

Having given his numerous cavalry a rest in the free steppes, Batu Khan began his first campaign against Rus' in 1237. First, he attacked the Ryazan principality, which bordered the Wild Field. The residents of Ryazan decided to meet the enemy in the border area - near the Voronezh forests. The squads sent there all died in an unequal battle. The Ryazan prince turned to other appanage neighboring princes for help, but they turned out to be indifferent to the fate of the Ryazan region, although a common misfortune came to Rus'.

Ryazan Prince Yuri Igorevich, his squad and ordinary Ryazan residents did not even think of surrendering to the mercy of the enemy. To the mocking demand that the wives and daughters of the townspeople be brought to his camp, Batu received the answer: “When we are gone, you will take everything.” Addressing his warriors, the prince said “It is better for us to gain eternal glory by death than to be in the power of the filthy.” Ryazan closed the fortress gates and prepared for defense. All townspeople capable of holding weapons in their hands climbed the fortress walls.

Consequences

The city's fortifications were destroyed and Old Ryazan after some time it was abandoned by the residents, the capital of the Ryazan principality was moved to Pereslavl-Ryazansky. Some of the Ryazan residents managed to hide in the forests or retreat to the north, unite with the Vladimir troops and again fight the Mongols in Battle of Kolomna, and also under the command of those who returned from Chernigov Evpatiya Kolovrata- in Suzdal land

Evpatiy Kolovrat(1200 - January 11, 1238) - Ryazan boyar , voivode and Russian hero, hero Ryazan folk legends XIII century, times of invasion Batu(published in the "Vremennik of the Moscow Society of History and Antiquity", book XV and Sreznevsky, “Information and Notes”, 1867). Epic responses and parallels to the legend Khalansky, “Great Russian epics of the Kyiv cycle,” 1885. Evpatiy’s feat is described in the ancient Russian “ ».

Story

Born, according to legend, in the village of Frolovo Shilovskaya volost. While in Chernigov(according to " The story of the destruction of Ryazan by Batu» with Ryazan prince Ingvar Ingvarevich), according to one version, with the embassy asking for help Ryazan Principality against Mongols and having learned about their invasion of the Ryazan principality, Evpatiy Kolovrat with a “small squad” hastily moved to Ryazan. But I found the city already ruined" ...the rulers were killed and many people were killed: some were killed and flogged, others were burned, and others were drowned". Here the survivors joined him " ...whom God has preserved outside the city", and with a detachment of 1,700 people, Evpatiy set off in pursuit of the Mongols. Having overtaken them in Suzdal lands, with a surprise attack completely destroyed them rearguard . « And Evpatiy beat them so mercilessly that their swords became dull, and he took Tatar swords and cut them with them" Amazed Batu sent the hero Khostovrul against Evpatiy, “ ...and with him strong Tatar regiments", who promised Batu to bring Evpatiy Kolovrat alive, but died in a duel with him. Despite the huge numerical superiority of the Tatars, during the fierce battle Evpatiy Kolovrat " ...began to flog the Tatar force, and many here famous heroes Batyev beat..." There is a legend that Batu’s envoy, sent to negotiate, asked Evpatiy, “What do you want?” And I received the answer - “Die!” According to some legends, the Mongols managed to destroy Evpatiy’s detachment only with the help stone throwing weapons designed to destroy fortifications: And she attacked him with many vices, and began to beat him with countless vices, and barely killed him. The main thing in this parable is that, amazed by the desperate courage, courage and military skill of the Ryazan hero, Batu gave the body of the murdered Evpatiy Kolovrat to the surviving Russian soldiers and, as a sign of respect for their courage, ordered them to be released without causing them any harm.

In some ancient sources Evpatiy Kolovrat is called Evpatiy Furious.

In some editions of the Tale, the patronymic name Evpatiya is indicated - Lvovich and tells about his solemn funeral in the Ryazan Cathedral on January 11, 1238. First city Suzdal land, lying on the path of the Mongols after Battle of Kolomna — Moscow- was taken on January 20, 1238 after a 6-day siege.

The Mongol-Tatars, having quickly devastated the Ryazan land, killing most of its inhabitants and taking numerous captives, moved against the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. Khan Batu led his army not directly to the capital city of Vladimir, but in a detour through Kolomna and Moscow in order to bypass the dense Meshchersky forests, which the steppe inhabitants were afraid of. They already knew that the forests in Rus' were the best shelter for Russian soldiers, and the fight with the governor Evpatiy Kolovrat taught the conquerors a lot.

A princely army came out from Vladimir to meet the enemy, many times inferior in number to Batu’s forces. In a stubborn and unequal battle near Kolomna, the princely army was defeated, and most of the Russian soldiers died on the battlefield. Then the Mongol-Tatars burned Moscow, then a small wooden fortress, taking it by storm. The same fate befell all other small Russian towns protected wooden walls, which met on the way of the Khan's army.

Yuri Vsevolodovich

On February 3, 1238, Batu approached Vladimir and besieged him. The Grand Duke of Vladimir Yuri Vsevolodovich was not in the city; he was gathering squads in the north of his possessions. Having met decisive resistance from the people of Vladimir and not hoping for a quick victorious assault, Batu with part of his army moved towards Suzdal, one of the most big cities in Rus', took it and burned it, destroying all the inhabitants.

After this, Batu Khan returned to the besieged Vladimir and began installing battering machines around him. In order to prevent the defenders of Vladimir from escaping from it, the city was surrounded with a strong fence overnight. On February 7, the capital of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality was taken by storm from three sides (from the Golden Gate, from the north and from the Klyazma River) and burned. The same fate befell all other cities in the Vladimirov region, taken from battle by the conquerors. In place of flourishing urban settlements, only ashes and ruins remained.

Meanwhile, the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yuri Vsevolodovich managed to gather a small army on the banks of the City River, where the roads from Novgorod and the Russian North, from Beloozero, converged. Accurate information The prince had no idea about the enemy. He expected new troops to arrive, but the Mongol-Tatars launched a pre-emptive strike. The Mongol army moved to the battle site from different directions - from the burned Vladimir, Tver and Yaroslavl.

Battle of the City River- the battle that took place March 4, 1238 between the army of the Vladimir prince Yuri Vsevolodovich and the Tatar-Mongol army.
After the Mongol invasion Principality of Vladimir Yuri left the capital of the principality and went into the forests near the City River (northwest of modern Yaroslavl region Russia), where scattered remnants of troops gathered. The Mongol army under the command of Temnik Burundai approached the City from the direction of Uglich, which they had ravaged.
The outcome of the stubborn battle was decided by the approach of fresh Mongol forces led by Batu. The Vladimir army was surrounded and almost completely killed. Prince Yuri died along with the army, his head was cut off and presented as a gift to Batu Khan. The defeat in the Battle of the Sit River predetermined the fall of North-Eastern Rus' under the rule of the Golden Horde.

After the death of Grand Duke Yuri, his brother, Prince of Pereyaslav Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, came to the grand-ducal throne, under whose direct control were the two largest principalities of North-Eastern Rus' (Vladimir and Pereyaslav).
Burundai's army turned out to be weakened after the battle, which was one of the reasons for Batu's refusal to go to Novgorod.

Then the khan's troops moved to the possessions of Free Novgorod, but did not reach it. The spring thaw began, the ice on the rivers cracked under the hooves of horses, and the swamps turned into an impassable quagmire. During the tiring winter campaign, the steppe horses lost their former strength. Also rich market town had considerable military forces at his disposal, and one could not count on an easy victory over the Novgorodians.

The Mongols besieged the city of Torzhok for two weeks and were able to take it only after several assaults. At the beginning of April, Batya’s army, not having reached Novgorod 200 kilometers, near the Ignach Krest tract, turned back to the southern steppes.

The Mongol-Tatars burned and plundered everything on their way back to the Wild Field. The Khan's tumens marched south in a corral, as if on a hunting raid, so that no prey could slip out of their hands, trying to capture as many captives as possible. Slaves in the Mongol state ensured its material well-being.

Not a single Russian city surrendered to the conquerors without a fight. But Rus', fragmented into numerous appanage principalities, was never able to unite against a common enemy. Each prince fearlessly and bravely, at the head of his squad, defended his own inheritance and died in unequal battles. None of them then sought to jointly defend Rus'.

On the way back, Khan Batu completely unexpectedly stayed for 7 weeks under the walls of the small Russian town of Kozelsk.

According to Nikon Chronicle in 1238 Kozelsk (first mentioned in 1146) had its own young prince Vasily. When Batu’s troops approached the city and demanded its surrender, the Kozel residents at the council decided to defend the city and "lay down your chapters for Christian faith" . A siege began and lasted seven weeks. With the help of battering guns, the enemy managed to destroy part of the fortress walls and climb the rampart, where “there was a great battle and a slaughter of evil.”

Some of the defenders left the city and entered into an unequal battle. All of them died, killing up to 4 thousand Tatar-Mongol warriors. Having taken Kozelsk, Batu, being enraged, ordered to destroy all the inhabitants, including “the youth sucking milk.” Among the victims was Prince Vasily of Kozel, who was said to have drowned in blood. This was the Khan's revenge for the resistance shown. In addition, Batu ordered to call Kozelsk the Evil City, since his troops fought for seven weeks at the “city” and three of the Horde princes were killed, whose bodies could not be found.

The heroic defense of Kozelsk amazed contemporaries and remained in the memory of posterity. Despite some obvious exaggerations (the number of enemy losses, streams of blood in which one could drown, etc.), the chronicle conveyed a vivid picture of the feat of the Kozelites, who, without fear of death, entered into an unequal struggle with the strongest enemy. The duration of the confrontation is especially impressive, while Ryazan, for example, was taken in 10 days, Vladimir in 5.
Having destroyed the city to the ground, the conquerors left for the Volga steppes.

Having rested and gathered their strength, the Chingizids, led by Batu Khan, committed new trip to Rus', now to its southern and western territories.

The steppe conquerors' hopes for an easy victory again did not come true. Russian cities had to be taken by storm. First, the border Pereyaslavl fell, and then the big cities, the princely capitals of Chernigov and Kyiv.

Prince Mikhail of Chernigov at Batu's headquarters

The capital city of Kyiv (its defense after the flight of the princes was led by the fearless thousand-year-old Dmitry).

In December 1240, Batu approached Kyiv. Khan didn't want to destroy beautiful city and invited the townspeople to surrender without a fight. However, the people of Kiev decided to fight to the death.

The siege of Kyiv lasted a long time. All its inhabitants, young and old, came out to defend the city. According to the chronicler “One fought against a thousand, and two fought against darkness.” The Tatars had to use battering guns. The Mongols broke into the city through gaps in the walls.

The enraged Tatar-Mongols killed more than half of the civilian population.
Of the 50 thousand people after Batu’s pogrom, no more than two thousand residents remained in the city. The Assumption and St. Sophia Cathedrals and the Trinity Gate Church (now the main entrance to the Lavra) were destroyed. The invaders wiped off the face of the earth the Church of the Savior on Berestov, the Irininskaya Church and almost all the Kyiv gates.

After capturing Kyiv, Batu’s hordes continued conquest on Russian land. South-Western Rus' - Volyn and Galician lands - were devastated. Here, as in North-Eastern Rus', the population took refuge in dense forests.

Thus, from 1237 to 1240, Rus' underwent a devastation unprecedented in its history, most of its cities turned into ashes, and many tens of thousands of people were carried away. Russian lands have lost their defenders. The princely squads fearlessly fought in battles and died.

Troops from different parts of the country gathered in the city. The soldiers of Greater and Lesser Poland were commanded by Sulislaw, the brother of the Krakow voivode, the Upper Silesian army was commanded by Mieszko, the Lower Silesian army was commanded by the prince himself Henry the Pious. Boleslav, son of the Moravian margrave Dipold, led a foreign detachment, which included, among others, French Templars, miners from Zlota Gozha, German knights. Henry also hoped for help from the Czech king Wenceslas I who promised to join him. Henry, deciding to try his luck in a field battle, did not defend Wroclaw, but the townspeople managed to repel the Mongol attack. The Mongols, leaving the city behind, April 9 attacked the prince's army under Legnica. The Czech army was a day's journey from the battle site.

Battle of Legnica

Progress of the battle

First there was mutual remote fire, in which the Mongol troops used a smoke screen, thereby confusing the European shooters, and attacked from the flanks with horse archers. The knights launched a blind attack, hitting the vanguard, consisting of light cavalry, and crushed it. However, after some time, the main forces of the Mongols were sent into battle - heavily armed horsemen, who struck from the right flank, shouting at Polish language: “Save yourself, save yourself!”. The combined troops of the Poles, Templars and Teutons were in confusion and began to retreat, and then completely fled in panic.

Henry's army was defeated by the Mongols, and he himself died in battle. Heinrich's corpse was identified by his leg, which had six toes. His head was placed on a spear and brought to the gates of Legnica.

Aftermath of the battle

Despite the victory, the Mongols did not clash with the Czech army Wenceslas I, who was only a day late for Legnica, fearing the strengthening of the enemy due to the enemy forces defeated the day before and the risk of a possible unfavorable outcome of the next battle, and did not move further to the west, but turned south, through Moravia to Hungary to join the forces of Batu, Kadan and Subudaya.

It seemed that even to the west of the incinerated Russian land, the Khan’s army was awaiting, albeit difficult, but still successful conquests.

But soon in Moravia near Olomouc, Khan Batu faced strong resistance from Czech and German heavily armed knightly troops. Here one of the detachments under the command of the Bohemian military leader Yaroslav defeated the Mongol-Tatar detachment of Temnik Peta. In the Czech Republic itself, the conquerors encountered the troops of the Czech king himself, in alliance with the Austrian and Carinthian dukes. Now Batu Khan had to take not Russian cities with wooden fortress walls, but well-fortified stone castles and fortresses, the defenders of which did not even think of fighting Batu’s cavalry in an open field.

Genghisid's army encountered strong resistance in Hungary, where it entered through the Carpathian passes. Having learned about the danger, the Hungarian king began to concentrate his troops in Pest. Having stood under the walls of the fortress city for about two months and devastated the surrounding area, Batu Khan did not storm Pest and left it, trying to lure the royal troops out from behind the fortress walls, which he succeeded in doing.

A major battle between the Mongols and the Hungarians took place on the Sayo River in March 1241.

The Hungarian king ordered his and allied forces set up a fortified camp on the opposite bank of the river, surrounding it with baggage carts, and heavily guard the bridge over the Sayo. At night, the Mongols captured the bridge and river fords and, crossing them, stood on the hills adjacent to the royal camp. The knights tried to attack them, but were repulsed by the Khan's archers and stone-throwing machines.

When the second knightly detachment left the fortified camp to attack, the Mongols surrounded it and destroyed it. Batu Khan ordered the passage to the Danube to be left free, into which the retreating Hungarians and their allies rushed. Mongol horse archers pursued, cutting off the “tail” part with sudden attacks royal army and destroying it. Within six days it was almost completely destroyed. On the shoulders of the fleeing Hungarians, the Mongol-Tatars burst into their capital, the city of Pest.

After the capture of the Hungarian capital, the Khan's troops under the command of Subedey and Kadan ravaged many cities of Hungary and pursued its king, who retreated to Dalmatia. At the same time, Kadan's large detachment passed through Slavonia, Croatia and Serbia, plundering and burning everything in its path.

The Mongol-Tatars reached the shores of the Adriatic and, to relieve the whole of Europe, turned their horses back to the East, to the steppes. This happened in the spring of 1242. Khan Batu, whose troops suffered significant losses in two campaigns against the Russian land, did not dare to leave the conquered, but not conquered, country in his rear.

The return journey through the southern Russian lands was no longer accompanied by fierce battles. Rus' lay in ruins and ashes. In 1243, Batu created on the occupied lands huge state — Golden Horde, whose possessions extended from the Irtysh to the Danube. The conqueror made the city of Sarai-Batu in the lower reaches of the Volga, near the modern city of Astrakhan, his capital.

The Russian land became a tributary of the Golden Horde for several centuries. Now Russian princes received labels for ownership of their ancestral appanage principalities in Sarai, from the Golden Horde ruler, who wanted to see conquered Rus' only weak. The entire population was subject to a heavy annual tribute. Any resistance of the Russian princes or popular indignation was severely punished.

Envoy of the Pope to the Mongols Giovanni del Plano Carpini, Italian by birth, one of the founders monastic order Franciscans, wrote after a solemn and humiliating audience for a European with the ruler of the Golden Horde

“...Batu lives in complete splendor, having gatekeepers and all officials like their Emperor. He also sits on a more elevated place, as on a throne, with one of his wives; others, both brothers and sons and other younger ones, sit lower in the middle on a bench, while other people sit behind them on the ground, with men sitting to the right, women to the left.”

Saray-Batu

In Sarai, Batu lived in large tents made of linen fabric, which previously belonged to the Hungarian king.

Batu Khan maintained his power in the Golden Horde military force, bribery and treachery. In 1251 he took part in a coup d'etat in Mongol Empire, during which, with his support, Munke became the Great Khan. However, Khan Batu even under him felt like a completely independent ruler.

Batu developed the military art of his predecessors, especially his great grandfather and father. It was characterized by sudden attacks, swift action large masses cavalry, evasion major battles that always threatened big losses warriors and horses, wearing out the enemy with the actions of light cavalry.

At the same time, Batu Khan became famous for his cruelty. The population of the conquered lands was subjected to mass extermination, which was a measure of intimidation of the enemy. The beginning of the Golden Horde yoke in Rus' is associated with the name of Batu Khan in Russian history.

Chronological table

1209 - Birth of Batu, son of Jochi and Uki-Khatun

August - death of Genghis Khan

1228-1229 - Participation of Batu in the kurultai, at which Ogedei, the third son of Genghis Khan, was approved as the Great Khan

1229 - First invasion of the troops of Ulus Jochi into Volga Bulgaria

1230 - Batu accompanies Ogedei on a campaign against the Jin Empire

1232 - Invasion of the troops of Ulus Jochi deep into the territory of Volga Bulgaria

1234 - At the kurultai Batu was entrusted with the conquest of Volga Bulgaria and Desht-i Kipchak

1235 - At the kurultai, the campaign to the West was declared the general cause of the family of Genghis Khan

1236 - Batu's campaign in Volga Bulgaria

1237 - Summer-autumn - conquest of Volga Bulgaria, defeat of the Kipchak hordes

December - attack on the Ryazan principality

April-May - siege and capture of Kozelsk

Summer-autumn - military operations against the Kipchaks, the peoples of the North Caucasus

Actions against the Kipchak leader Bachman

October - siege and capture of Chernigov

Autumn - Mongol invasion of Crimea

1240 Spring - advanced detachments of the Mongols under the command of Munke approach Kyiv, murder of the Mongol ambassadors

1241 Winter - devastation of Galician-Volynsk Rus

March - invasion of Poland, Hungary and Transylvania

1242 May 5 - death of Chagatai, the last son of Genghis Khan. Batu becomes “aka” - the head of the Borjigin clan.

Autumn - the end of the campaign to the West

1243 - First negotiations with the Russian princes, Grand Duke Yaroslav recognizes dependence on the Great Khan and his representative in the West - Batu

1244 - Seljuk Sultan Kay-Khosrow II recognizes dependence on Batu

1244-1245 — Batu’s troops fight in the North Caucasus

1245 - Georgian Queen Rusudan recognizes dependence on Batu

Murder of princes Mikhail of Chernigov and his relative Andrei at Batu headquarters (possibly by agreement with Yaroslav of Vladimir)

Daniil Galitsky admitted dependence on Batu

Summer - election of Guyuk, son of Ogedei, as great khan

1248 - Summer - death of Guyuk Khan during the campaign against Batu

1249-1250 - Attempts by Batu supporters to assemble a great kurultai to enthronement Munke, son of Tuluy

1251 - “Election” of Munke as Great Khan

1252 - The conspiracy against Munke is revealed. Reprisals by Munke and Batu against their opponents. "Nevryuev's army" in North-Eastern Rus'

1253 - Summer - arrival of William de Rubruck, envoy of Louis IX, to Batu

1254 - Daniil Galitsky begins military operations against the Mongols in Ponizia

1255 - Batu resolves the conflict between the Seljuk sultans Kay-Kavus II and Kilic-Arslan IV

1256 - Death of Batu. Death of Sartak. Munke appoints Ulagchi as ruler of Ulus Jochi

In the December days of 1237, there were bitter frosts in the territory between the Volga and Oka. In fact, the cold more than once came to the aid of the Russian armies, becoming a faithful ally in the most dramatic periods of history. He drove Napoleon away from Moscow, shackled the Nazis hand and foot in frozen trenches. But he could not do anything against the Tatar-Mongols.

Strictly speaking, the term “Tatar-Mongols”, which has long been established in the Russian tradition, is only half correct. In terms of the ethnic formation of the armies that came from the East and the political core of the Golden Horde, the Turkic-speaking peoples did not occupy important positions at that moment.

Genghis Khan conquered the Tatar tribes settled in the vast expanses of Siberia in early XIII century - just a few decades before the campaign of his descendants against Rus'.

Naturally, Tatar khans They supplied their recruits to the Horde not of their own free will, but under duress. There were much more signs of a relationship between a suzerain and a vassal than equal cooperation. The role and influence of the Turkic part of the Horde population increased much later. Well, in the 1230s, calling foreign invaders Tatar-Mongols was the same as calling the Nazis who reached Stalingrad German-Hungarian-Croats.

Russia has traditionally been successful against threats from the West, but has often capitulated to the East. Suffice it to remember that just a few years after Batu’s invasion, Rus' defeated on the Neva, and then on Lake Peipsi well-equipped Scandinavian and German knights.

The rapid whirlwind that swept through the lands of the Russian principalities in 1237-1238 and lasted until 1240 divided Russian history into “before” and “after”. It is not for nothing that the term “pre-Mongol period” is used in chronology. Finding itself under foreign yoke for 250 years, Rus' lost tens of thousands of its own killed and driven into slavery. the best people, forgot many technologies and crafts, forgot how to build structures from stone, and stopped in socio-political development.

Many historians are convinced that it was at that time that a lag behind Western Europe took shape, the consequences of which have not been overcome to this day.

Only a few dozen architectural monuments of the pre-Mongol era have survived to us. The St. Sophia Cathedral and the Golden Gate in Kyiv, the unique churches of the Vladimir-Suzdal land, are well known. Nothing has been preserved on the territory of the Ryazan region.

The Horde dealt especially cruelly with those who had the courage to resist. Neither the elderly nor children were spared - entire villages of Russians were slaughtered. During the Batu invasion, even before the siege of Ryazan, many important centers were burned and forever wiped off the face of the earth. ancient Russian state: Dedoslavl, Belgorod Ryazan, Ryazan Voronezh - today it is no longer possible to accurately determine their location.

Wikimedia

Actually, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Ryazan - we call it Old Ryazan - was located 60 kilometers from the modern city (then the small settlement of Pereslavl-Ryazan). The tragedy of “Russian Troy,” as poetic historians called it, is largely symbolic.

As in the war glorified by Homer on the shores of the Aegean Sea, there was a place here and heroic defense, and the cunning plan of the attackers, and even, possibly, betrayal.

The Ryazan people also had their own Hector - the heroic hero Evpatiy Kolovrat. According to legend, during the days of the siege of Ryazan he was with the embassy in Chernigov, where he unsuccessfully tried to negotiate help for the suffering region. Returning home, Kolovrat found only ruins and ashes: “... the rulers were killed and many people were killed: some were killed and flogged, others were burned, and others were drowned.” He soon recovered from the shock and decided to take revenge.

Wikimedia

Having overtaken the Horde already in the Suzdal region, Evpatiy and his small squad destroyed their rearguard, defeated the khan’s relative, Batyr Khostovrul, but in mid-January he himself died.

If you believe the “Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan by Batu,” the Mongols, shocked by the courage of the fallen Russian, gave his body to the surviving soldiers. The ancient Greeks were less merciful: the old king Priam had to ransom the corpse of his son Hector for gold.

Nowadays, the story of Kolovrat has been pulled out of oblivion and filmed by Janik Fayziev. Artistic value Critics have yet to evaluate the paintings and historical correspondence to real events.

But let's go back to December 1237. Having ravaged the cities and villages of the Ryazan region, on whose lands the first, most powerful and crushing blow During the entire campaign, Khan Batu for a long time did not dare to begin the assault on the capital.

Based on the experience of his predecessors, well imagining the events of the Battle of Kalka, the grandson of Genghis Khan obviously understood: it was possible to capture and, most importantly, keep Rus' in subjection only by centralizing all Mongol forces.

IN to a certain extent Batu, like Alexander I and Kutuzov, was lucky with his military leader. Subedei, talented commander and his grandfather’s comrade-in-arms, through a series of correct decisions, made a huge contribution to the ensuing defeat.

The military operations that served as a prologue to the siege, primarily on the Voronezh River, clearly showed all the weaknesses of the Russians, which the Mongols skillfully took advantage of. There was no unified command. Princes from other lands, mindful of many years of strife, refused to come to the rescue. At first, local but deep-seated grievances were stronger than the fear of a general threat.

If the knights of the princely equestrian squads were in no way inferior in fighting qualities to the elite warriors of the Horde army - noyons and nukers, then the basis of the Russian army, the militia, was poorly trained and could not compete in military skills with an experienced enemy.

Fortification systems were erected in cities to protect against neighboring principalities, which had a similar military arsenal, and not at all against steppe nomads.

According to historian Alexander Orlov, in the current conditions the Ryazan residents had no choice but to concentrate on defense. Their capabilities objectively did not suggest any other tactics.

Rus' of the 13th century was full of impenetrable forests. This is largely why Ryazan waited for its fate until mid-December. Batu was aware of internal strife in the enemy camp and the reluctance of the Chernigov and Vladimir princes to come to the rescue of the Ryazan people. When the frost tightly sealed the rivers with ice, heavily armed Mongol warriors walked along the riverbeds as if along a highway.

To begin with, the Mongols demanded submission and a tenth of the accumulated property. “If we are all gone, everything will be yours,” came the answer.

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The people of Ryazan, led by Grand Duke Yuri Igorevich, defended themselves desperately. They threw stones and poured arrows, tar and boiling water on the enemy from the fortress walls. The Mongols had to call for reinforcements and offensive machines - catapults, rams, siege towers.

The fight lasted five days - on the sixth, gaps appeared in the fortifications, the Horde broke into the city and committed lynching over the defenders. The head of defense, his family, and almost all ordinary Ryazan residents accepted death.

In January, Kolomna fell, the most important outpost on the border of the Ryazan region and the Vladimir-Suzdal land, the key to North-Eastern Rus'.

Then it was Moscow’s turn: Voivode Philip Nyanka defended the oak Kremlin for five days until he shared the fate of his neighbors. As the Laurentian Chronicle tells, all the churches were burned and the inhabitants were killed.

Batu's victorious march continued. Many decades remained before the first serious successes of the Russians in the confrontation with the Mongols.

Background

(From materials by Viktor Voskoboynikov
http://www.russian.kiev.ua/material.php?id=11607534)

Batu was the beloved grandson of the great Genghis Khan and the direct heir of his eldest son Dyaguchi. The latter appeared on the soil of Rus', fulfilling the obligations of his father. Genghis Khan in 1224 (three years before his death) entrusted his sons with the further realization of his dream - the conquest of the world. Batu's father was supposed to conquer the Cumans (Cumans) in the Kipchak steppe, Khiva, part of the Caucasus, Crimea and Ancient Kievan Rus, but did not do it. Therefore, “by accident” in 1227 (a few months before the death of Genghis Khan), he “fell” from his horse while hunting and broke his spine (according to Genghis Khan’s Yass (a set of short laws), a Mongol does not shed the blood of a Mongol, but they often broke each other’s spines).

At the kurultai (congresses) of 1229 and 1235. it was decided to send a large army to conquer new spaces north of the Caspian and Black Seas.

Supreme Khan Ogotai entrusted the leadership of this campaign to Batu. With him went Ordu, Shiban, Tangkut, Kadan, Buri and Paydar (direct descendants of Genghis Khan) and best commanders Subutai and Bagatur. In this strategic campaign Tatar-Mongol troops after the defeat of Ancient Kievan Rus, following the Cumans (Cumans), they conquered part of Western Europe. Starting with Hungary, where the Polovtsian hordes went, they then conquered and plundered Poland, the Czech Republic, Moravia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Dalmatia.

The conquest of Rus' was very difficult due to large quantity cities. “The Tale of Bygone Years” names for the 9th – 10th centuries. more than twenty cities, for the 11th century - 64, in the 12th century - 134, and by the time of Batu's invasion - 271 cities. This list is incomplete, since the cities were mentioned in the chronicle only in connection with some important events, political or military. According to some sources, there were about 414 cities.

Therefore, the Tatar-Mongol troops showed such brutal cruelty when capturing the first few dozen cities, so that the rest, under the influence of fear of being destroyed, submitted voluntarily. This strategic plan of Batu worked.

After the destruction of the capital of Volga Bulgaria, the city of Bulgar, by Mongol troops under the leadership of Batu, who was elected in 1235 as the head of the campaign, the victory over the Cumans and Volga peoples, the Mongols began to prepare for an invasion of North-Eastern Rus'. The Ryazan principality bordered the steppe.

Batu's invasion of Rus'. The capture and destruction of Ryazan by Batu

(From the materials of the book “Ryazan History in Persons”, A.F. Agarev, V.P. Kuryshkin
Ryazan: Russian word, 2012)

The Russian princes did not take any defensive measures. Over many years of fighting against nomads, they are accustomed to the fact that they attack either at the beginning of spring or in autumn. They never expected an attack in winter. No one was able to assess the extent of the danger looming over the country. The Ryazan principality was the first on the path of the Mongols, and they started there, sending ambassadors to its prince - a certain “sorceress” and two husbands. The ambassadors conveyed Batu's demand for obedience and payment of tithes “in everything” - income, people, horses. The Mongols imposed such a tribute on all conquered peoples. The residents of Ryazan rejected the ultimatum, telling the ambassadors: “If we are not all there, then everything will be yours.”

Only after this did the Ryazan prince Yuri Igorevich begin to prepare for battle. At the same time, he turned to Yuri Vsevolodovich Vladimirsky for help, but he refused to help. The princes of Chernigov and Novgorod-Seversk refused help.

The principalities of North-Eastern Rus', plunged into strife, were unable to agree on joint defense even in the face of mortal danger. In the south, the unification of forces was achieved thanks to the energy and authority of Mstislav the Udaly. In the northeast, a similar role could have been played by the Pereyaslav prince Yaroslav or the Vladimir prince Yuri. But both of them tried to avoid participating in the war. The Ryazan princes took a decisive position, but at that time they did not yet have sufficient authority to create and lead an anti-Mongol alliance.

Ryazan was actually abandoned to its fate due to disagreements between the Ryazan princes. The eldest of them, Prince Yuri Ryazansky, decided to defend the capital. The younger princes left their cities and retreated to the Suzdal border, hoping that the Vladimir prince would nevertheless send his regiments to their aid. There is information that the Ryazan princes tried to give battle to the Mongols in southern limits their principality, near Voronezh, but were defeated.

Having captured the cities of Pronsk, Belgorod and Izheslavl, Batu approached the walls of Ryazan on December 16, 1237. The capital of the Ryazan principality was well fortified - the height of the earthen ramparts reached ten meters. On the ramparts rose oak walls with loopholes and towers. With the onset of frost, the ramparts were watered, which made them impregnable.

But the Mongols had a numerical advantage, and moreover, they had much more experience than the Ryazan squad and the city militia. Taking advantage of their multiple numerical superiority, they carried out a continuous assault, changing attacking detachments, while the Ryazan residents remained on the city walls and, after two or three sleepless nights, lost combat readiness. “Batu’s army changed, and the townspeople fought constantly,” writes the author of “The Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan by Batu” about this.

Fragment No. 2 of the diorama Defense of Old Ryazan

After a five-day siege, on December 21, 1237, the fortress was stormed and burned. Chronicles tell of a total massacre of the entire population of the city, including priests and monks.

“Batu’s army changed, and the townspeople fought constantly. And many townspeople were killed, and others were wounded, and others were exhausted from great labors. And on the sixth day, early in the morning, the wicked went to the city - some with lights, others with vices, and others with countless stairs - and took the city of Ryazan in the month of December on the twenty-first day. And they came to the cathedral church Holy Mother of God, And Grand Duchess Agrippina, the mother of the Grand Duke, with her daughters-in-law and other princesses, was flogged with swords, and the bishop and priests were put on fire - they were burned in the holy church, and many others fell from weapons. And in the city many people, both wives and children, were cut with swords. And others were drowned in the river, and the priests and monks were flogged without a trace, and the entire city was burned, and all the famous beauty, and the wealth of Ryazan, and their relatives - the princes of Kyiv and Chernigov - were captured.

But they destroyed the temples of God and shed a lot of blood in the holy altars. And not a single living person remained in the city: they all died and drank the single cup of death. There was no one moaning or crying here - no father and mother about their children, no children about their father and mother, no brother about their brother, no relatives about their relatives, but they all lay dead together. And all this happened for our sins.”

The capital of the Ryazan principality, numbering several tens of thousands of people, which received more more who fled here when the Mongol-Tatar army approached, was completely destroyed, and the stone temples were destroyed. During the defense of Ryazan, Prince Yuri Igorevich and members of his family died.

Batu. Batu's invasion of Rus'

Parents: Jochi (1127+), ?;

Life highlights:

Batu, Khan of the Golden Horde, son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan. According to the division made by Temuchin in 1224, the eldest son, Jochi, inherited the Kipchat steppe, Khiva, part of the Caucasus, Crimea and Russia (Ulus Jochi). Having done nothing to actually take possession of the part assigned to him, Jochi died in 1227.

At the sejms (kurultays) of 1229 and 1235, it was decided to send a large army to conquer the spaces north of the Caspian and Black Seas. Khan Ogedei put Batu at the head of this campaign. With him went Ordu, Shiban, Tangkut, Kadan, Buri and Paydar (descendants of Temujin) and the generals Subutai and Bagatur.

In its movement, this invasion captured not only the Russian principalities, but also part of Western Europe. Meaning in this latter initially only Hungary, where the Cumans (Cumans) left the Tatars, it spread to Poland, the Czech Republic, Moravia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Dalmatia.

Rising along the Volga, Batu defeated the Bulgars, then turned west, ravaged Ryazan (December 1237), Moscow, Vladimir-on-Klyazma (February 1238), moved to Novgorod, but due to the spring thaw he left for Polovtsian steppes, dealing with Kozelsk along the way. In 1239, Batu conquered Pereyaslavl, Chernigov, ravaged Kyiv (December 6, 1240), Kamenets, Vladimir-on-Volyn, Galich and Lodyzhin (December 1240). Here Batu's horde split. A unit led by Kadan and Ordu went to Poland (Sandomierz was defeated on February 13, 1241, Krakow on March 24, Opole and Breslau), where near Liegnitz Polish forces suffered a terrible defeat.

The extreme western point of this movement turned out to be Meissen: the Mongols did not dare to move further west. Europe was taken by surprise and did not offer united and organized resistance. The Czech forces were late at Liegnitz and were sent to Lusatia to cross the intended route of the Mongols to the west. The latter turned south to defenseless Moravia, which was devastated.

Another large part, led by Batu, went to Hungary, where Kadan and Horde soon joined with it. King Bela IV of Hungary was completely defeated by Batu and fled. Batu passed through Hungary, Croatia and Dalmatia, inflicting defeats everywhere. Khan Ogedei died in December 1241; This news, received by Batu at the height of his European successes, forced him to rush to Mongolia to take part in the election of a new khan. In March 1242, the opposite, no less devastating, movement of the Mongols began through Bosnia, Serbia and Bulgaria.

Later, Batu made no attempts to fight in the west, settling with his horde on the banks of the Volga and forming the vast state of the Golden Horde.

INVASION OF BATYA ON RUSSIA.1237-1240.

In 1224, an unknown people appeared; an unheard of army came, godless Tatars, about whom no one knows well who they are and where they came from, and what kind of language they have, and what tribe they are, and what kind of faith they have... The Polovtsians could not resist them and ran to the Dnieper. Their Khan Kotyan was the father-in-law of Mstislav Galitsky; he came with a bow to the prince, his son-in-law, and to all the Russian princes..., and said: The Tatars took our land today, and tomorrow they will take yours, so protect us; if you don’t help us, then we will be cut off today, and you will be cut off tomorrow.” “The princes thought and thought and finally decided to help Kotyan.” The campaign began in April when the rivers were in full flood. The troops were heading down the Dnieper. Command was carried out The Kyiv prince Mstislav Romanovich and Mstislav the Udaly informed the Russian princes about the treachery of the Tatars. On the 17th day of the campaign, the army stopped near Olshen, somewhere on the bank of the Ros. There, the second Tatar embassy found him. Unlike the first, when the ambassadors were killed, These were released. Immediately after crossing the Dnieper, Russian troops encountered the enemy’s vanguard, chased after it for 8 days, and on the eighth day they reached the bank of the Kalka. Here Mstislav Udaloy and some princes immediately crossed the Kalka, leaving Mstislav of Kyiv on the other bank.

According to Laurentian Chronicle, the battle took place on May 31, 1223. The troops that crossed the river were almost completely destroyed, while the camp of Mstislav of Kyiv, set up on the other bank and strongly fortified, the troops of Jebe and Subedei stormed for 3 days and were able to take it only by cunning and deceit.

The Battle of Kalka was lost not so much because of disagreements between the rival princes, but because of historical factors. Firstly, Jebe’s army was tactically and positionally completely superior to the united regiments of the Russian princes, who had in their ranks for the most part princely squads, reinforced in this case by the Polovtsians. This entire army did not have sufficient unity, was not trained in combat tactics, based more on the personal courage of each warrior. Secondly, such a united army also needed a sole commander, recognized not only by the leaders, but also by the warriors themselves, and who would exercise unified command. Thirdly, the Russian troops, making mistakes in assessing the enemy’s forces, were also unable to correctly choose the battle site, the terrain of which was completely favorable to the Tatars. However, in fairness it must be said that at that time, not only in Rus', but also in Europe, there would not have been an army capable of competing with the formations of Genghis Khan.

The Military Council of 1235 declared an all-Mongol campaign to the west. Batu, the grandson of Genghis Khan, son of Jugha, was chosen as leader. All winter the Mongols gathered in the upper reaches of the Irtysh, preparing for a big campaign. In the spring of 1236, countless horsemen, countless herds, endless carts with military equipment and siege weapons moved west. In the autumn of 1236, their army attacked Volga Bulgaria, possessing a huge superiority of forces, they broke through the Bulgar defense line, cities were taken one after another. Bulgaria was terribly destroyed and burned. The Polovtsians took the second blow, most of whom were killed, the rest fled to Russian lands. The Mongol troops moved in two large arcs, using "round-up" tactics.

One arc Batu (Mordovians along the way), the other arc Guisk Khan (Polovtsians), the ends of both arcs abutted in Rus'.

The first city that stood in the way of the conquerors was Ryazan. The Battle of Ryazan began on December 16, 1237. The population of the city was 25 thousand people. Ryazan was protected on three sides by well-fortified walls, and on the fourth by a river (bank). But after five days of siege, the walls of the city, destroyed by powerful siege weapons, could not stand it and on December 21, Ryazan fell. An army of nomads stood near Ryazan for ten days - they plundered the city, divided the spoils, and plundered neighboring villages. Next, Batu’s army moved to Kolomna. On the way, they were unexpectedly attacked by a detachment led by Evpatiy Kolovrat, a Ryazan resident. His detachment numbered about 1,700 people. Despite the numerical superiority of the Mongols, he boldly attacked the hordes of enemies and fell in battle, causing enormous damage to the enemy. Grand Duke Vladimirsky Yuri Vsevolodovich, who did not respond to the call of the Ryazan prince to jointly oppose Khan Batu, himself found himself in danger. But he made good use of the time that passed between the attacks on Ryazan and Vladimir (about a month). He managed to concentrate quite a significant army on Batu’s proposed path. The place where the Vladimir regiments gathered to repel the Mongol-Tatars was the city of Kolomna. In terms of the number of troops and the tenacity of the battle, the battle near Kolomna can be considered one of the most significant events of the invasion. But they were defeated due to the numerical superiority of the Mongol-Tatars. Having defeated the army and destroyed the city, Batu set off along the Moscow River towards Moscow. Moscow held back the attacks of the conquerors for five days. The city was burned and almost all the inhabitants were killed. After this, the nomads headed to Vladimir. On the way from Ryazan to Vladimir, the conquerors had to storm every city, repeatedly fight with Russian warriors in the “open field”; defend against surprise attacks from ambushes. The heroic resistance of the ordinary Russian people held back the conquerors. On February 4, 1238, the siege of Vladimir began. Grand Duke Yuri Vsevolodovich left part of the troops to defend the city, and on the other hand went north to gather an army. The defense of the city was led by his sons Vsevolod and Mstislav. But before this, the conquerors took Suzdal (30 km from Vladimir) by storm, and without any particular difficulties. Vladimir fell after a difficult battle, causing enormous damage to the conqueror. The last inhabitants were burned in the Stone Cathedral. Vladimir was the last city of North-Eastern Rus', which was besieged by the united forces of Batu Khan. The Mongol-Tatars had to make a decision so that three tasks would be completed at once: to cut off Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich from Novgorod, defeat the remnants of the Vladimir forces and pass through all river and trade routes, destroying cities - centers of resistance. Batu's troops were divided into three parts: to the north to Rostov and further to the Volga, to the east - to the middle Volga, to the northwest to Tver and Torzhok. Rostov surrendered without a fight, as did Uglich. As a result of the February campaigns of 1238, the Mongol-Tatars destroyed Russian cities in the territory from the Middle Volga to Tver, a total of fourteen cities.

The defense of Kozelsk lasted seven weeks. Even when the Tatars broke into the city, the Kozelites continued to fight. They attacked the invaders with knives, axes, clubs, and strangled them with their bare hands. Batu lost about 4 thousand soldiers. The Tatars nicknamed Kozelsk evil city. By order of Batu, all the inhabitants of the city, down to the last baby, were destroyed, and the city was destroyed to the ground.

Batu withdrew his badly battered and thinned army beyond the Volga. In 1239 he resumed his campaign against Rus'. One detachment of Tatars went up the Volga and devastated the Mordovian land, the cities of Murom and Gorokhovets. Batu himself with the main forces headed towards the Dnieper. Bloody battles between Russians and Tatars took place everywhere. After heavy fighting, the Tatars ravaged Pereyaslavl, Chernigov and other cities. In the autumn of 1240, the Tatar hordes approached Kyiv. Batu was amazed by the beauty and grandeur of the ancient Russian capital. He wanted to take Kyiv without a fight. But the people of Kiev decided to fight to the death. Prince of Kyiv Mikhail went to Hungary. The defense of Kyiv was led by Voivode Dmitry. All residents rose to defend their hometown. Craftsmen forged weapons, sharpened axes and knives. Everyone capable of wielding weapons stood on the city walls. Children and women brought them arrows, stones, ash, sand, boiled water, and boiled resin.

The battering machines were banging around the clock. The Tatars broke through the gates, but ran into a stone wall, which the Kievans built in one night. Finally, the enemy managed to destroy the fortress walls and break into the city. The battle continued on the streets of Kyiv for a long time. For several days the invaders destroyed and looted houses and exterminated the remaining inhabitants. The wounded governor Dmitry was brought to Batu. But the bloody khan spared the leader of the defense of Kyiv for his bravery.

Having devastated Kyiv, the Tatars went to the Galician-Volyn land. There they destroyed many cities and villages, littering the entire land with corpses. Then Tatar troops invaded Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Weakened by numerous battles with the Russians, the Tatars did not dare to advance to the West. Batu understood that Rus' remained defeated, but not conquered, in the rear. Fearing her, he abandoned further conquests. The Russian people took upon themselves the full brunt of the fight against the Tatar hordes and thereby saved Western Europe from a terrible, devastating invasion.

In 1241, Batu returned to Rus'. In 1242, Batu Khan in the lower reaches of the Volga, where he established his new capital - Sarai-batu. Horde yoke established in Rus' by the end of the 13th century, after the creation of the state of Batu Khan - the Golden Horde, which stretched from the Danube to the Irtysh. The Mongol-Tatar invasion caused great damage to the Russian state. Enormous damage was caused to the economic, political and cultural development of Rus'. The old agricultural centers and once-developed territories became desolate and fell into decay. Russian cities were subjected to massive destruction. Many crafts have become simpler and sometimes disappeared. Tens of thousands of people were killed or taken into slavery. The ongoing struggle waged by the Russian people against the invaders forced the Mongol-Tatars to abandon the creation of their own administrative bodies of power in Rus'. Rus' retained its statehood. This was facilitated by more low level cultural and historical development of the Tatars. In addition, Russian lands were unsuitable for raising nomadic cattle. The main purpose of enslavement was to obtain tribute from the conquered people. The size of the tribute was very large. The size of the tribute alone in favor of the khan was 1300 kg of silver per year.

In addition, deductions from trade duties and various taxes went to the khan's treasury. In total there were 14 types of tribute in favor of the Tatars. The Russian principalities made attempts not to obey the horde. However, the forces to overthrow the Tatar-Mongol yoke were still not enough. Realizing this, the most far-sighted Russian princes - Alexander Nevsky and Daniil Galitsky - took a more flexible policy towards the Horde and the khan. Realizing that an economically weak state would never be able to resist the Horde, Alexander Nevsky set a course for restoring and boosting the economy of the Russian lands.

Batu's invasion of Rus'

Key dates and events:

1206 - formation of the Mongol state, proclamation of Temujin as Genghis Khan;

1223 - battle on the Kalka River;

1237 - beginning of Batu’s campaign against North-Eastern Russia;

1238 - Battle of the City River;

1239-1240 - Batu's campaign against South-Western Rus'.

Historical figures: Genghis Khan; Batu; Yuri Vsevolodovich; Daniil Romanovich; Evpatiy Kolovrat.

Basic terms and concepts: temnik; nuker; invasion; yoke.

Response Plan: 1) formation of the Mongolian state; 2) Genghis Khan’s campaigns in Asia; 3) battle on the Kalka River; 4) Batu’s invasion of North-Eastern Russia; 5) Batu’s campaign in Southwestern Russia and Western Europe; 6) the consequences of the invasion for Russian lands.

Material for the answer: At the beginning of the 13th century. Mongol tribes who lived in Central Asia, entered a period of decomposition of the tribal system and the formation of statehood. In 1206, at the kurultai - congress of representatives Mongol nobility- Temujin, who took the name of Genghis Khan, was proclaimed the ruler of the Mongolian state. The main instrument of his state power was a powerful and numerous army, distinguished by high organization and iron discipline. The controllability of this army was ensured largely thanks to its thoughtful division into tens, hundreds, thousands and “darkness” (10,000) nukers (warriors).

The aggressive nature of the Mongol state was rooted not only in the presence strong army, but also in the economic system of the Mongols itself, which was based on nomadic cattle breeding. Grazing numerous flocks of livestock required moving across large areas. In addition, military booty became almost the only source of subsistence for many warriors and a source of enrichment for military leaders.

In 1207-1215 the Mongols captured Siberia and Northwestern China, and in 1219 began an invasion of Central Asia, and in 1222 - in Transcaucasia.

On May 31, 1223, the first battle of Russian squads with the Mongols took place on the Kalka River. The attempts of the princes to agree on the formation of a single army and unified administration led to nothing; this became the main reason for the brutal defeat of the southern Russian princes and Polovtsian khans who opposed the Mongols. Nevertheless, the advanced detachment of the Mongols did not dare to move further and retreated to Asia.

With the death of Genghis Khan, his power collapsed. In 1235, at the kurultai, a decision was made to march to the West. The troops were led by Genghis Khan's grandson Batu (nicknamed Batu in Rus').

In 1236 he defeated detachments of the Kama Bulgars and in the winter of 1237 he invaded North-Eastern Rus'. Despite the stubborn and selfless resistance of Russian military detachments and local population, for short term Ryazan, Kolomna, Moscow, Vladimir, Suzdal, Yaroslavl, Tver, Kostroma were taken and devastated. The squads of Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich of Vladimir were defeated in an unequal battle. North-Eastern Rus' came under power Mongol khans. However, the resistance to the invaders was so stubborn, and the losses were so great that Batu, not reaching 100 km from Novgorod, ordered a retreat to the south, to the steppe regions for rest. Only in 1239 did he undertake a new campaign - against Southern and South-Western Rus'. Kyiv and other cities were captured and plundered, Galicia-Volyn Principality. In 1240, Batu's troops invaded the countries Central Europe. However, weakened by Russian resistance, the Mongol army could not withstand the fight against the new enemy. In addition, nomads were not used to fighting in mountainous and forested areas. After the defeat from the combined forces of the Czech Republic and Hungary near Olomouc (1242), Batu ordered to return to the Volga valley.