Battle of the Alta River. History of Ancient Rus'. The history of the undeservedly forgotten battle for the independence of Rus' (1 photo)
8 battles of the Russians, in which the Russians defeated a superior enemy8 battles of the Russians, in which the Russians defeated a many times superior enemy, acting not with numbers, but with skill, demonstrating the famous Russian spirit.
These eight battles are by no means the entire list of Russian victories over a superior enemy, but at the moment we will only cover them.
On January 10, 1878, Russian troops and Bulgarian militias defeated Vesil Pasha’s 30,000-strong Turkish army near Shipka.
In six days of fighting at the Shipka Pass, our troops lost up to 3,350 people, that is, virtually the entire original garrison, but the Turks lost about 12 thousand people.
And the war ended with the victory of Russia and the liberation of Bulgaria.
However, this is not the only victory of the Russian army that it won over a numerically superior enemy.
1. Battle of the Neva
On July 15, 1240, the Battle of the Neva, probably known to every Russian schoolchild, took place, but not many people know that the Novgorod army was half the size of the Swedish one. The Russian warriors who attacked the crusaders were about 1,200 people, and the Swedes were about four thousand infantry and knights. Therefore, before the battle, Alexander Nevsky inspired the squad with a speech, the phrase of which has survived to this day and become popular: “Brothers! God is not in power, but in truth! We will not be afraid of the multitude of warriors, for God is with us.” As you know, the Swedes were defeated and fled; their leader, the son-in-law of the Swedish king, Earl Birger, was wounded in a duel by the Russian prince.
2. Battle of Molodi.
July 29 - August 2, 1572, Russian warriors destroyed the Tatar-Turkish-Nogai horde marching towards Moscow. More than 120 thousand Crimeans and Janissaries under the overall command of Devlet-Girey intended to conquer the Muscovite kingdom. 50 versts from Moscow they were met by 25 thousand archers, Don Cossacks and German mercenaries, led by the best Russian commanders: princes Mikhail Vorotynsky (head of the border guard), Ivan Sheremetev and oprichnina governor Dmitry Khvorostinin. During the four-day battle of Molodi, more than 110 thousand Tatars and Turkish infantry were destroyed. The son, grandson and son-in-law of Devlet-Girey died under Russian sabers. This battle has no analogues in the history of military art: the Russians did not block the enemy’s path to the capital, but with a threat from the rear they forced a battle on him even before approaching it, pulled him into a meat grinder, were able to hold out and exhaust his strength, and then at the right moment inflicted a decisive blow. hit. The military power of the long-time enemy was undermined, and he was no longer able to restore his previous strength. Yes, scattered nomads complicated life on the outskirts for a long time, but there were no more trips for slaves deep into Rus'.
3. Azov seat.
On June 7, 1641, Turkish-Tatar troops under the command of the experienced commander of the Silistrian governor Huseyn Pasha besieged Azov, which was held by the Cossacks, from all sides. The fortress was besieged by 200-250 thousand cavalrymen, infantrymen, sailors and foreign mercenaries. They were opposed by about eight thousand Don and Zaporozhye Cossacks. The besieged fought off several bloody and multi-day assaults. On September 26, having lost about 30 thousand people, the Turkish army retreated. The trophies of the Azov seat - the gate leaves of the fortress, two gates and the yoke of the city trading scales - are currently stored near the bell tower of the military Resurrection Cathedral of the village of Starocherkassk, Rostov region.
4. Battle of the Kalalah River.
On April 3, 1774, two Cossack regiments, totaling about a thousand people, defeated the approximately 25,000-strong Tatar horde of the Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey. The Don Cossacks, commanded by 23-year-old Matvey Platov, gained a foothold on the top of the hill and repelled several enemy assaults. When the Cossacks ran out of cartridges, another detachment of Russian troops went to the rear of the Tatar army - a squadron of Akhtyrsky hussars and the Cossack regiment of Colonel Uvarov. “Tens of thousands of people, undoubtedly brave, suddenly trembled and, mingling like a timid herd, turned into an uncontrollable flight. Panic began - that terrible panic that unconsciously covers the masses and subordinates them only to the animal instinct of self-salvation. This was the finale, after which the entire Tatar crowd fled in different directions and there was no longer any possibility of collecting it,” this is how academician Potto described the battle. Now at the site of the battle in the Krasnogvardeisky district of the Stavropol Territory, a worship cross has been installed.
5. Battle of Shengraben.
On November 3, 1805, a 6,000-strong detachment under the command of Bagration fought off attacks by a 30,000-strong French army for eight hours. The Russian detachment not only held out, having lost 2,000 people, but also retreated in perfect order to the main parts of the army. The commander of the Russian corps, Mikhail Kutuzov, wrote to Emperor Alexander I: “Bagration joined the army, bringing with him prisoners: one colonel, two officers, fifty privates and one French banner.” As part of the small Russian detachment that showed courage and heroism, there was the Chernigov Dragoon Regiment, which for this battle received the St. George standard with the inscription “Five against Thirty,” which became the motto of the regiment for many years.
6. Battle of Klyastitsy.
On July 18-20, 1812, Russian troops under the command of Lieutenant General Peter Wittgenstein defeated the superior French forces of Marshal Oudinot and stopped the enemy's advance towards the capital of the empire - St. Petersburg. This was the first major victory of the Russian army in the War of 1812. Of the 28 thousand people, Marshal Oudinot lost 10 thousand killed and wounded, three thousand French were captured. Russian troops out of 17 thousand people lost about 4 thousand soldiers and officers. Marshal Oudinot's corps retreated beyond the Western Dvina, thus the French offensive on the capital of the Russian Empire failed. Lieutenant General Wittgenstein was awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd class. The Russian emperor called him the savior of the capital. From the citizens, the Russian commander received the honorary title of Defender of Petrov's City, which was first heard in a song ending with the following words: “Praise, praise to you, hero! That the city of Petrov was saved by you!”
7. Battle of Elisavetpol.
On September 13, 1826, Field Marshal Paskevich, with 10 thousand infantry and cavalry, defeated the 35 thousand-strong Persian army, which was twice as large as the Russians in the number of guns. The Persians lost about 1,100 people captured and more than two thousand killed. The losses of Russian troops amounted to 46 killed and 249 wounded. Paskevich was awarded a golden sword decorated with diamonds, with the inscription: “For the defeat of the Persians at Elisavetpol.”
8. Battle of Sarykamysh.
December 9, 1914 - January 4, 1915, Russian troops stopped the advance of several Turkish armies under the command of Enver Pasha into the Caucasus. After the bloody battles, only about 10 thousand people out of the 90,000-strong Turkish group survived, the rest were killed or captured. The losses of the Russian troops of General Nikolai Yudenich, who numbered 63 thousand people before the start of the battle, amounted to 30,000 killed and wounded.
The Russian army is rightfully considered one of the strongest and most combat-ready in history. Evidence of this is the many brilliant victories won by Russian soldiers in battles with opponents that were superior to them.
Battle of Kulikovo (1380)
The battle on the Kulikovo Field summed up the long-term confrontation between Rus' and the Horde. The day before, Mamai entered into a confrontation with the Moscow Grand Duke Dmitry, who refused to increase the tribute paid to the Horde. This prompted the khan to take military action.
Dmitry managed to assemble an impressive army, consisting of Moscow, Serpukhov, Belozersk, Yaroslavl and Rostov regiments. According to various estimates, on September 8, 1380, from 40 to 70 thousand Russians and from 90 to 150 thousand Horde troops fought in the decisive battle. The victory of Dmitry Donskoy significantly weakened the Golden Horde, which predetermined its further collapse.
Battle of Molodi (1572)
In 1571, the Crimean Khan Devlet Giray, during a raid on Moscow, burned the Russian capital, but was unable to enter it. A year later, having received the support of the Ottoman Empire, he organized a new campaign against Moscow. However, this time the Crimean-Turkish army was forced to stop 40 kilometers south of the capital, near the village of Molodi.
According to the chronicles, Devlet Giray brought with him an army of 120 thousand. However, historians insist on the figure of 60 thousand. One way or another, the Crimean-Turkish forces significantly outnumbered the Russian army, whose number did not exceed 20 thousand people. Prince Mikhail Vorotynsky managed to lure the enemy into a trap and defeat him with a sudden strike from the reserve.
Battle of Poltava (1709)
In the autumn of 1708, instead of marching on Moscow, the Swedish king Charles XII turned south to wait out the winter and move on the capital with renewed vigor. However, without waiting for reinforcements from Stanislav Leszczynski. Having been refused help from the Turkish Sultan, he decided to give a general battle to the Russian army near Poltava.
Not all assembled forces took part in the battle. For various reasons, on the Swedish side, out of 37 thousand, no more than 17 thousand people entered the battle, on the Russian side, out of 60 thousand, about 34 thousand fought. The victory achieved by Russian troops on June 27, 1709 under the command of Peter I, brought a turning point in the Northern war. Soon the end of Swedish domination in the Baltic was put to an end.
Capture of Izmail (1790)
The capture of the stronghold - the Turkish fortress of Izmail - fully revealed the military genius of Suvorov. Previously, Ishmael did not submit to either Nikolai Repnin, Ivan Gudovich, or Grigory Potemkin. All hopes were now pinned on Alexander Suvorov.
The commander spent six days preparing for the siege of Izmail, working with his troops to take a wooden model of the high fortress walls. On the eve of the assault, Suvorov sent an ultimatum to Aidozle-Mehmet Pasha:
“I arrived here with the troops. Twenty-four hours to think - and will. My first shot is already captivity. Assault is death."
“It’s more likely that the Danube will flow backwards and the sky will fall to the ground than Ishmael will surrender,” answered the pasha.
The Danube did not change its course, but in less than 12 hours the defenders were thrown off the fortress tops, and the city was taken. Thanks to a skillful siege, out of 31 thousand soldiers, the Russians lost a little more than 4 thousand, the Turks lost 26 thousand out of 35 thousand.
Battle of Elisavetpol (1826)
One of the key episodes of the Russian-Persian War of 1826-1828 was the battle near Elisavetpol (now the Azerbaijani city of Ganja). The victory then achieved by Russian troops under the command of Ivan Paskevich over the Persian army of Abbas Mirza became an example of military leadership.
Paskevich managed to use the confusion of the Persians who had fallen into the ravine to launch a counterattack. Despite the superior enemy forces (35 thousand against 10 thousand), the Russian regiments began to push back Abbas Mirza’s army along the entire front of the attack. The losses of the Russian side amounted to 46 killed, the Persians were missing 2,000 people.
Brusilovsky breakthrough (1916)
The offensive operation of the Southwestern Front under the command of General Alexei Brusilov, carried out from May to September 1916, became, according to military historian Anton Kersnovsky, “a victory such as we have never won in a world war.” The number of forces that were involved on both sides is also impressive - 1,732,000 Russian soldiers and 1,061,000 soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian and German armies.
The Brusilov breakthrough, thanks to which Bukovina and Eastern Galicia were occupied, became a turning point in the First World War. Germany and Austria-Hungary, having lost a significant part of the army, repelling the Russian offensive operation, eventually gave up the strategic initiative to the Entente.
Battle of Moscow (1941-1942)
The long and bloody defense of Moscow, which began in September 1941, moved into the offensive phase on December 5, ending on April 20, 1942. Near Moscow, Soviet troops inflicted the first painful defeat on Germany, thereby thwarting the plans of the German command to capture the capital before the onset of cold weather.
The length of the front of the Moscow operation, which unfolded from Kalyazin in the north to Ryazhsk in the south, exceeded 2 thousand km. More than 2.8 million military personnel, 21 thousand mortars and guns, 2 thousand tanks and 1.6 thousand aircraft took part in the operation on both sides.
German General Gunther Blumentritt recalled:
“Now it was important for German political leaders to understand that the days of the blitzkrieg were a thing of the past. We were confronted by an army whose fighting qualities were far superior to all other armies we had ever encountered.”
Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943)
The Battle of Stalingrad is considered the largest land battle in human history. The total losses of both sides, according to rough estimates, exceed 2 million people, about 100 thousand German soldiers were captured. For the Axis countries, the defeat at Stalingrad turned out to be decisive, after which Germany was no longer able to restore its strength.
The French writer Jean-Richard Bloch rejoiced in those victorious days: “Listen, Parisians! The first three divisions that invaded Paris in June 1940, the three divisions that, at the invitation of the French General Denz, desecrated our capital, these three divisions - the hundredth, one hundred and thirteenth and two hundred and ninety-fifth - no longer exist! They were destroyed at Stalingrad: the Russians avenged Paris!”
Battle of Kursk (1943)
Battle of Kursk
The victory of the Soviet troops at the Kursk Bulge brought a radical turning point in the course of the Great Patriotic War. The positive outcome of the battle was a consequence of the strategic advantage gained by the Soviet command, as well as the superiority in manpower and equipment that had developed by that time. For example, in the legendary tank battle of Prokhorovka, the General Staff was able to field 597 units of equipment, while the German command had only 311.
At the Tehran Conference that followed the Battle of Kursk, US President Franklin Roosevelt became so bold that he discussed a plan he personally drew up to divide Germany into 5 states.
Capture of Berlin (1945)
Soviet artillery on the approaches to Berlin, April 1945.
The assault on Berlin was the final part of the Berlin offensive operation, which lasted 23 days. Soviet troops were forced to capture the German capital alone due to the Allies’ refusal to participate in this operation. Stubborn and bloody battles claimed the lives of at least 100 thousand Soviet soldiers.
“It is unthinkable that such a huge fortified city could be taken so quickly. We know of no other such examples in the history of World War II,” wrote historian Alexander Orlov.
The result of the capture of Berlin was the exit of Soviet troops to the Elbe River, where their famous meeting with the allies took place.
At the end of the 16th century, the Russian state was on the verge of losing its independence. The Tatar Khan Girey went on a military campaign against Moscow in order to “stay for the reign.” The Battle of Molodi is a battle for sovereignty in which the Tatars had a numerical advantage of almost 5 times. In terms of importance, it ranks with the Battle of Kulikovo and the Battle of Borodino. But “official history” and school textbooks have been silent about it for more than four centuries.
I have raised the topic of unspoken taboo on a number of aspects of the history of Rus' in world historical science more than once. The beginning of academic Russian history was laid in the 18th century by four German “scientists”, members of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, one of whom did not even know Russian - Miller, Bayer, Pyrmont and Schlözer. They became the authors of the so-called. "Norman theory". Everything started from there... And, unfortunately, it still goes in approximately the same direction.
Today there will be another story about a significant event in the history of our Fatherland, which “official history” has been silent about for more than four centuries - the Battle of Molodi, which took place near Moscow in 1572. At the same time, historians and chroniclers are well aware of the fact of this event, but not a single historical monograph gives it true significance. And even more so, you won’t even find a mention of it in textbooks on the history of the Fatherland. Meanwhile, the geopolitical significance of this battle for Russian history is difficult to overestimate, just as it is difficult to overestimate the significance of the Battle of Kulikovo, the Battle of Borodino or the battle for Moscow in 1941-1942...
By the end of the sixties of the 16th century, in the protracted Livonian War, which the Russian state waged for access to the Baltic Sea, a difficult situation developed for the Russians. Sweden, as well as Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which formed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, entered the war on the side of the Livonian Confederation, which was already practically defeated. A huge number of Russian troops and reserves were at that moment stationed in the Baltic states. Famine began in the country and a devastating plague epidemic occurred. To restore order within the state, Ivan IV established the oprichnina. The southern borders of the country were practically exposed, which contributed to the increase in the destructive raids of the Crimean Tatars with the support of the Ottoman Empire, the most devastating of which took place in 1571, when Moscow was sacked and burned - the 40,000-strong army of Khan Devlet Giray reached the capital of the Russian state practically without fighting . There was already serious talk about the return of the Astrakhan principality and Kazan.
After the victories, Khan Giray immediately began to prepare for the final campaign against Rus'. With the support of the Ottoman Empire, in a year he formed an army of more than 120 thousand (a colossal force at that time) and advanced to Rus' with the words: “I’m going to Moscow to reign!” At stake, without exaggeration, was the very existence of an independent Russian state...
On July 29, 1572, 50 versts south of Moscow near the village of Molodi, the armada of Khan Giray was met by a 25,000-strong Russian army led by boyar Mikhail Vorotynsky and Prince Dmitry Khvorostin. Voivode Vorotynsky - the founder of the Voronezh fortress, the author and compiler of the “charter on the village and guard service” - was already 62 years old at that time. The wise and experienced commander understood perfectly well that a head-on collision with well-armed and almost five times superior enemy forces did not promise him victory. The actions taken by Vorotynsky in the next five days can be safely included in textbooks on military tactics.
Having placed a headquarters (walk-city) on a high hill, covered by the Rozhaya River, and equipped it with wooden fortifications, Vorotynsky sends Khvorostin’s detachment to the rear of Khan Girey’s troops, which, using the marching formation of the Crimean army stretching for almost 15 kilometers, completely defeats its rearguard. Taken aback, the khan deploys his army and sends 12 thousand Nogais to defeat Khvorostin’s small detachment. This is exactly what Vorotynsky was waiting for. Khvorostin imitates a retreat and lures the Nogais to Gulyai-Gorod, where he makes a sharp maneuver, exposing the front of the pursuers, and the Tatar cavalry is met by fierce fire from all guns, almost completely destroying it. July 31 Divlet Giray attempts to storm the city of Gulyai. But the place for fortification successfully chosen by Vorotynsky - a steep hill surrounded by a river - and the defensive structures erected, coupled with the valor of the defenders, created a situation that we know from the description of the feat of three hundred Spartans in the battle of Thermopylae, when a huge army, with all its might, could not take one single fortification, while suffering significant losses.
And then on August 2, the khan makes a desperate decision - he orders the entire cavalry to dismount and climb the hill. This again leads to large losses for the attackers: “and here many Tatars were beaten and countless hands were cut off.” Giray sends more and more troops to storm the city of Gulyai, and the Russian army also suffers losses.
But Vorotynsky, unlike Tsar Leonid - the leader of the Spartans - was not going to lay down his bones, he was going to win! Having waited for a moment in the twilight, when the enemy was launching another massive attack on one side of the hill, he led a large detachment out of the fortification from the opposite side and, crawling along the ravine, came out to the rear of the attackers. At a signal in the night - a massive salvo from all the guns of Gulyai-Gorod - Vorotynsky’s detachment struck in the rear of the Khan’s troops besieging his fortress, and Khvorostin’s garrison, which remained in Gulyai-Gorod, attacked through smoke and fire from behind the walls of the fortification. And the Crimean-Ottoman army... ran!
In the hope of retreating in order to redeploy his troops, Devlet Giray sets up a barrage detachment of three thousand “Crimean Tatars and frisky people,” which was immediately defeated by the Russian cavalry. The Khan runs beyond the Oka and sets up another covering detachment, numbering two thousand people: “But on the Oka River, the Crimean king left two thousand people to protect the Totars.” But they suffered the same fate: “And those Totars were beaten by a thousand men, and many of the Totars drowned, and others went beyond the Oka.”
Of the 120,000-strong Crimean-Ottoman army, no more than 15,000 people returned to Crimea. More than one hundred thousand warriors of Khan Girey remained lying in Russian soil. Crimea lost almost its entire combat-ready male population. Russian losses in killed and wounded amounted to about 5 thousand people.
Voivode Mikhail Ivanovich Vorotynsky has been undeservedly overlooked by historians. His name should be on a par with Dmitry Donskoy, Alexander Nevsky, Suvorov, Kutuzov, Nakhimov and other greatest Russian commanders. Having five times fewer troops compared to the enemy, he, as they say, “not in numbers, but in skill,” was able to impose his battle tactics on the enemy and, each time outstripping him with tactical actions, achieved victory over the united Crimean-Turkish army with a twenty-fold superiority in damage caused.
The geopolitical significance of the Battle of Molodi for Rus' was colossal. The bloodless Crimean Khanate, having lost its military power, never again made serious attempts to fight with Russia. The Ottoman Empire was forced to withdraw all claims to the Volga region. And the borders of the Russian kingdom along the Desna and Don were pushed south by 300 kilometers. Rus' retained its independence and during the reign of Ivan IV its territory was expanded by almost twofold.
The year 1223 turned out to be a black year for our Motherland. An event in Rus' occurred in such a way that it determined the political alignment in Eastern Europe for several centuries. One unsuccessful battle turned the entire course of history.
1223: event in Rus'
From the school curriculum, everyone should remember very well that the beginning of the 13th century was the time of the Mongol-Tatar invasion of the lands of the Polovtsians (a tribe neighboring the Slavs) and the territory of Rus'. The conquest of Russian lands by this wild horde happened gradually, but what happened in 1223 in Rus'? It was on May 31, 1223 (as the Laurentian Chronicle tells us) that the first battle of the Khan’s troops and Russian soldiers took place. We all know very well from history this event called “The Battle of
Causes of the Battle of Kalka
The battle between the Mongol-Tatars and the Russian princely squads was bound to take place sooner or later. Why? According to the strategy of the Mongols, which Genghis Khan developed, his state was supposed to cover not only truly Mongolian territory, but also extend to the whole of Europe.
Why do the Mongols need such vast territories? Don't forget that they are nomads. Such people cannot sit in one place because of the way they farm. Nomads do not engage in agriculture, but only in animal husbandry. Representatives of this people had huge herds that needed to be fed with something. The farming method implied periodic replacement of pastures with new ones, because on the old pastures there was nothing left for animals to eat as food. The Mongols needed Europe as a potential pasture for their livestock.
Events before the Battle of Kalka
It is clear that the situation did not arise immediately. The Mongol troops began their victorious march in Central Asia. Then the horde headed towards Iran. No army could stop them. The Mongol campaign continued towards the Caucasus. The leaders of the Horde knew that in the Caucasus there were several rich large cities that could be robbed. Having marched victoriously through the Caucasus, for example, through Georgia, the troops entered the lands of modern Russia, on the territory of which tribes of Alans and Polovtsians then lived. The forces of these nomadic peoples were defeated one by one because the diplomacy of the Mongol conquerors was also successful.
1223... The event in Rus' that could have happened did not please the princes, because they understood that sooner or later these hordes would reach Kyiv. The Russian princes had to fight the Mongols at the request of the Polovtsians. Let us repeat, a skirmish with the troops of Genghis Khan would have happened sooner or later anyway. Realizing that the Tatars would not stop, the princes decided not to refuse help. Having gathered in Kyiv, the troops of Mstislav Galitsky and (at that time the Kyiv prince) set out on a campaign. During the campaign, the Mongols twice sent their envoys, whose goal was to stop the Russian army. The Mongols claimed that they could cope with the Polovtsians, but would not attack Russian cities.
Battle with the Mongols
Knowing what event happened in 1223 shortly before the appearance of the hordes of Batu and Genghis Khan in Rus' (namely the conquest of the rich cities of the Caucasus), the Russian princes did not believe the ambassadors of the Horde. Therefore, the campaign continued. The gang moved down the Dnieper. On the territory of present-day Ukraine, the princely troops had to cross the Dnieper. Already here the first meeting with enemy troops took place. The Mongols had fast horses, so they were able to escape and lure Russian troops to a convenient battlefield, located near the modern Kalmius river (Zaporozhye region).
The beginning of the battle was with the Russian princes. To some extent, this can be explained by the speed of action of the princely troops. The Kiev prince crossed the river, studied the Mongol camp from afar, returned to the location of his troops and prepared them for battle. The Mongols began to retreat. The squad of Daniil Galitsky put especially strong pressure on them. But then the Golden Horde brought additional forces into the battle, which led to a typical outcome for many battles in the history of the Ukrainian and Russian peoples - the flight of the allies (Polovtsians), which destroyed the formation of the Russian army of the princes. After this, the victory of the Mongol-Tatars was a matter of time and technology. The Slavic army suffered heavy losses in this battle.
Conclusion
1223... The event in Rus' is truly tragic. The defeat at Kalka put all of Rus' in direct and complete dependence on the Golden Horde state. The Tatar-Mongol yoke lasted almost 300 years. This huge historical period of time left a negative imprint on the development of the modern lands of Russia and Ukraine.
The years have completely changed the future fate of our country. What is this event? Let's look at it in this article.
1223: event in Rus'
The 13th century was marked by the following: hordes of Mongol-Tatars came to Rus'. However, before Batu Khan devastated our cities, the first of which was the rebellious Ryazan, hordes attacked the lands of the Polovtsians. They were located approximately south of Rus'. Today these are the lands of our Southern Federal District: Rostov Region, Krasnodar Territory, the Republic of Kalmykia, and most recently it included the former lands of Ukraine - the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.
What was the event on May 31 (1223) in Rus'? On this day, the first clash took place between the Russian-Polovtsian troops and the Mongol-Tatar hordes.
Causes
Scientists say that what 1223 brought could have been avoided. The event in Rus' (the battle on the Kalka River) might not have been as significant as it is for our history today. The fact is that an expeditionary detachment of the Mongol-Tatars Subedei and Jebe approached the Polovtsian lands. The fact that the eastern hordes had a small detachment equal in number to the united squads of several princes was not yet known at that time. According to Genghis Khan's plan, the Mongols were supposed to go to Europe, but conflicts with the Cumans prevented him. The Great Khan had already captured China and established diplomatic relations with some European states.
He learned that Europe is a huge developed territory, comparable to China and Central Asia. Genghis Khan wanted to take over the whole world. When he made such grandiose plans, he did not know about any Europe, just as he did not know about Rus'. Using the maps of travelers, the Mongol detachment set out to find a route for a large army. On the way back, already knowing the terrain, the detachments of Subedei and Jebe decided to fight a little in the Caucasus and the south of the Black Sea region against various scattered tribes: Alans, Polovtsians, etc.
However, the “small detachment” outnumbered any princely squad of Rus'. The Polovtsians sounded the alarm and called the Russian princes for help when Khan Kotyan was defeated by them several times. The year 1223 brought an event that was significant for history in Rus'. The Kalka River became the site of the battle; the battle on this river broke the course of history. Today, questions about this period can be found in history tests. It was this fatal battle that caused the seizure of our territory.
Progress of the battle
Khan Kotyan begged for help from the Russians. Several princes gathered in Kyiv for a council, which decided to help their neighbors, although the Mongol-Tatars themselves did not intend to fight with Russia. If only they knew what the year 1223 would bring them, an event in Rus' that would come back to haunt their descendants! However, no one thought about it then. In May, the united troops of the Kyiv, Chernigov, Smolensk, Kursk, Trubchev, Putivl, and Vladimir squads left Kyiv. On the southern borders they were joined by the remnants of the army of Khan Kotyan. According to historians, the army numbered up to 80 thousand people. On the way, our troops met a small advance detachment of Mongols.
Some believe that these were envoys, whom the Mongols always loved to send, others - that they were scouts. Perhaps both at the same time. Be that as it may, the Volyn prince Daniil Romanovich - later he would personally go to the Mongols to pay his respects - defeated the enemy detachment with his squad. This event will become fatal: the murder of ambassadors is the most terrible crime among the Mongols. Entire cities were burned for this, which will happen later.
During the battle, the main weakness of the Russian united forces emerged - the lack of a unified command. Each prince commanded his own squad. In such battles, princes listen to the most authoritative among them, but this time there was none: each considered himself equal to the others. Approaching the Kalka River, the army split up. The squad of Mstislav Chernigovsky decided not to cross to the other side of the river, but to strengthen the bank for defense. The rest of the princes did not support him.
Mstislav Udaloy and Daniil Romanovich, together with the Polovtsians, crossed and overthrew the small Mongol forces, who quickly began to flee. Perhaps this was the enemy's plan, since the Mongols were forbidden to retreat under threat of death. Without waiting for the rest of the forces, Prince Daniel and the Polovtsians began to pursue the enemy and ran into the main forces of Subedei and Jebe (30 thousand people). At this time, the main forces of Mstislav of Kyiv had just begun to cross the river.
As a result, the balance of forces is as follows: there is no unified command, one part of the army remained on one bank, the second is just crossing the river, the third has already managed to fight, but remained in place, the fourth began to pursue the enemy and came across an ambush.
The Polovtsians, knowing the power of the Mongols, began to flee as soon as the battle began. With their flight, they crushed the entire squad of Mstislav the Udal, which did not participate in the pursuit. On the shoulders of the Polovtsians, the Mongols broke into the camp of the main forces of the united army and completely defeated it.
Result of the battle
The event on Kalka was marked by a terrible tragedy for the Russians: never before have so many princes died in one battle. The wars of that time always spared the “best people.” Battles were common; nobles were always left alive, later exchanged for gold. Here everything was different: 12 princes died in the battle, not counting the boyars, governors, etc. The two most noble princes in Rus', Mstislav of Kiev and Mstislav of Chernigov, also died. The rest were taken prisoner. Only a tenth of the army survived the battle. The battle showed that the era of “comic battles” was over. Rus' faced real danger.
Mongols do not forgive their enemies
The Mongol expeditionary force said that on its way it had won a victory over unknown Russia, and that the Russian ambassadors had been killed.
A distinctive feature of the Mongols is that they never forgave their enemies. If the lands on their way did not offer resistance, they always remained intact. But as soon as you show the slightest resistance, entire cities were wiped off the face of the earth. The Russian princes, without knowing it themselves, became the blood enemies of the huge Mongol hordes. And this marked the year 1223, an event in Rus' that will make you greatly regret it in the future.
When Genghis Khan's grandson - Batu Khan - did not have enough allotment in his homeland, the Mongols remembered their blood enemies - the Russians. He went to them with the entire Mongol horde ten years later.
Why did the Russian princes come out in defense of the Polovtsians?
The Polovtsians are first mentioned in our sources in the second half of the 11th century. They replaced other steppe people - the Pechenegs. But if the Pechenegs did not get involved in major battles, but rather attacked poorly defended villages like bandits, the Polovtsians created numerous detachments and fought with the Russian princes on equal terms. They devastated our lands, destroyed villages, and took people captive.
In 1111, Prince Vladimir Monomakh, influenced by the events of the Crusades, even organized his own “crusade” against the steppe inhabitants. Also at the congresses of Russian princes there were constantly calls for joint defense against the Polovtsians. Then the question arises as to why the Russians got involved in this war on the side of their southern neighbors.
It was already 1223. The event in Rus' showed that by this time the ties between the Russian princes and the Polovtsian khans had already strengthened. Constant dynastic marriages by this time could be said to have erased the cultural line. Although we considered the Polovtsians enemies, they were “our enemies”, understandable to us. We always found a common language with them.
Let us recall from the school literature course the famous campaign of Prince Igor against the Polovtsians in 1185, which we know from “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” After the defeat, the prince managed to “miraculously” escape from captivity, thereby remaining unharmed. Although there was no miracle at all: the Polovtsian khans had long since become related to the Russians and were related to each other. The war between them was reminiscent of internecine wars between the princes themselves, in which only by chance the princes themselves died. Often during constant skirmishes, both Russian warriors and Polovtsian warriors were on both sides of the squads.
Therefore, the Russians opposed the unknown new force, the Mongol-Tatars, on the side of their allies.
