In the battle of Kalka, the Russians provided assistance. What significance did the battle on the Kalka River have in history: briefly about the event. Battle of Kalka - a short description
After the conquest of China and Khorezm (1219–1221), the supreme ruler of the Mongol clan leaders, Genghis Khan, sent a strong cavalry corps under the command of more gifted commanders Jebe and Subedei to reconnoitre the "western lands".
They passed along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, then, after the devastation of Northern Iran, penetrated into Transcaucasia, defeated the Georgian army (1222), advancing north along the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, the united army of Polovtsy, Lezgins, Circassians and Alans was blowing in the North Caucasus.
There was a battle that did not have decisive consequences. Then the conquerors split the ranks of the enemy. He presented the Polovtsians and promised not to touch them. The latter began to disperse to their nomadic camps. Taking advantage of this, the Mongols easily defeated the Alans, Lezgins and Circassians, and then defeated the Polovtsians in parts.
At the beginning of 1223, the Mongols invaded the Crimea, took the city of Surozh (Sudak) and again moved to the Polovtsian steppes. The Polovtsi fled to the Dnieper. Several khans, among them Kotyan, the father-in-law of the Galician prince Mstislav Udalogo, asked for help; Russian princes. "Today the Tatars (Mongols) have seized our land," Kotyan persuaded, "tomorrow they will take yours."
Under the influence of Mstislav, several Russian princes agreed to an alliance with the Polovtsy against the Mongols. At the council of war, the princes decided not to wait for the arrival of the Tatars, but to attack them in the Polovtsian steppes. In addition to Mstislav the Bold, the princes agreed to join the campaign: Mstislav of Kiev, Mstislav of Chernigov, young Daniel Volynsky, only 15 princes.
The mighty great Suzdal prince Yuri refused to appear himself, but then sent a military detachment led by his nephew, the Rostov prince, to help the southern Russian princes. However, he did not manage to unite with the rest of the princes and, having learned about the defeat of the Russians, turned back.
Having set out on a campaign, the combined forces of the Russian princes went down the Dnieper and on the 17th day concentrated on the right bank of the river, near the island of Khortitsa, which was chosen as a base for conducting the steppe campaign. Here the Polovtsians joined the Russians. The Russian army consisted of the princes' squads. Decisions were made at the council of princes, each of whom, pursuing their own interests, tried to act in their own way. The main rivals were Mstislav of Kiev and the Galician prince Mstislav Udaloy.
At Zarub, between Kanev and Kiev, Mongol ambassadors appeared to the princes, proposing a Mongol-Russian alliance against the Polovtsians. “We heard,” they said, “that you are marching against us, but we did not touch your land — neither cities nor villages. We came, by the will of God, to our servants and grooms - the Polovtsians. They have done you a lot of harm, and that's why we beat them. Better take the world with us, and drive them away. " The Russians, who at that time were on friendly terms with the Polovtsy, refused to accept the Mongolian proposal. Moreover, contrary to military tradition, the princes ordered the execution of the envoys.
When all the squads came together, the allies went down the Dnieper to Oleshia, against Kherson. And on the left bank of the Dnieper, the advanced reconnaissance detachments of the Mongols appeared. Prince Daniel Volynsky with the Galicians crossed the Dnieper, attacked the enemy and put him to flight. Mstislav Galitsky with a thousand horsemen organized the pursuit and finally defeated the advance detachment of the Mongol troops. However, this victory did not bring the Russians luck, but, on the contrary, gave them an exaggerated idea of their own strength. Having crossed the Dnieper, the Russians moved along the steppes for eight days, until they reached the Kalka River, behind which the main Mongol forces of up to 30 thousand people were concentrated.
There was no unity in the command of the Russian-Polovtsian army. Mstislav Kievsky adhered to a wait-and-see-defensive tactics and objected to crossing the Kalka. He settled down on the right bank of the river at a rocky height and began to strengthen it. Without consulting the Kiev and Chernigov princes and without sufficient preparation, the Galician prince Mstislav Udaloy, the Volyn prince Daniel, other princes, as well as the Polovtsy crossed the Kalka River on May 31, 1223 and attacked the Mongols. The consequences of the attack were disastrous.
The forward detachment sent to the side of the Mongols, consisting of the squad of Daniel Volynsky and Yarun Polovtsky, was surrounded by the enemy. A stubborn battle ensued. According to the chronicle, the Mongols were the first to defeat the Polovtsians, whose stampede caused confusion in the Russian ranks. The forces of Mstislav the Bold and the rest of the princes, including Daniil Volynsky, were crushed and disorganized.
On the shoulders of the Polovtsians, the Mongols broke into the location of the main forces. An unequal battle began. The numerical superiority of the enemy and the disorganized resistance of the Russians, of whom almost none had time to put on armor, predetermined the outcome of the battle. A bloody massacre began: the Russians paid dearly for their carelessness. Mstislav and Daniel galloped back to the Dnieper with the remnants of the squad. Six princes, including Mstislav of Chernigov, died during this flight. Mstislav the Bold escaped the pursuit; he even managed to destroy all the Russian boats in order to prevent the Mongols from reaching the right bank of the Dnieper.
Then, for three days, the Mongols unsuccessfully besieged the fortified camp of Mstislav of Kiev. Desperate, they offered Mstislav to release him along with the camp defenders for ransom. The leader of the Brodniks, Ploskinya, who joined the Mongols, swore on his behalf that the terms of the agreement would be strictly observed. They believed the Russian. However, when they left the camp, the Mongols attacked the Tatars and killed everyone.
Mstislav and two other princes were captured alive; they were tied up and laid on the ground, planks were laid on top, on which the Mongol commanders settled down to celebrate their victory. The death of the princes was painful.
The brutal defeat of the Russian army was natural. Significant in numbers, it was fragmented in organization: there was no single beginning, each squad fought on its own; any prince could leave the battlefield at will. Thus, the political disunity of Russia was reflected in the conditions of the decline of Kiev and the formation of new centers of statehood.
After the victory, the Mongols organized the pursuit of the remnants of the Russian army (only every tenth warrior returned from the Azov region), destroying towns and villages in the Dnieper direction, capturing civilians. However, the disciplined Mongol commanders did not have an order to stay in Russia. Soon they were recalled by Genghis Khan, who considered that the main task of the reconnaissance campaign to the west had been successfully accomplished. On the way back, the Mongols plundered Surozh, then moved to the Middle Volga. Here, at the mouth of the Kama, the troops of Jebe and Subedei suffered a serious defeat from the Volga Bulgars, who refused to recognize the power of Genghis Khan. After this failure, the Mongols descended down to Saksin and, by the Caspian steppes, returned to Asia, where in 1225 they united with the main forces of the Mongol army.
The sudden appearance of the Mongols in Russia in 1223 and their equally sudden disappearance added mystery to the bitterness of the Russian defeat. As the Novgorod chronicler wrote: “... and there was a cry, and cry, and sorrow in the city and in the village ... The Tatars returned from the Dnieper River; and we will not know where the essence came from and here again. ”
According to the division of the inheritance of Genghis Khan, the lands went to his grandson, Batu. Exactly 13 years after the Battle of Kalka, Batu led the all-Mongolian campaign to Eastern and Central Europe (1236-1243).
Before talking about the Battle of Kalka, in which the Russian squads suffered a crushing defeat, one should get a general idea of Kievan Rus in the first decades of the 13th century. At that time, the once mighty state was going through a period of feudal fragmentation. It consisted of principalities, and each prince did not recognize supreme power Prince of Kiev and considered himself a full sovereign in his lands.
This began in the middle of the 11th century. The last full-fledged ruler of Kievan Rus was Yaroslav the Wise. He died in 1054, dividing the Russian lands into 5 principalities. His sons stood at the head of them. But the agreement between them was only visible. Three brothers formed the so-called "Yaroslavich triumvirate". This reign ended with the expulsion of one of the brothers (Izyaslav) from the Russian lands.
From 1078 to 1093, the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Vsevolod, reigned in Kiev. He was the first to use the title "Prince of All Russia". But this by no means contributed to the strengthening of the Russian lands. In the XII century, Kievan Rus finally collapsed. The official date of the collapse of the Slavic state is 1132. Fifteen independent principalities were formed with their own appanages. But the city of Kiev for almost 100 years continued to be considered the main administrative center of the Russian land.
Its power was undermined in 1203. Kiev was plundered and burned by the Smolensk prince Rurik Rostislavich. Such architectural masterpieces as the Church of the Tithes and the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra were completely destroyed. After this greatest evil, the city never recovered. He lost his importance and power forever. For Russia, this did not go without pain. She weakened even more and began to represent a tasty morsel for external enemies.
Western campaign of Subedei-bagatura and Jebe-noyon
The first half of the 13th century is characterized not only by feudal fragmentation. This is the time of the great Mongol conquests under the command of Genghis Khan. The nomadic tribes of Mongols and Tatars captured a vast territory from the Yellow Sea to the Caspian Sea. They conquered northern regions China, Central Asia, as well as the peoples who lived in the Mongolian and Kazakh steppes.
Moving steadily westward, the Mongols encountered the Polovtsians. They were nomads with a very high organizational structure. They had mobile cavalry troops and were a worthy opponent. It was very difficult to defeat them. Therefore, Genghis Khan chose the usual tactics in such cases. He decided to strike in the rear of the Polovtsy, bring discord and panic into their ranks, and then destroy the enemy with a frontal blow.
The great kagan instructed his best commanders to carry out a raid on the rear of the enemy. Jebe-noyon (1181-1231) and Subedei-bagatur (1176-1248) were considered as such in the Mongolian army. Each of them had a fog under their command. This is a military unit of 10 thousand horsemen. The commanders wore the military rank of tumenbashi, and in Russian they were called temniks.
A powerful group, numbering 20 thousand elite grunts, in 1222 moved to the rear towards the Polovtsy through the Caucasus. On the way, the Mongols found the Georgian kingdom. In the XII century, it was a powerful state. This was largely facilitated by the wise policy of Queen Tamar (1166-1213). After the death of the ruler, power passed to her son Lasha (1191-1223). It was he who came face to face after 10 years of reign with the Mongol tumans.
This meeting ended tragically for the Georgian king. His army was defeated, and Lasha himself was mortally wounded, from which he soon died. Power passed to his sister Rusudan (1194-1245). But she did not have the wisdom of a mother. Soon Georgia was conquered by the troops of the Sultan Jelal ad-Din, and subsequently split into two states altogether.
Mongolian tumans did not stay in the Georgian lands. Subedei-bagatur and Jebe-noyon continued their western campaign. They crossed the Darial Gorge and ended up in the upper reaches of the Kuban River. Here the Mongols encountered the semi-nomadic tribes of the Alans. They could not offer worthy resistance, and Genghis Khan's troops went to the rear of the Polovtsians. The latter, finding the Mongols in their rear, retreated to the west, approached the borders of Kievan Rus and asked for help from the Russian princes.
The three most powerful Russian princes volunteered to protect the Cumans (as the Byzantines called the Polovtsians). They are Mstislav of Chernigov, Mstislav of Kiev and Mstislav Udaloy, who was reigning in Galich. They gathered troops and moved towards Subedei-bagatur and Jebe-noyon.
The generals of Genghis Khan were not going to fight the Russians. Their task was to destroy the Polovtsians. Therefore, they sent ambassadors to the Russian princes with a proposal to break the alliance with the Cumans and take a neutral position. But the princes of Kievan Rus refused the ambassadors. They aggravated their refusal by killing representatives of the Mongols. According to Yasa (a code of laws developed by Genghis Khan), this was considered a terrible crime. And according to the laws of other countries, the murder of parliamentarians in all centuries entailed the most terrible consequences.
It should be noted right away that today it is not known where the Kalka River flowed. Many historians believe that this is the Kalchik River, the right tributary of the Kalmius River. The length of Kalchik is 88 km. The river flows into Kalmius on the territory of the city of Mariupol. This is the southeast of Ukraine, Donetsk region.
The word "kalchik" comes from the Slavic word "kal". This does not mean what everyone thinks at first, but dirt. Calca, feces, calchik are a common root. So it can be assumed that the Kalchik River is the same Kalka. At the same time, archaeological excavations along the banks of the river have yielded no results. Therefore, the place where the famous battle on Kalka took place is still officially unknown.
Shameful for the Russian people the battle of Kalka began on May 31, 1223... The princes' squads and the Polovtsian troops numbered 80 thousand people. The Mongols had less than 20 thousand warriors. But the allies, possessing a significant advantage, could not organize themselves in an elementary way. The supreme commander was not elected, and therefore each prince acted according to his own plan.
The first to speak was the Volyn prince Daniel. His squad got together with the Mongol horsemen and felling began. The Mongols trembled, turned their horses and fled. It was their favorite tactical trick: to carry the enemy along with them. And so it happened. The guards of Prince Daniel rushed in pursuit, and then they were met by the main forces of the Mongols. They easily crushed the troops that had lost their order of battle, wedged themselves into them and smashed them into parts. After that, the systematic destruction of the Russian squads began.
Princes Daniel and Mstislav Udaloy, saving lives, galloped to the river and were among the first on the bank. There were numerous rooks here. It was by crossing the river on them that one could be saved. The princes jumped into the boat, and the rest were ordered to be chopped or untied and sent downstream so that the Mongols could not pursue them. Thus, the princes doomed their warriors to death. Naturally, the Mongols killed them all.
Mstislav Chernigovsky, seeing the defeat of the allies, did not move troops to help, but gave the order to leave for the steppe. The Mongols rushed in pursuit. They caught up with the fleeing and chopped them down with their sabers.
Mstislav of Kiev with his army settled on a high hill, but did not even bother to ensure a retreat to the river. The attackers surrounded the hill on all sides. For three days the prince with his warriors courageously repelled the enemy's attacks. Seeing that the Russians were not going to surrender, the Mongols sent the leader of the Brodniks Ploskinya to them. Brodniks lived on the coast of the Sea of Azov and were allies of the Mongols.
Ploskinya told Mstislav of Kiev that Genghis Khan's soldiers would not shed the blood of a single prisoner. The prince believed the parliamentarian and gave the order to end the resistance. The Mongols, having given their word, always restrained him. Yasa demanded this. But Yasa also demanded the death of those who kill the ambassadors. Therefore, all the prisoners were tied up, laid on the ground, and covered with boards on top. After that, the winners sat down to feast on an impromptu platform. Rusichi received injuries incompatible with life and died. But not a single drop of blood was spilled.
The defeat of the princely squads was complete. Only a fifth of all the soldiers who took part in the battle survived. But the Mongolian tumans did not consolidate the success. They completed their main task - the defeat of the Polovtsians, so they turned their horses to the east. But here military happiness betrayed the famous commanders Subedei-bagatura and Jebe-noyon.
While crossing the Volga, the Mongols were unexpectedly attacked by the Volga Bulgars. This battle is called the Battle of Samarskaya Luka. It happened either at the end of 1223 or at the beginning of 1224. In this brutal cabin, the Mongols were completely defeated. Less than 4 thousand people survived. These were those who managed to cross the Volga. They galloped off to the steppe and united with the main forces of Genghis Khan.
Thus ended the first Mongol campaign in western lands... The Battle of Kalka showed the weakness of the once mighty Kievan Rus. But most importantly, the enemy realized that he was stronger, and therefore, 13 years later, he undertook a new campaign of conquest (the invasion of Batu), which ended tragically for the Russian land.
Article by ridar-shakin
For our Motherland, 1223 turned out to be black. An event in Russia happened such that for several centuries the political alignment in Eastern Europe... One unsuccessful battle turned the whole course of history upside down.
1223: an event in Russia
From 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 Polovtsy (a neighboring tribe with the Slavs) and the territory of Russia. The conquest of the Russian lands by this wild horde took place gradually, but what happened in 1223 in Russia? It was on May 31, 1223 (as the Laurentian Chronicle informs us) that the first battle of the Khan's troops and Russian soldiers took place. We all know perfectly well from history this event called "The Battle of
Reasons for the Battle of Kalka
The battle between the Mongol-Tatars and the Russian princely squads was to take place sooner or later. Why? According to the strategy of the Mongols, which was developed by Genghis Khan, his state was supposed to cover not only the true Mongolian territory, but also spread to the whole of Europe.
Why do the Mongols need such vast territories? Do not forget that they are nomads. Such people cannot sit in one place because of the way they manage the economy. Nomads do not practice agriculture, but only by animal husbandry. The representatives of this people had huge herds that needed to be fed with something. The way of farming implied the periodic replacement of pastures with new ones, because on the old pastures there was no longer anything for animals to eat as food. The Mongols needed Europe as a potential pasture for their livestock.
Events before the battle on 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 march of the Mongols continued towards the Caucasus. The leaders of the Horde knew that there were several rich large cities in the Caucasus that could be plundered. Having passed a victorious march across the Caucasus, for example, across Georgia, the troops came to the ground modern Russia, on the territory of which the tribes of Alans and Polovtsy 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 Russia, which could have happened, did not please the princes, because they understood that sooner or later these hordes would reach Kiev. 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. Realizing that the Tatars would not stop, the princes decided not to refuse help. Having gathered in Kiev, the troops of Mstislav Galitsky and (at that time, the Kiev prince) set out on a campaign. During the campaign, the Mongols twice sent their ambassadors, whose purpose was to stop Russian army... The Mongols claimed that they would cope with the Polovtsians, but would not go to the 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 Russia (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 mob was moving downstream of the Dnieper. On the territory of present-day Ukraine, the princely troops had to make a crossing over the Dnieper. Already here the first meeting with the enemy troops took place. The Mongols had fast horses, so they were able to escape and lure the Russian troops to a convenient battlefield located near the modern Kalmius river (Zaporozhye region).
The battle began with the Russian princes. To some extent, this can be explained by the speed of actions 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. Daniil Galitsky's squad was especially pressing 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 princes. After that, the victory of the Mongol-Tatars was a matter of time and technique. The Slavic army suffered heavy losses in this battle.
Conclusion
1223 ... The event in Russia is truly tragic. The defeat at Kalka put the whole of Russia in direct and complete dependence on the state "Golden Horde". The Tatar-Mongol yoke lasted almost 300 years. This huge historical period of time has left a negative imprint on the development of the modern lands of Russia and Ukraine.
Battle on the Kalka River- the battle between the united Russian-Polovtsian army and the Mongol corps, which operated within the framework of the Jebe and Subedei raid -1224. The Polovtsi and the main Russian forces were defeated on May 31, 1223, after 3 days the battle ended in a complete victory for the Mongols.
Prerequisites
In 1222, the Mongol army under the leadership of Jebe and Subedei-baatur (the best generals of Genghis Khan) invaded the Polovtsian steppes. The Tver Chronicle reports on the reaction of Mstislav Kievsky to this news: While I am in Kiev - on this side of the Yaik, and the Pontic Sea, and the Danube River, the Tatar saber cannot be waved... The Polovtsian Khan Kotyan Sutoevich turned to his son-in-law, the Galician prince Mstislav Mstislavich Udaliy and other Russian princes, asking them for help against a formidable new enemy: “ Today the Tatars took our land, and tomorrow they will take yours too, if we do not all stand together against them.". The South Russian princes gathered in Kiev for a council under the leadership of three great princes: Mstislav Romanovich, Mstislav Mstislavich and Mstislav Svyatoslavich. The northern Russian appanage princes did not have time for the Kiev gathering (see below), while the danger grew that the Polovtsy, left alone with the Mongols, would go over to their side. After much persuasion by Mstislav the Udal and generous gifts, it was decided that “ it is better to meet them in a foreign land than on your own", also " if we do not help them, then the Polovtsy will surrender to the Tatars and it will be harder for us».
The collection was appointed on Zaruba, near the Varyazhsky island (the island was located opposite the mouth of the Trubezh river, now destroyed by the Kanev reservoir), 10 kilometers from the present Trakhtemyrov, Cherkasy region. Upon learning about the fees, the Mongols sent their ambassadors with the following words: “ We do not want war with Russia and we do not encroach on your land. We are at war with the Polovtsians, who have always been your enemies, and therefore, if they are now running to you, beat them and take their goods for yourself.". After listening to the ambassadors, the Russian princes ordered to kill all the ambassadors. This action took into account the similar experience of the Polovtsians, who in 1222 succumbed to the persuasions of the Mongols to break their alliance with the Alans, after which Jebe defeated the Alans, and then fell upon the Polovtsians.
The assembled huge army marched out together, but did not have a common commander. The squads of appanage princes obeyed only their grand princes. The Polovtsi acted under the leadership of the voivode Mstislav Udalogo - Yarun. Polovtsian Khan Basty was baptized in Orthodox faith... Having crossed to the left bank of the Dnieper and finding the enemy's forward detachment, the Russians, after a short but bloody battle, put the Mongols to flight, the commander Gani-bek was killed. Moving to the east and not seeing the main forces of the enemy, the Russian troops two weeks later reached the bank of the Kalki River, where they defeated another forward detachment of the Mongols.
Balance of forces
The number of the Mongolian army initially (at the beginning of the pursuit of Sultan Muhammad) was 30 thousand people, but then the Tumen, led by Tohuchar-noyon, was defeated in Iran, and Sebastatsi determines the number of Mongols in Georgia at 20 thousand people. It is possible that the Mongols replenished the number of their troops in the North Caucasus and the Don (at the expense of the Alans, Brodniks and Polovtsians).
There are no data on the size of the Russian-Polovtsian army. To get an idea of the real number of Russian troops at the beginning of the XIII century can help the news of the participation in the campaigns against the Order of the Swordsmen of the 16-thousandth army in the winter / years. (Novgorodians and Smolyans) and 20 thousandth in winter / years. (Novgorodians and Vladimir residents), about the number of Polovtsians - the news about the departure of Kotyan with 40 thousand of his people in 1238 to Hungary, about the defeat of two Polovtsian khans (Yuri Konchakovich and Danila Kobyakovich) in 1222 and about the alliance of two Polovtsian khans (Kotyan Sutoevich and Bastia) with the Russian princes in 1223. In addition to the South Russian forces, the Smolensk troops also participated in the campaign.
Battle progress
Mstislav Udaloy was the first to cross the Kalka River and personally went out on reconnaissance. Arriving at the enemy's camp and looking at it, the prince ordered his army and the Polovtsians to prepare for battle. The battle began on the morning of May 31st. " Forward Mstislav Udaloy sent a Polovtsian watchman under the leadership of an old associate in the campaigns and the Lipetsk battle of Yarun. The squad of Mstislav the Bold moved to the right and took up a position along the river, the squad of Mstislav Chernigovsky stood at the crossing on both banks of the Kalka, the squad of Daniil Romanovich moved forward as a striking force. Mstislav Kievsky stood behind the crossing on a rocky ridge and surrounded the camp with a palisade, enclosing it with carts". Initially, the battle developed well for the Russians. Daniil Romanovich, who was the first to enter the battle, fought with unparalleled courage, not paying attention to the wounds he received. On the left, Oleg Kurskiy was already pushing the horde. The Mongol vanguard began to retreat, the Russians rushed in pursuit, lost their ranks and faced the main forces of the Mongols. The Mongolian right wing, the attack wing, achieved success faster than others. Polovtsi ran to the crossing, crushing and upsetting the regiments of Mstislav Chernigov, already ready to march.
One part of the Mongols drove the fleeing to the banks of the Dnieper, and the second laid siege to the camp of the Kiev prince. He bravely fought back for three days, but after the ataman of the brodniks, Ploskinya, sent for negotiations, who eventually betrayed the prince, vowed on the cross that if the Russians lay down their arms, none of them would be killed, and the princes and the governor would let go home, surrendered. The Mongols did not keep their promise: all Russian princes and military leaders were put under the boards and crushed by the victors, who sat down to feast on top. Ordinary warriors were taken into slavery. According to other sources, the agreement contained “ Not a drop of princes' blood will be spilled", Since the Mongols considered it shameful to die outside of battle, shedding blood, and formally the promise was kept.
The folk epic also connects the death of Russian heroes with this battle: in the annals, among the killed, the names of Alexander Rostovsky and Dobrynya Ryazants are named - real persons and, obviously, famous soldiers, since they were mentioned along with the princes. Mstislav Udaloy and Daniil Romanovich were able to reach the Dnieper and before sailing they destroyed the boats and rafts that remained free.
Losses
There is no data on Mongolian and Polovtsian losses.
Only one tenth of the Russian army survived the battle ("The Tale of the Battle on Kalka"). The only author who names Russian losses in numerical terms (albeit very approximate, as he himself says) is Henry of Latvia. In his Livonian Chronicle, written around 1225, he writes: “ That year there were Tatars in the land of the Valvas of the Gentiles. The Valvas are called desks by some. They don't eat bread, they eat raw meat their livestock. And the Tatars fought with them, and defeated them, and destroyed everyone with the sword, while others fled to the Russians, asking for help. And there was an appeal throughout Russia to fight the Tatars, and kings from all over Russia came out against the Tatars, but they did not have enough strength for the battle and they fled before the enemies. And the great king Mstislav of Kiev fell with forty thousand soldiers who were with him. Another king, Mstislav of Galician, fled. Of the remaining kings, about fifty fell in this battle. And the Tatars chased them for six days and killed more than a hundred thousand people (and only God knows the exact number of them), the rest fled».
On May 31, 1223, a battle took place on the Kalka River between the Russian-Polovtsian regiments and the Tatars. This was the first clash of Russian squads with the troops of the state of Genghis Khan. The hard battle ended with the cruel defeat of the Russian-Polovtsian troops.
Background
At the beginning of the 13th century, a new empire appeared in East Asia - its creator was the talented commander and wise manager Temuchin (Genghis Khan). He subdued a significant number of tribes and peoples, became the conqueror of Northern and Central China, and defeated Khorezm. In 1220, Chinggis Khan received information that Khorezmshah Muhammad was gathering forces on the banks of the Amu Darya. To defeat him, he sent three tumens ("darkness" - 10 thousand cavalry corps) under the command of his best commanders - Jebe, Subedei and Tohuchar. Subsequently, Tohuchar's corps was recalled. The pursuit of the Khorezmshah resulted in a long reconnaissance campaign. Having defeated Azerbaijan and Georgia, the Tatar troops in 1222 crossed the Derbent passage and invaded North Caucasus... Here they faced the combined forces of the Alans and Polovtsians. After the opponents could not be defeated in battle, a military trick was used - the Cumans were promised peace and generously rewarded. The Polovtsi left their allies. The Tatars defeated the Alans. And then, in the decisive battle on the Don, they defeated the Polovtsian detachments. The khans Yuri Konchakovich and Danila Kobyakovich were killed in the battles, and the remnants of their tribes fled to the west and united with the horde of Kotyan Sutoevich, who roamed between the Dnieper and Dniester.
At the beginning of 1223, the Tatars invaded the Crimea and plundered it, the city of Sudak (Surozh) was captured. Khan Kotyan turned to his son-in-law, the Galician prince Mstislav Mstislavich Udaliy (he was glorified as a successful commander) and other Russian princes, asking them for help against a formidable new enemy: "Today they took our land, tomorrow yours will be taken." It should be noted that the Polovtsians were not only opponents of Russia in the south, but often allies in the struggle of various Russian princes among themselves, or were used against external enemies. So, in the spring of 1221, Mstislav, with the help of the Polovtsy, recaptured Galich from the Hungarians. Russians and Polovtsians were connected by trade, dynastic marriages. Therefore, Kotyan's request is not surprising.
A council of princes of the southern Russian lands was assembled in Kiev, headed by three great princes - Mstislav Romanovich (Kiev), Mstislav Mstislavich (Galich) and Mstislav Svyatoslavich (Chernigov). After long disputes and persuasions, Kotyan and Mstislav the Udaliy decided: “If we don’t help them ..., the Polovtsy will stick to the enemies, and their strength will become greater.” The princely council decides to gather troops and meet the enemy on the borders of Russia.
Hike
The gathering of troops was appointed on Zaruba, near the Varyazhsky Island (the island was located opposite the mouth of the Trubezh River). More than 20 princes with their squads took part in the campaign. The most powerful troops were with the prince of Kiev and Chernigov with the princes at hand, and the Galician prince Mstislav (under his command was the Volyn prince Daniil Romanovich). In total, the Russian-Polovtsian army numbered approximately 40-45 thousand people (they call the figure 80-100 thousand soldiers, but this is unlikely). These were mainly professional equestrian squads of princes and boyars, the most powerful Kiev army had a militia on foot.
The number of the Tatar army is also unknown. Two tumen - Subedeya and Jebe, had 20-30 thousand horsemen, it was a battle-hardened core of the army. In addition, there were a number of various vagabonds, outlaws, adventurers and loot who joined the army along the way (like the roamers).
The Russian princes made a number of serious mistakes even before the battle. They will decide the outcome of the battle. The princes were unable to agree on a unified command. In fact, there were three troops, decisions were made collectively. The first army (Kiev) was headed Grand Duke Kiev Mstislav Romanovich, the formal head of the campaign. It included the Kiev regiment, the squads of his son Vsevolod Mstislavsky and the son-in-law of Prince Andrei Ivanovich (Prince of Turov), Prince of Shumsk Svyatoslav Ingvarevich, Prince of Nesvizh Yuri Yaropolkovich, Prince of Dubrovitsky Alexander Glebovich, Prince of Ovruch Prince Vladimir Ryurikovich and others. The second army (Chernigov-Smolensk) was led by the prince of Chernigov Mstislav Svyatoslavich. The squads of the Pereyaslavl prince Mikhail Vsevolodovich, the Kursk prince Oleg Svyatoslavich, the princes of the Putivl Izyaslav Vladimirovich and the Trubchevsky Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich obeyed him. The third army (Galician-Volyn-Polovtsian) was under the command of the initiator of the campaign, the Galician prince Mstislav the Udatny (or Udatny). His troops included the forces of the Galician principality, the squads of the Volyn prince Daniil Romanovich, the Lutsk prince Mstislav Yaroslavich Dumb, the Dorogobuzh prince Izyaslav Ingvarevich, the Polovtsian forces led by the voivode Yarun.
Yuri Vsevolodovich, the Grand Duke of Vladimir-Suzdal Russia, did not set out on the campaign, formally sending his nephew, Prince of Rostov, Vasily Konstantinovich, to the aid of the Russian army, who, however, did not manage to come to the beginning of the battle.
In Zaruba, Tatar ambassadors came to the Russian princes, they offered them an alliance against the Polovtsians. The princes considered that this was a trick and, at the request of the Polovtsy, killed the envoys. Subedei and Jebe sent a new embassy, which declared war on Russia: “You listened to the Polovtsi, but killed our ambassadors; go against us, then go; we didn’t touch you, let God (judge) be all ”. This embassy was sent home. Mstislav Udaloy insisted on active actions - to cross the Dnieper and strike the enemy in the steppe. Mstislav Romanovich Stary proposed to give battle to the enemy on the Dnieper and prepare for defense. Apparently, given the lack of unity in the army, this was the right strategy. The Chernigov prince Mstislav Svyatoslavich took a wait-and-see attitude, not supporting either the offer of the Galicians or the Kievites.
At this time, a Tatar reconnaissance detachment appeared on the banks of the Dnieper. Mstislav Udaloy decided to attack - together with Daniil Romanovich he crossed the river and hit the enemy. The Tatars were defeated and fled. This victory dispelled all doubts - most of the princes and boyars were in favor of offensive actions. Mstislav Chernigovsky stopped hesitating and agreed to the crossing. As a result, another prerequisite for defeat appeared - the Russian command overestimated its strength and underestimated the practically unknown enemy. The Tatars used their traditional battle tactics - luring the enemy under the attack of the main strike forces.
On May 23, the Russian-Polovtsian troops crossed the Dnieper and moved into the Polovtsian steppes. The troops marched for eight days. They stretched out a lot. The Polovtsian detachments and squads under the command of the Galician prince Mstislav Udaliy marched forward, followed by the forces of the Chernigov prince Mstislav Svyatoslavich, and the entire column was closed by the detachments of the Grand Duke of Kiev Mstislav the Old. On the way, the Russians and Polovtsians were met by the Tatar patrols, who, at the first collision, fled and lured them. The army marched happily, the enemy fled. They beat the abandoned cattle, ate well. They regretted that they would not be able to overtake the enemy and take away the huge booty that the Tatars captured in the plundered lands. The feeling of superiority over the enemy captured everyone and relaxed the warriors. Another mistake was poor intelligence - the princes did not know about the readiness of the main forces of the enemy for battle.
Battle
On May 31, 1223, Russian-Polovtsian troops reached the Kalka River. In a fierce battle, the advanced Russian forces drove the Tatar guard units to the other side. Mstislav Udaloy did not wait for the approach of the main forces and, having crossed the river, struck on the first line of the enemy army (he did not know about the main forces of the enemy). He did not inform the Kiev and Chernigov prince of his plans, which angered them (it seemed that the Galician prince wanted to appropriate all the glory for himself). The Kiev prince did not cross the river on the move and ordered the establishment of a fortified camp.
The most experienced Tatar commanders Subedei and Dzhebe immediately took advantage of this fatal mistake of the Russian princes: the enemy himself put himself under attack and allowed himself to be smashed in parts. The Polovtsi and the regiments of Mstislav the Bold faced a powerful army, ready for a fierce battle. The Russian-Polovtsian forces pushed the enemy vanguard, but then faced the main forces of the enemy. The Galician prince understood the depth of his mistake, but it was too late. The blow of the Russian-Polovtsian forward forces was stopped, and then they were simply crushed. The first to rush to flee were the Polovtsians, their wave knocked down the orders of the still fighting Russian squads. The Chernigov army generally found itself in a situation where the advanced squads had already entered the battle, and other units were just crossing the river. Chernihiv regiments were crushed and could not do anything, the flight became almost universal. Individual resisting units could not change the outcome of the battle. In this massacre, the hero Dobrynya Ryazanich Zlat Belt (one of the prototypes of the epic Dobrynya Nikitich) also laid down his head. Some detachments did not know at all and did not participate in the battle, falling behind the main forces. They were caught by the general stream of those running and pursuing.
The regiments of the Grand Duke of Kiev Mstislav Romanovich the Old remained aloof from this battle. A number of researchers believe that the timely introduction of his troops into battle could change the outcome of the battle. But, apparently, the situation was already irreparable, the Polovtsy, Galician and Chernigov armies were defeated and fled. Part of the Tatar army pursued them. It was already a massacre, not a battle. Only an insignificant part managed to escape. Some of the Polovtsians left, with a handful of vigilantes Mstislav Udaloy and Daniil Romanovich were able to escape. Another part of the Tatar army surrounded the Kiev camp. The first assault attempts were repulsed. Mstislav Romanovich of Kiev and his troops fought off the enemy's onslaught for three more days. The Tatars could not take the fortifications, and they did not want to destroy a large number of soldiers. Then they went to the cunning: to Mstislav and his henchmen princes they sent the ataman of the brodniks (predecessors of the Cossacks) Ploskin, who promised life in exchange for surrender and ransom. There was nothing surprising in this - the Polovtsians more than once released Russian princes for the payment of a bribe. The princes believed and surrendered. We must also take into account the fact that the troops ran out of water. After that, the princes were tied up and handed over to the Tatars, and the disarmed soldiers were attacked. Another bloody massacre took place. The Tatars themselves put the princes under a wooden platform and made a "feast on the bones" on it.
Results and meaning of the battle
The main reason for the defeat was the lack of unity of the Russian army. If the Russian army acted in the traditional Russian style of battle: in the center of the infantry (the Kiev militia reinforced by other detachments), on the wings of the heavy princely horse squads (on the right Galicia-Volyn, on the left Chernigov-Smolensk), leaving the Polovtsy in reserve, chances to win would be there were practically no Tatars. They entered the battle in parts, unorganized, a significant part of the army did not participate at all in the main battle. Administrative errors of the command, underestimation of the enemy, led to the fact that the Tatars were almost given the victory, allowing themselves to be smashed in parts.
This was one of the most difficult defeats of the Russian troops in all of them. Southern Russia was drained of blood by the loss of thousands of the best warriors. According to chronicles, nine out of ten soldiers who went on a campaign were killed. Among them were 12 princes, including the princes of Kiev and Chernigov. Until the invasion of Batu's troops, the southern Russian lands will not be able to restore their combat potential. The Tatars apparently also suffered significant losses, since they could not carry out an invasion of the Kiev lands and soon suffered a heavy defeat from the forces of the Volga Bulgaria.
The reconnaissance campaign of the Tatars revealed the main weak point of Russia - the lack of unity. No wonder Subedei will become the right hand and de facto commander in the Western campaign of Batu (1236-1242).
