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) Golden Horde.

Origin

Fight with Tokhtamysh

In 1377, the young khan, the legitimate heir to the Golden Horde throne, Chingizid Tokhtamysh, with the support of Tamerlane’s troops, began a campaign to establish legitimate power in the Golden Horde. In the spring of 1378, after the eastern part of the state (Blue Horde) with its capital at Sygnak fell, Tokhtamysh invaded the western part (White Horde), controlled by Mamai. By April 1380, Tokhtamysh managed to capture the entire Golden Horde up to the northern Azov region, including the city of Azak (Azov). Only his native Polovtsian steppes remained under the control of Mamai - the Northern Black Sea region and Crimea.

On September 8, 1380, Mamai’s army was defeated in the Battle of Kulikovo during a new campaign against the Moscow Principality, and his great misfortune was that on the Kulikovo field, the young Muhammad Bulak, who had been proclaimed khan by him, died, under whom Mamai was a beklarbek. The defeat on the Kulikovo field for Mamai was a heavy blow, but not fatal, but it helped the legitimate Khan Tokhtamysh to establish himself on the Golden Horde throne. Mamai wasted no time in gathering a new army in Crimea for the next campaign against Moscow. But as a result of the war with Khan Tokhtamysh, supported by Tamerlane, Mamai’s next attack on Rus' did not take place. A little later, in September 1380, a decisive battle took place between the troops of Mamai and Tokhtamysh. Historian V. G. Lyaskoronsky suggested that this battle “on Kalki” took place in the area of ​​small rivers, the left tributaries of the Dnieper near the rapids. Historians S. M. Soloviev and N. M. Karamzin suggested that the battle took place on the Kalka River, not far from the place where in 1223 the Mongols inflicted their first defeat on the Russians. There was no actual battle, since on the battlefield most of Mamai’s troops went over to the side of the legitimate Khan Tokhtamysh and swore allegiance to him. Mamai and the remnants of his loyal companions did not start bloodshed and fled to the Crimea, while his harem and noble women from the Jochi clan, whom Mamai cared for, were captured by Tokhtamysh. The victory of Tokhtamysh led to the establishment of legitimate power in the state, the end of a long internecine war (“Great Zamyatnya”) and the temporary strengthening of the Golden Horde until the clash with Tamerlane.

Death

After his defeat from the troops of Tokhtamysh, Mamai fled to Kafa (now Feodosia), where he had long-standing connections and political support of the Genoese, but he was not allowed into the city. He tried to penetrate Solkhat (now Old Crimea), but was intercepted by Tokhtamysh's patrols and killed. It is assumed that he was killed by mercenaries on the orders of the khan. Tokhtamysh buried Mamai with honors.

Descendants of Mamai

According to the family legend of the Glinsky princes, the descendants of Mamai were serving princes in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Glinskys, whose family domains were located on the lands of the Poltava and Cherkasy regions of Ukraine, descended from the son of Mamai, Mansur Kiyatovich. Mikhail Glinsky staged a rebellion in Lithuania, after the failure of which he transferred to Moscow service. His niece Elena Glinskaya is the mother of Ivan IV the Terrible. Relatives of the Glinsky princes, the Russian princes Ruzhinsky, Ostrogsky, Dashkevich and Vishnevetsky played an important role in the development of the Cossack community of the Dnieper region, the formation of the Zaporozhye Army and the lands under its control, Zaporozhye.

See also

Notes

Literature

Scientific biography

• Pochekaev R. Yu. Mamai: The story of an “anti-hero” in history (dedicated to the 630th anniversary of the Battle of Kulikovo). - St. Petersburg. : EURASIA, 2010. - 288 p. - (Clio). - 2000 copies. -

One of the prominent representatives of the Mongolian military aristocracy, a talented and energetic military leader and politician in the Golden Horde.

The name Mamai is an ancient Turkic version of the name Muhammad, which was widespread during the time of the Kazan Khanate. For the Georgian holy Catholicos of the same name, see Art. Mamai Gruzinsky

On his father’s side he was a descendant of the Kipchak Khan Akopa, he came from the Kiyan clan, on his mother’s side he was from the Golden Horde temnik Murza Mamai. He rose to prominence under the Golden Horde Khan Berdibek (1357–1361), marrying his daughter. Not belonging to the clan of Genghis Khan, he could not be a khan himself. But, taking advantage of the internecine struggle for the Khanate in the Golden Horde, after the death of Khan Berdibek, in the middle of the 14th century, in the fight against Tokhtamysh he subjugated most of the Western Golden Horde territory, that is, the land from the Don to the Danube, and fought his way to power with poison and dagger. By the end of the 1370s, he became the de facto ruler of the Golden Horde, ruling it through dummy khans (Russian chronicles called them “Mamaev kings”). Under him, several khans were replaced, who obeyed him in everything: Abdul, Mohammed-Sultan, Tyulubek, etc., after which he proclaimed himself khan.

Inciting feudal strife between the Russian princes, who fought among themselves to obtain a label for the great reign, opposing the strengthening of the strongest of the lands under his control in Rus' - Moscow, Mamai consistently supported her opponents. He made his main bet on Tver, and also, for tactical reasons, on Ryazan. At the same time, for the sake of caution, he more than once burst into the territory of the Ryazan principality (which served as a buffer between Muscovite Russia and the Horde), devastating it. Mamai's orientation towards the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was accompanied by his hostile attitude towards Muscovite Rus'.

In an effort to revive the power of the Golden Horde, he undertook a series of campaigns into Russian lands. Mamai burned Nizhny Novgorod, which by that time was under the patronage of Moscow, and at the same time sent a detachment of Murza Begich to collect the missing taxes from the Moscow prince Dmitry Ivanovich. As the chronicle tells, Mamai wanted to restore power over Russia, wanting “it to be like it was under Batu.”

During military operations, Mamai used such factors as surprise, swiftness, and attack by large masses of cavalry in open areas. Often maneuvered on the battlefield in order to dismember the enemy or bypass his flanks and reach the rear, followed by encirclement and destruction; at the same time, he showed excessive self-confidence, due to success in battles with weaker opponents.

In the summer, he gathered a large army, which included not only the Tatars, but also the Circassians, Yasses, and Chechens he conquered. However, on September 8, 1380, the Battle of Kulikovo took place, in which Mamai was defeated and fled from the battlefield with a small detachment of Tatars to Kafa (Feodosia). The chronicler reported: “...the filthy Mamai ran with four men into the bend of the sea, gnashing his teeth, crying bitterly...”- this is how the Legend of Mamaev’s Massacre told about it. In Crimea, he was met by Tamerlane's protege Khan Tokhtamysh, to whom Mamai was supposed to cede power over the Golden Horde. Mamai wanted to hide with his treasures and a few followers in Caffa, but here he was treacherously killed.

Literature

• Nasonov A. N., Mongols and Rus', M.-L., 1940.
• Grekov B. D., Yakubovsky A. Yu., The Golden Horde and its fall, M.-L., 1950.
• Egorov V. A., Historical geography of the Golden Horde in the XII–XIV centuries., M., 1985.
• Rus' under the yoke: how it was, M., 1991.

Materials used

• Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron.
• "MAMAI," Dictionary of personal names:

Mamai left a significant mark on history: it was under him that the famous Battle of Kulikovo took place. He was a controversial but influential figure of his time. Let's look at who Mamai is, what he did for his country, and what he became famous for.

Origin

Mamai was born around 1335. He came from the Kiyat clan (an ancient Turkic tribe, the representative of which was Genghis Khan himself). Mamai married very profitably, taking as his wife Tulunbek, the daughter of Muhammad Berdibek (the eighth ruler of the Horde).

Berdibek died in 1359. This ended the reign of the Batuid dynasty. Mamai began the so-called “Great Remembrance” period, which lasted almost until his death. He tried to restore the dynasty, making only representatives of the clan khans. However, according to the law of the Golden Horde, they were impostors.

Titles and positions

When answering the question of who Mamai is, one cannot ignore his title and position. He controlled the troops of the Golden Horde from 1361 to 1380 and was a military leader. The Russians called it temnik. This is the military rank of the person who leads the largest group of his army (approximately 10 thousand people). He did not have the rank of khan, since he did not belong to the clan of Genghisid. He was also a beklyarbek - the manager of the Golden Horde state administration.

History of events before the Battle of Kulikovo and the politics of Mamai

When Berbidek, the father of Tulunbek, was killed by Khan Kulpa, Mamai declared war on him and, as already mentioned, the period of the “Great Rebellion” began. For 11 whole years from 1359, Mamai fought with as many as nine khans who opposed the fact that he put Khan Abdullah in charge. In 1366, Mamai conquered some lands in the west of the Golden Horde's possessions (near Crimea) and began to rule there. This weakened the central government. Temporarily he even ruled the capital - New Saray (when he managed to recapture it).

Eastern states did not support Mamai, so he mainly turned to European states for support (most often Lithuanian, Genoa and Venice). Mamai's reign was very controversial. Historians know that at first he supported the Moscow principality, even entered into an agreement with Metropolitan Alexy, who, one might say, ruled Moscow while Prince Dmitry was little. For Russia, the benefit of such an alliance was that Mamai reduced the taxes levied on Russians.

After some time, Mikhailo Alansky himself asked the temnik (remember, that’s what Mamai was called in Rus') to give a label to the principality to Dmitry Donskoy. Alansky gave Temnik many gifts, and he agreed. Donskoy became dependent precisely on the Mamaev Horde (a self-proclaimed state in the Golden Horde), and not on those rulers who ruled in Sarai. Seven years later, Mamai took away the label for the principality from the prince and gave it to Mikhail Tverskoy. But Prince Dmitry, who had already matured at that time, managed to regain this label a year later. It was handed to him by Khan Muhammad Bulak, who was placed on the throne by Mamai.

At the same time, there was a struggle with Tokhtamysh (the legitimate khan of the Horde). He was a Chingizid and from 1377 tried to become a full-fledged ruler. His main goal was to remove Mamai. A year later, he and his troops invaded Temnik's possessions. By 1380, Tokhtamysh returned his lands, and Mamai was left with only the North of the Black Sea region and Crimea. Tokhtamysh won and established legitimate power, and the “Great Zamyatnya” ended. This was almost at the same time as the Battle of Kulikovo, which we will talk about below.

Battle of Kulikovo

To know who Mamai is, you need to understand what role he played in the clash on This battle took place between the troops of Mamai and Dmitry Donskoy. There are several reasons that led to this battle.

Relations between the Mamaev Horde and Moscow worsened when the temnik took away from Donskoy the label already given to him for the Moscow principality. For this, Prince Dmitry stopped paying tribute. Temnik decided to send his ambassadors, but they were all killed by order of the prince, who had many supporters. After this there were small clashes between the warring parties, but Mamai himself did not attack yet. So far, only Arapsha (the khan of the Blue Horde, serving under Mamai) ravaged some large Russian principalities.

In 1378, Temnik sent his troops to battle with Dmitry, but the Horde were defeated. Around this time, Mamai began to lose part of his territory, since Tokhtamysh and his people attacked him from the other side. In 1380, preparations for the battle began. Moscow troops led by Dmitry were going to head to the Don through Kolomna. The main regiment was headed by Donskoy himself, the second regiment was commanded by Vladimir the Brave, and the third by Gleb Bryansky. Many Russian cities also provided great military support to Prince Dmitry, sending their troops to help.

It is also interesting to note the number of troops. Various sources mention the number of Russian soldiers from 40 thousand to 400 thousand. But many historians believe that these numbers are exaggerated and that the number of soldiers did not exceed 60 thousand. But Mamai’s troops numbered from 100 to 150 thousand people.

The Battle of Kulikovo took place on September 8, 1380 on the banks of the Don on the Kulikovo Field. It is known that the Russians advanced with banners depicting Jesus Christ. At first there were small clashes between the advanced troops, in which the Tatar-Mongol Chelubey and the Russian monk Peresvet died.

Since Mamai’s troops outnumbered Donskoy’s troops, the Russians initially had little chance of victory. But they had certain tactics. They hid the ambush detachments of princes Vladimir Serpukhovsky and Dmitry Bobrok-Volynsky, who were very helpful at the end of the battle. Thus, Mamaia’s side began to lose. Almost all the Horde warriors were killed. The battle ended with the flight of the Tatar-Mongols.

This battle was of great importance. Although Rus' still continued to be under the yoke of the Golden Horde, it became more independent, and the Principality of Moscow was greatly strengthened. A hundred years later, Rus' was finally freed from the influence of the Horde.

Death

After losing to the Russian troops and Khan Tokhtamysh, Mamai fled to the territory of present-day Feodosia, but he was not allowed there. Mamai tried to take refuge in the city of Solkhat (now Old Crimea), but did not have time to get there. On the way, he was attacked by Tokhtamysh's people. By this time, all of Mamai’s supporters had gone over to the side of the legitimate ruler, so the temnik had no reliable protection. In a battle with Tokhtamysh's people, he was killed. Khan buried the body of his opponent with honors. His grave (mound) is located in the village of Aivazovskoye near Feodosia (formerly the city of Sheikh-Mamai). Our glorious painter Aivazovsky found the grave.

Rod Mamaia

According to historical genealogies, the descendants of Mamai were princes living in the Principality of Lithuania. The great family of the well-known Glinskys is supposed to have descended from Mansur Kiyatovich, the son of Mamai. The prince, for example, is known for his rebellion in Lithuania, after which he and his family moved to Moscow. Also descendants of Mamai are the families of Ruzhinsky, Vishnevetsky, Ostrozhsky and Dashkevich. The princes of these families are very famous in the history of Zaporozhye as people who did a lot for Ukraine militarily.

Several educational facts are known about Mamaia’s temnik:

• There is a saying “like Mamai passed”, which means disorder, devastation. They also say this about a person who left a mess behind. This expression occurred after Mamai’s troops successfully devastated the cities of Rus'.
• In addition to numerous historical books and sources, the name of the temnik is mentioned in the song “Mamai” (performer: Ukrainian group “Vopli Vidoplyasova”). But here it is worth noting the fact that there is such a concept as “Cossack Mamai” - which means a collective image of the Cossack hero of Ukraine. But the name did not come from the name of the temnik, but from the ancient word “mamayuvati” (to travel, to lead a free lifestyle). So it has nothing to do with the temnik.

Conclusion

We found out who Mamai is. beklyarbek and military leader of the Golden Horde, unofficial ruler of the self-proclaimed state of Mamaev Horde. He managed to win the trust of many Tatar-Mongols and achieve many victories.

He became famous for his successful campaigns against Rus', but at the very end of his life he lost in the great Battle of Kulikovo, and a little later to Khan Tokhtamysh, with whom he fought for power for a long time. His mistakes led to the weakening of the influence of the Golden Horde, and to his death.

Mamai did not belong to the khan’s family of Genghis Khanovich, he seized power due to the general internal turmoil that ensued and was not recognized by a significant part of the tribes of both the Golden and White Hordes. His power was not recognized by the Nogai hordes and Cossacks. The Moscow prince’s attitude towards him also became defiant.

Mamai, in order to strengthen his position, began to seek an alliance with the Lithuanian prince, and through him, some Russian princes. In 1377, Prince Olgerd died and his son Jagiello took his place. Mamai entered into an alliance with him and began to prepare for an internal war in order to bring the tribes disobedient to him, including the Moscow prince, to submission.

By that time, the possessions of the Lithuanian princes had spread far to the east and included the Ryazan principality. The Pronsky prince married the daughter of Prince Olgerd and with his help became the Ryazan prince. Thus, the Ryazan principality was made dependent on Lithuania. The Tver prince was in alliance with the Lithuanian princes, continued to expand his possessions to the east and occupied several cities on the Volga. Prince Dimitri Donskoy, who had matured by that time, did not take into account Mamai’s labels and openly began to resist the Tatar troops attacking the borders of Russian possessions. Mamai, in order to humble the Moscow prince, sent a significant detachment under the command of Prince Arapsha to the borders of the Moscow principality. Prince Dimitri sent troops against the Tatars under the command of his son, Ivan. The troops met on the river. Piyave. During the battle, Tsarevich Ivan drowned in the river. Piyave, his troops were defeated and the Tatars occupied and defeated Nizhny Novgorod.

In 1378, Mamai sent a stronger detachment against Moscow and they again captured Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan and caused destruction in them. But Prince Dimitri opposed this detachment of Tatars and met with them within the Ryazan possessions on the river. Vozhe defeated them. According to the chronicler: “Dimitri fought with the Tatars on Vozha and the Tatars fled.” Battle on the river Vozhe put Rus' in a position of open war with the Golden Horde. Mamai could not put up with Moscow’s disobedience and began to prepare for a campaign against it.

By the time of the brewing war against the Golden Horde, the possessions of the Moscow principality were limited to the Moscow and Vladimir-Suzdal regions and the Yaroslavl principality. In the southeast, the Meshchera principality, formed by Khan Togai, entered the possessions of Moscow.

Toga's son, Makhmet Useinovich, turned his possessions into a strong principality, and his son, Belimesh, converted to Christianity, received the name Michael, baptized his squad and “many people” and recognized the power of the Moscow prince; in the position of henchmen of the princes were: Beloozero, Kargopol, Kubensk, Myrom-Eletsk and some other small rulers of the fragmented Russian principalities. Moscow's possessions were compressed on all sides by its opponents and limited to the limits of the Volga and Oka rivers, and in the south the river. Desna and the borders of the Ryazan principality. The Tver and Ryazan princes were in alliance with the Lithuanian prince and, together with him, with Khan Mamai. Prince Daniel waged war at the same time with Tver and Ryazan; These wars ended in peace treaties, according to which the Tver and Ryazan princes promised to live in peace and fight together with the common enemy. “Your enemy will also be my enemy,” the agreements said. The general situation for Moscow's open action against Mamai could not give any hope of success. The Moscow prince could have hopes of success only if he received external help, and he could count on such help from the allies who appeared on his western borders.

After the death of Prince Olgerd, his eldest son Jagiello became the Prince of Lithuania. He married a Polish princess, Jadwiga, converted to Catholicism and became king of the united Polish-Lithuanian kingdom. Catholicism was accepted as the dominant religion and became mandatory for all citizens. Lithuania. The independent position of Lithuania was threatened by absorption by Poland. Lithuania could not come to terms with Jagiello's decision, and his three brothers rebelled against him. The Pskov prince Alexander fled to Moscow and entered the service of the Moscow prince. The Volyn and Bryansk princes left the power of their brother and took a position hostile to him. These Jagiello brothers decided to continue the policy of the former Lithuanian princes, who created an independent Lithuania while preserving its internal life and order. They could not abandon the common goal pursued by their father - the absorption of the Moscow principality and the destruction of the Golden Horde. Despite the split that occurred as a result of the Polish-Lithuanian Union adopted by their brother, they had enough means to continue their previous policy, counting; on the forces they had, and on the sympathy of the Russian people. Only with their help could the Moscow prince have hopes of success in an open war against Mamai.

In the brewing conflict between Moscow and the Golden Horde, the policies of Jagiello and his brothers were the same, the difference was only in tactics. Jagiello entered into an alliance with Mamai, hoping in alliance with him to break the resistance of the Moscow prince and even completely destroy his armed forces. His brothers wanted a war between the Moscow prince and the Golden Horde, but they wanted to use it in. in order to weaken both sides. They saw that in the upcoming battle, the troops of the Moscow prince, poorly armed, without experienced leaders, would have to suffer defeat if they were not completely destroyed, after which the Golden Horde would be strengthened and the prestige of the khan would rise.. Therefore, in order to prevent the final destruction of the troops Moscow prince and undermine the prestige of Mamai, they wanted to provide minor support to Moscow.

The unexpected meeting between the troops of the Moscow prince and the Lithuanian princes when approaching the battlefield is a legend of the distant past. The Moscow prince Dimitri knew that he was not opposing one khan of the Golden Horde, but an entire coalition: Mamaia, Jagiello, the Ryazan and Tver princes, and without first securing support from the allies, he could not lead the troops to their certain death. In deciding to open war against Mamai and supporting him from the Lithuanian princes, Prince Dimitri had a pre-developed plan and his main advisers in this matter were his Western allies.

Mamai began to prepare for the campaign against Moscow. He climbed up the Volga and began to replenish his troops with the tribes of the Volga region - Buryats, Cheremis and Tatars. The Moscow prince also began to gather troops and prepare to repel the Tatars. He sent requests for help to all the princes and Novgorod. Ambassadors were sent to Mamai with rich gifts and a promise to pay tribute to the khan as before. Mamai did not agree and demanded more. Zakhary Tyutchev, who headed the embassy, ​​learned that Jagiello and the Ryazan prince Oleg kissed Mamai and concluded an agreement on a joint campaign against Moscow with the aim of dividing it. The Allied troops were supposed to unite on the river. Oka and from there conduct a further offensive. Neither Novgorod, nor Tver, nor Suzdal, nor Nizhny Novgorod responded to the call of the Moscow prince. Only the henchmen of the princes of Beloozero, Rostov and Pereyaslavl promised to join. By the end of August 1380, the troops of the Moscow prince united at Kolomna. From Kolomna, the prince ordered the troops to move to the upper reaches of the Don. At the mouth of the Lopasta River, the troops crossed the Oka and continued moving in the indicated direction. The moment the troops approached the upper reaches of the Don occurred an event that in the history of the Battle of Kulikovo borders on a miracle.

The troops of the Moscow prince were joined by the Pskov and Bryansk princes Olgerdovich and the troops of the Volyn prince under the command of governor Bobrok. Another miracle dates back to the same time: the Don atamans came to the Moscow prince with troops, about whom the chronicler reports: “There in the upper reaches of the Don, a Christian people of military rank living, called “Cossacks”, joyfully met the Grand Duke Demetrius, with holy icons and crosses congratulating him on his deliverance from his adversary, and bringing him gifts from his treasures, which I have Miraculous Icons in my churches.” The “unexpected” appearance of the troops of the Lithuanian princes and Cossacks as they approached the battlefield was the best answer to the general plan for the upcoming battle. The troops of the Moscow prince, going to the upper reaches of the Don, moved 250-300 versts from Moscow, and approaching the battlefield, they were placed in a position surrounded on three sides by their opponents. The troops of Mamai, the Ryazan prince and Jagiello from the mouth of the Nepryadva were at the same distance in relation to the Moscow troops, occupying a position covering them in relation to them. The appearance of the troops of the Lithuanian kings and Cossacks from the southwest and south separated the troops of Jagiello from the troops of his allies, and, in addition, strengthened the troops of the Moscow prince with units well prepared for battle and excellent military leaders.

The Don Cossacks in the upcoming war between Mamai and Moscow were not on Mamai’s side and some of them took the side of the Moscow prince. The collapse of the Golden Horde and the seizure of power by the usurper posed the question of where to look for a way out of this situation for the Cossacks, and, if not all, then some of them joined the troops of the Moscow prince and stood against Mamai. Having set out from Moscow, the troops sent “watchmen” to search for the enemy, from whom no information was received. After the joining of the Lithuanian and Cossack troops, squads of new “watchmen” were sent, under the command of Semyon Medic. Information was received from Melik that Mamai’s troops were on the river. Vorone, the Lithuanian prince Jagiello - at Odoevsk, and the Ryazan prince on his territory, the distance of the location of both troops from Nepryadva was about one hundred and fifty miles, Mamai and his troops were at a closer distance. Semyon Melik was constantly in contact with Mamai's troops. From the captured Tatar, information was received that “Mamai has all the Tatar and Polovtsian strength, and has also hired Besermen, Armenians, Fryazis, Circassians, Yasses and Buryats...” and that his army is innumerable and impossible to count. On September 2, Melik’s guards gradually retreated under pressure from the Tatars to Nepryadva, to the Red Hill, from the top of which the entire surrounding area was visible. By September 5, the troops of the Moscow prince and his allies approached the mouth of the river. Untruthful. The chronicler writes: “And having come to the Don and stasha and thinking a lot...” the Grand Duke gathered a council in the village. Chernov, and asked all the princes and governors to express their opinion on the order of battle. At the council, some said “go prince for the Don”, others - “don’t go, for our enemies have multiplied, not only the Tatars, but also Lithuania and Ryazan...” The decisive voice was the voice of the Volyn governor - Bobrok. He declared: “If the prince wanted a strong army, then they led the tinkering beyond the Don, so that there would not be a single one who would think back, and the great power would not resolve anything, as God is not in power, but in truth Yaroslav transported the river - defeat the Holy Regiment; and your great-grandfather, the great prince, Alexander, crossed the Izhera river, defeated the king. It is fitting for you, who call God, to do the same, if we win, then we will be saved, if we die, then we will accept all the common death from the prince to the common people...” Having listened to Bobrok and the opinion of other princes, the Grand Duke said: “Brothers, it was better to die for the evil belly, and it was better not to go against the godless, having come and done nothing, return back: now on this day we will come beyond the Don in everything and there we will put our heads all for the holy churches and for the Orthodox faith, and for our brothers, for Christianity.” It was ordered to build bridges for each regiment: forward, large, right and left arm and ambush - the troops began to cross the Don using five bridges. After the crossing, the bridges were ordered to be destroyed so that no one would think about retreat. Semyon Melik continued to observe the Tatar army and on September 7 reported that the Tatars were on the “goose ford”, 8-9 versts from the river. They were dishonest, and advised the prince to prepare for battle.

The military disposition of the troops was entrusted to the governor Bobrok. Bobrok “ordered the people and placed them according to their property, wherever it was appropriate for someone to stand.” A large regiment was stationed in the center under the command of boyar Timofey Velyaminov; on the flanks - regiments of the right and left hands under the command of Prince Andrei Olgerdovich, the second - Prince Vasily Yaroslavsky; behind the left flank was placed as a reserve - the regiment of the Lithuanian prince Dmitry Olgerdovich; an advanced regiment was placed in front of the troops, under the command of princes Semyon Obolensky and Ivan Tarussky; An “ambush regiment” was stationed in Green Grove, under the command of Voivode Bobrok, under whom was the brother of the Grand Duke, Vladimir.

The identity of the governor Bobrok has not been clarified to this day; there is no doubt that he was one of the atamans of the Dnieper Cossacks who came from Volyn, whose descendants existed among the Don Cossacks until recently.

Green Grove was located in the north-eastern corner of the Kulikovo field and adjacent to the Don, where bridges were left, which were under the supervision of an ambush regiment, the durability of which was beyond doubt.

The number of troops is calculated by chroniclers, according to ancient custom, not taking into account reality, but with the expectation of a stronger effect on the reader’s imagination. According to the chronicler Safoniy Ryazan, who wrote about a hundred years after the event, it seems: “And having gathered his hundred thousand and one hundred, he defeated the Russian princes and local governors. Byshe all the strength and all the armies numbering 150,000 or 200,000; The troops were replenished by the approaching princes of Lithuania, whose number was 40,000 and were brought up to 400,000 soldiers.” The number of troops, of course, is exaggerated; their number could not exceed 50,000 - 60,000 people. These considerations are based on the fact that the dimensions of the Kulikovo Field were 5 versts in length and 4 versts in depth and were not sufficient to deploy an army of 400,000. In addition, the population of the Moscow possessions could not field such a number, which is why the actual number could not exceed 50-60 thousand. With the added troops that came from outside at 40,000, all troops could be estimated at 90-100 thousand.

The troops and Mamaia were exaggerated, the number of which also could not have an overwhelming superiority over the Moscow ones.

“Mamai, hearing the arrival of the Grand Duke to the river. Don, gave the order to move with all his might and stand at the Don against Prince Dmitry Ivanovich, until the adviser Jagiello, the prince, comes to us with all the strength of Lithuania...”

Mamai sent ambassadors to the Moscow prince for negotiations and Prince Dmitry offered tribute on the previous agreement, but Mamai demanded more. From these secondary negotiations it is clear that Prince Dmitry Donskoy did not flatter himself with hopes of liberation from the dependence of the Mongols, and, therefore, his military campaign against Mamai was forced.

Even with a favorable outcome of the upcoming battle, the prince had to foresee that the Mongols would not leave him alone and his own forces would not be enough to repel their invasion.