What is Dmitry Donskoy famous for? The Battle of Kulikovo

There are very few events of such magnitude as the Kulikovo battle in the history of Russia. It stands alongside such battles as the Poltava, Borodino and Stalingrad battles. Here are four great battles in Russian history. These are the battles in which the destiny of the country, its future was decided. Of course, they are different in scale, different in technology used, but for their time their value is quite comparable.

Prince of Moscow

Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoi (1350-1389) after the death of his father began to reign in Moscow from the age of nine. At this time in the Horde feudal strife began, and it began to weaken. But Mamai's power continued to spread to Rus. In addition, Lithuania created an alliance with the Horde, directed against Russia and its principalities, and took Tver. Moscow at this time built a new white stone fortress. The economic struggle against the Horde continued, and thanks to Moscow's efforts, the tribute was reduced, and a dynastic marriage was concluded between Serpukhov prince Vladimir and the daughter of the Lithuanian prince Olgerd. What is Dmitry Donskoy famous for? Diplomatic abilities, first of all.

The legendary figure

Prince Dmitry Donskoy is a symbolic figure. He has long been a symbol of the great commander. Dmitry Donskoy, who came from the depths of time, grew up with myths, but this is the case when the myth and reality coincide. It really corresponds to the notion of a great commander. Dmitry Donskoy, the years of government have shown this, was indeed an outstanding, unusual figure of his time. He was a man who had great confidence in himself, in his special mission. Not in yourself personally, not with self-confidence, but that the Lord has given him a special task, a special purpose among people. Dmitry Donskoi felt himself to be God's chosen one. The Lord set before him the task of liberating Russia, and he must do it at any cost. When Dmitry raised the revolt against the Golden Horde, he felt this as a mission that was given to him from above.

Suspicious adventure

But for others it looked a bit different. Many believed that the uprising against the Golden Horde was an adventure, that Dmitri Ivanovich Donskoi at his own risk raised this insurrection, and now here comes a huge black cloud across the steppe - these are Mamaia's warriors. And now he himself understands them. He made this mess, let him sort it out. That was the attitude. And so in the summer of 1380, when Dmitry learned from his intelligence that the Tatars had gone on a campaign and that they had a huge army, Dmitry Donskoy sent messengers to all of his Russian princes, who all once gathered together with him and said that it was necessary to raise insurrection.

And so he sends messengers to them and writes: come, this very hour has come, when we must rise together to this holy war. And suddenly he begins to receive strange answers. One writes that he can not, his horses are ill, the horses are completely hungry, the other has left somewhere at this time, and it is impossible to find it. The third one has some other reasons. Russian commander was almost alone. The prince of Nizhny Novgorod, his father-in-law, Dmitri Konstantinovich, did not come, the prince of Tver, Mikhail Alexandrovich, did not come, the Novgorodians did not come. Only a few princes came: Belozersky, Rostov - small in number of detachments. And in this situation Dmitry understands that only one thing can save him - the people's militia.

Militia collection

It is necessary to convince ordinary people, townspeople, peasants, who have never actually fought to go to war, it's not their business. Fought professionals, militia. The people's militia was collected extremely rarely. On some extraordinary occasions, when the question was not just about a war between a prince, say Ivan, and Prince Constantine, but the question was about the fate of our faith, about Orthodoxy, that is, this war with Mamai had to be set as a holy war, war For the faith. For this, Dmitry needed to receive a blessing from some figure. So that a person who is trusted by a people whom he believes is truly holy, blessed the war with Mamai and raised it to the height of the holy war, the war for faith.

Sergius of Radonezh

At that time in North-East Russia there lived only one person whom people undoubtedly trusted, whom people considered to be a living saint, because his life was such that he lived flawlessly. It was St. Sergius of Radonezh. St. Sergius of Radonezh, the founder of the monastery, 70 km to the north-east of Moscow, is the abbot of this monastery. This, of course, is a great man for our church. But, in addition, St. Sergius in his everyday life embodied the Christian ideal of monasticism: a monk is a man who is absolutely gentle, unselfish, ready to give everyone some kind of help, support everyone, give everyone good advice. And the glory of St. Sergius has spread very widely. But, of course, Sergius did not interfere in politics. And now Dmitry had a last chance to turn to St. Sergius. The war with the Horde did not appeal to St. Sergius, because the risk was very great.

To bow

But when the Russian commander arrived at his Trinity Monastery on August 16, 1380 and said: "Holy Father, bless", Sergius rose above personal relationships, over vain considerations, and gave him not just his blessing, but his two monks, Peresvet And Oslaby. Why did he give his monks? It would seem a strange decision. Why does he send monks to fight? This was in general a violation of the monastic rules, because the monk must sit in the monastery. The warrior must fight, and the monk must pray, everyone has his own business. And suddenly the Monk Sergius sends two monks to the battle. The fact that they were visible evidence that this is the blessing of St. Sergius. After all, the world was small then. People knew each other in person, like in the countryside. And everyone knew that Peresvet and Oslabya in the past were respected Moscow governors, notable people, but then they left for the monastery. And everyone understood that if they were traveling alongside Dmitri, then the campaign was blessed by the monk.

Holy war for faith

And since this is the blessing of the monk, it's not just a princely fight, and it's not just some kind of adventure, but it's a sacred war for faith. And this means that everyone who dies in this war will receive the crown of a martyr, and angels await him in heaven, and he who does not go to this war is a traitor of faith, a rebel. That's why the Monk Sergius blessed his monks for this expedition. What is Dmitry Donskoy famous for? He managed to gather the people's militia.

The alignment of forces - the prince's reflections

He did not wait for the Tatars to siege Moscow, although he already had a decent stone fortress, and some advised to sit tight in it. And now Dmitry led the troops to the Kulikovo field. The people's militia went with him. And then he acts like a great military leader, who calculates everything accurately. He went to meet the enemy, to the steppe. This was an unusual military reception. But it was the right decision.

Decisive battle

Then he came to the Kulikovo field and ordered his troops to cross the Don. At first glance, they stood in a completely unfavorable position. On the one hand - Don, on the other hand in a deep ravine Nepryadva. That is, there is nowhere to run. In case the army falters and runs, it will disappear when crossing the river. Tatars of all of them will be killed. But it was right at that moment. Each warrior had to give this thought: either to win or to perish. Salvation will not be in flight. We must fight. It was a bet on victory. So thought out the Kulikovo battle of Dmitry Donskoy.

Night reflections

On the night of September 7-8, 1380, Dmitri understood one very important thing: when the battle begins, the large militia regiment of militias that he led may not survive. And Dmitry imagined what the Horde attack was: with hiccups, screams, squeals, a black Horde cavalry rushes with a howl. She rushes to a large regiment, where unskilled militiamen are standing. And at the sight of this avalanche they will not stand their nerve, they will run. It will be an irrational fear that will seize everyone. How to save the militiamen? How to take the first blow? And Dmitry makes the only correct decision. He puts forward a well-trained sentry regiment, which consisted of selected combatants, chained in iron. Those people who could hold this avalanche for some time for about an hour. And Dmitry himself is going to this advanced regiment. It was clear that this regiment was doomed to perish. This is how the battle of Dmitry Donskoy was conceived. But these warriors will stop for some time an avalanche of cavalry, and during this time the militia will manage to recover and overcome fear. And so it happened.

On the Field of Kulikovo

The next morning Dmitri set up shelves. Sam went to the guard regiment on the front line. An avalanche of the Tatar cavalry from the top of the Red Hill went to the Russian army. The entire regiment, which stood in front, was destroyed. But while the Horde were fighting with him, maybe half an hour, maybe an hour, and the militiamen came to their senses. They saw that it was possible to stop the Tatars. That the energy of the avalanche is no longer the same, it has already been stopped. And so, when the Tatars reached the big regiment, he stood to death and did not run anywhere.

Ambush

And, of course, it was a great decision to put an ambush regiment in the oak grove under the command of Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovsky. And this ambush regiment, unexpectedly striking the flank with nothing expecting the Tatar cavalry, already in the middle of the battle decided the outcome of the battle. The Tatars trembled and began to retreat. As soon as this happened, Dmitry threw up reserves for this flank, and a counteroffensive began. That is, everything was thought out. Up to his own role. This was the battle of Dmitry Donskoi. After all, at that time the rulers usually stood in the rear. And Dmitry went ahead, past the regiments, so that everyone could see that he was going to fight in the front ranks, that he was ready to give his own life for victory, that he would not abandon them, he would not run away. What is Dmitry Donskoy famous for? Feat of self-sacrifice.

Heavy Victory

After the battle, he was not found for a long time. He was seriously wounded. Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovskoy sent the soldiers to look for him. Severely injured in this battle, Dmitry barely survived. He was found and brought to consciousness, he mounted his horse and together with his brother they went to inspect the battlefield. We saw that the field was filled with corpses. The victory went to a heavy price. The military potential of Moscow was undermined.

After the battle, the prince's army arrived first to Kolomna, and then to Moscow. Now a monument to Dmitry Donskoi is erected on the Kremlin tower in Kolomna.

The Meaning of the Battle

The historical significance of the Kulikovo battle is that it finally determined the role of Moscow as the center of Russia's unification. Moscow on the Kulikovo field proved that it can free the country. It can achieve independence. We must help her, we must support her. What is Dmitry Donskoy famous for? He did not show words, but showed by his deeds that he was ready to fight for freedom. Therefore, Vasily Osipovich Kliuchevsky well formulated this, saying that the Moscow state was born in the vast Kulikovo field. This is a metaphor, but it accurately expresses the essence of the matter. And the majestic monument to Dmitry Donskoi reflects before his descendants his great deed.

The last years of Dmitry Donskoy's life were hard. He felt pressure from all sides. Lithuania intensified, the Horde demanded more tribute. And, perhaps, these adversities shortened the period of his life. He died at the age of 38 in May 1389.

This is a relatively short and heroic life. This man, Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy, rightfully occupies a prominent place in our history. He is worthy of it.