XIV century. Moscow enters the historical arena

Kremlin under Ivan Kalita. Hood. A. Vasnetsov.

This article is about how and why Moscow stood at the head of the unification process of Rus'. I will not repeat facts known to most readers from school. We continue the theme of the emergence and formation of state institutions in Rus', which I wrote about in a number of previous articles.

After the Mongol invasion, new centers of power emerged in the northeast of Rus', first Tver, and then Moscow, which gained independence only at the end of the 1276th century under Daniil Alexandrovich (1303–XNUMX), the son of Alexander Nevsky.

How socio-economic relations developed during this period, in contrast to political ones, we know only in general terms, we simply have not received documents from this period.

The rise of Moscow

The dispute over the reasons for the rise of Moscow has been going on in science for a long time. Unlike rivals located right on the Volga, such as Tver and Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow stood clear of the waterways. It had scarce natural resources, good soils were only on the right side of the Moskva River, and there were no outstanding crafts in the Moscow region. But Moscow's periphery in relation to the old centers, Vladimir, Suzdal and Rostov, attracted people here from areas dangerous for raids, as the most important resource of the Middle Ages.

All Russian principalities, whose princes were called "great", went one historical by trial and error. There is no need to talk about any control system for this time.

In modern terms, it was a movement from a startup to a monopoly, where all other participants in the competitive struggle die in the struggle for it.

The Muscovite princes, participants in this struggle, at first only annexed, rounded up, defended and fought for their "court", their economy-the "state".

In 1301, Daniil Alexandrovich conquered Kolomna from Ryazan, when he died, the Pereslavl veche did not want to let his son Yuri go to Moscow, but he goes not just to another city where his father ruled, he goes to the "fatherland".

Monument to Prince Daniel Alexandrovich. Moscow. Authors: sculptors A. Korovin, V. Mokrousov, architect D. Sokolov.

In 1303, Mozhaisk was conquered from Smolensk, and the entire Moskva River was within the boundaries of his economy, which doubled. Yuri Danilovich (1303–1325) fought with varying degrees of success against Tver for the great reign of Vladimir. Mikhail Yaroslavovich Tverskoy makes several campaigns against Moscow and its allied Novgorod.

In 1313, a coup took place in the Horde, Uzbek came to power, who converted to Islam under the name of Muhammad. Yuri Danilovich took advantage of this, he married the sister of Uzbek and received a label for a great reign as a dowry. The strong prince of Tver, opposing this "unfair" decision, in 1317 defeated the Muscovites and their allies, the Tatars.

At the same time, Yuri's wife, Agafya, is captured, who, by an incomprehensible coincidence, dies in Tver. Yuri Danilovich took advantage of this, for which in 1318 the Tver prince Mikhail Yaroslavovich of Tverskoy was killed in the Horde, and the Moscow prince again received a label on the Vladimir table.

Monument to Prince of Tver and All Rus' Mikhail Yaroslavovich. Author A. N. Kovalchuk, Tver.

His son Dmitry Mikhailovich Terrible Eyes submits to Yuri and transfers the "tribute" from Tver to the Tatars. And Yuri, who went to Novgorod, did not send money to the Horde, for which he was deprived of the label. In 1325, the Tver prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Terrible Eyes in the Horde avenged his father by killing Yuri Danilovich.

Ivan Danilovich Kalita (1325-1349), who became the prince of Moscow after his brother Yuri, with the help of the Horde - "Fedorchuk's army" of 50 thousand horsemen, suppressed the veche performance in Tver and received a label for one half - the Vladimir table. The second half of northeastern Rus' with a label was received by Prince Alexander Vasilievich Suzdalsky.

The Tatars are closely watching to ensure that the Russians do not have a concentration of power in one hand, but Ivan Kalita becomes the main collector of the "Horde exit".

In 1325, Metropolitan Peter, who had previously been defended at the Church Council in Pereslavl-Zalessky by Muscovites, moved his cathedra from devastated Kiev to Moscow, and it became the spiritual center of all Rus', not without reason the Grand Dukes of Lithuania began a stubborn struggle for the return, and then for the creation own metropolis for southern and western Rus'.

At the same time, Ivan increases his possessions, capturing the cities of Uglich, Galich and Beloozero, and Tver becomes dependent on him. Moscow became the strongest and richest principality in the Vladimir land.

Ivan Kalita provided external and internal peace for his principality:

"Fix the Russian land from thieves and robbers",

which in the conditions of the alarming fourteenth century was an extremely important measure for development.

His policy was continued by his sons Simeon the Proud (1340–1353) and Ivan the Red (1353–1359).

After the death of the latter, Moscow had to defend its positions under his young son Dmitry, the future Donskoy, against the three great princes, Tver, Ryazan and Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod. The princely boyars played a special role here.

But the main merit in defending Moscow's interests belongs to Metropolitan Alexei, the son of the boyar Fyodor Byakont. He achieved a shortcut to the Grand Duchy of Vladimir for the young prince, as well as the right to collect a "way out" for the Horde, in the fight against the Suzdal prince. While civil strife began in the Horde, the "Great Jail".

The battle for hegemony in Rus'

In the 60s-70s. XIV century Moscow is fighting with Tver and its allied Lithuania for hegemony in the northeast and northwest of Rus'. The creation of a powerful modern stone fortress in Moscow in 1367 provided the city with security during the three campaigns of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Olgerd against Moscow - "Lithuanian".

In 1371, Mikhail Alexandrovich of Tverskoy, having received a label, in alliance with Lithuania and the Horde demanded submission from Dmitry Ivanovich, the same answered the following:

“I’m not going to the label, I won’t let Mikhail reign in the land of Vladimir, but you, the ambassador [of the Horde], the path is clear.”

While the people of Vladimir, as in the heyday of city-states, did not recognize the new Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich and did not let him in.

Monument to Olgerd. Author S. Bondarenko, Vitebsk. Belarus.

In the context of civil strife in the Horde, Moscow in 1371 was able to regain the label and reduce the amount of tribute. These concessions were made by the temnik Mamai, who usurped power in the Horde in order to secure a rear in the struggle for power in the steppe.

Finally, in 1375, after Dmitry’s campaign at the head of the army of all the principalities of the northeast and Novgorod to Tver, its Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich recognized the Vladimir table as a “patrimony” or hereditary possession of Moscow. And himself - the "younger brother" of Dmitry, recognizing the "brother" of the specific prince of Moscow Vladimir Serpukhovsky. This put him on a par with the Moscow specific princes. In 1378, Dmitry captured the Horde city of Bulgar, took the cannons from there and put them in Moscow.

Moscow becomes the main city throughout the northeast, and part of the lands of western Rus' gravitate towards it: Smolensk, Chernihiv land, and even Kyiv. The Moscow princes secured the right to the grand princely table of Rus', and Moscow became the spiritual center of Orthodoxy in Eastern Europe:

“that God gave me a fiefdom!”

Although the principalities in these territories remain independent or semi-independent, there is no talk of any unification into a “single state” yet. All subordination, as in the case of Tver, is still temporary, even brothers and uncles, appanage princes, are weakly subordinate. The state, as a single consolidated beginning, does not yet exist, there are princely "economy" of sovereigns.

Meanwhile, Mamai put things in order in the Golden Horde, demanded that all Russian principalities return to the old payments. Southern Rus' resumes payments. And Dmitry Ivanovich in 1380, after a series of clashes, having gathered the princely "yards" and the militia of most Russian cities, including southern Rus' and Novgorod, rejected Mamai's proposal to return to the amount of tribute from the time of Uzbek and moved troops to the Don.

At the same time, Mamai, given that Genghisid Tokhtamysh was at war with him, decided to first defeat the Moscow coalition. In turn, Dmitry Ivanovich sought to fight with Mamai, not allowing him to unite with the Ryazan prince Oleg and, which is especially important, with the great Lithuanian prince Jagiello (1362-1434). Sergey of Radonezh blessed the prince for the feat of arms.

On September 8, 1380, the Battle of Kulikovo took place. This battle showed the key role of Moscow in uniting Russian forces and indicated further ways to fight the Tatar-Mongol yoke. At this stage, the city militia still played a serious role, without which the victory on the Kulikovo field by the forces of some princely "courts" - squads would not have been possible.

In the same year, Tokhtamysh seized power in the Golden Horde, but Dmitry Donskoy did not go to the horde for a label. In retaliation, Tokhtamysh moved to Rus' in 1382, the Ryazan and Nizhny Novgorod principalities submitted to him. After the assault on Moscow failed, there were already cannons on the walls of Moscow, Tokhtamysh, through the princes of Nizhny Novgorod, convinced the Muscovites to surrender. The city was plundered, the inhabitants were killed and taken into slavery, the same fate befell other cities of the Moscow principality, on the way back the Tatars plundered the Ryazan land, despite the fact that Prince Oleg Ryazansky became their ally.

Moscow was heavily taxed. Under such conditions, an attempt begins to be made by some Russian lands to move away from Moscow. Strengthened Lithuania, whose Grand Duke Jagiello married the Polish Queen Jadwiga and became the head of Poland, establishes control over Smolensk (1386) and Polotsk (1387) allied to Moscow. And Novgorod even refused to participate in the payment of tribute to the Horde, for which in 1386 Dmitry made a campaign against him.

In 1389, Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy dies, bequeathing to his son, Vasily, the grand princely Vladimir table already as a fiefdom, without reference to the khan's will. The question of the main center of Rus' was determined in fact and legally.

Vasily I (1389-1425) continued the policy of annexing lands and protecting his patrimony, his economy-"state". Not the state, as we understand it today, with the abstract concepts of Motherland-Fatherland, but as it was understood then. The term "state" did not exist. There was a legacy of the father - the fatherland or fatherland or his own household, with his free and involuntary servants. Next to the prince stood his "servants", the Moscow boyars and Metropolitan Cyprian.

The latter contributes to the marriage of Vasily to the daughter of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt - Sophia.

In 1392, the prince buys a label in the horde for the Nizhny Novgorod principality, as well as Meshchera, Tarusa, and Murom. In addition to everything, according to custom and "old times", the Nizhny Novgorod Veche approved the annexation to Moscow, and the Nizhny Novgorod boyars "in the old days" left their prince and went over to Vasily I.

The skillful policy of the Moscow princes, who used the situation to their advantage, the assistance of the townspeople, who understood the benefits of strengthening their city, the close-knit entourage of the prince, which consisted of boyars and princes-relatives, among whom the Grand Duke was the first among equals, all this contributed to the strengthening of Moscow.

Let us remember this important political moment: the first among equals.

Again, an alternative?

Now there is an opinion that the process of collecting lands in the west and south of Rus' by Lithuania was much milder than in Vladimir-Suzdal and adjacent lands. In the western and southern "principalities", we repeat, the military potential has weakened much more than in the northeast, and they were more striving for a "row" (agreement) with Lithuania, they did not try to fight on two fronts: both with Lithuania and with the Horde , as they say, out of two evils ... But as subsequent events show, due to the prevailing circumstances (the union of Lithuania and Poland), mechanisms of economic and religious exploitation came to these lands much more severe than in the northwest and northeast of Russia.

Within the framework of the neighboring community, the city-states are being replaced by a military-service proto-state, each individual Russian principality did not have the strength to resist Lithuania, and even more so the Horde, just as the northwestern city-states (Novgorod and Pskov) themselves could not cope with threat from the Order.

Why proto-state or early state?

Because, as we wrote in the previous article, its formation was just taking place and it was formed around the “princely court”, the princely economy and from the court. It is no coincidence that the terms “principality” and “state” appeared precisely in this period, the end of the XNUMXth - the beginning of the XNUMXth centuries, the first a little earlier, and not in the meaning that we use now, the principality was called only territory, volost.

There is no phenomenon - there is no term defining it either, because in ancient Rus' the “state” was called “land”, a territory ruled by a community, and not by an individual, a prince. Now the institution is being formed, and its name appears, so the princely court gives the name to the political structure: the state.

Forces to fight for independence

Only in the process of collecting, capturing and buying "lands", the Moscow sovereign gradually gathered forces that were able to measure themselves against the Horde. The victory at the Kulikovo field was secured by a temporary coalition force. Moscow itself could not cope with such a task, which was shown by the arrival of Tokhtamysh in 1382.

Departure of the Khan during the reign of Timur (Tamerlane) in Maverannakhr at the end of the XNUMXth - beginning of the XNUMXth centuries. The author of the reconstruction is M. V. Gorelik

Technically, enemy attacks always occurred suddenly, and the Grand Duke began to collect an army from all the lands belonging to Moscow only when nomads or Lithuanians crossed the border. So it was in 1368 during the raid of Olgerd and in 1395 during the “exile” (raid) of Oleg Ryazansky on Kolomna and the Tatars with the Suzdal prince on Nizhny Novgorod, as well as during the invasion of Edigey and his arrival to Moscow in 1408.

There were no border or permanent regiments, the collection of troops was already underway during a raid or invasion. Most often, the assembled army either pursued the enemy, who devastated the lands and led people into slavery, or made a retaliatory raid. Naturally, we are not talking about the Tatar nomad camps. To stop these threats, not combat "yards" were needed, but regiments of constant readiness and their provision was required.

Efforts aimed at concentrating resources eventually led to the victory over the Horde. This external force purposefully depleted the human and material resources of northeastern and northwestern Rus'. Therefore, the inhabitants of Nizhny Novgorod, who were constantly attacked from the south, decided at the veche to go under the patronage of a stronger Moscow prince.

Northeastern Rus' is still following the same path of organic development, there is no need to talk about any transition from the European to the Asian path. The external threat has introduced its harsh adjustments. The answer to this was the emergence of the structure of the military-service early state, as the only and uncontested system of defense of the Russian land, the crown of which was the creation of the early Russian state at the end of the XNUMXth century.

To be continued ...

Comments

[svp67]

It seems that the officials of the Golden Horde calculated everything. They gave a "label" to the prince, the most ordinary, not having great strength of the principality, they did not calculate one thing, that this prince and his descendants would have great state talent and tremendous willpower. So they raised their "burial man"

[Cartalon]

But is it true that Kalita got Uglich, Galich and Beloozero?
These are extremely doubtful, the grandfather of the purchase.
Correct the mistake, Olegard did not marry Jadwiga.

[Edward Vashchenko]

But is it true that Kalita got Uglich, Galich and Beloozero?
These are extremely doubtful, the grandfather of the purchase.

A.A. Gorsky, in his work of 2010, considers this problem and solves it in the manner that Ivan Kalita made a "buy" for these cities: either by receiving labels in the Horde, or from local princes.

Correct the mistake, Olegard did not marry Jadwiga.

Yes, sometimes you write from memory: hop and a typo. fixed

[Cartalon]

I read Gorsky’s article, I think Galich and Uglich went to Moscow as an escheated possession, it’s not at all clear with Beloozero, the princes there are available, they seem to have simply transferred to the Moscow service, and in the principality the Moscow princes bought land.

[Fedorov 27]

Unlike rivals located right on the Volga, such as Tver and Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow stood clear of the waterways.

Doubtful argument. Suzdal and Vladimir are also not located on the Volga. Rostov - generally on the lake. But this did not prevent them from becoming major centers of Rus'. Moscow, on the other hand, stands on one of the largest tributaries of the Oka and a large river of the Volga basin (on which the most important trade route from the Caspian Sea to the Baltic Sea passed).

Many believe that it was from the Moscow region that the Slavs settled south in the XNUMXth century.

Chapter two of book 4 of the Polish chronicle of MACHEJ STRYKOVSKY compiled in 1582:
Volgars and Bulgars. After the Vandalites, Sarmatians, Goths and Roksolani from the same fields and Moscow regions, northern and eastern, other peoples of the same Slavic languageThat from the Volga river called themselves Volgars (Wolgarami) or Bulgars...
...And our Bulgars with their prince Derbal moved by water and land to Dacia, the then Roman province between the Danube and the Dniester, where the Wallachians and Multians now live...
... And in their own name they called this country Bulgaria, and so it is called to this day. Today's Bulgarians themselves openly admit that their ancestors came from the Moscow countries...
...Like this from that Russian tribe Bulgarians or Volgars who left from Moscow region from the Volga river these Slavic peoples [with the help of] their knightly courage they spread widely from the Thracian Sea to the Venetian.
The Serbs took possession of the lands where Moesia Minor had previously been, and now is called Serbia or Servia.
The Bulgarians [settled where] before that there was Great Moesia; Bosnians - where Liburnia used to be, and now Bosnian land.
And where Illyricum and Dalmatia were before, now Raguses, Karvy, Croats, Rashi or Rachovtsy, Carniolans (Slovenes), Albanians, Istrians and others live among the mountains and near the Adriatic Sea, and all of them are really descendants of the same Bulgars or Moscow Volgars with the Volga rivers. Until now, these peoples speak the Slavic language and call themselves Slavs, especially those who settled in Illyricum, Dalmatia and Liburnia ...
... Volgin (Wolhyn) and Volhynia (Wolynianie). From the same Volgars or Bulgars [who are nicknamed] from Moscow river Volga, separated other Russian people, who settled in those parts that we now call Volgin (Wolhyniem), and from the Volga river and from the Volgars [they] called themselves Volgins with their land Volgin (Volyn)"

Note that this was written by tendentious Polish chroniclers during the period of confrontation between the Commonwealth and the Russian state, when they themselves owned Volhynia and were the last ones interested in pointing to the Moscow area as a source of Slavism. This means that this is true, and in the XNUMXth century it was undeniable. Modern data of archeology and topology do not contradict this version. In addition, the resettlement of the Slavs from the Moscow region well explains the presence of toponyms "Moscow" in Volyn.

From the region of Moscow, there was a migration to the region of Kyiv and the south of Rus'.
***
- “And Volodimer said: “This is not good, if there is a small city near Kyiv.” And they began to set up cities along the Desna, and along Vostri, and along Trubeshev, and along Sula, and along Stugna. And how much to narubati (recruit) my husband the best from Slovenia, and from krivichi, and from people, and from Vyatich, and from these peoples and cities "...
---
PVL according to the Laurentian list

Moscow was not a "periphery". Routes passed through Moscow:
- from Vladimir to Smolensk
- from Ryazan via Tver to Novgorod
- from Rostov and Suzdal to Chernigov and Kyiv.
Moscow was located at the intersection of communication with the main centers of Rus'.

Actually, Moscow comes into the focus of attention of chroniclers in 1147 not because of its foundation at that time (the city was founded centuries earlier) - but because Yuri Dolgoruky regularly traveled from the Suzdal principality to Chernigov and Kiev.

For the same reason, after the horde turned the south of Rus' into ruins, Russians massively migrated to Moscow from the Kyiv and Chernigov principalities.

You are absolutely correct here.

attracted people here from areas dangerous for raids, as the most important resource of the Middle Ages.

[Fedorov 27]

After the Mongol invasion, new centers of power emerged in the northeast of Rus', first Tver, and then Moscow, which gained independence only at the end of the 1276th century under Daniil Alexandrovich (1303–XNUMX), the son of Alexander Nevsky.

A couple of lines of one paragraph - and more than 25 years of the struggle of Rus' with the participation of Moscow against the Horde are thrown out of Russian history.

The last quarter of the XNUMXth century in Rus' was the period of the struggle between Andrei Alexandrovich Gorodetsky and his older brother Dmitry. Andrew was supported by the Horde. The legitimate ruler - Dmitry - was the younger brother of Daniil Alexandrovich of Moscow and their cousin Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tverskoy. In fact, two conflicting parties were formed in Rus': the pro-Dynian party, led by Andrei and the princes supporting him, and opposing them, led by Dmitry and the Moscow and Tver princes supporting him.

In 1285, Dmitry Alexandrovich "with his brother" (Daniil Alexandrovich of Moscow and Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tver) defeated the Tatar army and drove the Tatar "prince".

“Dmitry, having talked with his brother, the prince was gone, and Andreev’s boyars were taken away.” Novgorod IV chronicle

In 1296, Daniil Alexandrovich of Moscow spoke out against the Horde rati.

“To be the Tatar army, Oleksa Nevryuya came, and to be the congress of all the Russian princes in Volodimer and Stash opposite himself, on the one hand, the Great Prince Andrey, Prince Feodor Cherny Yaroslavsky and Rostislavich, Prince Kostyantin of Rostov from the one, and on the other side against the Stash, Prince Danilo Alexandrovich Moscow, his brother Prince Mikhail Yaroslavich Tfersky, and with them Pereyaslavtsi from one. And God saved the bloodshed for the little one, there was not enough battle; and sharing the reign and dispersing to their own places ”The Simeon Chronicle.

In the same year, the Moscow prince appears as the leader of the struggle of Rus' against the Horde in the letter of Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tverskoy to Novgorod.

“Then, father, I’ll tell you: with your brother with your elders, with Danilo, I am alone and with Ivan; and your children, the posadnik, and the thousand, and the whole of Novgorod kissed me on the cross: even if there will be a burden on me from Andrei, or from a Tatar, or from someone else, you pull with me, and you don’t retreat from me in any way time"

In 1301, Daniil of Moscow defeated the Horde army near Ryazan and captured Prince Konstantin Romanovich, who was allied with the Horde.

“The same summer [1300] in the autumn, Danilo, the prince of Moscow, came to Ryazan with an army and fought at Pereyaslavl, and Danilo defeated, many Tatars were beaten, and the prince of Ryazan Kostyantin was brought to Moscow by some kind of cunning. Laurentian Chronicle

For this, the Ryazan princes - the children of Konstantin's elder brother Yaroslav Romanovich - transferred Daniil Kolomna to his personal possession (domain).

Moscow took place as the center of Rus' by the XIV century.

But why do readers need to know this?

The Muscovite princes, participants in this struggle, at first only annexed, rounded up, defended and fought for their "court", their economy-the "state".

Tell me, in what cities did Daniil Alexandrovich of Moscow and then his son Yuri Danilovich appoint their governors? No - it will destroy your idea.

In 1296, Daniil of Moscow was recognized by the Novgorodians as their prince and sent his son Ivan Danilovich (later Kalita) there as a governor.

From the Novgorod service menaion of the XNUMXth century:
“In the summer of 6804, indiction 10, under the ruler Clement, under the posadnik Andre, the Novgorodians were driven namstnikov Andreevs from Gorodische, not wanting Prince Andrei. And sending the Novgorodians to Prince Danilya on Muskvoucalling him to the table in Novgorod on your own. And the prince sent his son before himself to his place in the name of Ivan.

Note that Novgorod recognized the Moscow prince as its ruler due to being the father of Daniil Alexandrovich (Alexander Yaroslavich) the Novgorod ruler - that is Novgorod was the father Moscow prince.

In 1300 he planted in Ryazan Mikhail and Ivan Yaroslavich - the sons of the Ryazan prince Yaroslav Romanovich.

Yuri put his deputies in general throughout the Rus controlled by the Vladimir princes:
- Novgorod
- Nizhny Novgorod
- Kostroma

The operational space for the actions of the Russian princes of their Moscow dynasty was all Rus' controlled by the Vladimir princes - the Russian state.

The Horde khans did not like this - and they consistently supported other princes as an alternative to Moscow.

Andrey Alexandrovich
Mikhail Yaroslavich
Dmitry and Alexander Mikhailovich
In 1327, the Horde supported the claims of the Suzdal princes for half of the Vladimir principality - the government domain.

“Ozbyak divided the reign of them: Prince Ivan Danilovich Novgorod and Kostroma, half of the reign; and to Prince Alexander Vasilyevich of Suzhdal he gave Volodimer and the Volga region "Novgorod I chronicle

Yuri, but he goes not just to another city, where his father ruled, he goes to his “homeland”.

Even distant Novgorod was the fatherland of the Moscow princes - we found out.

[Fedorov 27]

Strong Tver prince, opposing this "unfair" decision, in 1317 defeated the Muscovites and their allies, Tatars.

Well, that's already a lie.

Firstly, a "couple" of years has again been omitted from the history of Rus'.

Yuri was supported as a ruler in Rus' by the population in 1304.

Mikhail was recognized as the prince of Rus' by the Khan of the Horde - and therefore provided him with military support against Yuri Danilovich.

For example - in 1315 Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tverskoy led the Horde army on a campaign against Novgorod and the governor Yuri Afanasy Danilovich sitting there

From the Novgorod Chronicle:
"The same autumn come from the horde Prince Mikhailo, and with him the ambassador Tantimer, Marchozha, Indy ... Novgorod boyars arrived with Prince Athanasius in Torzhok, Prince Mikhailo from Tverichi Tatars go to the army to Torzhok and leave ours against him on the field and bish on February 10 "

From the Tver chronicle:
"In the year 6823 (1315). The Great Prince Michael came from Hordes, and with him many Tatars. And went to Torzhok with the Tatars and with the princes of Suzdal. And they fought with the Novgorodians near Torzhok on the fifth day of February. And the Grand Duke Mikhail won, and more than a thousand Novgorodians were killed, and the suburbs were burned. And some Novgorodians, leaving the city, fled to Novgorod. And the Grand Duke Michael ordered to catch them. And they took Afanasy Danilovich, and Prince Fyodor Rzhevsky, and their boyars, and those who were needed by the prince. Some were disarmed and imprisoned. The Kremlin ordered them to be smashed.”

This so-called "Tairov's army".

Why the Suzdal princes were then supported by the Horde khans - I think - is understandable.

By 1317, Yuri was tired of this - and the prince himself for the first time from the Moscow dynasty of the rulers of Rus' (after 30 years of confrontation with the Horde) received khan recognition (in the form of a label). They do not pay much attention to this - and at the same time it is very important - that the wife of the Moscow prince, when she got married, accepted her husband's faith (Orthodoxy). That is, Yuri spoke to the khan by no means as a dependent prince - but as a ruler of the same rank.

In the same year, Yuri returned from the horde, accompanied by Kavdygay. Unlike the Horde troops led by Mikhail, Kavdygay was not a commander - he is a strong ambassador. That is, Kavdygay was the head of the embassy with military guards.

Michael did not challenge the decision of the Horde Khan and recognized the transition of the great reign to Yuri ("Succumb to the great prince Michael Prince Yuri Prince").

Even The Tver Chronicle does not report about the participation of the Tatars in the Battle of Bortenyev:
“The Grand Duke Mikhailo united, and the men of Tverichi and Kashintsy went against Yuri, and Yuri rebelled against; and stupishasya wallpaper, and the battle was great, and God help the Grand Duke Mikhail Yaroslavich, and many of them were beaten; and the princes many (gi) shook hands and brought to Tver, and Princess Yuri Konchak, and Yuri the prince fled to Novgorod the Great in a small squad, and Kavgady ordered the squad to damage his banner, and he himself went not to love, but to stand "
The Tver source believes that Mikhail fought against Yuri. The fact that Kavgady ordered his soldiers to roll up the banners and calmly went to the camp, while Yuri's army fled, testifies to the non-participation of the Tatars in the battle. In general, Russian sources do not write about the participation of the Horde in the Battle of Bortenyev. The Novgorod chronicle says: “To Prince Yury, who came from a regiment near Tferi for 40 miles, and that Prince Mikhailo from Tferi came out to him, and stepping down, and slashing evil, many heads fell on the princes of Yurya; and brought his brother Boris and Princess Yuryeva to Tfer, and there he betrayed death.. According to the Simeon Chronicle, Tverichi "beat the Moscow army".

On the contrary, Mikhail chose to negotiate with the Khan's ambassador.
“Nautria, the great prince, having seen Kavgadyem, took the world, and drink it in Tver with his squad; honor him and let him go." From the Tver chronicle

In addition, he immediately sent his son to the Horde: “The same name, Grand Duke Mikhailo sent his son Konstantin to (O) rda”

Mikhail went to the horde, only after Yuri assured that he would also go to the horde (“and finished with Michael the prince of the world, how to go to the Obema Horde, and let brother Yuryev and the princess go. And all the Novgorodians came to Novgorod, the spring of being; and Prince Yurya went to Moscow and from there to the Horde "). I went with gifts to the khan and khansha.

And Yuri, who went to Novgorod, did not send money to the Horde, for which he was deprived of the label.

Yuri went with tribute to Novgorod against the Swedes. The Moscow prince sent the collected tribute not to the Horde - but to the defense of the borders of Rus'. In 1323, with these funds, Yuri founded the Oreshek fortress: “In the summer of 6831 (1323 A.D.) Novgorodtsy went with Prince Yuri Danilovich to the Neva and put the city at the mouth of the Neva on Orekhovy Island”

Yuri's act was immediately taken advantage of by Dmitry Mikhailovich Tverskoy. Already in March 1322 he went to the Horde. Khan Uzbek sent his ambassador Akhmyl to Yuri, with whom the younger brother of the Moscow prince Ivan, who found himself in the Horde as a hostage, was forced to go: “The same summer, Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich [b] came to the Horde, and on Russia the ambassador was strong from Tsar Akhmul after Prince Yuri, and with him Prince Ioan Danilovich [b].” Yuri Danilovich went from Novgorod to meet with the ambassador, but on the way he was attacked by Dmitry Tverskoy's brother Alexander. Tverichi captured the convoy of the Grand Duke, Yuri himself fled to Pskov, and from there he went to Novgorod. Akhmyl returned to the Horde without meeting the Moscow prince, after which in the autumn of 1322, in the winter of 1322-1323. Dmitry came to Rus' with the khan's ambassador Sevenchbuga and sat down on the Vladimir table.

The Moscow prince remained in the north of Rus'. Only after the conclusion of the Treaty of Orekhovo with the Swedes in 1323 (which determined the Russian-Swedish border for 250 years), Yuri in 1324 left through Uglich to the Horde. Yuri arrived in the Horde in 1325. There, in 1325, Dmitry and Alexander Mikhailovich Tverskoy arrived. While Dmitry was with the Khan, his younger brother was sent to Rus' to collect tribute: “Prince Oleksandr Mikhailovich came from the Horde, and the Tatars with him were debtors, and there was a lot of burden on the Nizov lands.”

I will also give the opinion of Gorsky A.A.:
“A review of Yuri’s entire policy towards the Horde reveals a completely different picture. In 1304-1305. Yuri, like Mikhail of Tverskoy, tried to win the favor of the khan and get a great reign, but, having been defeated in rivalry with Mikhail, he behaved not like a loyal servant of the Horde. While during the period of the great reign of Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tverskoy, the latter did not commit a single action that had a direct or indirect anti-Horde orientation, Yuri Danilovich indirectly constantly violated the khan's will, waging a fight with Mikhail by challenging part of his grand-princely rights ... "

Ivan Danilovich Kalita (1325-1349), who became the prince of Moscow after his brother Yuri, with the help of the Horde - "Fedorchuk's army" of 50 thousand horsemen, suppressed the veche performance in Tver

The Moscow prince or his army did not participate in the suppression of the uprising in Tver in 1327. The Tver and Novgorod chronicles do not mention the Moscow prince or his warrior at all.X. The Moscow chronicle only says that Kalita accompanied the Tatars on the orders of the khan: “The same autumn, Prince Ivan Danilovich of Moscow went to the horde. The same winter came to Rus' from the horde; and then there was the great Tatar army, Fedorchuk, Turalyk, Syuga, 5 temnikov governors, and with them Prince Ivan Danilovich of Moscow, by order of the tsar ... ". Apparently, as during the campaign of Akhmyl in 1322, Kalita was forced to accompany the Horde in the position of a hostage - in order to lead them away from the ruin of the directly controlled Moscow reign (domain).

At the same time, the sympathies of the Muscovites were on the side of the Tverites of the rebellious Muscovites.

From the Moscow Chronicle:
“[The Horde] shed an army, capturing Tfer and Kashin and other cities and volosts, and villages, and took all the reign of Tfer and created it empty, and then the earth was a great burden and a lot of languor, many for the sake of our sins, Christian blood was shed from the filthy Tatars, ovs are full of stories ... The Great Savior, the merciful philanthropist, the Lord, with his mercy, interceded our blessed prince Ivan Danilovich and for his sake Moscow and all his fatherland from foreigners, from the filthy Tatars "

К "acting in the interests of the Moscow prince" some unflattering epithets are applied to the horde - and the salvation of Moscow is attributed only to God's grace.

After the flight of Alexander Mikhailovich (the prince of Tver refused to defend his city), successively from:
- Tver
- Novgorod
- Pskov
through the Germans to Lithuania, Ivan Danilovich of Moscow turned out to be the senior prince in Rus' - in contrast to him, the khans immediately supported Alexander Vasilyevich of Suzdal. I must say that until 1327 Moscow continued to be perceived as the center of Rus'. In 1325, the Metropolitan of All Rus' moved his residence to the city.

North-Eastern Rus' is still following the same path of organic development, there is no need to talk about any transition from the European to the Asian path

Here you are right

[parusnik]

The strife, a matter of life, fought for the label, the Russian princes, who will collect tribute from everyone, then a penny for themselves .. Ivan Kalita collected, even bought land for the Moscow principality. And where does the money come from, Zin?

[Korsar4]

Thanks Edward!

When reading Balashov's books, they were constantly remembered.

[Edward Vashchenko]

When reading Balashov's books, they were constantly remembered.

Thank you Sergey!
I myself read Balashov with pleasure, this is the author who confirmed my opinion that it is necessary to stop as a historian ... until he entered the University, in the East. fak.
And I learned the difference between a writer and a historian

[Cartalon]

By the way, where to read, sensible and detailed criticism of Balashov?

[Edward Vashchenko]

By the way, where to read, sensible and detailed criticism of Balashov?

there is for sure. But Balashov was fashionable in perestroika and the early 90s, now few people know about him.
But he is still a writer, not a professional historian, he has the right to artistic hyperbole, etc., to write about what this or that prince was thinking about.

[Trilobite Master]

Ask Ryzhov. He's a literary critic.
Gorsky recently wrote about the relations between Rus' and the Horde, the book is called: "Rus' and the Horde"

[Kojote21]

Good afternoon, Sergey!
I join your kind words of gratitude to Edward! Have a nice day everyone!

[ee2100]

The statement that peripherality attracts people is not only not debatable, it is fundamentally wrong.
If they want to run away from the enemy, then I run to the mountains, forests, swamps, and more often under the protection of a stronger one or in territories inaccessible to the enemy.
And since we know that the tax was not burdensome, there was no point in running.
But settling in a quieter place is real.
"In 1389, Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy dies, bequeathing to his son, Vasily, the grand princely Vladimir table already as a fiefdom, without reference to the khan's will. The question of the main center of Rus' was determined factually and legally." (c)
A highly illogical statement. If you didn't ask permission from the Horde, is it legal?
Dmitry Ivanovich could have received it earlier.
Moscow appeared virtually from scratch, as the author correctly writes, far from trade routes and began to grow with new lands, had relief in paying for the exit, collected money for the Horde from other principalities, and after that who will say that this is not a Horde project?
That's where Zin's money comes from!
There is not a single word "Mongol" in the article.
Thanks to Edward for bringing this topic up.

[mihaylov]

Quote: ee2100

But settling in a quieter place is real.

Good afternoon, Alexander!
As archaeological studies of the last twenty years have shown, by the beginning of the 13th century the Vladimir-Suzdal land was an exclusively economically developed region (at that time, of course): the forests were practically reduced to nothing, and the lands were plowed up and quite densely populated, and the shift of the political center also stems from economic power Rus' in this region and apparently the interest of the Tatars in it. But three powerful ratis in the 13th century: Batyeva, Nevryuev and Dyudeneva probably did their job and by the beginning of the 14th century the population was slowly moving to a calmer region.

[Korsar4]

There is a difference here. One thing - Opole.
The other is overmoistened forest.

Clearly, data on the forest cover of the region is available only after the General Land Survey. The rest is guesswork. Not always convincing.

[mihaylov]

Quote from Korsar4

There is a difference here. One thing - Opole.
The other is overmoistened forest.

Good afternoon,
I don't quite understand your idea, can you elaborate on what you mean?

[Korsar4]

Hello!

Opole, by definition, is sparsely forested.

The forest was brought down by noticed fire farming, but it resumed.

And the waterlogged forests were not touched. And there weren't many fires.

I admit that Zalesie at that time was quite wooded.

Another thing is that the forest steps on arable land during troubles. A classic example is the Time of Troubles.

[mihaylov]

Quote from Korsar4

Opole, by definition, is sparsely forested.

According to archaeologists, now it is more wooded than it was at the beginning of the 13th century.

that the forest is advancing on arable land during the turmoil. A classic example is the Time of Troubles.

There is no need to go here even in the Time of Troubles. At my dacha under power lines 3 years ago, everything was cut down at the root, now the undergrowth is taller than me, of course there was no arable land there, the roots remained. But I remember the neighboring plot, which has not been used for 15-20 years, has already turned into a forest.

And the waterlogged forests were not touched. And there weren't many fires.
I admit that Zalesie at that time was quite wooded.

And what conclusions can we draw from this?

[Korsar4]

In Opole - gray forest soils. Or even the so-called "Yurievsky chernozem". The forest does not recover as easily as for the soddy-podzolic soils typical of our area.

Under power lines it is constantly necessary to cut, otherwise it will overgrow. The strip is relatively narrow. And overgrowth will recover. And from all sides the seeds will fly.

Yes, and abandoned farmland in the Middle lane, as a rule, is easily overgrown.

And the forest cover of Zalesye in the period under review probably shows that there was where to hide.

Along the scales, preserved away from the roads
He gathered a small squad - whom the Lord saved.

[mihaylov]

Quote from Korsar4

In Opole - gray forest soils. Or even the so-called "Yurievsky Chernozem"

And the forest cover of Zalesye in the period under review probably shows that there was where to hide.

That is, it turns out that Opole is a very fertile area, by the standards of this zone, but due to political reasons (military danger), during the 13th century, people gradually move to a safer, albeit less fertile Zalesye.
Am I drawing the right conclusion from this?

[Korsar4]

My vision is this. About fertility - I'm sure.

And the reasons for the "exodus" are already for historians - professionals to speak.

[mihaylov]

Quote from Korsar4

My vision is this. About fertility - I'm sure.

And the reasons for the "exodus" are already for historians - professionals to speak.

Well, actually, we wrote about this yesterday here: for some reason, the population from the densely populated areas of Opole is moving to the Moscow Zalesye, which causes the imminent rise of the Moscow principality

[Edward Vashchenko]

Alexander welcome!

There is not a single word "Mongol" in the article.

Especially for you

Thanks to Edward for bringing this topic up.

The topic is to be continued!

[Edward Vashchenko]

Moscow appeared virtually from scratch, as the author correctly writes, far from trade routes and began to grow with new lands, had relief in paying for the exit, collected money for the Horde from other principalities, and after that who will say that this is not a Horde project?

You flatter the Horde, the specialty "Public Policy Specialist" of the Ministry of Labor has not yet been invented, has not been invented "competences and labor skills" and has not been approved, therefore the Horde did not have such specialists and did not come up with projects.

[ee2100]

Good afternoon!
I was once interested in such a sharp rise in Moscow. And I didn’t find another explanation for myself, except for the Horde project.
You should not think so that there were no such specialists in the Horde.
It does not take a great mind to figure out how to weaken the stronger principalities. Give support to one, albeit not a large principality, and people will be drawn there.

[Cartalon]

Excuse me, what experts? The horde was stable only during the reign of Uzbek and Dzhanibek, Uzbek may have pursued a policy of divide and rule in Rus', while Dzhanibek already seemed to prefer to have a counterweight to Lithuania in the form of a strong Moscow, further hushed up.

[Trilobite Master]

Quote: ee2100

the rise of Moscow

Well, not so very sharp.
In total, about a hundred years.
There are many reasons, and not the least of them is banal luck.
But I would begin to state these reasons from the geographical position of Moscow. To the north-east - the Vladimir opole, consider the steppe. If there is any ruin, war, not necessarily Mongol or Tatar, just the princes themselves do not share something, everyone immediately gathers and sorts things out right there. To the south - Ryazan, well, everything is clear there, the Ryazan lands were visited almost every year from the steppe. To the southwest - the former Chernihiv lands, the so-called. "Verkhovsky principalities" - full of confusion and vacillation, in fact small territorial formations isolated from each other by dense forests. In the west, through again dense forests - Smolensk, and only in the north-west there are more or less decent roads, but they rest on the Tver lands.
The forest outskirts of the former Vladimir-Suzdal land, perfectly protected on all sides by forests. After each military conflict, in the north around Vladimir, in the south - whether in Ryazan, in Chernigov (and there were many of these conflicts even without the steppes) - people fled to the forests and ended up on the lands of the Moscow princes.
The second thing I would mention as the reason for the rise of Moscow is the "flimsy health" of the Moscow princes. Daniel died leaving four sons, but only one of them - Ivan - left male offspring. Simeon Ivanovich died childless, Andrei Ivanovich died before his brother, without sitting on the Grand Duke's table, Ivan Ivanovich died leaving one uncontested son-heir - Dmitry. Dmitry died leaving several sons, and already his younger children began to argue with his older grandchildren. But during the first hundred and fifty (!) years of the existence of the Moscow principality as an independent unit, there was not a single, I emphasize, not a single serious dynastic conflict. There were sole rulers with firm, uncontested power.
At the same time, in Tver, in Nizhny, in Ryazan, there were constant strife, and when Oleg Ivanovich strengthened in Ryazan, and Mikhail Alexandrovich in Tver, time was lost - both of these quite uncommon princes, who, in my opinion, were head and shoulders above , his contemporary Dmitry Donskoy, both as politicians and as commanders, were forced to recognize the great reign as the "fatherland" of the Moscow princely house by agreement.
The third thing worth mentioning is the mistakes of rivals in the struggle for hegemony. In particular, the rebellion in Tver in 1328 and the punitive operation that followed it, which put an end to the military and economic hegemony of the Tver principality in the region. There were other stupid things Tver, in particular, the princes. The Moscow rulers also made similar mistakes, but their rivals did not know how to use it so deftly and effectively.
On the whole, to one degree or another, many of Moscow's rivals possessed all of the listed qualities at different times, but in Moscow, as they say, it "has happened." At the right time.
Someone had to be lucky, and Moscow turned out to be such a "lucky one".

[Cartalon]

Well, here the question is luck or did Khan Uzbek not like the princes of Tver?

[Trilobite Master]

He had good reason for this.
Mikhail of Tverskoy sat on the Great Table under the label of Tokhta, with whom the Uzbek had troubles. Yuri of Moscow married the sister of Uzbek, and Mikhail married his son to the daughter of Gedemin.
Plus Bortenevsky defeat and the death of Uzbek's sister in Tver captivity.
And anyway, after the wayward Yuri, the Great Table was returned to Tver. And even after the execution of Dmitry, the Terrible Eyes gave the label to Alexander. And only after the Tver rebellion, the favor of Uzbek shifted towards Moscow.
I do not see any irrational sympathy for Moscow or antipathy for Tver. Everything is more or less logical.

[ivan2022]

Quote: Cartalon

Well, here the question is luck or did Khan Uzbek not like the princes of Tver?

The question is quite right!

The author is such a patriot of Moscow that he "forgot" about the Tver uprising (as far as I remember, 1327) against the Horde. This was the first significant performance of the Russians. Which was suppressed by Muscovites during the Fedorchuk campaign.
So much so that Tver has never been able to rise. ...

Moscow, along with the Khan's army, dealt with the Russians ...... And it was precisely THIS that became the beginning of its rise .....

[Edward Vashchenko]

Michael,
good afternoon, thanks for the essential addition.
About "luck" - I absolutely agree, I didn't write, it flew out.
And about "flimsy health", well, it's just a paramount factor, I somehow never met an opinion about it.
But really, well, it’s just extremely important, given that then the specific ones went to play tricks.

[Trilobite Master]

My compliments, Edward.
Zimin talked about "flimsy health" in "The Knight at the Crossroads", albeit in a different context - in the context of the formation of the Moscow autocracy and the conflict of laws and traditions of inheritance in the Moscow principality under the descendants of Dmitry Donskoy. Say, according to the law, after Vasily Dmitrievich, Yuri was supposed to reign, and according to tradition, power in Moscow had long been transferred to his son.

[Edward Vashchenko]

Zimin talked about "flimsy health" in "The Knight at the Crossroads",

Yes, in the next article I also use "The Dissolute Knight", as our teachers joked in the early 90s

[Kote Pan Kokhanka]

Good evening for an honest company!
For Alexander from Edward's work.

After Mongolian invasion in the north-east of Rus', new centers of power stand out, first Tver, and then Moscow, which acquires independence only at the end of the 1276th century under Daniil Alexandrovich (1303–XNUMX), the son of Alexander Nevsky.

On the contrary, I was surprised that the Author did not add the traditional "Tatars". Although it must be admitted that a multinational army came to Rus' and the “Tatars” are nothing but an oxymoron of a future tradition, when the Tatars in the southeast were added to the “Germans” in the west.
Eduard for the article is definitely a plus, although while reading the mere squeezes of the chronicle, I personally kicked my legs and was indignant. How many interesting reasons for extensive discussions, and Edurd is dry and concise: facts, facts, facts!
But thanks a lot anyway!!!

[Edward Vashchenko]

Vladislav, good evening,

How many interesting reasons for extensive discussions

Here's the next article you can pull off.

[Kote Pan Kokhanka]

Quote: Edward Vashchenko

Vladislav, good evening,

How many interesting reasons for extensive discussions

Here's the next article you can pull off.

God bless you find the time! Today I have been on my feet since 4:00 in the morning, and I bothered to look through VO only in the evening.
How many interesting topics I missed to expand: from “accusations of you, dear Eduard, of adherence to the Leningrad historical school to guns !!! The latter, by the way, appear for the first time in Tver, and not in Moscow.
Although Edward, the topic of the formation of the Moscow principality has not been fully disclosed even today. Jokes aside, the Kalitychi situation was too much “contrary to” and somehow it grew together anyway.

[Lynx2000]

As a child, I didn’t particularly like to read, I liked my father’s magazines to study “Behind the Wheel”, “Moto”, “Science and Life”, “Technology of Youth”, “Around the World”, but when at the age of 12 I read “Cruel Age” by I.K. . Kalashnikov, later became interested in a weighty book (for cargo when he glued something) with embossed images of a sword and a sphero-conical helmet on the cover, the novel was called "Dawns over Russia" by M.A. Rapov, the impression from reading was for 13 years such as if the events of those years were flashing before my eyes (the second half of the 14th century) ...

[mihaylov]

first among equals.

Principate!
Greetings Edward!

[Edward Vashchenko]

Hi Sergey!
Haven't heard from you in years!
Principle - yes.

[kor1vet1974]

Now there is an opinion that the process of collecting lands in the west and south of Rus' by Lithuania went much softer

Yes, it was so, they accepted vassalage from the Lithuanian prince, the tea was not a bastard, and it was business, not a burdensome "exit" and participation in military campaigns. And so, "I drink myself, I walk myself" and guaranteed protection. Yes, and after the adoption of the union, there were no particular problems, if you want to move on and join the ruling elite, change your faith and that’s all. Religious oppression and all that has already touched the common people.

[Kote Pan Kokhanka]

We forget the worldview of the layman of that era. If for us the spiritual world is partly an ephemeral construction, then for a person of the Middle Ages it is the reality of being. By the way, it is a mistake to assume that the population was churched and followed the commandments. The ecumene of the Orthodox Russian is a lot flavored with pagan fads and rituals. But faith in the afterlife is a harsh reality.
Therefore, our gentle is impossible, for a contemporary of the unions - this is a betrayal. In vain the most terrible wars are civil and religious.

[cat Rusich]

Quote: kor1vet1974

. Yes, and after the adoption of the union, there were no particular problems, if you want to move on and join the ruling elite, change your faith and that’s all. Religious oppression and all that has already touched the common people.

I wonder how much Russian boyars entered the elite of the gentry of Poland?...

Quote: kor1vet1974

Yes, it was so, they accepted vassalage from the Lithuanian prince, tea is not some kind of infidel.

Lithuanian princes believed in Perkunas - only in 1386g Prince Jagiello was baptized as a Catholic, and the rest of Lithuania in 1387
And Žeimantija (a region in the north of Lithuania) was baptized only in 1413.

[mihaylov]

Now there is an opinion that the process of collecting lands in the west and south of Rus' by Lithuania went much softer

Now, it seems to me, they write more about the fact that the "softness" of the entry of these lands into the ON is quite exaggerated.

[Kuziming]

Quote: Edward Vashchenko

Alexander welcome!

There is not a single word "Mongol" in the article.

Especially for you

Thanks to Edward for bringing this topic up.

The topic is to be continued!

Thank you all for your interest in the topic, historical details, and comments.
About the role of the Mongols:
1. Not a project, but a choice.
The logic here is not the same: "let's explore various socio-political formations in the region, make a selection based on the linguistic, religious, cultural community, select a compact group that has been given administrative functions..."
Rather, the logic is:
"
-Who will we entrust the control of the collection of the common fund?
“And there are some tough guys out there, hungry, angry and strong.”
That is, foreign recruiters did not nurture the elite, but used the most promising "local gang".
Sorry for some oversimplification.
So the choice of the Mongols is not a cause, but a consequence.


2. So what were the real prerequisites.
I propose to consider the following facts:
- Residents of the burned Kolomna are resettled in the village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow.
- Metropolitan of Kyiv moves to Moscow.
Now, based on these facts, the hypothesis is:
The Mongols really played a decisive role in the rise of Moscow.

The inhabitants of the forest-steppe who survived after the invasion flee to the border of the steppes and forests, with the task of surviving under the protection of the forest area, and with an eye to return back in time.

Apparently, it was Moscow that turned out to be the best choice in this balance:
- Proximity to the Dnieper and Don basins; - The presence of dense forests where you can argue;
- Lack of rigid local rulers, some freedom of choice.

3. Ultimate theory:
It was in Moscow that fugitive peasants and surviving warriors from the lands of Southern Rus' accumulated, conditions developed there that attracted fugitive warriors and peasants, proto-Cossacks, future archers, warriors and gardeners.

[ivan2022]

Moscow leaves the historical arena in October 1993, after the execution of the All-Russian Congress of People's Deputies.

Through. 666 years after the suppression of the Tver uprising of 1327. When the Moscow army killed the Russians together with the Horde army. And the rise of Moscow began, and the Moscow prince received the "cap of Monomakh" as a reward for betrayal from the Horde Khan Uzbek.

[Seal]

This is where it got funny. Or rather both funny and weird

In 1313, a coup took place in the Horde, came to power Uzbekwho converted to Islam under the name of Muhammad. Yuri Danilovich took advantage of this, he married the sister of Uzbek

If Uzbek converted to Islam, then probably his sister also converted to Islam. So how then did Uzbek, who had just become a devout Muslim, decide to give his Muslim sister as a wife to an infidel?

It is also interesting that the Russian princes went to the "steppe" twice. And both times in literary works. In the Word about Igor's Campaign and in the Zadonshchina. In real life, the Russian princes met the Tatars on their borders, and even sitting down in a siege in the border fortress cities. And there are dozens of examples of this, right up to the end of the 17th century, when Vasily Golitsin's campaigns against the Crimea began.
And further. With what speed could D. Donskoy's army "go to the steppe"? No one has forgotten how far from the Kremlin there is a traveling palace, where the tsar's train (coach train) made the first stop on the way from Moscow (from the Kremlin) to St. Petersburg or the last stop on the way from St. Petersburg to Moscow (in Kremlin)? This travel palace stands between the metro stations "Dynamo" and "Airport". Here is the distance of the real daily passage of a large convoy. And the army or the royal train is always a big convoy.

[Fedorov 27]

Now there is an opinion that the process of collecting lands in the west and south of Rus' by Lithuania was much milder than in Vladimir-Suzdal and adjacent lands. In the western and southern "principalities", we repeat, the military potential has weakened much more than in the northeast, and they were more striving for a "row" (agreement) with Lithuania, they did not try to fight on two fronts: both with Lithuania and with the Horde

The Russian principalities conquered by the Lithuanians did not seek to be annexed by Lithuania - but no one asked them. The Russian principalities joined the GDL not by "agreement" - the Lithuanians conquered them and annexed them as colonies of Lithuania.

Here is the opinion of the Lithuanians and Poles themselves about "gathering lands in the west and south of Rus' by Lithuania" from tendentious Lithuanian and Polish-Lithuanian sources.

From the tendentious Lithuanian chronicle of Bykhovets Book 1 about the Lithuanian raids on Rus' before the conquest:
"And then the great prince Kernus and Gimbut, wanting to expand their fatherland, gathered their strength Lithuanian and Samogitian and went to Russ to Braslav and to Polotsk, and did a lot of harm to the Russians and the land they were ravaged, and many people were taken captive."

The same from the tendentious Polish chronicle of Maciej Stryjkowski Book VI Chapter 7 On quarrels between Russian princes, Lithuanian raids on Rus' and their defeat:
"Lithuania is at war with Russian lands. And then the Lithuanians, seeing quarrels and internal disagreements between the Russian princes, inflamed with a thirst for prey, in the summer left their rookeries in dense forests. And, gathering with their princes in regiments, they invaded the Russian country with a huge army, destroying, burning, plundering and ruining everything they came across.
Wanting to repulse them, Prince Vladimir Rurikovich of Kiev, having Smolensk knights with him and, moreover, joining forces with other princes: Roman Borisovich and Konstantin, Mstislav and Rostislav, the sons of Prince Davyd, moved against the Lithuanians, ruining Russian volosts. And since the Lithuanians did not delay the battle, two huge armies, equal in number, converged on both sides. For a long time the battle went on on an equal footing, but in the end the Lithuanians were defeated and began to scatter across the fields. And the Russian princes, dissolving the corrals behind them, beat the Lithuanians and their princes through the forests and shelters, chopped and seized [captured], and recaptured the entire [Russian] full"


Chronicle of Maciej Stryikovsky Book VI Chapter 10 About the Lithuanian campaign against the Russian principalities and their defeat from the Russians in the 1220s:
"In the year from the Lord Christ 1216 (actually in 1225), the Zhmud prince Montvil learned that the Tatars had broken the power of the Russian princes, they themselves were struck and expelled from the wild fields by the warlike people of the Polovtsy. Together with the Lithuanian prince Zhivibund, a descendant of Dorsprungov, he gathered an army and, having appointed hetmans over both troops, Lithuanian and Zhmud, sent them to the ruin of Rus', besides choosing a harsh winter time to overcome rivers, lakes and fords.

The Lithuanians are overwhelmed by the Russians. And when, with pagan ferocity, [they] cruelly ruined Russian volosts and hurriedly left for Lithuania with a lot of booty, Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich with the Novgorodians gathered on them and, having caught up with the Lithuanians, struck them over the Dvina.

Prince of Smolensk Mstislav Davydovich struck Lithuania. Shortly thereafter, [history] repeated itself: when another Lithuanian army fought Polotsk land, Prince Mstislav Davydovich with Smolensk chivalry immediately swiftly flew at them, careless and careless, and near Polotsk beat them very hard and without a trace, and drowned others in the lakes, and few of them ran away "

Chronicle of Maciej Stryikovsky Book VI Chapter 10 About the famous profitable campaign of the Lithuanians and Zhmudins with Prince Erdzivil to the Zawili side of Rus' and about the capture of Novogrudok, Brest, Melnik and other Russian castles:
"Lithuanian marching order [when marching] to Russia. And Prince Erdzivil, having dealt with the Zhmud, Curonian and Lithuanian troops, built everyone and distributed them into regiments and banners, and trumpeters with long Zhmud pipes [arranged] in their places, and especially took care of The first Lithuanian armor and weapons Instead of armor and shells (for at that time Zhmudins did not yet know such equipment), all the knights were one in bison, others in elk, bear and wolf skins, although not all of them wore them. Weapons are a simple bow, only a hetman's saber, a spear, a burnt club, a twisted sling, saddles made of oak without upholstery, mouthpieces made of bast and other equipment, such as in those years they were given to rough and forest people. rafts were immediately built from huge decks, on which, without long discussions, they transported carts (kolassy) and various military equipment and moved to the Russian side themselves, regiment after regiment. , on the forehead, and sent the third with three regiments to the pens.

Lithuanians populate the Novogrudok principality. And when they crossed the Neman, four miles away they found a beautiful and high mountain, on which was the first capital castle Russian principality Novogrudok, destroyed by King Batu. Here Erdzivil immediately laid the capital for himself and rebuilt the castle anew, and having taken possession of most of the Russian lands without bloodshed (because there was no one to defend) and having settled them, began to be written by the Grand Duke Novogrudsky.

Maciej attributes the ruin of the borderlands of the Polotsk principality to Batu - but, as you know, Batu never reached the Polotsk border with Lithuania - the Tatars did not even reach Polotsk. It was the Lithuanians who turned the borderlands of the Russian Principality of Polotsk into ruins either during their previous raids on Rus' - or directly in the indicated campaign.

The opinion of the Lithuanians in the chronicle of Matvey Stryikovsky about the conquest of the Russian Principality of Polotsk by the Lithuanians:
"from Povili Lithuania, he moved directly to Polotsk, wanting to pacify the pride of [his] townspeople. Hearing about this, the Polotsk people immediately ordered to ring the bell, which is why the whole people fled from the settlement and from the surrounding volosts. And also from their other powers, which before After this, they submitted to the Principality of Polotsk, gathered several thousand peasants (chlopow). Having built this army, these thirty men, senators of Polotsk, moved from Polotsk against Mingail, not wanting to wait for the enemy [at home], and encamped near Gorodets, their castle. , a suburb of Polotsk.
Polochans are struck by Mingail. And Mingailo, moving with the Lithuanians and Novogrudoks, with a loud cry hit them with all the more courage that he saw the peasants without order and without military equipment. The Polotsk people, seeing that they were threatened by a strong enemy, immediately took to flight, and the Lithuanians and Novogrudoks persecuted them, beat, flogged и caught through dense thickets. After burned their castle Gorodets and, completing the victory, on the same day approached Polotsk.

The tendentious chronicle of Bykhovets Book 1 about the conquest of the Turov-Pinsk principality by Lithuania:
"Skirmunt reigned in Novogrudok. And Mstislav (In the text Mstislavl), Prince of Lutsk and Pinsk, began a war with Prince Skirmunt, intending to expel him from his homeland from Brest, from Melnik, from Grodno and from Novogrudok. And Skirmunt sent his ambassadors to Livebudu Grand Duke of Lithuaniaasking him to give him help against Rus'. And Zhivibud, the Grand Duke of Lithuania and Samogitia, sent his eldest son Kukovoyt to help him with all his Lithuanian and Samogitian forces. And the great prince Skirmunt went with Kukovoyt and with all his strength against Mstislav (In the text of Mstislavl), prince of Lutsk and Pinsk, and on this side of the Yaselda river, prince Skirmunt utterly defeated the prince of Lutsk and Pinsk and all the strength and army of their Russian. Only Prince Mstislav with a small retinue could barely escape to the city of Lutsk. And the great prince Skirmunt took the city Pinsk and the city of Turov, and Rus' resounded with great lamentation, that everyone was so beaten by godless Lithuania."

Note that the Lithuanian chroniclers recognize the existence of the Russian state and clearly separate Rus' from Lithuania or ON.
It is also interesting that the Lithuanians were able to conquer and annex the Russian Principality of Polotsk only because of the weakening of the principalities of Vladimir and Smolensk protecting it - the political center of Rus' and the strongest Russian principalities before the invasion - by the Horde.

[Fedorov 27]

did not try to fight on two fronts: with Lithuania and with the Horde

Naturally, there can be no talk of any liberation of the southwestern Russian lands from the power of the Horde as a result of their inclusion in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - the Lithuanians conquered the Russian principalities in alliance and with the support of the Horde and ruled the annexed Russian principalities according to the khan's labels.

The list of labels issued by the Horde khans to the princes of Lithuania and which have come down to us:
Label of Abdulla Olgerdu (1362),

Label of Tokhtamysh Jagail (1392-1393)

Label Tokhtamysh Vitovtu (1397-1398)

Label of Hadji Giray to Vitovt 1431

Label Ulug-Mohammed Svidrigaille (1431)

Label Hadji Giray Sigismund Keystutevich

Label Haji Giray Casimirou (1461)

Label Nur-Devlet to Casimir (1466)

Label Mengli Giray Casimirou (1472)

Label Mengli Giray Sigismund I (1507)

Labels Mengli Giray Sigismund I (1514)

Label Muhammad Giray Sigismund I (1520)

Label Sagip Giray Sigismund I (1535)

Label Sagip Giray Sigismund I (1540)

Label of Devlet Giray to Sigismund II (1560).

Here is the label of Mengli Giray to Sigismund I of 1506 as an example:
"they gave therefore: Kiev darkness, with all entrances and danmi, and z lands and waters; Volodimerskaya darkness, with all entrances and danmi, and z lands and waters; Great Lutsk darkness, with all entrances and danmi, and z lands and from the waters; Smolensk darkness, with all the entrances and from the danmi, and from the lands and from the waters; Podolsk darkness, with all the entrances and from the danmi, and from the lands and waters; Kamenets darkness, with all the entrances and from the danmi, and from the lands and waters; Braslav darkness, with all the entrances and danmi, and z lands and waters; Sokal darkness, with all the entrances and danmi, and z lands and waters; Zvinigorod, z exits and danmi, and z lands and waters; Cherkasy, z exits and danmi, and from lands and waters; Khachibiev Lighthouse, from waters and lands; otherwise, from Kiev, and the Dnieper and to the mouth, and Sneporozh and Glinesk with all their people, Zholvazh, Putivl from lands and waters, Birin, Sinech , Khoten, Losichi, Khotmyshl, with all their lands and waters, and danmi and exits; Chernigov darkness, with all exits and danmi, and lands and waters; Rylesk, z exits and danmi, and z lands and waters; Kursk darkness, z exits and danmi, and z lands and waters; Saraev's son Egaltaev darkness, Milolyub, z outputs and danmi, and z lands and waters; Muzhech, Oskol, Starodub and Bryansk, with all their exits and danmi and land and waters; Mchenesk and Lyubotesk, Tulu city, with all their exits and danmi, and z lands and waters; Berestey, and Ratno, and Kozeleks, Pronsk, Volkonsk, Ispash, Donets, with all their exits and danmi, and z lands and waters; Yabu town, Balykly, Karasun, town Dashov, settlement Tushin, Nemir, Mushach, Khodorov, with all their exits and danmi, and z lands and waters.

[Fedorov 27]

In the 60s-70s. XIV century Moscow is fighting with Tver and its allied Lithuania

Moscow did not fight with Tver. Allied Lithuania and the Horde fought against Rus' and the prince of all Rus' from Moscow (the author honestly writes about this). Mikhail Aleksandrovich Tverskoy is an ordinary political puppet of the Horde-Lithuanian alliance in the war against Rus'. This is an instrument of struggle against the Russian state - not a subject. On the eve of the confrontation with the prince of all Rus', Dmitry Ivanovich of Moscow, he was not even the prince of Tver. Prince Olgerd of Lithuania made him prince of Tver (“That same summer, in the autumn on tomorrow, according to Dimitriev’s days, the great prince Mikhailo Alexandrovich [b] came from Lithuania to Tfer with his brother, Princess Yeremeeva and Semyon Yamou, other boyars and his uncle’s servants, and then went was with the Lithuanian army to Kashin"), a contender for the title of ruler of Russia - a label issued by the khan.

In 1368, the Lithuanian prince, together with Mikhail, led a campaign against Moscow: “Then the same autumn, Prince Olgerd Gedimonovich of Lithuania, having gathered a lot of howls and moving in strength, and went to Moscow with an army against the great prince Dmitry Ivanovich, and with him his brother Kestutii, son Kestutiev Vitovt, then I’m still young for him, and sons Olgerdov, and all the princes of Lithuania, and the great prince Mikhailo Tfersky, and the Smolensk force "

In 1370, Michael went directly from Lithuania to the Horde: “The great prince Mikhailo Alexandrovich [b], hearing such a bender of his fatherland, before Filipov’s conspiracy, two weeks from Lithuania went to the Horde”. Apparently, this trip was directly agreed with Olgerd, who continued to maintain an alliance with the Horde. Order chroniclers report that in 1370 the Tatar army took part in the battle on Rudava on the side of the Lithuanians. According to Polish historians, it was Mamai who gave it to Olgerd. In the absence of Mikhail Alexandrovich, the Tatar ambassadors brought to Tver a label for him to the Tver principality: “And the Tartar Kaptagai and Tyuzyak came to Tfer from the Horde and brought a label to the Great Prince Michael for the reign of Tfer”.

Upon returning to Tver, Mikhail went to Lithuania to Olgerd (this prince did not stay in Rus').

On November 26, 1370, the Grand Duke of Lithuania began his second campaign against Moscow: “Prince Olgerd Gediminovich [b] of Lithuania came to the other, having gathered a lot of howls, in the power of a burden on the Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich, and with him his brothers and his sons and other princes of Lithuania, and the great prince Mikhailo ... " This time the siege lasted eight days, but again the Lithuanians did not succeed. Having learned that the troops of Vladimir Serpukhovsky and Vladimir Pronsky had gathered south of Moscow, Olgerd entered into negotiations with Dmitry Ivanovich: “And Prince Volodimer Andreevich, having gathered himself by force, stood in Przemysl, weeping. Prince Volodimer Dmitreevich [b] Pronsky, and Ryazanskaya with him, also came to this. And then hearing Olgerd and being afraid and beginning to ask for peace ". Olgerd wanted to conclude an "eternal peace", but Dmitry agreed only to a truce until June 29, 1371, after which the Lithuanians left, “Walking with much apprehension, looking around and being afraid of being chased after you”

Having not achieved success with the help of Olgerd, Mikhail Alexandrovich again went to Mamai in the same winter and received from him a new label for a great reign. On April 10, 1371, he arrived in Tver, accompanied by the Horde ambassador: “From Tsar Mamaev from the Horde, the great prince Mikhailo Alexandrovich came to Tfer with a label for the great princedom, and with him the ambassador Sarykhozha”

Meanwhile, Dmitry Ivanovich led the boyars and ordinary people of Vladimir cities to cross-kiss “Do not give yourself up to the great prince Michael, but do not let him into his land to reign for the great”. The Moscow prince himself, with his cousin Vladimir Serpukhovsky, stood up with regiments in Pereyaslavl in order to prevent Mikhail Alexandrovich from traveling from Tver to Vladimir. To the demand of the Tatar ambassador to come to Vladimir to the label, Dmitry replied: “I don’t go to the label, but I don’t let go to the land to reign for the great, but the path is clear for you as an ambassador”. Sarykhozha left the grand prince's label in Tver, and he went to Moscow, where he was generously gifted and released to the Horde. At the same time, Mikhail Alexandrovich sent his son Ivan to the Horde.

On June 12, 1372, the prince of Tver set off with Olgerd on the third campaign against Moscow. This time, Dmitry Ivanovich did not let the Lithuanians approach his capital. The troops converged on the Oka near the city of Lubutsk: “The same summer, Olgerd, Prince of Lithuania, having gathered a lot of howling, in strength, moving heavily to take the army to Moscow. Hearing the great prince Dmitry Ivanovich, howling a lot, and went against him, and met at the city of Lubutsk; and, above all, the Muscovites sent out the guard regiment of Olgerdov and escaped. And a hundred rati directly to myself, and between them the enemy is cool and the wilds are great, and it’s not better for the regiment to take off for battles, and so it’s been a few days, and taking the world between them, and spreading around differently. The most remarkable thing in the text of the peace treaty is that he several times refers to the Grand Duchy of Vladimir as the fatherland of Dmitry Ivanovich: sent to our eye, to the great princedom, the vicar (s) or volostels ... And the prince (s) Michael has something to do dirty tricks in our eye, in the great princedom ... But take the word, there are no cases in our eye, in the great princedom ... ". The treaty with Lithuania in 1372 was the first international agreement of Moscow, recognizing the Grand Duke's table as her hereditary possession, independent of the Horde.

[Fedorov 27]

At the same time, Moscow stopped even formally recognizing the supreme power of the Horde and paying tribute to it - the chronicle reports under 1374 that "To the great prince Dmitry Moskovsky to be reconciled with Totary and with Mamai"

Mikhail Tverskoy decided to take advantage of the enmity between the Moscow prince and Mamai. In February 1375, the son of the last Moscow thousand Ivan Velyaminov ran across to him from Moscow, along with a certain Nekomat Surozhanin. Mikhail Alexandrovich sent them to the Horde for the Grand Duke's label, and he himself went to Lithuania to negotiate the resumption of the military alliance against Moscow: “The same summer, from Moscow, about the great conspiracy, he came to Tver to the Grand Duke Mikhail Ivan Vasilyevich [b] yes Nekomat sent them to the Horde to attack the Christian attack on Fedorov week, and after them he went to Lithuania about the cross-baptism and there, having stayed in Lithuania for a short time, he arrived in Tfer". On July 13, the Horde ambassador Achikhozha arrived in Tver, bringing a label for the great reign to Mikhail Alexandrovich. On the same day, the prince of Tver announced to Dmitry of Moscow the termination of the peace and sent his troops to capture Torzhok and Uglich.

In response, Dmitry Ivanovich, two weeks later, gathered a huge army on Voloka: “And with him his father-in-law, the great Prince Dmitry Kostyantinovich Suzhdalsky, Prince Volodimer Andreevich, Prince Boris Kostyantinovich, Prince Andrei Alexandrovich of Rostov, Prince Dmitry Kostyantinovich Nail Suzhdalsky, Prince Semyon Dmitreevich, Prince Ivan Vasilyevich Smolensky, Prince Vasilei Vasilyevich I Roslavsky, Prince Fedor Romanovich Belozersky , Prince Vasilei Mikhailovich Kashinsky, Prince Fedor Mikhailovich Molozhsky, Prince Andrey Fedorovich Starodubsky, Prince Vasilei Kostyantinovich Rostov, Prince Alexander Kostyantinovich, his brother, Prince Roman Vasilyevich Yaroslavsky, Prince Roman Mikhailovich Bryansky, Prince Roman Semenovich Novosilsky, Prince Semyon Kostyantinovich Obolensky, Prince Ivan , his brother, Torushsky, and all the princes of Russia, each with their armies, serving the great prince ... And in Novgorod, the prince of the great ambassador, and Novogorodtsi, the prince of the great honor, moreover avenging his offense that was at Torzhok, soon arrived at 4 or at 5 days, and under Tferya a stash. Thus, in the campaign against Tver, Dmitry of Moscow, in addition to his cousin Vladimir Serpukhov, was joined by thirteen princes of Suzdal land (including the ruler of the Kashin inheritance of the Tver principality), one Smolensk prince (who ruled in Vyazma), the Grand Duke of Chernigov-Bryansk (driven by that time from his desk Olgerd) and three Verkhovsky princes. The speed of the coalition's actions was caused by the desire to prevent the allies from approaching the Tverichians, who "hoped for help from Lithuania and from the Tatars".

On August 1, Mikulin was taken, and on August 5, the allied rati approached Tver. On August 8, an assault took place, which the Tverichites managed to repulse. Then Dmitry Ivanovich switched to a regular siege, which ended three weeks later with the complete surrender of Tver. According to the agreement concluded on September 1, 1375, Mikhail of Tverskoy forever renounced encroachments on the great reign, recognized himself as the "younger brother" of Dmitry of Moscow and joined the anti-Tatar and anti-Lithuanian coalition of Russian princes led by him. In response to this, in the autumn of 1375, the Tatars and Lithuanians attacked the principalities allied with Moscow: “The same summer, the Tatars came to the volosts for Piana, and they beat the outpost of Nizhny Novgorod, and many other people drowned, and full, running back, threw. Then, in the autumn of the same summer, Olgerd fought the Smolensk volost with the Lithuanian army, caught and burned the towns ".