"Standing on the Ugra River" and the end of the Golden Horde yoke. 1480
In the memory of the Russian people a difficult period stories, called the "Horde yoke", began in the XIII century. tragic events on the rivers Kalka and City, lasted almost 250 years, but triumphantly ended on the Ugra River in 1480 g.
The significance of the Kulikovo battle of 1380 was always given great attention, and the Moscow Prince Dmitry Ivanovich, who received an honorary prefix to the name "Don" after the battle, is a national hero. But other historical characters showed no less heroism, and some events, perhaps undeservedly forgotten, are comparable in their significance with the battle on the Don. The events that put an end to the Horde yoke in 1480 are known in the historical literature under the general title "Standing on the Ugra" or "Ugorschina." They represented a chain of battles on the border of Russia between the troops of the great Moscow Prince Ivan III and Khan Bolshoy Orda Akhmat.
The battle on the river Ugra, which put an end to the Horde yoke.
Miniature from the Facial Chronicle. XVI century.
Miniature from the Facial Chronicle. XVI century.
In 1462, the Moscow Grand Prince throne was inherited by the eldest son of Vasily II the Dark Ivan. As the leader of the foreign policy of the Moscow principality, Ivan III knew what he wanted: to be the sovereign of all Russia, that is, to unite all the lands of the northeast under his rule and to end the Horde addiction. The grand duke went to this goal all his life and I must say successfully.
Sovereign of All Russia, Ivan III
Vasilyevich the Great.
Vasilyevich the Great.
Titular. 1464th century By the end of the 1474th century, the formation of the main territory of the Russian centralized state was almost completed. All the capitals of the specific principalities of North-Eastern Rus' bowed their heads before Moscow: in 1472 the Yaroslavl principality was annexed, and in 1478 - Rostov. Soon the same fate befell Novgorod: in XNUMX, in part, and in XNUMX completely, Ivan III crossed out the separatist tendencies of part of the Novgorod boyars and liquidated the sovereignty of the Novgorod feudal republic. But the main symbol of Novgorod liberty - the veche bell - was removed by him and sent to Moscow.
The historical words spoken by Ivan III: “Our state of the grand dukes is this: I will not ring the bell in our father in Novogorod, there will be no landowner, but we will keep our state gifts” [1], a motto of Russian rulers for several centuries ahead.
Map. Ivan's campaigns III.
While the Muscovite state was growing stronger and stronger, the Golden Horde had already broken up into several independent state entities that did not always peacefully coexist with each other. First, the lands of Western Siberia with the center in the city of Ching-Tura (now Tyumen) were separated from it. In 40-s. on the territory between the Volga and the Irtysh north of the Caspian Sea, an independent Nogai Horde was formed with the center in the city of Saraichik. A little later, Kazan (1438) and Crimean (1443) arose on the lands of the former Mongol empire around the borders of its successor, the Great Horde, and in 60. - Kazakh, Uzbek and Astrakhan Khanate. The throne of the Golden Horde kingdom and the title of the Great Khan was in the hands of Akhmat, whose power extended to the vast territories between the Volga and the Dnieper.
During this period, the relationship between the uniting North-Eastern Russia and the decaying Horde was uncertain. And in 1472, Ivan III finally stopped paying tribute to the Horde. Akhmat Khan’s campaign in 1480 was the last attempt to return Russia to a position subordinate to the Horde.
For the campaign was chosen the right time, when Ivan III was in a tight ring of enemies. In the north, in the Pskov region, the Livonian Order robbed, whose troops, under the leadership of the master von der Borch, captured vast territories in the north of the country.
From the west, Polish King Casimir IV threatened with war. The confusion that arose within the state was directly connected with the Polish threat. Novgorod boyars, relying on the help of Casimir and the Livonians, organized a plot to bring Novgorod under the rule of foreigners. At the head of the conspiracy was Archbishop Theophilus, who enjoyed great influence among Novgorodians. In addition, in Moscow, the brothers of Ivan III were revolted by specific princes Andrei Bolshoi and Boris Volotsky, demanding an increase in the territory of their estates and an increase in their influence on government. Both rebel princes asked for help from Casimir, and he promised them full support.
The news of the new campaign of the Horde reached Moscow in the last days of May 1480. In the Typographical Chronicle of the beginning of the invasion it was said: a single duma with Kazimer, the king of bo and led him to the Grand Duke ... ”[2].
After receiving news of the Horde’s speech, the Grand Duke was to respond in a diplomatic and military manner.
The creation of a coalition with the Crimean Khanate against the Great Horde began with Ivan III shortly before the invasion began. 16 April 1480 Moscow Embassy, headed by Prince I.I. Zvenigorod-Zventsom went to the Crimea. In Bakhchisarai, the Moscow ambassador signed a mutual assistance agreement with Khan Mengli-Giray. The Russian-Crimean alliance had a defensive-offensive character in relation to Casimir and a defensive in relation to Akhmat. “And on Ahmad the king,” wrote the Crimean Khan to Ivan III, to be with you and me in one. If King Akhmat will come to me, and tobe my brother, Grand Duke Ivan, let my princes go to the horde with the lancers and princes. And then Ahmat the king and I, Mengli-Girei the king, should go to the king Ahmat, or let go of his brother with his people ”[3].
The alliance with Mengli Giray was concluded, but the complexity of the situation on the border of Crimea and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, as well as the relative weakness of Mengli Giray as an ally, did not allow hoping to prevent Horde aggression only through diplomatic means. Therefore, for the defense of the country, Ivan III adopted a series of actions and military ones.
Fragment of the diorama "The Great Standing on the River Ugra". Diorama museum. Kaluga region, Dzerzhinsky district, p. Palaces, Vladimirsky skete of the Kaluga St. Tikhonova desert.
By the beginning of the Akhmat invasion, there was a deeply echeloned system of defensive installations on the southern borders of Moscow State. This notch feature consisted of fortified cities, numerous notches and earthen ramparts. In its creation, all possible protective geographical features of the terrain were used: ravines, swampy swamps, lakes, and especially rivers. The main line of defense of the southern borders stretched along the Oka. This part of the Zasechnaya line was called “Oka coastal discharge”.
The service for the protection of the Oka boundary was introduced by Ivan III in compulsory duty. Here, to protect the borders of the principality, the peasants were taken in turn from not only neighboring but also distant villages. During the Horde invasions, this foot militia was to withstand the first onslaught and keep the enemy on the frontier frontier until the main forces approached. The principles of the defense of the line were also developed in advance by the military administration of the Grand Duke. The surviving “Order to the Ugric Voivods” is vividly shown by [4].
Fragment of the diorama "The Great Standing on the River Ugra". Diorama museum. Kaluga region, Dzerzhinsky district, p. Palaces, Vladimirsky skete of the Kaluga St. Tikhonova desert.
To help the troops carrying a permanent service in the southern "Ukraine", in late May - early June, the Grand Duke sent a governor to the Oka area with armed forces. The son of Ivan III Ivan the Young was dressed up in Serpukhov. The brother of the Moscow prince Andrei Menshoi went to Tarusa to prepare the city for defense and organize resistance to the Tatars. In addition to them, in the Russian chronicles, as one of the leaders of the defense of Zasechnaya, the distant relative of Ivan III, Prince Vasily of Verey, is mentioned.
The measures taken by the Grand Duke proved timely. Soon, separate enemy patrols appeared on the right bank of the Oka. This fact is reflected in the chronicle: “But the Tatars who came to the captivity of Besputu and Otidosh” [5]. The first blow, apparently made for the purpose of reconnaissance, was struck on one of the right-bank Prioksky Russian volosts, not covered by a water barrier from attacks from the steppe. But seeing that the Russian troops occupied the defense on the opposite bank, the enemy departed.
The rather slow advancement of the main forces of Akhmat allowed the Russian command to determine the possible direction of the main attack of Akhmat. The breakthrough of the Zasechnaya line should have passed either between Serpukhov and Kolomna, or below Kolomna. The nomination of the grand duke's regiment under the leadership of the governor Prince DD Kholmsky to the place of a possible meeting with the enemy ended in July 1480.
Specific facts, which are reflected in the chronicle sources, indicate the decisiveness of Akhmat’s goals. Akhmat's army, in all likelihood, included all the available military forces of the Great Horde at that time. According to the chronicles, his nephew Kasim made a speech with Akhmat, and six other princes, whose names are not preserved in the Russian chronicles. Comparing with those forces that the Horde had exhibited before (for example, the invasion of Edigei in 1408, Mazovshi in 1451), it can be concluded about the numerical strength of the Akhmat army. We are talking about 80 – 90 thousands of warriors. Naturally, this figure is not accurate, but it gives a general idea of the scale of the invasion.
The timely deployment of the main forces of the Russian troops on the defensive lines did not allow Akhmat to cross the Oka on its central sector, which would allow the Horde to be in the shortest direction to Moscow. Khan turned his troops to the Lithuanian possessions, where he could successfully solve the double task: first, to unite with the Casimir regiments, and second, to rush into the territory of the Moscow principality from the Lithuanian lands without any particular difficulties. There is direct news about this in the Russian chronicles: “... go to Lithuanian lands, bypassing the Oka River, and expecting the king to help or force” [6].
Akhmat’s maneuver along the Oka line was promptly detected by Russian guard outposts. In this connection, the main forces were transferred from Serpukhov and Tarusa to the west, to Kaluga and directly to the bank of the Ugra River. There were also sent shelves, going to reinforce the grand duke's troops from various Russian cities. For example, the forces of the Tver principality [7], led by voivods Mikhail Kholmsky and Joseph Dorogobuzh, arrived to Ugra. To get ahead of the Horde, before they reached the shores of the Ugra, to occupy and strengthen all the places convenient for the crossing - such a task faced the Russian troops.
Akhmat's movement towards Ugra was fraught with great danger. First, this river, as a natural obstacle, was significantly inferior to the Oka. Secondly, going to the Ugra, Akhmat continued to remain in close proximity to Moscow and, with the rapid crossing of the water line, he could reach the capital of the principality for the 3 equestrian transition. Thirdly, the entry of the Horde in the borders of the Lithuanian land prompted Casimir to speak and strengthened the likelihood of the Horde uniting with the Polish troops.
All these circumstances forced the Moscow government to take emergency measures. One such measure was the holding of the council. The son and co-ruler of Grand Duke Ivan Young, his mother - Prince nun Martha, uncle - Prince Mikhail Andreyevich Vereisky, Metropolitan of All Russia Gerontius, Archbishop of Rostov Vassian and many boyars took part in the discussion of the current situation. The council adopted a strategic action plan aimed at preventing the invasion of the Horde in the Russian lands. It provided for the simultaneous solution of several tasks of different nature.
First, an agreement was reached with the rebellious brothers about the end of the “mist”. The termination of the feudal rebellion significantly strengthened the military and political position of the Russian state in the face of the Horde danger, depriving Akhmat and Casimir of one of the main trump cards in their political game. Secondly, it was decided to transfer Moscow and a number of cities to a state of siege. Thus, according to the Moscow chronicle, “... under the siege in the city of Moscow, Metropolitan Gerontiy, and the Grand Duchess the Monk Martha, and Prince Mikhail Andreevich, and the governor of Moscow, Ivan Yuryevich, and many people from many cities, [8] sat down. Partial evacuation of the capital was carried out (the wife of Ivan III, Grand Duchess Sophia, young children and the state treasury) were sent from Moscow to Beloozero. Partially evacuated the population of Prioksky cities, and garrisons in them were strengthened by sovereign archers from Moscow. Thirdly, Ivan III ordered an additional military mobilization in the territory of the Moscow principality. Fourthly, it was decided to raid Russian troops on the territory of the Horde for a distracting strike. To this end, the ship’s ship was sent down the Volga under the leadership of the Crimean prince Nur-Daulet and Prince Vasily Zvenigorod-Nozdrovaty [9].
October 3 Grand Prince left Moscow for the regiments guarding the left bank of the Ugra. Arriving at the army, Ivan III stopped in the city of Kremenets, located between Medyn and Borovsky and located in close proximity to a possible theater of military operations. According to the testimony of the Moscow Chronicle, he "... a hundred on Kremenets with small people, and let all of the people go to Ugra to see his son, Grand Duke Ivan" [10]. Taking up a position located on the 50 km in the rear of the troops deployed along the coast of the Ugra, provided the central military leadership with reliable communications with the main forces and allowed them to cover the way to Moscow in the event of a breakthrough of the Horde troops through the barrier barriers of the Russian troops.
Sources did not keep the official chronicle report on "Ugorschina", there are no regiment paintings and the governor, although from the time of Ivan III many military categories remained. Formally, the head of the army was the son and co-ruler of Ivan III, Ivan Young, in which his uncle, Andrei Menshoi, was located. In fact, the old tried and tested voivods of the Grand Duke, who had extensive experience in waging war with the nomads, led the military actions. The great commander was Prince Daniel Kholmsky. His comrades-in-arms were no less famous generals — Semyon Ryapolovsky-Khripun and Danila Patrikeev-Schenya. The main grouping of troops was concentrated in the Kaluga region, covering the mouth of the Ugra. In addition, the Russian regiments were placed along the entire lower reaches of the river. According to the Vologda-Perm Chronicle, the Grand Duke Voivode "... a hundred Oka and Ugra on 60 versts" in the area from Kaluga to Yukhnov "[11].
The main task of the regiments scattered along the river bank was to prevent the enemy from breaking through the Ugra, and for this it was necessary to reliably protect the places convenient for the crossing.
The immediate defense of fords and perelaz was assigned to the infantry. In places suitable for the crossing, fortifications were erected, which were guarded by permanent outposts. The structure of such outposts were infantrymen and "fire outfit", consisting of archers and artillery maids.
A somewhat different role was assigned to the cavalry. Small horse patrols patrolled the coast between the outposts and maintained a close connection between them. Their task also included the capture of enemy intelligence officers who were trying to figure out the location of the Russian troops on the banks of the Ugra and reconnoiter convenient places to cross the river. Large horse regiments rushed to the aid of outposts standing at the crossings, only the direction of the main strike of the enemy was determined. Attacking or reconnaissance campaigns on the opposite shore occupied by the enemy were also allowed.
Thus, on a broad front along the Ugra River, positional defense was created with active sorties by cavalry units. Moreover, the main force located in the fortified defense units at the crossing points was infantry, equipped with firearms weapons.
The massive use of firearms by the Russian soldiers during the "standing on the Ugra" is celebrated by all the chronicles. Pishali were used - long-barreled guns that had aimed and effective fire. So-called mattresses were also used - firearms for shooting stone or metal shot at a close distance on the enemy's manpower. The “fiery attire” could be widely and most usefully applied in a positional, defensive battle. Therefore, the choice of a defensive position on the bank of the Ugra, apart from a favorable strategic position, was also dictated by the desire to effectively use the new branch of service in the Russian army - artillery.
The tactics imposed by Horde deprived those of the opportunity to use the advantages of their light cavalry in flank or bypass maneuvers. They were forced to act only in the frontal attack on the Russian abatis, to go head-on for food and mattresses, for a closed formation of heavily armed Russian soldiers.
The chronicles report that Akhmat walked with all his forces along the right bank of the Oka River through the cities of Mtsensk, Lubutsk and Odoyev towards Vorotynsk, a town located not far from Kaluga near the confluence of the Ugra and Oka. Here Akhmat was going to wait for help from Casimir.
But at this time, the Crimean Khan Mengli-Girey, at the insistence of Ivan III, began fighting in Podolia, thereby partially drawing off the troops and the attention of the Polish king. Engaged in the fight against the Crimea and the elimination of internal turmoil he could not assist the Horde.
Without waiting for the help of the Poles, Akhmat decided to cross the river in the Kaluga area himself. Horde troops reached the 6 – 8 October 1480 Ugri crossings and launched military operations in several places at once: “... Tatars ... coming against Prince Ondrei, and others against the Grand Duke Munozy, and ovii against governor suddenly attacked "[12].
The opponents came face to face, separated only by the smooth surface of the Ugra River (in the widest places up to 120 – 140 m). On the left bank, Russian archers lined up at the crossings and fords, squeezed and mattresses with gunners and pishchnikami. The regiments of the noble cavalry in armor shining in the sun, with sabers, were ready to strike the Horde if they could manage to cling to our shore somewhere. The battle for the ferry began at o'clock in the afternoon of October 8 and lasted along the entire defense line for almost four days.
The Russian governors used the advantages of their troops in small arms with the maximum benefit and shot the Horde in the water. They never managed to force the river on any stretch. A special role in the battles for the crossings played a "fire outfit." Kernels, shot and canister caused significant damage. Iron and stone were pierced through waterskins, which were used by the Horde to cross. Deprived of support, horses and riders quickly became exhausted. Those who were spared by the fire, went to the bottom. Horde floundering in cold water became a good target for the Russian riflemen, and they themselves could not use their favorite technique - massive archery. The arrows that flew across the river at izlete lost their destructive force and practically did not harm the Russian soldiers. Despite the huge losses, Khan again and again drove forward his cavalry. But all attempts by Akhmat to force the river ended unsuccessfully. “The king is not possible to take the shore and depart from the river from the Ugra for two miles and one hundred in Luza,” reports the Vologda-Perm chronicle [13].
A new attempt was made by the Horde to make settlements in the Opakova area. Here the terrain conditions made it possible to secretly concentrate the cavalry on the Lithuanian coast, and then it was relatively easy to force the shallow river. However, the Russian voivods closely followed the movement of the Tatars and skillfully maneuvered the regiments. As a result, at the crossing of the Horde, they were met not by a small guard post, but by large forces that repelled Ahmat’s last desperate attempt.
The Russian army stopped the Horde at the frontier and did not let the enemy to Moscow. But the final turning point in the fight against the invasion of Akhmat has not yet come. The terrible horde army on the banks of the Ugra retained its combat capability and readiness to resume the battle.
Under these conditions, Ivan III began diplomatic negotiations with Akhmat. The Russian Embassy, headed by the clerk, Ivan Tovarkov, went to the Horde. But these negotiations showed a fundamental incompatibility of the views of the parties on the possibility of achieving a truce. If Akhmat insisted on continuing the Horde dominion over Russia, then Ivan III regarded this demand as unacceptable. In all likelihood, the negotiations were started by the Russians only in order to somehow stretch the time and find out further intentions of the Horde and their allies, as well as wait for the fresh regiments of Andrei Bolshoi and Boris Volotsky, hurrying to help. In the end, negotiations did not lead to anything.
But Akhmat continued to believe in the successful completion of the campaign undertaken against Moscow. In the Sofia chronicle there is a phrase that the chronicler put into the mouth of the Horde Khan at the end of unsuccessful negotiations: "May God bless you and all the rivers will become, otherwise there will be many roads to Russia" [14]. The establishment of ice cover on the rivers abroad significantly changed the situation for the opposing sides and not in favor of the Russians. Therefore, the Grand Duke made new operational and tactical decisions. One of these decisions was to transfer the main Russian forces from the left bank of the Ugra River to the northeast to the cities of Kremenets and Borovsk. Here, to the aid of the main forces, were moving fresh regiments, recruited in the north. As a result of this redeployment, a front stretched in length was liquidated, which, when losing such a natural defensive line as Ugra was, was significantly weakened. In addition, in the Kremenets area, a powerful fist was formed, the rapid movement of which would have allowed the Horde to block the road on a possible path of attack on Moscow. The withdrawal of troops from the Ugra began immediately after October 26. And the troops were assigned first to Kremenets, and then further into the interior, to Borovsk, where the troops of his brothers arrived from the Novgorod land waiting for Grand Duke Ivan III. The transfer of the position from Kremenets to Borovsk was most likely made because the new location of the Russian troops covered the way to Moscow not only from the Ugra, but also from Kaluga; from Borovsk, it was possible to quickly move troops to the middle course of the Oka between Kaluga and Serpukhov, if Akhmat decided to change the direction of the main attack. According to the Typographical Chronicle, "... the prince of the great came to Borovsk, utterly speaking, and on those fields we will fight with them" [15].
The area near Borovsk was very convenient for a decisive battle if Akhmat would nevertheless decide to cross the Ugra. The city was located on the right bank of the Protva, on the hills with a good overview. The terrain covered with dense forest near Borovsky would not allow Akhmat to fully use his main striking force - the numerous cavalry. The general strategic plan of the Russian command did not change - to give a defensive battle in favorable conditions and to prevent the enemy from breaking through to the capital.
However, Akhmat not only did not make a new attempt to cross the Ugra and join the battle, but on November 6 began to retreat from the Russian borders. 11 November this news reached the camp of Ivan III. The route of the Akhmat retreat passed through the cities of Mtsensk, Serensk and further to the Horde. Murtoza, the most energetic of the sons of Akhmat, attempted to destroy the Russian volosts on the right bank of the Oka. As the chronicler writes, two villages were captured in the Aleksin area. But Ivan III ordered his brothers, without delay, to come forward to meet the enemy. Learning about the approach of the prince's squad Murtoza retreated.
This ended ingloriously the last trip of the Great Horde to Russia. On the shores of the Oka and Ugra, a decisive political victory was won - in fact, the Horde yoke, over two centuries old, was overthrown.
28 December 1480 The Grand Duke Ivan III returned to Moscow, where he was solemnly greeted by jubilant townspeople. The war for the liberation of Russia from the Horde yoke was over.
The remnants of Ahmad's army fled to the steppe. Against the defeated Khan, rivals immediately came out. This struggle ended in his death. In January, 1481 in the Don steppes, tired of the long and fruitless campaign, lost their vigilance and were overtaken by the Nogai Khan Ivak. The murder of Akhmat Murza Yamgurchei led to the instant disintegration of the Horde army. But the decisive factor that led Ahmat to death, and his horde to defeat was, of course, their defeat in the autumn campaign of 1480.
The actions of the Russian command, which led to victory, had some new features, characteristic not for specific Russia, but for a single state. First, the strict centralization of leadership reflection of the invasion. All troop control, defining the lines of deployment of the main forces, the choice of rear positions, preparing the cities in the rear for defense, all this was in the hands of the head of state. Secondly, maintaining at all stages of confrontation constant and well-established communication with the troops, timely response to the rapidly changing situation. And finally, the desire to act on a broad front, the ability to gather forces into the most dangerous areas, the high maneuverability of the troops and excellent intelligence.
The actions of the Russian troops during the 1480 fall campaign to repel the Akhmat invasion is a bright page in the military history of our country. If the victory on the Kulikovo Field meant the beginning of a breakthrough in Russian-Horde relations — a transition from passive defense to an active struggle to overthrow the yoke, then a victory at Ugra meant the end of the yoke and the restoration of full national sovereignty of the Russian land. This is the largest event of the fifteenth century, and Sunday 12 November 1480 - the first day of a fully independent Russian state - is one of the most important dates in the history of the Fatherland. PCPL T.26. M.-L., 1959.
Monument to the Great Standing on the Ugra River. Located in the Kaluga region on the 176-km km of the highway Moscow-Kiev near the bridge over the river. Opened in 1980
Authors: V.A. Frolov. M.A. Neimark and E.I. Kireev.
Authors: V.A. Frolov. M.A. Neimark and E.I. Kireev.
[1] See: Annals collection, called the Patriarch or Nikon's chronicle. The complete collection of Russian chronicles (hereinafter referred to as PSRL). T. XII. SPb., 1901. C. 181.
[2] Cit. by: Boinkskie novels of ancient Russia. L., 1985, C. 290.
[3] Kalugin I.K. Diplomatic relations of Russia with the Crimea in the reign of Ivan III. M., 1855. C. 15.
[4] Bit Book 1475-1598 M., 1966. C. 46.
[5] Military tales of ancient Russia. C. 290.
[6] MOBILE TRIP. PCPL T.25. M.-L., 1949. C. 327.
[7] TRAILING. PCPL T.15. Spb., Xnumx. Stb 1863-497.
[8] MOBILE TRIP. C. 327.
[9] Cherepnin L.B. The depiction of the pyrogene centering city in the XIV-XV centuries. M., 1960. C. 881.
[10] MOBILE TRIP. C. 327.
[11] VOLVO-FRENCH PCPL T.26. M.-L., 1959. C. 263.
[12] SPECIAL SCREEN. " PLDP. The second half of the XV century. M., 1982. C. 516.
[13] VOLVO-FRENCH C. 264.
[14] Sophia-Lion Rainbow. PCPL T.20, h.1. CPB, 1910-1914. C. 346.
[15] The Boom Agenda of the Pisces. C. 290. [/ I]
Information