Two years before
the Battle of Kulikovo, the Mongol forces were preparing a raid on the Moscow principality. Khan Mamai collected five tumens under the leadership of Murza Begic sent them in order to replace Moscow Prince Dmitry Ivanovich, later nicknamed Donskoy. During the reign of Dmitry Donskoy, the
Moscow principality was gaining military power. The prince in time learned about the upcoming campaign, and, gathering his squad, moved towards the Tatars. The decision to accept the battle on the territory of the Ryazan principality was dictated by several circumstances:
- Begich had in his rear a strong group of hostile troops led by the unreliable ally Oleg Ryazansky.
- The Mongolian cavalry was cut off from the supply routes, and she did not have time to procrastinate if Begic chose to take time. Waiting for reinforcements or in search of a better position, his troops would begin to disperse into counterguerrilla operations.
- Prince Dmitry Ivanovich deliberately imposed a place for the Tatars to battle, disadvantageous for the actions of the Mongol cavalry. The battle on Vozha took place between ravines and swamps, which did not give room for the use of cavalry.
Russian troops defended on the banks of the River Vozha. Moreover, Dmitry hid the left and right wings of his army in nearby ravines. Tatar troops, unaware of the real number of the enemy and confident in their victory, began to cross to the opposite bank. The battle on the river Vozhe began with a counter cavalry battle. At the same time, two attacks from both flanks were carried out. The Mongol cavalry, sandwiched from three sides and deprived of its leaders, began to randomly retreat.
Russian troops, fearing an ambush, did not dare to begin the persecution. As a result, the Tatars had the opportunity to leave. But the retreat was carried out so hastily that a military convoy was thrown, which was captured by Russian troops.
The battle on the river Vozhe has several moments not revealed by historians. Until the end, the behavior of Prince Oleg Ryazansky was not clarified. On the one hand, he did not openly oppose the Tatars, and let them pass through his territory. At the same time, Begic did not expose Ryazan cities and looted the village. Perhaps he was hoping for the help of a recent ally of Mamai, who some time earlier had helped him in the fight against Khan Arapsha.
The position of Dmitry Ivanovich, who refused to pursue the Mongol forces, is not entirely clear. Perhaps he took into account the experience of past battles. When the Tatars carried away hostile troops with a feigned retreat, and then united and dealt a sudden blow.
The battle on the river Vozha allowed to test the new tactics of the Russian troops. The prince's squad did not wait for the enemy in the cities, but imposed a battle and chose a place for a future battle. The heavy ranks of the Russian spearmen opposed the heavy Mongolian cavalry perfectly.
The battle on the river Vozhe was of great importance for national identity. Even the punitive campaign conducted after Mamai showed that the Tatars did not dare to enter into a direct confrontation with the Moscow principality without preparation, limiting themselves to plundering the Ryazans. After the battle on the Vozha River, the Principality of Moscow immediately began to prepare for a new battle, which thundered two years later on the Kulikovo field.