Over the years of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, Rus survived several large invasions of hordes from the east. One of these punitive expeditions is known as Dudenev’s army.
Tudan Invasion
At the end of the XIII century, Russia was in complete decline. For fifty years, the country has suffered from invasions of the Mongols. These nomads paid tribute to the Slavic cities, and the princes were forced to travel east to ask for a label that allows them to rule their native lands. As a rule, the people behaved humbly, as they were bloodless and ruined. But periodically rebellions did happen. Therefore, the Tatars had to organize campaigns in Russia in order to punish the disobedience. That was exactly what Dudenev’s army was like.
In 1293, a huge army of Tudan invaded the Slavic principalities. This was the Horde prince, also known as Duden in Russian chronicles. The Tatar army went to the aid of Grand Duke Andrei Alexandrovich. At this time, he fought with other candidates for the throne of Vladimir. The Golden Horde supported Andrey, giving him a shortcut. However, some princes did not agree with this decision. At the head of the coalition stood Dmitry Alexandrovich.
The fall of Russian cities
Dudenev’s Tatar army was not the first to appear on Russian soil to rob and kill under the guise of help to one of the applicants for power in Vladimir. However, it is the events of 1293 that are most fully reflected in Russian chronicles. This is not surprising, because Dudenev’s army ruined dozens of cities in North-Eastern Russia, which has not happened since the time of the first invasion of Batu.
The first fell Moore. All Ryazan land, by tradition, turned out to be a springboard for eastern hordes. There were convenient crossings through the Oka, passing through which, it was possible to easily operate in the most populated areas of Russia. Murom was followed by Suzdal, Vladimir, Uglich and other important cities. The princes could not oppose the invaders, because their actions were disparate and inconsistent in nature.
Lack of resistance
According to tradition, the Russian rulers could not gather a common army to repel the deadly blow of the enemy. This was due to the disastrous political fragmentation of Russia. The weakness of the princes enjoyed Dudenev's army with pleasure. The date of her invasion is noted in the annals of that time with terrible tales of merciless bloodshed. Men were killed, women were taken into slavery, cities were burned, and fortresses were torn down.
Such a predatory approach was the norm for eastern hordes. People who grew up in the steppe appreciated nothing but their own horses. They joyfully destroyed the buildings and cities of settled Slavs. Nevruyev army, Dudenev army and other invasions always ended with the same thing - a colossal economic decline in Russia. In the XIII century, due to regular bloodshed and war in the cities, some crafts were even forgotten, since all the masters died or were taken into slavery.
Effects
When Duden destroyed enough cities to intimidate the princes and gained a lot of booty, he calmly retired back to the steppes. His invasion had the longest-lasting consequences for North-Eastern Russia. Researchers emphasize that it was at the end of the XIII century that many residents of large cities fled to the outskirts of the country. More often than not, shelters from the nomads became deaf northern forests, where their cavalry could not get. So, after the invasion of Duden, the population began to move en masse to Vyatka, to Novgorod and other safe areas.
From a political point of view, the campaign of the Tatars also bore fruit. Their protege Andrei Gorodetsky became the great Vladimir prince and held the throne until his death in 1304. Many contemporaries hated him, believing that for the sake of his selfish interests he brought a horde of Tatars to his native country, which destroyed many cities and villages.