For our Motherland, the year 1223 turned out to be black. The event in Russia happened such that it determined the political alignment in Eastern Europe for several centuries. One unsuccessful battle turned the entire course of history.
1223: event in Russia
Everyone should remember perfectly well from the school curriculum that the beginning of the 13th century was the time of the Mongol-Tatar invasion of the Polovtsian lands (a tribe adjacent to the Slavs) and the territory of Russia. The conquest of Russian lands by this wild horde took place gradually, but what happened in 1223 in Russia? It was on May 31, 1223 (as the Lavrentievsky Chronicle informs us) that the first battle of the Khan's troops and Russian soldiers took place. We all know very well from history this event called "The Battle of the Kalka River".
Reasons for the Battle of Kalka
The battle between the Mongol-Tatars and the Russian princely squads was to take place sooner or later. Why? According to the strategy of the Mongols, developed by Genghis Khan, his state was to cover not only truly Mongolian territory, but also spread throughout Europe.
Why do the Mongols need such vast territories? Do not forget that they are nomads. Such a people cannot sit in one place because of the way they manage their households. Nomads do not engage in agriculture, but only livestock. The representatives of this people had huge herds that needed to be fed with something. The method of management implied the periodic replacement of pastures with new ones, because old pastures already had nothing to eat for animals as food. The Mongols needed Europe as a potential pasture for their cattle.
Events before the Battle of Kalka
It is clear that the situation of the battle at Kalka did not arise immediately. The victorious march of the Mongol troops began in Central Asia. Then the horde headed towards Iran. No army could stop them. The campaign of the Mongols continued towards the Caucasus. The leaders of the Horde knew that there were several rich large cities in the Caucasus that could be robbed. After a victorious march through the Caucasus, for example, through Georgia, the troops went to the lands of modern Russia, on the territory of which the tribes of Alans and Polovtsy lived then. The forces of these nomadic peoples were defeated one by one, because the diplomacy of the Mongol conquerors also acted successfully.
1223 ... The event in Russia that could happen did not please the princes, because they understood that sooner or later these hordes would reach Kiev. The Russian princes had to enter the fight against the Mongols at the request of the Polovtsians. Once again, a clash with Genghis Khan’s troops would sooner or later happen anyway. Realizing that the Tatars would not stop, the princes decided not to refuse to help the Polovtsian khan . Having gathered in Kiev, the troops of Mstislav Galitsky and Mstislav Udulo (at that time the Kiev prince) advanced on a campaign. During the campaign, the Mongols sent their ambassadors twice, the purpose of which was to stop the Russian army. The Mongols claimed that they would cope with the Polovtsy, but would not go to Russian cities.
The battle with the Mongols
Knowing what event happened in 1223, shortly before the hordes of Batu and Genghis Khan appeared in Russia (namely, the conquest of the rich cities of the Caucasus), the Russian princes did not believe the Horde ambassadors. Therefore, the campaign continued. Vataga moved down the Dnieper. In the territory of the current Cherkasy region of Ukraine, princely troops had to make a crossing across the Dnieper. Already here the first meeting with the enemy troops took place. The Mongols had fast horses, so they were able to escape and lure the Russian troops to a battlefield convenient for themselves, located near the modern river Kalmius (Zaporizhzhya region).
The beginning of the battle was for the Russian princes. To some extent this can be explained by the speed of action of the princely troops. The Kiev prince crossed the river, studied the Mongol camp from afar, returned to the location of his troops and prepared them for battle. The Mongols began a retreat. The squad of Daniil Galitsky particularly pressured them. But then the Golden Hordes introduced additional forces into the battle, which led to a typical outcome for many battles in the history of the Ukrainian and Russian peoples - the flight of allies (Polovtsy), which destroyed the system of the Russian army of princes. After this, the victory of the Mongol-Tatars was a matter of time and technology. The Slavic army suffered heavy losses in this battle.
Conclusion
1223 ... The event in Russia is really tragic. The defeat at Kalk made all of Russia directly and completely dependent on the Golden Horde state. The Tatar-Mongol yoke lasted almost 300 years. This huge historical period of time left a negative imprint on the development of the modern lands of Russia and Ukraine.