Russian history keeps for us many names of wonderful people. One of them was the Russian prince and the talented commander Dmitry Bobrok Volynsky. Consider the fate of this person in more detail.
Brief Biographical Information
Dmitry Bobrok came from Volhynia, hence his nickname. His date of birth is not known exactly. It is assumed that this was a prince who did not have his inheritance, who, 20 years before the start of the Battle of Kulikovo, moved to Moscow and began to serve the princes of Moscow. Thanks to his intelligence and diplomatic skills, Dmitry Mikhailovich took leading positions among the then Moscow nobility.
He took part in the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380, commanded an ambush regiment, which struck unexpectedly for the troops of Khan Mamaia and determined the Russian victory.
His name was last mentioned in Russian chronicles of 1389.
There is a version expressed by historian V.L. Yanin that Prince Dmitry in the 90s. XIV century retired to the monastery, where he received monastic tonsure under the name of Dionysius. The historian found a manuscript document telling about the death of Prince Dionysius of Volyn in one of the monasteries that occurred before 1411. The reason for such an act of the prince, most likely, was the tragic death of his youngest son (named Vasily) as a result of an accident, which led to the decision to remove Prince Dmitry and his wife Princess Anne from worldly life.
Prince's family
Many of his contemporaries remember Prince Dmitry Bobrok Volynsky, a brief biography of this man, however, did not reach us in full.
Information about his family is extremely stingy. It is known that Dmitry Bobrok was married twice. The name of his first wife is unknown, most likely, she was a native, like the prince himself, from Volhynia. It is believed that Dmitry had children in this marriage, two sons lived to adulthood and became the ancestors of two noble families: Volynsky and Voronykh-Volynsky.
It is assumed that the second time Dmitry Bobrok was married to the sister of Prince Dmitry Donskoy - Anna. In this marriage, children were also born, but they all died, some in infancy, some as a result of an accident (like the son of Dmitry Vasily, who fell from his horse and crashed to death).
There is a version according to which, one of the sons of Prince Dmitry was Mikhail Klopsky, later ranked as a saint. However, some historians believe that this saint was not a son, but a grandson of the prince (the son of his son named Maxim).
Versions about the origin of the prince
There are a lot of similar versions. Some historians, for example, believe that Prince Dmitry came from the Rurik family, and simply over time, the branch of his family fell into decay, and Dmitry Mikhailovich was forced to come to the service of the Moscow princes.
Other historians attribute its origin to the Gedeminovich clan. However, this version is not currently supported by historians.
Finally, there is the latest version, according to which Dmitry Mikhailovich received the title of prince already in Moscow, as a result of his marriage to his sister Dmitry Donskoy. In this case, historians suggest that Prince Dmitry Ivanovich greatly appreciated the merits of Dmitry Mikhailovich Volynsky, and therefore allowed him to bear the name of the prince.
Battle of the Kulikovo Field
The most important episode in the life of Prince Dmitry was the famous Russian battle, it was thanks to her that he entered the history of Russia as a successful commander. "The Legend of the Battle of Mamaev", written immediately after the events of 1380, calls Dmitry "the great commander."
The ambush regiment commanded by Prince Dmitry entered the battle 5 hours after the start of the main battle, when both the Russian and the Mongol-Tatar troops were already weakened. Moreover, the prince was able to calculate both the time of the strike and the place of the strike so accurately that he earned the special praise of Prince Dmitry Donskoy. Indeed, as a result of the actions of the ambush regiment, the Horde cavalry was defeated - the most powerful weapon of the Mamaia troops.
Historians believe that before the battle, Prince Dmitry Bobrok vowed to God that if he survived in mortal combat, he would do everything to establish a new monastery. Surviving, the prince kept his promise and built a Bobrenev monastery near Kolomna. It still exists and represents both historical and cultural value.
The value of the prince
Prince Dmitry was both a determined, courageous commander, and a faithful servant of Prince Dmitry Donskoy. Russian annals characterize it on an exclusively positive side. Having entered the service of the princes of Moscow, Dmitry Mikhailovich was able to realize his leadership gift, thereby strengthening Moscow’s authority in confronting the Golden Horde and gathering Russian lands into a single state.
Therefore, to the question of our contemporaries about what Prince Dmitry Bobrok Volynsky was, who is what he did, we can confidently give this answer: Prince Dmitry was a brave warrior, a wise boyar who truly served his Fatherland. Therefore, his name will remain for centuries.