In the first half of the 13th century, another invasion of nomads fell on Asia and Europe. The Mongols conquered one country after another. And soon they came to the borders of Russia.
It all began in 1206, when the Mongol nobility elected Genghis Khan as ruler. By that time, he already had great authority among the Mongols, and was not going to stop there. The new ruler united many tribes under his rule, among which the Tatars were one of the largest. That is why the aggressive campaign of Genghis Khan, and then his grandson Batu, is known as the Mongol-Tatar invasion.
By 1223, the nomads subjugated China, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Having reached the Azov steppes, the Mongols entered into a confrontation with the Polovtsy, who called for the help of the Russian princes. In May 1223, the combined army met with the enemy on the Kalka River. Rusichi suffered a catastrophic defeat: according to the chroniclers, only every tenth survived. The road to Kiev and other cities was open. But then the Volga Bulgars hit the Mongols from the rear. The nomads, exhausted by a long hike, decided not to start a new battle and went home. The Mongol-Tatar invasion was postponed.
Campaign in Russia and its consequences
In 1227, Genghis Khan died. The successor was his son Ogedei, who soon thought about new campaigns. In 1235, at the next kurultai (congress of the nobility), it was decided to go west. In the winter of 1237, the Mongol hordes already stood at the borders of the Ryazan principality. The grandson of Genghis Khan Batu, who led the campaign, demanded tribute from the Ryazan princes. They refused and began to prepare for battle. The forces were unequal, and the Mongols won. After a 6-day siege, Ryazan was stormed, but the Ryazans themselves for a long time resisted the invaders, waging a guerrilla war.
There was no unity between the Russian princes. Even in the face of the enemy, they failed to create at least some kind of coalition. This contributed to the victories of the Mongols, who were distinguished by iron discipline. The siege technique borrowed from the Chinese also played a significant role. During the years 1237-1238, the Mongol-Tatar invasion only gained momentum. The Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal was defeated and captured, after which the conquerors turned south. Here they also had to make a lot of effort. Only the small town of Kozelsk did not surrender to the enemy for 7 weeks. In the same year, the Mongols struck the Polovtsian Khan, who was forced to retreat to Hungary.
In 1239, the nomads took up the southwestern Russian principalities. Pereyaslav and Chernihiv were defeated. The Mongols have not yet decided to approach Kiev, but instead attacked the Crimea. Only a year later, the nomads set off on a new campaign, now to the capital of Russia. In November 1240, the Mongol troops were already standing under the walls of Kiev. The siege began. Having made breaches in the fortifications with the help of wall-beaters, the Mongols broke into the city. Kiev was taken.
A wave of invasion swept west, leaving a conflagration. Passing through Galicia and Volhynia, the Mongols moved on. Nomads managed to capture Poland and Hungary. The European kings were in a panic. Having reached Italy, the Mongols decided to turn back. They did not have enough strength for further campaigns; moreover, in December 1241 Khan Ogedey died. Therefore, Batu returned to Russia.
The Mongol-Tatar invasion and its consequences became a heavy blow for the Russian lands. Mass destruction, the decline of trade and crafts for a long time threw Russia back. The princes became vassals of the Golden Horde khans and pledged to pay tribute to them and help in the campaigns. Without the Khan's label (diploma), none of them could manage their principality. According to historians, the consequences of the Mongol-Tatar invasion were deeper for Russia than just destruction and human casualties. This event changed the path of development of a significant part of the Russian lands, which was now more Asian than European. The destruction of cities weakened the role of the urban population in the life of the country and led to a longer preservation of serfdom than in Europe. Not the best situation was in agriculture, which for a long time was subsistence.