The biography of Dmitry Donskoy is a separate chapter in Russian history. His name is inextricably linked with the landmark Kulikovo battle. And it was thanks to the legendary prince that they called Moscow White Stone.
Origin
The biography of Dmitry Donskoy begins on October 13, 1350. He was the son of Ivan II the Red, the grandson of Ivan Kalita. The prince was orphaned at the age of nine. Soon, the younger brother also died. However, this does not mean that the power of Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy, whose biography has many glorious victories, was not shared with anyone.
His predecessors did a lot for the Moscow principality. However, the favorable situation here, as throughout Russia, was difficult to call. The plague epidemic claimed up to 40% of the population. "Black Death" twice came to Russia. From her died and the father of Dmitry Donskoy. In the biography of the prince, Metropolitan Alexy played a huge role. The heir remained in his care.
Golden Horde
Outlining the biography of Dmitry Donskoy, one should, of course, pay attention to the particularities of the political situation that developed in the 60s of the XIV century. The Golden Horde reached its power even before the birth of Dmitry Donskoy. The biography of the prince is associated with coups in the Golden Horde.
Khan Uzbek also broke polytheistic tolerance and declared Islam the state religion. With heretics, that is, with those who profess the cults of ancestors, he brutally cracked down. At the same time, Khan Uzbek did not forbid Orthodoxy in the vassal Russian lands. There is a legend that in this way he expressed gratitude to Alexy, who cured his wife of blindness.
Khan Uzbek died in 1341. The throne was taken by his son Tinibek. But he was soon overthrown by his brother, who later also became a victim of a conspiracy. This period accounts for a whole series of coups in the Golden Horde. All this could not but weaken the central authority. After the death of Uzbek Khan in the Golden Horde, chaos began, lasting a quarter century. The western part has actually broken up. The weakening of the Golden Horde is even mentioned in a brief biography of Dmitry Donskoy. Perhaps in a different situation, he would not have been able to win so many victories.
National Idea Fighter
The first author of the full biography of Dmitry Donskoy is the Russian historian Konstantin Bestuzhev-Ryumin. Later researchers wrote about the prince. Klyuchevsky called Dmitry Donskoy an outstanding statesman. Moreover, in his predecessors he saw only "pragmatic predators."
If to state the biography of the Holy Prince Dmitry Donskoy briefly, it is worth noting that this man became the first fighter for national interests. His predecessors were mainly engaged in building their own inheritance.
Grand Duke Label
So, Dmitry entered the Moscow throne at the age of nine. At the same time, he lost the label of Vladimir reign. His return was one of the tasks of Metropolitan Alexy. Nauruz Khan gave the label to Andrei Konstantinovich - the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod prince. And he, in turn, handed it over to his brother - Dmitry Konstantinovich, who in June 1360 proudly drove into Vladimir. However, he did not stay here for long. An endless transfer of the grand-ducal label from one prince to another began. Dmitry Konstantinovich was expelled from the center of North-Eastern Russia. However, he was not going to give up.
The struggle for the princely label continued for a long time. But a great war did not happen between Suzdal and Moscow. Dmitry Konstantinovich at a certain moment found himself in a difficult situation, he had to turn to Dmitry Moskovsky for help. In 1966, he refused the label for the great reign of Vladimir in favor of his rival yesterday. Then the princes became related. Dmitry married the daughter of his former enemy Evdokia. The wedding was played in Kolomna. The fact is that Moscow at that time was almost completely destroyed by another fire.
Moscow construction
Dmitry Ivanovich went to Nizhny Novgorod after the wedding. Here, for some reason, the boyars did not fight for Boris. The Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod throne passed to Dmitry Konstantinovich. However, the struggle for the rights of the father-in-law at that time, of course, was not the main thing for Dmitry Ivanovich. As mentioned above, Moscow was destroyed by a fire. After the wedding, Dmitry Ivanovich started a grandiose construction. And he decided to build a city not of wood, but of white stone. Hence the name - White Stone. Frozen rivers transported building material along the riverbed. In spring, limestone stones were rafted on rafts from quarries located near the city.
Unfortunately, today there is no exact information on how the Moscow Kremlin looked. Some researchers believe that only the towers were stone. The walls, in their opinion, were made by order of the prince from wood, but overlaid with limestone blocks. Other historians claim that the Kremlin was completely stone, and its construction continued until 1367. Archaeologists are silent on this score. The Kremlin of Dmitry Donskoy was dismantled by the end of the 15th century. In its place, a fortress was erected according to the project of Italian masters. Nevertheless, at the end of the sixties of the XIV century, the white stone Kremlin became the most powerful fortress in the north-eastern part of Russia.
In 1362, the Lithuanian prince Olgerd included Podillia, Kiev, and Pereyaslavl South in the composition of his lands. Thus, he got rid of the Horde tributary dependence. In the Tver Principality, which had long been under the influence of Moscow, the conflict had ripened by 1368. One of the local princes was excommunicated by Alexy for participating in a campaign in Moscow. In 1371, Dmitry Ivanovich achieved a lower tribute.
Challenging Mommies
The Battle of Kulikovo is a famous battle that is mentioned even in the shortest biography of Prince Dmitry Donskoy. In relations between the Horde and Moscow, the turning point came in 1371. Mikhail Alexandrovich received a label for Vladimir reign from Mamaia. But Dmitry Ivanovich was not at all embarrassed by this fact. He stated to the ambassador that he would not allow Michael to reign. And in 1374 he refused to pay tribute. Of course, having previously gathered supporters in Pereslavl Zalessky.
A little later, an event occurred that predetermined the further course of events. Murza Sarayka ambassadors from the Horde arrived in Nizhny Novgorod. Dmitry without thinking twice ordered to kill them. Murza was put in prison. He made an attempt to escape, but was caught and immediately killed. Soon, the Russian army went to the middle Volga, where a lot of fear brought on the proteges of Mamai.
Battle preparation
From Zakhary Tyutchev, a representative of a noble family and ancestor of the famous poet, Dmitry Ivanovich once found out about the alliance of Mamaia with Vitebsk Prince Jagail. The invasion was scheduled for September. Dmitry did not wait for the attack, but ordered the Russians to assemble troops in Kolomna. All this happened in August 1830.
Historical sources say differently about the composition of Russian troops. The credibility of many of them by modern researchers is questioned. The Nizhny Novgorod Principality of Suzdal did not take part in the collection. Evaded from the campaign and tverichi, although, according to the agreement of 1375, they should not have done this. In Kolomna, Dmitry formed the primary military order. Sergius of Radonezh allegedly blessed the Russian troops to battle with Mamai. However, according to one version, this refers to the battle on the Vozha River - another important event in the biography of Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy.
A Brief History of the Battle of Kulikovo
Historians still argue about the exact location of the battle. The annals say that the battle took place on the banks of Nepryadva. Researchers say that in those days there was a continuous forest. By the number of participants, of course, there is also no exact information: from each side there are approximately five to ten thousand horsemen. The biggest mystery for historians for a long time remained the absence of burials. And in 2006, with the help of modern technologies, objects were discovered that, according to scientists, are burials of the dead.
The battle began with small hassles. Then the guard regiment fought with the Tatar vanguard. Dmitry Donskoy dressed in the clothes of a boyar. The turning point in the battle was a blow to the Tatar cavalry. Mamai watched the battle from afar. The Grand Duke was wounded, knocked down from a horse, later found unconscious.
After victory
After the Battle of Kulikovo, Dmitry did not organize campaigns deep into the steppes. In the battle, Russian troops suffered heavy losses. Upon returning to Crimea, Mamai tried to collect the remainder of his troops for the next campaign in Russia. But this plan has not been implemented. Dmitry Donskoy assigned Moscow the role of the center of Russian lands. In Lithuania, meanwhile, opponents of the Horde came to power. Prince Keistut had no choice but to recognize the power of the Moscow principality in Smolensk.
Dmitry Donskoy ruled for twenty years. During this period, he became a collector of Russian lands, the head of anti-Horde politics. During the years of his reign, the Vladimir principality fell under the rule of Moscow, the territory of which expanded. The Grand Duke died on May 19, 1389. Buried in the Archangel Cathedral.
The image of Dmitry Donskoy inspired many writers and artists. Several historical novels dedicated to the prince were created by Dmitry Balashov. The painter Vasily Sazonov painted a picture that depicts a scene on the Kulikovo field.