The previously unified and formidable Golden Horde in the early thirties of the 15th century began to show clear signs of decay. This became a favorable prerequisite for the beginning of the processes, the result of which was the overthrow of the Horde yoke, which had been gravitating over Russian lands for almost two and a half centuries. Its date is considered to be November 11, 1480, when a long confrontation on the Ugra River between Russian squads and the Tatar army ended in the flight of the enemy.
Horde Decay
The reign of the eminent commander Emir Edigei, who tried with an iron hand to keep the state from collapse, did not save the Horde. Immediately after his overthrow in 1411, two new, independent khanates were formed, and in addition, threatening them, the Great Horde arose several decades earlier, continued to build up its power. Khan Akhmat, who ruled it in those years, achieved certain successes in restoring the former greatness of the Tatar-Mongolian state, but the strengthening was short-lived, and as a result of this, the overthrow of the Horde yoke assumed the character of an inevitable historical process. The power claims of individual Tatar princes were too strong.
Strengthening the Principality of Moscow
In the same period, there was a significant strengthening of Moscow, without which the struggle of Russia for the overthrow of the Horde yoke would be impossible. Clear evidence of this was the refusal of Grand Duke Ivan III to pay the Horde the previously established tribute. As a result of this, soon all cash receipts from Russian lands ceased, which the khans continued to consider as their uluses - territories under their control. Since that time, an irreconcilable struggle begins between the Moscow prince and the Horde khan. The overthrow of the Horde yoke became a reality.
Military preparations
Khan Akhmat, the ruler of the Big Horde, realized that only an immediate and powerful blow delivered to Moscow could force the Russians to pay tribute again. This prompted him to begin preparations for a decisive campaign. Not satisfied with the strength of the troops he had gathered (the collapse of the previously united Horde had an effect), Akhmat concluded an agreement on joint military operations with the Lithuanian prince Casimir, who also claimed his share in the general robbery of Russian lands.
Moscow Prince Ivan III, a wise and delicate politician, having correctly assessed the situation, enlisted the support of the Crimean Khan Mengli-Girey, who was Akhmat's implacable rival. The calculation was based on the fact that he clearly feared the strengthening of the Horde ruler, who, after going to Moscow, could turn his troops in the direction of the Crimea, which he had long claimed. Looking back at the past, we can clearly conclude that the overthrow of the Horde yoke was largely due to the strife and civil strife to which the Horde was exposed during its collapse. This is evidenced by the numerous chronicles that have reached us.
Circumstances in which the overthrow of the Horde yoke began
The year 1480, when the hundred thousandth army of Khan Akhmat went on a campaign against Moscow, became fatal for him. According to a previously concluded treaty, Lithuanian troops were supposed to come forward at the same time, but reality radically violated these plans - the Crimean Khan, an ally of Moscow, unexpectedly invaded the princedom of Lithuania. His unexpected aggression forced the Lithuanian princes to concentrate all their forces on its reflection and deprived Akhmat of their support. As a result, the khan only had to rely on his own strength.
Meanwhile, the Russian regiments, timely notified of the approach of the enemy, occupied the banks of the Oka. Moving towards Moscow, the Tatars in June captured and plundered Kaluga and Serpukhov. The situation was further complicated by the fact that at the same time German knights approached Pskov. A significant detachment under the command of Ivan the Young, the young son of Moscow Prince Ivan III, advanced towards them. The great prince himself with the main forces was at that time in Kolomna.
Confrontation on the Ugra
Without losing hope of Lithuanian reinforcements, Khan Akhmat sent his troops to the mouth of the Ugra River, flowing along the southwestern border of Russian lands, and in anticipation of Prince Casimir took a defensive position. However, in contrast to them, advanced Russian troops soon appeared on the other side of the river, and after them the main forces led by the Prince of Moscow came up. Thus, the khan could no longer bet on the surprise of the invasion.
For a short time, both sides repeatedly tried to cross the river to launch an offensive, but none of them succeeded. Nevertheless, the situation has changed in favor of the Russians. The regiments of Uglitsky Prince Andrei and Volotsky - Boris, who previously did not want to support Ivan III, came to help them. Since Khan Akhmat did not wait for the Lithuanian allies, the superiority of forces tipped in favor of the Russians.
Autumn, frost and starfish
Throughout the summer and early fall of 1480, constant clashes took place between troops located on different banks of the river. Occasionally they were interrupted by attempts to achieve any result through negotiations. But Moscow categorically refused to resume paying tribute, and Akhmat did not accept any other conditions of the world. This continued until November.
Winter came early that year, and already at the beginning of the month Ugra froze, and its shores were covered with a thick layer of frozen snow. Since the Tatars hoped that their campaign would take the form of a swift military operation, and did not take care of providing troops with food and fodder, famine soon began in their camp. Their war horses also suffered from starfree.
The event that prompted the overthrow of the Horde yoke
Briefly explaining what happened on November 11, 1480, is very difficult. Moreover, even historians do not have a consensus on this. Between them do not cease disputes as to whether this was a military trick undertaken by Ivan III, or the case played a role. But it is known that on that day the prince ordered his troops to be withdrawn inland to the city of Borovsk. When the Russians left the coast, the reaction of the Tatars was completely unexpected - they fled.
Many attribute this to the fact that externally the actions of the Russians looked like luring the Tatars into a trap prepared on the opposite bank, and if so, therefore, there should have been significant forces that they simply did not suspect about. But, one way or another, the Tatars fled. Thus, the overthrow of the Horde yoke occurred as a result of a successful maneuver, and not a bloody battle. However, history knows many similar precedents.
The beginning of a great process
However, this was only the beginning of the process, and the final overthrow of the Horde yoke was yet to come. Two years later, the Tatars devastated and burned Kiev, and then made a predatory campaign against the southwestern territories of Russia. The situation was aggravated by Lithuania. By 1501, all military reserves had to be thrown to repulse her aggression, and as a result, Ivan III was forced to temporarily resume paying tribute to the next Horde lord - the son of Khan Akhmat Sheikh-Ahmed, which significantly pushed the complete overthrow of the Horde yoke. The date of November 11, therefore, is only the beginning of a long journey, the completion of which came in the reign of Ivan the Terrible, but nevertheless it is believed that on this day the end of more than two centuries of yoke was put to an end.
Even after the liquidation of the Kazan Khanate in 1552, Russia suffered for many years from nomads, but their raids were only of the nature of robber sorties and were suppressed by regular troops. There was no talk of any dependence of the Russian state on the steppe tribes, and even more so on the payment of tribute. One of the darkest pages of Russian history has been turned forever.