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By Lyubov Tsarevskaya
The Kulikovo Battle took place in 1380 and was all important for Russia' s liberation from the Tatar yoke.
The 13th and 14th centuries were the time of feudal divisions and severe upheavals in Russia. The Tatar invasion cut short the flowering of culture in Russia. One of the Tatar khanates that subdued Russia was called the Golden Horde, where Russian princes went regularly to bow to the khan to get mandates confirming their right to rule. The Horde set princes against one another, demanded young recruits and levied all sorts of taxes on Russian people. The burden was so great that people rose up against tax collectors forcing the khanate give up on the tax collection system. From now on, Russian princes had to collect taxes and deliver them to the Horde themselves. In these conditions the Moscow principality becomes a center that eventually united North-Eastern Russia in its struggle against the Tatar yoke.
Cunning and clever, Moscow princes showered khans with gifts thereby protecting themselves against Tatar raids. Especially excelling in that was Prince Ivan Kalita, under whom Moscow became a political and religious capital of North-Eastern Russia. His grandson, Prince Dmitry, later dubbed Donskoi, behaved differently. While continuing to please the Horde, Moscow reduced the amount of taxes, sometimes even stopped paying them altogether, meddled in the Horde's internal strife and finally switched to an open military confrontation. Tatars could not put up with Moscow's independence and Mamai, the Horde's Emir, decided to ravage Russia and make it pay the taxes in former quantities. The march on Russia was scheduled for autumn 1380. The emir ordered his subjects not to till land but rely on Russian bread instead.
Prince Dmitry was putting his army together. Nearly all of North-Eastern Russia rose against the Tatars. Before leaving Moscow the prince went to the Holy Trinity Monastery, a spiritual center of Russia. The monastery's founder, Reverend Sergius wielded a strong influence on Russian society. As he blessed Dmitry, Father Sergius said the following: "Go without fear! God will help you and you'll come back victorious." Father Sergius gave Prince Dmitry two warrior monks, brothers Alexander Peresvet and Andrei Oslyabya, whose courage could serve a good example for his army. Prince Dmitry led his army to the Don, where it clashed with Tatars on September 8th 1380.
As legend has it, two warriors came over to a strip of land separating the armies - Russian warrior monk Peresvet and Tatar warrior Chelubei. Peresvet was rushing forward, spear in hand, with his black monastic robe embroidered with white crosses billowing behind him. He was wearing any armor under his robe, only a heavy iron cross. To the loud sounds of encouragement from their fellow fighters both warriors struck each other with heavy spears and dropped dead on the spot. The end of a one-to-one fight signaled the beginning of the battle.
Warriors on both sides were dying in their thousands. Though with heavy losses, Russians won the battle and Prince Dmitry was dubbed Donskoi. He was thirty at the time. The tremendous loss of life suffered by the Russians gave Tatars a short-time triumph. And though the Tatar rule continued for another century, it was shaken considerably. The Kulikovo Battle prompted nationwide enthusiasm and hope of deliverance from the Tatar yoke. The dream came true only under Ivan III, Dmitry Donskoi’s grandson.
09/21/2004 |