What was the consequence of standing on the eel. Standing on the Ugra

On a high picturesque bank, near the confluence of the Ugra and Oka rivers, over the wide expanses of the river at the beginning of the 16th century, in memory of the great Standing on the Ugra, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Vorotynsky Monastery was founded. The choice of location for the monastery was probably influenced by the events of the “Great Stand on the Ugra”. People's memory has preserved the memory of the great feat of the Russian people in the fight against foreign yoke.

It was that amazing time when the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III, who united the Russian lands into a single powerful state that frightened Europe with its power, became the sovereign of All Rus'.

N. M. Karamzin wrote about the significance of the Great Standing on the Ugra in his work “History of the Russian State”: “This is a great era, the solemn restoration of our state independence, combined with the final fall of the Great or Golden Horde.”

After the Battle of Kulikovo, for a hundred years, the Tatars more than once ravaged the Russian land, burned cities, and carried away the Russian people. Rus' continued to pay a shameful tribute to the Horde. But then Ivan III, a wise and cautious politician, a collector of Russian lands, ascended to the Grand Ducal Moscow table. He was the first of the Russian Grand Dukes who never came to the Khan. Moreover, he was the first to assume a great reign without the direct sanction of the khan’s power. Realizing the inevitability of a clash with the Horde, Prince Ivan, with his characteristic foresight, negotiated with the Crimean Khan Mengi-Girey, agreeing, in the event of an attack by the Horde, on support. Ivan III stopped paying tribute to the Horde. Khan Akhmat had to punish the rebellious tributary. The Lithuanian King Casimir also persuaded him to do this, citing the strife between the Grand Duke and his brothers.

In the summer of 1480, “the entire Horde force” moved to Rus'. Having learned about the impending campaign, Ivan III sent troops under the command of his son Ivan “Younger” to the well-fortified Serpukhov. The Grand Duke himself “hundred on Kolomna”, taking the crossings across the Oka on the road from the Horde to Rus'. But Akhmat did not dare to go into open battle without his ally King Casimir of Lithuania. He walked around the Oka through Lithuanian territory and went to the Ugra, “expecting Casimir’s help.” Having learned about this, the Grand Duke sent the Russian army to Ugra. The troops stretched along the Oka and Ugra for 60 versts: “and they came and the stasha on the Ugra, and the fords and transports of the river.” At the beginning of October, the Tatars approached the border with the Moscow state, which ran along the Ugra River.

« And the prince himself rode from Kolomna to Moscow to the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Pure Lady Theotokos and to all the miracle workers, asking for help and intercession for Orthodox Christianity and for advice and counsel to his father and Metropolitan Gerontius, and to his mother Grand Duchess Martha, and to his to his uncle Prince Mikhail Andreevich and to his spiritual father Archbishop Vassian of Rostov and to all his boys: all of them were then under siege in Moscow. And praying to him with great prayer that he would stand firmly for Orthodox Christianity against infertility.”

Having received a blessing for the battle, the Grand Duke left the main forces on the Ugra, and he himself went with a small army to Kremenets. His situation was complicated by the fact that his brothers, offended by him for what they considered to be an unfair division of property, “set aside” from Moscow and asked for protection from the Lithuanian king. Grand Duke Ivan, in view of the danger from the Tatars, tried to make amends to his brothers. He asked his mother, nun Martha, to reconcile his brothers with him, promising to fulfill all their conditions. The brothers agreed to join their forces with the Russian army. The “Ukraine” of the Lithuanian lands was attacked by the Crimean Khan Mengli-Girey, “serving the Grand Duke.”

In early October, fierce fighting began at the crossings across the Ugra.

« And ours killed many with arrows and arquebuses; and their arrows struck our enemies and wounded no one andrepulsing them from the shore." In these battles, firearms were successfully used on the Russian side. The battles lasted four days, but the Tatars were never able to cross the Ugra. The Tatar Murzas tried to “overwhelm the Ugra” in the Opakov region, “not disrespecting the power of the Grand Duke.” But even here they encountered firm resistance from the Russian troops.

The wisdom of Ivan III, as a statesman responsible for the fate of the people entrusted to him by God, was manifested in the fact that he did not seek a general battle with the Tatars, did not want to expose people to danger, but wanted to achieve victory over the Horde with little bloodshed. He always preferred patience and caution. The Grand Duke began negotiations with the Horde. According to many historians, this was done only to delay time. The negotiations did not produce any visible results, but they allowed us to gain time and wait for reconciliation with the rebellious brothers.

The news of the negotiations worried the confessor of the Grand Duke, Archbishop Vassian of Rostov. He sent a fiery message to his spiritual son, trying to strengthen in him the desire to stand firmly for Orthodox Christianity “against godless lack of faith.” He perceived this war as sacred, as a battle for the faith of Christ against wickedness. And truly blessed is the man who “lays down his life for his friends.” Therefore, Archbishop Vassian writes: “If you, O mighty and brave king, and the Christ-loving army for you, will suffer to the point of blood and death for the Orthodox faith of Christ, as a true child of the Church, having been born in her through the spiritual and incorruptible bath, holy baptism, as the martyrs, with their blood, will be blessed and blessed in eternal pleasure, having received this baptism, by it they will not be able to sin, but will receive from the Almighty God an incorruptible crown and joy inexpressible, which no eye has seen and no ear has heard, and a man’s heart is in no way...”

Assuring the Grand Duke of fervent prayer for the victory of Russian weapons, Archbishop Vassian testified: “To the Holy Metropolitan, together with us, the pilgrims of your nobility, with all the God-loving cathedrals, who constantly perform prayers, in all churches always offer prayers and holy services throughout your entire fatherland for your those who achieve victory, and all Christians who constantly pray to God to grant you victory over your opposing enemies, which we hope to receive from the all-merciful God.” Elder Vassian urged us to place all our hope in the Lord, who “resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble,” who “kills and gives life, and will give strength to our princes, and lift up the horn of His Christ,” and instructed to seek God’s mercy through repentance: “for our sake.” sins and non-correction to God, and more than radiance, if you do not trust in God, may God allow the accursed Batu to be upon you before your ancestry and throughout our entire land... Now the same Lord, if we repent with all our souls and cease from sin, the Lord will raise up for us you, sovereign ours...This is what the Lord says: “I raised you up as a king of righteousness, called you with righteousness and received you by the hand on your right hand, and strengthened you so that the nations would listen to you. And I will destroy the fortress of the king, I will open the doors and cities, so that they will not be closed. I will go before you and level the mountains, and break the doors of copper, and break the iron bars.” “The same message will be for the strengthening and benefit of many, like the most pious autocrat, as well as his entire army.”

Karamzin wrote: “No one more zealously than the Clergy interceded then for the freedom of the Fatherland and for the need to assert it with the sword.” The fervent prayer of the clergy and all Russian people ascended to the Lord, the power of God inspired the message of Archbishop Vassian, so that the spirit of the people would be inflamed with love for their Orthodox Fatherland, so that in a single impulse the Russian people would strive for liberation from heterodox slavery: “And so by God’s providence, without any doubt, unanimously The whole Russian army took courage and fought with the filthy for many days, all summer and autumn stood.”

And the Lord heeded the tearful petitions of the entire Russian people. The prophetic words of the message of Archbishop Vassian came true. The chroniclers wrote: “Let the frivolous not boast of the fear of their weapons, no, not weapons, not human wisdom, but the Lord Himself has now saved Russia.” That year the frosts began unusually early. Even before their offensive, Akhmat boasted: “The rivers will become, and then there will be many roads to Rus'.” When the Ugra began to “stand up,” the Grand Duke prudently decided to retreat to Borovsk with all his forces, “saying, we’ll fight them on those fields.” And so, on the eve of Michaelmas (when the memory of the Holy Archangel Michael, the patron of the Christ-loving army is celebrated), “there was a glorious miracle of the Most Holy Theotokos. When our Tatars retreated from the shore, then the Tatars were overcome with fear and fled, imagining that Rus' was protecting them and wanted to fight with them, and our Tatars, imagining that the Tatars crossed the river after them and married them... and then, amazingly, the most pure miracle happened: I fled alone from the others and no one is married. The king fled to the Horde, and the Nagai king Ivak came against him and took the Horde and killed him...”

“Then the Great Prince came from Borovsk to Moscow, and with his son Grand Duke Ivan, and with his brethren, and with all his might, and praised God and the Most Pure Mother of God, and the great miracle workers and all the saints.”

“All the people rejoiced and rejoiced with great joy and praised God and the Most Pure Mother of God, and the great Russian miracle workers about the glorious salvation, having been delivered from the filthy Tatars.”

“In the city of God-saving Moscow, from that time on, we established the holiday of celebrating the Most Pure Mother of God and walking from the crosses on June 23”

The famous historian Yu. G. Alekseev, who deeply studied the events of the Great Stand on the Ugra, wrote: “The fight on the Oka and Ugra in the summer-autumn of 1480 ended in complete victory. The Russian land was saved from the Horde invasion, enormous in scope and intentions. However, in November 1480, even the most insightful and far-sighted people were hardly aware of the real significance of the events that had taken place. The victory on the Ugra in the fall of 1480 is one of those truly great historical phenomena, the real significance of which increases over time, and awareness of their true meaning and scale comes only later... In general, the actions of the Russian command in 1480 seem exemplary as an example of a strategic defensive operation in difficult military-political conditions, carried out at the very high level and with the most positive results. The successful completion of this operation in November 1480 meant a radical change in the entire military-political situation and the successful resolution of the most serious and dangerous crisis that the young Russian state faced... The bloodless victory on the Ugra was the largest event of the era, and Sunday November 12, 1480 . - the first day of a completely independent Russian state - one of the most important dates in the history of our Fatherland."

Ivan III tears up the Khan's letter and tramples the basma in front of the Tatar ambassadors in 1478. Artist A.D. Kivshenko.

In the memory of the Russian people, a difficult period of history, called the “Horde yoke,” began in the 13th century. tragic events on the Kalka and City rivers, lasted almost 250 years, but ended triumphantly on the Ugra River in 1480.

The significance of the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380 has always been given great attention, and the Moscow prince Dmitry Ivanovich, who received the honorary prefix “Donskoy” after the battle, is a national hero. But other historical figures showed no less heroism, and some events, perhaps undeservedly forgotten, are comparable in significance to the Battle of the Don. The events that put an end to the yoke of the Horde in 1480 are known in historical literature under the general name “standing on the Ugra” or “Ugorshchina”. They represented a chain of battles on the border of Rus' between the troops of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III and the Khan of the Great Horde Akhmat.

The battle on the Ugra River, which put an end to the Horde yoke.
Miniature from the Facial Chronicle. XVI century

In 1462, the Moscow grand-ducal throne was inherited by the eldest son of Vasily II the Dark, Ivan. As the head of the foreign policy of the Moscow principality, Ivan III knew what he wanted: to be the sovereign of all Rus', that is, to unite all the lands of the northeast under his rule and end Horde dependence. The Grand Duke worked towards this goal all his life, and I must say successfully.

Sovereign of All Rus' Ivan III Vasilyevich the Great. Title book. XVII century

By the end of the 15th century, the formation of the main territory of the Russian centralized state was almost completed. All the capitals of the appanage principalities of North-Eastern Rus' bowed their heads to Moscow: in 1464 the Yaroslavl principality was annexed, and in 1474 - the Rostov principality. Soon the same fate befell Novgorod: in 1472, partially, and in 1478 finally, Ivan III crossed out the separatist tendencies of part of the Novgorod boyars and eliminated the sovereignty of the Novgorod feudal republic. The main symbol of Novgorod freedom - the veche bell - was removed by him and sent to Moscow.

The historical words spoken at the same time by Ivan III: “Our state of great princes is as follows: I will eve the bell in our fatherland in Novgorod, there will be no mayor, but we will keep our dominion,” became the motto of Russian sovereigns for several centuries to come.

Map. Campaigns of Ivan III.

While the Moscow state matured and grew stronger, the Golden Horde had already broken up into several independent state formations that did not always coexist peacefully with each other. First, the lands of Western Siberia with its center in the city of Chinga-Tura (present-day Tyumen) separated from it. In the 40s in the territory between the Volga and Irtysh north of the Caspian Sea, an independent Nogai Horde was formed with its center in the city of Saraichik. A little later, on the lands of the former Mongol empire around the borders of its successor, the Great Horde, Kazan (1438) and Crimean (1443) arose, and in the 60s. - Kazakh, Uzbek and Astrakhan khanates. The throne of the Golden Horde kingdom and the title of Great Khan was in the hands of Akhmat, whose power extended over vast territories between the Volga and Dnieper.

During this period, the relationship between the uniting North-Eastern Russia and the disintegrating Horde was uncertain. And in 1472, Ivan III finally stopped paying tribute to the Horde. Akhmat Khan's campaign in 1480 was the last attempt to return Rus' to a position subordinate to the Horde.

The right moment was chosen for the campaign, when Ivan III was in a dense ring of enemies. In the north, in the Pskov region, the Livonian Order was plundering, whose troops, under the leadership of Master von der Borch, captured vast territories in the north of the country.

From the west, the Polish king Casimir IV threatened war. Directly related to the Polish threat was the unrest that arose within the state. The Novgorod boyars, relying on the help of Casimir and the Livonians, organized a conspiracy to transfer Novgorod under the rule of foreigners. At the head of the conspiracy was Archbishop Theophilus, who enjoyed great influence among the Novgorodians. In addition, Ivan III’s siblings, appanage princes Andrei Bolshoy and Boris Volotsky, rebelled in Moscow, demanding an increase in the territory of their appanages and strengthening their influence on government. Both rebel princes requested help from Casimir and he promised them all support.

The news of the new campaign of the Horde reached Moscow in the last days of May 1480. The Typographical Chronicle says about the beginning of the invasion: “The news came to the Grand Duke that King Akhmat was ready to go with his horde and the princes, lancers and princes, and also with the king in in a common thought with Casimer, the king brought him against the Grand Duke...”

Having received news of the Horde's performance, the Grand Duke had to take retaliatory measures of both a diplomatic and military nature.

The creation of a coalition with the Crimean Khanate, directed against the Great Horde, began by Ivan III shortly before the start of the invasion. On April 16, 1480, the Moscow embassy led by Prince I.I. Zvenigorodsky-Zvenets went to Crimea. In Bakhchisaray, the Moscow ambassador signed an agreement on mutual assistance with Khan Mengli-Girey. The Russian-Crimean alliance was of a defensive-offensive nature in relation to Casimir and defensive in relation to Akhmat. “And for Tsar Akhmat,” the Crimean Khan wrote to Ivan III, “you and I will be one.” If Tsar Akhmat comes against me, then let my brother Grand Duke Ivan release his princes into the horde with the lancers and the princes. And then King Akhmat will go against you and I, King Mengli-Girey, will go against King Akhmat or let my brother go with his people.”

An alliance with Mengli-Girey was concluded, but the complexity of the situation on the border of Crimea and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, as well as the relative weakness of Mengli-Girey as an ally, did not allow hope for preventing Horde aggression only through diplomatic means. Therefore, for the defense of the country, Ivan III took a number of actions of a military nature.

By the beginning of Akhmat’s invasion, a deeply echeloned system of defensive structures existed on the southern borders of the Moscow state. This Zasechnaya line consisted of fortified cities, numerous notches and earthen ramparts. When creating it, all possible protective geographical properties of the area were used: ravines, swamps, lakes and especially rivers. The main line of defense of the southern borders stretched along the Oka. This part of the Zasecnaya Line was called the “Oka Coastal Discharge”.

The service for guarding the Oka border was made compulsory by Ivan III. Peasants from not only nearby but also distant villages were sent here in turn to protect the borders of the principality. During the invasions of the Horde, this foot militia had to withstand the first onslaught and hold the enemy on the border lines until the main forces arrived. The principles of line defense were also developed by the military administration of the Grand Duke in advance. The surviving “Order to the Ugric Governors” clearly shows this.

Fragment of the diorama “The Great Stand on the Ugra River”. Museum-diorama. Kaluga region, Dzerzhinsky district, village. Palaces, Vladimir monastery of the Kaluga St. Tikhon Hermitage.

To help the troops constantly serving in southern “Ukraine,” at the end of May - beginning of June, the Grand Duke sent a governor with armed detachments to the Oka region. The son of Ivan III, Ivan the Young, was dressed up as Serpukhov. The brother of the Moscow prince, Andrei Menshoi, went to Tarusa to prepare the city for defense and organize resistance to the Tatars. In addition to them, in Russian chronicles, as one of the leaders of the defense of the Zasechnaya Line, a distant relative of Ivan III, Prince Vasily Vereisky, is mentioned.

The measures taken by the Grand Duke turned out to be timely. Soon, separate enemy patrols appeared on the right bank of the Oka. This fact is reflected in the chronicle: “The Tatars came to captivity Besput and escaped.” The first blow, apparently carried out for reconnaissance purposes, was delivered against one of the right-bank Russian volosts near the Oka River, which was not covered by a water barrier from attacks from the steppe. But seeing that the Russian troops had taken up defense on the opposite bank, the enemy retreated.

The rather slow advance of Akhmat's main forces allowed the Russian command to determine the possible direction of Akhmat's main attack. The breakthrough of the Zasechnaya Line was supposed to take place either between Serpukhov and Kolomna, or below Kolomna. The advancement of the Grand Duke's regiment under the leadership of the governor, Prince D.D. Kholmsky to the place of a possible meeting with the enemy ended in July 1480.

The decisiveness of Akhmat’s goals is indicated by specific facts reflected in chronicle sources. Akhmat's army, in all likelihood, included all the available military forces of the Great Horde at that time. According to the chronicles, his nephew Kasim and six other princes, whose names were not preserved in Russian chronicles, spoke together with Akhmat. Comparing with the forces that the Horde put up earlier (for example, the invasion of Edigei in 1408, Mazovshi in 1451), we can draw a conclusion about the size of Akhmat’s army. We are talking about 80-90 thousand soldiers. Naturally, this figure is not exact, but it gives a general idea of ​​the scale of the invasion.

The timely deployment of the main forces of the Russian troops on the defensive lines did not allow Akhmat to force the Oka River in its central section, which would have allowed the Horde to be on the shortest route to Moscow. The Khan turned his army towards the Lithuanian possessions, where he could successfully solve a double task: firstly, to unite with Casimir’s regiments, and secondly, to break into the territory of the Moscow Principality from the Lithuanian lands without much difficulty. There is direct news about this in Russian chronicles: “... I went to the Lithuanian lands, bypassing the Oka River, and waiting for the king to come to me for help or strength.”

Akhmat's maneuver along the Oka line was promptly detected by Russian outposts. In this regard, the main forces from Serpukhov and Tarusa were transferred to the west, to Kaluga and directly to the banks of the Ugra River. Regiments were also sent there to reinforce the grand ducal troops from various Russian cities. So, for example, the forces of the Tver principality, led by governors Mikhail Kholmsky and Joseph Dorogobuzhsky, arrived at Ugra. To get ahead of the Horde, to reach the banks of the Ugra before them, to occupy and strengthen all the places convenient for crossing - this was the task facing the Russian troops.

Akhmat's movement towards the Ugra was fraught with great danger. Firstly, this river, as a natural barrier, was significantly inferior to the Oka. Secondly, going to the Ugra, Akhmat continued to remain in close proximity to Moscow and, with a quick crossing of the water line, could reach the capital of the principality in 3 horse marches. Thirdly, the entry of the Horde into the Lithuanian land pushed Casimir to take action and increased the likelihood of the Horde uniting with Polish troops.

All these circumstances forced the Moscow government to take emergency measures. One of these measures was the holding of a council. The discussion of the current situation was attended by the son and co-ruler of the Grand Duke Ivan the Young, his mother - Prince nun Martha, uncle - Prince Mikhail Andreevich Vereisky, Metropolitan of All Rus' Gerontius, Archbishop of Rostov Vassian and many boyars. It was adopted at the council strategic plan actions aimed at preventing the invasion of the Horde into Russian lands. It provided for the simultaneous solution of several tasks of different nature.

Firstly, an agreement was reached with the rebellious brothers to end the “hush.” The end of the feudal rebellion significantly strengthened the military-political position of the Russian state in the face of the Horde danger and deprived Akhmat and Casimir of one of the main trump cards in their political game. Secondly, a decision was made to place Moscow and a number of cities under a state of siege. So, according to the Moscow Chronicle, “... in the siege in the city of Moscow, Metropolitan Gerontius sat down, and the Grand Duchess monk Martha, and Prince Mikhail Andreevich, and the governor of Moscow Ivan Yuryevich, and many people from many cities.” A partial evacuation of the capital was carried out (the wife of Ivan III, Grand Duchess Sophia, young children and the state treasury were sent from Moscow to Beloozero). The population of the Oka cities was partially evacuated, and the garrisons in them were strengthened by the sovereign archers from Moscow. Thirdly, Ivan III ordered additional military mobilization on the territory of the Moscow Principality. Fourthly, a decision was made to launch a raid by Russian troops on the territory of the Horde to carry out a diversionary strike. For this purpose, a ship army was sent down the Volga under the leadership of the serving Crimean prince Nur-Daulet and Prince Vasily Zvenigorodsky-Nozdrovaty.

On October 3, the Grand Duke set off from Moscow to the regiments guarding the left bank of the Ugra. Having arrived at the army, Ivan III stopped in the city of Kremenets, located between Medyn and Borovsk and located in close proximity to a possible theater of military operations. According to the Moscow Chronicle, he “...stayed on Kremenets with small people, and let all the people go to the Ugra to his son Grand Duke Ivan.” Occupying a position located 50 km in the rear of the troops deployed along the bank of the Ugra provided the central military leadership with reliable communications with the main forces and made it possible to cover the path to Moscow in the event of a breakthrough by Horde detachments through the defensive barriers of Russian troops.

Sources have not preserved an official chronicle report about the “Ugorshchina”; there are no paintings of regiments and governors, although many military ranks have been preserved from the time of Ivan III. Formally, the army was headed by the son and co-ruler of Ivan III, Ivan the Young, with his uncle, Andrei Menshoi, at his side. In fact, the military operations were led by the old, proven commanders of the Grand Duke, who had extensive experience in waging war against nomads. The great governor was Prince Danila Kholmsky. His comrades-in-arms were no less famous commanders - Semyon Ryapolovsky-Khripun and Danila Patrikeev-Shchenya. The main group of troops was concentrated in the Kaluga region, covering the mouth of the Ugra. In addition, Russian regiments were positioned along the entire lower reaches of the river. As the Vologda-Perm Chronicle reports, the grand duke’s governors “...hundred along the Oka and along the Ugra for 60 versts” in the section from Kaluga to Yukhnov.”

The main task of the regiments scattered along the river bank was to prevent the enemy from breaking through the Ugra, and for this it was necessary to reliably protect places convenient for crossing.

The immediate defense of fords and climbs was entrusted to the infantry. In places convenient for crossing, fortifications were erected, which were guarded by permanent outposts. Such outposts included infantrymen and a “fiery outfit” consisting of archers and artillery servants.

The cavalry played a slightly different role. Small mounted detachments patrolled the coast between the outposts and maintained close communication between them. Their task also included capturing enemy scouts who were trying to find out the location of Russian troops on the banks of the Ugra and reconnoiter comfortable places to cross the river. Large cavalry regiments hurried to the aid of the outposts stationed at the crossings, as soon as the direction of the enemy’s main attack was determined. Attacking or reconnaissance campaigns to the opposite coast, occupied by the enemy, were also allowed.

Thus, on a wide front along the Ugra River, a positional defense was created with active forays of cavalry units. Moreover, the main force located in the fortified defense centers at the crossing points was infantry equipped with firearms.

The massive use of firearms by Russian soldiers during the “standing on the Ugra” is noted in all chronicles. They used squeaks - long-barreled guns that had targeted and effective fire. The so-called mattresses were also used - firearms for firing stone or metal shot at close range at enemy personnel. The “fiery outfit” could be widely and most usefully used in positional, defensive battles. Therefore, the choice of a defensive position on the bank of the Ugra, in addition to the advantageous strategic position, was also dictated by the desire to effectively use new kind troops in the Russian army - artillery.

The tactics imposed on the Horde deprived them of the opportunity to take advantage of their light cavalry in flanking or outflanking maneuvers. They were forced to act only in a frontal attack on Russian abatis, to go head-on against squeaks and mattresses, against a closed formation of heavily armed Russian soldiers.

Chronicles report that Akhmat walked with all his forces along the right bank of the Oka River through the cities of Mtsensk, Lyubutsk and Odoev to Vorotynsk, a town located near Kaluga near the confluence of the Ugra and the Oka. Here Akhmat was going to wait for help from Casimir.

But at this time, the Crimean Khan Mengli-Girey, at the insistence of Ivan III, began military operations in Podolia, thereby partially drawing the troops and attention of the Polish king. Busy with the fight against Crimea and eliminating internal troubles, he was unable to assist the Horde.

Without waiting for help from the Poles, Akhmat decided to cross the river himself in the Kaluga area. The Horde troops reached the crossings on the Ugra on October 6-8, 1480 and launched military operations in several places at once: “... the Tatars... came against Prince Ondrei, and others against the Grand Duke many, and Ovi against the governor suddenly came ".

The opponents came face to face, separated only by the river surface of the Ugra (in the widest places up to 120-140 m). On the left bank, near the crossings and fords, Russian archers were lined up, and arquebuses and mattresses with gunners and arqueakers were located. Regiments of noble cavalry in armor shining in the sun, with sabers, were ready to strike at the Horde if they managed to cling to our shore somewhere. The battle for the crossings began at one o'clock in the afternoon on October 8 and lasted along the entire line of defense for almost four days.

Russian governors took maximum advantage of the advantages of their troops in small arms and shot the Horde while still in the water. They never managed to cross the river in any section. The “fiery outfit” played a special role in the battles for crossings. Cannonballs, shot and buckshot caused significant damage. Iron and stone were pierced through the waterskins that were used by the Horde for crossing. Without support, the horses and riders quickly became exhausted. Those who were spared by the fire sank to the bottom. The Horde, floundering in the cold water, became a good target for Russian archers, and they themselves could not use their favorite technique - massive archery. The arrows that flew across the river at the end of their flight lost their destructive power and did virtually no harm to the Russian soldiers. Despite huge losses, the khan again and again drove his cavalry forward. But all Akhmat’s attempts to cross the river on the move ended in vain. “It was impossible for the king to take the bank and retreat from the river from the Ugra two miles and a hundred in Luza,” reports the Vologda-Perm Chronicle.

The Horde made a new attempt to cross in the area of ​​the Opakov settlement. Here, the terrain conditions made it possible to secretly concentrate the cavalry on the Lithuanian bank, and then cross the shallow river with relative ease. However, Russian commanders closely monitored the movement of the Tatars and skillfully maneuvered their regiments. As a result, at the crossing the Horde was met not by a small outpost, but by large forces that repelled Akhmat’s last desperate attempt.

The Russian army stopped the Horde at the border lines and did not allow the enemy to reach Moscow. But the final turning point in the fight against Akhmat’s invasion had not yet come. The formidable Horde army on the banks of the Ugra retained its combat effectiveness and readiness to resume the battle.

Under these conditions, Ivan III began diplomatic negotiations with Akhmat. The Russian embassy headed by Duma clerk Ivan Tovarkov went to the Horde. But these negotiations showed the fundamental incompatibility of the parties' views on the possibility of achieving a truce. If Akhmat insisted on the continued rule of the Horde over Russia, then Ivan III considered this demand as unacceptable. In all likelihood, the negotiations were started by the Russians only in order to somehow stall for time and find out the further intentions of the Horde and their allies, as well as to wait for the fresh regiments of Andrei Bolshoi and Boris Volotsky, rushing to help. Ultimately, the negotiations came to nothing.

But Akhmat continued to believe in the successful completion of the undertaken campaign against Moscow. In the Sofia Chronicle there is a phrase that the chronicler put into the mouth of the Horde khan at the end of unsuccessful negotiations: “God grant winter to you, and the rivers will all stop, otherwise there will be many roads to Rus'.” The establishment of ice cover on border rivers significantly changed the situation for the warring parties and not in favor of the Russians. Therefore, the Grand Duke made new operational and tactical decisions. One of these decisions was the transfer of the main Russian forces from the left bank of the Ugra River to the northeast to the area of ​​​​the cities of Kremenets and Borovsk. Fresh regiments recruited in the north also moved here to help the main forces. As a result of this redeployment, the extended front was eliminated, which, with the loss of such a natural defensive line as the Ugra, was significantly weakened. In addition, a powerful fist was being formed in the Kremenets area, the rapid movement of which would make it possible to block the way for the Horde on a possible path of attack on Moscow. The withdrawal of troops from Ugra began immediately after October 26. Moreover, the troops were withdrawn first to Kremenets, and then even further inland, to Borovsk, where the troops of his brothers who had arrived from the Novgorod land were waiting for Grand Duke Ivan III. The transfer of the position from Kremenets to Borovsk was most likely done because the new disposition of Russian troops covered the path to Moscow not only from the Ugra, but also from Kaluga; from Borovsk it was possible to quickly move troops to the middle reaches of the Oka between Kaluga and Serpukhov if Akhmat decided to change the direction of the main attack. According to the Typographical Chronicle, “... the great prince came to Borovsk, saying, “We will fight with them on those fields.”

The area near Borovsk was very convenient for a decisive battle in the event that Akhmat nevertheless decided to cross the Ugra. The city was located on the right bank of the Protva, on the hills with good review. Covered dense forest The terrain near Borovsk would not have allowed Akhmat to fully use his main striking force - his numerous cavalry. The general strategic plan of the Russian command did not change - to fight a defensive battle in favorable conditions and to prevent the enemy from breaking through to the capital.

However, Akhmat not only did not make a new attempt to cross the Ugra and enter the battle, but on November 6 he began to retreat from the Russian borders. On November 11, this news reached the camp of Ivan III. Akhmat’s retreat route passed through the cities of Mtsensk, Serensk and further to the Horde. Murtoza, the most energetic of Akhmat's sons, attempted to destroy the Russian volosts on the right bank of the Oka. As the chronicler writes, two villagers in the Aleksin region were captured. But Ivan III ordered his brothers to immediately advance to meet the enemy. Having learned about the approach of the princely squads, Murtoza retreated.

This ingloriously ended the last campaign of the Great Horde against Rus'. A decisive political victory was won on the banks of the Oka and Ugra - the Horde yoke, which had weighed on Russia for more than two centuries, was actually overthrown.

On December 28, 1480, Grand Duke Ivan III returned to Moscow, where he was solemnly greeted by jubilant citizens. The war for the liberation of Rus' from the Horde yoke was over.

The remnants of Akhmat's army fled to the steppes. Rivals immediately opposed the defeated khan. This struggle ended in his death. In January 1481, in the Don steppes, tired of a long and fruitless campaign, the Horde lost their vigilance and were overtaken by the Nogai Khan Ivak. The murder of Akhmat by Murza Yamgurchey led to the instant disintegration of the Horde army. But the decisive factor that led to Akhmat’s death and his horde to defeat was, of course, their defeat in the autumn campaign of 1480.

The actions of the Russian command, which led to victory, had some new features that were no longer characteristic of appanage Rus', but of a unified state. Firstly, strict centralization of leadership in repelling the invasion. All command and control of troops, determining the deployment lines of the main forces, choosing rear positions, preparing cities in the rear for defense, all this was in the hands of the head of state. Secondly, maintaining constant and well-established communication with the troops at all stages of the confrontation and timely response to a rapidly changing situation. And lastly, the desire to act on a wide front, the ability to gather forces in the most dangerous directions, high maneuverability of troops and excellent reconnaissance.

The actions of Russian troops during the autumn campaign of 1480 to repel the invasion of Akhmat are a bright page in the military history of our country. If the victory on the Kulikovo field meant the beginning of a turning point in Russian-Horde relations - the transition from passive defense to an active struggle to overthrow the yoke, then the victory on the Ugra meant the end of the yoke and the restoration of the full national sovereignty of the Russian land. This is the largest event of the 15th century, and Sunday November 12, 1480 - the first day of the completely independent Russian state - is one of the most important dates in the history of the Fatherland. PSPL. T.26. M.-L., 1959.

Monument to the Great Stand on the Ugra River. Located in the Kaluga region on the 176th km of the Moscow-Kyiv highway near the bridge over the river. Opened in 1980
Authors: V.A. Frolov. M.A. Neimark and E.I. Kireev.

____________________________________________________

See: Chronicle collection called the Patriarchal or Nikon Chronicle. Complete collection of Russian chronicles (hereinafter referred to as PSRL). T. XII. St. Petersburg, 1901. P. 181.

Quote from: Boinskie tales of Ancient Rus'. L., 1985, p. 290.

Kalugin I.K. Diplomatic relations between Russia and Crimea during the reign of Ivan III. M., 1855. P. 15.

Rank book 1475-1598. M., 1966. P. 46.

Military stories of Ancient Rus'. P. 290.

Moscow Chronicle. PSPL. T.25. M.-L., 1949. P. 327.

Tver Chronicle. PSPL. T.15. St. Petersburg, 1863. Stb. 497-498.

Moscow Chronicle. P. 327.

Cherepnin L.B. Formation of a Russian centralized state in the XIV-XV centuries. M., 1960. P. 881.

Moscow Chronicle. P. 327.

Bologda-Perm Chronicle. PSPL. T.26. M.-L., 1959. P. 263.

Typographical Academic Chronicle". PLDP. Second half of the 15th century. M., 1982. P. 516.

Bologda-Perm Chronicle. P. 264.

Sofia-Lvov Chronicle. PSPL. T.20, part 1. St. Petersburg, 1910-1914. P. 346.

Warrior stories of Ancient Russia. P. 290.

Yuri Alekseev, senior researcher
Research Institute of Military History
Military Academy of the General Staff
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

The Ugra River is located on the territory of the Smolensk and Kaluga regions of Russia. The Ugra belongs to the Volga basin and flows into the Oka, being its left tributary. Ugra is known primarily due to the historical event of 1480 called: “Standing on the Ugra River.” This “stand” put an end to the Mongol-Tatar yoke and made the Moscow state completely independent.

River length: 399 kilometers.

Drainage basin area: 15,700 km. sq.

Where it flows: The source of the river is in the southeastern part of the Smolensk region on the Smolensk Upland. Almost along its entire course, the Ugra is surrounded by high banks covered with forest. In some places there are still treeless areas. In the lower reaches, sandy beaches are quite common. The Ugra, as already mentioned, flows into the Oka, 15 km above Kaluga.

Inhabitants, fishing on the Ugra: the fish in the river are basically the same as in the Oka. These are the commercial species: burbot, bream, pike, podust, roach, chub. In the lower reaches you can find pike perch, sterlet, and catfish.

Video: “Cool place. Ugra River fishing.

Feeding: the river has a mixed type of feeding. Melt water accounts for 60% of its nutrition, the river receives 30% of its nutrition from groundwater, and approximately 5% from rainwater. Due to the feeding characteristics, with a predominance of melt water, the river regime is characterized by high spring floods. Summer low water may be interrupted by rain floods. Winter low water is more stable and low.

The width of the river bed is 70-80 m. The depth at low water on the rifts is 0.4-0.6 and on the reaches up to 4 meters.

Now briefly about the so-called "standing on the Ugra River". This event occurred in 1480, as a result of the war between the Moscow prince Ivan III and the khan of the Great Horde Akhmat. Ivan III refused to pay tribute to the Horde in 1476 and was forced to accept battle.

Akhmat's attempts to cross the Oka were unsuccessful. Therefore, he made an attempt to enter from the flank. To do this, enlisting the support of the Polish-Lithuanian king Casimir IV. Casimir himself was unable to provide military assistance, as he was distracted by Moscow's ally, the Crimean Tatars. In addition, Ivan III, taking advantage of the fact that Akhmat had gathered all his forces on the Ugra, sent a sabotage group into the Khan’s possessions with the goal of carrying out a devastating raid and possibly capturing and plundering the capital of the Horde, Sarai.

Both troops stood on the river for almost a month without engaging in a decisive battle. In the end, on October 28, 1480, Ivan III began to withdraw his troops to Kremenets and then concentrated at Borovsk, so that here in a favorable environment they would meet the Tatars if they decided to cross the river, but Akhmat did not dare and on November 11 began returning to the Horde. After these events, the Ugra River received the name “Belt of the Virgin”.

If you like historical reconstructions, you can visit the festival of historical reconstruction and fencing: “Standing on the Ugra River.”

Here is a video from the festival:

Akhmata. The opponents stood on opposite banks of the river, but then almost simultaneously turned their troops back. The decisive battle never took place, but it was akin to a defeat for the Horde khan, which cost him his life.

In 1472, Khan Akhmat gathered a larger army and moved towards the Grand Duchy of Moscow. However, at Tarusa, the khan encountered a large Russian army, which repulsed all attempts by Akhmat to cross the Oka. Then, furious that the campaign had failed, the khan burned the city of Aleksin and killed its entire population. It is believed that in 1476, the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III stopped paying tribute to the Horde. However, it is not recorded in the chronicles exact date termination of payments, so this issue is still a subject of controversy among researchers. For example, there is a mention in the Vologda-Perm Chronicle: allegedly during negotiations in 1480, Akhmat reproached Ivan III for not paying tribute for the ninth year. From this we can conclude that payments stopped just before the battle of Aleksin.

Be that as it may, the Horde has not received tribute for a long time. But Akhmat was busy fighting the Crimean Khanate, so he paid attention to the Grand Duchy of Moscow only in 1480. He entered into an agreement with the Polish-Lithuanian king Casimir IV, who promised military support to the khan. In addition, Akhmat believed that, due to the current circumstances, the time had come for a campaign. Since the beginning of 1480, the Pskov lands were subject to attacks by the Livonian Order. The master of the order gathered “such a force of the people against the Russians that no master had ever gathered, either before or after.” An army of 100 thousand came to Russian lands, but all they could do was burn out the outskirts of Pskov. In addition, at that time, Ivan III’s relationship with his brothers deteriorated.

Boris Volotsky and Andrei Bolshoi rebelled against the Moscow prince, dissatisfied with his strengthening. Andrei Bolshoi accused Ivan of taking all the lands for himself after the death of Prince Dmitrov, without giving anything to his brothers. Then the Grand Duke of Moscow decided to punish Boris Volotsky for daring to go to his brother. Andrei refused to hand him over. The brothers decided to seek support in the fight against Ivan from Casimir IV, but nothing came of it. Only the threat of an invasion by the Horde Khan forced the Moscow prince to make concessions, and the brothers were reconciled.

Fragment of the diorama “The Great Stand on the Ugra River”. (regnum.ru)

In the meantime, Akhmat decided to take advantage of the current situation and sent a detachment to reconnaissance the right bank of the Oka, and in the fall he already gathered the main forces and moved to the borders of the principality. “That same summer, the ill-famed Tsar Akhmat... went against Orthodox Christianity, against Rus', against the holy churches and against the Grand Duke, boasting of destroying the holy churches and captivating all Orthodoxy and the Grand Duke himself, as under Batu Beshe.” Having learned about the campaign of the Tatar Khan, the boyar elite split.

The most prosperous and powerful boyars, led by Ivan Oshchera and Grigory Mamon, advised Ivan III to flee, while the rest insisted on the need to fight the Horde. The people were tired of oppression and demanded decisive action from the prince. Perhaps this was the key factor that pushed Ivan III to attack. The Grand Duke of Moscow began to gather his forces to the banks of the Oka: he sent his brother Andrei the Lesser to his estate, Tarusa, and his son Ivan the Young to Serpukhov. Ivan III himself stood up with his troops at Kolomna and began to wait for further developments of events. On the same day, the miraculous icon of the Vladimir Mother of God was delivered to Moscow, since it was believed that it was she who saved Rus' from the troops of Tamerlane in 1395.

Meanwhile, Akhmat moved unhindered through the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to Vorotynsk. There he was supposed to receive help from King Casimir IV, but never received reinforcements. Ivan III entered into an agreement with the Crimean Tatars, and they attacked Podolia, thereby drawing the Lithuanian army towards themselves. Left without support and knowing that Russian troops were waiting for him on the Oka, Akhmat decided to enter Russian territory through the Ugra, the left tributary of the Oka. When Ivan III learned about these plans, he immediately sent his son Ivan and brother Andrei Menshoy to Kaluga. On September 30, the Grand Duke himself headed from Kolomna to Moscow for a council with the metropolitans and boyars. They were unanimous: “To stand firmly for Orthodox Christianity against lack of faith.” At the same time, Ivan III received help from his brothers, with whom he was at enmity. He sent Andrei Bolshoi and Boris Volotsky with troops to the Oka. With his army, Ivan III approached Kremenets, where he remained standing with a small detachment, and sent the main forces to the Ugra. The Russian army stretched along the river bank for 60 miles.

“Standing on the Ugra”, miniature of the chronicle vault. XVI century (wikiwand.com)

Khan attempted to cross the Ugra several times, but they were all stopped. Then Akhmat’s troops retreated two miles from Ugra and stood in Luza. The troops of the Grand Duke of Moscow took up a defensive position on the opposite bank of the river. The “standing on the Ugra” began. Despite the fact that there were periodic skirmishes, none of the opponents dared to launch a serious attack. Negotiations began. Khan Akhmat demanded that Ivan III himself or his son come to bow to him, in addition, he insisted on paying tribute for previous years. The Moscow prince sent the son of the boyar Ivan Tovarkov to the khan with gifts.

The negotiations failed because Ivan III refused to pay the debt, and Akhmat, in turn, did not accept the gifts. Probably, the Moscow prince tried to gain time with these negotiations. Firstly, he waited for the brothers' troops to arrive in time. Secondly, the khan’s army was not ready for a long stay, since they used sheep as food, and a large number of horses and cattle, due to their long stay in one place, depleted all the food supplies in the area. The Russian army was supplied with grain and flour from the princely reserves. Thirdly, taking advantage of the Khan’s absence from the Horde, Ivan III decided to send a small but combat-ready detachment there. The prince believed that since the khan had taken almost all his troops with him and did not leave significant reserves of troops at home, then large forces would not be required for the operation. The detachment was led by Prince Vasily Nozdrevaty, who was supposed to go down the Oka River in canoes, then along the Volga and, with the support of the Crimean prince Nur-Devlet, commit devastating sabotage in the possessions of Akhmat.

Painting “Russian Militia Camp”. (icvl.ru)

The onset of cold weather and the impending freezing of the river forced the Moscow prince to change tactics. On October 28, he decided to withdraw his troops to Kremenets and concentrate them at Borovsk, where he hoped to give Khan Akhmat a decisive battle in a favorable environment. However, Akhmat learned that in the deep rear a sabotage detachment was operating against him, which was supposed to capture and plunder the capital of the Horde. Khan decided not to follow the Russian troops and hurried home. On November 11, he went back to the Horde, destroying and plundering Lithuanian cities along the way in revenge on Casimir IV for not providing assistance. From the outside it looked quite strange that both troops almost simultaneously turned around and left the Ugra. In Rus', this was attributed to the miraculous intercession of the Mother of God, and Ugra began to be called the “belt of the Virgin Mary.”

Grand Duke Ivan III with his entire army returned to Moscow, “and rejoiced, and all the people rejoiced greatly with great joy.” For the Moscow prince, this outcome of the “standing” was quite favorable. He did not suffer significant losses and did not have to pay tribute and debts for previous years. “Standing” put an end to the Mongol-Tatar yoke and made the Russian state free. These events were perceived completely differently in the Horde. Akhmat, who himself initiated the campaign, eventually returned home with nothing. It was tantamount to defeat. On January 6, 1481, the khan was killed as a result of a surprise attack by the Tyumen khan Ibak. It is assumed that Ibak entered into a conspiracy with Ivan III. After the death of Akhmat, an internecine war began in the Great Horde, which led to the collapse of the state.

One of the main national tasks of Rus' was the desire to end Horde dependence. The need for liberation was the main prerequisite for the unification of Russian territories. Only by taking the path of confrontation with the Horde during the reign did Moscow acquire the status of a national center for collecting Russian lands.

Moscow managed to build relations with the Horde in a new way. By the end of the 15th century, the Golden Horde no longer existed as a single power. In place of the Golden Horde, autonomous khanates arose - the Crimean, Astrakhan, Nogai, Kazan, Siberian and Great Horde. Only Akhmat, khan of the Great Horde, which occupied a significant area of ​​the Middle Volga region, sought to recreate the former unity of the Golden Horde. He wanted to receive tribute from Rus', as a vassal of the Horde, and give labels to Russian princes. Other khans during the time of Ivan III did not make similar demands on Muscovite Rus'. On the contrary, they viewed the Moscow prince as an ally in the fight against Akhmat’s claims to the Golden Horde throne and power.

Khan of the Great Horde Akhmat, who considered himself the heir of the Golden Horde kings, in the 1470s. began to demand tribute from Ivan III and a trip to the Horde for a label. This was very inopportune for Ivan III. He was in friction with his younger brothers - the appanage Moscow princes Andrei Galitsky and Boris Volotsky. (They were unhappy that the Grand Duke did not share with them the Dmitrov inheritance of their brother Yuri, who died childless in 1472.) Ivan III compromised with his brothers, and sent an embassy to Akhmat in 1476. We have no information whether it carried tribute to the khan. Obviously, the matter was limited to gifts, because soon Khan Akhmat again demanded a “Horde exit” and the personal appearance of the Moscow prince in the Great Horde.

According to legend, which N.M. Karamzin placed it in his “History of the Russian State”, Ivan III trampled the khan’s basma (letter) and ordered him to tell Akhmat that if he did not leave him alone, the same thing would happen to the khan as with his basma. Modern historians consider the Basma episode to be nothing more than a legend. This behavior does not correspond either to the character of Ivan III - as a politician, or to his actions in the summer and autumn of 1480.

In June 1480, Akhmat set out on a campaign with a 100,000-strong army. He was going to attack Ivan of Moscow even earlier, but the Crimean Khan, a friend of Moscow and an enemy of the Great Horde, attacked Akhmat and thwarted his plans. Akhmat's ally in the campaign of 1480 was the Polish king and Grand Duke of Lithuania Casimir IV, but he did not help the khan, since civil strife began in Lithuania, and the Crimeans began to devastate the Lithuanian possessions.

Akhmat approached the tributary of the Oka Ugra, which flowed in the Ryazan land near the southern Russian borders. The Russian army, led by Ivan III and Ivan the Young, took up defensive positions. The whole of August and September passed in minor contractions. The Russians, armed with cannons, firearms and crossbows (crossbows), inflicted significant damage on the Tatar cavalry. Seeing this, Prince Ivan the Young, as well as many governors, counted on success and wanted to fight the Tatars. But the Grand Duke doubted. In his immediate circle there were people who advised Ivan III to make peace with the khan.

Meanwhile, Moscow was preparing for the invasion. Built by order of Ivan III, the new brick Kremlin could withstand a siege. However, the cautious Ivan III ordered his second wife, Grand Duchess Sophia, to take refuge in the north in Beloozero. The Moscow treasury also left the capital with Sophia. Muscovites were confused by this. When the Moscow prince arrived in the capital, the townspeople greeted him with indignation, thinking that he did not want to protect them. The clergy sent two letters to Ivan III. In their messages, the fathers of Russian Orthodox Church called on the Grand Duke to decisively fight the Horde. Ivan III still had doubts. He decided to hold a large council in Moscow and summoned his son-co-ruler. However, Ivan Young refused his father’s command to leave Ugra and come to Moscow. The Moscow ruler had to return to the Ugra.

In October, the Horde tried to cross the Ugra twice, but both times were repulsed. Ivan III, still not believing in victory, went to negotiate with Akhmat. Akhmat set humiliating conditions: he would grant the prince if he asked for peace from the stirrup of the khan’s horse. As a result, the negotiations broke down. Akhmat still stood near the Ugra, and on November 11, 1480, he withdrew his troops to the Volga steppes. Soon Akhmat died: he was stabbed to death by his rival, the Siberian Khan Ivak. Ivak sent a messenger to Moscow to say: “Your and my enemy, the villain of Rus' lies in the grave.” The Great Horde began to disintegrate, plundered by neighboring khanates. The yoke that had lasted for 240 years fell. Rus' became completely independent.

“May GOD SAVE YOUR KINGDOM AND GIVE YOU VICTORY”

Then they heard in Moscow about the campaign of Akhmat, who walked slowly, waiting for news from Casimir. John foresaw everything: as soon as the Golden Horde moved, Mengli-Girey, his faithful ally, according to the agreement with him, attacked Lithuanian Podolia and thereby distracted Casimir from cooperating with Akhmat. Knowing that this latter left only wives, children and elders in his Ulus, John ordered the Crimean Tsarevich Nordoulat and the Voivode of Zvenigorod, Prince Vasily Nozdrevaty, with a small detachment to board ships and sail there along the Volga in order to defeat the defenseless Horde or at least intimidate Hana. Moscow was filled with warriors within a few days. The advanced army was already standing on the banks of the Oka. The son of the Grand Duke, young John, set out with all the regiments from the capital to Serpukhov on June 8; and his uncle, Andrei the Lesser, is from his Usland. The Emperor himself still remained in Moscow for six weeks; Finally, having learned about Akhmat’s approach to the Don, on July 23 he went to Kolomna, entrusting the custody of the capital to his uncle, Mikhail Andreevich Vereisky, and Boyar Prince Ivan Yuryevich, the clergy, merchants and people. In addition to the Metropolitan, there was the Archbishop of Rostov, Vassian, an elder zealous for the glory of the fatherland. Ioannov's wife went with her court to Dmitrov, from where she departed on ships to the borders of Belaozero; and his mother, Nun Martha, heeding the convictions of the Clergy, remained in Moscow to the consolation of the people.

The Grand Duke himself took command of the army, beautiful and numerous, which stood on the banks of the Oka River, ready for battle. All of Russia awaited the consequences with hope and fear. John was in the position of Demetrius Donskoy, who was going to fight Mamai: he had better organized regiments, a more experienced commander, more glory and greatness; but due to his maturity, natural composure, caution and caution not to believe in blind happiness, which is sometimes stronger than valor in battles, he could not calmly think that one hour would decide the fate of Russia; that all his magnanimous plans, all slow, gradual successes, could end in the death of our army, the ruins of Moscow, the new grave captivity of our fatherland, and solely from impatience: for the Golden Horde, now or tomorrow, was supposed to disappear for its own, internal reasons of destruction. Dimitri defeated Mamai in order to see the ashes of Moscow and pay tribute to Tokhtamysh: proud Vitovt, despising the remnants of the Kapchak Khanate, wanted to crush them with one blow and destroyed his army on the banks of the Vorskla. John had the popularity not of a warrior, but of a Sovereign; and the glory of the latter lies in the integrity of the State, not in personal courage: integrity preserved by prudent evasion is more glorious than proud courage, which exposes the people to disaster. These thoughts seemed like prudence to the Grand Duke and some of the Boyars, so he wanted, if possible, to remove the decisive battle. Akhmat, hearing that the banks of the Oka to the Ryazan borders were everywhere occupied by John’s army, went from the Don past Mtsensk, Odoev and Lyubutsk to Ugra, in the hope of uniting there with the Royal regiments or entering Russia from a side from which he was not expected. The Grand Duke, having given the order to his son and brother to go to Kaluga and stand on the left bank of the Ugra, himself came to Moscow, where the inhabitants of the suburbs were moving to the Kremlin with their most precious estate and, seeing John, imagined that he was fleeing from the Khan. Many shouted in horror: “The Emperor is handing us over to the Tatars! He burdened the land with taxes and did not pay tribute to the Orda! He has angered the Tsar and is not standing up for his fatherland!” This popular displeasure, according to one Chronicler, upset the Grand Duke so much that he did not enter the Kremlin, but stopped in Krasnoye Selo, announcing that he had arrived in Moscow for advice with the matter, the clergy and the Boyars. “Go boldly against the enemy!” - all the spiritual and worldly dignitaries told him unanimously. Archbishop Vassian, a gray-haired, decrepit old man, in a magnanimous outburst of zealous love for the fatherland, exclaimed: “Should mortals fear death? Doom is inevitable. I am old and weak; but I will not fear the Tatar sword, I will not turn my face away from its brilliance.” - John wanted to see his son and ordered him to be in the capital with Daniil Kholmsky: this ardent young man did not go, answering his parent: “We are waiting for the Tatars”; and to Kholmsky: “It’s better for me to die here than to leave the army.” The Grand Duke yielded to the general opinion and gave his word to firmly confront the Khan. At this time he made peace with his brothers, whose Ambassadors were in Moscow; He promised to live in harmony with them, to give them new volosts, demanding only that they rush to him with their military squad to save the fatherland. Mother, Metropolitan, Archbishop Vassian, good advisers, and most of all the danger of Russia, to the honor of both sides, stopped the enmity of blood brothers. - John took measures to protect the cities; sent Dmitrovtsev to Pereslavl, Moskvitians to Dmitrov; ordered to burn the settlements around the capital and on October 3, having accepted the blessing from the Metropolitan, he went to the army. No one more zealously than the Clergy interceded then for the freedom of the fatherland and for the need to assert it with the sword. High Hierarch Gerontius, marking the Emperor with a cross, said with tenderness: “May God preserve your Kingdom and give you victory, like David and Constantine of old! Take courage and be strong, O spiritual son! as a true warrior of Christ. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep: you are not a hireling! Deliver the verbal flock entrusted to you by God from the beast that is now coming. The Lord is our champion!” All the Spiritual Ones said: Amen! wake up taco! and they prayed to the Grand Duke not to listen to the imaginary friends of the world, treacherous or cowardly.

“THE WILL BE MANY ROADS TO Rus'”

Akhmat, not allowed to cross the Ugra by the Moscow regiments, boasted all summer: “God grant winter to you: when all the rivers stop, there will be many roads to Rus'.” Fearing the fulfillment of this threat, John, as soon as the Ugra became on October 26, ordered his son, brother Andrei the Lesser and the governors with all the regiments to retreat to Kremenets to fight with united forces; This order struck terror into the military men, who rushed to run to Kremenets, thinking that the Tatars had already crossed the river and were chasing them; but John was not content with retreating to Kremenets: he gave the order to retreat further from Kremenets to Borovsk, promising to give battle to the Tatars in the vicinity of this city. The chroniclers again say that he continued to obey evil people, money lovers, rich and fat Christian traitors, and Busurman indulgers. But Akhmat did not think of taking advantage of the retreat of the Russian troops; Having stood on the Ugra until November 11, he went back through the Lithuanian volosts, Serenskaya and Mtsenskaya, devastating the lands of his ally Casimir, who, being busy with household chores and distracted by the Crimean Khan’s raid on Podolia, again did not fulfill his promise. One of the Akhmatov sons entered the Moscow volosts, but was driven away by the news of the proximity of the Grand Duke, although only the Grand Duke's brothers followed him in pursuit. The chronicles say differently about the reasons for Akhmatov's retreat: it is said that when the Russians began to retreat from the Ugra, the enemy, thinking that they were giving up the shore to him and wanted to fight, ran in fear in the opposite direction. But suppose that the Tatars thought that the Russians were retreating to lure them into battle; yet they retreated and did not attack; therefore, the Tatars had no reason to flee; then the Grand Duke gave the order to his troops to retreat from the Ugra, when this river stopped, it stopped on October 26; Let us assume that several days passed between its establishment and the order of the Grand Duke, but still not fifteen, for the khan left Ugra only on November 11; therefore, even if we assume that the Tatars fled, seeing the retreat of the Russians, we will have to assume that they then stopped and, having waited until November 11, then finally set out on the return campaign. Other chroniclers say more plausibly that from Dmitri's Day (October 26) it became winter and the rivers all stopped, severe frosts began, so it was impossible to look; the Tatars were naked, barefoot, and ragged; then Akhmat got scared and ran away on November 11th. In some chronicles we find news that Akhmat fled, frightened by the reconciliation of the Grand Duke with his brothers. All these reasons can be taken together: Casimir did not come to the rescue, severe frosts prevent even looking, and at such and such a time of the year it is necessary to go forward, to the north, with a naked and barefoot army and, first of all, to endure a battle with a numerous enemy, with whom after Mamai Tatars did not dare to engage in open battles; finally, the circumstance that mainly prompted Akhmat to attack John, namely the latter’s strife with his brothers, now no longer existed.