Mongol-Tatar invasion of Rus'. Mongol invasion of Russian lands (1237–1241)

What happened in Italy and South-East Asia, on the Iberian Peninsula and in Norway, while the Russian principalities submitted to Batu

Prepared by Natalia Olshanskaya

Saint Louis and the mendicant brothers in front of the holy relics. Miniature by Guillaume de Saint-Patu. 14th century Bibliothèque nationale de France

In France King Louis IX buys from Baldwin II of Constantinople one of the most important Christian relics - the crown of thorns of Christ. Louis was a devout Catholic and sought to strengthen the influence of the French kingdom in Christian world. One of the fruits of his religious zeal was the construction in 1238 on the Ile de la Cite in the center of Paris, the Sainte Chapel, intended to store Christian relics, the main of which the French king acquired from the last emperor of the Latin Empire, Baldwin II. The impoverished empire of Baldwin at that time barely went beyond the borders of Constantinople, and the emperor was forced to literally beg for money from European courts. At the time of negotiations on the acquisition of relics, it turned out that they had already been pawned by Baldwin, and Louis IX had to buy them from the Venetians. Together with the crown of thorns, the French monarch acquired fragments of the Life-Giving Cross and the spear of Longinus, as well as three dozen smaller relics that were kept in the Holy Chapel until the French Revolution, and then were transferred to the treasury of Notre Dame Cathedral.

In Southeast Asia in 1238, the kingdom of Sukhothai was founded - the first Thai state in history. Thai tribes who came to the region from southern regions China, gradually ousted the dominant people of the weakening Khmer Empire and formed their own kingdom on its territory. At that time, on the site of the once great Khmer empire, along with Thai, many small states of the Malay, Khmer and Burmese peoples flourished. Sukhothai was followed by the formation of several more Thai kingdoms, which for centuries were at enmity with each other, replacing each other in positions central state and, in addition, were under constant threat from the Khmer, Burma and Vietnam. Thailand is the only state in Southeast Asia that has managed to remain independent throughout its history.

On the territory of modern Spain During the Reconquista, King Jaime I of Aragon conquered Valencia from the Muslims. Immediately after the conquest of Jaime I, Valencia was declared independent state as part of the Aragonese crown and existed in this form until 1707, after which it became part of the new united Spain. Prior to the territory of Valencia, there was a Muslim taifa of the same name. Taifa- an independent Muslim principality, emirate or petty kingdom., the main population of which were Muslim Arabs. At the same time, there were numerous Christian and Jewish communities in the taifa. After the kingdom became Christian, more than 50 thousand Moors were forced to leave their native lands. At the same time, the first Jewish ghetto in the history of Europe appeared in Valencia. Representatives of the local Jewish community, whose position in the Muslim taifa had become less tolerable by the end of the 12th century, contributed in every possible way to the cause of the Reconquista and greeted the Aragonese king with honor. After the kingdom became Christian, local Jews began to take an active part in public life, and in order to protect them from possible conflicts with the Christian population, Jaime I designated a separate city block for the Jews. But by the end of the 13th century, with the introduction of the policy of segregation of Jews from Christians by Pope Innocent IV, the Jewish quarter in Valencia turned into a place of forced isolation of the community and into a prototype of the future European ghetto.

In Norway an era that lasted more than a century civil wars. The period of internecine strife began in 1130, when, after the death of King Sigurd I the Crusader, numerous pretenders to the throne unleashed a series of military conflicts. At the heart of these conflicts was the ambiguity of the Norwegian laws of succession, social status peasants and the struggle between church and king. At the end of the 12th century, two warring parties formed in the struggle for power - the Birkebeiners (mainly peasants) and the Baglers (representatives of the aristocracy and clergy), each of which alternately nominated its own candidates for the Norwegian throne. In 1217, by mutual agreement of the parties, the minor Haakon IV was elected king, whose appointment was intended as a temporary solution. Jarl became regent under the new monarch Jarl- the highest title in the hierarchy in medieval Scandinavia. Skule Bordson, who in 1239, due to disagreements with the already adult Haakon IV, revolted, proclaimed himself the sole ruler and was crowned in the city of Trondheim. After the uprising was crushed and Skule was killed, in 1240 Haakon IV established himself as an independent and independent ruler, and a new, golden era of development began in Norway.

In the Chinese city of Hangzhou a particularly devastating fire reduced 30,000 residential buildings to ashes. In the 12th century, Hangzhou became the capital of the Chinese Song Empire, which is notable for the fact that during its era the first documented mention of a recipe for making gunpowder appeared, paper money was used for the first time in the world, and the north was marked with a compass. The population of the capital at that time was, according to various sources, from one to two million people; it is also believed that in the period from 1180 to 1315, Hangzhou was generally the largest city in the world. Due to overcrowding and dense wooden buildings, often several stories high, the city was especially vulnerable to fires. Large-scale fires occurred every few years, while small fires occurred annually. To solve the problem, the local government assigned more than 3,000 soldiers to the fire brigade and set up a signal system of lookout towers, lanterns and flags to mark the location of the fire.

The invasion of the Tatar-Mongols into Rus' began in 1237, when Batu's cavalry invaded the territory of the Ryazan lands. As a result of this attack, Rus' found itself under the yoke of a two-century yoke. This interpretation is set out in most history books, but in reality the relationship between Russia and the Horde was much more complicated. In the article, the yoke of the Golden Horde will be considered not only in the usual interpretation, but also taking into account its controversial points.

Beginning of the Mongol-Tatar invasion

For the first time, the squads of Rus' and the Mongol hordes began to fight at the end of May 1223 on the Kalka River. Russian army Prince Mstislav of Kiev was in charge, and the Horde was commanded by Jebe-noyon and Subedei-bagatur. The army of Mstislav was not just defeated, but almost completely destroyed.

In 1236, the Tatars launched another invasion of the Polovtsians. In this campaign, they won many victories and by the end of 1237 came close to the lands of the Ryazan principality.

Mongol conquest Rus', which took place from 1237 to 1242, is divided into two stages:

1. 1237 - 1238 - invasion of the northern and eastern territories of Rus'.
2. 1239 - 1242 - a campaign in the southern territories, which led to a further yoke.

Chronology of events up to 1238

The Horde cavalry was commanded by Batu Khan (Batu Khan), the grandson of the famous Genghis Khan, who subordinated about 150 thousand soldiers. Together with Batu, Subedei-bagatur, who fought with the Russians earlier, participated in the invasion. The invasion began in the winter of 1237, its exact date is unknown. Some historians claim that the attack took place in the late autumn of the same year. Batu's cavalry high speed moved across the territory of Rus' and conquered cities one after another.

The chronology of Batu's campaign against Rus' is as follows:

• Ryazan was defeated in December 1237 after a six-day siege.
• Before the conquest of Moscow, Vladimir Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich tried to stop the Horde near Kolomna, but was defeated.
• Moscow was conquered in January 1238, the siege lasted four days.
• Vladimir. After an eight-day siege, it was conquered in February 1238.

The capture of Ryazan - 1237

At the end of the autumn of 1237, an army of about 150 thousand, led by Khan Batu, invaded the territory of the Ryazan principality. Arriving at Prince Yuri Igorevich, the ambassadors demanded tribute from him - a tenth of what he owns. They were refused, and the Ryazans began to prepare for defense. Yuri turned to Vladimir Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich for support, but received no help.

At the same time, Batu defeated the vanguard of the Ryazan squad and in mid-December 1237 laid siege to the capital of the principality. The first attacks were repulsed, but after the use of battering rams by the invaders, the fortress, which had held out for 9 days, was defeated. The Horde broke into the city, arranging a massacre in it.

Even though the prince and almost all the inhabitants of the fortress were killed, the resistance of the Ryazans did not stop. Boyar Evpaty Kolovrat gathered an army of about 1,700 people and went in pursuit of Batu's army. Having caught up with her, the warriors of Kolovrat defeated the rearguard of the nomads, but subsequently they themselves fell in an unequal battle.

Battle of Kolomna, capture of Moscow and Vladimir - 1238

After the fall of Ryazan, the Tatars attacked Kolomna, a city that at that time was an important strategic center. Here was the vanguard of the troops of Prince Vladimir, commanded by Vsevolod. Having entered into an unequal battle with the troops of Batu, the Russians suffered a crushing defeat. Most of them died, and Vsevolod Yurievich with the surviving squad retreated to Vladimir.

Batu reached Moscow in the third decade of 1237. At that time, there was no one to defend Moscow, since the basis of the Russian army was destroyed near Kolomna. At the beginning of 1238, the Horde broke into the city, completely ruined it and killed everyone, young and old. Prince Vladimir was taken prisoner. After the defeat of Moscow, the troops of the invaders went on a campaign against Vladimir.

In early February 1238, an army of nomads approached the walls of Vladimir. The Horde attacked him from three sides. Destroying the walls, using wall-beating devices, they broke into the city. Most of the inhabitants were killed, including Prince Vsevolod. And eminent citizens were locked in the temple of the Virgin and burned . Vladimir was plundered and destroyed.

How did the first invasion end?

After the conquest of Vladimir, almost the entire territory of the northern and eastern lands was in the power of Batu Khan. He took cities one after another: Dmitrov, Suzdal, Tver, Pereslavl, Yuriev. In March 1238, Torzhok was taken, which opened the way for the Tatar-Mongols to Novgorod. But Batu Khan decided not to go there, but sent an army to storm Kozelsk.

The siege of the city went on for seven weeks and ended only when Batu offered to surrender to the defenders of Kozelsk in exchange for saving their lives. They accepted the conditions of the Tatar-Mongols and surrendered. Batu Khan did not keep his word and gave the order to kill everyone, which was done. Thus ended the first invasion of the Tatar-Mongols on the lands of Rus'.

Invasion of 1239 - 1242

A year and a half later, in 1239, a new campaign of troops under the command of Batu began in Rus'. This year the main events unfold in Chernigov and Pereyaslav. Batu did not advance as rapidly as in 1237, due to the fact that he led active fighting against the Polovtsy in the Crimean lands.

In the autumn of 1240, Batu leads the army directly to Kyiv. The ancient capital of Rus' was not able to resist for a long time, and in early December 1240 the city fell under the onslaught of the Horde. There was nothing left of him, Kyiv was actually "wiped off the face of the earth." Historians speak of particularly cruel atrocities perpetrated by the invaders. The Kyiv that has survived to this day, has absolutely nothing to do with a city destroyed by the Horde.

After the destruction of Kyiv, the Tatar troops were divided into two armies, one headed for Galich, and the other for Vladimir-Volynsky. After the capture of these cities, the Tatar-Mongols set off on a European campaign.

The consequences of the invasion of Rus'

All historians give an unambiguous description of the consequences of the invasion of the Tatar-Mongols:

• The country was divided and was completely dependent on the Golden Horde.
• Rus' paid tribute to the Khanate every year (in people, silver, gold and furs).
• The state stopped its development due to the most difficult situation.

The list can go on and on, but the overall picture of what is happening is already clear.

In short, this is how the period of the Horde yoke in Rus' is presented in the official historical interpretation found in textbooks. Further, the arguments cited by L. N. Gumilyov, a historian-ethnologist and orientalist, will be considered. And also a number of important issues will be touched upon, giving an understanding of how much more complicated the relations between Russia and the Horde were than is commonly believed.

How did nomads conquer half the world?

Scholars often question whether how a nomadic people, who only a few decades ago lived in a tribal system, was able to create a huge empire and conquer almost half the world. What goals did the Horde pursue in the campaign against Rus'? Historians claim that the purpose of the invasion was to plunder the lands and subjugate Rus', and it is also said that the Tatar-Mongols achieved this.

But in reality it's not quite like that., because in Rus' there were three very rich cities:

• Kyiv is one of the largest European cities, the capital ancient Rus', captured and destroyed by the Horde.
• Novgorod is the largest trading city and, at that time, the richest. From the invasion of the Tatar-Mongols, he did not suffer at all.
• Smolensk, like Novgorod, was a trading city, and in terms of wealth it was compared with Kiev. He also did not suffer from the Horde.

It turns out that two of the three largest cities of ancient Rus' did not suffer from the Golden Horde in any way.

Historians' explanations

If we consider the version of historians - to ruin and plunder, as main goal campaign of the Horde to Rus', then there is no logical explanation. Batu captures Torzhok, the siege of which takes two weeks. This is a poor city, its main task was to guard and protect Novgorod. After the capture of Torzhok Batu goes not to Novgorod, but to Kozelsk. Why is it necessary to waste time and energy on the siege of an unnecessary city, instead of just going to Kozelsk?

Historians give two explanations:

1. Heavy losses during the capture of Torzhok did not allow Batu to go to Novgorod.
2. Spring floods prevented the move to Novgorod.

The first version seems logical only at first glance. If the Mongols suffered big losses, then it was advisable to leave Rus' to replenish the troops. But Batu goes to besiege Kozelsk. It suffers colossal losses and rapidly leaves the lands of Rus'. The second version is also difficult to accept, since in the Middle Ages, according to climatologists, it was even colder in the northern regions of Rus' than now.

Paradox with Kozelsk

An inexplicable and paradoxical situation has developed with Smolensk. As described above, Batu Khan, after conquering Torzhok, went to besiege Kozelsk, which in its essence was a simple fortress, a poor and small town. The Horde tried to capture it for seven weeks, while suffering many thousands of losses. There was absolutely no strategic and commercial benefit from the capture of Kozelsk. Why such sacrifices?

Just a day of riding on horseback and you could be at the walls of Smolensk, one of the richest cities of ancient Rus', but Batu for some reason does not go in this direction. It is strange that all the above logical questions are ignored by historians.

Nomads do not fight in winter

There is one more interesting fact which orthodox history simply ignores because it cannot explain it. And one and the other Tatar-Mongolian invasions of Ancient Rus' were made in winter or late autumn. Let's not forget that the army of Batu Khan consisted of nomads, and they, as you know, began their military campaigns only in the spring and tried to finish the battle before the onset of winter.

This is due to the fact that the nomads traveled on horses, which need food every day. How was it possible to feed tens of thousands of Mongolian horses in the conditions of snowy winter Rus'? Many historians call this fact insignificant, but it cannot be denied that the success of a long campaign directly depends on the supply of troops.

How many horses did Batu have?

Historians say that the army of nomads ranged from 50 to 400 thousand cavalry. What kind of support should such an army have?

As far as is known, going on a military campaign, each warrior took three horses with him:

• riding, on which the rider constantly moved during the campaign;
• a pack-house, on which weapons, ammunition and things of a warrior were transported;
• fighting, which went without any load, so that at any time the horse with fresh forces could enter the battle.

It turns out that 300 thousand riders is 900 thousand horses. Plus the horses involved in the transportation of rams and other tools, provisions. That's over one million. How snowy winter, during the small ice age, is it possible to feed such a herd?

What was the number of nomads?

There is conflicting information about this. It is said about 15, 30, 200 and 400 thousand people. If we take a small number, then it is difficult to conquer a principality with such a number, the squad of which includes 30-50 thousand people. Moreover, the Russians resisted fiercely, and many nomads died. If speak about big numbers, then the question arises of providing food.

Thus, apparently, things happened differently. The main document, according to which the invasion was studied, is the Laurentian Chronicle. But she is not without a flaw, which was recognized by official history. Three pages of the annals describing the beginning of the invasion have been changed, which means they are not original.

In this article, contradictory facts were considered, and it is proposed to draw conclusions on your own.

If all lies are removed from history, this does not mean at all that only the truth will remain - as a result, nothing may remain at all.

Stanislav Jerzy Lec

The Tatar-Mongol invasion began in 1237 with the invasion of Batu's cavalry into the Ryazan lands, and ended in 1242. The result of these events was a two-century yoke. So they say in the textbooks, but in fact the relationship between the Horde and Russia was much more complicated. In particular, the famous historian Gumilyov speaks about this. IN this material we will briefly consider the issues of the invasion of the Mongol-Tatar army from the point of view of the generally accepted interpretation, and also consider contentious issues this interpretation. Our task is not to offer for the thousandth time a fantasy about medieval society, but to provide our readers with facts. Conclusions are everyone's business.

The beginning of the invasion and background

For the first time, the troops of Rus' and the Horde met on May 31, 1223 in the battle on Kalka. Russian troops led Kyiv prince Mstislav, and Subedei and Juba opposed them. The Russian army was not only defeated, it was actually destroyed. There are many reasons for this, but all of them are discussed in the article about the battle on Kalka. Returning to the first invasion, it took place in two stages:

• 1237-1238 - a campaign against the eastern and northern lands of Rus'.
• 1239-1242 - a campaign against southern lands, which led to the establishment of the yoke.

Invasion of 1237-1238

In 1236, the Mongols launched another campaign against the Polovtsians. In this campaign they achieved great success and in the second half of 1237 they approached the borders of the Ryazan principality. The commander of the Asian cavalry was Batu Khan (Batu Khan), the grandson of Genghis Khan. He had 150,000 people under him. Subedey, who was familiar with the Russians from previous clashes, participated in the campaign with him.

Map of the Tatar-Mongol invasion

The invasion took place at the beginning of the winter of 1237. It is impossible to establish the exact date here, since it is unknown. Moreover, some historians say that the invasion did not take place in the winter, but in the late autumn of the same year. With great speed, the Mongols' cavalry moved around the country, conquering one city after another:

• Ryazan - fell at the end of December 1237. The siege lasted 6 days.
• Moscow - fell in January 1238. The siege lasted 4 days. This event was preceded by the Battle of Kolomna, where Yuri Vsevolodovich with his army tried to stop the enemy, but was defeated.
• Vladimir - fell in February 1238. The siege lasted 8 days.

After the capture of Vladimir, virtually all the eastern and northern lands were in the hands of Batu. He conquered one city after another (Tver, Yuriev, Suzdal, Pereslavl, Dmitrov). In early March, Torzhok fell, thus opening the way for the Mongol army to the north, to Novgorod. But Batu made a different maneuver and instead of marching on Novgorod, he deployed his troops and went to storm Kozelsk. The siege went on for 7 weeks, ending only when the Mongols went to the trick. They announced that they would accept the surrender of the Kozelsk garrison and let everyone go alive. People believed and opened the gates of the fortress. Batu did not keep his word and gave the order to kill everyone. Thus ended the first campaign and the first invasion of the Tatar-Mongolian army into Rus'.

Invasion of 1239-1242

After a break of a year and a half, in 1239 a new invasion of Rus' by the troops of Batu Khan began. This year based events took place in Pereyaslav and Chernihiv. The sluggishness of Batu's offensive is due to the fact that at that time he was actively fighting the Polovtsy, in particular in the Crimea.

In the autumn of 1240, Batu led his army under the walls of Kyiv. The ancient capital of Rus' could not resist for a long time. The city fell on December 6, 1240. Historians note the special brutality with which the invaders behaved. Kyiv was almost completely destroyed. There is nothing left of the city. The Kyiv that we know today has nothing in common with the ancient capital (except geographical location). After these events, the invading army split up:

• Part went to Vladimir-Volynsky.
• Part went to Galich.

Having captured these cities, the Mongols went on a European campaign, but we are of little interest in it.

The consequences of the Tatar-Mongol invasion of Rus'

The consequences of the invasion of the Asian army in Rus' are described by historians unambiguously:

• The country was cut, and became completely dependent on the Golden Horde.
• Rus' began to pay tribute to the winners every year (in money and people).
• The country fell into a stupor in terms of progress and development due to an unbearable yoke.

This list can be continued, but, in general, it all comes down to the fact that all the problems that were in Rus' at that time were written off as a yoke.

This is how, briefly, the Tatar-Mongol invasion appears from the point of view of official history and what we are told in textbooks. In contrast, we will consider Gumilyov's arguments, and also ask a number of simple, but very important questions to understand the current issues and the fact that with the yoke, as well as with relations between Rus' and the Horde, everything is much more complex than it is customary to say.

For example, it is absolutely incomprehensible and inexplicable how a nomadic people, who several decades ago still lived in a tribal system, created a huge empire and conquered half the world. After all, considering the invasion of Rus', we are considering only the tip of the iceberg. The empire of the Golden Horde was much larger: from Pacific Ocean to the Adriatic, from Vladimir to Burma. Giant countries were conquered: Rus', China, India ... Neither before nor after, no one was able to create a military machine that could conquer so many countries. And the Mongols could ...

To understand how difficult it was (if not to say that it was impossible), let's look at the situation with China (so as not to be accused of looking for a conspiracy around Rus'). The population of China at the time of Genghis Khan was approximately 50 million people. No one conducted a census of the Mongols, but, for example, today this nation has 2 million people. If we take into account that the number of all the peoples of the Middle Ages is increasing by now, then the Mongols were less than 2 million people (including women, the elderly and children). How did they manage to conquer China of 50 million inhabitants? And then also India and Russia ...

The strangeness of the geography of movement of Batu

Let's return to the Mongol-Tatar invasion of Rus'. What were the goals of this trip? Historians talk about the desire to plunder the country and subdue it. It also states that all these goals have been achieved. But this is not entirely true, because in ancient Rus' there were 3 richest cities:

• Kyiv is one of largest cities in Europe and the ancient capital of Rus'. The city was conquered by the Mongols and destroyed.
• Novgorod is the largest trading city and the richest in the country (hence its special status). Generally not affected by the invasion.
• Smolensk, also a trading city, was considered equal in wealth to Kyiv. The city also did not see the Mongol-Tatar army.

So it turns out that 2 of the 3 largest cities did not suffer from the invasion at all. Moreover, if we consider plunder as a key aspect of Batu's invasion of Rus', then the logic is not traced at all. Judge for yourself, Batu takes Torzhok (he spends 2 weeks on the assault). This is the poorest city, whose task is to protect Novgorod. But after that, the Mongols do not go to the North, which would be logical, but turn to the south. Why was it necessary to spend 2 weeks on Torzhok, which no one needs, just to turn south? Historians give two explanations, logical at first glance:

• Near Torzhok, Batu lost many soldiers and was afraid to go to Novgorod. This explanation could well be considered logical if not for one "but". Since Batu lost a lot of his army, then he needs to leave Rus' to replenish his troops or take a break. But instead, the khan rushes to storm Kozelsk. Here, by the way, the losses were huge and as a result, the Mongols hastily left Rus'. But why they did not go to Novgorod is not clear.
• The Tatar-Mongols were afraid of the spring flood of the rivers (it was in March). Even in modern conditions March in the north of Russia is not distinguished by mild climate and you can safely move around there. And if we talk about 1238, then climatologists call that era the Little Ice Age, when winters were much harsher than modern ones and in general the temperature is much lower (this is easy to check). That is, it turns out that in the era of global warming in March, you can get to Novgorod, and in the era of the Ice Age, everyone was afraid of river floods.

With Smolensk, the situation is also paradoxical and inexplicable. Having taken Torzhok, Batu set off to storm Kozelsk. This is a simple fortress, a small and very poor city. The Mongols stormed it for 7 weeks, lost thousands of people killed. What was it for? There was no benefit from the capture of Kozelsk - there is no money in the city, there are no food depots either. Why such sacrifices? But just 24 hours of cavalry movement from Kozelsk is Smolensk - the richest city in Rus', but the Mongols do not even think of moving towards it.

Surprisingly, all these logical questions are simply ignored by official historians. Standard excuses are given, they say, who knows these savages, that's how they decided for themselves. But such an explanation does not stand up to scrutiny.

Nomads never howl in winter

There is one more remarkable fact, which the official history simply bypasses, because. it is impossible to explain it. Both Tatar-Mongolian invasions were committed to Rus' in winter (or started in late autumn). But these are nomads, and nomads start fighting only in the spring to finish the battles before winter. After all, they move on horses that need to be fed. Can you imagine how you can feed the many thousands of Mongolian army in snowy Russia? Historians, of course, say that this is a trifle and you should not even consider such issues, but the success of any operation directly depends on the provision:

• Charles 12 was unable to organize the provision of his army - he lost Poltava and the Northern War.
• Napoleon was unable to establish security and left Russia with a half-starved army, which was absolutely incapable of combat.
• Hitler, according to many historians, managed to establish security for only 60-70% - he lost the Second World War.

And now, understanding all this, let's see what the Mongol army was like. It is noteworthy, but there is no definite figure for its quantitative composition. Historians give figures from 50 thousand to 400 thousand horsemen. For example, Karamzin speaks of the 300,000th army of Batu. Let's look at the provision of the army using this figure as an example. As you know, the Mongols always went on military campaigns with three horses: riding (the rider moved on it), pack (carried the rider's personal belongings and weapons) and combat (went empty so that at any moment she could fresh into battle). That is, 300 thousand people is 900 thousand horses. Add to this the horses that carried ram guns (it is known for certain that the Mongols brought guns assembled), the horses that carried food for the army were transported secondary weapon etc. It turns out, according to the most conservative estimates, 1.1 million horses! Now imagine how to feed such a herd in a foreign country in a snowy winter (during the Little Ice Age)? The answer is no, because it can't be done.

So how many armies did Dad have?

It is noteworthy, but the closer to our time there is a study of the invasion of the Tatar-Mongolian army, the smaller the number is obtained. For example, the historian Vladimir Chivilikhin speaks of 30 thousand who moved separately, because they could not feed themselves in a single army. Some historians lower this figure even lower - up to 15 thousand. And here we come across an insoluble contradiction:

• If there really were so many Mongols (200-400 thousand), then how could they feed themselves and their horses in the harsh Russian winter? The cities did not surrender to them in peace in order to take provisions from them, most of the fortresses were burned.
• If the Mongols were really only 30-50 thousand, then how did they manage to conquer Rus'? After all, each principality fielded an army in the region of 50 thousand against Batu. If there were really so few Mongols and if they acted independently, the remnants of the horde and Batu himself would have been buried near Vladimir. But in reality, everything was different.

We invite the reader to look for conclusions and answers to these questions on their own. For our part, we did the main thing - we pointed out the facts that completely refute official version about the Mongol-Tatar invasion. At the end of the article, I want to note one more important fact, which the whole world has recognized, including official history, but this fact is hushed up and published in few places. The main document that long years the yoke and invasion were studied - the Laurentian Chronicle. But, as it turned out, the truth of this document raises big questions. official history admitted that 3 pages of the annals (which speak of the beginning of the yoke and the beginning of the Mongol invasion of Rus') have been changed and are not original. I wonder how many more pages from the history of Russia have been changed in other chronicles, and what actually happened? But it's almost impossible to answer this question...

In 1237, the Mongol-Tatar invasion began. The first blow of the huge Tatar army, led by Batu Khan, was inflicted on the Ryazan principality. Russian chronicles, as well as the surviving piece of art Old Russian literature - "The Tale of Batu's Invasion of Ryazan" reports that the first battle of the Ryazan princely squads with the Tatars took place "in Voronezh". The Tatars won a victory in it. Destroying everything in its path, Batu moved with the army into the depths of Rus': to Ryazan, Moscow, Vladimir. The exact place of the battle between the Ryazan warriors and the Tatars "in Voronezh" has not yet been determined by scientists. Most likely, the battle took place in the upper reaches of the Voronezh River, within the modern Tambov region. Chronicles note the participation of Georgy Davidovich, the son of David Georgievich, Prince of Murom, in the campaign to Voronezh against Batu in 1237, immediately adding that his son Yaroslav succeeded him. From this we can conclude that he fell in battle with the Tatars.

Moscow, nearby monasteries and villages were burned by the troops of Batu Khan.
Yaroslavl in 1237 was burned by the Tatars

Georgy Igorevich - son of Igor Glebovich, Prince of Ryazan. It is not known what he owned under his father and after his death (1195) until 1217, when he succeeded his brother Gleb. Previously, he had been a prisoner of the Grand Duke Vsevolod for several years. When, in 1237, the ambassadors of Batu arrived in Ryazan demanding obedience, the princes, summoned by G., decided to fight to the last extreme. Having come to the Voronezh River with all his relatives, G., through his son Theodore, offered gifts to Batu, but the gifts were not accepted, and Grand Duke Vladimirsky and the prince of Chernigov did not fulfill the requests of the Ryazan people for help. According to some reports, the princes fought near the Voronezh River, where almost everyone fell; then G. retreated and took refuge in Ryazan, which he defended for five days, and on the sixth day the Tatars broke into the city and betrayed everyone to fire and sword. Georgy Igorevich was also killed right there.

In 1237 led. book. sent Jeremiah Glebovich, governor of Vladimir, "in guard" to Prince. Vsevolod Yurievich; at Kolomna, he joined with Prince. Vsevolod, together with him opposed the Tatars and was killed by them.

Evpraksia is the wife of Prince Fyodor Yuryevich of Ryazan. According to the chronicles, she was famous for her beauty. Khan Batu during the invasion of Ryazan (1237) wished to see her. Prince Fedor refused to bring his wife to the horde, for which he was killed with his son Ivan. Having learned about the fate of her husband, E., with a child in her arms, threw herself from a high chamber to the ground and killed herself to death.

When asked what events are Mongol invasion to Rus' 1237-1242??? given by the author Give advice the best answer is Invasion 1237-1238
- The capture of Suzdal by the Mongols. Miniature from the Russian chronicle
- The capture of Vladimir by the Mongols. Miniature from the Russian chronicle
- Defense of Kozelsk. Miniature from the Russian chronicle
The Mongols appeared on the southern borders of the Ryazan principality and turned to the Russian princes demanding tribute. Yuri Ryazansky sent for help to Yuri Vladimirsky and Mikhail Chernigov. The Ryazan embassy was destroyed at Batu's headquarters, and Yuri Ryazansky led his regiments, as well as the regiments of the Murom princes, to the border battle, which was lost.
Yuri Vsevolodovich sent a united army to help the Ryazan princes: his eldest son Vsevolod with all the people, the governor Yeremey Glebovich, the forces that retreated from Ryazan, led by Roman Ingvarevich and the Novgorod regiments] . Ryazan fell after a 6-day siege on 21 December. The sent army managed to give the invaders a fierce battle near Kolomna (on the territory of the Ryazan land), but was defeated.
The Mongols invaded the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality, where they were overtaken by the Ryazan boyar Yevpaty Kolovrat, who returned from Chernigov "in a small squad", together with the remnants of the Ryazan troops, and thanks to the suddenness of the attack, he was able to inflict significant losses on them (in some editions of "The Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu" tells about solemn funeral of Evpaty Kolovrat in the Ryazan Cathedral on January 11, 1238
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Invasions 1238-1239
At the end of 1238 - the beginning of 1239, the Mongols led by Subedei, having suppressed the uprising in the Volga Bulgaria and the Mordovian land, again invaded Rus', devastated the environs of Nizhny Novgorod, Gorokhovets, Gorodets, Murom, and again - Ryazan. On March 3, 1239, a detachment under the command of Berke ravaged Pereyaslavl South.
This period also includes the invasion of the Lithuanians into the Grand Duchy of Smolensk and the campaign of Galician troops against Lithuania with the participation of 12-year-old Rostislav Mikhailovich (taking advantage of the absence of the main Galician forces, Daniil Romanovich Volynsky captured Galich, finally establishing himself in it). Given the death of the Vladimir army in the City at the beginning of 1238, this campaign played a certain role in the success of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich near Smolensk. In addition, when in the summer of 1240 the Swedish feudal lords, together with the Teutonic knights, launched an offensive against Novgorod land, in the battle on the river. Neve, the son of Yaroslav, Alexander of Novgorod, stops the Swedes with the forces of his squad, and the beginning of successful independent actions of the troops of North-Eastern Rus' after the invasion refers only to the period 1242-1245 ( Battle on the Ice and victory over the Lithuanians).
Second stage (1239-1240)
Chernihiv Principality
After the siege that began on October 18, 1239, with the use of powerful siege equipment, Chernigov was taken by the Mongols (the army under the leadership of Prince Mstislav Glebovich unsuccessfully tried to help the city). After the fall of Chernigov, the Mongols engaged in robbery and ruin along the Desna and the Seim. Gomiy, Putivl, Glukhov, Vyr and Rylsk were destroyed and devastated. With these events, one of the versions connects the death of four younger brothers Mstislav Glebovich...
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