Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy (; 12 October 1350 – 19 May 1389) was

Prince of Moscow The Grand Prince of Moscow (), known as the Prince of Moscow until 1389, was the ruler of the Grand Principality of Moscow. The Moscow principality was initially established in the 13th century as an appanage within the Vladimir-Suzdal grand prin ...

from 1359 and

Grand Prince of Vladimir The Prince of Vladimir, from 1186 Grand Prince of Vladimir (), also translated as Grand Duke of Vladimir, was the title of the monarch of Vladimir-Suzdal. The title was passed to the prince of Moscow in 1389. Overview The monarch of Vladimir-Su ...

from 1363 until his death. He was the heir of Ivan II. He was the first prince of Moscow to openly challenge

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

authority in Russia. In traditional Russian historiography, he is regarded as a Russian national hero and a central figure of the Russian Middle Ages. His nickname, Donskoy ("of the

Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name * Don, Benin, a town in Benin * Don, Dang, a village and hill station in Dang district, Gu ...

"), alludes to his great victory against the

Tatars Tatars ( )Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary are a group of Turkic peoples across Eas ...

in the

Battle of Kulikovo The Battle of Kulikovo () was fought between the forces of Mamai, a powerful Mongol military commander of the Golden Horde, and Russian forces led by Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, Dmitry of Moscow. The battle took place on 8 September 1380, at Ku ...

(1380), which took place on the Don River. He is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church with his feast day on

19 May Events Pre-1600 * 639 – Ashina Jiesheshuai and his tribesmen assaulted Emperor Taizong at Jiucheng Palace. * 715 – Pope Gregory II is elected. * 934 – The Byzantine Empire reconquers Melitene under the leadership of J ...

Early reign

Dmitry was born in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

in 1350, the son of Ivan the Fair, Grand Prince of Moscow, and his second wife, Alexandra Vassilievna Velyaminova, the daughter of the mayor of Moscow. Dmitry was orphaned at the age of nine and ascended the throne of the

Principality of Moscow A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchical state or feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "principality" is often ...

. Per the terms of Ivan's will, during Dmitry's minority, Metropolitan Aleksey served as regent. In 1360 Khiḍr Khan,

Khan Khan may refer to: * Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name * Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by various ethnicities Art and entertainment * Khan (band), an English progressiv ...

of the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as ''Ulug Ulus'' ( in Turkic) was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the division of ...

, transferred the title most prized among the Russian princes, that of Grand Prince of

Vladimir Vladimir (, , pre-1918 orthography: ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, widespread throughout all Slavic nations in different forms and spellings. The earliest record of a person with the name is Vladimir of Bulgaria (). Etymology ...

, to

Dmitry Konstantinovich Dmitry Konstantinovich (; 1323–1383) was Prince of Suzdal and Grand Prince of Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal from 1365. He took the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir from his son-in-law, Dmitry Donskoy, from 1360 to 1363.

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...

. In 1363, after that prince was deposed, Dmitry Ivanovich was crowned at Vladimir. Three years later, he made peace with Dmitry Konstantinovich and married his daughter Eudoxia. The most important event during Dmitry's early reign was to start building the

Moscow Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall along with the K ...

; it was completed in 1367. Thanks to the new fortress, the city withstood two sieges by

Algirdas Algirdas (; , ; – May 1377) was List of Lithuanian monarchs, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his brother Kęstutis (who defended the western border of the Duchy) he created an empire stretching from the pre ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

during the

Lithuanian–Muscovite War (1368–1372) The Lithuanian–Muscovite War, known in the ''Rogozh Chronicle'' as Litovschina (), encompasses three raids by Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Principality of Moscow in 1368, 1370, and 1372. Algirdas organized the raids against Dmitry ...

. The war ended with the

Treaty of Lyubutsk Treaty of Lyubutsk was a peace treaty signed in summer of 1372 between Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and Dmitri Donskoi, Prince of Moscow. The treaty ended the Lithuanian–Muscovite War (1368–72) and resulted in a seven-year peace period. ...

. In 1375, Dmitry settled, in his own favor, a conflict with

Mikhail II of Tver Mikhail Alexandrovich () (1333 – August 26, 1399) was Grand Prince of Tver and briefly held the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir. He was one of only two Tver princes after 1317 (the other was his father, Aleksandr) to hold the grand princely ti ...

over

. Other princes of in the northeastern

Rus' principalities The following is a list of tribes which dwelled and states which existed on the territories of contemporary Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. Overview Clan cultures of the Stone Age and Bronze Age, up to the Late Antiquity period of the tribal soc ...

acknowledged his authority and contributed troops to the impending struggle against the Horde. By the end of his reign, Dmitry had more than doubled the territory of the Principality of Moscow.

Struggle against Mamai

domination of Rus' began to crumble during Dmitry's thirty-year reign. The

was severely weakened by civil war and dynastic rivalries. Dmitry took advantage of this lapse in Mongol authority to openly challenge the Tatars. While he kept the Khan's patent to collect taxes for all of Russia, Dmitry is also famous for leading the first Russian military victory over the Mongols.

Mamai Mamai (Mongolian Cyrillic alphabet, Mongolian Cyrillic: Мамай, ; 1325?–1380/1381) was a powerful Turco-Mongol tradition, Turko-Mongol military commander in Beylerbey rank of the Golden Horde from Kiyat clan. Contrary to popular misconcep ...

, a Mongol general and claimant to the throne, tried to punish Dmitry for attempting to increase his power. In 1378 Mamai sent a Mongol army, but it was defeated by Dmitry's forces in the Battle of Vozha River. Two years later Mamai personally led a large force against Moscow.

Sergius of Radonezh Sergius of Radonezh (; 14 May 1314 – 25 September 1392) was a Russian spiritual leader and monastic reformer. He was the founder of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius near Moscow, what is now the most venerated monastic house in Russia. He exer ...

blessed Dmitry Donskoy when he went to fight the Tatars in the signal

field, but only after he was certain Dmitry had pursued all peaceful means of resolving the conflict. Sergius sent the two warrior monks

Alexander Peresvet Alexander or Aleksandr Peresvet (; died 8 September 1380) was a Russian Orthodox monk who fought in single combat with the Tatar champion Temir-Mirza, known in most Russian sources as Chelubey, at the opening of the Battle of Kulikovo on 8 Se ...

and his friend Rodion Oslyabya to join the Russian troops. The battle of Kulikovo was opened by single combat between two champions. The Russian champion was Alexander Peresvet. The Horde champion was Temir-murza. The champions killed each other in the first run. Dmitry defeated the Horde. In gratitude for the victory, Dmitry established the Dormition monastery on the Dubenka River and built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Holy Theotokos over the graves of the fallen warriors. The defeated Mamai was presently dethroned by a rival Mongol general,

Tokhtamysh Tokhtamysh ( Turki/ Kypchak and Persian: توقتمش; ; ; – 1406) was Khan of the Golden Horde from 1380 to 1395. He briefly succeeded in consolidating the Blue and White Hordes into a single polity. Tokhtamysh belonged to the House of Bo ...

. That khan reasserted Mongol rule of Rus and overran Moscow in 1382 for Dmitry's resistance to Mamai. Dmitry, however, pledged his loyalty to Tokhtamysh and to the Golden Horde and was reinstated as Mongol principal tax collector and Grand Duke of Vladimir. Upon his death in Moscow in 1389, Dmitry was the first Grand Duke to bequeath his titles to his son

Vasily I of Moscow Vasily I Dmitriyevich (; 30 December 137127 February 1425) was Grand Prince of Vladimir and Moscow from 1389. He was the heir of Dmitry Donskoy, who reigned from 1359 to 1389. He entered an alliance with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1392 a ...

without consulting the Khan.

Marriage and children

He was married to Eudoxia of Nizhniy Novgorod. She was a daughter of

Dmitry of Suzdal Dmitry Konstantinovich (; 1323–1383) was Prince of Suzdal and Grand Prince of Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal from 1365. He took the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir from his son-in-law, Dmitry Donskoy, from 1360 to 1363.Rostov Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

. They had at least twelve children: *Daniil Dmitriyevich ( – 15 September 1379). * Vasiliy I of Moscow (30 September 1371 – 27 February 1425). *Sofia Dmitriyevna. Married Fyodor Olegovich, Prince of Ryazan (reigned 1402–1427). * Yuriy Dmitriyevich, Duke of

Zvenigorod Zvenigorod () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in the Moscow Oblast of western Russia. In 2010 it had a population of about 16,000. History The town's name is based either on a personal name (cf. Zvenislav, Zvenimir) or on a ...

and Galich (26 November 1374 – 5 June 1434). Claimed the throne of Moscow against his nephew Vasiliy II of Moscow. *Maria Dmitriyevna (d. 15 May 1399). Married Lengvenis. *Anastasia Dmitriyevna. Married Ivan Vsevolodovich, Prince of Kholm. *Simeon Dmitrievich (d. 11 September 1379). *Ivan Dmitriyevich (d. 1393). *Andrey Dmitriyevich, Prince of

Mozhaysk MozhayskAlternative transliterations include ''Mozhaisk'', ''Mozhajsk'', ''Mozhaĭsk'', and ''Možajsk''. (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Mozhaysky District, Moscow Oblast, Mozhaysky Distri ...

(14 August 1382 – 9 July 1432). *Pyotr Dmitriyevich, Prince of

Dmitrov Dmitrov () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Dmitrovsky District, Moscow Oblast, Dmitrovsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located to the north of Moscow on the Yakhroma River and the Mosc ...

(29 July 1385 – 10 August 1428). *Anna Dmitriyevna (born 8 January 1387). Married Yury Patrikiyevich. Her husband was a son of

Patrikas Patrikey Glebovich or Patrikas Narimantaitis (, Finnish: ''Patrika Narimantinpoika'') was a grandson (or great-grandson) of Gediminas who exchanged his lands in and near Starodub in Siveria for the Korela and Oreshek fortresses in the Novgorod Re ...

, Prince of

Starodub Starodub (, , ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Bryansk Oblast, Russia, on the Babinets (river), Babinets River in the Dnieper basin, southwest of Bryansk. Population: 16,000 (1975). History Starodub has been known ...

and his wife Helena. His paternal grandfather was

Narimantas Narimantas or Narymunt (baptized ''Gleb''; 1277 or just before 1300 (according to Wasilewski 1992) – 2 February 1348) was a Lithuanian duke and the second eldest son of Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. During various periods of his life, h ...

. The marriage solidified his role as a

Boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

attached to Moscow. *Konstantin Dmitriyevich, Prince of

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

(14 May/15 May 1389 – 1433).

Veneration

Right-Believing Prince Demetrius Ioannovich Donskoy was

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sa ...

on 6 June 1988 in

Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius () is a lavra and the most important Russian monastery, being the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church. The monastery is situated in the town of Sergiyev Posad, about to the northeast from Moscow ...

by 1988 Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church under

Patriarch Pimen I of Moscow Patriarch Pimen I (, born Sergey Mikhailovich Izvekov, ; – May 3, 1990), was the 14th Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', Patriarch of Moscow and the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church from 1971 to 1990. Biography He was born to a pious ...

Gallery

File:Russian poster WWI 011.jpg, Dmitriy Donskoy in a

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

patriotic poster by

Konstantin Korovin Konstantin (Constantin) Alekseyevich Korovin (; 11 September 1939) was a leading Russian Impressionist painter. Biography Youth and education Konstantin was born into a wealthy merchant family of Old Believers

Yvon kremlin.jpg, Dmitriy Donskoy in the

, by

Adolphe Yvon Adolphe Yvon (30 January 1817 – 11 September 1893) was a French painter known for his paintings of the Napoleonic Wars. Yvon studied under Paul Delaroche, rose to fame during the Second Empire, then finished his career as a teacher. Career Ad ...

Facial Chronicle - b.10, p.049 - Tokhtamysh at Moscow.jpg, Defense of Moscow from Tokhtamysh in 1382 1000 Donskoi.jpg, Dmitriy Donskoy on the

Millennium of Russia The Millennium of Russia () is a bronze monument in the Novgorod Kremlin. It was erected in 1862 to celebrate the millennium of Rurik's arrival to Novgorod, an event traditionally taken as a starting point of the history of Russian statehoo ...

monument in

Veliky Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the ...

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dmitry Donskoy 1350 births 1389 deaths 14th-century grand princes of Moscow 14th-century Christian saints Grand princes of Vladimir Medieval child monarchs Eastern Orthodox royal saints from Russia Daniilovichi family