Siege Of Moscow (1382)
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__NOTOC__ The siege of Moscow in 1382 was a battle between 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 ...
and Tokhtamysh, khan 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 ...
. In August 1382, Tokhtamysh led a large army toward
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 ...
. At that time, Prince
Dmitry Donskoy Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy (; 12 October 1350 – 19 May 1389) was Prince of Moscow from 1359 and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1363 until his death. He was the heir of Ivan II. He was the first prince of Moscow to openly challenge Mongol ...
was not in the city as he was seeking assistance from other Russian territories. As a result, Moscow's defense was left in the hands of the people and a small garrison. Tokhtamysh used deception to breach Moscow’s defenses. He pretended to come in peace and promised that if the people of Moscow surrendered, they would be spared. However, once the city gates were opened, the Mongol-Tatar forces stormed in and carried out a brutal massacre. After entering the city, the Mongol forces destroyed buildings, plundered valuables, and killed thousands of residents. It is estimated that around 24,000 people in Moscow perished during this event. The city was also burned to the ground, and many survivors were taken captive and transported to the Golden Horde as slaves. On the way back, one of the Horde's detachments was attacked by Russians and was defeated, although Tokhtamysh's main army avoided the battle. This brutality demonstrated that the Golden Horde still had the power to suppress and control Russian territories, despite their earlier setback at 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 ...
. The attack reaffirmed the Golden Horde dominance over Russia. Following Moscow’s destruction, Dmitry Donskoy was forced to submit once again to the Golden Horde and resume paying tribute to avoid further attacks.


Background

The siege of Moscow in 1382 was motivated by khan Tokhtamysh's desire to punish Muscovy for its audacity to challenge the authority 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 ...
at 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). Even though it was his rival warlord
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 ...
who was defeated at Kulikovo, and Tokhtamysh personally defeated Mamai the next year at the Battle of the Kalka River (1381) to become the undisputed khan of the Golden Horde, he wanted to make Moscow an example of what happened if anyone dared defy Mongol supremacy over the principalities. Tokhtamysh allied himself (in part through coercion) with the princes of Tver, Ryazan, and Nizhny Novgorod against Muscovy, and launched a surprise attack on the city in 1382. Prince
Dmitry Donskoy Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy (; 12 October 1350 – 19 May 1389) was Prince of Moscow from 1359 and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1363 until his death. He was the heir of Ivan II. He was the first prince of Moscow to openly challenge Mongol ...
, who had led his largely Muscovite army to a
pyrrhic victory A Pyrrhic victory ( ) is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Such a victory negates any true sense of achievement or damages long-term progress. The phrase originates from a quote from ...
at Kulikovo two years earlier, abandoned his capital and fled north, leaving the dismayed citizens of Moscow to ask a Lithuanian prince named Ostei (or Ostej), a grandson of
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 ...
, to lead the defence. The ''Tale of the Invasion of Tokhtamysh'' contains an account of the 1382 siege of Moscow. As the khan's forces drew nearer, it narrates:


Siege

The Muscovite defenders are recorded to have used traditional weapons such as arrows and boiling water, with some sources claiming that they also employed
early firearms Early may refer to: Places in the United States * Early, Iowa, a city * Early, Texas, a city * Early Branch, a stream in Missouri * Early County, Georgia * Fort Early, Georgia, an early 19th century fort Music * Early B, stage name of Jamaican d ...
with
gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...
. The princes of Nizhniy Novgorod, who were the brothers-in-law of
Dmitry Donskoy Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy (; 12 October 1350 – 19 May 1389) was Prince of Moscow from 1359 and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1363 until his death. He was the heir of Ivan II. He was the first prince of Moscow to openly challenge Mongol ...
, tricked the Muscovite citizens into surrendering the city. This happened when they opened the gates to the Mongols and their Rus' allies on 26 August 1382, whereupon they immediately sacked the city. According to Crummey (1987, 2014), the besiegers lured Ostei out of the fortress under the pretense of seeking negotiations, killed him, and then broke into the Muscovite citadel, put many of its defenders to the sword, and destroyed large parts of Moscow city. Tokhtamysh ordered his troops to also pillage many smaller towns in the surrounding region afterwards. These included Serpukhov, Pereyaslavl, and Kolomna. As his army went home to the south, it also sacked the principality of Riazan along the way.


Aftermath

Dmitri Donskoy was forced to reaffirm his allegiance to the Golden Horde, and resumed paying the tribute (which was probably increased as punishment). Although Tokhtamysh did not deprive Donskoy of the title of grand prince of Vladimir, he did take his son
Vasily Vasili, Vasily, Vasilii or Vasiliy (Russian language, Russian: wikt:Василий, Василий) is a Russian masculine given name of Greek language, Greek origin and corresponds to ''Basil (name)#Given name, Basil''. It may refer to: *Vasily ...
hostage for several years (until he escaped upon his second attempt, and imposed a heavy tribute on all of Vladimir-Suzdalia). Kirpichnikov stated: "There is no dispute that Tokhtamysh's invasion of Moscow slowed the unification of the country and revived the separatism of some local rulers who rival the grand duke."


Notes


References


Further reading

* * (e-book). * * * *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moscow, Siege of Conflicts in 1382 Moscow 1382 1382 in Europe
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 ...
14th century in the Grand Principality of Moscow Battles involving the Grand Principality of Moscow Sieges of Moscow