One of the most glorious pages in Russian military history was written in the blood of its participants in September 1380.

The future conqueror of the Horde, Grand Prince Dmitry Ivanovich of Vladimir, was born in 1350. He was only nine years old when his father, Ivan II, known as the Gentleman, passed away. Before his death, the Grand Prince, like previous rulers of Moscow, signed a spiritual testament in which he bequeathed all his lands to his two sons, Dmitry and Ivan. In 1364, during an epidemic in Moscow, Dmitry Ivanovich lost his mother, Alexandra, and his younger brother, Ivan. At a difficult time, a fourteen-year-old boy took the reins of government into his still-weak hands. Nature had generously endowed the prince with qualities essential for effective governance, but it would take time for them to develop and be realized. Fortunately, the prince had wise mentors and advisors, both secular and religious, who nurtured him in the spirit of service to his country. Dmitry Ivanovich considered strengthening the Grand Prince's authority in North-Eastern Russia to be one of the most crucial tasks. But she was only a part of his life's goal, which was to liberate his homeland from the rule of the Tatars.

In preparation for the struggle against the Horde, Grand Prince Dmitry intensified the meetings of princes and boyars. Initially, he held these meetings within the framework of the Moscow and Vladimir principalities, and later expanded them to include other princes allied with Moscow. This allowed him to pursue a more decisive policy towards Moscow's opponents. In 1374, Dmitry Ivanovich ceased paying tribute to the Golden Horde, and Mikhail Alexandrovich of Tver's attempt to seize the Grand Principality in 1375 using the Horde's yarlyk ended in failure. The Prince of Moscow led a combined force of almost all of Russia, including the Novgorodian troops, against Tver. The chronicler noted that about 20 detachments of princes (from Suzdal, Yaroslavl, Rostov, and other regions) participated in the campaign: "and all the Russian princes, each with their own armies, serving the Grand Prince." The Prince of Tver, hoping for the help of Lithuania, urged the city to hold out. However, under pressure from the citizens, who did not want a fratricidal war, Mikhail Alexandrovich was forced to make peace.

The Moscow prince was not always successful in his struggle against the Tatars. In 1377, the combined forces of Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod were heavily defeated by the troops of the Tatar prince Arabshakh on the Pyan River. The Tatars then plundered Nizhny Novgorod and raided the Ryazan region.

Dmitry Ivanovich learned a harsh lesson. In 1378, during a raid by the Horde led by Murza Begich, he met the enemy head-on. Thanks to well-organized reconnaissance, the Russian army outmaneuvered the Horde, blocked the ford across the Vozha River, and took up a favorable position on a hill overlooking the opposite bank. After a three-day standoff, Begich decided to attack the Russians. On August 11, 1378, in the afternoon, the Mongol-Tatar cavalry began to cross the Vozha River. Three Russian regiments were formed in a semicircle and stood motionless, waiting for the enemy. The Mongol cavalry was surprised by the Russians' confidence, as they allowed them to cross the river. They slowed down and stopped, firing arrows at the Moscow regiments. At that moment, the Russian regiments simultaneously advanced on the Mongols, encircling their flanks and striking at their center. The front ranks of the enemy cavalry were crushed, and the following ranks turned back, colliding with their own troops. Panic ensued. The Horde troops fled in disarray. Many of them drowned in the river. Begich himself perished.

The Battle of Vozha demonstrated the growing power of the Russian state, which was forming around Moscow, and the moral superiority of the Russian warriors, who, without even engaging in battle, psychologically suppressed the arrogant invaders.

The power-hungry Mamai was also preparing for a decisive battle. He managed to unite all the military forces of the Golden Horde. The chronicles describe Mamai's campaign as "with all the princes of the Horde." To replenish the infantry, the Horde army hired mercenary units. The chronicles often mention the participation of a group of Genoese soldiers from Kafa in the battle. "And they came to him," the chronicle says, "from many countries of the Tatars, to flatter him and give him gifts; and he gave them all gifts and sent them to many countries, hiring the Fryazes, the Circassians, the Yasses, and others." The Grand Duke of Lithuania, Jogaila, was allied with Mamai, and he hoped to gain a foothold in the Russian lands of the upper Oka basin as a reward for his participation in the campaign. Mamai was supposed to join him at the mouth of the Voronezh River. Prince Oleg of Ryazan also sided with the Golden Horde.

Mamai's campaign towards the Russian borders began in June 1380. Dmitry Ivanovich constantly received information about the Horde's movements from the "watchmen" stationed along the Tatars' route.

In the hour of danger that loomed over the Russian land, Prince Dmitry managed to unite the people's forces in order to repel the invasion. At his call, military units, peasant militias, and urban militias began to gather in Moscow. The Novgorod militia also joined the ranks of Dmitry Ivanovich's army, despite the opposition of their boyars, who had strained relations with Moscow. The regiments of the elder Olgerdovich brothers were on their way to join Dmitry Ivanovich's forces. Their army included Lithuanians, Belarusians, and Ukrainians, as well as citizens of Polotsk, Drutsk, Bryansk, and Pskov. The Grand Prince faced a dilemma: should he defend or attack? He decided to meet the enemy head-on, preventing the allies from uniting and defeating them individually. This decision was reinforced by the guidance of Abbot Sergius, the abbot of the Trinity Monastery. When the pious elder blessed the Grand Prince for his campaign, he foretold a bloody battle for Dmitry Ivanovich, but also a victory: "Go, Prince, against the filthy infidels, calling upon God, and the Lord God will be your helper and protector!"

On August 20, the Russian regiments set out from Kolomna, where all the troops were gathering, in order to block the path of Mamai's hordes as soon as possible. The army marched along the left bank of the Oka River, controlling the fords through which the Horde usually invaded the Moscow Principality. Near the mouth of the Lopasnya River, it was reported that Mamai's horde was still in the area of the Krasnaya Mecha River, while Yagailo's army was moving towards Odoev.

On August 30, Russian troops began crossing the Oka River near the village of Priluki and continued their march through the Ryazan region. 30 kilometers from the Don River, near the village of Berezuya, the Russian army was joined by allied regiments led by the Lithuanian princes Andrei and Dmitry Olgerdovich.

The Russian army's movement from the mouth of the Lopasnya River to the west was aimed at preventing the Lithuanian army of Jogaila from joining forces with Mamai's hordes. Upon learning about the route and size of the Russian army, Jogaila decided to wait and did not rush to join forces with the Tatars. Dmitry Ivanovich, upon receiving this information, directed his troops towards the Don River, aiming to prevent the enemy from joining forces. On September 5, the Russian cavalry reached the mouth of the Nepryadva River.

The next day, Prince Dmitry Ivanovich convened a military council, which took place in the evening in the village of Chernova. During the development of a plan of action, the votes of the council members were divided. Most of the princes and commanders were in favor of the proposal by Dmitry Bobrok-Volynsky, who advocated crossing the Don and engaging the enemy on the southern bank of the river. However, others suggested remaining on the northern bank of the Don and waiting for the enemy to attack. The final decision was made by the Grand Prince. Dmitry Ivanovich delivered a significant speech: "Brothers! Better an honorable death than an evil life. It was better not to go out against the enemy than to come and do nothing and then go back. Let us all cross the Don today and lay down our heads for the Orthodox faith and our brothers."

On the night of September 7-8, 1380, the main forces began to cross the Don River. The foot soldiers and supply wagons crossed the river using pontoon bridges, while the cavalry waded across. After the crossing, Prince Dmitry ordered the destruction of the bridges across the Don River, thus determining the decisive nature of the upcoming battle: victory or death!

The Kulikovo Field was bounded on three sides - from the west, north, and east - by the Don and Nepryadva rivers, and was crisscrossed by ravines and small streams. The Grand Prince entrusted the command of the regiments to the voivode Bobrok, who was well-versed in the tactics of the nomads and skillfully utilized the terrain. Bobrok positioned the troops in such a way that Mamai was completely unable to exploit the strengths of the Tatar army. The Russian troops' left wing was protected by a deep ravine, through which the Smolka River flowed.

On the right, the river Nizhny Dubyak, with its banks covered in dense forests, served as a natural barrier to the Tatar cavalry. The voivode understood that the battle would be a life-and-death struggle, and the one who had more strength at the end of the battle would be the victor. Therefore, the Russian army was divided into two parts. The first part, consisting of the Great Regiment, the regiments of the right and left wings, was led by the Grand Prince himself. This army was made up of inexperienced and hastily trained soldiers. Their task was to draw Mamai's main forces into a bloody battle. An unpleasant surprise for Mamai was the advance guard regiment, which was tasked with restricting the actions of the Tatar archers. Dmitry Bobrok led the second part of the army, consisting of a well-armed and trained Moscow squad and a detachment led by Prince Vladimir Andreevich. The ambush regiment was hidden in the forest on the left flank of the main forces.

Around noon, Mamai led his cavalry in an attack on the Russian forces. The first to engage was the Guard Regiment, which suffered heavy losses but successfully completed its mission. The Moscow prince himself led the Advance Regiment against the advancing Tatar cavalry, inspiring the new recruits to fight to the death. The battle then spread across the entire Russian line. "And there was a great battle and a fierce fight," the chronicler reports, "and blood flowed like water, and countless numbers of people fell on both sides." The battle was fought in close quarters. For almost three hours, Mamai led his light Polovtsian cavalry against the Russian troops. However, the Russian soldiers stood their ground. The fierce attacks by the Tatars were repelled. Both sides suffered significant casualties.

It was difficult for the commander Bobrok, who was in the ambush, to restrain his soldiers, who were witnessing the deaths of their brothers and the shedding of Russian blood. The decisive moment of the ambush regiment's attack came only when Mamai, believing that the Russians had completely exhausted their forces, deployed his reserve, the heavily armed Mongolian cavalry. This cavalry overwhelmed the left-hand regiment, and it seemed that victory was on Mamai's side. However, it was at this moment that commander Bobrok and his troops launched their ambush attack. The Mongols, who had not expected the Russians to have fresh forces after the hours-long battle, were thrown into confusion. Mamai, who was on the Red Hill, was unable to help the elite troops that were being destroyed. He had used his last reserve.

Mamai's own flight intensified the panic, and the entire Tatar army turned back. The Russian regiments regained their spirits and struck the Horde with renewed vigor. Bobrok's cavalry pursued the enemy for about 50 kilometers, reaching the Krasnaya Mecha River. During the pursuit, many Tatars met their demise at the hands of the Russian warriors.

However, the Russian regiments also suffered heavy losses. For eight days, the Russian army collected and buried the fallen soldiers, and then marched towards Kolomna. On September 28, the victorious army entered Moscow, where the entire city population awaited them. In recognition of his achievements, the people nicknamed Prince Dmitry "Donskoy."

The Battle of Kulikovo Field was of great importance in the struggle of the Russian and other peoples of Eastern Europe for liberation from the foreign yoke. It seriously undermined the military power of the Golden Horde and accelerated its subsequent disintegration. The news that "the Great Rus defeated Mamai at the Battle of Kulikovo" quickly spread throughout the country and beyond. Even the 1382 raid by the new Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh on Moscow did not diminish the significance of the victory on the Don.

Dmitry Ivanovich's achievements were highly appreciated by his contemporaries. This can be seen from the legends that have survived about his heroic deeds. These legends highlight his noble character, chastity, self-control, and respect for Orthodox churches. The chronicles give us the following portrait of Dmitry Donskoy: "He was very strong and courageous, and his body was large and broad, and his shoulders were broad, and he was very fat, and he was very heavy, and his beard and hair were black, and his eyes were very beautiful," and "he held his homeland and his kingdom with great courage, and he was a wise man, and he was a brave warrior in battle, and he was a terrible enemy to all."

Unfortunately, heroes often don't live long. This was the case with Dmitry Ivanovich. Fate granted him only 40 years of life. The year 1389 was a tragic one for Russia, as the country lost its leader and protector. Dmitry's illness struck suddenly and lasted only a few days. Before his death, he presented his eldest son, the 17-year-old Vasily, as the future ruler to the surrounding boyars and selected nine advisors for him. With remarkable firmness, he spoke to them just a few minutes before his death, asking them to faithfully serve their country. His final words were, "God of peace, may He be with you!"

In Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy's spiritual testament, there is a phrase that has not been found in any other spiritual testament of the Grand Princes. Historian S. Solovyov described it as an "unprecedented commandment." Dmitry blesses his eldest remaining son with the Grand Principality of Vladimir as his patrimony: "I bless my son, Prince Vasily, with my patrimony, the Grand Principality." In doing so, he secured the Grand Prince's throne for his family, which was a significant step towards centralizing power and establishing autocracy, something that had been lacking in Russia for a long time.

Grateful heirs have always remembered the feat of the great defender of the Fatherland, Prince Dmitry Donskoy. Since 1850, a monument to Dmitry Donskoy has stood on the Red Hill of the Kulikovo Field, on the site of Mamai's former headquarters, as a symbol of victory. The monument, a majestic 28-meter-high cast-iron column with a golden cross on top, reaches towards the sky. The lower tier of the monument, adorned with military armor, bears the inscription "To the Conqueror of the Tatars, Grand Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy, from grateful posterity."quot;. The Russian Orthodox Church also honors the memory of the blessed Prince. Every year on May 19 in all Orthodox churches in honor of the Grand Duke of Moscow, solemn hymns are distributed, where there are such words: Through your exploits, St. Demetrius, God save our country, who gave you invincible strength. And now, O mighty intercessor, keep your city safe from all the lies of the enemy by your holy prayers.

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