Mamai Khan of the Golden Horde briefly. Who is Mamai and what did he do? Fight with Tokhtamysh

Mamai is a military leader and ruler of the Golden Horde.

A tragic hero of his era

Mamai is one of the famous khans of the Golden Horde, who remains the greatest mystery for modern researchers.

The question is still not clear: why such an influential politician could lose power only because of one lost battle on the Kulikovo field in 1380, who managed to greatly expand the boundaries of his possessions in a short time.

And he was the only ruler who managed to hold on to the power of the Golden Horde for 20 years and play a significant role in the history of Rus' and Eastern Europe.

A modern look at the life of the Khan of the Great Empire

After all, if you follow the saying: heroes are not born, but become them, this catchphrase was quite consistent with the young commander Mamai, who came from a hereditary Kipchak family.

His father was Khan Hakob, who instilled endurance in his son and taught him military affairs, which allowed him to achieve in the future military career and become beklyar - bek, this title of the supreme administration of state power could only be held by two people.

Mamai was entrusted with the territory of Crimea and the Northern Black Sea region. He was given complete power over the army, with control foreign policy, diplomacy, supreme court.

The influence of personality on historical events

But as they show historical events, the outcome of his fate, even without the Battle of Kulikovo, was already predetermined and far from in favor of Mamai, despite the fact that Golden Horde was one of the powerful states not only on the European continent, but also in Asia.

This was preceded by:

• military structure government structure, which carried an aggressive essence;
• motley and fragmented ethnic composition population of the empire;
• the growth of the political and economic power of individual khanates;
• divergence of interests of the feudal elite and the central government.

And only his determination and willingness to achieve his goal led Mamai to the pinnacle of power, thereby allowing him to go down in history and leave his mark on it.

New institution of government for conquered lands

The role of Mamai in the events of past years was undeniable. However, possessing unsurpassed diplomatic abilities and a keen sense of the ongoing changes of that time, he did not take into account the most important thing, namely:

• Aspects of the internal life of the Golden Horde
• Lack of control over the entire empire
• Lack of strong support from khans and subjects.

He was alone in his struggle for power, despite his significant influence in relations with European monarchs and vassal rulers. In addition, to maintain power, he introduced completely new institute rule through dummies, which violated the established privileges of that time and the inviolability of traditions, giving rise to the weakening of the unity of command of the Chingizids.

Which, of course, caused disapproval on their part, especially the young khan - Genghisid, Tokhtamysh.

Historical facts

The last Battle of Kulikovo in 1380 did not end in favor of the Mongol Khan. He failed to subjugate Moscow, just as he failed to regain his former glory in the next battle with Tokhtamysh after the defeat of the Battle of Kulikovo in 1381 at the mouth of the Kalka River.

Death of Mamai

Mamai was the last warrior and khan to defend the dynastic interests of the Batuids in the Golden Horde. And the true reason for the death of this great commander of his time has not been established. And it is unknown how his life would have developed in the future, because he could not easily leave the political arena.

He was consistent in politics, developed the economy of the state, which was unlike a nomadic tribal union, and allocated funds for architectural construction. Thanks to this, he built several cities that served as his basis during his reign. And with each of his victories, the rulers of the uluses and the leaders of the tribes could defect to him, and in case of failure, they could go over to the camp of his rivals.

Therefore, Mamai’s defeat and death in those conditions remained a natural fact, as did the end of his career. And the whole tragedy of this person lies not so much in his personal character traits, but in the time and era in which he lived.

Mamai was presumably killed by Tokhtamysh's mercenaries in 1380.

Purposeful work to completely change history began in the seventeenth century as part of the so-called reform activities of the first representatives of the Romanov dynasty. Old monuments, tombstones - mostly all destroyed. And they died because they had symbols on them, which the Romanovs rejected. It was replaced by new symbols of the reformist times of the seventeenth century. And in order to remove as many of these traces as possible, in particular, a large-scale destruction campaign was undertaken. As part of this action, the Peresvet slab was destroyed. Such large-scale transformations could have been caused by religious motives and the desire to bring Russian historical science in accordance with new Western standards.

Allegedly, in Rus', before the era of Peter the Great, the era of the Romanovs, in general, there was no cartography of its own. Existing maps, for example maps of Moscow, are maps made by foreigners. Old documents, old maps, first of all, often categorically contradicted the new one. They depicted geography (the geography of Russia, Europe, the geography of the world), which was at odds with new geography, created in Western Europe by the Scaliger school and in our country by the school of Romanov historians.

Icon depicting the Battle of Kulikovo Field

The Yaroslavl Museum contains one dating back to the mid-seventeenth century. Unique image. How many centuries this image lay in oblivion - we do not know. Using icon painting technology, the image was covered with drying oil, which tended to gradually darken. After about a hundred years, the icon became completely black without restoration. And on top of the disappeared image a new image was drawn, not always coinciding with the previous one.

When in the twentieth century they learned to remove old layers using chemical means, many original stories were revealed. The same story happened with this icon. Only in 1959 the image of the Battle of Kulikovo was revealed. The masterpiece of Yaroslavl painting will tell a lot of interesting things to an attentive and unprejudiced eye.

Here the troops, led by Mamai, are crossing the river, descending from a high hill. There are no such elevation changes on the plains of the Tula region. But the red hill in Moscow exactly follows the icon painter’s image. But the most intriguing thing is that on the Yaroslavl icon there are no significant differences between the Tatar and the Russian army. The same faces, the same banners. And on these banners is the image of the Savior not made by hands, who from time immemorial was considered the patron saint of Russian soldiers. There were both Russians and Tatars on both sides.

At that time there was no division into nations in the modern sense. It was all mixed up and more unified. And we see that these old images convey to us completely different from what we know today from Romanov history textbooks. Moreover, some documents say that the Volga Tatars were very reluctant to serve Mamai. And there were few of them in his army. Mamai led: Poles, Crimeans, Yasovs, Kosogs and Genoese, who also provided financial support for his company. Meanwhile, the baptized Tatars, along with the Lithuanians, fought on the side of Dmitry.

Who was Khan Mamai really?

As you know, Mamai had an army called a “horde”. However, they are also called Russian army. Here is a quote from Zadonshchina: “Why are you, filthy Mamai, encroaching on Russian land? Was it Zaleskaya’s horde who beat you?”

“Zaleska land” was the name of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. So maybe the word “horde” simply means an army, and not Tatar hordes as we are used to understanding? But who then was Mamai really? According to the chronicle, temnik or thousand, that is, a military leader. Several years before the Battle of Kulikovo, he betrays his khan and tries to usurp power.

Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich in Moscow has a very similar story, and also happening at the same time. The thousand's son Ivan Velyaminov, having quarreled with Dmitry, runs into the horde and there prepares for a campaign against his ruler. It is not difficult to notice that the actions of the thousand in the history of the Battle of Kulikovo somehow strangely duplicate each other.

According to the chronicles, Ivan Velyaminov, who came to Russian soil, is a traitor and will be executed right on the Kulikovo field after Dmitry’s victory. In memory of this event, the Grand Duke will even order. On the Donskoy coin there was an image of the prince himself, holding a sword and shield in his hand. At his feet lies a defeated enemy whose head has been cut off. It is known that Ivan Velyaminov was executed. His head was cut off and this coin records the fact of victory over his enemy.

Dmitry and his opponent with swords in their hands. A few more minutes and the bloody slaughter will begin. And on back side coins man with shield. But do they use a shield during an execution? It turns out that the thousand-year-old Velyaminov died on the battlefield. According to the generally accepted version, Mamai fled to the steppe after the defeat and in the same year he encountered a new enemy - Tokhtamysh Khan of the Zayaitsky Horde. They met on the banks of Kalka, where history repeated itself exactly. As on the Kulikovo field, poor Mamai was betrayed by his Lithuanian ally and was defeated.

If we consider that vowels were not used in ancient chronicles, then the names “Kalka” and “Kulikovo” are not just similar, but absolutely identical and consist of only three letters - KLK. In addition, coins have been preserved, on which on one side is stamped - Khan Tokhtamysh in Arabic; on the other in Russian - Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy. Historians are trying to explain this by the fact that the coins were minted on one side by Takhtamysh, and on the other side by Dmitry Donskoy.

But this can be explained in another way. Several languages ​​were used in Rus': Russian, Arabic, Tatar. And on the same coin the name of the same ruler could be minted on both sides different languages. The presence of such is a fairly compelling argument in favor of the fact that Dmitry Donskoy and Khan Tokhtamysh are one and the same person.

So maybe there were not two different battles that are as similar to each other as two peas in a pod? And there was one - on the Kulikovo field. Where Prince Dmitry Donskoy, aka Khan Tokhtamysh, defeated the troops of the traitor Ivan Velyaminov, also known as Mamai.

There was no Mongol-Tatar yoke!

But in this case an even more unexpected question arises. Was there even a Mongol- Tatar yoke? In the light of new assumptions, it turns out that it was not. And there was a huge Russian-Horde empire, which in the second half of the fourteenth century was divided into three parts: the Golden Horde, the White Horde (or White Rus') and Little Russia (aka the Blue Horde).

The Golden Horde (another name for the Volga Kingdom) falls into prolonged and dangerous turmoil. Twenty-five rulers change in twenty-one years. There is a fierce struggle for the throne, which in 1380 is resolved by a grandiose battle on the Kulikovo Field.

The history of the distant fourteenth century requires further research. And most importantly - in search of new unknown to science documents and material evidence. They are the ones who can confirm or refute the theories existing today. However, there are facts that are not in doubt. The Battle of Kulikovo really happened. It took place in 1380, and Dmitry Donskoy won it. And, of course, it is rightfully considered a symbol of the courage, valor and honor of Russian soldiers.

And one more interesting detail. Already today, in the center of Moscow on Krasnokholmskaya embankment, a cross has been erected on a granite base, which is engraved: “In this place, a monument will be erected to the blessed saint, Prince Dmitry Donskoy, defender of the Russian land. In the summer of 1992, September 25.”

Then the sculptor could not have known about the Moscow version of the battle. It just wasn't developed. But it so happened that the memorial cross is absolutely precisely oriented to the place where the legendary Kulikovo Field could have been located.

) - Golden Horde ruler, military leader. He ruled the Golden Horde on behalf of its khans, being a temnik. He prepared a campaign against Rus' in alliance with the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiello. Was broken into Battle of Kulikovo 1380 by Dmitry Donskoy. Lost power in the Golden Horde, fled to Kafa (Feodosia), where he died.

Orlov A.S., Georgieva N.G., Georgiev V.A. Historical Dictionary. 2nd ed. M., 2012, p. 295.

Mamai (d. 1380) - Tatar temnik, under Khan Berdibek (1357-1361).

Being married to the daughter of Berdibek, he became the de facto ruler of the Golden Horde. Not being a Genghisid, he ruled through dummy khans. Mamai sought to prevent the consolidation of Russian lands. He managed to inflict heavy damage on the Ryazan (1373 and 1378) and Nizhny Novgorod (1378) principalities. But when trying to invade the Moscow principality, his detachment was defeated on the Vozha River (1378), and in the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380, the entire army of Mamai was defeated. Soon after this, Mamai was defeated by Tokhtamysh and fled to Kafa, where he was killed. Soviet

historical encyclopedia

. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 9. MALTA - NAKHIMOV. 1966. Literature: Grekov B.D., Yakubovsky A.Yu., The Golden Horde and its fall, M.-L., 1950; Nasonov A.N., Mongols and Rus', M.-L., 1940.; inciting feudal strife between the princes, he sought to prevent the unification of Rus'. His predatory campaigns caused heavy damage to the Ryazan (1373 and 1378) and Nizhny Novgorod (1378) principalities. In 1378, Mamai organized a large campaign, during which the army attempted to invade the Moscow principality, but on the river. Vozha (a tributary of the Oka) this attack was repulsed by the Moscow army. Battle on the river The leader demonstrated the power of Moscow to the Horde. Mamai started cooking new trip, to destroy the Moscow principality and restore the Tatar yoke in its former form. IN Battle of Kulikovo 1380 Mamai was completely defeated by the troops Dmitry Ivanovich, Grand Duke of Vladimir and Moscow. Soon after this battle, Mamai was forced to cede power in the Golden Horde to Khan Tokhtamysh - protégé Timur

, and then fled to Kafa (now Feodosia), where he was killed.

During military operations, Mamai used such factors as surprise, swiftness, and attack by large masses of cavalry in open areas. Often maneuvered on the battlefield in order to dismember the enemy or bypass his flanks and reach the rear, followed by encirclement and destruction; at the same time, he showed excessive self-confidence, due to success in battles with weaker opponents. Materials used were from the Soviet military encyclopedia

in 8 volumes, volume 5: Adaptive radio communication line - Object air defense. 688 pp., 1978.

Mamai did not belong to the khan’s family of Genghis Khanovich, he seized power due to the general internal turmoil that ensued and was not recognized by a significant part of the tribes of both the Golden and White Hordes. His power was not recognized by the Nogai hordes and Cossacks. The Moscow prince’s attitude towards him also became defiant.

By that time, the possessions of the Lithuanian princes had spread far to the east and included the Ryazan principality. The Pronsky prince married the daughter of Prince Olgerd and with his help became the Ryazan prince. Thus, the Ryazan principality was made dependent on Lithuania. The Tver prince was in alliance with the Lithuanian princes, continued to expand his possessions to the east and occupied several cities on the Volga. Prince Dimitri Donskoy, who had matured by that time, did not take into account Mamai’s labels and openly began to resist the Tatar troops attacking the borders of Russian possessions. Mamai, in order to humble the Moscow prince, sent a significant detachment under the command of Prince Arapsha to the borders of the Moscow principality. Prince Dimitri sent troops against the Tatars under the command of his son, Ivan. The troops met on the river. Piyave. During the battle, Tsarevich Ivan drowned in the river. Piyave, his troops were defeated and the Tatars occupied and defeated Nizhny Novgorod.

In 1378, Mamai sent a stronger detachment against Moscow and they again captured Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan and caused destruction in them. But Prince Dimitri opposed this detachment of Tatars and met with them within the Ryazan possessions on the river. Vozhe defeated them. According to the chronicler: “Dimitri fought with the Tatars on Vozha and the Tatars fled.” Battle on the river Vozhe put Rus' in a position of open war with the Golden Horde. Mamai could not put up with Moscow’s disobedience and began to prepare for a campaign against it.

By the time of the brewing war against the Golden Horde, the possessions of the Moscow principality were limited to the Moscow and Vladimir-Suzdal regions and the Yaroslavl principality. In the southeast, the Meshchera principality, formed by Khan Togai, entered the possessions of Moscow.

Tog's son, Makhmet Useinovich, turned his possessions into a strong principality, and his son, Belimesh, converted to Christianity, received the name Michael, baptized his squad and “many people” and recognized the power of the Moscow prince; in the position of henchmen of the princes were: Beloozero, Kargopol, Kubensk, Myrom-Eletsk and some other small rulers of the fragmented Russian principalities. Moscow's possessions were compressed on all sides by its opponents and limited to the limits of the Volga and Oka rivers, and in the south the river. Desna and the borders of the Ryazan principality. The Tver and Ryazan princes were in alliance with the Lithuanian prince and, together with him, with Khan Mamai. Prince Daniel waged war at the same time with Tver and Ryazan; These wars ended in peace treaties, according to which the Tver and Ryazan princes promised to live in peace and fight together with the common enemy. “Your enemy will also be my enemy,” the agreements said. The general situation for Moscow's open action against Mamai could not give any hope of success. The Moscow prince could have hopes of success only if he received external help, and he could count on such help from the allies who appeared on his western borders.

After the death of Prince Olgerd, his eldest son Jagiello became the Prince of Lithuania. He married a Polish princess, Jadwiga, converted to Catholicism and became king of the united Polish-Lithuanian kingdom. Catholicism was accepted as the dominant religion and became mandatory for all citizens. Lithuania. The independent position of Lithuania was threatened by absorption by Poland. Lithuania could not come to terms with Jagiello's decision, and his three brothers rebelled against him. The Pskov prince Alexander fled to Moscow and entered the service of the Moscow prince. The Volyn and Bryansk princes left the power of their brother and took a position hostile to him. These Jagiello brothers decided to continue the policy of the former Lithuanian princes, who created an independent Lithuania while preserving its internal life and order. They could not abandon the common goal pursued by their father - the absorption of the Moscow principality and the destruction of the Golden Horde. Despite the split that occurred as a result of the Polish-Lithuanian Union adopted by their brother, they had enough means to continue their previous policy, counting; on the forces they had, and on the sympathy of the Russian people. Only with their help could the Moscow prince have hopes of success in an open war against Mamai.

In the brewing conflict between Moscow and the Golden Horde, the policies of Jagiello and his brothers were the same, the difference was only in tactics. Jagiello entered into an alliance with Mamai, hoping in alliance with him to break the resistance of the Moscow prince and even completely destroy his armed forces. His brothers wanted a war between the Moscow prince and the Golden Horde, but they wanted to use it in. in order to weaken both sides. They saw that in the upcoming battle, the troops of the Moscow prince, poorly armed, without experienced leaders, would have to suffer defeat if they were not completely destroyed, after which the Golden Horde would be strengthened and the prestige of the khan would rise.. Therefore, in order to prevent the final destruction of the troops Moscow prince and undermine the prestige of Mamai, they wanted to provide minor support to Moscow.

The unexpected meeting between the troops of the Moscow prince and the Lithuanian princes when approaching the battlefield is a legend of the distant past. The Moscow prince Dimitri knew that he was not opposing one khan of the Golden Horde, but an entire coalition: Mamaia, Jagiello, the Ryazan and Tver princes, and without first securing support from the allies, he could not lead the troops to their certain death. In deciding to open war against Mamai and supporting him from the Lithuanian princes, Prince Dimitri had a pre-developed plan and his main advisers in this matter were his Western allies.

Mamai began to prepare for the campaign against Moscow. He climbed up the Volga and began to replenish his troops with the tribes of the Volga region - Buryats, Cheremis and Tatars. The Moscow prince also began to gather troops and prepare to repel the Tatars. He sent requests for help to all the princes and Novgorod. Ambassadors were sent to Mamai with rich gifts and a promise to pay tribute to the khan as before. Mamai did not agree and demanded more. Zakhary Tyutchev, who headed the embassy, ​​learned that Jagiello and the Ryazan prince Oleg kissed Mamai and concluded an agreement on a joint campaign against Moscow with the aim of dividing it. The Allied troops were supposed to unite on the river. Oka and from there conduct a further offensive. Neither Novgorod, nor Tver, nor Suzdal, nor Nizhny Novgorod responded to the call of the Moscow prince. Only the henchmen of the princes of Beloozer, Rostov and Pereyaslavl promised to join. By the end of August 1380, the troops of the Moscow prince united at Kolomna. From Kolomna, the prince ordered the troops to move to the upper reaches of the Don. At the mouth of the Lopasta River, the troops crossed the Oka and continued moving in the indicated direction. The moment the troops approached the upper reaches of the Don occurred an event that in the history of the Battle of Kulikovo borders on a miracle.

The troops of the Moscow prince were joined by the Pskov and Bryansk princes Olgerdovich and the troops of the Volyn prince under the command of governor Bobrok. Another miracle dates back to the same time: the Don atamans came to the Moscow prince with troops, about whom the chronicler reports: “There in the upper reaches of the Don, a Christian people of military rank living, called “Cossacks”, joyfully met the Grand Duke Demetrius, with holy icons and crosses congratulating him on his deliverance from his adversary, and bringing him gifts from his treasures, which I have Miraculous Icons in my churches.” The “unexpected” appearance of the troops of the Lithuanian princes and Cossacks when approaching the battlefield answered in the best possible way overall plan upcoming battle. The troops of the Moscow prince, going to the upper reaches of the Don, moved 250-300 versts from Moscow, and approaching the battlefield, they were placed in a position surrounded on three sides by their opponents. The troops of Mamai, the Ryazan prince and Jagiello from the mouth of the Nepryadva were at the same distance in relation to the Moscow troops, occupying a position covering them in relation to them. The appearance of the troops of the Lithuanian kings and Cossacks from the southwest and south separated the troops of Jagiello from the troops of his allies, and, in addition, strengthened the troops of the Moscow prince with units well prepared for battle and excellent military leaders.

The Don Cossacks in the upcoming war between Mamai and Moscow were not on Mamai’s side and some of them took the side of the Moscow prince. The collapse of the Golden Horde and the seizure of power by the usurper posed the question of where to look for a way out of this situation for the Cossacks, and, if not all, then some of them joined the troops of the Moscow prince and stood against Mamai. Having set out from Moscow, the troops sent “watchmen” to search for the enemy, from whom no information was received. After the joining of the Lithuanian and Cossack troops, squads of new “watchmen” were sent, under the command of Semyon Medic. Information was received from Melik that Mamai’s troops were on the river. Vorone, the Lithuanian prince Jagiello - at Odoevsk, and the Ryazan prince on his territory, the distance of the location of both troops from Nepryadva was about one hundred and fifty miles, Mamai and his troops were at a closer distance. Semyon Melik was constantly in contact with Mamai's troops. From the captured Tatar, information was received that “Mamai has all the Tatar and Polovtsian strength, and has also hired Besermen, Armenians, Fryazis, Circassians, Yasses and Buryats...” and that his army is innumerable and impossible to count. On September 2, Melik’s guards gradually retreated under pressure from the Tatars to Nepryadva, to the Red Hill, from the top of which the entire surrounding area was visible. By September 5, the troops of the Moscow prince and his allies approached the mouth of the river. Untruthful. The chronicler writes: “And having come to the Don and stasha and thinking a lot...” the Grand Duke gathered a council in the village. Chernov, and asked all the princes and governors to express their opinion on the order of battle. At the council, some said “go the prince for the Don”, others - “don’t go, for our enemies have multiplied, not only the Tatars, but also Lithuania and Ryazan...” The decisive voice was the voice of the Volyn governor - Bobrok. He declared: “If the prince wanted a strong army, then they led the tinkering beyond the Don, so that there would not be a single one who would think back, and the great power would not resolve anything, as God is not in power, but in truth Yaroslav transported the river - defeat the Holy Regiment; and your great-grandfather, the great prince, Alexander, crossed the Izhera river, defeated the king. It is fitting for you, who call God, to do the same, if we win, then we will be saved, if we die, then we will accept all the common death from the prince to ordinary people..." Having listened to Bobrok and the opinion of other princes, the Grand Duke said: “Brothers, it was better to die for the evil belly, and it was better not to go against the godless, having come and done nothing, return back: now on this day we will come beyond the Don in everything and there we will put our heads all for the holy churches and for the Orthodox faith, and for our brothers, for Christianity.” It was ordered to build bridges for each regiment: forward, large, right and left arm and ambush - the troops began to cross the Don using five bridges. After the crossing, the bridges were ordered to be destroyed so that no one would think about retreat. Semyon Melik continued to observe the Tatar army and on September 7 reported that the Tatars were on the “goose ford”, 8-9 versts from the river. They were dishonest, and advised the prince to prepare for battle.

The military disposition of the troops was entrusted to the governor Bobrok. Bobrok “ordered the people and placed them according to their property, wherever it was appropriate for someone to stand.” A large regiment was stationed in the center under the command of boyar Timofey Velyaminov; on the flanks - regiments of the right and left hands under the command of Prince Andrei Olgerdovich, the second - Prince Vasily Yaroslavsky; behind the left flank was placed as a reserve - the regiment of the Lithuanian prince Dmitry Olgerdovich; an advanced regiment was placed in front of the troops, under the command of princes Semyon Obolensky and Ivan Tarussky; An “ambush regiment” was stationed in Green Grove, under the command of Voivode Bobrok, under whom was the brother of the Grand Duke, Vladimir.

The identity of the governor Bobrok has not been clarified to this day; there is no doubt that he was one of the atamans of the Dnieper Cossacks who came from Volyn, whose descendants existed among the Don Cossacks until recently.

Green Grove was located in the north-eastern corner of the Kulikovo field and adjacent to the Don, where bridges were left, which were under the supervision of an ambush regiment, the durability of which was beyond doubt.

The number of troops is calculated by chroniclers, according to ancient custom, not taking into account reality, but with the expectation of a stronger effect on the reader’s imagination. According to the chronicler Safoniy Ryazan, who wrote about a hundred years after the event, it seems: “And having gathered his hundred thousand and one hundred, he defeated the Russian princes and local governors. Byshe all the strength and all the armies numbering 150,000 or 200,000; the troops were replenished by the approaching princes of Lithuania, whose number was 40,000 and were brought up to 400,000 soldiers.” The number of troops, of course, is exaggerated; their number could not exceed 50,000 - 60,000 people. These considerations are based on the fact that the dimensions of the Kulikovo Field were 5 versts in length and 4 versts in depth and were not sufficient to deploy an army of 400,000. In addition, the population of the Moscow possessions could not field such a number, which is why the actual number could not exceed 50-60 thousand. With the added troops that came from outside at 40,000, all troops could be estimated at 90-100 thousand.

The troops and Mamaia were exaggerated, the number of which also could not have an overwhelming superiority over the Moscow ones.

“Mamai, hearing the arrival of the Grand Duke to the river. Don, gave the order to move with all his might and stand at the Don against Prince Dmitry Ivanovich, until the adviser Jagiello, the prince, comes to us with all the strength of Lithuania ... ".

Mamai sent ambassadors to the Moscow prince for negotiations and Prince Dmitry offered tribute on the previous agreement, but Mamai demanded more. From these secondary negotiations it is clear that Prince Dmitry Donskoy did not flatter himself with the hopes of liberation from the dependence of the Mongols, and, therefore, his military campaign against Mamai was forced.

Even with a favorable outcome of the upcoming battle, the prince had to foresee that the Mongols would not leave him alone and his own forces would not be enough to repel their invasion.

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His name entered everyday culture at the level of sayings: “as Mamai passed by.” One of the most famous pages of history is connected with it - the Battle of Kulikovo. He played secret political games with the Lithuanians and Genoese. Beklyarbek of the Golden Horde Mamai.

Origin

Khan Mamai became the prototype of the famous character of Ukrainian folk culture - the Cossack knight (knight) Mamai. Modern Ukrainian historians-reformers even write seriously about the Ukrainian origin of the khan, and esotericists call the Cossack-Mamai “the cosmogonic personification of the Ukrainian people as a whole.”

For the first time in everyday culture It appeared among the common people quite late, in the middle of the 18th century, but became such a popular image that it hung in every house next to icons.

Mamai was half Kipchak, half . On his father’s side, he is a descendant of Khan Akopa from the Kiyat clan, and on his mother’s side, from the clan of the Golden Horde temnik Mamai. At that time it was a common name, meaning Muhammad in Turkic. He successfully married the daughter of the Sarai ruler - Khan Berdibek, who had previously killed his father and all his brothers, and the Great Zamyatnya began - a long period of civil strife. Berdibek himself was also killed, and the direct line of the Batuid dynasty on the main throne of the Horde was interrupted. Then the eastern descendants of Jochi began to lay claim to Sarai.
Under these conditions, Mamai captured the western part of the Horde and installed khans there - indirect heirs of the Batuid family. He himself could not rule without being. And here big politics unfolded with the participation of Mamai.

“The talented and energetic Temnik Mamai came from the Kiyat clan, which was hostile to Temujin and lost the war in Mongolia back in the 12th century. Mamai revived the Black Sea power of the Polovtsians and Alans, and Tokhtamysh, having led the ancestors of the Kazakhs, continued the Dzhuchiev ulus. Mamai and Tokhtamysh were enemies.” Lev Gumilev.

Mamai vs Tokhtamysh

Tokhtamysh was an adherent of the old Horde orders, striving to unite the splintering horde. In addition, he was a Chingizid and had undisputed rights to Sarai, as opposed to Mamai.

Tokhtamysh’s father was killed by the ruler of the White Horde, Urus Khan, but after the death of the latter, the nobility there refused to obey his descendants and called on Tokhtamysh. Tokhtamysh lost the internal war, but was saved after decisive battle, having crossed the wounded Syr Darya - into the possessions of . He said: “You are apparently a courageous man; go, regain your khanate, and you will be my friend and ally.” Tokhtamysh took the White Horde, received the Blue Horde by right of inheritance, and moved towards Mamai.
Now everything depended on the alliances formed in the West.

Big politics

As the Golden Horde weakened in strife, the Lithuanians began to strengthen themselves in territories previously controlled by the Mongols. Kyiv became practically Lithuanian, Chernigov and Severskaya were under the influence of Lithuania. Prince Olgerd was militantly anti-Orthodox, while the majority of the population in the expanded Lithuania was already Russian, and Moscow took advantage of this against the Lithuanians.

However, other Russian princes, on the contrary, used Lithuania against Moscow - primarily the Suzdal and Novgorod residents. There was also division in Western politics in the Horde.
Mamai bet on Lithuania, and Tokhtamysh on Moscow. Mamai led a pro-Western line, because he needed money to fight Tokhtamysh. The Crimean Genoese promised to help with money in exchange for concessions for the extraction of furs in northern Rus'. Mamai tried for a long time to persuade Moscow to fulfill the conditions of the Genoese in exchange for a label and other privileges. The Muscovites accepted both. Metropolitan Alexy, who de facto ruled when Dmitry was a child, used Mamai to elevate, both legal and actual, the Moscow principality. But in the end, Moscow turned away from Mamai, and the so-called “great peace” occurred.

Not without influence, who said that there could be no business with the Latins (Genoese and Latins). From the “Sermon on the Life and Repose of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich, Tsar of Russia”: “Mamai, incited by crafty advisers who adhered to the Christian faith, and themselves did the deeds of the wicked, said to his princes and nobles: “I will seize the Russian land, and I will destroy Christian churches.” ... Where the churches were, I’ll put ropats here.”

Before the Battle of Kulikovo

Interesting events took place before the Battle of Kulikovo. Since Mamai hoped to conclude an alliance either with Moscow, and then with other principalities against Moscow, he often sent embassies to Rus'. To Ryazan, Tver, Moscow itself, etc. These embassies were often treated disgustingly. This happened in Nizhny Novgorod(then under the reign of the Suzdal people), where the Suzdal bishop Dionysius sat. He raised up the townspeople's mob against the Tatar embassy.
As Lev Gumilev writes, “all the Tatars were killed in the most cruel way: they were stripped naked, released onto the ice of the Volga and poisoned with dogs.”

Mamai on the Pyana River overtook the drunken Suzdal troops and cut them off, repeating the same thing a little later in Nizhny. On adrenaline, Mamai decided to continue moving towards Moscow, but the troops of Mamai’s Murza Begich were defeated on the Vozha River. After this, the main open clash between Mamai and Moscow became inevitable.
The Glinsky princes called themselves descendants of Mamai. According to their family legend, Mamai’s descendants served in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and supposedly the Glinskys descend from Mamai’s son Mansur Kiyatovich. If so, then Mamai was an ancestor