Battle of the Vozha River
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2014) |
| Battle of the Vozha River | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Great Troubles | |||||||
.png) 16th-century fantasy image of the battle | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Grand Duchy of Moscow |
 Mamai's faction within the Golden Horde[1] | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Dmitri Ivanovich of Moscow |
Murza Begich † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 5,000[2] | 50,000[3] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Army annihilation | ||||||
The Battle of the Vozha River (Russian: Битва на реке Воже) was a battle during the Great Troubles, fought between the Principality of Moscow and Mamai's faction within the Golden Horde on 11 August 1378.[4] Mamai sought to punish Dmitri Ivanovich of Moscow (who had not yet received his nickname Donskoy) for refusing to pay the tribute.[5]
Battle[edit]
The Tatars were commanded by murza Begich. The two armies met near the river Vozha, a tributary of the Oka. After successful reconnaissance Dmitri managed to block the ford which the Tatars intended to use for the crossing of the river. He and his troops held a good position on a hill. The Russians' formation was in the shape of a bow with Donskoy leading the center and the flanks under the command of Timofey Velyaminov and Andrei of Polotsk.
After waiting a long time, Begich decided to cross the river and to encircle the Russians from both sides. However, the attack of the Tatar cavalry was repelled and the Russians went over to a counter-attack. The Tatars left their tracks and began retreating in disorder, many of them drowned in the river. Begich himself was killed.
The Vozha battle was the first serious victory of the Russians over a big army of the Golden Horde. It had a big psychological effect before the famous Battle of Kulikovo because it demonstrated the vulnerability of the Tatar cavalry which was unable to overcome tough resistance or withstand determined counter-attacks. For Mamai, the defeat of Vozha meant a direct challenge by Dmitry which caused him to start a new unsuccessful campaign two years later.
Historiography[edit]
Historian A.V. Azovtsev, in his 2021 book «Боище, иже на Воже»: от бывальщины к небылице,[6] after analyzing the main primary source on the battle, Повесть о битве на реке Воже, as well as other chronicles, questions whether such a battle ever took place.
Aftermath[edit]
Battle of Vozha was the first major success of Russian troops in front of the Mongols. After the battle, Mamai's army was almost completely destroyed and he had to replenish it with mercenaries for the decisive battle in 1380[7]
See also[edit]
- Great Troubles
- Tatar invasions
- Russo-Kazan Wars
- Principality of Moscow
- Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'
References[edit]
- ^ a b Martin 2007, p. 235.
- ^ "Битва на реке Воже 1378 – кратко о сражении, участники, даты". Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ Греков И. Б., Шахмагонов Ф. Ф. Мир истории. Русские земли в XIII—XV вв. — 2-е изд. — М.: Молодая Гвардия, 1988. — С. 173
- ^ "11 августа 1378 - Битва на реке Воже | Исторические события "диБит"". history.dibit.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ Martin 2007, pp. 234–236.
- ^ Азовцев, Андрей Васильевич (2021). "Боище, иже на Воже": от бывальщины к небылице (in Russian). Рязань: П.А. Трибунский. ISBN 9785944730237.
- ^ Соловьёв С. М. Сочинения: В 18 кн. — М.: Голос; Колокол-Пресс, 1993—1998. История России в древнейших времён. — Гл. 7.
Bibliography[edit]
- Martin, Janet (2007). Medieval Russia: 980–1584. Second Edition. E-book. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-511-36800-4.
54°43′0″N 39°26′39″E / 54.71667°N 39.44417°E