Battle of Voronezh River

Last updated
Battle of Voronezh River
Part of the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'
Rejection Tatars Peace.jpeg
The Ryazan's prince rejects the Mongols’ tribute demand.
DateDecember 1237
Location
Result Mongol victory; Ryazan besieged afterwards
Belligerents
Mongol Empire Principality of Ryazan
Commanders and leaders

Batu Khan

Subutai

Yuriy Igorevich of Ryazan

Roman Ingvarevich of Kolomna
Strength
Several tumen of nomad cavalry [1] A few hundred cavalry and no more than 1000–2000 militia on foot [1]
Casualties and losses
Light Heavy, but some units escaped to Kolomna

The Battle of Voronezh River happened during the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'. The Principality of Ryazan was the first to be attacked.

Contents

Opposing forces

Size and composition of both armies can be estimated based on contemporary chronicles. [2] [3] Contemporary Mongol sources describe Batu as invading with 12-14 tumens, which would give him a nominal strength of 120.000-140.000 men, mostly nomad cavalry archers. [4] However, tumens were often at less than full strength, some elite units with as few as 1.000 horsemen. [2]

On the Rus' side, contemporary sources mention only five princes by name, [3] each of whom would be accompanied by his Druzhina, a small retinue of heavy cavalry. [5] The princely retinue surpassed the Mongolian army in armament, both offensive and defensive. Massively heavy armor was used. However, these squads, as a rule, did not exceed the number of several hundred men, and were unsuitable for united actions under a single command. [6]

At the same time, the main part of the Rus' army was the militia infantry. It was inferior to the nomads in armament and the ability to own it. The militia used axes and hunting spears ("rogatina"). Swords were rarely used, and they had no armor other than plain clothes and fur hats. [5]

For the infantry, consisting of poorly armed peasants and tradesmen, numbers are uncertain. The only specific numbers mentioned for the Rus' are 1.700 men of Evpaty Kolovrat [7] (The Tale of the Destruction of Ryazan) and 3.000 men under Voivode Dorozh [3] (Battle of the Sit River). However, these were exceptionally large numbers for Rus' standards at the time. In 1242, Prince Alexander Nevski in Novgorod could muster no more than 1.000 Druzhina and 2.000 militia for the Battle on the Ice. [8] So, it is safe to estimate that, on average, a Rus' prince had hundreds of warriors in his retinue, rather than thousands.

Battle

After receiving envoys of Batu Khan and sending them to their overlord, Yuri II of Vladimir, [7] border princes of Ryazan, Murom, and Pronsk gathered their forces and made a stand on the river Voronezh, waiting for reinforcements from Vladimir. [3] They received none, and their small force was quickly scattered.

Aftermath

After the battle, Prince Yuri Igorevich retreated to Ryazan, while his nephew Prince Roman took some of his men north to Kolomna and joined the army of Vladimir-Suzdal. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1238</span> Calendar year

Year 1238 (MCCXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1237</span> Calendar year

Year 1237 (MCCXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'</span> 13th-century Mongol military campaign in Europe

The Mongol Empire invaded and conquered much of Kievan Rus' in the mid-13th century, sacking numerous cities including the largest such as Kiev and Chernigov. The Mongol siege and sack of Kiev in 1240 is generally held to mark the end of Kievan Rus' as a distinct, singular polity. Many other Rus' principalities and urban centres in the northwest and southwest escaped destruction or suffered little to no damage from the Mongol invasion, including Galicia-Volhynia, Novgorod, Pskov, Smolensk, Polotsk, Vitebsk, and probably Rostov and Uglich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batu Khan</span> Founder and first Khan of the Golden Horde (r. 1227–1255)

Batu Khan was a Mongol ruler and founder of the Golden Horde, a constituent of the Mongol Empire. Batu was a son of Jochi, thus a grandson of Genghis Khan. His ulus ruled over the Kievan Rus', Volga Bulgaria, Cumania, and the Caucasus for around 250 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir-Suzdal</span> Medieval principality in Eastern Europe

Vladimir-Suzdal, formally known as the Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal or Grand Principality of Vladimir (1157–1331), also as Vladimir-Suzdalian Rus', was one of the major principalities that succeeded Kievan Rus' in the late 12th century, centered in Vladimir-on-Klyazma. With time the principality grew into a grand principality divided into several smaller principalities. After being conquered by the Mongol Empire, the principality became a self-governed state headed by its own nobility. A governorship of principality, however, was prescribed by a jarlig issued from the Golden Horde to a Rurikid sovereign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuri II of Vladimir</span> Grand Prince of Vladimir

Yuri II, also known as George II of Vladimir or as Georgy II Vsevolodovich, was the fourth Grand Prince of Vladimir who presided over the Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal at the time of the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael of Chernigov</span> Prince of several Rus principalities

Michael of Chernigov or Mikhail Vsevolodovich ; c. 1185 – 20 September 1246) was Grand Prince of Kiev ; he was also Prince of Pereyaslavl (1206), Prince of Novgorod-Seversk (1219–1226), Prince of Chernigov, Prince of Novgorod, and Prince of Galicia (1235–1236).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mongol invasion of Europe</span> 1220s–1240s military campaign

From the 1220s into the 1240s, the Mongols conquered the Turkic states of Volga Bulgaria, Cumania and Iranian state of Alania, and various principalities in Eastern Europe. Following this, they began their invasion into Central Europe by launching a two-pronged invasion of then-fragmented Poland, culminating in the Battle of Legnica, and the Kingdom of Hungary, culminating in the Battle of Mohi. Invasions were also launched into the Caucasus against the Kingdom of Georgia, the Chechens, the Ingush, and Circassia though they failed to fully subjugate the latter. More invasions were launched in Southeast Europe against Bulgaria, Croatia, and the Latin Empire. The operations were planned by General Subutai (1175–1248) and commanded by Batu Khan and Kadan, two grandsons of Genghis Khan. Their conquests integrated much of Eastern European territory into the empire of the Golden Horde. Warring European princes realized they had to cooperate in the face of a Mongol invasion, so local wars and conflicts were suspended in parts of central Europe, only to be resumed after the Mongols had withdrawn. After the initial invasions, subsequent raids and punitive expeditions continued into the late 13th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Sit River</span> Battle between the invading Mongol Empire and the defending Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal

The Battle of the Sit River took place on 4 March 1238 between the Mongol hordes of Batu Khan and the Suzdalians under Grand Prince Yuri II of Vladimir-Suzdal during the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'. It was fought in the northern part of the present-day Sonkovsky District of Tver Oblast of Russia, close to the selo of Bozhonka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Ryazan</span> 1237 Mongol invasion of the Principality of Ryazan

The Siege of Ryazan happened Ryazan in December 1237 during the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'. Ryazan, capital of the Principality of Ryazan, was the first Kievan Rus' city to be besieged by the Mongol invaders under Batu Khan.

Boroldai, also known as Burundai, was a notable Mongol general of the mid 13th century. He participated in the Mongol invasion of Russia and Europe in 1236-1242 and other Mongol raids to Europe until 1263.

The Tale of the Destruction of Ryazan (by Batu) (Russian: Повесть о разорении Рязани Батыем, romanized: Povest' o razorenii Riazami Batyem) is a Russian literary work about the capture of the city of Ryazan by the Mongols in 1237. It is compiled from earlier manuscripts.

<i>Furious</i> (2017 film) Russian film

Furious, also known as Legend of Kolovrat, is a 2017 Russian epic period action film directed by Dzhanik Fayziev and Ivan Shurkhovetsky. The film stars newcomer Ilya Malakov as the legendary Ryazan bogatyr Evpaty Kolovrat, as well as Polina Chernyshova, Aleksei Serebryakov, Aleksandr Ilyin Jr. and Yulia Khlynina in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuri of Ryazan</span> Grand Prince of Ryazan (1235–1237)

Yury or Yuri Ingvarevich also known as Yuri Igorevich, was Grand Prince of Ryazan from 1235 until his death in 1237 during the siege of Ryazan as part of the Mongol invasions.

The Siege of Kolomna during December 1237–January 1238 was part of the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'. Following the Battle of Voronezh River in December 1237, Yuri II of Vladimir sent both of his sons with "all his men" and Voivode Yeremey to defend the fortress of Kolomna, which was on the border to the Wild Fields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Vladimir</span> Mongol siege of Vladimir

The siege of Vladimir in February 1238 was part of the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'.

The siege of Moscow in January 1238 was part of the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'.

The Mongol siege, capture and sack of Chernigov, capital of the Chernigov Principality, occurred on 18 October 1239 during the westward expansion of the Mongol Empire. It was part of the 1237–1242 Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'.

The armies of the Rus' principalities emerged in the 13th century out of the military of Kievan Rus', shattered by the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'. The princely Rus' armies from 1240 to 1550 were characterised by feudalism, consisting of cavalry armies of noble militia and their armed servants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military of Kievan Rus'</span> Armed forces of medieval European state

The military of Kievan Rus' served as the armed forces of Kievan Rus' between the 9th to 13th century. It was mainly characterised by infantry armies of town militia that were supported by druzhyna cavalry.

References

  1. 1 2 Grigorjevič, Jan Vasilij (1991). Batu-kan : istorijski roman. Lobačev, Đorđe., BIGZ). Beograd: Prosveta. ISBN   8607005944. OCLC   438360055.
  2. 1 2 ад-Дин, Рашид (1952). Сборник летописей / Пер. с персидского О. И. Смирновой,редакция проф. А. А. Семенова. Издательство Академии Наук СССР. pp. Т. 1, кн. 2. – С. 71.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Новгородская летопись". krotov.info. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  4. Nasonov, A. N.; Насонов, А. Н. (2006). "Russkai︠a︡ zemli︠a︡" i obrazovanie territorii drevnerusskogo gosudarstva : istoriko-geograficheskoe issledovanie ; Mongoly i Rusʹ : istorii︠a︡ tatarskoĭ politiki na Rusi (Izdanie vtoroe, stereotipnoe ed.). Sankt-Peterburg. ISBN   5020269352. OCLC   913580743.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. 1 2 Shirokorad, A.B. (2004). Rusʹ i Orda. Moskva: Veche. ISBN   5953302746. OCLC   56858783.
  6. Grigorʹevič, Hrustalev Denis (2017). Rusʹ i mongolʹskoe našestvie : 20--50-e gg. XIII v. Sankt-Peterburg: Evraziâ. ISBN   9785918521427. OCLC   1003145949.
  7. 1 2 "Никифоровская летопись. Никифорівський літопис. Том 35. Литовсько-білоруські літописи". litopys.org.ua. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  8. Nicolle, David (1996). Lake Peipus 1242 : battle of the ice. London: Osprey Military. ISBN   9781855325531. OCLC   38550301.