Battle of the Kalka River. The Battle of Kalka - the salvation of civilization

Date of the Battle of Kalka.

The Battle of Kalka, which became a turning point in the history of Rus', took place on May 31, 1223.

Background.

After the capture of Urgench in 1221, Genghis Khan gave instructions to continue the conquest of Eastern Europe. In 1222, the Cumans succumbed to the entreaties of the Mongols and attacked the Alans with them, after which the Mongols also attacked the Cumans. The Polovtsians turned to Prince Mstislav Udatny and other Russian princes for help, asking for help.

At the council in Kyiv, it was decided to meet the Mongols on Polovtsian soil, not allowing them into Rus'. The composite army did not have a commander-in-chief - each soldier was subordinate to his prince. On the way, the army met the Mongol ambassadors. The princes listened to them and ordered them to be killed. The Galician army advanced down the Dniester into the Black Sea. At the mouth, the army was met by a group of ambassadors, but it was decided to let them go. At the thresholds of the island of Khortitsa, the Galician army met with the rest of the troops.

On the left bank of the Dnieper, the advance detachment of the Mongols was met and put to flight, their commander Ganibek was killed. After two weeks of movement, Russian troops reached the bank of the Kalka River, where another advance detachment of the Mongols was soon defeated.

Progress of the battle.

There is no exact information about the strengths of the parties. According to various sources, the number of Russian-Polovtsian troops ranged from 20 to 100 thousand people.

After successful battles with the advanced detachments of the Mongols, a council was convened, the main issue of which was a place for the camp. The princes did not come to a general agreement; each eventually settled where he wanted, and also chose his own tactics for his army, without informing others about it.

On May 31, 1223, part of the Russian-Polovtsian army began crossing the Kalka, namely, Polovtsian detachments, Volyn squads, Galicians and Chernigovites. The Kievans remained on the shore and began building a camp.

Scheme of the Battle of the Kalka River.

Designations: 1) Cumans (Yarun); 2) Daniil Volynsky; 3) Mstislav Udatny; 4) Oleg Kursky; 5) Mstislav Chernigovsky; 6) Mstislav the Old; 7) Subedei and Jebe.

The Polovtsians and the Volynian detachment, coming first, entered into battle with the advanced detachments of the Mongol troops. The Mongols, having suffered defeat in the battle, began to retreat. Our advanced detachments rushed to catch up with them, lost formation and collided with the main army of the Mongols. The remaining units of the Russian-Polovtsian army fell far behind, which Subedey took advantage of. The Polovtsians and the Volyn detachment had to retreat.

The Chernigov regiment, having crossed Kalka, also encountered the Mongols and was forced to flee. The Mongols from the right wing of the attack successfully defeated the remaining Polovtsians, then the squad of Mstislav Lutsky and Oleg Kursky. The Kiev prince Mstislav Stary Romanovich watched the defeat from the camp, but did not come to his aid. Only part of the main Russian-Polovtsian army was able to take refuge in the Kiev camp, the rest fled in different directions.

Subedey, having defeated the main force of the Russian-Polovtsian army, ordered the khans to besiege the camp of the Kyiv prince, and he himself went to finish off the remnants of the fleeing enemy army. The losses of the fleeing troops were enormous.

While the fleeing Russian-Polovtsian army was being finished off, part of the Mongol army was laying siege to the Kyiv camp. The Mongols alternated attacks and shelling, until on the third day, due to a lack of water supplies, the Kievans initiated negotiations. Ploskynya, sent by Subedey, promised that no one would be killed, and the princes and governors would be sent home for a ransom if the Kiev squad laid down their arms. In memory of the previously killed ambassadors, Subedei decided to break his promise. Some of the Kievites who left the camp were killed, some were captured. The prince and the commanders were placed under the boards, and then crushed by the Mongols, who sat on them to celebrate the victory. Vladimir Rurikovich and Vsevolod Mstislavovich managed to escape from captivity.

Consequences of the Battle of Kalka.

Detachments of the Mongols, pursuing the remnants of the Russian army, invaded the territory of Rus'. Having learned that Vladimir's troops had arrived in Chernigov, the Mongols abandoned the campaign against Kyiv and returned to Central Asia. The Western campaign of the Mongols took place only 10 years later.

The Battle of Kalka became a turning point in the history of Rus'. The troops of the principalities were weakened, panic began in Rus', and confidence in the strength of the Russian army disappeared. The Battle of Kalka was a truly tragic event for the Russians.

A thirty-thousand-strong Tatar-Mongol detachment, led by Jebe and Subedei, whose goal was to conduct reconnaissance in force in the Eastern European lands, entered the Polovtsian steppes in the spring of 1223. The remnants of one of the Polovtsian hordes, defeated by this detachment, fled across the Dnieper, and Khan Kotyan turned to the Galician prince Mstislav the Udal with a request for help.

At the council of princes, it was decided to provide military assistance to the khan, and in April 1223, Russian regiments moved to the Dnieper. They were headed by the three most influential princes at that time: Mstislav of Kiev (Old), Mstislav of Galitsky (Udaloy), Mstislav of Chernigov. The Russian regiments met the vanguard of the Tatar-Mongol troops on the 17th day of the campaign, having barely crossed the Dnieper. The princes put their enemies to flight and pursued them for eight days to the banks of the notorious river. Kalki (flows through the territory of modern Ukraine).

A brief military council was held on the banks of the Kalka, at which the Kiev and Galician princes were unable to agree on joint actions. The Kiev prince was a supporter of a defensive position, and Mstislav Galitsky, fully justifying his nickname Daring, was eager to go into battle.

The squad of Mstislav the Udaly crossed the river, leaving behind the troops of the Kyiv and Chernigov princes. A detachment under the command of Daniil Volynsky and Yarun Polovetsky was sent for reconnaissance. On May 31, 1223, the main forces of Jebe and Subedei clashed with the troops of the Russian princes. However, the onslaught of the squad of Mstislav the Udal, which could well have been successful, was not supported by the Chernigov and Kyiv princes. The Polovtsian cavalry fled, simultaneously disrupting the Russian battle formations. The desperately fighting warriors of the Galician prince were defeated, and the survivors retreated beyond Kalka. After this, those who rushed in pursuit defeated the regiment of the Chernigov prince.

Battle on the river Kalke lasted for three days. Defending the fortified camp of Mstislav of Kyiv, the soldiers suffered huge losses, but the nomads managed to take the camp only by cunning. The Prince of Kiev believed the enemy’s oaths and stopped resistance. But Subadei broke his own promises. The Kiev prince Mstislav and his inner circle were brutally killed. Mstislav Udaloy fled with the remnants of his squad. The losses suffered by Russian soldiers in the Battle of Kalka were enormous. Only one warrior out of ten returned back. And the troops of Jebe and Subedei moved to the lands of the Chernigov principality and turned back only after reaching Novgorod-Seversky.

The Battle of Kalka showed that failure to unite in the face of a serious threat can have fatal consequences. However, this terrible lesson was not learned. And 15 years after the battle of Kalka, the Russian rulers were unable to agree to jointly repel the danger approaching from the east. the development of Rus' was slowed down for 240 years.

(May 31, 1223) - a battle between the united Russian-Polovtsian army and the Mongol corps, operating as part of the campaign of Jebe and Subedei of 1221-1224. The battle took place on the Kalka River, on the territory of the modern Donetsk region. The Cumans and the main Russian forces were defeated on May 31, 1223; after 3 days the battle ended in complete victory for the Mongols. Many princes and noble boyars of southern and central Rus' died in the battle.

Prerequisites

After the capture of Urgench (end of 1221), Genghis Khan ordered Jochi to continue his conquests in Eastern Europe, where his troops were to unite with Jebe and Subedei, but he evaded his execution. The Polovtsians in 1222 succumbed to the persuasion of the Mongols and violated their alliance with the Alans, after which Jebe defeated the Alans, and then attacked the Polovtsians. In 1222, the Mongol army led by Jebe and Subedei invaded the Polovtsian steppes from the North Caucasus. The chronicle reports the reaction of Mstislav of Kyiv to this news:

Polovtsian Khan Kotyan Sutoevich turned to his son-in-law, the Galician prince Mstislav Mstislavich Udatny, and to other Russian princes, asking them for help against a new formidable enemy:

The South Russian princes gathered in Kyiv for a council under the leadership of three great princes: Mstislav Romanovich, Mstislav Mstislavich and Mstislav Svyatoslavich. Yuri Vsevolodovich Vladimirsky sent an army to help the southern princes, but it did not have time for the Kiev gathering (see below). At the same time, the danger grew that the Cumans, left alone with the Mongols, would go over to their side. After much persuasion from Mstislav Udatny:

and generous gifts from the Polovtsians (the second Polovtsian Khan Basty was even baptized into the Orthodox faith), it was decided that:

The gathering was scheduled on Zaruba, near Varyazhsky Island (the island was located opposite the mouth of the Trubezh River, now destroyed by the Kaniv Reservoir), 10 kilometers from present-day Trakhtemirov, Cherkasy region. The huge army assembled did not have a common commander: the squads of appanage princes obeyed only their great princes. The Polovtsians acted under the leadership of the governor Mstislav Udatny - Yarun. Having learned about the fees, the Mongols sent their ambassadors with the following words:

After listening to the ambassadors, the Russian princes ordered to kill them all, after which the combined forces moved further down the Dnieper.

The murder of ambassadors in historiography is assessed mainly as a reaction to another attempt of the Mongols to divide the forces of their victims and defeat them one by one, with a possible clarification that the murder of ambassadors occurred on the initiative of Mstislav Udatny, who was most closely associated with the Cumans, in order to exclude the possibility of peaceful negotiations with the Mongols for all leaders of the united states. forces, including the Kiev and Chernigov princes. However, there is also a version that the murder of the ambassadors showed the diplomatic illiteracy of the princes of Kievan Rus, provoking an extremely hostile attitude of the Mongols towards all Russians.

The Galician army advanced down the Dniester into the Black Sea (the chronicle exaggerates the number of rooks, calling 1000). At the mouth of the Dnieper near Oleshya, the Galicians were met by the second Mongolian embassy with the following note:

Unlike the first, it was decided to release these ambassadors in peace. The Galician army marched up the Dnieper to the island of Khortitsa at the rapids, where it united with the rest of the troops. Having crossed to the left bank of the Dnieper and discovered the enemy’s advanced detachment, the Russians, after a short but bloody battle, put the Mongols to flight, and commander Ganibek was killed. Moving east and not seeing the main forces of the enemy, Russian troops two weeks later reached the bank of the Kalka River, where they defeated another advance detachment of the Mongols.

Balance of power

The number of the Mongol army initially (at the beginning of the pursuit of Sultan Muhammad) was 30 thousand people, but then the tumen led by Tokhuchar-noyon was defeated in Iran, and Sebastatsi determines the number of the Mongols at their first appearance in the Caucasus (1221) at 20 thousand people . In 1221, the main forces of the Mongols took Merv, Urgench and defeated the heir of the Sultan of Khorezm, Jalal ad-Din, in the Battle of the Indus River, after which Genghis Khan sent 2 tumens in pursuit of him, and sent Subedei and Jebe bypassing Georgia to Eastern Europe .

There are no exact data on the size of the combined Russian-Polovtsian army. According to some historians, it was 80-100 thousand people. According to other estimates, 40-45 thousand people. According to V.N. Tatishchev, the number of Russian troops was 103 thousand people and 50 thousand Polovtsian horsemen. However, according to Khrustalev A.G. the number of Russian troops was about 10 thousand warriors plus 5-8 thousand Polovtsians. Information about the participation of 12-20 thousand Russian troops in campaigns against the Order of the Sword can help to form a more accurate idea of ​​the number of Russian troops at the beginning of the 13th century. in the period 1219-1223, about the number of Polovtsians - news about the departure of Kotyan with 40 thousand of his people in 1238 to Hungary, about the defeat of two Polovtsian khans (Yuri Konchakovich and Danila Kobyakovich) in 1222 and about the union of two Polovtsian khans (Kotyan Sutoevich and Basty) with the Russian princes in 1223, as well as about the 10,000-strong Russian-Polovtsian army, according to Ibn al Bibi, which was defeated by the Seljuks near Sudak in 1221.

Smolensk troops also took part in the campaign. According to one version, the eldest son of Mstislav the Old, Svyatoslav, who occupied the Polotsk throne since 1222, also took part in the battle on Kalka.

According to E.N. Tarasenko:

Progress of the battle

Mstislav Udatny was the first to cross Kalka and personally went on reconnaissance. Having examined the enemy’s location, the prince ordered his army and the Polovtsians to prepare for battle. The battle began on the morning of May 31st.

At first, the battle developed successfully for the Russians. Daniil Romanovich, who was the first to enter the battle, fought with unparalleled courage, not paying attention to the wound he received. The Mongol vanguard began to retreat, the Russians gave chase, lost formation and collided with the main forces of the Mongols. The Ipatiev Chronicle tells in detail only about the events in the center of the battle, where Daniil, his cousin, Prince of Lutsk Mstislav Yaroslavich Nemoy, and Oleg Kursky, who, apparently, was the first to cross the river from the Chernigov regiment, acted, and connects the subsequent flight with the attack of the new Mongol forces . The Novgorod First Chronicle names the flight of the Polovtsians as the reason for the defeat, and the Suzdal Chronicle (according to the Academic List) connects the flight of the Polovtsians precisely with the introduction of additional forces into the battle by the Mongols. The Mongol right wing, the attack wing, achieved success faster than others. The Polovtsians ran to the crossing, crushing and frustrating the regiments of Mstislav of Chernigov, already ready to march.

One part of the Mongols drove those fleeing to the banks of the Dnieper. Mstislav Udatny and Daniil Romanovich were the first to reach the Dnieper and, before sailing, pushed the remaining free boats away from the shore, fearing pursuit.

The second part of the Mongol army (the chronicle names two Mongol military leaders, whose rank remains uncertain) besieged the camp of the Kyiv prince. He bravely fought back for three days and surrendered only after the ataman of the Brodniks, Ploskynya, who was sent to negotiate, and who ultimately betrayed the prince, swore on the cross that if the Russians laid down their arms, none of them would be killed, and the princes and governor would be allowed to go home. The Mongols, avenging the death of their ambassadors, did not keep their promise: all the Russian princes and military leaders were put under the boards and crushed by the victors who sat down on top to feast. Ordinary warriors were taken into slavery. According to other sources, the agreement included

since among the Mongols it was considered shameful to die outside of battle, shedding blood, and formally the promise was kept. The folk epic also connects the death of 70 Russian heroes with this battle: in the chronicle, among those killed, the names of Alexander of Rostov and Dobrynya of Ryazan are named.

Battle site

There are several main assumptions about the location of the Battle of Kalka. Stone Graves(south of Rozovka), burial mound Mogila-Seredinovka and the area to the northeast village of Granitnoye.

Losses

There is no data on Mongolian and Polovtsian losses.

Only one tenth of the Russian army survived the massacre (“The Tale of the Battle of Kalka”). The only author who names Russian losses in numerical terms (though very approximate, as he himself says) is Henry of Latvia. In the Chronicle of Livonia, written around 1225, he mentions:

Consequences

After the victory at Kalka, the Mongols invaded Rus' (the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary calls it the first Mongol invasion of Russia) and reached the city of Svyatopolch south of Kyiv. Having learned about the arrival of Vladimir troops in Chernigov led by 14-year-old Vasilko Konstantinovich Rostov, the Mongols abandoned the plan to march on Kiev and went to the Volga, where they suffered a crushing defeat at the Samara Luka from the Volga Bulgars (according to Ibn al-Asir, only 4 thousand survived . people), and returned to Central Asia. The Mongols began a new large-scale invasion of Europe only 13 years later.

List of Russian princes - participants in the battle

The reconstruction according to L. Voitovich's version is in italics.

Russian history knows triumphs and crushing defeats. One of the most tragic events in the history of Rus' was the battle with Mongol troops on the Kalka River. The significance of the Battle of Kalka for the Russian princes can be assessed by the lessons learned from this story and well learned in future, already victorious battles, which are more than a hundred and fifty years away.

The reason for the appearance of Mongol troops in Rus'

After the conquest of the Asian principalities, Temujin-Genghis Khan sent his troops led by Jebe and Subedei in pursuit of Sultan Muhammad. The number of troops under these commanders was estimated at 20 thousand people. The campaign of two servants of the supreme ruler of the Mongols was also of a reconnaissance nature. When approaching the Polovtsian lands, the Polovtsian leader Kotyan, who alone could not resist the Mongols, asked for help from the Galician prince, supporting his visit with large gifts. The Battle of the Kalka River in 1223 began at the council of Russian princes in Kyiv, where it was decided to advance to meet the Tatar army. The princes who took part in the battle covered themselves with glory and became teachers of other leaders of Russian squads in the long struggle with the Mongol-Tatars. The reasons for the battle were the fulfillment of their duties by the allies and the reluctance to allow the Tatars into their lands. These noble aspirations were thwarted by pride and disunity that took many years to overcome.

Battlefield and course of battle

The opposing forces were not equal. The Russian army in the Battle of Kalka outnumbered the enemy forces; according to various estimates, there were from 30 to 110 thousand people in the ranks of the Russians. When approaching Kalka, the Russian princes Daniil Romanovich, Mstislav Romanovich, Mstislav Udaloy met the enemy in minor skirmishes, which were successful for the Russian soldiers. Before the battle, there was a council in the camp of the Kyiv prince, where the leaders of the squads were unable to develop a unified battle tactics.

At dawn on May 31, 1223, the Polovtsian Khan Kotyan began crossing the river and met the advance detachments of the Mongols. In the beginning, the outcome of the battle was seen as favorable for the coalition. The Polovtsians crushed the light horsemen, but fled from the main forces. Many chroniclers see this as the reason for the defeat, because the fleeing Polovtsians caused confusion in the formation of the squads, which were just deploying after crossing the river.

The tragic outcome was brought closer by the reluctance of the Kyiv prince Mstislav Romanovich to move his troops to the rescue; he left his squads on the opposite bank and prepared for a siege. The Mongol cavalry rapidly developed its success and drove the disunited Russian squads to the Dnieper. The battle with the Mongol-Tatars on Kalka was completed with the capture of the camp of the ruler of Kyiv and the killing of all the captured princes under the platform of the feasting victors.

Rus' is mourning

The defeat at Kalka plunged the population of Rus' into complete confusion and sowed fear of the Tatar horsemen. Order and discipline then showed for the first time their superiority over the strength and power of individual scattered squads. In terms of the quality of training and uniforms, Russian soldiers had no equal then, but the small squads performed local tasks to protect the lands of their prince and did not see allies among their neighbors. The Mongol-Tatars were united by the great idea of ​​conquering the world and were an example of discipline and combat tactics. The realization of the need for unity took a long time in Rus', but it led to the triumph of Russian weapons on the Kulikovo Field a century and a half after the terrible tragedy.

On May 31, 1223, a battle took place on the Kalka River between the Russian-Polovtsian regiments and the Tatars. This was the first clash between Russian squads and the troops of Genghis Khan's power. The difficult battle ended in the most severe defeat of the Russian-Polovtsian troops.

Background

At the beginning of the 13th century, a new empire appeared in East Asia - its creator was the talented commander and wise manager Temujin (Genghis Khan). He subjugated a significant number of tribes and peoples, became the conqueror of Northern and Central China, and defeated Khorezm. In 1220, Genghis Khan received information that Khorezmshah Muhammad was gathering forces on the banks of the Amu Darya. To defeat it, he sent three tumens (“darkness” - a 10 thousand-strong cavalry corps) under the command of his best commanders - Jebe, Subedei and Tohuchar. Subsequently, Tohuchar's corps was recalled. The pursuit of the Khorezmshah resulted in a long reconnaissance campaign. Having defeated Azerbaijan and Georgia, Tatar troops in 1222 crossed the Derbent Pass and invaded the North Caucasus. Here they encountered the combined forces of the Alans and Cumans. After the opponents could not be defeated in battle, a military stratagem was used - the Polovtsians were promised peace and generously rewarded. The Polovtsians abandoned their allies. The Tatars defeated the Alans. And then in the decisive battle on the Don they defeated the Polovtsian detachments. Khans Yuri Konchakovich and Danila Kobyakovich died in the battles, and the remnants of their tribes fled to the west and united with the horde of Kotyan Sutoevich, who roamed between the Dnieper and Dniester.

At the beginning of 1223, the Tatars invaded Crimea and plundered it; the city of Sudak (Surozh) was captured. Khan Kotyan turned to his son-in-law, the Galician prince Mstislav Mstislavich the Udal (he was glorified as a successful commander) and to other Russian princes, asking them for help against a new formidable enemy: “Today they took our land, tomorrow yours will be taken.” It should be noted that the Polovtsians were not only opponents of Rus' in the south, but often also allies in the struggle of various Russian princes among themselves, or were used against external enemies. So, in the spring of 1221, Mstislav, with the help of the Polovtsians, recaptured Galich from the Hungarians. Russians and Polovtsians were connected by trade and dynastic marriages. Therefore, Kotyan's request is not surprising.

In Kiev, a council of princes of the southern Russian lands was assembled, headed by three great princes - Mstislav Romanovich (Kyiv), Mstislav Mstislavich (Galich) and Mstislav Svyatoslavich (Chernigov). After much debate and persuasion, Kotyan and Mstislav the Udaly decided: “If we don’t help them...then the Polovtsians will stick to the enemies, and their strength will become greater.” The princely council decides to gather troops and meet the enemy on the borders of Rus'.

Hike

The gathering of troops was scheduled at Zaruba, near Varyazhsky Island (the island was located opposite the mouth of the Trubezh River). More than 20 princes and their squads took part in the campaign. The most powerful troops were those of the prince of Kyiv and Chernigov with his assistant princes, and the Galician prince Mstislav (under his command was the Volyn prince Daniil Romanovich). In total, the Russian-Polovtsian army numbered approximately 40-45 thousand people (they call the figure 80-100 thousand soldiers, but this is unlikely). These were mainly professional cavalry squads of princes and boyars; the most powerful Kiev army had a foot militia.

The size of the Tatar army is also unknown. Two tumens - Subedei and Jebe, had 20-30 thousand horsemen, this was the battle-hardened core of the army. In addition, there were a certain number of various vagabonds, robbers, adventurers and booty seekers who joined the army along its route (like wanderers).

The Russian princes made a number of serious mistakes even before the battle. They will decide the outcome of the battle. The princes were unable to agree on a unified command. In fact, there were three troops, decisions were made collectively. The first army (Kyiv) was led by the Grand Duke of Kiev Mstislav Romanovich, the formal head of the campaign. It included the Kiev regiment, the squads of his son Vsevolod Mstislavsky and son-in-law Prince Andrei Ivanovich (Prince of Turov), Prince Svyatoslav Ingvarevich of Shumsky, Prince of Nesvizh Yuri Yaropolkovich, Prince of Dubrovitsky Alexander Glebovich, Prince of Ovruch Vladimir Rurikovich and other princes. The second army (Chernigov-Smolensk) was led by the Prince of Chernigov Mstislav Svyatoslavich. Subordinate to him were the squads of the Pereyaslavl prince Mikhail Vsevolodovich, the Kursk prince Oleg Svyatoslavich, the princes of Putivl Izyaslav Vladimirovich and the Trubchevsky Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich. The third army (Galician-Volynian-Polovtsian) was under the command of the initiator of the campaign, the Galician prince Mstislav Udaly (or Udatny). His troops included the forces of the Galician principality, the squads of the Volyn prince Daniil Romanovich, the Lutsk prince Mstislav Yaroslavich Nemoy, the Dorogobuzh prince Izyaslav Ingvarevich, the Polovtsian forces led by the governor Yarun.

Yuri Vsevolodovich, the Grand Duke of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus' did not set out on the campaign, formally sending his nephew Rostov Prince Vasily Konstantinovich to the aid of the Russian army, who, however, did not have time to come to the start of the battle.

In Zaruba, Tatar ambassadors arrived to the Russian princes, they offered them an alliance against the Polovtsians. The princes considered this to be a trick and, at the request of the Polovtsians, killed the envoys. Subedei and Jebe sent a new embassy, ​​which declared war on Rus': “You listened to the Polovtsy, but killed our ambassadors; if you go against us, then go; We didn’t touch you, let God be the judge of everyone.” This embassy was sent home. Mstislav Udaloy insisted on active action - to cross the Dnieper and strike the enemy in the steppe. Mstislav Romanovich the Old proposed to give battle to the enemy on the Dnieper and prepare for defense. Apparently, given the lack of unity in the army, this was the right strategy. The Chernigov prince Mstislav Svyatoslavich adopted a wait-and-see attitude, not supporting either the proposal of the Galicians or the people of Kiev.

At this time, a Tatar reconnaissance detachment appeared off the banks of the Dnieper. Mstislav Udaloy decided to attack - together with Daniil Romanovich he crossed the river and hit the enemy. The Tatars were defeated and fled. This victory dispelled all doubts - the majority of princes and boyars advocated offensive actions. Mstislav Chernigovsky stopped hesitating and agreed to the crossing. As a result, another prerequisite for defeat appeared - the Russian command overestimated its strength and underestimated the practically unknown enemy. The Tatars used their traditional battle tactics - luring the enemy under the attack of the main strike forces.

On May 23, Russian-Polovtsian troops crossed the Dnieper and moved into the Polovtsian steppes. The troops marched for eight days. They stretched out a lot. Polovtsian detachments and squads marched forward under the command of the Galician prince Mstislav the Udal, followed by the forces of the Chernigov prince Mstislav Svyatoslavich, and the entire column was closed by the detachments of the Grand Duke of Kiev Mstislav the Old. On the way, the Russians and Polovtsians were met by Tatar patrols, which at the first clash took flight and lured them. The army marched joyfully, the enemy fled. They killed abandoned cattle and ate well. They regretted that they would not be able to overtake the enemy and take away the huge booty that the Tatars captured in the plundered lands. The feeling of superiority over the enemy captured everyone and relaxed the warriors. Another mistake was poor intelligence - the princes did not know about the readiness of the main enemy forces for battle.

Battle

On May 31, 1223, Russian-Polovtsian troops reached the Kalka River. In a fierce battle, the advanced Russian forces drove the Tatar guard units to the other side. Mstislav Udaloy did not wait for the main forces to arrive and, having crossed the river, struck the first line of the enemy army (he did not know about the main forces of the enemy). He did not inform the Kyiv and Chernigov princes about his plans, which angered them (it seemed that the Galician prince wanted to take all the glory for himself). The Kiev prince did not cross the river on the move and ordered the establishment of a fortified camp.

The most experienced Tatar commanders Subedey and Jebe immediately took advantage of this fatal mistake of the Russian princes: the enemy himself exposed himself to attack and allowed himself to be broken up piece by piece. The Polovtsians and the regiments of Mstislav the Udaly faced a powerful army ready for a fierce battle. The Russian-Polovtsian forces pushed back the enemy vanguard, but then encountered the main forces of the enemy. The Galician prince realized the depth of his mistake, but it was too late. The attack of the Russian-Polovtsian advanced forces was stopped, and then they were simply crushed. The Polovtsians were the first to rush to flee, their wave disrupted the order of the still fighting Russian squads. The Chernigov army generally found itself in a situation where the advanced squads had already entered the battle, and other units were just crossing the river. The Chernigov regiments were crushed and could not do anything; the flight became almost general. Individual resisting units could not change the outcome of the battle. In this massacre, the hero Dobrynya Ryazanich Zlat Belt (one of the prototypes of the epic Dobrynya Nikitich) also laid down his head. Some units did not know and did not participate in the battle at all, falling behind the main forces. They were caught up in the general flow of those running and pursuing.

The regiments of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Mstislav Romanovich the Old remained aloof from this battle. A number of researchers believe that the timely entry of his troops into battle could have changed the outcome of the battle. But, apparently, the situation was already irreparable; the Polovtsy, Galician and Chernigov armies were defeated and fled. Part of the Tatar army pursued them. This was already a massacre, not a battle. Only a small part managed to escape. Some of the Polovtsians left, but Mstislav Udaloy and Daniil Romanovich were able to escape with groups of warriors. Another part of the Tatar army besieged the Kiev camp. The first assault attempts were repulsed. Mstislav Romanovich of Kiev and his troops repelled the enemy’s onslaught for another three days. The Tatars could not take the fortifications, and they did not want to destroy a large number of soldiers. Then they resorted to a trick: they sent the ataman of the Brodniks (predecessors of the Cossacks) Ploskin to Mstislav and his henchmen, who promised life in exchange for surrender and ransom. This was not surprising - the Polovtsians more than once released Russian princes for ransom. The princes believed and surrendered. We must also take into account the fact that the troops ran out of water. After this, the princes were tied up and handed over to the Tatars, and the disarmed warriors were attacked. Another bloodbath occurred. The Tatars themselves placed the princes under a wooden platform and arranged a “feast on bones” on it.

Results and significance of the battle

The main reason for the defeat was the lack of unity of the Russian army. If the Russian army operated in the traditional Russian style of combat: in the center there was infantry (the Kiev militia reinforced by other units), on the wings there were heavy princely cavalry squads (on the right Galician-Volyn, on the left Chernigov-Smolensk), leaving the Polovtsians in reserve, the chances of winning were There were practically no Tatars. They entered the battle in parts, unorganized; a significant part of the army did not participate in the main battle at all. Management errors of the command, underestimating the enemy, led to the fact that the Tatars almost gave up victory, allowing themselves to be broken up piece by piece.

This was one of the most severe defeats of the Russian troops in their entire history. Southern Rus' was drained of blood by the loss of thousands of its best warriors. According to chronicles, nine out of ten warriors who went on the campaign died. Among them were 12 princes, including the princes of Kyiv and Chernigov. Until the invasion of Batu's troops, the southern Russian lands will not be able to restore their combat potential. The Tatars apparently also suffered significant losses, since they were unable to invade the Kyiv lands and soon suffered a heavy defeat from the forces of Volga Bulgaria.

The reconnaissance campaign of the Tatars revealed the main weak point of Rus' - the lack of unity. It is not for nothing that Subedei will become the right hand and de facto commander in the Western Campaign of Batu (1236-1242).