the best achievements of friends-allies. But, this time the union comes from outside, when the state organism is most susceptible to external influences.
In 1240 the Russian princedoms were captured by the Mongol conquerors, a half-million-strong army, who shortly before conquered the Chinese empire of the Jin dynasty. The northern fragments of Rus are free from direct invasion, but they pay Batu a heavy tribute of property, money and people. The question of whether the Rusyns could unite for an irreconcilable struggle, in principalities-bastions, hidden in the North, remains open. Alexander Nevsky prefers to «make friends» with the Golden Horde, willy-nilly introducing in Asia its Asian customs and customs, rather than being measured with it, hardly reaching fifty thousand relatively regular troops.
Polotsk avoids the Mongol invasion, but falls into the composition of the Lithuanian principality – in fact, Western Russia, nominally ready to fight the Horde. Many Russian princes who disagree with the conciliatory doctrine of Nevsky leave for Livonia (not to be confused with modern Lithuania!), Together with their squads, experience the effect of two centers of gravitation – Moscow Rus and Poland. Separated from the Horde by the Wild Field, and also already regularly paying tribute to the Russian state, they are more or less left to themselves.
To the current Lithuania this state education has only indirect. The tribes of the Zhmudy, Zhemut, Auschayt, etc., indeed, were the tributaries of the great (for the most part – Russian-speaking) principality. After their conquest by German orders, as if as moral compensation, the northern nationalities borrowed the names «Lithuania». The very same Lithuanian principality, united with Poland, largely adopted Catholicism, was eventually called the «Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth».
Due to their geographical position, mainly the steppe southern principalities are subjected to the most powerful blows, lose their former significance and are unable to recover independently. Since the thirteenth century, Kiev is run by the Baskakov of the Nogai ulus, little-known local stewards, who do not even need to come to the Khan’s bid for the label’s approval. The city ceases to be the residence of the metropolitan. In the middle of the fourteenth century, Kiev captures the Principality of Lithuania, although for this he has to fight, and with the Horde troops somewhat weakened in a series of internecine strife.
The money is again becoming less expressive with two hundred-gram oblong ingots; in the North, because of the custom to cut such money into several parts, the name «ruble» appears.
The era of Dmitry Donskoy, the second half of the fourteenth century, is very controversial. The victory over the troops of Mamai, father-in-law of the supreme ruler of the Horde, Berdibek, who imagined himself to be there chief, in 1380, does not change anything particularly. Remains of Mamai troops, gaining strength in the Crimea, «presses» the legitimate heir of Genghis Khan, Khan Tokhtamysh. Mamai lives near Kafa, gets involved in the struggle with the Genoese who shelter him, and loses his head. This is a character buried in Russian community memory, which is buried in Russian community memory, as the excavations carried out in 1941 near Feodosia in the village of Aivazovsky (Sheikh Mamai) confirm that for me, now leafing through encyclopedia files is an amazing discovery.
Yagailo (Yakov), a potential ally of Mamai (if you believe the annals), he is also Vladislav Second Jagiello, prince of Vitebsk, Grand Duke of Lithuania, later – King of Poland, in one way or another, participating in the epic battle, on the side of the Horde does not accept. Later, in 1384, on one of the fractures of History, the question is solved: a union with Poland, or an alliance with Russia. As a result, as is known, the second variant falls out. Two years later, the Lithuanian principality passes into the Catholic faith, the Grand Duke marries the 13-year-old Polish princess Jadwiga. His descendants (from the second and fourth wives) form the dynasty of Jagiellons, ruling the Commonwealth until 1572.
Vasily First Dmitrievich, the eldest son of Dmitry Donskoy (1371—1425) – is held hostage in the Horde, flees to the Moldavian principality, successfully marries the daughter of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitold, Sophia, in 1389 gains a label, becomes, among other titles, Prince of Moscow. Vitold, in the meantime, decides to compete with the force already shaken in internecine quarrels by the Golden Horde, refuses extradition, deprived of the post of Khan Tokhtamish, to another applicant of this high rank, Yedigei. The maximum task is to plant Tokhtamysh in the Horde, with the help of his own, who became a very powerful protege, to occupy the throne of the sovereign of all Russia. The forces of the parties: Vytautas, knights of the Teutonic Order, Tokhtamysh – 38 thousand soldiers. The Golden Horde – 90 thousand soldiers. The battle will take place on the River Worksla (north of present Ukraine, in part – Russia). The interest of the Order is the promised by Vitovt, in case of victory, of course, Pskov. The heavily armed knights pursue the feigned retreat of the enemy, then their horses, weakly protected by armor, are bent out of bows and crossbows. On the shoulders, now quite sincerely retreating the Teutons, the Horde crash into the enemy infantry and complete the rout. Litvinov lost about 18 thousand, Horde people – it is not known, there are also such estimates as «very few» in the sources.
Several times recovered from the defeat of Vytautas, along with a fellow competitor, the Polish King Jagiello still dreams of becoming a unifier of the East Russian lands. In 1408, the (first) standing on the Ugra River occurs (somewhat north of present-day Kaluga). For some reason (the attack of the units of Yedigei in the territory of Russia and of Lithuania itself, etc.), in the face of an even more formidable opponent, the battle does not take place. At the same time, the Horde, displeased with the delay in the payment of tribute, approaches Moscow, ravages the neighborhood and, apparently, has received a substantial otkupnye, returns to its steppes.
Obliged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by his initial advancement, his wife, and still unknown what, Basil I quite easily concedes to the western neighbors Vyazma, Smolensk, and many other Russian lands.
Vasily II Vasilyevich (Dark), 1415—1462, the son of Basil the First and Sophia Vitoldovna. He spends a lot of time in a viscous muddy battle for the throne with many competitors, one of which is the little-known prince of Zvenigorod, Yuri Dimyevich Shemyaka («Sheemyaka», that is, one who can easily namet the neck – a generic nickname), the son of Dmitry Donskoy, also his own, the eldest son, Vasily Yurievich (nickname «Kosoy»), as well as his younger son – Dmitri Y. Shemyaka. The court of the Golden Horde, in such a dubious dispute about inheritance, issues a label to Vasily Vasilievich. Then follows a series of conflicts, battles against external and internal enemies, with an uncertain outcome, repressions against opponents of opponents, giving rise to the secret «fifth column», and new coups. Actually, all the characters designated here take up the Russian throne for some time. Basil II is the only one who manages to stay on it a little longer than the others.
The second success – perhaps, Prince Dmitry Yurievich. Having lost the Moscow reign, he immediately leads the prestigious Novgorod republic. But, in the end, the people of Basil the Dark are bribed by the prince’s cook (nicknamed «The Gangbang») and that «armor» greens (apparently, arsenic) in the chicken that the ruler gives.
The confessor of Basil II, Martinian Belozersky, after learning about what happened, takes the prince a severe penance, but, as a result, he is only deprived of the post of hegumen of the Trinity Monastery.
The right of inheritance becomes direct, not «lestivichnym» («On the stairs») as before, that is, from father to son, bypassing all younger brothers.
An important event of the time – the Russian Church becomes autocephalous, that is, completely independent. In 1435, Metropolitan of the Grand Duchy of Moscow (formally – Kiev and All Russia) on the proposal of the Patriarch of Constantinople, the Greek by origin, Isidore (Kiev), is proclaimed. In Moscow, he convinces,
