In our time, there is still a lot of information in various chronicles and other historical literature about the personality of the Tatar temnik (commander) Mamai. Many of our contemporaries tried to explore his biography, but, having come across very meager but capacious information, they began to wilt and modestly repeat hackneyed words about the Tatar invader. Lev Gumilev believed that Poles, Crimeans, Genoese, Yasses, and Kasogs fought on the side of Mamai’s temnik, but there were few Volga Tatars in his army.
One hundred and fifty years ago, the most Russian German, E.I. Klassen, drew the attention of scientists to common mistakes in writing history and designating peoples: in the classification of peoples and nationalities, scientists collect all conceivable and inconceivable characteristics - religious, professional, territorial, derived from the names of their own commanders, names of places, rivers, seas and mountains (toponymy).
Thus, a modern resident of the Krasnodar Territory may have more than one “nationality,” guided by scientific classifications.
Let me give you an example: a resident of the Taman Peninsula, washed by two seas, can be a Krasnodar resident (by the name of the region), a Kuban-Kubman, a Tamanian, a Pontic (Chernomorets), a Meotian (a resident of the coast of the Meotian lake or swamp), an Azov resident (the Sea of Azov), a Pre-Caucasian, a Caucasian , hothead (resident of the mountains), Asian, Christian, Muslim (from the commander and priest of Mosul), Mohammedan (follower of Mohammed), Islamist (follower of the teachings of Ismail, close to Mohammedanism), Anapa, Sind, Cossack, Aryan, border guard (Ukrainian), builder , healer, baker, shield maker (shield maker or maker), Scythian (shooter), Celt (battle ax owner), armor maker (maker or holder of armor), Rus (by hair color), Alan, etc., not counting the surname , name and patronymic.
What do we see from ancient historians? According to their version, almost all of the listed peoples live here. The same disease haunts modern scientists. At the same time, none of the scientists (with rare exceptions in relation to small nations) says what these peoples call themselves.
Adhering to these rules, one thing can be understood that any small family is a multinational state. Just what politicians and their mercenary historians needed! Since these peoples lived here, it means they have the right to modern residence.
Returning to our hero, you can find all the same signs. Therefore, to this day, our scientists wonder what Mamai’s nationality was.
The first modern scientist to loudly declare the origin of Mamai was Yu.A. Shilov, now a Ukrainian scientist. He reminded readers of the thoughts (tales) about the Cossack Mamai, revealing his glorious past in the struggle for a united Rus' and the preservation of ancient traditions. But not everyone liked it: for so many years they cherished the idea of a split between two Aryan branches: Turkic and Slavic, and now a man has appeared who destroys the ideological technique of “Divide and conquer!”
Let me remind the reader of some moments in history several centuries before the onset of the notorious Mongol-Tatar yoke.
In 965, the Kiev prince-prince Svyatoslav made a long campaign through the vassal lands of Kozaria (this is exactly what is written in the surviving lists from the chronicles; these lands will become Khazaria through the efforts of later historians) and destroyed several cities in Kozaria itself. Chroniclers indicate the route of Svyatoslav's squad: Kyiv - Upper Volga region - Don - Lower Volga region - Samkerts (Taman) - Kyiv. To decide on such an undertaking, it was necessary to have enormous funds and reserves of food and fodder to feed the army during a campaign of such duration, but that is not the point. After the defeat of Kozaria, part of its population, professing Old Testament Judaism, called Karaiteism under the name of the Karaites, moved to Gotthia or Taurida (as Crimea was called in those days) and some of this population went to the Baltic states, where they successfully live to this day, preserving the purity of the ancient Turkic language . The main population of Kozaria professed paganism in the form of sun worship and they were called Tatars (Tata Ra - Father God). They also moved to Gotthia and the Caucasus to hide in the mountains from extermination by Christians. Peoples related in language lived in these places, but there was another branch of Christianity, not as radical in its essence as that coming from Europe (at that time still Venedia).
Judging by the surviving data, Mamai’s homeland was Lukomorye - the same Lukomorye of Russian fairy tales, the shore of the Russian (Black) Sea, the territory (terra Tora) of the legendary Black Rus', the section of the coast from the Crimea to the Dnieper. This is where his ascent up the military ladder began, and this is where he fled after the defeat in 1380. Here or in Cafe (Kerch) he found his last refuge, leaving in the people's memory toponymic names in rivers (Mamaika), hills (Mamaev Kurgan) and numerous Russian surnames and folk legends in the southern Russian lands. Only one document contains evidence that Mamai belonged to the Kiyan clan (which allows Ukrainian scientists to consider Mamai as their fellow countryman).
The first mentions of Mamai in Russian chronicles date back to 1361 according to the new chronology. That year, Mamai, the commander of Altyn Urus (Golden Rus', after the rule of the globalizers - the Golden Horde) supported the young Prince Dmitry, the son of the deceased Ivan II Ivanovich, in the struggle for the Vladimir throne. At that time (1359), the power of the Grand Duke went to Dmitry Konstantinovich of Suzdal, who had a solid squad and authority among the appanage princes. The heir of the late Moscow prince, 9-year-old Dmitry Ivanovich, could not oppose anything to him. That’s when the Horde envoy, a talented commander and sensible politician Mamai, appeared. At that time, he could not yet imagine what such support could mean for him.
The Great (Great) Horde of that period was already experiencing complex internal processes. In the same year 1361, the separation (fall away) of Muslim Khorezm from the Great Horde took place. In the Volga region, the khans have difficulty keeping the situation in their hands: part of the Horde adopted Christianity, but an even larger part accepts Islam (the teaching of the commander of the Asian Torques or Guzes of Mosul about one God). Similar unrest already exists in the lands of the Horde from the Volga to the Dnieper, although most of the population of the Horde in this area still professes a solar cult, but the positions of Islam, Mohammedanism and Christianity are already strong.
Internal religious contradictions in the Horde led to the beginning of its collapse and the rise of Mamai’s temnik. We do not know when this man was born, but we can assume that he was much older than the boy Dmitry, whom Mamai placed on the throne of the Grand Duke at the request of the Moscow boyars and Metropolitan Alexy. In 1364-65, Mamai had to prove by force of arms to the Suzdal prince the right of the young Prince Dmitry to the grand-ducal throne in Vladimir. The war between Moscow and Suzdal ended in the complete victory of Moscow, supported by the Tatars. Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich Suzdal recognized the right to the throne of the Moscow prince and in 1366 gave his daughter Evdokia to him as a sign of reconciliation.
In the same year, the Mordovian prince Bulat, who converted to Christianity, separated from the Horde. The Grand Duchy of Russia, Lithuania and Samogit (later, when Rus' was created from Muscovy, this name was replaced by Lithuania by decree of the tsar in 1840) continues to expand its possessions and defeats the Tatar troops at Blue Waters. Tver enters into an alliance with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and declares war on Moscow in 1367 in the struggle for the Vladimir throne (Olgerd's father-in-law, Mikhail Tverskoy from the Rurik family, had considerable reason to be the Grand Duke). The following year, Grand Duke Olgerd defeated the Moscow regiments, reinforced by the Tatars, at Trostenskoye Lake and found himself already under the walls of Moscow (“the first Lithuanian war”), but after a short siege, when Mamaia’s detachments approached, he withdrew his troops and retreated.
The beginning of 1371 is significant for the Moscow prince in that a neighboring state, the Grand Duchy of Ryazan, intervenes in the struggle for greater power. Mamai arrives in Moscow with his people and solemnly presents another label for reign to Dmitry Ivanovich, confirming his sympathies for the Moscow prince. After this, the united troops march on Ryazan and force it to accept the “hand of the Moscow prince” - to become a tributary of Moscow, and Oleg Ryazansky to become “the henchman of Dmitry Ivanovich.”
In 1372, the Golden Horde finally split into seven territories: the kingdom of Mamaia between the Volga and Dnieper; New Barn; former Bulgaria on the Kama; Mordovia; As Tarkhan (later Astrakhan); Shed; Crimea. In the Trans-Volga lands we continue to meet the name Bolshaya (Great) Horde.
In the same year, Moscow and Lithuanian armies met near Lubutsk. After a long standing and negotiations, without tempting fate, both princes made peace and separated. The next year is known for the rapprochement of Olgerd with Metropolitan Cyprian and the alliance with Oleg of Ryazan.
In 1374, the Nizhny Novgorod residents killed Mamai's ambassadors, and the Ryazan residents attacked a small Tatar detachment. In retaliation, Mamai sent his troops to pacify the rebels: Ryazan and several Nizhny Novgorod settlements across the Piana River were taken and burned. At this time, Olgerd invaded the lands of Mamaia from the west with a crusade. Olgerd's invasion was successfully repelled at the end of the year, and Mamai again sent his detachment to the Nizhny Novgorod lands and to the city of Novosil.
Mamai’s troops spend the next year on a series of campaigns to pacify the southeastern Nizhny Novgorod lands. In the summer, in the Horde, Mamai presents the label for the great reign of Vladimir to Mikhail Alexandrovich Tverskoy. In response to these actions, a united army of the princes of North-Eastern Rus' is sent to Tver. After an eight-day siege of Tver, a peace treaty is signed, in which Mikhail Tverskoy recognizes himself as the “young brother” of Moscow Prince Dmitry, renouncing claims to a great reign and the ability to conduct foreign policy and trade. In the same year, the Novgorod Ushkuiniki raided the Horde lands from Kostroma to Astrakhan (1375) and Dmitry Ivanovich’s campaign against the lands of the Volga Tatars. Thus, a clash between Mamai and the increasingly intensified Dmitry of Moscow became inevitable.
In 1376, the Litvins (Belarusians) captured Galicia (Chervona Rus) and with their participation, Cyprian was appointed to the metropolitan throne in Kyiv. At the same time, Tokhtamysh seized power in part of the lands of the Golden Horde (Volga region, Northern Caucasus, Northern Black Sea region) and created the White Horde. After seizing the lands that were part of the kingdom of Mamai, Tokhtamysh becomes the worst enemy of Tsar Mamai. The globalizers decided to use this factor in their scenario.
The following year, Jagiello comes to power in the Grand Duchy of Litvinsky (White Rus'), who seeks an alliance with Mamai to strengthen his own power. Moscow Prince Dmitry Ivanovich defeated the Golden Horde army of Murza Begich on the Vozha River. This was the first major victory of Moscow troops over the large army of Altyn Urus. In 1379, Dmitry Ivanovich went with an army to the western Russian lands.
In 1380, Mamai entered into an alliance with the Lithuanian prince Jagiello, who was joined by Oleg Ryazansky.
Next, I will give several excerpts from the chronicle “The Tale of the Massacre of Mamayev”, which is more similar to a poetic work than a serious historical document, in which real facts sometimes slip through among the praises of Christian values. Sometimes the information diverges from common sense and one can feel the hand of a late ruler (In those days, there was a clear distinction between where the Russian lands were, where the Slovenian ones, and where the Moscow ones. For several more centuries, Muscovy was not called the Russian Land; they continued to travel from “Moscow to Rus'” , when it was necessary to get to the Dnieper region).
Not all facts can be trusted, but I will try to comment on them. For example, Grand Duke Olgerd has been dead for several years, but he continues to appear along with his sons Andrei Polotsky and Dmitry Bryansky, who left the Lithuanian troops and came to the aid of Muscovites. Everything is clear here: they did not inherit power in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania after their Christian father, in what was then still a pagan state, and according to the law, the best of the princes was elected - Jagiello. About Mamai himself, the chronicle says that “... named Mamai, a pagan by faith, an idolater and iconoclast, an evil persecutor of Christians.” In the words of Dmitry Moskovsky, the desire to “suffer or die for the Christian faith against the godless Tatars” is heard dozens of times. Saint Sergius, blessing the prince, “... sprinkled him with sacred water and all his Christ-loving army, and overshadowed the great prince with the cross of Christ - a sign on his forehead. And he said: “Go, sir, against the filthy Polovtsians, calling on God, and the Lord God will be your helper and intercessor.”
Here for the first time the warriors of Mamai were called by their real name - “Polovtsy”. Let me remind you that in official history the Polovtsians (Kipchaks in Arabic) disappeared into eternity two centuries ago. The idea of the religion of Mamai’s army is expressed in the following words: “the great prince said to his brother, Prince Vladimir: “Let us hasten, brother, to meet the godless pagans, the filthy Tatars...”. (Author's note)
The entire narrative is devoted to the long preparation of Prince Dmitry for a campaign in foreign lands, then setting up guard posts and preparing the site of the upcoming battle. A few days before the battle itself, the united Moscow army arrived at the battle site chosen by its commanders two weeks ago. “Then the Great Prince Dmitry Ivanovich began with his brother Vladimir Andreevich, and with the Lithuanian princes Andrei and Dmitry Olgerdovich, to arrange regiments until the sixth hour. A certain governor came with the Lithuanian princes, named Dmitry Bobrok, originally from the Volyn land, who was a noble commander, he arranged his regiments well, as and who should stand.”
As the reader can see, the “Lithuanians” have Russian names, more precisely, Christian ones, and came from Bryansk, Polotsk and Volyn - modern Belarusian lands. This once again speaks in favor of the fact that “Lithuania” is an artificial name that replaced “Litvinia”. In modern Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, one of the most common surnames is Litvin, Litvinov, Litvinenko, confirming the origin of the bearers of this surname. (Author's note)
After the placement of the regiments, hidden behind the built fortifications and leaving a narrow strip of land in front of the river, the prince wanted to inspect the placement of the regiments and recognized it as very good: “The great prince, seeing his regiments worthily arranged, dismounted from his horse and fell on his knees right in front of the great regiment with a black banner on which is embroidered the image of our Lord our Lord Jesus Christ.” The next day, the Grand Duke, having changed his horse, again reviewed his regiments and addressed them with a speech: “My fathers and brothers, for the sake of the gentlemen, fight for the sake of the saints for the sake of the churches and the Christian faith, for this death is not death for us now, but eternal life.” ; and, brothers, do not think about anything earthly, for we will not retreat, and then Christ the God and Savior of our souls will crown us with victorious crowns.”
“Having strengthened the regiments, he returned again under his black banner, and got off his horse, and sat on another horse, and threw off his royal clothes, and put on another one. He gave his former horse to Mikhail Andreevich Brenk and put those clothes on him, for he loved him beyond measure, and he ordered his black banner to be held over Brenk. It was under that banner that he was killed in place of the Grand Duke.”
Here Tatar or pagan regiments were met. “And both great forces came together menacingly, firmly fighting, brutally destroying each other, not only from weapons, but also from the terrible crowding under the horse’s hooves, they gave up the ghost, for it was impossible for everyone to fit on that Kulikovo field: that field was cramped between the Don and the Mecheya ... And the Grand Duke himself was severely wounded and thrown from his horse; he barely got out of the field, for he could no longer fight, and hid in a thicket and was preserved by God’s power.”
As mentioned above, the Moscow regiments left a narrow strip of land along the shore so that Mamaev’s regiments crossing the river could not deploy into battle formation. The maneuver was a success, and the Polovtsian regiments spent the initial part of the battle in very cramped conditions. Having difficulty leveling the situation, Mamai’s army began to push back the Christians. At this time, the decisive blow of the ambush regiment was dealt: “Comrades-in-arms, friends jumped out of the green oak grove, as if tried falcons had fallen from golden stocks, rushed towards the endless fattened herds, towards that great Tatar power; and their banners were directed by the firm commander Dmitry Volynets; and they were like David’s youths, whose hearts were like lions, like fierce wolves attacked the flock of sheep and began to whip the filthy Tatars mercilessly.”
“The godless Tsar Mamai, seeing his death, began to call on his gods: Perun and Salavat, Heraclius (this is translated, in the ancient Russian text: Herkle, which in Scythian means Hercules) and Khors and his great accomplice Mohammed.”
The text indicates exactly which gods Mamai himself worshiped. In addition, it is clear that there were Mohammedans in his army. We have already considered this issue earlier. (Author's note)
After the attack by the ambush regiment, the retreat of Mamai’s army began, which turned into flight. Tsar Mamai himself fled.
Dmitry Ivanovich, driving around the battlefield, addressed his army: “Brothers, Russian sons, princes, and boyars, and governors, and boyar servants! God has destined you to die this way. You laid down your lives for the holy churches and for Orthodox Christianity.”
I would like to draw your attention to another fact: not once does the chronicle report about the Mongols or the Mongol-Tatar yoke, against which Moscow soldiers could fight. There is not even one sense of protection here. The entire plot of the story is permeated with an attacking spirit! Solid quotes from the Bible and complete confidence in his rightness in the fight for “Christian values.” By the way, it also lacks later fantasies about the rifle regiments of the Genoese and other representatives of foreign states - allies of the “foreigner” Mamai. (Author's note)
Soon Mamai was defeated in his lands by Tokhtamysh, and then killed. We could stop our story here, summing up the outcome not in favor of the Old Believers Slavs, who suffered a severe defeat on the Kulikovo field. Let us note one more detail: the alliance of Moscow with the Muslim Tokhtamysh was more acceptable than with the Slavs. At that time, the difference between Christianity and Islam was insignificant, which allowed them to “cooperate” against paganism. Two centuries later, Moscow coins would be stamped with Arabic texts and praises to Allah.
In the year of the death of Dmitry Ivanovich of Moscow in 1389, one of Mamai’s sons saved from death the Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Russia, Litvinsky and Samogitsky near the village of Glina, for which he received the title of Prince Glinsky. From him came the dynasty of the Glinsky princes, which had yet to have its say in European politics. In 1421, Mamai’s grandson Oleksa or Alexey, who in Christian chronology is considered to be the ancestor of the Glinskys, was baptized in Kyiv. His sons elevated their family, which has royal roots. In those years in Europe it was an honor to be related to this surname. The Grand Dukes of Moscow also became related to her: in 1526, the wedding of Vasily III with Elena Vasilievna Glinskaya took place. In 1530, their son Ivan IV Vasilyevich was born, nicknamed the Terrible for establishing order in the country. Thus, after a century and a half, a king with a rich pedigree, coming from the king of Golden Rus' Mamai himself, appeared on the Moscow throne.
It is with regret that I report that the defeat of the Slavs on the Kulikovo Field led to almost complete “coverage” of the lands by an alien religion. Therefore, this chapter is placed in the book “Slavs” as summing up and refuting the “one-time” baptism of Rus' in 988. Having defeated their religious opponents - the Old Believers (but without completely destroying them), the Judeo-Christians began to prepare for new battles with their brothers in Christ, who had some religious differences in rituals and were called Old Believers. But this is already a special chapter in history...
Evgeniy Gladilin (Svetlayar)
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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 the everyday culture of the common people, it appeared quite late, in the middle of the 18th century, but it became such a popular image that it hung in every house next to icons.
Mamai was half Cuman - Kipchak, half Mongol. 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 in the Horde 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 Genghisid. 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 escaped after the decisive battle by swimming across the wounded Syr Darya into the domain of Tamerlane. 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 ruled de facto 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 the influence of Sergius of Radonezh, 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 the ancestor of Ivan IV the Terrible through his mother, Elena Glinskaya.
Death
In the Battle of Kulikovo, about which we have written a lot, Mamai lost not only his army, but also his legitimacy: the young Khan Muhammad, who de jure ruled in Sarai, was killed. Thus, Tokhtamysh almost did not have to fight to finish off the remnants of Mamai’s army on the Kalka River - the people themselves went over to a more legitimate ruler. Mamai went to the Genoese in Cafa (present-day Feodosia), but it is clear that they were no longer interested in him. There he was killed. Either by the Genoese, or by Tokhtamysh’s spies: this is not so important, since his fate was predetermined, and his time was over.
“How Mamai passed” - this proverb is still often used in Russian speech. It is used when talking about devastation, defeat. This is one of the few expressions from the era of the Battle of Kulikovo, when Mamaev’s army was defeated.
Childhood and youth
Mamai’s biography has a large number of blank spots, because more than 6 centuries have passed since his birth. Presumably, he was born in 1335 in the capital of the Golden Horde, the city of Sarai-Batu. He was from the Mongolian Kiyat tribe and professed Islam. The name is an ancient Turkic version of the name Muhammad.
A successful marriage with the daughter of the khan of the Golden Horde allowed Mamai to take the post of beklyarbek in 1357: he led the supreme court, the army and conducted foreign policy affairs. Without marrying Tulunbek, Mamai would not have been allowed to reach such a high rank.
Golden Horde
In 1359, after the murder of Berdibek's father-in-law by Khan Kulpa, Mamai declared war on him. From this moment on, the so-called “Great Trouble” in the Horde begins. Since Mamai was not a Genghisid, he could not take the title of khan. Then, in 1361, he proclaimed his protege Abdullah, who came from the Batuid family, as the khan of the White Horde (part of the Golden Horde, the second part was called the Blue Horde).
This step caused protests from other contenders for power. Mamai had to fight nine khans from 1359 to 1370: by 1366 he was able to take control of the western part of the state, from the right bank of the Volga to the Crimea. Periodically, he owned the capital, the city of Saray. In foreign policy, Mamai focused on rapprochement with European states - Venice, Genoa, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and others.
In 1370, the protege Abdullah died, presumably at the hands of Mamai. His place was taken by Muhammad Bulak, an eight-year-old boy from the Batuid clan. De jure he ruled the self-proclaimed Mamaev Horde until 1380, until he died in the Battle of Kulikovo. In fact, Mamai ruled without accepting the khan title.
Temnik's relations with Moscow developed in different ways. In the early years of his reign, Mamai provided support to the capital; in 1363, an agreement was signed with Metropolitan Alexy to reduce tribute. Moscow Prince Dmitry recognized the power of Mamai and Khan Abdullah.
However, in 1370, Mamai took the Grand Duchy from him and handed it over to Mikhail Tverskoy. A year later, Dmitry paid a personal visit to the residence of the beklarbek and returned the label. The enmity between the two states escalated after the Tatar squad that accompanied the ambassadors of Mamai was beaten in Nizhny Novgorod in 1374. The “great peace” began, which ended only with the Battle of Kulikovo.
In 1377, the young khan of the Golden Horde began to conquer the lands: in the spring of 1378 he conquered the eastern part, the Blue Horde. Next he went to the western part, the White Horde, where Mamai actually ruled. By the beginning of 1380, Tokhtamysh managed to return almost the entire territory of the Golden Horde; only Crimea and the Northern Black Sea region remained under the control of Mamai.
In such difficult conditions, Mamai decides to organize a campaign against Rus' in order to collect more tribute. Taking into account the fact that the horde's troops were impoverished, the ruler's advisers hired mercenaries for money - Circassians, Genoese, etc. The culmination of the fight against the Russians was the Battle of Kulikovo Field, which took place on September 8, 1380. The head of the Russian army was the Moscow prince Dmitry Donskoy.
Modern scientists disagree on the assessment of the size of the Golden Horde army. Some say that Mamai had 60 thousand people, others believe that from 100 to 150 thousand. The troops of Dmitry Donskoy were first estimated at 200-400 thousand people, later dropped to 30 thousand. Archaeologists who carried out excavations on the Kulikovo field, We are sure that there were from 5 to 10 thousand participants on both sides, and the battle lasted not 3 hours, as described in the chronicles, but 20-30 minutes.
Information about the battle has been preserved in four written sources: “Zadonshchina”, “The Tale of the Battle of Mamayev”, “A Brief Chronicle Tale of the Battle of Kulikovo”, “A Long Chronicle Tale of the Battle of Kulikovo”. The term “Battle of Kulikovo” was introduced into science in “History of the Russian State.”
The troops converged in the area where the Nepryadva River flows into the Don, now the territory of the Tula region. For a long time, the reason for the lack of burials on the Kulikovo Field remained a mystery; excavations ended with the discovery of weapons. However, in 2006, thanks to new ground penetrating radars, supposed mass graves of the dead were discovered. The absence of bone remains was explained by the chemical activity of chernozem, which quickly destructs tissue.
On the morning of September 8, the troops waited until the fog cleared. The battle began with small skirmishes, after which the famous duel with Chelubey took place, in which both died. Dmitry Donskoy first watched the battle in the guard regiment, then joined the ranks, exchanging clothes with the Moscow boyar.
Mamai watched the battle from afar. As soon as he realized that the army was defeated, and the Russian ambush regiment was finishing off the remnants of his warriors, the Tatars, led by the ruler, took flight. The proclaimed young khan, under whom Mamai was a beklarbek, died on the battlefield.
From September 9 to 16, the dead were buried on the field. A church was built on the mass grave, which has not survived to this day. Since 1848, a monument designed by A.P. Bryullov has stood on the Kulikovo Field. Historians believe that Dmitry Donskov’s victory on the Kulikovo Field brought Rus' closer to liberation from foreign domination. For the Horde, the defeat of Mamai contributed to its consolidation under the rule of a single khan, Tokhtamysh.
After the defeat on the Kulikovo Field, Mamai tried to reassemble the army to take revenge on Dmitry Donskoy. However, the next blow to Rus' failed to take place, since Khan Tokhtamysh was actively trying to recapture Mamai’s last possessions.
In September 1380, the armies of Mamai and Tokhtamysh met in the Battle of Kalki. According to surviving memories, there was no direct battle - the bulk of Mamaev’s army simply went over to Tokhtamysh’s side. Mamai did not dare to confront them and fled to Crimea. With the victory of Tokhtamysh, a long internecine war ended, and the Golden Horde became a single state.
Personal life
Mamai took Tulunbek, the daughter of the Khan of the Golden Horde Berdibek, as his senior wife. The marriage was beneficial for the temnik; he was given the title of the khan’s son-in-law, “gurgen.” Thanks to his closeness with Berdibek, Mamai received the position of beklarbek - first minister. This is the highest rank that a “nechingizid” could claim.
In 1380, after Mamai lost the Battle of Kalka, he fled to Crimea, where he was killed. Tulunbek, along with his harem - younger wives - went to Tokhtamysh. He decided to marry Mamai’s widow to increase his own legitimacy in the eyes of the capital’s nobility.
Six years later, a conspiracy was formed against Tokhtamysh, information about which has not been preserved. They probably tried to replace him on the throne with a descendant of Batu. It is believed that the participants in the conspiracy were adherents of Mamai, led by Tulunbek. Tokhtamysh executed his wife, suspecting her of treason.
It is not possible to say exactly how many children Mamai had. It is known that one of his sons, Mansur Kiyatovich, left Crimea after the death of his father and created an autonomous principality between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Golden Horde, which later became part of Lithuania.
His son Alexa converted to Orthodoxy in 1392, receiving the name Alexander. He married his own son to Princess Anastasia of Ostrog. Mansur's second descendant, Skider, became the head of the Cumans in the western part of the Northern Black Sea region.
In the 16th century, the princes began to be called Glinsky in official Lithuanian documents, after the name of the city of Glinsk, where the residence was located. Presumably, this is modern Zolotonosha. The Glinskys are an extinct Lithuanian family from which the mother came. Thus, one of the descendants of Mamai turned out to be the Grand Duke of Moscow and All Rus'.
The Dashkevich, Vishnevetsky, Ruzhinsky, Ostrozhsky families are also considered descendants of Mamai. These princely families played an important role in the formation of modern Zaporozhye.
Another descendant of the beklarbek is the Ukrainian Cossack Mamai. In 2003, a film directed by Oles Sanin was released about the latter. The film is based on the author’s version of the origin of the legend about the Ukrainian Mamai. Half of the film's budget came from the director's personal savings.
Death
At the time of his death, Mamai was 45 years old, the cause of death was murder. There are several legends about how Mamai died. It is known that after the defeat from the troops of Tokhtamysh, Mamai fled to the Kafu fortress (modern Feodosia). He had with him the wealth he had accumulated over his life. The Genoese living in the fortress first accepted him in exchange for part of the treasures, and then killed him on the orders of Tokhtamysh.
According to other sources, Mamai was handed over to Tokhtamysh, who with his own hands stopped the life of the beklarbek. Khan buried him with full honors; the grave is supposedly located in Sheikh-Mamai (the modern name is the village of Aivazovskoye, not far from Feodosia). The mound was accidentally discovered by an artist. According to other sources, Mamai was buried near the walls of Solkhat (the modern urban settlement of Old Crimea).
There is a legend that Temnik Mamai was buried in golden armor on a mound named in his honor, which is located on the territory of the modern city of Volgograd. Numerous excavations on the Mamayev Kurgan did not confirm this version; the tomb was not discovered. Currently, Mamayev Kurgan is known as the monument-ensemble “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad”.
Memory
- 1955 - Karyshkovsky P. O. “Battle of Kulikovo”
- 1981 - Shennikov A. A. “The Principality of the Descendants of Mamai”
- 2010 - Pochekaev R. Yu. “Mamai: The story of an “anti-hero” in history (dedicated to the 630th anniversary of the Battle of Kulikovo)”
- 2010 - Pochekaev R. Yu. “The chronicle Mamai and the historical Mamai (an attempt to debunk stereotypes)”
- 2012 - Pachkalov A. V. “On the issue of personalized coins of Mamai”
Mamai left a significant mark on history: it was under him that the famous Battle of Kulikovo took place. He was a controversial but influential figure of his time. Let's look at who Mamai is, what he did for his country, and what he became famous for.
Origin
Mamai was born around 1335. He came from the Kiyat clan (an ancient Turkic tribe, the representative of which was Genghis Khan himself). Mamai married very profitably, taking as his wife Tulunbek, the daughter of Muhammad Berdibek (the eighth ruler of the Horde).
Berdibek died in 1359. This ended the reign of the Batuid dynasty. Mamai began the so-called “Great Remembrance” period, which lasted almost until his death. He tried to restore the dynasty by making only representatives of the clan khans. However, according to the law of the Golden Horde, they were impostors.
Titles and positions
When answering the question of who Mamai is, one cannot ignore his title and position. He controlled the troops of the Golden Horde from 1361 to 1380 and was a military leader. The Russians called it temnik. This is the military rank of the person who leads the largest group of his army (approximately 10 thousand people). He did not have the rank of khan, since he did not belong to the clan of Genghisid. He was also a beklyarbek - the manager of the Golden Horde state administration.
History of events before the Battle of Kulikovo and the politics of Mamai
When Berdibek, Tulunbek’s father, was killed by Khan Kulpa, Mamai declared war on him and, as already mentioned, the period of the “Great Rebellion” began. For 11 whole years from 1359, Mamai fought with as many as nine khans who opposed the fact that he put Khan Abdullah in charge. In 1366, Mamai conquered some lands in the west of the Golden Horde's possessions (near Crimea) and began to rule there. This weakened the central government. Temporarily he even ruled the capital - New Saray (when he managed to recapture it).
Eastern states did not support Mamai, so he mainly turned to European states for support (most often Lithuanian, Genoa and Venice). Mamai's reign was very controversial. Historians know that at first he supported the Moscow principality, even entered into an agreement with Metropolitan Alexy, who, one might say, ruled Moscow while Prince Dmitry was little. For Russia, the benefit of such an alliance was that Mamai reduced the taxes levied on Russians.
After some time, Mikhailo Alansky himself asked the temnik (remember, that’s what Mamai was called in Rus') to give a label to the principality to Dmitry Donskoy. Alansky gave Temnik many gifts, and he agreed. This is how Dmitry Donskoy, the prince, became dependent on Mamai (Mamai Horde, more precisely, a self-proclaimed state in the Golden Horde), and not on those rulers who ruled in Sarai. Seven years later, Mamai took away the label for the principality from the prince and gave it to Mikhail Tverskoy. But Prince Dmitry, who had already matured at that time, managed to regain this label a year later. It was handed to him by Khan Muhammad Bulak, who was placed on the throne by Mamai.
At the same time, there was a struggle with Tokhtamysh (the legitimate khan of the Horde). He was a Chingizid and from 1377 tried to become a full-fledged ruler. His main goal was to remove Mamai. A year later, he and his troops invaded Temnik's possessions. By 1380, Tokhtamysh returned his lands, and Mamai was left only with the North of the Black Sea region and Crimea. Tokhtamysh won and established legitimate power, and the “Great Zamyatnya” ended. This was almost at the same time as the Battle of Kulikovo, which we will talk about below.
Battle of Kulikovo
To know who Mamai is, you need to understand what role he played in the clash on This battle took place between the troops of Mamai and Dmitry Donskoy. There are several reasons that led to this battle.
Relations between the Mamaev Horde and Moscow worsened when the temnik took away from Donskoy the label already given to him for the Moscow principality. For this, Prince Dmitry stopped paying tribute. Temnik decided to send his ambassadors, but they were all killed by order of the prince, who had many supporters. After this, there were small clashes between the warring parties, but Mamai himself did not attack yet. So far, only Arapsha (the khan of the Blue Horde, serving under Mamai) ravaged some large Russian principalities.
In 1378, Temnik sent his troops to battle with Dmitry, but the Horde were defeated. Around the same time, Mamai began to lose part of his territory, since Tokhtamysh and his people attacked him from the other side. In 1380, preparations for the battle began. Moscow troops led by Dmitry were going to head to the Don through Kolomna. The main regiment was headed by Donskoy himself, the second regiment was commanded by Vladimir the Brave, and the third by Gleb Bryansky. Many Russian cities also provided great military support to Prince Dmitry, sending their troops to help.
It is also interesting to note the number of troops. Various sources mention the number of Russian soldiers from 40 thousand to 400 thousand. But many historians believe that these numbers are exaggerated and that the number of soldiers did not exceed 60 thousand. But Mamai’s troops numbered from 100 to 150 thousand people.
The Battle of Kulikovo took place on September 8, 1380 on the banks of the Don on the Kulikovo Field. It is known that the Russians advanced with banners depicting Jesus Christ. At first there were small clashes between the advanced troops, in which the Tatar-Mongol Chelubey and the Russian monk Peresvet died.
Since Mamai’s troops outnumbered Donskoy’s troops, the Russians initially had little chance of victory. But they had certain tactics. They hid the ambush detachments of princes Vladimir Serpukhovsky and Dmitry Bobrok-Volynsky, who were very helpful at the end of the battle. Thus, Mamai’s side began to lose. Almost all the Horde warriors were killed. The battle ended with the flight of the Tatar-Mongols.
This battle was of great importance. Although Rus' still continued to be under the yoke of the Golden Horde, it became more independent, and the Principality of Moscow was greatly strengthened. A hundred years later, Rus' was finally freed from the influence of the Horde.
Death
After losing to the Russian troops and Khan Tokhtamysh, Mamai fled to the territory of present-day Feodosia, but he was not allowed there. Mamai tried to take refuge in the city of Solkhat (now Old Crimea), but did not have time to get there. On his way, he was attacked by Tokhtamysh's people. By this time, all of Mamai’s supporters had gone over to the side of the legitimate ruler, so the temnik had no reliable protection. In a battle with Tokhtamysh's people, he was killed. Khan buried the body of his opponent with honors. His grave (mound) is located in the village of Aivazovskoye near Feodosia (formerly the city of Sheikh-Mamai). Our glorious painter Aivazovsky found the grave.
Rod Mamaia
According to historical genealogies, the descendants of Mamai were princes living in the Principality of Lithuania. The great family of the well-known Glinskys is supposed to have descended from Mansur Kiyatovich, the son of Mamai. The prince, for example, is known for his rebellion in Lithuania, after which he and his family moved to Moscow. Also descendants of Mamai are the families of Ruzhinsky, Vishnevetsky, Ostrozhsky and Dashkevich. The princes of these families are very famous in the history of Zaporozhye as people who did a lot for Ukraine militarily.
Several educational facts are known about Mamaia’s temnik:
- There is a saying “like Mamai passed”, which means disorder, devastation. They also say this about a person who left behind a mess. This expression occurred after Mamai’s troops successfully devastated the cities of Rus'.
- In addition to numerous historical books and sources, the name of the temnik is mentioned in the song “Mamai” (performer: Ukrainian group “Vopli Vidoplyasova”). But here it is worth noting the fact that there is such a concept as “Cossack Mamai” - which means a collective image of the Cossack hero of Ukraine. But the name did not come from the name of the temnik, but from the ancient word “mamayuvati” (to travel, to lead a free lifestyle). So it has nothing to do with the temnik.
Conclusion
We found out who Mamai is. beklyarbek and military leader of the Golden Horde, unofficial ruler of the self-proclaimed state of Mamaev Horde. He managed to win the trust of many Tatar-Mongols and achieve many victories.
He became famous for his successful campaigns against Rus', but at the very end of his life he lost in the great Battle of Kulikovo, and a little later to Khan Tokhtamysh, with whom he fought for power for a long time. His mistakes led to the weakening of the influence of the Golden Horde, and to his death.
