Mongol-Tatar invasion

By the end of the XII - beginning of the XIII century, the Mongolian state occupied a vast territory from Baikal and Amur in the east to the upper reaches of the Irtysh and Yenisei in the west, from the Great Wall of China in the south to the borders of southern Siberia in the north. The main occupation of the Mongols was nomadic cattle breeding, therefore the main source of enrichment was constant raids to seize prey and slaves, pasture territories.

The Mongol army was a powerful organization consisting of foot squads and mounted warriors, which were the main offensive force. All units were shackled by brutal discipline, intelligence was well established. The Mongols had siege equipment at their disposal. At the beginning of the XIII century, the Mongol hordes conquer and destroy the largest Central Asian cities - Bukhara, Samarkand, Urgench, Merv. Having passed through the Transcaucasia, which they had turned into ruins, the Mongol troops entered the steppes of the northern Caucasus, and, having defeated the Polovtsian tribes, the hordes of the Mongol-Tatars, led by Genghis Khan, advanced along the Black Sea steppes in the direction of Russia.

They were opposed by the united army of Russian princes, commanded by the Kiev prince Mstislav Romanovich. This decision was made at the princely congress in Kiev, after the Polovtsian khans turned to the Russians for help. The battle took place in May 1223 on the Kalka River. Polovtsi fled almost from the very beginning of the battle. The Russian troops found themselves face to face with an as yet unfamiliar enemy. They knew neither the organization of the Mongol army, nor the methods of fighting. The Russian regiments lacked unity and coordination of actions. One part of the princes led their squads into battle, the other preferred to wait.

Having destroyed the Vladimir land, the Mongols moved to Novgorod. But because of the spring thaw, they were forced to turn towards the Volga steppes. Only the next year Batu again moved his troops to conquer southern Russia. Having seized Kiev, they passed through the Galicia-Volyn principality to Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. After that, the Mongols returned to the Volga steppes, where they formed the state of the Golden Horde. As a result of these campaigns, the Mongols conquered all Russian lands, with the exception of Novgorod. The Tatar yoke hung over Russia, which continued until the end of the XIV century.