Devlet Giray in 1571. Khan Giray: biography. Girey Dynasty. Crimean king dog

On June 3, 1571, during the Great Crimean raid on Russian lands, the army of Khan Devlet-Girey broke through to Moscow. The Tatars plundered and burned the capital of the kingdom of Moscow, which burned out almost completely; only the Kremlin survived. Having taken large booty and the great army, the khan returned to Crimea.

In the spring of 1571, Devlet-Girey gathered a large army for a campaign against Rus'. The number of Tatar armies at that time could only be approximately indicated, since the steppe units were not particularly disciplined and could join or leave the main horde at any time. According to various estimates, from 60 to 120 thousand took part in this campaign, although the last figure indicated in the chronicle is considered exaggerated by historians.

The moment for the campaign was chosen very well - the main forces of the Russian kingdom at that moment were tied up by the Livonian War. As a result, the “coastal governors” on the Oka had at their disposal no more than 6 thousand warriors.

Initially, the Crimean Khan did not intend to go to Moscow at all, intending to limit himself to a raid on the Kozelsky places for plunder and capture. However, having received messages from defectors about the small number of Russian troops, Devlet-Girey changed his plans. His army bypassed the Serpukhov Oka fortifications from the west and, having forded the Ugra, flanked the small Russian border army. After the defeat of the Russian vanguard, the Tatars rushed to Moscow, threatening to cut off the retreat routes to the north for the small Russian troops. Unable to stop the enemy’s advance, the governors retreated to the capital, where the surrounding population also fled. Meanwhile, Tsar Ivan IV himself left for Rostov.

Moving quickly, the khan approached Moscow on the shoulders of the retreating governors, destroying the camp they had abandoned in a hurry near Kolomenskoye. On June 3, 1571, Crimean troops ravaged unprotected settlements and villages around Moscow, after which they set fire to the outskirts of the capital. Thanks to strong winds, the fire quickly spread throughout the city. Driven by the fire, citizens and refugees rushed to the northern gates of the capital. A crush arose at the gates and narrow streets, people “walked in three rows over each other’s heads, and the top ones crushed those who were under them.”

The Zemstvo army, instead of giving battle to the Tatars in the field or on the outskirts of the city, began to retreat to the center of Moscow and, mingling with the refugees, lost order; Voivode Prince Belsky died in a fire, suffocating in the cellar of his house. Within three hours, Moscow burned to the ground. The fire was so strong that even the Tatars themselves were prevented from plundering in the outskirts.

The regiment of governor Mikhail Vorotynsky, who settled in the Kremlin, managed to repel all the Tatar attacks, but the khan did not dare to besiege the stone fortress, having heard about the approach of a large Russian army. The next day, the Tatars and Nogais with huge booty left along the Ryazan road to the steppe.

It is difficult for historians to accurately determine the number of dead and captured: figures range from 60 to 150 thousand taken into slavery and from 10 to 80 thousand killed during the Tatar attack on Moscow. The terrible devastation of Moscow is evidenced by the papal legate Possevino, who in 1580 numbered no more than 30 thousand people, although back in 1520 there were 41,500 houses and at least 100 thousand inhabitants in Moscow.

Having won such an impressive victory, Devlet-Girey demanded that the Russian Tsar give up Astrakhan and Kazan, otherwise threatening a new campaign. Stunned by the defeat, Ivan the Terrible replied in a reply message that he agreed to transfer Astrakhan under Crimean control, but refused to return Kazan to the Gireys. Confident in his military superiority, the khan did not make this “half-hearted” decision, which ultimately saved the Russian state from territorial losses.

Inspired by his success, Devlet-Girey put forward a plan for the complete defeat and subjugation of the Russian state, which found support from the Ottoman administration in Istanbul. And the very next year, a huge one hundred thousand Crimean-Turkish army again moved towards Moscow. However, this time he faced a stunning defeat at the Battle of Molodi from the 25,000-strong Russian army under the command of governor Mikhail Vorotynsky. This defeat negated all the previous successes of the Crimean Khan.

Khan, who committed mischief on the Izyumsky Way

In the history of the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, generally controversial, the year 1571 stands out, in which the ruler of Russia, despite his nickname, could not avoid the greatest humiliation, which largely influenced his subsequent policies.

After the collapse of the Golden Horde, several state formations existed around the emerging Russian state, remaining after the fall of the Tatar-Mongol empire.

Almost all of them were in hostile relations with the Russian state and carried out regular raids on Russian border territories, robbing, killing and capturing civilians. Such raids contributed to the widespread development of the slave trade in the khanates formed on the ruins of the Golden Horde.

With the strengthening of the Russian state, Russian monarchs began to solve the problem of restless neighbors. Under Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the Kazan and Astrakhan Khanates were annexed to Russia.

The icon “Blessed is the army of the Heavenly King,” painted in memory of the Kazan campaign of 1552. Source: wikipedia.org

Another serious opponent of Russia was the Crimean Khanate, the head of which in 1551 was Khan Devlet-Girey, appointed Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

Devlet-Girey was an irreconcilable opponent of Rus', and after the fall of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates he actively sought to restore their independence.

The confrontation between Russia and the Crimean Khanate will last for many years and will take place with varying degrees of success. The legendary words from the film “Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession” about the Crimean Khan, who commits outrages on the Izyum Highway, are the pure truth.

In the first period of his reign, Ivan the Terrible, who took Kazan and Astrakhan, quite successfully repelled Devlet-Girey’s attempts to ruin the Russian lands.

War and internal strife

The situation changed radically after Russia entered the Livonian War, the purpose of which was to secure access to the Baltic Sea for our state. The war, which was initially successful for the Russians, eventually resulted in a protracted conflict that ended in failure for Russia.

Devlet-Girey, taking advantage of the distraction of the main Russian military forces in the western direction, began to carry out devastating raids on southern Russian lands almost every year.

The internal Russian conflict did not allow one to cope with this threat - Ivan the Terrible, who sought to strengthen the autocracy, encountered resistance from the Boyar Duma, which sought to limit the powers of the monarch.

Ivan the Terrible began to directly interpret failures in the Livonian War as evidence of internal treason.

To combat the boyar opposition, the institution of oprichnina was introduced - the tsar himself took under his personal control a number of lands, on which a special royal army was formed to fight the traitors. An army was formed from young nobles, who were opposed to the noble boyars. At the same time, all other lands of the state that were not included in the oprichnina were called “zemshchina” and even received their own king - the Tatar prince Simeon Bekbulatovich, appointed by Ivan the Terrible.

The oprichnina army led by the tsar launched terror against the opponents of Ivan the Terrible, both imaginary and real. In 1570, at the peak of the oprichnina, Novgorod was destroyed, accused of trying to go over to the side of the enemy.

During this period, the creators and leaders of the oprichnina themselves fell under the flywheel of repression. At the same time, the fighting qualities of the oprichnina army, accustomed not to war, but to punitive actions, were extremely low, which will clearly manifest itself in 1571.

Russian disaster

In the spring of 1571, the Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey, having gathered a large army, numbering, according to various estimates, from 40 to 120 thousand Crimean Horde and Nogais, set out on a campaign against Rus'.

A year before, Prince Vorotynsky assessed the state of the guard service on the southern borders of Rus' as extremely unsatisfactory. However, the initiated reforms did not manage to change the situation.

The main forces of the Russian army continued to fight in the Livonian War, and no more than 6,000 warriors tried to prevent Devlet-Girey’s army. The Crimean Tatars successfully crossed the Ugra, bypassed the Russian fortifications on the Oka River and struck the flank of the Russian army.

The warriors, unable to withstand the blow, retreated in panic, opening the way to Moscow for Devlet-Girey. Ivan the Terrible himself, having learned that the enemy was already several miles from his headquarters, was forced to flee to the north.

It is known that initially Devlet-Girey did not set the task of advancing to Moscow, however, having learned about the weakness of the Russian army and the weakening of Rus' as a whole due to several lean years, the Livonian War and the oprichnina, he decided to take advantage of the favorable situation.

By May 23, Devlet-Girey’s army approached Moscow. All that the few Russian troops managed to do was take up defensive positions on the outskirts of Moscow. Ivan the Terrible was not in the capital.
All Saints Bridge and the Kremlin at the end of the 17th century. Painting by Apollinary Vasnetsov Photo: Public Domain

The only safe place was the Kremlin, which the Crimean Tatars could not take without heavy guns. However, Devlet-Girey did not even try to storm the fortress, on May 24 he began plundering the unprotected part of the settlement, where traders, artisans and refugees were located, flocking from the cities through which the Crimean army had previously passed.

The Tatars virtually robbed and set fire to estates with impunity. A strong wind scattered the fire throughout the city, resulting in a fire that engulfed the whole of Moscow. Explosions occurred in cellars in the city, collapsing part of the fortress walls. The fire penetrated the Kremlin, iron rods burst in the Faceted Chamber, and the Oprichnina Courtyard and the Tsar's palace were completely burned down, where even the bells melted.

The wounded commander-in-chief of the Russian troops, Prince Belsky, burned in the basement of a Kremlin house.

Triumph of Devlet-Girey

Survivors of this nightmare wrote that crowds of people rushed in panic to the city gates farthest from the Tatars, trying to escape. Some suffocated in the smoke, others burned in the fire, others were crushed to death in a mad stampede, others, fleeing the fire, threw themselves into the Moscow River and drowned, so that soon it was literally filled with the corpses of the unfortunate.

After three hours of fire, Moscow was practically burned to the ground. The next day, Devlet-Girey went back with the booty and captives, destroying Kashira along the way and ravaging the Ryazan lands. The defeated Russian army was unable to pursue him.

Contemporaries wrote that just cleaning up the corpses of Muscovites and refugees who died in the capital on May 24, 1571 took two months. The city being restored had to be populated by people who were resettled from other cities.

Assessing the damage from the invasion is extremely difficult. According to foreigners, by 1520 at least 100,000 people lived in Moscow, and as of 1580 this number was no more than 30 thousand.

Up to 80 thousand inhabitants of Rus' became victims of the Crimean invasion, and up to 150 thousand were taken captive. A number of historians consider these figures to be overestimated, however, the losses were colossal.

Shocked and humiliated, Ivan the Terrible was ready to transfer the Kazan Khanate to Devlet-Girey, but refused to return the independence of Kazan. At the same time, disappointed in the guardsmen, Ivan the Terrible began to curtail the policy of mass repression. Soon even the mention of the word “oprichnina” was prohibited.

The incredible success, however, stunned not only Ivan the Terrible, but also Devlet-Girey. Having received the nickname “Took the Throne” after a military campaign, he declared his intention not only to take possession of Astrakhan, but also to subjugate the entire Russian state.

Counter attack

Foundation stone in memory of the victory in the Battle of Molodi in 1572. Photo: wikipedia.org

In 1572, fulfilling his plans, Devlet-Girey moved to Rus' with a 120,000-strong Crimean-Ottoman army. Having overcome small Russian outposts on the Oka River, he rushed to Moscow.

However, this time the Russians were ready to meet a dangerous enemy. In the Battle of Molodi, which lasted from July 29 to August 2, 1572, the Russian army under the command of governor Mikhail Vorotynsky, Dmitry Khvorostinin and Ivan Sheremetyev defeated the forces of Devlet-Girey.

The Russians, having fewer forces, proved themselves to be much more skilled warriors than the Crimean Tatars, who clearly overestimated their strength after the raid of 1571.

The defeat was complete - those who fled from the battlefield drowned in the Oka, pursued by the Russian cavalry. Among the dead were many Crimean nobility, including the Khan's son, grandson and son-in-law. Many of Devlet-Girey’s associates were captured.

In fact, the Crimean Khanate lost its male combat-ready population. Devlet-Girey no longer carried out raids on Rus', and his successors limited themselves only to forays of small detachments into the border territories.

The Russian shame of 1571 was avenged, but will never be forgotten.

Battle of Molodi- a major battle in which Russian troops defeated the army of the Crimean Khan Devlet I Giray, which included, in addition to the Crimean troops themselves, Turkish and Nogai detachments. Despite more than twofold numerical superiority, the 40,000-strong Crimean army was put to flight and almost completely killed. In terms of its significance, the Battle of Molodi is comparable to Kulikovo and other key battles in Russian history. Victory in the battle allowed Russia to maintain its independence and became a turning point in the confrontation between the Muscovite state and the Crimean Khanate, which abandoned its claims to the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates and henceforth lost most of its power.

FIFTY MIRS FROM MOSCOW

and the Crimean Tsar came to Moscow, and with him were his 100 thousand and twenty, and his son Tsarevich, and his grandson, and his uncle, and the governor Diviy Murza - and God help our Moscow governors over the Crimean power of the Tsar, Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Vorotynsky and other governors of the Moscow sovereign, and the Crimean Tsar fled from them inappropriately, not by path or by road, in a small squad; and our commanders of the Crimean Tsar killed 100 thousand on Rozhai on the rivers, near Resurrection in Molody, on Lopasta, in the Khotyn district, there was a case with Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Vorotynsky, with the Crimean Tsar and his governors... and there was a case from Moscow fifty miles away.

Novgorod Chronicle

MEANT MUCH, KNOWN LITTLE

The Battle of Molodin in 1572 is an important stage in the history of Russia’s struggle against the Crimean Khanate in the 16th century. The Russian state, busy at that time with the Livonian War, i.e., the struggle with the bloc of European powers (Sweden, Denmark, the Polish-Lithuanian state), was forced to simultaneously repel the onslaught of joint Turkish-Tatar attacks. Of the 24 years of the Livonian War, 21 years were marked by attacks by the Crimean Tatars. In the late 60s - first half of the 70s. Crimean raids on Russia intensified sharply. In 1569, on the Turkish initiative, an attempt was made to capture Astrakhan, which ended in complete failure. In 1571, a large Crimean army led by Khan Devlet-Girey invaded Russia and burned Moscow. The next year, 1572, Devlet-Girey with a huge army again appeared within Russia. In a series of battles, of which the most decisive and fierce was the Battle of Molodi, the Tatars were completely defeated and put to flight. However, there is still no special research on the Battle of Molodinsky in 1572, which is partly due to the lack of sources on this issue.

The range of published sources telling about the Battle of Molodi is still very limited. This is a brief testimony of the Novgorod II Chronicle and a short chronicler of time, published by Acad. M. N. Tikhomirov, books of rank - a short edition ("Sovereign's rank") and an abbreviated edition. In addition, an interesting story about the victory over the Crimean Tatars in 1572 was published, which was also used by A. Lyzlov and N. M. Karamzin; G. Staden provides interesting data in his notes and autobiography, who in some cases was a witness, in others a participant in the events of 1572. Finally, S. M. Seredonin published the order of the prince. M.I. Vorotynsky, commander-in-chief of the Russian army during the Battle of Molodin, and a painting of this army, but this publication is extremely unsatisfactory.

Website "Oriental Literature"

PROGRESS OF THE BATTLE

On July 28, forty-five versts from Moscow, near the village of Molodi, Khvorostinin’s regiment began a battle with the rearguard of the Tatars, commanded by the sons of the khan with selected cavalry. Devlet Giray sent 12,000 soldiers to help his sons. A large regiment of Russian troops set up a mobile fortress at Molodi - “walk-city”, and entered there. The advanced regiment of Prince Khvorostinin, with difficulty withstanding the attacks of three times the strongest enemy, retreated to the “walk-city” and with a quick maneuver to the right took its soldiers to the side, bringing the Tatars under deadly artillery and squeal fire - “many Tatars were beaten.” Devlet Giray, who on July 29 settled down to rest in a swampy area seven kilometers north of the Pakhra River near Podolsk, was forced to stop the attack on Moscow and, fearing a stab in the back - “that’s why he was afraid, did not go to Moscow, because the sovereign’s boyars and governors were following him “- he returned back, intending to defeat Vorotynsky’s army - “nothing will prevent us from fearlessly hunting over Moscow and the cities.” Both sides were preparing for battle - “they fought with the Crimean people, but there was no real battle.”

On July 30, a five-day battle began at Molodi, between Podolsk and Serpukhov. The Moscow state, practically crushed by the power of the Tsar, who was in Novgorod and had already written a letter to Devlet Giray with a proposal to give him both Kazan and Astrakhan, in case of defeat, could again lose its independence, won in a difficult struggle.

The large regiment was located in the “walk-city”, placed on a hill, surrounded by dug ditches. At the foot of the hill across the Rozhai River stood three thousand archers with arquebuses. The remaining troops covered the flanks and rear. Having launched an assault, several tens of thousands of Tatars knocked out the Streltsy, but were unable to capture the “Walk-Gorod”, suffered heavy losses and were repulsed. On July 31, the entire army of Devlet Giray went to storm the “walk-city”. The fierce assault lasted the whole day; the leader of the Nogais, Tereberdey-Murza, died during the assault. All Russian troops took part in the battle, except for the regiment of the left hand, which especially guarded the “Walk-Gorod”. “And on that day there was a lot of battle, the wallpaper left a lot of wallpaper, and the water was mixed with blood. And by evening the regiments were exhausted into convoys, and the Tatars went into their camps.”

On August 1, Devey-Murza himself led the Tatars to the assault - “I will take the Russian convoy: and they will tremble and be horrified, and we will beat them.” Having carried out several unsuccessful attacks and trying in vain to break into the “walk-city” - “he climbed onto the convoy many times in order to tear it apart,” Divey-Murza with a small retinue went on a reconnaissance mission to identify the weakest points of the Russian mobile fortress. The Russians made a sortie, near Divey, who began to leave, his horse stumbled and fell, and the second man after the khan in the Tatar army was captured by the Suzdalian Temir-Ivan Shibaev, son of Alalykin - “the argamak tripped under him, and he did not sit still. And then they took him from the Argamaks, dressed in armor. The Tatar attack became weaker than before, but the Russian people became braver and, climbing out, fought and beat many Tatars in that battle.” The assault stopped.

On this day, Russian troops captured many prisoners. Among them was the Tatar prince Shirinbak. When asked about the future plans of the Crimean Khan, he replied: “Even though I am a prince, I don’t know the prince’s thoughts; The princess’s thought is now all yours: you took Diveya-Murza, he was an industrialist for everything.” Divey, who said he was a simple warrior, was identified. Heinrich Staden later wrote: “We captured the main military commander of the Crimean king Divey-Murza and Khazbulat. But no one knew their language. We thought it was some small murza. The next day, a Tatar, a former servant of Divey Murza, was captured. He was asked - how long will the Crimean Tsar last? The Tatar answered: “Why are you asking me about this! Ask my master Divey-Murza, whom you captured yesterday.” Then everyone was ordered to bring their polonyaniki. The Tatar pointed to Divey-Murza and said: “Here he is - Divey-Murza!” When they asked Divey-Murza: “Are you Divey-Murza?”, he answered: “No, I’m not a big Murza!” And soon Divey-Murza boldly and impudently said to Prince Mikhail Vorotynsky and all the governors: “Oh, you peasants! How dare you, pathetic ones, compete with your master, the Crimean Tsar!” They answered: “You yourself are in captivity, and yet you are threatening.” To this, Divey-Murza objected: “If the Crimean Tsar had been captured instead of me, I would have freed him, and I would have driven all of you peasants into Crimea!” The governors asked: “How would you do it?” Divey-Murza answered: “I would starve you to death in your walking city in 5-6 days.” For he knew well that the Russians beat and ate their horses, on which they must ride against the enemy.” Indeed, the defenders of the “walk-city” had almost no water or provisions all this time.

On August 2, Devlet Giray resumed the assault on the “walk-city”, trying to recapture Divey-Murza - “many regiments of foot and horsemen to the walk-city to knock out Divey-Murza.” During the assault, Vorotynsky’s large regiment secretly left the “walk-city” and, moving along the bottom of the ravine behind the hill, went to the rear of the Tatar army. The regiment of Prince Dmitry Khvorostinin with artillery and the German reiters who remained in the “walk-city” fired a cannon salvo at the agreed signal, left the fortifications and again started a battle, during which a large regiment of Prince Vorotynsky struck the Tatar rear. “The battle was great.” The Tatar army was completely destroyed; according to some sources, the son and grandson of Devlet Giray, as well as all seven thousand Janissaries, were killed in the wheelhouse. The Russians captured many Tatar banners, tents, convoys, artillery and even the khan's personal weapons. Throughout the next day, the remnants of the Tatars drove to the Oka, twice knocking down and destroying the rearguards of Devlet Girey, who brought back to the Crimea only every fifth warrior from among those who took part in the campaign. Andrei Kurbsky wrote that after the Battle of Molodin, the Turks who went on a campaign with the Tatars “all disappeared and, they say, not a single one returned to Constantinople.” On August 6, Ivan the Terrible also learned about Molodin’s victory. Divey Murza was brought to him in Novgorod on August 9.

THE DOG OF THE CRIMEA KING

Song about the invasion of the Crimean Tatars into Rus'

“And not a strong cloud has clouded,

and the thunder thundered loudly:

Where is the dog of the Crimean king going?

And to the powerful kingdom of Moscow:

“And now we will go to stone Moscow,

and we’ll go back and take Rezan.”

And how will they be at the Oka River,

and then they will begin to erect white tents.

“And think with your whole mind:

who should sit with us in stone Moscow,

and to whom we have in Volodymer,

and who should sit with us in Suzdal,

and who will keep Rezan Staraya with us,

and to whom we have in Zvenigorod,

and who should sit with us in Novgorod?”

Divi-Murza's son Ulanovich comes out:

“And you are our sovereign, the Crimean king!

And you, sir, can sit with us in stone Moscow,

And to your son in Volodymer,

and to your nephew in Suzdal,

and to my relatives in Zvenigorod,

and the stable boyar will keep Rezan Staraya,

and for me, sir, perhaps the New City:

I have light-good-days lying there, father,

Divi-Murza son of Ulanovich."

From the collection “Songs Recorded for Richard James in 1619-1620.” Date of creation: end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th centuries.

AFTER THE BATTLE

The firmness shown by the Moscow state in response to Turkish claims to Kazan and Astrakhan, successful military operations against the Crimean Khan Devlet Giray, in whose ranks, as is known, there were not only Nogais (Murza Keremberdeev with 20 thousand people), but also 7 thousand Janissaries sent Khan by the Grand Vizier Mehmed Pasha, and finally, the successful raid of the Don Cossacks in 1572 on Azov, when they, taking advantage of the devastation of the city from the explosion of a gunpowder warehouse, caused great damage to the Turkish garrison - all this somewhat sobered up the Sultan’s government. In addition, Turkey after 1572 was distracted by the struggle that Sultan Selim II had to wage in Wallachia and Moldavia, and then in Tunisia.

That is why, when Selim II died in 1574, the new Turkish Sultan Murad III decided to send a special envoy to Moscow with notification of the death of Selim II and his accession to the throne.

This was a sign of reconciliation, especially pleasant for Russia, since Murad III's predecessor, his father Selim II, did not consider it necessary to notify the Moscow government of his accession.

However, Turkish politeness did not at all mean a renunciation of a hostile offensive policy.

The strategic task of the Turks was to form a continuous line of their possessions through Azov and the North Caucasus, which, starting from the Crimea, would encircle the Russian state from the south. If this task was successfully completed, the Turks could not only stop all relations between Russia and Georgia and Iran, but also keep these countries under attack and the constant threat of a surprise attack.

Russian historian I.I. Smirnov

Having drunk to the fullest extent of cosmopolitanism and liberal-subject disbelief in their own strengths, suppressing, just in case, all attempts to pronounce, read, write, publish the word “Russian”, the political elite came to the need, no, ran into the need to resuscitate such an archaic, such an uncomfortable and rough, such a dangerous and unpredictable social trend as patriotism.

But, since the word “ideology” has been completely erased from state legal circulation, the actions and volitional decisions of the top are not correlated with the concept of “ideology,” just as it is impossible to correlate the philosophical debate “What comes first: the chicken or the egg” with a bluish chicken carcass on a market counter .

And since the scientific and ideological approach to solving the problem of strengthening patriotic sentiments in society is not available to the elite, a wide variety of, sometimes exotic, ways of raising the patriotic spirit are used. For example, the creation of the Ministry of Patriotism. Well, maybe not ministries, but certainly the departmental structure “Rospatriotism”.

Actually, this method of solving almost any Russian problem has ceased to be exotic. Somehow he has become so familiar that it does not cause bewilderment among most Russians. The authorities, it seems, do not know any other ways to solve pressing government problems other than creating another budget-absorbing state structure.

However, since the Ministry of Stupidity has already been created, it needs to be occupied with something. So that at least a little justifies the investment of budget funds. The Soviet game “Zarnitsa” is good, but it makes sense when it makes sense, that is, it is filled with meaning and content. Otherwise, it will certainly turn into a scout movement, but this is no longer patriotism, but another round of liberal servility and loyal love for a foreign homeland and culture.

So I propose to occupy the Russian state agency “Rospatriotism”, and with it the “young, unfamiliar tribe”, with the important and necessary task of clearing the rubble of our native history, restoring its true face, real facts and historical justice, true exploits and glory, forgotten and deliberately hidden heroes. And this is where the truly Russian patriotic game “Zarnitsa” can find a new life and a new, lively and interesting development.

And to spark interest, I’ll tell you about a small episode of our native history, which, at the whim of several generations of the elite, remains known only to a small circle of specialists and lovers of Russian history.

The year was 1572. For several years in a row, the Russian land has been torn by plague and famine. The plague was brought from Europe by “Aglitsky” trading people, but Russia, with its bathhouses and habit of cleanliness, quite successfully resisted it. But four consecutive lean years of famine took their toll - the plague wiped out almost three-quarters of the population. Almost everyone seemed to have died out. The Tatars drove young women and children into slavery, and killed everyone else. The south of the country was so deserted that, according to a contemporary, a Jewish money changer and slave buyer sitting on Perekop, observing the endless lines of captives, asked in amazement: “Are there still people left in that country?”

Those who still had the strength and means to move, by the spring of 1571, were drawn closer to Moscow, hoping to find bread, shelter and protection there from the endless raids of the Crimean Tatars, who were insolent before their eyes. But in May 1571, the Crimean Khan with 40 thousand troops, taking advantage of the betrayal of the boyars and the conspiracy with Poland, approached Moscow and did not take it by storm, but set it on fire. Sovereign Ivan IV Vasilyevich (not Grozny, he became Terrible no earlier than the 18th century) barely managed to carry off his legs and the remains of the treasury to Novgorod.

Moscow burned completely, tens of thousands of people died in the fire. There was no one left to protect her. On the way back, the Tatar army massacred 36 Russian cities, destroyed hundreds of thousands of Russian people, drove tens of thousands into captivity, where Jewish resellers sold them into slavery in Istanbul.

It seemed that nothing could save Rus' from dismemberment and ruin. It seemed as if the state no longer existed. The sovereign was forced to enter into humiliating negotiations with the Crimean Khan and promise him the Astrakhan Khanate in exchange for a respite from the raids. However, Khan Devlet I Giray no longer wanted the Astrakhan or Kazan Khanates; he boldly and boastfully wrote to the king that he was now only interested in his head and his throne. To top it off, the khan sent the king a dagger so that “Ivan would stab himself.”

In the summer of 1572, the khan again gathered an army of 120 thousand mounted warriors - Tatars and Nogais, 33 thousand Turks with artillery and 7 thousand Turkish Janissaries. The Khan was so confident of an easy and quick victory that even before the start of the campaign he gave away Russian lands and cities to his relatives, in-laws and close Murzas.
For the defense of Moscow, which had not yet been restored after last year’s fire, Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich was able to gather the oprichnina and zemstvo troops numbering just over 20 thousand people, which in itself was a miracle. Exact lists of those who stood up under the command of Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Vorotynsky to defend the capital in the summer of 1572, numbering 20,034 people, and an unknown number of those who arrived from the Don to help the Cossacks of Mikhail Cherkashin (from two to three thousand people) have been preserved.

All this “border” army, armed with cannons and arquebuses, and the zemstvo with pitchforks, scythes and axes, stood on the Oka River in the area of ​​​​Kolomna and Serpukhov, 50 versts from Moscow.

On July 27, the Crimean-Turkish army approached the Oka and began crossing it in two places - near the village of Drakino (upstream of Serpukhov) and at the confluence of the Lopasni River into the Oka, at Senka Ford.

Here the enemy’s road was blocked by a detachment of 200 “children of the boyars” under the command of Ivan Shuisky. They were attacked by a 20,000-strong vanguard of the Crimean-Turkish army under the command of Murza Teberdei Bey. The enemies outnumbered the defenders of the crossing a hundredfold, despite this, none of the Russians ran. The waters of the Oka turned red from the spilled blood.

All 200 young warriors, the flower and hope of the Russian boyars, laid down their heads in battle at the crossing, holding back the onslaught of the enemy; many enemies fell under their blows.

The surviving remnant of Teberdey-Murza's detachment reached the Pakhra River (not far from modern Podolsk) and stood in anticipation of the main forces, cutting off all roads leading to Moscow. He was no longer capable of more, being pretty battered in the battle at Senka Ford.
In the battle near Drakin, the detachment of commander Divey-Murza defeated the regiment of governor Nikita Odoevsky, thereby opening a direct road to Moscow. Khan rushed to the capital. Prince Vorotynsky did not wait for the enemy to burn the city; he withdrew his troops from the coastline and moved in pursuit.

The Crimean army was pretty stretched out. If its advanced units stood on the Pakhra River, then the rearguard was just approaching the village of Molodi (15 kilometers away), where on July 29 it was overtaken by an advanced detachment of Russian troops under the leadership of the young and brave oprichnina governor Dmitry Ivanovich Khvorostinin. A fierce battle broke out, as a result of which the Crimean rearguard was completely defeated.

Having learned about the defeat of his rearguard and fearing an attack from the rear, Khan Devlet Giray was forced to stop his breakthrough to Moscow and deploy his entire army. Khan decided to first defeat Vorotynsky’s army, which became an unexpected obstacle to the Crimean plans. Without its defeat, the Crimean ruler could not achieve his goal of destroying Rus'.

Dmitry Khvorostinin's detachment found himself face to face with the entire Crimean army. But, correctly assessing the situation, the young prince was not at a loss and with an imaginary retreat lured the enemy to the line of defensive structures, the so-called Walk-city, which by that time had already been deployed on the banks of the Rozhai River (now Rozhai), in which there was a large regiment under the command of Vorotynsky himself . A protracted battle began, for which the Tatars were not prepared.
For a couple of days, maneuver skirmishes took place in the area from Pakhra to Molodi. In them, Devlet Giray probed Vorotynsky’s positions, fearing the approach of troops from Moscow.

When it became clear that the Russian army had nowhere to wait for help, the khan attacked Gulyai-Gorod on July 31. The assault was repulsed; the Tatars, having suffered significant losses, were forced to retreat. Among others, the adviser to the Crimean Khan, Divey-Murza, was killed.
The next day, August 1, the attacks stopped, but the situation in the besieged camp was critical - many were wounded, supplies and water were almost gone.

On August 2, Devlet Giray again led his army to storm, regardless of losses, he decided to capture Gulyai-city at any cost, but the attack was again repulsed - the Crimean cavalry could not take the fortified position located on the hill. For this it was necessary to have a large number of infantry. And then the Crimean Khan made a decision that was unexpected for the steppe inhabitants - he ordered the cavalry to dismount and attack the Gulyai-city on foot together with the Janissaries. Having waited until the main forces of the Crimeans (including the Janissaries) were drawn into a bloody battle for Gulyai-Gorod, Voivode Vorotynsky quietly led out a large regiment, led it through a ravine and struck in the rear of the Tatar army. At the same time, Khvorostinin’s guardsmen also went on the attack from behind the walls of Gulyai-Gorod. Unable to withstand the double blow, the Crimeans and Turks, who were not used to fighting on foot, fled. Panic turned the formidable warriors into an uncontrollable, frightened herd. The battle turned into a regular massacre. The Russians pursued the remnants of the Tatars to the crossing of the Oka River, where their 5,000-strong rearguard guarding the crossing was completely destroyed.
By nightfall the carnage died down.

The losses among the Tatar army were enormous: all seven thousand Janissaries, most of the Tatar Murzas, as well as the son, grandson and son-in-law of Devlet Giray himself were killed. Many high Crimean dignitaries were captured. The remnants of the army were “accompanied” to the very border, mercilessly destroyed.

Of the 120 thousand army, no more than 10 thousand soldiers reached Crimea...
This is how Khan Devlet I Giray’s campaign against Rus' ended ingloriously.

As for the results of this battle, it was the last major battle between Russia and the Steppe. Crimea, having received a powerful blow at Molodi, was unable to recover from the defeat - the entire combat-ready male population of Crimea was destroyed.
Also, the Ottoman Murzas and Janissaries were almost completely destroyed.
The victory was hard won by the 5,000-strong oprichnina army under the command of Dmitry Khvorostinin. Almost no one was left alive.

In the fall of 1572, the oprichnina was officially abolished - all the oprichnina were killed in that unequal battle in the summer of 1572.

In its historical consequences, scale, and heroism of the victors, the Battle of Molodi is not only not inferior, but also significantly superior to many historical battles known to us, be it the Battle of Kulikovo or Borodino.

However, this battle has fallen out of our memory, and it is not in history books. But we must remember those to whom we owe our lives, what we are. The names of Vorotynsky, Khvorostinin, Shuisky, Cherkashin are not known to almost anyone in our country, except for a narrow circle of specialists. Low bow to you, our ancestors, for this greatest victory of the Russian spirit and Russian weapons!
In 2012, the 440th anniversary of that great battle and that great victory passed unnoticed.
Also in 2012, the Rospatriotism Agency was created.

Tatiana Lukashonok,
Stavropol Territory, Pyatigorsk

(today is the 448th anniversary)

Detailed description:

The Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey (1551-1577) was known for his numerous military campaigns, mainly wars with the Russian state. He sought to restore the independence of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates, conquered by the Russian Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible in 1552 and 1556. In the spring of 1571, Khan Devlet-Girey gathered a large army. According to various sources, it numbered from 40,000 to 120,000 thousand Crimean Horde and Nogai. The main forces of the Russian kingdom at that moment were tied up by the Livonian War, so the governors on the Oka had at their disposal no more than 6 thousand warriors. The Crimean Horde crossed the Oka, bypassing Serpukhov, where Ivan the Terrible stood with the oprichnina army, and rushed towards Moscow. On May 24, the Crimean Khan Devlet Giray himself with his main forces approached the outskirts of Moscow and set up a camp in the village of Kolomenskoye. Khan sent a 20,000-strong army to Moscow, ordering the city's outskirts to be set on fire. In three hours, the Russian capital was almost completely burned out. Devlet-Girey never entered the Kremlin and Kitai-Gorod, surrounded by stone walls. The regiment of governor Mikhail Vorotynsky repelled all attacks of the Crimeans. On May 25, Devlet Geray with the Tatar horde retreated from near the capital to the south in the direction of Kashira and Ryazan, disbanding part of his troops along the way to capture prisoners. As a result of the Moscow campaign, the Crimean Khan Devlet I received the nickname “Took the Throne”. Khan's people killed 60 thousand people in Russia and more than 150 thousand were taken into slavery. In subsequent years, the Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey did not personally raid Russian possessions. Only his sons, individual Crimean and Nogai Murzas with small forces attacked the Moscow outskirts.