"The beginning of the story of how God granted the victory to the sovereign Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich after the Don over the filthy Mamai and how Orthodox Christianity - the Russian land raised up the Russian land with the prayers of the Most Pure Mother of God and Russian miracle workers, and put the godless Hagarians to shame" …
"The Legend of the Mamayev Massacre" is a well-known monument of ancient Russian literature, telling about the courage, suffering and military valor of the Russian people and their military leader, Dmitry Donskoy. It rightfully bears the name of one of the unique works of Old Russian literature. Tells about the event of that time - the Battle of Kulikovo. But is this a reliable source? The "Legend" opens with a story about heavenly signs that predicted the victory of the Russian people. There are a lot of them and … isn't it too much? Further, the author gives many interesting facts and describes in stages the events associated with this battle: the campaign of Russian squads from Moscow to the Kulikovo field, Dmitry Donskoy's visit to the Trinity Monastery, meeting with Sergius of Radonezh and receiving a blessing to defend the Russian land, sending "watchmen", the beginning of the battle - the duel of the hero Peresvet with the "nasty" warrior, the actions of the Ambush Regiment.
The time of writing the stories of the Kulikovo cycle has not been determined until now, as there is no consensus about the time of writing the cycle of stories. It has only been established that the closest in date of creation to the memorable year 1380 was "Zadonshchina" - a work that praised the insight and courage of Dmitry Donskoy and the princes loyal to him, the courage of the Russian squad. Researchers of the literary monument note the copying of the "Legend" "The Lay of Igor's Campaign", composed 200 years earlier, from which whole phrases were taken, as well as passages and some expressions of "Words …", and all this was attracted to the story of the victory of the princely squad over the Tatars behind Don. Later, in the XIV century, the Chronicle Tale of the Battle on the Don was written, which got its name from the fact that it consisted of several chronicles. This "Tale" can be attributed to the genre of military stories. Researchers divide the lists of "Tale …" into two editions: "Extensive", written in the 1390s, containing a more detailed description of the battle on the Kulikovo field, and "Short", dating back to the first half of the fifteenth century.
The most detailed literary document, reflecting the events that took place in the autumn of 1380, is considered the "Legend of the Mamayev Massacre." Dmitry Ivanovich, the prince of the land of Moscow and his brother, Prince Vladimir Serpukhovskoy are depicted here as smart and fearless military leaders. Their courage and military prowess are glorified. The main idea of the "Tale …" is the unification of the Russian princes against the enemy. Only in unity is their strength, only then will they be able to give a worthy rebuff to the enemy. The "Tale …" severely condemns the betrayal of the Ryazan prince Oleg and the deceit of the Lithuanian prince Olgert, who wished to be Mamai's allies. Like most works of that period, "The Tale …" has a cult connotation. For example, prayer monologues emphasizing the piety of Dmitry. Undoubtedly, the influence of the "Zadonshchina" on the "Legend …" was noticeable in some phrases, additions, colorful images of regiments and nature.
So, on the eve of the battle, on the night before the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin, Prince Dmitry Donskoy and the governor of Volynets go to the place of the future battle, in the field between the Russian and Tatar sides. And they hear a loud knock from the enemy's direction and screams and screams, and the mountains seem to stagger - a terrible thunder, as if "the trees and grasses are down." Such a phenomenon of nature clearly foreshadowed the death of the "filthy". And where there are Russian squads - "great quiet" and flashes of light. And Volynets saw a "good omen" in how "the dawn was removed from the multitude of fires."
About a hundred copies of this work are known to this day. Literary critics divide them into four options (although there are disagreements in them): Basic, Distributed, Chronicle and Kiprianovsky. All of them refer to an old text that has not survived to our time, which arose immediately after the Battle of Kulikovo. The earliest, which arose in the second half of the 15th century, is considered the Basic Edition, which formed the basis for the other three. As mentioned above, the main heroes of the events of 1380 are Prince Dmitry Ivanovich, as well as his brother, Vladimir Andreevich, who reigned in Serpukhov. Among the clergy, Metropolitan Cyprian stands apart, who after the Battle of Kulikovo moved from Kiev to Moscow, received a high rank, and, in addition, took an active part in the affairs of the principality of Moscow. Cyprian became especially close to the son of Dmitry Donskoy, Vasily Dmitrievich, who, after the death of his father, took the reins of government + in the principality into his own hands. In addition, the main edition of the "Tale …" represents the Lithuanian prince Olgerd as an ally of Mamai, although it is known that in 1377, three years before the events on the Kulikovo field, the prince had already died and Jagailo, his son, ruled Lithuania.
Mamai, taking advantage of the fact that Russia and Lithuania at that time had very difficult relations, concluded an agreement with Yagailo and the Ryazan prince Oleg, who was afraid of strengthening the Moscow principality. Mamai hoped to crush the Moscow principality with their help.
Much mystical and mysterious happens on the night before the battle. In the "Tale" a certain husband, Thomas Katsibey, a robber, was put on watch by Dmitry Donskoy on the Churova River from the Mamaysky army. And Thomas had a wonderful vision. Standing on the hillock, he saw a cloud coming from the east, huge in size, as if it were not a cloud, but the enemy army was going west. And from the southern side, it is as if two young men are walking, their faces are bright, in bright purple, each hand has a sharp sword, and they ask the enemy commanders: "Who told you to destroy our fatherland, which the Lord gave us?" And they began to beat them and destroyed them all, and no one was saved. And from that time Thomas became a deeply believer, of rare spiritual purity, a man. In the morning, in private, he told about the mysterious vision to Prince Dmitry Ivanovich. And the prince answered him: “Don't say that, friend, to anyone,” and, raising his hands to the sky, he sobbed, saying: “Lord, Lord, philanthropist! Prayers for the sake of the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb, help me, like Moses against the Amaleketyans, and like the old Yaroslav against Svyatopolk, and my great-grandfather, Grand Duke Alexander, against the boasted king of Rome, who wished to ruin his fatherland. Do not repay me for my sins, but pour out your mercy on us, extend your mercy on us, do not let our enemies mock us, so that our enemies do not scoff at us, the infidel countries do not say: “Where is the god on whom they so hoped. " But help, Lord, Christians, because they are famous for your holy name!"
Texts of this kind are very characteristic of Russian literature of those years, which was largely based on the Bible and it was from it that it took its plots. Comparisons and frank borrowings from it, robbers who believed and became "pure" - all this is by no means history, but edification, and this must be well understood.
And then came the "eighth hour" of the day, when the "southern spirit" pulled (it meant not the south direction of the wind, but God's help to the Russian army). It's happy hour. And Volynets cried out, raising his hands to the sky: "Prince Vladimir, our time has come, and a convenient hour has come!" - and added: "My brothers, friends, bolder: the power of the holy spirit helps us!"
"Axis" this hour is quite a funny thing. The famous Soviet and modern historian A. N. Kirpichnikov, for example, believed that Bobrok was waiting for the sun to stop shining in the eyes of the Russian soldiers. Others even asserted that he was waiting for the wind to bring dust in the eyes of the "accursed Tatar". In fact, the "southern spirit", which is mentioned in the "Legend …" in general could not be incidental for our soldiers, because it was carrying dust in their faces! After all, the Russian regiments were in the north, and Mamai's regiments were in the south! But maybe the creator of "Tale …" got it wrong? No, he knew everything for sure and wrote that Mamai was moving to Russia from the east, the Danube River was in the west, etc. And what does that same robber Thomas Katsibeev say? "God opened … from the east … going west." “From the midday country” (ie from the south) “two young men came” - I mean Saints Boris and Gleb, who helped the Russian regiments to win. Of course, now everyone seems to believe in God, but is it really worth relying in historical science on the help of two canonized young men, albeit innocently murdered? Moreover, the "southern spirit" is a direct borrowing from the Bible, indicating that the Russian cause is pleasing to God and nothing more. Therefore, it is also possible not to refer to the "southern spirit" as a trustworthy fact: the Bible still does not say that.
But the battle ended in victory for the Russian troops. And Prince Dmitry said: “Glory to you, the supreme Creator, the king of heaven, the merciful Savior, who had mercy on us, sinners, did not put into the hands of our enemies, filthy raw-food eaters. And you, brothers, princes, and boyars, and governors, and the younger squad, Russian sons, are destined to a place between the Don and Nepryadva, on the Kulikovo field, on the Nepryadva river. You laid down your heads for the Russian land, for the Christian faith. Forgive me, brothers, and bless me in this life and in the future! " Prince Dmitry Ivanovich and the governors mourned bitterly for the slain as they circled the field after the bloody battle. At the behest of Dmitry Donskoy, the dead were buried with honors on the banks of the Nepryadva. And the winners were honored by all of Moscow, greeting them with bell ringing. Olgerd Lithuanian, having learned that Dmitry Donskoy had won a victory over Mamai, went to Lithuania "with great shame." And the Ryazan prince Oleg, learning that Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy intended to go to war against him, got scared and fled from his principality together with his wife and with the boyars close to him; Ryazan then beat the Grand Duke with a forehead, asking Dmitry Ivanovich to put their governors in Ryazan.
And Mamai, hiding his real name, was forced to disgracefully flee to Kafa (now Theodosia), where he was identified by a local merchant, captured and killed by fryagami. This is how Mamai's life ended ingloriously.
The fame of the Russian soldiers who won the great battle with the army of Mamai quickly spread throughout the world. And foreign merchants helped in this, guests - surozhians, who were on a glorious campaign with Dmitry Donskoy. "Shibla glory to the Iron Gates, to Rome and to Kafa by sea, and to Tornav, and to the Tsaryugrad for praise: Great Russia defeated Mamai on the Kulikovo field" …
That is, we can unequivocally say approximately the same: as in relation to the Battle of the Ice - there was a battle, the Russians won, some accompanying political events took place, and the main culprit, Mamai, fled to Kafa (Feodosia) and was killed there! And … that's it! Meaning? Yes, there was, and a very significant one! And all the other "details" from the "Tale …" are … church literature and retelling of biblical texts, demonstrating the "bookishness" of its author. And this will have to be satisfied for a long time, if not forever!
