The Battle of the Vorskla River was one of the greatest and bloodiest in the medieval history of Eastern Europe.^[POV] It was fought on August 12, 1399 between the Tatars under Edigu and Temur Qutlugh and the armies of Grand Duke Vytautas of the Lithuania and Tokhtamysh. Mongol invasions can refer to: 1205–1209 invasion of Western China 1211–1234 invasion of Northern China 1218–1220 invasion of Central Asia 1220-1223, 1235-1330 invasions of Georgia and the Caucasus 1220–1224 of the Cumans 1223–36 invasion of Volga Bulgaria 1231–1259 invasion of Korea 1237... is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events September 30 - Accession of Henry IV of England October 13 - Coronation of Henry IV of England November 1 - Accession of John VI, Duke of Brittany Births William Canynge, English merchant (approximate date; died 1474) Zara Yaqob, Emperor of Ethiopia (died 1468) Deaths January 4 - Nicolau Aymerich, Catalan theologian and... The Vorskla River (Ukrainian: ), located in northeastern Ukraine, is tributary to the Dnieper. ... This article is about the river. ... The four successor Khanates of the Mongol Empire: Empire of the Great Khan (Yuan Dynasty), Golden Horde, Il-Khanate and Chagatai Khanate The Golden Horde (Mongolian: Altan Ordyn Uls; Turkish: ; Tatar: ; Russian: ) was a Mongol[1][2][3][4] — later Turkicized[3] — khanate established in parts of present-day Russia... For other uses of Moldavia or Moldova, see Moldova (disambiguation). ... Edigu, or Edigey (1352-1419) was an emir of the White Horde who founded the new political entity, which came to be known as the Nogai Horde. ... Temür Qutlugh (~1370-1399) was a khan of Golden Horde in 1397-1399. ... Temporary grave of an American machine-gunner during the Battle of Normandy. ... Vytautas the Great - engraving of XVI ct. ... Tokhtamysh (d. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Combatants Mongol Empire Khwarezmia Commanders Genghis Khan, Jochi, Chaghatai, Ögodei, Tolui, Subutai, Jebe, Jelme, Mukali, Khubilai, Kasar, Boorchu, Sorkin-shara Ala ad-Din Muhammad, Jalal Al-Din, Inalchuq† (executed) Strength 100,000-200,000 mounted archers, with powerful siege engines 400,000 men, however not organized into armies, only city... The medieval kingdom of Georgia first clashed with the advancing Mongol armies in 1220. ... // Combatants Mongols Kievan Rus, Cumans Commanders Subutai Mstislav the Bold Strength 40,000 Over 80,000 Casualties MInimal Heavy Battle of the Kalka River (May 31, 1223) was the first military engagement between the Mongol armies of Genghis Khan and the Rus warriors. ... The Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria lasted from 1223 to 1236. ... Ryazan was the first Russian city to be besieged by the Mongols of Batu Khan. ... The Mongol Invasion of Rus was heralded by the Battle of the Kalka River (1223) between Subutais reconnaissance unit and the combined force of several princes of Rus. After fifteen years of peace, it was followed by Batu Khans full-scale invasion in 1237-40. ... The Battle of the Sit River was fought in the northern part of the present-day Yaroslavl Oblast of Russia on March 4, 1238 between the Mongol Hordes of Batu Khan and the Russians under Yuri II of Vladimir-Suzdal during the Mongol invasion of Russia. ... Combatants Mongols Sultanate of Rüm, Georgian and Trapezuntine auxiliaries Commanders Bayju Kay Khusrau II Strength Casualties {{{notes}}} The Battle of Köse Dag was fought between the Seljuk Turks of Rum and the Mongols on June 26, 1243 at the place Köse Dag on Sivas-Erzincan road (now... Combatants Mongol Empire Alliance Polish states Teutonic Knights[3][4] Commanders Baidar, Kadan, Orda Khan Henry II the Pious † Strength Estimated between 8,000-20,000 (max of two tumen) diversionary force [5] Unknown, estimates have ranged from 2,000-25,000[5] Casualties Unknown, but supposedly heavier than expected... Combatants Kingdom of Hungary Golden Horde (Mongol Empire) Commanders King Béla IV Batu Khan, Subotai Strength 15,000 Unknown (mostly cavalry) Casualties 10,000 unknown The Battle of Mohi, or Battle of the Sajó River, (on April 11, 1241) was the main battle between the Mongols and the Kingdom... Combatants Mongols Abbasid Caliphate Commanders Hulagu Khan Guo Kan Caliph Al-Mustasim Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown, but believed minimal Military, 50,000(est. ... // Combatants Egyptian Mamluks Mongols Commanders Saif ad-Din Qutuz Baibars Kitbuqa † Strength About 120,000 10-30,000 Casualties light all the force died or was captured The Battle of Ain Jalut (or Ayn Jalut, in Arabic: عين جالوت, the Eye of Goliath or the Spring of Goliath) took place on September... The Mongol invasions of Korea consisted of a series of campaigns by the Mongol Empire against Korea, then known as Koryo, from 1231 to 1259. ... Battle of Bunei Conflict Mongol Invasions of Japan Date November 20, 1274 Place Hakata Bay, near present-day Fukuoka, Kyushu Result Invasion fails. ... Combatants Kamakura shogunate Mongols Commanders Hōjō Tokimune Mongol-Chinese Joint Command Strength 100,000? 142,000 men in 4400 ships? Casualties Unknown 120,000+ The battle of Kōan ), also known as the Second Battle of Hakata Bay, was the second attempt by the Mongols to invade Japan. ... Combatants Song Dynasty Yuan Dynasty Commanders Lü Wenhuan Li Tingzhi Liu Zheng, Ashu, Shi Tianzhe, Guo Kan Strength unknown 100,000+ Cavalry 5,000 ships 100+ trebuchet 20+ counterweight trebuchet Casualties unknown unknown The Battle of Xiangyang (襄陽之戰) was a six-year battle between invading Mongol armies and Southern Song Chinese... The Battle of Ngasaunggyan was fought in 1277 between Kublai Khans Mongol Yuan Dynasty of China, and their neighbors to the south, the Pagan Empire (in present-day Myanmar) led by Narathihapate. ... Combatants Song Dynasty Yuan Dynasty Commanders Zhang Shijie Zhang Hongfan Strength 200,000 1000+ warships 20,000 50+ warships Casualties unknown, though almost all perished unknown The Battle of Yamen (崖門戰役; or 崖山海戰, lit. ... Combatants Pagan Empire Mongol Empire Commanders Thihathu Temür Strength Unknown Unknown, but considerable Casualties Unknown Unknown Im really tired of people changing what i write i think that is almost as bad as vandalism. ... Combatants Dai Viet Yuan Mongol Army Yuan Mongol Navy Commanders Tran Hung Dao Tran Khanh Du General Omar Strength 200 000 500 000 Casualties unknown unknown The Battle of Bach Dang took place near Halong Bay in present-day Vietnam, it was part of the Third Yuan Mongol Invasion (1287... Combatants Combined Russian armies The Golden Horde Commanders Dmitri Ivanovich of Moscow Mamai Strength About 80,000 About 125,000 Casualties About 40,000 able body men left Unknown The Battle of Kulikovo (Russian: ), also called Battle on the Snipes Field (Кулик means snipe), was fought by the Tartaro-Mongols (the... Miniature in Russian chronicle, XVI century The Great standing on the Ugra river (Великое cтояние на реке Угре in Russian, also Угорщина (Ugorschina in English, derived from Ugra) was a standoff between Akhmat Khan, Khan of the Great Horde, and Grand Duke Ivan III of Russia in 1480, which resulted in the retreat of the... Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange). ... is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events September 30 - Accession of Henry IV of England October 13 - Coronation of Henry IV of England November 1 - Accession of John VI, Duke of Brittany Births William Canynge, English merchant (approximate date; died 1474) Zara Yaqob, Emperor of Ethiopia (died 1468) Deaths January 4 - Nicolau Aymerich, Catalan theologian and... This article is about the people. ... Edigu, or Edigey (1352-1419) was an emir of the White Horde who founded the new political entity, which came to be known as the Nogai Horde. ... Temür Qutlugh (~1370-1399) was a khan of Golden Horde in 1397-1399. ... Vytautas the Great - engraving of XVI ct. ... Tokhtamysh (d. ...

Build Up

In the later part of the 14th century, Grand Duke Vytautas and Dmitri Donskoi of Moscow started a rivalry for the fertile southern lands of modern day Ukraine, controlled (if only nominally) by the Blue Horde. As the Tatar power was on the wane, Dmitriy soundly defeated the Horde Battle of Kulikovo (1380), only to be besieged in Moscow and defeated in 1382 by the new Khan Tokhtamysh, who had taken over the Blue Horde with Tamerlane's backing (Forming the Golden Horde). Vytautas the Great - engraving of XVI ct. ... Statue of Dmitri Donskoi (1862). ... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... Blue Horde was one of descendat states which formed around 1227 as the Mongol Empire desintegrated. ... Combatants Combined Russian armies The Golden Horde Commanders Dmitri Ivanovich of Moscow Mamai Strength About 80,000 About 125,000 Casualties About 40,000 able body men left Unknown The Battle of Kulikovo (Russian: ), also called Battle on the Snipes Field (Кулик means snipe), was fought by the Tartaro-Mongols (the... Tokhtamysh (d. ... The four successor Khanates of the Mongol Empire: Empire of the Great Khan (Yuan Dynasty), Golden Horde, Il-Khanate and Chagatai Khanate The Golden Horde (Mongolian: Altan Ordyn Uls; Turkish: ; Tatar: ; Russian: ) was a Mongol[1][2][3][4] — later Turkicized[3] — khanate established in parts of present-day Russia...

It seemed that the power of the Golden Horde had begun to rise, but in 1389, Tokhtamysh made the disastrous decision of waging war on his former master, the great Tamerlane. Tamerlane's hordes rampaged through modern-day southern Russia, crippling the Golden Horde's economy and practically wiping out it's defenses in those lands. For the chess engine Tamerlane, see Tamerlane. ...

After losing the war, Tokhtamysh was then dethroned by the party of Khan Temur Qutlugh and Emir Edigu, supported by Tamerlane. When Tokhtamysh asked Vytautas for assistance in retaking the Horde, the latter readily gathered a huge army which included Lithuanians, Tatars , Ruthenians, Russians, Poles, Moldavians, Wallachians, and Teutonic knights. Edigu, or Edigey (1352-1419) was an emir of the White Horde who founded the new political entity, which came to be known as the Nogai Horde. ... For the chess engine Tamerlane, see Tamerlane. ... This article is about the people. ... Ruthenians is a name that has been applied to different ethnic groups at different times; for an explanation of the reasons for this, see Ruthenia. ... Moldovan or Moldovans can refer to: Moldovans a name for the people living in the area of the former principality of Moldavia, now divided between the Romania and the Moldovan Republic. ... Map of Romania with Wallachia in yellow. ... For the state, see Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights. ...

In 1398, the army of Vytautas moved from the Dnieper River and attacked northern Crimea, building a castle there and raided east as far as the River Don^[1]. Inspired by their great successes, Vytautas declared a 'Crusade against the Tatars' with Papal backing. Thus in 1399, the army of Vytautas once again moved on the horde. On August 12, his army met the tatars at the Vorska River. The Dnieper River (Russian: , Dnepr; Belarusian: , Dniapro; Ukrainian: , Dnipro) is a river which flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, ending its flow in the Black Sea. ... Motto Процветание в единстве(Russian) Protsvetanie v edinstve(transliteration) Prosperity in unity Anthem Нивы и горы твои волшебны, Родина(Russian) Nivy i gory tvoi volshebny, Rodina(transliteration) Your fields and mounts are wonderful, Motherland Location of Crimea (red) with respect to Ukraine (light blue). ... There are at several rivers named Don: Don River, Russia Don River, Toronto River Don, England River Don, Aberdeenshire This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

The Battle

Once the two armies met, Temur Kutlugh proposed a three-day ceasefire; ostensibly to allow both sides to prepare their forces; however, in this time, tartar reinforcements arrived. When the battle finally started, it had been Vytautas' plan to build a great wagon-fort, to stop charging horsemen, and then to destroy them with the teutonic order's cannons. However, Temur Kutlugh feigned retreat (A tried and tested tatar tactic) and Vytautas left his wagon fort to pursue him.

Unfortuantely for Vytautas, once he was suitably far enough away from his wagon fort, the units of Edigu appeared from behind him and, with those of Temur Kutlugh, surrounded the lithuanian army. At this point, however, Tokhtamysh decided the battle was fruitless and fled the battle with his men. The tartars then used their own artillery to destroy the Lithuanian cavalry whilst simultaneously capturing the lithuanian's wagon fort ^[2] .

Aftermath

Vytautas was barely able to escape alive, many princes of his kin, possibly up to 20 , were killed (as for example, Ştefan Muşat, Prince of Moldavia and two of his brothers, while a forth was badly injured ^{[citation needed]} and a number of Vytautas' first cousins including Demetrius I Starszy, Grand Prince of Bryansk), and the victorious Tatars besieged Kiev. "And the Christian blood had flown like a water, up to the Kievan walls", as one chronicler put it. The tatars pillaged as far west as Lutsk, in pursuit of Tokhtamysh. It has been suggested that Moldavia (historical region) be merged into this article or section. ... Map of Ukraine with Kiev highlighted Coordinates: , Country Ukraine Oblast Kiev City Municipality Raion Municipality Government  - Mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi Elevation 179 m (587 ft) Population (2006)  - City 4,450,968  - Density 3,299/km² (8,544. ... Lutsk (Ukrainian: Луцьк) is the capital of the Volyn Oblast, Ukraine. ...

Vytautas' defeat at the Vorskla effectively blocked Lithuanian expansion to Southern Ruthenia. His enormous state also lost hard-won access to the Black Sea as the Tatars reconquered the southern steppe all the way to Moldavia^[3]; land that was not reclaimed until the Crimean Khanate broke away from the Golden Horde some forty-two years later. Also, immediately after the battle, Smolensk revolted from Lithuania and was not recaptured for five years. Temur-Kutlugh, however, died during the battle and Tokhtamysh spent the next seven or eight years in hiding, before being assassinated in 1407 or 1408. Ruthenia is a name applied to parts of Eastern Europe which were populated by Eastern Slavic peoples, as well as to various states that existed in this territory in the past. ... For other uses, see Black Sea (disambiguation). ... A view of Smolensk in 1912. ...

References

1. Itinerarium Witolda, 85

2. Posilge, 230; Dugosz, XII, 526-529; Rhode, Die Ostgrenze Polens, I, 357-359; Russia and the Mongol Yoke, 111-112; Prawdin, The Mongol Empire, 472-473; as Jasienica noted, Jagiellonian Poland, 80, "Not all daring plans do credit to their authors."

3. Posilge, 216, 222