One of the most glorious pages in Russian military history was written in the blood of its participants in September 1380. The future conqueror of the Horde, Grand Prince Dmitry Ivanovich of Vladimir, was born in 1350. He was only nine years old when his father, Ivan II, known as the Gentleman, passed away. Before his death, the Grand Prince, like previous rulers of Moscow, signed a spiritual testament in which he bequeathed all his lands to his two sons, Dmitry and Ivan. In 1364, during an epidemic in Moscow, Dmitry Ivanovich lost his mother, Alexandra, and his younger brother, Ivan. At a difficult time, a fourteen-year-old boy took the reins of government into his still-weak hands. Nature had generously endowed the prince with qualities essential for effective governance, but it would take time for them to develop and be realized. Fortunately, the prince had wise mentors and advisors, both secular and religious, who nurtured him in the spirit of service to his country. Dmitry Ivanovich considered strengthening the Grand Prince's authority in North-Eastern Russia to be one of the most crucial tasks. But she was only a part of his life's goal, which was to liberate his homeland from the rule of the Tatars. In preparation for the struggle against the Horde, Grand Prince Dmitry intensified the meetings of princes and boyars. Initially, he held these meetings within the framework of the Moscow and Vladimir principalities, and later expanded them to include other princes allied with Moscow. This allowed him to pursue a more decisive policy towards Moscow's opponents. In 1374, Dmitry Ivanovich ceased paying tribute to the Golden Horde, and Mikhail Alexandrovich of Tver's attempt to seize the Grand Principality in 1375 using the Horde's yarlyk ended in failure. The Prince of Moscow led a combined force of almost all of Russia, including the Novgorodian troops, against Tver. The chronicler noted that about 20 detachments of princes (from Suzdal, Yaroslavl, Rostov, and othe ... Читать далее