Dmitri Donskoi

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Dmitri Donskoi

Saint Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoi , or Dimitri of the Don, sometimes referred to as Dmitry I (12 October 1350, Moscow – 19 May 1389, Moscow), son of Ivan II Krasnyi

Ivan II of Russia

Ivan II Ivanovich the Fair was the second son of Ivan Kalita who succeeded his brother Semeon of Russia, who died of the Black Death, as Grand Duchy of Moscow and Grand Prince of Vladimir in 1353....
, reigned as the Prince of Moscow

Grand Duchy of Moscow

Vladimir

Moscow

Moscow is the capital and the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia of the Russian Federation. It is also the largest European cities and metropolitan areas, with the Moscow metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world....
to openly challenge Tatar authority in Russia. His nickname, Donskoi (i.e., "of the Don

Don River (Russia)

The Don is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk, Russia 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, Russia, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
"), alludes to his great victory against the Tatars in the Battle of Kulikovo

Battle of Kulikovo

The Battle of Kulikovo was fought by the Tatars-Mongols and the Russians. The battle took place on September 8, 1380 at the Kulikovo Field near the Don River and resulted in a Russian victory....
(1380) which took place on the Don River.

ry ascended the throne of Principality of Moscow

Grand Duchy of Moscow

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Saint Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoi , or Dimitri of the Don, sometimes referred to as Dmitry I (12 October 1350, Moscow – 19 May 1389, Moscow), son of Ivan II Krasnyi

Ivan II of Russia

Grand Duchy of Moscow

Vladimir

Moscow

Don River (Russia)

Battle of Kulikovo

Early reign

Dmitry ascended the throne of Principality of Moscow

Grand Duchy of Moscow

The Grand Duchy of Moscow was a medieval Russian polity centered on Moscow between 1340 and 1547. The Grand Duchy of Moscow, as the state is known in Russian records, has been referred to by many Western world sources as Muscovy....
at the age of 9. During his minority, the government was actually run by Metropolitan Alexis of Russia. In 1360 the highest dignity among Russian princes, that of Grand Prince of Vladimir

Vladimir

Golden Horde

Nizhny Novgorod

Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened as Nizhny, is the fourth largest types of inhabited localities in Russia in Russia, ranking after Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Novosibirsk....
. In 1363, when that prince had been deposed, Dmitri Ivanovich was finally crowned at Vladimir. Three years later, he made peace with Dmitri Konstantinovich and married his daughter Eudoxia. In 1376, their joined armies ravaged Volga Bulgaria

Volga Bulgaria

Volga Bulgaria or Volga-Kama Bolghar, is an historic Bulgarian state that existed between the seventh and thirteenth centuries around the confluence of the Volga River and Kama River rivers in what is now Russia....
.

The most important event during the early years of Dmitri's reign was construction of the first stone Moscow Kremlin

Moscow Kremlin

The Moscow Kremlin usually referred to as simply The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River , Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square and the Alexander Garden ....
, completed in 1367. The new fortress allowed the city to withstand two sieges by Algirdas

Algirdas

Algirdas, , , , was a monarch of medieval Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Algirdas ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377, which chiefly meant monarch of Lithuanians and Ruthenians....
of Lithuania

Grand Duchy of Lithuania

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was an Eastern and Central European state from the 12th /13th century until the 18th century. It was founded by Lithuanians, at the time one of the Lithuanian mythology Baltic tribes, whose initial lands covered Auk?taitija, the eastern part of present day Lithuania....
, in 1368 and 1370. Attempt for the third siege in 1372 ended in Treaty of Lyubutsk

Treaty of Lyubutsk

Treaty of Lyubutsk was a peace treaty signed in summer of 1372 between Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and Dmitri Donskoi, Prince of Moscow. The treaty resulted in a seven-year peace period....
. In 1375, Dmitri managed to settle his conflict with Mikhail II of Tver

Mikhail II of Tver

Mikhail Alexandrovich was Grand Prince of Tver and briefly held the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir. He was one of only two Tver princes after 1317 to hold the grand princely title, which was almost the exclusive purview of the Muscovite princes....
over Vladimir

Vladimir

Vladimir is a types of inhabited localities in Russia in Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway . It is the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast....
in his favour. Other princes of Northern Russia also acknowledged his authority and contributed their troops to his impending struggle against the Horde. By the end of his reign, Dmitri more than doubled territory of Moscow principality.

Struggle against Mamai

Dmitri's thirty-year reign saw the beginning of the end for Mongol domination of parts of what is now Russia. The Golden Horde

Golden Horde

The Golden Horde is a East-Slavic designation for the Mongol?later Turkic languages?Muslim khanate established in the western part of the Mongol Empire after the Mongol invasion of Rus' in the 1240s: present-day Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and the Caucasus....
was severely weakened by civil war and dynastic rivalries. Dmitri took advantage of this lapse in Mongol authority to openly challenge the Tatars.

While he kept the Khan's patent to collect taxes for all of Russia, Dmitri is also famous for leading the first Russian military victory over the Mongols. Mamai

Mamai

Mamai was a powerful military commander of the Blue Horde in the 1370s, who resided in the western part of this nomadic state, which is now the Southern Ukraine Steppes and the Crimean Peninsula....
, a Mongol general and claimant to the throne, tried to punish Dmitri for attempting to increase his power. In 1378 Mamai sent a Mongol army, but it was defeated by Dmitri's forces in the Battle of Vozha River Two years later Mamai personally led a large force against Moscow. Dmitri met and defeated it at the Battle of Kulikovo

Battle of Kulikovo

The Battle of Kulikovo was fought by the Tatars-Mongols and the Russians. The battle took place on September 8, 1380 at the Kulikovo Field near the Don River and resulted in a Russian victory....
.

The defeated Mamai was presently dethroned by a rival Mongol general, Tokhtamysh

Tokhtamysh

Tokhtamysh , was the last Khan of the White Horde, who unified the White Horde and Blue Horde subdivisions of the Golden Horde into a single state....
. That khan reasserted Mongol rule over parts of what now is Russia and overran Moscow for Dmitri's resistance to Mamai. Dmitri, however, pledged his loyalty to Tokhtamysh and to the Golden Horde and was reinstated as Mongol principal tax collector and Grand Duke of Vladimir. Upon his death in 1389, Dmitri was the first Grand Duke to bequeath his titles to his son Vasili

Vasili I of Russia

Vasiliy I Dmitriyevich , was Grand Duchy of Moscow from 1389.He was the oldest son of Dmitri Donskoi and Eudoxia Dmitriyevna, daughter of the Grand Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich of Nizhny Novgorod....
without consulting the Khan.

Marriage and children

He was married to Eudoxia of Nizhny Novgorod

Eudoxia of Moscow

Eudoxia Dmitriyevna ?monastic name, Euphrosyne? was a Grand Duchess of Muscovy and wife of Dmitry Donskoy....
. She was a daughter of Dmitry of Suzdal

Dmitry of Suzdal

Dmitri Konstantinovich of Suzdal , was a powerful Prince of Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod who dominated Russian politics during the minority of his son-in-law, Dmitri Donskoi....
and Vasilisa of Rostov

Rostov

Rostov is one of the oldest types of inhabited localities in Russia in Russia and an important tourist centre of the so called Golden ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero in Yaroslavl Oblast....
. They had at least twelve children:

Daniil Dmitrievich (c. 1370 - 15 September 1379).
Vasily I of Moscow (30 September 1371 - 27 February 1425).
Sofia Dmitrievna. Married Fyodor Olegovich, Prince of Ryazan
Ryazan Principality

Ryazan Principality existed from 1078 when it was separated from the Chernigov Principality. In 1521 the Principality became a part of Muscovy. The first ruler of Ryazan was supposedly Yaroslav Sviatoslavich, Prince of Chernigov , later Prince of Murom-Ryzan....
(reigned 1402-1427).
Yury Dmitrievich
Yury Dmitrievich

File:Jury Zvenigorodsky mal.jpg Yury Dmitrievich , also known as George II of Moscow, Yury of Zvenigorod and Jurij Zwenihorodski, was the second son of Dmitri Donskoi....
, Duke of Zvenigorod
Zvenigorod

File:Zvenigorod Yspenskiy sobor 1.jpgZvenigorod is an old types of inhabited localities in Russia in Moscow Oblast, Russia. Population: ...
and Galich
Galich, Russia

Galich is a types of inhabited localities in Russia in Kostroma Oblast, Russia, situated on the southern bank of Lake Galichskoye. It is also a minor railroad node of the Trans-Siberian railway....
(26 November 1374 - 5 June 1434). Claimed the throne of Moscow against his nephew Vasily II of Moscow.
Maria Dmitrievna (d. 15 May 1399). Married Lengvenis
Lengvenis

Lengvenis was one of the sons of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and the ruler of Great Novgorod . He was know for his skills as a military leader....
.
Anastasia Dmitrievna. Married Ivan Vsevolodich, Prince of Kholm
Kholm

Kholm is a town in the southern part of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, the administrative center of Kholmsky District, Novgorod Oblast. Its population is 4,300 ; 4,325 ....
.
Simeon Dmitrievich (d. 11 September 1379).
Ivan Dmitrievich (d. 1393).
Andrei Dmitrievich, Prince of Mozhaysk
Mozhaysk

Mozhaysk is a types of inhabited localities in Russia in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located to the west from the Russian capital, on the historic road leading to Smolensk and then to Poland....
(14 August 1382 - 9 July 1432).
Piotr Dmitrievich, Prince of Dmitrov
Dmitrov

Dmitrov is a Types of inhabited localities in Russia in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located to the north of Moscow. It is located on the Yakhroma River and the Moscow Canal, which connects the Russian capital with the Volga River....
(29 July 1385 - 10 August 1428).
Anna Dmitrievna (born 8 January 1387). Married Yuri Patrikievich. Her husband was a son of Patrikej, Prince of Starodub
Starodub

Starodub is a types of settlements in Russia in Bryansk Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Babinets River , 169 km southwest of Bryansk....
and his wife Helena. His paternal grandfather was Narimantas. The marriage solidified his role as a Boyar
Boyar

A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the Feudalism Moscovy, Kievan Rusian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian Aristocracy, second only to the ruling knyazs , from the 10th century through the 17th century....
attached to Moscow.
Konstantin Dmitrievich, Prince of Pskov
Pskov Republic

Pskov Republic was a Russian medieval state between the second half of the 13th century and early 16th century....
(14 May/15 May 1389 - 1433).

Dmitri Donskoi

Early reign

Struggle against Mamai

Marriage and children

See also

External links