January 13, 2019

A Great Overlooked Victory


A Great Overlooked Victory
The Lopasnya River near where the Battle of Molodi occured. vow (cc)

It is said that history is written by the victors. Yet not all victories (or victors) are equal. So some are remembered less frequently than others, even by those who won them.

The Battle of Molodi (began July 29, 1572), while not a well-remembered battle, was an important one in Russia’s history. Russian forces emerged victorious in their battle against the Crimean Tatars, despite being heavily outnumbered. And it was this victory that hammered the final nail in the coffin of Tatar and Ottoman aspirations during this era to take Russian territory.

Of course the first significant defeat of the Tatars was two centuries before, in 1380, at the Battle of Kulikovo Field, when Russia was still known as Rus’. Many principalities of Rus’ banded together under the leadership of Prince Dmitry of Moscow (nicknamed “Donskoy” after the battle) to defeat the Tatar forces led by the Mongolian Khan Mamai and his “Golden Horde”.

At Kulikovo, Dmitry’s forces were able to turn the tide of Tatar expansion and inspire unity among the many principalities that fought together on the fields of Kulikovo; some feel it is the main reason that Russia exists today with Moscow as its capital.

Ivan IV’s victory at Molodi in 1572 was also very impressive, especially given the geopolitical situation Russia found itself in. To the west, Russia was in a drawn-out war against Sweden, Poland, and Lithuania over Livonia (which includes modern-day Latvia and Estonia). Internally, Ivan had divided the country’s lands and created the oprichnina – instituting a reign of terror rooted in his growing paranoia. To the south, the Ottoman Empire was attempting to conquer parts of Russia. In fact, just a year before the Battle of Molodi, the Crimean Tatars (vassals of the Ottomans) had successfully pillaged Moscow, decimating the capital and taking 60,000 prisoners.

Ivan, sensing an existential threat from the Ottoman-Tatar forces, proposed a military alliance that with the Tatars and offered them Astrakahan. But Khan Devlet Girei had bigger plans. He

had boasted to the Turkish Sultan that he would conquer all of Russia and lead the Grand Prince to the Crimea as a prisoner and occupy Russia with his nobles.

According to the contemporaneous account of Heinrich von Staden

 

Devlet Girei felt that the Russians would be unprepared, and so he led 120,000 Crimean Tatars toward Moscow once again, anticipating an easy victory. And at first it looked like it would be, when the Tatars broke through Russian defenses along the Oka River and began their final march on Moscow.

But then the Russians, led by Mikhail Vorotynsky, re-engaged the Tatars in battle centered near the Lopasna River, near the village of Molodi, where the two sides engaged in battle at close quarters with swords and spears, which did not allow the Tatars to take advantage of their talent for archery. A decisive element in Russia’s tactical arsenal was a mobile barricade (гуляй-город) that allowed Russian forces to infiltrate and attack the enemy from their rear. In the end, the defeated invaders returned home with just 20,000 men.

Gulyai Gorod reconstructions
Gulyai gorod reconstructions / Lapot (cc)

The Battle of Molodi became one of Ivan’s most significant military victories, and also led to the end of the oprichnina, so it is unclear why this battle is not very well known. Perhaps simply because it was overshadowed by subsequent events, including Ivan’s descent into madness, the murder of his son, and, well, the conquest of Siberia.

Or perhaps it is because Vorotynsky, credited with the leading the forces to victory, was later arrested and tortured by Ivan for an allegedly (the accusation came from one of Vorotynsky’s servants) plotting the tsar’s death through the use of magical charms.

 

You Might Also Like

Ivan the Terrible
  • January 01, 2010

Ivan the Terrible

In January 1565, Tsar Ivan the Terrible split Russia in two. Five hundred years on, Russia still hasn't gotten over it...
Kremlin Ghosts
  • May 01, 2004

Kremlin Ghosts

Hidden behind the walls of Moscow’s ancient fortress are phantoms and shades from centuries gone by.
Fearful Majesty
  • July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
The Little Humpbacked Horse

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955