THE GREAT STANDOFF AT THE UGRA RIVER
In 1476, Ivan III, Grand Duke of Moscow, ceased paying tribute to the Grand Khan
Akhmat (Ahmed), ruler of the Golden Ordu (Golden Horde). At the time, the Grand
Khan was engaged in a conflict with the Crimean Khanate, so he was unable to exercise
his suzerainty and chastise his erstwhile vassal. By June of 1480, the geo-political
situation had changed. During the intervening period of time, Grand Khan Akmat had
forged an alliance with King Casimir IV of Poland-Lithuania. Hoping to benefit from a
dispute between Ivan III and two of his brothers, Boris Volotsky and Andrey Bolshoy,
Akhmat assembled an army with an eye to attacking and punishing the Grand Duke of
Muscow. He dispatched a reconnaissance of the right bank of the Oka River, a tributary
of the Volga River, in June 1480. In the Autumn of 1480, the Grand Khan was ready to
execute his plan.
Nizhny
Novgorod
Moscow
Oka River
Kazan
Volga River
Sarai
Grand Khan Akmat marched his army out of his capital of Sarai and headed north,
following the Volga River. Since the campaigning season was already well-advanced, he
was forced to move at the brisk pace of 45 kilometers per day.
The opposing army, led by the Grand Duke Ivan III, departed Moscow on the same
day as the Grand Khan, and followed the Oka River along its course towards its
confluence with the Volga River. Because he had a smaller force, and wanted to
maintain a shorter supply route, he moved at the considerably slower pace of 11
kilometers per day, looking for a field-of-battle that would work to his advantage.
The distance initially separating the two armies was 2,240 kilometers. How many
days would it take before the opposing forces would confront each-other on the field of
battle? Near what town would the battle for deciding the fate of Moscow be fought?
(How many kilometers did each of the armies cover respectively?)
Epilogue
The forces of the Golden Horde and the Grand Duchy of Muscovy clashed on 8
October 1480 west of Nizhny Novgorod, near the confluence of the Oka and Volga
rivers. During the four-day battle that ensued, Akhmat’s attempt to cross the Ugra River,
a tributary of the Oka River, was successfully thwarted by the Russian forces under Ivan
III.
According to the Russian chronicles, they employed firearms in repelling the
Mongol-led invaders. Akhmat Khan was forced to retreat down the Volga River towards
his capital Sarai. On 6 January 1481, Akhmat Khan was killed in a clash with the Nogais
under Ibak Khan, a princeling from the Khanate of Sibir.
How many kilometers did the army of the Grand Khan Akhmat traverse round-trip?
(How many miles?)
Follow-up Questions
1. If the battle is joined on 8 October 1480, when did the armies commence their
campaign?
2. What kinds of logistical problems would an army on the march encounter during
medieval times?