Dmitri led his men far into the steppes to meet the Tartars, and at last came up with them on the banks of the Don, at the field of Kulikovo.* He placed part of his men in ambush in a dense wood, and attacked Mamai with the remainder of his force. For hours the victory wavered, but then Dmitri’s reserves broke from their hiding-place,* the Tartars were routed,* and their camp and stores fell into the hands of the Russians. The Lithuanians, hearing of the defeat of the Tartars, turned back and returned to their own country.
Dmitri assumed the title of Donskoi* and returned to Moscow in triumph, but two years later [1382] the Tartars under Tokhtamysh* again entered Russia and marched on Moscow. The Kremlin was so strong that Tokhtamysh offered to make terms if the Moscovites would pay a ransom and allow him to visit the Kremlin. The Moscovites unsuspectingly opened their gates and received the Khan unarmed, and with costly gifts, whereupon the Tartars set upon them, and sacked and burnt the Kremlin. This act of treachery* so weakened Dmitri’s power that he lost all the fruits of his victory at Kulikovo.*
Abridged
* The battle took place on September 8th, 1380. Visit the official battlefield website (in English) for more. “Great was the joy in Russia,” wrote a chronicler, “but great was also the mourning for those slain by the forces of Mamai on the Don.” Many children were robbed of their fathers in that terrible battle; indeed, the Saturday before the feast of Dmitri’s namesake, St Demetrius of Thessalonica (October 26th [OS] or November 8th [NS]), is kept to this day as a day of memorial for all departed parents.
* The detachment was under the command of Prince Dmitri Mikhailovich Bobrok (‘Little Beaver’), brother-in-law of Grand Duke Dmitri Ivanovitch of Moscow. His men chafed at the delay. “Who benefits by our standing here idle?” blurted out Prince Vladimir (1353–1410), Dmitri Ivanovitch’s cousin. The murmurs became louder and more numerous. “Wait, you silly Russian children” growled Bobrok, a Lithuanian. Then when defeat seemed assured: “Ye sons of Russia” Bobrok cried, “brothers and friends, the hour has come — now is our time to strike, and may the Holy Spirit help and guide us!”
* “It is reported” says Sonia Howe “that when the great Tatar leader saw this rout of his army, he joined in the flight, crying, ‘Great is the God of the Christians!’.”
* Donskoi means ‘of the River Don’. After the Battle of the Neva in 1240, Alexander of Novgorod took the soubriquet ‘Nevski’. See The Trials of Alexander Nevsky
* Tokhtamysh (?1342–1406), a Khan (king) of the Blue Horde, who had just effected a short-lived union with the White Horde and was in a position of unusual strength.
* Grand Duke Dmitri Ivanovitch ‘Donskoi’ was not there. It was his father-in-law Dmitri Konstantinovich (1324-1383), Prince of Suzdal and Nizhni Novgorod, who persuaded the citizens to surrender the city; he had been installed as Grand Duke of Vladimir in 1360 by the Horde, only for the Horde to give his crown to the teenage Dmitri Ivanovitch three years later. As a result of the siege, Grand Duke Dmitri ‘Donskoi’ was obliged to acknowledge Tokhtamysh as his ruler, and to surrender his own son Vasily as a hostage. St Dmitri died seven years later, five months short of his thirty-ninth birthday.
* This is not quite true; the defeat at Kulikovo was a blow and a humiliation which shattered the Horde’s legend of invincibility and from which, in the long term, they did not recover.
Précis
After hours of dogged fighting, troops Dmitry had concealed in woodland broke upon the Tartar army, and routed it. Yet barely two years later, all Dmitry’s good work was undone. Tartar general Tokhtamysh came demanding tribute again, and the foolishly trusting Muscovites let him enter the Kremlin for talks, whereupon enemy troops swept in behind and sacked the city. (59 / 60 words)
After hours of dogged fighting, troops Dmitry had concealed in woodland broke upon the Tartar army, and routed it. Yet barely two years later, all Dmitry’s good work was undone. Tartar general Tokhtamysh came demanding tribute again, and the foolishly trusting Muscovites let him enter the Kremlin for talks, whereupon enemy troops swept in behind and sacked the city.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, if, just, must, not, since, whereas, who.
About the Author
Lucy Cazalet née Hopper was born in Moscow in 1870. Together with her husband Frederick, also Moscow-born, she managed the historic [getpostlink:muir-and-mirrielees-1] department store on Theatre Square, now known as TsUM, and was something of an authority on pewter and porcelain. After the Revolution of 1917, the couple and their children escaped to England, where Lucy died in 1956. Her book, published in 1915, is testimony to the desire to improve relations between Imperial Russia and the British Empire in the Edwardian age.
Archive
Word Games
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Defeat. Heavy. Make.
2 Dense. Find. Meet.
3 Join. Much. Start.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Confusables Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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