The great Moscow and Vladimir prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy is a well-known historical figure who played a crucial role in world history. Prince Dmitry Donskoy was the son of Ivan II the Red and Princess Alexandra Ivanovna and belonged to the fifteenth tribe of the Rurikovich.
The Grand Duke was born in Moscow on October 12, 1350. When Ivan II the Red died in 1359, Metropolitan Alexy became the de facto ruler of the Moscow principality, assuming the post of guardian of the young prince.
The advice of the Metropolitan, a man of great intelligence and strong character, who used his authority to achieve Moscow’s supremacy in North-Eastern Russia, helped Dmitry Donskoy continue the policy of gathering Russian lands around Moscow. Such a policy was adhered to by his father and grandfather - also the most famous historical figure Ivan Kalita.
The eleven-year-old Prince Dmitry Donskoy had a long time to wage a struggle for rule with the rival princes - Ryazan, Tver and Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod.
General
In 1363, as a result of a long struggle for the principality, Dmitry Donskoy received the right to be solely considered the Grand Duke. Strengthening the position of Moscow was helped by the marriage of the prince to the Suzdal princess Evdokia Dmitrievna. Accordingly, at the same time, the princess's father abandoned his intentions to rule Vladimir in favor of Moscow.
The first white-stone Kremlin in Russia appeared thanks to the order of Dmitry in 1367. It was a powerful defensive fortress from rival princes. At the same time, the gates of the Kremlin have always been friendly open to the ambassadors of the khan, from whom Dmitry Donskoy preferred to buy off expensive gifts.
It was the white-stone Kremlin that helped defend Moscow and prevent the reign of the Lithuanian prince Olgerd, who defeated the Moscow troops on the Trosna River in 1367. In 1369, the Prince of Donskoy himself went with troops to the Smolensk and Bryansk principalities belonging to Olgerd and defeated them. Supported by the Grand Duke, again, Metropolitan Alexy.
When in 1377 the Horde prince Arab-Shah attacked the Suzdal principality, where the father-in-law of Dmitry Donskoy was the ruler, the Grand Duke was the first Russian prince to openly fight the Horde. But this time the Moscow army failed: according to legend, the "drunk" Russian soldiers did not expect an attack and were defeated by the Horde army. Therefore, the river, on the banks of which the camp of the Moscow regiments was located, was called the "Piani River".
However, in 1378, a detachment of soldiers, commanded personally by Dmitry Donskoy, defeated a large detachment of the Horde on the River Vozha. This victory was the first victory of the Russian army over the Horde and glorified the governor Daniil Pronsky and Timofey Velyaminov.
The Grand Duke Dmitry received the nickname "Donskoy" by defeating the Horde army on September 8, 1380 in the Battle of Kulikovo, which unfolded between the rivers Nepryadva and Don.
The famous victory of the army of Dmitry Donskoy in the Battle of Kulikovo allowed Moscow not to pay tribute to the conquerors for two years (before the attack on the city in 1382 by Khan Tokhtamysh).
Over the thirty years of his reign, Dmitry Donskoy has become a recognized fighter with a horde on Russian lands and a collector of Russian lands. The territories of the Moscow principality expanded significantly. Prince Dmitry maintained friendly relations with the Orthodox Byzantium and sought recognition of the independence of the Russian Orthodox Church from Constantinople.
In addition to the white-stone Kremlin, monastic fortresses were built under the prince. Earlier than in other principalities, minting of silver coins was introduced in Moscow.
