From school we know that the great Moscow prince Dmitry Ivanovich (1359-1389) made an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Mongol-Tatar yoke. In 1380, he defeated the hordes of Khan Mamai on the Kulikovo field, for which he received the nickname Donskoy. But in 1382, the new Khan Tokhtamysh deceived and burned Moscow, and Russia fell into dependence on the Golden Horde for almost a hundred years.
Much of this traditional version is puzzling on closer inspection of the facts. First of all, it turns out that even during the Kulikovo battle, Tokhtamysh was one of the khans of the Golden Horde and fought with Mamai for the throne. Further, it is doubtful that the Muscovites turned out to be so naive and believed the oath of the Nizhny Novgorod princes who accompanied Tokhtamysh that the khan would not touch the city if he was only allowed there.
Even stranger, Dmitry's behavior in 1380 and 1382 was fundamentally different. In the first case, he was not afraid to immediately take up arms against the formidable Mamai, while in the second, having barely heard about the approach of the Horde, he fled with his family from Moscow to Kostroma, ostensibly to collect troops, without placing any power in the capital and leaving her to fend for herself. The Tokhtamyshev Tatars received their only rebuff from Dmitry's cousin, the Serpukhov appanage prince Vladimir Andreevich (who, by the way, played a decisive role in the Battle of Kulikovo).
Many of the later news about these events also do not coincide with each other. If you believe the chronicle information about the number of Russian troops, then in this case, when the advanced Russian regiments entered the Kulikovo field, the rearguard had to leave the gates of Moscow (as we were taught at the university).
Doubtful and visit of St. Sergius of Radonezh Dmitry before the campaign against the Tatars. At that moment, the Moscow prince and the famous elder, the founder of the Trinity Lavra, were in an acute conflict over the election of a metropolitan. Sergius believed that the prince should receive Metropolitan Cyprian, appointed by the Patriarch of Constantinople. Dmitry wanted to appoint his own candidate, a certain Mityai. So the legend about Peresvet and Oslyab should, apparently, be attributed to the field of fairy tales.
Many lands of Russia did not take part in the militia of Dmitry on Mamai because of the political conflict with Moscow. But some specific Lithuanian princes came to Dmitry's aid. The Grand Duke of Lithuania Olgerd was considered Mamai's ally. Moreover, Lithuania was the main enemy of the Golden Horde. The lands annexed to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were exempted from paying tribute to the khans. Lithuania acted offensively in this struggle until the defeat on the Vorskla River in 1399.
In the army of Mamai there were many hired Genoese infantry from the Crimea, as well as Armenians, Circassians and other peoples of the Caucasus and the Black Sea region. This indicates the territories that were under the rule of Mamai at that time. By the way, Mamai is incorrectly given the title of khan in most books. Mamai was only a "temnik" - a military leader. The main part of the Golden Horde - the lower reaches of the Volga, the south of the Urals and Siberia - was already subject to Khan Tokhtamysh.
It is curious that during the campaign to the Kulikovo field and upon returning from it, the Moscow army twice ravaged the Ryazan land. This was done by Dmitry, allegedly in revenge for the fact that the Ryazan Grand Duke Oleg did not give Dmitry help in the militia against Mamai and was written off with that. However, two years earlier, Dmitry did not help Oleg when the Ryazan land was devastated by the Mamayev hordes, although in the same 1378, a little earlier, Dmitry's army defeated the Mamayev Tatars on the Vozha River in Ryazan land.
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That is, Dmitry had the opportunity to help Oleg. The question arises: did Dmitry fight the Tatars on the Vozha River? Could it be with the people of Ryazan, really? Some speculations are also prompted by the fact that in the same 1378, simultaneously with Ryazan, Mamai took Nizhny Novgorod (isn't there too many campaigns in one campaign for one commander?), And in 1382, the Nizhny Novgorod princes besieged Moscow together with Tokhtamysh and became, according to the chronicles, the main reason for the destruction of the capital city.
All this leads to the idea that the Battle of Kulikovo was just one of the episodes in the struggle for power in the Golden Horde between Tokhtamysh and Mamai. In this struggle, the Russian princes were on the side of one or another of the two contenders. The significance of the nationwide movement for the overthrow of the yoke was given to the Battle of Kulikovo already retroactively.
The events of those years could be reconstructed in this way. Dmitry Donskoy ceases to pay tribute to the usurper Mamai, who settled in the near part of the Horde, but for support he finds an ally in Mamai's rival - Tokhtamysh, who seems not so dangerous because of the remoteness. In 1378, Dmitry defeated the Ryazan people who were on the side of Mamai. Mamai himself at this time ravages Nizhny Novgorod, which is behind Tokhtamysh.
In 1380, at the direction of Tokhtamysh, Dmitry prevents the combination of the troops of Mamai and Olgerd, smashing the first on the Kulikovo field (along the way, once again cracking down on his old enemies - Ryazan). The power of Mamai is coming to an end, and Dmitry hopes for Tokhtamysh's gratitude and is in no hurry to express traditional signs of obedience. Suddenly he learns that Tokhtamysh's army is already close …
However, the last episode could have been different. The attack on Moscow turned out to be so sudden only because it was undertaken exclusively by the neighbors - the princes of Nizhny Novgorod, who were also old rivals of Moscow. But Muscovites were embarrassed to admit that some Nizhny Novgorod was stronger than Moscow, so the capture of the city in 1382 was attributed to the powerful Tatars.
After the pogrom (regardless of who committed it), Dmitry rushed to the Horde to Tokhtamysh in order to get a label from him for the great reign (otherwise he would have gone to the princes of Nizhny Novgorod), left his son hostage to the khan and later, until his death, provided traditional signs obedience to the Golden Horde. It is possible that the lack of his resistance to the invasion of enemies on Moscow is explained by the fear not to receive a sanction for the great reign from the hands of Tokhtamysh.
Of course, the above is only a version. But to the same extent as traditional.
Yaroslav Butakov