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8th October 1480: The Great Stand on the Ugra River

3,959 views · Published 7 October 2018 · 3:27 · Indexed 18 October 2026

Channel: HistoryPod · 2018 · Education

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The first half of the 15th century saw the once-powerful Golden Horde disintegrate in to separate khanates. The steppe remnant, known as the Great Horde, was ruled by Akhmat Khan who grew increasingly frustrated by Grand Prince Ivan III of Muscovy who refused to pay the customary tribute.

Ivan’s rule as Grand Prince of Moscow had begun in 1462, and the early years of his reign saw him bring a number of territories under the direct control of Moscow. His refusal to pay tribute to Akhmat from 1476 was significant as it showed that he no longer recognised the Horde’s authority over the area.

While Akhmat formed an alliance with Casimir IV, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Ivan made his own alliance with Crimea. Determined to re-establish control, Akhmat prepared to invade Moscow in 1480. Knowing that the best chance of defending the city was by stopping the Horde from crossing the rivers that separated their realms, by 6 October the Muscovite army had established positions along the Ugra River 150 miles southwest of Moscow.

While Akhmat waited in vain for his Lithuanian allies to arrive, the two sides fired little more than light explosives and insults at each other. When the Horde finally attempted to cross the river on 8 October it was repeatedly repulsed. With winter fast approaching, Ivan eventually began to move his troops north and east. Meanwhile, Akhmat and the army of the Great Horde withdrew south. The two withdrawals were independent, but they signalled the end of the Great Stand on the Ugra River, as well as a marked decline of Tatar-Mongol influence over Russia.

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