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Siege of Ryazan

Ryazan was the first Russian city in Batu’s path: after a five-day assault the capital of the principality was taken and destroyed, and its inhabitants were massacred.

Date
16–21 December 1237exact date · duration: 5 daysDate in the Julian calendar
Place
Ryazan (Staraya Ryazan)today: Staraya Ryazan archaeological site, Ryazan Oblast, Russia · Eastern Europe
Participants
Mongol Empire, Batu Khan, Principality of Ryazan
Threads
Rus’ in the 13th century
Also known as
Оборона Рязани; Разорение Рязани

The Ryazan forces had already been defeated in a battle on the frontier, and the city was defended by a handful of surviving warriors and townspeople. According to the chronicles, the assault lasted from 16 to 21 December 1237. Ryazan never recovered: its abandoned site is known as Staraya Ryazan (Old Ryazan), and the capital of the principality moved to Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky, today’s Ryazan. These events inspired the Tale of the Destruction of Ryazan by Batu.

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Sources

  1. Wikipedia (English): Siege of Ryazan
  2. Wikipedia (Russian): Взятие Рязани Батыем
  3. Феннел Дж. Кризис средневековой Руси. 1200–1304. — М.: Прогресс, 1989.
  4. Wikidata: Q1981024