Patriarch Kirill will send to the front the relics of the prince who surrendered Moscow to the Horde
The Russian Orthodox Church has decided to use a portion of the remains of Prince Dmitry Donskoy of Moscow during a religious procession to be held in Moscow on September 6. The prince’s relics, discovered this year in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, will be carried through the city in a special reliquary.
Patriarch Kirill will lead the procession, which will proceed from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior to the Novodevichy Convent. After the event concludes, part of the remains is scheduled to be left for veneration.
The Russian Orthodox Church has already invoked the figure of Dmitry Donskoy in the context of the current Russian-Ukrainian war.
Patriarch Kirill has stated that the prince should serve as an example for those who are currently “serving in the military,” emphasizing his military victories and piety.
At the same time, the history of Dmitry Donskoy includes an episode that differs significantly from the modern heroic image of the prince created by Russian propaganda.
In 1382, just two years after the Battle of Kulikovo, Tokhtamysh, Khan of the Golden Horde, launched a campaign against Moscow.
His goal was to restore the Moscow lands’ subordination to the Horde and ensure the payment of tribute.
As the khan’s army approached, Dmitry Donskoy left Moscow. In his absence, the boyars and townspeople effectively took charge of organizing the city’s defense.
After several days of defense, Tokhtamysh succeeded in capturing the city. Moscow was plundered and burned, and a significant portion of its population perished.
Dmitry Donskoy returned to the capital only after the Horde army had withdrawn, when the city lay in ruins.
After Tokhtamysh’s campaign, Moscow once again found itself in a tributary relationship with the Golden Horde.
In 1383, Dmitry Donskoy sent his son Vasily to the khan. The prince himself agreed to pay Tokhtamysh tribute for the previous years.
At the same time, the khan granted the Moscow dynasty a yarlyk confirming its grand princely status, that is, he affirmed its right to rule over the Moscow lands.
Thus, the prince—whom the Russian Orthodox Church today attempts to portray as a symbol of military service—is known to history not only as the victor of the Battle of Kulikovo.
In 1382, Dmitry Donskoy left Moscow ahead of Tokhtamysh’s invasion, after which the city was captured, plundered, and burned. And as early as the following year, the Prince of Moscow agreed to resume paying tribute to the Golden Horde.
This episode in the history of Dmitry Donskoy demonstrates just how much the modern Russian myth of the prince as an unambiguous symbol of military glory differs from the more complex historical reality.
Earlier, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow proposed a law that would prohibit women in registered marriages from having abortions without their husbands’ consent.
