Summary “The Tale of the Ruination of Ryazan by Batu”


Two years after the transfer of the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the godless king Baty comes to Russia. He becomes with his army on the Voronezh River near Ryazan. Batu sends ambassadors to the Ryazan prince Yuri Ingorevich, offering the following conditions: the prince of Ryazan will immediately give up a tenth of everything – land, people, wealth. Yuri Ingorevich asks for military assistance from the Grand Duke Vladimir of Vladimir Vsevolodovich. George Vsevolodovich refuses to help, wishing to fight with Batu independently. Then Yuri Ingorevich convokes princes – his closest neighbors and relatives to the council, what to do.

Ryazan prince sends to Batu his son Feodor Yuryevich with gifts and a request not to attack the Ryazan land. The godless king Baty was “flattering and ungracious”. Accepting gifts, he falsely promises not to attack Ryazan, but he does not abandon his intention, moreover, he wants the people of Ryazan to lead him to “fornication”

of wives and daughters. Having learned from one traitor, a Ryazan nobleman, that Fedor Yuryevich himself has a beautiful wife, Baty turns to him with such a “proposal.” Prince Fyodor Yuryevich refuses Batu, for which he orders to kill him and throw the prince’s body to pieces to the wild beasts and birds.

Only one servant from the suite of Fyodor Yurevich manages to escape from Batu. It is he who brings the terrible news about the death of the prince to Ryazan. Hearing this, Princess Yevpraksia, the wife of Fyodor Yurievich, rushes from the window of the high tower with his little son, Ivan Fedorovich. Princess and young prince “get infected” to death. Since then, the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, located in Ryazan, is called the icon of St. Nicholas of Zaraz. A lot of hours are all over the city crying.

“Resting from crying,” Yuri Ingorevich gathers his army. In the battle with Batu many princes perish. Heavy wounded Prince Oleg Ingorevich. Seeing him, exhausted from his wounds, Batu invites him to go over to his side, and for this Baty

will order him to be cured. Oleg refuses, for which the Khan orders to cut it to pieces.

Coming to the city, Batu’s army encircles him, and a continuous five-day battle begins. And if the Tatar warriors are replaced, then the inhabitants of Ryazan are fighting unchanged. The battle ends with the fall of Ryazan. Having occupied Ryazan, the Tatars plunder and kill the inhabitants of the city. Thus, they commit great sacrilege – they kill Princess Agripina, the mother of the Grand Duke, other princesses and princesses who were with her, as well as the bishop and priests in the church.

At this time, the brother of the Ryazan prince Yuri Ingorevich Ingvar Ingorevich is in Chernigov, along with him – Ryazan nobleman Evpatiy Kolovrat. They rush to the aid of Ryazan, but come after its ruin. Eupathy gathers his squad and goes to battle with the Tatars. He suddenly attacks the army of Batu and “sows them without mercy” so that “swords are dull.” Tatars are amazed by the courage and daring of Russians and, in particular, by the valor of Evpatiy Kolovrat. Shurin Baty Khostovrul brags that he will capture Evpati and the Russian volunteers alive. Evpatiy and Khostovrul converge in a duel in which the Russian hero cuts Batu’s brother-in-law in half “to the saddle.” Tatars still manage to kill Evpaty Kolovrat, but they are afraid of him even dead. The author points out that the Tatars have respect for Russian brave men, and King Baty says: “

Ingvar Ingorevich at this time mourns for his brothers, mother and relatives. He orders to find the corpses of Yuri Ingorevich, Oleg Ingorevich and other brothers, as well as Fyodor Yurievich, his wife and son, and bury them with Christian honors. Ingrev Ingorevich becomes Ryazan prince, and then “renews” the land of Ryazan: builds anew churches, monasteries, collects people. The author finishes “The Story…” thus: “And the joy of the Christians became, for God delivered them with a mighty hand from the godless king Batu.”


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Summary “The Tale of the Ruination of Ryazan by Batu”