Battle of the Kalka River (1381)

This article is about the 1381 battle between Mongol warlords Mamai and Tokhtamysh. For the 1223 battle between Kievan Rus'–Cuman forces and the Mongol Empire, see Battle of the Kalka River.

The Battle of the Kalka River^[2] in 1381 was fought between the Mongol warlords Mamai and Tokhtamysh (also spelt Toqtamish) for control of the Golden Horde. Tokhtamysh was the victor and became sole ruler of the Horde.

Battle of the Kalka River (1381)
Part of the Great Troubles
Date 1381 Location Kalka river Result Decisive defeat of Mamai Tokhtamysh takes over Golden Horde as undisputed khan[1]
Belligerents
Mamai's faction	Tokhtamysh's faction
Commanders and leaders
Mamai	Tokhtamysh
Strength
Unknown, smaller	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown, most likely higher	Unknown

Battle

Mamai previously had de facto control over the Horde (though he was never declared khan), but his control began to crumble when Tokhtamysh of the White Horde invaded. At the same time the Russian princes rebelled against his rule, removing a valuable source of tax income from Mamai. Mamai was defeated at the famous 1380 Battle of Kulikovo, at which a Muscovite-led coalition of Russian princes scored a pyrrhic victory.^[a] Mamai raised more troops and prepared another operation to subdue these rebellious Russian principalities once more.^[a] Meanwhile in the east, Tokhtamysh had seized the Golden Horde's capital, Sarai. Mamai was forced to abandon his planned second Russian campaign to deal with Tokhtamysh first.^[b] The armies clashed at the region around the northern Donets and Kalka Rivers.^[2] No details of the battle remain but Tokhtamysh, who probably had a larger army,^{[citation needed]} won a decisive victory.^[b] He subsequently took over the Golden Horde as undisputed khan.^[1]

According to the earliest version of the "Chronicle Tale" (Letopisnaia povest’), Tokhtamysh informed Muscovite prince Dmitry Donskoy that he had defeated their mutual enemy Mamai.^[3]

Notes

1. "[I]t is clear that Moscow had won a pyrrhic victory [at Kulikovo]. Russian losses were so great that Moscow could now raise another army to take advantage of Mamai's defeat. Mamai, on the other hand, mobilized more troops and prepared for a second campaign against Russia."^[1]
2. "Luckily for Moscow, the arrival of Tokhtamysh, pretender to the throne of the Volga khanate and client of the powerful Tamerlane, caused Mamai to abandon his Russian scheme. Unluckily for Moscow, Tokhtamysh had the same plans and carried them out after defeating emir Mamai on the river Kalka."^[1]