Traditionally regarded as the end of Tatar suzerainty over Russia, marking the effective independence of the Grand Duchy of Moscow from the Great Horde.
Key Facts
- Year
- 1480
- Location
- Banks of the Ugra River
- Trigger
- Ivan III stopped paying tribute to the Great Horde
- Lithuanian reinforcements
- Never arrived for Akhmat Khan
- Combat
- Minimal fighting; one failed Horde crossing attempt
- Historical interpretation
- End of the 'Tatar yoke' in Russian historiography
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Grand Prince Ivan III of Moscow ceased paying tribute to the Great Horde, prompting Akhmat Khan to march his army toward Moscow in an attempt to reassert Tatar authority over the Grand Duchy and compel renewed submission.
The two armies faced each other across the Ugra River in a prolonged standoff. Akhmat Khan waited in vain for Lithuanian allied forces that never materialized. One Mongol attempt to cross the river was repulsed, and both sides ultimately withdrew without significant battle.
The standoff ended Tatar suzerainty over Russia in practice, and Russian historiography has long treated it as the conclusion of the Tatar yoke. However, Tatar raids on Russian territory continued; the Crimean Tatars burned Moscow as late as 1571 before being defeated at the Battle of Molodi.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Ivan III.
Side B
1 belligerent
Akhmat Khan.