Key Facts
- Duration of siege
- 10 days
- Attacker
- Ulugh Muhammad, Khan of Kazan
- Defender
- Yuri Patrikeevich (voivode)
- City burned on retreat
- Kolomna
- Conflict
- First Russo-Kazan War
Strategic Narrative Overview
Ulugh Muhammad's forces besieged Moscow for ten days, launching repeated assaults against the white-stone Kremlin. Grand Prince Vasily II abandoned the city, leaving defense to his brother-in-law Yuri Patrikeevich, who organized a competent resistance. The stone fortifications of the Kremlin proved resistant to Tatar attacks. Unable to breach the walls, the besieging force eventually withdrew without capturing the city.
01 / The Origins
Following the fragmentation of the Golden Horde, Ulugh Muhammad established the Kazan Khanate and sought to assert dominance over the Grand Duchy of Moscow. After defeating Muscovite forces at the Battle of Belyov, he advanced on Moscow itself. The broader struggle reflected the ongoing contest between the emerging Muscovite state and Tatar successor polities for control of the region's political and economic power.
03 / The Outcome
The Tatars retreated, plundering the surrounding countryside, taking many prisoners, and burning Kolomna on their way back. Vasily II returned from the Trans-Volga forests but delayed his entry into Moscow, temporarily delegating governance to his cousin Dmitry Yuryevich Krasny. The devastation of surrounding villages and the human toll left a stark impression recorded in contemporary chronicles.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Ulugh Muhammad.
Side B
1 belligerent
Yuri Patrikeevich, Vasily II.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.