Dmitri Donskoi


Dmitri Donskoi

(dəmē`trē dənskoi`), 1350–89, Russian hero, grand duke of Moscow (1359–89). He successfully resisted Lithuanian attempts to invade Moscow, and was the first Russian prince since the Mongol conquest who dared to wage open war on the TatarsTatars
or Tartars
, Turkic-speaking peoples living primarily in Russia, Crimea, and Uzbekistan. They number about 10 million and are largely Sunni Muslims; there is also a large population of Crimean Tatar descent in Turkey.
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. His great victory at KulikovoKulikovo, battle of
, 1380, victory of Grand Duke Dmitri Donskoi of Moscow over Khan Mamai of the Golden Horde. The battle was fought on a plain by the Don near the present village of Kurkino, Russia, SE of Tula.
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 (1380) made him a popular Russian hero, but the Tatars regained their overlordship by their successful surprise attack on Moscow in 1382.