Puresh ( mdf, Пуреш, Puresh, pureh brewing time born) was a

Moksha ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriologic ...

Kanazor, ruler of Kingdom Moxel in ( Middle Volga) mentioned in Russians sources as Murunza. He was an ally of Russian Grand Prince

Yuri II of Vladimir Yuri II (russian: Ю́рий–II), also known as George II of Vladimir or Georgy II Vsevolodovich (26 November 11884 March 1238), was the fourth Grand Prince of Vladimir (1212–1216, 1218–1238) who presided over Vladimir-Suzd ...

and of the

Cuman The Cumans (or Kumans), also known as Polovtsians or Polovtsy (plural only, from the Russian exonym ), were a Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation. After the Mongol invasion (1237), many sough ...

Khan

Köten Köten (russian: Котян, hu, Kötöny, ar, Kutan, later Jonas; 1205–1241) was a Cuman–Kipchak chieftain (''khan'') and military commander active in the mid-13th century. He forged an important alliance with the Kievan Rus' against the ...

against the

Volga Bulgars Volga Bulgaria or Volga–Kama Bulgaria, was a historic Bulgar state that existed between the 7th and 13th centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama River, in what is now European Russia. Volga Bulgaria was a multi-ethnic state ...

and

Erzyas Erzyas or Erzya people ( myv, Эрзят, ''Erźat'') are one of the Mordvin peoples. Famous people of Erzya descent * Purgaz * Stepan Erzia, Russian sculptor * Nadezhda Kadysheva, Russian singer * Vasily Chapayev, Bolshevik commander * Valeri ...

in the 1230s.

War For Kadoma

European Campaign

In September 1237 the Mongols invaded

kingdom Moxel). Puresh became a vassal of

Batu Khan Batu Khan ( – 1255),, ''Bat haan'', tt-Cyrl, Бату хан; ; russian: хан Баты́й was a Mongol ruler and founder of the Golden Horde, a constituent of the Mongol Empire. Batu was a son of Jochi, thus a grandson of Genghis K ...

and joined Mongol army in the European campaign. Puresh's warriors became the vanguard of the Mongol army and took part in the seizure of

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

Sandomierz Sandomierz (pronounced: ; la, Sandomiria) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (as of 2017), situated on the Vistula River in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy Cross Prov ...

and

Zawichost Zawichost is a small town (ca. 1,800 inhabitants ) in Sandomierz County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland. It is located by the Vistula River in Lesser Poland, near Sandomierz. It is first mentioned in historical documents from around 1148. I ...

Massacre before Battle of Legnica

Puresh secretly met with the

High Duke of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16th ...

Henry II the Pious Henry II the Pious ( pl, Henryk II Pobożny; 1196 – 9 April 1241) was Duke of Silesia and High Duke of Poland as well as Duke of South-Greater Poland from 1238 until his death. Between 1238 and 1239 he also served as regent of Sandomierz and ...

, on 8 April 1241, one day before the

Battle of Legnica The Battle of Legnica ( pl, bitwa pod Legnicą), also known as the Battle of Liegnitz (german: Schlacht von Liegnitz) or Battle of Wahlstatt (german: Schlacht bei Wahlstatt), was a battle between the Mongol Empire and combined European forces t ...

, and they agreed that the Moksha army would join the

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. S ...

and

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest cit ...

Subutai Subutai (Classical Mongolian: ''Sübügätäi'' or ''Sübü'ätäi''; Modern Mongolian: Сүбээдэй, ''Sübeedei''. ; ; c. 1175–1248) was a Mongol general and the primary military strategist of Genghis Khan and Ögedei Khan. He directe ...

uncovered the plot and Puresh, his son Atämaz and many Moksha warriors were killed while sleeping after midnight on 9 April 1241.

Aftermath

Queen

Narchat Narchat, Narchatka, Naricha ( mdf, Нарчат, Нарчатка, Нарича, Narchat, Narchatka, Naricha) was a Mokshas, Moksha Queen,Лебедев В. И. Загадочный город Мохши, Пенза, 1958, p.15 ruler of Mukhsha U ...

took a revenge on Mongols in 1242 and raided their convoys in Mokshaland. It led to an uprising which resulted in another war with Mongols returned from Europe known as Sernya battle.

William of Rubruck William of Rubruck ( nl, Willem van Rubroeck, la, Gulielmus de Rubruquis; ) was a Flemish Franciscan missionary and explorer. He is best known for his travels to various parts of the Middle East and Central Asia in the 13th century, including the ...

described Mokshaland after the war as a land without cities with people dwell in forests since "their king and most of his men were killed in Germany where they were forced to go together with the Mongols". Itinerarium fratris Willielmi de Rubruquis de ordine fratrum Minorum, Galli, Anno gratia 1253. ad partes Orientales.

Literature

* Based on British Library MS Royal 14.C.XIII Fol. 225r-236r and thus ends prematurely.
''Opus Majus'', Volume I
in the Internet Archive – original text in Latin (includin
Part IV
, ed. by John Henry Bridges, 1900. * *

Notes