The siege of Moscow was part of

Mongol invasion of Rus The Mongol Empire invaded and conquered Kievan Rus' in the 13th century, destroying numerous southern cities, including the largest cities, Kiev (50,000 inhabitants) and Chernihiv (30,000 inhabitants), with the only major cities escaping de ...

Prelude

After the destruction of Ryazan on December 21, 1237, Grand Prince

Yuri II 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-Suzdal ...

sent his sons Vsevolod and Vladimir with most of

Vladimir-Suzdal Vladimir-Suzdal (russian: Владимирско-Су́здальская, ''Vladimirsko-Suzdal'skaya''), also Vladimir-Suzdalian Rus', formally known as the Grand Duchy of Vladimir (1157–1331) (russian: Владимиро-Су́здальс ...

army to stop Mongol invaders at

Kolomna Kolomna ( rus, Колóмна, p=kɐˈlomnə) is a historical city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, situated at the confluence of the Moskva and Oka Rivers, (by rail) southeast of Moscow. Population: History Mentioned for the first time in 1177, Ko ...

. There, the Russian army was defeated, and survivors scattered and fled North, to Vladimir and Moscow.

Siege

After destruction of Kolomna in January 1238, Prince Vladimir, younger son of

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 ...

, fled to Moscow with a small force of survivors. "And the men of Moscow ran away having seen nothing", according to The Chronicle of Novgorod. At the time Moscow was but a fortified village, a trading post "on a crossroads of four rivers". The small, wooden fort was taken after five days of siege.

Aftermath

Prince Vladimir was captured and executed two weeks later, before the eyes of the defenders of Vladimir.

References

{{Siege-stub Moscow 1238 Battles of the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus' Siege of 1238 1238 in Europe Conflicts in 1238 13th century in Russia

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...