The historian dispelled the main myths about Dmitry Donskoy and the Battle of Kulikovo

Candidate of Historical Sciences Evgeny Lomako debunked the main legends about the Battle of Kulikovo. Russian Russians, he noted in an interview with Radio 1 on Tuesday, September 1, that it had become a symbol of the unification of the Russian principalities: disparate forces took the field, and a single Russian army was formed.

At the same time, the historical data differs from the common ideas about the scale of the battle. Previously, the number of troops was estimated at 300,000 on each side, but modern estimates suggest about 10,000 horsemen on each side. Archaeological finds and the routes of troops described in the chronicles, according to Lomako, confirm the very fact of the battle.

Some famous episodes remain legends. Historians cannot reliably confirm the duel of Peresvet and the story of the exchange of armor between Dmitry Donskoy and boyar Brand. However, Lomako considers their symbolic meaning important — the willingness of the prince and the soldiers to sacrifice themselves for a common victory.

Kolomna occupied a special place in Dmitry Donskoy's life, where the prince gathered troops, made important decisions and built stone temples. He also turned the city into one of the key defensive points of Russia.

The Battle of Kulikovo: the date of the beginning and the end, briefly the most important, the meaning

The intricacies of war, the Ambush Regiment, heroism and sacrifice, victory — how one battle 645 years ago changed the course of history

On the eve of August 31, Andrei Batalov, Deputy General Director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums for Scientific Work, expressed the opinion that Prince Dmitry Donskoy probably could have suffered from angina pectoris and died as a result of a heart attack. He explained that the features of his sarcophagus may indicate that by the end of his life he was a big man, which, according to Batalov, could be related to problems of the cardiovascular system. kp.ru . He also noted that there were traces of blunt force trauma on the frontal bone. This corresponds to the chronicle information that during the Battle of Kulikovo, the prince fought with the soldiers and received blows to the head and shoulders. 360.ru .

Prior to that, on August 18, the Russian Orthodox Church reported that the relics of Dmitry Donskoy in the sarcophagus in the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin were almost completely preserved, RT notes. Three white-stone sarcophagi were discovered at the same time under the floor near the southern wall, RIAMO clarifies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the finding of the relics of Prince Dmitry Donskoy a wonderful event. He stressed that "this only strengthens all the most significant foundations of our history," the NSN reports. The Russian leader visited the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, inspected the burial site and took part in a prayer service, IA Regnum writes.

In July, emergency work began in the cathedral tomb of the Moscow princes and tsars. The floor slabs had sagged, and the tombstones could have been destroyed.