{{Short description|1502 battle between Moldavia and Golden Horde}} {{Infobox military conflict | conflict = Battle of Samara River | partof = the [[Moldavian–Horde Wars]] | image = | image_size = | date = June 1502 | place = [[Samara (Dnieper)|Samara river]], [[Dnieper]], [[Wild Fields]] (present-day [[Ukraine]]) | result = Moldavian–Crimean victory | territory = Destruction of the [[Golden Horde]] | combatant1 = [[File:Flag_of_Moldavia.svg|23px|border]] [[Moldavia]]<br>{{flagdeco|Crimean Khanate}} [[Crimean Khanate]] | combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Golden Horde flag 1339.svg}} Remains of the [[Golden Horde]] | commander1 = [[File:Flag_of_Moldavia.svg|23px|border]] [[Stephen the Great|Stephen III]]<br>{{flagdeco|Crimean Khanate}} [[Meñli I Giray]] | commander2 = {{flagicon image|Golden Horde flag 1339.svg}} [[Sheikh Ahmed]] | strength1 = Unknown | strength2 = Unknown | casualties1 = Unknown | casualties2 = Most of the army destroyed<ref name=":0"/><ref name=":1"/> | campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Golden Horde conflicts}} }}
The '''Battle of the Samara River''' took place in June 1502, during the attempted [[Great Horde]] invasion of southern Moldavia. It took place between the [[Moldavia]]n–[[Crimean Khanate|Crimean]] army of [[Stephen the Great]] and [[Meñli I Giray]] against the [[Golden Horde]] forces of [[Sheikh Ahmed]], resulting in Moldavian–Crimean victory that led to destruction of the Golden Horde.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |author=Alexandru I. Gonta |title=Românii și Hoarda de Aur 1241-1502 |trans-title=Romanians and the Golden Horde 1241-1502 |publisher=Casa Editorială Demiurg |location=[[Iași]] |isbn=9731522042 |date=2010 |language=ro |page=194}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |author=Epure Violeta Anca |title=Contribuţii privind relaţiile dintre Moldova lui Ştefan cel Mare şi tătari |trans-title=Contributions on the relations between Stephen the Great's Moldavia and the Tatars |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/44848605_Contributii_privind_relatiile_dintre_Moldova_lui_Stefan_cel_Mare_si_tatari |publisher=Ştefan cel Mare University |location=[[Suceava]] |date=2004 |language=ro |page=32}}</ref>
== Prelude ==
In 1502, [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[Sultan]] [[Bayezid II]] wanted to bring the [[Principality of Moldavia]] under full control. The Sultan wanted to avoid direct conflict and instead requested for [[Khan (title)|Khan]] [[Sheikh Ahmed]] to attack and occupy southern Moldavia. Khan Ahmed agreed to attack, in exchange for a promise of Ottoman military support of 40,000 troops. Bayezid II believed that "we ourselves would be able to advance unhindered to all parts of the world" if the Tatars of [[Great Horde]] defeated Moldavians.<ref name=":1"/>
Khan Sheikh Ahmed dispatched the armies led by his sons Bagatır-saltan, Hoziak-saltan and Enai-saltan against the [[Crimean Khanate]] and to southern [[Russia]]. For this reason, [[Stephen the Great|Stephen III]] negotiated with Crimean Khan [[Meñli I Giray]] to coordinate their defense, in the case of Great Horde Tatars trying to cross the [[Dnieper]].<ref name=":1"/>
== Battle ==
In April-May, [[Crimean Khanate|Crimean]] [[Khan (title)|Khan]] [[Meñli I Giray]] was on the campaign against the sons of [[Sheikh Ahmed]], while [[Stephen the Great|Stephen III]] was on the right-bank of [[Desna (river)|Desna river]] with his army. The [[Golden Horde]] forces of Sheikh Ahmed arrived to the opposite side of Desna river.<ref name=":0"/><ref name=":1"/> Between 3-17 May, [[Grand Principality of Moscow|Muscovite]] envoys informed Meñli I Giray with his army about this and Moldavians were ready to strike the Golden Horde once the Crimeans arrive, attacking from the opposite side.<ref name=":1"/> The Muscovite army drove out [[Nogai Horde|Nogai]] forces of Musa, but weren't coming to assistance of Crimeans or Moldavians, as informed by Muscovite envoys back in 3 March.<ref name=":0"/><ref name=":1"/>
The battle begun in early June, as the Crimean Tatars were pursuing Sheikh Ahmed's sons to the same place as Stephen III and Sheikh Ahmed were located. The battle concluded on 28 June, leading to encirclement and destruction of majority of the Golden Horde army, with Khan Ahmed managing to flee with only 4,000 horsemen and two of his brothers.<ref name=":0"/><ref name=":1"/>
== Aftermath ==
On 10 June 1502, [[Crimean Khanate|Crimean]] [[Khan (title)|Khan]] [[Meñli I Giray]] [[Siege of Sarai|sacked]] the capital of the [[Great Horde]], [[Sarai (city)|Sarai]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|author=[[Ataullah Bogdan Kopański]]|translator=|title=《Sabres of two easts: An untold history of Muslims in Eastern Europe, their friends and foes》|location=[[Pakistan|Islamic Republic of Pakistan]]|publisher=[[Institute of Policy Studies (Pakistan)|Institute of Policy Studies Islamaba]]|date=1995|pages=39|isbn=9789694480312|accessdate=|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wv5oAAAAMAAJ&q=Golden+Horde+10+june+1502|quote=June 10, 1502, the Crimean army of Mengli Giray defeated the last khan of the Golden Horde, Sheikh Ahmed, who escaped to Lithuania, where he was executed under political pressure of Mengli Giray.}}</ref> The defeat of the [[Golden Horde]] at Samara had proven to be catastrophic to its continued existence, marking the final blow.<ref name=":0"/><ref name=":1"/>
In 1504, [[Sheikh Ahmed]] went to the [[Dnieper]] and attempted to contact [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[Sultan]] [[Bayezid II]], but he was sent back by the Sultan. Meñli I Giray pursued Sheik Ahmed, which prompted him to surrender to the [[voivode]] of [[Kiev]] in hopes of escaping [[Crimean Khanate|Crimean Tatars]].<ref name=":1"/> However, Ahmed was subsequently executed by the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania|Lithuanian]] authorities, at the request of Crimean Khan Meñli I Giray.<ref name=":2"/>
== References == {{reflist}}
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[[Category:1502 in Europe]] [[Category:Conflicts in 1502]] [[Category:Battles involving Moldavia]] [[Category:Battles involving the Crimean Khanate]] [[Category:Battles involving the Golden Horde]] [[Category:History of Moldova]] [[Category:Military history of Moldova]] [[Category:Military history of Romania]] [[Category:Stephen the Great]] [[Category:Battles of Stephen the Great]] [[Category:16th century in Moldavia]] [[Category:16th century in the Crimean Khanate]] [[Category:16th century in Ukraine]] [[Category:1500s in Europe]]