# Battle of the Samara River > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Battle_of_the_Samara_River > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Battle_of_the_Samara_River.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Samara_River > Source revision: 1355689326 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1502 battle between Moldavia and Golden Horde Battle of Samara River Part of the Moldavian–Horde Wars Date June 1502 Location Samara river, Dnieper, Wild Fields (present-day Ukraine) Result Moldavian–Crimean victory Territorial changes Destruction of the Golden Horde Belligerents Moldavia Crimean Khanate Remains of the Golden Horde Commanders and leaders Stephen III Meñli I Giray Sheikh Ahmed Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties and losses Unknown Most of the army destroyed[1][2] v t e Golden Horde conflicts Nevruy's campaign (1252) Kuremsa war (1252–58) Tugova Hill (1257) Burundai's campaign (1258–1260) Rostov (1289) Dyuden's campaign (1293) Kiev (1299) Bortenevo (1317) Tver (1327) Great Troubles (1359–81/2) Vorskla River (1399) Kiev (1399) Edigu's campaign (1408) Kiev (1416) Odoyev (1424) Sarai (1502) Muscovite–Horde battles The Bityug River (1450) Moscow (1451) Aleksin (1472) Ugra (1480) Sarai (1480) Moldavian–Horde battles Lipnic (1470) Samara (1502) The **Battle of the Samara River** took place in June 1502, during the attempted [Great Horde](/source/Great_Horde) invasion of southern Moldavia. It took place between the [Moldavian](/source/Moldavia)–[Crimean](/source/Crimean_Khanate) army of [Stephen the Great](/source/Stephen_the_Great) and [Meñli I Giray](/source/Me%C3%B1li_I_Giray) against the [Golden Horde](/source/Golden_Horde) forces of [Sheikh Ahmed](/source/Sheikh_Ahmed), resulting in Moldavian–Crimean victory that led to destruction of the Golden Horde.[1][2] ## Prelude In 1502, [Ottoman](/source/Ottoman_Empire) [Sultan](/source/Sultan) [Bayezid II](/source/Bayezid_II) wanted to bring the [Principality of Moldavia](/source/Principality_of_Moldavia) under full control. The Sultan wanted to avoid direct conflict and instead requested for [Khan](/source/Khan_(title)) [Sheikh Ahmed](/source/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](/source/Great_Horde) defeated Moldavians.[2] Khan Sheikh Ahmed dispatched the armies led by his sons Bagatır-saltan, Hoziak-saltan and Enai-saltan against the [Crimean Khanate](/source/Crimean_Khanate) and to southern [Russia](/source/Russia). For this reason, [Stephen III](/source/Stephen_the_Great) negotiated with Crimean Khan [Meñli I Giray](/source/Me%C3%B1li_I_Giray) to coordinate their defense, in the case of Great Horde Tatars trying to cross the [Dnieper](/source/Dnieper).[2] ## Battle In April-May, [Crimean](/source/Crimean_Khanate) [Khan](/source/Khan_(title)) [Meñli I Giray](/source/Me%C3%B1li_I_Giray) was on the campaign against the sons of [Sheikh Ahmed](/source/Sheikh_Ahmed), while [Stephen III](/source/Stephen_the_Great) was on the right-bank of [Desna river](/source/Desna_(river)) with his army. The [Golden Horde](/source/Golden_Horde) forces of Sheikh Ahmed arrived to the opposite side of Desna river.[1][2] Between 3-17 May, [Muscovite](/source/Grand_Principality_of_Moscow) 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.[2] The Muscovite army drove out [Nogai](/source/Nogai_Horde) forces of Musa, but weren't coming to assistance of Crimeans or Moldavians, as informed by Muscovite envoys back in 3 March.[1][2] 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.[1][2] ## Aftermath On 10 June 1502, [Crimean](/source/Crimean_Khanate) [Khan](/source/Khan_(title)) [Meñli I Giray](/source/Me%C3%B1li_I_Giray) [sacked](/source/Siege_of_Sarai) the capital of the [Great Horde](/source/Great_Horde), [Sarai](/source/Sarai_(city)).[3] The defeat of the [Golden Horde](/source/Golden_Horde) at Samara had proven to be catastrophic to its continued existence, marking the final blow.[1][2] In 1504, [Sheikh Ahmed](/source/Sheikh_Ahmed) went to the [Dnieper](/source/Dnieper) and attempted to contact [Ottoman](/source/Ottoman_Empire) [Sultan](/source/Sultan) [Bayezid II](/source/Bayezid_II), but he was sent back by the Sultan. Meñli I Giray pursued Sheik Ahmed, which prompted him to surrender to the [voivode](/source/Voivode) of [Kiev](/source/Kiev) in hopes of escaping [Crimean Tatars](/source/Crimean_Khanate).[2] However, Ahmed was subsequently executed by the [Lithuanian](/source/Grand_Duchy_of_Lithuania) authorities, at the request of Crimean Khan Meñli I Giray.[3] ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:0_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:0_1-5) Alexandru I. Gonta (2010). *Românii și Hoarda de Aur 1241-1502* [*Romanians and the Golden Horde 1241-1502*] (in Romanian). [Iași](/source/Ia%C8%99i): Casa Editorială Demiurg. p. 194. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9731522042](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9731522042). 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:1_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:1_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:1_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-:1_2-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-:1_2-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-:1_2-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-:1_2-9) Epure Violeta Anca (2004). ["Contribuţii privind relaţiile dintre Moldova lui Ştefan cel Mare şi tătari"](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/44848605_Contributii_privind_relatiile_dintre_Moldova_lui_Stefan_cel_Mare_si_tatari) [Contributions on the relations between Stephen the Great's Moldavia and the Tatars] (in Romanian). [Suceava](/source/Suceava): Ştefan cel Mare University. p. 32. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_3-1) [Ataullah Bogdan Kopański](/source/Ataullah_Bogdan_Kopa%C5%84ski) (1995). [*《Sabres of two easts: An untold history of Muslims in Eastern Europe, their friends and foes》*](https://books.google.com/books?id=Wv5oAAAAMAAJ&q=Golden+Horde+10+june+1502). [Islamic Republic of Pakistan](/source/Pakistan): [Institute of Policy Studies Islamaba](/source/Institute_of_Policy_Studies_(Pakistan)). p. 39. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9789694480312](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9789694480312). 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. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Battle of the Samara River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Samara_River) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Samara_River?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.