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Classical elements are present in the architecture of many of the older buildings in the city and bronze statues of famous men have a prominent place in virtually every park and in front of many public buildings. Monarchs, poets, musicians, artists, literati, scientists, and modern intellectuals vie with Communist theroticians for places of honor. Frustrating as it is to be confined inside a bus, a drive through the city does remind one of the richness of the history of this enormous country.
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I am embarrassed to say that prior to visiting Moscow on this trip I had never heard of Dmitri Donskoi. He was born Dmitry Ivanovich in Moscow in 1350. His father, Ivan II was the reigning prince of Moscow. When he was nine years old he replaced his father as reigning prince with Metropolitan Alexis serving as regent. In 1363, with Tartar concurrence, he was crowned Grand Prince of Vladimir. In 1367 he strengthened the defenses of the Moscow Kremlin with its first stone fortifications and successfully withstood several Lithuanian attacks on the city. Other northern princes rallied to him and acknowledged his supremacy. In the 1370s the Golden Horde still claimed suzerainty over all of Russia including Moscow, but internal dissension within the Horde had weakened it. In 1378 a Tartar army attempted to chastise Dmitri for his efforts to increase his power, but Dmitri defeated it in the Battle of Vozha River. In 1380 he defeated a second Tartar army led by Khan Mamai in the Battle of Kulikovo. These two battles were the first time that a Russian army had defeated a Tartar army. Kulikovo is located on the Don River. Following his victory there, Dmitri was given the title Donskoi which means "of the Don." Back in Mongolia Mamai was overthrown by Tokhtamysh, who managed subsequently to overrun Moscow in 1382 and reestablish Tartar control of Russia. Dmitri pledged his loyalty to Tokhtamysh and was reinstated as the Tartar's principal tax collector in Russia. Dmitri Donskoi died in 1389. His victory at Kulikovo is regarded to have been a critical step in the development of the Russian state. During WWI, one of the most powerful armored cruisers in the Russian fleet was named the Dmitri Donskoi. Today, one of Russia's most powerful Typhoon class nuclear submarines, capable of firing ballistic missiles, is named the Dmitri Donskoi.
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