The Battle of Kalka. 1223. Russian Principalities on the Eve of the Mongol-Tatar Invasion

Although the Battle of Kalka, which became the first confrontation of Rus with the Mongol-Tatars, is included in the compulsory curriculum of all school and university textbooks, it remains largely enigmatic for historians. Disputes arise about the location of the battle, as there is no river with that name on modern maps. Discussions unfold not only about the date but even about the year of the battle. There is no consensus on the number of combatants, the route of the opponents' movements. How are the famous Halley's Comet and Karl Marx related to the battle, did the Russian hero Alyosha Popovich take part in the battle, and what role did the river Kalka play in the fate of the Tatar chieftain Mamai? Is it possible now, after 800 years, to reconstruct the events of the past? Based on an analysis of the entire array of historical sources, the author answers these and other questions.