Principality of Ryazan in the context of "Ryazan"

The Mongol Empire invaded and conquered much of the Kievan Rus' in the mid-13th century, sacking numerous cities such as Ryazan, Yaroslavl, Pereyaslavl and Vladimir, including the largest: Kiev (50,000 inhabitants) and Chernigov (30,000 inhabitants). The siege of Kiev in 1240 by the Mongols is generally held to mark the end of the state of Kievan Rus', which had already been undergoing fragmentation. Many other principalities and urban centres in the northwest and southwest escaped complete destruction or suffered little to no damage from the Mongol invasion, including Galicia–Volhynia, Pskov, Smolensk, Polotsk, Vitebsk, and probably Rostov and Uglich.

The Mongol campaign was heralded by the Battle of the Kalka River on 31 May 1223, which resulted in a Mongol victory over the forces of several principalities as well as the remnants of the Cumans under Köten. The Mongols retreated, having gathered their intelligence, which was the purpose of the reconnaissance-in-force. A full-scale invasion by Batu Khan followed, with most of Kievan Rus' overrun in 1236–1238. The Mongols captured Kiev in 1240 and moved west into Hungary and Poland. The heavy losses suffered by the Mongols during the invasion period significantly weakened subsequent campaigns, preventing the ruin of the Holy Roman Empire and more western countries.

Vasili III Ivanovich (Russian: Василий III Иванович; Christian name: Gavriil; monastic name: Varlaam; 25 March 1479 – 3 December 1533) was Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1505 until his death in 1533.

He was the second son of Ivan III by his second wife Sophia Paleologue. Following on the ambitions of his father, Vasili annexed Pskov and Ryazan – the last remaining autonomous Russian territories – and captured the city of Smolensk from Lithuania. He also strengthened Russian influence in Kazan and the Volga region. Several nobles were exiled, sentenced, or executed for criticizing his policies.

Tula (Russian: Ту́ла, IPA: [ˈtulə]) is the largest city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast in Russia, located 193 kilometers (120 mi) south of Moscow. Tula is located in the northern Central Russian Upland on the banks of the Upa River, a tributary of the Oka. At the 2010 census, Tula had a population of 501,169, an increase from 481,216 in 2002, making it the 32nd-largest city in Russia by population.

A primarily industrial city, Tula was a fortress at the border of the Principality of Ryazan. The city was seized by Ivan Bolotnikov in 1606 during the Time of Troubles and withstood a four-month siege by the Tsar's army. Historically, Tula has been a major centre for the manufacture of armaments. The Demidov family built the first armament factory in Russia in the city, in what would become the Tula Arms Plant, which still operates to this day.

The siege of Ryazan happened in Ryazan on December 1237 during the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'. Ryazan was the capital of the Principality of Ryazan, and was the first Kievan Rus' city to be besieged by the Mongol invaders under Genghis Khan's grandson Batu Khan.

The Great Troubles (Russian: Великая замятня, romanized: Velikaya zamyatnya, from Old East Slavic замѧтьнѧ, as found in Rus' chronicles), also known as the Golden Horde Dynastic War, was a war of succession in the Golden Horde from 1359 to 1381.

This era, which followed shortly after the Black Death had ravaged the cities of the Golden Horde, was characterised by two decades of near anarchy. A long series of short-reigning khans deposed and killed each other, only to suffer the same fate next. Mamai emerged as the most powerful Mongol warlord, frequently employing Rus' principalities such as Tver and Ryazan as his allies. Because he was not a Chingisid (descendant of Genghis Khan), Mamai had no legitimate claim to the throne, and instead used Chingisid puppet-khans to exercise political control.