In the Winter of 1237, the Mongol army of Batu Khan (Batyi) invaded the Russian lands. First on his way lay the Ryazan principality with its capital in Ryazan.
It was one of the largest cities in Russia at the time. Up to 8,000 people resided in it, while the average size of a Russian city at that time was a mere thousand.
Before the beginning of the siege, the Mongols burned a number of small towns in the Ryazan and Pron principalities. Some of them were literally wiped off the face of the earth. Others turned into tiny villages, which still exist to this day.
Next came the turn of the capital. The well-fortified city resisted for five days. Everyone who could carry a weapon took part in its defense.
However, the forces were too unequal. According to the Old Russian ‘Tale of the devastation of Ryazan by Batyi’, the city fell on December 21, 1237, the sixth day of the siege.
"And, in the city, many people and wives and children were slaughtered with swords. And others were drowned in the river and priests and monks were slaughtered without a trace and the whole town was burned… And the temples of God were ruined and, in the holy altars, much blood was shed. And there was not a single living person left in the city: they all died anyway and drank a single cup of death."
Despite several attempts, the destroyed city could not be revived. In the 14th century, the capital of the principality was moved to Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky located 50 km away. It became the Ryazan that we know today.