Toqtamysh, Tamerlane’s main internal rival, appears before the walls of Moscow. The citizens naively open the gates to him, and his Mongol soldiers devastate and pillage the city, causing terrible carnage. Books gathered in churches from the surrounding countryside are also burned out of fear of the invader. After the sack, the Russian princes submit, and Toqtamysh restores the Golden Horde, competing with Tamerlane.
