Battle of Oshel (1220)

== Preliminary events In 1219, the Bulgars captured the town of Ustyug the Great, standing over the Sukhona River at the mouth of the South River. The Bulgars tried, but without success, to capture Unju, a small town on the river Unzha (the Volga tributary). Perhaps the raids of the Bulgars on the fur-rich areas of the north pushed Vsevolodovichy on a campaign of 1220.

The battle
Yuri Vsevolodovich sent his brother Svyatoslav on a campaign and gave him his regiment with voivode Yeremey Glebovich. The regiments of Yaroslav were made from Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. In Rostov, Vasily Konstantinovich sent Yuri to tell him to put up a regiment. On the march were the princes of Murom, Svyatoslav Davidovich and Vsevolod Yuryevich. From the shores of Sukhona, from Ustyug the Great to the Kama, the Ustyugians, who suffered from the raid, moved.

The power of the princes united at the mouth of the Oka. The soldiers stayed "in embassy and in the lodias." They began to descend down the Volga. On the Isadekh, opposite the city of the Bulgars "Oshl", came ashore. June 15, 1220 Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich equipped the shelves. Himself with the Murom princes became in the center, the Rostovites put on the right, the Pereyaslavl on the left. The regiments went from the shore through the forest to the field. Here stood the horse Bulgars with their prince. The Bulgars started up the arrow and rushed off. Svyatoslav went to the city. Bulgars began to fight because of "zatkaiia" on the shaft. Rus set fire to the wooden fortifications of the city, but, being caught in the smoke, retreated from the shaft. The city "Osel" was taken and burnt.

When Svyatoslav with the regiments returned to the people, the storm began with rain. The wind was so strong that it threatened the ships. Svyatoslav led the boats for the river frame, for the "drought," and the army "sheltered" for the night. In the morning the regiments boarded the boats and, striking their oars, went up the Volga. Meanwhile, the Bulgars began to approach Isadam. Svyatoslav, seeing the enemy, ordered his soldiers to put on armor and banners "puff up". The musicians took up the tambourines, pipes and snuff (surn). Bulgars walked along the banks of the Volga following the boats.

At the mouth of Kama (hence, "Ochel" stood below the mouth of the Kama), Svyatoslav stopped and soon saw the Ustyuzhans, Boyar Vojislav Dobrynich and the Rostovites with large polonas approaching by the waters and banks of Kama. Before the Gorodets-on-Volga, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich went in the boats. Then the prince went "horse". Yuri went out to meet his brother to Bogolyubov on the river "Suram". Svyatoslav presented gifts to Yuri and went to his city Yuryev-Polsky. And in Kiev on August 19, 1220 Metropolitan Matthew died.