For the first time, the perception by ancient Russian society of the Mongol-Tatar invasion, the subsequent yoke and the Battle of Kulikovo is characterized based on written, folklore and visual sources. The text is illustrated with miniatures of the 16th–17th centuries, depicting the events of Russian history of the 13th–15th centuries, and works of art from the era of the great battle. For historians, cultural experts, ethnographers. It can be used in the educational process of universities when training personnel in humanitarian areas and specialties. Of interest to a wide range of readers.