During the Mongol invasion, Russian people fled the territory of the Voronezh region. The lands that had once been inhabited by Slavs gradually turned into wild fields. Nomadic inhabitants of the steppe began to interact with the remaining small Russian population. The Voronezh land preserved many traces of the Mongol presence. This is evident in the toponyms of the region, such as Usman, Khava, and Mechetka.
A significant proof of the presence of the Golden Horde on the territory of the region is a hoard of coins from the 14th and 15th centuries that were minted in the Ulus of Jochi, also known as the Golden Horde. This was not a deliberate archaeological discovery, but rather an accidental find made in 1915 in one of the western districts of the Voronezh Governorate. The hoard consisted of 603 silver dirhams from the Golden Horde and 11 silver ingots.
The most valuable coin in the hoard is the Sarai dirham of Uzbek Khan, minted in 1316 (716 Anno Hegirae). Scientists who examined the hoard also identified two anonymous dirham coins from the mint of Azak Al-Mahrus from 1407 (809 AH). The absence of coins from Khan Pulad indicates that the hoard was likely hidden no later than 1410.
Hoards containing Jochi coins are rare in the territory of the Russian Empire and USSR. Only two such hoards have been recorded for the era of Tokhtamysh. In 1904, a find was made near the village of Otrozhki in the Voronezh district. In 1892, another find was made near Nizhneye Pokrovskoye in the Biryuchskiy district. Additional finds of coins were made in the villages of Devitsa (Voronezh district) in 1906, Bely Kolodets (Odoyevsky district, Tula Governorate) in 1913, and Lava (Yelets district, Lipetsk Oblast) in 1974.
In 1408, the region experienced a series of devastating raids. In May and June, a Horde detachment was involved in the conflict between the Ryazan and Pronsk princes. In September, Horde horsemen raided the Bryansk principality. In November, troops under the command of the ruler Edigu marched through the Middle Don area. Moreover, the Ryazan principality was also ravaged in 1410. Edigu’s route along the left bank of the Don is clearly established: it went through Ryazan, Kolomna, and Moscow.
The devastation on the right bank of the Don during the first decade of the 15th century is linked only to the destruction of Bryansk. Hence, researchers believe it is reasonable to associate these military actions with the hiding of the hoard and the death of its owner.
