On August 11, 1378, the Russian forces of the Grand Prince Dmitry of Moscow defeated a Mongol army led by Begich at the Battle of the Vozha River, in what is now Russia. This victory was a major step in the Russian resistance against the Golden Horde and preceded the more famous Battle of Kulikovo in 1380. The battle marked a shift in the power dynamics between the Mongols and the emerging Russian states.

The Battle of the Vozha River was celebrated in early Russian chronicle poetry and epic songs, which praised Dmitry as a national hero. It contributed to the development of the 'Zadonshchina', a poetic cycle that commemorated the Russian victory over the Tatars. The event's narrative of Christian victory over a pagan enemy became a theme in Russian religious and nationalist poetry.