The Mokshas are an ethnic group

Ethnic group

An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...

 belonging to Volgaic

Volga Finns

The Volga Finns are a historical group of indigenous peoples of Russia whose descendants include the Mari people, the Erzya and the Moksha Mordvins, as well as extinct Merya, Muromian and Meshchera people...

 branch of Finnic peoples

Finnic peoples

The Finnic or Fennic peoples were historic ethnic groups who spoke various languages traditionally classified as Finno-Permic...

  who live mostly on the west side and to the south of the great bend of the Volga river

Volga River

The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...

, and along a tributary of the Oka, the Moksha river in Russian Federation

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

.

Their native language is Moksha (Mokshan

Moksha language

The Moksha language is a member of the Finno-Volgaic subdivision of the Uralic languages with about 500,000 native speakers. Moksha is the majority language in the western part of Mordovia....

), one of the three surviving Finno-Volgaic

Finno-Volgaic languages

Finno-Volgaic or Fenno-Volgaic is a defunct hypothesis of a subgrouping of the Uralic languages that tried to group the Finnic languages, Sami languages, Mordvinic languages and the Mari language...

 branch members of the Finno-Ugric language family. According to the Russian census conducted in 1994, 49% of autochthonal Finnic population in Mordovia identified themselves as Mokshas (more than 180,000). Most Mokshas belong to Russian Orthodox Church

Russian Orthodox Church

The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...

, there are also Lutherans and Paganists.

Prehistory

Differentiation of Volga Finns into separate groups is believed to began around 1200 BC. In fact they can not be traced earlier as they didn’t have ground burial tradition before. According to archeological data bodies in early Mokshan burials were oriented with their heads to the south.
Androphagi

Androphagi

Androphagi was an ancient nation of cannibals north of Scythia , probably in the forests between the upper waters of the Dnepr and Don...

 living north of Scythia

Scythia

In antiquity, Scythian or Scyths were terms used by the Greeks to refer to certain Iranian groups of horse-riding nomadic pastoralists who dwelt on the Pontic-Caspian steppe...

 (according to Herodotus), in the forests between the upper waters of the Dnieper and Don are believed to be the first mentioning of Moksha ancestors (Gorodets archeological culture) Herodotus also gives a description of Scythian-Persian war 516-512 B.C., which involved all Middle Volga population. Sarmatians

Sarmatians

The Iron Age Sarmatians were an Iranian people in Classical Antiquity, flourishing from about the 5th century BC to the 4th century AD....

 forced out Scythians and subdued some Moksha clans, though failed to spread their dominion far enough due to their sparsity. 100s-200s AD Ants, Slavs, Mokshas and Erzyas became the most powerful and numerous of East European population. By the end of IV c.AD most Mokshas joined Hunnic tribal alliance and took part in the defeat of Ostrogothic Empire in 377 AD, then moved eastward and settled themselves in Pannonia. Mokshan battle charger harness, especially bits and psalia are identic to early battle harness of Hunnic epoch. Their analogues found in Eastern Europe and Caucasus. Archeological data prove the boundaries of Moksha land didn’t change within 4 - 8 cc. AD period. In 450 AD Mokshas in alliance with Alans

Alans

The Alans, or the Alani, occasionally termed Alauni or Halani, were a group of Sarmatian tribes, nomadic pastoralists of the 1st millennium AD who spoke an Eastern Iranian language which derived from Scytho-Sarmatian and which in turn evolved into modern Ossetian.-Name:The various forms of Alan —...

 in Middle Volga known as Burtas

Burtas

Burtas were a tribe of uncertain ethnolinguistic affiliation inhabiting the steppe region north of the Caspian Sea in medieval times...

, (Burtass alliance).

Medieval History

During second Arab-Khazar War in 737 AD Arab armies under command of Marwan ibn Muhammad reached right bank of Volga and had a battle with the Burtas fighting their way to left Khazar bank of Volga. Circa 889-890 AD Khazars

Khazars

The Khazars were semi-nomadic Turkic people who established one of the largest polities of medieval Eurasia, with the capital of Atil and territory comprising much of modern-day European Russia, western Kazakhstan, eastern Ukraine, Azerbaijan, large portions of the northern Caucasus , parts of...

 at war with the Burtas, the Oghuz

Oghuz

Oghuz may refer to:*an early Turkic word for "tribe", see Oghuz * Oghuz languages, a major branch of the Turkic language family.* Oghuz Turks, the Turkic groups speaking Oghuz languages* Oghuz Khan, a legendary and semi-mythological Turkic khan....

 and the Pechenegs. In 913 AD after Orsiyya war breakout against Rus' at Atil

Atil

Atil , literally meaning "Big River", was the capital of Khazaria from the middle of the 8th century until the end of the 10th century. The word is also a Turkic name for the Volga River.-History:...

 five thousand Rus' survivers escaped up the Volga and most of them were killed by the Burtas. In 932 AD Khazar King Aaron allied with the Oghuz in a war. Circa 940 AD in the reign of King Joseph

Joseph (Khazar)

Joseph ben Aaron was king of the Khazars during the 950s and 960s.Joseph was the son of Aaron II, a Khazar ruler who defeated a Byzantine-inspired war against Khazaria on numerous fronts. Joseph's wife was the daughter of the king of the Alans.Whether Joseph was the Khagan or the Bek of the...

 the Khazars entered into an alliance with the Burtas. Afterwards Seliksa (Burtas) principality became vassal to Khazar khanate. Sviatoslav I of Kiev

Sviatoslav I of Kiev

Sviatoslav I Igorevich ; , also spelled Svyatoslav, was a prince of Rus...

 in 965 AD according to Ibn Haukal “attacked Khazar allies, captured Sarkel, Bulgar and reached Semender”. Two years later after the Great Flood he seized and destroyed Atil. In the beginning of 10 c Volga Bulgaria

Volga Bulgaria

Volga Bulgaria, or Volga–Kama Bolghar, is a historic Bulgar state that existed between the seventh and thirteenth centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers in what is now Russia.-Origin:...

 king Almush (Almış) took under control "Khazar tribute". He converted to Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

, kept alliance with Baghdad

Baghdad

Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...

 khalif Muktafi and founded trading post in the mouth of Oka river

Oka River

Oka is a river in central Russia, the largest right tributary of the Volga. It flows through the regions of Oryol, Tula, Kaluga, Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir, and Nizhny Novgorod and is navigable over a large part of its total length, as far upstream as to the town of Kaluga. Its length exceeds...

. Kievan kniaz Vladimir undertook a military compaign and seized Bolghar

Bolghar

Bolghar was intermittently capital of Volga Bulgaria from the 8th to the 15th centuries, along with Bilyar and Nur-Suvar. It was situated on the bank of the Volga River, about 30 km downstream from its confluence with the Kama River and some 130 km from modern Kazan...

 in 985

985

Year 985 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Barcelona is sacked by Al-Mansur....

 AD. King Almush and kniaz Vladimir signed peace and trade treaty in 1006 and it was the beginning of ‘eternal peace’ lasted for 80 years. War for domination in Oka and Erzyan fortress Obran osh started again in 1120 AD. Prince Yury of Vladimir

Vladimir

Vladimir is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway. Population:...

  seized Oshel in 1220 and demanded reducing Bulgarian influence on Erzyan kingdom (Purgas Rus). The latter was in alliance with Volga Bulgaria. Vladimir kniazes captured and destroyed Obran osh in 1221 and founded Nizhny Novgorod

Nizhny Novgorod

Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...

. Erzyan king Purgaz and Mokshan king Puresh

Puresh

Puresh was a Moksha kanazor , ruler of Murunza kingdom in Middle Volga. Ally of Russian Grand Prince Yuri II and Cuman khan Köten against Bulgars and Erzyas in 1220s. In September 1237 Mongols invaded to Murunza and Puresh was forced by Jebe and Sübötäi to join the Mongols in their Europe campaign...

 were at war and when Purgaz was in alliance with Volga Bulgaria, Puresh was an ally of kniaz Yury. In 1230 Purgaz lay siege to Nizhny Novgorod but was defeated. After that Puresh’s son prince Tyushtyan with his Polovets allies raided into his lands and completely destroyed his kingdom.
As it was reported by Rashid-al-Din in his Jami al-Tawarikh

Jami al-Tawarikh

The Jāmiʿ al-tawārīkh, , or Universal History is an Iranian work of literature and history written by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani at the start of the 14th century.-The author:...

, 4th September of 1236 was the year when sons of Jochi

Jochi

Jochi was the eldest of the Mongol chieftain Genghis Khan's four sons by his principal wife Börte. An accomplished military leader, he participated in his father's conquest of Central Asia, along with his brothers and uncles.-Early life:...

: Batu

Batu Khan

Batu Khan was a Mongol ruler and founder of the Ulus of Jochi , the sub-khanate of the Mongol Empire. Batu was a son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan. His ulus was the chief state of the Golden Horde , which ruled Rus and the Caucasus for around 250 years, after also destroying the armies...

, Orda

Orda Khan

Orda Ichen was a Mongol Khan and military strategist who ruled eastern part of the Ulus of Jochi during the 13th century.-First Khan of the Blue Horde:...

, Berke

Berke

Berke Khan was the ruler of the Golden Horde who effectively consolidated the power of the Blue Horde and White Hordes from 1257 to 1266. He succeeded his brother Batu Khan of the Blue Horde and was responsible for the first official establishment of Islam in a khanate of the Mongol Empire...

, Ugedei khan’s son Kadan

Kadan

Kadaň , is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic.The city lies on the banks of the river Ohře. Although it is situated in an industrial part of the Czech Republic there is no major industry within the city and people usually work in offices or have to commute. There are two...

, Chagatai’s

Chagatai Khan

Chagatai Khan was the second son of Genghis Khan and first khan and origin of the names of the Chagatai Khanate, Chagatai language and Chagatai Turks....

  grandson Büri

Büri

Buri was a son of Mutugen and a grandson of Chagatai khan. His name - Buri - means Wolf. According to Rashid-al-Din Hamadani, Buri's mother was a wife of Chagatai khan's one official. She was a beauty, and Mutuken was attracted by her while she served in Khan's ger. Mutuken made her pregnant...

 and Jenghiz Khan’s son Kulkan declared war on Moksha, Burtas

Burtas

Burtas were a tribe of uncertain ethnolinguistic affiliation inhabiting the steppe region north of the Caspian Sea in medieval times...

 and Erzya. Each of them leaded a tumen

Tumen

Tumen or Tümen was a part of the decimal system used by Turkic and Mongol peoples to organize their armies. Tumen is an army unit of 10,000 soldiers...

. The war ended 23 August 1237 with a crucial defeat at the Black forest close to the border of Principality of Ryazan.

Puresh the king of the Mokshans submitted to Batu Khan

Batu Khan

Batu Khan was a Mongol ruler and founder of the Ulus of Jochi , the sub-khanate of the Mongol Empire. Batu was a son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan. His ulus was the chief state of the Golden Horde , which ruled Rus and the Caucasus for around 250 years, after also destroying the armies...

 and he was required personally to lead his army as a vassal in the Mongol-Tartar military campaigns.
In the beginning of 1241 Mongol army seized Kiev

Kiev

Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....

, then crossed Carpathian mountains

Carpathian Mountains

The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...

 and invaded Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

. Roger Bacon

Roger Bacon

Roger Bacon, O.F.M. , also known as Doctor Mirabilis , was an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empirical methods...

 in his Opus Majus

Opus Majus

The Opus Majus is the most important work of Roger Bacon. It was written in Medieval Latin, at the request of Pope Clement IV, to explain the work that Bacon had undertaken. The 840-page treatise ranges over all aspects of natural science, from grammar and logic to mathematics, physics, and...

 reports Mokshas were in the vanguard of Mongol army and took part in capture of Lublin

Lublin

Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...

 and Zawichost

Zawichost

Zawichost is a small town in Sandomierz County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland. It is located by the Vistula River in southern Poland, near Sandomierz....

 in Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

. Benedict Polone reports Mokshan army suffered seriouse losses during seizure of Sandomir in February and Krakow

Kraków

Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...

 in March of the same year. On 9th April of 1241 Mongol army defeats allied Polish and German armies in Battle of Legnica

Battle of Legnica

The Battle of Legnica , also known as the Battle of Liegnitz or Battle of Wahlstatt , was a battle between the Mongol Empire and the combined defending forces of European fighters that took place at Legnickie Pole near the city of Legnica in Silesia on 9 April 1241.A combined force of Poles,...

. It is believed king Puresh was slain in that battle. Right after that Moksha army declares to Batu they refuse to fight with Germans. As reported by William Rubruck and Roger Bacon Mokshas previously negotiated with Germans and Bohemians possibility of joining their side and get rid of Batu vassalage they were forced to. It is known that Batu ordered to punish the conspirators and thousands of them were put to death but approximately 1/3 escaped and returned to Mokshaland. Another 1/3 remained the vanguard of Mongol army marching to Hungary through Vereckei pass in March of 1242 as reports Hungarian bishop Stephan II and Matthew of Paris.