The siege of Moscow in January 1238 was part of the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'.
Following the destruction of Ryazan on 21 December 1237, Grand Prince Yuri II dispatched his sons Vsevolod and Vladimir with most of the Vladimir-Suzdal army to confront the Mongol forces at the Battle of Kolomna. The Suzdalian army suffered a decisive defeat, and the remaining troops retreated north toward Vladimir and Moscow.
After the destruction of Kolomna in January 1238, Prince Vladimir, the younger son of Yuri II of Vladimir, retreated to Moscow with a small contingent of survivors. According to the Chronicle of Novgorod, âÂÂAnd the men of Moscow ran away having seen nothingâÂÂ. At the time, Moscow was a small fortified settlement and trading post located âÂÂon a crossroads of four riversâÂÂ. The wooden fortification was captured after a five-day siege.
Prince Vladimir was captured by the Mongol forces and executed two weeks later in front of the defenders of Vladimir, serving as a warning to the besieged.