The author reconstructs the history of Tamerlane’s campaign in 1395 and the circumstances of his capture of Tana (Azov), the most important Venetian and Genoese trading stations at the mouth of the Don River. Research is based on a complex analysis of Western European and eastern sources. The documents of the Venetian State Archives are of a paramount importance for the purpose. The author evaluates the volume of commodity circulation in Tana in the indicated period and analyzes consequences of this event for the Black Sea and Volga regions. The paper delineates policy of the Italian maritime republics in the region and the measures of Venice and Genoa to restore Tana after the defeat.