Day of Military Glory: Battle on the Ice. Victory on Lake Peipus - Day of Military Glory of Russia The meaning of the Battle of the Ice

The brilliant victory of the Russian army on the ice-covered Lake Peipus was of enormous significance at the political, military, historical and strategic levels. The Livonian Order then suffered a severe blow from Russian weapons; its eastern offensive was successfully stopped.

The battle, called “Battle of the Ice,” was the first time the knights were defeated. Their army, which consisted mostly of infantry, was destroyed, and this indicated that the Russian squad was at that time more advanced in a military and strategic sense. The date April 18 is celebrated in accordance with the federal law, which was signed in 1995.

Story

The event itself took place on April 5, 1242 (old style), April 12 (new style). Officially, the celebration, called Military Glory Day, is celebrated on April 18. This shift occurred due to the costs of transferring from one calculus style to another.

The Battle of the Ice was the decisive battle in the confrontation with the Levon Order in 1242 on the ice of Lake Peipsi. The knightly army then used the tactics of forming in the form of a “pig”. Alexander Nevsky built the Russian squad in an innovative way: he stretched the advanced infantry along the entire front, placed archers in front, horsemen behind, dividing them into two parts. This made it possible to reliably guard the center, strike at the knights from the flanks, surround them, cause confusion and panic in the ranks, and completely destroy them. And so it happened. The knights not only experienced severe panic and abandoned their weapons, but also fled for 7 kilometers, chased by Russian cavalry. About 400 knights were destroyed and about 50 were captured.

Traditions

• there are thematic classes on historical topics;
• the battle itself is remembered;
• Historians and military men come to the younger generation to tell them about the significance of this battle.

In many military units, ceremonial formations, parades take place, reports are heard, and awards are presented.

The Day of Military Glory serves to strengthen patriotism, raise military spirit, and provides an opportunity to remember a significant event that became a turning point in Russian military history.

April 18 - Day of Military Glory of Russia,
the day of the victory of the Russian soldiers of Prince Alexander Nevsky over the German knights on Lake Peipus (the so-called Battle of the Ice, 1242).

In the early 40s. XIII century
, taking advantage of the weakening of Rus', which occurred as a result of the devastating invasion of the Mongol-Tatars, the German crusaders, Swedish and Danish feudal lords decided to seize its northeastern lands. By joint efforts they hoped to conquer the Novgorod feudal republic. The Swedes, with the support of the Danish knights, tried to capture the mouth of the Neva, but were defeated by the Novgorod army in the Battle of the Neva in 1240.
Late August - early September 1240
The Pskov land was invaded by the crusaders of the Livonian Order, which was formed by the German knights of the Teutonic Order in 1237 in the Eastern Baltic on the territory inhabited by the Livonian and Estonian tribes. After a short siege, German knights captured the city of Izborsk. Then they besieged Pskov and, with the assistance of the traitor boyars, soon occupied it too. After this, the crusaders invaded the Novgorod land, captured the coast of the Gulf of Finland and built their own on the site of the ancient Russian fortress of Koporye. Having not reached Novgorod 40 km, the knights began plundering its surroundings.
An embassy was sent from Novgorod
to the Great Prince of Vladimir Yaroslav, so that he would release his son Alexander (Prince Alexander Nevsky) to help them. Yaroslavovich ruled in Novgorod from 1236, but due to the machinations of the Novgorod nobility, he left Novgorod and went to reign in Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. Yaroslav, realizing the danger of the threat emanating from the West, agreed: the matter concerned not only Novgorod, but all of Rus'.

In 1241, Prince Nevsky
Having returned to Novgorod, he gathered an army of Novgorodians, Ladoga residents, Izhorians and Karelians. Having secretly made a quick transition to Koporye, it took this strong fortress by storm. By capturing Koporye, Nevsky secured the northwestern borders of the Novgorod lands, secured his rear and northern flank for further struggle against the German crusaders. At the call of Alexander Nevsky, troops from Vladimir and Suzdal under the command of his brother Prince Andrei arrived to help the Novgorodians. United Novgorod-Vladimir army in the winter of 1241-1242. undertook a campaign in the Pskov land and, cutting off all roads from Livonia to Pskov, took this city, as well as Izborsk, by storm.
After this defeat, the Livonian knights
Having gathered a large army, they marched to the Pskov and Peipus lakes. The basis of the army of the Livonian Order was the heavily armed knightly cavalry, as well as infantry (bollards) - detachments of peoples enslaved by the Germans (Estonians, Livonians, etc.), which many times outnumbered the knights.
Having found out the direction of movement of the main enemy forces
, Alexander Nevsky sent his army there too. Having reached Lake Peipus, Alexander Nevsky’s army found itself in the center of possible enemy routes to Novgorod. At this place it was decided to give battle to the enemy. The opposing armies converged on the shores of Lake Peipsi near the Crow Stone and the Uzmen tract. Here, on April 5, 1242, a battle took place that went down in history as the Battle of the Ice.
Crusaders at dawn
On the ice of the lake at a slow trot they approached the Russian position. The army of the Livonian Order, according to established military tradition, advanced with an “iron wedge”, which appears in Russian chronicles under the name “pigs”. At the forefront was the main group of knights, some of them covered the flanks and rear of the “wedge”, in the center of which the infantry was located. The wedge had as its task the fragmentation and breakthrough of the central part of the enemy troops, and the columns following the wedge were supposed to defeat the enemy's flanks. In chain mail and helmets, with long swords, they seemed invulnerable.

Alexander Nevskiy
contrasted this stereotypical tactics of knights with the new formation of Russian troops. He concentrated his main forces not in the center (“chele”), as Russian troops always did, but on the flanks. In front was an advanced regiment of light cavalry, archers and slingers. The Russian battle formation was turned with its rear to the steep, steep eastern shore of the lake, and the princely cavalry squad hid in ambush behind the left flank. The chosen position was advantageous in that the Germans, advancing on open ice, were deprived of the opportunity to determine the location, number and composition of the Russian army.
Knight's wedge
broke through the center of the Russian army. Having stumbled upon the steep shore of the lake, the sedentary, armor-clad knights were unable to develop their success. The flanks of the Russian battle formation (“wings”) squeezed the wedge into pincers. At this time, Alexander Nevsky’s squad struck from the rear and completed the encirclement of the enemy.
Under the pressure of Russian regiments
the knights mixed their ranks and, having lost freedom of maneuver, were forced to defend themselves. A brutal battle ensued. Russian infantrymen pulled the knights off their horses with hooks and chopped them down with axes. Hemmed in on all sides in a limited space, the crusaders fought desperately. But their resistance gradually weakened, it became disorganized, and the battle broke up into separate centers. Where large groups of knights accumulated, the ice could not withstand their weight and broke. Many knights drowned. The Russian cavalry pursued the defeated enemy over 7 km, to the opposite shore of Lake Peipus.
Army of the Livonian Order
suffered a complete defeat and suffered huge losses for those times: up to 450 knights died and 50 were captured. Several thousand knechts were killed. The Livonian Order was faced with the need to conclude a peace, according to which the crusaders renounced their claims to Russian lands, and also renounced part of Latgale (a region in eastern Latvia).
Victory of the Russian army
on the ice of Lake Peipus was of great political and military importance. The Livonian Order was dealt a crushing blow, and the crusaders' advance to the East stopped. The Battle of the Ice was the first example in history of the defeat of knights by an army consisting mainly of infantry, which testified to the advanced nature of Russian military art.

Battle of the Ice (Schlacht auf dem Eise (German),
Prœlium glaciale (lat.), also called the Battle of the Ice or the Battle of Lake Peipus - the battle of the Novgorodians and Vladimir people led by Alexander Nevsky against the knights of the Livonian Order on the ice of Lake Peipus - took place on April 5 (in terms of the Gregorian calendar - April 12) 1242.

In 1995, Russian parliamentarians
When passing the federal law, they did not particularly think about the dating of this event. They simply added 13 days to April 5 (as is traditionally done to recalculate the events of the 19th century from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar), completely forgetting that the Battle of the Ice did not happen at all in the 19th century, but in the distant 13th century. Accordingly, the “correction” to the modern calendar is only 7 days.
Today any person
studying in high school, I am sure that the Battle of the Ice or the Battle of Lake Peipus is considered the general battle of the conquest campaign of the Teutonic Order in 1240 -1242. The Livonian Order, as is known, was the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order, and was formed from the remnants of the Order of the Sword in 1237. The Order waged wars against Lithuania and Rus'. Members of the order were "brothers-knights" (warriors), "brothers-priests" (clergy) and "brothers-servants" (squires-artisans). The Knights of the Order were given the rights of the Knights Templar (templars). The distinctive sign of its members was a white robe with a red cross and a sword on it. The battle between the Livonians and the Novgorod army on Lake Peipus decided the outcome of the campaign in favor of the Russians. It also marked the actual death of the Livonian Order itself. Every schoolchild will enthusiastically tell how, during the battle, the famous Prince Alexander Nevsky and his comrades killed and drowned almost all the clumsy, ponderous knights in the lake and liberated the Russian lands from the German conquerors.
If we abstract from the traditional version
presented in all school and some university textbooks, it turns out that practically nothing is known about the famous battle, which went down in history as the Battle of the Ice. Historians to this day break their spears in disputes about what were the reasons for the battle? Where exactly did the battle take place? Who took part in it? And did she exist at all?..
Next, I would like to present two not entirely traditional versions,
one of which is based on an analysis of known chronicle sources about the Battle of the Ice and concerns the assessment of its role and significance by contemporaries. The other was born as a result of the search by amateur enthusiasts for the immediate site of the battle, about which neither archaeologists nor specialist historians still have a clear opinion.

An imaginary battle?
The “Battle on the Ice” is reflected in a lot of sources. First of all, this is a complex of Novgorod-Pskov chronicles and the “Life” of Alexander Nevsky, which exists in more than twenty editions; then - the most complete and ancient Laurentian Chronicle, which included a number of chronicles of the 13th century, as well as Western sources - numerous Livonian Chronicles.
However
Having analyzed domestic and foreign sources for many centuries, historians have not been able to come to a common opinion: do they tell about a specific battle that took place in 1242 on Lake Peipsi, or are they about different ones?
Most domestic sources record
, that on Lake Peipus (or in its area) on April 5, 1242, some kind of battle took place. But it is not possible to reliably establish its causes, the number of troops, their formation, composition on the basis of annals and chronicles. How did the battle develop, who distinguished himself in the battle, how many Livonians and Russians died? No data. How did Alexander Nevsky, who is still called “the savior of the fatherland”, finally show himself in the battle? Alas! There are still no answers to any of these questions.

Domestic sources about the Battle of the Ice
The obvious contradictions contained in the Novgorod-Pskov and Suzdal chronicles telling about the Battle of the Ice can be explained by the constant rivalry between Novgorod and the Vladimir-Suzdal lands, as well as the difficult relationship between the Yaroslavich brothers - Alexander and Andrey.
Grand Duke of Vladimir Yaroslav Vsevolodovich
, as you know, saw his youngest son, Andrei, as his successor. In Russian historiography, there is a version that the father wanted to get rid of the elder Alexander, and therefore sent him to reign in Novgorod. The Novgorod “table” at that time was considered almost a chopping block for the Vladimir princes. The political life of the city was ruled by the boyar “veche”, and the prince was only a governor, who in case of external danger must lead the squad and militia.
According to the official version of the Novgorod First Chronicle (NPL)
, for some reason the Novgorodians expelled Alexander from Novgorod after the victorious Battle of the Neva (1240). And when the knights of the Livonian Order captured Pskov and Koporye, they again asked the Vladimir prince to send them Alexander.
Yaroslav, on the contrary,
intended to send Andrei, whom he trusted more, to resolve the difficult situation, but the Novgorodians insisted on Nevsky’s candidacy. There is also a version that the story of the “expulsion” of Alexander from Novgorod is fictitious and of a later nature. Perhaps it was invented by Nevsky’s “biographers” to justify the surrender of Izborsk, Pskov and Koporye to the Germans. Yaroslav feared that Alexander would open the Novgorod gates to the enemy in the same way, but in 1241 he managed to recapture the Koporye fortress from the Livonians, and then take Pskov. However, some sources date the liberation of Pskov to the beginning of 1242, when the Vladimir-Suzdal army led by his brother Andrei Yaroslavich had already arrived to help Nevsky, and some - to 1244.

According to modern researchers,
based on the Livonian Chronicles and other foreign sources, the Koporye fortress surrendered to Alexander Nevsky without a fight, and the Pskov garrison consisted of only two Livonian knights with their squires, armed servants and some militias from local peoples who joined them (Chud, Vod, etc. .). The composition of the entire Livonian Order in the 40s of the 13th century could not exceed 85-90 knights. That is exactly how many castles existed on the territory of the Order at that moment. One castle, as a rule, fielded one knight with squires.
The earliest domestic source that has reached us,
mentioning the “Battle of the Ice” - Laurentian Chronicle, written by a Suzdal chronicler. It does not mention the participation of the Novgorodians in the battle at all, and Prince Andrei appears as the main character: “Grand Duke Yaroslav sent his son Andrei to Novgorod to help Alexander against the Germans. Having won on the lake beyond Pskov and taken many prisoners, Andrei returned with honor to his father.”.
Authors of numerous editions of the “Life” of Alexander Nevsky
, on the contrary, they claim that it was after the “Battle of the Ice” that the name of Alexander became famous “across all countries from the Varangian Sea and to the Pontic Sea, and to the Sea of ​​Egypt, and to the country of Tiberias, and to the mountains of Ararat, even to Rome the Great...”. According to the Laurentian Chronicle, it turns out that even his closest relatives did not suspect Alexander’s worldwide fame.
The most detailed account of the battle is contained in the Novgorod First Chronicle (NPL)
. It is believed that in the earliest list of this chronicle (Synodal) the entry about the “Battle on the Ice” was made already in the 30s of the 14th century. The Novgorod chronicler does not mention a word about the participation of Prince Andrei and the Vladimir-Suzdal squad in the battle: “ Alexander and the Novgorodians built regiments on Lake Peipus on Uzmen near the Crow Stone. And the Germans and Chud drove into the regiment, and fought their way through the regiment like a pig. And there was a great slaughter of the Germans and Chuds. God helped Prince Alexander. The enemy was driven and beaten seven miles to the Subolichi coast. And countless Chudis fell, and 400 Germans fell (later scribes rounded this figure to 500, and in this form it was included in history textbooks). Fifty prisoners were brought to Novgorod. The battle took place on April 5th Saturday».

In later versions of the “Life” of Alexander Nevsky (late 16th century)
discrepancies with the chronicle news are deliberately eliminated, details borrowed from the NPL are added: the location of the battle, its course and data on losses. The number of killed enemies increases from edition to edition to 900. In some editions of the “Life” (and there are more than twenty of them in total) there are reports of the participation of the Master of the Order in the battle and his capture, as well as the absurd fiction that the knights drowned in the water, because they were too heavy.
Many historians
, who analyzed in detail the texts of the “Life” of Alexander Nevsky, noted that the description of the massacre in the “Life” gives the impression of obvious literary borrowing. V.I. Mansikka (“The Life of Alexander Nevsky”, St. Petersburg, 1913) believed that the story about the Battle of the Ice used a description of the battle between Yaroslav the Wise and Svyatopolk the Accursed. Georgy Fedorov notes that the “Life” of Alexander “is a military heroic story inspired by Roman-Byzantine historical literature (Palea, Josephus),” and the description of the “Battle on the Ice” is a tracing of Titus’ victory over the Jews at Lake Gennesaret from the third book of the “History of the Jews.” wars" by Josephus. I. Grekov and F. Shakhmagonov believe that “the appearance of the battle in all its positions is very similar to the famous Battle of Cannes” (“World of History”, p. 78). In general, the story about the “Battle on the Ice” from the early edition of Alexander Nevsky’s “Life” is just a general place that can be successfully applied to the description of any battle.
There were many battles in the 13th century
, which could become a source of “literary borrowing” for the authors of the story about the “Battle on the Ice.” For example, about ten years before the expected date of writing the “Life” (80s of the 13th century), on February 16, 1270, a major battle took place between the Livonian knights and the Lithuanians at Karusen. It also took place on ice, but not on a lake, but on the Gulf of Riga. And its description in the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle is exactly like the description of the “Battle on the Ice” in the NPL. In the Battle of Karusen, as in the Battle of the Ice, the knightly cavalry attacks the center, there the cavalry “gets stuck” in the convoys, and by going around the flanks the enemy completes their defeat. Moreover, in neither case do the winners try to take advantage of the result of the defeat of the enemy army in any way, but calmly go home with the spoils.

"Livonians" version

Livonian Rhymed Chronicle (LRH)
, telling about a certain battle with the Novgorod-Suzdal army, is inclined to make the aggressors not the knights of the order, but their opponents - Prince Alexander and his brother Andrei. The authors of the chronicle constantly emphasize the superior forces of the Russians and the small number of the knightly army. According to LRH, the Order's losses in the Battle of the Ice amounted to twenty knights. Six were captured. This chronicle says nothing about the date or place of the battle, but the minstrel’s words that the dead fell on the grass (ground) allows us to conclude that the battle was fought not on the ice of the lake, but on land. If the author of the Chronicle understands “grass” not figuratively (the German idiomatic expression is “to fall on the battlefield”), but literally, then it turns out that the battle took place when the ice on the lakes had already melted, or the opponents fought not on the ice, but in the coastal reed thickets: " In Dorpat they learned that Prince Alexander had come with an army to the land of the brother knights, causing robberies and fires. The bishop ordered the men of the bishopric to rush into the army of the brother knights to fight against the Russians. They brought too few people, the army of the brother knights was also too small. However, they came to a consensus to attack the Russians. The Russians had many shooters who bravely accepted the first onslaught. It was seen how a detachment of brother knights defeated the shooters; there the clanking of swords could be heard, and helmets could be seen being cut apart. On both sides the dead fell onto the grass. Those who were in the army of the brother knights were surrounded. The Russians had such an army that each German was attacked by perhaps sixty people. The brother knights stubbornly resisted, but were defeated there. Some of the Derpt residents escaped by leaving the battlefield. Twenty brother knights were killed there, and six were captured. This was the course of the battle».
Author LRH expresses not the slightest admiration
Alexander's military talents. The Russians managed to encircle part of the Livonian army not thanks to Alexander’s talent, but because there were much more Russians than Livonians. Even with an overwhelming numerical superiority over the enemy, according to LRH, the Novgorodian troops were not able to encircle the entire Livonian army: some of the Dorpattians escaped by retreating from the battlefield. Only a small part of the “Germans” were surrounded - 26 brother knights who preferred death to shameful flight.
A later source in time of writing is “The Chronicle of Hermann Wartberg”
written one hundred and fifty years after the events of 1240-1242. It contains, rather, an assessment by the descendants of the defeated knights of the significance that the war with the Novgorodians had on the fate of the Order. The author of the chronicle talks about the capture and subsequent loss of Izborsk and Pskov by the Order as major events of this war. However, the Chronicle does not mention any battle on the ice of Lake Peipsi.

In the Livonian Chronicle of Ryussov
, published in 1848 on the basis of earlier editions, it is said that during the time of Master Conrad (Grand Master of the Teutonic Order in 1239-1241. Died from wounds received in the battle with the Prussians on April 9, 1241) there was King Alexander in Novgorod. He (Alexander) learned that under Master Hermann von Salt (Master of the Teutonic Order in 1210-1239), the Teutons captured Pskov. With a large army, Alexander takes Pskov. The Germans fight hard, but are defeated. Seventy knights and many Germans died. Six brother knights are captured and tortured to death.
Some domestic historians interpret the messages of the Ryussov Chronicle
in the sense that the seventy knights whose death he mentions fell during the capture of Pskov. But it's not right. In the Chronicle of Ryussow, all the events of 1240-1242 are combined into one whole. This Chronicle does not mention such events as the capture of Izborsk, the defeat of the Pskov army near Izborsk, the construction of a fortress in Koporye and its capture by the Novgorodians, the Russian invasion of Livonia. Thus, “seventy knights and many Germans” are the total losses of the Order (more precisely, the Livonians and Danes) during the entire war.
Another difference between the Livonian Chronicles and the NPL
– the number and fate of captured knights. The Ryussov Chronicle reports six prisoners, and the Novgorod Chronicle reports fifty. The captured knights, whom Alexander proposes to exchange for soap in Eisenstein’s film, were “tortured to death,” according to LRH. NPL writes that the Germans offered peace to the Novgorodians, one of the conditions of which was the exchange of prisoners: “ But what if we captured your husbands, we’ll exchange them: we’ll let yours go, and you’ll let ours go" But did the captured knights live to see the exchange? There is no information about their fate in Western sources.
Judging by the Livonian Chronicles
, the clash with the Russians in Livonia was a minor event for the knights of the Teutonic Order. It is reported only in passing, and the death of the Livonian Lordship of the Teutons (Livonian Order) in the battle on Lake Peipsi does not find any confirmation at all. The order continued to exist successfully until the 16th century (destroyed during the Livonian War in 1561).

Battle location

according to I.E. Koltsov

Until the end of the 20th century
The burial places of the soldiers who died during the Battle of the Ice remained unknown, as did the location of the battle itself. The landmarks of the place where the battle took place are indicated in the Novgorod First Chronicle (NPL): “ On Lake Peipsi, near the Uzmen tract, at the Crow Stone". Local legends specify that the battle took place just outside the village of Samolva. In ancient chronicles there is no mention of Voronii Island (or any other island) near the site of the battle. They talk about fighting on the ground, on the grass. Ice is mentioned only in later editions of the “Life” of Alexander Nevsky.
The past centuries have faded
from history and human memory, information about the location of mass graves, Crow Stone, the Uzmen tract and the degree of population of these places. Over many centuries, the Crow Stone and other buildings in these places have been wiped off the face of the earth. The elevations and monuments of mass graves were leveled with the surface of the earth. The attention of historians was attracted by the name of Voroniy Island, where they hoped to find the Raven Stone. The hypothesis that the massacre took place near Voronii Island was accepted as the main version, although it contradicted chronicle sources and common sense. The question remained unclear as to which road Nevsky took to Livonia (after the liberation of Pskov), and from there to the site of the upcoming battle at the Crow Stone, near the Uzmen tract, behind the village of Samolva (one must understand that on the opposite side of Pskov).
Reading the existing interpretation of the Battle of the Ice
, the question involuntarily arises: why did Nevsky’s troops, as well as the heavy cavalry of knights, have to go through Lake Peipsi on the spring ice to Voronii Island, where the water in many places does not freeze even in severe frosts? It is necessary to take into account that the beginning of April for these places is a warm period of time. Testing the hypothesis about the location of the battle at Voronii Island dragged on for many decades. This time was enough for it to take a firm place in all history textbooks, including military ones. Our future historians, military men, generals gain knowledge from these textbooks... Considering the low validity of this version, in 1958 a comprehensive expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences was created to determine the true location of the battle of April 5, 1242. The expedition worked from 1958 to 1966. Large-scale research was carried out, a number of interesting discoveries were made that expanded knowledge about this region, about the presence of an extensive network of ancient waterways between Lakes Peipus and Ilmen. However, it was not possible to find the burial places of the soldiers who died in the Battle of the Ice, as well as the Voronye Stone, the Uzmen tract and traces of the battle (including at Voronii Island). This is clearly stated in the report of the complex expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The mystery remained unsolved.

After this there were allegations
, that in ancient times the dead were taken with them for burial in their homeland, therefore, they say, burials cannot be found. But did they take all the dead with them? How did they deal with the dead enemy soldiers and the dead horses? A clear answer was not given to the question of why Prince Alexander went from Livonia not to the protection of the walls of Pskov, but to the region of Lake Peipus - to the site of the upcoming battle. At the same time, historians for some reason paved the way for Alexander Nevsky and the knights through Lake Peipsi, ignoring the presence of an ancient crossing near the village of Mosty in the south of Lake Warm. The history of the Battle of the Ice is of interest to many local historians and lovers of Russian history.
For many years, researching the Battle of Peipus
A group of Moscow enthusiasts and lovers of the ancient history of Rus' also studied independently with the direct participation of I.E. Koltsova. The task before this group was seemingly almost insurmountable. It was necessary to find burials hidden in the ground related to this battle, the remains of the Crow Stone, the Uzmen tract, etc., on a large territory of the Gdovsky district of the Pskov region. It was necessary to “look” inside the earth and choose what was directly related to the Battle of the Ice. Using methods and instruments widely used in geology and archeology (including dowsing, etc.), the group members marked on the terrain plan the supposed locations of the mass graves of soldiers of both sides who died in this battle. These burials are located in two zones east of the village of Samolva. One of the zones is located half a kilometer north of the village of Tabory and one and a half kilometers from Samolva. The second zone with the largest number of burials is 1.5-2 km north of the village of Tabory and approximately 2 km east of Samolva.
One can assume
that the wedging of knights into the ranks of Russian soldiers occurred in the area of ​​the first burial (first zone), and in the area of ​​the second zone the main battle and encirclement of the knights took place. The encirclement and defeat of the knights was facilitated by additional troops from the Suzdal archers, who arrived here the day before from Novgorod, led by A. Nevsky’s brother, Andrei Yaroslavich, but who were in ambush before the battle. Research has shown that in those distant times, in the area south of the now existing village of Kozlovo (more precisely, between Kozlov and Tabory) there was some kind of fortified outpost of the Novgorodians. It is possible that there was an old “gorodets” here (before the transfer, or the construction of a new town on the site where Kobylye Settlement is now located). This outpost (gorodets) was located 1.5-2 km from the village of Tabory. It was hidden behind the trees. Here, behind the earthen ramparts of a now defunct fortification, was the detachment of Andrei Yaroslavich, hidden in ambush before the battle. It was here and only here that Prince Alexander Nevsky sought to unite with him. At a critical moment in the battle, an ambush regiment could go behind the knights' rear, surround them and ensure victory. This happened again later during the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380.

Discovery of the burial area of ​​fallen soldiers
allowed us to confidently conclude that the battle took place here, between the villages of Tabory, Kozlovo and Samolva. This place is relatively flat. Nevsky’s troops on the northwestern side (on the right hand) were protected by the weak spring ice of Lake Peipus, and on the eastern side (on the left) by the wooded part, where the fresh forces of the Novgorodians and Suzdalians, entrenched in a fortified town, were in ambush. The knights advanced from the southern side (from the village of Tabory). Not knowing about the Novgorod reinforcements and feeling their military superiority in strength, they, without hesitation, rushed into battle, falling into the “nets” that had been placed. From here it can be seen that the battle itself took place on land, not far from the shore of Lake Peipsi. By the end of the battle, the knightly army was pushed back onto the spring ice of the Zhelchinskaya Bay of Lake Peipsi, where many of them died. Their remains and weapons are now located half a kilometer northwest of the Kobylye Settlement Church at the bottom of this bay.
Our research
The location of the former Crow Stone on the northern outskirts of the village of Tabory, one of the main landmarks of the Battle of the Ice, was also determined. Centuries have destroyed the stone, but its underground part still rests under the strata of cultural layers of the earth. This stone is presented in the miniature of the chronicle of the Battle of the Ice in the form of a stylized statue of a raven. In ancient times, it had a cult purpose, symbolizing wisdom and longevity, like the legendary Blue Stone, which is located in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky on the shore of Lake Pleshcheevo.
In the area where the remains of the Crow Stone are located
there was an ancient temple with underground passages that went to the Uzmen tract, where there were fortifications. Traces of former ancient underground structures indicate that there were once above-ground religious and other structures made of stone and brick here.

Now, knowing the burial places of the warriors of the Battle of the Ice (battle site)

and again turning to the chronicle materials, it can be argued that Alexander Nevsky and his troops marched to the area of ​​the upcoming battle (to the Samolva area) from the south side, followed on his heels by the knights. In the “Novgorod First Chronicle of the Senior and Younger Editions” it is said that, having freed Pskov from the knights, Nevsky himself went to the possessions of the Livonian Order (pursuing the knights west of Lake Pskov), where he allowed his warriors to live. The Livonian Rhymed Chronicle testifies that the invasion was accompanied by fires and the removal of people and livestock. Having learned about this, the Livonian bishop sent troops of knights to meet him. The Nevsky stopping place was somewhere halfway between Pskov and Dorpat, not far from the border of the confluence of the Pskov and Tyoploye lakes. Here was the traditional crossing near the village of Mosty. A. Nevsky, in turn, having heard about the performance of the knights, did not return to Pskov, but, having crossed to the eastern shore of Lake Warm, hurried in a northern direction to the Uzmen tract, leaving a detachment of Domash and Kerbet in the rear guard. This detachment entered into battle with the knights and was defeated. The burial place of warriors from the detachment of Domash and Kerbet is located at the south-eastern outskirts of Chudskiye Zakhody.

Academician Tikhomirov M.N. thought

that the first skirmish of the detachment of Domash and Kerbet with the knights took place on the eastern shore of Lake Warm near the village of Chudskaya Rudnitsa (see “Battle of the Ice”, published by the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, series “History and Philosophy”, M., 1951, No. 1, volume VII, pp. 89-91). This area is significantly south of the village. Samolva. The knights also crossed at Mosty, pursuing A. Nevsky to the village of Tabory, where the battle began.

The site of the Battle of the Ice is currently located away from busy roads.

You can get here by transport and then on foot. This is probably why many authors of numerous articles and scientific works about this battle have never been to Lake Peipus, preferring the silence of the office and a fantasy far from life. It is curious that this area near Lake Peipus is interesting from historical, archaeological and other points of view. In these places there are ancient burial mounds, mysterious dungeons, etc. There are also periodic sightings of UFOs and the mysterious “Bigfoot” (north of the Zhelcha River). So, an important stage of work has been carried out to determine the location of the mass graves (burials) of soldiers who died in the Battle of the Ice, the remains of the Crow Stone, the area of ​​​​the old and new settlements and a number of other objects associated with the battle. Now more detailed studies of the battle area are needed. It's up to the archaeologists.

Many memorable battles have taken place throughout history. And some of them are famous for the fact that Russian troops inflicted a devastating defeat on enemy forces. All of them carried great significance for the history of the country. It is impossible to cover absolutely all the battles in one short review. There is not enough time or energy for this. However, one of them is still worth talking about. And this battle is an ice battle. We will try to talk briefly about this battle in this review.

A battle of great historical significance

On April 5, in 1242, a battle took place between Russian and Livonian troops (German and Danish knights, Estonian soldiers and Chud). This happened on the ice of Lake Peipsi, namely in its southern part. As a result, the battle on the ice ended with the defeat of the invaders. The victory that took place on Lake Peipus is of great historical significance. But you should know that German historians to this day are unsuccessfully trying to downplay the results that were achieved in those days. But Russian troops managed to stop the advance of the crusaders to the East and prevented them from achieving the conquest and colonization of Russian lands.

Aggressive behavior on the part of the Order's troops

In the period from 1240 to 1242, aggressive actions were intensified by the German crusaders, Danish and Swedish feudal lords. They took advantage of the fact that Rus' was weakened due to regular attacks from the Mongol-Tatars under the leadership of Batu Khan. Before the battle on the ice broke out, the Swedes had already suffered defeat during the battle at the mouth of the Neva. However, despite this, the crusaders launched a campaign against Rus'. They were able to capture Izborsk. And after some time, with the help of traitors, Pskov was conquered. The crusaders even built a fortress after taking the Koporye churchyard. This happened in 1240.

What preceded the ice battle?

The invaders also had plans to conquer Veliky Novgorod, Karelia and those lands that were located at the mouth of the Neva. The Crusaders planned to do all this in 1241. However, Alexander Nevsky, having gathered the people of Novgorod, Ladoga, Izhora and Korelov under his banner, was able to drive the enemy out of the lands of Koporye. The army, together with the approaching Vladimir-Suzdal regiments, entered the territory of Estonia. However, after this, unexpectedly turning to the East, Alexander Nevsky liberated Pskov.

Then Alexander again moved the fighting to the territory of Estonia. In this he was guided by the need to prevent the crusaders from gathering their main forces. Moreover, by his actions he forced them to attack prematurely. The knights, having gathered sufficiently large forces, set out to the East, being fully confident of their victory. Not far from the village of Hammast, they defeated the Russian detachment of Domash and Kerbet. However, some warriors who remained alive were still able to warn of the approach of the enemy. Alexander Nevsky placed his army at a bottleneck in the southern part of the lake, thus forcing the enemy to fight in conditions that were not very convenient for them. It was this battle that later acquired such a name as the Battle of the Ice. The knights simply could not make their way towards Veliky Novgorod and Pskov.

The beginning of the famous battle

The two opposing sides met on April 5, 1242, early in the morning. The enemy column, which was pursuing the retreating Russian soldiers, most likely received some information from the sentinels sent ahead. Therefore, the enemy soldiers took to the ice in full battle order. In order to get close to the Russian troops, the united German-Chud regiments, it was necessary to spend no more than two hours, moving at a measured pace.

Actions of the Order's warriors

The battle on the ice began from the moment when the enemy discovered Russian archers about two kilometers away. Order Master von Velven, who led the campaign, gave the signal to prepare for military operations. By his order, the battle formation had to be compacted. All this was done until the wedge came within range of a bow shot. Having reached this position, the commander gave an order, after which the head of the wedge and the entire column set off their horses at a fast pace. A ramming attack performed by heavily armed knights on huge horses, completely clad in armor, was supposed to bring panic to the Russian regiments.

When there were only a few tens of meters left to the first rows of soldiers, the knights set their horses into a gallop. They performed this action in order to enhance the fatal blow from the wedge attack. The Battle of Lake Peipus began with shots from archers. However, the arrows bounced off the chained knights and did not cause serious damage. Therefore, the riflemen simply scattered, retreating to the flanks of the regiment. But it is necessary to highlight the fact that they achieved their goal. Archers were placed on the front line so that the enemy could not see the main forces.

An unpleasant surprise that was presented to the enemy

The moment the archers retreated, the knights noticed that Russian heavy infantry in magnificent armor was already waiting for them. Each soldier held a long pike in his hands. It was no longer possible to stop the attack that had begun. The knights also did not have time to rebuild their ranks. This was due to the fact that the head of the attacking ranks was supported by the bulk of the troops. And if the front rows had stopped, they would have been crushed by their own people. And this would lead to even greater confusion. Therefore, the attack was continued by inertia. The knights hoped that luck would accompany them, and the Russian troops simply would not hold back their fierce attack. However, the enemy was already psychologically broken. The entire force of Alexander Nevsky rushed towards him with pikes at the ready. The Battle of Lake Peipus was short. However, the consequences of this collision were simply terrifying.

You can't win by standing in one place

There is an opinion that the Russian army was waiting for the Germans without moving. However, it should be understood that the strike will only be stopped if there is a retaliatory strike. And if the infantry under the leadership of Alexander Nevsky had not moved towards the enemy, it would have simply been swept away. In addition, it is necessary to understand that those troops that passively wait for the enemy to strike always lose. History clearly demonstrates this. Therefore, the Battle of the Ice of 1242 would have been lost by Alexander if he had not taken retaliatory actions, but had waited for the enemy, standing still.

The first infantry banners that collided with German troops were able to extinguish the inertia of the enemy wedge. The striking force was spent. It should be noted that the first onslaught was partially extinguished by archers. However, the main blow still fell on the front line of the Russian army.

Fighting against superior forces

It was from this moment that the Battle of the Ice of 1242 began. The trumpets began to sing, and Alexander Nevsky’s infantry simply rushed onto the ice of the lake, raising their banners high. With one blow to the flank, the soldiers were able to cut off the head of the wedge from the main body of the enemy troops.

The attack took place in several directions. A large regiment was to deliver the main blow. It was he who attacked the enemy wedge head-on. The mounted squads attacked the flanks of the German troops. The warriors were able to create a gap in the enemy forces. There were also mounted detachments. They were assigned the role of striking the chud. And despite the stubborn resistance of the surrounded knights, they were broken. It should also be taken into account that some of the miracles, having found themselves surrounded, rushed to run away, only noticing that they were being attacked by cavalry. And, most likely, it was at that moment that they realized that it was not an ordinary militia that was fighting against them, but professional squads. This factor did not give them any confidence in their abilities. The battle on the ice, pictures of which you can see in this review, also took place due to the fact that the soldiers of the Bishop of Dorpat, who most likely never entered the battle, fled from the battlefield after the miracle.

Die or surrender!

The enemy soldiers, who were surrounded on all sides by superior forces, did not expect help. They didn't even have the opportunity to change lanes. Therefore, they had no choice but to surrender or die. However, someone was still able to break out of the encirclement. But the best forces of the crusaders remained surrounded. The Russian soldiers killed the main part. Some of the knights were captured.

The history of the Battle of the Ice claims that while the main Russian regiment remained to finish off the crusaders, other soldiers rushed to pursue those who were retreating in panic. Some of those who fled ended up on thin ice. It happened on Teploe Lake. The ice could not stand it and broke. Therefore, many knights simply drowned. Based on this, we can say that the site of the Battle of the Ice was chosen successfully for the Russian army.

Duration of the battle

The First Novgorod Chronicle says that about 50 Germans were captured. About 400 people were killed on the battlefield. The death and capture of such a large number of professional warriors, by European standards, turned out to be a rather severe defeat that borders on catastrophe. Russian troops also suffered losses. However, compared to the enemy’s losses, they turned out to be not so heavy. The entire battle with the head of the wedge took no more than an hour. Time was still spent pursuing the fleeing warriors and returning to their original position. This took about 4 more hours. The ice battle on Lake Peipsi was completed by 5 o'clock, when it was already getting a little dark. Alexander Nevsky, with the onset of darkness, decided not to organize persecution. Most likely, this is due to the fact that the results of the battle exceeded all expectations. And there was no desire to risk our soldiers in this situation.

The main goals of Prince Nevsky

1242, the Battle of the Ice brought confusion to the ranks of the Germans and their allies. After a devastating battle, the enemy expected that Alexander Nevsky would approach the walls of Riga. In this regard, they even decided to send ambassadors to Denmark to ask for help. But Alexander, after the won battle, returned to Pskov. In this war, he sought only to return the Novgorod lands and to strengthen power in Pskov. This is exactly what was successfully accomplished by the prince. And already in the summer, ambassadors of the order arrived in Novgorod with the aim of concluding peace. They were simply stunned by the Battle of the Ice. The year when the order began to pray for help is the same - 1242. This happened in the summer.

The movement of Western invaders was stopped

The peace treaty was concluded on the terms dictated by Alexander Nevsky. The ambassadors of the order solemnly renounced all the encroachments on Russian lands that occurred on their part. In addition, they returned all the territories that had been captured. Thus, the movement of Western invaders towards Rus' was completed.

Alexander Nevsky, for whom the Battle of the Ice became the determining factor in his reign, was able to return the lands. The western borders, which he established after the battle with the order, were held for centuries. The Battle of Lake Peipsi has gone down in history as a remarkable example of military tactics. There are many determining factors in the success of Russian troops. This includes the skillful construction of a combat formation, the successful organization of the interaction of each individual unit with each other, and clear actions on the part of intelligence. Alexander Nevsky also took into account the enemy’s weaknesses and was able to make the right choice in favor of the place for the battle. He correctly calculated the time for the battle, well organized the pursuit and destruction of superior enemy forces. The Battle of the Ice showed everyone that Russian military art should be considered advanced.

The most controversial issue in the history of the battle

The losses of the parties in the battle - this topic is quite controversial in the conversation about the Battle of the Ice. The lake, together with Russian soldiers, took the lives of approximately 530 Germans. About 50 more warriors of the order were captured. This is said in many Russian chronicles. It should be noted that the numbers indicated in the “Rhymed Chronicle” are controversial. The Novgorod First Chronicle indicates that about 400 Germans died in the battle. 50 knights were captured. During the compilation of the chronicle, the Chud were not even taken into account, since, according to the chroniclers, they simply died in huge numbers. The Rhymed Chronicle says that only 20 knights died, and only 6 warriors were captured. Naturally, 400 Germans could fall in the battle, of which only 20 knights could be considered real. The same can be said about captured soldiers. The chronicle “The Life of Alexander Nevsky” says that in order to humiliate the captured knights, their boots were taken away. Thus, they walked barefoot on the ice next to their horses.

The losses of Russian troops are quite vague. All chronicles say that many brave warriors died. It follows from this that losses on the part of the Novgorodians were heavy.

What was the significance of the Battle of Lake Peipsi?

In order to determine the significance of the battle, it is worth taking into account the traditional point of view in Russian historiography. Such victories of Alexander Nevsky, such as the battle with the Swedes in 1240, with the Lithuanians in 1245 and the Battle of the Ice, are of great importance. It was the battle on Lake Peipsi that helped hold back the pressure of quite serious enemies. It should be understood that in those days in Rus' there were constantly civil strife between individual princes. One could not even think about cohesion. In addition, constant attacks from the Mongol-Tatars took their toll.

However, the English researcher Fannell said that the significance of the battle on Lake Peipus is quite exaggerated. According to him, Alexander did the same as many other defenders of Novgorod and Pskov in maintaining long and vulnerable borders from numerous invaders.

The memory of the battle will be preserved

What else can you say about the Battle of the Ice? A monument to this great battle was erected in 1993. This happened in Pskov on Mount Sokolikha. It is almost 100 kilometers away from the real battle site. The monument is dedicated to the “Druzhina of Alexander Nevsky”. Anyone can visit the mountain and see the monument.

In 1938, Sergei Eisenstein made a feature film, which it was decided to call “Alexander Nevsky.” This film depicts the Battle of the Ice. The film became one of the most striking historical projects. It was thanks to him that it was possible to shape the idea of ​​the battle in modern viewers. It examines, almost to the smallest detail, all the main points that are associated with the battles on Lake Peipsi.

In 1992, a documentary film entitled “In Memory of the Past and in the Name of the Future” was shot. In the same year, in the village of Kobylye, in a place as close as possible to the territory where the battle took place, a monument to Alexander Nevsky was erected. He was located near the Church of the Archangel Michael. There is also a worship cross, which was cast in St. Petersburg. For this purpose, funds from numerous patrons were used.

The scale of the battle is not so huge

In this review, we tried to consider the main events and facts that characterize the Battle of the Ice: on what lake the battle took place, how the battle took place, how the troops behaved, what factors were decisive in victory. We also looked at the main points related to losses. It should be noted that although the Battle of Chud went down in history as one of the most grandiose battles, there were wars that surpassed it. It was inferior in scale to the Battle of Saul, which took place in 1236. In addition, the battle of Rakovor in 1268 also turned out to be larger. There are some other battles that are not only not inferior to the battles on Lake Peipus, but also surpass them in grandeur.

Conclusion

However, it was for Rus' that the Battle of the Ice became one of the most significant victories. And this has been confirmed by numerous historians. Despite the fact that many specialists who are quite attracted to history perceive the Battle of the Ice from the perspective of a simple battle, and also try to downplay its results, it will remain in everyone’s memory as one of the largest battles that ended in a complete and unconditional victory for us. We hope that this review helped you understand the main points and nuances that accompanied the famous massacre.

Russian. Every collision turned into overcoming. And the fire and discord only contributed to the greatness of the Russian land. In the brilliance of enemy swords, Rus' listened to new tales and learned and deepened its inexhaustible creativity.”
N. Roerich

On April 18, our country celebrates the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the Day of the victory of Russian soldiers of Prince Alexander Nevsky over the German knights on Lake Peipsi (Battle of the Ice, 1242).

It is worth noting that the event itself took place on April 5 according to the old style, i.e. April 12 according to the new style, 1242, but the official holiday, Military Glory Day, is celebrated on April 18. This is the cost of converting dates from the old style to the new one. Apparently, when assigning the date, the rule was not taken into account: when converting dates of the 12th-13th centuries, 7 days are added to the old style (and 13 days were added out of habit).

The situation before the battle

The middle of the 13th century was a time of severe trials for Rus'. During this period, the Russian land was fragmented into about a dozen independent states and even more autonomous princely fiefs. They had several development models: 1) South Russian and Western Russian (Kiev, Pereyaslavl, Chernigov, Polotsk, Smolensk, Galician-Volyn Rus and other principalities). Southern and Western Rus' in the previous period were greatly devastated and weakened by internal strife, the invasion of the so-called. “Mongols” (; ;), which caused a strong outflow of population to the internal (forest) regions of Rus'. This ultimately led to the fact that Southern and Western Rus' were included in Hungary, Poland and Lithuania;

2) northeastern (Vladimir-Suzdal and Ryazan principalities), which gradually became the new passionate core of Rus' with a strong central princely power, the center of unity of all Russian lands;

3) northwestern (Novgorod Republic, and from the 14th century the Pskov Republic), with the power of the trade-aristocratic elite, which put its narrow group interests above the people’s, and was ready to surrender the territory to the West (German knights, Sweden, Lithuania), only to preserve their wealth and power. The West, after capturing a significant part of the Baltic states, tried to extend its power to the northwestern lands of Rus'. Taking advantage of the feudal fragmentation of Rus' and the “Mongol” invasion, which weakened the military power of the Russian lands, the troops of the crusaders and Swedish feudal lords invaded the northwestern borders of Rus'.

The influence of Novgorod in Karelia and Finland violated the interests of Rome, which spread Catholicism in the Baltic states with fire and sword (it was previously also part of the sphere of influence of Rus'), and planned to continue military-religious expansion with the help of German and Swedish feudal lords interested in the growth of the dependent population and robbery rich Russian cities. As a result, Novgorod clashed with Sweden and the Livonian Order, behind which Rome stood. From the second half of the 12th century. to the middle of the fifteenth century. The Novgorod Republic was forced to fight 26 times with Sweden and 11 times with the Livonian Order.

At the end of the 1230s, Rome prepared a campaign against Rus' with the goal of seizing the northwestern Russian lands and introducing Catholicism there. Three forces were supposed to take part in it - the German (Teutonic) Order, Sweden and the Danes. According to Catholic Rome, after Batu’s invasion, bloodless and plundered Rus', moreover, divided by the strife of large feudal lords, could not provide any serious resistance. The German and Danish knights were supposed to strike Novgorod from land, from their Livonian possessions, and the Swedes were going to support them from the sea through the Gulf of Finland. In July 1240, the Swedish fleet entered the Neva. The Swedes planned to take Ladoga and then Novgorod with a surprise attack. However, the brilliant and lightning-fast victory of Prince Alexander Yaroslavich over the Swedes on July 15, 1240 on the banks of the Neva temporarily knocked Sweden out of the enemy camp.

But another enemy, the Teutonic Order, was much more dangerous. In 1237, the Teutonic Order, which owned Slavic Prussia, united with the Livonian Order of the Sword, thereby extending its power to Livonia. Having thus united the forces directed by the papal throne and receiving support from the Holy Roman Empire, the Teutonic knights began to prepare for the “Drang nach Osten”. The Masters of the West - at that time the “command post” of the Western world was located in Rome, planned to seize and subjugate Rus' piece by piece, destroy and partially assimilate the eastern branch of the Rus super-ethnos, just as they had previously destroyed the Western ethno-linguistic core of the Rus super-ethnos in Central Europe for several centuries ( territory of Germany, Austria, Prussia, etc.) - lands of the Wends-Wends, Lyutov-Lutichs, Bodrichi-Obodrits, Ruyans, Porussians-Prussians, etc.

At the end of August 1240, Bishop Herman of Dorpat, having gathered a militia from his subjects and knights of the Order of the Sword, with the support of Danish knights from Revel, invaded the Pskov lands and captured Izborsk. The Pskovites gathered a militia and decided to recapture their suburb. An attempt by the Pskov militia to recapture the fortress in September 1240 ended in failure. The knights besieged Pskov itself, but could not take it on the move and left. A strong fortress could withstand a long siege, but the Germans were not ready for it. But the knights soon took Pskov, taking advantage of the betrayal among the besieged. Previously, the rogue prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich, who reigned in Pskov, communicated with the boyars inside the city, headed by the Pskov mayor Tverdilo Ivankovich, and flattered them with money and power. These traitors allowed the enemy into the fortress at night. German governors were placed in Pskov. By the end of 1240, the crusaders had firmly established themselves in the Pskov land and began to prepare for a further offensive, using the previously captured territory as a base.

The knights acted according to the traditional scheme: they seized the land, destroyed the enemy’s manpower, intimidated the remaining inhabitants with terror, built their temples (often on the site of pre-existing shrines), converted them to the “holy faith” with fire and sword, and erected stronghold castles for defense. captured lands and further expansion. So, the knights invaded the Novgorod possessions of Chud and Vod, devastated them, and imposed tribute on the inhabitants. They also built a fortress in Koporye. The castle was built on a steep and rocky mountain and it became the base for further advancement to the east. Soon after this, the crusaders occupied Tesovo, an important trading post in the Novgorod land, and from there it was a stone's throw to Novgorod itself.

The Novgorod elite did not act in the best way at the beginning of the war. After the Battle of the Neva, when the people greeted the victorious squad of the young prince with jubilation, the trade and aristocratic elite of Novgorod, who looked at the prince with suspicion, fearing the growth of his power and influence, quarreled with Alexander Yaroslavich. At the convened meeting, a number of unfair accusations were thrown at him, and the victory over the Swedes itself was presented as an adventure that brought more harm to Novgorod than good. The enraged Alexander Nevsky left Novgorod and, together with his family, went to his destiny - Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. As a result, the break with the young, but talented and decisive military leader had a disastrous effect on the position of Novgorod. However, the looming threat led to popular indignation; the Novgorodians forced the boyar “gentlemen” to call Alexander for help. The Novgorod ruler Spiridon went to him in Pereyaslavl, who begged the prince to forget his previous grievances and lead an action against the German knights. Alexander returned to Novgorod at the beginning of 1241, where he was greeted with popular rejoicing.

Battle on the Ice

In the spring of 1241, Alexander Yaroslavich, at the head of his squad and militia from Novgorod, Ladoga and Korela, took Koporye. The fortress was razed, the captured knights were sent hostages to Novgorod, and the warriors who served with them were hanged. Then Alexander defeated small enemy detachments that were robbing the surrounding area, and by the end of 1241 the Novgorod land was almost completely cleared of the enemy. In the winter of 1242, Prince Alexander, together with his brother Andrei, who brought reinforcements from the Vladimir-Suzdal land, recaptured Pskov. The German Rhymed Chronicle talks about the capture of Pskov by the troops of Alexander Yaroslavich: “He arrived there with great force; he brought many Russians to free the Pskovites... When he saw the Germans, he did not hesitate for long after that, he expelled both brother knights, putting an end to their feudalism, and all their servants were driven away.” The traitorous Pskov boyars were hanged.

Then Russian troops, reinforced by the Pskov militia, moved into the lands of the Order. News of the movement of Russian troops soon reached Dorpat, and the local bishop turned to the Order for help. The crusaders gathered a large army, which, with auxiliary detachments of the Chuds, was ready for a decisive battle. One of the advanced detachments of the Russian army was ambushed and defeated. Alexander, realizing that the knightly army was looking for a general battle, decided to give it in conditions favorable to himself. He withdrew his regiments from the Livonian borders and stood on the Uzmen, a narrow channel connecting Lake Peipsi and Lake Peipus, at the Crow Stone (an island-cliff, now hidden by the water of Lake Peipsi). This position was very convenient. The crusaders, having reached the lake, could then go to Novgorod, bypassing Lake Peipsi to the north, or Pskov - along the western coast of Lake Pskov to the south. In each of these cases, Alexander Yaroslavich could intercept the enemy, moving along the eastern coast of the lakes. If the crusaders had decided to act directly and tried to cross the strait at the narrowest point, then they would have directly encountered Russian troops.

The Russian army reaches Lake Peipsi. Chronicle miniature

The Teutonic army, commanded by the Landmaster of the Teutonic Order Andreas von Felven, in addition to the order's brother knights, included detachments of the Dorpat bishopric and Danish knights led by the sons of the Danish king Valdemar II. German crusaders usually lined up in a battle formation known as a “boar’s head” (“pig”). It was a narrow but rather long column. At the head was a wedge of several ranks of the most experienced and battle-hardened brother knights, tapering towards the front. Behind the wedge, gradually expanding in depth, were detachments of squires and bollards. Knightly heavily armed cavalry also moved along the sides of the column. In the center of the column there was infantry made up of hired bollards (from the Baltic tribes subordinated to the Germans), who were assigned a secondary role in battle (to finish off the defeated enemy). Few opponents were able to withstand the blow of heavy knightly cavalry. Knights on strong horses, like a battering ram, split the enemy's formation in two with a powerful blow, then split it into smaller groups and destroyed them piece by piece (with the participation of infantry). But this construction also had its drawbacks. It was almost impossible to maintain battle order after the main attack. And it was extremely difficult to maneuver when the situation suddenly changed during the battle in such a formation. To do this, it was necessary to withdraw the army back and put it in order.

Knowing this, Alexander Nevsky placed his shock forces on the flanks. The basis of the battle formation of the Russian troops of that time were three regiments: “chelo” - the main regiment located in the center, and the “right and left hand” regiments located on the flanks of the “chelo” with ledges back or forward. All three regiments made up one, main line. Moreover, the “head” was usually formed from the most trained warriors. But the Novgorod prince placed his main forces, mainly cavalry, on the flanks. In addition, behind the left-hand regiment, in ambush to bypass the flank and attack the enemy in the rear, were the horse squads of Alexander and Andrei Yaroslavich. The Novgorod militia was located in the center, which was supposed to take the first and heaviest blow. The archers stood in front of everyone, and behind the Russian army, near the steep bank, chained sleighs of the convoy were placed to give additional support to the Russian infantry and stop and deprive the enemy cavalry of maneuver.

Behind the back of the Russian army there was a bank overgrown with dense forest with steep slopes, which excluded the possibility of maneuver; the right flank was protected by a zone of water called Sigovica. Here, due to certain features of the flow and a large number of underground springs, the ice was very fragile. Local residents knew about this and undoubtedly informed Alexander. The left flank was protected by a high coastal cape, from where a wide panorama opened up to the opposite shore. In Soviet historiography, the Battle of the Ice was considered one of the largest battles in the entire history of German knightly aggression in the Baltic states, and the number of troops on Lake Peipus was estimated at 10-12 thousand people for the Order and 15-17 thousand Russian people.

The 10th century in densely populated - by medieval standards, of course - Western Europe was marked by the beginning of expansion. Subsequently, from century to century, this expansion expanded, taking on a wide variety of forms.

The European peasant, bent under the burden of duties to the lord, ventured into the unruly forests. He cut down trees, cleared the land of bushes and drained swamps, extracting additional arable land.

The Europeans were pushing back the Saracens (the Arabs who captured Spain), and the reconquista (“reconquest” of Spain) was underway.

Inspired by the lofty idea of ​​liberating the Holy Sepulcher and overwhelmed by a thirst for riches and new lands, the crusaders stepped into the Levant - as the territories located along the Eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea were called in the Middle Ages.

The European “push to the east” began; peasants, skilled city craftsmen, experienced traders, and knights appeared en masse in Slavic countries, for example, in Poland and the Czech Republic, and began to settle and settle there. This contributed to the rise of the economy, social and cultural life of the Eastern European countries, but at the same time gave rise to problems, creating rivalry and confrontation between the newcomer and indigenous populations. A particularly large wave of immigrants poured from the German lands, where the rulers of the German Empire (following Emperor Frederick Barbarossa) supported the “onslaught on the East.”

Soon the eyes of Europeans were drawn to the Baltic states. It was perceived as a forest desert, lightly populated by wild Letto-Lithuanian and Finno-Ugric pagan tribes who did not know state power. Since ancient times, Rus' and the Scandinavian countries have been expanding here. They colonized the areas bordering them. Local tribes were subject to tribute. Back in the time of Yaroslav the Wise, the Russians built their Yuryev fortress beyond Lake Peipus in the land of the Finno-Ugric Estonians (named after Yaroslav the Wise at his baptism, the name George). The Swedes advanced into the possessions of the Finns until they reached the borders of the Karelian land controlled by Novgorod.

At the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th centuries, people from Western Europe appeared in the Baltic states. The first to come were Catholic missionaries carrying the word of Christ. In 1184, the monk Maynard unsuccessfully tried to convert the Livs (ancestors of modern Latvians) to Catholicism. Monk Berthold in 1198 preached Christianity with the help of the swords of the crusading knights. Canon Albert of Bremen, sent by the Pope, captured the mouth of the Dvina and founded Riga in 1201. A year later, an order of monastic knights was created on the Livonian lands conquered around Riga. He called Order of the Swordsmen in the shape of a long cross, more like a sword. In 1215-1216, the Swordsmen captured Estonia. This was preceded by their struggle with the Russian and Lithuanian princes, as well as enmity with Denmark, which had laid claim to Estonia since the beginning of the 12th century.

In 1212, the Swordsmen came close to the borders of Pskov and Novgorod lands. Mstislav Udaloy, who reigned in Novgorod, successfully resisted them. Then, during the reign of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich's father in Novgorod, the Sword Bearers were defeated near Yuryev (modern Tartu). The city remained with the crusaders, subject to payment of tribute to Novgorod for it (Yuriev's tribute). By 1219, Denmark had reconquered Northern Estonia, but 5 years later the Swordsmen regained it.

The activity of the crusaders pushed the Lithuanian tribes (Lithuania, Zhmud) to unite. They, the only Baltic peoples, began to form their own state.

In the land of the Baltic tribe of Prussians, which was located near the Polish border, another order of crusaders was founded - the Teutonic. Previously, he was in Palestine, but the Polish king invited the Teutons to the Baltic states, hoping for their help in the fight against the pagan Prussians. The Teutons soon began to seize Polish possessions. As for the Prussians, they were exterminated.

But defeat in 1234 by Alexander Nevsky's father Yaroslav, and in 1236 by the Lithuanians led to the reform of the Order of the Sword. In 1237 it became a branch of the Teutonic Order, and it began to be called Livonian.

Batu’s invasion gave rise to the hope among the crusaders that expansion could be expanded into the northern lands of the Orthodox, who in the West had long been considered heretics after the split of the churches in 1054. Mister Veliky Novgorod was especially attractive. But the crusaders were not the only ones who were seduced by the Novgorod land. The Swedes were also interested in it.

Mr. Veliky Novgorod and Sweden fought more than once when their interests in the Baltic states collided. At the end of the 1230s, news was received in Novgorod that the son-in-law of the Swedish king, Jarl (title of the Swedish nobility) Birger, was preparing a raid on the Novgorod possessions. Alexander, the 19-year-old son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, was then sitting as prince in Novgorod. He ordered the Izhora elder Pelgusius to monitor the coast and report the Swedish invasion. As a result, when the Scandinavian boats entered the Neva and stopped at the confluence of the Izhora River, the Prince of Novgorod was notified in time. July 15, 1240 Alexander arrived at the Neva and, with the help of a small Novgorod detachment and his squad, unexpectedly attacked the enemy.

Against the backdrop of the devastation of northeastern Rus' by the Mongol Khan Batu, this battle opened a difficult circle for his contemporaries: Alexander brought victory to Rus' and with it hope, faith in one’s own strength! This victory brought him the honorary title of Nevsky.

Confidence that the Russians were capable of winning victories helped them survive the difficult days of 1240, when a more dangerous enemy, the Livonian Order, invaded the Novgorod borders. Ancient Izborsk fell. The Pskov traitors opened the gates to the enemy. The crusaders scattered across the Novgorod land and plundered in the outskirts of Novgorod. Not far from Novgorod, the crusaders built a fortified outpost, carried out raids near Luga and Sabelny Pogost, which was located 40 versts from Novgorod.

Alexander was not in Novgorod. He quarreled with the independent Novgorodians and left for Pereyaslavl Zalessky. Under pressure from circumstances, the Novgorodians began to ask the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yaroslav for help. The Novgorodians wanted to see Alexander Nevsky at the head of the Suzdal regiments. Grand Duke Yaroslav sent another son, Andrei, with a cavalry detachment, but the Novgorodians stood their ground. In the end, Alexander arrived and brought his Pereyaslav squad and the Vladimir-Suzdal militia, which consisted mainly of peasants. Novgorodians also assembled shelves.

In 1241, the Russians launched an offensive, recapturing Koporye from the crusaders. The fortress built by the knights in Koporye was destroyed. In the winter of 1242, Alexander Nevsky unexpectedly appeared near Pskov and liberated the city.

Russian troops entered the Order, but soon their vanguard was defeated by the knights. Alexander took his regiments to the eastern shore of Lake Peipus and decided to give battle.

April 5, 1242 of the year A great slaughter took place on the melted ice. The Russians stood in the traditional “eagle”: in the center was a regiment consisting of Vladimir-Suzdal militias, on the sides were regiments of the right and left hands - heavily armed Novgorod infantry and princely equestrian squads. The peculiarity was that a significant mass of troops were located on the flanks; usually the center was the strongest. Behind the militia was a steep bank covered with boulders. A convoy's sleigh, fastened with chains, was placed on the ice in front of the shore. This made the coast completely impassable for knightly horses and was supposed to keep the faint-hearted in the Russian camp from fleeing. A horse squad stood in ambush near the island of Voroniy Kamen.

The knights moved towards the Russians "boar's head" This was a special system that more than once brought success to the crusaders. In the center of the “boar’s head”, bollard infantrymen marched in closed ranks. On the sides of them and behind them, in 2-3 rows, rode riders clad in armor; their horses also had armor. Ahead, narrowing to a point, the ranks of the most experienced knights moved. The “Boar’s Head,” nicknamed the “pig” by the Russians, rammed the enemy and broke through the defenses. Knights destroyed the enemy with spears, battle axes, and swords. When it was defeated, bollard infantrymen were released to finish off the wounded and those fleeing.

The chronicle story about the battle on the ice reports “the speed of the slashing of evil, and the crackling from the spears, and the breaking, and the sound from the cutting of the sword.”

The knights crushed the Russian center and began to spin around, breaking their own formation. They had nowhere to move. “Regiments of the right and left hands” pressed on the knights from the flanks. It was as if they were squeezing the “pig” with pincers. There were many dead on both sides of the fighting. The ice turned red with blood. The enemy suffered mainly from infantry. Killing a knight was difficult. But if he was pulled off his horse, he became defenseless - the weight of the armor did not allow him to stand up and move.

Suddenly the April ice cracked. The knights mingled. Those who fell into the water sank like stones to the bottom. Alexander Nevsky's troops struck with redoubled energy. The crusaders ran. Russian horsemen pursued them for several kilometers.

The ice battle was won. The crusaders' plan to establish themselves in Northern Rus' failed.

In 1243, ambassadors of the Order arrived in Novgorod. Peace was signed. The Crusaders recognized the borders of the Lord of Veliky Novgorod as inviolable and promised to regularly pay tribute to Yuryev. The terms for the ransom of several dozen knights who were captured were agreed upon. Alexander led these noble captives from Pskov to Novgorod next to their horses, barefoot, with their heads uncovered, and with a rope around their necks. It was impossible to think of a greater insult to knightly honor.

In the future, military skirmishes occurred more than once between Novgorod, Pskov and the Livonian Order, but the border of the possessions of both sides remained stable. For the possession of Yuryev, the Order continued to pay tribute to Novgorod, and from the end of the 15th century - to the Moscow unified Russian state.

In political and moral terms, victories over the Swedes and the knights of the Livonian Order were very important: the scale of the Western European onslaught on the northwestern borders of Rus' was reduced. The victories of Alexander Nevsky over the Swedes and crusaders interrupted the series of defeats of the Russian troops.

For the Orthodox Church, it was especially important to prevent Catholic influence in Russian lands. It is worth remembering that the crusade of 1204 ended with the capture by the crusaders of Constantinople, the capital of the Orthodox empire, which considered itself the Second Rome. For more than half a century, the Latin Empire existed on Byzantine territory. The Orthodox Greeks “huddled” in Nicaea, from where they tried to recapture their possessions from the Western crusaders. The Tatars, on the contrary, were allies of the Orthodox Greeks in their fight against the Islamic and Turkish onslaught on the eastern Byzantine borders. According to the practice that has developed since the 10th century, most of the highest hierarchs of the Russian Church were by origin Greeks or southern Slavs who came to Rus' from Byzantium. The head of the Russian church - the metropolitan - was appointed by the Patriarch of Constantinople. Naturally, the interests of the universal Orthodox Church were above all else for the leadership of the Russian Church. Catholics seemed much more dangerous than Tatars. It is no coincidence that before Sergius of Radonezh (second half of the 14th century), not a single prominent church hierarch blessed or called for the fight against the Tatars. The invasion of Batu and the Tatar armies were interpreted by the clergy as the “scourge of God,” the punishment of the Orthodox for their sins.

It was the church tradition that created around the name of Alexander Nevsky, canonized after his death, the aura of an ideal prince, warrior, “sufferer” (fighter) for the Russian land. This is how he entered the national mentality. In this case, Prince Alexander is in many ways a “brother” of Richard the Lionheart. The legendary “doubles” of both monarchs overshadowed their real historical images. In both cases, the “legend” was far removed from the original prototype.

In serious science, meanwhile, debates about the role of Alexander Nevsky in Russian history do not subside. Alexander’s position in relation to the Golden Horde, his participation in the organization of the Nevryuev army in 1252 and the spread of the Horde yoke to Novgorod, the cruel reprisals even for that time, characteristic of Alexander in the fight against his opponents, give rise to conflicting judgments regarding the results of the activities of this undoubtedly bright hero of Russian history .

For Eurasians and L.N. Gumilyov Alexander is a far-sighted politician who correctly chose an alliance with the Horde and turned his back to the West.

For other historians (for example, I.N. Danilevsky), Alexander’s role in Russian history is rather negative. This role is the actual conductor of Horde dependence.

Some historians, including S.M. Solovyova, V.O. Klyuchevsky, does not at all consider the Horde yoke to be a “useful alliance for Rus',” but notes that Rus' did not have the strength to fight. Supporters of continuing the fight against the Horde - Daniil Galitsky and Prince Andrei Yaroslavich, despite the nobility of their impulse, were doomed to defeat. Alexander Nevsky, on the contrary, was aware of the realities and was forced, as a politician, to seek a compromise with the Horde in the name of the survival of the Russian land.