Exactly 866 years ago, on April 5, 1242, the famous Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipus took place. We learn once again some interesting details.

"On the day of memory of the martyr Claudius and to the praise of the Holy Mother of God", that is, April 5, 1242, on ice Lake Peipus the fate of Rus', the Baltic States and Germany was decided. Prince Alexander Nevsky dealt a terrible blow to the Teutonic Order. Then it will be called the Battle of the Ice. This wording in some circles causes a flurry of indignation: they say, it was not a battle at all, but a skirmish of medieval "brothers" who divided spheres of influence. Did the Russians win? Well, maybe. But no signs of a battle were found. Russian chronicles? Lies and propaganda! They are good only to appease national pride.

However, one fact is missing. The news of the Battle of the Ice was preserved not only in Russian chronicles, but also "on the other side." The manuscript "Livonian Rhymed Chronicle" was written 40 years after the battle from the words of eyewitnesses and participants in the events. So how did the Russian soldiers and the whole situation see through the visor of a knight's helmet?

"Cowardly Russian rabble" in a sheepskin and with a drecolle evaporates. Instead, the knights see the following: “In the kingdom of Russia, there were people of a very cool temper. They did not hesitate, they got ready to march and galloped menacingly at us. All of them were in shining armor, their helmets shone like crystal. Note: there are still two years left before the Battle of the Ice. The very beginning of the war is described - the capture by the Germans of the Russian cities of Izborsk and Pskov, which caused a retaliatory strike by Alexander Nevsky.

What the German author honestly says: “Their failures became offensive to the Russians. They got ready quickly. King Alexander came out to us, and with him many noble Russians. They had countless bows, a lot of beautiful armor. Their banners were rich. Their helmets radiated light."

These light-emitting helmets and other riches obviously haunted the author of the Chronicle. It must be assumed that the desire to tear them off Russian corpses was very great. But it turned out differently: “The knight brothers stubbornly resisted, but they were defeated. King Alexander was glad that he had won." The conclusion is logical and economic in German: “Who conquered good lands and poorly occupied them with military force, he will weep, because he will have a loss.

About how exactly the “good lands” were conquered and what was planned to be done in Rus' later, the “Chronicle” tells in some detail. Exactly enough to properly admire the European values ​​that the “warriors of the bright West” brought to us: “A great cry began everywhere in the Russian land. Who defended himself was killed. Who fled was overtaken and killed. Those who laid down their arms were taken prisoner and killed. The Russians thought they would all die. Forests and fields rang with mournful cries.

These are the means. What was the purpose that justifies them? Maybe it really is a “redistribution of spheres of influence”, as they are trying to convince us?

“The knight brothers pitched their tents in front of Pskov. Many knights and bollards have well earned their right to flax in the local battles. Len in the German tradition is called a piece of land that the king grants to the nobles for their service. Having broken into the borders of Rus' and arranged a frank massacre, the Germans immediately began to divide the devastated lands. There is no question of any collection of tribute or "influence". Solid: "I came to you to settle forever." And not just settle down.

“Two knight brothers were left in Pskov, who were made vogts and instructed to protect the land.” Vogt is an official with administrative and judicial functions. The Vogts conducted office work according to German laws and German.

Even the Tatars did not do this on Russian lands. Tribute was taken, but polygamy, for example, was not introduced and they were not forced to speak Tatar.

The most interesting thing is the battle itself on Lake Peipus. The author of the Chronicle, a German of the 13th century, describes the course of the battle in the same way as modern historians. “The Russians had many shooters who courageously accepted the first onslaught. It could be seen how a detachment of brother-knights defeated the shooters. The clash of swords could be heard there, and helmets could be seen splitting. Those who were in the army of knight brothers were surrounded. Some left the battle, they were forced to retreat. On both sides, warriors fell to the grass. There, 20 knight brothers were killed, and 6 were taken prisoner.

Finally, you can say: “And yet: I don’t believe it! Why do they fall on the grass? So, there was no ice at this Battle on the Ice! And the losses of the Germans - only 26 people. And the Russian chronicles said that 500 knights lay down there!

Weed is really fun. The original says: "In das Gras beisen". Literal translation: "Bite the grass." This is an old German expression that poetically and beautifully conveys the bitter: "Fell on the battlefield."

As for the losses, too, oddly enough, everything converges. The original speaks of the German attacking detachment thus: "Banier". This is a standard knightly connection - "banner". The total number is from 500 to 700 riders. Among them - from 30 to 50 knight brothers. The Russian chronicler did not lie at all - the detachment was indeed destroyed almost without exception. And who is the brother-knight there, and who is on the side of the bake - is not so important.

Something else is more important. If it seems to someone that such a number of killed Germans is not enough, let him remember how much the Teutonic Order lost just a year earlier, in the battle of Legnica, when the famous chivalry was utterly defeated by the Tatars. There were killed 6 knight brothers, 3 novices and 2 sergeants. The defeat was considered terrible. But only to Lake Peipsi - there the order lost almost three times as much.

Battle on the Ice: why did Alexander Nevsky defeat the Germans on the ice of Lake Peipus?

German mounted knights in the Baltic States regularly used a special formation of troops in the form of a wedge or trapezoid; our annals called this system a “pig”. Servants marched into battle on foot. The main goal of the infantry was to help the knights. Among the Teutons, the infantry consisted of townspeople-colonists, detachments put up by conquered peoples, etc. The knights were the first to enter the battle, and the infantry stood under a separate banner. If infantry was also brought into the battle (which apparently took place in the Battle of Peipsi), then its system was probably closed by a number of knights, since the infantry of the above composition was unreliable.

The task of the wedge was to split the central, most powerful part of the enemy troops. Using such a formation, the German crusaders inflicted defeats on scattered detachments of Livs, Latgalians, Estonians. But the Russians (and later the Lithuanians) found means of fighting the "pig" chained in armor.

A brilliant example of this is the battle on the ice of Lake Peipus. The usual combat formation of the Russian troops consisted of a strong center, where a large regiment (“chelo”) stood, and two less strong flanks (“wings”). This formation was not the best in the fight against the “pig” of the crusaders, and Alexander Nevsky, boldly breaking the established tradition, changed the tactics of the Russian troops: he concentrated the main forces on the flanks, which contributed a lot to the victory. The new tactics caused the Russians to retreat to the ice of the lake. As one would expect, "the Germans and Chud went after them." Prince Alexander posted a regiment on the steep eastern shore of Lake Peipsi, at the Voronye Stone, opposite the mouth of the Zhelcha River. The chosen position was advantageous in that the enemy, moving along open ice, was deprived of the opportunity to determine the location, number and composition of Russian troops.

On April 5, 1242, the entire mass of German troops rushed to the Russians, "riding into the regiment of Germans and people and piercing like a pig through the regiment ...". The crusaders broke through Russian army and considered the battle won. Suddenly they were attacked by the main forces of the Russians, concentrated on the flanks, contrary to tradition, and "there was a great German and people cutting that." Russian archers with crossbows brought complete disorder to the ranks of the encircled knights.

The "eye-witness" of the battle said that "the cowardly from the spears of breaking and the sound from the sword cut" was such that "the sea is frozen to move and not be able to see the ice: everything is covered with blood."

The victory was decisive: the Russians furiously pursued the fleeing enemy across the ice to the Subolichi coast. Only 400 knights were killed, in addition, 50 Russian knights "by the hands of Yash"; many Estonians fell. The shamed captive crusaders were led to Novgorod, as it is said in the Pskov chronicle, "beaten the ovs and tying the barefooted ovs, lead them on the ice." Apparently, the fleeing crusaders threw off heavy armor and shoes.

In a fierce battle on Lake Peipsi on April 5, 1242, the Novgorod warriors under the command of Prince Alexander Nevsky won a significant victory over the army of the Livonian Order. If we say briefly “Battle on the Ice”, then even a fourth-grade student will understand what is at stake. The battle under this name has great historical meaning. That is why its date is one of the days of military glory.

At the end of 1237, the Pope proclaimed the 2nd Crusade to Finland. Taking advantage of this plausible pretext, in 1240 the Livonian Order captured Izborsk, and then Pskov. When the threat hung over Novgorod in 1241, at the request of the inhabitants of the city, Prince Alexander led the defense of Russian lands from the invaders. He led an army to the Koporye fortress and took it by storm..

In March of the following year, his younger brother, Prince Andrei Yaroslavich, came to his aid from Suzdal with his retinue. Together, the princes recaptured Pskov from the enemy.

After that, the Novgorod army moved to the Derpt bishopric, which was located on the territory of modern Estonia. In Derpt (now Tartu), Bishop Hermann von Buxgevden, the brother of the commander of the order, ruled. The main forces of the crusaders were concentrated in the vicinity of the city. The German knights met with the advance detachment of the Novgorodians and defeated them. They were forced to retreat to the frozen lake.

Troop formation

The united army of the Livonian Order, Danish knights and Chudi (Baltic-Finnish tribes) was built in the form of a wedge. Sometimes such a formation is called a boar's head or a pig. The calculation is made to break the enemy's battle formations and wedge into them.

Alexander Nevsky, assuming a similar construction of the enemy, chose the layout of his main forces on the flanks. The correctness of this decision was shown by the outcome of the battle on Lake Peipsi. The date April 5, 1242 is of decisive historical importance..

The course of the battle

With the sunrise german army under the command of Master Andreas von Felfena and Bishop Herman von Buxgevden moved towards the enemy.

As can be seen from the battle diagram, archers were the first to enter the battle with the crusaders. They fired at the enemies, who were well protected by armor, so under the pressure of the enemy, the archers had to retreat. The Germans began to push the middle of the Russian army.

At this time, from both flanks, the regiment of the left and right hand. The attack was unexpected for the enemy, his battle formations lost harmony, and confusion ensued. At this moment, the squad of Prince Alexander attacked the Germans from the rear. Now the enemy was surrounded and began a retreat, which soon turned into a flight. Russian soldiers pursued the fleeing seven miles.

Side losses

As with any military action, both sides suffered heavy losses. Information about them is rather contradictory - depending on the source:

• The Livonian rhymed chronicle mentions 20 dead knights and 6 captured;
• The Novgorod First Chronicle reports 400 Germans killed and 50 prisoners, as well as in large numbers killed among the Chud "and pade Chyudi beschisla";
• The chronicle of grandmasters gives data on the fallen seventy knights of the “70 order gentlemen”, “seuentich Ordens Herenn”, but this is the total number of those killed in the battle on Lake Peipsi and during the liberation of Pskov.

Most likely, the Novgorod chronicler, in addition to the knights, counted their combatants, which is why such big differences are observed in the chronicle: we are talking about the various people killed.

Data on the losses of the Russian troops is also very vague. “Many brave warriors fell,” our sources say. The Livonian Chronicle says that for every German who died, there were 60 Russians killed.

As a result of two historical victories of Prince Alexander (on the Neva over the Swedes in 1240 and on Lake Peipsi), the Crusaders managed to prevent the capture of Novgorod and Pskov lands by the crusaders. In the summer of 1242, ambassadors from the Livonian department of the Teutonic Order arrived in Novgorod and signed a peace treaty, in which they refused to encroach on Russian lands.

About these events in 1938 the feature film "Alexander Nevsky" was created. The battle on the ice went down in history as an example of military art. Russian Orthodox Church the brave prince was numbered among the saints.

For Russia, this event plays big role in the patriotic education of youth. The school begins to study the topic of this fight in the 4th grade. Children will find out in what year the Battle of the Ice took place, with whom they fought, mark on the map the place where the Crusaders were defeated.

In the 7th grade, students are already working on this historical event in more detail: they draw tables, battle diagrams with symbols, make messages and reports on this topic, write abstracts and essays, read an encyclopedia.

The significance of the battle on the lake can be judged by the way it is presented in different types arts:

According to the old calendar, the battle took place on April 5, and in the new one - on April 18. On this date, the day of the victory of the Russian soldiers of Prince Alexander Nevsky over the crusaders was legally established. However, a discrepancy of 13 days is valid only in the interval from 1900 to 2100. In the 13th century the difference would have been only 7 days. Therefore, the actual anniversary of the event falls on April 12. But as you know, this date was staked out by the cosmonauts.

According to the doctor of historical sciences Igor Danilevsky, the significance of the battle on Lake Peipus is greatly exaggerated. Here are his arguments:

A well-known expert on medieval Rus' the Englishman John Fennel and the German historian of Eastern Europe, Dietmar Dahlmann. The latter wrote that the significance of this ordinary battle was inflated in order to form national myth, in which Prince Alexander was appointed the defender of Orthodoxy and Russian lands.

The famous Russian historian V. O. Klyuchevsky did not even mention this battle in his scientific works, probably due to the insignificance of the event.

Data on the number of participants in the fight is also contradictory. Soviet historians believed that about 10-12 thousand people fought on the side of the Livonian Order and their allies, and the Novgorod army was about 15-17 thousand warriors.

At present, most historians are inclined to believe that there were no more than sixty Livonian and Danish knights on the side of the order. Taking into account their squires and servants, this is approximately 600 - 700 people plus Chud, about the number of which there is no data in the annals. According to many historians, there were no more than a thousand Chuds, and about 2500-3000 Russian soldiers. There is another curious circumstance. Some researchers reported that Tatar troops sent by Khan Batu helped Alexander Nevsky in the battle on Lake Peipsi.

In 1164 there was a military clash near Ladoga. At the end of May, the Swedes sailed to the city on 55 ships and laid siege to the fortress. Less than a week later, Novgorod prince Svyatoslav Rostislavich arrived with his army to help the Ladoga residents. He committed a real Ladoga massacre to uninvited guests. According to the testimony of the Novgorod First Chronicle, the enemy was defeated and put to flight. It was a real rout. The victors captured 43 ships out of 55 and many prisoners.

For comparison: in famous battle on the Neva River in 1240, Prince Alexander took neither prisoners nor enemy ships. The Swedes buried the dead, took the loot and departed home, but now this event is forever associated with the name of Alexander.

Some researchers question the fact that the battle took place on ice. It is also considered speculation that during the flight the crusaders fell through the ice. In the first edition of the Novgorod chronicle and in the Livonian chronicle, nothing is written about this. This version is also supported by the fact that nothing was found at the bottom of the lake in the supposed place of the battle, confirming the "under-ice" version.

In addition, it is not known exactly where the Battle of the Ice took place. Briefly and in detail about this can be found in various sources. According to the official point of view, the battle took place on the western shore of Cape Sigovets in the southeastern part of Lake Peipus. This place was identified based on the results of a scientific expedition in 1958−59 headed by G. N. Karaev. At the same time, it should be noted that no archaeological finds have been found that unequivocally confirm the conclusions of scientists.

There are other points of view about the place of the battle. In the eighties of the twentieth century, an expedition led by I. E. Koltsov also investigated the alleged battle site using dowsing methods. The proposed burial places of the fallen soldiers were marked on the map. According to the results of the expedition, Koltsov put forward a version that the main battle took place between the villages of Kobylye settlement, Samolva, Tabory and the Zhelcha River.

The middle of the 13th century was a time of severe trials for Rus'. Taking advantage of the Horde invasion, the defeat of Russian cities and the death of his best sons in merciless battles with the Mongols, the troops of the crusaders and Swedish feudal lords invaded the northwestern borders of Rus'.

The expansion of Novgorod's influence in Karelia and Finland caused widespread dissatisfaction with the papal curia, which planted Catholicism in the Baltics with fire and sword. Since the end of the 12th century, the Catholic Church has been closely and with increasing anxiety following the adoption of Orthodoxy here and, in contrast, provided all possible assistance to the advance of the German and Swedish conquerors to the east. From the second half of the XII 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.

Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky. Drawing from "Titular". 17th century RGADA.

At the end of the 30s of the XIII century. with the active participation of Catholic Rome between the three feudal Catholic forces - the German (Teutonic) Order, the Danes and the Swedes, an agreement was reached on a joint action against Novgorod with the aim of seizing the northwestern Russian lands and planting Catholicism there. According to the papal curia, after the "Batu ruin", bloodless and plundered Rus' could not offer any resistance. This was the main reason for the performance of the Swedes, Teutons and Danes in 1240. The German and Danish knights were to attack Novgorod from land, from their Livonian possessions, and the Swedes were going to support them from the sea through the Gulf of Finland.

The brilliant and lightning-fast victory of Prince Alexander Yaroslavich over the Swedes on July 15, 1240 on the banks of the Neva did not stop the aggression, but was only the first blow against the Catholic coalition. The next enemy, the Teutonic Order, was much stronger and more insidious.

In 1237, the Teutonic Order, which owned Prussia, merged with the Livonian Order of the Swordsmen, which had half-collapsed as a result of unsuccessful military operations in the Baltic states. Having thus joined forces and received support from the Holy Roman Empire, the Teutonic Knights began to prepare for the Drang nach Osten.

The march of the armored knightly troops to Rus' began in August 1240. Soon the Teutons captured Izborsk. The news of the capture of the city soon reached Pskov and stirred up its inhabitants. At the meeting, they decided to come forward to meet the enemy. On September 16, 1240, not far from Izborsk, a battle of five thousand Pskov rati took place with an army of crusaders. During a fierce and bloody battle, the Pskovites suffered a heavy defeat. Soon the Teutons appeared at Pskov and laid siege to the city. It is possible that they would not have been able to take the impregnable fortress, which was Pskov, if not for the betrayal. The outcast prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich, who had previously reigned in Pskov, who was in the order’s army, communicated with traitors inside the city, headed by the Pskov mayor Tverdilo Ivankovich, and flattered them with money and power. These traitors at night opened the gates to the besieging Germans. By the end of 1240, the crusaders firmly settled in the Pskov land and began to prepare for further advancement.

Prince Alexander Nevsky. Artist. N.V. Rzhevsky. 2001

Despite the difficult situation, the Novgorod "gentlemen", defending their local interests, quarreled with Alexander Nevsky. At the convened veche, a number of unfair accusations were thrown at him, and the very victory over the Swedes was presented as an adventure that brought Novgorod more harm than good. Outraged, Alexander left Novgorod and went to Pereyaslavl-Zalessky with his family. The break with the prince had a disastrous effect on the military affairs of the Novgorod Republic. After the capture of the Pskov lands, the crusaders began to systematically develop the occupied territory. On a steep and rocky mountain in the churchyard of Koporye, they built an order castle with high and strong walls, which became the base for further advancement to the east.

Shortly thereafter, the crusaders occupied Tesovo, an important trading post in the Novgorod land, and from there it was already a stone's throw to Novgorod itself.

In the face of impending danger, the Novgorodians forced the boyar "lord" to call Alexander for help. The Novgorod lord Spiridon went to him in Pereyaslavl, who asked the prince to forget his previous grievances and lead a campaign against the Teutons. Alexander returned to Novgorod, where he was greeted with national rejoicing.

Immediately gathering an army of Novgorodians, Ladoga and Korela, the prince attacked Koporye with a sudden blow and captured the castle. Then Alexander defeated the small detachments of the Teutons who robbed in the vicinity and by the end of 1241 the Novgorod land was almost completely cleared of uninvited guests.

Battle on the Ice. Meeting of the Russian and Teutonic troops.
Front Chronicle of the 16th century.

But the defense of Novgorod could not be fully secured as long as Pskov remained in the hands of the knights. The campaign against Pskov was carefully prepared. Warriors gathered from all Novgorod land under the banner of Alexander. Help arrived in time from the Grand Duke Yaroslav from the Suzdal principality. In total, at the hand of Alexander Nevsky, an army of 15-17 thousand people gathered. A very significant power.

Having cut off all the roads leading to Pskov, Alexander took the city into a blockade ring, and then occupied it with a sudden blow. The German Rhymed Chronicle tells 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 a long time after that, he expelled both knight brothers, putting an end to their warship, and all their servants were driven out. Alexander ordered the captured knights to be put in chains and sent to Novgorod, and to hang six traitor boyars. Having strengthened his army with the Pskov militia, Alexander continued his campaign in the order's lands in order to finally discourage the desire of the knights to meddle in the Russian borders.

From Pskov, Alexander's path passed through Izborsk, and then the Russian troops entered the lands of the Chud, which were under the jurisdiction of the Order. In rugged and wooded terrain, like the one that was in the path of the Russian army, the optimal route passed through the ice of frozen rivers. Apparently therefore, the troops under the command of Alexander Nevsky moved along the ice along west coast Lake Pskov to the north to the mouth of the Omovzha, the current Emajygi, on the ice of which it was possible to go directly to Derpt, and the capture of this large city was part of the prince's goals.

The 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 Chud, was ready to repel the attack. Having entered the boundaries of the "German land", Alexander "let the entire regiment heal", that is, he disbanded his detachments to attack the villages and villages of the enemy. In the thirteenth century it was a common tactic for troops in foreign territory. One of these detachments, under the command of the Pskov governor Domash Tverdislavich, 35 km southeast of Derpt in the tract Most (the current Estonian village of Mooste) met with large forces of the crusaders and was almost completely exterminated. Only a few soldiers from the defeated detachment were able to elude the Germans. It was they who informed the prince that the Teutons, encouraged by their success, were moving after them. Then, realizing that the knightly army itself was looking for a general battle, the Novgorod prince decided to give it in the most favorable conditions for himself.

Now having an idea where the enemy was, but not knowing his final intentions, Alexander Nevsky decided to occupy the narrow strait between Lake Peipus and Pskov with his regiments. This position was very successful. The crusaders, having crossed the ice of the frozen Emajõgi to 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 would have been able to 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 in the narrowest place, which is the Warm Lake, then they would have directly collided with the Novgorod troops.

Battle on the Ice. Artist V.M. Nazaruk. 1982

There are disputes about the place of the Battle of the Ice to this day. It hardly makes sense to analyze here the advantages and disadvantages of each version, we will simply present them. According to the classical scheme, which is given on the pages of all textbooks on military history, the battle took place on the ice of Lake Peipus near Vorony Island, which is located among other small islands in a small bay 6 km west of the mouth of the Zhelcha River. According to another version, the battle took place near the eastern coast of the Warm Lake near the current village of Chudskaya Rudnitsa, which is 5 km northeast of the Estonian village of Mehikoorma (the village of Ismena, or Uzmen, in Russian chronicles). In the 90s of the last century, a group of enthusiastic archaeologists put forward new version. According to them, the Battle on the Ice took place not on the ice of Lake Peipus, but on land, in a triangle between the present villages of Tabory, Kobylye Settlement and Kozlovo. This assertion is based on the findings archaeological sites burial places of medieval warriors, 2 km east of the village of Samolva. This version is interesting from the point of view of archaeological finds, but it completely ignores those topographical indicators that Russian chronicles have preserved about the place of the battle.

According to the classical version, the chosen position to the maximum extent took into account all the favorable geographical features of the area and put them at the service of the Russian army. Behind the back of the Novgorod rati was a coast 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 some features of the current and a large number of underground springs, the ice was very fragile. locals they knew about it and, no doubt, told Alexander. Finally, the left flank was protected by a high coastal cape, from where a wide panorama opened up to the opposite coast.

What were the opposing forces? The Teutonic army, commanded by the Landmaster of the Teutonic Order Andreas von Felven, in addition to the knight brothers of the order, included detachments of the Derpt bishopric and Danish knights, led by the sons of the Danish king Valdemar II.

The Teutonic army was armed and equipped in accordance with the knightly tradition of Western Europe at that time. Each of the knights fought on a horse, which was protected by metal or leather protective armor. The knight himself was dressed in protective armor. A metal helmet with a visor covering the entire head, chain mail with a plastron worn under it, or a shell, metal leggings and bracers made him difficult to vulnerable. The knight was armed with a long spear, which could only be operated from a horse, a heavy two-handed sword used as a chopping weapon, and a dagger as a means of defeating an armored enemy in close combat. A heavy shield complemented the knight's armament.

Knightly squires, like their seniors, usually acted on horseback in battle. Their protective armor was lighter and consisted of chain mail or leather clothing with sewn metal plates. Instead of a helmet with a visor, they used a helmet that protected only the upper part of the head from blows. They did not have a long spear, like a knight's, swords were often replaced by a long dagger. The squires had shields with which they protected not so much themselves as their master. Often squires had bows or crossbows.

Knightly servants were armed with short spears, bows or crossbows and daggers. They had light armor, usually leather with sewn metal plates in the most vulnerable places. Knightly servants usually did not have shields and in battle they acted on foot.

The feudal militias (knechts) were armed in a more varied manner and in battle they usually acted on foot. They were dressed in light leather armor, their head was protected by a metal helmet. The bollards were armed with short swords, axes, clubs. Those who performed the function of shooters were armed with bows or crossbows (crossbows).

Alexander Nevsky opposed the militia to the crusaders clad in armor. But if the Teutons are well-armed and trained professionals, then most The Russian army was far from equivalent in combat qualities to the Novgorod foot militia, recruited mainly from artisans and residents of the town. The armament of the militias was quite diverse. Usually they had a short (up to two meters) spear or spear, an ax, a sword or a saber. Part of the foot militias acted as arrows. To do this, they armed themselves with sulits, or a bow with arrows. As a protective weapon, the foot militias used leather shirts with metal plates sewn on in the most vulnerable places. Their head was protected either by a quilted hat with sewn-on metal plates, or a bowl - a type of metal helmet in the form of a helmet with a metal mesh that protects the warrior's neck and shoulders.

In the total number of Russian troops, the princely squad, namely, it was main force, constituted the smaller part. The princely combatant is a professional warrior who spent most of his life in campaigns and battles. His armament corresponded to this. The rider's body was covered with chain mail, which well protected the warrior from arrows and sword strikes. It did not hamper the movements of the warrior and was relatively light - it weighed about 8-9 kg. In addition to chain mail, hard metal armor - armor and armor were used, although quite rarely.

The rider's head was protected from sword blows by a helmet. The main type of Russian helmet was a spherical cone. A visor, earmuffs and aventail were attached to the crown of the cone - a chain mail mesh covering the neck and shoulders of a warrior. In addition, the helmet could have a bow arrow or a mask covering the upper part of the face. Princely helmets and helmets of other commanders were covered with silver or gold. In battle, such shiny helmets served as one of the means of command and control; warriors, seeing the gleam of a helmet in the hustle and bustle of battle, recognized their commander and determined where they should be grouped. A massive round shield completed the armament of the equestrian combatant.

The knightly troops of Europe before the Battle of the Ice had many successful battles against infantry militias different peoples. Armored riders on strong horses, like a battering ram, split the foot formation in two, then split it into smaller groups and destroyed them piece by piece. The battle formation of the crusaders also corresponded to the nature of the knightly battle. This battle order among the Russians was called, as the chronicler figuratively writes, "the great pig." There were relatively few knights in her head rank, about five to ten men, and each successive rank had two more knights. Such a formation looked like a wedge, pointed at the enemy. The wedge consisted of experienced, trained and well-armed knights. Behind the wedge, gradually expanding in depth, were detachments of squires and knights. From the flanks, the entire army was covered by knights, built in one or two rows. The impact force of such an army, if its order had not been violated before, was quite large.

But this structure also had its drawbacks. It was almost impossible to maintain battle order after the main attack. This was prevented by the bulkiness and rigidity of the knightly formation. And it was very difficult to make a maneuver in the situation that suddenly changed during the battle in such a formation.

These weak sides knightly "pig" Alexander Yaroslavich decided to use in the upcoming battle. The basis of the battle order of the Russian troops of that time were three regiments: "chelo" - the regiment located in the center, and the regiments of the "right and left hands" located on the flanks of the "chela" with ledges back or forward. All three regiments formed one main line. Moreover, the "brow" was formed from the most trained warriors. But the prince of Novgorod boldly went against tradition and built his troops in the form of two moving apart, and then enveloping and squeezing pincers. He concentrated the main forces, mainly the cavalry, on the wings, and put the prince's squad on the left flank in an ambush to bypass and hit the knightly "pig" in the rear. In the center was the Novgorod militia, which was supposed to take the first and most severe blow. A weak "brow" was covered behind by a high lake shore with carts placed there. If the knights break through the foot army, then this obstacle will not allow them to make a maneuver and go to the rear of the Russian troops. In front of the "chela" the prince placed archers who, by continuous shooting, were supposed to try to upset the "pig" system.

The battle took place on April 5, 1242 and proceeded as Alexander Yaroslavich intended. At dawn, the iron knight's wedge went on the attack. Russian archers met the enemy with a shower of arrows. But they did almost no harm to the armored Teutons, although the Chud advancing next to the crusaders suffered significant losses. Gradually, the archers backed up to the ranks of the infantry and, finally, merged with it in a single formation. The knights spurred their horses and cut into the location of the Novgorod foot rati. An unequal battle began. About this critical episode for the Russian troops, the chronicler says: “Both the Germans and the people made their way through the regiments like a pig.” The crusaders were already ready to celebrate victory, but, seeing in front of them, instead of space for maneuver, an insurmountable coast for the cavalry, they realized their mistake. For the first time, the opponent of the knights, after cutting the battle order, did not run from the battlefield, dooming himself to death from the swords and spears of the crusaders. Both wings of the Russian army immediately fell on the left and right of the knight's wedge, and from the rear, having made a roundabout maneuver, the elite squad of Prince Alexander struck. “And there was that slash of evil and great by the Germans and people, and the beetle from the spears of breaking, and the sound from the sword section, and you can’t see the ice, covered with blood.”

Monument to Russian soldiers of Prince Alexander Nevsky. Installed in 1993 on Sokolikha mountain in Pskov. Designed by sculptor I.I. Kozlovsky and architect P.S. Butenko.

The intensity of the battle grew. The Novgorodians dragged the surrounded, huddled together knights from their horses with hooks. The dismounted crusader, clad in heavy armor, could not resist the dexterous Russian soldiers. The battle did not last long and ended in the complete defeat of the Teutons. The knights ran first, followed by the knights dressed in armor. Part of the knightly army was driven by Russian combatants to Sigovitsa. The fragile ice could not stand it and broke under the weight of the crusaders and their horses clad in armor. The knights went under the ice and there was no salvation for them.

According to Russian chronicles, in this battle, not counting the many ordinary soldiers, four hundred knights died, and fifty Teutonic "deliberate commanders" were taken prisoner. These losses are, of course, exaggerated. According to the Livonian Chronicle of Balthazar Ryussov, then only 70 knights died and 6 were taken prisoner. The Russians also suffered significant losses: "This victory cost the prince many brave people."

Under a peace treaty concluded a few months later, the Order renounced all claims to Russian lands and returned the territories captured earlier. Thanks to impressive military victories, Alexander Yaroslavich stopped the wide crusader aggression on the western borders of Rus'. The significance of the victory of 1242 was also understood by the author of the "Life" of Alexander: from that time "his name began to be heard in all countries and to the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bEgypt, and to the mountains of Ararat and about the country of the Varangian Sea, and to great Rome ".

Twenty years after the glorious victory, Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky lived on the ice of Lake Peipsi. With military victories on the western borders of the country and skillful politics in the east, he determined the fate of Vladimir Rus' for two hundred years: by sacrificing the momentary in Russian-Horde relations, he won time for Rus', made it possible to recover from the terrible Mongol devastation.

Real heroes don't live long. So Alexander died early, at the age of forty-three. The Grand Duke of Vladimir Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky died on November 14, 1263. “My dear child, know that the sun of the Russian land has set,” Metropolitan Kirill said in his tombstone. The prince was buried in Bogolyubovo, in the monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin.

The people always remembered the great defender of the Fatherland. In 1724, the remains of the prince were transferred to St. Petersburg, where they now rest in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The following year, in 1725, the Russian order Saint Alexander Nevsky, which was subsequently awarded to famous Russian commanders and naval commanders: P.A. Rumyantsev, G.A. Potemkin, A.V. Suvorov, F.F. Ushakov, M.I. Kutuzov and many others.

In the difficult years of the Great Patriotic War, as well as 700 years ago, again turned to the name of the prince, establishing in 1942 the military order of Alexander Nevsky. According to the statute, he was awarded "for showing, in accordance with the combat mission, the initiative to choose the right moment for a sudden, bold and swift attack on the enemy and inflicting a major defeat on him with low losses for his troops ...". For the exploits and merits accomplished during the Great Patriotic War, more than 42 thousand awards were made with the Order of Alexander Nevsky. Among those awarded this order are more than 1,470 military units and formations of the Soviet Army and Navy. This order was also restored in post-Soviet Russia.

In accordance with federal law dated March 13, 1995 No. 32-FZ “On the days of military glory and anniversaries Russia” The day of the victory of the Russian soldiers of Prince Alexander Nevsky over the German knights on Lake Peipsi was declared the Day of Military Glory of Russia.

Yuri Alekseev,
Senior Research Fellow, Research
Institute of Military History VAGSh Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

__________________________________

Battle on the Ice of 1242: Proceedings of a comprehensive expedition to clarify the location of the Battle on the Ice. M.-L., 1966. S. 213.

Novgorod First Chronicle. PSRL. T. III. SPb., 1841. S. 54.

Cit. Quoted from: Military Tales of Ancient Rus'. L., 1985. S. 124.

Novgorod First Chronicle. S. 54.

See: Livonian chronicle of Balthazar Ryussov // Collection of materials and articles on the history of the Baltic region. T. II. Riga, 1879, p. 197.

Battle on the Ice ... S. 215.

Battle on the Ice ... S. 184.

Cit. Quoted from: Khitrov M. Holy Right-believing Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky. Detailed biography ... M., 1893. S. 227.

Great commanders and their battles Venkov Andrey Vadimovich

BATTLE ON LAKE PEOPLE (Battle on the Ice) (April 5, 1242)

BATTLE ON LAKE PEOPLE (Battle on the Ice)

Arriving in Novgorod in 1241, Alexander found Pskov and Koporye in the hands of the Order. Without long gathering, he began retaliatory actions. Taking advantage of the difficulties of the Order, diverted to fight the Mongols, Alexander Nevsky marched on Koporye, took the city by storm and killed most of the garrison. Some of the knights and mercenaries from the local population were taken prisoner, but released (by the Germans), traitors from among the “chud” were hanged.

By 1242, both the Order and Novgorod had accumulated forces for a decisive clash. Alexander waited for his brother Andrei Yaroslavich with the "grassroots" troops (of the Vladimir principality). When the "grassroots" army was still on the way, Alexander with the Novgorod forces marched near Pskov. The city was surrounded. The order did not have time to quickly gather reinforcements and send them to the besieged. Pskov was taken, the garrison was killed, the order's governors in chains were sent to Novgorod.

All these events took place in March 1242. The Knights were only able to concentrate troops in the Derpt bishopric. The Novgorodians outplayed them in time. Alexander led his troops to Izborsk, his intelligence crossed the borders of the Order. One of the reconnaissance detachments was defeated in a collision with the Germans, but in general, reconnaissance determined that the knights moved the main forces much further north, to the junction between Pskov and Peipus Lakes. Thus, they went out to Novgorod by a short road and cut off Alexander in the Pskov region.

Alexander hurried with all his army to the north, ahead of the Germans and blocked their way. Late spring and the remaining ice on the lakes made the surface the most convenient road for movement, and at the same time for mobile warfare. It was on the ice of Lake Peipus that Alexander began to wait for the approach of the order troops. At dawn on April 5, the opponents saw each other.

The troops that opposed the knights on the ice of Lake Peipsi had a consolidated character. The squads that came up from the "grassroots lands" had one principle of recruitment. Novgorod regiments - another. The consolidated nature of the troops led to the fact that unified system there was no control. Traditionally, in such cases, the council of princes and the governor of the city regiments met. In this situation, the supremacy of Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky, based on high authority, was undeniable.

"Grassroots regiments" consisted of princely squads, squads of boyars, city regiments. The army sent by Veliky Novgorod had a fundamentally different composition. It included the squad of the prince invited to Novgorod (i.e. Alexander Nevsky), the squad of the bishop (“lord”), the garrison of Novgorod, who served for a salary (gridi) and was subordinate to the posadnik (however, the garrison could remain in the city itself and not participate in battle), Konchansky regiments, militia of settlements and squads of "freemen", private military organizations of boyars and wealthy merchants.

The Konchansky regiments were named after the five "ends" of the city of Novgorod. Each regiment represented a certain “end”, was divided into two hundred, a hundred was completed with several streets. Posad regiments were formed according to the same principle.

The principle of recruiting a regiment along the “ends” was carried out as follows: two residents gathered a third, a foot soldier, on a campaign. Wealthy exhibited equestrian warrior. The owners of a certain amount of land had to put up a certain number of horsemen. The unit of measurement was "plow" - the amount of land that could be plowed on three horses with two assistants (the owner himself was the third). Usually ten sokhs gave one equestrian warrior. In extreme situations, four plows were put up by the cavalry.

The armament of the Novgorod warriors was traditional for the Russian lands, but with one exception - the Novgorodians did not have special archers. Every warrior had a bow. Any attack was preceded by a volley of bows, then the same warriors went to hand-to-hand approach. In addition to bows, Novgorod warriors had ordinary swords, spears (since the foot army often encountered equestrian princely squads, spears with hooks at the end were widespread for pulling enemy soldiers from a horse), shoe-knives, which were widely used in close combat, especially when the infantry capsized cavalry; the fallen slaughtered the enemy's horses (veins, belly).

The command staff was represented by centurions and governors, who commanded one or two regiments; governors were subordinate to the prince, who, in addition, directly commanded his squad.

Tactically, these units made up a guard regiment, "brow" and "wings" on the battlefield. Each regiment had its own banner - banner and military music. In total, there were 13 banners in the Novgorod army.

The supply system was primitive. When going on a campaign, each warrior had a supply of food with him. Stocks, together with tents, wall-beating machines, etc., were carried in the convoy (“in goods”). When the stocks ran out, special detachments of "foragers" (foragers) went to collect them.

Traditionally, the battle was started by the guard regiment, then by the foot army, then by the Novgorod cavalry army and the squads of princes. The system of ambushes, tracking down the enemy, etc. was widely used.

In general, the army deployed by Veliky Novgorod and the "grassroots" lands was a fairly powerful force, distinguished by high fighting spirit, aware of the importance of the moment, the significance of the fight against the invasion of the crusading knights. Numerically, the army reached 15-17 thousand. In this, the researchers are united. Most of it was made up of Novgorod and Vladimir foot militia.

advancing on Slavic lands The Order was a powerful military organization. The Master was at the head of the Order. In his submission were commanders, commandants strong points in conquered lands, ruling those areas. Knights - "brothers" were subordinate to the Komtur. The number of "brothers" was limited. Three centuries after the events described, when the Order was firmly established in the Baltic states, there were 120-150 full members, “brothers”. In addition to full members, the Order included "merciful brothers", a kind of sanitary service, and priests. Most of the knights who fought under the banner of the Order were "half-brothers" who did not have the right to booty.

The weapons and armor of European chivalry are described in the chapter on the Battle of Liegnitz.

Unlike the knights, who were not part of the knightly orders, the Teutons and the swordsmen were soldered by discipline and could, to the detriment of their peculiar ideas of knightly honor, form deep battle formations.

Of particular concern is the number of troops of the Order that set foot on the ice of Lake Peipus. Domestic historians usually cited a figure of 10-12 thousand people. Later researchers, referring to the German "Rhymed Chronicle", generally name 300-400 people. Some offer a "compromise option": up to ten 10 thousand soldiers could put up Livs and Ests, the Germans themselves could be no more than 2 thousand, mostly they were hired squads of noble knights, most likely - on foot, there were only a few hundred cavalry, of there are only thirty or forty people - directly order knights, "brothers".

Taking into account the recent terrible defeat of the Teutons near Liegnitz and nine bags of cut off ears collected by the Mongols on the battlefield, one can agree with the proposed alignment of forces in the army put up by the Order against Alexander Nevsky.

On Lake Peipsi, Alexander built his troops in the traditional battle order for Russian troops. In the center was a small Vladimir foot militia, in front of it was an advanced regiment of light cavalry, archers and slingers. Vladimirians were here too. In total, one third of the entire army was in the center of the battle formation. Two-thirds of the troops - the Novgorod foot militia - became regiments of the "right hand" and "left hand" on the flanks. Behind the regiment of the "left hand" an ambush was hidden, consisting of the prince's cavalry squad.

Behind the whole formation, according to a number of researchers, were located the linked sledges of the convoy. Some believe that the rear of the Russian army simply rested on the high, steep shore of the lake.

The troops of the Order lined up in a wedge, "boar's head." The Russians called such a battle formation a “pig”. The tip, the sides, and even the last ranks of the formation were the knights themselves. Inside the wedge densely stood infantry. Some researchers consider such a formation to be the most acceptable for the troops of the Order at that time - otherwise it would be impossible to keep the numerous "chud" in the ranks.

Such a wedge could move only with a step or a “loaf” (i.e., a “trunk”, a quick step), and attack from close range - 70 steps, otherwise the horses that had risen into a gallop would break away from the infantry and the formation would fall apart at the most crucial moment .

The purpose of the formation was a ramming blow that cuts and disperses the enemy.

So, on the morning of April 5, the wedge attacked the immobile Russian army. The attackers were fired upon by archers and slingers, but the arrows and stones did not cause much damage to the knights covered by shields.

As stated in the Rhymed Chronicle, “the Russians had many shooters who courageously accepted the first onslaught, being in front of the prince’s squad. It was evident how a detachment of brother-knights defeated the shooters. Breaking through the archers and the advanced regiment, the knights cut into the Big Regiment. It is clear that the Bolshoi Regiment was dissected, and part of the soldiers of the Russian army rolled back behind the coupled wagons and sledges. Here, naturally, a "third line of defense" was formed. The knight's horses did not have enough speed and space to accelerate to overcome the linked and lined up Russian sledges. And since the rear ranks of the unwieldy wedge continued to push, the front ranks, for sure, made a bunch of small things in front of the Russian sledge train, falling down along with the horses. The Vladimir militias, who retreated behind the sleigh, mixed with the knights who had lost their formation, the regiments of the "right" and "left" hands, slightly changing the front, hit the flanks of the Germans, who also mixed with the Russians. As the author, who wrote The Life of Alexander Nevsky, reports, “there was a slash of evil, and a crack from spears of breaking, and a sound from a sword cut, as if a frozen lake would move. And it is impossible to see the ice: for fear of being covered with blood.

The final blow that surrounded the Germans was delivered from an ambush personally by the prince, formed and trained by the squad.

The “Rhymed Chronicle” admits: “... those who were in the army of the knight brothers were surrounded ... The knight brothers resisted quite stubbornly, but they were defeated there.”

Several ranks of knights covering the wedge from the rear were crushed by the blow of the Russian heavy cavalry. "Chud", which made up the bulk of the infantry, seeing its army surrounded, ran to its native shore. It was easiest to break through in this direction, since there was a horse battle here and the Russians did not have a united front. The Rhymed Chronicle reports that "part of the Derptians (Chuds) left the battle, this was their salvation, they were forced to retreat."

Left without the support of the bulk of the infantry, breaking the line, the knights and, possibly, their warriors - the Germans were forced to fight back in all directions.

The balance of power has changed dramatically. It is known that the master himself with some of the knights broke through. Another part of them perished on the battlefield. The Russians pursued the fleeing enemy for 7 miles, to the opposite shore of Lake Peipus.

Apparently, already at the western shore of the lake, the runners began to fall through the ice (the ice is always thinner near the shores, especially if streams flow into the lake in this place). This completed the defeat.

No less controversial is the question of the losses of the parties in the battle. It is vague about Russian losses - "many brave warriors fell." The losses of the knights are indicated by specific numbers, which cause controversy. Russian chronicles, and after them domestic historians, say that 500 knights were killed, and the Chudi were “pade beschisla”, 50 knights, “deliberate governors”, were taken prisoner. 500 killed knights - the figure is completely unrealistic, there was not such a number in the entire Order, moreover, in the entire First crusade they were much less involved. The Rhymed Chronicle believes that 20 knights died and 6 were taken prisoner. Perhaps the "Chronicle" has in mind only brother-knights, omitting their squads and the "chud" recruited into the army. In this "Chronicle" there is no reason not to trust. On the other hand, the Novgorod First Chronicle says that 400 "Germans" fell in the battle, 90 were taken prisoner, and the "chud" is also discounted - "beschisla". Apparently, 400 German soldiers really fell on the ice of Lake Peipus, of which 20 were knight brothers, 90 Germans (of which 6 were “real” knights) were captured.

Be that as it may, but the death of so many professional soldiers (even if the "Rhyming Chronicle" is true, half of the knights who participated in the battle died) greatly undermined the power of the Order in the Baltic States and for a long time, almost for several centuries, stopped the further advance of the Germans to the East .