In which city was the battle on the ice. Battle on the Ice on Lake Peipsi

Many books and articles have been written about the famous battle on the ice of Lake Peipsi in April 1242, but it itself has not been fully studied - and our information about it is replete with blank spots...

At the beginning of 1242, the German Teutonic Knights captured Pskov and advanced towards Novgorod. On Saturday, April 5, at dawn, the Russian squad, led by the Novgorod prince Alexander Nevsky, met the crusaders on the ice of Lake Peipus, at the Raven Stone.

Alexander skillfully flanked the knights, built in a wedge, and with the blow of an ambush regiment took him into the ring. The Battle on the Ice, famous in Russian history, began. “And there was an evil slash, and a crack from breaking spears, and a sound from a sword cut, and the frozen lake moved. And no ice was visible: it was all covered in blood...” The chronicle reports that the ice cover could not withstand the retreating heavily armed knights and collapsed. Under the weight of their armor, the enemy warriors quickly went to the bottom, choking in the icy water.

Some circumstances of the battle remained a real "blank spot" for researchers. Where does truth end and fiction begin? Why did the ice collapse under the feet of the knights and withstand the weight of the Russian army? How could the knights fall through the ice, if its thickness near the shores of Lake Peipsi in early April reaches a meter? Where did the legendary battle take place?

In domestic chronicles (Novgorod, Pskov, Suzdal, Rostov, Lavrentiev, etc.) and the "Senior Livonian Rhymed Chronicle" both the events that preceded the battle and the battle itself are described in detail. Its landmarks are indicated: “On Lake Peipsi, near the Uzmen tract, near the Raven Stone.” Local legends specify that the warriors fought right outside the village of Samolva. The annalistic miniature depicts the confrontation of the parties before the battle, and defensive ramparts, stone and other structures are shown in the background. In ancient chronicles, there is no mention of Voronii Island (or any other island) near the place of the battle. They talk about the battle on the ground, and the ice is mentioned only in the final part of the battle.

In search of answers to the numerous questions of researchers, in the late 50s of the 20th century, Leningrad archaeologists, led by military historian Georgy Karaev, were the first to go to the shores of Lake Peipus. Scientists were going to recreate the events of more than seven hundred years ago.

In the beginning, chance helped. Once, while talking with fishermen, Karaev asked why they called the section of the lake near Cape Sigovets "a cursed place." The fishermen explained: in this place, until the most severe frosts, there remains a polynya, “cigovica”, because whitefish have been caught in it for a long time. In a frost, of course, the ice will seize the "sigovitsa", only it is fragile: a person will go in there and disappear ...

So, it is no coincidence that the southern part of the lake locals called Warm Lake. Perhaps this is where the crusaders drowned? Here is the answer: the bottom of the lake in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bSigovits is replete with groundwater outlets that prevent the formation of a solid ice cover.

Archaeologists have found that the waters of Lake Peipsi are gradually advancing on the shores, this is the result of a slow tectonic process. Many ancient villages were flooded, and their inhabitants moved to other, higher shores. The lake level is rising at a rate of 4 millimeters per year. Consequently, since the time of the right-believing Prince Alexander Nevsky, the water in the lake has risen by a good three meters!

G.N. Karaev removed depths of less than three meters from the map of the lake, and the map "rejuvenated" by seven hundred years. This map prompted: the narrowest place of the lake in ancient times was just next door to the “sigovitsy”. This is how the annalistic “Uzmen”, a name that does not exist on the modern map of the lake, received an exact reference.

The most difficult thing was to determine the location of the "Raven Stone", because on the map of the lake of the Raven Stones, rocks and islands, there are more than a dozen. Karaev's divers explored Voroniy Island near Uzmen and found that it was nothing more than the top of a huge sheer underwater cliff. A stone rampart was unexpectedly discovered next to it. Scientists decided that the name "Raven Stone" in ancient times referred not only to the rock, but also to a rather strong border fortification. It became clear: the battle began here on that distant April morning.

The expedition members came to the conclusion that several centuries ago the Raven Stone was a high fifteen-meter hill with steep slopes, it was visible from afar and served as a good guide. But time and waves did their job: the once high hill with steep slopes disappeared under the water.

The researchers also tried to explain why the fleeing knights fell through the ice and drowned. In fact, at the beginning of April, when the battle took place, the ice on the lake is still quite thick and strong. But the secret was that not far from the Raven Stone, warm springs form “sigovits” from the bottom of the lake, so the ice here is less strong than in other places. Previously, when the water level was lower, underwater springs undoubtedly hit right on the ice sheet. The Russians, of course, knew about this and bypassed dangerous places, and the enemy ran straight ahead.

So this is the solution to the riddle! But if it is true that in this place the icy abyss swallowed up an entire knightly army, then somewhere here his trace must be hidden. Archaeologists set themselves the task of finding this last proof, but the circumstances prevented the achievement of the ultimate goal. It was not possible to find the burial places of the soldiers who died in the Battle of the Ice. This is clearly stated in the report of the complex expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences. And soon there were allegations that in ancient times the dead were taken with them for burial in their homeland, therefore, they say, their remains cannot be found.

A few years ago, a new generation of search engines - a group of Moscow enthusiasts, lovers of the ancient history of Rus', again tried to solve a centuries-old mystery. She had to find burial places hidden in the ground related to the Battle of the Ice on a large territory of the Gdovsky district of the Pskov region.

Studies have shown that in those distant times, in the area south of the village of Kozlovo, which exists today, there was some kind of fortified outpost of the Novgorodians. It was here that Prince Alexander Nevsky went to join the detachment of Andrei Yaroslavich, hidden in an ambush. At a critical moment in the battle, an ambush regiment could go behind the knights, surround them and ensure victory. The place is relatively flat. The troops of Nevsky from the north-western side were protected by the “sigovits” of Lake Peipsi, and from the eastern side - by the wooded part, where the Novgorodians settled in the fortified town.

On Lake Peipus, scientists were going to recreate the events of more than seven hundred years ago

The knights advanced from the south 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" placed. From here it can be seen that the battle itself was on land, not far from the shore of the lake. By the end of the battle, the knightly army was driven back to the spring ice of Zhelchinskaya Bay, where many of them died. Their remains and weapons are still at the bottom of this bay.

Hey .... now I'm even more confused ...

All Russian chronicles on a directly posed question " And with whom did Alexander Nevsky fight in 1241-1242? give us an answer - with the "Germans" or in more modern version"German knights".

Even later historians, from among the same chroniclers, already report that our Alexander Nevsky waged war with the Livonian knights from the Livonian Order!

But, this is what is characteristic of Russian historiography, its historians at all times are trying to present their opponents as if they were an impersonal mass - a "crowd" without a name, title or other data identifying them.

So I write "GERMANS", they say, they came, plundered, killed, captured! Although the Germans often have nothing to do with it as a nation.

And if so, then let's not take anyone's word for it, but let's try to figure out this rather difficult issue ourselves.

The same story is present in the description of the "exploits" of the young Alexander Nevsky! Like, he fought with the Germans for Holy Rus', and Soviet historians also added the epithet "with the German" dogs-knights "!

Therefore, I suggest that the reader, nevertheless, delve into the question of the opponents of Alexander Nevsky.

Who are they? How were they organised? Who commanded them? How were they armed and by what methods did they fight?

And an exhaustive answer to this question will help us better understand why the troops of Novgorod the Great could not oppose anything to the "Germans" who captured Izborsk, Pskov and a number of other small towns.

And then, the same Novgorod troops, having lost the battles of 1241 three times, suddenly won a complete victory on Lake Peipsi in 1242?

And in search of an answer to the questions posed when referring to the historical annals, we find that:

firstly, Alexander Nevsky and all his predecessors, in the positions of a hired Novgorod prince, fought not with the "Germans", but specifically with the knights "ORDER OF THE Sword"!

Reference: Brotherhood of Warriors of Christ(lat. Fratres militiæ Christi de Livonia), better known as the Order of the Sword or the Order of the Brothers of the Sword, is a German Catholic spiritual and knightly order founded in 1202 in Riga by Theodoric of Toreid (Dietrich), who at that time replaced Bishop Albert von Buxgevden (Albert von Buxhöwden 1165-1229) (Theodoric was the brother of the bishop) for missionary work in Livonia.

The existence of the order was confirmed by a papal bull in 1210, but as early as 1204 the formation of the Brotherhood of the Warriors of Christ was approved by Pope Innocent III.

The nominal name of the Order comes from the image on their cloaks of a red sword with a Maltese cross.

In contrast to the large spiritual and knightly orders, the swordsmen retained a nominal dependence on the bishop.

The order was guided by the charter of the Knights Templar.

The members of the order were divided into knights, priests and employees.

Knights most often came from families of small feudal lords (most often from Saxony).

Their uniform was a white cloak with a red cross and a sword..

Employees (squires, artisans, servants, messengers) were recruited from free people and citizens.

The head of the order was the master, the most important affairs of the order were decided by the chapter.

The first master of the order was Winno von Rohrbach (1202-1209), the second and last was Volkvin von Winterstein (1209-1236).

In the occupied territories, the swordsmen built castles. The castle was the center of an administrative unit - the castelature.

And if you look at the map of the territory of Livonia in the area of ​​interest to us historical period(1241 -1242 years) which belonged to the Order of the Sword, their possession covers just the current borders of Estonia and most of Latvia.

Moreover, the map clearly shows three autonomous territories for the Order of the Sword-bearers - the Bishopric of Courland, the Bishopric of Derpt and the Bishopric of Ezel.

Thus, 34 years have passed in the history of the order's missionary activities, and in order to conquer Lithuania on February 9, 1236, Pope Gregory IX announced Crusade against Lithuania in which he sent the knights of the Order of the Sword.

On September 22 of the same year, the battle of Saule (now Siauliai) took place, ending in the complete defeat of the swordsmen. In it, the master of the order Volguin von Namburg (Volkvin von Winterstatten) was killed.

In connection with the heavy losses suffered by the Order of the Swordsmen among the knights and the death of the Master of the Order, on May 12, 1237 in Viterbo, Gregory IX and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Hermann von Salza performed the rite of joining the remnants of the Order of the Swordsmen to the Teutonic Order.

The Teutonic Order sent its knights there, and in connection with this, an offshoot of the Teutonic Order on the lands of the former Order of the Swordbearers became known as the "Livonian Landmaster of the Teutonic Order"

Although the Livonian Landmaster (the term "Teutonic Order in Livonia" is used in the sources) enjoyed some autonomy, it was only part of a single Teutonic Order!

In Russian historiography, the incorrect name of the "Livonian Landmaster of the Teutonic Order" as an independent knightly order - "Livonian Order" was established (Here is a typical example http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CB%E8%E2%EE%ED% F1%EA%E8%E9_%EE%F0%E4%E5%ED)

As for the Order of the Sword, the Pope and the German Kaiser were patrons and, at least in theory, their supreme leaders.

Formally, the grand master of the Teutonic Order carried out only control functions.

At first it didn't of great importance, since until 1309 his permanent residence was in Venice, and even after moving to Marienburg, he did not greatly hamper his autonomy, since he rarely visited Livonia in person or sent representatives there to control.

However, the grandmaster's power was enormous, his advice for a long time was considered equal to the order and his instructions were obeyed implicitly.

But the landmasters of the Teutonic Order in Livonia from the period from 1241 to 1242 were two people:

Dietrich von Grüningen 1238-1241 and from 1242-1246 (secondary) and Andreas von Felben 1241-1242

Well, since we have new ones, actor, then let me introduce them to you, this is probably the first time this has been done in Russian literature with descriptions of events related to Alexander Nevsky and his battle on Lake Peipsi!

Dietrich von Grüningen, also known as Dietrich Groningen (1210, Thuringia - September 3, 1259) - Landmaster of the Teutonic Order in Germany (1254-1256), in Prussia (1246-1259) and Livonia (1238-1242 and 1244-1246). He founded several castles in present-day Latvia, spread Catholicism to the pagan tribes of the Baltic.

Biography

His ancestors were Landgraves of Thuringia. Enrolling in the Order of the Sword, already in 1237 he was noticed by the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Herman von Salzey and applied for the position of Landmaster in Livonia. However, he could not take such an important post immediately because of his age (27 years) and short service in the order (since 1234).

In 1238, he replaced Hermann von Balk (as "acting") in this post, he was in power in Livonia for more than ten years (in some sources even until 1251).

In 1240 he began active fighting in the Curonian territory. This is evidenced by the "Livonian Chronicle" by Hermann Wartberg:

In the summer of the Lord, 1240, brother Dietrich Groningen, who held the position of master, conquered Courland again, built two castles in it Goldingen (Kuldiga) and Amboten (Embute), and prompted the curons to accept holy baptism with kindness and strength, for which he received from the legate of the pope His Grace Wilhelm and then from His Holiness Pope Innocent, approval for the right to possess two-thirds of Courland, so that the previous agreement concluded about Courland with the brothers of chivalry, or any other, no longer had force compared to this.

He also concluded a condition with the Bishop of Ezel about the lands of Svorva and Kotse, further that the village of Legals should half belong to the brothers.

In addition, he founded the Latvian castle Dundaga. In honor of this event, a full-length sculpture of Dietrich von Grüningen stands at the entrance to the castle.

His stay within Livonia was unstable.

In 1240, he begins hostilities against the Novgorod Republic, but he himself went to Venice to elect the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order instead of Hermann von Salza.

On April 7, 1240, he was in Margentheim, surrounded by Conrad of Thuringia, who was chosen for the post of Grand Master.

Despite the fact that he was the Livonian landmaster during the Battle of the Ice, he did not take part in it, as he was with the order troops operating against the Curonians and Lithuanians on the territory of Courland.

Very important fact! It turns out that Alexander Nevsky and his troops fought only with a part of the Teutonic knights of the Livonian Landmaster.

And the main forces, led by Ladmeister, fought in a completely different area.

The troops of the Order in the "Battle on the Ice" were commanded by Andreas von Felben, Vice-Landmeister of the Order in Livonia.

Andreas von Felben(Felfen) (born in Styria, Austria) - Vice-Landmeister of the Livonian Department of the Teutonic Order, known for commanding the knights during the famous "Battle on the Ice".

It is also known about him that, being in the position of landmaster of the order in Prussia in 1246, together with a military detachment of the German city of Lübeck, he made a trip to the Sambian lands.

And in 1255, during the campaign of the Czech king Ottokar II Přemysl in Prussia, he joined the main army near the mouth of the Vistula.

During his command of the brothers of the order in Prussia, he had the most vice-landmasters (deputies) under his command due to the fact that almost at the same time Dietrich von Grüningen was the landmeister of all three "large" parts of the order.

But he himself did not personally fight on Lake Peipus, entrusting command to the commanders, preferred to be at a safe distance, and therefore was not captured.

Another important fact! It turns out that the Teutonic knights did not have a single commander before entering the battle with the united Novgorod and Vladimo-Suzdal army !!!

In the life of Alexander Nevsky, he appears under the name "Andreyash".

But be that as it may, namely the Teutonic knights, who were part of the "Livonian Landmaster of the Teutonic Order" under the leadership of the two aforementioned LADMEISTERS, at the end of August 1240, having gathered part of their forces and enlisting the support of the papal curia, invaded the Pskov lands, and first captured the city of Izborsk .

An attempt by the Pskov-Novgorod militia to recapture the fortress ended in failure.

Then the knights besieged the city of Pskov itself and soon took it, taking advantage of the uprising among the besieged.

Two German Vogts were planted in the city.

(IN Western Europe- a vassal of the bishop, a secular official in the church estate, endowed with judicial, administrative and fiscal functions (steward of church lands).

At the same time, at the beginning of 1241, Alexander Nevsky and his retinue returned to Novgorod, re-invited to the VECHE for the post of Novgorod prince, after which, commanding the Novgorod troops, he liberated Koporye.

After that, he returned to Novgorod, where he spent the winter, waiting for the arrival of reinforcements from Vladimir.

In March, the united army (Novgorod militia and several regiments of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality under the command of Prince Andrei Yaroslavovich liberated the city of Pskov.

It ended with the defeat of the knights. The order was forced to make peace, according to which the crusaders abandoned the captured Russian lands.

But this general description of the course of hostilities has long been known and understandable to everyone.

At the same time, until now, and especially in Russian historiography, no attention has been paid to the study of the tactical features of the conduct of the war, both by A. Nevsky and with the Teutonic Knights in the period from 1241 to 1242.

The only exception here is a small work by Kirpichnikov A.N.

"Battle on the Ice. Tactical features, formation and number of troops"published in Zeughaus N6 1997.

And so, which is quite fair and true, this author writes on issues of interest to us.

"In the annalistic description of the Battle of the Ice, main feature Livonian army.

(THIS IS A TYPICAL BUT INCORRECT SCHEME OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE TEUTO KNIGHTS WAX!)

It entered the battle built in the form of a "pig".

Historians considered the "pig" a kind of wedge-shaped army formation - a sharp column.

The Russian term in this respect was an exact translation of the German Schweinkopfn of the Latin caput porci.

In turn, the mentioned term is related to the concept of wedge, point, cuneus, acies.

The last two terms have been used in sources since Roman times.11 But they cannot always be interpreted figuratively.

So often separate military detachments were called, regardless of the method of their construction.

For all that, the very name of such detachments hints at their peculiar configuration.

Indeed, the wedge-shaped system is not the fruit of the theoretical fantasy of ancient writers.

Such a construction was actually used in the combat practice of the XIII-XV centuries. in Central Europe, and went out of use only at the end of the 16th century.

Based on the surviving written sources, which have not yet attracted the attention of domestic historians, the wedge construction (in the annalistic text - "pig") lends itself to reconstruction in the form of a deep column with a triangular crown.

This construction is confirmed by a unique document - military instruction - " Preparing for a trip, written in 1477 for one of the Brandenburg commanders.

It lists three divisions - gonfalons (Banner).

Their names are typical - "Hound", "St. George" and "Great". Banners numbered 400, 500 and 700 cavalry soldiers, respectively.

At the head of each detachment, a standard-bearer and selected knights were concentrated, located in 5 ranks.

In the first line, depending on the number of banners, from 3 to 7-9 mounted knights lined up, in the last - from 11 to 17.

The total number of wedge warriors ranged from 35 to 65 people.

The ranks were lined up in such a way that each subsequent one on its flanks increased by two knights.

Thus, the extreme warriors in relation to each other were placed, as it were, in a ledge and guarded the one riding in front from one of the sides. This was the tactical feature of the wedge - it was adapted for a concentrated frontal strike and at the same time was difficult to vulnerable from the flanks.

The second, columnar part of the gonfalon, according to "Preparation for the Campaign", consisted of a quadrangular construction, which included bollards.

(cf .: German Knecht "servant, worker; serf." -author)

The number of knechts in each of the three detachments mentioned above was 365, 442 and 629 (or 645) respectively.

They were located in depth from 33 to 43 lines, each of which contained from 11 to 17 horsemen.

Among the knechts were servants who were part of the knight's retinue: usually an archer or crossbowman and a squire.

All together they formed the lowest military unit - "spear" - numbering 35 people, rarely more.

During the battle, these warriors, equipped with worse than a knight, came to the aid of their master, changed his horse.

The advantages of the column-wedge-shaped banner include its cohesion, flank cover of the wedge, ramming power of the first strike, and precise controllability.

The formation of such a banner was convenient both for movement and for starting a battle.

The tightly closed ranks of the head part of the detachment, when in contact with the enemy, did not have to turn around to protect their flanks.

The wedge of the advancing army made a frightening impression, could cause confusion in the ranks of the enemy at the first onslaught. The wedge detachment was designed to break the formation of the opposing side and an early victory.

The described system also had disadvantages.

During the battle, if it dragged on, best forces- knights - could be the first to be disabled.

As for the bollards, during the battle of the knights they were in an expectant-passive state and had little effect on the outcome of the battle.

A wedge-shaped column, judging by one of the battles of the XV century. (1450 under Pillenreith), the knights closed the line, because the bollards, apparently, were not very reliable.

about the weak and strengths pointed column, however, it is difficult to judge by the lack of material. In different regions of Europe, it obviously differed in its features and weapons.

Let us also touch upon the issue of the number of wedge-shaped columns.

(Imperial but erroneous Russian diagram)

According to the "Preparations for the Campaign" of 1477, such a column ranged from 400 to 700 horsemen.

But the number of tactical units of that time, as you know, was not constant, and in combat practice even the 1st floor. 15th century was of great variety.

For example, according to J. Dlugosh, in seven Teutonic banners that fought at Grunwald in 1410, there were 570 spears, that is, each banner had 82 spears, which, taking into account the knight and his retinue, corresponded to 246 combatants.

According to other sources, in five banners of the Order in 1410, when paying a salary, there were from 157 to 359 copies and from 4 to 30 shooters.

Later, in one clash in 1433, the Bavarian detachment - the "pig" consisted of 200 soldiers: in its head part, in three lines, there were 3, 5 and 7 knights.

Under Pillenreith (1450), the wedge column consisted of 400 mounted knights and bollards.

All the above data indicate that the knightly detachment of the 15th century. could reach one thousand horsemen, but more often included several hundred combatants.

In military episodes of the XIV century. the number of knights of the detachment, compared with later times, was even smaller - from 20 to 80 (excluding bollards).

For example, in 1331, there were 350 equestrian soldiers in five Prussian banners, that is, 70 in each banner (or about 20 copies).

We also have the opportunity to more specifically determine the size of the Livonian combat detachment of the 13th century.

In 1268, in the battle of Rakovor, as the chronicle mentions, the German "iron regiment of the great pig" fought.

According to the Rhymed Chronicle, 34 knights and a militia participated in the battle.

This number of knights, if supplemented by a commander, will be 35 people, which exactly corresponds to the composition of the knightly wedge of one of the detachments noted in the above-mentioned "Preparation for a Campaign" of 1477 (true for the "Hound" of the banner, and not "Great").

In the same "Preparation for the campaign" the number of knights of such a banner is given - 365 people.

Taking into account the fact that the figures of the warheads of the detachments according to 1477 and 1268. almost coincided, it can be assumed without the risk of a major error that, in terms of their overall quantitative composition, these units also approached each other.

In this case, we can to a certain extent judge the usual size of the German wedge-shaped banners that took part in the Livonian-Russian wars of the 13th century.

As for the German detachment in the battle of 1242, it hardly surpassed the Rakovor "great pig" in its composition.

From this we can draw our first conclusions:

The total number of Teutonic knights who took part in the Battle of the Ice was from 34 to 50 people and 365-400 knights!

There was also a separate detachment from the city of Dorpat, but nothing is known about its numbers.

During the period under review, the Teutonic Order, distracted by the struggle in Courland, could not field a large army. But the knights already had losses near Izborsk, Pskov and Kloporye!

Although other Russian scientists insist that the German army consisted of 1,500 cavalry soldiers (20 knights were also included), 2-3,000 knights and Estonian and Chud militias.

And the same Russian historians, for some reason, estimate the army of A. Nevsky only 4-5000 soldiers and 800-1000 equestrian combatants.

And why is the regiment brought from the Vladimir-Suzdal principality by Prince Andrei not taken into account ?!

The borders of modern Russia are historically connected with the borders Russian Empire influenced by certain events. And therefore, the significance of the Battle of the Ice is very great: thanks to him, the Teutonic Order forever abandoned serious claims to Russian lands. Although this did not protect our ancestors from the Golden Horde, it helped to defend at least the western borders, showed people in difficult times that they are capable of winning victories.

However, before the Battle of the Ice happened, it was preceded by other events that largely predetermined it. In particular, the Battle of the Neva, which clearly demonstrated the military talent of the then young Prince Alexander. Therefore, it is worth starting with it.

The battle on the Neva itself is directly conditioned by the claims of both the Swedes and the Novgorodians to the Karelian Isthmus and to the Finnish tribes. What was connected with the influence and with the advance of the crusaders to the west. Here historians differ in their assessments of what happened. Some believe that Alexander Nevsky stopped the expansion by his actions. Others disagree, believing that the significance of his victories is greatly exaggerated, and that the crusaders actually had no real intention of moving in earnest. So the Battle of the Neva and the Battle of the Ice still cause a lot of controversy. But it is worth returning to the first event.

So, the Battle of the Neva took place on July 15, 1240. It should be noted that the young prince Alexander at that time was a very inexperienced commander, he participated in battles only with his father, Yaroslav. And this was, in fact, his first serious military test. Success was largely determined by the sudden appearance of the prince along with his squad. The Swedes, who landed at the mouth of the Neva, did not expect a serious rebuff. In addition, in the summer they experienced serious thirst, as a result of which, as many historians have noted, they were either drunk or hungover. The camp set up near the river implied the presence of tents, which turned out to be very easy to cut down, which the youth Savva did.

The timely warning of the Izhorian elder Pelgusius, who was watching these lands and sending messengers to Alexander, thus came as a complete surprise to the Swedes. As a result, the Battle of the Neva ended for them in a real rout. According to some reports, the Swedes loaded almost 3 ships with the bodies of those killed, while about 20 people died on the Novgorodians. It is worth noting that the battle began in the afternoon and lasted until the evening, at night hostilities ceased, and in the morning the Swedes began to flee. Nobody pursued them: Alexander Nevsky did not see the need for this, in addition, he was afraid to increase losses. Please note that he received his nickname precisely after this victory.

What happened between the Battle of Nevsky and the Battle of the Ice?

After the battle on the Neva River took place, the Swedes abandoned their claims. But this did not mean that the Crusaders stopped thinking about the conquest of Rus'. Do not forget in what year the described event took place: our ancestors already then had problems with the Golden Horde. Which, together with feudal fragmentation, significantly weakened the Slavs. Understanding the date is so important here because it allows you to relate one event to another.

Therefore, the defeat of the Swedes did not impress the Teutonic Order. The Danes and Germans resolutely moved forward, captured Pskov, Izborsk, founded Koporye, where they decided to fortify themselves, making it their outpost. Even summary The Laurentian Chronicle, which tells about those events, makes it clear that the successes of the Order were significant.

At the same time, the boyars, who had considerable power in Novgorod, were alarmed about the victory of Alexander that had taken place. They were afraid of increasing his power. As a result, the prince left Novgorod after big quarrel with them. But already in 1242, the boyars called him back with a retinue because of the Teutonic threat, especially since the enemy was coming close to the Novgorodians.

How did the battle take place?

So, the famous battle on Lake Peipus, the Battle of the Ice, took place in 1242 on April 5. At the same time, the battle was carefully prepared by the Russian prince. What does the work of Konstantin Simonov dedicated to this event make clear, which, although it cannot be called impeccable historical source in terms of reliability, pretty well worked out.

In short, everything happened according to a certain pattern: the knights of the Order in full heavy weapons acted as a typical wedge for themselves. Such a ramming blow was intended to demonstrate all power to the enemy, sweep him away, sow panic and break resistance. This tactic has proved itself repeatedly in the past. But the Battle of the Ice in 1242, Alexander Nevsky really prepared well. He studied weak spots the enemy, so the German "pig" was first waited for by archers, their main task was simply to lure the knights out. Which then stumbled upon heavily armed infantry with long lances.

In fact, what happened next could hardly be called anything other than a massacre. The knights could not stop, because otherwise the front ranks would be crushed by the back. It was not possible to break the wedge at all. Therefore, the horsemen could only move forward, hoping to break the infantry. But the central regiment was weak, but the strong ones were placed on the sides, contrary to the then well-established military tradition. In addition, another detachment was placed in an ambush. In addition, Alexander Nevsky perfectly studied the area where the Battle of the Ice took place, so some of the knights were able to drive his warriors to where the ice was very thin. As a result, many of them began to sink.

There is another important factor. He is shown in "Alexander Nevsky", famous painting, maps, pictures also depict him. This is the stampede of a freak who helped the Order when she realized that professional warriors were fighting against her. Speaking even briefly about the Battle on the Ice, one cannot fail to note the excellent knowledge of the weapons of the knights and weaknesses. So, they were frankly helpless when they were pulled off their horses. And that is why the prince armed many of his soldiers with special hooks, which made it possible to throw the crusaders to the ground. At the same time, the battle that took place turned out to be very cruel in relation to the horses. To deprive the riders of this advantage, many wounded and killed animals.

But what were the results of the Battle of the Ice for both sides? Alexander Nevsky managed to repel claims to Rus' from the west, to strengthen the borders for centuries to come. Which was of particular importance, given how much the Slavs suffered from invasions from the east. In addition, the first battle in history took place, where infantrymen defeated heavily armed riders in full dress in battle, demonstrating to the whole world that this is quite real. And although the Battle on the Ice is not a very large scale, but from this point of view, Alexander Nevsky demonstrated a good talent as a commander. As a prince, he acquired a certain weight, they began to reckon with him.

As for the Order itself, it cannot be said that the defeat in question was critical. But on Lake Peipsi, 400 knights died, about 50 were captured. So for its age, the Battle of the Ice still caused quite serious damage to the German and Danish chivalry. And for that year, this was not the only problem of the Order, which also faced the Galicia-Volyn and Lithuanian principalities.

Reasons for winning the battle

Alexander Nevsky won a convincing victory in the Battle of the Ice. Moreover, he forced the Teutonic Order to sign a peace treaty on his own terms. In this agreement, he forever renounced any claims to Russian lands. Since it was a matter of spiritual brotherhood, which was also subordinate to the Pope of Rome, the Order could not violate such an agreement without problems for itself. That is, speaking even briefly about the results of the Battle of the Ice, including diplomatic ones, it should be noted that they were impressive. But back to the analysis of the battle.

Reasons for winning:

1. Well chosen place. Alexander's soldiers were lighter armed. Therefore, thin ice for them did not pose such a danger as for knights clad in full armor, many of whom simply drowned. In addition, Novgorodians knew these places better.
2. Good tactic. Alexander Nevsky was in complete control of the situation. He not only correctly disposed of the advantages of the place, but also studied the weaknesses in the usual style of fighting, which the Teutonic Knights themselves repeatedly demonstrated, ranging from the classic "pig" to their dependence on horses, heavy weapons.
3. Underestimation by the enemy of the Russians. The Teutonic Order is accustomed to success. By this time, Pskov and other lands had already been captured, and the knights did not meet serious resistance. The largest of the conquered cities was taken thanks to betrayal.

The battle in question was of great cultural significance. In addition to Simonov's story, several films were made based on it, including documentaries. This event was covered in many books, both fiction and biographical, dedicated to the personality of Alexander Nevsky. Many consider it extremely important that the victory took place during the onset of the period of the Tatar-Mongol yoke.