Who led the ice battle. Ice battle on Lake Peipus

Exactly 866 years ago, on April 5, 1242, the famous Battle on the Ice on Lake Peipsi. Let's find out in Once again some interesting details.

“On the day of remembrance of the martyr Claudius and the praise of the Holy Mother of God,” that is, April 5, 1242, the fate of Rus', the Baltic states and Germany was decided on the ice of Lake Peipsi. Prince Alexander Nevsky dealt a terrible blow to the Teutonic Order. Then it will be called the Battle of the Ice. This formulation in some circles causes a flurry of indignation: they say, this was not a battle at all, but just a skirmish between medieval “brothers” dividing spheres of influence. Did the Russians win? Well, maybe. But no traces of the battle seemed to be found. Russian chronicles? Lies and propaganda! They are good only to please national pride.

However, one fact is missing. 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 what did the Russian soldiers and the whole situation look like through the visor of a knight’s helmet?

The “cowardly Russian rabble” in sheepskin and with drekoly evaporates. Instead, the knights see the following: “In the kingdom of Russia there were people of very strong character. They did not hesitate, they got ready to march and galloped menacingly at us. They were all 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: “The Russians became offended by their failures. They quickly got ready. King Alexander came out to us, and with him many noble Russians. They had countless bows and a lot of beautiful armor. Their banners were rich. Their helmets emitted light."

These helmets, emitting light, and other wealth clearly haunted the author of the Chronicle. Presumably, the desire to rip them off Russian corpses was very great. But it turned out differently: “The brother knights stubbornly resisted, but they were defeated. King Alexander was glad that he had won.” The conclusion is logical and economical in German: “Who conquered good lands and occupied them poorly military force, he will cry because he will have a loss.”

The Chronicle talks in some detail about how exactly the “good lands” were conquered and what was planned to be done in Rus' later. Just 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. Whoever defended himself was killed. Those who fled were overtaken and killed. Whoever laid down his arms was captured and killed. The Russians thought that they would all die. The forests and fields rang with sorrowful cries.”

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

“The brother knights pitched their tents in front of Pskov. Many knights and bollards well earned their right to flax in these battles.” In German tradition, a fief is a piece of land that the king grants to nobles for their service. Having broken into the borders of Rus' and carried out an outright massacre, the Germans immediately began to divide the devastated lands. There is no talk of any collection of tribute or “influence”. Continuous: “I have come to live with you forever.” And not just to settle.

“Two brother knights were left in Pskov, who were made Vogts and assigned to guard the land.” Vogt - executive endowed with administrative and judicial functions. The Vogts conducted office work according to German laws and in the German language.

Even the Tatars did not do this on Russian lands. They took tribute, but, say, polygamy was not introduced and they were not forced to speak Tatar.

The most interesting thing is the battle on Lake Peipus itself. 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 riflemen who bravely took on the first onslaught. It was seen how a detachment of brother knights defeated the shooters. There the clanking of swords could be heard, and helmets could be seen being cut apart. Those who were in the army of the brother knights were surrounded. Some left the battle and were forced to retreat. On both sides, warriors fell onto the grass. There, 20 brother knights were killed and 6 were captured.”

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

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

As for losses, too, oddly enough, everything agrees. The original speaks of the German attacking detachment as follows: “Banier”. This is a standard knightly formation - a “banner”. Total number- from 500 to 700 riders. Among them are from 30 to 50 brother knights. The Russian chronicler did not lie at all - the detachment was indeed destroyed almost completely. And who is the brother knight and who is on the sidelines is not so important.

Something else is more important. If anyone thinks that such a number of killed Germans is not enough, let them remember how many the Teutonic Order lost just a year earlier, in the Battle of Legnica, when the famous knighthood was completely defeated by the Tatars. 6 knight brothers, 3 novices and 2 sergeants died there. The defeat was considered terrible. But only to Lake Peipus - 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 Peipsi?

German mounted knights in the Baltic states regularly used a special troop formation in the form of a wedge or trapezoid; Our chronicles called this system a “pig.” Servants went into battle on foot. The main goal the infantry helped the knights. Among the Teutons, the infantry consisted of townspeople-colonists, detachments fielded 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 formation was probably closed by a number of knights, since the infantry of the above composition was unreliable.

The task of the wedge was to fragment the central, strongest part of the enemy army. Using this formation, the German crusaders defeated scattered detachments of Livs, Latgalians, and Estonians. But the Russians (and later the Lithuanians) found ways to fight the armored “pig”.

A brilliant example of this is the battle on the ice of Lake Peipsi. The usual battle formation of Russian troops consisted of a strong center, where a large regiment (“brow”) was stationed, 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 greatly contributed to the victory. The new tactics caused the Russians to retreat to the ice of the lake. As one would expect, “the Germans are crazy about them.” Prince Alexander stationed a regiment on the steep eastern shore of Lake Peipus, at Voronie Kamen, 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 towards the Russians, “running into a regiment of Germans and people and punching a pig through the regiment...”. The Crusaders fought their way through Russian army and considered the battle won. Suddenly they were attacked by the main forces of the Russians, concentrated, contrary to tradition, on the flanks, and “there was a great slaughter of the Germans and the people.” Russian archers with crossbows brought complete disorder to the ranks of the surrounded knights.

A “self-witness” of the battle said that “the coward from the breaking spears and the sound from the sword section” was as if “the sea was frozen and you couldn’t see the ice: everything was covered in blood.”

The victory was decisive: the Russians furiously pursued the fleeing enemy across the ice to the Subolichi coast. 400 knights alone were killed, in addition 50 Russian knights “by the hands of Yasha”; many Estonians fell. The disgraced captive crusaders were led to Novgorod, as it is said in the Pskov Chronicle, “they were beaten and tied barefoot and led across the ice.” Apparently, the fleeing crusaders threw off their heavy armor and shoes.

On April 5, 1242, a battle took place on Lake Peipsi between the army of Alexander Nevsky and the knights Livonian Order. Subsequently, this battle began to be called the “Battle of the Ice.”

The knights were commanded by commander Andreas Von Felphen. The number of his army was 10 thousand soldiers. The Russian army was led by commander Alexander Nevsky, who received his nickname thanks to the victory on the Neva, thereby returning hope to the Russian people and strengthening faith in their own strength. The size of the Russian army was somewhere between 15 and 17 thousand soldiers. But the crusaders were better equipped.

Early in the morning of April 5, 1242, near the island of Raven Stone, not far from Lake Peipsi, German knights noticed soldiers of the Russian army from afar and, lining up in the “pig” battle formation, which was quite famous at that time, distinguished by the rigor and discipline of the formation, headed to the center of the enemy army. E After a protracted battle they were able to break through it. Inspired by their success, the soldiers did not immediately notice how they were suddenly surrounded by Russians from both flanks. The German army began to retreat and did not notice that they were on Lake Peipsi, covered with ice. Under the weight of their armor, the ice beneath them began to crack. Most of the enemy soldiers sank, unable to escape, and the rest fled. The Russian army pursued the enemy for another 7 miles.

This battle is considered unique because for the first time a foot army was able to defeat heavily armed cavalry.

In this battle, about 5 hundred Livonian knights died, and 50 rather noble Germans were taken prisoner in disgrace. In those days, this figure of losses was very impressive and terrified the enemies of the Russian Lands.

Having won a heroic victory, Alexander solemnly entered Pskov, where he was enthusiastically greeted and thanked by the people.

After the Battle of the Ice, raids and claims to land Kievan Rus did not completely stop, but decreased significantly.

Commander Alexander Nevsky managed to defeat the enemy army, thanks to the right choice places for battle and battle formation, coordinated actions of soldiers, reconnaissance and observation of the actions of the enemy, taking into account his strengths and weaknesses.

As a result of this historical victory, the Livonian and Teutonic Order and Prince Alexander Nevsky signed a truce among themselves on terms favorable to the Russian people. There was also a strengthening and expansion of the borders of Russian lands. The rapid development of the Novgorod-Pskov region began.

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Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword.

Alexander Nevskiy

The Battle of the Ice is one of the most famous battles in Russian history. The battle took place in early April 1242 on Lake Peipsi, on the one hand, the troops of the Novgorod Republic, led by Alexander Nevsky, took part in it, on the other hand, it was opposed by the troops of the German crusaders, mainly representatives of the Livonian Order. If Nevsky had lost this battle, the history of Russia could have gone a completely different way, but the prince of Novgorod was able to win. Now let's look at this page of Russian history in more detail.

Preparing for battle

To understand the essence of the Battle of the Ice, it is necessary to understand what preceded it and how the opponents approached the battle. So... After the Swedes lost the Battle of the Neva, the German crusaders decided to more carefully prepare for a new campaign. The Teutonic Order also allocated part of its army to help. Back in 1238, Dietrich von Grüningen became the master of the Livonian Order; many historians attribute to him the decisive role in shaping the idea of ​​​​a campaign against Rus'. The crusaders were further motivated by Pope Gregory IX, who in 1237 declared a crusade against Finland, and in 1239 called on the princes of Rus' to respect the border orders.

At this point, the Novgorodians already had successful experience of war with the Germans. In 1234, Alexander's father Yaroslav defeated them in the battle on the Omovzha River. Alexander Nevsky, knowing the plans of the crusaders, began to build a line of fortifications along the southwestern border in 1239, but the Swedes made minor adjustments to his plans by attacking from the northwest. After their defeat, Nevsky continued to strengthen the borders, and also married the daughter of the Prince of Polotsk, thereby enlisting his support in case of a future war.

At the end of 1240, the Germans began a campaign against the lands of Rus'. In the same year they took Izborsk, and in 1241 they besieged Pskov. At the beginning of March 1242, Alexander helped the residents of Pskov liberate their principality and drove the Germans northwest of the city, to the region of Lake Peipsi. It was there that the decisive battle took place, which went down in history as the Battle of the Ice.

The course of the battle briefly

The first clashes of the ice battle began in early April 1242 on the northern shore of Lake Peipsi. The crusaders were led by a famous commander Andreas von Felfen, who was twice as old as the Novgorod prince. Nevsky's army numbered 15-17 thousand soldiers, while the Germans had about 10 thousand. However, according to chroniclers, both in Rus' and abroad, the German troops were much better armed. But as subsequent developments showed, this played a cruel joke on the crusaders.

The Battle of the Ice took place on April 5, 1242. German troops, mastering the “pigs” attack technique, that is, a strict and disciplined formation, directed the main blow to the enemy’s center. However, Alexander first attacked the enemy army with the help of archers, and then ordered a strike on the flanks of the crusaders. As a result, the Germans were forced forward onto the ice of Lake Peipsi. The winter at that time was long and cold, so at the time of April the ice (very fragile) remained on the reservoir. After the Germans realized that they were retreating onto the ice, it was already too late: the ice began to crack under the pressure of the heavy German armor. That is why historians called the battle the “Battle of the Ice.” As a result, some of the soldiers drowned, others were killed in battle, but most still managed to escape. After this, Alexander's troops finally drove the crusaders out of the territory of the Pskov principality.

The exact location of the battle has not yet been established, this is due to the fact that Lake Peipsi has very variable hydrography. In 1958-1959, the first archaeological expedition was organized, but no traces of the battle were found.

Historical reference

Result and historical significance of the battle

The first result of the battle was that the Livonian and Teutonic orders signed a truce with Alexander and renounced their claims to Rus'. Alexander himself became the de facto ruler of Northern Rus'. After his death, in 1268, the Livonian Order violated the truce: the Battle of Rakovsk took place. But this time, too, the Russian troops achieved victory.

After the victory in the “Battle on the Ice,” the Novgorod Republic, led by Nevsky, was able to move from defensive tasks to the conquest of new territories. Alexander undertook several successful campaigns against the Lithuanians.

As for the historical significance of the Battle of Lake Peipsi, Alexander’s main role was that he was able to stop the advance of a powerful army of crusaders on Russian lands. Famous historian L. Gumelev argues that the fact of conquest by the crusaders would have meant the end for the very existence of Rus', and therefore the end of the future Russia.

Some historians criticize Nevsky for his truce with the Mongols, and that he did not help defend Rus' from them. In this discussion, most historians still side with Nevsky, because in the situation in which he found himself, it was necessary either to negotiate with the khan or to fight two powerful enemies at once. And as a competent politician and commander, Nevsky made a wise decision.

The exact date of the Battle of the Ice

The battle took place on April 5, old style. In the 20th century, the difference between the styles was 13 days, which is why the holiday was assigned to April 18th. However, from the point of view of historical justice, it is worth recognizing that in the 13th century (when the battle took place) the difference was 7 days. Based on this logic, the Battle of the Ice took place on April 12, according to the new style. Nevertheless, today April 18 is a public holiday in Russian Federation, Military Glory Day. It is on this day that the Battle of the Ice and its significance in the history of Russia are remembered.

Participants in the battle after

Having achieved victory, the Novgorod Republic begins its rapid development. However, in the 16th century there was a decline in both the Livonian Order and Novgorod. Both of these events are associated with the ruler of Moscow, Ivan the Terrible. He deprived Novgorod of the privileges of the Republic, subordinating these lands to a single state. After the Livonian Order lost its strength and influence in Eastern Europe, Grozny declared war on Lithuania to strengthen his own influence and expand the territories of his state.

An alternative view of the Battle of Lake Peipsi

Due to the fact that during the archaeological expedition of 1958-1959 no traces and exact location of the battle were found, and also taking into account the fact that the chronicles of the 13th century contain very little information about the battle, two alternative views on the Battle of the Ice of 1242 were formed, which briefly discussed below:

1. According to the first glance, there was no battle at all. This is an invention of historians of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in particular Solovyov, Karamzin and Kostomarov. According to historians who share this point of view, the need to create this battle was caused by the fact that it was necessary to justify Nevsky’s cooperation with the Mongols, as well as to show the strength of Rus' in relation to Catholic Europe. Basically, a small number of historians adhere to this theory, since it is very difficult to deny the very fact of the existence of the battle, because the battle on Lake Peipsi is described in some chronicles of the late 13th century, as well as in the chronicles of the Germans.
2. Second alternative theory: The Battle of the Ice is briefly described in the chronicles, which means it is a greatly exaggerated event. Historians who adhere to this point of view say that there were much fewer participants in the massacre, and the consequences for the Germans were less dramatic.

If the first theory is professional Russian historians deny how historical fact, as for the second version, they have one weighty argument: even if the scale of the battle is exaggerated, this should not reduce the role of the victory over the Germans in the history of Russia. By the way, in 2012-2013 archaeological expeditions were carried out, as well as studies of the bottom of Lake Peipsi. Archaeologists have found several new probable sites of the Battle of the Ice, in addition, a study of the bottom showed the presence of a sharp decrease in depth near Raven Island, which suggests the existence of the legendary “Raven Stone”, that is, the approximate location of the battle, named in the chronicle of 1463.

The Battle of the Ice in the country's culture

1938 has great importance in the history of lighting historical events V modern culture. This year, the famous Russian writer Konstantin Simonov wrote the poem “Battle of the Ice,” and director Sergei Eisenstein shot the film “Alexander Nevsky,” in which he highlighted the two main battles of the Novgorod ruler: on the Neva River and Lake Peipsi. The image of Nevsky was of particular importance during the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War. Poets, artists, directors turned to him to show citizens Soviet Union an example of a successful war with the Germans and thereby raise the morale of the army.

In 1993, a monument was erected on Mount Sokolikha near Pskov. A year earlier, in the village of Kobylye fortified settlement (the settlement closest to the battle site), a monument to Nevsky was erected. In 2012, a museum of the Battle of the Ice of 1242 was opened in the village of Samolva, Pskov region.

As we see, even Short story The Battle of the Ice is not only the battle of April 5, 1242 between the Novgorodians and the Germans. This is very an important event in the history of Russia, since thanks to the talent of Alexander Nevsky it was possible to save Rus' from conquest by the crusaders.

Rus' in the 13th century and the arrival of the Germans

In 1240, Novgorod was attacked by the Swedes, by the way, allies of the Livonians, future participants in the Battle of the Ice. Prince Alexander Yaroslavovich, who at that time was only 20 years old, defeats the Swedes on Lake Neva, for which he received the nickname “Nevsky”. In the same year, the Mongols burned Kyiv, that is, most of Rus' was busy with the war with the Mongols, Nevsky and its Novgorod Republic were left alone with strong enemies. The Swedes were defeated, but a stronger and more powerful opponent awaited Alexander ahead: the German crusaders. In the 12th century, the Pope created the Order of the Swordsmen and sent them to the Baltic Sea coast, where they received from him the right to own all the conquered lands. These events went down in history as the Northern Crusade. Since most of the members of the Order of the Sword were immigrants from Germany, this order was therefore called German. At the beginning of the 13th century, the order split into several military organizations, the main ones of which were the Teutonic and Livonian orders. In 1237, the Livonians recognized their dependence on the Teutonic Order, but had the right to choose their master. It was the Livonian Order that was the closest neighbors of the Novgorod Republic.

Battle on the Ice
	Lake Peipsi
	Victory of Novgorod
Novgorod, Vladimir	Teutonic Order, Danish knights, Dorpat militia
Commanders
Alexander Nevsky, Andrey Yaroslavich	Andreas von Velven
Strengths of the parties
15-17 thousand people	10-12 thousand people
Significant	400 Germans (including 20 "brothers" of the Teutonic Order) killed, 50 Germans (including 6 "brothers") captured

Battle on the Ice(German) SchlachtaufdemEise), Also Battle of Lake Peipsi(German) SchlachtaufdemPeipussee) - the battle that took place on April 5 (in terms of Gregorian calendar (A new style) - April 12) 1242 (Saturday) between the Novgorodians and Vladimirites under the leadership of Alexander Nevsky and the knights of the Livonian Order, which by that time included the Order of the Sword Bearers (after the defeat at Saul in 1236), on the ice of Lake Peipsi. The general battle of the Order's unsuccessful conquest campaign of 1240-1242.

Preparing for war

The war began with the campaign of Bishop Herman, the Master of the Teutonic Order and their allies to Rus'. As the Rhymed Chronicle reports, during the capture of Izborsk, “not a single Russian was allowed to escape unharmed,” and “a great cry began everywhere in that land.” Pskov was captured without a fight, a small garrison remained in it, most of the troops returned. Arriving in Novgorod in 1241, Alexander found Pskov and Koporye in the hands of the Order and immediately began retaliatory actions. Alexander Nevsky marched on Koporye, took it by storm and killed most of the garrison. Some of the knights and mercenaries from local population was captured, but released, and the traitors from among the Chud were executed.

By the beginning of 1242, Alexander waited for his brother Andrei Yaroslavich with the “grassroots” troops of the Suzdal principality. When the “grassroots” army was still on the way, Alexander and the Novgorod forces advanced to Pskov. The city was surrounded by it. The Order did not have time to quickly gather reinforcements and send them to the besieged. Pskov was taken, the garrison was killed, and the order's governors (2 brother knights) were sent in chains to Novgorod. According to the Novgorod First Chronicle of the older edition (came down to us as part of the parchment Synodal list of the 14th century, containing records of the events of 1016-1272 and 1299-1333) “In the summer of 6750 (1242/1243). Prince Oleksandr went with the people of Novgorod and with his brother Andrey and with the Nizov people to the Chyud land to Nemtsi and Chyud and Zaya all the way to Plskov; and the prince of Plskov expelled, seized Nemtsi and Chud, and bound them to Novgorod, and he himself went to Chud.”

All these events took place in March 1242. The knights were only able to concentrate their forces in the Dorpat bishopric. The Novgorodians beat them in time. Alexander then led troops to Izborsk, his reconnaissance crossed the border of the Order. One of the reconnaissance detachments was defeated in a clash with the Germans, but in general Alexander was able to determine that the knights with the main forces moved much further north, to the junction between Pskov and Lake Peipsi. Thus, they took a short road to Novgorod and cut off Russian troops in the Pskov region.

The same chronicle says that “And as if there were on earth (Chudi), let the entire regiment prosper; and Domash Tverdislavichy Kerbet was in the crackdown, and I found Nemtsi and Chud at the bridge and fought that one; and killed that Domash, the brother of the mayor, an honest husband, and beat him with him, and took him away with his hands, and ran to the prince in the regiment; the prince turned back to the lake"

Position of Novgorod

The troops that opposed the knights on the ice of Lake Peipus had a heterogeneous composition, but a single command in the person of Alexander.

The “lower regiments” consisted of princely squads, boyar squads, and city regiments. The army deployed by Novgorod had a fundamentally different composition. It included the squad of the prince invited to Novgorod (that is, Alexander Nevsky), the squad of the bishop (“lord”), the garrison of Novgorod, who served for a salary (gridi) and was subordinate to the mayor (however, the garrison could remain in the city itself and not participate in the battle) , Konchansky regiments, militia of posads and squads of “povolniki”, private military organizations of boyars and rich merchants.

In general, the army fielded by Novgorod and the “lower” lands was a fairly powerful force, distinguished by high fighting spirit. The total number of the Russian army was 15-17 thousand people, similar numbers were indicated by Henry of Latvia when describing Russian campaigns in the Baltic states in the 1210-1220s.

Position of the Order

According to the Livonian chronicle, for the campaign it was necessary to gather “many brave heroes, brave and excellent,” led by the master, plus Danish vassals “with a significant detachment.” Militia from Dorpat also took part in the battle. The latter included a large number of Estonians, but there were few knights. The Livonian rhymed chronicle reports that at the moment the knights were surrounded by the Russian squad, “the Russians had such an army that perhaps sixty people attacked each German”; even if the number “sixty” is a strong exaggeration, the numerical superiority of the Russians over the Germans most likely actually occurred. The number of troops of the Order in the Battle of Lake Peipsi is estimated at 10-12 thousand people.

The question of who commanded the Order’s troops in the battle is also unresolved. Given the heterogeneous composition of the troops, it is possible that there were several commanders. Despite the recognition of the Order's defeat, Livonian sources do not contain information that any of the Order leaders were killed or captured

Battle

The opposing armies met on the morning of April 5, 1242. The details of the battle are poorly known, and much can only be guessed at. The German column, which was pursuing the retreating Russian detachments, apparently received some information from the patrols sent forward, and had already entered the ice of Lake Peipsi in battle formation, with bollards in front, followed by a disorganized column of “chudins”, followed by a line knights and sergeants of the Bishop of Dorpat. Apparently, even before the collision with the Russian troops, a small gap had formed between the head of the column and the Chud.

The Rhymed Chronicle describes the moment the battle began as follows:

Apparently, the archers did not inflict serious losses. Having fired at the Germans, the archers had no other choice but to retreat to the flanks of a large regiment. However, as the chronicle continues,

In Russian chronicles it is depicted as follows:

Then the troops of the Teutonic Order were surrounded by the Russians and destroyed, other German troops retreated to avoid the same fate:

There is a persistent myth, reflected in cinema, that the ice of Lake Peipsi could not withstand the weight of the armor of the Teutonic Knights and cracked, as a result of which most of the knights simply drowned. Meanwhile, if the battle really took place on the ice of the lake, then it was more advantageous for the Order, since the flat surface made it possible to maintain formation during a massive cavalry attack, which the sources describe. The weight of the full armor of the Russian warrior and the order knight of that time were approximately comparable to each other, and the Russian cavalry could not gain an advantage due to lighter equipment.

Losses

The issue of the losses of the parties in the battle is controversial. The Russian losses are spoken of vaguely: “many brave warriors fell.” Apparently, the losses of the Novgorodians were really heavy. The losses of the “Germans” are indicated by specific figures, which cause controversy. Russian chronicles say: “and Pade Chudi was beschisla, and NI had 400, and with 50 hands I arrived and brought it to Novgorod".

The Rhymed Chronicle specifically says that twenty knights were killed and six were captured. The discrepancy in assessments can be explained by the fact that the Chronicle refers only to “brothers”-knights, without taking into account their squads; in this case, out of 400 Germans who fell on the ice of Lake Peipsi, twenty were real “brothers”-knights, and from 50 prisoners were “brothers” 6.

The immediate site of the battle, according to the conclusions of the expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences led by Karaev, can be considered a section of Warm Lake, located 400 meters west of the modern shore of Cape Sigovets, between its northern tip and the latitude of the village of Ostrov. It should be noted that the battle on a flat surface of ice was more advantageous for the heavy cavalry of the Order, however, it is traditionally believed that the place to meet the enemy was chosen by Alexander Yaroslavich.

Consequences

According to traditional Russian historiography point of view, this battle, together with the victories of Prince Alexander over the Swedes (July 15, 1240 on the Neva) and over the Lithuanians (in 1245 near Toropets, near Lake Zhitsa and near Usvyat), was of great importance for Pskov and Novgorod, delaying the onslaught of three serious enemies from the west - at the very time when the rest of Rus' was greatly weakened by the Mongol invasion. In Novgorod, the Battle of the Ice, together with the Neva victory over the Swedes, was remembered in litanies in all Novgorod churches back in the 16th century.

The English researcher J. Funnel believes that the significance of the Battle of the Ice (and the Battle of the Neva) is greatly exaggerated: “Alexander did only what numerous defenders of Novgorod and Pskov did before him and what many did after him - namely, rushed to protect the extended and vulnerable borders from invaders." Russian professor I.N. Danilevsky also agrees with this opinion. He notes, in particular, that the battle was inferior in scale to the battles of Saul (1236), in which the Lithuanians killed the master of the order and 48 knights (20 knights died on Lake Peipsi), and the battle of Rakovor in 1268; Contemporary sources even describe the Battle of the Neva in more detail and give it higher value. However, even in the “Rhymed Chronicle” the Battle of the Ice is clearly described as a defeat of the Germans, unlike Rakovor.

Memory of the battle

Movies

In 1938, Sergei Eisenstein shot the feature film “Alexander Nevsky”, in which the Battle of the Ice was filmed. The film is considered one of the most prominent representatives historical films. It was he who largely shaped the modern viewer’s idea of ​​the battle.

Filmed in 1992 documentary"In memory of the past and in the name of the future." The film tells about the creation of a monument to Alexander Nevsky for the 750th anniversary of the Battle of the Ice.

In 2009, jointly by Russian, Canadian and Japanese studios, the animated film “First Squad” was shot, in which the Battle of the Ice plays a key role in the plot.

Music

The score for Eisenstein's film, composed by Sergei Prokofiev, is a symphonic suite dedicated to the events of the battle.

The rock band Aria released the song “Hero of Asphalt” on the album “ Ballad about an ancient Russian warrior", telling about the Battle of the Ice. This song has gone through a lot various treatments and reissues.

Monuments

Monument to the squads of Alexander Nevsky on the town of Sokolikha

The monument to the squads of Alexander Nevsky was erected in 1993, on Mount Sokolikha in Pskov, almost 100 km away from the real site of the battle. Initially, it was planned to create a monument on Vorony Island, which would have been a more accurate solution geographically.

Monument to Alexander Nevsky and Worship Cross

In 1992, in the village of Kobylye Gorodishche, Gdovsky district, in a place as close as possible to the supposed site of the Battle of the Ice, a bronze monument to Alexander Nevsky and a wooden worship cross were erected near the Church of the Archangel Michael. The Church of the Archangel Michael was founded by Pskov residents in 1462. In the chronicles, the last mention of the legendary “Crow Stone” is associated with this church (Pskov Chronicle of 1463). The wooden cross gradually collapsed under the influence of unfavorable weather conditions. In July 2006, on the 600th anniversary of the first mention of the village. Kobylye Gorodishche in the Pskov Chronicles it was replaced with bronze.

The bronze worship cross was cast in St. Petersburg at the expense of patrons of the Baltic Steel Group (A. V. Ostapenko). The prototype was the Novgorod Alekseevsky Cross. The author of the project is A. A. Seleznev. The bronze sign was cast under the direction of D. Gochiyaev by the foundry workers of JSC "NTTsKT", architects B. Kostygov and S. Kryukov. When implementing the project, fragments from the lost wooden cross by sculptor V. Reshchikov were used.

Cultural and sports educational raid expedition

Since 1997, an annual raid expedition has been conducted to the sites of military feats of Alexander Nevsky's squads. During these trips, participants in the race help improve areas related to monuments of cultural and historical heritage. Thanks to them, memorial signs were installed in many places in the North-West in memory of the exploits of Russian soldiers, and the village of Kobylye Gorodishche became known throughout the country.

Due to the variability of the hydrography of Lake Peipus, historians for a long time It was not possible to determine exactly the place where the Battle of the Ice took place. Only thanks to long-term research carried out by an expedition from the Institute of Archeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the location of the battle was established. The battle site is submerged in water in summer and is located approximately 400 meters from the island of Sigovets.

Borders modern Russia historically associated with the borders of the Russian Empire, which were influenced by certain events. And therefore, the significance of the Battle of the Ice is very great: thanks to it, 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, and showed people in difficult times that they were capable of winning victories.

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

The Battle of the Neva itself is directly determined by the claims of both the Swedes and 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 with his actions. Others disagree, believing that the significance of his victories was greatly exaggerated and that the crusaders actually had no real intention of advancing 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 suddenness of the appearance of the prince along with his retinue. The Swedes, who landed at the mouth of the Neva, did not expect serious resistance. In addition, in the summer they experienced serious thirst, as a result, as many historians noted, they found themselves either drunk or hungover. A camp set up near the river meant the presence of tents, which turned out to be very easy to cut down, which is what the youth Savva did.

The timely warning of the Izhora elder Pelgusius, who monitored these lands and sent messengers to Alexander, thus came as a complete surprise to the Swedes. As a result, the Battle of the Neva ended in a real defeat for them. According to some reports, the Swedes loaded almost 3 ships with the bodies of the dead, while the Novgorodians killed about 20 people. It is worth noting that the battle began during the day and lasted until the evening; at night hostilities ceased, and in the morning the Swedes began to flee. No one pursued them: Alexander Nevsky did not see the need for this, in addition, he was afraid of increasing losses. Please note that he received his nickname precisely after this victory.

What happened between the Battle of the Neva 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 conquering Rus'. Do not forget in which year the described event took place: our ancestors already had problems with the Golden Horde. What's with feudal fragmentation significantly weakened the Slavs. Understanding the date is so important here because it allows you to relate some events to others.

Therefore, the Teutonic Order was not impressed by the defeat of the Swedes. The Danes and Germans decisively moved forward, captured Pskov, Izborsk, founded Koporye, where they decided to strengthen themselves, making it their fortpost. 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, became alarmed about Alexander’s victory. They were afraid of his increasing power. As a result, the prince left Novgorod after a major quarrel with them. But already in 1242, the boyars called him back with his squad because of the Teutonic threat, especially since the enemy was approaching the Novgorodians closely.

How did the battle take place?

So, the famous battle on Lake Peipsi, the Battle of the Ice, took place in 1242 on April 5. Moreover, the battle was carefully prepared by the Russian prince. What makes it clear is the work of Konstantin Simonov dedicated to this event, which, although it cannot be called an impeccable historical source from the point of view of reliability, is quite well worked out.

In short, everything happened according to a certain pattern: the knights of the Order, in full heavy armor, acted as a typical wedge for themselves. Such a ramming attack was intended to demonstrate the full power of the enemy, sweep him away, sow panic and break resistance. Such tactics have repeatedly proven successful in the past. But Alexander Nevsky really prepared the Battle of the Ice in 1242 well. He studied weak spots enemy, so the archers were first waiting for the German “pig”; their main task was simply to lure out the knights. Which then came across heavily armed infantry with long pikes.

In fact, it was difficult to call what happened next anything other than a massacre. The knights could not stop, because otherwise the front ranks would be crushed by the back ones. 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 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 his warriors were able to drive some of the knights to where the ice was very thin. As a result, many of them began to drown.

There is another important factor. He is also shown in “Alexander Nevsky,” a famous painting; maps and pictures also depict him. This is the stampede of the monster who was helping the Order when she realized that professional warriors were fighting against her. Speaking even briefly about the Battle of the Ice, one cannot help but note the excellent knowledge of the knights’ weapons and weak points. So, they were frankly helpless when they were pulled off their horses. And that is why the prince armed many of his warriors 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 to the horses. To deprive the horsemen of this advantage, many injured and killed the 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 and strengthen the borders for centuries to come. What had special meaning taking into account how much the Slavs suffered from invasions from the east. In addition, the first battle in history took place where infantrymen defeated heavily armed horsemen in full armor in battle, demonstrating to the whole world that this was quite possible. And although the Battle of the Ice is not on a very large scale, from this point of view Alexander Nevsky demonstrated 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 400 knights died on Lake Peipus, and about 50 were captured. So for its age, the Battle of the Ice still caused quite serious damage to the German and Danish knighthood. 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 we were talking about spiritual brotherhood, which was also subordinate to the Pope, the Order could not break such an agreement without problems for itself. That is, even speaking briefly about the results of the Battle of the Ice, including diplomatic ones, one cannot fail to note that they were impressive. But let's return to the analysis of the battle.

Reasons for victory:

1. Well chosen place. Alexander's soldiers were lighter armed. Therefore, thin ice did not pose such a danger for them as for knights clad in full armor, many of whom simply drowned. In addition, the Novgorodians knew these places better.
2. Successful tactics. Alexander Nevsky was in complete control of the situation. He not only correctly used the advantages of the place, but also studied the weak points in the usual fighting style, which he himself had repeatedly demonstrated Teutonic Knights, starting from the classic “pig” and ending with their dependence on horses and heavy weapons.
3. Underestimation of the Russians by the enemy. The Teutonic Order was accustomed to success. By this time, Pskov and other lands had already been captured, and the knights did not encounter any 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 occurred during the onset of the Tatar-Mongol yoke.