April 5, 1242 Lake Peipsi The famous Battle of the Ice took place. Russian soldiers under the command of Prince Alexander Nevsky defeated the German knights who were planning to strike Veliky Novgorod. For a long time this date did not have official recognition as a public holiday. Only on March 13, 1995, Federal Law No. 32-FZ “On the Days of Military Glory (Victory Days) of Russia” was adopted. Then, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Russian authorities are again concerned with the issue of reviving patriotism in the country. In accordance with this law, the day of celebration of the victory over Lake Peipsi was set on April 18. Officially, the memorable date was called “Victory Day of the Russian soldiers of Prince Alexander Nevsky over the German knights on Lake Peipsi.”

Interestingly, in the same 1990s, Russian political parties nationalist sense, at the instigation of the well-known followers of the writer Eduard Limonov, they began to celebrate April 5 as “Russian Nation Day,” also dedicated to the victory on Lake Peipsi. The difference in dates was due to the fact that the Limonovites chose the date of April 5 according to the Julian calendar to celebrate, and the official memorial date is considered according to the Gregorian calendar. But the most interesting thing is that according to the proleptic Gregorian calendar, which covers the period before 1582, this date should have been celebrated on April 12. But in any case, the decision itself to set a date in memory of such a large-scale event in our country was very correct. Moreover, this was one of the first and most impressive episodes of the collision of the Russian world with the West. Subsequently, Russia will fight with Western countries more than once, but the memory of the soldiers of Alexander Nevsky, who defeated the German knights, is still alive.

The events discussed below unfolded against the backdrop of the total weakening of the Russian principalities during Mongol invasion. In 1237-1240 Mongol hordes invaded Rus' again. This time was prudently used by Pope Gregory IX for another expansion to the northeast. Then Holy Rome was preparing, firstly, a crusade against Finland, at that time still inhabited mainly by pagans, and secondly, against Rus', which was considered by the pontiff as the main competitor of Catholics in the Baltic states.

The Teutonic Order was ideally suited for the role of executor of expansionist plans. The times in question were the era of the order's heyday. This is later, already during Livonian War Ivan the Terrible, the order was in far from the best condition, and then, in the 13th century, the young military-religious formation represented a very strong and aggressive enemy, controlling impressive territories on the shores of the Baltic Sea. The Order was considered the main conductor of the influence of the Catholic Church in North-Eastern Europe and directed its attacks against the Baltic and Slavic peoples living in these parts. The main task The order was the enslavement and conversion of local residents to Catholicism, and if they did not want to accept the Catholic faith, then the “noble knights” mercilessly destroyed the “pagans.” Teutonic knights appeared in Poland, called by the Polish prince to help in the fight against the Prussian tribes. The conquest of the Prussian lands by the order began, which occurred quite actively and rapidly.

It should be noted that the official residence of the Teutonic Order during the events described was still located in the Middle East - in the Montfort Castle in the territory of modern Israel (the historical land of the Upper Galilee). Montfort housed the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, the archives and the order's treasury. Thus, the top leadership managed the order's possessions in the Baltic states remotely. In 1234, the Teutonic Order absorbed the remnants of the Dobrin Order, created in 1222 or 1228 on the territory of Prussia to protect the Prussian bishopric from attacks by Prussian tribes.

When in 1237 the remnants of the Order of the Swordsmen (Brotherhood of the Warriors of Christ) joined the Teutonic Order, the Teutons also gained control over the possessions of the Swordsmen in Livonia. The Livonian Landmastership of the Teutonic Order arose on the Livonian lands of the Swordsmen. Interestingly, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, back in 1224, declared the lands of Prussia and Livonia to be subordinate directly to Holy Rome, and not to local authorities. The Order became the main viceroy of the papal throne and the exponent of the papal will in the Baltic lands. At the same time, the course for further expansion of the order in the territory continued of Eastern Europe and the Baltic states.

Back in 1238, the Danish king Valdemar II and the Grand Master of the Order Herman Balk agreed on the division of the lands of Estonia. Veliky Novgorod was the main obstacle for the German-Danish knights and it was against it that the main blow was directed. Sweden entered into an alliance with the Teutonic Order and Denmark. In July 1240, Swedish ships appeared on the Neva, but already on July 15, 1240, on the banks of the Neva, Prince Alexander Yaroslavich inflicted a crushing defeat on the Swedish knights. For this he was nicknamed Alexander Nevsky.

The defeat of the Swedes did not greatly contribute to the abandonment of their allies from their aggressive plans. The Teutonic Order and Denmark were going to continue the campaign against North-Eastern Rus' with the aim of introducing Catholicism. Already at the end of August 1240, Bishop Herman of Dorpat set off on a campaign against Rus'. He gathered an impressive army of knights of the Teutonic Order, Danish knights from the Revel fortress and the Dorpat militia, and invaded the territory of the modern Pskov region.

The resistance of the Pskov residents did not give the desired result. The knights captured Izborsk and then besieged Pskov. Although the first siege of Pskov did not bring the desired result and the knights retreated, they soon returned and were able to take the Pskov fortress, using the help of the former Pskov prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich and the traitor boyars led by Tverdilo Ivankovich. Pskov was taken and a knightly garrison was stationed there. Thus, the Pskov land became a springboard for the actions of the German knights against Veliky Novgorod.

A difficult situation at this time it was also taking shape in Novgorod itself. The townspeople drove Prince Alexander out of Novgorod in the winter of 1240/1241. Only when the enemy approached the city very close did they send messengers to Pereslavl-Zalessky to call Alexander. In 1241, the prince marched to Koporye, captured it by storm, killing the knightly garrison located there. Then, by March 1242, Alexander, having waited for the help of the troops of Prince Andrew from Vladimir, marched on Pskov and soon took the city, forcing the knights to retreat to the Bishopric of Dorpat. Then Alexander invaded the order's lands, but when the advanced forces were defeated by the knights, he decided to retreat back and prepare in the area of ​​Lake Peipsi for the main battle. The balance of forces of the parties, according to sources, was approximately 15-17 thousand soldiers from the Russian side, and 10-12 thousand Livonian and Danish knights, as well as the militia of the Dorpat bishopric.

The Russian army was commanded by Prince Alexander Nevsky, and the knights were commanded by the Landmaster of the Teutonic Order in Livonia, Andreas von Felfen. A native of Austrian Styria, Andreas von Felfen was Komtur (commandant) of Riga before taking up the post of viceroy of the order in Livonia. What kind of commander he was is evidenced by the fact that he decided not to personally participate in the battle on Lake Peipus, but remained at a safe distance, transferring command to the younger order military leaders. The Danish knights were commanded by the sons of King Valdemar II himself.

As you know, the crusaders of the Teutonic Order usually used the so-called “pig” or “boar’s head” as a battle formation - a long column, at the head of which was a wedge from the ranks of the strongest and most experienced knights. Behind the wedge were detachments of squires, and in the center of the column - infantry of mercenaries - people from the Baltic tribes. On the sides of the column followed heavily armed knightly cavalry. The meaning of this formation was that the knights wedged themselves into the enemy’s formation, splitting it into two parts, then breaking it into smaller parts, and only then finishing it off with the participation of their infantry.

Prince Alexander Nevsky took a very interesting move - he placed his forces on the flanks in advance. In addition, the cavalry squads of Alexander and Andrei Yaroslavich were placed in ambush. The Novgorod militia stood in the center, and in front was a chain of archers. Behind them they placed convoys chained with chains, which were supposed to deprive the knights of the opportunity to maneuver and evade the blows of the Russian army. On April 5 (12), 1242, Russians and knights came into combat contact. The archers were the first to take the onslaught of the knights, and then the knights were able to break through the Russian system with the help of their famous wedge. But that was not the case - the heavily armed knightly cavalry got stuck near the convoy and then the regiments of the right and left moved towards it from the flanks. Then the princely squads entered the battle, which put the knights to flight. The ice broke, unable to withstand the weight of the knights, and the Germans began to drown. Alexander Nevsky's warriors chased the knights across the ice of Lake Peipsi for seven miles. The Teutonic Order and Denmark suffered complete defeat in the Battle of Lake Peipsi. According to the Simeonovskaya Chronicle, 800 Germans and Chuds “without number” died, 50 knights were captured. The losses of Alexander Nevsky's troops are unknown.

The defeat of the Teutonic Order had an impressive effect on its leadership. The Teutonic Order abandoned all territorial claims to Veliky Novgorod and returned all the lands captured not only in Rus', but also in Latgale. Thus, the effect of the defeat inflicted on the German knights was colossal, primarily in political terms. To the West, the Battle of the Ice demonstrated that in Rus' a strong enemy awaited the famous crusaders, ready to fight for their native lands to the last. Later, Western historians tried in every possible way to downplay the significance of the battle on Lake Peipus - either they argued that in reality much smaller forces met there, or they characterized the battle as the starting point for the formation of the “myth of Alexander Nevsky.”

The victories of Alexander Nevsky over the Swedes and over the Teutonic and Danish knights were of great significance for further Russian history. Who knows how the history of the Russian land would have developed if Alexander’s soldiers had not won these battles then. After all main goal The knights were the conversion of the Russian lands to Catholicism and their complete subordination to the rule of the order, and through it, Rome. For Rus', therefore, the battle was of decisive importance in terms of preserving national and cultural identity. We can say that the Russian world was forged, among other things, in the battle on Lake Peipsi.

Alexander Nevsky, who defeated the Swedes and Teutons, entered Russian history forever both as a church saint and as a brilliant commander and defender of the Russian land. It is clear that the contribution of countless Novgorod warriors and princely warriors was no less. History has not preserved their names, but for us, living 776 years later, Alexander Nevsky is, among other things, those Russian people who fought on Lake Peipsi. He became the personification of the Russian military spirit and power. It was under him that Rus' showed the West that it was not going to obey it, that it was special land with its own way of life, with its own people, with its own cultural code. Then Russian soldiers had to “punch” the West more than once. But Starting point There were precisely battles won by Alexander Nevsky.

Followers of political Eurasianism say that Alexander Nevsky predetermined Russia’s Eurasian choice. During his reign, Rus' developed more peaceful relations with the Mongols than with the German knights. At least the Mongols did not seek to destroy the identity of the Russian people by imposing their beliefs on them. In any case, the political wisdom of the prince was that in difficult times for the Russian land, he was able to relatively secure Novgorod Rus' in the east, winning battles in the west. This was his military and diplomatic talent.

776 years have passed, but the memory of the feat of Russian soldiers in the Battle of Lake Peipus remains. In the 2000s, it was opened in Russia whole line monuments to Alexander Nevsky - in St. Petersburg, Veliky Novgorod, Petrozavodsk, Kursk, Volgograd, Alexandrov, Kaliningrad and many other cities. Eternal memory to the prince and all Russian soldiers who defended their land in that battle.

“The men did not hesitate long, but they brought a small army to the lines. And the brothers were unable to gather a large army. But they decided, trusting this common strength, to launch a cavalry formation against the Russians, and a bloody battle began. And the Russian riflemen boldly entered the game in the morning, but the brothers’ banner detachment broke through the front Russian rank. And the clash of swords was heard there. And steel helmets were cut in half. The battle was going on - and you could see bodies falling into the grass from both sides.”

“The German detachment was surrounded by Russians - and they were so outnumbered by the Germans that any of the brother knights fought with sixty.”

“Although the brothers fought stubbornly, they were defeated by the Russian army. Some of the Derpet residents, seeking salvation, hastily left the battle: After all, twenty brothers bravely gave their lives in battle, and captured six.”

“Prince Alexander, they say, was very happy with the victory with which he was able to return. But he left many warriors here as collateral - and none of them will go on a campaign. And the death of the brothers - what I just read about for you, was mourned with dignity, Like the death of heroes - those who fought wars at the call of God and sacrificed many brave lives in fraternal service. Fighting the enemy for God’s cause and heeding the duty of knighthood.”

Battle of Chud - on German Schlacht auf dem Peipussee. Battle on the Ice - in German Schlacht auf dem Eise.

"Rhymed Chronicle"

Invasion of the Order

In 1240, the Germans crossed the borders of the Pskov principality and on August 15, 1240, the crusaders captured Izborsk.
“The Germans took the castle, collected loot, took away property and valuables, took horses and cattle out of the castle, and what was left was set on fire... They left none of the Russians; those who only resorted to defense were killed or captured. Screams spread throughout the land.”

News of the enemy invasion and capture of Izborsk reached Pskov. All Pskovites gathered at the meeting and decided to move to Izborsk. A 5,000-strong militia was assembled, led by governor Gavrila Ivanovich. But there were also traitor boyars in Pskov, led by the landowner Tverdila Ivanokovich. They notified the Germans of the upcoming campaign. The Pskovites did not know that the knightly army was twice as large as the Pskov army. The battle took place near Izborsk. The Russian soldiers fought bravely, but about 800 of them died in this battle, and the survivors fled into the surrounding forests.

The army of the crusaders, pursuing the Pskovites, reached the walls of Pskov and attempted to break into the fortress. The townspeople barely had time to close the gates. Hot tar poured onto the Germans storming the walls, and logs rolled. The Germans were unable to take Pskov by force.

They decided to act through the traitor boyars and the landowner Tverdila, who persuaded the Pskovites to give their children hostage to the Germans. The Pskovites allowed themselves to be persuaded. On September 16, 1240, the traitors surrendered the city to the Germans.
Arriving in Novgorod in 1241, Alexander Nevsky found Pskov and Konopriye in the hands of the order and immediately began retaliatory actions.

Taking advantage of the difficulties of the order, which was distracted by the fight against the Mongols (the Battle of Legnica), Alexander marched to 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 Chuds were executed.

Liberation of Pskov

“So the great Prince Alexander had many brave men, just like David of old, the king of strength and strength. Also, the will of Grand Duke Alexander will be fulfilled by the spirit of our honest and dear prince! Now the time has come for us to lay down our heads for you!” This is what the author of the Life of the Holy and Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky wrote.

The prince entered the temple and prayed for a long time “Judge me, God, and judge my quarrel with the lofty people (Livonian Germans) and help me, God, as You helped Moses in ancient times to defeat Amalek, and helped my great-grandfather Yaroslav to defeat the damned Svyatopolk.” Then he approached his squad and the entire army and made a speech: “We will die for Saint Sophia and the free city of Novgorod!” Let us die for the Holy Trinity and free Pskov! For now, the Russians have no other destiny than to harrow their Russian land, Orthodox faith Christian!”
And all the soldiers answered him with a single cry: “With you, Yaroslavich, we will win or die for the Russian land!”

At the beginning of January 1241, Alexander set out on a campaign. He secretly approached Pskov, sent out reconnaissance, and cut off all the roads leading to Pskov. Then Prince Alexander launched an unexpected and swift attack on Pskov from the west. “Prince Alexander is coming!”- the Pskovites rejoiced, opening the western gates. The Russians burst into the city and began a battle with the German garrison. 70 knights [the figure is not at all real, the Germans could not have had so many knights left in the city. Usually in captured cities there remained 2-3 governors (brother knights) and a small garrison] were killed, and countless ordinary warriors - Germans and bollards. Several knights were captured and released: “Tell your people that Prince Alexander is coming and there will be no mercy for the enemies!” Six officials were tried. They were found guilty of abusing the Pskov population, and then immediately hanged. The traitorous boyar Tverdila Ivankovich did not run away either. After a short trial he was also hanged.

Preface to Chudskaya Battle

In the “Novgorod First Chronicle of the Senior and Younger Editions” it is said that, having freed Pskov from the knights, Nevsky himself went to the possessions of the Livonian Order (pursuing the knights west of Lake Pskov), where he allowed his warriors to live. (In the summer of 6750 (1242). Prince Oleksandr went with the Novgorodians and with his brother Andrei and from the Nizovtsi to the Chyud land on Nemtsi and Chyud and zaya all the way to Plskov; and the prince of Plsk expelled Nemtsi and Chyud, seizing Nemtsi and Chyud, and bound the stream to Novgorod , and I’ll go to Chud.” The Livonian Rhymed Chronicle testifies that the invasion was accompanied by fires and the removal of people and livestock. Having learned about this, the Livonian bishop sent troops of knights to meet him. The stopping place of Alexander's army was somewhere halfway between Pskov and Dorpat, not far from the borders of the confluence of the Pskov and Tyoploe lakes. Here was the traditional crossing near the village of Mosty.

And Alexander, in turn, having heard about the performance of the knights, did not return to Pskov, but having crossed to the eastern shore of Tyoploe Lake, he hurried in a northern direction to the Uzmen tract, leaving the detachment of Domish Tverdislavich Kerber (according to other sources, a reconnaissance detachment) in the rear guard.

And as if you were on earth (Chudi), let the entire regiment prosper; and Domash Tverdislavichy Kerbe was in the fray, and I found Nemtsi and Chyud at the bridge and that one was fighting; 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 towards the lake.

This detachment entered into battle with the knights and was defeated. Domish was killed, but some of the detachment managed to escape and moved after Alexander’s army. The burial place of warriors from Domash Kerbert’s detachment is located at the south-eastern outskirts of Chudskiye Zakhody.

Battle tactics of Alexander Nevsky from Soviet history

Alexander knew well the favorite method of German tactics - an offensive in a battle formation in the form of a wedge or triangle, pointing forward. The tip and sides of the triangle, called the “pig,” were well-armed mounted knights in iron armor, and the base and center were a dense mass of foot soldiers. Having driven such a wedge into the center of the enemy's position and disrupted his ranks, the Germans usually directed the next attack on his flanks, achieving final victory. Therefore, Alexander lined up his troops in three echeloned lines, and on the northern side of the Raven Stone the cavalry army of Prince Andrei took refuge.

According to modern researchers, the Germans did not adhere to such tactics. In this case, not a significant part of the warriors, front and flank, would have participated in the battle. What should the rest of us do? “The wedge was used for a completely different purpose - getting closer to the enemy. Firstly, the knightly troops were distinguished by extremely low discipline due to lack of time for serious training, so if the rapprochement was carried out using a standard line, then there would be no talk of any coordinated actions - the knights would simply disperse throughout the entire field in search of the enemy and production But in the wedge the knight had nowhere to go, and he was forced to follow the three most experienced horsemen who were in the first row. Secondly, the wedge had a narrow front, which reduced losses from archer fire. The wedge approached at a walk, since horses are not able to gallop at the same speed. Thus, the knights approached the enemy, and 100 meters away they turned into a line, with which they struck the enemy.
P.S. Nobody knows whether the Germans attacked like that.

Battle site

Prince Alexander stationed his army between Uzmen and the mouth of the Zhelchi River, on the eastern shore of Lake Peipsi “on Uzmen, at the Raven Stone”, it says so in the chronicle.

The attention of historians was attracted by the name of Voroniy Island, where they hoped to find the Raven Stone. The hypothesis that the massacre took place on the ice of Lake Peipsi near Voronii Island was accepted as the main version, although it contradicted chronicle sources and common sense(in the old chronicles there is no mention of Voronii Island near the battle site. They talk about the battle on the ground, on the grass. Ice is mentioned only in the final part of the battle). But why did Nevsky’s troops, as well as the heavy cavalry of knights, have to go through Lake Peipus along spring ice to Voronii Island, where even in severe frosts the water does not freeze in many places? It should be taken into account that the beginning of April is a warm period for these places.

Testing the hypothesis about the location of the battle at Voronii Island dragged on for many decades. This time was enough for it to take a firm place in all textbooks. Considering the little validity of this version, in 1958 a comprehensive expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences was created to determine the true location of the battle. However, it was not possible to find the burial places of the soldiers who died in the Battle of Peipus, as well as the Crow Stone, the Uzmen tract and traces of the battle.

This was done by members of a group of Moscow enthusiasts - lovers of the ancient history of Rus', under the leadership of I. E. Koltsov, in a later period. Using methods and instruments widely used in geology and archeology (including dowsing), the team members plotted on the terrain plan the suspected sites of mass graves of soldiers from both sides who died in this battle. These burials are located in two zones east of the village of Samolva. One of the zones is located half a kilometer north of the village of Tabory and one and a half kilometers from Samolva. The second zone with the largest number of burials is 1.5-2.0 kilometers north of the village of Tabory and approximately 2 kilometers east of Samolva. It can be assumed that the wedging of knights into the ranks of Russian soldiers occurred in the area of ​​the first burial, and in the area of ​​the second zone the main battle and the encirclement of the knights took place.

Research has shown that in those distant times, in the area south of the now existing village of Kozlovo (more precisely, between Kozlov and Tabory) there was some kind of fortified outpost of the Novgorodians. Presumably, here, behind the earthen ramparts of the now defunct fortification, there was a detachment of Prince Andrei Yaroslavich hidden in ambush before the battle. The group also managed to find the Crow Stone on the northern side of the village of Tabory. Centuries have destroyed the stone, but its underground part still rests under the strata of cultural layers of earth. In the area where the remains of the stone were located there was ancient temple with underground passages that went to the Uzman tract, where there were fortifications.

Army of Alexander Nevsky

At Uzmen, Alexander's troops were joined by Suzdal troops under the leadership of Alexander's brother Andrei Yaroslavich (according to other sources, the prince joined before the liberation of Pskov). The troops opposing the knights had a heterogeneous composition, but a single command in the person of Alexander Nevsky. The “lower regiments” consisted of Suzdal princely squads, boyar squads, and city regiments. The army deployed by Novgorod had a fundamentally different composition. It included the squad of Alexander Nevsky, the squad of the “lord”, the garrison of Novgorod, who served for a salary (gridi) and was subordinate to the mayor, the Konchan regiments, the militia of the towns and squads of the “povolniki”, private military organizations of boyars and rich merchants. In general, the army fielded by Novgorod and the “lower” lands was quite powerful force, distinguished by high fighting spirit.

The total number of Russian troops could be up to 4-5 thousand people, of which 800-1000 people were princely equestrian squads (Soviet historians estimated the number of Russian soldiers at 17,000 people). The Russian troops were lined up in three echeloned lines, and on the northern side of the Voronya Stone, in the Uzmen tract, the cavalry army of Prince Andrei took refuge.

Order army

The number of troops of the order in the Battle of Lake Peipsi was determined by Soviet historians to be usually 10-12 thousand people. Later researchers, referring to the German “Rhymed Chronicle,” name 300-400 people. The only figures available in chronicle sources are the losses of the order, which amounted to about 20 “brothers” killed and 6 captured.
Considering that for one “brother” there were 3-8 “half-brothers” who did not have the right to spoils, the total number of the order’s army itself can be determined at 400-500 people. Also participating in the battle were Danish knights under the command of princes Knut and Abel, and a militia from Dorpat, which included many Estonians and hired miracles. Thus, the order had a total of about 500-700 cavalry people and 1000-1200 Estonian and Chud militiamen. The encyclopedia says that the order’s army was commanded by Hermann I von Buxhoeveden, but not a single name of the German commander is mentioned in the chronicles.

Description of the battle from Soviet history

On April 5, 1242, early in the morning, as soon as the sun rose, the battle began. The leading Russian archers showered the attackers with clouds of arrows, but the “pig” steadily moved forward, and, in the end, swept away the archers and the poorly organized center. Meanwhile, Prince Alexander strengthened the flanks and placed the best archers behind the first echelon, who sought to shoot the slowly approaching crusader cavalry.

The advancing “pig,” led into battle by the patrician of the order Siegfried von Marburg, ran into the high shore of Lake Peipsi, overgrown with willows and dusted with snow. There was nowhere to advance further. And then Prince Alexander - and from the Crow Stone he could see the entire battlefield - ordered the infantry to attack the “pig” from the flanks and, if possible, divide it into parts. The united offensive of Alexander Nevsky's troops shackled the Germans: they could not rush into the attack, the cavalry had nowhere to go, and it began to retreat back, squeezing and crushing its own infantry. Huddled together in a small area, mounted knights in heavy armor pressed with their entire mass on the ice, which began to crack. Horse and foot soldiers began to fall into the resulting ice holes.

The spearmen pulled the knights off their horses with hooks, and the infantry finished them off on the ice. The battle turned into a bloody mess, and it was unclear where ours were and where the foes were.

The chronicler writes from eyewitnesses: “And that slaughter will be evil and great for the Germans and the people, and the coward from the breaking spears and the sound from the sword section will move like a frozen sea. And if you can’t see the ice, everything is covered in blood.”

The decisive moment of the battle has arrived. Alexander took off his mitten and waved his hand, and then the Suzdal cavalry of Prince Andrei rode out from the northern side of the Raven Stone. She struck the Germans and the Chuds from the rear at full gallop. The bollards were the first to fail. They fled, exposing the rear of the knightly army, which was dismounted at that moment. The knights, seeing that the battle was lost, also rushed after the bollards. Some began to surrender, begging for mercy on their knees with their right hands raised.

The German chronicler writes with undisguised sorrow: Those who were in the army of the brother knights were surrounded. The brother knights resisted quite stubbornly, but they were defeated there.

The poet Konstantin Simonov in his poem “Battle on the Ice” described the climax of the battle as follows:

And, retreating before the prince,
Throwing spears and swords,
The Germans fell from their horses to the ground,
Raising iron fingers,
The bay horses were getting excited,
Dust kicked up from under the hooves,
Bodies dragged through the snow,
Stuck in narrow strims.

In vain, Vice-Master Andreas von Felven (not a single name of the German commanders is mentioned in the German chronicles) tried to stop the fleeing people and organize resistance. It was all in vain. One after another, the military banners of the order fell onto the ice. Meanwhile, Prince Andrei's horse squad rushed to pursue the fugitives. She drove them across the ice 7 miles to the Subolichesky coast, mercilessly beating them with swords. Some of the runners did not reach the shore. Where there was weak ice, on the Sigovitsa, ice holes opened up and many knights and bollards drowned.

Modern version of the Battle of Peipus

Having learned that the order's troops had moved from Dorpat to Alexander's army, he withdrew his troops to an ancient crossing near the village of Mosty in the south of Lake Warm. Having crossed to the eastern bank, he retreated to the Novgorod outpost that existed at that time in the area south of the modern village of Kozlovo, where he expected the Germans. The knights also crossed at the Bridges and rushed in pursuit. They advanced from the southern side (from the village of Tabory). Not knowing about the Novgorod reinforcements and feeling their military superiority in strength, they, without thinking twice, rushed into battle, falling into the “nets” that had been placed. From here it can be seen that the battle itself took place on land, not far from the shore of Lake Peipsi.

The encirclement and defeat of the knights was facilitated by the additional troops of Prince Andrei Yaroslavich, who were in ambush for the time being. By the end of the battle, the knightly army was pushed back onto the spring ice of the Zhelchinskaya Bay of Lake Peipsi, where many of them drowned. Their remains and weapons are now located half a kilometer northwest of the Kobylye Settlement Church at the bottom of this bay.

Losses

The issue of the losses of the parties in the battle is controversial. The losses of the knights are indicated in the “Rhymed Chronicle” with specific numbers, which cause controversy. Some Russian chronicles, followed by Soviet historians, say that 531 knights were killed in the battle (there were not so many of them in the entire order), 50 knights were taken prisoner. The Novgorod First Chronicle says that 400 “Germans” fell in the battle, and 50 Germans were captured, and the “human” is even discounted: “beschisla.” Apparently they suffered really heavy losses. “The Rhymed Chronicle says that 20 knights died and 6 were captured.” So, it is possible that 400 German soldiers actually fell in the battle, of which 20 were real brother knights (after all, according to modern ranks, a brother knight is equal to a general), and 50 Germans, of which 6 brother knights, were taken prisoner. In “The Life of Alexander Nevsky” it is written that, as a sign of humiliation, the boots of the captured knights were removed and they were forced to walk barefoot on the ice of the lake near their horses. The Russian losses are discussed vaguely: “many brave warriors fell.” Apparently, the losses of the Novgorodians were really heavy.

The meaning of the battle

According to the traditional point of view in Russian historiography, together with Alexander’s victories over the Swedes on July 15, 1240 at Narva and over the Lithuanians in 1245 near Toropets, at Lake Zhitsa and near Usvyat, the Battle of Peipus was of great importance for Pskov and Novgorod, delaying the onslaught of three serious enemies from the west - at a time when the rest of Rus' suffered great losses from princely civil strife and the consequences of the Tatar conquest.

The English researcher J. Funnell believes that the significance of the Battle of the Ice is greatly exaggerated: “ Alexander did only what numerous defenders of Novgorod and Pskov did before him and what many did after him - namely, they rushed to protect the long and vulnerable borders from the invaders.”

Memory of the battle

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 of historical films. It was he who, in many ways, shaped the modern viewer’s idea of ​​the battle. Phrase “Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword” what the film’s authors put into Alexander’s mouth has nothing to do with reality, given the realities of that time.

In 1992, a documentary film “In Memory of the Past and in the Name of the Future” was shot.
In 1993, on Mount Sokolikha in Pskov, almost 100 kilometers away from the real site of the battle, a monument to “Alexander Nevsky’s Squads” was erected.

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 bronze worship cross were erected near the Church of the Archangel Michael. The cross was cast in St. Petersburg at the expense of patrons of the Baltic Steel Group.

conclusions

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

All Russian chronicles on the directly posed question " And with whom did Alexander Nevsky fight in 1241-1242? give us the answer - with the "Germans" or 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 try to present their opponents as an impersonal mass - a “crowd” without a name, rank or other data identifying them.

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

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

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

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

Who are they? How were they organized? Who commanded them? How were they armed and what methods did they fight in?

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

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

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

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

Help: Brotherhood of Soldiers 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 knightly order founded in 1202 in Riga by Theodoric of Toreid (Dietrich), who at that time replaced Bishop Albert von Buxhoeveden (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 back in 1204 the formation of the “Brotherhood of the Warriors of Christ” was approved by Pope Innocent III.

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

Unlike the large spiritual knightly orders, the Swordsmen retained a nominal dependence on the bishop.

The Order was guided by the statutes of the Templar Order.

Members of the order were divided into knights, priests and servants.

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 sword..

Servants (squires, artisans, servants, messengers) were recruited from free people and townspeople.

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 Volkwin von Winterstein (1209-1236).

The Swordsmen built castles in the occupied territories. The castle was the center of an administrative unit - the castelatury.

And if you look at the map of the territory of Livonia in the historical period of interest to us (1241 -1242) that belonged to the Order of the Sword, then their possessions cover exactly the current borders of Estonia and most of Latvia.

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

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

On September 22 of the same year, the Battle of Saul (now Siauliai) took place, ending in the complete defeat of the Swordsmen. The master of the order Volguin von Namburg (Volquin von Winterstatten) was killed there.

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, therefore, the branch of the Teutonic Order on the lands of the former Order of the Swordsmen became known as the "Livonian Landmaster of the Teutonic Order"

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

In Russian historiography, the incorrect name of the "Livonian Landmaster of the Teutonic Order" as an independent knightly order - "Livonian Order" (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, its supreme leaders.

Formally, the grandmaster of the Teutonic Order performed only control functions.

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

Nevertheless, the grandmaster's power was enormous; his advice was for a long time considered equal to an order and his instructions were obeyed unquestioningly.

But the Landmasters of the Teutonic Order in Livonia 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 characters appearing, let me introduce them to you; this is probably the first time this has been done in Russian literature when describing 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 what is now Latvia and spread Catholicism to the pagan tribes of the Baltic states.

Biography

His ancestors were Landgraves of Thuringia. Having entered the Order of the Sword, already in 1237 he was noticed by the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Hermann von Salza, and applied for the position of Landmaster in Livonia. However, he was unable to occupy such an important post immediately due to his age (27 years) and short service in the order (since 1234).

In 1238, he replaced Herman von Balk in this post (as an “acting official”), and he was in power in Livonia for more than ten years (in some sources even until 1251).

In 1240 he began active military operations in the Curonian territory. This is evidenced by the Livonian Chronicle by Herman Wartberg:

In the year of the Lord 1240, brother Dietrich Groningen, who was holding the post of master, conquered Courland again, built two castles in it, Goldingen (Kuldiga) and Amboten (Embute), and prompted the Kurons to accept holy baptism with kindness and force, for which he received from the legate of the pope His Eminence William and then from the Most Holy Pope Innocent the approval of the right to own two-thirds of Courland, so that the previous agreement concluded about Courland with the brothers of the knighthood, or any other, was no longer valid in comparison with this.

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

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

His presence within Livonia was inconsistent.

In 1240, he began military operations 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 had been 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, since he was with the order troops operating against the Curonians and Lithuanians in the territory of Courland.

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

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

The order's troops in the Battle of the Ice were commanded by Andreas von Felben, vice-landmaster of the order in Livonia.

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

What is also known about him is that while in the position of Landmaster of the Order in Prussia in 1246, together with a military detachment German city Lübeck made a trip to the Sambian lands.

And in 1255, during the campaign of the Czech king Ottokar II Přemysl to 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 at almost the same time Dietrich von Grüningen was the landmaster of all three “large” parts of the order.

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

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

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 .

The attempt of 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- vassal of the bishop, a secular official in the church estate, endowed with judicial, administrative and fiscal functions (manager of church lands).

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

After this, he returned to Novgorod, where he spent the winter awaiting the arrival of reinforcements from Vladimir.

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

It ended in 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 military operations has long been known and understood by 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 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 A.N. Kirpichnikov

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

And this is what this author writes, which is quite fair and true, on issues that interest us.

“The chronicle description of the Battle of the Ice notes the main feature of the Livonian army.

(THIS IS A TYPICAL BUT INCORRECT CONSTRUCTION SCHEME of the Teutonic Knights!)

It entered the battle built in the shape of a “pig.”

Historians considered the “pig” to be a kind of wedge-shaped formation of an army - a sharp column.

The Russian term in this regard 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, tip, cuneus, acies.

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

Individual military units were often called this way, regardless of the method of their formation.

For all that, the very name of such units hints at their unique configuration.

Indeed, the wedge-shaped structure is not the fruit of the theoretical imagination of ancient writers.

This formation was actually used in combat practice in the 13th-15th centuries. in Central Europe, but fell out of use only in late XVI centuries.

Based on surviving written sources, which have not yet attracted the attention of domestic historians, the construction with a wedge (in the chronicle 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 - a military manual - " Preparing for the hike" written in 1477 for one of the Brandenburg military leaders.

It lists three divisions-banners.

Their names are typical - “Hound”, “St. George” and “Great”. The banners consisted of 400, 500 and 700 mounted warriors, respectively.

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

In the first rank, depending on the size of the banner, 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 outermost warriors in relation to each other were placed as if on 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 attack and at the same time was difficult to be vulnerable from the flanks.

The second, column-shaped part of the banner, according to “Preparation for the Campaign,” consisted of a quadrangular structure that included bollards.

(cf.: German Knecht “servant, worker; slave.” - author)

The number of bollards 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 ranks, each of which contained from 11 to 17 cavalry.

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

All together they formed a lower military unit - a “spear” - numbering 35 people, rarely more.

During the battle, these warriors, equipped no worse than a knight, came to the aid of their master and changed his horse.

The advantages of the column-wedge banner include its cohesion, flank coverage 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 leading part of the detachment did not need to turn around to protect their flanks when they came into contact with the enemy.

The wedge of the approaching army made a terrifying impression and could cause confusion in the ranks of the enemy at the first onslaught. The wedge detachment was intended to break the opposing side's formation and achieve a quick victory.

The described system also had disadvantages.

During the battle, if it dragged on, the best forces - the knights - could be the first to be put out of action.

As for the bollards, during the fight between the knights they were in a wait-and-see state and had little influence on the outcome of the battle.

A wedge-shaped column, judging by one of the battles of the 15th century. (1450 under Pillenreith), the rank of knights brought up the rear, since the bollards, apparently, were not very reliable.

However, it is difficult to judge the strengths and weaknesses of the pointed column based on the lack of material. IN different regions In Europe, it was obviously distinguished by its features and weapons.

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

(impressive 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 is known, was not constant, and in combat practice even the 1st floor. XV century was very diverse.

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

According to other sources, in the five banners of the Order in 1410, when salaries were paid, there were from 157 to 359 copies and from 4 to 30 archers.

Later, in one clash in 1433, the Bavarian “pig” detachment consisted of 200 warriors: in its head unit there were 3, 5 and 7 knights in three ranks.

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

All the data presented 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 14th century. the number of knights in the detachment, compared to later times, was even smaller - from 20 to 80 (excluding bollards).

For example, in 1331, there were 350 mounted warriors in five Prussian banners, i.e., 70 in each banner (or approximately 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, the great pig,” fought.

According to the Rhymed Chronicle, 34 knights and militia took part 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 the Campaign” of 1477 (though for the “Hound” banner, not the “Great”).

In the same “Preparation for the Campaign” the number of bollards of such a banner is given - 365 people.

Taking into account the fact that the numbers of the head units of the detachments according to the data of 1477 and 1268. practically coincided, we can assume without the risk of a big mistake that in their general quantitative composition these units were also close to 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, its composition was hardly superior to the Rakovor “great pig”.

From here 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 bollards!

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

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 at Izborsk, Pskov and Kloporye!

Although other Russian scientists insist that in German army consisted of 1,500 mounted warriors (this also included 20 knights), 2-3,000 bollards and Estonian and Chud militia.

And A. Nevsky’s army is the same Russian historians, for some reason they estimate only 4-5000 warriors and 800-1000 mounted warriors.

Why are the regiments brought from the Vladimir-Suzdal principality by Prince Andrei not taken into account?!

April 18 is the Day of Military Glory of Russia, the day of the victory of Russian soldiers of Prince Alexander Nevsky over the German knights on Lake Peipus (the so-called Battle of the Ice, 1242). The date is celebrated in accordance with the Federal Law “On the Days of Military Glory (Victory Days) of Russia” dated March 13, 1995 No. 32-FZ.

In the early 40s. XIII century, taking advantage of the weakening of Rus', which occurred as a result of the devastating invasion of the Mongol-Tatars, German crusaders, Swedish and Danish feudal lords decided to seize its northeastern lands. By joint efforts they hoped to conquer the Novgorod feudal republic. The Swedes, with the support of the Danish knights, tried to capture the mouth of the Neva, but were defeated by the Novgorod army in the Battle of the Neva in 1240.

At the end of August - beginning of September 1240, the Pskov land was invaded by the crusaders of the Livonian Order, which was formed by the German knights of the Teutonic Order in 1237 in the Eastern Baltic on the territory inhabited by the Livonian and Estonian tribes. After a short siege, German knights captured the city of Izborsk. Then they besieged Pskov and, with the assistance of the traitor boyars, soon occupied it too. After this, the crusaders invaded the Novgorod land, captured the coast of the Gulf of Finland and built their own on the site of the ancient Russian fortress of Koporye. Having not reached Novgorod 40 km, the knights began plundering its surroundings.

(Military encyclopedia. Military publishing house. Moscow. in 8 volumes - 2004)

An embassy was sent from Novgorod to the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yaroslav, so that he would release his son Alexander (Prince Alexander Nevsky) to help them. Alexander Yaroslavovich ruled in Novgorod from 1236, but due to the machinations of the Novgorod nobility, he left Novgorod and went to reign in Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. Yaroslav, realizing the danger of the threat emanating from the West, agreed: the matter concerned not only Novgorod, but all of Rus'.

In 1241, Prince Alexander Nevsky, returning to Novgorod, gathered an army of Novgorodians, Ladoga, Izhora and Karelians. Having secretly made a quick transition to Koporye, it took this strong fortress by storm. By capturing Koporye, Alexander Nevsky secured the northwestern borders of the Novgorod lands, secured his rear and northern flank for further fight against German crusaders. At the call of Alexander Nevsky, troops from Vladimir and Suzdal under the command of his brother Prince Andrei arrived to help the Novgorodians. United Novgorod-Vladimir army in the winter of 1241-1242. undertook a campaign in the Pskov land and, cutting off all roads from Livonia to Pskov, took this city, as well as Izborsk, by storm.

After this defeat, the Livonian knights, having gathered a large army, marched to the Pskov and Peipsi lakes. The basis of the army of the Livonian Order was the heavily armed knightly cavalry, as well as infantry (bollards) - detachments of peoples enslaved by the Germans (Estonians, Livonians, etc.), which many times outnumbered the knights.

Having found out the direction of movement of the enemy’s main forces, Alexander Nevsky sent his army there too. Having reached Lake Peipus, the army of Alexander Nevsky found itself in the center possible ways enemy movements towards Novgorod. At this place it was decided to give battle to the enemy. The opposing armies converged on the shores of Lake Peipsi near the Crow Stone and the Uzmen tract. Here, on April 5, 1242, a battle took place that went down in history as the Battle of the Ice.

At dawn, the crusaders approached the Russian position on the ice of the lake at a slow trot. The army of the Livonian Order, according to established military tradition, advanced with an “iron wedge”, which appears in Russian chronicles under the name “pigs”. At the forefront was the main group of knights, some of them covered the flanks and rear of the “wedge”, in the center of which the infantry was located. The wedge had as its task the fragmentation and breakthrough of the central part of the enemy troops, and the columns following the wedge were supposed to defeat the enemy's flanks. In chain mail and helmets, with long swords, they seemed invulnerable.

Alexander Nevsky contrasted this stereotypical tactics of knights with the new formation of Russian troops. He concentrated his main forces not in the center ("chele"), as Russian troops always did, but on the flanks. In front was an advanced regiment of light cavalry, archers and slingers. The Russian battle formation was turned with its rear to the steep, steep eastern shore of the lake, and the princely cavalry squad hid in ambush behind the left flank. The chosen position was advantageous in that the Germans, advancing on open ice, were deprived of the opportunity to determine the location, number and composition of the Russian army.

The knight's wedge broke through the center of the Russian army. Having stumbled upon the steep shore of the lake, the sedentary, armor-clad knights were unable to develop their success. The flanks of the Russian battle formation ("wings") squeezed the wedge into pincers. At this time, Alexander Nevsky's squad struck from the rear and completed the encirclement of the enemy.

Under the onslaught of Russian regiments, the knights mixed their ranks and, having lost freedom of maneuver, were forced to defend themselves. A brutal battle ensued. Russian infantrymen pulled the knights off their horses with hooks and chopped them down with axes. Pressed on all sides limited space, the crusaders fought desperately. But their resistance gradually weakened, it became disorganized, and the battle broke up into separate centers. Where large groups of knights accumulated, the ice could not withstand their weight and broke. Many knights drowned. The Russian cavalry pursued the defeated enemy over 7 km, to the opposite shore of Lake Peipsi.

The army of the Livonian Order suffered a complete defeat and suffered huge losses for those times: up to 450 knights died and 50 were captured. Several thousand knechts were killed. The Livonian Order was faced with the need to conclude a peace, according to which the crusaders renounced their claims to Russian lands, and also renounced part of Latgale (a region in eastern Latvia).

The victory of the Russian army on the ice of Lake Peipus was of great political and military significance. The Livonian Order was dealt a crushing blow, and the crusaders' advance to the East stopped. The Battle of the Ice was the first example in history of the defeat of knights by an army consisting mainly of infantry, which testified to the advanced nature of Russian military art.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

Sources brought to us very scanty information about the Battle of the Ice. This contributed to the fact that the battle gradually became overgrown with a large number of myths and contradictory facts.

Mongols again

It is not entirely correct to call the Battle of Lake Peipus a victory of Russian squads over German knighthood, since the enemy, according to modern historians, was a coalition force that, in addition to the Germans, included Danish knights, Swedish mercenaries and a militia consisting of Estonians (Chud).

It is quite possible that the troops led by Alexander Nevsky were not exclusively Russian. The Polish historian of German origin, Reinhold Heidenstein (1556-1620), wrote that Alexander Nevsky was pushed into battle by the Mongol Khan Batu (Batu) and sent his detachment to help him.
This version has the right to life. The middle of the 13th century was marked by a confrontation between the Horde and Western European troops. Thus, in 1241, Batu’s troops defeated the Teutonic knights in the Battle of Legnica, and in 1269, Mongol troops helped the Novgorodians defend the city walls from the invasion of the crusaders.

Who went underwater?

In Russian historiography, one of the factors that contributed to the victory of Russian troops over the Teutonic and Livonian knights was the fragile spring ice and the bulky armor of the crusaders, which led to the massive flooding of the enemy. However, if you believe the historian Nikolai Karamzin, the winter that year was long and the spring ice remained strong.
However, it is difficult to determine how much ice could withstand a large number of warriors dressed in armor. Researcher Nikolai Chebotarev notes: “it is impossible to say who was heavier or lighter armed at the Battle of the Ice, because there was no uniform as such.”
Heavy plate armor appeared only in the 14th-15th centuries, and in the 13th century the main type of armor was chain mail, over which a leather shirt with steel plates could be worn. Based on this fact, historians suggest that the weight of the equipment of the Russian and order warriors was approximately the same and reached 20 kilograms. If we assume that the ice could not support the weight of a warrior in full equipment, then there should have been sunken ones on both sides.
It is interesting that in the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle and in the original edition of the Novgorod Chronicle there is no information that the knights fell through the ice - they were added only a century after the battle.
On Voronii Island, near which Cape Sigovets is located, the ice is quite weak due to the characteristics of the current. This gave rise to some researchers to suggest that the knights could fall through the ice precisely there when they crossed a dangerous area during their retreat.

Where was the massacre?

Researchers to this day cannot pinpoint the exact location where the Battle of the Ice took place. Novgorod sources, as well as historian Nikolai Kostomarov, say that the battle took place near the Raven Stone. But the stone itself was never found. According to some, it was high sandstone, washed away over time by the current, others claim that the stone is Crow Island.
Some researchers are inclined to believe that the massacre is not at all connected with the lake, since the accumulation of a large number of heavily armed warriors and cavalry would make it impossible to conduct a battle on the thin April ice.
In particular, these conclusions are based on the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle, which reports that “on both sides the dead fell on the grass.” This fact is supported by modern research using the latest equipment from the bottom of Lake Peipsi, during which no weapons or armor of the 13th century were found. Excavations also failed on the shore. However, this is not difficult to explain: armor and weapons were very valuable booty, and even damaged they could be quickly carried away.
However, back in Soviet times, an expedition group from the Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Sciences, led by Georgy Karaev, established the supposed location of the battle. According to researchers, this was a section of Teploe Lake, located 400 meters west of Cape Sigovets.

Number of parties

Soviet historians, determining the number of forces clashing on Lake Peipsi, state that Alexander Nevsky’s troops numbered approximately 15-17 thousand people, and the number of German knights reached 10-12 thousand.
Modern researchers consider such figures to be clearly overestimated. In their opinion, the order could produce no more than 150 knights, who were joined by about 1.5 thousand knechts (soldiers) and 2 thousand militia. They were opposed by squads from Novgorod and Vladimir in the amount of 4-5 thousand soldiers.
The true balance of forces is quite difficult to determine, since the number of German knights is not indicated in the chronicles. But they can be counted by the number of castles in the Baltic states, which, according to historians, in the middle of the 13th century there were no more than 90.
Each castle was owned by one knight, who could take from 20 to 100 people from mercenaries and servants on a campaign. In this case, the maximum number of soldiers, excluding the militia, could not exceed 9 thousand people. But, most likely, the real numbers are much more modest, since some of the knights died in the Battle of Legnica the year before.
Modern historians can say only one thing with confidence: none of the opposing sides had significant superiority. Perhaps Lev Gumilyov was right when he assumed that the Russians and Teutons collected 4 thousand soldiers each.