Official version of the event

Battle on the Ice, or the Battle of Lake Peipsi, is a battle between the Novgorodians and Vladimir people led by Prince Alexander Yaroslavich against the troops of the Livonian Order, which by that time included the Order of the Sword Bearers (after the defeat at Saul in 1236), in the area of ​​Lake Peipsi. The battle took place on April 5 (in terms of Gregorian calendar, i.e. according to the New Style - April 12) 1242. This was a general battle that put an end to the Order's aggressive campaign of 1240-1242.

The battle, like many events in Russia, is surrounded by a number of conjectures and myths. This article will examine the most famous myths of the Battle of the Ice.

The myth of the war with the Germans. Most ordinary people even know about this war. They will confidently say that the Russians fought with the Germans, the German knights. This is not entirely true. The word “Germans” is what we now call the inhabitants of Germany and Austria; in the 13th century, the word “German” meant “mute,” that is, not speaking Russian. “Germans” were the name given to representatives of many peoples of Europe who did not speak our language. The Livonian Chronicle reports that the army that went on a campaign to the lands of Pskov and Novgorod consisted of knights of the Livonian Order (at that time it was one of the departments of the Teutonic Order, located on the territory of the modern Baltic states), Danish vassals and militia from Yuriev-Dorpat. And the militia consisted of “Chudi”, as the Estonians (the ancestors of the Estonians) were then called. The war was of a religious nature - “ crusade“against heretics, which were considered adherents of the eastern branch of Christianity. But it cannot be called a war between Germans and Russians, since most of the soldiers were not Germans. This is typical for wars between Rus'-Russia-USSR; enemy troops are usually of a coalition nature.

The myth about the size of the invading army. Since the times of the USSR, some historians, when mentioning the number of armies clashing at Lake Peipus, indicate that the army of Alexander Yaroslavich numbered approximately 15-17 thousand people, 10-12 thousand soldiers of the Livonian Order fought against them. But given the fact that the population of European largest cities at that time did not exceed the figure of 20-30 thousand people; these figures on the size of the armies are questionable. Currently, authors have appeared who generally decided to “modernize” the battle to the level of a minor feudal skirmish. Revisionist historians rely on a Livonian source that reported the loss of 20 brothers and 6 prisoners.

But these scientists forget the fact that a noble warrior, a knight, did not fight alone, or only with a squire. The knightly “spear”, a combat tactical unit, included squires, servants-“bodyguards”, and professional soldiers. The number of “spears” could be up to 100 people. We must not forget the auxiliary units of the Chud militia, which the knights did not consider as people at all and did not take into account. Therefore, the Novgorod chronicle claims that the German losses amounted to 400 people killed, and 50 people were captured, and also “the people were killed.” Russian chroniclers apparently counted all “Germans,” regardless of clan and tribe, knights and ordinary soldiers, servants.

Therefore, the most trustworthy figures are those of researchers who claim that the order’s army consisted of about 150 knights, one thousand and a half bollards (soldiers) and two thousand Estonian militia. Novgorod and its allies were able to oppose them with about 4-5 thousand fighters. That is, neither side had significant superiority.

The myth about heavily armed knights and lightly armed warriors of Alexander Nevsky. This is one of the most popular misconceptions, replicated in numerous works. According to him, the armor of the warrior of the order was 2-3 times heavier than the Russians. Thanks to this myth, discussions about the tactics of the Russian prince appeared. Allegedly, this is why the ice on Lake Peipus broke, and part of the German army simply drowned. In reality, Russian and order warriors were protected approximately equally, and the weight of the armor was almost equal. Yes and plate armor, which usually depict Livonian knights in novels and films, appeared much later - in the 14th-15th centuries. Western Knights The 13th century, like Russian warriors, put on a steel helmet and chain mail before battle. They could be reinforced with solid forged breastplates and shoulder pads - they protected the chest from blows from the front and the shoulders from slashing blows from above. The warriors' arms and legs were covered with bracers and greaves. This protective equipment weighed 15-20 kilograms. And even then, not everyone had such protective weapons, but only the most noble and rich, or the prince’s warriors. Simple Novgorod and Chud militias did not have such defensive weapons.

If you carefully study the diagram of the Battle of the Ice, you will see that the order’s warriors fell through the ice not at all where the battle was taking place. This happened later: already retreating, some of the soldiers accidentally ran into a “sigovich”. Near the island of Voronii, or Crow Stone, its coastline is Cape Sigovets - from the name of the whitefish. There, due to the characteristics of the current, the ice is weak.

The main merit of Alexander Yaroslavich in this battle is that the Russian prince correctly chose the place of the battle and managed to break the order’s formation with a “pig” (wedge). The essence of the formation is that the knights, concentrating infantry units in the center and covering them on the flanks with knightly cavalry, as usual attacked “head-on”, hoping to simply crush the main forces of the Russian army. Alexander placed his weakest units in the center - the Novgorod militias and infantry. They tied up the order's wedge in battle, while it was wasting time; the main forces of the Russian army entered from the flanks and rear. “Pig” lost its striking power and was doomed. According to Russian sources, the prince’s soldiers drove the defeated forces of the order seven miles to the far shore of Lake Peipus.

In the first edition of the Novgorod Chronicle there is no message about falling through the ice; this fact was added a century after the battle. There is no such information in the Livonian Chronicle. So, it is very possible that the knights of the order drowning in the ice are also just a beautiful myth.

Battle of Raven Stone. In reality, researchers do not know where the battle took place. This is just one of several places where the battle may have taken place. Novgorod sources, speaking about the location of the battle, point to the Raven Stone. But where this very Raven Stone is located, researchers still argue to this day. Some historians believe that this was the name of the island, which is now called Vorony, others say that the stone was once high sandstone, which over the centuries was washed away by the current. The Livonian chronicle reports that the defeated fighters fell on the grass, so the battle could have taken place not on the ice of the lake, but on the shore, where dry reeds could have easily passed for grass. And the already defeated, fleeing “Germans” were pursued by Russian soldiers across the ice of the lake.

Many are confused by the fact that even with the help of the most modern equipment, no armor of the 13th century has yet been found in the lake, which is why some revisionist historians have even put forward the hypothesis that there was no battle. Although in reality, if there was no failure through the ice, there is nothing surprising. Weapons and armor were valuable loot, even broken ones (the metal went to the forges), and the bodies were buried. As a result, not a single research expedition has ever established a reliable location for the Battle of the Ice.

Perhaps the only thing that is certain is that the battle of 1242 really happened. We are in Once again prevailed over the Western invaders.

I would like to hope that when we film New film about that battle, it will retain the spirit of the old film, but will be free of historical inaccuracies.

Sources:
Begunov Yu. Alexander Nevsky. M., 2009.
Pashuto V. T. Alexander Nevsky M., 1974.
http://livonia.narod.ru/research/ice_battle/rifma_introduce.htm

What was embellished and left unsaid in the chronicles of the famous battle

What were we taught in school lessons stories? When German dog knights moved to Rus' with the goal of capturing our cities, the Novgorodians invited Alexander Nevsky, and he and his squad liberated Pskov. And on April 5, 1242, he lured the enemies of the Russian land onto the ice of Lake Peipus, where they safely drowned along with their armor - and about what Eisenstein made his great, without exaggeration, film. Is this how it really happened?

Who were those Germans?

In those years in Rus', Germans were called not only the Germans themselves, but also the Danes, the French, the Finns, and many others. In general, those who did not know the great and powerful Russian language did not know how to express themselves in words in a conversation with Russians - which means they were dumb. So what kind of people came out as “pig” in 1242 (the method of construction is approx. edit.) on April ice?

If you believe the Livonian Chronicle, the army that moved to Rus' in the summer of 1240 consisted of knights of the Livonian Order (that was the name of the division of the Teutonic Order, which was based in the territory of the present Baltic states), Danish vassals and the Dorpat militia. It’s difficult to call this army German. One thing is certain - real crusaders went to Rus', believing that they were bringing the light of true religion to the Russian barbarians.

How many people fought

Many Soviet historians cited the following figures: from 15 to 17 thousand people – the number of Alexander Nevsky’s troops, from 10 to 12 thousand – the number of German troops. Could this really be - if in medieval cities like Paris, Cologne and the same Novgorod in those days there lived 20-30 thousand, including women, children and old people? The figures cited by modern researchers look much more convincing: no more than five thousand fighters acted on both sides.

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Some historians go to the other extreme, arguing that the Battle of the Ice was nothing more than a minor skirmish: they say, the Livonian Chronicle says that only 20 “brothers”, that is, knights, were lost killed and captured. However, here it should be remembered that only noble people were called knights, for each of whom there were a hundred commoners - bollards (horsemen), archers, and spearmen. The Livonian chroniclers did not take them into account - unlike the Russian scribes who compiled the Novgorod chronicle, which states that German losses were 400 killed and 50 prisoners.

How much did the armor weigh?

We all remember from childhood that the “German knights” wore terribly heavy armor, the weight of which could not withstand the ice on Lake Peipsi; Russian warriors did not wear such armor and therefore did not fall through the ice. In fact, the plate armor in which it is customary to depict European knights, appeared a century later. Warriors from the Livonian Order wore approximately the same thing as Russian warriors: on the body - chain mail, on top of it - a mirror or brigandine (a leather shirt with steel plates sewn into it), a steel helmet on the head, "bracers" on the hands, legs "greaves". This vestment weighed about 20 kg. And, by the way, not everyone wore it, but only noble and rich warriors - the metal was very expensive.

Who fell through the ice

Accordingly, the main merit of Alexander Nevsky is not that he lured heavily armed knights onto the ice. Moreover, if you look at the map of the battle carefully, it becomes clear that the warriors fell through the ice not in the place where the battle was taking place, but already during the retreat - some of the knights, retreating, went to a place where there was a current under the ice and the water was bad was freezing. As for Alexander’s military tactics, it was as follows: he knew that the Livonian knights tend to attack head-on - and lured them into a trap: he placed lightly armed warriors in their path, who quickly began to retreat; the enemy, chasing them, ran into the steep shore of the lake, and then the main forces of the Russians hit him from the sides and rear; At the same time, Nevsky’s own cavalry detachment, which had previously been hiding in an ambush, entered the battle.

By the way, there are no descriptions of knights falling through the ice either in the first Novgorod or in the Livonian chronicles; Russian chroniclers added it later, a hundred years after the battle.

Where did the battle take place?

According to the scheme of the Battle of the Ice, it took place on the eastern shore of Lake Peipsi, not far from its connection with Lake Pskov. However, this is just one of the supposed battle sites.

Novgorod chroniclers indicated the location of the battle as “at the Crow Stone.” What kind of Crow Stone it is, they have never finally found out: some believe that it is Crow Island in the lake, others believe that this was the name of the high sandstone, which was washed away by water over the years since the massacre. In the Livonian chronicles it is even mentioned that the slain knights fell on the grass - that is, the battle could have taken place on the shore; in the middle of a frozen lake there could be no grass, even dry grass from last year. In favor latest version This is evidenced by the fact that no sunken armor has ever been found at the bottom of Lake Peipus.17

Snowy landscapes, thousands of warriors, a frozen lake and crusaders falling through the ice under the weight of their own armor. For many, the battle, which according to the chronicles took place on April 5, 1242, is not much different from the footage from Sergei Eisenstein’s film “Alexander Nevsky”. But was it really so?

The myth of what we know about the Battle of the Ice

The Battle of the Ice truly became one of the most resonant events of the 13th century, reflected not only in “domestic” but also in Western chronicles. And at first glance, it seems that we have enough documents to thoroughly study all the “components” of the battle. But upon closer examination, it turns out that the popularity of a historical plot is not at all a guarantee of its comprehensive study.

Thus, the most detailed (and most quoted) description of the battle, recorded “hot on its heels,” is contained in the first Novgorod chronicle of the older edition. And this description is just over 100 words. Other references are even more succinct. Moreover, sometimes they include mutually exclusive information. For example, in the most authoritative Western source - the Elder Livonian Rhymed Chronicle - there is not a word that the battle took place on the lake. The lives of Alexander Nevsky can be considered a kind of “synthesis” of early chronicle references to the clash, but, according to experts, they are literary work and therefore can be used as a source only with “great restrictions.” As for the historical works of the 19th century, it is believed that they did not bring anything fundamentally new to the study of the Battle of the Ice, mainly retelling what was already stated in the chronicles. The beginning of the 20th century is characterized by an ideological rethinking of the battle, when the symbolic meaning of victory over “German knightly aggression” was brought to the fore. According to historian Igor Danilevsky, before the release of Sergei Eisenstein’s film “Alexander Nevsky,” the study of the Battle of the Ice was not even included in university lecture courses.

The myth of a united Rus'

In the minds of many, the Battle of the Ice is a victory of the united Russian troops over the forces of the German crusaders. Such a “generalizing” idea of ​​the battle was formed already in the 20th century, in the realities of the Great Patriotic War, when Germany was the main rival of the USSR. However, 775 years ago, the Battle of the Ice was more of a “local” than a national conflict. In the 13th century, Rus' was experiencing a period of feudal fragmentation and consisted of about 20 independent principalities. Moreover, the policies of cities that formally belonged to the same territory could differ significantly. Thus, de jure Pskov and Novgorod were located in the Novgorod land, one of the largest territorial units of Rus' at that time. De facto, each of these cities was an “autonomy”, with its own political and economic interests. This also concerned relations with its closest neighbors in the Eastern Baltic. One of these neighbors was the Catholic Order of the Swordsmen, which, after the defeat in the Battle of Saul (Šiauliai) in 1236, was annexed to the Teutonic Order as the Livonian Landmaster. The latter became part of the so-called Livonian Confederation, which, in addition to the Order, included five Baltic bishoprics. Indeed, Novgorod and Pskov are independent lands, which are also at enmity with each other: Pskov was always trying to get rid of the influence of Novgorod. There can be no talk of any unity of Russian lands in the 13th century - Igor Danilevsky, history specialist Ancient Rus'

As historian Igor Danilevsky notes, the main cause of territorial conflicts between Novgorod and the Order was the lands of the Estonians who lived on the western shore of Lake Peipsi (the medieval population of modern Estonia, who appeared in most Russian-language chronicles under the name “Chud”). At the same time, the campaigns organized by the Novgorodians practically did not affect the interests of other lands. The exception was the “border” Pskov, which was constantly subject to retaliatory raids by the Livonians. According to the historian Alexei Valerov, it was the need to simultaneously resist both the forces of the Order and the regular attempts of Novgorod to encroach on the independence of the city that could force Pskov in 1240 to “open the gates” to the Livonians. In addition, the city was seriously weakened after the defeat at Izborsk and, presumably, was not capable of long-term resistance to the crusaders. By recognizing the power of the Germans, Pskov hoped to defend itself from the claims of Novgorod. Nevertheless, the forced nature of the surrender of Pskov is beyond doubt - Alexey Valerov, historian

At the same time, as the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle reports, in 1242 there was not a full-fledged “German army” in the city, but only two knights-vogts (presumably accompanied by small detachments), which, according to Valerov, performed judicial functions on controlled lands and monitored the activities of the “local Pskov administration.” Further, as we know from the chronicles, the Novgorod prince Alexander Yaroslavich, together with his younger brother Andrei Yaroslavich (sent by their father, Prince of Vladimir Yaroslav Vsevolodovich) “expelled” the Germans from Pskov, after which they continued their campaign, going “to Chud” (i.e., to the lands of the Livonian Landmaster). Where they were met by the combined forces of the Order and Dorpat bishop.

The myth of the scale of the battle

Thanks to the Novgorod Chronicle, we know that April 5, 1242 was a Saturday. Everything else is not so clear. Difficulties begin already when trying to determine the number of participants in the battle. The only figures we have tell us about losses in the ranks of the Germans. Thus, the Novgorod First Chronicle reports about 400 killed and 50 prisoners, the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle - that “twenty brothers were killed and six were captured.” Researchers believe that these data are not as contradictory as it seems at first glance. We We believe that when critically assessing the number of knights killed during the Battle of the Ice, reported in the Rhymed Chronicle, one must keep in mind that the chronicler is not talking about the losses of the crusader army in general, but only about the number of killed “brother knights”, i.e. knights - full members of the order - from the book "Written sources about the Battle of the Ice" (Begunov Y.K., Kleinenberg I.E., Shaskolsky I.P.)
Historians Igor Danilevsky and Klim Zhukov agree that several hundred people took part in the battle.

So, on the German side, these are 35–40 brother knights, about 160 knechts (an average of four servants per knight) and mercenaries-ests (“Chud without number”), who could “expand” the detachment by another 100–200 warriors . Moreover, by the standards of the 13th century, such an army was considered a fairly serious force (presumably, in its heyday, the maximum number of the former Order of the Swordsmen, in principle, did not exceed 100–120 knights). The author of the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle also complained that there were almost 60 times more Russians, which, according to Danilevsky, although an exaggeration, still gives reason to assume that Alexander’s army significantly exceeded the forces of the crusaders. Thus, the maximum number of the Novgorod the city regiment, the princely squad of Alexander, the Suzdal detachment of his brother Andrei and the Pskovites who joined the campaign hardly exceeded 800 people.

From chronicle reports we also know that the German detachment was lined up as a “pig”. According to Klim Zhukov, we are most likely not talking about a “trapezoidal” pig, which we are used to seeing in diagrams in textbooks, but about a “rectangular” one. (since the first description of the “trapezoid” in written sources appeared only in the 15th century). Also, according to historians, the estimated size of the Livonian army gives grounds to talk about the traditional formation of the “hound of banners”: 35 knights making up the “wedge of banners”, plus their detachments (totalling up to 400 people). As for the tactics of the Russian army, in the Rhymed Chronicle it is only mentioned that “the Russians had many riflemen” (who, apparently, made up the first formation), and that “the army of the brothers was surrounded.” We don’t know anything more about this. All thoughts on how Alexander and Andrey lined up their detachment - speculation and fiction emanating from " common sense"Writers: Igor Danilevsky, specialist in the history of Ancient Rus'

The myth that the Livonian warrior is heavier than the Novgorod one

There is also a stereotype according to which the combat clothing of Russian soldiers was many times lighter than the Livonian one. According to historians, if there was a difference in weight, it was extremely insignificant. After all, on both sides, only heavily armed horsemen took part in the battle (it is believed that all assumptions about infantrymen are a transfer of the military realities of subsequent centuries to the realities of the 13th century).

Logically, even the weight of a war horse, without taking into account the rider, would be enough to break through the fragile April ice. So, did it make sense to send troops against it in such conditions?

The myth of the battle on ice and drowned knights

Let us immediately disappoint: there are no descriptions of how German knights fall through the ice in any of the early chronicles. Moreover, in the Livonian Chronicle there is a rather strange phrase: “On both sides, the dead fell on the grass.” Some commentators believe that this is an idiom meaning “to fall on the battlefield” (version of the medievalist historian Igor Kleinenberg), others - that we are talking about thickets of reeds that made their way from under the ice in the shallow waters where the battle took place (version of the Soviet military historian Georgy Karaev, shown on the map). As for the chronicle references to the fact that the Germans were driven “on the ice,” modern researchers agree that this detail of the Battle of the Ice could have been “borrowed” from the description of the later Battle of Rakovor (1268) . According to Igor Danilevsky, reports that Russian troops drove the enemy seven miles (“to the Subolichi shore”) are quite justified for the scale of the Rakovor battle, but look strange in the context of the battle on Lake Peipus, where the distance from shore to shore in the supposed location the battle is no more than 2 km.

Speaking about the “Raven Stone” (a geographical landmark mentioned in part of the chronicles), historians emphasize that any map indicating a specific location of the battle is nothing more than a version. No one knows where exactly the massacre took place: the sources contain too little information to draw any conclusions. In particular, Klim Zhukov is based on the fact that during archaeological expeditions in the area of ​​Lake Peipsi, not a single “confirming” burial was discovered. The researcher associates the lack of evidence not with the mythical nature of the battle, but with looting: in the 13th century, iron was very highly valued, and it is unlikely that the weapons and armor of the dead soldiers could have remained intact to this day.

The Myth of the Battle's Geopolitical Significance

In the minds of many, the Battle of the Ice “stands apart” and is perhaps the only “action-packed” battle of its time. And it really became one of the significant battles of the Middle Ages, “suspending” the conflict between Rus' and the Livonian Order for almost 10 years. Nevertheless, the 13th century was rich in other events. From the point of view of the clash with the crusaders, these included the battle with the Swedes on the Neva in 1240 year, and the already mentioned Battle of Rakovor, during which the united army of seven Northern Russian principalities came out against the Livonian Landmaster and Danish Estland. The Novgorod chronicler did not exaggerate at all, describing the Battle of Rakovor in 1268, in which the combined forces of several Russian lands, themselves suffering heavy losses, inflicted a crushing defeat on the Germans and Danes: “there was a terrible massacre, as if neither father nor grandfather had seen” - Igor Danilevsky, “Battle on the Ice: a change of image”

Also, the 13th century was the time of the Horde invasion. Despite the fact that the key battles of this era (the Battle of Kalka and the capture of Ryazan) did not directly affect the North-West, they significantly influenced the future political system medieval Rus' and all its components. Moreover, if we compare the scale of the Teutonic and Horde threats, then the difference is calculated in tens of thousands of soldiers. Thus, the maximum number of crusaders who ever participated in campaigns against Rus' rarely exceeded 1000 people, while the estimated maximum number of participants in the Russian campaign from the Horde was up to 40 thousand (version by historian Klim Zhukov).
TASS expresses gratitude for the assistance in preparing the material to the historian and specialist on Ancient Rus' Igor Nikolaevich Danilevsky and the military historian and medievalist Klim Aleksandrovich Zhukov.

The Battle of the Ice and other “myths” of Russian history Bychkov Alexey Alexandrovich

Official version of the event

Official version of the event

From the Novgorod first chronicle of the older and younger editions we know that:

1) having expelled the Germans from Pskov, Prince Alexander Yaroslavich “went to Chud himself. And as if on earth, let the regiment prosper,” that is, invaded the boundaries of the possessions of the Livonian Order;

2) Domash Tverdislavich and Kerbet were moved forward for reconnaissance; “at the bridge” they met the Germans and entered into battle with them; Domash was killed and his detachment was defeated; the remnants of the detachment ran to Alexander Yaroslavich;

3) having learned that Domash’s detachment was defeated, Prince Alexander Yaroslavich “returned to the lake,” that is, he retreated back to the lake;

4) “The Germans and Chud followed them,” that is, they began to pursue them.

The Livonian “Rhymed Chronicle” talks about this as follows:

1) Prince Alexander burst “into the land of the brothers”, having with him an army from Suzdal and archers;

2) the invasion was accompanied by fires and the removal of the population;

3) having learned about this, the bishop immediately sent his soldiers to join the knightly army to join the fight against the Russians;

4) the knightly army quickly prepared and set out on a campaign.

The Livonian “Rhymed Chronicle” does not mention the clash with the detachment of Domash and Kerbet.

From a comparison of these two sources it can be seen that:

a) Alexander Yaroslavich, having invaded the possessions of the Livonian Order, “let the entire regiment prosper,” that is, he placed the army that was with him in settlements, without going far into the knightly lands;

b) forward, apparently in the direction of Dorpat, a detachment of Domash and Kerbet was sent on horseback reconnaissance;

c) speaking about the composition of the Russian army that carried out the attack, the Livonian chronicler mentions “her von Susdal”, which can be understood as the squad of Alexander Yaroslavich and archers, i.e. light infantry;

d) the invasion of the Russian army caused great alarm in Dorpat; to repel him, all the forces of the order were mobilized, right down to the episcopal spearmen;

e) the knightly army quickly gathered and marched against the Russians;

f) it met the detachment of Domash and Kerbet and defeated it; the remnants of the detachment “came running to the prince’s regiment”;

g) Having learned about the approach of the knightly army, Prince Alexander Yaroslavich retreated back to the lake.

The Novgorod first chronicle of the older and younger editions reports about subsequent events:

1) Alexander Yaroslavich “placed a regiment on Lake Peipus, on Uzmen, at Voronya Kameni,” that is, he formed an army in battle formation to meet the enemy;

2) “and ran into the regiment of Nemtsi and Chud and knocked a pig through the regiment” - the knights, accompanied by infantry, attacked Russian army and with their compact battle formation they broke through his formation;

3) there was a “great slaughter here by the Germans and the Chud,” that is, a fierce battle in which the knights and the infantry from the Baltic tribes who were with them were beaten; “The Germans are falling, and Chud is dashing,” the chronicle reports;

4) “and, hound, they were beaten 7 versts along the ice to the Subolichsky shore” - the battle ended with the beating of those running on the ice for seven versts to the opposite Subolichsky shore.

It is very interesting to compare this testimony of the Russian chronicler with the record made by the Livonian chronicler. In the "Rhymed Chronicle" we read:

1) at the beginning of the battle, it was visible how the army of knights, having suppressed the shooters, penetrated the location of the Russian army, i.e. the first success was on the side of the knights;

2) then a fierce battle ensued - “the clanking of swords was heard and helmets were seen being cut apart. On both sides the dead fell on the grass”;

3) then the complete encirclement of everyone who was in the ranks of the knightly army;

5) the Russian chronicle supplements the information with a message about the flight of the Chud infantry and their pursuit across the ice of the lake.

So, Battle on the Ice 1242 g. The oldest evidence about the event that interests us is the “Elder Livonian Rhymed Chronicle,” which was recorded from the words of a participant in the battle shortly after 1278. Here is an excerpt from this chronicle, which describes the battle that interests us:

Old Livonian rhymed chronicle

Lines 2065–2294: “Let us now interrupt this narrative and talk again about how the affairs of the Teutonic Order initially went in Livonia. Bishop German of Dorpat at this time began to quarrel with the Russians. They wanted to rise up against Christianity as before. Their blasphemy brought them much grief. They had done him enough harm. He endured this for a long time until he asked the brother knights for help. The master arrived to him immediately and brought to him many brave heroes, brave and excellent. The king's men arrived there with a considerable force; Bishop Herman rejoiced at this. With this army they then joyfully moved to the Russian land.

Battle on the Ice. Estimated situation before the start of the battle

Scheme of the proposed battle

They did very well there. There they approached the castle; the castle did not rejoice at their arrival. We attacked them (the Russians) and captured their castle. This castle was called Izborsk. Not a single Russian was allowed to escape unharmed. Those who defended themselves were captured or killed. Screams and lamentations were heard: a great cry began everywhere in that land. Residents of Pskov did not rejoice at this news at that time. This is the name of the city located in Rus'. There are people of very tough character there, they were neighbors of this captured Izborsk castle. They did not hesitate, they got ready to go on a campaign and galloped there menacingly, many were in shiny armor; their helmets shone like glass. There were many shooters with them. They met an army of brother knights; they resisted them. The brother knights and the king's men boldly attacked the Russians. Bishop Herman was there like a hero with his squad.

Has begun brutal fight: the Germans inflicted deep wounds, the Russians endured big damage: Eight hundred of them were killed, they fell on the battlefield. They were defeated at Izborsk.

The rest then fled, being pursued in disorder towards their home.

The Russians strongly urged their horses with whips and spurs; they thought that everyone was dead: the journey seemed very long to them.

The forest rang with sorrowful cries. They were all in a hurry to go home; an army of brother knights followed them. The river is called Mode: the brothers-knights crossed with great strength behind them to the other bank; they led many brave warriors. Pskovites were not happy with guests then.

The brother knights pitched their tents in front of Pskov on beautiful field. The bishop and the king's men also camped very comfortably. Many knights and servants have well earned their right to fief here. The army was given the order to prepare for battle, and at the same time they made it clear to the participants in the campaign that they would also launch an attack.

The Russians noticed that many detachments intended to storm both the castle and the settlement. The Russians were exhausted from the battle near Izborsk: they surrendered to the order, as they feared greater misfortune. Then peace negotiations began.

Peace was then concluded with the Russians on such terms that Herpolt, who was their prince, of his own free will left the castles and good lands in the hands of the Teutonic brothers, to be ruled by a master. Then the assault on Pskov did not take place.

After this reconciliation took place, they did not wait long; the army then gathered for the return journey. They were all filled with God's grace and praised God: they were grateful to him for so many things. When the army was ready for the return march, it joyfully left from there. There they left two brother knights, who were tasked with guarding the land, and a small force of Germans.

This later turned to their detriment: their dominance did not last long.

There is a city in Rus', it is called Novgorod. This news reached the Novgorod prince, he gathered with many troops against Pskov, this is the truth. He arrived there with great force; he brought many Russians to free the Pskovites.

They rejoiced at this with all their hearts. When he saw the Germans, he did not hesitate long after that, he expelled both brother knights, putting an end to their vogtism, and all their servants were driven away. None of the Germans remained there: they left the land to the Russians.

This is how the affairs of the brother knights went: if Pskov had been saved then, it would now have benefited Christianity until the very end of the world. This is bad luck.

Who conquered good lands and occupied them poorly military force, he will cry when he has a loss, when he is very likely to fail.

The Novgorod prince again went to his land.

It wasn't long after that it was calm. There is a large and wide city, which is also located in Rus': it is called Suzdal. Alexander was the name of the one who was his prince at that time: he ordered his army to prepare for the campaign.

The Russians were offended by their failures; They quickly got ready. Then Prince Alexander came out and with him many other Russians from Suzdal. They had countless bows and a lot of beautiful armor. Their banners were rich, their helmets radiated light.

So they headed to the land of the brother knights, strong in army.

Then the brother knights, quickly arming themselves, resisted them; but there were few of them (knights). In Dorpat they learned that Prince Alexander had come with an army to the land of the brother knights, causing robberies and fires.

The bishop did not ignore this; he quickly ordered the men of the bishopric to rush to the army of the brother knights to fight against the Russians.

What he ordered happened. After that, they did not hesitate for long; they joined the forces of the brother knights. They brought too few people, the army of the brother knights was also too small. However, they came to a consensus to attack the Russians. The Germans began to fight with them.

The Russians had many riflemen who bravely took the first onslaught, standing in front of the prince's squad.

It was seen how a detachment of brother knights defeated the shooters; there the clanking of swords could be heard, and helmets could be seen being cut apart.

On both sides the dead fell onto the grass. Those who were in the army of the brother knights were surrounded. The Russians had such an army that each German was attacked by perhaps sixty people. The brother knights resisted quite stubbornly, but they were defeated there. Some of the Dorpat residents left the battle, this was their salvation, they were forced to retreat. Twenty brother knights were killed there, and six were captured. This was the course of the battle.

Prince Alexander was glad that he won. He returned to his lands. However, this victory cost him many brave men who will never go camping again. As for the brother knights who were killed in this battle, which I have just read, they were later duly mourned with many fearless heroes who, at the call of God, devoted themselves to life among the brother Teutons; very many of them have since been killed in the service of God.

They also have since conquered the good lands with armed force, as you will later learn.

This is where this story ends.

Master Herman Balk waged war against the Russians and pagans. He had to defend himself from both of them in a great war and thereby helped in the ruin of God’s enemies.

The bishop and the king's men supported him, everything that he undertook with them was done unanimously, as can be seen from the deeds themselves.

This book truly tells us that the reign of Master Herman Balk lasted five and a half years, after which he died.”

The “Rhymed Chronicle” tells us only the number of killed and captured knights, active members of the Teutonic Order. Nobody counted the number of killed soldiers from the detachments of Estonians (Chudi) subjugated by the Germans; they, as the chronicle puts it, “are innumerable.”

According to the chronicler, all these military actions are simply large, but ordinary clashes between Livonian feudal lords and Russians, caused by purely local reasons (Pskov raids on the lands of the Tartu bishop).

So what does the Chronicle tell us? The Russians insulted the Estonians. The Livonians attacked and captured Izborsk. 800 Russians were killed. After this they came to Pskov, ruled by Herpolt, who surrendered without a fight.

Then an unnamed Novgorod prince (possibly Andrei, brother of Alexander Nevsky) expelled the invaders.

Everything is back to normal.

But then the Suzdal prince Alexander with a detachment of archers attacked the Livonian lands. Knights stood up to protect the Estonians (Chudi). There was a fight. 20 knights were killed, the remaining 6 were captured. In addition to these 26, there were soldiers from Tartu, some of whom fled from the battlefield. The dead were left lying on the grass of their native land.

There is not a word about the Russian retreat beyond the lake and about the battle on the ice of Lake Peipsi.

The prince returned to Suzdal with glory.

This is what the Livonian chronicle reports, without indicating the exact date.

What about Russian chronicles?

Of the Russian sources, the earliest is the news of the Laurentian Chronicle, compiled in the second half of the 14th century, that is, a century later than the “Elder Livonian Rhymed Chronicle”:

“In the summer 6750. Grand Duke Yaroslav sent his son Andrey to Novgorod the Great, to help Alexander against the Germans, and defeated them beyond Pleskov on the lake, and captured many, and Andrei returned to his father with honor.”

This version only mentions Alexander, but the entire honor of the battle is attributed to Andrei, who led the Novgorod regiments, about which the Novgorod chronicles are silent. Thus, before us is undoubted Suzdal news, and ancient news, because Prince Andrei Yaroslavich was not a figure who left a grateful mark on his descendants and contemporaries.

And for the first time, 135 years later, the date of the battles is indicated - 1242.

From German sources, the date is given by Hermann von Wartberge (late 14th century) and Balthasar Russow (c. 1542–1602).

The Rostov chronicle news of the Battle of the Ice, reflected in the Academic List of the Suzdal Chronicle, is distinguished by its laconicism:

“In the summer of 6750. Alexander Yaroslavich went with the Novgorodians against the Germans and fought with them on Lake Peipus, at the Crow Stone, and Alexander won and drove 7 miles across the ice, cutting them off.”

These records, compiled in Rostov at the episcopal see and included in the Rostov vault, report two new facts:

(1) the battle of Prince Alexander with the Germans took place on Lake Peipsi, near the Crow Stone.

(2) and ended in complete victory for the Russians, who drove the enemies across the ice for 7 versts.

The most thorough and detailed story about the Battle of the Ice is in the Novgorod first chronicle of the older edition.

“In the summer of 6750. Prince Alexander went with the Novgorodians and with his brother Andrei and with the lower Cossacks (from the Nizovtsy) to the Peipus land against the Germans and occupied all the routes to Pleskov. And Prince Pleskov captured, driving out the Germans and Chud, and, having bound him, sent him to Novgorod, and he himself went to Chud. And when he was on the ground, he let the entire regiment go to their livelihoods, and Domash Tverdislavich and Kerbet were in dispersal, and the Germans and the Chud met them at the bridge, and fought here. And here they killed Domash, the mayor’s brother, an honest husband, and beat others with him, and caught others with their hands, and others ran to the prince’s army. The prince returned to the lake. The Germans almost attacked them. Seeing this, Prince Alexander and the Novgorodians stationed a regiment on Lake Peipsi, on Uzmen, at the Crow Stone. And the Germans and Chuds drove into the regiment and fought their way through the regiment like a pig. And there was a great slaughter here for the Germans and the Chuds. God and Saint Sophia and the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb, for their sake the Novgorodians shed their blood, God helped Prince Alexander with great prayers of those saints. And then the Germans fell, and the Chud began to flee; and, chasing them, beat them 7 miles on the ice to the Subolichsky coast. And countless miracles fell, and 400 Germans, and 50 Germans were seized and brought to Novgorod. And they fought in the month of April at 5, in memory of the holy martyr Claudius, for the praise of the Holy Mother of God, on Saturday.”

In the Synodal list, this story is written in the third semi-statutory hand of the 14th century. The story has a specific Novgorod flavor (it talks about the help of St. Sophia and princes Boris and Gleb, in contrast to the Pskov chronicles, which talks about the help of the Holy Trinity) and provides new interesting details:

1) in the liberation of Pskov, in addition to the Novgorodians with Prince Alexander, the Suzdal residents with Alexander’s brother Prince Andrey and the Don Cossacks took part;

2) before expelling the Germans from Pskov, Prince Alexander occupied all the roads leading to the city;

3) having expelled the Germans from Pskov, Prince Alexander sent prisoners to Novgorod, and he himself transferred military operations to the Peipus land;

4) Domash Tverdislavich, the mayor’s brother, and Kerbet were sent to “dispersal”, i.e., to mounted reconnaissance, while the main forces were occupied military operation for the purpose of collecting food and fodder from the population of the enemy side.

And what will the Pskov chronicles add to us:

Pskov 1st Chronicle (according to Tikhanovsky list)

“In the summer of 6750. Prince Alexander came and beat the Germans in the city of Pskov, and the city of Pskov delivered from the godless Germans with the help of the Holy Trinity. And fought with them on the ice; and God helped Prince Alexander and the men of Novgorod and Pskov; He beat them and tied them up and led them barefoot across the ice. This battle took place in the month of April on 1 day; and there was great joy in the city of Pskov. And Prince Alexander says: “O man of Pskov, behold, I tell you: if one of my nephews comes running in sorrow or comes to live in the city of Pskov, and you do not accept him and do not honor him, you will be called the second Jew.”

Pskov 2nd Chronicle

“In the summer of 6750. Prince Alexander, with the help of the Holy Trinity, beat the Germans in Pskov, and thus delivered the city of Pskov from foreign Germans; and fought with them on the ice and overcame them, on the 1st of April, beat them, tied them up and led them barefoot across the ice. And so he bequeathed the Pskovites with an oath, saying: “If in the future one of my tribesmen comes running in sorrow or comes to live with you, and you do not accept or honor him as a prince, then you will be damned and will be called the second Jew, who crucified Christ.”

Pskov 3rd Chronicle

“In the summer of 750, Prince Alexander beat the Germans in Pskov and the city of Pskov delivered the Germans from godless foreigners with the help of the Holy Trinity. And fought with them on the ice; and God helped Prince Alexander and the men of Novgorod and Pskov, beat them, tied them up, caught them with his hands, and led them barefoot across the ice, April 1, and there was great joy in Pskov. And Alexander says to the Pskovites: “I tell you this: if at last some of my fellow tribesmen or someone comes running in sorrow or so comes to live with you in Pskov, and you do not accept him, and do not honor him, and you will be called the second Jew.”

Vladimirsky early story about the Battle of the Ice was reflected in the Life of Alexander Nevsky in the first edition, compiled in the Nativity Monastery in Vladimir. We present here the text of the story about the Battle of the Ice based on the reconstructed original text.

After Alexandrova's victory, how he defeated the king, in the third year, in winter time, went to German land in great strength, so that they would not boast, saying: “Let us reproach the Slovenian language below ourselves.” The city of Pleskov had already been taken, and their tiuns were planted. Prince Alexander expelled them and freed the city of Pleskov from captivity. And he fought and burned their land, and took plenty of it without number, and cut up others. Other German cities united and said: “Let's go and defeat Alexander and capture him with our bare hands.” When the warriors approached, the Alexandrov guards noticed them. Prince Alexander took up arms against the enemy and covered Lake Peipus on both sides with many soldiers. His father Yaroslav sent his younger brother Andrei to help him with a multitude of squads. Also, Prince Alexander had many brave men, like King David in ancient times, strong and strong. So the Alexandrov men were filled with the military spirit: for their hearts were like the hearts of lions, and they decided: “Oh, our honest prince! Now the time has come for us to lay down our heads for you.” Prince Alexander, raising his hands to the sky, says: “Judge me, O God, and judge my judgment from the verbose tongue and help me, O God, as of old Moses against Amalek and my great-grandfather Yaroslav against the accursed Svyatopolk.”

It was then Saturday, sunrise, and both sides met. And there was an evil slash and a crackling sound from the breaking spears and a sound from the cutting of a sword, how could the frozen lake move? And no ice was visible: for it was covered in blood. I heard from an eyewitness who told me that he saw God’s regiment in the air, coming to the aid of Alexander. And so he won with the help of God, and the warriors ran and flogged them, chasing them as if through the air, and there was no consolation for them. Here God glorified Alexander before all the regiments, as well as Joshua at Jericho. And whoever said: “Let us capture Alexander with our hands,” God gave him into his hands. And he never found an opponent in battle.

And Prince Alexander returned with a glorious victory. And there were many in his regiment, and they were led barefoot next to the horses; they call themselves God’s warriors.

And as the prince approached the city of Pleskov, the abbots and priests in robes with crosses and all the people met him in front of the city, giving praise to God and glory to the lord Prince Alexander, singing the song: “Having helped the meek David to defeat the foreigners and our faithful prince with the weapon of the godfather and free the city of Pleskov from foreigners by the hand of Oleksandrova.”

Oh, ignorant Pleskovichi! If you forget this, even before the great-grandchildren of the Alexanders, and become like the Jews, the Lord fed them in the desert with manna and baked corncrake, and they all forgot about their god, who brought them out of slavery from Egypt.

And his name began to be glorified throughout all countries, and to the Sea of ​​Egypt, and to the mountains of Ararat, and on both sides of the Varangian Sea, and to the great Rome.”

“In the summer of 6771, Prince Alexander Nevsky reposed in monasticism and schema; was laid in Volodymyr at the Nativity of the Most Pure One in the monastery. According to him, his brother, Prince Yaroslav Yaroslavich Tverskoy, sat down in Volodymer and took over all power in the entire Russian and Kyiv land.”

The life of Alexander Nevsky is typical literary work in the genre of princely biography. It was created to glorify Prince Alexander Yaroslavich as an invincible warrior, like Vespasian, Samson, David, a defender of the Russian land and a locally revered saint, therefore, in the center of the Life there is an image of the prince, dear and close to his contemporaries, and historical events are nothing more than a secondary background . The general tendency of the author of the Life of Alexander Nevsky was the desire to strengthen the church overtones of the story about the Battle of the Ice: Prince Alexander wins victory with the help of God and the “heavenly powers”, the patron saints of Pskov, Novgorod and the Russian land. The story of the Life of the Battle of the Ice is replete with a mass of reminiscences and stable formulas taken from biblical books, from the proverbial reading in honor of Boris and Gleb, from the “History of the Jewish War” by Josephus, from South Russian chronicles (such as the Galician-Volyn Chronicle). As proved by V.I. Mansikka, the author of the Life, used the description of the battle between Yaroslav the Wise and Svyatopolk the Accursed from the proverbial reading in honor of Boris and Gleb:

“And Yaroslav came in great strength and stood on the field where Boris was killed; and, looking up to heaven, he said: “The blood of my brother cries out to you, lord! Avenge the blood of the righteous, as he avenged the blood of Abel and laid groaning and shaking on Cain; so put it on this accursed thing.” Having prayed, he says: “My brother, although he has left here in body, help me through prayer against this nasty and proud murderer!” And he told him this, and went against him, and a multitude of soldiers covered the field of Lita. It was Friday then, the sun was rising, at that time Svyatopolk and the Pechenegs arrived in time, and both came together, and there was an evil slaughter, and blood flowed through the valleys, and they came together three times and fought until dusk. And there was great thunder, and great rain, and lightning flashes. When the lightning flashed and the weapons shone in their hands, many of the faithful saw angels helping Yaroslav. Svyatopolk, frightened, ran.”

Description of the victory and flight of the enemies, as V.I. noted. Mansikka, is similar to a similar description of the victory of Titus over the Jews at Lake Gennesaret from the third book of the “History of the Jewish War” by Josephus: “Titus and his howl, chasing across the field, cut down. And those who want to flee to the city and return to those who persecuted before, it is not enough for them to flee.” The author of the Life makes extensive use of comparisons and parallels from biblical history (from the book of Kings and from the book of Joshua): the “men” of Alexander are compared with the “strong and strong” “brave” of David, Prince Alexander, who defeated the Germans, is compared with the meek David, those who defeated the Philistines; twice - into the mouths of the prince praying on the battlefield and into the mouths of the townspeople greeting the victorious prince - variations on the themes of the psalms of David are put into the mouth; the return of Prince Alexander from the Battle of the Ice has a parallel with the return of David after the victory over the Philistines, and the glory of Prince Alexander - with the glory of Joshua and David.

Thus, the story of the Life of Alexander Nevsky about the Battle of the Ice cannot be used as a historical source.

For history buffs, here are German sources on the battle of 1240.

Chronicle of the Teutonic Order (second half of the 15th century)

“This master Herman Balk fought in alliance with the king’s people against the Russians, who caused a lot of harm to the order, especially the Bishop of Dorpat Herman, and Master Herman came with force to a castle in Rus' called Izborkh, and here the Russians came out to meet them, and a fierce battle ensued . The Christians were victorious, and eight hundred Russians were killed there, others were put to flight, and many of them were taken prisoner. This master with his brother knights and army pitched their tents on the field in front of Pskov, which is the name of the city in Rus'. The master ordered everyone to prepare to storm the castle and city. The Russians asked for peace, and the Pskovites submitted to the order, and then peace was concluded with the Russians. Prince Herpolt agreed that the castle and the city and all the surrounding lands should pass into the hands of the order and their inhabitants would become Christians. The master occupied the city and the castle with a Christian detachment led by two of his brother knights, and everyone praised God and his most pure mother for big victory and returned to Livonia.

About Livonia.

During the time of this Master Conrad there was Big city in Rus', called Novgorod, and there was Prince Alexander. He learned that the Pskovites came under the rule of the Teutonic Order, during the time of Master Hermann von Salz, as described above. This Prince Alexander gathered with large army and with great strength he came to Pskov and took it. Despite the fact that the Christians defended themselves bravely, the Germans were defeated and captured and subjected to severe torture, and seventy knights of the order were killed there. Prince Alexander was glad of his victory, and the brother knights with their people who were killed there became martyrs in the name of God, glorified among Christians.”

As time passes, German sources begin to “correct” the story. 20 killed turn into 70. Andrei and the Novgorodians unite with the Suzdal prince Alexander into a single figure - Alexander of Novgorod.

“History of Livonia” by Johann Renner (16th century)

“The master also took Izborsk by storm. Russians there were captured or killed. When the Pskovites found out about this, they armed themselves and came to the aid of their own, where they fought bravely on both sides. But 800 Russians were killed, the battle took place near Izborsk in Rus', others fled, they were pursued by the Germans across the Muddov (Great) River to the city of Pskov and besieged it, and when they began to prepare for the attack, the Russians got scared and asked for peace. It was concluded on such conditions that the Russian prince Herpolt ceded castles and lands to the order so that the attack would not take place, which was observed. So, the master left two brother knights with many thousands of Germans to occupy the (Pskov) land and went home again, thus 9,000 Russians remained on the battlefield and died. When this became known to the Novgorod prince, he gathered a large army and came to the aid of the Pskov people, drove out both brother knights along with the Germans and reoccupied the land, after which he returned home again. Then Prince Alexander from Suzdal, which is also a large city in Rus', armed himself to avenge the harm caused by the Germans, and came with great force to Livonia, plundering and burning. The master armed himself against this. Likewise, Herman, Bishop of Dorpat, sent a lot of troops to help the order, and they came out to meet the Russians, and although they were weak in numbers, they still fought with the enemies, but they were defeated, since there were about 60 Russians per German. Here 20 order brothers were killed, and 6 were taken prisoner; many of the Dorpatites escaped. After Prince Alexander thus won the victory, he went home again, since he also lost many people.”

9000 fallen Russians - perhaps a typo, instead of the number 900.

Although the later the “primary source” was written, the higher the numbers of participants in the battles.

So, A.A. Strokov believes that approximately 15,000 people took part in the Battle of the Ice on each side. E.A. Razin expresses the opinion that the German army could number 10–12 thousand, and the Novgorod army - 15–17 thousand people.

At the same time, it is usually not reported what was happening in Rus' at the same time as the Battle of the Ice.

After all, shortly before this, there was an attack on Rus' by the Mongols, the destruction of Ryazan by Batu, the burning of the “evil city” of Kozelsk, and the military campaign of Mongol troops against Lithuania, where Sheybani Khan died on July 19.

I wonder how Alexander Nevsky defended Rus' from the Mongols?!

Master of the Teutonic Order from the Chronicle of Prussia

By decision of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, in 1958 an expedition was undertaken to the area of ​​the supposed site of the Battle of the Ice.

Archaeologists have not found any traces of the Battle of the Ice either on the lake or on its shores.

So did it even exist?! Or is this a myth about an event that could only have happened?

The only thing that really happened was that the Livonians captured Izborsk and Pskov, Andrei and his brother Alexander expelled the Livonian managers from Pskov. 20 German knights were killed in the battles and 6 were captured. A ransom was received for the prisoners, and they were released. That's all.

And only later Andrei was forgotten, and all the exploits, both those that happened and those that didn’t, were attributed to the more famous prince.

1. OFFICIAL BANDERA VERSION Today in Ukraine, history has become an instrument of lies at the level public policy. Having abandoned the Soviet past and poured mud on it, the elite of the “unfair”, in need of an ideological justification for the legitimacy of their own power,