The battle on the ice got its name. Ice Battle (briefly)
Sources brought to us very scarce information about the Battle of the Ice. This contributed to the fact that the battle was gradually overgrown with a large number of myths and conflicting facts.
Mongols again
The battle on Lake Peipsi is not entirely correct to call the victory of Russian squads over German chivalry, since the enemy, according to modern historians, was a coalition force that included, in addition to the Germans, 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 to 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. So, in 1241, Batu's troops defeated the Teutonic knights in the Battle of Legnica, and in 1269, the Mongolian detachments helped the Novgorodians defend the walls of the city from the invasion of the Crusaders.
Who went under water?
In Russian historiography, one of the factors that contributed to the victory of the Russian troops over the Teutonic and Livonian knights was the fragile spring ice and the bulky armor of the crusaders, which led to the mass flooding of the enemy. However, according to the historian Nikolai Karamzin, the winter that year was long and the spring ice preserved the fortress.
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 XIV-XV centuries, and in the XIII 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 gear, then the sunken ones should have been 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, due to the peculiarities of the current, there is rather weak ice. This gave rise to some researchers to suggest that the knights could fall through the ice exactly there when they crossed a dangerous area during the retreat.
Where was the massacre?
Researchers to this day cannot accurately establish the place where the Battle of the Ice took place. Novgorod sources, as well as historian Nikolai Kostomarov, say that the battle was near the Raven Stone. But the stone itself has never been found. According to some, it was high sandstone, washed away over time, others argue that this stone is the 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 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 also supported by modern research using the latest equipment on the bottom of Lake Peipsi, during which neither weapons nor armor of the XIII century were found. The excavations also failed on the shore. However, this is not difficult to explain: armor and weapons were very valuable booty, and even damaged ones could be quickly carried away.
However, back in Soviet times, the expeditionary group of the Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Sciences, led by Georgy Karaev, established the alleged place of the battle. According to researchers, this was a section of the Warm Lake, located 400 meters west of Cape Sigovets.
Number of parties
Soviet historians, determining the number of forces clashed on Lake Peipsi, state that the troops of Alexander Nevsky 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 give no more than 150 knights, who were joined by about 1.5 thousand knechts (soldiers) and 2 thousand militias. They were opposed by squads from Novgorod and Vladimir in the amount of 4-5 thousand soldiers.
It is rather difficult to determine the true balance of forces, since the number of German knights is not indicated in the annals. But they can be counted by the number of castles in the Baltic, which, according to historians, in the middle of the XIII century was 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 figures are much more modest, since some of the knights died in the Battle of Legnica the year before.
With confidence, modern historians can only say one thing: none of the opposing sides had significant superiority. Perhaps Lev Gumilyov was right, assuming that the Russians and the Teutons gathered 4 thousand soldiers each.
Victims
The number of those killed in the Battle of the Ice is as difficult to calculate as the number of participants. The Novgorod Chronicle reports on the victims of the enemy: “and the fall of Chud was beschisla, and Nemets 400, and 50 with the hands of a yash and brought to Novgorod.” But the Livonian rhymed chronicle speaks of only 20 dead and 6 captured knights, though not mentioning the victims among the soldiers and the militia. The Chronicle of Grandmasters, written later, reports the death of 70 order knights.
But none of the chronicles contain information about the losses of Russian troops. There is no consensus on this matter among historians, although according to some reports, the losses of Alexander Nevsky's troops were no less than those of the enemy.
The battle on the ice or the battle on Lake Peipsi is the battle of the Novgorod-Pskov army of Prince Alexander Nevsky with the troops of the Livonian knights, which took place on April 5, 1242 on the ice of Lake Peipus. She put a limit to the advancement of German chivalry to the East. Alexander Nevsky - Prince of Novgorod, Grand Duke of Kiev, Grand Duke of Vladimir, legendary commander, saint of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Causes
In the middle of the 13th century, foreign invaders threatened Russian lands from all sides. From the east, the Tatar-Mongols were advancing, from the north-west, the Livonians and Swedes claimed Russian land. In the latter case, the task of repelling fell on powerful Novgorod, which had a vested interest in not losing its influence in the region and, most importantly, in preventing control over trade with the Baltic countries by anyone.
How it all began
1239 - Alexander took measures to protect the Gulf of Finland and the Neva, which were strategically important for the Novgorodians, and therefore was ready for the invasion of the Swedes in 1240. In July, on the Neva, Alexander Yaroslavich, thanks to extraordinary and swift actions, was able to defeat the Swedish army. A number of Swedish ships were sunk, Russian losses were extremely insignificant. After that, Prince Alexander was nicknamed Nevsky.
The offensive of the Swedes was coordinated with the next attack of the Livonian Order. 1240, summer - they took the border fortress of Izborsk, and then captured Pskov. The situation for Novgorod became dangerous. Alexander, not counting on help from the Vladimir-Suzdal Rus devastated by the Tatars, laid on the boyars large expenses for preparing for the battle and, after the victory on the Neva, tried to consolidate his power in the Novgorod Republic. The boyars turned out to be stronger and in the winter of 1240 they were able to remove him from power.
And the German expansion, meanwhile, continued. 1241 - the Novgorod land of Vod was taxed, then Koporye was taken. The crusaders intended to capture the coast of the Neva and Karelia. A popular movement broke out in the city for an alliance with the Vladimir-Suzdal principality and the organization of a rebuff to the Germans, who were already 40 miles from Novgorod. The boyars had no choice but to ask Alexander Nevsky to return. This time he was given emergency powers.
With an army of Novgorodians, Ladoga, Izhorians and Karelians, Alexander drove the enemy out of Koporye, after which he liberated the lands of the Vod people. Yaroslav Vsevolodovich sent Vladimir regiments re-formed after the Tatar invasion to help his son. Alexander took Pskov, then moved to the lands of the Estonians.
Movement, composition, disposition of troops
The German army was located in the Yuryev area (aka Derpt, now Tartu). The order gathered significant forces - there were German knights, the local population, the troops of the King of Sweden. The army that opposed the knights on the ice of Lake Peipsi had a heterogeneous composition, but a single command in the person of Alexander. "Grassroots regiments" consisted of princely squads, squads of boyars, city regiments. The army that Novgorod put up had a fundamentally different composition.
When the Russian army was on the western shore of Lake Peipsi, here, near the village of Mooste, a patrol detachment led by Domash Tverdislavich reconnoitered the location of the main part of the German troops, started a battle with them, but was defeated. Intelligence managed to find out that the enemy sent insignificant forces to Izborsk, and the main parts of the army moved to Lake Pskov.
In an effort to prevent this movement of enemy troops, the prince ordered a retreat to the ice of Lake Peipsi. The Livonians, realizing that the Russians would not let them make a detour, went straight to their army and also stepped on the ice of the lake. Alexander Nevsky deployed his army under the steep eastern bank, north of the Uzmen tract near the island of Voronii Kamen, against the mouth of the Zhelcha River.
Battle of the Ice
The two armies met on Saturday 5 April 1242. According to one version, Alexander had 15,000 soldiers at his disposal, and the Livonians had 12,000 soldiers. The prince, knowing about the tactics of the Germans, weakened the "brow" and strengthened the "wings" of his battle formation. The personal squad of Alexander Nevsky took refuge behind one of the flanks. A significant part of the prince's army was a foot militia.
The Crusaders traditionally advanced in a wedge ("pig") - a deep formation, shaped like a trapezoid, the upper base of which was turned towards the enemy. At the head of the wedge were the strongest of the warriors. The infantry, as the most unreliable and often not at all a knightly part of the army, was located in the center of the battle formation, mounted knights covered it in front and behind.
At the first stage of the battle, the knights were able to defeat the advanced Russian regiment, and then broke through the "brow" of the Novgorod military order. When, after some time, they scattered the "brow" and rested against the steep, precipitous shore of the lake, they had to turn around, which was not easy to do for a deep formation on the ice. In the meantime, Alexander's strong "wings" struck from the flanks, and his personal squad completed the encirclement of the knights.
A stubborn battle was going on, the whole neighborhood was resounded with shouts, crackling and clanging of weapons. But the fate of the crusaders was sealed. The Novgorodians dragged them off their horses with spears with special hooks, ripped open the stomachs of their horses with knives - “bootmakers”. Crowded in a narrow space, skillful Livonian warriors could not do anything. Stories about how ice cracked under heavy knights are widely popular, but it should be noted that a fully armed Russian knight weighed no less. Another thing is that the crusaders did not have the opportunity to move freely and they crowded into a small area.
In general, the complexity and danger of conducting hostilities with the help of cavalry on ice in early April leads some historians to conclude that the general course of the Battle on the Ice was distorted in the annals. They believe that not a single sane commander would have led an army rattling with iron and riding horses to fight on the ice. Probably, the battle began on land, and during it the Russians were able to push the enemy back onto the ice of Lake Peipus. Those knights who were able to escape were pursued by the Russians to the Subolich coast.
Losses
The question of the losses of the parties in the battle is controversial. During the battle, about 400 crusaders were killed, and many Estonians fell, attracted by them into their army. The Russian annals say: “and the fall of Chudi was beschisla, and Nemets 400, and 50 with the hands of Yash and brought to Novgorod.” The death and capture of such a large number of professional soldiers by European standards turned out to be a rather heavy defeat, bordering on disaster. About Russian losses it is said vaguely: "many brave soldiers fell." As you can see, the losses of the Novgorodians were actually heavy.
Meaning
The legendary battle and the victory of the troops of Alexander Nevsky in it was of exceptional importance for the entire Russian history. The advance of the Livonian Order to Russian lands was stopped, the local population was not converted to Catholicism, and access to the Baltic Sea was preserved. After the victory, the Novgorod Republic, headed by the prince, moved from defensive tasks to the conquest of new territories. Nevsky made several successful campaigns against the Lithuanians.
The blow inflicted on the knights on Lake Peipus reverberated throughout the Baltic. The 30,000th Lithuanian army launched large-scale military operations against the Germans. In the same year, 1242, a powerful uprising broke out in Prussia. The Livonian knights sent ambassadors to Novgorod, who reported that the order renounces claims to the land of Vod, Pskov, Luga and asks for an exchange of prisoners, which was done. The words that were spoken to the ambassadors by the prince: “Whoever comes to us with a sword, will die by the sword,” became the motto of many generations of Russian commanders. For his military exploits, Alexander Nevsky was awarded the highest award - he was canonized by the church and declared a Saint.
German historians believe that while fighting on the western borders, Alexander Nevsky was not pursuing any coherent political program, but that success in the West provided some compensation for the horrors of the Mongol invasion. Many of the researchers believe that the very scale of the threat that the West posed to Rus' is exaggerated.
On the other hand, L. N. Gumilyov, on the contrary, believed that not the Tatar-Mongol "yoke", but precisely Catholic Western Europe, represented by the Teutonic Order and the Archbishopric of Riga, was a mortal threat to the very existence of Rus', and therefore the role of Alexander's victories Nevsky in Russian history is especially great.
Due to the variability of the hydrography of Lake Peipus, historians for a long time could not accurately determine the place where the Battle of the Ice took place. Only thanks to long-term research, which was carried out by the expedition of the Institute of Archeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, they were able to establish the place of the battle. The battle site is submerged in summer and is located about 400 meters from the island of Sigovets.
Memory
The monument to the squads of Alexander Nevsky was erected in 1993, on Mount Sokolikha in Pskov, almost 100 km away from the actual battlefield. Initially, it was planned to create a monument on the island of Voronie, which geographically would be a more accurate solution.
1992 - in the village of Kobylye Gorodishche, Gdovsky District, in a place close to the alleged battle site, near the Church of the Archangel Michael, a bronze monument to Alexander Nevsky and a wooden bow cross were erected. The Church of the Archangel Michael was founded by the people of Pskov in 1462. The wooden cross was destroyed over time under the influence of adverse weather conditions. 2006, July - on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the first mention of the village of Kobylye Gorodishche in the Pskov Chronicles, it was replaced with a bronze one.
Battle on the Ice, artist Serov V.A. (1865-19110
When the event happened : 5 April 1242
Where did the event take place : Lake Peipus (near Pskov)
Members:
The troops of the Novgorod Republic and the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality under the leadership of Alexander Nevsky and Andrei Yaroslavich
Livonian Order, Denmark. Commander - Andres von Velven
Causes
Livonian order:
Capture of Russian territories in the northwest
Spread of Catholicism
Russian troops:
Defense of the northwestern borders from the German knights
Prevention of subsequent threats of attack on Rus' by the Livonian Order
Defending access to the Baltic Sea, the possibility of trade with Europe
Defense of the Orthodox Faith
move
In 1240, the Livonian knights captured Pskov and Koporye
In 1241, Alexander Nevsky recaptured Koporye.
At the beginning of 1242, Nevsky with his brother Andrei Yaroslavich of Suzdal took Pskov.
The knights were lined up in a battle wedge: heavy knights on the flanks, and light ones in the center. In Russian chronicles, such a formation was called a "great pig."
First, the knights attacked the center of the Russian troops, thinking to surround them from the flanks. However, they themselves were trapped in pincers. Moreover, Alexander introduced an ambush regiment.
The knights began to be pushed to the lake, on which the ice was no longer strong. Most of the knights drowned. Only a few managed to escape.
Results
Eliminated the threat of the capture of the northwestern lands
Trade relations with Europe were preserved, Rus' defended access to the Baltic Sea.
According to the agreement, the knights left all the conquered lands and returned the prisoners. The Russians also returned all the prisoners.
For a long time the raids of the West on Rus' stopped.
Meaning
The defeat of the German knights is a bright page in the history of Rus'.
For the first time, foot Russian soldiers were able to defeat heavily armed cavalry.
The significance of the battle is also great in the sense that the victory took place during the period of the Mongol-Tatar yoke. In the event of a defeat, it would be much more difficult for Rus' to get rid of the double oppression.
The Orthodox faith was protected, as the crusaders wanted to actively introduce Catholicism in Rus'. But it was precisely Orthodoxy in the period of fragmentation and the yoke that was the link that united the people in the struggle against the enemy.
During the battle on the ice and the Battle of the Neva, the military talent of the young Alexander Nevsky manifested itself. He used proven tactics:
before the battle, he delivered a number of successive blows to the enemy, and only then did the decisive battle take place.
used the surprise factor
successfully and on time introduced an ambush regiment into battle
the location of the Russian troops was more flexible than the clumsy "pig" of the knights.
skillful use of terrain features: Alexander deprived the enemy of freedom of space, he himself used the terrain for a strong blow to the enemy.
This is interesting
April 18 (according to the old style - April 5) is the Day of Military Glory of Russia. The holiday was established in 1995.
Material prepared: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna
Monument to the squads of Alexander Nevsky on Mount Sokolikha in Pskov
Battle on the Ice, artist Matorin V.
Battle on the Ice, artist Nazaruk V.M., 1982
Alexander Nevskiy. Battle on the Ice, artist Kostylev A., 2005
by Notes of the Wild MistressMany books and articles have been written about the famous battle on the ice of Lake Peipsi in April 1242, but it itself has not been fully studied - and our information about it is replete with blank spots...
At the beginning of 1242, the German Teutonic Knights captured Pskov and advanced towards Novgorod. On Saturday, April 5, at dawn, the Russian squad, led by the Novgorod prince Alexander Nevsky, met the crusaders on the ice of Lake Peipus, at the Raven Stone.
Alexander skillfully flanked the knights, built in a wedge, and with the blow of an ambush regiment he took them into the ring. The Battle on the Ice, famous in Russian history, began. “And there was an evil slash, and a crack from breaking spears, and a sound from a sword cut, and the frozen lake moved. And no ice was visible: it was all covered in blood...” The chronicle reports that the ice cover could not withstand the retreating heavily armed knights and collapsed. Under the weight of their armor, the enemy warriors quickly went to the bottom, choking in the icy water.
Some circumstances of the battle remained a real "blank spot" for researchers. Where does truth end and fiction begin? Why did the ice collapse under the feet of the knights and withstand the weight of the Russian army? How could the knights fall through the ice, if its thickness near the shores of Lake Peipsi in early April reaches a meter? Where did the legendary battle take place?
In domestic chronicles (Novgorod, Pskov, Suzdal, Rostov, Lavrentiev, etc.) and the "Senior Livonian Rhymed Chronicle" both the events that preceded the battle and the battle itself are described in detail. Its landmarks are indicated: “On Lake Peipsi, near the Uzmen tract, near the Raven Stone.” Local legends specify that the warriors fought right outside the village of Samolva. The annalistic miniature depicts the confrontation of the parties before the battle, and defensive ramparts, stone and other structures are shown in the background. In ancient chronicles, there is no mention of Voronii Island (or any other island) near the place of the battle. They talk about the battle on the ground, and the ice is mentioned only in the final part of the battle.
In search of answers to the numerous questions of researchers, in the late 50s of the 20th century, Leningrad archaeologists, led by military historian Georgy Karaev, were the first to go to the shores of Lake Peipus. Scientists were going to recreate the events of more than seven hundred years ago.
In the beginning, chance helped. Once, while talking with fishermen, Karaev asked why they called the section of the lake near Cape Sigovets "a cursed place." The fishermen explained: in this place, until the most severe frosts, there remains a polynya, “cigovica”, because whitefish have been caught in it for a long time. In a frost, of course, the ice will seize the "sigovitsa", only it is fragile: a person will go in there and disappear ...
It means that it is no coincidence that the locals call the southern part of the lake the Warm Lake. Perhaps this is where the crusaders drowned? Here is the answer: the bottom of the lake in the area of \u200b\u200bSigovits is replete with groundwater outlets that prevent the formation of a solid ice cover.
Archaeologists have found that the waters of Lake Peipsi are gradually advancing on the shores, this is the result of a slow tectonic process. Many ancient villages were flooded, and their inhabitants moved to other, higher shores. The lake level is rising at a rate of 4 millimeters per year. Consequently, since the time of the right-believing Prince Alexander Nevsky, the water in the lake has risen by a good three meters!
G.N. Karaev removed depths of less than three meters from the map of the lake, and the map "rejuvenated" by seven hundred years. This map prompted: the narrowest place of the lake in ancient times was just next door to the “sigovitsy”. This is how the annalistic “Uzmen”, a name that does not exist on the modern map of the lake, received an exact reference.
The most difficult thing was to determine the location of the "Raven Stone", because on the map of the lake of the Raven Stones, rocks and islands, there are more than a dozen. Karaev's divers explored Voroniy Island near Uzmen and found that it was nothing more than the top of a huge sheer underwater cliff. A stone rampart was unexpectedly discovered next to it. Scientists decided that the name "Raven Stone" in ancient times referred not only to the rock, but also to a rather strong border fortification. It became clear: the battle began here on that distant April morning.
The expedition members came to the conclusion that several centuries ago the Raven Stone was a high fifteen-meter hill with steep slopes, it was visible from afar and served as a good guide. But time and waves did their job: the once high hill with steep slopes disappeared under the water.
The researchers also tried to explain why the fleeing knights fell through the ice and drowned. In fact, at the beginning of April, when the battle took place, the ice on the lake is still quite thick and strong. But the secret was that not far from the Raven Stone, warm springs form “sigovits” from the bottom of the lake, so the ice here is less strong than in other places. Previously, when the water level was lower, underwater springs undoubtedly hit right on the ice sheet. The Russians, of course, knew about this and bypassed dangerous places, and the enemy ran straight ahead.
So here is the solution to the riddle! But if it is true that in this place the icy abyss swallowed up an entire knightly army, then somewhere here his trace must be hidden. Archaeologists set themselves the task of finding this last proof, but the circumstances prevented the achievement of the ultimate goal. It was not possible to find the burial places of the soldiers who died in the Battle of the Ice. This is clearly stated in the report of the complex expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences. And soon there were allegations that in ancient times the dead were taken with them for burial in their homeland, therefore, they say, their remains cannot be found.
A few years ago, a new generation of search engines - a group of Moscow enthusiasts, lovers of the ancient history of Rus', again tried to solve a centuries-old mystery. She had to find burial places hidden in the ground related to the Battle of the Ice on a large territory of the Gdovsky district of the Pskov region.
Studies have shown that in those distant times, in the area south of the village of Kozlovo, which exists today, there was some kind of fortified outpost of the Novgorodians. It was here that Prince Alexander Nevsky went to join the detachment of Andrei Yaroslavich, hidden in an ambush. At a critical moment in the battle, an ambush regiment could go behind the knights, surround them and ensure victory. The place is relatively flat. The troops of Nevsky from the north-western side were protected by the “sigovits” of Lake Peipus, and from the eastern side - by the wooded part, where the Novgorodians settled in the fortified town.
On Lake Peipus, scientists were going to recreate the events of more than seven hundred years ago
The knights advanced from the south side (from the village of Tabory). Not knowing about the Novgorod reinforcements and feeling their military superiority in strength, they, without hesitation, rushed into battle, falling into the "nets" placed. From here it can be seen that the battle itself was on land, not far from the shore of the lake. By the end of the battle, the knightly army was driven back to the spring ice of Zhelchinskaya Bay, where many of them died. Their remains and weapons are still at the bottom of this bay.
There is an episode with Raven Stone. According to ancient legend, he rose from the waters of the lake at times of danger to the Russian land, helping to crush the enemies. So it was in 1242. This date appears in all domestic historical sources, being inextricably linked with the Battle of the Ice.
It is not by chance that we focus your attention on this particular stone. After all, historians are guided by it, who are still trying to understand on which lake it happened. After all, many specialists who work with historical archives still do not know where our ancestors actually fought with
The official point of view is that the battle took place on the ice of Lake Peipus. Today, it is only known for certain that the battle took place on April 5. Year of the Battle on the Ice - 1242 from the beginning of our era. In the annals of Novgorod and in the Livonian chronicle, there is not a single coinciding detail at all: the number of soldiers participating in the battle and the number of wounded and killed also differ.
We don't even know the details of what happened. Only information has reached us that a victory was won on Lake Peipus, and even then in a significantly distorted, transformed form. This is in stark contrast to the official version, but in recent years, the voices of those scientists who insist on full-scale excavations and repeated archival research have been heard more and more loudly. All of them want not only to know on which lake the Battle of the Ice took place, but also to find out all the details of the event.
Official description of the course of the battle
The opposing armies met in the morning. It was 1242, the ice had not yet broken. The Russian troops had many riflemen who courageously stepped forward, taking the brunt of the German attack. Pay attention to how the Livonian Chronicle says: “The banners of the brothers (German knights) penetrated the ranks of the shooters ... many of the dead from both sides fell on the grass (!)”.
Thus, the "Chronicles" and the manuscripts of the Novgorodians in this moment completely converge. Indeed, a detachment of light shooters stood in front of the Russian army. As the Germans later found out from their sad experience, it was a trap. "Heavy" columns of German infantry broke through the ranks of lightly armed soldiers and went on. We did not just write the first word in quotation marks. Why? We will talk about this below.
Russian mobile units quickly surrounded the Germans from the flanks, and then began to destroy them. The Germans fled, and the Novgorod army pursued them for about seven miles. It is noteworthy that even at this point there are disagreements in various sources. If you describe the Battle on the Ice briefly, then in this case this episode raises some questions.
The Importance of Winning
So, most of the witnesses say nothing at all about the "drowned" knights. Part of the German army was surrounded. Many knights were taken prisoner. In principle, 400 fallen Germans are reported, and another fifty people were captured. Chud, according to the chronicles, "fell without number." That's all Battle on the Ice briefly.
The Order took the defeat painfully. In the same year, peace was concluded with Novgorod, the Germans completely abandoned their conquests not only in the territory of Rus', but also in Letgol. There was even a complete exchange of prisoners. However, the Teutons tried to recapture Pskov after a dozen years. Thus, the year of the Battle on the Ice became an extremely important date, as it allowed the Russian state to somewhat calm down its warlike neighbors.
About common myths
Even in the local history museums of the Pskov region, they are very skeptical about the widespread assertion about the "heavy" German knights. Allegedly, because of their massive armor, they almost drowned in the waters of the lake at once. Many historians with rare enthusiasm broadcast that the Germans in their armor weighed "three times more" than the average Russian warrior.
But any armament specialist of that era will tell you with confidence that the soldiers on both sides were protected approximately the same.
Armor is not for everyone!
The fact is that massive armor, which can be found everywhere on the miniatures of the Battle on the Ice in history books, appeared only in the XIV-XV centuries. In the 13th century, warriors wore a steel helmet, chain mail, or (the latter were very expensive and rare), bracers and leggings were put on their limbs. All this weighed twenty kilograms maximum. Most of the German and Russian soldiers did not have such protection at all.
Finally, there was no particular point in such heavily armed infantry on the ice in principle. Everyone fought on foot, there was no need to be afraid of a cavalry attack. So why take the risk once again, going out on the thin April ice in such an amount of iron?
But at school, the 4th grade studies the Battle on the Ice, and therefore no one simply goes into such subtleties.
Water or land?
According to the generally accepted conclusions made by the expedition led by the USSR Academy of Sciences (headed by Karaev), the place of the battle is considered to be a small area of the Warm Lake (part of Peipsi), which is located at a distance of 400 meters from the modern Cape Sigovets.
For almost half a century, no one doubted the results of these studies. The fact is that at that time scientists did a really great job, analyzing not only historical sources, but also hydrology, and as the writer Vladimir Potresov, who was a direct participant in that very expedition, explains, they managed to create a “holistic vision of the problem”. So on which lake did the Battle of the Ice take place?
Here the conclusion is the same - on Chudsky. There was a battle, and it took place somewhere in those parts, but there are still problems with determining the exact localization.
What did the researchers find out?
First of all, they read the chronicle again. It said that the slaughter was "on Uzmeni, at Voronei's stone." Imagine that you are telling your friend how to get to the bus stop, using terms that you and him understand. If you tell the same thing to a resident of another region, he may not understand. We are in the same position. What is Uzmen? What Raven Stone? Where was all this?
More than seven centuries have passed since then. Rivers changed their channels in less time! So there was absolutely nothing left of the real geographical coordinates. If we assume that the battle, in one way or another, really took place on the icy surface of the lake, then finding something becomes even more difficult.
German version
Seeing the difficulties of their Soviet colleagues, in the 30s a group of German scientists hastened to declare that the Russians ... invented the Battle of the Ice! Alexander Nevsky, they say, simply created for himself the image of a winner in order to give his figure more weight in the political arena. But the old German chronicles also told about the episode of the battle, so there really was a battle.
Russian scientists had real verbal battles! Everyone tried to find out the place of the battle that took place in ancient times. Everyone called “the same” piece of territory either on the western or on the eastern shore of the lake. Someone argued that the battle took place in general in the central part of the reservoir. In general, there was trouble with the Raven Stone: either mountains of small pebbles at the bottom of the lake were mistaken for it, or someone saw it in every ledge of rock on the banks of the reservoir. There were many disputes, but the matter did not move at all.
In 1955, everyone was tired of this, and the same expedition set off. Archaeologists, philologists, geologists and hydrographers, specialists in the Slavic and German dialects of that time, and cartographers appeared on the shores of Lake Peipsi. Everyone was interested in where the Battle of the Ice took place. Alexander Nevsky was here, this is known for certain, but where did his troops meet with adversaries?
Several boats with teams of experienced divers were given to the full disposal of scientists. Many enthusiasts, schoolchildren from local historical societies also worked on the shores of the lake. So what gave the researchers Lake Peipsi? Nevsky was here with the army?
Raven stone
For a long time, among domestic scientists, there was an opinion that the Raven Stone was the key to all the secrets of the Battle on the Ice. His search was given special importance. Finally he was discovered. It turned out that it was a rather high stone ledge on the western tip of the island of Gorodets. For seven centuries, not too dense rock was almost completely destroyed by winds and water.
At the foot of the Raven Stone, archaeologists quickly found the remains of Russian guard fortifications that blocked the passages to Novgorod and Pskov. So those places were really well known to contemporaries because of their importance.
New contradictions
That's just the location of such an important landmark in antiquity did not mean establishing the place where the massacre took place on Lake Peipus. Quite the opposite: the currents here are always so strong that ice as such does not exist here in principle. Arrange a battle here between the Russians and the Germans, everyone would drown, regardless of the armor. The chronicler, as was the custom of the time, simply indicated the Raven Stone as the nearest landmark that was visible from the battlefield.
Event versions
If we return to the description of the events, which is given at the very beginning of the article, then you will surely remember the expression "... many of those killed on both sides fell on the grass." Of course, "grass" in this case could be an idiom denoting the very fact of a fall, death. But today, historians are increasingly inclined to believe that archaeological evidence of that battle should be sought precisely on the banks of the reservoir.
In addition, not a single armor has yet been found at the bottom of Lake Peipsi. Neither Russian nor Teutonic. Of course, there were very few armor as such (we have already talked about their high cost), but at least something should have remained! Especially when you consider how many diving dives were made.
Thus, we can make a quite convincing conclusion that the ice, under the weight of the Germans, who did not differ too much in armament from our soldiers, did not break through. In addition, finding armor even at the bottom of the lake is unlikely to prove anything for sure: more archaeological evidence is needed, since border skirmishes in those places happened all the time.
In general terms, it is clear on which lake the Battle of the Ice took place. The question of where exactly the slaughter took place still worries domestic and foreign historians.
Monument to the iconic battle
The monument in honor of this significant event was erected in 1993. It is located in the city of Pskov, installed on Mount Sokolikha. The monument is more than a hundred kilometers away from the theoretical place of the battle. This stele is dedicated to the "Druzhinniks of Alexander Nevsky". Patrons collected money for it, which in those years was an incredibly difficult matter. That is why this monument has even greater value for the history of our country.
Artistic embodiment
In the very first sentence, we mentioned the film by Sergei Eisenstein, which he made back in 1938. The tape was called "Alexander Nevsky". That's just not worth considering this magnificent (from an artistic point of view) film as a historical tool. Absurdities and obviously unreliable facts are present there in abundance.
