Battle on the Ice. Background.

But Albert, who had not yet had time to sail far, was notified in time of the betrayal of the Russian prince, returned with the knights to Riga, preparing for the defense. True, the Germans did not have to defend themselves: the valiant Vyachko, upon learning of Albert's return, simply set fire to Kukenois and fled with his retinue somewhere to Russia. This time the Germans decided not to tempt fate and took control of the Kukenois.

And then a strange thing happens: in 1210 the Germans sent ambassadors to the Polotsk prince, who were supposed to offer him peace. And Polotsk agrees to this peace on the condition that the Livs, who were subordinate to Riga, will pay tribute to Polotsk and the bishop will be responsible for this. Here is amazing: Polotsk, agrees to peace with the Germans, who captured two of it appanage principality and even extend their influence to the pagans. However, on the other hand, what is strange about this: contrary to the statements of our historians, who shout at every corner that the Russians had helped the Baltic tribes from ancient times to fight the Western occupiers, Polotsk did not care about these tribes from the high bell tower. The only thing that interested him was profit.

In 1216, the first clash of the Germans with Novgorod takes place. And again the initiators of the conflict were the Russian princes: the Novgorodians and the Pskovites at the end of the year attacked the Estonian town of Odenpe (at that time already owned by the Germans) and plundered it. In January 1217, the Estonians, with the help of the Germans, carried out a retaliatory attack on the Novgorod lands. But there was no talk of any territorial acquisitions - the Germans, having robbed the Novgorodians, left home. In the same year, the Novgorodians again gathered on a campaign against Odempe. Novgorod troops laid siege to the city, but they could not take it, so the Novgorodians had to confine themselves to plundering the surroundings. A hastily assembled army hurried to the aid of the besieged garrison of Odempe.

However, due to its small number, it was unable to provide serious assistance to the Livonians in Odempe. All that was enough of the forces of this army was to break through to Odempe. As a result, the number of people in the city turned out to be quite large, and supplies were extremely small. Therefore, the Livonians were forced to ask the Russians for peace. Those, having taken a ransom from the Germans, left Livonia. What is characteristic: the Novgorodians, if they were really afraid of the excessive activity of the Catholic Church or fought for the freedom of the Baltic tribes, could quite calmly simply starve all the Germans in Odenpe, thereby destroying most of the Livonian army and stopping the Catholic expansion for a long time.

However, the Novgorodians did not even think to do this. The Catholics did not interfere with them in any way. On the contrary, they had even more money than the pagans, which means that it is twice as fun to rob. So the Russians did not strive to cut the branch on which they were sitting - why kill the Germans, who in a year or two could again save up money, which could then be taken away from them in the next campaign? Actually, this is exactly what the Novgorodians did: in 1218, the Novgorod army again invaded Livonia. Once again, the Russians are unable to take a single Livonian castle and again, having ruined the surroundings, return home with the booty.

But in 1222 a significant event took place: the Estonians rebelled against the Germans. Realizing that they cannot cope with the knights on their own, the Estonians turn to Novgorod for help. And the Novgorodians really come, plunder the surroundings, and leave, leaving small garrisons in the castles donated by the Estonians. That is, the Novgorodians were little interested in the annexation of the Livonian lands. As usual, they were driven only by greed. Of course, the few Russian troops left in the German castles could not resist the retaliatory actions of the Livonians for a long time, and by 1224 the Germans cleared the lands of the Estonians from the Russians. Interestingly, while the Germans were destroying the Russian garrisons, the Novgorodians did not blow their heads and were not even going to help their comrades.

But when the Germans, having regained the lands seized by the Russians in 1223, asked for peace from Novgorod, paying tribute at the same time, the Novgorodians happily agreed - still, a freebie after all. The next campaign Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, who was at that time the prince of Novgorod, decided to conduct in 1228. However, Yaroslav was not very much loved either in Novgorod or in Pskov, as a result of which, at first, the Pskovites, and then the Novgorodians, refused to participate in the campaign. But 1233 became, to a certain extent, significant for Russian-Livonian relations, since it was a kind of forerunner of the events of 1240-1242.

In 1233, with the help of the Livonian army, the former Pskov prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich (expelled from the city, apparently at the initiative of the pro-Uzdal group that supported Yaroslav Vsevolodovich) captures Izborsk. Apparently, Izborsk surrendered to the prince without a fight, because if this perfectly fortified fortress had decided to resist, it would have taken the Germans at least several weeks to take it, and during this time Pskov would have had time to approach the city. and the Novgorod militia, which would not leave a stone unturned from the "Western invaders".

But the city fell quickly, which means that the people of Izbor did not want to fight with their prince. And now the Livonians are given an excellent opportunity to begin the seizure of Novgorod lands, because Izborsk is already in their hands - a key point of the Pskov land and a wonderful fortress. However, the Germans did not want to defend Izborsk, and in the same year the Pskovites (probably with the support of the same pro-Uzdal party inside the city) again seized Izborsk and took Yaroslav Vladimirovich prisoner. Yaroslav Vladimirovich was sent first to Novgorod to Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, and then to Pereyaslavl, from where after a while he somehow managed to escape, which played an important role in the "crusading aggression" 1240-1242.

So what conclusion can we draw? Livonia has never pursued an aggressive policy towards the Russian principalities. She simply did not have the strength to do it. Neither before nor after 1242 Livonia was unable to compete with Novgorod in terms of economic and military potential. The Russian principalities, however, constantly took advantage of the weakness of their western neighbor, conducting large and not-so-large raids. It should be noted that the Russian principalities were never interested in destroying the bridgehead of "Western aggression" in the Baltic states, although the Russians had plenty of opportunities to crush weak Livonia (especially in the initial period of its existence). However, the leitmotif of relations between Russia and Livonia was not a fight against "foreign invaders" at all, but profit from looting.

Battle on the Ice. From the capture of Izborsk to the battle on Lake Peipsi.

So, Yaroslav Vladimirovich somehow managed to escape from Pereyaslavl. And where is he running? Again to their "sworn enemies" - the Germans. And in 1240 Yaroslav tries to repeat what he did not succeed in 1233. An extremely accurate (albeit somewhat anachronistic) definition of the actions of the Germans in 1233 and 1240 was given by Belitsky and Satyrev: 1233 and 1240 can, in the light of the above, be considered as a temporary introduction of a limited contingent of order troops into the Pskov principality, made at the request of the legitimate ruler of Pskov, Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich. " ("Pskov and the Order in the first third of the XIII century").

Indeed, the actions of the Germans cannot be regarded as an attempt to seize Russian lands or, even more so, an attempt to conquer Novgorod (for the Livonians it would be no less (and even more) murderous undertaking than for the Swedes) - the Germans only tried to help Yaroslav Vladimirovich in the struggle at the princely table. Someone may have a question: why did they need it? It's simple: the Livonians wanted to see on the site of the Pskov principality a kind of buffer state that would protect the Baltic states from the constant raids of Novgorodians. The desire is quite understandable, it should be noted. Interestingly, both the Pskovites and the Novgorodians were also not at all opposed to being part of the "Western civilization", fortunately, they had much more in common with the West than with the Horde, to pay tribute to which they did not really smile.

Yes, and the power of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and his son, our hero, Alexander Yaroslavovich, who, at every opportunity, tried to curtail Novgorod's liberties, they were already pretty tired. Therefore, when in the fall of 1240, Yaroslav Vladimirovich, with the support of the Livonian army, invaded the Pskov lands and approached Izborsk, the city, most likely, again did not offer resistance. Otherwise, how can you explain the fact that the Germans were able to take it at all? As mentioned above, Izborsk was a wonderful fortress, which could only be taken as a result of a long siege. But the distance from Izborsk to Pskov is 30 km, that is, one day's march. That is, if the Germans had failed to take Izborsk on the move, they would not have been able to take it at all, since the Pskov army that had arrived in time would have simply defeated the invaders.

Thus, it can be assumed that Izborsk surrendered without a fight. However, in Pskov, where separatist sentiments were apparently also strong, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich's supporters are making an attempt to save their power: the Pskov army is sent to Izborsk. Under the walls of Izborsk, the Germans attack the Pskovites and defeat them, killing 800 people (according to the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle). Further, the Germans advance to Pskov and besiege it. Once again, the Russians show no particular desire to fight: after only a week's siege, Pskov surrenders. It is significant that Novgorod did not at all strive to help the Pskovites: instead of sending an army to help Pskov, Novgorodians calmly wait for the Germans to take the city.

Apparently, the Novgorodians did not consider the restoration of the princely power of Yaroslav Vladimirovich to be evil in Pskov. But what are the "crusaders" doing after the capture of such a large and so significant center as Pskov? But nothing. According to LRH, the Germans only leave two Vogt Knights there. Based on this, it is possible to draw a completely logical conclusion: the Germans did not at all strive to seize the Novgorod lands - their only goal was to establish the power they needed in Pskov. That's all. That's the whole "mortal threat hanging over Russia".

After the capture of Izborsk and Pskov, the Germans commit the next "act of aggression" - they build the "fortress" of Koporye on the lands of the Vod tribe. Of course, our historians tried to present this fact as a clear demonstration that the Germans are trying to gain a foothold in new lands. However, it is not. It’s just that the reins, apparently, announced their intention to accept Catholicism and the patronage of the Livonian Church, after which the Germans built a small prison for them. The fact is that the Germans built fortifications for all pagans who converted to Catholicism. Such was the tradition in the Baltics.

After the founding of this terrible stronghold of Catholic aggression, the Germans took the city of Tesov and, in fact, everything. This is where all the aggression ends. Having plundered the outskirts of Novgorod, the Germans and Estonians leave the Novgorod lands, leaving Pskov in the possession of their old ally Yaroslav Vladimirovich. The entire German "occupation army" consisted of the two knights already mentioned above. However, our historians loudly shout that, they say, these two knights posed a terrible threat to the independence of Russia.

As we can see, the Germans came to Russia not at all for the purpose of Catholicizing Pskov or, God forbid, seizing Novgorod. The Germans were just trying to protect themselves from the devastating raids of the Novgorodians. However, the theory of Catholic expansion continues to be persistently imposed on us. But, as in the case of the Swedes, there is not a single documentary evidence that the Pope called the Livonians to a crusade against Russia. Quite the opposite: the details of this campaign tell us that it was of a completely different nature.

The Pope's only hostile actions against Novgorod consisted in the fact that he transferred the Russian lands seized by the Germans (and some other) to the jurisdiction of the Ezel bishopric. True, it is completely incomprehensible what is special about this. Do not forget that the Russian Orthodox Church a priori supported any Russian campaigns in the same Livonia, but for some reason no one believes that these campaigns were provoked by the Church. So there was no "crusade against Russia". And it couldn't be.

Paradoxically, Novgorod felt the threat hanging over it only after the Germans left the Novgorod lands. Until that moment, the pro-German party in the city had hoped that Novgorod would repeat the fate of Pskov. This party also hoped that the German knights would provide at least some assistance to Novgorod in the struggle in Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and the Tatars. However, as it turned out, the Germans were not going to take Novgorod, or, moreover, to provide any kind of support to the Russians in anything - they did not even want to leave the garrison in Pskov.

In addition, after the seizure of Pskov, Novgorod, which had previously been reliably protected from the Baltic tribes by the lands of the Pskov principality, was now open to the raids of the Estonians, and this, too, could not please the Novgorodians in any way. As a result, they turn to Yaroslav Vsevolodovich with a request to send them a prince (Alexander was expelled by the Novgorodians a few months after the Battle of the Neva). Yaroslav first sends Andrey, but he did not suit the Novgorodians with something, and they ask Alexander.

On the second try, Yaroslav satisfies their request. The very first thing that Alexander does upon arrival is to destroy the opposition. What is characteristic: when the Germans took to Pskov, they did not carry out any punitive measures in it - on the contrary, everyone who did not like new government, were free to leave the city, which many did. But in Russia, dissenters were always treated more abruptly, so the Russian national hero Alexander was no exception.

After the destruction of rivals within his possessions, Alexander goes to the external opponents: having gathered an army. He advances to Kopor, which he immediately takes. Many of the reins who were in the prison were hanged, and the "fortress" itself was torn down. Pskov became the next target of Alexander. But the prince did not have to storm this citadel: Pskov surrendered himself. Apparently, Yaroslav Vladimirovich felt the change in the conjuncture in time, considered it more reasonable to remain without the principality, but with his head on his shoulders and surrendered the city to the Novgorodians without a fight. For which, apparently, he was awarded the reign in Torzhok instead of the gallows tradition that was due to him according to the logic of things and Alexander's tradition of the gallows.

But the two knights who were in the city were less fortunate: according to LRH, they were expelled from the city. True, some of our historians are still sincerely convinced that there were not even 2 knights in the city, but some countless number. For example, Yu. Ozerov writes about the capture of Pskov: "In the battle, 70 noble order brothers and many rank-and-file knights were killed" ("How a" pig "ran into the" regimental "row"). It is interesting what sacred meaning Ozerov puts into the term "ordinary knights". But this, in general, is not so important, if only because 70 knights in Pskov could not be by definition, since then it is necessary to admit that all the brothers of the German House of St. Mary in Livonia were sitting in Pskov (as the Order began to be called Swordsmen after joining the Teutonic Order in 1237), and then there was simply no one to fight on Lake Peipsi.

Apparently, the myth about 70 knights killed in Pskov goes back to the Chronicle of the Teutonic Order, which contains the following passage: “This prince Alexander gathered with a large army and came to Pskov with great force and took it. Despite the fact that the Christians bravely defended , the Germans were defeated and taken prisoner and subjected to severe torture, and seventy order knights were killed there.Prince Alexander was glad of his victory, and the knight brothers with their people who were killed there became martyrs in the name of God, glorified among Christians ".

However, as we can see, in this chronicle the author brought together the capture of Pskov and the battle on the ice, thus, we should talk about 70 knights who died in both of these battles. But this would also be incorrect, since the information about the events in the Russian lands in 1240-1242 was borrowed by the author of the HTO from LRH, and all the differences between the text of the HTO and the text of LRH are exclusively the fruit of the imagination of the chronicler of the HTO. Begunov, Kleinenberg and Shaskolsky, in their work devoted to the study of Russian and Western sources about the Battle of the Ice, wrote the following in relation to the later European chronicles: ., describing German aggression against Russia 1240 - 1242, go back to the corresponding part of the "Rhymed Chronicle" and are its greatly reduced retellings.

In the texts cited there are several pieces of news that are absent in the Rhymed Chronicle, but, as was shown in the comments, none of these news can be traced back to any reliable additional source (written or oral); Apparently, all the discrepancies between the texts of the later chronicles and the text of the "Rhymed Chronicle" are simply the fruits of the literary creativity of the late chroniclers, who here and there added from themselves (and according to their own understanding) separate details in the coverage of events, entirely borrowed from the "Rhymed Chronicle" ( "Written sources about the Battle of the Ice"). That is, the only real and consistent with sound logic number of knights in Pskov should be considered the two Vogts mentioned in LRH.

The next stage of Alexander's campaign, apparently, was Izborsk. Not a single chronicle or chronicle informs about his fate. Apparently, this fortress, like Pskov, surrendered to the prince without a fight. Which, in general, is not surprising given the complete absence of Germans in this strategically extremely important city. And after the "foreign invaders" were finally expelled from the Russian lands, the Novgorodians began their favorite pastime: the plundering of the Livonian lands.

In the spring of 1242, Alexander's army crossed to the western shore of Lake Peipsi (the possession of Livonia) and began to plunder the property of local residents. And it was during this glorious occupation that one of the Russian detachments under the command of the brother of the Novgorod mayor Domash Tverdislavovich was attacked by the knightly army and the Chud militia. The Novgorod detachment was defeated, many, including Domash himself, were killed, and the rest fled to the main forces of Alexander. Then the prince retreated to the eastern shore of the lake. The hastily assembled Livonian troops, apparently, decided to catch up with the Novgorodians in order to take the loot from them. And it was then that the battle on the ice took place.

From the above events, it clearly follows that there was no terrible "aggression of the West" and "mortal threat to Novgorod" at all. The Germans came to the Novgorod lands for the sole purpose of creating on the territory of the Pskov principality a new, friendly state to Livonia under the rule of their old ally, Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich. This state was supposed to serve as a kind of shield for the Baltic states from the devastating raids of the Novgorodians.

Having fulfilled their mission and established the power of Yaroslav in Pskov, the Germans left the Russian lands, leaving only two observers. This was the end of the "aggressive" actions of the Livonians. Of course, this state of affairs did not suit the Novgorodians, and in 1241 Alexander set off on his "liberation campaign" through Koporye, Pskov and Izborsk straight to the lands of Livonia - to plunder. A reasonable question: so who threatened whom in 1242: Livonia to Novgorod or vice versa?

Battle on the Ice. Number of participants.

In Russian historiography, for some reason, the following figures are most often taken as an axiom: Germans 10-12 thousand, Russians 15-17. However, where these thousands came from is completely incomprehensible. Let's start with Novgorodians: according to Tikhomirov's estimates, early XIII century the population of Novgorod reached 30 thousand people. Of course, the number of the entire Novgorod land was several times larger. However, probably by the period of interest to us, the real population of Novgorod and the Novgorod principality was lower. Than at the beginning of the century.

S.A. Nefedov in his article "On demographic cycles in the history of medieval Russia" writes: "In 1207-1230, characteristic signs of an ecosocial crisis were observed in the Novgorod land: hunger, epidemics, uprisings, the death of large masses of the population, taking on the character of a demographic catastrophe, the decline of crafts and trade, high prices for bread, death of a significant number of large owners and redistribution of property. "

The famine of 1230 claimed the lives of 48 thousand people in Novgorod alone, including residents of the surrounding lands who came to Novgorod in the hope of saving themselves from this disaster. And how many residents of the Novgorod principality died in total? Thus, the number in the Novgorod land by 1242 fell significantly compared to the beginning of the XIII century. In the city itself, a third of the population died. That is, in 1230 the population of Novgorod did not exceed 20,000 people. It is unlikely that in 10 years it will again reach the 30 thousand mark. Thus, Novgorod itself could deploy an army of 3-5 thousand people with the maximum exertion of all mobilization resources.

However, this could only be in case of extreme danger for Novgorod (for example, if suddenly Batu's army did not limit itself to plundering Torzhok, but would still reach the walls of Novgorod). And as we have already established above, there was absolutely no danger for the city in 1242. Therefore, the army that Novgorod itself would have assembled did not exceed 2,000 people (besides, one should not forget that there was a serious opposition to the prince in Novgorod, which would hardly have joined his army - however, the thirst for profit could make the Novgorodians and forget about their enmity with the prince).

However, Alexander was planning a relatively large campaign in Livonia, so the army was gathered from all over the principality, and not only from Novgorod. But he did not collect it for a long time - no more than a few months, therefore, apparently, the total number of the Novgorod army did not exceed 6-8 thousand people. For example: according to the Chronicle of Henry, in 1218 the number of Russian troops invading Livonia was 16 thousand people, and this army had been gathering for two years.

So, the number of Novgorodians was 6-8 thousand. Several hundred more soldiers - Alexander's squad. And besides, Andrei Yaroslavovich also arrived from Suzdal to help his brother, also with some kind of army (apparently, again, several hundred). Thus, the number of the Russian army was 7-10 thousand people. To recruit more troops, there was no time, and, apparently, no desire.

With the German army, everything is much more interesting: there is no talk of any 12 thousand there. Let's start in order: in 1236 an important event for Livonia took place - the Battle of Saul. In this battle, the Order's army was utterly defeated by the Lithuanians. 48 Knights of the Order of the Swordsmen were killed along with the master. In fact, it was the complete destruction of the Order, of which no more than 10 people remained. For the first and only time on the territory of the Baltic States, the knightly Order was completely destroyed. It would seem that our historians should in every possible way speculate on this fact, talking about how our allies in the fight against Catholic expansion - the Lithuanians - destroyed an entire order.

However, no, the ordinary Russian does not know about this battle. Why? But because together with the army of "knight-dogs" a detachment of Pskovs of 200 people fought with the Lithuanians (with the total number of the German army not exceeding 3000, the contribution is quite significant), but not the point. So in 1236 the Order of the Swordsmen was destroyed, after which, with the participation of the Pope, the remnants of the order in 1237 joined the Teutonic Order and became the German House of St. Mary in Livonia. In the same year, the new Landmaster of the Order, Herman Balke, arrived in Livonia along with 54 new knights.

Thus, the number of the Order increased to somewhere around 70 knights. As a result, we can say with confidence that the number of the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order by 1242 could in no way exceed 100 people. Begunov, Kleinenberg and Shaskolsky also write about this (op. Cit.). However, there could have been even fewer knights, due to their rapid decline: for example, in 1238, the knights lost more than 20 of their brothers at Dorogichin. However, even if the number of knights approached a hundred, not all of them could participate in the Battle of the Ice, since the order had other things to do: only in 1241 the Estonian uprising on about. Saaremaa.

In 1242, a Curonian uprising broke out, which diverted significant forces of the Order. Dietrich von Grüningen, the master of the technical department in Livonia, did not participate in the battle on Lake Peipsi precisely because he was busy with the affairs of Courland. As a result, we come to the conclusion that the number of the order troops in the battle could not exceed 40-50 knights. Considering that there were 8 so-called half-brothers for one knight in the Order, the total number of the Order's army was 350-450 people. The Dorpat bishop could deploy a militia of a maximum of 300 people. A few hundred more people could provide the allies with Danish Revel. That's all, there were no more troops in the Europeans. In total, a maximum of 1000 people are obtained. In addition, in the "German" army there were militias from Chudi - about one and a half thousand more. Total: 2500 people.

This was the maximum that the Order and Dorpat were able to exhibit at that time and under those conditions. There can be no question of any 12,000. There weren't so many warriors in all of Livonia. The Teutonic Order was also unable to help its Livonian branch: in 1242, all its forces were thrown into the suppression of the uprising that broke out in Prussia. Yes, and the Order was pretty shabby: in 1241, his army, which was part of the army of the Silesian prince Henry II, recruited from the Germans, Poles and Teutons to repel the Mongol army that was making its victorious march across Europe. On April 9, 1241, in the battle of Legnica, the horde of Khan Kaidu utterly defeated the Europeans. The combined forces, including the order, suffered huge losses.

The battle was really huge in scale, unlike our dwarf "Battle on the Ice". However, our historians rarely remember about it. Apparently, this fact does not fit into another favorite Russian theory: that Russia, they say, took the brunt Mongol hordes and thereby saved Europe from this disaster. They say that the Mongols did not dare to go further than Russia, being afraid to leave huge and completely unconquered spaces in their rear. However, this is just another myth - the Mongols were not afraid of anything.

In fact, by the summer of 1241, they had already conquered all of Eastern Europe, occupying Hungary, Silesia, Romania, Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria, etc. crushing European armies one after another, taking Krakow and Pest, destroying European troops at Legnica and Chaillot. In a word, the Mongols completely calmly, without fear of any "blows from the rear," subjugated all of Europe to the Adriatic Sea. By the way, in all these glorious accomplishments the Mongol khans were helped by the Russian troops, who also participated in the battles with the Europeans (such are the "saviors of Europe").

In the summer and autumn of 1241, the Mongols suppressed all centers of resistance in the already conquered part of Europe, and in the winter of 1242 they embarked on new conquests: their troops had already invaded Northern Italy and moved to Vienna, but here a saving event for Europe happened: the great Khan Ogedei. Therefore, all the Chingizids left Europe and went home to fight for the vacant position. Naturally, the khans left Europe and their army.

Only one tumen remained in Europe under the command of Khan Baidar - he passed through Northern Italy and Southern France, invaded the Iberian Peninsula, and, passing through it, went to the Atlantic Ocean, only after that he went to Karakorum. Thus, the Mongols were able to pave their way through the whole of Europe, and no Russia interfered with this, and Ogedei became the true "savior of Europe".

But we got distracted. Let's go back to the Teutonic Order. As you can see, the Teutons were unable to help the Livonians in any way. They had neither the strength nor the time for this (after all, one should not forget that the warlike Lithuania separated Livonia from the possessions of the TO, so it would take a lot of time to transfer at least some troops to the Baltic States, but it just did not exist ). What do we end up with? The number of opponents in the ice battle was as follows: Germans 2000 - 2500, Russians 7-10 thousand people.

Battle on the Ice. German "pigs".

Of course, I would very much like to talk about the course of the Battle of Peipsi, however, this is not possible. We, in fact, have practically no data on how this battle proceeded, and fantasize about the "weakened center", "spare shelves", "sinking under the ice", etc. somehow I don’t want to. Let's leave this to the science fiction writers from history, of which there have always been many. It makes sense only to pay attention to the most noticeable, perhaps, defect in the description of the battle by our historians. It will be about the knightly "wedge" (in the Russian tradition - "pig").

For some reason, in the minds of Russian historians, the opinion was strengthened that the Germans, having formed in a wedge, with this wedge attacked the Russian troops, thereby "pushing the center" of Alexander's army, which then surrounded the knights with a flanking maneuver. Everything is fine, only the knights never attacked the enemy with a wedge. It would be a completely pointless and suicidal operation. If the knights really attacked the enemy with a wedge, then only three knights in the front row and flanking knights would participate in the battle. The rest would be in the center of the formation, not participating in any way in the battle.

But the horse knights are the main striking force of the army, and such an irrational use of them could lead to very serious consequences for the entire army as a whole. Therefore, the cavalry army never attacked with a wedge. The wedge was used for a completely different purpose - rapprochement with the enemy. Why was the wedge used for this?

Firstly, the knightly troops were distinguished by extremely low discipline (whatever one may say, some feudal lords, what is discipline for them), therefore, if the rapprochement was carried out by a standard line, then there would be no question of any coordination of actions - the knights would simply disperse throughout the battlefield in search of the enemy and prey. But in the wedge, the knight had nowhere to go, and he was forced to follow the three most experienced bunks in the first row.

Secondly, the wedge had a narrow front, which reduced losses from archery. Thus, the knights with a wedge in an organized manner approached the enemy, and 100 meters before the enemy ranks, the wedge was rebuilt into a banal, but extremely effective, line, with which the knights struck the enemy. When attacking with a line, all horsemen participated in the battle, and thus they could inflict maximum damage on the enemy. At the same time, it should be noted that the wedge approached the enemy with a step, as Matvey Parissky wrote, "as if someone was riding, seating a bride in front of him on the saddle." I think there is no need to explain why it was needed.

Horses are not able to gallop at the same speed, so the galloping wedge would soon fall apart, with half of the riders falling from the saddle due to numerous collisions. The situation would have been aggravated by the falls of the knights who died from the arrows of the enemy, the horses that would have fallen victim to the guns of the florists (which were also in the Russian army, except that their devices were called not backs and flowers, but ragulki) and would certainly entail a fall and other knights. Thus, the wedge would have died without even reaching the enemy ranks.

Battle on the Ice. About losses.

In Russian historiography, the opinion was strengthened that 400 knights were killed in the battle, 50 were taken prisoner, and it is not known how many fighters of lower rank were killed. However, even the NPL contains somewhat different information: “And Chyudi's pade was beshisla, and N? Mets was 400, and 50 with the hands of a yash and brought him to Novgorod.” That is, the chronicle says that 400 Germans died. And now this already looks like the truth. Considering that there were about 800 Germans on the lake, such losses seem quite real.

And we find data on losses among knights in LRH, where it is said that 26 knights died in battle and 6 were taken prisoner. And again, the number of the fallen knights is quite consistent with the number of brothers who participated in the battle. As for the losses of the Chudi, it seems that they also amounted to several hundred people. However, given that the Chud fled from the battlefield as soon as the opportunity presented itself, it must be admitted that it is unlikely that her losses exceeded 500 people. Thus, we can conclude that the total losses of the Livonian army were less than 1000 people.

It is difficult to talk about the losses of Novgorodians due to the lack of any information on this matter.

Battle on the Ice. Effects.

Actually, there is no need to talk about any consequences of this battle, due to its ordinariness. In 1242, the Germans made peace with the Novgorodians, which, in general, they did constantly). Novgorod after 1242 still continued to harass the Baltics with raids. For example, in 1262 Novgorodians plundered Dorpat. True, a fortress. Around which the city was built, they failed to take, as usual, - and it was not necessary: ​​the campaign paid off anyway.

In 1268, seven Russian princes again embarked on a campaign in the Baltic, this time heading to the Danish Rakovor. Only now the strengthened Livonia also remained on the sidelines, and made its raids on the Novgorod lands. For example, in 1253 the Germans besieged Pskov. In a word, relations between Livonia and Novgorod after 1242 did not undergo any changes.

Afterword.

So, having examined the history of the Neva and Peipsi battles in more detail, we can confidently speak of a significant exaggeration of their scope and significance for Russian history. In reality, these were completely mediocre battles, paralleling those of other battles even in the same region. In the same way, theories about the exploits of Alexander, the "savior of Russia", are only myths. Alexander did not save anyone and from anything (fortunately, Russia and even Novgorod were not threatened by either the Swedes or the dumb at that time).

Alexander only won two relatively small victories. Against the background of the deeds of his predecessors, descendants and contemporaries (the Pskov prince Dovmont, the Russian king Daniil Galitsky, the Novgorod prince Mstislav the Bold, etc.), this seems a trifle. In the history of Russia there have been dozens of princes who have done more for Russia than Alexander, and much more great battles than the two we have dismantled. However, the memory of these princes and their achievements has been completely ousted from the people's memory by the "exploits" of Alexander Yaroslavovich.

Through the "exploits" of a man who collaborated with the Tatars, a man for the sake of obtaining a Vladimir label, who brought Nevryuev's army to Russia, which, in terms of the scale of the disasters brought to the Russian lands, is comparable to the invasion of Batu; person who. Probably destroyed the coalition of Andrei Yaroslavovich and Daniil Galitsky, who did not want to live under the khan's yoke.

A man who was ready to sacrifice anything in order to satisfy his own thirst for power. And all these actions of his are presented as committed "for the good" of Russia. It becomes a shame for Russian history, from which all the pages of its glory miraculously disappear, and in their place comes admiration for such figures.

Sutulin Pavel Ilyich

I. Where?

Until now, historians argue not only about the number of soldiers who participated on both sides in the battle on April 5, 1242, but also about the place of this battle. It is not at all a fact that the Battle of the Ice took place, as it is said in many history textbooks, on Lake Peipsi. In the versions of historians, there are references to both Lake Peipsi and Pskov, as well as Lake Warm (in the 13th century called Uzmen - a narrow place, a strait that connects Pskov and Peipsi lakes).

A quote from the book by Alexander Shirokorad "The Baltic land mine of Peter the Great" (Moscow: AST, 2008): "Of the ten historians who dealt with this issue (Kostomarov, Vasiliev, Trusman, Lurie, Porfiridov, Bunin, Belyaev, Tikhomirov, Paklar, Kozachenko) only The Estonian Paklar carried out special surveys on the spot, while the others tried to find a solution in the quiet of their offices. As a result, the alleged battle sites are scattered over a stretch of about a hundred kilometers! "

Nazaruk V. M. "Battle on the Ice", 1984

In fact, G. N. Karaev (1959, 1960, 1962, plus a reconnaissance survey conducted by him in 1961) went to the site with three expeditions of enthusiasts, but more on that later.

Archaeological research aimed at finding evidence of the battle of 1242 has not led to any result. First, if the battle really took place on the ice of the lake, then part of the armor could drown. Secondly, swords, shields, helmets, chain mail were of high value in the 13th century - and it is not surprising that what did not sink was cleaned up.

The first Novgorod chronicle of the older version points to Lake Peipsi: “Prince Oleksandr and the Novgorodians saw, setting up a regiment on Lake Chudskoye, on Uzmen, near the Voronya Kamen; and hitting the regiment of Germans and Chyud and prowling like a pig through the regiment ... "(quoted from: Novgorod First Chronicle of the Senior and Junior Excerpts. M .: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1950, p. 78; quotation adapted).

The Novgorod first chronicle of the younger version also speaks of Lake Peipsi: “But after seeing Prince Alexander and Novgorodians, he set up a regiment on Lake Chudskoye, on Uzmen, near the Voronya Kamen; and the lake Chyudskoe came: there are many byeshe of both ”(p. 295-296 op. source).

Let's look at the Laurentian Chronicle: “Grand Duke Yaroslav, the ambassador of his son Andrea to Novgorod the Great, to help Oleksandrov on the Germans, and I won over Pleskovo on the lake, and I am full of many captives, and Andrei returned to his father with honor” (quoted from the publication : Complete collection Russian chronicles. Volume one. Laurentian and Trinity Chronicles. SPb., 1846.S. 201). If the chronicler said “beyond Pleskovo”, that is, beyond Pskov, then he probably meant Lake Pskov.

An excerpt from the "Life of Alexander Nevsky" (a manuscript of the mid-16th century. Grebenshchikov Old Believer community in Riga. In the book: Proceedings of the Department Old Russian literature/ USSR Academy of Sciences. Inst rus. lit. (Pushkin House); Ed. V.P. Adrianova-Peretz. - M .; L .: Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1947.T. V. S. 190-191):

“After the victory of Oleksandrov, as if you have won the ship 3, and in a year winter time and go to the German land in great power, but they do not boast about it: we reproach the Slovenian language. Lower yourself, you must take the city of Plesk and plant them from them, the same prince Oleksandro seized, the city of Pleskov is freed from captivity, and after having fought their land and taken it burnt and full, but others have disappeared.

They copulated with pride and decided: let's go [and] defeat Oleksandr, have him with our hands. Whenever Oleksandrov's guards came nearer, and prince Oleksandro took up arms and went against himself, stepping on the Chyud sea, maddening both of them: his father, Yaroslav, sent him to help him, his younger brother, Andrei, in his own squad. " So, here is the "Chudskoe sea".

NM Karamzin said almost nothing on the topic of the “meeting place”: “The Livonian chronicler says that 70 courageous Knights laid their heads there and that the Prince of Novgorod, having captured 6 officials, ordered them to be killed. The victor entered Livonia, and when our soldiers scattered to gather food supplies, the enemy defeated the small advance detachment of Novgorod. Here Alexander showed the art of a prudent Warlord: knowing the strength of the Germans, he stepped back, looked for an advantageous place and stood on Lake Peipsi "(" History of the Russian State ", volume IV). As we can see, Karamzin - which has been noted more than once by Russian historians - avoids specifying the exact place of the battle. “… I was looking for a profitable place and became on Lake Peipsi,” period.

N. I. Kostomarov: “Alexander sat down in Pskov; detachments were sent onward to German Land for news. Alexander expected a new war; it was to follow from the Germans. Indeed, he soon heard that the German force attacked the troops sent to the German Land, defeated them and was marching on Pskov. Maester Valk and the bishops walked with the confidence that things would get better on their side. The German militia marched across the ice along Lake Peipsi, with the aim of reaching Pskov on ice. But Alexander followed the path of the enemies, and himself set out from Pskov on the ice with the Novgorodians and the Pskovites. Alexander set up his army in order of battle on the lake, near the Voroniy Kamen cliff, on Uzmen, when turning from Lake Pskov to Peipsi. This place is named so because crows are really constantly circling there "(" The Russian republic. Northern Russian peoples' rights in the days of the specific veche regime. The history of Novgorod, Pskov and Vyatka "). So, here is a turn from lake to lake, that is, a place, probably near the village of Pnevo - Uzmen, or Teploe Lake.

S. M. Solovyov: “Arriving in Novgorod in 1241, Alexander immediately went to the Germans to Koporye, took the fortress, brought the German garrison to Novgorod, set some of it free, only the traitorous leaders and chud were hanged. But it was impossible to liberate Pskov so soon; only in the next 1242, having traveled to the Horde, Alexander went to Pskov and took it, and seventy knights with many simple warriors died, six knights were taken prisoner and tortured, as the German chronicler says. After that, Alexander entered the Peipsi land, into the possession of the Order; the army of the latter met one of the Russian detachments and defeated it utterly; when the fugitives brought news of this defeat to Alexander, he retreated to Lake Pskov and began to wait for the enemy on his ice, which was still strong on April 5. At the sunrise, the famous battle began, which is known in our chronicles under the name of the Battle of the Ice ”(“ History of Russia from Ancient Times ”, volume 3). Thus, according to Solovyov, the massacre took place on the ice of Lake Pskov.

Lev Gumilyov had no doubt that the place of the battle was Lake Peipsi: “In the winter of 1242, Alexander Nevsky with his Suzdal, or, as they said,“ lower ”squads, with the support of the Novgorodians and Pskovites, attacked a German detachment stationed in Pskov. Having liberated Pskov, he moved on the main forces of the Livonians, who were retreating, bypassing Lake Peipsi. On the western shore of the lake, at the Crow Stone, the Germans had to fight ”(“ From Russia to Russia ”).

Let's take a modern history textbook. Everything is simple here: “The knights defeated the advance detachment of Alexander and pushed the prince back to Lake Peipsi. Here on April 5, one of the largest battles in the struggle for the lands of the Eastern Baltic took place. Alexander's leadership talent allowed him to defeat the crusaders. " (Pavlenko N.I., Andreev I.L., Fedorov V.A. History of Russia from ancient times to 1861. 3rd edition, revised / Edited by N.I. Pavlenko. M .: Higher school, 2004.S. 79.)

I see no reason to further give different points of view on the question of where exactly the Battle of the Ice took place. Those who wish to get acquainted with the historiography of this confusing issue, I refer to the book containing maps and the book: Battle of the Ice in 1242. Proceedings of a complex expedition to clarify the location of the Battle of the Ice / Otv. ed. G.N. Karaev. Moscow - Leningrad: Nauka, 1966.241 p. Historiographic materials from this publication on the Internet can be found here. Written sources, Western and Russian, - or.

About G.N. Karaev - a well-known researcher of the issue of the place of the Battle on the Ice - I would like to say something special. Here is what he writes about him and his expedition:

“Research that would help clarify the events of seven centuries ago was undertaken by a military historian, specialist in the Middle Ages, Major General G. N. Karaev. Today, everything that was in Soviet times is no longer so indiscriminately scolded. Because it has become something to compare with. The expedition, which was led and successfully conducted by G. N. Karaev on a voluntary basis, would have been simply impossible to organize now. So, for a number of years, from 1956 to 1963, on an expedition during vacations, vacations and student practical training Dozens of people of various specialties worked completely free of charge: archaeologists, hydrologists, toponyms, geologists and others. The military districts provided them with the most modern equipment for those years: airplanes, helicopters, special boats. Scuba divers and divers examined the bottom of the lake, and groups of tourists on kayaks found waterways, which in principle could move Alexander Nevsky. "

The expeditions carried out by the team of G.N. Karaev came to the following:

1) Warm lake - chronicle Uzmen - in the northern part in the XIII century was blocked by a peninsula, from which only the island of Mezha (Pirissar) survived.

2) Voroniy Kamen - now a remnant of a “dome-shaped structure, represented by reddish-brown sandstone. The height of this hill was, obviously, not less than the dome near the village. Kallaste, currently reaching a height of 12 m. Voroniy Kamen, located at the northwestern tip of the island. Voroniy, which at that time was the right bank of the river. Samolvy at its confluence with Uzmen, towering 12-15 m above the rest of the area, served as an excellent landmark and guard post ”.

G. N. Karaev notes: “At this time, the cut-off hillock could still be found and mapped, but not much time will pass, and it will disappear altogether, the remains of the Crow Stone will undergo further destruction, and, finally, there will come a time when only the historical the monument, erected as a result of the research work of Soviet historians, will remind descendants of the place of the great battle at the Crow Stone, this silent witness of the feat accomplished by our ancestors. "

The chronicle Uzmen is understood as the channel connecting the Pskov and Peipsi lakes and now bearing the name of Warm Lake. Between the northern tip of Cape Sigovets, Stanok Island and the western tip of Gorodets Island at the beginning of April, the ice was too weak ("sigovitsa"). But between Cape Sigovets in the north and the village of Pnevo in the south, the ice at the beginning of April was quite strong and made it possible to cross Uzmen. Moreover, as Karaev writes, “near the eastern coast of Uzmen there was a wide strip of shallow water, where the water froze to the bottom in winter. As shown by hydrological surveys, shallows barely covered with water formed on this strip. Such shoals, usually overgrown with reeds, are a frequent occurrence even today. In winter, when the water freezes, thickets of reeds stick out from under the snow on the icy surface, like islets overgrown with grass. " The region of the northeastern part of Uzmen in the XIII century. was located at the intersection of trade routes, was fortified (especially in the area of ​​the mouth of the Bile River) and was densely populated. Here "there were, apparently, vast lands, on which from the earliest times the procurement of fish, hay and other agricultural products was carried out." All this was convenient for the location of the troops.

Karaev writes:

“If, taking all this into account, carefully examine the outlines of the coastline of the Uzmen Islands, as they were in the 13th century, according to the hydrological surveys carried out by the expedition, the following becomes obvious:

1) the battle could not take place directly at the Crow Stone due to the weakness of the ice on Sigovitsa;

2) to the north of Voroniy Kamen, that is, between it and the Podborovskiy cape, this is also excluded, since the chronicle says that the defeated enemy "rush, bish them 7 versts on the ice to the Subolichsk coast", and to to the west of these places there were vast wooded islands, and thus it was not possible to pursue "on the ice";

3) to the southwest of Voroniy Kamen there was a peninsula, a significant part of which is currently flooded; it now bears the name Sigovets (Cape), since its northernmost extremity is adjacent to the Sigovitsa.

This section of the eastern coast of Uzmen was located in the XIII century. (as now) against its widest part - to the opposite bank, if you look directly to the west, to the village. Parapalu is now more than 6 km, and up to 8 km to Cape Ukhtinka, where the defeated remnants of the German knightly army fled, very likely. Thus, in this respect, the site near the western coast of Cape Sigovets is very close to the indication of the chronicle. It is located, however, not far from the Crow Stone - less than 1.5 km; this fully explains the fact that the chronicler, when indicating the place of the battle, named this very landmark, widely known in the area.

S. Prisekin "Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword" (1983)

In addition, it is necessary to bear in mind that no one measured the distance between the shores at that time and it could only be called very approximately by those participants in the victorious campaign, who later, from memory, told the chronicler about it. In addition, due to the fact that the description of the battle, placed in the chronicle, is embellished with religious fabrications of the chronicler, it is natural to assume that the number “seven” is named by him in this case as apocryphal in order to express the completeness of the victory over the enemy ”.

“Thus,” concludes GN Karaev, “the place of the Battle on the Ice is quite accurately determined by comparing the results of expeditionary surveys and those topographic data about it, which are contained in the chronicle text. Due to the fact that the coastline near Cape Sigovets has changed by now and has moved 300-400 m to the east, the site of the battle should mean the area of ​​Teploe Lake, located about 400 m west of the modern coast of Cape Sigovets, between its northern extremity and latitude of the village. Island".

In the XIII century. the lake at this place was narrower than it is now (see on).

The second question "where" concerns the two options offered by history: is it on the ice - or on the shore?

“On both sides, the dead fell on the grass,” he says. Karaev also answered this question: “... having built up on a strip of shallow water adjacent to the eastern coast of Uzmen, the Russian army found itself among the thickets of reeds sticking out from under the snow, which is mentioned in the chronicle as“ grass ”.

II. How many?

Let's go back to the annals.

In the Novgorod first chronicle of the older edition, we read: “... even Chudi's pad was beshisla, and Nemets 400, and 50 with the hands of a yash and brought him to Novgorod” (p. 78).

In the Novgorod first chronicle of the younger edition, the numbers have changed: “... even Chyudi's pad was beshisla, and Nemets 500, and with other 50 hands I brought him to Novgorod” (p. 296).

Consequently, there were 400 or 500 killed Germans, 50 captured, and “without number” chudi were also destroyed.

Laurentian Chronicle and the number of soldiers and killed does not tell, alas, anything. Her story "In the summer of 6750" generally fits into three lines.

The Life of Alexander Nevsky is a more artistic source than a documentary-historical one. Judge for yourself: “But then the day is Saturday, the rising sun, copulating wallpaper, and there was a slaughter of evil, cowardly from the spears of breaking, the sound of a sword-cut, as if the sea would freeze to move, if you could not see ice, covered everything with blood. Byasha many are full in his regiment, but they are led near the intrigue and others are called God's rotors. As if the prince approached the city of Pleskov, sucking him off the crosses of the hegumen, the priest in vestments on the city and in front of the city, singing the glory of the Lord Oleksandr: helping, Lord, to the meek David victories, I will be foreigners, our faithful prince, our godparents, will free the city of Pleskov from a foreigner Oleksandrova "(p. 191). In a word, “many”.

Karamzin writes on this subject: “Winter still lasted then in the month of April, and the army could safely operate on hard ice... The Germans cut into our ranks in a sharp column; but the courageous Prince, striking the enemies from the side, mixed them; broke, exterminated the Germans and drove the Chud until the darkest evening. 400 Knights have fallen from our swords; fifty were taken prisoner, including one who, in his arrogance, wanted to capture Alexander himself; Chudi's bodies lay seven miles away ”(“ History of the Russian State ”, volume IV). As you can see, the historian adheres to the information of the chronicle.

NI Kostomarov, in contrast to Karamzin, follows the "Life of Alexander Nevsky", adding the maximum number of killed Germans from the chronicle: "The Germans moved on the Russians. According to the tactics of the time, Alexander set up his army as a pig: this was the name of the formation of a triangle, which formed a sharp end facing the enemy. Seeing the approaching enemies, Alexander raised his hands up and loudly in front of all his army said: “Judge me, God, and judge my dispute with this grandiose people; help me, Lord, how you helped my forefather Yaroslav, against the accursed Svyatopolk! " It was then Saturday of the fifth week of Lent, April 5th. The sun had just risen. When the Germans approached, Alexander swiftly moved his pig with his snout at the enemy, and the German formation was cut. Then, - says the chronicler, narrating his story with the words of an eyewitness who reported the news about the glorious deed: - “then there was a crackle from breaking spears and a sound from a sword cut. It seemed that the frozen sea moved, and the great one fell to the Germans and Chudi with us, and the ice was not visible: everything was covered with blood. " Torn apart, out of line, the Germans fled; the Russians triumphantly chased them seven miles across the ice, to the Subolic coast. The chronicler counts five hundred beaten Germans, and about Chudi he says that countless numbers of her have disappeared; others drowned in the water: then already in the spring time the ice was not strong; and of those who fled, many were wounded, and died of wounds. Fifty Germans were taken alive "(" The Russian Republic. Northern Russian peoples' rights in the days of the specific veche regime. The history of Novgorod, Pskov and Vyatka ").

S. M. Solovyov: “... the Russians drove the Germans across the ice to the coast at a distance of seven miles, killed 500 people from them, and countless chuds, took 50 knights prisoner” (“History of Russia since ancient times”, volume 3). Solovyov also used the Life of Alexander Nevsky, and took the number from the chronicle.

Gumilev: “The number of knights proper was small - only a few dozen, but each knight was a formidable fighter. In addition, the knights were supported by foot mercenaries armed with spears and the order's allies - the Livs. The knights lined up like a "pig": the most powerful warrior is in front, behind him - two others, behind those - four, and so on. The onslaught of such a wedge was irresistible for the lightly armed Russians, and Alexander did not even try to stop the blow of the German army. On the contrary, he weakened his center and enabled the knights to break through it. Meanwhile, the reinforced flanks of the Russians attacked both wings of the German army. The Livs ran, the Germans resisted desperately, but since it was spring time, the ice cracked and the heavily armed knights began to fall into the water of Lake Peipsi. The Novgorodians did not allow the enemy to escape from the disastrous trap. The defeat of the Germans on Lake Peipsi on April 5, 1242 postponed their offensive to the East - Drang nach Osten - which was the leitmotif of German policy from 1202 to 1941 "(" From Russia to Russia "). So, “several dozen” plus “livs”.

“The Russians had such an army (schar),
that every German was attacked,
perhaps sixty people.
The knight brothers fought hard enough
but they were overpowered there.
Some of the Dorpat residents left
from the battle, this was their salvation,
they were forced to retreat.
Twenty knight brothers were killed there,
and six were taken prisoner. "

"Sixty" people against one is a clear exaggeration of the losers, but 20 killed knights and six captured - looks like the truth. Why? Because there were few knights at that time and it was very expensive to keep a knight with squires and horses.

“... Pskov, for example, being captured by the Livonians, could contain only two such full-fledged warriors. Of course, they set out on a campaign together with their servants and squires, but even with them, the number of such a knightly unit could not be more than 15-20 soldiers, and there were only 5-7 horsemen. As a rule, there was one knight per castle of the Livonian Order. He was called the komtur, and he led the komtur, which usually consisted of one castle and adjacent lands. From 1230 to 1290, the order built about 90 castles in the Baltic states. From here it is easy to calculate the military capabilities of the order and the number of its troops.

V. Serov "Entry of Alexander Nevsky to Pskov after the ice battle"

It should also be borne in mind that a year before, on April 9, 1241, the Teutonic Order took part in the Battle of Legnica. Then the army of the Golden Horde under the command of Genghis Khan's grandson Baidar defeated the united Polish-German army under the command of the Krakow prince Henry II the Pious. Considering that many Teutons died in that battle, no more than 60-70 knights of the order could take part in the Battle of the Ice (some ancient German sources talk about 30 knights, each of which had 5-6 more mounted warriors). With the infantry supporting them, there were about one and a half thousand soldiers, including the weakly armed Estonians "(

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

Alexander Nevskiy

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

Preparing for battle

To understand the essence of the Battle on the Ice, you need to understand what preceded it, and how the opponents went to battle. So ... After the Swedes lost the Battle of the Neva, the Germanic Crusaders decided to prepare more thoroughly for a new campaign. The Teutonic Order also contributed part of their army to aid. Back in 1238, Dietrich von Grüningen became the master of the Livonian Order; many historians attribute to him a decisive role in shaping the idea of ​​a campaign against Russia. Additionally, the crusaders were motivated by Pope Gregory IX, who in 1237 declared a crusade against Finland, and in 1239 called on the princes of Russia to respect the border orders.

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

At the end of 1240, the Germans began a campaign on the lands of Russia. In the same year they took Izborsk, and in 1241 they laid siege to Pskov. At the beginning of March 1242, Alexander helped the inhabitants of Pskov to liberate their principality and drove the Germans north-west of the city, to the region of Lake Peipsi. It was there that the decisive battle took place, which went down in history under the name of the Battle on the Ice.

Battle progress briefly

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

The Battle on the Ice took place on April 5, 1242. German troops, possessing the technique of attacking "pigs", that is, a strict and disciplined system, directed the main blow to the center of the enemy. However, Alexander first attacked the enemy army with the help of archers, and then ordered to strike at the flanks of the crusaders. As a result, the Germans were pushed forward onto the ice of Lake Peipsi. The winter at this time was long and cold, therefore, at the time of April, ice (rather crusty) remained on the reservoir. After the Germans realized that they were retreating onto the ice, it was too late: the ice began to crack under the pressure of heavy German armor. That is why historians have called the battle "the battle of ice". As a result, some of the soldiers drowned, the other part was killed in battle, but most of them managed to escape. After that, Alexander's troops finally drove out the crusaders from the territory of the Pskov principality.

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

Historical reference

The result and historical significance of the battle

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

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

As for the historical significance of the battle on Lake Peipsi, the main role of Alexander is that he was able to stop the offensive of a powerful army of crusaders on Russian lands. The famous historian L. Gumelev argues that the fact of the conquest by the crusaders would mean the end for the very existence of Russia, and therefore the end of the future Russia.

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

The exact date of the Battle of the Ice

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

Participants in the battle after

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

An alternative view of the battle on Lake Peipsi

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

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

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

Battle on the ice in the culture of the country

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

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

As you can see, even Short story ice battle is not only the battle of April 5, 1242 between the Novgorodians and the Germans. This is a very important event in the history of Russia, because thanks to the talent of Alexander Nevsky, Russia was saved from conquest by the crusaders.

Russia in the XIII century and the arrival of the Germans

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

In a fierce battle on Lake Peipsi on April 5, 1242, the Novgorod soldiers under the command of Prince Alexander Nevsky won a significant victory over the army of the Livonian Order. To put it briefly "Battle on the Ice", then even a fourth-grade student will understand what is at stake. The battle under this name is of great historical importance. That is why its date is one of the days of military glory.

At the end of 1237, the Pope proclaimed the 2nd Crusade to Finland. Taking advantage of this plausible pretext, in 1240 the Livonian Order captured Izborsk, and then Pskov. When in 1241 the threat loomed over Novgorod, at the request of the inhabitants of the city, Prince Alexander led the defense of the Russian lands from the invaders. He led an army to the Koporye fortress and took it by storm.

In March next year his younger brother, Prince Andrei Yaroslavich, came to his aid from Suzdal with his retinue. By joint actions, the princes recaptured Pskov from the enemy.

After that, the Novgorod army moved to the Dorpat bishopric, which was located on the territory of modern Estonia. Dorpat (now Tartu) was ruled by Bishop Hermann von Buxgewden, brother of the order's commander. The main forces of the crusaders were concentrated in the vicinity of the city. The German knights met with the advance detachment of the Novgorodians and defeated them. They were forced to retreat to the frozen lake.

Troop formation

The united army of the Livonian Order, Danish knights and Chudi (Baltic-Finnish tribes) was built in the shape of a wedge. Sometimes this formation is called a boar's head or a pig. The calculation is made to break the enemy's battle formations and drive a wedge into them.

Alexander Nevsky, assuming a similar formation of the enemy, chose the layout of his main forces along the flanks. The correctness of this decision was shown by the outcome of the battle on Lake Peipsi. The date April 5, 1242 is of decisive historical significance..

The course of the battle

At sunrise, the German army under the command of Master Andreas von Völfen and Bishop Hermann von Buxgewden moved towards the enemy.

As can be seen from the battle scheme, the archers were the first to enter the battle with the crusaders. They fired at the enemies, who were well protected by armor, so, under the pressure of the enemy, the arrows from the bow had to retreat. The Germans began to press the middle of the Russian army.

At this time, the regiment with the left and right hand... The attack was unexpected for the enemy, his battle formations lost their harmony, and confusion ensued. At this moment, the squad of Prince Alexander fell on the Germans from the rear. Now the enemy was surrounded and began a retreat, which soon turned into a flight. Russian soldiers pursued those who fled seven miles.

Losses of the parties

As with any military action, both sides suffered heavy losses. Information about them is rather contradictory - depending on the source:

• The Livonian rhymed chronicle mentions 20 knights killed and 6 captured;
• The first Novgorod chronicle reports on the killed 400 Germans and 50 prisoners, as well as on a large number of those killed among the Chudi "and the pad of Chudi beshisla";
• The Chronicle of Grandmasters gives data on the fallen seventy knights “70 Order Lords”, “seuentich Ordens Herenn”, but this is the total number of those killed in the battle on Lake Peipsi and during the liberation of Pskov.

Most likely, the Novgorod chronicler, in addition to the knights, also counted their warriors, which is why such great differences are observed in the chronicle: we are talking about different killed.

The data on the losses of the Russian troops are also very vague. “Many brave warriors have fallen,” our sources say. The Livonian Chronicle says that for every German killed, 60 Russians were killed.

As a result of two historical victories of Prince Alexander (on the Neva over the Swedes in 1240 and on Lake Peipsi), it was possible to prevent the seizure of Novgorod and Pskov lands by the crusaders. In the summer of 1242, ambassadors from the Livonian Department of the Teutonic Order arrived in Novgorod and signed a peace treaty, in which they renounced encroachments on Russian lands.

A feature film "Alexander Nevsky" was made about these events in 1938. The Battle on the Ice went down in history as an example of military art. The brave prince was numbered among the saints by the Russian Orthodox Church.

For Russia, this event plays an important role in the patriotic education of young people. At school, they begin to study the topic of this fight in the 4th grade. Children will find out in what year the Battle of the Ice took place, with whom they fought, mark on the map the place where the defeat of the crusaders took place.

In grade 7, students are already working on this historical event in more detail: they draw tables, schemes of the battle with legend, give reports and reports on this topic, write abstracts and essays, read the encyclopedia.

The meaning of the battle on the lake can be judged by how it is represented in different types of art:

According to the old calendar, the battle took place on April 5, and in a new way - on April 18. On this date, the day of the victory of the Russian soldiers of Prince Alexander Nevsky over the crusaders was legally established. However, the discrepancy of 13 days is valid only in the interval from 1900 to 2100. In the 13th century, the difference would be only 7 days. Therefore, in fact, the anniversary of the event falls on April 12. But as you know, this date was "staked out" by the cosmonauts.

According to the doctor historical sciences Igor Danilevsky, the significance of the battle on Lake Peipsi is greatly exaggerated. Here are his arguments:

The well-known expert on medieval Russia, the Englishman John Fennell, and the German historian specializing in Eastern Europe, Dietmar Dahlmann, agree with him. The latter wrote that the significance of this ordinary battle was inflated with the aim of forming a national myth, in which Prince Alexander was appointed the defender of Orthodoxy and the Russian lands.

The famous Russian historian V.O. Klyuchevsky in his scientific works did not even mention this battle, probably due to the insignificance of the event.

The data on the number of participants in the fight are also contradictory. Soviet historians believed that about 10-12 thousand people fought on the side of the Livonian Order and their allies, and the Novgorod army was about 15-17 thousand warriors.

Currently, most historians tend to believe that there were no more than sixty Livonian and Danish knights on the side of the order. Taking into account their squires and servants, this is approximately 600 - 700 people plus monsters, about the number of whom there is no data in the annals. According to many historians, there were no more than a thousand chudi available, and there were about 2,500 - 3,000 Russian soldiers. There is another curious circumstance. Some researchers reported that Tatar troops sent by Khan Batu helped Alexander Nevsky in the battle on Lake Peipsi.

In 1164 there was a military clash near Ladoga. At the end of May, the Swedes sailed to the city in 55 ships and laid siege to the fortress. Less than a week later, the Novgorod prince Svyatoslav Rostislavich arrived with his army to help the citizens of Ladoga. He perpetrated a real massacre of Ladoga uninvited guests. According to the testimony of the first Novgorod chronicle, the enemy was defeated and put to flight. It was a real devastation. The winners captured 43 out of 55 ships and many prisoners.

For comparison: in the famous battle on the Neva River in 1240, Prince Alexander took neither prisoners nor enemy ships. The Swedes buried the dead, took the stolen goods and departed, but now this event is forever associated with the name of Alexander.

Some researchers question the fact that the battle took place on ice. It is also considered speculation that the crusaders fell through the ice during the flight. Nothing is written about this in the first edition of the Novgorod Chronicle and in the Livonian Chronicle. This version is also supported by the fact that at the bottom of the lake in the supposed place of the battle it was not possible to find anything confirming the "under-ice" option.

In addition, it is not known exactly where the Battle of the Ice took place. Briefly and in detail about this can be read in various sources. According to the official point of view, the battle took place on the western shore of Cape Sigovets in the southeastern part of Lake Peipsi. This place was determined according to the results of a scientific expedition of 1958-59, headed by G.N. Karaev. At the same time, it should be noted that no archaeological finds have been found that unequivocally confirm the conclusions of scientists.

There are other points of view about the location of the battle. In the eighties of the twentieth century, an expedition led by I.E.Koltsov also explored the alleged battle site using dowsing methods. The alleged graves of the fallen warriors were mapped. Based on the results of the expedition, Koltsov put forward a version that the main battle took place between the villages of Kobylye fortified settlement, Samolva, Tabory and the Zhelcha River.

History of naval art

After the defeat of the Swedes Alexander Nevskiy quarreled with the Novgorod boyars, who were afraid of the strengthening of the princely power, and was forced to leave Novgorod for his own inheritance - Pereyaslavl Zalessky ... They took advantage of his departure German knights ... In the fall of 1240 they invaded the Russian land and captured fortress Izborsk and Koporye ... Against the Germans came out Pskov voivode Gavrila Borislavich with his squad and the Pskov militia. However, the Pskovites were defeated. superior forces enemy. The voivode and many warriors fell in the battle. The Russians retreated to Pskov. When attacking Pskov, the knights mercilessly plundered and killed the Russian population, burned villages and churches. For a whole week, the Germans unsuccessfully besieged Pskov... And only after a handful of traitorous boyars headed by Tverdila entered into an agreement with the Germans and opened the gates of the city for them, Pskov was taken.

In this difficult time for the entire Russian land, at the request of the people, the boyars were forced to call Alexander Nevsky to Novgorod again.

Alexander Yaroslavich returned to Novgorod. On his behalf, the vigilantes called: "Get together everything from small to large: whoever has a horse, he is on a horse, and whoever does not have a horse, let him go on a boat." V short term he created a strong army from Novgorodians, Ladoga residents, Izhorians and Karelians.

Gathering an army, Alexander Nevsky, with a sudden blow, knocked the Germans out of Koporye, an important strategic point, from where they sent their troops deep into the Novgorod possessions. Foreseeing the fierce resistance of the enemy, Alexander Nevsky turned to his father, the Grand Duke, for help, asking him to send the Vladimir-Suzdal regiments. Help was rendered to him: Nevsky's brother, Andrei Yaroslavich, brought him to Novgorod "Grassroots" shelves ... Having united with these regiments, Alexander Nevsky went to Pskov, surrounded and took it by storm. The capture in such a short time of such a fortress as Pskov testified to high level Russian military art and the availability of our ancestors improved siege and military equipment. The traitors-boyars were executed, the captured knights were sent to Novgorod.

Having strengthened the borders of the liberated Novgorod land, Alexander Nevskiy led his army to the land of the Estonians where the eye forces were German knights... Faced with the threat of mortal danger, the knights increased their armed forces, led by himself master of the order .

In the second half of March 1242 the advance detachment of the Russians under the command of Domash Tverdislavovich scouted the main forces of the Germans, but, forced to engage with them in battle, was defeated by a numerically superior enemy and retreated to his main forces. Guided by the intelligence report, Alexander Nevskiy decided to give battle to the enemy on the ice of Lake Peipsi. To this end, he transferred his troops to the eastern shore of this lake and placed them in the Uzmen region, at the Crow Stone.

Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky knew the weak and strengths your opponent. He chose a convenient position for battle on the ice of Lake Peipsi.

The spring ice was strong enough to withstand Russian soldiers armed with spears, swords, axes and axes, but the ice, as it soon became clear, could not withstand the knightly cavalry with armored horsemen.

The strength of the knights lay not only in their excellent weapons, but also in their combat formation. The battle formation of the German knights was in the form of a wedge, or, as the Russian chronicle calls it, “pigs”.

According to the description of historians, "pig" had the following appearance: in front were lined up from three to five mounted knights; behind them, in the second rank, were already five or seven knights; subsequent rows increased by two or three people. The total number of rows that made up the "pig" could reach ten, and the number of knights - up to 150. The rest of the knights were built in a column after the "pig".

Such a formation was repeatedly successfully used by knights to break through the center of the enemy and encircle his flanks.

Together with the knights, the infantry also acted, which consisted of squires, servants and partly from the population of the conquered countries. The infantry came into action when the "pig" tore apart the formation of the enemy's central regiment and went out to its flanks. But the infantry was always followed by a line of knights, for the crusaders did not pin special hopes on it.

Contrary to the usual formation of the battle formation of the Russian troops, when in the center was placed large regiment , and on the flanks weaker right and left hand shelves , Alexander Nevskiy Considering the tactics of the enemy, he deliberately weakened his center, concentrating the main forces of the Russian army on the flanks. Forward was pushed a long distance insignificant vanguard , which, retreating, was supposed to lure the Germans on the ice of Lake Peipsi ... Alexander Nevsky placed the elite part of his squad behind the Crow Stone. This detachment was supposed to strike the enemy in the rear.

On the morning of April 5, 1242, the bulk of the German troops moved on the Russians, who were standing in battle formation at the Crow Stone. As expected, the Germans used their favorite order of battle this time too - wedge formation... The vanguard of the Russians retreated, dragging the knights with them. The Germans, as usual, struck at the Russian center, which they easily managed to break through. But at this time, the main forces of the Russians, concentrated on the flanks, suddenly fell upon them. Russian soldiers attacked swiftly and acted decisively. In a relatively short time, they managed to surround the German wedge and confuse the ranks of the knights. The cavalry of the Germans, trapped in pincers by the Russians, began to retreat, crushing their infantry. The ice could not bear the weight of the knights, horses and enemy infantry huddled together. Many knights fell through the ice and died, along with their horses. The blow of the vigilantes from behind the Crow Stone to the rear of the Germans completed their defeat. "There was a wicked slaughter," the chronicler writes, living with the German knights, "and the Russian soldiers whipped them, as if chasing through the air, and they had nowhere to hide." 500 knights were killed and 50 taken prisoner.

The Russian victory at Lake Peipsi was of historical significance. She saved Russia from German slavery. Karl Marx praised this victory of Alexander Nevsky. "Alexander Nevsky opposes the German knights, breaks them on the ice of Lake Peipsi, so that the scoundrels (die Lumpacii) were finally thrown back from the Russian border ".

conclusions

Alexander Nevsky is a great Russian commander. His combat activities are inextricably linked with the heroic struggle of the Russian people for their national independence.

In the fight against the Swedes and Germans, he showed high examples of strategic and tactical art. His strategy was active, it fully met the interests of the people, who sought to protect themselves from foreign invaders.

If, as a strategist, Alexander Nevsky unmistakably determined the main direction of the strike, then as a tactician he no less skillfully knew how to concentrate the main forces and means in the decisive sector of the battle. Alexander Nevsky fought according to a premeditated and carefully prepared plan. His tactics were active and offensive.

"Prince Alexander won everywhere, was invincible" , - wrote a contemporary of the prince in "Lives of Alexander Nevsky".

In the Battle of the Neva, the Russians struck a surprise blow at the Swedish troops, which were completely defeated, despite their numerical superiority.

At the first stage of the fight against the Germans, Alexander Nevsky showed a high martial art, having taken by storm the fortresses of Koporye and Pskov.

Having liberated their cities, the Russians shifted their actions to enemy territory. Then, having lured his main forces to a preselected position on Lake Peipsi, inflicted a decisive blow on the enemy in Ice battle .

After the Battle of the Ice, the knights recognized that the Russian people could neither be conquered nor enslaved. On the ice of Lake Peipsi, a limit was placed on the advance of the Germans to the east.

“Whoever comes to us with a sword,” said Alexander Nevsky, “will die by the sword. The Russian land stands and will stand on that. "

Alexander Nevsky was not only a great commander, but also a major statesman... During the period of the Tatar invasion, he managed to subordinate the interests of the most important state centers of northwestern Russia to the common cause of saving the Russian people from German-Swedish aggression. At the same time, he upset the machinations of the Pope, who provoked the Russian people into an open armed uprising against the Tatars. Alexander Nevsky understood that a premature action against the Tatars could break the resistance of the Russian people and would enable the Germans and Swedes to seize the northwestern part of the Russian land, not conquered by the Tatars.

***

After the defeat of the Swedes and Germans, Novgorod for a long time secured its possessions from invaders. The crushing blows of Alexander Nevsky were so strong that the enemies of Russia could not recover from them for a long time. Only 44 years after the Battle of the Neva did the Swedes resume their predatory campaigns against Novgorod. In 1248 they organized a campaign against the possessions of Novgorod with the aim of capturing Ladoga. But this campaign ended for them completeroutmom. The Novgorodians freely let the Swedish ships into the Neva, blocked them and then destroyed them.

In 1300, the Swedes, taking advantage of the difficult internal situation in Russia (the Tatar yoke) and the weakening of Novgorod itself in connection with the intensified struggle of boyar groups for power, decided to cut off Novgorod from the Baltic Sea. To this end, they sent their fleet of 111 ships to the Gulf of Finland and the Neva. Climbing up the Neva, the Swedes stopped at the mouth of the Okhta River, where, under the supervision of Italian engineers, they built the Landskronu fortress.

The Novgorodians, having learned about the arrival of the enemy fleet in the Neva, decided to destroy it with the help of burning ships launched downstream. But the Swedes, warned by their intelligence, managed to prevent this danger by driving piles above the parking lot of their fleet. Then the Novgorodians were forced to strengthen their ground forces, which took Landskrona by storm and destroyed it (1301).

In order to prevent the enemy from penetrating into the Neva in the future, the Novgorodians built in 1323 at its source on the island of Orekhov the fortress Oreshek (now Petrokrepost).

Due to the increased resistance of the Novgorodians, the Swedes suffered constant setbacks in their costly campaigns against Russia, so in 1323 they sent their representatives to the Novgorodians in Oreshek with peace proposals. The latter accepted the offer of the Swedes, and peace was signed in the Oreshek fortress.

According to the Orekhovsky Peace Treaty, the Sestra River became the border of Novgorod possessions on the Karelian Isthmus, and the Narova River on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland.

The peace treaty of 1323 remained in force until 1348, when the Swedish king Magnus decided to cut off the Russians' access to the Baltic Sea, seize their land, and turn them into catholic faith and enslave. In 1348, a large Swedish fleet under the command of the king himself entered the Gulf of Finland and, climbing up the Neva, took the Oreshek fortress.

To liberate Oreshk, the Novgorodians gathered a large militia and moved on water and land against the Swedes. The Swedish king, having learned about the movement of a large Russian army, left a strong garrison in Oreshka, and fled to Sweden with his retinue. In 1349 the Novgorodians took the Oreshek fortress by storm.

After the liberation of Oreshk, Novgorodians at the mouth of the Okhta River, on the site of the former Swedish fortress Landskrona, founded a new fortress, Kantsy.