Lake Ladoga ice battle. Battle of the Ice (Battle of Lake Peipsi)

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

Mongols again

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

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

Who went underwater?

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

Where was the massacre?

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

Number of parties

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

The Battle of the Ice or the Battle of Lake Peipus is rightfully considered one of the most important victories in the history of our country.

It is very important for the national identity of the Russian people.

It is not for nothing that the Russian prince, under whose leadership this victory was won, was canonized much later and entered Russian history under the name Alexander Nevsky.

History of events

By the middle of the 13th century, Rus' suffered not only from feudal feuds between princes and the most brutal raids of the Mongol-Tatars. The militant Livonian Order constantly encroached on its Northwestern lands. The monks of this militant knightly order, while serving the Roman Church, spread Catholicism with fire and sword.

Having completely seized the Baltic lands under their power, they intended to subjugate Pskov and Novgorod. By 1242, the crusaders captured Pskov, Izborsk, and Koporye. There were only 30 km left to Novgorod. The Novgorodians turned to their prince Alexander Yaroslavich with a request to forgive them and return with his squad to defend the city.

Progress of the battle

And on April 5, 1242 this significant battle took place. The army of the attackers consisted of crusader knights, they were mostly Germans. On their side were the warriors of the Chud tribe, who submitted to the Livonian Order. The total number was about 20 thousand. Alexander's army, together with his squad and militia, numbered 15 thousand.

The prince did not wait for the enemy to attack, but came out to meet him. The Germans assumed that they would easily defeat the Russians, who had foot soldiers in the majority, but it turned out completely differently. The vanguard of the knights rushed into battle, crushing the infantry formation of the Novgorod militia. The infantry, under enemy pressure, began to retreat onto the ice of Lake Peipus, dragging the knights with them.

Battle of the Ice (Battle of Lake Peipsi) 1242g photo

When most of the Germans were on the ice, the cavalry in ambush struck from the flanks. The enemy found himself surrounded, and the princely squad entered the battle. The thin spring ice began to break under the heavily armed knights clad in iron. The survivors fled for their lives. The Russian prince won a complete victory. After this victory they began to call him Nevsky.

The uniqueness of the Battle of Lake Peipsi lies in the fact that the heavily armed cavalry of professional warriors was defeated by the foot army of the militia. Of course, the weather and terrain played an important role in this victory. But the merit of the Russian commander is that he competently took all this into account, and also used the factor of surprise.

Meaning

The victory of Alexander Nevsky in the Battle of the Ice forced the Livonian Order to make peace and renounce not only territorial claims, but also to return the previously captured Pskov and Novgorod lands. But the most important thing was that Novgorod was able to maintain trade relations with Europe.

Author's subjective opinion

Almost the entire so-called civilized Western world, including the Baltic and Scandinavian countries, is screaming hysterically about Russian aggression. Surely, it is their genetic memory that still sends them a danger signal, reminding them of the powerful kick that they received 8 centuries ago in response to their own aggression and desire to seize the Russian Land. True, they called their own aggression the beautiful word “missionary.” It turns out that we did not understand them, they simply wanted to introduce the Russian barbarians to the true faith.

The battle, which took place on April 5, 1242 on the ice of Lake Peipus near the island of Voroniy Kamen, went down in history as one of the most important in the history of the state, as a battle that liberated the lands of Rus' from any claims of the Order of the Livonian Knights. Although the course of the battle is known, many controversial issues remain. Thus, there is no exact information about the number of soldiers who took part in the Battle of Lake Peipus. Neither in the chronicles that have reached us, nor in the “Life of Alexander Nevsky” are these data given. Presumably, from the Novgorodians, from 12 thousand to 15 thousand soldiers took part in the battle. The number of the enemy ranged from 10 thousand to 12 thousand. At the same time, there were few knights among the German soldiers, the bulk of the army were militias, litas and Estonians.

Alexander's choice of the battle site was dictated by both tactical and strategic calculations. The position occupied by the prince's troops made it possible to block all approaches to Novgorod for the attackers. The prince probably also remembered that winter conditions provide certain advantages in confrontations with heavy knights. Let's look at how the Battle of the Ice took place (briefly).

If the battle formation of the crusaders is well known to historians and is called a wedge, or, according to the chronicles, a “great pig” (heavy knights are on the flanks, and more lightly armed warriors are inside the wedge), then there is no exact information about the construction and location of the Novgorod army. It is quite possible that this was a traditional “regimental row”. The knights, who had no information about the number and location of Nevsky’s troops, decided to advance on open ice.

Although the chronicles do not provide a detailed description of the battle on Lake Peipsi, it is quite possible to reconstruct the scheme of the Battle of the Ice. The wedge of knights crashed into the center of the Nevsky guard regiment and broke through its defenses, rushing further. Perhaps this “success” was foreseen in advance by Prince Alexander, since the attackers then encountered a lot of insurmountable obstacles. The knight's wedge, squeezed in pincers, lost its orderly ranks and maneuverability, which turned out to be a serious negative factor for the attackers. The attack of the ambush regiment, which had not participated in the battle until that moment, finally tipped the scales in favor of the Novgorodians. The knights dismounted from their horses in their heavy armor on the ice and became practically helpless. Only part of the attackers managed to escape, whom the Russian warriors pursued, according to the chronicler, “to the Falcon Coast.”

After the victory of the Russian prince in the Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipsi, the Livonian Order was forced to make peace, completely renouncing its claims to the lands of Rus'. According to the agreement, both sides returned the soldiers captured during the battle.

It is worth noting that on the ice of Lake Peipsi, for the first time in the history of wars, a foot army defeated heavy cavalry, which was a formidable force in the Middle Ages. Alexander Yaroslavich, who brilliantly won the Battle of the Ice, made maximum use of the surprise factor and took into account the terrain.

The military-political significance of Alexander’s victory is difficult to overestimate. The prince not only defended the opportunity for the Novgorodians to conduct further trade with European countries and reach the Baltic, but also defended the north-west of Rus', because in the event of the defeat of Novgorod, the threat of the Order capturing the north-west of Rus' would become quite real. In addition, the prince delayed the German onslaught on Eastern European territories. April 5, 1242 is one of the most important dates in the history of Rus'.

Myths about the Battle of the Ice

Snowy landscapes, thousands of warriors, a frozen lake and crusaders falling through the ice under the weight of their own armor.

For many, the battle, which according to the chronicles took place on April 5, 1242, is not much different from the footage from Sergei Eisenstein’s film “Alexander Nevsky”.

But was it really so?

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

The Battle of the Ice truly became one of the most resonant events of the 13th century, reflected not only in “domestic” but also in Western chronicles.

And at first glance, it seems that we have enough documents to thoroughly study all the “components” of the battle.

But upon closer examination, it turns out that the popularity of a historical plot is not at all a guarantee of its comprehensive study.

Thus, the most detailed (and most quoted) description of the battle, recorded “hot on its heels,” is contained in the first Novgorod chronicle of the older edition. And this description is just over 100 words. The rest of the mentions are even more succinct.

Moreover, sometimes they include mutually exclusive information. For example, in the most authoritative Western source - the Elder Livonian Rhymed Chronicle - there is not a word that the battle took place on the lake.

The lives of Alexander Nevsky can be considered a kind of “synthesis” of early chronicle references to the clash, but, according to experts, they are a literary work and therefore can be used as a source only with “great restrictions.”

As for the historical works of the 19th century, it is believed that they did not bring anything fundamentally new to the study of the Battle of the Ice, mainly retelling what was already stated in the chronicles.

The beginning of the 20th century is characterized by an ideological rethinking of the battle, when the symbolic meaning of victory over “German knightly aggression” was brought to the fore. According to historian Igor Danilevsky, before the release of Sergei Eisenstein’s film “Alexander Nevsky,” the study of the Battle of the Ice was not even included in university lecture courses.

The myth of a united Rus'

In the minds of many, the Battle of the Ice is a victory of the united Russian troops over the forces of the German crusaders. This “generalizing” idea of ​​the battle was formed already in the 20th century, in the realities of the Great Patriotic War, when Germany was the main rival of the USSR.

However, 775 years ago, the Battle of the Ice was more of a “local” rather than a national conflict. In the 13th century, Rus' was experiencing a period of feudal fragmentation and consisted of about 20 independent principalities. Moreover, the policies of cities that formally belonged to the same territory could differ significantly.

Thus, de jure Pskov and Novgorod were located in the Novgorod land, one of the largest territorial units of Rus' at that time. De facto, each of these cities was an “autonomy”, with its own political and economic interests. This also applied to relations with its closest neighbors in the Eastern Baltic.

One of these neighbors was the Catholic Order of the Sword, which, after the defeat at the Battle of Saul (Šiauliai) in 1236, was annexed to the Teutonic Order as the Livonian Landmaster. The latter became part of the so-called Livonian Confederation, which, in addition to the Order, included five Baltic bishoprics.

As historian Igor Danilevsky notes, the main cause of territorial conflicts between Novgorod and the Order was the lands of the Estonians who lived on the western shore of Lake Peipsi (the medieval population of modern Estonia, who appeared in most Russian-language chronicles under the name “Chud”). At the same time, the campaigns organized by the Novgorodians practically did not affect the interests of other lands. The exception was the “border” Pskov, which was constantly subject to retaliatory raids by the Livonians.

According to historian Alexei Valerov, it was the need to simultaneously resist both the forces of the Order and Novgorod’s regular attempts to encroach on the city’s independence that could force Pskov to “open the gates” to the Livonians in 1240. In addition, the city was seriously weakened after the defeat at Izborsk and, presumably, was not capable of long-term resistance to the crusaders.

At the same time, as the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle reports, in 1242 there was not a full-fledged “German army” present in the city, but only two Vogt knights (presumably accompanied by small detachments), who, according to Valerov, performed judicial functions on controlled lands and monitored the activities of the “local Pskov administration”.

Further, as we know from the chronicles, the Novgorod prince Alexander Yaroslavich, together with his younger brother Andrei Yaroslavich (sent by their father, the Vladimir prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich), “expelled” the Germans from Pskov, after which they continued their campaign, going “to the chud” (i.e. e. in the lands of the Livonian Landmaster).

Where they were met by the combined forces of the Order and the Bishop of Dorpat.

The myth of the scale of the battle

Thanks to the Novgorod Chronicle, we know that April 5, 1242 was a Saturday. Everything else is not so clear.

Difficulties begin already when trying to determine the number of participants in the battle. The only figures we have tell us about losses in the ranks of the Germans. Thus, the Novgorod First Chronicle reports about 400 killed and 50 prisoners, the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle reports that “twenty brothers were killed and six were captured.”

Researchers believe that these data are not as contradictory as they seem at first glance.

Historians Igor Danilevsky and Klim Zhukov agree that several hundred people took part in the battle.

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

Thus, the maximum number of the Novgorod city regiment, the princely squad of Alexander, the Suzdal detachment of his brother Andrei and the Pskovites who joined the campaign hardly exceeded 800 people.

From chronicle reports we also know that the German detachment was lined up as a “pig”.

According to Klim Zhukov, we are most likely not talking about a “trapezoidal” pig, which we are used to seeing in diagrams in textbooks, but about a “rectangular” one (since the first description of a “trapezoid” in written sources appeared only in the 15th century). Also, according to historians, the estimated size of the Livonian army gives reason to talk about the traditional formation of the “hound banner”: 35 knights making up the “wedge of banners”, plus their detachments (totalling up to 400 people).

As for the tactics of the Russian army, the Rhymed Chronicle only mentions that “the Russians had many riflemen” (who, apparently, made up the first formation), and that “the army of the brothers was surrounded.”

We don't know anything else about it.

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

There is also a stereotype according to which the combat clothing of Russian soldiers was many times lighter than the Livonian one.

According to historians, if there was a difference in weight, it was extremely insignificant.

After all, on both sides, exclusively heavily armed horsemen took part in the battle (it is believed that all assumptions about infantrymen are a transfer of the military realities of subsequent centuries to the realities of the 13th century).

Logically, even the weight of a war horse, without taking into account the rider, would be enough to break through the fragile April ice.

So, did it make sense to withdraw troops against him under such conditions?

The myth of the battle on ice and drowned knights

Let us disappoint you right away: there are no descriptions of how German knights fall through the ice in any of the early chronicles.

Moreover, in the Livonian Chronicle there is a rather strange phrase: “On both sides the dead fell on the grass.” Some commentators believe that this is an idiom meaning “to fall on the battlefield” (version of the medievalist historian Igor Kleinenberg), others - that we are talking about thickets of reeds that made their way from under the ice in the shallow waters where the battle took place (version of the Soviet military historian Georgy Karaev, shown on the map).

As for the chronicle references to the fact that the Germans were driven “across the ice,” modern researchers agree that this detail could have been “borrowed” by the Battle of the Ice from the description of the later Battle of Rakovor (1268). According to Igor Danilevsky, reports that Russian troops drove the enemy seven miles (“to the Subolichi shore”) are quite justified for the scale of the Rakovor battle, but look strange in the context of the battle on Lake Peipus, where the distance from shore to shore in the supposed location the battle is no more than 2 km.

Speaking about the “Raven Stone” (a geographical landmark mentioned in part of the chronicles), historians emphasize that any map indicating a specific location of the battle is nothing more than a version. No one knows where exactly the massacre took place: the sources contain too little information to draw any conclusions.

In particular, Klim Zhukov is based on the fact that during archaeological expeditions in the area of ​​Lake Peipsi, not a single “confirming” burial was discovered. The researcher associates the lack of evidence not with the mythical nature of the battle, but with looting: in the 13th century, iron was very highly valued, and it is unlikely that the weapons and armor of the dead soldiers could have remained intact to this day.

The Myth of the Battle's Geopolitical Significance

In the minds of many, the Battle of the Ice “stands apart” and is perhaps the only “action-packed” battle of its time. And it really became one of the significant battles of the Middle Ages, “suspending” the conflict between Rus' and the Livonian Order for almost 10 years.

Nevertheless, the 13th century was rich in other events.

From the point of view of the clash with the crusaders, these include the battle with the Swedes on the Neva in 1240, and the already mentioned Battle of Rakovor, during which the united army of seven Northern Russian principalities came out against the Livonian Landmaster and Danish Estland.

Also, the 13th century is the time of the Horde invasion.

Despite the fact that the key battles of this era (the Battle of Kalka and the capture of Ryazan) did not directly affect the North-West, they significantly influenced the further political structure of medieval Rus' and all its components.

Moreover, if we compare the scale of the Teutonic and Horde threats, the difference is calculated in tens of thousands of soldiers. Thus, the maximum number of crusaders who ever participated in campaigns against Rus' rarely exceeded 1000 people, while the estimated maximum number of participants in the Russian campaign from the Horde was up to 40 thousand (version by historian Klim Zhukov).

TASS expresses gratitude for the assistance in preparing the material to the historian and specialist on Ancient Rus' Igor Nikolaevich Danilevsky and the military historian and medievalist Klim Aleksandrovich Zhukov.

© TASS INFOGRAPHICS, 2017

Worked on the material:

He defeated the army of the Livonian Order. Unlike the laconic and restrained German chronicles, in Russian chronicles the events on Lake Peipus are described on an epic scale. “And I ran into the regiment of Nemtsi and Chud and smashed through the regiment with a pig, and there was a great slaughter of Nemtsi and Chud,” says “The Life of Alexander Nevsky.” The Battle of the Ice has long been a subject of debate among historians. The discussion was about the exact location of the battle and the number of participants.

Chronicle of the legendary battle that forced the Germans to stop their expansion to the East:

In August 1240, the Livonian Order began a campaign against Rus'. The knights captured Izborsk, Pskov and the coast of the Gulf of Finland. In 1241, Prince of Novgorod Alexander Nevsky gathered an army. Warriors from Suzdal and Vladimir arrive to help him. Alexander recaptures Pskov and Izborsk, the Livonian knights retreat to Lake Peipsi.

Most of the enemy forces were Estonians - in Russian-language sources “chjud”. The vast majority of Estonians were not professional warriors and were poorly armed. In numbers, the detachments from the enslaved peoples significantly outnumbered the German knights.

The Battle of Lake Peipsi began with the performance of Russian riflemen. Ahead, Nevsky placed a regiment of light cavalry, archers and slingers. The main forces were concentrated on the flanks. The princely cavalry squad was in ambush behind the left flank.

The German cavalry broke through the enemy formation. The Russians attacked it from both flanks, which forced other units of the Order to retreat. Alexander Nevsky's squad struck from the rear. The battle broke up into separate pockets. “And Nemtsi fell down, and Chud dropped splash; and, as a chaser, beat them 7 versts along the ice to the Subolich coast,” says the first Novgorod chronicle of the older edition.

Thus, the Russian army pursued the enemy across the ice for 7 versts (more than 7 kilometers). In later sources, information appeared that the Germans went under the ice, but historians still argue about its reliability.

The First Novgorod Chronicle, the Suzdal and Laurentian Chronicles, and “The Life of Alexander Nevsky” tell about the Battle of the Ice. For a long time, researchers debated the exact location of the battle; The chronicles mention that the troops converged on the shores of Lake Peipus at the Crow Stone and the Uzmen tract.

The number of warring parties is unknown. In Soviet times, the following figures appeared: up to 12 thousand soldiers of the Livonian Order and up to 17 thousand people for Alexander Nevsky. Other sources indicate that up to 5 thousand people fought on the Russian side. About 450 knights were killed in the battle.

The victory on Lake Peipsi delayed the German offensive for a long time and was of great importance for Novgorod and Pskov, which suffered from Western invaders. The Livonian Order was forced to make peace, abandoning its territorial claims.