(Battle on the Ice )

Artist V. Serov, 1942."Battle on the Ice"

In 1237, in the Eastern Baltic, on the territory inhabited by the Livonian and Estonian tribes, the Livonian Order was formed by German knights. Three years later, the order invaded the Pskov land. And, after a short siege by the Germans, Izborsk was taken.

The Pskov militia, which approached Izborsk, was defeated by the knights. After which the Germans crossed the Velikaya River, pitched tents under the very walls of the Pskov Kremlin, burned the settlement and began to destroy the surrounding villages. As a result, the Livonian knights captured Pskov, took hostages and placed their garrison in the city.

Somewhat later, the Livonian Order invaded the Novgorod lands. Novgorod turned to the great for help Prince of Vladimir Yaroslav. He sent armed detachments to Novgorod led by his sons Andrei Yaroslavich and Prince Alexander Nevsky.

The Novgorod army, led by Alexander Nevsky, liberated Koporye and Vodskaya land occupied by the knights. Then the army united with the squad of brother Andrei, and, led by Alexander Nevsky, marched to Pskov. The city was taken by storm.

Alexander sent the governors of the order in chains to Novgorod. And inspired by their successes, detachments of Novgorodians invaded the territory of the Livonian Order and began to ravage the settlements of the Estonians, tributaries of the crusaders.

At this very time, Alexander learned that the knights had sent minor forces to Izborsk, and their main forces were moving straight to Lake Pskov. There he sent his army. Opposing armies converged on the shores Lake Peipsi at the Crow Stone and the Uzmen tract.

It was here (5) on April 12, 1242 that a battle took place, which went down in history as the Battle of the Ice. The German army included 10-12 thousand people, Alexander Nevsky had an army of 15-17 thousand. At dawn, the knights lined up in a “wedge” and moved towards the Russians across the flimsy spring ice of the lake.

By that time, Alexander had lined up the Novgorodians with a “heel”, whose rear rested on the steep steep eastern shore of the lake. Horse squads were located on the flanks of the Russians, infantry armed with spears were lined up at the base of the “heel”, and archers were in front. And the princely squad was hidden in ambush.

The German knights were met with a cloud of arrows, so the flanks of the “wedge” were forced to press closer to the center. Nevertheless, the Germans managed to break through the center of the Novgorod battle formation. Some of the Russian infantry even fled.

However, the knights stumbled upon the steep shore of the lake, their sedentary formation was mixed up and could not develop their success. And at this time, the flank squads of the Novgorodians pinched the German “pig” from the flanks, like pincers. Without wasting time, Alexander and his squad struck from the rear.

The Russian infantry pulled the knights off their horses with hooks and destroyed them. The Germans could not withstand the tension of the battle and began to flee. For seven kilometers, Alexander's army pursued the fugitives. The ice broke under the knights, many of them drowned, many were taken prisoner.

As a result, the Livonian Order was faced with the need to conclude a peace, according to which the crusaders renounced their claims to Russian lands, and also renounced part of Latgale.

Artist V.A. Serov, 1945 "Entry of Alexander Nevsky into Pskov"

In honor of this victory, Russia celebrates the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the day of the victory of Russian soldiers of Prince Alexander Nevsky over the German knights on Lake Peipus. The holiday is celebrated on April 18. This is the cost of converting dates from the old style to the new one. Apparently, when assigning the date, the rule was not taken into account: when converting dates of the 12th-13th centuries, 7 days are added to the old style (and out of habit they added 13 days).

April 18 is the Day of Military Glory of Russia, the day of the victory of Russian soldiers of Prince Alexander Nevsky over the German knights on Lake Peipus (the so-called Battle of the Ice, 1242). The date is marked according to Federal law“On the days of military glory (victory days) of Russia” dated March 13, 1995 No. 32-FZ.

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

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

(Military Encyclopedia. Military Publishing House. Moscow. in 8 volumes - 2004)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

Alexander Nevsky - Defender of Rus'

We won

Alexander Nevsky enters Pskov

"Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword"

April 5, 1242 Russian army under the leadership of Prince Alexander Nevsky, they defeated the Livonian knights in the Battle of the Ice on the ice of Lake Peipsi. In the 13th century, Novgorod was the richest city in Rus'. Since 1236, the young prince Alexander Yaroslavich reigned in Novgorod.

In 1240, when the Swedish aggression against Novgorod began, he was not yet 20 years old.

However, by that time he already had some experience of participating in his father’s campaigns, was fairly well read and had an excellent command of the art of war, which helped him win the first of his great victories: on July 21, 1240, with the forces of his small squad and the Ladoga militia, he suddenly and with a swift attack defeated the Swedish army, which landed at the mouth of the Izhora River (at its confluence with the Neva). For the victory in the battle, named later, in which the young prince showed himself to be a skilled military leader, showed personal valor and heroism, Alexander Yaroslavich received the nickname Nevsky. But soon, due to the machinations of the Novgorod nobility, Prince Alexander left Novgorod and went to reign in Pereyaslavl-Zalessky.

However, the defeat of the Swedes on the Neva did not completely eliminate the danger hanging over Russia: the threat from the north, from the Swedes, was replaced by a threat from the west - from the Germans.

In pursuit of new lands and free labor, under the guise of the intention to convert pagans to Christianity, crowds of German nobles, knights and monks went east. With fire and sword they suppressed the resistance of the local population, sitting comfortably on their lands, building castles and monasteries here and imposing unbearable taxes and tribute on the Russian people. By the beginning of the 13th century, the entire Baltic region was in German hands. The population of the Baltic states groaned under the whip and yoke of warlike aliens.

And already in the early autumn of 1240, the Livonian knights invaded the Novgorod possessions and occupied the city of Izborsk. Soon Pskov also shared his fate - the Germans were helped to take it by the betrayal of the Pskov mayor Tverdila Ivankovich, who went over to the side of the Germans.

Having subjugated the Pskov volost, the Germans built a fortress in Koporye. This was an important bridgehead that made it possible to control the Novgorod trade routes along the Neva and plan further advance to the East. After this, the Livonian aggressors invaded the very center of the Novgorod possessions, captured Luga and the Novgorod suburb of Tesovo. In their raids they came within 30 kilometers of Novgorod.

Disregarding past grievances, Alexander Nevsky, at the request of the Novgorodians, returned to Novgorod at the end of 1240 and continued the fight against the invaders. IN next year he recaptured Koporye and Pskov from the knights, returning most of their western possessions to the Novgorodians. But the enemy was still strong, and the decisive battle was still ahead.

In the spring of 1242, reconnaissance of the Livonian Order was sent from Dorpat (the former Russian Yuryev, now the Estonian city of Tartu) with the aim of “testing” the strength of the Russian troops. 18 versts south of Dorpat, the order's reconnaissance detachment managed to defeat the Russian "dispersal" under the command of Domash Tverdislavich and Kerebet. It was a reconnaissance detachment moving ahead of the army of Alexander Yaroslavich in the direction of Dorpat. The surviving part of the detachment returned to the prince and reported to him about what had happened. The victory over a small detachment of Russians inspired the order's command. He developed a tendency to underestimate Russian forces and became convinced that they could be easily defeated. The Livonians decided to give battle to the Russians and for this they set out from Dorpat to the south with their main forces, as well as their allies, led by the master of the order himself. main part The troops consisted of knights clad in armor.

The Battle of Lake Peipsi, which went down in history as the Battle of the Ice, began on the morning of April 5, 1242. At sunrise, noticing a small detachment of Russian riflemen, the knightly “pig” rushed towards him. Alexander contrasted the German wedge with the Russian heel - a formation in the form of the Roman numeral "V", that is, the angle with the hole facing the enemy. This very hole was covered by a “brow”, consisting of archers, who took the main blow of the “iron regiment” and with courageous resistance noticeably disrupted its advance. Still, the knights managed to break through the defensive formations of the Russian “chela”.

A fierce hand-to-hand fight ensued. And at its very height, when the “pig” was completely drawn into the battle, at a signal from Alexander Nevsky, the regiments of the left and right hand. Not expecting the appearance of such Russian reinforcements, the knights were confused and began to gradually retreat under their powerful blows. And soon this retreat took on the character of a disorderly flight. Then suddenly, from behind cover, a cavalry ambush regiment rushed into battle. The Livonian troops suffered a crushing defeat.

The Russians drove them across the ice for another seven miles to the western shore of Lake Peipsi. 400 knights were destroyed and 50 were captured. Some of the Livonians drowned in the lake. Those who escaped from the encirclement were pursued by Russian cavalry, completing their defeat. Only those who were in the tail of the “pig” and were on horseback managed to escape: the master of the order, commanders and bishops.

The victory of Russian troops under the leadership of Prince Alexander Nevsky over the German “dog knights” is important historical meaning. The Order asked for peace. Peace was concluded on terms dictated by the Russians. The order's ambassadors solemnly renounced all encroachments on the Russian lands that were temporarily captured by the order. The movement of Western invaders into Rus' was stopped.

The western borders of Rus', established after the Battle of the Ice, lasted for centuries. The Battle of the Ice has gone down in history as a remarkable example of military tactics and strategy. Skillful formation of battle formation, clear organization of interaction between its individual parts, especially infantry and cavalry, constant reconnaissance and accounting weaknesses enemy when organizing a battle, right choice place and time, good organization of tactical pursuit, destruction of most of the superior enemy - all this determined the Russian military art as the best in the world.

Losses

Monument to the squads of A. Nevsky on Mount Sokolikha

The issue of the losses of the parties in the battle is controversial. The Russian losses are spoken of vaguely: “many brave warriors fell.” Apparently, the losses of the Novgorodians were really heavy. The losses of the knights are indicated by specific numbers, which cause controversy. Russian chronicles, followed by domestic historians, say that about five hundred knights were killed, and the miracles were “beschisla”; fifty “brothers,” “deliberate commanders,” were allegedly taken prisoner. Four hundred to five hundred killed knights is a completely unrealistic figure, since there was no such number in the entire Order.

According to the Livonian chronicle, for the campaign it was necessary to gather “many brave heroes, brave and excellent,” led by the master, plus Danish vassals “with a significant detachment.” The Rhymed Chronicle specifically says that twenty knights were killed and six were captured. Most likely, the “Chronicle” means only “brothers”-knights, without taking into account their squads and the Chud recruited into the army. The Novgorod First Chronicle says that 400 “Germans” fell in the battle, 50 were taken prisoner, and “chud” is also discounted: “beschisla.” Apparently, they suffered really serious losses.

So, it is possible that 400 German cavalry soldiers (of which twenty were real “brothers” knights) actually fell on the ice of Lake Peipus, and 50 Germans (of which 6 “brothers”) were captured by the Russians. “The Life of Alexander Nevsky” claims that the prisoners then walked next to their horses during the joyful entry of Prince Alexander into Pskov.

The immediate site of the battle, according to the conclusions of the expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences led by Karaev, can be considered a section of Warm Lake, located 400 meters west of the modern shore of Cape Sigovets, between its northern tip and the latitude of the village of Ostrov. It should be noted that the battle on flat surface ice was more advantageous for the heavy cavalry of the Order, but it is traditionally believed that the place to meet the enemy was chosen by Alexander Yaroslavich.

Consequences

According to the traditional point of view in Russian historiography, this battle, together with the victories of Prince Alexander over the Swedes (July 15, 1240 on the Neva) and over the Lithuanians (in 1245 near Toropets, near Lake Zhitsa and near Usvyat), was of great importance for Pskov and Novgorod, delaying the onslaught of three serious enemies from the west - at the very time when the rest of Rus' suffered great losses from princely strife and the consequences of the Tatar conquest. In Novgorod, the Battle of the Germans on the Ice was remembered for a long time: together with the Neva victory over the Swedes, it was remembered in the litanies of all Novgorod churches back in the 16th century.

The English researcher J. Funnel believes that the significance of the Battle of the Ice (and the Battle of the Neva) is greatly exaggerated: “Alexander did only what numerous defenders of Novgorod and Pskov did before him and what many did after him - namely, rushed to protect the extended and vulnerable borders from invaders." Russian professor I.N. Danilevsky also agrees with this opinion. He notes, in particular, that the battle was inferior in scale to the battles of Siauliai (city), in which the Lithuanians killed the master of the order and 48 knights (20 knights died on Lake Peipsi), and the battle of Rakovor in 1268; Contemporary sources even describe the Battle of the Neva in more detail and give it greater significance. However, even in the “Rhymed Chronicle,” the Battle of the Ice is clearly described as a defeat of the Germans, unlike Rakovor.

Memory of the battle

Movies

Music

The score for Eisenstein's film, composed by Sergei Prokofiev, is a symphonic suite dedicated to the events of the battle.

Monument to Alexander Nevsky and Worship Cross

Bronze worship cross cast in St. Petersburg with funds from patrons of the Baltic Steel Group (A. V. Ostapenko). The prototype was the Novgorod Alekseevsky Cross. The author of the project is A. A. Seleznev. The bronze sign was cast under the direction of D. Gochiyaev by the foundry workers of NTCCT CJSC, architects B. Kostygov and S. Kryukov. During the implementation of the project, fragments from the lost wooden cross sculptor V. Reshchikov.

Cultural and sports educational raid expedition

Since 1997, an annual raid expedition has been conducted to the sites of military feats of Alexander Nevsky's squads. During these trips, participants in the race help improve areas related to monuments of cultural and historical heritage. Thanks to them, memorial signs were installed in many places in the North-West in memory of the exploits of Russian soldiers, and the village of Kobylye Gorodishche became known throughout the country.

Notes

Literature

Links

• On the issue of writing the concept of the “Battle on the Ice” museum-reserve, Gdov, November 19-20, 2007.
• Place of the victory of Russian troops over German knights in 1242 // Monuments of history and culture of Pskov and Pskov region under state protection

Battle on the Ice(German) SchlachtaufdemEise), Also Battle of Lake Peipus(German) SchlachtaufdemPeipussee) - the battle that took place on April 5 (in terms of Gregorian calendar (A new style) - April 12) 1242 (Saturday) between the people of Novgorod and Vladimir under the leadership of Alexander Nevsky and the knights of the Livonian Order, which by that time included the Order of the Sword Bearers (after the defeat at Saul in 1236), on the ice of Lake Peipsi. The general battle of the Order's unsuccessful conquest campaign of 1240-1242.

Preparing for war

The war began with the campaign of Bishop Herman, the Master of the Teutonic Order and their allies to Rus'. As the Rhymed Chronicle reports, during the capture of Izborsk, “not a single Russian was allowed to escape unharmed,” and “a great cry began everywhere in that land.” Pskov was captured without a fight, a small garrison remained in it, most of the troops returned. Arriving in Novgorod in 1241, Alexander found Pskov and Koporye in the hands of the Order and immediately began retaliatory actions. Alexander Nevsky marched on Koporye, took it by storm and killed most of the garrison. Some of the knights and mercenaries from the local population were captured, but released, and the traitors from among the Chud were executed.

By the beginning of 1242, Alexander waited for his brother Andrei Yaroslavich with the “grassroots” troops of the Suzdal principality. When the “grassroots” army was still on the way, Alexander and the Novgorod forces advanced to Pskov. The city was surrounded by it. The Order did not have time to quickly gather reinforcements and send them to the besieged. Pskov was taken, the garrison was killed, and the order's governors (2 brother knights) were sent in chains to Novgorod. According to the Novgorod First Chronicle of the older edition (came down to us as part of the parchment Synodal list of the 14th century, containing records of the events of 1016-1272 and 1299-1333) “In the summer of 6750 (1242/1243). Prince Oleksandr went with the people of Novgorod and with his brother Andrey and with the Nizov people to the Chyud land to Nemtsi and Chyud and Zaya all the way to Plskov; and the prince of Plskov expelled, seized Nemtsi and Chud, and bound them to Novgorod, and he himself went to Chud.”

All these events took place in March 1242. The knights were only able to concentrate their forces in the Dorpat bishopric. The Novgorodians beat them in time. Alexander then led troops to Izborsk, his reconnaissance crossed the border of the Order. One of the reconnaissance detachments was defeated in a clash with the Germans, but in general Alexander was able to determine that the knights with the main forces moved much further north, to the junction between Pskov and Lake Peipsi. Thus, they took a short road to Novgorod and cut off Russian troops in the Pskov region.

The same chronicle says that “And as if there were on earth (Chudi), let the entire regiment prosper; and Domash Tverdislavichy Kerbet was in the crackdown, and I found Nemtsi and Chud at the bridge and fought that one; and killed that Domash, the brother of the mayor, an honest husband, and beat him with him, and took him away with his hands, and ran to the prince in the regiment; the prince turned back to the lake"

Position of Novgorod

The troops that opposed the knights on the ice of Lake Peipus had a heterogeneous composition, but a single command in the person of Alexander.

The “lower regiments” consisted of princely squads, boyar squads, and city regiments. The army deployed by Novgorod had a fundamentally different composition. It included the squad of the prince invited to Novgorod (that is, Alexander Nevsky), the squad of the bishop (“lord”), the garrison of Novgorod, who served for a salary (gridi) and was subordinate to the mayor (however, the garrison could remain in the city itself and not participate in the battle) , Konchansky regiments, militia of posads and squads of “povolniki”, private military organizations of boyars and rich merchants.

In general, the army deployed by Novgorod and the “lower” lands was quite powerful force, distinguished by high fighting spirit. The total number of the Russian army was 15-17 thousand people, similar numbers were indicated by Henry of Latvia when describing Russian campaigns in the Baltic states in the 1210-1220s.

Position of the Order

According to the Livonian chronicle, for the campaign it was necessary to gather “many brave heroes, brave and excellent,” led by the master, plus Danish vassals “with a significant detachment.” Militia from Dorpat also took part in the battle. The latter included a large number of Estonians, but there were few knights. The Livonian rhymed chronicle reports that at the moment the knights were surrounded by the Russian squad, “the Russians had such an army that perhaps sixty people attacked each German”; even if the number “sixty” is a strong exaggeration, the numerical superiority of the Russians over the Germans most likely actually occurred. The number of troops of the Order in the Battle of Lake Peipsi is estimated at 10-12 thousand people.

The question of who commanded the Order’s troops in the battle is also unresolved. Given the heterogeneous composition of the troops, it is possible that there were several commanders. Despite the recognition of the Order's defeat, Livonian sources do not contain information that any of the Order leaders were killed or captured

Battle

The opposing armies met on the morning of April 5, 1242. The details of the battle are poorly known, and much can only be guessed at. The German column, which was pursuing the retreating Russian detachments, apparently received some information from the patrols sent forward, and had already entered the ice of Lake Peipsi in battle formation, with bollards in front, followed by a disorganized column of “chudins”, followed by a line knights and sergeants of the Bishop of Dorpat. Apparently, even before the collision with the Russian troops, a small gap had formed between the head of the column and the Chud.

The Rhymed Chronicle describes the moment the battle began as follows:

Apparently, the archers did not inflict serious losses. Having fired at the Germans, the archers had no choice but to retreat to the flanks of a large regiment. However, as the chronicle continues,

In Russian chronicles it is depicted as follows:

Then the troops of the Teutonic Order were surrounded by the Russians and destroyed, other German troops retreated to avoid the same fate:

Exists persistent myth, reflected in the cinema, that the ice of Lake Peipsi could not withstand the weight of the armor of the Teutonic Knights and cracked, as a result of which most of the knights simply drowned. Meanwhile, if the battle really took place on the ice of the lake, then it was more advantageous for the Order, since the flat surface made it possible to maintain formation during a massive cavalry attack, which the sources describe. The weight of the full armor of the Russian warrior and the order knight of that time were approximately comparable to each other, and the Russian cavalry could not gain an advantage due to lighter equipment.

Losses

The issue of the losses of the parties in the battle is controversial. The Russian losses are spoken of vaguely: “many brave warriors fell.” Apparently, the losses of the Novgorodians were really heavy. The losses of the “Germans” are indicated by specific figures, which cause controversy. Russian chronicles say: “and Pade Chudi was beschisla, and NI had 400, and with 50 hands I arrived and brought it to Novgorod".

The Rhymed Chronicle specifically says that twenty knights were killed and six were captured. The discrepancy in assessments can be explained by the fact that the Chronicle refers only to “brothers”-knights, without taking into account their squads; in this case, out of 400 Germans who fell on the ice of Lake Peipsi, twenty were real “brothers”-knights, and from 50 prisoners were “brothers” 6.

The immediate site of the battle, according to the conclusions of the expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences led by Karaev, can be considered a section of Warm Lake, located 400 meters west of the modern shore of Cape Sigovets, between its northern tip and the latitude of the village of Ostrov. It should be noted that the battle on a flat surface of ice was more advantageous for the heavy cavalry of the Order, however, it is traditionally believed that the place to meet the enemy was chosen by Alexander Yaroslavich.

Consequences

According to the traditional point of view in Russian historiography, this battle, together with the victories of Prince Alexander over the Swedes (July 15, 1240 on the Neva) and over the Lithuanians (in 1245 near Toropets, at Lake Zhitsa and near Usvyat), was of great importance for Pskov and Novgorod , delaying the onslaught of three serious enemies from the west - at the very time when the rest of Rus' was greatly weakened Mongol invasion. In Novgorod, the Battle of the Ice, together with the Neva victory over the Swedes, was remembered in litanies in all Novgorod churches back in the 16th century.

The English researcher J. Funnel believes that the significance of the Battle of the Ice (and the Battle of the Neva) is greatly exaggerated: “Alexander did only what numerous defenders of Novgorod and Pskov did before him and what many did after him - namely, rushed to protect the extended and vulnerable borders from invaders." Russian professor I.N. Danilevsky also agrees with this opinion. He notes, in particular, that the battle was inferior in scale to the battles of Saul (1236), in which the Lithuanians killed the master of the order and 48 knights (20 knights died on Lake Peipsi), and the battle of Rakovor in 1268; Contemporary sources even describe the Battle of the Neva in more detail and give it greater significance. However, even in the “Rhymed Chronicle,” the Battle of the Ice is clearly described as a defeat of the Germans, unlike Rakovor.

Memory of the battle

Movies

In 1938, Sergei Eisenstein filmed Feature Film"Alexander Nevsky", in which the Battle of the Ice was filmed. The film is considered one of the most prominent representatives historical films. It was he who largely shaped the modern viewer’s idea of ​​the battle.

Filmed in 1992 documentary"In memory of the past and in the name of the future." The film tells about the creation of a monument to Alexander Nevsky for the 750th anniversary of the Battle of the Ice.

In 2009, jointly by Russian, Canadian and Japanese studios, the animated film “First Squad” was shot, in which the Battle of the Ice plays a key role in the plot.

Music

The score for Eisenstein's film, composed by Sergei Prokofiev, is a symphonic suite dedicated to the events of the battle.

The rock band Aria released the song “Hero of Asphalt” on the album “ Ballad about an ancient Russian warrior", telling about the Battle of the Ice. This song has gone through many different arrangements and re-releases.

Monuments

Monument to the squads of Alexander Nevsky on the town of Sokolikha

The monument to the squads of Alexander Nevsky was erected in 1993, on Mount Sokolikha in Pskov, almost 100 km away from the real site of the battle. Initially, it was planned to create a monument on Vorony Island, which would have been a more accurate solution geographically.

Monument to Alexander Nevsky and Worship Cross

In 1992, in the village of Kobylye Gorodishche, Gdovsky district, in a place as close as possible to the supposed site of the Battle of the Ice, a bronze monument to Alexander Nevsky and a wooden worship cross were erected near the Church of the Archangel Michael. The Church of the Archangel Michael was founded by Pskov residents in 1462. In the chronicles, the last mention of the legendary “Crow Stone” is associated with this church (Pskov Chronicle of 1463). The wooden cross gradually collapsed under the influence of unfavorable weather conditions. In July 2006, on the 600th anniversary of the first mention of the village. Kobylye Gorodishche in the Pskov Chronicles it was replaced with bronze.

The bronze worship cross was cast in St. Petersburg at the expense of patrons of the Baltic Steel Group (A. V. Ostapenko). The prototype was the Novgorod Alekseevsky Cross. The author of the project is A. A. Seleznev. The bronze sign was cast under the direction of D. Gochiyaev by the foundry workers of NTCCT CJSC, architects B. Kostygov and S. Kryukov. When implementing the project, fragments from the lost wooden cross by sculptor V. Reshchikov were used.

Cultural and sports educational raid expedition

Since 1997, an annual raid expedition has been conducted to the sites of military feats of Alexander Nevsky's squads. During these trips, participants in the race help improve areas related to monuments of cultural and historical heritage. Thanks to them, memorial signs were installed in many places in the North-West in memory of the exploits of Russian soldiers, and the village of Kobylye Gorodishche became known throughout the country.

Due to the variability of the hydrography of Lake Peipsi, historians for a long time were unable to accurately determine the place where the Battle of the Ice took place. Only thanks to long-term research carried out by an expedition from the Institute of Archeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the location of the battle was established. The battle site is submerged in water in summer and is located approximately 400 meters from the island of Sigovec.