Historical ice events. Battle on the Ice - Alexander Nevsky

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 a flat surface of ice was more advantageous for the heavy cavalry of the Order, however, it is traditionally believed that the place for meeting 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 Russia 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

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.

The battle of April 5, 1242 on the ice of Lake Peipsi is one of the glorious episodes of Russian history. Naturally, it constantly attracted the attention of researchers and popularizers of science. But the assessment of this event was often affected by ideological tendencies. The description of the battle is overgrown with speculation and myths. It is said that from 10 to 17 thousand people took part in this battle on each side. This equates to an exceptionally crowded battle.

For the sake of objectivity, it should be noted that positive results have been achieved in the study of the Battle of the Ice. They are associated with clarifying the location of the battle, bringing into the system all surviving Russian and foreign sources.

The main reliable information about the battle of 1242 is contained in Novgorod First Chronicle of the Elder edition. Her recording is contemporary with the event. The chronicler reported general information about the war between Novgorod and the Livonian Order in 1242. He also left several brief comments about the battle itself. The next Russian source is "The Life of Alexander Nevsky", created in the 1280s. Largely based on the stories of witnesses who knew and observed Prince Alexander Yaroslavich as a commander, it slightly complements the chronicle. Only the testimony of “a self-witness who allegedly saw a favorable sign in the heavens - the regiment of God” is given.

Data from the two named sources were reflected in many later chronicles. The latter rarely contain new factual additions, but add a number of decorative details. Summarizing the chronicle and hagiographic messages, we can state that they are quite laconic. We learn about the campaign of 1242, the failure of the reconnaissance detachment, the withdrawal of Russian troops onto the ice of Lake Peipus, the formation of the German detachment, its defeat and escape. Details of the battle are not given. There is no usual data about the disposition of their regiments, the exploits of combatants, or the behavior of the commander. The leaders of the German army are not mentioned either. There are no names of the dead Novgorodians, which was usually noted if their number was significant. Apparently, this was influenced by a certain etiquette of the chronicler, who often avoided many details of military clashes, considering them self-evident and unnecessary for weather records.

The laconicism of Russian sources is partly complemented by the presentation "The Elder Livonian Rhymed Chronicle". Compiled in the last decade of the 13th century. The chronicle was intended for reading among the Livonian brother knights, therefore many of the poetic stories given in it, despite the well-known stereotyping, are documentary and very valuable for ideas about the military side of the matter.

Political and military situation

In the first half of the 13th century, in the north-west of Rus', weakened by the Mongol-Tatar invasion, the aggression of the German knights of the Livonian Order posed a great danger. They entered into an alliance with the Swedish and Danish knights for a joint attack on Rus'.

A formidable danger loomed over Russia from the West, from the Catholic spiritual knightly orders. After the foundation of the Riga fortress at the mouth of the Dvina (1198), frequent clashes began between the Germans on the one hand, and the Pskovians and Novgorodians on the other.

In 1237, the Teutonic Order of the Knights of the Blessed Virgin Mary, united into one with the Livonian Order, began to carry out widespread forced colonization and Christianization of the Baltic tribes. The Russians helped the pagan Balts, who were tributaries of Veliky Novgorod and did not want to accept baptism from the Catholic Germans. After a series of minor skirmishes it came to war. Pope Gregory IX blessed the German knights in 1237 to conquer the indigenous Russian lands.

In the summer of 1240, German crusaders, gathered from all the fortresses of Livonia, invaded the Novgorod land. The army of invaders consisted of Germans, bears, Yuryevites and Danish knights from Revel. With them was a traitor - Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich. They appeared under the walls of Izborsk and took the city by storm. The Pskovites rushed to the rescue of their fellow countrymen, but their militia was defeated. There were over 800 people killed alone, including the governor Gavrila Gorislavich.

Following in the footsteps of the fugitives, the Germans approached Pskov, crossed the Velikaya River, set up their camp under the very walls of the Kremlin, set fire to the settlement and began to destroy churches and surrounding villages. For a whole week they kept the Kremlin under siege, preparing for the assault. But it didn’t come to that: the Pskovite Tverdilo Ivanovich surrendered the city. The knights took hostages and left their garrison in Pskov.

Prince Alexander Yaroslavich ruled in Novgorod from 1236. In 1240, when the aggression of the Swedish feudal lords against Novgorod began, he was not yet 20 years old. He took part in his father's campaigns, was well read and had an understanding of war and the art of war. But he didn’t have much personal experience yet. Nevertheless, on July 21 (July 15), 1240, with the help of his small squad and the Ladoga militia, he defeated the Swedish army, which landed at the mouth of the Izhora River (at its confluence with the Neva), with a sudden and swift attack. For his victory in the Battle of Neva, in which the young prince showed himself to be a skilled military leader and showed personal valor and heroism, he was nicknamed “Nevsky”. But soon, due to the machinations of the Novgorod nobility, Prince Alexander left Novgorod and went to reign in Pereyaslavl-Zalessky.

The defeat of the Swedes on the Neva did not completely eliminate the danger hanging over Russia. The Germans' appetite increased. They have already said: “We will reproach the Slovenian language... to ourselves,” that is, we will subjugate the Russian people to ourselves. Already in the early autumn of 1240, the Livonian knights occupied the city of Izborsk. Soon Pskov shared his fate, captured with the help of traitors - the boyars. In the same autumn of 1240, the Livonians captured the southern approaches to Novgorod, invaded the lands adjacent to the Gulf of Finland, and created the Koporye fortress here, where they left their garrison. 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 and captured the Novgorod suburb of Tesovo. In the winter of 1240-1241, the knights again appeared as uninvited guests in the Novgorod land. This time they captured the territory of the Vod tribe, east of the river. Narova, “you fought everything and laid tribute on them.” Having captured the “Vodskaya Pyatina”, the knights took possession of Tesov (on the Oredezh River), and their patrols appeared 35 km from Novgorod. Thus, a vast territory in the Izborsk - Pskov - Sabel - Tesov - Koporye region was in the hands of the Germans.

The Germans already considered the Russian border lands to be their property; the pope “transferred” the coast of the Neva and Karelia under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Ezel, who entered into an agreement with the knights: he agreed for himself a tenth of everything that the land gives, and left everything else - fishing, mowing, arable land - to the knights.

Then the Novgorodians remembered Prince Alexander. The ruler of Novgorod himself went to ask the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yaroslav Vsevolodovich to release his son, and Yaroslav, realizing the danger of the threat emanating from the West, agreed: the matter concerned not only Novgorod, but all of Rus'.

Disregarding past grievances, at the request of the Novgorodians, Alexander Nevsky returned to Novgorod at the end of 1240 and continued the fight against the invaders. Alexander organized an army of Novgorodians, Ladoga residents, Karelians and Izhorians. First of all, it was necessary to decide on the method of action. Pskov and Koporye were in enemy hands. Alexander understood that simultaneous action in two directions would scatter his forces. Therefore, having identified the Koporye direction as a priority - the enemy was approaching Novgorod - the prince decided to strike the first blow at Koporye, and then liberate Pskov from the invaders.

This operation showed that success could be achieved with the combined forces of the Novgorodians and some Finnish tribes. The timing of the hike was well chosen. In the same year 1241, the prince recaptured Pskov from the knights. The Germans, who captured Pskov and its regions, did not have time to fortify there. Part of their forces fought against the Curonians and Lithuanians. But the enemy was still strong, and the decisive battle lay ahead.

The march of the Russian troops came as a surprise to the Order. As a result, the knights were expelled from Pskov without a fight, and Alexander’s army, after achieving this important goal, invaded the Livonian borders.

Preparing for war

Arriving in Novgorod in 1241, Alexander found Pskov and Koporye in the hands of the Order and immediately began retaliatory actions, taking advantage of the difficulties of the Order, which was then distracted by the fight against the Mongols (Battle of Legnica).

Before going against the knights, Alexander Nevsky prayed in the Church of Sophia, asking the Lord for help in victory: “Judge me, O God, and judge my quarrel with the great people (with the Livonian Germans), and help me, O God, as You helped Moses in ancient times defeat Amalek, and helped my great-grandfather Yaroslav defeat the accursed Svyatopolk.”

After this prayer, he left the church and addressed the squad and militia with the words: “We will die for St. Sophia and Free Novgorod! Let us die for the Holy Trinity and free Pskov! For now, the Russians have no other destiny than to harrow their Russian land, the Orthodox Christian faith!” And all the Russian soldiers answered him: “With you, Yaroslavich, we will win or die for the Russian land!”

Thus, in 1241, Alexander set out on a campaign. The invasion of Livonian land pursued limited, “probing” goals. However, the Novgorodians were ready to accept a field battle. In anticipation of the enemy, reconnaissance was carried out, food supplies were replenished, and the “full” was captured. The regiments reached the Dorpat bishopric, but did not besiege castles and cities, but stayed in the coastal part of Lake Peipsi. The brother knights of the Livonian Order and the Dorpatites (the chronicle calls them Chud), perhaps with the support of the Danes who owned Northern Estonia, were preparing for retaliatory actions.

Alexander reached Koporye, took it by storm “and poured out hail from its foundations,” killed most of the garrison: “and beat the Germans themselves, and brought others with them to Novgorod.” Some of the knights and mercenaries from the local population were taken prisoner, but released: “but let others go, for you are more merciful than measure,” and the traitors from among the Chuds were hanged: “and the leaders and Chuds of the perevetniks (that is, traitors) were hanged (hanged )". Vodskaya Pyatina was cleared of Germans. The right flank and rear of the Novgorod army were now safe.

In March 1242, the Novgorodians set out on a campaign again and were soon near Pskov. Alexander, believing that he did not have enough strength to attack a strong fortress, was waiting for his brother Andrei Yaroslavich with the Suzdal ("Nizovsky") squads, who soon arrived. 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. The army included Novgorodians (black people - wealthy townspeople, as well as boyars and city elders), the princely squad of Alexander himself, the "Nizovtsy" from the Vladimir-Suzdal land - a detachment of Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodich, detached under the leadership of Alexander's brother, Andrei Yaroslavich (in This detachment, according to the Rhymed Chronicle, were Suzdal). In addition, according to the Pskov First Chronicle, the army included Pskovites, who apparently joined after the liberation of the city. The total number of Russian troops is not known, but for its time it seemed significant. According to the Life, the regiments marched “in great strength.” The German source generally testifies to a 60-fold superiority of Russian forces, which is clearly exaggerated.

Pskov

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 Andreem and from Nizovtsi to the Chud land to Nemtsi and Chud and Zaya all the way to Plskov; and the prince of Plskov drove out, seized Nemtsi and Chud, and bound the streams to Novgorod, and he himself went to Chud.”

All these events took place in March 1242. After this defeat, the Order began to concentrate its forces within the Dorpat bishopric, preparing an offensive against the Russians. The Order gathered great strength: here were almost all of its knights with the “master” (master) at the head, “with all their biscups (bishops), and with all the multitude of their language, and their power, whatever is in this country, and with help the queen,” that is, there were German knights, the local population and the army of the Swedish king. In the spring of 1242, reconnaissance of the Livonian Order was sent from Dorpat (Yuryev) in order to test the strength of the Russian troops.

The Novgorodians beat them in time. Alexander decided to transfer the war to the territory of the Order itself, led troops to Izborsk, his intelligence crossed the border. “And I went,” the chronicler reports, “to German land, although I would take revenge on Christian blood.” Alexander sent forward several reconnaissance detachments. One of them, the “dispersal” under the command of the mayor’s brother Domash Tverdislavich and Kerbet (one of the “Nizovsky” governors), came across German knights and Chud (Estonians), and was defeated approximately 18 kilometers south of Dorpat by an order reconnaissance detachment. At the same time, Domash died: “And as if on the earth (Chudi), let the entire regiment prosper; and Domash Tverdislavich and Kerbet were in dispersal, and I caught Nemtsi and Chud at the bridge and killed that one; and I killed that Domash, the brother of the mayor, She was honest with her husband, and beat him, and took him away with her hands, and ran to the prince in the regiment; the prince ran back to the lake."

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. The main part of the troops consisted of knights clad in armor.

Alexander was able to determine that the knights moved their main forces much further north, to the junction between Pskov and Lake Peipsi. Alexander's reconnaissance found out that the enemy sent insignificant forces to Izborsk, and his main forces were moving towards Lake Peipus. Thus, they took a short road to Novgorod and cut off Russian troops in the Pskov region.

The Novgorod army turned towards the lake, “and the Germans walked on them like crazy.” The Novgorodians tried to repel the outflanking maneuver of the German knights, carrying out an unusual maneuver: they retreated to the ice of Lake Peipsi, north of the Uzmen tract, near the island of Voroniy Kamen: “on Uzmeniu Voronen Kameni.”

Having reached Lake Peipus, the Novgorod army found itself in the center of possible enemy routes to Novgorod. The Order's army also approached there in battle formation. Thus, the site of the battle was proposed by the Russian side with the obvious expectation of carrying out a maneuverable battle simultaneously by several detachments against the German formation, called the “pig”. Now Alexander decided to give battle and stopped. “The howl of Grand Duke Alexander was filled with the spirit of war, for their heart was like a lion,” they were ready to “lay down their heads.” The forces of the Novgorodians were little more than the knightly army.

Position of Alexander Nevsky

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 Russian battle order is not described in the sources, however, according to indirect data, it can be interpreted. In the center was the princely regiment of the commander-in-chief, with regiments of the right and left hands standing nearby. Ahead of the main regiment, according to the Rhymed Chronicle, were archers. We have before us a three-part division of the main army, typical of its time, which could, however, have been more complex.

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 fielded by Novgorod and the “lower” lands was a fairly powerful force, distinguished by high fighting spirit. A significant part of the Russian troops, judging by its mobility, significant marching movements across Estonian land, the desire to measure strength with mounted knights, and finally, the choice of battle site, which created freedom of maneuver in a significant open space, could have been cavalry.

According to some historians, the total number of Russian troops reached 15 - 17 thousand people. However, this figure is most likely greatly overestimated. A real army could number up to 4-5 thousand people, of which 800-1000 people were princely equestrian squads. The majority of it consisted of foot soldiers of the militia.

Position of the Order

Particularly important is the question of the number of troops of the order who set foot on the ice of Lake Peipsi. Historians also differ in their opinions about the number of German knights. Domestic historians usually gave a number of 10 - 12 thousand people. Later researchers, citing the German “Rhymed Chronicle,” name three or four hundred people, supported by foot mercenaries armed with spears and the order’s allies, the Livs. The figures available in chronicle sources are the losses of the order, which amounted to about twenty “brothers” killed and six captured. Considering that for one “brother” there were 3 - 5 “half-brothers” who did not have the right to loot, the total number of the Livonian army itself can be determined at 400 - 500 people.

Given the recent defeat that the Teutons suffered from the Mongols at Legnica on April 9, 1241, the order could not provide assistance to its Livonian “branch”. Also participating in the battle were Danish knights and the militia from Dorpat, which included a large number of Estonians, but the knights could not be numerous. Thus, the order had a total of about 500 - 700 cavalry people and 1000 - 1200 Estonian militiamen. Like the estimates of Alexander's troops, these figures are debatable.

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 defeat of the order, Livonian sources do not contain information that any of the order leaders were killed or captured.

Battle

The Battle of Lake Peipsi, which went down in history as the “Battle of the Ice,” began on the morning of April 5, 1242.

Alexander Nevsky positioned the Russian army on the southeastern shore of Lake Peipsi, opposite the island of Voroniy Kamen. There is no information about the order of battle of the troops. We can assume that this was a “regimental row” with a guard regiment in front. Judging by the chronicle miniatures, the battle formation was turned with its rear to the steep steep eastern shore of the lake, and Alexander’s best squad hid in ambush behind one of the flanks. The chosen position was advantageous in that the Germans, advancing on open ice, were deprived of the opportunity to determine the location, number and composition of the Russian army.

The army of the crusaders lined up in a “wedge” (“pig”, according to Russian chronicles). In chain mail and helmets, with long swords, they seemed invulnerable. The plan of the Livonian knights was to crush the large regiment of Alexander Nevsky with a powerful blow, and then the flanking regiments. But Alexander guessed the enemy’s plan. In the center of his formation he placed the weaker regiments, and the strongest ones on the flanks. An ambush regiment was hidden to the side.

At sunrise, noticing a small detachment of Russian riflemen, the knightly “pig” rushed towards him.

Historians considered the “pig” to be a kind of wedge-shaped formation of an army - a sharp column. The Russian term in this regard was an exact translation of the German Schweinkopf of the Latin caput porci. In turn, the mentioned term is related to the concept of wedge, tip, cuneus, acies. The last two terms have been used in sources since Roman times. But they cannot always be interpreted figuratively. Individual military units were often called this way, regardless of the method of their formation. For all that, the very name of such units hints at their unique configuration. Indeed, the wedge-shaped structure is not the fruit of the theoretical imagination of ancient writers. This formation was actually used in combat practice in the 13th - 15th centuries. in Central Europe, and fell out of use only at the end of the 16th century.
Based on surviving written sources, which have not yet attracted the attention of domestic historians, the construction with a wedge (in the chronicle text - “pig”) lends itself to reconstruction in the form of a deep column with a triangular crown. This construction is confirmed by a unique document - the military manual “Preparation for a Campaign,” written in 1477. for one of the Brandenburg military leaders. It lists three divisions-banners. Their names are typical - “Hound”, “St. George” and “Great”. The banners consisted of 400, 500 and 700 mounted warriors, respectively. At the head of each detachment were concentrated a standard bearer and selected knights, located in 5 ranks. In the first rank, depending on the size of the banner, there were lined up from 3 to 7-9 mounted knights, in the last - from 11 to 17. The total number of warriors of the wedge ranged from 35 to 65 people. The ranks were lined up in such a way that each subsequent one on its flanks increased by two knights. Thus, the outermost warriors in relation to each other were placed as if on a ledge and guarded the one riding in front from one of the sides. This was the tactical feature of the wedge - it was adapted for a concentrated frontal attack and at the same time was difficult to be vulnerable from the flanks.

The second, column-shaped part of the banner, according to “Preparation for the Campaign,” consisted of a quadrangular structure that included bollards. The number of bollards and each in the three detachments mentioned above was respectively 365, 442 and 629 (or 645). They were located in depth from 33 to 43 ranks, each of which contained from 11 to 17 cavalry. Among the bollards were servants who were part of the knight's battle retinue: usually an archer or crossbowman and a squire. All together they formed a lower military unit - a “spear” - numbering 3-5 people, rarely more. During the battle, these warriors, equipped no worse than a knight, came to the aid of their master and changed his horse. The advantages of the column-wedge banner include its cohesion, flank coverage of the wedge, ramming power of the first strike, and precise controllability. The formation of such a banner was convenient both for movement and for starting a battle. The tightly closed ranks of the leading part of the detachment did not need to turn around to protect their flanks when they came into contact with the enemy. The wedge of the approaching army made a terrifying impression and could cause confusion in the ranks of the enemy at the first onslaught. The wedge detachment was intended to break the opposing side's formation and achieve a quick victory.

The described system had its own shortcomings. During the battle, if it dragged on, the best forces - the knights - could be the first to be put out of action. As for the bollards, during the fight between the knights they were in a wait-and-see state and had little influence on the outcome of the battle.

It is also possible to more specifically determine the size of the Livonian combat detachment of the 13th century. In 1268 In the battle of Rakovor, as the chronicle mentions, a German iron regiment - the “great pig” - acted. According to the Rhymed Chronicle, 34 knights and militia took part in the battle. This number of knights, if supplemented by a commander, will be 35 people, which exactly corresponds to the composition of the knightly wedge of one of the detachments noted in the “Preparation for the Campaign” of 1477. (although for the “Hound” it is a banner, not the “Great”). In the same “Preparation for the Campaign” the number of bollards of such a banner is given - 365 people. Taking into account the fact that the figures for the head units of the detachments according to the data of 1477 and 1268 practically coincided, we can assume, without the risk of a big mistake, that in terms of their overall quantitative composition, these units were also close to each other. In this case, we can to a certain extent judge the usual size of the German wedge-shaped banners that took part in the Livonian-Russian wars of the 13th century.

As for the German detachment in the battle of 1242, its composition was hardly superior to the Rakovorskaya - “great pig”. During the period under review, the Livonian Order, distracted by the struggle in Courland, could not field a large army.

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, the bollards were in front, followed by a disorganized column of “chudins”, which were being pressed from the rear a line of 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: “The Russians had many shooters who courageously came forward and were the first to take the onslaught in front of the prince’s squad.” Apparently the archers did not inflict serious losses. Having fired at the Germans, the archers had no other choice but to retreat to the flanks of a large regiment. The riflemen took the brunt of the "iron regiment"'s attack and with courageous resistance significantly disrupted its advance.

Exposing their long spears, the Germans attacked the center (“brow”) of the Russian battle formation. This is what is written in the “chronicle”: “The banners of the brothers penetrated the ranks of the shooters, one could hear swords ringing, helmets being cut, and the fallen falling on the grass on both sides.” Most likely, this was recorded from the words of an eyewitness who was in the rear ranks of the army, and it is quite possible that the warrior mistook some other Russian unit for the advanced archers.

The chosen tactics paid off. A Russian chronicler writes about the enemy’s breakthrough of the Novgorod regiments: “The Germans fought their way through the regiments like pigs.” The knights broke through the defensive formations of the Russian "chela". However, having stumbled upon the steep shore of the lake, the sedentary, armor-clad knights could not develop their success. The knightly cavalry was crowded together, as the rear ranks of knights pushed the front ranks, which had nowhere to turn for battle. 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 hands hit its flanks with all their might.

The German "wedge" was caught in pincers. At this time, Alexander’s squad struck from the rear and completed the encirclement of the enemy. "The brothers' army was surrounded."

Warriors who had special spears with hooks pulled the knights off their horses; warriors armed with “cobbler” knives disabled the horses, after which the knights became easy prey. “And that slash was evil and great for the Germans and the people, and there was a coward from the copy of the breaking, and the sound from the sword’s section, as if a frozen lake were moving, and they did not see the ice, for fear of blood.” The ice began to crack under the weight of the heavily armed knights huddled together. The enemy was surrounded.

Then suddenly, from behind cover, a cavalry ambush regiment rushed into battle. 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. Some knights managed to break through the encirclement and tried to escape, but many of them drowned.

The order's chronicler, wanting to somehow explain the fact of the defeat of the brothers in faith, extolled the Russian warriors: “The Russians had countless bows, a lot of beautiful armor. Their banners were rich, their helmets radiated light." He spoke sparingly about the defeat itself: “Those who were in the army of the brother knights were surrounded, the brother knights defended themselves quite stubbornly. But they were defeated there.”

From this we can conclude that the German formation was drawn into battle with the central opposing regiment, while the side regiments managed to cover the flanks of the German army. The “Rhymed Chronicle” writes that “part of the Derpt residents (“Chudi” in the Russian chronicle) left the battle, this was their salvation, they were forced to retreat.” We are talking about bollards who covered the knights from the rear. Thus, the striking force of the German army - the knights - was left without cover. Surrounded, they were apparently unable to maintain formation, reform for new attacks and, moreover, were left without reinforcements. This predetermined the complete defeat of the German army, primarily its most organized and combat-ready force.

The battle ended with the pursuit of the fleeing enemy in panic. At the same time, some of the enemies died in the battle, some were captured, and some, finding themselves in a place of thin ice - “sigovina”, fell through the ice. The Novgorodian cavalry pursued the remnants of the knightly army, which fled in disarray, across the ice of Lake Peipsi up to the opposite shore, seven miles, completing their defeat.

The Russians also suffered losses: "This victory cost Prince Alexander many brave men." The Novgorod First Chronicle reports that as a result of the battle, 400 Germans fell, 90 were taken prisoner and “the people fell into disgrace.” The above figures appear to be exaggerated. According to the Rhymed Chronicle, 20 knights were killed and 6 were captured. Taking into account the composition of an ordinary knight's spear (3 combatants), the number of killed and captured knights and bollards could reach 78 people. An unexpectedly close figure - 70 dead knights of the order - is given by German sources of the second half of the 15th-16th centuries. It is unknown where such an exact figure of “damage” came from. Didn’t the “late” German chronicler triple the losses indicated in the “Rhymed Chronicle” (20 + 6x3 = 78)?

The pursuit of the remnants of a defeated enemy outside the battlefield was a new phenomenon in the development of Russian military art. The Novgorodians did not celebrate the victory “on the bones,” as was customary before. The German knights suffered a complete defeat. In the battle, more than 400 knights and “countless numbers” of other troops were killed, and 50 “deliberate commanders,” that is, noble knights, were captured. All of them followed the horses of the winners on foot to Pskov. 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 numbers of incapacitated fighters given by the Rhymed Chronicle may be close to the true ones. The number of killed and captured knights, as mentioned, was 26. Probably, almost all of them were part of the wedge: these people were the first to enter the battle and were exposed to the greatest danger. Taking into account the five-rank formation, it can be assumed that the number of the wedge was no more than 30-35 knights. It is not surprising that most of them laid down their lives on the battlefield. This composition of the wedge assumes its maximum width in the form of a line of 11 fighters.

The number of bollards in this kind of columns was slightly more than 300 people. As a result, with all the calculations and assumptions, the total number of the German-Chud army that took part in the battle of 1242 hardly exceeded three to four hundred people, and most likely was even smaller.

After the battle, the Russian army went to Pskov, as stated in the Life: “And Alexander returned with a glorious victory, and there were many captives in his army, and they were led barefoot near the horses, those who called themselves “God’s knights.”

The Livonian troops suffered a crushing defeat. The “Battle on the Ice” dealt a severe blow to the order. This battle stopped the advance to the East launched by the crusaders, which had the goal of conquering and colonizing Russian lands.

The significance of the victory of Russian troops under the leadership of Prince Alexander Nevsky over the German knights was truly historical. The Order asked for peace. Peace was concluded on terms dictated by the Russians.

In the summer of 1242, the “brothers of the order” sent ambassadors to Novgorod with a bow: “I entered Pskov, Vod, Luga, Latygola with the sword, and we are retreating from all of them, and what we have taken into full possession of your people (prisoners), and with those we will exchange, We’ll let your people in, and you’ll let our people in, and we’ll let Pskov in full.” The order's ambassadors solemnly renounced all encroachments on the Russian lands that were temporarily captured by the order. The Novgorodians agreed to these conditions, and peace was concluded.

The victory was won not only by the strength of Russian weapons, but also by the strength of the Russian faith. The squads continued to fight under the command of the glorious prince in 1245 against the Lithuanians, in 1253 again against the German knights, in 1256 against the Swedes, and in 1262 together with the Lithuanians against the Livonian knights. All this happened later, and after the Battle of the Ice, Prince Alexander lost his parents one after another, leaving him an orphan.

The Battle of the Ice went down in history as a remarkable example of military tactics and strategy and became the first time in the history of military art when heavy knightly cavalry was defeated in a field battle by an army consisting mostly of infantry. The Russian battle formation (“regimental row” in the presence of a reserve) turned out to be flexible, as a result of which it was possible to encircle the enemy, whose battle formation was a sedentary mass; the infantry successfully interacted with their cavalry.

Skillful construction of the battle formation, clear organization of the interaction of its individual parts, especially infantry and cavalry, constant reconnaissance and taking into account the enemy’s weaknesses when organizing the battle, the correct choice of place and time, good organization of tactical pursuit, the destruction of most of the superior enemy - all this determined the Russian military art as advanced in the world.

The victory over the army of the German feudal lords was of great political and military-strategic significance, delaying their offensive to the East - “Drang nach Osten” - which was the leitmotif of German politics from 1201 to 1241. The northwestern border of the Novgorod land was reliably secured just in time for the Mongols to return from their campaign in Central Europe. Later, when Batu returned to Eastern Europe, Alexander showed the necessary flexibility and agreed with him to establish peaceful relations, eliminating any reason for new invasions.

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 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. Five hundred killed knights is a completely unrealistic figure, since there was no such number in the entire Order.

According to the Livonian chronicle, the battle was not a major military clash, and the Order's losses were negligible. The Rhymed Chronicle specifically says that twenty knights were killed and six were captured. Perhaps the Chronicle means only the brother 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, on the ice of Lake Peipus, 400 German soldiers actually fell (of which twenty were real brother knights), 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.

In the “Rhymed Chronicle,” the Livonian chronicler claims that the battle did not take place on the ice, but on the shore, on land. 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 for meeting 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 Russia was suffering heavy 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 (1236), in which the Lithuanians killed the master of the order and 48 knights (20 knights died on Lake Peipus), and the battle of Rakovor in 1268; Contemporary sources even describe the Battle of the Neva in more detail and give it greater significance.

“Battle of the Ice” is a monument in honor of the victory of Russian soldiers over German knights on April 5, 1242 on Lake Peipsi.

Located on Mount Sokolikha, Piskovichi volost, Pskov region. Opened in July 1993.

The main part of the monument is a bronze sculpture of Russian soldiers led by A. Nevsky. The composition includes copper ensigns, which indicate the participation of Pskov, Novgorod, Vladimir and Suzdal soldiers in the battle.

Taking advantage of the fact that after the devastation of North-Eastern Rus' by the Mongols, Novgorod and Pskov had nowhere to wait for help, the Swedish and German knights intensified their expansion in North-Western Rus', counting on an easy victory. The Swedes were the first to attempt to seize Russian lands. In 1238, the Swedish king Erich Burr received permission (“blessing”) from the Pope for a crusade against the Novgorodians. Everyone who agreed to take part in the campaign was promised absolution.
In 1239, the Swedes and Germans negotiated, outlining a campaign plan: the Swedes, who had by that time captured Finland, were to attack Novgorod from the north, from the Neva River, and the Germans - through Izborsk and Pskov. Sweden allocated an army for the campaign under the leadership of Jarl (Prince) Ulf Fasi and the king's son-in-law, Earl Birger, the future founder of Stockholm.
The Novgorodians knew about the plans of the Swedes, as well as the fact that the Swedes were going to baptize them, like pagans, into the Catholic faith. Therefore, the Swedes, who went to instill an alien faith, seemed to them more terrible than the Mongols.
In the summer of 1240, the Swedish army under the command of Birger, “in great strength, puffing with a military spirit,” appeared on the Neva River on ships that stood at the mouth of the Izhora River. The army consisted of Swedes, Norwegians, and representatives of Finnish tribes, who intended to go straight to Ladoga and from there descend to Novgorod. There were also Catholic bishops in the army of the conquerors. They walked with a cross in one hand and a sword in the other. Having landed on the shore, the Swedes and their allies pitched their tents and tents at the confluence of the Izhora and the Neva. Birger, confident of his victory, sent to Prince Alexander with the statement: “If you can resist me, then I am already here, fighting your land.”
The Novgorod borders at that time were guarded by "watchmen". They were also located on the sea coast, where local tribes served. So, in the Neva area, on both banks of the Gulf of Finland, there was a “sea guard” of the Izhorians, guarding the routes to Novgorod from the sea. The Izhorians had already converted to Orthodoxy and were an ally of Novgorod. One day at dawn of a July day in 1240, the elder of the Izho land Pelgusius, while on patrol, discovered a Swedish flotilla and hastily sent to report everything to Alexander.
Having received news of the enemy's appearance, the Novgorod prince Alexander Yaroslavovich decided to suddenly attack him. There was no time to gather troops, and convening a veche (national assembly) could delay the matter and lead to the disruption of the surprise of the impending operation. Therefore, Alexander did not wait for the squads sent by his father Yaroslav to arrive, or for the warriors from the Novgorod lands to gather. He decided to oppose the Swedes with his squad, strengthening it only with Novgorod volunteers. According to ancient custom, they gathered at the Cathedral of St. Sophia, prayed, received a blessing from their ruler Spyridon and set out on a campaign. They walked along the Volkhov River to Ladoga, where Alexander was joined by a detachment of Ladoga residents, allies of Veliky Novgorod. From Ladoga, Alexander's army turned to the mouth of the Izhora River.

In the summer of 1240, German knights from the Livonian Order, created from the Orders of the Sword and Teutonic, invaded the Novgorod land. Back in 1237, Pope Gregory IX blessed the German knights to conquer the indigenous Russian lands. The army of the conquerors consisted of Germans, bears, Yuryevites and Danish knights from Revel. With them was a traitor - the Russian prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich. They appeared under the walls of Izborsk and took the city by storm. The Pskovites rushed to the aid of their fellow countrymen, but their militia was defeated. Over 800 people were killed alone, including the governor Gavrila Gorislavich.
Following in the footsteps of those who fled, the Germans approached Pskov, crossed the Velikaya River, set up their camp under the very walls of the Kremlin, set fire to the city and began to destroy churches and surrounding villages. For a whole week they kept the Kremlin under siege, preparing for the assault. But it didn’t come to that: Pskov resident Tverdilo Ivanovich surrendered the city. The knights took hostages and left their garrison in Pskov.
The Germans' appetite increased. They have already said: “We will reproach the Slovenian language ... to ourselves,” that is, we will subjugate the Russian people. In the winter of 1240-1241, the knights again appeared as uninvited guests in the Novgorod land. This time they captured the territory of the Vod (vozhan) tribe, east of the Narva River, "waging everything and placing tribute on them." Having captured the “Vodskaya Pyatina”, the knights took possession of Tesov (on the Oredezh River), and their patrols appeared 35 km from Novgorod. Thus, a vast territory in the region of Izborsk - Pskov - Sabel - Tesov - Koporye was in the hands of the Livonian Order.
The Germans already considered the Russian border lands to be their property; the pope “transferred” the coast of the Neva and Karelia under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Ezel, who entered into an agreement with the knights: he agreed for himself a tenth of everything that the land gives, and left everything else - fishing, mowing, arable land - to the knights.
Novgorodians again remembered Prince Alexander, already Nevsky, who left after a quarrel with the city boyars for his native Pereslavl-Zalessky. The Metropolitan of Novgorod himself went to ask the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yaroslav Vsevolodovich to release his son, and Yaroslav, realizing the danger of the threat emanating from the West, agreed: the matter concerned not only Novgorod, but all of Rus'.
Alexander organized an army of Novgorodians, Ladoga residents, Karelians and Izhorians. First of all, it was necessary to decide the question of the method of action.

1. Life of Alexander Nevsky.
2. 100 great battles/res. ed. A. Agrashenkov and others - Moscow, 2000.
3. World history. Crusaders and Mongols. - Volume 8 - Minsk, 2000.
4. Venkov A.V., Derkach S.V. Great commanders and their battles. - Rostov-on-Don, 1999

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 a flat surface of ice was more advantageous for the heavy cavalry of the Order, however, it is traditionally believed that the place for meeting 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 Russia 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

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.

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 the Pskov region, under state protection

29.12.2014 0 14835

Many books and articles have been written about the famous battle on the ice of Lake Peipsi in April 1242, but it itself has not been fully studied - and our information about it is replete with blank spots...

“And there was an evil slaughter, and a crackling sound from the breaking of spears, and a sound from the cutting of a sword, and the frozen lake moved. And there was no ice visible: it was all covered in blood...”

At the beginning of 1242, German Teutonic knights captured Pskov and advanced towards Novgorod. On Saturday, April 5, at dawn, the Russian squad, led by the Novgorod prince Alexander Nevsky, met the crusaders on the ice of Lake Peipus, at the Crow Stone.

Alexander skillfully surrounded the knights, built in a wedge, from the flanks, and with a blow from an ambush regiment, he encircled them. The Battle of the Ice, famous in Russian history, began. “And there was an evil slaughter, and a crackling sound from the breaking of spears, and a sound from the cutting of a sword, and the frozen lake moved. And there was no ice visible: it was all covered in blood...” The chronicle reports that the ice cover could not withstand the retreating heavily armed knights and failed. Under the weight of their armor, the enemy warriors quickly sank to the bottom, choking in the icy water.

Some circumstances of the battle remained a real “blank spot” for researchers. Where does truth end and fiction begin? Why did the ice collapse under the feet of the knights and withstand the weight of the Russian army? How could the knights fall through the ice if its thickness near the shores of Lake Peipus reaches a meter in early April? Where did the legendary battle take place?

The domestic chronicles (Novgorod, Pskov, Suzdal, Rostov, Laurentian, etc.) and the “Elder Livonian Rhymed Chronicle” describe in detail both the events preceding the battle and the battle itself. Its landmarks are indicated: “On Lake Peipus, near the Uzmen tract, near the Crow Stone.” Local legends specify that the warriors fought just outside the village of Samolva.

The chronicle miniature drawing depicts the confrontation between the parties before the battle, and defensive ramparts, stone and other buildings are shown in the background. In the ancient chronicles there is no mention of Voronii Island (or any other island) near the site of the battle. They talk about fighting on land, and mention ice only in the final part of the battle.

In search of answers to numerous questions from researchers, Leningrad archaeologists led by military historian Georgy Karaev were the first to go to the shores of Lake Peipsi in the late 50s of the 20th century. Scientists were going to recreate the events of more than seven hundred years ago.

At first, chance helped. Once, while talking with fishermen, Karaev asked why they called the area of ​​the lake near Cape Sigovets a “cursed place.” The fishermen explained: in this place, until the most severe frosts, there remains an opening, “whitefish,” because whitefish have been caught in it for a long time. In cold weather, of course, even the “sigovitsa” will be caught in ice, but it is not durable: a person will go there and disappear...

This means that it is no coincidence that the southern part of the lake is called Warm Lake by local residents. Perhaps this is where the crusaders drowned? Here is the answer: the bottom of the lake in the Sigovits area is replete with groundwater outlets that prevent the formation of a durable ice cover.

Archaeologists have established that the waters of Lake Peipus are gradually advancing on the shores, this is the result of a slow tectonic process. Many ancient villages were flooded, and their inhabitants moved to other, higher shores. The lake level is rising at a rate of 4 millimeters per year. Consequently, since the time of the blessed prince Alexander Nevsky, the water in the lake has risen by a good three meters!

G.N. Karaev removed depths of less than three meters from the map of the lake, and the map became seven hundred years younger. This map suggested: the narrowest place of the lake in ancient times was located right next to “Sigovitsy”. This is how the chronicle “Uzmen” received an exact reference, a name that does not exist on the modern map of the lake.

The most difficult thing was to determine the location of the “Crow Stone”, because on the map of the lake there are more than a dozen Crow stones, rocks and islands. Karaev's divers examined Raven Island near Uzmen and discovered that it was nothing more than the top of a huge sheer underwater cliff. A stone shaft was unexpectedly discovered next to it. Scientists decided that the name “Raven Stone” in ancient times referred not only to the rock, but also to a fairly strong border fortification. It became clear: the battle began here on that distant April morning.

The expedition members came to the conclusion that the Raven Stone several centuries ago was a high fifteen-meter hill with steep slopes; it was visible from afar and served as a good landmark. But time and waves did their job: the once high hill with steep slopes disappeared under water.

Researchers also tried to explain why the fleeing knights fell through the ice and drowned. In fact, at the beginning of April, when the battle took place, the ice on the lake was still quite thick and strong. But the secret was that not far from the Crow Stone, warm springs flow from the bottom of the lake, forming “sigoviches”, so the ice here is less durable than in other places. Previously, when the water level was lower, underwater springs undoubtedly hit the ice sheet directly. The Russians, of course, knew about this and avoided dangerous places, but the enemy ran straight.

So this is the solution to the riddle! But if it is true that in this place the icy abyss swallowed up an entire army of knights, then somewhere here his trace must be hidden. Archaeologists set themselves the task of finding this last piece of evidence, but current circumstances prevented them from achieving their final goal. It was not possible to find the burial places of the soldiers who died in the Battle of the Ice. This is clearly stated in the report of the complex expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences. And soon allegations appeared that in ancient times the dead were taken with them for burial in their homeland, therefore, they say, their remains cannot be found.

Several years ago, a new generation of search engines - a group of Moscow enthusiasts and lovers of the ancient history of Rus' - again tried to resolve the centuries-old mystery. She had to find burials hidden in the ground related to the Battle of the Ice on a large territory of the Gdovsky district of the Pskov region.

Research has shown that in those distant times, in the area south of the now existing village of Kozlovo, there was some kind of fortified outpost of the Novgorodians. It was here that Prince Alexander Nevsky went to join the detachment of Andrei Yaroslavich, hidden in an ambush. At a critical moment in the battle, an ambush regiment could go behind the knights' rear, surround them and ensure victory. The area here is relatively flat. Nevsky’s troops were protected on the northwestern side by the “sigovits” of Lake Peipus, and on the eastern side by the wooded part where the Novgorodians settled in the fortified town.

The knights advanced from the southern side (from the village of Tabory). Not knowing about the Novgorod reinforcements and feeling their military superiority in strength, they, without hesitation, rushed into battle, falling into the “nets” that had been placed. From this it can be seen that the battle itself took place on land, not far from the shore of the lake. By the end of the battle, the knightly army was pushed back onto the spring ice of Zhelchinskaya Bay, where many of them died. Their remains and weapons are still at the bottom of this bay.