Myths about the Battle of the Ice

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

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

But was it really so?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The myth of a united Rus'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The myth of the scale of the battle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We don't know anything else about it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The myth of the battle on ice and drowned knights

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

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

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

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

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

The Myth of the Battle's Geopolitical Significance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

© TASS INFOGRAPHICS, 2017

Worked on the material:

The Battle of the Ice or the Battle of Peipus is the battle between the Novgorod-Pskov troops of Prince Alexander Nevsky and the troops of the Livonian knights on April 5, 1242 on the ice of Lake Peipus. In 1240, the knights of the Livonian Order (see Spiritual Knightly Orders) captured Pskov and advanced their conquests to Vodskaya Pyatina; their travels approached 30 versts to Novgorod, where at that time there was no prince, because Alexander Nevsky, having quarreled with the veche, retired to Vladimir. Constrained by the knights and Lithuania, which had raided the southern regions, the Novgorodians sent envoys to ask Alexander to return. Arriving at the beginning of 1241, Alexander cleared the Vodskaya Pyatina of the enemy, but decided to liberate Pskov only after combining the Novgorod detachments with the grassroots troops that arrived in 1242 under the command of his brother, Prince Andrei Yaroslavich. The Germans did not have time to send reinforcements to their small garrison, and Pskov was taken by storm.

However, the campaign could not be ended with this success, since it became known that the knights were preparing for the fight and that they were concentrated in the Dorpat (Tartu) bishopric. Instead of the usual waiting for the enemy in the fortress, Alexander decided to meet the enemy halfway and inflict a decisive blow on him with a surprise attack. Having set out along the well-worn path to Izborsk, Alexander sent a network of advanced reconnaissance detachments. Soon one of them, probably the most significant, under the leadership of the mayor's brother Domash Tverdislavich, came across the Germans and Chud, was defeated and forced to retreat. Further reconnaissance discovered that the enemy, having sent a small part of his forces to the Izborsk road, moved with his main forces straight to the ice-covered Lake Peipsi in order to cut off the Russians from Pskov.

Then Alexander “backed towards the lake; The Germans just walked over them,” that is, with a successful maneuver, the Russian army avoided the danger that threatened it. Having turned the situation in his favor, Alexander decided to take the fight and remained near Lake Peipus on the Uzmen tract, at the “Voronei Kameni”. At dawn on April 5, 1242, the knightly army, together with the contingents of the Estonians (Chudi), formed a kind of closed phalanx, known as the “wedge” or “iron pig”. In this battle formation, the knights moved across the ice towards the Russians and, crashing into them, broke through the center. Carried away by their success, the knights did not even notice that both flanks were being encircled by the Russians, who, holding the enemy in pincers, defeated him. The pursuit after the Battle of the Ice was carried out to the opposite Sobolitsky shore of the lake, at which time the ice began to break under the crowded fugitives. 400 knights fell, 50 were captured, and the bodies of the lightly armed miracle lay 7 miles away. The astonished master of the order waited with trepidation for Alexander under the walls of Riga and asked the Danish king for help against “cruel Rus'.”

Battle on the Ice. Painting by V. Matorin

After the Battle of the Ice, the Pskov clergy greeted Alexander Nevsky with crosses, the people called him father and savior. The prince shed tears and said: “People of Pskov! If you forget Alexander, if my most distant descendants do not find a faithful refuge in your misfortune, then you will be an example of ingratitude!”

The victory in the Battle of the Ice was of great importance in the political life of the Novgorod-Pskov region. The confidence of the pope, the Bishop of Dorpat and the Livonian knights in the quick conquest of the Novgorod lands crumbled for a long time. They had to think about self-defense and prepare for a century-long stubborn struggle, which ended with the conquest of the Livonian-Baltic Sea by Russia. After the Battle of the Ice, the order's ambassadors made peace with Novgorod, abandoning not only Luga and the Vodskaya volost, but also ceding a considerable part of Letgalia to Alexander.

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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 local residents called Warm Lake. 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 less depth from the lake map three meters, 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 modern map lakes.

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, and 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.

April 18th The next Day of Military Glory of Russia is celebrated - the Day of the victory of Russian soldiers of Prince Alexander Nevsky over the German knights on Lake Peipsi (Battle of the Ice, 1242). The holiday was established by Federal Law No. 32-FZ of March 13, 1995 “On the Days of Military Glory and memorable dates Russia."

According to the definition of all modern historical reference books and encyclopedias,

Battle on the Ice(Schlacht auf dem Eise (German), Prœlium glaciale (Latin), also called Ice battle or Battle of Lake Peipsi- the battle of the Novgorodians and Vladimirites led by Alexander Nevsky against the knights of the Livonian Order on the ice of Lake Peipus - took place on April 5 (in terms of Gregorian calendar- April 12) 1242.

In 1995, Russian parliamentarians, when adopting a federal law, did not particularly think about the dating of this event. They simply added 13 days to April 5 (as is traditionally done to recalculate the events of the 19th century from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar), completely forgetting that the Battle of the Ice did not happen at all in the 19th century, but in the distant 13th century. Accordingly, the “amendment” for modern calendar is only 7 days.

Today, any person who studied at high school, I am sure that the Battle of the Ice or the Battle of Lake Peipsi is considered the general battle of the conquest campaign of the Teutonic Order in 1240-1242. The Livonian Order, as is known, was the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order, and was formed from the remnants of the Order of the Sword in 1237. The Order waged wars against Lithuania and Rus'. Members of the order were "brothers-knights" (warriors), "brothers-priests" (clergy) and "brothers-servants" (squires-artisans). The Knights of the Order were given the rights of the Knights Templar (templars). The distinctive sign of its members was a white robe with a red cross and a sword on it. The battle between the Livonians and the Novgorod army on Lake Peipus decided the outcome of the campaign in favor of the Russians. It also marked the actual death of the Livonian Order itself. Every schoolchild will enthusiastically tell how, during the battle, the famous Prince Alexander Nevsky and his comrades killed and drowned almost all the clumsy, ponderous knights in the lake and liberated the Russian lands from the German conquerors.

If we abstract from the traditional version set out in all school and some university textbooks, it turns out that practically nothing is known about the famous battle, which went down in history as the Battle of the Ice.

Historians to this day break their spears in disputes about what were the reasons for the battle? Where exactly did the battle take place? Who took part in it? And did she exist at all?..

Next, I would like to present two not entirely traditional versions, one of which is based on an analysis of well-known chronicle sources about the Battle of the Ice and concerns the assessment of its role and significance by contemporaries. The other was born as a result of a search by amateur enthusiasts for the immediate site of the battle, about which neither archaeologists nor specialist historians still have a clear opinion.

The “Battle on the Ice” is reflected in a lot of sources. First of all, this is a complex of Novgorod-Pskov chronicles and the “Life” of Alexander Nevsky, which exists in more than twenty editions; then - the most complete and ancient Laurentian Chronicle, which included a number of chronicles of the 13th century, as well as Western sources - numerous Livonian Chronicles.

However, having analyzed domestic and foreign sources for many centuries, historians have not been able to come to a conclusion unanimous opinion: Do they tell about a specific battle that took place in 1242 on Lake Peipsi, or are they about different ones?

Most domestic sources record that some kind of battle took place on Lake Peipus (or in its area) on April 5, 1242. But it is not possible to reliably establish its causes, the number of troops, their formation, composition on the basis of annals and chronicles. How did the battle develop, who distinguished himself in the battle, how many Livonians and Russians died? No data. How did Alexander Nevsky, who is still called “the savior of the fatherland”, finally show himself in the battle? Alas! There are still no answers to any of these questions.

The obvious contradictions contained in the Novgorod-Pskov and Suzdal chronicles telling about the Battle of the Ice can be explained by the constant rivalry between Novgorod and the Vladimir-Suzdal lands, as well as difficult relationship Yaroslavich brothers - Alexander and Andrey.

The Grand Duke of Vladimir Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, as is known, saw his successor youngest son- Andrey. In Russian historiography, there is a version that the father wanted to get rid of the elder Alexander, and therefore sent him to reign in Novgorod. The Novgorod “table” at that time was considered almost a chopping block for the Vladimir princes. Political life the city was ruled by the boyar “veche”, and the prince was only a governor, who in case of external danger must lead the squad and militia.

According to official version Novgorod First Chronicle (NPL), for some reason the Novgorodians expelled Alexander from Novgorod after the victorious Battle of the Neva (1240). And when the knights of the Livonian Order captured Pskov and Koporye, they again asked Prince of Vladimir so that he would send them Alexander.

Yaroslav, on the contrary, intended to send for permission difficult situation Andrei, whom he trusted more, but the Novgorodians insisted on Nevsky’s candidacy. There is also a version that the story of the “expulsion” of Alexander from Novgorod is fictitious and of a later nature. Perhaps it was invented by Nevsky’s “biographers” to justify the surrender of Izborsk, Pskov and Koporye to the Germans. Yaroslav feared that Alexander would open the Novgorod gates to the enemy in the same way, but in 1241 he managed to recapture the Koporye fortress from the Livonians, and then take Pskov. However, some sources date the liberation of Pskov to the beginning of 1242, when the Vladimir-Suzdal army led by his brother Andrei Yaroslavich had already arrived to help Nevsky, and some - to 1244.

According to modern researchers, based on the Livonian Chronicles and other foreign sources, the Koporye fortress surrendered to Alexander Nevsky without a fight, and the Pskov garrison consisted of only two Livonian knights with their squires, armed servants and some militias from local peoples who joined them (Chud, water, etc.). The composition of the entire Livonian Order in the 40s of the 13th century could not exceed 85-90 knights. That is exactly how many castles existed on the territory of the Order at that moment. One castle, as a rule, fielded one knight with squires.

The earliest surviving domestic source mentioning the “Battle of the Ice” is the Laurentian Chronicle, written by a Suzdal chronicler. It does not mention the participation of the Novgorodians in the battle at all, and Prince Andrei appears as the main character:

“Grand Duke Yaroslav sent his son Andrei to Novgorod to help Alexander against the Germans. Having won on the lake beyond Pskov and taken many prisoners, Andrei returned with honor to his father.”

The authors of numerous editions of Alexander Nevsky’s Life, on the contrary, argue that it was after “The Battle of the Ice” made the name of Alexander famous “across all countries from the Varangian Sea and to the Pontic Sea, and to the Egyptian Sea, and to the country of Tiberias, and to the Ararat Mountains, even to Rome the Great...”.

According to the Laurentian Chronicle, it turns out that even his closest relatives did not suspect Alexander’s worldwide fame.

The most detailed account of the battle is contained in the Novgorod First Chronicle (NPL). It is believed that in the earliest list of this chronicle (Synodal) the entry about the “Battle on the Ice” was made already in the 30s of the 14th century. The Novgorod chronicler does not mention a word about the participation of Prince Andrei and the Vladimir-Suzdal squad in the battle:

“Alexander and the Novgorodians built regiments on Lake Peipus on Uzmen near the Crow Stone. And the Germans and Chud drove into the regiment, and fought their way through the regiment like a pig. And there was a great slaughter of the Germans and Chuds. God helped Prince Alexander. The enemy was driven and beaten seven miles to the Subolichi coast. And countless Chuds fell, and 400 Germans(later scribes rounded this figure to 500, and in this form it was included in history textbooks). Fifty prisoners were brought to Novgorod. The battle took place on Saturday, April 5th.”

In later versions of the Life of Alexander Nevsky ( end XVI century) discrepancies with the chronicle news are deliberately eliminated, details borrowed from the NPL are added: the location of the battle, its course and data on losses. The number of killed enemies increases from edition to edition to 900 (!). In some editions of the “Life” (and there are more than twenty of them in total) there are reports about the participation of the Master of the Order in the battle and his capture, as well as the absurd fiction that the knights drowned in the water because they were too heavy.

Many historians who analyzed in detail the texts of the “Life” of Alexander Nevsky noted that the description of the massacre in the “Life” gives the impression of obvious literary borrowing. V.I. Mansikka (“The Life of Alexander Nevsky”, St. Petersburg, 1913) believed that the story about the Battle of the Ice used a description of the battle between Yaroslav the Wise and Svyatopolk the Accursed. Georgy Fedorov notes that the “Life” of Alexander “is a military heroic story inspired by the Roman-Byzantine historical literature(Palea, Josephus)”, and the description of the “Battle of the Ice” is a tracing of Titus’ victory over the Jews at Lake Gennesaret from the third book of the “History of the Jewish War” by Josephus.

I. Grekov and F. Shakhmagonov believe that “the appearance of the battle in all its positions is very similar to the famous Battle of Cannes” (“World of History”, p. 78). In general, the story about the “Battle on the Ice” from the early edition of Alexander Nevsky’s “Life” is just common place, which can be successfully applied to the description of any battle.

In the 13th century there were many battles that could have become a source of “literary borrowing” for the authors of the story about the “Battle on the Ice.” For example, about ten years before the expected date of writing the “Life” (80s of the 13th century), on February 16, 1270, it happened major battle between the Livonian knights and the Lithuanians under Karusen. It also took place on ice, but not on a lake, but on the Gulf of Riga. And its description in the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle is exactly like the description of the “Battle on the Ice” in the NPL.

In the Battle of Karusen, as in the Battle of the Ice, the knightly cavalry attacks the center, there the cavalry “gets stuck” in the convoys, and by going around the flanks the enemy completes their defeat. Moreover, in neither case do the winners try to take advantage of the result of the defeat of the enemy army in any way, but calmly go home with the spoils.

The Livonian Rhymed Chronicle (LRH), telling about a certain battle with the Novgorod-Suzdal army, tends to make the aggressors not the knights of the order, but their opponents - Prince Alexander and his brother Andrei. The authors of the chronicle constantly emphasize the superior forces of the Russians and the small number of the knightly army. According to LRH, the Order's losses in the Battle of the Ice amounted to twenty knights. Six were captured. This chronicle says nothing about the date or place of the battle, but the minstrel’s words that the dead fell on the grass (ground) allows us to conclude that the battle was fought not on the ice of the lake, but on land. If the author of the Chronicle does not understand “grass” figuratively (German idiomatic expression- “to fall on the battlefield”), but literally, it turns out that the battle took place when the ice on the lakes had already melted, or the opponents fought not on the ice, but in the coastal reeds:

“In Dorpat they learned that Prince Alexander had come with an army to the land of the brother knights, causing robberies and fires. The bishop ordered the men of the bishopric to rush into the army of the brother knights to fight against the Russians. They brought too few people, the army of the brother knights was also too small. However, they came to a consensus to attack the Russians. The Russians had many shooters who bravely accepted the first onslaught. It was seen how a detachment of brother knights defeated the shooters; there the clanking of swords could be heard, and helmets could be seen being cut apart. On both sides the dead fell onto the grass. Those who were in the army of the brother knights were surrounded. The Russians had such an army that each German was attacked by perhaps sixty people. The brother knights stubbornly resisted, but were defeated there. Some of the Derpt residents escaped by leaving the battlefield. Twenty brother knights were killed there, and six were captured. This was the course of the battle."

The author LRH does not express the slightest admiration for Alexander’s military leadership talents. The Russians managed to encircle part of the Livonian army not thanks to Alexander’s talent, but because there were much more Russians than Livonians. Even with an overwhelming numerical superiority over the enemy, according to LRH, the Novgorodian troops were not able to encircle the entire Livonian army: some of the Dorpattians escaped by retreating from the battlefield. Only a small part of the “Germans” were surrounded - 26 brother knights who preferred death to shameful flight.

A later source in terms of the time of writing - “The Chronicle of Hermann Wartberg” was written one hundred and fifty years after the events of 1240-1242. It contains, rather, an assessment by the descendants of the defeated knights of the significance that the war with the Novgorodians had on the fate of the Order. The author of the chronicle talks about the capture and subsequent loss of Izborsk and Pskov by the Order as major events of this war. However, the Chronicle does not mention any battle on the ice of Lake Peipsi.

The Livonian Chronicle of Ryussow, published in 1848 on the basis of earlier editions, states that during the time of Master Conrad (Grand Master of the Teutonic Order in 1239-1241. Died from wounds received in the battle with the Prussians on April 9, 1241) there was King Alexander. He (Alexander) learned that under Master Hermann von Salt (Master of the Teutonic Order in 1210-1239), the Teutons captured Pskov. With a large army, Alexander takes Pskov. The Germans fight hard, but are defeated. Seventy knights and many Germans died. Six brother knights are captured and tortured to death.

Some Russian historians interpret the messages of the Chronicle of Ryussov in the sense that the seventy knights whose deaths he mentions fell during the capture of Pskov. But it's not right. In the Chronicle of Ryussow, all the events of 1240-1242 are combined into one whole. This Chronicle does not mention such events as the capture of Izborsk, the defeat of the Pskov army near Izborsk, the construction of a fortress in Koporye and its capture by the Novgorodians, the Russian invasion of Livonia. Thus, “seventy knights and many Germans” are the total losses of the Order (more precisely, the Livonians and Danes) during the entire war.

Another difference between the Livonian Chronicles and the NPL is the number and fate of captured knights. The Ryussov Chronicle reports six prisoners, and the Novgorod Chronicle reports fifty. The captured knights, whom Alexander proposes to exchange for soap in Eisenstein’s film, were “tortured to death,” according to LRH. NPL writes that the Germans offered peace to the Novgorodians, one of the conditions of which was the exchange of prisoners: “what if we captured your husbands, we will exchange them: we will let yours go, and you will let ours go.” But did the captured knights live to see the exchange? There is no information about their fate in Western sources.

Judging by the Livonian Chronicles, the clash with the Russians in Livonia was a minor event for the knights of the Teutonic Order. It is reported only in passing, and the death of the Livonian Lordship of the Teutons (Livonian Order) in the battle on Lake Peipsi does not find any confirmation at all. The order continued to exist successfully until the 16th century (destroyed during the Livonian War in 1561).

Battle site

Until the end of the 20th century they remained unknown places burial places of soldiers who died during the Battle of the Ice, as well as the site of the battle itself. The landmarks of the place where the battle took place are indicated in the Novgorod First Chronicle (NPL): “On Lake Peipsi, near the Uzmen tract, at the Crow Stone.” Local legends specify that the battle took place just outside the village of Samolva. In ancient chronicles there is no mention of Voronii Island (or any other island) near the site of the battle. They talk about fighting on the ground, on the grass. Ice is mentioned only in later editions of the “Life” of Alexander Nevsky.

The past centuries have erased from history and human memory information about the location mass graves, Crow Stone, Uzmen tract and the degree of population of these places. Over many centuries, the Crow Stone and other buildings in these places have been wiped off the face of the earth. The elevations and monuments of mass graves were leveled with the surface of the earth. The attention of historians was attracted by the name of Voroniy Island, where they hoped to find the Raven Stone. The hypothesis that the massacre took place near Voronii Island was accepted as the main version, although it contradicted chronicle sources and common sense. The question remained unclear which way Nevsky went to Livonia (after the liberation of Pskov), and from there to the site of the upcoming battle at the Crow Stone, near the Uzmen tract, behind the village of Samolva (one must understand that on the opposite side of Pskov).

Reading the existing interpretation of the Battle of the Ice, the question involuntarily arises: why did Nevsky’s troops, as well as the heavy cavalry of knights, have to go through Lake Peipus on the spring ice to Voronii Island, where even in severe frosts the water does not freeze in many places? It is necessary to take into account that the beginning of April for these places is a warm period of time. Testing the hypothesis about the location of the battle at Voronii Island dragged on for many decades. This time was enough for it to take a firm place in all history textbooks, including military ones. Our future historians, military men, and generals gain knowledge from these textbooks... Considering the low validity of this version, in 1958 a comprehensive expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences was created to determine the true location of the battle of April 5, 1242. The expedition worked from 1958 to 1966. Large-scale studies have been carried out, a number of interesting discoveries, who expanded knowledge about this region, about the presence of an extensive network of ancient waterways between Lakes Peipus and Ilmen. However, it was not possible to find the burial places of the soldiers who died in the Battle of the Ice, as well as the Voronye Stone, the Uzmen tract and traces of the battle (including at Voronii Island). This is clearly stated in the report of the complex expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The mystery remained unsolved.

After this, allegations appeared that in ancient times the dead were taken with them for burial in their homeland, therefore, they say, burials cannot be found. But did they take all the dead with them? How did they deal with the dead enemy soldiers and the dead horses? A clear answer was not given to the question of why Prince Alexander went from Livonia not to the protection of the walls of Pskov, but to the region of Lake Peipsi - to the site of the upcoming battle. At the same time, historians for some reason paved the way for Alexander Nevsky and the knights through Lake Peipus, ignoring the presence of an ancient crossing near the village of Mosty in the south of Lake Warm. The history of the Battle of the Ice is of interest to many local historians and lovers of Russian history.

Over many years of research Battle of Chud A group of Moscow enthusiasts and lovers of the ancient history of Rus' also studied independently with the direct participation of I.E. Koltsova. The task before this group was seemingly almost insurmountable. It was necessary to find burials hidden in the ground related to this battle, the remains of the Crow Stone, the Uzmen tract, etc., on a large territory of the Gdovsky district of the Pskov region. It was necessary to “look” inside the earth and choose what was directly related to the Battle of the Ice. Using methods and instruments widely used in geology and archeology (including dowsing, etc.), the group members marked on the terrain plan the supposed locations of the mass graves of soldiers of both sides who died in this battle. These burials are located in two zones east of the village of Samolva. One of the zones is half a kilometer away north of the village Tabory and one and a half kilometers from Samolva. The second zone with the largest number of burials is 1.5-2 km north of the village of Tabory and approximately 2 km east of Samolva.

It can be assumed that the wedge of knights into the ranks of Russian soldiers occurred in the area of ​​the first burial (first zone), and in the area of ​​the second zone the main battle and the encirclement of the knights took place. The encirclement and defeat of the knights was facilitated by additional troops from the Suzdal archers, who arrived here the day before from Novgorod, led by A. Nevsky’s brother, Andrei Yaroslavich, but were in ambush before the battle. Research has shown that in those distant times, in the area south of the now existing village of Kozlovo (more precisely, between Kozlov and Tabory) there was some kind of fortified outpost of the Novgorodians. It is possible that there was an old “gorodets” here (before the transfer, or the construction of a new town on the site where Kobylye Settlement is now located). This outpost (gorodets) was located 1.5-2 km from the village of Tabory. It was hidden behind the trees. Here, behind the earthen ramparts of a now defunct fortification, was the detachment of Andrei Yaroslavich, hidden in ambush before the battle. It was here and only here that Prince Alexander Nevsky sought to unite with him. At a critical moment in the battle, an ambush regiment could go behind the knights' rear, surround them and ensure victory. This happened again later during the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380.

The discovery of the burial area of ​​the dead soldiers allowed us to confidently conclude that the battle took place here, between the villages of Tabory, Kozlovo and Samolva. This place is relatively flat. Nevsky troops from the northwestern side (on right hand) were protected by the weak spring ice Lake Peipus, and on the eastern side (along left hand) - a wooded part, where the fresh forces of the Novgorodians and Suzdalians, entrenched in a fortified town, were in ambush. 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 here it can be seen that the battle itself took place on land, not far from the shore of Lake Peipsi. By the end of the battle, the knightly army was pushed back onto the spring ice of the Zhelchinskaya Bay of Lake Peipsi, where many of them died. Their remains and weapons are now located half a kilometer northwest of the Kobylye Settlement Church at the bottom of this bay.

Our research has also determined the location of the former Crow Stone on the northern outskirts of the village of Tabory - one of the main landmarks of the Battle of the Ice. Centuries have destroyed the stone, but its underground part still rests under the strata of cultural layers of the earth. This stone is presented in the miniature of the chronicle of the Battle of the Ice in the form of a stylized statue of a raven. In ancient times, it had a cult purpose, symbolizing wisdom and longevity, like the legendary Blue Stone, which is located in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky on the shore of Lake Pleshcheevo.

In the area where the remains of the Raven Stone were located there was ancient temple with underground passages that went to the Uzmen tract, where there were fortifications. Traces of former ancient underground structures indicate that there were once above-ground religious and other structures made of stone and brick here.

Now, knowing the burial places of the soldiers of the Battle of the Ice (the place of the battle) and again turning to the chronicle materials, it can be argued that Alexander Nevsky with his troops walked to the area of ​​​​the upcoming battle (to the Samolva area) from the south side, followed on the heels of the knights. In the “Novgorod First Chronicle of the Senior and Younger Editions” it is said that, having freed Pskov from the knights, Nevsky himself went to the possessions of the Livonian Order (pursuing the knights west of Lake Pskov), where he allowed his warriors to live. The Livonian Rhymed Chronicle testifies that the invasion was accompanied by fires and the removal of people and livestock. Having learned about this, the Livonian bishop sent troops of knights to meet him. The Nevsky stopping place was somewhere halfway between Pskov and Dorpat, not far from the border of the confluence of the Pskov and Tyoploye lakes. Here was the traditional crossing near the village of Mosty. A. Nevsky, in turn, having heard about the performance of the knights, did not return to Pskov, but, having crossed to the eastern shore of Lake Warm, hurried in a northern direction to the Uzmen tract, leaving a detachment of Domash and Kerbet in the rear guard. This detachment entered into battle with the knights and was defeated. The burial place of warriors from the detachment of Domash and Kerbet is located at the south-eastern outskirts of Chudskiye Zakhody.

Academician Tikhomirov M.N. believed that the first skirmish of the detachment of Domash and Kerbet with the knights took place on the eastern shore of Lake Warm near the village of Chudskaya Rudnitsa (see “Battle of the Ice”, published by the USSR Academy of Sciences, series “History and Philosophy”, M., 1951, No. 1 , vol. VII, pp. 89-91). This area is significantly south of the village. Samolva. The knights also crossed at Mosty, pursuing A. Nevsky to the village of Tabory, where the battle began.

The site of the Battle of the Ice in our time is located away from busy roads. You can get here by transport and then on foot. This is probably why many authors of numerous articles and scientific works We had never been to Lake Peipus about this battle, preferring the silence of the office and a fantasy far from life. It is curious that this area near Lake Peipus is interesting from historical, archaeological and other points of view. In these places there are ancient burial mounds, mysterious dungeons, etc. There are also periodic sightings of UFOs and the mysterious “Bigfoot” (north of the Zhelcha River). So, done important stage work to determine the location of mass graves (burials) of soldiers who died in the Battle of the Ice, the remains of the Crow Stone, the area of ​​​​the old and new settlements and a number of other objects related to the battle. Now more detailed studies of the battle area are needed. It's up to archaeologists.