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

Preparing for war

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

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

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

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

Position of Novgorod

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

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

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

Position of the Order

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

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

Battle

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

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

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

In Russian chronicles it is depicted as follows:

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

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

Losses

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

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

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

Consequences

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

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

Memory of the battle

Movies

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

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

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

Music

Musical accompaniment to Eisenstein's film, written by Sergei Prokofiev, is symphonic suite dedicated to the events of the battle.

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

Monuments

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

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

Monument to Alexander Nevsky and Worship Cross

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

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

Cultural and sports educational raid expedition

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

Due to the variability of the hydrography of Lake Peipus, historians for a long time It was not possible to determine exactly the place where the Battle of the Ice took place. Only thanks to long-term research carried out by an expedition from the Institute of Archeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the location of the battle was established. The battle site is submerged in water in summer and is located approximately 400 meters from the island of Sigovec.

Battle on the Ice (briefly)

Brief description of the ice battle

The Battle of the Ice takes place on April 5, 1242 on Lake Peipsi. This event became one of the most important battles in the history of Rus' and its victories. The date of this battle completely stopped any military actions on the part of the Livonian Order. However, as often happens, many facts that are associated with this event are considered controversial among researchers and historians.

As a result, we don’t know today exact number soldiers in the Russian army, because this information is completely absent both in the Life of Nevsky himself and in the chronicles of that time. The estimated number of soldiers who took part in the battle is fifteen thousand, and the Livonian army has at least twelve thousand soldiers.

The position chosen by Nevsky for the battle was not chosen by chance. First of all, it made it possible to block all approaches to Novgorod. Most likely, Nevsky understood that knights in heavy armor were the most vulnerable in winter conditions.

Livonian warriors lined up in a fighting wedge, popular at that time, placing heavy knights on the flanks and light knights inside the wedge. This formation was called the “great pig” by Russian chroniclers. How Alexander positioned his army is unknown to historians. At the same time, the knights decided to advance into battle without having accurate information about the enemy army.

The guard regiment was attacked by a knightly wedge, which then moved on. However, the advancing knights soon encountered many unexpected obstacles on their way.

The knight's wedge was clamped in pincers, losing its maneuverability. With the attack of the ambush regiment, Alexander finally tipped the scales to his side. The Livonian knights, who were dressed in heavy armor, became completely helpless without their horses. Those who were able to escape were pursued according to chronicle sources “to the Falcon Coast.”

Having won the Battle of the Ice, Alexander Nevsky forced the Livonian Order to renounce all territorial claims and make peace. Warriors who were captured in the battle were returned by both sides.

It should be noted that the event called the Battle of the Ice is considered unique. For the first time in history, a foot army was able to defeat heavily armed cavalry. Of course, quite important factors that determined the outcome of the battle were surprise, terrain and weather conditions, which the Russian commander took into account.

Fragment of video illustration: Battle on the Ice

The Battle of the Ice or the Battle of Lake Peipus is a battle between the Novgorod-Pskov army of Prince Alexander Nevsky and the troops of the Livonian knights, which took place on April 5, 1242 on the ice of Lake Peipus. It put a limit to the advance of German knighthood to the East. Alexander Nevsky - Prince of Novgorod, Grand Duke Kiev, Grand Duke of Vladimir, legendary commander, saint of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Causes

In the middle of the 13th century, Russian lands were threatened from all sides by foreign invaders. The Tatar-Mongols were advancing from the east, and the Livonians and Swedes were laying claim to Russian soil from the northwest. In the latter case, the task of fighting back fell to powerful Novgorod, which had a vested interest in not losing its influence in the region and, most importantly, in preventing anyone from controlling trade with the Baltic countries.

How it all began

1239 - Alexander took measures to protect the Gulf of Finland and the Neva, which were strategically important for the Novgorodians, and therefore was ready for the Swedish invasion in 1240. In July, on the Neva, Alexander Yaroslavich, thanks to extraordinary and swift actions, was able to defeat the Swedish army. A number of Swedish ships were sunk, but Russian losses were extremely insignificant. After that, Prince Alexander was nicknamed Nevsky.

The Swedish offensive was coordinated with the next attack of the Livonian Order. 1240, summer - they took the border fortress of Izborsk, and then captured Pskov. The situation for Novgorod was becoming dangerous. Alexander, not counting on help from Vladimir-Suzdal Rus', devastated by the Tatars, imposed large expenses on the boyars in preparation for the battle and tried to strengthen his power in the Novgorod Republic after the victory on the Neva. The boyars turned out to be stronger and in the winter of 1240 they were able to remove him from power.

Meanwhile, German expansion continued. 1241 - was subject to tribute Novgorod land Vod, then Koporye was taken. The Crusaders intended to capture the coast of the Neva and Karelia. A fire broke out in the city popular movement for an alliance with the Vladimir-Suzdal principality and organizing resistance to the Germans, who were already 40 miles from Novgorod. The boyars had no choice but to ask Alexander Nevsky to return. This time he was given emergency powers.

With an army of Novgorodians, Ladoga, Izhorians and Karelians, Alexander knocked out the enemy from Koporye, and then liberated the lands of the Vod people. Yaroslav Vsevolodovich sent the newly formed after Tatar invasion Vladimir regiments. Alexander took Pskov, then moved to the lands of the Estonians.

Movement, composition, disposition of troops

The German army was located in the Yuryev area (aka Dorpat, now Tartu). The Order gathered significant forces - there were German knights, the local population, and the troops of the King of Sweden. The army that opposed the knights on the ice of Lake Peipus had a heterogeneous composition, but a single command in the person of Alexander. The “lower regiments” consisted of princely squads, boyar squads, and city regiments. The army that Novgorod fielded had a fundamentally different composition.

When Russian army was on the western shore of Lake Peipus, here, in the area of ​​​​the village of Mooste, a patrol detachment led by Domash Tverdislavich scouted out the location of the main part of the German troops, started a battle with them, but was defeated. Intelligence managed to find out that the enemy sent minor forces to Izborsk, and the main parts of the army moved to Lake Pskov.

In an effort to prevent this movement of enemy troops, the prince ordered a retreat to the ice of Lake Peipsi. The Livonians, realizing that the Russians would not allow them to make a roundabout maneuver, went straight to their army and also set foot on the ice of the lake. Alexander Nevsky positioned his army under the steep eastern bank, north of the Uzmen tract near the island of Voroniy Kamen, opposite the mouth of the Zhelcha River.

Progress of the Battle of the Ice

The two armies met on Saturday, April 5, 1242. According to one version, Alexander had 15,000 soldiers at his disposal, and the Livonians had 12,000 soldiers. The prince, knowing about the German tactics, weakened the “brow” and strengthened the “wings” of his battle formation. Alexander Nevsky's personal squad took cover behind one of the flanks. A significant part of the prince's army was made up of foot militia.

The crusaders traditionally advanced with a wedge (“pig”) - a deep formation, shaped like a trapezoid, the upper base of which was facing the enemy. At the head of the wedge were the strongest of the warriors. The infantry, as the most unreliable and often not at all knightly part of the army, was located in the center of the battle formation, covered in front and behind by mounted knights.

At the first stage of the battle, the knights were able to defeat the leading Russian regiment, and then they broke through the “front” of the Novgorod battle formation. When, after some time, they scattered the “brow” and ran into a steep, steep shore of the lake, they had to turn around, which was quite difficult for a deep formation on the ice. Meanwhile, Alexander’s strong “wings” struck from the flanks, and his personal squad completed the encirclement of the knights.

A stubborn battle was going on, the entire neighborhood was filled with screams, crackling and clanging of weapons. But the fate of the crusaders was sealed. The Novgorodians pulled them off their horses with spears with special hooks, and ripped open the bellies of their horses with “booter” knives. Crowded together in a narrow space, the skilled Livonian warriors could not do anything. Stories about how the ice cracked under heavy knights are widely popular, but it should be noted that a fully armed Russian knight weighed no less. Another thing is that the crusaders did not have the opportunity to move freely and they were crowded into a small area.

In general, the complexity and danger of conducting combat operations with cavalry on the ice in early April leads some historians to the conclusion that the general course of the Battle of the Ice was distorted in the chronicles. They believe that no sane commander would take an iron-clanging and horse-riding army to fight on the ice. The battle probably began on land, and during it the Russians were able to push the enemy onto the ice of Lake Peipsi. Those knights who were able to escape were pursued by the Russians to the Subolich coast.

Losses

The issue of the losses of the parties in the battle is controversial. During the battle, about 400 crusaders were killed, and many Estonians, whom they recruited into their army, also fell. The Russian chronicles say: “and Chudi fell into disgrace, and Nemets 400, and with 50 hands he brought them to Novgorod.” The death and capture of such a large number of professional warriors, by European standards, turned out to be a rather severe defeat, bordering on catastrophe. It is said vaguely about Russian losses: “many brave warriors fell.” As you can see, the losses of the Novgorodians were actually heavy.

Meaning

The legendary massacre and the victory of Alexander Nevsky’s troops in it were of exceptional importance for the entire Russian history. The advance of the Livonian Order into Russian lands was stopped, the local population was not converted to Catholicism, access to Baltic Sea. After the victory Novgorod Republic Led by the prince, it moved from defensive tasks to the conquest of new territories. Nevsky launched several successful campaigns against the Lithuanians.

The blow dealt to the knights on Lake Peipus was echoed throughout the Baltic states. The 30 thousand Lithuanian army launched large-scale military operations against the Germans. In the same year 1242, a powerful uprising broke out in Prussia. The Livonian knights sent envoys to Novgorod who reported that the order renounced its claims to the land of Vod, Pskov, Luga and asked for an exchange of prisoners, which was done. The words that were spoken to the ambassadors by the prince: “Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword” became the motto of many generations of Russian commanders. For his military exploits, Alexander Nevsky received the highest award - he was canonized by the church and declared a Saint.

German historians believe that, while fighting on the western borders, Alexander Nevsky did not pursue any kind of integral political program, but successes in the West provided some compensation for the horrors of the Mongol invasion. Many researchers believe that the very scale of the threat that the West posed to Rus' is exaggerated.

On the other hand, L.N. Gumilev, on the contrary, believed that it was not the Tatar-Mongol “yoke”, but the Catholic Western Europe in the person of the Teutonic Order and the Archbishopric of Riga posed a mortal threat to the very existence of Rus', and therefore the role of Alexander Nevsky’s victories in Russian history is especially great.

Due to the variability of the hydrography of Lake Peipsi, historians for a long time could not accurately determine the place where the Battle of the Ice took place. Only thanks to long-term research carried out by an expedition from the Institute of Archeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, they were able to establish the location of the battle. Battle location in summer time submerged in water and located approximately 400 meters from the island of Sigovec.

Memory

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

1992 - on the territory of the village of Kobylye Gorodishche, Gdovsky district, in a place close to the intended battle site, near the Church of the Archangel Michael, they installed bronze monument Alexander Nevsky and a wooden worship cross. The Church of the Archangel Michael was created by the Pskovites in 1462. The wooden cross was destroyed over time under the influence of unfavorable weather conditions. 2006, July - on the 600th anniversary of the first mention of the village of Kobylye Gorodishche in the Pskov Chronicles, it was replaced with a bronze one.

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 figures, 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 Rus' suffered great losses from princely strife and the consequences of the Tatar conquest. In Novgorod, the Battle of the Germans on the Ice was remembered for a long time: together with the Neva victory over the Swedes, it was remembered in the litanies of all Novgorod churches back in the 16th century.

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

Memory of the battle

Movies

Music

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

Monument to Alexander Nevsky and Worship Cross

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.

29.12.2014 0 14794

ABOUT famous battle on the ice of Lake Peipus in April 1242, many books and articles have been written, 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, a Russian squad led by Novgorod prince Alexander Nevsky, met the crusaders on the ice of Lake Peipsi, 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.

A few years ago, a new generation of search engines - a group of Moscow amateur enthusiasts ancient history 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.