Battle on the Ice(briefly)

Brief description of the battle on the ice

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

As a result, today we do not know the exact number of 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 allowed blocking 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 battle wedge popular at that time, placing heavy knights on the flanks, and light ones inside the wedge. This building was called by the Russian chroniclers the "great pig". How Alexander arranged the army is unknown to historians. At the same time, the knights decided to advance into battle, not having accurate data on the enemy army.

The sentry regiment was attacked by a knight's 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, having lost its maneuverability. With the attack of the ambush regiment, Alexander finally tipped the scales in his favor. The Livonian knights, who were dressed in heavy armor, became completely helpless without their horses. Those who were able to escape were persecuted 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 conclude peace. The warriors who had been captured in the battle were returned by both sides.

It should be noted that the event called the Battle on the Ice is considered unique. For the first time in history, a foot army managed to defeat a 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

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

Alexander Nevskiy

The battle on the ice is one of the most famous battles in the history of Russia. The battle took place in early April 1242 on Lake Peipus, on the one hand, the troops of the Novgorod Republic, led by Alexander Nevsky, took part in it, on the other hand, he was opposed by the troops of the German crusaders, mainly representatives of the Livonian Order. If Nevsky had lost this battle, the history of Russia could have gone in a completely different direction, but the prince of Novgorod was able to win. Now let's look at this page of Russian history in more detail.

Preparing for battle

To understand the essence of the Battle on the Ice, it is necessary to understand what preceded it, and how the opponents went to battle. So ... After the Swedes lost the Battle of the Neva, the Germans-crusaders decided to more carefully prepare for a new campaign. The Teutonic Order also allocated part of its army to help. Back in 1238, Dietrich von Grüningen became the master of the Livonian Order, many historians attribute to him a decisive role in shaping the idea of ​​​​a campaign against Russia. The crusaders were additionally motivated by Pope Gregory IX, who in 1237 declared a crusade against Finland, and in 1239 called on the princes of Russia to respect the border orders.

Novgorodians at this point already had a successful experience of the war with the Germans. In 1234 Alexander's father Yaroslav defeated them in a battle on the Omovzha River. Alexander Nevsky, knowing the plans of the crusaders, from 1239 began to build a line of fortifications along the southwestern border, but the Swedes made minor adjustments to his plans, attacking from the northwest. After their defeat, Nevsky continued to strengthen the borders, and also married the daughter of the Polotsk prince, thereby enlisting his support in case of a future war.

At the end of 1240, the Germans began a campaign against the lands of Russia. In the same year they took Izborsk, and in 1241 they besieged Pskov. At the beginning of March 1242, Alexander helped the inhabitants of Pskov to liberate their principality and forced the Germans to the north-west of the city, to the area of ​​Lake Peipsi. It was there that the decisive battle took place, which went down in history as the Battle of the Ice.

The course of the battle briefly

The first clashes of the battle on the ice began in early April 1242 on the northern shore of Lake Peipus. The crusaders were led by a famous commander Andreas von Velfen, who was twice as old as the Novgorod prince. The army of Nevsky consisted of 15-17 thousand soldiers, while the Germans had about 10 thousand of them. However, according to the chroniclers, both in Russia and abroad, the German troops were much better armed. But as shown further development events, it played a cruel joke with the crusaders.

The battle on the ice took place on April 5, 1242. German troops who own the technique of attacking "pigs", that is, a strict and disciplined system, main blow sent to the center of the enemy. However, Alexander first attacked the enemy army with the help of archers, and then ordered a strike on the flanks of the crusaders. As a result, the Germans were pushed forward onto the ice of Lake Peipus. Winter at that time was long and cold, so at the time of April, ice (very fragile) remained on the reservoir. After the Germans realized that they were retreating to the ice, it was already too late: the ice began to crack under the pressure of heavy German armor. That is why historians called the battle "battle on the ice." As a result, some of the soldiers drowned, the other part was killed in battle, but most still managed to escape. After that, Alexander's troops finally expelled the crusaders from the territory of the Pskov principality.

The exact location of the battle has not yet been established, this is due to the fact that Lake Peipus has a very variable hydrography. In 1958-1959, the first archaeological expedition was organized, but no traces of the battle were found.

History reference

Result and historical significance of the battle

The first result of the battle was that the Livonian and Teutonic Orders signed a truce with Alexander and renounced their claims to Russia. Alexander himself became the de facto ruler of Northern Russia. After his death, in 1268, Livonian Order violated the truce: the battle of Rakov took place. But this time, the troops of Russia won the victory.

After the victory in the “battle on the ice”, the Novgorod Republic, led by Nevsky, was able to move from defensive tasks to the conquest of new territories. Alexander undertook several successful campaigns against the Lithuanians.

Concerning historical significance Battles on Lake Peipus the main role Alexander in that he managed to stop the offensive of a powerful crusader army on Russian lands. The well-known historian L. Gumelev argues that the fact of the conquest by the Crusaders would mean the end for the very existence of Russia, and hence the end of the future Russia.

Some historians criticize Nevsky for his truce with the Mongols, that he did not help defend Russia from them. In this discussion, most historians are still on the side of Nevsky, because in the situation in which he found himself, it was necessary either to negotiate with the Khan, or to fight with two powerful enemies at once. And as a competent politician and commander, Nevsky made a wise decision.

The exact date of the Battle of the Ice

The battle took place on April 5, according to the old style. In the 20th century, the difference between the styles consisted of 13 days, which is why April 18 was assigned to the holiday. However, from the point of view of historical justice, it is worth recognizing that in the 13th century (when there was a battle) the difference was 7 days. Based on this logic, the Battle of the Ice took place on April 12 in a new style. Nevertheless, today, April 18th, is Public Holiday in Russian Federation, Day of military glory. It is on this day that the Battle of the Ice and its significance in the history of Russia are remembered.

Participants in the battle after

Having achieved victory, the Novgorod Republic begins its rapid development. However, in the XVI there was a decline of both the Livonian Order and Novgorod. Both of these events are associated with the ruler of Moscow, Ivan the Terrible. He deprived Novgorod of the privileges of the Republic, subordinating these lands to a single state. After the Livonian Order lost its power and influence in Eastern Europe, Grozny declared war on Lithuania to strengthen his own influence and expand the territories of his state.

An alternative view of the battle on Lake Peipsi

Due to the fact that during the archaeological expedition of 1958-1959 no traces were found and exact location battle, and given the fact that the annals of the 13th century contain very little information about the battle, two alternative views on the Battle of the Ice of 1242 have been formed, which are briefly discussed below:

1. At first glance, there was no battle at all. This is an invention of historians of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in particular Solovyov, Karamzin and Kostomarov. According to historians who share this point of view, the need to create this battle was due to the fact that it was necessary to justify Nevsky's cooperation with the Mongols, as well as to show the strength of Russia in relation to Catholic Europe. Basically, a small number of historians adhere to this theory, since it is very difficult to deny the very existence of the battle, because the battle on Lake Peipus is described in some chronicles of the late 13th century, as well as in the chronicles of the Germans.
2. The second alternative theory: The Battle on the Ice is briefly described in the annals, which means that it is a greatly exaggerated event. Historians who adhere to this point of view say that there were much fewer participants in the massacre, and the consequences for the Germans were less dramatic.

If the first professional theory Russian historians deny how historical fact, then as for the second version, they have one weighty argument: even if the scale of the battle is exaggerated, this should not reduce the role of the victory over the Germans in the history of Russia. By the way, in 2012-2013, archaeological expeditions were carried out, as well as studies of the bottom of Lake Peipus. Archaeologists have found several new likely sites of the Battle of the Ice, in addition, the study of the bottom showed the presence of a sharp decrease in depth near Vorony Island, which suggests the existence of the legendary "Raven Stone", that is, the approximate location of the battle, named in the annals of 1463.

Battle on the Ice in the culture of the country

1938 has great importance in the history of lighting historical events in contemporary culture. famous this year Russian writer Konstantin Simonov wrote the poem "Battle on the Ice", and director Sergei Eisenstein made the film "Alexander Nevsky", in which he singled out the two main battles of the Novgorod ruler: on the Neva River and Lake Peipus. Of particular importance was the image of Nevsky during the Great Patriotic War. Poets, artists, directors turned to him to show citizens Soviet Union an example of a successful war with the Germans and thereby raise the morale of the army.

In 1993, a monument was erected on Mount Sokolikha near Pskov. A year earlier, in the village of Kobylye settlement (as close as possible to the battle locality) erected a monument to Nevsky. In 2012, the Museum of the Battle on the Ice of 1242 was opened in the village of Samolva, Pskov Region.

As we see, even Short story The battle on the ice is not only the battle on April 5, 1242 between the Novgorodians and the Germans. This is a very important event in the history of Russia, because thanks to the talent of Alexander Nevsky, Russia was saved from being conquered by the Crusaders.

Russia in the XIII century and the arrival of the Germans

In 1240, Novgorod was attacked by the Swedes, by the way, allies of the Livonians, the future participants in the Battle of the Ice. Prince Alexander Yaroslavovich, who at that time was only 20 years old, defeats the Swedes on Lake Neva, for which he receives the nickname "Nevsky". In the same year, the Mongols burned Kyiv, that is most of Russia was busy with the war with the Mongols, Nevsky and its Novgorod Republic were left alone with strong enemies. The Swedes were defeated, but Alexander was ahead of a stronger and more powerful rival: the German crusaders. In the XII century, the Pope created the Order of the Sword and sent to the coast Baltic Sea where they received from him the right to own all the conquered lands. These events went down in history as the North crusades. Since most of the members of the Order of the Sword were immigrants from Germany, therefore this order was called German. At the beginning of the 13th century, the order split into several military organizations, the main of which were the Teutonic and Livonian orders. In 1237, the Livonians recognized their dependence on the Teutonic Order, but had the right to choose their master. It was the Livonian Order that were the closest neighbors of the Novgorod Republic.

Sources brought to us very scarce information about the Battle of the Ice. This contributed to the fact that the battle gradually overgrown large quantity myths and contradictory facts.

Mongols again

The battle on Lake Peipsi is not entirely correct to call the victory of Russian squads over German chivalry, since the enemy, according to modern historians, was a coalition force that included, in addition to the Germans, Danish knights, Swedish mercenaries and a militia consisting of Estonians (chud).

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

Who went under water?

In Russian historiography, one of the factors that contributed to the victory of the Russian troops over the Teutonic and Livonian knights was called the fragile spring ice and the bulky armor of the crusaders, which led to the massive flooding of the enemy. However, according to the historian Nikolai Karamzin, the winter that year was long and the spring ice preserved the fortress.

However, it is difficult to determine how much ice could withstand a large number of warriors dressed in armor. Researcher Nikolai Chebotarev notes: “It is impossible to say who was heavier or lighter armed at the Battle of the Ice, because there was no uniform as such.”
Heavy plate armor appeared only in the XIV-XV centuries, and in the XIII century the main type of armor was chain mail, over which a leather shirt with steel plates could be worn. Based on this fact, historians suggest that the weight of the equipment of the Russian and order warriors was approximately the same and reached 20 kilograms. If we assume that the ice could not support the weight of a warrior in full gear, then the sunken ones should have been on both sides.
It is interesting that in the Livonian rhymed chronicle and in the original version of the Novgorod chronicle there is no information that the knights fell through the ice - they were added only a century after the battle.
On Voronii Island, near which Cape Sigovets is located, due to the peculiarities of the current, there is rather weak ice. This gave rise to some researchers to suggest that the knights could fall through the ice exactly there when they crossed a dangerous area during the retreat.

Where was the massacre?

Researchers to this day cannot accurately establish the place where the Battle of the Ice took place. Novgorod sources, as well as historian Nikolai Kostomarov, say that the battle was near the Raven Stone. But the stone itself has never been found. According to some, it was a high sandstone, washed away over time, others argue that this stone is the Crow Island.
Some researchers are inclined to believe that the massacre is not at all connected with the lake, since the accumulation of a large number of heavily armed warriors and cavalry would make it impossible to conduct a battle on a thin April ice.
In particular, these conclusions are based on the Livonian rhymed chronicle, which reports that "on both sides the dead fell on the grass." This fact is supported by modern research by using the latest equipment the bottom of Lake Peipsi, during which neither weapons nor armor of the 13th century were found. The excavations also failed on the shore. However, this is not difficult to explain: armor and weapons were very valuable booty, and even damaged ones could be quickly carried away.
However, even in Soviet time the expeditionary group of the Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Sciences, led by Georgy Karaev, established the alleged place of the battle. According to researchers, this was a section of the Warm Lake, located 400 meters west of Cape Sigovets.

Number of parties

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

Victims

The number of those killed in the Battle of the Ice is as difficult to calculate as the number of participants. The Novgorod Chronicle reports on the victims of the enemy: “and the fall of Chud was beschisla, and Nemets 400, and 50 with the hands of a yash and brought to Novgorod.” But the Livonian rhymed chronicle speaks of only 20 dead and 6 captured knights, though not mentioning the victims among the soldiers and the militia. The Chronicle of Grandmasters, written later, reports the death of 70 order knights.
But none of the chronicles contain information about the losses of Russian troops. There is no consensus on this matter among historians, although according to some reports, the losses of Alexander Nevsky's troops were no less than those of the enemy.

Battle on the Ice(German Schlachtaufdemeise), also Battle on Lake Peipsi(German SchlachtaufdemPeipussee) - the battle that took place on April 5 (in terms of the Gregorian calendar (New style) - April 12) 1242 (Saturday) between Novgorod and Vladimir under the leadership of Alexander Nevsky and the knights of the Livonian Order, which by that time included the Order of the Sword (after defeat at Saul in 1236), on the ice of Lake Peipsi. General battle of the unsuccessful conquest campaign of the Order of 1240-1242.

Preparing for war

The war began with the campaign of Bishop German, Master of the Teutonic Order and their allies against Russia. According to the Rhymed Chronicle, when Izborsk was taken, “not a single Russian was allowed to escape unharmed”, “great lamentation 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 taken prisoner, 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 with the Novgorod forces marched near Pskov. The city was surrounded by them. 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 knight brothers) in chains were sent to Novgorod. According to the Novgorod First Chronicle of the senior edition (reached us as part of the parchment Synodal list of the XIV 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 from Nizov to the Chud land to Nemtsi and Chud and Zaya all the way to Plskov; and drive out the prince of Plskov, seizing Nemtsi and Chud, and fettering the streams 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 Derpt bishopric. The Novgorodians outplayed them in time. Alexander then led troops to Izborsk, his intelligence crossed the border of the Order. One of the reconnaissance detachments was defeated in a collision with the Germans, but in general, Alexander was able to determine that the knights moved with their main forces much further north, to the junction between Pskov and Peipus Lakes. Thus, they went to Novgorod by a short road and cut off the Russian troops in the Pskov region.

The same chronicle says that “And as if bysh on the earth (chud), let the whole regiment live; and Domash Tverdislavichi Kerbet was in dispersal, and I killed Nemtsi and Chud at the bridge and bisha that; and kill that Domash, the brother of the posadnik, the husband is honest, and beat him with him, and take him with his hands, and run to the prince in the regiment; the prince is back on the lake"

Position of Novgorod

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

"Grassroots regiments" consisted of princely squads, squads of boyars, city regiments. The army sent 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 posadnik (however, the garrison could remain in the city itself and not participate in the battle) , Konchansky regiments, militia of settlements and squads of "freemen", private military organizations of boyars and wealthy merchants.

On the whole, the army deployed by Novgorod and the "grassroots" lands was quite powerful force with high fighting spirit. Total population 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 collect "many brave heroes, brave and excellent" led by the master, plus Danish vassals "with a significant detachment." The militia from Dorpat also participated in the battle. The latter included a large number of Estonians, but there were few knights. The Livonian rhymed chronicle reports that at the time of the encirclement of the knights 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, really took place. The number of troops of the Order in the battle on Lake Peipsi is estimated at 10-12 thousand people.

The question of who commanded the troops of the Order in battle is also unresolved. Given the heterogeneous composition of the troops, it is possible that there were several commanders. Despite the recognition of the defeat of the Order, the Livonian sources do not contain information that any of the Order's chiefs was 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, pursuing the retreating Russian detachments, apparently received some information from the patrols sent ahead, and had already reached the ice of Lake Peipus in order of battle, the bollards walked ahead, followed by a discordant column of "chudins", after which there was a line of knights and sergeants of the Derpt bishop. Apparently, even before the collision with the Russian troops, a small gap formed between the head of the column and the Chud.

The Rhymed Chronicle describes the moment of the beginning of the battle as follows:

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

In Russian chronicles, this is displayed as follows:

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

There is a persistent myth, reflected in the cinema, that the ice of Lake Peipsi could not withstand the weight of the armor of the Teutonic Knights and cracked, as a result of which most of the knights simply drowned. Meanwhile, if the battle really took place on the ice of the lake, then it was more profitable for the Order, since the flat surface made it possible to maintain formation during a massive horse attack, which the sources describe. The weight of the full armor of a Russian warrior and an 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 question of the losses of the parties in the battle is controversial. About Russian losses, it is said vaguely: "many brave soldiers fell." Apparently, the losses of the Novgorodians were really heavy. The losses of the "Germans" are indicated by specific numbers, which cause controversy. Russian chronicles say: “and pade Chyudi beschisla, and Nѣmets 400, and 50 with the hands of Yash and brought to Novgorod ".

The Rhymed Chronicle specifically says that twenty knights died and six were taken prisoner. The discrepancy in estimates can be explained by the fact that the “Chronicle” refers only to “brothers”-knights, not 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 captured "brothers" were 6.

According to the conclusions of the expedition of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR under the leadership of Karaev, the site of the 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, can be considered the immediate place of the battle. It should be noted that the battle on a flat surface of ice was more beneficial for the heavy cavalry of the Order, however, it is traditionally believed that Alexander Yaroslavich chose the place to meet the enemy.

Effects

According to the point of view traditional 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 Zhiztsa and near Usvyat), was of great importance for Pskov and Novgorod. , delaying the pressure of three serious enemies from the west - at the very time when the rest of Russia was greatly weakened Mongol invasion. In Novgorod, the Battle on the Ice, together with the Neva victory over the Swedes, was recalled at litanies in all Novgorod churches back in the 16th century.

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

The memory of the battle

Movies

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

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

In 2009, Russian, Canadian and Japanese studios jointly filmed the animated film "First Squad", where the Battle on the Ice plays a key role in the plot.

Music

Musical accompaniment to the Eisenstein film, written by Sergei Prokofiev, is a symphonic suite, dedicated to events battles.

Rock band Aria on the album "Hero of Asphalt" released the song " ballad about old Russian warrior ”, telling about the Battle of the Ice. This song has gone through many different adaptations and re-releases.

Monuments

Monument to the squads of Alexander Nevsky on 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 battlefield. Initially, it was planned to create a monument on the island of Voronie, which geographically would be a more accurate solution.

Monument to Alexander Nevsky and Poklonny Cross

In 1992, on the territory of the village of Kobylye Gorodishche, Gdov District, in a place as close as possible to the alleged site of the Battle on the Ice, near the Church of the Archangel Michael, a bronze monument to Alexander Nevsky and a wooden bow cross were erected. The Church of the Archangel Michael was founded by the people of Pskov in 1462. In the annals, the last mention of the legendary "Raven Stone" is associated with this church (Pskov chronicle of 1463). The wooden cross gradually collapsed under the influence of unfavorable conditions. weather conditions. In July 2006, on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the first mention of the village. Mare Gorodishche in the Pskov Chronicles, it was replaced by a bronze one.

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. A bronze sign was cast under the direction of D. Gochiyaev by the foundry workers of ZAO NTTsKT, 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 places of feats of arms of Alexander Nevsky's squads. During these trips, the participants of the race help to improve the territories related to the monuments of cultural and historical heritage. Thanks to them, in many places in the North-West, memorial signs were erected in memory of the exploits of Russian soldiers, and the village of Kobylye Gorodishche became known throughout the country.

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

The battle that took place on April 5, 1242 on the ice of Lake Peipus near the island of Voronii Kamen went down in history as one of the most important in the history of the state, as a battle that freed the lands of Russia from any claims of the Order of the Livonian Knights. Although the course of the battle is known, many points of contention remain. So, there is no exact information about the number of soldiers who took part in the battle on Lake Peipus. Neither in the chronicles that have come down to us, nor in the "Life of Alexander Nevsky" are these data given. Presumably, from 12,000 to 15,000 soldiers participated in the battle on the part of the Novgorodians. The number of the enemy ranged from 10 thousand to 12 thousand. At the same time, there were few knights among the German soldiers, the bulk of the troops were militiamen, litas and Estonians.

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

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

Although detailed description the battles on Lake Peipus are not given in the chronicles; it is quite possible to restore the scheme of the Battle on the Ice. The wedge of knights crashed into the center of the Nevsky guard regiment and broke through its defenses, rushing further. Perhaps this "success" was foreseen in advance by Prince Alexander, since then the attackers met a lot of insurmountable obstacles. The knight's wedge, clamped in pincers, lost its harmony of ranks and maneuverability, which turned out to be serious for the attackers. negative factor. The attack of the ambush regiment, which until that moment had not participated in the battle, finally tipped the scales in the direction of the Novgorodians. The dismounted knights in their heavy armor on the ice became almost helpless. Only a part of the attackers managed to escape, whom the Russian warriors pursued, according to the chronicler, "to the Falcon Coast."

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

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

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