Battle on the Ice - briefly, the most important, for children. “Battle on the Ice Report on the topic Battle on the Ice
The history of Russia is full of various military events. Russia can safely be called a warrior country. It has participated in many conflicts, often defending its vast borders. One of the most famous battles is the Battle of the Ice. It happened in 1242 year and put an end to the claims of Western Catholic countries to Russian lands. Let's take a brief look at this important historical event.
Preparing for battle
IN 1240 occurred Battle of the Neva. In its course Swedish troops suffered a crushing defeat. The German states took note of the bad experience of their neighbors and decided to better prepare for the fight against Russia. The Catholic Church intensified hostility towards Rus'. Crusades, which imposed Catholicism, were common in the east, but the Pope had an Orthodox state at hand. This was extremely unpleasant for them. The Catholic orders were already gathering forces for a crushing blow to Rus'.Rus' had experience of fighting the Germans. IN 1234 year they were defeated by the troops of Alexander Nevsky's father. Alexander Yaroslavich understood that the Germans were threatening the security of the country, and therefore began to build fortifications on the border. The Swedish attack made adjustments to his plans.
At the end1240 years, the Germans decided to attack. Pskov was captured. Alexander Nevsky helped him liberate his lands and to 1242 year, the German knights were thrown back to the west, to Lake Peipsi. Thus began the Battle of the Ice.
The battles have begun in April. On the Russian side there were about 15 thousand people, while on the German side there are only about 10 thousand. But despite the strong superiority in numbers, the Germans had an advantage: they were better equipped and armed.
5th of April a battle took place. The Germans decided to attack the Russian army. They walked in strict formation and intended to strike directly at the center of the Russian warriors. Alexander Nevsky used a trick: first the archers fired at the enemy, causing confusion in the formation, which forced the knights to break their formation. Then Russian regiments attacked them from the flanks. As a result, the knights were forced to retreat, which became a fatal mistake. The fragile April ice began to crunch and could not withstand the weight of the knights in steel armor. Many of them drowned, others died from the swords of the Russian squad, the rest were able to escape. This battle showed the superiority of the Russians, and the Germans were finally driven out of Rus'.
Results and consequences
Alexander Nevsky forced the Germans to sign an agreement according to which they renounced claims to the lands of Rus'. Subsequently, they violated this agreement, but again suffered a fiasco.Freedom from the threat from the Germans helped to move from a defensive policy to an attack policy. Russian troops captured some new lands.
If Alexander Nevsky had lost the battle, it would have meant the end of the existence of Rus'. She would have no future.
Some historians do not agree with the policies of Alexander Nevsky. He collaborated with the Mongols, although he could have helped the rest of the Russian principalities. But in the conditions in which he found himself, this was the only right decision. It was necessary to restrain the beast from the east, and not to tease him with a naked sword.
After the battle, Novgorod's influence began to grow rapidly and it developed. The Livonian Order fell into decline.
Currently the day of the Battle of the Ice ( April 18, new style) is Day of military glory of Russia. This is a very important event, without which the history of Russia could have changed dramatically.
The Battle of the Ice is an important event in the history of the Russian state. In this battle, Russian warriors defeated the German knights who wanted to conquer the northwestern lands of Russia.
This battle was included in the list of victories of Russian troops in the fight against foreign invaders for the freedom of their homeland.
Reasons for the battle
This battle is one of the pages in the chronicle of territorial wars waged by the Novgorod principality with its western neighbors. Novgorod strivings I will take control of Karelia, territories near Lake Ladoga, Neva and Izhora.
This would open the way to the Baltic Sea and help increase the volume of trade between the principality and its neighbors. Western rivals of the Novgorodians sought to seize these trade routes themselves and weaken the influence of Novgorod.
During this period, Rus' was devastated by the Mongol invasion. This is what the invaders are trying to take advantage of. In 1240, an army of Swedes landed on the Neva River, but it was defeated by the young Novgorod Prince Alexander.
At the age of 19, he proved himself to be a great commander and for this victory received the nickname "Nevsky". In the same year, the army of the Livonian Order invaded the principality.
The knights were able to capture the important cities of Izborsk and Pskov, came close to Novgorod and built the Koporye fortress. From this stronghold they began to raid the suburbs of Novgorod, plunder and destroy them. Trade convoys were also attacked, which forced the Novgorodians to seriously think about defense.
On the eve of the battle
As paradoxical as it may sound, the Novgorod nobility, fearing the great authority of Prince Alexander among ordinary people, forced him, after the defeat of the Swedes, to leave the city.
But when the German knights were nearby and began to threaten Novgorod, they again turned to Alexander Nevsky with a request to lead the principality. He agreed and actively got down to business. Initially, Koropye was taken by storm, and its garrison was killed. In March 1242 Alexander, together with the army of his brother Andrei, liberates Pskov.
The command of the army of the Livonian Order decided to pass between the Pskov and Peipus lakes and strike Novgorod. The prince, as in the battle with the Swedes, intercepts the enemy on the march. To do this, he places his army at the junction of the lakes and forces the knights to a decisive battle on the ice of Lake Peipsi.
Progress of the battle
Alexander Nevsky chose the location of the battle near the island of Raven Stone. The rear of the Russian soldiers was covered by the steep eastern bank. A convoy's sleigh, fastened with chains, was installed on the ice near the shore. This was supposed to impede the advance of heavy German cavalry and keep cowardly Russian soldiers from retreating.
The Russian army numbered 15-17 thousand people, the army of the Livonian Order - 10-12 thousand. It should be noted that the knights had a significant amount of heavy cavalry, in which both the warrior and the horse were protected by metal armor. The battle formation was a wedge, with protected horsemen advancing in front and on the flanks, and infantrymen inside.
In the chronicles this formation is called a “pig”. The cavalry's task was break through enemy lines, crush them and then, together with the infantry, complete the rout. This tactic has already allowed the knights to achieve victory more than once. Alexander was a great commander and strategist. Knowing the formation of the Livonian army, he strengthened his flanks and left one regiment in ambush.
At the beginning of the battle, the knights broke through the center of the Russian army, but were unable to develop the offensive, because ran into a steep bank. Their battle formation began to break down. The flanking regiments of the Novgorodians struck the less protected places of the German “pig”. Chroniclers describe that it was a great “slaughter.”
In this battle, Russian foot soldiers used new tactics to fight heavy mounted knights. They used special hooks to pull them off their horses. Heavy armor made this warrior less mobile on the ground, and he became prey to the enemy. In addition, with the help of special blades, wounds were inflicted on horses and they threw off their riders.
At the height of the battle, Alexander brought in an ambush regiment. He hit the knights in the rear and played a decisive role in this battle. The Livonians did not expect this, their ranks became mixed and began to retreat. Further retreat turned into flight. In some places the ice on the lake gave way and the heavy warriors drowned. The battle ended with the complete defeat of the Livonian army.
Results of the battle
After the defeat in the Battle of the Ice, the knights abandoned claims to Russian lands and made peace with the Novgorodians. The victory of the Russian soldiers stopped the Crusade, the purpose of which was to spread the Catholic faith to the Slavic peoples and their conquest.
The outcome of the battle had enormous ideological significance on the morale of the Russians, because this was the period of the Mongol invasion.
In historical terms, the Battle of the Ice is inscribed as an event of military glory for the Russian people.
Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword.
Alexander Nevskiy
The Battle of the Ice is one of the most famous battles in Russian history. The battle took place in early April 1242 on Lake Peipsi, on the one hand, the troops of the Novgorod Republic, led by Alexander Nevsky, took part in it, on the other hand, it 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 a completely different way, 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 of the Ice, it is necessary to understand what preceded it and how the opponents approached the battle. So... After the Swedes lost the Battle of the Neva, the German 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 the decisive role in shaping the idea of a campaign against Rus'. The crusaders were further motivated by Pope Gregory IX, who in 1237 declared a crusade against Finland, and in 1239 called on the princes of Rus' to respect the border orders.
At this point, the Novgorodians already had successful experience of war with the Germans. In 1234, Alexander's father Yaroslav defeated them in the battle on the Omovzha River. Alexander Nevsky, knowing the plans of the crusaders, began to build a line of fortifications along the southwestern border in 1239, but the Swedes made minor adjustments to his plans by attacking from the northwest. After their defeat, Nevsky continued to strengthen the borders, and also married the daughter of the Prince of Polotsk, thereby enlisting his support in case of a future war.
At the end of 1240, the Germans began a campaign against the lands of Rus'. In the same year they took Izborsk, and in 1241 they besieged Pskov. At the beginning of March 1242, Alexander helped the residents of Pskov liberate their principality and drove the Germans northwest of the city, to the region of Lake Peipus. 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 ice battle began in early April 1242 on the northern shore of Lake Peipsi. The crusaders were led by a famous commander Andreas von Felfen, who was twice as old as the Novgorod prince. Nevsky's army numbered 15-17 thousand soldiers, while the Germans had about 10 thousand. However, according to chroniclers, both in Rus' and abroad, the German troops were much better armed. But as subsequent developments showed, this played a cruel joke on the crusaders.
The Battle of the Ice took place on April 5, 1242. German troops, mastering the “pigs” attack technique, that is, a strict and disciplined formation, directed the main blow to the enemy’s center. 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 forced forward onto the ice of Lake Peipus. The winter at that time was long and cold, so at the time of April the ice (very fragile) remained on the reservoir. After the Germans realized that they were retreating onto the ice, it was already too late: the ice began to crack under the pressure of the heavy German armor. That is why historians called the battle the “Battle of the Ice.” As a result, some of the soldiers drowned, others were killed in battle, but most still managed to escape. After this, Alexander's troops finally drove the crusaders out of 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 Peipsi has very variable hydrography. In 1958-1959, the first archaeological expedition was organized, but no traces of the battle were found.
Historical 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 Rus'. Alexander himself became the de facto ruler of Northern Rus'. After his death, in 1268, the Livonian Order violated the truce: the Battle of Rakovsk took place. But this time, too, the Russian troops achieved 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.
As for the historical significance of the Battle of Lake Peipsi, Alexander’s main role was that he was able to stop the advance of a powerful army of crusaders on Russian lands. The famous historian L. Gumelev argues that the fact of conquest by the crusaders would have meant the end for the very existence of Rus', and therefore the end of the future Russia.
Some historians criticize Nevsky for his truce with the Mongols, and that he did not help defend Rus' from them. In this discussion, most historians still side with Nevsky, because in the situation in which he found himself, it was necessary either to negotiate with the khan or to fight 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, old style. In the 20th century, the difference between the styles was 13 days, which is why the holiday was assigned to April 18th. However, from the point of view of historical justice, it is worth recognizing that in the 13th century (when the battle took place) the difference was 7 days. Based on this logic, the Battle of the Ice took place on April 12, according to the new style. Nevertheless, today, April 18, is a public holiday in the Russian Federation, the 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 16th century there was a decline in 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 strength 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 of Lake Peipsi
Due to the fact that during the archaeological expedition of 1958-1959 no traces and exact location of the battle were found, and also taking into account the fact that the chronicles of the 13th century contain very little information about the battle, two alternative views on the Battle of the Ice of 1242 were formed, which briefly discussed below:
- According to the 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 caused by the fact that it was necessary to justify Nevsky’s cooperation with the Mongols, as well as to show the strength of Rus' in relation to Catholic Europe. Basically, a small number of historians adhere to this theory, since it is very difficult to deny the very fact of the existence of the battle, because the battle on Lake Peipsi is described in some chronicles of the late 13th century, as well as in the chronicles of the Germans.
- Second alternative theory: The Battle of the Ice is briefly described in the chronicles, which means 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 professional Russian historians deny the first theory as a 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 Peipsi. Archaeologists have found several new probable sites of the Battle of the Ice, in addition, a study of the bottom showed the presence of a sharp decrease in depth near Raven Island, which suggests the existence of the legendary “Raven Stone”, that is, the approximate location of the battle, named in the chronicle of 1463.
The Battle of the Ice in the country's culture
The year 1938 is of great significance in the history of reporting historical events in modern culture. This year, the famous Russian writer Konstantin Simonov wrote the poem “Battle of the Ice,” and director Sergei Eisenstein shot the film “Alexander Nevsky,” in which he highlighted the two main battles of the Novgorod ruler: on the Neva River and Lake Peipus. The image of Nevsky was of particular importance during the Great Patriotic War. Poets, artists, and directors turned to him to show the citizens of the 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 fortified settlement (the settlement closest to the battle site), a monument to Nevsky was erected. In 2012, a museum of the Battle of the Ice of 1242 was opened in the village of Samolva, Pskov region.
As you can see, even a brief history of the Battle of the Ice is not only the battle of April 5, 1242 between the Novgorodians and the Germans. This is a very important event in the history of Russia, since thanks to the talent of Alexander Nevsky, Rus' was saved from conquest by the crusaders.
Rus' in the 13th century and the arrival of the Germans
In 1240, Novgorod was attacked by the Swedes, by the way, allies of the Livonians, 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 received the nickname “Nevsky”. In the same year, the Mongols burned Kyiv, that is, most of Rus' was occupied with the war with the Mongols, Nevsky and its Novgorod Republic were left alone with strong enemies. The Swedes were defeated, but a stronger and more powerful opponent awaited Alexander ahead: the German crusaders. In the 12th century, the Pope created the Order of the Swordsmen and sent them to the Baltic Sea coast, where they received from him the right to own all the conquered lands. These events went down in history as the Northern Crusade. Since most of the members of the Order of the Sword were immigrants from Germany, this order was therefore called German. At the beginning of the 13th century, the order split into several military organizations, the main ones 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 was the closest neighbors of the Novgorod Republic.
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Source: Russia: illustrated encyclopedia. - M.: OLMA Media Group; OLMA-PRESS Education, 2006. - pp. 299-300
ICE BATTLE - a battle on the ice of Lake Peipus on April 5, 1242 between the united Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal army under the command of the Novgorod prince Alexander Nevsky and the German knights of the Livonian Order, as well as Danish and other crusaders.
During the years of the Mongol-Tatar invasion, the knights of the Livonian Order, which seized lands in the Eastern Baltic, tried to subjugate the North-Western lands of Rus' to their influence. The invasions of the knights of the Livonian Order into Russian lands, the main goal of which was the spread of Catholicism in Rus', were considered in Western Europe as crusades. In 1240, German knights captured the Russian city of Izborsk. Then the traitors surrendered Pskov to the Germans and recognized the power of the Livonian Order. Novgorod began to prepare for resistance.
LAKE CHUDSKOYE
Battle on the Ice. Intelligence of Domash Tverdislavich
But there was no prince in the city at that time - having quarreled with the Novgorodians, he left for his family nest - the city of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. Having humbled their pride, the Novgorodians asked the prince to return. Alexander hurried to Novgorod and already in 1241 he stormed the stronghold of the German knights, the fortress of Koporye, then, having gathered a united army from the Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal regiments, he liberated Pskov. On April 5, 1242, the knightly army and the regiments of Alexander Nevsky stood against each other at the Crow Stone on the ice of Lake Peipus. Alexander Nevsky skillfully built his battle formations: in the center, which was not very powerful, there was infantry, on the flanks there were the main, strongest regiments. The knights lined up in a wedge; in Rus' this military formation was called a “pig”. As Alexander expected, the Livonians struck the center of the Russian army and crushed it - “they fought their way through the regiment like a pig.” But then Russian troops attacked from the flanks. The central regiment also went on the attack. The knights were surrounded and their beating began. Hundreds of knights were killed, captured, and the rest barely escaped. Nevsky's regiments drove the invaders seven miles. The prisoners, tied by their horse tails, were led through the streets of Novgorod.