The stories about the Battle of the Ice in the Russian chronicles and the Life of Alexander Nevsky are the main sources reporting the events that took place on April 5, 1242 on the ice of Lake Peipsi - about the time, place, nature and course of the battle. However, until now, the question of the comparative value and reliability of these stories in the scientific literature has not been discussed.

According to one of the researchers, E.K. Paklar, "based on the well-known chronicle story - on the texts of the Novgorod (mainly Novgorod 1st) - Pskov, Sofia, Nikon chronicles, various authors expressed very conflicting opinions about the place of the Battle of the Ice." The story of the Battle on the Ice in the annals of various origins seemed to most historians to be unified and relatively reliable. When citing, preference was given to the text of the Novgorod 1st Chronicle, as the most detailed and compact, but, in addition to it, the most vivid passages from the Sofia 1st Chronicle, Voskresenskaya, Simeonovskaya and other chronicles and from the Life of Alexander Nevsky, supplementing the characterization of Ice battles with vivid battle scenes and individual realities (A.I. Kozachenko, A.A. Savich, A.I. Yakovlev, V.T. Pashuto, E.K. Paklar, A.A. Strokov, E.A. Razin, S.V. Lipitsky and many others). At the same time, historians used sources uncritically, that is, without separating historically reliable news from literary fiction, without taking into account the time and place of origin of the stories they cited about the Battle of the Ice. Very often, researchers turned to a literary work - the Life of Alexander Nevsky, considering his evidence to be absolutely reliable. For example, A.I. Kozachenko writes: “The legend “About the Great Prince Alexander” has come down to us. The author of this legend was a contemporary of Alexander, knew him and witnessed his exploits, was "an eyewitness of his age." This witness had the opportunity to see and hear from the participants in the campaign and from Prince Alexander himself about the mood of the Russian army. The continuation of the legend in the weather record dedicated to the events of 1242 confirms that the chronicler also noticed an extraordinary uplift of spirit that reigned in the Russian army before the battle on Lake Peipsi. The army declared unanimously that it was ready to lay down its heads for Russia, for the people led by the hero Alexander Nevsky: ratna: beating their hearts, like a lion, and rkosha: "O our honest and dear prince! Now is the time to lay down our heads for you" "". And further: “It was an unprecedented battle in terms of bitterness. The crackle of breaking spears, the sound of striking swords and axes filled the air. Blood soon covered the battlefield, and red streams began to spill over the ice. The chronicler, from the words of an eyewitness, writes: “And that battle was evil and great for the Germans and Chudi, and the cowardly from the breaking mines and the sound from the sword section, as if the frozen sea was moving. And I couldn’t see the ice: it covered everything with blood.”

However, neither the ancient chronicler, nor the witness of the exploits of Prince Alexander, nor the non-existent legend "About the Great Prince Alexander" stories "about the extraordinary uplift of spirit" in the Russian army and a detailed description of the battle do not belong. These stories are the literary conjecture of the monk of the Nativity monastery in Vladimir, who in the 80s of the XIII century. Life of Alexander Nevsky, and are based on the traditional literary manner of describing the battles of that time, and not on the impression of eyewitnesses. If you believe the author of the Life, then the “eye-seeer” not only heard the fiery speech of Alexander’s combatants and the fervent prayer of the prince on the battlefield, but also saw the “regiment of God in the air”, who came to the aid of Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich. Such boundless and blind trust of the historian in his source may unexpectedly lead him to recognize the authenticity of "miracles".

Academician M.N. Tikhomirov: "The compiler of the mentioned biography of Alexander (The Life of Alexander Nevsky, - Yu.B.) compares him with famous historical figures; in beauty - with Joseph the Beautiful, in strength - with the biblical Samson, in courage - with the Roman emperor Vespasian, who took and ravaged Jerusalem. The same biographer adds that Alexander had "age (i.e. height, - M.T.), more than other people, his voice, like a trumpet among the people. "On this basis, some historians quite naively represented Alexander Yaroslavich as a man of enormous stature, with a loud, trumpet-like voice. In fact, these comparisons give very little to judge the appearance of the hero - the prince , i.e., they are borrowed from book sources, although they say that Alexander made an outstanding impression on his contemporaries. ” According to Tikhomirov's fair remark, all this belongs to the field of literature, and not to history.

However, some historians, even after the publication of the above-mentioned work by M.N. Tikhomirov still continue to blindly believe in the literal authenticity of the news of the literary Life: “Chroniclers, who usually do not talk about the appearance of other princes,” writes A.I. Yakovlev, - they like to portray the appearance of Alexander. From their descriptions, we conclude that he was very good-looking, powerful, tall, broad-shouldered, and had a sonorous voice. When he spoke to a noisy Novgorod veche, his voice, according to the chronicler, "thundered like a trumpet." As we can see, Yakovlev uses the news of the Sofia 1st or Resurrection Chronicle, without thinking about the fact that these news penetrated into the chronicle from the literary Life of Alexander Nevsky.

V.T. Pashuto, for example, writes: “The crusading robbers failed to “reproach the Slovenian language below themselves,” while referring to the text of the Novgorod 1st Chronicle of the junior version and not indicating that these words belong not to the chronicler, but to the author of the Life of Alexander Nevsky. A.I. Kozachenko writes the following: “The Order issued a cry calling for the subjugation of the Russians. The knights, according to the chronicler, said so, boasting: "Let's reproach the Slovenian language!" And further: “In March 1242, under the command of brother Alexander, Prince Andrei, grassroots regiments arrived. It was help "in a multitude of squads," as a contemporary says. It can be said that the army gathered by Alexander was the first numerous army that Russia gathered after its defeat by the Tatars. S.V. writes in the same spirit. Lipitsky: “We will humiliate the Slavic language,” the knights said, preparing to go on a campaign ... The arrogant knights did not doubt the success of the campaign and boastfully declared: “Let's go defeat the Grand Duke Alexander and have him with our hands.” Neither Pashuto, nor Kozachenko, nor Lipitsky take into account that the enemy's boasting before the battle and the expression "in a multitude of squads" cannot have the force of a historical source, since they are a manifestation of medieval etiquette in literature (stencil of situations and stencil of formulas).

Military historian A.A. Strokov writes: “Our chronicler reports: “They are proud, mating and deciding: Let’s go, we will defeat the Grand Duke Alexander and have him with our hands,” referring to the text of the Sofia 1st Chronicle, without indicating that these words do not belong to the chronicle, but The life of Alexander Nevsky, and not noticing that they were transmitted in the Sofia 1st chronicle with a distortion: instead of “inin city” - “they are proud.”

Another military historian E.A. Razin writes: “Judging by the annalistic miniatures, the battle formation was facing the rear of the steep, steep shore of the lake, and Alexander’s best squad hid in an ambush behind one of the flanks.” Obviously, Razin has in mind the miniatures of the Laptev volume of the Illuminated Chronicle of the third quarter of the 16th century, depicting Alexander Nevsky with an army at the Raven Stone, a meeting with a knightly army on the ice of Lake Peipus and the Battle on the Ice. However, on the basis of these miniatures, it is impossible to judge either the order of battle of the troops or the ambush regiment. “Medieval miniatures,” writes A.V. Artsikhovsky, - are not so much sketches of medieval cities and troops, but rather conditional schemes that live their book life ... Miniaturists generally correctly followed the text, however, the information provided by the text of the manuscripts is sometimes significantly supplemented in the drawings, sometimes interpreted in a peculiar way. Miniature painter of the third quarter of the 16th century. skillfully, in a conditional, symbolic manner, he illustrated the text of the Nikon Chronicle about the Battle on the Ice (ll. 931v. - 940). The text of the Nikon Chronicle is below the miniature on fl. 937 is calculated as follows: “And, being strengthened by the power of the cross, you encamped and went against them, and Lake Chudskoye stepped on. There were many of both. His father, Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodich, sent him to help his brother, his lesser prince Andre, with many of his howls. Taco be more with the great ... ".

Obviously, the miniaturist tried to depict in the upper right corner Prince Yaroslav in the city, sending Prince Andrei with his retinue to help Prince Alexander, in the upper left corner - Prince Andrei with his retinue, and in the center - a meeting of Russian and German troops on the ice of Lake Peipus. There is no ambush regiment in the miniature (Fig. 1).

Some historians, recognizing that the Life of Alexander Nevsky is the main source and had a great influence on the annalistic stories about the Battle on the Ice, nevertheless build their works on the indefinite consolidated text of the story about the Battle on the Ice. So, for example, A.A. Savich writes the following: "The main source on the basis of which we restore the history of the victory of the Novgorod prince Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky over the Swedes in 1240 and the Germans in 1242 is his Life." And further: “In this report, we do not study the problem of which of the annalistic codes most accurately conveys the original text of the Life of Alexander Nevsky. Separate versions of the Life, very often the result of the editorial hand of the compiler of one or another code, do not make significant changes to the stories about the Nevsky and Chudskaya victories of Alexander Nevsky over the enemies of the Russian people. These options are interesting in the sense that they show us how the text of the Life itself lived and developed.

However, later A.A. Savich never once turned to the text of the first edition of the Life of Alexander Nevsky - he outlines the course of the Battle of the Ice according to the Novgorod 1st, Pskov 1st, Resurrection, Lvov, Nikon chronicles, without finding out what relation these texts have to Life of Alexander Nevsky and how they relate to each other.

In this work, we will try to fill this gap, find out the relationship of all Russian written sources about the Battle of the Ice with each other and determine their comparative value as a historical source.

According to their place of origin, all early written news of the 13th century. about the Battle on the Ice can be divided into the following groups: I - Novgorod, reflected in the Novgorod 1st chronicle of the senior version; II - Pskov, reflected in the Pskov 1st, 2nd and 3rd chronicles; III - Rostov, reflected in the Suzdal Chronicle; IV - Suzdal, reflected in the Laurentian Chronicle; V - Vladimir early, reflected in the Life of Alexander Nevsky of the first edition. In the sixth group, we conditionally allocate Vladimir late news, reflected in the "Vladimir Chronicler" of the 16th century. Each of the first five groups of news of the XIII century. arose independently of one another, having as its direct and immediate source the events that took place on the ice of Lake Peipus in early April 1242.

I. The most detailed and detailed story about the Battle of the Ice is in the Novgorod 1st chronicle of the senior version (Fig. 3).

“In the summer of 6750. Prince Oleksandr went from Novgorodtsi and with his brother Andrey and from Nizovtsi to the Chud land on Nѣmtsi and went all the way to Plskov. And drive out Prince Plskov, seize Nemtsi and Chyud, and, having chained, stream to Novgorod, and go to Chyud yourself. And as if on the ground, let the whole regiment live, and Domash Tverdislavich and Kerbet were dispersed, and I killed Nemtsi and Chyud at the bridge, and bisha that. And I killed that Domash, the brother of the posadnik, my honest husband, and I beat him with him, and I took him with my hands, and I ran to the prince in the regiment. The prince went back to the lake, but Nѣmtsi and Chud walked along them. Having seen Prince Oleksandr and Novgorodtsy, having put up a regiment on Lake Chudskoye, on Uzmen, at the Voronya stone. And rushed into the regiment of Nemtsi and Chyud, and slithered through the regiment like a pig. And the battle was that great German and Chudi. God and Saint Sophia and the holy martyr Boris and Gleb, for whom shed her blood for the sake of Novgorod, God help those saints with great prayers to Prince Alexander. And Nѣmtsi that padosha, and Chyud dasha splashing; and, chasing, bish them for 7 miles along the ice to the Subolichsky coast. And pada Chyudi was beschisla, and Nemets 400, and 50 hands yash and brought to Novgorod. And the month of April is at 5, in memory of the holy martyr Claudius, for the praise of the Holy Mother of God, on Saturday.

In the Synodal List, this story is written in the third semi-statutory handwriting of the 30s of the XIV century, however, obviously, it goes back to one of the Novgorod annals of the middle of the XIII century, compiled at the churches of St. Jacob and St. Sofia. This story has a specific Novgorod coloring (they talk about the help of St. Sophia and the princes Boris and Gleb, in contrast to the Pskov chronicles, which talk about the help of the Holy Trinity) and provides interesting details:

1) participated in the liberation of Pskov, except for Novgorodians from. Prince Alexander, Suzdalians with Alexander's brother Prince Andrey;

2) before expelling the Germans from Pskov, Prince Alexander occupied all the roads leading to the city;

3) having expelled the Germans from Pskov, Prince Alexander sent the prisoners to Novgorod, and he himself transferred the hostilities to the Peipsi land;

4) Domash Tverdislavich, brother of the posadnik, and Kerbet were sent to “disperse”, that is, to horse reconnaissance, while the main forces were engaged in a military operation in order to collect food and fodder from the population of the enemy side;

5) Russian intelligence met the Germans on the gati, “at the bridge” (maybe near the current Moosta) and was defeated: Domash Tverdislavich was killed, and the rest were either captured or fled to Prince Alexander;

6) having learned about the movement of German forces, Prince Alexander turned back to the ice of Lake Peipsi;

7) Germans and Chud began to pursue him;

8) Prince Alexander put his troops on Uzmen, near the Raven Stone;

9) the Germans and the Chud broke through the formation of the Russian army with a "pig", but were defeated;

10) the Russians pursued and beat the fleeing enemies for 7 versts to the Subolichsky coast;

11) the losses of the Germans amounted to 400 people killed, 50 - prisoners, the losses of the Chud were large - "beschisla";

12) the date of the Battle on the Ice - April 5, 1242, Saturday, the day of memory of the "martyr" Claudius and praise of the Virgin;

13) all the prisoners were brought to Novgorod.

This story emphasizes (thrice) the role of the Novgorodians in the battle. Completeness and accuracy are characteristic features of the Novgorod story about the Battle of the Ice. M.N. is right. Tikhomirov, when he writes: “The most ancient chronicle evidence should be considered the entry about the battle on Lake Peipsi in the Synodal Charate list of the XIV century ... The note of the Novgorod chronicle is the oldest in origin and was made by some Novgorodian, judging by the term "Nizovtsi", which in Novgorod denoted the inhabitants of the Vladimir-Suzdal land. This is also evidenced by the characteristic phrase: "Look ... Oleksandr and Novgorodtsy", as well as the absence of a mention of the Pskovites, who had just been liberated from the German invaders.

II. Of interest to the historian are the annalistic records of the Pskovites who were participants in the events described.

Pskov 1st chronicle (according to the Tikhanovsky list)		Pskov 2nd chronicle		Pskov 3rd chronicle
“In the summer of 6750. Prince Alexander came and beat the Germans in the city of Pskov, and delivered the city of Pskov from the godless Germans, with the help of the holy trinity. And bishasya with them on the ice; and God help Prince Alexander and her husband Novogorodets and Pskov; ovs beating and ovs tying the barefooted lead on the ice. This battle was the month of April on the 1st day; and be in the city of Pskov great joy. And Prince Alexander spoke: “O husband of Pskov, now I say to you: if anyone is my last! A nephew or someone will come running in sorrow or will come to live in the city of Pskov, but you will not accept him and will not honor him, and you will be called the second Zhidova ".		“In the summer of 6750. Prince Alexander, with the help of the holy trinity, beat the Germans in Pskov, and thus deliver the city of Pskov from foreign Germans; and fight with them on the ice and the odol, the month of April 1, beat the ovs, tying the barefoot on the ice. And so with an oath informing Pskov, saying: “If someone comes running after my nephew, who is in sorrow or comes to live with you, and you don’t accept, don’t honor him like a prince, then you will be okaanni and will be called the second Zhidova, the crest of Christ.”		“In the summer of 750. Prince Alexander beat the Germans in Pskov and the city of Pskov deliver the German foreigners from the godless with the help of the Holy Trinity. And fight with them on the ice; and God help Prince Alexander and her husband Novogorodtsy and Pskov, beat them, beat them, caught them with their hands, and led the barefoot on the ice, April 1, and there was great joy in Pskov. And Alexander said to Pskov: “Behold, I say to you: if in the end someone is my tribesman or who runs in sorrow or so comes to live with you in Pskov, but do not accept him, but do not honor him, and you will be called the second Zhidov ".

A.N. Nasonov believes that the record of the Battle of the Ice in the Pskov 1st and 2nd chronicles is one of the oldest Pskov chronicles of the middle XIII in. At this time in Pskov at the church of St. Trinity, a chronicle code begins to be created, which later served as a source for the protographer of the Pskov chronicle codes of the middle of the 15th century. Regarding this entry, M.N. Tikhomirov notes: “Most remarkable is that the Pskov chronicles do not report anything additional about this memorable battle, and only Pskovites are inserted into the number of participants in the battle.” However, this is not quite true. From the Pskov chronicles we learn the following facts: 1) in 1242, Prince Alexander first liberated the city of Pskov from the Germans, 2) and then fought the Germans on the ice 3) with the help of an army consisting of Novgorodians and Pskovians; 4) defeated the Germans on April 1 5) and led the prisoners to Pskov "barefoot" on the ice of the lake; 6) there was great joy in Pskov on the occasion of the victory; 7) Prince Alexander addressed the people of Pskov with a reproachful speech, urging them never to forget what he had done for Pskov, and always with exceptional attention to host princes from his family.

In our opinion, this speech can be interpreted not as a genuine speech of Prince Alexander, addressed to the accomplices of the betrayal of the posadnik Tverdila Ivankovich, but as a speech of the chronicler himself, who sympathized with the Suzdal princes from the family of Alexander Yaroslavich. For almost a hundred years, until the middle of the 14th century, the military power over Pskov was with the princes associated with this family: Andrei (1252) and Yaroslav (1253-1254), brothers of Alexander Nevsky; Basil (1257), son of Alexander Nevsky; Svyatoslav Yaroslavich (1264-1266), nephew of Alexander Nevsky; Lithuanian prince Dovmont - Timothy (1266-1299), married to Maria, daughter of Dmitry, son of Alexander Nevsky, etc. It is possible that the Pskov chronicler knew a local legend about some speech delivered by Prince Alexander after the Battle of the Ice . However, the exact record of this speech has not been preserved, and the chronicler resorted to improvisation. Judging by the fact that the chronicler, as it were, calls on the people of Pskov to remember the military merits of Prince Alexander and to receive princes from his family well, it can be assumed that the “speech of Prince Alexander” was composed in the second half of the 13th century. and, consequently, the entire chronicle record of the Pskov chronicles about the Battle of the Ice dates back to the second half of the 13th century. All other news from the Pskov chronicles, with the exception of the incorrectly named date - April 1, seems to us quite trustworthy.

III. The Rostov annalistic news about the Battle of the Ice, reflected in the Academic List of the Suzdal Chronicle, are laconic:

"In the summer of 6750. Go Alexander Yaroslavich from Novgorod to Nemtsi and fight with them on Lake Chudskoye, at the Voronya stone, and defeat Alexander and drive 7 miles across the ice, hitting them."

These records, compiled in Rostov at the episcopal department and included in the Rostov code of the 60-70s. XIII century, only three facts are reported: (1) the battle of Prince Alexander with the Germans took place in 1242 (2) on Lake Peipus, near the Raven Stone (3) and ended in a complete victory for the Russians, who drove the enemies across the ice for 7 miles. The same chronicle story is read in the text of the reconstructed M.D. Priselkov of the Trinity Chronicle and in the Chronicle of the XV century.

IV. The Suzdal story about the Battle of the Ice is found in the Laurentian Chronicle, compiled in 1377 by the monk Lavrenty. This chronicle is the Chronicler of 1305, which reflected in the news of the 40s of the XIII century. Rostov or Suzdal Chronicle.

“In the summer of 6750. Grand Duke Yaroslav sent his son Andre to Veliky Novgorod to help Oleksandrov on Nemtsi, and I won after Pleskov on the lake, and I was full of many captives, and Andrey returned to his father with honor.”

This story was analyzed in detail by M.N. Tikhomirov. He writes the following: “The news of the Laurentian Chronicle is interesting in that it preserved the Suzdal version of the battle on Lake Peipsi. In this version, not a word is said about the Novgorodians and only mentions the main character of the battle, Alexander, all the honor of the battle is attributed to Andrei, whose participation in the battle, in turn, is silent in the Novgorod chronicles. Thus, we have before us an undoubted Suzdal news, and the news is ancient, because Prince Andrei Yaroslavich was not a figure who left a grateful mark on his descendants and contemporaries.

V. Vladimir's early story about the Battle of the Ice was reflected in the Life of Alexander Nevsky, the first edition, compiled in the Nativity Monastery in Vladimir in the 80s of the XIII century. a younger contemporary of the prince, a monk of the Nativity Monastery in Vladimir. We give here the text of the story about the Battle of the Ice according to the original text reconstructed by us.

“After the victory of Oleksandrov, as if defeating the king, in the third year, in winter, go to the German land in great strength, so that they do not boast, roaring: “We will reproach the Slovenian language below ourselves.” The city of Pleskov has already been taken, and the tiunis have planted them. The same Prince Oleksandro is withdrawn, the city of Pleskov is free from captivity. And the land of their wars is burnt, and full of demons, and the lambs are cut. Ini, however, celebrating the union of Nemchstya and saying: "Let's go and defeat Oleksandr and have his hand." Whenever the warriors approach, and I pochyusha the guards of Oleksandrov. Prince Oleksandr, however, weeped and walked in front of himself, and covered Lake Chyudskoye with wallpaper from a multitude of howls. His father Yaroslav sent his younger brother Ondrya to help him in a multitude of squads. Similarly, Prince Oleksandr had a lot of brave men, as if Davyd had the king of strength and fortress in ancient times. So the men of Oleksandrovy were filled with the spirit of war: I beat their hearts, like a lion's heart, and decided: "Oh, our honest prince! Now is the time for us to lay down our heads for you." Prince Oleksandro, raising his hand to the sky, and saying: "Judge me, God, and judge my pru from the language of the veler and help me, God, how old is Moses on Amalek and my great-grandfather Yaroslav on the ocean Svyatopolk."

Be then Saturday, the rising sun, and the wallpaper will give way. And there was a cut of evil and a coward from spears of breaking and a sound from a cut of a sword, as if the frozen lake would move. And I couldn't see the ice: I was covered in blood.

But I heard from the seer, even speaking to me, as if I saw the regiment of God in the air, having come to the aid of Oleksandrovi. And so I win with the help of God, and give my armies splashing my own and now I drive, driving, like in the air, and do not comfort yourself. Here, glorify God Oleksandr before all the regiments, like Jesus Navvin at Erekhon. And then he said: "We have Oleksandr rukama", this God will give him in his hand. And never find an adversary to him in battle.

And Prince Oleksandr returned with a glorious victory. And there were a lot of captives in his regiment, and I led the barefoot beside the horses, who call themselves God's rhetoricians.

And as the prince approached the city of Pleskov, the abbess and priest in robes from the crosses and all the people sretosha and before the city, giving praise to God and glory to the lord prince Oleksaidr, singing the song: with the arms of the cross and free the city of Pleskov from the foreigners with the hand of Oleksandrova.

Oh, don't speak pleskovichs! If you forget this, and until the great-grandchildren of the Oleksandrovs, and become like the Gide, the Lord in the desert has drunk them with manna and baked crustels, and they have forgotten all and their god, who brought me out of work from Egypt.

And I began to hear his name in all countries, and to the sea of ​​Egypt, and to the mountains of Ararat, and I will cover the country of the Varangian sea, and to the great Rome.

The life of Alexander Nevsky is a typical literary work in the genre of princely biography. It was created to glorify Prince Alexander Yaroslavich as an invincible warrior, like Vespasian, Samson, David, the protector of the Russian land and a locally revered saint, therefore, in the center of the Life is the image of the prince, dear and close to his contemporaries, and historical events are nothing more than a secondary background . The general trend of the author of the Life of Alexander Nevsky was the desire to strengthen the ecclesiastical coloring of the story about the Battle on the Ice: Prince Alexander wins with the help of God and the "heavenly powers", the patron saints of Pskov, Novgorod and the Russian land. The story of the Life of the Battle on the Ice is replete with a mass of reminiscences and stable formulas taken from biblical books, from paremia readings in honor of Boris and Gleb, from the History of the Jewish War by Josephus Flavius, from southern Russian chronicles (such as the Galicia-Volyn chronicle). As V.I. Mansikka, the author of the Life, used the description of the battle between Yaroslav the Wise and Svyatopolk the Accursed from the paremia reading in honor of Boris and Gleb:

“And Yaroslav came in great strength and a hundred on the Lte field, where he killed Boris; and roaring up into heaven, and saying: "Drink my brother's blood to you, lord! Revenge the true blood, as if you avenged the blood of Abel and put groaning and shaking on Cain; so put it on the seven eyes." And he prayed and said: “My brother, if the body has gone away from here, by prayer we will help against this adversary and the proud killer!” And here I rekshyu, and went against this, and the field of Ltskoye is covered with wallpaper from a multitude of howls. Run five then, the rising sun, hurry up in the rank of Svyatoplk from Pechenga, and let go of the wallpaper, and be the slaughter of evil, and take the blood away, and let go of the thrush, and beat the death. And the thunder was great and tutn, and the rain was great, and the lightning was shining. Whenever there is a flash of lightning, and the weapons in their hands shine, and the angels help Yaroslav to see many faithfully. Svyatopolk, giving a slap, run.

Description of the victory and flight of enemies, as V.I. Mansikka, is similar to a similar description of the victory of Titus over the Jews at the Lake of Gennesaret from the third book of the History of the Jewish War by Josephus Flavius: “Tit and his howl, driving across the field, sechahu. And those who want to run to the city, and those who return, having persecuted them before, it is not enough to drag them away. The author of the Life makes extensive use of comparisons and parallels from biblical history (from the quiche of "Kings" and from the book of Joshua): Alexander's "husbands" are compared with David's "strong and strong" "brave men", Prince Alexander, who defeated the Germans, with meek David, defeated the Philistines; twice - variations on the themes of David's psalms are put into the mouths of the prince praying on the battlefield and into the mouths of the townspeople meeting the victorious prince; the return of Prince Alexander from the Battle of the Ice has a parallel with the return of David after the victory over the Philistines, and the glory of Prince Alexander - with the glory of Joshua and David.

The reproachful appeal of the author of the Life to the people of Pskov “about neveglas (ignoramuses, - Yu.B.) Pleskovichi" is similar to the speech of Prince Alexander in the Pskov 1st and 2nd chronicles and, in our opinion, either borrowed by the author of the Life from the Pskov chronicle of the second half of the 13th century, or goes back to a common source with him (Pskov legend?).

Thus, the story of the Life of Alexander Nevsky about the Battle on the Ice can be used as a historical source only with great limitations. If we subtract from this story everything that falls to the share of borrowings, traditional literary formulas and literary fiction, then the following facts will remain, the reliability of which is also evidenced by other sources (for example, the Novgorod 1st chronicle of the senior version, the Pskov and Suzdal chronicles) :

1) the campaign of Prince Alexander on German soil took place in the third (according to the March reckoning) year after the Battle of the Neva, that is, in the winter - 1242;

2) Pskov was liberated from the Germans, and hostilities were transferred to German territory;

3) the German cities united in a military alliance, and their troops marched towards the Russians;

4) the sentinel guards were the first to notice the approach of the German soldiers;

5) Prince Alexander turned back and forced the enemy to enter the ice of Lake Peipsi;

6) Prince Yaroslav sent a squad of his son Prince Andrei to help;

7) the battle began on Saturday, at sunrise;

8) The battle on the ice ended with the complete victory of the Russians, who pursued the fleeing enemies;

9) many enemy soldiers were taken prisoner, including one who boasted of capturing Prince Alexander before the battle;

10) the victors led the captured knights barefoot near their horses;

11) the townspeople solemnly welcomed Prince Alexander in Pskov.

So, most news of the Vladimir Life goes back either to Novgorod news 2, 5, 8, or to Pskov news 1, 10, 11, or to Suzdal news 6. News 3, 4, 7 and the second part of news 9 are new, thanks to which the story About the Battle on the Ice The Life of Alexander Nevsky retains the value of a historical source.

In terms of its literary merits, the story of the Life of the Battle on the Ice deserves high praise. Deeply emotional, dynamic and pathetic, replete with traditional literary formulas, the story of the Battle on the Ice is one of the best examples of battle descriptions in Russian prose of the 13th century.

All other stories about the Battle on the Ice in Russian chronicles and in various editions of the Life of Alexander Nevsky, although they contain rich material for the study of chronicle and hagiographic styles, in themselves contain almost no new facts about the Battle on the Ice, since they ultimately go back to to the groups mentioned above. The most common among them is a story that combines news from Novgorod and Vladimir; this story first appears under the pen of the compiler of the Novgorod-Sofia code of the 30s of the 15th century. It was reflected in the Novgorod 1st chronicle of the younger version (the second edition of the Life of Alexander Nevsky). The second edition of the Life of Alexander Nevsky is known to us in three forms: in the Novgorod 1st chronicle of the junior edition (first view), in the Sofia 1st chronicle (second view) and in the Likhachev collection of the late 15th century. (third kind). Here is the text of the story about the Battle of the Ice from the Novgorod 1st chronicle of the junior edition according to the Commission list.

“In the summer of 6750. Prince Alexander will go from Novgorodtsi and with brother Andrey and from Nizovtsi to the Chudsky land on Nѣmtsi, in winter, in the strength of the greatness, but they won’t boast, shouting: “We will reproach the Slovenian language below ourselves.” For better, Pskov has already been taken, and they have been imprisoned by Tiyun. And Prince Alexander Zaya all the way to Pleskov. And drive out the prince of Pskov, and the izim of Nѣmtsi and Chyud, and, having chained, stream to Novgorod, and go to Chyud yourself. And as if I were on the ground, let the whole regiment begin to live, and Domash was hardened and Kerbet was in dispersal. And they killed that Domash, the brother of the posadnik, an honest husband, and beat others with him, and others with the hands of izimash, and ran to the prince in the regiment. The prince turned back to the lake, while Nѣmtsi and Chud walked along them. See Prince Alexander and Novgorodtsy, posting a regiment on Lake Chud, on Uzmen, near the Raven stone. And when Lake Chudskoe came, there were a lot of both. There were a lot of brave ones for Prince Oleksandr, as if Davyd Tsar had ancient strength and strength. Similarly, the men of Alexandrov, filled with the spirit of ratna, and beat their hearts like a lion, and rkosha: "O our honest and dear prince! Now is the time to lay down your heads for you." Prince Alexander, raising his hand to heaven, and saying: "Judge, God, and judge my mind from the language of the great. Help me, Lord, how ancient Moses is to Amalek and my great-grandfather Yaroslav is to the late Svyatopolk."

It was then a Saturday day, the rising sun, and the most powerful regiment of Nemtsi and Chud, and the pig pierced through the regiment. And that battle was great for German and Chud, the coward from the spears of breaking and the sound from the sword cut, as if the frozen sea would move. And I couldn't see the ice: it was covered with blood.

Now I hear from a seer, and I speak, as if I saw the regiment of God and in the air, who came to the aid of Alexandrov. And with the help of God, defeat Saint Sophia and the holy martyr Boris and Gleb, for the sake of ancient blood shed. And Nѣmtsi fell there, and Chyud dasha splashed and, chasing me, beat 7 miles across the ice to Sobolichkago coast. And pada Chudi was beschisla, and the Germans 500, and others 50 with the hands of Yasha and brought to Novgorod. And besya April at 5, in memory of the holy martyr Theodulus, for the praise of the Holy Mother of God, on Saturday. Here God glorify Alexander before all the regiments, like Jesus Navgin at Jericho. They said: "We have Alexander with our hands," and God will give him these in his hands. And never find an adversary to him in battle.

Having returned Alexander with a glorious victory, for the multitude in his regiment was full, and I led them under the horse, which are called God's rogues.

It’s like Prince Alexander is approaching the city of Pskov, and his brother is a lot of people, and the abbots and priests in robes are also crying from crosses and in front of the city, singing the glory of the Lord to Prince Alexander: from the foreigners by the hand of Alexander.

About the disobedience of Pskovites! If you forget before the great-grandchildren of Alexandrov, be like the Zhid, the Lord has fed them in the desert baked. And they all forgot their god, who brought them out of the work of Egypt.

And I began to hear the name of Alexandrov in all countries, and to the Khupozhsky sea, and to the Arabian mountains, and I will cover the country of the Varangian sea, and to Rome itself.

In the story about the Battle on the Ice of the Novgorod 1st chronicle of the younger edition, compared with the story of the Novgorod 1st chronicle of the older edition, only minor changes were made: the number of killed Germans was “500” instead of “400” and instead of “in memory of the holy martyr Claudius” - “in memory Holy Martyr Theodulus. The compiler of the Novgorod-Sofia code of the 30-40s. XV century, reflected in an abbreviated form in the Novgorod 4th and 5th chronicles, in the chronicle of Avraamka, the Rogozhsky chronicle and in full in the Sofia chronicle, new details were added: the Novgorodians captured “50 deliberate governors ... and drown others with water, and others run away with malice. Only in the Sofia 1st chronicle instead of "in memory of the holy martyr Theodulus" is again restored - "in memory of the holy martyr Claudius."

New in the Sofia 1st Chronicle is the news that the German "mester" (grand master of the Livonian Order?) "with all biskups (bishops, - Yu.B.) with his own and with all the multitude of their tongues ”came out against Prince Alexander,“ with the help of the queen ”, that is, in all likelihood, with the military help of the Danish king, in whose possession (from 1219 to 1346) was Estland . However, the source from which this news is borrowed is unknown to us. Otherwise, the Sofia 1st Chronicle repeats the text identical to the text of the Novgorod 1st Chronicle of the junior edition, with a slight addition of individual phrases and expressions from the first edition of the Life of Alexander Nevsky.

Here is the text of the story about the Battle of the Ice from the Sofia 1st chronicle according to Obolensky's list.

“In the summer of 6750. Go Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich with his brother Andrem and from Novogorodtsa and Nizovtsi to the German land in great strength, but do not boast, roaring: “We will reproach the Slovenian language than ourselves.” The city of Pskov has already been taken, and their tiunis have been planted in the city. The Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich, zaya all the way to Pskov, and drove out the city, and seizing Nemtsy and Chud and the vicegerents of the Germans and chained and streamed to Novgorod, and freed the city of Pskov from captivity. And the land of their wars is burnt, and it is full of many taking, and others are excavated. They are proudly merging and deciding: "Let's go, let's defeat the Grand Duke Alexander and take him with our hands."

Whenever approaching, and the guards of the Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich of the German forces appeared. The Grand Duke Alexander himself bows to the Holy Trinity and go to the German land, although to avenge the blood of the peasants. It was winter at that time, as if it were on their land. And let all your regiments live, and Domash Tverdislavich and Kerbet were dispersed. And I killed Domash that, the brother of the posadnik, a good man, and I beat others a lot with him, and others with Yasha’s hands, and others resorting to the Grand Duke in the regiments. Behold, having heard, he went out against them with all his biskups and with all the multitude of their language and their power, which is on this side, and with the help of the queen. And descended to the lake, the verb Chudskoe, Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich ascended to the lake. The Germans and Chud walked along them. The great prince, set up regiments on Lake Chudskoye, on Uzmen, at the Voronya stone. Strengthen yourself with the strength of the cross and take up arms with me, go to them. Lake Chudskoye had come, and there were a lot of Velmies of both. His father, Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodich, sent him to help his younger brother, Prince Andrey, with many of his howls. But it was better for the Grand Duke Alexander to have a lot of brave ones, as in ancient times, David had the king of strength and strength. The same howl of the Grand Duke Alexander was filled with the spirit of a warrior: beat their hearts, like a lion and a rkosha: "Oh, our prince, honest and dear! Now is the time to lay down our heads for you." Grand Duke Alexander, raising his hand to heaven and saying: "Judge, God, and judge my tongue from the eloquent tongue. Help me, Lord, as anciently as Moses to Malik, and my great prince Yaroslav to the accursed Svyatopolk."

Become then the Sabbath day, the rising sun, and both regiments stepped down, and Nѣmtsi and Chud made their way through the regiment like a pig. And it was that battle of evil and great Germans and Chudi, cowards from the spears of breaking and the sound from the sword section, as if the sea would freeze to move. And not to see the ice: it covered everything with blood.

Now I hear from a seer, and I speak, as if I saw the regiments of God in the air, coming to the aid of Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich. And by the power of God, I will defeat both Saint Sophia and the holy martyr Boris and Gleb, for his sake I shed my blood. And Dasha ratni splash your wounds and I’m chasing, chasing, as if on an aer, and don’t be comforting them, and bish them 7 miles across the ice to the Subolichsky coast. And fall German 500, and countless people. And with the hands of Yash Nemets 50 he will pronounce the governor and bring me to Novgorod, and drown others with water, and others with evil ulcers and run away. And this battle was at 5 April, for the praise of the Holy Mother of God, and for the memory of the Holy Martyr Claudius. Here God glorify the Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich before all the regiments, like Jesus Navgin at Erekhon. These same shouted Nemzi: "We have the Grand Duke Alexander with our hands," and God will betray him in his hand. And never find an adversary to him in battle.

Having returned to the Grand Duke Alexander with a glorious victory, there was a lot of full in his regiment: leading me near the horses, which are called rhetoricians.

And how approached the Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich to the city of Pskov, and raised him from the crosses of the abbess and priest in robes and many people in front of the city, singing the glory of the Lord to the Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich: with the arms of the cross, liberate the city of Pskov from foreigners and from foreigners by the hand of Grand Duke Alexander.

O neveglaz Pskovites! If you forget it, and before the great-grandchildren of the Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich, you become like a Zhid, the Lord in the desert baked them. And forgetting the goodness of their God, who brought them out of the work of the Egyptians by Moses. Now I say to you: "If someone comes to the last generation of his great princes, or in sorrow comes to you to live in Pskov, and do not accept him or do not honor him, you will be called the second Zhidov."

And the name of the Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich began to be known in all countries from the Varyazhsky sea and to the Pontesky sea, and to the Khupozheskago sea, and to the country of Tivirsky, and to the mountains of Ararat, I will cover the country of the Varyazhsky sea and the Arabian mountains, even to the great Rome. Spread fearing his name before the darkness in darkness, before thousands of thousands. And so I came to Novgorod with a great victory.

The same story was reflected in the Likhachev collection and in the third edition of the Life, but if in the Likhachev collection it is supplemented with individual words and expressions from the first edition of the Life, then in the third edition this story is greatly reduced. Through the Moscow chronicle of the XV century. the story of the Sofia 1st chronicle about the Battle on the Ice widely penetrates into the all-Russian, Tver, Rostov, Kholmogory, Vologda and Pskov chronicles of the 15th-16th centuries. Stories about the Battle on the Ice in the Nikanorovskaya and Vologda-Perm Chronicles depend on the text of the first edition of the Sofia 1st Chronicle, stories about the Battle on the Ice in the Moscow Code of the late 15th century depend on the text of the second edition of the Sofia 1st Chronicle (close to the Tsar's list), Resurrection, Simeon chronicles. In the Ermolinskaya, Lvovskaya, Uvarovskaya, Prilutskaya, Typographic Chronicles and in the Tver collection, which ultimately go back not to the code of 1479, but to the code of 1477, which edited the text of the Moscow code of 1472, the story about the Battle of the Ice was significantly reduced. The tendency to reduce its source, including the nullification of the story about Alexander Nevsky, in our opinion, can also be explained by the local nature of the annals of the late XV - early XVI centuries, reflected in the Ermolinskaya and other chronicles named above. In a stylistically revised and supplemented form, the story of the Sofia 1st Chronicle is found in the Nikon Chronicle.

Vladimir's story about the Battle on the Ice from the first edition of the Life of Alexander Nevsky in conjunction with the news of the Moscow annals of the first half of the 16th century. found distribution in later editions of the Life of Alexander Nevsky of the 16th-17th centuries: in the Vladimir edition of 1547-1552, in the edition of the Pskovite Vasily-Varlaam in the middle of the 16th century, in the Book of Powers of 1563, in the edition of Iona Dumin in 1591, in Prologue, in abridged editions of the 17th century. - Vincent and Titus.

So, the basis of the news about the Battle of the Ice of the Novgorod 1st chronicle of the junior edition and the Sofia 1st chronicle, as well as all the stories about the Battle of the Ice of other chronicles dependent on them, are the news of the I group (Novgorod) and the news of the V group (Vladimir early). When using them as historical sources, it must be taken into account that the chronicle texts of the XV-XVII centuries. significantly separated in time from the event itself (1242) and over the entire period were repeatedly subjected to extensive literary editing.

VI. The late Vladimir story about the Battle of the Ice was reflected in the Vladimir chronicler of the 16th century. Here is the text of this story:

“The same summer, in the winter, Prince Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky walked from Novogorodtsi to Nemtsi. And to those who came down to them on Lake Pleskovsky and that on that lake there was a great battle with Germans. And conquer German Prince Alexander, and Pleskov again taking Novgorod. In the summer of 6750. The Great Prince Yaroslav sent his son Prince Andrey to Veliky Novgorod to help his son Alexander against the Germans. Nemtsy came to Novgorod, and Prince Alexander with his brother Prince Andrey and from Novogorodtsi stretishyas with them on Lake Ladoga, and there was a great battle and beaten Prince Alexander Nemets, and others with the hands of Yasha, and Prince Ondrya returned to his father with great honor. According to M.N. Tikhomirov, the "Vladimir Chronicler" is based on a set close to the Trinity Chronicle, in conjunction with Moscow, Vladimir and Novgorod news. In the text of the chronicle, a doubling of the news about the Battle of the Ice is noticeable. This doubling occurred as a result of a mechanical combination of two different stories from different chronicles: 1) news of Novgorod origin about the battle on Lake Pleskov, which ended in victory and the return of Pleskov “again to Novgorod” and 2) news of Suzdal origin about the participation of Prince Andrei with his squad , while the place of the battle is incorrectly named - Lake Ladoga instead of Peipsi. As a historical source about the Battle of the Ice, Vladimir's late news is not of particular interest.

On fig. 2 we offer a diagram of the relationship between the news of Russian written sources about the Battle of the Ice.

So, all the Russian written stories about the Battle of the Ice that we have studied, which are found in the annals and in the literary monuments of the 11th-17th centuries, do not contain new information worthy of the historian's trust that supplements the news of the five above-mentioned groups of news of the 13th century. They only repeat (or distort) the Vladimir, Novgorod, Pskov, Rostov and Suzdal news of the 13th century. and therefore cannot serve as a reliable historical source. Thus, the above-mentioned I - Novgorod, II - Pskov, III - Rostov, IV - Suzdal and V - Vladimir early, VI - Vladimir late stories about the Battle of the Ice can be used as a historical source not to the same extent, but taking into account the trend, place and the time of origin of each story and the relative reliability of the information reported in it. The most important and valuable historical source is the story of the 13th century about the Battle on the Ice of the Novgorod 1st chronicle of the senior version.

In 1242, on April 11, according to the Gregorian calendar, one of the most famous battles in the Russian military took place - the famous Battle of the Ice.

In 1237, a terrible misfortune fell upon Russia from the east - the Mongol-Tatar invasion. During the first campaign of Batu, the northeastern Russian principalities were devastated. During the second campaign in 1239, the south of Kievan Rus was devastated.

Russia as a whole was very much weakened. And at this time, the onslaught on Russian lands from the west intensified. The German knights settled in the Baltics quite a long time ago. At first it was the Order of the Sword-bearers, which, by the events described, had already ceased to exist after a severe defeat. It was replaced by the Teutonic Order, and directly on the lands of modern Latvia and Estonia was the vassal of the Teutonic Order - the Livonian Order. These were German chivalric spiritual orders, that is, powerful military organizations that solved the problem of spreading the Catholic faith among the pagans with the help of the sword. At the same time, they were not even interested in the fact that, for example, the Russian lands were Christian, Orthodox. From their point of view, it didn't change anything.

And so, taking advantage of the weakening of Russia, the troops of the Livonian Order took Izborsk, and then approached Pskov itself. The knights managed to take Pskov with the help of treason. Part of the Pskovites, led by the mayor Tverdila, decided to go under the arm of the Germans. They invited the Germans as military rulers of Pskov. Vogts were placed in the city (these are the governors of the Livonian Order). And, actually relying on Pskov, the knights began to wage war against Novgorod in order to weaken Novgorod, and, if possible, to capture it. At least at the first stage, intercept his trade.

The Livonians built a fortress on the churchyard of Koporye, which allowed them to intercept Novgorod merchants who went along the Neva to the Gulf of Finland, and made it possible to raid both the banks of the Neva and the banks of the Volkhov, and even in the vicinity of Novgorod. The situation of the Novgorodians became desperate. Novgorod only shortly before this - in 1240 - with the help of Prince Alexander, repelled the landing of the Swedes on the Neva, where Jarl Birger was defeated at the mouth of the Izhora. But after this battle, the Novgorodians quarreled with Alexander and expelled him from Novgorod. Or rather, not that all Novgorodians are Novgorod boyars. And so, when Novgorod began to suffer defeats from the Livonians, the veche decided to turn again to Alexander, who at that time already had the well-deserved nickname Nevsky - from the victory over the Swedes. And Alexander was again invited to reign in Novgorod.

The first thing he did was to take Koporye in 1241, that is, he opened the Novgorod trade routes back and made it impossible for the Germans to raid directly to Novgorod. Then, in 1242, Alexander Nevsky, as it was then said, took Pskov as an exile, that is, he captured it on the move. The traitors were executed, the German Vogts were sent to Novgorod, Pskov again became a Russian city. Then Alexander Nevsky took Izborsk and transferred the war to the territory of the Order. We have come directly to the moment when the Battle of the Ice took place.

How is it written in the Simeon Chronicle? “The master, having heard about this, went out against them with all his bishops and with all the multitude of people from their country, no matter how many people were in their country, and with the help of the king of Denmark. And they went to Lake Peipsi. Grand Duke Alexander returned back. The Germans also went after him. The Grand Duke set up regiments on Lake Peipsi, on Uzmen near the Raven Stone. He was inspired by the power of the cross and, having prepared for battle, went out against them. The troops converged on Lake Peipsi. There were many warriors on both sides."

And here, in fact, what is most interesting? Now there are people who question the very fact of the Battle of the Ice. They refer to the fact that it was not possible to find large deposits of metal at the bottom of Lake Peipus, that it was not possible to find the Raven stone. Indeed, the description of the Battle on the Ice, traditionally studied even in schools, dates back to a later time. That is, when it is told about how Alexander Nevsky put troops on the ice of Lake Peipus, singled out an ambush regiment, about how he prepared for battle, hoping that the Livonians could fall through the ice, and how the knightly cavalry attacked him " pig”, supported by infantry, consisting of knechts. It is clear that this description is hardly true. It is difficult to imagine the close masses of knightly cavalry on the ice in April.

The Germans are not suicidal, and neither are ours. But to deny the very fact of the battle is stupid and pointless.

The fact is that it is described not only in Russian sources. It is mentioned not only in the "Life of Alexander Nevsky", not only in the annals and not only in the works of later Russian historians. This battle is also mentioned in Livonian sources: for example, in the Rhymed Chronicle. True, there the description looks somewhat different. According to this chronicle, the troops fought against Alexander Nevsky in this battle were not the master of the Livonian Order, but one of his largest vassals, Bishop Herman of Derpt. And these troops consisted of, in fact, the knights of the Derpt bishop, of the brothers of the order and of the guests of the order. The guests of the order are secular knights who have not accepted the monastic rite, in short, who have not become monks and, nevertheless, are in the service of the order.

And also these were the warriors of the knights themselves. The fact is that each knight was the commander of a spear, which usually numbered from seven to ten warriors. That is, the knight himself, the squire (if it was a knight of the order, then the squire was usually a novice of the order, also a heavily armed cavalryman) and foot soldiers-bollards. And besides this infantry, there was also the city militia of the city of Dorpat, that is, heavily armed city infantry.

The army of the order was strong enough and tried to really strike at the troops of Alexander Nevsky. And indeed his troops were intercepted near Lake Peipus. The battle has taken place. And the fact that the "Rhyming Chronicle" mentions grass under the hooves of horses and does not mention anything about the battle on ice does not change the very essence of the battle that took place. And the essence of this battle is that the order troops, powerful, well-armed, well-trained, were completely defeated in the battle on Lake Peipus.

And if we attribute this solely to the valor of our troops, skillful maneuvering and the ice that fell under the German knights, then the Germans are trying to find an excuse in the cowardice of the Derpt militia, which, having seen the complete defeat of the knights, decided not to join the battle (probably, they decided correctly, given that by that time the knights were already completely defeated), and in the deceit and cunning of the Russians. The Germans tried to find an excuse for themselves, but they did not dare to deny the fact that their army was completely defeated. And on this the aggression of the order against the Novgorod land was stopped.

Where did the description of the battle on the ice come from, this knightly wedge, where more and more deployed ranks of knights gradually stand: five knights, seven, nine, and so on; and the wedge, the head and flanks of which are riders, is filled inside with bollards. This description is taken from a later battle. The fact is that there was another major battle where the order troops were defeated by the Russians. This is the famous Rakovor battle. It has now been safely forgotten, but it was from the description of this battle, apparently, that the compilers of the chronicles took the description of the Battle on the Ice, because contemporaries did not leave a detailed description. Therefore, it makes no sense to look directly on Lake Peipus, that is, on its water surface, for neither the Raven Stone, nor even to look for a “warehouse” of sunken knights under water. This is most likely not there. But on the shores of Lake Peipsi, the knights suffered a crushing defeat from the Russian troops: Novgorod, Suzdal, led by Alexander Nevsky.

In order to have at least some idea of ​​\u200b\u200bnational military history, one must not read Fomenko-Nosovsky or conspiracy theories. You need to read books like Readers on Russian Military History. This is an important initial reading to get a base. It is here - documents, primary sources, on the basis of which you yourself can draw further conclusions.

How many miles did the warriors of Alexander Nevsky have to walk before the battle on Lake Peipsi? Where is the legendary Raven Stone located?

Here, at the Raven Stone, we will meet their cavalry, - Prince Alexander Nevsky in the film of the same name by Sergei Eisenstein marks the place of the future battle with a wide wave. And overnight, the mean chronicle lines “on Lake Peipus, near the Uzmen tract, at the Raven Stone ...” receive visible confirmation, and the legend of the stone guard on the borders of the Russian land is additional weight. According to her, the Raven Stone, even after the Battle of the Ice, repeatedly shielded the Pskov lands from the invasion of enemies. Even when he, along with the island, plunged into the abyss of the lake, it was all the same - at a dangerous moment he got up from the water, crushing enemy ships. And then he went back into the water.

Who knows, maybe the Raven Stone will appear on the surface of Lake Peipsi in all its gigantic power. If the need for that, of course, arises ... - this is how the legend ends in the retelling of the writer Yuri Stepanov.

Fairy tale is a lie

However, over the past seven centuries, the area where Alexander Nevsky allegedly fought with the Livonian knights has changed significantly. The area is flooding. There are absolutely no hopes for the appearance of a historical boulder (even if on geological maps). (Read more details on our website)
- The crow stone just melted. Most likely, it was not just a huge boulder, but a real mountain consisting of sandstone. This is a breed that has strength only in a relatively dry place. As the level of the lake began to rise and the base of Ravenstone began to flood, it began to melt like a lump of sugar on a damp surface. In confirmation of this, geologists managed to find a vast “remnant” at a shallow depth - all that remains of the once high cliff, says Tatyana Namestnikova, Executive Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of the History of the Expedition to clarify the location of the Battle of the Ice.

Mythmaking rally

Today, the only reliable information about the Battle of the Ice is that the battle took place at dawn on April 5, 1242. The place of the battle, the number of troops and the number of those killed are relative data. In the Novgorod Chronicle and the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle, they are spelled out differently. The details of the battle itself are practically unknown, unless, of course, we consider the battle shown in the film "Alexander Nevsky" to be historically accurate. With the light hand of the director, the knights became "dogs" and received heavy armor, because of which, in fact, they drowned with the whole army.

Dog-knights - the epithet used in relation to the knights of the Teutonic Order, is an erroneous translation from the German "Reitershunde". This expression was used by Karl Marx in the manuscript "Chronological Extracts", describing the struggle of Alexander Nevsky with the Teutonic and Livonian knights.

Road trip around the district centers

The rally passed through several regional centers of the Pskov region. In each of the major cities along the route (Zvenigorod - Velikiye Luki - Pustoshka - Opochka - Ostrov - Pskov - Gdov - Slantsy - Samolva), the participants of the trip met local historians, historians, schoolchildren and students.
- They ask a lot of questions. Very different - about how the Germans stood, whether they were heavy, drowned or not. Basically, of course, everyone has associations associated with the wonderful film "Alexander Nevsky". But we have a different story, based on the data of the expedition. We show a model of the historical and geographical environment of the battle site, we show a piece of Devonian sandstone - a mineral from which the Raven Stone could have been composed. And we invite everyone to the museum in Samolva - many other legends about the Battle of the Ice will be dispelled there, - says Tatyana Namestnikova (pictured).

The nickname "dog-knights" was awarded to the Teutons due to an incorrect translation into Russian of the works of Karl Marx. The classic of communist doctrine used the noun "Reitershunde" - "monk" in relation to the Teutons, which in German is consonant with the word "dog".

There are no reliable sources confirming the presence of any "dog" attributes or rituals in this knightly order. The epithet became popular after the release of the film "Alexander Nevsky".

The organizers of the recent rally (which was dedicated to the 772th anniversary of the legendary battle) did not aim to debunk all the myths and conjectures about the Battle of the Ice, but rather to present their own version of what is happening. Quite possibly the most accurate. Thus, the layout of the historical and geographical environment of the battle site prepared by them gives an idea of ​​the change in the relief of the coastal territory of Lake Peipus. Hence the conclusion about the gradual flooding of the area and the erosion of the Raven Stone.

On land or on water

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 coast of Cape Sigovets, can be considered the immediate place of the battle.

For half a century there was no doubt about the correctness of the results of this expedition. Not only chronicles were studied, but also hydrological, geological features of the area, excavations were carried out. Thanks to all this, it was possible to create a stereoscopic vision of the problem, - explains one of the organizers of the rally, a member of the same expedition, writer Vladimir Potresov.

As for the battlefield, indeed, in the "Rhymed Chronicle" (a document of the XIII century, describes the history of the actions of German knightly orders in the Baltic states. - Ed.), the battle on the grass, on land, is mostly mentioned. Although, perhaps the wording "the dead fell on the grass" is an idiomatic expression that implies "fall on the battlefield."

The second argument of the “opponents” of the Battle on the Ice is that the armor and weapons of the drowned crusaders were not found at the bottom of Lake Peipsi.

The battle on Lake Peipsi is not an Eisenstein film: the ice did not break under the weight of the "heavy" knights, who did not differ much in weight from the Russians. In addition, finding armor is a rare success, because, for example, the armor of a Russian warrior of those times cost as much as an entire village like Samolva; that even if it were possible to find the armor at the bottom, it would say absolutely nothing about the place or the course of the battle, explains Vladimir Potresov.

Number of knights

The number of troops, the number of wounded and killed are even more variable values, which do not coincide in different chronicles. The Livonian Rhymed Chronicle says that twenty knights died on the ice of Lake Peipus, and six were taken prisoner. And Russian chroniclers mention 400 dead crusaders and 50 captured soldiers. The losses of the Russian army are described vaguely: "many brave soldiers fell." As for the total number of troops, according to a number of historians, the German army reached 10-12 thousand people, and Novgorod - 15-17 thousand people.

This is fundamentally impossible, - Vladimir Potresov gets excited. - I found information about the mobilization capacity of the regions. It turned out that this percentage varies from 1 to 5. A warrior must be trained, physically strong, must be provided with weapons, and this is very expensive. It turns out to be quite an interesting thing. The army of Alexander Nevsky, most likely, consisted of 1.5 thousand people (500 horsemen and about a thousand infantry).

Let's go rob

Based on this figure, he calculates the approximate amount of food necessary for the life support of such an army. After that, it analytically confirms the conclusion about the place of the battle. In March 1242, Alexander Nevsky, at the head of the Novgorod army, made a two-week march to Pskov, recaptured the city from the knights of the Livonian Order, defeated the Koporye fortress and set off back to Novgorod. However, he had to return in a different way (partially on the ice of Lake Peipus), since the army during the first transition ruined all the surrounding villages. Therefore, Alexander "let the entire regiment live" on the lands of the Order, that is, to put it simply, he allowed the local population to be robbed. And the Teutons, of course, decided to teach the robbers the mind.

The army that took Koporye went a long way and took Pskov, it was an army tired of many days of marching. And it is unlikely that Alexander would have taken a trip to the western lands with her. And, most likely, after the first skirmish with the knightly army at the mouth of the Zhelcha, he received a message that he could not move further to Novgorod due to the fact that the rivers had opened. He was forced to fight. But he had time to spare. And Alexander found an effective place, sums up Vladimir Potresov.

At first glance, the Battle of the Ice happened by chance, but on the other hand, it hung. The importance of the battle is confirmed by the fact that for 100 years after it, the knights did not attack these lands. Then it was a very important and serious event. In my opinion, the story developed in this way.

BY THE WAY

The Museum of the History of the Expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences to clarify the location of the Battle on the Ice was opened in 2012 in the village of Samolva, Gdov District. From 1958 to 1963, the headquarters of the expedition was located here, as a result of which the book "Battle on the Ice: Proceedings of a comprehensive expedition to clarify the location of the Battle of the Ice in 1242" was published. The exposition of the museum presents in detail all the stages of many years of work: documents, maps, scientific works, field notebooks, travel diaries and personal belongings of the expedition members. Among the unique exhibits are the diving equipment used to dive to the bottom of Lake Peipus, the frame of a kayak used in the exploration of ancient waterways.

NUMBERS

During the march from Novgorod to Pskov, the army of Alexander Nevsky overcame about 300 km of the way. Every day the soldiers walked 25-30 km. Each warrior had to eat about 5 kg of food per day - and this is only the amount that allowed him to survive. About 10 kg of feed was used daily to feed a horse.

MYTH ABOUT ALEXANDER NEVSKY

It is generally accepted that the words “Whoever enters us with a sword will die by the sword. On that stood and stands the Russian land! belong to the Novgorod prince Alexander Nevsky. And he said them, allegedly as a warning to the ambassadors of the Livonian Order, who, after the Battle of the Ice, came to him in Veliky Novgorod to ask for "eternal peace." But the real author of these words is the Soviet writer Pyotr Pavlenko, and they first appeared in his film script "Alexander Nevsky". According to the script, they are spoken by the protagonist of the film.
Author:

In the summer of 1240, an army of many thousands of German Teutonic knights moved to Russia, which captured several cities and planned to storm Novgorod. But Prince Alexander Nevsky, invited by the Novgorodians, with his retinue liberated Koporye and Pskov, and then on April 5, 1242, lured the Germans onto the ice of Lake Peipus. As he planned, the ice could not bear the weight of the armored knights and cracked, sinking most of the Teutonic host and providing the Russians with a glorious victory. Of course, we remember all this from the lessons of history. However, much of what is known about this battle is just a myth.

Myth 1. Russians fought the Germans

Let's first figure out whose army invaded Russia. Any person with even a little knowledge of history will answer: “Of course, German!” And he will be absolutely right, because even in the Novgorod chronicle it is said that these were precisely the “Germans”. Yes, only now we use this word exclusively for the Germans (we even study the language not German, but German), in the 13th century the word “German” meant “mute”, that is, one who could not speak. So the Russians called all the peoples whose speech was incomprehensible to them. It turns out that the inhabitants of medieval Russia considered the Danes, French, Poles, Germans, Finns and so on to be “Germans”.

The Livonian chronicle indicates that the army that went on a campaign against Russia consisted of the knights of the Livonian Order (one of the divisions of the Teutonic Order based in the territory of the present Baltic), Danish vassals and the militia from Derpt (now Tartu), a significant part of which was the Chud (as the Russians called Estonians). Consequently, this army cannot be called not only “German”, it cannot even be called “Teutonic”, because most of the soldiers did not belong to the Livonian Order. But you can call them crusaders, because the campaign was partly religious in nature.

And the Russian army was not exclusively the army of Alexander Nevsky. In addition to the squad of the prince himself, the army included a detachment of the bishop, the Novgorod garrison subordinate to the mayor, the militia of the towns, as well as the squads of boyars and wealthy merchants. In addition, the “grassroots” regiments from the Suzdal principality came to the aid of the Novgorodians: the prince’s brother Andrei Yaroslavich with a squad, and with him the city and boyar detachments.

Myth 2. Countless army

Since Soviet times, some historians, when mentioning the number of armies clashed on Lake Peipsi, indicate that the army of Alexander Nevsky numbered about 15-17 thousand people, while 10-12 thousand German soldiers opposed them. For comparison, we note that the population of Novgorod at the beginning of the 13th century was only about 20-30 thousand people, and this includes women, the elderly and children. Approximately the same number lived in medieval Paris, London, Cologne. That is, according to the facts presented, armies equal in number to half the population of the largest cities in the world were supposed to converge in the battle. Very doubtful, isn't it?

Now there are also such historians who, on the contrary, assert that the battle of 1242 was a very insignificant event. After all, the Livonian chronicle says that, for their part, the Germans lost only 20 "brothers" killed and six captured. Yes, only pundits seem to forget that not every warrior of medieval Europe was considered a knight. The knights were only well-armed and equipped noble people, and usually 100 people of support went with each of them: archers, spearmen, cavalry (the so-called knechts), as well as local militia, which the Livonian chroniclers could not take into account. The Novgorod chronicle claims that the losses of the Germans amounted to 400 people killed and 50 were captured, as well as “pade chyudi beschisla”. Russian chroniclers probably counted everyone, regardless of clan and tribe.

So, it seems that the figures of researchers who claim that the German army numbered about 150 knights, one and a half thousand bollards and a couple of thousand chud militia are most credible. Novgorod opposed them with about four to five thousand fighters.

Myth 3. Heavy versus light

One of the most popular misconceptions says that the armor of a German warrior was two or three times heavier than Russians. Allegedly, it was thanks to this that the ice on the lake broke and the heavy armor pulled the Germans to the bottom. In fact, Russian and German soldiers were protected about the same. By the way, plate armor, in which knights are usually depicted in novels and films, appeared later - in the XIV-XV centuries. The knights of the 13th century, like the Russian warriors, put on a steel helmet, chain mail before the battle, on top of it - a mirror, plate armor, or a brigandine (a leather shirt with steel plates), the arms and legs of the warrior were covered with bracers and leggings. All this ammunition pulled 20 kilograms. And not every warrior had such equipment, but only the most noble and rich.

Myth 4. Alexander hoped for ice

If we carefully examine the scheme of the battle, we will see that the German invaders fell through the ice not at all where the battle took place. This happened later: already retreating, some of them accidentally ran out to the "sigovitsa" - a place on the lake, where the water does not freeze well due to the current. So, breaking the ice could not be included in the tactical plans of the prince. The main merit of Alexander Nevsky turned out to be that he correctly chose the place of the battle and managed to break the German system with a pig, or a wedge. The knights, having concentrated the infantry in the center and covering it on the flanks with cavalry, as usual attacked "head on", hoping to sweep away the main forces of the Russians. But there was only a small detachment of light warriors, who immediately began to retreat. Yes, only, chasing him, the Germans suddenly ran into a steep bank, and at that time the main forces of the Russians, turning the flanks, hit from the sides and from the rear, taking the enemy into the ring. Immediately, Alexander's cavalry detachment, hidden in an ambush, entered the battle, and the Germans were broken. As the chronicle describes, the Russians drove them seven miles to the far shore of Lake Peipus.

By the way, in the first Novgorod chronicle there is not a word about the fact that the retreating Germans fell through the ice. This fact was added by the chroniclers later - 100 years after the battle. There is no mention of this in the Livonian chronicle.

So, it is quite possible that knights drowning among the ice are also just a myth.

Myth 5. At the Raven Stone

Let's take another look at the battle diagram: it says that it took place on the eastern shore, not far from the junction of Lake Peipus and Pskov. In fact, this is just one of the many alleged places where the Russians could have encountered the crusaders. The Novgorod chroniclers quite accurately indicate the place of the battle - at the Raven Stone. Yes, only where this very Crow stone is located, historians are guessing to this day. Some argue that this was the name of the island, and now called Vorony, others - that high sandstone was once considered a stone, which was washed away over the centuries. The Livonian chronicle says that the defeated soldiers fell on the grass, so that the battle could not have happened at all on the ice, but on the shore (dry reeds would have gone for the grass), and the Russians were already chasing the retreating Germans across the frozen lake.

Many are confused by the fact that even with the help of modern equipment, no weapons and armor of the 13th century have yet been found in the lake, which raised doubts: was there a Battle on the Ice at all? However, if the knights did not actually drown, then the absence of equipment that went to the bottom is not at all surprising. In addition, most likely immediately after the battle, the bodies of the dead - both their own and those of others - were removed from the battlefield and buried.

In general, not a single expedition has ever established a reliable place for the battle of the Crusaders with the troops of Alexander Nevsky, and the points of a possible battle are scattered over a hundred kilometers long.

Perhaps the only thing that no one doubts is that the battle of 1242 really took place.

Oleg Gorosov / Five myths about the Ice Battle / Secrets of the XX century. - 2011. - No. 20

What was embellished and left unsaid in the annals of the famous battle

What were we taught in school history lessons? When German knight dogs moved to Russia in order to capture our cities, the Novgorodians invited Alexander Nevsky, and he and his squad liberated Pskov. And on April 5, 1242, he lured the enemies of the Russian land onto the ice of Lake Peipsi, where they safely drowned along with their armor - and about what Eisenstein shot his great, without exaggeration, film. Was it really so?

Who were those Germans

The Germans in those years in Russia were called not only the Germans themselves, but also the Danes, and the French, and the Finns, and many more. In general, those who did not know the great and mighty Russian language, did not know how to express themselves in words in a conversation with Russians - which means they were mute. So what kind of people in 1242 came out as a “pig” (the method of construction is approx. ed.) on April ice?

According to the Livonian chronicle, the army, which moved to Russia in the summer of 1240, consisted of the knights of the Livonian Order (the so-called division of the Teutonic Order, which was based in the territory of the present Baltic), Danish vassals and the Derpt militia. It is difficult to call this army German. One thing is certain - the real crusaders went to Russia, believing that they were bringing the light of true religion to the Russian barbarians.

How many people fought

Many Soviet historians gave the following figures: from 15 to 17 thousand people - the number of Alexander Nevsky's troops, from 10 to 12 thousand - the number of German troops. Could it really be - if in medieval cities like Paris, Cologne and the same Novgorod at that time lived 20-30 thousand, including women, children and the elderly? The figures cited by modern researchers look much more convincing: no more than five thousand fighters fought on both sides.

Wikimedia

Some historians go to the other extreme, arguing that the Battle of the Ice was nothing more than a minor skirmish: they say, the Livonian Chronicle says that only 20 “brothers”, that is, knights, were lost killed and captured. However, it should be remembered here that only noble people were called knights, each of whom had a hundred commoners - knechts (cavalrymen), archers, spearmen. The Livonian chroniclers did not take them into account - in contrast to the Russian scribes who compiled the Novgorod chronicle, in which it is written that the losses of the Germans were 400 people killed and 50 prisoners.

How much did the armor weigh

We all remember from childhood that the "German knights" wore terribly heavy armor, the weight of which could not withstand the ice on Lake Peipsi; Russian warriors did not wear such armor and therefore did not fall through the ice. In fact, plate armor, in which it is customary to depict European knights, appeared a century later. Warriors from the Livonian Order wore approximately the same thing as Russian warriors: on the body - chain mail, on top of it - a mirror or brigandine (leather shirt with steel plates sewn into it), on the head a steel helmet, on the hands of "bracers", on legs "greaves". Such vestments weighed about 20 kg. And, by the way, not everyone wore it, but only noble and rich warriors - the metal was very expensive.

Who fell through the ice

Accordingly, the main merit of Alexander Nevsky is not that he lured heavily armed knights onto the ice. Moreover, if you look at the map of the battle carefully, it becomes clear that the soldiers fell through the ice not in the place where the battle was going on, but already during the retreat - part of the knights, retreating, went to a place where there was a current under the ice and the water was bad was freezing. As for the military tactics of Alexander, it consisted of the following: he knew that the Livonian knights used to attack in the forehead - and lured them into a trap: he put lightly armed warriors in their path, who quickly began to retreat; the enemy, chasing them, ran into the sheer shore of the lake, and then the main forces of the Russians hit him from the sides and rear; at the same time, the cavalry detachment of Nevsky himself, who had previously been hiding in an ambush, entered the battle.

Descriptions of knights falling through the ice, by the way, are not in either the first Novgorod or Livonian chronicles; Russian chroniclers added it later, already a hundred years after the battle.

Where was the battle

According to the scheme of the Battle of the Ice, it took place on the eastern shore of Lake Peipus, not far from its junction with Lake Pskov. However, this is just one of the alleged locations of the battle.

Novgorod chroniclers indicated the place of the battle as "at the Raven Stone". What kind of Raven stone, they did not finally find out: some believe that this is the Raven Island in the lake, others - that this was the name of the high sandstone, which over the years that have passed since the battle, washed away by water. In the Livonian chronicles, it is even mentioned that the slain knights fell on the grass - that is, the battle could have been on the shore; in the middle of a frozen lake, grass, even dry and last year's, could not be. The latest version is supported by the fact that no sunken armor has ever been found at the bottom of Lake Peipus.17