On April 5, 1242, a battle took place that is rightfully inscribed in the tables of brilliant Russian military victories, and is currently known as Battle on the Ice.

In the battle on the ice of Lake Peipus, the Russian squad led by Prince Alexander Nevsky defeated the army of the knights of the Teutonic Order.

In honor of this event, we offer to refresh the memory of the most famous sayings Alexander Nevsky.

Grand Duke of Vladimir and Kyiv, Prince Novgorodsky Alexander Yaroslavich was born on May 13, 1221. The victory won by him on July 15, 1240 on the banks of the Neva over the detachment commanded by future ruler Jarl Birger of Sweden. It was for this victory that the prince began to be called Nevsky. On April 5, 1242, by defeating the knights of the Teutonic Order on the ice of Lake Peipsi, the prince entered his name in history as a commander who secured western borders Russia. Died November 14, 1263. He was buried in the Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin. Was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1547. In 1942 Soviet government established the Order of Alexander Nevsky.

In many military units In Russia, we will find on the posters the phrase “Whoever enters us with a sword will die by the sword!”. And the signature under it: "Alexander Nevsky". In this case, we are dealing with a cultural-historical curiosity. And that's why. Some statements of Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky, one of those great princes of Russia, who most strongly influenced its history, have come down to us. However, it seems that he did not say precisely these words, otherwise they would have been preserved in the memory of those from whose words the chroniclers then, in hot pursuit, recorded the facts of the biography of Alexander Nevsky.

Why do we still cite them in the book Speeches that Changed Russia? The answer to this question is Feature Film"Alexander Nevsky", filmed by director Sergei Eisenstein in 1938 under Stalin's genuine patronage, who made his own adjustments both to the script and to the final cut of the film. The film was supposed to become not only an artistic, but also an ideological phenomenon. Threat big war was then real, and this threat came from Germany. Historical parallels with the film were transparent to the viewer.

When the film was released in 1938, it was a huge success, comparable only to the success of Chapaev. Sergei Eisenstein received Stalin Prize and a Doctor of Arts degree without a dissertation. However, shortly after the release of the picture, it was withdrawn from distribution for reasons of political correctness in relation to Germany, with which during this period the USSR was trying to establish strong ties. In 1939, the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact with Germany, and the film was banned by special order from being shown and put on the shelf so as not to lose Hitler's favor and not to generate in the minds Soviet citizens negative image of the German conqueror.

However, as we know, the non-aggression pact was treacherously violated by the Nazis in 1941, and it no longer made any sense to keep the film on the shelf. After the start of the Great Patriotic War, "Alexander Nevsky" returned to the screens with even more resounding success. And even more than that, in 1942 it was 700 years since the battle on Lake Peipsi. There was an impression that the film was specially shot for this date, and even with propaganda overtones. Indeed, in the film, the knights of the Teutonic Order (Germans) are represented as a powerful, well-organized force that turns into nothing when they meet with the heroism and resourcefulness of the Russian people. Pointing to this, Stalin's words were printed on the posters of the film: "Let the courageous image of our great ancestors inspire you in this war."

The film ends with the complete victory of the Russian troops over the invaders. AT final scenes Novgorod people decide their fate in this way: ordinary soldiers are released, the knights are left for ransom, and the leaders of the troops are executed. Actor Nikolai Cherkasov, the performer of the role of Alexander Nevsky, throws to the departing knechts so that they tell everyone else: “Whoever enters us with a sword will die from the sword! On that stood and will stand the Russian land! At that moment, these words sounded very relevant: it seemed as if the disgraced and defeated Germans of the thirteenth century had to convey these words to the Germans of the twentieth. But, apparently, neither one nor the other heard these words. But they were accepted with all their hearts, understood and inspired by them by the Russian people of the twentieth century, to whose lot it fell to repulse the powerful, well-organized force of fascism and turn it into nothing.

The historical parallels were not accidental, as evidenced, in particular, by the words of the filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein: “It was 1938. “Patriotism is our theme” - stood steadily in front of me and in front of the entire creative team during filming, during dubbing, during editing. Reading simultaneously chronicles of the 13th century and newspapers today, you lose the sense of time difference, because the bloody horror that was sown in the XIII century knightly orders conquerors, almost does not differ from what is being done now in some countries of the world.

Let us now return to the personality of Alexander Nevsky. Oddly enough, not much is known about him. "The Life of Alexander Nevsky", created in the early 80s of the XIII century, is small in size, and it is no coincidence that Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, the author of the "History of the Russian State", inserts large excerpts from the reports of Plano Carpini and Willem into the presentation dedicated to Alexander Nevsky van Rubruk about their trips to the Horde to balance the volumes of the various chapters of their historical work. But, as they say, what is - is.

Apparently, the explanation for this lies in the fact that the activities of Alexander Nevsky were mainly devoted to his relationship with the restless Novgorodians, with their formidable western neighbors - the Germans and Swedes - and with the Horde, which brought great trouble to the prince. And the interests of the chroniclers traditionally lay in the plane of confrontation between Kyiv and Vladimir princes, although, to be honest, in historical terms, these endless intrigues no longer had much significance. Not for nothing that Andrei Bogolyubsky, mindful of sad fate his father, Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, who was poisoned Kyiv boyars, renounced claims to the Kyiv Grand Duke's table.

There are not many of us, but the enemy is strong; but God is not in power, but in truth: go with your prince!

However, even the little that we know about Alexander Nevsky causes huge interest to him as a politician and military leader. Here are two opinions expressed by people who spoke with the prince. The first belongs to the master Livonian Order Andrey Velven, who, after talking with Alexander, noted: “I went through many countries and saw many peoples, but I did not meet such a king among kings, nor a prince among princes.” The second was expressed by Khan Batu after meeting with Alexander Nevsky: "They told me the truth that there is no prince like him."

Of course, when reading The Life of Alexander Nevsky, you notice that its author, following the dictates of his time, expounds the speeches and deeds of his hero through the prism of Christian, or rather Orthodox attitude to the world and people, and, of course, Alexander himself thought and spoke in the same vein. An example of this is the words of Alexander Nevsky, which he said to his soldiers before the Battle of the Neva: “There are not many of us, but the enemy is strong; but God is not in power, but in truth: go with your prince!”

A curiosity related to those attributed to the atheistic Soviet time To Alexander Nevsky, the words “Whoever enters us with a sword will die by the sword!” is also connected with the fact that this statement is very reminiscent of one verse from the biblical “Revelation of John the Theologian”: “Whoever leads into captivity, he himself will go into captivity ; whoever kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and faith of the saints” (Rev. 13:10).

In conclusion, it is necessary to mention the appeal to Alexander noted by the chronicler from Pope Innocent IV, who sent two legates to the prince, Cardinals Hald and Gemont, with a proposal to go to catholic faith. In a response letter, Alexander Nevsky wrote the following words, which have not lost their relevance even today.

Answer of Prince Alexander Nevsky to papal legates, 1251

From Adam to the flood, from the flood to the division of nations, from the confusion of nations to Abraham, from Abraham to the passage of Israel through the Red Sea, from the exodus of the sons of Israel to the death of David the king, from the beginning of the reign of Solomon to Augustus the king, from the power of Augustus to nativity, from the birth of Christ to the suffering and resurrection of the Lord, from His resurrection to the ascension into heaven, from the ascension to heaven to the reign of Constantine, from the beginning of the reign of Constantine to the first Council, from the first Council to the seventh - we know all this well, but from you teachings are not acceptable.

“They came at us with countless bows and a lot of the finest armor. Their banners and clothes struck with luxury and wealth. Their helmets radiated light."

This is exactly what the Russian knights of the Livonian Order saw on the ice of Lake Peipus on April 5, 1242. For many of them, this spectacle was the last.

But let me! What other "finest armor" and " emitting light Helmets "of the Russians, when we saw in the cinema from childhood - against the German knights, clad in armor, fought even heroic, but still rogues in squalid ports, tattered sheepskin coats and bast shoes ?! The weapon is a shaft tucked under the arm. And as for the armor - the dying breath of the blacksmith-warrior, memorable to everyone: “Oh, the chain mail is short ...” Thanks a lot Sergei Eisenstein- his film Alexander Nevsky"was so good that it almost replaced the historical truth.

Sweet Eurolife

And it's good that not all. Despite the clown shirts of the Novgorodians embroidered with roosters and bagels, the basis remained quite reliable - the battle took place, it was large-scale, ours won it and saved their land from terrible devastation and even complete destruction.

Although some people try to challenge these truths. Say, and the battle was petty, nothing decisive. And the Germans are not so bad, you see, and they would put things in order with us. And in general, Alexander Nevsky did not have to fight with the knights, but on the contrary - to unite and together properly distribute the Tatar-Mongols. After all, he could integrate with advanced Europe, but instead he kowtowed to the wild steppes and recognized the power of the Horde.

It is not bad for such dreamers to be reminded of what happened to those Slavic peoples, who nevertheless had the imprudence to fall for the sweet speeches of the Germans about well-fed living together in the then European Union - the Holy Roman Empire. Let's say, the Slezan tribe was still lucky - they at least left the name Silesia on the map, which, however, is rarely remembered. And they don’t remember the Bodrich tribe at all. And rightly so - their princes caved in under German Emperor, and exactly by the time of Alexander Nevsky, this once Slavic land was called Mecklenburg, and the population, from the nobility to the commoners, spoke and believed in German.

Of course, the Russian prince could not quote poems Sergei Mikhalkov: “Our people will not allow Russian fragrant bread to be called the word “Brot”. But, apparently, he knew the story well. And I thought in roughly the same categories as Soviet poet. Yes, and the Germans behaved on the lands seized from him not at all like goodies, which is evidenced by the chronicle of the Livonian Order: “We did not let a single Russian leave unharmed. Those who defended themselves were killed; those who fled were overtaken and killed. Shouts and lamentations were heard. In that land, great lamentation began everywhere.” No, the Tatars killed and burned no less. But at least they didn’t rename Russian cities and didn’t plant their administration in them, didn’t introduce polygamy in Russia and didn’t force everyone to massively drink koumiss and eat horse meat. The Germans, having barely taken Pskov, planted two imperial officials there, began to introduce their own laws, introduce their customs and even language.

Wars in ancient armor. Reconstruction. Photo: www.russianlook.com

whitefish death

Is it possible to agree with such people? And, most importantly, against whom? Against those same Tatars, from whom exactly a year before the Battle of the Ice this illustrious and brilliant chivalry fled without memory, dropping his pants. Yes, so famously that all of Europe froze in horror: “Significant fear of these barbarians seized even distant countries, France and Spain. In England, because of the panic, trade with the Continent ceased for a long time. And the "almighty" emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, in response to the demand Batu about humility, he humbly wrote: "Being an expert in falconry, I could become a falconer at Your Majesty's court." By the way, the defeat of the knights was really hard - six brothers died in that battle with the Tatars German order, three novice knights and two sergeants. This is a lot, considering that, according to German custom, behind each brother-knight were not dozens of his subordinates, as in France, but from one to several hundred.

Their logic was transparent - what did not work out with the Tatars should come out with the defeated and bloodless Russians, who have been slaughtered for five years Mongol hordes. Maybe they really expected to meet a rabble of bast-bast peasants with a drecollet? Quite acceptable, judging by the somewhat dumbfounded tone of the author Livonian chronicle: “In the kingdom of Russia, people turned out to be of a very cool disposition. They did not hesitate, they got ready to march and rode at us. Many were in shining armor, their helmets shone like crystal. These "shining helmets" and other wealth made an indelible impression on the Germans. Of course, the desire to tear them off the Russian corpses was great, but it turned out a little differently: “20 knight brothers were killed there, and 6 were taken prisoner.” Few? Recall - in the battle with the Tatars, the order lost four times (!) Less.

Of course, it was very shameful to suffer such a defeat from the “Slavic barbarians”. Therefore, in this chronicle, we almost for the first time meet a tale familiar to many from the series “Germans were filled up with corpses”. Then it, however, sounded a little different: "The Russians had such an army that perhaps sixty people attacked each German." It's funny that 700 years later, the descendants of these same knights, who painted crosses on tank towers for themselves, fled in the same way, smearing bloody snot, from the same places. And in the same way they complained about Russian weapons and “beautiful armor”: “They had a T-34 tank, but we didn’t, it’s not fair!” Yes, there was. And back in 1242, we had Prince Alexander Nevsky, who drove the Germans across the lake for almost seven miles. And he drove some of the fleeing people to the place where a month earlier the little guys were catching whitefish. That's what it's called - sigovitsa. The ice there is very thin, with polynyas. So some of the knights really played at the bottom of Lake Peipsi - legends and myths, unlike the defeated, rarely lie.

Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword!
It is generally accepted that these words belong to Novgorod prince Alexander Nevsky, the hero of the battle with the Swedes on the Neva and with the crusader knights on Lake Peipsi. And he said them supposedly as a warning to the ambassadors of the Livonian Order, who, after the Battle of the Ice (in the summer of 1242), came to him in Veliky Novgorod to ask for "eternal peace."
In fact, Alexander Nevsky has nothing to do with these words - in a few chronicle sources, which narrate about him (“The Sophian First Chronicle” and “The Pskov Second Chronicle”) there is no mention of either these words or others, even remotely similar to them.
The author of these words Soviet writer Pyotr Andreevich Pavlenko (1899-1951), and they first appeared in his screenplay "Alexander Nevsky". They, according to the script, are pronounced the protagonist film: Whoever enters us with a sword will die by the sword. On that stood and stands the Russian land! (see: Pavlenko N. A. Alexander Nevsky: Film story // Collected works. T. 4. M., 1954). Film (directed by Sergei Eisenstein)
went on screens on December 1, 1938, and since then these words have been associated with the name of Alexander Nevsky as his personal, “historical” phrase.
Obviously, this phrase is based on the well-known gospel expression: "Those who take the sword will perish by the sword." Or in full: “Then Jesus said to him: return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Gospel of Matthew, ch. 26, article 52).
This expression was well known in ancient world, in pre-evangelical times. For example, in Ancient Rome it existed as catchphrase: Whoever fights with a sword dies by the sword - Qui gladioferit, gladio perit (qui gladio ferit, gladio parit).
Quoted: as an edification and a warning for the future to a defeated or potential aggressor.

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Anatoly Garanin, "Artist Nikolai Cherkasov and director Sergei Eisenstein on the set of the film

On November 25, 1938, the premiere of Alexander Nevsky, a film masterpiece by the brilliant Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein, took place at the Moscow Cinema House. For the promptly completed work (government order), Sergei Eisenstein received the Stalin Prize and a doctorate in art history without defending a dissertation.

Just a few days after the premiere, the picture goes on wide release, evoking the most reverent patriotic feelings among the people, about the same as when watching another film masterpiece Chapaev (1934, directed by the Vasiliev brothers) four years earlier. With the task - "to show the idea and meaning of the heroic campaign of the great Russian people against the aggressor..." the authors of the film coped brilliantly.

The state order was completed in a short time. They started shooting in the summer of 1938. Naturally, the main “winter” decorative elements were polystyrene and plywood painted with white paint - it was under them that the knights fell through Teutonic Order in the Mosfilm pavilions. A mixture of naphthalene, salt and chalk successfully depicted the snow-covered shores of Lake Peipsi. This is how the main movie masterpieces were created big country- ingenuity. Modern miracle technologies are far from the big real cinema ...

Photos from the filming of the film Alexander Nevsky:

The fate of the picture, despite the success was not easy.

A few months after the release of the tape on the screens, in August 1939, a non-aggression pact was signed between Germany and Soviet Union(Molotov-Ribbentrop pact). After that, all films in which the Germans were portrayed negatively, including "Alexander Nevsky", were withdrawn from the box office.

And later, in connection with Hitler's attack on the USSR and the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the film again became very relevant and returned to cinemas.

In 1942, that is, in the year of the 700th anniversary of the Battle of the Ice, posters were issued with a quote from I.V. Stalin: “Let the courageous image of our great ancestors inspire you in this war.” One of the posters depicted Alexander Nevsky. Such close attention of Stalin was not an accident, since the tape was shot on the personal order of the leader.

Sergei Eisenstein approached the work thoroughly. Each scene, each stroke should be as close to the original as possible, be believable and convincing. So, for example, in order for the armor of the prince and his squad to be historically accurate, Eisenstein brought items from the Hermitage for study by costume designers from the original weapons of Russian soldiers of the 13th century.

The story of the very first scene in the film, the scene fishing on Lake Pleshcheyevo and Alexander Nevsky's dialogue with the Tatar Baskaks. Eisenstein filmed this scene in the homeland of Alexander Nevsky - near the village of Gorodishche near Pereslavl-Zalessky - the hill and rampart of the ancient settlement, where the prince's chambers then stood, have survived to this day.

“Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword!” - the history of the famous phrase

Despite the solidity and maximum approximation to historical reality, there were still several "deviations" in the script. The key deviation, or so to speak, “notion” in the film was the phrase: “Whoever enters us with a sword will die by the sword. On that stood and stands the Russian land! Here's how it sounds in the movie:

So. It is generally accepted that these words belong to the Novgorod prince Alexander Nevsky. And he said them supposedly as a warning to the ambassadors of the Livonian Order, who, after the Battle of the Ice (in the summer of 1242), came to him in Veliky Novgorod to ask for "eternal peace."

In fact, Alexander Nevsky has nothing to do with these words - in the few chronicle sources that tell about him ("The Sofia First Chronicle" and "The Pskov Second Chronicle") there is no mention of either these words or others, even remotely on them similar.

The author of these words is the Soviet writer Pyotr Andreevich Pavlenko (1899-1951) - the screenwriter of the film "Alexander Nevsky", where they first appeared. Since 1938, these words have been associated with the name of Alexander Nevsky as his personal, "historical" phrase.

Pyotr Andreevich borrowed this phrase from the well-known gospel expression: "Those who take the sword will perish by the sword." In full: “Then Jesus said to him: return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Gospel of Matthew, ch. 26, article 52).

It is curious that this phrase, or rather, its general meaning, was transmitted in pre-evangelical times. For example, in ancient Rome it was used as a catch phrase: Whoever fights with a sword dies by the sword - Quigladioferit, gladio perit (qui gladio ferit, gladio parit). It is quoted as an edification and a warning for the future to a defeated or potential aggressor.

Here's a story...

I also remember a few more interesting facts related to the film "Alexander Nevsky":

No. 1. Order of Alexander Nevsky

AT Russian Empire there was the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, which was awarded to both the military and civilians. In 1917, it was abolished along with other royal orders. A quarter of a century later, on July 29, 1942, they decided to restore the order, only with slight difference from the previous one: on the new Soviet Order of Alexander Nevsky, the architect I. S. Telyatnikov depicts a portrait of the actor Nikolai Cherkasov in the image of a prince from the film by Sergei Eisenstein. Due to the fact that the lifetime images of Alexander Nevsky have not been preserved.

This portrait was taken as a basis, and below is the Order of Alexander Nevsky itself:

Actor Nikolai Cherkasov on the set
Order of Alexander Nevsky

By the way, Nikolai Cherkasov was buried in St. Petersburg, on the territory of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

No. 2. Name

The film was not immediately called "Alexander Nevsky". The creators of the picture considered different variants the names of the painting, among which were "Battle on the Ice", "Lord Veliky Novgorod", "Rus".

No. 3. Nikolai Cherkasov - lead actor

After the resounding success in "Alexander Nevsky", the actor starred in another historical film - "Ivan the Terrible", directed by who do you think could be? - Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein, of course.

Filming took place in Last year Great Patriotic War. Another state order came "from the very top" - the leader was personally interested in this picture. It was necessary to sing the praises of the great and wise ruler with a fundamental important side- the justification for his cruelty, well, supposedly the king had no choice, the time was such and everything like that ... About the director's conversation with the leader. In the meantime - a curious fact from the filming of the film.

Characters Ivan the Terrible and Anastasia Romanova. Episode not included in the film.