There is an episode with the Crow Stone. According to ancient legend, he rose from the waters of the lake in moments of danger for the Russian land, helping to defeat enemies. This was the case in 1242. This date appears in all domestic historical sources, being inextricably linked with the Battle of the Ice.

It is no coincidence that we focus your attention on this stone. After all, historians are guided by it, who are still trying to understand on what lake it happened. After all, many specialists who work with historical archives still do not know where our ancestors actually fought with

The official point of view is that the battle took place on the ice of Lake Peipsi. Today, all that is known for certain is that the battle took place on April 5. The year of the Battle of the Ice is 1242 from the beginning of our era. In the chronicles of Novgorod and in the Livonian Chronicle there is not a single matching detail at all: the number of soldiers participating in the battle and the number of wounded and killed vary.

We don't even know the details of what happened. We have only received information that a victory was won on Lake Peipus, and even then in a significantly distorted, transformed form. This is in stark contrast to the official version, but in recent years the voices of those scientists who insist on full-scale excavations and repeated archival research have become increasingly loud. They all want not only to know about which lake the Battle of the Ice took place on, but also to find out all the details of the event.

Official description of the battle

The opposing armies met in the morning. It was 1242 and the ice had not yet broken up. The Russian troops had many riflemen who courageously came forward, bearing the brunt of the German attack. Pay attention to how the Livonian Chronicle speaks about this: “The banners of the brothers (German knights) penetrated the ranks of those who were shooting... many killed on both sides fell on the grass (!).”

Thus, the “Chronicles” and the manuscripts of the Novgorodians completely agree on this point. Indeed, in front of the Russian army stood a detachment of light riflemen. As the Germans later found out through their sad experience, it was a trap. “Heavy” columns of German infantry broke through the ranks of lightly armed soldiers and moved on. We wrote the first word in quotation marks for a reason. Why? We'll talk about this below.

Russian mobile units quickly surrounded the Germans from the flanks and then began to destroy them. The Germans fled, and the Novgorod army pursued them for about seven miles. It is noteworthy that even at this point there are disagreements in various sources. If we describe the Battle of the Ice briefly, then even in this case this episode raises some questions.

The Importance of Victory

Thus, most witnesses say nothing at all about the “drowned” knights. Part of the German army was surrounded. Many knights were captured. In principle, 400 Germans were reported killed, with another fifty people captured. Chud, according to the chronicles, “fell without number.” That's all the Battle of the Ice in brief.

The Order took the defeat painfully. In the same year, peace was concluded with Novgorod, the Germans completely abandoned their conquests not only on the territory of Rus', but also in Letgol. There was even a complete exchange of prisoners. However, the Teutons tried to recapture Pskov ten years later. Thus, the year of the Battle of the Ice became an extremely important date, as it allowed the Russian state to somewhat calm down its warlike neighbors.

About common myths

Even in the local history museums of the Pskov region they are very skeptical about the widespread statement about the “heavy” German knights. Allegedly, because of their massive armor, they almost drowned in the waters of the lake at once. Many historians say with rare enthusiasm that the Germans in their armor weighed “three times more” than the average Russian warrior.

But any weapons expert of that era will tell you with confidence that the soldiers on both sides were protected approximately equally.

Armor is not for everyone!

The fact is that massive armor, which can be found everywhere in miniatures of the Battle of the Ice in history textbooks, appeared only in the 14th-15th centuries. In the 13th century, warriors dressed in a steel helmet, chain mail or (the latter were very expensive and rare), and wore bracers and greaves on their limbs. It all weighed about twenty kilograms maximum. Most of the German and Russian soldiers did not have such protection at all.

Finally, in principle, there was no particular point in such heavily armed infantry on the ice. Everyone fought on foot; there was no need to fear a cavalry attack. So why take another risk by going out on thin April ice with so much iron?

But at school the 4th grade is studying the Battle of the Ice, and therefore no one simply goes into such subtleties.

Water or land?

According to the generally accepted conclusions made by the expedition under the leadership of the USSR Academy of Sciences (led by Karaev), the battle site is considered to be a small area of Teploe Lake (part of Chudskoye), which is located 400 meters from the modern Cape Sigovets.

For almost half a century, no one doubted the results of these studies. The fact is that then scientists did a really great job, analyzing not only historical sources, but also hydrology and, as the writer Vladimir Potresov, who was a direct participant in that very expedition, explains, they managed to create a “complete vision of the problem.” So on what lake did the Battle of the Ice take place?

There is only one conclusion here - on Chudskoye. There was a battle, and it took place somewhere in those parts, but there are still problems with determining the exact localization.

What did the researchers find?

First of all, they read the chronicle again. It said that the slaughter took place “at Uzmen, at the Voronei stone.” Imagine that you are telling your friend how to get to the stop, using terms that you and he understand. If you tell the same thing to a resident of another region, he may not understand. We are in the same position. What kind of Uzmen? What Crow Stone? Where was all this even?

More than seven centuries have passed since then. Rivers changed their courses in less time! So there was absolutely nothing left of the real geographical coordinates. If we assume that the battle, to one degree or another, actually took place on the icy surface of the lake, then finding something becomes even more difficult.

German version

Seeing the difficulties of their Soviet colleagues, in the 30s a group of German scientists hastened to declare that the Russians... invented the Battle of the Ice! Alexander Nevsky, they say, simply created the image of a winner in order to give his figure more weight in the political arena. But the old German chronicles also talked about the battle episode, so the battle really took place.

Russian scientists were having real verbal battles! Everyone was trying to find out the location of the battle that took place in ancient times. Everyone called “that” piece of territory either on the western or eastern shore of the lake. Someone argued that the battle took place in the central part of the reservoir. There was a general problem with the Crow Stone: either mountains of small pebbles at the bottom of the lake were mistaken for it, or someone saw it in every rock outcrop on the shores of the reservoir. There were a lot of disputes, but the matter did not progress at all.

In 1955, everyone got tired of this, and that same expedition set off. Archaeologists, philologists, geologists and hydrographers, specialists in the Slavic and German dialects of that time, and cartographers appeared on the shores of Lake Peipsi. Everyone was interested in where the Battle of the Ice was. Alexander Nevsky was here, this is known for certain, but where did his troops meet their adversaries?

Several boats with teams of experienced divers were placed at the complete disposal of the scientists. Many enthusiasts and schoolchildren from local historical societies also worked on the shores of the lake. So what did Lake Peipus give to researchers? Was Nevsky here with the army?

Crow stone

For a long time, there was an opinion among domestic scientists that the Raven Stone was the key to all the secrets of the Battle of the Ice. His search was given special importance. Finally he was discovered. It turned out that it was a rather high stone ledge on the western tip of Gorodets Island. Over seven centuries, the not very dense rock was almost completely destroyed by winds and water.

At the foot of the Raven Stone, archaeologists quickly found the remains of Russian guard fortifications that blocked the passages to Novgorod and Pskov. So those places were really familiar to contemporaries because of their importance.

New contradictions

But determining the location of such an important landmark in ancient times did not at all mean identifying the place where the massacre took place on Lake Peipsi. Quite the opposite: the currents here are always so strong that ice as such does not exist here in principle. If the Russians had fought the Germans here, everyone would have drowned, regardless of their armor. The chronicler, as was the custom of that time, simply indicated the Crow Stone as the nearest landmark that was visible from the battle site.

Versions of events

If you return to the description of the events, which was given at the very beginning of the article, then you will probably remember the expression “... many killed on both sides fell on the grass.” Of course, “grass” in this case could be an idiom denoting the very fact of falling, death. But today historians are increasingly inclined to believe that one should look for archaeological evidence of that battle precisely on the banks of the reservoir.

In addition, not a single piece of armor has yet been found at the bottom of Lake Peipsi. Neither Russian nor Teutonic. Of course, there was, in principle, very little armor as such (we have already talked about their high cost), but at least something should have remained! Especially when you consider how many diving dives were made.

Thus, we can draw a completely convincing conclusion that the ice did not break under the weight of the Germans, who were not very different in armament from our soldiers. In addition, finding armor even at the bottom of a lake is unlikely to prove anything for sure: more archaeological evidence is needed, since border skirmishes in those places happened constantly.

In general terms, it is clear on which lake the Battle of the Ice took place. The question of where exactly the battle took place still worries domestic and foreign historians.

Monument to the iconic battle

A monument in honor of this significant event was erected in 1993. It is located in the city of Pskov, installed on Mount Sokolikha. The monument is more than a hundred kilometers away from the theoretical site of the battle. This stele is dedicated to the “Druzhinniks of Alexander Nevsky”. Patrons raised money for it, which was an incredibly difficult task in those years. Therefore, this monument is of even greater value for the history of our country.

Artistic embodiment

In the very first sentence we mentioned the film by Sergei Eisenstein, which he shot back in 1938. The film was called "Alexander Nevsky". But it’s definitely not worth considering this magnificent (from an artistic point of view) film as a historical guide. Absurdities and obviously unreliable facts are present there in abundance.

Sources brought to us very scanty information about the Battle of the Ice. This contributed to the fact that the battle gradually became overgrown with a large number of myths and contradictory facts.

Mongols again

It is not entirely correct to call the Battle of Lake Peipus a victory of Russian squads over German knighthood, since the enemy, according to modern historians, was a coalition force that, in addition to the Germans, included Danish knights, Swedish mercenaries and a militia consisting of Estonians (Chud).

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

Who went underwater?

In Russian historiography, one of the factors that contributed to the victory of Russian troops over the Teutonic and Livonian knights was the fragile spring ice and the bulky armor of the crusaders, which led to the massive flooding of the enemy. However, if you believe the historian Nikolai Karamzin, the winter that year was long and the spring ice remained strong.
However, it is difficult to determine how much ice could withstand a large number of warriors dressed in armor. Researcher Nikolai Chebotarev notes: “it is impossible to say who was heavier or lighter armed at the Battle of the Ice, because there was no uniform as such.”
Heavy plate armor appeared only in the 14th-15th centuries, and in the 13th century the main type of armor was chain mail, over which a leather shirt with steel plates could be worn. Based on this fact, historians suggest that the weight of the equipment of the Russian and order warriors was approximately the same and reached 20 kilograms. If we assume that the ice could not support the weight of a warrior in full equipment, then there should have been sunken ones on both sides.
It is interesting that in the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle and in the original edition of the Novgorod Chronicle there is no information that the knights fell through the ice - they were added only a century after the battle.
On Voronii Island, near which Cape Sigovets is located, the ice is quite weak due to the characteristics of the current. This gave rise to some researchers to suggest that the knights could fall through the ice precisely there when they crossed a dangerous area during their retreat.

Where was the massacre?

Researchers to this day cannot pinpoint the exact location where the Battle of the Ice took place. Novgorod sources, as well as historian Nikolai Kostomarov, say that the battle took place near the Raven Stone. But the stone itself was never found. According to some, it was high sandstone, washed away over time by the current, others claim that the stone is Crow Island.
Some researchers are inclined to believe that the massacre is not at all connected with the lake, since the accumulation of a large number of heavily armed warriors and cavalry would make it impossible to conduct a battle on the thin April ice.
In particular, these conclusions are based on the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle, which reports that “on both sides the dead fell on the grass.” This fact is supported by modern research using the latest equipment of the bottom of Lake Peipsi, during which no weapons or armor of the 13th century were found. Excavations also failed on the shore. However, this is not difficult to explain: armor and weapons were very valuable booty, and even damaged they could be quickly carried away.
However, back in Soviet times, an expedition group from the Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Sciences, led by Georgy Karaev, established the supposed location of the battle. According to researchers, this was a section of Teploe Lake, located 400 meters west of Cape Sigovets.

Number of parties

Soviet historians, determining the number of forces clashing on Lake Peipus, state that Alexander Nevsky’s troops numbered approximately 15-17 thousand people, and the number of German knights reached 10-12 thousand.
Modern researchers consider such figures to be clearly overestimated. In their opinion, the order could produce no more than 150 knights, who were joined by about 1.5 thousand knechts (soldiers) and 2 thousand militia. They were opposed by squads from Novgorod and Vladimir in the amount of 4-5 thousand soldiers.
The true balance of forces is quite difficult to determine, since the number of German knights is not indicated in the chronicles. But they can be counted by the number of castles in the Baltic states, which, according to historians, in the middle of the 13th century there were no more than 90.
Each castle was owned by one knight, who could take from 20 to 100 people from mercenaries and servants on a campaign. In this case, the maximum number of soldiers, excluding the militia, could not exceed 9 thousand people. But, most likely, the real numbers are much more modest, since some of the knights died in the Battle of Legnica a year before.
Modern historians can say only one thing with confidence: none of the opposing sides had significant superiority. Perhaps Lev Gumilyov was right when he assumed that the Russians and Teutons collected 4 thousand soldiers each.

The battle, which took place on April 5, 1242 on the ice of Lake Peipsi near the island of Raven Stone, went down in history as one of the most important in the history of the state, as a battle that liberated the lands of Rus' from any claims of the Order of the Livonian Knights. Although the course of the battle is known, many controversial issues remain. Thus, there is no exact information about the number of soldiers who took part in the Battle of Lake Peipsi. Neither in the chronicles that have reached us, nor in the “Life of Alexander Nevsky” are these data given. Presumably, from the Novgorod side, from 12 thousand to 15 thousand soldiers took part in the battle. The number of the enemy ranged from 10 thousand to 12 thousand. At the same time, there were few knights among the German soldiers, the bulk of the army were militias, litas and Estonians.

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

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

Although the chronicles do not provide a detailed description of the battle on Lake Peipsi, it is quite possible to reconstruct the scheme of the Battle of the Ice. The wedge of knights crashed into the center of the Nevsky guard regiment and broke through its defenses, rushing further. Perhaps this “success” was foreseen in advance by Prince Alexander, since the attackers then encountered a lot of insurmountable obstacles. The knight's wedge, squeezed in pincers, lost its orderly ranks and maneuverability, which turned out to be a serious negative factor for the attackers. The attack of the ambush regiment, which had not participated in the battle until that moment, finally tipped the scales in favor of the Novgorodians. The knights dismounted from their horses in their heavy armor on the ice and became practically helpless. Only part of the attackers managed to escape, whom the Russian warriors pursued, according to the chronicler, “to the Falcon Coast.”

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

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

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

Battle on the Ice, artist V.A. Serov (1865-19110

When did the event take place? : April 5, 1242

Where did the event take place? : Lake Peipsi (near Pskov)

Participants:

The army of the Novgorod Republic and the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality under the leadership of Alexander Nevsky and Andrei Yaroslavich

Livonian Order, Denmark. Commander - Andres von Velven

Reasons

Livonian Order:

Capture of Russian territories in the northwest

Spread of Catholicism

Russian troops:

Defense of the northwestern borders from German knights

Prevention of subsequent threats of attack on Rus' by the Livonian Order

Defending access to the Baltic Sea, trade opportunities with Europe

Defense of the Orthodox Faith

Move

In 1240, Livonian knights captured Pskov and Koporye

In 1241, Alexander Nevsky recaptured Koporye.

At the beginning of 1242, Nevsky and his brother Andrei Yaroslavich of Suzdal took Pskov.

The knights were lined up in a battle wedge: heavy knights on the flanks, and light knights in the center. In Russian chronicles, this formation was called the “great pig.”

First, the knights attacked the center of the Russian troops, thinking to surround them from the flanks. However, they themselves found themselves caught in pincers. Moreover, Alexander brought in an ambush regiment.

The knights began to be pushed towards the lake, where the ice was no longer strong. Most of the knights drowned. Only a few managed to escape.

Results

The threat of capture of the northwestern lands has been eliminated

Trade ties with Europe were preserved, Rus' defended access to the Baltic Sea.

According to the agreement, the knights left all conquered lands and returned prisoners. The Russians also returned all the prisoners.

Western raids on Rus' ceased for a long time.

Meaning

The defeat of the German knights is a bright page in the history of Rus'.

For the first time, Russian foot soldiers were able to defeat heavily armed cavalry.

The significance of the battle is also great in the sense that the victory took place during the period of the Mongol-Tatar yoke. In case of defeat, it would be much more difficult for Rus' to get rid of double oppression.

The Orthodox faith was protected, since the crusaders wanted to actively introduce Catholicism in Rus'. But it was Orthodoxy in the period of fragmentation and yoke that was the connecting link that united the people in the fight against the enemy.

During the Battle of the Ice and the Battle of the Neva, the military leadership talent of the young Alexander Nevsky was revealed. He used proven tactics:

Before the battle, he inflicted a number of successive blows on the enemy, and only then did the decisive battle take place.

used the surprise factor

successfully and on time introduced an ambush regiment into battle

the disposition of the Russian troops was more flexible than the clumsy “pig” of the knights.

Battle on the Ice (briefly)

Brief description of the ice battle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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