Russian Military Glory Day - Battle of the Ice (1242)

If we convert the date April 5, 1242 to the new style, we get the twelfth number But in the 13th century there was no need to do this, and in the twentieth, out of habit, thirteen days were added instead of the required seven Therefore, since 1995, on April 18, the Russian Federation celebrates the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the Day of the Victory of Russian soldiers of Prince Alexander Nevsky over the German knights on Lake Peipus The same event is known as the Battle of the Ice of 1242 It is known that the battle was commemorated in funeral litanies (petitions for the repose of souls) in Novgorod churches until the sixteenth century At least on this basis, the Ice Battle can be included in the list of great events of its time After all, services are held everywhere for the repose of loved ones who fell on the battlefield and this is an ordinary event But the memory of only the most outstanding battles extends over three centuries Traditionally, the battle on Lake Peipus is called a confrontation between Russian squads and German knights It is not entirely correct to say this, because in the times described there was no single Russian state Likewise, there was no country whose interests were represented by a coalition of German crusaders, Danish and Swedish feudal lords, as well as Chud militias (Estonians) There are no divergent opinions only on who led the battle on the part of the Russian combined forces This was Alexander Yaroslavovich (Yaroslavich) Nevsky, at that time Prince of Novgorod The area where the Battle of the Ice took place has been established approximately It corresponds to the descriptions and chronicles, but no archaeological finds have been made at this site to prove the correct localization of the battle It is not entirely clear why information about ice as the main decoration that became characteristic of the battle spread so widely Firstly, in April, even in those cold regions, the ice is no longer quite strong and does not cover the territory so extensively Secondly, the chronicles say that the fallen “fell on the grass” Therefore, the ground has either already exposed last year's grass, or spring has been so early that new vegetation has begun to emerge In any case, ice is not mentioned as the main covering of the battlefield There is also no reliable evidence that the knights clad in armor broke the ice cover with their weight and, unable to free themselves from their armor, sank The history of the development of armor claims that in the thirteenth century its chain mail form was widespread Cumbersome plates and complexly joined heavy armor had not yet been produced They could increase weight and limit mobility But none of the warring parties used them The film by Sergei Eisenstein shaped the idea of ​​what happened for many years Footage of knights with bucket-like helmets and white cloaks going under the water together and then clinging to fragments of ice floes are recognized as textbook Many viewers believed them to correspond to reality How it really happened is not known In any case, the battle is considered a significant event After it, a truce was concluded, which postponed the next attempt of the Teutons to seize the Novgorod lands for 10 years Perhaps the battle did not take place as it is now presented, and the losses were not calculated entirely correctly However, this does not prevent it from being made a symbol of Russia’s military glory and celebrated as a memorable day