Sergei Eisenstein was undoubtedly greatdirector, however, to study the history of his cinematographic works would be somewhat frivolous. His paintings vividly show the storming of the Winter Palace (which was not there) and the shooting of civilians from Odessa on the Giant Staircase (which could not even be).
In the wonderful movie "Alexander Nevsky" the greatthe artist depicted the Ice Battle on Lake Peipsi, which took place, but in spring, in April. If you believe the Livonian rhymed chronicle, the victims of this battle, slain by the enemy bulat, fell into the grass, which managed to grow, despite the fact that it was happening in the northern region.
In order to as objectively assessthe commander and diplomatic talent of the defender of the Russian land, St. Alexander Nevsky, artistic hyperbolization is not needed. Without any exaggeration, it can be argued that our national hero saved his homeland from reproach. The prince does not need to embellish his role, he has fulfilled his difficult task so successfully.
Most likelyYou can understand how the Battle of the Lake Peipsi took place by examining all available sources, including those in which Livonians described this battle. It is necessary to pay tribute to the European chroniclers, they did not suffer with particular adornment, recognizing that in a tactical sense the prince of Novgorod outplayed them.
In the fact that there was such a Battle on the Ice, in whichyear it happened and who participated in it on both sides, the particular differences of opinion of historians almost does not exist. True, the Livonians called it differently, the battle at Lake Pijpus (and even today Estonians designate Lake Peipsi on the maps). It does not matter.
However, there are some points that need to beto pay attention, in particular, the opinion of the historian Heidenstein, who lived in the second half of the XVI - early XVII centuries. He insists that the Tatar troops of Batu Khan took an active part in the battle. On the side of Rus, naturally. This he explains the numerical superiority of the enemy, who managed to achieve military success.
You can certainly not believe this Europeanto the collector of legends, it is quite possible that he wants to justify the knightly dogs close to him in spirit in order to downplay the prowess of the Russian squad. However, there are some inconsistencies in the narration of our, domestic chroniclers.
So, "samovidtsy", that is, immediateThe participants in the events recalled the help rendered to them by some sort of “God's regiment” that appeared “out of thin air” (like snow on the head of the enemy). It is possible that they did not mean a host of angels, but some kind of force that entered the battle very soon. The result was an ice slaughter on Lake Peipsi, which went down in history as a strategic victory for Russian weapons, as well as a change, in the modern language, of the geopolitical situation. The Levonian Order refused to capture our northern territories, left Pskov. There was also an exchange of prisoners.
Opponents of this version object.They do not see the relevance in military assistance from the Khan Russian prince. And the meaning of this act was. A year before these events there was a clash between the Crusaders and the "sons of Genghis Khan", which won the Batu troops evrohristianskoe host. Despite the success, Khan did not consider that fully complied with the military tasks should reinforce success.
According to the Russian historian Solovyov,the initiator of the negotiations on a temporary military alliance was Batu, who sent Alexander a letter of appropriate content. The Russian prince successfully held a "summit" and even managed to fraternize with Chingizid, the khan's son. What can not do for the Russian land!
Having secured in addition to a reliable rear essentialreinforcements, Alexander brilliantly conducted the Battle of the Lake Peipsi on ice, displaying military leadership along with diplomatic talents. He skillfully used the features of the terrain, turned the heavy weapons of the knights into a destructive factor for them, successfully imposed on the enemy the maneuverable nature of the battle, in a word, did everything to win and achieved it.
The Battle of 1242 showed the wisdom of the Russian prince, manifested in tactical and strategic issues. He also received God's help, but only he who is not worthy is worthy of it.
Was there ice then at Lake Peipsi? It is quite possible that in those parts it is cold in April.
