In the summer of 1240, a small Swedish military detachment landed at the mouth of the Neva River, arriving on 6-7 ships (and in this case, the information from the sources is contradictory).
Where did we learn about the Neva battle. The descendants of the Vikings often staged surprise attacks on adjacent territories. Unfortunately, few sources testify to the events of the summer of 1240. There is no information about the Battle of the Neva in Swedish sources, a brief news of the Novgorod First Chronicle and a more lengthy text of the "Life" of Alexander Nevsky, which was created in the 1280s, have been preserved in Russian. and probably contained eyewitness accounts of the deeds of the great Russian prince.
Swedish interests. Historians disagree about the plans and course of the military operation of the Swedish knights in 1240. Some of them believe that the military expedition of the Swedes was in the nature of an ordinary predatory raid that did not have far-reaching goals. Others believe that the Swedish "landing" had a strategic purpose. The fact is that the interests of the Swedish nobility and the Novgorod boyars clashed on the Karelian Isthmus, over which both equally tried to establish control.
In the second half of the 12th century, the Swedish knights conquered Southwestern Finland, and from the beginning of the 13th century. they also put under their control the Em tribe, on whose territory Novgorod also claimed. A clash between Novgorodians and Swedes in the struggle for disputed territories was inevitable. The landing of the Swedes at the mouth of the Neva had a reconnaissance character. If successful, the Swedish conquerors could not only gain a foothold on the borders north of the Neva, but also prepare a bridgehead for the gradual occupation of the Novgorod territories. A close interest in the northern territories inhabited by pagans (for example, the Finnish tribe of Tavasts) and "schismatics" - Orthodox, was also shown by the Catholic Church. Of course, the Swedes knew about the situation in Russia after the Tatar pogrom, they understood that Novgorod would not receive conventional military assistance from the southern Russian lands.
The capture of the banks of the Neva was supposed to help the Swedes complete the capture of Finland, but for Novgorod, the loss of the Neva also meant the loss of the only outlet to the Baltic Sea, the collapse of all foreign trade.
The bag is getting ready to go. The campaign was carried out by Swedish knights with detachments of the Sumy tribe subject to them. The noble Swedish knight Ulf Fasi led the campaign. At that time, Sweden did not have a navy, so a militia gathered at the organization of a naval military campaign. Each coastal region had to equip, equip and supply with provisions and sailors a certain number of ships. Crossing the sea, loading a military detachment from the Sum tribe onto the ships, and finally, the journey from Southwestern Finland probably took at least two weeks, so the start of the campaign should be attributed to the end of June.
The initial goal of the Swedish landing was the Ladoga fortress located at the mouth of the Volkhov, the capture of which opened up broad prospects for the conquest of the entire North-Western Territory and the spread of Catholicism.
The movement of the Swedes was the first to be "guarded" by the Izhora elder Pelgusy, who was on patrol in the Neva delta. He sent messengers, who arrived in Novgorod on replacement horses after 10 hours.
Prince Alexander acts quickly and secretly. The sudden landing of the Swedish "landing" put Prince Alexander in a difficult position. Having no time for long gatherings, he had to attack the enemy in the shortest possible time with the retinue and those forces that could be assembled in the immediate vicinity. The preparations of the Russian commander took no more than a day. Apparently, most of his troops were foot detachments, transported to the scene on river boats along the Volkhov and Neva to the mouth of the Izhora, where the Swedish camp was located. For Alexander Yaroslavich, with a small number of troops, surprise was very important. But from the upper reaches of the Neva to the mouth of the Izhora, an excellent overview of the river's course opened up for many kilometers. Naturally, the Swedish patrols would easily find the enemy. Therefore, Russian troops landed a few kilometers from the site of the upcoming battle.
Alexander gathered his troops away from the location of the enemy; Russian squads managed to covertly approach the enemy camp. The Swedes, encamped at the mouth of the Neva, clearly did not expect the appearance of the enemy.
The sources do not contain accurate information about the number of Russian and Swedish troops. Given that for the Swedes the campaign was more reconnaissance in nature, and the Prince of Novgorod gathered his troops in the shortest possible time, no more than 3-5 thousand people took part in the battle on both sides.
The battle. The defeat of the Swedes. Alexander Nevsky brilliantly used the confusion of the enemy, who was not prepared for battle. The Russian army consisted of at least five detachments, each of which had its own task. The Swedes maintained a typical battle formation, when ordinary warriors entered the environment of knights in a strictly defined order.
The battle began with an attack by spearmen (foot troops armed with long spears), who inflicted serious damage on the enemy. Another part of the army, wielding axes, cut into the very thick of the enemy, cutting down the base of the tent, a kind of headquarters for the commander of the Swedes. While the prince's horse squad methodically destroyed the Swedes' camp, the militia blocked the enemy's path to retreat.
The battle consisted of many skirmishes, attacks, clashes between Swedish and Russian detachments. The initiative belonged to the Russians, but the Swedes also offered desperate resistance, since a stampede to the ships would mean certain death.
Russian heroes. The detachments converged and dispersed more than once, therefore, the enemy troops throughout the battle retained military discipline, battle formations, and the ability to control. The Swedes, realizing the hopelessness of the situation, fought with the despair of the doomed. As the chronicle tells, many Novgorodians distinguished themselves in battle with military prowess. Sbyslav Yakunovitch fought among many enemies and "without fear in his heart struck many of them"; Gavrila Oleksich, whom A.S. Pushkin considered his ancestor, pursued the noble Swede all the way to the ship, was thrown into the water, but managed to swim out and continued to fight; Misha from Novgorod with his detachment destroyed three light Swedish ships, and Savva cut down the tent of the leader of the Swedish detachment.
Typical medieval battle. The conclusion of some historians is hardly correct, that the squad of Alexander Yaroslavich went behind enemy lines and cut off the enemy's retreat, since in this case the entire Swedish detachment would be cut off from their ships and destroyed, which, as follows from the text of the annals and " Life ... " did not happen. In addition, in medieval battles, as a rule, the goal of the complete destruction of the enemy was not set. The losing side left the battlefield, which the winners did not interfere with at all. In this sense, the Battle of the Neva was a typical medieval battle.
The battle on July 15, 1240 lasted from 10 am until late in the evening. With the onset of darkness, the Swedes gathered the remnants of the troops and went home on the surviving ships, not forgetting to pick up the bodies of the dead noble warriors.
The scale of the battle and its significance. The Battle of the Neva is not one of the largest in military history. The Novgorod chronicles indicate the number of dead Novgorodians at 20, while the Swedes allegedly loaded three ships with the bodies of the dead, which is undoubtedly an exaggeration. Losses on both sides must have amounted to several hundred men. Among the legends is the chronicle legend about the death by the sword of Alexander Nevsky of a noble Swedish military leader - Jarl Birger.
Nevertheless, the brilliant victory of Russia over foreign invaders was of great historical significance. Firstly, the Swedes failed to capture Ladoga and begin a systematic seizure of Russian territories. Secondly, the possibility of accidental or planned interaction between Swedish and German knights on Russian soil was excluded. Finally, the Swedes failed to cut off the Russian northwest from the Baltic Sea and control the trade route to the "lower lands".
Read also other topics part IX "Russia between East and West: battles of the XIII and XV centuries." section "Rus and Slavic countries in the Middle Ages":
- 39. "Who are the Essence and the Departure": the Tatar-Mongols at the beginning of the 13th century.
- 41. Genghis Khan and the "Muslim front": campaigns, sieges, conquests
- 42. Russia and Polovtsians on the eve of Kalka
- 44. Crusaders in the Eastern Baltic
On July 15, 1240, Alexander Nevsky with his army attacked the military camp of the Swedes on the Neva and inflicted a complete defeat on them. Neva battle- a battle on the Neva River between the Novgorod army under the command of Prince Alexander Yaroslavich and the Swedish army on July 15 according to the Julian calendar (July 22 according to the proleptic Gregorian calendar) in 1240. In the future, Alexander Yaroslavich received the nickname "Nevsky" after the name of the river and the battle.
Prerequisites
In the first half of the 13th century, there were numerous clashes between various Karelian, Finnish, Baltic and Slavic tribes, who lived interspersed and attacked each other, then united to defend themselves or attack other tribes together.
The Swedes tried to convert, thereby subordinating them to their power, the Karelian, Finnish, Baltic and Slavic tribes, as well as impose tribute on them, they made repeated predatory raids along the banks of the Neva and directly into the Novgorod lands. In certain periods of history, for example, at the end of the XII century. and Sweden itself, weakened as a result of internal conflicts, was subjected to raids by Karelian and Finnish tribes, and in 1187, together with the Novgorod army, they burned the ancient capital of Sweden, Sigtuna.
In this confrontation, both sides, both Russian and Swedish, sought to take control of the territory adjacent to the Neva River, which connects the Baltic Sea and Lake Ladoga, as well as the Karelian Isthmus.
In December 1237, Pope Gregory IX proclaimed a second crusade to Finland, and in June 1238, the Danish king Valdemar II and the master of the united order Hermann von Balk agreed on the division of Estonia and military operations against Russia in the territories adjacent to the Baltic Sea, with the participation Swedes. Russian lands during these years were weakened by the Mongol invasion.
Before the battle
In the summer of 1240, Swedish ships arrived at the mouth of the Neva River. Having landed on the shore, the Swedes and their allies pitched their tents in the place where the Izhora flowed into the Neva. The Novgorod First Chronicle of the older edition reports this as follows:
Battle of the Neva (fragment of the icon "Alexander Nevsky with scenes from his life", XIX century) According to this report, the Swedish army included Norwegians and representatives of the Finno-Ugric tribes of Sum and Em, and Catholic bishops were also in the army. The borders of the Novgorod land were guarded by "watchmen": in the Neva region, on both banks of the Gulf of Finland, there was a Novgorod "sea guard" from the Finno-Ugric Izhora tribe. At dawn on a July day in 1240, the elder of the Izhora land, Pelgusius, while on patrol, discovered the Swedish flotilla and hastily sent Alexander to report everything.
The Livonian campaign against Russia began in August, which can explain, on the one hand, the wait-and-see position of the Swedes, and on the other, Alexander's immediate reaction. Having received news of the approach of the enemy, Prince Alexander Yaroslavich decided to act on his own, without asking for help from his father.
According to the "Life", Alexander came out with a small team (yard), and many Novgorodians did not have time to join, as the prince hurried to speak. Also participating in the battle were militias from the Novgorod fortress of Ladoga, who joined along the way.
According to the accepted custom, the soldiers gathered at the Hagia Sophia and received a blessing from Archbishop Spiridon. Alexander inspired the squad with a speech, the phrase of which has survived to this day and has become winged:
Alexander's detachment advanced by land along the Volkhov to Ladoga, then turned to the mouth of the Izhora. The army mainly consisted of mounted warriors, but there were also foot forces in it, which, in order not to waste time, also rode on horseback.
The course of the battle
On July 15, 1240, the battle began. The message of the First Novgorod Chronicle of the senior edition is quite short:
B. Chorikov. "The victory of Alexander Nevsky over the Swedes" Alexander "left a trace of his sharp spear on the face of the king himself ...". Kirpichnikov A.N. interprets this message as a violation by Alexander's squad of the detachment of the Swedish king already at the first equestrian spear collision. In the Russian army, in addition to the princely detachment, there were at least 3 detachments of noble Novgorodians who had their own squads, and the Ladoga detachment.
In the "Life", which is in the younger edition of the Novgorod First Chronicle, six soldiers are mentioned who performed feats during the battle (of which three are the prince's combatants and three Novgorodians):
Gavrilo Oleksich, “seeing the prince, dragged by the arms, rode up to the ship along the gangway along which they ran with the prince,” boarded, was thrown down, but then again entered the battle. Sbyslav Yakunovich, armed with only one ax, rushed to the very center of the enemy army, followed by Alexander's hunter - Yakov Polochanin, brandishing his long sword.
The lad Savva penetrated into the center of the Swedish camp, “broke into the large royal golden-domed tent and cut down the tent pole”; Having lost its support, the tent fell to the ground. Misha from Novgorod with his retinue fought on foot and sank three enemy ships. The sixth warrior mentioned - the servant of Alexander Yaroslavich Ratmir - fought on foot against several Swedes, was wounded and died.
The battle lasted until evening; By nightfall, the enemies dispersed. The Swedes were defeated, and by morning they retreated on the surviving ships, and crossed to the other side.
The losses of the Russian army amounted to 20 wealthy soldiers (to this number should be added their dead warriors), while the Swedes “beyond the ship, two vyatshih husbands, formerly a wasteland and to the sea; but the good of them, having dug out a hole, vmetash in a nude, beschisla ”(thus the total number of dead Swedes was measured either also in tens or even hundreds). In addition, according to the Life, on the other side of the Neva, the next day, local residents found many unburied bodies of the Swedes.
Result of the battle
Having defeated the Swedes, the Russian troops stopped their advance to Ladoga and Novgorod and thus prevented the danger of coordinated actions by Sweden and the Order in the near future.
However, because of the fear that after the victory the role of Alexander in the conduct of business could increase, the Novgorod boyars began to build all sorts of intrigues for the prince. Alexander Nevsky went to his father, but a year later the Novgorod residents again invited the prince to continue the war with the Livonian Order, which had approached Pskov.
Annals
This is the Novgorod first chronicle of the older version, several variants of the hagiographic Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky,
“The battle of Alexander Nevsky with Jarl Birger” (painting by N. K. Roerich) written no later than the 80s of the XIII century, as well as the later Novgorod first chronicle of the younger version, depending on the two sources indicated above. In 1240, a campaign against Russia by a small Scandinavian detachment really took place (as part of a crusade to Finland).
According to N. I. Kostomarov, the son-in-law of the king, Birger Magnusson, could indeed lead the Swedish army, but he became the jarl of Sweden only in 1248, and in 1240 Ulf Fasi was the jarl, who commanded the campaign. At the same time, Birger did not participate in the campaign, although there is also an opposite point of view.
However, an examination of Birger's remains in 2002 showed that the right eye socket of his skull showed clear signs of intravital injuries, resembling marks from a weapon strike. Although the jarl participated in numerous battles in which he could receive a similar injury, and in his homeland, this echoes the fact that Alexander Nevsky himself sealed the king's face with his sharp spear.
Criticism of sources
The battle is not mentioned in Swedish sources, in particular, in the rhymed Chronicle of Erik compiled in the 1320s. It is known that in Sweden from 1222 to 1248 there was a civil war, when Jarl Birger gained power. Although the chronicles mention the Norwegians as allies of the Swedes, in fact both countries were on the verge of war, including due to the annexation of Värmland in 1225.
Hostile moods disappear only in 1249 after the conclusion of peace in Lödös. In such a civil strife, Sweden was hardly capable of a large-scale invasion, and it is possible that in the Russian chronicles we are talking about one of the many border skirmishes that Prince Alexander exaggerated, and the Swedes kept silent about it, for political purposes. Some historians question the reliability of the evidence about the Battle of the Neva.
On July 15, 1240, one of the most famous and mysterious battles in Russian history took place. Where Petersburg now stands, where the Izhora River flows into the Neva, a detachment under the command of the young Prince Alexander Yaroslavich attacked the Swedish camp and put the enemy to flight. A few centuries later, both the battle and the prince himself began to be called Nevsky.
Crusade to Russia
As early as November 24, 1232, Pope Gregory IX issued a bull in which he called on the knights of Livonia "to defend the new planting of the Christian faith against the infidel Russians." A few months later, in February 1233, he directly called the Russians enemies. In the XIII century, Rome tried to bring into the bosom of the Catholic Church those tribes of the Baltic and Finland that were still in paganism. Christianization proceeded both with the help of the sermon and the sword.
Along with the advent of faith, certain restrictions appeared in the lives of the Finns, their rights were infringed, because not only souls, but also their lands were needed by the Church. The tribes already baptized rebelled, while the unbaptized actively fought. And in this they were supported by the Russians - that's why the Pope called to protect "the planting of the Christian faith" from the Orthodox.
In fact, no one announced a crusade to Russia: the main goal of the knights was either tavasts, or the Em tribe. But the lands of the Sumi, Emi, and other tribes were in the sphere of Novgorod's interests, and in general, all parties regularly robbed each other, which made a clash between Catholics and Novgorodians inevitable. True, in the mid-1230s, the Pope's messages were ignored: the Livonians had no time for Russia.
Swedes in Novgorod land
For the second time, with a call for a crusade against the Finnish tribes, the Pope addressed the Swedes on December 9, 1237. The Swedes responded and on June 7, 1238 agreed with the Danes and the knights of the Teutonic Order to attack Russia. They planned to act simultaneously with two armies: the Swedes (with the Norwegians, Sumi and Emyu) in the north - to Ladoga, the Teutons and Danes - to Pskov. However, in 1239, for some reason, the forced march did not take place, and only in the summer of 1240 did the Swedes appear on the Neva. Having camped at the mouth of the Izhora River, they obviously waited for news from the allies, not wanting to start hostilities, so as not to incur the main blow of the Russian army. And while waiting, they peacefully traded with local tribes or did missionary work. Thus began the crusade of the Swedes to Russia, which ended with the Battle of the Neva.
Heavenly Host
The invasion of the Swedes was later interpreted in the light of the struggle between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. And the soldiers of Prince Alexander turned from defenders of the Motherland into defenders of the entire Orthodox faith. Therefore, in the Life of Alexander Nevsky, a legend appeared about the baptized pagan Pelugia, who was the first to see the approach of the Swedes and thanks to which the Novgorod prince was able to quickly arrive at their camp.
But besides the Swedes, Pelugius, a pious man, saw another army - heavenly, led by princes Boris and Gleb. “Brother Gleb, let us row, let us help our relative Prince Alexander,” with these words, according to Pelugius, Prince Boris addressed his brother.
"God is not in power"
The young prince Alexander, who by July 15, 1240 was only twenty years old, seemed to immediately feel the significance of the future battle and turned to the army not as a defender of Novgorod, but precisely as a defender of Orthodoxy: “God is not in power, but in truth. Let us recall the Songwriter, who said: “Some with weapons, and others on horses, we will call on the name of the Lord our God; they, defeated, fell, but we resisted and stand straight.” A detachment of Novgorodians went to the holy cause - to stand up for the faith Moreover, apparently knowing about the impending attack from the west on Izborsk and Pskov, Alexander was in a hurry to deal with the Swedes with small forces and did not even send to Vladimir for reinforcements.
Surprise attack
Obviously, the messenger who delivered the news about the Swedes to Novgorod somewhat exaggerated their numbers. Expecting to face an enemy superior in strength, Alexander bet on a surprise attack. To do this, having covered more than 150 miles in a few days, the Russians rested at some distance from the Swedish camp, and on the night of July 14-15, led by local guides, they went to the mouth of the Izhora. And at 6 o'clock in the morning they attacked the sleeping Swedes. The surprise factor worked, but not completely: confusion arose in the camp, the Swedes rushed to the ships. However, experienced warriors under the command of a brave governor were able to stop their flight and a hard battle began, which lasted several hours.
Heroes of the battle
The Russians, led by Saints Boris and Gleb, fought bravely. The Life of Alexander Nevsky speaks of six heroes of the battle. Some historians are skeptical about their "feats". But, perhaps, in this way, through the description of the exploits, the events of the battle itself were outlined. At first, when the Russians were pushing the Swedes to the boats, Gavrilo Oleksich tried to kill the Swedish prince and, pursuing him, burst on horseback along the gangway onto the deck. He was thrown into the river from there, but miraculously escaped and continued to fight. This means that the Swedes withstood the first attack of the Russians.
Then several local battles ensued: the Novgorodian Sbyslav Yakunovich fearlessly fought with an ax, the princely hunter Yakov attacked the regiment with a sword, the Novgorodian Mesha (obviously, together with his detachment) sank three ships. The turning point in the battle occurred when the combatant Sava burst into the golden-domed tent and knocked it down. Moral superiority turned out to be on the side of our troops, the Swedes, desperately defending themselves, began to retreat. This is evidenced by the sixth feat - Alexander's servant named Ratmir, who died "from many wounds."
Exodus
The victory remained with the Orthodox army. Having buried the dead, which, according to the Novgorod chronicle, there were “two ships”, the Swedes sailed home. Novgorodians, in the battle, only "20 husbands from Ladoga" fell. Among them, the chronicler highlights: Kostyantin Lugotints, Gyuryata Pineshchinich, Namestya and Drochil Nezdylov, the son of a tanner.
So, Alexander Yaroslavich secured the north of Novgorod land from attack and now could concentrate on the defense of Izborsk. However, returning to Novgorod, he found himself at the center of another political intrigue and was forced to leave the city. A year later he was asked to return. And in 1242, he led the Russian army in another famous battle, which went down in history as the Battle of the Ice.
The Battle of the Neva is one of the most important events in the history of Kievan Rus, which in 1240 was a state fragmented into separate principalities.
Date of the Battle of Neva.
The Battle of the Neva took place in 1240. Novgorod Prince Alexander Yaroslavovich defeated the Swedish army led by Ulf Fasi.
Neva battle briefly.
In 1240, Kievan Rus was a state, fragmented into principalities, each of which sought to become dominant.
In those years, the central and southern principalities suffered from the Mongol-Tatar yoke, and a different misfortune befell the northern, Novgorod. The Livonian Order entered into an alliance with the Swedes by the Pope in order to get rid of the "infidels" from the lands of the Novgorod principality.
The Swedish army, which in addition to the Swedes included Finns, Norwegians and representatives of the Catholic Church, was headed by Ulf Fasi.
The Izhora lands, where the Swedish army invaded, sent the news of the invasion to their allies, to Novgorod.
The prince of Novgorod, Alexander Yaroslavovich, hastily gathered an army and, without turning to the Vladimir principality for help, set out with his small squad to meet the enemy. On the way, the Ladoga militia joined the prince. The army of Alexander Yaroslavovich consisted mainly of cavalry, which ensured the mobility of the army. The Swedes were absolutely not ready for this.
On the morning of July 15, 1240 Alexander Yaroslavovich ordered the archers to fire at the Swedes' camp with fire arrows. The Swedes began to panic, there was confusion in their ranks. Prince Alexander, taking advantage of the confusion in the enemy army, ordered his army to attack. The Russians hit the Swedes and put them to flight: the remnants of the Swedish army boarded ships and retreated.
After this victory, Alexander Yaroslavovich was nicknamed Nevsky. The Swedes found themselves separated from the Teutons, which influenced their subsequent invasion.
