What event happened in 1216. Battle of Lipitsa

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The Battle of Lipitsa is a battle between the younger sons and people of Murom, on the one hand, and the united army from the Smolensk and Novgorod lands, which supported the claims of the elder Vsevolodovich Konstantin to the Vladimir throne and led by Mstislav Mstislavich Udatny, on the other.

The Smolensk-Novgorod coalition supported, thus deciding the fate of the Vladimir inheritance in favor of Constantine. One of the most brutal and bloody internecine battles in Russian history. Occurred in 1216 near the Gza River.

Prerequisites

In 1215, Mstislav Udatny left Novgorod to the south, and the Novgorodians called Yaroslav Vsevolodovich from . During his conflict with the Novgorodians, he captured Torzhok, blocked the supply of food to Novgorod from the “lower lands”, which, given the crop failure, led to the death of many Novgorodians from starvation. He took the Novgorod ambassadors prisoner. Under these conditions, the Novgorodians resorted to the help of Mstislav Udatny, supported by Vladimir Rurikovich of Smolensk and Vladimir Mstislavich of Pskov. Mstislav Romanovich of Kiev sent his son Vsevolod. The Allies invaded the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality along the Tver-Ksnyatin-Pereslavl-Zalessky route.

The allies were also favored by the fact that in the principality there was a struggle for the inheritance of Vsevolod the Big Nest. His eldest son Konstantin did not receive a great reign from his father for the reason that he wanted to concentrate both main cities in his hands: the old capital Rostov and the new one - Vladimir, and offered Suzdal to the next in order Vsevolodovich. Konstantin reigned in Rostov, Yuri - in Vladimir and Suzdal.

Yuri and his younger brothers sided with Yaroslav, he retreated from Torzhok to them. On April 9, Konstantin joined the Smolensk princes at Fortifications on the Sarah, between Rostov and Pereyaslavl, from where they moved together to meet the younger Vsevolodovichs, who set out from Vladimir with Murom help. The Vsevolodovichs also set themselves not only defensive goals, as evidenced by the words of Yuri: “ To me, brother, the land of Vladimir and Rostov, to you - Novgorod, Smolensk - to our brother Svyatoslav, give Kyiv to the Chernigov princes, and Galich - to us».

Thus, the defeat of the coalition of the Smolensk princes, Novgorodians and Constantine could lead to a new large-scale redistribution of Russian lands. The fact that the clash was not a local event is indirectly indicated by the episode with the reign of Vladimir Vsevolodovich in Pereyaslavl. In 1213, he was sent there by his older brothers; in 1215, in a battle with the Polovtsians (allies of Mstislav of Galicia), he was captured, from which he was freed only in 1218.

Hostilities

Before the battle, Konstantin positioned himself on the Lipitsa River, his allies near Yuryev, and the Suzdal forces on the Gze River, which flows from the north into Koloksha near Yuryev.

After the failure of peace negotiations, the battle was about to begin at Lipitz, but the Suzdal residents retreated to Avdova Mountain, thus hiding behind a ravine from the opponents located on Yuryeva Mountain. Mstislav suggested that the Suzdal people either let him go to Avdova Mountain, or they themselves should go to Yuryev Mountain, for which he was ready to retreat back to Lipitsa, but they refused, trying to take advantage of the defending side.

The battle took place on April 21. The formation of both sides was divided only along the front and consisted of three regiments. Yuri stood in the center against Mstislav, Vladimir of Pskov and Vsevolod, Yaroslav with supporters from Novgorod and Novotorzh - on the right flank against Vladimir of Smolensk, the younger Vsevolodovichs - on the left against Konstantin.

The Smolensk and Novgorodians attacked the enemy on foot through a ravine, and the Smolyans cut down Yaroslav's banner. Then through the pawns the main forces struck, Mstislav three times rode through enemy regiments with an ax secured to his hand using a belt loop.

According to the chronicle, the squads of Yuri, Yaroslav and the younger Vsevolodovichs lost 9,233 people killed alone.

Yuri and Yaroslav, fleeing death and captivity, fled to Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, respectively, covering about 60 km each, with the first driving three horses, and the second four. It helps to get an idea of ​​the danger that threatened them that Yuri galloped to Vladimir only in his “first shirt” (i.e., underwear), despite the time of year (end of April).

Result of the battle

As a result of the Battle of Lipitsa, Yuri had to cede the Vladimir throne to his older brother Konstantin, and himself agree to the Gorodets inheritance. With this victory, the Smolensk princes got rid of their rivals, in particular Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, in the fight for Novgorod, but not for long. Already in 1217, Constantine gave Yuri Suzdal and guaranteed him a great reign after his death in exchange for an extensive Rostov inheritance for his sons, who were supposed to recognize Yuri instead of their father. Thus, the Battle of Lipitsa put an end to civil strife and the beginning of a new rise of the Vladimir Principality: already in 1219 it restored its influence in Ryazan, in 1221 - in Novgorod, replacing the Smolensk princes in active actions in the Baltic states against the Order of the Swordsmen, and achieved conditions from the Volga Bulgarians the world “as before, as it was under Yuri’s father and uncle” (S. M. Solovyov).

According to Doctor of Historical Sciences I. Ya. Froyanov, “the victory in the Battle of Lipetsk is the most important milestone in Novgorod history. It was a turning point in the relations of Novgorod with the princes of the Vladimir-Suzdal land. More than half a century of their onslaught was stopped. In a long and stubborn struggle, the Novgorodians defended the right of “freedom in the princes,” acquired by them as a result of the events of 1136, which ended the rule of Kiev over Novgorod, and repelled attempts to transform the Novgorod reign into viceroyalty. All this was consolidated by the placement of Constantine on the Vladimir grand-ducal table... All this affected the evolution of the princely power itself in Novgorod itself: more favorable conditions arose for the connection of the local state organization with the princely power, which took shape in one of the institutions of the supreme power of the Novgorod Republic. Thanks to the Lipitsa victory, Novgorod not only defended its independence, but retained its position as the main city in the volost, while defending its territorial integrity.”

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Battle of Lipitsa

Nakhodka

In the summer of 1808, the peasant woman Larionova, “while in the bushes to pluck nuts, saw something glowing in a hummock near a walnut bush.” This “something” turned out to be an ancient gilded helmet, under which lay a rolled-up coat of chain mail. The provincial authorities took urgent measures, and the find was transferred to St. Petersburg, to the President of the Academy of Arts A. N. Olenin.

The helmet found by Larionova is displayed in a display case of ancient military armor in the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin. In addition, a copy of it adorns the head of Alexander Nevsky - Cherkasov in Eisenstein's film. And although Alexander Nevsky was born already when the helmet was lying on the bank of Koloksha, the famous commander still has rights to it: after all, he was the son of the owner of this helmet, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich.

Warriors and epic characters

According to surviving chronicles, the battle was attended by the heroes Alexander Popovich, Dobrynya Zolotoy Belt (aka Timonya Rezanich) and Nefediy Dikun, as well as Yuryata and Ratibor, who fell at the hands of Popovich. The Nikon Chronicle also names certain “Iev Popovich and his servant Nestor, great brave men,” mourned by Mstislav Udatny.

This gave grounds to assert that Alexander Popovich had a heroic brother, Job or Ivan. However, there is clearly a distortion of the original text of the earlier Novgorod Chronicle, where “Ivanka Popovitsa” was also mentioned among the dead Novgorodians.

Battle of Lipitsa (April 21, 1216)

The history of pre-Mongol Rus' is full of princely strife. However, not a single battle of that time made such an impression on the chroniclers with its scope and ferocity as the Battle of Lipitsa in 1216. This battle quickly became overgrown with legends and can rightfully be considered the peak of civil strife of the pre-Tatar period.

chronicler

THE ROOTS OF THE CONFLICT

The war, the outcome of which was decided by the Battle of Lipitsa, was generated by two reasons - enmity between the Novgorodians and the Vladimir land and strife between the Vladimir-Suzdal princes themselves.
The enmity that broke out between the sons of the Vladimir prince Vsevolod the Big Nest was rooted in orders made by himself shortly before his death in 1212.

Vsevolod Yurievich

Recognizing his eldest son Konstantin as his successor, his father demanded that in return he cede his inheritance in Rostov to his brother Yuri. But Konstantin did not agree, “even if we take Volodymer to Rostov.” Then Vsevolod publicly disowned his eldest son from the inheritance in favor of Yuri, and after that Konstantin “raised his eyebrows with anger at his brothers, and especially at Yuri.” In this dispute, he had reliable support in the person of the boyars and the “city men” of Rostov the Great - traditionally considering their city to be the “oldest” in the Zalessk land, they did not want to submit to their “suburb” Vladimir. The thirty-year-old Rostov prince himself enjoyed the love and respect of his subjects, who believed that “God had granted him the meekness of David, the wisdom of Solomon.” Among other Russian princes, Konstantin Vsevolodovich was distinguished by his broad outlook, prudence and special education: “not saddening anyone, but making everyone wise with spiritual conversations, often honoring books with diligence and doing everything according to what is written.”

After the death of their father, a split occurred among the brothers. Vladimir, who ruled in Moscow, supported Constantine, and Yaroslav, Svyatoslav and Ivan supported Yuri, who in 1213 led them in a campaign against Rostov. Konstantin came out to meet them, dispatching part of his troops to defeat Kostroma, which had defected to Yuri, which posed a threat to his rear. The troops converged on the banks of the Ishni River and stood against each other for some time, limiting themselves to small skirmishes. Not daring to attack the Rostovites, Yuri retreated, ravaging the surrounding villages. His only success was the expulsion of Vladimir from Moscow to southern Pereyaslavl. Constantine retained Sol the Great and Nerokht, which he captured from Yuri and Yaroslav.

Meanwhile, in 1215, the prince of Novgorod, Mstislav Mstislavich, nicknamed Udatny for his success in his numerous military enterprises (later historians changed the nickname to “Udaly”), was invited by the Krakow prince Leshko to participate in the campaign against Galich, captured by the Hungarians. At the assembled meeting, the prince announced to the Novgorodians: “I have business in Rus', and you are free to be princes,” after which, together with his retinue, he left to restore justice to the south. After his departure, supporters of the Suzdal princes took over in the city. Taking advantage of their general disposition towards the departed Mstislav, they proposed inviting his son-in-law, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, who ruled in Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, to reign.

Yaroslav Vsevolodovich

The choice, however, was not a good one. Yaroslav, a stubborn and cruel man, immediately began to deal with his true

and imaginary ill-wishers, listening to all denunciations and slander. In the latter, a certain Fyodor Lazutinich was especially successful, tirelessly slandering his enemies from among prominent citizens. Yakun Zubolomich and the Novotorzh mayor Foma Dobroshchinich were sent in chains to Tver, the courtyard of the thousand Yakun was destroyed and his wife was captured. When Yakun came to complain with the mayor, Yaroslav ordered his Christopher to be arrested at the same time. Outraged residents of Prusskaya Street killed the prince's henchmen Ovstrat and his son Lugota, after which Yaroslav left Novgorod in anger. He retired to Torzhok, leaving behind his governor Khot Grigorovich.
Yaroslav decided to break the obstinacy of the Novgorodians by repeating in their land what had already happened in his homeland, where the “suburb” rose in power, humiliating the “oldest” city. He planned to “turn Torzhok into Novgorod.” Torzhok, which lay on the border with Suzdal land, was a trading hub on the way to Novgorod and was always the object of the aspirations of the Suzdal princes. Having settled in it, Yaroslav blocked the supply of food to Novgorod and thereby aggravated the disaster that befell him. The fact is that the frost destroyed the grain in the Novgorod land and this caused a famine that was terrible in its consequences. Kad of rye rose in price to 10 hryvnia, and Kad of oats - to three. Parents gave their children into slavery for feeding. “Oh woe beha! There is a corpse in the city, a corpse in the streets, a corpse in the field; it is impossible for a human being to be eaten by a psy,” the chronicler exclaims. The prince simply starved the city, not letting a single cart of grain pass there. The Novgorodians sent three embassies to Yaroslav - first Smena Borisovich, Vyacheslav Klimyatich and Zubts Yakun, then the mayor Yuri Ivankovich with Stepan Tverdislavich and other men, and then Manuil Yagolchevich with his last speeches. But the prince took all the ambassadors into custody, without giving any other answer. He only sent a certain Ivoraich Diarrhea there to take Princess Rostislava Mstislavna out of starving Novgorod. All Novgorod merchants, passing through Torzhok, ended up in princely prisons. In addition to Torzhok, the prince’s troops also occupied Volok Lamsky.

In such circumstances, Mstislav Udatny returned to Novgorod on February 11, 1216. Arriving at Yaroslav's Court, he immediately proclaimed: “Either I will return the Novgorod men and Novgorod volosts, or I will lay my head for Veliky Novgorod!” This program was enthusiastically accepted by Novgorodians. "We are ready for life and death with you!" - they answered the prince.

First of all, Mstislav equipped a new embassy to Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, choosing for that priest the priest of the Church of St. John in Torgovshchina, Father Yuri. Apparently, he hoped that Yaroslav would not dare to treat a spiritual person as rudely as he did with secular ambassadors. These expectations were justified. Arriving in Torzhok, Fr. Yuri conveyed to the prince the words of his father-in-law: “My son, let go of the husbands and guests of Novgorod, leave Novy Torg and take love with me.” In addition, as the Nikon Chronicle reports, and after it V.N. Tatishchev, Mstislav demanded that his son-in-law live honestly with his wife and not let his concubines offend her, and otherwise send her back to her father. Yaroslav really did not dare to seize the priest, but he took it out on the Novgorodians who fell into his hands - all of them were shackled and sent to prison in the Zalesse cities, and their property was confiscated. In total, according to the chroniclers, up to 2,000 people were imprisoned (the figure is probably greatly exaggerated). Yaroslav also took active actions against his father-in-law who interfered in his affairs - they sent 100 people to “send Mstislav out of Novgorod.” Yaroslav himself began constructing guards on all the routes and gathering forces to resist the Novgorodians.

However, the “guides” he sent, seeing the unanimity of their fellow countrymen, themselves went over to the side of Mstislav Udatny, who at the veche called for an open struggle to begin: “Let’s go, brothers, let’s look for our husbands, your brothers, let’s return your volosts, so that the New Trade will not be Great Novgorod, nor Novgorod Torzhok. Where St. Sophia is, here is Novgorod; and in many ways God and in little things God and truth! " The Novgorodians were inspired by the consciousness of their rightness, by the hatred of the famous knight prince, like Mstislav Udatny.

Mstislav Mstislavich Udatny

Earlier, in 1210, he had already freed them from the disliked Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, the younger brother of their current oppressor, and even the powerful Vsevolod the Big Nest could not prevent this. Mstislav’s personality itself, which was given an apt and succinct description by N.I. Kostomarov at one time, inspired hopes for success and subsequent feats of arms. He called the prince “a model of character that could only have been developed by the living conditions of the pre-Tatar appanage period” and said that he was “a defender of antiquity, a guardian of the existing, a fighter for truth... He was the best man of his time, but did not cross that line ", which the spirit of previous centuries assigned to itself; and in this respect, his life expressed the society of his time."

PROGRESS OF THE CAMPAIGN

Mstislav Mstislavich, as an experienced military leader, acted quickly and decisively. Taking advantage of his authority and family connections, he managed to put together a strong anti-Suzdal coalition in the shortest possible time, from February 11 to March 1. His brother, the Pskov prince Vladimir Mstislavich, and his cousin Vladimir Rurikovich, the prince of Smolensk, firmly promised him their support. Vsevolod Mstislavich, the son of another cousin of Udatny, Prince of Kyiv Mstislav Romanovich, was also supposed to arrive with his retinue. What made this ally especially valuable was the fact that Vsevolod was the brother-in-law of Konstantin Rostovsky, of whose discord with Yuri and Yaroslav Udatny was well aware. Probably, already in February 1216 Mstislav Mstislavich had every reason to count on support from the Rostovites.

In turn, Yaroslav, realizing the seriousness of the situation, turned to his brothers for help, and first of all to Yuri. Behind Yuri stood all the power of the Suzdal land. The brothers responded to the call. Yuri immediately begins gathering troops, and until then he sends an army led by his younger brother Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich to Yaroslav. Even the hostile Konstantin responded, sending his son Vsevolod with a small squad to Yaroslav - he did not want to reveal his plans ahead of time and preferred to first observe the development of events.

“On the 1st day of the month of March, on Tuesday after Clean Week,” the Novgorod-Pskov army set out on a campaign. On Thursday, the last adherents of Yaroslav fled to Torzhok with their families - Volodislav Zavidich, Gavrila Igorevich, Yuri Oleksinich and Gavrilets Milyatinich. They apparently warned him about the start of the war.

Walking along the Seliger route, the army entered the Toropetsk volost, the estate of Mstislav Udatny. The troops moved on sleighs along the ice of rivers and lakes, sending out small corral detachments to procure food and feed for horses. Mstislav allowed the warriors to feed themselves at the expense of the population, but ordered them not to kill people or drive them into captivity. As a result, those who set out from the starving Novgorod quickly “were filled with karma, both themselves and their horses.”

Meanwhile, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, at the head of a large force (according to the chronicler’s clearly inflated estimate of up to 10 thousand), laid siege to Rzhev, where Yarun Vasilyevich, the thousand-man Yarun Vasilyevich, locked himself in and stubbornly resisted. He had only 100 warriors. The approach of the troops of Mstislav and Vladimir of Pskov forced Svyatoslav to hastily lift the siege and retreat. Together with him, the detachments of the Suzdal governor Mikhail Borisovich and the Rostov prince Vsevolod Konstantinovich, who had begun to ruin the Toropetsk volost, also left. Developing the success achieved, Vladimir Mstislavich, at the head of his 900 Pskovites, quickly attacked Zubtsov. The town surrendered with the approach of the army of Mstislav Udatny. Here the brothers were joined by the army of Vladimir Rurikovich, who approached on the ice of Vazuza. After this, the combined forces advance along the Volga to the mouth of Kholokholny, where they set up a camp.

The army entered the Suzdal land and was ready to strike. Having successfully begun the campaign, the knightly Mstislav Udatny now considered it not shameful for himself to repeat peace proposals to the enemy - after Svyatoslav’s escape from Rzhev and the fall of Zubtsov, no one would dare to accuse him of cowardice or indecision. But Yaroslav stubbornly rejected all attempts at reconciliation. “I don’t want peace,” he answered the ambassadors, “let’s go, of course, go: even a hare goes for blood. But one of our men will get a hundred.”

Having received this answer, the allies gathered for a council. Some of them wanted to go straight to Torzhok and finish off Yaroslav with one blow, but Mstislav thought differently: “If we go to Torzhok, we will devastate the Novgorod volost, and that will be worse for us than the first. Better, brothers, let’s go to Yaroslav’s volost. He will not leave our volost and there we’ll see what God gives.” It was decided to go to Pereyaslavl - the fatherland of Yaroslav. Mstislav Udatny had one more reason for choosing this particular path. “Let’s go to Pereyaslavl, we have a third friend,” he said to Vladimir Rurikovich, hinting at his secret relations with Konstantin.

Without turning to Torzhok, the army moved towards Tver and along the road “pozhgosha villages” - the destruction of enemy volosts was considered military valor and was one of the main means of waging war. Yaroslav, taking with him prisoners, as well as his supporters from Novgorod - “the oldest men ... of Novgorod and the young by choice” - as well as the entire Torzhok militia, went to Tver, trying to get to Pereyaslavl before the enemy army blocked the road there . The watchman he sent drove only 15 miles and returned with the news that the allied army was ahead. The allies did not know about his movement and were justifiably afraid of the strike of Yaroslav’s warriors on their paddocks. The news about Yaroslav was delivered by the brave Yarun. On Annunciation on March 25, walking at the head of an advance detachment, he ran into an enemy guard of 100 people, attacked it and put it to flight. In the battle, 7 of Yaroslav’s warriors died, and 33 were captured. From their words it became known that Yaroslav had already taken refuge in Tver. Now, knowing this, the soldiers of the allied army “are not afraid to go to prosperity.”

Yaroslav's further flight from Tver to Pereyaslavl made it pointless for the Allies to attempt to capture this city. Instead, they took new steps to strengthen their ties with Konstantin Vsevolodovich. The Smolensk boyar Yavolod was sent to him in Rostov. Vladimir Pskovsky with a mixed Pskov-Smolensk detachment escorted the envoy to the Rostov borders. At the same time, he captured the town of Kosnyatyn. Mstislav Udatny with the main forces, meanwhile, continued to slowly move along the Volga ice, sending out corrals to devastate the surrounding area. His warriors burned out the volosts along the Shosha and Dubna rivers. Having again united with the Pskovians, the allied army marched all the way to the mouth of the Mologa, destroying everything in its path.

On Mologa, the allied princes were met by the Rostov governor Eremey at the head of a detachment of 500 soldiers. He conveyed the message of Constantine: “I am glad to hear your coming; and behold, 500 men of the army will help you; and send my brother-in-law Vsevolod (Mstislavich) to me with all the speeches.” Vsevolod immediately drove off to Rostov to complete the negotiations, and the army continued on its way, but in cavalry order - the Volga opened up and the sleigh train had to be left in place.

On Great Saturday, April 9, 1216, the army arrived at the “Fortification on the River Sarah near St. Marina,” where Prince Konstantin and his retinue approached. Here he finally joined the coalition and kissed the cross. The princes celebrated Easter at the Settlement.
The Sarskoe settlement - once a large Meryan tribal center - at the end of the 11th century. fell into decay due to the rise of Rostov, but retained its significance as a fortress. In the 13th century it was a powerful castle on a narrow, elongated ridge, surrounded on three sides by a bend of the Sary River. From the floor part, the ridge was crossed by four defensive ramparts, reinforced with wooden structures.

According to the surviving Rostov legend, this castle belonged at that time to the famous knight Alexander Popovich, who served Rostov and Prince Konstantin. This hero had already gained fame in the last clash between Konstantin and Yuri, when “bravely, leaving Rostov, Prince Yuryev howl beat them, who were beaten by him near Rostov on the Ishna River and near Ugodichi in the meadow, many pits of bones were laid.” Popovich’s joining the allied army was important not only because of his combat skills, but also because of the enormous authority that the Rostov prince enjoyed among the squad. In addition to him, such famous heroes as Dobrynya the Golden Belt (Timonya Rezanich) and Nefediy Dikun joined the allies.

Before the attack on Pereyaslavl, the allied princes sent Vladimir of Pskov back to Rostov - he should have waited for the approach of the Belozersk army called by Konstantin. The Novgorodians hoped to capture Yaroslav in Pereyaslavl, however, approaching the city in Fomina week (April 15), they took a prisoner who reported that the hated prince had already left with the Pereyaslavl regiment to Vladimir. Then Mstislav and Konstantin moved further and soon became a camp at Yuryev-Polsky, and the Rostovites settled in a separate camp on Lipitsa. It turned out that the allies were only slightly ahead of the enemy - the huge Suzdal army, having almost managed to occupy Yuryev, stood on the bank of the Gza River.

Yuriev-Polskaya, founded in 1152 by the great grandfather of the Vsevolodichs, Yuri Dolgoruky, was located in a densely populated and wealthy region of the Suzdal opole region, in the lowland of the left bank of the Koloksha not far from where the Gza flows into it. The fortress of the town was protected by a four to six meter ring rampart, as well as a ditch that reached a width of 28 m. Two gates led into the citadel - the northern Rostov and southeastern Vladimir. Having managed to capture Yuryev, Mstislav Udatny secured a powerful stronghold in the heart of the Suzdal lands just on the eve of the decisive clash.

The information about the Suzdal army that the allied princes had made a terrifying impression. Therefore, hoping to gain time before Vladimir of Pskov arrived, they started new negotiations with the enemy. They probably hoped to try to sow discord in the enemy’s camp - the Novgorodians did not consider Yuri Vsevolodovich their enemy and therefore sent Larion from the village to him with the words: “We bow to you, brother, we have no offense from you, but there is an offense from Yaroslav - and Novgorod, and Konstantin, your eldest brother. We ask you, make peace with your eldest brother, give him eldership according to his righteousness, and tell Yaroslav to release the Novgorodians and Novoroshans. May human blood not be shed in vain, for this God will exact from us." To this Yuri firmly and briefly answered: “We are one person with my brother Yaroslav.”
Then the same Larion was sent with peaceful speeches to Yaroslav. Mstislav Udatny conveyed to his son-in-law: “Novgorod is mine. But you seized the men of Novgorod for no reason, you robbed a lot of goods and the Novgorodians, crying, cry out to God against you and complain to me about insults from you. You, son, release the prisoners, and the Novgorod volost return. So let's make peace and not shed blood in vain." But Yaroslav regarded the peace proposals as manifestations of the enemy’s weakness, and therefore answered self-confidently and maliciously: “We don’t want peace; your men are with me; you came from afar, but came out like fish to dry land.”

Upon Larion’s return, the allies equipped a third embassy, ​​this time addressing both Vsevolodichs: “Brothers, we are all the tribe of Vladimirov and came here not for war and ruin, not to take away your homeland, but we are looking for peace. You are according to the law of God and Truth "Give eldership to the Russian brother Konstantin. You yourself know that if you don’t love your brother, then you hate God, and nothing can atone for that."

Yuri answered the envoys: “Tell Mstislav that he knows how he came, but does not know how he will leave here. If our father himself could not judge me and Konstantin, then should Mstislav be our judge? And tell brother Konstantin: overcome us, then The whole earth will be yours."
After the ambassadors left, Yuri called his boyars and brothers to a feast in his tent. Warlike speeches were heard from everyone, and only the old boyar Tvorimir (Andrei Stanislavich) spoke differently: “Princes Yuri and Yaroslav! Lesser brothers are in your will, but according to my fortune-telling, it would be better for you to take the world and give eldership to Constantine. Don’t look what There are fewer of them. The princes of the Rostislav tribe are wise, honest and brave, and their men, Novgorodians and Smolensk, are daring in battle. And about Mstislav Mstislavich, you yourself know that courage was given to him more than anyone else. And doesn’t Konstantin now have brave Alexander Popovich, his servant Torop and Dobrynya of the Golden Belt?

Such speeches caused general indignation, and Yuri allegedly even tried to pierce the old adviser with a sword, but was restrained by his fellow diners. Yuri cooled down, especially since completely different speeches were heard from everywhere. The general mood was expressed by the “brave and crazy” boyar Ratibor, who stated: “Princes Yuri and Yaroslav! It never happened, neither under your fathers, nor under your grandfathers, nor under your great-grandfathers, that anyone would enter an army into the strong Suzdal land and come out of it intact. Even if the whole Russian land came against us - Galicia, and Kiev, and Smolensk, and Chernigov, and Novgorod, and Ryazan, and even then they wouldn’t do anything to us. And what about these regiments, we’ll throw saddles at them! "

Inspired, Yuri and Yaroslav gave the governors a strict order, forbidding them to take prisoners in battle: “Behold, the goods have come into your hands. You will have armor, horses and ports. And whoever takes a man alive will be killed himself. Even if the mantle will be sewn with gold, "Kill him, so we won't leave a single one alive. If anyone escapes from the regiment, we won't kill him, but we'll grab him, or hang or crucify them. And whoever of the princes falls into the hands, we'll talk about them later." By prohibiting the capture of even noble opponents, the Suzdal leaders openly violated the existing rules of warfare. This command of theirs, apparently, became known to the allied army even before the start of the battle. The warriors of Udatny and Konstantin realized that in a foreign land they had no one to expect mercy from and, in turn, became embittered.

After the military council, the brothers retired to a tent and drew up a document on the division of the possessions of their opponents, the defeat of which they had no doubts about. Yuri secured his rights to the Suzdal and Rostov lands, Yaroslav should have returned the pacified Novgorod, and Smolensk was judged for Svyatoslav. Having gained a taste, the brothers also decided to give Kyiv to the Chernigov princes and take Galich for themselves. Following this, a messenger was sent to the camp of Mstislav Udatny with a proposal to meet for battle on the plain near Lipitsa.

STRENGTHS OF THE PARTIES

By medieval standards, the armies that took part in the Battle of Lipitsa were huge. However, it is now impossible to accurately determine their true number, as well as the size of losses. The information in the chronicles is contradictory and unreliable.

It is known that with Mstislav Udatny, 5,000 Novgorodians approached Rzhev (in V.N. Tatishchev’s account they turned into 500 horsemen), and 900 Pskovites marched to Zubtsov. These figures seem quite realistic and, based on them, further calculations can be made. The Smolensk land, which did not suffer the same disaster as Novgorod, should have fielded a larger army, but it is unlikely that it could significantly exceed Mstislav’s army. After all, the Smolensk people had even less time to gather than the Novgorodians, and they could not gather the forces of the entire land. Apparently, the city regiment and the prince’s squad set out on the campaign, the total number of which can be roughly reduced to 6,000. The army of Yuri and Yaroslav had an overwhelming numerical superiority, which can be seen from how the allies were delighted with the approach of even the Belozersk army on the eve of the battle, which was so small, that it was not even mentioned separately in the general disposition - it came under the command of Vladimir Mstislavich, who brought her, and merged with his Pskov people. From here it is logical to assume the forces of the Rostovites in the region of 3,000, and the Belozersts - no more than 1,000. In general, therefore, the allied army could have had up to 16,000 soldiers at its disposal.

Regarding their opponents, it is known that Yuri had 13 banners, and Yaroslav - 17. By banners here, obviously, we mean not only the banners themselves, but also individual combat units - units of 20-150 spears led by a boyar, city foreman or petty prince. Considering that one spear, in addition to the commander, included 10 more warriors, we can roundly give the number of Yuri’s forces at somewhere around 7-10 thousand, and Yaroslav’s at 9-13 thousand people. At least 5,000 soldiers were to be included in the regiment of the “lesser brethren” - Ivan and Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich. The chronicler’s statement that 10,000 people came to Rzhev with Svyatoslav and Mikhail Borisovich is clearly exaggerated. Otherwise, it is unlikely that they would have retreated so hastily and practically without a fight in front of less than six thousand Mstislav and Vladimir. As a result, the army of Vsevolodichs on Lipitsa can be estimated at somewhere between 21 and 30 thousand people. Its composition was more varied than that of the allied army. Yuri commanded the Suzdal people - here was “the whole strength of the Suzdal land: they were overtaken from the villages and to the foot.” Under the command of Yaroslav were his Pereyaslavl residents, town residents, Murom residents (led by Prince Davyd Yuryevich), a small number of fugitive Novgorodians and Novoroshans, as well as fairly large forces of wanderers - the chronicle names them on an equal footing with the named contingents. Regarding them, it should be noted that, contrary to popular belief, they did not at all represent “rabble gangs of the eastern steppes, the prototype of the Cossacks.” As a philological analysis of the origin of their very name, as well as a comparison of information from Russian and Hungarian chronicles, convincingly shows, these were detachments of mercenary soldiers, immigrants from the Lower Danube, the Russian population of which lived in fishing, river trade and piracy. Their military detachments were often led by Galician boyars ("Galician expulsions"), experienced in combat, or even rogue princes. The composition of the regiments of the “lesser brethren” is not revealed in the chronicles, but, apparently, here, in addition to the personal squads of Ivan and Svyatoslav, there was a militia of the Suzdal land “from the settlements”, reinforced by heroes like Yuryata and Ratibor. This can be concluded from the fact that it was this flank that turned out to be the weak point in the Vsevolodich battle line and showed the least resistance in the battle.

Both armies had in their ranks famous knights-heroes, each of whom led his own small squad. Thus, the famous Alexander Popovich, in addition to the servant Torop, led “70 other brave men of the same city” into the field. Bogatyrs in Rus' were then called God's people (for comparison, the knights-monks of the Teutonic Order among Russians bore the name of God's nobles), which indicates the special status that these knights occupied in society.

They could serve one or another prince or city, but at the same time retained a certain independence, which, ultimately, led in 1219 to their joint decision to serve only the Grand Duke of Kiev, as the traditional head of the entire Russian land.

Among the warriors of the allied army, the chronicle names such heroes as Alexander Popovich, Dobrynya Zolotoy Belt (aka Timonya Rezanich) and Nefediy Dikun, and from the Suzdal side - Yuryata and Ratibor, who fell at the hands of Popovich. The Nikon Chronicle also names certain “Iev Popovich and his servant Nestor, great brave men,” whose death in battle was mourned by Mstislav Udatny himself. This gave grounds to assert that Alexander Popovich had a heroic brother, Job or Ivan. However, there is clearly a distortion of the original text of the earlier Novgorod Chronicle, where “Ivanka Popovitsa” was mentioned among the dead Novgorodians.

In conclusion of the review, it should be noted that when naming the number of troops, the chroniclers most likely meant only “combat units” that directly participated in the battles, not including the supply guards and camp staff. Taking into account these forces, the total number of troops should be increased two to three times.

BATTLE

Having received a challenge to battle, Mstislav Udatny immediately sent for Konstantin. The allied princes discussed the current situation and again brought Konstantin Vsevolodovich to the kiss of the cross on the fact that he would not change the agreement and would not go over to his brothers. Following this, on the same night from April 19 to 20, the Novgorod and Smolensk regiments left the camp and moved to Lipitsa. As they approached, shouts of welcome arose in the Rostov camp and trumpets sounded. This caused alarm among the Suzdal residents - later the Novgorodians even claimed that their enemies, for all their numbers, almost fled from this nightly commotion. On the morning of April 20, the allied armies entered the Lipitskoye field in battle formation. But there was no enemy here.

The Suzdal residents also left the camp while it was still dark. But, having reached the Lipitsa Plain, they did not stop there, as agreed, but crossed the forest and ascended to a hill convenient for defense, called Avdova Mountain. Perhaps, having heard the battle trumpets of the Rostovites, Yuri and Vsevolod suspected their enemies of trying to deliver a sudden night attack and defeat them on the march. One way or another, but, having climbed Mount Avdova, they strengthened their position with wattle fences and stakes (“every place was braided with wattle fences and stakes were stuck in place”) and until dawn they kept their warriors in battle formation behind their shields.

Having determined the location of the enemy, the allies, in turn, took up positions on Yuryeva Mountain, separated from Avdova by a deep overgrown ravine. Along the bottom of this “wild” flowed a small Tuneg stream. Vladimir Pskovsky and the Belozersk people had not yet appeared, and therefore the allies attempted to gain time by resuming negotiations. Three princely men set off from Yurovaya Mountain to Avdova with the words to Yuri: “Give peace, but if you don’t give peace, then retreat further to level ground and we will attack you, or we will retreat to Lipitsa, and you will cross.” But Yuri, fearing a catch, answered: “I don’t accept peace and I won’t retreat. You came here through our entire land on a long road, so can’t you cross this wilds, this small stream!”

It was impossible to wait any longer. Mstislav sent hunters from the squad of “youth” to fight the Suzdal people in the “wilds”. The day turned out to be windy and cold, the warriors were tired from the night march, so the skirmishes were sluggish. It is to these battles that one of the stories about the exploits of Alexander Popovich probably relates, clearly reflecting the knightly morals of that time. One of the Suzdal governors went down into the ravine to the stream and exclaimed in a “military voice,” challenging the Rostov knight to a duel: “The shield is scarlet, I am going with this.” Hearing this, Popovich sent squire Torop to the Suzdal resident with his scarlet shield - “a fierce serpent is written on it.” Torop, showing the enemy his master’s coat of arms, asked: “What do you want from this shield?” “I want the one who is following him,” answered the fighter. The challenge was accepted.

“And Toropets drove to Oleksandr, saying: “Tobi, sir, is calling.” And Oleksandr, grabbing the shield, went beyond the river and said to him: “Take off.” And so the greyhound got together. And Oleksandr threw the governor out of the saddle and stepped on throat and turn your weapon, he said to him: “What do you want?” And he said: “Sir, I want life.” And Alexander said: “Go, plunge into the river three times and be with me.” And he plunged and came to him. And Alexander said: “Go to your prince and tell him: “Olexander Popovich orders you to give up the estate of the Grand Duke, or we will take it from you ourselves. Bring me the answer, otherwise I will find you among the regiments!” The Suzdalian went to the top of Avdova Mountain and returned with a refusal.

By dusk the fights in the lowland had died down. The leaders of the allied army discussed further actions and on the morning of April 21, the troops began to close their camp in order to march directly to Vladimir. Noticing movement in the enemy’s camp, the Suzdal regiments moved forward threateningly, emerging from behind their field fortifications. It became clear that Yuri and Yaroslav would not miss the opportunity to strike in the enemy’s rear, preventing him from preparing for battle. The movement of troops was immediately stopped. At this time, the Belozersk people, led by Vladimir Mstislavich, finally arrived. His arrival delighted and encouraged the allies. The Novgorodians were returned to their original positions in order to restrain the impulse of the Suzdal army, and the princes gathered for a meeting. Konstantin pointed out the danger of leaving occupied positions: “When we go past them, they will take us to the rear, and my people are not daring to fight, they will disperse to the cities.” Everyone was inspired by the words of Mstislav Udatny: “Brothers, the mountain will not help us and will not defeat us. Look at the power of the honorable cross and the truth: let’s go to them!” So the decision was made to attack the Suzdalians head-on, despite their numerical superiority and convenient position for defense.

The regiments began to turn towards battle. The usual battle formation of the Russian army was a three-part division into a large regiment (chelo) and flanking regiments of the right and left hands. In this case, the allies also did not deviate from traditions. The Novgorodians and the squad of Mstislav Udatny stood in the center. On his right hand were the Smolensk people of Vladimir Rurikovich; on the left are the Rostovites of Konstantin, the Belozersk and Pskovites of Vladimir Mstislavich. A small detachment of Vsevolod Mstislavich merged with the Novgorodians. The left flank was also strengthened by the presence of Rostov heroes there.

The regiments of the Vsevolodichs, who came out from behind their fortifications and somewhat descended the slope of Avdova Mountain, also prepared for battle. Yuri, at the head of the Suzdalians, stood against the Novgorodians. The right flank, opposite the Rostovites and Pskovites, was occupied by the “lesser brethren” - Ivan and Svyatoslav; left - Yaroslav at the head of the united forces of Pereyaslavl residents, town residents, Brodniks, as well as Murom residents of Davyd Yuryevich. 60 trumpets and tambourines played in Yuri's regiments; 40 trumpets and tambourines encouraged Yaroslav's troops.

Mstislav Udatny, riding around the ranks of warriors, spoke: “Brothers! We have entered a strong land. Let us look at God and stand strong, without looking back; if you run, you will not leave. Let us forget, brothers, wives, children and our homes. Who should not die? Go to battle whoever wants, whether on foot or on horseback.”
“We don’t want to die on horseback, we will fight on foot, like our fathers on Koloksha!” - answered the Novgorodians. The battle, the memories of which so inspired them, took place back in 1096 and in it, thanks to the actions of the Novgorod infantry, Mstislav the Great, Udatny’s great-grandfather, defeated his enemy Oleg Svyatoslavich. And now the Novgorodians dismounted, threw off their boots and outer clothing, and with a loud cry began to run down the slope of Yurovaya Mountain. The Smolensk people followed their example, although, as the Novgorod chronicler did not fail to answer, having taken off their shoes, they still wrapped their feet. Smolyan was led by the governor Ivor Mikhailovich, and the princes at the head of the horse squads slowly followed them. It was inconvenient to go down the steep slope on horseback - the horse under Ivor stumbled and the governor rolled to the ground. But his pawns continued the attack without waiting for him to rise. Picking up speed, the Novgorodians immediately flew up the slope of Avdova Mountain and attacked the enemy, first showering them with sulitsa, and then fighting hand-to-hand “with cues and axes.”

Descending into the “wild” and ascending the mountain, the Novgorodians took a little to the right and as a result, their main blow fell precisely on the regiments of Yaroslav, whom they hated. Probably, Yaroslav's forces were somewhat pushed forward from the general line of the Suzdal army - due to the terrain or greater haste when leaving the camp. Having cut into the ranks of the enemy with a terrible cry, the attackers pushed the enemy back and even cut off one of Yaroslav’s banners. However, the Novgorodians had to fight, climbing the mountain, and confront the forces of both Yuri and Yaroslav at once. Therefore, after the first successful onslaught, their attack was repulsed. However, they were already supported from behind by the Smolensk people, and Ivor Mikhailovich, having caught up with his regiment, organized and led a secondary onslaught. With him the pawns reached the second Yaroslav banner.

Seeing the desperate battle, Mstislav Udatny cried out, addressing the mounted warriors who had already crossed Tuneg: “God forbid, brothers, to hand over these good people!” - and led them into an attack through the ranks of his own infantry. At the same time, the left flank of the allied army began to move. Konstantin and Vladimir Pskovsky attacked the younger Vsevolodichs. The slope of Avdova Mountain here was more gentle, and the warriors of Ivan and Svyatoslav were less resistant. As a result, Konstantin and his knights fell into the regiments of his younger brothers, “he divided them and, knocking them out of place, turned them towards the Suzdalians.”

In this onslaught, Alexander Popovich met with the “mad boyar” Ratibor and he, despite all his boasting, was defeated by him in a duel. The same fate befell another Suzdal hero, Yuryata.

Meanwhile, Mstislav Udatny, armed with a battle ax with a strap on his wrist, drove three times, “cutting people,” through the regiments of Yuri and Yaroslav, accompanied by Vladimir Rurikovich and selected warriors. The Nikon Chronicle claims that in the heat of battle Mstislav encountered Popovich, who allegedly did not recognize the prince and almost cut him with a sword, but recognizing him, gave him advice: “Prince, do not dare, but stand and watch; head, you will be killed, and what are others and where should they go?” But this episode should undoubtedly be classified as later speculation. It is unlikely that such an experienced warrior as Popovich would not have recognized his own leader even in the heat of battle. And even more incredible is the advice he gave to the prince to “stand and watch” on the sidelines - such behavior would have been simply unthinkable for a prince of the 13th century, especially one like Mstislav Mstislavich, who became famous equally for his skill as a commander and for his military prowess.

The battle lasted from the morning until almost noon and for some time its outcome remained unclear: “And the slaughter of evil happened, one wanted to show his courage in front of the other and defeat the enemy. Here one could hear the breaking of spears, the groaning of ulcers, the trampling of horses, behind which there was nothing military "We can't speak to each other, we can't hear the commands of the commanders, and we can see nothing from the dust in front of us. Blood was pouring everywhere and falling on both sides in the place there was so much that no one could go further or back. No one wanted to give in." .

Judging by the Novgorod chronicle, the outcome of the battle was decided by the stubborn onslaught of the Novgorodians with some support from the Smolensk people (the actions of Constantine’s left wing are not even mentioned there). Yaroslav's warriors trembled and fled, and looking at them, Yuri also “shouldered away.” However, a different picture emerges from the words of V.N. Tatishchev, who conveyed the Rostov point of view. Apparently, the regiment of Konstantin and Vladimir of Pskov cut through the right wing of the enemy army opposing it and reached the flank and rear of Yuri’s Suzdalians. The people of Suzdal, who were subjected to the powerful onslaught of Mstislav Udatny from the front, found themselves between two fires, and Yaroslav’s warriors were already giving in under the pressure of the Novgorodians and Smolensk. The result was a general flight of the Vsevolodich army, accompanied by its mass beating. Experienced Mstislav, however, realized that the battle was not over yet and the enemy could well gain the upper hand using his numerical superiority. Therefore, he loudly gave the order to his triumphant warriors: “Brothers, do not rush at the convoy, but beat them. When they return, they will destroy us!” The Novgorodians did not need to be persuaded to continue the massacre, but the Smolensk people, as the Novgorod chronicler did not fail to note, “attacked the goods and robbed them of the dead.” However, panic-stricken and deprived of command, the Suzdal regiments could no longer stop. As usual in medieval battles, the losing army suffered the main losses during its flight. Of the fleeing Suzdal residents, “many of the footstrokes were in the river, and some were wounded from the dead.” The screams of the wounded and killed were heard in Yuryev itself. The Novgorodians gave no mercy to the enemy. Yaroslav himself barely escaped persecution. To make his escape easier, he threw his chain mail and his family’s gilded helmet with a chased image of St. Archangel Michael into the nearest hazel thickets, and he rushed off towards Pereyaslavl.

helmet of Yaroslav Vsvolodovich

Yuri did the same, galloping to Vladimir by noon of the same day, when the finishing off of his army was just completed on Lipitsa. He rushed to his capital "on the fourth horse, and three souls, in the first shirt, and even threw out the lining."

The winners got the entire convoy, all the banners, battle trumpets and tambourines of the Vsevolodians, but only 60 prisoners. The death toll was enormous, although difficult to determine. Chronicle news is very unreliable. According to them, in this fierce battle, only 5 Novgorodians and 1 Smolensk fell ("Novgorod killed on the mortar Dmitry Plskovichin, Anton Kotelnik, Ivanka Pribyshinitsya oponnik. And in the pen Ivanka Popovitsya, Smyun Petrilovitsya, a tributary of the Tyrsky"); The enemies lost 9,233 people killed. The later Nikon Chronicle gives the losses of the allies at 550, and the losses of the Suzdalians at 17,200 people, specifying in both cases: “except for foot soldiers.” V.N. Tatishchev estimates the losses of both sides at 2,550 and 17,250 people, respectively, and he adds that most of the killed and wounded were among the Smolensk people, because where they advanced, the mountain was steep and uneven. The later figure of 17,200 is clearly unreliable and one can completely believe the Novgorodians regarding 9,233 killed enemies. But the losses of the allies, of course, could not be limited to the figure of 6 people, and here the more likely number is close to the 2,550 killed by Tatishchev.

RESULTS

Mstislav Udatny did not order to pursue the fleeing, which the chronicler attributes to his Christian love for mankind. Otherwise, in his opinion, “Prince Yuri and Yaroslav could not have left. And the city of Vladimir would have been expelled.” Instead, the allies stood at the scene of the massacre all day. It was necessary to collect trophies, provide assistance to the wounded, and put our own army in order. In any case, there was nowhere to rush: the job was done, the enemy suffered a crushing defeat, and finishing off the defeated was not in the custom of Mstislav Udatny.
Yaroslav rushed to Pereyaslavl on the fifth horse, driving four. He was choked by anger - “he had not yet had his fill of blood.” On the move, he ordered all the Novgorodians and Smolyans, “who came as a guest,” to be thrown into cramped cellars. As a result, up to 150 Novgorodians suffocated to death in the dungeon and only 15 Smolensk residents, held in custody in Gridnitsa, survived. This senseless and cruel reprisal adds another striking touch to the understanding of the character of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich.

Having noticed Yuri from the walls of Vladimir, the townspeople initially took him for the princely messenger of victory. But then they recognized with horror their prince in a lone half-dressed horseman who galloped along the walls and shouted: “Fortify the city!” There was general confusion and crying. By evening, the surviving warriors, wounded and naked, began to flock to Vladimir.

The next morning, April 22, Yuri convened a meeting, calling on the “brothers of Vladimir” to shut themselves within the city walls and prepare to fight back. “Prince, Yuri!” the townspeople answered him. “Who will we close ourselves with? Our brothers are beaten, others are captured, and those who came running are unarmed. With whom will we fight?” The dejected prince asked them at least not to hand him over to either Mstislav or Konstantin, promising to leave the city himself.

On Sunday, April 22, the allied army approached Vladimir and besieged it. On the first night of the siege, a fire broke out in the city. The Novgorodians wanted to take advantage of this and launch an attack, but the chivalrous Mstislav held them back. The next night the fire repeated and burned until dawn. The Smolensk people were now eager to storm, but Vladimir Rurikovich followed Mstislav’s example and forbade them to do so. The princes apparently did not consider that the pogrom of the city after the victory had actually been won would bring them any honor. In addition, they still had to establish Constantine on the Vladimir throne, and the city burned and plundered during the assault was a bad gift to an ally. Moreover, Yuri did not try to resist. On Wednesday he sent a messenger with the words: “Do not approach the city today, tomorrow I will leave it.” On Thursday, April 28, he and his brothers Ivan and Svyatoslav left the city gates and, appearing before the allied princes, said: “Brothers! I hit you with my forehead, you give me life and bread, and my brother Constantine is in your will.” He brought rich gifts with him and received peace. Konstantin solemnly entered Vladimir, and Yuri was given possession of Radilov-Gorodets. Having loaded his family onto the boats and boats, Yuri Vsevolodovich went down the river, finally exclaiming in the cathedral at his father’s tomb: “God judge my brother Yaroslav, he brought me to this.”

Yaroslav, unlike his brother, did not wait for the enemy to approach his city. He appeared in Constantine’s camp on May 3, on the outskirts of Pereyaslavl, and humbly begged for intercession: “Brother and lord, I am in your will, do not hand me over to either my father-in-law Mstislav or Vladimir, feed me bread yourself.” Yaroslav sent rich gifts to other princes and Novgorodians. Mstislav Udatny did not even want to see his son-in-law, only demanding that he return his daughter. Later, Yaroslav “sent many times with a prayer to Mstislav, asking his princess: Prince Mstislav would not be given to him.” The surviving Novgorod prisoners finally received freedom
The war is over. The allies dispersed to their cities. Novgorod once again defended its liberties; Mstislav Udatny and his brothers gained honor and glory by defeating the strongest enemy and protecting the offended; Konstantin restored justice in the inheritance of power in the Zalessk land, and the Rostovites once again showed strength to their “suburb” Vladimir. However, only a few years passed and the results of the grandiose battle faded away, as if it had never happened.

Constantine died already in 1219, bequeathing the Vladimir throne to the same Yuri Vsevolodovich. Mstislav Udatny left Novgorod already in 1218, going south “to look for Galich,” and remained there. Soon he had to suffer the first and most terrible defeat in his life - on Kalka, from the Tatars, unknown to anyone.

Rostov knights Alexander Popovich and Dobrynya Zolotoy Belt, after the death of their patron Konstantin, left for Kiev, fearing Yuri's revenge, and also died on Kalka along with all the heroes who were there, covering the retreat of the defeated Russian army. Tysyatsky Yarun accompanied Mstislav Udatny on his further campaigns and commanded the Polovtsian cavalry on Kalka. Vladimir Rurikovich Smolensky also fought and survived there. Yuri Vsevolodovich did not participate in this unhappy campaign, but the Tatars overtook him in his own possessions - he fell in the winter of 1238 in the battle of the City along with the eldest son of his rival brother, the Rostov prince Vasily Konstantinovich. The mayor of Veliky Novgorod at that time was Stepan Tverdislavich, once a prisoner of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Yaroslav, the most repulsive personality of the Lipitsa epic, outlived all his contemporaries. After the Tatar ruin, he became the Grand Duke of Vladimir, the first of all Russian princes to come to bow at Batu’s headquarters, accepted the label for reign from the hands of the khan and died on the way back from Karakarum itself in 1246. Among his sons were Alexander Nevsky and Daniil of Moscow. His descendants ultimately inherited all of Rus'.

On April 21, 1216, one of the largest battles in the history of internecine wars of Ancient Rus' took place at Lipitsa. The Vladimir-Suzdal prince Yuri was defeated by a coalition led by his older brother Konstantin and several princes from the Smolensk Rostislavich family. The earliest surviving sources on this battle are the Novgorod First Chronicle and the Laurentian Chronicle. The oldest edition of the first of them is preserved in the Synodal manuscript. The records about the war of 1216 are made in the handwriting of the 2nd half of the 13th century. The Novgorod Chronicle covers in detail the events in Novgorod and in areas close to Novgorod, but is less oriented in more distant areas. In this chronicle, the decisive role in the Battle of Lipetsk is played by the Novgorodians and their prince Mstislav Mstislavich Udaloy. The Laurentian Chronicle is a 1377 copy of the Tver chronicle corpus of the early 14th century, which used records from the 13th century. A brief note about the Battle of Lipetsk highlights the role of Constantine. Much more extensive information from various (including Novgorod) sources was collected at the beginning of the 15th century in the Moscow code of Metropolitan Photius. Its content is reflected in a number of chronicle collections of the 15th and later centuries (4th Novgorod, Moscow Academic, First Sofia and other chronicles). In con. 1520 - beginning In the 1530s, a huge compilation was compiled called the Nikon Chronicle. Map of Kievan Rus XI-XII centuries.(Drawing from the book “AncientRus'" Petrukhina V.)
It included a number of interesting data about the losses of the combatants, as well as information about the epics that formed around the Battle of Lipetsk. The Resurrection Chronicle of the early 1540s contains some additional details about military actions, and also greatly reduces the glorification of the Rostislavichs, which was overused in earlier chronicles.

To better understand the reasons for the unrest of 1216, let's go back a little. On April 15, 1212, Vsevolod the Big Nest, prince of the Vladimir-Suzdal land, died. He had several sons. According to his will, supreme power, along with Vladimir and Suzdal, went to his second son Yuri. This violated the rights of Vsevolod’s eldest son, Konstantin, who was imprisoned in Rostov. Yuri managed to subjugate his older brother in an internecine struggle. After this, the Suzdal princes set about restoring their influence in Northern Rus', lost after Mstislav Udaloy from the Smolensk Rostislavichs became prince in Novgorod in the winter of 1208/9. In the spring of 1215 Mstislav was forced to leave for southern Rus'. Novgorod recognized Yaroslav, Yuri's brother and his faithful supporter in the Vladimir-Suzdal troubles, as prince. This Yaroslav is also known as the father of Alexander Nevsky. He was unable to gain a strong foothold in Novgorod and moved to Torzhok, a joint possession of Novgorod and the Vladimir-Suzdal land. Yaroslav organized a trade blockade of Novgorod, captured more than 2,000 Novgorod merchants and sent them in chains to their cities.

At the height of this conflict, the Rostislavichs appeared on the scene again. By that time, their representative, Mstislav Romanovich, became the Grand Duke of Kyiv. The warlike Smolensk princes wanted to regain influence in Novgorod. Mstislav Udaloy moved north and on February 11, 1216 was received by the Novgorodians. Yaroslav's troops began raiding the Toropetskaya volost of Mstislav in the north of Smolensk land, and some Novgorodians ended up on the side of the Suzdalians. On Tuesday, March 1, Mstislav and the Novgorodians set out on a campaign against Yaroslav. With them came the Pskovites, led by Vladimir, the brother of Mstislav and the prince of Pskov. Mstislav and Vladimir ousted the Suzdalians from the Toropets region and united with the Smolensk troops of Vladimir Rurikovich, Prince of Smolensk, and Vsevolod, son of the Kyiv Prince Mstislav Romanovich. The Allies devastated Yaroslav's possessions on the upper Volga, won a small skirmish 15 versts from Tver and began negotiations on an alliance with Konstantin of Rostov. It was the alliance with the Rostov prince that was the goal of the invasion. The Rostislavichs hid this fact from their troops for quite a long time and even longer from their enemies. The situation finally became clear on April 9, Easter, when the Novgorod-Pskov-Smolensk army reached the southern shore of Lake Nero, on the northwestern shore of which Rostov was located. At Gorodishche at the mouth of the Sary River, which flows from the south into Lake Nero, near the Church of St. Marina, the Rostislavichs met with Konstantin of Rostov and entered into a final agreement. The princes expressed wild joy, hugged and kissed the cross as a sign of the inviolability of the union.

Yaroslav, who by that time had moved from Torzhok to Tver, rushed to Pereyaslavl Zalessky. Yuri was in Vladimir-on-Klyazma. Mass mobilization was carried out throughout the Vladimir-Suzdal land. In ancient Russian wars, they often strived for mobility and called up first of all those people who had horses, even if they were not fighting horses. Due to the seriousness of the situation, in April 1216 everyone was called up, including those on foot. Troops from the domains of Yuri himself, his younger brothers, Murom residents, town residents, brodniki (border residents) gathered in Vladimir. Around mid-April, Yuri marched with an impressive army to the northwest. Yaroslav walked towards him from Pereyaslavl with his soldiers. The brothers united at Yuryev Polsky, located on the flat lowland of the left bank of the Koloksha River, at the confluence of the Gza River (the chronicle Kza) into it. Then the Suzdal army moved north, to the upper reaches of the Gza, and stood near Yuryeva Mountain and the Lipitsa tract (Lipnya of the 19th century). Here it intended to intercept the enemy, who could move towards Vladimir from Rostov or Pereyaslavl. The Lipitsa tract should not be confused with the Lipitsa River of the same name (modern Lipnya). The sources of the Lipitsa River are located more than 10 kilometers east of Yuryev, near the modern village of Maloluchinskoye.

The Rostislavichs and Konstantin did not yet know about Yuri’s actions. They assumed the possibility of his attack on Rostov and left Vladimir of Pskovsky with his squad to guard the city. The main forces set out to the south and on Fomino Sunday, April 16, approached Pereyaslavl. A prisoner captured near the city reported that Yaroslav had left to join Yuri. On April 18, the Rostov-Novgorod-Smolensk army approached Yuryev and learned about the enemy’s disposition. Mstislav and Vladimir Rurikovich remained near Yuryev, and Konstantin moved east, to the sources of the Lipitsa River. The maneuver was successful. The allies cut off Yuri from the capital city of Vladimir. Occupying a strategically advantageous position, they began negotiations. Their ambassador Larion tried to drive a wedge between the Suzdal princes, presenting Yaroslav as the only culprit of the war. He unsuccessfully sought the release of Novgorod hostages and possessions. With the same success, during the second embassy, ​​Larion demanded that Yuri cede the Vladimir table to Constantine. The Vladimir prince recommended the Rostislavichs to leave the Vladimir-Suzdal land. Soon, at Yuri’s feast, it became clear that some of his supporters did not want to risk a battle and were ready to give in to the enemy’s demands. Of course, opposing voices were also heard. To raise the spirit of his comrades, Yuri generously promised rewards from the spoils in case of victory. At a secret meeting with his brothers, Yuri reached an agreement on the future division of Rus'. Yuri intended to leave the Vladimir-Suzdal land for himself, to give Novgorod to Yaroslav, and Smolensk to Svyatoslav. They were also going to acquire Galich in Southwestern Rus', and give Kyiv to their allies, the Chernigov princes.

After this, on April 19, Yuri sent a formal proposal to the enemies to fight at Lipitz. Konstantin arrived to Mstislav and Vladimir for a meeting. The discussion was long. In the end, we decided to accept the challenge. Remembering the fragility of princely promises, the high parties again took oaths of allegiance and kissed the cross. In the evening, the Allied troops set out on a campaign from different directions. All night noise and shouts spoke of the movement of armies. In the morning, the Novgorodians, Smolensk and Rostovites went to Lipitsy and discovered that there was no enemy there. During the night, Yuri moved north, to Mount Avdova. His opponents stood on Yuryeva Mountain. Pro-Rostislavich chroniclers hint at the cowardice of Yuri and Yaroslav, claiming that the previous night their army almost fled from the singing of trumpets in the regiments of Constantine. The emergence of panic in the Vladimir-Suzdal army is quite possible. Moving at night with an approaching enemy can easily cause confusion. Moreover, not all of Yuri’s soldiers believed in the justice of his cause and were eager for battle. However, calling Yuri and then retreating to Avdova Mountain was a carefully calculated move. This is evident from the nature of the area.

Avdova Mountain is the highest place in the northern environs of Yuryev. On maps from the 1980s. it has a maximum height of 225 m above sea level. Yuryeva Mountain (maximum height 182 m) rises above the southern spur of Avdova Mountain. On the northwestern slope of Yuryeva Mountain, on a flat swampy lowland, there are the ramparts of a fortified settlement of the 12th-13th centuries, measuring 190 by 145 m. Modern historians identify it with the city of Mstislavl, mentioned among the Zalessk cities in the “List of Russian Cities, Far and Near” late 14th century. Now inside the ramparts there is part of the village of Gorodishche (Chislovskoye fortified settlement in the 19th century). Mstislavl, located 10 km from Yuryev, has never had military significance. In the second half of the 12th century, the country courtyard of the Yuriev prince was located here. The northwestern slope of Yuryeva Mountain is cut through by a stream washing the rampart of the Settlement from the south. It corresponds to the chronicle Tuneg stream.

With his call to battle, Yuri achieved a double effect. Firstly, the decisiveness of the Vladimir prince lifted the spirit of wavering supporters. Secondly, he provoked the enemy to move towards Yuryeva Mountain, and he himself strengthened his dominant position. From Avdova Mountain, Yuri could freely observe the actions of the enemy. In the event of an attack, Yuri's army had the advantage of position. In addition to the height, he was helped by the thickets (the chronicle “wild”), which covered the approaches from the south. They were additionally reinforced with stakes and wickerwork. If the Rostislavichs and Konstantin tried to leave in front of the enemy, then they would morally admit their defeat. In addition, the Suzdal residents would easily notice the retreat and could strike at the rear of the departing army. Yuri clearly hoped to outlast the enemy in a convenient position. There were precedents. For example, in the spring of 1181, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich of Chernigov with the Chernigov, Polovtsians and Novgorodians invaded the Suzdal land. Vsevolod the Big Nest blocked his path on the Vlena River. The people of Suzdal stood on hills covered by ravines and a steep river bank. The two-week standoff was limited to skirmishes. Svyatoslav was forced to leave. Due to the danger of persecution and the spring thaw, he had to abandon the convoy.

Yuri's opponents tried to lure him onto the plain. Three of their ambassadors offered the Vladimir prince an alternative. Either Yuri himself will retreat to level ground, or the Rostislavichs and Konstantin will move back to Lipitsa, and the Suzdalians will take the place of their camp. Yuri did not intend to play jousts and refused. During April 20, the young warriors of the Rostislavichs fought with the Suzdal people in the valley between the mountains. The skirmishes were slow due to heavy rain and cold weather. The next day, April 21, Thursday of the second week after Easter, the Rostovites, Novgorodians and Smolensk residents tried to leave the camp and move to Vladimir. Before coming to Yuryeva Gora, they could easily do this. Now the Suzdal residents immediately began to descend from the hill to strike the enemy. The Allied forces immediately stopped and forced Yuri's warriors to return to their positions. At that moment, Vladimir Pskovsky and his squad approached from Rostov. Now that the entire army was assembled, the leaders gathered for a council. Constantine pointed out the risk of a rear attack that the Allies would face if they tried to leave their position. He noted that the Rostovites do not burn with any particular fighting fervor and, if the campaign drags on, they may go home. In this situation, Mstislav Udaloy suggested deciding on a risky attack on Avdova Mountain. All the princes agreed and began to build troops.

Two versions have been preserved about the formation of armies. According to a brief report of the Novgorod First Chronicle, Mstislav and the Novgorodians fought with Yaroslav's regiment, and Yuri stood against Constantine. According to chronicles of the 15th-16th centuries, Vladimir Smolensky placed his shelves from the edge. He was opposed by Yaroslav with his troops, Murom residents, town residents and wanderers. Next was Mstislav with the Novgorodians. Yuri positioned himself opposite them “with all the land of Suzdal.” On the second flank opposite each other were Konstantin with the Rostovites and the warriors of Yuri’s younger brothers. It is also reported that Yuri had 13 banners, 60 trumpets and tambourines, and Yaroslav had 17 banners, 40 trumpets and tambourines. The banner (banner) corresponds to the unit. The chroniclers do not specify from which flank the description of the formation begins. They probably didn't know it themselves. However, some assumptions can be made. It is known that after the battle, the vanquished fled first to the southwest, towards Yuryev. This indicates that the Smolyans occupied the right flank, since the decisive role in the defeat of Yuri was played by the attack of the Smolensk and Novgorodians, who overturned one wing of the enemy.

In ancient times and the Middle Ages, an essential method of moral influence on the army was speeches made by commanders to the soldiers or part of them before the start of the battle. On April 21, 1216, these parting words were doubly necessary for the Rostislavichs and Konstantin. The success of the attack against the enemy, who occupied a more favorable position, depended on the courage of their comrades. Mstislav and Vladimir Rurikovich spoke to the Novgorodians and Smolensk residents. Chroniclers cite the speech of the Novgorod prince. Its details may have been composed by the chroniclers themselves, but the general meaning is quite suitable for the given situation. Mstislav reminded the Novgorodians that they were in a hostile, powerful land and must fight bravely, trusting in God and forgetting about homes and families. Mstislav invited the Novgorod militia to choose whether to fight on foot or on horseback. The Novgorodians dismounted and took off their shoes. Young Smolensk followed their example, Vladimir Smolensky sent the rest behind the infantry on horseback under the leadership of Ivor Mikhailovich. The heavily armed cavalry squads of the princes moved behind. Mstislav was pleased with the choice of the Novgorodians. From a purely military point of view, it was more convenient for the infantry to move up the slope, slippery from the rains. Yaroslav and, probably, Yuri had infantry in front. It was quite logical to use infantry against it, and not to lose horses and people of selected squads. Other motives were no less important. Militiamen are often psychologically unstable in battle, and it is easier for a rider to succumb to the temptation to flee. It is difficult for an infantryman to escape the pursuit of cavalry, which provides additional incentives for resistance. It is significant that the Novgorodians and Smolensk residents wanted to get off their horses themselves. They were as determined as their princes.

On the way to Avdova Mountain, the infantrymen had to overcome thickets and Suzdal barriers. Ivor's riders were stuck after their leader's horse stumbled and he himself fell to the ground. The Smolensk infantry, not paying attention to this, continued to rush forward. Her path was blocked by the Suzdal infantry, which, according to most chronicles, was armed with cues (maces) and axes. According to the Nikon Chronicle, infantrymen on both sides fought with sulits (javelins) and axes. Archeology confirms that in the northern and central zone of Rus' 11-12 centuries. battle axes ranked first in popularity among the middle and poor segments of the population. The Smolensk infantrymen screamed and attacked Yaroslav's infantry. The Suzdal residents could not withstand the furious onslaught and fled, throwing away their weapons. Those fleeing were exterminated. The Smolyans cut down one of Yaroslav's banners. It probably belonged to the cavalry. Ivor's horsemen climbed the hill along the path laid out by the infantry and entered the battle. They defeated another enemy detachment and cut down the second banner. The situation in the center of the chronicle is silent, which indicates more modest achievements of the Novgorodians.

At this moment, at the call of Mstislav, the princely equestrian squads went into battle. The cavalry of Mstislav, Vladimir Smolensky and Vsevolod passed through their infantry and attacked the Suzdal horsemen. On the left flank, the regiments of Vladimir of Pskov and Konstantin of Rostov approached and entered the battle. From descriptions of other ancient Russian battles it is known that heavily armed horsemen first used spears, and if they broke, they used swords. When talking about the Battle of Lipitsa, the chronicles are silent about the details of the equestrian battle. This usually means that events unfolded according to a standard pattern. Some details are given for Mstislav, as they are atypical for a rider. He did not use a sword, but an ax secured to his hand with a pavorosa (belt). Mstislav rode through enemy regiments three times, which is quite common in medieval mounted battles. Detachments of horsemen converged and galloped through each other, trying to hit the enemy warriors they encountered. Then they turned around and attacked again. In the end, victory remained with the Rostislavichs and their allies. First, the troops opposing the Smolensk and Novgorodians ran, followed by the rest. The Novgorodians and Smolensk residents reached the convoy, and the Smolensk residents began to plunder it. Mstislav managed to attract the Novgorodians with him and began finishing off the enemy. A massacre of those fleeing followed. The bodies of the dead and wounded littered the ground all the way to Yuryev. Some of the fugitives took refuge in the city, many drowned in the river. Then some of the vanquished rushed to the northwest, to Pereyaslavl, others to the southeast, to Vladimir, and, according to the Nikon Chronicle, also to Suzdal. The leaders, Yuri and Yaroslav, raced ahead of everyone, driving one horse after another.

According to the Novgorod First Chronicle of the older edition, the Novgorodians lost only 5 people in the battle. Of these, Dmitr Pskovityanin, Onton Kotelnik and Ivanka Pribylshchinich oponnik (opona - blanket) died during the assault on the heights, and Ivanka Popovich and Semyon Petrilovich, the Terek tribute collector, died during the pursuit. In the Novgorod first chronicle of the younger edition, the last two dead are combined into one. It is alleged that Yuri and Yaroslav lost a huge number of people. In the chronicles, using data from the code of the early 15th century, information about 5 dead Novgorodians is repeated, to which one Smolensk resident is added. The losses of the Vladimir-Suzdal soldiers are estimated at 9233 dead and 60 prisoners. Other information is contained in the Nikon Chronicle. The five dead Novgorodians are the already familiar Dmitry Pskovite, nicknamed Yellow, Anthony Cherny, Ivan Pribytok, and Ivan Popovich. Ivan Popovich's servant Nestor is added to them. The total number of killed horsemen from Novgorod, Smolyan, Rostov and Pskov is determined to be 550 people, not counting the infantry. Prince Yuri and his brothers allegedly killed 17,200 people, not counting the infantry. Tatishchev, a historian of the 18th century, repeats the data of the Nikon Chronicle for the Suzdal residents, but estimates the losses of the victors at 2,550 killed. It is impossible to verify whether the historian took this information from an unsurvived manuscript or made a mistake.

Obviously, all the information in the chronicles about losses is of a propaganda nature, although different chroniclers used different methods to glorify the victors. The Novgorod First Chronicle and the sources of Photius's code resort to a proven technique: only prominent Novgorodians, Pskovians and Smolensk residents who died in the battle are mentioned. The Nikon Chronicle figure for the winners looks more realistic. To this must be added the many hundreds of infantry who paved the way for the cavalry. The Nikon Chronicle's claim of 17,200 dead horsemen should be taken with skepticism. Perhaps this is the total number of soldiers who had horses in Yuri’s army, or the theoretical number of horsemen subject to conscription in the Vladimir-Suzdal and Murom lands. Information about losses at Lipica demonstrates how carefully one should use data from medieval sources on this topic.

The Battle of Lipitsa dramatically changed the political situation in northeast Rus'. Yuri's attempts to organize defense in Vladimir met with a decisive refusal from the city's population. On Sunday, April 24, the winners approached Vladimir, and on Tuesday, April 26, Yuri left the gate and submitted to his older brother. Constantine was recognized as the Grand Duke of Vladimir. He left Yuri Radilov Gorodok (Gorodets) on the Volga. On Friday of the 4th week after Easter, April 29, Constantine and his allies headed towards Peryaslavl, where Yaroslav settled. He also was unable to defend himself and on Tuesday followed Yuri’s example. The civil strife in the north of Rus' ended. Constantine was the prince of Vladimir until his death in 1218. Novgorod for some time became isolated from Vladimir-Suzdal Rus', and the Smolensk princely family strengthened its leading position in Rus' for several years.

In conclusion, we note that the large-scale and bloody battle of Lipitsa left its mark in folk tales, just like the acts of the times of Vladimir the Baptist, Vladimir Monomakh and the ill-fated battle for Rus' on the Kalka River with the Mongols. Scraps from unpreserved epics were brought to us by the Nikon Chronicle. According to these legends, the brave heroes Alexander Popovich, his servant Torop, Dobrynya Ryazanich Golden Belt and Nefedya Dikun, mentioned in some other legends of the 15-16 centuries, fought in the army of Constantine. In the heat of battle, Alexander Popovich almost cut Mstislav of Novgorod with his sword by mistake, but he shouted in time and said his name. After this, the hero advised the prince to stand aside from the battle, since if he were killed, people would not know where to go.

REFERENCES

1. Complete collection of Russian chronicles: T.1 (M., 2001 - Lavtentievskaya Chronicle with excerpts from the Moscow Academic Chronicle); T.3 (M., 2000 - Novgorod first chronicle of the older and younger editions); T.4, Part 1 (M., 2000 - Novgorod Fourth Chronicle); T.6, Part 1 (M., 2000 - Sofia’s first chronicle of the older edition); T.7 (M., 2001 - Resurrection Chronicle); T.10 (M., 2000 - Nikon Chronicle); T.39 (M., 1994 - First Sofia Chronicle according to the list of I.N. Tsarsky).

2. Tatishchev V.N. Russian history. 2nd ed. - M.-L., 1969-1978. T.3.

3. Uvarov A. Two battles of 1177 and 1216 according to chronicles and archaeological research. // Antiquities. Proceedings of the Moscow Archaeological Society. T.2, issue 2. - M., 1870. - pp. 120-131.

4.Kirpichnikov A.N. Old Russian weapons. Issue 2. Spears, swords, battle axes, maces, flails of the 9th-13th centuries. - M.-L., 1966; Issue 3. Armor, a complex of military equipment of the 9th-13th centuries. - L., 1971.

5. Ivanovo region. General geographical maps. Scale 1:200000. - Yekaterinburg, 2000 (reflects the state of 1979-1990).

6. Rappoport P.A. Essays on the history of military architecture of North-Eastern and North-Western Rus' in the X-XV centuries. - M.-L., 1961.

7.Soloviev S.M. History of Russia from ancient times. Book 1. - M., 1993.

8.Berezhkov N.A. Chronology of Russian chronicles. - M., 1963.

(The article was published in the magazine "Warrior", No. 9, pp. 12-15)

Lipitsa is the name of a small river in the Vladimir region, originating near the city. From this regional center to the suburban village of Gorodishche it is 10 kilometers (you need to take the road to Pereslavl-Zalesky, but then turn right following the sign). In this village, according to its name, there really is an ancient Russian settlement - high ramparts, a fortress moat, on one side filled with water from a local pond. A long time ago, there was a princely country fortress here called Mstislavl. Today, above it (and above the entire village) rise the remains of the bell tower of the Church of the Resurrection.

-Where is the church itself? - visiting history buffs ask local residents, of whom there are more than 400 people.

“So they destroyed it,” they shrug in response. - You see, the road goes straight from the highway. Previously, the road went around the church. Then it was decided to demolish the church because it interfered with the construction of a straight road.

A brick church appeared here in 1804, and a bell tower was added to it 90 years later. Today only she has survived, although even her ceilings between the four tiers have already collapsed.

From the ramparts of the fort, if you look past the church, you can see a field to the north of the village, where nowadays they mainly cut hay and also plant cabbage. This is the field on which in April 1216 two armies met from different sides. The battle was internecine: Russian warriors on both sides waved swords, threw spears at one another and crushed each other with axes.

The reason for the battle, or rather the whole internecine war, was the violation by the Vladimir-Suzdal princes of the rules for the transfer of the throne and the division of power. When Vsevolod the Big Nest died, his younger sons Yuri and Yaroslav decided not to obey the elder Konstantin.

Meanwhile, in those days there was a prince in Rus' who, all his life, wanted nothing more than the restoration of all justice. His name was Mstislav, and his nickname was “Udatny”, which is translated into modern Russian either as “Lucky” or “Udaloy”. So, having learned about Konstantin’s removal, he once again decided to help the offended. And he brought Novgorod, Pskov and Smolensk troops to the Vladimir lands.

The battle took place on April 21. The formation of both sides was divided only along the front and consisted of three regiments. Yuri stood in the center against Mstislav, Vladimir of Pskov and Vsevolod, Yaroslav with supporters from Novgorod and Novotorzh - on the right flank against Vladimir of Smolensk, the younger Vsevolodovichs - on the left flank against Konstantin.

The battlefield is not marked in any way; in the summer, crops are earing on it.

– Tell me, is there no memorial sign of the battle here?

- No, and never happened.

– And there are no holidays in April?

– Does anyone come on excursions?

- Did not see. Sometimes guys in jeeps with mine detectors come. They probably want to dig up another helmet here.

The story of the helmet happened in 1808, even before the Napoleonic War. The peasant woman Larionova from a neighboring village decided to collect nuts in the bushes that grew at the bottom of the ravine that crossed the field. Suddenly something flashed under one bush. It seemed to her that the branches of the bush were pushing a dirty iron pot out of the ground, but after wiping the find, Larionova saw a dull small icon on it. The peasant woman immediately ran to the village and took the product to the priest, which turned out to be a military helmet. He sent the artifact to the bishop, and the bishop sent it to Emperor Alexander I.

“Alexei Nikolaevich,” the Tsar asked the actual Privy Councilor Olenin, who was fond of history, “study this.” Surely a thing of great importance.

Olenin saw the icon of the Archangel Michael on the forehead of the helmet and realized that the piece of armor belonged to the prince. Olenin knew about the Battle of Lipitsa. And when he managed to read the inscription on the helmet “Great Archangel Michael, help your servant Theodore,” everything became clear to the historian: this name was given at baptism to Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, the future father of Alexander Nevsky, who was defeated in the battle of 1216 and fled, losing his fallen helmet .

Chronicle records about this battle tell a lot about the knightly culture of ancient Russian princes and warriors. Even before the battle, there was an attempt to resolve differences, but Prince Yaroslav gave the following answer to the peace embassy: “You have gone far, like sheep to lions, like calves to bears, like pigs in a field, like fish in a dry land.” Initially, the battle was supposed to begin at Lipitsa, but the Suzdal residents retreated to the Gze River, hiding from their opponents with a ravine. Just before the battle, the Novgorod, Pskov and Rostov princes suggested that the Vladimir and Pereslavl princes go out onto an open field rather than attack each other across the stream, but they received the answer: “You have come this way to us, but today you cannot cross this ravine? Go, because pigs are accustomed to climbing ravines, and crucian carp are accustomed to wallowing in dirty puddles.”

Today, near the Settlement, it is very difficult to make out where in 1216 there were two hills occupied by two warring armies - centuries and plowing of the fields have changed the relief. But the stream still flows in the middle of the field, and bushes still grow along it.

The Smolensk and Novgorodians attacked the enemy on foot through the ravine. On the opposite side of the village there is a hill on which Prince Mstislav Udatny crashed into the Suzdal regiments. Wielding a battle ax in all directions, he rode his horse three times through the enemy’s ranks back and forth. When the prince was returning, the Rostov hero Alyosha Popovich mistook him for an enemy and was already raising his sword to strike, but then the horseman shouted: “I am Prince Mstislav!” Alyosha lowered his weapon, but began to reproach the commander of the entire army for riding around other people’s regiments like a simple warrior. According to chronicle data, the squads of Yuri, Yaroslav and the younger Vsevolodovichs lost 9,233 people killed alone.

It is probably understandable why local historical reenactors, who regularly hold festivals under the names “Bogatyrskaya Outpost” or “Yuryevskaya Outpost”, are in no hurry to organize a holiday on the site of the Battle of Lipitsa - the same as their Ryazan colleagues hold on the Vozha River. Well, really, what is there to celebrate? The victory at Yuryev-Polsky was won by their own over their own, and this was only 21 years before the invasion of the horde of Batu Khan, which literally swept away all the surrounding cities and villages. It is not surprising that the descendants of the princes who fought on Lipitsa had no time for dividing the thrones: they had to gather strength for more than two centuries to free themselves from captivity.

But history is history, and it is necessary to study it, if only in order not to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors.

XI. ANDREY BOGOLYUBSKY. VSEVOLOD THE BIG NEST AND HIS SONS

(continuation)

Battle of Lipitsa. - Konstantin, Grand Duke.

Battle of Lipitsa 1216. Miniature from the Front Chronicle of the 16th century

The Suzdal army was located near the city of Yuryev-Polsky on the banks of the Gza River, which flows into Koloksha. Under the city itself, Mstislav stood with the Novgorodians, and further on the banks of the Lipitsa stream - Konstantin with the Rostovites. Consequently, here, almost in the very middle of the Suzdal land, almost the entire military force of Northern Rus' converged.

The troops of George and Yaroslav turned out to be incomparably more numerous than the enemies: they gathered from their volosts everyone they could, city and rural residents, horse and foot. The chronicler says that Grand Duke Yuri had 17 banners, 40 trumpets and the same number of tambourines; Yaroslav has 13 banners, and 60 trumpets and tambourines.

Since the campaign, Mstislav Mstislavich sent to the prince with a proposal to make peace. But Yaroslav, proud of the large number of his army, answered:

“I don’t want peace; if you’ve already gone, then go, and there won’t be one of yours among our hundred.”

“You, Yaroslav, with strength; and we with the cross,” the Mstislavich brothers told him to say.

Standing near Yuriev, the Mstislavichs again tried to start negotiations and sent Sotsky Larion first to Grand Duke George with the words:

“We bow to you; we have no quarrel with you, but we have a quarrel with Yaroslav.”

“I am one brother with Yaroslav,” said Yuri.

They sent the same Larion to Yaroslav.

“Release the Novgorodians and Novotori, gate the captured volosts, make peace with us, and don’t shed blood.”

“I don’t want peace. You walked far, but found yourself like a fish in a dry place,” was the answer.

They send Larion again, remind them of their close relationship and offer peace on the condition that the younger brothers give eldership to Constantine and plant him in Vladimir, taking the rest of the Suzdal land for themselves.

“If our father did not rule with Constantine, then should you reconcile us? Let him defeat us, then the whole earth will be his,” Yuri ordered to say.

However, among the Suzdal boyars there were prudent people who did not approve of this civil strife and violation of the rights of seniority. One of them, Tvorimir, addressed the princes with such a speech when they were feasting in a tent with their entourage.

“Prince Yuri and Yaroslav! I would guess that it is better to take the world and give eldership to Constantine. Rather than look at the fact that their army is small compared to our regiments. The princes of Rostislavl are wise and brave tribe; and their men, Novgorodians and Smolnyans, are daring battle; Mstislav Mstislavich you yourself know what courage God gave him in front of all his brothers.”

I didn’t like this speech. Among Yuri's boyars there was a saint who assured that the enemy had never emerged intact from the strong land of Suzdal; let at least the entire Russian land rise to it. “And we’ll throw saddles at these,” added the boastful flatterer. His words were more to the heart of the young, inexperienced princes. Having convened a squad and military commanders, they, according to the Novgorod chronicler, ordered not to spare the enemies in the battle; even if anyone had a mantle embroidered with gold, kill them too; and take only booty, that is, horses, weapons, clothes. The chronicler adds that Yuri and Yaroslav dreamed of their power so much that they began to divide almost all Russian lands among themselves, and even ordered letters to be written about which of them would get Novgorod, who would get Smolensk, who would get Galich. And they sent their opponents to call for battle to the Lipitsa tract.

Having exhausted peaceful means, Mstislav and Konstantin decided to resort to the judgment of God, strengthened themselves with mutual oaths and went to the indicated place. Yaroslav and Yuri occupied some Avdov mountain; Opposite them on another mountain, called Yuryeva, stood Mstislav and Konstantin. In the hollow between them the Tuneg stream flowed and there was a wilderness and swampy area overgrown with small forest. The Rostislavichs in vain asked the Suzdal princes to go out to a flat, dry place for battle. Not only did they not move, but they also strengthened their camp with fences and stakes. Young people on both sides came out and started a battle; the main forces did not move. Bored with waiting, Mstislav suggested going straight to the capital Vladimir. But Constantine was afraid to move past the enemies: “They will hit us in the rear,” he said, “and my people are not daring to fight; they will scatter to their cities.” Mstislav agreed with him and decided to fight with all his might. “The mountain will not help us and the mountain will not defeat us,” he said, “let us go against them with the hope of the cross and our truth.” And he organized the regiments for battle.

Udaloy himself with his squad, with the Novgorodians and Vladimir of Pskov stood in the middle; On one wing he placed Vladimir Rurikovich with the Smolnyans, and on the other, Konstantin with the Rostovites. The Battle of Lipitsa took place early in the morning on April 23. Previously, Mstislav addressed a short speech to the Novgorodians, rousing them with courage, and asked them how they wanted to fight - on horseback or on foot. “We don’t want to die on horseback,” the Novgorodians exclaimed, “but, like our fathers on Koloksha, we will fight on foot.” Then they dismounted and took off their “ports” (outer clothing) and boots. (True descendants of the Slavs, about whom writers of the 6th century noted that they love to fight lightly, in one shirt, in loose shirts.) However, these measures turned out to be useful; since we had to walk through the swampy wilds and then climb the mountain. Armed with cues and axes, the Novgorodians attacked the enemies with a shout; Smolny residents followed them. The Suzdal residents met them in thick crowds and a stubborn battle ensued. Mstislav shouted to his brother Vladimir: “God forbid that good people should be betrayed.” And with his horse squad he hurried to the aid of the Novgorodians; and behind him Vladimir and the Pskovites. The daring man took the ax hanging from his belt in his hand and, striking right and left with it, drove through the Suzdal regiments three times; after which he made his way to the goods (camp). Recruited mostly from people unaccustomed to battle, the Suzdal militia could not withstand the rapid onslaught and became upset. Yaroslav's regiments were the first to run. Yuri still held out against the Rostovites, but his regiments finally gave back. There was still danger from the greed of the victors, who prematurely rushed to rob the enemy's convoy. Mstislav shouted to them: “Brothers of Novgorod! Do not stand by the goods; but be diligent in the battle; if (the enemies) turn on us, they will crush us.” The Novgorodians listened to him; and the Smolensk residents rushed mainly to plunder and fleece the dead. However, the victory was complete. The chronicle numbers 9,233 people who fell on the battlefield alone, in addition to those wounded and killed while fleeing in rivers and swamps. Their screams and moans reached the city of Yuryev. The fugitives went by different roads, some to Vladimir, others to Pereyaslavl, and others to Yuryev.

Yuri Vsevolodovich ran to the capital Vladimir. Having a corpulent build, he killed three horses, and only on the fourth he drove them to the city, wearing only a shirt; The saddle lining was thrown away for ease. The people of Vladimir, seeing a horseman galloping in the distance from the city walls, thought that it was a messenger from the Grand Duke with news of victory. "Ours prevailed!" – there was a joyful cry between them. Imagine their sadness and despondency when they recognized the great prince himself in the rider, who began to ride around the walls and shout: “Fortify the city!” Groups of fugitives from the battlefield began to arrive behind him, some wounded, some almost naked; their groans increased the confusion. This went on all night. In the morning Yuri called a meeting.

“Brothers of Vladimir!” he told the people, “let’s shut ourselves up in the city; maybe we’ll fight them off.”

“Prince Yuri!” the citizens answered. “Who will we shut ourselves up with? Some of our brothers were beaten, others were taken, the rest came running without weapons; who will we stand with?”

“I know all this. So do not hand me over to my brother Konstantin, or Volodymyr, or Mstislav; but let me leave the city of my own free will.”

Citizens promised to fulfill his request. Obviously, the large number of regiments brought to the Battle of Lipitsa was very costly for the Suzdal land, which was not distinguished by its dense population. Mostly old people, women, children, monks and clergy remained in the capital city. Yaroslav Vsevolodovich ran to his Pereyaslavl in the same way, driving several horses along the way. But he not only shut himself up in this city, but also gave vent to his anger against the Novgorodians. He ordered to seize in Pereyaslavl and its environs the Novgorod guests who had come to his land for the sake of trade, and to lock them up so closely that many suffocated from lack of air. Several Smolensk guests were also captured; but, having been specially imprisoned, they all remained alive.

If the vanquished had been diligently pursued, neither Yuri nor Yaroslav would have escaped captivity, and Vladimir himself would have been taken by surprise. But the Rostislavl tribe, as the Novgorod chronicler noted, was merciful and good-natured. The victors stood at the site of the massacre all day; and then they quietly moved towards Vladimir-on-Klyazma and camped under it. There were fires in the city; and the prince’s courtyard itself caught fire. The Novgorodians and Smolensk residents wanted to take advantage of this and asked for an attack. The Rostislavichs remained true to their kindheartedness: Mstislav did not let the Novgorodians in, and his brother Vladimir did not let the Smolensk residents in. Perhaps Konstantin Rostovsky also resisted this disastrous attack for the city. Finally, Yuri came out with a bow and many gifts and surrendered to the will of the victors. The Rostislavichs placed Constantine on the grand-ducal table; and Yuri received Radilov Gorodets on the Volga for his food. He quickly got ready and sat down in the perch with his family and servants. Vladyka Simon also went with him from Vladimir. Before leaving, Yuri went to pray at the Assumption Cathedral and venerate his father’s coffin. “God judge my brother Yaroslav for bringing me to this,” he said, shedding tears. Then the clergy and citizens with crosses came out to meet Constantine, solemnly seated him on his father’s table and swore allegiance. He treated his allies to viri and presented them with great gifts. It still remained to humble the hard-hearted Yaroslav. But when the allies moved towards Pereyaslavl, this prince did not dare to defend himself, but rode out to meet them and surrendered into the hands of his elder brother, asking him to reconcile him with his father-in-law. Konstantin really began to intercede for Yaroslav and managed to beg peace for him. However, Mstislav did not want to enter Pereyaslavl and accept refreshments from his son-in-law. He encamped outside the city; took the gifts and took away all the detained Novgorodians who remained alive, as well as those who were in Yaroslav’s squad; He also demanded his daughter, Yaroslav’s wife, whom, despite her husband’s pleas, he took with him to Novgorod.

It is curious that this internecine war, so inglorious for the Suzdal residents, is barely mentioned in Suzdal, or so-called. Lavrentievsky, vault. The news about it was preserved in the Novgorod Chronicles, in more detail than others - in the Fourth, from where it passed into the later Sophia, Voskresensky, Tverskaya, Nikonovsky and Tatishchev vaults. In the latter, the events, especially the Battle of Lipitsa, are already very decorated and with florid speeches of the characters; By the way, the so-called. "brave", i.e. heroes, Alexander Popovich with his servant Torop, Ryazan resident Dobrynya Golden Belt and Nefediy Dikun (Nikon. and Tversk.); Consequently, the heroic epic has already been partly mixed in here. Although these events are told in Novgorod under 1216, it seems to me that the one in Lavrent is more reliable. 1217, which is more consistent with the general course of affairs in Rus' and with some other news. Gr. Uvarov “Two battles of 1177 and 1216 according to chronicles and archaeological research” (Antiquities of Moscow. Archaeol. Ob. M. 1869).