With his retinue, in Tsaregrad armor, The prince rides across the field on a faithful horse.
A. S. Pushkin. The song about the prophetic Oleg
Knights and chivalry of three centuries. An appeal to the museum treasures of the Army Museum in Paris and the Vienna Armory does not at all interrupt our acquaintance with the theme of chivalry and knightly weapons of the era of 1050-1350. As already emphasized, this chronological segment of the Middle Ages was chosen for his monograph by the famous English historian David Nicole. Last time, based on his materials, we reviewed the knighthood of Armenia. Now, logically, one should turn to the chivalry of Georgia, and this topic is present in his work, but … only for half a page. Moreover, unfortunately, there were no sources of photographic materials on this topic in the information environment available to me. And since there are no such sources and photographs, then what to write about? Better to see once than read ten times. Therefore, we will leave the Georgian knighthood for the time being, and proceed immediately (and finally, someone will say!) To the military affairs of this era in Russia. That is, in Russia.
Let's start with historiography
The topic is certainly the most interesting. But there are two "buts" here. The first is our national historiography, no matter how strange it may sound. It seems that it would be just right to start with it, but it is so extensive that it is not possible to do it within the framework of an article on "VO". Because whoever has not written about the armor and weapons of our country. The second "but" - again illustrative material. It is written, but there are no "pictures". Rather, they are, of course, but they are so expensive that in fact they are not available for publication. The same Kremlin Armory - this is not the Vienna Imperial Armory. I wrote there, they say, let me … and permission, and free, to use their photographic materials immediately received, but we have - "the price for the right to publish one image of a museum item on the site is 6500 rubles." You don’t know whether to cry or laugh at it.
Illustration from the book of A. V. Viskovatova "Historical description of the clothing and weapons of the Russian troops." In 30 parts. St. Petersburg. Military printing house, 1841-1862. The similarity of the weapons of the Western European warriors and the knights of Russia is demonstrated.
Therefore, I decided to dwell on the following option: simply translate the text of D. Nicolas so that VO readers get an idea of what foreign, in particular, British historians write about our military history and what, accordingly, read about our history wars, weapons and armor foreign English-speaking citizens. Who wants to check the accuracy of the translation - please. The source is indicated at the end of the text, pages 85-87. So, here we go …
Russian foot soldiers of the 10th - 11th centuries Rice. from the book of A. V. Viskovatova.
“Although Russia was vast by the standards of medieval Europe, it was not particularly large compared to the Eurasian nomadic states that were its southern and southeastern neighbors. The first principality of Rus arose in the 10th century, partly as a result of Scandinavian penetration along the great rivers, and partly as a result of the influence of the semi-nomadic Khazars in the southern steppes. It was a land of forests, while in the south there were open steppes, which were still dominated by nomadic peoples belonging to the Central Asian culture.
Equestrian warrior X - XI centuries Rice. from the book of A. V. Viskovatova.
The extent to which Russia dominated the distant northern forests and tundra is a matter of controversy, but its western borders with Hungary, Poland, and the Baltic peoples were relatively clear, although they changed frequently. The eastern border of medieval Russia was perhaps the least clearly defined. Here the Slavs gradually colonized the river valleys in the region, previously inhabited by more backward Finno-Ugric tribes, the density of which was not too high. The only urbanized culture in this direction was the culture of the Volga Bulgars, who lived in the middle basin of the Volga and Kama. This Turkic-Islamic state was, in turn, more perfect than the early medieval Russian state.
Russian armor. Rice. from the book of A. V. Viskovatova.
Between the 10th and 13th centuries, Russia's eastern border ran from the Dnieper River southeast of Kiev along an approximately northeastern line to the upper reaches of the Kama River. A practically indefinite border continued in a northeasterly direction towards the Arctic Ocean. In these vast territories, the relatively peaceful tribes of Yugra, Chudi and Samoyeds may have recognized some degree of Russian suzerainty, or at least participated in the lucrative fur trade with it."
Russian armor. Rice. from the book of A. V. Viskovatova.
Quite a peculiar account of our early history, isn't it? But Nicole generally likes to "write history in large strokes." And again, there is nothing offensive for us here. All according to our chronicles. Here is the "torture" of the Slavs by the Avars (obrov), which he did not mention, and the tribute to the Khazars, and all the "calling of the Vikings", which also cause fierce controversy. And even the fact that he considers the culture of the Volga Bulgars to be more perfect is justified. After all, they were already monotheists, and the Slavs were pagans up to 988. That is, nowhere does D. Nicole in his brief interpretations go beyond the framework of our own official history, based on chronicle sources. Read on …
Russian armor. Rice. from the book of A. V. Viskovatova.
“In the early days, the infantry inevitably dominated hostilities in this land of forests, swamps and rivers. According to many sources, the Russian infantry of the 10th century was often well armed, almost in Byzantine style. Large infantry contingents consisted of peasant militias in the 11th-13th centuries. Such infantry made extensive use of archery, using simple long bows, and sometimes large semi-composite bows covered with birch bark. They may indicate Scandinavian rather than Byzantine influence even in the Kiev area, although arrowheads reflected many styles and influences.
Helmet from the Black Grave, Chernigov # 4. Russia, X century. State Historical Museum.
Who influenced whom more?
Ultimately, more important than the Byzantine and early Scandinavian influence on the military affairs of Ancient Rus was the influence of the militarily sophisticated nomadic peoples of the Eurasian steppes. In fact, the entire history of late medieval Russian weapons, armor and military practice was based on competing influences from the Steppe and Western Europe, not Scandinavia. One of the most striking examples of the influence of the Eurasian steppes can be considered the use of plate armor, although this may also reflect contacts with Byzantium. The same can be said for the compound bows, which were used in parts of Russia, and the curved saber, which has been known among the Eastern Slavs since at least the 10th century, although these weapons remained rare outside the southern border regions. Meanwhile, medieval Russia was also an exporter of military influence and weapons. Both at the end of the 10th and 11th centuries were directed to Northern and Central Europe, as well as in the 12th and 13th centuries to the Volga Bulgars, as well as to other neighboring lands.
Scandinavian sword. One of those that are found in abundance on the territory of Russia, and even in the Volga near Kazan. Weight 1021 (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
The first united Russian state was dominated by the southern city of Kiev, and the Kiev army, apparently, was the most highly developed military force even after the fragmentation of "Kiev" Rus. Some believe that it was originally a Scandinavian (Viking) type squad. But the presence of heavily armed horsemen in the squad may reflect long-standing contacts with Byzantium. The cavalry army increasingly dominated the wars for Kiev in the 13th and 13th centuries. At the same time, the sword and spear remained the main weapon of the rider. Whereas the city militias adopted a crossbow (called a crossbow in Russia - V. Sh.). Another important element in the composition of the Kiev troops were the peripheral nomadic tribes allied or subordinate to the Russian principalities, which in 1200 were called "black hats" ("black hoods" - V. Sh.). They provided equestrian archery needed to fight other steppe peoples. The distinctive black cowl helmets may have had their origins in the Middle East rather than the Eurasian steppe, but they clearly reflect the importance of archery. This was further emphasized by the pure and Russian helmet shape, which had an integrated visor to protect the upper face, although it evolved from the earlier Scandinavian half-mask helmet shape.
The tactics of the warriors of Kievan Rus largely developed in response to the threat posed by archery. The most common form of battle was to place the infantry in the center: spearmen formed a wall of shields to protect foot archers, while cavalry held the flanks. Carts or carts were used both for transporting supplies and for building field fortifications in a manner similar to that which took place among the Pechenegs. Numerous forest fortifications along the border between the forest and the steppe served as a base for operations against the nomads, and at the same time, they were often garrisoned by Kiev's nomadic allies. The forts along the eastern borders, lying within the forest belt, were also staffed by a class of free "warrior-farmers", whose social position had much in common with the later Cossacks."
Again, as we can see, there is nothing that belittles our military history and culture. Everything is confirmed by excavation materials and chronicles. Well, and the last paragraph is just … a short description of the fortress city “Zolotarevskoe settlement” found near Penza.
These defenses and their defenders, it seems, were equally characteristic of both central and northern Russia. Kiev, weakened by the constant struggle with nomads, gradually lost control over other principalities, especially in the north, which meanwhile developed in abundance, and their population was constantly growing. By the middle of the 13th century, two such principalities as Vladimir-Suzdal in the east-central part of Russia and the city of Novgorod in the north had acquired significant military contingents. The armies of Central Russia still had a lot in common with the armies of Kiev in the south. The core consisted of professional cavalry, and it was reinforced by city militias, various mercenaries and the rarely convened peasant militia. The most common form of armor was armor with lamellar protection ("forged men" - V. Sh.). Archery and battleaxe played a more significant role than in most Western European armies. Crossbows were still rare throughout the 13th century.
The degree of stagnation in the development of military affairs in Russia after the Mongol invasions at the beginning and middle of the 13th century can be exaggerated. In many ways, the very notion of “stagnation” can be misleading. Russian military equipment at the end of the 13th and 14th centuries reflected the threat posed by the highly developed equestrian archery and horse armies of the Mongols. Elsewhere in Europe and the Middle East, more advanced military technology proved unsuitable for countering their tactics and continued to demonstrate their relative inferiority until the Ottoman Turks were finally stopped by a completely different form of military technology at the gates of Vienna in the 17th century. However, it cannot be denied that as a result of the Mongol invasions and the subsequent imposition of Mongolian and Golden Horde suzerainty, medieval Russia largely left the orbit of European military culture and moved into the orbit of the military culture of the Eurasian steppes, thereby finding itself in a certain form of military-technological isolation from Western countries.
The situation in Novgorod was different. Despite Mongol suzerainty, Novgorod remained Russia's window to the West. Although this did not save the city from the attacks of both the Swedes and the German military orders (based in the Baltic States) in the 13th century. On the other hand, the unique situation in Novgorod led to the further development of stone fortifications, efficient and well-equipped infantry, widespread use of crossbows, and the development of tactics for the use of mounted troops, dressed in strong plate armor. The first firearms that were used in Russia may well have appeared on the territory of Novgorod. This confirms the opinion that the acquaintance with the "fiery battle" came from Europe, and not from the East, despite the Mongols' own knowledge of gunpowder."
Galich boyar (right), Volhynian crossbowman (center) and Lithuanian warrior (left), early 13th century.
Again, no particularly controversial statements. Nothing derogatory compared to what was reported in the same study for other countries in Western and Eastern Europe. The information is presented in a concise but comprehensive manner. Therefore, we hardly have to assert that the West "belittles our military history", as our journalists keep repeating about this, of course, they have not read the corresponding books and articles in magazine periodicals. Even about the Mongol yoke, D. Nicol does not say anything, but uses the term suzerainty. By the way, about the place and role of plate armor in Russia, the Soviet historian A. F. Medvedev wrote back in 1959 in his work "On the history of plate armor in Russia" // SA. 1959, no. 2. It is available on the Internet and those who wish can familiarize themselves with it without difficulty. By the way, he also considered the history of chain mail in Russia, and this work of his (A. F. MEDVEDEV "TO THE HISTORY OF A chain mail in ANCIENT RUSSIA" Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Brief reports of the Institute for the History of Material Culture. Issue XLIX, 1953) to still have not lost their relevance.
Finds, finds, finds …
Very interesting finds of iron weapons were made on the territory of the settlement of the Mordovians, and today they are exhibited in the Mordovian Republican United Museum of Local Lore named after I. D. Voronin in the city of Saransk. These are battle axes, spearheads, as well as swords and saber blades. A unique battle belt with silver details was also found. All these findings can be attributed to the 9th - 11th centuries. As a very pleasant fact, it should be noted that the staff of this museum shared these photos at the first request, and without setting any commercial conditions, for which they are both honored and praised! Here are some of these photos …
Belt.
An ax, and obviously not a household one.
This one is also a typical combat …
Spearhead.
And the saber was found in the burials of the Mordovian land …
And the sword …
Tournaments in the Russian land
By the way, we’re talking about knightly weapons, don’t we? And whether the Russian horsemen-warriors were knights or in the Middle Ages everything was different from others. Yes, they were also in terms of weapons, which they were not inferior to Western Europeans and in terms of their attitude, and even because, just like the Westerners, they participated in knightly tournaments. We are told about this … our chronicles, for example, Ipatievskaya, which describes the tournament, which was organized by the son of Mikhail Chernigovsky, Rostislav, under the walls of the city of Yaroslavl-Galitsky, which he himself besieged. Prince Rostislav was helped by detachments of the Polish and even (according to Western sources) Hungarian knightly cavalry. And so in order to frighten the besieged, and at the same time to amuse the guests, it was decided to hold a tournament. But the Russian prince himself performed on it completely unsuccessfully: he was knocked off his horse by the leader of the Poles, and when he fell, he either dislocated or broke his shoulder. This event took place in 1249. True, the church condemned such fun, and the monastic chroniclers did not often enter information about such godless games in their Talmuds. But all the same they brought it in! For example, the Novgorod chronicler reprimanded the grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, Prince Vsevolod, for "military toys with nobles." The duel between the Moscow voivode Rodion and the former warrior of Alexander Nevsky Akinf the Great, which ended in the death of the latter, also got into the chronicle. The chronicle also informs us that "the nurse, the princely boyar Ostey, was wounded by a spear on a toy." That is, there were many similarities, but … occupying a place in the middle between the West and the East, they scooped both "ottol" and "otsel". Very accurately about the originality of Russian weapons back in the 17th century. Yuri Krizhanich, a Serbian scribe who lived in Russia at that time, wrote in his treatise Politics. “In the methods of military affairs, we (the Russians - A. K.) occupy a middle place between the Scythians (that is, the Tatars and Turks) and the Germans. Scythians are especially strong only with light, Germans only with heavy weapons; we conveniently use both and with sufficient success we can imitate both of the peoples mentioned, although not equal to them. We surpass the Scythians with heavy weapons, and with light we come close to them; the opposite is true with the Germans. Therefore, against both, we must use both kinds of weapons and create the advantage of our position”[5, 224]. And better than him, perhaps, no matter how hard you try, you can’t say!
References
1. Nicolle, D. Armies of Medieval Russia 750 - 1250. UK. Oxford: Osprey (Men-at-arms series # 333), 1999.
2. Nicolle, D. Arms and Armor of the Crusading Era, 1050-1350. UK. L.: Greenhill Books. Vol. 2. RR. 85 - 87.
3. Nicolle, D. Raiders of the Ice War. Medieval Warfar: Teutonic Knights ambush Lithuanian Raiders // Military illustrated. UK. Vol. 94. March. 1996.
4. Shpakovsky, V., Nicolle, D. Medieval Russian Armies 1250 - 1500. UK. Oxford: Osprey (Men-at-arms # 367). 2002.
5. Kirpichnikov A. N. Burial of a warrior of the XII-XIII centuries. from the Southern Kiev region (based on the materials of the AIM exposition) // Collection of research and materials of the Artillery Historical Museum. Issue 4. L., 1959. 219-226.
6. Shpakovsky, V. O., Nikolle, D. Russian army. 1250 - 1500. M.: AST: Astrel , 2004.
7. Shpakovsky, V. O. Modern English-speaking historians about the warriors of the East and the knights of the West // Questions of history, 2009. №8.
