What is military affairs? Military affairs
...Fist fights in Rus' represent such a characteristic and unique phenomenon and such interest in the development of our culture that everything that relates to the history of this folk entertainment, which has grown to enormous proportions and is widespread throughout Russia, involuntarily attracts attention.
Street fighting
...In all centuries and all peoples there has been a desire for sports. Only the forms of this sport were different, but each of these forms certainly contained a person’s desire to compete with his own kind in physical strength, agility, endurance.
Chain mail, swords, arrows
A.N. Kirpichnikov. About the beginning of sword production in Rus'
In early medieval Europe, swords were regarded as necessary military and at the same time prestigious weapons. Scientists have long been trying to solve the mystery of where these swords were made. New searches related to finds on the territory of ancient Rus' are advancing the solution to this complex problem.
K.V. Bazilevich. From the history of sea campaigns in the 7th-12th centuries.
...In the defensive armor of an ancient Russian professional warrior great importance had chain mail - combat clothing in the form of a shirt made of small, tightly woven iron rings.
A.H. Kirpichnikov. Battle of the Neva in 1240 and its tactical features
Based on the description of the battle, Kirpichnikov tried to trace the tactics of the battle.
S. Demidenko. State of the Teutonic Order in the XIII-XV centuries
Story Teutonic Order for several hundred years; internal political struggle, external clashes with Russia and Lithuania.
Kradin N.P. Russian wooden defensive architecture
The book is dedicated to defense structures (fortified winter huts, forts and log cities). It examines the remains of surviving fortifications - the towers of the Nikolo-Karelian monastery in the Arkhangelsk region, Belsky, Yakutsky, Yuilsky, Ilimsky and Bratsk forts in Siberia. The book makes an attempt to recreate some of the 17th century fortresses and their individual elements in graphic reconstructions.
Weapons and equipment of the 15th-16th centuries
A brief overview of cold steel, firearms, and hand-held firearms and armor in the 15-16th centuries.
Weapons and armor of Rus' X - XVI centuries.
A brief overview of ancient weapons and armor used in Rus'.
P.E. Sorokin. About some tactical methods of fighting on water in ancient Rus'
Article from the collection "Early Medieval Antiquities of Northern Rus' and Its Neighbors", ed. E.N. Nosova, St. Petersburg, RAS, 1999.
A.N. Kirpichnikov, A.F. Medvedev. Armament
Chapter from the book "Ancient Rus'. City. Castle. Village" M., 1985.
P.A. Rappoport. Ancient Russian fortresses
Publishing house "Science" Moscow - 1965.
Military affairs in Rus' - in Ancient Rus' her armed forces consisted of the princes themselves. squads (consisting mainly of Varangians) and zemstvo. militia. The squads were located in capital cities and regions. cities and the princes were quite wealthy. content. Zemsk, militia in case great war was convened and dissolved at the end. They were commanded by those and other governors, to whom were subordinate the thousanders, centurions and foremen. To Kyiv. book Svyatoslav Igorevich, the Russians did not have their own cavalry and hired it from the Uers and Pechenegs. Both Svyatoslav and his son Vladimir, during their campaigns against the Volzhsk, Bulgars and near Korsun (988), transported infantry by water, in boats, and sent cavalry along the shore; on the Dnieper On the rapids, the ships were carried by hand and then lowered into the water again. With the advent of Christianity in Rus', the Varangians. the squads were gradually replaced by Russians. army, nobles from youths and swordsmen. Each city also had its own military men. People, the militia still gathered only in emergency situations. Hikes were made for the most part in winter, so as not to distract warriors from rural households. classes. The weapons were issued just before the campaign, and after its completion they were taken away and kept by the prince. arsenal. The army was divided into spearmen and archers. In the field they protected themselves with fences and stakes (fortress), and on the march they moved with a guard in front and on the sides. During the siege of cities, they tried to interrupt communication between them, for which they placed their forts on the roads. The walls of the cities were pierced with vices (rams), the ditches were filled with earth, along which they climbed to the walls. Time Tat.-Mong. The yoke had a very significant impact on the general structure of Russia. troops. In addition to the regiments of rights. and lion hands, a large, guard, advanced and ambush regiment appeared. Cavalry began to make up the predominant part of the army, having adopted the mode of action from the Tatars - first throwing out a mass of arrows and spears while galloping. The infantry was intended to capture cities and forts and hold back the enemy's onslaught. The appearance of fire weapons in Rus' are attributed to the reign of Dmitry Donskoy. First mentioned. about guns and cannons in connection with the defense of Moscow from Tokhtamysh (1382). The guns were brought to Rus' from Germany through Novgorod the Great and from Volga-Kama Bulgaria. Under Ivan III Vasilyevich, local troops appeared in Rus'. The foot and horse dat people stood completely separately. Under Ivan the Terrible, up to 80 thousand people were collected. During his reign they received further development Sagittarius, troops. The third type of troops of that time were the Cossacks - Don, Yaik, Terek. Dac people were supplied to the army for military service, which consisted of appointing dat people to the service, arming them, equipping them and supplying them with food supplies and money. From whom to take the data people and in what number was determined by the Rank Order. “City and prison affairs” was a general obligation. military service, from which no one was exempt. The participation of the population in it was expressed: 1) in the supply of materials for the construction of fortifications; 2) in workers' attire for excavation work; 3) in the defense of cities and fortified points of their district. He will carry out everything, the orders were made by the governors. In addition to 5 regiments, in the 16th century. a walk-city also appeared. The nature of the war was mostly offensive, in order “to prevent the enemy from entering their cities in order to meet him in his own land.” Under Ivan III, the Cannon Hut was built in Moscow, which served as an impetus for the rapid development of artillery. Under Ivan the Terrible, the defense of the “towns” was entrusted to the chief. way to the artillery. Since 1552 field army He always maneuvers with artillery. "City and prison affairs" due to special attention
rights to border defense early reached a relatively high degree of development. Provision of troops in peacetime and
war time was provided by Ch. way with stocks in kind. Due to randomness and uncertainty of legislation. measures in this regard, a lot of abuses occurred, and the army was often left without bread and money. were subjected to raids by nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes - Khazars, Pechenegs, Polovtsians. The nomads mercilessly killed everyone who resisted, took young men and women captive, burned buildings, and took away everything of value. Later, German knights began to threaten military campaigns from the West. Therefore, in those days every adult man from the Slavic lands was a warrior. Reluctance to fight meant death or slavery. The ancient Slavs were brave people. To protect themselves from the enemy, they used a variety of bladed weapons.
The main weapon of a warrior from the princely squad was a sword. Not every hunter or farmer could own this weapon, since it cost a lot of money. Each sword was made individually and was a symbol of the owner's military valor. The hilt of the sword was often richly decorated. Initially, it was almost exclusively an offensive weapon; the first swords were cutting swords; later they began to be used as piercing weapons.
Since time immemorial, the knife has been used as a household tool or for hunting. It later transformed into a real weapon. A commoner could not afford an expensive sword, but he could easily have a half-meter knife. It was in capable hands dangerous weapon. They could have been inflicted mortal wound, hitting an unprotected place or a gap between armor.
The ax was also originally used for work. Later appeared combat options axes – hammers, poleaxes, beard-shaped axes. Each of these types was used for specific purposes. The coin was suitable for piercing metal armor and was used by horsemen. The ax had a long handle and a large radius of action. The beard ax was good in close combat.
The spear was an indispensable weapon for both the foot warrior and the horseman. It made it possible to hit the enemy at long range. There were different types of spears, including light throwing ones. This is a fairly simple weapon; any blacksmith could make it. Therefore, spears were widely used by warriors and ordinary people to protect their lands.
The most important defensive weapon was undoubtedly the shield. The Eastern Slavs most often had them round shape, made of wood, upholstered with iron. The shield withstood blows different types edged weapons. It is assumed that such weapons were borrowed from the ancient Scandinavians. The shield and sword were a powerful combination of defensive and offensive weapons.
Chain mail and a helmet were also used to protect the body. Chain mail was a lightweight alternative to heavy ones knight's armor. It covered the warrior’s torso and provided good protection from cutting blows. There were different types of helmets, but conical-shaped headdresses were most often used.
On the territory of our country, swords have appeared in the burials of the ancient Slavs since the end of the 9th century. The first scientifically recorded finds of them were made in the 70s of the 19th century, when archaeologists had already thoroughly studied the swords discovered in Scandinavia, mainly in Norway. Our swords turned out to be very similar to them both in the characteristic shape of the blade and the type of handle. It was no secret, however, that the Scandinavians were not the inventors of the heavy cutting sword: according to reviews of foreign scientists, the culture that gave birth to them was no more Scandinavian than Slavic. This type of sword was formed by the 8th century in Western and Central Europe: specialists were able to trace the previous stages of its development.
Slavic-Goritsky wrestling - unique phenomenon in our life. She will show the path of a warrior in our lives. A warrior by spirit, not by profession. She will give you what you need. One can walk the path with her help ancient Russian hero. Another will go the way sports The third chooses the path of a professional partisan. The fourth will be attracted by the applied direction.
A warrior who masters the techniques and principles of Slavic-Goritsky wrestling is practically invincible.
There cannot be a separate “black” and a separate “white” Perun (just as there cannot be a separate “underwater” and a separate “surface” iceberg; in particular, “Black Perun” is a whole concept that personifies the secrets hidden in the depths of Navi). There is one Perun the Thunderer, who gives masculinity into existence. Perun, squeezing the neck of a snake with his right hand, and holding a horn with a gift with his right hand, is the image of Perun, the adviser to the head of the family in his family structure. Well, what head of the family, husband, father, youth, in the end, is not the defender of the family hearth, his homeland? But now we are more interested in another image of this god: Perun - holding lightning in his right hand, and a horn with smaga in his shuyts - as the leader of the army.
In the 6th century, significant changes occurred in the history of the structure of tribal associations associated with the transition from the tribal form of the community to the neighboring one. And these events allowed the separation of the military stratum to occur and its transformation into squads, which acquired significant power in the management of tribal principalities or unions of tribal principalities. The formation of this kind of principalities was, in turn, caused by the migration of Slavic tribes in the 5th - 6th centuries.
Military affairs in Rus'
Battle of the Kalka River
Process feudal fragmentation from the middle of the 11th century Kyiv State and the resumption of new raids by nomads became the historical background against which the Russian developed military art. These factors, along with the development of the feudal way of life in society and the improvement of military equipment, determined the nature of Russian military art and its features in Rus'.
As for the recruitment of troops, its composition was different, everything depended on the nature and goals of the war. In each case, the boyars took part in these wars with their troops and, of course, the prince’s personal squad, as well as volunteers - the so-called “hunters” from among the population of the cities. It should be said that these forces were often supplemented by urban militia and rarely by rural militia.
The squad and militia were assembled by the prince himself and the commanders - the thousandths - after making a specific decision, for example, about a campaign or an attack on the enemy. The collection process lasted approximately one week. And in large principalities, such as Vladimir-Suzdal or Novgorod, a little more than a week. For example: the army to confront the Mongols on the Kalka River in 1223 took more than one month to gather. There were no big changes in the organization of the squad: as before, it was divided into senior and junior. But some changes were caused by the ongoing internecine struggle. Each of the princes sought, as a counterbalance to the boyar opposition, to strengthen the junior squad through numbers. As part of the junior squad, over time, such a category of warriors as “merciful people” appeared. They received armor, including a horse, from the prince. Over time, the service acquired a hereditary character. It should be noted that from the middle of the 12th century, another category of warriors appeared in Ancient Rus' - “saddlers”. Most likely, these people belonged to the settlers who were dependent on the prince. They fought as part of the light cavalry. Residents of the steppe borderlands of Rus' who inhabited fortresses southern borders, were part of the princely squad. But over time, especially with the aggravation of internecine contradictions, they became independent and combined ordinary life with a guard service.
In terms of organization, the army of Rus' at that time consisted of infantry and cavalry. The infantry consisted of militias from the poor part of the population. Over time the role of this kind troops gradually underwent changes. Infantry could be used independently as landing troops or during siege, assault and defense of fortresses. But the importance of cavalry in the army of Ancient Rus' increased more and more. The cavalry was divided into heavy and light. It should be said that at that time only “armourers,” that is, heavy cavalry, were considered full-fledged warriors. They had complete both protective and offensive weapons. A long pike and a sword served as their weapons.
Rooks
Clan groups of nomads (Torks, Berendeis, Kovuis), as well as warriors from the junior squad and militia, served in the light cavalry and formed its basis. It should be noted that the allocation of light cavalry in Rus' occurred earlier than in Western countries. This suggests that a great step forward has been made in the development of military art.
As for military navigation in Rus', it developed only in Novgorod. This can be confirmed by the campaign of the Novgorodians together with the Korelians in 1188 against the capital of Sweden, the city of Sigtuna. At the same time, in each principality of Ancient Rus' there was a flotilla of river (ship's army) warships - nasads.
Keep up with developments and military equipment. In the middle of the 12th century there appeared throwing machines, as well as hand crossbows (crossbows). They became widespread primarily in Western Russian lands.
The Russian army during this period was divided into regiments, they were formed at the expense of the militia major cities. The order of battle was regimental row. The regiments were divided into banners - detachments of large feudal lords, city militias. The banners, in turn, were divided into tactical units- “spears”. The number of copies was approximately 15–20 people. But the number of banners in the regiment, as well as copies in the banner, respectively, often changed. Signals in Russian army served in the infantry with the help of a tambourine, and in the cavalry - with a trumpet.
Traditional character in Kievan Rus were issues of training and education of soldiers. The basis of military training was daily exercise in horse riding, fencing, archery, etc. There are known cases (from Western sources) of Russian soldiers participating in knightly tournaments at European courts. Big role Animal hunting continued to play a role in military training; it developed individual skills in handling weapons and riding, but was mainly psychological training.
Changes public relations contributed to the formation of appropriate moral values of soldiers. Unlike other countries, already in the 13th century in Rus', love for the homeland was closely connected with the honor and valor of a warrior brought up on the ideals Orthodox faith. Folk epic played a special role in the formation of the moral and psychological qualities of Russian soldiers. All this influenced the education of warriors and the development of military traditions.
Here is an example of the level of morality of Russian soldiers of that period: “ best men“The troops of Igor Novgorod-Seversky considered it a sin to abandon their “simple” fellow soldiers and break out of the encirclement themselves, so they preferred death or captivity to life obtained at the cost of betrayal.
Gabriel Tsobekhia
![](https://i1.wp.com/soldat.pro/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/53688058c7b067f9ecb3e762567ee9fe.jpg)
Battle of the Kalka River
The process of feudal fragmentation from the middle of the 11th century of the Kyiv state and the resumption of new raids by nomads became the historical background against which Russian military art developed. These factors, along with the development of the feudal way of life in society and the improvement of military equipment, determined the nature of Russian military art and its features in Rus'.
As for the recruitment of troops, its composition was different, everything depended on the nature and goals of the war. In each case, the boyars took part in these wars with their troops and, of course, the prince’s personal squad, as well as volunteers - the so-called “hunters” from among the population of the cities. It should be said that these forces were often supplemented by urban militia and rarely by rural militia.
The squad and militia were assembled by the prince himself and the commanders - the thousandths - after making a specific decision, for example, about a campaign or an attack on the enemy. The collection process lasted approximately one week. And in large principalities, such as Vladimir-Suzdal or Novgorod, a little more than a week. For example: the army to confront the Mongols on the Kalka River in 1223 took more than one month to gather. There were no big changes in the organization of the squad: as before, it was divided into senior and junior. But some changes were caused by the ongoing internecine struggle. Each of the princes sought, as a counterbalance to the boyar opposition, to strengthen the junior squad through numbers. As part of the junior squad, over time, such a category of warriors as “merciful people” appeared. They received armor, including a horse, from the prince. Over time, the service acquired a hereditary character. It should be noted that from the middle of the 12th century, another category of warriors appeared in Ancient Rus' - “saddlers”. Most likely, these people belonged to the settlers who were dependent on the prince. They fought as part of the light cavalry. Residents of the steppe borderlands of Rus', who inhabited the fortresses of the southern borders, were part of the princely squad. But over time, especially with the aggravation of internecine contradictions, they became independent and combined ordinary life with guard duty.
In terms of organization, the army of Rus' at that time consisted of infantry and cavalry. The infantry consisted of militias from the poor part of the population. Over time, the role of this type of troops gradually underwent changes. Infantry could be used independently as landing troops or during siege, assault and defense of fortresses. But the importance of cavalry in the army of Ancient Rus' increased more and more. The cavalry was divided into heavy and light. It should be said that at that time only “armourers,” that is, heavy cavalry, were considered full-fledged warriors. They had full defensive and offensive weapons. A long pike and a sword served as their weapons.
Rooks
Clan groups of nomads (Torks, Berendeis, Kovuis), as well as warriors from the junior squad and militia, served in the light cavalry and formed its basis. It should be noted that the allocation of light cavalry to the cavalry in Rus' occurred earlier than in Western countries. This suggests that a great step forward has been made in the development of military art.
As for military navigation in Rus', it developed only in Novgorod. This can be confirmed by the campaign of the Novgorodians together with the Korelians in 1188 against the capital of Sweden, the city of Sigtuna. At the same time, in each principality of Ancient Rus' there was a flotilla of river (ship's army) warships - nasads.
Military technology did not lag behind the development. In the middle of the 12th century, throwing machines appeared, as well as hand crossbows (crossbows). They became widespread primarily in Western Russian lands.
During this period, the Russian army was divided into regiments; they were formed by the militia of large cities. The order of battle was regimental row. The regiments were divided into banners - detachments of large feudal lords, city militias. The banners, in turn, were divided into tactical units - “spears”. The number of copies was approximately 15–20 people. But the number of banners in the regiment, as well as copies in the banner, respectively, often changed. Signals to the Russian army were given to the infantry using a tambourine, and to the cavalry using a trumpet.
The issues of training and education of soldiers were of a traditional nature in Kievan Rus. The basis of military training was daily exercises in horse riding, fencing, archery, etc. There are known cases (from Western sources) of Russian soldiers participating in knightly tournaments at European courts. Animal hunting continued to play a major role in military training; it developed individual skills in handling weapons and riding, but was mainly psychological training.
Changes in social relations contributed to the formation of appropriate moral values of soldiers. Unlike other countries, already in the 13th century in Rus', love for the homeland was closely connected with the honor and valor of a warrior brought up on the ideals of the Orthodox faith. Folk epic played a special role in the formation of the moral and psychological qualities of Russian soldiers. All this influenced the education of warriors and the development of military traditions.
Here is an example of the level of morality of Russian soldiers of that period: the “best men” of the troops of Igor Novgorod-Seversky considered it a sin to abandon their “simple” fellow soldiers and break out of encirclement themselves, so they preferred death or captivity to life obtained at the cost of betrayal. Gabriel Tsobekhia