July 15 1240 The Battle of the Neva took place, in which the squad led by Prince Alexander Yaroslavich defeated the Swedish troops of Eric XI Birger. The goal of the Swedes was to capture the mouth of the Neva, which would allow them to control the northern part of the route “from the Varangians to the Greeks.” For his victory over Birger's army, Alexander received the nickname Nevsky.

In the 30s of the 13th century, a formidable danger from the West loomed over Russia. The German invaders, carrying out widespread forced colonization and Christianization of the Baltic tribes, approached the Russian borders. At the same time, the Swedes, having subjugated the Finnish tribes Sumy and Em, did not abandon their long-standing claims to the Novgorod lands - the Neva and Ladoga regions. The main organizer of the campaigns with the aim of seizing Russian lands was the head of the Catholic Church - the Pope, who sought to unite the forces of the Order, the bishops of Riga and Dorpat, as well as Sweden and Denmark. Taking advantage of the fact that after the devastation of North-Eastern Rus' by the Mongols, Novgorod and Pskov had nowhere to wait for help, the Swedish and German knights intensified their expansion in North-Western Rus', counting on an easy victory. The Swedes were the first to attempt to seize Russian lands. Already in 1238, the Swedish king received a blessing from the Pope for a crusade against the Novgorodians. Everyone who agreed to take part in the campaign was promised absolution. In 1239, the Swedes and Germans negotiated, outlining a campaign plan: the Swedes, who had by that time captured Finland, were to attack Novgorod from the north, from the river. Neva, and the Germans - through Izborsk and Pskov. The Swedish government of King Erich Burt allocated an army for the campaign under the leadership of Jarl (Prince) Ulf Fasi and the king's son-in-law, Birger.

At this time, the young prince Alexander Yaroslavich (Old Russian: Aleѯandr Ѧroslavich), the son of the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, reigned in Novgorod. He was an intelligent, energetic and brave man, and most importantly, a true patriot of his Motherland. He had already gained fame as a skillful politician and understood that the weakened Russian principalities did not have the strength to fight on two fronts. Therefore, the prince maintained peaceful relations with the Tatars, providing himself with a safe rear in the event of a fight against German-Swedish aggression.

According to “The Tale of the Life and Courage of the Blessed and Grand Duke Alexander,” Birger, having arrived with an army at the mouth of the Neva, sent his ambassadors to Novgorod to tell the prince: “If you are able to resist me, then I am already here, captivating your land.” However, this message is most likely an interpolation by the compiler of the “Tale of the Life...”, created 40 years after the events described, since surprise of an attack was often a decisive factor in battles in the north.

In fact, the Swedes were noticed by the Novgorod “sea guards”. This function was performed by the Izhora tribe, led by their elder Pelugius. According to the version of the “Tale of Life...” Pelugius was supposedly already Orthodox and had the Christian name Philip, and the rest of his tribe remained pagan. The Izhora naval guard discovered the Swedes in the Gulf of Finland and quickly reported them to Novgorod. Surely there was a system of operational communication from the mouth of the Neva to Novgorod, otherwise the very existence of the sea guard becomes meaningless. Perhaps these were signal lights on the mounds; perhaps a horse relay race; but, in any case, the warning system worked quickly.

Subsequently, the naval guards conducted secret surveillance of the Swedish ships that entered the Neva. In the “Tale of Life...” it is described as follows: “He (Pelugius) stood on the seashore, watching both paths, and spent the whole night without sleep. When the sun began to rise, he heard a strong noise on the sea and saw one boat floating on the sea, and standing in the middle of the boat were the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb in red robes, holding their hands on each other’s shoulders. The rowers sat as if covered in darkness. Boris said: “Brother Gleb, tell us to row, and let us help our relative Prince Alexander.” Seeing such a vision and hearing these words of the martyrs, Pelugius stood trembling until the nasad disappeared from his eyes.”

Prince Alexander, who was about 20 years old, quickly gathered a squad and moved on boats along the Volkhov to Ladoga, where he was joined by the Ladoga squad.

Earl Birger was completely unaware of the movement of the Novgorod army and decided to give rest to the army on the southern bank of the Neva, not far from the confluence of the Izhora River.

On July 15, 1240, “at six o’clock in the afternoon,” the Russian army suddenly attacked the Swedes. According to the “Tale of Life...”, Alexander Yaroslavovich personally wounded Earl Birger in the face with a spear. The surprise of the attack and the loss of the commander decided the matter. The Swedes began to retreat to the ships.

The “Tale of Life...” describes the exploits of six Russian warriors. The first of them, Gavrila Oleksich, rode on horseback along the gangplank onto the Swedish ship (auger) and began to chop down the enemy there. The Swedes threw him from his horse into the water, but he emerged from the water unharmed and attacked the enemy again. The second, named Sbyslav Yakunovich, a Novgorodian, attacked the army of the Swedes many times and fought with one ax, without fear, and many fell by his hand, and they marveled at his strength and courage. The third, Yakov, a Polotsk resident, was a hunter for the prince. He attacked the regiment with a sword, and the prince praised him. The fourth, Mesha, a Novgorodian, on foot with his squad attacked the ships and sank three ships. The fifth, Sava, from the junior squad, burst into the jarl’s golden-domed tent and cut down the tent pole. The sixth, Ratmir, from Alexander’s servants, fought on foot simultaneously with several Swedes, fell from multiple wounds and died.

With the onset of darkness, most of the Swedish ships went downstream of the Neva, and some were captured by the Russians. By order of Alexander, two captured augers were loaded with the bodies of the killed Swedes, and they were sent adrift into the sea, and “drowned into the sea,” and the rest of the killed enemies were “digged into a hole, swept into countless numbers.”

Russian losses turned out to be negligible, only 20 people. This fact, as well as the lack of mention of the Battle of the Neva in Swedish chronicles, gave rise to a number of Russophobic historians to reduce the battle to the level of a minor skirmish. In my opinion, the death of 20 selected warriors in a surprise attack is not such a small loss. In addition, the Izhora were also supposed to participate in the battle on the side of the Russians. After the battle, Orthodox Russians and pagan Izhorians were buried in different places and according to different rituals. The Izhorians burned the bodies of their fellow tribesmen. Therefore, the Russian participants in the battle hardly knew how many were killed among the Izhora.

Battle of the Neva (briefly)

Battle of the Neva (briefly)

Battle of the Neva - brief description

In short, the Battle of the Neva is one of the key events in Russian history. In 1240, Kievan Rus was a state fragmented into separate principalities. At the same time, each of the principalities sought to become the head of all other territories. At that time, the southern and central principalities suffered from the Mongol-Tatar yoke, and the Novgorod principality, as the northernmost, received other problems.

The Livonian Order, which was located next door, sought by all means to eliminate the “infidels” from these lands and, to achieve this goal, even entered into an alliance with the Swedes and the Pope. In fact, there is very little reliable information about this (Neva) battle. However, it is known for sure that the Swedish army that invaded the Izhora land was led by Ulf Fasi. Some historians provide evidence that the future king of Sweden (Birger Magnusson) also took part in this battle and even claim that he was wounded by Alexander Yaroslavovich himself, the commander of the Russian army.

The Swedish army included Norwegians, representatives of the Catholic Church and Finns. For some, this campaign was part of the Crusade. The Izhora lands were allies of Novgorod, so news of the invasion quickly came to Alexander.

Alexander Yaroslavovich hastily gathered an army and, without asking for help from the Vladimir principality, independently with a small squad set out against the enemy, enlisting the support of the Ladoga militias along the way. The army consisted mainly of cavalry, which became the determining factor in mobility. The Swedes did not expect a lightning-fast reaction.

The battle began on the fifteenth of July 1240. In the morning, Alexander orders the camp to be bombarded with fiery arrows, which caused confusion and panic.

After this, having a strategic advantage, his army struck the Swedes, preventing them from turning around. During this battle, several ships were also sunk, but by the evening the Russian troops were retreating.

Having been defeated, the Swedes were forced to board the remaining ships and retreat.

This Neva victory was so impressive that Alexander began to be called Nevsky after it. As a result, the Teutons and Swedes found themselves separated and the subsequent invasion of the Livonian Order was also stopped. Many believe that this victory changed the course of Russian history and was able to ensure the security of Novgorod.

About the Battle of the Neva in brief

The Battle of Neva begins
Battle of Neva reasons
Battle of Neva stages
Battle of Neva results

In short, the Battle of the Neva is one of the key events in the history of the Russian principalities. In 1240, Kievan Rus consisted of many separate principalities, each of which sought to become a single entity. While the central and southern principalities suffered from the Mongol invasion, the principality of Novgorod, as the most northern, had other problems.

The neighboring Livonian (Teutonic) order sought to eliminate the “infidels” from these lands, and for these purposes enlisted the support of the Pope and the Swedes. Information about the Battle of the Neva has reached our times, although it remains very scarce. It is known that the Swedish army that invaded the Izhora land at the mouth of the Neva was commanded by Earl Ulf Fasi. There is also an assumption that the future king of Sweden, Birger Magnusson, also participated in the battle, where he was wounded in the eye directly by Alexander Yaroslavovich, the commander of the Novgorod army.

The Swedish army included Norwegians, Finns and representatives of the Catholic Church, since this campaign was carried out as part of the Crusade. The Izhora land was then allied with Novgorod, so news of the invasion reached Alexander soon after the landing. The subsequent Livonian campaign of the allied forces was completed late. Perhaps the Teutons underestimated the Novgorodians, since Alexander showed a lightning-fast reaction.

Alexander Yaroslavovich hastily gathered an army, did not ask for help from the Principality of Vladimir, and with a small squad marched against the enemy, enlisting the support of the Ladoga militia. The army was mainly mounted, which ensured high mobility. The Swedes did not expect such a quick reaction - their camp was located in the lowlands near the seashore.

The battle began on July 15, 1240. The Battle of Neva is difficult to describe in detail due to the small number of sources, but a brief description was compiled. In the morning, Alexander ordered the camp to be bombarded with fiery arrows, which caused panic and confusion.
Then, taking advantage of the strategic advantage, his troops struck the Swedes, pushing them to the seashore and preventing them from turning around. During the battle, according to sources, several ships were sunk, and by evening the Novgorod troops retreated. However, the Swedes suffered such heavy losses that they were forced to board ships and return to their land with nothing.

The Battle of the Neva in 1240 not only gave Rus' a new saint - Prince Alexander Nevsky. Its historical significance lies in preventing the aggressive feudal lords of Northern Europe from seizing significant Russian territories.

Reasons and background

The reasons for the Battle of the Neva in 1240 lie in the policy of “pressure to the east” pursued in the 12th-13th centuries by the top of the Northern European countries (primarily Germany, Sweden and Denmark). They viewed the Slavic peoples as “savages” who were unnecessarily occupying significant land. The situation was aggravated by the religious factor - Rome called on the knights of Northern Europe not just to war, but to a crusade against the “schismatics” (in 1054, the formally united Christian church, as a result of a “schism,” was officially divided into Catholic and Orthodox). The transformation of robbery into a charitable deed is a common ideological device of the era of the Crusades.

The events of 1240 were not the first conflict - wars had been fought intermittently since the 9th century. However, in the century the situation changed in favor of the invaders from the West - Rus' was forced to repel the Mongol invasion, suffered defeats, and its military power was in doubt.

Failure of Swedish plans

The goals of the parties in the war of 1240 are obvious. The Swedes needed to cut off Russian possessions from Finnish lands and the Baltic coast. This made it possible to further advance inland, as well as control over maritime trade, a significant part of which was in the hands of Novgorod and Pskov merchants. In turn, Rus' could not allow the loss of the coast and the prolongation of the conflict in the West in the face of serious problems with the Mongols in the southeast.

The Swedish army, having entered the Neva on ships, settled down at the confluence of the Izhora into it. From the available descriptions, it can be understood that the commanders (Jarl Ulf Fosi and the royal son-in-law Birger) intended to calmly land and then advance deeper into the Novgorod possessions.

But the course of the battle immediately turned not in favor of the Swedes - the battle went according to Prince Alexander’s plan. It took place on July 15th. The reasons for the Russian victory in the Battle of the Neva lie in several factors at once - good reconnaissance work, speed and surprise.

The scout was Pelgusy, an Izhora foreman, who promptly reported to Novgorod about the approach of an enemy army. Prince Alexander decided to attack as quickly as possible, while part of the enemy army had not yet unloaded from the ships. His army consisted of a princely equestrian squad and a foot city militia. The blow was delivered in two directions at once - to the center of the enemy camp and along the river bank, which made it possible to cut off the people on the ships from the command.

History has preserved the names of some of the participants in the battle - the warrior Gavrila Oleksich, who boarded the Swedish ship on horseback, and the militia Savva. This ax managed to cut down the supports of Birger's tent. He fell on the royal son-in-law's head, causing panic in the Swedish ranks.

East is a delicate matter

The results of the Battle of the Neva were of little comfort to the invaders - they suffered a crushing defeat. History awarded the young winner (Alexander was 20 years old) with the nickname Nevsky. He consolidated his success 2 years later, winning a brilliant victory on Lake Peipsi.

In the summer of 1240, a small Swedish military detachment landed at the mouth of the Neva River, arriving on 6-7 ships (and in this case, the sources are contradictory).

How did we learn about the Battle of the Neva? The descendants of the Vikings often staged surprise attacks on neighboring territories. Unfortunately, few sources testify to the events of the summer of 1240. In Swedish sources there is no information about the Battle of the Neva; a brief account of the Novgorod First Chronicle and a more extensive text of the “Life” of Alexander Nevsky, which was created in the 1280s, have been preserved in Russian. and probably contained eyewitness accounts of the deeds of the great Russian prince.

Interests of the Swedes. Historians disagree about the plans and course of the military operation of the Swedish knights in 1240. Some of them believe that the Swedish military expedition was in the nature of an ordinary predatory raid that did not have far-reaching goals. Others believe that the Swedish "landing" had strategic objectives. The fact is that the interests of the Swedish nobility and the Novgorod boyars collided on the Karelian Isthmus, over which both equally tried to establish control.

In the second half of the 12th century, Swedish knights conquered Southwestern Finland, and from the beginning of the 13th century. They also brought under their control the Em tribe, whose territory Novgorod also laid claim to. The clash between the Novgorodians and the Swedes in the struggle for disputed territories was inevitable. The Swedes' landing at the mouth of the Neva was of a reconnaissance nature. If successful, the Swedish conquerors could not only gain a foothold on the lines north of the Neva, but also prepare a springboard for the gradual occupation of the Novgorod territories. The Catholic Church also showed a keen interest in the northern territories inhabited by pagans (for example, the Finnish Tavast tribe) and “schismatics” - Orthodox. Of course, the Swedes knew about the situation in Rus' after the Tatar pogrom and understood that Novgorod would not receive the usual military assistance from the southern Russian lands.

The capture of the banks of the Neva was supposed to help the Swedes complete the capture of Finland, but for Novgorod the loss of the Neva also meant the loss of the only access to the Baltic Sea and the collapse of all foreign trade.

Sum is getting ready to go on a hike. The campaign was carried out by Swedish knights with detachments of the Sumy tribe under their control. The expedition was led by the noble Swedish knight Ulf Fasi. At this time, Sweden did not have a navy, so a militia was gathered to organize a naval military campaign. Each coastal region had to equip, equip and provide provisions and sailors for a certain number of ships. The crossing of the sea, the loading of a military detachment from the Sumi tribe onto the ships, and finally the journey from South-Western Finland probably took at least two weeks, so the start of the campaign should be dated to the end of June.

The initial target of the Swedish landing was the Ladoga fortress located at the mouth of the Volkhov, the capture of which opened up broad prospects for the conquest of the entire Northwestern Territory and the spread of Catholicism.

The movement of the Swedes was first “guarded” by the Izhora elder Pelgusy, who was on patrol in the Neva delta. He sent messengers, who arrived in Novgorod on replacement horses within 10 hours.

Prince Alexander acts quickly and secretly. The sudden landing of the Swedish "landing" put Prince Alexander in a difficult position. Without time for lengthy preparations, he had to attack the enemy as soon as possible with his squad and the forces that could be collected in the immediate vicinity. The preparations for the Russian military commander took no more than a day. Apparently, most of his troops were foot detachments, transported to the scene of events on river boats along the Volkhov and Neva rivers to the mouth of Izhora, where the Swedish camp was located. For Alexander Yaroslavich, with a small number of troops, surprise was very important. But from the upper reaches of the Neva to the mouth of the Izhora there was an excellent overview of the river flow for many kilometers. Naturally, Swedish patrols would have easily detected the enemy. Therefore, Russian troops landed ashore a few kilometers from the site of the upcoming battle.

Alexander gathered his troops far from the enemy's location; Russian squads managed to secretly approach the enemy camp. The Swedes, camped at the mouth of the Neva, clearly did not expect the enemy to appear.

The sources do not contain accurate information about the number of Russian and Swedish troops. Considering that for the Swedes the campaign was more of a reconnaissance nature, and the Prince of Novgorod gathered his troops as quickly as possible, no more than 3-5 thousand people took part in the battle on both sides.

The battle. The defeat of the Swedes. Alexander Nevsky brilliantly exploited the confusion of the enemy, who was not prepared for battle. The Russian army consisted of no less than five detachments, each of which had its own task. The Swedes maintained a typical battle formation, when ordinary warriors were surrounded by knights in a strictly defined order.

The battle began with an attack by spearmen (foot troops armed with long spears), which inflicted serious damage on the enemy. Another part of the army, wielding axes, cut into the very thick of the enemy, cutting off the base of the tent, a kind of headquarters of the Swedish military leader. While the prince's equestrian squad was methodically destroying the Swedes' camp, the militia blocked the enemy's path to retreat.

The battle consisted of many skirmishes, attacks, and clashes between Swedish and Russian troops. The initiative belonged to the Russians, but the Swedes also offered desperate resistance, since a panicked flight to the ships would have meant certain death.

Russian heroes. The detachments converged and dispersed more than once, therefore, the opposing troops maintained military discipline, battle formations, and the ability to control throughout the battle. The Swedes, realizing the hopelessness of the situation, fought with the despair of the doomed. As the chronicle tells, many Novgorodians distinguished themselves with military prowess in battle. Sbyslav Yakunovich fought among many enemies and “without fear in his heart, he struck down many of them”; Gavrila Oleksich, whom A.S. Pushkin considered him his ancestor, pursued the noble Swede all the way to the ship, was thrown into the water, but managed to swim out and continued to fight; Novgorodian Misha and his detachment destroyed three light Swedish ships, and Savva cut down the tent of the leader of the Swedish detachment.

A typical medieval battle. It is unlikely that the conclusion of some historians is correct that Alexander Yaroslavich’s squad went behind enemy lines and cut off the enemy’s path to retreat, since in this case the entire Swedish detachment would have been cut off from their ships and destroyed, which, as follows from the text of the chronicle and " Life..." did not happen. In addition, in medieval battles, as a rule, the goal was not the complete destruction of the enemy. The losing side left the battlefield, which the winners did not hinder at all. In this sense, the Battle of the Neva was a typical medieval battle.

The battle on July 15, 1240 lasted from 10 a.m. until late in the evening. With the onset of darkness, the Swedes gathered the remnants of the army and went home on the surviving ships, not forgetting to pick up the bodies of the dead noble warriors.

The scale of the battle and its significance. The Battle of the Neva is not one of the largest in military history. The Novgorod chronicles indicate the number of Novgorodians killed at 20 people, while the Swedes allegedly loaded three ships with the bodies of the dead, which is undoubtedly an exaggeration. Losses on both sides apparently amounted to several hundred people. Among the legends is the chronicle tale of the death of the noble Swedish military leader, Jarl Birger, from the sword of Alexander Nevsky.

Nevertheless, the brilliant victory of Rus' over foreign conquerors was of great historical significance. Firstly, the Swedes failed to capture Ladoga and begin the systematic seizure of Russian territories. Secondly, the possibility of accidental or planned interaction between Swedish and German knights on Russian soil was excluded. Finally, the Swedes failed to cut off the Russian north-west from the Baltic Sea and control the trade route to the “lower lands”.

Read also other topics Part IX "Rus between East and West: battles of the 13th and 15th centuries." section "Rus and Slavic countries in the Middle Ages":

• 39. “Who is the essence and the split-off”: Tatar-Mongols by the beginning of the 13th century.
• 41. Genghis Khan and the “Muslim front”: campaigns, sieges, conquests
• 42. Rus' and the Polovtsians on the eve of Kalka
  • Polovtsy. Military-political organization and social structure of the Polovtsian hordes
  • Prince Mstislav Udaloy. Princely Congress in Kyiv - decision to help the Polovtsians
• 44. Crusaders in the Eastern Baltic