The medieval Battle of Rakovors took place in 1268. This battle is one of the many episodes of the Northern Crusades, as well as the struggle between German knights and Russian principalities for influence in the Baltic.
The history of these complex relationships is best known thanks to the wars of Alexander Nevsky, the Battle of Neva and the Battle of the Ice. Against the backdrop of these events, the Battle of Rakovors remains almost invisible. Nevertheless, it was an important battle in which huge squads took part.
Background
In the territory of modern Latvia and Estonia, Baltic tribes compactly lived for several centuries. In the XI century, the territorial expansion of Russia began in this region, but it ended almost immediately due to the political fragmentation that had begun in the East Slavic state. German colonists soon appeared in the Baltic states. They were religious Catholics, and the popes organized crusades to baptize the Gentiles.
So, in the XIII century appeared the Teutonic and Livonian orders. Their allies were Sweden and Denmark. In Copenhagen, organized a military campaign to seize Estonia (modern Estonia). The Crusaders appeared on the border of the Russian principalities (primarily Pskov and Novgorod). In 1240, the first conflict broke out between the neighbors. In these years, Russia was hit by the Mongol hordes that came from the eastern steppes. They destroyed many cities, but did not reach Novgorod, which was too far in the north.
The fight of Alexander Nevsky with the Western threat
This circumstance helped Nevsky to gather fresh forces and take turns to repulse the Swedes and German crusaders. Alexander consecutively defeated them in the Battle of Neva (1240) and the Battle of Ice (1242). After the successes of Russian weapons, a ceasefire was signed, but it was clear to all diplomats that the treaty was temporary, and after a few years the Catholics would strike again.
Therefore, Alexander Nevsky began to look for allies in the fight against the crusaders. He managed to establish contacts with the Lithuanian prince Mindovg, for whom German expansion was also a serious threat. The two rulers were close to making an alliance. However, in 1263, the Lithuanian and Novgorod princes died almost simultaneously.
Personality Dovmont
The famous Battle of Rakovors left the descendants the glorious name of Dovmont, who led the Pskov army in the battle against the Catholics. This prince was from Lithuania. After the death of Mindovg, he took part in the internecine war in his homeland. He was unable to keep any inheritance, and he was expelled by his compatriots. Even then, Dovmont was known for his courage. His personality interested residents of Pskov, who, after the death of Alexander Nevsky, needed an independent defender from their neighbors. Dovmont gladly agreed to serve the city and in 1266 became the Pskov prince and governor.
This election was promoted by the unique political system prevailing in the north of Russia. Pskov and Novgorod differed from other East Slavic cities in that their rulers were appointed by popular vote - the veche. Because of this difference, the inhabitants of these lands often clashed with another Russian political center - Vladimir-on-Klyazma, where hereditary representatives of the Rurikovich dynasty ruled. They paid tribute to the Mongols and periodically sought the same taxes from Novgorod and Pskov. However, no matter how complicated the relationship between them, the main threat to the Russian republics in those years came from the west.
By this time, a whole conglomeration of Catholic states had formed in the Baltic states, which acted at the same time, seeking to conquer and baptize the local pagans, as well as defeat the Slavs.
Novgorod campaign to Lithuania
In 1267, the Novgorodians organized a campaign against the militant Lithuanians, who did not leave their borders alone. However, already on the way to the west, a conflict began among the commanders, and the original plan was changed. Instead of going to Lithuania, the Novgorodians went to Estonia, which belonged to the Danish king. The battle of Rakovors was the culmination of this war. The formal reason for the hike was regular news that Russian merchants oppressed the Danish-owned Revel markets.
However, with all the desire, it would be difficult for the Novgorodians to oppose the Catholic Union. The first campaign in 1267 ended, and did not have time to begin. The army returned home, and the military leaders decided to ask for help from Grand Duke Vladimir Yaroslav Yaroslavich. On the banks of Volkhov, he had a governor, agreed with local citizens. He was the nephew of Alexander Nevsky, Yuri Andreevich. It was this prince who was the main commander in the Russian army when the Battle of Rakovors happened.
Union of Russian Princes
Russian blacksmiths began to forge new weapons and armor. Yuri Andreevich invited other Slavic princes to join his campaign. Initially, the backbone of the army was the Novgorod army, supplemented by Vladimir units, which were given to the governor Yaroslav Yaroslavich. The battle of Rakovors was to test the strength of the allied relations between neighbors.
In addition, other princes joined the Novgorodians: the son of Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry, who ruled in Pereyaslavl; children of Vladimir Prince Svyatoslav and Mikhail, with whom the Tver squad arrived; as well as the Pskov prince Dovmont.
While the Russian heroes were preparing for the inevitable war, Catholic diplomats did everything to outwit the enemy. At the height of the gathering of troops, ambassadors from Riga arrived in Novgorod, who represented the interests of the Livonian Order. It was a ruse. The ambassadors persuaded the Russians to make peace in exchange for the Order not to support the Danes in their war. While the Novgorodians agreed with the residents of Riga, they were already sending troops to the north of their possessions, preparing to organize a trap.
Raid to the Baltic states
On January 23, the united Russian squad left Novgorod. The Battle of Rakovors was waiting for her. The year 1268 began with the usual cold winter, so the army quickly crossed the icy Narva, the former border between the two countries. The main goal of the campaign was the strategically important Rakovor fortress. The Russian army moved slowly, distracted by the robbery of defenseless Danish territory.
The battle of Rakovors took place on the river bank, the location of which has not yet been exactly determined. Historians argue with each other because of the complexity of sources, which indicate different place names. One way or another, the battle took place on February 18, 1268 in the north of Estonia, not far from the town of Rakovor.
Battle preparation
On the eve of the clash, the Russian command sent scouts in order to more accurately learn about the size of the enemy. Returning rangers reported that there were too many soldiers in the enemy camp for the Danish army alone. Unpleasant guesses were confirmed when Russian knights saw knights of the Livonian Order in front of them. This was a direct violation of the peace agreements that the Germans agreed with the Novgorodians on the eve of the campaign.
Despite the fact that the enemy army was doubly stronger than the commanders of the Russian army had supposed, the Slavs did not flinch. According to various chronicles, there was parity on the battlefield - there were about 25 thousand people on each side.
German tactics
The battle order of the Catholic army was formed according to the favorite Teutonic tactics. It consisted of the fact that in the center heavily armed knights stood in the form of a wedge directed towards the enemy.
To their right were the Danes. On the left is the Riga militia. The flanks were supposed to cover the attack of the knights. The battle of Rakovors in 1268 was not an attempt for Catholics to rethink their standard tactics, which failed them during the war with Alexander Nevsky.
The construction of the Russian army
The Russian army was also divided into many regiments, each of which was led by one of the princes. On the right stood Pereyaslavl and Pskov. In the center were the Novgorodians, for whom the Battle of Rakovors in 1268 was the decisive episode of the struggle against the Germans. To their left is the Tver squad sent by the Vladimir prince.
The structure of the Russian army laid its main drawback. The courage and skills of the army were powerless before the inconsistent actions of the commanders. The Russian princes argued over who, by law, was the head of the entire military campaign. According to the dynastic position, he was considered Dmitry Alexandrovich, but he was young, which did not give him authority in the eyes of his older comrades. The most experienced strategist was the Lithuanian Dovmont, but he was only the Pskov governor and also did not belong to the Rurikovich family.
Therefore, throughout the battle, the Russian regiments acted at their discretion, which made them more vulnerable to the crusaders. The battle of Rakovors, the reasons for which was the war between the Novgorodians and the Catholics, only intensified the rivalry between the Slavic princes.
Start of battle
With the attack of the German knights, the Battle of Rakovors began. February 18 was to decide which side of the conflict would win the war. As the Germans marched forward in the center, the Tver and Pereyaslavl squads hit the enemies on their flanks. The Pskov regiment also did not remain idle. His heroes entered into battle with an army belonging to Bishop Dorpat.
The most serious blow fell on the Novgorodians. They had to face the famous German attack “pig”, when the knights in a single march developed furious speed and swept the enemy off the battlefield. The army of Yuri Andreevich prepared in advance for such a turn of events, having built up defensive echelons. However, even tactical tricks did not help the Novgorodians withstand the blow of the cavalry. It was they who trembled first, and the center of the Russian army sagged and fell noticeably. The panic began, it seemed that the Battle of Rakovors was about to end. The forgotten victory of Russian weapons was obtained thanks to the courage and perseverance of Dmitry Alexandrovich.
His regiment managed to defeat the Riga militia. When the prince realized that things were taking a bad turn in the rear, he quickly turned his army back and hit the Germans from the rear. They did not expect such a daring attack.
Delivery
By this time, Novgorod governor Yuri Andreevich had already fled from the battlefield. Those few daredevils from his army who were still in the ranks joined in time to rush to the aid of Dmitry Alexandrovich. On the other flank, the Danes finally lost their positions and rushed to run after the militias of the deceased bishop. The Tver squad did not come to the aid of the Novgorodians in the center, but began to pursue the retreating opponents. Because of this, the Russian army failed to organize worthy resistance to the German "pig."
Toward evening, the knights repulsed the attack of the Pereyaslavl and again began to attack Novgorod. Finally, already at dusk, they captured the Russian convoy. In it, including siege vehicles, which were prepared for the siege and assault of Rakovor. All of them were quickly destroyed. However, this was only the episodic success of the Germans. The battle of Rakovors, in short, stopped only due to the end of daylight hours. The rival armies laid down their arms for the night and tried to rest in order to finally find out their relationship already at dawn.
Night War Council
Already at night, the Tver regiment that pursued the Danes returned to its position. He was joined by surviving warriors from other units. Among the corpses found the body of the Novgorodian posadik Mikhail Fedorovich. A little later on the council, the commanders discussed the idea of attacking the Germans in the dark and, due to the unexpectedness, repelled the convoy. However, this idea was too adventurous, because the soldiers were tired and were exhausted. It was decided to wait until morning.
At the same time, the surviving German regiment, which remained the only combat-ready formation from the original Catholic conglomerate, realized the poverty of its position. His commanders decided to retreat. Under cover of night, the Germans left the Russian convoy without taking any prey with them.
Effects
In the morning, the Russian army realized that the Germans had fled. This meant that the Battle of Rakovors ended. Where the slaughter took place, hundreds of corpses lay there. The princes stood on the battlefield for three more days, burying the dead, and also not forgetting to collect trophies. The victory was for the Russian army, but due to the fact that the Germans destroyed the siege vehicles, further campaign towards the fortress of Rakovor became meaningless. Without special devices, it was not possible to capture the fortifications. It was possible to resort to a long and debilitating siege, but this was not in the plans of the Novgorodians from the very beginning.
Therefore, the Russian regiments returned to their homeland, to their cities. Only the Pskov prince Dovmont, who, together with his squad, continued to raid unprotected places in Pomorie, did not agree with this decision. The battle of Rakovors, which claimed the lives of about 15 thousand people, still remains an important milestone in the confrontation between the military monastic orders of Catholics and Russian principalities.