In different years in past centuries, foreign conquerors have repeatedly tried to conquer Russia, and it stands, unbroken, to this day. Hard times on Russian soil have arisen in history more than once. But such, as in the 13th century, the difficult period threatening the very existence of the state, it seems, was neither before nor after. Attacks were carried out both from the west and from the south by various aggressors. Hard times have come on Russian soil.
Russia in the 13th century
What was she like? At the beginning of the 13th century, Constantinople as a center of spirituality had already lost its influence. And some countries (for example, Bulgaria, Serbia) recognize the power and primacy of Catholicism. The stronghold of the Orthodox world is Russia, then Kiev. But the territory was heterogeneous. Before the invasion of Batu and his horde, the Russian World was a few principalities, competing for spheres of influence among themselves. The civil strife tore apart the princes relatives, did not contribute to the organization of one united army, capable of providing worthy resistance to the invaders. This paved the way for difficult times to happen on Russian soil.
Invasion of Batu
In 1227, Genghis Khan, the great eastern warrior, passed away. The usual redistribution of power between relatives took place. One of the grandchildren, Batu, had a particularly warlike character and organizational talents. He gathered a huge army of those concepts (somewhere around 140 thousand people), consisting of nomads and mercenaries. In the fall of 1237 the invasion began.
The Russian army was less numerous (up to 100 thousand people) and scattered. Therefore, it lost in the tragic
battle at Kalka. It would seem that this is an opportunity to unite and confront the enemy together. But the ruling elite of the princes continued the strife, and in Novgorod, in the north, popular unrest broke out with renewed vigor. As a result, the further ruin of the principalities. First Ryazan, then Vladimir-Suzdal. Kolomna, Moscow ... Having ruined Vladimir, Batu went to Novgorod, but without reaching it, turned south and went to the Polovtsian steppes - to replenish his strength. In 1240, the hordes of Batu were ravaged by Chernihiv, Kiev, entering Europe, the Mongol-Tatar warriors reached as far as the Adriatic. But later they stopped the war in these territories. And after that, difficult times came on Russian soil. The bicentennial yoke was established within two decades after the invasion and implied the payment of tribute to all the lands conquered by the Tatar rulers. According to historians, it ended only in 1480.
Threat from the West
Hard times on Russian soil were not limited to problems in the east and south in the 13th century. If there the invasion invasions were more likely the punitive nature of expeditions, then in the western part there were constant regular combat attacks. Russia was opposed by all means to the Swedes, Lithuanians, Germans.
In 1239, the
king of Sweden sends a large army against Novgorod. But in the same year, the Swedes were driven back and defeated (Smolensk taken). On the Neva,
Russian soldiers also won. Prince of Novgorod, Alexander, at the head of the squad, defeated the well-armed and trained Swedish army. For this victory he was nicknamed Nevsky (at that time the hero was only 20 years old!). In 1242, the Germans were expelled from Pskov. And in the same year, Alexander dealt a crushing blow to the knightly troops in the
battle on Lake Peipsi (Battle of the Ice). So many knights died that the
Livonian Order for another 10 years did not risk attacking Russian lands. Although many of the battles of Novgorod were successful, they were still quite difficult, difficult times on Russian soil.
The world around us (Grade 4)
Summing up, we can say, summarizing that the entire 13th century in the history of Russia was difficult for the ruling princes and for the common people who died and shed blood as a result of prolonged and numerous military operations. The Mongol yoke, of course, affected both the development of Russian statehood and the material well-being of cities forced to pay tribute.
And the battles with the Crusader knights due to their importance are glorified in films and literature. This material can be used for a lesson on the topic: "Hard times on Russian soil (Grade 4)."