Difficult times on Russian soil: 13th century - time of invasion

In different years in past centuries foreign conquerors have repeatedly tried to conquer Russia, and it stands unshaken, and to this day. Difficult times on Russian land arose in history more than once. But such, as in the 13th century, there was no heavy period, threatening the very existence of the state, neither before nor after. Attacks were fought from the west and from the south by various aggressors. Hard times have come on Russian soil.

Russia in the 13th century

What did she imagine? In the early 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 throne of the Orthodox world is Russia, then Kiev. But the territory was not homogeneous. Before the invasion of Batu and his hordes, the Russian World was a few principalities, competing for spheres of influence among themselves. The internal strife tore the prince's relatives apart, did not contribute to the organization of one solid army capable of providing worthy resistance to the invaders. This set the stage for difficult times on Russian soil.

Invasion of Batu

In 1227, Genghis Khan, the great oriental warrior, passed away. There was an ordinary redistribution of power between relatives. One of his grandchildren, Batu, had a particularly militant character and organizational talents. He gathered a huge army (about 140 thousand people), consisting of nomads and mercenaries. In the autumn of 1237, an invasion began. The Russian army was less numerous (up to 100 thousand people) and scattered. Therefore, and lost in the tragic battle of Kalka. It would seem that this is an opportunity to unite and unite against the enemy. But the ruling elite of the princes continued intestine wars, and in Novgorod, in the north, people's riots erupted with renewed strength. As a result - further ruin of the principalities. First Ryazan, then - Vladimir-Suzdal. Kolomna, Moscow ... Razoriv Vladimir, Baty went to Novgorod, but short of it, turned to the south and went to the Polovtsian steppes - to make up for the forces. In 1240 the hordes of Batu ravaged Chernigov, Kiev, entering Europe, the Mongol-Tatar warriors reached the Adriatic. But later they stopped the war in these territories. And after - hard times have come on Russian soil. The bicentennial yoke was established for two decades after the invasion and implied the payment of tribute to all the conquered lands by the Tatar rulers. According to historians, it ended only in 1480.

The threat from the west

Difficult times on Russian soil were not confined to problems in the east and south in the 13th century. If there invasions of invaders were more punitive in nature of expeditions, then in the western part there were constant regular military attacks. Russia opposed all forces 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 pushed aside and smashed (Smolensk was taken). On the Neva Russian soldiers also won. The Novgorod prince Alexander at the head of the squad defeated a well-armed and well-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 Alexander in the same year dealt a crushing blow to the knightly troops in the battle on Lake Chudskoye (the Battle of the Ice). Knights killed so much that the Livonian Order for another 10 years did not risk attacking the Russian lands. Although many of the battles of the Novgorodians were successful, yet these were quite hard, difficult times on Russian soil.

The world around (4 class)

Summarizing, one can say, generalizing that the entire 13th century in the history of Rus was difficult for ruling top princes, and for the common people who perished and shed blood as a result of prolonged and numerous military operations. The Mongolian yoke undoubtedly affected both the development of Russian statehood and the material well-being of cities forced to pay tribute. And the battles with knights-crusaders due to their importance are glorified in films and literature. This material can be used for a lesson on the topic: "Difficult times on Russian soil (grade 4)".