Armor war of ancient Russia project. Ancient Russia

The druzhina culture in Ancient Russia was formed simultaneously with the Old Russian statehood and embodied the ethnic, social and political processes of the 9th - early 11th centuries.

As historical materials show, the Slavs, the main population of the ancient Russian territories, were relatively weak in military-technical terms. As weapons, they used only arrows, spears and axes. The situation changed after the so-called "Rus" came to the territory of Ancient Russia. According to scientists, in ancient times this was the name given to warriors who came from northern Europe. Along with the Rus, progressive for that time items of military weapons and protection appeared.

The armament of the Russian warrior consisted of a sword, saber, spear, sulitz, bow, dagger-knife, various kinds percussion weapons (axes, maces, bludgeons, six-fingers, klevtsy), piercing-chopping reeds-halberds; various protective weapons, including, as a rule, a helmet, a shield, a breastplate-cuirass, some elements of armor (bracers, greaves, shoulder pads). Sometimes the horses of wealthy warriors were also removed with protective weapons. In this case, the muzzle, neck, chest (sometimes both chest and croup) and legs of the animal were protected.
Slavic swords IX-XI centuries differed little from the swords of Western Europe. Nevertheless, modern scientists divide them into two dozen types, differing mainly in the shape of the cross and handle. The blades of Slavic swords of the 9th-10th centuries are almost the same type - from 90 to 100 cm long, with a blade width at the handle of 5-7 cm, with a narrowing towards the tip. In the middle of the blade, as a rule, one dol passed. Sometimes there were two or even three of these dols. The true purpose of the fuller is to increase the strength characteristics of the sword, primarily the working moment of inertia of the blade. The thickness of the blade in the depth of the valley is 2.5-4 mm, outside the valley - 5-8 mm. The weight of such a sword averaged one and a half to two kilograms. In the future, swords, like other weapons, change significantly. Preserving the continuity of development, at the end of the 11th - beginning of the 12th centuries, swords become shorter (up to 86 cm), lighter (up to 1 kg) and thinner, their length, which occupied half the width of the blade in the 9th-10th centuries, occupies only a third in the 11th-12th centuries. in order to completely turn into a narrow groove in the XIII century. The hilt of the sword was often made of several layers of leather, rarely with any, more often wooden, filler. Sometimes the handle was wrapped with a rope, more often with special impregnation.
The guard and "apple" of the sword were often decorated with fine workmanship, precious materials and blackening. The blade of the sword was often covered with patterns. The handle was crowned with the so-called "apple" - a knob at the end. He not only decorated the sword and prevented the hand from slipping off the hilt, but sometimes acted as a balance. With a sword in which the center of gravity was close to the hilt, it was more convenient to fight, but a blow with the same given impulse of force turned out to be easier.
Brands were often applied to the valleys of ancient swords, often representing complex abbreviations of words, from the second half of the 13th century the brands decrease in size, are applied not to the valley, but to the edge of the blade, and subsequently blacksmiths apply brands in the form of symbols. Such is, for example, the "Passaur spinning top", applied to the Dovmont sword. The study of blacksmith marks on blades and armor is a separate section of historical sphragistics.
In collisions with light and mobile nomads for cavalrymen, a lighter weapon became a more advantageous weapon. saber. The saber strike turns out to be sliding, and its shape determines the displacement of the weapon upon impact towards the handle, facilitating the release of the weapon. It seems that already in the 10th century, Russian blacksmiths, familiar with the products of Eastern and Byzantine craftsmen, forged sabers with a center of gravity shifted to the tip, which made it possible, with the same given impulse of force, to strike a more powerful blow.
It should be noted that some blades of the 18th-20th centuries retain traces of forging (more elongated, "twisted" metal grains are visible in the microscopic analysis of metallographic sections), i.e. old blades, including swords, became "new" in shape in the forges, lighter and more comfortable.
A spear was among the first tools of human labor. In Russia, the spear was one of the most common elements of weapons for both foot and cavalry warriors. The spears of the riders had a length of about 4-5 meters, the foot soldiers - a little more than two. separate view Russian spear was spear- a spear with a wide diamond-shaped or laurel-shaped tip up to 40 cm long (only the tip), planted on a shaft. Such a spear could not only stab, but also chop and cut. In Europe, a similar type of spear was called protazana.
In addition to the horn, a proper name in the sources was given to a throwing spear - sulica. These spears were relatively short (probably 1-1.5 meters) with a narrow, light point. Some modern reenactors add a belt loop to the shaft of the sulica. The loop allows you to throw the sulitz farther and more accurately.
Archaeological finds allow us to say that in Ancient Russia were widespread and pillums, a weapon that was still in service with the Roman legionnaires - throwing spears with a long, up to 1 m, tip neck and a wooden handle. In addition to the striking function, these spears, which pierced a simple shield and got stuck in it, became a significant obstacle for the owner of the shield and did not allow it to be used correctly. In addition, as the armor becomes stronger, another type of spear appears - peak. The pike was distinguished by a narrow, often trihedral tip, impaled on a light shaft. The pike displaced both the spear and the horn, first from the equestrian, and then from the foot weapons. Pikes were in service with various troops until the outbreak of World War II.
Among several types of percussion weapons, the main one in terms of prevalence is axe. The length of the blade of the battle ax was 9-15 cm, the width was 12-15 cm, the diameter of the hole for the handle was 2-3 cm, the weight of the battle ax was from 200 to 500 g.
Archaeologists have discovered both mixed-purpose axes weighing up to 450 g, and purely battle axes - coinage- 200-350 g. The length of the handle of the battle ax was 60-70 cm.
Used by Russian soldiers and special throwing axes (European name Francis), which had a rounded shape. Like swords, axes were often made of iron, with a narrow strip of carbon steel on the blade. Due to their cheapness, versatility, ease of use and the high pressure developed on the surface that resists impact, axes have become in fact Russian folk weapons.
A much rarer type of ax was ax- a larger and heavier, up to 3 kg, and sometimes more, battle ax.
Mace also a common percussion hand weapon, having a spherical or pear-shaped pommel (strike part), sometimes equipped with spikes, which was mounted on a wooden or metal handle or forged together with the handle. In the late Middle Ages, maces with sharp spikes were called "morgenstern" - the morning star - one of the earliest examples of "black" humor. Some maces had a pyramidal shape with four spikes. It is these tops that are found on the first Russian maces made of iron (less often of bronze). The mace, which had several sharp edges (4-12) in the warhead, was called in Russia pernach. In the 11th-12th centuries, the standard weight of a Russian mace without a handle was 200-300 grams. In the 13th century, the mace was often transformed into a shestoper (pernach), when blades with sharp corners appeared in the striking part, allowing them to pierce more powerful armor. The handle of the mace reached 70 cm. A blow with such a mace, even inflicted on a helmet or armor, can cause serious damage to health in the form of a concussion or, for example, injure a hand through a shield. In time immemorial, ceremonial maces appeared, and later marshal's batons, made using precious metals.
war hammer, in fact, was the same mace, but by the 15th century it had developed into a real monster with a point, lead weighting and a long, up to one and a half meters, heavy handle. Such a weapon, to the detriment of combat qualities, was awesome.
Flail It was a shock part attached to the handle with a strong flexible connection.
Battle flail actually was a flail on a long handle.
Klevets, in fact, was the same mace with a single, sometimes slightly bent to the handle, spike.
Murder weapon with a beautiful Italian name filling It was a battle flail with several shock parts.
Berdysh was a broad long ax in the form of a crescent (with a blade length of 10 to 50 cm), usually ending in a point on the side of the reverse handle.
Halberd(from the Italian alabarda) - a piercing-cutting type weapon, structurally close to a reed, combining a long spear and a wide ax.
There are dozens of other elements of weapons, of course, which were used by Russian soldiers. This and combat pitchfork, and owls, and exotic guisarmes.
The complexity and subtlety of its design strikes the medieval onion, sometimes assembled from dozens of parts. Note that the tension force of a combat bow reached 80 kg, while a modern male sports bow has a tension force of only 35-40 kg.
Protective armor most often consisted of a helmet, breastplate, handrails, greaves and some elements of less common protective weapons. Helmets of the 9th-12th centuries were usually riveted from several (as a rule, 4-5, less often 2-3) sector-shaped fragments, either with overlapping parts on top of each other, or with the use of overlapping plates. Visually monolithic (riveted flush and polished in such a way that it gives the impression of one piece of metal) helmets become only in the XIII century. Many helmets were supplemented with aventail - chain mail mesh covering the cheeks and neck. Sometimes, from non-ferrous metals with gilding or silvering, elements decorating the helmet were made. One type of helmet becomes hemispherical, sits deeper on the head, covering the temple and ear, the other is strongly extended and, moreover, crowned with a high spire. There is also a modernization of the helmet into a shishak - a low, with a height less than the radius, a hemispherical helmet.
It seems that both the helmet and the armor of a Russian, and most likely, a medieval warrior were most often made of leather, made of specially processed leather. Only this can explain such a small number of finds of elements of protective armor by archaeologists (until 1985, 37 helmets, 112 chain mail, parts of 26 plate and scaly armor, 23 shield fragments were found throughout the USSR). Leather, with appropriate processing, in terms of strength characteristics was almost not inferior to low-quality steel grades. Her weight was less than almost an order of magnitude! The hardness of the surface layer of treated leather is higher than the hardness of "soft" steels, some types of brass and copper. The main disadvantage of leather armor was its low wear. Three or four cycles of thermal cycling, sometimes just prolonged rain, was enough to reduce the strength of leather armor by 2-3 times. That is, after 4-5 "outputs" leather armor, strictly speaking, fell into disrepair and passed to a junior "by rank" or by condition.
Those type-setting armor that we see in medieval drawings were primarily leather. Leather pieces were riveted in rings or tied with leather braid. Also, from four to six pieces of leather, a helmet was assembled. It may be objected to this remark: why are the remains of ancient edged weapons so insignificant. But edged weapons were reforged - after all, steel was expensive in the Middle Ages, and most blacksmiths could reforge a sword into a saber, but only a few could make steel, even of very low quality.
Most medieval drawings show us warriors in scaly armor made of leather. So, on the famous "Bayi Carpet" there is not a single warrior in chain mail stockings; Angus McBride, the chief artist of the Osprey series, wore these stockings on almost half of the warriors he painted in the Normans book. Out of a hundred and fifty medieval drawings, I found only seven, where the warriors were supposedly depicted in chain mail stockings, most in leather braids and boots. Of course, chain mail stockings, and forged plate armor, and steel helmets with a visor or with a "mask" took place. But only the highest nobility could order and dress them - kings and princes, wealthy knights and boyars. Even a warlike rich city dweller, who went to the militia with pleasure and pride, could not always afford full metal armor - it cost so much and was slowly completed. Steel plate armor spread more and more, but more often as tournament armor, from the second quarter of the 14th century.
An amazing, actually composite in terms of material design was a medieval shield. Between the layers of thick, specially processed leather that made it up, strong thin woven shaping branches, and flat shales, and layers of horn, and the same flat, thin metal flash were placed. Such a shield was exceptionally strong and light and, alas, completely short-lived.
Artels of gunsmiths were respected and popular in the Middle Ages, but the lack of special literature that fixed for posterity progress made, made this delicate production unstable, when the final products, whether it be a shield or a sword, made by a crafty craftsman, were many times inferior to the best samples. Difficult-to-achieve, expensively bought strength increasingly gave way to decorative trim, partly turned into a whole artificial science in Western Europe - heraldry.
Do I need to say that dressed in metal armor warriors made an exceptional impression on contemporaries. The artists tried to capture the sparkle of elegant metal forms that struck them on the elegant figures of the nobility. Armor, as an element of pictorial enhancement of the image, was used by almost all the great painters of the late Middle Ages: Dürer, Raphael, Botticelli, Brueghel, Titian, Leonardo, and Velazquez. Surprisingly, nowhere, except for the muscular cuirass on the Medici tomb, did the great Michelangelo depict armor. Restrained by severe religious restrictions, Russian artists also painted armor in icons and illustrations very carefully.
The helmet and cuirass were and remain the elements of lamellar protective weapons that once and forever found their place and passed along with hoplites and centurions, knights and knights, cuirassiers and today's special forces. Although there is a huge distance between the "muscular" cuirass of the 4th century BC and today's "composite" body armor.
Considering the armament of a Russian warrior, one can assume a possible sequence of his actions in an offensive battle. A sword or saber in a leather or cloth sheath hung on the side of the combatant. A sliding blow of a saber with a center of gravity shifted to the point, inflicted by a skillful hand forward and down, was more terrible than a blow with a sword.
At the belt in a quiver made of birch bark, covered with leather, the warrior kept up to two dozen arrows, behind his back - a bow. The bowstring was stretched immediately before use in order to avoid loss of the elastic properties of the bow. The bow required special careful preparation and care. Often they were soaked in special brines, rubbed with compositions, the essence of which was kept secret.
The armament of the Russian archer should also include a special bracer (protecting from a blow with a released bowstring), worn by a right-handed man on left hand, as well as half rings and ingenious mechanical devices that made it possible to pull the bowstring.
Often Russian soldiers used and crossbow, today better known as the crossbow.
Sometimes heavy, and sometimes light long spears served at the very beginning of the battle. If it was not possible in the first clash to hit the enemy from afar with an arrow, the warrior took up the sulitz - a short throwing spear, a melee weapon.
As the equestrian combatant approached the enemy, one weapon could replace another: from afar, he showered the enemy with arrows, approaching, sought to hit with an abandoned sulitz, then a spear and, finally, a saber or sword went into action. Although, rather, specialization came to the fore, when archers showered the enemy with arrows, spearmen "took them into spears", and "swordsmen" worked with a sword or saber to the point of fatigue.
The armament of Russian soldiers was not inferior to the best Western European and Asian models, it was distinguished by its versatility, reliability and the highest fighting qualities.
Unfortunately, the constant modernization of the best samples, sometimes carried out by not the best craftsmen, did not bring them to us, the distant descendants of the warriors who were once armed with them. On the other hand, the poor preservation of the ancient book wealth of Russia and the policy pursued by some influential layers of the Russian medieval state did not even bring to us any mention of the production of high-quality steels in Russia, the art of blacksmiths and shield-makers, the design of throwing weapons ...

In the centuries-old struggle evolved military organization Slavs, their military art arose and developed, which influenced the condition of the troops of neighboring peoples and states. Emperor Mauritius, for example, recommended Byzantine army widely use the methods of warfare used by the Slavs ...

Russian warriors wielded these weapons well and, under the command of brave military leaders, more than once won victories over the enemy.

For 800 years, the Slavic tribes, in the struggle with the numerous peoples of Europe and Asia and with the powerful Roman Empire - Western and Eastern, and then with the Khazar Khaganate and the Franks, defended their independence and united.

A flail is a short belt whip with an iron ball suspended at the end. Sometimes spikes were attached to the ball. Terrible blows were delivered with a flail. With minimal effort, the effect was stunning. By the way, the word "stun" used to mean "strongly hit the enemy's skull"

The head of the shestoper consisted of metal plates - "feathers" (hence its name). Shestoper, widespread mainly in the XV-XVII centuries, could serve as a sign of the power of military leaders, while remaining at the same time a serious weapon.

Both the mace and the mace originate from a club - a massive club with a thickened end, usually bound with iron or studded with large iron nails - which was also in service with Russian soldiers for a long time.

A very common chopping weapon in the ancient Russian army was an ax, which was used by princes, princely warriors, and militias, both on foot and on horseback. However, there was also a difference: footmen more often used large axes, while horsemen used axes, that is, short axes.

Both of them had an ax put on a wooden ax handle with a metal tip. rear flat part the ax was called the butt, and the ax was called the butt. The blades of the axes were trapezoidal in shape.

A large wide ax was called a berdysh. Its blade - a piece of iron - was long and mounted on a long ax handle, which at the lower end had an iron fitting, or ink. Berdysh were used only by foot soldiers. In the 16th century, berdyshs were widely used in the archery army.

Later, halberds appeared in the Russian army - modified axes various shapes ending in a spear. The blade was mounted on a long shaft (axe) and often decorated with gilding or embossing.

A kind of metal hammer, pointed from the side of the butt, was called chasing or klevets. The coinage was mounted on an ax handle with a tip. There were coins with a screwed-out, hidden dagger. The coin served not only as a weapon, it was a distinctive accessory of military leaders.

Piercing weapons - spears and horns - in the armament of the ancient Russian troops were no less important than the sword. Spears and horns often decided the success of the battle, as was the case in the battle of 1378 on the Vozha River in Ryazan land, where the Moscow cavalry regiments overturned the Mongol army with a simultaneous blow “on spears” from three sides and defeated it.

The tips of the spears were perfectly adapted to pierce armor. To do this, they were made narrow, massive and elongated, usually tetrahedral.

Tips, diamond-shaped, bay or wide wedge-shaped, could be used against the enemy, in places not protected by armor. A two-meter spear with such a tip inflicted dangerous lacerations and caused the rapid death of the enemy or his horse.

The spear consisted of a shaft and a blade with a special sleeve that was mounted on the shaft. In Ancient Russia, the poles were called oskepische (hunting) or ratovishche (combat). They were made of oak, birch or maple, sometimes using metal.

The blade (the tip of the spear) was called the pen, and its sleeve was called the ink. It was more often all-steel, however, welding technologies from iron and steel strips, as well as all-iron, were also used.

Rogatins had a tip in the form of a bay leaf 5-6.5 centimeters wide and up to 60 centimeters long. To make it easier for the warrior to hold the weapon, two or three metal knots were attached to the shaft of the horn.

A kind of horn was an owl (owl), which had a curved strip with one blade, slightly curved at the end, which was mounted on a long shaft.
In the Novgorod First Chronicle, it is recorded how a defeated army "... ran into the forest, throwing weapons, and shields, and owls, and everything on its own."

Sulitz was a throwing spear with a light and thin shaft up to 1.5 meters long. The tips of the sulits are petiolate and socketed.

Old Russian warriors defended themselves from the cold and throwing weapons with shields. Even the words "shield" and "protection" have the same root. Shields have been used since ancient times and until the spread firearms.

At first, it was shields that served as the only means of protection in battle, chain mail and helmets appeared later. The earliest written evidence of Slavic shields was found in Byzantine manuscripts of the 6th century.

According to the definition of the degenerate Romans: "Each man is armed with two small spears, and some of them with shields, strong but difficult to bear."

An original feature of the construction of heavy shields of this period was sometimes embrasures made in their upper part - windows for viewing. In the early Middle Ages, the militias often did not have helmets, so they preferred to hide behind a “head-on” shield.

According to legend, the berserkers gnawed at their shields in a battle frenzy. Reports of such a custom are most likely fiction. But it is not difficult to guess what exactly formed its basis.
In the Middle Ages, strong warriors preferred not to encase their shield with iron from above. The ax would still not break from hitting a steel strip, but it could get stuck in a tree. It is clear that the ax catcher shield had to be very durable and heavy. And its upper edge looked "gnawed".

Another original side of the relationship between the berserkers and their shields was that the “warriors in bear skins” often had no other weapons. The berserker could fight with only one shield, striking with its edges or simply knocking enemies to the ground. This style of fighting was already known in Rome.

The earliest finds of shield elements date back to the 10th century. Of course, only metal parts survived - umbons (an iron hemisphere in the center of the shield, which served to repel a blow) and fetters (fasteners along the edge of the shield) - but they managed to restore the appearance of the shield as a whole.

According to the reconstructions of archaeologists, the shields of the 8th - 10th centuries had a round shape. Later, almond-shaped shields appeared, and from the 13th century triangular shields were also known.

The Old Russian round shield is of Scandinavian origin. This makes it possible to use materials from Scandinavian burial grounds, for example, the Swedish burial ground Birka, for the reconstruction of the Old Russian shield. Only there the remains of 68 shields were found. They had a round shape and a diameter of up to 95 cm. In three samples, it was possible to determine the type of wood of the shield field - these are maple, fir and yew.

They also established the breed for some wooden handles - these are juniper, alder, poplar. In some cases, metal handles made of iron with bronze linings were found. A similar overlay was found on our territory - in Staraya Ladoga, now it is kept in a private collection. Also, among the remains of both ancient Russian and Scandinavian shields, rings and staples for belt fastening the shield on the shoulder were found.

Helmets (or helmets) are a type of combat headgear. In Russia, the first helmets appeared in the 9th - 10th centuries. At this time, they gained their distribution in Asia Minor and in Kievan Rus, however, were rare in Western Europe.

The helmets that appeared later in Western Europe were lower and tailored around the head, in contrast to the conical helmets of ancient Russian warriors. By the way, the conical shape gave great advantages, since the high conical tip did not make it possible to deliver a direct blow, which is important in areas of horse-saber combat.

Helmet "Norman type"

Helmets found in burials of the 9th-10th centuries. have several types. So one of the helmets from the Gnezdovsky barrows (Smolensk region) was hemispherical in shape, tightened on the sides and along the crest (from the forehead to the back of the head) with iron strips. Another helmet from the same burials had a typical Asian shape - from four riveted triangular parts. The seams were covered with iron strips. There was a pommel and a lower rim.

The conical shape of the helmet came to us from Asia and is called the "Norman type". But soon it was supplanted by the "Chernigov type". It is more spherical - has a spheroconic shape. Above there are finials with bushings for plumes. In the middle they are reinforced with spiked overlays.

Helmet "Chernigov type"

According to ancient Russian concepts, the actual combat attire, without a helmet, was called armor; later, this word began to be called all the protective equipment of a warrior. Kolchuga for a long time belonged to the undisputed superiority. It was used throughout the X-XVII centuries.

In addition to chain mail in Russia, it was adopted, but until the 13th century, protective clothing made of plates did not prevail. Plate armor existed in Russia from the 9th to the 15th century, scaly armor from the 11th to the 17th century. The latter type of armor was particularly elastic. In the XIII century, a number of such details that enhance the protection of the body, such as greaves, knee pads, chest plaques (Mirror), and handcuffs, are distributed.

To reinforce chain mail or armor in XVI-XVII centuries in Russia, additional armor was used, which was worn over the armor. These armors were called mirrors. They consisted in most cases of four large plates - front, back and two side.

Plates, the weight of which rarely exceeded 2 kilograms, were interconnected and fastened on the shoulders and sides with belts with buckles (shoulder pads and armlets).

The mirror, polished and polished to a mirror shine (hence the name of the armor), often covered with gilding, decorated with engraving and chasing, in the 17th century most often had a purely decorative character.

In the 16th century in Russia, ringed armor and chest armor made of rings and plates connected together, arranged like fish scales, became widespread. Such armor was called bakhterets.

The bakhterets was assembled from oblong plates located in vertical rows, connected by rings on the short sides. Side and shoulder cuts were connected with belts and buckles. The chain mail hem, and sometimes the collar and sleeves, were built up to the bahterets.

Average weight such armor reached 10-12 kilograms. At the same time, the shield, having lost its combat value, became a ceremonial and ceremonial item. This also applied to the tarch - a shield, the pommel of which was a metal hand with a blade. Such a shield was used in the defense of fortresses, but was extremely rare.

Bakhterets and shield-tarch with a metal "hand"

In the 9th-10th centuries, helmets were made from several metal plates, connected by rivets. After assembly, the helmet was decorated with silver, gold and iron plates with ornaments, inscriptions or images.

In those days, a smoothly curved, elongated helmet with a rod at the top was common. Helmets of this shape Western Europe I didn’t know at all, but they were widespread both in Western Asia and in Russia.

In the 11th-13th centuries, domed and sphero-conical helmets were common in Russia. At the top, the helmets often ended in a sleeve, which was sometimes supplied with a flag - a yalovets. In the early times, helmets were made from several (two or four) parts riveted together. There were helmets and from one piece of metal.

The need to strengthen the protective properties of the helmet led to the emergence of steep-sided domed helmets with a nose or mask-mask (visor). The warrior's neck was covered with an aventail mesh made of the same rings as chain mail. It was attached to the helmet from behind and from the sides. The helmets of noble warriors were trimmed with silver, and sometimes they were completely gilded.

The earliest appearance in Russia of headbands with a circular chain mail aventail attached to the crown of the helmet, and in front of a steel half mask laced to the lower edge, can be assumed no later than the 10th century.

At the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th century, in connection with the general European trend towards heavier defensive armor, helmets appeared in Russia, equipped with a mask-mask that protected the warrior's face from both chopping and stabbing blows. Masks-masks were equipped with slits for the eyes and nasal openings and covered the face either half (half-mask) or entirely.

A helmet with a face was put on a balaclava and worn with an aventail. Masks-masks, in addition to their direct purpose - to protect the face of a warrior, were also supposed to frighten the enemy with their appearance. Instead of a straight sword, a saber appeared - a curved sword. The saber is very convenient for the conning tower. Saber in skillful hands terrible weapon.

Around 1380, firearms appeared in Russia. However, the traditional edged melee and ranged weapons retained their importance. Pikes, horns, maces, flails, six-toppers, helmets, shells, round shields were in service for 200 years with virtually no significant changes, and even with the advent of firearms.

Since the XII century, a gradual weighting of the weapons of both the horseman and the infantryman begins. A massive long saber, a heavy sword with a long crosshair and sometimes a one-and-a-half handle appear. The strengthening of protective weapons is evidenced by the widespread use of ramming with a spear in the 12th century.

The weighting of the equipment was not significant, because it would make the Russian warrior clumsy and turn him into a sure target for the steppe nomad.

Troop strength Old Russian state reached significant numbers. According to the chronicler Leo Deacon, an army of 88 thousand people participated in Oleg's campaign against Byzantium, and Svyatoslav had 60 thousand people in the campaign against Bulgaria. Sources call the voivod and the thousandth as the commanding staff of the army of Russ. The army had a certain organization associated with the arrangement of Russian cities.

The city put up a "thousand", divided into hundreds and tens (along the "ends" and streets). The "thousand" was commanded by the thousandth elected by the veche, later the prince appointed the thousandth. "Hundreds" and "tens" were commanded by elected sots and tenths. The cities fielded infantry, which at that time was the main branch of the army and was divided into archers and spearmen. The core of the army was the princely squads.

In the 10th century, the term "regiment" was first used as the name of a separately operating army. In the "Tale of Bygone Years" for 1093, regiments are military detachments brought to the battlefield by individual princes.

The numerical strength of the regiment was not determined, or, in other words, the regiment was not a specific unit of organizational division, although in battle, when placing troops in battle order, the division of troops into regiments mattered.

Gradually developed a system of penalties and rewards. According to later data, gold hryvnias (neck bands) were issued for military distinctions and merit.

Golden hryvnia and golden plates-upholstery of a wooden bowl with the image of a fish

In the centuries-old struggle, the military organization of the Slavs took shape, their military art arose and developed, which influenced the condition of the troops of neighboring peoples and states. Emperor Mauritius, for example, recommended that the Byzantine army widely use the methods of warfare used by the Slavs ...

Russian warriors wielded these weapons well and, under the command of brave military leaders, more than once won victories over the enemy.

For 800 years, the Slavic tribes, in the struggle with the numerous peoples of Europe and Asia and with the powerful Roman Empire - Western and Eastern, and then with the Khazar Khaganate and the Franks, defended their independence and united.

A flail is a short strapped whip with an iron ball suspended at the end. Sometimes spikes were attached to the ball. Terrible blows were delivered with a flail. With minimal effort, the effect was stunning. By the way, the word "stun" used to mean "strongly hit the enemy's skull"

The head of the shestoper consisted of metal plates - "feathers" (hence its name). Shestoper, widespread mainly in the XV-XVII centuries, could serve as a sign of the power of military leaders, while remaining at the same time a serious weapon.

Both the mace and the mace originate from a club - a massive club with a thickened end, usually bound with iron or studded with large iron nails - which was also in service with Russian soldiers for a long time.

A very common chopping weapon in the ancient Russian army was an ax, which was used by princes, princely warriors, and militias, both on foot and on horseback. However, there was also a difference: the footmen more often used large axes, while the horsemen used axes, that is, short axes.

Both of them had an ax put on a wooden ax handle with a metal tip. The back flat part of the ax was called the butt, and the hatchet was called the butt. The blades of the axes were trapezoidal in shape.

A large wide ax was called a berdysh. Its blade - a piece of iron - was long and mounted on a long ax handle, which at the lower end had an iron fitting, or ink. Berdysh were used only by foot soldiers. In the 16th century, berdyshs were widely used in the archery army.

Later, halberds appeared in the Russian army - modified axes of various shapes, ending in a spear. The blade was mounted on a long shaft (axe) and often decorated with gilding or embossing.

A kind of metal hammer, pointed from the side of the butt, was called chasing or klevets. The coinage was mounted on an ax handle with a tip. There were coins with a screwed-out, hidden dagger. The coin served not only as a weapon, it was a distinctive accessory of military leaders.

Stabbing weapons - spears and horns - in the armament of the ancient Russian troops were no less important than the sword. Spears and horns often decided the success of the battle, as was the case in the battle of 1378 on the Vozha River in Ryazan land, where the Moscow cavalry regiments overturned the Mongol army with a simultaneous blow “on spears” from three sides and defeated it.

The tips of the spears were perfectly adapted to pierce armor. To do this, they were made narrow, massive and elongated, usually tetrahedral.

Tips, diamond-shaped, bay or wide wedge-shaped, could be used against the enemy, in places not protected by armor. A two-meter spear with such a tip inflicted dangerous lacerations and caused the rapid death of the enemy or his horse.

The spear consisted of a shaft and a blade with a special sleeve that was mounted on the shaft. In Ancient Russia, the poles were called oskepische (hunting) or ratovishche (combat). They were made of oak, birch or maple, sometimes using metal.

The blade (the tip of the spear) was called the pen, and its sleeve was called the ink. It was more often all-steel, however, welding technologies from iron and steel strips, as well as all-iron, were also used.

Rogatins had a tip in the form of a bay leaf 5-6.5 centimeters wide and up to 60 centimeters long. To make it easier for the warrior to hold the weapon, two or three metal knots were attached to the shaft of the horn.

A kind of horn was an owl (owl), which had a curved strip with one blade, slightly curved at the end, which was mounted on a long shaft.
In the Novgorod First Chronicle, it is recorded how a defeated army "... ran into the forest, throwing weapons, and shields, and owls, and everything on its own."

Sulitz was a throwing spear with a light and thin shaft up to 1.5 meters long. The tips of the sulits are petiolate and socketed.

Ancient Russian warriors defended themselves against cold and throwing weapons with the help of shields. Even the words "shield" and "protection" have the same root. Shields have been used since ancient times until the spread of firearms.

At first, it was shields that served as the only means of protection in battle, chain mail and helmets appeared later. The earliest written evidence of Slavic shields was found in Byzantine manuscripts of the 6th century.

According to the definition of the degenerate Romans: "Each man is armed with two small spears, and some of them with shields, strong but difficult to bear."

An original feature of the construction of heavy shields of this period was sometimes embrasures made in their upper part - windows for viewing. In the early Middle Ages, the militias often did not have helmets, so they preferred to hide behind a “head-on” shield.

According to legend, the berserkers gnawed at their shields in a battle frenzy. Reports of such a custom are most likely fiction. But it is not difficult to guess what exactly formed its basis.
In the Middle Ages, strong warriors preferred not to encase their shield with iron from above. The ax would still not break from hitting a steel strip, but it could get stuck in a tree. It is clear that the ax catcher shield had to be very durable and heavy. And its upper edge looked "gnawed".

Another original side of the relationship between the berserkers and their shields was that the “warriors in bear skins” often had no other weapons. The berserker could fight with only one shield, striking with its edges or simply knocking enemies to the ground. This style of fighting was already known in Rome.

The earliest finds of shield elements date back to the 10th century. Of course, only metal parts survived - umbons (an iron hemisphere in the center of the shield, which served to repel a blow) and fetters (fasteners along the edge of the shield) - but they managed to restore the appearance of the shield as a whole.

According to the reconstructions of archaeologists, the shields of the 8th - 10th centuries had a round shape. Later, almond-shaped shields appeared, and from the 13th century triangular shields were also known.

The Old Russian round shield is of Scandinavian origin. This makes it possible to use materials from Scandinavian burial grounds, for example, the Swedish burial ground Birka, for the reconstruction of the Old Russian shield. Only there the remains of 68 shields were found. They had a round shape and a diameter of up to 95 cm. In three samples, it was possible to determine the type of wood of the shield field - these are maple, fir and yew.

They also established the breed for some wooden handles - these are juniper, alder, poplar. In some cases, metal handles made of iron with bronze linings were found. A similar overlay was found on our territory - in Staraya Ladoga, now it is kept in a private collection. Also, among the remains of both ancient Russian and Scandinavian shields, rings and staples for belt fastening the shield on the shoulder were found.

Helmets (or helmets) are a type of combat headgear. In Russia, the first helmets appeared in the 9th - 10th centuries. At this time, they became widespread in Western Asia and in Kievan Rus, but in Western Europe they were rare.

The helmets that appeared later in Western Europe were lower and tailored around the head, in contrast to the conical helmets of ancient Russian warriors. By the way, the conical shape gave great advantages, since the high conical tip did not make it possible to deliver a direct blow, which is important in areas of horse-saber combat.

Helmet "Norman type"

Helmets found in burials of the 9th-10th centuries. have several types. So one of the helmets from the Gnezdovsky barrows (Smolensk region) was hemispherical in shape, tightened on the sides and along the crest (from the forehead to the back of the head) with iron strips. Another helmet from the same burials had a typical Asian shape - from four riveted triangular parts. The seams were covered with iron strips. There was a pommel and a lower rim.

The conical shape of the helmet came to us from Asia and is called the "Norman type". But soon it was supplanted by the "Chernigov type". It is more spherical - has a spheroconic shape. Above there are finials with bushings for plumes. In the middle they are reinforced with spiked overlays.

Helmet "Chernigov type"

According to ancient Russian concepts, the actual combat attire, without a helmet, was called armor; later, this word began to be called all the protective equipment of a warrior. Kolchuga for a long time belonged to the undisputed superiority. It was used throughout the X-XVII centuries.

In addition to chain mail in Russia, it was adopted, but until the 13th century, protective clothing made of plates did not prevail. Plate armor existed in Russia from the 9th to the 15th century, scaly armor from the 11th to the 17th century. The latter type of armor was particularly elastic. In the XIII century, a number of such details that enhance the protection of the body, such as greaves, knee pads, chest plaques (Mirror), and handcuffs, are distributed.

To strengthen chain mail or armor in the 16th-17th centuries, additional armor was used in Russia, which was worn over the armor. These armors were called mirrors. They consisted in most cases of four large plates - front, back and two side.

Plates, the weight of which rarely exceeded 2 kilograms, were interconnected and fastened on the shoulders and sides with belts with buckles (shoulder pads and armlets).

The mirror, polished and polished to a mirror shine (hence the name of the armor), often covered with gilding, decorated with engraving and chasing, in the 17th century most often had a purely decorative character.

In the 16th century in Russia, ringed armor and chest armor made of rings and plates connected together, arranged like fish scales, became widespread. Such armor was called bakhterets.

The bakhterets was assembled from oblong plates located in vertical rows, connected by rings on the short sides. Side and shoulder cuts were connected with belts and buckles. A chain mail hem was added to the bakhterets, and sometimes a collar and sleeves.

The average weight of such armor reached 10-12 kilograms. At the same time, the shield, having lost its combat value, became a ceremonial and ceremonial object. This also applied to the tarch - a shield, the pommel of which was a metal hand with a blade. Such a shield was used in the defense of fortresses, but was extremely rare.

Bakhterets and shield-tarch with a metal "hand"

In the 9th-10th centuries, helmets were made from several metal plates, connected by rivets. After assembly, the helmet was decorated with silver, gold and iron plates with ornaments, inscriptions or images.

In those days, a smoothly curved, elongated helmet with a rod at the top was common. Western Europe did not know helmets of this form at all, but they were widespread both in Western Asia and in Russia.

In the 11th-13th centuries, domed and sphero-conical helmets were common in Russia. At the top, the helmets often ended in a sleeve, which was sometimes equipped with a flag - a yalovets. In the early times, helmets were made from several (two or four) parts riveted together. There were helmets and from one piece of metal.

The need to strengthen the protective properties of the helmet led to the emergence of steep-sided domed helmets with a nose or mask-mask (visor). The warrior's neck was covered with an aventail mesh made of the same rings as chain mail. It was attached to the helmet from behind and from the sides. The helmets of noble warriors were trimmed with silver, and sometimes they were completely gilded.

The earliest appearance in Russia of headbands with a circular chain mail aventail attached to the crown of the helmet, and in front of a steel half mask laced to the lower edge, can be assumed no later than the 10th century.

At the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th centuries, in connection with the general European trend towards heavier defensive armor, helmets appeared in Russia, equipped with a mask-mask that protected the warrior's face from both chopping and stabbing blows. Masks-masks were equipped with slits for the eyes and nasal openings and covered the face either half (half-mask) or entirely.

A helmet with a face was put on a balaclava and worn with an aventail. Masks-masks, in addition to their direct purpose - to protect the face of a warrior, were also supposed to frighten the enemy with their appearance. Instead of a straight sword, a saber appeared - a curved sword. The saber is very convenient for the conning tower. In skillful hands, a saber is a terrible weapon.

Around 1380, firearms appeared in Russia. However, the traditional edged melee and ranged weapons retained their importance. Pikes, horns, maces, flails, six-toppers, helmets, shells, round shields were in service for 200 years with virtually no significant changes, and even with the advent of firearms.

Since the XII century, a gradual weighting of the weapons of both the horseman and the infantryman begins. A massive long saber, a heavy sword with a long crosshair and sometimes a one-and-a-half handle appear. The strengthening of protective weapons is evidenced by the widespread use of ramming with a spear in the 12th century.

The weighting of the equipment was not significant, because it would make the Russian warrior clumsy and turn him into a sure target for the steppe nomad.

The number of troops of the Old Russian state reached a significant figure. According to the chronicler Leo Deacon, an army of 88 thousand people participated in Oleg's campaign against Byzantium, and Svyatoslav had 60 thousand people in the campaign against Bulgaria. Sources call the voivod and the thousandth as the commanding staff of the army of Russ. The army had a certain organization associated with the arrangement of Russian cities.

The city put up a "thousand", divided into hundreds and tens (along the "ends" and streets). The "thousand" was commanded by the thousandth elected by the veche, later the prince appointed the thousandth. "Hundreds" and "tens" were commanded by elected sots and tenths. The cities fielded infantry, which at that time was the main branch of the army and was divided into archers and spearmen. The core of the army was the princely squads.

In the 10th century, the term "regiment" was first used as the name of a separately operating army. In the "Tale of Bygone Years" for 1093, regiments are military detachments brought to the battlefield by individual princes.

The numerical strength of the regiment was not determined, or, in other words, the regiment was not a specific unit of organizational division, although in battle, when placing troops in battle order, the division of troops into regiments mattered.

Gradually developed a system of penalties and rewards. According to later data, gold hryvnias (neck bands) were issued for military distinctions and merit.

Golden hryvnia and golden plates-upholstery of a wooden bowl with the image of a fish

Any settlement has borders that must be protected from enemy invasions; this need has always existed in large Slavic settlements. During the period of Ancient Russia, conflicts torn the country apart, it was necessary to fight not only with external threats, but also with fellow tribesmen. The unity and harmony between the princes helped to create a great state, which became defensible. Old Russian warriors stood under one banner and showed the whole world their strength and courage.

Druzhina

The Slavs were a peace-loving people, so the ancient Russian warriors did not stand out too much against the background of ordinary peasants. They stood up to defend their home with spears, axes, knives and clubs. military equipment, the weapon appears gradually, and it is more focused on the defense of its owner than on the offense. In the 10th century, several Slavic tribes united around the prince of Kyiv, who collects taxes and protects controlled territory from the invasion of the steppes, Swedes, Byzantines, Mongols. A squad is being formed, the composition of which is 30% composed of professional military men (often mercenaries: Varangians, Pechenegs, Germans, Hungarians) and militias (voi). During this period, the armament of the Old Russian warrior consisted of a club, a spear, and a sword. Lightweight protection does not restrict movement and provides mobility in combat and campaign. The main was the infantry, horses were used as pack animals and to deliver soldiers to the battlefield. The cavalry is formed after unsuccessful clashes with the steppes, who were excellent riders.

Protection

Old Russian wars wore shirts and ports common to the population of Russia in the 5th - 6th centuries, put on shoes in bast shoes. During the Russian-Byzantine war, the enemy was struck by the courage and courage of the "Rus", who fought without protective armor, hiding behind shields and using them at the same time as a weapon. Later, a “kuyak” appeared, which was essentially a sleeveless shirt, sheathed with plates from horse hooves or pieces of leather. Later, metal plates began to be used to protect the body from chopping blows and arrows of the enemy.

Shield

The armor of the ancient Russian warrior was light, which provided high maneuverability, but at the same time reduced the degree of protection. Large, the height of a man were used by the Slavic peoples since ancient times. They covered the warrior's head, so they had a hole for the eyes in the upper part. Since the 10th century, shields have been made round shape, they are upholstered with iron, covered with leather and decorated with various tribal symbols. According to the testimony of Byzantine historians, the Russians created a wall of shields, which were tightly closed to each other, and put their spears forward. Such tactics made it impossible for the advanced units of the enemy to break through to the rear of the Russian troops. After 100 years, the form adapts to a new branch of the military - cavalry. Shields become almond-shaped, have two mounts designed to be held in battle and on the march. With this type of equipment, ancient Russian warriors went on campaigns and stood up to defend their own lands before the invention of firearms. Many traditions and legends are associated with shields. Some of them are "winged" to this day. The fallen and wounded soldiers were brought home on shields; when fleeing, the retreating regiments threw them under the feet of the pursuers' horses. Prince Oleg hangs a shield on the gates of the defeated Constantinople.

Helmets

Until the 9th - 10th centuries, ancient Russian warriors wore ordinary hats on their heads, which did not protect against the chopping blows of the enemy. The first helmets found by archaeologists were made according to the Norman type, but they were not widely used in Russia. The conical shape has become more practical and therefore widely used. The helmet in this case was riveted from four metal plates, they were decorated precious stones and feathers (from noble warriors or governors). This shape allowed the sword to slide off without causing much harm to a person, a balaclava made of leather or felt softened the blow. The helmet was changed due to additional protective devices: aventail (mail mesh), nose guard (metal plate). The use of protection in the form of masks (masks) in Russia was rare, most often these were trophy helmets, which were widely used in European countries. The description of the ancient Russian warrior, preserved in the annals, suggests that they did not hide their faces, but could shackle the enemy with a menacing look. Helmets with a half mask were made for noble and wealthy warriors, they are characterized by decorative details that did not carry protective functions.

chain mail

The most famous part of the vestments of the ancient Russian warrior, according to archaeological excavations, appears in the 7th - 8th centuries. Chain mail is a shirt of metal rings tightly connected to each other. At that time, it was quite difficult for craftsmen to make such protection, the work was delicate and took a long time. The metal was rolled into wire, from which rings were folded and welded, fixed together according to the 1 to 4 scheme. At least 20 - 25 thousand rings were spent on creating one chain mail, the weight of which ranged from 6 to 16 kilograms. For decoration, copper links were woven into the canvas. In the 12th century, stamping technology was used, when braided rings were flattened, which provided a large area of ​​​​protection. In the same period, chain mail became longer, additional elements of armor appeared: nagovitsya (iron, woven stockings), aventail (mesh to protect the neck), bracers (metal gloves). Quilted clothes were worn under the chain mail, softening the force of the blow. At the same time, they were used in Russia. For the manufacture, a base (shirt) made of leather was required, on which thin iron lamellas were tightly attached. Their length was 6 - 9 centimeters, width from 1 to 3. Plate armor gradually replaced chain mail and was even sold to other countries. In Russia, scaly, lamellar and chain mail armor were often combined. Yushman, Bakhterets were essentially chain mail, which, to increase the protective properties, were supplied with plates on the chest. At the beginning of the XIV century, a new type of armor appeared - mirrors. Large metal plates, polished to a shine, as a rule, were worn over chain mail. On the sides and on the shoulders, they were connected with leather belts, often decorated with various kinds of symbols.

Weapon

The protective clothing of the ancient Russian warrior was not impenetrable armor, but it was distinguished by its lightness, which ensured greater maneuverability of warriors and shooters in battle conditions. According to information obtained from the historical sources of the Byzantines, the “Rusichs” were distinguished by their enormous physical strength. In the 5th - 6th centuries, the weapons of our ancestors were quite primitive, used for close combat. To cause significant damage to the enemy, it had a lot of weight and was additionally equipped with striking elements. The evolution of weapons took place against the background of technological progress and changes in the strategy of warfare. Throwing systems, siege engines, piercing and cutting iron tools have been used for many centuries, while their design has been constantly improved. Some innovations were adopted from other peoples, but Russian inventors and gunsmiths have always been distinguished by the originality of their approach and the reliability of the manufactured systems.

percussion

Weapons for close combat are known to all nations, at the dawn of the development of civilization, its main type was a club. This is a heavy club, which turned around with iron at the end. Some variants feature metal spikes or nails. Most often in Russian chronicles, along with the club, the flail is mentioned. Due to the ease of manufacture and effectiveness in combat, percussion weapons were widely used. The sword and saber partially replace it, but the militia and howls continue to use it in battle. Based on chronicle sources and excavation data, historians have created a typical portrait of a man who was called an ancient Russian warrior. Photographs of reconstructions, as well as images of heroes that have survived to this day, necessarily contain some type of impact weapon, most often the legendary mace acts as this.

Cutting, stabbing

In the history of ancient Russia, the sword is of great importance. It is not only the main type of weapon, but also a symbol of princely power. The knives used had several types, they were named according to the place they were worn: boot, belt, underside. They were used along with the sword and the ancient Russian warrior changes in the X century, the saber comes to replace the sword. Her combat characteristics Russians appreciated in battles with nomads, from whom they borrowed the uniform. Spears and spears are among the most ancient types of piercing weapons, which were successfully used by warriors as defensive and offensive weapons. When used in parallel, they evolved ambiguously. Rogatins are gradually being replaced by spears, which are being improved into the sulitsa. Not only peasants (voi and militias) fought with axes, but also the princely squad. For equestrian warriors, this type of weapon had a short handle, infantrymen (warriors) used axes on long shafts. Berdysh (an ax with a wide blade) in the XIII - XIV century becomes a weapon. Later it is transformed into a halberd.

Shooting

All means used daily for hunting and at home were used by Russian soldiers as military weapons. Bows were made from animal horn and suitable wood species (birch, juniper). Some of them were over two meters long. To store arrows, a shoulder quiver was used, which was made of leather, sometimes decorated with brocade, precious and semi-precious stones. For the manufacture of arrows, reeds, birches, reeds, and apple trees were used, to the torch of which an iron tip was attached. In the 10th century, the design of the bow was quite complex, and the process of its manufacture was laborious. Crossbows were more effective view Their minus was a lower rate of fire, but at the same time, the bolt (used as a projectile) inflicted more damage on the enemy, breaking through armor when hit. It was difficult to pull the bowstring of the crossbow, even strong warriors rested against the butt with their feet for this. In the 12th century, to speed up and facilitate this process, they began to use a hook that archers wore on their belts. Until the invention of firearms, bows were used in Russian troops.

Equipment

Foreigners who visited Russian cities of the 12th-13th centuries were surprised at how the soldiers were equipped. With all the apparent bulkiness of the armor (especially for heavy horsemen), the riders easily coped with several tasks. Sitting in the saddle, the warrior could hold the reins (drive a horse), shoot from a bow or crossbow, and prepare a heavy sword for close combat. The cavalry was a maneuverable strike force, so the equipment of the rider and horse should be light, but durable. The chest, croup and sides of the war horse were covered with special covers, which were made of cloth with sewn iron plates. The equipment of the ancient Russian warrior was thought out to the smallest detail. Saddles made of wood made it possible for the archer to turn into reverse side and shoot at full speed, while controlling the direction of the horse. Unlike the European warriors of that time, who were fully armored, the light armor of the Russians was focused on battles with nomads. The nobles, princes, kings had weapons and armor for combat and parade, which were richly decorated and equipped with the symbols of the state. They accepted foreign ambassadors and go on holidays.