From Rus’ to Russia Series

Kiev Rus’

Part 2: X XI-XIII Centuries

translated by Craig Martelle

Page 46. Victorious mounted Russian knights survey the plains.

Page 48. Novgorod folk retreating to the mountains (Zhdanov Mountain) in the South, where they fell under attack by the Suzdal Russians.

Page 50-51. Battle of Prince Izyaslav Mstislav with Prince Andrey Bogolyubskiy (Andrey the Lover of God) at Kiev, 1150 A.D. Knights of Andrey Bogolyubskiy attacked the knights of Vyacheslav and Grand Prince Izyaslav Mstislavich at the River Lybed’. Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy (Yuri the Long Arm) stormed Kiev from the side of the Lyatskiy Gates. Izyaslav gathered a detachment of Russian warriors and Black Klobuki and counterattacked the enemy. The forces of Yuri Dolgorukiy consisted of units of Polovtsi and Suzdal Russians. Yuri’s forces were routed and many Polovtsi drowned in the river.

Page 50. Map-Feudal Russia XI-XII Centuries, circled is Kiev. Inset-weapons. 1-2-Swords, 3-5-pommels of senior Russian leaders (Sword of Russia).

Page 51. The fortress is Kiev. Left to right-black Klobuki, Prince Izyaslav (under the banner, full armor), Kiev Warriors (mounted), Prince Andrey Bogolyubskiy, Polovtsi (in the background upper right), and bottom-Suzdal warriors (with the spears).

Page 58. The murder of Andrey Bogolyubskiy.

Page 62-63. Campaign against the Polovtsi. Russians have the banner and wear armored masks.

Page 66. Prince Yaroslav.

Page 67. Prince Mstislav Mstislavich and a couple of his knights.

Page 68. Lager of Prince Mstislav

Page 70-71. The forces of Yuri Dolgorukiy and Yaroslav fought with Konstantin and Mstislav. That day, Yuri & Yaroslav lost 9233 men killed. Yuri negotiated with the other princes, thus ending the war, a mere seven years before the Mongol invasion.

Page 72-73. Battle at the River Lipits, 21-22 April 1216.

Page 72. Inset – helmet of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Left to right-Novgorod warriors, Prince Mstislav Galitskiy (Udaloy – the Bold)(the Prince is mounted on the white padded horse).

Page 73. Left to right-Suzdal warriors and the Prince (carrying the banner). Inset- Russian arms of the Battles XIII Century. (starting at 9 o’clock) Saber scabbard, sabre, mace, mace, sword, scabbard, axe, morning star, kinzhal (long knife).

Page 76. Prelude to the Battle at the River Kalka. The Mongols pillage the lands.

Page 77. Map-Battle at the River Kalka, 1223 A.D. The cross hatching to the west of the river is the camp of the Kiev warriors under Mstislav Kievskiy. The clear arrows show the movements of the Mongols (entering from the right). First in the Russian column were the Polovtsi (Yarun’), next were the Volyntsi (Danes), then the Galitskiy Russians (under Mstislav the Bold), and last before the river were the Chernigovtsi.

Page 82-83. Siege of Ryazan’ by the Batiyan forces in 1237 A.D. In 1237 the Mongols under Khan Batiy laid siege to Ryazan’. For five days, the Khan’s forces attacked the fortress without a break. One soldier would attack while a second rested, then they would change places. The defenders were given no respite. On the sixth day, the Mongols began using custom siege equipment – rams and ballistae. The Tatar-Mongol attack resulted in the deaths of Prince Yuri Igorevich, his mother, wife, almost all the Boyars. They killed the servants of the monastery and defiled the holy grounds.

Page 82. The picture shows the siege machinery used by the Tatar-Mongols. Note the ram & ballistae. Under the inset is a row of spears, these are an anti-cavalry “horn”. Inset-Mongol siege equipment. 1. Iron Explosive Projectile, 2. Iron Barbed Star, 3. Explosive Ballistae Shell “The Flaming Pea”, 4. Explosive Ballistae Shell “The Flaming Ball with the Sound of Thunder”, 5. Explosive Ballistae Shell “The Flaming Ball with Barbs”, 6. Explosive Ballistae Shell “Flaming Hawk with Iron Claws”, 7. Three-Bow Arbalet of the lower class, 8. Attributes of the arc-ballistae, 9-12. Arcballistae arrows.

Page 83. Inset-various ballistae. Centered in the picture is the “Muslim Ballistae”. Beneath it is leather protection for the wood framework. The Mongol officers are behind a wicker shield.

Page 84-85. Siege of Vladimir by the Batiy Forces in December 1238 A.D.

Page 84. Mongol cavalry tear up the city.

Page 85. In the background is a ballistae battery. In the foreground (with the colored teardrop shields) are the city’s defenders. Inset-Mongol flaming clay pots for their siege throwing machines of the XIII Century.

Page 88-89. Battle at the River Sit’. The battle at the River Sit’ on 4 March 1238 between the forces of the Grand Prince of Vladimir Yuri Vsevolodovich and the Tatar-Mongols under the command of Burundai. The results of the attack by the Russian Forces was that resistance by the principalities in northwest Russia was crushed.

Page 88. Left to right-Russian Lager and Burundai’s cavalry.

Page 89. Map of the Mongol campaigns in 1238-1239 in northwest Russia.

Page 92-93. The Storming of Kiev, 1240 A.D.

Page 92. Desyatinnaya Church. Kiev warriors are behind the barricades.

Page 93. The final stand in Kiev was made at Desyatinnaya Church in December of 1240. Kiev was taken by Mengu Khan (grandson of Genghis Khan) and destroyed. Mongols are shown in the foreground.

Page 96-97. The Battle of Neva. 15 July 1240, the Russian forces, headed by Prince Aleksandr Yaroslavich destroyed a detachment under the command of the Burger Yarl at the River Neva. This victory guaranteed the security of the Russo-Swedish border during the Tatar-Mongol invasion into Rus’. For his demonstration of the military leadership art and valor, Prince Alexandr was called “Nevskiy”.

Page 96. From left to right-Swedes, Oleksich, Russians. Bottom-coat of arms of “Burger”. Label below the coat of arms says Biscours (Episcopy).

Page 97. Left to right-Burger Tent, Burger, Prince Alexandr.

Page 98-99. Ice Carnage, 5 April 1242. The battle on the ice of Lake Chudskoe, between the Russian forces headed by Alexandr Nevskiy and the German Knights (of the Livonian Order) ended with the complete rout of the Germans. Aleksandr Yaroslavich acted decisively. He deployed his forces in the shape of a scoop. The base of it was like a forehead – the main strike force. In the flanks stood the regiments of the left and right branches. The top of the scoop served as the lead regiment. The prince’s knights stood in the rear. The (German) knights attacked as a wedge, lightly softening up the lead regiment, and falling under the flank attacks – the center of the scoop. The rear knights closed the roof of the scoop.

Page 98. Left to right-Germans and Russian mounted knights. Inset map shows how the German knights were formed in a wedge and the Russian knights were formed in the shape of a scoop, where the German knights marched right into the heart of it.

Page 99. Left to right-Vice Grossmeister and Novgorod Militia.

More Kievan Rus' Excerpts from a New Book


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