Russian squads in battle
Usually, at the word knight, images arise in our minds that have been familiar to Walter Scott’s novels from childhood, or from films about King Arthur and his knights of the round table. This is a heavily armed cavalry warrior, a defender of the weak and oppressed. And the events themselves take place in "good old England" or "sweet France." However, historians have long established that the heavily armed cavalry was an integral part of the Russian army from the time of the Old Russian state. In this respect, the Russians were the heirs of the traditions of the heavy cavalry of the Alani Sarmatians. And the word “knight” itself is Slavic, the Old Russian word is “knight”, close to the word is tsar, the South Russian is “lycitar, Ritar”, Polish is “rusеrz”. According to one version, this word goes back to the Indo-European words “lynx” - to ride a horse, and “sar” - a noble person. According to another version, to the German word ritter - "rider". In Europe, the knights, in fact, were not called knights. In France, they were a chevalier (chevalier) - "riding a horse"; in Spain - caballero (caballero) - “horseman, knight, nobleman” (from lat. caballarius “groom” from latin caballus “horse”); in Italy - cavaliere ("Chevalier"); in England - knight (from other-English cniht "guy"); in Germany - ritter ("rider").
In Russia, most often these warriors were designated by the word "hrabor" or "knight" (from Indo-European "vidyati" - to win, Skt. Vijaya). The word knight was widespread among other Slavic peoples: Bosnian, Slovenian, Croatian - vitez, Serbian - Vitez.
As a result, there was a myth that real knights are “there” in the West. In our country, Russian warriors fell in love with drawing with such ingenuous, powerful and powerful warriors- “felt boots,” who were no longer taken with skill and knowledge, but with a strong man, or even luck. These performances go back to the 18 century, when there was a process of total revision of the Russian storieswritten in the interests of the West, often simply Germans. The church also made its contribution, which instilled the idea that the Russian-Slavs were always “God-fearing”, meek, almost timid people. How did the “peaceful” and “God-fearing” Russians defend themselves in the conditions of constant war on the north-western, western, southern and eastern borders, and even often internal wars, and then also to occupy the territory, more than which no nation occupied ( meaning directly Russian territory, and not overseas colonies), with such a view remains a mystery.
If we study the texts of epics, chronicles, and the pages of the wars that were fought by the Russians, everything falls into place. There have never been any “peace-loving lucks” (otherwise the Russians would simply not have been, or they would live out their lives as part of a foreign state). It should be immediately noted that in the military aspect the Russian people are invincible. Even the latest brief flashes of his military activity, such as the paratroopers throwing to Pristina or the defeat of the Georgian army trained by the best Western instructors, continue to cause hysteria and panic in the world. And despite the fact that now the Russian giant is lulled with “fairy tales” about “world peace”, the triumph of pacifism and humanism, and other nonsense. Russian warriors at all times were able to very toughly defend the people's right to life, putting in place of any enemy.
At the head of the squad was the prince. He originally performed four main functions. First, the prince is a military leader, protector of the tribe, the land of principality. This is his main task - to protect his people, if he could not cope with it, in the Old Russian state they could simply be expelled. Secondly, the duty of the prince is “attire”, i.e., maintaining order in the territory entrusted to him. Thirdly, the prince carried out a judicial function, within its framework such a monument of Russian law as the “Russian Truth” appeared. Fourthly, the prince had a sacred authority, performed priestly functions before the adoption of Christianity. Left without a prince (later the king), the Russian people felt uncomfortable, they lost touch with the sky. It was not for nothing that Prince Vladimir conducted two religious reforms — he installed idols in 980, and in about 988, he converted to Christianity and began the baptism of Russia. Yes, and with the adoption of Christianity, the attitude towards the prince, as the high priest, remained almost unchanged. That princes engaged in the promotion of Christianity among the masses. The first Russian saints were also princes. In the future, this view of the princely power was strengthened by the Byzantine theory of the divine origin of power. This attitude is preserved in Moscow Russia and the Russian Empire, where the church has always been in a subordinate position, with respect to the tsarist (imperial) government.
The prince always acted surrounded by the loyal squad, comrades, comrades, guardians and striking force of the entire Russian army. In the 9-12 centuries, the prince and the squad is something indissoluble, a single whole. Relationships in the squad were similar to kinship and initially replaced them, because the warrior who entered the squad lost contact with his family and tribe. The word "squad" is in all Slavic peoples. It comes from the word "friend" (your, helper, ally).
The size of the squad could vary from several tens to several thousand warriors. However, these were selected professional soldiers whose life was devoted only to military service (in the modern world, military special forces can be compared with them). If simple “soldiers”, the militiamen, after completing the task of marching, repelling the raid, invasion, went home and returned to the former life of a farmer, craftsman or hunter, the warriors were professional warriors. According to the Arab traveler Ibn Fadlan from 922, along with the prince of Kiev "in his castle are 400 men from among the heroes, his associates." The squad of Svyatoslav Igorevich, with whom he crushed Khazaria and conquered Bulgaria, was about 10 thousand fighters. The squad of his great-grandson, the son of Yaroslav the Wise - Svyatoslav II Yaroslavich, with whom he defeated the Polovtsian army, consisted of 3 thousand soldiers.
Based on the fact that the warriors were always at the forefront, encountering danger with their breasts, they received a privileged position. They got the best pieces of war booty. The prince generously wielded the warriors with gold and silver. At feasts, they ate with the best dishes and got the best pieces. Suffice it to recall the insult of the warriors to Vladimir: "Woe to our heads: he gave us to eat with wooden spoons, not silver." Hearing this, Vladimir ordered to look for silver spoons, saying: “I will not find a squad with silver and gold, but I will get silver and gold with my friends, like my grandfather and my father and my friends sought out gold and silver.” For Vladimir loved the squad and consulted with her about the structure of the country, and about the war, and about the laws of the country. ”
It should be noted that peers with warriors played an important role at that time. The Russian feast was a real ritual act, going from ancient times (apparently, from primitive hunters, eating the caught animal together), performing it, people felt themselves to be part of a single clan, tribe, people. Sitting at the same table, everyone could feel part of a huge, powerful whole (the feeling of unity).
With the development of the social system, to the XI — XII centuries. the squad is divided into two layers: the squad is the oldest, lepish (best), front, and the squad is younger, younger. Senior warriors (princes' men, boyars) began to receive not only movable values taken on campaigns, but also regular tributes from cities and settlements. They began to occupy the highest military and civilian positions - posadnik, voivod, tysyatskikh, ambassadors, advisers to the prince, his close duma. A feudal system was taking shape, on top of which was a prince. His immediate vassals were the eldest boyars (some could be descended from tribal princes), they received whole cities as volosts. Performing administrative, tax, judicial and military functions, they simultaneously received the right to "feed" from the territory under their control. The small boyars were the vassals of the senior boyars, and perhaps the younger warriors.
The younger squad included, apparently, several discharges: children, youngsters, kmet, greedy, stepchildren, boyar children, swordsmen. With the development of the feudal system, they ceased to be the “friends” of the prince, becoming the military-service class. They could receive small villages for service and services, and from several yards they became “noblemen” in the future.
The exact meaning of the ranks of the younger squad is unknown. So, there is an assumption that the prince’s bodyguards, who lived right next to him, were called “grids” in the grids. "Swordsmen" were in the immediate environment of the prince, performing various kinds of administrative functions. The word "Kmet" meant not only vigilantes, but also free members of the community. Even more difficult with the "boys" (in translation, "not having the right to speak, vote"). This word originally meant the younger member of the clan, who had no right to express his opinion in the council of adult men. According to the sources, it is clear that not all the youths were junior warriors, some of them served as courtyard servants. Therefore, there is an opinion that the youngsters constituted the lowest rank of the junior squad and performed official duties at the prince's court. Perhaps some of them were “disciples”, children who underwent military training (some of them could be children of warriors). On the other hand, in the sources, youths can be called squads in general. So, in the Tale of Bygone Years it is reported that when the invasion of the Polovtsi began: “Svyatopolk began to gather soldiers, intending to go against them. And the men said to him: "Do not try to go against them, for you have few warriors," He said: "I have young men of my 700 who can resist them."
Another category of the younger squad - "children". They stood higher in rank than youths. They did not carry the service around the yard, could occupy high administrative positions. According to I. Ya. Froyanov, children of nobility and boyars could make up a significant share of them (Froyanov I. Ya. Kievan Rus: Essays on Socio-Political History).
Thus, in the 12-13 centuries, the freelance squad of the times of “military democracy” began to lose mobility and turn into a feudal estate burdened with lands and villages. The senior warriors had their own personal squads, which were poured into the composition of the general ratification, with military necessity. But even after becoming feudal, the warriors remained the shock force of the army, its advisers and comrades.
From the deepest antiquity, Russian warriors and Russian warriors were notable for their special psychology, which was characterized by the cult of “battle anger”, contempt for death, desperate audacity and courage, and aggressive disregard by the forces of the enemy. We can recall several statements of the great Russian commander Alexander Suvorov, who, bringing up the “miraculous heroes”, was the successor of the ancient glory of the Russian weapons: "... nothing can stand against Russian weapons - we are strong and self-confident"; "We are Russian, we will all overcome"; “From the brave Russian grenadier, no army can resist in the light”; “Nature has produced Russia only one. She has no rivals ”; "... Russians cannot retreat"; "All of Europe will move in vain to Russia: it will find Thermopylae, Leonid and his coffin there."
The great example of the Russian warrior and the Russian spirit is given by the exploits of the great Svyatoslav. Before the decisive battle with the Romans (Byzantines), which were significantly superior to his troops in number, Svyatoslav said: “This way we will not disgrace the Russian land, but let us lie down with bones, for the dead do not have shame. If we run, shame we will. We will not run, but let us be strong, but I will go ahead of you: if my head lies down, then take care of yourself. ” And the warriors answered: “Where your head will fall, we will lay down our heads there.”
In the statement of the Romanian chronicler Lev the Deacon, Svyatoslav made a similar speech in besieged Dorostol when the military council suggested a secret retreat from the besieged city on ships or peace talks with the Romans. Svyatoslav (his Byzantine calls Sfendoslav) took a deep breath and exclaimed bitterly: “The glory which followed the army of dews perished, easily defeating neighboring nations and enslaving whole countries without bloodshed, if we now shamefully retreat before the Romans. So, let’s feel the courage [that our ancestors have bequeathed] to us, remember that the power of the dew has hitherto been indestructible, and we will fight bitterly for our lives. It is not for us to return to our homeland, fleeing; [we must] either win and stay alive, or die with glory, having accomplished feats [worthy] valiant men! ”Then Leo the Deacon reports that the dew (he often calls them“ Tauroskifs ”and“ Scythians ”) never surrenders to enemies even the vanquished, when there is no hope of salvation, they kill themselves.
Initially, the squad did not differ social homogeneity. Most of the warriors in the first centuries of the ancient Russian state had a simple origin, from free community members, tribal warriors, lands. They held their position due to not personal origins, but personal qualities. It was earned by its own courage, deserved or won thanks to a happy occasion. Social mobility at that time was very high. An ordinary soldier, a militiaman could become a princely warrior, and his descendants - boyars. In turn, the genus of the ancient Slavic princes, the elders could easily be interrupted, or fall to the level of the common people. At the initial stage, the squad was taken solely for personal qualities: military ability, courage, and courage. So, you can recall the story of the Tale of Bygone Years about how Prince Vladimir made Kozhemyaku, who won in the martial arts of the Pecheneg Bogatyr, a "great husband" and his father too. Yes, and the epics report that Illya was a “peasant son”, and Alyosha was a “kindred priest”. Yes, and with Dobrynya Nikitich not everything is clear. His yard is rich, but in some bylinas he is called "the peasant son."
It should be noted that many people have a very wrong idea about “fairy tales” regarding epics. In many respects, this is due to the fact that for children the epic stories are retold in a “fairy tale”, simplified form. They were excluded "adults", violent, even bloody episodes, softened vocabulary. The man grew up, and the views remained childish. Bylinas are not fairy tales, but songs, the main distinctive quality of which lies in the fact that folk narrators, singers who performed them, retell authentic events. In ancient times, they were performed throughout the territory of Russia. In the 18-19 centuries, when they began to write, search, they survived only in the Russian North, especially among the free peasants-Pomor.
The melodies of these songs are long and magnificent. Plots are sometimes cruel, like life itself. Performers were not afraid to use “adult” words. It is clear that over the centuries in bylinas inaccuracies, corrections could appear. Thus, the late Tatars replaced the ancient Khazars, the Pechenegs and the Polovtsy. However, the historical basis is visible in them very clearly. And it is so strong that the famous Soviet historian B.D. Grekov called the epic epos "oral history". It is the Russian chronicles, epic and Byzantine sources that give us most of the data on the device of the Russian army. Initially, the word "squad", "army" was covered by the entire set of full-fledged men. Only with the deepening of social stratification, they began to call only the military elite, the direct associates of the prince, "druzhina".
To be continued ...
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