Armies of the Rus' principalities
The armies of the Rus' principalities emerged in the 13th century out of the military of Kievan Rus', shattered by the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'. The princely Rus' armies from 1240 to 1550 were characterised by feudalism, consisting of cavalry armies of noble militia and their armed servants.
Before the Mongol invasion
Before Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus' in the 13th century, a Rus' prince would be accompanied by his druzhina, a small retinue of heavy cavalry,[1] who would often fight dismounted (eq. Battle on the Ice). Massively heavy armor was used, mostly Scandinavian-style.[2] However, these squads, as a rule, did not exceed the number of several hundred men, and were unsuitable for united actions under a single command.[3]
At the same time, the main part of the Kievan Rus' army was the militia infantry. It was inferior to Druzhina in
For the
Feudal fragmentation
After Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus' many independent principalities were destroyed. Remaining petty states were under growing pressure from Tatars, Sweden and Lithuania. Constant warfare precipitated the development of feudalism, and diminished the importance of the Veche.[7] The feudal militia, raised by the Boyars-landowners and individual princes, came to replace popular militia. Princes (except in the Novgorod Republic) gathered and commanded the army.[citation needed]
In the second half of the 14th century, Druzhina was replaced by feudally organized units headed by Boyars or dependent Princes, and these units consisted of landed gentry (so called "Boyar's children" or "service people") and their armed servants ("military slaves"). In the 15th century, such organization of detachments replaced the city regiments.[citation needed]
Tactics and equipment
During the period of the Mongol invasions, the Rus adopted much of
The bulk of the army were mounted archers,[8] who included Boyars, landed gentry ("Boyars' children") and armed slaves.[citation needed]
Under Tatar influence, the
Military of Novgorod
Landed Army of Muscovy
In the 15th century, the
In the process of Muscovite state-building, the people's militia was abolished. The prince called the masses to military service only in the event of serious military danger, regulating the extent and nature of this service at his own discretion.[citation needed]
Gallery
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Armed servants in aketons.
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Warriors in aketons.
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Nobleman in brigandine.
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17th-century Russian mirror armour.
References
- ^ )
- )
- OCLC 1003145949.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ "Никифоровская летопись. Никифорівський літопис. Том 35. Литовсько-білоруські літописи". litopys.org.ua. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
- ^ "Новгородская летопись". krotov.info. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
- OCLC 38550301.
- )
- ^ )
- ^ "MEDIEVAL RUSSIAN ARMOR". www.xenophon-mil.org. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
- ^ Порфиридов, Н.Г. (1947). Древний Новгород. Очерки из истории русской культуры XI–XV вв (in Russian). Издательство Академии Наук СССР. p. 122.
- ^ Быков, А. В. (2006). Новгородское войско XI–XV веков (диссертация) (in Russian). pp. 83–109.
- ^ Подвальнов Е.Д.; Несин М.А.; Шиндлер О.В (2019). "К вопросу о вестернизации военного дела Северо-Запада Руси". История военного дела: исследования и источники (in Russian). VII: 81. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ Быков, А. В. (2006). Новгородское войско XI–XV веков (диссертация) (in Russian). p. 212.
- ^ Шмелев К.В. (2001). "О применении судовой артиллерии на северо-западе России в допетровское время". Вестник молодых ученых: Исторические науки (in Russian). 1: 53–55.
Bibliography
- Perrie, Maureen (2006). The Cambridge history of Russia. Cambridge University. ISBN 9780521812276.