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.
Team
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, weapons appear gradually, and they are more focused on protecting their owner than on attack. In the X century, several Slavic tribes united around the prince of Kyiv, who collects taxes andprotects the 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 (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 arm of the army was infantry, horses were used as pack animals and to deliver soldiers to battlefields. The cavalry is formed after unsuccessful clashes with the steppe people, 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, human-height wooden shields have been 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 in a round shape, they are upholstered with iron, coveredleather 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 - the 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
Old Russian warriors until the 9th-10th centuries 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 with precious stones and feathers (for 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 protectivedevices: aventail (mail mesh), nasal (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 we althy 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, fastened together according to the 1 to 4 scheme. At least 20-25 thousand rings were needed to create 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 \u200b\u200bprotection. 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 in Russia usedlamellar (plate) armor. For the manufacture, a base (shirt) of leather was required, on which thin iron lamellas were tightly fastened. 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 straps, often decorated with various symbols.
Weapons
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 innovationswere adopted from other peoples, but Russian inventors and gunsmiths have always been distinguished by their original approach and the reliability of their systems.
Percussion
Melee weapons are known to all peoples, 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 the Russian chronicles, along with the club, the mace, the shestoper, and the flail are 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 strike weapon, most often the legendary mace acts as this.
Chopping, 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 mace. The weapon of the ancient Russian warrior changes in the 10th century, the saber comes to replace the sword. The Russians appreciated its combat characteristics in battles with nomads, from whom they borrowed the uniform. Spears and horns belong tothe most ancient types of stabbing weapons, which were successfully used by warriors as defensive and offensive. When used in parallel, they evolved ambiguously. Rogatins are gradually being replaced by spears, which are being improved into the sulitsu. 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 of the archery army. It later transforms into a halberd.
Shooter
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 a more effective type of throwing weapon. 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 centuryto speed up and facilitate this process, they began to use a hook that archers wore on their belts. Before the invention of firearms, bows, crossbows, crossbows were used in Russian troops.
Equipment
Foreigners who visited Russian cities of the XII-XIII centuries were surprised at how the soldiers were equipped. Despite 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 in the opposite direction and shoot at full speed, while controlling the direction of the horse's movement. 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 received foreign ambassadors and went on holidays.
