The history of Russia is full of different events. Each of them leaves its mark in the memory of the whole people. Some key and turning events reach our days and remain revered and worthy in our society. Preserving your cultural heritage, remembering great victories and commanders is a very important duty of every person. The princes of Russia were not always at their best in terms of their management of Russia, but they tried to be one family that jointly makes all decisions. At the most critical and difficult moments, a person always appeared who “took the bull by the horns” and turned the course of history in the opposite direction. One of these great people is Vladimir Monomakh, who is still considered an important figure in the history of Russia. He achieved many of the most difficult military and political goals, while he rarely resorted to cruel methods. His methods were tactics, patience and wisdom, which allowed him to reconcile adults who hated each other for years. In addition, one cannot ignore the attention and talent of the prince to fight, because Monomakh's tactics often saved the Russian army from death. The defeat of the Polovtsians, Prince Vladimir thought out to the smallest detail and therefore "trampled" this threat toRussia.
Polovtsy: acquaintance
Polovtsy, or Polovtsy, as historians also call them, is a people of Turkic origin who led a nomadic lifestyle. In different sources they are given different names: in Byzantine documents - Cumans, in Arab-Persian - Kypchaks. The beginning of the 11th century turned out to be very productive for the people: they ousted the Torks and Pechenegs from the Trans-Volga region and settled in these parts. However, the conquerors decided not to stop there and crossed the Dnieper River, after which they successfully descended to the banks of the Danube. Thus they became the owners of the Great Steppe, which stretched from the Danube to the Irtysh. Russian sources have this place as the Polovtsian field.
During the creation of the Golden Horde, the Cumans managed to assimilate many Mongols and successfully impose their language on them. It should be noted that later this language (Kypchak) became the basis of many languages (Tatar, Nogai, Kumyk and Bashkir).
Origin of the term
The word "Polovtsy" from Old Russian means "yellow". Many representatives of the people had blond hair, but the majority were representatives of the Caucasoid race with an admixture of Mongoloid. However, some scientists say that the origin of the name of the people comes from the place of their stop - the field. There are many versions, but none is reliable.
Tribal system
The defeat of the Polovtsy was partly due to their military-democratic system. The whole nation was divided into several clans. Each clan had its own name - the name of the leader. Multiple generaunited in tribes that created villages and winter quarters for themselves. Each tribal union had its own land on which food was cultivated. There were also smaller organizations, smoking - the union of several families. It is interesting that not only Polovtsy could live in kurens, but also other peoples with whom natural mixing took place.
Political system
Kureni united into hordes headed by the khan. The khans had supreme power in the localities. In addition to them, there were also such categories as servants and convicts. It should also be noted such a division of women, which predetermined them into servants. They were called chags. Kolodniki are prisoners of war who, in essence, were domestic slaves. They did hard work, had no rights, and were the lowest rung on the social ladder. There were also koschevye - the heads of large families. The family consisted of cats. Each kosh is a separate family and its servants.
We alth obtained in battles was divided between the leaders of military campaigns and the nobility. An ordinary warrior received only crumbs from the master's table. In the event of an unsuccessful campaign, one could go broke and become completely dependent on some noble Polovtsian.
Military
Military affairs of the Polovtsians were at their best, and this is recognized even by modern scientists. However, history has preserved to this day not too many testimonies about the Polovtsian warriors. Interestingly, any man or youth who was able tojust carry a weapon. At the same time, his state of he alth, physique, and even more so his personal desire, were not taken into account at all. But since such a device has always existed, no one complained about it. It is worth noting that the military affairs of the Polovtsians were not well organized from the very beginning. It would be more accurate to say that it developed in stages. Byzantine historians wrote that this people fought with a bow, a curved saber and darts.
Each warrior wore special clothes that reflected his belonging to the army. It was made of sheepskin, and was quite dense and comfortable. Interestingly, each Polovtsian warrior had about 10 horses at his disposal.
The main strength of the Polovtsian troops was the light cavalry. In addition to the weapons listed above, the warriors also fought with sabers and lassoes. A little later, they had heavy artillery. Such warriors wore special helmets, armor and chain mail. At the same time, they were often made in a very intimidating form in order to further intimidate the enemy.
It is also worth mentioning the use of heavy crossbows and Greek fire by the Polovtsians. This they most likely learned in those days when they lived near Altai. It was these capabilities that made the people practically invincible, for few military leaders of that time could boast of such knowledge. The use of Greek fire many times helped the Polovtsians to defeat even very fortified and protected cities.
It is worth paying tribute to the fact that the army had sufficientmaneuverability. But all successes in this matter came to naught due to the low speed of movement of the troops. Like all nomads, the Cumans won many victories thanks to sharp and unexpected attacks on the enemy, prolonged ambushes and deceptive maneuvers. They often chose small villages as the object of attack, which could not provide the necessary resistance, much less defeat the Polovtsy. However, the army was often defeated due to the fact that there were not enough professional fighters. Not too much attention was paid to the education of the younger ones. It was possible to learn any skills only during the raid, when the main occupation was the development of primitive combat techniques.
Russo-Polovtsian wars
The Russian-Polovtsian wars are a long series of serious conflicts that played out for about a century and a half. One of the reasons was the clash of the territorial interests of both sides, because the Polovtsians were a nomadic people who wanted to conquer new lands. The second reason was that Russia was going through hard times of fragmentation, so some rulers recognized the Polovtsy as allies, causing the anger and indignation of other Russian princes.
The situation was rather sad until Vladimir Monomakh intervened, who set as his initial goal the unification of all the lands of Russia.
Background to the Battle of Salnitsa
In 1103, the Russian princes conducted the first campaign against the nomadic people in the steppe. By the way, the defeat of the Polovtsy took place after the Dolobsky Congress. In 1107Russian troops successfully defeated Bonyaki and Sharukany. Success instilled the spirit of rebellion and victory in the souls of Russian warriors, so already in 1109, the Kyiv governor Dmitry Ivorovich smashed large Polovtsian villages near the Donets to shreds.
Monomakh Tactics
It is worth noting that the defeat of the Polovtsy (date - March 27, 1111) was one of the first in the modern list of Memorable dates in the military history of the Russian Federation. The victory of Vladimir Monomakh and other princes was a deliberate political victory that had far-sighted consequences. The Russians prevailed despite the fact that the advantage in quantitative terms was almost one and a half.
Today, many are wondering, under which prince did the stunning defeat of the Polovtsians become achievable? A huge and invaluable merit is the contribution of Vladimir Monomakh, who skillfully applied his military leadership gift. He took several important steps. Firstly, he implemented the good old principle, which says that it is necessary to destroy the enemy on his territory and with little bloodshed. Secondly, he successfully used the transport capabilities of that time, which made it possible to deliver infantry soldiers to the battlefield in a timely manner, while maintaining their strength and spirit. The third reason for Monomakh's thoughtful tactics was that he even resorted to weather conditions in order to win the desired victory - he forced the nomads to fight in such weather that did not allow them to fully use all the advantages of their cavalry.
However, this is not the only merit of the prince. Vladimir Monomakh thought out the defeat of the Polovtsy to the smallest detaildetails, but in order to implement the plan, it was necessary to achieve the almost impossible! To begin with, let's plunge into the mood of that time: Russia was fragmented, the princes held on to their territories with their teeth, everyone strove to act in his own way, and everyone believed that only he was right. However, Monomakh managed to gather, reconcile and unite wayward, recalcitrant or even stupid princes. It is very difficult to imagine how much wisdom, patience and courage the prince needed … He resorted to tricks, tricks and direct persuasion that could somehow influence the princes. The result was gradually achieved, and internecine strife ceased. It was at the Dolobsky Congress that the main agreements and agreements between different princes were reached.
The defeat of the Polovtsy by Monomakh also happened due to the fact that he convinced other princes to use even smerds in order to strengthen the army. Previously, no one even thought about it, because only combatants were supposed to fight.
The Defeat at Salnitsa
The campaign began on the second Sunday of Great Lent. On February 26, 111, the Russian army under the command of a whole coalition of princes (Svyatopolk, David and Vladimir) headed towards Sharukan. It is interesting that the campaign of the Russian army was accompanied by the singing of songs, accompanied by priests and crosses. From this, many researchers of the history of Russia conclude that the campaign was a crusade. It is believed that this was a well-thought-out move by Monomakh to raise morale, but most importantly, in order to inspire the army that it can kill and must win, because God himself commands them to do so. Actually VladimirMonomakh turned this great battle of the Russians against the Polovtsians into a righteous battle for the Orthodox faith.
The army reached the place of battle only after 23 days. The campaign was difficult, but thanks to the fighting spirit, songs and a sufficient amount of provisions, the army was content, which means that it was in full combat readiness. On the 23rd day, the soldiers reached the banks of the Seversky Donets.
It is worth noting that Sharukan surrendered without a fight and rather quickly - already on the 5th day of the brutal siege. The inhabitants of the city offered wine and fish to the invaders - a seemingly insignificant fact, but it indicates that people led a sedentary lifestyle here. The Russians also burned Sugrov. Two settlements that were defeated bore the names of khans. These are exactly the two cities with which the army fought in 1107, but then Khan Sharukan fled from the battlefield, and Sugrov became a prisoner of war.
Already on March 24, the first initial battle took place, in which the Polovtsy invested all their strength. It took place near the Donets. The defeat of the Polovtsians by Vladimir Monomakh occurred later, when a battle took place on the Salnitsa River. Interestingly, the moon was full. This was the second and most important battle between the two sides, in which the Russians prevailed.
The largest defeat of the Polovtsians by the Russian armies, the date of which is already known, stirred up the entire Polovtsian people, because the latter had a large numerical advantage in battle. They were sure that they would win, however, they could not resist the thoughtful and direct blow of the Russian troops. For the people and soldiers, the defeat of the Polovtsy by Vladimir Monomakh was very joyful.and a fun event, because good booty was obtained, many future slaves were captured, and most importantly, a victory was won!
Consequences
The aftermath of this great event was dramatic. The defeat of the Polovtsy (year 1111) was a turning point in the history of the Russian-Polovtsian wars. After the battle, the Polovtsians decided only once to approach the borders of the Russian principality. It is interesting that they did this after Svyatopolk departed to another world (two years after the battle). However, the Polovtsy established contact with the new Prince Vladimir. In 1116, the Russian army made another campaign against the Polovtsy and captured three cities. The final defeat of the Polovtsy broke their morale, and soon they went to the service of the Georgian king David the Builder. The Kypchaks did not respond to the last campaign of the Russians, which confirmed their final decline.
A few years later, Monomakh sent Yaropolk in search of the Polovtsy beyond the Don, but there was no one there.
Sources
Many Russian annals tell about this event, which has become a key and significant for the whole people. The defeat of the Polovtsy by Vladimir strengthened his power, as well as the faith of the people in their strength and their prince. Despite the fact that the Battle of Salnitsa is partially described in many sources, the most detailed "portrait" of the battle can only be found in the Ipatiev Chronicle.
The defeat of the Polovtsians was an extremely important event. Russia, this turn of events came in very handy. And all this became possible thanks to the efforts of Vladimir Monomakh. How much strength and mind heinvested in saving Russia from this misfortune! How carefully he thought out the course of the whole operation! He knew that the Russians always acted as victims, because the Polovtsians attacked first, and the population of Russia could only defend themselves. Monomakh realized that he should attack first, because this would create an effect of surprise, and also transfer the soldiers from the state of defenders to the state of attackers, which is more aggressive and strong in the general mass. Realizing that the nomads begin their campaigns in the spring, since they have practically no foot soldiers, he appointed the defeat of the Polovtsy at the end of winter in order to deprive them of their main strength. In addition, such a move had other advantages. They consisted in the fact that the weather deprived the Polovtsians of their maneuverability, which was simply impossible in the conditions of winter sightings. It is believed that the Battle of Salnitsa and the defeat of the Polovtsians in 1111 is the first major and well-thought-out victory of Ancient Russia, which became possible thanks to the talent of Vladimir Monomakh as a commander.
