Great campaigns refer to well-known historical events that accompanied the military actions of the rulers of different countries and aimed at conquering lands in Europe, Asia and other regions. In all eras, mankind has been engaged in the redistribution and capture of new territories: neighboring villages, cities and countries. And even in the 21st century, this topic is popular, but now among readers who are fond of fantasy style. An example is the book written by R. A. Mikhailov, "The Great Campaign", published in 2017
Conquests of Charlemagne
In Europe in the VIII century, during the early Middle Ages, there were several regions where the ancestors of modern Europeans lived. Among them, Byzantium and the state of the Franks were the largest. The latter has existed since the 5th century and was originally located on the territory of modern France, its capital was the city of Aachen.
Later during the wars werethe regions of Belgium, Holland, some regions of Germany, Austria and Italy were annexed. Most of the lands were conquered by King Charles (742-814), who received the nickname "The Great" during his lifetime.
Charles' conquests took place in 770-810:
- against the Lombard Kingdom, which ended in 774 with the annexation of the territory between Rome and the Alps to the state of the Franks;
- submission to Bavaria (787);
- campaign against the tribes of the Western Slavs Velets (789) and the conquest of the lands of modern Poland;
- war with the Avar Khaganate (791-803), located on the lands from the Adriatic to the B altic Sea, including part of Poland and Ukraine;
- campaign against the Arabs in 778-810 and the creation of the Spanish mark in the Pyrenees;
- one of the bloodiest campaigns of Charlemagne - a campaign against the pagan tribes of the Saxons (772-804), who lived in the current territory of Germany.
In December 800, Pope Leo III granted Charlemagne the imperial crown, giving rise to the name of the Frankish Empire. After his death, the throne was inherited by his son Louis I, who subsequently divided the reign between 3 sons. This was the beginning of the formation of large European states: France, Germany and Italy.
Crusades
According to historians, the period from the end of the 11th to the beginning of the 12th century is considered to be the era of the Crusades. Their first participants called themselves pilgrims, pilgrims and participants in the sacred road. For the first time, the economic reason for thisThe military campaign was defined by Pope Urban in 1095 as the conquest of rich lands in the East in order to increase the Christian population of the world, which, due to the increased number, Europe could no longer feed. The Roman Catholic Church proclaimed the religious purpose of the campaigns to prevent the storage of the Holy Sepulcher in the hands of the infidels.
The First Great Crusade began in August 1096, with several thousand common people taking part. On the way, many died of disease and deprivation, and very few pilgrims reached Constantinople. The Turkish army de alt with them quickly. In the spring of 1097 the main army of the crusaders came to Asia Minor. Along the way, they captured cities, establishing their power, after which their population became serfs from the knights.
As a result of the first campaign, the positions of the Catholics were strengthened, but turned out to be fragile. Already in the XII century. as a result of the resistance of the Muslim peoples, the principalities and states of the crusaders fell, and in 1187 Jerusalem retook the Holy Land along with the Holy Sepulcher stored there.
The newly organized campaigns of Christ's host did not bring tangible results. So, during the Fourth Crusade (1204), Constantinople was sacked, the Latin Empire was founded, but it lasted until 1261. In 1212-1213. a pilgrimage of children over 12 years of age was organized, most of whom died on the way. The rest reached Genoa and Marseilles, where they died of starvation, drowned while being transported on ships or were captured.
Total forEast, 8 campaigns were made: the last was in the direction of the peoples of the B altic, where new cities of the crusaders Riga, Revel, Vyborg, etc. were organized. As a result of the forcible spread of the Catholic religion, their area of residence expanded, spiritual and chivalric orders appeared. But there was also an intensification of confrontation between Muslims, an aggressive jihad movement appeared as a protest against the violent actions of the crusaders.
Campaigns of Genghisides on the Russian land
The great western campaign of the Mongol army against Russia, Bulgar and Europe began in the fall of 1236 with the defeat of Bulgar and the occupation of the territories of the Volga-Ural settlements and peoples (Mordovians, Saksins, Votyaks, etc.). The Chingizid army, consisting of 4 thousand soldiers and commanders, decided to move further to the Polovtsian steppes and to Europe. Among the commanders were famous historical figures: Batu, Subudai and others.
The peoples of Great Hungary were the first to be conquered, which, according to historians, was located between the Urals and the Volga. In 1237, the Mongols completely destroyed Volga Bulgaria, taking many prisoners and destroying more than 60 cities. Those who managed to save went into the forests and waged a guerrilla war. After the subjugation of the Votyak and Mordvin tribes, the Mongols came close to the borders of Russia, which at that time was divided into many independent small principalities.
The Mongols first tried to negotiate with the princes of Ryazan, waiting for the onset of winter. As soon as the rivers were frozen over, a huge mass of Tatars fell upon the city. Due to disunity, the princes could not agree with neighboring cities (Chernigovand Vladimir) for help, and after a few days of the siege, Ryazan turned into ashes.
After that, the Mongols turned their interests to the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. In the battle near Kolomna, almost the entire Russian army perished on the lines. Then the cities of Vladimir, Suzdal, Rostov, Torzhka and others were successively destroyed. Then the Pereyaslav and Chernigov principalities fell after a many-day siege. The capture of Chernigov took place in October 1239 with the help of throwing machines.
In 1240, Batu Khan threw his renewed and rested army to Kyiv, which was taken after the assault. Further, the path of the Mongols passed in a western direction and moved to Volhynia and Galicia. Local princes, when the troops approached, simply fled to neighboring Hungary and Poland.
Mongol conquest of Europe
By the winter of 1241, the Tatars reached the borders of Western Europe. Starting the next offensive of the Long March, the Mongols crossed the Vistula and captured Sandomierz, Lenchica and approached Krakow. Local governors, although they managed to join forces, were defeated, and the city was taken after the siege.
At this time, the Polish princes began to gather a national militia near Wroclaw, which also included regiments from Upper and Lower Silesia, southern Poland. German knights and Czech squads moved to their aid. However, the Mongol-Tatars were faster and completely defeated Wroclaw, crossing the Oder River. They won the next victory over the army of Henry the Pious, killing him and all the barons.
The southern group of Mongols moved at this time toHungary, destroying several cities and villages along the way. However, further on, the army led by Batu Khan encountered strong resistance from local troops, who outnumbered them. While crossing the river Chaillot, they encountered the royal men at arms, who at first defeated them. The next morning, the Mongols prepared more carefully, setting up throwing machines and crossing pontoon bridges to the other side, they surrounded the Hungarian camp, killed many, others managed to escape to Pest. Later, the Mongol army also took this city, completing the conquest of Hungary.
Only some German cities, Pressburg (Bratislava) and other settlements of Slovakia could resist the Genghis troops.
In 1242, the Mongols themselves stopped the invasion, which was due to their need to return to their homeland and participate in the election of a new supreme khan to replace the deceased Ogedei. One of the remaining units under the leadership of Kadan remained with the aim of capturing the king of Hungary, who at that time fled with his family to the island of Trau. The Mongols were unable to cross the strait and therefore moved south, destroying several cities in Bosnia and Serbia.
The cities of Kotor, Drivasto and Svac were the last on the way of the army of Kadan. The Great Mongol campaign against Europe ended on them: the khan decided to return to his homeland with the army, passing through Bulgaria and the Polovtsian steppes along the way. Residents of European countries for several centuries experienced horror from just one mention of the Mongols.
HikingNovgorod
The very first great campaign on the territory of the Russian state got its name after the taming of Novgorod by Ivan III, who began to reign in 1462. Growing up in an atmosphere of malice and treachery, Ivan became a cautious, cold and prudent ruler who set a goal unification of principalities into one state. The most powerful destinies in those days were Novgorod and Tver.
The trading and we althy city of Veliky Novgorod, ruled by the People's Council, was considered independent from other principalities. During the period of unification of the eastern Russian regions around Moscow, and the southwestern regions with Lithuania, the inhabitants of the city used their position. Novgorod freemen, local robbers and ushkuyniki caused significant harm to merchants carrying goods to Moscow.
The march of Ivan III to Novgorod took place in 1477, when Muscovite troops laid siege to the city, trying to subdue people with hunger and disease. By January 1478, the forces of the besieged were running out, so the local lord, together with the boyars and Novgorod merchants, came to Ivan and swore allegiance to him.
The next campaign against Veliky Novgorod took place during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, in 1569. After the denunciation that the Novgorodians wanted to go over to Poland, the tsar was furious. The troops were sent to the "rebellious" city, along the way they killed and robbed everyone, from Tver to Novgorod. In January 1570, the retinue of Ivan the Terrible entered the city, seized the treasury, took into custody all the priests, noblemen and merchants, sealing their property.
After the arrival of the king, most of them werebeaten to death, and Vladyka Pimen was defrocked and sent to prison. Ivan the Terrible, together with his son, judged all the captured residents, subjecting them to torture and killing entire families. In a few weeks, 1.5 thousand Novgorodians died, of which 200 were noblemen with their families, 45 clerks with their families, etc.
Azov campaigns of Peter I
The great Russian Tsar Peter I made many political changes in the country. The Russian-Turkish war was started during the reign of Princess Sofya Alekseevna. The Azov campaigns of Peter the Great (1695-1696) became its continuation. The reason for the outbreak of hostilities was the overdue decision to eliminate the constant threat from the Crimean Khanate, whose troops raided the southern regions of Russia.
During this period, Turkey entered into force a ban for Russian merchants to transport goods through the Azov and Black Seas, which created difficulties for the supply of goods. The key strategic point of the enemy was the Azov fortress, located at the mouth of the Don River. Under the condition of its capture, Russian troops would be able to gain a foothold on the shores of Azov and take control of the Black Sea. In the future, this would make it possible to increase the number of sea trade routes, which would have a positive impact on the development of the country's economy.
The young Tsar Peter I, who had previously honed his strategic military skills on amusing shelves, wanted to test them in real combat operations. For the first campaign, he gathered almost 31 thousand people and 150guns. The siege of Azov began in June and lasted several months, but was not successful, despite the large numerical superiority of troops. There were 7 thousand people in the Turkish garrison. After two unsuccessful assaults on the fortress in August and September, Russian troops suffered losses. On October 2, the siege was lifted.
Continuation of the siege of Azov
The second Azov campaign of Peter the Great, which began after more thorough preparation and taking into account previous mistakes, took place in the spring of 1696. Long before the start of hostilities, by decree of the tsar, shipyards were built in Voronezh and nearby cities, where military ships were built (2 ships, 23 galleys, 4 fireships, etc.) under the guidance of invited Austrian shipbuilders.
The number of ground forces numbered 70 thousand and consisted of archers, soldiers and Zaporizhzhya Cossacks, Kalmyk cavalry, 200 guns and about 1300 various ships. At the end of May, a flotilla of Russian ships entered the Sea of Azov and blocked the fortress, cutting it off from the Turkish fleet that came to the rescue.
From the side of the enemy, the garrison of the fortress was reinforced by 60 thousand Tatars, who were located not far from Azov. However, all their attacks from the camp were repulsed by Russian Cossacks. On July 19, after heavy artillery shelling, the Turkish garrison surrendered, and then the Russians occupied the Lyutikh fortress near the mouth of the Don.
After the destruction of the Azov fortress, it was decided not to restore, and a place was determined for the naval base on Cape Tagany, where a city was founded 2 years laterTaganrog.
Great Embassy (1697-1698)
The next decision of the young king was to conduct a peaceful diplomatic mission to European countries to expand the coalition of powers against Turkey. After the successful completion of the Azov campaigns, the Great Embassy was sent from Moscow, headed by F. Lefort, F. Golovin, consisting of 250 people. Peter I decided to participate in it, but incognito - under the name of constable Peter Mikhailov.
The purpose of the diplomats who visited Poland, France, Prussia, England and Austria was to get acquainted with the economic and state structures of European countries, study the practice of producing weapons and ships, purchase weapons and attract specialists to work in Russia. After studying the political situation, it turned out that European countries are not interested in a war with Turkey.
Therefore, Peter I decided to start a war for access to the B altic Sea and thus return the ancient Russian lands of the coastal territories of the Gulf of Finland. For this, negotiations were held with Denmark, Saxony and Poland, which became allies in the war of Russia against Sweden.
To consolidate the results of Russia's military and diplomatic actions in the Azov campaigns and the Great Embassy, as well as to secure the southern borders of the state, the tsar sent a mission to Turkey headed by E. Ukraintsev. After long negotiations, a peace agreement was concluded for a period of 30 years, according to which the coast of Azov, together with Taganrog, already belonged to Russia. The young king's next step was to declare war on Sweden.
Campaign of the Chinese Communists
Created in 1921, the Chinese Communist Party existed in small groups in several provinces, each of which was led by its own generals who were at enmity with each other. China's other party, the Kuomintang (revolutionary-democratic), established close relations with the government of the Soviet Union.
With the support of the USSR, the Kuomintang and the Communists created an alliance, with the active participation of the latter, the size of the Communist Party increased by 1925 to 60 thousand members. The balance of power changed after the death of Kuomintang leader Sun Yat-sen. He was replaced by General Chiang Kai-shek, who in 1926 won a bloodless victory in a coup in Canton and began to pursue a policy of disengagement from the Communists.
In March 1927, communist-led workers in Shanghai took power into their own hands. But then the military representatives of the Western European powers, who lived in the city, intervened: they ordered Kaishi to suppress the communist rebellion. As a result of the actions of Chinese mercenaries and groups, hundreds of workers died, and the Communist Party and trade unions were banned. Terror against the Chinese Communists throughout the country claimed the lives of 400 thousand people.
The survivors began to organize groups from rural regions, gradually conquering more and more new lands. One of them, the Autumn Harvest Rebellion, was led by Mao Zedong. By the beginning of the 1930s. the territory of the Soviet regions of China was 4% of the country's area, the Red Army was organized to protect it.
In 1930-1933, Chiang Kai-shek tried with the help of paramilitariescampaigns to capture the Soviet region, gradually surrounding it in a ring with troops and firing points (blockhouses). The only way left for the communists was to break through the encirclement.
Reconnaissance established a “weak link” on one of the sections of the border, and at night the Red Army troops were able to break through the defenses and leave the territory of the Central District. This was the beginning of the great campaign of the Chinese Communists and the Red Army. The way out of the encirclement was carried out by groups in several areas of fortifications.
The central column of the Communists was able to break through the Kuomintang defenses, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. After 2 months, the Red Army, having traveled 500 km along mountain roads, was able to defeat the last line of "impregnable" enemy fortifications. The Communists then captured the cities of Liping, Zunyi and Guizhou, whose residents greeted them with hospitality.
The post of chief commissar was taken by Mao Zedong, who led the further campaign. Their goal was to cross the Yangtze River. On the way, they were pursued by Kuomintang troops and air raids.
Chiang Kai-shek's troops tried to prevent the advance of the Red Army across the rivers by destroying crossings and placing military garrisons on the shore, but the Communists managed to cross to the other side along the half-dismantled bridge over the river. Dadu and linked up with the 4th Army Group in the border area. After that, it was decided to split into 2 groups: one would fight against the Kuomintang, the other against the Japanese. However, some parts were never able to reach the desired regions andturned back. The last battle took place near the border of the Soviet region. Several columns of communists, after difficult battles, were able to connect with the main forces of the army.
The Great Communist Campaign ended only in October 1935. During this time, the Red Army covered 10 thousand km, 7-8 thousand people survived.
In the 21st century, in honor of the memorable events of its history, on July 2, 2017, China launched the most powerful Long March-5 rocket (translated from Chinese as “Long March-5”) from the Wenchang Cosmodrome. However, the launch vehicle could not complete the task. For technical reasons, it was not possible to launch the Shijian satellite into orbit due to problems after launch. The previous launch in November 2016 was successful: 25 tons of cargo was delivered to the station. The scientists plan to launch the probe into a temporary orbit of Mars and the Earth.
The Long March or The Lost Lands
The theme of military campaigns and conquests continues in our time in literature. Popular with many readers who are fond of fantasy books, the novel by R. A. Mikhailov with this title was released in 2017 and is a continuation of the series “The World of Valdira” (part 8). The plot is based on the preparation and description of the voyage of a flotilla of thousands of warships to the ancient mainland of Zar'graad. Mikhailov's novel "The Great March" describes the exciting adventures that await sailors along the way. Not every one of them will be able to pass all the difficult trials and endure a long journey. Enigmatic personalities will also appear on the stage, who have their own politically ambitious plans. The novel "The Long March or the Lost Lands", according to readers, contains many battle scenes that are masterfully inscribed in the virtual world of the writer's fantasy.
